Chapter 208: First Light
I shifted my stance and clapped both hands together.
[Ice Spikes].
A burst of freezing energy surged from my palms into the ground. Jagged spears of ice exploded upward in a fan pattern. The Scaled Death tried to dodge mid-air but landed hard, one spike impaling its hind leg, another slicing across its belly.
It roared in pain.
I took one step forward and raised my arm. A new idea formed in my mind.
This time, I wanted to try something else.
I let the violet Essence swirl around my fingers. It pulsed faintly, alive, waiting.
[Absolute]
“Light.”
That was the idea forming in my head. A piercing element. One that could cut rather than crush. One that is faster than sound. But I’d never shaped Essence this way before.
I took a breath and pushed.
The Essence responded, shifting under my will. It began to condense, thinner and brighter with each passing second. The violet hue dulled into a radiant white—tinged with pale gold. It felt strange. Like holding a sliver of the sun between my fingertips.
The lizard charged.
I pointed two fingers and focused the beam.
The light snapped forward in a thin, soundless line.
Zinggg!!!!
It cut through the space between us in an instant and struck the lizard right between the eyes. Its skull didn’t explode. It didn’t even shatter. It just… stopped.
The body collapsed mid-charge, sliding across the dirt with its momentum. A faint trail of smoke rose from the neat hole bored through its forehead.
Dead. Clean. No wasted motion.
I lowered my hand slowly, eyes narrowing as I studied the glowing edge of Essence still flickering at my fingertips.
So that was light.
I grinned.
The Minor Law of Absolute was at 20%, gained through my comprehension of space. I decided that light would be the next element I’d incorporate.
That would do.
With my work mostly done, I turned once more, heading in the opposite direction now. Away from the pool. Away from Ana’s temple. This was the last part of the plan: throw off any possible pursuers.
I moved through the trees, leaving deliberate signs behind.
I broke branches and clawed bark with Essence-coated fingertips. I toppled a dead tree to make it seem like I had collided with it while running. Finally, I removed my boots and threw them near a small stream, letting the current carry bits of dirt and cloth downstream.
“Let them think I ran this way,” I whispered.
I summoned a last bit of Essence and blasted a few more trees as if I had been fighting something. Deep gashes scarred the wood.
After one final look around, I nodded. The scene was convincing enough. If the Holts came sniffing around, they’d follow this path. With any luck, they wouldn’t even get close to the real hiding place.
I turned around and vanished into the woods once more, quiet as a shadow.
I rushed back to the pool, but instead of diving in, I found a massive tree nearby covered in thick climbing vines and decided to sit under it comfortably.
I opened my notifications. The last few kills had pushed me up to level 82.
[Status]
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Name : Billion Ironhart
Race : Human
Class : Primordial Executor – Awakened (Mythic)
Laws :
– Minor Law of Absolute – 20%
Awakened Weapon: Executor’s Staff
Rank: Mortal
Level : 82
Talent :
– Generator Nexus 1
– Essence : 55/55 (+15)
– Soul Shackle : 0
Attributes :
– Strength: 513
– Constitution: 358
– Dexterity: 327
– Psynapse : 620
Skills:
– Essence Engine (Innate) Level 5
– Psynapse Overdrive (Innate) Level 2
– Seismic Burst Level 5
– Havoc Sfera Level 3
– Blitz Hakai Level 3
– Spatial Shield Level 2
– Absolute Level 2
– Revert Level 1
– Singularity Beam (Weapon Skill)
Abilities:
– Apex Body – I (Passive)
————————————————–
My attributes were surging, and I could feel their effects rippling through my body. The most noticeable was Psynapse—it made controlling Essence and shaping elements feel almost effortless.
I opened my talent panel.
[Talent Panel]
——————————————-
Talent Name: Generator Nexus
Level: 1
Activation Command: Power Up!
Recharge Sources: Any form of energy
Upgrade Requirement : Level 5
Function 1 : Essence Generation
– Generates Essence from absorbed energy
– Essence : 55 / 55 (+15) units
– Level-Up Requirement: 1100 Essence units generated
– Progress: 870/ 1100
Function 2 : Null Heart
– Generates Soul Threads from generated Essence
– Combines Soul Threads into a Soul Shackle
– Null Heart Charge: 610 / 1000 Essence (1 Soul Shackle = 1000 units of Essence)
– Soul Shackle : 0
– Anchored Soul : 0
– Soul Shackle Limit: 0 / 1
Abilities:
– Essence Transfer : Can transfer stored Essence to an attribute. After use, 50% of the transferred Essence unit remains as a permanent boost
– Essence Infusion : Can infuse stored Essence.
– Particle Absorption : Can directly absorb energy particles from the environment.
– Sovereign’s Mark : Generated Essence bears your unique signature, bending only to your will.
– Soul Shackle: Anchors a corrupted Bonded Soul into the Null Heart, allowing control and shared evolution.
——————————————-
My eyes locked onto the progress bar for Essence Generation.
Progress: 870 / 1100
Close.
I decided to stay here for the night and push through until I leveled it up. With that goal in mind, I closed the panel and took a deep breath to steady myself.
First, I transferred all the Essence in my body into the Null Heart.
Then, I began drawing in ambient energy from the surroundings, converting it steadily into Essence. My senses remained extended, alert for any movement or sign of trouble, but I let the rest of my mind fall into the rhythm of absorption.
Time slipped by as I gathered Essence and passed it into the Null Heart. Both progress bars continued ticking forward.
And just as the sun began to rise over the horizon, a soft chime echoed in my mind—I’d finally reached the threshold.
It was time to level up the talent again.
[Requirement completed]
[Talent Leveling Up…]
Suddenly, Essence stirred around me, rushing toward my heart. I watched as the process took its time to complete.
Unlike the last upgrade, it wasn’t overwhelming—everything flowed smoothly.
Once it settled, I pulled up the panel to check the changes.
Essence Storage had increased to 90.
Essence: 0 / 90
The progress bar for the next level-up had shifted as well:
Progress: 0 / 1800
There was also an increase in my Soul Shackle Limit by one.
Soul Shackle Limit: 0 / 2
Everything else remained the same. No new abilities unlocked this time.
I exhaled slowly. That was expected. I had just recently upgraded the talent. It would probably take a few more level-ups before the next breakthrough.
Once I was done, I stood up and dropped down from the tree.
The time to return to the Holts had long passed. By now, they’d definitely noticed our absence. And if they were tracking the collars, they’d know they weren’t working anymore.
Which meant only one thing, they’d start searching the forest soon.
I decided I wouldn’t run. I’d wait for them. Ambush them.
Turning my head, I stared at the mountain range in the distance. My legs bent, and with a burst of speed, I shot forward—deeper into the forest, heading straight toward the mountains.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!