Chapter 66: I Tried To Be Nice
I Tried To Be Nice
After a hearty meal and conversation with Jonathan, Mike eventually retreated to his room as he had something to do.
Upon entering, he let out a sigh as he leaned against the door.
’Alright. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Got it.’ He thought to himself as he replayed the entire conversation in his head from start to finish.
From the start, Jonathan hadn’t shown an ounce of animosity pr hostility towards Mike, and he could sense the guy genuinely begin to enjoy their interaction nearing the end, which both elated and saddened him.
’No excuses, I had no reason to treat him like a plague. I can only thank my luck that we had to interact again, accidental or not.’ He chastised himself and shook his head.
’Moreover, he isn’t so simple.’ He recalled the conversation about how Jonathan made equipment, and if Mike was being perfectly honest, it reached a point where he couldn’t even understand 90% of what he was saying, but he allowed the boy to speak out of politeness.
One thing is for sure, though. Jonathan had to be somewhat decent at crafting equipment.
’Maybe if I earn enough credits, I could commission him to help me make something. I’m no genius, but I can tell that equipment that grows with the user is something good, and I’d like some for myself if possible.’ With that thought, Mike took a quick shower and changed into more casual clothes.
As soon as he did, he immediately went into his small training room and sat down cross-legged.
’I should probably get that fixed at some point.’ He thought while glancing at the fist-sized indent in the wall that was a result of him getting a bit excited with Crimson Ladder.
’Then again, it’s not doing anything harmful, and it would probably cost credits... It’ll be fine.’ He shook his head and closed his eyes as he took a breath.
As for what he wanted to do? Well, two things.
First of all, he finally decided to properly address the issue that was his Energy Pathways and the inconsistencies they displayed when it came to activating his aura.
Well, a part of the issue, anyway.
Mike took a few deep breaths to ensure he was in the right state of mind, then he activated his aura while using Aura Modulation to drastically decrease its output until only a faint blue shimmer could be seen around his skin.
With that done, he turned his senses inward, and soon enough, he gradually became aware of the incredibly complex network of Pathways that were his Energy Pathways, each one faintly alight with blue energy flowing through it.
Mike focused on them, and like before, he could see how the openings in the Pathways which would allow his energy to flow into other parts of his body, and thus his Aura, were closed. As such, he couldn’t use his aura to enhance his internals properly. Not yet, anyway.
Mike did wonder how this was the case, but whenever he used Crimson Ladder, the enhancement was almost all-encompassing as it helped guide his muscles using his energy, and yet he couldn’t use that same energy to enhance his muscles or bones.
It was a weird issue he’d addressed before, but he had no way to go around it, so he just decided to tackle it at a later date.
Now, to the issue at hand. As stated before, the only openings in his Energy Pathways that would allow for his aura to manifest and enhance a certain part of him were the openings near his skin.
Currently, he could see the energy leaving those Pathways and entering his pores before escaping them, manifesting as his aura, which enhanced him. However, he saw that this flow of energy wasn’t perfect, and quite a bit of it scattered and went to other parts of his body, enhancing them a bit.
However, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing, as that meant he wasn’t getting the full extent of the enhancement meant for his exterior, and he planned on settling it today if possible.
He observed these openings for a while. He’d already somewhat committed them to memory since he’d been keeping tabs on this specific issue for a while now, but he wanted to ensure everything was ready before he proceeded.
Once he was reasonably certain of his memory, he decided to do something else.
STATS
Strength: 43
Agility: 45.8
Endurance: 44.4
Vitality: 48.8
Perception: 48.2
Ferocity: 15% (Stable)
Allocatable Stat Points: 12
He stared at his stats for a few seconds before promptly putting three stat points into perception.
Perception: 48.2 → 51.2
As soon as he did, he felt his senses sharpen a bit. It wasn’t a crazy increase, but it was tangible enough for him to notice, which reminded him of what the system said about how stats scale the more he levels up.
Satisfied, he finally focused on the issue at hand.
He observed the openings in his Aura Pathways, a task made easier with his increased perception, and then focused on the energy.
He let out a breath as he focused on stopping the unnecessary leakage of energy.
He felt some resistance at first, but slowly, the flow of energy started to become more stable.
Minutes passed, and progress was a bit slow, but steady.
He could feel a bit of strain, though, and Mike grimaced slightly as he felt like he was holding on to several thin wires. However, it didn’t seem so bad. At this rate, it was just a matter of–
Mike suddenly hissed as he felt his Energy Pathways throb, and the energy within them suddenly started to run rampant, sending a spike of pain throughout his body.
’What the–?!’ Mike was startled.
In all his time of using his energy, he’d never once had it react like that. Sure it was slow in some instances, but that was simply due to his lack of control, something that would naturally become better as he trained more.
But with how he was feeling right now, it’s almost like his energy was...
’Fighting back...? But... why?’ Mike grimaced as another spike of pain shot through him. It wasn’t as bad as when he’d unintentionally used Overclocking, but it still hurt enough for him to have to stop himself from letting out any sounds.
He clenched his fists hard as he tried to keep his energy under control, but it was as though something sort of flip had switched, and his usually calm and obedient energy had turned volatile.
Mike saw that his Energy Pathways started to take some damage, and a bit of panic wormed its way into his heart.
Panic... and anger.
He didn’t understand why what was happening was happening, but one thing was for certain. He did not like it at all.
’My own energy rebelling against me? Bullshit!’
THUMP
A powerful beat resounded in the room, the source his chest.
’I was trying to be nice. Was I ever forceful? Yet you try to hurt me? Your source?!’
THUMP
As Mike’s thoughts ran, a strange sort of energy began to emit from him. It wasn’t the same as the energy that supplied his ability.
No, this was something more. Something deeper... more Primal.
This strange energy seemed to persist in the room, and started to move even outside of it.
All other forms of energy started to be suppressed, as though they were cowering in the face of whatever this was.
This change didn’t go unnoticed, as several powerful individuals in the school were immediately alerted.
In a small courtyard, Masha who had just finished a training set and was wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel suddenly perked up, her eyes narrowing.
’What was that energy?’ She frowned.
Oddly enough, she couldn’t pinpoint its position. The suppression effect it had on other forms of energy seemed to prevent it from being properly detected. So while its presence was known, no one could pinpoint its position, they only knew that it was within the school.
Still, Masha didn’t hesitate and jumped up, but instead of falling after a while, she kept on ascending until she was a few hundred meters above the school before she finally stopped.
She wasn’t the only one as a few other individuals could be seen high up. Among them was Edward, Vice-Principal Joseph, Alice, and a few other powerful individuals who were instructors or high-ranking members of the school.
"Can anyone pinpoint the source?" The Vice-Principal asked with a solemn expression, and a few gazes shifted towards the childlike figure of Alice who slowly shook her head.
"No. It’s from the school no doubt. But somehow, it’s distorting everything around it to make it almost impossible to find." She frowned. "That said, I can still gauge the intent behind it somewhat, and whatever it is... It’s like a predator that demands respect..." She trailed off, and everyone tensed up.
The energy signature vanished.
***
"Fuu~." Mike exhaled, a bit of steam leaving his mouth as he slowly calmed down.
He was still for a while as he slowly came to his senses.
There were many things to address, but of all of them, the one that caught his attention the most was...
• Primal Surge [B+]
A combat-type aura ability absorbed from a fallen foe. Enhances physical performance, reinforces strikes, and can be shaped into offensive bursts or barriers.
>>>
• Primal Dominion [A]
A combat-type aura ability that embodies the will of the Heart of the Lupine. Enhances physical performance beyond natural limits, reinforces every strike, and can be shaped into devastating bursts or protective barriers.
Due to the Heart of the Lupine refusing to accept such defiance, this ability now exerts an instinctive authority over energy and lifeforms within range, suppressing rebellious or hostile flows and foes and forcing them into obedience. When activated in full, it projects the intent of a true predator, demanding respect from all who sense it.
[Ding. Due to the Host’s efforts, he has successfully created a new skill.]
[Name: Primal Dread
Description: A skill born from the instinctive will of the Heart of the Lupine. Allows the Host to project his aura as an oppressive field, suppressing surrounding energy and enforcing instinctive submission on nearby beings. Those caught in its range feel as though they are prey before a true apex predator.
The potency of Primal Dread scales with the Host’s Ferocity, aura output, and killing intent.]
"... What the fuck?"