Chapter 304 - A High Ranking Devil
'What the hell is that?'
The creature woke from its slumber. Having horns for eyes, it looked over to Skeem, then to the Soul Doll and Rynold. While Rynold could only cower, Skeem seemed respectful all throughout the awakening. And, if Rynold were to look any closer, he would see the ogre smiling.
Nonetheless, what happened happened, regardless of what Rynold thought. The creature, whatever it was, woke up and seemed to greet Skeem. But, as a third party, Rynold could only speculate. And, since Skeem was the only one talking, it was hard to grasp what they were saying, let alone the topic of their conversation. It wasn't until the creature looked over to Rynold and sneered.
'It's looking at me all funny.'
"That is of no threat to you, Master. That creature is human, an example of what has happened in the Known World. I have it under a heavy seal. As for the reason why I brought it along, I believe there is a power hidden inside this particular human. Of which I have yet to uncover."
As far as Rynold could tell, Skeem was trying to convince the creature of Rynold's significance. However, instead of a positive reception, Skeem was instead treated with a somewhat negative response. The creature did not seem at all pleased by the development. After all, Rynold, no matter what power he holds, was insignificant before the absolute existence of the creature before him.
"I understand your reservations," Skeem didn't move from his kneeling position and even looked down on the ground, avoiding the creature's line of sight, "However, I humbly request, no, beg of you, Master, to allow for this one small transgression."
After a brief second, the hostility in the air turned to a lack of care. The creature seemed to have chosen to move on, ignoring whatever insignificant actions Skeem made. It seemed to constantly look down on Skeem, telepathically degrading with every thought and word the creature conveyed to the ogre.
"Of course, Master, I have prepared extensively for this day," Skeem suddenly spoke, his tone with a hint of pride, "Your vessel has been fine-tuned to your specifications. On your word, Master, and I shall begin."
With that, Skeem suddenly stood up and brought out a book. He then flipped through the pages and stopped at one with incantations for a spell. Rynold watched as a magic array started forming before Skeem, brimming with more and more light as Skeem went on. Rynold observed the situation keenly, watching the creature's subtle reactions to the spell and the spell's overall Mana density. Either way, it was nothing good.
As the magic array continuously gathered Mana, Rynold stood and watched. He only realized a few seconds later that now was the opportune time for him to break through the seal. With Skeem's hands full, Rynold could exacerbate the process. Of course, while doing so, Rynold would exercise caution. There were substantial risks, and one wrong move would kill him without warning.
'Let's give it a shot, then.'
Rynold closed his eyes and concentrated on his second Mana Core. The current progress rate of burning the seal off was over 30%. Rynold had made some progress, but it still wasn't enough for him to recover. Case in point: While Rynold could move, his body still felt heavy.
Focusing on the second Mana Core, Rynold didn't realize that his first Mana Core was getting restless. For whatever reason, the Mana within it started to rampage within the confines of the Mana Core. The Mana smashed against the seals over the Mana Core repeatedly and with excessive vigor. It wasn't until the progress rate of the seals' destruction reached over 50% did Rynold finally notice the change. And, by then, Rynold could only watch in awe.
'What?' Rynold thought as he tried to take control of the Mana, 'It's reacting to my will much more accurately than before. How the hell is this happening? It's not alive or anything like that, no. It's, huh, it's because of-'
"YOU!"
That one word forced Rynold to open his eyes and turn his attention to the horn-for-eyes creature staring at him. At that moment, Rynold knew why the thing suddenly felt threatened. So much so that Rynold didn't even fear what the creature or Skeem might do to him.
'Heh, I can't believe it took me this long to realize what my Mana Core's real Attribute is.'
===
[Secret Conditions Completed!]
[Title Unlocked!]
[Hell's Natural Adversary]
Having your presence known to a high-ranking devil, paired with the natural Affinity you have with the Light Attribute, you have unlocked the following rewards:
- Light Attribute damage against Hell-related enemies increased by 35%.
- All Attributes in the presence of a high-ranking devil increased by 50%.
- Dark Resistance increased by 25%.
===
[Secret Conditions Completed!]
[You have obtained the Secret Class: Lightsworn Indurare!]
===
'What?'
Rynold suddenly felt a surge of power from inside him. Out of nowhere, Rynold's uneasiness turned to a sense of overwhelming calm. For some reason, Rynold had suddenly received something overwhelming. While he couldn't understand why the System had suddenly become so generous, Rynold had no choice but to go with it for now. The seal had finally broken; however, something there was looking to kill him.
So, without further ado, Rynold jumped off from the Soul Doll's shoulder. Without Skeem's control over the Soul Doll, it didn't even react when Rynold got off. And, now free, Rynold didn't hesitate and ran straight for the exit, stopping for no one.
"STOP!!"
This time around, the creature's voice was much louder than it was before. It forced Rynold to stagger, his brain in pain from the splitting headache. It was intense as if the pressure of the moon had fallen down on him. But, Rynold, as close as he was to the exit, didn't dare stop.
With hobbled steps, Rynold kept going. The pain, however, became worse as the creature's voice became louder and more prominent with each step. At any moment, Rynold could collapse on the floor and die. But, with his everlasting and steadfast will, Rynold pushed on.
During all this was happening, Skeem was busy with the spell. However, the ogre was nearing the spell's completion, and, any time now, Rynold would end up more preoccupied than he would like.
However, no matter what he did, he couldn't stop the telepathic onslaught that had descended on him. The pain was overwhelming. While Rynold could stand physical pain, anything mental or elemental would've broken him just like what was happening to him now. Fortunately, Rynold had other cards to play.
Willing his Mana to life with whatever brainpower he had left, Rynold activated one of the spells that he had learned the moment he got his new Class.
[Light's Refraction]
As soon as Rynold activated the spell, he teleported a good distance away from where he was standing. The moment Rynold touched the grass, he heaved a heavy sigh. The voice in his head disappeared, leaving him with an extremely painful headache as a result. Nonetheless, he got away from the immediate threat. The bad thing about that now was probably everything else.
Rynold was still in Hell. He didn't really expect much from the displacement/teleportation spell, but he thought it would've gotten him much farther away than the forest. As far as Rynold knew, he was still within walking distance from the cave. And, not only that, but Rynold had no idea what awaited him now that he was all alone.
Hell was a place no human should be in, that much was made clear for Rynold even before the New World came. This place was, as far as Rynold knew, populated with a lot of things Rynold didn't really want to meet. Even with his new Title, Rynold would still prefer to be back home. No matter what, Hell was never something Rynold imagined he would end up.
That said, there was no use of bitching about it now as Rynold had to find someplace safe for the night. For some reason, Hell was a lot different from its descriptions. For one, there was a sun, and it was about to set. As Rynold gathered his thoughts, Rynold left to find someplace safe.
Back in the cave, the creature was far from pleased. It was enraged by Rynold's unexpected power, failing to kill the human despite its best efforts. Its body, as big as it was, was sealed. The creature couldn't hurt anyone, not directly.
Fortunately, that was about to change as Skeem finished his incantations and a body appeared from where the magic array was. It stood still, unmoving, unblinking. As Skeem seemingly conjured a Soul Doll, the creature smiled ever so precariously.
From there, Skeem turned to the creature and started another spell. However, this particular spell was much shorter than the previous one. And, by the end of it, the sizable creature was no more. There was only Skeem, the bulky Soul Doll, and a beautiful-looking woman sporting a devilish smile.