158. First Training (III)

"Before we speak of practical matters," said Patriarch Azure Flame, "We must achieve an understanding of the history of Stormfire. Let us delve into its rich and storied lineage! Many a Master has walked this dangerous path... the first to tread its path was I, Patriarch Azure Flame. I came across it in by a stroke of chance, early in the 7th Megannum…"

The Patriarch kept talking. He'd fought in this war, warred against this Kingdom to found the Faction, driven back that Monster tide, planted his flag on some special Fire-affinity solar system to claim it as his new Faction's home base… Zane frowned. He was pretty long-winded. He must've gone on for fifteen minutes. Zane zoned out a dozen times in between.

"Then," said the Patriarch. "There was Sage Noughtfire—who walked this path all the way to Tier 7! A Patriarch who took the title millennia after I, long after I abdicated my title, and became an honored Ancestor—"

He started talking about people who could shake the whole galaxy, or obliterate planets at the snap of their fingers, whose powers were so strong they were feared even in the broader Universe. Apparently, Stormfire powerhouses were well known for punching above their weight. Some of the many, many Sages the Patriarch rambled on about even scalped some 'Overgods,' whatever that was. Zane guessed their Levels were far beyond anything Zane had ever seen.

Zane was getting kind of bored. There were lots of names and dates. He was never good at history—after a while it all started to sound the same to him. He wondered how many millions of years there were to get through before they got to the good stuff. The Patriarch was pretty insistent about it—he was flicking his wrists, booming this and that, like every little fact was some important proclamation.

There was exactly one time Zane liked learning new things, and that was when Reina was telling them to him. Even he couldn't explain why. He just found her and everything she said very interesting. Maybe it was how she said it. She wanted to share her passion about things, not lecture him.

He scratched his head. Maybe it was also because he liked looking at her face, which was very nice to look at. It held his attention quite well. Patriarch Azure Flame's face was not very nice to look at. He did not moisturize.

Then Zane had a thought. Could he just...?

He flipped the pages faster and faster.

The Patriarch started flickering—skipping between words like he was jumping forward in a video.

Nice.

At last the Patriarch got to the point. "Now that you Understand its lineage, you are ready to learn its powers. The first step of Stormfire," said the Patriarch, "Is Pseudo-Stormfire! It is an innovation pioneered by Sage Noughtfire, which drastically decreased the death rate—"

Zane skipped past that too since he had it already. Then— "The First Concept of Stormfire—Plasma!"

Finally.

"It is said," said Patriarch Azure Flame, "That Elemental is the first step on the path to comprehension. For good reason—the Concept which weave together Elemental Laws are often Fiendishly complex. Some take years of study, even for the very talented... and the Concept of Plasma proved among the most complex I'd ever encountered."

His nostrils flared. "If you wish to walk the path of Stormfire, you must first be accustomed to failure. Years, perhaps decades of it! Know this, disciple, first and foremost. Concepts must be experienced directly for the greatest effect. Great Masters may have an enlightening experience and meditate upon it in a cave for years afterward, trying to mine out its secrets... but no great Master ever achieved true power hiding in a cave his whole life! To understand the world, you must experience it. Secondhand seeing—such as this Law recording—will never be adequate. Especially for Powerful Laws, such as the more complex Concepts of Stormfire…it is best to seek out experiences and treasures! I exhort you to thrust yourself in the eye of the storm."

Zane did notice it was easier learning something directly than when he felt it through a Law vision—though when he'd eaten a few Law Fruit, they all went by so fast the difference wasn't that big.

Maybe it was bigger the harder things got.

"For now, however," said the Patriarch, "I offer you this."

He held out a hand—and there was an eruption of brilliant blue.

Just a single thread of Stormfire. One Concept. Held out of the rest... it seemed like a liquid flowing there in his palm, a little sphere, one solid shining color. Zane felt pure excitement blasting out of it. Every little bit of it vibrated at shocking speed like it had infinite energy. It couldn't be contained. Even just controlling it must take a huge amount of will—just to keep it in one solid shape...

Sure enough—

"Stormfire will never be like a sword, or axe—or nearly any other Element, or Fusion, which can be wielded like tools to do your bidding!" proclaimed the Patriarch. "Rather—you must think of Stormfire as a wild stallion, to be broken each time you wish to ride it. If it senses weakness in you, it will turn on you—and trample you utterly!"

Zane could definitely feel that the Patriarch was holding it down—even as it fought to break free. It was a mix of Fire and Lightning that felt extremely stimulated, animated—it made Zane's Stormfire feel sleepy in comparison.

"It looks difficult to contain, does it not?" said the Patriarch, nodding sagely. "In practice, it is even harder than it looks. Like trying to grasp hold of a raging river with one's bare fist! And it is harder yet to wield it..."

He held it there a few more seconds. Then closed his fist. The Stormfire vanished.

"Master the Concept of Plasma, and your powers shall grow severalfold," said the Patriarch. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"I advise you once more, for this bears repeating," said the Patriarch, "To seek out those places where purest Lightning meets purest fire. Study can only take you so far. Observe this Stormfire, this Concept, as you please. But treat this vision merely as the beginning… the Master can show the way. But only the disciple can walk it."

Zane did stay there for a while, replaying the scene. Trying to home in on the nature of that seething ball of light... He took a quick break to chomp down a few more Law Fruit since he felt them running out, and hopped back to it.

He kept staring at that ball of light, frowning. It almost felt like starting a car. He needed something to click—otherwise, all that sputtering was gone and he had to go at it from scratch again. He started slipping in and out of trances. Sometimes he felt he was close. But it kept slipping away from him.

He did feel himself getting slowly better each time. Little by little. He just needed—just a little—

He sat there, frowning. Just thinking. He was getting a little woozy... his eyelids felt very heavy…

Something was missing. He just needed one more piece.

Then his transmission crystal lit up.

It was Reina. She was wondering what was going on.

After a little back-and-forth, Zane blinked. He'd been in here for two days straight, almost.

Hm..

He stood and called it a day.

It was the first time he'd tried comprehending something—and not managed it in one try.

It only made the thing more interesting to him.

Maybe the Patriarch was right. Maybe he did need to go find somewhere in real life, where there was lots of Lightning and Fire. He could feel how close he was—if he felt it in person, he was sure he could get it.

He wondered where.

That night, he asked Reina about it. She said there was an A+-ranked dungeon in Italy that needed clearing—it was where Mount Vesuvius had once been. She was rather busy catching up on everything she'd missed with their A-rank trips. She couldn't go with him this time. But she could arrange travel for him. A quick little Law trip, there and back, sort of like a business trip.

He spent the next few days resting, recovering his Comprehension. At the same time, he took in essence treasures nonstop. And cultivated with Reina a lot too; they both Leveled up a great deal. Reina had a bigger appetite than Zane and was always eager, but Zane could go forever. He gave her as much as she could take.

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟚𝟟 -> 𝟙𝟚𝟠

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟚𝟠 -> 𝟙𝟚𝟡

He also got another upgrade. From the blood slowly dissolving within him…

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪 [𝕄𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕔] -> 𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪 [𝕄𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕔+]

It was only halfway dissolved—and he hadn't even started the cultivation manual yet.

The day before he left for his Law trip, he checked out the Titan Rhino manual.

It was a lot less long-winded than the Patriarch's, thankfully. It was written by the Barbarian Sage of the Steelheart Conclave, who'd done several centuries-long studies of the Titan Rhino to write this—including taking its blood. The Barbarian Sage became one of the strongest powerhouses of his era.

He was a giant man. Bald, square-jawed, bare-chested with massive hands. Old faded scars littered his arms and legs—Zane wondered why they hadn't healed from Level-ups.

No aura came across through the vision, but Zane got a feeling of tremendous weight from him. He gave off an impression of great sturdiness. Looking at him felt like looking at one of those giant Greek statues.

The Titan Rhino Manual was divided into six parts, said the Barbarian Sage in a deep smooth voice. Indomitable Hide. Behemoth Muscle. Colossal Tendons. Bastion Bone. Vigor Organs. Then, all blended as one—Godbeast Body.

"The first layer," said the Sage, saying the words like a drill instructor. "Is Indomitable Hide!"

His eyes flashed.

The scene changed.

The first thing Zane saw were the walls. Bigger than any he'd ever seen. They went halfway to the sky. Made of shining Spirit Steel, steel carved with massive runes. Runes booming with power. The whole thing gave off essence like a geyser gave off steam.

Beyond those walls was a world of glistening silver. Spires shot up, striking for the clouds. Stained glass domes here and there. A silver glass kingdom.

He saw lines of prettily armored folk manning the walls—with pointy ears and sharp features, like elves.

𝕃𝕪𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕝

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟛𝟙𝟙

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟛𝟠𝟠

They were frowning at the distance. Black clouds were rolling in… a storm was brewing.

A gray mountain loomed beneath it. Zane thought it was a mountain at first—then it took a step. And another. Each little step set off an earthquake so powerful it made solid ground look like rippling water.

The elf-folk gave battle cries. Fired off big beautiful longbows. Shining lines of light streaked for the horizon—and burst right off the face of the mountain. They faded without leaving so much as a scratch.

The mountain kept coming, stepping into the light.

It looked like a rhinoceros, fitted with a suit of armor—growing out of its hide, rough yet sturdy, like old steel that'd been tempered a thousand times.

Zane felt something familiar shifting through its surface. A Bloodline streaming through the essence, flaring with power—burning up as the time for battle came…

A new aura erupted out of it. And Zane felt it resonating with something inside him; getting him amped up too—the great beast's watery eyes began to brighten, began to shine. Rivers of power coursed through that skin, making massive circulations. The aura just kept thickening, oppressive. Like its Bloodline was still powering up… the very texture of its skin began to change. Thickening. Growing denser and denser…

The elves brought out lines of cannons running down the walls. Huge things that spat some vicious heavy Fire Fusion Law—it looked like Fire and Earth.

Again it shattered off those plates. Like nothing had struck them at all.

The Rhino gave a bellow so loud Zane saw windows shatter off the high towers.

Then it lowered its horn. And charged.