Chapter 66: Journey of a Thousand Miles
The world was consumed by an eerily-long silence or rather...the ceaseless breathes of the Breathing Giant.
I stared at the corpse of the Aberrant Fomorian which was now wallowing in a pool of scarlet – its own blood.
I recalled how it had looked so mighty and dreadful, brimming with untold power and striking terror in my heart but now...it merely resembled a cancerous mass of flesh, no different from the several of its kin that laid scattered across the dyed skin of the Breathing Giant.
PLIP!
A single drop of red descended unto the carcass, like a falling bead, turning into a crimson stain on impact. It was my blood, the blood that streamed down my eyes – the cruel price of using the profane power of the Death Darting Eyes.
SPIT!
I spat out a bloody tooth, and paid one last glance to the carcass, my lips twisting into a dry smile. I opened my mouth wanting to say something before rapidly losing interest and turning away.
"Meh."
TMP. TMP. TMP.
I walked away from the gruesome scene, completely ignoring the several Mad Fomorians that scampered away from my periphery before rushing over behind me.
I didn't look back.
I didn't need to.
I knew instinctively.
The Mad Fomorians weren't after me anymore, having witnessed me kill their strongest in one hit they were mentally scarred. Instead, they were after the corpse of the fallen Aberrant. The moment I had turned away from the carcass was the moment they jumped onto it.
Among the Fomorians, the dead had no honor.
They were the living embodiments of chaos after all.
RAR! ROAR! CREE! EEE!!
Several disturbing sounds could be heard from behind me as well as the familiar sound of tearing flesh.
Yet, I didn't look back.
I stared straight ahead, looking up at the slowly expanding and contracting hill of the Breathing Giant's nostrils.
Huh?
I paused for a moment; they had seemed to grow several times bigger than the last time I saw them. In that moment, my disinterred expression cracked and I suddenly looked back.
"W-what the hell?"
I had reached the end of the Breathing Giant's collarbone, meaning I was now at the boundary of its neck.
A journey of over a thousand miles.
It was simply unbelievable.
"But then again, I have walked over a thousand steps...but still...that doesn't compare to this..."
Even more startling was the fact that the entire path from the shoulder to my position was doused in blood and littered with Fomorian carcasses.
It spoke to extreme levels of violence that previously took place, never in my life was I suppose to witness such a scene...but alas, Untethered was well truly untethered.
My life right now was more comparable to a nightmarish dream than anything else and besides, I looked at the scene and grimaced, this was the reality of war...
No... this wasn't a war...
I paid the scene one last glance before looking away,
"It was a carnage."
With that, I turned to continue walking before my eyes suddenly turned bloodshot.
"ACK!", I spat out a large volume of blood and fell to the ground.
[You are in critical condition.]
HA...! HA...!
I grasped furiously for air as my body suddenly experienced the immense rebound of breaking its limits.
My body was brutally reminded of the fact that it was in a perilous condition, the several injuries suddenly taking effect once I unknowingly stopped circulating the World Energy.
Indeed, the World Energy in my core had given me immense power but it hadn't fully healed my body, paired with the numerous injuries I had received from the previous battle and the backlash of using the power of the Death Darting Eyes on a much stronger opponent, my body was in shambles.
Once again, I had only been saved from death due to the mercy of Resistance and Silver Lining.
Shit...I have to level up...
I mustered up a thought after finally gaining a bit of my bearings. I rested my back on the base of the slowly expanding and contracting surface of the Breathing Giant's Adam Apple, which seemed comparable to a large peak, and wanted to summon my stats panel when an interface popped into my view.
[EXP: 1424/200]
[Would you like to level up?]
Before I could even widen my eyes or affirm it.
My head dropped
I lost consciousness.
Yet, the system remained unperturbed – it continued to speak.
[Host is unable to issue command.]
[Overriding command module...]
[Leveling Up...]
...
At the base of the Breathing Giant's Adam Apple, a miraculous event took place.
The surrounding air trembled before coming to a halt, it turned towards the broken frame of the lonesome figure before hurtling towards him.
The air swirled around him, as if, inspecting him before rushing into his body. The foreign energy entered through his nostrils, ears and pores before settling into his core – his Aperture.
The foreign energy filled his core, fully saturating it, before suddenly escaping from it, into his body.
From within, the foreign energy healed his internal organs and skeletal structure before escaping through the skin and healing his flesh.
They sealed his wounds and vanquished them, restored his breath and cleansed the bloody residue on his body but it didn't stop there.
The foreign energy reached into his brain and revitalized, before reaching even deeper and vitalizing his mind, clearing the fog.
The energy swirled around him before returning back to his core and then penetrating even deeper before touching his soul, like a ripple effect, his essence trembled with power, growing even more tenacious.
The foreign energy completed this a few times before spreading into his inventory and repairing his items. Sharpening the blade of Silver Lining as well as reweaving the seams of Veil of the Moon, it seemed to have accomplished its task before re-engraving the Teleportation circle back on his hand and returning back to the world as...
The World Energy.
....
My eyes fluttered open slowly, expecting to be greeted by a beautiful sight, only to be met with a field of bloodshed.
"Oh...am still here..."
I spoke in a soft tone, my gaze calm and tranquil, despite witnessing a scene of utter vehemence. I remained silent for a moment before looking at my hand.
"I've leveled up.", I said calmly.
I stared at my right-hand; it was devoid of any calluses, injuries or blemishes. Pristinely clear even glowing a little; giving off a brown complexion. I stared at it for a moment before raising my left hand, my eyes widening slightly.
The circle is still there...
I was startled slightly before suddenly chuckling, "Untethered...since when were you so benevolent..."
I shook my head before calling out, "Stats."
[Name:] Alex
[Title:]???
[Level:] 11
[EXP:] 24/400
[Skills:] Oversaturation, Mind Palace, Reverb Mapping, Art of Learning, Body Constitution, Battle Arts, Anti-Lip Sync, Invisibility, Manipulation, Vast Knowledge Base, Pickpocket, Panoramic Vision, Resistance, Fear Inducement, Thousand Tongues, Death Darting Eyes
[Aliases:] The Mastermind, The Fool, Skeleton Horror, Feral Connoisseur
[Debuffs:] Partial Hearing, Myopic Vision, Anti-Lip Sync, Rizzless
[HP:] 200/200
[Achievements:] Flash of Power, Combat Novice, Beat the Odds, Wild Chef
My eyes shone at the sight of Level 11 but was quickly drawn to the notifications below it.
[You have completed the Achievement – A Great Step.]
[Would you like to collect your rewards?]
[You have completed the Achievement – Combat Master.]
[Would you like to collect your rewards?]
[You have completed the Achievement – Death Campaign.]
[Would you like to collect your rewards?]
[You have completed the Achievement – Beat the Odds.]
[Would you like to collect your rewards?]
I smiled before saying, "Yes to all"
[Rewards accepted.]
[Rewards accepted.]
[Rewards accepted.]
[Rewards accepted.]
[Achievement Unlocked – A Great Step.]
[You have unlocked a new interface.]
[Achievement Unlocked – Combat Master.]
[You have gained 30 EXP.]
[You have gained Skill Upgrade: War Arts.]
[Achievement Unlocked – Death Campaign.]
[You have gained an Epic Skill Upgrade: Resistance.]
[You have gained a Rare Skill Upgrade: Terror Inducement.]
[You have gained a new alias – Fomorian Horror.]
[Achievement Unlocked – Beat the Odds.]
[You have gained 100 EXP.]
[You have gained an Epic Skill: Berserker.]
[You have gained an Epic Item: Sin of Wrath.]
"W-wow...that's quite a lot of rewards...", I spoke in a truly bewildered tone, it was a welcome surprise.
[Achievement:] A Great Step: Take the first step to magic.
[Achievement:] Combat Master: Master the 'Battle Arts' skill.
[Achievement:] Death Campaign: Overpower an army of entities.
[Achievement:] Beat the Odds: Defeat your first mini-boss.
I stared at the last one with a hint of surprise.
So, the Aberrant Fomorian was regarded as a mini-boss...that's interesting...
I glanced at my stats panel and smiled, "I have quite a lot of things to inspect..."
But...
I looked up at the hill of the Breathing Giant's nose and then at my left hand.
"I really want to go now...besides....", I held my nose.
The stench of this place is starting to become unbearable...
With one last glance at the field, I closed my eyes and focused my attention back at my core, willing the turbulent energy to move.
It swirled like a whirlpool before sliding out of my core...I mean Aperture...I suddenly knew instinctively, shrugging off the stray thought I let the World Energy leak into my left arm and then into the magic circle in my left hand.
SWHOOSH!
I felt a familiar sensation of the World Energy in my core being devoured but now, I had more than enough to support the process.
The Teleportation Circle shone with a brilliant light and just like that, I was gone in a flash.