Savant Awakening-2

Nicholas seemed to be undergoing some shocking changes to his mental state as his comprehensions skyrocketed.

[Comprehensions:]

[Metal (14%), Creation (10%)]

The very atmosphere seemed to shift, everything setting into order. The melodious clangs of the hammer rang out, resonating with the very air. The metal being hammered began undergoing breathtaking changes.

With every collision, the hammer seemed to purify the metal, getting rid of impurities. Runes pulsed as energy was transferred to the metal from the anvil with each strike. The metal began to morph under the constant hammering, taking the form of a blade.

A spark lit in Nicholas's eyes as everything seemed to click. His muscles bulged, his energy circles glowed at that very moment. Energy veins could be seen passing through the hammer, going straight into the weapon. With this final hit, the weapon burst into a pillar of light. As the weapon fully took form, a luminant blade shone, presenting itself.

Immediately upon completing the forging, Nicholas's eyes shone, still in a trance. Energy circles seemed to form on his skin rapidly until they reached the number nine. Everything paused as the nine energy circles came to life, attracting each other and merging. They shone, their shapes distorting and warping until they formed the shape of a pentagon. If one looked closely, one would notice the pentagon was made of countless tiny runes.

This pentagon symbol was the mark of a plane. As said before, nine circles made one plane, and right now, Nicholas Bane had stepped into the realm of planes. The process repeated itself until five pentagons could be seen branded on his back. His hammer shone, unshackling itself, its weight multiplying repeatedly. A vague silhouette of a crown seemed to come to light as it branded itself upon his head. He blinked and sighed, releasing a breath full of mist. His body regenerated at a rate visible to the naked eye. He inspected his creation.

[Unnamed Blade (D+)]

[The first creation of Nicholas Bane, a flawless creation which enhances users' strength, a weapon that would always strike true.]

It was a mystical sight as Nicholas's body radiated an otherworldly aura. The blade floated right in front of him, his being seemingly radiating endless arrogance, his very presence almost immortal. His thoughts churned, *'There seems to be someone who wants me as a subordinate. Let me go check how worthy he is.'* Immediately after having this thought, he smiled. A bright flash followed, dimming back as both Nicholas and his forge vanished. He had successfully cleared the dungeon.

Similar events could be seen happening to the other eight, as they all seemed to undergo a second awakening of sorts. What was happening to them was a rare phenomenon that only happened to a few select individuals on Earth. It is known that the sequence assigns talents randomly, so the issue of getting a talent in sync with you, something that resonates with you, rarely happens.

For example, someone that is aquaphobic can suddenly gain the ability to breathe underwater. In this situation, it is the same as this person not getting anything at all because the ability is clearly something they can't use. Cases like this happen a lot. This doesn't specifically mean you can't become stronger because of this, it just means it was going to be harder than normal to progress.

But there are certain individuals where the opposite is the case. These blessed individuals awaken talents that are perfectly suitable for them. After gaining these abilities, they will soar to great heights. These cheat-like beings are called Savants.

Savants are rarely seen geniuses that one could hardly come across every few thousand years. But there are cases in which they could be born en masse, and that is only during worlds that have just been newly added to the sequence. Unknowingly, Jayde had just recruited a whole mass of Savants.

But even among Savants, there were still rarer beings that acquired titles from the sequence. These geniuses were the cream of the crop. In fact, the Minoans assumed Jayde to be one of these special beings, though they were sorely mistaken, as two such beings awakened among the nine Jayde was trying to recruit.

In a blood-colored palace, within a crimson passage, a battle was taking place. A man clad in crimson armor wielding a bloody crimson spear could be seen battling a humanoid grotesque abomination. The wind howled as his spear danced, performing a technique. His crimson hair danced in the wind as he moved in perfect rhythm, clashing with the beast. His crimson eyes glowed, both his armor and spear following suit. His strength seemed to increase as he quickly vanquished the beast.

He had just managed to vanquish the beast when, not even seconds later, he was attacked once more as more vile creatures appeared from nowhere, surrounding him. This didn't seem to faze him as instead, he was gazing at a notification which had just popped up.

[Requirements Met....]

[Title - Blood Lord - Acquired]

[Blood Lord: You have been approved by the Blood Sovereign. You have piqued his interest. Blood obeys you. Boost in blood-related attacks by 1000%]

Valesco froze as he saw by what order of magnitude the boost would increase his attacks. This... this was perfect for him because of his talent. He could manipulate blood, turning it into items. This ability was quite different from Jayde's. While Jayde forms weapons from darkness, Valesco can convert blood into items. That was where he got the armor and the spear. Now, thanks to this, all of his attacks could be said to be blood-related. Using such a loophole... his spear whistled as it pierced forward at a mind-bending speed. Quickly, all the abominations surrounding him collapsed, a hole visible in their heads. His eyes glinted as a grin spread across his face and a thought echoed in his mind.

*'It seems I won't have to be a subordinate to anyone.'*

---

In another temple, a temple adorned with various beast sculptures, the hall was a mess, littered with beast corpses, most of them hardly intact. At the very center of this carnage, a hulking figure could be seen, seemingly feasting on the remains around him. His pitch-black eyes stared into the void as a notification flashed before his eyes.

**[Gluttony Seed (??) Acquired]**

This was none other than James Grimgar. He had mastered his ability in whole and seemed to have awakened a hidden power from his talent. He continued feasting, his face betraying no emotion as it remained cold and stoic. One thing was clear: Jayde was in for a lot of trouble.