God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 397: Returning through the Rift (11).

Cain's schedule was filled with activities for the next two weeks. He worked on creating new weapons and items, slowly increasing the proficiency of his {Magic Craftsman} skill. Slowly but surely, he was getting better at creating magic circles and crafting using the metals and magic stones he had procured from Pudding.

He also went hunting for Aether beasts every day. In four days, the entire basin was swept clean of almost every {Blackmane Greywolf}. Cain had decided not to kill them all off.

Then he had tackled the {Toxin Ironweb Spiders}. They were much stronger than the {Blackmane Greywolves}, and far more difficult to deal with. Cain had even almost lost a man thanks to them. The Queen Spider had also managed to give him a hard time.

The harrowing creature with a beautiful humanoid upper body and that lower body of a colossal spider ticked off all the wrong boxes for him.

Although she had not been a Tier 1 existence, she still managed to give him a very hard time. However, the gains he had gotten for his troubles made up for it greatly.

Then, once he was done with his daily hunts, he would go look for Ignis and would train with her for a while. Once he lost, he would take a break for a few minutes before speaking with both Hunter and Susan for a few hours about their plans going forward.

Once he was done, he would finally have some free time. That free time was spent either working on a project he had, resting, or chatting with Jenny about the things happening in the camp, or mere trivialities.

Cain found it quite peaceful to engage with Jenny. Although she could be intense sometimes, she was a kind-hearted and warm person in general. Cain could not help but be drawn towards that attribute of hers.

"...and so, that was how I met those three rascals," Jenny said with a light chuckle.

Cain couldn't help but chuckle as well. He knew that Li, Sue, Stan, and Jenny had quite the tale behind their relationship. Still, the things Jenny revealed to him had him ready to burst into laughter.

"Still, to think that tiny devil would also act like that." Cain couldn't help but mutter whilst shaking his head.

Jenny wore a warm smile, "They are troublesome to handle. But they are like family... very precious to me."

Cain shrugged, "Is that so..."

He couldn't understand her sentiments, nor did he even try to. He had never had someone to hold dear before, nor had he been treated the same. But that didn't bother him at all.

Not one bit...

A system prompt caught his attention...

He then turned to Jenny, "Tomorrow is the last day. There are a few last-minute preparations I have to handle."

Jenny nodded with understanding, "You better get going, then."

With a nod, Cain disappeared from her side, leaving the incredible beauty to stand alone in the dim, near-lightless world of the fragmented lands.

A quiet, lonely sigh escaped from her lips...

***

Cain had an excited expression on his face as his eyes looked at a certain item on the system's secret shop menu.

'Finally... I finally have enough.'

He finally managed to amass the one million system points needed for the item he wanted to purchase from the system.

Right now, he was about to make a huge gamble...

After mulling over it for two weeks and consulting the system multiple times, Cain finally decided to go through with the purchase.

Seeing his three million system points go down the drain was bound to be a traumatic experience, but he had already made the decision. There was no way he was going to change his mind.

'Still... Three million system points for a single rune. Just what sort of background does this thing have?'

Cain now knew that the items available in the system store were put there by living, breathing creatures. Hence, he knew that the rune he wanted to purchase was created by someone.

The question was who?

Funny enough, the description of the rune already gave him the answer, but it was too vague to be called a real answer. He also sensed that the description he read was just a small part of the total thing.

Once he purchased it, he felt like the truth would be revealed...

With trembling, fingers, Cain gave the mental command. In a second, all his system points vanished in the blink of an eye.

In their place, was a single rune that floated around his inventory.

***

{Scar of the Astral Seeker}: There once was a creature who dreamed of a burning star. Enamored by its splendor, he decided to paint a picture. In doing so, his world, body, and soul were consumed by the star...

And so, by a twist of fate, the creature became a star as well...

***

'So the story goes on...' Cain knew the story of the rune wasn't over. Even, with the few extra lines revealed to him, he knew there was still more out there.

However, there was more information available, so he quickly focused on that...

***

{Scar of the Astral Seeker}: +300% to Control. Comes with added skill, Astral Avatar lvl 1.

{Astral Avatar} lvl1: The manifestation of an Avatar that grants the host incredible control of all the energies flowing within his body. The skill remains active until it is deactivated by the host.

{Note}: This rune is a part of a series of runes and the skill, Astral Avatar, will be taken to the next level when the host acquires another part of the series.

***

Cain was confused for a good minute...

'Astral Avatar? What is that?'

{Replying to host: An Astral Avatar is a skill only Celestials are supposed to possess.

Cain felt like he was but with a bolt of lightning. His heart rate immediately sped up,

'What?!'

{Replying to host: An Astral Avatar is a skill only...}

'I know, damn it! I heard you the first time! Just tell me how the hell the system has something like that!'

Cain had never seen a Celestial, not to talk of being in its presence before. As such, he had no idea just how powerful they were.

However, he had seen and encountered a creature that was supposedly weaker than a celestial but had the power to crush him into dust with a single finger.

Azazel...

For him to be told that he had the power of a Celestial wasn't something he could quite comprehend...

'Wait...'

Cain then took a second to think...

'Burning star... Burning star...'

Holding onto a single thought, he went through the details of the rune in his head over and over.

Until he understood it...

'So if I am not mistaken, the creature that created this rune once saw a dying Celestial. Using that dying Celestial as a model, he created the basis of the rune. However, the dying Celestial somehow managed to consume him and his world. Rather than turning into nutrition for this dying Celestial, this creature became a Celestial itself...'

The Burning Star in the story referred to the dying Celestial, while the creature being reborn as a state was meant to signify that the creature had become a Celestial using the rune he had created from observing the dying Celestial...

{Replying to host: The host is mostly accurate. However, the skill that celestial possess isn't called Astral Avatar. It is called Celestial Avatar. The Astral Avatar was a skill created by this creature using the Celestial Avatar as a model. Even still, it isn't a skill that a mortal body or soul can handle...}

Cain fell silent. Although he was curious about the story the rune told, he had initially thought it was just bullshit. Now, he was being told otherwise.

'System, what Tier of runic language was used to create this rune?'

{Replying to host: The host currently doesn't possess the required amount of system points for the purchase of this information}.

Gritting his teeth, Cain asked another question,

'Then can I use it as I am right now?'

This was what he wanted to hear. If he couldn't use it now, then it would be a tremendous waste of three million system points.

{Replying to host: Affirmative."

Cain nearly jumped for joy...

'To think the story of the rune's creation would be hidden in such a vague story...'

{It is important for the host to know that this rune is part of a series, meaning it is an incomplete rune. Until all the other parts of the series are brought together by the host and completed, the rune will never reach its full potential}.

Listening to the system's advice, Cain decided to ask,

'How many other parts are there, and can they be purchased on the system?'

{Replying to host: The host currently doesn't possess the required amount of system points for the purchase of this information. The host cannot purchase the remaining parts of the runic series in the system shop}.

Cain was deep in thought for a while,

'Then how will I find the other parts of the series?'

{Replying to host: Only fate can guide the host towards the other parts...}

Although he wasn't satisfied with the system's answers, he didn't have much of a choice.

Taking the rune out of his inventory, he admired it for a while before placing it on his chest. The pain hit him like nothing he had ever felt before. He tried screaming, but his voice was stuck in his throat, forcing him to scream silently in pain.

Eventually, the pain began to recede...

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Cain panted heavily, with beads of sweat rolling down his face. However, a grin was plastered across his face.

All that currently mattered to him was the mysterious skill he had somehow managed to get his hands on. The rune had also granted him an extra three times his current amount of control stats. He could clearly feel and trace the paths his mana was taking through his body's Ley Lines. He could feel the rush of his Ki with every pump of his heart.

Even the previously elusive Devil Essence felt like it could be grasped in one hand if he tried.

'Absolutely incredible...'

And he hadn't even activated {Astral Avatar} yet...

'I wonder what it does...'

He was currently seated on the cliff of the small hill he had taken a liking to. Since he had no idea what the skill did, he decided to go for it here and now...

Starting at the rune on his chest, Cain took in a deep breath. The cold wind picked strange of his hair up, allowing it to flutter for a brief while before it fell back down.

His voice and words were strong and unmovable,

"Astral Avatar..."