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Chapter 967: The Past and What's to Come
Chapter 967: The Past and What's to Come
Chapter 967: The Past and What's to Come
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Thud. Thud.
With how sudden Sellifer sent the gust of Azure Energy their way, both Noel and Valyr had no opportunity to catch themselves after returning to Veldanyr, tumbling on the ground for a while before being able to get up on their feet.
"Geez..." Feeling a bit of soreness all over his body from the action, Valyr swiftly cast [Advanced Regeneration] on himself while rubbing some of the parts that were more affected. "She could've allowed us to walk back through the rift by ourselves, no?"
"Every additional second we spend there while the entrances to the Realm of the Abyss remain open is an additional chance for us to get inadvertently sucked in by them," said Noel in response, dusting himself off as he activated a self-regeneration skill of his own.
"In any case, this journey has definitely been more fruitful than I initially thought it would be."
Looking around to confirm that they'd appeared within one of the Spearman Guild's training grounds, Noel then beamed a smile at Valyr as he messaged one of the guild's staff members. Not long after, one of the staff members had arrived at the training ground they were in, carrying with them a bunch of snacks and drinks to remove both their hunger and thirst. Telling Valyr to dig into the snacks and drinks for the meantime, Noel then moved a fair distance from the young man with the staff member as he began to converse with the latter. On the other hand, Valyr did what he was told, sitting on the ground as he felt a sense of relief from munching down on the snacks and drinks that were offered to them.
'Then again, the Void World isn't really a peaceful place,' thought Valyr to himself after some time, wondering if the sensations the Void World gave him would subside after heading there a few more times.
'I wonder what they're talking about?' Briefly thinking about the Shadow Plane and the Void World for a bit, Valyr eventually shifted his attention towards Noel and the staff member, taking a look at the expressions adorning their faces.
Seeing that Noel began to frown during their conversation at some point, Valyr decided not to peek at them any further, getting the feeling that the current topic of their conversation was quite heavy.
Eventually, the two ended their conversation, with the staff member seemingly returning to the guild proper at a slightly hurried pace.
As for Noel, he made his way to where Valyr was resting, adorning a wry smile on his face as he sat beside him. "I know we've been in the Shadow Plane for quite some time, so I apologize that we only have snacks in the guild."
"I don't mind," replied the young man, showing that he was enjoying the current situation either way. "Anyways, if you don't mind me asking, what did you two talk about, Elder Noel?"
"Updates on the war," said Noel as he grabbed a snack on his own.
Letting out a faint sigh as he bit down, he continued, "Even though only a day has passed here since we left for the Shadow Plane, a lot has happened down in the frontlines."
"For one, the orcs were successful in ambushing one of the various human kingdoms involved in the war," said the man, causing Valyr to feel a bit of a chill.
"Fortunately, the reinforcements arrived in time, foiling whatever plans the orcs had in their attempt to occupy that specific kingdom."
"It's that bad, huh?" Becoming silent for a bit, Valyr eventually voiced out the thoughts in his mind. "Are we on the losing end, then?"
"At some point, we would be." Noel did not beat around the bush, faintly nodding with a slightly grim expression. "But as long as all of us contribute to the war efforts, we'll manage one way or another."
Hearing those words, Valyr let out a wry chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'll be heading to the Blacksmith Guild after this, then."
"I'd suggest you do that after you get enough rest," said Noel, looking at him with a hint of concern. "After all, you've been fighting for like... a week straight back in the Shadow Plane?"
"Plus, if anything, you'd probably be able to contribute more to the war with your combat strength," added the man, his eyes now gleaming with excitement. "Imagine if we add your near Myth-level strength to the battlefield."
"The effects of something like that would be massive, both positive and negative."
"Of course, that's only if you want to participate in the frontlines," said Noel at the end, noticing the hesitation that was on the young man's expression. "If you plan to contribute to the war through your profession, that's fine as well."
"Speaking of which, don't forget the arquebus I want you to forge for me." The old man grinned.
"I wouldn't forget something like that, Elder Noel." Valyr smiled back at the old man, standing up as he felt that he'd satiated himself. "I'll make sure that you won't be
disappointed with the arquebus I'll give you."
"As for my participation in the frontlines... I'll have to think about that for the meantime," he continued, dusting off his clothes as he prepared himself to leave. "However, I'm more than certain that I'll be in the frontlines sooner or later."
"That alone is more than enough." Noel nodded as he smiled.
"Now get some rest, you brat. Don't let this old man distract you any further."
"Thanks again, Elder Noel." Chuckling in response to his words, Valyr soon bade farewell to the old man, only leaving the Spearman Guild for good after Noel had said a few more words to him.
"I should be the one thanking you," replied the old man back. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to reward you for what you've given me back in the Shadow Plane."
With those statements acting as their parting words, both Valyr and Noel soon returned to their usual lives, with the former eventually finding himself back at the inn he was staying.
...
"Haah..."
At the very moment Valyr stepped foot into the room, he let out a wide sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy weight had been removed from his shoulders.
Removing the set of True Wyvern Armor he was wearing, the young man reminded himself to make a trip to repair his armor sometime later before going through his usual routine.
A few minutes after that, Valyr left the bathroom wearing a fresh set of clothes, making a call to the inn to order himself a slightly heavy meal.
While waiting for his meal to arrive, the young man began to think about what he should do next, deciding to look at the notifications still on his notification screen to get an idea.
Ding!
[By understanding and assimilating the Void, you have transformed your Shadow Energy into
Void Energy.]
[As Void Energy has been classified by the system to be superior to Shadow Energy, the system has modified all of the skills that originally use Shadow Energy to instead use Void Energy.] [The system has also modified all of the skills that modify the effects of Shadow Energy, changing it to affect Void Energy instead due to their similar nature.]
[The cost, efficacy, and effects of said skills have been adjusted accordingly.]
'Hmm.' Going over the first set of notifications on the screen he brought up, Valyr was greeted by the notifications he'd obtained back when he'd successfully transformed his Shadow Energy to Void Energy.
Faintly wondering whether everything that happened in the Shadow Plane just before was all a dream or not, the young man soon conjured a wisp of the pitch-black energy, immediately feeling the connection he'd formed with the Shadow Plane.
Sensing that the strength of his connection had deepened and improved compared to before, the young man soon inwardly let out a sigh of relief, moving on to the next set of notifications
on his screen.
[You have complete a prerequisite quest to ascend your subclass to the next rarity.]
[Evolve the concept of the Shadow within Prime Azure Energy to the concept of the Void (1/1).]
[The Saintess and the Overseer of the Shadow Plane are surprised that you have successfully fused this higher-tier energy into the personal energy you've created.] [The Saintess and the Overseer of the Shadow Plane are glad that you were successful in
evolving the concept of Shadow within your Prime Azure Energy to the concept of Void, thanking you for improving the connection the Shadow Plane has to the universe even
further.]
[Due to your incredible feat, the Saintess and the Overseer of the Shadow Plane have decided to bestow some of the rewards they've kept in advance, needing you to appear in the Shadow Plane once more to receive it.]
"I seriously feel like they're using me for something." Though most of the notifications regarding the infusion of the Void into his Prime Azure Energy were all positive, Valyr still held doubts towards the positivity he felt.
After all, even the system was taking notice of what he was doing, which made him all the more wonder what the Serpent Maiden and the Overseer had in mind with the energy he had
created.
"I guess I've found my answer, then." Going through the notifications once more, the young
man eventually arrived to a conclusion.
"What I need to do next is to get stronger."
Hearing a knock on the door at the very moment he uttered those words, Valyr received the meal he ordered and began to wolf it down with gusto. "But how?" Thinking out loud in between bites, the young man pondered over the topic. "Well, there's the route of ascending to the next class rank. That's the easiest way to get stronger." "However, there's still a couple more things I can do while at my current rank," muttered the young man to himself some time later. "I could work on pushing the [Truth Weaver Scripture] to Pentad, or even Dual Trinity if I have enough time."
"There's also the Realm of Myriad Experiences that I have access to," said Valyr after that,
only to recall a conversation he had with Vaughn in the past. "There's also Ryvrthe and the
Forsaken Ones."
"But then again, would that even make a difference? Especially now that the war is possibly
close to reaching its climax?"
Letting out a sigh at the question, Valyr continued to enjoy his meal, only to recall a certain reward he'd obtained from Vaughn he hadn't used yet.
At the same time, it reminded him of a set of information he'd obtained from Sellifer that did
a similar thing.
With his train of thought revolving around these two items, the more the young man felt that
he had to do it.
In the end, by the time he finished his meal, Valyr had made up his mind on what he should do
next.
"I guess my next step is improving my species, then."
"But before that..."
"I... should really get some well-needed rest."