NOVEL NEXT Chapter 286: Tempering?
The sky above was torn and painted in swirls of sickly reds and muted purples that bled together.
The land stretched endlessly with jagged stone ridges thrusting upward and the sand swirling between them like restless serpents.
Looking around, he followed Naevora into the dungeon with his twin daggers in his hand.
*SHRIEK*
The air warped and the sand blew away in waves.
A massive figure emerged from the shifting haze with four elongated arms and its head was crowned with twisted horns.
Its single glowing eye snapped open, looking at Brandon.
Naevora's lips curved slightly "Perfect for you, a powerful A rank..."
Brandon's ether flared, coating his body, sharpening his senses and body.
He twirled the dagger in his hand and lowered his stance.
The Aberrant didn't hesitate and it lunged forward, shattering the ground beneath its weight.
Brandon dashed forward and arched his dagger to attack.
*CLANK*
Sparks erupted as steel scraped against the monster's tough skin.
"Too tough…" Brandon muttered, retreating a step as the Aberrant's clawed arm carved a trench into the sand where he had stood a second before.
*THOOM*
He leapt sideways, conjuring one of the floating discs shaped like a breast beneath his feet.
The glowing ether plate held firm and he kicked off it, twisting in mid-air, and came down in an arc.
His dagger sliced across the Aberrant's shoulder, leaving only a shallow cut but drawing black blood that hissed on the sand.
"Raarghh..." The monster roared and its other arms swung in a blur.
Brandon barely managed to leap onto another disc mid-air, the strike grazing his boot and sending shockwaves up his leg.
He stumbled but planted firmly.
"Focus, Brandon. Use everything." Naevora said in a calm tone, seeing him struggling against a powerful A rank.
Her gaze condensed 'I want to give him a powerful dagger... but that will make him rely too much on his weapon and there won't be any personal growth. This is better.'
Ether swirled in Brandon's palm and suddenly, the Aberrant staggered as its limbs trembled.
'Gravity Vortex.'
Its knees buckled and Brandon didn't waste the moment.
He dashed forward as ether discs appeared one after another and his body became a blur as he zig-zagged across them.
Each step propelled him faster and higher.
Looking at this, she smiled faintly "Not bad..."
His dagger cut across the Aberrant's wrist, severing one clawed hand.
Black blood sprayed and the monster bellowed, swinging its remaining arms wildly.
One strike connected with a disc just as Brandon leapt, shattering it to shards of ether but Brandon was already twisting in mid-air.
He drove the blade down into the Aberrant's shoulder.
SCREECH
The impact jolted his arm, nearly tearing the dagger from his grip.
"GRAARGH!" The monster reeled back and Brandon pushed off, rolling across the sand as the Aberrant fell to one knee, still pinned partly by the crushing gravity.
THOOM! THOOM! The Aberrant snarled, slamming its fists into the sand, sending shockwaves that cracked the ground.
Discs appeared in midair as he ran up them like steps.
He kicked off the last one and poised his dagger to cleave.
The Aberrant raised its arm to block but Brandon twisted mid-air, dropping lower, and carved his dagger deep across its throat.
"SCRRRARRH!!" A horrible screech erupted as black blood sprayed like a fountain.
The Aberrant's massive body staggered, then crashed into the ground, sending sand erupting skyward.
Brandon landed roughly and he panted, staring at the sky of swirling gray clouds "Holy… shit…"
Naevora walked to him and looked at him panting heavily as if he had just run a marathon "How does your body feel?"
Turning to look at her, he replied "It hurts..."
He flexed his arm once, wincing at the soreness that shot through his joints "Haa, I don't know why. My muscles feel like they're burning, my chest feels heavy, and even holding this dagger is-"
Naevora folded her arms beneath her chest "That's the consequence of jumping ranks without properly tempering your body."
She took a step closer, "You're a first-year. Your body's foundation is still at the level of a C-rank, scraping at B because of your stubborn training. But here you are, using A-rank ether and that is taking a toll on your body."
Her gaze condensed slightly "The best way right now is to fight and let it tear and heal, tempering it even further. It will be quite painful... but it is worth it."
Brandon exhaled slowly "Haa... I see."
With a thoughtful look, Naevora spoke "Hmm, we will cycle between A rank, B rank and S rank dungeons."
"In A- and B-rank dungeons, you will need to fight just with your body without using ether, tempering your body."
"And in S rank you can use your ether, tempering it further to adapt to your A rank ether."
"Your body is the vessel. Your ether is the flame. If the vessel is too weak, it shatters. If the flame is too weak, it suffocates. You have to temper both together or you'll burn out before you even touch your peak."
Brandon lowered his gaze for a moment, letting her words sink in.
She raised her hand and patted his head "I will be also with you, do you don't have to worry."
Looking at her, his gaze softened "Mhm."
She ruffled his hair with a chuckle and spoke "Now then, shall we fight some more A rank aberrants?"
---
*THUD*
The aberrant stumbled back as black blood spilled from the gaping wound in its chest.
"Huf... Huf..." Brandon took deep breaths as he stood there with sweat rolling down his temple to his jawline.
It's not like the aberrants are powerful; it's just taking a toll on his body for using the ether.
Naevora hurriedly stepped beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, steadying him "Brandon..."
He stored his dagger in his ring and let out an exhale "I am alright..."
Naevora's gaze quivered "Let's leave for today...."
Brandon blinked, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Hm,"
Naevora gave his shoulder a light squeeze, steadying him fully before guiding him away from the corpse of the aberrant.