Reawakening: I Can Absorb Infinite Skills

Arden pressed his hand back to the soil, his gaze sharp with focus. "This is it," he said plainly, his voice carrying enough that his party leaned in with anticipation. "We dig it out."

Rael rolled his shoulders, already stepping forward. "Finally, something my fists can actually help with."

Nyra shot him a glance, lips tugging into a faint smile. "Try not to shatter the ground and bury it deeper."

Zephyra's growl rumbled low, and she scraped her claw against the earth as if volunteering. Arden gave her a quick nod. "We'll all need to work. It's deeper than you think."

They began slowly, Rael breaking hardened soil with his gauntlets, Nyra shifting the loosened chunks aside with light bursts of wind, while Zephyra's flame warmed the packed earth enough to soften it without igniting.

Arden crouched at the center, guiding them with curt words. "Not too far left. The root system spreads outward. Keep close."

The envoys had drawn closer now, murmuring among themselves as they observed.

One of them, older with a scar under his eye, whispered, "He was right. The aether below is warped, and now that they've disturbed it, I can sense something lurking under."

"Parasite bloom," another envoy muttered. "If that's true, it's worse than we thought."

The Crimson Fang stood at the edge, silent this time. Their pride had taken enough blows already, and even they knew better than to interfere.

It wasn't long before the air shifted. A faint heat rose from the soil, prickling against their skin, and Nyra grimaced as she brushed her wrist. "It's fighting back."

Arden didn't pause. He pressed his palm against the dirt again, life energy threading deeper. His eyes narrowed. "We're close. Careful now. The closer we get, the more it'll bleed corruption."

And he was right. The soil turned crimson-black, pulsing faintly with an unnatural light.

A wave of hostile energy seeped out, crawling over their skin like needles. Nyra winced. Rael swore under his breath. Even Zephyra snapped her jaws, letting out a sharp growl.

The envoys all stiffened at once. One stepped forward, voice sharp. "Stop! Boy, that's enough. The corruption will leech straight into your core if you get too close."

Arden didn't move. He glanced up at the man, calm, almost amused. "Relax. I've got my ways."

He extended his hand further, letting the bloom's corrupt aether wash over him.

And instead of flinching, his expression grew faintly satisfied as his system whispered in his mind.

[Life Signature Activated: Corrosive Veil]

[Effect: Exposure to corrupted or polluted aether increases natural resistance.]

Arden smirked to himself. That's why I wasn't worried. Let it pour in, I'll adapt faster than it can eat at me.

He spoke lightly, more to himself than anyone else. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Rael blinked at him. "Nothing? You call this nothing? My arm feels like it's crawling with fire ants."

"Then step back," Arden said simply, his tone calm but edged with authority. "I'll handle the rest."

His party exchanged glances, but none argued. They knew better.

With steady breaths, Arden pushed deeper, parting soil with careful waves of life energy until finally, the bloom revealed itself.

It was a grotesque thing, a knot of roots twisted like veins, pulsing with a sickly red light.

From its center bulged swollen bulbs like fruit, their surface cracked and oozing faint sparks of raw affinity. The stench of scorched life force rolled out in waves, and even standing several paces away, Nyra covered her nose, gagging.

Zephyra snarled, flames licking out instinctively. Corruption. Burn.

Arden's hand closed over the root cluster, life energy weaving around it to contain the pulses.

He worked quickly, isolating the root veins and cutting them off one by one with clean strikes.

When the last one snapped, the entire mass shuddered like a living heart. Arden's eyes glinted, and with one firm pull, he lifted it free.

A blast of corrupted aether exploded outward.

His Corrosive Veil caught it, thinning the wave before it reached the others, though the pressure still forced them to stumble back. The bloom's body writhed in his grip, light leaking from its fruit like molten veins.

For a heartbeat, everyone simply stared.

"That…" one envoy finally whispered, voice tight, "is no ordinary parasite."

The others nodded grimly, expressions taut. But all their gazes shifted back to Arden, who stood in the middle of the corrupted pressure as if it were nothing.

Arden wrapped the bloom carefully in a sheath of life energy, packaging it until the glow dulled and its pulsing slowed. Only then did he place it on the ground before him.

Now, finally, the envoys dared step closer.

The closer they came, the more their faces twisted at the oppressive aura. One envoy muttered, "Absurd… I can barely stand here, and he carried it out with his bare hands."

Arden dusted his palms, voice dry. "You're welcome."

The lead envoy stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Arden. You and your party have officially completed the trial. From this day, you are recognized as members of the Explorers Guild."

Cheers broke from Nyra and Rael, even Zephyra let out a satisfied rumble. Arden just inclined his head.

The envoy continued, his tone heavy. "But beyond that, you have done more than pass.

You saved the kingdom from something we had no knowledge of. If not for your senses and your will, this corruption would have spread unchecked. I will not pretend otherwise, we are in your debt." He exhaled, pained by the words. "And for that, I apologize. This trial was not meant to hold such danger. It was beyond what we prepared for, and yet you bore it all."

Arden lifted his eyes to him, calm but sharp. "Then let me bargain."

The envoy blinked. "Bargain?"

Arden gestured at the packaged bloom. "Leave it with me."

The reaction was immediate. His party gaped, voices overlapping.

"You want that thing?" Rael asked, disbelief thick in his tone.

Nyra's eyes narrowed. "Arden, why?"

Even Zephyra's growl carried a questioning note. Corrupt. Dangerous.

The envoys looked equally stunned. The lead envoy frowned. "You can't mean—"

"I do," Arden cut him off, tone steady. "You can't hold it anyway. It'll rot through your wards before you leave the trial grounds. With me, it stays sealed. You've seen I can resist it. Better it's in my hands than rotting yours."

The envoy hesitated. The others murmured, weighing his words. Finally, after tense silence, he nodded reluctantly. "Very well. For now, it remains with you. But the decision of its final fate will belong to the uppers of the guild."

Arden gave him a short nod, nothing more

A/N:

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