NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: The Master of Light
The red rings surrounding Neonidas began to shift, with other colors starting to appear. The red rings intensified around Neonidas, and then golden and white lights began to accompany them. The atmosphere vibrated with the pure power of magic. While the guards watched this magnificent spectacle in fear, Fenrilia never took her eyes off her master. She-wolf could feel that her master was about to ascend to another level.
Neonidas's body seemed to be bathed in light. His eyes turned completely golden, and his skin briefly covered with a shimmering thin layer. As he clenched his fists and tried to keep himself steady, he began to control the power inside him.
"Hah! This is it!" Neonidas shouted, his voice echoing throughout the ruins. "I am no longer just a human. I am now... The Master of Light!"
The light energy around him spread in waves, and the guards were forced to retreat. Even Fenrilia instinctively took a few steps back. The power emanating from Neonidas's body was not just visible, it could be felt. The air grew heavy, and everything around him was affected by this new energy.
The she-wolf's instincts seemed to tell her that Neonidas was close to reaching a powerful point
Neonidas opened his palms and attempted to control the power. Light began to gather in his hands. The light formed into a small orb, expanding rapidly before vanishing in a massive burst of energy. Neonidas realized that he had yet to discover the full extent of this power, but that only excited him more.
"Guards! The mission is successfully completed," Neonidas said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
He then slowly began walking, taking out his pocket mirror to quick check the system.
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Name: Neonidas
House name: Oreoned
Age: 21
Intelligence: 4(?)
Strength: 2 (+8)
Agility: 3 (+12)
Mana: 21 (+25)
Mentality: 3(?)
Charisma: 10
Special powers: Power of Light
Passive abilities: Immunity to poison,Some of the Great Wolf's passive abilities
Bloodline: (?)
System comment: Well, I guess you're a little better now, but you're still not going to escape your bad fate.
[Total stat points: 87(174)]
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When Neonidas looked at the system, his smile widened. Firstly, the stat points he could use had nearly doubled. Its mana had also reached 21 from the initially pitiful number 1. But most importantly, he could now use the light element. In the world of this novel, the light element was considered the most powerful, and unlike in most other novels, it was the most destructive element in this world.
With enough power, an explosion using light could wipe an entire city off the map. Unlike in other stories, the power of light in this world didn't have healing abilities—it was purely destructive and, at its maximum, devastating. That was why Neonidas had come here.
After putting the pocket mirror away, Neonidas left the ruins with his guards. There was nothing else of value here, at least not according to the novel. So, it made no sense to waste more time. With his guards and she-wolf by his side, Neonidas's next goal was clear. Before heading to the capital, he opened the map to check the location of the last source of power he would acquire.
The original novel had a map, but it was drawn so poorly that it didn't feel realistic. The coasts, mountains, plains, and similar areas were arranged according to the story, but in the original novel, terrain often shifted or rose, depicting broken mountain ranges, valleys, or cracks. Similarly, there were numerous hot springs and baths in the empire. The novel had also described sudden land collapses occasionally.
As mentioned before, this world could be seen as a real-world simulation based on the novel's script. And because of this, natural events like earthquakes happened fairly frequently throughout the empire, though not often enough to be a major issue.
In short, Neonidas knew that a power had rearranged the world to make even the simplest things she wrote make sense and be valid, because the world had been shaped to fit the story of the novel. Neonidas was aware of this, but had no time to think about it for now.
Neonidas and his guards went to the next teleportation portal. The next power he wanted to acquire was supposed to make him, in theory, capable of defeating anyone, and Neonidas had already chosen his destination
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A few days later.
When Neonidas returned to the duchy, he found himself dealing with several important matters. For instance, those who had lent him money after hearing about his debt to the emperor were demanding it back. There were also some serial killer issues in the duchy's lands. Similarly, crime, like theft, was on the rise, causing widespread corruption throughout the duchy.
On the positive side, some good news had come in. The brothel was already making a lot of money, and a dozen branches had opened throughout the duchy. Dozens of skilled blacksmiths had also arrived and were preparing for the work Neonidas had offered them. Since Neonidas had already given orders for the establishment of blacksmith forges, many of the blacksmiths would have to wait for a while. Lastly, there had been no progress from the Mana stone mine; excavation work was still ongoing, but Neonidas was confident good news would come soon from there as well.
Finally, Neonidas had personally received an invitation from the imperial palace. As expected, the invitation began with news of the empire's victory, followed by a formal invitation to the victory celebration.
Unfortunately, to avoid security issues and potential teleportation problems, the teleportation portals to the capital had been closed. Therefore, Neonidas and all the other guests had to use carriages to get to the capital, but the victory celebrations would begin seven days later
Although the portals to the capital were closed, other teleportation portals were still open. As Neonidas' duchy was the closest to the capital, a significant amount of money would soon enter Neonidas' treasury through the portal. Things were already moving along exactly as Neonidas had planned.
So, Neonidas had no more than four days left. The journey from here to the capital would take at most three days, though with fast horses, it could be completed in less than three. The journey took longer due to the large mountain ranges surrounding the capital.
Anyway, Neonidas' guards got ready again, and when Neonidas had finished his job, they went to another teleportation portal. For now, this would be his last trip to regain his strength before going to the capital.
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Neonidas and his guards were now on the shore of a lake. There were rivers flowing around the lake, and in the center of it, a mountain could be barely seen as a small dot from a distance. This mountain, surrounded by water, was a volcanic one, and the next thing Neonidas sought was hidden there. However, to reach it, they had to first cross the lake. This time again, Neonidas made sure to bring his most skilled guards with him, as he still hadn't used his stat points.
In fact, this time ability was something of an Easter egg—a power of one of the side characters who happened to be a villain. However, the villain was a low-ranking, unimportant character who died very quickly in the novel.
Neonidas and his men boarded the boat. This time, he hadn't brought the she-wolf with him; instead, he had left her at the duchy to rest. Since their souls were bonded, Neonidas could control her regardless of the distance, so there was no cause for concern.
The guards began to slowly row the boat. The journey was silent, and the surface of the lightly rippling water was incredibly calm. After exactly three hours of traveling by boat, they finally reached the island where the mountain stood. This volcanic mountain, with its unique geological features, looked majestic from below. Fortunately, the volcano was not active, and after taking a moment to rest, Neonidas and his guards began to ascend.
Though the guards still didn't fully understand why they were here, they said nothing, knowing they would receive a good reward at the end of the mission.
When Neonidas and his guards reached the foot of the volcanic mountain, they scanned the massive rocks rising between the trees and stones. The air was thick and humid, contrasting the calmness of the water. Even in such a dense environment, Neonidas could still feel vibrations in his body from the light power he had recently gained. With every step, the surrounding air grew denser, and an electrical tension seemed to hang in the atmosphere.
Like everything in this area, the mountain itself had an obscure history. Old books mentioned that lost civilizations had regarded this area as sacred, claiming there was an ancient temple or a source of power hidden here. Neonidas, standing at the mountain's base and carefully observing his surroundings, was filled with many thoughts.
After an hour of climbing, Neonidas and his guards stopped in front of a large rock. Here, there was a stone slab that once hid the entrance to the temple. Neonidas realized this was the exact spot where the slab had been shown in the novel. A local tribe that had fled had actually built the temple here.
Long ago, some kingdoms, seeking to expand their borders, had declared war on tribes with relatively small territories. One such tribe, infamous for their evil reputation and largely despised, had fled here with their people and started living on this island. Although the volcanic island was surrounded by vast plains, those plains had sunk underwater at some point. That's probably why the tribe disappeared or migrated from here
Neonidas and his guards passed the rocky slab and finally saw the temple in the distance. As they made their way towards it, the silhouette of the structure rising at the foot of the volcanic mountain became clearer. The temple, built from stone, resembled an ancient structure, but it had been heavily damaged by time and nature. The tall walls and massive columns still showed remnants of the temple's former grandeur, but the destructive force of the years had made this sacred site fragile.