Secrets of the Universe

'What a sad life?' sighed Jake.

It could be seen from the amount of time he had sighed that the group was jumping from one hot pot to another.

This time, it was even more life-threatening.

With one hand firmly holding the dagger of ice embedded in the wall, Jake scrutinized the pit of fire that increased every second.

He didn't need any further thought to know that the fire was made of special materials, despite the ordinary look.

Even just from the heat, his leather armor had begun to melt. His entire body burned hot from the wisps of the flame.

Slowly, the pit rose to meet them.

Jake and the rest focused on their handholds, they created another one with their free arm and used it to climb the wall.

However, when they were very close to the surface, they felt dizzy all of a sudden.

Jake found his hand slipping. He needed full concentration to keep himself glued to his ice dagger.

'Another trap…" Jake analyzed.

His eyes gazed at the side of the wall and found flowers growing on them.

He didn't recognize the flowers, but he could tell the fragrant they gave was numbing his nerves.

Very soon, he would give in to his body and simply freefall into the fiery pit.

He looked at the others!

The two sisters had begun struggling. In ten seconds or more, they would begin their fall.

Amidst his own struggle, Eden shouted at him, "Jake..."

He didn't say anything, but the latter understood.

Murmuring in his head, Jake freed his strong arm and pointed it beneath him, "[Sky Steps]."

Following his call, [Elemental Spiritual Essence] flowed through his arms and left his body.

Despite that, Jake showed his control over the energy by manipulating it to form a platform beneath him.

The platform was in the form of a step, an enormous step that almost covered the hole.

However, this icy step had strange markings on it and looked too beautiful. Delicately carved and possessing a smooth feel, the creator of the steps clearly knew his stuff!

If it was real, it would have a value that was simply unpriceable due to his marksmanship.

As soon as he created the steps, Eden on the other side, materialised [Metal Element] to fix Jake's step to the wall.

The metal was crudely created, but it did the job as the group could finally find their balance.

With the efforts of Jake and Eden, the group could take a break, but not for long.

Jake could feel his technique melting under the breath of the flames. It was the same for Eden, but was slower due to the properties of his element.

This was the same reason that only the two had acted. Jake and Eden's element were the only one among the group which had a solid form that could resist the flames.

"I don't have a technique that we can use to get out of here. Jake, it's all up to you," chided Eden.

He had seen Jake's techniques at work and was sure the latter could do it. Eden's techniques were more centered on direct attacks, while the latter possessed useful auxiliary techniques.

Jake nodded his head and sighed afterward.

His [Sky Steps] was rapidly depleting his energy reserve, especially when he had to constantly regenerate it due to the flames.

Placing his two palms on the hot glacial step, Jake felt a certain mystical wave hit him. He concentrated on it and beckoned, '[Lightning Sky Steps]'

Pulling on the weak electro-magnetic forces from the earth, Jake fed his [Sky Step] with weak [lightning element].

He couldn't use too much as it wasn't just him on the step.

The moment the electric sparks contact the faint weak wave, a sort of magic happened.

The steps started to slowly levitate in the air. It rose up, just before the flames could claim them and after a few more seconds, it brought them to the surface.

This technique was the culmination of two months of intensive studying. 

Surprising enough, it was his creation!

The [Sky Step] wasn't though. It was one of the auxiliary techniques that Jake found in his stolen items.

Jake was curious about it due to its plain description. He knew from his sword techniques that ungraded techniques usually depended on the individual. 

After a month of fully mastering the technique, his guess was proven right. The technique had become one of his best and he could use it for various purposes.

One of its variations was the [Lightning Sky Steps], a technique that took him days to envision. The theory behind the technique was gotten by Cheyenne, who seemed capable of manipulating electromagnetic forces without the [Gravity Element].

He had to admit that she was a genius on par with him. Her masterful use of wind element to finely tussle the forces were superb and Jake decided to emulate it.

He knew that without the [Gravity Element], he wouldn't be able to cause substantial damage with the forces, just like Cheyenne. So, he opted to do something different.

Mixing his knowledge with the original [Sky Steps], Jake created the [Lightning Sky Steps]. He could WEAKLY manipulate gravity using the steps, making him able to levitate and do other basics [Gravity Element] abilities.

Right now, his intellectual mindset had come in handy, as the technique saved them from sure death.

However, it seemed that they hadn't fully escaped!

The moment they jumped out of the hole, they heard the familiar clicking sound.

This time, it was slow, but instead exceeding fast. 

Before they could even think, multiple blades from all directions were flung at them from the walls.

From Jake's perspective, the blades were definitely faster than him.

They inched closer to him and could keep up with his thought speed. It was probably the fastest thing he had seen to date.

Luckily, Jake still had something to rely on. 

As he had just used his [lightning energy], Jake found it easy to charge himself again.

[A/N: I alternate between energy, element, and spirit essence. If u also noticed, sometimes I substitute an elemental essence with elemental energy, like what I just did above.].

He didn't even picture his technique as he coated himself with fierce lightning. 

His hair spiked up and his skin tingled under the lightning. However, his bodily attributes also increased, but that was not what he needed.

Jake transferred all the [lightning energy] on his feet! He used it as a shoe as he began dodging all the blades that came his way.

He was only able to manage due to his senses and battle experience.

The rain of blades continued for what seemed like eons. Jake didn't have time to check up on the others, but after the trap was finished, Jake heard a loud scream that pierced his ear.

*Kyaa!!*