Chapter 103 - 56 Ethereal Skill

Chapter 103: Chapter 56 Ethereal Skill"Secret Energy·Summoning Hand, belonging to the ’Commanding School’, its effect is to distort solid entities touched by both hands, altering and shaping them..." In the spacious combat room, Belli stands on a safe high platform, observing Bologue below while recording his Secret Energy. For Bologue, this is merely becoming a Condenser, but for the Sublimation Furnace Core, it is a significant breakthrough. These mad Alchemists have successfully transplanted the Power of Dominator, and as Bologue advances, they will increasingly understand the secrets hidden within this power. So far, the Order Bureau’s research on the ’Secret Source’ has been inferior to the King’s Secret Sword, most evidently in the speed and intensity of Secret Energy exchanges between the two. With this success, the Order Bureau hopes to narrow the gap between them as much as possible in the short term. "However... this guy adapts really fast," Belli extends her head, looking at the frolicking Bologue below, "Every Condenser needs to adapt for quite a while to use Secret Energy efficiently, but for him, this power seems innate." "Not much, for an expert, it’s like that." Geoffrey stands by her side, feeling a peculiar sensation, much like raising a vicious dog. Now this dog has matured, filled with power, able to bite off a car door with ease. Reflecting back to a year ago when Bologue was released from prison, Geoffrey indeed feels a certain sense of achievement. Shivering and harsh friction sounds echo, interspersed with a man’s wild laughter. The entire combat room is a large, empty space akin to a Beast Fighting Arena, with the safe high platform at the top. The surroundings are giant, white bricks, and below is a variable terrain, easily altered by the power of the ’Cultivation Room’. One giant stone pillar after another rises, constructing a terrain resembling a stone forest, where Bologue swiftly traverses, emitting a cyan glow. He doesn’t possess any airborne abilities, but under the power of the Summoning Hand, all becomes possible. While leaping towards the stone pillar, Bologue stretches his hand as far as possible. As his fingers touch the pillar surface, cyan current surges along his arm, flashing across the pillar’s surface, soon extending a foothold bump from the smooth surface. Stepping onto the protrusion without pause, Bologue leaps towards the edge wall. After a brief touch, the wall is summoned by Secret Energy, causing one staircase after another to project out, steadily climbing higher, with Bologue racing along these generated stairs, swiftly approaching the high platform. Ether surges, often accompanying Belli’s side, as Balder takes action, creating several sharp long swords out of nothing through Ether’s structure. Grabbing a sharp sword, despite donned in the heavy Protective Clothing, Balder’s movements aren’t clumsy at all, far exceeding imagined agility. Turning, swinging, throwing. Metal tears through air with a continuous whistle, swiftly throwing several sharp swords toward Bologue, as fast as fleeting meteors. Cyan current bursts, spreading as Bologue charges, pulling out a stone long sword from the wall while facing the descending sharp swords, ready to counter. The ’Commanding School’ targets reality influence, unlike the ’Illusion Creation School’s’ fantasy creations, it can’t create from thin air, so Bologue fights by ’utilizing materials on site’. The position from which the stone sword is pulled leaves behind a circular depression, with the removed material forming the stone sword in hand. A piercing clash sounds as Bologue cleaves a sharp sword. However, stone lacks the robustness of steel, and after only one round, the stone sword is filled with nicks, fine cracks spreading everywhere. Discarding the stone sword, Bologue draws more stone swords from the walls, moving faster than Balder, gradually suppressing Balder’s sword swings, even able to throw stone swords at Balder amidst the gaps. Balder dodges the incoming stone sword sidewards in alarm, but amid this dodge, Bologue’s footsteps approach, leaping high to overshadow Balder. Secret Energy·Furnace of Cast Iron. Instantly, the sound of hammering roars continuously, accompanied by a sudden rise in surrounding temperature, as if everyone is placed in an invisible furnace, with thousands of iron hammers forging steel. Balder waves forward, generating round shields in the trajectory of Bologue’s descent, trying to block his advance. However, Bologue uses the airborne round shields as a springboard, leaping to Balder’s rear. Grasping steel out of nothing, Balder spins while constructing a long spear in his hand. As he completes the turn, the sharp spear strikes like lightning toward his back. "What’s going on?" A voice of doubt arises, as Bologue dodges the thrust sidewards, grabbing the spear concurrently. He seems puzzled by something, but it doesn’t distract him for long, as he promptly closes in, just a step away from Balder. The surrounding Ether rolls, the hammering sound increasingly clear, leaving Balder unbeknownst of what weapon he’s attempting to forge. Yet, regardless of his actions, Bologue is already assured of victory. Ether entwines his body, a technique Bologue mastered long ago during countless Demon slaughters, beneath the sky filled with Soul Shards, the Ethereal Skill. Ethereal Amplification. Bologue raises his swift hand blade, the Ether heavily enveloping his limbs, granting him greater speed and power. Ferociously struck the middle of the long spear, the tough steel was broken so easily, and then Bologue gripped the broken spearhead, thrusting it fiercely towards Balder. "Alright, that’s enough." Geoffrey’s voice sounded, terminating this mock battle, and Bologue’s spearhead stopped beneath the helmet of the protective clothing. "Should I say, truly worthy of an expert? I thought I was quite capable in the Sublimation Furnace Core, but facing a newcomer, I was really not a match." The sound of forging faded away, Balder withdrew his secret energy, and a startled voice came from beneath the protective clothing, probably admiring Bologue’s onslaught, he too began to call Bologue an expert like Geoffrey did. "It’s nothing, I’m a field staff member, and you’re a research personnel, there’s no comparison." Bologue discarded the spearhead, and a metallic clink sounded. A few seconds later, the metal spearhead began to fade away, reforming into ether. "Speaking of which, was that ’Ethereal Amplification’ just now?" Geoffrey suddenly asked. "Probably, I’m not quite sure either," Bologue clenched his fist, the feeling was like an instinct, "but I feel it was ’Ethereal Amplification’." "You’ve mastered an ethereal skill just after becoming a Condenser?" Belli, standing by, said, looking at Bologue with an even more intense curiosity. "Maybe I’m naturally gifted?" Bologue answered narcissistically, "After all, I’m an expert." "Naturally gifted? It’s not impossible," Geoffrey thought for a few seconds and said, "There are indeed many Condensers who have a natural talent for a certain ethereal skill. Without much learning, they can grasp it. Maybe you are the same." "No... it must be so, ’Ethereal Amplification’ is such a suitable ethereal skill for you." In Geoffrey’s eyes, Bologue was a cold-blooded, irritable butchery expert; nothing would make a butcher happier than a sharper cleaver. "So what about other ethereal skills? Are they difficult to learn?" Bologue asked. The skill of "Ethereal Amplification" was very practical. After becoming a Condenser, and being able to clearly sense ether, Bologue had an even deeper understanding of this ethereal skill. "I can’t give you an answer to that. These things require long-term practice, as well as the influence of your own personality and style. For an aggressive guy like you, it’s easier to master ’Ethereal Amplification.’ For someone like Palmer, who works in intelligence and needs to conceal his actions for long periods, he finds it easier to master ’Ethereal Concealment’ and ’Ethereal Perception’... In short, it’s quite a complex thing. Aside from the ’Origin School,’ other schools find mastering these powers very challenging." "Why can the ’Origin School’ master these so easily?" Bologue recalled the introduction to the schools from before. The "Origin School" was very special, completely different from other schools. It mastered pure ether, which Bologue had always found puzzling. "Because the ’Origin School’ does not have secret energy, or rather, their secret energy is the manipulation of ether, and ethereal skills are a further method of controlling ether." Belli explained at this moment. "One could say, for other Condensers, these skills which require focused learning and training are merely the basics for the ’Origin School.’" In the Sublimation Furnace Core, there were also many Alchemists from the "Origin School," whose precise ether manipulation enabled the completion of many complex experiments. Bologue roughly understood what she meant. "It’s a shame Yas is on a mission. Among the people from the ’Origin School’ I’ve known, he’s the most skilled in ethereal handling, his ’Ethereal Silence’ is played extraordinarily well, and if necessary, he even has the ability of ’Ethereal Prohibition.’ Geoffrey recalled Yas’s skills, his heart trembling at the thought, he joked. "The ’Origin School’ is not like other schools, with flashy abilities. They are more like a group of knights in heavy armor, plain, silent, yet bringing an oppressive suffocating feeling." "However, there’s one thing you should remember, Bologue," Geoffrey continued, "be cautious of those ’Origin School’ people in groups." "They will be your nemesis."