Chương 14: Chapter 13

It felt wrong. Something about watching the beetles die before his eyes, too weak to do anything against the raging fire that engulfed them, didn't feel right. Hakon went against his father's teachings as he came up with the plan. It was simple and didn't require much muscle. All he needed was a fire and to find the beetle's nest. Once he did both, it was only a matter of time. Hakon ignited branches and threw them into the anthill that was home to a small group of beetles and ants.

He fueled the fire with the beetle's acidic spit, which lit up even better than rendered fat. Hakon spread their spit and waited for the beetles and ants to emerge from the hell. That they did, some of them, but fighting them barely posed a threat. It was easy. Simple, and Hakon felt something stir within him. Enhanced Comprehension prodded him, tried to tell him what he could have done better to acquire one, if not multiple, Skills, but he was not sure if he liked that. It just felt wrong. Like…

where was the honor in all this? Was there any honor in fighting monsters in such a pathetic way, in the first place? Disgusting. That it was. Strategy was not necessarily a bad thing, but this certainly was. Hakon hated it – himself – for even trying. This was not the way of the Barbarians. And while he may be different from other Barbarians, the least he wanted was to be true to himself.

As much as he wanted to continue fighting in the normal way, he had to recover. He should recover. It was necessary. His body screamed at him and threatened to escape his control. But with the Level he gained in [Flow Control], Hakon was unwilling to rest. The Skill Upgrade was so close, so… he might as well continue to use it. Right? Maybe it was not the smartest decision but guiding mana through the tunnels had a soothing effect.

The warmth made his wounds itch – that part was not particularly enjoyable –, which could only mean that they healed faster. That was what it was, wasn't it? It was not the first time his wounds itched after his father beat him up in a 'spar'. His bruises but especially the cuts and other open wounds would often keep him awake when he wanted nothing more than to rest. Guiding mana through the tunnels near some of the less grievous cuts made them itch badly. Like really badly.

More than once, Hakon felt compelled to scratch the cuts open and gouge out the itch deep within the wound. It was a good thing he had enough willpower to keep his hands away from the wounds. Hakon watched the faint wounds heal as he used [Flow Control], a smile creeping up his face. That was much better than resting. He was recovering, all while doing something useful. Time passed slowly.

The itches kept him awake even as bright daylight was suddenly replaced by darkness, his smile growing wide as more and more messages flooded in. One of which made him use the Acidic Beetle's sacs. It was probably not the smartest of his choices, but it worked as well as he had hoped for – if not better. More messages trickled in as the darkness around him grew denser, the howls and hollering screeches of nocturnal monsters echoing in the distance.

Only when his mana mass was empty did Hakon finally cave in to exhaustion.

His mana had still not recovered when he woke up. The mana mass was empty, which made no sense. It should be full already. Or most of it should have recovered by now. Daylight had returned to the Fracture, which could only mean he slept for a while. And considering how great his body felt, he slept a lot longer than he should have. Glancing down at his body, the smaller cuts he sustained in the previous battle were no longer visible. Not even scars remained.

The burn marks on his leg were also healed, so were the burns he inflicted on himself with beetle spit. What surprised him the most, however, was his ankle. After nearly losing his foot, Hakon had been threatening its recovery. Even as a Barbarian, it would – or should – have taken a young warrior several days of rest to recover. As much as he wanted to win the Battle of Generation, he needed to be at his peak to conquer the Fracture and earn the Levels needed to defeat Ulfar and other Bloodbearers.

He came up with several plans to use and improve his Skills to potentially earn the 10th Level and reach the 1st Ascension to heal faster. But looking at his leg and the wound that had been severe the day before, Hakon could only smile. The bone was no longer visible. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

His red flesh, on the other hand, still was visible but a lot had regrown and knitted itself together, turning a grievous wound into something far more mundane. He got up to his feet and put some weight on both sides and barely felt some minor discomfort. And even that was overwhelmed by the itching sensation coming from a rapidly healing body. That left him with yet another mystery; His body was absorbing mana at this very moment, yet it never reached the mana mass. The answer came in a flood.

Not of power or vitality but messages instead. [Proficiency gained. [Flow Control Lv. 16] improved to [Flow Control Lv. 17]] [Proficiency gained. [Pain Tolerance Lv. 5] improved to [Pain Tolerance Lv. 6]] [Proficiency gained. [Poison Resistance Lv. 2] improved to [Poison Resistance Lv. 3]] … [Proficiency gained. [Flow Control Lv. 19] improved to [Flow Control Lv. 20]] [Upgrade Flow Control – Conditions have been met. 1) Pathway Purity exceeds threshold (22. 1%/20%) 2) Level requirement met (20/20) [Upgrade initiated. [Flow Control Lv. 20] upgraded to [Circulation Lv. 1]] [Skill [Natural Regeneration] has been learned.] [Proficiency gained. [Natural Regeneration Lv. 1] improved to [Natural Regeneration Lv. 2]] [Proficiency gained. [Natural Regeneration Lv. 2] improved to [Natural Regeneration Lv. 3]] Hakon quickly sorted through the messages and located the culprit. [Natural Regeneration]. He heard of similar powers before.

Most means of superior healing come from Runeskins or Ancient Powers. However, it was also possible to acquire powerful Skills. The majority of times those Skills belonged to Bloodbearers. Their bodies were tough and they healed quickly as well. For warriors like them, claiming a Skill that allowed them to heal faster was only a matter of time. Others… had it a lot harder. [Natural Regeneration] was not something he heard of before. Not as a natural Skill. It was not very powerful either.

From the way it looked like, [Natural Regeneration] used the mana circulating through his body to heal him faster. The Skill was always active and would use minute traces to repair his body at all times, but it could be overcharged to heal him faster. At the expense of mana. The mana he was now missing. But as much as the empty mass in his abdomen bothered him, Hakon smiled. He was happy. How could he not be?

His leg was mostly healed, the soreness of the past few days had faded, and he'd acquired a Skill with the potential to become as powerful as the Bloodbearer's healing as it improved. Two powerful Skills, he corrected himself.

"Circulation." An upgraded Skill. It was definitely not what Hakon expected his first upgraded Skill to be, or that he'd acquire a Skill Upgrade anytime soon. Considering his Skills, it didn't look like it would take long before he'd perform his first Skill Fusion either. He only knew the Skills necessary for two Skill Fusions, one of which was rather common among Barbarians. Although only a minority bothered with them. It was also what his father had trained him for, knowing it would strengthen him greatly.

Skill Fusion, huh? Should I give it a try? Hakon shook his head. Before that, he'd have to test [Circulation]. Activating the upgraded Skill, Hakon noticed a stark contrast to [Flow Control]. Activating the Skill was enough to sense something around him. It was somewhat familiar, yet the sensation was different from what he first thought – until it brushed against his skin. Mana! He didn't realize it before but there was mana in the air. Everywhere. It was almost like mana was ever-present in the Fracture.

"Is that it? Is mana everywhere?" Was the ambient mana outside the Fracture as easily perceived as it was here? Hakon didn't know, but he knew that he was in pain. Mana flowed toward him as he used his newest Skill only to be burned through at once. [Circulation] churned through a large amount of mana, or tried to, and it feasted on something much deeper within Hakon when it had no more mana to use.

Confused and a little startled, he deactivated the upgraded Skill the moment it feasted on the energy he didn't know was there. No… he knew that it was there. He even knew what it was. His life. [Circulation] feasted on the very energy that allowed him to stand tall and fight his foes vigorously when it did not receive the mana needed to maintain its weakest form. As scary as that was, the new Skill made him curious. It helps me perceive the mana around me. But that is not its main function. He shook his head.

It can help me recover more mana. Absorb the mana around me to recover mana. But it uses mana at the same time to empower me. As curious as it was, the Skill was not easy to control. It would take him quite a while to figure out how to make it work efficiently. To use [Circulation] to strengthen him like Flow Control strengthened him, and what he could possibly do to shape [Circulation] into a Skill that could help him recover mana efficiently at the same time.

To use it to recover more mana than the Skill required to be maintained. There had to be a way, and Hakon wanted it. Needed it. But to start experimenting, he had to fill his mana mass first. How do I do that? There was mana around me. Even now there is, but I cannot even sense it without using [Circulation]. That was the first problem he would have to solve, and it probably required him to use his new Skill a few times. He chuckled at the prospect and got started.