Chương 82: Chapter 69 – Dissolution

"Nice!" Vorduun said as he bellowed out a loud, boisterous laugh. The sound rolled deep and heavy through the ashen clearing, a rumbling echo that carried both surprise and approval. Ember-lit eyes fixed on Cade, bright with interest.

"Well done," the Duke said, voice thick with satisfaction.

"Your first true breath." Cade exhaled slowly, still feeling the lingering heat in his throat and chest from the flame he had just expelled. His body ached, his channels still burned faintly from the strain. He winced slightly as a dull pressure settled behind his eyes. The clarity that had carried him through the process lingered—but now it felt stretched thin. With a mental command, he released the [Hyperfocused Meditation] skill.

The world softened immediately, the edge of his thoughts dulling as the increasingly familiar headache assaulted his mind. Vorduun continued, "Those flames were among the purest I have ever seen from a hatchling." His gaze sharpened.

"Even Brahm did not achieve such refinement in his first attempt." Cade hesitated, then glanced off to the side, brow furrowing slightly.

"That tree… where did it even come from?" he asked.

"The spear you planted," the Duke said.

"It carried both the Great Tree's essence and your own. Given ground, it took root. You did well in destroying your own creation."

"Now, do not idle," Vorduun added, nodding toward the drifting cloud of essence in front of Cade.

"Finish the breath. The essence will disperse if you delay." Cade's attention snapped back to the cloud. It hovered in front of him—soft, white, and deceptively calm. But in his [Essence Sight], it pulsed with density. With potential.

"To reclaim it," Vorduun said, "will it to condense and breathe in." Cade hesitated for only a moment before reaching out with his will. The connection came instantly. It was faint and ethereal but unmistakable. The cloud responded immediately. Cade felt it—like a thread linking him to the essence he had just liberated from the tree. He focused his mind on the cloud, willing it to condense. The drifting cloud tightened subtly, drawing inward as the loose edges pulled together.

Then, without breaking that connection, Cade inhaled. The essence flowed toward him. It slipped into his mouth effortlessly, dissolving the moment it crossed his lips. Gentle warmth spread through him. Not the overwhelming flood from before, but something smoother, more controlled. It moved through his channels, brushing against the strained pathways left behind by his earlier effort. Cade exhaled slowly, eyes closing once more as he focused inward.

He felt the essence merge with what remained inside him, reinforcing the flow rather than overwhelming it.

"Good," Vorduun said.

"Now cycle it." Cade obeyed, guiding the current through his channels. The movement came easier this time. Smoother. More natural than when he focused on it before. Vorduun continued, "You now possess a method to gather essence for yourself. It will take more than one success for the Record to recognize the skill, but with practice it will come." Cade kept his focus inward as he listened to the old tortoise's words.

"Essence," Vorduun said, "is not bound to a single purpose. It may take countless forms. What you created—the flames of desolation—are but one path." Cade felt the current loop through him again. It didn't strain the same way it had before.

"You may refine essence into life and use it to mend your body," Vorduun continued.

"You may force it into your flesh to sustain movement beyond your limits. Or you may shape it to strengthen yourself permanently." Cade's brow furrowed slightly as he listened while observing the flow within him. Why is it so much easier now? He questioned.

"The latter," Vorduun added, "is the path most of my kind follow. Once a Core is formed, essence is refined and integrated to strengthen the body over time." Cade tracked the current again. It flowed cleanly through his channels, guided by his will—but without the same resistance as before. Is it because there's less of it? That made sense. His channels weren't being pushed to their limits anymore. There was no pressure threatening to tear them apart from the inside. Vorduun's voice cut through his thoughts.

"For now, we keep things simple. Maintain the cycle," the Duke said.

"Continue until it persists without effort." Cade cracked his eyes open just enough to give the Duke a faint nod before turning his attention fully inward once more. The current of essence moved through him—steady, controlled, looping through the pathways carved into his body by the ash. It didn't fight him. It didn't strain against his will. It simply… flowed. Cade opened his eyes and looked up at Vorduun.

"It's already moving on its own," he said.

"I'm not really doing anything and it seems to be cycling through my body perfectly fine." Vorduun stilled. For a brief moment, the ancient tortoise simply watched him. Then, slowly, a low chuckle rumbled from deep within his chest.

"I see," Vorduun said, amusement threading through his voice.

"Then it would seem you possess a natural aptitude for essence manipulation." Cade frowned.

"That doesn't make sense," he muttered. He had never done anything like this before. Everything he knew about essence had been forced on him over the past… what? Days? Weeks? Time inside the dungeon had blurred together so he wasn't really sure how long it had been. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. So why did it feel like his body already understood what to do?

Cade's eyes unfocused slightly as he turned inward again—not toward the flow of essence this time, but toward something else. The two notifications he had received from the System. He hadn't had the chance to properly read them before so he pulled them up. Ding! You have gained the [Essence Manipulation] skill. [Essence Manipulation (rare)] – You have gained the ability to directly interact with essence. Enables intake, circulation, and output of essence through the body's channels.

Allows essence to be shaped for internal enhancement and external effects. Passive circulation through channels has been established. A stable boundary layer of essence now lines your channels, significantly reducing dissipation and increasing flow efficiency. Well… that explained part of it. He had gained a rare skill from the System. That was probably what made the cycle so much easier to maintain. Cade's gaze lingered on the final line of the description.

A stable boundary layer of essence now lines your channels… So the System had recognized what he had done and responded in the form of granting him a skill. Was that normal? Vorduun had just said it would take multiple attempts to form a skill involving the white flames of desolation, but [Essence Manipulation] had come so easily. The essence was no longer moving through his channels by his conscious command.

The thin layer he had anchored to his channel's walls had changed the nature of the flow itself, turning a desperate act of control into something stable and efficient. Cade exhaled slowly, his thoughts already chasing the implications. Still… that doesn't explain why it came so easily. Well. Relatively easily. He had nearly burned himself out while controlling the essence within himself. Nearly lost control more than once.

But compared to everything else he'd survived since being dumped into this corrupted dungeon… It wasn't even close to the most dangerous thing he'd done. Was it because of Vorduun? Because he had a teacher guiding him through it? Or was it the environment? The danger? The fact that he was working with something as fundamentally destructive as desolation? Cade's gaze flicked briefly toward the Duke. Maybe it was a combination of factors. He shook his head slightly.

Asking why he got the skill didn't matter right now. There was still one more notification. Cade pulled it up. Ding! Congratulations! You have developed a new Law Seed. Law Seed: [Dissolution] — Created. Principle Established: All things may be broken down. +10 Intelligence +10 Wisdom Cade went still. Another one? His eyes lingered on the word: Dissolution. The name alone felt like it carried weight. Not as heavy as Inviolable Self—but different. Broader. More expansive.

His thoughts turned inward again, replaying what had just happened. He had been cycling essence. Listening to Vorduun. Watching the process of breaking something down—reducing it to its base form of pure essence. And for a moment it had all clicked. Not just intellectually either. But it had felt like he brushed against something larger than himself. A truth that existed whether he understood it or not. Is that how Law Seeds are formed? His gaze drifted to the stat increases. +10 Intelligence. +10 Wisdom.

If Dissolution was about breaking things down—reducing them to their base components—then he needed to understand what those components were. Their structure, their composition, the underlying framework of how it was made up. That explained Intelligence. But why Wisdom? Just because something can be broken down… doesn't mean it should be. Knowing when to break something—and when not to. I guess that fits. Good enough for now at least. Cade exhaled slowly, the weight of the realization settling in.

He now had two Law Seeds. Two. And he didn't even know what the hell they were. Sure, he had his own hypotheses but he didn't know if he was correct. He glanced up at Vorduun again, a mix of curiosity and unease flickering through his expression. Something told him this wasn't normal. Especially for someone without a Core. Vorduun waited patiently. The ancient tortoise did not press him. He simply watched, ember-lit eyes steady as Cade stood there, clearly lost in thought.

After a few moments, Cade exhaled and looked up.

"I got a couple of notifications," he said. Vorduun inclined his head slightly.

"Speak."

"The System gave me a skill," he began.

"It's called [Essence Manipulation]." At that, a faint smile touched the edges of Vorduun's mouth.

"Your System did not give you that," the Duke said. Cade blinked.

"What?"

"You earned it," Vorduun continued calmly.

"You shaped it yourself." Cade frowned.

"How would you know that? You don't even know what the System is." Vorduun's gaze remained steady.

"I may not know your System," he said, "but I know the Record." Cade stilled slightly.

"The Record," Vorduun continued, "is the reflection of one's path. It does not grant power. It does not decide your growth. It merely records what you have already achieved." Cade's brow furrowed.

"When understanding reaches a certain threshold," Vorduun said, "the Record acknowledges. That is why it will take multiple successful attempts to form the skill based upon the flames of desolation." His eyes flicked briefly toward Cade.

"The skill you call [Essence Manipulation] is not unique to your System. It is a fundamental step along our path." Cade hesitated.

"So… you have it too?" Vorduun gave a slow nod.

"I do." Cade's thoughts churned. So the System isn't giving me skills… this Record, or whatever, is just recording down my accomplishments? That actually made some sense. The System did say that there would be limited System access while in Cynthia's Legacy so why would it be giving him skills?

"What about the boundary layer?" Vorduun's expression shifted ever so slightly.

"What boundary layer?" Cade paused, then gestured vaguely toward himself.

"The thing I did inside my channels," he said.

"I slowed the flow at the edges. Created a thin layer that sticks to the walls so the rest of the essence moves smoother. I based it on something called the no-slip condition from fluid dynamics." Vorduun said nothing at first. He simply watched Cade, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, the Duke shook his head.

"That is not part of my skill," he said. Cade blinked.

"…What?"

"My Record does not describe such a function," Vorduun continued.

"Nor do I manipulate essence in that manner." Cade's frown deepened.

"But it works," he said.

"It made everything both easier and much more stable."

"I do not doubt that," Vorduun replied while shifting slightly, the ash beneath him stirring as his massive form adjusted.

"But understand this—" his gaze fixed on Cade, sharper now, more intent in each word he spoke"—the Record is personal. It reflects your path, your understanding, and your experiences." His voice remained calm, but there was weight behind it.

"Two individuals may walk the same path. They may learn the same concepts. Even follow the same teachings. But Record will never be identical." Cade listened carefully.

"Your method," Vorduun continued, "is your own. Born from your perspective. Your past and your way of interpreting the world." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"And because of that… it may lead you somewhere different." Cade absorbed that in silence. It made sense. Even if someone explained the same concept to two different people, they wouldn't internalize it the same way. So if the Record reflected that difference. Then… what does that make the System? Cade's thoughts turned inward again. If the Record was just a reflection of what's happened, then the System had to be something more. It gave quests and rewards.

It implanted Cores in people and gave them Classes and Professions. Maybe it was built on top of the Record. Or mimicked it. Or… something else entirely. Cade exhaled slowly. That was a problem for later. He looked back up at Vorduun.

"There was something else," he said. Vorduun gestured slightly.

"Continue." Cade hesitated for only a moment.

"I got another notification," he said.

"A Law Seed." Vorduun stilled.

"…Another?" the Duke repeated quietly. Cade nodded.

"Yeah."

"What is it called?"

"Dissolution." For the first time since Cade had met him, Vorduun's composure cracked from something besides amusement. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped ever so slightly.

"Dissolution…" he murmured to cover the momentary lapse in composure. A long pause followed.

"…Two Law Seeds," Vorduun said under his breath.

"At this stage…" He trailed off, something unreadable passing through his expression. Cade waited but Vorduun seemed set on remaining silent.

"I know you said we'd talk about Law Seeds later," Cade said, "but… maybe we shouldn't wait." Vorduun remained silent for a moment longer. Then he exhaled slowly.

"…Yes," he said.

"Perhaps it is best." The Duke shifted, lowering his massive body to the ground before Cade. When he spoke again, his voice carried a different weight.

"Listen carefully," Vorduun said.

"This is not knowledge given lightly among my kind."