Vastarael stood in silence, staring at the holographic description of Protection as it floated before him.
---
[Divinity: Protection]
[Final Phase: Guardian's Call]
[This divinity aspect grants the ability to safeguard individuals from physical, mental, and spiritual harm. Each life saved strengthens its potency, expanding its reach and capabilities. To unlock the full power of the first phase, you must save ten million beings.]
[Current Progress: 897 / 10,000,000]
---
He blinked at the number in brackets, a soft laugh escaping him. But it wasn't a laugh of joy.
"Ten million?" He murmured, running a hand through his thick, snowy curls as if the motion would help him process the absurdity. "Not a thousand. Not a million. Ten million?!"
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at the glowing tally.
"And here I thought saving 897 people in that caravan was a big deal. Turns out, that's barely scratching the surface."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a dry laugh.
"How do I even find ten million people to save? Do I just go kingdom-hopping, asking if they need a hero? I don't set to be a hero for fuck's sake! Ugh!"
Thankfully, no one saw his outburst, otherwise they would have seen him as a crazy person. Not that it mattered because his looks were great...
The thought of it was almost humorous. Almost. But as he stared at the description of the divinity, Vastarael couldn't deny the incredible potential it held. Even now, he could feel its subtle effects. The 897 lives he had saved already brought a faint ripple of strength to his abilities.
That alone was daunting. Ten million lives to save? It seemed like an impossible task. Yet, as daunting as it was, Vastarael couldn't help but feel a flicker of determination.
"Alright then," he muttered, rising to his feet and dismissing the hologram with a wave of his hand. "Ten million it is. If this is the path I have to walk, then so be it."
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "But next time, I'm charging extra for services."
Despite Phaenora being his Omniscient, this didn't mean that she was the one giving him these details. In fact, it was her system itself. Phaenora was only a ln administrator and nothing more. She couldn't give him side quests or something to complete.
The system itself gave him that. He didn't access the World System Axia because he had it but anything involving the world involved Spheraphase itself. So, it was forcing him to save ten million people.
He hated it. Now he understood the unfairness of his destiny, Suffering Before Reward.
And now, it was time for him to test out archery with Phaenora, who was done extracting archery.
°°°°°°
The skill of Memory Implantation and Extraction was one of Vastarael's most powerful, yet most controversial Tethers. It wasn't just about reading someone's mind or copying their knowledge.
It was about taking fragments of another person's essence, their lived experiences, and merging it with your own. This was why the skill, particularly when used by beings like Phaenora, was devastatingly broken.
When Phaenora touched the foreheads of the archers, the skill activated. For five seconds, she delved into their minds, extracting years of experience with the bow and arrows. In those fleeting moments, their expertise—muscle memory, tactical insights, and instinctual combat reactions—became hers.
But there was a catch.
The toll on the person whose memories were taken was immense. Mortals, especially those of weaker constitutions, could only endure a few seconds of the process before their brains started to deteriorate. A prolonged session of ten seconds? Death was inevitable. Even for stronger individuals, the mental strain left them dazed, with splitting headaches and occasionally permanent memory loss.
This is why they didn't use it often. Why give your combat memories to someone and get a splitting headache? Also, why give them that?
For Phaenora, however, the memories weren't just acquired. They were assimilated. As an Omniscient, her ability to comprehend and merge knowledge was unparalleled.
By extracting from a handful of archers, she now wielded their collective mastery of the bow as though it had always been hers.
"Fascinating," she murmured, testing the stretch of a longbow with ease. Her fingers traced the string lightly before pulling it back to full draw with a graceful fluidity that belied her lack of practice.
"To think they spent decades perfecting this… and I've just done it in minutes."
The training field was a frozen expanse, its icy winds howling softly as Vastarael adjusted his sapphire-coated arm. His Ascended Sapphire Materialization was a marvel. Sapphire bones that rendered his strikes more powerful, sapphire that could materialize over his body and now, the ability to manipulate sapphire into various constructs with more ease.
Phaenora stood a few paces away, her white leggings and oversized shirt barely enough to shield her from the biting cold, though she didn't seem to notice. She twirled the longbow in her hand. The newfound knowledge from the archers flowed through her like second nature.
"I'm impressed," Vastarael admitted, his golden eyes narrowing as he flexed his fingers. "I didn't think you'd pick up archery that fast."
"Flatter me all you want, Veneri," she teased, notching an arrow. "You're still the target practice for today."
"Oh?"
His grin widened as sapphire materialized around his left forearm, forming a sleek, shining shield. The surface glimmered faintly in the weak sunlight.
Phaenora moved first as she released an arrow. Vastarael raised his sapphire shield, the arrow bouncing harmlessly off its surface with a soft ping.
With a flick of his wrist, he shot a sapphire shard toward her, the construct glinting in the light.
Phaenora sidestepped gracefully, loosing another arrow in one fluid motion. This time, Vastarael didn't block. He swung his sapphire-coated arm, shattering the arrow mid-air.
"Show-off," she muttered, her lips curving into a smirk.
The exchange continued, their movements growing faster and more intense. Vastarael experimented with his sapphire constructs, shaping them into spears, walls, and even temporary projectiles. Each creation flowed seamlessly.
Meanwhile, Phaenora showcased her stolen archery skills, her shots precise and relentless. Every arrow flew with calculated intent, forcing Vastarael to constantly adapt.
"I see now why Memory Implantation and Extraction is considered broken," he said, dodging another arrow. "You're already at a master level with the bow."
"Of course I am," Phaenora replied with a wink, twirling the weapon in her hand. "It helps when you're born brilliant."
Vastarael realized that he was extremely strong.
As an Ascender, his physical capabilities had skyrocketed to a level where every move he made felt like he was as light as a feather. Literally.
He raised his hand, summoning a sapphire shard with ease. It materialized and floated before him but moment it left his palm, the shard shot forward with incredible speed—so much faster than he had expected—that it slammed into the ice and caused a massive hole to form in the ground.
The air around it shimmered with the sheer force of the impact.
For a moment, he stood there, staring at the destruction he had caused, a little stunned. It was as though his body had reacted without him even intending it.
His thoughts swirled for a moment.
'This... this isn't normal.'
His movements were no longer just fluid. They were fluid and explosive. The next time Phaenora released an arrow, he instinctively dodged but his body moved far too quickly. He felt the ice beneath him crack and splinter as his foot hit the ground too hard, his body propelling itself several feet farther than necessary.
"Hold on," he muttered to himself, trying to rein in his pace.
Phaenora was quick to respond, releasing another arrow, but this time, Vastarael was ready. He swatted it aside casually with his hand and yet, the mere force of his motion sent shockwaves through the air.
The air itself seemed to shift as his sapphire-coated hand passed through it, the shockwave ruffling the ice on the ground and sending a series of cracks radiating outward from where he stood.
He blinked in surprise. The shockwave had been unintentional, but his body wasn't listening to him. He was too fast and too strong. Every little movement seemed amplified beyond his control, like his power was operating on its own.
Phaenora watched him curiously, her eyes flickering as she took in the sudden change.
"Something wrong, Veneri?"
Vastarael exhaled sharply, shaking his head, trying to refocus.
'Okay, calm down. You need to control it. You're not some wild beast. This power is yours to command, not the other way around.'
He willed his sapphire to shift, creating a shield in front of him to block the next barrage of arrows Phaenora shot his way. As he did, he felt the familiar, now overbearing strength in his movements. His arm shot out in a sweeping arc, the sapphire material expanding and rippling with each motion.
But the shield didn't just stop the arrows. It sent them flying back at Phaenora, who dodged with impressive agility. His shield burst outward like a massive wave of energy, the sheer force causing the ground beneath them to tremble slightly.
'Damn it!'
Each attempt at control seemed to make the situation worse. His body moved on its own, faster and stronger than what he had intended. Every muscle, every nerve, every molecule was hyper-accelerated, and even the smallest movement of his body seemed to reverberate through the environment. The very air around him thickened with energy, vibrating with the excess force.
Vastarael took a deep breath, closing his eyes and attempting to center himself. The feeling of being too strong was unsettling. The slightest twitch could send ripples of destruction across the training field.
Finally, after a few more attempts to rein in his speed, Vastarael paused. His body still hummed with energy, but he had learned something important. He wasn't going to be able to control it all at once. He would need time to adjust, time to learn how to temper his strength. But for now, he had to understand how to move.
Phaenora was already looking at him with a knowing smile.
"Having fun yet?" She teased, clearly enjoying his struggle to reign in his newfound strength.
Vastarael let out a small, resigned chuckle.
"Yeah. Fun. Just... give me a minute, alright?"