Chapter 323
Simple (2)
There were a few seconds of stunned silence as everyone in the vicinity stared at the screen, their mouths hanging open in shock before the woman suddenly broke it.
"What the fuck was that!?"
No one responded. They simply continued staring blankly at the screen in utter stupor.
Jeremy wore a slightly confused expression. He was impressed by the skill and strength of Henry's technique, but he wasn't sure it warranted such an intense reaction.
Ari and Snow had both stood up, identical ridiculous expressions plastered across their faces.
Jeremy looked around before awkwardly voicing his thoughts.
"Why's everyone so shocked?" he asked the woman.
She glanced at him as if he were insane.
"Why? Are you ser— do you not understand?"
"No clue… sorry."
She seemed to realize something. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she spoke again, her expression turning grim.
"Hey… tell me. That trump method you used against the kid with the spear — what did you use to get that poison?"
A flash of green passed through Jeremy's eyes as he pulled out a brown pack.
"I carry multiple packs on my body. Some gas, some liquid. That guy pierced through one of them, which is the reason I even decided to use my trump method in the first place."
She nodded.
"And whenever you use any of your path methods, you rely on those for all of them, right?"
"Yes… of course…" he said, beginning to feel an inkling of what she was getting at.
She nodded firmly.
"Exactly. At novice level, it's the weakest stage. The abilities you can display as an ascender are as limited as possible. You can't even begin to use most methods without very specific conditions — yours being that you have to carry poison with you at all times."
"…Yes."
"This changes slightly when you become an experienced-level ascender. The conditions are looser, but you're still in the realm where you need some kind of assistance to achieve the results you want, depending on the nature of your path. It's only at master that you can truly begin to express your powers beyond the normal constraints of possibility."
Jeremy's eyes snapped open in shock as he looked back at the screen.
"But… that kid… he—he… from what I saw, he didn't even use anything to create it. No lighter, no external flame… He actually manifested that golden fire. That's something only beings at master can do! It might not be as powerful or as awe-inspiring, but that doesn't change the fact that, as a novice… he just created a method like that. This is…"
"Impossible!" someone exclaimed, shock laced with a tinge of fear.
"Such a thing… he's a genius... Beyond peerless! He achieved something only someone two levels above could!" another added.
"I've never seen a novice even come close to replicating something like that! How? How did he do it!?"
Ari's face had returned to calm, at least on the surface. But the slight tremble in her voice betrayed her.
"He is indeed… slightly more impressive than I thought. His potential is incredible."
Snow wore the blankest expression of them all. Not a single word escaped her lips as Ari gently pushed her back into her chair, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.
The first one had displayed an almost impossible ability to evade any attack. Now that she thought about it, that too might have been something only a master could truly accomplish.
And now the second one was using methods at a level only masters could reach — crude and lackluster in comparison, yes, but undeniably walking along the same path. And he was only a novice.
Just these two alone made Ari feel as if she were on an acid trip. It was mind-blowing. Absurd!
Don't tell me the other two are just as ridiculous… right? There's no way. Is Yohan suddenly going to start flying? Is IAM going to reveal he's secretly at master or something?
They couldn't even begin to fathom what they had just witnessed. Composing themselves was a struggle as the trial continued.
…
Yohan scratched his head, remembering how, several minutes ago, he had landed almost directly on the back of it against a cluster of thick, exposed roots that had surfaced from the forest floor. Fortunately, it hadn't caused much damage, and he had quickly gone back to exploring.
His mismatched eyes studied the canopy above. Thick branches twisted together like interlocked fingers, forming a natural ceiling of deep green. Slivers of pale light filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering across the forest floor in broken patches. The foliage swayed gently, whispering as the wind passed through it.
One eye, piercing cold blue, and the other warm earthy brown, observed everything with quiet curiosity.
Right now, his goal was simple: find IAM.
He knew IAM wasn't using his avien at the moment and likely needed help — or at least protection. So Yohan had taken it upon himself to locate him as quickly as possible.
Hopefully he wouldn't be too late.
Hopefully nothing untoward had happened...
…
IAM stared at the scene in front of him as something completely untoward unfolded. He was currently facing a group of five people.
Two women and three men stood before him, looking at him with unsavoury intentions and open contempt.
"Puh! A little bastard like you thinks you're the shit, huh? Walking around without using your avien like you don't even need it… Are you looking down on us, you little shithead?"
Off to the side, a man with a nearly bald head and a baby face spat the words out with venom thick in his throat.
The woman at the front, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward with clear wrath in her eyes.
"You limp-dick fool! Just wait until we're done with your ass!"
Her pigtails bounced with the aggressive motion of her head as the group slowly inched toward IAM, spreading slightly as if to surround him.
IAM looked at the scene in silence before letting out a simple sigh.
Why always me?