Cynrik looked down at his Húðflúr, faintly glowing in purple light, and sighed loudly. Even though their time together had been filled with battle, Cynrik had actually learned quite a bit from Ragnar. Everything about the Legacy Strife aside, the more he replayed the fight, the more he realized that although the Æsir Spirit had been trying to kill him, each one of his attacks showed Cynrik a fatal flaw in his technique.
Sparring with Brance or the Sanfords was one thing, but actual battle was the best way for him to hone his abilities, and as such, he had grown by leaps and bounds. If he went up against a doppelganger of himself from an hour ago, there was no doubt the present Cynrik would decimate it.
While he was thinking this, Tobs floated in front of him and placed her left palm gently on top of his head, triggering several notifications.
-Turning Point Quest: Challenge for Supremacy has been completed.-
-After battling against the Spirit of a being several times stronger than yourself, you have come out on top and won the battle for supremacy over your soul.-
-Defeat the Æsir Spirit Ragnar Lodbrok-
-Reward: Stage 1 Húðflúr, basic knowledge about the Legacy Strife, BluePrint for Ragnar Lodbroks Greatsword Brimir ór Konungr (Sword of Kings).-
-By absorbing the Spirit of Ragnar Lodbrok, you have repaired all damage to your SOC and Soul.-
Cynrik sighed heavily and pulled up the description of his newly acquired Húðflúr.
-Secondary Mana Conduit: Stage-1 Húðflúr (wrist down).-
– Over the eons, several races have created their own specific Mana Conduits to allow themselves more significant control over the energy known as Mana Particles. Some such as the Æsir have even sculpted their own Conduits known as Húðflúr to handle an unstable particle named Seiðr. Over time the name of this energy has garnered the nickname “OdinForce,” thanks to the extensive use and power exerted by the Raven God Odin.-
– When combined with your Passive Skill, Mana Manipulation, you can bend energy particles to your will to some extent and create Constructs similar to what higher Tier Beings are capable of.-
-Due to the low purity of your Bloodline, you are not able to control your Stage-1 Húðflúr, and as such, it has entered a dormant state.-
-Stage-1: When active, the wielder will be able to enhance the damage output of all Affinity-based skills by 25% and will have a 20% reduction to the activation and maintenance costs.-
As he read through the description of his Húðflúr, Cynrik held up both his hands and examined them. Unlike Ragnar, his markings were only slightly darker than his pale skin, so although he knew they were there, it was a struggle for them to be seen.
“Tobs, how do I increase the percentage of my Æsir Bloodline.” Not bothering to look away from his hands but instead at the shattered Greatsword not far away, Cynrik spoke out his concern.
-If the Host wishes to increase their Bloodline, they must either find an object that can complete the task or Evolve to higher tiers after maxing out their Prestige.-
“Tsk, fine.” Cynrik made a fist and unclenched it several times as if checking his arms were still working correctly and walked over to the broken sword that belonged to Ragnar.
“If Ragnar is gone, why is his blade still here?” Gripping the sword’s hilt and exerting a large amount of his physical strength, Cynrik was able to barely lift the massive sword named Brimir ór Konungr from the ground and tried to hold it.
The sword seemed to weigh thousands of pounds to his dismay, and even with his strength at 140, he was forced to put it down after less than a minute.
-Think of it as a parting gift. Its existence here in your SOC correlates with the blueprint you received. Thus I saw no point in destroying it from here.-
“Mm, fine.”
Standing in silence for a few moments, Cynrik pondered his next move. Since completing the Turning Point Quest, he had found his mind clear for the first time in 12 years. There was no voice in his head screaming to kill, nor did he feel the intense bloodlust any longer.
“Heh, looks like I’m me again.” Heaving a sigh, Cynrik spun on his heels and faced the floating girl behind him.
“Tobs, give me a status report on what’s been happing in A-G 22097, starting with how long I’ve been out of commission.”
-Affirmative. Host Cynrik Jetlensr has been locked in the Sea of Consciousness for a total of eight hours and thirty-one minutes. At this time, Host Brance Jetlensr has been nonstop trying to communicate, only to be met by silence. I found this to be the best course of action, and when he inquired further, I informed him that you were undergoing an important internal quest.-
-In the time you have been absent, Host Brance has dutifully carried out his tasks as well as the rest of the parties, and currently, the only task they require is the Boss.-
-He has also vaguely explained your situation to the Sanford Siblings, and from what I can tell, they appear to be supportive and understanding. However, it seems that Gabriella Sanford has suffered a bit of trauma from the earlier incident, and it is recommended that you “Smooth” it over.-
“Yeah, figures…fuck. I guess I’ll have to sit down with her sooner rather than later. I assume I haven’t been gaining any of the Parties XP or Stats either, right?”
-Correct, due to being hidden by [Shadow Leap] and the distance between you and the group, you have not received any rewards.-
“Makes sense, OK, one last question….” Cynrik snapped his neck to the left, forcing a pop out of it, and rolled his left shoulder, “they left me plenty of fodder, right?”
-The party has eliminated a little over 50% of the Mana Signatures I can locate within the Egress.-
“Perfect, let’s go.”
With that said, Cynrik closed his eyes and sent himself out of the SOC, leaving Tobs behind, who flew up above the massive crater made by Cynrik’s Annarr Form and, with a wave of her hand, reshaped the land, making it seem as if no battle had occurred.
When Cynrik opened his eyes, he was greeted by a world void of color. Looking around curiously, everything he saw was in different shades of grey, and he couldn’t help but fight the urge to make a poorly made 50 shades joke.
[Oi, y’all still alive?] Floating in the void of his [Shadow Leap], Cynrik spoke into the mind link.
[FUCK, you scared the shit out of me, Cyn, seriously, first you go all psycho and then vanish, do you realize the amount of stress I’ve been under these last several hours. You asshole, when I see you, you’ll get a beating.]
At the moment, Brance, Gabby, and Benny were sitting around a campfire and had just finished eating a meal in worried silence. When he heard Cynrik in the mind link, Brance jumped to his feet and started waving his fist aggressively at the cavern ceiling, startling both Gabby and Benny.
[Eh, yeah, it’s all good now, I can’t talk about it outside the SOC, so once we are done here, I’ll fill you in. For now, just know I’m finally me again. Tobs told me about what happened after I left; you did well. For now, stay outside the boss room while I clear my missions and catch up to y’all. I hear you’ve been eating good; HOW DARE YOU NOT SAVE ME SOME LEFTOVERS, pfft hahaha.] Cynrik couldn’t keep up the angry act, and by the end of it, he was laughing his ass off while floating in the shadows.
[Yep, you’re you again. Glad to see psycho-Cyn isn’t a thing anymore.] Brance rejoined the Sanford siblings and pacified them by stating Cynrik was back to his usual self and had cured the issues he was having, which made the two smile. Gabby even told Brance to say she was sorry to Cynrik.
[Alright, haha, OK, tell her it’s no biggy and that it’s me who’s sorry; also send me over your copy of the map with what rooms you’ve cleared so I can wipe out the rest.]
Brance quickly sent over a mental image through the mind link with over half the boxes scribbled through, indicating which ones he and the Sanfords had cleared, and after a couple of minutes, Cynrik plotted his course and was on the move.
—
Hall of Gods-
Odin and Yahweh sat at the majestic table with deep frowns on their faces. Up until Cynrik entered his SOC, they had been actively following each of his steps, but the moment he shifted into it, it was as if their live feed was cut off, and all they saw was a black screen.
It didn’t take long for the two Deities to realize he had entered his Sea of Consciousness, so thinking nothing of it, they simply shifted their focus to Brance and the Sanfords, who were quickly clearing their way through all the Fanged Rats, and eventually the Packhounds.
But as time ticked by, Odin grew increasingly unsettled, this all came to a climax when his body convulsed slightly, and he felt part of his Divine Soul shatter, and he let out a tired sigh drawing Yahweh’s attention.
=The boy has triggered the Turning Point Quest… he has defeated the Spirit attached to his blessings and has integrated it into himself.=
Odin’s words drew a violent response from Yahweh.
*How is that possible? Your Charge triggered the quest? IT’S TOO EARLY.*
BOOM!
Slamming his hands on the table and causing it to shatter to pieces, Yahweh stood up and roared.
*He is only a first Tier being; he can’t defeat an experienced Tier-5 even if they are only in Spirit form. Their strength is entirely backed by Divine energy. His progression in triggering the Turning Point Quest was too quick. IF HE DIES, WE WILL LOSE EVERYTHING RAVEN GOD!*
=Calm yourself, God of Light; this was out of my control. Besides, did you not hear my words. He won.=
*Huh?* Yahweh’s face contorted in incomprehension.
*He won? You cant be serious…then that’s GREAT!* The God of Lights mood changed instantly. Initially, when he heard the words “Turning Point Quest,” his mind blanked out, causing his rage to spill over, making him mishear the rest of Odin’s sentence.
=Indeed, now then…about my table.= Wearing a blank expression, Odin pointed at the remains of his thousands of years old relic of a table.
*Cough, yes, I apologize. I shall remedy this at once.*
Once the table was repaired, the two Deities went back to splitting their attention to both live feeds, one showing Brance sitting in front of a fire with his arms crossed, asleep, and the other showing Cynrik tearing his way through over a dozen Fanged Rats.
Neither of them was aware that Cynrik was now semi-filled in on the Legacy Strife and what potential repercussions could come about due to him having this knowledge.
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