Chapter 74: The newfound strength
For finite beings like humans and other mortals, those who have obtained Divinity, the divine status, and exist in a different realm completely, are nearly impossible to understand.
It’s ike telling a two year old child who doesn’t even understand simple numbers about the complex mathematical equations that are used in grand spells.
They would see a simple form. They would see the different, almost pretty shapes and drawings, but they would not understand any of them.
It was the same for Sam.
He knew that the creatures that he was seeing were divinities. They weren’t necessarily a single entity, they weren’t necessarily what he was seeing right now, and they were most certainly not limited to what he was seeing right now even tough they did seem finite.
They were called guardians of this cradle, but they weren’t the ones who made this place.
It was a certain fact that the Sungrade founders were the ones who created this place but whether it was at the instructions of the guardians or something else, he did not know.
For now, he knew that the guardians were here to take care of these creatures.
They looked after them and they did their work with great delight.
As he observed them closely, he understood that they were unique beings that were much different from all the strange creatures that he had seen until now.
Their origin was unknown, but they possessed powers that were nearly impossible to describe with what he knew.
He could tell that they were a little disappointed in him for some reason.
Perhaps it was because he wasn’t asking them the right questions, maybe because it was something else. He could not understand them.
He tried his best, but it was to no avail.
"Mii..." The little mole with him also got worried over how he was thinking so hard about all this.
"Haaaa." He knew it would not do him any good to just sit here and think when he had something more important to do.
"Ok."
So he got up and looked at the Guardians once again. This time, with a different intention that they somehow understood before he even asked them anything.
[ "So you’re ready." ]
The moment he looked at them, in a brief, very brief moment, Sam felt like he was seeing the three giant faceless figures smiling at him in a sinister manner.
It was dreadful.
"..."
What he felt in that micro moment was so dreadful that both of his hearts stalled for a moment.
"Chirp?"
{ "Master?" }
That moment of sudden dread scared both of his partners.
"Mii?"
The little mole that had been following him around was no different either. She was worried as well...
[ "Are you scared?" ]
They could tell what kind of emotions he was feeling right now.
For them, he was not just a young boy but also a child that knew more than most others did.
While he did not know it, they had learned quite a few new things while studying him.
He was interesting. But that wasn’t enough for them.
They needed him to be more than just interesting.
[ "Good." ]
-Oooooooooooooooong!
Extending their hands, they covered his body in a new blazing fire.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish.
This fire neither harmed him nor affected his body. Instead, the fire had transported him in a different place altogether.
For the people in the sanctuary, he was still there, covered in a sphere of fire, but for him, there was no green oasis there anymore.
He was in the middle of a deserted field.
There was nothing here aside from the few big rocks, some dead trees and soulless ground all around him.
This place was made for him to run wild.
And, they were watching him right now.
[ "Feel it. The ’common’ power that the others are born with." ]
"..."
The energy that he felt outside was not the same here. The sparkles of energy that were golden outside were blue in here.
"Mana."
This was the most common energy that the people of this world could use.
"It’s only half as fluid as the golden energy. It also doesn’t have a great destructive power to itself."
The golden energy was more pure than even the green flames of his father while possessing different qualities of various energies.
He could tell how distinct these energies were... and thanks to that, he could tell just how powerful he was with it.
"Good." There was a smirk on his face as he released as much of the Mana as he possibly could, creating a giant sphere of Mana right above his palm.
Seeing the Mana quantity pleased him a bit. It was more than what he was expecting.
-Ooooooooooooooooooong!
The released mana gathered in a single point at his instruction and when it was concentrated to its limit, he shot it like a beam.
-Zuuuuuuuuup!
The beam of Mana shot out and crashed with a giant rock, piercing right through it like some kind of a laser beam.
"Hup!"
He did not stop there either.
-Swish!
He ran around this place, jumped, performed complex movements, even attacked the dead trees and solid rocks.
-Booooooooom!
His new power was almost on par with a (Level-4) knight tamer.
The golden energy would help further, and he was confident enough to go against the gorilla that he had defeated as a final test of Elder Valor.
He knew he was not yet strong enough to go against creatures like the tigers that he faced inside the forest, but if necessary, he could deal with them with his current powers.
"Huuuuuu..."
He had gained much from his trip to this sanctuary.
"You look different, young one."
"Huh?"
So when he finally finished his training and got back to the cradle, he was unsure of how he was going to face the elder lady... his great grandmother.
"I should be the surprised one here. Not you, mister."
The original purpose of his visit here was to find a new partner.
He needed to show her his taming method to get her approval to go out of the house.
"Elder Testerosa..."
She had finally come to see what she had been seeking all this time. But I didn’t know what to say to her.
’We can at least look around.’
There were many powerful creatures here. Many that I can tame anytime I want.
They’d be pretty helpful to us going forward, especially the legendary Salamanders.
But, the fact remains...
’I don’t want any being just because of their powers and skills.’
I want those who choose me.
Or at the very least... those who would perish without me.