Novel Full Chapter 427 Provocation
Alaric stood from the grass and brushed off his clothes. “Besides, there’s a bigger reason.”
Emma tilted her head.
“The more people who know about this, the higher the chance that more information surfaces. Someone might take what I’ve done and push it further. Someone might find a way to create their own path entirely, gaining skills outside the scope of their original class.”
He turned to face her.
“We could learn from a person like that.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “You think that’s possible?! I don’t know, Alaric. That sounds too good to be true. Creating an entirely new path from scratch? Someone capable of doing what you couldn’t do?”
Alaric nodded slowly. “Of course. It will be nearly impossible. The odds are astronomical, and most people who attempt it will fail.”
He looked up at the sky, his expression thoughtful.
“But I believe it’s possible. Somewhere out there, there might be someone talented enough, stubborn enough, and reckless enough to pull it off.” A faint smile crossed his lips. “And when they do, the information they bring back will change everything we know about the world we live in.”
Emma watched him for a long moment. The breeze moved through the courtyard, rustling the leaves of the oak tree above them.
“You’re really not afraid of anyone catching up to you, are you?”
Alaric glanced at her. “The people who worry about others catching up are the ones who have stopped moving forward.”
He walked past her toward the villa. “Now, what’s for lunch? I’m starving.”
Emma smiled wryly, catching up to him, “Smoked Second Order meat, one of a kind.”
“Sounds delicious…”
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[Curse] [Order: Second] [Rank: Epic] [Level: MAX] [Details: Your curse makes others follow you without question, losing their goals, and gaining one only: satisfying the goal you set them. The Curse duration relies on the spiritual energy differential between yourself and the target. +200% Effectiveness. +200% Curse Duration.]
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[Mark of Omen] [Order: Second] [Rank: Rare] [Level: MAX] [Details: You brand a cursed subordinate with an omen, convincing them they have grown stronger. Though the power is illusory, their belief manifests as a temporary increase of power, granting them 15-20% increase of combat power.]
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After a few extra hours of relentless practice, Moon had finally comprehended both skills. The bonuses had increased significantly upon reaching max level, doubling the effectiveness and duration of his curse, and pushing the Mark of Omen’s combat boost too.
“A 15 to 20% increase in combat power for a single subordinate. Not bad at all.” Moon muttered, turning the numbers over in his mind. “Although it would have been amazing if it could be placed on more than one at a time.”
The limitation entailed that — Mark of Omen — could only be active on a single target per use. Unlike Curse, which could be layered across multiple targets simultaneously, the Mark demanded exclusivity. One subordinate. One boost.
Still, it was powerful when applied correctly. By placing it on his strongest cursed beast at the critical moment, he could push their combat prowess by a significant margin. A 20% boost on a peak 0-Star beast could tip the scales in a fight that was otherwise even.
Moon’s eyes landed on the last skill in his Witch Class.
[Charm] [Proficiency: 34%]
Moon glanced at the number and let out a quiet breath through his nose. Thirty-four percent. Hours of passive use and it had barely crawled forward. The skill gained proficiency at a glacial pace, and there was nothing he could do to accelerate it.
He stopped worrying about it. The class duration would expire long before Charm reached comprehension. It simply wasn’t going to happen this time around.
Two out of three wasn’t bad. Curse and Mark of Omen were his. Permanently. And together with his existing skills, they opened doors that most Evolvers didn’t even know existed.
“The tournament testing phase should be beginning in a little over a day. I need to continue hunting. There isn’t much time left.” Moon muttered, feeling his heart race.
The tournament opened doors that were otherwise closed. Missing it wasn’t an option.
His eyes drifted toward the distant peak where the spirit pavilion stood against the grey sky. The castle’s towers pierced through next layer of drifting clouds, dark and imposing, radiating that constant, suffocating pressure he had felt since his first day on the island.
A bold idea began to form.
Moon looked at the beasts trailing behind him. There were all ranging from Mid to Peak of 0-Star. Obedient, expendable, and most importantly…completely replaceable.
A smirk crossed his face.
“It’s worth a try.”
He nudged Mirage toward the distant peak. They rode until the pavilion was roughly five miles away, close enough to see the castle’s outer walls clearly but far enough that Moon’s own presence wouldn’t be detected.
He stopped and turned to face his cursed beasts.
“Attack that place.”
The command was simple. Simple enough for their minds to process without confusion. The twenty beasts turned toward the pavilion and broke into a sprint, their bodies disappearing over the rocky terrain as they charged toward the castle.
Moon watched them go for a moment. Then he turned Mirage around and rode in the opposite direction.
He wasn’t going to wait for the outcome. It was obvious. Ten peak 0-Star beasts charging a C-Rank spirit pavilion would be annihilated within minutes. They stood no chance of killing a single spirit inside those walls.
But killing spirits wasn’t the point.
The point behind the attack was provocation.
The pavilion would respond to an attack on its doorstep. It would send spirits out to investigate, to sweep the surrounding area, to hunt for the source of the aggression. Just like they had done before when Moon killed the first spirit and its body was carried across the island.
Moon would keep sending beasts. Wave after wave. Each one drawing the spirits further from the pavilion, stretching their search pattern wider, pulling teams of them out into the open where they were vulnerable.
In the meantime, he had hunting to do.