Chapter 180: The Three Resonance Points

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: The Three Resonance Points

The Shattered Expanse was quieter than Ronan expected.

After leaving the battlefield, he travelled east for several hours, avoiding the areas with concentrated energy signatures.

His newly acquired Concealment trait made the journey considerably easier. Although it couldn’t completely hide him from powerful King Realm creatures, it reduced the distance at which they could detect his presence.

He also discovered that combining Concealment with Predator’s Perception was particularly useful.

He could observe his surroundings without immediately revealing himself.

It was a valuable combination.

Eventually, Ronan found a secluded cave beneath a cluster of enormous rocks.

After checking the surrounding area, he entered and blocked the entrance with several large stones.

He needed to recover.

The battle against the three creatures hadn’t been particularly dangerous, but he had spent considerable energy testing his new traits.

He sat down and examined his recent acquisitions.

[New Trait: Gravitational Compression]

[New Trait: Concealment]

[New Trait: Mineral Consumption]

[New Trait: Mineral Assimilation]

Four traits in a single expedition.

Ronan smiled faintly.

His journey into the Shattered Expanse had been worthwhile.

He first examined Gravitational Compression.

He extended his hand and concentrated a small amount of gravitational force around a nearby stone.

The stone trembled.

Then its surface began cracking.

Ronan increased the pressure.

CRACK!

The stone collapsed into fragments.

He nodded.

The trait was straightforward, but its potential was considerable.

Gravity Affinity allowed him to manipulate gravitational forces, while Gravitational Compression allowed him to concentrate those forces into smaller areas.

Combined, they could become a powerful offensive tool.

He experimented with different distances.

At close range, he could concentrate considerably more pressure without wasting too much energy.

However, maintaining the compression over a large area consumed considerably more energy.

He stopped after several attempts.

There was no reason to exhaust himself.

Next, he examined Concealment.

He activated the trait and suppressed his energy signature.

Then he activated Predator’s Perception.

The cave became strangely quiet.

His perception remained sharp, but the energy radiating from his body had weakened considerably.

He could still sense himself, but the surrounding energy currents no longer reacted to his presence as strongly.

Ronan nodded.

This would be useful when hunting powerful creatures.

He could approach his targets without immediately attracting their attention.

He also considered how it might help against the Hollow.

They had repeatedly demonstrated their ability to track his mark, but reducing his general energy signature could still make tracking more difficult.

Unfortunately, Concealment didn’t eliminate the mark’s presence.

He would need another solution for that.

---

Ronan moved on to the remaining two traits.

Mineral Consumption and Mineral Assimilation.

He retrieved several metallic crystals collected from the Ironplate Behemoth.

First, he activated Mineral Consumption.

The crystal gradually dissolved as its compatible energy entered his body.

He repeated the process with another fragment.

Then he activated Mineral Assimilation.

A thin metallic layer spread across his forearm.

This time, he concentrated on maintaining the transformation.

The material became denser.

Ronan struck the ground.

BOOM!

A small crater appeared beneath his fist.

He examined his arm.

The enhancement was useful, but there was an obvious limitation.

The metallic material didn’t remain integrated indefinitely.

Maintaining it required energy, and the quality of the material affected the result.

He needed to experiment with stronger minerals.

Still, the combination of both traits offered an interesting possibility.

He could consume compatible minerals to replenish energy and integrate particularly valuable materials into his body.

It wasn’t an unlimited source of strength, but it gave him another avenue for development.

Ronan dismissed the metallic layer.

Then he retrieved the Central Anchor Access Fragment.

It was time to investigate the resonance points.

He placed the fragment on the ground and activated Formation Sense.

The damaged inscriptions appeared in his perception.

He carefully traced the channels.

Most were inactive, but three sections responded whenever the fragment came into contact with the mark on his palm.

The three sections produced faint pulses.

Ronan concentrated.

A projection appeared.

Three symbols emerged above the fragment.

The first resembled the broken-circle crest he had encountered at the Eastern and Western Sanctuaries.

The second resembled the symbol displayed by the collection pillar.

The third was unfamiliar.

Ronan studied it.

The first two symbols were connected by a thin line, while the third appeared at the end of another route.

He recognized the pattern.

The fragment wasn’t simply asking him to find three random locations.

It was identifying three resonance points connected to the ancient network.

He examined the projection more carefully.

A faint label appeared beneath the first symbol.

Original Anchor.

The second displayed:

Collection Ground.

The third remained unreadable.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

The Eastern Sanctuary and Western Anchor were already known to him, but he didn’t know whether either qualified as an active resonance point.

The collection pillar was another possibility.

However, the fragment had been damaged long before he found it.

He couldn’t determine whether the three symbols represented places he needed to visit or locations whose energy signatures were required to repair the connection.

He tried directing energy into the fragment.

The projection flickered.

Then a new notification appeared.

[Resonance detected.]

[Progress: 1/3]

Ronan stared at it.

One of the resonance points had already been registered.

He examined the fragment again.

The second symbol glowed faintly.

The collection ground.

So the valley had counted as one.

That was useful.

He didn’t need to revisit the pillar.

But what about the remaining two?

He considered the information he had gathered from the Ashen Covenant.

The Eastern Sanctuary was operational, while the Western Anchor had been partially restored.

Both contained ancient structures connected to the same network.

Perhaps one of them would provide the second resonance point.

The third might be somewhere near the Central Anchor itself.

Ronan stored the fragment.

He now had a clearer direction.

His next destination would be the Eastern Sanctuary.

---

While Ronan examined the fragment, several kilometers away, a group of figures entered the abandoned valley.

They wore dark armor, and each carried a metallic emblem bearing a broken-circle symbol.

The leading individual stopped beside the damaged collection pillar.

He was a tall man with a scar running from his left eye to his jaw.

He examined the destruction.

"Who did this?"

A subordinate approached.

"The collection was interrupted during the appearance of the marked bearer."

The man looked towards the ground.

"Did the structure awaken?"

"Yes."

"And did it speak?"

The subordinate hesitated.

"It recognized the bearer."

The man’s expression changed.

He crouched beside the pillar and touched one of the damaged inscriptions.

A faint vibration travelled through his fingers.

"After all these years..."

He stood.

"Send the report to the Keeper."

The subordinate looked surprised.

"The Keeper personally?"

"Yes."

The man turned towards the northern cliffs.

"Tell him the mark has appeared again, and this time, the bearer possesses an access fragment."

He paused.

"And find out whether the Hollow have already informed their Master."

The subordinate nodded and hurried away.

The scarred man remained beside the pillar.

His gaze settled on the inscription that had been exposed during the awakening.

There was a sentence engraved beneath the damaged outer layer.

He read it silently.

When the bearer returns, the path shall open again.

His expression became grim.

---

Several hours later, Ronan emerged from the cave.

His energy had recovered considerably.

He glanced towards the eastern horizon.

The journey to the Eastern Sanctuary wouldn’t be particularly short, but he had no reason to delay.

Before leaving, he activated Concealment.

His energy signature weakened.

He then used Subterranean Perception to examine the surrounding terrain.

Nothing particularly dangerous was approaching.

Ronan stepped forward.

But before he could leave, a faint vibration travelled through his storage space.

He stopped.

The Central Anchor Access Fragment was reacting.

He retrieved it.

The three symbols appeared again, but this time the third symbol was glowing.

A faint projection emerged.

It showed a mountainous region covered in black vegetation.

At the centre of the projection stood an enormous stone structure.

Ronan stared at it.

He had never seen that place before.

Then a line of text appeared beneath the image.

Third Resonance Point: Unknown.

Location: Restricted.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

Restricted?

He examined the projection.

A moment later, another notification appeared.

[Warning: External connection detected.]

Ronan immediately withdrew his energy.

The projection disappeared.

He stared at the fragment.

Someone had attempted to establish a connection with it.

Or perhaps the fragment itself had detected another part of the ancient network.

Either way, he wasn’t pleased.

He stored it.

The Central Anchor was becoming increasingly complicated.

However, he had obtained something important.

The third resonance point existed.

And the fragment had shown him a location.

He didn’t know where it was yet, but he would find out.

Ronan turned towards the east.

The Eastern Sanctuary first.

Then he would investigate the remaining resonance point.

As for the Hollow and the mysterious organization searching for him, they could wait.

He had no intention of allowing others to decide the direction of his evolution.

He was the one who would choose what to pursue.

And he would take whatever he needed along the way.