Growing Suspicion (4)

First, Expert Aura Path had become Grandmaster Aura Path. This made sense since the Ether pond helped one find more efficient Aura Pathways. Aura Condensation turned into Expert Aura Condensation, losing its Rank. Based on his experience with the System, Liam theorized that Skills related to personal mastery did not have a Rank, while those that were more independent and simple in nature did. It meant that the degree of Aura condensation he was capable of was now dependent on his Skill Proficiency and mastery over the Skill. He also acquired a new Aura Skill, Dense Aura. Both were Skills he expected to get before starting his training and specifically aimed for before his enlightenment. It seemed like he had managed to acquire them, in the end.

Liam took a deep breath. His trembling gaze moved on to the two highest-ranked Skills he now had.

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Enduring Soul

Type: Passive Skill

Rank: SS

* After withstanding immense pressure, your soul has evolved to become capable of enduring even the direst onslaught. You have the soul of a true deity.

* Increases your soul's durability and resistance against attacks.

* Increases your soul's resistance to pressure.

* Increases your soul's recovery ability.

* Increases all of your soul's capabilities.

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It was his first soul Skill. Its Rank was shockingly high, given how simple its abilities seemed to be. Did that mean that it increased his soul's defense by a lot? There was no way for Liam to know at the moment. He also had no idea how he had acquired this particular Skill.

'Is it related to the pain I feel? Or maybe to the fact that I endured the voices?'

With a pensive expression, Liam finally opened the last Skill's information. His eyes widened.

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Ethereal Body

Type: Passive Skill

Rank: SSS

* Ever since the dawn of time, countless species have sought perfection. Through various means, they pursued it. Among them, there were those who desired physical supremacy. You have inherited their legacy and your body reaches towards the very heavens. Grasp the whole universe in your hands, for you are powerful.

* Enables the absorption of various substances to strengthen your body.

. Substances absorbed: Ether.

* Increases your body's compatibility with Aura.

* Clears the body of impurities.

* Immensely increases the effectiveness of all of your stats and physical Passive Skills.

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'What the hell?'

No matter how he looked at it, it was an insanely overpowered Skill. From its Rank and description alone, its prowess was already clear. Even though it didn't have many effects, the ability to "immensely" increase all of his stats' effectiveness and even improve some of his Passive Skills was enough. However, it could also absorb various substances in order to strengthen his body, including Ether?

'How the fuck did I even get this?'

How much had his bodily control improved during his enlightenment for such a skill to appear? He didn't have many memories of his epiphany but knew his comprehension and control had surged massively. It was also possible that either the Creator or the voices had something to do with this.

'I got lucky.'

He lucked out and ended up with two incredible Skills. He clenched his hand into a fist. The strength he could feel coursing through his body was incomparable to before he entered the pond. It gave him hope. Hope that he could save humanity.

Finally, Liam looked at his two new Hybrid Skills. Tapping on them did nothing, just like trying to bring up their information in his mind. It was as if he wasn't allowed to access them just yet. He narrowed his eyes. It was more than obvious that those two Skills were important, but he wasn't able to gauge how important. He remembered that the voices had mentioned the Skills' names when they spoke to him, so he shouldn't ignore them. Since he could do nothing about them, he settled for leaving the matter alone. It would be better to periodically check his Status Window and confirm if he could access their information.

Liam took a deep breath. He was starting to process everything that had happened. He still thought it was nonsensical and ridiculous, but he was starting to accept that it had indeed occurred.

Then, he frowned. The pain hadn't gone away. It still racked his body, although at a much lower intensity compared to before. He would be able to function normally, but this was certainly an inconvenience. He could only hope that the pain wasn't indicative of anything more serious. He tried circulating his Aura to analyze his body for injuries but found nothing. That was also when he noticed just how much smoother his Aura flow was.

'Is this the combination of Ethereal Body and Grandmaster Aura Path?'

For the first time since waking up, he tried moving properly. Easily jumping out of the pond, he ran around the room, studying how much more powerful he was now.

'I can reach my previous top speed with little effort.'

He stopped in the center of the room and looked down at his naked body. He was now taller and his bone structure had almost completely changed. His muscles were also much more defined and lean, giving him a more harmonic appearance. It was as if his body had become completely focused on combat. From major factors like height, reach, and flexibility, to even minor ones like finger length and thickness, they all sought maximum efficiency during combat. For a few moments, Liam couldn't help but wonder if his friends would recognize him.

'Is this because of Ethereal Body?'

It was as if he had undergone several of the Minor Revolutions he was subjected to every ten levels. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen when he reached level 30. Could this body even be improved any further?

Liam admired his own appearance for a bit longer before walking over to the mat in front of the pond and putting his clothes back on. He activated his armor, watching it cover him from head to toe like flowing water. It was time to leave. While he didn't know how much time had passed, it was possible that over one month had passed, which meant that he should be back on the field with his squad. Besides, he had already absorbed the Ether, so there was no longer anything important to him inside the training room.

'I shouldn't let anyone know that the Ether is gone.'

Questions would inevitably be raised. He would rather avoid all of that. Liam opened the door, feeling a wave of Aura wash over him less than a second afterwards. He hurriedly closed the door, unwilling to allow the Aura into the room. He couldn't risk having someone find out about the Ether's absence so soon. His Communicator started ringing. He inserted his Aura into it, then heard Arimiar's voice.

"May the Empire's Sun forever shine upon you, Liam Allister. I see that you have completed your training."

"Indeed, Commander. Before anything else, could you please tell me how much time has passed?"

"It has been six months since you entered the training room."

Liam's eyes widened before returning to their normal state. In a way, he should have already expected this. He seemed to have a knack for spending long periods of time unconscious or training. His heart was filled with worry for his friends. Six months was a long time, especially when one fought on a battlefield daily. The likelihood that some or even all of his allies had died or been injured was high.

"Commander, if I may. I'd like to ask you something."

"Your friends are alive."

Relief flooded Liam's chest, but he quickly pushed it back down. He knew being alive wasn't the same as being well. He needed to know if they were injured or harmed somehow. Before he could ask Arimiar to elaborate, he heard the Drakkhan's voice.

"I assure you not to worry. Leaving that aside, you should return to the field. Your Elite Squad is currently one of the ones attacking the forcefield. You must have gotten stronger during the last six months, I'm sure, therefore your presence would be valuable."

"I understand. Before that, are you able to tell me if my friends are well?"

"Cassandra is safe and unharmed, still in the capital of the Empire. I haven't been keeping track of the others, but I'll look for information."

"Thank you, Commander. I will return to the field immediately."

As the Communicator dimmed, Liam let out a sigh. He couldn't help but be worried for Cassandra, even though he knew she was the safest out of all of them. Of course, he was worried about the others, especially Arthur, but her being in the heart of the enemy territory was anxiety-inducing for him.

As he thought of this, Liam's feet did not stop moving. He quickly made his way to the ship's exit, leaving and beholding the battlefield kilometers away. It was very similar to how it had been six months ago, back when he fought. The Drakkhan army was perfectly coordinated, attacking and retreating at the right times. The defending army operated like a well-oiled machine, countering and blocking the incoming attacks. It didn't take long for Liam to find the Elite Squad members, given how powerful they were compared to the ordinary soldiers.