Chapter 318: Tug of War

Sol shrank back to his normal size and stood over the goblin's remains, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. He deactivated [Overpower] early, sparing himself the worst of the exhaustion he would have faced if he had held it for the full duration. Staring at the broken body of his enemy, guilt tugged at the edges of his thoughts.

'He only came after me because I killed his brother... Am I the one in the wrong?'

The question gnawed at him as he recalled the quest to exterminate the goblin encampment. With his perfect memory, he replayed the quest's description in his mind, analyzing every word. After a few moments, he shook his head, dispelling the doubts.

'No, the goblins had been killing travelers and just about anyone who accidentally stumbled into their territory. Even if I hadn't killed them, someone else would have. Should I consider it fortunate that I took the quest and bore the brunt of his vengeance, sparing others?'

The moral ambiguity lingered, but Sol knew he couldn't afford to regret his actions. They were enemies and nothing could have changed that. It was best not to dwell on what ifs, when he should instead focus on the present.

Name: Gerbil

Race: Goblin

Talents: [Slayer], [Silent Stalker], [Hitman]

Level: 143

Talent Skills:

[Swift End] Lv 3, [Presence Shroud] Lv MAX, [Weakness Exploit] Lv MAX

Passive Skills:

[Reflect] Lv 6, [Advanced Sword Mastery] Lv 6, [Muffled Movements (Variant)] Lv 8, [Enhanced Reflexes] Lv MAX, [Keen Vision] Lv 8, [Blurring Agility] Lv 6, [Endless Vitality] Lv 3, [Strength Up] Lv 8, [Silent Killer's Poise] Lv 6, [Battle Intuition] Lv 7, [Evasion Mastery] Lv 9, [Critical Precision] Lv 8

Active Skills:

[Grid Slash] Lv 5, [Blurring Speeds] Lv 9, [Vanish] Lv 7, [Predator Dive] Lv 6, [Piercing Thrust] Lv 8, [Phase Step] Lv 7, [Precision Rend] Lv 5, [Hemorrhage Strike] Lv 6, [Prey Mark] Lv 4, [Silent Execution (Variant)] Lv 6, [Dark Laceration] Lv 5, [Assassin's Gambit] Lv 5

'Only in death do I learn your name…' Sol's gaze lingered on the top part status page for a brief moment before moving down to the other details. 'And you had quite a collection of good skills.'

With [Siphon] at level 6, Sol could select four skills and one talent skill. He wasn't sure which of the extensive options to prioritize, but the choice of talent skill was clear. As for his limit on obtaining talent skills, ever since becoming an A-Ranker, he had felt that the ceiling had increased, though the exact extent remained unknown.

He decided to leave the best for last and quickly chose the regular skills after some consideration.

[Learned [Battle Intuition] Lv 6]

[Learned [Critical Precision] Lv 7]

[[Phase Step] leveled up! (1 -> 6)]

[Learned [Silent Execution (Variant)] Lv 5]

He could have spent more time deliberating a better selection, but the capital was currently still under attack and he didn't want to take too long. After learning all four skills, he moved on to the big prize.

[Attempting to siphon [Swift End]...]

[0%... 2%... 6%... ERROR]

[ERROR: Target_Not_Found]

"Again?!" Sol exclaimed, his frustration spilling over. It was the second time he had been denied from obtaining law technique. The first had been with the Bliss Spider, where the body had been completely encased in unbreakable ice into the dungeon before he could finish siphoning. This time, though, the body was still intact and nothing appeared visually wrong, deepening the mystery.

He used [Analysis] on the goblin's remains once more, only to be met with an unsettling revelation.

Talent Skills:

[Presence Shroud] Lv MAX, [Weakness Exploit] Lv MAX

'The law technique is gone?' Sol's eyes widened as he scanned for any trace of the missing skill. Even though the system's result was clear, his attention shifted to the lingering tethers visible after the goblin's death. Among them, a dark violet tether stood out, disconnected from the goblin's body and slowly fading into the distance.

"What?! Get back here!" Sol yelled not accepting another law technique to slip by him.

Acting quickly, Sol used [Lesser Channel Control] to grab hold of the fleeting tether before it disappeared. Once he managed to grab it he began to pull it towards him. It moved toward him with little resistance initially, but suddenly a force from the other end yanked it back with startling power.

"No! Not this time! I'm not getting robbed of a law technique again!" Sol's voice rang with determination. He focused all his will on the tether, pulling with every ounce of strength he could muster.

The invisible force from the other side of the tether opposing him intensified, and a sharp pain rang in his head as he refused to release his hold over the tether.

"Come on! Just! Let! Go!" he growled, punctuating each word with a powerful tug.

For a full minute, the ethereal tug of war continued. Every bit of progress Sol made was met with an equal, if not stronger, pull from the other side. Finally, the tether gave way under the strain, splitting in two.

One half remained in Sol's grasp, floating lifelessly, its dark violet hue fading to a dull grey. The other half vanished into the distance, beyond his perception.

'It broke...' Sol sighed, his shoulders slumping. The disconnected piece drifted in front of him, devoid of energy.

'Is this even useful?' he wondered, holding back the bitter disappointment. As he examined the thread, his curiosity piqued; the broken tether still contained an impressive amount of information.

'It's similar to my law technique in terms of information stored within, even in this state. Can I... learn it like other skills?'

Testing his theory, Sol attempted to connect the tether to himself, but it simply phased through him. He experimented further, stretching the tether, spinning it into an orb of dense information, combining it to another skill with [Aggregate]. When he began to run out of ideas he even tried to eat it, but none of his efforts yielded results.

Then, inspiration struck.

'Wait, I'm trying to learn the skill... Why don't I try using [Siphon]?'