[Innate Skill Acquired]
[Essence Shift - Level 1]
[Essence Shift (Innate)]: Allows the user to convert raw Essence into a chosen elental state and revert it.
That caught off guard.
I'd co here to train, to unlock an attack skill. But instead, I got sothing else entirely.
"I got a skill," I said, turning to Arkas.
Then I explained it to him.
He laughed out loud.
I blinked. That was the first ti I'd seen him smile like that since the volcano. Ever since I returned, he'd been strict, distant, and all business.
"Well done, kid. Well done."
He nodded to himself, then stood up.
"I'll leave you to it for now. I'll bring the staff and your next set of skills soon. But you've got one week to get your things in order. After that, I'm taking you to an Abomination nest."
With that, he vanished.
I stood up from my position and decided to test the new skill.
First, I extended my hand, palm facing up, and called on the Essence. It surged up smoothly, and I shaped it into a familiar sphere.
Then I activated the skill, [Essence Shift].
My focus locked onto the swirling mass of Essence as I followed the sa procedure again, but this ti, it ca easier. Soon, the sphere blazed with fire.
The swirling flas fascinated , twisting and shifting in circular patterns, but I wanted more.
A new shape. A new form.
I exhaled and narrowed my focus, pressing my will onto the spinning flas.
Instead of letting it remain a simple sphere, I stretched it, guiding the motion upward. The flas resisted at first, clinging to their original shape, but I pushed harder, twisting the rotation with more force.
The fire responded.
The once-round sphere elongated, stretching into a thin, spinning column of fire. It coiled and spiraled like a drill, its movent tightening as I refined the shape.
The twisting motion intensified, the flas pulling inward to form a narrow tornado of fire.
I felt the heat fluctuate, the rotation shifting as I maintained control. The core of the tornado burned bright, the edges flickering wildly but never breaking apart. The motion felt natural and fluid.
A smile ford on my face.
I held it for a few more seconds, adjusting the speed of the rotation, feeling the weight of it in my hand. The strain was there to maintain the shape, but it was manageable
Looking at the swirling tornado in my palm, a flood of ideas rushed through my mind.
I could add air to expand its size and shape. Pouring in more Essence might increase its power on impact. Maybe I could even introduce another elent, lightning, perhaps—to amplify its destructive force.
My will pressed down, compressing the tornado even further, its color deepening into a rich, intense hue. The more I focused, the more it resisted, pushing back against my control.
Narrowing my eyes, I reached out with my will. The tornado shrunk slightly, its base tightening, but the spinning force resisted . It wanted to stay wild, chaotic. My fingers twitched as I forced more control over it, focusing on its rotation.
I concentrated on pulling the flas upward, twisting them into a thin, elongated spiral.
The swirling mass began to stretch, thinning from a wild vortex into sothing more compact, more refined. I kept feeding Essence into it, reinforcing the rotation while shaping it further.
The base sharpened into a fine point, while the flas above curled into a tight, spiraling cone. The fire shifted from a roaring blaze into a deadly, controlled drill of swirling heat.
A spear.
I lifted my hand slightly, and the newly ford Fire Vortex Spear barely six to seven inches hovered an inch above my palm, spinning rapidly.
"Beautiful."
The spear spun fiercely, almost as if it were alive, the spiraling flas pulling in heat from the air, condensing further.
The longer it spun, the more stable it beca, no longer flickering wildly but holding firm like a solid, burning drill.
Turning my head, I fixed my gaze on the puppet.
"Alright, let's test this."
Keeping a firm grip on my control, I rose to my feet and strode toward it, the sphere steady in my palm.
The fire vortex spear hovered just above my palm, spinning violently. I tightened my ntal grip on the swirling mass, feeling its heat licking at my skin.
I flicked my gaze toward the puppet, locking onto its chest.
"Go."
With a sharp push of my will, the spear shot forward.
Or at least, that was the plan.
The mont it left my control, the vortex began to unravel. Its tightly woven flas loosened, twisting apart in wild, chaotic strands.
By the ti it reached the puppet, it was no longer a spear, just a tumbling mass of flickering fire and unstable energy.
And yet, the impact was still enough.
The fiery mass slamd into the puppet's chest, and an explosion erupted on contact. Heat and force burst outward. The puppet flew back, its tallic fra twisting midair before crashing hard onto the ground.
So scorch marks. But no real damage.
I exhaled, shaking my head.
"Well... that could've gone better."
Suddenly, notifications popped up in front of .
[Skill Level Up!]
[Essence Shaping - Level 1 -> Level 2]
"At least I got sothing out of it."
That was useful. Experinting with the sphere, then the tornado, and finally the spear had definitely refined my control.
The only thing left was to work on refining my control more.
I walked over to the control panel and sent the puppet back.
Noticing the ti, I saw it was already close to 8 at night. My stomach grumbled, reminding I hadn't eaten yet. Deciding to grab so food at the cafeteria, I pulled out my phone and dialed Steve.
The call rang for a few seconds before a breathless voice answered.
"Yeah?"
"Where are you? Let's get so food."
"No, you go ahead," he replied between breaths. "I'm just gonna have it delivered."
I frowned.
"Why? You training?"
"Yeah."
I paused then shrugged.
"Cool. See you later."
With that, he hung up, leaving alone. I sighed, stuffing my phone back into my pocket.
"Well, that leaves eating alone… hmm, hmm, oh, wait. Logan."
Pulling my phone out again, I dialed Logan next. He picked up almost imdiately.
"Hey, Billion. What's up?"
"Food. You in?"
"Nah, already ate. Checking out so of the Elental Rooms with a few others."
"Oh, okay. Cool. See you later."
I disconnected, exhaling.
"All right, all right, all right. I can eat alone."
I took a few steps toward the cafeteria, then hesitated.
'What about North?'
The problem was, I didn't have her number. But I was Billion Ironhart. That wasn't an issue.
Smirking, I pulled up my contacts and dialed our vice commander. Everyone had her number, but as far as I knew, no one actually dared to call her. Except .
She picked up after a few rings.
I spoke.
"Hello, Vice Commander."
"Yes, Billion?"
"I need a favor."
A pause.
"What kind of favor?"
"I need North's number."
Silence stretched for a few seconds. Then she spoke again.
"You want to give you North's number?"
"Yes. The commander told that if I ever needed anything, I should reach out to you. And that you have full authority to give whatever I need."
She didn't even hesitate this ti.
"Okay."
Then she hung up.
A mont later, my phone buzzed with a text.
North's number.
I grinned, saved it, and called her while making my way toward the cafeteria.
After a couple of rings, she picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, North."
"Billion?"
"Yeah."
"Oh….hi. Wait, how did you get my number?"
"Commander gave it to ."
"My grandfather?"
"Yeah."
She paused, then scoffed.
"Why? Why would he give you my number?"
"He told to check on you and make sure you had dinner."
She let out a short laugh.
"As if he'd ever do that. So, why did you really call ?"
"As I said, did you eat yet?"
"Not yet. I'm with Sara."
"Perfect. Why don't you both co over, and we can eat together?"
She paused for a mont, and I heard whispering in the background before she replied.
"Okay, we'll head over."
"Great. Want to order sothing for you?"
She listed off a bunch of dishes, adding a few for Sara as well before hanging up.
I stared at my phone.
"Damn, she eats a lot."
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