Almond’s group stopped roughly one kilometer up in the mountain at a good spot with a thick patch of dark clouds raining lightning above a big river’s path flowing through the mountain.
The lighting was more intense and strong in this area, perfect for his new challenge.
He summoned Forest Maid Sylvia and Dark Pope to help him since this would be a bit dangerous. These two had support skills and healing skills, so he summoned them to heal him when necessary.
Nikki and Anton could feel that Almond wanted to do something particular. They had already given their knowledge to Almond about how they practiced in lightning to acquire affinity with it, and he followed it as well.
But when they saw Almond’s fortification appearing as he got ready to take on the lightning of this area, they frowned.
"Why did he make such a thin Fortification and even layered Body Enfold on top?" Anton asked. "Do you know anything about that, Nikki?"
"No idea," Nikki muttered as she slightly shook her head. "But…why so weak?"
"We have to stop him!" Anton’s expression changed, but before he could do anything, a pale yellow lightning bolt struck him.
*Crackle!*
Almond’s thin Fortification shattered instantly as the influx of lightning struck his body.
For a brief moment, Nikki and Anton saw Almond’s whole body lighting up as if the lightning purposefully spread everywhere in his body.
And then…his breathing stopped.
The duo was horrified as they instantly dashed him.
But Dark Pope and Forest Maid had already made their move, using their skills on Almond to heal his burnt body.
Almond had also cut off his own distraction in half and other aspects of his mind using his grimblade to converge his mental capacity fully on focus intensity, adaptability, and mental clarity.
"He is breathing," Nikki bit her lips, but she trembled as she figured out what he did. "I know what he did. And why he is unconscious right now."
"So you figured it out," Anton said, his expression grave. "This bastard focused his consciousness on his Body Enfold, and heightened his connection with mana to only focus on the lightning.
"That way, he felt lightning’s pure essence striking his consciousness when it hit him with his Body Aura activated, and he made sure that the lightning would spread throughout his body…" Nikki clenched her fist. "Does he have a death wish? Will he even wake up now?"
Dark Pope and Forest Maid looked at each other, shocked.
Infernal Knight, Starlight Beast, and Crystalist also gathered together.
"Our lord died? Bullshit," Infernal Knight’s speech crossed over generations as he cursed out loud. The influence of the show he watched yesterday on TV showed up.
"Relax, young lads," Dark Pope said with a chuckle. "If our lord died, we would vanish, but we are still here, so he is alive."
"Master is alive," Forest Maid said with a serious expression and nodded, her eyes on Almond as she continued to heal him slowly and use her buff on him to affect his psyche.
"That’s true…" Anton nodded as he looked at the summons. The summons still in existence meant that Almond was still alive.
"What was he planning, pulling a stunt like this?" Nikki was annoyed. "His mind, especially his consciousness, must have received a strong shock. Is that how he wanted to immerse his mind in lightning? Damn this guy!"
Anton sighed. He couldn’t help but agree that Almond was reckless, but a part of him also wanted to see the result of this reckless method.
’Is he even able to sense or understand anything right now?’ Anton felt doubtful as he looked at Almond on the ground, pletely still.
Indeed, Almond actually felt death up close.
Everything turned blank for him, bringing him the familiar feeling that he had right before he awakened his new class.
A nasty presence started eating up his consciousness as well.
He felt like just turning off everything and entering the darkness.
Until a flash of world destruction appeared.
Until he saw Lily, Natalia, and other familiar faces.
That was when Almond’s consciousness ignited again.
He remembered his task and his mind felt clear.
The world around him appeared different, but all he saw was lightning.
At first, he saw blue lightning as it crackled through the clouds and struck below the water.
His mind churned, and the scenery he was seeing changed.
A golden lightning tore through the clouds and struck him.
The golden lightning surged through his body like a flood of pure energy, lighting up his vision with blinding intensity. For a split second, he thought he would be consumed, but instead, his consciousness surged forward.
His mind bathed in it along with his body.
He felt the very essence of lightning touching his soul. It didn’t feel like an external force anymore; it was an intrinsic part of him, flowing through every fiber of his being. He felt the surges of energy as part of his own rhythm, as though the lightning had bee a living entity within his veins. It wasn’t just raw destructive power; it was a force of creation and transformation, vibrating at frequencies that resonated with his thoughts.
It was as if he was learning to be the lightning and Almond didn’t stop this. He let himself carry on this feeling.
The scenery around him changed. He imaged a world of lightning as it crackled around him.
Colorful lightning painted the sky, humoring his thoughts. They all struck him in this dreamscape.
His body trembled under the intensity, but he was no longer afraid. He was no longer just a passive recipient of the force; he was one with it. He could feel the intricate patterns of the electrical flows around him and inside him as if his mind had tapped into the primal pulse of the world itself.
Almond lost himself in this ecstasy of turning into lighting, being its essence.
Fast.
Intense.
Bright.
Electrical.
Unpredictable.
Tearing and riding through the Air.
Thunderingly loud.
Attractive, Magnetic.
Almond felt it all.
The world around him was alive with lightning, pulsing in waves of vibrant colors as each bolt of lightning was like a stroke of divine power painting across the sky.
The earth itself seemed to hum in resonance with the storm he painted, as though the very fabric of reality was shaped by this force.
It wasn’t just the sensation of lightning anymore; it was a full immersion, an understanding of it as a living, breathing entity.
It was the world of lighting.
He was fully focused on this sensation, his mind now fully attuned to the lightning. No longer were the lightning strikes chaotic and uncontrollable. He could sense their paths, their timing, their essence.
He knew the moment a surge of power would crackle through the air before it happened as if he could predict the flow of energy itself. Every spark, every current, was like a voice speaking directly to him, offering its knowledge, its guidance. Almond understood. He could feel it in his bones.
The thunder roared louder, as though the sky itself was acknowledging his transformation, and in that moment, Almond’s connection to the lightning deepened even further—it was now part of his soul. He could control it, mold it as if his very thoughts shaped and applied the properties of the lightning. He manded it, he dominated it.
[Congratulations. By using your own power to aid you in this paramount task bearing a fatal risk, you braved through it and triggered a state of mind that allowed you to acquire a deep insight into the way of Lightning.]
[Your Lightning Elemental Mastery has reached S rank.]
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