Chapter 33

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 33

Chapter Title: Wanna Try Some Water?

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I concentrated the chill that had spread evenly through my body into my palm, then awakened the ravenous Toolsep.

The elixir's energy drooled in anticipation, gathering in my palm under the guidance of my Insight Ability.

I didn't block it this time—just let it happen—and the Toolsep pushed the cold qi out beyond my hand.

It was easy, thanks to the memory of Silver Star modulating it to protect my body from the rampaging Toolsep.

The methods to hide the power and wield it lingered in my body, responding to my will.

Steam from the clash of heat and cold filled the mine. In an instant, my vision turned hazy white.

I timed it inwardly, focusing on keeping the thing asleep.

"Lullaby, lullaby, little one... What's your name?"

Grrrrrr.

"Yeah, Grrrr it is. Hey, Grrrr, no interest in talking this out?"

Powers came in endlessly varied forms, too many to fully know.

Their origins of birth, places, and methods were all mysterious and secretive.

Excluding mythical ones like Silver Star, born from a queen's obsession gathering holy starlight into her eyes, most formed naturally from condensed spirit strength and will.

Like this one. Name was Grrrr, right?

"Am I fated to be a Fire Holy Knight? Nah, it came from the earth, so Earth maybe?"

Most Holy Knights possessed an attribute separate from their Divine Power.

Like Luke, who took in the spirit of the earth and became an Earth Holy Knight.

They acquired attribute-based powers and familiarized themselves with spirits, specializing in one attribute for use.

It wasn't enforced by laws or rules.

Some Holy Knights never gained attribute powers, while others acquired them but didn't develop them much—becoming attribute-less Holy Knights, essentially.

But most used attribute powers.

Why refuse when it expanded your techniques and boosted your strength?

Holy Knights were warriors at their core.

No fighter would turn down ultimate skills or AOE attacks.

Grrrr emanated fire power. A subtle heat warming the bedrock.

And rock power too.

Two attributes? What an odd one.

'No way this is a low-grade power.'

Not straightforward fire like flames, but something... Ah, what was it? Hard to pin down.

Couldn't define it precisely since I couldn't see inside the thing.

"Can't read what this guy's thinking at all."

Now I got it.

It wasn't a power that had fallen asleep—it had just recently completed and was only now awakening. A brand-new power.

Why had such a hot-blooded guy shown up?

If I had to pinpoint the suspicious part...

'Hot spring.'

The free city's residents all knew about it, even if outsiders didn't visit much.

After daytime training, I'd often hit the hot springs with Requiya. It left my body all warm and refreshed, wiping away fatigue—wait, not the point right now.

I could roughly deduce this guy's birth story.

'Magma.'

A rock that absorbed deeply buried magma heat had birthed a power.

Deeper than the mines, a magma spirit dwelled.

Stressed by the miners' constant pickaxe strikes as they dug down, the magma's grudge birthed Grrrr. That was my conclusion.

'Analysis complete.'

'It's Kalruk.'

Grrrrrr.

Grrrr, fed Divine Power and cold qi, quieted down a bit.

Adding cold to Divine Power—which subdued all curses and most spirits—was bad luck for this guy.

'Without Divine Power, I'd have had to fight it with Mana blasts. And I got none.'

Grrrrr.

Grrrr showed no sign of settling.

A newborn roaring to conquer the world, fists clenched with overlord energy overflowing—was that too much?

Rumble rumble rumble.

Crack crack craaaack.

As the thing trapped in the rock writhed, cracks spiderwebbed through the tunnel walls.

BOOM!

A roar, vibrations, and debris flew everywhere.

I leaped aside, rolling twice across the floor. A chunk of rock nearly took my head off.

A rock tiger bigger than an ox, with glaring scarlet eyes.

That was the form it burst out in, shattering stone with brute force.

GRRROOOOAR!

It roared.

'Bring it!'

CLANG!

I smashed my pickaxe into its forehead to draw full aggro.

"If you're pissed, come get me!"

SCRAAAPE!

It rubbed its pickaxe-struck forehead on the ground.

I bolted down the tunnel toward the smithy.

Best move here: lure it out of the tunnel.

Even buried, its strength would dig it out fast. The inn would collapse too.

Fighting inside the mine was a bad idea anyway.

I'd get crushed.

CRROOOWL!

A bull-sized tiger was scary enough, but a rock one? And spewing heat that melted iron.

The tunnel walls softened like melting.

This level of heat turned even a spark into a firestorm.

I'd be toast in that storm.

'Damn it. Pissing me off now?'

CRROOOWL!

I ducked urgently, dodging its claws.

They raked the wall instead.

WHOOSH!

Flames filled the tunnel in a flash.

'Not going bald!'

I clutched my head protectively, desperate.

Droplets fell from my hair.

Even in this rock-sealed passage.

'Water? From the cold qi?'

Grateful I wasn't bald yet.

Singed nose hair stench filled my nostrils.

From inhaling the flames.

That's why guys gotta trim nose hairs.

Or they smell like burnt hair from the nostrils.

'Almost there!'

Light appeared at the end of the long passage.

I escaped the tunnel unscathed, un-shredded.

'A power immune to Divine Power soothing.'

Probably because it was so new, a pure crystal without fear of Divine Power.

'Heart's Mana, unyielding spirit, holiness dwelling within me—.'

Time to borrow power like Luke taught.

No Mana in my heart, spirit half-mad.

Fine, whatever.

That's just me.

'But what's this power?'

An unfamiliar energy.

'Could this be...'

The power I'd felt training in the Sanctuary.

Not gathered in the heart, but spread through every corner of my body.

'Toolsep cooperating with me?'

The elixir energy responded to my prayer, met Silver Star's cold qi, and created something in the air.

Splash.

A water droplet.

'Silver Star, what's this?'

If you don't know, just say so—why yell?

This guy's always barking at the drop of a hat.

Like a kid in a wuxia novel who fell into qi deviation from reading.

'The water dripping on my head during escape—same thing?'

Creating cold qi in midair without contact—a huge discovery.

Luke never taught this.

That arrogant punk probably didn't know.

That accumulated Toolsep in my body plus Insight Ability's cold qi could pull off this miracle.

Cold qi swirled.

Like a vortex, wind wrapped from my toes to my head.

At the wind's edge, water droplets sharpened, grew massive.

Grrrr, out of the tunnel, fixed its scarlet eyes on me.

Fangs bared, ready to chomp.

"Hey, Grrrr."

Grrruk?

This guy understands me.

"Wanna try some water?"

Looks like I was already an attribute Holy Knight.

Water Holy Knight, Kalruk Seid.

Kyah—cool. Thrilling. Water's the best.

"Quit glaring and come at me, you punk."

CRROOOWL!

I dropped the water bomb straight on it as it leaped high.

Twisted aside, evading its fangs.

SPLAT!

CRROOOWL!

Grrrr's writhing slowed noticeably.

Water beats fire—kindergarten truth if sizes match.

So what if it's magma-born?

My water's no ordinary stuff—ice-cold.

Steam engulfed the smithy area.

CRROOOWL!

Grrrr thrashed.

'Not pain... something else.'

'Yeah.'

Shaking vigorously like a tiger shedding water.

Its innate heat dried it fast.

Once dry, it licked its paws.

'Mellowed out.'

A bit anticlimactic, but no damage—good enough.

Safety first, always.

"Calm your rage."

Cooled and dulled, Grrrr sat panting like a tame cat. Rock body, but lungs apparently.

"By my command—."

I closed my eyes, touching its forehead.

Felt Grrrr's emotion.

'Submission.'

Hey, shut up.

Quwk.

Tame-eyed Grrrr spat out a fist-sized orb.

I reached for the power, reflecting on my gains.

'Ways to use accumulated Toolsep power, expel cold qi.'

Maybe I didn't need Mana after all.

'Nah. The sporadic Mana cultivation helped. Toolsep stores and releases it.'

'You should've told me.'

Never mind.

'If the vessel overflows, Silver Star modulates. If it tires, it sleeps.'

No change there—gotta be cautious.

Endless Toolsep still undigested, eyeing me hungrily.

'Disperse.'

I swung my arm lightly, chasing away the mist.

Whoooosh.

The sulfur stench vibrations faded.

Before me remained only the red-eyed stone tiger and the scarlet power crystal.

Grrrr sat obediently, awaiting orders. The crystal floated, waiting for its new master.

"Boss! You okay?"

"Kalruk, you—."

"Kalruk slayed the monster, eh?"

Residents gathered, armed with swords, hooks, pitchforks.

Among them: security chief Fred and his men, innkeeper Suhes. They froze as Grrrr turned and growled.

Requiya blinked her wide eyes.

"I-I've never seen a power crystal this big."

"That so?"

"Yes. It didn't register, so I thought it was low-grade..."

Suhes wiped his broad forehead.

"Congrats, Kalruk. Mission accomplished."

"Mind if I touch it?"

Grrrrr...

Jirusong approached, but no dice. Grrrr glared; he plopped down.

Requiya powered up, ready for theft attempts.

"Security, back Kalruk and form a circle. Block civilian access."

Fred's men encircled me on his order.

I nodded thanks to Fred.

Powers shouldn't be handed out lightly.

They propose soul contracts to the toucher.

'Grrrr's power is talking to me.'

Not verbal like Silver Star—it's a spirit contract.

Accept, and it's absorbed into the toucher.

Contract's simple.

Just "be soul companions forever happily"—cheesy playboy pitch.

'Weird.'

The power's offer weakened before Silver Star. Yap.

Like a salesman with a contract, smacked down by a pro.

Why? Silver Star ruled over all powers—a mythical one.

No need for the world-overseer to bargain equally with a newborn.

Another Silver Star perk.

Discerning a power's exact abilities.

I was roughly gauging Grrrr's via Blue Eye too.

Luke probably cherry-picked good powers with Insight like this.

'Ho—check this guy out?'