BXBX NOVEL Chapter 56: Aspect of the Sun
Age: 21
Race: Human II
Classes: Luminous Sage (Main), Demon Slayer (2nd), Scribe (Sub)
Level: Tier 2 - Lv.1
Titles: Veteran Undead Slayer, Son of Heaven, Pioneer, Young Sage
System Authority: Lv.8
Aptitude:
Body: EX!
Energy: EX!
Spirit: EX!
Final rating: EX+
Skills:
Actives: Sword Ki (M), Kickboxing (M), Iron Skin (M), Multi-Stab Lv.6, Air-Hop (M), Focus Lv.25, Lightspeed Lv.10,
Passives: Elementary Sage Physique (U), Sage's Perception (U), Education Lv.22, Demon Lore Lv.20, Slayer's Mark Lv.1 Decode Lv.20, Symbol Mastery Lv.30, Sage Arts Lv.1
[Mandatory Task:]
: Hell Dive - Survive the Endless Undead Horde for 5 hours twice (New!).
: Rewards - 100% Demon Soul gain, Clearance Streak +1
: Punishment for Failure - Failure Streak +1.
: Record: Clear Streak - 7, Failure Streak - 0
**
"The Mandatory Service Quest changed..." Cedric mumbled as he looked at his Profile Page.
Previously, his Monthly Service Task was to survive the Endless Undead Horde for 3 hours straight. Now, that has been extended to 5 hours and he had to do it twice.
It sounds unreasonable, especially considering how absurd the task was in the first place. And if Cedric was still his previous self, he would've complained about this.
Now though, this doesn't faze him at all. If anything, his logical side thinks that this is just natural.
The Monthly Service Task was made to keep Humanity sharp and ready for their enemies. It keeps their skills fresh and ingrained in their being. For this very reason, the task grows in difficulty to keep the pressure up.
Cedric has grown considerably strong after he changed his Class to Luminous Sage. In addition to that, he still had a lot of growing to do. Therefore, it is understandable that the challenges he will face in his Monthly Service Task will grow in difficulty as well.
That's just the way it is...
Don't take this the wrong way, Cedric still thinks that this is unfair. He had just grown used to it at this point.
That aside, Cedric was currently having fun with his new skills.
Now that he has grown considerably in strength, his abilities have grown stronger as well. Though some of his skills were consumed by fusion or changed entirely, the benefits he got from the skills that disappeared still lingered in him, and that won't go away.
Right now, Cedric's perception was downright terrifying...
With just enough effort on his part, nowhere near the point where he's stressing or struggling, he could sense everything that's happening within the Black Thread City.
No movement was hidden from him. No conversation was a secret. Hell, if he tries hard enough, he could even peer through the common folk's thoughts. Yes, like mind-reading. To some extent, he could even predict what they're going to do next.
With how sharp his senses became, so too did his mind grow. Even with this much morsel of information, Cedric was handling all of it with relative ease, that's of course if he kept it at the minimum.
Additionally, if he uses 『Lightspeed』 just for the hell of it? He could lap around this entire city in an instant. How ridiculous was this?
Just a reminder, the 『Lightspeed』 skill was just at Lv.10, its maximum was Lv.100 - where he could literally run at the speed of light in a vacuum. Once he maxes this out, there's nowhere in this world he couldn't go.
That said, the skill will certainly take some time before it is mastered. In addition, even with his evolved physique, his body still can't handle light-speed travel.
Still, this is already mighty impressive, especially since he's only at Tier 2.
"Okay, let's see what this thing has to offer..."
Cedric sat down on the empty gym and closed his eyes. He sank his perception at the depths of his mind and summoned everything he knew about 『Sage Arts』.
According to the skill's description, before he could even begin leveling up this skill, or using it even, he must first adapt an .
From what he knew (thanks to the boatload of information he received during his ascension ceremony), 『Sage Arts』 was just a list of Skills that were made for Sages like him.
The skill itself was the amalgamation of all skills that all of the previous Sage created. The compilation of them all resulted in the creation of 『Sage Arts』 itself.
The 'Luminous' part of his Class Name; Luminous Sage, means that his affinity towards anything that is considered 'Luminous' was the greatest. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that he's 'forced' to follow that path.
So long as he doesn't adopt a that stands on the opposite spectrum of his affinity, then he shouldn't face any real difficulties. Especially considering how absurd his learning speed was.
Back to the , it would be more accurate to say that this was an 'Attribute' or a 'Concept'. By adopting an to his 『Sage Art』, the skill will display the effect of the whenever he uses the skill.
Thanks to the well of information he gleamed into, Cedric had a fair understanding of which was considered 'Luminous'. Therefore, choosing an for his 『Sage Arts』 hasn't been difficult so far.
'With a Lv.8 System Authority, I've been given access to information that shouldn't have anything to do with the current me so far.' He mused to himself.
'Amongst those many files was my discovery of the awful truth about the world we live in.'
'A Demon has devoured the Sun.'
'It occurred centuries ago. That specific event plunged the world into a period of miserable darkness. Without the sun, nature collapsed and humanity's hope drained.'
'It was only through the efforts of many 'Heroes' that the Light was restored. In reality, though, it has never been the same.'
'The Light that we see outside is fake. The Sun disappeared ages ago. The one that we have now is only an artificial one, produced by the 'Enduring Lighthouse'. Normal people couldn't tell the difference, and maybe that's for the best.'
'Unfortunately, as convincing it may be, a fake cannot beat the original...'
'Unlike the real sun, the artificial one cannot weaken Demons. Which is probably why it was the first thing they dealt with before trying to dominate humanity.'
It is lamentable how this truth came to be. And the fact that it was kept as a secret by the authorities made Cedric uncertain as to what he should feel about it.
That being said, it is this very truth that allowed him to choose an for his 『Sage Arts』.
'This world is unfair, but that can hardly be blamed on the authorities or Acala herself. They're doing their best to improve the situation. Sadly, they don't have many options on how to do just that.'
'It's the demons' fault. They're the source of everything that's wrong here.'
'I'm no hero. Nor do I have any desire to be one.'
'But...if I could help, even as miniscule as it can be, even if it ends up with me sacrificing my life just to make things a little bit better...'
'...maybe, this will all be worth it.'
Cedric took a deep breath and did his best to harmonize with the world. His intent...his desire...they manifested in the form of fluctuations that blended with his surroundings.
Slowly but surely, a change occurred around him. The air got heavier and the heat suddenly rose. Light bent around him, causing Cedric's body to phase in and out of existence.
On his chest, specks of light converged, turning into a golden orb that scorched a mark in between his clavicles.
The mark looked very similar to that of the Sun's...
As soon as the mark appeared on his body, a plume of hot, golden flames crackled around his body. Cedric was hurt though. In fact, he looked strangle comfortable for a man who's quite literally in flames.
[Notice! 『Sage Art』 chosen!]
[Alert! User Cedric has chosen the ]
『Sage Art (Lv.1/100)』
: The compiled skills and techniques of Sages. From the skill of manipulating energies, performing rituals, magic, and martial arts, down to the disciplines and etiquette that Sages of the Old used are included in his skills.
: - The User has chosen the Sun as the primary aspect of this skill, granting it Attributes and Concepts that are closely aligned to the Sun.
**
When Cedric opened his eyes, the golden flames around him suddenly disappeared. The heat still lingered around but it didn't bother him at all.
Standing up, he stretched his hand forward and uttered:
"Sage Art: Sunlight Manifestation!"
Then, an orb of golden light appeared on his palms. 'Sage Art: Sunlight Manifestation' was a skill that converted his energy into real Sunlight. This skill is also the representation of his control and mastery over Sunlight.
Dispersing the golden orb of light, he once again focused and uttered:
"Sage Art: True Sunfire!"
Golden flames billowed on his hands all of a sudden. It was the very same flames that appeared earlier. Now, Cedric can release, control, shape, and master these flames as well.
Knowing that the Demons eliminated the sun to press their advantages, Cedric wonders how far are they willing to go just to eliminate him as soon as possible.
'They would most likely send a Demon Emperor to deal with me.' Cedric mused inwardly, 'I better keep this a secret for now.'