The Atlans stood in anxious silence as they watched Akor remain motionless under the weight of the Tier-suppression. Whispers of fear passed among them, their expressions heavy with concern. They clearly believed something had gone wrong.
Sensing their worry, Jay spoke directly into their minds. 'Akor is undergoing a rare opportunity, Do not interfere or disturb him', he assured them.
Time stretched on as Jay observed Akor, seeking any sign that might help him artificially replicate this state of enlightenment. Despite his efforts, he found nothing. Accepting the futility of his search, Jay ceased his probing and instead focused on maintaining the suppression.
Yet, a question lingered in his mind: 'What higher element of water might Akor's mastery evolve into if he succeeded in finding his True Essence?'
Jay mused over the nature of True Essence. Each element—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and others—held the potential to evolve into a higher form. Such evolution required resolving the regrets and negativity that held one back, uncovering the core belief that defined them, and choosing a clear path for the future.
Those who found their True Essence gained an additional property to their element, transforming it into something greater.
Nearly thirty minutes passed, and just as he wondered how much longer this would take, the water around Akor began to shift. It grew hotter, bubbling furiously, as a distinct layer formed around his body, separate from the surrounding water.
MJ's voice chimed in Jay's mind. 'Master, Akor's water element has gained a volatile property, forming a higher aquatic element. According to the System records, this is one of the strongest higher aquatic elements due to its opposing nature.'
As MJ's words ended, Akor's eyes opened, glowing faintly with a light red hue that mixed with his emerald irises. His demeanor had changed—calmer, more resolute. Still kneeling, he looked directly at Jay, steady and composed.
Slowly, Akor rose to his feet, his body cloaked in the higher aquatic element. Though he strained, he managed to resist Jay's suppression from║RULER's PRESENCE║, an achievement that surprised even Jay.
'He's using higher elemental mastery to counter the suppression,' Jay thought, his interest piqued. It was an unexpected yet impressive feat, though it didn't strike Jay as particularly threatening.
'Even with a higher element, Akor's strength would only rise to the level of a Tier-3 Mid-Phase life form at best,' Jay thought. 'That's far from enough to breach the defenses of Centauri Kavach.'
Meanwhile, the Atlans were visibly stunned. The sudden transformation in the water surrounding Akor and the newfound calm in his demeanor left them in awe. Their gazes darted between Akor and Jay, unsure of what would happen next.
Akor's emerald eyes, now tinged with a faint red glow, locked onto Jay's. Slowly and deliberately, he spoke, his voice steady despite the strain. "Liege, I... stood... up."
The moment those words left his lips, Akor collapsed. His body gave out, completely drained of Spirit Energy. The relentless pressure of thirty minutes under the suppression, combined with the immense toll of using his higher aquatic element for the first time, had utterly exhausted him.
Jay's gaze lingered on the unconscious Akor, a flicker of admiration passing through his thoughts. 'Looks like I underestimated him. His sheer will and determination are impressive. With proper guidance, he could become a helpful asset. Given what I have planned for the future, I'll need capable people like him.'
The Atlans, however, weren't aware of what had truly transpired. Their fearful eyes darted between Akor and Jay, their expressions laden with suspicion, clearly believing that Jay had harmed him. Sensing their alarm, Jay addressed them with calm authority.
'He's just exhausted. Once he recovers his Spirit Energy, he'll wake up,' Jay explained. Slowly, the commotion died down, the Atlans reluctantly accepting his words.
Turning his attention to the Sea Lord, Aton, Jay's tone shifted to one of business. 'There's something else I want to discuss with you all. This time, I'm not asking for any of your possessions. I want your collective knowledge about the Skill Circuits of all aquatic skills you've developed so far.
Jay's request was met with silence, the Atlans exchanging puzzled glances. Skill Circuits were a profound concept, central to the advancement of any intelligent species assimiated with the System. Jay clarified further, sensing their hesitation.
A Skill Circuit formed the foundation of any skill. There were two primary ways to obtain one. The first, and easiest, was to acquire it as a System reward for defeating monsters.
When merging with such a skill, the Skill Circuit would be imprinted directly into the person's consciousness, along with complete knowledge of how to use it. Once imprinted, the skill could be activated by channeling Spirit Energy into the circuit, producing an almost instantaneous result.
The second method required creating a Skill Circuit independently—a process akin to research, demanding time, effort, and creativity. For example, Jay could replicate the effects of║Wind Clone Barrier║using his Grade-9 Wind Innate Talent.
However, manifesting the Wind Clones manually required immense focus and time. By contrast, expending Spirit Energy into an established Skill Circuit for the same ability would produce results instantly.
When a person succeeded in creating a new skill, the System recognized it, imprinting its Skill Circuit into their consciousness. The Sea Lord, Aton, had realized the potential of this method early during the Trial Program. Using his insight, he organized the Atlans into pairs, assigning each team a specific aspect of║Minor Water Mastery║to experiment with.
One group worked on developing defensive water-based skills, another focused on offensive techniques, while others specialized in sensory or auxiliary abilities. As each team successfully created a skill, they shared their findings with the others, rapidly expanding the collective knowledge of aquatic Skill Circuits.
That was also how Akor and Ah'na had sensed Jay's presence the moment he entered the aquatic trial zone.
Jay admired the ingenuity of Aton's approach. By leveraging the Atlans' natural affinity for water, he had cultivated a reservoir of knowledge that could prove immensely valuable. Now, Jay intended to gain access to this resource, knowing it would expand the number of skills in his arsenal.
The Sea Lord and his people accepted, driven partly by fear and partly by the allure of the lucrative offer Jay had offered them. They proceeded to demonstrate their method of skill creation—a process that Jay found genuinely intriguing.
He instructed MJ to record everything in detail, knowing it would become a valuable resource for guiding future Water Innate Talent users from Earth. The demonstration lasted over three hours, leaving Jay with less than thirty minutes before his║INVERSE║mode cooldown ended.
To conclude the exchange, Jay handed over several Grade-2 Spirit Crystals and basic blueprints for advanced power sources that could utilize the crystals efficiently. With the deal settled, Jay turned his focus toward leaving the trial zone, bringing Akor along.
Akor had regained consciousness an hour earlier, and Jay invited him to join his Party. This ensured that Akor couldn't harm him, even if he tried. Though Jay allowed Akor to follow, he stayed cautious, taking deliberate precautions to ensure both his and Dante's safety.
Just as they were preparing to leave, Ah'na stepped forward. Her nervousness was evident, but she summoned all her courage to speak. "Sir Jay, the Monster Camouflage Grail is the only thing protecting us from the monsters, especially the group of Tier-3 Low-Phase monsters released today. Without the Monster Camouflage Buff, the risk of being detected by those Tier-3 monsters is too high. We could handle one or two, but if they come in groups, survival would be difficult. Could we exchange something else instead of the Grail?"
Jay paused, observing her bravery. Even the Sea Lord hadn't dared to make such a request. His gaze lingered, making Ah'na bite her lip anxiously.
"When was the last time you all consumed a drop of the golden nectar from the Grail?" Jay asked, breaking the silence.
Caught off guard by the question, Ah'na quickly answered, "Th-that was just a few minutes before Day-7 began. But the buff will expire when Day-7 ends."
Jay nodded. "Then there's no issue. As for the monsters, you don't need to worry about them. Your only task is to hunt as many as you can today. By the time Day-8 starts, there won't be any monsters left alive in this trial zone."
The Atlans exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of how Jay intended to achieve such a feat. Yet, none voiced their doubts. What they didn't know was that Jay had already planned for MJ's integrated monsters to exterminate all the trial zone's creatures during the Alpha Chosen's rest period on Day-7. Thanks to the time dilation within the Trial World, the 18-hour rest period equated to 72 hours in the Trial World, allowing MJ's forces ample time to carry out the task.
Before departing, Jay turned to address the Atlans one last time. "A word of advice—don't limit yourselves to training underwater. Learn to fight and improve your combat abilities outside water-rich environments. That will be crucial in the upcoming Tournament."
With that, Jay left the Atlans behind, ready to venture into other Trial Zones.
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1 is now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!
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Volume 2 Revamped Chapter Release Schedule
📅 Daily Releases – A revamped chapter will be released every day until Chapter 130. (Jan 1st to 30th)
These revamped chapters won't interfere with the usual chapter updates.
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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