[System Prompt]
[Shell System Shard contact]
[System Options enhanced]
[System AI updated]
[Current System AI incomplete. Please fix immediately. After this message, AI will shut down. Options ease of access enabled. Good Tidings.]
Leon is astonished to suddenly hear the system prompt pop out of nowhere.
There was also a new update on the AI. He has come into contact with something called a Shell System Shard that caused a change in the system.
Leon looked at the daggers in his hands. He decided to use [Shell Inspection] on them.
"[Shell Inspection]"
Once the ability activated, he looks towards the daggers to see what is different with them. The daggers were shining with a resplendent light when seen through [Shell Inspection].
Leon cuts his exploration of the daggers short since he was still in the presence of his dear grandparents.
"Grandpa, grandma thank you for the wonderful gifts. I have to get back to my room. I had a very long and tiring day and I want to get ready for tomorrow." Leon says.
"Okay, Little Leon go to sleep early. You have to do good tomorrow. I am rooting for you." Grandma Elizabeth cheers Leon on.
"Yes, Little Leon, you are walking on a road of greatness. You have to do the very best you can get out of training." Lord Oliver encourages Leon.
"Yes, Grandpa I will. Good night."
Leon walks out of the office and heads to his room upstairs.
"[Shell Inspection]"
Once again, Leon began to observe the daggers closely.
They were like ordinary daggers when seen through normal vision, but they were beautiful and resplendent to look at through [Shell Inspection].
The daggers were glimmering with shining lights. The Shell Energy within it has almost crystallized completely.
"This may be a product of Shell Crystal technology. However, there are no weapons made from Shell Crystals. How is this material possible?"
Leon is astounded by how advanced the technology used in this pair of daggers.
"This is still just Shell Energy. Shell Crystals do not emit this kind of light. Although I do not know what Shell Crystals would look like through [Shell Inspection], I am positive that they are two completely different resource."
Leon is now itching to try and get a single piece of Shell Crystal to be able to get an accurate comparison.
"The Shell Energy inside this pair of daggers is astronomical. Even greater than the accumulation that Grandma and Grandpa has.. Wait. Maybe it has the same functions of how a Shell Expert accumulates energy." Leon notices this fact.
This pair of daggers naturally absorb Shell Energy towards them as though a human would when accumulating Shell Energy for utility.
The Shell Energy that the dagger emits is way too dense, denser than anything he has ever been in contact to.
Perhaps, [Shell Inspection] was enhanced in a sense that he can also sense the density of Shell Energy within a person or object.
"What a weird feeling. It feels as though the air is thickening as an effect of my hypersensitivity. I better tone it down."
Leon feels an uncomfortable sensation with the ramped up effects of [Shell Inspection].
The daggers are a very special and unique object.
It was called something like [Shell System Shard]. What exactly is this thing called System Shard? It actually upgraded System AI and enhanced options further.
What changed with the System exactly?
"Display System Options"
[System Options]
[Shell Inspection]
[Shell Utilization]
[Shell Optimization]
[Shell Engineering]
[System Shards]
[Daggers of Lucidity]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[???]
[System Options Automatic Activation: |OFF|/ON]
"What?! System Options can be automatically activated already?" Leon is happy with this upgrade.
"Let me switch that option on then."
[System Options Automatic Activation: OFF/|ON|]
A lot of changes happened with the upgraded system.
Apparently, all the other skills have been enhanced as well.
[Shell Inspection] indeed got a longer range from the initial 2 meters, now it is at 10 meters. It also has the added effect of being able to sense the density of Shell Energy in an object, place, or person.
[Shell Utilization] got upgraded and now Leon is able to open the Mind's Swirl.
He suddenly became a person who has the Mind-Heart Duality.
An individual with a Mind-Heart duality will be a great talent that the Royal family will be excited to bring to their side.
Now, Leon became such a highly talented person.
Although it would be questionable whether he would be able to go back to the Royal family considering that bitter farewell.
None of it even matters to Leon anymore.
As he slips back to reality, Leon began practicing with his newly enhanced skills.
Limit testing is a very important aspect in learning. Not knowing what you are capable of is the same thing as wielding your abilities improperly.
You must be able to master your skills in order to use them effectively. Without the necessary presence of mind, you will be unable to utilize your abilities to the utmost limits.
Leon tried attracting the Elemental Shell Particles through his Mind's Swirl and he never felt any painful sensations.
He began to want try out a lot of different things to know the capabilities of an Outer Shell expert.
Leon first began to try attracting the Elemental particles to constitute his Outer Shell. He then slowly depleted all the remaining Elemental particles in his immediate surroundings.
He controlled these Shell Particles to stay close to his proximity. He tries to walk around and sees that he has successfully developed a basic Outer Shell.
"What a marvel. So this is how Outer Shell experts bring about their reserves. It feels a bit weird. It is as if my body extends further than it was supposed to. I feel everything that my Outer Shell gets in contact with. But [Shell Inspection] does not make it any better. O does it?"
Leon deactivates the hypersensitive ability of [Shell Inspection] to feel a little better.
Next, Leon then began to attract the rest of the irregular Shell Particles in his surroundings.
They also went ahead and became a part of his Outer Shell reserves. The only thing left would be training in how to activate them.
But if he were to activate them here in his bedroom, it will probably result in a total chaos. Leon realized a great need for a personal training area dedicated for his self-training sessions.
"I better ask Grandpa if he can arrange something to enable me to practice freely in a safer environment. Hmm, I better tell him tomorrow."
Leon decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.
He remembered back in the Royal Castle, his two elder brothers, the 2nd Prince Chriswald and the 3rd Prince Ericco both have their personal training fields.
They also have their own personal trainers to help them train in their abilities in the most effective ways possible.
However, it is not to say that Leon is disadvantaged compared to his older brothers.
Here in the North, he gets to have the opportunity to get a trainer for himself. He also has his Grandma to teach him about various Shell Energy utility techniques.
Technically, he was on the same ground as his brothers. Who is to say that the Oliver family is less than the Royal family?
Perhaps only an Oliver will think they are even comparable to a Royal. A normal noble would attribute those thoughts as impunity to the crown.
"Phew, let me get a little breather. All this lighting and hypersensitivity that I suddenly got is making me feel a bit more tired than usual."
The Shell Particles surrounding Leon was emitting light which is quite unusual.
He has never encountered this situation before. They were all just transparent energy floating about in their own space.
"Now, all the Shell Particles are a bit brighter than usual that they are getting a bit distracting. I have to get used to the upgraded abilities to be able to develop more advanced technology and techniques."
Leon takes deep breathes and calls for a maid.
"Young Lord, what can I offer you?" the maid that entered the room asked.
"Yes, can you please bring me some water to the room. As well as a few more towels. I am feeling a little toasty right now." Leon is sweating all over. He hides the fact that he is training intensively inside his room.
"Absolutely, young Lord. Just wait for a while. I will deliver everything you need in a jiffy." the maid then goes into a light sprint and calls her colleagues for help.
Leon inside the room began drifting off his own mind once again.
"I wonder what happened to the particles though, if every time I activate [Shell Inspection] will be like this, it is gonna be bad. I can not work well when I can not see what the shape of the particle is." Leon muses over the fact that he can not see anything well when it is too bright.
Leon glances to the pair of daggers lying on top of the table.
"Hmm, I am still more interested in the daggers. I think this may be a function hidden inside the the various Shell Particles. It probably needs a very specific particle combination to pull off. With how bright the dagger is, it will be an impossible task to know the pattern though. Haiz, what a bummer." Leon is crestfallen to realize it.
He returns the daggers inside the box to keep them safe. And to avoid attracting some greedy eyes. It is better to be safe than sorry.
It is the precious gift that his Grandpa gave him. He can not have it be stolen. Especially, when there is a secret behind it that he has yet to solve.
As he closes the box, Leon noticed that the previously lit up Shell Particles also reduced in luminosity as though they lost power.
Leon once again, takes out the pair of daggers and once more, the Shell Particles lit up brightly.
"Huh, it seems to me that this box is also a mystical item. It actually blocks out the daggers' effect towards the Shell Particles. I better study this one as well. I may be able to improve on my current techniques."
"Hmm, if I can not determine the combination of Shell Particles in the daggers, I can just experiment by myself. I have all the time and energy I need to conduct any experiments I want." Leon cheers himself up.
"What else is in store for me with the system upgrades?"
Leon continues to explore his abilities.
[Shell Optimization] has a better optimizing rate than before, less energy waste and more potent energy yield in effect.
[Shell Engineering] allows Leon to create bigger and more complex particle combinations.
"Definitely a huge upgrade. I better train with these abilities more and use them more efficiently. Perhaps, I have yet to explore the possibilities on how to utilize the system more creatively." Leon muses.
"I am a bit bothered about the new interface that popped up."
System Shards?
Now, I have to know about these things and it is bothering my curious mind.
The daggers are actually called [Daggers of Lucidity]. There are 4 more shards just like the pair of daggers. Where am I supposed to know where they are?
I better be able to find all of them, no matter how long it takes.
...
'I am looking forward for tomorrow's training.'
'Now that Grandpa and Grandma knows about my strange abilities, they can support me from behind the scenes. I hope they allow me to make use of my abilities to create a more beautiful Northern region.'
Leon slowly feels drowsy as he left those thoughts.
-
Leon wakes up as the morning sun's rays lit up the North's Silent Forest. The chicken begins their crowing as the people wakes up to begin their early morning routine.
Leon walks down to the dining room to join his grandma for breakfast.
"Grandma good morning, you still beat me in waking up early in the mornings." Leon greets Grandma Elizabeth.
"Hm, when you get used to doing something repetitively over the years, it just does not feel right to miss out for even a single day. It is just a force of habit. Come Little Leon, join me for breakfast." Grandma Elizabeth invites Leon.
"Okay. Grandma, I better get a light and filling breakfast as I will have my first day of training today. I do not want to suddenly get a stomach ache." suggested Leon.
"Speaking of which, are you ready for your first day of training?" Grandma Elizabeth smiles gracefully as she asks Leon.
Leon feels that there is a hidden meaning behind that beautiful smile.
"Yes, yes, I think I am ready Grandma." Leon replies nervously.
Leon thinks that the breakfast today suddenly does not taste so good anymore.