Spark stared incredulously into the air.
Two rows of levitating runes shimmered in dark elegance right before his eyes.
[You have slain Cochlean Wild Boar, a Budding Deuce]
[You obtained one of its Creation Skills]
He was rooted, really, stumped in disbelief of what he was reading.
A drop of rain fell accurately into his right eye, jolting him awake from his shock.
Rubbing his eyes, he took another look before faintly muttering:
"It's really dead..."
"Wait! No!... That scary thing was a Budding Deuce? And why the hell can I see this! This shouldn't be possible?"
...
"Don't tell me I aready awakened..."
Spark's mouth was slightly agape when he uttered that thought, before hesitantly dismissing that theory. It was highly unlikely to jump from mundane human to Qi Realm because of a single miraculous pill.
"... Now, how can I even verify this."
Spark sighed deeply before suddenly remembering Joey. Didn't he mention that he just focusses deeply and thinks of connecting to the Grand Dao when he wanted to check his skill some way or another?
Turning his gaze all around the Pluvial Grassland to make sure not another of these horrible abominations was rushing at him in search of their next dinner, he let out a relieved breath and closed his eyes in cogitation.
He felt the rain plopping on his skin thousands of times, and there was a frigid wind biting his wet body.
Not knowing the next step to take, he brooded over some ideas and suddenly had a wonderful thought!
"Praise the Grand Dao!!!"
He screamed inside, not willing to lure another Cochlean Wild Boar near him, and when he opened his eyes, a far more shocking sight than the slaying notification unfurled in his vision.
––––––––––––––––––––
[Théo Floga's Soulslate]
[Cultivation: Lesser Body Foundation]
[Elements: not acquired]
[Spirit Bond: not acquired]
[Soul Bounds: not acquired]
[Skills: Foreign Being , The Favored Prospect , Cochlean Implant , ... ]
––––––––––––––––––––
Spark creased his brows when he read through the coruscating dark runes. What he just now realized was, that his Soulslate was written in his mother tongue, English, instead of the native language of the Zoenig Empire, which he had somehow retained.
Excluding this, there were actually a couple of things, that he had not expected to see.
The first strange instances on the soulslate were both something he had yet to acquire. He had never heard of Spirit Bonds. Joey had mentioned Soul Bounds before but he had no idea as to what they were. Also, he had not the slightest inkling of what effect they were supposed to accomplish.
Next, it was that the Soulslate was addressed to his former name, Théo Floga, and not to Spark.
Apparently, the Grand Dao recognized Théo's foreign soul, and identified him as such.
Casting his gaze to Skills that shouldn't be there, he fell into deep rumination.
'A Foreign Being'.
The designated title of the Skill was quite an accurate description of his current predicament.
But 'The Favored Prospect'? He couldn't even begin to try and understand the meaning of this title.
While he fell into pensive thinking, a change on the black runeslate occured and another set of runes blurred into existence as if to answer his doubts.
[Foreign Being]
[Category: Gift]
[Rank: Clandestine]
[A foreign life form, a stranded soul, arbitrarily manifested by an external phenomenon, fell in the Grand Dao's all-encompassing embrace. The mysterious circumstances surrounding its unexpected appearance, gave permission to undeniably vital privileges.]
[Effect: Deep connectedness to the Grand Dao , Language Transfer (redeemed) , Body Possession (redeemed).]
...
Reading through the flickering obsidian lines carefully, Spark nodded his head.
"That explains a lot..."
Whether it was understanding the native language without a problem, or being able to acquire Skills, or even the possession of his new body. It all was explained with the effects of 'Foreign Being'.
But something about the wording made him slant his eyes and furrow his brows.
"Gave permission, Huh..."
'And the one giving the permission was the Grand Dao then?' Spark ended his line of thought silently.
'...It seems the moment I entered Fraal, the Grand Dao had noticed my existence and gave me these 'undeniably vital pivileges'.'
Spark sighed and silently uttered, "Otherwise I would have perished three days ago..."
As it turned out, he had been sharing a deep connection with the Grand Dao already, due to the exceptionally unprobable circumstances of his relocation caused by the ethereal Space Door.
He was brought here forcefully, here to the new, unfamiliar planet called Fraal.
The Skill was categorized as a gift from the Grand Dao. And the Rank was... Clandestine? Spark didn't know of the hierarchy of Ranks yet, with exception of the 'Normal Rank' Joey's Skill was classified under, but Spark assumed that the Clandestine Rank must be a very, very unusual one.
It gave one the impression to not spill of its existence to anybody... not that Spark intented to do so.
This skill harbored his darkest secret and he was absolutely not willing to share it with the world anyway.
Taking another look at the Skill's effects, he wondered about the intricacies of having a deep Connectedness to the Grand Dao, before another row of shimmering runes appeared from thin air.
[Deep Connectedness to the Grand Dao ]
[The Being Théo Floga shares an untetherable connection the Grand Dao, as it awoke slight interest with the Being's sudden arrival. Thus, it has been allowed to awaken a portion of the perks of connection early.]
'Very informative...' Spark muttered under his breath.
"So I just received a portion of the perks? What else can I receive?" he thought with furrowed brows.
He now has the ability to inspect his soulslate and to receive Skills, as well as to receive Soul Bounds and Spirit Bonds... probably.
But there seemed to be more to being connected to the Grand Dao than just that.
Looking forward to more pleasant surprises, he stared at the next Skill, which was termed The Favored Prospect, and as expected, a writing of elegant runes blurred into existence.
[The Favored Prospect]
[Category: Gift]
[Rank: Immeasurable]
[The Grand Dao accepts your arrival with open arms, and in exchange for the unavowed knowledge, the Being Théo Floga possessed and shared, he in turn receives an equal compensation.]
[Effect: Bilateral Being (Unredeemed) , Adored by Fate , Thriving Slayer.]
Spark's eyes widened to the utmost when he read the description of the Skill.
'When the hell did I share my knowledge!'
'Somehow I feel tricked... damn it!'
Shaking off his somber mood when he glanced at the Rank, he reluctantly inspected the effects of the Skill. It must be quite the big deal, if the Rank was classified under Immeasurable.
[Bilateral Being (Unredeemed)]
[As a Being of two worlds, Théo Floga, who reincarnated in the deceased Spark March's physical vessel, is eligible for a Divine Awakening.]
[Adored By Fate]
[Increases your odds to receive or innovate new Spells and Soul Bounds.]
[Thriving Slayer]
[Once a month, the Being Théo Floga is allowed to designate a target for the use of the skill. While fighting the designated target, the user experiences a major increase in strength. If he manages to slay the designated target in the span of his lifetime, he will, without fail, receive a part of the target's blessings, based on the difficulty of the circumstances.]
Spark took some time to read, and then even more time to re-read the effects of this Skill. Checking if he understood everything correctly, he concluded that while Foreign Being had certainly been vital for his survival, The Favored Prospect held unimaginable value.
It was practically a cheat code!
First, he would receive Skills and Soulbound's more often, and once a month he could even decide a target to snatch 'Blessings'' from. It probably meant Skills and Soul Bounds, the things connected to ones own Soul.
Even a strength buff was included!
And not to forget, he had the privilege of a Divine Awakening when he finally reached the Qi Realm.
He wasn't sure what a Divine Awakening was, but it sure had a grandiose ring in his ears.
"This... Just what insane luck is this!" Spark blurted out.
He had changed the perspective on his dirt luck in the matter of an hour. This Skill will certainly be the red carpet laid out for his survival in this unwelcoming planet called Fraal, which was fraught with terrifying Human Beings, Dragons, Phoenixes and of course the unspeakable terrors of the dark, waiting to be stumbled upon.
...
Realizing that it was high time to get out of the expansive rainy meadows, Spark decided to check out his newly acquired Skill, Cochlean Implant before taking off.
[Cochlean Implant]
[Category: Creation]
[Rank: Normal]
[A frightened wild boar, terrified of the harrowing amblers of the dark, started listening in on the slightest sounds of the obscuring night, solely to ensure its survival. Its incessant will to sense the danger of unknown threats evolved into an auditory enhancement, birthing the existence of the Cochlean Wild Boar. Steeled with its newfound ability, it avoided danger and as inevitable corollary, it grew more wanton and rampant, resulting in an untimely death in the middle of the day.]
[Effects: Your auditory perception is enhanced at will, especially in the darkest hours of the night.]
Spark glanced at the carcass of the gargantuan beast and faintly remarked, "It's quite a sad story... and a bit terrifying, considering the obscure description of the unknown threats it tried to avoid."
"Well! Anyways, its death is certainly ... richly deserved."
Spark added with a snort. Neglecting and losing all sympathy and decorum as slight traces of gloat found their way on his expression.
He had nearly died from this boisterous little... massive beast!
He had no bad feelings if that thing would rot in hell!
And he was sure that the Cochlean Wild Boar had no problems with him rotting in hell either.
"But obtaining a Skill on my first kill! That must be the work of 'Adored by Fate'...."
"What a cheat code!"
Smiling victoriously, he took a couple steps around the giant deciduous tree and halted next to the Cochlean Wild Boar.
The density of the rainshower started to diminish and behind the tapestry of black, turbid cloudpatterns shone a golden shimmer of light, illuminating both him and the boar in of its solitary rays.
Climbing up the carcass of the boar, he pulled out his Iron Sword from its overproportionate ear and drops of dark blood splattered onto his wet clothing in the process. Brandishing the sword in the air to swing away pieces of brain matter and auditory parts, he cleaned the bloody iron on the mottled black fur of the beast.
Reluctant to leave behind its valuable parts, Spark ruminated about how to solve the problem of logistics, when he suddenly remember that the most valuable part, he could probably take with him right away.
Ignorant as to where he should start to search, he desecrated its dead body with random incisions through its solid, vigorous and fatty hide with much effort. He realized now, that the fight could've gone terribly wrong if he hadn't managed to land his surprise attack in its most vulnerable spot.
He twisted his face in disgust when innards of the gargantuan beast spilled out and varnished his entire clothing, inclusively his skin, in a dark red. Additionally, a putrid, meaty stench enveloped his figure and bit into his nose.
It was almost as bad as the smell of the foul filth that left his body less than half an hour ago.
Not finding anything in its gory innards, and having a deep desire to retch and vomit his disgust out of his body, he decided to be a bit more strategic, and less foolishly random in his approach. Taking the Jambiya, he cut near the augmented ears of the beast, thinking the bloody treasure must be hidden in there and sure enough, they were.
Near both sides of the skull, which he removed with much difficulty, he found two dim azure Core Fragments the size of baseballs.
Anything else he couldn't possibly disassemble or carry, so with a sigh, he made his way back to the outskirts.
He was drenched, bloodied and most importantly: now in the Body Foundation Realm!
* * *
The voice of a child wistfully rang out in the March's abode.
"Where has big bro gone?"
"... He didn't say. He just said he will be back soon," a more mature voice explained.
It sounded firm and reassuring, but a hint of hidden worry could clearly be discerned.
"...Oh, mom..."
"Yeah?"
"When will he remember us again?"
A sudden and heavy silence filled the living room.
"I don't know honey, but you need to make sure to make a lot of new memores with your brother in the meantime okay?"
The little girl showed traces of deep resolve before she strongly nodded and agreed:
"Yep! I will!"
...
Meanwhile Spark leaned against the facade of the residence and had a complicated expression painting his face.
He fell into pensive hesitation when he overheard the conversation between Sona and Kiana, his mother and younger sibling.
He stared wistfully into the whitely blotched daysky and let out a murmur:
"...The Cochlean Implant appears to be working quite well."
Taking a quick glance at his bloodied garments, he vehemently shook his head.
"I can't waltz in looking like that— all smelly and showered in boar blood."
Propping himself up from the wall, he took a couple steps to the residents, before drawing the Jambiya tied to his waistband.
He adopted silence for a second after carving a couple of letters onto the ground, and then left the premise with an inaudible utter:
"They are worried enough..."
The riles in the sand, right in front of the door, made up two simple sentences.
"I'll be back in the night. Don't leave the house for today."
...
Fresh spring winds frivolously blew by the Outskirts when Spark ambled down the narrow streets.
As it was only late in the afternoon as of now, nothing should've happened down at Joey's, but to reassure himself, Spark snuck around the area and listened in on all the noises around the block of the tavern with his newly earned skill.
It was a cacophony of sounds overloading his brain and making him quite sensitive and prone to headaches, but he listened to any deviation of the norm while massaging his temples.
He heard ... a drunkard's rant about the closed down tavern, a passerby's story of the delectable lemon tart he had today, a small argument over the lack of attention a husband gave his wife and a multifacet of children's rumblings mixed together with other conversations of random pedestrians.
Noticing nothing out of the ordinary he suddenly jolted up when he heard another remark of a young girl, from rather nearby.
"Mommy, why is that person dirty and red and stinks so much?"
The mother shot a wary glance toward Spark and grabbed her child be the hand to drag her away in quick pace.
"Shh shh, don't look at him, go ... go!"
Spark frowned. He had noticed the weird stares he received on the way but he quickly made up his mind to change into clean clothes as soon as possible, now that he had checked in on the kids.
...
Spark made haste and after walking a couple of minutes with a quickened gait, he gave a loud knock on a wooden door.
Inside, quick and light taps could be heard squeaking on the parquet flooring and not long after the door opened... with a frightened shriek.
"Big Bro Spark? Is that you? What happened! Are you hurt?"
Tali shot quick and hurried questions with an anxious voice.
Spark gave an awkward laugh in response and shook his head slightly.
"Good afternoon Tali, I'm fine but... could we perhaps continue our talk inside?"