I pushed the couches in the living room to different corners and made an open space. I crouched in the middle and closed my eyes. It's been a day since Chiron pointed out the flaw in my divine energy circulation. Since then I brainstormed many ways to create my own channels. Right now, I was trying one of the ways out.
The idea is to concentrate all of my divine energy into a very tiny sphere. It shouldn't be bigger than a cell for it to actually work. In fact, if it is bigger, it may even kill me on the spot. After achieving that tiny size, I will circulate it through my body just like how I would normally circulate divine energy.
However, contrary to normal circulation, this tiny sphere will be so dense that it will destroy everything it comes into contact with, creating channels through my body. This way, the new channels that will be carved out will be parallel to my divine energy circulation pathway.
'In theory, it should work.'
***
'It didn't...'
Well, not like it didn't but I couldn't. Condensing all of my divine energy into a tiny sphere was so difficult as it required high concentration and effort. Losing your focus even a split second would result in all your work going in vain. I didn't even remember which attempt I was at. 100th, 150th, 200th... I didn't know. The sun had only shown itself on the horizon when I started, but now it had already given its place to the moon.
*Ggrrr..."
The audible growling of my stomach echoed through the living room like a distant thunderstorm. I hadn't eaten anything since morning. So I decided to head for the dinner around the campfire.
'A hungry stomach has no ears...'
***
When I arrived at the campfire, most of the seats were already full. Even my spot at far back was occupied by a group of friends.
'I am late...'
I got my food, which was a juicy steak and a glass of wine. Demigods were more resilient to alcohol than humans so even if you were only 8 years old, your body would be able to handle it. As my eyes wandered through the seats, I saw only the seats near the main cast were empty, probably because they were upper in the hierarchy thanks to the bloodline of certain two. I approached them and sat on the other end of the table. Seeing me, with her mouth full, Eleanor shouted.
"Mmhm, you decishided to join uth now?"
"..."
"I didn't think you would join our table."
"There were no other empty tables."
"Oh... So that's why!"
She pointed her finger at me as if she succeeded in exposing my underlying intention of coming to their table. Without talking back, I just immersed myself in my steak. The food of the camp was exceptionally delicious. But being hungry made it a hundred times better.
However, interrupting me in the middle of my delight, Nadia asked me a question.
"Blake, why do the other demigods hate you that much? It's as if you are a curse to this camp that should be exterminated."
My eyebrow twitched when I heard her rather rude but also on-point remarks. I guess her observation skills were living up to her title as the daughter of Artemis. I lifted my head up from my steak and saw everyone glaring at Nadia.
"You guys haven't told her yet?"
"Err..."
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and continued.
"Basically, 20 years ago, a sister of mine betrayed the camp and caused a serious destruction. Thus making me a potential doom that can result in the extinction of this camp as well. That's why I am not wanted here, which is pretty fair, to be honest."
Watching me talk so leisurely about such a sensitive topic made the others frown.
"Eh..?"
"Well... Nadia, we didn't tell you because it's just rumors. You have seen it yourself, Blake saved us from that monster. We just can't label him as a horrible person."
The mood of the table dropped as everyone recalled bad memories from the first quest. I glanced at the main cast.
"I am going back first."
I stood up with half of my steak uneaten. I threw it to the campfire as an offering and left the area. When I returned to my cabin, I decided to try opening new channels one more time. I sat in the middle of the living room and closed my eyes.
I channeled my divine energy towards my brain, where body and soul are connected. Amidst the darkness of my mind, a tiny red sphere was constructed out of thin air. It began spinning faster as it became denser. I poured more divine energy until the sphere became opaque. Then my divine energy supply ended, indicating I had used all my divine energy.
My determination increased as I successfully created the sphere. The last step was to circulate it throughout my body like I would normally do. I inhaled deeply one last time and began circulating.
*Spurt*
My throat burned as blood gushed out of my mouth. The pain made me wince my face but I forced myself to not scream. As the sphere penetrated through my body, an unbearable pain coursed through my nerves as if my insides were being rearranged.
A low, guttural groan escaped through my clenched teeth. My veins pulsed with suffering, tracing across my skin. Every breath became a battle for life, each inhalation a reminder of the unyielding pain. In that moment, I grappled with a visceral symphony of torment, a symphony that resonated through every fiber of my being.
My consciousness was slipping away but I forced myself to hold onto it. The pain obstructed my senses but I still continued to circulate the sphere until it completed a full circle. After what felt like an eternity, the pain subdued but the ache was still there. I could hardly stay conscious. Eventually, my mind gave in and my consciousness fell into a deep slumber.
***
When I woke up, It was still midnight. With my head aching uncontrollably, I looked for my phone.
'It's 3 o'clock... So I have been sleeping for only 3 hours...'
But then my eyes landed on the date and I suddenly straightened up.
"What the fuck?! It's been two days!"
I laid on the floor for a few minutes to collect my thoughts. After a while, I slowly stood up with my shaky legs. My muscles and bones were sore. The crackling of my bones echoed in the room with each step. I decided to take a bath and calm myself down a bit.
"Haah... This is great."
While I was in the bathtub, I hesitantly circulated my mana with high expectations. I didn't want to have endured that pain for nothing. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed with the results as my divine energy smoothly circulated. It flowed much more effectively and I was able to control more divine energy than before.
'Status Window'
---
Name: Blake Norman
Bloodline: Son of Hades
Strength: F
Agility: F+
Stamina: F
Intelligence: F+
Divine Energy: E-
Charm: S
Daggermanship ==> F-
Ability ==>
Authority Over Earth (Bloodline Ability) --- The user possesses the authority over any type of earthly material. Correlated with the amount of divine energy supplied, the range and effect of the ability increase.
---
"Damn..."
I expected an increase in my divine energy and intelligent stats but to think that my divine energy would increase by two sub ranks... It was quite a pleasant surprise. The unalignment between this body and my soul must have been holding me back.
I figured out I would go to the training ground to test my new channels. After the bath, I put on some clothes, ate some snacks, and departed for the training grounds. There wasn't anyone since it was still 3:30 in the middle of the night. It was peaceful with the chattering of birds and rustling of winds in the background.
I first wanted to test my pure divine energy power. I approached a straw dummy and gathered my divine energy around my fist. Red and Black threads began forming on the surface. It flickered like a dark flame. It was definitely much denser.
I punched the straw dummy as hard as I could. Upon contact, a wind current brushed past as the force pulsated through the dummy. A huge hole was engraved through its upper body, diminishing it into nothingness.
Satisfied with the results, I moved on to trying my ability. I ordered the large rocks on the ground to elevate. I jolted them forward, aiming at another dummy. The rocks pierced through the dummy.
Then I slammed my hands to each other. Following my hands, two blocks of solid raised from the earth from both sides of the dummy. They shot towards the dummy, compressing the dummy. The dummy got smashed between them.
Now it was the time for the last performance of the session. I closed my eyes as I connected my divine energy with the earth. Extending my arms forward, I slowly split them apart. As my hands moved farther from each other, the ground trembled. Soon a little crack formed on the surface which then turned larger and deeper. But I had to stop halfway since my divine energy ran out and the whole process wore out my mind.
The crack was shut closed just as it opened.
'Unsurprisingly, I am still too weak for this...'
What I tried to do was to open a passageway into the underworld. The authority over Earth allowed the children of Hades to manipulate the Earth to create a way into the underworld. By opening a deeper enough crack, I would be able to reach the underworld.
Normally, it was forbidden for living souls to enter the underworld but it was a different story if you were children of Hades. Not that anyone alive would ever want to go into the underworld though. In the future, I was planning on visiting the underworld for a couple of reasons. But it was for the future.
With that, I got back to my cabin when the sun had just started to rise and prepared to depart for the cafeteria. I had been sleeping uninterrupted for two days, and the training only made me hungrier.