After having dinner with his team in the shared dining room for nearby residents, Rain returned to his room holding a small bag. During dinner, he had ordered two Fire Blood Buds and one Bronze Blood, leaving him with only 7 merit points. Curious, he checked if there was anything affordable left to buy and noticed the option to convert 1 merit point into 1,000 credits—though buying a merit with credits was impossible.
Settling on his bed, he opened the bag and took out the two Fire Blood Buds and the Bronze Blood vial. He examined the buds, their petals a deep, vibrant red, and looked at the Bronze Blood, a thick red-bronze liquid glistening inside the small vial.Rain decided to start with the Fire Blood Bud. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he took out one bud and swallowed it. For a few moments, he felt nothing—but then, a sudden wave of intense heat spread from his stomach, surging through every part of his body. It felt like his entire being was on fire. Just as quickly as it came, the heat subsided, leaving a relaxed sensation in its wake. He could feel as though a barrier in his body had eased slightly.
Curious about the effects, he asked the chip for an update on his genetic energy refinement. The response confirmed an increase of 1 point. Rain considered the remaining bud and calculated: He would need 18 more Fire Blood Buds to reach the refinement threshold necessary for a breakthrough to the peak of Middle D-rank. Determined, he took the second Fire Blood Bud, feeling the same intense, fiery wave as it coursed through his body, burning from the inside out. The heat was brief but powerful, and when it passed, it left behind a profound sense of relaxation as though another layer of limitations had been lifted.
Reflecting on the sensation, Rain noted the difference from when he manually dissolved genetic waste. The comfort he felt now was far greater, likely because the Fire Blood Bud was burning through multiple genetic waste deposits at once, instead of just one at a time. Now Rain turned his attention to the vial holding the Bronze Blood. Opening it, he drank it in one go. Within seconds, a sharp pain spread throughout his body as the medicine was absorbed, triggering a powerful rearrangement of his cellular structure. The pain seemed to last an eternity, though it only endured for minutes. Finally, the sensation faded, leaving him feeling like hours had passed. He asked the chip to display his updated stats:
Personal Panel:
- Name: Rain
- Realm: Middle D-rank
- Physical: 7.92 (20)
- Agility: 5.2 (20)
- Genetic Energy: 6.87 (20)
- Genetic Energy Refinement: 12.013 (100)
- Techniques:
- Poison Claw 1st Chapter(D) (9/9) (familiar) – 2.2%
- Life Vine Shield(D) – 100 (Start)
- Spring Rain Sword Art(E) – 78 (Master)
- Mysteries:
- Poison Stone – 0.12%
- Sap of Devil Trap – 0.001%
- Dark Iron – 0.0006%
Rain noted the improvements from the Bronze Blood: a 1.5 increase in physique and a 0.5 increase in agility. His body felt stronger overall, but he realized he'd need to focus on increasing his agility to prevent an imbalance that could hinder his control in battle.
Turning his attention to his Spring Rain Sword Art, he thought about mastering it fully in the upcoming battles. However, he would eventually need to either evolve it into a D-rank sword art or find a new D-rank technique. With this goal in mind, he instructed the BIT to open the sword technique options, hoping to find techniques that could enhance his style or complement Spring Rain Sword Art, Rain scanned the options:
1. Iron Bamboo Sword Art – helps comprehend the mystery of iron bamboo energy.
2. Blood Oak Sword Art – helps comprehend the mystery of blood oak energy.
3. …
4. …
5. …
He reviewed each sword art and noticed they all shared similarities with the basic sword moves he had learned in the Star Immortal World, supplemented with additional techniques. These arts primarily focused on understanding the energy of different elements and applying it through specific moves. It struck him how fundamentally different the approach to sword techniques was between the two worlds.
The Star Immortal World's sword arts emphasized foundational mastery and complex techniques, while the techniques here focused on channelling, adapting and use the unique energies present in the materials of this world. The Spring Rain Sword Art, with its intricate, relentless moves designed to mirror the continuous, unyielding nature of spring rain, stood out. Rain recalled his teacher's introduction to the art—if one could fully master this sword technique, they might grasp the artistic concept of the *Spring Rain Rule*, the very essence from which the founder had derived this sword art.
In contrast, the techniques of the Radiation World seemed to focus on harmonizing with and drawing upon the latent energy within various materials. The two approaches were indeed distinct: one emphasized mastery through precise, refined movements, while the other prioritized manipulating genetic energy to harmonize with the unique energies released by various materials in the environment. Each material, after all, released its own energy signature, emphasizing adaptation in the techniques of this world.
Rain considered that learning a new sword art wouldn't be practical—it would take weeks of uninterrupted focus to comprehend a new energy type enough to integrate it into his moves. But here, on the battlefield, he didn't have that luxury. He had only managed to comprehend about less than one percent of three mysteries previously, each with substantial effort. Instead, he began contemplating how to evolve Spring Rain Sword Art into a D-rank technique. Remembering how its founder had created the art by observing and internalizing the essence of spring rain, He wondered if he could truly follow a similar path to enhance Spring Rain Sword Art and adapt it to his current needs. But he realized that in the Star Immortal World, he could only fully comprehend the artistic concept of the Spring Rule once the actual spring season arrived, bringing the rains that inspired it. Here, in the Radiation World, it was perpetually winter, while back in Star Immortal, it was currently fall—he estimated at least six months before the rains would come.
The challenge lay in bridging these distinct approaches to understanding rules. In the Radiation World, emphasis was placed on elemental mysteries: hard and soft rules that could only be comprehended in the C-rank. These were present within elemental mysteries like Earth, Metal, Wood, and Ice for the hard rule, while the soft rule appeared in Water, Wood, and Earth mysteries. In contrast, the Star Immortal World delved into more complex rules, blending elements within each natural event. For instance, Spring Rain combined life, wood, wind, and water mysteries in a unique blend. Rain realized that understanding and applying these energies—especially life, wood, wind, and water—could enhance the Spring Rain Sword Art. He then instructed the BIT to search for sword arts that incorporated both wood and life energies along with water or wind or only one of the mysteries.
The BIT provided the following list:
1. Water Rose Sword Art
2. ...
3. Mist Grass Sword Art
4. Wave Crystal Sword Art
5. Heavy Water Sword Art
Out of these, only the 'Water Rose Sword Art' and 'Mist Grass Sword Art' contained both wood and water elemental energies. He delved into its details, reading through its mechanics and watching a video of warriors practicing it. The 'Water Rose Sword Art' art emphasized channelling genetic energy into the sword's tip to release high-pressure jets of water, akin to the thorns of a water rose. When directed at an enemy, the water jet was powerful enough to pierce the body of a D-rank beast. However, Rain knew that fully understanding the energy within the 'Water Rose Sword Art' or 'Mist Grass Sword Art' would take at least a week. He thought about how materials in this world could release energy that influenced their surroundings and wondered if there was any material that could mimic the effect of rain itself.
He instructed the BIT to search for such materials, and soon a response came with the name 'Rain Stone'—a unique item found in an A-rank domain called the 'Rain Domain', where rain fell endlessly. Forces commonly used Rain Stones in agriculture to nurture crops, harnessing the energy within. The price for a D-rank Rain Stone was 100 credits, and he decided to purchase it. Within moments, he received confirmation of the order, with a delivery expected in 10 minutes.
After eight minutes, a knock sounded at his door. He opened it to find a robot holding a parcel. Rain took the package and brought it inside. Opening it, he found the Rain Stone, which, upon contact, felt slightly damp. Despite being only, a D-rank item, it seemed to carry a faint, ambient energy but couldn't summon rain on its own. Rain focused his soul power, allowing it to touch the stone's surface. He began to hear the faint sound of rain, each droplet echoing in his mind. Closing his eyes, he stilled his thoughts, immersing himself in the stone's energy, and started his journey to comprehend the mystery of the Rain Stone.