Szartrrrttrrrhhg..
Large bolts of lightning suddenly descended from the large dark clouds that had formed above Erindor in the training hall.
The bolts of lightning would randomly strike at random locations in the training hall, disappear , only for more lightning bolts to reappear again and strike once again...
Erindor stood amidst the attacks of the lightning bolts, as though nothing was happening .. As the one behind the attacks, it was only natural that the catastrophic bolts of lightning that was striking randomly in the training hall would do no harm to him even if hit him...
After five minutes, the bolts of lightning finally dissipated...
" It seems that based on the nature of this skill ,it can only be used at a place where only enemies are present and allies are absent .. If I were to use this skill amidst allies, they would end up being caught in the damage since the lightning bolts attack randomly and I have no control over who to direct the attacks specifically to ... Also the skill seems to last for five minutes before its deactivated if I choose not to deactivate it before the five minutes time is up ..... How powerful skills are in the end, all comes down to power .. I'm still to weak ...Even though the skill was extremely flashy , the training ground did not even budge .. only some dark scorches here and there .... I have enough skills for now ... Let's break through to S rank... But first let me get something to eat .. I'm pretty much hungry after all this training..."....
******
Erindor returned to the training hall after enjoying a meal and taking a shower ..
He was donned in casual singlet and sweatpants ..
Erindor sat down in a lotus position, then willed the beast cores he procured from the pocket world to appear on the floor before him from the dimensional bracelet artifact ...
" According what I found online, I simply have to place the beast core infront of me and start to absorb the worldy natural energy of the surroundings and the worldy natural energy of the beast cores would be naturally absorbed with it .. "
Erindor closed his eyes... " Let's begin"...
Erindor started to absorb the worldy natural energy at an extremely rapid pace...
Even individuals with S rank talents would be shocked to the depths of their beings were they to notice Erindor's speed of absorption... He was simply too monstrous ...
-" As expected , my talent has really increased... This speed of absorbing worldy natural energy ...is just ....."...
***
Another month passed in the blink of an eye...
" Finally.... S rank .....This ...feeling of strength ...". Dark impurities were on Erindor's body... However he ignored it ..
The beast cores were nowhere to be found due to the fact that Erindor had absorbed the worldy natural energy in them alongside the worldy natural energy of the real world to break through ...
Erindor stood up.. He realised that he could even hear the faintest whispers of people gossiping around in the locality ...
Of course, if an S ranker well versed in ruins were to use a concealing array, it may have been troublesome for him to eavesdrop on the conversation ...
His range of sensing the outlines of shadows had increased to about the whole range of an American football stadium ...
His muscles felt lighter, yet brimmed wth strength and vitality ....
Erindor also noticed a perculiarity.... It seemed as though suddenly he had reached a limit... He instinctively felt it ....
He sat down in a meditative position, then begun to absorb the worldy natural energy ... However , it was as though no matter how much he absorbed the worldy natural energy, it was insufficient for his being, more like it had a minute effect on him.... The feeling of warmth he experienced for absorbing the worldly natural energy previously before he crossed into the S rank was no longer there ..
" What is this?... Is this why they say that S rank is the limit of awakened' strength ..? and that irrespective of talent ,no matter how much you absorb worldly natural energy you cannot break through above S rank... Wait ... It's been a month right... Let's try with the time dilation artifact and see"...
*****
Erindor stood on the lush greenery in the time dilation artifact ...
" Didn't the information I obtained or if you will call it user manual or something when I bound myself to the time dilation artifact indicate that the artifact has been programmed to ensure that if I make a massive increase in strength , the time I will be able to spend in the artifact will increase?...Dont tell me Im still too weak?"... Erindor mused... " If so... Then why have humans concluded that S rank is the limit of strength .... Well, the only way to find out is to try meditating in this pocket world "..
Erindor sat down in a meditative position then started to absorb the worldy natural energy of the time dilation artifact....
A warm feeling coursed through his being, as he absorbed the monstrously dense worldy natural energy of the time dilation artifact at an extremely faster pace...
" So the issue is with the worldy natural energy of the real world... I now get it... The worldly natural energy of the real world is insufficient to make any one who has reached S rank to evolve to the next level..... It looks like everyone in the real world is mistaken ... It's not that S rank is the limit... It's that S rankers need a higher ,quality and denser form of worldly natural energy to evolve to whatever next level is above S rank....and the worldly natural energy of the real world is extremely weak to help S rankers achieve that .."
Erindor continued to absorb the worldy natural energy of the time dilation artifact at an extremely fast pace ....
Seven days quickly passed in the pocket world...
As he absorbed the worldly natural energy of the pocket world ,black impurities traced out of minuscule pores on his body onto his skin...
-" I've broken through ... As expected, S rank is not the limit... I don't know what this rank is called, but let me call it SSS rank..."
Erindor's musings was interrupted by a popping sound which he instinctively knew came from his mind...
Erindor suddenly felt a strange connection to his mind... It was as though..no... He instinctively knew he could project his very consciousness, the very definition of his will,outwardly and make it tangible.. ..
"To think the solution to what the 17th century shadow affinity user theorised about concerning this spiritual consciousness crap would be breaking through to the rank above the S rank... Well,it's too early to conclude, let's try using the shadow legion skill first" ...
Erindor stood up, percieving the outlines of different shadows the range of two football fields around him.....
" Is the gap between S rank and SSS rank that large?... ".
He was shocked at how increasing his rank from S rank to 'SSS' rank had boosted his range of shadows perception ...
Erindor projected a portion of his will ( I will use ' will' instead of spiritual consciousness) towards the vicinity of the forest...
Under the use of Erindor's shadow manipulation skill, the shadows of an uncountable number of animate and inanimate objects in the vicinity started to gather at particular direction, then combined together, coalescing into the form of a towering ethereally dark ginormous shadowy gorilla the size of a towering skyscaper... The shadow Gorilla stood stiff,as a statue, lifeless ,until
Erindor's will projected into this towering ethereally shadowy gorilla, causing it to assume some movements .
Erindor could see from the perspective of the Shadow Gorilla since a part of his consciousness had been imbued into the shadow ....
" It worked.....It's time for revenge .. bastard..." The shadowy Gorilla,imbued with Erindor's will headed towards the Gorilla who killed him some time ago....It currently lay under a tree, snoring mightly... The towering Shadow Gorilla projected Erindor's vengeful thoughts and emotions by letting out a violent large roar, causing the Gorilla to wake up from it's rest...
The Gorilla returned the disturbance by assuming a battle disposition, letting out a roar, trying to assert dominance on the creature that has disturbed its wonderful sleep...
" Let's try shadow manipulation"... The shadow Gorilla, imbued with Erindor's projected will, did his bidding, transforming it's right shadow hand into a large shadow knife then launched it towards the Gorilla ...
The Gorilla evaded the attack by leaping off the ground into the atmosphere at an unimaginable height,the kinetic energy generated causing trees to fall apart and cracks and crevices to develop in the forest ... The gorilla descended towards the shadow gorilla with a downward strike of its fist... The shadow Gorilla's pair of hands, merged together, transforming into a ginormous windmill that rotated at an unimaginable speed ...
Boooooom..... Two collosal forces, a windmill and a fist ..met...
Ssssssssssh ...the sound of blade cutting through flesh was heard. .
Rweeeeeerrgghhhhh!!!!.... A cry of agony reverberated through the environs, causing trees to fall apart and weak beasts to face death due to the powerful sound waves generated..
Fwoooooshhhh..... The windmill ignored the cry of its victim, finally eviscerating the Gorilla into large chunks and pieces of flesh..a spray of black blood raining on the forest ..
" Adios ..."... Erindor calmly stood in one place observing the sight he had wrought through his will in the shadow Gorilla....
Just with this one skill, he had slain a beast that could ravage a city on earth to nothings ...
Wasn't this too ...overpowered ...