Chapter 612: Descent of the Ancient (II)
’Descent of the Ancient’
Alex stood stunned, his blood running cold as his eyes fixed on the name for long, unblinking seconds. He realised in a single glance that it was something special, the same as the eyes, heart, and bloodline of the Ancient.
Yet unlike those three, which were physical traits, this was a skill, the first to bear the Ancient’s name, and its nature also appears to be no mystery, as the name alone reveals its purpose.
Yet, Alex was still forced to wonder what the skill would truly offer. Would it be a summon-type skill, allowing him to call forth an ancient being, or would it be something completely different, perhaps more in line with the Dragon Monarch Aura?
The answer was only a single click away, yet Alex felt overwhelmed in the moment. A childlike desire urged him to quickly uncover the details, but at the same time, a creeping anxiety lingered, wondering what if the skill was not as great as he hoped?
The strangest part was that just a few days ago, Alex had not even known about the dark slate, let alone had any intention to acquire it with hopes of gaining such benefits.
Zahra had organized this entire trip as a show of her affection.
If anything, Alex had already been content with gaining whatever little he could, considering that he had originally planned to spend his time leisurely in Lady Erda’s garden, resting and passing the days without much concern.
Yet, despite the unexpected fortune, Alex unconsciously understood the skill’s immense value. Now, without realizing it, he was simply stalling, mentally bracing himself for the shock of what was to come.
Seconds slipped by before Alex finally closed his eyes. His mind cleared of unnecessary thoughts, and with a steady breath, he focused on the skill.
A sudden flash followed, and the translucent blue window unfolded before him, displaying the details of the skill. Alex’s eyes, sharp and disciplined from years of use, absorbed every word as his mind processed them in an instant.
In the same breadth, a chill ran down his spine. He read the details once, twice, and then over and over, questioning if what he was seeing was nothing more than an illusion.
To say he was shocked would be an understatement too shallow to describe what he felt.
Name: Descent of the Ancient
Grade: Unknown
Effect: Temporarily allows the user to embody a fragment of the Dark Ancient’s will, undergoing both physical and spiritual transformation.
Description: When invoked, the user becomes a vessel for the Dark Ancient’s descent. His body is enveloped in an abyssal form, reshaping their flesh into a vessel for the Ancient, while their soul resonates with the will of the Ancient.
In this state, the user gains:
Authority of Darkness: Commands the fundamental law of Darkness, with the same ease as commanding an extension of one’s body.
Anscendent Form: Physical attributes and mana capacity are vastly amplified, with the body adapting to channel the Ancient’s overwhelming essence.
Ancestral Insight: Temporarily accesses ancient knowledge and instinctive mastery of darkness-related abilities, granting profound control over shadow, void, Death, and all related aspects.
Dominion Aura: Projects an oppressive aura that subjugates weaker wills and creatures aligned with Darkness, forcing obedience or suppression.
Drawbacks: The Ancients’ will is overwhelming. Prolonged use corrodes the user’s mind, body, and soul. Without sufficient control, the user risks permanent damage.
(Mana Required: 20-Million per minute)(Cooldown: Unknown)
A low, heavy laugh escaped Alex, "Hahaha...haha," his voice trembling with the thrill he could no longer contain. The sight before him was something beyond what he had imagined.
Alex forced himself into calm and began to analyze the skill’s pros and cons with practiced focus. He realized that, as broken as this skill was, it also carried the worst drawback he had ever seen, far worse than even the Dragon Monarch Aura.
As he regained control of his emotions, the anxiety and excitement faded away, and Alex began to understand the skill on a deeper level.
Embodying the will of the Dark Ancient would grant him immense power, elevating him to levels of strength unseen before, physically, magically, and mentally.
But invoking the essence of a higher being carried consequences that reached far beyond a simple trade-off.
Each descent would reshape him, not only leaving him severely weakened for days or even weeks, but also carving minute physical and spiritual alterations that would accumulate and grow with each use.
Continued reliance would gnaw away at his very being, eroding his individuality. If Alex failed to manage the creeping corruption, it was only a matter of time before his will faltered and he fell.
In that case, death itself would be a mercy. But in the worst case, the more likely outcome was not death, but unleashing an uncontrollable surge of corruption that would twist both his body and soul.
That fate would scar him with near-permanent damage, leaving nothing but a broken individual closer to a hollow abomination than his human self.
Alex closed the window in grim satisfaction, eager to test the skill yet equally wary of its price.
The last thing he wanted was to spend months in forced recovery, making little to no progress, especially when he was just five months away from a duel where his very life was on the line.
So Alex decided he would consult Odesues about the skill. In all of the realm, only Odesues had firsthand experience with the Dark Ancient’s physique, and if anyone had awakened this skill before him, it was surely him.
Only then did Alex realize how completely he had forgotten Zahra’s presence. He had offered no thanks, no words of appreciation, not even shared what he had gained.
Alex suddenly felt a bit uneasy and embarrassed, but he quickly shook off those feelings. "Zahra, I will need quite some time to repay this favor," he said with a small chuckle to ease his own mood. "If you want anything, and I mean something truly special, then let me know. I will do my absolute best to accomplish it."
She smiled gently. "I am glad you gained something of worth," Zahra said aloud, though a silent thought rang within her mind, ’You are already helping me achieve my greatest desire. You will be the blade to exact my revenge.’
"I will hold you to that promise," Zahra added softly, before saying, "Now, let’s leave this place."
The two of them used a small-scale teleportation scroll to reach the surface, and from there they departed Rage Island without encountering any further trouble.
On the way, Alex revealed parts of the Descent of the Dark Ancient skill to Zahra. Even she was taken aback, and reasoned that gaining such power would likely demand an entire year of accumulated knowledge, or many years of her lifespan.
After entering the Rage Sea, they traveled onward to the Dhagath Deep, the domain of the Dhagath Serpent Tribe. The region was a vast stretch of ocean riddled with chains of undersea volcanoes.
Their true destination, however, lay at its farthest edge, where the volcanoes had long since gone dormant and the presence of the serpents all but vanished.
At the very boundary of that region stood a single volcano, the last and most distant of the Dhagath Deep. It was here that Ozythar had chosen as his burial site.
The place was unremarkable, even desolate, but that suited them. There would be no interference, no witnesses, nothing to hinder them from fulfilling the Serpent King’s final wish.
Ozythar had never been a saint, quite the opposite. He was a tyrant who had ruled through fear, spreading calamities without care or restraint. Yet in his own way, he was also Alex’s benefactor, and for that alone, Alex resolved to grant him this burial.
It helped that Ozythar wanted nothing extravagant, just a silent end, witnessed only by a few unknown travelers, and a grave that would remain unmarked in history.
Once the serpent king was laid to rest, Alex and Zahra made their way back to the rendezvous point. To Alex’s surprise, Tygrik, the Blue Stallion’s captain, was still waiting for them. He had not abandoned them to their fate.
They spent two days on the journey back to the Drakaryx Clan, leaving them with less than a around two days to prepare for the New Year Festival.
This year’s festival was set to be unlike any before. Unlike previous years, the Drakaryx Clan had spared no effort in organizing grand events with prizes valuable enough to draw the attention of nearly all the otherworlders.
With the arrival of the new year, the clan also planned to kick-start their plan to help the Realm Ruler, announcing their full support to the adventurers, offering aid in one form or another.
However, they had no intention of revealing the treachery of the Tharokarn Clan and its ruler, the True King, against the realm.
To expose it now would only unveil how grave the danger truly was. That truth would cause nothing but chaos, with every power forced to take sides.
In the end, such a revelation would only lead to greater disasters, ultimately feeding directly into the True King’s plans.
Still, the new year would mark a shift. Both the two great clans and the three empires would begin tightening their grip, intensifying efforts to root out threats hiding within their own ranks, while also pushing back against the growing dangers that loomed over the realm.
The Green tide of Skaven, the Restless Madness of Mutants, and the Silent Plague of Rust.