Master of Dominion-Chapter 61: Bronze Rank
As the Minotaur collapsed to the forest floor in a thrashing heap of agony, Iyvre rushed forward brandishing her blade in a silver blur, and slashing it across the beast’s remaining eye , effectively blinding it in one swift motion before leaping back to a safe distance.
Though the aftermath of the attack was the least of Rael’s worries. Aside from being completely drained of aether , basically leaving him useless should the beast somehow recover,his focus had turned inward for he felt a sudden sharp itch begin to crawl through his veins, the unmistakable tell-tale sign that he was on the verge of breaking through to the next tier.
But it was actually the flickering notification from the Dominion Codex that truly caught his attention
[Achievement: WarMaster’s Precision]
"What is this?" he whispered. What perplexed him most was the realization that this wasn’t just a simple achievement it felt as though he had actually acquired a skill or a unique technique of his own making.
Rael stared at the shimmering text of the Dominion Codex, as he breathe heavily
[WarMaster’s Precision]
[Description: A state where the host’s maximized focus is dedicated to a single attack, bolstering its lethality and accuracy.]
But then beneath the description,a name appeared,
[Lucius Krovus: A state where one’s technique is expressed to its fullest might; a state that requires no Aether, but pure focus and skill. To me, it is the closest thing to an Intent.]
Rael squinted his golden brown eyes, his confusion deepening. To him, that final strike was simply the Great Bloodrend he had created, yet the Dominion Codex hadn’t even acknowledged it as an achievement.
And as for this so-called "Precision" state, he had simply hoped his attack would deal as much damage as possible.
"Well, not hope. I willed it," Rael corrected himself with a sharp, bloodied smile
He felt as though he had caught three birds with one stone. Not only was the Minotaur currently being bound by the sisters, but thanks to the intensity of the struggle, he was about to break through to the peak of the Iron Fighter rank. To top it off, he had unlocked a skill used by a legendary figure of the past.
"Hehe... hahaha!"
Rael couldn’t help but burst into a raspy laughter where he sat slumped against the tree. The sound gave Xaphxan even more chills. He had been watching Rael’s expressions shift from confusion to a blooded grin, and now to madness.
’Could he have gone mad?’Xaphxan thought, firmly reaching that conclusion. After all, Rael had smashed headfirst through several thick tree trunks.
It wasn’t long before the sisters managed to bind the Minotaur in heavy chains, though the only reason they succeeded was that they had allowed the beast to bleed out until its strength finally waned.
Ayobe walked over to where Rael and Xaphxan were seated. "You’re okay?" she asked, a flicker of genuine concern in her voice. After all, he had been the one who had been tossed like a ragdoll twice by a Rank 2 beast.
"Yeah, I’m good," Rael answered rolling his shoulders back, which elicited a series of gruesome, wet crackling sounds. "Just a few shattered ribs, nothing serious," he added casually. Causing both xaphxan and Ayobe to flinch, from the sound of bone scraping against bone
Seeing the other two sisters heading their way, Rael smirked. "And oh ,my left arm is broken, so I’ll be needing your special touch, my lady," he said teasingly to Yasmin.
Yasmin simply chose to ignore him entirely, her gaze shifting to Xaphxan. The loyal subordinate who was frantically making subtle hand gestures, circling his finger near his temple to suggest that Rael might have finally lost a few screws in the head.
"We have to head back to the compound; the commotion of our battle might have drawn the attention of other beasts rivalling the minataur’s strength," Iyvre said.
Yasmin rolled her eyes but knelt beside Rael nonetheless. She pulled a handful of green herbs from her magic pouch and clenched them tightly in one fist, while her other palm pressed firmly against Rael’s chest. As a soft, emerald glow erupted from her touch making Rael groan for a soothing, cool energy surged through Yasmin’s palm and into his torso, knitting his shattered ribs back together.
"I won’t be able to heal it all," Yasmin warned, shifting her glowing hand to his broken arm. "You’ll still need a healing potion or some much-needed rest to recover fully." She stabilized the fracture, though the dull pain still remained.
"Nah, this will do. Thanks," Rael grunted. He forced himself to his feet, testing his weight as the cooling sensation began to fade. "Let’s get moving
...
A few hours later, Rael was hunched over the edge of a massive pit, painstakingly redrawing the runes of the boundary ward sigil.
He had dugged a pit because he thought a pit was the only place he felt secure enough to house the captured beasts, so he had excavated a specialized enclosure fifteen feet deep and fifteen meters wide, carved right into the center of the compound.
Afterwards, he covered the pit with a massive cage of wood. He hadn’t just used ordinary wood though he made sure to reinforce each one with the Uruz rune, though probably won’t be able to stop the aether beast if they fully intended to break out of it but since most of them were injured or crippled thanks to him ,and also Yasmin made sure to sedate them with a concoction she’d made,so he was certain the cage would do.
Afterwards, he rose to his feet and stretched, only to suddenly flinch. "Ouch," he groaned as his sudden movement had reminded him that his injuries were still far from fully healed.
"Now that this is completed, all that’s left is to make it to the next tier," he murmured, turning his gaze toward the vast, darkening sky. "Then, we simply wait."
"You’re worried," a voice called out, drawing Rael’s gaze to Iyvre, who had crept up beside him .
"Well..." Rael paused, about to deny it , but he choked it back as he met her pale green eyes. "Yes. A little."
Iyvre stepped forward, her gaze dropping to the pit where the bound beasts lay in the dark. "In my thirty years of life, I myself would never have imagined relying on wooden fences to defend against the Withered. Those creatures are abominations incarnate."
Rael’s eyes widened at her words. Thirty years old? He didn’t know whether to be shocked by how youthful she looked or feel foolish for forgetting that elves aged differently. To him, she looked like a woman in her early twenties, but her lifespan clearly moved at a different pace.
"You’re surprised by my age?" Iyvre asked. She had caught the subtle shift in his expression, though her own face remained expressionless
"Yeah, a little," Rael admitted, turning his gaze back toward the pit to hide his surprise.
Iyvre took a deep, steadying breath. "I’ll be attempting to ascend to the next rank. At least before the Withered Nights arrive."
Rael was slightly impressed, but not entirely shocked.
"Well, that could be both a good thing and a bad one," he remarked knowing the risk of having an higher ranked aether users ,that basically would act like a beacon, attracting more of the Withered to their location. Yet, the added power she would have as a Bronze Warrior was a tactical advantage he couldn’t ignore.
"You can trust me to keep you and your sisters safe while you go through the process," he continued. Seeing that she still maintained that unreadable, stoic expression, he posed a question
"How does one ascend to the next rank?"
Rael asked the question with focused intensity. He knew full well that once he reached that threshold, he couldn’t afford to depend on the frustrating vagueness of his own manuscript. He couldn’t risk guessing his way into the rank like he had first done while stepping into the iron fighter rank ,he knew mistakes could lead to rupturing of the veins though he suspected his manuscript might even approve of the pain that’ll follow that .
Iyvre stared at him from the corner of her eyes, her expression unreadable. "That depends entirely on a person’s manuscript," she began, her voice dropping to a low, tone. "But regardless of the path... it all starts with the heart." She finished by laying her palm flat against her chest.
"For it is what becomes a warrior’s core"
..........
Author’s note 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
For those that might find the currently known aether users rank confusing, I’ll list the already known ranks for both the warrior and spellcasters
Warrior ranks
Rank 1 iron fighter
Rank 2 bronze warrior
Rank 3 Silver Knight
Spell caster
Rank 1 iron adept
Not listing the spellcaster’s second and this rank since it hasn’t been said in the novel
I should probably make this an auxillary Chapter though
