Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Limitless Force Refinement

[Ding! Your SSS-rank talent — Judgement of the Ancient Colossal Mammoths — has bloomed into the Supreme Art: Limitless Force Refinement.]

Inhaling sharply, Ulric smiled at the notification. His head nodded rapidly as he tapped into the flood of insights that came with it. A golden sheen flickered across his eyes, growing brighter the deeper he spiraled into his thoughts.

With this... his control over energy could reach an absurd level. Every strand of power could move with flawless precision, circulating through his body without the slightest leakage, not wasting even a single ounce.

The moment energy was released, it could be utilized to its absolute limit. A fraction of power could potentially produce several times the effect it normally should.

With this, his movements could become perfectly synchronized with the flow of energy itself, allowing every strike, step, and breath to carry terrifying efficiency. No excess consumption. No unstable surges. No unnecessary dispersion.

If practiced perfectly, even the energy released from his attacks would fold back into his body in subtle streams, recycled and reused with near-perfect mastery.

Pausing to take it all in, the smile on his face widened as a chuckle ripped from his throat. Understanding the magnitude of this art, it was simply too wondrous.

Sure, most of his opponents now were weaker and didn’t even drain a fraction of his energy to deal with. But that could all change in the future. What about when he faced a stronger powerhouse with a far greater reserve of energy than his own?

This art would equalize the playing field. If refined and practiced well, he could already foresee a future where his body became a closed system, power endlessly circulating and amplifying itself. Perhaps one day, he could even tap into the concept of infinite energy.

The sheer thought made his breath hitch slightly as he exhaled slowly. He wasn’t entirely sure about that, but one thing was certain.

With this under his control, his combat ability would rise explosively. Techniques that once drained massive reserves would consume only a sliver of energy, while their destructive force multiplied severalfold. Every action... optimized to perfection. A terrifying concept now lying at his fingertips.

He was almost tempted to focus all his attention on it and begin refining his energy and body according to the art.

But he stopped himself through sheer willpower. Not yet. He was still not done with his breakthrough.

Snapping out of his stupor, Ulric ignored the countless blank stares cast his way as he breathed.

"Earth."

Instantly after, a beam of concentrated earth energy shot out of him, streaking up toward the sky in an entrancing display.

***

"Huh? This... I don’t understand..." Rysten mumbled beneath his breath as he watched everything unfold. His eyelids fluttered rapidly as he tried to make sense of it.

The other elders beside him weren’t doing much better.

At first, when he witnessed the dark-robed youth bloom his first art, he had been excited. The manner of its awakening only highlighted the youth’s already monstrous talent and potential.

But at the second time... it had all been too impossible.

And now, at the third... his breath grew heavier with every second until a resigned sigh slipped from his lips.

This was all simply beyond him.

***

"How is this even possible?" Mistress Aria mused, watching Ulric’s third talent bloom into an art.

They were even more surprised given that during the talent awakening ceremony, Ulric had only awakened the darkness talent.

Besides, they all knew how exceedingly difficult it was to awaken a talent without a talent awakening orb—still not entirely impossible, but rare.

Going by the records, they had read of dual-awakened talents who awakened another later on. Which in itself was a very rare occurrence.

Let alone awakening two additional talents. The odds were so stacked against it that he might as well be able to fly like the legendary A-rank beings. Wait... he couldn’t fly, right?

Aria mused, her face scrunching up with every thought as her lips twitched.

If that still wasn’t enough, why were all the latter talents that bloomed into arts so... strong?

She thought, feeling the crushing pressure of the earth talent even from thousands of meters away as it pressed heavily against her, forcing her fists to clench.

Her mental barrage was cut short as another voice echoed from behind her.

"Hahaha... see? I told you this was just the beginning!" Graegor chuckled. The least fazed among the elders, as he had expected something like this.

Still, even with all this, he had to admit he had been a little shaken. After all, it wasn’t every day one witnessed a triple-awakened figure advance to D-rank.

Not even he could have guessed the young lord had other talents besides darkness. Truly shocking. But was that all of it?

He mused as an investigative glint flashed across his eyes. He had a feeling there were countless more secrets hidden behind those crimson eyes.

Unable to help himself, he walked forward, his eyes narrowing as he tried to pierce through the thick waves of brownish energy drilling into the dark-robed figure.

The closer he looked, the more he felt as if he was on the edge of uncovering something. Before he suddenly paused.

Something wasn’t right! Tilting his gaze to his own body, he saw a deep metallic sheen spreading across his skin, emanating from his newly formed arts. Thanks to his recent breakthrough to D-rank.

At other times, he wouldn’t have been concerned. But this time was different. He hadn’t tapped into his art. It had flared on its own as if it had a mind of its own.

Even more bewildering, he could feel the metal energy in his body growing thicker, continuously nourishing his art.

What was happening? He yelled inwardly, a tinge of panic flaring deep inside him.

If he didn’t know any better, he would have assumed his body had gone berserk. Or...

He inhaled sharply, his eyes widening at the sheer thought.

He had unknowingly gained enlightenment, furthering his comprehension of his art and making him stronger in the process.

But he knew better. He wasn’t a genius. Every gain in power had been earned through strenuous effort. Hell, he doubted he had ever grasped even a fleeting insight to trigger this state.

So why now? Graegor mused, his brows arching in confusion as he sank deeper into thought. Since he arrived, his eyes had only been fixed on the dark-robed youth...

Just as the thought formed, a realization slammed into him like a war hammer.

Was this because of the young lord? But it didn’t make sense. Everyone could feel the rich earth energy exuding from his frame.

While Graegor wielded the metal element. So how could he gain enlightenment from watching an earth talent bloom into an art?

Just as he was about to dismiss the thought and attribute it to sheer luck, his breath hitched and his face paled.

The thought had always lingered at the back of his mind, but it was too insane to consider.

This could only be possible if the young lord’s Earth talent stood at the absolute peak, allowing him to tap into its very extremity.

Hearing his gasp of shock, the other elders turned in surprise. Feeling the waves of metallic energy reeking from Graegor’s frame.

Had he suddenly grasped a concept?

But as he relayed his thoughts to them, their looks of delight were washed away and replaced with panic and dread.

They had always suspected the young lord’s talent exceeded S-rank. Even in all its glory, it wasn’t enough to explain a fraction of his monstrous feats.

But this almost explained everything. The lord’s talents weren’t merely S-rank, they stood at the absolute peak of the tier.

If it were another time, this would have called for celebration. But at a certain point, overwhelming talent ceased to be a blessing and became a calamity.

Once stronger forces discovered him, they would either try to recruit him or eliminate him entirely. He posed far too much of a threat to leave unchecked.

This had to be kept a secret! The elders decided. No one could spread the news until the lord returned and gave his orders.

Before the thought could even settle, a sea of energy exploded from the crowd, followed by exhilarated murmurs.

"Hahaha... look! My skill just evolved by watching the lord’s breakthrough! I always knew I was a genius!"

"My Metallic Palm skill evolved twice... does that make me a supreme genius? Have the heavens finally recognized my talent?"

"Huh? My sword evolved by a whole tier. What is happening?"

As the elders watched this, they grew more troubled, considering telling the crowd to disperse before they connected the dots.

Only to be cut short as another chuckle tore from Graegor’s throat. He finally understood.

With such high talent, Ulric could have easily contained the energy to himself during the breakthrough, and nobody would have suspected a thing. But he didn’t. Meaning this wasn’t a mistake or chance. It was by his will.

"Hahaha... don’t you see? This is a parting gift from the lord. Make sure not to waste it!"