Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Esper Awakening
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"You’re an Esper as well?!"
"I... I am."
I remember now.
My grandfather is Earth’s strongest human Esper. My father is also an Esper who inherited his power. And I, of course, should have inherited that power as well.
This is my Psychic Power!
But what element is this?!
While my father wields White Void and my grandfather wields Gravity, this white light radiating from my hands feels strange—as if it is overwriting everything it touches. Even her Psychic Power began to weaken dramatically as the surroundings around me shifted through countless landscapes.
The Snowlands transformed into wastelands, volcanic fields, beaches, oceans, lakes, and swamps.
"W-What?!"
My eyes widened as I caught a glimpse of what my Psychic Power could truly do. It was not an illusion—the world was genuinely changing because of it.
"Reality Warping?! No way..."
No, it was something more complex.
Matter Manipulation.
That explained why my arm and all my wounds had healed the moment it activated. I was fairly certain no other Psychic Power could regenerate someone so easily. Most were strictly defensive or offensive. Those capable of healing were incredibly rare, usually tied to manipulating lifeforce, living matter, or cells.
But this ability could alter anything within range around me.
"ENOUGH!!!"
The Nightmare Beast Lord roared and charged at me, opting for physical combat. My Psychic Power surged to protect me, wrapping around my entire body, but it faltered and ultimately shattered.
Of course, I could not yet reach the level of true Esper Masters like my grandfather or father. Still, this power was more than enough to complement my other abilities.
After all, who said I could not combine my Esper Ability with Magic, my Soul Ability, and even weapons?
"Harmonious Chaos Reversal – Knife Throwing!"
This time, I unleashed one I had wanted to try for a while. The power of Knife Throwing was reversed and amplified, and what emerged was...
Instead of knives formed from my elemental energies and magic...
Swords and chains.
These blades, forged from all my elements—fire, ice, water, harmony, chaos, darkness, nightmares, and more—floated around me like loyal guardians.
"Chain Blade Dominion."
The name resonated in my mind. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I did not understand why Knife Throwing had reversed into such a power, but perhaps reversal did not simply create an opposite—it produced an enhanced, evolved form.
Nevertheless, a voice within me revealed the true nature of this new Reversed Skill.
Chain Blade Dominion: You can summon and control multiple floating blades or chains that orbit around you. These blades automatically attack nearby enemies or can be directed with high precision. They deal continuous cutting damage and can pull enemies toward you or restrain them.
I see. It truly was the opposite. Knife Throwing let me create knives using my elements, but this skill generated swords for me automatically. While I normally had to aim, this one targeted and attacked foes on its own.
It was perfectly reversed, even if it did not seem so at first!
"W-Wha...?!"
The Nightmare Beast Lord gasped as the elemental swords chased her down, piercing her body and binding her with chains. Her Psychic Power faltered as one of the blades piercing her was...
"It’s made of my Psychic Power?!"
I was shocked, but a fierce smile spread across my face. I rushed forward and smashed her face into the ground. Coating myself in Psychic Aura, along with my Harmony and Chaos Auras, I pressed the assault without pause.
We clashed across the snowscape, through mountains, and then crashed back into the Nightmare Nest—right where our battle had begun.
"DIE, YOU DAMN LIZARD!"
"I won’t!"
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Our fists collided endlessly, shattering the ground beneath us and sending cracks spiderwebbing throughout the entire Nightmare Nest. Nightmare Essence did not leak out—I devoured it all, fueling myself even further.
The blades moved with blinding speed, obeying my will as they slashed through her body and stabbed deep. They occasionally used their chains to block her strikes. She was no weakling, though; she could destroy every sword except the one forged from my Psychic Power, which relentlessly kept her suppressed.
"Paragon! Mongrel!"
I summoned them both and immediately used my Psychic Power to restore their bodies completely. I had more or less grasped its function. As I suspected, it was Matter Manipulation. By rearranging their molecules and infusing surplus energy from my own reserves, they healed far faster than any healing spell could manage.
"Uuuoohhh! What’s this power?!"
"...!"
Overflowing with newfound strength, they rejoined the fight at my side. Together we drove the Nightmare Beast Lord down, relentlessly tearing through her ethereal form. She screamed, forced entirely onto the defensive, desperately forging psychic barriers while pinned to the floor.
"How is this possible?! Just who are you?! How is the second dragon we meet already so strong?!"
"I am not stronger than my aunt, but I happen to wield everything you’re weak against!"
With a mighty roar, I gathered Psychic Energy, Harmony, and Chaos in my throat and released it all at once, blasting her ethereal body to smithereens.
"GAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Her agonizing scream echoed throughout the dungeon as her body disintegrated almost completely, leaving behind only her core—a large, crystallized flower with an eye at its center.
Ding!
[You have slain the {Nightmare Beast Lord – Plant Sovereign (Rank 9)}!]
[You have slain [Nightmare Plant Sentinels (Rank 7)] x153!]
[You have earned a massive amount of EXP!]
[Level Up!] ×10
[Your Dragon Path has Leveled Up from Level 53 to Level 71!]
[Your Chaos Demon Path has Leveled Up from Level 40 to Level 58!]
[Your Human Path has Leveled Up from Level 36 to Level 49!]
[Your Class has Leveled Up from Level 42 to Level 57!]
[All your Stats have increased.]
[You earned 49,000 Stat Points.]
[You have earned 1,121,000 System Points.]
[Congratulations, you have successfully Awakened as an Esper!]
[You have Awakened an [Esper Brain – Rank 1]. Cultivate your Esper Brain through Psychic Training, Meditation, Out-of-Body Experiences, and Mind-Nourishing Elixirs.]
[You Awakened the Esper Ability: [Matter Restructuration – Rank 1]!]
[Your Intelligence Stat has increased by 200,000.]
[Your Dexterity Stat has increased by 100,000.]
[Psychic Power is based on Spirit and Intelligence Stats. Psychic Manipulation is based on Mana and Dexterity Stats. Increase these stats for the best results!]
[Your Bonded Familiar: [Incarnation of the Spiral of Eternity: Paragon – Rank 3: Level 45/300] has Leveled Up to Level 61!]
[Your Bonded Familiar: [Incarnation of the Spiral of Eternity: Paragon – Rank 3: Level 61/300] has Awakened the Skill: [Eternal Blade Arts]!]
[Your Bonded Familiar: [Nightmare Vestige Spirit: Mongrel – Rank 1: Level 41/100] has Leveled Up to Level 57!]
[Your Bonded Familiar: [Nightmare Vestige Spirit: Mongrel – Rank 1: Level 57/100] has Awakened the Skill: [Nightmare Devour]!]
[Your Bonded Familiar: [System Administrator Spirit: Astraea – Rank 1: Level 37/100] has Leveled Up to Level 47!]
That was an incredible surge of growth—from multiple level-ups to the awakening of my Esper Brain and more. I had expected a new Stat like "Mind," but Intelligence seemed to cover it for now.
"I-Impo... ssible... this is... impossible..."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, I heard faint groans and mutters. I walked toward the source and found the crystallized core she had dropped, still whispering weakly on the ground.
"Y-You damn... dragon..."
She was somehow still alive, which left me stunned. No, she had died—I had felt the EXP from killing her. Yet this core retained a spark of life, perhaps existing as a separate entity. I could not fully understand it.
"That must be her core. Devour it, Master!" Mongrel urged.
"No..." I replied. "She’s going to become our subordinate. I like her. She has potential. And unlike that arrogant bat, she didn’t die even after all that... she’s resilient as hell."
"G-Guuhh?! W-What are you...! What are you doing?!"
She screamed and squirmed in my hands as I smirked, piercing her crystallized flower-like body with my soul. I refined her easily, overpowering her will.
"Gaaaaahhh! No! This can’t be happening— Aaaaggh!"
I forced a contract upon her, turning her into my Tamed Beast and Familiar.
"Welcome to the family! Um... Dryad! That’ll be your name."
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have successfully tamed the [Nightmare Tree Seedling: Dryad – Rank 1: Level 0/100]!]
[Your Soul has reached its Limit! Please Rank Up your Soul to tame more familiars or refine more soul treasures.]
I suppose that was my limit for now. She was Rank 1 as well. It seemed she had used some ability to resurrect as a tiny seedling. Why did she think that would save her? She was lucky I was merciful.
"W-What did you do to me?! What is this sensation?! It’s so horrible! Y-You’ve enslaved me?! Impossible! Impossibleeeeeee!"
She kept screaming and crying on the floor, tears of miasma falling from her single eye.
"Geez, enslavement?! I’m not that mean! This is just friendship. Right, Mongrel?" I asked with a kind smile.
"W-Well, this is sudden but... uh, it’s not so bad to have someone like me," Mongrel sighed. "But yeah, this is enslavement."
"It’s not!" I growled.
"..." For some reason, Paragon simply shook his head and shrugged.
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