Chapter 274: New skill
Refining a high-quality gemstone required a special potion.
Luke knew the formula, but its ingredients couldn’t be found anywhere near his village.
Fortunately, the gemstone in his hand was only C-grade.
For something of that quality, a simple refining potion and boiling water were more than enough.
He filled a clay pitcher with water and placed it over the fire.
Once the water reached a rolling boil, he carefully dropped the gemstone inside, followed by a vial of the refining potion.
The liquid hissed the moment the potion mixed with the boiling water.
Luke then moved the pitcher slightly away from the flames, allowing it to maintain the required temperature without overheating.
Now all he had to do was wait.
Given enough time, every impurity and toxin clinging to the gemstone would be cleansed away.
Simple and efficient.
As he waited, his gaze wandered through the quiet forest.
The moon was unusually bright tonight, bathing the woods in pale silver light and making the surrounding trees surprisingly easy to see.
Speaking of the moon...
"System, why couldn’t they see this?" Luke asked, staring at the faint shimmer covering the exposed parts of his skin.
Neither Laila nor the others had reacted to it.
He was certain they simply hadn’t noticed, but something this unusual shouldn’t have gone unnoticed for long.
His skin had become almost translucent, glowing with a subtle, ethereal radiance.
If he took off his clothes, he was fairly certain people would mistake him for a vampire... or perhaps an elf.
[Host, it is because everyone you have come into contact with possesses no usable essence of magic.]
Luke gave a thoughtful hum.
"So only those capable of using magic can see these changes? Then... did Synthia possess Gamma?"
[Just enough to survive, not enough to manipulate it freely. However, compared to an ordinary person, her Gamma count was still considerably higher.]
Luke nodded in understanding.
Every living person possessed Gamma.
The difference was that only those who had awakened a Gamma Pod could store it, manipulate it, and weave it into magic capable of performing superhuman feats.
’That’s actually a blessing.’
Looking like this in public would have attracted endless attention.
He much preferred that only a select few could perceive the change.
And those people, more often than not, wouldn’t find it strange enough to care.
Magic users often carried themselves with an air of superiority.
So Luke’s assumption wasn’t without reason.
Hiss.
Steam billowed from the pitcher.
Luke reached out without hesitation and flipped it over with his bare hand, taking full advantage of his absurd regeneration. A little heat meant nothing when his body could recover almost instantly.
The gemstone tumbled onto the ground, its surface noticeably clearer and brighter than before.
Luke picked it up and examined it with interest.
"What do you think?" he asked.
[It appears safe now, Host. Even so, it is advisable to keep a healing potion within reach.]
Luke nodded and summoned another vial from his inventory, gripping it in his left hand.
Even then, he couldn’t shake off his hesitation.
’System... what are the chances my condition will deteriorate?’
The last thing he wanted was to collapse in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by countless dangerous creatures.
Especially when there would be no one capable of protecting him and his family.
[Host, rest assured. Under the moonlight, not even a Grade A gemstone would be capable of harming you. And should something truly unexpected occur, the system will automatically purchase an appropriate recovery potion without requiring the host’s permission.]
Luke let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The system sounded completely confident.
That was enough for him.
Without another moment of hesitation, he tossed the gemstone into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The refined fragment was surprisingly soft, sliding effortlessly down his throat before settling in his stomach.
A heartbeat later, a faint burning sensation spread beneath his skin.
It felt as though countless tiny embers had been lit inside his body.
But before the heat could intensify, the moonlight washed over him.
The burning was instantly suppressed.
Not only did the discomfort disappear, but it never had the chance to grow into real pain.
Luke simply remained seated, calmly gazing at the night sky.
Honestly...
This moonlit form of his was nothing short of a cheat.
A few seconds later, two familiar notifications appeared before him.
[Ding! Host’s Gamma has increased significantly.]
[Ding! Host has awakened a skill.]
A grin spread across Luke’s face.
"Show me."
[Name: Death Scare]
[Rank: B]
[Description: A skill that allows the host to unleash a raw murderous gaze, forcing the target to witness their greatest nightmare reflected in the host’s eyes. The fewer the opponents, the stronger the effect.]
[Note: The skill’s effectiveness depends heavily on the target’s Intelligence. Any being with an Intelligence stat ten points higher than the host’s will be unaffected.]
[Note: Each use consumes 100G.]
"Damn..."
Luke couldn’t hide his excitement.
He had expected some kind of mental attack, but this was even better than he’d imagined.
Now he wanted to test it.
Immediately.
Without wasting another second, he placed a hand on the ground.
"<Echolocation>."
Ripples of perception spread through the earth.
Moments later, he sensed a lone creature making its way toward the campsite.
A grin tugged at his lips.
Luke rose to his feet, and within a second, his eyes locked onto the approaching tiger.
The beast halted as well.
It stared into the darkness, unaware that Luke had already found it.
Luke slowly took a single step forward.
The tiger responded with a low growl, muscles tensing as it bared its fangs. It was a seasoned predator, one that had ruled this part of the forest for years.
It had no reason to fear a lone human.
Luke’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Let’s see if you’re worth the hundred Gamma."
His eyes narrowed.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then the tiger froze.
Its pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The forest around it vanished.
In its place stood an endless sea of darkness.
Luke’s figure remained before it, but he was no longer human.
He had become an unfathomable horror.
A towering silhouette whose body dissolved into writhing shadows, with countless crimson eyes opening across its form. The air itself screamed as a pressure older than instinct descended upon the beast.
The tiger couldn’t breathe.
Forget about growling, it couldn’t even blink in horror.
Every survival instinct it possessed shrieked a single command.
Run.
Its legs gave out beneath it.
The massive predator collapsed onto its belly, trembling so violently that its claws dug deep into the soil.
"Gruuuu..."
A pitiful cry escaped its throat.
Its ears flattened against its head, and its tail tucked tightly between its legs.
Luke took another step.
The monster in the tiger’s vision took one as well.
The ground cracked.
The sky bled.
The countless eyes all fixed themselves upon the trembling beast.
The tiger let out a terrified yelp.
"AOOOUUUNGH!"
It sprang to its feet, turned around so quickly that it nearly rolled over itself, and bolted into the forest without looking back.
Branches snapped.
Bushes were crushed beneath its frantic escape.
Its desperate cries echoed through the night, growing fainter and fainter as it fled, sounding less like the roar of a king and more like the panicked sobbing of a hunted animal.
Luke watched it disappear into the darkness before the pressure around him faded.
The eerie crimson gleam left his eyes.
"..."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"That..."
"...was worth every point."
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