Chapter 516: Alaric...A Monster In Human Form
"Anyone who accumulates enough super lives could potentially open a major path that their class doesn’t provide."
Alaric’s expression was grim.
"Yes."
Moon was silent for a long moment.
Then Alaric spoke again, his voice quiet but firm.
"Tell no one about this. The moment word gets out that super lives exist, every faction in the kingdom will hunt Supreme creatures with everything they have. Anyone known to possess super lives will become a target the size of the nation."
He looked at Moon directly.
"Do you understand?"
Moon nodded slowly.
The meaning behind Alaric’s words wasn’t lost on him. Killing humans transferred their entire life pool to the victor. Anyone known to possess super lives would become a walking treasure to anyone strong enough to take them. Factions, individuals, criminals, even allies. The temptation would be too great for most people to resist.
The currency he had been quietly hoarding was one that painted a target on his back permanently if anyone learned about it.
"I understand."
Alaric nodded.
"Good. I should let you rest. Tomorrow won’t be kind to anyone, and you’ll need some time for yourself. Stay sharp. Trust your instincts. And don’t die."
Moon’s lips curved upward.
"I’ll try."
Alaric nodded once, then turned to leave. His figure took two steps and lifted gently into the air, his cloak drifting in the night wind as he rose.
Then he stopped.
He looked back at Moon over his shoulder.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
Something flicked through the air toward Moon.
"Take this."
Moon caught it with his right hand, his fingers closing around something small and cool. He glanced at it.
His brows rose slightly. This wasn’t a casual gift.
"This is..."
"Wear it tomorrow. If something goes wrong, crush the crystal."
Moon looked up.
Alaric was already lifting higher into the sky.
"Be safe, Moon."
He nodded once, then vanished into the night, his form dissolving against the darkness.
Moon watched him go.
’An item that lets him fly without a skill. That alone is worth a fortune. And this pendant...’
He turned the pendant over in his fingers. He held it carefully and pulled it over his head, the chain settling against his collarbone beneath his jacket.
Moon looked up at the stars one last time, his mind already running through everything he had learned by speaking to the Light Sword Saint.
Then his eyes lingered on the system screen still hovering at the edge of his vision. The one he had activated as Alaric was departing.
[Class: Radiant Sword]
[Order: Second]
[Skills:
Swordsmanship II , Sharpness II ,
Sweeping Edge II , Light ,
Radiant Step II , Blade Aura II ,
Flash Draw II , Purifying Strike II ,
Dazzling Arc II , Luminous Guard II
Light Cleave ]
Moon stood frozen on the doorstep.
He stared at the list for a moment. He had delayed prying into Alaric’s skills for this very moment. He knew that it would be difficult to hide his reaction in-front of the sword saint.
A short, disbelieving laugh that escaped before he could stop it. The laugh was filled with both awe, and terror.
"What... a monster."
This was the first time Moon had ever seen a skill set like this.
His Eye of Truth had been with him for some time now. He had also been using his Class Slot skill ever since he awakened. He had used Eye of Truth on hundreds of people.
Mages. Warriors. Awakeners. Evolvers. Surpassers.
The lunatic assassin from the tournament. The pavilion spirit on the floating island. He had built up a frame of reference for what skill counts and skill rankings looked like at different levels of the world.
Nothing he had ever scanned came close to this.
"Eight Epic-Rank skills. One Rare. One Pseudo-Legendary" Moon counted them before shaking his head slowly.
A talented Evolver typically possessed only two or three skills, and among them, having even a single Epic-ranked skill was considered remarkable. The truly exceptional, the Surpassers, the prodigies, could wield as many as five skills, with one or even two reaching the Epic rank.
Even the Beastmaster Surpasser Moon had witnessed during the tournament, the one who had commanded the Elephantos, had possessed only two epic-rank skills.
Meanwhile, Alaric had eight.
And one of his skills sat at a tier Moon had only just learned existed an hour ago. A rank Alaric himself had described as far beyond Epic. A rank that changed the boundaries of what Second Order beings were supposed to be capable of.
The Light Sword Saint had earned every syllable of his title.
Moon let out a slow breath.
"As expected of the Light Sword Saint. I really underestimated him."
Moon shook his head wryly. He had expected himself to be surprised, but not to this extent.
He had been quietly proud of his own progress over the past few months. His ten filled acupoints. His True Elemental Physique. His purple lightning. His Weaponmaster. His Dual Wielding. His comprehension and his trump cards.
Standing on this doorstep now, looking at the skill set of Alaric, Moon understood with absolute clarity that he was still far from reaching his level.
He was a sparkle compared to a star. Alaric existed in a stratosphere Moon couldn’t even pretend to look at properly yet.
Despite having the ability to copy skills, and comprehended them. Moon just barely had more Epic-skills than Alaric did. It was terrifying to think about.
But that was fine. Comparison was the thief of joy, Moon knew that although Alaric was a once-in-a-millennium genius, he would still overtake him soon.
No matter how strong Alaric’s class was, once Moon reached the same Surpasser status, he would finally be able to copy Surpasser’ skills. Alaric’s skills would become his own.
Moon’s eyes hardened slightly.
The stars were there before his very eyes...and they could be reached.
He just had to keep climbing.
He turned away from the night sky and walked back into the house, closing the door softly behind him.
