Chapter 957: Seal of Ten Chakrams: Fourth Seal
The reason Izroth could maintain the high-level quality of the tunnel despite his seemingly abrupt growth in speed had to do with two things.
First off, he no longer focused on making distinct changes to the structures used to support the tunnel. Instead, he made every one of them uniform. And while this did not decrease the mana cost, it allowed Izroth to mass-produce them without giving any thought to adding unique properties.
Secondly, in the beginning, Izroth took things slowly so that he could become accustomed to the use of magic.
Since it was his first time using a purely magic-based skill, Izroth chose not to rush through it. He wanted to form a solid understanding of just how magic worked beyond the system's influence and enhance his own comprehension of magic, which revolved mostly around theories.
Now that he had achieved his goal, Izroth decided it was time to push his magic usage to the limit and attempt to unlock the fourth seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams.
'I can feel the shackles on the fourth seal loosening. My mana is also starting to grow restless, as if it's undergoing a great change. This odd sensation—is it also a part of the fourth seal?'
...
Several hours later...
Rmmmble... Crrrrck...!
Out of nowhere, a hole roughly two meters in diameter opened in the earth.
The following moment, two individuals emerged from the hole as it closed behind them, leaving no visible trace of its existence.
As for the two who stepped out of the earth, it was, of course, Izroth and Ranazera.
Right as Izroth left the underground tunnel, he received a series of alerts from the system.
〈System Alert: You have entered into the seventh kingdom, «Malentansium»!〉
〈System Alert: Warning, the kingdom «Malentansium» you have crossed into is hostile territory!〉
〈System Alert: You have entered into the «Netherly Shadow Fields»!〉
Although they were technically already in Malentansium the moment they crossed where the Cursed Grounds began, after burrowing so far underground, the system did not consider them to be within the confines of Malentansium itself. Therefore, upon leaving the underground tunnel, they were officially deemed as being in the seventh kingdom.
This meant that their chances of running into skounae or other hostile lifeforms would rise significantly.
'It may have been safer to travel through Malentansium underground; however, it's far too time-consuming.'
Izroth knew that if he continued to use Molding Earth as a means to travel, by the time they reached anywhere near the Night Lord's Crypt, the battle would have already long since ended!
Izroth's goal was to make sure they emerged far enough away from the Cursed Grounds to where there was no risk of them being affected by its curses. With that goal achieved, staying underground any longer would only unnecessarily prolong their journey.
'I've managed to improve the skill mastery of Molding Earth more than I anticipated. Still, it's quite far away from reaching a state of completion.'
During his time underground, Izroth was able to increase his skill mastery of Molding Earth to nearly 35%!
There was not much that changed about the skill; however, the one thing that made a huge difference was the boost to the amount of earth Izroth could freely manipulate.
Initially, it was 25 mana per 1 meter of earth, but after passing 25% skill mastery, it rose to 25 mana per 1.50 meters of earth—a 50% improvement!
Naturally, this helped in reaching their destination much faster than expected. However, the improvement to his Molding Earth skill was not the only thing that aided in the acceleration of their journey.
One of the shackles on the Seal of Ten Chakrams finally shattered, unlocking the fourth seal.
Skill Name: Seal of Ten Chakrams
Skill Creator: Kryxelsia
Skill Level: MAXED
Skill Rank: Unique*
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*->«Fourth Seal»: Creates an artificial mana pool in the user's body separate from their original mana pool. The user slowly absorbs mana from their surroundings [Current Absorption Rate: 2.50 mana per second] into the artificial mana pool and can use it as their own. In addition, the user's mana undergoes a minor evolution, allowing 15% of mana used from the user's original mana pool to be refunded. If the user's mana is below 50%, this effect is doubled to 30%. [Mana Stored: 386/5,000]
«Fifth Seal»-«Tenth Seal»: [Sealed]
Special Note: A technique created by Wiseman Kryxelsia after many years of research that draws out and taps into one's latent potential for magic.
The first three seals on the Seal of Ten Chakrams were certainly helpful in their own right; however, even if all three of the first seals were combined, they could still not compare to the fourth seal.
Not only did the fourth seal create an artificial mana pool within the user, but it also improved the overall quality of the mana in their body.
Although it was referred to as a minor evolution, the fourth seal greatly enhanced the quality of Izroth's mana. And, while the quantity of his mana remained untouched, he could clearly feel the changes to his mana pool.
Whenever he used mana, a portion of it was instantly recovered. This effectively eased the overall strain on his mana usage greatly.
Along with the out-of-combat mana regeneration provided by his skills Magic Fundamental Mastery and Breath of the Great Sea, even without the use of mana potions, Izroth could execute his Molding Earth skill indefinitely.
Needless to say, using mana potions allowed him to speed up the process. But, it no longer placed him at any risk whatsoever of receiving mana poisoning.
Of course, the true star of the fourth seal was its ability to create an artificial mana pool.
This artificial mana pool allowed Izroth to store up to 5,000 mana—that was nearly twice the amount of his own mana pool!
That being said, unlike his original mana pool, the artificial one provided by the fourth seal was unaffected by the likes of mana potions.
Izroth could only rely on the natural mana in the atmosphere to slowly recover the mana he used from his artificial mana pool.
Nevertheless, it was still a huge benefit and worked to solve one of his most pressing issues, which was having a limited amount of mana compared to his level.
'I have to say, the Wiseman gave me quite an interesting gift.'
The Seal of Ten Chakrams was a unique magic created by the Wiseman of Everpeak.
How deep did one's understanding of magic have to be to formulate a spell that could potentially turn even the most talentless of individuals into full-blown magic casters?
Even with his current knowledge regarding the foundations of magic itself, Izroth was not entirely sure that he could create a skill similar to the Seal of Ten Chakrams in a short span of time. After all, this went well beyond a solid comprehension of magic and stepped into a realm unknown to most.
'I have yet to unlock half the seals, yet it has already managed to reach such a stage. Speaking plainly, it can easily be compared to some S-ranked skills.'
As Izroth was in the middle of his thoughts, his gaze swept across the Netherly Shadow Fields as he carefully observed his surroundings.
If one were to view the land from the sky, one would see an expansive field-like landscape with a light purple mist that blanketed the entire area. However, despite the presence of the mist, one's eyesight was not obstructed.
Additionally, an unpleasant smell filled one's nostrils that resembled burning sulfur and gave those who inhaled it an unpleasant sensation.
But surprisingly, the land itself was far from desolate. It was filled with a reasonable amount of plant life as well as a flowing source of water; and, of course, various lifeforms.
Although Izroth checked to make sure the area was clear beforehand using his Energy Vision Sense, he still preferred to rely on his natural senses to survey the area.
'There are a few lifeforms lurking nearby, but they have yet to notice our presence.'
The lifeforms Izroth detected were not skounae but monsters that roamed the Netherly Shadow Fields.
In terms of strength, based on their aura alone, Izroth believed that they were equivalent to normal monsters between levels 40 to 45.
'Dealing with the monsters in this area won't be too much of a problem. That being said, if possible, I'd rather not risk attracting too much attention.'
In truth, Izroth was not too concerned about running into the skounae. Instead, it was more likely that he would run into other players. And, the kind of players venturing into level 40 to 45 hunting grounds were almost guaranteed to be a part of a mid-sized guild or higher.
More importantly, if those players were roaming freely in the Netherly Shadow Fields, they were probably on the same side of the war as Tempest and Malentansium.
When it came to players, especially those connected to a guild, information spread fast. If something unexpected were to occur and they attracted the wrong gazes, Izroth knew it would not be long before something troublesome arose.