NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Sundering Bunt
The Incarnate sat down, panting hard.
His eyes didn’t leave the sight of his fallen opponent’s split head which oozed rotten juices and pungent, shrivelled fleshy bits.
He would have loved to celebrate his victory and rejoice in the fact that he was still alive, but his mind was still trying to process what it was fed.
What was this thing?
A walking corpse?
Even though the Incarnate hadn’t tried to initiate a conversation with Tenyen, it wasn’t because he hadn’t thought it would be possible.
He had imagined that conversing with the armoured figure would be pointless. If this was a Trial, one that was guaranteed to be immensely difficult, in fact, then there was probably no room for tea and biscuits. Besides, being used to the battlefield in his old life, the Incarnate wasn’t in a habit of trying to share a sentiment chat with a clear enemy. Usually, when opposing opponents went on long monologues, it was either to distract or to buy time anyway.
“So… what is this thing exactly?” the Demonling said as he poked the fallen creature. He had noticed that the armour it wore was different from Maestus’. Even though it was worn, it looked more… extravagant, meaning whoever it was that was wearing it wasn’t some common Knight.
Just as he wondered though…
[Well done! You have matched ‘Tenyen the Crusher’ against his renowned ‘Blasting Buck’!]
[You have received ‘Sundering Bunt’!]
The Incarnate shook and all his attention withdrew from the subject of the decaying enemy.
‘I received what?’
At once, the Demonling summoned the full glowing tablet to check. His mind was already speculating on what the information that had just been announced meant, and to his delight, it turned out he was right!
“I knew it!” he cried with a big smile.
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Kanva (Acquired Skill) :
>Sundering Bunt
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The Incarnate had earned his first Kanva!
He was so excited that he took several moments just to stare at the text before him while a replay of his fight repeated in his head.
“So, that’s what it meant by matching Tenyen in the same respect his skill empowers,” he said to himself. “That’s how I can acquire these supernatural powers – skills! All I have to do is confront an enemy in the same aspect whatever skill they have enhances their abilities.”
Tenyen’s Kanva – as the Incarnate discovered just now to be dubbed Blasting Buck – allowed him to reinforce his mace with whatever that silvery blue energy was, and launch a throw with it that was capable of daunting devastation. In all honesty, the Incarnate considered himself lucky to have survived that Kanva twice.
The first time, he survived because Tenyen was probably wary of him blocking it with the shield, and had thus sent it blasting where the Incarnate stood, dealing damage while also blinding him.
The second time, he only managed to escape death because he had been the one to fling his shield first before Tenyen could, and that had messed up the warrior’s aim. It was also for this reason that the Incarnate managed to receive a Kanva of his own.
He matched Tenyen against his Blasting Buck by throwing his shield. The trick to acquiring skills laid in not being afraid to face an enemy while they were at a clear advantage because of a specific supernatural ability.
In a way, it was a leap of faith. A clearly suicidal one.
The Incarnate rubbed his thigh, which was swelling.
‘Does it mean I have to kill them after matching them to gain their skill? If that’s the case…’
He looked at Tenyen’s corpse.
That wasn’t good. If he met a much stronger opponent, he was as good as dead, then!
‘Alright, alright. For now, let’s focus on this new Kanva,’ the Incarnate thought. He smacked his face. Strangely, the Kanva he received had a different name to the one Tenyen had.
He focused on the text, and just like when he first acquired the Valiant Subject’s Ward, the full details of Sundering Bunt were revealed.
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[Sundering Bunt | Grade Rare]
Infuses Spirit Essence into a weapon to maximize damage from both its finer features and a full power throw.
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Cost : 20 Spirit Essence units
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“Spirit Essence?” the Incarnate said with a thoughtful look. This was the first thing to draw his attention.
He turned to the poison green mace Tenyen had wielded and rose to go and grab it with a limp.
In his attempt to lift the mace, Incarnate ^8001 was shocked by how heavy it was. Without the Valiant Subject’s Ward’s attribute additions, he could barely lift it without a vein popping up on his forehead.
“How did he lift it so casually?”
The Demonling then went back to gazing at the tablet.
It was no mystery that the mechanic explained in Sundering Bunt’s description was the same Tenyen used when throwing the mace. Despite the different names, his skill and Blasting Buck were pretty much the same.
“That’s what it is, hmm? Spirit Essence,” the Incarnate said.
That silvery-blue coat he had seen which changed the presence of the enemy and burned when he touched it. That was Spirit Essence.
“I imagine that’s what I’m missing too.”
The unidentified quantity (???), the last attribute he was supposed to have, was probably Spirit Essence as well.
The thought of it made him feel inspired. To think he could also wield that.
Unfortunately for the Incarnate, he didn’t have any Spirit Essence yet.
“My new Kanva needs Spirit Essence. That makes sense. A supernatural ability should be fuelled by a supernatural energy. But since I don’t have any yet, does that mean… does that mean this Acquired Skill is worthless to me right now?”
All of a sudden, the Incarnate’s spirits turned glum.
He hoped that the tablet, which had begun to be splurgy with information would tell him how to acquire Spirit Essence, but there was nothing.
“Ah, I celebrated too soon. Just my luck, it’s even called Rare. Wait, what does this even mean?” the Incarnate questioned. He had seen the Grade tag, denoted in front of the Valiant Subject’s Ward, but it had been the least of his concerns two hours ago.
As soon as he wondered this openly…
[There are three grading systems that define the hierarchy of all supernatural phenomena within Bahathraden, Compound Demesne of Fallen Authorities]
[The first, pertaining to Equipment, rates in ascending order – General, Valuable, Potent, Marvel, Dynamic and Supreme]
[The second, pertaining to Kanva, rates in ascending order – Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Transcendent and Divine]
[The third, pertaining to Far Ji, rates in ascending order – Rare, Legendary and Divine]
The Incarnate’s eyes sparkled with wonder. So that’s how it was.
“I see. Then that must mean…” he began when goose bumps suddenly grew on his skin.
The Demonling didn’t wait for what it was that attracted the attention of his skin to pounce. He raised his shield and the mace, which became significantly lighter, and turned behind him.
‘What is it now?’ he thought, tense. At first, he heard soft growls that echoed within the crevice, and then, as he squinted, he saw two hulking beasts emerge from the plain path ahead.
Again, the Incarnate was compelled to wonder where they came from, quite like with Tenyen, but he kept his focus. The enemies this time, were not ones he could relate to in some way.
They were two, shaggy black and brown dogs.
They had long, erect ears and slim, narrow snouts. Their limbs were also slender, but not in any way lacking in intimidatory factor. The beasts shockingly reached up to the Incarnate’s chest at least, though the newly alive individual could have attested to the fact that these two canines were pretty much as tall as he was in his past life.
That was a frightening detail.
What was even more daunting than their height, however, was the fact that the two dogs looked as though they had died a long time ago. Their flesh and limbs remained intact, fresh even, but their faces were stained with maggots, their eye sockets hollow. A foul stench wafted from them, making the Demonling frown.
‘What is going on in this place? Why are corpses running around?’ he thought while doing his best to maintain a steady stance. The broken bones in his thigh protested.
The Incarnate’s composure held at first, but it faltered when he saw one of the dogs walk forth and point its snout in Tenyen’s direction.
It sniffed once, twice and when its large, sharp teeth showed from its mouth, the Incarnate knew he was in trouble.