Sylas stood in silence for a long while as the odd vacuum slowly settled down. However, it only took him a moment to realize something…
He was already involved in something much more dangerous.
The uneasy feeling was coming from the fact he felt that someone was trying to observe him. However, that feeling was much less sinister and oppressive than the feeling the crimson eye had given him.
Whoever it was helping the Dogons… they weren’t nearly on the same level as whoever was behind the Greed Seed.
Not even close.
When he thought of this, Sylas’ emotions settled down.
There was only one thing to consider in a situation like this one, and that was growing stronger.
The reason he had put the statue away this time instead of continuing to study it was twofold.
First, it would take time and the benefits were unlikely to be immediate. That said, there would no doubt be heavy long-term benefits.
And second… the reason why it wouldn’t be immediate was a bit troublesome to describe and it folded into several other issues.
Sylas hadn’t been there to hear Ragnar’s curses about the destruction of his tattoos, but he could make some guesses now.
There were only two ways to make use of these Runes, a temporary method and a permanent method. Both required a large amount of mental strength, but the former was especially taxing.
The temporary method involved forging the Runes mid-battle and infusing them into your flesh. This required a great deal of skill, and the consumption not only in the creation but in the sustaining of it would be astronomical.
By comparison, one could use treasures to create dyes that could make it more permanent.
Sylas hadn’t known about this method in the past, but after observing the statue, he noticed the presence of several vitality-rich dyes that were used to paint it. These dyes carried the air of Blood Essence, so they couldn’t have possibly been chosen casually. However, he also had a strong enough sense for Blood Essence to know that there were several other things mixed in.
Due to this, he made the deduction. However, he was certain that these things were likely to be very expensive.
He could get the Blood Essence himself through Extricate, which would definitely make the cost much cheaper than it was for Ragnar. But he would still need to buy the other stuff.
Sylas’ Rune Soul was already too heavily involved in his combat style for him to tack on yet another responsibility to it. His Wisdom would have to be at least a magnitude greater before he felt comfortable doing such a thing.
What was interesting was that the Dogons most definitely used the second method, but according to Nosphaleen, they were still hyper aware of the state of their stamina.
It was clear that Sylas was yet again an anomaly in this regard. Because he was pretty confident in using the second method with ease. However, that would take time to sort out.
He would also likely need to find Ragnar to figure out how the man had deduced the materials he needed for the Rune Ink.
Regardless, right now, Sylas had finally pivoted to something else that had been on his mind.
“Protect me.” Sylas said calmly.
Nosphaleen nodded, though she didn’t know what Sylas wanted to do. She was still surprised by how he managed to take the statue away. But at this point, she would just have to accept anything this monster did with open arms.
Sylas took a seat where the statue had once been and felt a great deal of energy surging into him.
It seemed that the Dogons weren’t completely careless with the statue. Part of the reason a vacuum had formed was because there was an underground network of Aether Stones feeding into it. He would definitely have to investigate that later.
But for now…
Sylas brought out the spider queen’s corpse.
—
[Path of the Mancer (Common) (Quest)]
[You have displayed a tenacious Will and a sharp intent for battle, but you are missing the final piece to your power. Following the Path of another is easy, following your own is much more difficult.]
[The word Mancer has a storied history, deeper than you know. There are many complex definitions but it can be boiled down to a single word: Control.]
[Open up the Path of the Mancer or die trying.]
—
[Common Reward Requirements]
[>Kill a Level 20 creature with the Ice-Poison Path of the Mancer]
OR
[>Kill a Level 20 creature with Ice Path of the Mancer]
[>Kill a Level 20 creature with Poison Path of the Mancer]
OR
[>Kill a Level 20 creature with compatible Path of the Mancer]
[>Find Common Evolution Stone]
—
There was just one thing that Sylas was missing. A so-called Common Evolution Stone. However…
—
[What is a Common Evolution Stone?]
[A Common Evolution Stone is similar to a Gene State Elixir. It warms up the body and allows it to be prepared for an overhaul. The process can be extremely painful. It is a method usually left to those not in an abundant State of Wealth or without Special Constitutions.]
—
The problem with this was that Quests were very particular. He had failed not long ago purely because he had overshot the request of a Quest. It would be hard to believe if he could undershoot it, even if his body was well-equipped.
If he had known that he would stumble into an opportunity like this, he would have tried to see if he could trade for one from the System City Nexus. Though, he probably would have run out of money anyway.
Sylas opened his eyes and shook his head. It was no good. It wasn’t allowing him to complete the Quest.
He could only sigh. He had expected as much, but he just wanted to try.
Just as he stood, ready to go and check out what he thought might be an Aether Stone mine below, there was a sudden rush of air and a split appeared in the skies.
Sylas’ eyes brightened.
A portal was forming!
It seemed that he would have his opportunity to trade for the Common Evolution Stone he needed quite soon.
