Chapter 46
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
After the year passed, it was time for Beta to choose. He had trained a lot like crazy, even to the point of reaching the third level of Beginner Elementalist and was about to proceed to become an Intermediate Elementalist in just a year and a half. With how fast he was improving, one would think that he must've only focused on his cultivation, little did everyone know, he also spent his nights on something else that he was interested in – countless experiments. But currently, he's caught in between a dilemma, whether he should stay at the academy or graduate early.
"Within the past year, many things happened. Besides going to the wilderness a few more times, I holed myself up in the academy, giving all of my energy to studies and research. It was really exciting for me as I met other races in the wilderness... There were men with scales and a long tongue, quite a peculiar species who used their tongues in ways I've never thought of. Then there was a girl from a nomad tribe with a bloodline that gives her Wood Elemental soulpower the ghost attribute which helped me once. I never thought that I'd need help from others but that was something new for me too… Plus her bloodline made me curious and want to experiment, too bad their tribe left right away after that short encounter. It was such a bummer, but someday, once I get stronger, I'll go looking for them again. The last and the most unexpected race I encountered were the elves. I really hope that I won't have to meet them again... I actually mistook them for a Wight at first... they are just too similar. Except, they have big, bulging eyes. Who was it that started a rumor that elves are the prettiest out of all the races? They were far from that! There really are weird people to think of such vile beasts as beautiful. It was such a shock for my young heart that it made me think right away that I should definitely get a heart transplant soon. Speaking of transplant… As for my experiments..." Once Beta got to this part, a happy smile surfaced on his face.
He had done many, many experiments in the last year. Beta had switched up several organs and once he was sure that he wouldn't fail with that, he slightly changed his targets. He hunted beasts in the wilderness and obtained their organs, which he then transplanted into humans. To get a truly superior body, beast parts shouldn't be neglected after all. Evolution has given humans many things to rely on, but it didn't cover every area.
The liver he got from the dog-like creature from Chugum's world for an example had a much higher detoxifying capability than a human one. Sure, soulpower was able to help in that aspect. But if you don't even have the need to use your soulpower to dispel different kind of poisons, you will be able to conserve a lot of energy and possibly even gain something from it.
There are several other organs nature has brought forth that could strengthen the human body and slowly create the perfect human being, if you can still call it that. Beta didn't mind becoming a bit inhuman on the inside, but he still preferred looking human from the outside. After all, it had quite a lot of advantages. But there was something that stood in his way for a long time before he was actually able to accomplish this feat. The subjects that were fitted with a beast organ, no matter which one, had a change in behavior. Beta just couldn't comprehend why that would happen. As long as the brain wasn't switched, there shouldn't be this kind of effect. But a few days ago, he found the answer.
Even low-level beasts have some sort of soulpower which was completely sucked dry by their bodies to let them grow strong before they, at some point, manage to have excess soulpower which they can use to attack. And due to the soulpower seeping into their organs, the new owners of the organs go crazy as a result. The clash between different kinds of soulpower created a sort of confusion within the subjects' psyche. At least, that was his theory. For now, he couldn't truly verify it, since he would need living beast samples for that to further conduct a more thorough cross experimentation.
As for his death elemental soulpower, Beta didn't manage to completely grasp it yet. He had experimented too much and several people had to die for it. He had gone overboard even to the point where it got hard to find bandits strolling at night. So far, he managed to explore how to make his targets rot slow or fast. His precision changed, as he was able to command his soulpower to only inflict damage to certain organs. It really frustrated him that he couldn't find out much more even after all the hard work he did. But at least he saw a ray of hope.
As he got closer to the Intermediate Elementalist level, he noticed some changes in his understanding about his death soulpower. He was almost certain that he would be able to learn more about it after progressing in his cultivation. Thus, he stressed that as something he needed to check again once he reached that point and proceeded with his other discoveries. Another factor he discovered that contributed to the changes he felt was killing. After he killed around ten bandits with his death element, he felt like he got a little stronger. Since he wasn't yet sure of it at first, only after another ten bandits died, did he confirm, the more he killed, the stronger he got. It was still a minuscule change at the moment but in the future, once he got stronger, if he were to kill a thousand people in a flash… just how much of an improvement would he get? Adding to that ridiculous assumption, there was still the issue of him lacking on how to be more efficient in the strengthening of his powers. The more mysteries he uncovered, the more it solidified the fact that his future possibilities were endless.
"I should stay for another year inside this school so that I won't be called a dropout or something. After all, I need a good record to have an outstanding recommendation once I head off to a higher tier of establishment for learning. Well, it's not like I have to stay in school the whole time anyway. Right now, I still need to search for a smithy and also kill Gepard to get his legs. It's about time for me to do some upgrades and gearing up, thus, I can't possibly pass on this opportunity. Also, there's that… I currently don't have the funds to travel far, and based on the map, I can see that the next bigger city is quite far away. Good thing I schemed ahead of time for an opportunity to get some money..."
As Beta planned, he had asked Gerald and the other kids to find something out about the noble that visits the orphanage. They discovered that it was someone who had the chance to be the heir of his family if the only blood-relative of the current master died. Beta was sure that there might be an accident to the current heir at some point, after which the person, who seemed to be called Martin, would rise in ranks. Gerald also talked to some kids of the orphanage and found out that the owners have certain relations to a few bandits around there.
Beta then connected the dots and figured out the conspiracy that was about to happen. That Martin was the best target that he couldn't wait to take advantage of. Extorting him should not be a problem as long as he catches him in the slums. If Beta had to go inside his house to talk to him, he probably wouldn't get through all the guards. He was a noble after all so, he'd rather avoid more complications and go for the easiest route – taking him down at the slums where it was deemed normal to experience secret dealings with a hint of danger. The only thing left for Beta to do was wait… Wait until the noble shows up again for him to finally make a move and strike.
On another note, within the past year, Beta read through a few rune books which he got from Chugum. He studied a bit and was able to complete several other runes that he didn't have before. It wasn't that hard for him to do as he had more time to practice repeatedly compared to back then. At some point, he applied his first set of runes in his hideout, and he wasn't stingy at all.
He combined the runes 'Limpyo', which means clean and 'Hangin', which means air, to create the function of cleaning the air. It sounds very simple, but to study how to properly combine runes took Beta several months of trial and error. After the air purifier rune was created, Beta closed up all of the ventilation holes, which were a serious flaw in his construction. He thought of it as something essential due to the location of his base, but with all the screams that happened in his hideout, it was quite troublesome for him to stop midway with his experiments to deal with curious strays which all ended up as his potential subjects.
Next, he used 'Suga' to create a source of light. Working with torches all the time had implicated Beta, as the light just wasn't as bright as he'd like it to be and the constant replacing of torches was too troublesome as well. Beta also hardened the walls with 'Gahi', so that no one would be able to even try to dig their way out, and his operation tables were applied with 'Limpyo', 'Dugo' and 'Suyop' to keep them clean from spilled blood. The uses of runes were really convenient for these kinds of things.
One thing they all had in common though, was the need for soulpower. That means every single rune he made, also had 'Kalahum', which means soulpower, and 'Suyop', which means absorb, in it. Like that, all of the runes became self-sustained just like how Beta wanted it to be. Considering that the hideout consisted completely of dirt, one must say that it was probably the cleanest and most advanced place in the whole city after he added the runes to it. But sadly 'Tago', meaning hide, made sure that no one would ever know about that.
After he finished setting up his hideout, Beta was very satisfied. On one side, he really loved the magical effects of runes, but on the other hand... he hated studying it. Memorizing tens, or even hundreds of labyrinth-like lines of runes, to the point where you see them in your sleep was simply too boring. It wasn't only once that he got a headache from seeing too many labyrinths. And the combination of these runes was even worse. The fusion of two runes wasn't as simple as writing them next to each other. It was necessary to blend them without losing their meaning. Therefore, he couldn't help but hate the process of learning and yet be happy with the result.
If he knew that what he did in months took others tens of years to master, Beta would probably have his mouth wide open. He was already dissatisfied after studying it for only a few months, just how bad must it be for someone who does it for years? It was indeed fortunate that he didn't know of that, otherwise, he might even slow down to settle for what was considered a normal pace.
Beta then stopped thinking about trivial things. He really did have quite an eventful year while living in the academy. He learned and gained a lot, whether for his advancement or his relationship with his friends. Speaking about his friends, he shook his head and finally left his room. Brian and Domian were waiting there for him as usual.
"Let's go to class!"
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
After the year passed, it was time for Beta to choose. He had trained a lot like crazy, even to the point of reaching the third level of Beginner Elementalist and was about to proceed to become an Intermediate Elementalist in just a year and a half. With how fast he was improving, one would think that he must've only focused on his cultivation, little did everyone know, he also spent his nights on something else that he was interested in – countless experiments. But currently, he's caught in between a dilemma, whether he should stay at the academy or graduate early.
"Within the past year, many things happened. Besides going to the wilderness a few more times, I holed myself up in the academy, giving all of my energy to studies and research. It was really exciting for me as I met other races in the wilderness... There were men with scales and a long tongue, quite a peculiar species who used their tongues in ways I've never thought of. Then there was a girl from a nomad tribe with a bloodline that gives her Wood Elemental soulpower the ghost attribute which helped me once. I never thought that I'd need help from others but that was something new for me too… Plus her bloodline made me curious and want to experiment, too bad their tribe left right away after that short encounter. It was such a bummer, but someday, once I get stronger, I'll go looking for them again. The last and the most unexpected race I encountered were the elves. I really hope that I won't have to meet them again... I actually mistook them for a Wight at first... they are just too similar. Except, they have big, bulging eyes. Who was it that started a rumor that elves are the prettiest out of all the races? They were far from that! There really are weird people to think of such vile beasts as beautiful. It was such a shock for my young heart that it made me think right away that I should definitely get a heart transplant soon. Speaking of transplant… As for my experiments..." Once Beta got to this part, a happy smile surfaced on his face.
He had done many, many experiments in the last year. Beta had switched up several organs and once he was sure that he wouldn't fail with that, he slightly changed his targets. He hunted beasts in the wilderness and obtained their organs, which he then transplanted into humans. To get a truly superior body, beast parts shouldn't be neglected after all. Evolution has given humans many things to rely on, but it didn't cover every area.
The liver he got from the dog-like creature from Chugum's world for an example had a much higher detoxifying capability than a human one. Sure, soulpower was able to help in that aspect. But if you don't even have the need to use your soulpower to dispel different kind of poisons, you will be able to conserve a lot of energy and possibly even gain something from it.
There are several other organs nature has brought forth that could strengthen the human body and slowly create the perfect human being, if you can still call it that. Beta didn't mind becoming a bit inhuman on the inside, but he still preferred looking human from the outside. After all, it had quite a lot of advantages. But there was something that stood in his way for a long time before he was actually able to accomplish this feat. The subjects that were fitted with a beast organ, no matter which one, had a change in behavior. Beta just couldn't comprehend why that would happen. As long as the brain wasn't switched, there shouldn't be this kind of effect. But a few days ago, he found the answer.
Even low-level beasts have some sort of soulpower which was completely sucked dry by their bodies to let them grow strong before they, at some point, manage to have excess soulpower which they can use to attack. And due to the soulpower seeping into their organs, the new owners of the organs go crazy as a result. The clash between different kinds of soulpower created a sort of confusion within the subjects' psyche. At least, that was his theory. For now, he couldn't truly verify it, since he would need living beast samples for that to further conduct a more thorough cross experimentation.
As for his death elemental soulpower, Beta didn't manage to completely grasp it yet. He had experimented too much and several people had to die for it. He had gone overboard even to the point where it got hard to find bandits strolling at night. So far, he managed to explore how to make his targets rot slow or fast. His precision changed, as he was able to command his soulpower to only inflict damage to certain organs. It really frustrated him that he couldn't find out much more even after all the hard work he did. But at least he saw a ray of hope.
As he got closer to the Intermediate Elementalist level, he noticed some changes in his understanding about his death soulpower. He was almost certain that he would be able to learn more about it after progressing in his cultivation. Thus, he stressed that as something he needed to check again once he reached that point and proceeded with his other discoveries. Another factor he discovered that contributed to the changes he felt was killing. After he killed around ten bandits with his death element, he felt like he got a little stronger. Since he wasn't yet sure of it at first, only after another ten bandits died, did he confirm, the more he killed, the stronger he got. It was still a minuscule change at the moment but in the future, once he got stronger, if he were to kill a thousand people in a flash… just how much of an improvement would he get? Adding to that ridiculous assumption, there was still the issue of him lacking on how to be more efficient in the strengthening of his powers. The more mysteries he uncovered, the more it solidified the fact that his future possibilities were endless.
"I should stay for another year inside this school so that I won't be called a dropout or something. After all, I need a good record to have an outstanding recommendation once I head off to a higher tier of establishment for learning. Well, it's not like I have to stay in school the whole time anyway. Right now, I still need to search for a smithy and also kill Gepard to get his legs. It's about time for me to do some upgrades and gearing up, thus, I can't possibly pass on this opportunity. Also, there's that… I currently don't have the funds to travel far, and based on the map, I can see that the next bigger city is quite far away. Good thing I schemed ahead of time for an opportunity to get some money..."
As Beta planned, he had asked Gerald and the other kids to find something out about the noble that visits the orphanage. They discovered that it was someone who had the chance to be the heir of his family if the only blood-relative of the current master died. Beta was sure that there might be an accident to the current heir at some point, after which the person, who seemed to be called Martin, would rise in ranks. Gerald also talked to some kids of the orphanage and found out that the owners have certain relations to a few bandits around there.
Beta then connected the dots and figured out the conspiracy that was about to happen. That Martin was the best target that he couldn't wait to take advantage of. Extorting him should not be a problem as long as he catches him in the slums. If Beta had to go inside his house to talk to him, he probably wouldn't get through all the guards. He was a noble after all so, he'd rather avoid more complications and go for the easiest route – taking him down at the slums where it was deemed normal to experience secret dealings with a hint of danger. The only thing left for Beta to do was wait… Wait until the noble shows up again for him to finally make a move and strike.
On another note, within the past year, Beta read through a few rune books which he got from Chugum. He studied a bit and was able to complete several other runes that he didn't have before. It wasn't that hard for him to do as he had more time to practice repeatedly compared to back then. At some point, he applied his first set of runes in his hideout, and he wasn't stingy at all.
He combined the runes 'Limpyo', which means clean and 'Hangin', which means air, to create the function of cleaning the air. It sounds very simple, but to study how to properly combine runes took Beta several months of trial and error. After the air purifier rune was created, Beta closed up all of the ventilation holes, which were a serious flaw in his construction. He thought of it as something essential due to the location of his base, but with all the screams that happened in his hideout, it was quite troublesome for him to stop midway with his experiments to deal with curious strays which all ended up as his potential subjects.
Next, he used 'Suga' to create a source of light. Working with torches all the time had implicated Beta, as the light just wasn't as bright as he'd like it to be and the constant replacing of torches was too troublesome as well. Beta also hardened the walls with 'Gahi', so that no one would be able to even try to dig their way out, and his operation tables were applied with 'Limpyo', 'Dugo' and 'Suyop' to keep them clean from spilled blood. The uses of runes were really convenient for these kinds of things.
One thing they all had in common though, was the need for soulpower. That means every single rune he made, also had 'Kalahum', which means soulpower, and 'Suyop', which means absorb, in it. Like that, all of the runes became self-sustained just like how Beta wanted it to be. Considering that the hideout consisted completely of dirt, one must say that it was probably the cleanest and most advanced place in the whole city after he added the runes to it. But sadly 'Tago', meaning hide, made sure that no one would ever know about that.
After he finished setting up his hideout, Beta was very satisfied. On one side, he really loved the magical effects of runes, but on the other hand... he hated studying it. Memorizing tens, or even hundreds of labyrinth-like lines of runes, to the point where you see them in your sleep was simply too boring. It wasn't only once that he got a headache from seeing too many labyrinths. And the combination of these runes was even worse. The fusion of two runes wasn't as simple as writing them next to each other. It was necessary to blend them without losing their meaning. Therefore, he couldn't help but hate the process of learning and yet be happy with the result.
If he knew that what he did in months took others tens of years to master, Beta would probably have his mouth wide open. He was already dissatisfied after studying it for only a few months, just how bad must it be for someone who does it for years? It was indeed fortunate that he didn't know of that, otherwise, he might even slow down to settle for what was considered a normal pace.
Beta then stopped thinking about trivial things. He really did have quite an eventful year while living in the academy. He learned and gained a lot, whether for his advancement or his relationship with his friends. Speaking about his friends, he shook his head and finally left his room. Brian and Domian were waiting there for him as usual.
"Let's go to class!"
After the year passed, it was time for Beta to choose. He had trained a lot like crazy, even to the point of reaching the third level of Beginner Elementalist and was about to proceed to become an Intermediate Elementalist in just a year and a half. With how fast he was improving, one would think that he must've only focused on his cultivation, little did everyone know, he also spent his nights on something else that he was interested in countless experiments. But currently, he's caught in between a dilemma, whether he should stay at the academy or graduate early."Within the past year, many things happened. Besides going to the wilderness a few more times, I holed myself up in the academy, giving all of my energy to studies and research. It was really exciting for me as I met other races in the wilderness... There were men with scales and a long tongue, quite a peculiar species who used their tongues in ways I've never thought of. Then there was a girl from a nomad tribe with a bloodline that gives her Wood Elemental soulpower the ghost attribute which helped me once. I never thought that I'd need help from others but that was something new for me too Plus her bloodline made me curious and want to experiment, too bad their tribe left right away after that short encounter. It was such a bummer, but someday, once I get stronger, I'll go looking for them again. The last and the most unexpected race I encountered were the elves. I really hope that I won't have to meet them again... I actually mistook them for a Wight at first... they are just too similar. Except, they have big, bulging eyes. Who was it that started a rumor that elves are the prettiest out of all the races? They were far from that! There really are weird people to think of such vile beasts as beautiful. It was such a shock for my young heart that it made me think right away that I should definitely get a heart transplant soon. Speaking of transplant As for my experiments..." Once Beta got to this part, a happy smile surfaced on his face.He had done many, many experiments in the last year. Beta had switched up several organs and once he was sure that he wouldn't fail with that, he slightly changed his targets. He hunted beasts in the wilderness and obtained their organs, which he then transplanted into humans. To get a truly superior body, beast parts shouldn't be neglected after all. Evolution has given humans many things to rely on, but it didn't cover every area.The liver he got from the dog-like creature from Chugum's world for an example had a much higher detoxifying capability than a human one. Sure, soulpower was able to help in that aspect. But if you don't even have the need to use your soulpower to dispel different kind of poisons, you will be able to conserve a lot of energy and possibly even gain something from it.There are several other organs nature has brought forth that could strengthen the human body and slowly create the perfect human being, if you can still call it that. Beta didn't mind becoming a bit inhuman on the inside, but he still preferred looking human from the outside. After all, it had quite a lot of advantages. But there was something that stood in his way for a long time before he was actually able to accomplish this feat. The subjects that were fitted with a beast organ, no matter which one, had a change in behavior. Beta just couldn't comprehend why that would happen. As long as the brain wasn't switched, there shouldn't be this kind of effect. But a few days ago, he found the answer.Even low-level beasts have some sort of soulpower which was completely sucked dry by their bodies to let them grow strong before they, at some point, manage to have excess soulpower which they can use to attack. And due to the soulpower seeping into their organs, the new owners of the organs go crazy as a result. The clash between different kinds of soulpower created a sort of confusion within the subjects' psyche. At least, that was his theory. For now, he couldn't truly verify it, since he would need living beast samples for that to further conduct a more thorough cross experimentation.As for his death elemental soulpower, Beta didn't manage to completely grasp it yet. He had experimented too much and several people had to die for it. He had gone overboard even to the point where it got hard to find bandits strolling at night. So far, he managed to explore how to make his targets rot slow or fast. His precision changed, as he was able to command his soulpower to only inflict damage to certain organs. It really frustrated him that he couldn't find out much more even after all the hard work he did. But at least he saw a ray of hope.As he got closer to the Intermediate Elementalist level, he noticed some changes in his understanding about his death soulpower. He was almost certain that he would be able to learn more about it after progressing in his cultivation. Thus, he stressed that as something he needed to check again once he reached that point and proceeded with his other discoveries. Another factor he discovered that contributed to the changes he felt was killing. After he killed around ten bandits with his death element, he felt like he got a little stronger. Since he wasn't yet sure of it at first, only after another ten bandits died, did he confirm, the more he killed, the stronger he got. It was still a minuscule change at the moment but in the future, once he got stronger, if he were to kill a thousand people in a flash just how much of an improvement would he get? Adding to that ridiculous assumption, there was still the issue of him lacking on how to be more efficient in the strengthening of his powers. The more mysteries he uncovered, the more it solidified the fact that his future possibilities were endless."I should stay for another year inside this school so that I won't be called a dropout or something. After all, I need a good record to have an outstanding recommendation once I head off to a higher tier of establishment for learning. Well, it's not like I have to stay in school the whole time anyway. Right now, I still need to search for a smithy and also kill Gepard to get his legs. It's about time for me to do some upgrades and gearing up, thus, I can't possibly pass on this opportunity. Also, there's that I currently don't have the funds to travel far, and based on the map, I can see that the next bigger city is quite far away. Good thing I schemed ahead of time for an opportunity to get some money..."As Beta planned, he had asked Gerald and the other kids to find something out about the noble that visits the orphanage. They discovered that it was someone who had the chance to be the heir of his family if the only blood-relative of the current master died. Beta was sure that there might be an accident to the current heir at some point, after which the person, who seemed to be called Martin, would rise in ranks. Gerald also talked to some kids of the orphanage and found out that the owners have certain relations to a few bandits around there.Beta then connected the dots and figured out the conspiracy that was about to happen. That Martin was the best target that he couldn't wait to take advantage of. Extorting him should not be a problem as long as he catches him in the slums. If Beta had to go inside his house to talk to him, he probably wouldn't get through all the guards. He was a noble after all so, he'd rather avoid more complications and go for the easiest route taking him down at the slums where it was deemed normal to experience secret dealings with a hint of danger. The only thing left for Beta to do was wait Wait until the noble shows up again for him to finally make a move and strike.On another note, within the past year, Beta read through a few rune books which he got from Chugum. He studied a bit and was able to complete several other runes that he didn't have before. It wasn't that hard for him to do as he had more time to practice repeatedly compared to back then. At some point, he applied his first set of runes in his hideout, and he wasn't stingy at all.He combined the runes 'Limpyo', which means clean and 'Hangin', which means air, to create the function of cleaning the air. It sounds very simple, but to study how to properly combine runes took Beta several months of trial and error. After the air purifier rune was created, Beta closed up all of the ventilation holes, which were a serious flaw in his construction. He thought of it as something essential due to the location of his base, but with all the screams that happened in his hideout, it was quite troublesome for him to stop midway with his experiments to deal with curious strays which all ended up as his potential subjects.Next, he used 'Suga' to create a source of light. Working with torches all the time had implicated Beta, as the light just wasn't as bright as he'd like it to be and the constant replacing of torches was too troublesome as well. Beta also hardened the walls with 'Gahi', so that no one would be able to even try to dig their way out, and his operation tables were applied with 'Limpyo', 'Dugo' and 'Suyop' to keep them clean from spilled blood. The uses of runes were really convenient for these kinds of things.One thing they all had in common though, was the need for soulpower. That means every single rune he made, also had 'Kalahum', which means soulpower, and 'Suyop', which means absorb, in it. Like that, all of the runes became self-sustained just like how Beta wanted it to be. Considering that the hideout consisted completely of dirt, one must say that it was probably the cleanest and most advanced place in the whole city after he added the runes to it. But sadly 'Tago', meaning hide, made sure that no one would ever know about that.After he finished setting up his hideout, Beta was very satisfied. On one side, he really loved the magical effects of runes, but on the other hand... he hated studying it. Memorizing tens, or even hundreds of labyrinth-like lines of runes, to the point where you see them in your sleep was simply too boring. It wasn't only once that he got a headache from seeing too many labyrinths. And the combination of these runes was even worse. The fusion of two runes wasn't as simple as writing them next to each other. It was necessary to blend them without losing their meaning. Therefore, he couldn't help but hate the process of learning and yet be happy with the result.If he knew that what he did in months took others tens of years to master, Beta would probably have his mouth wide open. He was already dissatisfied after studying it for only a few months, just how bad must it be for someone who does it for years? It was indeed fortunate that he didn't know of that, otherwise, he might even slow down to settle for what was considered a normal pace.Beta then stopped thinking about trivial things. He really did have quite an eventful year while living in the academy. He learned and gained a lot, whether for his advancement or his relationship with his friends. Speaking about his friends, he shook his head and finally left his room. Brian and Domian were waiting there for him as usual."Let's go to class!"
