Chapter 16: Chapter 16. Original Powers

[Original Force Recovery Process Activated...]

[Error... ]

[Error... ]

[The otherworldly energy has been detected in your body.  Extensive damage to body and soul detected... ]

[Forced activation of Original Powers.  Partial recovery is available...]

[Original Powers - Sargon's Laws Unlocked!]

[Please choose one of the two Laws available...]

[Laws of Influence.

(Level 1) Description: Touching any living creature allows you to affect the target's physical body. Any word you say is a law.

Limitations: The success of this Law depends on the rank of the opponent and the current rank of the user. The more complex and influential the order, the more golden energy is consumed. ]

[Law of Creation.

(Level 1) Description: Touching an object allows you to create an absolute copy of it.  The copy's existence is temporary.

Limitations: The success of copying depends on the complexity of the affected object, as well as the amount of available golden energy. ]

Arthur massaged his temples.  When the adrenaline from the battle dried up, he felt unbearable fatigue.  His head was barely working, and his thoughts had no desire to take on a sensible human form.

- What? What is it?  - The boy's blunt questions and blank stare seemed to piss off the little spider. Selina Two climbed onto his cheek and poked him with her mechanical paw.

- Ouch... Stupid spider... though, thanks...I don't know what to choose here, the first powers certainly sound much cooler and incomprehensible at the same time. Hey System, what do you mean orders?  Can I command someone else's body?

[This action is not available at the current level. You can affect the target's physical body. Parts of his body, or organs.  For example, you can turn off your opponent's vision just by giving a voice command.]

- Did you hear that, Selina? I'll be cooler than Eric now... - he laughed a fake villainous laugh.

- Mmm... do I have to touch my opponent when I do that?

[Yes!]

- Well, that complicates things considerably...  In any case, I choose this option. The law of creation... Compared to the first option, it sounds extremely dull...

[You choose the Law of Influence?]

- Yes, System.

[Forced activation of the Original Powers has begun...]

Scream!

Arthur fell to his knees. He felt an incomparable pain. It was as if he was being torn apart, his insides twisted.

The pain made him gnaw at the ground. His blood was boiling.  Arthur felt new energy arise in his body. He could only understand this because not long ago he had learned to perceive another energy of this world - mana.

It seemed to him that the new energy was much thicker and denser. It flowed through his blood vessels toward the center of his chest.

Arthur clenched his teeth, his body shaking so that he looked like a worm dancing in the grass.

All the energy in his body began to concentrate in one place.  It thickened and crystallized.

- Aaaaahhhh...  - The guy couldn't hold back a scream as the process reached its climax.

A new semi-solid semi-energetic organ formed in his body next to his heart.

[Congratulations! The creation of the Ethereal Heart has been successfully completed.  The golden energy is available for use! ]

Selina Two crawled over to Arthur lying on the ground and examined him carefully with her red eyes.

The boy wasn't moving. He had simply run out of energy. Though even after all the pain he had suffered and the wounds he had not even had time to heal, he was surprisingly still able to remain conscious.

- I'm fine...  I'll just take a healing potion.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a medium-sized bottle.  Then in a big gulp, he drank it all down.

- So...  what's changed, other than the fact that I've been turned inside out?  Why do I need the Ethereal Heart?  Could I use it instead of the mana core?

[The golden energy of the Ethereal Heart can be called recycled mana.  So the answer to your question - Mana Core is vital to the proper use of the Ethereal Heart and Original powers.  However, you can also use external mana, from beast core mana or just mana stones.  ]

Arthur closed his eyes. He was in trouble again. 

- Okay, maybe it's not as cheat-able as I thought it would be, but I guess if it's only level 1 it'll get better...  Hey, Selina, come here. We have to try out our new abilities.

Arthur activated [Path of Fear] and walked carefully through the forest, avoiding dangerous monsters.

It took about half an hour before the energy of the seal told him there was a suitable mana beast nearby.  He'd obviously chosen the weakest G rank to test its strength.

- Oh, old friend, -Arthur grinned as he saw one of the previously slain monsters ahead.  Because of his strange figure and resemblance to a famous creature from Earth, he called it Gremlin

The one-eyed creature, much to the boy's relief, was busy minding its own business.  It was sharpening its razor-sharp claws on the corner of some boulder.

- Selina, try to get closer. Repeat your miracle blow to the eyes. We need to immobilize him, but not kill him yet...

Victory this time was pretty easy.  Arthur stealthily managed to sneak as close to his target as possible, and then hit him in the leg with one shot. 

However, Selina did not show the same precision this time, her [Energy Blow] only cut the creature's cheek. Though, that was enough.

The gremlin, bleeding and missing its other leg as well, hissed at Arthur, brimming with bloodlust.  The boy got goosebumps from the amount of anger and hatred directed toward him.

But the experiment required guinea pigs... Well, or gremlins.

- So, I have to touch him, right...? and give a command to his body?  Okay, then... cardiac arrest! - Arthur said, holding his hand over the totally immobile monster.

But...

- So?  No effect... it's still alive, and it still wants to kill me.  What's wrong?  Let's keep it simple, then.  Go blind!

The gremlin raised its head at Arthur's cry and looked straight in the face with gritted teeth.

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- He can see me... Damn it.  The system, why isn't it working?

[To be able to use the Law of Influence, you must invoke the name of Sargon.]

- Who? - He scratched his head in bewilderment.

[Sargon is the first god to completely subdue the Will of the World.  The only god to break out of his dimension. Part of his power is granted to you, so you must speak in his name. ]

- On his behalf?  Mmm...

Arthur paced in circles around the defeated mana beast, wondering what that meant. He stopped, gathered more air into his lungs, and tentatively leaned toward his foe again.

- Well... In Sargon's name: Go blind!

This time for a split second you could see the gremlin's pupils roll back... But they returned to normal immediately.

Arthur, on the other hand, seemed to be more severely affected. He felt dizzy and could hardly stand on his feet.

- The energy... Was it this new energy?  The system called it Golden? I'm sure it definitely left my body and headed in the direction of the nasty creature... but that's it? All my new energy was enough for just a moment of vision loss?

[Your Ethereal heart is now very small and cannot hold much volume.  The order you gave required a significant amount of energy.  Remember, the greater the overall effect your team has on the opponent's body, the more consumption follows. ]

Arthur wanted to continue his inquiries while the system willed so vigorously to respond.  But suddenly a lump came to his throat, and breathing became so damn difficult.  And the next moment, something seemed to burst deep inside him and a violent, painful cough began to torment his body.

The smelly, slimy substance fell in large clumps onto the grass, turning it from green to black. 

Arthur reached for his bag.  He hurried to find a small vial of Black Tear, the medicine he had been drinking every day since his transmigration. Sophia and Elia had taken meticulous care of his health and had annoyingly reminded him of the problems that would occur if he stopped taking it.

But the guy still wasn't used to its bitter nasty taste, plus the busy day of hunting had completely made him forget about the problem. 

- Arno, you little bastard... What is this disease?  I've read all your documents, there are only general words without any specifics... Is it because of this disease that the system said my body and soul are damaged?  What a shit... - cursed Arthur. His one trip to the hunt had already made him yell and curse everything around him so many times that he'd lost count.

Arthur stood up and shook the dust from his clothes.  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the expression on the face of the gremlin who was still awaiting his fate. It was as if it were enjoying the torment of his foe.

- Just wait, you filthy creature... I'm going to get to you soon... Believe me, you're going to get a lot worse.

The mana stones and the mana core of the beast, are two items much alike in function but different in volume and application. Both crystalline objects were mana storage.

This was important information.  For Arthur remembered the system's words that the Ethereal Heart requires mana and not necessarily his own.

A couple of hours ago he had just killed some mana beasts and extracted 3 mana cores.  One F rank and two G ranks. Unfortunately, there were also no mana cores in the two monster bodies.

Arthur took the cold touch ball in his hands and closed his eyes.  He wanted to try this time not just to get Mana out from the inside, but to absorb it as well.

It surprisingly didn't take long.  The former body owner's [Manipulation of Mana] high-level skill was very useful now.

The cool energy passed through his palm and traveled further up his arm toward his chest.  Arthur controlled it himself, and it obediently obeyed. He stretched it out, turning it into a thin line, and sent it straight to the Ethereal Heart.

A slight burning sensation began in his chest as if he had laid down on a warm stove. Arthur didn't even have to check with the system. He could tell for certain that it was a success. 

His second heart grew slightly in size and glowed goldenly. Inside, mana from the core was absorbed and slowly transformed into golden energy.

- So the recycling wasn't going on a 1-to-1 scenario?  Of all the mana I channeled into the core, only 10% became gold energy. What a terrible exchange rate.

After absorbing all three mana stones, Arthur felt the same condition as when he was overeating. His Ethereal Heart was almost full, mostly thanks to the mana core of an F ranked beast.

He examined his guinea pig, wondering what uncomplicated order he could give to verify exactly how this new power worked without wasting all the golden energy at once.

- In Sargon's Name: Explosion of the blood vessels.

The golden energy quickly flowed through his palm and into the gremlin's body. The blood flooded the beast's only yellow eye, causing it to hiss in horror at Arthur.

- Such an easy order does work. Sure, it doesn't do much good, but it's at least a success. And what's more, I've only lost about 10% of my gold energy...

Despite what he said, there was no shadow of joy on the guy's face.

- But that's insane... How can I touch the enemy during combat?  In a world with firearms and fireballs... What's more, do I have to say this whole long phrase every time? Unless I can find another way, this power will be completely useless.

The idea came to him completely out of the blue.  Since all he did was transfer energy through his palm, couldn't he do the same thing just by sending a thread of mana?

He tried releasing the golden energy from his body and turning it just like normal mana into a thin line. But it turned out to be an incredibly difficult task.

It took him two whole hours of agonizing attempts and all he achieved was a thread no longer than 30 centimeters long.

- Shit... I'm exhausted. I'll just see if this method works or not, and I'll call it a day. - Arthur muttered, barely moving his lips. 

The poor gremlin, who he had moved to a small hidden cave so as not to experiment right in the middle of the woods, seemed completely resigned to its fate. It had already lost a lot of blood, but still showed signs of life. Even Selina Two's crawling on it didn't elicit any reaction.

Arthur kicked it.  He needed the monster to show his usefulness one last time before its death.

The Gremlin, blinded by rage that even in the face of death it continued to be tormented, raised the only hand that Arthur had not purposely deprived it of.

That was precisely what the boy wanted. He stood as close as he could and directed a thread of golden energy directly into the gremlin's body.

- In Sargon's name: Stop your hand,- he said, observing that the energy had entered the monster's body. But nothing happened.

Arthur tried again but sent the golden energy straight to his head.  It was a repeat of the previous futile attempt.

The stubborn boy was unwilling to accept that this method was not realistic. He sent it out time after time, getting the same result, until he accidentally hit Selina.

The little spider was carelessly exploring the mana beast's back when the unfamiliar energy penetrated it.  Out of surprise, or the system short-circuited, Selina stabbed all four of her limbs into the soft surface beneath it.

- In Sargon's name: Stop that arm! - the boy shouted for what seemed like the hundredth time on automatic. He noticed his mistake but did not have time to stop.

And in the same instant, the monster's arm fell limply, as if it were a puppet. Arthur felt the Ethereal heart boil, and the energy stored in it was half spent.

To confirm it was no accident he repeated the whole process and the effect was the same.

- Did it work?  What? Why didn't the thread work, but if you run it through Selina it works?

But the questioning expression on Arthur's face quickly disappeared, replaced by a bright smile.

- My love spider, now I know what we have to do.  We need a lot of money!  No... not just a lot of money, a huge, huge ton of money!

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