Legendary Beast Master: Starting with Contracting SSS Rank Dragon
Chapter 98: Demonstration of Ranks
CHAPTER 98: DEMONSTRATION OF RANKS
Kael liked Rias’s presence in their town, not just because she was powerful but also because he liked her. Her past also resonated with him, as they both were missing their homes.
There was a certain kind of connection that drew Kael towards her, but he didn’t let it overthrow his critical thinking. He still didn’t know anything about the true Rias, after all.
Maybe he was just being paranoid, as he couldn’t really do anything to her. But he didn’t want to deal with the mental trauma that might come from her betrayal.
’I am really pathetic,’ Kael sighed to himself.
[Master, you need to leave behind your past.]
’I know...’
Beside him, Rias stared at his side profile, observing something, and then spoke, "That’s fine by me. Time is the least of my worries."
"That’s true," Kael chuckled and said. "Thanks for trusting me. And I meant this to both of you."
He gripped their hands tightly, feeling their warmth as he watched the cosmos with a silent mind. It was a rare occurrence because his mind would always find things to think about.
But now... for now, he just wanted to enjoy their company and warmth.
They stayed there for almost an hour, and only then did they decide to move with their work. It was a short time, but they were grateful to have that.
But they still had a lot of things to do.
So, they once again gathered under the Great Storm Tree. Though, this time it was because Kael had forgotten something very important.
As he stared at the giant tree, Kael shuddered slightly when he remembered the last time it shocked him. He really didn’t want to experience it again even though he had Lightning affinity.
"I’m really surprised this slipped our mind," Kiona sighed, having her hand on her face.
As the one leading the construction work, this was supposed to be her duty, yet she had forgotten about it. Fortunately, there wasn’t any Storm, so their houses were still safe.
Kael patted her shoulder and then began to work on the Lightning Rods he wanted to make for every house. It was easier now that he knew how to proceed.
For the tree’s upper, he chose the side branches instead of the trunk. They would still work, and there was also less risk involved, as they were far from the centre.
Given the tree still sent enough lightning inside him to fry out even D-Rank beasts. This was the main risk with the damned tree.
Still, it was manageable, so Kael quickly collected a lot of branches he would need along with many parts of the root.
’Deforestation my ass! Even if I do this a thousand more times, the tree won’t lose even 1% of its body.’
Kael shook his head and went back to the houses, where he made makeshift lightning rods from the combination of branches and roots of the Giant Storm Tree.
Then, he carefully laid one on each house in a way that the top branch was exposed way above the roof and the other end was deep in the soil, completing the circuit that would transfer the lightning into the ground without harming the houses.
Once that was done, he went back to the base of the Great Storm Tree, where he had called a meeting. Of course, it was just his little group, but he liked calling it a meeting.
Sitting on top of a root that came out of the ground, Kael said, "Our next goal is to strengthen ourselves, and I don’t mean by ranking up. Even in the same rank, one can be way more powerful than the others, and it’s not just because of their higher rank or soul."
He lifted clenched fists and said, "It’s because they have likely mastered their skills, which increases their power by a lot. Best example is a sword."
Picking up a random stick, he continued, "A sword is deadly even in the hands of rookies, but its true might is only shown in the hands of a true master who has truly understood the way of the sword. If the two of them fight with the sword, it’s clear who will win."
Everyone nodded their head slightly, as they agreed with him. Even their father used to force them to practice and master their skills because that would be much more useful than just collecting skills that they couldn’t even use to full potential.
There was no way a rookie could defeat a master swordsman even if he was given two very good swords.
Kael smiled upon seeing their agreement and said, "Among us, the best example would be Kiona. She has Fire Manipulation Skill and also the affinity for it. But due to many reasons, she can’t really use it in battles properly."
Kiona nodded in agreement. She knew very well that her prowess was getting affected by her fast growth. While she technically had the power, she didn’t know how to properly use it.
Of course, most people never really focused on truly mastering their skills because they would still be fine otherwise. Because the skill was imprinted in their soul through various means, they could automatically bring out 50–60% of the power, which was more than enough most of the time.
But Kael thought otherwise. He wanted them to be at the peak of everything. He didn’t want 50% or 60%, or even 99%. He wanted 100% of everything.
Since there was still the Crimson Tree in the Labyrinth, Kael didn’t think they would be able to rank up anytime soon, and even if they did, their foundation would be very unstable.
"He is right. As far as I can remember, this helps in strengthening your soul. Though, it was more in terms of quality rather than quantity," Rias spoke calmly.
"Evolution!!" Kiona blurted out.
"Exactly!" Kael grinned and said. "I’ll give you all an example. Rias, do you have flour or anything?"
"Probably. I did take a liking to cooking in one of my lives, probably," Rias muttered and searched through her inventory before pulling out a big bag of wheat flour.
"Thanks. This will do," Kael said before taking the bag from her.
Then, he cleaned a flat rock and poured a small portion of flour on it. He also took out the leather bottle full of water and began to make the dough.
It was easy enough for him, but his actions drew the attention of all of them as they wondered if he was cooking something again. Although they were already full, they could definitely make some more space for his food.
Kael ignored their heated gazes and finished making a round dough. He made a few dents in it using his knuckles, as this was something his mother used to do.
He didn’t know the reason, but she used to tell him that it was a tradition he needed to follow.
Clapping his hands, he turned towards the audience and said, "Consider this as your soul. This is the point when you all start with a weak soul most of the time. Some have Evolved Souls like me and Kiona, so their souls will be bigger and denser."
He slapped the dough, making it flat, and said, "Now consider ranking up as stretching this dough, because that’s what it does to your soul. It stretches the soul and makes it have more presence in the Astral World so that you can have access to more mana."
He slowly began to spread the dough horizontally as it grew thinner with each passing second. It reached to the point that it began to crack and would have broken if he didn’t stop.
"This is where your journey ends normally," Kael said, pointing at the dough. "The soul has used up all of its potential, and if you try to force it into ranking up, it’ll crack..."
"And you’ll suffer from corruption," Rias finished his sentence, which surprised him a little. But after thinking for a moment, he understood the reason for it.
Looking at the lions who were surprised as well, he smiled and said, "Never forget that your soul interacts with the Astral World, which is way more terrifying than you would ever expect it to be. And it’s just a guess of mine, but the corruption also likely travels through the Astral World."
He paused, letting them understand the gravity of the situation.
"Usually, your soul is complete, and it defends against the corruption of the Astral World. But the thinner it gets, the thinner the defense you have against the corruption."
Kiona stared at him with strange emotions swirling in her eyes as she muttered, "And if there are holes, it can simply enter without any problems."
"Exactly!" Kael nodded. "This is the reason Evolution is so important for powering up and how it decodes your potential. Your soul quality decides your limit. Push it, and you’re leaving yourself open to corruption."