CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32 – RED LIGHTNING

Chapter 32 – Red Lightning

Putting the necklace aside, Jack finally looked at the last three stamps in his hands. These were the more important ones since they held skills within them — tools Jack relied on heavily and would need in future battles.

’If I get a good skill in one of these, things could truly change completely,’ he mused. ’I hope luck strikes again.’

His entire plan could shift depending on which skill he received, so anticipation was high. Slowly, he picked up the first stamp and used it. After the stamp mark disappeared, Jack received a notification.

[You have acquired a new skill: Martialist.]

[Skill: Martialist]

[Level: 1]

[Description: Your knowledge of the unseen arts of battle expands. Your ability to understand martial techniques increases exponentially.]

"Oh... What the—"

Before Jack could even finish speaking, an immense amount of information slammed into his head out of nowhere, making him groan instinctively. The flood was so huge that his brain shut off for a second, and everything went black. For a few moments, numbness took over as every single detail was etched into his very soul, forever memorized.

After those strange moments, Jack snapped back to reality, breathing audibly as he blinked and looked around.

"What the hell..."

’I will never get accustomed to this brutal method of teaching me what I need to know.’ He clicked his tongue and closed his eyes. ’However... This is still pretty interesting indeed.’

The newfound information made Jack’s expression shift from anger to surprise and then to delight.

"A pretty damn good skill."

"What is it?" Liliana asked curiously.

"Umm, it’s—"

"Actually, hold on." Saying that, Liliana grabbed Jack’s shoulder and closed her eyes for a second. Her expression slowly changed, and she gasped.

"This is pretty nice. A skill that boosts your ability to learn martial arts is nothing to mess around with. You can make big use of it since there are great and powerful martial techniques in the world — ones that could split entire realms in half with a single strike or reshape topography with ease."

"That is quite interesting," Jack replied. "Are there people who only use martial arts to fight instead of weapons?"

"Of course. When you’re strong enough, every part of your body becomes a weapon you can use to kill and harm. A weapon might be good, but when you’ve mastered technique, even your hand can be sharper than the sharpest of swords," Liliana explained with a smile.

’I can see that... The ceiling of power is simply too high for me to even understand right now,’ he mused. ’I have a long way to go before I can consider myself strong enough.’

Jack was still merely a human being. Granted, he had above-average strength, but it was far from enough to kill many of the monsters he was seeing now. He wasn’t safe if that horde attacked him — and that was his goal: to be strong enough that nothing on Earth could threaten him. Which also meant that he must become the strongest creature on Earth, something a human could never dream of before, and yet... It was a plausible goal to have now.

"This skill seems to have given me some good knowledge, too. I know how to punch and kick properly now," he said. ’This will help a lot.’

Taking a deep breath, Jack picked up the second stamp and used it.

[You have acquired a new skill: Hypervision.]

[Skill: Hypervision]

[Level: 1]

[Description: Your eyes are capable of seeing far beyond what the mundane is capable of. Whether it is night or day, far or close, you shall see what others can’t.]

"Oh, Hypervision? That’s pretty nice," Jack gasped subtly. At the same time, he felt his vision change rapidly. The details became clearer and the colors brighter as he realized he was seeing far better — even better than before.

Looking around, he could spot smaller things, notice tiny details, and even see with a wider field of view.

"Wow... I can see so many details."

"Two for two, Jack," Liliana smiled. "It seems Mother Luck is with you today."

"Yeah..."

’Better eyesight means better chances of dodging and collecting data,’ he muttered. ’This is crucial.’

As someone who relied heavily on his ability to dodge and counter, Jack needed sharp, piercing vision. This was perfect for him.

"Sigh, okay, the last one," he exhaled. ’I already feel exhausted from all these deep changes my body is going through.’

Even though he was feeling stronger than ever before, Jack was also tired from the rapid evolution. In mere hours, he had gained triple the power, better vision, and a mind-controlling ability — not to mention the exhaustion from battles. He wanted a break badly.

’Until we somehow make it inside the base, I can’t rest.’ Shaking his head, he finally picked up the last stamp and used it.

The stamp mark disappeared, and a new notification appeared.

[You have acquired a new skill: Red Lightning.]

[Skill: Red Lightning]

[Level: 1]

[Description: A once mighty dragon reigned supreme above all. His powers, the cursed red lightning, were the mightiest and strongest, shaping entire worlds with a move of his wing. You are capable of controlling and harnessing Red Lightning. Requires Aether to use.]

The flood of knowledge made Jack’s eyes widen.

"No way..."

"What did you get, Jack?" Liliana asked as she touched his shoulder. However, when she read what he got, her entire being froze.

The two sat there for a good few seconds, not uttering a single word, until Jack snapped out of it.

"What is this power, Liliana?" He looked at her. "What did I just see?"

The images his mind witnessed were unlike anything he’d seen before. Not even his mind-controlling ability had shown such devastation.

The woman blinked, looking down. ’Red Lightning... Of all things? What... How could that be? No, it should’ve disappeared with him a long time ago... How...?’

She kept muttering to herself with a completely lost expression.

"What are you saying?"

’No... No, no, no... This shouldn’t be possible... The True Ones erased the records... They did... Those old bastards did...’

"Liliana?"

Then her eyes shifted to Jack, staring at him intently as if she wanted to peer through his skin.

’I thought it was a coincidence at first. But this can’t be. This human kid has been getting some very strong skills and items. What are the Divine Records planning? What’s so special about this kid? Something doesn’t sound right.’

She wasn’t just confused; she was completely overwhelmed. Jack didn’t know, but she understood how truly ridiculous this moment was.

"Red Lightning..." she began. "That power shouldn’t exist anymore, Jack."

"Huh?"

"I only know about its existence from historical records. The first and only bearer of that power perished thousands of years ago. I... I don’t know how or why..." she said. "But if this is what I think it is, then..."

She pursed her lips.

"You have received the powers of a God."

"..."

"And not just any God... but one of the earliest beings in all realms. The very founder of the ’True Ones’ — and the biggest traitor in their history... The Red Dragon."