Chapter 222: Rebuilt (2)

[Your body will continue to change throughout your journey, Host, until you attain a form worthy of you, and you of it. I do not believe there is much use in growing weary of it now, when you have barely begun walking that path.]

The System’s answer silenced Ravian.

What Sovereign Pride did not know was that Ravian’s sarcasm was not really a complaint, but a means of enduring what he was going through. He had used it when his mother died, used it when he suffered at his master’s hands during his second regression, and continued using it ever since, with no intention of stopping anytime soon.

And his new body continued rebuilding itself.

The old layer of skin cracked along his arm and began peeling away as the changes continued beneath it. The process spread to his neck and face, and white locks fell onto his chest when he moved his head, making him pause to stare at them with a grim expression.

He had finally grown accustomed to his current appearance, but apparently, it was about to change again.

He raised his eyes toward the System window, only for the answer to arrive before his question this time.

[The Host’s human appearance will stabilize once the process is complete.]

[You will not lose your hair, Host.]

Ravian remained motionless for a second, then looked away.

’I didn’t ask about my hair.’

The System did not answer.

Strangely enough, its silence was irritating enough to distract Ravian from the pain for several breaths.

When he looked at his hand again, he found that a new layer had appeared beneath the cracked skin, clearer in complexion, while the splits began closing from their edges. What remained of the old layer fell away, and the gray threads stretching across the ground enveloped it along with the blood that had escaped his body, until none of it remained near his fingers.

The process continued throughout the rest of his body, and the gray surrounding him gradually receded.

He could finally see the cave’s ceiling clearly again.

He had not realized he was waiting for that moment until he saw stone above his head instead of the mass of energy drawn from the camp’s orcs that had hung there for so long, and a long breath escaped his chest as he watched the remaining energy gather above him into one final stream.

It was heavier than the pulses before it, and more cohesive.

He recognized its source before the window appeared.

[Beginning final assimilation of the main component’s energy.]

His jaw tightened.

This was the power he had paid for with his arms, his death, and the night he had spent wearing the cook’s face.

He received it fully conscious.

It slowly entered his chest, then divided along the pathways that had finished forming inside his body. He felt his bones bear the pressure without their earlier cracking, and his heart drive blood through the new vessels with such force that his fingers clenched against the stone.

The pressure increased again, making his shoulders tense, but he maintained the breathing rhythm he had established.

He could feel the Void component deep within him responding, drawing together the energy that had reached his extremities and settled in his organs into a unified whole, until the disjointed sensation that had made him lose track of his foot at the beginning of the transformation disappeared.

Every part of him returned to his awareness at once.

Hunger, pain, the weight of his muscles, and the blood beneath his skin all settled into his consciousness with a clarity that made his eyes widen.

Then the array went dark.

The final gray thread disappeared into his chest, and the light faded from the stone, while Ravian remained motionless on the ground, as though expecting another disaster to begin the moment he let his guard down.

Several breaths passed.

Nothing happened.

Then came the sound he had been waiting for.

[Ding!]

[Absorption and purification of 150 orcs, ranging from unawakened to Eighth Rank, complete.]

[Basic Void Grade of the Sovereign Pride Physique complete.]

[Advanced to Intermediate Void Grade.]

His eyes settled on the final window.

He read it once, then slowly read it again before his lips parted in a weary smile.

’Then I suppose burning down that camp wasn’t a waste after all.’

Another window appeared beneath it.

[Strength, speed, durability, and the capacity to absorb and purify energy have increased.]

[Current Soul Rank: Ninth — Walker.]

[The Host is now physically unrivaled at the Eighth Rank across all races and creatures.]

[However, the Host must remain cautious of aura and magic, as neither is governed by physical strength.]

[One of the conditions for advancement to the Eighth Rank has been fulfilled.]

[An Eighth-Rank orc—Soul Liberator—has been eliminated.]

[The Host must now fulfill the remaining requirements.]

His body had advanced, while the gate to the next rank still awaited the fulfillment of its own requirements.

Ravian raised his hand before his face and slowly closed it.

His fingers responded immediately.

It was not only the strength he noticed, but the steadiness of the movement; he felt the muscles contract without having to tense his entire arm, then opened and closed his fist again as he studied the skin covering his knuckles.

He lowered his hand to the ground to support himself.

Crack.

He stopped.

Looking at the stone beneath his palm, he saw a short fracture spreading between his fingers, then eased the pressure and continued sitting up with greater care.

His smile widened slightly.

That was a change he could understand perfectly well.

He sat for a while, catching his breath, then ran a hand through his white hair to confirm that it had returned to its usual length. He said nothing to the System, and the System offered no comment on his concern, which Ravian considered an exceedingly wise decision.

Then he looked around the cave.

Not a single corpse remained.

The piles that had filled its sides were gone, the spot where the commander had lain was empty, and even the blood he had used to draw the array had vanished from the ground. A few scuff marks and cracks remained in the stone, while the air reached him without the smell of flesh and blood that had weighed so heavily over the place before.

It was difficult to believe that an entire camp had met its end here.

He moved one shoulder, then his other arm, recalling the blow that had shattered his bones.

He did not know exactly how much he could withstand now, but he knew one thing: his new body would not compensate for everything he did not understand about combat, and if he wanted to keep it rather than watch another opponent destroy it, he needed to learn how to use it properly.

’All right, Karius. Looks like I’m going to need you more than I expected.’

He retrieved his clothes from his void space and slowly stood, pausing for a moment to let his weight settle over his feet. His body felt both light and heavy in a way that was difficult to describe; movement came more easily, while the strength he could put behind it was far greater than he was accustomed to.

He dressed and secured his two daggers, then cast one final glance at the spot where the Eighth-Rank orc had disappeared.

"I suppose you were right to share the wine."

A quiet smile settled on his face as he headed toward the cave’s entrance.

"It really was your last chance."

When he reached the light filtering in from outside, he stopped to draw a breath of forest air, then raised his head in the direction where he knew the human camp lay.

He had dealt with the obstacle that had delayed his return.

All that remained was to discover what had happened during his absence.