[Request confirmed.]
The same circular board appeared on the panel and started to spin. ’Please be something good. Or I swear I will beat you to death this time.’ Leon couldn’t endure the tension and closed his eyes in anticipation. His palms started to sweat.
The board finally stopped, and a notification popped up in the panel.
[Congratulations, host. You have received a Grade 9, Divine Insight pill.]
Leon opened his eyes.
"A pill? What’s it gonna do?"
[Name: Divine Insight pill
Description: Can stimulate the consumer’s brain cells to comprehend any ability or skill to its maximum within minutes.
Limitations: 1. One pill can be consumed every 100 years.
2. Only one skill or ability can be perfected with one pill]
’One skill or ability to its maximum? That’s insane. But what’s with these absurd limitations? I can consume only one in every 100 years. How long do people live? Less than 100 years. So once in a lifetime. Shit. Which ability can I max to get out of this alive? Sword technique? Nahh. Techniques won’t do much if my overall strength is less. Then ice spells? That won’t do either. Same problem. What else do I have? What damn it!’ Leon’s head started to buzz.
Meanwhile, Emily rushed at Nicholas again. Fire erupted and enveloped the blade of her sword.
She swung sharply. An oblique slash. As the sword cut through the air, hot steam swept past the blade.
Nicholas tilted his head slightly, dodging the attack with ease.
Emily gritted her teeth and struck again. This time, Nicholas blocked it with his forearm and delivered a punch.
Baaam!
It was casual but swift and devastating.
Emily was blasted backward, tumbling across the ground.
"Everyone, let’s attack while we still have help." Someone shouted from the group of knights who had decided to go against Emily. They all stirred and lunged forward.
But....
Boom!
An iceball landed before them and exploded dangerously. Shards of ice and earth erupted, grazing flesh. Many screamed in pain and staggered back while a few protected themselves with magic shields or artifacts.
"If you dare to take a single step, I won’t hesitate to kill you. Try me if you dare." Sol’s bold voice echoed. He knew something like this could have happened. So he was keeping an eye on everyone to protect Emily from being ambushed.
"Brat, you think you are tough? Think twice." A bulky man with a great sword barked. He lunged at Sol. He swung the great sword in his hand.
"Ice hammer." Sol shouted as a massive great hammer of ice materialized in the air and struck the sword.
Creeeek!
The moment the hammer met the sword, the hammer shattered into pieces. The sword stormed forward. Sol cast another spell at the last moment as an ice shield materialized before him.
Thud! This time, the shield didn’t shatter, but Sol skidded back more than 15 metres, his legs digging a trail along the way.
"You are an A-class swordsman?" Sol narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? So you finally know your place?" The bulky man chuckled.
"So what if you are a level above me. You won’t be able to touch my sister until I am alive." Sol hissed and raised his hand.
"Elemental judgement — ice rain." He roared. Instantly, hundreds of ice shards with sharp tips materialized in the sky above the bulky man. "Die." Sol roared as he swept his hand down. Instantly all the ice shards started to rain down on the man with the great sword.
The person moved, weaving between the attacks and shot toward Sol.
Two others were rushing toward Emily. But Noah and Meridith stood before them. The other two hunters who had chosen to stand on the same side as Emily also sprang into action. The area immediately turned chaotic, screams of agony and chants of spells echoing, dust and debris erupting in the air...
Amidst the chaos, Leon stood where he was still racking his mind. And then... Suddenly, something clicked.
"Wait. I know what to comprehend. This might not be the best option, but it’s the only one at the moment." He whispered. "Give me the pill.
The panel shimmered in the air as a golden colour pill emerged from it and dropped into Leon’s palm. "How do I use it?"
[Host has to consume the pill. The next instant, the host will enter a seclusion phase. The easier the skill and the higher the consumer’s comprehension level, the shorter the seclusion phase. It’s vice versa for difficult skills and lower comprehension ability. In the seclusion phase, the host has to either start comprehending the skill or ability from scratch or start from the current level to progress to the end.]
"But, how do I start comprehending the ability when I am in the seclusion phase? I don’t have any booklet for that ability."
[Is this a new ability or skill the host wants to comprehend?]
"No. The ability I want to comprehend is...
Berserk mode.
I need to comprehend it fully to use it at will."
[Host can remember the time when the host was in berserk mode. That will be enough to initiate the effect of the pill.]
"Good. Very good." Leon swallowed the pill instantly. The moment he did, his head buzzed. He felt something heavy was pressing down on him. The surroundings became slow and blurry. The sound stopped.
Everything became calm. The initial pressure started to fade. Leon closed his eyes.
At first, nothing. He tried to remember how powerful his attacks were. How he had punched the orc boss. But nothing happened.
’What’s going on? Why isn’t it working?’
Time passed, yet nothing. Then suddenly, as if on a whim, a memory flashed in his mind. That same memory from back then.
A pregnant woman being killed by an orc.
Instantly...
The rage, the urge to destroy everything, stirred within Leon.
Notifications popped up in the panel, which Leon couldn’t even see at the moment.
[Comprehension has started.
Ability: Berserk Mode]