*****
Void
Even the sound feels creepy,
The void element, a force of ultimate destruction and entropy.
It is a power capable of unraveling existence itself,
Consuming matter, energy, and even the laws of reality.
When harnessed, the void might manifest as devastating magic, such as spheres of annihilation or void flames that erase anything they touch.
However, this immense destructive power is both a tool and a curse, as even the slightest miscalculation could cause the magic to spiral out of control, threatening the user and their surroundings.
Void magic is not without its price, as its influence is deeply corruptive.
Those who delve into its secrets often find themselves haunted by whispers from the abyss or plagued by the taint of the void, transforming them physically and mentally.
This corruption could manifest as darkened veins, glowing eyes, or a growing detachment from humanity, turning practitioners into void-touched beings who are feared and shunned by society.
The void does not give its gifts freely, often demanding the user's sanity, identity, or even their soul.
Unpredictability is another hallmark of the void.
It is a chaotic force, inherently uncontrollable, and those who try to wield it may find their spells acting in unforeseen ways.
A portal to the void might open wider than intended, engulfing an entire region, or a weapon infused with void energy might tear rifts in space with each strike.
This randomness makes void magic as dangerous to the caster as it is to their enemies, and those who rely on it walk a fine line between power and catastrophe.
On a grander scale, the void often represents an existential threat.
It is not just a tool but a cosmic force, perhaps sentient or simply a manifestation of entropy, seeking to consume all of creation.
In such settings, the void might spawn horrific creatures, known as voidspawn, that spread its influence and devour life.
Entire civilizations could fall to its corruption, leaving behind wastelands of nothingness.
The void might exist as a separate realm, a dimension of endless blackness and silence, where even the bravest and highest sage risk being lost forever.
Those who return are forever changed, marked by the void and bearing the weight of its terrible secrets.
The allure of the void lies in its promise of ultimate power, but the price it demands ensures that only the desperate or reckless dare to wield it.
And here it was, in his palm rested the void, a vast abyss resembling a colossal black hole, held effortlessly by an enigmatic teenager.
An anomaly teenager actually.
*****
"Okay then… let's find the last thing."
Lyrium muttered to himself as he stood at the edge of a dense forest.
"I don't even know if I'm lucky or cursed. This element… Void… it's going to be a great asset for future events, but I can't risk using it now. My body isn't strong enough to handle the power of darkness yet…"
And that's why I'm going to take an extra element. My plan was to acquire this from the beginning, but… things didn't exactly go the way we planned, did they?
Lyrium's movements had been lacking, not entirely, but whenever he activated a skill or a Sword Art, his motions became flawless, precise, and truly formidable.
But he couldn't rely solely on skills and Sword Arts, that's why he was after a specific element.
The main power of the Greek god, Zeus.
The element that would enhance Lyrium's speed…
Lightning Element.
Lightning could be used to summon bolts of electricity through mana, but at the same time, it could serve as an element to greatly enhance the user's speed.
And the Lightning Element crystal is somewhere among the trees in this forest.
"In a pine tree?"
According to the novel, Silas had discovered the Lightning Element crystal during a field trip on Jeju Island.
There, he had come across a pine tree that… breathed like a human being.
Lyrium, usually a scaredy-cat when it came to heights, somehow managed to climb down the mountain and now stood at the edge of the dense forest.
The sun was setting, and the island grew darker by the minute.
How was Lyrium supposed to find the Lightning Element in such a dense forest?
He had to find a pine tree?
Not exactly.
Yes, it had to be a giant pine tree, but that wasn't going to be easy.
The forest was full of countless trees, and the pine wouldn't be visible as a giant from afar.
But for Lyrium… he already knew how to locate it.
Omniscient bastard.
"By spreading my mana throughout the forest and into the trees, I might be able to detect an abnormal mana signature, that should be the pine tree. That's how it's described in the novel…"
Swoosh—!
Lyrium muttered to himself, nodded, and began releasing his mana before stepping into the forest.
"Hmm… I have to release my mana slowly, in case I exhaust it."
As Lyrium stepped into the dense forest, he scanned his surroundings for any mana-beast signatures.
But…
How the hell had he learned to control his mana so precisely?!
Easy, he was an omniscient bastard.
He knew everything about this world, having once lived through Silas Kingslay's journey from Silas's perspective.
He already possessed vast knowledge about the world and its secrets.
But still… how could he? He'd probably forgotten many details, it had been a long time, and the series itself was far too long. It seemed impossible, didn't it?
Well… even if he had forgotten the finer details and context of the novel, his mind had already merged with the person from the world of the novel: the previous Lyrium Blackwood.
Yeah, right, the original owner of the body was probably weak and an idiot bastard.
But still…
At the very least, he would have known how to control his mana, since that was part of the basic lessons.
Also, the C-Rank stat in his Intelligence section wasn't just for show.
According to the information he had from the novel, the current S-Rank, the highest Intelligence stat in this world, belonged to some side character who would later play a role in the main storyline.
As Lyrium roamed the forest, observing his surroundings, he felt a strange, unsettling sensation creeping over him.
A bad feeling settled over him.
Thump—!
Thump—!
"Hmm?"
"What was that?"
Standing in the middle of the forest, Lyrium sensed a strange mana signature in his surroundings.
He closed his eyes, relaxing his body to better attune himself to the unusual energy.
"Haa…"
Thump—!
Thump—!
He shot his eyes open, catching the sound of a heartbeat nearby.
"Wait… was that a heartbeat?"
Lyrium closed his eyes once more, focusing on the rhythm, and began tracking the source of the strange signature.
"Haaa… haaa… haaa… huff… haaa…"
Lyrium's breathing grew heavy as he moved toward a certain, unknown spot.
Unbeknownst to him, a thick fog began to creep through the forest.
THUMP—!
THUMP—!
There it was… the source of the mana signature.
"What the hell!"
Before Lyrium stood a giant pine tree… emitting a strange, unnatural mana signature.
And…
"What the hell? It's… breathing?!!"
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