Chronicles of Legends

Volume 5 Chapter 8 - Uncle

|Arthur|

As I trained under Wren, the issue of advancement began to surface. My mana core progressed rapidly, propelling me to the white stage with relative ease.

However, a dilemma arose. I possessed an array of different weapons at my disposal: my mana core, Realmheart, Sylvia's third stage, and my swordsmanship. Individually, they were formidable, but they lacked the sheer power of the other Paladins' abilities.

Realmheart granted me the ability to manipulate aether, but it came with its own limitations and drawbacks compared to the versatility of Spirit Dive. Sylvia's third stage, while offering significant power, had a punishing recoil and fell short in aether utilization compared to Gary's aether core. Even my refined swordsmanship paled in comparison to the mastery exhibited by Gary.

In essence, I had reached a plateau that seemed insurmountable. Despite the trump card I held in reserve, it was not a path to further enhance my strength, but rather a last resort.

I needed a breakthrough, a new avenue to explore, in order to transcend my current limitations and rise to a level that could rival the other Paladins.

The logical next step for me was to strive for the elusive integration stage. However, Wren shattered my hopes by confirming that achieving it would be nearly impossible for me, or at the very least, a journey spanning many years.

The reason behind this discouraging revelation was disheartening yet grounded in the truth—I, or rather the body I inhabited, lacked the innate potential to reach the integration stage. Every individual in this world is born with a predetermined potential, dictating the stage they can aspire to reach.

Most individuals possess the potential to attain only the orange stage, which is considered average. In contrast, the Paladins effortlessly possess the potential to exceed the white stage and even surpass it.

As for myself, I am an artificial prodigy. My body does exhibit a degree of innate talent, superior to that of ordinary individuals. However, it falls short of the natural potential bestowed upon the Paladins.

The truth of my Paladin status lies not in the depths of my inherent potential, but rather in the culmination of my previous life's experiences. It is thanks to my previous existence that I acquired the means to artificially enhance my core stage, rapidly closing the gap and enabling me to compete alongside the Paladins.

However, as I delved deeper into the realm of integration stage, the limitations of my artificial means became starkly apparent. While they had served me well in the lower stages, they proved insufficient for the daunting task of reaching integration.

I possessed Sylvia's beast will, a formidable force that had tempered my body and elevated my potential. Yet, even this extraordinary boon had its limits, leaving me yearning for further growth.

In the present moment, I had achieved a level of strength that surpassed the most formidable adversaries Alacarya could send to Dicathen. However, when considering the possibility of facing the Asuras, my current prowess appeared pitifully inadequate.

The path to greater strength eluded me, its steps shrouded in uncertainty. Although mastering force-type mana held the promise of augmenting my power, it alone would not bridge the vast divide that separated me from Asuran level abilities.

Creating an aether core seemed like the definitive solution, a leap towards the next echelon of power. Yet, all my efforts in this regard proved futile, leaving me frustrated and disheartened.

Despite these challenges, I could ill afford to wallow in self-pity. There was a drastic step I could undertake to artificially raise my talent, but I hesitated to embark upon it just yet.