"Absorb…"
"Come in…"
"Enter me…"
Nothing worked. The divine inventory was a scam. I couldn't even put an ordinary stone inside. My mood worsened as I pinched the vein under my skin. Ugh… and hurt myself.
The system wasn't helpful either, as I could hear its giggles in my ears.
'Sara, think again. Out of the box…'
Took a deep breath. Hold. Breathe out. Calming my mind from any distracting thoughts, I touched the stone again. My mind tirelessly attempted to find anything helpful. After a few minutes, it sensed something.
A strange pulse coming from the stone.
[Every object constructed by heavenly laws has its own unique rhythm. Sometimes, they may repel or attract each other, like how fire always opposes water, and wood is always drawn to soil. These rhythms can form dissonance or resonance, respectively.
However, there is another possibility. Two different rhythms perfectly meld with each other to form synchronisation. That's practically impossible because it goes against the law of universal uniqueness.
But you are different, Master. You have me as your vein. I can fake the rhythm and create the illusion of synchronisation. The laws will consider it the same rhythm, and thus, you can create either resonance or dissonance at will!
This synchronisation allows you to draw another rhythm into yourself, granting you the uniqueness of anything you've synchronised with.]
Then, the inventory vein in my palm came alive, swallowing the pulse from the stone and matching it with the pulses of my own soul.
Invisible threads appeared from my body, connecting to the stone. Now, I could feel the stone as if it were my own limb. It was magical, if I shook off the creepiness came along it.
With a slight pull on those threads, the stone disappeared into my body, followed by a notification:
[You have synchronised with an Ordinary Stone.]
[Maximum potential of an Ordinary Stone is: Mountain Stone -> 'Pulse Stone'.]
[Copying a note from the foreign rhythm…]
[You have obtained the skill: 'Energy Ripple']
[About:Releases a radial shockwave that pushes back enemies within a 3-meter radius.]
[Energy Ripple]
• Quality: Iron (Lvl 1)
• Type: Active
My heartbeat quickened as I inwardly called out the newly acquired skill. A dark brown ripple spread from my soles, and the ground beneath me trembled. Then, like a tide, it burst outward.
With it, my body was flung backward, slamming into a nearby tree. Years of training allowed me to avoid serious injuries by sacrificing my shoulder as I twisted midair.
That way, I protected my spine from breaking, but my right shoulder dislocated with a snap.
"Ugh…" The pain shot straight into my brain, eliciting a grunt. It took my mind a few seconds to even process what had just happened. I supported myself against the tree and called for my status screen.
Name: Sara
Bloodline: Nil
Spirit Root: Nil
Affinities: Nil
Cultivation: Essence Awakening (Red–1)
Essence Core: 0 / 1000
Aligned Path: Divine Inventory
Aligned Skills:
• Energy Ripple – Iron (Lvl 1)
Physical Stats:
• Vitality: 10
• Endurance: 15
• Strength: 10
• Defence: 7
• Intelligence: 21
• Agility: 17
• Perception: 80
Health: 69 / 100
Stamina: 150 / 150
Essence Damage: 310
Essence Defence: 70
Essence Movement: 170
Essence Scope: 800
I couldn't help but curse at my empty essence core and dwindling health. Due to excitement, I had forgotten a major cause of mortality among cultivators—skill backlash.
Every skill requires the cultivator to burn essence to activate. The damage output of a skill is influenced by how much essence the wielder burns. So technically, the cultivator can burn a large amount of essence if they want to deal more damage.
However, cultivators aren't immune to the damage of their own skills. A human body has limits to the amount of essence damage it can release and withstand without injuring itself. A bronze-quality skill grants its wielder essence defence up to 10% of their total essence capacity.
So they have to plan effectively, balancing essence damage and essence defence to offset potential backlash if they don't want to end up like me.
The phenomenon of a cultivator getting injured—or even killed—by their own skill is called skill backlash. Mostly, users of physical-type skills fall victim to it. That's what just happened to me.
Only because I had no essence stored in me did I escape without major injuries. Still, my shoulder hurt like hell.
'The skill burned my raw strength and used intelligence to unleash it. Since I didn't have any essence stored, none was used in the attack. So the total power inflicted was equal to my strength. My defence blocked 7 points, but I still took 3.
Slamming into the tree also became a catalyst for the injury…'
And that resulted in my dislocated shoulder. I shuddered imagining what would have happened if I'd had actual essence flowing.
'I have to train to use my skills effectively without injuring myself.'
Tearing the edge of my robe, I used it to bandage my dislocated shoulder. I continued walking toward the city, hoping to find an alchemist for treatment. The rest of the journey passed without disturbance. Along the way, I absorbed essence into my body.
My absorption rate was pitifully low. In two hours, I had only filled half of my core. The bitter taste of that truth lingered in my mouth until the city walls came into view. I quickly washed it away at the sight of the imposing dark walls, which opened into a massive gate.
I stopped, noticing the deep scratches on the stone walls.
These weren't from monsters, they were manmade. Sharp metal had carved into them. Even the iron gate that was supposed to be here had been replaced by a wooden one. Not the smartest idea, considering the forest…
Well, there wasn't a forest anymore anyway.
'Seems like not only the world, but people's tastes have changed too…'
No soldiers guarded the gate as I walked into the city. The cobbled path stretched through the center, also scarred with the same marks.
On both sides stood wooden buildings with leaves as roof, almost like the medieval cities I had read about in the library. But unlike what I expected, no voices from vendors, no laughter from children, no footsteps in alleyways welcomed me.
The streets were empty, like an abandoned city. However, I was sure it wasn't.
Multiple prying eyes landed on me the instant I entered. Most disappeared without further ado. Then, the sharp slamming of windows echoed throughout the city. I flinched, taken aback.
"Did they just… shut me out?"
[I think yes, Master.]