A single drop of rain fell silently, landing on his cheek. His long eyelashes stirred.

Memories flashed across his mind at that moment. A sudden epiphany. A perfect environment. The accumulation. The instincts to carry him forward. The manifestation of one of his core desires, becoming a power that he could wield…

An overwhelming desire forged into a concrete existence.

Randidly yawned expansively and sat up. His mind was bleary as he dragged himself up to wakefulness; he had places to be today. Or rather, the soft rain that began to fall on his skin handled the lion’s share of the waking up part, leaving him to fuzzily stretch and crack his back.

The rain began to intensify, quickening the process. Randidly came back to himself, laying in the bottom of a massive crater while water pooled in the small, circular hollows that dotted the area around him. These hollows were ubiquitous, except for the area immediately around him; that portion was completely smooth. With another yawn, he reached up and rubbed his eyes.

Then he pressed his fingers to the ground and tossed himself up into a standing position. In every direction, the massive crater stretched nearly as far as Randidly could see. Part of it was the fact he was at the bottom of the crater, but he also had to wince as he looked around at the area he had completely terraformed.

His Nether Core shifted, portions flared while others withdrew. Significance seethed through those gaps, a hint of what he had accomplished by intuition in those moments early this morning. Compared to his discovery of a method for rapidly gathering natural energy, his second breakthrough in the past three days had even more of a ridiculous effect. The flat and unmarred ground beneath him glittered.

But even setting aside, I did it. Randidly clenched his hands as he looked at his Synechdochence line in his Nether Sphere Attributes.

Synechdochence: 105%

Randidly calmed down his excitement and admitted to himself something he had realized earlier in his training: Synechdochence was an easy Attribute to fleece. Theoretically, it was possible for Randidly to wield force greater than the actual power of his Nether Core after he had streamlined his methods. And in practice, he had done it once to be recognized by the System. But it required obscene amounts of natural energy and his own significance, using the Moirae of Ripples Skillset to create a perfectly synergistic environment around him. With those prerequisites, Randidly wielded a pinch of Nether and could break the balance of equivalent exchange, albeit briefly.

Now, to do it while fighting- Randidly shook his head helplessly. It was completely unrealistic. He continued to improve, but the closer he moved toward perfect understanding of the environment, the more factors he discovered that prevented him from reaching that state. An asymptote existed there, making the training meaningful but the progress arduous and slow.

“Still, this new evolution…” Randidly grinned to himself. Then he slapped his cheeks and looked at his Status screen.

Randidly Ghosthound

Class: Lord of the Baleful Wood (x5)

Level: 63 (89%)

Health(/R per hour): 13815/13815 (9627)

Mana(/R per hour): 13262/13262 (3313)

Stam(/R per min):9696/9696 (3317)

Uncommon Metabolism (Un): 1342

End: 1107

Primordial Nether Juju (M): 1492

Dreadful Alacrity (A): 1677

Grim Intuition (L): 1471

Reaction: 1537

Resistance: 1331

Willpower: 2079

Intelligence: 1385

Unnatural Capacity (Ru): 1267

Fidelity of the Ascendent Moirae (P): 2499

Focus: 1452

Nether Sphere

Fang of the Primeval Betrayal (M)

Weight: 1101 (+61) (+70) (+52) (+49) (+80) (+63)

Connections: 1,911,242,177

Scope: 16,309

Influence: 1,502,966

Synechdochence: 105%

First Authority: ??? (Please activate for additional information)

Skills (Soul Skill): Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 147,500 (Next 160,000)

Combat: Heavy Blow Lvl 234, Block Lvl 227, Calculated Blow Lvl 249, Roundhouse Kick Lvl 197, Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 226, Stalemate Breaker Lvl 242, The March of Ruin and Valor (L) Lvl 201, (Domain) The Resonant Fangs of Extinction (M) Lvl 535

Moirae of Ripples (P): Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko (T) Lvl 635, Unpredictable Eddy (L) Lvl 435, Dragon Queen’s Sinister Tongue (T) Lvl 516, Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge (M) Lvl 605, Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) Lvl 515

LoBW Class Skills: Earthquake (Un) Lvl 148, Erode Image (L) Lvl 100, Spriggit’s Tinkering (R) Lvl 257, Aether Understanding (A) Lvl 236, Aether Infusion Lvl 47, Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm (T) Lvl 587, Fruit of the Planting of Enmity (L) Lvl 49, Cycle of the Gloomy Wood (R) Lvl 45, Lancers of the Baleful Crusade (L) Lvl 351, Torch of Fast and Slow Silences (A) Lvl 331, Sigil of an Approaching Fate (A) Lvl 266

Kismet of the Evolving Creature (P): Chimeric Impunity (M) Lvl 509, The Wandering Deity Demands (T) Lvl 410, Grit of the Ascendant Bane (T) Lvl 433, Maelstrom Entity Approaches (T) Lvl 459, The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock (M) Lvl 401, The Vindictive Chimera Smites (M) Lvl 395, The Wrathful Calamity Rends (T) Lvl 356, The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence (P) Lvl 432

The Stillborn Phoenix: A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn (P): Piercing Gaze of the Egg (L) Lvl 369, The Tug of Tragic Silence (A) Lvl 378, Cosmic Necessity (M) Lvl 361, Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart (T) Lvl 408, Breath of the Cosmos (T) Lvl 510, Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix (L) Lvl 425, Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold (T) Lvl 496, Cursed Fates of the Unborn Duo (M) Lvl 386

Aether Skills: Aether Detection Lvl 356, Aether Manipulation Lvl 302, Living Aether (R) Lvl 265, System Interference Lvl 88, Aether Surgeon (Ru) Lvl 104, Lesser Aether Inoculation (M) Lvl 363

Crafting: Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) Lvl 446, Touch of the Ghosthound (U), Scrawl of the Ghosthound (L) Lvl 275,

Yggdrasil, the Universe that was First a Tree (P): The World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) Lvl 505, Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 488, Yggdrasil’s Unruly Ichor (M) Lvl 416, Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 535, the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M) Lvl 403, the Inexorable Toll of Exodus (T) Lvl 392, Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L) Lvl 351, Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 452

Auxiliary: Yggdrasil Soul Seed (R), Inspiration (R), Burning Footsteps Lvl 223, Cooking Lvl 101, Aether Connection (A) Lvl 21, Soul Bond Lvl 475, Nether Modification (U), (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 361, Connection to the Alpha Cosmos (U), Nether Sensation (L) Lvl 650, Precise Nether Ritual (L) Lvl 498, Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) Level 570, Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M) Lvl 555

That mysterious series of question marks filled Randidly with a burning desire to unleash himself fully. Even now, he felt the strange changes running through him. His fingers tingled and his chest felt stuffy. Sensations flowed into him freely. The world around him felt extremely interconnected; the shift gave him an intimate connection with all of the area within his Scope.

The ground around him glittered, carbonized and slicked wet by the rain. Yet he didn’t want to exhaust himself with a test that might make him even later. He flexed his hands and produced the entrance ticket to the Don’s party. After making sure he had it, he stored it away and inspected himself one more time. He felt healthy and focused. With a sharp grin, Randidly pointed across the crater floor and a massive blast of Nether manifested itself apart from him, cutting an all-new hole.

Randidly nodded. Without the storm to support it, I can probably wield almost 90% of my Weight away from my body. For basic combat, that should be enough.

Compared to the Nether that Neshamah seems to have access to, I might be almost unstoppable with this.

Then Randidly pulled out his Philosopher's Key and opened a portal. He paused before went through the opening; for the first time, his Motif of the Hungry Deep had grown to the point that he could see the ripples of interference thrown off by his Fatepiece. It only took a moment for those reverberations to vanish, but that only made him look at the key with more respect. How the hell is the portal it opened so efficient…? If I can study it-

Still, that was a distraction. So he passed through the portal and arrived in the middle of the Beigon Estate. He began to bound down the corridor to the entrance that Claudette had told him about, but he skidded to a halt just as soon as he started. Wincing, he checked one of the side rooms and let himself in. Then he took out one of the fitted suits that Tatiana had made for him after his physical body shifted away from humanity. His tail flicked out the back, doing a lively impression of a conductor.

“Save the grandstanding for the party,” Randidly said while rolling his eyes and adjusting his cuffs. He felt good, both mentally and physically. He felt strong. And he knew that he should have enough hidden trump cards to take advantage of the powerful in the Nexus underestimating him. He could strike a few decisive blows and get an advantage.

Or at least, that’s what needs to happen. Randidly thought to himself as he returned to the corridor and strode across the wooden floor. Because otherwise-

A strange specter guarded the entrance, not even acknowledging Randidly as he walked up to the portal. However, when he produced the entrance ticket, its spectral arm lifted and made the entrance ticket disappear. Around his back, the Stillborn Phoenix’s two lingering Unborn souls chittered their sharp teeth, suggesting that they devour the shade. But Randidly stopped them, instead looking at the golden and black portal that appeared in front of him.

Huh. Even more released energy than the Philosopher's Key… tsk, tsk, how inefficient. Also, will I be able to head to Alymian anytime I want from now on…? Randidly mused idly as he stepped forward into the portal.

Almost immediately, he grimaced. More than a portal, the energy transfer was a process. He wriggled his body, forcefully breaking through the physical restrictions that attempted to compress him. The force came back stronger, wrapping around him like a boa constrictor. Randidly showed his teeth, but this time didn’t struggle; he had heard that most individuals completely lost their power in Alymian. This was likely part of that.

He floated forward through the cramped portal, being squeezed tighter and tighter as though being forced through a narrowing funnel. His hackles rose almost instinctively, forcing Randidly to close his eyes and calm his body. If I can handle being physically restricted by the Mountain, I can handle Alymian-

But as soon as Randidly thought that and allowed the restrictions to tighten again, making him feel like his body was being stuffed into a soft, sausage-skin version of himself, the restrictions changed. A bolt of lightning snaked forward and smashed toward his accumulated Nether. From the sudden and violent discharge, it was obvious the goal was obliteration.

He was taken off guard, but the bolt hit against the dense significance that Randidly possessed and shattered like an egg thrown against a brick wall. While he was trying to figure out from where that pathetic attempt at an attack had originated, a being of yellow crackling lightning formed in front of him, barring his path to Alymian.

The figure looked Randidly over with disdain. “You have accumulated a fair amount of memory of another world, but that is not allowed within Alymian. Suppress your Nether, or I will be forced to do it for you. And that… will not be pleasant.”

Randidly chuckled at the provocation. But ultimately, he didn’t want to make a big stink when he needed to come to Claudette’s aid. He spun his Nether Core as quickly as he could, pressuring all of his abundant significance into a tiny core within his body. He even withdrew the flows of Nether that ran through his veins alongside his blood. Folding everything inward strained his Willpower, but was possible. He released a long breath, his Nether Core now all weaving itself inward and spread his arms. “Happy?”

“Suppress your Nether in the next five seconds,” The lightning guardian responded. “I will allow no insolence.”

Randidly pressed his lips together. “My Nether IS suppressed. Can you sense it at all?”

“This is not about manifestations.” The guardian’s eyes began to burn with a bright light. It took a step forward. “This is about the extra Weight you carry. Discard it immediately. Or else-”

Randidly blinked. I need to get rid of my Weight? But how- damn, if this happens to everyone who enters Alymian, there is undoubtedly a method and Neshamah- ...heh. She probably assumed I knew it or obtained it from the Engraving Guild. For the first time, her assuming I learned Nether Core information from someone else came back to bite me…

“Are you going to call for help?” Randidly decided to stall for some time while he thought.

The being of lightning folded its crackling arms. “How dare you. I alone am enough to handle one such as you-”

“Well then, since it’s come to this,” Randidly’s eyes glittered. His Nether Core continued to rotate quickly, but he unleashed all of his significance and Weight into the dark, compressed passage. Lightning crackled around for an entirely different reason as he destabilized a space. “I suppose let’s settle it the old-fashioned way.”

“You will regret earning my ire,” The guardian intoned. Then it raised its arm and unleashed two powerful bolts that crossed the distance and slammed into Randidly’s chest.

Randidly’s grin widened as the attacks left him essentially unharmed. “Maybe if you used another element I’d be worried, but when it comes to lightning, I’m very confident in my ability to endure. Still, I have somewhere to be. So if you don’t step aside, I’ll move you.”

Apparently the time for talking had passed because the lightning guardian didn’t even acknowledge him. It just unleashed more blasts of lightning that were similarly ineffective against him.

Shaking his head slowly, Randidly said. “Fine then. I needed a guinea pig anyway, to see the limits of this new ability.” His Nether Core couldn’t rotate any faster, but the patterns that constituted the base began to disentangle themselves. They spread outward around his Nether Core, two laying dormant, but the third burning with long tongues of spectral Nether flames. “Let’s see how well you can handle… my First Authority.”