Free Web NovelChapter 19: Second Affinity
Arthur stepped out of the shop and right into the narrow alley beside it.
His footsteps weren’t hurried, but his face was a mixture of curiosity and eagerness. He had been planning to log out the moment he sold his loot to the shopkeeper, but he couldn’t put this off until tomorrow.
He stopped a few paces into the alley and made sure that there was no one around before he unfastened his pouch from his waist.
The red stones inside still gave off their usual faint warmth.
What he focused on, however, was the handful of blue stones.
He pinched one of them between his fingers and lifted it into the light that seeped through the cracks of the buildings, illuminating the small alley.
This one was definitely different from the fire stones. It was cooler to the touch and it gave off a soothing feeling.
That was the only thought that coursed through his mind before a system notification popped up in front of him.
[Elemental Stone of Water detected!]
[Would you like to absorb it?]
[Yes / No]
This time, Arthur didn’t hesitate. ƒrēewebnovel.com
The moment his fingers touched the word ’Yes’, a sudden chill spread through his fingers.
The stone in his hand pulsed for a moment, followed by a soothing wave of coldness that slipped up his fingers and then into his arm.
In the blink of an eye, it had already coursed through his entire body, like a clean, chilling breath on a winter morning. Even his blood seemed to have turned a bit cooler as the peculiar sensation filled his entire body.
And then... it vanished.
Both the blue stone in his palm and the soothing sensation had disappeared, as if they were nothing but a mere figment of his imagination.
[Elemental Affinity Gained: Water (Minor)]
Still, Arthur stared at the notification window, and his mouth curved into a wide, satisfied smile.
"So it stacks. It’s not just one element." He muttered to himself.
Truth was, Arthur had been half-certain he could absorb more than one element. After all, the description of his ’Child of the Elements’ title basically said so.
[Child of the Elements (Unique): Effects: Grants minor resistance and affinity to absorbed elements. Gradually increases with repeated absorption.]
It clearly said ’absorbed elements’.
Still, looking at the confirmation right in front of him, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a wave of contentment. He had yet to get anything out of this ’elemental affinity’ thing, but surely, it was just a matter of time before he did.
Surely...
A moment later, he checked both ends of the alley again, verifying it was still empty and that nobody had seen him sucking elemental stones dry like some kind of crazy vampire, before closing his eyes.
Soon, the world around him began to fade again, before the familiar weightless falling enveloped him once more.
...
When he opened his eyes, Arthur was staring at the ceiling of his own bedroom again.
Outside his window, dusk had long since settled over the shopping district. The warm glow of day had already drained from the sky, leaving behind that quiet gray-blue stillness that came with nightfall.
There were no noises or kitchen sounds coming from downstairs. Just the soft creak of his window frame and the ticking of his old wall clock.
Arthur sat up slowly and let the silence wash over him.
Returning from Zenith was a strange experience. One that was difficult to put into words.
It didn’t hurt or anything, but it was jarring in its own way. It was like waking up from a long dream even though your mind had yet to shed off its fatigue.
After a minute or so, he got up and walked quietly down the hall to check on his grandfather.
The old man was already asleep, his snoring reverberating throughout the second floor before Arthur could even open the door to his room.
He shook his head with a smile but didn’t wake him up. He didn’t know if any customers had dropped by during the day, but he very much doubted that. It wasn’t all that bad, though. At least his grandfather could get some rest this way.
In the end, Arthur grabbed a glass of water from the first floor before returning back to his room and plopping back onto his bed, as he began to think back to everything that had taken place today.
This morning, he’d woken up and prepared to grab Leonard to go to university together, just like any other day, and yet in the span of a few hours, the entire world had flipped on its head. Now, he was killing monsters in a virtual world and farming elemental stones for a bunch of four-armed aliens.
It was absurd, insane even.
And yet, it was happening.
He replayed all the fights in his head. The very first goblin he’d fought. The way the imps fought as well as their attack patterns. Even John’s log crashing down and pulverizing whole groups of goblins.
All of it was clear in his mind. It didn’t really feel like a game. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Well... that was probably the alien technology speaking, but still.
Either way, Arthur could tell he was adapting relatively quickly to his new circumstances, all things considered.
And right before he drifted off to sleep, he was contemplating whether he should drop out of uni for a while. Until things stabilized, at least, and he could support both himself and his grandfather.
...
The next morning, Arthur woke up just past dawn.
The faint morning chill still lingered in the air, slipping through his half-opened window.
He rolled out of bed and tugged on a hoodie before moving to brush his teeth.
There was no fanfare, no grand awakening. Just another day... if you ignored the interplanetary death game he was now a part of.
He walked down the stairs barefoot and caught the scent of toasted bread coming from the kitchen.
His grandfather was already at the table, steam curling from his favorite coffee mug.
But the old man didn’t seem to have touched his coffee. Instead, he was staring at the TV, which seemed to show scenes of yesterday’s destruction all around the country.
It was only after hearing the creak from the last step of their wooden staircase that Luke snapped out of his reverie and glanced away. He looked at Arthur and gave him what Arthur could tell was a forced smile as he said,
"Good morning, son."
