While the effects of [Mine Of Is The Sea of Knowledge] did not change, Jon felt an ease of manipulation over the ability that surpassed that of every other ability within Jon's current repertoire. Through his understanding and comprehension over the nature of his Sea Of Knowledge, Jon felt as though he could amplify specific effects of his ability, rather than just flood spiritual energy into it, strengthening it as a whole.

His verdant coloured spear slashing through another barrage of invisible wind blades, his unmoved expression concealing a bubbling rage beneath its surface.

Jon could resist the effects of Han's [Silent Wrath] debuff, but it did not cleanse its effects in the same manner than Wilheim's [Golden Warmth] buff did. Without an ability to cleanse or remove debuffs from himself, Jon could only forcibly push [Mine Is The Sea Of Knowledge] to resist its effects.

The young human resisted a wince as he misjudged the angle of a particular wind blade, ignoring the threat of pain as he continued his strides forward.

Every step Jon took closer towards Han Of The Red Wind, increased the suppressive effects of his wooden throne construct upon his mind.

Gritting his teeth, Jon further increased the rotation of his Knowledge Mana Core, releasing an incredible amount of spiritual energy into his Sea Of Knowledge and Minerva-Sagacity Eyes. Said eyes gaining a slight silverish-grey tint to them, as Jon once again recited the chant to activate his observation Spell.

"Oh, sorrowful soul! Thou wilful ignorance shall no longer be overlooked! The burden of knowledge shall weigh upon thou shoulders, and the scales of truth shall judge the purity of thou soul".

A clump of bludgeoning spiritual energy gathered in front of Jon, shooting forward and striking Han clearly in the head. His mental resistance ability, [Mine Is The Throne Of Ira], resisted the initial force behind Jon's accumulated mass of knowledge natured mana, before Jon manifested another cluster of spiritual energy, swinging it again with as much force as he could possibly muster.

The third effect of [Mine Is The Sea Of Knowledge], was to slightly increase the effectiveness of all other Spells in Jon's possession with the Knowledge Trait. Excluding [Ashvattha Rana; Earthen Treasury Womb], Jon had manifested three Spells that possessed the Knowledge Trait.

Utilizing just the weakest effect of [Mine Is The Sea Of Knowledge] rather than the entirety of the ability, Jon felt the power of his Minerva-Sagacity Eyes amplified twice-over, allowing him to shatter through whatever measly mental defences Han possessed.

Jon could visibly see Han Of The Red Wind reel back in pain, momentarily causing him to cancel whatever swift-casting ability he had activated, in addition to the flurry of wind blades he had shooting towards him. The glow on his wooden throne construct dimmed, albeit only slightly, but it reduced the suppressive effect enough for Jon to peer behind the missing parts of his status page.

Jon skimmed the first few lines, reading everything that had been concealed during his previous observation attempt.

[2]: Wrath [Fragment Of Mind] [Mine Is The Throne Of Ira] (Wrath, Mind, Passive, Ability, Enhancement, Resistance, Self)

[Fragment Of Disruption] [First Sin Of Wrath; Silence In The Face Of Hatred] (Wrath, Disruption, Spell, Debuff]

[Fragment Of Invocation] [Second Sin Of Wrath; Languor In The Face Of Fury] (Wrath, Invocation, Ability, Buff]

[3]: Forest [Fragment Of Barrier] [Winding Wreathe Of Woodland Protection] (Forest, Barrier, Spell, Defensive, Buff)

[Fragment Of Throne] [Lie Upon Thy Woodland Throne And Behold] (Forest, Throne, Summoning, Construct, Spell, Buff, Debuff)

[4]: Salvation [Fragment Of Marrow] [Ours Is The Blood That Delivers Us Our End] (Salvation, Marrow, Transformation, Passive, Ability, Enhancement, Buff)

[5]: Earth [Fragment Of Trap] [Concealed Earth Trap] (Earth, Trap, Spell, Debuff]

[6]:

Jon could not help but feel the gentle tug of a grin upon his face. His worries about facing an enemy with significantly more abilities than himself immediately vanishing after examining Han's status page.

With the addition of a Fragment Of Spear into his Wood Mana Core, Jon possessed a total of eleven abilities out of a possible eighteen. It was the highest throughout his group of three, although somewhat to be expected when considering he had been in the small realm the longest.

When Jon pierced through the resistances concealing Han's status page from him and saw that this red-skinned humanoid was already at the Fifth Initiation, Jon felt his confidence waver, knowing that his opponent potentially outclassed him in every measurable sense.

Number of abilities.

Number of passive enhancements.

Amount of spiritual energy.

Speed of mana regeneration.

Physical capabilities.

Complimentary power sets.

Potentially even possessing his own summoning abilities capable of turning a one-on-one fight into a two-on-one, or even a three-on-one with Jon at a disadvantage.

After finding out that this individual did not even possess the same number of abilities, let alone a greater number than himself, Jon not help but shake his head, feeling his apprehension slip away, replaced with a cold sense of confidence.

'Of his nine abilities, two are passive and do not affect his direct combat strengths. One is a stealth Spell which has little meaning tucked away within his little turtle shell of a barrier. His barrier and throne pose a slight problem, while his swift-casting poses a slightly bigger problem. Of his only two offensive methods, one cannot breach the mental resistances of my Sea Of Knowledge'.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The only thing that Jon needed to worry about, was Han's [Colourless Wind Blades] and the [Second Sin Of Wrath], which possessed a level of compatibility that even Jon's abilities lacked.

A powerful, ranged offensive Spell, combined with a method of rapid firing it to the point where any normal mortal weapon would falter in the face of it. If Jon continued fighting with his plain wooden spear, it would have shattered the moment it collided against a single wind blade, ending Jon's life right then and there.

Flourishing his two-metre-long spear, Jon decided to forgo using [Green Is The Flesh, As Red Is The Blood], pushing the entirety of his wood natured spiritual energy into [Behold Thy Luminous Spear, Clad In Green Radiance].

The extraordinarily well-balanced weapon shone with a glistening verdant glow, leaving behind trails of almost green-neon light whatever space the barred blade of the spear passed through.

With every step that Jon took forward, he was forced a half-step back under the threat of Han' [Colourless Wind Blades]. The red-skinned humanoid unconsciously overcharging the effects of his ability.

Each near-invisible wind blade silently cut through the forest their edges aimed at Jon's vitals. Every time one entered within two metres of Jon, his verdant-green spear shattered them, the [Stance Of The White Star] urging Jon to overwhelm his opponent with a combination of perfect timing and extreme physical force.

A strange unfamiliar synergy between [Cometh Thy Red Horse Awaits] and [Requiem Of The White Star], beginning to form within the depths of Jon's form.

The eighteen-year-old was too busy focusing on bolstering the supplementary effects of [Mine Is The Sea Of Knowledge] to notice his spear carve through the earth beneath him. Something that was noticed by Han Of The Red Wind.

An expression of fear flashed through the face of this Fifth Initiated Mortal. Not matter what he tried to do, no matter how many abilities he threw as this strange, pale-skinned humanoid, it cut through them, charging forward without hesitation.

Jon possessed abilities with similar characteristics to Han, his own form of mental defences and mental intrusion abilities, not to mention flexible Spells capable of being cast at range. While Jon was somewhat interested in the Fragment Of Marrow that both Han and Wilheim possessed, his curiosity swiftly dissipated, brows narrowing as the suppressive weight of [Lie Upon Thy Woodland Throne And Behold] crashed into his form once more.

This time, Jon was close enough to receive the debuff effect that the ability possessed.

[Woodland Ignobility]: Increases mana expenditure of abilities with the Spell Trait. Decreases resistances towards nature-related damages, afflictions and debuffs.

Jon's eyes widen an almost imperceptible amount. While the effectiveness of his Spells and abilities had not decreased, the flow of his spiritual energy from his three Mana Cores into his abilities had surged involuntarily, causing Jon to misjudge the amount of mana he had remaining.

'Shit,' Jon thought to himself, ceasing the flow of spiritual energy into [Eyes Through The Looking Glass], leaving behind only [Cometh Thy Red Horse Awaits].

'I don't have that much knowledge natured spiritual energy left. But I still have plenty of wood natured and ice natured spiritual energy. Let's see just how far I can push this Seir-Glacial Heart before I enter cardiac arrest!'

Under his influence, the rotation of Jon's Ice Mana Core exploded, releasing a thick, fog-like mist of ice natured spiritual energy. With only two abilities integrated into the Mana Core, his Fragment Of Destruction and Fragment Of Heart devoured the overabundance of mana, increasing each of his abilities to their absolute utmost.

Veins of pale white appeared across Jon's limbs and upper body. The somewhat bluish-green tone of his veins and arteries blooming with the colour of snow, as the entirety of his physical capabilities violently swelled.

Taking a breath, Jon felt his figure being propelled forward. Bouts of physical pain bursting out all over his form.

Even with the passive physical enhancement of his Seir-Glacial Heart, Jon's body still could not fully withstand the strain of so much strength flowing through it.

Stepping within five feet of Han, Jon thrust his spear out, carving a neon-green glow through the air.

He could see the red-skinned humanoid immediately cast his [Winding Wreathe Of Woodland Protection]. Tendrils of twisting trees and coiling branches swarming around his figure, rising with enough acceleration for Jon's spear to be pushed off kilter, carving through the arm of his target, rather than the chest.

Han Of The Red screamed. As a violent surge of spiritual energy emanated from his body.

A flash of green and brown filled Jon's vision, before being forced backwards, an overabundance of trees and branches bursting forth from the ground around Han. Once again, the alien overcharged one of his abilities, this time, manifesting an enormous circular barrier of trees, leaves and branches around him.

A barrier roughly three feet thick prevented Jon from moving forward, the young human smiling, letting out a small breath, muttering a few words before placing his hand on the ground.

[Wrath Of Green, Piercing Wood Eruption].

Dozens of piercing tree branches burst forth from the ground, striking the [Winding Wreathe Of Woodland Protection]. Without the velocity behind his previous cast of the ability, the Spell did nothing but push a single inch into the barrier.

Unfortunately for Han, each successful strike that [Wrath Of Green, Piercing Wood Eruption] landed against a target, would inflict them with an instance of [Hateful Wood Curse].

The corners of Jon's mouth lifted upwards, as he struck the coiled branches with his spear, carving deep, guttural wounds into the outer shell of the forest natured barrier.

'And now, the end', Jon thought to himself.

There was reason as to why Jon would choose to integrate his Fragment Of Spear into his Wood Mana Core over his Ice Mana Core. The reasoning was simple.

[Fragment Of Spear] [Behold Thy Luminous Spear, Clad In Green Radiance] (Wood, Spear, Summoning, Ability, Weapon, Buff, Debuff)

Effect (Mortal): Summon Assail; Spear Of Verdant Cedar. Assail is a pseudo-spiritual construct formed from the coalescence of a Fragment Of Spear and a Wood Mana Core. Assail is contains within it the faintest traces of a cedarwood forest, blossoming in the light of spring.

Attacks made using Assail will inflict traces of wood natured damage. Attacks made using Assail will generate instances of [Cedarwood Blessing] up to a maximum threshold. Attacks made using Assail will inflict instances of [Cedarwood Bane] against a target up to a maximum threshold.

[Cedarwood Blessing]: Increases sharpness and durability. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

[Cedarwood Bane]: Decreases resistances towards physical strikes and blows. Additional stacks have an additive effect.

The human hacked wildly at the [Winding Wreathe Of Woodland Protection], with a sense of wrathful madness behind his actions. Chunks of wood shards were sent flying off with every blow, no sense of meaning or order behind the placement of his attacks.

Every small groove he carved into the outer layer of the barrier only caused his grin to widen, his expression morphing into one of malicious curiosity.

Jon wanted to see just how far his abilities could take him. The faintest ripples of synergy echoing throughout his Sea Of Knowledge.

Each one of Jon's strikes using Assail would deal a combination of physical, wood natured and ice natured damage, and then subsequently inflict an instance of [Cedarwood Bane] and [Cold Requiem] onto Han's barrier.

Every instance would stack continuously, each providing a minute, but undeniable effect. Although it was instinctual, Jon eventually felt the transformation of his stacks of [Cold Requiem] into [Requiem Of The White Star], further reducing its resistances towards ice natured damage.

The instances of [Cedarwood Blessing] and [Cedarwood Bane] reaching their maximum threshold, as Jon gritted his teeth, holding his spear in one hand, thrusting it forward with every iota of spiritual energy he had remaining.

The three-foot thick barrier of trees and branches practically crumbled, as Jon felt the tip of his spear carve through flesh and bone.

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