Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Chapter 603: Sturdier Bastion



Everyone in the room was deeply moved by Altair's story.

The cold darkness added a genuine and inimitable quality. That bone-chilling glooming suffusing the room was a testament to the struggles he endured, of the lasting effects he grappled with.

However, Kieran's comment caught everyone's attention, engendering an exchange of looks between everyone.

"You two... Advanced together?" Alice asked, her curious eyes glistening with intrigue.

Little was known about the Myths, and they were meant to share little about their experiences, but Kieran and Altair were also not beholden to the Decrees of the Myth. Their Oath did not prevent them from sharing what they felt was prudent or classed as general information.

Their personal experiences and what they interpreted fell under the umbrella of shareable information, as did their efforts unrelated to the fate of the Boundary.

Kieran nodded, his expression calm. "Yeah, we Advanced together. There's a... link, so to speak, between us, which combined our Advancing and turned it into a grueling test. Even now, we only scratch the surface of how it was achieved."

Altair wore an equally grim expression.

He, too, didn't understand how their mind, body, and souls were separated, preserved, and dismantled to enter a place without knowing who they were. It was a daunting feeling, and that left them battling with chronic episodes of disassociation.

"So, your Advancing was a Trial then? Strange," Alice muttered. She fingered her arm, dragging her lithe digits across her forearm while pondering the meaning. "My Advancing wasn't anything like that. I only had to construct an internal spellform to condense my Mana Pool."

It sounded simple via Alice's explanation, but Kieran doubted it was that straightforward. His brush with spellforms alerted him to their innate difficulty. It demanded a high level of focus, attention to detail, and an adroit flow of Mana.

Commanding Mana as if it were an additional limb was the entry to finer control.

"It's not that strange," Bastion spoke up. "When I Advanced... I return to the home of the Ancient Defender, but the challenge made my Affinity Check seem like a cakewalk."

Intrigued by Bastion's comment, Kieran motioned for him to keep talking. And talk he did.

"Well, I'm sure I described the evaluation to you before... but I faced a waterfall of strange water. Only it wasn't water, liquefied Will deluged me. It knocked me down until I was bruised, battered, and on the verge of breaking. But for my Advancing, I was stark naked, with no shield, armor, or anything to fend with."

Bastion paused, rose from his seat, and walked to the far end of the conference room where he could unleash his ability unperturbed. He inhaled deeply, and then a silver-blue energy rolled off his body like an infallible mantle meant to protect him.

Soon, the steam changed shape while keeping its color, adopting qualities of refined steel itself, but Kieran could sense familiar emanations within the robust silver-blue energy that whiplashed back and forth.

"That energy is quite strong. I've seen something similar, but your qualities seem vastly different," Kieran commented. He approached Bastion and analyzed the silver-blue energy. Then, he focused some energy on his fingertips and flicked the rich silver-blue mist. A deafening noise thundered in the conference room, becoming a sonorous screech after losing some of its initial impact.

When Kieran pulled his hand back, he saw that although Bastion had taken a step back before bracing his body and dealing with the blow, the silver-blue energy remained unaffected.

"Your Will has become firmer, perhaps stronger than mine, in pure defense. Actually, I used you as inspiration during my hardships, remembering the strengths of your Class," Kieran said.

Aside from praising Bastion's growth, Kieran shook his hand, easing the ache in his forefinger. The energy echoed metallic qualities, displaying heightened resilience and a sturdier composition, and that resulted in soreness from Kieran's finger.

Though he sported a robust physique, Kieran's true power rested in his ability to heighten his physical prowess with blood. His resting attributes were far milder in comparison.

"How high do you estimate your Will is?"

Bastion let out a strange humming noise, one that usually accompanied deep thought or confusion. Kieran gleaned Bastion's uncertainty, but he still answered.

"I won't lie, boss. It's not a stat we can check, so I'll have to make a guesstimate of around... sixty-ish? Seventy-five, maybe?"

Considering the focus of Bastion's Class, that came as no surprise to Kieran. After all, Will was a confluence of Intelligence and Constitution (the Hidden Attribute), meaning it involved three attributes: Intelligence, Vitality, and Endurance.

Those concepts encompassed the strength of mind and body, but if Kieran remembered correctly, Bastion's Class was somewhat odd.

"You prioritize Will and Resilience, right? Two Hidden Attributes? That alone makes your

Class... well, incredibly rare and perhaps highly sought-after."

Bastion blushed, bashfully scratching his head. "It has its perks. But I was worried the meager number of General Attributes I received would hamper my progress, but I guess after the Advancing, it's clear that it's not an issue."

Kieran agreed.

Not many understood this, but the Hidden Attributes existed as a blend of concepts or General Attributes to produce synergistic effects. If there was a hierarchy of Hidden and General Attributes, all of the former would be classed infinitely higher than the latter. In a sense, amassing an absurd number of Hidden Attributes was the secret to success, but they were similarly hard to acquire.

Kieran had only just started amassing scant amounts with the acquisition of Legendary and higher-ranked Titles.

"Actually, my new Class is similar," Ezra suddenly said.

Eyes were on her now, and she looked to Lux before feeling that if she were to be part of this group, she'd have to be open to being vulnerable and exposed by revealing the specifics of her

Class.

Kieran remembered her recently talked about Class - Maven of the Unbroken Blade. It was superior to a Sword Master in every way, but that preeminence unnerved him. The unsettling prospect lay not with the Maven but with the Unbroken aspect of her Class.

Did that not align with his new Title: Herald of the Unbroken? Like the rest of his Path Titles, it possessed strange and ambiguous wording.

Ezra had admitted Kieran's involvement played a massive role in her acquiring the Class. If that were true, believing the Unbroken piece came from his presence wasn't too far-fetched.

It was a feasible explanation.

Then again, Kieran also had yet to learn what an Unbroken truly was or how said qualitiesn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

were evaluated.

Ezra sorted her thoughts, exhaling her misgivings.

"Yeah, the number of General Attributes I get per level is minimal: a few points in Control, Agility, and Perception. But what I lost then, I gained in Acuity, Alacrity, and Focus. But... I must hold a blade to eke out my greatest potential."

None of those Hidden Attributes were new to Kieran, but he was shocked to hear they were receiving Hidden Attributes from their Class. His Class still dealt exclusively with General

Attributes.

Of course, he wasn't complaining.

His Unique Path was practically a cheat in terms of receiving Hidden Attributes. It wasn't wrong to say he benefited from the best of both worlds, dipping his toes in two sublime

ponds.

Ah, but he knew there were unspoken consequences attached.

A greater ceiling naturally came at the cost of requiring more to fill up the space completely,

and such was the condition of Kieran's EXP dilemma.

His Unique Path had devoured the deep well of EXP he had amassed.

Kieran broke his silence in favor of his curiosity.

"Since your Class is similar, what about your Advancing? Care to share that story?"