Savage Awakening 460. Bone of the Ancestor

Zane went straight for his prize.

Ten Million Year Bone of the Titan Rhinoceros — “Bone of the Ancestor”

35 Credits

And claimed it.

It materialized in front of him in a blaze of steely light. If the Forgotten Bone looked like a solemn cliff, this thing was more of an iceberg.

It started breaking reality as soon as it dropped—like it was too heavy for this world to handle.

It seemed like one great chunk of some unknown ore. An ore radiating an ancient might, like a mountain that had stood since the dawn of time—and standing before it, he felt its pressure on his soul. A harsh wind in the Astral Plane, flattening all the essence it found.

But Zane refused to so much as stagger.

He stared it down silently.

Then he heard a Rhino’s bellow and knew it had acknowledged him.

The wind ceased.

And he knew he’d been found worthy.

But it was still sending cracks shivering through the training room—he’d have to get it under control. He reached out, grabbed hold of it—

There was a mighty flash.

Then it was gone.

Zane’s eyes widened.

He staggered.

His heart started beating faster. Harder.

Thump. Thump—THUMP—

His body was burning up all over again—like with the Vigor Buff—but this time, it felt like a new power was blasting straight from his heart, rippling through his muscles, his bones—

His veins felt painfully hot.

He swore.

He could feel the muscles, the tendons, the bones tempering inside him… his blood was burning up. His body, made a cauldron.

And a rumbling began, deep within, touching the basest elements of his body. Reforging them in real time…

There was nothing he could do but grit his teeth and wait it out.

At some point he heard Reina come in—

“Of course you’re at it already.” He could almost hear her amused smile.

He was in too much pain to say much. Cross-legged, brow furrowed.

She just left him a towel and left him to it.

In the meantime, he felt that new beastly bloodline steep into every fiber of his being. An ocean of godly Rhino blood, breaking into every cell, endowing it with new density…

And he felt himself toughening. Growing stronger—denser as that weighty blood packed tighter and tighter in... Soon his very skin could compare to the strongest metals he’d ever seen. Then he kept getting tougher.

He even felt that strength in his chains, endowing it with that Ancestor Rhino weight.

Until at last—

Skill evolved!

Asura Titan’s Body, Second Form (Rare [P]) -> Asura Titan’s Body, Third Form (Rare [D])

The Rhino’s Physique and Soul Weapon are now equivalent to Divine Profound metals.

But that wasn’t all.

Skill evolved!

Density of the Ancients (Rare [D])

This buff grants the Rhino’s Soul Weapon a heft equivalent to the horn of the Ancestor Rhinos.

He felt a new weight settle comfortably into his soul.

Skill gained!

Hide of the Ancients (Rare [D])

Grants the Rhino a body as tough as the Ancestor Rhinos. Physical Toughness +100%.

The tempering took well over a week. By the end of it, tons of impurities had smoked out of him, burning up as they left.

As he stood, wiping sweat off his brow, he felt something denser pumping through his veins.

He grinned.

…It said something about him that he’d just finished the most intense fight of his life—and he was already feeling this eager to get going again.

He still had control over his physique. He kept himself lighter for now. If he wanted to, he sensed he could make his fists so weighty that they sagged the planet in orbit. Though Reina wasn’t a fan of messing around at home.

He’d have a chance soon.

For now, he made do with taking out a chunk of peak Primordial-grade dreamsteel and giving it a test punch.

It crumpled like paper.

It couldn’t even bruise his knuckles.

He looked down at his physique.

That same quality was hammered into every inch of him—down to the Level of the bones.

He had a sudden burning urge to run that Slayer fight back.

He wanted to set his fists against it and see this time which of them broke first.

He had a feeling it wouldn’t be him.

Now even scratching him would take some serious firepower.

There was something satisfying about walking around and knowing he could take anything they threw at him.

The Slayer hadn’t shaken his self-belief, but it had shown him his body could break.

That feeling—and in front of Reina…

He gritted his teeth.

Never again.

Beyond that, his Rhino blood felt like fuel. It powered his body. He was sure it powered his Skills too. If he used Overlord Annihilation Charge…

He’d have to find something to test it on later.

For now he just toweled off. Evan had left him some cookies—a pleasant surprise.

He munched as he inspected his System Store again. He still had quite a few Coins left. But most of the stuff that caught his eye was locked behind Tiers IV and V.

Friend of the System III required to unlock

There was a stone that looked like a miniature galaxy.

Origin Lodestone (O)

A curious exclusive—a tattered notebook, but it was graded (O)—which he took for Origin. Was that the highest grade?

Aiwe’s Manual (O).

There were other buffs too. Something that looked like a fistful of pure Destruction.

That was all a long way off, though.

He stretched his back.

He could spend the 29 Coins he had left. But he figured he was better off saving them.

For now, he was running low on dreamsteel again. And the higher Tier he got, the more it took to advance Friend of the System. His last purchase was 99 chunks of Divine Profound grade dreamsteel for 14 Credits.

He figured it’d last him a while.

Friend of the System III Progress — 4%

He’d grind his way there. He had time.

Munching, feeling satisfied, he made his way out.

***

He found Reina working through some ancient World Tree scrolls, lounging on the sofa. She perked up. “You finished it off?”

“Just this morning.”

She kissed him, then looked him up and down.

“It’s a toughness upgrade,” he told her.

“A Minor God’s never been able to take a Ten Million-Year Bone before.” She looked satisfied. “I like it. You feel… really solid. Even more than before.”

He nodded.

She hesitated. “Though—”

“I know,” he said, vaguely amused. “I’ll wait until I get back to Azure Flame to try it out.”

She couldn’t find a strong enough training room for him. The fact was nothing on Earth could take one of his punches anymore.

***

Then, just next week—“I got a quest,” said Evan happily. He showed them the notification.

It offered System Coins, as well as the ‘Delver King’s Final Bounty’ as its reward.

“The Delver King?” said Reina, blinking.

“Mhm!”

“…Sweetie, do you know who that is?”

Evan shook his head.

“He’s a figure of legend,” she said. “He’s from the first Chaos Cycle—it’s hard to say just how strong he was, since it was so long ago. But it’s said he comes from outside of Dragonspire.”

“…Really?”

“He came here meaning to make it his final resting place,” continued Reina. “But not before leaving his inheritance. It’s meant to be at the top of an ancient tower, all the way at the edge of the galaxy. Only no one’s ever found it.”

Evan gasped.

“I think he just invited me…” Evan showed them the ticket, trembling a little. Sure enough—an invitation to ‘The Tower.’

“It says I even get to take a familiar!”

Chomper barked.

Zane ruffled his head. “It sounds like a great time.”

Evan beamed.

Avery didn’t get a ticket, which she seemed mildly miffed about.

“I didn’t want one anyway,” she said.

Reina gave her a pat.

“Hey! I mean it—there are a hundred years to go, so I figure I’ll chill for a while, y’know?”

Avery nodded.

“I’m gonna go lie on a beach for at least three years,” she declared. “Then I’ll figure something out.”

***

As much as he was eager to get right back into it, his soul still did feel rather beat up.

Which made sense, given what he’d put himself through. So he took the rest of that week to rest up.

Much Leveling with Reina happened during this time.

Level up!

Essence Level 554 -> 555

By now their Mephisto’s Pleasure Sutra had hit Primordial Grade, which she found slightly embarrassing.

They also met up with some other top Rankers later that week. A final summit in the Arctic before they all headed off—back to their factions.

Back to prep for war.

He had a chat with Eze on an ice float. The guy seemed wistful.

“Ten years ago now, we shared a ring,” said Eze.

“…Has it been ten years?” It felt longer and shorter at once.

“I know.” Eze smiled. “Yet now you stand alone. Strength just keeps finding you, Zane Walker.”

“I suppose so.”

“Back then, I could see it clear as day. It was clear you were loved by Fate… it’s no different now.”

Eze gazed into the horizon.

“In a hundred years’ time, I expect the rest of us top rankers will be strong enough to defend Earth on our own. Though by then…”

He gave a rueful smile. “I suppose you'll be onto greater things.”

“…It’s looking that way.”

That was the plain fact of it. He figured there was no point in being falsely modest about it.

At this point, he knew who he was.

Back home, he’d just gotten a message—he had letters from Noughtfire and the Barbarian Sage waiting.

There was a bigger fight—a fight that’d come for Reina especially, with her as the head of a Great Faction.

He’d have to make certain he was ready by then—ready for anything they could throw at him.

“I remember when we first met,” said Eze, studying him. “You were… wilder back then. You loved to fight. But… I think you’re stronger now.”

He paused. “When you fought that Slayer… I am not certain the Zane from back then could have stood up, that final time.”

Zane thought about it.

He’d already been with Reina then, though it hadn’t been for long. He’d only been on one adventure with Evan. Now that he looked back on it, it felt like his reasons for fighting were already starting to shift.

He’d still fought hard back then—but that last fight, against the Slayer, wasn’t just a matter of standing back up.

It was standing back up over and over and over again—even after it had beaten him so badly he couldn’t think anymore. Even after he was so destroyed, only the core of him was left…

The one thing that said he had to get back up. He had to fight, no matter what.

The thing that kept his heart beating.

He was surprised to realize… that had grown stronger.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said at last.

For a little while, they stared out in silence.

Then Eze smiled.

“If this is the last time we share a battlefield, it’s been an honor, Zane Walker.”

They shook on it.

***

He caught a few cheers from other top Rankers before he left—

“We’re rooting for you, sir!” said Henry Colt and the other Young Elites. Vanessa nodded to him—“Good luck, Zane.”

“I guess I’ll never catch you, huh,” said Jason, grinning. He didn’t seem too cut up about it.

“Goodbye, Jason.”

Jason didn’t offer his hand. He wouldn’t have shaken it. His brother just walked off, hands behind his head, and faded into the distance.

“Say hi to Evan for me!” said Yuki the Sky Painter cheerfully. He gave Zane a vintage Pokémon card to deliver.

With that, Zane was off.

***

Back home, he opened the Sages’ letters.