Chapter 64: Aura Density! Find who he is
[Name: Caelus Kross]
[Race: Chaos Perception Dragon (Locked)]
[Lifespan: 125 Years]
[Class: Ender]
[Profession: Blacksmith (Tier 1: Iron I) (0/25,000 EXP), Engineer (Tier 1: Iron I) (2,000/25,000 EXP)]
[Aspect: Chaos Perception Eyes (Mythical, 1-Star)]
[Talent: Endless Extraction (SSS-Rank), Body Enhancement (D-Rank), Dexterity (C-Rank), Fire Manipulation (D-Rank), Lightning Domain (Lower B-Rank), Charge (D-Rank), Weapon Light Barrage (D-Rank), Shadow Hand (D-Rank), Projection Frame (Upper A-Rank), First Generation: Spark Ignition (C-Rank), Tremor Authority (Middle B-Rank), Poison Application (E-Rank), Laser Manipulation (Lower B-Rank)]
[Mod: Golden Light]
[HP: 160/160 (Recovery: 5/min)]
[CA: 150/150]
[Aura: 25/25 (Recovery: 2/min)]
[Rank: Iron I]
[Aura Rank: Tier 1 (0/100)]
[Level: 15 (1,932/3,200)]
[Combat Score: 2.0 (Iron II)]
[Affinity: E-Rank]
[Origin Credits: 9,631]
[Reputation: 25]
[Title: Rookie Emperor (Passive Skill), Town Leader of Server 513, Harvester (Rare)]
[Skill: Fireball (Common, 1-Star), Blood Manipulation (Common, 1-Star), Compressed Lightning Shot (Rare, 1-Star), Lightning Step (Common, 1-Star), Weapon Manifestation (Common, 1-Star), Tremor (Rare, 1-Star), Thunderclap (Rare, 1-Star), Stream (Epic), Plasma Nuke (Mythical, 1-Star), Laser Shot (Rare, 1-Star), Point-Defense Grid (Epic, 1-Star)]
[Profession Skills: Rainbow Light Forge (Tier 1: Iron I), Herb Gatherer (Tier 1: Iron I), Flash Patterning (Tier 1: Iron I)]
New stats materialized in his status window. By now, Caelus had also finished his profound physical transformation.
"Young friend, we actually managed to awaken Aura!" Old Man Welt was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. "It has... it has been so long."
"Yeah. I guess so," Caelus mumbled, keenly observing the dramatic changes in himself and the old man.
His draconic body was coursing with boundless vitality, and the old man mirrored that exact same youthful vigor.
This was true Aura, the supreme vital power birthed from perfect soul and body alignment.
Aura by itself could not physically leave the vessel, but Caelus could circulate it internally to empower his every movement.
Curiously, he took a step forward and began circulating the art using the fresh Aura in his system. Instantly, the difficulty skyrocketed. Instead of feeling lighter, his limbs felt infinitely heavier, as if he were moving through liquid lead while performing the forms.
[+3 Aura EXP]
[+3 Aura EXP]
[+3 Aura EXP]
With every completed cycle, his Aura experience ticked upward. It was extremely similar to a standard Mana Training Art, except this focused entirely on pure physical and spiritual synchronization.
It also gave his newly forged body a phenomenal workout.
"What did you learn, young friend?" Old Man Welt inquired from the side, clearly noticing Caelus actively testing the waters.
[Aura Rank: Tier 1 (9/100)]
"I was calculating the exact EXP gain from each cycle. Can you test it as well?" Caelus tilted his head and asked.
"Alright." Old Man Welt got fired up and immediately began his own practice sequence.
A few moments later, he stopped and spoke up. "I am getting exactly one point of EXP per cycle."
"Oh," Caelus nodded. So the multiplier was completely unique to him.
He had a feeling that might be the case. As he was right now, his dense Combat Score was essentially equivalent to three hundred points of a standard Iron I player. The Aura had drastically shattered his physical limits, pushing his foundation to an entirely new stage.
Caelus then began to test out other applications. Brilliant ideas flooded his mind as this volatile new power readily circulated through his veins.
The golden Aura in his system churned and shot aggressively down toward his legs.
Bzzt!
As soon as the golden energy wrapped tightly around his calves, a new status window popped up.
[You have unlocked the skill: Aura Density]
[Aura Density: Increase the power of a specific part of the body. Take less recoil and deliver vastly more impact with Aura.]
[Cost: 5 Aura]
"Just how much faster does this make me?" Caelus could not help but test it out. The instant he took a single step forward, his figure blurred, and he reappeared on the entire other side of the courtyard.
"This speed... young friend, did you just use Aura to achieve that?" Old Man Welt’s eyes lit up like blazing torches.
"Yes. I gathered it densely around my feet." Caelus looked down thoughtfully. The physical enhancement just now allowed him to move twice as fast as his normal base speed, all without even triggering his Projection Frame!
"I can gather this power into a single focal point and deal massively increased damage." Caelus was pleasantly surprised.
Likewise, his punches could now deal exponentially more damage as well. A single strike held the raw equivalent of four Iron II Combat Score points.
But the total Aura pool he held was still quite small. Fortunately, it would naturally expand with each major rank breakthrough. According to the Aura Manifestation Art, the capacity increased significantly every five tiers.
Feeling experimental, he decided to try something a bit more dangerous. He fired a dense burst of Aura directly up into his brain. Immediately, his vision spun as severe dizziness assaulted his mind.
[Ding!]
[You have glimpsed into the skill: Aura Perception]
However, the second he read the message, the Aura in his head spiraled out of control and rapidly dispersed.
"Is that application too advanced for me right now?" Caelus shook his head to clear the vertigo.
He would just have to train his Aura during his free time to officially awaken more skills. The Aura Manifestation Art by itself promised a treasure trove of powerful abilities. He vividly remembered the ’Fighting Spirit’ skill mentioned in the item description. That one would definitely come in handy.
Off to the side, Old Man Welt was trying to replicate Caelus’s feat. He forcefully pushed his white Aura down into his feet to accelerate forward, but halfway through the motion, the energy would fizzle out, causing him to stumble and fall.
"It looks like I am not nearly as talented as you, young friend," Old Man Welt chuckled, maintaining his bright enthusiasm as he dusted himself off.
"Hm," Caelus muttered, observing the failure. "You are focusing way too much on the Aura itself. You are not actually visualizing your feet and the physical movement, are you?"
Old Man Welt froze upon hearing that profound tip. He quickly adjusted his mindset and tried to follow Caelus’s exact execution.
[You have unlocked the skill: Aura Enhancement]
"It works!" Old Man Welt was over the moon. He had not been too disappointed when he initially failed, but finally comprehending the true application made him incredibly ecstatic.
"Young friend. What happened here today... this old man will never forget it," Old Man Welt turned toward Caelus and spoke with deep, utmost sincerity. "I will remember this favor forever."
"Oh, okay," Caelus nodded. He did not mind it too much. Practicing with this persistent old man had actually helped him successfully awaken his own Aura, so they were perfectly even in his book.
"Well, I need to get going. I was just kicked out of my old housing and need to find a new turf to settle down in," Caelus chuckled softly, giving a casual wave goodbye.
"What? Kicked out?" Old Man Welt frowned deeply upon hearing this.
However, before he could ask for further details, Caelus had already blurred out of the courtyard.
Just then, a man in a crisp black suit stepped out from the shadows and bowed respectfully. "Congratulations on finally awakening your Aura, Association Head."
"Brown," Old Man Welt said, his voice dropping its previous warmth as he slowly turned toward his subordinate.
"Find every piece of information you can on that boy. He is my benefactor. I need a full dossier within the hour," Old Man Welt ordered in a dead-serious tone. "And look into the housing matter he just mentioned. You must have heard it. Fix it."