Chapter 82: The Sea of Bitterness (IV)
The confirmation seemed to take forever. In that time, Ember advanced a couple more steps. The icy coldness of the abyssal water tightened its grip on his mana veins, gnawing at his Will and mana with every passing step.
[Skill Acquired: Will Enforcement (Silver) +1]A secondary current convulsed through his body. His mind sharpened, and with the awakening of a new skill, he momentarily repelled the bitter suction. That single moment was enough for him to traverse another dozen metres, cutting the distance between him and Dawn a little more. But then more of the abyssal water splashed on him.[+1,000 EPs.]
Ember held the sapphire manathemas in both palms. Although they deflected the currents, they could not entirely prevent the water from reaching him.
The abyssal water had already drained more than half of his mana. His new silver skill had managed to seize hold of a dozen breaths of mana, bringing it under its control and preventing it from being forcibly siphoned away.
With them, he tried to cast Force Shield.
Ember managed to use it to deflect some of the water, but it was barely effective for a single instance, as the devouring water easily ate through his shield.
Thankfully, Ember merely had to maintain a stronger hold on his mana to prevent the dark water from threatening his mana foundation. With the new skill, he didn't find it too difficult. Even if he did lose more than half of his breadth of mana earlier, it was merely a temporary loss.