Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 79: Visitor

Roar!

A furious sound ripped through the Silent Forest. The Deathstalker Wolf, its snarl laced with agony, scrambled to regain its footing. Magnus’s sudden earth-softening maneuver, executed mid-sprint, had not only broken the wolf’s momentum but also shattered one of its forelegs, effectively crippling it. Yet, despite the debilitating injury, the wolf’s rage burned bright, a primal fury focused solely on tearing the human standing before it to shreds.

Magnus observed the struggling wolf, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "It worked," he murmured, a thrill of accomplishment warming his chest. This was just a taste of what he could achieve with his newfound affinity for manipulating concepts, and the results were already promising. He knew this tactic wouldn’t work against a stronger, more intelligent beast, but for now, the success was exhilarating.

The Deathstalker Wolf roared again, its frustration echoing through the trees. Magnus furrowed his brow, concentrating. He could easily finish the beast now, but he had one more experiment to conduct. His gaze fixed on the shimmering glyphs representing the concept of sound.

"Echo – Multiply," he commanded, drawing upon the ambient sounds of the forest. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The glyphs responded instantly, their intricate patterns shifting and reforming. The very nature of sound in the surrounding area began to warp. Instead of dissipating normally, sound waves became trapped, bouncing between the trees, amplifying and distorting. The wolf’s roar fragmented into a chorus of echoes, reverberating from every direction.

The Deathstalker Wolf, bewildered by the cacophony, whipped its head around in confusion. Its limited intellect interpreted the multiplied roars as a pack of unseen predators, instilling a primal fear that paralyzed it with indecision.

Magnus watched with a surge of elation. Another success! His mastery of conceptual manipulation was progressing rapidly. He was confident that, with continued practice, he would soon wield this power with incredible finesse.

Capitalizing on the wolf’s disorientation, Magnus strode forward and swiftly ended its suffering.

The familiar system notification chimed, but this time, there was no accompanying reward. This had become the norm since his awakening. The rewards for slaying ordinary beasts had dwindled to almost nothing. It was like a video game, Magnus mused. Once a character reached a certain level, the experience gained from defeating weaker enemies became negligible. Now that he had awakened, he needed to target Feral-Rank beasts and higher to see any significant gains. Ordinary creatures like the Deathstalker Wolf simply weren’t challenging enough anymore. He needed to venture deeper into the forest to find stronger prey, which was why he’d summoned Voidreaver earlier. The deeper one went, the more dangerous the forest became, and Voidreaver served as a potent safeguard.

Speaking of Voidreaver, the sentient weapon seemed to have calmed down considerably. Apparently, the system’s advice to apologize had worked. The blade now rested placidly in Magnus’s hand, the malevolent energy it exuded less volatile, contained within a thin, shimmering aura around the weapon.

’Evil fucker,’ Magnus thought, glancing at the weapon before shaking his head and continuing his trek deeper into the forest.

As he progressed, the beasts he encountered grew progressively stronger. Magnus hadn’t been overwhelmed yet, but he decided to stop after reaching a particularly dense section of the Silent Forest. While still capable of pushing further, he didn’t want to risk overextending himself. This area seemed to be teeming with Feral-Rank beasts, exactly what he was looking for. He began his hunt, and hours slipped by unnoticed.

-

"Amplify!" Magnus roared, launching a fist towards a charging beast. The impact sent the creature hurtling backward, crashing through a thicket of trees before collapsing, motionless.

A single punch with no Voidreaver and he had managed to inflict that much damage on a Feral-Rank beast with his bare hand. Magnus grinned, a surge of satisfaction coursing through him. Even though it was a relatively weak Feral-Rank beast with low defenses, the fact that he’d achieved this using "Amplify," a technique he’d just developed while hunting, was a significant milestone. It was the most complex application of his conceptual manipulation yet.

The principle behind it was deceptively simple, yet incredibly intricate. Normally, the impact of a blow was determined by the mass and velocity of the striking object, along with a few other factors. "Amplify," however, defied these conventional rules, allowing Magnus to deliver far more force than should have been physically possible.

For example, if Magnus punched with a force that would normally inflict a thousand points of damage, "Amplify" would magnify that impact. Instead of dealing the expected thousand points of damage, the blow might inflict twelve hundred, without Magnus needing to exert any additional force or change his technique. Simply by bending the laws of reality, he could achieve this amplified effect.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the increase would always be twenty percent. Magnus was still getting accustomed to the intricacies of this new ability, but its potential was already evident.

A satisfied smile spread across Magnus’s face as he approached the downed beast. Since the system hadn’t yet registered a kill, he knew it was still clinging to life. He needed to finish the job.

Stepping closer to the creature, which teetered on the brink of death, Magnus delivered the final blow with a swift swing of Voidreaver.

The moment the Synthe’s razor-sharp blade made contact with the beast’s neck, its head was severed. Instantly, the creature’s body began to shrivel, transforming into a desiccated husk of flesh and bone within seconds as the malevolent Synthe drained every ounce of vitality.

Magnus couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath. No matter how many times he witnessed this gruesome process, it still sent shivers down his spine. The way the Synthe devoured every drop of life, leaving behind a withered mockery of its former self, was a chilling spectacle.

With a sigh, Magnus focused his will on Voidreaver, directing the absorbed essence of the slain beast, along with the remnants of previous kills, into his own soul. He crushed the captured life force, refining it into pure energy that nourished his very being.

A wave of warmth washed over him as his soul power surged, strengthened by the influx of energy. The sensation faded after a while, leaving Magnus feeling invigorated, but a frown creased his brow.

"Still not enough," he muttered.

Ever since regaining consciousness, Magnus had been aware of a strange pressure on his soul, a constant weight as if something were trying to crush it.

At first, it was barely noticeable, and Magnus dismissed it as a side effect of the curse placed upon him by the Council of Gods. However, that was before today. Earlier, when he’d used his ability back in his territory, there’d been a slight increase in the pressure, so insignificant that even Magnus hadn’t noticed until now. After using his ability extensively today, he’d become acutely aware of a significant spike in the pressure.

It was as if each time he used Conceptual Manipulation to twist the laws of reality, the pressure intensified dramatically, threatening to obliterate him.

It was then that Magnus finally understood the source of the pressure. It wasn’t the curse; it was his affinity. This realization made perfect sense. Conceptual Manipulation involved rewriting or twisting existing concepts, essentially reshaping reality to his will. The pressure he felt was a backlash, a cosmic force pushing back against his alterations.

It was like entering someone’s domain and rearranging everything to your own liking. The owner of that domain would undoubtedly be displeased and likely retaliate. That was precisely what was happening now. Some higher power was attempting to erase him, viewing his existence as a violation of the natural order.

Magnus wondered if this was the true reason the Council of Gods had summoned him. Initially, he’d assumed it was because his transmigration to this world had somehow disrupted the cosmic balance. Now, he suspected it might have been because of his affinity. However, that didn’t entirely add up, considering he’d only awakened his ability after leaving the Council’s space.

He massaged his temples, trying to make sense of the perplexing situation. The whole thing was a baffling enigma. He pushed the thoughts aside for now. He needed to rest. Hours of hunting had exhausted him both physically and mentally, and his mana reserves were completely depleted after using "Amplify." He needed time to recover.

Dismissing Voidreaver, Magnus found a comfortable spot beneath a large tree, leaning back against its trunk to rest. He knew the path ahead would only grow more challenging. As his power increased and his mastery of Conceptual Manipulation improved, the resistance he faced would intensify. But with Voidreaver at his side, he was confident he could handle whatever came his way, unless things spiraled completely out of control.

Not that he was particularly worried. He was ready to face any challenge head-on. For now, his priority was to recover.

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[A/N_ Editing has begun, and all Chapters will be fixed soon. Thank you for your continued support.

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