| |
More than an hour later, after Mister Kim had finished absorbing most of the black origin crystals Noah had given him, there was finally a change as Mister Kim achieved the qualifications to advance grades. Mister Kim had entered into a trance. He was now staring blankly upwards in the direction of where the nearest Pylon hovered out-of-sight above the fiery sky, through a window.
"It's happening!" Noah shouted, watching the light appear beneath the skin of Mister Kim's unconscious body. Mister Kim had roughly ten more crystals remaining in his loose grip which had not been absorbed. Noah was the first to notice the change in demeanour as his eyes glazed over.
"Will he be okay?" Su asked worriedly.
"He'll be fine. Unless, of course, something unexpected happens," Noah attempted to reassure the young girl.
"Your Grandpa's tough. There's no reason to worry," Josh added.
They watched Mister Kim's body begin to undergo a transformation. Colour returned his dull hair to a vibrant black, his skin began to tighten as his appearance became ageless, with a wise and kind caste to his features. It was now impossible to guess Mister Kim's age. He could be young or old. His frame became slender as his muscles gained renewed vigour, concealing a wiry strength seeming to reflect his whip ability's flexibility.
He now also had a permanent subtle green glow of lifeforce flowing under his skin as it moved through Mister Kim's enhanced physique. His height didn't change, but any excess softness to his form had disappeared. He now appeared athletic, with an air of danger. Balanced by a friendly, approachable face. Mister Kim took a sharp intake of breath as he opened his eyes, revealing a mysterious, faint green glow in the depths of his pupils.
"Noah, why didn't you tell us that the world becomes so beautiful once you advance?!" Mister Kim exclaimed.
"Haha, everything changes. Wait until nighttime, the sky is lit by an aurora and rain of light that only we can see. Your physical changes seem different from mine. You look younger than a man half your age!" Noah cheerfully replied.
"That sounds beautiful. I feel better than I've ever felt!" Mister Kim looked at his hand in disbelief as he tightened it into a fist to watch the subtle green-lifeforce move through his muscles.
"There are still crystals left. What should we do with them?" Mister Kim held his hand towards Noah, it contained the remaining black origin crystals.
"Give them to Alex. It can be used to fuel his titanic growth in a desperate situation, even if it's not enough for him to advance," Noah instructed.
"Excellent idea!" Mister Kim handed the black origin crystals to the nearby Alex, who signed to Josh before having him hold them.
"Alex wants me to hold onto them in case we need them later," Josh informed them.
"Do what you like. It's your choice what you do with the crystals now," Noah replied indifferently.
There was a disturbance from the walkway outside as people were calling out excitedly.
"What's happening?" Su asked them as she tried to look out the window but couldn't see them above her or what was getting them excited.
"I have no idea. We should go have a look," Mister Kim wisely suggested.
***
After navigating through the labyrinth of corridors, they arrived at the walkway where the disturbance originated. A large group of excited survivors from the cruise ship gathered around a crewman standing at the rails. On closer inspection, Noah recognized the crewman as the second mate Theodore. He's currently in charge of the cruise ship's daily affairs. Theodore turned to face them after noticing their arrival.
"You arrived just in time. The old gods have returned! Poseidon approached me in a dream to grant me the blessing of his idol. I'm about to display the gift he bestowed upon me!" Theodore announced.
Before the group could respond, Theodore bent over to pick up an empty bucket tied to a rope at his feet and threw it overboard. As the coiled cord unravelled, Theodore began muttering under his breath. White lifeforce started moving beneath the surface of his skin, flowing upwards to gather between Theodore's eyes at the centre of his brow. Taking on the form of a unique, mysterious symbol that twisted the mind, preventing its true shape from being recognized.
The mysterious symbol appeared far more complex than the ability sigils Noah observed through his [Battle Instinct] ability. Although the real shape couldn't be comprehended, it gave an impression of a trident in the observer's mind. Theodore grabbed the rope before it was about to disappear over the railing. He gripped it tight before beginning to haul it back upward, the mysterious idol disappeared as the white-glowing lifeforce faded away.
"Behold the power of Poseidon!" Theodore declared as the onlookers gasped, stepping back.
"That's Noah's sword!" Su exclaimed, pointing in excitement.
Conspicuously jutting out from the bucket filled with seawater that held a mysterious glow was the [Grade 1 Wind Blade Sword]. That left the ferry survivors far more stunned than the people from the cruise ship. Noah was left speechless as Theodore carelessly spilled the contents of the bucket across the deck.
The [Grade 1 Wind Blade Sword] was not the only object in the previously empty bucket. There was also an assortment of black and clear origin crystals. The most noteworthy being a grade two black origin crystal and a glowing-blue grade one ability crystal. The onlookers gasped as they looked greedily at the treasure trove carelessly tossed across the ground.
The onlookers watched as the sword slid across the deck before stopping as a large boot stamped down on it. The large boot's owner stooped down to pick the blade up to inspect it while ignoring the scattered crystals. The now-grade-two-Ronan stood with a savage grin on his face as he toyed with the sword in his hands.
Ronan's appearance had changed drastically. He now stood almost equal to the giant Alex in height, towering head and shoulders taller than Noah. He had become far more muscular, with a physique rivalling world-class bodybuilders. His features had been given a cruel cast with jutting brows and sharp eyebrows. He still had a bald head with a handlebar moustache. Subtle yellow-lifeforce moved through his muscles containing overwhelming power. He was still wearing the leather vest with the sinister snake symbol, representing 'the Fallen' gang. Sophie had obviously used her ability to resize his clothing to fit his new stature.
