RoleplayNovel Chapter 10 Inspiration and Growth
Chapter 10 Inspiration and Growth
Benjamin used a small spell to create a blurry barrier around the crater. Not invisibility, but a subtle shift in the line of sight from a distance—in his words, "like looking at something through dirty glass, you can see the outline, but not the details."
"This isn't some profound spell," he said as he cast the spell, "but it'll be enough to deal with those low-level skeletons. As for the necromancers inside, we'll have to keep an eye on them—but they're busy with their rituals and probably won't have time to look out."
Chen Mo leaned against the pit wall, pulling his cloak tighter around himself. The night wind swept across the hilltop, carrying the stench of decay emanating from the cave. He glanced towards the cave entrance—the three skeletons were still pacing back and forth, their movements stiff and rhythmic, like wind-up puppets.
"Go to sleep," Benjamin said. "I'll keep watch the first night. You keep watch tomorrow."
Chen Mo did not refuse. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, so that they could both maintain their energy before the battle.
The waiting time was longer than Chen Mo had expected.
The first day has passed. The skeletons at the cave entrance have changed twice—fewer during the day, only two; at night, the number increases to four. Occasionally, a faint blue light flickers from the depths of the cave, as if someone deep inside is sending signals using some kind of light source. Benjamin says it's the overflow of ritual energy fluctuations, indicating that the spellcasters inside are making final preparations.
"It'll be soon," he said. "The magical fluctuations are becoming more and more frequent. It's like a kettle on the stove—the water's about to boil."
The second night arrived quickly. Benjamin slept soundly beside him, while Chen Mo silently wiped his longsword, his eyes fixed on the deep night ahead, his mind focused on his own body.
During the past two days of travel, Chen Mo had been experiencing a strange feeling in his body, which became even clearer the moment he killed the wolf yesterday.
It was a kind of...fullness.
Like the first rain falling on a parched riverbed, like the first blade of grass sprouting on barren land. It was faint, gentle, but undeniably there.
Chen Mo suddenly looked up at the night sky.
It seemed that something was falling from the sky.
It wasn't a physical "fall"—there was no light, no sound, no weight. But he could feel it. Like an extremely thin, almost imperceptible thread, hanging down from some very high place in the sky and connecting to him. At the other end of the thread, something was flowing—not energy, not magic, but something more essential, more primal.
A form of recognition.
One kind of response.
Chen Mo stood still, looking up at the sky.
Night had fallen. Marshal and Sekunda hung in the sky, their golden and silver light intertwined. And between them, in the far, far distance—the stars twinkled.
He suddenly remembered something.
Absorbing souls to enhance his power is a unique ability of his. How do the natives of Skyrim enhance their own power?
He thought of games, where when a game character trains a certain ability, such as one-handed sword, light armor, or shield, their skill level is reflected on the upgrade star map. When a certain skill reaches the required level, the character is allowed to use skill points to unlock the perk belonging to that skill tree.
Is the power he's feeling now some kind of... response from the Light Dimension to Nien?
When a person performs an action that conforms to the laws of the Light Realm—such as accurately shooting an arrow, protecting a companion in battle, or exploring an unknown cave—the Light Realm will give that person a small reward through the channels of those stars.
It is indeed possible that in the world of ancient scrolls, the so-called gods were originally just a collection of concepts.
In games, no one delves into the underlying principles of character leveling. It's just a system, a mechanism, code. But in the real world, it has its own logic—a self-consistent logic that belongs to this world.
The realm of light responded to him.
Because he is doing the "right" thing. Not morally right, but legally right—he is fighting, he is growing, he is influencing the world in his own way.
Did those stars—that faint star that felt familiar to him—also receive some nourishment from this response?
Chen Mo didn't know.
But he could sense that he had indeed become a little stronger. Not the kind of dramatic, qualitative leap that comes with leveling up—it was a more subtle, slower accumulation. Like experience points. Like a progress bar.
Chen Mo closed his eyes.
Feel yourself.
He tried to pull his attention away from the outside world—from the sound of the wind, the stench, the blue light emanating from the distant cave—and focus solely on his own body.
At first, there was nothing. Only a heartbeat, only breathing, only the faint pulsation of blood flowing in the veins.
Then, he sensed something else.
It was faint, like a spider's thread trembling in the wind, ready to snap at any moment. But it was undeniably there—deep within his body, something more subtle than blood, more swift than nerves, was flowing. It had no fixed shape, no definite direction; it simply existed, like a still, unfathomable pool of water.
The moment Chen Mo's consciousness touched it, the thing reacted.
Like a pebble thrown into water, ripples spread in all directions. Those ripples are not random—they flow along a fixed path, like water in a canal, flowing along a pre-dug channel.
Veins. Or loops.
There were indeed "paths" within him. And those paths—he vaguely sensed them—led in different directions. Some led to swordsmanship, some to archery, and some to something deeper, something he couldn't comprehend.
Chen Mo found the nearest node and tried to light it up.
No, there seem to be other restrictions.
Chen Mo was not in a hurry. He slowly explored, like a toddler learning to walk.
Soon, Chen Mo discovered a weak point and tried to light it up again.
The nodes are connected, resembling a dazzling starlight.
Chen Mo also realized the significance of this milestone.
One-handed weapon.
Chen Mo suddenly had many insights, and countless related pieces of knowledge began to surface in his mind. He could feel that he now had a deeper understanding of swordsmanship.
Why a one-handed weapon? Is it because I've been using a sword these past two days?
Chen Mo opened his eyes, picked up the longsword that was lying flat on his lap, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.
He calmly thrust out his sword.
The sword light traced a full arc, like a scattered plum blossom painted on the canvas of the night.
Chen Mo stared intently, a thoughtful expression on his face.
The skill of swordsmanship seems to have taken another step forward.
"That's the response from the Light Realm," Benjamin's voice suddenly came from the side.
Chen Mo turned his head and found that the old man had woken up at some point.
Benjamin spoke calmly, as if he were stating something perfectly normal: "When you do something that conforms to a certain… 'concept,' the Light Realm will give you a little feedback. Mages call it 'enlightenment.' Archers and warriors have their own versions."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Most people never feel this in their entire lives. You, on the other hand, feel it so easily."
启迪
So that's how it is; this is how people in Skyrim understand perks.
Ironically, in the game, it's just adding a point, something as simple as breathing for the player.
However, Chen Mo gripped the sword in his hand.
He truly felt that he had become stronger.
In this cruel world, he gained even more confidence.