Chapter 119 : [Elemental Nexus]

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Spending a dozen cycles inside the storm, Sora felt the damage dealt by the [Spatial Element] becoming a threat to his life. Needing to reset the damage dealt by the cycles of elemental damage, he exited the storm.

His experiment was not yielding the results he was hoping for yet, and it only took a few minutes for him to be overwhelmed. He repeated the process a few times, eventually unlocking the [Spatial Element]. He saw his [Mana Evolution] Customization effect evolving.

[Sub-effect: [Elemental Control]. By recreating elements through [Mana Customization], you unlock a sub-effect allowing for perfect skill creation based on your comprehension of each element. Elements Unlocked: 6.]

Aware that he was far from mastering this element, he was still happy to feel the connection forming with the new element.

He focused on his other task at hand, which was playing with the five elements to temper his body and resistance. Using each element to attract its wild counterpart, he was being assaulted by elements on each finger.

Knowing the damage would increase when elements hit the same point, he closed his hand. His fist received five different elements simultaneously, and the elements clashed.

When the elements converged on Sora's closed fist, they collided with an intensity that felt almost chaotic.

Each element seemed to fight for dominance, unwilling to blend harmoniously. Their energies bounced off one another in a violent interaction, as if they had their own will. The raging elements in his hand were creating something that gnawed at him, almost bypassing the resistance his body had built up.

'What is this? The five elements can combine to bypass my elemental resistance? Don't tell me this is some new element I have no resistance against… Each individual element is weak against my body, but this mix of elements is far stronger than their sum.'

Unable to control these elements, he used his other hand to summon the five elements to try and mix them.

Sora’s first attempt to replicate the fierce, chaotic energy he’d experienced was underwhelming. With his left hand, he summoned the five elements—fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning—each one obediently dancing to his will.

They flowed gracefully in his palm, blending seamlessly into each other, harmonizing without a hint of resistance. His elements were too calm, too controlled. They followed his commands without hesitation, fusing and balancing rather than clashing and struggling for dominance.

As he watched, it became clear that this calm harmony was nothing like the wild intensity of the storm’s elements. The storm’s energies had raged and fought against each other, even resisting his control.

Reflecting on this difference, Sora realized that perhaps the chaotic power he sought required a lack of control, or a different type of elements.

Trying his new theory, he attempted to release his control, but it wasn't easy. His control over mana was ingrained deeply, a product of his training and his [Mana Evolution]. Every particle of mana he summoned was accustomed to obeying him.

As Sora pondered his lack of progress, frustration started building up. He had tried everything he could think of—reducing his control, increasing the mana output, even experimenting with opposing elements—but nothing seemed to create the chaotic energy he’d experienced before.

His thoughts raced with questions and doubts. ‘Don't tell me [Mana Evolution] is what’s holding me back… Or am I missing a key point?’ he wondered, feeling his inability to dig further into the matter.

Absorbed in these thoughts, he absentmindedly directed the elements in his left palm. Fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning flowed together, forming a small, stable whirlpool. The movement was gentle and balanced, each element flowing seamlessly into the next. Unlike the chaotic clash he’d sought, this harmony emerged naturally, without his even trying.

Watching the steady rotation of elements, Sora’s frustration eased as a new idea took root. ‘If that wild element is beyond reach right now, maybe I can see what I can do by combining my own elements in another way,’ he thought, feeling a spark of curiosity.

Exploring this new direction, each element interacted with fierce synergy in Sora's palm, enhancing one another’s strength.

Fire burned with intensity, fueled by the gusts of wind, making the flames hotter, faster, and wilder. Earth grounded the fiery wind, absorbing the heat and anchoring the other elements, stabilizing everything. Water circled around, tempering the burning earth without extinguishing it, creating bursts of steam. Lightning danced through this misty atmosphere, infusing the dense, marble-like fusion with electric charges, giving the entire structure a pulsing, energized glow.

Using [Condensed] Mana to create these elements, each one was raised to another level, and Sora suddenly felt the energy drain from his body. Alarmed, he noticed his mana depleting at an intense rate. He was used to using abnormal amounts of energy, but this little bit of element was draining his mana at a speed vastly superior to the pace he Condensed mana....

Despite the strain, he pushed through, eager to see where this would lead. As the elements continued to mix, the energy intensified, each element feeding and amplifying the others, creating a dense, radiant core of power in his palm.

Suddenly, he noticed a transformation in the energy he was wielding. It wasn’t fire, or wind, or any single element anymore. The combined force of all five elements, condensed and stabilized, began to take on a new form.

The energy in Sora’s hand looked like a thick, metallic liquid core, heated to an intense temperature and surrounded by a mist that revolved around it at incredible speed. The entire core seemed alive, charged with electricity that pulsed through it, making it glow with power.

'Is this a ... new element?' He watched in shock as this extreme amount of energy condensed in the palm of his hand.

'Why do I feel that Earth and Lightning are the strongest component ? Maybe this is because of me having mostly focused on these two elements'

He could feel his high affinity with fire impacting the fusion as well, but the effect was lower.

[Your mastery over Earth, Lightning, Fire, Water and Wind has increased tremendously]

[You have created an Elemental Nexus (Embryo)]

[Description : The initial form of a powerful fusion element that unites fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning in a single core.

[Element Composition:

• Earth Element: 30%

• Lightning Element: 27%

• Fire Element: 18%

• Water Element: 13%

• Wind Element: 12%

• Spatial Element: 0%]

Sora looked at the notification in surprise, happy about the discovery and feeling that he could push this even further. However, he was even more impatient to test this new power.

It seemed that the thing he created was only in its infancy period, and could be trained to a higher degree.

He controlled the [Elemental Nexus] that had fully formed and attempted to manipulate it. It was difficult to move, feeling extremely heavy in his grasp.

As he tried extending it further, Sora noticed his control weakening with distance, realizing he was still far from mastering it.

Bringing the [Elemental Nexus] back to his palm, he observed how elements in the storm were naturally drawn to it, like moths to a flame. The wild elements in the storm seemed unable to resist its pull, slowly getting absorbed into the [Elemental Nexus], which devoured the surrounding energies.

On the other hand, he could sense his understanding of the five elements deepen. Trying something with the water element he instinctively knew would work, Sora focused his mana, allowing his body to transform, taking on a translucent, appearance as he entered a water-like state.

In this water elemental form, Sora moved with an effortless, liquid grace, able to slip past attacks and reform if struck and even split in several parts. His superhuman strength and body were not usable in this form, but the new elemental body granted him a unique ability, allowing him to ignore physical damage.

He observed as the elements around him inflicted damage on this new body, realizing that it was susceptible to elemental attacks, particularly lightning and other powerful energies.

'This must be a side effect of learning about elements in depth. This form likely has room to grow too, but I'll set it aside for now,' he thought, leaving the elemental form and returning to his physical body.

Sora, who had initially aimed to push his body to a new level, now found himself with two new elemental powers and a set of elemental forms at his disposal.

'Here I am, learning new things when I should just polish what I have... Damn it, can't I have a break and push one single skill to the limit?' He thought, complaining about having too many opportunities.

“You should come out. There’s some action inside the zone,” Kara's message echoed in his mind, and he quickly left the storm with the [Elemental Nexus] pulsing in his hand.

Feeling several gazes on him, Sora looked up to see a group of a dozen players—demon race players from various factions with Foxes, Chickens, and even Vipers present. As he scanned their enemies, he recognized a familiar face: the demon player they had spared some time ago.

Emily huffed, “Told you we should have killed that damn demon. Why keep a promise to a race that doesn’t know what a promise is? Damn it, Ralph, you’re too soft.”

Without a word, Sora channeled his remaining [Condensed] Mana into the [Elemental Nexus], feeling its power surge. He glanced at Kara, and she nodded, already understanding her role.

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