Galaxy’s First Ruler - Chapter 288

Never had Aldrich seen lightning in a block of ice.

Countless tiny shards of ice exploded from the impact of mace with the glacial cannon. Aldrich could see lightning coiling around all the shards, and trapped, frozen within the shards’ chilly womb.

The river behind Aldrich almost instantaneously froze. The nearest tall trees and shrubs became ice sculptures. Ice particles, as fine as sand, hit Aldrich’s face, sending a chill into his body.

But the rose wine was unscathed. The Mana used in preparing wine had almost made it a potion, maintaining its innate properties.

‘So this was the Final Fist Meuric had told me about,’ Aldrich thought, remembering the words spoken by Meuric during one of his constant blabberings.

“There are five fists of Thunder Boa,” Meuric had told him. “The first two fists are for offense, one for defense, and one for evasion. But the final fist is unlike the other four. It can’t be used without the Thunder Boa magical beast’s help.”

This had caught Aldrich’s attention. It wasn’t anything if this Skill were to be an Active one. Even if it were to be Class-specific, it wouldn’t be as eye-catching. But Aldrich could see Meuric’s Record, and he could also see that this Skill was Passive.

Aldrich remembered himself, squinting his eyes as he went through Meuric’s Record again, after Meuric’s mention of five fists.

[…

Record of Meuric Boid

Status: Healthy

Level: 10

HP: 500/509

SP: 540/631

MP: 645/795

Rank: Common

Class: Potion Crafter

Title: NA

Attributes –>

Strength: 34

Defense: 30

Agility: 27

Vitality: 23

Perception: 30

Correspondence: 45

Active Skills –>

1. Molecular Sense

2. Eye of Hundred Gems

3. Yellow Flesh Serum

4. Leather Skin

Passive Skills –>

1. Thunder Boa Three Fists

2. Beginner’s Mace Proficiency

…]

“That… I don’t know. But I can’t use the fist of defense and the fist of evasion. Mother said I am the first Boid to not have all five fists,” Meuric had replied to Aldrich. The young boy had surely been taken aback when Aldrich asked him why he could only use three.

By now Aldrich had nearly confirmed that Passive Skills, to a level, were based on a Dreamer’s upbringing, before the Dream Initiation. Meuric must have not learned the fists by heart for him to get incomplete Passive Skill, a result Aldrich had come to after giving it a thought.

And seeing his Active Skills it wasn’t some surprise how it came to be. Almost all Skills were oriented towards Potioneering, a wise decision according to Aldrich, given Meuric’s Class.

The only reason Aldrich could find for Meuric’s hulking power was the innate gene passed down by Boids from one generation to another. It seemed as if someone had precisely bred them exclusively for decimating anything in their path with brute strength.

Boom!

Another shock wave originated from the point of contact, and two figures got thrown out opposite to each other.

Towards the left, it was the white goose. It had lost all the alive ice armor on its body. The shimmer of blue on its feathers had dimmed, and if it was blood coming out of its mouth, then it looked too red to be true.

But it was still in the air. It was still flying. Its wings still fluttered, out of rhythm, but not too much to make it lose height.

On the right, a motionless body skipped on the shattered rocks as if made of rubber. All traces of lightning had vanished. The mace flung high in the air before falling, burying itself half in the ground.

When it came to a stop, this body didn’t move. There was no twitch in its muscles. Its breath had almost gone, swept away by the chilled air, but not too much to make it dead.

Aldrich didn’t need to confirm Meuric’s unconsciousness. The disappearing of the Thunder Boa was enough a sign. Aldrich was more attracted to the change in Meuric’s Record. The Stat which was empty, just moments ago, stuck out like the first color of the spring.

[…

Record Of Meuric Boid

…

Title: Heavenly Thunder Official

…]

‘Is the Title related to a Meuric’s overcoming his innate fear, or is it related to the proof of worthiness?’ Aldrich dwelt on the question for some time. Aldrich could see all Records, whether it was of a Dreamer, Crawler, or an Item. But he couldn’t see any notification. It was strange, but not enough to make Aldrich rack his brain over it.

He didn’t know when Meuric had got a Title Quest, or what was its requirement. But he knew Meuric would have blurted out this “secret” if he already had it before. Aldrich had never heard of someone getting a Title Quest and gaining a Title so soon.

Even Aldrich himself hadn’t done it so far.

But Aldrich cared little about such petty comparisons. He could see the Glacial Messenger Goose going for a kill upon getting the lead Dreamer’s command. The other three nobles had returned, too, seeing the outcome of the battle. There was a mask of unimaginable fear over their faces. And why wouldn’t it be?

The Rare enhanced Skill, which should have annihilated any Common Dreamer, had only made Meuric unconscious.

There was no need for ice armor anymore. A touch of the goose’s bill was enough to rip apart even Meuric’s towering figure, Aldrich could tell. But the boy hadn’t disappointed Aldrich. How could he let Meuric die so easily when he had taken such measures to increase his Pain bearing capacity?

Just as the Goose reached Meuric’s sprawled figure, his body lifted in the air of its own. It briefly hovered there before jerking out of the Goose’s line of sight. The four nobles stunningly gazed as Meuric got pulled towards Aldrich like a bullet and landed beside his feet.

But what happened next was even more baffling.

Shuuuu!

A tall, black-armored knight appeared near Aldrich. Gripped in his hands were the neck of the two commoners, who seemed to be scared shitless, given the wetness of their pants.

“My Lord,” El Cid gazed at the smile on Meuric’s face and proclaimed, “The boy has a true heart.”

-“Humph, you don’t say!”-