The next twenty-seven hours passed without any other incident.
Nicholas had to call Auntie Penny every few hours to check in… even though she had his location on the tracker Tessa had installed.
She worried, that was what she did and he couldn't blame her.
However, he didn't waste the rest of the time… He spent it filling his Soul Slots with Skill Stones.
The skill in the stones wouldn't have been much use against that mutant… not directly, anyway but they would most definitely enhance his survival chances.
Every little advantage mattered.
Skill Stones were a unique kind of item.
They took the physical form of a smooth, cold, stone, but the moment you used one, it melted into your skin and vanished like it never existed.
Several tests had been done to find out where they went with this world scientists scanning the bodies before and after.
But nothing.
When that didn't work, they proceeded to dissection trying to track the energy signature and I am not talking about animals.
Still. Nothing.
They simply disappeared and the skill appeared in the user's mind.
The cause wasn't known since it was one of the few items in world… or at least that the humans of Vale had encountered, that could do so.
However, the most likely explanation was the material of the Skill Stone itself.
There was no universal name for it, so people simply called it 'Unrefined Skill Stone'.
They can only be found in the Shattered Realm, and they came in two forms when mined which had to be carefully done to prevent it from blowing up in your face.
The first form was empty, when it was just a stone with no skill inside while the second form already had a pre-existing skill.
Both where valuable ones.
The ones without pre-existing skills would be crafted by Skill Stone Crafters by copying already existing Soul talent into it.
While the ones with pre-existing skills gave a chance of discovering a new overpowered skill, although, those were rare with Appraisal skill been the most commonly found… the low grade one at least.
There were seven types of Skill Stones.
Technique Stones which contained techniques like sword forms, gun stances, and combat styles.
Typically, people had to have enough talent in that particular technique. If you had a spear-related Soul Talent, a sword technique would have very weak effect compared to when used by someone with sword-related Soul Talent. Your Soul Ability had to align well with the skill.
Examples of such Skill Stones are Stellar Sword Technique, Undomineering Spear, etc.
Spell Stones are the ones that allow harness essence to create mystical elemental effects. With examples such as Fire Blast, Fire Ball, Fire Lance, Fire Shield, etc.
Transformation Stones allow the user to alter their physical form, giving enhancements or specialized abilities. Examples include Wolf Nose, Falcon Wings, Eagle Claws, etc.
Support Stones provided passive or active abilities to bolster capabilities or assist allies. Examples include Healing Aura, Telepathy, Regeneration, etc.
Summoning Stones allows the summoning of creatures or entities for support or help. Examples include Spirit Wolf, Armoured Knight, Skeleton Knight, etc.
Enhancement Stones that augmented already existing physical or magical abilities. Examples include Bullseye, Percentage Increase of Durability, Percentage Increase of Strength, etc.
Debuff Stones that imposed negative effects on enemies. Example includes Drowsy, Sight Loss, Slow etc.
***
To use a Skill Stone, all you had to do was meditate while holding it in your hand, focusing your thoughts completely on plugging the Skill Stone into an available Soul Slot.
Depending on the type, Compatibility and how talented you were, it could take anywhere from a few minutes to a full day.
It took Nicholas less than ten minutes per stone.
The same went for removing a Skill Stone from your Soul Slot. Just meditate, picture the stone you wanted to remove, and it would appear in your hand.
He filled his available slots quickly with practical abilities that would keep him alive.
[5 Minutes to Destination]
The interface chimed softly.
Nicholas looked up as the landscape changed. The rolling hills and scattered trees had given way to something darker.
And it was slowly turning darker even though it was noon. His destination was up ahead… the Valley of Darkness.
The Valley of Darkness was a place covered in unending darkness with not a single light pierced through into the valley. Not sunlight or moonlight, even the lights from artificial sources, no matter how big, could see pass a few metres.
It was as if the valley swallowed all light and refused to give it back.
No one had ever made it to the centre of the valley and returned but Nicholas knew exactly what was there and why.
Most people simply thought there was a powerful creature living there and while there were indeed creatures of darkness living in the valley, that wasn't what made it dangerous.
The centre was a direct portal to the Graveyard of Gods in the Shattered Realm… Specifically, to the resting ground of a god of darkness.
Just like the Valley of Darkness, it was not the occupant that made the Graveyard dangerous. It was the rampant energy left over from the war… The war that had killed gods.
None below XS rank could survive and even XS might die if they landed in the wrong place.
As for the war that caused this destruction?
Nothing was known about it.
Nothing.
The only person who had a clue was the god living in Cassius's head… The god of travel was a very memorable man.
Of course, that was not his real name or his actual title but saying either of them would literally become a beacon that made him aware of your presence… Might as well just pick up the terminal and call him.
And that was not a good thing.
Unlike most of the 'grandpa-in-the-mind' tropes—the ones that were either evil until the main character changed them, or neutral and helpful to the main character for some mysterious reason or simple for something in exchange—the god of travel was neither.
He truly gave no fucks.
He had helped the protagonist awaken his Soul Talent sure, but that was only because it amused him to do so.
It was not the reason he stayed with him neither was it because he wanted the protagonist's body. If he did, he would have taken it the moment he awakened.
He simply saw his inhabitancy of the protagonist's mind as another type of travel, another journey, another adventure.
He only helped occasionally… and only for his own amusement. Other times, he left the protagonist out to dry just to see what would happen or just because it was funny.
And when he felt true danger to himself and there was no chance to win? He simply left.
His domain was literally travel so even Satan couldn't catch him.
And if that man ever found out Nicholas was 'Unique'—a soul that didn't belong to this world, a mind that carried knowledge from another reality—his mind would become the god's new house.
Nicholas shuddered at the thought and immediately pushed it away.
'Focus on the mission,' he told himself as the truck slowed as it approached the edge of the valley.