SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 108: Seeing the Truth II

Arthur blinked once as he processed the changes.

The world changed.

The forest no longer looked the same. The air itself seemed filled with countless invisible streams moving in different directions. Mana flowed like currents in a river, weaving through the environment.

And the corrupted man before him...

He looked completely different.

Arthur could now see thin strands of tainted mana flowing from the distance, moving through the air like dark threads. They connected to the man’s body, feeding him continuously.

Whenever the man regenerated, those threads thickened, rushing toward specific points before spreading through his form.

Arthur’s eyes lit up.

So that’s how it works.

He moved again, dodging another attack while observing carefully.

Each time his strike destroyed part of the man’s body, the tainted mana condensed rapidly into a single location before spreading outward to rebuild the damaged area.

There was a pattern.

A center. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

A gathering point.

Arthur stepped sideways, avoiding a massive vine that shattered the ground. He pretended to attack the shoulder, but his attention was elsewhere.

The flow gathered near the chest.

Not exactly the heart.

Slightly deeper.

A dense knot of corrupted energy formed there every time regeneration began.

Arthur’s breathing steadied.

That’s it.

Even if it wasn’t a traditional core, it functioned like one. A concentration point. A regeneration anchor.

Destroy that, and the supply would collapse.

A slow smile formed on his face.

"So you do have a weakness."

The corrupted man roared and charged again, vines lashing wildly in every direction. The attack was desperate, reckless, and powerful enough to tear apart the surrounding trees.

Arthur didn’t retreat.

Instead, he watched the flow.

He saw how the tainted mana rushed to the chest before spreading. He saw how the energy formed layers of protection around that point.

A defense mechanism.

That confirmed it.

Arthur’s eyes sharpened with interest.

His mind worked quickly, piecing everything together. He replayed the pattern in his head. Timing, flow speed, concentration point, defensive response.

A plan formed naturally.

If I strike before the energy spreads...

He stepped forward, weaving through the attack with calm precision. A vine grazed his arm, drawing blood, but he ignored it.

The thrill of discovery burned stronger than the pain.

"Your secret has been exposed," he said quietly.

The corrupted man clearly didn’t understand as he simply attacked again.

Arthur raised his dagger, flames gathering along its edge. Behind him, several fire constructs formed silently, hovering like waiting weapons.

His mind was no longer guessing.

He knew where to strike.

He knew how to end it.

The flow of tainted mana was clear to him now, moving exactly as his new perception revealed.

Arthur inhaled slowly, a wicked smile stretching across his face.

"Let’s see you regenerate from this."

And he moved.

No longer hesitating. His attacks came down in a relentless stream. Fire burst around him, his dagger flashing with heat as he cut through the corrupted man’s defenses again and again.

The tainted mana pouring from the man’s body was suffocating. It pressed against the air like poison. Even standing close made the skin sting and the lungs tighten. A normal low ranked explorer would have collapsed from the pressure alone.

Arthur only frowned.

"Yeah... you smell worse the closer I get."

The man roared in response, vines exploding outward like whips. They tore through the ground and smashed trees into splinters.

Arthur slipped between them easily.

He wasn’t fighting blindly anymore.

Every step had purpose.

Every attack had direction.

He wasn’t trying to kill the man yet. He was guiding him.

His eyes stayed locked on the flow of tainted mana inside the body. The condensed core pulsed faintly in the man’s chest, releasing dark energy that rushed to every damaged part.

And it never ran dry.

Thin streams of corrupted power kept feeding it from the ritual markings. The supply was endless.

So breaking the body alone won’t work.

Arthur’s gaze sharpened.

I need the core exposed.

He launched another fire spear that pierced the man’s side. The wound burst open and instantly began to regenerate as black energy gathered around it.

Arthur watched carefully.

The flow condensed.

The core pulsed. Then the energy spread.

He smiled slightly.

There you are.

The fight grew hotter.

The corrupted man attacked wildly, losing even the little control he had left. Vines lashed in every direction, faster and thicker than before. The ground cracked. Trees collapsed. The forest shook from the force of their clash.

Arthur moved like a shadow between the chaos.

He intentionally left openings.

He pretended to struggle.

A vine grazed his shoulder and he stumbled back slightly.

The man lunged.

Arthur’s eyes flashed.

Good.

He retreated, drawing the man forward. Fireballs exploded behind him, forcing the corrupted man to charge through the flames. Each explosion left heavy damage, and each time the core pulsed harder to repair it.

Arthur was pushing it.

Overworking it.

Again and again he struck the same areas. Shoulder. Side. Lower torso. He attacked in a deliberate pattern, forcing constant regeneration.

The corrupted man grew more unstable with each cycle.

His body twisted faster. Flesh reformed unevenly. His movements became clumsy from the strain.

But Arthur wasn’t finished.

He activated Intent Weave.

For a brief moment the air around the man thickened, slowing the movement of the vines. Not enough to stop them, just enough to create pressure and force the man to push more power into his attacks.

The core responded instantly.

It pulsed harder.

The flow thickened.

Arthur’s smile widened.

"Come on. Use more."

The man screamed, unleashing a storm of vines that covered the entire clearing. There was no pattern anymore, only destruction.

Arthur stepped forward instead of retreating.

He activated Intent Step, appearing directly within the storm of attacks. Fire erupted around him in suppressive waves, burning the surrounding vines and forcing the corrupted man to focus entirely on him.

Arthur became the center of the battlefield.

The target. The bait.

As he provoked the man openly. "That all you’ve got?"