SWNOVELXO Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - Sphere!
"Vmmmmm... VMMMMMMMM!" "Zzzzzz-TING!"
"Zhhhhooom!"
"BOOM!!"
A massive explosion lit up the forest, the white light radiating outward in a ten-meter radius. The shockwave rippled in all directions, sending debris flying. As the dust settled, the source of the destruction became clear—a towering crimson bear, six meters tall, stood in the middle of the blast zone. Its body was riddled with burn marks, smoke rising from its seared fur.
The beast let out a deafening roar, "Rrrrrrooooaaaaarrr"—a mixture of pain and rage.
On a hill 500 meters away, Sam stood with a frustrated expression, observing the creature. He sighed. "This really isn't enough. Why hasn't this become a skill yet? I've already given up on dream moves like Kamehameha, but even this dumb energy ball isn't registering as one."
The bear had spotted him now, its crimson eyes locking onto its attacker as it began climbing the hill with surprising agility. Sam, however, remained unfazed, his focus entirely on gathering energy. Using his Source of All Matter, he concentrated protons into a glowing ball of light in his palm.
As he condensed the ball further, an idea flashed through his mind. He activated his skill again, this time creating two smaller balls of light. With a deft motion, he made the smaller orbs orbit the larger one.
"Shwiiing... shwiiing..."
The unexpected reaction caught Sam off guard. The three spheres emitted an energy that felt magnetic, holding them together in perfect harmony. The entire construct stabilized, the orbs glowing brighter with each passing second.
Suddenly, a familiar notification chimed in his mind.
Ding!
Sam's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Finally," he muttered, watching the bear as it clawed its way closer, now just five meters below the hilltop.
He extended his hand, aiming the tri-sphere construct at the beast. With a flick of his wrist, the glowing orbs shot forward at blinding speed, moving far faster than sound.
"Zhhhhooom!"
"BOOMMMMMM!!!"
The impact was catastrophic. The entire hill trembled, and within moments, it began to crumble. Even the ground beneath Sam started to give way.
"Craaaaack... THUUUUD!"
Reacting instantly, he jumped off the collapsing hill, landing to the south with a heavy thud.
Ding!
You have slain an enemy [Crimson lightning bear: level 45]
Sam brushed himself off, turning to make his way back to the group. As he approached, Michael was already standing, stretching and looking reinvigorated.
"Are you recovered now?" Sam asked, his voice calm.
Michael nodded. "Yeah, my stamina's full again. From the sounds I heard up there, I take it your... 'project' was a success?"
Sam grinned. "I guess you could say that."
The group exchanged a look, clearly curious about what Sam had been working on, but no one pushed him for details. They'd seen enough of his destructive experiments to know better than to ask too many questions.
Three weeks had passed since Sam sent off the majority of his group to the tutorial town. During that time, he and the group that stayed behind had diligently followed Michael's suggestion to help others. Just as Michael predicted, most people had remained in the center of the trial zone, venturing into the forest only to scavenge for food. Their conditions were dire—supplies had run out, and desperation was beginning to set in.
Among them, a few opportunists had attempted to take control of others' survival kits, exploiting the situation for their gain. Sam dealt with them swiftly but refrained from killing them, as their actions hadn't crossed an unforgivable line. "They're just trying to survive in their own way," he told his group. Instead, he gave them a stern beating to ensure they wouldn't cause further trouble.
Over the course of three days, Sam and his team escorted this large group—numbering over 3,000 out of the 5,000 participants in the trial zone—to the portal. It was a monumental task, but they succeeded.
For the next week, Sam wandered to all four cardinal directions, searching for more survivors. Those he found were given clear directions to the town. Unlike the previous group, these individuals had already proven their ability to survive in the forest and defend themselves, so Sam didn't guide them further.
On their journey, they encountered groups resembling the gang that had blocked the portal. Unlike before, these groups received no mercy—Sam and his team wiped them out completely.
Along the way, they also discovered three new dungeons: Rabbit's Hole Dungeon, Bear's Cave Dungeon, and Boar's Herd Dungeon. Rather than diving into them immediately, they marked their locations and decided to ensure all remaining survivors had moved on to the next stage first.
With everything settled, they found themselves with a full two weeks before the tutorial stage ended. Sam and his followers began clearing the dungeons one by one. Each dungeon completion rewarded them with a title that provided +2 to all stats, a significant boost to their capabilities.
They also discovered that dungeon quests were only offered during a participant's first visit. Once all four dungeons had been cleared, the group decided to repeatedly run Bear's Cave Dungeon. The monsters inside were the highest level of the three, making it the best spot for grinding experience and strengthening themselves further.
By the fifth round of grinding Bear's Cave Dungeon, Michael had become the highest-level member of their group, reaching Level 50. With the milestone came the offer of a rare class and the opportunity to undergo Tier 2 evolution.
When Michael emerged from his evolution, his appearance had subtly changed—he was noticeably more striking, his features refined with an almost ethereal quality. But it wasn't just his looks that had improved. His strength had increased exponentially, making him five times stronger than before.
This incident struck a chord with Sam. Despite his consistent efforts, it was clear he leveled much slower than the others. It wasn't just in his imagination—Michael's rapid progress only highlighted the gap further.
One by one, others followed in Michael's footsteps, evolving into Tier 2 beings. Each gained immense raw power, capable of lifting up to 10 tons with ease, moving at incredible speeds.
Even with their impressive progress, Sam remained the undisputed strongest among them. Everyone knew it—his destructive abilities were on a completely different scale. Yet, Sam couldn't shake the thought that his leveling pace lagged behind.
He mused to himself, If I really went all out, I could probably cause destruction on the scale of an atomic bomb... but I'd likely die in the process.
The idea lingered in his mind, a sobering reminder of both his unparalleled power and the inherent risks that came with wielding it.
Today marked the final day of the survival quest. Sam and his group needed to enter the tutorial town to receive their quest rewards. For Sam, this was also his last chance to grind and experiment with his abilities before moving on.
Over the past two weeks, he had devoted himself to creating a new skill using protons, but the process had been far more challenging than he anticipated. His initial vision was to release a beam of energy from both palms—a devastating attack to annihilate monsters in a single hit.
However, reality hit him hard. While he could produce the beam, its actual performance was dismal. The energy output was weak, little more than a glorified flashlight. Worse still, it drained a massive amount of energy, leaving him exhausted with little to show for it.
Determined to make it work, Sam adjusted his approach. He concentrated the beam to increase its power, hoping for an explosive result. Instead, the concentrated beam morphed into a rigid light pole—useful only for smashing monsters physically rather than hitting them with energy and creating explosions like he had envisioned.
After repeated failures, Sam reluctantly gave up on the beam idea for now. He shifted his focus to creating a ball of energy instead. This method showed promise—it was effective and bore some resemblance to his Atomic Fissure skill.
But there was still a problem. The energy cost was immense, and the output, while destructive, wasn't efficient enough to justify the resources it consumed. Frustrated but unwilling to quit, Sam continued to refine the technique.
Finally, on his last attempt, something clicked.
[Proton Sphere
Sam turned to the group, a confident smirk on his face. "Guys, let me test my new skill on the boss this time, okay?"
The ground had trembled earlier during his experiments, sparking curiosity among the others.
"Sure, but let us watch!" Eddie said eagerly.
"That's right!" Michael added, grinning.
With everyone in agreement, they made their way to the massive cave on the other side of the mountain. The entrance was imposing—20 meters wide and equally tall. Sam paused before they went any further.
"Eddie, can you help me draw it out? If I use my skill inside, the whole cave might collapse," Sam said.
"Got it. Give me a minute," Eddie replied with a nod.
He disappeared into the dark cavern, and for a brief moment, there was only silence. Then, the sound of heavy, thunderous footsteps echoed from within. A moment later, Eddie came sprinting out, followed closely by a massive creature.
It was a colossal, 15-meter-tall brown bear with three sharp horns protruding from its head.
[Lightning Bear King: Level 50] - [Monster][Record][Boss][True Neutral]
The sheer size and presence of the beast would have been terrifying the first time they encountered it, but after defeating it more than ten times, it no longer inspired fear. In fact, Michael had even tried soloing it once.
As the bear stepped fully into view, it let out a deafening roar, as if programmed to intimidate: "ROOOOARRRR!!"
Sam didn't waste any time. He opened his palm, focusing his intent, and activated his new skill.
"Shwiiing... shwiiing..."
Three brilliant orbs of white light materialized, spinning around each other in a synchronized dance. The largest, about the size of a basketball, was flanked by two smaller orbs, each the size of a golf ball. The rotation created a mesmerizing glow, radiating energy.
It only took a second to form, but the sight of the glowing orbs immediately caught the bear's attention. It roared again, locking onto Sam as its target, and charged forward with earth-shaking strides.
Sam remained calm, his eyes narrowing as he aimed. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed the Proton Sphere.
"Zhhhhooom!"
The orbs shot forward at supersonic speed, cutting through the air like a beam of pure destruction.
"BOOOMMMMMM!!!"
The impact was cataclysmic. A blinding white light engulfed the area, followed by a wave of intense heat and a deafening shockwave. The light lingered for ten seconds, bathing everything in its glow before finally fading.
When the brightness subsided, the group stood in stunned silence, staring at the aftermath. The once rocky terrain had been reduced to a wasteland. The ground was molten, cracks running through it like fiery veins.
The bear was nowhere to be seen.
Sam lowered his hand, exhaling deeply as he surveyed his handiwork. Yeah, that'll do.
Ding!
You have slain an enemy [Lightning Bear King: level 50]
[Congratulations! You have reached level 48]
[Dungeon Exit]
Sam said "Let's get out of here"
[SOUL RECORD]
Name: Samuel Barlow
Race: Human / Heaven
Class: Unbound Initiate
Title: Lucky Man 9, Early Access, The First of Skill Wleider, Barrier Breaker,…]
Level: 48 [Tier 1]
[STATUS]
Strength: 48 +18[+215%]
Agility: 48 +18[+215%]
Vitality:48 +18[+215%]
Endurance: 48 +18[+215%]
Intelligence: 48 +18[+215%]
Wisdom: 47 +18[+215%]
Luck: 100 +18[+215%]
Grandmist: 110 +18[+215%]
Undistributed Stats: 0
[SKILLS]: Mental Ruler
[COMMON SKILLS]: language, mathematics, cooking, exercises,….Etc.
[TRAITS]: The Eye of Heaven, Unbound.