Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!-Chapter 22 - Ancient Manual?

The system window vanished.

In an instant, a thick book appeared in Theo’s hand.

It looked ancient, its cover forged from a dark, silver-blue metal. Large portions of the surface were scorched black, as if struck by lightning countless times, and even the letters carved into it had been partially burned and worn by time.

In the very center sat a single crystal in which tiny golden lightning bolts swam around.

Theo stared at the book in pure amazement.

"Wow," he muttered speechlessly.

He reached out for the cover with his other hand, attempting to see what was inside.

Just as he was about to touch it, bright golden sparks clattered outward, striking his hand.

A sharp crack echoed through the clearing as the sparks bit into his skin.

Theo hissed and instinctively pulled his hand back.

"What the—?"

Suddenly, the crystal in the center of the cover shone brightly.

Golden lightning crackled outward across the entire book.

This time, however, it didn’t hurt him.

Instead, a strange warmth spread over his arm, crawling all the way up to his shoulder.

’What is this?’ Theo thought, narrowing his eyes.

Then—

Click.

The metallic buckle snapped and the cover flew open.

Theo just stared at it for a moment, flabbergasted.

"Now that was spectacular..." he muttered, unable to hold back a smile. "I really chose the correct option."

A surge of excitement rose in his heart, already imagining the strength a technique like this could bring him.

"Let’s see what this technique is all about," Theo said, a wide smile plastered across his face.

He flipped past the first blank page, barely even sparing it a glance.

The next page was filled to the brim with clear bullet points, clearly serving as an introduction.

Theo quietly dragged his finger across the paper, filled with anticipation as he carefully read through everything.

"This technique is designed to summon massive divine lightning storms which obliterate enemies regardless of their strength and numbers."

"It requires a high-level lightning affinity, which you have already proven to possess, as it was the only way to open this manual."

Theo stopped for a moment, his eyes lingering on the sentence.

’Is that what that lightning was?’ he thought, glancing back at the crystal on the cover.

Not dwelling on it any further, he continued reading.

"This technique is a legacy I created over many years as a warrior venturing into even the most dangerous dungeons for my country."

"While ordinary lightning techniques focus solely on destruction, Heavenly Thunder Storm does not."

"Its thunder clouds absorb divine power from the sky, fusing it passively with the lightning before it strikes down as punishment upon those using the power of darkness."

...

Theo stared at it for a moment, many emotions flickering through his face.

"What is divine power? And power of darkness too..." he muttered, tilting his head. "There are no elements like that."

From a young age, all twenty elements had been drilled into him, so he couldn’t be wrong about it.

’So what does it mean then?’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. ’The language used is quite old... maybe the elements were described differently in the past?’

If that were the case, deciphering what the text exactly meant wouldn’t be too difficult.

’Forgetting about all of that, it seems like the author managed to fuse another element into the lightning passively.’

That alone was something he’d never heard of.

’Guess I’ll have to visit the library later,’ he thought, his eyes darting to the bottom of the page.

There, a few lines were circled with some sort of red marker, clearly indicating something important.

"Those who learn this technique, be warned."

Theo raised an eyebrow.

"Its practice is not without risk or suffering."

"The body must first be tempered by the same lightning it seeks to command."

"One cannot manipulate storms without first being able to withstand the lightning."

With that, the text had come to an end.

Theo stared at the warning, slowly nodding as he processed the information.

He glanced at the stars above him, letting out a soft sigh.

"I got something amazing again," he mumbled, a faint smile on his face.

Just then, the phone in his pocket buzzed.

Theo snapped out of his thoughts, closing his new manual and taking out his phone.

"A message from Owen," he muttered. "Right... guess I was out longer than expected."

Nearly fifty minutes had passed since he’d left the apartment without much of an explanation. It only made sense for them to start getting worried now.

Theo hesitantly slipped the manual under his jacket, clearly still curious about its contents.

Finally, he stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.

"I’ll read it further at home," he told himself.

Theo pulled up his hood and stepped out of the clearing.

Without much further ado, he slowly made his way back to Owen’s apartment, his mind still occupied by countless questions.

’At least I won’t be bored the next few weeks,’ he thought. ’Almost can’t wait till I get a Bronze Core.’