Odyssey of the Renegade Sovereign-Chapter 45: Divine Talents

As the final few children were called up and approached the Awakening Stone, the excitement that had built up began to fade away. One by one, the remaining candidates stepped up, most revealing ordinary roots, Indigo, Blue and the occasional Green. A few cried in disappointment, while some left in silence. Others forced a smile, trying to wear hope on their faces even when it didn’t reach their eyes.

The priest remained composed throughout, though from outside, his voice grew gentler with each result. But the ceremony had already crowned its star, Arthur.

Eventually, the priest clasped his hands, signalling the conclusion of the ceremony.

"You have all done well," he said, for the final time. "Your path begins now. Whether you awakened brilliance or not, it is what you do next that will shape your fate."

The children, some eager and others crestfallen, began filing out, guided by robed clerics toward their families or awaiting carriages.

Astrael stayed back for a moment, gazing at the Awakening Stone.

It was dim again now, still, as if nothing had happened.

He exhaled slowly and turned away, letting the crowd carry him forward. As he walked past the other children, they gave him space, like he were something foreign.

Outside, the sun was beginning to dip past the hills, casting a warm golden light over the countryside. The path leading from the Awakening Hall was lined with trimmed hedges and stone lanterns that would soon glow with magical light.

Waiting at the end of the path was a black carriage, bearing the Ravenastra family crest, a silver winged blade against a shield.

Elara stood nearby, holding the door open.

Without wasting any time, Astrael stepped into the carriage. Elara, who had been quietly watching him, let out a soft sigh before following him inside. The carriage started to move with the steady sound of hooves and wheels.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Elara sat across from Astrael, her eyes drifting toward him occasionally, uncertain whether she should speak or remain quiet. She folded her hands on her lap, looking down. Unable to hold it in anymore, she gently broke the silence

"Young Lord... don’t be upset."

Astrael shifted his gaze from the window, turning slowly to meet her eyes.

"I mean, even with... an ordinary talent root," she hesitated on the word, "it doesn’t mean you’re any less. You still have a high-grade soul space. That’s more than most people will ever achieve. And even with an ordinary talent root, many people have gone on to achieve great things."

Astrael blinked, then the corners of his mouth tilted up ever so slightly. He hadn’t really registered her words at first; his thoughts were elsewhere, to the system notifications and the innate talent he awakened. But now, hearing her tone, he slowly understood.

She thought he was upset. That he was sitting in silence because the black glow meant his root was worthless. That the whispers and cold glances back at the hall had left him shaken.

He almost laughed aloud. Instead, he offered her a warm, reassuring smile. He didn’t correct her. Let her think what she wanted. The less attention, the better. He had no reason to reveal anything now.

"Thank you, Elara," he said, his voice as calm and polite as always.

Elara’s expression softened. She looked relieved, as if his gratitude confirmed she had helped, even just a little.

Meanwhile, inside his mind, Astrael was already back with the system.

’Status,’ he called silently.

The familiar blue screen flashed before his eyes instantly.

Host: Astrael Ravenastra / Age: 15 yrs / Race: Human

Title: Blood Berserker, Goblin Slayer, Young Lord, The One Who Defies Death, ???

Class: None

Cultivation: Novice stage 3

Level: 22

Exp.: 3300 / 22000

Bloodline: Ravensastra Bloodline

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Attributes:

- Strength: 60 / Agility: 72 / Intelligence: 170 / Endurance: 59 / Vitality: 58 / Charm: 30 / Soul: 100 (LOCKED)

- SP: 18

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[Soul World]

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Innate Talent:

[ Plunder (???) ] / [ Synthesis (???) ]

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Skills and Abilities:

[ Appraise ]

[ Inventory ]

[ Sword Mastery (Master) ]

[ Quick Draw (E) lvl. 9(max) ]

[ Mana Augmentation (E) lvl. 9(max) ]

[ Bood Berserker (C) ]

[ Berserk Instinct (C) ]

[ Keen Sight (E) lvl.2 ]

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After the awakening ceremony, Astrael’s status had undergone a drastic transformation. His attributes all had leapt significantly. It was the kind of change that would normally take years of rigorous training or rare resources to achieve. But now, it had happened in a moment. A single event had pushed him beyond the realm of ordinary growth.

And that wasn’t even the most shocking part.

He had received a quest.

He still didn’t fully understand what it meant. The objective and the description were somewhat vague, and there was no indication of the rewards or consequences.

Yet, all of that paled in comparison to the truth that weighed in his chest. Not one, but two innate talents.

He had read enough to know what that meant. Even in the books, there was no mention of anyone ever awakening two talents. Talent awakening was supposed to be an absolute law. An ironclad rule of the world. Just like no one could form two cores or wield two soul spaces, no one could possess more than one innate talent. That was the understanding of the world. A fundamental truth.

And yet, here he was. Not only had he awakened two, but their grade was marked with question marks.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on his talent.

[Plunder (???): A divine-grade talent that allows its wielder to absorb a target’s physical attributes, innate talents, magical skills, bloodlines, and other unique abilities without causing any harm or side effects to themselves. The specific qualities extracted are determined at random. However, the wielder must still abide by the inherent restrictions and usage conditions of each absorbed ability.

Condition: The target must be deceased before activation. Attempting to use Plunder on a living being will result in immediate failure. The plundered attributes acquired are selected at random from the target’s essence. The wielder cannot choose which traits are absorbed. ]

He leaned forward slightly while his brows furrowed. For all his knowledge, for all the books he had read and heard, not once had he come across anything like this. A talent that could... steal? plunder?

Astrael’s expression darkened, though not in fear. The implications of this were staggering.

He could take the affinity of a fire mage. The regeneration ability of a beastkin. The eye technique of a cursed lineage. Even... another person’s innate talent?

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling quietly.

"But it’s random..." he murmured.

If the result wasn’t guaranteed, if it was always left to chance, then its power became a double-edged blade. And he had to kill his opponent. Such an overpowered talent, he didn’t think there would be any restrictions.

But still... undeniably powerful.

His eyes lowered again to the second entry on the glowing panel

[Synthesis (???): A divine-grade talent that allows the user to combine two different physical abilities or magic skills to create a new, unique version based on how the originals work. The new ability will not cause any harm to the user’s body or mind. Results vary based on compatibility, level, and the host’s understanding.

Condition: The user must meet certain requirements—such as having the needed physical abilities or skills—before the synthesis can happen.

Note: A higher soul stat increases the success rate and overall quality of the new ability.]

Astrael was out of words. He didn’t expect this. Not in the slightest. Yes, it was a divine-grade talent, absurdly powerful on paper. But he knew better than anyone that power alone wasn’t everything. Situations mattered. Context mattered. The ability to use it mattered even more.

Most people had one innate talent. That was the rule. And that one talent became the foundation of their entire path in life. Combined with a handful of hard-earned skills, techniques that often took years of training, most cultivators could only wield a limited set of abilities in their lifetime.

Even a genius would be lucky to master four or five combat-related skills by their twenties.

So Synthesis, as incredible as it was, had one glaring bottleneck—it required material to work with, skills, and abilities. Things he would have to collect, hone, and study in depth.

Normally, that would have been a problem. But now, his gaze sharpened slightly. He already had Plunder. A talent that could steal traits, affinities, even other people’s innate talents from defeated foes, randomly, but still.

It almost felt like..."A buy one, get one free deal," Astrael muttered, leaning forward slightly.

As if it were tailor-made. That’s what it was. The perfect synergy. If Plunder gave him pieces of a puzzle, Synthesis gave him the tools to rearrange the entire board. And as a fan of novelkisss, anime, manga, a nerd and a geek, he naturally found this heaven-defying, earth-shattering talent.

Just imagining fusing all the pressure and aura-related abilities into something similar to Conqueror’s Haki.

Astrael smiled at the possibility.

For a long moment, he sat silently in the softly rocking carriage, the faint creaking of wheels and hooves clopping in the background.

Then he chuckled, very softly.

"Even the heavens... didn’t see this coming."