Reborn as an Extra Chapter 552: There are infinite possibilities! Part-2.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
Rio grinned in response to the evil spirit's inquiry and drew forth his flute.
"Within this world, what truly counts is an individual's resolve and drive; by pursuing the 'path' of growth, you'll naturally gain the power to dominate everything in time!"
"Existing without dreams or aims is every bit as terrible as being dead..."
With a sly grin, Rio gazed upon the towering peak before he continued,
"In my old village, a fellow lived... his spouse carried their child, and he had to rush her to the clinic, yet it lay too distant..."
"A colossal peak blocked their route, forcing the path to the clinic to wind endlessly around it..."
"Neither his wife nor the baby inside her could endure such an extended trip to the clinic... so, what move do you suppose he made next?"
A smile played on Rio's lips as he posed the query.
"He demolished that peak and forged a fresh route straight through it using nothing but his bare hands!"
"All to spare others the pain he'd known... folks labeled him insane, others deemed him foolish... yet his unyielding will and purpose drove him onward..."
Lifting the flute high into the heavens, Rio declared,
"When the world refuses you redemption, forge your 'path' to fate using your very own strength!"
"Life holds boundless potential for anyone! With enough resolve inside, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to!"
For this strike, Rio employed no ability or method; instead, he summoned an enormous blade formed from sheer sword intent, vast enough to graze the clouds above.
With a fierce downward arc, Rio brought the blade crashing onto the immense peak, reducing it to fragments!
Rio's overwhelming force made the fabric of space-time quiver, while chunks of rock hurtled outward at speeds beyond sound.
Completely split in half, the whole mountain crumbled down to its roots.
Massive rocks and debris scattered wildly as Rio remained rooted at the foot of the ruined peak, the evil spirit observing the spectacle with a cunning smile.
In one devastating blow, every evil spirit and beast atop the mountain vanished utterly, dissolving into empty air!
"Th-that!?.... Wha..."
Spotting the evil spirit's astonishment, Rio addressed it.
"This feat stems from a fabled ability, sword intent... what's remarkable about fabled abilities is how even an ordinary soul can unlock them when fueled by fierce aspirations and aims..."
Awakening a fabled ability works best through extraordinary aptitude backed by the world's laws, as seen with Link, Liam, and Riya.
The next effective way involves tremendous aptitude and compelling the world's laws, much like Rio has done.
Yet the toughest approach lies in swaying the 'world' purely through your 'path'!
Should your ambitions burn bright enough, even a non-awakener holds the potential to unlock a fabled ability!
Fabled abilities require no mana to function; they draw entirely from your mind and soul's strength!
That's precisely why Rio skipped other abilities and displayed only his sword intent's raw might.
Through this, he conveyed to the evil spirit that such power lay within its grasp too, provided it embraced the 'path' of endless advancement!
"I-I... I've made up my mind! I'll take the step! I'll improve myself!"
At last, the evil spirit discovered its will to battle and persist; it uncovered a purpose to press forward, gradually releasing its endless grudge and sorrow.
As the hatred and sorrow faded, the spirit's form began to break apart, its soul unshackled from every bind.
"Ah... looks like my end has come.... I wish to be a finer guardian in the life to follow... I'll grow stronger next time around!"
Rio gave a nod to the evil spirit's statement and inquired,
"Excellent! Incidentally, I've been meaning to inquire—do you have any knowledge of the shadow dragons?"
Upon hearing Rio's query, the evil spirit grew quiet for a moment, as though straining to recall, before it replied,
"The shadow dragons... they represent... indeed... they embody tainted essences... they.... They..."
The evil spirit failed to reveal more to Rio before its form disintegrated, fading into oblivion without any remnant.
Faced with this outcome, Rio merely shook his head in resignation.
"Yet another miss... sigh..."
Rio isn't some holy figure; he approached to aid the entity not out of mere kindness or goodwill.
The cube of possibilities had directed him toward the evil spirit, suggesting it held vital knowledge that might assist Rio.
Still, Rio found himself powerless here; elsewhere in the world, he could have pierced the foe with his blade and drawn out every memory locked within its soul.
He refrained in this spot knowing any such attempt would trigger the evil spirit's immediate implosion, robbing him of any chance to speak with it.
’Having pulled it from madness, I barely squeezed in moments to talk...’
Helplessly shaking his head, Rio glanced back at the cube of possibilities.
Naturally, its guidance had shifted yet again!
Now it aimed at a fresh, arbitrary spot, opening up another unforeseen chance!
’Moments ago, I preached endless options in all things, and here I am, plunged into the very same irony...’
’Sifting through countless paths sequentially just to uncover a hint about Liam and Ellie's whereabouts... it's dreadfully slow and draining...’
No daylight or darkness graced the spirit realm, and from Ashtel's records, Rio knew time flowed in strange, erratic patterns within this domain.
Thus, lingering too long or venturing deep into perils proved unwise.
’At least my sword intent lets me monitor the hours...’
Indeed, Rio's sword intent doubled as a timekeeper.
Fundamentally, a timepiece relies on an oscillator—a mechanism pulsing at steady intervals—paired with a 'counter' that tallies those pulses to measure duration.
Rio achieves this effortlessly by setting his sword intent to pulse at consistent rates and gauging time from those rhythms.
Rio's handmade timer runs ceaselessly, unbroken, and detects shifts in gravity or space-time warps to fine-tune its pace.
S-rank relics cease to function in the spirit realm, leaving Rio unable to trust standard timepieces.
He'd devised this sword intent oscillation during pursuits of outlaws, where frequent miasma exposure wrecked his wristwatch.
’By my timer's count... six hours have passed since stepping into the spirit realm, and I've encountered plenty of oddities already...’
’Sigh... no matter, onward to the following chance!’