Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 359: Ability Evolution

Ability evolution wasn’t something that even a hundred people out of a hundred million could achieve. No, calling it rare was an understatement; it was almost impossibly difficult, a feat whispered about more as legend than reality.

Finch released a mental sigh, a small but genuine smile gracing his lips. He was changing, and he was beginning to love that change more than he expected. Previously, when he rarely battled, he had never been good in fights; he moved with numerous flaws, uncertainty, and a lack of pure confidence.

But now, his movements were sharper, cleaner, faster, there was no room for hesitation anymore. His mind drifted back to the time he had fought during the Apocalypse over a month ago, when the Star Academy, no, the entire Separate Dimension, had been suddenly plunged into chaos.

Back then, he had fought with all he had, but compared to the version of himself now, he had been undeniably clumsy. During the battle with the bandits, he had already changed. During the Monster Tide, he hadn’t been the same clumsy Finch either. Even in the Star Academy’s battle exam, he had endured and survived mostly because of his soul bound chain weapon rather than his own combat proficiency.

’My soul bound weapon...’ Finch’s thoughts shifted inward as his mind churned endlessly.

His chain could extend infinitely, at least, according to his current understanding. It was seemingly indestructible, capable of expanding and shrinking according to his will. All of these functions required not even a single mote ofAstra energy. With such an ability at his disposal, Finch felt he possessed the perfect defensive technique against direct or straightforward attacks.

He could simply form a barrier or a dome using his soul bound chain and block any attack. Since his chain was indestructible, it could withstand nearly anything, functioning like an ”absolute defense.” He could bind anyone in place, trapping them within an inescapable prison of interlocking links. To many people, that would sound incredibly overpowered.

But Finch wasn’t naive. He wasn’t foolish enough to focus only on the benefits without acknowledging the glaring, unavoidable disadvantages. People like Asher could easily bypass his so-called indestructible defense.

Asher could simply teleport inside the chain dome and kill him. Those with phasing abilities could walk straight through his chains as though they weren’t even there. Someone with an earth manipulation ability could simply control the ground beneath the dome and attack from within.

Even something as simple as the chain’s structure betrayed its limits, because chains were made of links, and links had holes. Attacks could slip through those gaps and strike him.

There were countless ways to bypass his supposed ”absolute defense.” The fact that those stupid bandits couldn’t do it didn’t mean that experienced fighters, those who had seen real battles and survived them, wouldn’t immediately notice such flaws.

Finch sighed mentally once again. ’For some reason, I seem to be thinking way too much about strength, weaknesses, and becoming stronger today...’ he mused to himself.

His thoughts drifted to his sister, his sweet little sister who always called him the strongest brother in the world. She was a bit naive, yes, but undeniably cute. Although the title she gave him was technically true, since he was her only brother, it still made him want to truly embody that title in every sense. He wanted to become someone worthy of her admiration, not just someone who held the title by default.

’I hope we get to see her during the next mission,’ he thought, warmth softening his expression. ’No need to overthink. Everything will fall into place... eventually.’ With that thought, a gentle smile finally appeared on his face.

William, noticing the smile from the corner of his eye, shifted his gaze from the sky toward Finch. ”What are you smiling about?” he asked casually. ”Don’t tell me you’ve discovered a new method to scam people of their points?”

Finch shook his head with an amused exhale. ”I’m simply thinking about my sister, that’s all.”

William’s black eyes lingered on Finch for a brief moment, assessing him, before he gave a small nod and returned his attention to the sky.

”Maybe if we complete the next mission early, like the last one, we might actually get the chance to visit,” Asher spoke from the side. Although he didn’t know anything about Finch’s sister, he could clearly tell how much the boy adored her just from the shift in his behavior whenever she was mentioned.

Silence settled between them again, but it didn’t last long. William broke it with his typical unexpectedness. ”So,” he began, ”who do you think will be the first to get an actual girlfriend among us?”

His question brought an immediate halt to both Asher’s and Finch’s thoughts. Their eyes turned toward William simultaneously, baffled by his sudden, and extremely random, choice of topic.

”We’re just sitting around like some sort of throuple or something,” William continued with great dissatisfaction. ”And that is extremely wrong.”

A smile crept onto Asher’s lips as he replied in a teasing tone, ”Sigh... after sleeping with all the maids in the Canestane Barony, now you want to abandon them and get a girlfriend? After promising them the world and everything in it just to get them into your bed?” He paused briefly for dramatic effect, then added with finality, ”I didn’t know you were that kind of man.”

William clicked his tongue sharply, frustration clear on his face. Just because he had once assumed Asher and Lyra were sleeping together, now Asher was returning the accusation with equal force, almost word for word. ”I’m not sleeping with any of them,” William replied, firmly but defensively.

”I believe you,” Asher responded, still wearing that same teasing smile. Finch, meanwhile, remained silent at the side, simply watching the two with calm bemusement.

”Whatever,” William muttered, rising to his feet. ”Let’s go see what mission we can get.”

”Why rush?” Finch asked calmly. ”We have until tomorrow.”

”The good and high-paying ones might be snatched by someone else,” William replied as he stretched calmly. ”We can accept the mission today and embark on it tomorrow. After all, we’re given twenty four hours to begin a mission from the moment we accept it.”

Hearing his reasoning, Asher and Finch exchanged tired sighs before rising to their feet as well. With that, the trio began making their way toward the Logistics and Mission Operations Hall, the very place they had left only a few hours earlier.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Please read below. MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT