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, drawing his flute into view.
"In this world, what truly counts is a person'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 purpose is no better than being dead..."
A smirk crossed Rio's face as he gazed at the towering peak ahead, then continued,
"In my old village, there lived a fellow... his spouse was expecting, and he had to rush her to the clinic, but it lay too distant..."
"A massive ridge blocked their route, forcing the path to the clinic to wind endlessly around it..."
"His partner and their baby on the way couldn't endure such an extended trip to medical care... so, what choice do you suppose that fellow made next?"
Rio's smile widened as he posed the question.
"That fellow demolished the ridge and forged a fresh route straight through it using nothing but his bare hands!"
"All to spare others the pain he endured... folks labeled him insane, others a fool... yet his unyielding will and clear aim propelled him onward..."
Lifting the flute skyward, Rio declared,
"When the world refuses you redemption, forge your own ’path’ to fate using your very hands!"
"Life holds boundless potential for anyone! With that unbreakable resolve inside, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to!"
For this strike, Rio relied on no special ability or method; he summoned an enormous blade crafted entirely from raw sword intent, so immense it brushed against the heavens' clouds.
With a fierce downward arc, Rio cleaved the colossal peak, reducing it to fragments!
The very weave of space and time quaked under the force of Rio's might, while shards hurtled outward at blistering velocities.
The whole formation split apart and crumbled down to its roots.
Massive rocks and rubble scattered wildly as Rio remained rooted at the ruins' foundation, the evil spirit observing the chaos with a sly grin.
Every malevolent entity and beast atop the peak vanished utterly, dissolving into void with one devastating blow!
"Th-this!?.... wha..."
Spotting the evil spirit's stunned reaction, Rio addressed it.
"This stems from a fabled ability, sword intent... the wonder of such fabled powers lies in how anyone might unlock them, provided their drive and aims burn fierce enough..."
Unlocking a fabled ability works best through extraordinary aptitude backed by the world's own rules, as with Link, Liam, and Riya.
The next option involves tremendous aptitude and compelling the world's rules, much like Rio's approach.
The toughest yet ultimate way is to sway the ’world’ purely through your personal ’path’!
Should your life's ambitions run deep enough, even a non-awakener stands a shot at stirring a fabled ability to life!
Fabled abilities demand no mana to function; they draw purely from your mind and spirit's strength!
That's precisely why Rio skipped other abilities, showcasing only his sword intent's raw force.
He aimed to show the evil spirit that such prowess lay within its grasp too, if it embraced the ’path’ of endless advancement!
"I-i... I have decided! I will do it! I will become better!"
At last, the evil spirit discovered its will to battle and endure; it unearthed its purpose to press forward, gradually releasing its endless grudge and sorrow.
As the hatred and remorse faded, its form began to break down, its essence unshackled from all bonds.
"Ah... it seems my time is over.... I hope I will be a better parent in my next life... I will become better in my next life!"
Rio gave a nod to the evil spirit's statement and inquired,
"Good! By the way, I wanted to ask, do you know anything about the shadow dragons?"
Upon hearing Rio's query, the evil spirit grew quiet for a moment, as though straining to recall, before replying,
"The shadow dragons... they are... yes... they are corrupted souls... they.... They..."
Before the evil spirit could reveal more to Rio, its form disintegrated, fading into oblivion without a remnant.
Faced with this outcome, Rio could merely shake his head in resignation.
"Another failed attempt... sigh..."
Rio wasn't some holy figure; he hadn't stepped in to aid the entity out of pure kindness or mercy.
The cube of possibilities had directed him toward the evil spirit, hinting it held vital knowledge that might aid Rio's quest.
Yet Rio found himself powerless here; elsewhere in the world, he could have simply pierced the entity with his blade and drawn out every memory locked in its soul.
He held back in this spot, aware that such an act would trigger the evil spirit to implode instantly, cutting off any chance for dialogue.
’After managing to get it back to its senses, I only got a few seconds of time to converse with it...’
Helplessly, Rio shook his head while glancing once more at the cube of possibilities.
Naturally, it had shifted its guidance yet again!
Now it aimed at some unrelated spot, opening up another fresh opportunity!
’I just taught him that there are infinite possibilities to everything, and now I am already facing that same situation myself...’
’I have to look through many possibilities one by one just to find a clue to Liam and Ellie’s location... it’s really inefficient and time consuming...’
No day or night graced the spirit realm, and from Ashtel’s records, Rio knew time flowed in strange, unpredictable ways within this domain.
Thus, lingering too long or venturing into perilous zones proved unwise.
’Thankfully I can keep a track of time with my sword intent...’
Indeed, Rio’s sword intent doubled as a timekeeper.
At its core, a timepiece relies on an oscillator that pulses at a steady rhythm, paired with a ’counter’ that tallies those pulses to measure duration.
Rio replicated this by setting his sword intent to pulse at a constant rate, then gauging time from those pulses.
His handmade timer ran ceaselessly, unbroken by interruptions, and even detected shifts in gravity or space-time ripples to fine-tune its rhythm.
Since even S-rank artifacts falter in the spirit realm, Rio couldn't trust standard timepieces.
He devised this sword intent oscillation during his pursuits of outlaws, when frequent miasma exposure wrecked his regular watch.
’According to my clock... it’s been six hours since I entered the spirit realm and I have already seen quite a lot of bizarre things by now...’
’Sigh... forget it, let’s move on to the next possibility!’