I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1360: The Army of One Man

The young man had been right. The fruit really did work like magic the moment he took it. All his fatigue and pain vanished. It was as though with just a single bite, the healing essence of the fruit permeated every corner of his being, seeping down into something deeper. Even his essence was replenished.

Northern smiled when he saw the shock on Colak’s face. Whether enemies or friends, he always liked when his work impressed people.

’I wonder if this is a character flaw of mine.’

Smiling still, he raised his head to look at his opponent, who was staring down at his own body in bewilderment while the fruit’s energy washed through him.

Colak’s eyes widened as he muttered, "Even my essence too."

Northern nodded. "Yes, everything. Now can we continue?"

Colak stared at him curiously. "But... how? I thought your abilities had to do with darkness, then there’s the cold, and now you can heal. Usually talent abilities are closely related to each other, but yours is a bit strange. They are too far away from each other, as if they are all different talents."

He frowned, suspicion creeping into his expression. "Do you perhaps have a talent that absorbs multiple talents?"

Northern stood there, smiling and watching him for a moment. Then he nodded.

"So what is your decision going to be? Are you going to advise the Empire to take their forces and leave? Because I can destroy them if I want to."

Colak immediately made an irritated face.

"What?" He laughed. "Uhm, look..." He laughed again. "Listen, senior brother, I can see you are strong..."

He was about to laugh a third time but caught himself. He stopped trying to talk altogether, bending forward with one hand on his knee, taking a full minute to wrestle the laughter out of his system before this young man changed his mind and he lost his head over a joke.

Northern stood patiently with both hands behind his back.

The man straightened, his expression even now, carefully composed.

"Listen, senior brother. You are strong and seemingly special. But you don’t understand. So is every prince and princess of our Empire. They have unique strength that has nothing to do with their abilities. I’ve never seen them lose. I have seen the sixth prince face enemies whom I thought were certainly the end for us, and yet in ways that I never imagined possible, I have watched him tear down every opponent before us."

He paused and considered his next words carefully before continuing.

"The rumors say you defeated a threat that was going to devastate the continent, didn’t you? You are that person who did it, right? Then you should know that it was nothing special to the Empire. Because for centuries, the Empire has been doing the same thing with the horrors of the sea, and you people have no idea about it. We feel no need to brag about it or hold the entire continent responsible."

Northern was taken aback by the claims, but at the same time...

"Of course they have. They sit at the shore of a mighty ocean that spans a vast distance, large enough to hold a continent twice this one. Of course they have. If they don’t, their nation would be destroyed first. Is that an achievement? You want to project what the Empire does to protect itself as a feat the entire continent should be grateful for?"

Colak was silent for a moment. "The Empire cannot die from a mere threat like that, whereas the continent will suffer."

"Oh well, then stop trying to stop it. How much simpler can it get?"

Northern looked at him for a long moment and shook his head.

"No doubt, I can confirm it now. It seems to not just be your Emperor. Every single one of his subjects thinks they are above the rest of the continent. Perhaps you’re above everyone and deserve to be the only ones that exist in the world."

He cast a pitiful look at Colak. Then he changed his mind.

"You know what... let me show you. Let me show you just how much you’re lacking."

The moment the words left his mouth, a myriad of black portals swirled open in the air around them. Their depths were bluish, twisting like whirlpools in the heart of a great river.

The churning soon stilled, and the centers of the portals turned transparent, revealing what waited on the other side.

Creatures. Countless creatures, all moving.

There were flying ones too, carrying what looked like glowing stones. There was one the size of a mountain, its bulk shifting along the ridgeline so that it looked like a mountain was crawling over another mountain and threatening to crush it flat.

Colak did not know the individual might of these creatures. But their existence, their sheer numbers, made his eyes tremble.

"This... this should be impossible."

Northern smiled softly. "I remember a very cute statement that was always said in the world I came from... but in this language, the translation would say: with the stars, all things are possible." He tilted his head. "Let me say it differently for you, Captain of the Empire. With me, Northern, all things are possible."

Colak shook his head slowly, still trying to comprehend the disastrous thing churning inside those portals. If those monsters were unleashed upon the world, they would trample the entire continent into dust.

What frightened him most was the question beneath it all. How exactly was this man collecting monsters like that? Who was he? What was the Empire missing? What had they all been missing?

’He’s dangerous. This man is very dangerous... I have to inform the others as fast as I can.’

Northern’s lips curled. He raised his chin with a look of open smugness.

"Yes. That expression on your face is exactly what I wanted to see." He let that sit for a moment, savoring it. "Now go back to your camp and share your experience with the others. Oh, and make sure you don’t lose face."