Chapter 2379: Correct

In truth, Leonel expected it to be ranked higher. At least until he saw that Elorin's progression in the Ability Index was still at the very first tier.

'It's so powerful at just the first tier? He looks like he's completely focused on his Ability Index as well, and he's had the drive and conviction to improve it every day. From what I've seen, he uses it cleverly and with sharpness. Is it just that difficult to progress Time Force?'

Wait, but he had felt Elorin sense him in the Dream Plane. Even Emna hadn't been able to, and neither had Goggles. Only Aina was able to replicate that feat.

That should mean that Elorin was on the verge of the Impetus State, but...

If Elorin's Time Force was that strong, his Ability Index shouldn't still be at the first tier.

'Fascinating...'

Elorin's Ability Index allowed him to use his eyes to see the path of causality. He could then gather those causalities and use them for his benefit.

If he wanted to streak across a marathon, he had to observe himself complete that marathon first within one of the potential causalities, then pick that causality. Once he did, he would cross the distance of a marathon in an instant.

Of course, that would require time. If he had been a mortal, even an elite one, that would have taken two hours of observation of casualties.

This was where the strength of his Ability Index came in. He was able to accelerate time within these casualties and gain a small advantage.

Essentially, he could observe himself cross a distance at an accelerated pace, and thus finish that task faster overall.

If it would usually take him a minute to run a kilometer, he could observe the causality at an acceleration of 10%, and thus finish in 54 seconds instead.

When Leonel laid it out like this, this did truly sound like the first tier of an ability. There were countless restrictions and it was extremely difficult to use in the midst of battle.

It was no wonder Elorin couldn't focus on anything else. If anything, making his Ability Index any stronger would be a detriment to him.

Unlike James who focused too much on his Lineage Factor, Elorin was the opposite, focusing too much on his Ability Index.

But Leonel couldn't even really blame him. If he could toy around with time, would he even waste his time with other things? He could imagine what he could do with Elorin's abilities and just the thought made him want to salivate.

Of course, though, if he had Elorin's Ability Index, he would lose his own and thus lose the sharp mind that would allow him to execute his ideas.

'That's enough reconnaissance. I've got it. First, Joel.'

[Joel Dangote]

[Ability Index: Sharpness]

[Lineage Factor: -]

Joel's Ability Index was as simple as it came. In the past, Leonel had thought that it was similar to Emna's Ability Index, but this was due to his ignorance.

Joel's Ability Index did one thing: increased piercing power. It was that simple, almost like a buff in-game.

This wouldn't have been interesting to Leonel in the past, but with his current understanding of Weapon Forces, he found it maybe even more fascinating than Elorin's Ability Index.

Sharpness. It was a physical law of reality. When an object reached a certain unspecified number of parameters, it would be sharp. Joel could enhance those parameters.

What was interesting was that Sharpness was one of the laws of physics Leonel thought of when he was comprehending Weapon Forces.

What made Weapon Forces exist? As he had comprehended, on one side there was the human consciousness with birthed all sorts of weapons, and on the other side there were the laws of physics those weapons relied upon to be effective.

All weapons but blunt force ones relied on sharpness. The spear might also rely on laws of leverage and the like. Whatever unique combination of these laws that a weapon leaned upon would decide what kind of Weapon Force it was.

If Joel came to understand this, Leonel had a feeling that his power would shoot up like a speeding rocket. But looking at his Ability Index...

Joel was still at tier three and that was after decades of effort.

Leonel understood why. It wasn't just due to lack of talent. When he wasn't there, the role of leader fell onto Joel's shoulders. Joel bore this weight well, but it hindered him in many other facets.

'Joel's Ability Index has much more potential than I gave it credit for. I won't touch it unless I find other Ability Indexes that are extremely similar. Maybe one related to the laws of hardness or...'

Leonel's gaze flashed, he looked through all million Ability Index Force Arts in an instant before he landed on one.

Leonel couldn't just give Joel his insights. Comprehension never worked like that. Instead, he had to find a way to lead Joel to the same conclusion he had reached.

[Ability Index: Heaviness]

'Perfect.'

Leonel tested the synergy between this Ability Index and Joel's. And as expected, they were akin to two peas in a pod. They fused more easily than any Ability Indexes that Leonel had tried out until this point.

While the result was still Common, that was because both Joel's and the person who had once wielded Heaviness had both were stuck at quite low tiers and had limited understanding of what they truly had.

'Now he just needs a Lineage Factor to pair with it.'

Leonel looked inwardly toward the Glaive Domain Ring.

It was perfect for Joel, but he shook his head.

Not only did he feel that these Lineage Factors were ticking time bombs, but-

Leonel's thoughts were cut off as another tablet appeared within his library. His gaze sharpened as he brought it out.

[Ability Index: Glaive Domain: Corrupted]

Leonel sat in silence for a long while. Sometimes, he really hated being correct.

'... Those sons of bitches...'