14 14. Dimensional dissonance

After a moment of contemplation, he reached for the sword that had been strapped around his waist all this time.

'Let's see if I can use my power effectively.'

Orion held the sword in his hands, focusing his thoughts on something dark. He recalled how Myla's death had affected him, replaying the moment of her demise and the overwhelming feelings of despair, hopelessness, and fear that had consumed him ever since he transmigrated.

As he delved into these emotions, Orion noticed his sword starting to float above his hands. With steady concentration, he began to control its movement, allowing it to revolve around himself. To his surprise, he succeeded, watching as the sword circled around him.

However, his attention was soon drawn to the small stones at his feet, which began trembling once again as they floated up and followed the sword in its revolution.

'It seems I can control anything that doesn't have too much weight.'

He was excited as he thought about this, but as soon as he allowed himself to feel that delight, both the stones and the sword fell to the ground.

However, Orion didn't let this setback dishearten him. Instead, he realized that he had finally unlocked the key to controlling his powers.

He understood that he needed to keep his emotions in check when using them; otherwise, they wouldn't work as intended.

'It's tough, but this is something I can work with.'

A while later, Orion decided to return.

However, as he approached their location, he noticed a yellow light illuminating the entire area.

'What happened?'

Running quickly, he approached them, only to find Famir and Ryfin engaged in conversation beside a pit of fire.

"Orion, what's your stats?"

Upon seeing Orion return, Famir asked a question, his expression curious or expectant.

"10 in all."

Orion replied as he joined them, taking a seat. However, at that moment, his stomach growled audibly.

"Hungry? We are, too. But we can only look for something to eat during the day tomorrow."

Famir gave a wry smile in response to the growl, while Orion nodded and turned to address the two of them.

"So, you guys also got 10 in all stats?"

"Yeah, only 10."

Famir nodded in agreement as he responded.

At that moment, Ryfin, who had kept his head down for a while, suddenly stood up and directed his gaze towards the two of them.

"We almost died just now, and I don't want to repeat what happened a while earlier. That feeling of death being so close to me made me aware of something."

Ryfin's expression turned serious as he proceeded to speak further.

"We are weak—pitifully weak. We aren't safe here, and nobody knows when we will be attacked again by these monsters. So, I am suggesting we train ourselves and prepare for any situation we may face in the future."

Orion nodded in agreement, sharing Ryfin's sentiment. He too wanted to delve deeper into the exploration of his curse—Electrostatic Disruption he got from Famir.

Thinking of this, he thought he hadn't copied the curse of Ryfin.

'Might as well do it.'

Standing up, he approached Ryfin and touched his shoulder as he spoke to him.

"I agree with you."

Famir also nodded as he stood up.

Ryfin addressed the two of them, noting their agreement.

"Alright, let's first train ourselves before we go looking for some weak monsters to fight."

Orion nodded in acknowledgment as he made his way to the place where he had defeated the skeleton. He carefully searched through the ruins until he retrieved three swords from the debris.

"Need it?"

He asked the other two.

"Give me one."

Ryfin took one of the swords, initially opting for the wand due to his low mana reserves, which limited his teleportation abilities.

However, after his upgrade, he realized that his mana had increased sufficiently for continuous teleportation for a period of time.

Therefore, he concluded that he no longer needed the staff but something that could be used for attack. Hence his decision to take one of Orion's swords.

Giving the sword to Ryfin, Orion went to the side as he opened his status.

'Status.'

[Name - Orion Darkwood

Rank - Bronze

Talent - Copy Curse - 1%

Curse - Null Body, Electrostatic Disruption, Dimensional Dissonance

Strength - 10

Stamina - 10

Agility - 10

Perception - 10

Constitution - 10

Mana - Nil (Due to the host's curse—Null Body, host isn't able to feel any form of mana. Please check your curse for more information.)

Skills - Nil ( Due to the host's curse —Null Body, host isn't able to feel any form of mana. Therefore, the host is unable to use any skills. Please check your curse for more information.)]

'So, this is his curse. Let's see what it does.'

[Curse – Dimensional Dissonance - This curse intermittently phases the individual's body in and out of dimensions or spatial planes, causing moments of intangibility and disorientation. This instability makes it challenging to interact with the environment and control powers effectively.]

'The side-effects are too severe.'

As Orion continued to concentrate, a doubt crept into his mind as he considered the explanation of his curse.

'Curses are primarily known for harming people's bodies if they overuse their talents,' he mused, 'but when it comes to me, I used the curse of Electrostatic Disruption, and nothing happened to me at all. So, does that mean curses don't apply to me, or perhaps it didn't work because I don't have lightning affinity?'

He pondered it for a moment before recalling some negative aspects of his own curse.

'Because of my own curse, I can't seem to feel any form of mana,' Orion contemplated. 'So perhaps whatever disturbances and side effects these curses would have brought, they were unable to affect me, as they may manifest in the form of mana, which my body cannot perceive at all.'

Contemplating this aspect of his curse, he felt torn. On one hand, it allowed him to use curses without experiencing any side effects. On the other hand, it prevented him from using his skills. He couldn't decide whether to appreciate this aspect of his curse or not.

'I will practice Dimensional Dissonance later. First, let me become an expert in using the Electrostatic Disruption curse.'

Thinking it over, Orion gathered all three swords in his hands. One he retrieved from the item after killing the giant, and the other two from the skeletons.

He concentrated, once again delving into dark thoughts, attempting to induce despair. As he did so, he noticed the three swords starting to float up. Allowing them to circle around him, they floated and revolved around him in a mesmerizing display of control.

'This can't be the only thing I can do with Electrostatic Disruption, right?'

He continued to concentrate on inducing despair, trying hard not to let his thoughts be distracted.

'According to the science on earth, electrostatic energy is mainly responsible for the attraction and repulsion of objects. So, can I do the same?'

On Earth, he had majored in physics, so he had some understanding of electrostatic energy. However, he struggled to comprehend how to manipulate attraction and repulsion, as making things float seemed to work more instinctively for him.

'There has to be some way I could control the electrostatic energy in my body. If I can do that, then I think I can figure out the attraction and repulsion easily.'

He pondered over how to control the electrostatic energy within his body, realizing that mastering this ability could significantly increase his strength.