Solitary Sword Sovereign

Odin's Trial By Fire

"As in The All Father? King Of Aesir and Ruler of Asgard?"

"Kukuku, indeed that very same Odin. This is a Restricted Avatar of mine called Wodin. Only you and a few select few individuals know who I am. So outside this room treat me as you would any random lower deity."

Will nodded like a chicken pecking thorn. "Oh my word, I'm such a huge fan of your work. Especially your son, he's my favourite hero! Okay so I know there is a big difference between Thor in the Comics to the real deal but still! Wow, Odin in the flesh! I'm so honoured."

Will rarely had moments where he felt truly humbled, but this was one of them. Odin was the leader of his favourite pantheon. Norse mythology was violent, direct and straightforward. Thor was Will's number one mythological character and superhero. Odin was a very close second.

Modus was someone Will had never heard of, so it was difficult to quantify the gap between them. Will was not exactly sure how great of a scope the system covered, nor did he understand just how many worlds were under similar cultural influences to Earth. But Odin at least gave him a rough idea.

"How do I refer to you, sir?"

"For now just call me Wodin. No need for titles or excessive respect. Treat me as you would a Teacher."

'Wow, Odin in the flesh is going to teach me. Is he as wise as the legends say him to be?'

Will was speechless and didn't quite know what to say.

"Lord Odin is one of the wisest and most knowledgeable beings in existence. His mastery in runes, magic and the art of war surpasses that of Lord Modus while his teaching ability is just as superior."

Adelda was essentially saying that Modus and Odin were peers of some sort. Will already had great respect for Modus, a being who could freeze space and literally suck the time out of an area.

'If Odin is at that level, with teaching ability above that of even Modus.'

If there was one complaint Will had of Modus, it was the lack of time he actually spent teaching Will anything. He had only advised Will a handful of times over the course of 5 years.

He mostly left Will to figure things out by himself. Sometimes Will wondered if he was being toyed with. If he was just an ant being played with by a mean kid with a magnifying glass.

But there was nothing Will could do but push on. Say no to a man who drained the colour from the universe with his presence? A man who could transmit his voice across the whole planet at will?

"I am glad to have the honour of meeting you Wodin. Please advise me. I will exercise your teachings to the best of my abilities."

Wodin grinned and said, "Well I'm glad to hear that. I won't lie, the path ahead of you is going to be arduous to traverse and painful to tread on. To make it even worse, no mortal has gone down that path and so the results are still an uncertain variable. But don't worry, I will at least make you hard to kill. So long as you take in my teachings, I guarantee that within the next century, you won't die unless I give my consent. Now then, consider this the first lesson."

"Eh, Uncertain Variable?" Before Will could react, a palm had already covered his vision

Wodin slowly raised his hand and placed it on Will's head and the latter had no intention of dodging.

"Flowing Tide Restriction."

Will felt the World Energy around him disappear into nothingness. An odd feeling of weakness he had not felt for over five years suddenly assailed him as he lost all the strength in his body. Will felt his connection to his over 2 million minds disappear, as if it was being restricted by something. And it wasn't just his mind.

Intent, Soul Force and Life Force, Will lost his connection to his three states of existence and their respective forces. He felt like an immortal who had descended to being a weak existence. He felt even weaker than he did before the system.

He quickly lost control of his body and collapsed onto Wodin. Wodin caught Will and spun him around. He then laid him down and made him face the screen at the opposite end of the room.

All of Will's senses were suppressed to the point where only his vision and hearing remained. But even they were heavily suppressed.

"Honestly you are quite the good seedling." Said Wodin as he walked to one wall. He pointed his finger at the wall and made a horizontal swiping motion, creating a white line perpendicular to Will on the ground. The line split the room into two halves. Will was only a meter away from the line, but his lack of mobility and suppressed senses made the distance seem much greater than it was.

Will was used to having Aqua Sense active, with multiple minds processing information constantly. The effect of the suppression was much worse than an ordinary person being blinded. There was also a suffocating pain that caused him to mentally cringe.

"You are like an ore, yet to be properly refined and moulded to create the perfect weapon." Odin walked to Will's body and crouched down.

"Alas, at this rate, you would have died in a few years. You have been overusing Empyrean Intents and other high-tier skills, while your soul and body are lagging behind your body too much. I'm sure you heard Hercules speak about the relationship between the three vessels earlier but he really oversimplified it.

He did not explain the importance of balance between the vessels. Your mind has been partitioned but you don't have the mental cultivation to sustain that partition. Using terminology from your world, you are like a wifi network that has too many devices connected slowing it down, your mind has too many branches and isn't supported by a soul or body capable of assisting in bearing the load. You have an abundant Life force, but its quality is poor and fragile.

Modus allowed this to continue to draw out your potential, but now you need to consolidate your cultivation base and focus on gaining full control of what you have. If this had continued, the sheer power of your own mind would have destroyed you from the inside out."