Humanity is caught in a great upheaval after the Intergalactic Union of All Species coincidentally discovers their existence on what they had formerly considered to be the fringe of the universe. 

Without any say in the matter, they get indicted into the Union as a legal member. Unfortunately, this meant that they were now obligated to partake in the exploration of a new Chaotic Realm parallel to their universe containing rich energies, resources, and essence that the universe itself craved.

To that end, the universe has created its own will, which seeks to gather all races and strengthen warriors from them to explore the dangerous but lucrative Chaotic Realm, initiating the Augmented Reality simulation, Essence.

In Essence, one can experience a carefully crafted universe similar to an RPG game, either by going in through your soul or going in through VR. The former means that death is true, and the latter is similar to a normal FIVR experience.

Those who go in with their souls can freely receive feedback from their 'game characters' to obtain all stats, skills, and items they acquire in Essence, while those who go in with VR do not obtain that benefit.

However, those who pay for it in Essence can receive an awakening of genetic talent called abilities. These abilities are graded from F to EX, a total of 10 stages.

Not much is expected from the human race when the first 100 participants get chosen at random from the public - a standard protocol - only for each one of them to awaken at least an A-grade ability.

Then, there was Damon Arnan, a young Ghanaian politician, who ended up awakening, not one, not two, but three EX-Grade Talents. 

The human race, which had just entered the galactic playground, was about to experience a storm with Damon smackdab in the middle.

Apart from the main Skill he had pined for, there were also the four external martial arts he had learned to complement the Empty Soul Palm which had been materialized by the Universe Will. 


[Flowing Iron Curtain - Fortitude-Based Skill]


[Effect: This is a defensive martial technique that uses subtle body movements and Qi blood to redirect, absorb, or collapse momentum-based attacks as well as deflect certain projectiles. 


The higher one's Fortitude, the higher the effectiveness of this Skill. 


Note: If imbued with Internal Force, this Skills enjoys a 1.2x/1.5x/2x/5x/10x bonus depending on the grade of the Internal Force.]


When Damon first began practicing the defensive Skill, he realized its core principle was to spread his palm while channeling infused physical energy, the same energy he gained through Devour and the one used by the Energy Flintlock, and shape it into a barrier, functioning like a living shield.


Chapter 123 - New Skills