”Are you happy now?”
Entering the bungalow, Irina asked, looking at me.
“I am satisfied.”
I replied. This whole thing went just as we had expected. Irina had taken the credit for defeating the demon while Sylvie also played her role correctly.
Of course, she didn’t do it perfectly, but it was still within my expectations. In any case, this whole thing was somehow disturbing, and I had yet to have alone time to check the things I needed to do.
After everyone lost their consciousness and we all somehow entered that dreamlike state, things progressed very differently compared to the game.
‘This whole thing will change the future a lot.’
Even if the things were different from the game and the knowledge from it wasn’t completely reliable, it was somehow acceptable to some extent.
Yet, this whole Phantom’s Land incident is much more of a scale different from others.
With Belthazor’s disappearance, many things will change.
‘Well, it is not that important.’
Even if the events are not predictable, at the very least, there is some other information that wouldn’t be changed.
“Oh….Our prince is satisfied. Should we cut a cake?”
Irina’s sarcasm laced her words, but I merely shrugged it off. Now, I was not in the mood.
“Tch.”
And sometimes, mere gestures would prove to be a better answer than any words.
“Umm….” At that moment, Sylvie interjected, looking at me. “What will happen from now on?”
It seemed she was still slightly insecure about how the academy would react to her explanations.
“They will probably wait for a while until the investigation is finished. If what we have told them matches with their findings, they will make it official.”
I replied. I had already explained this to her, but knowing Sylvie, it was understandable that she would react in such a manner.
Sylvie threw me a quick glance before turning her attention to me and asking, “W-Will my name be on the papers?”
Her voice was a little shaky, yet from her body language, it wasn’t that hard to see that she was rather feeling excited.
‘I guess this will be her first time.’
Sometimes, I tended to nearly forget that Sylvie came from a rather small village as well. In a sense, she was also one of the most common people, yet at the same time, she was the future Saintess.
‘One really can’t understand the world.’
Just as I was thinking to myself, Irina, with an amused smile, couldn’t resist chiming in. She grabbed Sylvie’s cheeks, saying, “Oh, Sylvie, you’re so cute when you’re innocent.”
Sylvie, clearly embarrassed by the attention, averted her gaze shyly. I couldn’t help but feel a slight feeling at their interaction.
‘They became rather close.’
It was a lot different before compared to how Irina and Sylvie were in the previous tests. Irina was a rather stiff and fiery girl, so outsiders most likely had a hard time interacting with her for the first time. And Sylvie was not someone with an incredibly high self-esteem like Julia either.
‘Then, I guess Irina is getting better at reading the room.’
Irina’s teasing and Sylvie’s modest reactions created a dynamic that was oddly endearing, but at the same time, it could be explained as her attempt to relieve Sylvie.
Irina reassured Sylvie, “Yes, your name will likely be mentioned. You played a crucial role in all this, Sylvie.”
After witnessing their playful interaction, I felt that it was a good time to leave. As the atmosphere lightened, I decided to take advantage of the situation.
“I think I need some rest,” I declared, feeling the weight of the recent events and the mental strain from unraveling the mysteries of Phantom’s Land.
Irina looked at me for a moment, and then, with a nonchalant tone, she said, “Sure. Do whatever you want.”
‘Finally, I have some alone time.’
I thought. From the moment I had finished Belthazor, I knew something inside me had changed.
No, even before that, from the moment I had woken up from that dreamlike state, I knew for a fact that I felt different.
It was as if something inside me felt more complete than anything else, and I knew that something definitely had changed.
‘Status.’
Following that, I called the status window in my head, and instantly, the long-awaited panel appeared right before me.
——————————————
▶Name: Astron Natusalune
▶Occupation: Weapon Master (level 2 –> 3)
▶Talent Limit: 7.5 –> 9
▶Passives:
-Vengeful Bane
-Bloodline Resonance
-Psychic Cognizance
▶Attributes:
Variable Attributes:
Strength: 3.25 –> 3.57
Dexterity: 3.90 –> 4.17
Agility: 4.20 –> 4.49
Constitution: 3.25 –> 3.57
Intuition: 4.35 –> 4.64
Magical Power: 4.65 –> 4.97
Mana Capacity: 3.65 –> 3.90
▶Traits:
-Perceptive Insight (Epic)(Unchanging)
-Lunar Enigma (????) (Growth Type) (Stage 1)
-Shadowborne (Legendary) (Growth Type)(Stage 1 –> 2)
▶Arts:
-Lethal Arsenal Ascendancy (????)(%22 –> 29)
▶Skills:
-Eyes of Hourglass
▶Body Imprints:
▶Bonds:
-Aurora Raven (Rare)(Growth Type)
-Celestalith, The Transcendent Eclipse
——————————–
I observed the changes in my status window meticulously, each line unveiling new information about the transformation I had undergone.
The details unfolded like a map of my newfound capabilities and potential.
‘Hmm….The Weapon Master’s level increased once again.’
That meant the advancements in my occupational prowess. The Weapon Master class had ascended to level 3, signifying a deeper understanding of weaponry.
‘That was the feeling of grasp? It is rather interesting.’
For the first time in a while, I, for some reason, felt interested in how the status window worked. In a sense, I could feel like this change was the feeling I got after waking up from that dreamlike state.
‘Was it because of the parallel world? What even happened?’
I could sense the potential for more profound mastery over a broader array of weapons, making me a more diverse force. It was hard to understand the reason completely, but some questions were bound to be non-answerable.
Yet, aside from the weapon master, my talent limit also increased.
‘This increase is quite high.’
Considering how hard it was for any awakened to increase their talent limits, I knew there was no way this was because I had beaten Belthazor.
No matter how good of a passive skill [Vengeful Bane] was, every passive skill had its limits to some extent, and they were in no way strong enough to be remarked as game changers most of the time.
Thus, I doubted the increase in my talent limit came from the passive.
‘Most likely the result of that state as well.’
It seemed that whatever happened was quite significant. I tried to recall it, but once again, I was not that successful at all.
However, that wasn’t the end. In front of me stood another passive skill, a new one.
‘Psychic Cognizance, huh? What a weird name.’
I thought as I opened the description of the passive.
————————-
Passive: Psychic Cognizance
Description: Upon recent triumph over a demonic adversary, the user, Astron Natusalune, has unlocked a new passive skill known as Psychic Cognizance. This innate ability empowers him with a heightened understanding of psychic magic, souls, and the intricacies of the mind.
Effect: The user’s mind becomes attuned to the subtle currents of psychic energy, allowing him to comprehend psychic phenomena with remarkable clarity and depth. This newfound cognitive acuity extends to the realm of souls and the complexities of the mind, enabling him to grasp related concepts and intricacies more rapidly and with enhanced detail. Th link to the orign of this information rsts n NovlFir.et
Benefits:
Psychic Mastery: The user gains an intuitive grasp of psychic magic, facilitating quicker learning and mastery of psychic abilities.
Soul Insight: The User’s understanding of souls deepens, allowing him to perceive and analyze the nuances of soul-
related energies and phenomena.
Mindful Precision: When dealing with matters of the mind, the User’s cognitive prowess enables him to unravel complexities and discern patterns with heightened efficiency.
Manifestations:
Enhanced Psychic Sensitivity: The User’s senses become finely tuned to psychic energies, allowing him to detect and interpret psychic phenomena in his surroundings.
Soulbound Clarity: The intricacies of souls reveal themselves more vividly to the user, aiding him in interactions with soul-
based entities and phenomena.
Mental Alacrity: The speed at which the user comprehends and processes information related to the mind accelerates, providing him a distinct advantage in mental engagement.
Note: As with all passive skills, the effectiveness of Psychic Cognizance will further evolve and grow as the user continues his journey, delving deeper into the realms of psychic magic, souls, and the mysteries of the mind.
—————————
The revelation of the new passive skill, Psychic Cognizance, intrigued me.
‘Interesting. Was it because Belthazor had a Psychic Attribute?’
I asked myself. If that was the case, that would make sense that [Vengeful Bane] had provided me with a new passive regarding its attribute. Even though I wasn’t able to test it before, I had my hypothesis regarding this, and it seemed it was true.
But, the new passive’s effects were far-reaching, enhancing my understanding of psychic magic, souls, and the complexities of the mind.
‘Is it related to the strength of the enemy?’ That completely made sense. If the enemy was stronger, the more power I could rip off them as a percentage. It seemed the math worked as a percentage for [Vengeful Bane].
Adding the note about the effectiveness evolving and growing with further exploration of psychic magic, souls, and the mysteries of the mind hinted at the untapped potential.
‘It seems my main focus of magic in the future is determined.’
I was already considering using magic as a means of utility rather than combat since, in terms of combat, I wasn’t lacking in any means. But this gave me a bigger motivation now.
Coming into my variable attributes, the increase was normal.
‘My normal training and the stats I had absorbed from Belthazor only turned such an increase, huh?'((N1))
If my stats were to increase just as previously every time, I would be the strongest at some point, yet passive skills had their limits, just as I had explained. Therefore, it was most likely to stay like this in the future as well.
‘But, I think I can increase my lacking strength and endurance more now. For some reason, I feel like those parts of my talent limit had increased, though I have no way of confirming it.’ ((N2))
However, out of all those, there was one that had somehow become different from usual. At least, it’s different from how it used to be.
‘[Dash] disappeared.’
My skill [Dash] had disappeared. Such cases were not normal and rarely happened. For a skill to disappear, there were two different reasons.
One, an external force sealed the skill somehow or had stolen it.
Two, the skill had merged into another [Skill] or [Trait].
If the first tone were to happen, that awakened would most likely be in danger, and as for the second one, that meant their skill was strengthened.
Looking at it from my position, the second one seemed to be the case since [Shadowborne] had also increased its stage.
—————————
Trait: Shadowborne (Stage 2)
The user had met the conditions to advance to the second stage.
Conditions:
-Spatial Understanding
-Understanding of Mobility
-Understanding of Shadows
Description: Astron Natusalune’s innate trait, Shadowborne, has evolved to Stage 2, unlocking the extraordinary ability known as Umbral Step.
This advancement signifies a profound mastery over manipulating shadows, enhancing Astron’s mobility and opening the gateway to seamless teleportation through shadowy realms.
Umbral Step: With the newfound mastery of Shadowborne Stage 2, the user gains the ability to execute Umbral Step. This remarkable skill allows him to teleport short distances through shadows, enabling swift and strategic movement. By seamlessly traversing between shadows, Astron can disappear from one location and reappear in another, introducing an element of surprise to his maneuvers and facilitating both offensive and defensive strategies.
Integration with Dash Skill: The disappearance of the Dash skill from Astron’s stats is a result of the synergy between Umbral Step and Dash. While the Dash skill no longer appears separately, Astron retains the ability to move at double speed, maintaining the swift bursts of movement characteristic of Dash. This integration allows for a seamless combination of traditional swift movements and teleportation through shadows, providing Astron with a versatile and dynamic set of mobility skills.
————————————-
As I looked into the panel, everything seemed to fit in my head.
‘The spatial attribute from Belthazor merged with [Shadowborne] and improved it to the second stage. That means, for me to advance in my traits, I need to somehow increase my understanding of the next stage, without knowing about it…..’
In the game, if you want to improve your character, you need to spend your character points. Yet, the real world is a lot different from it.
But, then, there was no use in complaining….
After all, all of these improvements were quite insane…..
——-0———
N1: The increase also shows the results from his training
N2: For talent limit, every stat has its own limits for each individual, and their average is shown on the status window.