Hunter sat on his bed and happily poured his points into Archive Acolyte and he wasn’t disappointed.

Congratulations! You have completed the Archive Acolyte Path. You have earned +80 to Base Health, Stamina, and Mana, +20 Free Stat Points, and the Active Skill: Heavenly Infusion.

Heavenly Infusion (Lvl 1): Cleanse your soul and fill yourself with the might of the Heavenly Host. While activating Heavenly Infusion, you consume Infernal Faith to convert it to Heavenly Faith. For every 1 point of Infernal Faith you consume, 1 point of Heavenly Faith is created. The exchange rate is increased with further levels.

Hunter considered the skill. It was in line with what he expected from the Archive Paths. They were designed to push their followers into fighting the demons. Hunter assumed that combat with higher-leveled monsters caused some of their taint to infect members of the Host. It was precisely a skill like Heavenly Infusion that would be used to keep the Host’s forces pure.

Hunter frowned as he tried to visualize integrating his Battle Meditation, Cleanse, and Heavenly Infusion into one skill. As they were, they only had marginal effectiveness in battle. All of them were more designed with utility in mind. What he needed was something that removed the Heavenly bias and empowered him in a more neutral, arbitrary way.

Hunter turned his thoughts over to his combat style. The Black Wind helped by consuming energy of all kinds. Whether it was mana, stamina, health, or the strange gray soul energy, it all became food. What was attributes but energy manifested in the material world? For that matter, how did classes and skills work? There had to be some way that experience was converted into levels. Even Faith had it’s own pool of energy similar to health, stamina, and mana, although Hunter had no idea how to use it.

Fundamentally, Battle Meditation helped the mind, Cleanse helped the body, and Heavenly Infusion helped the….soul? The Black Wind ate all of it. The combat style was more than a way of fighting, it was a way of life. It fed on its enemies to empower itself. It was tied to his very blood and bones. Hunter was sure that he was correct. The more he learned about his fighting style, the more sure he was of it’s uses.

Congratulations! You have discovered a secret of The Black Wind. The Black Wind is tied inextricably to your mind, body, and soul. You have discovered the unique Bloodline: The Black Wind. Bloodlines can be passed to others that have joined your cause. As more individuals carry your bloodline, the more potent your bloodline becomes.

WARNING: Do not reveal your bloodline to those you don’t trust. The Archives prize such legacies, but there are some who would seek to steal your heritage.

Analyzing relevant Paths, Equipment, and Skills.

Synergy Detected.

Evolution initiated.

The Path: Archive Adept has been consumed. The Passive Skill: Aura of Black Wind has been consumed. The Active Skills: Erosion Touch, Battle Meditation, Cleanse, Covetous Eyes, and Heavenly Infusion have been consumed.

Bloodline: The Black Wind (Unique): The Black Wind is eternally hungry. It takes no sides between the mortal and the immortal—it consumes them all. This bloodline allows members of its legacy to consume Faith and convert it to attribute points. For every 1 point of Faith consumed, 5 free attribute points are awarded. As your bloodline develops, the exchange rate is enhanced.

Grants the Active Skill:

Eye of the Hurricane (Lvl 1)

Grants the Passive Skill:

Progenitor of the Black Wind (Lvl 1)

When the notifications finished, black wind flowed from every pore in his body and started to gather around Hunter’s equipment. He watched in muted shock as every item he owned crumbled into dust and began to float on the dark breeze. Even his storage ring was consumed by its hunger. The only thing that remained was the visage on his face. Thinking of everything he had stashed within his ring and Wrap of Avarice, he grew uneasy. He became more terrified when the wind flowed through the portal and entered the rest of the barracks.

Oh no. Please don’t eat everything, Hunter begged the wind silently.

Instead of dwelling on his potential losses, Hunter focused on his gains. Unlike the last time, there weren’t so many skills that Hunter couldn’t examine them individually. He was excited to see what they became. He hadn’t heard of bloodlines in any of the video games he had played, and it felt suitably epic. He had paid a lot in the way of Paths, Skills, and equipment. The system hadn’t let him down last time. He hoped it blessed him further.

Eye of the Hurricane (Lvl 1): The Black Wind sees all. When looking at any person, item, or creature, the Eye of the Hurricane reveals its identity and weaknesses. Higher levels will allow this skill to pierce illusions, skills, and other methods of deception to gather more information.

As soon as Hunter finished reading the prompt, his eyes started to burn. He started screaming and staggered his way toward the bathroom. It felt like sand was scraping against the tender flesh of his eyeballs and scouring away the surface. When he looked into the mirror, he peered at himself in horror. His sclera had turned utterly black while his irises had brightened until they were shone like platinum. As he watched, the pain faded away, but the black remained. Belatedly, Hunter remembered that his damaged visage enabled Covetous Eyes at all times. It stood to reason that when the skill had been absorbed, his visage had adjusted accordingly.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Hunter blinked, and the visage appeared in the mirror. It was no longer gold. It had transformed into the same platinum color as his irises. With his black and platinum eyes, the mask took on a more sinister appearance. With another blink, the mask disappeared again.

Hunter wearily returned to his bed. He felt more drained than ever before but wanted to check his other skill before going to sleep. He would worry about everything else in the morning. He couldn’t find the energy to care.

Progenitor of the Black Wind (Lvl 1): As the creator of the Black Wind Bloodline, you are blessed by its presence. You are as stealthy and as powerful as the wind. It silences your footsteps, allows you to manipulate sound in a small area around you, and hides your identity from prying eyes. Additionally, black wind circulates through your blood, passively cleansing your body of toxins and clearing your mind from external influence. Once a day, you can use your blood to transform any item into a focus of the Black Wind.

Hunter had to admit to himself that he was impressed. Progenitor of the Black Wind was the single most potent passive skill he had ever seen. It took all of the best qualities from his absorbed skills and turned them into synergistic effects that would work well with his planned combat style. He just hoped that there was still some equipment left in the Sanctuary for him to use. He would be mortified if he had to return to the Outpost in his boxers to beg for equipment. His grandparents might kill him in sheer embarrassment.

Hunter laid his head on the pillow and faded into unconsciousness. The day had been more than he expected.