Tucked away safely in their home base - the shack by the sea, Aaron nibbled on a piece of bread as he leisurely browsed through his Skill Paths. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular. He was simply pursuing his options now that he had the time. It wouldn’t do for him to make a habit of waiting to spend his points till he was forced to spend them to get out of a rough spot. It would be better to just spend them immediately and not get into any trouble in the first place.

He had 14 points left after the altercation in the Prize Tower - enough to complete two Skill Paths. He didn’t regret spending them. Radius and Power were both solid, but he felt he may have been able to find a more optimal combination of Paths if he had more time. That’s why he was resolved to properly examine his options before making a decision.

The Skill he was most interested in improving was Mana Bolt. It was his first and most used Skill. Additionally, its Skill Paths were cheap while also providing great rewards. It almost wasn’t worth it to invest in anything else.

Speed 1 (0/5): There is no speed limit; why limit yourself. Moderately increases Mana Bolt’s speed. Precision 1 (0/5): Hit a bullseye with your eyes closed. Moderately improves accuracy with Mana Bolt. Barrage 1 (0/5): Two is better than one. For a slightly increased mana cost, send out two mana boots at once. Resistance 1 (0/5): A strong defense is the best offense. Slightly increased resistance against foreign mana. Moderately increased resistance against your own Mana Bolts. Shaping (0/5): One by one, the shackles of early mage-craft fall away around you. You can now freely change the size and shape of Mana Bolt. Mp cost scales with the severity of changes. Overload (0/5): Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. At the cost of an increased charge time, Mana Bolt can now contain more energy. Warning, forcing too much mana into the attack will cause it to prematurely explode. Ricochet (0/5): Allows Mana Bolt to bounce off targets. The number of bounces must be defined before launching the attack. Mana cost scales with the number of bounces. Damage is greatly reduced before the final bounce. Pathless (0/10): Stray from the provided path. Allows for the manual aiming of attacks. Mana Bolt can now move non-linearly.

He had two new Skill Paths available: Ricochet and Precision. The first, Ricochet, would open up new avenues of attack. Bouncing a Mana Bolt off a wall to avoid someone's defenses sounded like an effective tactic. However, the Path wouldn’t be easy to use effectively. Not only would he have to factor in how the Mana Bolt would bounce, but he would also have to calculate the number of bounces before firing. A task that would require a substantial amount of skill - skill that he currently didn't possess.

If he wanted to use Ricochet to its full potential, he would likely have to invest in the Precision Path. Something he wasn’t sure if he wanted to do. Increased accuracy would be useful, but for his current use - firing the Skill in a straight line, his aim was sufficient. Precision would only be useful if he took Ricochet or Barrage. Otherwise, it would be a waste of points.

He scratched his chin as he thought of how the different Paths would interact with each other. Pathless, Ricochet, Precision, and Barrage would be quite the powerful combination. Curving Mana Bolts fired with pinpoint precision that could bounce off walls would be a nightmare to face. In total, the combination would only cost 25 Skill Points. It definitely wasn’t prohibitively expensive. However, it was still a substantial amount of points.

His scratching intensified. He had already diverged from that Path combination. With his investment in the Power and Metamagic Paths, some other mix of Paths may be optimal.

He looked back at his options. With his current skill set, Shaping would probably be the most useful single Path he could take. In fights, he wasted a lot of time molding Mana Bolt into a more dangerous shape, drastically lowering his damage output. If he could skip that process, he could focus his Metamagic on enhancing the Skill in other ways.

Additionally, Shaping wouldn’t interfere with the theoretical ideal combination he had crafted earlier. He stopped scratching his chin; it was starting to feel a bit raw. How do monks do this all day without injuring themselves?

He bit the bullet and invested in the Path; it was cheap, he could recover the points quickly. His smile weakened as he saw his Skill Points go down. The numbers are only supposed to go up; what the hell. In the end, he was rewarded with 5 points in Magic.

Point, line, triangle, square - the shape of a spell can alter its effects beyond what its physical geometry would suggest. Dive deeper into the unending currents of mana and shape them to your desires. Congratulations! Mana Bolt’s shape can now be freely altered.

Before he could finish reading the message, a new notification appeared.

Tier 6 Achieved... Skill Evolution in Process... 3 Achievements detected… Calculating optimal progression based on Skill Paths and Achievements. Mana Weaponry Lvl 1 (Uncommon - Tier 1): Swords, spears, hammers - every armament imaginable is now within your grasp. Build weapons out of mana. Slight magical effects can be added to the weapons for an increased spell cost and creation time. Spell cost variable. Durability, damage, and ability to mimic materials increases with skill level.

Aaron fought the urge to scratch his chin. This made things much more complicated. If all Skills evolved at tier 6, not only would he have to consider what Skill Paths were good individuality, he would also have to consider how they would fit together during the Skill Evolution. It sounded like too much work to figure out on his own. He needed to find a nerd to lock in his basement - they could do all the research for him. He was only joking, mostly.

He read over the Skill’s description one more time. It sounded quite powerful, but he had one complaint: Where the hell did all my Skill levels go? That’s not fair. The difference between levels 1 and 50 was immense. He took a deep breath to calm himself; complaining wouldn’t accomplish anything now. He decided to test out the Skill.

Mana Weaponry responded to his desire, creating a blank space within his mind where he could construct a weapon. He prodded it; the space responded to his actions, shifting slightly. He continued to mess around with the mental space. As he went along, the Skill provided him with more information on how to use it.

The concept was quite simple. All Aaron had to do was build a mental blueprint - in this case, a construction cast that a blacksmith would use, then pour mana into it. By no means was the process complicated. However, it was still difficult. Like with Explosive Mark, the System provided him with less assistance in executing the Skill now that it had reached Uncommon rarity.

For his first weapon, he decided to create a basic sword. He had no idea how to use one, but he thought they looked cool. He pictured an outline of a sword, as clear as he could, and then imprinted it upon that mental space. Improvised Weapon Mastery dimly resonated with the action. Like a blacksmith's hammer, the Skill chipped away at the edges of his cast, smoothing it and reinforcing other areas. The two Skills worked in tandem to iron out any major mistakes in his design. At least now, the blade wouldn’t be bent.

The Skill still had a lot of potential that he had yet to tap. There were countless variables he hadn't experimented with. For example, the System told him that it was possible to change the size, weight, any other variable of the mana weapons. It was similar to what Metamagic allowed him to do to Mana Bolt but on a larger scale. He could make blueprints that were much more complicated. However, he currently lacked the experience to do that properly make them. So he stuck with the basic sword design.

After finishing the cast, he poured his mana into it. The process didn’t take long, but it did take some degree of focus. He would have struggled to create the mana weapon if he didn't already have experience changing the shape of Mana Bolts. The core concepts behind altering the two Skills were the same; they both were made out of mana, after all. Layer by layer, a European broadsword constructed of only mana formed in his hand. It possessed a slight blue glow reminiscent of Mana Bolt, illuminating the dim shed.

Making the blade couldn’t have taken more than a couple seconds. Still, Aaron wasn’t confident in using it in combat yet. He needed a bit more practice forming them before he could use them effectively.

Jess jerked backward, almost dropping a plant she was working on potting. “Watch where you point that thing; I like my face where it is.” She carefully put away the plant. It was a reward she had purchased from the Prize Tower. Apparently, it possessed alchemical properties, but he wasn’t sure. It looked like a normal plant to him.

He couldn’t judge her too much for spending her points; he had also made some purchases. He had bought some health potions, a new shirt, a firestarter, and some food.

She scooted closer and attempted to poke the blade. Aaron moved it out of her grasp. “Don’t touch that; you’ll chop your hand off.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise, her hand darting away from the blade.

“Actually, I’m not sure. I haven’t tested it.”

“Test it then; don’t be boring.”

The shack was too cramped to properly test the weapon inside. He’d probably end up blowing a hole in a hole by accident. Aaron sighed; his clothes had just started to dry. Resolutely, he rose to his feet.

“You kids have fun. I’m going to take a nap.” Tony promptly fell asleep, not even waiting for their reply.

Aaron and Jess left the shed and entered the pouring rain. While explaining to Jess how he had acquired the new Skill, he swung the blade through the air a few times, testing its balance. He had never held a real sword, but he imagined it was quite similar. The mana-based weapon even had weight behind it.

“Go on, chop something,” Jess urged.

He swung the sword, cutting a clean line into the mud. It cut through with no resistance; it was easier to do than slicing through butter. With nothing better to do, he sliced the ground again and again. Improvised Weapon Mastery activated, guiding his strikes and making them more efficient. With the Skill’s help, he was truly a worthy opponent for the wet ground. In the end, the battle was a draw. Even though he was able to cut deep furrows into it, he wasn’t able to make it admit defeat.

Additionally, he discovered that like a real sword, the flat part of the blade was unable to cut anything. Which was weird, but it was magic, so he didn't have too much room to judge.

“Can I try?” Jess asked.

He nodded and tossed her the weapon. She immediately went on a rampage with it, continuing his work of battling the mud. However, as she used the weapon, motes of blue energy drifted off of it, diminishing its size. Before long, the sword disappeared from existence. It seemed he was the only one who could use the weapons.

He formed a new weapon, this time making a double-sided spear. Once again, Improvised Weapon Mastery activated, feeding him knowledge on how to use the spear. A part of him considered it weird that the Skill helped him wield mana weapons. However, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Mana Weaponry literally created weapons on the fly; it couldn't get much more improvised than that.

He twirled the weapon in his hand, easily manipulating it. Simply put, the synergy between the two Skill’s was insane. It was like they were made to be used together.

Congratulations! Mana Weaponry Lvl 1→2. 2 Skill Points awarded. Congratulations! Improvised Weapon Mastery Lvl 26→27. 1 Skill Point Awarded.

He looked around; there was nothing else to cut, so he tried something else. He hefted the spear, then threw it. It cut a line through the mist, flying much further than a weapon its size had the right to, then it impacted the ground. There was no explosion of force. All the weapon's force was focused on cutting.

He walked over to its landing spot. By this point, the weapon had almost finished dissolving. With a flick of mental effort, he dismissed it, revealing a deep hole in the ground. The Skill’s penetrative power was immense, greater than anything he could casually muster up with Mana Bolt.

Over all, the Skill was an upgrade. He could easily replicate Mana Bolt with Mana Weaponry. Making a ball was easy, but it wasn’t the same. It lacked something that the original Mana Bolt possessed. He wasn't able to put his finger on what. He focused his attention inwards; he could feel a faint echo within his chest. Mana Bolt was still there, hidden under the veneer of Mana Weaponry. Its call was distant and distorted like it was coming from the bottom of the ocean, but it was still there.

A fragment of knowledge, gifted to him by the System, whispered of possibility. The new was built with the skeleton of the old. With a great deal of effort, he was able to use Mana Bolt once more. It was slow and unresponsive - never to grow more powerful, but it was still there, waiting on his beck and call.

“Do you think we’ve done enough damage to the environment yet?” Jess asked.

“For now.” They walked back to the shack, following the hole in the fog the mana spear had made. He stopped just outside the building. The shed looked even more decrepit now that the surrounding ground was littered with deep cuts.

Suddenly, the earth rumbled. Large cracks snaked their way through the ground, separating large chunks of mud and rock with shallow ravines. Additionally, an earthquake so powerful that it knocked him down ripped through the island, violently shaking it. Plank by plank, the wooden shack’s structure weakened, causing it to eventually collapse. Motherfucker, I liked that shack.

The earth continued to pull itself asunder, uncaring of their plight.

New rock bubbled out of the ravines, filling them and increasing the island's size. Additionally, plants grew out of the ground at a visible rate - populating the otherwise barren island. Aaron rolled to the side to avoid getting impaled as a fully grown tree burst out of the ground under him. His plight didn’t end; the ground opened up around him, forming a ravine. He fell to the bottom, crashing into hard rock. He groaned in pain, however, he wasn't allowed to rest.

Already he could see stone bubbling up, locking him underground. Before he could be buried alive, he pushed his balance to the limit and climbed out of the hole. Back on the surface, the shaking was more intense, causing him to fall to his knees once more.

He formed a Mana Shield and did his best to avoid any damage; it was all he could do. He was no match for nature's wrath. To his side, he could see Jess crawl out of the way of a grove of budding trees. They grew so fast that he didn’t doubt it would be possible for them to impale her. He glanced to his left. He couldn’t see Tony; the old man was still trapped under the wooden planks.

After what felt like hours, the earth stopped shaking, and the plants stopped growing. After holding it in for so long, he threw up. Tasting the acidic residue in his mouth, he could confidently say he lost his battle with the mud.

Congratulations! Mana Shield Lvl 3→4. 1 Skill Point Awarded. Congratulations! Survivalism Lvl 7→9. 2 Skill Points Awarded. Initialization: Phase 2