Clive knew his armour had been stolen and forever locked from his use, but he didn’t know where it had gone or who had taken it. If I stored it in my inventory, he would be none the wiser. That would mean I didn’t get to use its effects for the time being, but it was a small price for not being skinned alive.

“So, you passed your advancement? I wonder what skills you’ll get.” The core was happier once Rose had vanished. It bounced up and down in front of me as it spoke, which gave it a cheery look. “You might get nothing, or you might get something far above your level. I really want to see it.”

“Well, you can’t. I’ll only get it after I leave this place, and I probably won’t have much chance to come back.”

The core dipped towards the floor as I shot down his wish as fast as it had spawned. It regained its colour slightly as it moved towards me.

“Well, maybe we can do something about that. You know, there is an option we could-”

Before he could finish his suggestion, a wave of invisible energy washed over the room. The core vibrated as though it was about to break apart, which matched how my brain felt at that point. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, but the effects of its passing were difficult to ignore.

**You have experienced the source of rage. Rage attribute unlocked.**

**You have passed your advancement test. Due to forced nature, you will be affected by overflow in fifteen seconds.**

“Wait, what’s an overflow?” I shook my head as the timer ticked down. “Rose, wake up! What’s going on!”

“Wait, overflow?” The core darted away as it spoke. “This shouldn’t be possible… I don’t have the energy left to-.”

“What did I tell you, Rook! I leave for two seconds… Core, I’ll feed you some mana. Summon something to keep him in check, now!”

“What do you-”

Before I could finish my question, a dull thump echoed from deep within my brain. It grew in strength as it washed away all other thought. I tried to fight against it, but it was as though I was trying to hold back an ocean as it washed over me.

**Overflow active, all skills unlocked and set at maximum effect. State will deactivate once time has passed.**

I couldn’t comprehend what the voice had just said. A red mist had overtaken my vision as I moved towards the core. He was no longer a companion or someone to talk to… he was a target. I pulled out my staff, raised it above my head, and charged towards the floating crystal.

“AAAARRRGHHH!”

Before I reached it, all my thoughts ceased. I could no longer control my body or mind in the slightest.

Kill! Kill! KILL!

My mind returned to normal with a snap. The first thing I noticed was the weakness which ran through my entire body. My arms felt like wet noodles, and my legs were barely able to keep me upright. I still held my staff, but it dropped towards the ground as I failed to keep it in the air.

“Rook! Are you OK?” Rose appeared in front of me and stared into my eyes. “You're ridiculous. I guessed you would be slightly more powerful, but this is just too much.”

“… what?” I forced the word out through my tired lips. My throat burned as though I had been yelling at full volume for several hours. It was entirely possible I had done just that, but I ignored the thought as I looked around.

The whole area was covered in bodies. It was mostly goblins and ants, though at some points it was difficult to judge what the monsters had even been. At least there weren’t any trolls. If one of them had been defeated without the help of a group, my mind would have collapsed. There were less than me and my group had fought previously, but their number was still left me speechless for several seconds.

“What the hell happened?” I used my staff as a crutch as I turned back to Rose. “Wait… did I do this?”

“Yes, you did.” The core’s tone was sullen as it floated down from the ceiling. “I barely managed to avoid you crushing me to dust. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Ignore him, Rook.” Rose pushed the core away and rested a palm on my shoulder. To be more accurate, her hand floated just above me. When I raised my shoulder up, she phased through me as though I didn’t exist. “You’re special. From what I can tell, you just gained all of the skills for a level twenty-five Rage supporter, along with a few I’ve never seen. The overflow pushed them to their maximum in both effect and duration.”

“Wait, are you saying my skills are so strong that I did all of this?”

“Not exactly. They have the potential to be this strong, but it would be impossible for the current you. You wouldn’t have the mana to activate them all, nevermind the fact they would have all dropped back to the basic level. Oh, and it also temporarily gave you ALL of the skills, even those from skill tomes. I doubt you have all of those, right?”

“Of course I don’t. Be quiet.” My heart dropped as she revealed the truth. My hopes for a massive increase in power were smashed to the side. I had gained some strength, but there was still a fair distance to travel.

These things were only level twenty-five anyway. Compared to a high-level user, I might still be weak. I need to test this.

I pulled out the guildcard and ran over the details. Under the attributes section, I spotted a second option which had been highlighted. My mana had turned from bright blue to a dull red hue. The word ‘Rage’ was lit up beside it. I still had another option, though what it was called did put me off a little.

‘Novice’

Without thinking too much, I pressed the option. My mana bar blurred for a second before it changed back to its original blue colour. A wave of dread hit me, but a quick check confirmed I could switch between the two attributes at will.

Both of them sat at two hundred in total, which was probably their values for a level ten Supporter. After I had confirmed that detail, I moved onto the skills columns.

Half of the skills were greyed out, which likely meant they were linked to the other attribute. I tested it and confirmed I couldn’t cast the skills for my newly acquired Rage attribute whilst I was set as Novice, and vice versa. The Novice abilities seemed to be mostly general use buffs, but the Rage set were focused on offence.

I guess my armour can make up for it, but I really need to learn something to keep myself safe. Wait… maybe that would do!

I opened my inventory and pulled out three books. These were the skill tomes I had purchased from the guild. I tested and confirmed I still couldn’t use the one for level twenty-five. My natural skills were at a cheat level, but it seemed like I still had to play by the rules in some ways.

The other two books were still useful. One was a passive decrease in mana cost for buffs if they were cast in sequence, but the last was also important.

Mana Shield (basic) - Sacrifice mana to defend against attacks. Mitigation based on mana used and rank of skill. Skill usable by Practitioners or Supporters.

I used both of the books and their skills popped up in the lists. The Mana Shield skill was usable in either pool as a general use ability, and the mana cost skill dropped into the passive column to join my Drakentounge ability. Passive skills didn’t seem to care which pool I was in, which increased their appeal massively.

Technically, I had already tested all of these abilities, but I couldn’t remember that. Memory loss seemed like a common thing for me. I swapped to the Rage pool and used the three new buffs in sequence.

“Final Stand. Bolster. Carve.”

The mana cost passive made a slight difference, but the three buffs still ate up most of the Rage pool. I was left with sixty mana after all three had been cast, which surprised me. Even my master level Novice buffs didn’t cost this much…

“Rage skills used more mana, but had a stronger upfront power. They normally drop in effectiveness over time, so they need skillful use to get the maximum effect.” Rose answered my unasked question before she floated towards me again. “Now, I really need to get some rest. I’ll speak to you later.”

Rose vanished again, which left me alone with the core. It was still cautious around me, which proved that whatever I tried to do had left it terrified.

“Those last two skills you used as the ones from level ten. They won’t do much at a basic level. Low tier skills need to be at least advanced to have much of an effect on people above twenty-five…” The core tailed off as it spoke. “Oh, you’re only level ten. I guess they will give you some benefit then. You’ll still struggle against people who have passed their level twenty-five advancements if they take you seriously.”

“I guess.” I glanced over the effects of my buffs. Overall, they gave me increased damage as my mana dropped, an increase in striking power and an increased chance to critically strike based on the power of the strike. The last two effects would be lowered due to their tier, but it would still be worth having them up.

And that was due to my Buffed Strike.

Each buff I had on me increased its effectiveness. Now that I had six in total, the bonus had tripled. It would be difficult to keep them up permanently, especially with the lower duration on the Rage skills, but a short fight shouldn’t be a problem.

I swapped to me Novice attribute and read through the abilities. On top of the Strengthen and Accelerate, I had gained one new buff. It complemented my low-rank buffs quite well as it was an increase in my agility. Accelerate was focused on movement, whilst the new buff increased my attack speed noticeably.

That idiot bandit wouldn’t stand a chance now. I hope Ron tries something when I go back, I’ll beat him to a pulp.

Before I could cast the abilities as a test, Rose blurred into view once more. I was about to throw out a snarky quip before her expression stopped me in my tracks.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly. Rose tightened her lips for a moment before she answered, as though the words were being forcefully pulled from between her teeth.

“It’s your friend, Claire. That surge of energy was the final straw.” Rose closed her eyes for a moment before she returned my gaze. “She’s about to break apart. there’s nothing I can do.”