“So, I couldn’t actually grant wishes until now?” Rakna blinked in surprise. “I thought that I just hadn’t met anyone who needed it. I guess the first was a freebie for both me and the kid then.”

“{It would seem so,}” Fray agreed. “{The Crystal Sage’s legacy might be what fueled your first wish to transform that child into a Phoenix. After that, it is logical that you would need a way to convert payments into the wish you want to grant since you don’t possess the power necessary to do it on your own. The Crystal Sage was most likely capable of it, but he set payments as a way to preserve his impartiality. But it’s that much more necessary for you.}”

“Hm,” Rakna hummed and mentally commanded Allegro to recede from his upper body, leaving it bare. Higure yelped on the side. He ignored her and conjured a mirror to look at his own back. On top of his old scars, there was now a sigil that took half of his back. But it hadn’t any of the colors from earlier.

All of it was simply drawn in a darker skin tone; all except for the transparent liquid that filled the chalice. All in all, it looked as if someone had carved it into his back before it became a large scar filled with magic.

He squinted his eyes and focused on it. Then, he saw it glow and the wolf mask’s eyes flashed red for a moment. The chalice’s content moved like actual water and a few drops spilled before fading away. The tails waved around before returning to a still image as Rakna stopped concentrating.

“Interesting,” he muttered and Allegro’s armor covered him once again, forcing out a disappointed mewl from the lioness. The therian scowled at her and she stared back. “…stop drooling.”

“I humbly refuse,” she replied in the most dignified way she could.

“What’s humble about that…?” He deadpanned and sat back down.

“Not my fault your muscles were blindingly shining.”

“…they didn’t shine.”

“They did for me,” she replied shamelessly. “But seriously though, your skin did actually look like it was reflecting light a bit. Save for the scars; which are very hot, by the way.”

Rakna glanced at the lost cause of a lioness and sighed. “Have you already forgotten? My body is only half-organic. The other half is nano energetic metal. If you stare enough and as long as I don’t actively conceal it, it’s noticeable.”

“Oh, yes. That does make sense. But wait, if you can control every part of your body…” Higure said and her eyes widened in a mix of shock… and excitement. “Then--!” Her statement was cut short by a small bullet of frost crystal hitting her head, making her shiver from the cold.

Rakna lowered his finger. “Continue that train of thought and I’ll have to cool you off by giving you the honor of being the first to know what a bath as cold as a Hoarfrost Star feels like.”

Higure blinked and calmed down. “I will give you that one, Devourer… that sounds terrifying.”

“I’m glad we came to an understanding,” he said flatly and she laughed. “Show me the four other skills, Ceres.”

[Right away.]

❮ ◈ ❯

Sunken Fist

A martial technique said to have been invented by a mortal who practiced one single move for a hundred years without rest. When the punch is thrown, the space around the fist bends in the direction of the attack.

Invertedly, the target feels a pull before the punch lands and once it does, the energy accumulated during the swing will erupt in a straight line, rupturing the world as it flies.

It was named Sunken Fist from the principle behind it. It is a technique that defies the laws of physical equivalence but is restrained by them at the same time. That is why, it is a fist sunk in the oppression of the world, seeking to be freed.

Stamina Cost: 100

Cooldown: None

Charging Time: 1.6 Seconds

---

Mana Coils

Mana Coils are a concept created upon the basis of Magic Circuits. They are akin to add-ons that increase the size of mana channels, thus allowing an increase in mana capacity.

But it is also, as per its name, a pair of magic coils located around the heart and the stomach that produce an attracting force that eases regeneration from ambient mana as well as stamina regeneration by accelerating the filtering of energy inside the body; such as digestion.

Current Increase in Mana and Stamina Capacity: 100 & 10

Current Increase in MP Regeneration: 0.5/Min

Note: These values will increase as the skill level increases.

---

Burst Accel

An exceedingly simple but equally effective skill that multiplies one’s agility and thinking process for a split of a second. One can become nearly five times as fast when using this skill at its later levels.

Cost: 500 MP & 50 STA

Duration: 0.05s

Cooldown: 30 Seconds

Effect: +200% AGI

---

Rippling Touch

A mysterious technique created by a martial master from ages long past. It is a skill that employs internal energy like none other. By circulating it in precise patterns, it is possible to build up momentum within the body and then release it through the fingertips.

The stronger the user, and the stronger the internal energy, the better the effects. Rippling Touch behaves like a circular wave on hit. The spot touched by the finger will be struck by one concentrated pulse before spreading outward like a ripple on water.

Stamina Cost: Variable

Cooldown: None

❮ ◈ ❯

Rakna read the descriptions within a blink but his attention lingered on Sunken Fist and Rippling Touch for a moment. “Those two… are definitely compatible. I guess I could try to synthesize them or force them to merge by practicing both at the same time. Then, there’s Burst Accel. If anything, it’s a scary ability that can allow me to cut someone’s throat before they can even notice.”

“As for those mana coils…” He whispered and took out a heart from his storage. He broke it apart and ate it. He felt it being refined by Scavenger and converted into energy, but there was a new sensation too. “I see… it’s a godsend for me. I can eat more hearts without reaching my limit.”

“That could be useful for the others too, huh? You could craft the Skill Card for it.”

“True, but it might take some time to decrypt… Unless I find a way to do it artificially. It says that it’s extra mana channels around the heart and stomach. I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to do it on someone else by manipulating their circuits with my soul.”

“You’re really turning more and more into a crazy researcher…” Higure sweatdropped.

“Hah,” Rakna snorted and waved his hand at the System window to separate the skills. “Ceres, my personal Terminal can be used for Skill Synthesis, right?”

[Yes? Would you like to perform one?] He nodded at her question and his Terminal popped up to his left. [In that case, please input the command ‘skill_synthesis’. You will then be prompted to add the names of the skills you want to synthesize up to a maximum of ten.]

“Can I also use Proficiencies?”

[Yes. Cognitive Skills, Spontaneous Skills, and Proficiencies can be synthesized together. However, there are exceptions such as Maximum Exceled Skills and Ultimate Exceled Skills.]

“I get it,” Rakna nodded and breathed in. He closed his eyes and his soul power condensed above his skin, forming grayish circuits. When he opened his eyes, they scanned the entirety of his status and after a few seconds of thought, he started typing on the Terminal.

The first two he keyed in were Sunken Fist and Rippling Touch. Then, without wasting even a second, he added CQC to it. After that, he momentarily paused and his soul circuits released a red-blue smoke. He turned off Founding Intuition and typed in the fourth skill; Burst Accel.

“There you go,” Rakna sighed lightly. “I used three of the five I got in the end.”

“{Good idea to use Founding Intuition,}” Fray praised.

“Figured it wouldn’t hurt,” the therian shrugged and confirmed his choices. Then, the Terminal sent out the request to the servers.

❮ ◈ ❯

Sunken Fist, Rippling Touch, CQC, Burst Accel synthesis evaluation in progress…

Compatibility Rating: S+

Request Approved and Completed.

You have gained a new Proficiency; Sunken Ripple of Rupture!

---

Sunken Ripple of Rupture

A martial art built over an extensive expertise of combat and three battle skills. It is a technique that requires astonishing qualifications to be exerted and mastered.

Sunken Ripple of Rupture is an art that focuses on the accuracy of movements to the point it manipulates reality with it. The execution speed of its stances can vary from the slowest of punches to the fastest of strikes.

Internal energy must be circulated at all times at precise quantities, speed, and intensity. When the blows connect, the energy pierces through the target in a straight line and creates a ripple that spreads on impact.

This is an incredibly versatile technique that can allow one to flick or destroy blades and to burst somebody’s skull with the touch of a finger. Sunken Ripple of Rupture is an art that is on its way to denying all laws of the world. Whether it be space, time, magic; it will surpass it in time.

Note: This proficiency will start at the Ascended Level.

❮ ◈ ❯

The instant that the synthesis was finished, Rakna felt the biggest rush of information he had ever gotten since he entered the System. He didn’t feel any pain but the time it took Eye of Symphony to process the technique, going as far as etching it into his body and rewriting his reflexes, made him feel uncomfortable for a brief period.

When it was over, Rakna sighed as he glimpsed a few Eion pulses shine through his skin; his body was fixing microscopic but numerous injuries from the strain it had just been put through.

“No wonder it said ‘astonishing qualifications’,” he grumbled. “Most people would have exploded from the way it changed my body’s pathways,” he said, noticing that his internal energy was now flowing through his body in a very different pattern.

“Not to mention the knowledge I got would have taken someone decades to properly train if it was not for my Eye,” he added and stood up.

[That is indeed a risk of Skill Synthesis… It can naturally fail if the compatibility is not good enough but even when it succeeds, there are cases of the skill overwhelming the Host.]

“And you didn’t tell me that because…?”

[…my apologies, I was so accustomed to your… ‘pace’ that I neglected to mention it.]

Rakna snorted. “Well, I suppose that’s quite human of you. Be happy.”

“Yes, don’t be disheartened, Ceresta,” Higure said whilst exaggeratedly nodding. “It’s easy to get caught in the batshit crazy pace of this guy. Even if you’re an AI, you can’t escape.”

“Language,” the therian chided as he walked to the center of his office.

“Seriously?” The lioness deadpanned.

He gave her a small smile and regulated his breathing. He controlled his internal energy to flow in the new pathways and distanced his legs. Then, he started raising his left arm. It was incredibly slow and methodical, his hand slack.

Higure watched with a scowl and for a moment, she swore to have seen the arm become a blur as if it was moving in a hundred different directions simultaneously. Soon after, Rakna began to move his right arm but with his fist closed.

He angled it vertically, his thumb pressed at the top, and once again, sluggishly, he placed his right arm perpendicularly to his body whilst his left hovered above it. This time, the blur was evident.

Rakna stopped moving for a while, gazing at nothing, but Higure was growing restless. She could feel ripples in the air; constant and rhythmic. Though, rather than feeling pressured, it would be more accurate to say she was sensing something both too dangerous and incredulous to stay calm.

Eventually, the therian raised his fist, and in a swift motion that she couldn’t even track, he hacked it down before stopping near his waist’s level. At first, nothing happened but Higure was squinting hard.

Rapidly, her analytical expression was replaced by one of shock as something coursed through the room and softly pushed back the lightest items in it, sweeping over her fur. Every hair on her body was standing at attention and she had the idea to activate Cross Sight, allowing her see a crack in dimensions where Rakna’s fist was placed. Albeit small, it was still one.

‘Ha…Haha…’ She laughed dryly in her mind as Rakna went through other stances. ‘Goodness, what kind of martial art is this? Is this what a technique sunk by the word’s laws looks like when it tries to surface?’ She couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her face. ‘It is quite terrifying... indeed.’