"Garami, get down here!" - Mira

"Nu-uh! Not until you chill down!" - Garami

This is right after Mira tried out all 6 of the Skill Orbs. The lucky girl didn't break a single one of them. And I thought she was bad with gambling stuff! I'll never introduce her to a real gacha game now, that's for sure.

"I am chill. I just wanted to thank you again~." - Mira

"No way! Last time you did it, which was 1 hour and 2 minutes ago, we lost 1 hour to catch up with Filyn!!" - Garami

I jumped to the next rooftop as I used my webs to stay in an attitude where Mira's new skill can't reach me. To no one's surprise, it's one of the skills from those Charm Orbs.

"Testing out newly obtained skills to see how they work is adventuring 101!" - Mira

"Mind explaining to me what that is supposed to mean?" - Filyn

Oh, great. The lust incarnated has joined the hunt. I didn't see her when I exited the hotel, so I thought she was bored of waiting for us and went ahead. Turns out she was just stretching her legs in the neighborhood.

"Garami won't be my test target for the new skill from that globe-thingy you gave her." - Mira

"What skill?" - Filyn

"That's a secret~." - Mira

Big secret, AS IF! That idiot scored a transformation skill and promptly hit herself with it!

Skill: Charming Rabbit Transformation Skill Type: Magic Skill Tier: 3 Attribute: --- Effect: Transforms a target into mode: "Charming Rabbit". Can only be used on the same target every 24 hours. Can only target up to [skill level] number of targets every 24 hours. Mode: Charming Rabbit. Grants the user an appearance similar to a rabbit-type Therianthrope while also changing their outfits to be similar to that of a card dealer. Can inflict [Charm] on targets in contact with the user.

Why is there a skill to turn people into bunny girls!? And worst of all, why give it to Mira?! I had to run all over the place to escape the fate of turning into her private bunny! Even if the effect seems to depend on the amount of MP used when activating the effect...

And as if that wasn't enough, she also got the same [Golden Ratio] skill I obtained. From the same Orb even! That's more Charm boosting than she needs! Good thing she didn't think about using the skill on herself. Or else I may not have been able to escape.

"Can we talk about that stuff for AFTER we leave the undead-infested citadel?" - Garami

"She's waiting until AFTER you return~." - Filyn

"Oh, shut it! And what now, 'leader'? If that's the role you wanna play here." - Garami

"I like the sound of that~. So, vice-leader Garami~, what do we need to do so we can snatch some castle treasures?" - Filyn

"Hmm... (A gaze that asks 'what should we do?')." - Garami

"Hmmmm... (A gaze that says 'how should I know?')." - Mira

"...I've already sent some of my 'people' to look into this place, but the Silver Key Theater located on the other side of the island does smell suspicious." - Garami

"A theater? Lame. Give me a night at the pub any time." - Filyn

"Too bad this place is too civilized for that. Then again, clues could be hidden anywhere on the island. The 'key' part of the theater could be a bluff or just an attempt of being fancy for all we know." - Garami

"Whatever! It's a travel through an undead wonderland! Let's go~!" - Filyn

Glad someone's happy. And I need time until Bloom is finished with her research before I can say anything for certain, but looking into the other districts can't be all that worthless.

"And actually, I've already found something while I was waiting for you two lovebirds." - Filyn

Already!? Does this future evil overlord even need us?

We followed Filyn as she took us to a building located in the middle of a larger lake. I'm digging this fantasy-ish vibe it has. It's kinda like those temples you'd see in fantasy games where some sacred weapon is sealed.

"What is this place supposed to be? Some sorta divine temple?" - Garami

"Did you already know the answer, or is your intuition just that good?" - Filyn

"Take a guess." - Garami

Truth be told, I did have an idea about this place. It's a divine temple that allows even the common man to access the World System. It's no Trial Ground, but it is important for a little pet project I have on the side of my Dungeon construction goals.

A temple such as this is capable of allowing people who have cleared certain conditions to "merge Technique User titles". You use two different titles of the same type as [Darkness Technique User], for example, and create a whole new title popularly known as a "Combo Technique User title".

These titles retain the old effect of the "Technique User" titles, but they also come with new effects for the two attributes that were represented in the 2 original titles. It is only possible to obtain 1 of these "combination titles", so most people tend to improve their best attributes while leaving the third one as a "support weapon", so to say. At least, that's what the advanced adventuring guidebook I found in the Union Library said.

"Isn't there such a place in Velantas as well?" - Mira

"There must be, but don't go there. The priests there will demand your shirt and everything else if you want to use the temple's facilities. It's way safer to look for temples in the wild that aren't occupied by the Church Union." - Filyn

"What if it's occupied by monsters instead?" - Garami

Combo titles are also a requirement for rarer evolution options, so some would prolly attract monsters with a desire for power.

"Still safer." - Filyn

"I see." - Garami

Just how steep are the prices there?

We entered the temple, but honestly? It wasn't that impressive. It consists of a single, giant room with some giant, magical-looking crystals attached to the walls, but they're not that weird compared to the stuff I've been through. A pedestal similar to the ones in the various Trial Grounds was placed at the innermost part of the room.

"Just touch this and the possible combo titles you can obtain will appear~." - Filyn

Someone's in a good mood. Despite her appearance and job description, maybe Filyn is the type that loves teaching stuff to her younger followers.

I did as she told me to and touched the terminal. A set of different options appeared, representing the combinations my "Technique User" titles could turn into. Darkness and Light could become "Black-Light", Darkness and Poison turns into "Dark Poison", and Light + Poison = "Ultraviolet Light". ...Hold on, what was that last one???

"You'll have to expect that all your options will be unlocked right from the start~. Depending on one's talents, you may have unlocked some already, but these titles usually require one to clear special quests that-" - Filyn

"Guess I'm talented then." - Garami

"HUH!?" - Filyn

Ugh-!? That ****ing... Filyn pushed me to the side so she could see the terminal for herself. There, all three options were glowing white, clear as day.

"WHAT THE ****!?!? Even I needed to retake the quest several times before I could unlock even one combination!!" - Filyn

"Ehm, good luck?" - Garami

Some of it may be attributed to the whole Champion thing, but other than that, as I've said previously, I've already prepared myself for these combo titles. Including how to unlock them. You could say I've been preparing myself for this day.

Not that I knew where to find the temples before today. What did they say about such a situation? "It's always the darkest right underneath the lighthouse"? True indeed.

I didn't waste much time and selected "Black-Light", which caused the [Darkness Technique User] title and [Light Technique User] title to be replaced by the [Black-Light Technique User] title.

Title Name: Black-Light Technique User Acquisition condition: Merge titles: [Darkness Technique User] and [Light Technique User]. Effects: Improves usage of Darkness and Light attribute abilities. Reduces the cost for Darkness and Light attribute abilities. Light-type skills can now be enhanced with additional Darkness-type traits. Darkness-type skills can now be enhanced with additional Light-type traits. Using a Light-type or Darkness-type skill on something affected by a concealment skill can now cancel said concealment. Rewards: None. Description:

A title obtained by mastering both Light and Darkness. Nothing can stay hidden from you now!! Ever thought about working for a detective agency?

Strong...may not be the first impression someone may have when they see these effects, but in my case, it's perfect.

"Kuh..." - Mira

Seems like Mira isn't as prepared and/or talented as me.

"Filyn, mind giving Mira a hand with that?" - Garami

"Fiiine. I guess I can..." - Filyn

She tries to act indifferent, but I can see her tail waving like a dog's after I asked her. The idea of her being the teaching type is growing in strength...

I exited the temple and tried out the effects of the new title by producing a [Darkness Bullet] and having it on standby before shooting it. The dark bullet had now white lights mixed into itself, giving it a black/white appearance that could be mistaken as holy and demonic energies mixed. If you're an edgelord, which I might be. Not the kinda thing I wanted to know...

After getting rid of the Bullet, I tested [Optical Cover]. The last effect of the new title made me worried for a second, but it seems that my Light-type concealment skill isn't affecting itself. I activated [Aura of Darkness] as well, but my Cover wasn't blown now either.

Great. No downsides to the new title. I even got the feeling that [Optical Cover] is stronger now thanks to the added Darkness properties. Darkness may not be a stealth expert like the Shadow attribute, but that doesn't mean it's a slouch in that department.

Overall, I'd say this was a good decision on my part. I've already researched "Ultraviolet Light" and "Dark Poison", but "Black-Light" seems like the best possible option for me.

Now all I need to do is to step into the world of the D-ranks...

Someone's here. They're trying to hide, but I can still hear the sound of metal armor from behind that house. No concealment-type skills? That's gutsy, trying to get the upper hand on me without any special effects.

I turned off the Cover and started walking around, acting as if I hadn't noticed the hidden stalker. Through my ears and [Detect Monster], I could sense that my mysterious fan followed me. So they're not interested in Filyn or Mira? Or is it a 'first come, first attack' situation in that anyone of us works?

Turning a corner, I immediately activated [Optical Cover] again and hid behind an obstacle as I waited for my pursuer to come after me. My plan worked, revealing my stalker as a... An armored guy?

They are holding a shield and a sword, but both items seem like they've seen better days. The armor itself is plain, but less damaged than any of the other equipment this person is wearing. As their whole body is covered by that hunk of junk, I can't see their face, nor guess their race. Even their gender is a big question here.

The armored stalker looked around in confusion after me as they walked into the pathway. After they passed my hiding place, not realizing I was there, I snuck behind them and pointed my Nightmare Dagger at their back.

"Hello there, buddy. Mind dropping your weapons and putting your hands up? Then you can start telling me why you're after me. And don't try anything funny. This magic dagger can make a dragon's breath feel ashamed." - Garami

Not really, but I could release a Zahhak from it if I wanted to, so it's not a complete lie.

The armor did as I ordered them to, as they dropped the shield in their hand and the sword strapped to their waist to the ground before putting their hands behind their head. Huh, so honest of them.

"Now? What are you doing here?" - Garami

"...Surrendering." - Knight

Extraordinarily honest even!

"I meant, why did you follow after me? Are you an enemy? Or an enemy?" - Garami

"...Not an enemy to you. ...Enemy to...the queen." - Knight

...Okaaaay, maybe not THAT honest.