novelraw Chapter 117: The Most Overpowered Skill
Chapter 117: The Most Overpowered Skill
After the deal was struck, I left the bookstore and made my way back toward the inn. Mira had insisted on a three-thousand soul coin deposit as a guarantee that I wouldn’t back out on my word. According to her, it was “standard business practice for exclusive acquisitions.” Honestly, I suspected she just wanted extra insurance in case I vanished, but the amount was small enough not to bother me, so I agreed, and she told me to come back tomorrow. Three thousand was pocket change compared to what I’d been earning lately. Besides, even someone as cunning as her wouldn’t risk her reputation over such a sum.
Right now, the streets of District D were quieter, lit by the crystal lanterns suspended from metal posts. Divine warriors, merchants, and other pedestrians alike were wrapping up their day’s business. I walked in silence, letting my mind drift to what I could do with the skill. Echo Construct. If Mira wasn’t lying—and I’d wager she wasn’t—it was an epic-rank skill that could simulate real presence. That meant it could act as both distraction and decoy, perhaps even fool the System’s recognition under the right circumstances (using my other signature skills). The possibilities were endless.
When I arrived at the inn, I went straight upstairs to my room, skipping dinner since it was still a bit early. As soon as I entered my room, I removed my cursed coat and sat on the bed. Now that I finally had some free time, I decided to examine and possibly activate the skill I’d been putting off for far too long.
[God!$# Creation]
Rank: Di%@#?$
Type: Active
A fragmented authority that allows the user to rewrite fragments of reality using the concept of divine creation. Through sufficient plausibility, the user may shape or generate new abilities or skills.
System Error: [0x00F4D3]
“The skill’s incomplete,” I muttered, furrowing my brows. “How am I supposed to use something like this?”
There were lines of corrupted data flickering across the description, almost as if the System itself was struggling to interpret the fragment. The name alone suggested something beyond mortal comprehension, and something that shouldn’t even exist within the framework of divine warrior classifications. Well, after all, this was a fragment of my past life’s power.
Opening my status screen, I noticed that it was cluttered with numerous skills.
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 36/60 (EXP 2,276/3,840)
HP: 100%
MP: 683/683
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: One Who Conquered the Impossible (6)
Status: Normal
Strength: 349 + 37 + 35 | Dexterity: 352 + 16 + 35 | Stamina: 300 + 25 + 30
Mind: 250 + 25 | Magic Power: 309 + 31 | Luck: 350 + 35
Plausibility: 724
Free Attributes: 237
Signature Skill(s): [Absorb Plausibility], [Fabled Vessel], [God!$# Creation], [Grant Plausibility], [Gravity Magic Lv.3], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Assassination Arts Lv.1], [Basic Alchemy Lv.7], [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.6], [Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery Lv.1], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.7], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.9], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.8], [Back Stab Lv.4], [Berserk Lv.3], [Calm Mind], [Chantless Casting Lv.3], [Desperate Willpower Lv.8], [Divine Sermon Lv.1], [Extraordinary Agility], [Extraordinary Endurance], [Extraordinary Fortune], [Extraordinary Magic Power], [Extraordinary Memory], [Extraordinary Power], [Fast Equip], [Heavy Slash Lv.7], [Heavy Stab Lv.6], [Inspect Eye Lv.4], [Intermediate Spearmanship Lv.2], [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.4], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.7], [Mana Sense Lv.8], [Mental Tolerance Lv.5], [Negotiation Lv.7], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.6], [Paralysis Resistance Lv.3], [Phantom Blade Lv.2], [Poison Resistance Lv.3], [Projectile Defense Lv.3], [Predator’s Step Lv.4], [Shield Bash Lv.1], [Stealth Movements Lv.3], [Weapon Manifestation Lv.3], [Wind Rush Lv.6]
Spell(s): {Frozen Icicle}, {Graviton Pull}, {Gravity Field}, {Mana Arrow}, {Mana Bullet}, {Mass Alteration}, {Spinning Mana Arrow}
It might become inconvenient if I continued this up and kept hoarding more and more skills without actually training them to be practical. Since gaining new abilities was inevitable through Fabled Vessel, it would be wiser to address the issue early rather than let it pile up. Based on the description of God!$# Creation, I had a feeling it could be the key to solving this problem once it was upgraded again… but waiting until I reached Daleth rank would take far too long.
One other alternative solution was through using Grant Plausibility. The second function, “Skills can be enhanced beyond natural limits,” didn’t exactly allow me to forcibly combine skills outright, but theoretically, I could strengthen or evolve certain ones until natural skill combination became possible with only minor effort.
Just then, I realized something. “Wait, am I stupid? I can just upgrade God!$# Creation using Grant Plausibility, then everything will be solved.”
It was a gamble, yes, but one that might just be worth taking. If Grant Plausibility could push its limits, then perhaps it could finally unlock the function I needed to combine and evolve my growing arsenal of skills.
“Let’s do this then.” Taking a deep breath, I activated Grant Plausibility by voicing the words aloud.
You have used Grant Plausibility.
You have permanently enhanced God!$# Creation.
A new function of the skill called Conceptual Integration has been revealed.
You can now merge compatible skills or abilities to create evolved versions with unique effects.
A total of 500 Plausibility has been consumed.
“Five hundred?!” I nearly choked. “Fuck! That’s daylight robbery!”
Still, I couldn’t deny the gamble was worth it. I quickly checked the skill’s description on the screen.
[God!$# Creation]
Rank: Di%@#?$
Type: Active
A fragmented authority that allows the user to rewrite fragments of reality through the divine principle of creation. Through sufficient plausibility, the user may shape or generate new abilities or skills, alter existing ones, or merge compatible skills to form evolved versions with unique effects.
Conceptual Integration: permits the synthesis of compatible skills to create a higher form through expending plausibility. Success rate scales with conceptual understanding as well as compatibility.System Error: [0x00F4D3]
I stared at the glitched text for a long moment. Even after enhancing it with Grant Plausibility, the System still failed to register the skill’s true rank. Even so, it didn’t take much guesswork to deduce what its rank really was. Despite the heavy cost, this was, without question, the best investment I’d made so far. Now, I finally had a way to fuse my skills, evolving them into something far more powerful than what the System intended.
“It’s a truly broken cheat skill in a sense…” I mused.
Subsequently, I activated the skill by pronouncing the skill’s name, incomplete as it was. The moment I did, threads of golden code began to manifest in the air before me, weaving together into a radiant circle of light that pulsed softly like a living thing.
You have activated God!$# Creation: Conceptual Integration.
Select compatible skills to combine.
“I wonder which skills I should merge first…” I murmured, scrolling through my list of skills. It would be reckless to start with something powerful right away, so I decided to test the waters with something simple.
You have selected [Paralysis Resistance Lv.3] and [Poison Resistance Lv.3].
Conceptual compatibility at 72%.
Proceed with fusion?
[Yes/No]
It seemed that the higher the conceptual overlap, the higher the chances of success, as well as the cheaper the fusion process would be. In layman's terms, the closer two skills were in nature, the easier it was for them to merge seamlessly.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
The two skill icons within the radiant circle began to merge into one another until they collapsed into a single burst of light. When the light faded, a new icon materialized before me—shaped like a skull wreathed in toxin-green mist.
You have successfully merged [Paralysis Resistance Lv.3] and [Poison Resistance Lv.3].
You have created [Poison-Paralysis Resistance Lv.3].
A total of 133 Plausibility has been consumed.
[Poison-Paralysis Resistance Lv.3]
Rank: Rare
Type: Passive
Greatly reduces the duration and potency of poison and paralysis effects. Provides minor immunity to neurotoxic substances.
“Nice.” I grinned.
Although the fusion had only raised the rank from uncommon to rare, the improvement in its effect was remarkable. The additional immunity to neurotoxic substances—one of the deadliest forms of poison—was more than enough to make this upgrade worthwhile. A small change on paper, but one that could very well save my life in the right circumstances.
Still, I wasn’t done yet. There were some more skills that I wanted to experiment with next—a combat skill this time.
Continuing on, I selected Heavy Slash and Phantom Blade. I didn’t intend to lose Phantom Blade entirely; the skill was just too valuable, but perhaps I could use its properties to strengthen Heavy Slash instead.
You have activated God!$# Creation: Conceptual Integration.
Select compatible skills to combine.
You have selected [Heavy Slash Lv.7] as the target while incorporating the essence of [Phantom Blade Lv.2].
Conceptual compatibility at 86%.
Proceed with enhancement?
[Yes/No]
Naturally, I selected “[Yes]” without hesitation. This time, the air vibrated like a blade being forged in invisible fire. Energy surged through the circle of light as the two skills intertwined. For a moment, it looked as though the fusion would succeed—until the pattern shuddered and shattered into motes of light before they could successfully merge.
Conceptual Integration has failed due to insufficient Plausibility.
A total of 91 Plausibility has been consumed.
“Shit! I forgot I only had a little amount of plausibility left!” I cursed, clutching my head in frustration as the remaining plausibility was consumed without any result.
Alas, there was no use crying over split milk. What was done was done. At least, the failure gave me a better understanding of how costly these fusions could become, and ensured that I’d have enough plausibility in my reserves before attempting something like this again.
I sighed, sinking onto the bed to let my body and mind rest. But I wasn’t planning to sleep since I knew I wasn’t alone in the room.
“I know you’ve been watching, Raphael,” I called out flatly. Since a minute ago, I could feel a divine presence hovering nearby, and she was not exactly being subtle.
A ripple of golden light shimmered in the corner, and from it emerged Raphael—a tiny, chibi angel the size of a teddy bear. Her radiant wings fluttered in faint annoyance, scattering motes of light across the room. Despite her adorable appearance, her expression was anything but pleasant; her brows were furrowed, her tiny lips pursed into a scowl.
“What kind of skill did you just use?” she asked. Then, before I could answer, she shook her head and crossed her little arms with exaggerated seriousness. “No, more than that… I have some complaints.”
“Complaints?” I repeated, narrowing my eyes, though I already had an idea where this was going.
“Yes, complaints.”
“Is it about the skill I just used?” I asked, though I already knew that wasn’t the real reason behind her sudden visit. After all, I’d taken precautions by shielding the activation so neither she nor Istellia would detect it. Besides, I’d stopped the moment I sensed Raphael’s presence. Still, it was amusing to feign ignorance and watch how she’d react.
“No. I don’t care about whatever little secrets a mortal like you keeps,” she snapped, shaking her tiny head so that her golden hair bounced with the motion. “But being Lady Istellia’s agent doesn’t mean you can just act however you please in Fantasia without consequence!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I gave a lazy shrug.
“Maximillian!” she shouted, her halo flaring indignantly. The air trembled slightly as she kicked her small legs in frustration, but given her size, the sight was more adorable than intimidating. “Don’t play dumb! I swear, one of these days—” She stopped mid-sentence, crossing her arms again with an exaggerated huff. “Anyway! I’m fully aware that you’ve been gathering followers in District F and forming what can only be described as a cult.”
She fluttered closer to me with an indignant face as she questioned, “Mortal, are you trying to rebel?”