4 To Stand Above All Skills

"This is the first time I've seen a True Unique. Things of this sort are rarer than a dragon stampede." Guild Master Derek told me immediately after we sat down in his office.

He was sitting behind a polished wooden desk while holding the glass panel that came out of the Status Card Machine. Behind him was a suit of armour, clearly sized for a man of his stature. It was a dark blue, almost purple, and had gold trimming. Besides that, there was nothing in the office.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what that means. As a matter of fact, I have no knowledge on the subject of skills..." I felt like a country bumpkin because of my lack of knowledge.

Derek had a look of genuine surprise on his face. Realizing I was serious, he started explaining. "There are three types of skills. Starting from the most common, we have what we call 'combat skills', such as your Shortsword skill. Moving on, we have 'unique skills', which are skills we are born with, but to master them you need to practice. Your Appraisal, Eyes of the Future, and Memory Safe are all unique skills. In all honesty, the fact that you have three unique skills is already incredibly rare, but it does happen."

Derek stopped talking for a moment and his expression turned very serious. "The rarest skill type is known as a True Unique. Basically, it is a skill you are born with, that has no skill mastery. Your body will know how to use it naturally. On top of that, the skill will only ever appear once."

Derek looked me right in the eyes and continued. "I have the same Memory Safe skill that you have, and I memorized every skill ever seen in the last three thousand years of recorded history. Your 'Third Eye' skill isn't in that list."

Derek leaned back in his chair, as he let everything he just explained sink in. I was shocked speechless. God had said I would have a unique skill, but isn't this a bit overboard?! I was basically a rarity that occured once every few generations! Until now, I had thought I could lead a simple, unnoticed life as a regular adventurer. Now I realized how foolish that was.

"Th, Thanks for explaining all this." I said in a shaky voice. Clearly, this had quite the impact on me. "If you don't mind, I think I need some time to figure all this out. I had no idea today would be this life changing."

I slowly stood up, and the Guild Master nodded his understanding, and walked back down to the main room with me.

Before opening the door behind the counters, he said, "I would advice you to take a few days and learn more about your skills. That much should be simple if you use Appraisal on the skills while the card is activated. Also, I am required to tell all the Guild Masters that you have a True Unique, since if word got out that you have one, it could cause lots of problems. If you ever go to another town or city, use your regular ID card at the counters, and they will bring you to the Guild Master in charge. This is for your sake, so I hope you understand."

"I understand." I replied as he sent me on my way. I got a few weird looks from some of the adventurers who were still in the guild. Leaving the guild, I went straight back to the inn, got my key from Marielle, and plopped on my bed with my Status Card in hand.

"Status open." I mumbled as I stared at the ceiling. Again, my stats appeared before me, but this time I understood just how crazy my stats and skills were. I was about to use the appraisal skill to learn more about my other skills, but then I realized I didn't know how to use it. Suddenly, an explanation of the skill appeared in my head, and I understood how to use it. Apparently, I just had to look at whatever I wanted to appraise, and the skill would activate with a thought.

I decided to start with the Unique skills besides Appraisal, so I focused on the words Eyes of the Future and suddenly understood what it was. To use Eyes of the Future, I needed to focus on a target, and depending on the skill mastery, I would be able to see a the actions of the target for the next few seconds. it would appear as an overlay like the Status Card, but it would not be numbers and words, it would be the movements of the target. At higher skill mastery, I could choose multiple targets, and see a bit further into the future.

Next, I appraised Memory Safe. Memory Safe was just as it sounds. It was basically a high quality memory. Somewhat like photographic memory. I could remember anything I had done or seen with great detail. At a higher skill mastery, it took less time to recall every detail.

Now was the big one. My True Unique, Third Eye. I hesitated a moment, but quickly gave in to my curiosity. Focusing on Third Eye, I used the Appraisal skill. Immediately, I understood how to use it. I was at a loss for words. Third Eye was so far beyond what you would consider powerful, I couldn't believe it. The skill Third Eye was always active. Its ability was to instantly allow me to learn any unique skill I saw, and at the skill mastery of the person that I saw use the skill.

I couldn't believe it. This skill, Third Eye, was basically a skill above all skills. I sunk even further into the bed as I thought about the possibilities that had been laid out before me. The possibilities were endless.

Before I got absorbed in learning more about my skills, there was one thing I needed to do. It was time to eat lunch.