Chapter 20: The Awakening of Yin and Yang
Inside the Mystic Realm*
Gabriel Stone's POV
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[Soul fusion starting in 3, 2, 1…
Initiating Soul Fusion]
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BOOOOOOM!!!!!
A brilliant golden light enveloped the two Soul Energies, and in that moment, the scene was nothing short of breathtaking. The golden light pulsated as it released a wave of mana that began the fusion process. The first step was the purification of the souls, a cleansing ritual that would make the fusion smoother and more harmonious. For several minutes, the souls underwent this purification, gradually beginning to merge as they were purified.
Once the cleansing was complete, the two Soul Energies were drawn by an unseen, supernatural force toward the location of the Yin-Yang Soul Harmony Essence. According to the records provided by the world consciousness, this Harmony Essence was designed to accommodate a single soul, adjusting and fusing with it effortlessly. However, the light binding the two Soul Energies acted like a powerful glue, holding them together and forcing the Harmony Essence to attempt to integrate both Souls simultaneously.
As the Soul Energies neared the Harmony Essence, a problem arose. The Essence began to shake violently, struggling to reject the two Souls, as it was not meant to fuse with more than one at a time. Suddenly, the binding light surrounding the Soul Energies grew even brighter, distorting the space around it. The Harmony Essence, which had been vibrating intensely in an effort to repel the Souls, suddenly stilled. Then, another light—one that wasn't supposed to be there—materialized between the Souls and the Harmony Essence. This light began to form the symbol of Yin and Yang (☯), indicating that the energies were starting to balance.
The three energies—the two Souls and the Harmony Essence—began to converge, drawing light into the center as they fused to form a new, singular Soul. The pre-determined main consciousness would govern and take control of this newly formed soul, which would then need to bind with a body. The entire fusion process took about ten minutes.
The body that had been floating lifelessly for some time now began to tremble. Slowly, its eyes fluttered open, revealing the Yin-Yang symbol (☯) within them. As the symbol faded, the body gently descended to the ground, and the light energies that had enveloped it began to vanish.
Gabriel Heart's body had undergone a transformation, merging with the soul of Gabriel Stone and the Yin-Yang Harmony Essence. The fusion of these three elements created a new being. The newly awakened Gabriel, now fully occupying the body, felt a wave of curiosity wash over him. He stretched his limbs experimentally, testing out his new form. Then, he sat down and accessed his status panel, eager to assess the changes. As he did so, a notification from the system chimed in his mind.
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[Ding! Data corrupted…
Ding! Rescan of the body required!
Ding! Scanning…
Scanning complete!
Collating new data and parameters.]
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[Name: Gabriel Heart]
[Class: Cleric]
[Level: 1, Iron Early Stage]
[Health Points: 450/450]
[Mana: 1660/1660]
[Experience: 243/1000]
[Magic Attack: 146 (+50) – 186 (+85)]
[Defense (Magic + Physical): 36]
[Attributes: STR: 10, AGI: 6, DEX: 8, INT: 33, VIT: 11]
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(A/Note: For every 1 point of Strength (STR) and Intelligence (INT), 2 points are added to the Magic Attack (Physical Attack). Additionally, for every 1 point of Vitality (VIT), defense is increased by 3. Furthermore, each point of Intelligence (INT) and Vitality (VIT) adds 20 points to the Health Points (HP) and Mana. The base stats after the fusion can be calculated by subtracting these bonuses. To simplify calculations, "(+#)" indicates the stat points and attack (magic) points contributed by the equipment used.)
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[Skills: Light Hurricane, Healing Totem, Goddess Blessing]
[Talent: [☯] Yin-Yang Soul Harmony (D)]
[Harmony Essence: 10,000]
[Equipment: Iron Staff]
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As Gabriel reviewed his stats, his curiosity piqued, particularly regarding his new abilities and talents. He navigated to the status page and noticed a new panel had been added. Eager to explore, he examined it closely.
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[Light Hurricane Level 1: Attacks the enemy 3 times with a whirling storm of light. There is a 20% probability of stunning the enemy.
Damage = {1.2(Skill Level) x [MAtk + MagicPEN]} per hit
Mana Cost = 150
Cooldown = 1 second]
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[Healing Totem Level 1: Summons a Healing Totem to heal all party members within a 20m radius for a duration of time. The relic summoning process deals 100% of the user's attack as Light-attribute damage. The summoned totem cannot be destroyed.
Healing per second = {(B. level + INT+VIT)/2 x Skill Level x 10 x (1 + HealingEffect%) + Matk}
AOE Damage = {skill level x (Matk x MagicPEn)}
Healing Duration = 5 seconds
Mana Cost = 150
Cooldown = 4 seconds]
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[Goddess Blessing Level 1: Summons a light that increases the Physical Attack (Magic Attack) of all allies (including yourself) by 20% and grants a shield that blocks damage for a duration of time or until the shield breaks. Simultaneously, it provides an immunity buff, making the caster immune to any negative status effects for a set duration.
Shield: Blocks any damage (physical and magical) equal to 300% of caster HP
Shield Duration: 5 minutes
Buff Duration: 5 minutes
Immunity Duration: 10 seconds
Mana Cost: 200
Cooldown: 20 seconds]
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[[☯] Yin-Yang Soul Harmony (D): This talent embodies the dualistic nature of the universe. The interaction of Yin and Yang is believed to maintain harmony and influence all things.
Yin-Soul Harmony (Positive to Negative): When activated, any skill the user currently has will mutate into its opposite form. [Soul effect: The user can choose which effects to reverse.]
(A/N: For example, if a skill has two effects, the user can choose to reverse one or both effects when Yin-Soul is active.)
Yang-Soul Harmony (Negative to Positive): Any negative status (debuff) received by the user will turn into a positive status (buff). [Soul effect: The user can choose which negative effects to reverse and whether to reflect the effect back onto the opponent.]
(A/N: The user can choose to convert a negative status into a positive buff or return the negative status to the enemy.)
Talent can be activated one at a time.
Mana Cost: None
Cooldown: None]
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Gabriel studied his new status, his mind lost in deep thought. He couldn't help but wonder why he had been brought into this world, but he realized that, in a way, it was a blessing. According to the world consciousness, he had already died in his original reality. So, being alive and possessing these powerful new abilities felt like a second chance. He understood that to survive and thrive in this world, he needed to develop his strength and skills to secure a stable footing.
He checked his talent again, and after understanding how to use it, he felt a surge of excitement. The symbol "D" on his talent page caught his attention—it signified that his talent was divine-level. Although this realization thrilled him, he also knew he needed to be cautious. Revealing the nature of his talent could attract dangerous attention, so he resolved to keep it hidden.
Feeling a mix of exhilaration and caution, Gabriel scratched his head and looked at the remaining panel he hadn't yet explored. He was eager to delve deeper into this new world and uncover its secrets.
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[Harmony Essence: Can be used to upgrade equipment grade by 1.
Harmony Essence can be obtained by sacrificing different types of energy cores.]
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After reviewing all the information, Gabriel closed the status panel and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to absorb everything he had just learned. When he opened his eyes again, he glanced at his equipment, making sure everything was in order and ready for his next task.
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[Prompt! Iron Staff can be upgraded.]
[Prompt! 10,000 Harmony Essence required.]
[Prompt! Proceed Y/N?]
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Just as Gabriel was about to click "Yes," a loud sound interrupted his concentration.
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GROWL!!!
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The growling noise echoed around him, snapping him back to reality. His face flushed red, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"F*ck!"
His stomach growled again, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in hours. According to the timeline, this body hadn't ingested any food for the six hours since the assessment. He didn't even notice it because of his earlier state. So, he forced himself to stand up and search for a possible target to eat.
He was about to start looking for food when he noticed that there were many people around.
Around him, there were many students, and some of them were looking at him.
"Hey Mr. Class Pres., did you not eat before the assessment started?" someone asked jokingly.
As he looked at the person who had posed the question, Gabriel felt a pang of confusion and embarrassment. He tried to recall who this person was and accessed the memories of the previous inhabitant of his body. Once he realized that the person in front of him was none other than Mr. Hanz, his form teacher, Gabriel felt an overwhelming urge to hide inside a deep hole.
Mr. Hanz, who had been Gabriel's teacher for the past nine years, noticed the shame etched on Gabriel's face. He chuckled loudly, trying to ease Gabriel's discomfort. "Come on, someone is waiting for you," he said, gesturing toward their destination.
As Gabriel and Mr. Hanz arrived at the gathering, Gabriel scanned the faces of his classmates, observing the varied emotions that were etched on their faces. He longed to tease them, but he knew that doing so could raise suspicions about his true identity. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment before turning his attention away from them, emulating the way the original Gabriel had behaved toward them.
"Let us gather in front of the stage!" Mr. Hanz bellowed, taking charge of the proceedings.