SHUUUU!
Sylas sensed the change before it came. It was a sort of intuition, but his mind remained focused. This world was entirely too unpredictable for him to relax. Stats were only one part of the equation.
There were still Skills, Comprehensions, Gene Talents, and even treasures to take account of. This man had only just casually used a Skill just now, or what felt like a Skill-adjacent, and yet he had been forced to use one of his trump cards to counter it. If he got serious, Sylas might truly be finished.
Even so, he only became more calm as the runes continued to flutter and flare out around him. Sylas realized that this person likely had an ability not much different from his own Enchanted Scholar. Not only could this help him see through what he might do in advance, but it might also help him out in the future.