Resolve IV

There was a brief bout of silence as both men, or at least what Irwin deduced as male humans, contemplated his initial offer.

Although he was quite short on credits, his renewed something and upgraded skills and spells were more than enough to hunt down a few hundred credits' worth of monsters.

"I see hesitation in your eyes." He said, giving them a soft smile. "I'll give you time to think it through, but know that agreeing to my request will save hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives. I will also guarantee that you will not risk your lives more than necessary. I just need powerhouses that could take on more damage than my mortal form could."

He gave them time to think, sitting back on the cot and tried to recuperate any lingering mental sequelae from the days of torture and fighting. Even now, whenever the shadows of the forge fire flickered past his sight, memories came rolling down like slabs upon slabs of avalanche.

It was this mental anguish that kept reminding him of the person he left behind. A frustration within himself, as he had multiple moments within the span of the fight to actually escape.

But he did not, for he was more adamant on saving two cards–which he lost in the end–than saving themselves further pain and tragedy. Unfortunately, there was no use beating himself up for it. The past was the past and, unless he was an angel, he could not change what had been written in the river of destiny.

Instead, he activated his system and felt the draw of power appear before his eyes.

[ Character Sheet | Skill(!) | Supernatural Record(!) | Status | Quest | Trade Store ]

He ignored the Supernatural Record, knowing that the information was regarding the demons and witches he had fought and killed. What he was more curious about was his Skill sheet, which he opened hastily.

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Skills Magik Recipes

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Personal Skill

▪︎ Marksmanship (Lvl 04)

▪︎ Alcohol Tolerance

▪︎ Natural Order (Lvl MAX)

▪︎ Unarmed Combat (Lvl 06) (New Effect!)

▪︎ Swordsmanship (Lvl 04)

▪︎ Krousurgy (Lvl 05) (New Effect!)

▪︎ Pain Tolerance (Lvl 04)

Job Skill

▪︎ Human Magic (Lvl 04 -> 05) (New Effect!)

▪︎ Arcane Resistance (Lvl 07)

▪︎ Potioneering (Lvl 01)

System Skill

▪︎ Natural Resistance (Lvl 08)

▪︎ Enhanced Physique (Lvl 04)

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While he was glad that all his skills had leveled up, with some more than once, it was downright unnerving to see his Natural Immunity devolve into Natural Resistance. He had seen first hand how debilitating it was to be preyed upon by invisible eyes.

If not for his Spell Purge, then he would have been still under the surveillance of multiple entities that deemed him to be a person of interest.

On the other hand, it was amazing to see his Krousurgy skill level-up and gain a new sub-effect. If he had guessed right, then it would be similar to Charlotte's glass radar. He was still amazed when she had discussed how she identified which container had the glass sculptures, thinking, at the time, how it could be used as a makeshift tracking device

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▪︎Krousurgy▪︎

Level: 05

Type: Personal Skill

Classification: Elemental Manipulation; Natural Order

Activation: Name Activation

Range: 250 meters | Fifty (50) meter per level

Effect: Manipulate or shape any glass within the skill range. Once a day, it can also be used to locate any glass materials within double of the skill range.

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Apparently, it was not quite similar to Charlotte's ability. She had expressed how she could do it as long as she had the energy for it and, frankly, her range was longer than his quarter of a kilometer.

'It must be because her Krousurgy skill was an innate talent,' he thought. 'I achieved the same effect under her rather cold tutelage and a few weeks of training while she just achieved it because she's that talented. Clever girl!'

A smile enveloped his face as he thought of how masterful her handling was of the large amount of glass shards and how graceful she weaved around the smallest of non-crystalline grains. If he had not thwarted their deal with the Witch Dealer, then, surely, they would have silently controlled a portion of the state's underworld and lived comfortably for a few years or so.

He severed his thoughts of Charlotte, for her fate was still hanging in the balance; A fate he was solely responsible for.

He turned his attention to the Unarmed Combat. Before the changes in his body, he was not sure how beneficial it truly was to his body. In fact, he was not even sure if it merely compiled the data on how advanced he was on the art of unarmed combat or if it also helped him in advancing his art of unarmed combat.

But, compared to when he arrived on the island, it seemed that the moment he focused solely on the memories of the fight, he could not help but cringed in the way with which he attacked some demons.

His every stab, thrust, slash, and bludgeon had one or two incorrect placements in his eyes. It was as if he had gained an enlightenment in the way of unarmed fighting, enabling him to analyze his previous bouts and mentally correct what he had done wrong.

Of course, he figured that theoretical understanding differed vastly from practical work. He had to train and incrementally correct the ingrained attributes within his fighting style.

As such, he brought up the description of the skill.

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▪︎Unarmed Combat▪︎

Level: 06

Type: Personal Skill

Classification: Physical Representation; Human

Activation: Passive

Range: Self

Effect: Tracks the caster's martial progress on hand-to-hand fighting and will subtly correct the caster's form according to the level of the skill. The skill also imparts theoretical knowledge derived from the fighting styles of every creature the caster had fought before.

Sub-effect: Unnamed - The sub-effect quadruples the caster's reaction speed, heightens attack speed, increases spatial awareness, widens perception and fastens reflexes at the rate of ten percent (10%) Stamina per one (1) second

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He hummed inwardly, staring at the newest, still unnamed, sub-effect.

He's had history with naming his sub-effects, albeit only once, and, frankly, he does not trust his naming sense. 

'Brimstone Blow was a fluke,' he thought, 'Nevermind the name. The sub-effect is quite helpful. Increasing the sharpness of my perception and enabling me to react quicker than I usually do, even for just two minutes, is a godsend for a human like me.'

He shuddered at how useless his attacks were on Barchiel. Even when he downed three potions in one go, the angel's speed and strength was enough to overpower him.

It was also nice how even though his level did not advance to the next step, he still got a portion of the reward as was evident by his fifth level Human Magik.

'I guess I'll have an easier time using Scattering Wind when I get back to the Aegis.'

Speaking of, he returned to the sub-system menu and went to his Magik list.

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Personal Magik

▪︎ Mind Guardian (Lvl 04) (Human)

▪︎ Flame Whip (Lvl 07) (Human)

▪︎ Blood Scry (Lvl 06) (Fairy)

▪︎ Blight Hex (Lvl 02) (Human)

…

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His personal magik, although as short as his penance in the penal system, had been the backbone of his entire magical-combat style.

Mind Guardian as his defense for mental effects and attacks; Flame Whip, an offensive spell that was turned into a damaging grappling hook; and the most effective radar and monster locator in his arsenal, Blood Scry. These three spells had been at his beck and call since the start of his journey and, most likely, will be the first spells to be upgraded to its maximum potential.

Although he had gained another flame-based spell, albeit a stationary one, he hoped that once Flaming Whip would gain another powerful offensive sub-effect or develop into a spell that would affect its grappling ability.

Blight Hex, however, had never been used, not even once. He remembered how painstaking it was to learn the spell, memorizing the incantation, the ingredients, the procedure for the curse, and how limiting it was to fail time after time. Yet, in the end, his position and mentality had prevented him from ever utilizing the curse spell.

Still, Blight Hex was quite useful as it hastens the decay of living things within the hex bag's reach. Lady Anastasia was quite adamant that if Irwin were to only learn one curse spell, then it might as well be of her own creation.

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…

System Magik

▪︎ Ward Of Obviation (Lvl 02) (Pagan)

▪︎ Age Transfiguration (Lvl 02) (Pagan)

▪︎ Energy Shield (Lvl 03) (Human)

▪︎ Vessel Immobilization (Lvl 02) (Human)

▪︎ Solitary Immolation (Lvl 02) (Human)

▪︎ Summon Wildling (Lvl 02) (Fairy)

▪︎ Will Domination (Lvl MAX) (Natural Order)

▪︎ Scattering Wind (Lvl 02) (Celestial)

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He could not bear to even look at Ward Of Obviation, flashes of million of dollars gone down the drain. Still, it was not as if he had to use it like the other spells. In fact, he had bought the damn thing as a secondary protection ward for his own Garden of Eden.

It was good that both Energy Shield and Vessel Immobilization were leveling up. Even more so for Vessel Immobilization, having been crucial for the angel fight. If only he could have shortened the incantation time, then he could have dealt with Barchiel entirely.

He had grossly underestimated celestial entities or, for that matter, all supernatural entities that have their own parallel dimension. They have lived for far longer and led far more interesting lives than he did.

No more, he thought. No more.

He gazed at both Gelmir and Hephaestus, eyes locking onto their muscular form and steady gaits. Their strength would be necessary in raiding the island, but, more importantly, their influence on the Old World could lead him to what he really wanted.

He believed he had an important message, one that could afford him a better and temporary ally in these trying times.

The Grand Coven.