Rehab and Skill Tree?

After that they brought him to another building with a big futuristic engine. "This is a Mental Core Stabilizer. With this we can acess your Mental Core, examine it and repair it to some extent. That will be the first step to regaining your powers."

"Can I first try it alone again?"

"As expected of you Special Ops Mars, of course but please don't overdo it."

Mars just nicked putting on a thankful face.

'Access Mental Core!"

... ACCESSING MENTAL CORE ...

This time the process was much smoother and not as abrupt as the first time. Mars was able to witness the whole process. Black substance with the consistency of mud shot out under his feet, swallowing the area around him making it pitch black. Out of that puddle did an oval shape majestically emerge. The Mental Core looked how he left it. After that did the shiny stars pop up all around him, looking as if they were spectators ready to watch a battle for life and death, glimming brightly.

"Summon Skill Tree!"

... INITIATING SKILL TREE SUMMONING ... SUMMONING SKILL TREE (MENTAL PATH) ... SUMMONING FINISHED ...

A large ashen tree came to existence, forming in front of the Mental Core. It looked like an elder tree that already got burnt leaving only the white ashen wood in its place.

"Wow! System, how can I use this thing?"

... QUESTION RECEIVED ... SKILL TREE CAN BE ACCESSED BY CONNECTING SOMEONES MIND WITH IT ... YOUR SKILL TREE IS ACCESSIBLE FROM EVERY CORE ... QUESTION ANSWERED ...

"Hm... It seems I can only try something then ..." Mars tried to adapt the feeling from assembling his Mind Space. A torrent was slowly forming around Mars's head, still swirling at first but after trying a bit more it seemed more stable and was like an aura or an extention of his body.

Mars thought of "reaching out" toward his Skill Tree using this new force field.

... CONGRATULATIONS - AQUIRED NEW SKILL MIND FORCE (active) ... YOU ARE NOW ABLE TO USE A NEW FORCE ORIGINATING FROM YOUR MIND... SKILL TREE ACTIVATED ... MIND PATH CHOSEN ... SEARCHING SKILLS ... FOLLOWING SKILLS AVAILABLE - ILLUSORY SPACE (realm: You can change your Mind Space however you desire, being able to trick enemies and allies senses alike), MENTAL BARRIER (passive: A sturdy invisible barrier assembles around your own Mind Space and protects you from weaker mental attacks and confusion alike, your mind will be clearer.), MENTAL ATTACKER (passive: Your affinity with Mind Force increases, making it more viable in combat) ... PLEASE CHOOSE ONE SKILL ...

"What about the skills, I won't choose?"

Silence.

'The System will help me my ass!' Mars was kinda p*ssed of about the usefulness off the System.

... ANNOYANCE DETECTED ... SKILLS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE AGAIN LATER ... QUESTION ANSWERED ...

Mars was speechless. Did the System just show emotion, am I such a pain in its ass? Anyway, he was still thankful for the answer.

If he learned something from games than he knew that foundation was everything. If so he should definitely choose Mental Barrier rather than Mental Attacker, but Illusory Space just seemed too good to waste the opportunity and not aquiring it.

He could always choose the other ones later if the opportunity arised. But for now he had to figure out when he could get the chance to learn more skills.

... AFTER MASTERING ANY SKILL YOU GET ONE SKILL POINT, CREATING ONE YOURSELF OR AFTER ACHIEVING MILE STONES ... AVAILABLE SKILL POINTS : 2 ...

'So I get two skills if I want to... Then I don't need to think about it!' "I choose Ilussory Space and Mental Barrier using both skill points."

... INITIATING MANUAL ADAPTATION ... WARNING MIND MIGHT GET UNSTABLE DURING PROCESS ... PROCEDING MANUAL ADAPTATION ...

Right after the announcement something strange began. Mars vision began to warp. He felt sluggish and drunk, seeing and hearing something that wasn't there. His own mind was playing tricks on him. He was afraid of the things he saw and heard. Unknowingly his mind got more sensitive and quicker. The illusions slowly weakened and subsided only for something way more frightening to come out. A black mass covered him like sphere and showed him scenes, so obscene and monstrous that he almost gave up and straight gone crazy. Almost.

... CONGRATULATIONS - STAYED SANE UNDER PSYCHOLOGIGAL ATTACKS ... RESILIENCE GAINED ... RESILIENCE GAINED ... RESILIENCE GAINED ...

Apparently this illusion wasn't a terror but a chance to increase his foundation. He trained under these harsh conditions and the more resilience he gained the easier resisting the temptation to give in was.

Suddenly it stopped. There was no more sound and no more visions. Only black nothingness, a void. Mars felt that something had changed. It was as if he was gazing into a deep abyss and the abyss was gazing back right into his soul, making him shiver extremely. He knew it, an ancient being was looking at him, a being even more fearsome than that fog was here inside this sphere, corrupting his thoughts.

The weak little Mental Barrier he got was not enough to hold that beast away. He would die if he had no other ideas. He saw an illusion of a possible future. It was showing him how it would destroy, kill and plunder his planet and everything else on it. Swallowing it whole.

... WARNING ... EXTREME MENTAL INSTABILITY DETECTED ... INITIATING EMERGENCY ADAPTATION ... ACTIVATING AFFINITY WITH VOID ... ACTIVATING MENTAL BARRIER STRENGHTENING ... PREPARE FOR UNSEEN CONSEQUENCES ...