Chapter 40: Self-created Skill and Green Rank Crimson Shield

Seeing Gabriel leaving.

It was shocking to the students around them to see Gabriel leave as if nothing had happened. They couldn't explain anything about what had just occurred.

When Gabriel's shadows disappeared from their sight, the student looked at Dave and the others near him.

As soon as Gabriel's aura came out, he managed to defeat Dave without even engaging in a battle. This came as a surprise to those who were expecting an exciting battle between the two. Dave, along with several others who were nearby, passed out without even doing anything.

The only thing that could be heard was silence.

"Why are you all just standing? Take everyone who passed out to the infirmary! Now!"

That order broke the silence!

All the students who heard the words now began to lift all the people who had passed out one by one.

"Damnit! what happened here?" Suddenly, a student flew towards where Dave and the others were.

...

While Gabriel was walking home, he was also busy fiddling with his status window.

As soon as he showed a fraction of the anime-inspired ability a notification suddenly popped out.

[Congratulations on creating your skill!]

[Name: Unknown]

[Type: Mental]

[Grade: White]

[Description: A unique skill that enables its user to exercise control over others by infusing their own mana into their willpower. The power of this ability is such that it can render weaker targets unconscious almost instantaneously, merely by its presence. However, more formidable opponents can withstand its most simplistic effects and may require a greater infusion of mana to be influenced.

Area of Effect: 20-meter radius from the caster

Mana Cost: 150

Cooldown: 1 second]

[When a person creates a skill, it has the potential to become something truly great. As the creator hones their abilities and gains a deeper understanding of their craft, the skill will continue to evolve and improve, eventually reaching its full potential.]

"Wow, I did it! This is amazing, even though I know I still have a long way to go to be like him. But taking this small step has me feeling ecstatic and motivated to keep pushing forward!"

He's feeling a rush of excitement now! He's just successfully replicated a skill he saw in his favorite anime.

But wait, what if he could reproduce other skills from different anime shows he's watched? The possibilities are endless! Can he really do it? He started imagining things again.

After a few seconds, he quickly halts his imagination before it runs wild once more.

He returned to his current task and looked at the notification in front of him.

[Prompt! Provide a name for the skill created]

"Should I copy the name of the skill? Since this skill is based on that anime. I didn't use Haki though but mana."

Gabriel thought a bit, and after a few seconds, he entered the name of the skill.

"Conqueror's Haki"

[Prompt! Do you want to set "Conqueror's Haki" as the skill name? Y/N?]

After clicking yes, the name of the skill changed and it suddenly appeared in his skill tab, but it fell into the self-created skill tab.

When he was done fiddling with his status panel, he continued with the shield the principal had given him.

[Can be mutated, use 10,000 Harmony Essence: Y/N?]

[Can be upgraded, use 100,000 Harmony Essence: Y/N?]

"Huh? Two options" he asked himself.

He pressed the notification to get more information.

[Mutate: Converting equipment with a different but higher grade of equipment instead of just increasing the grade of the equipment but keeping the original equipment.

Note: Set/existing item when mutated will change to different equipment of the same type.

Cost: 10,000 Harmony Essence points]

Then, he also clicked on the other notification for more information.

[Upgrade: Upgrading equipment to a higher grade without mutating the equipment into other equipment.

Cost: 100,000 Harmony Essence points]

After contemplating for a while, he weighed his options regarding whether or not to upgrade his equipment. As per the equipment's description, he could unlock the first rune by sacrificing 10 Iron rank shields. The process of equipment evolution would then commence automatically once the criteria were met.

He wondered if upgrading it with Harmony Essence would affect the requirement for unlocking the rune.

He was concerned about upgrading his shield to the green rank. He wondered if the requirement for unlocking the first rune would remain the same. If he did unlock the first rune, would the shield be upgraded to the blue rank? If so, he might not be able to wear the shield immediately unless he reached level 20.

As he approached his house, he realized that the car that had been blocking his parking lot yesterday was gone. However, he was still preoccupied with his thoughts and muttered to himself, "Damn! It's so hard to choose." Without much attention, he entered the gate of his house.

After much contemplation, he finally decided on what to do. As he stood in front of the door, hand poised on the door handle, he resolved to test it later. With his mind made up, he wrapped his fingers around the cool metal and turned it, hearing the satisfying click as the latch disengaged. The door swung open, revealing what lay beyond.

...

As soon as he stepped inside, he immediately noticed his parents bustling around the kitchen, getting dinner ready. However, his uncle was conspicuously absent.

Gabriel walked into the dining room and called out to his parents. "Is Uncle Jonathan still here? Or did he leave already?" he asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. Knowing his uncle's unpredictable schedule, he was anxious to find out if he had missed him.

"Your home already?" Harold said as he turned to face his son. "Your uncle has already left for his mission earlier this morning, but he wanted you to know that he will be back once his work is done. So don't worry too much"

Despite his father's reassurances, Gabriel couldn't help but worry, knowing how serious his uncle's mission was. If it had been a simple task, his uncle wouldn't have taken the time to come home and inform the family, he would just do it and move on with it. However, yesterday his uncle had done the opposite and had come home specifically to inform Gabriel's father about the mission.

Gabriel's father finished setting the table for dinner and noticed his son's worried expression. He called out to him with a curious expression and asked, "Gabriel, how did your assessment go today? I hope everything went well."

Upon hearing his father's question, he snapped out of his train of thought and regained his worried expression before looking at his father.

Knowing his fathers habiual technique of diverting one conversation over the other, Gabriel confidently replied, "It went pretty well. Although some parts were challenging, I gave it my all, and I'm proud to say that I secured the top spot." He then smiled after teasing his father.

As Harold notice the playfullness of his sons eyes, he smiled to him and they both smiled at each other, and Gabriel's father patted him on the back, expressing his pride in his son's efforts.

Helena's gaze shifted from her husband to her son, who were teasing each other playfully at the dinner table. She couldn't help but smile sweetly at the sight of them, but quickly interrupted their banter, reminding them to start eating their meal.

As they sat down to eat, Helena turned to Gabriel with a curious expression and asked him about his future plans. She was keen to know what he had in mind now that he had graduated. With a gentle tone, she asked if he had given any thought to joining a guild, or perhaps becoming a member of Orion's society.

Gabriel paused for a moment, then responded to his mother, "Right now, Mom, my priority is to level up in my class. So, my plan is to enter the mysterious realm tomorrow and farm until I reach level 15, which will enable me to advance my class."

Upon hearing her son's words, Helena let out a sigh of relief. As long as Gabriel didn't go to the frontline right now, she would support him in whatever he chose to do. Although he adores front liners who fougth for humanity sake, she doesn't want Gabriel to join the fray right now since he was still too young. She knew it might sound selfish on her part, but she didn't want him to put his life on the line to fight for the sake of humanity.

Following the conversation, they turned their attention to eating.

.....

Gabriel completed his household chores after dinner, including washing the dishes. Afterward, he went to his room and resumed the task that he had postponed earlier in the day.

After retrieving the shield from his magic bag, he inspected it once more to ensure that it was in good condition. He then deliberated for a moment before deciding to spend 100,000 Harmony Essence points to enhance the Crimson Shield's rank. He made a conscious choice not to mutate the shield's original form in the process.

The shield was enveloped in a mystical aura, emanating a combination of white and dark light that seemed to penetrate every inch of the equipment in the room. After a few minutes had passed, the light began to fade away, revealing the shield in its full glory. The intricate details of the shield's design were now visible, with every curve and line etched into its surface. It was a sight to behold, and one that left a lasting impression on all those who witnessed it.

He then checked the status of the upgraded shield.

[Name: Crimson Shield]

[Type: Shield]

[Defense: 80]

[Grade: Green]

[Description: A magnificent shield that protects its wielder. Vague runes are etched into this shield, providing an additional layer of protective grace. With so much time passed, this shield gradually regressed, locking out most of its abilities. In order to use the rune again, the wielder must offer certain items as a sacrifice to this shield. Doing so will automatically unlock this shield's evolution.

Additional Attributes:

+25 VIT

+35 Defense

+10% HP

Special Effect: +25% Damage Reduction

First Rune: 0/10, Green Rank Shield]

[Durability: 300/300]

As Gabriel's eyes scanned the new information, his mind was suddenly awash with a sea of emotions. He felt as if he had just been struck by a bolt of lightning, the information provided by the equipment that he was looking at completely stunning him.

His heart beat raced quickly.