Chapter 10 – Anomaly Detected

[Cat Form (F) 1TP] – Shapeshift into a feline form, increasing your movement speed and granting access to unique abilities exclusive to this form. Spirit Cost: 50 Spirit.

[Rejuvenation (F) 1TP] – Call upon the power of healing nature to restore 15 % of your target’s maximum health over 30 seconds. Cooldown: 2 Minutes. Spirit Cost: 100 Spirit.

[Static Strike (E) 3TP] – Call upon the raging force of Mother Nature and seize control of the static in the air, turning it into a weapon against your enemies. Electricity gathers around your weapon, allowing you to deal lightning damage for 1 Minute. Spirit Cost: 90 Spirit.

[Follow Me! (F) 2TP] – Command defeated beasts to follow you into battle. Chance to tame a beast of any type: 30 %, increasing with skill level. Attempting to tame stronger enemies than the user reduces the chance. No Spirit cost. Slots available: 1/1.

[Spectral Wolves (D) 5TP] – Call upon bestial spirits from the other realm to fight at your side temporarily. Number of wolves that can be summoned: 1, gain one additional wolf for every five skill levels. Summoned wolves will fight for 5 Minutes or until dispersed. Allocates 5% of Spirit per wolf, up to a maximum of 100 Spirit per summon.

[Entangle (F) 2TP] – Summon roots from the earth to restrain enemies for up to 1 Minute or until broken. Costs 80 Spirit.

“Should I just take them all?” He could make use of any of them, and he had more than enough points as it was.

This Static Strike is not that great, but it’ll let me gain access to the lightning element; I could probably find a way to derive another skill from it. Though I could use some extra points to strengthen my traits or Nature’s Wrath, and make it stronger, I could always refine it further as well, make it more versatile…

He tapped his forehead and smiled. “I’ll just take them all.” A grin spread across his face as he spent every last one of his Talent Points.

As his points hit zero, he felt the knowledge of his new skills settle into his mind, and he smiled. Knowledge was priceless, and receiving so much simply by spending imaginary points made him quietly giggle.

“First, let me edit Nature’s Wrath!” He cast the skill and paused its activation, enlarging the magic circle as he began scanning through the formula.

I cannot change the cost or the power; it’s tied to the laws of the System, but I can change its form and density. A smile escaped him as he carefully adjusted the formula.

He then took one of the two empty bottles he had left, placed it on the table, and stepped back . Let’s try the first version . He released the skill, and instead of a massive beam, a small laser-like stream erupted from his palm, piercing through the bottle cleanly and continuing straight through the back wall.

“Hmm, the damage is potent, but it loses the explosive force of the spell. It could still be useful, though. Let’s try the second idea I had!” He sat down to meditate for five minutes as the cooldown expired, recovering some of his spirit in the meantime.

When he cast the second variation, he went in the opposite direction, chasing that explosive property of spirit energy, the same one he had felt within himself.

I should cast this outside. He reminded himself and stepped into the street. He raised his hand to the sky and activated it.

This time, instead of a beam, a wisp-like orb of green, flame-like energy shot upward before detonating into the bloom of emerald fire.

The people in the village smiled at the sight, thinking someone had set off fireworks to celebrate their victory.

Maximus turned away quickly, hoping no one had noticed, and shut the door as he dashed back inside.

I’ve got three variants now. Good! Let’s see the lightning one next. He thought as he sat down into a meditative position, manually replenishing his spirit.

Trait Leveled Up: [Nature’s Seed (E) Lv. 2]

He nodded and cast Static Strike.

Around his right arm, sparks of electricity coiled like restless serpents before a light blue, almost silver, magic circle formed and paused on its own in the middle of his palm.

“Oooh, it’s waiting for a weapon? Amazing!” He stared at the circle, then forced it to pause further, diving into the formula once more. As he did, his eyebrows shot up in delight. “There’s far more flexibility here. The condition that it must channel through a weapon can be rewritten, redirected into firing arcs of lightning instead, albeit weaker, since the skill itself is still low-tier. If only I could store these skill variations somewhere.” He muttered.

“Hey, Astrae, I know you’re around, constantly monitoring the Trials. Observe this and toss old Maximus a bone, will ya?!” He reactivated the skill, and arcs of lightning burst from his arm like snapping serpents, striking the second bottle and shattering it instantly before the lingering electricity detonated, reducing the remaining glass into dust and scorching a black mark into the table.

“Oho!” He clapped, visibly delighted.

Alert: Anomaly detected. Skill without a designated slot detected.

Scanning.

Alert: User is operating outside of the scope of the Astrae System.

Finding the best possible classification.

Soul Trait Unlocked: [Skill Collector]

—-

Soul Traits:

Skill Collector – You have acquired more skills than anyone at your level; you have even altered their properties, creating entirely new sub-skills. The limit on how many skills you can possess has been removed. All created skills will now be properly categorized and stored for faster and more efficient use.

—-

New Skills Detected:

> Thorn Whip: Extreme Poison, Thorn Whip: Paralysis Poison, Thorn Whip: Paralysis

> Seedling: Detoxify

> Nature’s Wrath: Emerald Laser, Nature’s Wrath: Whisp’o Bomb

> Static Strike: Static Surge

Note: All sub-skills will scale with the main skill, including cost, cooldown, and damage.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author’s consent. Report any sightings.

“Hahaha, I’ll be damned. I’m not sure if you were actually listening or if I crossed some kind of threshold, but thank you! This will make my life much easier.” He smiled; now he didn’t have to edit his skills twice. Once he discovered a variation, it would be stored as a sub-skill forever.

“I guess it’s time to try this shapeshift ability. I am a bit nervous. Oh my… I haven’t felt like this ever since I first tried breaching into another realm. Ah, discoveries truly are exhilarating.”

He focused on the next skill and activated it.

Cat Form! As he activated it, the spirit energy around him erupted into a blinding vortex, and he felt his body begin to change, though he couldn’t see a thing.

Suddenly, as quickly and painlessly as it had arrived, the storm dispersed, revealing a dark-green, two-meter-long tiger-like feline with a sleek, sinuous tail, sharp black claws, and saber-like fangs protruding from its fearsome maw.

Around its form, a cloak of emerald, translucent flame settled and draped over it, completing the transformation.