Chapter 5 – All The Skills

[Minor Shapeshift (F) 1TP], [Barkskin (F) 1TP], [Seedling Companion (F) 0 TP], [Entangle (F) 2TP], [Nature’s Wrath (E) 3TP]

Hmm, let’s see fast. Right now, I need something that can deal some real damage. Maximus thought, scanning through the neatly arranged list.

—-

[Minor Shapeshift (F) 1TP] – Transform part of your body into an animal part. Possible transformations: Lupine legs, Bear claws, Eagle eyes. Transformations last for 10 minutes. No spirit cost, but it places a burden on the mind.

[Barkskin (F) 1TP] – Harden your skin into bark, raising your physical defense by 15% for 30 seconds. Costs 20 of your spirit.

[Seedling Companion (F) 0TP] – Commune with Mother Nature and the spirit realm and summon the spirit of nature to help you in your adventure. The higher the skill level, the stronger the companion. No spirit cost.

[Entangle (F) 2TP] – Summon roots to restrain enemies for up to 1 minute or until broken. Costs 80 of your spirit.

[Nature’s Wrath (E) 3TP] – Channel nature’s fury into a beam of burning spiritual energy. Costs 70 of your Spirit and needs 5 minutes of recovery to cast again.

You can increase the spirit spent to increase the damage dealt; for every 10 extra spirit spent, increase the damage done by 3% and cooldown by 30 seconds.

—-

I have five points. Can I take multiple skills? He asked, “Hey, you two, can you pick more skills from the list?”

“As long as you have points, you should be able to,” Tom answered simply.

Maximus nodded and selected Nature’s Wrath, Minor Shapeshift, Barkskin, and Seedling Companion. He hesitated for a moment about saving points, but in his current state, he needed versatility and options, and the thought of finally communing with even weak spirits tugged at something deep within him.

I should save some points for later, but right now I need to survive. Luckily, I gain double the points thanks to my soul trait. He smiled slightly.

“All right, I’m ready. What did you all pick?” he asked, voice serious.

“That’s private information, man,” Tom said sharply.

“I saved your lives twice already. I need to know your skills so that we can work together.” Maximus replied in the same calm, unbothered tone.

“Tom… It’s fine,” Sarah said quietly, exhausted. “We can trust him… Even though he doesn’t trust us yet.”

She took a tired breath. “I have Fireball, and I picked Barrier now.”

“Argh, fine, damn it.” Tom groaned. “I have Strengthen, and I picked Cleave for extra damage.” He pointed toward Pete. “He still has only Taunt.”

Maximus observed him closely, his body language, the spirit flow, the faint mana disturbances around him, and something tightened beneath Maximus’s ribs. He’s hiding something. A skill? A secret? Something else entirely? His heartbeat spiked in interest.

He also realized something else. It looks like I started with two skills for some reason, probably due to my Soul Traits, and now I have six.

“Oh well,” he said aloud with a casual shrug. “I have five skills, the ones you saw already and three new ones: a damage spell, a transformation spell, and a defensive one.” He kept Seedling Companion to himself. There was no reason to explain something they wouldn’t understand.

“Wow… You sure are lucky,” Sarah whispered. “Only rare cases start with multiple skills.”

“Just lucky, right, Tom?” Maximus asked with a smile.

“Yeah. Sometimes you just need luck,” Tom muttered, sweat forming at his temples.

“Good. Let’s continue. Is there any settlement or somewhere safe nearby?” Maximus asked.

“That’s where we were heading,” Sarah said as she pulled out a map from her backpack. She pointed at a small dot labeled Resting Bench.

“How far is it?”

“If we hurry, half an hour,” Tom said. “We just had bad luck running into a hidden lizard.”

“Let’s go then. Tom, help me with Pete. I’m a bit better now.” Maximus stood, sheathed his blade, then paused. “A second, please.”

He walked back to the dead lizard, closed his eyes, followed the faint flow of mana into its belly, and cut neatly until he pried out a dark-yellow, thumb-sized monster core. He wiped it clean and stored it in his bag.

“How expensive is this lizard? Could we sell it?” he asked, looking at the trio.

“I have no idea,” Tom answered. “But its hide is of good quality. Could probably make armor out of it, but we have no way to transport a beast this size.”

“Let me test something.” Maximus placed a hand over the corpse and imagined storing it in Subspace. If it’s anything like Subspace Magic, it should work, right?

The lizard’s corpse trembled once, then vanished entirely with a soft woosh.

Maximus smirked. Just as I expected.

“Holy shit! Man!” Tom yelped. “How did you unlock Inventory already, and how is it THAT big?!”

“I have no idea,” Maximus lied smoothly. “I just wanted to test it. So… Everyone has this ability?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Well, usually you unlock Inventory at level ten,” Tom stammered. “And even then, it only holds a few small things. You just… You just stuffed an entire four-meter lizard inside it. Before level ten!”

“Interesting,” Maximus said with a shrug. “Well, I have no explanation. It’s just how it is.”

Tom spoke as he grabbed Pete, who was slowly regaining color. “Alright, alright, keep your secrets, not like we need to trust each other… And look, we’ll keep it a secret. And regarding the lizard, you earned it. No complaints here.”

“Good,” Maximus said simply.

Tom braced Pete under one arm; Maximus took the other side.

“Now let’s go before someone else comes,” Tom muttered, scanning the horizon.

Maximus nodded, and the two of them carried delirious Pete away from the battlefield, moving quickly in case another predator, or something worse, decided to investigate the explosion.

***

They dragged Pete together, stopping only when necessary to catch their breath, Maximus’s weak human body struggling with every step as he practically collapsed under the weight of supporting another person when he barely had enough stamina to carry himself.

“I mean, man, I’m grateful, we all are, but how the hell are you this weak? You can barely walk without gasping like an eighty-year-old smoker,” Tom muttered, half incredulous and half genuinely concerned.

“That’s what I’d like to know as well,” Maximus grumbled. This old Maximus truly abused this body. Pathetic.