Chapter 179: Hard Choices

“Is there a reason why you are so convinced I should take it?” Julius asked Alice.

“Several actually, but the main one is that your healing skill is already such a crucial part of your skill set that losing it could potentially hurt you more than you would want. Even though you can still learn another healing skill, possibly a Phoenix-related one, it is a huge risk. One I don’t think you need to take.”

He wasn’t exactly disagreeing with her either. He was leaning toward keeping the general upgrade himself. [Phoenix Body] sounded like it might have some permanent consequences. Consequences that were too unknown and potentially too damaging.

[Rebirth of Ash] could save his life in the future. But considering that he had almost died, or in Alice’s opinion, actually died, he couldn’t trust himself that he was thinking clearly. He was still affected by the trauma of the event.

Although [Sage of Savagery] and Inexorable Will helped keep his emotions together, he understood the impact of the recent event might be influencing his preferences right now.

“I’m going to choose [Phoenix Renewal],” he told them, sounding much more confident than he felt. However, he still believed that it was the right choice. Alice was right, his current healing skill was his bread and butter. Losing it would drastically affect him and his abilities.

“Okay, go for it. Me and Dante are here if you need any help controlling the skill if your soul can’t handle it,” Alice assured him.

He nodded at her and then without any further ado, he selected [Phoenix Renewal].

Congratulations, skill [Phoenix Renewal] (Epic) acquired.

It went really smoothly. More smooth than any of his other epic skills. He didn’t even feel like he had to do anything. Perhaps that was the advantage of a superior skill. It was also very nice to not feel any sort of pressure on his soul while he evolved it.

Smiling to himself, he immediately took a look at his status.

Name: Julius Von Hyperius

Tier: 2

Skills:

• [Armaments of the Arcane lvl 5] (Epic)
  

• [Sage of Savagery lvl 6] (Epic)

• [Phoenix Renewal lvl 1] (Epic)

• [Empowerment of Will lvl 17] (Rare+)
  

• [Barrier of Severance lvl 14] (Rare+)

• [Soul Tempering lvl 5] (Rare+)

• [Spatial Perception lvl 19] (Rare)

• [Kinetic Augmentation lvl 18] (Rare)

• [Flash Step lvl 6] (Rare)

Current Skill Slots: 9/11

Concepts:

• [Concept of Sharpness]

• • [Severing Will]

• [Concept of Will]

• • [Inexorable Resolve]

• [Concept of Phoenix]

• • [Ashen Rebirth]

A lot of his skills hadn’t made that much progress in terms of levels since the last time he had looked at it. However, he had made some pretty large improvements during that time that weren’t reflected in his status. For one his mana control had taken leaps and bounds. Then his willpower had completely transformed into a powerful tool of its own. It was no longer just a utility and support ability, but a certified threatening ability.

Not to mention his new Concept. Ashen Rebirth might be the most powerful Concept in his arsenal right now. The feeling he had when he used it for a moment was unlike his other Concepts, it felt deeper and more profound than the others.

“So I guess your soul was able to take the influx of gaining a new epic skill quite easily huh?” Alice mused.

Julius turned to her. “What? You didn’t believe me?”

“I have learned that it’s better not to trust your opinion when it comes to your own personal safety,” she retorted quickly.

“Well, that’s rude.”

“But true,” she pointed out.

“Yeah yeah,” he grumbled out.

“Aren’t you going to at least try it?” Dante interjected.

Oh yeah, that’s a good idea. My soul is a lot better than it once was, but I can tell that there is still some soul damage left within it. I wonder if the new skill will be able to heal it completely.

He focused on the skill and slowly channeled some life and fire mana into the skill for the first time. He could notice the differences immediately. The pathways of the skill were much more streamlined and complex at the same time. He was also very interested to see that the skill required a higher ratio of fire mana than before.

It used to be mainly life mana with only a fraction of fire mana, but now while it was still mainly life mana, there was a much larger portion of fire mana involved. It made the skill seem much more explosive and fiery.

In other words, it felt really satisfying to use.

The first thing he focused the skill on was his soul. He calmly evaluated his own soul and detected the areas that needed some healing. Then he pushed the healing skill into these wounds with all of his strength.

His soul felt like it was on fire. But in a good way. It was a comforting fire that soothed the rigid scars of his soul like a miracle balm. However, he noticed something very interesting as the healing skill went to work. It was like his entire aura was engulfed in flames. Not only that, he looked down at his hands and saw circuits of red mana gently pulsing through his skin.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He pulled out a mirror from his storage ring and gave himself a look over. It was the same with the rest of his body. Instead of the flames that used to engulf his injuries it seemed as if it was more subtle.

I mean if glowing red lines in my skin can be called subtle, he joked with himself.

His soul was quickly restored to its previous luster. Albeit there were still some signs of abuse, he was pretty confident that they wouldn’t be going anywhere soon. He had a feeling that these little imperfections would stay with him for the rest of his life. These were little markers that showed the tribulations his soul went through.

He gave a little celebratory chuckle and looked over at Alice and Dante. Alice was giving a relieved smile at the success and Dante was giving him a grin with a curious glint in his old eyes.