Yuki took a moment to absorb the information, the system window vanishing as soon as she did. She let out a low, satisfied breath before pulling up her status screen.

  The familiar blue window materialized in front of her, detailing her attributes, skills, and everything else. Her finger slid across the screen, going over her stats once more, her eyes scanning them carefully.

  Name: —Soul Name: —Race: Void-Infected Human (Intermediate) (King)Ascension: 2Status: Disaster

  Attributes:

  Vigor: 3607/3607

  Magic: 4408

  Strength: 3961/3961

  Spirit: 2717/3717

  Skills:

  Uncommon:[Swordsmanship TI]: Increases proficiency and effectiveness with swords, enhancing speed and precision in combat.[Lancesmanship TI]: Boosts skill with polearms, improving range, thrusting speed, and accuracy.[Makeshift Weapons User TI]: Grants expertise in using improvised or unconventional weapons, making them more effective in combat.[Spellcasting TI]: Enhances magical aptitude, allowing precise control and execution of spells.[Meditation TI]: Promotes mental crity and mana recovery by focusing the mind and body. 50% Mana Recovery Speed. [Mana Sense TI]: Grants the ability to detect and analyze the flow of mana in the surroundings. [Expel Mana TI]: Enables controlled release of mana to manipute energy or fuel abilities. [Inject Mana TI]: Allows the infusion of mana into objects, individuals, or spells for various effects.

  Rare:[Foreign Energy Absorption TI]: Absorbs external energy sources, converting them into usable mana.[Conversion TII]: Allows for the Conversion of stats from one to another to replenish energy levels for a specific stat quickly.[Overwhelmed TI]: Increases stats by a percentage based on the difference between current and maximum energy reserves, with a 5% increase for every 10% difference.[Detection TI]: Detects entities and traps in a wide area but risks sensory overload, mana drain, and increased vulnerability.[Kin Control TI]: Allows the user to exert control over lesser kin of the species, maniputing their actions and movement to some extent through Retion to the user.[Smite TI]: Allows for the use of holy power to all down a pilr of holy light from high heaven.[Holy Shield TI]: Grants 20% resistance to blunt damage and 50% to all sources of negative energy. [Elemental Coating: Necrotic TI] Coats attacks with Necrotic Energy, causing damage from negative energy.

  Unique:[Void Resonance TII]: Grants control over void energy, amplifying void-based abilities while increasing risk of soul instability with prolonged use.[Harvest TII]: Extracts 40% of a dead target's stats and has a 30% chance to steal a skill, with a 5% chance for an additional skill, but causes soul instability from imbanced stat gains.[Survivor TII]: Boosts defensive stats by 50%, allows survival of fatal attacks every 12 hours, and restores 20% HP, but halves HP regeneration for 6 hours after activation.

  Legendary:[Disaster: Four Paths]: Combination of the [Hero TI], [Infernal Lord TI], [Celestial TI], [King TI]. Upon activation this skill will activate one of both sub skill selections for and activate there effects. Skill Activation Time One Hour, Skill Cooldown 4 Hours.

  Traits:

  Passive F: [Alert TI]Passive D: [Cooperation TI]Passive B: [Shadow Affinity TI], [Earth Affinity TI], [Holy Affinity TI]Passive A: [Survivor T1], [Easily Forgotten TI], [Mana Overflow TI], [Ether Overflow TI], [Death Faded TI], [Touched by the Void TI]Passive S: [Soul Damage TIII], [Four Paths]Passive X: [Void Infection TII], [Soul Circuits Internal Break TII], [Soul Fracture TI]Titles:Moniker Titles: [Hero Of Monsters]Achievement Titles: [Overcoming],[First King], [Hero Killer]Syer Titles: [Wolf Syer], [Beast Syer]Css-Based Titles: [World Css Holder]Curse Titles: [Touched by the Void], [Death Faded]Unique Titles: [System Survivor], [Mortal Celestial]Fate Titles: [Discarded], [Survivor], [Follower of K■■■■ Y■■■■■]World Titles: [Summoned Hero], [Forgotten One], [Anomaly], [Disaster, Four Paths]

  Her eyes lingered on the new addition. Elemental Coating: Necrotic TI. She had a lot of thoughts on the use of such a skill and even more about the horrors she would need to do if she wished to bring Lirien back. Yuki activated another window; and took a look at the numbers

  [System Notice: Harvest Skill (Unprocessed Souls; 32/100)]

  Yuki Hated this about the system. It barley expined things and sometimes not at all sometimes you would have to figure things out yourself. That was why Yuki wished to go to the library in an attempt of finding info on skills and the system possibility even for a way to fix this terrible system of dispying things.

  After reviewing her stats once more, Yuki felt herself growing increasingly tired. The long day was finally catching up with her, and despite the weight of the knowledge she had gained, there was still the exhaustion of body and mind. She stretched briefly, then crawled into the bed, curling up under the thin covers. Closing her eyes, she let the quiet hum of the room and the distant sounds of the city lull her into a restless sleep.

  Morning came far too quickly. Yuki stirred, rubbing her eyes as the first light of day crept through the window. The city was waking up, but she had no immediate pns to rush anywhere. She spent a few moments stretching, getting her bearings for the day ahead.

  Her thoughts went back to the city, and the pce she had asked the front desk clerk about earlier. There was a particur shop that sold skills—a pce she had been meaning to visit for some time. She had learned that these shops often carried rare, unique, and sometimes dangerous skills. If there was something else she could unlock, something that could give her an edge, it would be worth investigating.

  Yuki got up and dressed herself with practiced ease, pulling on her armor and cloak. She didn’t feel the need to linger in the inn, and after a quick breakfast, she made her way downstairs and out into the bustling streets of the city. The sun was higher in the sky now, its warm glow catching the stones of the buildings and making the city feel alive with possibility.

  Following the directions given to her by the clerk, Yuki made her way to the shop. The streets grew increasingly crowded, filled with merchants hawking their wares and people going about their business. The shop was tucked away on a quieter corner of the district, a small stone building with no obvious signage. It looked nondescript—no grand windows or fshy dispys, just a simple wooden door with a single bell above it.

  Yuki hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. The air within the shop was cool, and the smell of aged paper and incense filled her nostrils. The shelves were lined with countless books, each one containing the promise of new knowledge and power. Some were old and dusty, others fresh and pristine. The variety of colors and shapes made it hard to know where to look first.

  A small, thin man stood behind the counter, his spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose as he stared intently at the book in front of him. He didn't seem to notice her at first, so Yuki stepped closer, her footsteps soft on the wooden floor.

  After a moment, the man looked up, his sharp eyes scanning her before settling into a neutral expression. "Can I help you?" His voice was smooth but firm.

  "I'm looking to purchase a few skills," Yuki replied, her tone steady.

  The man raised an eyebrow but nodded, gesturing toward the shelves. "We have a wide selection. You have something specific in mind?"

  "Yes," Yuki said, walking closer to one of the shelves. She began to scan the titles, her fingers tracing over the spines of the books. Most of them seemed unremarkable, but one or two caught her attention—a few marked with golden seals indicating their rarity.

  After a few minutes of browsing, Yuki stepped forward to the counter with several books in hand. One was particurly striking: Spellcasting TI. She had heard of this skill before—it was rare and highly coveted. The ability to cast spells with efficiency, to unlock the power within the mind and direct it with precision.

  The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow as he eyed her selections. “I see you have an eye for quality,” he commented dryly. “I assume you know what you're looking for?”

  Yuki nodded. “I’m interested in this one, Spellcasting TI, and a few others.”

  The man nodded again and took the books from her, flipping through them briefly before locking eyes with her. “You trying to be a spellcaster? You know that skill is expensive right?” He leaned over the counter, his voice lowering.

  “I am.” She said while looking at the man. The man nodded before speaking "Alright, Its 18 gold pieces for Spellcasting TI, and an additional 8 for the others .”

  Yuki didn’t hesitate. She pulled out the required amount of gold from her pouch, pcing it on the counter without so much as a second thought. The shopkeeper examined the gold, then met her gaze again. “Very well.” He slid the books toward her.

  Yuki took the books, her fingers brushing the covers as she felt the weight of what she was about to unlock. The shopkeeper gave her a curt nod, and Yuki made her way back toward the door. She paused for a moment, gncing back.

  The shopkeeper gave her a knowing smile. “Good luck with your journey,” he said.

  Yuki nodded in acknowledgment, stepping outside into the sunlit street. The books were heavy in her hands, but they held the key to something much more significant. The skill she had just purchased, Spellcasting TI, was going to be invaluable.

  Kiera_Yanagi