The houses here were neatly arranged—simple and modest on the left, gradually becoming more luxurious and refined to the right, ranging from single-story structures up to three stories tall. Of course, there was a designated resting zone for beastkin, but that one was on a different planet and had to be accessed through a teleportation gate.
“568, 569... ah, there it is.”
Helier passed by rows of houses, finally stopping in front of House No. 574—his.
The lower the number, the better the accommodations. The numbers were assigned based on players’ total rankings from both selection rounds, combined with their home planet’s sponsorship ranking for the Witch Association and the game itself—where the latter held more weight.
He looked up at the two-story building in front of him—simple and unadorned—and smiled before pushing open the door.
Inside was clean, tidy, and spacious. Full bath, comfortable bed, everything he needed. Not bad at all. This was his first home.
Helier quickly washed up, changed into the set of pajamas he’d casually picked up earlier in the marketplace, and flopped onto the bed.
Opening his backpack space, he laid out the four unused Star Pigments. After spending some time comprehending them, he stared at the four lines of newly acquired techniques floating before him, falling into thought.
“What’s wrong?” the system asked, concerned.
“Mister System, so... every time I kill a Star-Eater Beast, I get a Star Pigment, right? That means... by the end, everyone’s gonna have like, thousands of painting skills?”
Two of the techniques he’d just learned were already kind of similar to the Small Healing Spell—same effect, different strokes. Which felt... kinda redundant?
The system read his thoughts in a second. “You could end up with thousands, yes. But if you don’t want that many, there’s another option—combining your painting techniques.”
“Sounds fun.” Helier’s eyes sparkled. He knew the system would have a workaround.
A blank screen popped up.
“Try using your imagination. What does ‘healing’ look like to you?”
“Healing... hmm...” He closed his eyes, pondering.
“If learning a technique is like interpreting someone else’s painting to find your own meaning—then combining techniques is taking the patterns you do have and creating a brand new painting,” the system explained patiently.
Helier’s eyes lit up. He suddenly saw it—a complete picture forming in his mind.
It was a grand meteor shower, streaking across the vast sky, crashing into the earth, obliterating all the Star-Eaters. And somewhere far beyond the galaxies, the Star-Devouring Will was watching—so mad it trembled all over and coughed up three liters of blood!
“You look inspired. So, what pigments do you want to use for this masterpiece?”
As the system spoke, Helier channeled all his Star Pigments and materials from his inventory into the painting. The image took form and appeared on the virtual canvas.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The system peeked at his work, then frowned. “Uh... where’s the healing part in this?”
“Come on, a sky full of meteors blowing up Star-Eaters, driving Mr. Black Hole insane—that’s not healing?” Helier countered. “Tell me that’s not cathartic.”
The system inhaled slowly, exhaled deeply, and decided to accept this very bold interpretation. “Alright... not bad. Your composition has tension and solid imagery. Colors blend well. Nothing clashes.”
Gotta hype the kid up. What else can it do?
Helier tilted his chin up proudly. A true artist was in the house!
“But, Mister System—these blank spots on the canvas, is that okay?” He pointed at some areas that lacked color. He’d imagined using pigments he didn’t currently possess.
“Should be fine. A complete image would have stronger effects, but for now, this is enough. You can patch it later,” the system reassured him. Then added, “But you’ve got a more urgent issue.”
A new system window popped up.
Combined Painting Skill: Star of Healing
Pigments Used: Teal, Aquamarine, Ochre...
Materials Used: Whitecap Mushroom, Silver Pinecone, Greenbone Vine...
Effect: Unleashes a wide-area meteor shower that damages Star-Eaters and restores HP to allies.
Cost: Soulcolor, 100 points.
Helier leaned in to read—and froze. His Soulcolor was currently 97. Which meant he couldn’t even cast it. And even if he chugged a bunch of stuff to make up the difference, it would all be gone in one go. He’d be out cold immediately after.
So he turned to the system with puppy-dog eyes. “Help.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” The system split the artwork into seven puzzle pieces. Removing one piece reduced the number of Star Pigments needed, along with the effect and cost.
“Adjust as you see fit.”
“Amazing! How’d you pull that off?” Helier asked while fiddling with the pieces, surprised this could even be salvaged.
“Layers. I added some layers. Though for you, that concept’s still a bit advanced. We’ll cover it in detail later.”
Helier nodded, not pressing further.
Soon, he completed the puzzle. Small Healing Spell, Acceleration, and three other techniques were kept together. “Energy Absorb” and one new skill were removed for now—he’d save those.
Then came the real thrill: crafting a Borrowed Power Card!
The system stayed silent. It could tell Helier’s real motive this time wasn’t making money—it was flexing. He just wanted everyone to see his painting.
Sure enough, the moment the card was finished, Helier sent it straight to his buddy, Mister Falcon—
Ding!
A system on the other end received the message.
——
Behind the residential area stood the Trial Towers.
Six towers, each uniquely designed—crowned swords, lances with warhorses, daggers with bows, armor with shields, blossoming wands, chessboards and lanterns. Together, they represented the six primary roles.
Agalia’s team stood before the “Crown & Blade” tower, just about to push open its doors.
“Hey, Captain—Helier sent a card.” Filio transferred 500 MoGlow to Helier as thanks, then took out the card.
The moment he drew it, his eyes widened—it had turned gold.
“Whistle~ Kid’s got skill. That’s a combo technique, yeah?” Ted commented.
“Mmhm. Seems so. Captain, wanna give it a try?” Filio handed the card to Agalia.
“Sure.” Agalia took the card and glanced at it.
“Whoa, really? I thought you'd reject it, just like how you told me and Ted not to get involved when we enter.”
“Because I’m curious.”
Agalia’s reply was blunt. She pushed open the doors and stepped inside.
Behind her, the other two exchanged a look and sighed—bruised hearts, clearly.
Why doesn’t she get curious about us...
Supporting each other, they followed her into the tower.
Crownblade Tower, First Floor.
The interior resembled an arena—spacious, open, perfect for duels.
Objective: Defeat 20 Level-1 Star-Eaters within 1 hour.
The system’s voice rang out as waves of Star-Eaters swarmed toward them.
Agalia didn’t hesitate. She tossed the card forward.
Helier’s silhouette appeared at her side. With a dramatic sweep of his hands, the sky lit up—a meteor shower of green stars, enhanced by Acceleration, rained down like artillery, pounding the field.
Fierce wind pressure swept the arena. The trio remained silent, but clearly shared the same thought.
Where’s the healing part...?
After a moment, Agalia remembered: the skill’s second half mentioned the meteors only targeted Star-Eaters.
She activated a blood-burning enhancement skill, dropping her HP to half, then walked into the impact zone—letting the meteors rain down on her.
Sure enough, it didn’t hurt. In fact, her HP instantly returned to full.
Seeing the system notification that the first floor was cleared, Agalia paused briefly, then opened the Borrowed Power Card system and crafted a gold card.
“Filio, send this to Helier for me.”