The Fisher King found himself in a quiet, darkened space.
From the feel of the surface beneath him, he recognized that he was still lying in bed in he and Mina’s apartment.
He was not quite alone. He sensed his mother breathing nearby. Her breath and her pulse sounded stronger to his ears now. James guessed that some energy had been devoted to healing her in his absence.
He smiled slightly and then focused on his mission. Since he was alone here for the moment, there would be no distractions.
I’m going to read every single Skill and Title description again, James thought. I’ll leave no stone unturned in trying to improve my basic powers this time. Taking things as they come without having detailed plans for how I would win future encounters has taken me as far as it’s going to take me.
He opened up his Status screen.
[Status
Name: James Robard
Race: Evolver Human, Lv. 27
Class: Predator in Human Skin, Lv. 32
Job: Fisher King, Lv. 23
Health: 225/35,344
Mana: 33,660/33,660
Stamina: 33,124/33,124
Wrath Meter: 0%
Stats
Strength: 154
Agility: 166
Stamina: 182
Fortitude: 188
Dexterity: 140
Perception: 192
Will: 198
Intelligence: 170
Charisma: 200
Stealth: 180
Free Points: 0
Skills
Affinity of the Fisher King, Lv. 4
Air Strike, Lv. 5
Aura of the Fisher King, Lv. 6
Basic Elemental Magic: Earth, Lv. 4
Basic Elemental Magic: Gravity, Lv. 4
Basic Elemental Magic: Water, Lv. 4
Basic Non-Elemental Magic, Lv. 2
Berserk Mode, Lv. 0
Blame Avoidance, Lv. 5
Blessing of the Fisher King, Lv. 5
Command Presence, Lv. 1
Command Structure
Compulsion, Lv. 5
Curse of the Fisher King, Lv. 1
Dense Bones, Lv. 1
Dominion
Dreamwalk, Lv. 7
Echolocation, Lv. 0
Empathic Projection, Lv. 12
Enhanced Stem Cell Production, Lv. 9
False Reality, Lv. 6
Fate Resistance
Full Body Control, Lv. 5
Goodwill of the Fisher King, Lv. 5
Hand of Glory, Lv. 2
Identify, Lv. 9
Illusion Magic, Lv. 5
Indeterminate Past, Lv. 0
Intelligence of the Fisher King, Lv. 2
Laying on Hands, Lv. 7
Lightning Strike, Lv. 3
Loyal Following, Lv. 5
Mass Blessing of the Fisher King, Lv. 2
Mass Pillage, Lv. 2
Meteor Strike, Lv. 3
Mind of the Predator, Lv. 7
Monster Control, Lv. 9
Monster Generation, Lv. 9
Natural Camouflage, Lv. 3
Omnivore, Lv. 6
Organization, Lv. 6
Otherworldly Shriek, Lv. 1
Pain Resistance, Lv. 9
Perfect Choice of Words, Lv. 7
Pillage, Lv. 12
Predator’s Missile, Lv. 3
Predator’s Sacred Armor, Lv. 2
Predator’s Strike, Lv. 6
Predator’s Venomous Armaments, Lv. 1
Proficient Silk Fabrication, Lv. 2
Rapid Recovery, Lv. 7
Self-Control, Lv. 4
Shed Skin, Lv. 9
Silent Spellcasting
Skill Fusion
Skill Transfer
Solar Ray, Lv. 2
Solar Recovery, Lv. 4
Soul Bind, Lv. 1
Soul Magic, Lv. 2
Spellbinding Words, Lv. 2
Summon Divine Helper, Lv. 1
System Interface
System Store Access
Territorial Control, Lv. 5
Thick Skin, Lv. 1
Threads of Fate, Lv. 1
Universal Language Comprehension
Way of the Predator, Lv. 6
Will of the Fisher King, Lv. 2
Zone of Influence, Lv. 1
Talents
Alpha Presence, Lv. 1
Basic Spellcraft, Lv. 6
Brutal Strength
Cannibalism, Lv. 6
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Cool-Headed, Lv. 8
Earth Affinity
Efficient Magic, Lv. 5
Elementalist
Fisher Land Management, Lv. 5
Fisher Sentient Resources, Lv. 4
Flame Affinity
Genius Loci, Lv. 2
Leadership, Lv. 5
Manipulation, Lv. 9
Marksmanship, Lv. 4
Mass Manipulation, Lv. 3
Monster Patriarch, Lv. 9
Ogre Constitution, Lv. 1
Pain Resistance, Lv. 3
Selective Empathy, Lv. 6
Solar Power, Lv. 3
Soul Eater, Lv. 1
Ultrasonic Pitch, Lv. 0
Water Affinity
Titles
A Stitch in Time
Aeromaster
Avenger
Blessed One of Vidarr
Chosen One of Anansi
Citizen of the Dead Marsh
Deceiver
Devout Beacon
Dreamweaver
Figure of Destiny
Friend of All Spiders
Living Legend
Pack Leader
Pillar of Creation
Ruler of the Dark Waters
Savior
Silencer
Spider-King
Storyteller
Sublime Creator
Swiss Army Mage
System Pioneer
Trickster
Usurper
Xenocide II]
The first thing James noticed about his Status was that his Health was still ludicrously low. He apparently had 225/35,344 Health remaining.
You could kill me with a feather, he thought.
Then he was delving into his Skills again.
James was struck by several weaknesses that he thought were holding him back.
My magic is all still at the basic level, I have only a handful of other attacking options besides just beating people to death with raw Strength, and besides Pillage and my self-healing Skills, almost everything else is under-leveled…
The newer Skills were not particularly impressive either.
[Thick Skin: Grow thick layers of skin that dampen the force of attacks and make it less likely that cutting and piercing attacks cause bleeding.]
[Dense Bones: Develop strong, dense bones that endure heavy blows more effectively.]
The fact that the descriptions were very short suggested to James that the abilities were fairly basic. Most of his stronger Skills had longer descriptions than that. More than one sentence at least.
So I should try to use Skill Fusion and combine those with something to amplify one of my other Skills…
Fortunately, most of James’s bread and butter Skills were more inspiring.
[Monster Generation: Create new monsters from parts of yourself. Designate biomass within, or recently connected to, your body, hold the design of your monster and which of your Skills you wish it to inherit firmly in your mind, and inject sufficient Mana to give it life. Effectiveness scales with all aspects of your personal power.]
[Predator’s Strike: An unusually precise, swift, and deadly movement evocative of the power of a hidden predator suddenly springing from cover. Enhances any form of attack, whether physical, magical, or otherwise aligned. Activation cost of 10% of base Stamina. Effect scales with all physical Stats. Ability may develop with your Class.]
[Predator’s Venomous Armaments: Imbue your attacks with venom synthesized from your own body. Consumed varying amounts of biomass, Stamina, and Mana based on the user’s nature and intent. Effectiveness varies based on the user's body composition, Mana, and other Skills. Venom is harmless to the user.]
Those are all great Skills, James thought, sighing. Powerful—and already pretty much perfect.
He thought it would be wonderful if he could combine a couple of his more mediocre Skills and get something close to those iconic abilities in effectiveness.
I think Thick Skin and Dense Bones are pretty worthless on their own. Soul Bind isn’t actually very useful, so maybe fuse that with something. Even Natural Camouflage isn’t really necessary. I still have the Shapechanger’s Cloak in my magic satchel, and I can transfer the Invisibility and Shapechange Skills from that to my body if I want a permanent method for hiding. Not that I need it. Soul Bind isn’t a great Skill either, currently. It might be better if I could combine it with another Skill, so I don’t have to be touching the target to hold it in place. And then there’s the Berserk Mode Skill. Now that I’m with my family, I’m never angry enough to use it, and there’s also a non-zero chance that I could go berserk around them. All of that counsels in favor of combining it with something or just getting rid of it altogether.
James had already considered different some of this while he was in the wyvern, but it was different now that he was back in his own body. He hadn’t had access to any of his Skill descriptions while he was away, and he had kept being distracted by the pleasure of flying.
Now that he was lying alone in a darkened room, he had almost nothing to do but mess around with his Status.
But several of his Titles called out for his attention first. In particular, the Titles James had obtained from Vidarr, besides the Blessed One of Vidarr Title, were completely new to him. He had been knocked unconscious by the System almost immediately after he obtained them. So, now, even though he could not change them as he could change his Skills by fusing them together, he gave each new Title a good hard look.
[Pillar of Creation: A god of vengeance is an enduring force, scorning danger until the mission is accomplished. The same is true of his faithful servants. As the recipient of Vidarr’s blessing, gain substance and develop a deeper stability. You will not die easily.]
[Avenger: A god of vengeance is defined by his grudges, as are his faithful servants. When you feel that you have a legitimate grievance against an opponent for past wrongs, enjoy a dramatic power boost, varying in intensity with the depth of the wrong. Gain increased efficacy for abilities that depend on negative emotionality.]
[Silencer: A god of vengeance does not mince words in the thick of the mission, nor does he allow others the opportunity to spout pointless verbiage. The same is true of his faithful servants. As the recipient of Vidarr’s blessing, gain additional power when you are focused on defeating an opponent or group of opponents and have ceased speaking for at least one minute. Enjoy a high probability of inflicting the “Silenced” condition on the opponent(s) by sheer proximity, varying in likelihood with how long you maintain your silence and how focused you are on the battle.]
Yeah, I’m going to be a powerhouse, James thought. Even more than I was. Ignoring the pompous wording that seems to reflect Vidarr’s slightly eccentric personality, I have to be grateful. That Silencer Title seems like it would make me some kind of Mage-killing machine, since as far as I’ve seen, most of them need to chant to use magic. Avenger would work really well with Berserk Mode, although I still haven’t ever tapped into that Skill. It’s even possible that the Pillar of Creation Title kept me alive when the System tried to kill me before…
He ran his eyes over the Skills once more, considering how he might combine some of them and how well those combinations might fit with his new Titles and existing repertoire of abilities. Then a sound jolted him out of his focus.
What are you doing, master? Roscuro’s voice murmured into James’s mind.
Oh, right, James thought. I guess I’m not quite alone even if it feels like it.
Taking stock of my Skills and Titles, James replied telepathically. I want to optimize myself so that random events like what happened in the forest can’t take me out of commission so easily. And if I can get stronger before I’ve recovered, then being injured is also slightly less of a nuisance.
Mm, wise thinking, Roscuro replied. For a while, there, I had suspected that you were actually making life difficult for yourself on purpose with the long list of Skills you possess. As you know, I see and hear what you do, generally, so I have seen your Status sheet many times. The Stats themselves were incredibly powerful, but I saw instantly that there was no way that you could actually train all of those Skills. I guessed that by acquiring so many, you must be deliberate handicapping yourself, trying to make each battle slightly more difficult. It seemed consistent with the fearless and bloodthirsty fighter who ripped me apart with his bare hands… Still, I am relieved to know that you are taking your situation more seriously now. After all, no matter how confident you are in your power, and no matter how much honor there is in winning battles in which you deliberately put yourself at a disadvantage, you do have your family to consider…
James swallowed and did not immediately respond.
He thought I was trying not to optimize myself, on purpose. Really? The Soul Eater is mocking me, right?
But James suspected that was not the case. Roscuro didn’t seem to care much for banter most of the time, and he was probably too afraid or respectful of James, as the person who had killed the Soul Eater in the first place, to make fun of him. Roscuro had also mentioned that he had been a warrior of some sort in a previous life, so it was plausible that codes of honor were something he had once believed in and took seriously, though Roscuro was certainly more evil than that now.
Have I really been planning my pursuit of power that poorly? he wondered.
Thank you for those thoughtful words, he sent to Roscuro in a serious tone. I will consider my modifications carefully…
Then James began finally messing around with Skill Fusion, looking for stronger combinations of Skills.
Looking over the Skills he had barely trained, Basic Non-Elemental Magic was near the top of the list.
He tried a temporary combination of Thick Skin, Dense Bones, and Non-Elemental Magic, but that created Invisible Shell, which seemed to be redundant, a less powerful version of Predator’s Sacred Armor. He attempted a couple of other fusions with Thick Skin, but they were generally fairly feeble Skills that he would not use, and he quickly defused them.
James’s first permanent Skill Fusion of the afternoon involved a Skill he had never thought he would risk giving up: Silent Spellcasting.
But he replaced it with something he expected would be even more powerful.
James finalized his initial Skill Fusion selections. Silent Spellcasting fused with Natural Camouflage to make Hidden Magic.
[Hidden Magic: Employing a subtlety reflective of magical mastery, the user casts magic without giving off any perceptible sign. Magic of average complexity becomes a matter of pure Intelligence and Will, a reflex akin to breathing or thought, requiring minimal focus. The user’s Mana is rendered permanently invisible, silent, and intangible during casting, even to the user. Effectiveness is unreliable against beings above mortal tier.]
James sucked in a breath as he read the last line of the description. He remembered the phrase, “Effectiveness is unreliable against beings above mortal tier.” It had been a part of the descriptions for the Ring of Truth and the Ring of Lies that Anansi gave him.
This was the first Skill he had ever created that had that modifier.
A phrase that came up in the descriptions for items given to me by a god…
James thought it had to be significant. Hidden Magic would have mundane utility. It wasn’t game-breaking as far as he could tell. But it might represent the peak of what it was possible for Skill Fusion to create, at least until James himself grew stronger and perhaps rose to a new tier of power.
That looks like quite a Skill, Roscuro whispered in James’s mind, echoing James’s thoughts.
It’s definitely one of the most impressive I’ve ever acquired, James acknowledged.
More than that, this will just be incredibly useful, James thought. In combination with the Elementalist Talent, which allows me to use elemental magic without casting time, I’ll be able to use whatever elemental magic I want suddenly and without any warning. He smiled. I guess I’m going to start leveling up those elemental magic Skills again…
Be careful with it, Roscuro added after a moment. The Skill will give you incredible offensive and defensive leverage in many future engagements, but if it makes your Mana completely imperceptible even to you, you may not recognize when you are overusing it. Suddenly running out of Mana in a fight is… most unpleasant.
James had the distinct impression that the Soul Eater was speaking from experience.
I will keep that in mind, he replied.
That seems like a good reason to practice using my new Skill…
