ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟞: ℑ𝔫𝔫𝔞𝔱𝔢 𝔗𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔱 𝔘𝔫𝔩𝔬𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔡

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Noel scanned his surroundings, his eyes darting across the harsh desert landscape in search of cover. The open sand left him feeling exposed and vulnerable to lurking dangers, but a cluster of jagged rocks jutting out of the ground a short distance away caught his eye.

Between the larger boulders, there was a narrow crevice, barely wide enough for someone to squeeze through. The shadows cast by the rocks provided a cool, shaded area, offering at least some protection from the relentless sun and potential threats. It wasn’t perfect, but it was far better than being out in the open.

Carefully, Noel made his way over, crouching low as he approached the gap. He slid between the rocks, the rough stone brushing against his back as he squeezed into the tight space. Once inside, he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, grateful for the small measure of safety.

Once he felt more secure in his surroundings, he shifted his focus, pulling up the details of his newly unlocked Innate Talent.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Liability ⧼Grade-5⧽

allows the Host to inflict one of three types of Liabilities on themselves, enhancing damage received on the Liability-inflicted body part, at the same time enhancing the Host's overall damage output by the same factor. The higher the Liability, the greater the risk and reward.

* Calculated Liability: 2 times

* Cost: 2% Overall Spirit Energy per minute.

* Enhanced Liability: 4 times

* Cost: 4% Overall Spirit Energy per minute.

* Critical Liability: 6 times

* Cost: 6% Overall Spirit Energy per minute.

Liability Slots Available: 1

⧼ An additional slot becomes available with each higher Mastery Stage ⧽

⧼ Every 10 levels in Mastery comprise a Stage. With each higher Stage, a new Innate Exclusive Skill will be unlocked. ⧽

Lv.1 Liability Mastery

STAGE 1 ⧼Lv.1 - Lv.10⧽

⧼ Use your ability more to have Lv.1 Liability training methods Ingrain into your mind step-by-step. Comprehend them to forge your path ahead. ⧽

Innate Exclusive Skills

⧼ Unlock your first Exclusive Skill by reaching Lv.5 Liability Mastery ⧽

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Reviewing his Innate Talent, Noel realized it wasn’t as detrimental as the name implied. By weakening a part of his body, he could significantly boost his attack damage.

As long as he was careful, he should be able to deal damage beyond his current level, especially with the Critical Liability that amplified his damage output to six time his own.

The notification panel indicated that his current Mastery was at Level 1, and he needed to reach Level 5 to unlock his first Innate Exclusive Skill. As the details had mentioned, he needed to use his ability frequently to increase his Talent’s Mastery Level.

Noel considered calling out the command but remained silent, wary of alerting nearby monsters. Instead, he whispered softly, “Activate Calculated Liability.”

As soon as he spoke the words, a notification prompt appeared, asking him to select a body part to target with the Liability.

Noel's mind raced as he considered his options. Through the prompt in front of him, he understood that the body parts could be categorized by size and risk.

For Calculated Liability, he would need to target one of the Rudimentary parts—fingers, toes, elbows, or wrists—small and less vital, presenting the least risk due to their limited surface area.

Enhanced Liability required inflicting Liability on Minor parts such as the hands, feet, shoulders, or neck, offering a balance between risk and reward, with quadrupled damage output.

Finally, to use Critical Liability, he would need to choose one of his Major parts—like the head, torso, or legs—large areas that would expose him to significant danger but could amplify his damage output the most, increasing it to six times his normal level.

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While Critical Liability remained the most dangerous option, Calculated Liability was undeniably the safest choice, minimizing danger while still allowing him to harness the ability's power, even if it only doubled his damage output.

After some consideration, Noel selected his pinky toe as the target. He braced himself, unsure of what to expect. Almost immediately, he noticed a subtle change. The toe, though still hidden beneath his boot, began to emit a faint, light red glow that seemed to seep through the material.

To his surprise, he could see his toe with a light red glow through the boot, as if the fabric had turned translucent, revealing the targeted area.

At first, a surge of worry washed over him. ‘Will this make it easier for others to notice?’ But as he willed it, the glow seemed to dim slightly, reassuring him. It became clear that unless someone was directly looking at his toe, they wouldn’t notice anything unusual. As long as he kept it hidden, the effect would remain his secret.

However, there didn’t seem to be any other visible change in him. He didn’t feel a surge of strength or an increase in speed that would suggest his attacks were now twice as powerful. His body felt the same, no sudden bursts of energy coursing through his veins.

But then, as he took a moment to focus, he noticed something else—something peculiar. All over his body, a strange, shimmering layer began to form, like a haze hovering just above his skin.

It wasn’t solid or opaque, but rather resembled the way petrol or oil would evaporate on a hot surface, creating a distorted, almost wavy effect in the air around him. The layer clung close to his skin, bending and refracting light in a way that made the air around him seem to ripple and shift.

The effect was mesmerizing, like a thin veil of constantly shifting energy wrapped around him. It wasn’t flashy, but it caught the light just enough to create a subtle, intriguing display. The undulating layer followed his movements, trailing behind like an intangible aura.

Noel marveled at the sight. It didn’t directly enhance his physical abilities, but it hinted at a deeper power, one that he was eager to explore the full potential of.

Noel suppressed his curiosity to test how his ability improved his damage output, wary of causing a commotion that might attract more of the monsters he fought earlier. Instead, he shifted his focus to the 1 unit of Spirit Energy expended when using Calculated Liability.

To understand more about Spirit Energy, Noel reviewed the attributes listed in his STATUS. As he scanned through the information, and found an explanation for each of them.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Strength: 10 ﴿

* Equivalent to the average muscle power of an adult human, capable of lifting approximately 100-120 pounds (45-55 kg) with moderate effort. This translates into typical attack power for an untrained individual.

﴾ Agility: 10 ﴿

* Comparable to the average speed and reflexes of a healthy adult, with reaction times around 200-250 milliseconds and the ability to sprint at 12-15 mph (19-24 km/h).

﴾ Endurance: 10 ﴿

﴾ Stamina: 33/50 ⧼End x 5⧽﴿

﴾ Stamina Regen: 2 units per min ⧼End/5⧽﴿

* Reflects the stamina of an average adult who can engage in moderate physical activity (like jogging or manual labor) for extended periods. This includes an average standard of defense, bodily resilience, and a stamina regeneration rate of 1 point every minute.

﴾ Vitality: 10 ﴿

﴾ Health: 73/100 ⧼Vit x 10⧽ ﴿

﴾ Health Regen: 1 unit per min ⧼Vit / 10⧽ ﴿

* Represents the health of a typical adult, with the ability to recover from minor injuries like cuts or bruises within a few days. Health regeneration occurs at 1 point every minute, supporting normal immune function and healing.

﴾ Spirit: 10 ﴿

﴾ Spirit Energy: 49/50 ⧼Spr x 5⧽ ﴿

﴾ Spirit Pool Regen: 2 units per min ⧼Spr/5⧽﴿

* Equates to average cognitive abilities, such as normal thought processing speed, perception of time, and sensory awareness. This level supports clear, focused thinking under normal conditions, with Spirit Energy regenerating at a rate of 1 point every minute.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

‘Spirit affects my mental sharpness. I’ve used a unit for Calculated Liability, but it’ll regenerate soon,’ Noel thought. He realized the expenditure was low enough that it was essentially canceled out by his regeneration rate.

‘Which means... I can keep using Calculated Liability and even Enhanced Liability nonstop,’ he mused, realizing the potential of this ability. There was no cooldown for any of the three Liabilities, so he could theoretically maintain them indefinitely.

Even using Critical Liability didn’t demand much Spirit Energy, and the benefits far outweighed the costs. As he looked closer, Noel noticed there were slots for his Liabilities, suggesting that as his Mastery increased, he could eventually use multiple Liabilities simultaneously.

However, the more Liabilities he could activate at once, the more his Spirit Energy expenditure would scale up. But he had a long way to go before reaching that point.

After all, he was only at the 1st Mastery Level, and he needed to cross 10 more to reach the 2nd Mastery Stage, where he could increase his Liability slots by one.

That goal seemed far off, but his immediate focus was clear: reach Level 5 in Liability Mastery and unlock his first Exclusive Skill. He wondered what ability awaited him and how it might shift the balance in his favor.