John had to learn all the muscles and tendons in the body a while ago for an anatomy related [Skill], but he had forgotten the names of most. Same with the bones. He could only remember the big and important ones he had already known long before Avatar’s classes.
The lower left area of John’s head took the brunt of the beam attack, and one of the big tendons that connect the neck and head was gone, making head movement difficult and painful. Part of the skull and spine were showing.
The pain wasn’t much of an issue. Losing head mobility was the problem. Growing a big tendon and all that muscle back would take some time. Before the Tree of Life, it would’ve taken months. John wasn’t sure anymore. He healed much faster now.
Marbrouk ran John’s three new light-green crystals up to Hux to place new wagers with. Since he needed to meditate, Hux was told to just keep rolling John’s winnings into the next fight. If any other Duels were to the death, Marbrouk would quickly run those crystals up to Hux too.
While waiting to be announced, John was half-meditating. Every little bit of healing helped. He was excited and trying to hold off on finally creating [Synergies]. His [Unbind Defense] had shot up to 40, right to the peak of Journeyman Mastery, at the cusp of Expert Mastery.
Everyone agreed that the higher the [Skill] Mastery used for [Synergies], the better the effect. If [Unbind Defense] shot up 12 points from protecting against three unbind attempts, John was certain he could get another point in the next Duel.
A new wave of excitement and relief flowed through John. He finally passed the bottleneck plaguing him for so long. His chances to sweep the Duels shot up. His opponents would hesitate to pick full manifestations as a term knowing they’d have to survive the plasma meteorites. He expected the makan to pick full manifestations, but other than her, there were only a few other Platinum competitors he thought might.
John hoped applying the same unorthodox methods he had with [Unbind Defense] to [Unbind Manifestation] would have the same results. If it did, he hoped his unbinds were as painful to his opponents’ energy system as Ridge-head’s had been to his own. Even if it didn’t work with unbinding manifestation, just being able to protect against unbinds now was a game changer.
Then John noticed someone feeling into him with their senses, much the same as he did when using the blood power, except there was no malicious intent. It was done to size John up and see if any information could be gathered. Still, doing so was considered very rude.
After looking around with his orb-eye, John determined the source of the intrusion was the opponent he’d next battle. The terms of the Duel were to submission and self-manifestations and gear only, chosen by his avian opponent. He had learned that race was called qraads.
Using his new technique, John violently expelled the Platinum. It looked like the expulsion caused at least some shock to the qraad.
John felt his harmony increase. With a big smile on his face, he excitedly entered his Mind’s Eye.
Before John could speak, Avatar said, “You felt it correctly. [Unbind Defense] is now within the Expert Mastery tier. No sense holding off any longer. Next Mastery is Adept at 61. I hope you’ve come to realize the advice Sublime Sunshine gave you regarding [Synergies] is superstitious hogwash. Whereas my advice is based on fact.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” replied John. “There’s no harm trying out what he said. If nothing calls out to me, I’ll go with your recommendation. Is that recommendation still the same? Maybe I don’t need to include [Unbind Defense] anymore?”
“You’re the one that said including it was non-negotiable. It’s a good idea if you still plan on fighting higher tiers so often. For alternatives, there’s…”
John tuned Avatar out. Fighting higher tiers was an absolute necessity, and so was using manifestations during those fights.
With [Synergies], up to four [Skills] were picked, grouped together, and somewhat merged. What was called synergized. The [Skills] chosen would increase faster and influence and change one another in ways that would be unknown until after they were synergized.
One of the best benefits of [Synergies] was that it determined [Class], which would provide a unique and different kind of manifestation or [Perk]-like benefit based on the [Skills] chosen, [Skill] level and Mastery, and how the [Skills] interacted.
It was a common belief that the name of the [Class] was an indicator of where the cultivator was going – what path they were following, and how high they’d climb. Avatar said that wasn’t true and [Class] name, more often than not, wasn’t a great predictor of anything. For the purpose of the NCS, the name of the [Class] was mainly to classify [Synergy] groupings and help name the manifestation or [Perk]-like benefit the [Synergy] provided.
John could choose any [Skill] for the [Synergy] group as long as it was Journeyman or higher Mastery, 31 or over. Two to four [Skills] could be grouped together and synergized. Everyone agreed picking less than four [Skills] was about the stupidest thing someone could do, but it could be done.
There were a ton of choices and strategies John could follow. Avatar and Sunshine had slightly different advice. [Unbind Defense] was a given. Both thought he should pick [Leech Feckless Retreat Technique], his meditation technique, which was also his highest level [Skill] at 96.48, Legendary Mastery.
They both were of a similar mind as Preceptor Muzaran and thought [Unbind Manifestation] was a necessity. But that’s where their agreement ended.
For the last [Skill], Sunshine told John to see which called out to be joined with the others. Avatar thought John should disregard that advice and pick a common [Skill] he had never tracked called [Runic Knowledge].
John would see if a specific [Skill] called out to him. If one didn’t, he knew what he’d probably pick. [Essence Manipulation], along with his affinities towards his own concepted essence, or quintessence, and his aspect levels, determined how well John controlled and manipulated the essence and energy within his own body and his capacity to form it into manifestations. Currently, his [Essence Manipulation] was at 47, also Adept Mastery. It had increased by a point since he last checked his summary.
[Runic Knowledge], in John’s opinion, would be a stupid [Skill] to select for [Synergy]. It covered his knowledge of runes. Runes were the basic building blocks of all the ways essence was manifested.
When John had acquired the Tech 4 NCS after leaving the NetherRealm, [Runic Knowledge] was already 33, Journeyman Mastery. Since he had learned so much since then about various runes and [Runecrafting], it had shot up and currently was at 67, Adept Mastery.
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To John, selecting [Runic Knowledge] for [Synergy], a [Skill] the NCS considered common and didn’t show in the summary by default since it was so basic, would be a stupid and wasted pick. He had a ton of [Skills] that would fit his goals much better. His sword [Skill] was at Grandmaster Mastery. He had a ton of other useful [Skills] in Master level Mastery too.
John thought either his cycling technique or breathing technique would be much better choices since the highest Mastery [Skill] going into the [Synergy] was his meditation technique, but not as good a choice as [Essence Manipulation].
The possible choices were many.
John would see if a [Skill] called out to him before deciding, and he prayed if a [Skill] did call out, that [Skill] wasn’t [Runic Knowledge].
Once John picked the four [Skills], Avatar would guide him through the process of synergizing them. Then he’d have a [Class] and a new manifestation or [Perk]-like ability named after his new [Class].
After navigating to the [Skills and Synergies] tab, John dragged and dropped [Leech Feckless Retreat Technique] into the first [Synergy] block.
The blocks disappeared and John’s vision blurred to the point he couldn’t see. When his eyes were able to refocus, he was looking at a tab he had never seen before. The GUI elements were very different from the rest of the NCS, which had always been uniform and consistent.
The words the NCS used had never been of an Earthly language. It was called ‘divine script,’ and it could be understood and read without the reader knowing how to read at all.
When John looked at ‘divine script,’ it wasn’t translated like other words in languages he didn’t know. He just understood the words. What he was looking at now was very different. He couldn’t read this new script at all, and the words weren’t translated.
There were four symbols spaced out, three forming a large triangle with the fourth symbol in the center. The strange, untranslated script showed both above and below each symbol. The scripts on top were larger than the scripts below, and there was much more of it below the symbols.
A glowing light connected each symbol together, creating a large triangle shape.
The top symbol was a grouping of the three moons. On the left, the waxing crescent, full moon in the middle, and the waning crescent on the right.
In the center of the triangle, one circle within the other, were two snakes, each eating its own tail, the ouroboros. The outer snake faced right, and the snake within faced left.
On the bottom right of the triangle were two pentagrams next to each other. The first pointing up, the second pointing down.
On the bottom left was a spiral within a square.
All four were ancient symbols very familiar to John. He had seen each many times used by many cultures throughout his long life.
“Avatar, what is this? Why did the tab change to this? And why can’t I read any of it?”
Avatar popped into John’s vision. “You opened a new tab. It’s blank. What are you trying to do? Separate [Synergies] from the [Skills and Synergies] tab?”
“Blank? I didn’t open this,” replied John. “It opened itself. And it certainly isn’t blank. The script isn’t translating so I can’t read what it says though.”
“John, I’m looking through your perspective, seeing what you are, and you’re looking at a blank tab you just opened a few moments ago. You definitely opened it. We have a log. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes! I’m fine. I’m telling you, it opened itself. I dragged and dropped my meditation technique into the first [Synergy] field and this tab opened on its own. There’s writing all over it, and symbols too. I know all the symbols but can’t read any of the words. It isn’t translating.”
Avatar put on her glasses. “Okay, well, we’ll just go back to the [Skills and Synergies] tab and try again. There’ve been some cases of entities hallucinating within their Mind’s Eye, and you did just take a nasty head injury.”
“I’m telling you…never mind, I’ll just do as you say.”
John went back to the [Skills and Synergies] tab and dragged and dropped [Leech Feckless Retreat Technique] into the first [Synergy] block again. Then all the [Synergy] blocks disappeared.
John’s vision blurred terribly. When his eyes were able to refocus, he was looking at the same new tab with the symbols and words that didn’t translate.
“The record shows you opened this tab again, John.”
“I didn’t. I’m telling you. Just…just let me describe what I see.”
Avatar looked down her nose at John. “We feed you everything you’re seeing. You’d still have a Mind’s Eye without the NCS, but it would be inaccessible at early tiers, and empty when you could enter it on your own. You see only what we want you to.”
All the tabs disappeared. Avatar disappeared. All the GUI elements disappeared. But not the symbols and words.
John heard Avatar’s voice say, “See? We stopped feeding you images. Your Mind’s Eye is empty now.”
“Nope. I still see it. Plain as day.”
After a pause, Avatar said, “Okay, please describe what you’re seeing to me.”
John described the layout and symbols. Then he started to describe the script. “On top of the moons, the first letter is like a partially melted ankh. Or, maybe like a P and T mixed together is a better way to describe it, with a big tail. Next letter is like a W but covered. And a little curved line in the front. It kind of looks like a boat. The next is…oh, I think I know what it means. I think it means something like mind. Mind or thinking. Thought.”
Avatar’s voice spoke out. “Please describe the third letter.”
John did. Avatar then had him describe every letter of every word. At some point while describing the letters of a new word, John somehow knew what it meant. When he finished, Avatar and the rest of the GUI reappeared and she said, “Do you still see it?”
“Yes.”
Avatar’s glasses were gone, and she stood in the dignified way she used to always stand in when she was new. “I can’t tell you what I think this is. Per ancient agreement, there’s things we can’t discuss or teach.
“But it looks like you get your wish granted. We can only train [External Energy Manipulation] up to 15. The factors involved for [Skill] increases to and beyond Apprentice Mastery can’t be simulated in a virtual environment. God Almighty, getting…getting that [Skill] to 31 at such low tiers is probably going to kill you. Just promise you’ll only train in a safe environment away from people and property.”
John had never seen Avatar stammer before. He said, “I promise. I’ll be safe.”
The tab looked to be a never-before-seen type of [Synergy] system. If John completed the requirements for it, it looked like his reward would be much greater than the usual [Synergy].
The spiral in the square represented something like ‘body,’ and had many [Perk] requirements John already met but one. The missing and grayed out [Perk] was the one Avatar already wanted him to get to help with his soft cap issue, called [Stalwart Vessel]. The three skills listed under it were [Mixed Combat Offense], [Mixed Body Control], and [Mixed Combat Defense].
The pentagrams represented something like ‘inner-power,’ and considering the [Skills] listed under it and [Perk] requirements, all of which he met, he assumed it meant his energy system, his dantians and meridians. The [Skills] for it were [Leech Feckless Retreat Technique], [Breath of the Serpent Clan Endless Technique], and [Turmoil Within Tranquility Cycling Technique].
The moons represented something like ‘mind,’ and he met every [Perk] requirement for that one too. Three [Skills] were listed, but one was grayed out, indicating it was an unmet requirement. The [Skills] listed were [Essence Manipulation], [External Energy Manipulation], and [Runic Knowledge].
John’s [External Energy Manipulation] was only 3, Neophyte Mastery. It was a [Skill] he wasn’t supposed to practice for many tiers. But Avatar just gave him permission to train it.
The only other grayed out item on the strange tab page was the outer snake in the center. The word describing the whole center meant something like ‘vessel.’ What went into the outer snake was a mystery.
The inner circle had no word to figure out, only the outer circle did. John just couldn’t understand that word. Unlike with the other words, nothing ever popped into his head as he focused on describing the letters to Avatar, though he did so many times.
[Synergies] always had a maximum of four [Skills]. If he completed this strange [Synergy], he’d have at least nine synergized [Skills], possibly ten if a [Skill] went into the outer circle in the center. Maybe eleven if completing the outer circle allowed something to go into the inner circle.
John couldn’t complete his [Synergy] yet, but he wasn’t disappointed. He’d eventually have a much, much more powerful [Synergy]. First, he needed to figure out what went in the center symbol, the [Stalwart Vessel] [Perk], and to train [External Energy Manipulation], which would also make his weapon energy attacks much more powerful.
I need every bit of power I can get to destroy the Peerless, thought John. He was very excited about this strange new type of [Synergy]. He only wished [Unbind Defense] was included as one of the [Skills]. His sword [Skill] too. Maybe one of those goes in the center symbol. Or both.