Chapter 45
Back in New Hope, there was a flurry of invention and discovery.
Defending the Blockade gave the Innate Nation a vast quantity of resources – plants for alchemy, ore for blacksmithing, wood for carpentry, hide for leatherworking, etc.
With the influx of resources, everyone from alchemists to array masters had a seemingly unlimited budget to further develop their craft. They were growing just as fast as the military was.
Among them was Keith’s clone, who remained in New Hope, locked away in Frisk’s personal time-accelerated Pocket Dimension. When he wasn’t assisting Frisk, the clone was completing the study material Frisk created for him.
That meant Keith was developing himself in two directions: one in combat power and the other in knowledge. The duel combination filled Keith with a feeling of unprecedented fulfillment. Every day he saw tangible progress, fueling his motivation to ever greater heights.
It was addicting.
While the path of arrays was long, Keith had a concrete goal.
The Laegur Beam array inspired him deeply.
Keith wanted to reach the point where he could develop arrays at a similar level to make the best use of Quickdraw. He imagined himself waving his hand and summoning a swath of arrays no less powerful than divine or celestial grade skills.
Keith was studying hard to make that a reality.
Currently, his clone was helping Frisk set up the formation of an array.
The battle at the Blockade had ended an hour ago, and most of Keith’s consciousness was now focused on his clone. Things were proceeding as usual when Frisk suddenly gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Keith asked from the side.
Frisk gave a slight nod. “I just reached level 1,000 in array crafting.”
Keith blinked. “Sorry?”
It took him a moment to react.
“Yep, a bunch of notifications popped up,” Frisk interacted with the air. “A new title, too. Seems pretty good.”
Keith clenched his fists as excitement bubbled forth. “Why are you so calm!? You’re the first person from the Innate Dimension to reach level 1,000 in a skill!”
“It’s to be expected,” Frisk shrugged nonchalantly.
Keith started laughing. “This is great. We should celebrate!”
“Pass,” Frisk waved his hand, disinterested.
Keith was about to start hopping from joy on the spot when the mana in the surroundings churned and boiled before pouring into Frisk’s body, forming a vortex.
Keith watched, alarmed, as Frisk froze up.
“Frisk!” Keith rushed over in worry but was blocked by an invisible barrier.
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Just as Keith was about to attack, Frisk’s voice came from within, “Relax.”
Relieved that Frisk wasn’t in danger, Keith waited as the minutes passed.
Finally, the vortex dissipated, revealing Frisk, unharmed.
Keith walked up. “What happened?”
“A boon,” Frisk rubbed his eyebrows.
“What do you mean?” Keith asked, confused.
Frisk held back his annoyance and explained, “The System rewarded me for reaching level 1,000 in a skill. I was able to evolve my innate gift.”
“What does that entail?” Keith was visibly curious, like a newborn baby. This was the first time he heard an innate gift could evolve.
Frisk heaved a long sigh. “The mana cost of using my innate gift is now reduced by 30%.”
“That’s huge!” Keith exclaimed. “What about the title?”
Frisk waved his hand, sending Keith his notification.
(Title) Skill Master
Description: The skill you reached level 1,000 in now has a 50% reduction in mana cost, cooldown, and cast time. If applicable, it also deals 50% more damage.
Keith’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What the slimeball!”
He knew that leveling a skill was important, but he didn’t know there was such a big benefit waiting at the end.
Keith fell into thought.
Should he shift some time to understanding Arsenal of the Desert? The skill mainly involved attaching arrays to grains of sand, transforming them into something greater. If Keith could learn what the arrays did, his skill levels would skyrocket. He wouldn’t have so much trouble facing level 800+ monsters at that point.
“Here is the other notification I received,” Frisk added.
Congratulations, you leveled a skill to 1,000!
Reach level 1,000 in three more skills to attain additional benefits.
Keith sucked in a breath.
Clenching his hands, he decided to allocate a portion of the day to understanding Arsenal of the Desert. Reaching level 1,000 in his skills was now one of his highest priorities.
“Well, back to work.” Frisk resumed drawing the array he’d been forming earlier, leaving Keith vexed at how boring he was.
A few hours later, Keith left the time-accelerated Pocket Dimension and headed toward the dorms of Adventurer Academy to visit Frey. Although Keith no longer attended the school, he still kept in touch with her, especially now that he had a clone.
“Keith!” Frey’s eyes brightened upon opening the door to her apartment. “Come in, I have something to show you.”
Keith followed Frey inside, asking, “What is it?”
“I finished my project!” Frey spun around with a beaming smile.
“You did?!” Keith was thrilled.
“It’s over here,” Frey brought Keith over to a dining table, where a metal box engraved with arrays sat. When she pushed a few buttons, a three-dimensional hologram popped into existence above the box. Similar to an inventory, the hologram had all sorts of colorful icons and things to interact with.
“Watch,” Frey said, demonstrating how the device worked. “If I press the red icon followed by the brush icon, it allows me to draw in the air. I can change the size and type of brush, along with the colors.”
With expertise, Frey drew a life-like bird in a few minutes. “Once I’m finished, I can save the drawing and load it back up whenever I want.”
“This is amazing, Frey!” Keith was humbled by her creativity.
Frey shook her head. “This is just the initial design. I want to make it so you can animate the drawings.”
“What about sound effects?” Keith asked.
“That too,” Frey nodded, “There’s a lot I can do.”
Keith glanced at the box and said, “If you can mass-produce this device, you can make a lot of money.”
“Not everything’s about money, Keith,” Frey rebuked softly. “I made this for kids to play with, not to get rich.”
Keith chuckled awkwardly.
Frey pressed a button on the box to turn it off. “Anyway, I’m still figuring out how to implement some features. I won’t put it on the market until it’s perfect.”
“Do you want me to help?” Keith probed.
Frey considered it. “There’s a few arrays I’m having trouble with if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Keith pulled out a chair from the dining table and sat down.
Hours went by, and Keith only went home after midnight, deep in thought.
Working with Frey had given him some ideas.
Keith had always loved dressing up in different outfits, so what if he extended his desire to express himself to his skills? For example, when he cast Fireball, he could use Quickdraw to summon arrays that let off fireworks. Though they wouldn’t add anything other than visuals, that was enough for Keith.
In his eyes, being flashy was cool.
Oh! Keith suddenly had the best idea.
What if when he used Flight and walked through the air, lotus petals blossomed at his feet? With ideas like that filling his mind, Keith slowly drifted off to sleep, a foolish grin on his face.