The download for the instructions is finally done.

So which of the three files is for the chosen option? They are labeled "Zero", "Null" and "Void". Fuck, how should I know which one is for me?

Wait, wasn't that her joke selection?

I scroll back up, and see:

Now with that out of the way, let me give you a quick rundown of your three options:

1) zero

2) null

3) void

Yeah, that matches. I wanted the second option, so "Null" should be the correct one. Now what do I have to do?

Focus on the broken skill that you gained with your second Hybrid class.

Second? That should be [A̴b̵s̸o̷r̴b̷ ̵Y̶o̵u̶t̸h̸] then. Got it.

I focus on the skill like before and feel how the mental arms appear once again.

So what's next?

Break it and smash it into fine dust.

Was that always an option? Alright, let me try.

I form a fist with the ghastly appendages and punch into the clay-like skill mass.

Rumble Rumble

Shit, shit, shit! Fuck, that hurt! Getting kicked in the nuts with steel-plated boots would be more pleasant... was that really necessary?!

I let go of the skill and check my surroundings. I don't see any visible changes. Maybe somewhere else something broke... At least, I'm quite certain that that did something... shit, why did I listen to her?

Argh, back to the instructions, I guess.

Then immediately press the "undo" button.

That damn bitch!! Why even write the previous instruction if you take it back directly afterwards!?

Shit... there's no undo button...

Just kidding. You have to break the foundation to recreate the skill base, otherwise, you can't achieve your goal.

Of course... That only hurt like an absolute bitch, so it's totally fair to treat it as a joke, you dumb broad!

...

This time, I read the entire rest of the instructions before continuing. No more jokes for me, thank you.

Add some of the glitchy gel to the broken pieces, and then knead the whole mess thoroughly into a single mass.

Afterwards, shape the mixture until it looks like the following picture.

Once that is done, simultaneously channel poison and dark magic into it.

It may take a while to accumulate sufficient energy, but once it does, you should see the skill description reveal the desired effect.

As the final step, direct all the exp you can into the shape to begin the solidification process to finalize the skill.

Picture...

Uh, what am I supposed to see there? A random assortment of alien letters or other deformed symbols? Looks kinda like an ornate plate.

Though looking a bit more closely, I feel like I've seen these symbols before. They faintly remind me of the symbol of the 'Lost One' from ages ago. Just a single frame of the moving symbol though. Hmm, I think I can work with that.

Yeah, I think I understand the instructions, seems simple enough and without further joke instructions. Alright, let's do this.

I focus on the skill again to bring out the arms. I make them gather the remaining fragments of the previous skill foundation, then mentally call for a portion of the glitchy gel.

Wait, how much of it do I need? The instructions don't say... I guess, or rather hope, the current amount is fine.

I mix the broken fragments into the gel and begin massaging the mass. After a bit, it feels like the gel has absorbed the solid fragments. There's no trace of it left, and in exchange, the gel feels a bit different now, a bit less like cheap toothpaste.

Now for the easy part, shaping the bug gel into a complex shape while effectively blind, whatever can go wrong.

I begin to do something, try blindly to recreate the form from the picture. But it is frustrating, I don't think I'm getting anywhere, this is too difficult. Even if I could see it directly, it would be very hard to get right.

After some time, I can feel some independent movement, it feels like the gel started moving on its own - I let it. I guess it follows my "will" in the same vein as half of the rest of the process already did.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

A moment later, it stops moving.

I inspect the shape carefully. I may not be able to see what is going on, but as far as I can tell, it somewhat resembles the given picture.

I guess that is my cue for the next step, channeling two sets of magic into it: poison and dark.

But how do I do that? So far, I've only used one spell at the same time, not two.

No point thinking about it, I simply have to try.

I focus on the right mental arm and will dark magic through it. That seems to work.

How about the left? I cease my focus on the right arm, and the flow of magic stops as well, instead, I focus on the left arm. Yeah, I feel poison magic flowing through it into the skill pudding as well. That works so far.

Now both at the same time.

It is stressful and quite draining, but it seems to work!

Ah, damn, I dropped the channeling through the right arm. Two at once is hard.

It takes a while, but eventually, I manage to channel both at the same time without either becoming unstable.

Now, finally, the skill description changes!

Spirit Eradication

Concentration

Choose a spirit or summoned creature in sight.

It gets gradually erased.

After concentrating for 10 minutes without interruption, the target is permanently and completely deleted.

This... is not what we bargained for, Orpyne!

When you said "divorce" I assumed it was an euphemism for soul separation and not the permanent kind of divorce via fucking soul destruction!!

...but I guess that is on me, ass, you, me, and all that.

I let go of the whole process and the skill once again collapses back to its original form.

What a waste of effort - maybe it is not too late to still choose a different solution?

...

But why poison and dark? I hadn't given it much thought because, in the end, this entire process doesn't follow logic. After all, it is mainly based on glitches, but I wonder what happens when I use something else.

As far as I know, there's no life element, and cure magic is out because I'm undead. What else can I use to imitate that?

Let's think about it, what do gods and similar creeps typically use in mythology to create life? Earth, they create nothing from earth.

Maybe combine that with wind? A recurring phrase is that they "breathe" life into them, so wind magic would fit in that metaphor.

Yeah, let's go with that, earth and wind instead of... shit, I don't have wind, do I? But then why did I just now have the feeling that I have access to wind magic?

Hmm... I recently got a few new skills, haven't looked properly over them. Let me quickly fix that.

There it is, that one is the reason.

P̷u̵r̴e̷ ̵M̷a̷g̴i̴c̴

Grants the ability to cast rank 0&1 basic magic skills of all elements.

In addition to the standard options, it also adds the following modification options:

(0 MP cost) add a known spell shape beyond the standard limit

(50 MP cost) spell projectiles move at the speed of light

(35 MP cost) the spell's point of origin becomes one of your spirits you can see

It clearly says "all elements", so wind should be included.

I don't have the time right now, but I should really check later how far this "all" really goes because I feel like that isn't the full picture. There's this nagging feeling there's more to it than there should be.

Anyway, I repeat the process to create a skill but instead of poison and dark, I choose wind and earth this time.

I feel a lot of resistance in the shape, it doesn't want these elements, it actively rejects them, and no matter what I do, the skill description refuses to change.

So that was a bust.

All of this is exhausting, and I could really go for a sip of blood. When did I even drink something last?

Wait, blood...? Blood is also often used to create life, especially in darker stories in shady rituals! I should try again with that!

Okay, one last try - this time earth and blood.

Up to creating the base shape, everything works as expected, the shaped mass is as stable as the gel can be. But the gel still feels like it did at the end of the last try. Guess that means the influence of the two magics wasn't removed.

Should I still try or... no, I have to try. I do not accept her solution. I refuse to accept that I'd have to kill Eclaire to survive.

I begin channeling earth magic into it. The mass still remains stable, it shows no sign of resistance yet. Now the moment of truth, I begin channeling blood magic into it.

It doesn't resist. Rather, the whole mess becomes wobbly like jelly. It wants to fall apart. Shit.

Right, blood wasn't originally an element, I only got it through a glitch as well. So this must be like adding too much of that gel in the first place.

Damn, that means I messed the whole thing up. Too much of the gel as well as too many contradictory magic types. And I know of no way to return the mess to its previous makeup.

No, no, not like this, you piece of shit. I won't give up, you will do what I tell you to do! You have to!

I hold on to the sludge, I try to force it into place, and some movement occurs in the gel.

And then it happens.

Spirit Liberation

U̸̝͘ň̵̰k̸͓͠n̵̝͒o̴͓̐w̵̎ͅń̵͔

V̴͖͝i̷̘͝o̵̱͝l̴̥̾e̴̼̊n̸̪͋t̶͈̋l̷̖͝y̶̨͠ severs the connection between a spirit and its host.

It retains all of its current skills and capabilities,

x̷͔̄c̸͚̑e̴̺̕p̷͎͌t̶̛̲ ̷̛̙f̸͙͐o̷̻͑r̷̫͘ [Summoned Spirit] ẃ̶̫h̶̺̄í̵̭c̵͙̄h̷͙̓ ̵̩͋ġ̷͖e̷̗̊t̵͔͝s̷̭̏ ̶̫̑ŗ̵̈́e̷͕̍p̸̼̅l̷̤̈́ḁ̸͘ć̷̼ḛ̷̔d̷̼͂ ̶̗͋b̴̘̈́y̷̨͋ [Unbound Spirit].

B̵͎̓a̶̩͊r̸̹͘r̴͎͛ḯ̴̠n̴̼̆g̷̘̀ ̵̟̆ŝ̴͙p̷̘̈́e̵̠͗ĉ̵̠i̶̝͒a̸̟͑l̶̳͋ ̸̭͆c̶̻̃i̸̥͊r̶͈̒c̷̢͝u̴͉͠m̷͇̌s̶͚̓t̵͕̚a̵͕̍n̷̻͆c̴̮̾e̷̤̍s̵̬͠,̸̧̈́ ̴̮̂a̷̖͂ ̵͉̈́d̵͉͌ǐ̶̗s̴̡̾c̷͓̑ò̶̡n̸̙̊n̴̜̎e̷̤͂c̶̤̾t̵̨̕ĕ̸̮d̸͔̔ ̴̣͂š̵͜p̵̩̓i̷͈̇r̴̫͊i̵͇̕t̶̘̐ ̸̳̆w̵͔͝i̷̡͂l̵̢̽l̸͚̍ ̷̈͜ṋ̶͝o̷͉̎t̴̻͋ ̶̹̓g̵͔͝ȁ̵̱i̶̜͠ǹ̶̻ ̶̊͜ȧ̴̹ṋ̴̈́y̵̰͝ ̴͔̔e̷̱̊x̷̖̍p̵̪̈ ̶͚̀ö̷̳́r̷̩̔ ̴̛̖a̸̻̔ḋ̷̜d̵̻͗i̸͈̔t̵͍͝i̵̪̔o̵̮̕n̸̻͒a̵̭͝l̵̝̎ ̶͎̇s̵͔̀k̷̖̆ȉ̵̫ľ̴̡l̸̙͐s̷̢̋.̷̔͜

This is it! I have to keep that one.

Now I've to quickly enact the last step, adding exp.

I feel the drain of exp, I'm getting there. Just a moment later, that feeling stops, and my exp reserves feel empty. I must've succeeded.

I just must have.

The skill no longer feels like the glitchy gel, but more like clay, transforming into some form of metal.

I retract my focus from the skill. I'm done, the skill doesn't change, and the description remains. Victory.

I feel fatigued, but I've succeeded. Now I only have to use it on Eclaire, and then we're as good as saved. Later, I can use it for Elly's execution, that's also something to look forward to. No more thread from that damn backstabber.

I know she said I have to wait until the skill has hardened out before I can use it, but how long is that?

It feels like the figure is hardening. But how much longer? I'm tired - not physically, but mentally. This skill manipulation thing is quite draining...

I think it is done - the skill texture no longer changes. Yeah, that should be enough.

I must use it before I pass out from mental exhaustion, so where is Eclaire? I search with my new skill for her. There. I found her. Just one last push and-

Fuck, what is this sudden headache?! What is wrong now?

No, something is going on with that skill, wh-