Tairy raised two fingers.

“Your first selection will be the one you got at Level 30. The second one will be the Level 40 one. This is important because it means that in the first selection, only your actions taken until Level 30 will be taken into account. The second selection will include everything you did from Level 30 to 40.”

Michael nodded. If this weren’t the case, there would be merit to saving up as many Skill selections as possible if one were in a comfortable position, in order to have one’s actions affect all Skill selections. The System managed to avoid such tactics. Michael waved his hand and spoke out loud.

“I’d like to select my new Skills.”

Next to him, sitting on the stone dais, Tairy looked at him expectantly. In front of Michael, a large translucent blue window appeared. He blinked in surprise. The number of Skills was much greater than the previous times, surpassing his predictions. Tairy chuckled after looking at Michael’s expression.

“It’s about time for the selection to pick up the pace. You’ve just been offered a bunch of Skills, right?”

Michael nodded, willing the list to become bigger. He mentally scrolled through the possible Skills. As if it were an internet page from Earth, the list followed his thoughts, endlessly scrolling down.

There must be at least one hundred in here.

Tairy continued to speak.

“The reason for this is both because more Skills become available at higher Levels and because of everything you’ve done so far. As I said before, your actions also shape the Skills that are offered to you during a selection. You must’ve gotten at least twenty, right?”

Michael mentally winced but nodded.

“Yeah.”

There was no way for them to look over the Skills one by one. If he took too much time analyzing the list, it would be revealed that the number of Skills was much greater than either of them had predicted.

“Filter them according to your needs. Remember that you only have nine Skill Points. Don’t think of spending them all on new Skills either. There’s something I want to show you.”

Michael let out a breath. Thankfully, Tairy hadn’t suggested that course of action. Slightly confused, Michael did as instructed while hiding the true number of Skill Points that he possessed.

This one won’t be useful. Oh, this is pretty good. It also matches this one well.

The list got smaller and smaller as he tried to pick and choose the Skills he’d acquire as fast as possible to avoid raising suspicion. Next to him, Tairy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Soon, Michael settled for twelve Skills. This was also while keeping in mind Tairy’s warning not to spend all of his Skill Points. He spoke the four Skills he considered to be the most useful out loud.

“Acceleration, Mana Affinity, Firebolt, and Rock Sling.”

Tairy waved his hand dismissively.

“No need for more Active Skills. You’re doing pretty well with the ones you already have, and I can teach you more spells. Focus on Passive Skills. In fact, another type of Skill exists, which combines both active and passive effects. They’re called Hybrid Skills – if you see one, grab it without looking back.”

Michael nodded, still making a mental note to grab both Active Skills anyway. Given his abundance of Skill Points, there was no harm in adding more options to his arsenal. He had become familiar with the existence of Hybrid Skills long ago. He analyzed his list, finding the two other best Passive Skills.

“Magic Penetration and Efficiency.”

Tairy smiled.

“Very good. You’ve got a good selection there, especially Mana Affinity and Magic Penetration, out of which Mana Affinity is the best. Efficiency is great, but you aren’t lacking in mana. To be frank, I didn’t expect Mana Affinity to appear, especially in the first selection of the two. You’ve done a good job.”

Michael willed the information about the two Skills to appear before him.

[Passive Skill

Mana Affinity (D): mana exists universally. Those with an affinity towards it are few in number and revel in their greatness. Only granted to those with a close relationship with mana and its workings.

Effects: boosts all mana-related Skills and spells. Increases mana absorption speed. Allows for the formation of Circles. Grants newly formed Circles greater stability.]

His expression changed into one of genuine surprise. Tairy grinned. He hadn’t expected to be offered a Skill that increased the effectiveness of his most important Skills. He read the Skill’s description twice over.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

It was unclear whether Mana Affinity boosted only the Skills directly related to mana, such as Mana Sphere and Mana Wave, or if it affected all Mage Skills, since they were based on mana. It was likely the former, given its grade. Either way, it was a welcome addition to his arsenal. The other perks were the cherry on top. He turned his gaze to the other Skill.

[Passive Skill

Magic Penetration (E): the ability to pierce through even the most stalwart of defenses is as important as it is rare. It can be the key to overcoming an enemy or dying a meaningless death.

Effects: increases the penetration of all spells and magic Active Skills by 12%.]

In fact, this was a Skill that he evaluated highly as well.

“Do the Forgotten have good defensive capabilities?” Michael asked.

Tairy nodded.

“Some more than others, but in general, yes. If you manage to hit them, you’ll want to make sure your spells are doing damage. Magic Penetration’s effect isn’t crazy high, but it’s a good generalist Skill.”

“And what was the thing you wanted to show me? I still have five Skill Points remaining.”

Tairy smiled sagely.

“So long as your proficiency is enough, it is possible to merge Skills into a result greater than the sum of its parts. The process costs a Skill Point.”

Michael’s expression twisted into a confused one.

“Isn’t that already possible without spending a Skill Point?”

Tairy shook his head.

“We’re talking about different things. Of course, it is possible to wield two different Skills in a way that one complements the other, especially if you have something like Dual Casting, or even attempt to merge two Skills into one, but this is not the same. I’m talking about creating a new Skill with the assistance of the System.”

“So it’s easier?”

“And more effective. It does cost a Skill Point, however. You can think of it as a trade-off.”

Michael rubbed his chin in thought.

“How does this process work, exactly?”

“The minimum conditions are sufficient proficiency when it comes to Active Skills and compatibility for Passive Skills. Both are needed for Hybrid Skills. First, acquire the Skills we discussed.”

Michael nodded, giving the System a mental order. The four Skills vanished from the Skill list and appeared on his Status Window.

“Done.”

“Now, while still in the selection process, wish for two Skills that meet the conditions I talked about to merge.”

He scanned his Status Window, soon finding two Passive Skills that seemed to be compatible.

Alacrity and Acceleration.

A System window appeared before him.

[Do you wish to merge Alacrity (E) and Acceleration (E)? The process will cost a Skill Point.]

Yes.

[Alacrity (E) and Acceleration (E) have merged to become Haste (E).]

[Passive Skill

Haste (E): speed is one of the key aspects of a creature’s capabilities. To act quicker than one’s enemy is to decide their life and death.

Effects: improves casting speed by 15%. Increases the speed of projectile-based Active Skills by 15% Increases movement speed by 8%.]

It was a satisfying result. He needed to test the Skill to see how much of a difference it actually made, but judging by the numbers, it seemed to be a solid addition to his arsenal.

“Save the remaining five Skill Points for the next selection. You will be offered more options then. Let the window close,” Tairy said next to him.

Michael scanned his Active Skills. He had far more Skill Points than the dark elf was aware of; he could afford to keep thinking about which Skills to acquire or merge.

“For Active Skills, compatibility is less of a factor. What truly matters is your level of skill and familiarity with the Skills involved. It’s possible to merge Skills that seem incompatible at first glance, though much more difficult,” Tairy continued.

Michael made a decision. Even though he agreed that he didn’t need more Active Skills, he could afford to merge two of them as a test.

I want to merge Mana Sphere and Mana Arrow.

A System window appeared in front of him.

[Do you wish to merge Mana Sphere (F) and Mana Arrow (F)? The process will cost a Skill Point.]

He looked at Tairy.

“What if I merged Mana Sphere and Mana Arrow?”

Tairy chuckled.

“You’d get Mana Missile. It’s got greater power than Mana Sphere while having a shorter casting time than Mana Arrow. On average, Skill mergings are similar to what you did – the end result is never worse than the components. If you do it through the System, at least.”

Michael nodded.

Yes, I do.

A second went by.

[Mana Sphere (F) and Mana Arrow (F) have merged to become Mana Missile (E).]

Michael kept himself from grinning as new knowledge entered his mind, teaching him how to use the new Skill. It was a mysterious, arcane process. The fact that the System could manipulate his memories and mind like that was frightening. A chill went down his spine, but he hurriedly threw the thought process out of his mind. So far, the System had never shown itself to be against him; there was no reason for his mind to go down that road. Yet, this realization still bothered him.

“Have you ever felt like the System is too powerful?” Michael suddenly asked.

Tairy raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“It can alter our abilities and perception so easily. If someone were capable of manipulating it, the consequences would be terrible.”

The dark elf shrugged.

“The System has existed for an untold amount of time. In the centuries I’ve lived, I never heard of someone capable of wielding it as a weapon. It is a force of nature. Just like things fall down, the System exists with its rules.”

“…I guess.”

With a sigh, Michael silently acquired all the other Skills he had been eyeing. They were all Passive Skills; now that he knew that he could merge them, it would be better to do so, especially since Tairy had stated that the end result was greater than the sum of its parts. Once he was done, he turned to the old dark elf.

“Am I ready for the Consumed Territory now?”

Tairy appeared to be deep in thought before he sighed.

“There’s not enough time for you to become much stronger before going there. It doesn’t please me, but I suppose I’ll have to compromise. Hopefully, you won’t die.”

Michael smiled.

“What are you talking about, old man? I’m not going to die in the Tutorial.”

“You haven’t fought the Forgotten yet.”

“True, but I’m not planning on losing. I’ll be careful.”

Tairy waved his hand dismissively with an expression of distaste.

“Whatever. Before that, though, there’s a second Skill selection. This one will have even more Skills. Then, you can go off, kid. Conquer as much Territory as you can and then come back. There will be much to do.”

Michael smiled.

Finally, it was time for him to head to the Consumed Territory for the first time.