Name: Lucian Villin

Class: ---

Profession: ---

Race: Human

Strength - [0.3][0.73]

Constitution - [0.3][0.62]

Endurance - [0.3][0.73]

Perception - [0.3][0.73]

Agility - [0.3][0.62]

Dexterity - [0.3][0.73]

Willpower- [0.3][0.8]

Intelligence - [0.3][0.8]

Soul - [0.4][0.82]

Health [35]

Stamina [23]

Physical Attack [35]

Magical Attack [38]

Mana [10] (NULL)

Critical Chance [0.17%]

Critical Dmg [1.5]

Health Regen [1.8/Min][0.029/sec]

Stamina Regen [12/min][0.19/sec]

Mana Regen [0.21/min][0.003/sec] (NULL)

Soul Essence [10]

Soul Essence Regen [5.2/min][0.09/sec]

Innate Ability - Creative Momentum

Skills:

Phantom Body (Unique)(Unranked) LVL 9

Soul Cutting Edge (Unique)(Unranked) LVL 7

Blood Burst (Unique)(Unranked) LVL 2

Quick Spirit Draw Stance (Unique)(Stance)(Rank E) LVL 1

* Severing Soul Burst (Unique)(Rank E)

* Overhead Soul Strike (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 14

* Horizontal Soul Strike (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 16

* Upward Soul Strike (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 17

* Spirit Break (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 14

* Spirit Parry (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 15

* Spirit Riposte (Unique)(Rank E) LVL 13

Beginner Polearm Mastery (Passive)(Rank G) LVL 13

Overall, it was an upgrade in strength. However, Lucian couldn't help but be slightly peeved at his lack of flexibility.

With the new combination of skills, he no longer had [Phantom Body]! He could only access it by using his sword skills which was an incredibly limiting scenario, especially if he planned on using a glaive proficiently. If he didn't use his sword techniques, it would be a waste of a skill!

Giffard's advice rang through his head as he thought in slight frustration.

He never planned on having such a combination. However, it seemed like his skills had thoughts of their own! This was the second time he couldn't control what they did, and it seemed only to worsen as he grew in strength.

"I must limit my Skill Synthesis as much as possible moving forward. I can't risk such an outlier until I get to the crux of the problem. Only once I get some answers will it be safe to try Synthesizing my skills again." Lucian thought to himself.

While on the topic, he also noticed that compared to the last time he initiated a Skill Synthesis, the prompt he had to go through to choose his skills was skipped altogether, which was even scarier. If his skills could even decide how they want to evolve, this would be far worse than he thought.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Lucian sighed. Right now, he had no answers. No matter how skilled he was in his previous world, this was still a different world with different rules. He would need to work his way up like everyone else before he could tamper with further with this frustrating system.

Changing his focus, he looked at another thing he had no idea about. His health and power values had significant discrepancies between them. "Why is my damage potential so high? Compared to my health, my attack power is far more fearsome. I have an advantage in physical power due to my Titles. However, even a normal person should virtually be able to single-handedly kill anyone with a well-placed skill at the same level. Considering my skills don't even use mana at the moment, I'm sure there are skills far stronger than this. Is there some form of defense I don't know of at the moment?" he thought to himself. He didn't think he was that much of an outlier that he could get away without using mana-based abilities. So unless he could die from a single attack, he needed to ask Giffard.

After upgrading his skills, he decided to go out to the town. For now, he had enough money to survive. However, it was essential that he learned a trade as quickly as possible. This was also one of the reasons why he bought those scrolls.

"For now, I should look at some of the trades in town. With a good trade, I could gain a steady income for my cultivation." He said aloud as he got prepared. Halia swiftly woke up with a long stretch as she stood beside him. It seems she wanted to follow as well.

Soon, they headed out the door as they passed by the receptionist's desk.

Aino sat with a newspaper in his hand, wholly ignoring Lucian's presence. Lucian didn't mind it. It wasn't like he enjoyed his presence either.

Lucian simply walked by the receptionist's desk as he dropped 30 Astral coins on the desk, and walked out the door. Soon he was far gone into the town.

Aino finally took his head off his newspaper as he grabbed the coins into his hand, a slight smile on his face.

Lucian and Halia eventually reached the town.

The first thing they did was get something to eat. Although they both needed less to eat as they grew stronger, they still needed to eat at least once a day to maintain their body's health.

Spending 5 Astral Currencies on some street food that was uncannily similar to Mediterranean food, Lucian ate as they walked toward a nearby pet store.

Lucian bought 30 Astral Coins worth of pet food which the store owner boasted of its nutritional benefits. Though he wasn't inclined to believe him, he bought it anyway. Halia seemed to enjoy it, and it came in large portions, which Lucian was happy about since it would help save him some more money. It would be enough for a least a week or two. He fed some of the snacks to Halia as they walked out of the pet store.

Eventually, they reached the nearest Array Shop. Lucian took a peek inside as he looked around curiously.

He first noticed the unique medallion-like items all over the wall. They glowed with different colors as the system identified their functions for him.

Array of Bountiful Cultivation (Rank F) - Allows everyone in a 20-meter range increased mana perception and absorption. Increase perception and absorption by 15% for 150 minutes. It can be Stacked.

Apparently, the medallions were Arrays. Looking around, he saw all kinds of arrays, including attacking arrays, defending arrays, and miscellaneous arrays! Looking at each, he knew that each could come in handy in a tricky situation which Lucian knew he would definitely benefit from.

Lucian couldn't help but wonder how each was made. How was it possible to manipulate mana enough to create such a unique phenomenon. It was genuinely wondrous how powerful some of these arrays were. Notably one of the attack types.

Array of the Fire Domain (Rank F) - Manifest an area of continuous fire that continuously burns anyone in a 20-meter area, including the caster, for 10 minutes. Deal ((50 x Mana Invested)/600) per second. It can be stacked.

Depending on the amount of mana invested into it, it could deal incredible amounts of damage that could be a game-changer in a fight!

Overall, Lucian saw the significant benefit of learning how to form arrays. If he could learn how to create arrays, he would be able to perform large-range magical attacks, which would be helpful in larger battles.

Unfortunately, mana seemed like a requirement to create such an item. He would still have to research more. Maybe some Arrays didn't need mana, but he was pretty pessimistic about his chances of that being true. He eventually decided to buy one to analyze its structure. He could glean some more from how it was made with further research.

Unfortunately, it was still far above his price range. He may need to find a faulty version to buy instead.

With this thought, he walked out of the shop as he thought of his next steps.

His analysis gave him a general understanding of the three types of trades popular in the town. Like before, the Potion shop was closed, so there wasn't much he could do there but ask Giffard or Aerith what it does. He would have to find out more about it later.

Rune Creation seemed to focus on buffs as well as debuffs. It used scrolls to boost a person's attributes and abilities which Lucian definitely found very useful. As the rank of the scroll increases, it also grows in strength and power. For example, he saw a Rank C scroll that could be shared in a 5-meter radius which he found a bit small but monumental. At higher ranks, he would bet that that range increased dramatically.

Inscription Creation focused on Weapon enhancements. It was able to give additional powers to standard weapons. From some overheard conversations in the Store, he also knew that at certain levels, the weapon could be wholly upgraded using inscriptions which he found interesting. As a warrior, being an inscriptionist sounded like a lifesaver due to their close connection with weapons. It also fitted perfectly to strengthen his weapons for battle.

Finally, Array Creation created a large area of effect in a particular region. They usually lasted a specific duration and increased or decreased in strength depending on the rank and amount of mana inputted into it. In large battles, Lucian could see its usefulness. He knew he wouldn't want to fight against a person with enough of them in their arsenal, that was for sure! Its only downside was that it didn't seem like they did any immediate damage. It would take time for a target to fully receive the effects of an array, but that didn't lower its usefulness at all. Its ability to restrict specific spaces could be very beneficial. At later Ranks, certain arrays could even be stacked to form multi-functioning arrays that did more than just attack or defend but instead both!

Honestly, Lucian had no idea what to choose. He saw the benefit of each, and he didn't want to choose one thing and pass up another.

"For now, I should research each to see which would be most beneficial for me. If I can't use mana for the foreseeable future, I will need to know which can work without it before I make a decision."

Thinking to this point, he decided to purchase each to do more research. He already had some scrolls, so he only needed an inscription and array to work with.

Walking towards the rune shop he visited the day before, Lucian and Halia saw the shifty guy with a large cart selling his wares eagerly to any and all passersby. He didn't seem fazed by the multiple rejections he got. Instead, he only worked harder.

Lucian respected such vigor and drive. It was motivating to see someone working so hard for success.

Suddenly the man turned his head and saw Lucian and Halia walking toward him. A weird shifty smile surfaced on his face, like a predator spotting prey on plain land.

Lucian frowned. His respect disappeared like a flower curling up in the frigid winds.

"HEEEEYYY!!!" The man ran at incredible speeds that most wouldn't believe his pudgy body could move, hollering all the way.

"Woo..." Halia stepped back as she hid behind Lucian's legs.

Lucian rolled his eyes in regret. What did he just get himself into?