Blood. Muscles. Tendons. Bone. Internal Organs.

Five paths lay in front of Osric. A labyrinth of potential and limitation woven into his very flesh.

His eyes were closed in deep meditation as he planned his way forward, mulling over the curveballs he had to consider. His aptitude, a notch lower than he had anticipated, had necessitated a reevaluation, a slight diversion from the roadmap in his mind.

His aptitude was grade C, not the highest but not the worst either. However, he could only specialize in refining one part of his body, having to do a generalized refinement of the rest as his only option. The challenge lay in the choice; it was difficult as he could have to compromise some aspect of his fighting capabilities.

A fully-mature combat system was an orchestra of carefully balanced components: the striking crescendo of offense, the sturdy harmony of defense, the soothing melody of healing, the swift rhythm of movement, the whispering undertones of reconnaissance, the capacious refrain of storage, and the grand finale, the elusive trump cards.

Offense. Defense. Healing. Movement. Reconnaissance. Storage. Trump Cards.

If he went through the traditional power system, he would have to compromise some aspects of these core battle practices.

Without a specific Rank 1 profession in mind, he had the freedom to explore, however, he still needed direction to specialize. To make his choice on his desired list of Rank 1 professions, he needed to understand more about their intricate dynamics, their nuances, their subtle quirks, and their requirements. For that, he needed access to the information from the upper part of the library.

"Library is far sight concern. Right now, the current priority is to maximize my combat capabilities, wring out every ounce of my combat potential."

“I do not know my body affinity, nor am I in a position to figure it out. Any wild magic I can conjure is not up to me; even if I practice it, it’s unreliable at best.”

He contemplated further, his fingers idly tracing invisible patterns on the cool stone floor.

“Imprinting totem engravings, a futile endeavor. The scarcity of appropriate beast parts one problem; the long-term implications of beast body substitution, another. Blood magic is a dead end, too; it requires a strong catalyst that is nowhere to be found. Tools for an innate bloodline spell? Absent. I am going to need blood from a beast at least Rank 3 or above, which is not in my capabilities right now.”

“Sacrificial rituals have to be checked to see if the false gods still respond.”

“Weapon Pills are rendered ineffective by different varied local agriculture; I cannot grow them. Nature Channeling is a high-risk option without any tangible advantage. Alchemy seems to be the only one that seems promising; it’s versatile enough for my needs.”

“Caution is key. A suitable weapon is also an absolute necessity, and alchemy can be my fallback until more power avenues could be explored.”

“General refinement is too slow and not optimal for my future growth. I also do not want to waste my specialized refinement. Based on my circumstance, looks like the best method for me right now is fracturing!”

Refinement meant using the world's energy to bolster specific parts of the body, purging impurities and making them better. Making the body a vessel fortified with strength, imbued with durability, optimized for efficiency, and honed for precision.

Osric tapped his nodes, gracefully withdrawing the ethereal white mist within them and channeling them throughout his body, keeping it active.

Refinement was a ritual that thrived on relentless consistency. A commitment, once made to a specific part of the body, demanded to be seen through to completion. Otherwise, progress would not only halt, but reverse. Different body parts had different refinement decay speeds, further complicating the process.

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Blood refinement demanded steady and consistent effort, as any new blood produced would dilute the refined blood, causing it to phase out gradually. Only when 100% of the blood was refined would the refinement decay rate slow down, allowing one to focus on refining other parts of the body.

Bone refinement, though a time-consuming process, had the lowest refinement decay rate. Fully refined bones also helped blood refinement because bone marrow would also be refined, which prevented blood refinement decay since new blood produced would be already refined. Some practitioners preferred to refine their bones before their blood, as it allowed for a swifter refinement process. However, that meant having to deal with bone refinement drawbacks, which was the worst for combat.

Muscles and tendons had moderate decay rates, while internal organs could be refined at a faster pace. However, with a total of 78 organs to refine, the task was monumental.

All of the body systems were dependent on the others for optimum performance. One had to constantly upkeep their refinement, stopping only until the whole body was refined.

"Fracturing seems to be the ideal choice for me," Osric murmured thoughtfully.

In stark contrast to traditional refinement that sought to enhance the entire body, fracturing took a more focused approach. It zeroed in on one limb at a time, refining it completely before moving on. Instead of treating the body as a singular entity, fracturing saw each part as a self-contained system.

Abyssal Subcontinent’s specialty was body modification, thus, Osric was very familiar with the concept. Fracturing was undeniably a niche practice, teetering on the brink of obscurity, and it came with its unique set of drawbacks.

It was not a technique to be wielded lightly. One needed to be a seasoned expert in energy manipulation to even consider applying it. The mental fortitude required to initiate and maintain the procedure was nothing short of gargantuan. Usually, Rank 5 or higher would do fracturing on the young, putting a mesh on them. It was more risky now since Osric was doing it on his own, with his meager amount of energy in his nodes.

He also needed to devote a significant portion of his mental energy to constantly uphold the integrity of the closed system. He would also have to deal with the drawbacks of each closed system at one time due to all of them being initiated at the same time.

Any wrong move and the closed system would burst, costing Osric the very limp he sought to improve.

The resources it would consume were also massive. Resource efficiency was not the best.

However, it had one huge advantage. It gave the quickest practical strength that could be used during combat since one would get a mature battle system much faster. It granted the practitioner the ability to unleash a torrent of power in combat and offered a wide range of versatile tools that could be wielded with deadly precision.

Osric narrowed his gaze on his left hand, mentally preparing himself to initiate the fracturing process. Taking a deep, calming breath, he marshaled his inner energy, stirring the refined nodes nestled within his body into action.

As he began to tap into the boundless energy of the world, a faint white mist materialized around his left hand. The mist swirled, coalescing into a luminescent aura that danced around his hand like a spectral wisp. His mental prowess surged like a tidal wave, matching the rhythm of his accelerating heartbeat as he embarked on the fracturing process.

Creating a closed system on his left hand would be a long process. Fracturing required immense energy control and ample energy. The control he had, the energy he needed to compensate thus he had ample resources prepared by his side to ensure the process went smoothly.

The mist seeped into every crevice of his hand, permeating each cell, each blood vessel, each bone, like an ethereal infiltrator. The refined energy interacted with his biological structures, reinforcing their resilience and purging them of any lingering impurities. Using his energy as a barrier, he deftly sliced a straight line through his forearm, effectively severing it from the rest of his body in terms of energy flow.

His energy reservoir depleted steadily, reaching 40%, then 30%, and finally plummeting to 20%.

He stopped, breathing slightly rough. He had to make sure to leave some ample energy in his nodes as a buffer, or corruption would seep in if he used it too much. Overextending could invite trouble.

With a steadied hand, he reached for an essence stone, a brilliant crystalline object pulsating with raw energy. As he touched the stone, he could feel his energy storage replenishing, the essence stone serving as a lifeline in this intensive endeavor. He had emptied out all the available resources to him to ensure it went successfully.

With painstaking precision, Osric began the process of creating an energy barrier once more. He directed the mist, coaxing it to form a thin membrane around his forearms. The mist began to solidify, forming a delicate sheath that shimmered with contained power. It was akin to a cocoon, a protective shell that would enable his hand to undergo transformation.