Jake first, set off on his journey for his first target, one that at one time almost killed him but this time jake was not going to fall for its mind games. To do this Jake had a few things to work on before he got there first find a way to combine his skills.
Skill
(Summon Projectile. Common) As a mage, you can use mana to summon projectiles. Note that the summon projectile does not include any ability to launch the projectile. The mana cost is determined by the projectile size.
Skill
(Transmute Powder. Common) Requires a pre-existing object to be turned into powder before transmuting can commence. Transmuting the powder requires knowledge of what you wish to transmute into. The mana cost is determined by the quantity of powder being transmuted and the rarity of the powder.
Skill
Fireball
(Common) Mana-infused fire summoned forth to be thrown at your enemy.
To try and give the fireball spell an effect similar to his pistol but with more damage, his plan was to turn the simple fireball into two versions: one small and the size of a bullet, and the other as big as a hand grenade. The bullet one Jake hoped he could fire; at least it's possible. Jake could also use his new skill.
Skill Insert Name. (Rare)
Change the form of any metal object, restricted to metal that has not been embedded with energy or has not been soulbound.
As the backbone for them, or at least the hand grenade version. Other than that, there was a skill that had been bugging him since he got it.
That stupid healing skill, it's completely useless to me, and I'm sick of reading it every time I open my skill list. There's got to be a way to get rid of it.
Skill
Healing Hands of the Faithful
Church Lay your hands on the faithful, imbuing healing powers into them. Each time this skill is used, a donation must be paid to the divinity.
Requirements to use: Be a servant of the Faithful Church.
While looking at the skill for way too long, Jake realised something that had always bugged him: the skill was similar to one he already had, so if he was actually right about his new theory, he could change the skill to something more suitable to his needs. Possibly even change it to something closer to what the other skill was in the beginning. As he was backtracking over the path he took so long ago, Jake stopped at a certain location. It was an intersection on a well-worn path; the signpost had writing on it that said "Strzelecki Springs and Bathhouse." Jake's heart sunk as he remembered back to that time. It was a time Jake looked back on fondly, but also with heartache for the ones he lost. It wasn't just how he treated Mary after that beautiful day, but the fact he straight up humiliated that man, even leaving him to listen as Jake took everything the man wanted away, and then Jake and the group, including his own family, abandoned him to his fate—something Jake only now, as he was forced to retrace his steps, understood. Then a small smile emerged from his mouth.
When did they build a bathhouse? Maybe I should check that out.
Jake turned to face that direction and began a slow walk towards the waterfall as he dwelled on his actions in the past. The slow walk took him hours; then, as he pushed back a fallen branch, he was hit with the sound of water crashing onto stone, and then there was the sight. At the base of the waterfall stood a Japanese-style bathhouse, with fencing that blocked the view of the lower portion of the falls, creating a sense of privacy for those inside. As Jake got closer to the entrance, the first thing he noticed was the two ladies standing at the door, then he looked up and smiled.
The pink blossom bathhouse and relaxation retreat.
Jake walked closer to the ladies before he spoke, “Miss Hikari and Miss Keiko, if I’m not mistaken? Weren’t you both—oh wait, I forgot that was a few days ago. I forgot about that whole sleeping thing. Anyway, can I enter?”
“Sorry, sir, the lady is currently using it. I will have to ask you to come back in a wee—”
“Let him in, Hikari. This man is an honoured guest, and I've been wanting to meet the man the sect leader puts her faith in.”
“Yes, Lady Aiya.”
Jake was a little confused as the voice he just heard was the same as the one that helped him, but this voice doesn’t belong to Akari; instead, it belongs to a lady named Aiya.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Sir, it seems you are welcome to enter, but don't do anything unscrupulous in there, or we will have to step in.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Jake said before pushing back the blue curtain to reveal the interior layout of the complex. There were now four small rock pools with ferns surrounding them, giving those bathing a sense of privacy, and to enter one of the rock pools, one had to enter through a doorway covered with the same blue fabric as the entrance. As Jake was looking around, he noticed one of the doorways was open.
“Mr Everval, feel free to use my washroom behind you. I will be waiting, so please don't take too long.”
Entering a small but well-designed washroom, Jake began bathing, scrubbing every inch of his body with what smelled like rose-scented soap. Then finally, Jake grabbed the bucket of warm water and dumped it over his lathered body. The soap rolled down his toned chest. Jake poured one last bucket over himself to wash off any remaining soap before he wrapped a white towel around his waist. Before exiting the washroom, the towel was at least a size too small; as he took each step, the white towel threatened to fall. He had to keep the towel in place by holding the two corners in one hand as his smooth white thigh escaped his towel. Jake's body was reformed by the system, giving him the look of a young and virile teen. He had muscles, but not to the extreme of a gym junkie—more along the lines of a well-built surfer, but without the sun-bleached blond hair. Jake looked more like a crazy man now that he was in human form. One thing with the skill that he had been given was becoming an issue for his image: his hair colour and style kept changing, and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it. This time, it was black and it was in a bun held up by chopsticks, with a strand of his fringe hanging over his left eye and down over his cheek. Jake stood at the entrance to the rock pools; the voice came from inside.
“Come in, Mr Everval.”
Jake let out a sigh before he entered through the doorway. Steam rose from the pool, masking its surface from peering eyes. Of course, Jake could use his overpowered perception to look, but that would be an inappropriate use of power.
“Mr Everval, you wouldn't be thinking about using your powers, are you?”
“Miss Aiya, I'm not that kind of man,” he said as he tested the waters with his foot before submerging himself into the water.
“So how did you heat the water last time I was here? This water was as cold as ice.”
“That's a secret that belongs to the pink blossom sect and its subsidiaries.”
“Are you a member of the pink blossom sect?”
“I am an outer discipline of a minor subsidiary sect known for its beautiful members, but that means nothing in this place.”
“You say that, but I still can't even see your face.”
A gust of wind blew through the doorway, separating a portion of steam from the surface just enough for a figure sitting at the opposite edge of the rock pool, ringed with what looked a lot like moss. The lady was sitting with a white towel covering her curving figure. Hanging from her chocolate neck was what looked a lot like the crystal that Jake was given; it was partially covered by her long dark hair sticking up out of her forehead, where two antennae were. The rest of her face looked very human-like in appearance.
“Is this better, Mr Everval? This is my true form. I came to this galaxy a long time ago on a sect mission to set up a cultivation movement amongst certain groups, but I failed to garner enough support to expand the network large enough to save this world and galaxy from integration, and for that, I am sorry.”
“There’s no way you would have been able to complete that task, at least not here on Earth, as we are a people of all eight deadly sins,” Jake thought for a second, then asked.
“If you failed your mission, why are you still here, and are there more of you here?”
Aiya leant back on one arm and looked at the sky. “There were nineteen from my sect alone. I don't know how many are still here. I was only tasked with this particular sector of your galaxy; Earth was my main operational area. I had two others working for me at the beginning, but they both were killed in an unfortunate altercation with a rival sect. The rest left after completing their tasks. So out of everyone from my sect, I am the only one left, but I can't tell you about the other sects out there. But I think it's quite possible I’m the only one left.”
“If you're the only one left, why did you stay here?”
“After I failed, I had a chance to leave. Abandoning everything I worked for didn’t sit well with me, so I contacted the sect and asked to stay. The sect agreed but on the condition I don’t interfere when it comes to the, I believe it’s called, system-imposed universal constants or something.”
“Then you broke that condition by helping me, right?”
“Technically, no, it was the pink blossom, but that's not what the sect thought. This is actually my last day, and before you ask, no, I can't help you. I'm already in enough trouble for my part in this; I don't need more.”
“So I am to believe you will be going then?”
“Yes, the discipline hall is coming to pick me up.”
“So then what will happen to your people?” Jake pointed at the two people outside.
“That's something I have been a little sad about. I can't take them with me, and my employees on Earth are not ready to run it all by themselves. That's when it comes to you. Will you allow my people to operate autonomously within your territory? They can be very good at gathering information your people might not know about. Also, it is always a good practice to have a place you are welcome in.”
“I have no problems with that. Let your people know they're free to run their business ventures how they wish, as long as it does not hinder my territory's security or prosperity. Is there anything else you would like?”
“No, I think you might just be the most straightforward man I have seen since I came to this place. If I could help you, I would, but, well, you know.” Aiya stood up from the pool, and with a flick of her finger, she was fully clothed.
“It's been nice meeting you, Mr Everval. Feel free to use any of the Pink Blossoms services; I will inform the staff about you. Also, feel free to use my room.” Aiya threw a key towards Jake.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I have a lot to do before tonight.”
“Could you do me a favour?”
“I can't help you with anything here.”
“No, it's not here. I would like you to send a message to my wife. She should be within the dragon territory; her name, as she went by here, was Jayne Everval. I would like you to tell her that I will be with her soon and tell her that Jake Everval loves her and wishes she was with him right now.”
“I can't promise it, but I will try. The dragon territory is really big and we're looking for one person.”
“She's the lost princess or something.” Aiya's mood changed drastically as she stared down at Jake in disbelief.
“You want me to send a message to the daughter of one of the most feared men in the universe?”