Over the course of training with his subordinates, Randidly had activated the long-dormant Ruinous Drive and Aether Skills more directly to earn huge chunks of Skill Levels. Combined with the gradual gains in his base Skills and the specific gains in Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil and Tide of the Void, Randidly had crushed his of reaching 800 PP.
The new environment had benefited him just as much as it had his soldiers. Randidly now had 986 PP to spend. Unfortunately, that amount didn’t rid Randidly of the difficult decision regarding what Paths he should take. Pursing his lips, Randidly examined the expanded list.
Friend to Humanity 0/100, Mantle of the Patron 0/500, Aether Convergence II ???, the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600, The Ashes of Ulaat, Patron of Ash 0/1000, Order Ducis: Font of Guidance ???, Humanity’s Torch 0/500, Bearing of a Teacher ???, Puppet Master 0/100, Pain Immunity I 0/250, Cleaver of the World Tree ???, Weakness of the World Tree 0/500, Guilty Conscience I 0/100, Peerage of the Baleful Court I 0/600, Hands of the Artisan 0/???, Ashes of Illym, the Above-Average Child 0/5000, The Flame the Burns Memories 0/????, Exodus, the Terror 0/1000, Genesis, the Considered 0/1000, Image Cooperation I 0/100, Body Refinement I 0/???, Chimera’s Struggle II 0/????, Spear Mastery III 0/200, Mysteries of the Fiery Emerald Waltz 0/???, Violent Heat I 0/???, Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000, Body Beyond the System 0/????, Deathwish IX 0/3, The Pursuit of Alchemy 0/750, Weakness of the Grim Chimera 0/500, Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix 0/500, The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/???, The Chimera’s Metamorphosis 0/2000, Greater Nether Core 0/???
Randidly hummed softly to himself as he looked at his Soulskill, which currently sat at Level 25550. The next tithe from the Alpha Cosmos will happen at 27500, so this batch of PP will get me almost halfway there… but that probably means I can either accomplish one larger Path or a few smaller Paths now. It will still be some time before I get to finish almost anything I want…
As always, Randidly quickly cut down the giant list of Paths to a much more manageable few that he was considering. Then the real work of choosing between them could begin. Generally, Randidly shortened his list to include a few broad categories of Path options. Those relating to Aether and images working together, those related to improving his individual images, Paths that would further the power of his physical body, and Paths to improve his Nether.
Also, because he would soon be a Drill Sergeant, Randidly left the Bearing of a Teacher Path through the first round of eliminations. Revelation energy flickered to life at the corners of his eye as he examined the list once more.
Aether Convergence II ???, Bearing of a Teacher ???, Exodus, the Terror 0/1000, Genesis, the Considered 0/1000, Image Cooperation I 0/100, Body Refinement I 0/???, Chimera’s Struggle II 0/????, Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000, Body Beyond the System 0/????, The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/???, The Chimera’s Metamorphosis 0/2000, Greater Nether Core 0/???
Frowning, Randidly considered his options once more. The violet-black revelation energy intensified to match his gaze. At just below 1000 PP, the two Yggdrasil images were the two most tempting if he wanted to spend all his PP in one place. But ultimately… Randidly didn’t quite believe that he was ready to take either of those Paths. The addition of purification in the image of Genesis was interesting, but Yggdrasil’s stable growth meant that the was emphasizing the two other images at the moment. Using a Path to forcefully evolve a half-baked image seemed like an inefficient use of PP.
Similarly, Randidly decided against any of the Grim Chimera and Stillborn Phoenix Paths, at least until he had a detailed picture of the next form the image would take. The Grim Chimera was certainly going through a metamorphosis, but it could do that on its own. And Randidly hadn’t quite figured out the shape of the Stillborn Phoenix that breathed emotion.
After much consideration, Randidly also decided to wait on Image Cooperation and instead meditate on that feeling he briefly achieved during the meeting with Edraine. For the briefest moment, he had united his images with a base emotion. When he also removed Aether Convergence II from the options, he had a much-reduced list to choose from.
Bearing of a Teacher ???, Body Refinement I 0/???, Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000, Body Beyond the System 0/????, Greater Nether Core 0/???
Randidly licked his lips. Between the two similar options, Randidly thought perhaps Body Beyond the System would be a more impactful choice of Path. Perhaps most relevantly, Body Refinement was part of a chain of indeterminate length. In addition, despite its obvious preference that he did not pass certain boundaries, the System didn’t have any problem rewarding Randidly anyway once he actually crossed those bounds.
There was always a cost for the transgression, but in this case, it was him not being able to access the System’s Aether-
“Ha!” Randidly snorted. Then he grinned widely and looked down into the deep shadows of the shaft below him. That was why he was having such an easy time extracting the emotion and had no problems being infected by this chaotic Aether. It was System Aether; it inherently rejected him. Which enabled him to easily harvest the emotion present…
Rather amused, Randidly shook his head. Then he focused back on the Paths. One way or another, Randidly believed he should start with Bearing of a Teacher for the Paths. It would likely be relatively smaller, because it was an early Path option open to him, and it might assist with the training of the recruits. The better they performed, the faster they could get Edraine to Tier 3 citizenship.
And the faster they could achieve that, the more time they would have to actually plan the act of stealing Elhume’s body before circumstances inevitably forced their hand.
So Randidly began adding PP to the Bearing of a Teacher Path. The Path only required 200 PP and gave him a point in Focus and Control every 10 PP.
Congratulations! You have finished the Bearing of a Teacher Path. As you continue to ascend toward the Pinnacle, it is inevitable that others will attempt to imitate your climb. Some will fail, but with your assistance, others will succeed. They may take separate Paths to your own, but you will leave an indelible mark on all those who listen to your words. The Path beneath your feet glows faintly, acting as a beacon for your proteges. Walk with pride, lead with grace, teach with kindness.
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Congratulations! Wisdom +50! Synchronicity detected! Recalculating Skill…
Your Skill Lantern of Harsh Truths (R) has evolved into the Torch of Fast and Slow Silences (A)! Skill Levels will be maintained.
Torch of Fast and Slow Silences (A): A skill designed to assist those who reflect on themselves. Exposure to the user will gradually accumulate energy within any viewers. During the next fast or slow silence they experience as they reflect on themselves, that accumulated energy will be expended to assist with their computations. Speed of accumulation increases with Skill Level. The benefit to viewers increases with Skill Level. Area of effect slightly increases with Skill Level. What is considered a silence grows with Skill Level.
Randidly couldn’t help but chuckle; it looked like he would no longer be able to strike at his enemy’s mental flaws in the midst of battle anymore. The effect would wait until their next ‘silence’, whatever that meant. But even if the Skill might have greatly helped him in the past, it had been part of a desperate effort each time. It wasn’t something Randidly could ever rely on.
Meanwhile, adding more… positive realizations to the Skill would soften the effect, while still pushing the people around Randidly toward positive growth. Certainly, as a benefit he obtained for 200 PP, it was well worth it. Which once more left Randidly with a decision between his remaining options.
Sovereign of Violence I 0/1000, Body Beyond the System 0/????, Greater Nether Core 0/???
Following similar lines of logic that he used to move away from the image focused Paths, Randidly also planned on waiting to select the Greater Nether Core Path. He hoped he could explore deeper into the Web and observe the mass of Nether at the bottom, from a safe distance. As his Nether Nebula slowly churned its way into forming a second tiny grey bubble, Randidly knew that he was genuinely on the right track: he just needed a bit of inspiration to put the pieces together.
Sovereign of Violence was tempting for what it might mean, but Randidly also worried whether it would come with hidden hooks from the Nexus. When he had asked Octavius about it, the Overseer had confirmed that Sovereign was a very particular distinction within the System hierarchy. But it was an area that Octavius didn’t know much about and therefore he had very little advice.
After a few minutes of considering, Randidly poured his remaining PP into Body Beyond the System. It turned out that Path required 500 PP and gave him a point in Nether Brawn every 10 PP spent.
Congratulations! You have completed the Body Beyond the System Path! As the environment of your Path has grown more dangerous, you have eschewed the common routes and descended from the high road; where your feet go, no man was ever supposed to tread. Flames like up from cracks in the ground and sinister vapors cloud your vision. Yet your ability to adapt surpasses the imagination. Although all normal roads are now closed to you, you still may be able to claw your way to the Pinnacle through sheer forces of will.
Congratulations! +300 Free Physical Stats!
Randidly blinked. Then he began to laugh. He used 22 of those free stat points to push his Endurance to 1000. Instantly, he felt his body shifting on a cellular level. Instead of the invigorating sensation of a spark of life being ignited throughout his body as happened with Vitality, this time he felt the sharp defining lines between his distinct biological organs grow increasingly clear. The boundaries were strengthened. His joints were reinforced.
Across his body, his skin grew robust and rugged. Meanwhile, he took 78 of the remaining free points and put it into Agility. The final 200 went into Grim Intuition. His skin began to tingle at the sharp and sudden statistical increase. Then Randidly looked at his Stats screen and grinned.
Even if its hard to see the benefit of a single stat point these days… when I get so many at once…
Randidly Ghosthound
Class: Lord of the Baleful Wood (x5)
Level: 62 (39%)
Health(/R per hour): 12051/12245 (4778)
Mana(/R per hour): 11198/11223 (2838)
Stam(/R per min): 8301/8796 (1772)
Vit: 1065
End: 1000
Nether Brawn (A): 1120
Agi: 1265
Grim Intuition (L): 1280
Reaction: 1000
Resistance: 1014
Willpower: 1207
Intelligence: 1058
Wisdom: 794
Control: 1530
Focus: 824
PP: 286
Skills (Soul Skill): Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 26250 (27500)
Combat: Spear Mastery Lvl 311, Heavy Blow Lvl 134, Iron Skin Lvl 47, Dodge Lvl 150, Block Lvl 77, Calculated Blow Lvl 149, Roundhouse Kick Lvl 97, Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 126, Stalemate Breaker Lvl 142, Talon Strike Lvl 146, Counter Lvl 94, Ruinous Drive (Ru) Lvl 114
LoBW Class Skills: Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 27, Sharpness Lvl 189, Earthquake (Un) Lvl 48, Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14, Erode Image (L) Lvl 100, Spriggit’s Tinkering (R) Lvl 222, Aether Understanding (A) Lvl 195, Aether Infusion Lvl 47, Volatile Ash (A) Lvl 44, Conviction of the Smiling Horror (L) Lvl 351, Fruit of the Planting of Enmity (L) Lvl 49, Absolute Timing (Ru) Lvl 167, Cycle of the Gloomy Wood (R) Lvl 45, Riders of the Baleful Court (A) Lvl 254, Torch of Fast and Slow Silences (A) Lvl 170, Sigil of an Approaching Fate (A) Lvl 66, Profound Influence (A) Lvl 21, Reckoning of the Bleak Dawn (L) Lvl 99
Descent of the Grim Chimera (M): Chimeric Avoidance (L) Lvl 329, Cursed Appetite of a Wraith (L) Lvl 346, Abomination’s Grim Vigor (M) Lvl 360, Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) Lvl 252, Molten Fang of the Pariah (L) Lvl 276, Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes (L) Lvl 300, The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns (L) Lvl 247, All Else Succombs, Yet Time Whirls the Earth (M) Lvl 229
The Stillborn Phoenix: A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn (P): Piercing Gaze of the Egg (L) Lvl 219, The Tug of Tragic Silence (A) Lvl 185, Cosmic Necessity (M) Lvl 263, Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart (T) Lvl 296, Tide of the Void (L) Lvl 245, Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix (L) Lvl 299, Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold (T) Lvl 330
Aether Skills: Aether Detection Lvl 238, Aether Manipulation Lvl 240, Living Aether (R) Lvl 165, System Interference Lvl 88, Aether Surgeon (Ru) Lvl 104
Spells: Yggdrasil Soul Seed (R), Inspiration (R), Burning Footsteps Lvl 23
Crafting: Potion Making Lvl 73, Farming Lvl 34, Analyze Lvl 29, Refine Lvl 106, Extract Lvl 92, Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) Lvl 279, Experienced Creator’s Ingenuity (A) Lvl 145, Touch of the Ghosthound (U)
Yggdrasil, the Universe that was First a Tree (P): Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 267, The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 298, the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 237, the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil (L) Lvl 273, the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M) Lvl 269, the Implacable Price of Exodus (M) Lvl 229, Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L) Lvl 275, Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) Lvl 318
Auxiliary: Sneak Lvl 56, Acid Resistance Lvl 22, Poison Resistance Lvl 21, Sewing Lvl 11, Digging Lvl 9, Cooking Lvl 101, Clockwork Mastery Lvl 30, Aether Connection (A) Lvl 21, Soul Bond Lvl 155, Chef’s Palette Lvl 36, Nether Modification (U), Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 59, Engineering Savvy (R) Lvl 235, From Darkness, Genesis (R) Lvl 17, (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 199, Connection to the Alpha Cosmos (U), Nether Sensation (L) Lvl 317, Nether Ritual (A) Lvl 177