I stared at my fist and flexed it, thinking deeply about the skills I had been cultivating. I had ki at my disposal, matched with my soul. That’s not to mention that I have a certain mastery over hand-to-hand combat and sword work. I’ve come too far to give up, so how can I combine all my masteries? I was making a gauntlet that would serve as a fist-type weapon so that I could free up my medium a bit more instead of using it just to bash things.

But at the same time, I feel like that would be a waste. There had to be a way to combine everything I had done, but what could it be? I pondered on the thought heavily as I thought about my gauntlet. Then it hit me like a truck. What If I attached a sword to the gauntlet?

I walked back over to my notebook, quickly flipped it open to my drawing, and stared at the fist. So, how was I going to add a sword into the mix?

What I was thinking was that I could add a thin sword to the inside of the gauntlet. It would make it a little more heft to it, but I could design the sword so that it sticks out the side like a set of scales? Then use Ki to shift it out of place into my hand. I grinned at the idea that came into my mind and quickly sketched it all out. It would take some trial and error to figure out what I want to do, but it will be great once I figure it out. But this is all tentative and subject to change until I make up my mind.

Once my sketch was finished, I stood up and walked back into the training area. So, let’s see, I have a few skills that I want to test out. The first would be Anima lightning. I searched my mind for the barest hints on how to use the skill, and once I figured it out, I quickly activated it. Strange violet-colored lightning danced across the tips of my fingers. A part of me expected hair to stand on end, yet nothing came.

The sound of electricity crackling filled the air as it arced across my fingertips and crawled the length of my medium. I watched it with amusement as I formed a plan. What if I tried to use it like some of those guys from that one sci-fi film?

I extended my hand, pushed my soul outwards, and watched as the lightning rippled and exploded. The electricity arched and bit into the ground no more than two meters in front of me. I could feel a grin spread across my face as I watched the light show. That was so fucking cool.

A new skill has been learned: Anima Bolt.

Perhaps that was too easy. But then again, it was my fault for not focusing on my skills as much as I should have. Though better late than never, I suppose. I shrugged and thought back to the first skill I had unlocked. If I could do that with my soul lightning, what could I do with my soul shot?

I raised my hand like I was a superhero and gathered energy. But I didn’t want to let it all out at once. Maybe I could do something more akin to a gun, but with my hand. I focused on the power that was rippling in the center of my palm and focused on holding it.

Much to my surprise, it was so much easier than before. It was like a veil was lifted from my mind, allowing me to manipulate the energies under my control more freely. I grabbed hold of it and split it into seven small orbs. At first, the energy resisted my will. But with enough force, I snapped it and pulled it away from the center of my hand.

I pushed the orbs into a tight orbit around my medium, but most of my focus was spent on trying to get them not to condense back into the palm of my hand. I shot a glance at the furthest wall from me as I raised my hand and grinned once more as an idea crossed my mind, and I made a finger gun. Was it a bit childlike? Yes, but who was going to stop me?

I mimed the motion of a gun cocking, and let one of the orbs go. It traveled down the length of my thumb and towards the center of my hand, before it shot out like a bullet. It cut through the air with a small whistle before it slammed into the wall, chipping it slightly, but I was a little off the mark on where I was aiming.

Ha! Where was this when I was a child? I waggled my finger gun as excitement bubbled in me. It felt good creating my skills. In fact, it felt just as amazing to sit here and work on myself a bit. But, I couldn’t let my mind wander. I needed to focus if I wanted to make Alessia happy enough with my progress.

I took a deep breath and used my thumb as a makeshift sight. Once I narrowed in on my target, I let the orbs slip from my control, one after the other. Each one took the same path quickly and shot from the tip of my finger. The first three were still way off target, but each slowly crept closer to where I wanted them to be.

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A new skill has been learned: Fractured Soul Shot

The text wandered across my screen, and I nodded as I dismissed it. I didn’t need the system to tell me how to live my life or force me to take specific skills. This was my life and doing, and I would be damned before I let it control me again.

I turned my attention back to the task at hand and glanced at my medium. Let’s see what else I can do with this while I’m training. I quickly searched my mind for the information on my soul flame and activated the skill.

Violet flame enshrined my fingertips as it danced on the near lifeless air in the room. But, just like last time, it didn’t radiate any heat—just the familiar crackling of flame eating away at its fuel source. I stared at the violet flames, mesmerized by the beauty of it. The color itself was so otherworldly that I couldn’t help but be taken by it.

I tore my eyes away and raised my hand once more. Let’s try the same thing I did with the lightning. I pushed the fire down towards the center of my hand and then pushed it outwards with everything I had. The fire roared outwards in a small cone that extended at most a meter and a half in length and no more than two of my hands in width.

A new skill has been learned: Soul Flame thrower.

Just like before, I dismissed the notification. They were all basic skills that I was learning, strictly based on the ease with which I was creating them. Perhaps it was time that I tried to do something a little harder.

I raised my hand once more and focused on the soul that lived within my medium. Carefully, I worked on stretching it out. But doing so reminded me of trying to work through a tough dough. Each time I’d tug on an edge, it would distort slightly before breaking and returning to its original state.

The effort continued for quite some time, and I felt a familiar headache gnawing at the back of my mind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get it to stretch out any further. I groaned as I sat down on the ground and cupped my head in my hands. This fucking sucked. Why did it have to be so much work?

The biggest issue was that I didn’t know how to tackle soul manipulation. I know it was trial and error, but I still had no idea what to do at the end of the day. It was all so alien to me. I cleared my throat as I regarded my medium once more. Trying to alter my soul here really felt like tough dough. So, maybe I could treat it like such? It’s worth a shot, I suppose.

I focused on the soul once more and pressed gently into the center. I have to remember to treat it gently. If I’m rough, it’s only going to fall apart. While keeping the center pressed, I slowly worked from the inside out. I’d press down and stretch it slightly before shifting slightly over and repeating it. Slowly but surely, the soul in my hand took shape, though I didn’t know what I was trying to do here.

It felt like hours as I slowly crafted the soul in my hand, and everything was going well, at least until it felt like I hit a wall. Instantly, I froze. My heart started to hammer in my chest as fear crept in. I was beyond terrified that I was about to lose all the progress that I had made so far. I’m going to be beyond fucking pissed if I fucked something up.

So instead, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. I needed to relax and focus on what I could do to ensure I fucked nothing up. I closed my eyes and focused on the soul I was attempting to craft. There was no proper shape to discern from the amalgamation; Just a strange worked mess. Tentatively, I reached out and felt around with my mind where the walls were.

It didn’t seem to make any sense. At least until I realized that the walls were that of the medium. The breath I was holding while carefully checking everything out escaped my lungs, and relief flooded through my veins. Good, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. All I had to do now was keep crafting until it filled every inch of the medium.

With painstaking diligence, I worked my soul into almost every inch of the finger, and now all that was left was the thumb. Excitement rippled through my veins as I realized that I was close to something huge, but I didn’t know quite what yet.

I pressed into the last part of the soul and gently caressed it upwards and into the gap where my thumb was. My movements became even slower as a touch of anxiety blossomed into existence. I had to remind myself to take my time and not rush anything as I carefully pushed the last bit into place.

It felt like something within me was unlocked as the soul-filled the last area of my hand. For at least two heartbeats, I sat there uncertain of what was to come until what felt like a torrent of lukewarm water rushed through my veins and smashed into my chest.

Level one soul attunement has been reached! Soul abilities now cost fifteen percent less to cast, and regeneration effects have been increased by ten percent! Damage dealt has been increased by twelve percent.