"Achoo!"
Rhys rubbed his nose a bit forcefully, frowning. "Who the fuck is badmouthing ?"
[I believe you are simply allergic to dust.]
Perhaps so, because as he moved closer to what he presud was the core ring of the Ashen Courtyard, the surroundings started to change.
Before, it was a maze with countless identical paths winding through the petrified forest.
Now, the trees were becoming sparser, the paths widening until they rged into a vast, open plain of gray ash.
The twilight sky, which had always illuminated the Labyrinth, was now covered by thick, gray clouds.
From these clouds, a gentle, unending rain of ash fell, coating everything in a fine layer of dust. His line of sight grew shorter, revealing a desolate, monochro world.
He stopped, holding out a hand to catch the falling particles. They were cool to the touch and felt strangely heavy.
’System, what is this stuff?’
[Analyzing... The particles are composed of condensed, inert spiritual energy mixed with a high concentration of tallic minerals. Constant exposure is creating a unique environntal pressure on the Host’s body.]
[A new lifeskill is being ford based on the Host’s interaction with this unique environnt...]
[Lifeskill [Ash Veil] has been acquired.]
Rhys blinked. The System couldn’t create ordinary skills from nothing, but it seed it could formulate a new lifeskill based on his direct, prolonged exposure to a unique phenonon.
This was a new and welco discovery.
’Ash Veil? What does it do?’
[Ash Veil (Uninitiated): Allows the user to subtly manipulate inert dust and ash particles in their imdiate vicinity to create minor visual distortions or a thin covering.]
It sounded perfect for stealth.
[Comprehend [Ash Veil] to Perfection? Cost: 200 years of lifespan.]
’Do you still have to state the cost?’
[There are certain formalities I can’t break, Host.]
’Okay... okay,’ Rhys shrugged.
"Do it already."
A new wave of knowledge flooded his mind; it was an instinctual understanding. He could feel the countless motes of ash around him, not as individual particles, but as a single, cohesive dium.
He could command them. With a thought, the ash at his feet swirled up, clinging to his body like a second skin before dissipating, leaving no trace.
He could create a small, dense cloud of ash to obscure an enemy’s vision or make the ground beneath their feet shift like sand.
’This will also improve my fighting power.’
He was more than excited to use this new skill as he finally t his first opponent in this new region. It was a wolf.
With every step it took, gray ash fell from its shaggy, matted fur. It was larger than any wolf from his world, its body lean and powerful, its eyes glowing with a dull, gray light.
It saw him and roared. But the sound was strange, a dry, rasping noise like grinding stones.
As it roared, the ash clinging to its body solidified, turning into a storm of razor-sharp, hair-like needles that shot towards him. That’s when the System showed him what it was.
[Ash-Hide Wolf detected. A predator native to high-density ash zones. Its body is infused with the properties of the ash, allowing it to manipulate it for both offense and defense.]
’It’s not a simple Stage 1 monster, right?’
[Analyzing more deeply...]
[Ash-Hide Wolf Bloodline: Ordinary Cultivation: Stage 1 (Peak)]
’Yeah... not an ordinary one.’
Rhys didn’t flinch from the incoming storm of needles. With a wave of his hand, a thick curtain of ash rose from the ground, forming a swirling shield before him.
The needles slamd into the Ash Veil, their montum lost in the dense, shifting dust.
’Wow...’ Rhys grinned. Before his perfected Ash Veil, he doubted an ordinary ash-wielder like this wolf could resist.
Surprised that its attack had failed, the wolf charged at him. It was the instinctive action of a monster.
’Naive.’ He curled his lips upwards.
In the sa realm, there would be no one to match his body’s defense. It seed this wolf also failed to understand this, as its body recoiled when they t head-on.
’Aw’
It cried out. Looking down, one of its claws was broken by that strike.
Rhys looked down at his now mangled skin. He grimaced as the injuries started to heal themselves.
Pain had beco a constant companion for him in this labyrinth. Slowly, he started to enjoy it.
There were monts he had been gutted by monsters when trying a new style of fighting. He was slowly becoming numb to it.
Sohow, the pain mixed with adrenaline was like a drug to him. In the gray, raining ash, the fight continued.
Rather than killing the wolf and repeating the process, Rhys tortured it. The beast had terror in its eyes when its whole body beca nothing but bones with so skin hanging in threads.
Its petrified, grayish eyes reflected the young man opposite it, who was now covered completely in blood.
His white teeth, which stretched to his ears, were the only thing it rembered before it let out a final, rasping howl and dissolved into purple light.
It did not revive. He had completely extinguished its mory in one kill.
Rhys slowly licked his lips. ’Beautiful... really.’
Two items dropped onto the ash-covered ground. One was the familiar, glowing lifespan crystal.
The other was sothing new. It was a small, dark, stone-like object, rough and jagged, that seed to absorb the light around it.
He picked it up.
[Profession Core Fragnt (Ash Veil) has been acquired.]
[Collect 100 fragnts to form a complete [Ordinary-Grade Ash Veil Profession Core].] [Current progress: 1/100]
Rhys frowned. ’Profession core? So this is how I get one.’
[System analyzing...]
[Analysis requires deeper comprehension of worldly principles. This knowledge is different from the established teachings of the Azure Province. Do you wish to proceed? Cost: 100 years of lifespan.]
’Just a hundred years for a fundantal truth of the world? Do it.’
A new wave of information, more structured and academic than any skill comprehension, flowed into his mind. It was a complete re-education on the nature of skills.
[Analysis Complete. All skills are classified into two fundantal types: Innate and Acquired.]
[Innate Skills: Also known as Lifeskills. These are abilities one learns through continuous training, practical experience, or the unique adaptability of one’s constitution.
Anyone with enough dedication can learn an Innate Skill. Examples: Butchering, Blacksmithing, Navigation, and your newly ford [Ash Veil].
[Acquired Skills: These are specific techniques and arts learned from an external source, such as a skill manual, a scroll, or direct teaching.]
Rhys nodded in understanding. It was a simple, logical distinction, but the System wasn’t finished.
[The Role of Cores: Cores are the key to elevating a skill beyond its basic function.]
[Profession Cores: An Innate Skill (Lifeskill) can be transford into a Profession by absorbing a suitable Profession Core. This makes the lifeskill more valuable, powerful, and grants the user a deeper, more instinctual command over their craft.]
[Skill Cores: An Acquired Skill can be imprinted onto a suitable empty core. This transforms the technique into a Skill Core, making it a permanent part of the user’s soul.]
This allows for greater power, lower Qi consumption, and the potential for future evolution. He knew about professions and profession cores, but the wide possibilities of skill cores excited him more.
’Future evolution? Does this an I can evolve a skill beyond its current quality?’
[Correct.]
Rhys’s eyes lit up. His ’Spark Fist’ was a Mortal-Grade skill.
Even if he perfected it, it was becoming less useful as his opponents beca stronger. The possibility of evolving it further excited him.
He hadn’t learned of anyone having a skill of a quality greater than Mortal-Grade. So he could imagine the waves it would create if others knew of the possibility of turning a technique into a skill core.
"Let’s think about it after I collect a hundred fragnts," Rhys murmured.
And so, his hunt began anew. He beca a true predator of the ash plains.
He sought out the Ash-Hide Wolves, his new favorite prey. Each battle refined his technique, a perfect synergy of his dagger skills and his mastery over the ash.
More than that, he started to enjoy the killing. Sohow, the pained cries of monsters turned into an orchestra in his ears.
Also, pain beca salvation. In the continuous fights, the youthful energy he once possessed transford into sothing sinister.
So much so that the wolves started to flee in terror at the simple sight of him. He didn’t wash, eat, or sleep.
The blood sared on his face slowly created a second skin all over his body. There were no clothes anymore, and he felt no sha.
In simple terms, he beca a perfect killing machine. Finally, after days of relentless hunting, he killed his one-hundredth Ash-Hide Wolf.
As the creature dissolved, it dropped the final piece he needed. He held the 100th fragnt in his hand.
The other 99 flew out of his spatial pouch, swirling around it in a vortex of dark energy. They began to rge, to fuse, the jagged edges smoothing out, the dull rock transforming into a perfect, polished gray sphere that humd with a quiet power.
[100/100 Fragnts collected.]
[Forging Profession Core...]
[[Ordinary-Grade Apprentice Ash Veil Profession Core] has been successfully created!]
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