In-Between 1

(A/N: Sorry about it... Its a bit of a info dump chapter)

The morning quickly came and the first item on our shopping list was Rule Breaker, a System Tool that temporarily changes the world laws to allow the user to perform tasks that were normally prohibited. It also blocks any physical or psychological influence from the world laws and costs 7,500 WP.

[System Tools| Upgrade Name: Rule Breaker| Description: In worlds where the world laws don't allow the user to perform certain skill, ability, or spell the system forces the surrounding laws to briefly change, allowing the user to perform the task. Blocks any physical or psychological influence by the world laws. | Price: 7,500 WP]

Soul Shield was another System Tool that we purchased for 7,500 WP, which shielded the user's true soul from being seen by others. Anyone attempting to view it will only see it as a mundane soul, similar to others in the current world.

[System Tools| Upgrade Name: Soul Shield| Description: Souls vary from world to world. After purchasing this upgrade your true soul becomes shielded from anyone's gaze. Anyone attempting to view it by any means, only sees it as a mundane soul, identical to the other denizens of the current world. | Price: 7,500 WP]

We also purchased the XP Rebalancing upgrade for the Class System, which ensures a balanced leveling process with each level requiring the same amount of experience. This upgrade costs us only 500 WP.

[Class System| Upgrade Name: Rebalancing| Description: Allows the class leveling process to be balanced and streamlined, each level requiring the same amount of experience. Total experience required, unchanged. | Price: 500 WP]

Another system upgrade that proved to be valuable was Skill Management. This system actually had a few other upgrades listed as add-ons, that could change how some of its features worked or straight up added new functionality. However, those were quite pricy so we only went with the base for now. Upon purchase, our system screen was bombarded with notifications of skill evolution, which with a resounding chuckle I quickly hid from my view. The Skill Management upgrade price was quite steep, standing at a whopping 40,000 WP, but it was still worth the price.

[Skill System| Upgrade Name: Skill Management Base|

Description: Grants the ability to create Subskills, and to Remove, Evolve, or Merge skills.

- Unwanted skills can be completely removed from the system.

- Skills that reach their maximum level will automatically evolve to the next tier. Depending on how a skill is used, its abilities may be enchanted or a new ability will be granted.

- Compatible skills can be merged into one, merged skills will have their levels reset and their experience requirement will be multiplied by the amount of invested skills. Additionally, merged skills lose their ability to evolve, but upon merger have a chance of creating something stronger than the sum of its parts.

- Skills can also be added as subskills to other compatible skills, however, subskills cannot level up or evolve. Instead, they activate simultaneously as the main skill and draw their bonuses from it. Ultimately, they can only be merged with the skill they are subservient to, and they are consumed by the main skill if it's merged into another one, but stay as subskills if the main skill is evolved.

- Skills gained from classes can only be evolved, merged, or subsumed after the class has been maxed out.

| Price: 40,000 WP]

Our next purchases were related to the Background System, with Time Manipulation allowing us to set the time of our arrival in a new world for 7,500 WP, and Location Manipulation allowing us to set the location of our arrival for 17,500 WP. Quite the drastic difference, but I understood why the location manipulation was so pricy.

[Background System| Upgrade Name: Time Manipulation| Description: Allows the user to set the time of his arrival. | Price: 7,500 WP]

[Background System| Upgrade Name: Location Manipulation| Description: Allows the user to set the location of his arrival. | Price: 17,500 WP]

The Collector upgrade from the Title System was bought twice for a total of 1,500 WP, allowing us to equip multiple titles at the same time. We also purchased the Chimera upgrade from the Race System for a total of 3,000 WP, which enables us to equip multiple races at the same time and have a mixed appearance.

[Title System| Upgrade Name: Collector| Description: +1 additional Title can be active per upgrade. Can be purchased up to 9 times. (Bought: 0/9 times). The cost doubles after each purchase. | Price: 500 WP]

[Race System | Upgrade Name: Chimera| Description: +1 additional Race can be active per upgrade. Can be purchased up to 9 times. Your appearance will be a mixture of active races. (Bought: 0/9 times). The cost doubles after each purchase. | Price: 1,000 WP]

Finally, we purchased the Additional Class Slots upgrade from the Class System for a total cost of 15,000 WP, which provided us with a total of 2 additional level-able class slots.

[Class System | Upgrade Name: Additional Class Slots | Description: +1 additional Levelable Class per purchase. Can be purchased up to 4 times. (Bought: 0/4 times). Cost doubles after each purchase | Price: 5,000 WP]

Our hearts sank as we only had 356 WP in the bank, three months of work went poof, in a few minutes. We both looked at the two additional systems we really wanted to purchase, however, without the funds to support them, we could only look at them.

[System Tools | Upgrade Name: Upscaling| Description: This function enables users to apply a single upscaling to the world they are in, resulting in a smooth leveling experience even in lower-tiered worlds. However, it's worth noting that the rewards for quests will still correspond to the original world tier. Furthermore, when upscaling, all regular entities will have the same strength as the user, whereas anything superior will maintain its tier and strength discrepancy.| Price: 15,000 WP]

[System Tools | Upgrade Name: Pet System| Description: This feature enables users to add their tamed creatures to the system, allowing them to evolve once they reach specific level thresholds and grow stronger as time progresses. As they progress, pets acquire new spells and skills that align with their affinities. Moreover, pets in the Pet System can be extracted from different worlds without requiring any extra payment. Users can also store their tamed creatures inside spherical objects, which convert them into data without causing any harm. These objects can then be placed in the inventory, ensuring the safety and convenience of the pet. | Price: 20,000 WP]

With the shopping out of the way, I gave my status screen a quick glance, did a quick redesign, and simultaneously moved all my crafting skills into a new tab.

Status

[Global L: 93 XP: 6,473,170]

[Classes: [None: 0/50] [None: 0/50] [None: 0/50]]

[Titles: [Blessed by Death] [None] [None]]

[Race: [Human] [None] [None] | Tier: 3]

[WP: 356] [UC: 200,00.00] [HS: Healthy]

Stamina: 844,550 (1,592/s)

Mana: 943,319(39,106/s)

STR: 829

VIT: 835

DEX: 1,008

AGI: 854

PER: 234

INT: 722

WIS: 574

CHAR: 66

LUCK: 5

P. Res: 0

M. Res: 0

Defence:

[Sneak 17] [Muted Steps 20] [Dodge II 100] [Pain Tolerance II 100] [Counter II 100] [Acrobatics II 100] [Soul Resonance] [Magic Resistance II 120] [Abnormal Resistance II 120] [Fear Resistance 50] [Healing Power II 120]

Offence:

[Small Blade Mastery 48] [Large Blade Mastery II 100] [Gun Mastery 5] [Dual-wielding 23] [Bow Mastery 12] [Swordsman II 120]

Magic:

[Mana Manipulation II 100] [Charms II 100] [Transfiguration II 100] [Runic Language II 100] [Mind Arts II 100] [Sage's Wisdom] [Mana's Blessing] [Magic Penetration] [Mage II 120] [Spirit Healing II 120] [Multicasting II 100] [Magical Embodiment] [Time Affinity II 100] [Foresight 1] [Space Affinity II 100] [Spatial Slash 1>3] [Mind Control II 100] [Flame Travel] [Eternal Flame]

Crafting:

[Cooking 79] [Spellcode II 100] [Alchemy II 100] [Enchanting II 100] [Mystery II 120] [Blacksmithing II 100] [Arcane Blacksmith II 120] [Metalworking II 120]

Misc.:

[Deception 58] [Drawing 8] [Writing 47] [Seduction 45] [Acting 83] [Reading II 100] [Herbology 67] [Teaching II 100] [Mathematics 35] [Leadership 64] [Dancing II 100] [Archive] [Focus II 100] [Multitasking II 100] [Observational Learning II 100] [Basilisk Venom 1] [Petrification] [Deadly Gaze] [Phoenix Tears 1] [Phoenix Song 1>2] [Seed of Divinity] *[Spec of Divinity] [Divine Empowerment]

BMS:

[Bears Vitality 1] [Blood Arts 1] [Blood Manipulation 1] [Blue Flame 1] [Breed 1>5] [Charge 1] [Cold Resistance 1] [Conjure Flame 1>11] [Crystalline Shell 1] [Decay 1] [Diffusion 1] [Dragon Breath 1] [Dragon Scales 1] [Dust Manipulation 1] [Echolocation 1] [Enhanced Hearing 1] [Featherweight 1] [Fire Coat 1] [Gaseous Form 1] [Healing Powder 1] [Illusion Creation 1>7] [Levitate 1] [Lightning Cloak 1] [Magical Stone Creation 1] [Minotaur's Rage 1] [Obsidian Shell 1] [Orcish Strength 1] [Pheromones 1] [Poison Secretion 1] [Seismic Sense 1] [Sense Ore 1] [Shadow Form 1] [Siren's Voice 1>2] [Slimy Skin 1] [Sonic Attack 1>2] [Spore Release 1] [Sticky Feet 1] [Thunder 1] [Troll's Regeneration 1>9] [Underwater Breathing 1] [Water Walking 1] *[Intangibility 1]*[Shadow Clothes 1>5] *[Shadow Walk 1]*[Halo 1>9] *[Strong Body 1>Max] *[Hidden Shadow 1] *[Charm 1]

(A/N: Hopefully I didn't miss anything... I rewrote this chapter after like 2 months and didn't have a backup of this status...)

I didn't choose my classes since I wasn't sure where we were headed. Instead, I quickly checked my evolved skills and was surprised to find that over 34 skills had been maxed out and automatically evolved. Sadly, the five skills I gained from leveling up in the DanMachi world stayed maxed out, however, my development abilities all evolved. The evolved skills had gained upgrades in specific areas, based on how they were used before. For instance, my [Mind Arts] abilities remained mostly the same, but now included a new ability that enabled me to extract knowledge and practice from my targets.

[Mind Arts LVL: 1/100]

- The user gains 1 Mind Tether/LVL.

- Increases the chance of entering the target's mental realm 1%/LVL.

- Allows the viewing, editing, and copying of memories over to the user.

- Allows the implanting of suggestions, however, the other party may choose not to act on them.

- Forms a shield around the user's mind, protecting it from intruders.

- Forms a mental library, able to store and filter memories and knowledge, allowing instant access to any.

[Mind Arts II LVL: 100/200]

- The user gains 1 Mind Tether/LVL.

- Guarantees an entrance to the target's mental realm.

- Allows the viewing, editing, and copying of memories over to the user.

- Allows the siphoning of knowledge and practice from targeted individuals.

- Allows the implanting of suggestions, however, the other party may choose not to act on them.

- Forms a shield around the user's mind, protecting it from intruders.

- Forms a mental library, able to store and filter memories and knowledge, allowing instant access to any.

Another interesting one was [Mana Manipulation] which went from only increasing my ability to control mana, to also reducing the strain I felt went controlling it. It was a small increase, but still, a great quality of life upgrade and I couldn't be happier about it.

[Mana Manipulation LVL:1/100]

- Eases the ability to control mana by 1%/LVL.

[Mana Manipulation II LVL:100/200]

- Eases the ability to control mana by 1%/LVL.

- Reduces mana channel strain by 0.1%/LVL.

While those two seemed interesting, the biggest surprise was that [Blacksmith] evolved into [Arcane Blacksmith], gaining a focus on crafting with magic.

[Arcane Blacksmith LVL:120/200]

- Gain the buff [Arcane Inspiration], increasing Wisdom, Intelligence, and Mana regeneration by 35% while crafting magical items.

- Enables the creation of forging tools in the form of magical constructs made only from mana.

- Gain a chance of not consuming a reagent when crafting with magic 0.05%/LVL.

- Increases the quality of a forged product by 0.5%/LVL.

(A/N: I'll post an Aux chapter with the full evolved skill list and their descriptions. I don't want to post a chapter with only skill upgrades...)

Once I had thoroughly examined my upgraded abilities, I proceeded to review my extensive list of skills and began devising plans to either remove, merge, or create sub-skills.

There were a few skills that were potential candidates for merging, such as the various resistance skills that I possessed. While they were undoubtedly useful, I believed that combining them could potentially result in a more powerful skill, even if they would lose the ability to evolve later on. Likewise, I noticed that I had several skills related to the vitality that shared a similar concept.

Despite this, I was hesitant to test out the skill merger on a valuable skill. So, I decided to experiment with one that I could easily replicate with magic. The four skills I chose were [Shadow Form], [Shadow Clothes], [Shadow Walk], and [Hidden Shadow], all of which involved manipulating shadows or moving through them. However, once I merged them, I was pleasantly surprised by the unique and intriguing skill that resulted.

[Shadow Veil 4x LVL: 1/100]

- Grants the user complete control over shadows within a limited radius, allowing for partial concealment of allies and objects in darkness.

- Allows the user to perceive and sense the presence of living beings in darkness, providing increased awareness and detection abilities.

- Grants the user the ability to transform into a shadow form, rendering them impervious to physical damage, but simultaneously doubling any Light, Fire, Holy, and Celestial-based damage he receives.

- Allows the user to merge with the shadows and become invisible to the naked eye.

- Enables the user to teleport between shadows he can perceive without delay.

As the system description said, the merged skill becomes something stronger than the sum of its parts. Although I found that most, if not all, of the abilities provided by the merged skill, could be replicated with a few spells, in the end, I couldn't find any flaws in the resulting skill.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the skills that enhanced my vitality and regeneration, which included [Healing Power], [Strong Body], [Bears Vitality], [Breed], [Troll's Regeneration], and [Halo]. However, my intuition told me that [Minotaur's Rage] and [Orcish Strength] would also work well in this combination, so I decided to take a gamble and merged them all into one.

[Bestial Physique 8x LVL: 1/100]

- Grants a 2x boost to all physical stats for 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 10 minutes.

- Increase all physical stats by 0.05%/LVL.

- Increases M. Res and P. Res stats by 0.5%/LVL.

- Increases Strength, Vitality, P. Res, and M. Res stats by 2 + (0.01*LVL) per level.

- Increases health and stamina regeneration by 0.02%/LVL of total health/stamina per second.

- Grants self-fertility manipulation, and children born from you will always match your current race.

- Grants the ability to regenerate lost limbs.

The merger of those skills resulted in something truly remarkable - a skill that was far stronger than any of the individual components. Without a second thought, eager to see what the power of the new skill will be, I moved to my resistance skills and combined [Abnormal Resistance], [Fear Resistance], [Magic Resistance], [Cold Resistance], [Pain Tolerance], [Dragon Scales], and [Diffusion].

[Unwavering Resilience 7x LVL: 1/100]

- Increases resistance towards poisons, toxins, diseases, and fear by 35% + 0.35%/LVL, making it more difficult for harmful substances and emotional or physical stressors to affect the user's health and well-being.

- Increases resistance towards magic and physical damage by 25% + 0.25%/LVL, making it harder for spells, curses, and attacks to harm the user.

- Allows the user to build up a tolerance to certain substances and toxins over time, making them less harmful or even beneficial in small doses, while at the same time giving him the ability to shut down his pain receptors.

- Grants partial immunity to status effects after experiencing them once and surviving, allowing the user to resist them more effectively in the future.

- Diffuses harmful magic within 1m*LVL of the user, reducing its potency by 1% per second, and nullifying it after 100 seconds.

After merging with seven other skills, the skill experienced a temporary loss of some bonuses. However, it eventually emerged as the strongest defensive skill in my arsenal by a considerable margin.

Although I possessed six fire-related skills, three sound-related skills, and even several poison-related skills that could potentially work well together, I decided to hold off on merging them. Instead, I plan to level up these skills and possibly acquire more similar ones before considering merging them.

I faced a similar predicament with my crafting skills. If I were to acquire a general boost to crafting or a non-specific crafting skill in the future, I could potentially incorporate all my other crafting skills as subskills under it. However, I would have to wait until I hit a point where I could no longer level up those skills, so I left them all as they were.

Though, one particular type of skill I was willing to immediately merge. Thus [Seduction], [Deception], [Pheromones], [Charm], and [Siren's Voice] were all combined to form [Allure].

[Allure 5x LVL: 1/100]

- The user's words and actions appear reasonable, trustworthy, and easily believable to entities around them.

- While active, the user's voice, scent, and appearance have a charming effect on those around them.

- Charmed entities will obey any verbal commands, and can be further controlled with mental commands.

- Allows for amplification of the target's senses, emotions, and desires.

- Increases Charisma stat by 1/LVL.

After taking a brief look at my skills list, especially those from DanMachi that couldn't be evolved further, I came to the conclusion that I could wait, even if there were some interesting combinations available. One such skill was [Archive], which could potentially be complemented by [Multitasking] quite well. However, it may be more advantageous in the long term to let [Multitasking] evolve further before integrating it into another skill. So after merging 25 skills, gaining 4 new ones, and evolving everything, I was left with a huge list that still had 94 skills left.

Defence:

[Sneak 17] [Muted Steps 20] [Dodge II 100] [Counter II 100] [Acrobatics II 100] [Soul Resonance] *[Unwavering Resilience 1] *[Bestial Physique 1]

Offence:

[Small Blade Mastery 48] [Large Blade Mastery II 100] [Gun Mastery 5] [Dual-wielding 23] [Bow Mastery 12] [Swordsman II 120]

Magic:

[Mana Manipulation II 100] [Charms II 100] [Transfiguration II 100] [Runic Language II 100] [Mind Arts II 100] [Sage's Wisdom] [Mana's Blessing] [Magic Penetration] [Mage II 120] [Spirit Healing II 120] [Multicasting II 100] [Magical Embodiment] [Time Affinity II 100] [Foresight 1] [Space Affinity II 100] [Spatial Slash 1>3] [Mind Control II 100] [Flame Travel] [Eternal Flame] *[Shadow Veil 1] *[Allure 1]

Crafting:

[Cooking 79] [Spellcode II 100] [Alchemy II 100] [Enchanting II 100] [Mystery II 120] [Blacksmith II 120] [Blacksmithing II 100] [Metalworking II 120]

Misc.:

[Drawing 8] [Writing 47] [Acting 83] [Reading II 100] [Herbology 67] [Teaching II 100] [Mathematics 35] [Leadership 64] [Dancing II 100] [Archive] [Focus II 100] [Multitasking II 100] [Observational Learning II 100] [Basilisk Venom 1] [Petrification] [Deadly Gaze] [Phoenix Tears 1] [Phoenix Song 1] [Seed of Divinity] [Spec of Divinity] [Divine Empowerment]

BMS:

[Blood Arts 1] [Blood Manipulation 1] [Blue Flame 1] [Charge 1] [Conjure Flame 1>11] [Crystalline Shell 1] [Decay 1] [Dragon Breath 1] [Dust Manipulation 1] [Echolocation 1] [Enhanced Hearing 1] [Featherweight 1] [Fire Coat 1] [Gaseous Form 1] [Healing Powder 1] [Illusion Creation 7] [Levitate 1] [Lightning Cloak 1] [Magical Stone Creation 1] [Obsidian Shell 1] [Poison Secretion 1] [Seismic Sense 1] [Sense Ore 1] [Slimy Skin 1] [Sonic Attack 1] [Spore Release 1] [Sticky Feet 1] [Thunder 1] [Underwater Breathing 1] [Water Walking 1] [Intangibility 1]