While I lay on the beach regenerating Mana, my body in the process of being regrown, I checked my notifications.

[Killed Tidal Sorcerer II-10] X2

[Killed Merfolk Fangbearer II-40]

That was about what I expected from the difficulty of the fight. The Zone was either scaling it to our level, or it decided to start off easy. I was hoping it was the former, because the latter meant the challenge could ramp up without warning.

Hells, that could happen with the former as well, but at least it would pretend to be fair for a little while.

Class Level (Neophyte Conduit) Increased +1 (57) +2 Wit, +3 Spirit, +2 Fortitude, +3 Arcana

Class Level (Neophyte Conduit) Increased +1 (58) +2 Wit, +3 Spirit, +2 Fortitude, +3 Arcana

Class Level (Neophyte Conduit) Increased +2 (60) +4 Wit, +6 Spirit, +4 Fortitude, +6 Arcana

Fewer levels than I expected, the sorcerers only giving one each, but enough that it felt worthwhile staying here for a while. That was annoying. I kind of wanted to move on, but staying here to grind up to ninety-nine would take a week or so.

At least I probably wouldn't have to worry about the Daily Quest anymore. Probably. If there were another kill count requirement, I could probably ask Novi to fix the problem.

I then took a look at my Skill options for reaching Class level sixty.

[Class Skill Option] Name: [Imbue Enchantment] Tier: [Basal] Description: [Through tireless design and reliance on crafted artifacts, you have learned to weave Mana through objects until it becomes part of their very form.] Effect: [Grants the ability to bind Mana to objects, locking it within them to create basic enchantments or effects.]

Was this given to me as an option because I used that staff as a primary weapon or because my shell was an artifact? I had no idea.

The Skill would be incredibly handy. I was fairly certain this was how the books on that bookshelf I stole from the Malefactum facility two Zones ago resisted my corruptive Mana. They had some kind of protective Mana imbued within them.

I could probably learn how to do this myself if I asked Hazel. I was sure she'd be happy to teach me enchanting, but she still wasn't responding. The static was getting louder too when I tried to listen in on her… I hoped she was okay.

Either way, she wasn't around to help me learn to do this right now. So the Skill would be handy.

[Class Skill Option] Name: [Avalanche Incorporation] Tier: [Emblazoned] Description: [Touching on the wrath of Winter, you have begun to embody a force of Nature in and of yourself. Unlike the hot wrath of Summer, Winter does not embody its fury. Instead, it encompasses it. The cold within you cannot touch the fires of anger, yet it follows in your wake nonetheless.] Effect: [When channeling an Avalanche through yourself, your impact weight will be increased. This increase scales with Arcana.]

That description made what Autumn said about Winter's fury make a lot more sense. I couldn't remember a time when I had ever actually felt angry. Which, at times, was annoying, anger was a great motivating force that I just didn't have access to.

Oh, sure, I could become overstimulated and exhausted as Autumn learned the hard way. But that never manifested as anger, just in me lashing out at people around me in a misguided attempt to be given some space to clear my head.

Given what happened recently, I probably needed a day to just do nothing soon. Novi as well,

As for the Skill's effect, it would be good… except for the fact that it leaned into the idea of me being the projectile. I didn't want to encourage the system to give me a close-quarters combat Class when I ascended. I already had [Argent Bastion] as my momentum enhancement Skill. Having a second, while useful, felt overkill.

[Class Skill Option] Name: [Through the Dark] Tier: [Emblazoned] Description: [You have learned to blend into your environment and travel unseen in more ways than one. Melding together darkness and devotion, you carry the Night as both cloak and compass, drawn always toward the one who anchors your heart.] Effect: [When fully obscured by the Night, you may step seamlessly between any other Night you have created, appearing wherever your darkness reaches.] Note: [This Skill is incapable of being used by you. Only your Soul partner will be affected by it.]

This was definitely a Skill designed for Novi. I didn't like what the description implied about her.

The Skill would be useful for her, though. It seemed like a teleport Skill, but only from and to places she had coated with darkness.

I closed the options. I'd either be picking [Through the Dark] or [Imbue Enchantment], depending on what Novi wanted.

I finished up the repairs and stood up, heading towards Autumn, who was sucking the withered corpse on the ground dry of its blood.

[Zone Event Cleared] Name: [Merfolk Migration] Description: [Merfolk have begun their migratory cycle to the Island of Broken Tales. Every day at noon, a wave of merfolk will arrive and do their best to secure the Island. Survive daily, increasingly powerful waves of merfolk until you are able to purchase passage on the Frightened Mare or find another way off the island.]

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Reward: [250 Eidetic Coins]

When I opened the notification, it felt as if a fraction of a weight I hadn't even noticed I was carrying had been lifted.

It felt good. I could see why these were used as currency. I wondered what gaining a positive balance felt like. This was barely a pittance compared to the debt Novi had dumped onto my shoulders.

If the reward were the same every day, you would need almost three months, starting from zero coins, to buy your way off the island. Less than that, given that the waves were supposed to increase in difficulty and therefore reward over time.

I wondered what those coins actually represented, beyond being tied to Eidos in some fashion. Could I eat them like chocolate coins to gain levels?

I chuckled. That would be stupid. How much would a Species level even cost?

A window appeared in front of me.

Purchase Species (Runaspriggan) Level? Cost: [1695 Eidetic Coins] Y/N

It really is that stupid. I should have guessed, silly me.

"Huh, so that's what they're for," a voice came from directly above me as I waved away the window.

I would have glanced up had I not known that it was Novi. How she managed to get on top of me without me even noticing while it was raining, I had no idea.

"It's quite simple, actually. Night Whisperash makes it hard to notice me unless I want to make myself known," she replied, answering the question before I could ask it. I could feel her weight on my hood all of a sudden.

"You're going to use that on me a lot, aren't you?" I grumbled.

Novi hummed in response, which meant yes.

"Did you see the Skill options I was looking at earlier?" I asked.

She just hummed again.

"So, do you want me to pick [Through the Dark] for you?"

Novi hummed twice in refusal.

I could be really annoying sometimes, apparently. Given that she was me.

"You don't want to take it because you don't want me to miss out on a Skill that could potentially help me," I said. I didn't have to ask. I already knew how she felt from [Through the Dark]'s description.

"I think [Imbue Enchantment] would work really well alongside your Inventory. You haven't been using it as efficiently as you could be. Have you even tested the size limits yet?" she replied, to which I had no good response.

I let out a sigh, "No, I haven't, but that's a non sequitur. Just accept the teleport Skill. It will end up being useful if you ever want to transport things between here and Fateswatch. I can't use it, but that's fine."

"No," she replied, and suddenly the Skill options vanished. A flow of information in a fashion I was familiar with entered my mind.

She had picked it for me. How did she even do that? Would the Oath not prevent… oh, it could be interpreted as funny that she picked it, couldn't it?

Now that she forced the Skill on me, I couldn't complain. It was already done. Might as well learn to use [Imbue Enchantment] as effectively as I could.

I let out a heavy breath, not quite a sigh, not quite a huff, somewhere in between.

"I'm picking the next Skill designed exclusively for you without your input," I said.

"What! No! If it sucks, don't choose it. I don't want some useless Skill. At least I know you wanted to pick Imbue," Novi squeaked, and squeezed my head. "And I can use it as well. Don't pick Skills that only one of us can use."

"So if there is a Skill related to my Argent Bastion Strand, you don't want me to pick it?" I asked.

She went silent again.

"That's what I thought," I said, as I walked up to Autumn, who had just finished draining the blood from the dead Tidal Sorcerer. "So, how are we dealing with the attack tomorrow?"

"That depends on what you plan to do. Are you going to handle them like you did today?" Autumn asked.

"I'd rather not have to blow myself up again. Not that I even could, I'm out of firebombs."

"Not that, the way you moved. It was like watching a newly ordained Sylvan Vanguard. You sheared through them like grass before the scythe."

I'd hardly call what I did in that fight shearing through them. Except for that one Tidal Sorcerer, it was splattered across the beach like an open tub of margarine thrown at the floor. But I didn't have the Mana reserves to keep that up. Especially if more than three came.

"No, I think I'd prefer to stay away from them if at all possible," I replied. "A single stray hit could turn my Core into scrap metal."

Autumn looked up towards the bluffs, "I can probably make it harder for them to travel up the path. Their souls are a lot stronger than mine, though, so I'm not sure how effective it will be."

I signed acceptance, "I can probably design you some tools if you have anything that you think would be useful."

"I wouldn't mind a protective cloak like the one you have if you have the time," Autumn said.

I squealed internally. Autumn's joining cloak gang!

"Absolutely! Give me a minute, and I'll throw one together," I said. Novi's mind nudged my mind, asking if she should be the one to make it. "No, I'll do it. I don't think they need stealth, that doesn't feel like their style."

"I'm also proficient with the glaive."

"Really? The glaive? That seems like an odd choice." I didn't know that Autumn even wielded a weapon. They had always just used their vines while I was around them.

Using a weapon made sense, though. They were rather squishy and couldn't upgrade their flesh like I could. Maybe I should look into designing implants for them?

"A double-sided glaive is commonly used by Sylvans."

Ah, that made sense.

"I might be able to make one for you now," I replied, and considered how I could actually make one.

I could use Scorchbranch for the staff. It would be durable enough. But it wouldn't work for the blade, since it was incredibly inelastic. It would snap like a twig under any pressure.

I could coat it with Silver Whisperash, since that material was both quite elastic and had a fairly decent Kinetic Sheen, which would make cutting easier, in addition to decent resistance to all kinds of physical damage. The problem was that it was kind of a fabric, so I had no idea how I could get it to hold an edge.

Wait, why don't I just solve this problem with magic?

"The version I can make you right now might have some problems," I said.

"You don't have to if—" they started.

"I didn't say I couldn't do it, just that it will have some problems. Do you want it double-sided, or would you prefer a regular glaive?" I interrupted as I weaved Nature Mana into the shape of two glaives, one single-bladed and the other double-bladed. "Keep in mind that you'll probably replace it in the near future."

"Just the regular glaive for now, then. You can't properly wield a double-sided glaive without a level of Soul Refinement that I just don't have," Autumn replied as they picked up the one-bladed glaive. "The balance on this is terrible. Also, you should add a butt spike to the final version."

"Okay, Mr Picky, this is just an example anyway, not the final product.

Autumn tilted their head to the side, "I'm not a man, spriggans don't have—"

"It's just an expression," I quickly said. "You use expressions I don't understand as well. But I'm polite enough not to comment."

I had forgotten, they just spawned in the wilds of the Verdant Veil, didn't they? That must be an odd experience, not existing one moment, then suddenly appearing in the middle of the wild.

"If you don't understand something I say, you can just ask," they said, seeming more confused than before.

"Yeah, sure," I lied. "We, uh, better get started. Sunlight's burning."

Autumn looked up at the sky, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds, then nodded, "That is what the sun does, yes."

I was already fleeing back up the bluffs, completely uninterested in continuing participation in that awkward conversation.

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