Reinhard fell into thought, his fingers unconsciously moving to his right hand where three Beast Symbols marked his skin beneath the glove.

"Angra Mainyu." He decided after a moment. "It already has healing abilities through Sorrow Conversion and great defense through its chains and manifestations. Adding a skill that distributes damage and enables coordination fits it greatly."

Joseph nodded and wrote in his journal: Ant Queen under the Angra Mainyu section.

Reinhard continued searching through a different book now. One focused specifically on cunning-type Phantasm Beasts that relied on intelligence rather than brute force.

But before he could get far, Marie stopped him again. Her finger pressed against an entry with enough force to make the page crinkle slightly.

"Reinhard, look at this one!" Her voice carried barely suppressed excitement.

Six-Tailed Fox.

The illustration showed an elegant fox with six flowing tails that seemed to move even in the static image. A ruby sat embedded in its forehead, gleaming with inner light. Black and white streaks covered its body in intricate patterns that suggested deeper meaning.

The beast's name was listed as Wisdom Seeker.

Seeker Analysis: Allows the user to analyze powers used by targets, revealing attack weaknesses, strengths, and the true nature and type of energy contained within attacks, regardless of external appearance.

Marie's light-gold eyes shone with excitement. "The skill Seeker Analysis is perfect for me!"

Reinhard blinked, then nodded as he read through the full entry. Examples were provided showing the Wisdom Seeker in combat, from identifying weak points in constructs. To determine the actual strength behind deceptive attacks, and most impressively, see through disguised or hidden power types.

"Even ignoring the weakness and strength identification." Reinhard said slowly, processing the implications. "Being able to tell the energy type inside attacks would be extremely helpful." He looked up at Marie. "For example, my Fenrir's Azure Beams look like multiple blue beams. But inside, they're actually ice elements that will freeze the target once struck."

Joseph nodded immediately, understanding clicking into place. "Right! But with this skill, we would be able to know the truth immediately instead of finding out the hard way when someone gets frozen."

Marie nodded with a grin that suggested she was already imagining applications in combat.

Joseph chuckled at her expression before writing in his journal: Wisdom Seeker under the Seraphim section.

Reinhard continued his search, but only briefly before pausing again, and then he chuckled, leading both Marie and Joseph to immediately focus on him again.

"The Flare Leo." He announced. "Would be another excellent choice for you, Marie."

Joseph leaned over to look before nodding in agreement. "Sunshine. The ability to amplify her own abilities or weaken enemy attacks by coating everything with sunlight. That's pretty powerful."

The description explained that Sunshine created a field effect that coats all things in an orange aura. Then the user can determine if they wish to amplify or weaken the power.

In Marie's case, it would make her already formidable light-based attacks even more devastating while simultaneously reducing the effectiveness of enemies' attacks.

Marie nodded with a grin, clearly imagining the tactical advantages.

Joseph quickly wrote in his journal: Flare Leo under the Seraphim section again.

Reinhard continued looking through his current book, turning pages steadily. Then he paused, tilted his head slightly, looked over at Joseph with an assessing expression, then looked back at the page.

This behavior made both Marie and Joseph raise their eyebrows with curiosity.

"Did you find another potential one?" They asked almost in unison.

Reinhard hummed thoughtfully before asking. "Joseph, how about this one for you?"

He turned the book so Joseph could see clearly.

Emerald Butterfly.

The illustration showed a delicate creature with wings that shimmered in shades of green and gold, appearing almost crystalline.

Store Up: Allows the user to store and compress damage taken. Even damage beyond what they should normally be able to endure before then unleashing it all in conjunction with an attack.

Marie's eyes lit up immediately. "Wait, that means if Joseph had this ability when we fought Honor and took all that accumulated damage..." She worked through the scenario aloud. "Joseph could have stored it all, then unleashed it, combined with his elemental manipulation to create an attack just as strong as Honor's most powerful blow, but fused with wind, lightning, fire, and earth."

Joseph nodded slowly, his mind clearly racing through possibilities. "That would have been incredibly helpful. A way to turn every hit I take into fuel for a devastating counterattack."

"But that's only one effect," Reinhard added, pointing to additional description text. "The other effect is that it increases how much punishment you can endure overall. Your body becomes capable of surviving damage that would normally kill you because you're compressing and storing it rather than suffering the full immediate impact."

Joseph's eyes shone with understanding and excitement. He quickly grabbed his pen and wrote in his journal: Emerald Butterfly under the Lancelot section.

Reinhard continued looking through his books, but before he could progress far. Joseph suddenly reached over and paused his page-turning.

"Wait." Joseph said quickly. "The Dead Goat would be excellent for Angra Mainyu."

He pulled over another reference book they'd gathered, flipping to the correct entry and pointing.

Dead Goat.

The illustration showed an unsettling creature, a goat whose flesh appeared to be rotting even while it lived, dark wisps emanating from its body.

Withering Current: The ability to make the air in designated areas explode into countless black wisps that induce rapid withering and decay upon contact with any target.

Marie peered down at the description, reading carefully. "The ability to force enemies to desperately defend against withering decay would be amazing for creating openings! I can already imagine enemies frantically trying to block or dodge the black wisps, completely distracted, and then you lock them down with Angra Mainyu's chains or hit them with the serpent's venom while they're vulnerable."

Reinhard chuckled, appreciating the combination potential, and he nodded his approval.

Joseph wrote in his journal: Dead Goat under the Angra Mainyu section.

They continued their research, the afternoon passing as they worked through book after book, discussing abilities and strategies, debating which Phantasm Beasts would provide the best synergy with their existing powers.

The pile of potential targets grew steadily, each one carefully recorded in Joseph's journal with notes about tactical applications and priority rankings.

Outside the window, the sun tracked slowly across the sky, marking time's passage as three friends planned their next hunts in Colin Forest.

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