Alright, at least I got one success, Ben told himself as he laid next to Thera in the room they’d rented for the night as the first rays of the sun began to leak through the window, all while he’d finally managed to create a crafting inclination with his soul.
Compared to having failed to make a mythic item once again, the success felt muted, but it had still been something he’d been trying to accomplish so having it done at least felt good, and let him act far more freely with it than he could with connect. When it came to the first skill he’d learned, while he could afford to share it a little if he felt like it, it was also the gift skill of his god and one of the main draws that would attract Myriad new believers. He couldn’t let himself weaken the brand by sharing it with everyone without thought or care. Crafting inclination, though? Already, his soul was stretched out and covering the totality of that town around them, letting him materialize that new skill on every residents souls for them to either wake up to or, for the few already up, to wonder at, given that most of them lacked any crafting skills beyond cooking and none of them had been doing anything to earn it, with some even immediately gaining other new skills thanks to having it.
That was about to become a common experience the world over, though. Anywhere he’d go, people would be gaining that skill from then on, leaving only the question of what skill he should aim to make next.
Mmh, I don’t think I have enough experience to make a skill from scratch yet, so how about something different? I learned the blueprints for artisan’s touch, enchanting, the ten affinitied magics, and a knowledge skill for each of them. Now that I’ve successfully made both connect and crafting inclination, I have two points of reference for how to convert a divine blueprint into something I can use which means that making the skills I learn from gods should go a bit faster too, so I should try to make something wildly different from either of the ones I currently know, just as an additional data point. Given my compatibility with knowledge skills, and of the magic ones I know should be easy, but it would be a lot less worthwhile if I start giving them to everyone I meet when most people won’t have whatever magic I end up choosing. And given that artisan’s touch is basically just a variant of crafting inclination, it looks like a lot of people the world over are going to get to become enchanters soon.
With the decision made, Ben began to practice, immediately feeling himself get farther with it faster than the previous two skills he had learned, even if it would still take some work. Still, he was growing more proficient in using the plans designed by gods to figure out his own methods; as things were, it didn’t seem long until he’d be perfect at those sorts of conversions.
Which means that maybe, it would be more worthwhile to completely master how to change a design made by a god into one I can make first, but… yeah, that would probably take a few more good weeks of practice, using a wide variety of skill types. It would still be good to work on it in the background a bit when I can, but getting to the point where I can design skills from scratch is more important. If I can start designing skills that I don’t have, I could make something like an enchanting inclination and attach it to my soul too. And an apocalyptic inclination. Even if I don’t strictly need that one, it would still be fun to get, if only for Myriad’s reaction alone.
<ABOMINATION SOURCE LEVEL INCREASED>
You make a compelling point there, system notification. Since abomination source is a mind skill, there’s a decent chance I could push it to the third tier, but becoming a contender for an inclination related to it would only help.
In the hours since awakening that skill, he’d had other priorities that had taken up his time, both in the mortal realm and his own plane above, so he hadn’t been leveling it as fast as he could have, but with that notification he got to work on training it, wanting to at least get it to the level of a contender, while the fact that getting to the third tier raised other ideas in his head that needed to be considered too.
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Like, if I can make skills for myself, then wouldn’t it make more sense to try and design one I’d absolutely be able to push to the third tier? He wondered. Enchanting inclination is still going to be important for my main goal, and related, I should be trying to create a magic inclination and a non-affinitied magic inclination too, to get as many bonuses as possible going towards my enchanting to try and awaken it, maybe even a divine inclination, but those wouldn’t be skills I can cheat using the forbidden gods. More third tier skills for me are going to mean more awakening bonuses, at least for the next couple, and more third tier inclinations will mean more benefits for the world at large, so are there any I should be picking, based on the bonuses I have going to me?
With two that immediately came to the front of his thoughts. Of all of the bonuses on him, a mind inclination, paired with the current state of his mental structure, might have been possible to get to the third tier, even without that being a skill he could speed through by using the forbidden gods, but there was another one he most certainly could. If Ben could create a sacrilege inclination, he had no doubt in his mind he’d be able to get it to the third tier with ease, even beyond his other two. Both evil and destruction authority would help it grow, and it was even possible that it would form a feedback loop with evil god of sacrilege too.
And besides that, there’s no reason I couldn’t create inclinations for bonuses I don’t have too, to try to get to the third tier, but… yeah no, I shouldn’t worry about others right now because getting a sacrilege authority is the obvious winner. God, it’s such an obvious winner that I’ve gotta even ask if I should try to make and get that before I bother with an enchanting and magic inclinations, but… awakening enchanting is still the priority, getting a different skill to the third tier would just be a bonus. Okay, plan sorted.
There were still all sorts of other things he’d need to do before getting to that point anyway, but it didn’t hurt to consider in advance, and with such thoughts circling his head and all the practice he could still do, Ben let himself focus on his tasks while waiting for the others to wake up, a few final bits of good news arriving while he did.
<ABOMINATION SOURCE LEVEL INCREASED>
<ABOMINATION SOURCE LEVEL INCREASED>
<MAX LEVEL OF THE DANCER JOB ACHIEVED>
“Can you really not stay longer?” Inux asked as they prepared to part, the town still a mess from the festivities the day prior. “I really would have enjoyed the chance to talk with you more.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure to see each other again in the future,” Ben smiled. “Besides, for now, it looks like you’re going to be kept busy for the next little while.”
There were already a few priestesses around him, trying to take care of Inux just as they had when his past body had been in disrepair, though with some poorly hidden intentions added to the mix that Ben had at least taken the time to warn Inux about the night prior at Thera’s request, leaving it up to the man himself to decide how he was going to want to treat them as Inux gave an awkward smile, still trying to figure that out himself.
“Alright,” the former robot nodded to him. “In that case, I’ll look forward to it, getting to hear a few more of the tales of your time and sharing with you a few more of my own.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ben agreed, offering his hand and shaking the other’s, not knowing when either of them would be able to make the time to see each other again. “And, given that I’d prefer to see you at the third tier by the next time I see you, I’ve got one more little gift to leave you with.”
“You’ve already given me so much, Ben. I-”
The sentiment was cut off with the words that rang out in Inux’s head, Ben’s blessing bound to his soul having caught the other completely off guard while Ben, for his part, just grinned.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve, so just make sure you use that well, okay? You’re close, I can feel it, so given everything else you’ve done for the maliae over the years, try to sucker their surviving gods into giving you their blessings too. You deserve them.”
“Ah, I believe whether I deserve such things is for them to decide, but… thank you. Anything that can help me protect the ones I care so deeply about is something I'll make sure to use for all it’s worth. If you think I can reach that level, then I’ll devote myself to it.”
“Good, then stay safe until then.”
The others saying their own goodbyes as well, their time with the maliae ended, letting them make their way back home.
And on to my next bit of work.
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