My Skills Can Evolve Infinitely in a Game-Like World

Chapter 27: Level 4 Awakener’s Physique & Synthesized Skill

Aurelius’ gaze wandered through the different skills.

First, he ignored Transmutation, knowing full well that it was the easiest skill to upgrade through actual "practice".

Using Skill Points to upgrade it was simply not cost-effective when other skills were nearly impossible to upgrade on their own.

He continued looking through them, focusing on each for a short amount of time.

It took several minutes before he finally made a decision.

Soon, he had an answer about his next course of action.

’Upgrading Awakener’s Physique is perhaps the most cost-effective. Although it’s the most expensive upgrade, the improvement it brings is also the most all-around.’

’The enhancement in the Base Stats is the most fundamental after all.’

With that thought, Aurelius didn’t hesitate any longer.

His mind stirred, and he pressed on the (+) button beside Awakener’s Physique.

The Player Panel blurred.

Three Skill Points were consumed.

A warm current appeared and coursed through Aurelius’ body, seeping into his muscles and bones.

By the time it receded, he felt he had gotten significantly stronger.

The accompanying description only confirmed that sensation.

...

[Awakener’s Physique Lv. 4: Long-term trained Awakeners possess physical power far surpassing ordinary humans.]

[Effects: Strength +11, Vitality +11, Agility +10]

...

The changes were impressive. All the physical stats had increased by 4.

At first glance, it seemed to be nothing more than another increase in Base Stats.

But Aurelius sensed that some qualitative transformation had taken place within him.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that was. The only thing he could tell was that he was now completely different.

Aurelius tried to locate the source of that change. Unfortunately, his efforts yielded little success.

He was far from being able to examine his entire body like the famed legendary Awakeners.

In the end, he could only shake his head, pushing this matter to the back of his mind while keeping a mental note of it.

Soon, his eyes settled on another skill.

It was neither the already upgraded Fireball nor the recently created Radiant Lance.

Rather, it was the Arcanist’s signature skill and the one that best represented their thirst for knowledge.

Synthesis.

Without any hesitation, Aurelius upgraded it.

Compared to Awakener’s Physique’s upgrade, the process was several times quicker this time.

One moment, a trace of warmth appeared inside of him. The next, it had vanished completely as though it were his illusion.

Not even the skill’s description had changed.

As Aurelius pulled it up, he found it had remained the same.

Though mildly surprised, it was impossible to claim that he was shocked.

He had already guessed what Synthesis’ upgraded form would be.

Most likely, it would increase the chances of him getting something better as the result of the synthesis.

And that tied back to exactly what he was going to do next.

Seeing that the (+) button beside Synthesis had faded away, requiring two Skill Points while he only had one, Aurelius chose against consuming it for the time being.

His gaze landed again on the Skills column. This time, his decision was quick.

With a move of his mind, Synthesis was activated.

The Player Panel vanished while his field of vision shifted abruptly.

Nearly a dozen lights emerged before him, each representing a different skill he had learned.

Just by focusing on them, Aurelius could tell which one was which.

Transmutation. Awakener’s Physique. Fireball...

His eyes wandered briefly among them.

Moments later, he selected three.

Light Refraction. Light Strike. Guardian Armor.

The reason was simple and straightforward.

All three of these skills were related to light. The chances of them producing a powerful brand-new skill were the highest.

’Individually, these skills are indeed helpful. But if I want to deal with the threat of the Sunless Sect, they are still not up to par.’

’I need something more powerful...’

With newfound determination, he controlled them to fuse.

As the three spots of light approached each other, a sense of resistance arose, causing Aurelius to raise his eyebrows.

Synthesis’ description had never mentioned anything like that.

But instinctively, he could tell what was happening.

’Although Synthesis’ description does not explicitly mention it, it is obvious this skill is not truly omnipotent.’

’If the materials being fused are too powerful or too numerous, Synthesis will fail.’

There would be no side effects, nor would he suffer any backlash as a result.

At most, the fusion would fail, and everything would remain the same.

Based on the current situation, had Aurelius not upgraded Synthesis, this would have been the result.

Thankfully, he was smart enough to have upgraded it.

Although the three skills offered some brief resistance, Synthesis ultimately overpowered them.

The fusion was successful.

Moments later, Aurelius’ vision returned to normal.

Information flooded his mind.

When he digested it and summoned the Player Panel, he quickly noticed that things had changed.

The three skills he had selected had vanished. In their place was now a new one.

...

[Solar Manifestation Lv. 1: Sacred Light imbued with the power of the Sun. It naturally deals increased damage to creatures aligned with darkness and evil.]

[Current Manifestations:]

[1. Armor]

[2. Concealment]

[3. Attack Enhancement]

...

The description was straightforward. In a sense, the three previous skills had now turned into forms, all of which were boosted by the so-called Sacred Light.

Aurelius was curious. He decided to give it a try.

Spirit immediately surged toward his palms. Under his control, it transformed into a golden light.

Its brilliance was extraordinary, instantly filling the entire room.

As it gently brushed against his face, Aurelius felt a sense of warmth. Not only physical, but also a mental one.

He had to admit that it deserved its name.

Sacred. It truly fitted this skill.

While manipulating the light, he couldn’t help but have a thought.

He took out the dagger he had gotten from Selene and brought it in front of his face.

Then, the third form of Solar Manifestation was activated.

A golden shimmer appeared around the dagger.

A large amount of force erupted from its surface and spread. The curtains hanging beside the window fluttered while faint scratches formed across the walls.

Aurelius’ expression changed. He didn’t choose to give the dagger’s power a try, but quickly deactivated it.

Watching the Sacred Light disperse, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next moment, he froze.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him.

He felt tired, and his eyelids threatened to close, as though he hadn’t slept for years.

He was caught off guard. Soon, though, he understood the reason.

His Spirit had almost been exhausted, similar to what happened when he fought against the Black Bear. It was just that the consumption had been even more severe this time.

Having experienced it once, Aurelius didn’t panic.

He simply lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, waiting for his Spirit to naturally recover.

He didn’t know how much time had passed until he was finally able to move freely again.

By the time he opened his eyes once more, the moon had nearly vanished.

The sun looked ready to rise.

But Aurelius was not prepared to go to sleep just yet. His eyes landed on a grid at the edge of his vision.

As he focused, he watched as a body materialized in front of him.