Chapter 571 (2/2)
He had gained 5 Skill Levels in Aether Detection, 4 in Plant Dominance, 7 in Grasp of Lava, 8 in Incendiary Eruption and Lava Golem, 1 in Summon Pestilence and Idiosyncratic Cut, 3 in Spearing Roots and Sharpness, 2 in Spear Master and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil, 4 in Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil and Talon Strike, 3 in Roundhouse Kick and Wild Phantom’s Embrace, 12 in Spriggit’s Tinkering, 6 in Mana Engraving, and a shocking 19 in Engineering Savvy.
This bunch of PP, combined with the small bonused he had been accruing slowly, was enough to put him over 100. It wasn’t enough to finish off the Crown of Yggdrasil Path, but it did get the bonuses for the Path three tes, 10 stats every 50 PP, which earned him 30 stats in total.
That, combined with the stats he gained from his Soul Skill, gave him a solid boost of 125 stats.
It would have been more, but one of the most peculiar and disappoint of his Soul Skills rotation came up. The one that gave him nothing.
His Soul Skill was extremely powerful, Randidly mused as the background blurred around them. Scrubland gave way to forest which gave way to swamp and then rolling hills. But there was currently this one drawback to it, that every 7th rotation he would get nothing. The seven rotations were, in order:
In the first land of the Spectral Tree an entire people weep. Their effervescent melancholy seems to condense into a palpable form, a small bead within your heart. Wisdom +35, Perception +10.
In the second land of the Spectral Tree a blossom opens. A rotten fragrance spreads to fill your body. Health Regeneration +50, Mana and Stamina Regeneration +25.
In the third land of the Spectral Tree a predator roars. A spirit of violence seems to possess your body. Strength +35, Agility +10.
In the fourth land of the Spectral Tree a solitary champion stands tall against all comers. His spirit is yours, and your spirit is his. Willpower +35, Resistance +10
In the fifth land of the Spectral Tree a history is written, of strife and betrayal, but also of progress and growth. In it, you find solace. Intelligence +35, Vitality +10
In the sixth land of the Spectral Tree there is curiosity and peace. A people grows complacent and fat. But in a way, it also paves the way for future growth. Only with when there is excess can great change occur.
In the seventh land of the Spectral Tree there is silence. Something waits here. Control +60, Reaction +35
The seventh rotation was likely boosted due to the silence of the sixth, but Randidly believed that there was more to it. He expected whatever great change was hinted at in that sixth land to occur. To that end, Randidly had Lucretia monitoring the different lands within his Soul Skill, but the confusing part was that they didn’t seem to match up at all to the bonuses that he received from the Soul Skill.
This was something that Lucretia had struggled over for months, so much so that Randidly was relatively amused by her frustration. But he felt it too. At some point, something was going to shift in his Soul Skill for things to make sense… or perhaps he would realize he was missing the point of his Soul Skill to begin with.
Thinking about his Soul Skill, Randidly sighed. It was a part of him sure, one that he swore in the past to take more time to investigate. And Randidly had not done that at all. It was a combination of things, but mostly it was the fact that it was very easy to forget how necessary it was during that inner battle against the Creature. Other than that, and the bonuses from using PP, there was little concrete benefit from spending time investigating the Soul Skill.
Sure, he could grow closer to his people, but Randidly didn’t like how… reverent people were of him. Lucretia seemed to enjoy the attention, but to Randidly, it was too much. He much preferred to be a peer than a deity.
Thinking of his newly acquired Yggdrasil Skill, the corner of Randidly’s mouth quirked up.
Then his frown returned. The other thing that thinking of Lucretia and his Soul Skill made him realize was that he was slowly approaching the deadline to return to Shal’s world. He would need to hurry up and resolve this issue with the Unity Church in the meantime. Also… Randidly would need to finally take the time to confront Lucretia, and figure out what her thoughts were of returning to her world.
She was trapped inside of him, but Randidly suspected they could figure out a way for her to return to a physical body on Shal’s world. Would she… prefer to remain there?
It was a question that Randidly didn’t like to admit made him upset, but it did. He had grown to rely on her, there inside of him, for all that she had done to hurt him while she possessed her liberty.