Origin ARS 5 (3 page)

“Ah no, you merely lose any bonuses from that
skill. They increase through use and comprehensive development, so
you would still know how to use a skill even if it would be
incredibly weak without the system support.”

“Ah, good.” Scott looked through his options
for a moment, but only a moment. He only had three miscellaneous
skills to put into a slot. He placed [
Survival Lore
] and
[
Boomerang Mastery
] into active slots then nodded. The third
skill [
Dual Boomerang Specialization: Novice
] would not
activate in a slot.

He decided to check the information for each
of his previously mastered skills. He knew that they would start at
a low level, but not exactly what they would do here.

[Skill]

Survival Lore

The ability to survive in the wild. This skill
governs activities such as foraging for food, identifying poisonous
items or venomous animals, setting traps, fishing, general
observation and various other outdoor activities such as
climbing.

This skill is a pre-requisite skill for the
development of specialization in various survival activities.
Development of this skill does not increase visible statistics but
it does allow for the development of survival specializations
through trial and error.

Development Speed:
A

[—]

[Skill]

Boomerang Mastery

The ability to effectively wield thrown items that
return to the thrower. This skill governs the development of raw
mechanical skill in boomerang usage, as well as the ability to
develop special techniques for use with a boomerang.

This skill is a pre-requisite skill for the
development of specialization in various types of boomerangs. This
skill improves the hidden variable [Accuracy] and increases the
base damage dealt by boomerang weapons by a small amount per skill
level.

This skill’s base attack power is based on a
combination of [Agility] and [Strength].

Development Speed:
E

[—]

“I assume A-Rank development speed is better
than E-Rank?” asked Scott.

“Yes, considerably so. Only S-Rank is higher.
That is for class specific skills.” said Mid.

“Do development speeds for miscellaneous
skills vary by the person?”

She shook her head. “They are set by the
system. Combat and magic related skills tend to develop much more
slowly as miscellaneous skills when compared to class skills.
Crafting and survival type skills tend to develop only a little
more slowly.”

“Can I increase the development speed at
all?”

“Certain quests can do that, though you’ll be
unable to remove the skill from your skill slot until after
reincarnation if you undertake that route.”

Scott stared at the mirror for a moment then
asked. “How come I can’t add Dual Boomerang Specialization to my
miscellaneous skills?”

Mid laughed softly then shook her head. “You
answered your own question, childe.”

“Hmm?” asked Scott curiously.

She smiled at him then whirled the head of
her staff around. “It’s not a skill. It’s a specialization. When
your skill at using boomerangs reaches certain level intervals you
can choose specializations that you have previously developed.”

“I see. Does survival lore work the same
way?” he asked.

“All basic skills do. First comes the basic
skill, or pre-requisite. Afterward you develop and attach
specializations to that skill.”

“Neat.” said Scott. “How do I develop a
specialization?”

“Train with someone proficient at a certain
specialization or use your skill in a specific way often enough to
develop one. You won’t receive any sort of notification about
developing them, though. Check with a salvation mirror now and then
to see if anything new has become available to you.”

“So knowledgeable!” said Scott brightly.

Mid tipped her hat toward them then chuckled
softly. “I do try.”

Scott grinned at her for a moment then rubbed
his chin. He now had to decide on his initial skills. He already
had basic class skills including the ability to use primordial
water magic. What he needed to choose was his starting spells and
skills that he would custom create. He thought of them as spells
and skills, but technically they were all spells.

“I can custom create six starting spells,
right?” asked Scott. The limitations placed on him for
reincarnating after a transfer were fairly high. If he lived long
enough to reincarnate again, he would keep all of his previously
developed spells and gain even more spells slots as he leveled
up.

“You have the knowledge of how they work, but
you can only create spells that you are able to develop with your
attunement capacity, combat skill levels, and twilight sorcery
level.” said Mid. “Just remember how the spells and skills from
before felt when you used them. Go from there.”

“Alright. I will.” said Scott.

He walked away a short distance and thought
strongly about his previous spells and combat techniques. He could
combined them in any fashion that he liked, as long as he could
properly attune that level of magical power.

“Keep it simple…” thought Scott. He needed a
few simple spells that would be easy to rapidly cast and would have
a short cool down period.

Scott thought about one of his first combat
skills, the rapid strike ability. As a twilight sorcerer his path
was to combine his martial skills and his elemental magic. If he
wanted to mimic rapid strike and create a new twilight sorcery
based on it, he would need to find the element that best lent
itself to rapid movement.

Two elements readily sprang to mind,
lightning and wind. However, there were five elements that he had
access to at the moment. Actually, six if he included celestial
attunement. He was not certain what to do with the latter ability
yet, but he would find out in due time.

“It should be lightning…” Lightning was an
element that traveled through things, while wind was a force of
forward motion. The first would pierce or penetrate, the latter
would bash or force something away.

Scott closed his eyes for a moment and sought
out his connection with the world around him. The secret of the
power that a twilight master possessed was his connection with
nature. By utilizing the energies available in the environment he
could increase the potency of his spells and reduce the drain on
his spiritual power when using those spells.

He called to the lightning that danced along
the edge of his consciousness. It was amazingly easy to discover it
here in this place. Scott did not cease concentration to ask a
question about that. This place was designed to assist new players
entering the world. It made sense that skill creation would be
easiest in the Field of New Beginnings.

Scott felt the lightning outside, and knew of
the lightning within himself. These forces, the outer and inner
lightning element joined together and began to resonate. His inner
lightning elemental essence grew and radiated outward from his
spiritual core. It was easy to radiate an aura of lightning in this
place. Soon electricity crackled all around him. Little spider legs
made of lightning crept out from his body for short distances.

Scott punched the air before him
experimentally. He heard hissing and crackling sounds that made him
nod. He punched again, and then once more. With each punch he felt
the lightning surge through his body.

It took him a moment to realize that his
concentration on the lightning surge caused him not to notice the
fact that his fist shot out just ahead of it. He already knew how a
rapid strike was supposed to be executed. This was different. The
lightning caused his fist to surge ahead of it.

If he wanted to punch faster, punch harder,
the lightning surge was the key. Scott concentrated on the surge
for a moment then urged it to go faster. His punches became wild,
uncontrolled, but they were fast and strong.

Scott practiced his lightning surge focus for
what seemed like hours due to his level of concentration. It was
not until he opened his hands and tried the same surge focus
technique that he noticed how much it had improved. He tried it
repeatedly after that and it was not long before a sense of
realization caused his eyes to widen. “Of course!”

He drew on his connection with elemental
lightning and used it to enhance the surging power that flowed
forward unrestricted. His closed fist had prevented what the
lightning needed most, a way through. His closed fist blocked the
power from finishing its movement. His open palms allowed the surge
to properly flow.

In the end, he was able to develop a simple
spell that had a lot of room for further development. For one
thing, the attack power would be on the level of an accidental
static shock. Utilizing only his elemental connection was not yet
enough to create a powerful technique. His new ability needed
fuel.

Scott began to focus on the core of his
being, the place where his spiritual power resided. As he did so,
he created an image in his mind. That image was of open palms
rapidly striking the air while electrical force flowed to the
center of each palm.

The hardest part of developing the spell was
holding that image in mind, while also remaining in connection with
both the lightning and his spiritual center. It was the reason why
magic users needed high intellect. That stat allowed for greater
ability to multi-task. His attunement was also a key factor. It was
not a hidden stat in this world, and it was vital for maintaining
strong connection with the myriad parts of his ability. He would
train it hard when the opportunity arose.

He began to sweat a little as he surged his
palms forward. His body temperature had begun to increase at an
alarming pace as his palms moved faster, and then faster still.
Lightning arced all around his body for a moment then drew inward
and flowed toward the rapidly moving palms of his hands. In the
space between where his palms struck the air sparks began to
fly.

An arc of electricity surged from his right
palm to his left with each repetition. Scott began to pant a
little. Sweat poured freely down his face. However, he was soon
able to maintain the arc of power.

The arc of power was the key to the spell.
Mastering the motions would allow him to rapidly strike an opponent
while generating an electrical current that would pass through
their body. The damage from the electrical component would be low,
but it should have a decent chance to paralyze the nervous system.
Using his mana to increase the power of the electricity surging
through his palms, increased the speed of the strike until the arc
of power was completed. Scott was not certain that electricity was
really supposed to work that way, but it did in this instance.

He named the spell [
Surging Palms
] in
his mind because he could not think of anything more appropriate at
the moment. “I think I’ve got something, but I’m not sure how to
make it an official spell.”

“Check the salvation window. You’ll have to
continually use the spell pattern you created until you have
developed enough proficiency that it becomes automatic.” said
Mid.

Scott checked the mirror and sighed loudly.
He had no spell yet. “Man I’m beat. I wonder how much mana I
used.”

Health and mana were hidden stats in this
world for the sake of
realism
even though there were plenty
of fantastic things to see or do. He would only know how badly he
was injured by noticing his actual injuries. There was no handy
health gauge to distract him from the pain, though he did have
health points hidden from his view.

Mana was something that he could feel. It was
a quasi-physical presence that responded to his thoughts. He sensed
that it had diminished slightly, but not as much as he would have
thought. Mostly he was tired from punching the air so much.

“Lie down on the flowers and close your eyes.
You’ll regain your strength quickly if you rest here.” replied Mid
gently.

Scott looked at her for a moment then quirked
his lips. “Not going to cast a sleep spell on me?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing so humorous.
Though, I might draw on your face if you fall asleep on your
own.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, before he
stretched out on the ground and closed his eyes. Training would
prove to be quite a bit different in this world. Combining physical
and magical abilities was quite difficult. As he began to drift off
to sleep, despite the fact that Mid had claimed she would not cast
a sleep spell, he thought that perhaps development of an even
simpler ability might be in order first.

Scott awakened a short while later, refreshed
and ready to try again. In this place outside the actual world of
ARS, restoring health and mana was much easier.

“That was a nice little nap…”

“Wasn’t it, though? If you lie down in this
field anywhere, you’ll go to sleep and heal at a rapid rate.”

“This is a little harder without being able
to see my health and mana.” said Scott before rotating his
shoulders experimentally. There was no stiffness. His short rest
had completely healed his body and refreshed his mind.

“That’s part of the point. It allows for a
more dynamic and realistic world.” said Mid.

“I heard that serious injuries can take weeks
to heal through rest alone.”

Mid nodded. “Potions, healing abilities, and
the like can drastically reduce the time that it takes to recover.
Your natural ability to heal from damage will rely on vitality and
skills. The extent of the injuries are an important factor as
well.”