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“Hm... Ugh! Ngh...? Agh!”
Jack groaned after injecting himself with the [Super Evolved Nanomachine Injection (SSS Rank)]. A million nanomachines surged through his bloodstream, fusing with his muscles, bones, tendons, and skin. His Aura flared, releasing sparks of Electromagnetic Energy, a new power unique to Machines, which he could now wield through the Nanomachines in his body.
“Oh, this is... incredible! I feel even more revitalized...” Jack said.
“See? See? Now use the other item!” Anna said, visibly excited for her brother to use her items. To her, it felt like building a powerful character in a role-playing game with overpowered items from a New Game Plus save.
“A scroll...”
Jack opened the [Heavenly Scroll Of Forgotten Martial Arts (SSS Rank)] and read its contents. Runes shaped like Chinese letters flowed from the scroll into his skull, spreading through his body.
His mind and body absorbed a powerful Heaven-Grade Martial Art from ancient times. Anna could have benefited from it, but she already had many Martial Arts and was developing her own unique art, so she gave it to him.
After all, what was the point of hoarding items while keeping her brother weak? It was better to make him as strong as possible rather than leave him vulnerable to death. Otherwise, she would regret not using her items to help him grow stronger.
“I think I learned something really great...!” he said, surprised.
“Hm? Oh!” Anna noticed Jack’s Aura flowing out, shaped like an Azure Dragon with a long white beard and red coral horns. “What is it called?”
“It’s called Azure Flood Dragon King’s Fist Arts,” Jack revealed. “Hm, water element, huh? I guess I can work with this.”
“Oh nice, that’s one of the Ancient Techniques developed by the Heavenly Golden Dragon’s third eldest son, the Azure Flood Dragon King!” Anna said. “It’s definitely strong and could connect you to that Constellation. Maybe you could earn their favor!”
“Really? I’m not sure if that’s good... I don’t want to be used,” Jack sighed. “Well, whatever the case... Let’s use these two Skill Books... Um, are you sure? Skills are important...”
“It’s fine!” Anna smiled. “I don’t want to regret not giving you these later... So take them and promise to always love your little sister!”
“I don’t need to promise that. Thank you, Anna,” he said, smiling warmly. “I’m really lucky to have you with me.”
“Aw, just get to it, dummy,” Anna giggled.
“Alright!” Jack said, his brows furrowed with determination.
He touched the [Heavenly Skill Book Of Murim (SSS Rank)] and the [Artificial Machine Skill Book (SSS Rank)], absorbing both Skill Books.
Their powers imprinted into his mind, body, and soul, resembling circuits of power.
“What did you learn?” Anna asked excitedly.
“Hmm...” Jack analyzed his new abilities silently. “From the Heavenly Skill Book of Murim, I got a Skill called ‘Martial Arts Fusion.’ It lets me combine Martial Arts with Items and Skills to create unique techniques. It’s not permanent, but it’s interesting. The Artificial Machine Skill Book gave me ‘Mechanical Evolution.’ It lets me infuse Nanomachines into living beings and objects to evolve them into highly technological forms. It’s strange and dangerous, so I might not use it much.”
“Oooh, they’re both awesome!” Anna said. “I don’t regret not taking them. You’ll make good use of them, brother. You could combine both skills’ effects too! Oh, right, I gave you those other items to combine skills and privileges, and the Gachapon! Open the Gachapon! Do it!”
“Okay, calm down,” he laughed. “The Gachapon are...”
Jack opened the Gachapon balls, revealing random items.
He received one Vitality Elixir, one Mana Elixir, one Super Antidote, one Mana Recycling Ring, and one Soul Fire Necklace. The accessories helped recycle and save Mana, while also refining it to increase Mana capacity over time. The necklace allowed him to use his Soul as a Flame to burn other Souls, though at the cost of burning his own.
The last items were a [Privilege Evolution Ticket (A Rank)], a [Privilege Fusion Marble (A Rank)], and a [Skill Evolution Stone (S Rank)]. The Privilege items had no effect yet, but the Skill Evolution Stone reacted strangely.
By holding it, Jack felt countless “shards” in his body resonate, slowly trying to unify. The lingering skill fragments from his lost System were reacting. This stone could evolve and combine them to recover some of its former strength.
“I can’t use the Privilege items yet. How about you keep them?” Jack asked. “I don’t have any Privileges now.”
“Hmm, really? Okay,” Anna nodded, pocketing them in her inventory. “But the Skill Stone is fine?”
“Yeah, I’ll use it,” Jack said, closing his eyes.
Then, something Anna didn’t expect happened. Countless colorful fragments emerged from Jack’s body, combining with the stone, which turned into bright light and fused back into him.
FLASH!
Anna saw the skill manifest as a crown-shaped symbol of red, black, and purple imprinted into Jack’s soul and spirit body.
“Hoo...” Jack exhaled, feeling new power within him. “I see.”
“What is it?” Anna asked. “What skill did you make?”
“Although I lost all my skills, the fragments unified into something like an ultimate skill,” he laughed. “It appeared deep within my Dao Root... it feels like a Trait and a Dao Treasure.”
“What?!” Anna gasped. “Y-You forged an Ascended Skill without realizing? With a mere Skill Evolution Stone? Maybe... you had hundreds of skills, right?”
“Over five hundred...” he muttered.
“Makes sense. Five hundred skill shards unified in the stone must have triggered a reaction to create an Ascended Skill!” Anna nodded. “Whew, brother, that’s amazing! What’s it called?”
“It’s called [Ascended Skill: Gluttonous Beast King],” he explained. “Look.”
Suddenly, a crown of black, red, and purple energy manifested above Jack’s head, giving him a regal air.
“Oooh! Is it related to Fenrir’s Gluttony?” Anna wondered.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “It’s not the same as Gluttony. I can’t gain new Skills infinitely. The crown is like a sentient being that devours beasts and gains power and abilities derived from them, combined into something greater...”
“So technically the same!” Anna nodded.
“Not really... ugh, well, I’ll see how I develop it,” Jack said, sighing. “We’re done for now, right? I got so many things, I feel like my stomach is full.”
“Oh, right, should I sponsor you and Fenrir now? I tried sponsoring the Constellations, but they asked for billions of points. Surely it shouldn’t be that expensive for you and Fenrir...!” Anna said.
“Sponsoring?” Jack asked, confused. “What’s that?”
“Aaahh, I never explained it, huh?” Anna rubbed her chin. “Sponsoring is...”
Anna explained her Sponsorship power, which Jack’s original system lacked before it was destroyed.
Plot Points weren’t unique to her system. They were a currency used in the Constellation Streaming service. While Star Coins and Astral Star Crystals were physical currencies among Constellations in the Middle Realms and Great Beyond, Constellations could convert these into Plot Points to sponsor people in lower dimensions, purchasing skills, titles, and items.
Anna earned Plot Points not only from donations but also through Quests her System created, a rare power Constellations didn’t have. Quests were uncommon, tied to specific scenarios or zones, and usually created by Constellations.
“I see... so I’d become your Apostle?” he asked.
“Not really. I don’t call the people I sponsor Apostles or Incarnations,” Anna shrugged. “What do you think?”
“Sure, I don’t mind,” he nodded. “What about Fenrir? Can he get one too?”
“I’ll try,” Anna said, forcing her glitched system to obey.
Buzzing sounds and glitched codes, numbers, and letters appeared as she tried to bend the system to her will.
The harder she tried, the sharper the pain in her head became, but she endured it, channeling her Radiance into the circuits displayed in the system windows.
Somehow, she turned her Myriad Self Radiance into circuits, filling the missing or eroded parts of her system interface.
Then she saw big numbers and the word “Plot Point” amid the junk.
[Do SYSTEM_ERROR $$33####5 REQUIRED_FIX.EXE [J4ck] %#& 1,500,000 Pl0t Po1nt?$]
Y3$] N0]
“Damn, this is still glitched... Haaah,” Anna sighed. “Okay, it worked! It cost... one million five hundred thousand? Brother, why are you so expensive?”
“Eh? I don’t know,” he said, confused.
“Hm, maybe the price increased because I let you inherit my masters’ methods...” Anna rubbed her chin. “How much for lil’ Fenrir? Surely not that much, right? He’s just a tiny guy.”
Anna tried the same thing with Fenrir and after some trial and error, she got the same message.
[D0 SYSTEM_ERROR $%11####7 REQUIRED_FIX.EXE [F3Nr1r] %#& 1,500,000 Pl0t Po1nt?$]
Y3$] N0]
“WHAT? It’s the same as you!”
“Really? So we have the same potential or something?”
“Maybe... Little Fenrir has grown stronger fighting by my side, since I can’t open the portal to my Realm yet, so my pets are trapped inside. He’s developed some Shadow Abilities, but nothing too crazy, so I thought he’d be cheaper...”
“Maybe because he’s still Fenrir, it’s costly... If it was him at full power, you definitely couldn’t afford it.”
“Yeah, maybe...”
Anna had around six million Plot Points, which she thought was a lot. But sponsoring her brother and Fenrir required a ridiculous amount.
Nonetheless, she pressed Y3$], assuming it meant [Yes], and began donating Plot Points to her brother.
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