Chapter 23: Combine
Two Days Later
Slash!
Monster heads flew through the air, severed cleanly, hitting the ground with dull thuds. The stench of blood filled the air, mixing with the musty scent of decay.
Nyx moved like a shadow, his blade a blur as he carved through the horde of creatures with surgical precision. Not far behind, Viktor and Lucas fought their own battles, cutting down the relentless waves of monsters swarming toward them.
The ground was littered with the remains of numerous goblins, kobolds and Dread Wolves all over the ruins of the city.
Nyx glanced over at his companions—Viktor, calm and focused, cutting through enemies with brutal efficiency, and Lucas, wielding a spear generated by Nyx with surprising finesse, eyes sharp despite the chaos around him.
Their synergy had grown in these two days, and the results were apparent.
Suddenly, a faint chime echoed in Nyx's mind.
[Ding!]
[LEVEL 20 ACHIEVED]
[AWAKENING TALENT-RELATED SKILL: 'COMBINE']
Nyx paused for a moment, taking in the new notification. His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he examined the details of the new skill.
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"Interesting," Nyx muttered, his voice low as he considered the implications of this new skill. "At Level 20, I awaken a skill tied to my talent... This must be how others can acquire more abilities over time."
He glanced toward the battlefield, briefly observing Viktor and Lucas as they fought. Unlike him, normal people couldn't simply generate new skills or equipment like he could.
For them, combat experience and leveling up seemed to be the only way forward.
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[ COMBINE ] [ TIER - SS ]
Allows the user to Combine Attained Skills and Equipment from Tier F to Current Grade of Skill.
Success Rate by Tier:
F TIER - 91 % SUCCESS
E TIER - 84 % SUCCESS
D TIER - 75 % SUCCESS
C TIER - 66 % SUCCESS
B TIER - 50 % SUCCESS
A TIER - 38 % SUCCESS
S TIER - 22 % SUCCESS
SS TIER - 10 % SUCCESS
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'Status,' he called mentally.
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[ STATUS SCREEN ]
PLAYER : NYX VALMEISTER
LEVEL : 20 [ 13 / 200,000 ]
TALENT : GENERATE [ Z ]
SKILLS :
COMMAND [ SS ] | PROFICIENCY : 8.51% / 100%
HASTE [ F ] | PROFICIENCY : 81% / 100%
OFFSIGHT [ E ] | PROFICIENCY : 72% / 100%
WEAKNESS SENSING [ E ] | PROFICIENCY : 94% / 100%
COMBINE [ SS ] | PROFICIENCY : 0% / 100%
TITLES : GOBLIN KILLER [ ACHIEVED ]
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"I'll try combining 'Weakness Sensing' and 'Offsight'," Nyx mused to himself.
But first, he wanted to push Weakness Sensing to D grade
A few moments later, another notification appeared.
[Ding!]
[WEAKNESS SENSING (E) -> VITAL POINT (D)]
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"Good. Now let's combine them," Nyx muttered. He knew it wasn't without risk. The success rate hovered between 75% and 84%—meaning there was still a sizable chance it could fail. But Nyx was calm, calculating.
This was another experiment, a step toward mastery.
The air around Nyx shimmered, the system's energy flaring as he initiated the fusion.
A gust of wind whipped through the area, but Nyx stood firm, unfazed.
As the light dimmed, a new notification appeared before him.
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[VITAL POINT (D) + OFFSIGHT (E) -> VITAL SIGHT (C-)]
[ VITAL SIGHT ] [ TIER C- ]
Allows the user to analyze objects, detect vital points, and view creatures' body structures.
+ 11% chance to aid in critical decisions involving vital actions.
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"A secondary effect," Nyx murmured, intrigued by the additional feature. "It seems that merging skills can sometimes unlock hidden bonuses."
He glanced at his Command and Combine skills, noticing they lacked similar secondary effects. "It's rare, but valuable," he thought. The possibilities Combine offered were immense.
With a small grin tugging at his lips, Nyx decided it was time to use the mana stones he'd been saving up. "I think it's time to put all this hard-earned Mana Stones to work."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone