After the discovery of the mind hierarchy, it was only natural to happen upon its reflected symmetry in the body.

  Body

  

  
• Foundation


  

  

  
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  • Athletics
    
      Improves general performance of the body
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
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  • Resistance()
    
      Body's learned ability to resist harm from said concept
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
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  • Survival
    
      Develops intuition and judgement for preservation of one's self
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
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  • Weaponry()
    
      Using categories of tools to competently cause harm to others
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Arcane transformation(Self)
    
      Transforms internal energy directly into useful bodily functions
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 1 Synthesis


  

  

  
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  • Empowerment (NEW)
    
      Increases performance of a body part by using internal arcane energy
    
      
  
  
    
  • Training (NEW)
    
      Raise physical attributes by vigorously stressing them
    
      
  
  
    
  • Weapon expertise( (NEW)
    
      Using specific tool types to expertly cause harm to others
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 2 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Coordination (NEW)
    
      Empowers multiple body parts in concert for higher overall performance
    
      
  
  
    
  • Tolerance() (NEW)
    
      Body's ability to better resist harm from said concept via empowerment
    
      
  
  
    
  • Weapon connection (NEW)
    
      Extend self into tools under your control for increased performance
    
      
  
  
    
  • Weapon mastery( (NEW)
    
      Using specific tool types to masterfully cause harm to others
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 3 Synthesis


  

  

  
• 
  
    
  
  
    
  • Self extension (NEW)
    
      Extend aspects of your attributes to your weapon as a part of yourself
    
      
  
  
    
  • Synchronicity (NEW)
    
      Empower the entire body in perfect union of performance
    
      
  
  
    
  
  
    


  

  

  
• Tier 4 Synthesis


  

  

  


  
• Immunity() (NEW)
  
    Body's ability to ignore harm from said concept via synchronicity


  


  

  My commitment to improving my body has been even less than for my mind. However, I can’t deny that the early songs of blade and survival likely saved my life during that first altercation with the big ones so long ago. I can’t allow it to fester, even if many of these are out of my reach in the long term. Who knows? Maybe I’ll eventually find a good sparring partner to overcome my ignorance and incompetence.

  Not the biggest wins, but there aren’t as many opportunities to grow my body while hiding here in Tranas. The rats long ago became easy pickings, and I’m not willing to take any risks directly fighting big ones. That’ll probably unleash the entire hive. At least acquiring the Empowerment song pairs well with Amplification. Pumping energy into my legs while running between the library and sewers is now an incredibly exhilarating experience of speed. Obviously this’ll be useful in the future, if only to better flee unwinnable fights.

  On a curious note, the body related books constantly discuss this idea of attributes. They all speak as though it should be obvious to the reader, so they never provide any further explanation. For example, the athletics song is supposed to add an Endurance attribute upon mastery. However, I haven’t felt any changes at all. What gives?

  Opening my status to check, there’s no new attributes section. Did it not work? Oh wait! There was that bizarre text I found after I first stole the status. Can I bring that back?

  Recalling my manipulation of the light to dismiss it, I try dragging my finger across the screen, but nothing happens. Then I remember having coincidentally used that wonderful mud from the cave as a kind of sloppy ink. I don’t have anything like that here. Maybe the sludge from the sewer? Grabbing some from my bed, I apply it to the light panel, but it refuses to interact with it at all. Unlike the cave mud, the sludge drops straight through the panel and onto the floor as if it’s not even there.

  Frustrated, I sit and hold the panel centered in my sight, keenly making use of fiercely narrowed eyes and my new Study song to the best of my ability. The light ignores mundane, unspecial mud. The cave mud was special, but there’s none of it left, especially here. How else can I manipulate the screen? Can I make more mud? That’s right, there was that proto mud that I made, but I have no clue how that happened. I kept recklessly combining things until eventually it all came together. Every single thing that I could find. My hand even got cut by that stupid bird claw, so I literally bled for that creation.

  Oh? I bled into the proto mud mixture. Is that really what did it? I’m mud too, after all. Why wouldn’t I be the specialist mud of all?

  Excitedly, I prick a finger with a dagger and let a drop of dirty, cloudy liquid pool. Then, with the other hand, I dip a nail into the little bubble, exactly as I would with ink. Swiping the stylus finger from the side of the panel inwards, I deeply focus on my desire to see my attributes, and the missing section immediately reappears.

  It works! However, it still makes no sense. These are my attributes? Why is it such incomprehensible gibberish? There’s still the same three listings too, so no addition of Endurance as the books promised. The values have all become reduced as well. What’s going on?

  Racking my mind for answers, it occurs to me that I’ve been getting more and more worn out every day for some time. Ever since I left the cave. Everytime I wake up from sleep, I’m more exhausted. I thought it was from the dreams, but was that wrong? What’s happening to me?

  Lifting my hands up before my face, I rapidly cycle through amplifying and empowering different parts of my eyes to study them. On close inspection, a myriad of tiny cracks all over the surface of my skin appears in my vision. It’s so dry, even though I literally just bathed in the sludge all day. Am I breaking apart? Is my mud becoming weak? What’s the point in pursuing revenge if I’ll completely dissolve long before ever accomplishing anything?

  Anger rising, my finger swipes across the panel again to dismiss the annoying, unexplained oddity. Stewing in frustration, my body sags in place, my hopeless, lazy eyes lifelessly focusing on the light. Such a wonderful shining opportunity, and yet it also vexes me, reflecting back my inherent deficiencies. Is this actually a good treasure?

  In that moment of contemplative silence, a tiny, insignificant thread dangling off the side of the light begins urgently demanding my attention.

  What’s that? Poking it with my finger, it doesn’t respond. Aghast at the repeat of my foolish mistake, I immediately dip a claw back into my blood before poking it again. This time, the thread sticks to my claw, dancing and extending when prodded. The more I push, the further out it pulls. Eventually, an entirely new section of light snaps out from the original panel and appears neatly by its side.