“Show me my Skills again.”

  [Understood. Loading Skill Interface…]

  /-/

  Key Skill (Max 7)

  Daggers: Expert Proficiency (12% Progress)

  Unarmed: Expert Proficiency (5% Progress)

  Sneaking: Adept Proficiency (41% Progress)

  Observation: Expert Proficiency (3% Progress)

  Athletics: Expert Proficiency (5% Progress)

  Demolition: Expert Proficiency (8% Progress)

  Medicine: Adept Proficiency (26% Progress)

  General Skills (Unlimited)

  Novice: Lockpicking, Crafting, Willpower, Reading, Light Armour

  Student: Cooking, Cleaning, Intimidation, Alchemy

  Unique Skills

  Legend: Bloodflame Demonic Arts

  Adept: Sky Giant Arts

  /-/

  Eri was seated alone, reviewing the progress his skills had made since the debacle at the Port. The lull in activity at the castle finally gave him a chance to review his progress within the System.

  And what great progress it was.

  All of his skills had improved immensely. Weeks or perhaps even months of grinding crammed into a single encounter. His Demolition Skill had shot up the most, reaching ‘Expert’ Proficiency despite being only halfway through ‘Adept’ the last time he checked.

  Well, I did blow up a few thousand demons… Kind of.

  Even now, Eri was surprised to see that the System attributed those deaths to him. The port-destroying explosion was more a happy accident than anything else. Had Lake Violet Maw’s central oil rig not been hit by a stray fireball, the destruction of the port would not have been nearly that thorough.

  Thus far, he had two weapon skills and five non-weapon skills. ‘Demolition’ did not count as the former, despite being combat-adjacent. To Eri’s knowledge, there were no such things as ‘Demolition’ Arts.

  Increasing Proficiency in weapons gave him higher access to weapon Artes. For example, having ‘Daggers’ in the fourth rank — Expert — gave him the ability to use Fourth Form Dagger Artes like [Life-Emptying Crucible] without trouble. While others would require years of training, Eri could use it instantly the moment he purchased the Arte from the System Shop.

  Technically, I did train for years — grinding my Dagger Proficiency every day to reach this point of competence. But it’s hardly the same thing. I didn’t even need to practice with the Arte. The knowledge transferred was instantaneous and thorough…

  “System, open up the System Shop. Go to the Artes Category.”

  [Understood. Displaying all available Dagger Artes for purchase]

  /-/

  Rogue Dagger Artes (Pre-Purchased; Low Difficulty)

  A basic school of magic, implanted into Rogue-Class Chosens when they first pass their Trial and earn their Copper Core. Specialises in hit-and-run sneak attacks. Weak in direct combat. (Earned automatically as Rogue Class)

  Hollowfang Dagger Artes (Purchased; Medium Difficulty)

  A secret school of magic, taught among the Beastmen tribes of the fercund South. Swift and powerful, these techniques excel in ambush and assassination, but are ill-suited for endurance fights. (First two forms given for free as ‘First Adept Weapon Key Skill’ Reward; Third and Fourth purchased. Fifth Form Locked)

  Manhaunter Dagger Artes (12000 Heroism Points, High Difficulty)

  A semi-outlawed school of magic, synonymous with the murder of fellow men. Founded by the infamous Saint Belphorie, the Artes were designed to intimidate and demoralise human opponents. Little use against Demons, but extremely effective against lesser Chosens. (First two forms come with purchase; subsequent purchases of higher Forms will require additional Heroism Points)

  Blue Salamander Dagger Artes (88000 Heroism Points, Extreme Difficulty)

  A secret school of magic, long lost to time. Invented by the Dwarf Firelord Tharj nearly five thousand years ago, these techniques produce magic-enhanced plasma upon the dagger’s edge to eviscerate their targets. Will kill just about anything, even fireproof demons. Just be careful not to hurt yourself. (First two forms come with purchase; subsequent purchases of higher Forms will require additional Heroism Points)

  …

  /-/

  Eri had ‘earned’ the Rogue Dagger Artes when he first unlocked his Copper Core years ago. The Goddess provided all of her Chosen with some basic starting techniques to use, but most Chosen would move on from such rudimentary Artes once they hit the Bronze ranks and focus on more specialised schools of magic.

  The Hollowfang school of magic was given to him as a special reward for the ‘Daggers’ Skill, being the first to reach Adept Proficiency. He still had to purchase the Third and Fourth Forms, and they had cost a fair bit of Heroism points even back then.

  There were hundreds of other options available for Dagger Artes alone, each with varying levels of ‘difficulties’, but Eri was reluctant to purchase any of them. The good schools of magic were costly, and Eri was certain his points were better spent elsewhere. The Hollowfang School suited his stealth and slicing power needs well enough already, while Asectic Fire Monks' Unarmed Arts provided him with ample brute force power when he needed it.

  Besides, he still had other Artes he had yet to fully tap into…

  “Show me the Sky Giants Arts.”

  [Loading Artes UI…]

  /-/

  [System Tutorial: Sky Giant Artes]

  A grand and tempestuous school of magic invented by the mythical titans who strode among the clouds. Practitioners wield the raw breath of the heavens itself, channelling roaring gales, crackling thunder, and crushing air pressure to smite their foes. Requires a robust set of lungs to utilise, meaning only those of Giant blood and biology could use it effectively.

  [Sky Giant Arts, First Form: Storm Breath]

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  Unlock at ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency: Student

  Effects: Exhale a powerful blast of air from one’s lungs. Minimal direct damage, but good for crowd control or pushing targets off high ledges. (+25% Pushback Force per Tier in ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency)

  [Sky Giant Arts, Second Form: Whirlwind Embrace]

  Unlock at ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency: Novice

  Effects: Exhale a sentient gale of wind that lifts an opponent into the air and seizes hold of their limbs, allowing for a critical strike (+50% Weightlifting Capacity per Tier in ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency)

  [Sky Giant Arts, Third Form: The Titan’s Funereal Gales]

  Unlock at ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency: Adept

  Effects: Upon exhale, the air around the wielder is shaped into razor currents, the gales tearing flesh and armour with invisible blades. (+50% Armour Penetration per Tier in ‘Sky Giant Artes’ Proficiency)

  /-/

  Powerful Artes, each and every one of them. There was just one problem…

  Eri couldn’t use any of them.

  Or rather, to be more specific, he could, but his body previously could not.

  When he tried using them a few weeks ago, after he had woken up from his coma and under Elen’s watchful eye…

  His lungs had exploded.

  This wasn’t hyperbole; his lungs literally self-destructed upon him using the Sky Giant Arte.

  He ended up coughing out chunks of his organs as Elen rushed him to the beastkin chirurgeon, swearing and cursing loud enough to alert the whole castle.

  He barely survived. Had it not been for Kalisa’s absurd skills at surgery, Eri would probably be dead.

  The aftermath of his survival was some cause for concern, however, especially with how the beastkin saved him…

  ~~~

  A while back… After the incident with Eri experimenting on the Sky Giant Artes…

  “YOU DID WHAT?!”

  “Sheesh! Quite a pair of ‘lungs’ you have there, shouting like that. Hee, get it?”

  “YOU IMPLANTED GUNTHER’S LUNGS IN MY BODY?!”

  “Alright, I’m glad to know it’s working, but you don’t have to keep shouting at me like that!”

  Eri took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. But then he remembered whose lungs it was that were breathing for him, and his panic redoubled.

  “You can’t just do an organ transplant on me without my consent,” Eri spoke through gritted teeth, trying his best to modulate his volume.

  “Gee, you don’t have to make it sound as if I transplanted organs from you,” Kalisa complained, her tail wagging happily. “It’s the opposite, you know! Pretty sure I gave you the best set of working lungs this side of the continent. Even reversed it so that it fits your weird, mirrored biology.”

  “I don’t want Gunther’s lungs! I want my lungs,” Eri seethed. “Do you still have it? Can you put it back?”

  “Um, I do have it, but… I don’t think you’re going to want it.”

  Kalisa held up a tray holding pink, shredded flesh. The damage was almost impressive in its disgusting thoroughness.

  “These are my lungs?” Eri gasped.

  “Were your lungs. Now there’re minced meat,” Kalisa corrected. “I found your ribs broken, too. Growing those back with healing potions worked, but no amount of magic potions was going to grow you a new set of lungs in time. You were going to die without oxygen in your veins, so… I improvised. I mean, it wasn’t like I had another pair of lungs lying around…”

  Eri’s breathing quickened. He stared at Kalisa. “I’m going to be sick…”

  “Well, if you like, I can help you fix that. Pretty sure I still have the half-giant’s stomach somewhere. You should see the size of it! I bet it would go great with your new lungs.”

  “Just shut up and let me hug your tail before I pass out.”

  ~~~

  Present…

  After that, Eri resolved not to use the Sky Giant Artes again.

  It was irrational, especially since he could probably use it now with his new and improved lungs, but…

  Eri felt he was justified in this. He nearly blew up because he took too deep a breath. Heroes were allowed one traumatic background quirk. This would be his.

  Still, having a fear of breathing is a little lame. I’m also denying myself a pretty powerful asset…

  In any case, with the Sky Giant Artes ‘locked’ away, Eri resolved to improve his other abilities instead.

  He had five other non-weapon Key Skills and a whole host of lesser Skills. All of it gave him great abilities and powers. Even a Skill within the lowest tier, ‘Student’, granted him knowledge and abilities far beyond the average person.

  For example… “System, bring up the details of my Observation Skill and its Proficiency Tiers.”

  [Loading Skill UI — Observation]

  /-/

  Observation (Auxiliary Skill; Dex-Adjacent)

  Student Proficiency

  Your eyes and ears are keener than most. You spot small details, notice shifts in tone, and pick up on things others would dismiss as background noise. Instincts will warn you of threats and guide you toward valuable finds.

  Novice Proficiency

  Your perception is now razor-sharp. Nothing escapes your focused attention: hidden compartments, loot, and traps are detected with ease, save for those concealed by great magic. In combat, a sixth sense guides your blade towards weak spots and warns you of unseen attacks.

  Adept Proficiency

  Your five senses are now inhuman. Your eyes read lips at great distances; your ears catch even the faintest whispers in a crowd. Tongue, nose, and skin track targets by warmth, scents, or even by subtle vibrations in the air. You can no longer be called a natural creature; your instinct verges almost beyond biological limits.

  Expert Proficiency

  Your awareness is now decidedly supernatural. No deception can cloud your sight, magical or otherwise. Every movement is a tell, every mark a clue. Muscle twitches give away your foe's next move, and the bend of grass lets you track even the smallest prey through the densest forest. Your eyes are drawn by forces unknown towards rare treasures or magical items.

  /-/

  His [Observation] Skill reached ‘Expert’ Proficiency recently, giving him a massive boon. The benefits were already ridiculous before, but now they bordered upon omniscience.

  It’s not even a measure of my human perception anymore, or even within the realm of possible physical limits for a person, Eri mused. If anything, it’s more like a time-spatial effect.

  And I’m still only at Expert, the fourth out of eight Proficiency Tiers. If I reach ‘Master’ Proficiency or even higher in Observation, would I be able to passively predict the future?

  A scary thought. Most higher-ranked Chosens and Demons possessed a degree of unnatural foresight, but if Eri kept up his training, he might even go further beyond that.

  Where would he be in another decade or two?

  He sighed, pushing such chilling thoughts from his mind. He continued looking through his UI, taking the time to read through all the changes to his System.

  After the battle at the port, it seems I’ve unlocked new System features and UI windows. For example… This tab wasn’t there before.

  /-/

  Body Modifications

  [Anatomical Anomaly]

  Description: Your body no longer follows the natural layout of humans. Vitals, organs, and bones are mirrored left to right, creating a biological puzzle that befuddles Doctors and Assassins alike.

  Effects: 25% Chance for fatal enemy critical hits to miss. +10% Max Health.

  “A heart that beats on the wrong side still beats all the same.”

  [Skyborne Lungs]

  Description: Your (relatively) frail mortal chest now houses the might lungs of a Sky Giant (or that of a Half-Blood, at least). Your very breath now churns with power.

  Effects: Breath capacity tripled. Greatly extends stamina and underwater duration. ‘Sky Giant Artes’ backlash reduced by 60%.

  “Every breath a storm.”

  /-/

  “When did this unlock?” Eri asked, confused.

  [Character has obtained a minimum of two Body-Modification-related Skills: ‘Medicine’ and ‘Alchemy’]

  [Character may now access the Body Modification Tab for extra details]

  [You can also now add more modifications to your body or upgrade existing modifications, although your current Skills will limit their capacity.]

  “I can upgrade my Body Modifications?”

  [Yes. Heroism Points will be required.]

  Great. Yet more ways to spend Heroism Points.

  “At least I have a surplus now,” he murmured. All those demons he killed at the port had given him a massive amount of Heroism Points. Normally, killing demons for points was not as profitable as grinding Side Quests, but the sheer number of monsters he had ‘accidentally’ slain made that downside redundant.

  More than that, it gave him a ridiculous amount of XP, too.

  “Used to be that I thought I was growing too slowly. Now, I feel like I’m changing too fast,” he chuckled. “Alright. Show me my Core and Attributes.”

  [Understood. Loading UI…]