These were some categories that contained skills Peter would qualify for. Many skills require specific classes or certain stats to be unlocked.
For example, David or Monica wouldn’t even be able to use Silver Tongue since they hadn’t unlocked Charisma yet. Similarly, Peter couldn’t make use of Pickpocket’s Grace or Trap Sense either, as he had yet to unlock Dexterity or Perception.
Some skills require other skills to be at a certain level. For instance, a person could only use Inventory {Space, Time} if they had both Space Manipulation and Time Manipulation above level 35. Space Manipulation and Time Manipulation seemed like great choices. Both were highly desirable skills that could be trained without anyone finding out. Peter mentally added them to the list.
There were other, more powerful-sounding manipulation skills like Soul Manipulation and Fate Manipulation, but training them without guidance seemed risky. With Space and Time, there was at least a chance to figure something out, perhaps by stopping time in a particular area or creating a fissure in space. However, Peter had no idea how to practice Fate Manipulation, and Soul Manipulation required souls to practice on.
‘Failure would have terrible consequences. I cannot try that on myself or someone else,’ Peter shook his head. Sometimes his imagination was too good for his mental well-being.
But just because he did not know how to use these skills didn’t mean there weren’t people who could, and that he wouldn’t encounter them. Classes like Soul Mage, Soul Magi, and Soul Magus granted Soul Manipulation as a class skill.
He needed to safeguard himself from skills like Mind Control or Soul Imprisonment. He needed defensive skills.
As he scrolled through the Skill Library, four types of defensive skills appeared on the list. Resistance (reduces effects), Protection(prevents effects), Recovery(removes effects), and Unique.
The skill library had an innumerable number of skills, so many that Peter couldn’t begin to study each of them.
Iron Will, Soul Fortitude, Mental Bastion, Sanctuary of Thought, Soulbound Ward, Soul Restoration, Mental Reflection, and more. The list kept going.
Some of the skills were Active, some were Passive, and a few provided both Active and Passive effects. Most were specialised skills, focused on a particular domain such as the soul or mind.
With a limited number of skill slots, Peter could never cover all the scenarios. All were necessary, whether it be Resistance, protection, recovery or unique for all the domains like soul, mind, poison, elements, pain, illusion, fate and more. There weren’t enough slots to pick each specialised skill individually.
“Peter, we’re done! Come on, time to visit the church.” Mariah’s urging voice pulled him out of his thoughts, causing him to turn toward his room’s door.
“Coming…” He yelled back, closing the IDE.
‘I’ll think about it later,’ Peter decided, getting up and walking out of the room, leaving the decision for later.
With too many options, he would either have to compromise or create a solution using his IDE. Understanding the pros and cons of choosing a specialised skill versus a generalised skill would be crucial for that.
…
A gentle breeze passed, ruffling Peter’s short hair. Up above, right in the middle of the sky, the giant orb of flames was shining bright, yet the rays weren’t too hurtful. Summer had just passed.
They walked slowly toward the village, enjoying the view of the fields. Harvest Day was close.
Wheat, barley, and a corn-like crop stood twice or even thrice Peter's height, swaying gently in the wind. The sight reminded Peter of a scene from the movie Interstellar.
“Dad.” Peter turned to his father, holding hands with Mariah.
“Hmm? Yes?” Both parents looked at Peter as Joseph answered, turning to look back.
“I was wondering… why did you choose a specialised skill like Swordsmanship (One-Handed Sword) instead of the generalised Swordsmanship? Or even better, something like Weapons Mastery, if it exists?” Peter addressed the question, looking at the leather scabbard in his left hand, which kept his shining sword.
Mariah laughed, “See? Our son is very curious,” gently patting Peter with her other hand. Curious like a cat. Very often, the reason for her headaches.
Joseph smiled as he nodded. “He sure is. Well, Peter, of course, there’s a skill like Weapons Mastery. But first, let me ask you something.” He looked at Peter with amusement.
“How many kinds of swords do you think there are?”
Peter thought for a moment. ‘Let’s see… a lot. But a child wouldn’t know the names of weapons, right?’
“A lot, probably. But I don’t know their names,” He innocently admitted with a casual shrug.
“Well... Let me name a few that I know: Shortsword, Gladius, Cutlass, Rapier, Smallsword, Longsword, Claymore, Greatsword, Scimitar, Sabre… and there are many more.” Joseph said, raising his palm and counting on his fingers with mirth in his eyes, enjoying the role of knowledgeable dad.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
He continued, “To increase a skill’s level, you need to use it. The more generalised a skill is, the harder it becomes to level up.”
“To raise a generalised Swordsmanship skill, you’d have to practice and fight with all types of swords. Sure, you can just use a single type, but levelling up will be at a snail’s pace.” It was a simple but hard truth that everyone had to accept at some point in life. The system was cruel like that.
“We’ll teach you about skill merging and which ones are worth merging or not. You don’t have to worry about it now.” Joseph said, not able to merge a single skill till now. Most merge their skills during advancement to the next tier, something Peter didn’t need to worry about so early in life.
By the time he finished talking, they had reached the village gate.
“Did the brat get something good or not?” The old guard asked immediately as soon as they got closer, his face fully displaying his impatient nature.
“Better than whatever you got, for sure.” Peter shot back without backing down, slowly growing a smirk.
“Quite the cocky attitude,” He laughed, not minding the jab, already bonding with Peter during the years. “Good, good. So, what did you get?”
Peter glanced at Mariah, and when she nodded, he answered, “Mana Sense and 28 Spirit points.”
“Hoh… Certainly better than what I got,” The guard nodded, quite pleased and put his hand inside the pouch hanging on his waist.
Taking a copper coin out, he flicked it at Peter, who caught it easily.
“Here, buy something for yourself,” He waved his hand, shooing him away, acting like he lost interest.
“Thank you,” Peter mumbled gratefully while looking at the copper coin in his hand.
The old guard laughed again. “Despite his sharp tongue, he sure knows his manners when he needs to. You’ve raised him well, Mariah.”
“He’s also my son, you know,” Joseph complained, nodding at the man to thank him for his generosity.
“Sure is. That’s where he got his sharp tongue and courage from,” The old man teased, opening the gates for them.
“I don’t know whether to take that as a praise or an insult,” Joseph sighed, playing along in the banter by turning to the other guard, hoping for an answer or some sympathy.
“Figure it out yourself, Captain.”
Everyone chuckled. The guards stepped aside, letting them pass once their banter ended.
After that, they didn’t encounter anyone else until they reached the church.
It was a simple building, nothing fancy. One of the few structures in the village with two floors. Instead of wood, it was made with heavy stone and gravel. Built to be sturdy, not decorative. It was the only building in the village not made of wood. Peter had been here a few times before, so he already knew the layout.
Religion in this world was different. After all, the gods were real. That didn’t mean they interfered in mortal affairs often.
Mariah had already given Peter a basic education on divinity the last time they visited this place. People only came to places of worship when they needed a blessing or some kind of help.
The reason for this was faith. A clear system indicator. An advanced stat.
Back in Peter’s previous world, it was hard to tell if someone was truly devoted or just going through the motions; praying, reading holy texts, visiting places of worship, and all that. Gods were real here. Faith wasn’t just a concept. It was measurable.
If you were truly devoted, your faith would be high. If not, religion remained fairly transactional.
Donated money to the church? Get a blessing.Oh no, you burned your arm while cooking? No problem. Ask a priestess to heal you for the low price of three silver coins.
Humanity had three gods. The newest one ascended to godhood around 3,500 years ago. Yup. Every once in a while, some lucky person got promoted to godhood.
Rumour had it, at least according to the tavern gossip, that the Elven Sovereign was so close to godhood that she could ascend in the blink of her eye. Not a new development, she had been qualified for centuries. Why she hadn’t ascended yet was unknown to common folk.
Peter sighed, thinking, ‘Ugh… I ended up sidetracked again,’ as soon as he spotted Amelia standing before the stone statues of the Trinity. Raven black hair reaching down to her hips, stark contrast to her white clothing, complemented her slim figure.
“Good afternoon, Aunt Amelia,” He greeted, bowing his head alongside Mariah and Joseph, following custom.
As the only priestess in the village, Amelia was also the highest-ranking devotee. Right now, standing in front of the Trinity, she was effectively their representative.
“Good morning, Peter. How are you feeling today?” Amelia nodded in acknowledgement, gently smiling at him before handing them holy water to sip.
“Same as usual,” Peter replied, despite feeling a bit nervous and anxious.
Amelia stepped aside, allowing them to pay their respects to the Trinity.
From left to right stood Elyssaria, Orvandel, and the newest member, Avaris.
Elyssaria was depicted as a slim, stunning woman in her early twenties. If her statue was anything to go by, she could have easily been a supermodel in Peter’s past world.
Orvandel, on the other hand, was shown as a young boy, no older than fourteen. It was hard to say if that had been his actual age when he ascended to godhood, but he was the oldest among the three.
The newest member, Avaris, had the most followers right now. She was depicted as a woman in her forties, with a round, motherly figure, standing solemnly. Her carved face bore gentle lines of wisdom, and her eyes held deep, ancient knowledge.
Her massive following was likely due to the abilities granted to her devotees. Elyssaria was a pure war goddess to his knowledge, while Orvandel governed multiple domains, known as the God of Merchants, Law, and Contracts, among other things.
Avaris, however, was the embodiment of nurturing care. She was the Goddess of Healing, Agriculture, Fertility, Growth, and Compassion.
Peter finished praying soon enough, opening his eyes.
“Follow me to the side room, please. The artifact is kept there.” Amelia urged, motioning to the left.
She led them into a nearby chamber.
Inside, there was a table with a few wooden chairs, and on top of the table sat a magical instrument.
As far as Peter knew, the artifact was Orvandel’s work. Not particularly rare or valuable, as every settlement had a few of these lying around.
“Come, Peter. Sit on this chair as comfortably as you can. The process won’t take long.” Walking to stand behind the table, Amelia instructed, pointing at a chair beside the table with her eyes.
Peter nodded and did as she instructed.
“It won’t hurt much. I’ll heal you afterwards,” She assured, picking up a golden needle in her left palm with a gentle look in her eyes.
She took his palm in her hands and extracted a drop of red blood from his finger using the needle. Then, she inserted the needle into the artifact before turning back to Peter.
“Let me heal you first.” Amelia closed her eyes and muttered a prayer under her breath.
{Minor Heal}
Peter watched as the wound closed before his eyes in amazement. It was all very magical to him. Peter couldn’t help but wonder how biology interacted with magic.
She then turned to his parents, freeing his healed palm from her delicate hands.
“Would you like a copy of it?” She inquired, familiar with the process as the person responsible for the test for every child in the village.
“Yes, please,” Mariah replied for both of them as Joseph passed a silver coin to her.
Registration was free for everyone. It was one of those rare things where the government and the church cooperated.
Almost everyone had to register upon their first advancement. The process was usually hassle-free, but if an unlucky kid awakened a Skill that was too powerful to be left unchecked…
That child would be adopted by the Church, so they could learn to use their power properly and for the good of everyone.
And if that child were to disappear a few years later, without a trace…
Well, who was going to know?