"How does this work again?" I asked as I sat on the ground, cross‑legged.
[Answer. Through the activation of the skill "Deconstruction," the entity "Suu" can absorb living and non‑living material into an internal subspace, one in which all useful traits and skills are absorbed and assimilated.] The voice of Great Sage echoed in my head a second later.
"How am I supposed to visualise that?" I asked, not understanding at all.
Honestly, no matter how much I thought about it I couldn't really picture what that would be like. (I mean, it's not like I have much to really compare it to.)
[Suggestion. Imagine a void, one of creeping nothingness, a black canvas that seems to devour everything that it can reach, be that living things, pure matter, or even light itself. Imagine the crushing weight of it all, the feeling of being compressed down to a singular point so compact it should be physically impossible.]
"That doesn't really help much... but I'll try..." I muttered with a sigh.
It had been a day since yesterday's festival, as well as all the chaos of our first meeting with the ogres. Nothing eventful had happened since then, thankfully; however, I had definitely been waiting for something bad to happen. Maybe it was just my anxiety, or maybe it was the idea that an army of orcs could attack at any second, but I wasn't able to sleep at all last night. And so I had ended up spending the night experimenting with my skills; surprisingly I didn't get tired at all. In fact, even though the sun had risen a while ago I was still wide awake.
I had heard news that the ogres were settling in well and that something was currently going on with them as of this very moment. Apparently, the leader of the ogres had come to a decision, so he and his fellows had gone to Rimuru's tent to talk to him about it in private.
And as such, while Rimuru was dealing with all that, I was here, continuing to experiment. I know that I probably should have gotten some rest at some point; however, every time I tried, some part of me kept screaming that I should keep going, that the world wouldn't wait for me to be able to defend myself. And so I kept going, kept pushing as I worked with Great Sage to understand more and more of my skills while also improving my submind scripts.
As of this moment, I was trying to understand my Deconstruction skill, to get a grasp on how exactly it worked. I had been trying, and failing, for the past three hours. Not to say that I wasn't making progress, quite the opposite, in fact. The problem I was facing, however, was that I was finding it rather hard to visualise the whole process thanks to my overall limited knowledge and understanding.
"I wonder what I'll even be able to get from this," I hummed as I glanced down at the small pile of plants and fungi I had been able to gather.
They ranged from small flowers to various mushrooms and weeds. (Well, will it even work? I mean, the description did say it could take traits from things like plants so I guess that it should.)
[Notice. The entity "Suu" is stalling; the skill "Great Sage" recommends an immediate halt to such actions and for the entity to focus fully on the task at hand.] Great Sage said, their voice coming off like a disapproving teacher berating a lazy student.
"Yeah... sorry about that." I coughed awkwardly before closing my eyes.
(Let's try again, I guess.) I breathed as I narrowed my attention to what was in front of me, using Magic Sense to focus solely on the pile.
I breathed as I tried to picture it, to fully grasp the concept, something I was clearly struggling to do. Before I even knew it, a full hour of rigorous concentration had passed, and as time moved forward I found myself thinking back to the moment right after my death. I remembered being drowned completely in nothingness, unable to think, see, or feel, unable to even understand that I still existed as a thinking being.
The moment I narrowed in on that image, that feeling, the air around me shifted. Multiple things emerged from the space around me, slithering through the air as they extended. I could sense them, feel their movements like a phantom limb. I didn't immediately look upon them, instead focusing purely on the sensation of their existence as I tried to memorise the feeling.
Once I had a firm grasp on it however, I extended the range of my magic sense slightly, allowing me to see them without actually opening my eyes. What I saw made me pause for a moment as I fully took the sight in. A void of shifting black energy that changed constantly, never staying still for even a moment. It oozed out of my surroundings in the form of dozens of talon tipped tendrils, each writhed and twisted through the air in a way that felt wholly unnatural.
For a moment I just sat there unmoving, watching the energy snaked through the air with what felt like predatory hunger, eventually though I did send a pulse of intent into the skill. Immediately they moved, sweeping forward with immense speed and reaching the pile in under a second, and yet, in an almost paradoxical way, it looked as if they were moving in slow motion. Despite this however, the moment the energy came in contact with their target, the pile vanished, the variety of plants being pulled into the ravenous tendrils as they were completely compressed and compacted into nothingness.
For a moment, I just stared as the energy retracted back into the space around me, my eyes slowly opening as I spoke a second later. "I did it... I actually did it."
(That felt really weird though; I can't even really put it into words, but it really did feel bizarre.) I thought, shifting slightly as a shiver ran down my spine. (I'll probably get used to it with time though; hopefully I will anyway.)
"Now what?" I asked a second later.
Great Sage was quick to respond, of course. [Answer. Activation of the "Integration" subskill is required to assimilate the corresponding skills of the absorbed material.]
"So like how we practiced before?" I mused, getting confirmation a moment later.
[Affirmative.]
(Alright then, let's give this a shot.) I muttered internally.
Fortunately, this part was easier, mainly because getting a proper grasp of this part of the skill was something Great Sage made sure that I had fully understood before anything else. After all, if I couldn't control my subspace then I might accidentally let out whatever I absorbed beforehand, which wouldn't be good at all. This was mainly because of how my Matter Expulsion subskill worked; let's just say that I could cause quite a mess if I wasn't careful with it.
Anyway, all I really had to do was actually rather simple, all things considered. And so, I closed my eyes once more but this time I focused inward, all while activating some of my submind scripts. All it took was a slight push of intent for the necessary process to be kicked into motion, and it wasn't long before I got a barrage of notifications.
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Photosynthesis" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Gelatinous Sap" has been acquired.]
[Due to incompatible anatomy, the skill "Gelatinous Sap" has become the skill "Gelatinous Blood".]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Dehydration Resistance" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Mycelial Network" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Toxic Spores" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Hallucinogenic Spores" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Parasitic Spores" has been acquired.]
[Integration skill activated. The skill "Acidic Spores" has been acquired.] The voice, which I had previously learned was called "The Voice Of The World", finally finished speaking within my head.
"That's... I wasn't expecting to get that many," I muttered as I listened carefully. "Especially considering this is just random stuff I grabbed growing around the village."
(I wonder how many I could get if I spent several hours just running around collecting random plants and things.) I thought, trying to picture the scene.
For a moment I was actually tempted to try; however, eventually I shook my head to get rid of that idea. "No... no I shouldn't do that."
"At least not yet anyway; after all, I haven't even got a handle on all the skills that I currently have," I reasoned with myself. "I should focus on refining the abilities I have currently for now; I can focus on getting more later."
I mean sure, I could spend hours running around collecting as many skills as possible; in fact, I could probably speed up the process if I asked for help from some of the hunters and gatherers around town. Despite this though, even if I had all those skills I wouldn't know how to use them; it would take time for me to learn. If I had more time, I could do this, but right now that wasn't the case. I didn't know how much time I had to prepare before things got hectic after all. Not that I was even sure the orcs were going to come this way, and for all I know they wouldn't; however, the chance of them coming this way wasn't zero, and that was more than enough for my anxiety to get the better of me.
(Anyway, I suppose I should check out the skill descriptions for now.) I breathed out, thinking as I brought up my personal information screen.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
{• Name:
Suu Tempest.}
{• Race:
Abyssal Storm Phoenix.}
{• Titles:
A Lost Soul. The Forgotten One. First Born Of The Abyss. Ruler Of The Abyss.}
{• Class:
None.}
{• Blessing:
Storm Crest.}
{• Disaster Rank, Human Form:
A Rank.}
{• Disaster Rank, Phoenix Form:
Special A Rank.}
{• ■■■■■■ Rank:
■■.}
{• Followers:
None.}
{• Species Skills:
Abyss Gate. Abyssal Flame. Flame Eater. Flame Control. Transformation. Darkness Manipulation. Ultimate Regeneration. Heat Immunity. Cold Resistance. Flame body. Undying soul. Wind manipulation. Storms Vestage. Crimson Lightning. Wind Speaker. Lightning Resistance.}
{• Skills: Bonded. Mind's Echo. Shadow Movement. Magic Sense. Multilayer Barrier. Thought Communication. Abnormal Condition Resistance. Hunger Resistance. Isolation Resistance. New Pain Resistance. New, Photosynthesis. New, Gelatinous Blood. New, Dehydration Resistance. New, Mycelial Network. New, Toxic Spores. New, Hallucinogenic Spores. New, Parasitic Spores. New, Acidic Spores.}
{• Unique Skills:
Everlasting Hunger(Deconstruction. Integration. Matter Expulsion). Eyes Of The Abyss(Truth Seeker. Inspection. Death's Sight).}
{• Ultimate Skills: None.}
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
{• Name: Pain Resistance.
Description: Greatly increases the user's resilience to physical pain.}
{• Name: Photosynthesis.
Description: The user gains the ability to convert sunlight into both nourishment and energy, allowing them to stay active without reaching exhaustion for longer periods of time.}
{• Name: Gelatinous Blood.
Description: The user's blood, when exposed to air, becomes sticky and gelatinous. It not only rapidly hardens, helping to seal wounds, but also increases the user's overall resistance to slashing and piercing attacks.}
{• Name: Dehydration Resistance.
Description: Decreases the user's need for liquids, allowing them to go long periods of time without taking in water or any other type of fluid.}
{• Name: Mycelial Network.
Description: The user is able to tap into any surrounding fungal networks, allowing them to sense vibrations and gather information through the said network.}
{• Name: Toxic Spores.
Description: An ability that allows for the production of spores that poison anyone who breathes them in.}
{• Name: Hallucinogenic Spores.
Description: The user can create and release spores that cause vivid and sometimes debilitating hallucinations in those affected.}
{• Name: Parasitic Spores.
Description: The user gains the ability to generate tiny parasitic spores that rapidly take root inside small animals and insects, granting the user control over them.}
{• Name: Acidic Spores.
Description: This skill lets the user produce spores that release highly acidic chemicals once they come in contact with biological material, be that skin or even someone's airways and lungs.}
"Interesting..." I mused as I read over the information.
(Some of these will probably be more useful than others.) I thought calmly, all while I contemplated the various ways I could possibly use them in the future. (Especially that Gelatinous Blood skill, the increased resistance part is good, but everything else isn't really that useful considering the fact that I can regenerate and that my blood turns to ash when it leaves my body.)
"Well, maybe I can get some kind of blood-control skill down the line; it might be helpful in restraining enemies, but that honestly sounds really gross if I'm being honest..." I sighed.
"A-anyway, thanks for the help, Great Sage." I mumbled somewhat awkwardly.
[Notice. Such gratitude is unnecessary.] She answered back robotically.
"I know, but I wanted to say it anyway." I explained with a smile.
With that said, I let out a soft sigh. "What should I do now then?"
(I could keep working on my skills but... well, I should probably get actual combat experience...) I thought as I contemplated what to do.
(After all, if I can't use my skills in a combat situation then... well, I'll just be in the way once things get bad.)
I had been invited by the goblin riders to take part in their training before, but I had declined at the time, mainly because of my social anxiety. Now, though, things had changed somewhat; I didn't have the luxury of letting myself be controlled by my fear, even if the idea made me incredibly uncomfortable.
"What to do...?"
(((A/N. Just in case you were wondering, the Deconstruction skill's tendril things look kind of like this.)))