“So we have narrowed it down to five,” I said. “[All is One], [Stunt Double], [Hall of Mirrors], [Mana Shield], [Generous Gift]”

  “Six if you count [Haste],” Vasil commented.

  “Sure, but I already have [Quickdraw] which scales with my level, and so far I’ve been faster than everyone.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he said. “You haven’t fought anyone prepared for you yet. You’ve only caught people off-guard.”

  “So I’ll just keep doing that.” I shrugged. “It seems to be working.”

  Vasil exhaled through his nose. “You know… that might genuinely be the safest way for you to fight. Though assuming it will always work would be… optimistic..”

  “Anyway,” I said, clapping my hands. “I think the choice is obvious.”

  “Yes,” he agreed immediately. “[All is One] is the most logical pick, with [Generous Gift] as a strong second.”

  I stared at him. “What? How in the hells did you come to that conclusion? [Stunt Double] is the obvious choice.”

  He stared at me. "Why would you take [Stunt Double] over higher damage?"

  "Why wouldn't I? It's perfect! Someone else takes the hits, I stay safe, and we can do each other's hair!"

  "Hair."

  "Yes! Hair! And think about the conversations we could have. Finally, someone on my intellectual level."

  "You want to spend a skill point so you can talk to yourself?"

  "Not just talk. Think of all the activities we could do!"

  Vasil closed his eyes. "Hecate. [All is One] makes you exponentially stronger with your weapons. Permanent growth. [Generous Gift] makes every kill improve your damage forever. Both scale infinitely. The illusion won’t be able to do your hair, because it’s… an illusion."

  “But I could upgrade it to be a physical manifestation!”

  “Upgrade it with what?” he asked gently. “Using an offering we do not have, and may never get, for a function that might not even exist?”

  I paused. “Well, when you say it like that it sounds stupid.”

  “It’s not a stupid idea,” he said, clearly choosing his words carefully. “It’s just not the best course of action with the resources we have available at the time. If we do find something, or someone, who can possibly provide an offering that would allow you to make the illusion physical we can revisit the skill. In the meantime, if you want someone to do your hair, ask Kasia.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, but only for show. Because the annoying thing was… he had a point.

  If I had been alone, I probably would have taken [Stunt Double] immediately. It was easy to get swept up in the vision of perfect hair, and a second me who finally understood me. Any reasonable person would’ve been drawn to it.

  But this right here was why it was wise of me to consult Vasil. He was smart. Or at least smart enough to counterbalance certain… temptations. I should probably listen to him more often.

  “Okay,” I said, thinking it through. “Would [Generous Gift] also count mosquitoes? Because if so, that would be very strong.”

  “I doubt the System considers insects enemies,” Vasil replied.

  I exhaled through my nose. “Figures. So really, [All is One] is probably the best?”

  “Pretty much,” he said. “Skills like that provide significant passive growth. It would be foolish to ignore them when they’re offered.”

  I bit my lip, hesitating. “What about my teeth, though?”

  “What about your teeth?”

  “They’re not going to turn into triggers, right? Or little nubby metallic things? Because that would be unacceptable.”

  “What benefit would that provide?” he asked, genuinely confused.

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  “Probably none.”

  “Then it would be an illogical transformation.”

  I nodded. That made perfect sense. The System probably wouldn’t make me ugly for no reason.

  “But,” I said slowly, pointing a finger at him, “if anything happens to my hair, I will find a way to kill you.”

  He sighed. “Understood.”

  I took a couple short breaths. Alright then.

  [All is One] acquired.

  I took another breath, gritted my teeth, and closed my eyes.

  Please, Mēnē, don’t make me ugly. Also you, Ambelios. Don’t get any ideas.

  I waited.

  Nothing happened.

  No tingling. No glow. No sudden urge to polish my scalp.

  “Hecate?” Vasil asked. “And?”

  I ran both hands through my hair. Still there. Still soft and perfect. I opened my eyes and bared my teeth at him. “Anything?”

  He squinted. “No changes.”

  I poked my cheeks. Tapped my nose. Lifted a lock of hair and inspected it against the light.

  “I don’t feel any different,” I muttered. I held up one of my revolvers. “This doesn’t feel any different.”

  “That is… odd,” Vasil said.

  “Exactly.” I frowned and opened my System again.

  A new prompt blinked politely at me.

  [Begin Unification with Equipped Weapons?]

  Revolver (Right Hand)

  Revolver (Left Hand)

  Warning: This process is irreversible

  [Confirm] / [Decline]

  "Oh," I said.

  I looked at the message for a moment longer. Then I selected confirm.

  [Commencing Unification]

  I still didn't feel anything.

  "Still nothing," I said to Vasil.

  I looked down at the revolver in my hand… and watched as it started to melt.

  The metal ran like water, dripping between my fingers.

  "No! No no no no—"

  I looked at my holster. The other revolver was doing the same thing, liquifying, dripping onto the floor in silver puddles.

  “Vasil!” I screeched. “Those were the only guns I had!”

  “Hecate—”

  “My father MADE those for me! The best weaponsmith in Graecia made me custom revolvers and now they’re—” Another shimmering glob slid off my palm and hit the ground with a wet, metallic plink. “—puddles!”

  The metal kept dripping, pooling at my feet.

  "Vasil, why did you make me pick this?! If I had a gun I’d shoot you, you son of a—"

  The pools stirred and the liquid metal began crawling toward me, sliding across the floor. It reached my boots and started climbing.

  I tried to shake my foot, but the cold, liquid metal clung tight, spreading up my leg. It reached my knee, then my thigh. The puddle from my hand wrapped around my wrist and surged up my arm.

  "Vasil?"

  It covered my torso, my shoulders, my neck. I gasped as it slid over my face—mouth, nose, eyes—sealing me in a shell of liquid silver.

  And then it burned. It burned like something forcing its way into me. Through skin, through muscle, sinking deeper with every second. I tried to scream but nothing came out. It was in my throat. My bones ached. My blood felt wrong. The metal wasn't just covering me anymore—it was inside me, threading through veins, wrapping around bone, rewriting everything it touched.

  It hurt.

  Gods, it hurt.

  And then as soon as it started, it stopped. The pain faded. The pressure released.

  I gasped, stumbling forward, hands braced on my knees. The silver coating cracked and flaked away, falling to the floor in glittering shards before dissolving into nothing.

  I was breathing hard. Shaking. But I didn't hurt anymore. Instead, I felt… comfortable? Warm. Like something that had been missing was finally back where it belonged.

  I straightened slowly and looked down at my hands. They looked normal. No metal. No markings. Just me. But my revolvers were gone.

  "Now what am I supposed to do?" I said, voice hoarse.

  Vasil didn't answer.

  I stared at my empty palm. What is a [Gunwitch] without guns?

  The skin rippled, and metal flowed up from beneath the surface, shaping itself into a barrel, a cylinder, a grip, settling into my palm, sliding into existence.

  It looked like my old one. Almost. But something about it was different. It looked… sleeker, more organic somehow?

  "Huh," I said.

  “Huh,” Vasil said.

  I looked at my other hand. The skin rippled, and another revolver flowed into existence, settling perfectly into my grip.

  I pulled them both back in. The metal dissolved, sinking beneath my skin like it had never been there. Then I summoned them again. In. Out. In. Out.

  …Hehe.

  “Well,” I said. “I guess no one will be taking these from me anymore.”

  “Hmm,” Vasil said.

  I hadn't expected them to literally become part of me. The System took "All is One" very seriously.

  I drew the revolvers back into my hands until they disappeared beneath the skin. Then I froze, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and inspected it. Still there.

  Thank the gods.

  I ran my tongue over my teeth. Normal. No triggers, no metal nubs.

  "I'll try shooting something later," I said. "Right now I still have six stat points to assign."

  I pulled up my character sheet.

  Attunement: 58

  My eyes widened. "Fifty-eight! One more point and I can cast [Clean Entry] or [Blink] nine times in a row!"

  Vasil made an approving sound.

  Dexterity: 16

  I frowned. "My Dexterity has really fallen behind."

  "You've been prioritizing Attunement," Vasil said. "And you’re wearing mage gear."

  "True, but still." I tapped my fingers against my chin. "I'll put one in Attunement to be able to cast [Blink] nine times, and five in Dexterity to catch up a little."

  Strength: 3 (1 + 2)

  Dexterity: 21 (18 + 3)

  Barrier: 11 (1 + 10)

  Attunement: 59 (21 + 38)

  Stamina: 1 (1 + 0)

  Luck: 1 (1 + 0)

  Chaos: 1 (1 + 0)

  Headhunter Totems Equipped: 2/2

  "There," I said. "Better. Now I want to shoot some stuff."

  I put the rings I wasn't using back in the satchel. As I did, I noticed the tiny circular stone still sitting at the bottom—the one with the little flame carved into it, filled with that brownish-red substance.

  I grabbed it and held it up. "Totally forgot about this thing."

  I tossed it to Vasil. "The mage had this on him. What is it?"

  It bounced off his head with a soft tink and clattered to the floor. He looked down at it.

  "Huh," he said.

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