It was fairly late when they arrived. Jill had teleported them into the training area directly. His brother was the only one awake at the time, and he had checked on them once they arrived. They talked a little about what had happened, and Mash mentioned what they had done to test his skills out. The others immediately went to bed, but he spent some time with his brother working on his new affinity. His brother used ice magic and Mash was able to practice freezing things with his magic. It was a little different than how his brother’s magic worked, but he managed to freeze a couple of things. The affinity was weird, and he found it a lot easier to heat things up.

  After a little over an hour, his brother left to get some sleep. Mash still wasn’t tired and continued to mess around with his new affinities. He even tried doing things with his spirit affinity. The soul affinity sounded like it could be risky to just try, so he decided to test the spirit one out. He didn’t know what to expect but hoped that Priscilla could help guide him.

  That proved to be an effort in futility. No matter what he tried or what Priscilla suggested, he just couldn’t make anything happen. It was like his energy refused to do react to the affinity in the slightest. It wasn’t a matter of quantity or quality. No, it just felt like he was missing something. There was some requirement for the magic, and it was something he apparently didn’t meet. Was it his race? Red suggested that elves were the only ones that could do it, and he didn’t think he was an elf.

  He had an idea but wanted to make sure no one was around. His head swiveled in a full circle. He repeated the motion and made absolutely certain of his privacy. Then he transformed. It wasn’t a big transformation, but he tried changing to become a half-elf. He probably couldn’t become a normal elf, but he should be able to do this. Not much changed about him. He may have shrunk an inch or so and his ears might have become slightly more pointed, but he didn’t notice any other changes. Mash checked in with Priscilla too.

  [Did the affinity improve?]

  [It did, but it was an insignificant improvement.]

  Her message came flatly like she was somewhat bored. It was as if she expected it. How could she know? As he thought about the question, her answer appeared in his mind. Unlike the message, this was a more direct thought. She simply believed that his species was inherently worse at utilizing mana. Even if Mash was talented, it wouldn’t have amounted to anything without the class. They were reliant on it for all of their abilities. Mash had his own thoughts on the matter. One that was prefaced by the fact that he had beat her despite having far less time or experience.

  [That is because of your ability and talent. Not the class system. I suspect you would have managed with any avenue.]

  Mash was unprepared for the genuine compliment. Priscilla didn’t really lie to him, and she was blunt when conveying information. Praise like that from her would be her literal perception. He felt a little more confident now and tried again with the magic. Nothing changed. The minor improvement in the affinity didn’t really help him with the magic. However, it did make him wonder what it meant to have an affinity.

  [Can you use magic without an affinity?]

  He received a reply as soon as he asked the question.

  [Yes, but only a specific kind. Mana itself is an affinity; one that all creatures possess, though it may be small in some. However, anyone could accomplish simple things like moving the ambient mana in the air. To change the properties of mana requires an affinity.]

  He thought about what she said but knew that there was a contradiction in there. In the past, Priscilla had suggested that she could do more magic than what she had an affinity for. Not to mention that he knew that there were mages long before the class system had been created. There had to be a way to bypass affinities.

  [There is, but it is not reasonable. It is a matter of understanding and alteration. For example, I know how to perform fire magic despite lacking the affinity. Fire and lightning magic is similar in the way that mana is manipulated to perform them. I manipulate my own affinity to emulate that of another.]

  That was what he was hoping for. He had known about his life affinity for a while, but he hadn’t yet tested it. After the flesh thing that had formed within the orb that Daniel had given him, he was hesitant. The life affinity wasn’t dangerous, but he didn’t want to create anything that he would need to kill. Or worse yet, something that just died as soon as it came to life. He shivered remembering how he had given life to the flesh when he learned of the affinity. It would remain a nightmare within his mind. He tried to ignore it as he sent Priscilla another message.

  [Does that mean I could heal with my life affinity?]

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  They discussed it for a little while, and Mash learned that the affinity was different from what he was thinking. When Priscilla and Daniel had said life, they meant it in a literal sense. His magic was all touched by his affinity. His wooden creations, the imitations, and even his forms were made alive through his magic. They were connected to his life and gained one of their own. Even if it was hard to tell sometimes. Did all humans have the affinity? Was it something he gained when his race changed?

  The conversation ended with a rather firm belief that he couldn’t heal with it. Although he could try giving his imitations more life or making them of things other than just Priscilla. That sounded like it shouldn’t be too difficult, and he tried making an imitation of himself. He couldn’t make it as accurate as the ones of Priscilla. The wood simply didn’t have the right color or texture. His wood was naturally scaled now, which helped when he was copying Priscilla, but it made his human replica distinctly inhuman.

  Mash’s wood had slowly changed with each of his advancements, and now it was entirely scaled. It still felt like wood, but it was black, and the bark overlapped itself making the scales look more real. Thus, the imitation that he had made of himself, looked nothing like him. The problem was that it didn’t look like any of his forms either. There was a surprising amount of detail on the imitation, but it was of his human body. When he transformed his body changed to become very human. Plus, he couldn’t replicate the clothes right either. He made sure to give it clothing, but it just made it look blocky. Well, the appearance didn’t really matter. He was trying to impart it with life, whatever that meant.

  Mash tried to comprehend what life magic was, but he didn’t know how to apply it practically. Priscilla gave him a good explanation, but what did it mean to give life to something. He didn’t really know what else to do. He could control it with some effort, but that wasn’t exactly what he would call life. This was just a puppet. What was the next step, how did he make it more like the imitations of Priscilla?

  [How do you usually control the imitations? Actually, how do you control your bodies?]

  Mash decided asking Priscilla was the best method for this.

  [The bodies I create with the capacity for replacing my own. That way if even a single body lives, I will survive. I can tell that is not what you want. As for the wooden imitations, I simply connect them with mental mana. Your skills unconsciously do that when you alter your body or grow additional limbs.]

  Priscilla was really a fountain of information. He would bet that her understanding of magic was far greater than anyone in his world. Or at least among the very best. It was something to take note of. He wondered what it would be like if he spent years just working with her knowledge. It would probably take him a while to learn everything she had to teach, but it also wasn’t necessary. She provided him with the relevant information when he needed it, and he could ask her for specific things when doing his own tests. He would gradually build on the knowledge that she could offer.

  [Decades to understand everything. You greatly underestimate my age.]

  Her comment was surprising. He knew that she had lived a long time and assumed that she had lived for hundreds of years. It seemed like his scale was too small. Mash couldn’t help but ask.

  [Why did you join with me? Aren’t you stronger?]

  The question hovered on the edge of his thoughts whenever he thought about what exactly Priscilla was. Mash bet that she would probably be considered a legendary monster like a dragon. Even if her power didn’t match with those beings. Mash didn’t doubt that there was something restricting her when they fought in that dungeon. Nor did he doubt that she could’ve won that fight if she had really wanted to.

  [You were given a mark by a being that would not even acknowledge me. I had lived upon those beings back for ages and yet could never hope to earn anything from it. Even my long life was nothing to the World Carrier. Yet, you who had lived an even smaller amount of time had earned not one, but two of those marks. I joined with you to gain a taste of their power. I wanted to understand what made them so great.]

  Mash listened, trusting that she would be direct with her words. She was not the type to hide her intentions. This was no different, and she continued with her blunt words.

  [Truthfully, I expected you to die. Even if you had lived for hundreds of years, it would mean little to me if I could glimpse a path to further evolution. Perhaps you will absorb me at some point. It was a risk, but one I took to break the cycle that had trapped me. Nothing would have come from me remaining in my own world. I was already at the apex, only the World Carrier was above me. That was an insurmountable gap to me before. That is why I choose to join with you.]

  Priscilla hesitated slightly as she sent the messages. He wasn’t sure why she had chosen to reveal so much, but it made him feel better. The honesty was something he had wanted. Even if she revealed that she hadn’t really cared for him. As she shared more, he felt his confidence rebuilding.

  [For the first time, I am unsure. If you die, I might also die. Though it may be that I will simply transfer to one of my other bodies. This pressure of death was something that I had lacked. I am unsure if it is beneficial. However, I have already gained more than I would’ve expected. The many affinities you have taken, I have gained as well. That alone would have taken me thousands of years to develop. Even your envious talent is benefiting me. Whether I live or die, I would not forget the human that had granted me so much.]

  Mash was stunned by her words. His response froze on his tongue. He was going to thank her for the honesty, but that felt inappropriate. Instead, he committed the words to memory. Mash’s dwindling confidence had been bolstered. The word’s reminded him just how much time he still had left. Although it was not a reminder to take things slowly but to continue with confidence. It felt like she was encouraging him to do more. He placed his hands on the wooden replica of his own body and imagined connecting to it as if it was another limb. Its arm moved smoothly, naturally, and landed gently on his shoulder. The connection had formed.

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  Name: Mash Stellumbra           Class: Chimeric Vagabond

  Level: 108

  Health: 3300 / 3300

  Energy: 4400/ 4400

  Fortitude: 330

  Endurance: 210

  Strength: 275

  Agility: 275

  Intelligence: 230

  Wisdom: 110 → 120

  Charisma: 100 → 110

  Free Stats: 20 → 80 → 0

  Skills: Hunt, Thunder-wood Creation, Inhuman Hibernation, Chimeric Transformation, Thunder-wood Imitation, Chimeric Reconstruction, Vagabond’s Path, Chimeric Domain, Adaptable Monster Core, Chimera’s Constitution, Wooden Body, Mimic’s Avarice, A Touch of Nothingness, Golden Body

  Skills: Hunt, Thunder-wood Creation, Inhuman Hibernation, Chimeric Transformation, Thunder-wood Imitation, Chimeric Reconstruction, Vagabond’s Path, Chimeric Domain, Adaptable Monster Core, Chimera’s Constitution, Wooden Body, Mimic’s Avarice, A Touch of Nothingness, Golden Body

  Hunt: You have gone beyond your limits when fighting enemies and devouring their power. Go beyond your limits. Continue current fight even after depleting energy. Stats improve while at 0 stamina. Continues until either you or your enemies are dead.

  Current Bonus: +100% stats

  Inhuman Hibernation (Broken): You have stolen the techniques of mages and monks to form an artificial technique, your inhuman body morphing it to fit your corrupted nature. Hibernating will increase the rate at which your body recovers, healing only physical wounds.

  Current Rate: +200% recovery

  Thunder-wood Creation: You know how deadly sticks can be. Forge your mana into wooden creations. Lightning has tempered your wood, and it thrums with the power of thunder.

  Chimeric Transformation: Transform your body taking on aspects of those which you have consumed. Control which aspects to take and combine them to create the perfect form. Greatly increased energy consumption when combining forms.

  Thunder-wood Imitation: Form imitations of creatures you have consumed, imitating some of their bodily functions through your wood.

  Chimeric Reconstruction: Consume what you kill for more than just stats. Steal their flesh to repair your own. Their blood becomes yours. Your enemies are nothing more than your medicine.

  Vagabond’s Path (unique): Having chosen the path of the vagabond, you have freed yourself from your own world. An explorer at heart, you laugh as you leap between worlds. Open portals to worlds you have already been. Once per cycle of the moon create a portal to a random world. Create a world of your own, portal to personal world granted.

  Chimeric Domain (Passive): Your eyes just weren’t enough. Sense the changes in the mana around you. Connect to the mana and life in your space and inherently understand the nature of the mana and life. Your presence suffuses the space, weakens the magic and strength of enemies beneath you. They cower beneath your might.

  Current Range: 53 → 57 feet

  Reconstructed Adaptable Monster Core (Passive): An unnatural mana core has fundamentally altered your body, fusion with a monster has given you access to its potential. Stamina and Mana combine to become energy. Your monstrous body is better able to handle the changes to your core. You have progressed your core further, by forcing it to adapt. Now, you may only further your core by repeating the process.

  Current Bonus: +80% efficiency

  Wooden Body (Passive): You can connect with the wood that you are touching. By expending your energy, you bring your creations to life as another one of your limbs.

  Chimera’s Constitution (Passive): Giving up your humanity has improved your body, improving your physical control, natural defenses, animalistic intuition, and mana control. No longer a human in any sense, you are no longer bound by that which limits them. You have created your own race, improving your rate of growth.

  Mimic’s Avarice (Passive): Devour your enemy in battle to temporarily raise your stats. The fresher the victim the stronger the bonus. Gain full benefits even when consuming through your magic. Absorbs some properties of those you devour alive. Removes the negative effects of things you consume.

  A Touch of Nothingness (Passive): Belonging to no race or group, you have embraced the nothingness that is a part of everything. You are free, and automatically resist others' attempts to bind you. Constantly emit the aura of nothingness within your domain. Your allies will gain some of the freedom you possess. Enemies weaker than yourself will slowly lose that which makes them whole.

  Golden Body (Passive): Having stolen the techniques of another world, your body evolves beyond its old limitations. However, even this transformation is incomplete. Seek out the next Step and truly make this power your own.

  Trial of the True Body: 22 → 25 / 100

  Mash Stellumbra

  Age: 18 (15)

  Ki-Realm: Third Monstrous Realm

  Body-Realm: Golden Chimeric Body

  Path: Path of the Blood Bond

  Vitality: 300

  Strength: 250

  Dexterity: 252

  Mind: 221

  Ki: 4070