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  After a long walk, Merlin and I decided to take a break. We had finally left the dense forest and found ourselves in a more open field. The number of different biomes we had crossed was impressive, and that forest seemed to stretch on forever.

  Merlin continued helping me understand the world I was in. She shared everything she knew, and while she spoke, I remembered my biology and history classes from school.

  “[Did you understand?]” she asked.

  “I think so,” I replied, not very confidently.

  She explained that humans have hearts, while monsters had cores. These cores are essential to their lives; without them, death is certain. Even the most powerful monsters wouldn’t survive if their cores were destroyed. However, locating and hitting those cores could have ben extremely difficult depending on the monster.

  In the middle of this explanation, I discovered something unsettling about myself: I had a core. When I touched my chest, I didn’t feel a heartbeat. That could only mean I was a type of monster. The idea of seeing my own core intrigued me, but I knew trying that would be suicidal.

  “[And about your species. You’re a Metamorph, which means you can change your appearance at will.]”

  That really caught my attention. A Metamorph? I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it was definitely something to get used to.

  “A Metamorph? How did you find that out?”

  “[Thanks to my skill [Enlightened]. I can receive information about everything within my field of vision.]”

  The idea of receiving so much information seemed confusing to me. Just imagining would've given anyone a headache, but Merlin was a spirit, so maybe it was different for her.

  “You can do that? Is it something only spirits can do? That’s really cool.”

  “[No. Anyone can have powers like this, even a regular human, though not the same ability as mine, it’s unique to me. The Voice tells you when you receive your ability. It speaks to you once you reach a certain level of knowledge and intelligence.]”

  “Like... a computer notification?" I murmured more to myself, knowing Merlin probably wouldn’t get the reference.”

  “[That’s not from my time, but I guess that’s it.]”

  Merlin then began telling me everything she knew about the Voice. According to her, the Voice is an entity that grants powers and abilities to any living being smart enough to use them. It was like the administrator of the world, omnipresent and omniscient. It only communicates with those who have the minimum required knowledge. The Voice wouldn’t have given an ability to a baby, for example.

  I got excited about the possibility of receiving something like this [Enlightened].

  “So I can get one too? Even if I’m not human?”

  “[Yes! Normal monsters only have innate skills but are great mana producers and conductors. However, they don’t receive skills because they’re not intelligent enough, with a few rare exceptions. Humans can gain a lot, but they don’t have much mana.]”

  ‘I don’t even know how to use my innate skills…’

  “Really? Everything I’ve done so far was relying on my natural instincts.”

  “[Relax, you’ll see it’s pretty simple once you get used to it. All you need is a good memory. I’ll teach you a few things, so pay attention and read carefully, okay?]”

  “Yes!” I replied excitedly. “Wait… is it a lot?”

  “[Let’s start slowly. I’ll teach you the basic fundamentals. With time, you’ll get used to it and learn more.]”

  I smiled. With Merlin by my side, I felt comfortable, it was nice having company. She not only gave me crucial information but also a sense of purpose and direction.

  °??──────??°

  After a long explanation about abilities, Merlin finally finished. At first, I thought Merlin knew as much as a book, but now I realized she was an entire library!

  “[Alright, now tell me about the skill system in the body?]”

  “Umm... Well... There’s the class… types and... Fusion?”

  “[Hmm...]” she didn’t seem very satisfied “[Well, if you’ve learned about classes and types, that’s already good. With time, you’ll learn more.]”

  It took longer than I expected, we stayed there for hours. But the truth is, I didn’t understand much.

  Things like class and types were very theoretical. There are many types of abilities, each with its own uniqueness. In the beginning, she explained about the Voice and what happens the moment one gets their first skill, this is the "gain," basically the simplest stage.

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  Then came the part about the cost and activation rules. Every skill had a cost, whether it was some energy or even specific conditions, like skills that only work when the body is heavily injured or after reaching a certain level of blood. Some might have required rituals or something similar to activate, so it was important to know your skills well.

  There was something about organization too, but that seemed important only for those with more than five skills, something I didn’t need to worry about yet.

  In the middle of this, Merlin evolved from "guide" to "teacher," and my brain was not okay! It felt like it was going to explode!

  “Enough for today, I can’t take it anymore. Let’s continue another day” I said, defeated.

  “[Don’t worry, you’ll learn in time. But since you’re an experienced human, the Voice will probably speak to you any moment now. Pay attention, okay?]”

  She said all of that was the basic stuff to finally start receiving skills, but I hoped I wouldn’t have to learn anything else for now. She just dumped information on me without mercy; my history teacher was an angel compared to Merlin.

  Anyway, I had learned the basics. The rest I would learn through practice. Looking at it that way, I was excited; I really wanted to know what my first skill would be…

  °??──────??°

  Without even realizing it, we had spent the entire day there. Merlin explained things beyond powers and abilities; this world was rich, to say the least. But I was still far from accepting any of this as normal, it was going to take some time…

  I sighed, exhausted. Everything was so new, I didn’t know how to react. I was just going along with it, pretending everything was fine. But after everything Merlin had told me that day, I realized none of it was normal.

  "I think I’ll stay here a bit longer. We have plenty of food. Tomorrow, we’ll continue our journey."

  "[Alright. I’m going to walk… I mean float around a bit,]" she corrected herself and started to drift away, bouncing slightly.

  "Don’t wander too far. If I lose you, I’ll be in serious trouble."

  A waving emoji appeared in her speech bubble.

  So far, we’d just been walking in a straight line. If we had gotten lost then, we’d have been done for. Cirgo was supposed to be the coldest city in these parts. Hopefully, the people there would be generous enough to give me a coat. Otherwise, I was about to truly understand what it meant to be freezing.

  I laid down on the ground and closed my eyes.

  Everything was quiet, just me and the forest. The rustling leaves were incredibly calming. Soon, I heard birds singing, and thoughts of my past life came and went. The more they came, the more I tried to focus on the sounds around me. I couldn’t see my past clearly; it felt like things were missing — it was strange.

  "Good afternoon," a mature female voice spoke to me.

  I jumped in surprise. I hadn’t seen anyone nearby, and she had appeared so suddenly.

  "Oh, did I scare you? Sorry, I was looking for you, but I guess I came on a bit strong," she chuckled, covering her mouth.

  She was tall. Very tall, over two meters at least. Her light green hair fell all the way to her knees, and her eyes were red. She wore a black outfit with a massive cloak, a hat that looked like a classic witch’s hat, and two thin antennae poking through it.

  "Looking for me? Do I know you... ma’am?" I asked, standing up and realizing just how small I was compared to her.

  "'Ma’am'? That’s a first. But no, you don’t know me. Still, in a way, I know who you are."

  She kept her eyes on me the entire time. It was intimidating. Her presence radiated a kind of silent power. I cleared my throat and tried to compose myself.

  "So… did you come from the same world I did?" I asked without thinking too much. I immediately worried I’d said something wrong, but she didn’t react.

  "No, I was born here. I’ve seen people from other worlds wandering these parts, but you’re the only one who caught my interest," she said, kneeling in front of me and gazing deep into my eyes.

  "So others have appeared in this forest. Do you know where they are now?"

  "Oh, yes. They’re dead. If you search well, you might even find their corpses."

  That made me even more nervous. I really didn’t want to be next.

  "H-how did they die?"

  By now, I was sweating cold, a chill crawling down my spine.

  "Some were eaten by monsters. Others got lost and starved. And a few were led to their deaths by a witch. By the way, I’m the one keeping the monsters away from you. I hope you appreciate that."

  I had noticed, there hadn’t been a single hostile wild animal nearby until now.

  "Why are you helping me?"

  "I don’t want you to die too soon. Something interesting might happen once you grow up. Until then, I’ll protect you the best I can. But starting today, you should be able to defend yourself. So I won’t keep the monsters away anymore."

  It seemed like she wanted me to stop depending on her protection. I had no idea what she really wanted or what she was thinking. But I guess I could "trust" her… for now.

  "Hey, what’s your name?" I asked, curious.

  "That’s a secret. I’ll tell you another day, little one," she said before vanishing into thin air, leaving only drifting wind and floating specks of dirt.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. That woman’s face looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen it… I wasn’t even sure I’d seen anyone like her back in my world…

  ? Analyzing individual… analysis complete. ?

  "Uh-huh… glad that’s done…" I said calmly, only to realize another voice was speaking to me. "Wait a second, who is this?”

  ? Searching for a unique skill using the soul as a base. ?

  Then it hit me. That was the Voice. It was talking to me, but it felt more like it was talking to itself. Merlin had said it was harmless, so I had no reason to be afraid.

  It was strange—the Voice spoke in such a calm manner. It was really pleasant to hear. There was nothing intimidating or overwhelming about it.

  ? Ability [Skillful King] acquired. Would you like to see the sub-skills it contains? Yes/No ?

  "Yes… please."

  I was cautious. [Skillful King] didn’t sound very impressive at first. But it had “King” in the name, so it had to be good, right?

  ? [Skillful King] contains the abilities: Defragmentation/Fragmentation — Absorption — Appraisal — Application. A class (S) skill. ?

  When it said "class (S)," I felt a surge of joy. Maybe it really was an amazing ability! Though I had hoped for an explanation on how it worked—which I didn’t get.

  "Wait… is that it? No further details?" I looked up at the sky with a disappointed expression. "Very straight to the point, huh…?"

  And the Voice said nothing more. I didn’t worry too much about it, though. I was already thinking about something else: What exactly was [Skillful King]? Maybe it made me really good at something? No, that wasn’t it… It said the ability was made by others joining together…

  So this was an example of a "fusion." Taking one ability and merging it with others to create a new one. That explained why it was a high-class skill, it was formed by combining multiple abilities. And this one had five, if we counted defragmentation and fragmentation separately. That’s definitely class (S).

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