Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Following Skullius’ evolution, the guidance field had shown a notification depicting how it had changed.

The specifics were that it had reached a threshold called Patronage Rank 1.

Thankfully, Skullius didn’t have to figure this out himself as an information packet, something he hadn’t seen in a very long time, was also gifted to him in order to explain more about the guidance field in general.

This information packet was called the Guidance Code and similar to the information packet he had received from VOW bro long ago, it was a golden text on the guidance that Skullius just had to poke in order to activate.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.12).

As such, the Penetrator did just that, the Guidance Code text brightening up to flash with immense light.

The Penetrator had held off on using this as the night before the Premium Age Royale had been packed with too much already. Between talking to Silrat and planning his steps in the grand event, he had decided to not oversaturate himself with information. That was simple logic.

‘Now, let’s see what this is all about,’ Skullius said as a stream of light rushed towards his skull and penetrated, turning into a vast well of information that was greedily absorbed by his mind.

The first thing Skullius was fed, was the basics in a simplistic order.

<The Voice of Worlds qualifies who it deems fit by way of specified criterion from the three ‘&#%^@!’. Once an individual has been chosen, the guidance field is given in a crude state to allow for their growth.>

This was not news to Skullius. VOW bro had mentioned it when he first dropped into Aigas.

The exact criteria for one to be chosen remained hidden from Skullius even with this though as even as his mind hurried to draw a conclusion, he couldn’t discern what he and Elita had common.

They both had guidance fields but… nothing.

<Every guidance field issued is different and initially starts without a Patronage Rank, meaning that it does not offer any specific benefits other than reserving certain information about its user from other guidance holders. Naturally, depending on a variety of circumstances, there is a high chance for a holder with a higher Patronage Rank to gleam the hidden information of one with a lower Patronage Rank.>

Now this was news.

It seemed Patronage Ranks determined how much more benefit one would derive from the guidance field, something Skullius didn’t know. Of course he didn’t.

This answered some of his questions though.

During his encounter with Elita, she had been able to tell his name. His real name.

However, she hadn’t been able to tell that he was.. well, a Null Lifeform. Over that, she hadn’t been able to tell his class as an Insurgent Magnus, given that he was in his Discount Human form at the time. Hell, she hadn’t been able to tell that he wasn’t even human.

It was likely that this had to do with this universal, though Skullius didn’t know what Elita’s Patronage Rank was.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.117).

<In their base state, all guidance fields offer a piece of (Counsel) – an answer to a burning query that the user may have. With growth however, multiple pieces of Counsel will be available for the user along with more features that allow for the user’s rapid growth such as (Attachments) and (Marked Spots) in Patronage Rank 1.>

The Eternal Storm Veil Penetrator laid his hand on his chin as he thought deeply about this facet.

Counsel?

Thinking about instances where the guidance field had answered his questions…

There didn’t seem to be any.

None that he could remember at least.

Wait…

‘Maybe that time…?’ Skullius thought. It wasn’t that long ago when he was about to exit the Tremur Forest, his anxiety leading him to question if transforming into the Discount Human would cause his Apostle Red Rage to go into slumber once again.

(A/N: Refer to Ch.108).

That was the only instance he could recall where the guidance field responded to anything that wasn’t his command.

‘So…now that the guidance has reached Patronage Rank 1, I get more chances to get answers? Hmph. I doubt I would get anything too important though. Like what the heck Serenity’s plan with me is, for instance but oh well…’

<Counsel> along with <Marked Spots> and <Attachments were represented at the bottom of his status on the guidance field along with their limits.

Skullius eagerly looked into what the next two benefits were all about.

~~~

<Attachments>

A unique authority has been granted. You can give guidance field privileges a rank below your own Patronage Rank to anyone you please. Anyone you designate for this benefit will not be able to escape your eyes, all their activity open for you to track with your guidance field.

[Limit – 0/2]

—

<Marked Spots>

Every place you have been to is registered on the maximised version of the guidance field to form a map that you can use for tracking anyone you have marked or instantly travelling to an already marked spot through exclusive <Quick Spawn>.

[Limit – 5 marks]

<Quick Spawn is not available for Patronage Rank 1>.

~~~

Skullius shot from his seat as he gaped at the new functions of the guidance field!

“I can… I can do that?!” Skullius questioned himself.

He could grant anyone he wanted the ability to grow through the guidance field?!

That was…

“Unexpected! To think such a thing is possible!”

Beyond this, Skullius could get a map of everywhere he had been so far and to see how this worked, Skullius called on the <Marked Spots> function immediately.

The guidance field that was usually a small, rectangular panel before his eyes expanded, growing into a large floating plaque that depicted a disjointed, incomplete map of Aigas!

It was true!

With a key at the side that showed the variety of symbols denoting, Forest, City, Town, Village, River, Hills, Mountains, Gorges and the likes, a detailed resource was formed before Skullius’ sockets!

The Penetrator shook his head.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

With a burst of laughter into the thick air, Skullius wondered how things had suddenly begun to take a turn away from the usual misfortune.

All these new functions served his plethora of agendas too well.

A way to help his mule grow faster.

A map to make his journey to find the place where his many ‘living solutions’ were being held captive much, much easier.

Unfortunately, the [Quick Spawn] function which was incredibly overpowered, allowing to instantly travel anywhere he had been to on the map was not yet available but that was it, wasn’t it?

Yet!

If he grew some more, he would definitely get his hands on it!

Oh how convenient that would be.

‘Giving Yuyui the privilege should be the obvious choice but who is the other one going to be?’ Skullius thought.

His many plans for the future had begun to tremble and shuffle with this. Even he was almost finding it difficult to get them all in order with these new features at play.

‘I’ll figure that out later,’ Skullius thought as he absorbed the rest of information from the packet.

It seemed he wasn’t fed anything outside his Patronage Rank as all the benefits for other ranks were not mentioned.

That was fine though. One step at a time.

Another little piece of information that tickled his fancy was the answer to why the guidance field had showed lesser detail for his Discount Human form and more for his Penetrator form.

The answer was….weird.

Apparently, the guidance field was supposed to naturally show more about opponents and more powerful items the stronger Skullius grew, but since there had been a large disparity of power between the Discount Human and the Penetrator before, this effect only applied to whichever was stronger.

​ It was already difficult for the guidance field to manage two different individuals in its crude state thus this… ‘malfunction.’

Since Skullius hadn’t been using the guidance field much to appraise his opponents since losing his sight, he hadn’t seen the change that had occurred with his Hybrid Luman form now that if was much stronger than the Penetrator form.

This was a minor detail though.

Skullius’ mind baked and grilled up numerous short and long term plans as he absorbed the essence from the throne.

“Alright. If I finally get the lesser fundamental knowledge for Distorted Gravity and the other concepts while increasing my proficiency with darkness and light to clear that Trial for my Luman form, I should grow at a faster pace. I guess…hmmm…oh! I could also get more Prompt Spells from the Association to convert into powerful skills with [Unbound] but thisss…could cause problems. I don’t want to have too many skills. I guess I’ll have to cash in on that favour with Stylla to meet a Mage who can help me combine my skills,” Skullius said with a blank gaze on the pool of lava.

“I can focus on developing my skill in the Insurgent Magnus class on the way to get that mission from Purity done and when I come back, hopefully, I can nip that bad luck in the bud before it manifests. Hopefully. That. Works. I don’t need all my plans to come crumbling down. That’s right! Three days should have passed by the time I come back from that mission. I guess that’s the two days after tomorrow’s matches. I will likely be able to create an avatar that will go on its way back to the Tremur Forest, to the Labyrinth of the Yoke. Amidst some other small missions I guess,” Skullius said scrambling in thought.

Information gathering was another part of Skullius’ plan along with helping his team grow stronger, Yuyui in particular. Ferex seemed to have impeccable focus on that task but Yuyui needed a push.

Or so he thought.

—

[Author’s Note]

There will be a Mass Release tomorrow! Get ready!