Chapter 115: The group’s blessings 2

She explained calmly:

"It greatly improves my understanding of military tactics. I can learn a training, doctrine or strategy very quickly as long as I understand the principles. »

Adam waited.

He felt that that wasn’t all.

Isadora continued:

"On a battlefield, it also allows me to identify much more easily flaws in formations, weak positions, command errors and several probable developments in a confrontation. »

"So you can almost read a battle. »

"That’s an acceptable way to put it. »

Selene added:

"And she’s also improving her martial skill." »

Adam looked at Isadora.

"Were you saving that for later too?" »

She smiles.

"You didn’t ask me. »

"Did you all agree on this answer?" »

Nobody answered.

Which was already an answer.

His second blessing was Child of Flame, of Legendary Gold rank.

Its operation was very similar to that of Child of the Wind.

Extremely high resistance to fire attacks of equal or lower level than one’s own.

And a natural ability to learn fire techniques up to Gold rank.

Adam passed to Lyriana.

She held up two fingers.

"Two also." »

"I’m starting to see a pattern. »

His first blessing was Child of the Night, Legendary Gold.

It granted him very strong resistance to attacks related to shadows and darkness of a comparable level or lower, as well as an exceptional affinity with the techniques of this domain up to Gold rank.

The second immediately interested Adam.

Hidden from everyone.

Legendary Gold.

"As long as I don’t do anything that directly breaks my stealth, detection methods of Gold rank or lower can barely spot me. »

Adam stared at her.

"Even Eyes of the World? »

Lyriana thought.

"It would depend on your level and the evolution of your blessing. »

Vespera clarified:

"Two blessings of the same rank can come into conflict. In this case, the level, mastery, conditions and sometimes attributes of their users determine the outcome. »

Adam memorized this information immediately.

Then he asked:

"Astraea?" »

Even though she was not present, Lyriana and Elaria knew perfectly well her blessings.

The first was Guardian of the World Tree, Legendary Gold.

Elaria explained:

"As long as the World Tree exists and the link is not interrupted, it can draw some of its energy. »

"For what? »

"Fight. Treat yourself. Restore his mana. Strengthen certain techniques. »

Adam opened his eyes slightly.

"So near the World Tree..."

Lyriana smiled a little.

"My mother is particularly difficult to wear down. »

His second blessing was even more impressive.

Double Staff of Creation and Destruction.

Mythical Red.

Thanks to her, Astraea had an exceptional understanding of staff techniques.

But above all...

Depending on his intention, the power of his weapon could be directed towards two extremes.

Creation.

Care.

Protection.

Restoration.

Or destruction.

Attack.

Breakup.

Annihilation.

"She can change between the two? »

"Yes," Elaria confirmed. "But the most powerful techniques are extremely expensive. »

Adam remembered this detail.

Then came Selene.

She was already smiling.

"Saint Martiale. Legendary Gold. »

Adam was absolutely not surprised.

This blessing allowed Selene to learn virtually any martial art with abnormal speed and naturally achieve a very high level of mastery.

Unarmed combat.

Weapons.

Travel.

Body techniques.

So his talent didn’t just come from decades of training.

She literally had a blessing dedicated to combat.

"And the second? »

Selene’s smile became slightly more dangerous.

"Ashurah." »

Vespera clarified:

"Mythical Red. »

Adam sighed.

" Obviously. »

The effect was extremely simple.

And probably even more dangerous because of this simplicity.

The more Selene fought...

The stronger she became.

Its power gradually increased with the intensity and duration of the fight.

"How far?"

Selene shrugged.

"Until my body can no longer handle the increase."

Adam frowned.

This sentence already confirmed something he would have to ask later.

But he continued.

"Elaria?"

The elf calmly raised her hand.

"Guardian of the World Tree."

Adam turned to her.

"The same as Astraea?"

"Yes."

"Legendary Gold?"

"Yes."

This further explained her connection to the World Tree and her past responsibilities.

But her second blessing surprised Adam.

Bullseye.

Mythical Red.

He looked at Elaria.

Then at her glasses.

Then back at Elaria.

"You?" "

She frowned slightly.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Go on."

"It prevents my ranged attacks from missing their target once the lock-on conditions are met."

Adam remained silent.

"Impossible to miss?"

"Within the limits of what my body can withstand, yes."

Adam immediately thought of projectiles.

Arrows.

Spells.

Enchanted weapons.

Perhaps even machines.

He suddenly understood why a craftswoman possessing such a blessing could be terrifying at range.

Then came Shiora.

She rested her chin calmly in her hand.

"Both of my blessings are Mythic Red."

Adam closed his eyes.

"Of course. Why make it simple?"

The first:

Eye of Time.

The second:

Eye of Space.

He opened his eyes again.

"Wait."

Shiora smiled.

"Yes?"

"You can manipulate time and space?"

"Within certain limits."

"Obviously, because otherwise it would be completely absurd."

She shrugged.

Eye of Time allowed her to perceive certain temporal phenomena and act upon them.

Slowing down.

Limited acceleration.

Observing temporal variations.

And other, more complex applications.

Eye of Space performed a similar function for space.

Distances.

Distortions.

Location.

Manipulation.

Adam finally understood why Shiora sometimes seemed to regard certain distances or logistical problems with a strange indifference.

"And you’re a merchant." "

"Yes."

"A merchant capable of manipulating space and time."

"It’s useful."

"That’s a particularly modest way to put it."

Well...

Vespera.

The dragon calmly set down her now-empty cup.

"Dragon Eyes. Legendary Gold."

Adam was immediately intrigued.

"You told me it was similar to World Eyes."

"Yes. But with a different orientation."

The Dragon Eyes allowed her to observe mana, magical structures, certain energy flows, and various phenomena that are normally difficult to perceive much more deeply.

They possessed several functions similar to World Eyes, but were more specialized in draconic and magical perception.

"And the second one?"

Elaria answered almost for him:

"Encyclopedia of Magic."

Adam was already beginning to understand.

"Mythical Red?"

"Yes," Vespera confirmed.

She could learn virtually any magical discipline as long as she possessed the necessary foundations.

Elements.

Runes.

Enchantments.

Training.

Spells.

Control Techniques.

The blessing didn’t automatically grant her all the knowledge in the world.

But when she studied something related to magic...

Her capacity for understanding far surpassed that of an ordinary mage.

Adam remained silent for several seconds.

Then he slowly looked at the women around him.

"I knew you were all monstrously strong."

Selene smiled.

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t entirely a compliment."

"I’ll take it anyway."

Adam then thought of something.

"You said your blessings have ranks. Can they evolve?"

Elaria nodded.

"Yes."

"Like skills?"

"Not exactly the same way, but some blessings can be ranked up or evolve when a particular condition is met."

Vespera added:

"It’s much more difficult than with an ordinary skill, though."

Some required a deep understanding of their own power.

Others a physical transformation.

An ordeal.

A strengthened connection to their source.

Or even a significant event.

Adam then understood why some blessings remained at the same level for decades.

"And the Reds?"

This time, several expressions became more serious.

Selene replied:

"They almost all come at a price."

"What kind?"

"Our bodies."

Adam immediately frowned.

Vespera continued the explanation.

"A Mythical Red blessing generally allows one to produce or manipulate power greater than a normal body is supposed to handle."

Adam immediately thought of Ashura.

The more Selene fought, the stronger she became.

But this growth couldn’t be infinite.

"So if Selene pushes Ashura too far..."

"My body is starting to give out," she confirmed calmly.

Adam didn’t like the way she put it at all.

Isadora gave her own example.

"Tactical Encyclopedia doesn’t directly destroy my body, but pushing certain analytical functions for too long overloads my mind tremendously."

Shiora raised two fingers.

"Strongly manipulating time or space is even worse."

Vespera added:

"And certain applications of Magic Encyclopedia can overload my circuits if I use a technique too quickly that exceeds my current physical capabilities."

Adam understood.

A powerful blessing didn’t remove the limitations of its user.

It only granted access to a power capable of surpassing those limits.

Which could become extremely dangerous.

"Even to the point of death?" "

No one was joking this time.

Vespera nodded.

"Yes."

Adam remained silent.

Then Elaria calmly stated a sentence that immediately brought another topic into the conversation.

"That’s also one of the reasons why your new growth skill is important to us."

Adam looked at her.

He immediately understood which skill she was referring to.

Kamasutra.

Or, more precisely, its shared statistical progression effect.

Selene sat up slightly.

"At our level, further improving the body becomes extremely difficult."

Isadora confirmed:

"We can progress. But the higher the stats increase, the more considerable each improvement requires." "

Lyriana added:

"For some of us, it would require extreme training, very rare resources..."

Selene finished with a smile:

"Or regularly facing opponents capable of pushing us to our limits."

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"So essentially fights where you actually risk your life."

"Often," she replied.

Vespera brought the conversation back to the point.

"If your skill can gradually improve our stats without forcing us to take such risks, even a single point now and then becomes extremely valuable."

Adam thought back to the morning’s results.

Elena and Lyriana had received several improvements.

The others only one point each.

It had seemed meager compared to his own gains.

But now...

He understood better.

For them, a single point could represent months, sometimes longer, of difficult progress.

And each improvement to Endurance, Strength, Spirit, or other attributes also increased their ability to withstand their Mythic Red blessings.