Chapter 78: The Timeless Chamber

This was precisely the last major weapon category he was missing.

Bow.

Crossbow.

Throwing weapons.

And probably several magical or mechanical ranged weapons from this world.

Adam looked at the two books.

He already knew the conclusion.

Selene would be thrilled.

He, much less so.

But leaving unused skills in his inventory made no sense.

So he first took the book on Machete Mastery.

"Learn."

The book immediately transformed into light.

The pages vanished.

A vast amount of knowledge flooded his mind.

Stances.

Cutting angles.

One-handed use.

Use with a shield.

Combating in confined spaces.

Differences between a short machete, a heavy machete, a jungle blade, and several variations from this world.

Adam closed his eyes for a few seconds to let the information settle.

Then...

An unusual reaction occurred.

The boundary marker activated.

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Boundary Mark — Reaction Detected

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Three skills belonging to the same core category were detected.

*Sword Mastery

*Dagger Mastery

*Machete Mastery

Sufficient compatibility.

Fusion begins...

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Adam immediately opened his eyes.

"Fusion?"

The three skills lit up.

Then disappeared from his panel.

A new skill appeared.

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Successful Fusion

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Sword Mastery

+

Dagger Mastery

+

Machete Mastery

=

Blade Mastery

Rank: Blue

Skill Acquired.

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Adam remained silent.

He was already theoretically aware of the existence of this skill.

Selene had explained to him that his sword and dagger mastery belonged to the broader family of blades.

But he hadn’t expected Delimiter to directly merge them after acquiring a third compatible specialization.

Adam sighed.

"Okay..."

He observed the changes.

His old knowledge hadn’t disappeared.

On the contrary.

It had been integrated into something much larger.

Swords.

Daggers.

Machetes.

Sabers.

Katanas.

Scimitars.

Combat knives.

And many other weapons sharing the same foundations.

Adam then looked at the last book.

Ranged Weapon Mastery.

He hesitated for a few seconds.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

But he had already started.

So he might as well finish.

"Learn."

The second book vanished.

Knowledge flooded in immediately.

Bow.

Crossbow.

Slingshot.

Javelins.

Throwing knives.

Throwing axes.

Propelled weapons.

Several magical projectile weapons.

Different aiming methods.

Trajectory calculation.

Breathing.

Movement compensation.

Distance estimation.

Adam didn’t even have time to analyze it all.

The boundary reacted again.

But this time...

The reaction was much more intense.

His entire interface vibrated.

Adam froze.

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Boundary — Major Reaction Detected

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Major Weapon Mastery Families Detected:

*Blade Mastery — Blue Rank

*Blunt Weapon Mastery — Blue Rank

*Heavy Weapon Mastery — Blue Rank

*Ranged Weapon Mastery — Blue Rank

Complete Core Set Detected.

Exceptional Compatibility.

Superior Fusion Available.

Beginning of fusion...

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Adam stared at the window.

"Wait..."

The four skills began to glow.

A blue light first enveloped his interface.

Then it turned purple.

Adam felt his heart race.

"Purple?"

That was exactly what he had assumed.

Four blue skills merging together...

He naturally expected to get a purple-ranked skill.

But the light continued to change.

The purple became more intense.

Then a new color appeared.

Orange.

Adam’s eyes widened.

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Superior Fusion Complete

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Blade Mastery

+

Blunt Weapon Mastery

+

Heavy Weapon Mastery

+

Ranged Weapon Mastery

=

Weapon Mastery

Rank: Orange

Grade: Unique

Skill Acquired.

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Adam remained perfectly still.

Orange.

He had never achieved a skill of this rank before.

The starting masteries, like sword, dagger, and machete, were white.

Their fusion had resulted in Blade Mastery, a blue-rank mastery.

The other major families were also blue.

So, he naturally assumed their fusion would produce purple.

But no.

The result jumped directly to orange rank.

And most importantly...

The system assigned him the Unique rank.

Adam immediately activated the description.

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Weapon Mastery

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Rank: Orange

Grade: Unique

Type: Universal Martial Mastery Skill

Description:

A skill born from the complete fusion of the major fundamental weapon mastery families.

Effects:

*Allows the Host to correctly use any weapon from the first time they pick it up.

*Grants an instinctive understanding of a weapon’s structure, balance, weight, range, and mechanics.

*Greatly accelerates the learning and mastery of any new weapon.

*Allows for easier transfer of acquired experience between weapons sharing similar principles.

*Facilitates immediate adaptation to unfamiliar or unusual weapons.

*Allows the Host to transform almost any usable offensive tool into a functional weapon based on its properties.

*Enables an instinctive understanding of the fundamental method of using mechanical, magical, runic, or hybrid weapons as soon as they are picked up.

*Unfamiliar weapons that normally require a lengthy training period can be used immediately at a functional level.

*The skill provides the method for using a weapon, but does not replace the physical strength, mana, resources, or special conditions necessary for its operation.

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Adam reread the last two lines concerning complex weapons.

His expression changed.

"Wait..."

So it wasn’t just about knowing how to wield a sword or shoot a bow.

He thought about mechanical weapons.

Magical artifacts with multiple systems.

Rune weapons.

Ancient equipment that sometimes required years of training.

And above all...

Objects discovered in certain ruins.

Adam had already read reports about ancient weapons kept in treasuries or collections because no one had been able to properly understand how they worked.

Some had incomprehensible mechanisms.

Others required extremely precise mana sequences.

Some had even been considered unusable for centuries.

Adam looked at his new skill.

"So if I touch one..."

He would at least know its basic method of use.

Not necessarily its origin.

Not necessarily its manufacturing process.

Nor all its secrets.

But he would know how to use it.

Adam remained silent for several seconds.

This ability might seem less spectacular than a spell capable of destroying a mountain.

But its practical value was enormous.

Especially in a world filled with ancient ruins, forgotten artifacts, and lost magical technologies.

He immediately thought of Selene.

Then of Elaria.

Then of Vespera.

"I’ll have to talk to them about this."

But not now.

Adam closed his interface.

Or at least...

He tried.

A movement against his chest caught his attention.

Vespera had just tensed slightly.

Her fingers moved.

Then her brows furrowed faintly.

Adam turned his eyes toward her.

The dragon was beginning to awaken.

A few seconds later, her red eyes slowly opened.

She seemed slightly disoriented at first.

Then her gaze met Adam’s.

He smiled.

"Hello."

Vespera stayed close to him.

"Hello..."

Adam leaned in slightly and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She closed her eyes briefly.

When she opened them again, her expression was much more relaxed.

Adam then conjured something in his hand.

A ring.

Vespera recognized it immediately.

Her gaze lingered on it.

Adam smiled.

"I believe this one is for you."

He gently took her hand.

Then he placed the Promise Ring on her finger.

The reaction was immediate.

A faint light swept across the ring.

The runes engraved on its surface glowed.

Then the light vanished.

Vespera silently observed the ring.

For a few seconds, she said nothing.

Then she gently ran a finger over it.

"So now..."

Adam nodded.

"Now you officially have yours too."

A small smile appeared on the dragon’s lips.

She looked at the ring again.

Then at Adam.

"And the other rewards?"

Adam remained silent for a second.

He thought about the Legendary Chest.

The Bridal Chamber.

The new Superior Draft.

The Orange-rank Weapon Mastery.

And the nine Stat Points he now retained.

He smiled.

"It’s a bit long."

Vespera raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Long?"

"Let’s just say it’s much more generous than usual."

Curiosity immediately flashed in his eyes.

"What did you get?"

Adam shook his head.

"I’ll explain everything at breakfast. It’s best to avoid repeating myself."

Vespera seemed to think for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"Makes sense."

Adam began to sit up.

But before he or Vespera could actually get out of bed...

Three knocks sounded against the door.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Adam turned his head.

"Yes?"

He didn’t even have time to hear an answer.

The doorknob turned.

The door opened.

Isadora entered the room quietly.

Her gaze immediately fell upon Adam and Vespera, still in bed.

For a split second, Adam almost expected a comment.

But the duchess simply smiled.

"Good morning, you two."

Vespera replied naturally:

"Good morning, Isadora."

Adam nodded slightly.

"Good morning."

Isadora walked over to the bed.

Adam watched her, still slightly surprised to see her enter his room so naturally.

She stood before him.

Then, without warning, she leaned down and kissed him.

Adam froze completely.

The kiss was brief.

Simple.

But unexpected enough to make him forget for a few seconds what he was going to say.

Isadora straightened up as if nothing unusual had just happened.

"Breakfast is ready. Come down when you’re ready."

Adam was still watching her.

"Okay..."

Isadora smiled slightly.

Then her gaze shifted to the Ring of Promise on Vespera’s finger.

Her smile widened imperceptibly.

"Congratulations, Vespera."

The dragon also examined her ring.

"Thank you."

Isadora nodded.

Then she turned and quietly left the room.

The door closed.

A silence fell.

Adam remained motionless.

Vespera looked at him.

For a second.

Two seconds.

Then an amused smile appeared on his face.

"Surprised?" "

Adam slowly turned his head toward her.

"Yes."

Vespera gave a soft laugh.

"It showed."

Adam ran a hand over his face.

"Displays of affection like this are rather rare with you. Especially so naturally."

Vespera sat up slightly against the pillows.

"They were intentionally rare."

Adam looked at her.

"Intentionally?"

"Yes."

She raised her hand, which held the Ring of Promise.

"We had an agreement between us."

Adam frowned slightly.

"What agreement?"

"Until we had all joined you, those of us who had already progressed in our relationship with you had to hold back a little."

Adam remained silent.

Vespera continued calmly:

"Not completely." But enough to prevent some from constantly taking advantage of their lead while others were still waiting.