Chapter 576 Perks Of The Symbiote
"Status Window."
As Rey muttered these words, a system panel popped open in front of him, displaying exactly what he desired to see.
[STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Rey Skylar.
- Race: Human (Otherworlder)
- Class: Singularity (S-Tier)
- Level: 201 (10.03% EXP)
- Life Force: 13,000 (+13,000)
- Mana Level: 29,000 (+29,000)
- Combat Ability: 21,550 (21,550)
- Stat Points: 0
- Skills (Exclusive): [Doppel]
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Merger]. [Dead Calm].[Sacrifice]. [Symbiosis]. [Perfect Mimicry]. [Consume]
- Alignment: Neutral
[Additional Information]
You have done the impossible and stand at the precipice of power. As such, you now possess the interest of this World.
Status Condition: Possess a Symbiote
[End Of Information]
"W-whoa!" Rey couldn't help but openly display surprise as he looked at his new and improved Status Window.
'Emil literally doubled all my Stats.'
He didn't expect that to be a feature at all, especially since she was just laying dormant in his body. And, yes, Rey decided to refer to her as a female for convenience.
'It's a little funny… having her inside me, when it should be the other way arou… Rey what the hell are you thinking?' He shook his head, slightly disgusted with his filthy mind.
Thankfully, Emil didn't hear all of that.
Rey had decided to isolate his thoughts, and he also zoned out of whatever she was saying to him, so he could focus on an objective analysis of his current state.
'Speaking of my current State, this is interesting…' He looked at his Non Exclusive Skills and noticed three additions to them.
'It looks like I get all of these Skills without even using Doppel, as long as I am bonded with Emil.'
That meant, for someone who didn't have the ability to copy Skills, or who had reached the limits of Skills they could ever have, with a Symbiote like Emil, they could get new Skills without any effort at all.
It was a crazy feature, but it made Rey curious about something else.
"Skill List."
[ALL SKILLS]
[Original Skills]
Doppel (SSS-Tier)
Merger (S-Tier)
Dead Calm (A-Tier)
Sacrifice (S-Tier)
[Doppel Skills]
[SS-Tier]
Divine Weapon Creation (Active)
Perfect Divine Magic (Active)
Divine Power Ascension (Active)
Perfect Divine Ray (Active)
Divine Magic Supremacy (Passive)
Perfect Domain Of The Divine (Active)
Perfect Divine Defense (Active)
Perfect Divine Regeneration (Passive)
Perfect Divine Appraisal (Active)
Perfect Divine Martial Supremacy (Passive)
Perfect Divine Growth (Passive)
Perfect Divine Form (Passive)
Perfect Divine Adaptability (Passive)
[Total: 13]
[Active Skills: 7]
[Passive Skills: 6]
~New Skills~
[Consume]
[END OF INFORMATION]
'Just as I thought!' Rey felt a grin forming on his face as his widened eye took in the detail that he noticed at the very bottom of the list.
'I can still get the Skills through Doppel, even if they are currently Non Exclusive Skills of mine at the moment.'
It all made sense, considering how it was possible for Rey to dissolve his contract with Emil—hence losing her perks—but with [Doppel], he still had access to the powers she offered.
'In the case where she perishes as well, I also don't have too much of a loss…' His thoughts trailed.
With that now settled in his mind, he decided to have Emil use her two other Skills so he could copy them. That way, he would have them stocked in [Doppel].
'Speaking of her Skills… I really should check out their details.' Rey didn't do this sooner due to the urgency of the situation back then, but since things were now settled, he figured now was the perfect time to get into things.
'First…'
He eyed the [Symbiosis] Skill and decided to check that out first.
[Skill Details]
[Symbiosis]
Tier: S
Ability: Allows the user to take on the properties of whatever they bond to, perfectly replicating their base status and powers.
[Limitation: Skills beyond S-Tier can not be processed, and Classes are exceptions]
[End Of Information]
'The hell?!' Rey's eye nearly widened the moment he read through the Skill's details.
'So that explains why my Stats doubled. Emil literally has the same Stats as I do. And just as I have her Skills… she also has my Skills.'
Only [Doppel] was the exception, considering how it was in the SSS-Tier. That meant she didn't have access to the Skill's functions, and all the abilities he had copied with it.
'Whew! That's a relief…' He sighed.
If he was someone without [Doppel], and he bonded with Emil, the Slime would pretty much be as strong as he was.
'Well, there's still Class to put into consideration, so maybe that will somehow close the gap.' Rey thought to himself.
Somehow, though, he felt an S-Tier Beast's Class wouldn't be something to scoff at either.
'Besides… something still bugs me about that Life Force description.' Rey turned to Ater, who was waiting patiently for him to finish his analysis.
If he didn't know something, he could just ask the Familiar who was most likely knowledgeable in that aspect.
He didn't want to ask Emil, though…
"What does +++ mean when it comes to Life Force? I don't get it."
"Oh that!" Ater chuckled, shrugging slightly. "Well, it basically means infinite. But not exactly."
'E-eh? Infinite Life Force?'
"It's not particularly infinite. It just means the individual doesn't take damage, or their life force doesn't particularly go down."
Functionally speaking, it was the same as having infinite Life Force, which was why Ater phrased it that way.
In essence… Emil was essentially immortal!
'H-hold on… if she takes no damage, doesn't that mean she won't die if she breaks our arrangement? That explains why she agreed so readily!'
Rey felt a slight spark of anxiety within him, but he snuffed it out and chose to approach the issue in a more collected fashion.
"Could a curse do the trick? Like… kill such a being?"
"Yeah… probably."
"Probably??!" Rey's eye widened as he stared at Ater in disbelief.
~Master! You're so mean! Why have you been ignoring me all this time? Do you really hate me that much? You hate me, don't you? You don't even trust me… how cruel.~
Rey was beginning to slightly feel bad for Emil, so he decided to respond to her after leaving her out of his mind for so long.
"Hey… how strong are you exactly?"
~Yayyy! You finally spoke to me! I'm so happy right no—!~
"Just answer the question…" Rey sighed, holding his forehead as he was reminded of the reason he zoned her out in the first place.
~W-well… I am indestructible, I feel no pain, neither am I shackled by any physical limitations like weakness or exhaustion.~
The more Emil spoke, the more he realized that none of the conditions he set would work on her at all—well, maybe they would somehow take effect due to their status as Curses, but it seemed even Ater wasn't sure about it.
~... I can also take on any shape or form you want. For example
—!~
~GLOP!~
Suddenly shrouding Rey's body was a slimy black property that took the form of a dark hooded cloak, covering his hands in black gloves, and his feet with black boots. The robe fluttered like a cape behind him, and the fabric felt all-natural and compatible with him.
It almost felt like he was covered in himself—naked, but not really.
Emil was made of the perfect fabric ever.
~What do you think, Master? Pretty cool, right?~
Rey was dumbfounded by how amazing it felt to wear the Slime. He could go on and on about how he was freaked out by her personality, but her utility made all of those complaints seem abysmal.
The best part about all of this was the fact that—just like Ater being able to float in the air, or humans being able to walk—this was just Emil's natural body function, not a Skill of some sort.
She was just built this way.
"Yeah… it's pretty cool." He managed to mutter as he looked at his entire body.
'She's amazing!'
Yes, there was the risk that none of the restrictions he placed on her would work, but since she was so attached to him, it was more probable that she wouldn't even betray him at all.
'Plus, Ater wouldn't have suggested breaking the rules myself and letting her do the same, if he wasn't certain the Curse would activate, or if he didn't have another contingency in mind in case that happened.'
Perhaps he wanted to see if the Curse would be effective, but judging from his casual reaction to all of this, Rey didn't think he had to worry too much.
At the very least, he could still maintain a healthy level of caution, but it would be detrimental if he marinated on doubt and suspicion for too long.
'Besides, there are other ways to deal with her if she misbehaves…'
"Well, let's look at your other Skills, shall we?" Rey checked out the two remaining abilities that Emil had and was equally amazed by their usefulness.
He only had one thought after seeing them all.
'I made the right choice!'