Kael stared at the list of abilities for a long moment.
Every single one of them was absurdly powerful, but that didn’t mean they were all suitable for him at the moment.
The first ability to be crossed off the list was Shadow Manipulation.
Not because it was weak.
Far from it.
If anything, it was probably one of the most versatile abilities among the options available.
The problem was its requirement.
Comprehension of Shadow Laws.
Kael had no idea what comprehending a law truly entailed, but one thing was obvious.
He wasn’t anywhere close to that level.
Perhaps someday he would be.
Perhaps not.
But right now, extracting an ability he couldn’t properly use would be a waste.
His gaze shifted downward.
Rewrite.
The ability that had likely saved Varek’s life.
Kael couldn’t deny its value.
An ability capable of overturning death itself was the kind of treasure countless people would slaughter entire worlds to obtain.
Yet after some thought, he eliminated it as well.
The reason was simple.
The price.
Varek had once been a Quasi-Transcendent, a being who stood at the very peak of existence, and even he had been reduced to his current miserable state after activating it.
That alone spoke volumes.
If someone like Varek had barely survived the cost, what chance did Kael have?
At his current level, he doubted he possessed anything valuable enough to pay whatever price Rewrite demanded.
An ability that couldn’t be used when needed was no different from not having it at all.
Soon, Rewrite joined Shadow Manipulation in the discarded pile.
Next came Death’s Doorstep.
This one honestly disappointed him.
At first glance, it looked incredible.
A teleportation ability that could take him anywhere death had touched.
Which was practically everywhere.
But after carefully reading the description, Kael quickly realized the true difficulty wasn’t the destination.
It was the visualization.
Perfect visualization.
That requirement alone was enough to make him uneasy.
The human mind wasn’t nearly as reliable as people liked to believe.
Take his apartment building, for example.
He had lived there his entire life.
He walked through its hallways almost every day.
Yet if someone asked him to recreate every corner, every crack, every detail with perfect accuracy inside his mind...
Kael wasn’t confident he could do it.
Not even close.
There would be mistakes.
Missing details.
Incorrect dimensions.
Flawed memories.
And according to the skill description, those flaws could send him somewhere entirely different.
Or worse.
Into the void.
Just imagining himself drifting endlessly through an empty abyss was enough to make him reject the ability immediately.
"Nope."
That one wasn’t worth the risk.
His attention moved on.
Shade Form survived a little longer before eventually being eliminated as well.
Compared to the other abilities, the reason was surprisingly straightforward.
It simply didn’t suit his fighting style.
Stealth was useful.
Extremely useful, in fact.
But Kael had never been the type to rely on infiltration or assassination.
More importantly, he already possessed Null Field.
While Null Field couldn’t hide him from sight, it was already excellent at suppressing his presence and concealing him from magical detection.
As long as he found methods to deal with ordinary senses such as sight, smell, and hearing, the combination would likely achieve results comparable to Shade Form anyway.
There was no need to waste such a rare extraction on an ability that overlapped with something he already possessed.
With Shade Form gone, only two choices remained.
Death’s Tithe and Interference.
Kael leaned back slightly.
This was where the real dilemma began.
Interference was terrifying.
The ability to disrupt, corrupt, sabotage, and interfere with almost anything sounded ridiculously useful.
At the same time, Death’s Tithe wasn’t lacking either.
In fact, it fit his current lifestyle surprisingly well.
The Tower practically threw him into battle after battle.
Death was a constant companion.
Collecting fragments from fallen enemies and converting them into summons was undeniably appealing.
For several minutes, Kael found himself torn between the two.
Eventually, however, he sighed.
Death’s Tithe was eliminated.
The reason was incredibly simple.
He hated randomness.
Absolutely hated it.
The memory of Sovereign Claim during the first Tower Trial was still fresh in his mind.
Relying on luck when his life was on the line wasn’t something he wanted to repeat.
He could already imagine the scenario.
A powerful enemy standing before him.
His life hanging by a thread.
He opens the Nether Gate, praying for a powerful ally...
Only for some pathetic creature barely stronger than a goblin to crawl out.
The thought alone annoyed him.
There was also another concern.
Ever since feeling the gaze of that terrifying higher existence earlier, Kael had become far more cautious about attracting attention from things far above his level.
And a place called the Nether?
That sounded exactly like the sort of place where unwanted attention originated.
No thank you.
With that final decision made, Death’s Tithe disappeared from consideration.
Only one option remained.
Interference.
Kael stared at the description for several seconds before finally nodding.
The choice was made.
"Extract."
The moment the command left his mouth, the screen flickered.
A notification appeared before him.
[Trait Extracted: Interference (Skill)]
A smile spread across Kael’s face.
Without wasting time, he opened his status screen.
---
[Name: Kael Voss]
[Title: Cataloguer]
[Class: Void Sovereign]
[Class Perks: Void Absorption, Null Field, Sovereign Claim, Echo Strike]
[Skills: Eye Of Judgment (SSS), Interference (SSS)]
[Level: 26] [66%]
[Health: 11,306]
[Mana: 9,000]
•—Stats—•
[Strength: 371]
[Agility: 488]
[Endurance: 436]
[Intelligence: 600]
[Vitality: 387]
[Constitution: 365]
•—Stat Points: 0—•
•—TC Balance: 14,534,400—•
•—Talent: Infinite Reward Multiplier—•
---
Kael looked over the screen and couldn’t help grinning.
Not bad.
Actually, scratch that.
It was absurd.
If someone saw this status, they would never believe it belonged to someone who had awakened only a few days ago.
A unique title.
Two SSS-Rank skills.
Stats that had already crossed the three-hundred mark, with Intelligence reaching six hundred.
Even among awakened individuals who had trained for years, such numbers would be considered outrageous.
The grin on his face widened.
"Damn."
For a brief moment, a dangerous thought entered his head.
Maybe I really am the chosen one.
The protagonist.
The main character.
The center of the universe.
Fortunately, the narcissistic episode lasted only a few seconds before common sense returned.
Kael coughed awkwardly and closed the status screen.
Then he turned toward Varek.
The moment his gaze landed on the former Quasi-Transcendent, he froze.
"...What?"
The skeletal monster from earlier was gone.
The writhing mass of shadows was gone as well.
In its place sat a man.
A middle-aged man with strikingly handsome features.
Long silver hair rested upon his shoulders while a pair of calm silver eyes observed him quietly.
He wore simple black robes that somehow carried a natural sense of dignity.
For a split second, Kael almost thought an entirely different person had appeared.
But then he went through Varek’s memory and understanding dawned immediately.
"It isn’t real."
The realization came almost instantly.
Varek’s true body hadn’t changed at all.
The shadow tendrils were still there.
The skeletal form beneath them was still there.
What Kael was seeing was merely an illusion created through impossibly precise control over shadows.
By adjusting how much light different sections of the shadows absorbed and reflected, Varek had essentially painted an entirely new appearance over himself.
A living illusion.
A masterpiece of elemental manipulation.
Kael couldn’t help feeling impressed.
No.
More than impressed.
A little awed.
Even reduced to such a miserable state, the man was capable of casually displaying techniques far beyond anything Kael could currently comprehend.
Then again, that was to be expected.
This was a man who, at his peak, had been known as the Shadow Monarch.
Compared to the things he once accomplished, this was probably nothing more than a party trick.
As Kael studied him, he suddenly noticed something.
Varek was studying him as well.
Patiently.
Expectantly.
Like someone waiting for permission to speak.
It was obvious he had something on his mind.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
He folded his arms.
"Go ahead and spit it out."