—
[Profession {Mnemonic Anato Scribe} has shown great progress]
-
>[Mnemonic Anato Scribe: F-]
-
>[Mnemonic Anato Scribe: F]
-
>[Mnemonic Anato Scribe: F+]
—
The difference was instant. Every stroke was more deliberate, controlled as though it had come from his own body, his own soul. But Zarek immediately realized that this alone wouldn't be enough.
It was perfectly normal for an S Class—or technically above S Class—Profession to progress through F Class Mastery this fast. But to make up for the weakness of his body, and to also compensate for what would surely be a lagging Axiograft Talent, Zarek needed more.
Much more.
The fact it had improved more than Axiograft, though, illustrated it all perfectly.
This, however, wasn't the end of Zarek's thoughts.
'It just might…'
Zarek grinned.
He tapped into Axiograft again, forgetting everything and emptying his mind. However, this time he wasn't focused on the vial, he wasn't focused on Godsfall…
He was focused on himself.
As his plan came to fruition, his grin was only widening. As his Charisma dimmed and his mind felt like it was being sucked dry, the laughter in his chest was only growing.
That was because the moment it began, he knew he had succeeded. As for how, it wasn't just because of the feeling, it was because of the notifications.
—
[Talent {Axiograft} has shown great progress]
-
>[Axiograft: F]
-
>[Axiograft: F+]
-
>[Axiograft: E-]
—
And then everything faded. Memories flashed by until Zarek grasped onto exactly what he was looking for.
He remembered that feeling intimately—the burning tips of his fingers, the smoldering breath on his lips, the billowing flame in his chest.
Pulsing might ran through him, veins of amber running across his body, racing across his mahogany skin as though lines of lava through molten rock.
He could remember the fear others felt when they saw him in this state… the widening of their eyes, the sharpening of their pupils, the tightening in their hearts…
He had missed this feeling. Every intoxicating little bit of it.
But he had given this life up. He had taken this path as far as it could go, and it led him to failure every time. It wasn't what he needed.
That said… it was also the path he was the most familiar with. And familiarity… that was exactly what he needed right now.
A wave of shock pulsed through Zarek as he felt a tier of Harmonic Recall he never had before. It no longer felt like he was a third-party observer, but as though he was right there.
—
[Hidden Quest Complete]
-
[Hero Spirit Unlocked]
-
[Skill {Ash Reborn} Learned]
—
A burning pain rushed through Zarek, a familiar pain, one that he had long become used to. Wisps of ashy smoke came from the corners of his eyes.
Zarek stumbled back, snapping out of it and nearly falling to the ground.
The irony wasn't lost on him. Suddenly, it was his eyes that were wide open, his soul shaken down to the core.
Had he just… used Harmonic Recall to learn an ability from his past lives?
No, this wasn't just any ability from his past life—it was the foundation of his strength. It was this very Skill that started his journey in his first life, and it was the one Skill he always insisted on having. That was because this Skill was a key—a key to gaining that Talent and the Role that followed it.
But what shocked Zarek the most was that there was no reason for this to be the cap. If he could dig deeper, would he need to go through all the same issues? Wouldn't he be able to regain the Talent and Role without all of this trouble?
He only regained the Skill because Axiograft was too low in Mastery right now. If it was higher… wouldn't he be able to regain everything?
This unexpected synergy between his Rebirth Talents and Axiograft made Zarek feel like his heart was pumping out of his chest.
Somehow, he had actually Grafted his own experience right into his current body. This would be an utterly worthless ability if one didn't have a past life. But if you had three of them like Zarek did…
'No, it could be useful. With something like this, I could make a temporary ability more permanent. Something that should only last a short period could be tapped into again and again.'
Though Zarek had the casual thought, he didn't care about this one-off case at all—it was just him covering his bases. What he was suddenly obsessed with was regaining all of his strength and power in one fell swoop.
That was obviously not possible, but it felt closer than ever before.
He straightened himself out, turning his palms over. A familiar ashy energy radiated out from him.
—
[Skill {Ash Reborn} has shown great progress]
-
>[Ash Reborn: F-]
-
>[Ash Reborn: F]
…
>[Ash Reborn: B+]
—
In the blink of an eye, the Skill erupted from Zarek. He took a breath, inhaling deeply and slowly exhaling.
This wasn't a mere B Class Skill—it was an A Class one that would evolve to S Class when paired with Ashen Gate, the Talent that would soon come to it. Then it would progress even further to SSS Class once the Ash Demon Role was claimed.
However, B+ was the best Mastery Zarek could get in one sweep because A Class Mastery required a level of Godsfall he didn't have right now. But if one thought his understanding of this Skill was at just B Class… they would be sorely mistaken.
The fine mist of ash suddenly concentrated. The beads of blackened grey clashed against one another in a heavy series of collisions, sparking flames again and again. Then, it concentrated over Zarek's hands, collecting until they looked like a fine pair of gloves formed of a delicate mesh.
The Ashborn Demon moniker wasn't just because of his last name—it was a coincidental play on the power he had made the whole of Earth fear.
With this power, he was little different than a reaper. His Ash had killed more than he cared to count.
Zarek's gaze shifted to his status screen, suddenly remembering the so-called "Hero Spirit."
What he saw made his eyes narrow.