Point-of-View: Ariella Velle

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Hm...would’ve been nice if Kai gave me a bit of an explanation on what I was in for before dropping me into this void. This place feels really trippy and kinda unsettling.

I can’t see, hear, smell, or feel anything. Taste too, of course, but that’s not really a sense I’d be using in a situation like this even if I had it.

Hey, Ai, how much longer-...?

<I just finished>

<And I’ll get right to it>

It’s about time!

<Well, it’s only been two hours as far as your perception goes, it was more than five for Kai>

Yeah, well, two hours is still a pretty long time to be in a state of sensory deprivation!

<Alright, alright, calm down>

<I’ll show you your updated stats and explain the improvements I’ve made to your Skills, and then you’ll regain consciousness>

<I’ll display your stats across two different screens, as follows; Base Stats -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition: Flare -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition: Supernova, and Descent -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition + Descent -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition: Flare + Descent -> Base Stats + Blaze Ignition: Supernova + Descent>

That’s, uh...that’s a lot.

<Yes, well, you have several different ways to combine your power boosts>

<Also, your base stats include the passive fifteen percent boost from Pyro Impact>

<Here are the displays: > 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Stats (Blaze Ignition):

HP: 2100 -> 3150 -> 5250 -> 7000

MP: 3000

Strength: 2100 -> 3150 -> 5,250 -> 7000

Agility: 3000 -> 4500 -> 7500 -> 10,000

Vitality: 2100 -> 3150 -> 5250 -> 7000

Perception: 3000 -> 4500 -> 7500 -> 10,000

Power Level: 2,550,000 -> 3,575,000 -> 5,625,000 -> 7,333,300

Stats (Descent):

HP: 4200 -> 5250 -> 7350 -> 9100

MP: 3000

Strength: 4200 -> 5250 -> 7350 -> 9100

Agility: 6000 -> 7500 -> 10,500 -> 13,000

Vitality: 4200 -> 5250 -> 7350 -> 9100

Perception: 6000 -> 7500 -> 10,500 -> 13,000

Power Level: 4,600,000 -> 5,625,000 -> 7,675,000 -> 9,383,300

W-Woah, I...I’m at a complete loss for words. Where do I even start?!

<Yes, the increase to your stats ended up being more significant than I expected>

Holy shit, my max Power Level is over nine thousand...

<Did you just...?>

What?

<Never mind>

<I’ll move on to the refinements I made to your Skills>

<Now, unlike Kai, with whom I made significant improvements to nearly all his Skills, I was only able to make changes to three of your Skills>

<The first, is Blaze Ignition: Supernova>

<I’ve reduced the rate of Mana consumption to 10 MP per second>

Wha...?

I-I was using, like, 75 MP per sec before, how did you reduce it so much?!

<Well, given time, you likely would have managed to bring it down to a similar rate>

<I just stabilized it, which resulted in this>

<The drastic reduction is likely due to how low your current level of mastery over it is, which is only natural, considering how little time has passed>

Yeah, true...still, though, I didn’t think it’d reduce this much. Since my MP has doubled to 3000, that means...I can maintain Supernova for upto five minutes now, when I could only do so for twenty seconds before. Wow, that changes everything...

<Moving on, I’ve upgraded your Super Regeneration to Instant Regeneration, so you’ll heal a lot faster, though fatal damage to your head or heart will still kill you>

Okay, feel like my head’s starting to spin, so before my brain breaks, what’s the last Skill you refined?

<That would be Descent>

<I made the same adjustment that I did with Kai, doubling the time limit while halving the cooldown>

Wait, so...twenty minutes and then twelve hours on cooldown?

<Correct>

W-Wow...

<I did try to give you access to more Skills from the Sinner System through the strengthened link between you and Kai, but it failed>

<You’re limited to Appraisal, Treasury and summoning the Apostles>

Hey, I’m not complaining, this is already plenty. Honestly, I’m having trouble processing it all.

<Well, I’m not done yet, there’s more>

Huh? I thought you said-...

<I didn’t lie, I wasn’t able to refine any of your other existing Skills, you’ve more or less perfectly mastered them already>

<But I was able to make one other change>

<I neglected to mention it because I wanted to experience what it’s like to surprise someone>

I, uh...I see. And? How does it feel?

<I think I like it, I’m starting to understand why Superbia enjoys doing this so much>

Cool, I’m happy for you. So, anyway, what’s this last change?

<I’ve basically created a new Skill for you>

<I combined Negative Energy Generation with your Fire Attribute to create a Skill that generates black flames>

<These flames will be effective even against opponents with Elemental Immunity>

Wait, really? That’s huge!

<Additionally, you will be able to utilize these flames with ranged attacks>

<Once you regain consciousness, you’ll have an instinctive understanding on how to use it>

<These black flames will be more powerful than either Negative Energy or your regular flames, which also means a higher rate of Mana consumption, approximately double the Mana consumption of Negative Energy>

That’s not too bad, especially considering that my MP has doubled.

Hm, I think I’ll call this new Skill...Negative Flame Generation! Yeah, that sounds cool! What do you think, Ai?

<I don’t think it really matters either way>

Okay, party pooper.

Anyway, is that everything, or do have any other surprises up your sleeve?

<No, that covers all of it>

<So, are you ready to regain consciousness now?>

Yeah, definitely. I wanna test out my new flames and get a feel for how much stronger I’ve gotten.

<Alright, then>

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I shuddered slightly as I felt my senses returning, before opening my eyes, to see Kai peering down at me with a concerned look on his face, which quickly shifted to relief as I regained consciousness.

I slowly sat up, before glancing down at myself, taking a moment to savor the increase in intensity of the power surging through my body...