Chapter 65: The Calm That Trains the Storm
Three days into their training, it happened.
As the dust settled from a brutal clash with a shadowbeast pack, Isaac felt a ripple through his core—a familiar chime echoing inside his mind.
[Level Up – You have reached Level 20][Milestone Reached – Skill Selection Unlocked]Choose 2 skills from 6 affinity-matched options.
At nearly the same moment, Lira straightened from where she knelt, blinking at the glowing message that floated before her.
They didn't need to speak. They both knew what this meant.
The first major step forward.
Isaac reviewed the options quietly, and two skills stood out instantly—both glowing with unmistakable silver-gold borders.
S-rank.
The first was elegant, dangerous, and strategic:
[Simulacrum Forge – Rank S]Create a temporary replica of any weapon, artifact, or item you've seen or touched.– Costs MP based on item complexity and rarity– Lasts for 60 seconds– Fully functional for the duration– Cannot replicate living beings or active enchantments bound to souls
A sword that only lasted a minute… but with the power of a legendary weapon? That was more than enough in the right hands.
And Isaac had the right hands.
The second option was unlike anything he'd seen before.
[Living Armory – Rank S]A martial discipline that adapts to any weapon—or none at all.– Grants mastery over all common weapon types and unarmed combat– Techniques chain fluidly together, enhancing each other– Passive: Heightens combat awareness and transitions between attack forms
It wasn't just about power. It was about grace, control, and dominance in the chaos of real combat.
Isaac grinned. This was the kind of skill that made a fighter unpredictable.
He chose both without hesitation.
Lira was quieter, thoughtful. Her options resonated more with her soul than her stats—glyphwork, flame memory, protective invocation.
She didn't share what she picked. But when her aura stabilized and her resonance with [Seluriel's Grace] deepened, Isaac knew it had been the right choice.
He could feel her flame singing in harmony with his own.
The rest of the week passed like a rolling storm—quiet at first, then crashing with force.
They hunted.
They pushed past guild-sanctioned zones.
They fought rogue mages, beast-spawned corruption, and even a trio of exiled mercenaries marked as B-rank threats.
For Isaac, each battle was harvest and opportunity.
[Soul Devourer Matrix – Rank EX+] worked in silence, absorbing fragments from everything that fell near him—whether he struck the killing blow or not.
By the end of the week, he had absorbed ten new skills:
2 A-rank, one of which evolved into S-rank
3 B-rank
2 C-rank
3 D-rank
He considered breaking some down to boost his stats.
But instinct said: wait.
"Maybe I can combine them," he muttered aloud on the fifth night. "Something useful. Something healing."
Lira, polishing the edge of her staff-blade, looked over. "Or something insane."
He chuckled. "Hopefully both."
They tested [Simulacrum Forge] in the ruins of a collapsed temple, where Isaac summoned the memory of a weapon sealed in the Guild's vault—a radiant spear once wielded by a Skyborn Saint.
The copy lasted sixty seconds.
But in that time, it tore through two armored warbeasts like they were made of parchment.
[Living Armory] proved even more thrilling.
Isaac flowed from barehanded strikes into swordplay, then into axe-based throws. Every motion connected to the next. He was unpredictable. Unstoppable.
He didn't need a weapon.
He was the weapon.
On the seventh night, they camped beneath open sky—tired, dirty, and alive.
Lira leaned back on her pack, smiling faintly at the stars. "We did more this week than most adventurers do in a year."
Isaac tossed a pinecone at a log. "And we're still not done."
She turned her head. "What's next?"
He exhaled slowly, watching soulflame dance on the edge of his glove.
"Whatever comes. Whatever we make come."
Because the storm was no longer chasing them.
Now, they were training to become it.