Assimilate All Talents

After testing the potency of void energy, Sol tried out most of the void skills he had obtained. He wanted to get a better understanding of them before deciding how best to combine them, but in doing so, he discovered something peculiar.

He noticed two main issues with void skills. The first was that they felt slightly weaker than when the voidlings had used them. It didn't take him long to realize why. The voidlings had used these abilities within the void, where they had an infinite supply of void energy at their disposal. Sol unable to access that unending reserve, he could only use what was contained in his body.

While it was slightly disappointing that the skills weren't as powerful, Sol wasn't too disheartened. In fact, he felt a little relieved. Void energy was already more than powerful enough, easily able to harm A-Rankers. The other reason he wasn't entirely disappointed was the reassurance it gave him. After facing the voidlings he was worried by the possibility that if they ever did manage to break through the dimensional barrier and invade their world, they would be unstoppable. Even A-Rankers would struggle against a swarm of voidlings at their peak, and that wasn't even considering the existence of void lords. Luckily that wouldn't be the case as the voidlings would be severely limited in void energy if they every invaded their dimension.

But the second issue…

Standing on one side of the room, Sol's eyes were fixated on the opposite wall as he took a single step forward. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.

He sighed. "Nothing again."

The second issue was that some void skills simply didn't work in this dimension, the most impactful of which was [Void Walk]. In the void, it had allowed him to traverse anywhere he wished, even taking others with him. But that was only possible because the void operated under different rules. Here, the skill simply failed to activate.

Other abilities like [Voidling Resemblance] and [Void Pulse] were similarly dependent on being in the void to function properly.

But [Void Walk] left him the most disappointed. He had hoped he wouldn't need Reena, that he could return to the Great Forest, or even teleport straight to the Sapphire Scales Alliance, on his own.

'Nothing I can do about it. But now that I've tested them, I know what direction I should combine them into.'

With a deeper understanding of the void skills and their inherent traits, he went to work. All the tethers connected to the void began to draw together, weaving into a unified form.

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Originally, Sol had planned to distribute the void skills to enhance some of his existing composite skills. But after experiencing them firsthand, he knew that wasn't ideal. Void energy, like psychic energy, was its own separate branch of power. Mixing it into his mana or psychic skills would likely result in a subpar skill.

Instead, he would combine them all into one, into a single, focused skill that granted absolute control over the void.

With that clear goal in mind, the tethers wove together more smoothly. But even so, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

'Manipulating tethers while using [Lesser Channel Control] to suppress someone else's… not easy…'

It was like trying to balance plates with one hand while scrubbing the floor with the other. One task required raw force, the other delicate control, and doing both at once was a strain.

While it would be much easier if he simply paused Reena's law technique supression he wasn't going to risk it and he pressed on. Because of that it took longer than usual, but eventually, the fusion was complete.

[Learned [???] Lv MAX!]

Seeing the system notification, Sol let out a deep breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow and opened the new skill's description.

[[???] Lv MAX: A connection has been established to the void, allowing you to manipulate void energy at will. Void energy can take any form the user desires, retaining its corrosive properties that erode matter and dimensions. Void energy slowly regenerates through the user's connection to the void, though regeneration can be accelerated by weakening the dimensional barrier or entering the void directly. The void does not harm the user and can be absorbed to increase biological level or replenish void energy. By weakening the dimensional barrier, the user may also create void rifts, causing void energy to flood the area for a limited time.]

As he finished reading, Sol blinked in surprise, then reread the last line.

'I can create rifts to the void? Doesn't that mean I can temporarily wield the full power of the void?'

That hadn't been possible with the individual skills. And while the description seemed less dramatic than active skills like [Umbral Domain] or [Polychromatism], he knew better. If he could create temporary rifts, he wouldn't just be drawing from the void, he'd be bringing it into the world. And the void was hostile to all things not from the void. Simply flooding an area with its presence might be enough to annihilate an entire army.

He was honestly surprised the skill wasn't considered a law technique.

'Maybe it's not quite a law technique… but more like a pseudo law technique. I can't just tear open a rift whenever I want.'

To use the ability, he would either need to gradually weaken the dimensional barrier himself or find a naturally unstable point in the fabric of space. That meant he couldn't enter the void on a whim, but if he spent the time to prepare or find the right place, it was certainly possible.

'Reena needed to cast a divine level spell to take us there... and now I can do it with myself. Definitely worth it.'

Pleased with the result, all that remained was to give it a proper name. And he already had one in mind.

[[Voidborn] Confirm name?]

"Yes."

And just like that, another powerful skill was added to his growing arsenal.

Having wrapped up the matter of void skills, he now turned to the final question that had been lingering in his mind.

'What were those system messages I saw when we returned?'