Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/Chomp… Gulp…/

"Aha… These aren't half bad, a bit bland though." Ermin said as he ate a loaf of white bread

'Don't they sell Ham or Butter at the very least?'

"What did you expect from something that costs 1 Favor?" His younger sister asked as she ate a Cupcake

"... You're the one spending 100 Favor on food."

"What's the problem? I can buy a thousand more." The younger sister said without a care as she took a bite out of her Cupcake in front of her brother

"..."

'This brat...'

While many players all around the world challenged themselves within the confines of Babylon, Dale and company enjoyed a nice lunch break by the Plaza.

It was possible to buy food and drinks at Babylon via a special menu you could access by tapping on one of the tables three times in quick succession.

It was just normal food and it did not possess any special powers since it would be strange for it to do so.

The shop already sold everything one might need, anything else was unnecessary if not excessive.

"I'm not criticizing it..." Ermin replied as he closed his eyes in frustration

"..."

Meanwhile, after finishing their second mission, Dale and company had yet to choose their next mission.

This came due to the sisters' request for a slight time off, which Dale agreed with since his throat felt a bit dry.

It may come as strange given they had barely started, but that's just how things went.

When you're given 110% of yourself, even a minute can be much, much less a few minutes, and that was how they felt after fighting an army of Undead in their last mission.

Even though five minutes was the time it would take for them to do another mission, it was also important to rest well.

Ermin and the sisters may not need it that much due to their status as Standard Players but Dale needed to refresh himself here and there.

So he took this opportunity to check a few things such as his stream where he sent a thumbs-up emoji to all that donated to him, that way they would know he recognized their existence.

He really needed to put some effort into it.

But above all, he took this time to check his Skills since he still had one item left to use.

[Skill Boost Token]

"..."

'The Boost Tiken... It will evolve one Skill temporarily for the remainder of my Stay in Babylon.'

'I'm unsure if this means that the Skill will transform or if its Rating will increase by one Star... But there is a big difference in that.'

'If I were to organize my Skills into priorities… Then from top to bottom…'

'First comes Spear Technique, followed by Mana Conduction and Close Quarters Combat.'

'Spear Technique is obvious why, because even if it increases only by one Star, that would already mean a breakthrough for me since I could just remember how it felt to use it and copy it in future training…'

'If that's even possible, although I know someone that would be able to do it… The Reflection.'

'If it's already not at that stage.'

'Mana Conduction would likely improve my powers the most, but due to my lack of techniques, its importance lies beneath Spear Technique.'

'It's in the same situation as Spear Technique where my Reflection is on a different stage compared to me... This pretty much applies for everything.'

'Close Quarters Combat is a more generalistic Skill but since it impacts a lot of things at once I put it as a priority.'

'After all, I'm using a Sword, and despite the idea that Technique Skills can affect other forms of Weapon use apart from what they refer to, Spear Technique, in the end, wasn't meant for Sword use.'

'Close Quarters Combat is way better in that regard.'

'From there, my Skills aren't really… Necessary.'

'I just have way too many Support type Skills.'

'Stable Emotions? Keeping myself level-headed is important, but I find it difficult to face an enemy that can cause me to lose myself completely. Especially after everything I've experienced.'

'It could happen, of course, maybe I'll need it when I use this new Seed...' He thought as he looked at his inventory

'Fighting Spirit is a buff Skill, so its value could change greatly depending on what the Skill Token actually does, but at the same time, the same could be said for all others.'

'I'm not exactly in need of Stats, so Fighting Spirit's value once again drops, though I'm interested in its Evolved form, though once again, I'm assuming what the Token does.'

'Spatial Awareness and Anomalous Status resistance can certainly help, but the true effects of Spatial Awareness were always a bit iffy to me.'

'Confluence is a good choice, but not for the Event in itself.'

'I have no idea what it is supposed to be, so if I were to take a look at it's true evolved form… It could give me a glimpse into what an Alma Conqueror is supposed to achieve through Meditation.'

'The book gave me a good idea of what that may be, but at the same time, it's Cryptic and I keep having to reread it.'

'I feel like each time I read the book or passage, I see it in a different way... There's certainly something contained within them that I don't yet understand.'

'Maybe that could explain why I'm stuck at a 4.9% progress rate.'

To solve his Class problem, Dale also thought about seeking a book at the Shop related to the Alma Conquerors, but that will have to wait until he gathers enough Favor.

He won't commit the same 'mistake' as before. This time, he'll gather a lot before venturing into the shop just in case a time-limited deal appears.

'Prime Source is similar to Mana Conduction, if not for simple emission, I can't do much myself, it's been about 3 weeks since I learned it even existed.'

'There were similar forces in the other game, but knowing something like that won't help me now until I have the utmost basics settled first.'

'And finally, Land Raptor, it's an excellent Skill during single instance encounters as it increases my Speed by a factor of almost 2, but it pales in comparison to some other Skills.'

'I don't need to be overwhelmingly fast, I need something more consistent.'

Dale thought and thought about what he should do, even thinking about buying tokens from other players…

Although as expected, there were no Tokens available for purchase, and even if they were, Dale would find out that he was unable to buy none, not because they wouldn't be for sale but because whoever gave him the restriction wouldn't allow it.

'Sigh, this wouldn't be a problem were it not for the lack of Tokens... Trully, what a loss.'

'Even if I had chosen to do these activities first instead of entering the shop, I would've likely been able to buy a few Tokens even without the help of the Boost Packages.'

'I think the time I would have spent to grind a few hundred thousand Favor without the packages would be much lesser than the time it would take me to figure out the evolved forms of each of my Skills... If that makes any sense.'

'Nevertheless, firstly, the Token is just one of the many methods I can use to boost my abilities so I can perform harder content, so it isn't necessary for me to do so.'

'The issue is that I'm unaware how difficult such content will eventually prove itself to be.'

'I could be undervaluing my own abilities by believing that I need such a thing to begin with, but overestimating them won't lead me anywhere either.'

'Technically speaking, it would be best if I left this choice for later, but doing so would also be reducing my contact time with the evolved Skill in itself.'

'But then again, I don't need it because I have… The Reflection…'

'Hum, would the Reflection count as one of my Slotted Skills?... Can it also be upgraded?'

'I don't know the Rating of the Skill so even if the Token only increases the Grade of a Skill by 1, there's a chance it could push the Skill beyond its Grade Limit, maybe even transform it.'

'But the Reflection is only a training ground, it doesn't make sense for that to be the Skill of choice… It would be pretty much me wasting this opportunity.'

'Yet, for the same reasons stated above… I don't need such an opportunity, because the Reflection itself already provides me with that on a constant basis.'

The more he thought about it the more Dale came to believe it wasn't that stupid of an idea.

What would happen if Self Reflection evolved? What exactly could it improve?

Because there was one more argument to Dale's proposition.

While he could evolve all of his other Skills through practice, how was he supposed to evolve the Reflection?

Maybe one might think it was perfect as it already was, but was that the right string of thoughts?

He thought deeply while the others ate, tapping his legs quietly.

And eventually, he made an impulsive choice.

[Use Skill Boost Token on Self Reflection ???-Star]

'Do it.'

[Self Reflection ???-Star is being enhanced]

Sometimes even the most rational of people can make an irrational decision.

And more often than not, through mistakes, developments are made.

Isn't that the very definition of Human history?

[Self Reflection ???-Star has evolved into, Manifestation of the Perfect Self 1-???]

"Hm?... What is this?"

'I can see the grade but why not the…'

[DING]

[Through strange methods, you taped into the world beyond the Ancient Stars]

[You have Attained a new Tale! Star Gazer]

"A Tale…" He mumbled to himself as he squinted his eyes

[DING]

[The Gods of Old look upon you]

"..."

/Tense.../

A strange pressure fell upon his shoulders, pressing him down onto the table, making him unable to even move.

[DING]

[DING]

Several notifications soon followed, but he couldn't quite read them.

So amidst this string of strange notifications, Dale remained still as he resisted this phantom presence.

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Notes

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