Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2260: Simplify.

[Bonus thanks to SongfulSalt. Donʼt tell me to fucking pause. I know one you asshats did it. Go delete that comment. I will become gay for this if I must. Back in Roman times men used to do this to assert dominance.] Sometimes, having too many options was actually a bad thing. It sounded like the boon of a lifetime to have three potential Classes to take advantage of, but in practice it felt like there were endless paths forward and none that just well and truly worked.

For a moment, Sylas wondered if it just wasnʼt the time right now.

Classes were a lot like Professions in that they helped him do things that would be difficult on his own. But how many things truly fell into such a category for him?

Was it maybe a waste of his time to try and get three Classes to begin with? Maybe the best benefit to his three Classes was actually just the fact that he could use three Comprehensions at the same time. Who cared about the Classes?

ʼWho cares… about the Classes…ʼ

There was a sudden glow in Sylasʼ mind as he had the thought, a realization striking him hard and fast.

It sank into his being and grasped something that had just been out of his reach.

Classes werenʼt useless; he was just looking at them the wrong way. The reason he was so obsessed with Classes now was because they had been so important to him in the past. But now that he was building out his own system and forging himself into a being who could make his own world, did he need to have the same reliance?

His Professions, for example, were still enormously helpful to him.

The comprehension of Serpentes was genuinely hugely beneficial. He didnʼt have the time to sit around and read about every Serpentes to ever exist. He would barely be able to find the time to read the history of everything that the old man had given him.

Much the same way, his Reaper Sealwright Profession was just as beneficial because it gave him access to a Rune he wouldnʼt otherwise have.

He had asked the old man for a combination of formations and Rune Armors he could use precisely because he knew how powerful the Death and Life Seals were.

At this point, Sylas used them like his weapons in battle all the time. Sometimes figuratively, and sometimes quite literally when he forged the Grim Blade, for example.

But what would be the difference if he forged a Class right now?

The difference would be that there would be no path laid out for him to easily follow. Every step would have to be carved out by him exclusively until he reached the end.

What was the use in that? If he had enough comprehension to craft the Class from scratch, then why wouldnʼt he just mimic its abilities in battle with a casual flare of his Runes and Will?

It was a waste of his time to even try to do something like this.

No… the real benefit of Classes to the current Sylas wasnʼt the Skills—what Skills were better than his Runes? None at all.

What he needed was…

”Genes… Gene Class Harmony… Stats…”

That was the core of what he was missing.

Classes provided stats on every level-up.

For example, there was Sylasʼ first Class.

—

[Arctic Royal (Fragmented)]

The tundra is your Domain and poison adorns your chalice.

[+30 Mental]

[+30 Constitution]

[Stat Limit Increase: +12 per Level]

[Free Stats: +6 per Level]

[Class Modifier: 0.12 Intelligence; 0.12 Wisdom; 0.12 Charisma; 0.12 Constitution]

—

He remembered it perfectly without a single flaw. It provided him a +30 to every one of his Mental Stats, then a +30 to his Constitution specifically.

Then, per level, his stat limit increased by +12, and he gained Free Stats he could apply anywhere he so chose with ease. Classes thus functioned to both raise his mortal limit and also quickly and easily boost his stats without heavy training and time.

What was even more important than all of that, though, were the Class Modifiers.

These were unique to every Class, and they were essentially a modifier for how much more certain stats improved compared to others upon every level-up.

Essentially, a 0.12 Class Modifier meant that Sylasʼ Intelligence and the other listed stats would improve by 12% more than every other Core Stat.

The reason these were so important was because it meant that there was something innately special about the Class that made those particular stats more amenable to increasing than others upon a level-up.

One of Sylasʼ greatest weaknesses right now was his stats. He covered up for them a ton with his telekinesis, but that could only bring him so far.

What if instead of wasting time trying to craft Runes he could already craft into a Class that could already do what he could do with a flicker of Will… He converted all of that energy toward evolving his body?

He had an advantage too few others had. Any skill, ability, or technique he wanted to use, he could distill it into a Rune. In fact, the evolution of his Runeweaver Eyes allowed him to do exactly that.

That said, right about now, Sylas alone was far better than the Runeweaver Eyes could match up to because he had yet to upgrade his own eyes.

He was still riding on the C-tier Eyes that Gralith had gifted him long ago. He had been bucking up against that ceiling for a very long time already… But if he could improve the limits of his body through his Classes…

Then wouldnʼt he be free of that weakness as well?

And didnʼt he, as someone capable of drawing Legendary Genes, as someone who could perfectly construct his own body from the ground up with nothing but Runes alone… Occupy the perfect position to create Classes that focused purely on raising his stats to as high a level as possible?

Here he was, chasing Skills he didnʼt need…

When the answer before him had been the same as the answer to how to elevate his Runes to a whole other level… Simplify.

Sylasʼ eyes began to glow fiercely.

It turned out he didnʼt need the Classes in the old manʼs brush in the first place.