Psychic Parasite

Chapter 339: Strange and Lifelike
”Aura Inhibition,” Jyorta looked at the Tier 3 Skill in the next Relic, frowning again, ”This doesn’t have any description either.”

”Yes,” The gruff voice replied, ”This Skill appeared even recently. It is the same as Raging Momentum in that its effect varies. But, from what I have observed a couple of times in the Wilds, the Skill made the aura in the Wilds turn chaotic but strangely stable. And…”

His voice turned a tad lower in pitch, concealing mild fear, the feeling permeating in the air affecting Jyorta, making him involuntarily shudder as the staff said, ”Once, I saw the aura congeal into a figure. It was…hazy and massless, but strangely lifelike. It was humanoid but possessed numerous pairs of arms shaped into claws, wings on its hips, and a shell on its back. It existed for only a second before it dissipated.”

”Sir,” Jyorta expressed mild fear, not at the scene but at the information imparted to him, ”Is it fine for me to know such sensitive information?”

”Yes,” The staff nodded, his tone reassuring, ”If you have enough Credits to exchange for a Tier 3 Relic and express any interest in this Relic, it is my duty to inform you about it. But, other than this, I don’t know much about it either. Unlike Raging Momentum, only a rare few Developers nurtured Aura Inhibition.”

”It is best to not exchange for this Relic. If you are interested in it and wish to experiment with it, you can do so in the future after you had graduated. Most organisations should have at least one or two Relics with this Tier 3 Skill.”

”Thank you for your advice, sir.” Jyorta bowed a little, proceeding towards the next shelf, reading the Tier 3 Skill in it aloud, ”Material Maker. It is a Skill that allows one to create any mineral, as long as they understood its physical and chemical composition. Knowledge of atomic structure is unnecessary. As long as the aura layout of the material is available, the data is enough to use the Skill and create that particular material.”

”An inferior version to Marble Sonata?” Jyorta muttered, noticing that the staff didn’t comment on the matter, walking over to the next shelf without a second thought. If one was interested in chemistry, and wished to delve into its mysteries, this Skill would be a godsend. Unfortunately, Jyorta wasn’t inclined to choose it at this point. His priority was to accumulate more Credits.

”Mist Glue,” Jyorta read with interest, finding the Skill to his liking, ”It creates a mist that has an adhesive nature. It is highly resistant to fire, ice, and corrosive attacks thanks to its property of material seepage. It can seep into any creature and stick any two surfaces.”

’This is an amazing Skill. Just by seeping it into a creature, I can attach its bones to its muscles. To move, the muscles should contract and expand accordingly, but this Skill prevents that. To overcome it, the creature must exert strength surpassing the limits of the adhesiveness. Even if it overcomes, the end result is the tearing of its muscles and the breaking of its bones.’

His eyes lit up in thought, ’And, it also works on psychic arms. If the psychic arms are constricted, the user has no choice but to sever the attached portion of his psychic arm, losing the energy that made up the portion in the process. It is a tricky ability in battles.’

Seeing that its description continued, Jyorta proceeded to read further, his eyes widening in surprise as a feeling of excitement wrapped him, ”It is named Mist Glue but the product of the Skill can exist in all four states of matter. Even its physical properties can be varied accordingly to suit the situation.”

”Bungee Gum!” Jyorta shouted, striking a pose in front of the Skill before he realised the place he was at, coughing once before calming down. On the other end of the corridor, seated within a room, the staff stared at a Relic before him, murmuring as his eyelids twitched, cringing, ”Kids these days play too much video games.”

For an instant, memories of his childhood flashed by, making him chuckle awkwardly, rubbing his nose, ”I guess I wasn’t that different either. Bungee Gum huh…I never thought I would hear that name after so many decades. It is surprising that kids these days still play that old game.”

’Mist Glue is a good choice. But, it is still fairly dependant on control. Else, I can only use it like a spray that is effective on surfaces alone. Still, if I don’t find anything better, I’ll have to decide between either this or Fuel Fire.’ Jyorta nodded, looking at the next shelf.

The Relic within was shaped into a convex plate, barely the size of his palm. It was lacklustre, looking no different from a ceramic plate. Jyorta looked at the Tier 3 Skill listed among the Skills in it, ”Cage of Protection. It is a barrier-related Skill, can make all forms of energy barriers. Its speed of formation is equivalent to a Ground Controller’s and its defensive strength is directly proportional to the energy expended.”

”So, depending on the energy I infuse into it, the barrier is either super weak or unbelievably strong? Even this can be varied,” Jyorta murmured, reading the bullet points listed further, ”The shape, design, and form can be varied according to the user’s Will. It can exist in solid, liquid, and gaseous forms.”

”Then,” Jyorta muttered, ”Can’t it be used as an attack-based Skill? The barrier can be shaped into a sword or spear for attacking. Even whips can be made, and as long the energy infused into it is sufficient, it would never break. And…there shouldn’t be any theoretical limit to the size of the barrier. It is only energy-dependent.”

’Amazing, he figured out all that within a couple of seconds. His logic, reasoning, and thoughts seem like from someone with a long period of experience. As expected of a pillar candidate. The Bone Family produced a monster this time.’ The staff sighed, gleaning a lot of precise information through Jyorta’s posture, body language, facial expressions, the flapping of his eyelids, his breathing, and the fluctuation in his scent and presence.

All this data allowed the staff to grasp the true extent of Jyorta’s thoughts, the greater he knew, the more he was shocked. He closed his eyes, sighing once again as he looked at the ceiling, ’I am excited to see his growth.’

The staff transmitted his voice, ”It was supposed to be a defensive Skill but, most Developers in possession of it use it as their prime mode of attack. That is why Tier 3 Warriors are known as Developers. They develop their Skills into paths suitable for them. Versatile usage of any given abilities is a trait of humanity’s wisdom.”

”I see,” Jyorta nodded, amazed as he walked towards the next shelf. The more he knew, the greater his astonishment. Each Tier 3 Skill had a lot of uses, and they covered a wide variety of bases, preventing humanity from lacking anything. These Skills made them self-sufficient in the fields of development, battles, wars, post-war, economy, etc.

”Sphere of Amplification,” He read the name of the Tier 3 Skill, looking at its description, ”The Skill releases energy into the surroundings, similar to an Esper’s Domain. But, its effects are on the Skills. The Skills activated within this domain and classified as allies by the user are amplified. They achieve that by absorbing the energy in the domain. The energy unleashed by the Skill allows other Skills to absorb it and grow, becoming more potent.”

”Amazing,” Jyorta looked at the Tier 3 Skill on the next shelf, ”Sphere of Nullity. This Skill is similar to the Sphere of Amplification. But, it suppresses and nullifies the Skills of the targets activated in the domain. When unleashed, the energy in the domain absorbs the energy in the Skills, weakening their effect while strengthening the domain further, creating a beneficial cycle for the user and a vicious cycle for the target.”

Jyorta turned silent, feeling the chill in his back, ’This Skill is even scarier than the Sphere of Amplification.’

He then noticed the word at the bottom, feeling his head spin, ”This Skill can be stacked, both with itself and the effects of the Sphere of Amplification.”

”My God,” Jyorta laughed, ”Amazing, all of them are amazing. I just want to exchange for all of them.”

”You can exchange for three more Relics only. That is the limit for your Batch, Jyorta Bone.” The gruff voice of the staff resounded.

Jyorta hurriedly waved his hands, ”No sir, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll make my decision in the end, please.”

”No worries, take your time.” The staff turned silent.

Jyorta fell into thought, ’The radius of the domain directly correlates to the energy expended. Even though the two Skills have terrific power, they are not offensive Skills. If I was exploring with a team, these Relics would have been perfect. Now, I must prioritise an offensive-based Skill first.’

He reminded himself, mentally chiding his enthusiasm, ’This is like shopping, but all the items are terrifyingly alluring. I should control myself, lest I end up buying four Relics. That would be a wastage of Credits, and it would prevent me from obtaining the Trait of Severability. That would hinder my plans.’

Jyorta then proceeded to the next shelf, still preoccupied with his thoughts. Though, the moment he saw the name of the Tier 3 Skill, he was shocked, rooted to the spot. It felt like he was electrocuted, goosebumps appearing on his skin. What lay before him was a Relic, shaped into a torch, only 10 centimetres in length.

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