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After the disappointment that was the Heavenly Beast Path Skill, which ended up being a complete nothing burger that had yet to even develop, I set my eyes on the last item I had to use today.
The [Skill Evolution Scroll: Yin & Yang Theme (S+++ Rank)]!
This scroll had a beautiful dual appearance; half of it seemed to be golden, while the other half was completely black.
The seal that closed the scroll was shaped as the Yin and Yang symbol, and it had beautiful golden, red, and black threads.
"So the system made this, huh? It sure doesn't even spare on details; it's amazing how beautiful it is."
As I praised the item's appearance out loud, Sepa and Bastet glared at me while raising an eyebrow…
"Girl, just use the damn item already," Sepa said. "You look exhausted too; go to sleep!"
"I agree, you've done a lot today, Anna," Bastet nodded. "Please just hurry and sleep. It would be for the better."
"Hey, let me do whatever I want… I'll just spend a couple of hours wondering what to choose…" I giggled.
"No way!" Sepa was about to pull her antennas out.
"I was joking, don't worry," I said. "I first have to check the item's specifications, though… I'm a bit curious about its restrictions, or if it has any to begin with."
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[Skill Evolution Scroll: Yin & Yang Theme (S+++ Rank)]
A Skill Scroll created from the System by combining the Yin and Yang Essence together.
Once opened, it is possible to select one of your Skills and evolve it, infusing it with the power of Yin and Yang.
Any Skill of S Rank and below can be used with this Scroll, and if the Skill is S Rank, it will evolve into an SS Rank Skill despite the Scroll being S+++ Rank.
The resulting Evolution will be infused with the Essence of Yin and Yang, becoming drastically different, although it might retain key powers and features.
Be aware that once selected, the Skill that was chosen for Evolution cannot be reverted.
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"I see… So it can create an SS Rank Skill… And the limit is S Ranks. Okay, that cleans a bit of the many I got."
So what do I pick then?
I was thinking of further improving my strongest Skills.
Any of them would do; things that level up slowly cannot evolve yet either.
Something like…
Eyes of Truth, for example!
Or perhaps… Thousand Blades?
Maybe even Anubis' Balance of Judgement.
I'll make a list of all my S Rank Skills first…
[Great Sorceress (S): Lv6]
[Thanatos' Stigma (S): Lv2]
[Thunder Queen (S): Lv4]
[Warrior Princess' Physique (S): Lv6]
[Spectral Body (S): Lv5]
[Steel Body (S): Lv5]
[Myriad Egos (S): Lv4]
[Anubis' Judgement (S): Lv5]
[Healing Touch (S): Lv6]
[Mjolnir's Manifestation (S): Lv3]
[Ruler of the Dead (S): Lv5]
[Automatic Mechanoid Assembly (S): Lv2]
[Digital Avatar Infiltration (S): Lv1]
[Presence Suppression (S): Lv3]
"It's not that small of a list…" I nodded.
Great Sorceress with Yin and Yang Essence? Maybe it could evolve into something to do with these elements, perhaps some sort of Yin and Yang Sorcerer from Murim.
Meh.
Thanatos Stigma and Thunder Queen… Nah.
Warrior Princess Physique might give me some sort of new physique, but I already got plenty of that.
Spectral Body and Steel Body are the same; hard pass.
Myriad Egos, though… Now that's a big one; it could probably work.
Further evolving my Egos, the new pillar of my Myriad Self Arts, could be an amazing boost; I have to consider it within the list.
However, how far could they be taken, though? And is it really necessary? Myriad Self Arts is not completely tied to Myriad Self anymore anyways.
It is a Martial Arts after all; even if the Skill was deleted, it would remain there.
Anubis' Judgement…
Yeah, this one is so far from my best choice.
With this, I could go beyond its original powers; I won't need Anubis Presence anymore for its full power, maybe?
And perhaps it could give a greater boost to the buffs, debuffs, range, or maybe even the Balance Guardian's power and what I can do with that mechanic.
I've been itching to evolve this Skill, but I couldn't do it due to how slowly it levels up and how big its cooldown can be.
But maybe with this scroll to forcefully evolve the skill, something really crazy could emerge.
Also, Divine Eye of Truth had Ranked Up to SS Rank at one point, so it can't be used… Although I'm fairly sure it was once S Rank! Dammit.
The rest… aren't that good to consider using, except Ruler of the Dead!
If I could further evolve it, maybe I could improve upon the undead I make even more, or perhaps with this Murim Power, I could be able to summon Zombie Cultivators?
Though my Specialization has already upgraded my Necromancy enough, I think it's a hard pass.
Okay, so I'm in between Myriad Egos and Anubis' Judgement.
"What do you think?" I asked Sepa and Bastet. "What could be the best choice?"
"Hmm, the best choice you ask…" Bastet analyzed carefully. "I would go for Anubis Judgement."
"Yeah, me too!" said Sepa. "This is the skill you used me to get, right? When we infiltrated that tomb… Dammit, every time I remember that, I get really annoyed."
"Hahaha! Good times," I giggled. "I really needed that Skill, your existence as a sealed constellation for me worked wonders in giving me the chance to get there. I managed to get everything I wanted from Anubis."
"I was just shocked you knew it would somehow work…" said Sepa. "You even seemingly merged a monster crystal with Anubis balance using freaking Alchemy and you ended up getting a damn skill! How did you even figure that out?!"
"I said already I read this whole story, right?" I asked. "In the future I read, there was someone that was Anubis' Incarnation, and they had a similar Skill. They state that they gained that power when Anubis personally gave them their balance, or a copy of it, and told them to synthesize it with an S Rank Monster Core and absorb the Core."
"W-Was that something the guy just said out loud?!" Sepa asked.
"Nah, it was only said by the third-person narrator," I explained. "The… the author himself."
"Huh…" Bastet crossed her arms. "You always amuse me when you talk about these things… Well, Myriad Egos could be a fine choice, but it is now a part of your Martial Arts and Cultivation, so there are alternatives to its growth beyond the Skill itself. Meanwhile, you can only use Anubis Judgement with the Skill, and nothing else."
"You're right…" I nodded. "Alright!"
They convinced me enough.
I opened the scroll as I selected the skill and…
FLUOSH!
[You have opened the [Skill Evolution Scroll: Yin & Yang Theme (S+++ Rank)] and you've selected the [Anubis' Judgement (S): Lv5] Skill to Evolve!]
[Initiating Evolution…]
I saw the Skill Sphere emerge from my Body, and rapidly be absorbed by the scroll, which projected large quantities of golden and black light.
FLASH!
The light showed the silhouette of Anubis holding his golden balance and the Essence of Yin and Yang merging with him.
The silhouette changed, rapidly beginning to transform, becoming larger, more majestic, and divided; half of it was a black jackal, and the other was a white wolf.
This is…?!
So the Origin of the Skill remains, connecting to Anubis and the Egyptian Nebula's Mythology!
However, it has severely improved, evolving even further.
The balance changed, gaining the Yin and Yang symbol too.
Once the scroll and the skill fully became one, I reabsorbed the energy, gaining the new, evolved Skill.
[You have evolved the [Anubis' Judgement (S): Lv5] Skill into the [Sacred Holy Rite of Weighing Hearts: Anubis' Judgement & Wepwawet's Blessing (SS): Lv1] Skill!]
"Ooh? It sounds interesting!"
Its entire name changed, and it even gained Wepwawet, another Egyptian God slightly related to Anubis… I think he's the white wolf or white jackal-headed god, who has similar Funerary Rites Divinity than him, although he's also considered a God of Hunting and "Opening the Way", which means he was a Scout that opened the way for people's lives.
In a way, it seems a bit more merciful than what Anubis was, and perhaps this is why he's giving a "Blessing" instead of Judging… Based on this, it could be even said that the skill has changed completely, yet it remains similar to before.
This Skill was always my trump card before… And in a way, it still is pretty much my trump card most of the time.
With this, its abilities have further expanded into something even greater. Nice.
Now, I should quickly just… check all the descriptions and their specific functions before…
Ugh.
I couldn't contain the drowsiness, dropping over my bed and falling asleep almost instantly.
Yeah, I was really tired.
I'll check it tomorrow…
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