Chapter 40

040. Halo (1)

"The number of people who have broken through the 7th floor trial has exceeded 1,000."

"The system expansion has begun."

"The skill shop has been opened."

"Branch points have been created in the trials."

"Permanent return has become possible."

"The layer intrusion system has been activated."

Various messages dazzled the eyes, but what was important was below.

"You are a challenger who was designated as a 'Pioneer' in all previous floors."

"You can choose a halo."

The moment he saw the message, a sense of tension began to spread through his body.

Halo.

The benefit that could only be obtained if one was designated as a pioneer in all previous floors had finally revealed itself.

"The halo affects the unique characteristics and skills of the challenger."

"Please choose carefully."

"Choose carefully, huh..."

The Tower of Trials had never given such advice before.

In other words, this halo was something that the Tower of Trials considered significant.

"Please choose one of the halos currently available."

"Overlord"

"Hunter"

"Monk"

"Is this a halo..."

The options that followed seemed similar to the difficulty selection he had seen before.

Back then, he was also given three options to choose from.

"Hmm, I should read the descriptions first."

No matter what he wanted to decide, he had to read the descriptions written below.

He began to read the phrases written below each option in detail.

"Overlord"

"A halo whose performance can vary greatly depending on the person."

"Basically, it is closer to an all-rounder rather than a specialized type and is closely related to unique characteristics."

"The potential for abilities such as combat, growth, support, and creation significantly increases."

"The unique power is 'Skill Synthesis'."

"This halo is the most suitable for the current challenger Han Seung-yun."

"Hmm..."

While it was hard to grasp just from the description, it was clear that this was a good halo.

The fact that it increases potential in all abilities and affects unique characteristics...

'That means it also boosts my growth potential.'

Thus, it was impossible not to be satisfied.

Indeed, the part labeled as the unique power also had an intuitive ability called 'Skill Synthesis'.

Moreover, if the Tower of Trials said it was the most suitable for him, it was definitely a good choice.

However, it was not yet time to make a hasty decision, so he lowered his gaze.

"Hunter"

"A halo that anyone can easily adapt to."

"Basically, it is specialized in growth and has little effect on unique characteristics."

"However, this halo is deeply related to the enhancement of abilities and skills."

"The halo's effect significantly increases the growth rate of abilities and skills."

"The unique power is 'Level Up'."

"This halo is somewhat suitable for the current challenger Han Seung-yun."

"This is also good."

Since the Tower of Trials said it was somewhat suitable, it caught his eye even more.

Even though it had little effect on unique characteristics, it had many advantages in enhancing abilities and skills.

'Level Up' was also a power whose function he could somewhat guess.

'If this were a game, this would be a class selection.'

And if it were a game, a Hunter would be a class that can level up.

If it was related to the description, 'Level Up' would be a power that directly or indirectly affects the additional enhancement of abilities and skills.

'This effect is not bad, but it overlaps with my unique characteristics and tendencies.'

The problem was that the advantages mentioned above could be replaced by necromancy.

It was a halo that felt a bit redundant due to the overlap in tendencies.

'And the last halo is...'

"Monk"

"A halo that is greatly influenced by talent and perseverance."

"Although it is a halo specialized in growth, it makes a harsh judgment on talent and perseverance."

"The longer the time invested, the stronger it becomes, but it requires a significant amount of time and talent."

"If there is no talent, effort may be in vain."

"The unique power is 'Cultivation Path'."

"This halo is not recommended for the current challenger Han Seung-yun."

"Not really."

It was clear that this halo did not match his tendencies.

While perseverance was unknown, a halo that was greatly influenced by talent was not suitable for him.

Since he had no aptitude for skills and could not obtain any skills through effort, he had no talent.

Even if the ability labeled as the unique power was good, it was not something he could understand...

'I'll pass on this halo and compare the two above.'

He decided to make a careful decision, as the Tower of Trials had suggested.

This halo was a benefit that would significantly affect unique characteristics or skills.

'Given the unique powers and other features, it seems like a considerable benefit.'

Honestly, it was a power that could be considered a second unique characteristic, so it was natural to be hesitant.

Well, it wasn't something he would ponder for a long time.

"I have no choice but to choose Overlord."

A Hunter's abilities could be replaced by necromancy...

But Overlord was a versatile halo that boosted various abilities.

It was also the halo with the most intuitive unique power among the three options.

'Skill Synthesis'—it was just what he needed, as he had been looking for a more special ability.

'If it increases potential and allows me to synthesize skills, it won't be a loss to choose it.'

Click.

"You have chosen Overlord."

"The unique effect of the Overlord halo has initiated the evolution of the unique characteristic."

"The current abilities of the challenger are referenced to categorize the options."

Even after making the selection, more messages appeared, as if something was left.

"Summoner - Can raise a powerful undead made of bones using absorbed spirits."

"Blade Mage - Talent for swords and magic increases, and the aptitude for related skills increases threefold."

"Craftsman - Talent for item creation increases, and the aptitude for related skills increases threefold."

"Given that it is closely related to unique characteristics..."

As the description suggested, it was immediately trying to evolve the unique characteristic.

After reading all three options, I could draw a conclusion.

"Most of them are meaningless..."

A Blade Mage would not help him, as he had no aptitude for skills...

A Craftsman would also be useless, as the increase in skill aptitude would not matter without any aptitude.

'If it were a numerical increase, it might be useful, but a multiplier is meaningless.'

Multiplying zero by any number still results in zero.

Compared to the other two abilities, this one had fewer advantages, so I disregarded it and chose the Summoner.

"The Summoner characteristic is added to the unique characteristic 'Necromancy'."

"Some effects are modified, and new detailed effects are added."

"The unique power 'Skill Synthesis' is created."

After confirming that all abilities were generated, I immediately opened the status window.

[Han Seung-yun]

[Halo - Overlord]

[Strength - 55] [Stamina - 51]

[Agility - 56] [Mana - 43]

[Endurance - 43]

[Unique Characteristic - Necromancy (D)]

[Unique Power - Skill Synthesis]

[Skills - View Details]

The increased ability values due to achievements were noticeable, but the most important were the halo and power.

"Ah..."

Seeing the two phrases clearly displayed in the status window, a sense of satisfaction finally arose.

Of course, I didn't open the status window just to check the ability values, so I continued to manipulate it.

[Unique Power - Skill Synthesis]

[Effect - Can synthesize two desired skills. When the levels of the skills used for synthesis differ, the higher-level skill becomes the center of the synthesis.]

Skill Synthesis had the expected effect.

The ability to combine two skills into one was quite useful.

'Useless skills can be combined.'

Even if not, similar skills could be combined to enhance their power.

Since it could be synthesized with a higher-level skill as the center...

It was a good ability with endless possibilities depending on how it was used.

And the unique characteristic, Necromancy...

[Can raise an undead from the surroundings using the soul of the dead. The level of the undead is proportional to the quality and quantity of the consumed spirits.]

The newly added ability was quite interesting.

It finally seemed like a fitting ability for the ominous name 'Necromancy'.

"Necromancy should have a summoning ability."

It was a power I had guessed would eventually appear, but I obtained it as a benefit of the halo.

It was a perfectly fitting ability.

Well, if I prioritized utility, the effect of raising an undead was not bad either.

There was no loss in any aspect.

However, the regret was that I couldn't test this skill immediately.

"The effect description is ambiguous, so it would be difficult to use it casually in the waiting room."

The maintenance time of the raised undead or how the remains would be handled was unclear.

If I used it in the current waiting room, I might end up in a troublesome situation.

If I summoned a decaying corpse, it would be problematic in many ways.

Since I couldn't discard anything in this waiting room, the only way to clean up would be to stuff it into my inventory...

But with the limited inventory slots, I didn't want to test the ability immediately.

'I can use it in other trials or in reality later.'

It was also time to return, so there was no need to test the ability immediately.

However,

"Skill Synthesis is different."

It was a perfect ability to test immediately, so there was no hesitation.

Raising my will as if using a unique characteristic, a hologram soon appeared before my eyes.

"Unique power 'Skill Synthesis' is activated."

"Reviewing the skill list."

"Please choose the skills to be used as synthesis materials from the current skills."

-High-Speed Regeneration

-Pain Resistance

-Burn Resistance

-Contempt for the Weak

-Hunter's Dagger Technique

-Combat Speed

-Ranger's Discipline

...

Seeing quite a variety of skills, I felt a bit pleased.

In the past, I often lamented the lack of skills, but now I had acquired this many.

'I've definitely grown a lot.'

Of course, having many types of skills doesn't necessarily mean they are good, so I didn't get overly confident.

"Hmm, what should I synthesize..."

There were unexpectedly many useful skills, making it difficult to decide.

Pain Resistance was used quite often, and High-Speed Regeneration was a precious skill.

Since I didn't know the result of the synthesis, I couldn't combine skills carelessly.

'A skill that won't be a waste to use for synthesis and seems good...'

I slowly scanned the list and found some good options.

-Contempt for the Weak

-Combat Speed

'Both are skills that aren't used much...'

Contempt for the Weak and Combat Speed were both skills that weren't used much.

The former could only be used against opponents weaker than me.

The latter only activated when I was in an extreme situation.

Since my combat style was based on agility, the latter was especially useless.

Moreover, since they were skills I obtained without much difficulty, I could accept it even if the synthesis failed.

'Well, it would be nice if it turned out to be a big success...'

But I didn't expect much.

Originally, when I became a player and believed I would soon become a Hunter...

'I expected to become a Hunter soon, but it ended up being a miserable failure.'

I didn't want to relive the disappointment of not being able to increase my abilities for seven years.

To avoid such a situation, it was important not to have expectations in the first place.

"The levels of the synthesis materials are the same."

"Please choose the skill that will be the center of the synthesis."

It seemed that for skills of the same level, the center of synthesis could also be designated.

I remembered this minor information and chose a suitable skill to be the center.

'Contempt for the Weak might be better than Combat Speed.'

"The skill 'Contempt for the Weak' is being used as the center for the synthesis."

"The probability of synthesizing a higher-level skill is 80%."

"Do you want to proceed with the synthesis?"

Of course, the choice was already decided.

"The skill synthesis is complete."

And at that moment, the message appeared.

"A new skill is being created...!"

A brilliant golden light, as if dripping, burst forth from the message that appeared before my eyes.