Ascending Endlessly: I Copy Skills

As my mana passed through into the Central Data Engine, or at least the plane which I presumed to have that name, I tried my best to spread it out and extend it as far as possible. I wanted to see if I could feel anything with it rather than just an empty space.

However, I didn't feel anything with my mana. Instead, I was kicked out. What? My mana was expelled from the plane, as though a gust of wind had blown it away. How? Why did that happen? It was fine the last time, when I'd been uncovering the little girl's gate.

Confused, I tried again, slipping a few tendrils of mana once again into the plane. I shouldn't have done that. Whatever kicked me out did not want me there at all, because the instant I touched into the plane, I sensed an immense force with my mana. It wasn't something physical that I touched- rather, it felt like a mass of energy.

It grabbed onto my mana and started pulling it out from me. This was not good. I tried to cut off the flow, but it kept draining my mana. If it kept going, it could damage my gate. It was pulling out more than I could handle.

However, after a second, it stopped. I felt a split second of relief before fear washed over my body. What the hell was that? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to think. The mana it pulled out was then shot back towards me in a wave, forced through the plane and slamming me against the wall. It didn't really do any damage- however, within the mana was a 'will'. 

Maybe it was some kind of skill. I don't know. But whatever it was gave me a message. One that said,

'No.'

I panted, sweat pooling around my neck.

"What the hell was that..."

There was something incredible in that plane- something that was somehow layered directly above me. 

"If it had been more hostile, I could've been in a lot more danger..."

I felt incredibly terrified of whatever it was. It was a well of power so colossal that I couldn't even comprehend it. And even more terrifying was the fact that it could think.

From that moment on, I vowed not to tamper with any of the planes until I understood them more. If there were powerful, intelligent entities layered above us, it would be far too dangerous to poke around in their homes just for the sake of exploration.

I took some time to catch my breath. Whatever that was made even the Goliaths feel small. However, I had other matters to attend to. If I couldn't look into the other planes yet, so be it. There were plenty of things here on earth for me to take care of. 

I cleared my head and let my fear pass me by. By the time my panic and paranoia that it would possibly come through to this realm out of anger had passed, the sun was starting to rise. Even if it had scared me, it was valuable information, so I was able to move past the fear pretty well. 

I had something else to focus on. I looked out the window and waited for the sun to rise higher before checking out of my hotel and heading to the train station.

I arrived at the D-Rank dungeon early in the morning. It would give me plenty of time to practice. I had one more source of power that I had yet to explore, and that was the C-Rank skills I'd obtained by blowing up that group of ghouls.

It was time to experiment. I counted a total of twelve. Smiling to myself as I summoned them around me, I decided to give them each a try one at a time before I encountered any monsters. Then, I could farm for a bit of money so I could eat and sleep well for a few more nights, to create some batteries before returning to the C-Rank dungeon and dominating it. With this many C-Rank skills, it should be much easier.

I started casting them one by one. It was exhilarating. The power was amazing. It wasn't as destructive as my mana bomb, but these skills were far cheaper to use and had greater versatility. Of course, they were also quick to use and reliable.

There were quite a few simple attack skills, but a few of them were a little more defensive. This was primarily what I was looking for- skills that could either protect me or give me sustainability. I could hurt the ghouls, but I couldn't protect myself.

First was a teleportation skill. It was simple. I could teleport around twenty feet in any direction from where I stood. Teleportation skills were highly valuable since they were instant. It wasn't just a matter of speed; if you teleported, there wasn't a single attack that could outpace you.

Next was a skill which hardened the body. I wasn't entirely sure how it worked. Actually, I couldn't really get a grasp on how exactly any of these skills really worked. It was a question for another day. Still, using this skill could harden my body to feel like stone. It was a great defensive ability, and I could maintain it for a while before having to cast it again.

Third was potentially the most important. It was a super speed skill. It would accelerate my brain and increase my agility by a very large margin when in use. With this skill, I felt as though I would be able to entirely keep up with the ghouls.

The rest were all close range attack skills. There was one, for example, which would make a layer of incredibly hot mana coat my palms. Another would create a controllable set of claws in front of me which I could swing at will within a few feet.

Most of them were pretty similar in their use cases. Still, they were all incredibly useful. This would let me kill the ghouls without drawing more towards me. I felt like I was ready to conquer the C-Rank dungeon. Still, I took the rest of the day to hunt down some D-Rank monsters, first, I would need to produce as many mana batteries as I could. These C-Rank skills were much more expensive than the D-Rank ones. 

It would be hard for me to make the number which I would need in the future. This was going to become a problem. With every exponential increase in my skills' power, I would require an exponential increase in mana batteries. This could mean that I could end up spending weeks crafting batteries just to clear a dungeon once...

It wasn't good, but for now it was manageable. That was a problem for later. For now, I needed to finish up with C-Rank and move on to the B-Rank dungeons. That's where my power would start to become relevant. Starting with B-Rank, my value would really become apparent. After all, there were far fewer B-Rank hunters than C-Rank ones. 

Not only could real money start to be made, but I could start to obtain skills which would be more than just dense attack skills. There was a much wider variety within B-Rank. Of course, the difficulty would be greater, but that was fine for me. I could handle it, thanks to my jokers.

It was really amazing. The scaling power offered by this little deck of cards was unimaginable. If there was a realm even higher than S-Rank, I could probably surpass that, too. I finished up with my hunting for the day. I came back with a great haul of crystals. I could afford quite a bit more time to make batteries. On the way back home, I decided to stop and get some new clothes and a haircut.

It had been a while since I'd taken care of myself properly. It felt good to be in fresh, comfortable clothing and have my hair be less shaggy and ratty than it was, especially after the last several days of ridiculous experiences. I even decided to close off the night at a bath house. It was really nice. Soaking in the hot water, I could feel the tension which had built up in every one of my muscles fading away a bit.

'I really don't relax enough...'

It was true. I was a bit of a workaholic. I needed to learn how to take a break, not only for my mental strength but to maintain my body. Fortunately, I would have plenty of time to kick back and not do anything strenuous for a little while.

The stress which had condensed inside me felt a little better after freshening up and caring for myself. It was really important. I should do this more often. 

Feeling rejuvenated, I returned to the hotel and got myself a room for another week. I could now hunker down and craft batteries until it was time to ascend C-Rank.