Hate Me, Miss Witch!

"In my vision, your new skill should still fall under the illusion system," Xaya explained, addressing the small white snow ferret perched on his shoulder. "However, unlike Tsukuyomi, the new skill Amaterasu will deal tangible damage—a combat skill."

"A flame born from the seams of illusion and fantasy, yet manifested into reality," he continued. "Once this flame touches the target, it burns perpetually, consuming them until nothing but ash remains. It's like an eternal, inextinguishable curse. Just imagine—how cool is that?"

In the icy expanse of a snowfield, Xaya casually grabbed a handful of snow, shaped it into a ball, and tossed it lightly. With a snap of his fingers, a small flicker of fire appeared out of thin air amidst the howling northern winds.

At first, the flame seemed ethereal, teetering between the realms of reality and fantasy. But in an instant, it solidified and intensified, melting the snowball in a flash.

On his shoulder, the snow ferret Silver watched the fire intently, its ruby-like eyes sparkling with excitement. Its bushy white tail coiled around Xaya's neck in anticipation, tickling his face.

"Chirp, chirp! (Master! Master! I want to learn this!)"

"Squee! (My combat skill! Finally!)"

Silver had long yearned for an offensive skill. As useful as Tsukuyomi was with its ability to control and confuse opponents, nothing beat the thrill of defeating an enemy head-on.

Its other basic skills—like Rend and Ice Blade—were too weak to make much of an impact. Against tanky, heavily-defensive beasts, Silver would often find itself clawing away futilely, even when the enemy was incapacitated by Tsukuyomi.

This frustration was compounded recently when Shiny—the once simple-minded, oversized rock golem—unlocked its potential. As a golden-furred time-and-space-type monkey, Shiny was not only adorable but boasted rare attributes. This left Silver with a sense of impending competition for its status as Xaya's top pet.

Learning Amaterasu was Silver's chance to secure its place as the number one companion. After all, who would expect a snowfield-born ferret to unleash devastating fire-based attacks? It was the ultimate ace in the hole.

"So, here I am, ready to teach you," Xaya said, shifting the eager ferret's tail off his neck to his shoulder.

"You've already trained with Tsukuyomi, so you know the drill. First, you need to visualize and simulate the concept to shape the foundation of the skill."

"Chirp, chirp! (Got it!)" Silver eagerly shut its eyes, attempting to envision flames.

But moments later, it opened them again, confused. As a creature native to icy tundras, it struggled to conjure the imagery of blazing infernos.

"Watch closely," Xaya said, anticipating this challenge.

Suddenly, Silver's eyes widened as it saw a vivid image materialize before it. A barren mountain range, scorched red and black, stretched out. Cracks in the ground glowed with flowing lava.

"This is Fire Mountain, where an ancient fire burns eternally unless quenched by the mythical Banana Fan," Xaya narrated. "Oh, and it's home to a Bull King—a powerful beast likely above the Emperor rank."

The scene shifted. The mountains vanished, replaced by a colossal golden crow soaring across the sky, leaving a trail of blazing fire that scorched everything below.

"This is the Golden Crow, a mythical embodiment of the sun. Legend says that if nine of them take flight together, they can reduce the world to ashes."

One surreal vision after another unfolded before Silver, enriching its understanding of flames. Its spiritual energy ebbed and flowed, processing the fiery imagery.

As time ticked on, something profound began to take root within Silver's soul—a seed of potential, faint but tangible.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Xaya , weary from the mental exertion, was about to suggest a break. Then, a notification chimed in his mind:

[Unregistered skill model detected.]

[Confirm consumption of three Skill Seeds to materialize this prototype?]

Xaya smirked. It had taken only one Skill Seed to create Tsukuyomi. Needing three this time meant that Amaterasu was a far more advanced and powerful ability.

Without hesitation, he confirmed.

[Three Skill Seeds consumed. Remaining Skill Seeds: 0.]

[Your pet Silver has learned Skill Prototype: Unnamed.]

A new entry appeared on Silver's ability panel:

[Prototype Skill: Unnamed]

[Attributes: Spirit, Fire]

[Rank: Unknown]

[Proficiency: None]

[Description: A prototype Spirit-Fire dual attribute skill. Requires a fire source to complete.]

[Note: The quality of the fire source will directly determine the skill's efficacy and power. Choose your extraordinary materials wisely.]

"As expected." Xaya scrutinized the description with mixed feelings. On one hand, the Amaterasu concept had successfully been brought to life. On the other, its completion required a high-grade fire material—something he knew would burn a hole in his wallet.

Silver, as an ice-aligned creature, couldn't generate flames independently. The skill required an external fire source, and its effectiveness depended on the quality of that source.

A flicker of concern crossed Xaya's face as he did the mental math. "To match Amaterasu's potential, the fire source needs to be at least Tier-4. For perfectionists like me, Tier-5 would be ideal…"

The thought of the cost made Xaya wince. "How many Rhine gold coins will this take?"

For now, all Xaya could do was sigh and begin planning his next steps—because in this extraordinary world, progress always came at a price.

___⇣__⇣__⇣__⇣__⇣___

Tip me on Ko-fi 👍

ko-fi.com/whtvr8256