The Final Desperation

{Battle has ended. Major world event detected.}

{Increasing battle significance...}

{Recalculating contributions...}

{Subsiding rewards...}

{Calculations finished. Releasing contribution rankings.}

Enigma: 28%

7156: 27%

Stella: 24%

Jonas Von Neumann: 21%

{Distributing rewards...}

[You have slain Igora, the Forsaken Revolutionary.]

[Your maximum energy has increased by 100 points.]

[You have obtained: 600 realm coins.]

[You have obtained: Injection of Fate (Revolutionary)]

[You have obtained: Arc of Destiny (42%)]

[Injection of Fate (Revolutionary)]

Rating: Epic (Quasi-Legendary)

Type: Consumable

Effect: Upon use, fully restores health and grants +4 to all attributes for 10 minutes.

Description: A serum distilled from the world energy contained in a Child of Fate's body after death. It possesses unimaginable properties and causes no side effects.

Note 1: This is a guaranteed drop when you kill a world's protagonist.

Note 2: This serum cannot be replicated by artificial means. Please don't even try.

Note 3: This serum is divided into four equal parts, reducing its rating and potency by 1.5 stages. Please collect them all if you want to experience the injection's full effects.

[Arc of Destiny (42%)]

Rating: Legendary

Type: Crafting material

Effect: Reforge a piece of equipment with this item to upgrade it.

Description: A stone condensed from a large portion of Igora's destiny. It has neutral attributes and is compatible with most power systems. Upon use, it will greatly elevate an item's potential and breathe new life into its properties. Use it wisely.

Between these notifications, Genji noticed a strange detail: Stella was included in the rewards list. If it had only been the contribution list, he could have dismissed it as {Eternal Void} being thorough, but the injection of fate being divided into four portions told a different story. The only way this could be possible was if she were still alive.

This was, honestly, not too surprising, since they were champions and had backup plans in case they lost the battle. They hadn't gone into the fight blind, betting everything on victory—that would have been stupid.

Genji himself had a [Golden Substitution Doll] he could have used if he hadn't attained intent manifestation at the last moment.

Stella had simply been unlucky enough to be forced to use hers.

"Will you come out, or is this goodbye?" Genji probed, unsure if Stella was still in the area.

Upon hearing these words, the ground shook lightly, cracking open to reveal a rock golem the size of a small child. The golem, sporting Stella's starry earrings, clumsily climbed out and rolled its eyes at Genji.

"Some sniper you are," Stella grumbled. "Practically soloed the fight toward the end."

"Can't blame me for trying," Genji replied with a shrug. "Gotta keep some trump cards on hand. I assume you're not struggling with the poison anymore?"

"I have much bigger problems than that. My body's completely destroyed! It's going to cost me an arm and a leg to fix!" Stella exclaimed.

"At least you can fix it," Genji replied as he tended to Jonas and 7156. "It's only 20 tokens."

"It's only 20 tokens," Stella repeated sarcastically. "How rich do you think I am?!"

"But you can't deny it's worth it. Now I'd appreciate it if you quiet down and give me some space to stabilize their wounds."

Stella let out a loud "Hphm" at him before sitting off to the side alone.

As for his patients, 7156 gave him an appreciative nod when he got up, while Jonas ran around him like a hyperactive kid.

After shutting down several overly excited compliments, Genji plugged his ears and asked him to stay away for the rest of their time. That was the one saving grace about Jonas's ability - it won't take effect unless a recipient conceptually acknowledges it.

Thus, their time in this world came to an end.

Settlement: Tumultuous Frontier

Achievements:

Wiped out several notorious bandit groups (3)

Cleaned up a considerable amount of nightly crawlers (5)

Rooted out a handful of witches hiding in society (3)

Helped Old Bill with his troubles (2)

Resolved the problems plaguing an unnamed town (2)

Defeated the Dreadnaught of Forbodance (2)

Evacuated a town under danger

Wiped out the dreadnaughts invading said town (3)

Defeated the Dreadnaughts of War, Purgatory, and Pain (5)

Killed many witches in the frontier (10)

Destroyed a witch settlement disguised as a normal town (3)

Destroyed one of Xyrela's town traps (3)

Culled Xyrela's mountain coven (5)

Slain High Witch Xyrela (5)

Destroyed numerous settlements posing as normal villages in the frontier (25)

Reached Salem

Participated in the siege against the 'Cannibal' (3)

Broke the seal on Igora (2)

Fought and defeated Igora (7)

Started the downfall of the Resenment Power System in this world (5)

Completed the Slaughter achievement

(counts as a trial badge)

Completed the Executioner achievement

(counts as a trial badge)

Completed the Exterminator achievement

(counts as a trial badge)

Broke through your limits and achieved the realm of Intent Manifestation (3)

Total Achievements: 101

Total World Time: 40 Days

Rating: Nightmare

Note: You did everything you needed and more, condensing what should have been a long crusade into a single world progress. EverRealms looks highly upon your potential.

Coins Rewarded: 217 (after healing costs)

Stat Points: 32 (This is the limit of this world)

[Extraordinary accomplishment detected. Rewarding a custom forging opportunity.]

Without hesitation, Genji took out the two [Solidified Energy Diamonds], the nearly full [Essence Distilling Prism], the newly obtained [Arc of Destiny (42%)], and finally, the suboptimal [Curse Bearer]. He submitted all these items and watched EverRealm do its work.

The energy diamonds melted into a viscous liquid and merged with the fluid inside the energy prism. Once homogeneous, the coating enclosed the flintlock and slowly seeped into its structure, saturating it from the inside out.

When all the liquid had been absorbed, the [Arc of Destiny] broke down into golden specks of dust that swirled through the air before sinking into the weapon's frame. Each particle left a faint white mark on the surface, eventually culminating in a chaotic blend of black and white.

The surrounding space then heated to immense temperatures, warping the light and turning the gun a molten red. The heat persisted for several more minutes before cooling, allowing a sleek stream of oil to temper the material. Large plumes of smoke filled the void, but EverRealm's careful control ensured none of it reached Genji.

The procedure repeated itself two more times until all the materials were thoroughly emulsified, leaving only a deep obsidian black. EverRealm applied a final coat of finish before lowering the product to Genji.

[Curse Eater's Mark]

Rating: Legendary

Damage: 35 (+10)

Durability: 150/150 (+100)

Requirements: 60 Con, 60 Int, 60 Spc, 45 Dex

Bullet Charges: 4/4 (+2)

Effects:

Curse Bullets (Passive): Shoots cursed bullets that inflict debuffs. Debuffs include, but are not limited to: weakness, lowering defense, weakening perception, and amplifying any already existing status effects. Effects will stack with each consecutive hit. Regenerates 1 bullet/30 seconds. (Recharge time: -30 seconds)

Backup Chamber (Active): Refresh all bullet charges. 15-minute cooldown. (Upgraded version of Side Chamber, Cooldown: +10 minutes)

Condensed Shot (Active): Fuse up to 8 bullet charges into a single shot. When fusing more than 4 charges, Backup Chamber must be off cooldown. Cooldown: 5 minutes. (Upgraded version of Big Bullet. Cooldown: -25 minutes)

Energy Bullets (Passive): You can replenish your bullet charges with energy. 100 energy/charge. Bullets formed this way will not trigger any debuffs.

Curse Eater (Passive): Can devour curse energy to grow stronger. +50% damage when feasting. Reduce the effects of all incoming curses by 50%.

Firearm Assimilation (Active): This mark can assimilate different firearms to replicate their forms. Each form will provide a different bonus to this weapon. Capacity: 1/3

Current available forms:

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Flintlock (Base form): Ignores world restrictions and equipment sealing effects.

Empty Slot: bonus to be determined.

Empty Slot: bonus to be determined.

Description: The apex predator of all curses. Now, it doesn't just bear the burden of your curses, but devours them. With it, you can dominate all matchups against curse users. Such is the unreasonable existence that is the Curse Eater.

Note: "I fear no man. But he… he scares me." - Every curse user ever.

It was a major upgrade, elevating the firearm from a tertiary weapon to a potential main one. It was that powerful, but that was expected given the materials used in the upgrade. After all, Genji had slaughtered his way through an entire world for them. The result had better be worth all the effort he had put in.

Next came his legacy items. But unlike the usual blue upgrade lights he was used to, his cloak flickered with a golden sheen. It was only his cloak; his daggers proceeded as normal, but he could sense a profound transformation occurring within his prized shroud.

The upgrade also took significantly longer. By the time his daggers were finished, the glow around his cloak was still growing brighter. By now, even the most ignorant person could tell that something extraordinary was happening.

Until finally, the radiance dimmed, and Genji was presented with his legacies' new stats.

[Lethal Opportunity]

Rating: High Legendary

Damage: 49 (+1)

Durability: 525/525 (+10)

Effects:

Growth (passive): (no change)

Occam's Razor (passive): +73 sharpness (+3)

Nigh Unbreakable (passive): +275 durability (+10)

Spiritual Attunement (active/passive): You can transform these daggers into a phantom form and store them inside your mind space.

Legacy Liberation: Deadly Severance

+40 Sharpness for 90 seconds. Wounds inflicted during this duration can't be healed for 25 seconds. Cooldown of 1 month. (+5 Sharpness)

Description: On the verge of breaking through. It just needs a slight nudge.

[Shroud of Terror]

Rating: High Legendary

Defense: 50 (+2)

Durability: 350/350 (+30)

Effects:

Growth (Passive): (no change)

Undetectable (Passive): Medium priority stealth

Shadow Blur (Passive): 2x speed. Reduced the strain of high-speed movements by 5%. Medium Priority. (Replaces Untraceable Movement. Speed multiplier: -1x, Strain reduction: +5%)

Like a Feather (Toggleable): Reduces the effects of gravity by 95% on command. (active skill to toggleable passive)

Essence of Terror (Passive): Gain maximum energy stats from kills.

Terror Reinforced (Passive): Recover a small amount of shadow energy from kills. Range: 8 meters (Range: +2 meters)

Legacy Liberation: Terror Unleashed

+80% energy intensity for 5 minutes. Cooldown of 1 month. (Energy intensity: +5%)

Description: A cloak that has reached new heights. Its skills have now been optimized for your convenience.

The changes to [Shroud of Terror] might seem underwhelming at first glance, but they should not be underestimated. Take Like A Feather, for example: it can now be used anytime he wants, instead of being restricted by a cooldown, greatly expanding its potential applications.

One such use is to extend his airtime, which opens up its own variety of possibilities. He can use it to catch opponents off guard, scale complicated terrain, or even achieve temporary flight with Bruce's help. That's not to mention all the techniques he can develop with this advantage.

Then there is Shadow Blur, which replaced Untraceable Movement. While its speed multiplier is lower than before, Shadow Blur has a key advantage over Untraceable Movement: the addition of burden reduction at high speeds.

With his mastery of Flashstep, it's often not his top speed that limits him, but the amount of force his body can withstand in a single burst. By reducing this strain, he can effectively boost his speed without drawbacks.

The most significant property of burden reduction, however, is that it's now a quantifiable stat, meaning it can be upgraded in the future. Who's to say it won't become absolutely broken later on?

Beyond these visible changes, Genji also felt a subtle shift in his cloak's texture. While the fabric was as supple and smooth as ever, he noticed a fleeting resistance when he squeezed it, almost as if the material stiffened under pressure before relaxing again. In scientific terms, his cloak had acquired non-Newtonian properties, able to adjust its behavior according to the circumstances

Genji tested the limits of this adaptation and concluded that the property was comprehensive. Against sharp objects, it hardened like armor, while against blunt strikes, it gained a flexible quality that helped disperse the impact. With this trait, it was fair to say his passive defenses had reached a new level.

Although he hadn't tested its behavior at high velocities, he had no doubt it would adapt well. That raised the question: what had caused this transformation? Excluding skill changes and minor numerical increases, only one candidate remained: the defensive stat.

'Is 50 points also a major benchmark for equipment?' He speculated.

It made sense upon further consideration. If living beings can have their cutoff points, why can't equipment?

It just hadn't been mentioned until now because the 20-point benchmark is the dividing line between everyday weapons and having special effects—something most had taken for granted after experiencing a few supernatural worlds.

'Whatever the answer is, I'll find out next world.'

Genji accepted these notifications, and EverRealm teleported him back to his room, where he took a big nap.

Half a day later, he woke up feeling refreshed and noticed an unread notification in his inbox.

[Your invitee, nicknamed "Mechanic", has received the rank: Servant with special permissions.]

[The 6-month observation period will now begin.]

Servants with special permissions—a unique destination for those with valuable skills but low combat strength. On paper, they are considered servants, but in reality, EverRealm gives them the same care as it does an Enforcer. They are valuable assets; with enough nurturing, they will become helpful auxiliary staff for higher-ranked members.

'But still, of all names, he chooses that one? Can't he be even a little more creative?' He mused as he sent the man a message, arranging a time to meet up.

Mechanic: I'm available right now. Here's my address.

Enigma: Alright, heading over.

A few minutes later, Genji strolled into the mechanic's room, which had been revamped into a makeshift workshop. Upon seeing him, the mechanic put down the contraption he had been tinkering with and gestured for Genji to take a seat.

"I need another sniper and a shotgun," Genji stated as he pulled up a chair.

"Huh? What gives? Didn't I already make you one?"

"It got destroyed," Genji answered bluntly.

"Against what?!? No one should have been able to hit you from that far away!" The man exclaimed, exasperated by the news.

"Against a certain witch ancestor. You don't need to worry about the details. Just know the witches are in decline, and it's only a matter of time before they go extinct."

The mechanic paused, reflecting on the full implications of Genji's statement, before letting out an amazed sigh. "That's one hell of a piece of news to spring on me. Fine, give me the schematics."

Genji drew up his designs and explained the purpose behind each component. The mechanic listened attentively and asked many questions to ensure he fully understood them. Once finished, the mechanic said, "Hold on, before you leave, do you still have some of that heavy metal you showed me back then?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'll use it to build your firearms."

"Can you lift it?" Genji asked.

The mechanic responded with a toothy grin and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, the contraption beside him dissolved into liquid metal and flowed upward just beneath his hand. He waved his hand around, molding the liquid into a new gadget before releasing his control. "Tada, metal bending. Quite a nifty talent, don't you think?"

"Yes, it suits you well," Genji agreed as he took out all his [Soul-Infused Metal]. "Then I'll leave it to you. You can keep the extra. Consider it my welcoming gift and payment to you."

"Then I'll thank you ahead of time. Come back at the end of the month for them."

Genji nodded and departed from the room before heading to the Strengthening Hall to apply his newly acquired stat points.

[Enigma]

Health: 33,740/33,740 (Con x 250 x 1.2 + 14,240. Increase of 1,500.)

Energy: 6,150/6,150 (Int x 50 + 2900 from cloak. Increase of 550.)

Con: 56 → 61 + (1 + 3) = 65

Str: 57 → 61 + (1 + 2) = 64

Dex: 56 → 63 + (1) = 65

Int: 58 → 65

Spc: 60 → 69

[Shadow Devour]

Effect: Consume at least 1,000 points of energy to construct a vortex that shreds anything it touches.

Damage Breakdown (no change):

Deals (30 x energy used) as damage

If this hits a weak point, multiply the damage by 4x and inflict 1.5% of total damage on the soul

If this hits a fatal spot, execute the target directly and destroy their soul

Bonus Effects:

Exponential growth: Continuously increase the damage coefficient by 10% every second. (Takes 6.93 seconds to double in power, only applies when channeling all four concepts)

Rampage Mode: Lower the damage output to 30%, and enter a continuous killing state. After each kill, wait 3.5 seconds or spend 100 energy to replenish the lost power.

Projectile Coating: You can attach the vortex to a projectile at 50% of its original power.

- Swift Steps (Grandmaster 2% → 6%)

- Parrying (Grandmaster 3% → 5%)

- Firearms (Grandmaster 26.8% → 35%)

- Total Weapon Mastery (Grandmaster 29.4% → 33.6%)

- Stealth (Grandmaster 86% → 89%)

- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Supreme 7% → 15%)

- Dodging (Supreme 12.3% → 16.4%)

- Dagger Mastery (Supreme 43% → 51%)

Genji hadn't sold off his loot yet, so he held off on any mastery upgrades for now. Next, he headed to the Training Hall to adjust to his new stats and practice his cutting intent.

He started with the basics, cycling through routine movements as a warm-up before moving on to his dagger arts. Genji flashed across the room in quick succession, leaving afterimages using nothing but his physical strength. Then he incorporated normal cutting intent into his slashes, pausing after each repetition to carefully sense the changes.

Compared to before, his intent now flowed smoother and was more responsive to sudden directional changes, allowing him to react that much faster. It was a joy to control.

Afterward, he closed his eyes and recalled the feeling of manifesting his intent. The air around him began to stir, flowing counterclockwise in a gentle breeze. But before he could delve any deeper into this state, his stamina and mental spirit bottomed out, causing the manifestation to collapse.

There was a good reason why this state was considered an ultimate move, because it truly consumed as many resources as one, despite using only physical strength and mental focus to cast.

This detail is only made more evident by the Training Hall's technique multiplier, which demanded an equal amount of energy. With his current stats, Genji could not sustain 81 intent manifestations at once.

Genji recovered his strength and did some mental calculations. Based on the energy drain, he estimated he could unleash Intent Manifestation seven or eight times before exhausting himself. To verify this theory, he moved to the 9x multiplier room and tried again.

A few seconds later, a raging hurricane formed within the room, followed immediately after by Genji slouching over with his hands on his knees, panting like a drenched rat.

'I can push 10 if I really force it,' he determined. 'But that's excessive. I'm better off developing 1 or 2 moves to optimize this boost.'

Genji spent the next few days doing exactly that and produced 2.5 possible finishers for any situation.

The first was a wide-area attack inspired by Igora's very own, intended for battlefields involving large armies. It dealt relatively moderate damage among intent manifestations, had high coverage, and was perfect for mowing down numerous foes weaker than him. He called this attack the Army Decimating Slash.

Next was a large, single-target attack capable of felling any behemoth standing in his way. Whether it be mountains or seas, he shall proceed with the determination to cut down anything. Thus, he created Cleaving Mountains, Splitting Seas.

Finally, he optimized Stealth Dagger for his intent manifestation, creating a precise, surgical blade capable of breaking through even the hardest defenses like a hot knife through butter. The technique had no specialties—just pure cutting power.

Since the underlying principles were the same as the intent compression he used in his final exchange against Igora, he didn't have to create a new technique from scratch, making the process significantly easier.

The only reason it was considered half a technique was that most of the intent leaked when he tried to compress it into his dagger, preventing it from reaching its full potential. It was essentially a flawed technique until he resolved that issue.

However, doing so would be much harder than it sounded, as it required full mastery of intent manifestation—in other words, reaching 99.99% of Supreme Dagger Mastery, on the verge of breaking through.

Besides these, Genji had also refined his Dagger Arts to maximize the properties of his new cutting intent fully. Aside from Water Parry, which operated on different principles than "cutting," all the forms had undergone varying degrees of improvement.

The most significant of which was Cocoon, which had become more energy-intensive and gained a buffing effect on his next attack. Maybe it was due to the similar start-up it shared with his manifestation, but the two moves had resonated and begun to influence each other.

Essentially, it went from a pure defensive ability to a defensive ability with a miniature intent manifestation effect. While the boost wasn't as overwhelming as the latter, it won out in utility and flexibility. In any case, it had certainly cemented itself as a new staple in Genji's repertoire, alongside Flashstep, Nature's Harmony, and his Shadow Core.

Finally, his energy control had reached the level where he could attach shadow flames to his cutting intent. While it was limited to just 35 meters, it was a step in the right direction. After all, one of the possible upgrade paths for his 50-point talent promotion enabled this very feat.

Aside from these major improvements, Genji also gained an unexpected benefit from his energy control: he could now begin practicing the beasts' voice imitations. You know, the technique where they produce human voices using energy vibrations?

It wasn't directly impactful in combat, but it provided a convenient benchmark to measure his progress - a new past time, per se. Thus, his training came to a temporary end as he left to address his other responsibilities.