NOVEL NEXT Chap 40: FIRST SKILL FUSION.
The journey was relatively calm. During the hours before setting up camp, the group mostly discussed their plans upon arriving at Marril City, the main city within their territory.
I listened the entire way while playing with my Imra, trying to harden it in specific areas, attempting to grab my toy spiked ball while holding it in my hand. Apparently, Camux noticed because he occasionally gave me cheerful or critical looks, but he made no comments about my performance.
"Are you sure, Maki? You can share my tent if you'd like," Cris asked again, hoping I'd sleep with him.
"Don't worry. The carriage seats are very comfortable." Cris and Sol's tents are identical, suitable for one person to sleep comfortably, but a bit cramped for two. Camux also offered to share his tent, which is for three people, but I politely declined since he seemed busy reading some documents.
Before bed, I played a little with my Imra and Mana, creating constructions to cover specific parts of my body. After about an hour, I got bored and closed my eyes for a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, I woke up as early as usual. I peeked out the window—Cris and Sol's tents were still shut; they were probably still sleeping. I could see a faint light coming from the Baron's tent and heard some of the workers starting to stir.
I stepped out of the carriage and walked a bit to relieve myself. Since the sky was still dark, I activated my pseudo domain to avoid getting lost or tripping. They had a portable toilet for all uses, but I didn't want to make noise, so I didn't use it.
Upon returning, I noticed the soldiers were preparing breakfast for themselves and us, while others were packing up the large shared tents.
"I need to make use of this time." I slipped back into the carriage quietly—it was practice time.
I began with my Malleable Mana construction, using it along the contour of my hand where I'm most familiar. As I built it, I left small gaps in the structure to inject my Imra. Those channels were crude and rough—they needed refinement, but they served their purpose for now.
I had to activate my cold mind to concentrate on the task. It was difficult to push my Imra into the construction; both resisted one another.
Fighting my own abilities with the perseverance of a knight, an idea came to me. What if I thought of this construction as part of my body? I had always visualized it as a knight's armor—maybe that was the issue.
I tried shifting the focus of my skill. After a few attempts, the Imra began to seep into my construction. I could feel it strengthening the interior, giving it a different kind of consistency.
Excited, I lost focus—and the Imra began to escape. "Damn it." I started over, this time with renewed confidence.
Almost an hour later and after many failed attempts, I finally did it. My Imra completely infiltrated the mana construction. They were two separate things, yet they had become one.
Then, I heard the emotionless woman's voice in my head again:
Do you want to learn the skill: Imra Manipulation (II)?
I felt a little disappointed—it wasn't a fusion of both skills. Shaking off the pessimism, I accepted the skill with genuine happiness.
Compatibility detected between: Malleable Mana (II) and Imra Manipulation (II). Would you like to fuse them?
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What? This was the first time I had the option to fuse two skills. My grandmother had mentioned something like this before, but it had never happened to me. My mind went blank. All I could focus on was whether to accept or decline. I took a moment to calm down and think.
I saw no reason not to fuse them. I didn't want to ask Baron Camux for personal reasons, so I had only one option: accept the fusion and not let it go to waste.
I accepted, with a mix of doubt and high expectations. Moments later, another mental notification arrived:
By fusing Malleable Mana (II) and Imra Manipulation (II), you have obtained: Fortified Construction (III)
MY FIRST RANK (III) SKILL!
I nearly screamed with excitement inside the carriage, covering my mouth to muffle my joy as I squirmed like a happy worm in the seat.
The emotion was hard to control. I activated Cold Mind to calm myself. That skill also gained a point thanks to the intense concentration required earlier—it's just one level away from Rank (II).
I tested out my newly acquired skill and noticed an enormous difference. The casting time was faster, the consistency stronger, and the difficulty of integrating Imra had dropped significantly. It was now a useful combat skill.
The only thing left was to reduce the reconstruction time when shifting the ability to different parts of my body.
I kept experimenting with different methods. The improvement wasn't limited to using both elements together; even separately, my skills reacted more quickly to my thoughts when forming constructs with just Mana, and I could move my Imra more fluidly as well.
I practiced for a few more minutes until I heard the tents of Sol, Cris, and Camux opening. That was my cue to stop and step out of the carriage to greet them.
Sol and Cris were still groggy, barely alive from waking up early. Camux, on the other hand, was yawning a bit but looked energetic and in high spirits.
We had breakfast together on the ground, picnic-style, on a blanket. It was a decent meal, though I couldn't help but compare it to our chef's cooking back home—which still came out on top in taste.
Once finished, we packed everything up and got ready to leave. According to our estimates, we should reach Marril City in two more days.
The trip had been pretty boring for us. From time to time, we stopped due to attacks by grade one or two monsters—rarely grade three.
The problem was—THEY WON'T LET ME FIGHT!
I just want to help take down monsters. It's not just about being bored…
"Uncle Camux, can I help during the next monster attack? I don't like feeling useless." I tried to sound motivated and eager to help—hoping that would help my case.
"Do you have experience fighting monsters?" He lifted his eyes from some documents to look at me. His gaze was evaluating my reaction, and I could feel his Imra brushing against mine. He didn't look angry, just curious.
"Yes. I've fought some monsters before—I have a bit of experience." I decided to be completely honest to increase my chances.
"And I'm also just... bored. I'll sound like an old man saying this, but I need to move my bones and muscles—I need some action." I lowered my gaze, a bit embarrassed by Cris and Sol's stares. Sol looked confused, while Cris gave me a nod of approval.
Uncle Camux burst out laughing, covering his face. "Your father wasn't exaggerating when he said you're obsessed with training—you never like staying still."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds. Then, after a dramatic pause, he answered:
"Alright, you can join them." I celebrated internally, but before I could thank him, he continued:
"Under a few conditions. The captain will stay close to you at all times. If it gets dangerous, you're to retreat to where the others are immediately. And your safety comes before everything else."
"I agree to all of those conditions, Uncle Camux." They were no different from the conditions I had when hunting back in Mancor. I understood them well—and I'd already experienced one close call I'd rather not repeat.
"I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you. Your mother would probably hunt me across the continent just to beat me up." With a small chuckle, he returned to his reports. Cris was also reading something, and Sol had already closed her eyes for another nap.
With my uncle's approval, all I had to do was wait for the next monster attack. I had to stay alert when the carriage slowed down—since these were low-grade monsters, we didn't stop completely; we just reduced our speed to save time.
I activated my pseudo domain to stay aware of any changes—I didn't want to miss the action. Following Sol's example, I closed my eyes for a short nap. Even though I was eager to train, I shouldn't miss the chance to rest.
I fell asleep—and jolted awake when I sensed the guards from the other carriage moving quickly. The speed was decreasing—it was my moment. Let's move this body!