To this day , there was undeniably something missing in the skillset of Edge of Arcadia : it completely lacked any integration with Vivi . In contrast , he’d just gotten Love’s Bond] when evolving to E-grade , and it had been a major inspiration to Fetters of Desolation . His first skill , Blighted Cut] , even required him to use chains .
His two combat styles had been harmonized after figuring out his path in the Orom World , but the result meshed better with his Draugr class . Since day one , Alea and her chains had been an integral part of his Draugr toolkit . Meanwhile , Vivi was a much later addition .
He’d barely stepped into the path of Pure Life when he evolved , and it’d be years before he crystallized his Evolutionary path . In other words , Zac wanted to add a skill that incorporated the thoughts and concepts of how his Evolutionary Stance used armaments . Doing so would have multiple benefits . First of all , it would better tune his skillset , and thus class options , to his path . Secondly , it would allow him to create something that was missing in his class .
A persistent skill .
Edge of Arcadia was currently carried by a couple of incredibly destructive skills with long cooldowns . Hit fast , hit hard , and leave nothing behind . But when he’d expended Arcadia’s Judgement] , Rapturous Divide] , and Arcadian Crusade] , he didn’t have much to rely on except Nature’s Edge] and his high mobility with Earthstrider] and Ancestral Woods] . A persistent skill would broaden his toolkit significantly .
He wasn’t planning on shifting the focus of the class , though . Zac still liked Edge of Arcadia’s explosive nature ; it suited his personality . He rather wanted to form a persistent skill that filled the same function as Vivi . To restrict and force openings . After all , his opponents were only growing more powerful , and it was becoming harder and harder to land his finishing blows . Life and Conflict . Rebirth and destruction . Zac didn’t want a cage like Profane Seal] . He wanted a tidal wave of violence that cut off all escape .
Zac had tinkered with a Skill Fractal for almost a decade since he started working on his blueprint . Some of the Lost Plane lake water had gone into setting a foundation , and he’d filled in the gaps over the years since . Now that he sat surrounded by the warrior vines , something crystallized . It wasn’t exactly what he’d planned for , but it was close . And better . Zac didn’t hesitate at all in following the surge of inspiration . This was why he was ready to pay so much , to the point he risked being pushed down an echelon . This was a chance to push his skill to become something uniquely terrifying and deadly .
In fact , he wanted to go even further .
Two inlaid boxes appeared in Zac’s lap . Inside one was a slightly dried mushroom he’d found in the caves at the bottom of the Twilight Chasm . It looked like it was dying , but it exuded a vast aura of Life . Not only that , it voraciously swallowed the ambient energy in the square to rapidly regenerate .
The other box held a single stalk of grass . It was almost half a meter long and looked more like a sword than an herb . Zac felt like he would be split apart just from looking at it , and the vines near the circle shied away . At the same time , his blood and adrenaline surged like he’d swallowed a berserking treasure . Every cell in his body urged him to take action , to grab the stalk and split the Heavens themselves .
The stalk was one of the best Natural Treasures Kruta had found during his travels on the battlefields . Kruta had been worried about his insufficient funds after missing out on the Fate Kernel , so Zac had taken the opportunity to buy the stalk and some other Conflict-attuned materials . It helped improve his stockpiles of Conflict-attuned materials , which were vastly inferior to his accumulations for Life and Death . Zac had initially planned on keeping the stalk as a main material for his Core Formation , but he realized the stalk had another use—to force inspiration .
Two minutes passed , and the mushroom had recovered to its original state after having been stowed away for the better part of two decades . It was an inferior alternative to the bulbous treasure he’d used to create Pillars of Desolation] . However , between his far stronger foundations , the environment , and his improved Daos , Zac hoped to recreate the miracle of that day .
He’d accumulated for decades , all to get his hands on a second Supreme Pathbound skill .
46
RECREATING A MIRACLE
It was a shame Cosmic Infusion] didn’t work when you wanted to extract the essence of Natural Treasures for personal use . Zac opted to rely on his tried and true method of cramming things down his gullet . It hadn’t failed him yet .
Zac wound the stalk around the mushroom before cramming it into his mouth . An explosion of three distinct flavors greeted him : an earthy yet delicious flavor from the mushroom , a minty taste from the stalk , and iron from his mouth filling with blood . The stalk was incredibly sharp and had opened dozens of wounds , but Zac ignored the sting as he chewed and swallowed .
The effect was immediate , and Zac’s mind expanded to the size of a galaxy . The very Heavens could have been descending to greet him , and he raised his hand to touch the Dao . Of course , the Heavens weren’t actually there , but moving his fingers through the energy-dense environment was enough to fill him with inspiration and new ideas .
The Evolutionary Soul in Zac’s aperture lit up like a Christmas tree and began to spin furiously like a motor pushed into overdrive . The Inexorable Core couldn’t withstand the pressure and was pushed to the side , hiding away while its sibling went crazy . Zac did nothing to stop the madness . He was fully occupied with running his plans and ideas through the filter of his temporary enlightenment .
And the momentum of decades of preparation combined with a raging sea of synthetic insight urged him on . Zac securely held a corner of the Dao in his hand with utmost clarity that shed its light on all points of hesitation . He couldn’t wait any longer . He needed to create , to usher an expression of his vision into the world .
Dozens of mental streams entered the large emerald , and Zac located the mysterious space within . He had no idea whether the emerald was a Natural Treasure or an array , but it was far beyond his Fractal Framework Arrays] .
The gemstone empowered and improved every stream of consciousness , and Zac had never felt so in control of his mind . Each string became a master artisan’s brush , and an intricate tapestry of patterns started to appear within the arranged space . The emerald was incredible , a tool truly worthy of his undertaking . It didn’t only hold the patterns in place while Zac added to the fractal , it nourished and perfected them .
Zac was filled with visions of destruction as he engraved the first sections . Golden roots of endless potential breaking out of the ground , the seas , and the sky . They were everywhere where life existed . They weren’t guardians or adjudicators . They were an expression of the primal truths of evolution . Rebirth through destruction and survival of the fittest . They cut down all opposition with ruthlessness and an efficiency worthy of a hardened veteran .
Cutting , stabbing , binding , consuming . Anything that entered his domain was prey , nourishment to his path . More patterns joined the first , like petals unfurling on a flower . He needed speed . He needed regeneration . He needed unyielding persistence . The more you gave , the more you’d get back . Right now , it was almost impossible to exhaust his Cosmic Energy in his human form , wasting the potential of his unusually large energy stockpiles . This skill would change that .
In seconds , whole sections of the Skill Fractal were finished thanks to his sudden ability to multitask . Furthermore , Zac constantly received detailed feedback telling him of imbalances and imperfections . One man and a gemstone formed a perfect partnership as increasingly complex patterns appeared on the fractal .