Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"This was an unexpected turn of events. Makes me wonder what will happen in the future," Void mused, a sly smile curling his lips as he watched Jett vanish into the emptiness before him.

"Now then…" he muttered, turning his back to where Jett had been moments ago. The space around him was as it had always been: vast, endless, and void of any features or life. The oppressive emptiness stretched infinitely in every direction, a realm of pure nothingness.

Void's expression shifted, revealing a bit of boredom. "I really need to talk to more people," he sighed, his tone laced with exasperation.

*****

"Woah!" Jett gasped, jolting awake. His hands instinctively went to his head, the sensation of the projectile piercing through it still vividly fresh. It had felt so real, but to his relief, there wasn't a single scratch on him.

He blinked, taking in his surroundings. The dim, claustrophobic confines of his cell came back into focus, the cold stone walls a stark contrast to the surreal void he'd just left behind.

"That senile old geezer," Jett muttered under his breath, rubbing his temple as though to shake off the remnants of his experience. His eyes darted around the cell. "How long was I out, anyways?"

His attention shifted to the sound of footsteps outside his cell. Spotting one of the guards strolling by, Jett called out, "Hey, hey!"

The guard's expression immediately soured, clearly uninterested in entertaining any conversation. He quickened his pace, attempting to ignore Jett entirely.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Jett raised his voice, rattling the bars of his cell for emphasis. The metallic clang echoed through the corridor, stopping the guard in his tracks.

"What do you want?" the guard growled, his tone dripping with irritation as he turned to face Jett.

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"How long was I unconscious?" Jett asked, leaning casually against the bars.

The guard furrowed his brow and shrugged dismissively. "I don't know, a few minutes maybe?" Without waiting for a reply, he resumed walking. "Gosh, I don't get paid enough for this."

Jett watched the guard disappear down the hallway, his mind racing. "A few minutes?" he whispered, his expression shifting to one of intrigue. "So time really does move differently in there. Does he have some kind of time manipulation ability?"

The thought sparked a sudden realization, and his lips curved into a smirk. "If I trained in there… wouldn't my progress be so much better?"

It seemed like a promising idea, but Jett quickly shook the thought away. He had more pressing matters to consider. The flashes from before lingered in his mind, almost like fragments of an unlocked memory, and he felt an eagerness to uncover what they truly were.

Taking a deep breath, Jett accessed his skills, scrolling through the seemingly endless list of abilities he had accumulated over time. As he suspected, there was something new waiting for him.

[Dual Cultivation Level 1]

[An unfinished Technique from a talentless but mysterious entity named ???. Can only be mastered by those with both Mana and Aura.]

[Train both Mana and Aura simultaneously. Progress speed will increase by 10%. Every 10 levels adds an additional percentage.]

[Condition: Must not be moving and must be in a meditative state. Please note, this doesn't include sleeping.]

[Upgrade for better effects.]

"What the hell?" Jett muttered, staring at the description. "Another cheat skill? And it's passive with no real drawbacks apart from needing to stay still. That's hardly an issue since I don't even need much sleep after taking that recovery skill from Asher."

He chuckled, a mix of amazement and gratitude crossing his face. 'Thanks for that, Asher.'

Jett reread the skill description carefully, his analytical mind picking apart the finer details. "Progress speed increases by 10% per level, huh? If I push this far enough, the multiplier could make me unstoppable in both Mana and Aura control. And the condition's not even that bad, meditating beats sleeping, anyway. Plus, I've got skills to defend myself if anything catches me off guard."

He smirked, silently marveling at his own luck. "At this rate, I'll be too powerful before I even hit 30. Too bad I can't share this with the others, this is one of those skills that'd break the balance in a group."

His eyes narrowed as he read over the mention of the mysterious entity, "???". Something about it felt familiar yet frustratingly distant, like a memory just out of reach.

"Unfinished, huh?" Jett muttered, tapping his chin. "Whoever this 'talentless but mysterious entity' is… they clearly knew what they were doing. If I can upgrade this, the potential is insane."

'Well this will be fun.' The thought sent a thrill down his spine. Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him in the trials and the strange encounter with Void, he couldn't deny the excitement building within him.

As Jett's excitement bubbled up, a troubling thought suddenly crossed his mind.

'How the hell do I upgrade this skill anyway?'

*****

In WARBOUND, a select number of skills were categorized as upgradable skills. These differed significantly from standard abilities. While most skills remained stagnant or evolved slowly through repeated use, upgradable skills came with clearly defined levels and a guarantee of exponential improvement, provided the user could complete specific tasks or challenges tied to their progression.

These tasks often came in the form of quests or instructions. For example, a player might need to complete a dungeon, defeat a rare enemy, or survive a certain set of scenarios to push the skill to its next level or by simply crafting or owning an item. Once the criteria were met, the skill would automatically upgrade, with no room for ambiguity.

Jett had seen plenty of these types of skills before. They were highly sought after for their ability to scale with effort, making them invaluable in the right hands.

But [Dual Cultivation]…

This skill was different.

Despite its obvious potential and the fact that it was labeled as upgradable, there were no instructions, no quest markers, and no hints. Jett was left completely in the dark about what he needed to do to unlock its full power.

*****

"Well, this is a major letdown," Jett sighed, feeling a bit of frustration. "I guess that's a problem for future Jett to figure out."

Resolving to focus on what he could control, Jett sat cross-legged on the cold floor of his cell, ready to train. Closing his eyes, he began channeling his Mana and Aura simultaneously.

To his amazement, the skill worked just as described. He could feel both energies flowing through him in perfect harmony, amplifying and refining one another in ways he had never experienced before.

Hours passed in silence, but to Jett, it felt like no time at all. The cultivation process was smooth, seamless, and undeniably effective. When he finally opened his eyes, his grin stretched wide across his face.

"Amazing," Jett thought, his chest swelling with pride. "It's even better than I imagined. This speed… I'll be climbing the ranks in no time."

He clenched his fists, feeling the subtle but significant improvements in his Aura.

"Can't wait to see the look on their faces when my Aura jumps up a rank," he mused, already picturing the stunned expressions of his peers and rivals alike.

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How would he upgrade it though?

(-_-;)・・・