[Hey, System… if you had to pick one skill from that list… Something that would solve my immediate problem and never get useless… what would it be?]
After a brief pause, the blue interface hummed softly before scrolling so fast that everything merged into a single blur, until...
{
Eyes of Relevance (Epic)
Description:
Upon activation, the world is rendered in near-monochrome, highlighting anything that is relevant to the Host in a gold shimmer. The results are also influenced by the Host's intent.
Relevant objects, individuals, trails, residual phenomena, etc, are outlined and enhanced for clarity. This includes but is not limited to hidden valuables, footprints, scent trails, residual mana, and specific targets within crowds.
Note* Range = 30 Meters. May Cause Cognitive Overload.
MP Cost: 50 MP/s
Price: 97,000 / Epic Grade Skill Token
}
With narrowed eyes, Nico leaned back onto the plush sofa and began dissecting the description line by line.
He didn't just accept the stats; he poked at the wording like a lawyer looking for a loophole in a contract.
[System, what dictates what is 'relevant' to me outside my intent?] Nico asked while lifting his teacup to his lips, but stopping just short of a sip. [If I'm not looking for it, how does the skill know it is relevant to me?]
-Ding!
{A sort of cosmic entanglement. If it concerns the Host in any way, it will be highlighted.}
[Vague… but fine, I'll take it at face value…]
Nico frowned before finally taking a sip while his mind began sprinting at full speed as he dug into what that would truly mean for him.
[So, it can basically highlight a random pebble by the road…] Nico thought as he stared at the steam rising from his cup, visualizing the chaos of a world full of glowing objects.
[But how would I know how it is relevant to me? It could be a trap… Or a treasure with the entire inheritance of some old mage inside… or just a shiny rock Dove would find pretty.]
-Ding!
{ Host will have to deduce the 'Why' himself. The skill provides the Answer; you must provide the Question. Though many such highlights will be apparent in their context. }
[So it could very easily turn into a wild goose chase…] Nico let out a long sigh as he began drumming his fingers rhythmically against his knee and poking holes at the skill.
[Not to mention its thirty-meter range… anyone watching me from thirty-five meters will bypass it's efects.]
Swirling the tea in his cup, he took a glance at the other side of the coin.
[Then again, the pros are obvious. It kinda gives me the 'Unknown Unknowns'… shows me stuff I'm either too stupid or too distracted to notice. But the cons… don't just stop at its vagueness and limited range.]
His eyes drifted to the cost of running the skill while his internal calculator started clicking.
[My MP capacity is 55, and it takes 50 a second… even if I level up, I'd still only have 10 MP to spare.]
He grimaced as the bottleneck became apparent.
[That means the second I turn this on, it's gonna take over most of my capacity. That makes it only situationally useful in combat… I can probably only use it to figure out an enemy's weak points.]
[And that's not even the worst part.] He thought as he looked at the Note: "May Cause Cognitive Overload."
[System, define 'Cognitive Overload in this context,] Nico asked, taking another sip of his tea. [We aren't just talking about a headache, are we?]
-Ding!
{Negative. The skill forces the brain to process extra-sensory data. This influx consumes… let's say 'Mental RAM', resulting in significant 'Input Lag'. Your thoughts will become sluggish as your brain attempts to buffer the data stream from an entirely new spectrum.}
Nico massaged the bridge of his nose before squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.
[Great. So I'll see the assassin hiding behind a corner, but I'll be too laggy to tell my body to dodge.]
A normal mage would look at this skill with its crippling mana cost, its vague output, and its brain-melting side effects before calling it 'not worth the investment'.
It was a skill that made you sluggish and mana-deprived in exchange for information you might not even understand. A lit box may contain treasure or a bomb; I won't know unless I open it.
But Nico wasn't a normal mage.
As he placed the teacup back onto the table, a slow, predatory grin spread across his face as the pieces of this puzzle clicked together.
[The input lag is the dealbreaker… unless you have an overclock.]
Nico's mind flashed to his Ice Reinforcement, and he felt the logic clicking into place like a lock snapping shut, after all…
[It doesn't just make me physically stronger; it also increases mana conductivity and heightens cognition. Ice Reinforcement can cancel its flaws.]
[And the mana cost? That's just a gatekeeper for everyone else. For me, with my Infinite MP Regen, I can fuel it for as long as I need to…]
Leaning forward, Nico asked the questions that could either fit the puzzle like its final piece or ruin it. After all, he had an immediate problem to solve.
[System, can I use Ice Reinforcement to specifically enhance one aspect? Such as pouring it all into my brain instead of equally distributing it throughout my body?]
-Ding!
{Yes. Though heightened mental functions may break the synergy between mind and body.}
[That's it… that was the final piece… I'm buying it!] Nico's grin widened.
-Ding!
{Epic Grade Skill Token Consumed.
Skill [Eyes of Relevance] Acquired.
Would you like to begin integration now?}
"Yeah..."
-Ding!
{Integrating Ocular Pathways… Host, get ready.}
Nico braced himself, gripping the armrest of the sofa, expecting a cool rush of magic power or just a flash of light.
Instead, a sudden, microscopic itch started deep behind his eyeballs, like a grain of sand trapped where he couldn't reach.
Nico blinked, trying to clear it.
But the itch only sharpened.
And the next moment, it mutated from a minor irritation into a searing, chemical heat as if someone had taken a syringe of lemon juice and bleach before injecting it directly into his tear ducts.
"Ahh-Shit!"
Nico gasped, breath hitching in his throat as he slapped his hands over his face before digging his palms into his sockets in a desperate attempt to stop the burning.
The integration didn't feel like magic. It felt biological as though invisible needles were stitching new threads into his optic nerves, dragging them through the soft jelly of his eyes with zero anesthesia.
He could feel the veins in his sclera popping and reforming with a hot, rhythmic throb that synced with his heartbeat.
"Motherfu-!"
Nico hissed as he hunched over, curling into a ball on the sofa while his body convulsed with the reflex to claw the foreign sensation out of his head.
He tried to open his eyes, but the sting forced them shut immediately while hot sticky tears streamed down his cheeks, soaking his collar from the violent biological rejection happening in his skull.
"Dude!" Nico choked out as he wiped the flood of saline from his face, only for more to instantly replace it. "Warn me next time!"
-Ding!
{Noted.}