The skill menu wasn't finished tormenting me yet.
Two more factions popped up, each one even stranger than the last.
–Acrest (Locked)–Usable by Any Class
Skill Level I
Arcane Whisp (Locked): Reduce talent cooldowns by +7%.
Crest Blessing (Locked): Become immune to all damage for 3s. Gain +20% movement speed for 5s. Triggers only once per combat.
Mark of Crest (Locked): Grants 1 minute of total damage immunity, but the user becomes immobile and unable to attack.
Skill Level II
Monster Killer (Locked): Instantly slay any monster at ≤5% HP.
Damage Multiplier (Locked): Defeating monsters of the same race increases damage by +8% per kill. Stacks up to 6 times.
Skill Level III
Crest Boost (Locked): User gains +50% EXP. Party members gain +20%.
Endless Cycle (Locked): Automatically resurrect upon death. After revival, user gains no EXP for 1 week. Limited to 3 uses.
–Orion (Locked)–Recommended for Mages and similar classes
Skill Level I
Light of Sacrifice (Locked): Spells deal +10% damage. User takes +5% extra damage.
Magic Refill (Locked): Successfully hitting an enemy with a spell restores +8% MP.
Sacred Blob (Locked): Reduces cooldown of all spells by 10%.
Skill Level II
Holy Bless (Locked): Incoming healing increased by +16% when healed by others.
Holy Verdict (Locked): Immobilize target for 45s and reduce their movement speed by 20% for 1 minute.
Skill Level III
Sacred Protection (Locked): Taking massive damage in a short time grants a shield that blocks all damage for 60s. Also increases all stats by +22%.
Holy Thunder (Locked): Enemies struck by the user's spell are stunned for 10s. Next spell deals +70% bonus damage.
Holy Summoner (Locked): Summons an ancient fairy to aid in battle for 1 minute. While within range, the user's casting time is drastically reduced.
By the time I scrolled through the last entry, my head felt heavier than an overloaded hard drive.
All these factions were tempting, but without knowing my wearer's class, picking one now would be like rolling dice with my own future. If I chose wrong, every skill would be useless.
"So… yeah. Let's not shoot myself in the foot just yet."
[Notification]
Talent and Skill not configured. Are you sure you want to exit?
–[YES] [NO]–
I didn't even hesitate. Yes.
The menu folded away, one layer at a time, until a single word lingered before my eyes:
–SAVING–
It dragged on longer than I expected. Finally:
–COMPLETE–
–RETURNING VISION–
The floating words dissolved, and the world snapped back into focus.
Except… something was off.
I wasn't standing on the street anymore.