Synthesizing a skill

Michael and his family returned to the Vanderbilt residence shortly after their business with the Magic Tower was over.

Lylia insisted that Michael not spend another second in that place, afraid that he would fall unconscious yet again. But thankfully, Seberus had already confirmed his talent in magic, officially registering him as a quadruple-talent mage.

Michael looked at the tattered book in his hands—the magic technique given to him by the Tower Master to improve his physical resilience.

According to the Tower Master, this magic had the potential to become a 9-star spell. That made Michael wonder: if it was so powerful, why wasn't it very popular with mages now? 

It seemed like such a good spell, according to him.

ChatJK2, can you read the contents of this book?

[Certainly.] ChatJK2 replied.

Michael mindfully flipped through the pages, taking careful caution not to rip the paper out of the book in haste.

It didn't take more than ten minutes for ChatJK2 to completely absorb the technique into its memory.

[Magic theory obtained.]

[Progress to next update: 0.01%]

[Internal Earth Defense]

— ★+

— Earth Element

— This is a passive spell that remains active without the need for the user's intervention.

— Earth mana must be integrated into the user's skin and internal organs, forming an internal defense with the same hardness and resilience as Earth minerals.

— This skill can prove to be an unbreakable defense against Air-element attacks as long as the attacking spell is not higher than the star rating of this skill.

— The user must continue to cultivate the skill to improve its star rating.

Reading the description, Michael immediately realized why the spell had fallen out of fashion with most mages.

To improve his defense, Michael would need to gather Earth mana and imbue it onto his entire body. The problem was that he had to take his precious time—time that could instead be spent on improving his mana core to continue cultivating this one spell.

Most mages would rather not waste time building an Earth-type defense and would rather seek to continue to improve their mana cores.

Although this spell was an excellent defense against Air magic due to Earth's inherent advantage over Air, it would still leave him vulnerable against other elements.

A more balanced approach would be to learn defense spells of different elements to keep themselves safe.

I like the idea of a passive defense, but it's only good against Air magic. ChatJK2, can you create this kind of spell for other elements so that I can have protection against every element magic spell?

[Generating multiple defense spells is possible. However, it is inadvisable for you to cultivate multiple of them at the same time as it would consume too much time and resources. Would you like me to synthesize a new unified skill instead?]

Can you do that? Wait, what's the difference between a Skill and a Spell?

Michael had previously received the Supreme Skill but hadn't given it much of a thought, perhaps because it was too powerful. However, now was the perfect time for him to know the distinction between the two.

[According to the records in the Magic Tower, a spell is something that mages cast using the mana in their cores. Anyone can learn a magic spell as long as they know the magic theory, and anyone can cast them as long as they have the right mana in their cores.]

[A skill, on the other hand, is different. They are spells that cannot be learned through normal means of studying and teaching. Instead, it is a talent that manifests naturally, cannot be taught to other beings and will remain exclusive to those who acquire it.]

[Would you like me to create a new skill based on your specifications?]

Michael's eyes lit up with excitement, and he nodded his head enthusiastically. Skill looked like a much more special type of spell, one that was unique to each individual. Why wouldn't Michael want one for himself?

Yes! Do it!

[Synthesizing new skill…]

[Complete.]

[Skill]

[Absolute Unity Defense]

— ★+

— Unity Element

— This Skill creates a passive defense against any and all types of magic.

— This defense is impervious to any magic spells or skills that are below or the same star rating as this skill.

— Cultivating this skill does not interfere with the growth of the mana cores.

Michael stared in awe at the new skill given to him by ChatJK2. This was exactly the type of defense that he had desired for all this long. 

If he cultivated this skill to the 2-star rating, then he wouldn't be hurt or affected by all kinds of 2-star spells. It was much better than the original technique since that one only protected him against Air spells.

Since this skill used all types of mana, or what ChatJK2 liked to call Unity, he would virtually have no weakness that other mages could exploit. It didn't matter if they threw blazing magma, raging lightning bolts, or freezing icicles at him—none of them would break his defense.

The best part was that this skill would continue to grow up to a 9-star rating, meaning that in the future, he would be practically invincible!

[Michael Von Vanderbilt]

[Magic Talent: SSS+ class]

[Element Mastery: N/A]

[Magic Purity: 99.99%]

[Mana Quantity: N/A]

[Realm: 2-star Novice Magician]

[Progress to next update: 0.01%]

[Supreme Skill: Unity Gathering]

[Skills:]

— Absolute Unity Defense

[Learned Spells:]

— 1-star

—— Water Ball

—— Ember

—— Rock Throw

—— …

Judging from the way ChatJK2 presented his skills, it looked like he could get more of them in the future.

As for his Supreme Skill, Michael treated it like his trump card or ultimate power. He doubted he would get once again some kind of ability that was so overwhelmingly powerful.

_____

Michael continued his daily life in at the Vanderbilt mansion, though his mother had forbidden him from leaving the mansion for the time being.

She was even more traumatized than him after his 'episode' at the Magic Tower. She refused to allow him to leave the estate for as long as she was sure that he would never fall unconscious ever again.

To ensure that, she devoted herself to teaching and tutoring Michael on improving his physical well-being.

She insisted he practice the Internal Earth Defense spell that Seberus had given him. Secretly, however, Michael poured all his efforts into mastering his Absolute Unity Defense skill instead.

His daily routine consisted of 100 push-ups, a 2-kilometer run around the estate, and 100 crunches—all while gathering mana in his body, strengthening it from the inside and out.

And so, time passed until it was…

Five Years Later.