Genetic Ascension

Bone Essence and Comprehensions had both been added. The former confused Sylas, but the latter made his gaze quite intent. It changed everything.

Didn't this mean that he wouldn't need to be as careful from now on?

Until this point, Sylas had been holding back on his second and third Comprehensions because he thought that he would only have a single shot at it. As such, it could be said that he was holding himself back from a great deal of possibility.

It had to be remembered that thanks to the Fusion Crystal, he could have an additional Comprehension, but thanks to his Dual Class Constitution, the Crystal was doubly effective on

Him.

Still, even with this leeway, Sylas hadn't been willing to take risks with what Comprehension he chose next because his recent experiences had made it clear to him just how rare Fusion Crystals were.

Although they were weak, he could still find Gene Crystals on the market from time to time, likely being sold by people who they were no longer useful to.

But he had never seen a single Fusion Crystal on the market.

This was the obvious dividing line between something truly valuable and something that was just rare.

Of course, this wasn't to say that Fusion Crystals were definitively more valuable. It was just that while Gene Crystals had several tiers of grade to them, a Fusion Crystal either helped you or it didn't.

Its grades were much more acute in nature, whereas a Bronze Gene Crystal might have a wide range to them, a Fusion Crystal only had a few types.

This aside, Sylas realized now that he would no longer have to be as careful.

'Fragmented Comprehension...? What is that...?'

Sylas' eyes narrowed. His Comprehensions were only ranked from F- to FFF+. Could it be that all of these were Fragmented?

There was only one way to find out, so Sylas turned Extricate on himself again.

It didn't even take a moment before he confirmed it.

Indeed... it seemed that his comprehension was Fragmented.

Sylas frowned. If it was possible to get Comprehension above FFF+, then why was it that even after the Fusion Crystal had followed him for so long, he hadn't raised a single one to above FFF+?

[How do you comprehend an above Fragmented Comprehension?]

Sylas' gaze sharpened. 'Taboo... push through.'

Hunger increased.

[How do you comprehend an above Fragmented Comprehension?]

[The Legendary Path of Comprehensions had long been cut off. Unless you are a descendant of an Ancient Race, forming a Common, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Legendary Comprehension is impossible.]

Sylas' brows raised.

He didn't like this the slightest bit.

On the one hand, it was good news. His Taboo Bond Path was even more broken than he knew.

If these Comprehensions were something you could only be born with, but he now had the ability to steal them, he had all the ingredients he needed to break free of the limits of his Race and soar beyond.

But...

Setting aside whether these Races would have the same protections against such things that the Sylphs had back when they managed to stop Sylas from stealing their Unique Gene, what good was taking another's Comprehension?

Sylas really liked Madness. Unless Madness was also a Comprehension passed down by one of these Ancient Races, how would he improve it to the level he wanted?

Did that mean that he would be stuck abandoning Madness in the future for something stronger?

'Wait...'

A thought came to Sylas and he pulled on his Madness Comprehension again.

Soon, he felt like he had lost a large piece of himself as his Will began to waver.

Sylas realized that he couldn't keep it out of his body for long. His Comprehension wasn't an external part of himself at all, it was like a valuable inner organ. If he lost it, his entire path would crumble.

Knowing this, Sylas only looked at it for a moment before quickly putting it away.

'As expected... a Rune...'

Sylas' gaze blazed like a pair of torches.

Not only was it a Rune, but despite its complexity, Sylas could fully comprehend it.

And why wouldn't he be able to? He had already brought it to Legendary Mastery. However, contradictorily, if he had to draw his Comprehension now, not only would he not have nearly enough Wisdom to succeed in one go, but he would also not be able to draw it so perfectly.

The system obviously drew his Madness Comprehension Rune to above Sparking Mastery. But Sylas, even if he had infinite Wisdom, would only be able to draw it to maybe 60% Mastery, or in other words, Soul Mastery...

That was a full three levels before Spark Mastery, which was still beneath the capabilities of the system.

That said, Sylas wasn't discouraged. Instead, he felt something bubbling up inside of him.

If there was any Rune in the world Sylas could break free of the human constraints with, it was his own Comprehension.

But deeper than that, what sort of changes would happen to his Comprehension if he could draw it with better efficiency than now? Could he use it as a shortcut to raise his Rune Mastery from Rune Essence to Rune Vitality? Or maybe even beyond to Rune Spark?

And on the most fundamental level...

If he could learn to manipulate his Comprehensions like this, then would it be possible for him to use Extricate to steal Comprehensions from these powerful Races and build a new Madness Comprehension for himself that broke free of the Fragmented Grade?

The moment Sylas had the idea, he could no longer hold back.

However, there were no such Races here outside of maybe the Basilisk King itself. But Sylas had no intention of harming his contract right now, the potential the Basilisk King had shown today made him realize that it would be an invaluable partner in the future.

But...

It was about time he fused with his new Comprehensions.

For now, he would only fuse with one instead of the two he could because he had the Durability of the Fusion Crystal to worry about. It couldn't be used continuously, having the

Same weakness as the Gene Crystal.

But much like with Gene Crystals... Extricate would make it last for longer.

Sylas pulled out the Fusion Crystal and took the Comprehension right at the very top.

[Mixed Martial Arts (F)]

[A clash of Earth's cultures shapes your every move, each strike a testament to the world's martial spirit. You mold your body into a weapon forged from unity, discipline, and relentless will. In your hands, the art of war becomes a language that all of Earth speaks as one]

[+150% Dexterity]

[+100% Will]

[Your Comprehension of Mixed Martial Arts has deepened]

[Mixed Martial Arts has reached Gold Mastery]

[Mixed Martial Arts (F)]

[A clash of Earth's cultures shapes your every move, each strike a testament to the world's martial spirit. You mold your body into a weapon forged from unity, discipline, and relentless will. In your hands, the art of war becomes a language that all of Earth speaks as one]

[+550% Dexterity]

[+300% Will]

Sylas was surprised by the result. He had expected huge boosts to all his Physical stats, but the

Moment he felt the Comprehension fill his body, he grasped something profound.

'I don't know why it feels like a great danger is bearing down on me right now, but...'

Sylas gripped his fists, the light in his eyes blazing.

He was ready for it.