Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though it didn't immediately take off at first, it wasn't long before the introduction of the Quest Board became one of the most discussed topics within the castle. Not only was it a good way to alleviate boredom, but it was a sure-fire way to gradually increase your strength by accepting tasks that were within your capabilities. This became notable very quickly as, after completing a few D-Rank Quests, being one of the first to actually acquire Variable Experience, Sakura had increased her strength rather drastically in a short period of time.

Though she only got a few thousand experiences per Quest, the tasks at D-Rank were simple chores and exercises, things she could complete without much difficulty. As a result, Sakura was the first to demonstrate how useful Variable Experience could be as, when trying to assign it to her Skills, she discovered that there options beyond her current scope of knowledge. At first, she hadn't thought about it too much and, after trying hard and failing to acquire them herself, Sakura used up all of her Variable Experience to 'awaken' the [Martial Arts: E] and [Instinct: E] at just seven years old. When she showed up for her morning training, Artoria had been genuinely shocked since her estimates were that Sakura still had more than a year of hard training to have even remotely similar results.

Amidst heavy praise and a healthy round of questioning, Sakura revealed what she had learned to the other, surprising Vahn considerably and sending Da Vinci on a warpath to complete her own Quests. She wasn't the only one either as, understanding they could 'unlock' Skills with Variable Experience, so long as they had a basic comprehension of the Skill, was a significant boon. If this system could be exploited by the Students at the Clock Tower, it meant they would potentially even be able to graduate in less than a year, rather than spending 4~8.

The only requirement was to have basic proficiency in eight different types of Thaumaturgy with marginal mastery over the school of Thaumaturgy you intended to follow. With 'basic proficiency' only be E-Rank in a Skill, and most E-Rank Skills only requiring between 3~5,000 Variable Experience, it was possible to mass-produce standard, Third-Class Magi. Though this wasn't that impressive on its own, the fact having a higher ranked Skill allowed you to comprehend the subject easier meant it would be an extreme boon for apprentice-level Magi. It wasn't just Magi either as, from Sakura's example, even things like [Martial Arts], [Swordsmanship], and difficult to learn skills like [Instinct] could be learned...

After Sakura's example, it wasn't long before a vast amount of data began to flow in, much of which was acc.u.mulated by Vahn and Da Vinci. This was primarily due to the efforts of the Homunculi that now staffed the castle as, even within his Familia Crest on their backs, they were all Subordinates of Vahn's. Since they were also able to use the Quest Board, albeit with the majority accepting tasks related to cooking, cleaning, and other chores, they had quickly stockpiled Variable Experience for themselves. This gave them access to their own 'Skill Tree' and, as they dutifully asked for permission before making major decisions about their growth, Vahn was able to compile a significant amount of data with more than seven-thousand people contributing.

Vahn always knew that the system functions of The Path were incredibly powerful but it was only after seeing the impact it had on the lives of others that he began to truly understand this. With the data provided by the Homunculi, he was able to learn that the greyed out Skills had varying costs that depending entirely on the current comprehension of the user. For example, someone that was already on the cusp of obtaining E-Rank in a Skill might only need to invest a few hundred points. Inversely, someone that had barely learned anything about said Skill could spend several thousand to obtain the Skill. This wasn't exactly a waste though as, by obtaining the Skill, they were able to quickly fill in the gaps in their knowledge as their basic comprehension was increased.

One of the more important uses of the Skill Tree was, perhaps borrowing from Vahn's own ability to view Experience, anyone with at least one point of Variable Experience was able to track their growth. By selecting the Skills within their Skill Tree, they were able to see their current experience and the amount needed to increase their rank to the next level. This was a tremendous boon as it not only allowed you to see your progress, but it also alerted those that had been facing a bottleneck about how close they were to the next level. One example of this was Rin who, due to focusing on her own specialties, hadn't realized that C-Rank [Gandr] Magecraft had only been 7,069 VE from reaching the next level.

Rin was just one example as, once again, Vahn's greatest source of information were the thousands of Homunculi staffing the castle. As they all had the same memories implanting into them during their creation, the only major difference between most of the Einzbern Homunculi were the changes that had been made as a result of various experiments. Though they were slowly beginning to gain egos of their own, even their Innates were almost all the same. Thus, while some had started to split off as a result of their interactions with others inside of the castle, they served as the ideal control group for further exploration of the Quest function and how it could shape the growth of others.

With the help of such an expansive control group, Vahn and Da Vinci made rampant progress toward cataloging each Skill, including a few 'Composite' and 'Unique' Skills. These differed from normal Skills considerable as, much like their name indicated, Composite Skills were the result of two or more Skills opening up an option to produce a more advanced version using other Skills as the foundation. It was because of this that they ultimately decided to refer to the interface as the Skill Tree as, when viewed broadly, many Skills linked together once your comprehension reached a certain point. As for Unique Skills, they were Skills related to race, gender, and other factors, such as Artoria's unawakened [Dragon's Breath], Fenrir's [Devastating Roar], and Medusa's [Toxic Mist].

Most notably, there were some Skills that even met the qualification of Noble Phantasms, such as Heracles' [God Hand], Lakshmibai's [Nahin Denge], and Da Vinci's [Uomo Universale]. In fact, so long as it was not derived from an item or a piece of equipment, nearly every Noble Phantasm was listed within the Skill Tree of the former Heroic Spirits. Though these were separate from every other Skill, the fact they could be improved upon was perhaps one of the most significant boons as, more often than not, Noble Phantasms heavily relied upon the power of Laws. This made them exponentially more powerful than most Skills and Magecraft, allowing them to become the Trump Cards of their respective wielders.

What Da Vinci, in particular, found rather curious was the fact that her own Noble Phantasm, which was already EX-Rank, could still be invested into. Though there was nothing 'beyond' EX-Rank, any increase in the experience of a Skill made it marginally more powerful. With no upper limit on the amount of Variable Experience that could be invested into her [Uomo Universale], this implied that its power could be increased indefinitely. Currently, its only real restriction was her Magical Energy output, as it already countered 'everything', but this had never deluded Da Vinci into thinking that it was without fault. After all, with her intuition, she could tell that her Noble Phantasm would have little to no effect on enemies like Heracles, Scáthach, and Artoria.

Things like this didn't particularly matter to her but, just knowing the potential for infinite growth existed within her Noble Phantasm was worth taking note of. As for how she intended to spend her Variable Experience, Da Vinci actually elected not to spend it on anything at all. She already had the ability to make conceptual vessels that could theoretically possess any kind of Skill, so long as she understood how they worked. Thus, rather than spend her Variable Experience, Da Vinci chose to stockpile it as she experimented with the production of several other bodies for herself, bringing the total count to sixteen.

Curiously, though the Familia Crests reflected unique Parameters and Skills, Da Vinci quickly learned that all of her Skills shared the same Skill Tree and pool of Variable Experience. As a result, so long as the bodies existed, Da Vinci found that she was able to use the Skills of any vessel she had created, the only exception being Unique Skills that existed solely as a trait given to the Conceptual Vessel. This, however, didn't set Da Vinci back in the least and, by the time a month had passed within the Projection, she now had a body named [Alpha], the amalgamation of more than a dozen Skills and the 'counterpart' to his existence as Type: Omega.

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[Status]

Name: [Alpha]

Age: 4 days (Ageless)

Race: Human

Strength: 17D

Endurance: ★

Agility: 41B

Magical Power: 50A+

Good Luck: 45A+

Soul Tier: 3 (Lord Soul)

Circuit Quality: EX

Noble Phantasm: [Uomo Universale:EX], [Spazio di Annullamento:EX]

Origin: Golden Rule, Innovation

Skills: [Natural Born Genius:Innate:EX], [Pioneer of the Stars:Innate:EX], [False Eye of God:Innate:A], [Mind Workshop:S], [Eidetic Memory:S], [Parallel Thinking:B], [Golden Rule:EX], [Od Conversion: A], [Independent Action:A], [Item Construction:S], [Territory Creation:A], [Magic Resistance:A], [Physical Nullification:A], [Riding:S], [Physique Shift:EX], [Natural Counter:S], [Aura of the Protected: EX], [Fragrant Aroma:EX], [Mesmerizing Gaze:EX], [Forbidden Knowledge:EX], [Fertile Body:EX]

Magic: [Soul Anchor:EX], [Grand Magic Circle:E~EX]

Magecraft: [Grand Unified Thaumaturgical Theory:S]

[Physique Shift]

Rank: EX

Use: Allows the user to assume the appearance of current and former vessels.

[Natural Counter]

Rank: S

Use: Automatically protects the user against any form of attack by sending out a pulse of Magical Energy that directly negates Skills and Magecraft of a lower rank.

[Aura of the Protected]

Rank: EX

Use: Compels those with a positive impression of the user to protect them, even at the risk of great physical harm to themselves. Reduces all Parameters by one grade when in the presence of those who have a desire to protect the user.

[Fragrant Aroma]

Rank: EX

Use: Pheromones emitted by the user smell pleasant to both males and females, regardless of age, race, and personal preferences. Puts those with weak wills into a passive and highly receptive state of mind.

[Mesmerizing Gaze]

Rank: EX

Use: Distort's the target's perception to cause them to fall into a deeply infatuated state with the user so long as they are in the effective range. It has the effect of charming and stunning the target even without a direct line of sight, ignoring physical and magical resistances.

[Forbidden Knowledge]

Rank: EX

Use: Denotes a complete understanding of the human body, including strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. Against targets that do not possess high-ranking concealment, allows the user to see their Origin, Elemental Affinity, Parameters, Skills, Magic, and Magecraft. It also enables the user to determine the approximate strength of an opponent based on the quality and quantity of their Od.

[Fertile Body]

Rank: EX

Use: Even without external genetic material, the user is able to become pregnant at will. This Skill rivals the inherent fertility of True Dragons and Gods who, ignoring whether or not their target even possesses sentience, are able to breed with anything, even inert rock and stagnant water.

[Grand Magic Circle

Rank: E~EX

Use: A spell rivaling True Magic in power and function. At the cost of their mobility, allows the user to create persistent Magic Circles of any size. The complexity and function of this Magic Circle can be freely altered by the user, allowing them to cast a functionally infinite variety of spells while actively drawing mana from the environment.

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Though not unexpected, as Da Vinci was truly an 'Omnipotent Genius', the fact she had been able to reach such a monstrous level in less than a month was, for lack of a better descriptor, unfair. It was fortunate that she wasn't the type to brag and, having never developed a close relationship with the other residents of the castle, only Vahn was aware of how ridiculous her growth had been. He had actually been at her side throughout the development process, becoming the 'victim' of some of her more risque experiments. Still, knowing she was capable of such growth at Soul Tier 3, Vahn knew his own growth should, theoretically, be greater.

Unfortunately, while he was certainly able to create Skills based purely on his will and determination, Vahn lacked the advantage of Variable Experience. Even then, he could use items obtained through the system shop to drastically increase his growth rate, albeit at the cost of his foundation. Since this went against his way of doing things, despite the fact he had used the [Skill Enhancement Scroll] in the past, Vahn chose to focus on his training with Scáthach. Though he also helped Circe with her preparations for the Red Moon Ceremony, which would take place after she produced one-hundred pristine white lambs, his main focus, for the time being, was comprehending the Laws and leaning to exploit his Innates.

To that end, Vahn had invested a total of forty hours of every day toward his training with Scáthach. He had actually managed to surprise her on the first day as, being unable to see through him, she had been caught off guard by the fact his reserves had increased by nearly 25% since their last session. At the same time, his newfound focus on the Laws of Space and Time allowed him to get an early advantage against her, albeit in an almost purely defensive aspect. Since he couldn't use the Acceleration Gates offensively just yet, Vahn had resisted one of Scáthach's attacks by creating a membrane of folded Space-Time, causing her leg to get completely locked in place.

Using the moment when Scáthach was unable to move, Vahn had transitioned into his Xuanwu form, channeling all of his physical might into a compressive force as he struck her abdomen. Since she was unable to be launched, as a result of her leg effectively being frozen in time, Vahn had caused a large part of her purple jumpsuit to explode while forcing the wind from her lungs. There was even a brief moment where her eyes had lost their light, indicating she had lost consciousness, but Vahn was unable to take further advantage of the situation. Even unconscious, Scáthach had realized what the lock around her leg was comprised of, causing a hazy black mist to surround the limb as she twisted her h.i.p.s like a whip and kicked him in the side of the head.

It was from this exchange that Vahn became familiar with a new element, one which he had already been aware of but had never focused on. This was the Void element and, after his 'surprise' attack against the purple-clad warrior, her body became shrouded in a hazy black aura. Not only did this make it almost impossible to sense her, even while looking directly at her, but it also completely negated his manipulation of Space and Time. Even if he compressed Space around them to the point where others would be unable to move, Scáthach was completely unaffected as her punches and kicks tore through his guard, dissolving any part of his body they came in contact with...

The Void element was fundamentally the same thing as the 'Shadow' that had been manifested by Sakura in the past, minus the corruptive intent. It served as one of the most intrinsic parts of what allowed Space and Time to work, being that neither would exist if not for the presence of Void. As a result, it was the counterbalance to the other two forces and, without having greater mastery over Space and Time, it would be impossible to negate the influence of Void at the same level. Thus, even though Vahn had wanted to make a positive impression on Scáthach, showing that he hadn't 'just' been slacking off, he ended up getting one of the worst thrashings of his life...

Though it didn't have the purifying effect of Holy and Light elemental energy, Void was, inarguably, the most powerful element against Spiritual entities. This meant that, against Heroic Spirits, Nature Spirits, Faeries, and the majority of Phantasmal Species, they would have absolutely no resistances against the Void element. As Vahn also qualified as a similar entity, his regeneration was completely negated, at least until he severed the affected area of his body and produced a new limb from his reserves. Even with this countermeasure, however, Vahn's energy expenditure shot up rapidly from the moment Scáthach began using the Void element, causing him to be taken out of the fight after only seventeen minutes...

If not for the fact he had actually made a positive impression on her after his surprise attack, Vahn knew that Scáthach would have punished him quite a bit for his failure to last even an hour against her. However, as she had technically been 'forced' to use a counter element against him, this was considered an improvement in her perspective. Despite the fact he had gone down in record time, Vahn had completely blown through her defenses and even caused her to blackout as a result of his counter attack. Thus, instead of punishing him, Scáthach, without repairing her almost destroyed bodysuit, gave Vahn a lap pillow while waiting for him to slowly recover. During that time, she used her dexterous fingers to gently caress his head while patiently explaining how he might be able to counter against such a one-sided beating in the future...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Skill Tree OP (O o O)~!','Holy shit, Da Vinci is broken...','Everything has a weakness xD...')

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