After that, Doyle turns back to his paths, after all, he still has a good number of points to spend.

{Points:75

Class: Dungeon Core III 100/100, Awakened Dungeon Core II 10/10

Location [2/1 I]: Heritage Kobold Community I 15/15, Communities of Myriad Heritages I 15/15

Completed: Goat Supremacy 20/20, Energy Well I 3/3, Commanding Subordinates 12/12, Ageless Queens 15/15, Earth’s First Home of the Limit Breakers I 1/1, Biomes Aplenty 5/5, Potion Dispensary 10/10, Elemental Animals 5/5, Cows for Milk 12/12, Vegetation Variety 20/20, Divine Border 1/1, Know Your Enemies 10/10, Pathfinder, [UNIQUE] 1/1, Community Driven 10/10, Monster Rancher 50/50, Community Builder 30/30, Extra Accommodations 75/75, Energy Well II 6/6, Kobold Community II 30/30

Started [1/3]: [TRINITY] 21/1000

Available: Awakened Dungeon Core III 10/100, Awakened Spatial Dungeon core I 0/1, Dungeon Core of Awakened Intent I 0/1, Vine Warper 0/15, Kin Slayer 0/100, Voidborn 0/250, Axe Sharpener 0/5, Expansionist 0/30, Fire’s Flying 0/7, Deal Broker 0/10, All the Potions 0/60, Boss Builder 0/50, Engraver 0/5, Godly Negotiator 0/500, Heavenly Gate 0/350, Clan Head 0/25, Five Cornered Square Initiate 0/100, Raising The Floor 0/100, Into The Infinite 0/60, Floors Within Floors 0/10, Phrenic Friend 0/120, PsiBane I 0/200, PsiBoon I 0/200, Deep Rules 0/500, Time Will Wait 0/500, Monster Rancher II 0/100, Energy Well III 0/18}

As he glances over the list, Doyle nods. It looks to be just about what he expected. Though seeing all those early paths cluttering up the list feels a little wrong. Not that he is going to waste points on them. Well, not waste, every path has a benefit to it. However, he isn’t the same person he was when they became an option. He had traveled other paths and seen the sights.

Those old paths no longer matched him. Well, most of them didn’t match him. A few still felt connected to him. Though with only 75 points to spend, he was focused on two of them as well as trinity.

{5 points applied to Engraver...

5/5 - Path Complete, Some create art by adding and others remove large quantities of material. You, however, with just the lightest touch, leave a mark while maintaining the material. Through this focus, you have felt inspiration as your art flows over the surface and now you feel that with a bit of effort you can have your power flow through those shallow cuts as well.

50 points applied to Boss Builder...

5/50 - You have earned 100 Monster Pattern Adjustment Points

10/50 - When upgrading a normal monster into a boss if there are multiple options for what it can turn into you will be able to choose between the top three

25/50 - +5 Boss Slots, A Boss Slot can be used for multiple non-sapient Minibosses

50/50 - Path Complete, Bosses gain +10 Intelligence and +1 Intelligence/Level, Sharpens your instincts when it comes to searching for a new bosses soul, Instead of spending a Boss Slot when upgrading a monster that already has a soul you gain one, When a monster turns into a boss their body more easily shifts to fit its internal image of itself, You can mark a section of your core room as a socialization space which gives your bosses an option to form an avatar there to interact more directly with you and the other bosses

20 points applied to [TRINITY]...

As you walk further on your path, you start to see others nearby, though you choose the lonely road, traveling parallel to them yet never meeting. Don’t fear though, for while lonely, your path is not to be alone and though few, those who do join you will be important.}

Doyle sighs to himself, only the Boss Builder path made any sense and at this point he was really questioning why he kept putting points into [TRINITY] at all. Though it does sound like he might be getting close to something. Not that it mattered too much to him, as he did know that whatever it eventually gave him, it would be worth it to some extent.

If he had to pick the weirdest, it would be the engraver path. The only previous times he had such wordy paths was times like when the Goat Path split and of course [TRINITY]. Doyle turns back to Ally as he hadn’t actually left his room, half expecting that he would need her help, anyway.

Though she takes one look at the path and laughs. ‘I’m honestly surprised it took you this long to get a path like this. I Guess since you already have the dungeon stuff the System didn’t feel all that rushed about finding your path of power.

‘Anyway, most people who don’t have a specific manner to use the more common powers like Mana and Qi yet still have access to something will get a path like this. To be honest, engraving by itself is somewhat rare as people generally end up with sculpting, painting, or some other similar more general skill.’

Doyle nods, ‘That does make some sense. I’m going to guess they tend to be non-combat paths, if only because fights are temporary enough that power is easier to find a use for that doesn’t require a masterwork to use.’

Ally, ‘Exactly that. These paths are basically meant to break open the barrier between making things and making magical things. In a well-developed world, the most common form this takes is scrolls as long as literacy is even halfway spread through the populace. That and temporary potions.

‘In fact, that is the defining characteristic of these paths at the start. Anything you make will be temporary. A painting of a scared beast might have a fear aura for a few days. A scroll meant to light a fire might last a month before losing its power. Stuff like that.’

Doyle nods, ‘And because of who I am, that all is going to be skipped? After all, I can already use the most basic form of supernatural power and this just came up because even though I use a more common form, the skills aren’t technically based on world energy.’

Ally smiles, ‘Got it in one! Though I will tell you a bit about the temporary stuff just because it might help figuring out thing.’

Doyle rolls to the side, ‘Let me guess, even just drawing in the dirt with a stick would count and it can make some amazing, if very temporary, protection circles.’

Ally shrugs, ‘That is part of it, though a person would get better results by directly using their finger to better channel the power. Also, the gimmick for engraving is less specificity than calligraphy, but longer lasting and with more power.

‘A temporary firestarter scroll will be able to use its power in exactly the right amount to start a wood fire before running out. If you tried to repeat that with an engraving, you’d find you had a lot less control over the strength of the fire and that it kept spewing put flames well past the point that it needed to.’

Doyle, ‘That would explain why it works so well with protection circles and what not.’

Ally nods, ‘Though along with that, it has a few other fun uses. For instance, if instead of trying to start a fire, you engrave a circle around the fire pit, you can make the fire last a lot longer and cause it to burn more consistently.’

Doyle, ‘I can see a few uses for this, but the big question is why bother when I have conceptual reinforcement?’

Ally nods, ‘I can see why you would think that. What is important to note is that this isn’t a skill and it won’t show up on your status panel. Rather, this is more in line with stuff like the ability to breathe. Either you can or you can’t.

‘Also, it didn’t specify the kind of power you can channel. While a little more ephemeral, conceptual power like what is used in your skill is a power as well. Honestly, I hadn’t really thought about it, but you basically cheated to get that skill.

‘Normally you would need to have something like this already or else how would there be conceptual power in your engravings to reinforce? So with that, maybe things will flow a bit smoother, but you might also not feel any difference.’

Doyle, ‘So the ability is like having a piece of clay you can shape while the skill allows me to put that clay in a kiln and bake it so it maintains its shape?’

Ally nods, ‘Similar enough, though for you the biggest gain will be with arrays. You’ve already got one on hand and this will let you actually level up its pattern.

‘Of course, in traditional arrays, or as some call them “formations”, people tend to use flags and other similar things to lay out the array as that is a lot easier than literally carving it into the ground. You will be about the opposite.

‘Though you’ll still occasionally want “flags” in the form of carved stone discs. Sometimes you just need the array to be separate from the area you’re putting it in. Now, do you want to give it a try? The tiny world energy gathering array you have is about the best practice array there is.’

Doyle rolls his core back, ‘How would I even do that? I have the pattern, but I can feel that it is meant for my creation skill and doesn’t really have a guide for how to actually draw it out. Want me to place them around like stamps? No problem. Want me to actually create the array? No clue where to start.’

Ally has a strained smile, ‘I. I wasn’t expecting that? Let me check my notes real quick.’

Ally pulls up another screen and starts scrolling through it. ‘Hmm, okay, I think we can fix this going forward. This is the result of dungeon cores not needing that sort of details, at least they normally don’t for a good long while. Sure, setting down an array properly will increase its power, but when you can set down an array that is already activated, why bother with the complication?

‘Your comparison to a stamp is really apt in this case. Arrays are like cursive or one of those languages that uses pictograms. There is a correct way to draw them and a stamp bypasses all that nonsense. Sure, if someone looks closely they will be able to tell it was a stamp, but it works.

‘Anyway, once you do draw the array you have a time or two you should get some kind of skill and with that your database skill will update. Though this does point out the fact that you would have the same problem with all the other patterns as well. If you ever try your hand at smithing for instance, it doesn’t matter how high a level your sword pattern is, you’ll suck at actually forging one.

‘Eh, future problems. For now, we are at least somewhat lucky as the one array you do have is so common you can find instructions to draw it for free. Let me just do a little surfing and find the best reviewed open source version of the Tiny World Energy Gathering Array. What level was yours at?’

Doyle checks a screen, ‘Looks to be level 14, also, now that I’m looking at it, it doesn’t say it is a pattern.’

Ally nods, ‘Arrays and Enchantments are “special”. It wasn’t technically stored in the database skill because you can’t improve them as you are. The level they note is the level of effect. So your level 14 energy gathering array won’t do any good for people who are above level 14. Once you can actually draw them out, that is part of what should change.

‘Going back to the stamp analogy. No matter how you use the stamp, it will always be the same stamp. Once you start writing it out though? Then you can improve upon it!’

Akhier

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