Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Oh dear Leon," Eva began, shifting her focus from Jett to Leon. "I know you're my brother and all, but if you so much as harm a single strand of his hair, you can forget about leaving with your limbs intact."

"Tch, put us down," one of Leon's men demanded.

"Oh? An insignificant pebble dares to speak?" Eva sneered, her eyes blazing with intent to incinerate him on the spot.

"Umm, Eva? Could you maybe not commit murder in my household?" Avon nervously interjected. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and he knew that if a fight broke out, Eva would obliterate everything in her path without hesitation.

"Master Leon, do something," the man who had previously blocked Jett begged Leon.

"She wouldn't dare," another man interrupted.

"Oh, Eva? She doesn't care if you're friend or foe. If you push her to this point, you're practically dancing with death," Avon warned, trying to make them understand the gravity of the situation.

'That's my mother? So scary,' Jett thought, watching the scene in silence. Leon and his men were at his mother's mercy; one wrong move, and they would be finished.

"Alright, I yield. Call off your attack," Leon conceded, realizing he was no match for her.

Eva waved her hand, instantly dispelling the elemental forces.

As Leon and his men retreated, he cast a spiteful look at Jett, who only mocked him from behind his mother. Then, Leon turned to Eva.

"Remember what we discussed. I'll be leaving now," he said with a frown and walked away.

"Yeah, you better run," Jett yelled after them, still hiding behind his mother.

"And you, what was that just now? You should know better than to interrupt your elders when they are talking," Eva scolded Jett with a menacing stare, making his heart sink with fear.

Avon chuckled at the sight of Eva and Jett. 'I guess even Eva can change; she's actually thinking about consequences now.'

"Nice throw, by the way. Next time, aim for the face," she suddenly smiled and gave Jett a thumbs up.

Avon covered his face in disappointment. 'I take it back. Nothing about her has changed at all.'

He proceeded to give both of them an earful, cautioning Eva to act more like an adult and Jett to behave himself and avoid causing trouble.

*****

The next day, the Grift family set out back to Lagia without Nerissa. On the way, Jerry explained to Jett about once being one of the twenty pillars that supported the king, how they fought off the great demon army and banished them to the pits of hell. Jett tried to make sense of the story.

"If that's the case, then why were you sent to Lagia? And why just a Lord?"

"Well, you see, I was sent to Lagia to rejuvenate the area as a reward and also to protect something really important. As for why I'm just a Lord, that's just politics that you're too young to understand, ha ha ha."

"What's that?"

"When the time comes, I'll tell you."

Jett looked at Eva, who was fast asleep on the opposite seat, still wanting to know a few more things.

"So, like, what gives? I found out that Mom is from a noble family, so why does it feel like we're not related to them?"

"And you're asking because…?"

"Oh, no reason in particular."

"The answer is simple: your mother left the family for me."

"Huh? She eloped with you?"

"Who taught you that word?"

"Ah, well, I, um, picked it up from tourists."

"Those tourists really need to be more conservative around children."

'Huff, if only he knew how old I actually am.'

Jerry explained to Jett the circumstances that led to the Dyno family cutting ties with Eva.

Jerry and Eva met at the academy, where they were both students of remarkable talent. Jerry, with his unrivaled swordsmanship, and Eva, with her exceptional magical prowess, quickly became friends. Their bond grew as they trained together, their mutual respect blossoming into love.

They became party members, fighting side by side in numerous battles. Their teamwork was unparalleled, and they were soon recognized as a formidable duo. When the call to battle the great demon army came, both joined the military, with Jerry leading a division of warriors and Eva commanding a corps of mages.

Their contributions were pivotal in driving the demons back to the pits of hell, earning them high ranks and respect.

Despite their achievements, the Dyno family disapproved of their relationship. They had plans for Eva to marry someone from a prestigious family, someone they deemed worthy of her noble lineage. When the war ended, and the pressure from her family increased, Eva made a bold decision. She fled with Jerry, choosing love over familial duty.

Jerry knew that Jett was moved by the story as he had stopped asking questions.

'So the real reason why you didn't get a better title than Lord was because the Dyno family opposed it. But since they couldn't ignore his contributions, they gave him Lagia. Reynolds used watching over whatever it is he's guarding now as a cover to let Jerry and Eva live a peaceful life away from the other nobles. Such a good friend, killing two birds with one stone.

I think I get the gist of it now, how cruel.'

Ethan continued his reflection on human greed. "Both in this world and my previous life, human greed knows no bounds. The nobles are no saints either, as the majority of them try to discriminate against common folks with their status. Even Jerry couldn't totally escape their influence. The only thing keeping them at bay is obviously the royal family."

'Strength isn't everything in this world; even power, if used right, can suppress those with strength. Even I know that much. I'll get stronger, strong enough to gain that power to never be oppressed by anyone. The world that I envision, I will bring it to fruition. I swear it.'

*****

>>> 2 YEARS LATER <<<

Deep in the forest near Lagia, a small hill of beasts' corpses piled up, featuring slimes, small golems, goblins, dread vipers, wind wolves, and more. At the top of the heap, Jett, now older and stronger, sat with a hint of boredom on his face.

"Two years already?" he muttered. "Maybe in four years, I'll be heading to that place. Leveling up here is nearly impossible, and I can't stray too far from Lagia, or Mother will notice. Ever since she marked me with that annoying skill, I've had to be more careful. Somehow, I made it to level 25. But at this rate, it'll take another four to five years to reach level 30."

Over the past two years, Jett had trained relentlessly, honing his Aura, Mana, and Lumix. He ventured into the forest daily to hunt wild beasts and monsters, and he made a concerted effort to learn and copy useful skills.

He also devoted time to understanding how his skills worked, especially [Gluttony] and [Skill Forge].

Through experimentation, Jett discovered that [Skill Forge] had two distinct functions: Forge and Synthesis. Forge allowed him to create a new, authentic skill from two or more existing skills, though the properties of the new skill often varied.

Synthesis, on the other hand, merged two skills, combining their properties into one. However, skills with dark and holy attributes had a low success rate, and failure resulted in the permanent loss of those skills.

With [Gluttony], Jett found that he couldn't copy a skill twice, even if two people possessed it. Moreover, when he used [Evil Eye] to analyze it, the dark attribute of [Evil Eye] caused a downgrade during synthesis. This resulted in [Gluttony] being limited to five uses per day and the loss of [Evil Eye].

Losing [Evil Eye] was a significant blow, but it taught Jett a valuable lesson about relying on luck. He realized that over-reliance on luck had become a weakness, and he needed to think carefully before acting.

As he sat atop the heap of beasts, Jett's resolve to grow stronger and more strategic solidified. He knew the path ahead was long, but he was determined to forge it with skill and wisdom.

*****

Deeper in the forest, a dark and gloomy cave was dimly lit by luminous crystals. Inside, a man in a dark cloak, Articus, paced to and fro, holding a bottle.

Another figure, Gabo, entered, groaning in slight pain, still not fully healed from a previous battle.

"Gabo, how are the preparations coming along?" Articus inquired.

"Everything is ready. We will begin shortly," Gabo replied with a grin.

"Hmm," Articus muttered, his attention suddenly diverted.

"What now?" Gabo asked, sensing the shift.

"We have an uninvited guest," Articus replied.

"Huh? Me? I just got here," Gabo interrupted, thinking Articus was talking about him.

"Not you, moron. An outsider just entered the formation I set," Articus retorted.

"Oh? What should we do? What if this intruder interferes with our plan?" Gabo wondered, feeling uneasy.

"Don't worry. It's only one person. Whoever it is will probably die from the traps we set. If not, we'll kill the person if he gets too close," Articus said with a wicked laugh.

The cave's dim light flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls as Articus and Gabo exchanged sinister glances. The air was thick with tension and the impending threat of their dark machinations.

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Nothing Bad's gonna happen right?

Hope so

Looking forward to seeing what the look like for real