[Your body has been damaged to the extreme].
[Your body has been strengthened to the extreme].
[You are on the verge of death].
[Regulate vitals].
[Warning! Regulate vitals].
[Confusion corrodes your mind].
[Confusion corrodes your mind].
[[Recovery] is activated. Your breathing is smoothened. Your trachea is opening].
The fall caused much more damage than Arthur anticipated. Not only were his basic organs tangled, but they were also blocked, rendering him in a state of life and death. Limbo, one might call it.
Death was only a few seconds away.
[Recovery] worked tirelessly to heal most bruises and injuries, but the severe ones originated within his organs. Those would take time to heal… time Arthur did not have.
Melzer would take several hours to reach the bottom, and locating Arthur's body was another task he would have to do. The latter couldn't survive mere minutes, let alone hours in such a horrifying state.
'Would it… have been… better… if I… landed… on my… arm…?' Arthur thought, watching quietly as his life flashed before his eyes. 'But… I cant… go easy… Demons… Angels…waiting…'
[Condition has worsened].
[Amygdala is partially shutting down].
[Liver is shutting down].
'Ten seconds… before heart,' thought Arthur, inspecting the condition of his body through system messages. There were a few seconds left before his heart shut down, which meant an instant death.
Suddenly, a surge of anger rose to Arthur's chest. 'I… don't want to… do it.'
The only way to save himself in such a condition was to merge two skills. Although skills couldn't be merged easily, inherent skills were different. They could be merged with a certain skill once and grow on that path.
[Sin Toll] was an inherent skill, which meant it had belonged to Arthur since birth. He was born to judge the sins and virtues of others. The skill was incredibly overpowered and something he planned to use in the future.
But with his amygdala partially shutting down, all he could do was attempt to save his life at the moment. It didn't matter what happened in the future as long as he survived the current endeavor.
'Skill… merge…'
[What two skills would you like to merge?]
'[Sin Toll]... [Recovery]...'
[Inherent Skill [Sin Toll] and skill [Recovery] are being tested for compatibility].
[Compatibility: 12%]
[Continue?]
'Yes…'
[Two skills are being forcefully merged].
[Mana circuits will be damaged].
[Mana circuits will be severely damaged].
'Fuck… start it!'
[Merging process… 12%... 13%...]
'I don't have all fucking day!' Arthur screamed inwardly. He could practically sense death creeping up on him.
[Merging process… 43%... 44%...]
[Merging process… 97%... 98%...]
[Merging process… 100%]
[Inherent Skill [Sin Toll] and Skill [Recovery] have been permanently merged].
[Skill acquired, [Judgment Regeneration]].
Power flooded into Arthur's hands, and he immediately activated his skill. The skill strengthened the properties of [Recovery], forcing it up the ranks of skills. It fed on [Sin Toll]'s power until it evolved.
Although the merged skills retained some aspects of their original states, they would now grow together and unleash similar results when activated.
When activating [Judgment Regeneration] for qualities of [Sin Toll], some aspects of [Recovery] would shine, too. If there aren't any physical injuries, the skill would work on the mental aspect of the body.
The bruises on Arthur's body cleared at a terrifying rate, but that was only obvious, as weaker bodies required less mana to heal. As his body toughened, would [Judgment Regeneration] be enough?
[Physical State is returning to normal].
[Mental State is returning to normal].
[Amygdala has begun functioning].
[Liver has begun functioning].
[Risk of death has been nullified due to the presence of a merged skill].
Arthur's mind cleared, and he was given back the ability to think clearly. That's when regret struck him. [Judgment Regeneration] was a blasphemy of whatever [Sin Toll] should for. Adding a skill with regenerative properties to that of one such as [Sin Toll] was stupid.
But it preserved his life.
So, although a waste of his most prized skill, he had managed to retain his life.
'This only delays that by a little bit,' thought Arthur before sighing. [Sin Toll] was a part of a more significant plan, but it seemed it would have to be delayed.
Suddenly, a window popped up before Arthur's eyes.
[User's body has surpassed bounds].
[User has unlocked a 'Fairly Powerful Body' constitution].
[Prepare for shedding].
Arthur's vision suddenly went blank.
*
"Big Brother!" Lily shouted in joy as she quickly pulled the crimson-eyed man into her arms. Arthur's eyes had just opened, and his first sight was that of Lily's face. Tears streamed down her face.
Her grip was tight, preventing Arthur from moving a single muscle. She sobbed on her big brother's shoulder, unaware of the intense pain assaulting Arthur's body due to her tight grip. But Arthur didn't mind.
He'd worried Lily and the others. Suffering a bit of pain to comfort them wasn't a big deal.
Arthur slowly moved his arms before wrapping Lily within them. Her sobs only intensified as time continued.
"Why… are you so hurt?" Lily asked, pulling her head away from Arthur's shoulder for the first time. She gazed at the heinous injuries on Arthur's arms and chest, which were the only part of his body not cloaked under a warm blanket.
However, blood stains were visible on the blanket, which suggested [Judgment Recovery] hadn't been able to regenerate his body. But that was obvious, as skills wouldn't have interfered during a shedding.
Speaking of which, his constitution should have opened up.
'I'll check it later,' thought Arthur. Relishing his moments with his family was the reason he remained in the village for an entire month. Otherwise, he would have departed for Arcadia Academy immediately.
"I got hurt because I was playing with Uncle Melzer," replied Arthur as if it wasn't a big deal. "I'll be all right, Lily. You don't have to worry about me."
Lily's frown deepened. Shivers shot down Arthur's spine as he realized it looked similar to that of Anna.
"Okay fine, I'll be all right with a little kiss on the cheek."
Lily sighed in typical 'Anna fashion' before pecking her big brother on the cheek. "Get better soon, or else."
Arthur nodded fervently, working desperately to mask the color drainage from his face.
At that moment, the door burst open.