These were some categories that contained skills peter would qualify for. There were many skills that required specific classes or certain stats to be unlocked.
For example, David or Monica wouldn't even be able to use Silver Tongue since they hadn't unlocked Charisma yet.
Similarly, Peter couldn't make use of Pickpocket's Grace or Trap Sense either, as he had yet to unlock Dexterity or Perception.
Some skills required other skills to be at a certain level. For instance, a person could only use Inventory {Space, Time} if they had both Space Manipulation and Time Manipulation above level 35.
In fact, Space Manipulation and Time Manipulation seemed like great choices.
Both were highly desirable skills that could be trained without anyone finding out. Peter mentally added them to the list.
There were other, more powerful-sounding manipulation skills like Soul Manipulation and Fate Manipulation, but training them without guidance seemed risky.
With Space and Time, there was at least a chance to figure something out—perhaps stopping time in a particular area or creating a fissure in space.
However, there was absolutely no idea how to practice Fate Manipulation, and Soul Manipulation required souls to practice on.
'No way am I trying that on myself or someone else. Failure would have terrible consequences,' Peter thought.
But just because he had no knowledge of how to use these skills didn't mean there weren't people who could—and that he wouldn't encounter them.
Classes like Soul Mage, Soul Magi, and Soul Magus granted Soul Manipulation as a class skill. If such abilities existed, then skills that could protect against them—like Mind Control or Soul Imprisonment—would be necessary.
As he scrolled through the Skill Library, four types of defensive skills appeared on the list.
1. Resistance (reduces effects)
2.Protection (prevents effects)
3.Recovery (removes effects)
4.Unique Skills
Resistance Skills (Weaken the Effect)
- Iron Will – Reduces the influence of mind control and fear.
-Soul Fortitude – Weakens soul-based attacks and curses.
-Mental Bastion – Grants resistance to psychic intrusions.
-Spirit Buffer – Absorbs a portion of soul-based damage.
-Echo Suppression – Dulls the lingering effects of psychic attacks.
Protection Skills (Prevents the Effect)
-Mind's Aegis – Completely blocks weak mind-altering magic.
-Sanctuary of Thought – Creates a mental barrier against illusions.
-Unshaken Resolve – Prevents forced obedience or domination.
-Soulbound Ward – Shields the soul from external corruption.
-Veil of Clarity – Nullifies confusion and hallucination effects.
Recovery Skills (Removes the Effect)
-Cleansing Mind – Purges charm, fear, or confusion.
- Soul Restoration – Heals damage to the soul from curses or possession.
- Psychic Purge – Removes lingering mind-control effects.
- Willpower Surge – Temporarily breaks through mental interference.
- Reforged Spirit – Restores lost fragments of the soul.
Unique Skills
-Mental Reflection – Reflects a portion of psychic attacks back at the caster.
-Void of Thought – Erases emotions temporarily, making mind reading impossible.
-Soul Fortress – Grants near-total immunity to mind and soul assaults for a short time.
-Eternal Self – Ensures the user's soul cannot be destroyed or controlled.
-Unyielding Ego – Prevents personality erosion from powerful mind magic.
Some of the skills were Active, some were Passive, and a few provided both Active and Passive effects. Of course, these were specialized skills—some focused on the soul, while others targeted the mind.
But Peter only had a limited number of skill slots. Resistance, protection, recovery, and unique skills that could cover multiple scenarios were necessary—whether it be soul, mind, poison, elements, pain, illusion, fate, and more.
There weren't enough slots to pick each specialized skill individually.
"Peter, we're done! Come on, time to visit the church."
Mariah's urging voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Coming…"
'I'll think about it later,' Peter decided, getting up and walking out of the room.
The problem wasn't a lack of options—it was having too many. Understanding the pros and cons of choosing a specialized skill versus a generalized skill would be crucial.
…
Summer had just passed, so the sunlight wasn't too strong even though it was noon. They walked slowly toward the village, enjoying the view of the fields. Harvest Day was close.
Wheat, barley, and a corn-like crop stood twice or even thrice peter's height, swaying gently in the wind. The sight reminded peter of a scene from the movie Interstellar.
"Dad." Peter turned to his father.
"Hmm? Yes?" Both parents looked at Peter.
"I was wondering… why did you choose a specialized skill like Swordsmanship {One-Handed Sword} instead of the generalized Swordsmanship? Or even better, something like Weapons Mastery, if it exists?"
Mariah giggled. "See? Our son is very curious."
Joseph smiled and nodded. "He sure is. Well, Peter, of course, there's a skill like Weapons Mastery. But first, let me ask you something." He looked at Peter with amusement.
"How many kinds of swords do you think there are?"
Peter thought for a moment. 'Let's see… a lot. But a child wouldn't know the names of weapons, right?'
"A lot, probably. But I don't know their names," He admitted with a shrug.
"Mhm. Let me name a few that I know: Shortsword, Gladius, Cutlass, Rapier, Smallsword, Longsword, Claymore, Greatsword, Scimitar, Sabre… and there are many more."
Joseph continued, "To increase a skill's level, you need to use it. The more generalized a skill is, the harder it is to level up."
"To raise a generalized Swordsmanship skill, you'd have to practice and fight with all types of swords. Sure, you could just use a single type, but leveling up would be a snail's pace."
"We'll teach you about skill merging and which ones are worth merging or not. You don't have to worry about it now."
By the time he finished talking, they had reached the village gate.
"Did the brat get something good or not?" The old guard asked as they got closer.
"Better than whatever you got, for sure." Peter shot back without backing down.
"Quite the cocky attitude," he laughed. "Good, good. So, what did you get?"
Peter glanced at Mariah, and when she nodded, he answered, "Mana Sense and 28 Spirit points."
"Hoh… Certainly better than what I got."
...To be Continued