Chapter 26: Fusion I
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[Your grotesque physique would like to devour.]
• Accel Dash
• Adamantine Carapace
• Apex Reflex
• Ashen Carapace
• Avatar Synthesis
• Blooming Wrath
• Boulder Rush
• Compound Perception
• Cradle of Blooming Flesh
• Crystal Core
• Dazzling Display
• Diamond Maw
• Dread Presence
• Fleeting Aegis
• Ghost Veil
• Gleaming Scales
• Grotesque Physique
• Icefang Rend
• Lightning Horn
• Mana-Forged Stoneheart
• Mercurial Reflex
• Mirage Veil
• Molten Core
• Monarch's Regeneration
• Multi-Core Convergence
• Neurotoxic Bloom
• Phantom Shift
• Reactive Carapace
• Regenerative Web
• Shadow Skin
• Silent Descent
• Stonehide Aegis
• Storm Core
• Tendril Assimilation
• Titanic Bulk
• Unyielding Bulk
• Verdant Abyss Core
• Volcanic Core
[Yes] / [No]
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I snickered.
Finally… these skills will have their moment.
Their firepower or defensive properties were decent, sure, but there was always one thing I hated about them.
They had stopped growing.
No improvement.
No breakthrough.
Just stagnation.
Stuck in the mud, unmoving.
I sighed in relief.
Finally, they would serve a purpose, not as skills, but as raw material.
Fuel for something greater, an Ascension skill.
With this newly discovered path, these false skills could finally be put to rest.
No more grinding for mastery.
No more frustration watching them plateau.
Just clean conversion.
Honestly, getting Apex Predator Physique to Tier 10 was probably the best decision I've made in my entire lifetime.
Now I no longer have to waste energy grinding mastery for skills that would never grow.
I mean, why would I?
They were false skills.
Hollow copies.
No evolution, no potential.
Just… dead weight.
Well, maybe it was dumb of me to think otherwise before.
But no matter.
That time is over.
I clicked Yes, and immediately, a new hologram materialized before me.
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[You're Grotesque Physique have successfully devoured:]
† Accel Dash
† Adamantine Carapace
† Apex Reflex
† Ashen Carapace
† Avatar Synthesis
† Blooming Wrath
† Boulder Rush
† Compound Perception
† Cradle of Blooming Flesh
† Crystal Core
† Dazzling Display
† Diamond Maw
† Dread Presence
† Fleeting Aegis
† Ghost Veil
† Gleaming Scales
† Grotesque Physique
† Icefang Rend
† Lightning Horn
† Mana-Forged Stoneheart
† Mercurial Reflex
† Mirage Veil
† Molten Core
† Monarch's Regeneration
† Multi-Core Convergence
† Neurotoxic Bloom
† Phantom Shift
† Reactive Carapace
† Regenerative Web
† Shadow Skin
† Silent Descent
† Stonehide Aegis
† Storm Core
† Tendril Assimilation
† Titanic Bulk
† Unyielding Bulk
† Verdant Abyss Core
† Volcanic Core
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The weight on my back vanished, and a wave of comfort washed over me.
Finally.
After so long, the burden of those stagnant skills could be lifted, strengthened, reborn.
I couldn't help but smile like a fool, already imagining the forms they might take once they ascended.
No more struggling with levels, tiers, or evolution restrictions.
From now on, all I had to concern myself with was quantity and compatibility.
Hah.
Praise be to the Grotesque Physique!
Truly, your twisted power has blessed this insignificant Whark.
Now, let's access the Grotesque Physique Fusion Table.
I waved my hand, and a hologram appeared, flickering softly before my eyes.
So this is how it works…
Two normal skills could be fused to create an [Ascension I] skill.
Simple in concept, but steeped in deeper rules.
From there, further fusion could ascend them to higher tiers, all the way up to [Ascension X]—the absolute limit for a mortal.
Beyond that, the Dimensional Record could no longer assist.
If I wanted a skill stronger than [Ascension X], I'd have to manually refine it.
Forge it myself.
Create something so flawless, so terrifyingly perfect, it might as well be divine.
But I wasn't there yet.
Not even close.
With my current understanding, even creating an [Ascension I] without the assistance of Grotesque Physique would be beyond me.
And so, I, Alister Von Fai, accept my limitations.
I will rely on the Dimensional Record, for now.
For now.
Let's start small.
Let's test the fusion system, see what this grotesque miracle is truly capable of.
Cores.
Yes.
That should be the starting point.
They're too important to leave unrefined.
Minutes passed as I scrolled through my status screen, dragging core-related skills into the fusion table one by one.
Their names flickered under my tendrils.
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[Would you like to combine these skills?]
• † Crystal Core + † Mana-Forged Stoneheart
• † Volcanic Core + † Molten Core
• † Verdant Abyss Core + † Storm Core
[Yes] / [No]
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Here's your passage polished for tone, structure, flow, and immersive intensity, while preserving your voice and intent:
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I pondered for a moment whether to fuse the skills now or experiment with a different variation.
But then again, why hesitate?
I could devour countless skills from my enemies.
Why should I hold back?
Did I really need a reason to not proceed?
Probably not.
It's not like this fusion would grant me an [Ascension X] or some divine miracle.
At best, I'd get something stronger, refined, perhaps even potent, but not earth-shattering enough to make me overthink it.
I sighed, then chuckled lightly.
Let's see what you become.
With a mental push, I confirmed the fusion.
And then, pain.
An agonizing, and violent pain.
My core cracked, then shattered.
I gasped as it exploded from within, the sensation ripping through my body like lightning searing down my spine.
My nerves screamed.
My muscles twitched involuntarily.
Then... movement.
The fragmented remnants of my cores twisted and writhed through my insides, crawling across muscle, blood, and bone.
Like living things, they converged, no, burrowed, into three distinct locations.
There, new cores began to form.
A low hiss escaped me, like a snake resisting death.
Every second was torture.
My body tried to reject it, but my will kept it all contained.
Endure.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Until finally, silence.
The pain faded like a passing storm, and in its place, I felt them.
Three cores, pulsing with strength.
Balanced.
Resilient.
Unified.
A soft flicker of light shimmered into existence before me.
A hologram.
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[You're skills have fused]
[You have gained:]
• † Infernal Heart Core [Ascension I]
• † Mana-Crystal Heart [Ascension I]
• † Tempest Grove Core [Ascension I]
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Was it truly this easy to walk the path to power?
I couldn't help but chuckle.
All I had done, over and over, was face foes stronger than myself.
I fought, I bled, and I devoured.
And in doing so, I grew stronger.
Again.
And again.
Simple, wasn't it?
Perhaps... too simple.
Surely, there must be a limit to this path.
Some wall I have yet to hit.
But, why bother thinking about that now?
I've only just begun to walk this road.
Why fear distant cliffs when I'm still admiring the view from the base?
When the problem comes, I'll handle it.
Or rather, he will.
The me of the future.
The version who's stronger.
Smarter.
Better equipped.
So let him worry about it.
I laughed aloud, deep and full.
Bwahahaha!
Truly, this is the best year of my life!
Then my gaze dropped, curiosity burning in my veins.
I turned toward the new skill window.
And at last, I glanced at their descriptions.
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• † Infernal Heart Core [Ascension I]
A blazing, magma-fueled engine simulating the wrath of a volcano. Circulates molten energy through hardened channels—enabling fire-based techniques, steam bursts, and wide-area melts. Converts damage into heat. Converts heat into raw power. Overuse may lead to self-immolation if not managed with cooldowns or resistances.
• † Mana-Crystal Heart [Ascension I]
A crystalline engine forged under mana pressure. Amplifies internal mana flow, enhances spell density, and reinforces the user's body with crystalline armor. Precise. Resilient. Built for control in chaos.
• † Tempest Grove Core [Ascension I]
The volatile union of storm and growth. Vines surge with lightning, roots slam with kinetic force, and wild flora blossoms—only to erupt in bursts of elemental devastation. Feeds on entropy. Thrives in chaos. Creates biomes in seconds, then razes them in thunderous flash.
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How intriguing… these descriptions, these skills, they whispered their truths into my mind without needing to be read.
I understood them.
Consciously.
Instinctively.
I could feel how they worked, how they flowed within me.
And yet… they weren't good enough.
Not yet.
I won't use these in battle.
There's no point.
Their potency was still lacking.
Their edge was dull.
If only they had the raw power, the devastation I witnessed in that eel's earlier.
That density of mana, that purity… I wanted that.
Needed that.
If I had that, maybe I wouldn't need to bite or rip or thrash like a beast.
Maybe I could project that power.
Hurl lightning like a wrathful god.
Incinerate foes in a bath of magma.
Drown the battlefield in vines and storms.
But that... was still a dream.
I sighed.
Dragging all three of the skills into the fusion table, I hesitated for only a moment before confirming.
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[Would you like to combine these skills?]
• † Infernal Heart Core [Ascension I]
• † Mana-Crystal Heart [Ascension I]
• † Tempest Grove Core [Ascension I]
[Yes] / [No]
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There was no warning.
My cores exploded, each one shattering into countless fragments of pain and power.
They spiraled inwards, pulled by a force unseen, merging at the center of my forehead.
A new core was born.
And gods…
It hurt.
But that pain, no, that agony, was laced with something more.
Pleasure.
The rush of transformation.
The surge of growth.
Ahhh…
The feeling was addictive.
It was worse than any drug.
I smiled as the new core anchored itself within me, every nerve buzzing with newfound strength.
A hologram flickered into existence.
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[Your skills have fused.]
[You have gained:]
• † Inferno Lightning Grove Crystal Core [Ascension II]
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† Inferno Lightning Grove Crystal Core [Ascension II]
A fusion of fire, storm, and crystalized mana. Vines crackle with lightning, roots channel molten heat, and crystal armor strengthens the body. It creates living biomes that attack, grow, and explode. Converts damage into energy. Turns chaos into strength. Must be controlled to avoid overload.
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The moment I finished reading, I felt it.
Like the descent of a seraph, terrible and divine, this core settled into me.
An abomination of lightning, fire, crystal, and flora.
Perfectly grotesque.
With this... perhaps I could begin casting spells, even without proper knowledge.
Grotesque Physique… you truly proved your worth.
This wasn't just a fusion.
It was evolution, beautiful, horrifying evolution.
Unbelievable, yes.
But still within the realm of logic…
Somehow.
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Ascension Skills fusion pattern.
• Ascension I = 2 normal skills
• Ascension II = 3 Ascension I skills
• Ascension III = 4 Ascension II skills
• Ascension IV = 5 Ascension III skills
• Ascension V = 6 Ascension IV skills
• Ascension VI = 7 Ascension V skills
• Ascension VII = 8 Ascension VI skills
• Ascension VIII = 9 Ascension VII skills
• Ascension IX = 10 Ascension VIII skills
• Ascension X = 11 Ascension IX skills
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