Stunned for a solid handful of moments, I continuously read over the message again and again.

  This had been a wholly unexpected development, though a very much welcome one. It needn't any explaining that the chance of Siphon's external ability to acquire certain skills from the blood I consumed was abysmally low, but now I had not only gained the signature skill of an extremely powerful being, but it was also a tier-4 skill.

  Knowing how powerful such skills were, the boon I had reached was a godsend. Not to mention the fact that this skill should be right up my alley with the powerful soul I possessed and the dominating quality of my will.

  I could've done a gig of glee right there on the spot if there hadn't been other things vying for my attention, such as the long-awaited level-ups and skill advancements I had been striving for since setting out to hunt the wildlife of the basin jungle.

  -Skill advancement, Imbue Rake!-

  Letting out a whew of awe as I read over the choices before me, I was not let down by any of the options even though my expectations had been high with this being and 4-tier advancement and all.

  Firstly, Eviscerate was clearly just an all-around better skill that made my attacks just that much more deadly to any who were unfortunate enough to be my victim. But then again, nothing too amazing besides it being the safe bet.

  As for Flesh Rupture, now that's where my excitement was really peaked. Knowing just how powerful both mana and life were, undoubtedly the most chaotic and powerful energies there could be found in this world, the description of this skill promised just how powerful it could potentially be from right off the bat.

  But what really caught my attention was the line entailing; 'The effects of this skill can be imparted through your conjured magic'. If that worked like I thought it would, then it could possibly mean that every single of my blood puppets and other constructs could benefit from this skill, not just myself. Hell, maybe me just infusing my own magic into the weapons of my followers would be enough. If so, then this skill would become essential for me as I would not always be at the forefront of fighting myself.

  Moving on, there was Corrupting Laceration and Soul Mutilation, both ominous and niche-sounding skill names. One was derived from my Shadow Magic, and the other, the power of my will and soul. I wasn't exactly a fan of the corrupting skill as I doubted it was a fast-working attrition-type skill with how shadows usually twisted and corrupted the mind over time rather than directly ailing the body. So it might be a 'dragging you down with me from beyond the grave'-type of skill.

  Soul Mutilation could've been a possible contender if not for how vague it was. It might be incredibly powerful, allowing me to hurt not only the body whenever I inflicted wounds, but also my opponent's soul. And then it might also be overlapping and inefficient, not to also mention weak, when considering that if I could already kill the body, I would not also have to kill the soul. In some, if not most situations, it could be overkill in a sense.

  With all of those considerations in mind, it was a no-brainer of which best suited me and promised the greatest potential.

  -Flesh Rupture!-

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  After that, was the skill that was responsible for making my body as resistant and sturdy as it was.

  -Skill advancement, Onyx Body!-

  Again, fantastic choices.

  Penumbra Body showed great promise, allowing me to evade the attacks of my enemies by making my body as elusive as shadows. The only real down-sides to this skill was that I couldn't even dream that turning parts of my body into shadows was any cheap endeavor, mana-wise. Definitely a costly skill, no doubt. Also, even though I might turn invulnerable to most physical attacks, I could still be susceptible to many magical, and might even turn more vulnerable to some by taking advantage of my body being in such a state.

  Next was Sacrificial Aegis. This was a no right out of the gate. Definitely, it was the one promising the greatest protection and strongest defense out of them all. But the problem was that the protection was temporary, only for momentary blocking of certain powerful skills. I simply couldn't rely on that, so I moved on.

  Ebon Armor, safest choice by far, but still one of the ones that gave me the most pause. Would definitely 'up' my defenses a great bit, but the fact that it would physically change my body didn't entice me all that much. So while I didn't dismiss it outright, I put it in the back of my mind.

  Lastly was Onyx Incarnate, and also the one which was the vaguest and most interesting out of them all. It seemed almost like a continuation of the Onyx Body skill, while it also had existed for another being. This Onyx Titan, a menacing and powerful name. While I wasn't entirely sure if it would be a better choice than the others, it did indeed speak to me. But it was the last line that really sold me.

  'Vitality and resistance become one, suffusing one another.'

  If this was anything like my Blood-Born skill, then that could prove incredibly powerful as my entire being revolved around the potency of my blood; the vitality of my body. Not only that, it would most likely be very compatible with Blood-Born and Lesser Eldritch Vitality if I ever were to fuse them.

  My choice was made.

  -Onyx Incarnate!-

  Instantly, I could feel my body change, just like how Blood-Born had when I acquired the skill, proven my hopes and guesses right. My vitality was indeed now tied to my resistance, and with satisfaction, I moved on.

  Second, to last was Mana Control.

  -Skill advancement, Mana Control!-

  Not having expected being limited to only one choice, I quickly made sense of it when remembering that this skill was quite specific in what it did. It wasn't tied to the aspect of my magic nor the qualities of my character. Just the fact that I wielded the power of mana and had a core.

  -Mana Mastery!-

  Lastly, there was Shadow Manifestation, the reflection of the shadow half of my core.

  -Skill advancement, Shadow Manifestation!-

  Unsurprisingly, Shadow Manifestation, the mirror image of Blood Shaping for which I have due to my dual affinity core, was shaped in the figure of my blood manipulating skill. On further consideration, it was at this point just a question of whether or not I should fuse the two.

  -Shadow Lord!-

  Conjuring shadows to dance my finger, I smiled.

  Now, even in the light of the bright twin suns that shone through the sparse canopy of the jungle clearing, the abyssal-black shadows weren't diminished in the slightest.

  They were as dark as night - as black as the abyss.

  Sanguine Paradise, head on over to my and read up to 20 chapters ahead or hop into my and join the fun.

  : (Cultivating Reader, NJ Reed)