[NR] Stripped Down Skills - Chapter 651

Jason stepped back and looked at the tent building hybrid nonsense he had created. It honestly felt like you described a tent to a kid and they drew it. Well, except for the fact that this building was relatively well put together. Though it had been a bit of a rush job, all things considered. Not like he intended to keep the building.

Still, he had managed to gain the skill he was aiming for. Though his three crafting skills had lost some in the process. Jason can’t help but glance over to the panel showing the differences between before and after.

{

Wilderness Construction

You’ve proven yourself capable of building yourself a new life out in the wilds. While you might not be the best at using any fancy tools and materials that city folk might find normal to have, the wilderness has proven itself more than ready to supply what you need. Whether it is a small hut or a large homestead, you’ve got what it takes to construct whatever large-scale project you set yourself to.

Novice Level 8 - 7.54% -> 1 - 0.00%

Rarity: Uncommon

Type: Passive, Construction

Effects:

• [Removed] Makeshift Material Mastery - When using unprocessed materials or materials you personally processed to construct things, the penalty to the final product’s quality is reduced, with the possibility of it becoming a bonus

• Unsophisticated (Farming Settlement) - You gain a bonus or penalty to using tools and materials depending on how sophisticated they are compared to the average farming settlement

• Homecrafter - When making or maintaining the homes of those close to you, meaning in this case those who are in your party for more than a month and direct family, your efforts are boosted

• Eye For The Lay Of The Land - When planning a new construction in an area recognized by the System as wilderness, you more easily spot what areas are best for said project

Formless Butchery (Variant)

The normal Formless Butchery skill uses Mana focused through a variety of implements to create the perfect tool for any task needed to butcher a corpse. This skill was earned through exquisite control of Energy. The user shapes their Energy without any implement and forms tools capable of shifting and flowing around any odd shape while still cutting through others as if made of metal.

Initiate Level 7 - 52.0% -> 1 - 0.00%

Rarity: Variant Exquisite Uncommon -> Variant Uncommon

Type: Active, Production

Effects:

• [Removed] Perfect Tool - No penalties from not having the right tool when butchering something as long as a close enough approximation is formed from Energy

• [Removed] Subtle Sense - Gain an intuitive sense of how tough the various parts of a corpse are

• Seeking Perfection - Gain an intuitive sense for when there is work still undone

Hands On Stone Carving

This skill represents all those who have decided to carve up stones using just their hands, not because of a lack of tools, but in spite of them. You specifically have chosen to use Energy for this to boost your ability to do so.

Initiate Level 3 - 7.2% -> 1 - 0.00%

Rarity: Rare -> Uncommon

Type: Active, Production

Effects:

• [Removed] Perfect Tool - No penalties from not having the right tool when butchering something as long as a close enough approximation is formed from Energy

• Carver’s Stone Sense - While carving stone without a tool, The feedback gives you an amazing sense for the stones structure

• [Removed] Rough And Ready - Instead of finding the perfect stone or bringing out what you see within a stone, you take what you have and figure out how to make it work for you; and in doing so there is an increased chance that you do end up finding what you need in that stone

}

Wilderness Construction had mostly escaped unscathed, only losing one effect. Well, besides being reset to the start of the initiate rank, but they all had that one happen. The other two both had their rarity downgraded and two of their three effects removed. All without gaining anything.

Then again, there was a reason for this. What had been lost was effects based on both his use of Energy constructs and ability to use subpar materials better than others. This was because of his new skill, which made it all worth it.

{

Efficient Energy Tools

Your use of Energy to form tools is both power efficient and material efficient. The tools you form are as if extensions of your body and can be maintained indefinitely. This was proven three times over in the effects of other skills and you have managed to strip those effects out and turn them into this very skill.

Apprentice Level 1 - 0.00%

Rarity: Exquisite Personal

Type: Active, Production

Effects:

• Efficient Recycling - Energy used for tools cycle back in and so the tool can be kept up indefinitely

• Perfect Tool - Suffer no penalty when using your Energy as a tool

• Efficient Material Processing - Remove non-innate penalties for using low-quality materials and sometimes a material will become of better quality when personally used

• One with the Tool - You are able to feel through the Energy tools and are treated as if working through them is natural, as if not using a tool at all

}

Not only did the new skill start at Apprentice rank, but it combined the two effects he had been focusing on. Which wasn’t a guarantee. After all, the two effects aren’t quite connected. Well, some might not see the connection at all.

Jason managed it though and since it worked once, he could likely merge in other effects in the future. Or at least, that was his hope. A utility skill like this is incredibly useful, especially with how broad this one was. Most of the time, it would be a more targeted skill such as one just for using a knife as a tool. While with his, the sky was the limit.

All that was holding him back was how big he could make his Energy tools. After all, it isn’t like Jason had managed to get around the limited range factor of Energy. However, if he did end up dabbling in smelting and smithing, a pair of Energy gloves would be spectacular.

Of course, the System wasn’t giving this away without restrictions. Since this was a production type skill, it wouldn’t work for combat. So even if Jason did get to the point of being able to form Energy armor, the skill would not work with it. Well, it would protect against things as a result of crafting and many environmental conditions, thankfully.

Still, it would have been nice to have perfect armor. After all, with Energy there isn’t any need for joints to be weaknesses in the armor. If anything, you could make the suit thicker there since people will aim at those “weak” points.

Not that he couldn’t use Energy constructs as armor. It is simply that doing so would be more akin to strapping on plates of metal instead of using a System recognized suit of armor. You’d still have a plate of metal between you and an attack. There just wouldn’t be any extra protection from the System.

Which, considering that unlike actual metal his Energy constructs will block non-physical attacks like magic and ghosts? Well, it probably ends up better on the pure defense side of things compared to equipment appropriate for his level. On the other hand, defense was almost a secondary concern when it came to armor in NeoRealm already.

Good effects are king with any type of equipment. Though front-line fighters do have to worry at least a bit about the defense value of their gear. Even then, it tends to be an outgrowth of the armor’s effects. A helmet with 100 defense is alright, but one with 50 will be worth so much more if it has an effect that multiplies its defense against a common type of attack.

Of course, none of Jason’s gear has that on it. Even a simple effect that ups the defense against fire attacks will not just multiply the defense value, but the gold value as well. Though this is to be expected when that added defense does more than just add defense. The extra defense works against all attacks that are considered “fire” on the person. Which is quite powerful and thus the price tag.