After that conversation, Pryte and Elody left me alone to do my own planning. Pryte wanted to check on the new equipment and make sure that Mel was doing all right. Elody had promised Maud that she'd give her some advice on her leveling situation. This meant that I was able to consider a few things I hadn't tried yet. For one thing, could I bring Corey into the simulations with me? They didn't seem to count as another person, and we were linked, but I wasn't sure if that would extend to the actual skill or not.

After some thought on it, I decided the first course of action would be asking their opinion and brought up the chat window.

>Dave: How much of my skills are you able to see these days?

>Corey: I can see your entire ability list, though I can only take direct control of the imbuing orb without your permission currently.

>Dave: Good to know. What do you think would happen if I tried to trigger a simulation with you as part of it?

>Corey: As long as I am attached to your channels, I believe the System will see me as part of you. I cannot say that for certain, but I believe it will allow me into your simulation.

>Dave: Alright, so I guess we can't do much more without a test. Ready to give that a shot once I'm prepared?

>Corey: Yes.

I closed out the chat window and debated the best way to do this. I already knew I wouldn't be able to fight, basically at all. I also needed the use of my shield orb to even have any chance at this. Luckily, at least in theory, Corey would be able to use it normally if I swapped it to the mallet. While we couldn't be sure this was true, the only way to actually be sure would be to try it. So that was the step one in my preparations.

Carefully, I withdrew the imbuing orb from the mallet's head and swapped it with the shield orb in my own socket, then added the shield orb back to the mallet. I then pulled back up the chat window.

>Dave: Are you able to access the shield orb?

>Corey: Yes, but as with the imbuing orb, while my utilization of it will block any accidental regulation issues to your other sockets, it will still bleed far more mana through your broken channels on the way to me.

>Dave: I know, but I'm also not sure we have another option. Socketing you into my core might be the only feasible way to solve my dilemma.

>Corey: I am not against it. I just wanted to make sure you also understood the potential risks.

>Dave: I do.

>Corey: Understood.

That was one problem out of the way. The next was deciding what modifiers I thought I could handle. I'd need to reduce the number I'd used before while also increasing the multiplier if possible. Or would I? Even if my channels were having issues, my core and soul were stronger. Basically, everything about my system, other than the channels themselves, were in a better position to do a big run.

If Corey could come in with me, that also meant I could drop my own levels significantly. If that was the plan, though, I may as well invest them into my class as much as possible first, see what kind of extra defenses I could unlock against what I'm about to do. Suddenly, I felt like I had several long-term plans and ideas, all building on each other for once, instead of feeling like I was constantly thrown into the deep end without knowing how to swim. My new reality was starting to fall into place in my mind. I was understanding how to build my class and other abilities.

I checked my class status to learn what I had already known; I'd ignited my soul, and that meant I had a whole new classpath to look at.

~Path of the Soul~ {0/1,000,000 Experience} Path of the Soul is a journey of inner reflection. To truly understand a soul is to take control of the soul-core reaction itself. {1,000,000/1,000,000 Experience} The mysteries of the soul are those for one on the Path of the Soul to unlock. As the keys are discovered, so too will the soul be strengthened. As the infernos of the soul flame grow, what happens to the shell containing it? Can the reaction be sustained?

-Projection {0/10,000,000 Experience} | 2/5 Soul Separations |

-Fortitude {0/10,000,000 Experience} | 1/5 Soul Intrusions |

-Soulfire {0/10,000,000 Experience} | 1/1 Ignitions |

Interestingly, my soul separations had also increased. I figured that had happened when I'd done the final ignition. I quickly unlocked soulfire, the experience cost at this point for it being incredibly negligible, and checked what the new items on the path were.

-\Soulfire\Soul Burst {0/25 Levels} Allows the host to release a concentrated burst of soul energy. Further ranks in the skill allow for an increased chance of overwhelming the souls of those exposed to the burst, granting the host temporary and limited control over those affected.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

-\Soulfire\Soul Manipulation {0/50 Levels} Allows the host to adjust their soul's flow into the soul-core reaction. Further ranks allow for a greater adjustment. Potential soul separation can occur if infusion rates are not properly aligned.

-\Soulfire\Soul Infusion {0/100 Levels} Allows the host to combine their soul energy directly with their core energy when used in mana skills. Further ranks in this skill allow for a greater amount of soul mana to be intermixed with core mana safely.

While I wasn't against Soul Burst in the future, especially before the tenth floor, it wouldn't be overly useful at the moment. I briefly considered Soul Manipulation as a potential way to work around my problems, but I had a feeling, based on the warning, that cutting down the infusion rate would just weaken my core and do nothing for actually channeling the mana itself.

That left Soul Infusion, which was easily the best of the three skills, in my opinion. However, it did make me question what would happen if I tried to mix the mana sources together without a high enough skill rank. Considering the damage my channels had already suffered recently, that was probably something best held off on for now, even if I was incredibly curious as to how much I could increase my healing abilities.

I invested the levels, which was by far the most I had invested in my class up until now, and I felt an odd warmth in my core as I did so. Was that the class getting more powerful, or was my core somehow getting stronger from the investment into the class? Considering the direction that the levels were flowing, I assumed it had to be the class that was growing in strength, but I wasn't entirely sure. It was certainly something new to ask the others about later. Several new sub-routes opened up from there.

-\Soul Infusion\Body-Modification Mana {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to use the Soul Infusion skill with both increased results and safety with body-modification orbs.

-\Soul Infusion\Elemental Mana {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to use the Soul Infusion skill with both increased results and safety with elemental orbs.

-\Soul Infusion\Life Mana {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to use the Soul Infusion skill with both increased results and safety with life orbs.

-\Soul Infusion\Imbuing Mana {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to use the Soul Infusion skill with both increased results and safety with imbuing orbs.

-\Soul Infusion\Shield Mana {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to use the Soul Infusion skill with both increased results and safety with shield orbs.

Those were more interesting to me in what their names implied than their immediate use. I fully intended to take them all. I just wouldn't be able to get the greatest use from them until I had my own channels working again. Then again, there was the soul energy that flooded into Corey and was currently lost anyway, that I might be able to use mixed with the shield orb. That led to me to unlocking Shield Mana for another ten levels and checking what I had gained there.

-\Shield Mana\Deeper Bond {0/10 Levels} Allows the host to form a deeper bond with a mana orb, connecting their soul to it. The effects of this range from new mana skill pathways to reduced channeling stress and, finally, awakening. The loss of a soul-bonded mana orb is much more detrimental than the loss of a standard one. This feature may be unlocked multiple times, each time increasing the soul's bond to the orb. Unlocked Count: 0

Did that just say I could potentially awaken a mana orb? I suppose it made some sense, considering dungeon cores generally grew from mana orbs. I just hadn't heard of anything like that, not that my knowledge was anywhere near complete on the subject, but it seemed like something even Karlinovo would have mentioned somewhere. I added that to the list of things I was going to have a conversation with Elody about before I moved on to my next simulation run.

What would happen if I started awakening my mana orbs anyway? Could they be used to control more devices? Wait, just how far could I push that? If they were bonded to me and still counted as me, just what kind of force would I be able to unleash in the future? Dozens of possibilities flashed across my mind. Golems, mechs, and even just increasing my set of tools now all seemed closer.

I needed to find Elody for this conversation now before anything slipped my mind. This was potentially a huge breakthrough in my future class features. With that in mind, I returned to the backyard just in time to watch the cloudwood tree being placed in its new home. It really was a beautiful plant now that I could see it in full.

Mana orb awakening is not something I recommend for those who haven't at least started walking the path of an archmage. Understanding the evolution of a mana orb is incredibly important before one begins to place part of their soul within it. Once a mana orb has been awakened, there is no going back, and if not properly guided, these orbs can quickly become monsters in their own right. Generally speaking, you are never going to hear anyone talk of this concept, as it's not a study publicly pursued anymore, and even teaching it to you both poses a great risk to myself, but someone needs to be capable of passing on the knowledge I've learned.

Segment of Thykle's letter of invitation to a singular seminar, sent to only Karlinovo and Henjen Klank

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