In the end, Jay chose not to go with the CHAOS FRAME. Moments later, the Schema for the ABYSS FRAME appeared in his STATUS.
His eyes widened slightly as he opened it. A rare mix of anticipation and caution settled on his face.
The schema expanded in front of him, displaying the full breakdown of its requirements and capabilities.
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ABYSS FRAME Schema
⧼TERTIARY Crown-Class⧽
Compatible Passive Skills:
Lv.83║Physical Pain Resistance║Lv.68║Mental Pain Resistance║Lv.36║Soul Sense║Lv. 29║Spectral Severance║Lv.17║Spirit Seeker║
Required Passive Skills:
║Phantom Corrosion║║Delusion Vortex║║Temporal Stasis║║Terror Apparition║║Hell Chamber║
⧼Requires these skills or those with similar functions⧽
﴾ ABYSS FRAME Orientation available x 1 ﴿
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His Physical Pain Resistance had reached an impressive Lv.83, reducing the pain he felt by 83%. Most of this progress came from his repeated use of INVERSE mode.
Despite subjecting him to excruciating levels of pain, it simultaneously honed his resistance to such a degree that he could endure what would leave most incapacitated.
Across the Universe, very few individuals had pushed Physical Pain Resistance past Lv.50. Doing so required withstanding extreme suffering, and anything less than near-death agony wouldn't move the skill forward.
For Jay to reach Lv.83 in just ten days was nearly unthinkable. Anyone familiar with the difficulty would be shocked. Even more remarkable was his Mental Pain Resistance, which had reached Lv.68.
Although lower in level, it was even harder to raise. It involved resisting mental trauma and damage to one's consciousness, areas that healed far more slowly than the body.
Unlike physical wounds, mental injuries left lasting effects. Reaching Level 100 in either skill was considered nearly impossible. Reaching both? A feat only the most resolute could ever hope to achieve.
These two resistances alone reflected the immense difficulty of synthesizing the ABYSS FRAME.
Of the five required passive skills, Jay had already met three others.
║Soul Sense║was a passive ability Jay had acquired from Olivia. The remaining two, Lv.29║Spectral Severance║and Lv.17║Spirit Seeker║were looted from monsters he had slain during his expedition with Dante and Akor.
Jay had accumulated over 5,000 skills so far. To avoid cluttering his STATUS, MJ had hidden the full list entirely.
With the number of monsters Jay killed every day, selecting whether to loot their Innate Talent, Skill, or Mastery had become overwhelming. He had long since assigned that task to MJ.
During the monster invasion, MJ handled the looting process, making sure not a single monster was missed. Unless something needed Jay's direct input, MJ managed everything on his own.
║Spectral Severance║was a powerful skill that could sever a target's soul from their body, but only effective when they were weakened.
║Spirit Seeker║, on the other hand, allowed the user to inject Spirit Energy into a target and track their location within a 1,000 km radius. It was similar to his Spirit Equipment, Fenris Monocle, though that relied on tracking the target's shadow instead.
As for the five skills Jay needed, each was as rare and formidable as the next.
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║Phantom Corrosion║
Injects Spirit Energy into a target, causing slow internal decay. The injected Spirit Energy breaks down cells and organs, while also damaging the mind, causing pain, hallucinations, and eventual death if untreated.
║Temporal Stasis║
Places the target's mind and soul into suspended animation. All internal processes are paused, allowing recovery from mental and soul-related injuries without the passage of time affecting them.
║Delusion Vortex║
Passively inflicts traumatic delusions on those nearby. Victims suffer disturbing hallucinations that erode mental stability, leading to irrational behavior and eventual self-harm or death.
║Terror Apparition║
Makes the user appear as the most terrifying entity anyone around them had ever encountered. It distorts perceptions, amplifying fear and dread to an extreme level, overwhelming those in proximity with intense horror
║Hell Chamber║
Grants access to a small, fiery pocket dimension. The area was a desolate, infernal space marked by intense heat and flames, offering a confined, harsh environment.
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Each of these skills was rarer than the last, and most carried risk of harming the user as well.
Jay needed to obtain these skills, or find equivalents with similar functionality, to move closer to synthesizing the ABYSS FRAME.
Aside from listing the five required skills and the three he already possessed, the schema didn't reveal much else. At the bottom, however, was a brief line:
Orientation Available – One-time use only.
Curious, Jay focused on it. A new notification appeared.
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﴾ ABYSS FRAME Orientation can only be used once before expiring. ﴿
Do you wish to experience it?
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Jay accepted without hesitation.
In an instant, his consciousness was pulled into a blank realm, an endless space of white, with no features or landmarks. He sensed he could leave at any moment, but doing so would consume this one chance to explore the FRAME's potential.
Moments later, a figure materialized not far from him, startling Jay. The figure bore an uncanny resemblance to him, clad in the same black suit and black and golden overcoat.
The doppelgänger's eyes were hollow, devoid of any soul, and its expression remained eerily neutral.
Without warning, the figure charged at Jay, delivering a swift punch aimed directly at his face. A punch came flying toward his face. Just as he raised his guard, a notification flashed in his vision:
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﴾ ABYSS FRAME Orientation — 1st Instance Commences ﴿
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1, 2 & 3 are now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new editions!
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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