Genetic Ascension

Sylas' vision cleared, finding himself standing on cool, grey stone and surrounded by similar walls.",

The region was circular, but there were three exits around him. They were formed by doors or gateways, but were instead just gaps in curved pieces of wall.

Embedded into the cool, grey stone that made up the region, there were green veins that seemed carved of precious gems. These vein patterns seemed to be the only light source and pulsed with a dull light that illuminated the surroundings.

'A maze?'

That was the best description. He seemed to be in a starting area of sorts, or he might even be right in the middle of it, and he had to choose one of the three exits to start his journey out of his Dungeon.

'Then that must be what this is for?'

Sylas took out the Dungeon Map, and for the first time, it didn't resist him opening it up. Although he had some expectations for what he might see, what was actually there stunned him.

It was much more detailed than he thought.

'I think I made an erroneous assumption…'

---

[What is a Dungeon Map?]

[A Dungeon Map is a treasure capable of leading one to a nearby Dungeon as well as detailing a comprehensive map of said Dungeon upon entry. The higher the Grade, the larger the range of detection and the stronger Dungeon it can lead you to. Limited use item]

---

Sylas understood. It wasn't that this treasure was specific to this Dungeon, but rather that it would have always been able to find an FF+ rank Dungeon so long as one was within its range of detection. In that case, this Dungeon Map was like a consumable, one time use treasure.

'Then… This area is about as good as it's going to get for me. This region is protected by beasts that can't enter this dungeon, so there's no better time than right now to progress my Madness.'

He looked around, and it didn't seem like there were any creatures that were going to suddenly pop out of nowhere. The chance seemed small enough that it was worth it.

[Bronze Mastery Crystal (Treasure)]

[Absorb to instantly raise any Skill or Comprehension to the Bronze Mastery level]

---

He held the bronze orb in his hands, rotating it between his fingers for a moment before sitting down in a comfortable position against a curve wall and crushing it.

Sylas moved his intention toward his Madness Comprehension, subconsciously also pulling against the Madness Key as well as he sunk into a state of meditation.

Almost immediately, he felt that it was different from what he was used to.

The first two times his Madness had improved, first when he comprehended it in the first place, and second when he improved it to Common Mastery, he had lost himself to a runaway train of thought. But this time, he was so completely focused that it was the exact opposite of what he experienced during those times.

He felt his mind sharpen, and he began to sense Madness from an objective and scientific lens rather than the usual casual manner.

It felt… uncomfortable.

It was like he was running counter to the nature of Madness, and though his understanding was quickly deepening, it wasn't in the same way.

Sylas realized something. 'I'm not going to be able to grasp Bronze Mastery like this…'

With quick thinking, he changed his approach. He used this new open and free mind not to try to reach a new level of mastery, but instead he tried to deepen his understanding of the mastery he already had.

What was Madness truly? How best should she use it? What was the best method of application?

'It seems to be about control of the body, or on a deeper level than that, control of the mind, the self…'

As Sylas moved along with this thought, he grappled with an understanding he had grasped somewhat, but not quite.

<Maddened Enlightenment> and <Madness Control> were extensions of his Comprehension, both of them had only been created off of his Madness Comprehension to begin with, which was why they tended to increase when his Comprehension deepened.

And soon, when he unlocked Basic Aetherflow, it too would be among that number.

'Oh… So it's like that…'

Sylas' Madness, which had already spread out wildly, slowly began to be reined in.

'Right now, I'm using my Comprehension like a bludgeon, but it's by definition an enhancer. I'm supposed to use my Comprehension to enhance, whether that be my battle style, a Skill or even a Gene Talent. It's akin to a universal amplifier.'

As Sylas reflected under the influence of the Mastery Crystal, while his Comprehension didn't evolve, it did strengthen. His control over it tightened, and he began to sense its influence in other ways.

When he used <Maddened Enlightenment> with Madness fused into it, it was more than doubly effective.

---

[Your understanding of <Madness Control> has been temporarily raised by Madness Comprehension]

[<Madness Control> has temporarily reached Silver Mastery]

---

[Your understanding of <Maddened Enlightenment> has been temporarily raised by Madness Comprehension]

[<Maddened Enlightenment> has temporarily reached Common Mastery]

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[Madness Control (FF+) (Skill)]

[Your body is your temple and it listens to no commands other than your own]

[+0.6 (+0.3) Effectiveness]

---

After reaching Bronze Mastery, the boost to his effectiveness under <Madness Control> had been 0.3, but now it was 0.6 after temporarily reaching Silver Mastery.

<Maddened Enlightenment> didn't have as clear as a change, or more accurately, there was no easy stat to read associated with it. Sylas had a feeling that this was because <Basic Scouting> wasn't at a high enough level. It was similar to how before he got <Basic Scouting>, the descriptor for <Madness Control> had only said + Dexterity, an arbitrary and nonsensical description.

Seeing this change, Sylas was even more eager to unlock Basic Aetherflow. If he had a conduit to feed his Madness through, how much more powerful would his telekinesis become?

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