*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Nature Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Chaos Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Emptiness Element?

With his experience at manipulating elements, Rune effortlessly created those 3 and acquiesced to having them added to his masteries.

Then he brought up his masteries screen.

Masteries

Tier 1 Masteries

Physical Fundamental: Reinforcement: Tier 4 Level 25

Physical Fundamental: Fighting Instinct: Tier 4 Level 8

Physical Fundamental: Body Control: Tier 4 Level 9

Energy Fundamental: Fine Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 22

Energy Fundamental: Grand Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 22

Energy Fundamental: Energy Compression: Tier 4 Level 8

Spiritual Fundamental: Perception Control: Tier 4 Level 2

Spiritual Fundamental: Awareness Division: Tier 4 Level 23

Spiritual Fundamental: Momentum Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 5

Tier 2 Masteries

Energy: Specialized Mist Element: Tier 2 Level 12

Energy: Specialized Light Element: Tier 2 Level 22

Energy: Specialized Darkness Element: Tier 2 Level 14

Tier 3 Masteries

Energy: Specialized Nebula Element: Tier 2 Level 8

Energy: Specialized Mystic Element: Tier 2 Level 9

Energy: Specialized Illusion Element: Tier 2 Level 7

Tier 4 Masteries

Energy: Specialized Nature Element: Tier 1 Level 1

Energy: Specialized Chaos Element: Tier 1 Level 1

Energy: Specialized Emptiness Element: Tier 1 Level 1

‘Oh dear, that's a lot of energy specializations… Doesn’t look nice at all for an adventurer.’

In the middle of the park, he used his newly acquired ratio of 10 energy for 1 converted energy to create a ball of nature element worth 4 000 energy.

The result was a 40 centimeters wide sphere, a correct amount to try everything he wanted to try without straining his mind too much at every cut he had to do.

If he had to use the ratio without a dedicated mastery, he would have to be happy with 100 energy for 1 converted energy and would have to work with a 5 centimeters wide sphere of only 1 element, his energy limit was 5 000 after all.

‘Ok, now I only need to compare nature's property with the illusion fake’s property, then I need to see how it acts when I warp it to only keep the fundamental effect and…’

Over the next 2 days, Rune didn’t stop, his studies of those 3 elements made, as expected, and as he dreaded, problems appear.

And when he finished his big list of tests concerning those 3 elements, just those 3 elements, he started his first purge.

He hesitated a bit on what to purge and what to keep, which he ended up answering by planning his next batteries of tests on intent creation, infusion, and dissimulation.

Meaning, he could purge all the elements dedicated to only interfering with perception and senses.

7 days to properly reflect on what he saw, what he could get out of those observations, what was wrong, what was right, what was…

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Darkness Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Mystic Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Illusion Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Nature Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Chaos Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Emptiness Element has been purged

The instant the purge ended, Rune finished reading the news article, stood up, finished his glass of infused juice, and jumped down.

He had another purge to do as soon as possible so he optimized his time.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Smoke Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Truth Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Cloud Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Ash Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Cameleon Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Shadow Element?

With his perfect ratio nebula and mist element still at his disposal, he was able to compare what he wanted at the fastest speed, and what he wanted were properties able to make his light element appear like nothing else but air.

Nature and emptiness elements somewhat entered this category as well, but he already tested them thoroughly and he just wanted to complete his repertory and confirm the best options and slight variations that existed.

For 3 days non-stop, he went from basic element creation and properties analysis to intent use, the true reason why he wanted all those elements at the same time.

Intents were remarkable, not just remarkable as in great and awesome, but also remarkable as in very visible and easy to feel.

When he ultimately created his element, he wanted an element suitable to hide all the intent it contained.

Of course, he knew that using an intent to dissimulate another one was what he was bound to do, but it was the domain of multi-intents creation, and it was also a part of what he would do to bring his element to an untold level of perception-confusion and dampening.

After 4 days, he finished this part and started yet another purge.

The next element testing session involved all the weird senses and their associated blockers, it was also the last thing he had to do before deciding his final 8 elements.

…

“I don’t know, if Adreana stopped working for 2 weeks maybe you’d be able to catch up to her, but as it is, she’ll finish next week.”

“At least we all lost to Arik… And how’s your momentum dancing practice going? I read about it two days ago by coincidence and I never saw you train like they said you should, and you didn’t collapse any buildings yet so… You’re slacking off, right?!”

“Sigh… I’m training in the sky, of course, I would have really made a building collapse if I was down here, didn’t you listen to me complaining 2 months ago that-'' Utopia just started, only to be interrupted the next moment.

“Nope, 2 weeks ago? Too far, I only remember Adreana and Arik singing together with the lyrics from… That song, don’t remember the title, you know? The one who goes ‘We grant you a wish each, we are fairies, asshole’ or something like that.”

“It’s a really good song performed by a trio of extraordinary women, so yes I remember, but Arik sang it too?”

“Of course he did, he thought he was alone with Adreana inside, but you know… Hashtag perception sphere bro.”

“Rune, invasion of privacy king, I thank thee for this information, I’ll forever remember it and keep it from disappearing in the sand of time and history,” Utopia bowed exaggeratedly when he said that.

“Hehe, don’t make me laugh during my purge please, it’ll soon end. And why didn’t you change your intent accessories to something like heroism on that, it would have been more fun?”

“I told you that your intent creation speed is higher than average already, and while it’s possible that it’s due to your long color creations training as you say, I think it’s possibly a talent… But you’ll soon confirm it anyway when you train your element so just keep in mind that maybe you’re a genius at creating intent,” he accentuated this part.

“Ohhh, so cute. It’s really a dream of mine to finally discover my talent, but don’t give me false hope please, but yes of course I’ll keep it in mind when nobody can see me anymore.”

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Mist Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Light Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Smoke Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Nebula Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Truth Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Cloud Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Ash Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Cameleon Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Shadow Element has been purged

“Oh, it’s finished,” Rune placidly reported.

“Congratulations, I’ll not keep you company more then, good experimentations and see you in some days,” Utopia declared and went away.

Not procrastinating, he jumped down again and began to fill his 9 slots with the 9 elements he wanted to judge.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Void Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Space Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Signal Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Radiation Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Time Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Instinct Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Emotion Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Luck Element?

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Symbiosis Element?

Star Head really did a good job at pointing out very unique specializations and specialties that came into play into the domain of “feeling the external world”.

With those 9 elements he covered areas he wanted to get an idea of and see if using only intent, he could circumvent the problem of not adding them.

What he couldn’t do anything against were signs and traces that couldn’t be erased or tampered with, and what tilted him about this discovery was that he linked those precise traces with, of course, what all peculiar tracking paths’ specializations used to follow prey or find others.

Was it possible to counter the instinct of someone? Was it possible to hide from time itself? Astryde who told long ago she wanted to go into the time watcher path was the only reason he needed to worry about those.

And what about not leaving even a sliver of space disturbance when he moved?

For this test session, he had a lot to confirm, and he hoped that he’d have enough ingeniosity to find rational answers to them.

Yet, he couldn’t lie to himself, what motivated him to try something like that was something he learned years ago but kept in his head until now.

The Ether Law had endless possibilities, and they were only limited by your own mind.

…

As a final act of confirming his choice, Rune brought up the first form he sent detailing his wanted composite element.

[An element, preferably resembling the atmospheric ether present everywhere in the Endless, that has no offensive or defensive properties.

An element with the mystic aspect of it not being destroyable by other elements because it's all natural.

So overbearing that even the owner isn’t spared from its effect, this property should amplify the end result.

Cover every basic perception senses allowing one to locate himself or other, sound, sight, sphere, touch.

Everything should work in harmony and even amplify each other, the basic rule of a composite element all in all.]

‘This property should amplify the end result…’

He was a bit naive back then, and unfortunately, such an exchange didn’t exist.

By removing the user protection property, he just gained a lot more space to add more properties as he didn’t have to create every counter necessary to protect himself.

‘Amplify each other…’

Unfortunately, not every property could interact with each other. The greatest semblance of this being true was that the end result should work, Rune didn’t ask for anything more than a perfectly stable element that worked.

‘I still have a week to finalize my choice, and the majority of it is pre-done, not like I’m going to change the mist element used to make the foundation.’

He confirmed and confirmed again that he emptied his task list and went to his corner. Again.

Before the 8th month began, he had to have his final 8 elements.

…

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Void Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Space Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Signal Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Radiation Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Time Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Instinct Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Emotion Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Luck Element has been purged

*Ding* Energy: Specialized Symbiosis Element has been purged

Everyone had gone to the cultural event, so Rune was left alone.

‘Let’s do it,’ was the only thought in his mind.

Getting to the ground, he focused on filling his second mastery slots. His first was booked for his completed composite element.

His first choice was the most evident and easy.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Mist Element?

‘Because mist is something natural, I’m not only taking the perception-interfering properties touching the spiritual perception and the sight sense, I’m also taking the visual property and natural behavior property.’

His foundation element was the first.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Mystic Element?

‘Confusing not the senses, but the mind. It doesn’t exist, but it’s there, feeling the mystic is hard, cleansing it is harder, I absolutely need its property enabling it to assimilate with anything and everything… As long as I can completely hide it.’

He loved the mystic element, it also perfectly aligned with his goal of potentially escaping higher-tier monsters who would never let him escape.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Chaos Element?

‘Prevention is better than cure, some things just cannot be hidden, but I can confuse you so much that even if you see my trace, you’ll not be able to follow it. And I really want to know what I can do when I just let my element act with a completely unrestrained chaotic behavior.’

After Rune reaffirmed his goal, he wanted something of a universal solution for things he couldn’t even begin with, from time watchers to instinct and luck trackers, he wanted to have answers for those cases.

The additional chaotic behavior only distinguished the chaos element compared to its rivals.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Nebula Element?

‘Everything, as long as the distance is long enough, and my intent is refined enough, everything will be absorbed.’

The nebula element, as Rune analyzed it, was a cornerstone of his element. It didn’t affect spiritual perception that much, if at all, but in the physical realm, it was king.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Light Element?

‘When you’re looking at something too bright, your vision just ceases to exist, but mine will be so insidious that you’ll not realize you’re looking at a sun, just a simple mist.’

It worked both on the spiritual and physical side, but it was strangely monolithic in the way it did it. Rune thought about not incorporating the blinding property in his element, but he couldn’t find an argument to go with it.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Darkness Element?

‘And inversely, when it’s too dark, you fumble around. Sense deprivation is exactly what I want to happen, you see nothing, I see nothing, everyone plunged into the same state.’

Having not excluded the light element, he couldn’t exclude the darkness element. It had more similarities to other chosen elements but it was also too different to exclude it from his final 8.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Signal Element?

‘I would have never thought you were so important, I’m excited just imagining your fusion with the nebula element. More confusion is just the best.’

When he came to this point during his purge, having chosen 7 elements, he miraculously realized he was covering everything. All the senses, all the criteria, all his wishes were respected.

For the last one, he had to free his mind and choose something that impacted an area he could already somehow cover.

So he took his strongest aspect, his element’s assimilation with nature and uncleansable nature, pushing it even further.

*Ding* Do you want to fill one of your empty mastery slots with Energy: Specialized Nature Element?

‘I don’t need instinct, I don’t need emotion, I also don’t need luck, I already have everything I want, but maybe you’ll give me some surprises?’

As for all the elements he rejected, his still-hot purge session left him with all the reasons and justifications he needed.

‘Not illusion, because it leaves the slightest trace of intrusion, and I don’t want to fake something, in the end, I want to hide everything.’

‘Not change, because every change that happens to my element, I’ll not be the one to do it, it’ll come by itself.’

‘Not shadow, too artificial, too specific in its perception-interference.’

‘Not emptiness, I one day saw that emptiness was something that could be seen, and it’s not the emptiness I want.’

‘Not ash, cloud, or smoke, they have nearly the same perception-dampening properties as the mist element.’

‘Not truth, chameleon, or symbiosis, I could have chosen you, but nature is the best failed candidate.’

‘Not time, radiation, space, or void, why would I try to counter people who are specialized in them when I’ll not be specialized? More chaos is just the best solution.’

Finished with his slots filling, Rune opened his masteries.

Masteries

Tier 1 Masteries

Physical Fundamental: Reinforcement: Tier 4 Level 25

Physical Fundamental: Fighting Instinct: Tier 4 Level 8

Physical Fundamental: Body Control: Tier 4 Level 9

Energy Fundamental: Fine Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 23

Energy Fundamental: Grand Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 23

Energy Fundamental: Energy Compression: Tier 4 Level 8

Spiritual Fundamental: Perception Control: Tier 4 Level 2

Spiritual Fundamental: Awareness Division: Tier 4 Level 24

Spiritual Fundamental: Momentum Manipulation: Tier 4 Level 5

Tier 2 Masteries

[Empty]

Energy: Specialized Mist Element: Tier 2 Level 13

Energy: Specialized Mystic Element: Tier 2 Level 10

Tier 3 Masteries

Energy: Specialized Chaos Element: Tier 1 Level 5

Energy: Specialized Nebula Element: Tier 2 Level 9

Energy: Specialized Light Element: Tier 2 Level 23

Tier 4 Masteries

Energy: Specialized Darkness Element: Tier 2 Level 15

Energy: Specialized Signal Element: Tier 1 Level 5

Energy: Specialized Nature Element: Tier 1 Level 4

“I still have time to catch a piece of the festival, right?” He mumbled.

Then he was gone.