Azrael looked at the message on his smart band for a few seconds before closing it.
'I will go there after choosing my skills…' He thought to himself before finally turning his attention to the interior of the building.
Because of the space-folding technology, the inside of the building was far larger than it appeared from the outside. There were quite a few people scattered throughout, but due to the building's enormous size, it didn't feel crowded at all.
After briefly looking around, Azrael walked toward one of the reception counters.
"Hello, how can I help you?" A middle-aged man who appeared to be around forty years old asked when he noticed Azrael approaching.
Azrael pulled out the skill card he had obtained from the Tower of Trials and handed it to the man.
The receptionist took the card from Azrael's hand and after confirming that it wasn't fake, gave a short nod. He then retrieved a crystal from the drawer and handed it over to Azrael.
"These are all the available low-level skills. You can check them out and let me know which one you want."
Azrael accepted the crystal and stepped aside from the counter, sitting down in one of the chairs in the rest area. When he activated the crystal, a holographic screen appeared before him, displaying a long list of skills.
He didn't waste time scrolling through every single option and immediately searched for the ones Ronald had recommended.
Ronald had sent him a long list of skills, but out of them, he had marked four with a note, stating they were the best choices.
Azrael quickly filtered the list for those four skills, and soon their details appeared on the screen.
---) Aether Gaze: Upon activation, allows the user to perceive faint flows of energy (cosmic energy, aura, spiritual energy, etc.) as glowing outlines, enabling them to detect movement even when vision is blocked. This skill is mentally taxing, and prolonged use can strain the eyes.
---) Mirage Vision: Allows the user to pierce through visual distortions such as illusions, mirages, or light-based obstructions. However, it is less effective in physical environments like water or fog.
---) True Focus: Upon activation, temporarily slows the user's perception of time when locking onto a target, making enemy movements appear clearer even in blurry conditions. It also enhances visionary senses, allowing the user to adapt to different environments. Overuse of this skill causes eye fatigue and dizziness.
---) Void Eye: Sharpens vision, allowing the user to see even in environments devoid of natural light or cosmic energy—such as abyssal zones or corrupted domains. At high-level mastery, this skill passively protects the user against unnatural blindness, such as magical darkness or blindness curses. However, it consumes more energy than a standard low-level skill.
Azrael read through the details of the four skills, and in just a few seconds, summarized their advantages and disadvantages thanks to the effect of his Infinite Comprehension trait.
After calculating everything, he first eliminated Mirage Vision.
Not only was the skill unsuited for environmental conditions like darkness, fog, or underwater scenarios, but its primary function was to allow users to see through illusions and mirages.
However, illusion- and mirage-type attacks usually targeted the mind and spirit. Azrael's spiritual power was far higher than his level, and combined with his Cold-Blooded trait, it was extremely difficult for people to affect his mind or spirit. For this reason, he eliminated Mirage Vision without hesitation, deeming it unnecessary for now.
Next, he eliminated Aether Gaze.
While it was undeniably useful in perceiving the faint flow of energies, the skill became ineffective in environments lacking natural energy.
If he were to end up in a completely dark place without ambient energy, this skill would be rendered useless and he wouldn't be able to perceive anything.
"True Focus and Void Eye," He murmured.
After eliminating two of the skills, his eyes settled on the remaining pair. After careful consideration, Azrael decided to go with True Focus.
Although Void Eye would eventually grant a powerful passive effect upon reaching high-level mastery, True Focus offered everything Azrael currently needed.
Not only would it enhance his visionary senses, allowing him to adapt to different environments, but it also granted the ability to slow his perception of time. With this, he could more easily read his opponent's muscle movements using his Infinite Comprehension, even when facing enemies with far higher agility than himself.
'Let's go with Truefocus…' Azrael concluded, though he didn't immediately return to the receptionist to finalize the choice.
Instead, he searched for the defensive skill that Ashara had recommended.
After inputting the characteristics she had mentioned, four skills appeared before him.
'There are thousands of low-level skills in the library, yet only four match the characteristics I need…' He thought, carefully reading through each of them.
When he finished, he sat in thought for nearly half an hour before making his decision.
"Although this skill is not easy to master, it's the only one that truly fits my requirements…" He murmured under his breath as he rose to his feet.
He walked back to the reception counter, and upon seeing him, the receptionist greeted him with a smile.
"Have you decided which skills you want to choose?"
Azrael gave a nod and after handing back the crystal, he pulled out his student ID card.
"I want to choose two skills. True Focus and… Unyielding Body."
The man at the counter froze for a moment when he heard the second skill's name, then frowned slightly.
"Have you read the information on Unyielding Body carefully? It's an extremely difficult skill to practice. Instead of this, I recommend choosing something like Primal Flesh or Boneforge Body."
"Thank you for the advice, but I want Unyielding Body."
The receptionist wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply shook his head inwardly.
'Kids these days just don't know what's good for them...'
"I'll use the skill card I gave you earlier for True Focus, and I still have two free opportunities to choose low-level skills using my student ID card."
As he spoke, Azrael handed his ID card to the man.
The receptionist's eyes widened slightly in surprise. When he checked the card, he found that Azrael indeed had two free opportunities to choose any low-level skill.
'He looks like a new student… just who gave him these privileges?' He wondered silently.
Although surprised, he didn't ask further questions. Soon, he handed Azrael's ID card back to him.
"Please wait a moment. I'll get your skills," He said before disappearing into a room behind the counter.
A minute later, he returned with two Skill Crystals, similar to the one Azrael had used when learning the Breathing Method.
"Here are your skills."
Azrael accepted the crystals and checked them through his status window. After confirming that nothing was wrong, he gave a satisfied nod.