I reviewed what I knew about the combat arts.
The combat arts operate on the principle of strengthening the body.
To a certain extent, they function like breathing.
The principle behind them was to slowly accumulate mana until it grew, but in the combat arts, rather than focusing on the magical circuit, the emphasis is on the physical body.
Mana is drawn into the body while, at the same time, movements are performed so that this mana circulates through the body in a specific way and is ultimately imbued into the physical body—whether in muscles, bones, organs, or blood.
These movements themselves constitute a art that provides all warriors with a foundation for fighting, rather than just throwing out meaningless blows; that is why they are called that.
The system has already taught me a lot about compatibility and the great variety of arts.
Compared to breathing, the arts can cause the body to specialize.
If it is an agility art, it makes the muscles more elastic, lighter, and so on.
Together with learning the art itself and the profession, they form the foundation of warriors' strength.
But there's something else that combat arts have that breathing don't, and that is combat techniques.
They're like the ultimate expression of the art, having multiple effects, such as explosively improving speed, strength, or an attack.
Sometimes, by merging with the practitioner's skills, they create an even more dangerous synergy.
That's why it's always better to have a combat art tailored to the profession,
Huh? Wait, does that mean… oh, there are no techniques?
That made me realize something. I quickly checked the art provided by the system to see if it was really meant for Iris's profession, but I noticed something odd… but now wasn't the time to think about that; I'd question the system later.
On the other hand, there may be many professions, but throughout the Age of the Gods, many people created numerous arts and breathing, some even with the help of the gods themselves.
Getting arts for simple professions like knight, sword warrior, archer, and the like is easy, since they were everywhere.
Since many people during the Age of the Gods held those professions and created their own versions, optimizing them for their profession and skills.
It gets more complicated with rare professions and even more so with professions that have great potential and are powerful, but those are usually family legacies, like Roselyn's.
But it's truly complicated for professions with no recorded history or for someone for whom no one has created an art or a breath.
These people have only two options left: create their own art or breath, or use one from another profession.
The latter makes it less efficient, since the circulation and strengthening aren't fully compatible with their profession, characteristics, and abilities.
Setting aside breathing , which have other requirements, though they all primarily deal with mana.
Combat arts, being so varied in the path they take, make it really difficult to find something that aligns with your profession, growth talent, and skills if it isn't specific to your profession.
So I understand why Roselyn chose the mage path, which was more flexible, since her profession allowed it.
But that's only if her family's combat art didn't exist—which she could at least practice.
And I suppose that, even though she's a hybrid, since she's an assassin-type profession like her father's, she should have a similar path.
In all of this, skills would only be important for executing combat techniques, since many of them could be based on these.
For example, a common warrior skill, Heavy Strike, could be more lethal if the art she practices has a technique that briefly boosts her strength, as well as her downward movement, making it more effective and powerful.
Skills should only be an important factor when executing techniques.
The only thing I can think of is that during the practice phase, where the practitioner has to follow specific movements or actions, it might require something like a flexibility-type skill to perform movements that would normally be impossible, or it could also be something like having to carry something extremely heavy that wouldn't be possible without a specific strength-boosting skill.
Those are the only things I can think of based on my current knowledge and understanding of martial arts.
"And that's what I understand about the arts, even though I don't practice them myself."
But perhaps there's more to it than what I already know, so I'll listen to what she has to say.
"Yes, you're right. Most martial arts, while they sometimes require specific skills for certain techniques, can be bypassed if necessary. But not with our family's technique. The entire foundational structure is guided from the most fundamental aspect—which is mana absorption—all the way to the weakest technique in the skill."(Rose)
"To that extent? As far as I know, no matter how incompatible you are with the art, even if you're someone from a purely magical profession, you'll at least be able to gather mana—though once it enters the body, that's another matter."
"Yes, I see you understand, but the 'Dweller of Darkness' skill is said to connect the bearer with a world of darkness, and the dark mana used to practice the art of combat comes from there. That's why I can't practice it."(Rose)
"Dark mana? I still don't understand what the problem is."
"Actually, the vast majority of high-ranking arts even have an elemental affinity, but it's the process that changes. Mana becomes elemental after being absorbed, but our family's art directly absorbs only dark elemental mana. That in itself makes it a superior art and so effective for the profession." (Rose)
"So it's useless if you don't have the ability?... But, if I'm not mistaken, there are places that have elemental mana. Can't you just go there and practice it?"
"Haaah~ Do you think I didn't think of that? But it doesn't work. I really don't understand what the problem is. It's as if the art only accepts mana that comes from that ability. In the end, it's undoubtedly just dark-attribute mana, but there's something different about it, something I don't understand, and years of research haven't solved it." (Rose)
"I see… I understand. The skill and the art together are what made your family so effective and feared. Without even one of them, you're no longer so intimidating."
"Yes, though the skill has other functions. According to my father, even though it's only a rank six Skill—much lower than the rank limit for his profession—users can still briefly fuse with the darkness. Even if only for a short time, that alone, combined with the art, creates an extremely lethal synergy."(Rose)
"Oh! That's really an OP skill if it can be upgraded. You could become a monarch of darkness."(Iris)
"OP? Monarch?"(Rose)
"Don't pay any attention to Iris and her strange words."
While it's true that it seems like a useful skill, that was its limit…
In this world, skills also have limits.
For example, my rank-one skills, even if I rank up, will remain at rank one.
The same goes for strong professions: they may have skills with the same limit as their profession, but they may also have skills with a lower ceiling than that.
At rank six, Roselyn's father should already be able to use that skill to its full potential, and even if he were to rank up later, its effects and power would remain unchanged.
But when it comes to things like fueling his combat art and blending into the shadows, it really doesn't matter if it lags behind other skills, as long as he can do that.
Still, that skill , as I thought, is the key and the center of all this.
"...Do you have any more questions?"(Rose)
"Well, it's actually a unique art, and that ability is even more peculiar. Are there any other similar cases?"
"To the best of my knowledge, it's the only art like that. Well, there might be more, but it's not public knowledge, nor has it come to my attention."(Rose)
"If that information itself is a weakness, and if there's another family practicing something similar, they'd do everything possible to keep it from getting out. How did it become known in your case, especially given the kind of family you are?"
"Ugh! I really don't know. Although my father once said he had to make many sacrifices and reveal a lot in order to found this kingdom." (Rose)
"Understood. Although I think I'm oversimplifying it, but… what would really make a key difference in your situation is the existence of someone who possesses that profession, more specifically someone with the ability, since you yourself, even though you have a more powerful variant, lack this."
"Haaah~ yeah. And, unfortunately, the only way I see us rising again is to hold out long enough and wait for my grandson to grow up, and hope that one of his children has the profession. He's eight years old, so there are still several more years to go."(Rose)
"Is that really your best option?"
"Unfortunately, yes... Haaah~ even so, it pains me to place the burden of our family and race on him. Not to mention that later I'd have to place everything on my great-grandson... Just thinking about that makes me feel incompetent. Haaah~ I don't know what your plan is, but I think I've tried everything. Anyway, I've got nothing to lose by listening to you."(Rose)
'Honey, is there anything above GILF?'
'Stop talking nonsense…'
'This is important. You know, I just realized that in this world, people can live a very long time. We might encounter several generations; GILF might just be the beginning.'
I don't know if she was following our conversation, but it seems the mention of a great-grandchild piqued Iris's curiosity and led her thoughts to something completely unproductive.
Anyway, putting that aside.
Now that I had confirmed everything, there was no longer any doubt about what needed to be done.
"Given what you said and with so much pressure on you, it's impossible for a simple plan to help change your situation. But what if you were to obtain that skill , Miss Roselyn?"
"Haah! That would be the answer to my prayers. If what you're suggesting is that I look for some divine artifact or something that will grant me the skill, that's something I'm already searching for. But artifacts and items that can grant skill are rare, and finding one that grants the specific skill of a Dweller of Darkness is even more impossible. It would be a divine miracle, and the gods are no longer in this world."'(Rose)
"I understand what you're saying. The likelihood of that happening seems unrealistic and almost impossible. The odds are too low for it to even be considered a viable alternative or a real plan. You can't expect anything from something based on luck."
"Yes, although some skills do come my way since I work as a middleman, they're only low-rank and, generally, not very useful. If a rank-six ability like Dweller of Darkness were to turn up, it wouldn't pass through my hands, and in fact, it's something that would make many powerful families empty their treasuries to obtain it… and money is one of the things I'm lacking right now." (Rose)
"I see, but Miss Roselyn, it really seems like fate that you came to our shop, because I actually have this."
Now was the moment, and as I said that, a card appeared in my hand. It was the Queen of Hearts with a pink-themed design.
She didn't understand what I meant or what the card I was holding was, but Iris reacted.
"Oh, honey! That's one of the protagonist cards from the galge [1]you got. Do you want to seduce Sister Rose? huehuehue~ Do you want us to have a threesome?" (Iris)
"H-huh? A th-threesome? Why are you suddenly saying that?"(Rose)
Roselyn seemed confused.
"￣へ￣"
But at that moment, even I didn't understand the train of thought that led Iris to say that—it had nothing to do with the current situation.
[1] A galge (short for "gal game") is a romance-focused visual novel or dating game where the player builds relationships with multiple heroines through different routes.