The Harvester

Chapter 419: The Philosopher’s Sleeve

Chapter 419: The Philosopher’s Sleeve

Rakna returned to his territory through the Pavilion Portal and led both of his guildmates to the house while they admired the underground greenhouse.

"Pretty," Lilia commented candidly and the therian snorted in amusement.

"Why, thank you," he responded. "What about you, Svanya? Any thoughts?"

The regal woman briefly glanced at the mausoleum before answering. "…a beautiful territory. It is good to see a Host get creative once in a while," she said with an appreciative hum.

"Good to hear," Rakna smiled and opened the front door, earning the welcoming eyes of a yawning Natsu, and Hans silently reading on the sofa. Higure was also there, but unlike the other two, she was far more energetic on his arrival.

"Hey, devourer of mine," she sprung up to him with a grin. "Did it go well?"

The therian shrugged. "It was nothing hard," he replied and Lilia pouted next to him.

"Rude," she huffed.

Rakna chuckled. "Right, my bad. It was challenging and fun," he rephrased and the mauve-haired girl rolled her eyes.

Higure raised an eyebrow at them with a smirk. "A new one?" She asked mischievously.

"Nope. I'm just getting her to my basement."

"…wow, that sounds so wrong," the lioness marveled.

"I know," he agreed with a nod. "Anyway, do you remember the Gula I opened back then?"

Higure immediately became serious and Hans perked up slightly. "Yes, I remember. It's hard not to, considering you almost died. Is she here to see it on behalf of the Throne of Glory?"

"'They'," Rakna corrected her and the lioness momentarily tilted her head in confusion. Then, she was hit by a sense of uneasiness when she caught a second girl in the corner of her eye. But before she could react to it, someone else beat her to the punch.

"What kind of abomination did you bring with you this time, Xiorra?" Hans spoke up blankly, his eyes locked onto Svanya with detached intensity. 

Said 'abomination' frowned back and Rakna shook his head. "Politeness and tact aren't completely useless to learn, you know?" He retorted.

"Yes, I am sure of it," the azure-haired boy snarked and wordlessly summoned a book with a snap of his fingers. He also created a quill and began to write without losing track of Svanya in his field of view. "[Rewrite,]" he whispered and the book dissolved. Only then did he allow himself to look away, returning to his reading without a care in the world.

"What… did he just do?" Svanya couldn't help but inquire.

Rakna shrugged. "He did the same thing as me, probably," he said calmly. "He's not the kind to tolerate his mind being at the mercy of something else. Though his method is definitely not as convoluted as mine. Let's say he has the necessary gifts to remember you and more."

Svanya blinked in shock. In just a day, she had met two people capable of overcoming the curse plaguing her.

"Are there… more people like you two in your guild?" She asked hesitantly.

"Hm… considering even Credo has trouble overpowering your condition, only the most esoteric of us could deal with it. So…" Rakna mused for a moment. "Other than Hans and I, Ceresta has a good chance of succeeding. Astraea, and Artemis more recently, are special themselves. And my gut feeling tells me Lanata may surprise us if she tries."

"…you truly are an anomaly," she uttered.

The therian smiled wryly. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said and headed for the elevator after reassuring Higure who was staring at Svanya with instinctual wariness. 

Rakna descended to the basement with his guildmates and approached the Anchor Point once the lights turned on automatically. Crystal Sight flared up as he identified the 86 dimensional strings and had Eye of Symphony calculate the solving process once again.

Compared to the five minutes the first time, he completed it in less than two this time. The ellipse-shaped void appeared after the strings overlapped themselves and Rakna waved his hand down, pulling it apart to the size of a human being.

A giant eye-like spiraling portal; the Gula was opened.

"So, this is it," Svanya stepped forward. "Lilia, if you will."

The buffer nodded quietly and her staff appeared in a flash. Her aura burst out of her body and to Rakna's surprise, the aura itself began to write incantations in the air.

"So, that's the Aura Chant skill," he muttered to himself. It was one of the skills he had seen on her status but had not been used. It increased the speed of casting as well as its efficiency by replacing regular chants. The cost was higher, but it was more than worth it. This ability could be considered a tier below Multi Cast.

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"[War God Descent – One Against All.]"

"[Grace of The Demon King.]"

"[Grace of Plane Walker.]"

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Lilia intoned all three one after the other and silently cast at least a dozen more basic buffs. Once she was done, she finished by activating the last of her Nirvana Skills. It was something Rakna had thought to be impressive but didn't worry about during their battle because it would have been a bit redundant for the test's purpose.

"[False Life,]" she added, her eyes glowing stronger than ever. For a second, a shapeless force on par with the one invoked by Rakna's Tenth Tail encased Svanya before vanishing as if it was never there.

'False Life… a skill that renders any fatal attack in the next twelve hours null and heals the victim in accordance with the potency of said last blow; both injuries and energy. All-around recovery,' Rakna narrowed his eyes. 'For a Nirvana, it's on the simple side of things, but it's still a great lifesaver.'

Svanya clenched her hands a few times and nodded. "I will be back within five minutes," she stated matter-of-factly. Though, simultaneously, she was also suggesting that if she wasn't back within that time frame, they could consider her lost.

"You better," Rakna scowled. "If you don't, I'll be dragging you back myself."

She let out an amused smile. "That would defeat the purpose of my going there alone."

"Then you know what to do."

Svanya looked at him with half-lidded eyes and snickered. "It seems you're honoring your word to protect me," she said. "Don't worry. If I do not return, it might as well mean no one can, even Credo. That's why he sent me. In the first place, if the Boss can kill someone of my level from inside the Dungeon, no Host or Local in the System would be able to clear it..."

"Stop talking," Lilia suddenly interjected with her lips drawing a flat line. "Duration."

"Oh, I apologize," Svanya laughed lightly. "We shouldn't wait for the buffs to go away," she said and nodded one last time toward them before jumping inside the Gula.

Rakna promptly glanced at Lilia, whose expression was momentarily confused. But when she took a good look at the portal and her skill backlog, she gathered herself. It appeared she was used to working with Svanya and could quickly catch up to her 'erased' memories.

"Well, while she's there…" The therian turned around and went to sit down on the floor. Lilia tilted her head questioningly and he answered her unspoken question by bringing out the Eínai Star. He then extended his hand out and a deck of cards appeared in his palm.

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System Procedure Detected!

Do you wish to assimilate The Tricker's Sleeve with the Eínai Star?

Yes/No

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Before confirming, Rakna summoned his Tenth Tail, if just for the increased Luck and connection with his Soul, then pressed 'Yes' without much hesitation. On cue, he felt his soul power and mana coalesce into one and join the Eínai Star in his right hand as Obsidian Energy.

The black-purple energy jumped from the prism-like object onto the card deck and consumed it whole before returning to the Eínai Star. Already, Rakna could sense a half-formed link between himself and the Item.

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? ? ? Swallow the Eínai Star to finalize the process. ? ? ?

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'…of course,' the therian thought and brought the object to his mouth with a groan. 'There's no level of strength one cannot attain as long as they eat random shit...'

"{Ironically accurate,}" Fray commented right before Rakna swallowed the prism.

Lilia recoiled slightly and reflexively shielded her eyes as purple fire burst out around the therian's body. Again, she felt the unique aura of her new guildmate. It was mystifying to her how something so obviously powerful could feel so… neutral.

Sometimes, her senses would try to convince her it felt like Divinity, but at others, she was sure it was Infernity, but then it would be simple mana; until all of it just drowned in soul power. 

If Lilia had to describe how Rakna's soul power felt like, she would say 'water'. Or to be exact, the taste of water. Tasteless, but fresh and reinvigorating. 

While she was lost in her thoughts, the process ended rather swiftly and the soul flames scattered with a small shock wave. She waved her hand to get rid of the remnants and then looked at Rakna whose body was being orbited by four inlaying rings of cards.

They were completely different from before. They were bigger than normal playing cards; looked as if made of obsidian; accentuated by purple designs; and released a strange aura that absorbed light waves and air currents.

The drawings on them were much more radiant and realistic as well. Each Diamond, Spade, Clover, and Heart symbol glowed purple, emerald, crimson, and cyan. The Ace Cards felt like nukes about to go off due to the energy they radiated, and the figure cards were eerie, to say the least.

The Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers… their caricatures felt alive for the lack of a better word. Lilia frowned several times when she mistook a fluctuation of purple light in the corner of her eyes for them moving.

But, when she focused on them specifically, it progressively got worse. The King glared at her; the Queen giggled; the Jack yawned; and the Joker smirked.

"…you shouldn't stare too much," Rakna's warning jolted her out of it and the cards promptly flew to his hand where they piled up into one neat deck. The therian seemed to be eying the cards with a certain amount of apprehension. Something about these cards felt like the Crystal Sage. Though, when he looked at its description, he couldn't complain much.

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The Eínai Star is being digested by your body…

The Trickster's Sleeve is being incorporated into your Status!

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The Tenth Tail of The Sage Nephilim is reacting!

Prima Alkahest Materia Physique is reacting!

Chalice of the Crystal Wolf is reacting!

Chalice of Wishes is reacting!

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The Trickster's Sleeve has been classified as a Personal Skill!

The Trickster's Sleeve has mutated into The Philosopher's Sleeve!

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The Philosopher's Sleeve

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A skill created by converting a Red-Grade Utility Item with an Eínai Star. It was assimilated and transformed into a Personal Skill by the unique traits of Rakna Xiorra Blade. It retains its base capabilities but has ascended beyond the divine sources conferred to the Item and has touched the power of Original Transmutation.

The Deck of The Philosopher's Sleeve possesses 13 Cards for each Suit, with an additional pair of Jokers. Their power will scale off the user's overall strength. Heart Cards will heal all ailments and injuries; Club Cards will build and create whatever the user wishes for; Diamond Cards will block and nullify all threats; Spade Cards will fell even the Gods and destroy all without resistance.

The Joker embodies the fanciful Philosopher. Offer it tributes and it will grant your wish as long as an equivalent exchange is reached. Anything the user owns can be used as fuel to engender results surpassing the limits of the Four Suits. 

The Joker is generous and does not demand high prices but he never stops playing. He will honor the wish but Karma and Fate will decide how the result is manifested.

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Cost: Card Points [1~13] [Joker Cost: 20]

Card Point Capacity: 54/54

CP Regeneration: 1 Per Day

Cooldown: None.

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Note: Card Point Regeneration is powered by Obsidian Points and can be accelerated by channeling a surplus of them into the skill.

Additional Note: The user is granted feedback whenever a situation can or cannot be solved by one of the cards. And as a mutated skill, it is now possible for The Philosopher's Sleeve to surpass its limits by combining several cards.

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The Harvester's Soul has leveled up!

Triad Star Aura has leveled up! x2

Wolfen Lord of Beasts has leveled up! x3

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"…I see," Rakna muttered to himself and drew two cards from the top of the deck. He fanned them in between his fingers and what he saw was two King of Spades. "It's no longer card by card. There is a general stock of 'points' that can generate any card at a specific cost. If I wanted, I could use these two Kings at the same time to create a bigger result."

"…?" Lilia closed the distance, looking over his shoulder with a curious face.

"Want to see?" He snickered and she nodded quietly. He didn't mind showing it to her so he shared the whole description of the skill.

The young woman widened her eyes in surprise. She had seen many skill descriptions in her time inside the System. Some weak, some unique, and some overpowered. But this kind of esoteric type was the rarest and scariest. The reason for that was simple; its potential was unrestricted.

"…try me. Attack," she uttered and Rakna raised an eyebrow at her.

"You mean... to try what cards I'd need to harm you?"

She nodded twice and watched as he put down the two King Cards. And right after, he pulled one card from the top; it was a Jack. Lilia pouted; even if it was a figure card, it was the lowest rank and there was still the Ace above the King. 

Despite Rakna's level being far lower than hers, it was still enough to harm her. With just one card to boot. She wondered what kind of attack a pair of Kings or Aces could do. Or more. Maybe it was possible to do things like a flush.

Rakna noticed her reaction and smiled. "Don't be too sad. This is the result after evaluating your current self without buffs or skills activated. And it scales with my 'strength' now, not my level."

She gave him a deadpan stare. "Cheat," she stated and he made a wry expression.