CHAPTER 40: CHEAT SKILL

"For now, let us focus on your growth first."

"Yeah!" Mimi agreed eagerly, exited already

And to do that, the very first step was obvious. She needed to deal with the Sixfold Sacred Suppression. That dreadful curse that shackled every Noctifelis... the SSS Curse!

"Alright. I shall bestow upon you a skill now. When you are ready, step forward." Siamelumis said.

Gulp.

Mimi swallowed hard. Her tiny paws trembled, but she forced them forward. Slipping gently out of Marshmallow’s arms, she padded toward Siamelumis.

"I-I’m ready, nya!" she declared, tilting her head up.

"Very good." The dragon’s eyes softened as she nodded.

Then, slowly, Siamelumis opened her mouth. It wasn’t like any ordinary dragon’s maw—it was vast, ancient, and seemed to stretch into a different space altogether. A shimmer of light flickered within, as though her mouth was a gateway to another dimension.

And from its depths, something emerged.

A large, perfectly round stone floated out, glowing brilliantly. It was as clear as crystal, yet within its depths, seven shifting colors swirled like a rainbow galaxy. The stone was about the size of an apple, but the aura it carried felt heavy, so heavy Mimi’s knees nearly buckled just standing in its presence.

Her breath caught. She knew what this was, she recognized it!

A skill stone!

But not just any skill stone. This one was unlike anything she had ever seen. Even in Arventia Online, where she had spent countless hours farming monsters and treasures, she had never encountered something that shone so brightly, nor one that radiated such overwhelming power, nor had this unique color...

Apparently, the strongest skill stones in the game that one could get were Legendary-tier, and they had bright golden color. Players would go through entire wars just to obtain a single one. But this... seemed like, this wasn’t Legendary!

This was beyond!

Could it be... a Divine Skill Stone?!

"Woahhhh..."

Mimi’s pupils dilated. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared in disbelief.

Oh god... It’s too... beautiful!

Is this... really... for me?

"Then first, let me tell you about this new skill." Siamelumis set the glowing skill stone down gently in front of Mimi, the rainbow light dancing across the ground.

"This skill is a secret creation—something Mother designed especially for you," she explained. "Unfortunately, even as a god, she could not completely remove the Sixfold Sacred Curse. Its hold on your soul is simply too strong. However... after pouring in a vast amount of her divine power, she was able to craft something that may help you resist it to some extend—perhaps even turn its weight into strength."

Mimi’s ears twitched as she leaned closer, eyes locked on the shimmering stone. Her little heart thumped faster.

And as Siamelumis continued her explanation, Mimi quickly realized just how absurdly powerful, how utterly broken, this new skill was going to be.

...

A moment later...

Holy shit...

This... this is amazing!

The conditions and usage are a little restrictive, but still, this is something I can definitely work with!

First, regarding the Sixfold Sacred Suppression, its status text read:

[Sixfold Sacred Suppression]

Experience gained reduced by 100-fold

Evolution points gained reduced by 100-fold

Success rate when learning skills from skill stones is reduced by 100-fold

Mana cost of all spells increased by 10-fold

Damage received increased by 10-fold

Damage output reduced by 10-fold

And then came the skill that Goddess Fauveline had created just for Mimi:

[Divine Curse Reversal]

Skill Rank: Divine

Description: Target one curse on yourself and reverse it for a limited duration, turning it into a buff! The stronger the curse, the shorter the buff duration provided.

Mana Cost: None

Learning Success Rate: 1%

...

So, in other words, this skill could flip any debuff from the Sixfold Sacred Suppression and turn it into a ridiculously powerful buff!

For example:

Experience gained reduced by 100-fold would become experience gained increased by 100-fold!

Damage output reduced by 10-fold would flip into damage output increased by 10-fold!

"This is so ridiculous!" Mimi gasped, tail shooting straight up.

But of course, there was a catch...

Because the Sixfold Sacred Suppression was so overpowering, the Divine Curse Reversal could only affect one effect at a time, and the duration was pathetically short.

Only 0.5 seconds!

And after that? A brutal cooldown of 90 days. Three whole months!

"Still... if I use it wisely and at the right moment, this could be a total game changer!" Mimi exclaimed.

There’s so much she could do with it! There’s so many possibilities!

The instant she heard the description, her mind already raced with plans, countless flashes of all the ways she could abuse this broken skill.

Therefore...

"Don’t worry, Siamelumis, this cheat-skill is more than enough! It’s exactly what I needed!"

"Ahh... I’m so glad to hear that." Siamelumis let out a soft breath, her wings relaxing slightly. "To be honest, I was skeptical at first. After all, half a second is very short. But now, seeing the determination in your eyes... I’m starting to understand why Mother chose you."

"Hehehe." Mimi puffed up proudly, her chest swelling. "Just you wait—I’ll become stronger soon!"

"Yes. I look forward to that day." Siamelumis nodded warmly, her smile touched with hope.

Meanwhile...

"Master, you can do it! I believe in you too!" Marshmallow cheered from behind, her round eyes shining with pride.

Mimi turned and flashed her a grin, lifting a paw in a playful "thumbs up." Well... paw up, since she didn’t exactly have thumbs.

But before she could bask in the moment—

"Now comes the hard part..." Siamelumis said gravely, her tone shifting like the drop of a heavy curtain.

"Oh yeah..." Mimi muttered, her ears twitching back. She already knew what the dragon meant.

This was not yet time for celebration...

Because in the curse’s description, there was that one merciless line:

"Success rate when learning skills from skill stones is reduced by 100-fold."

That meant a 1% success rate would be crushed into nothing but... 0.01%.

A near-impossible chance.

So then... how could she ever hope to learn such a skill under these odds???

Luckily...

"Don’t worry, I already have a plan." Siamelumis said.