62 – Busy Morning!

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PART 1 – Boldness!

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It was early when everyone woke up. Skarla was taking care of her daughters, watching them sleep, while Atharius woke up to receive her attention.

Gojira was out doing important things, and since she had to trust Skarla, she left her son in her care.

…

Skarla walked through the mansion with Atharius on her back. He started to cling to her and liked it a lot. Skarla didn't mind much, and she let the boy be happy.

And as she walked through the mansion, her attention fell on a woman with dark brown hair, several scars on her body, and wearing medium iron armor.

"Marquise." - The woman lowered her head.

"Would you like to follow me for a meal?" - Skarla smiled slightly, and the woman had no ability to refuse.

They soon found themselves on a balcony, an area of the mansion off-limits to guests. - "A good disguise." - Skarla said, looking at the woman.

"I don't know what you're talking about." - She replied, and Skarla rolled her eyes. - “I don't know if this is a joke or if you really believe that something like this would fool my senses. If that’s the case, I’ll have to rethink how smart you are, princess.”

“… how did you find out? I’m using an artifact that alters everything: appearance, voice, height, and mana emission. Everything!” - The woman was shocked, no longer hiding the truth. - “Even legends shouldn’t be able to tell with a mere glance; even Legendary Mages would have difficulty using detection magic!”

“It seems that I really surprised you with my capabilities.” - Skarla laughed at Hackel’s reactions. - “But when you learn my techniques to the right level, nothing escapes my senses.”

Hackel frowned. - “I see. Unfortunately, I can’t grace you with my beauty since the item I’m using is single-use.”

“I admit that it almost fooled my senses. Emphasis on almost. So something so good must certainly have its limitations.”

“I see you’ve been more arrogant than the last time we met. Not that I dislike it.” - Hackel smiled as he leaned back and looked Skarla in the eyes. - “But yesterday’s little show, what was that?”

“I wanted to show off my techniques using the weakest of those who learned.” - Skarla smiled as she looked him in the eyes, not looking away.

“Is she the weakest?” - Hackel was surprised.

“Yes and no. In terms of attributes, she is certainly the weakest, but out of all of them, that’s not the case. But that’s because Pelia is still very young and level 1. But when Pelia is level 5 or 6, I think it’ll be hard for Calah to be a challenge for her; she’s quite lazy. If she spent more time training than bouncing on my lap, she could be stronger.”

“I can’t judge her; if I could, I would do the same.” - Hackel laughed, licking his lips.

“I certainly would.” - Skarla laughed in response.

Hackel looked away slightly. - “I will win and become your wife. You better make a big space in your bed.”

“I’m waiting, so don’t disappoint me.” - Skarla smiled, no longer wanting to hide her anticipation. She really likes Hackel.

It’s not about love, but it’s a carnal passion. Both are extremely interested in each other and want to taste each other's bodies. However, numerous obstacles hinder the consummation of the act.

“I remember you were a virgin, well… I heard your stories from my parents—the curse that made you turn into a baby and stuff. Your body apparently returned, which means you’re a virgin in both.” - Hackel smiled slightly at her question.

“No man has ever touched me in those areas, now or before.” - Skarla narrowed her eyes.

“Since I’m certainly going to become your wife, how about we make a bet?” - Hackel smiled confidently.

Skarla raised an eyebrow, already knowing what was coming. It was quite obvious. - “What are we betting on?”

“I want to be your wife, but I also want to try the exotic fruit that no one else in this world has had the right to try. I want to be your first.” - Hackel smiled broadly.

“A very ambitious goal, especially knowing how strong I am. You want to take the vaginal virginity of a woman who is close to becoming a Demigoddess.” - Skarla laughed, because anyone who heard Hackel's words would find it truly bold.

Not even other demigods would consider asking for Skarla's vaginal virginity, much less an ant who is not even at Master Level (15).

Hackel narrowed his eyes at Skarla's statement; she had indeed hesitated about her actions, but now that she was here, it didn't matter. - “You know how I am; I always want the best. I am a very spoiled little girl.”

“The condition for becoming my wife is that you win. But what will you need to do to win something that no one in this world would dare ask for?” - Skarla laughed, being very curious, but a little irritated.

Hackel took something out of his robes; it was a necklace with a blue jewel. - "This is an artifact that has been in the national treasure for centuries—something from the first emperor."

Skarla looked at the item, feeling enormous magical power coming from it. Compared to all the magical items she had found so far, this was certainly the most powerful and mysterious.

It got to the point where she was unable to sense its presence; she only felt it when Hackel showed it to her.

"It has an effect that, when activated, makes me immune to all types of attacks for 20 seconds, as well as amplifying my attack power to what would be equivalent to a Legend." - Hackel seemed to be somewhat embarrassed when he said this.

"It seems that your parents are investing a lot so that I can fuck you." - Skarla scoffed, understanding where all of Hackel's confidence came from.

"This artifact can be used once a day and has tricks that can be used to restore its charges before 24 hours. My way of winning the bet is simple. If I win the tournament without using the artifact's ability, I win! If I use the artifact, I naturally lose.” - Hackel puffed out his chest proudly.

Skarla looked at the artifact, thinking about its effects, and laughed. - “I doubt it's the only thing they gave you, but such a powerful artifact certainly forces you to bond. I've also heard that there are bond limits and artifacts usually take the equivalent of 2 slots.”

“Considering that, you probably don't have more than one card up your sleeve, but whatever. What do I gain if you lose?” - Skarla smiled.

“That will happen, regardless of whether I win or lose. I will devote everything I have to you. I will give up any right to the throne and be exclusively yours. I will even give up my name for you.” - Hackel said intensely, his words catching Skarla off guard.

It's truly hard for anyone to believe that a royal would abandon his status to be with a landless marquise.

“What if you lose, but I don’t accept you as a woman? For example, even if you use the artifact, you lose the fight.” - Skarla smiled, showing her pearly white teeth.

“Unlikely, but if I really lose both the bet and the tournament. My situation will be the same. I will abandon my name and devote my life to you, whether I am your lover, subordinate, or slave.” - Hackel had a very convinced look in his words.

Skarla narrowed her eyes at such a statement. - “I am curious. Why are you going so far? Even if I am powerful and become a Demigoddess in the future, when it happens, I will be restricted by many laws of this world that prevent me from acting without something extreme happening. Why would you give up everything you were born with just to spend a few years in my bed?”

At Skarla’s question, Hackel looked at his palms, then at Skarla. - “No reason, I just want you.” - She just smiled at those words.

Skarla remained silent, sighed, and said. - “I accept. But don’t think you’ll be able to get me pregnant; I have control over that.” - She growled as she finished her speech.

Hackel smiled confidently, becoming even more motivated for the tournament.

…

With Hackel leaving, Skarla was left with Atharius, who was excluded from the conversation, unable to hear what was said because, as a mother, she didn’t want a child to be corrupted by the games of adults.

The reason she agreed was because she had made a decision many years ago to never allow anything to enter her, unless it was against her will. In other words, she was willing to be raped by someone who was strong enough.

Here she stands, ready to relinquish the remnants of her perceived masculinity. Even though she wasn’t a man, there were still many rules that prevented her from opening herself to this world.

But that changed since she was in the embrace of a certain Succubus. If not for her high intellect and willpower, the overload of pleasure she experienced would have reduced her brain to a paste, with only thoughts of fucking and fucking.

Among the pleasures that Sueika bombarded her with, there was homosexual sex, the sensation of being penetrated, and much more. Sueika compelled her to accept, leaving her with no time to resist.

After hours or maybe days of fucking and feeling all that, it became an addiction, and even though she overcame this addiction to a certain extent, being able to resist Sueika's temptations, it is a fact that she was corrupted, or simply lost that resistance towards her body and just accepted things as they are.

Of course, until now, something was preventing her from experiencing such pleasure, especially because she had no plans to have a man fucking and dominating her. But now, with Hackel taking the first step, Skarla didn't feel like refusing.

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PART 2 – Balance!

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(Author: Before making any assumptions, thoroughly read the note provided at the end of Part 2.)

After parting ways with Hackel and watching everyone leave for preparations for the second day, Skarla fed her children, took care of the little dragon that never leaves her side, and prepared everything for the event.

She examined the opponent list and fight bets. Unfortunately, since she is the host, she cannot make bets and win money, because if the house loses, she is the one who loses.

To do this, she needs to organize the distributions accordingly. So, thinking about yesterday's fights and seeing the current fighters, she accurately dictated the odds and winnings.

And knowing that Hackel has his tricks, it is obvious that she will win a lot, but since she has not shown much, it is not advantageous. She smiled as she looked at her opponent, who is two levels above her.

"Let's take some money." - Skarla laughed and made a bet that was a little out of the ordinary. Hackel will win, but no one knows that, so she set the odds at 3:1.

If they bet on Hackel and she wins, they will win 3 times what they bet on, but if they bet on the favorite for the fight and he naturally wins, in addition to getting back what they bet, they will win an extra according to those who bet against. Of course, the bookmaker will have a stake in the outcome, but it's unlikely that they will have much money.

Whatever the case, Skarla finished quickly and went to get her clothes ready.

It was then that she felt everything spinning; her eyes went out of focus for a moment, and when she regained her senses, she was alone in a white space where only she was.

“What's happening?” - Skarla just sighed; it was not the first or second time that she had been pulled somewhere.

[“Hello, child.”] - A voice echoed throughout.

Never having heard it before, Skarla knew it was something new.

[“Fear not, child who comes from my flesh, but a soul that does not belong to me.”] - The voice sounded mysterious; Skarla frowned at the implication of those words.

“You… are the world?” - That was the last conclusion she reached.

'Child who comes from my flesh' refers to the fact that she was born in this world, her parents are from this world, and her lineage originates from this world. "Soul that does not belong to me" refers to the fact that her soul traveled through two other worlds before arriving in this one, implying that it did not originate from this world.

[“Yes. Quite intelligent you are.”]

Skarla remained silent; this is surprising—another crazy story to tell her wives. - “Is it because of the Beast of the Void that I attract? Or because I opened a wound in your body?” - She'd already guessed the reasons for this.

[“No. You are not the first child to open my body or attract a threat. Our meeting should have happened a long time ago, when you started bringing such techniques and knowledge to me, causing my changes.”]

‘So the recent things I’ve done are no big deal; good to know.’ - Skarla expected the worst but was relieved that it wasn’t the case.

“I understand, but because of these same techniques, I’ve already had 2 encounters with a system administrator.” - Skarla smiled slightly.

[“Indeed. You’ve drawn a lot of attention from beings outside of divine jurisdiction, but also from the divine itself. That in itself isn’t harmful to me, because with so many Gods paying attention to my children in search of you, they’ll put resources in place for me to absorb and become stronger.”]

“… so what’s the problem?”

[“I’m going to put some limitations on you.”]

“…” - Skarla blinked. - “Will you make me weaker?!” - She was shocked.

[“No. I’m still thinking of ways to balance your techniques with the growth of attributes, I’m on the side of the system for such balance, which unfortunately will take a long time. But the adjustment is related to your ‘Armor Class(AC)’ which is currently at 47 points.”]

“… isn’t that the difficulty to get it right? People in this world don’t understand how this system works; they just know that the higher, the better.” - Skarla crossed her arms.

Coming from Earth and having had some access to such games, even though she had never really been interested in them, she still read the rules to understand what was so amazing about a role-playing game. Therefore, upon her rebirth in this world, she possessed a basic understanding of this system.

[“Indeed. I accessed your memories to understand, and it seems that the creator of the system was inspired by these TRPG games. Whatever the case, avoid talking about how luck dictates people’s lives, because if it happens, chaos will arise due to lucky items.”]

“I can imagine. But what will happen to my AC?”

[“Your AC is too high. Excessively high, to the point where even the strongest legends would be forced to land a Critical Hit to deal any damage.”]

Something began to shine and manifest before his eyes.

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Martial Body (Level 3) – An ideal body for practicing Martial Arts associated with the Cultivation of Internal Energy. The body and mind undergo intense training, reaching the pinnacle of excellence. [Level Requirement: 1 Point]

Effect(1): The Attack and Damage modifier now includes the "Unarmed Combat" Proficiency.

Effect(2): When "Unarmed Combat" is in use, you can use Strength or Dexterity in the "Attack Modifier" & Add both to the "Damage Modifier".

Effect(3): Your base "Unarmed Damage" is 3D6+STR+DEX.

CHANGE

— Effect(4): When not using Medium & Heavy Armor, add Dexterity and Constitution to AC (Armor Class).

— Due to the presence of the Dantian and Martial Arts from another world, the sum of Constitution in AC has undergone changes. — From now on, the Constitution Modifier will be seen as a “False Bonus”. Initially, the AC will include the Constitution Modifier, but if an attack surpasses the AC number without the Constitution's addition, it will experience a reduction of 1D3+1.

— When you are “hit”, you will not cause real damage, since the enemy will hit nothing more than your protective barrier of internal energy. However, with each attack, this barrier will weaken until it disappears.

— If the attack that hits you exceeds the entire AC, including the addition of the false AC, it disappears.

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Skarla raised an eyebrow as she read this. Quite simply, her Internal Energy Protection, which reduces damage taken and allows her to fly and attack powerfully, is what gives her the +17 bonus to AC due to her Constitution modifier.

So her standard AC will be 30, but with the “fake bonus,” it becomes 47. Each attack that reaches or exceeds 30 points will cause 2~4 damage to the false AC.

This means that at 29 or below, attacks will naturally miss. At 30~46, attacks will hit but are nullified by her Internal Energy, but it will weaken it, making it easier to be hit. If it reaches 47 or more, it will naturally be a standard hit, and the 17 points of false AC will automatically disappear.

Until her Internal Energy barrier is recovered, her AC throughout the combat will be 30.

“Does this mean that legends will become a real danger against me?” - Skarla narrowed her eyes.

[“Yes. I wanted to reduce the attributes because, at your level, having a modifier of 17 in all of them is simply absurd. However, if I or the system were to force the reduction, it could potentially result in your death. It turns out that your techniques utilize the same method you use to increase attributes through leveling. If we take away your attribute points, you could lose levels or even decades of internal energy, life expectancy, and much more.”]

“So in order to prevent me from dying, you are obliged to allow me to continue breaking the balance?” - Skarla raised an eyebrow.

[“Unfortunately, yes. I am grateful for the attention, even if it is causing so many problems. The changes you are bringing to me and will bring in the future will certainly make me and my children stronger, which will allow me to resist future invasions like the demonic one you witnessed.”]

“… since you seem to dislike the invasions, do you see no problem in me having a relationship with Sueika?”

[“The Succubus, who is almost as old as me? I don’t care. In fact, I have seen how you are using her knowledge and have plans to bring it to me. To be honest, I fear the industry and pollution that I saw in your memories of your first life, and I ask that you refrain from bringing it as much as you can.”]

Skarla fell silent and said. - “Okay. I would ask for compensation for my becoming weaker… not weak, but more fragile. But I find it difficult to give me anything.”

[“Indeed, giving you something will only help you break the balance more. But since you have helped me so much and I do need to make up for it… Gina and Theya, these lovely children of ours, I will give you your compensation.”]

Skarla frowned. - “What do you mean?”

[“Do not be afraid. I would never harm my children. Besides Gina and Theya, the child being conceived in Letiphia's womb, who do not have a Dantian, I will alter their bodies so that they will have one.”]

Skarla's eyes shone.

[“But it will only extend to your blood children. I did this because I know that you are constantly seeking ways to make your children more equal in this regard. I will help you avoid headaches, but your wives and others, if you want them to have a Dantian, you will have to do your own research.”]

Skarla nodded. - “Thank you.”

[“Mommy?”] - Atharius' voice attracted her, and she returned to the hallway.

“Yes?” - Skarla smiled as she stroked Atharius' head.

[“Walking? Does your leg hurt?”] - Atharius asked so adorably, naturally finding it strange that Skarla had suddenly stopped.

“It's nothing; I was just thinking. Let's get ready to watch more fights.” - Skalra laughed.

[“Fights!”] - Atharius happily raised his paws.

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Author's Explanation!

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Please forgive the information dump, but this explains NERF.

As the author, I need to give a brief explanation of what NERF is. I'm not doing it because I want to lower Skarla to the level of her peers; that's impossible and was never my intention. But I'm being realistic.

The system and the world cannot kill Skarla because she did nothing to deserve it. Her actions are not her fault, but the fault of something or someone who is doing this to her. The world and the system are aware of this, and if they attempt to harm or suppress Skarla, they will face consequences. Rules must be followed.

And all this imbalance only exists because the system and the world were not prepared for the presence of "Internal Energy Cultivation", which is closely linked to the rules used to level up but focused on Attribute Points and not on unlocking skill slots or leveling skills without Leveling Points.

Through Cultivation, Skarla gains false levels that increase her attribute points, and it goes without saying that it is not common, even for legends, to have 1 or 2 attributes above the 30-point mark. Skarla has 45 points for all attributes!

In a TRPG, which serves as the inspiration for this novel's system, the average starting attribute ranges from 8 to 18, with the possibility of at least 3 points in the event of extreme bad luck. Of course, I made changes to allow starting with 20 attribute points. However, in TRPG, the distribution of points is typically limited to 20 attribute points.

You do not earn points to spend every time you level up; you acquire HP so that your character can resist attacks for longer, and you acquire several skills that will help you have advantages in combat. However, increasing attributes is a rare occurrence and is often overlooked by players who understand the system, as they prioritize skills or talents that enhance their character over merely receiving a +1 bonus on tests. Of course, it's always beneficial to have high stats, but if you only focus on stats, you'll end up with a weak character who relies on that.

Skarla is strong and has many skills, apart from [Dragon Claw] and [Internal Destructive Impact], which are her main active skills for dealing damage. We can't judge Skarla's excessive reliance on Internal Energy and her high stats, as it serves her well.

Other individuals worldwide must control their point accumulation to ensure they never exhaust their stats, and they must also exercise caution regarding their skill level and the number of skills they can possess. Skarla bears less weight due to the fact that she exclusively allocates her points to skills, not to stats, thereby reducing her responsibility by a third.

This in itself is ridiculous. As a result, both the system and the world must find ways to restrict her. But since they can't directly harm her by weakening her, they must find other means. Skarla draws inspiration from the "Monk Class" in a TRPG. However, despite the literal nature of Murim techniques, the laws of both classes differ. The system is developing the "Martial Artist" Exclusive Class, which bears a striking resemblance to the "Monk" class. However, maintaining balance necessitates the loss of many aspects, and in the future, the system will focus on methods to limit the development of attributes through cultivation.

In the end. The system uses its tools to try to reduce Skarla's strength without affecting her too much. Starting now with her ability to take damage more easily.

Furthermore, it is my responsibility as the author to foster growth in the protagonist. If you notice, she is becoming more arrogant and confident, exposing her techniques. Already overconfident, the imposition of a restriction and the potential for more in the future compel Skarla to utilize her intellect, previously limited to books and tight spaces, to devise alternative strategies for self-defense.

She will also no longer be a boxer who only fights with unarmed attacks, as her Martial Arts are not focused solely on fists and kicks. To put it another way, she will still adapt all her skills to suit her best, and she will redistribute her strength more effectively.

There have been changes to the Armor Class (AC), and I will reveal to you that both the system and the world aim to halt the growth of Skarla's attributes.

But if you think she will become weak, let me say it again. When a Legend reaches level 40 and is on the verge of becoming a Demigod, they will have 40 points distributed among their attributes. This equates to 80 attribute points, but naturally, not even half of the 40 leveling points will be invested in attributes. At most 15 points.

Strong individuals, who are not naturally monastic, rely solely on their physical strength, as the Dexterity and Constitution modifiers enhance their AC. This is very good, even more so when advancing to Levels 11 and 21, where they receive bonuses to all attributes. To be strong and defend themselves, ordinary people rely on weapons and armor. Magic items enable them to surpass their strength and confront more formidable entities.

Such people realize they need items to survive because they are not invincible. Dragons, possessing naturally high defenses and massive reserves of vitality and mana from birth, are not universally comparable. They would invest at least 25 of these levels, up until level 40, in their skills.

If we take into account the sum of Skarla's initial attributes when she was born, which were 96, she currently has 270. Normally, with so many attributes, she would have spent 87 levels in the game. Needless to say, regardless of whether her stats stop growing now, there's no way anyone else in the world can compare to her.

So don't worry about her getting weak. The NERF is necessary for her to break free from her comfort zone and focus on strengthening herself, leveraging all the advantages she has managed to extract from the system to become invincible.

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PART 3 – Little talk!

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“Did something happen? You don’t seem to be in a positive mood.” Letiphia raised an eyebrow, naturally noticing Skarla’s different temperament than usual.

Skarla caressed Theya, who was sucking her breast. - “I’m happy and upset at the same time.”

“Do you mean the reason?” Letiphia probed, casting a glance at the others in the room.

Skarla thought, and with a movement of her hand, certain people in the room were marked, an indication that they should leave. They obeyed.

Letiphia narrowed her eyes. If Skarla took everyone out, including her disciples, but left only those who knew her secret, it must be something important and related to higher entities. Taking a deep breath, she is ready for the next bombshell.

“All my blood children will be successfully receiving a Dantian. In fact, Theya and Gina already have it; I personally probed it; they just need to grow up, and at 5~6 years old, the Dantian will solidify and they will be able to cultivate perfectly.” - Skarla sighed, but was happy.

“You finally figured out how?!” - Letiphia was excited, as this was something that worried her, Ilyria, and Talya.

Gina and Theya were born before Skarla had her Dantian. The child in Letiphia's and Viper's wombs also shares the same circumstances. Only the child in Gakai's womb conceived after Skarla formed her Dantian, indicating a higher likelihood of its existence.

Everyone understands what this would cause. Understanding the functionality of the Dantian and how powerful the cultivation techniques are, it is obvious that Gakai’s child would be much stronger than his older brothers and sisters, who unfortunately do not have a Dantian.

From now on, Skarla's future children would be subject to the same rule, which would put Skarla's first four children below the others. This wouldn't cause many problems at the moment, but in the future, when they start spreading their names around the world, the difference will appear and be huge.

“I didn't find out; this happened because of a loss I just received. The system and the world are joining hands to restrict my growth.” - Skarla's words startled everyone.

“While I was walking through the corridors, I was pulled once again, but this time by the world. I talked to the world we live in. It was solely for the purpose of informing me of the changes that were about to occur. I lost a good part of my invulnerability; of course, I didn't become weak; it's just that the chances of me being hit increased if I stay in fights that last too long.”

“Gojira has become a danger?” - Letiphia frowned, thinking about the only being that until then represented any real danger.

“Hmmm…” Skarla stroked her chin thoughtfully. There was no change in her attack bonuses, and she was confident that Gojira’s AC wasn’t that high, so her attacks would still land. “If nothing unexpected happened, I would be able to defeat her before my defenses dropped too much.”

In the end, there are still Critical Hits (natural 20) that are guaranteed; it’s a 5% chance, maybe more. Legendary beings possess a powerful ability known as a "Legendary Skill."

All her confidence comes from the difference in their strengths, but if Gojira used her “Legendary Skill” which is unknown to Skarla, then it would become a problem.

“So our daughters acquired the Dantian; why did you become easier to defeat?” Talya frowned.

“I wouldn’t say it became easier. I still have all my strength, but let's just say that before, the techniques I brought from another world and that granted me enormous defense were finally adapted to this world to bring some balance. In 5 blows that reach a specific power, part of my defenses will disappear, but I will still be difficult to hit.” - Skarla didn't know how to explain this to them without talking about the data.

“Anyway, that was good. It made me understand that the world is creating methods to go against me. I fear that in the next changes that will come, I will no longer have increases in my attributes, at least not such large increases. Not that it matters.” - Skarla laughed, and Letiphia rolled her eyes.

Skarla, even without being a mage, bard, sorceress, or any other mage class, has 45 points in intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. She has never heard of anyone having so many points in 1 attribute; perhaps she has not even heard of Demigods having such a milestone.

But here we have Skarla with so many high stats, potential for practically every path, magical power, and vitality at absurd levels. But all she does is punch and use her strange techniques.

“Anyway, let’s get ready or we’ll be late.” - Skarla handed Theya to her mother, and everyone started moving.