Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Me? I\'m just a normal kid about to join a normal academy," Jett shrugged as he slowly walked closer to them.

\'He\'s a monster. We need to get out of here,\' the archer thought, scanning the surroundings for the best escape route.

The archer felt a growing sense of helplessness. The weight of their own inadequacy pressed down on them, each breath becoming a reminder of their impending doom. They had faced threats before, but nothing like this. The air seemed to thicken with their fear, their minds clouded by the realization that escape might be impossible.

"Looking at you guys now, I realize how dumb this is. I need guinea pigs that can survive my attacks. So, I guess this is it for you. Your skills aren\'t even worth copying compared to my arsenal," Jett lamented, gripping his sword tightly.

"What\'s he even talking about?" the archer yelled, frustration seeping into his voice.

"I have no idea, but we\'ll have to use our strongest skills if we want to kill this kid," the warrior, now standing in front of them, suggested.

"Right. There\'s no way he\'s strong enough to take on our best attack," the druid assured herself.

"Let\'s goooo!" the archer yelled again.

[Berserk]

[War Blessing]

[Boost]

[Beastman Avatar]

[Octave Shot]

[Snipe]

[Swift Shot]

"Whoa, a lot of skills just to kill one kid. They definitely aren\'t paying you enough," Jett said, almost commending their bravery. "Come at me one last time."

The warriors lunged at Jett, their combined skills creating a chaotic storm of attacks. [Berserk] amplified the warrior\'s strength, [War Blessing] enhanced their defenses, and [Boost] increased their speed. The archer unleashed a flurry of arrows with [Octave Shot], [Snipe], and [Swift Shot], each projectile aimed with deadly precision.

The druid transformed into a fearsome beast 3 times her size with [Beastman Avatar], claws and fangs bared.

Jett stood his ground, unflinching. As the first arrow whizzed toward him, he deflected it with a swift flick of his sword. An instant later, he countered the warrior\'s powerful strike, his blade moving with blinding speed. One by one, he met each attack head-on, parrying and striking back in a seamless flow of motion.

Despite the onslaught, Jett\'s counters were precise and lethal. The druid\'s beast form was no match for his skill; he sidestepped her lunge and delivered a decisive blow. The warrior fell next, his defenses crumbling under Jett\'s relentless strikes.

The archer, seeing his comrades fall, made a desperate final attack, but Jett was faster, closing the distance and ending the fight with a single, swift movement.

Jett stood among the fallen take in the quiet aftermath of a battle won.

"It\'s their own fault for accepting a job like this," he muttered, pausing to glance at the egg hovering around him. "I need to work on that. Didn\'t really sound cool, did it?"

He took his time walking down the rocky path, each step measured and unhurried, towards where he had left Cormac.

*****

"Why don\'t you just give up? The kid\'s probably dead by now. I\'m sure my men are just taking it easy, waiting for us to finish here," the leader taunted Cormac.

"Yeah, there\'s no way the child is still alive and kicking. Why don\'t you stop fighting a futile battle?" the mage added, her arrogance palpable.

Cormac had remained silent, not wanting to engage in their conversation, but he finally sighed and gripped his spear tightly.

"I think it\'s time we end this. I must admit, your defense is beyond what I can handle, but it\'s checkmate from here," he said to both of them.

"Huh?" They were confused by his confidence.

"Target locked."

[Target Lock]

[Tracing Tribulation]

He raised his hand to the sky before pointing at them. Two massive bolts of lightning struck each of them with a deafening crack. The mage crumpled to the ground instantly, her body convulsing once before going still. The leader, however, managed to remain standing, his body smoking from the strike.

"You\'re still standing?" Cormac wondered, a bit surprised but unshaken.

"That all you got? I\'ll kill you for this," the leader shouted in anger, charging at Cormac after seeing his fallen comrade.

"You tell me," Cormac replied, pointing at him again. Another bolt of lightning struck the leader, but he gritted his teeth and continued his slow, determined march toward Cormac.

"Earlier you said you were at Level 70, right?" Cormac asked, watching the leader\'s struggle with mild curiosity.

"What does that have to do with anything now? You\'re clearly a few levels higher than me, maybe even Level 90," the leader groaned in pain as he replied.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but my current level is still at 56," Cormac stated before resuming the lightning assault.

"Level 56? I got schooled by a Level 56? Hoooooooow!!!?" The leader shouted helplessly in annoyance.

It took two more strikes before he finally went down. The leader\'s corpse lay smoking on the ground, his armor charred and cracked from the relentless lightning. His skin was burned, his body twisted in agony, yet Cormac looked at it with indifference.

"That should do it. You can come out now," Cormac said, turning to face a boulder a few meters away from him.

"You could sense me from that far? How strong are you really?" Jett asked, feeling impressed.

\'Not a scratch on him,\' Cormac silently noted as he inspected Jett. "What happened to the ones who went after you?"

"For someone tasked with protecting me, you sure don\'t look worried about me," Jett shrugged. "They weren\'t really strong, so I took care of them. You should know by now that I\'m something of a prodigy."

\'I thought his survival during the Orc rampage was just an exaggeration, but it seems I was wrong,\' Cormac thought as he studied Jett.

"We should really be on our way; we\'ve already wasted enough time," Jett stated, pointing at the setting sun.

"Yes, you\'re right, but getting there will be difficult since our carriage got wrecked," Cormac reminded him.

"No need to worry about that. I saw some horses while coming back that most likely belonged to the mercenaries," Jett replied, walking backward in the direction where the horses were tied.

"Oh, if that\'s the case, then we should hurry. I\'ll catch up," Cormac said, staying behind to finish a few things.

"Yeah, let\'s do that." Jett grinned before running off to find the horses himself.

*****

After a week of nonstop riding, they arrived at a town named Torra to restock before continuing their journey.

"We\'ll rest here for a day. I need to run some errands," Cormac suggested.

"Alright, then meet up at that pub over there?" Jett replied, pointing to a large pub a few streets away.

"Sounds good. See you later," Cormac agreed.

"As you wish, I\'ll be on my way then."

The town of Torra was even more lively and bustling than Lagia. The streets were filled with the vibrant chatter of warriors and mercenaries, the diligent work of farmers and artisans, and the exotic presence of beast folks and elves. The atmosphere was electric, brimming with the energy of a place where countless stories intersected.

"This place is amazing; warriors, mercenaries, farmers, artisans, and even beast folks and elves? No fantasy world is complete without them," Jett marveled, his eyes wide with awe. "Shame I can only get 5 skills a day."

He scanned through the abilities of the residents of Torra, noting their varied and impressive skills. Warriors displayed their prowess, mages demonstrated their mystical abilities, and artisans showed off their craftsmanship. It was a treasure trove of potential, each person a possible source of new skills.

"I better think this through," Jett muttered to himself, considering his options carefully.

*****

At an old rundown building about five stories high, situated in the middle of a lonely street, an old lady sat at the door playing chess all by himself. The building had seen better days, its walls cracked and faded, yet it held a quiet charm.

Cormac quietly approached and stood next to the old lady. "May I join you? I may be lacking, but I play once in a while."

"Oh? Have a seat," the old lady gestured, inviting him to sit.

They exchanged only two moves before it was Cormac\'s turn again. After moving his piece, the old lady looked at him, then back at the board, as though searching for the right words. He sighed instead.

"That\'s an invalid move," the old lady stated.

"My apologies, could you tell me why? I seem to have forgotten," Cormac calmly replied, his voice almost a whisper.

The old lady looked left, right, and then left again before looking Cormac dead in the eyes, as though wary of something.

"Third floor, second door, five knocks," she said, not uttering anything more.

Cormac stood up without a word of thanks and walked into the building, making his way to the location the lady had stated. At the door, he knocked five times as instructed before it finally opened.

The room was dark despite it still being midday, with only a luminous stone at the center of the table casting a dim, eerie glow. A figure sat opposite him, clad in black and covered in a dark veil. Two guards flanked the host, their eyes fixed on Cormac.

"Look what the cat dragged in. The Thunder God Executioner decides to pay the Owl Vine a visit," the host announced in a flattering manner, her voice feminine and tender.

"I need some information, and I\'m sure you have what I want," Cormac said, pushing a pouch of coins across the table before dropping another bag. "This man; what can you tell me about him?"

The host carefully opened the bag to reveal the head of the tanker Cormac had previously defeated. She maintained her composure as though it were a normal occurrence.

"Of all the things you had to bring to our doorstep," she sighed, waving to one of the guards, who took the money and the head away.

"Just tell me what I need to know," Cormac replied.

"He was the vice leader of a mercenary group called Looters. A run-of-the-mill band of mercenaries ready to do whatever for money. Mind telling me why his head is facing me right now?" she asked, feeling impatient.

"They attacked me and my young master on our way here. Tell me, do you know of any recent jobs they might have taken from a noble?" Cormac inquired.

\'His deduction skills are incredible, shame he doesn\'t work for us,\' she thought, secretly and unknowingly admiring him. "Yes, actually. A week ago, our people spotted two men going in and out of the Looters\' hideout by chance. They looked too suspicious to be ignored."

"Tell me about them," Cormac said, now getting impatient.

Here\'s the revised version with enhanced descriptions, dialogue refinement, and added depth:

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"We only identified one Ivan Dyno. The other had a mask and hid his presence very well," she replied.

\'Dyno? Then the young master was right,\' Cormac thought, slowly calming his nerves as he realized the significance. "So, the news about the teleportation platforms was fake?"

\'That\'s top-secret information even in our organization. Did he just guess that on a whim?\' she looked at him in awe. "Ehem, that\'s as much as your money can get you. Please leave."

*****

After toiling for the whole day, Jett went to the pub to wait for Cormac. To kill time, he went through the skills he had acquired, wondering if his choices weren\'t just plain stupid.

[Poker Face D]

[Dispel A]

[Shadow Blend C]

[Feather Movement B]

"I\'m not proud of the first one, but it\'s alright, I guess. Where the hell is Cormac, though? Whatever, I\'ll just go get a drink. I still haven\'t tried alcohol since I got sent to this world," he salivated, daydreaming about the taste of beer from his past life.

He walked up to the bar, dodging anyone who tried coming into contact with him. "A cup of your best beer, please," Jett ordered.

"This is no place for a child like you. Why don\'t you run along now?" the bartender responded dismissively.

"Excuse you?" Jett got a bit annoyed. "What does it ma…"

He stopped halfway, unable to believe his eyes. Right in front of him was a legendary weapon, Hack Jaw.

The sight of the weapon took his breath away. Its blade gleamed with a deadly edge, and intricate runes adorned its hilt, pulsating with a faint, otherworldly light. Jett\'s annoyance evaporated, replaced by a mix of awe and curiosity.

"That\'s… Hack Jaw," he whispered to himself, his eyes wide with wonder.

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I deeply apologize for disappearing without a warning. Now let the journey continue.

Big thanks to DaoistuTcOyd and every other review I\'ve gotten so far, I\'ll try to fix my shortcomings.