Chapter 715: Talent and bloodlines

[As was the case with the host, the most effective way to increase their progression speed exponentially would be to improve their innate talent]

Elion nodded slowly. He already understood this much.

A person’s talent determined how quickly they could absorb mana and saturate their core, so improving it would naturally make everything else easier.

He was an exception, of course, since he had mostly relied on the system up to now, even though his talent was already quite high now.

The problem was that, from what he knew, methods capable of increasing talent were both rare and terribly dangerous.

[Correct. Of the available methods, one of the safest would be to increase the purity of their existing bloodlines. Even that, however, carries a high mortality rate.]

’You have a rather interesting definition of safe,’ Elion remarked, taking a moment to clean himself up before slipping his underpants and bodysuit on.

[The host should understand that these methods involve changing something fundamental to a person’s existence. Bloodline purity is inherently linked to innate talent. Successfully elevating one would naturally improve the other, but surviving the process is another matter.]

Elion pulled on a cloak over his suit, considering the explanation while glancing toward the two sleeping women.

It certainly sounded promising, but if the chances of failure were so high, he wasn’t going to gamble with their lives simply because he wanted them to become stronger.

’Wait a minute. What about giving them additional bloodlines, like the ones I have?’

The thought made him pause. Maya and Zenovia had both obtained bloodlines during the bloodline trials in the legacy world.

Those rewards must have improved their talent to some extent, or at least granted them abilities they hadn’t possessed before.

Maya had already integrated with hers, though Elion had yet to see any obvious changes in her strength or abilities.

Perhaps she was still becoming familiar with whatever the Orikari bloodline had given her, or perhaps the changes were simply less noticeable than his own.

Of course, he was only speculating. He hadn’t actually asked her what had changed, and assuming that every bloodline would manifest itself through wings, scales, or some other obvious physical feature was probably rather foolish.

’I should probably ask her,’ he thought before returning his attention to the system. ’Those bloodlines must have done something for them. Couldn’t I do the same for Mira and the others?’

[That could work, theoretically]

His eyes brightened, though the system continued before he could become too pleased.

[However, finding a high-purity bloodline of a sufficiently high rank that a normal human mage could safely integrate with would be next to impossible.]

’Why?’ Elion asked, frowning. ’There are plenty of bloodlines in the store. Couldn’t I simply buy one and give it to them?’

He was well aware that the prices were ridiculous, but that was something he could work toward.

If it meant helping them grow stronger without spending years struggling through every stage, he wouldn’t mind saving up enough points to buy a suitable bloodline for each of them.

[The bloodlines listed in the store take into account the fact that the host has the system to assist with integration. Their availability does not mean that anyone could absorb them successfully]

Elion’s enthusiasm faded a little.

’So the integration would be dangerous for them, even if I bought the bloodlines from you?’

[Yes. The host should also understand that your original human bloodline was already quite powerful]

His brows rose.

’It was?’

[Otherwise, it would never have survived sharing a body with two powerful bloodlines, one of them being divine. It has even acted as a bridge between the two.]

Elion remained silent for a moment, looking down at his hands. He flexed his fingers slowly, as though the movement might somehow reveal something he had failed to notice about himself.

’Is that so?’

He would never have known. More importantly, he had absolutely no explanation for why his human bloodline would have been so powerful to begin with.

Innate bloodlines were always inherited.

His parents had hardly been extraordinary figures, and his own life before the system appeared had given him very little reason to believe he was anything special.

Perhaps it was simply a coincidence, though even that explanation felt rather inadequate.

’My talent was terrible before all this, wasn’t it?’

If bloodline purity and innate talent were so closely connected, then how did that make any sense?

He had spent a lot of time struggling to achieve what others managed with far less effort, only to now be told that the bloodline he had possessed all along was powerful enough to coexist with a divine one.

Elion rubbed his chin, finding himself with more questions than he had when he started.

Having the system had made his own integration seem far simpler than it truly was, and he had been a little too quick to assume that he could repeat the process with everyone else.

Still, the system hadn’t said it was impossible.

’Alright, then,’ he said inwardly. ’What do I have to do to help them integrate with those bloodlines successfully?’

[The host would need a soul technique capable of assisting with the integration process]

Elion raised a brow, finding the answer rather unexpected.

He had assumed the system would suggest a potion, or perhaps some sort of artifact that could keep their bodies from falling apart, but the solution lay somewhere else entirely.

’A soul technique? What does their soul have to do with integrating a bloodline?’

[The host is thinking of a bloodline as something that only affects the physical body. That is incorrect. Its influence extends to the soul, particularly when dealing with higher races and bloodlines containing inherited abilities]

Elion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He supposed that made sense.

Some of the abilities he had obtained through his own bloodlines hardly seemed like something that could be explained by a few changes to his flesh and bones.

’So I would have to protect their souls while they integrate?’

[That would be part of it. However, simply protecting them would not be enough. The technique would need to allow the host to perceive and influence the process, helping them maintain control while their bodies and souls adapt to the new bloodline.]

’That sounds terribly complicated.’

[It is.]

’And I’m assuming I can’t simply buy the technique and expect everything to work out.’

[Correct. Possessing a technique and being capable of using it effectively are different matters. The host would need to develop sufficient control over his own soul before attempting to interfere with someone else’s]

Elion sighed, lowering himself onto the edge of the bed. Every time he thought he had found a simple solution, something else appeared to make it considerably more troublesome.

’How much control are we talking about?’

[Enough to recognize when the recipient is losing control of the integration and intervene without damaging their soul in the process. A mistake could leave consequences that a healing potion would be unable to resolve]

His expression turned grim.

He had already understood that the process would be dangerous, but there was something particularly unsettling about the thought of harming them while trying to help.

’Then I would still have to find bloodlines suited to each of them.’