Chapter 753: Deep Insight
Numerous hidden stats existed in RML that the vast majority of players were unable to see. There were simple hidden stats like Mass, which determined a player's total weight with the inclusion of their equipment. Therefore, even if two players had equal Agility stats, if one was wearing heavy armor while the other wore leather armor, the player in leather armor would hold the speed advantage.
There were also stats like Physical Strength that measured one's physical capabilities. And, of course, rare stats like Might also existed that allowed players to step into a new dimension of power.
The Perception granted by Song of the Siren fell into the same category as Mass and Physical Strength. It was a stat every player possessed from creation; however, it could not be viewed like other stats.
Perception took into account the development of a player's senses along with things like passive detection skills and transformed it into a numerical value. Though this was not common knowledge to most players in RML.
'Not bad. With this, I finally found a second ring worth equipping.'
Players in RML were able to equip up to two rings at a time. At the moment, Izroth only wore the Ring of The Exiled One. And, even though he searched the auction house for a good ring, the items listed there left more to be desired. Therefore, obtaining the Song of the Siren was a pleasant surprise. This was even more so considering the fact that NPCs in RML rarely dropped any loot whatsoever.
'I'm curious what my current Perception stat is like.'
Izroth equipped the Song of the Siren. The instant he performed this action, the world around him became much clearer as a refreshing wave washed over his senses.
'This feeling... It's amazing. Some things that I previously needed to Energy Vision Sense to detect—I can see as clear as day now. Three points in Perception are enough to make this big of a difference?'
Five Cycles Pill, Heavenly Golden Body, Soul Sense—with all these elements combined, Izroth's Perception was already well above the level of the average player. But, now that he was in possession of the Song of the Siren, the gap had only widened even further!
Almost immediately after Izroth equipped the Song of the Siren, he was greeted by a wave of system alerts.
〈System Alert: Congratulations, you are the first player to achieve a Perception stat above 9!〉
〈System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 100 points!〉
〈System Alert: You have learned the skill «Deep Insight»!〉
'Hm? This is...'
Izroth inspected the new skill he was awarded by the system and could not help but feel that it was somewhat similar to a skill he already possessed.
Skill Name: Deep Insight
Skill Level: 0.00%
Skill Rank: Unique*
Requirements: Be the first player to achieve a Perception stat of 9 or higher.
Active: The user gains a deeper insight into a target, uncovering up to [1] flaw or weakness.
Cooldown: None
Special Note: This skill cannot be used on the same target within 72 hours.
'It's like an active version of the Gifted Expertise of An Artisan passive under the Unparalleled Craftsman skill. But, it seems the application for Insight goes beyond blueprints and recipes. Though there's a limit, who is to say that the same limitations will exist once I master it?'
Gifted Expertise of An Artisan allowed Izroth to locate and correct flaws in blueprints and recipes; however, Deep Insight appeared to have no such restriction in place.
'Let's test it out.'
Izroth's figure flickered as he headed deeper into Siren's main headquarters. On his way, he glanced at a nearby painting hung on the wall and used the skill Deep Insight.
〈System Alert: [1] Flaw has been discovered in «Sirens of the Great Sea Painting»!〉
〈System Alert: Flaw [1]: The paper used to create this painting is of lower quality than the ink, causing the painting to lose its original luster over time.〉
'I see. So that's how it works. Then, I wonder...'
Izroth looked at his own hand and activated Deep Insight.
〈System Alert: [1] Flaw has been discovered in «Izroth»!〉
〈System Alert: Flaw [1]: This person's mana pool is underdeveloped, making it incredibly difficult or impossible for them to execute skills with high mana costs without receiving some form of backlash.〉
'What frightening accuracy.'
Indeed, with his current mana pool, Izroth was restricted in several ways. For one, he could not perform a proper Element Fusion without damaging his mana pool. In addition, he could not exert the full power behind the Call of the Thunder God due to the mana multiplier that made it impossible for him to have every state active simultaneously. But, Izroth knew that when he finally overcomes the problem regarding his lack of mana, his strength would jump by leaps and bounds!
As for his Perception stat, without the Song of the Siren equipped, Izroth discovered that it was at seven points. Of course, with the ring equipped, Izroth's Perception stat was now ten points. However, if not for the Song of the Siren, he would not have met the requirements to learn Deep Insight. Or, at the very least, it would have taken him a much longer time to do so.
After Izroth finished looking over his Perception and testing Deep Insight, he returned his focus to the task at hand.
Although he was checking his rewards, Izroth never stopped scanning the surroundings with his Energy Vision Sense. But, for some reason, it seemed that no matter how far he searched, Azalea was nowhere to be found!
'This can't be right. Can it be that the area she's in is obstructing my Energy Vision Sense?'
Izroth understood that if Azalea had met with an untimely death, she would have responded to his message by now. Therefore, she had to still be somewhere inside Siren's main headquarters. However, since this was Izroth's first time inside the compound, he was not familiar with its layout.
Nevertheless, it did not mean that Izroth was completely helpless and without a solution.
'Azalea mentioned that the magic item she was going to retrieve was located in a place called the Great Demon Hall. Since she said it's a place that only a few people know the route to and given Smiling Demon's personality, it should be in the most isolated area of the headquarters which is... Found it.'
Woosh!
Izroth increased his speed as he located an entrance that seemed out of place when compared to the layout of the rest of Siren's headquarters. It was placed in a very discreet location that escaped the natural gaze and would typically go unnoticed to those who passed right by it.
Without delay, Izroth made his way into the passageway and quickly arrived at the end and, in the blink of an eye, Izroth came before a large sturdy metal door.
'I can't sense anything beyond this door. No, wait—I can feel a faint presence on the other side; however...'
With his improved Perception stat and Energy Vision Sense working in tandem, Izroth was able to sense someone in the other room. It was just that he could not determine if this entity was friend or foe due to whatever was causing interference within the room.
'I suppose there's only one way to find out.'
Izroth pushed open the metal door...
Swoosh!
The door had barely opened a half a meter before a sharp object came flying out at Izroth aimed right at his neck!
But, right as the sharp object was about to reach his neck, it abruptly stopped.
"Ah- Teacher?" A familiar voice sounded from the other end of the sharp object. This voice belonged to the owner of the dagger pointed at Izroth's neck; however, after realizing who it was, they quickly lowered their weapon.
"Oh? You still have the face to call me teacher after attacking me so openly?" Izroth said with a carefree smile. But, despite his words, there were no signs of anger or discontent in his voice. In fact, there was even a hint of satisfaction.
Azalea slightly furrowed her brows and responded, "My apologies, teacher. This student is willing to accept any punishment you bestow upon me."
Izroth inwardly shook his head. He did not expect Azalea to take his words so seriously.
'My attempt at humor has gone unnoticed. I discussed it a bit with Zi Yi, but... It seems that I am still lacking in this department. I can only continue to learn from her.'
"Forget it. Since you did not know who was entering, your actions were not unjustified." Izroth stated.
Izroth knew that if even he could not tell who was on the other side of the door, how was it possible for Azalea to do so?
"That aside, did you run into any trouble?"
"Yes, but it's settled now. It is a good thing you arrived, teacher. Otherwise, I may have been forced to take my own life." Azalea replied.
"Take your own life?" Izroth was perplexed by Azalea's choice of words. Why would she have had to take her own life?