Darius immediately invested 39 points into the skill to bring it to the cap of the Intermediate grade.
[Swap - Level 40 Skill
Grade: Intermediate
Cost: None
Description: Remove up to two aspects or traits of one item and attempt to infuse it into another item permanently. The effectiveness of this skill is based on Intellect x8!]
It appeared as if the difference between the Basic and Intermediate grade was that the skill now allowed Darius to take two aspects, which was even better. The Itemancer would later have to manually test the success rates of various items of various qualities.
Aside from that, Darius performed what he had hoarded all these Skill Points for in the first place. He upgraded his important spells over the cap of the Intermediate grade by one level, bringing them through the threshold of Adept.
[Analyze - Level 41 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: Deduce the characteristics of any item, person or concept, as well as their personal history and all skill details. The effectiveness of this skill is based on the Intellect stat x 12.1!]
[Combine - Level 41 Skill
Grade: Advanced
Cost: None
Description: Merge up to three compatible items into one. The items must be of the within 2 grades of each other and be of a 70% similar type. The effectiveness of this skill is based on Intellect x 12.1!]
[Elemental Breath - Level 41 Spell
Grade: Advanced
Cost: 4000 MP
Description: Channel the raw power of the elements through your body, releasing it in a cone-shaped breath before you that travels as far as you want and persists for as long as you want. This deals 21,000% all-element damage.]
[Zap Cannon - Level 41 Spell
Grade: Advanced
Cost: 500 MP
Description: Cast an intense orb of deadly electricity at a foe, blasting them apart and paralyzing them immediately on contact. This deals 4,600% lightning damage.]
[Mass Teleportation - Level 41 Spell
Grade: Advanced
Cost: 500 MP
Description: Control the flow of space around you to transport yourself and a maximum of 10 other targets from one location to another instantly. The maximum distance is 21,000 meters.]
The power upgrade was expected, as it confirmed to the Supreme Systems standard. To start from the basics, each skill had grades depending on the level it was at.
Basic-grade skills went from level 1 up until level 20.
Non-Transmuted ones started at 1% and grew by 1% with each level until they reached 20% at level 20. Transmuted ones started at 5% and grew by 5% with each level until they reached level 20, where they would become 100%.
Intermediate-grade skills went from level 21 until level 40.
Non-Transmuted ones started at 20% and grew by 4% with each level until they reached 100% at level 40. Transmuted ones started at 100% and grew by 20% with each level until they reached level 40, where they would become 500%.
Advanced-grade skills went from level 41 until level 60.
Non-Transmuted ones started at 100% and grew by 20% with each level until they reached 500% at level 60. Transmuted ones started at 500% and grew by 100% with each level until they reached level 60, where they would become 2,500%.
Master grade skills went from level 61 until level 80.
Non-Transmuted ones started at 500% and grew by 100% with each level until they reached 2,500% at level 80. Transmuted ones started at 2,500% and grew by 500% with each level until they reached level 80, where they would become 12,500%.
Grandmaster grade skills went from level 81 until level 100.
Non-Transmuted ones started at 2,500% and grew by 500% with each level until they reached 12,500% at level 100. Transmuted ones started at 12,500% and grew by 2,500% with each level until they reached level 100, where they would become 62,500%.
God Krona's library had some mention about Divine Grade skills, but he couldn't estimate their power with the information he had until he eventually acquired one.
To simplify;
Basic (no Transmutation) = Starts at 1% and grows at 1% per level = 20% at cap
Basic (with transmutation) = Starts at 5% and grows at 5% per level = 100% at cap
Intermediate (no T) = Starts at 20% and grows at 4% per level = 100% at cap
Intermediate (with T) = Starts at 100% and grows at 20% per level = 500% at cap
Advanced (No T) = Starts at 100% and grows by 20% per level = 500% at cap
Advanced (with T) = Starts at 500% and grows by 100% per level = 2,500% at cap
Master (No T) = Starts at 500% and grows by 100% per level = 2,500% at cap
Master (with T) = Starts at 2,500% and grows by 500% per level = 12,500% at cap
Grandmaster (No T) = Starts at 2,500% and grows by 500% per level = 12,500% at cap
Grandmaster (with T) = Starts at 12,500% and grows by 2,500% per level = 62,500% at cap
(Author's Note: my darling readers, please sear this into your minds going forward, as I am unlikely to detail it like this again.)
However, there were some exceptions. For one, upgraded skills, bloodline skills, and specially transmuted skills started at level 1 regardless of grade.
An example was Group Teleportation. It was an Intermediate grade skill and should theoretically have started at level 21, yet Darius' version had started at level 1.
The reason for this chaos was due to the clash between the natural laws of Faust and those of the Supreme System.
As we know, all Basic spells were designed by the laws of Faust and could only be acquired upon Awakening, or as natural abilities for those who Spark.
However, Intermediate spells/skills and above had been crafted solely by the hand of practitioners. They were all artificial, so their level of power was much more chaotic than the outline above.
It was the Supreme System that had taken all of this and systemically quantified it and categorized it. Now, on the topic of the chaos, it was because the Supreme System had been configured to start all skills from level 1.
If one would remember, there had been a whole crisis involving how Caesar had left a trap in the system for Darius to become addicted to leveling up and eventually hitting a plateau where he would go mad for AP and especially, SP.
However, Darius had managed to control himself, not to mention the existence of Events had greatly lessened his burden.
In essence, starting a skill at level 1 had forced Darius to invest more Skill Points into it to bring it towards its cap. Since SP was rare, you could imagine how this would theoretically limit him.
However, it had a hidden boon. Taking Intermediate skills for example, when Darius learned them, they would start at level 1 bearing the stat value they would have had at level 20.
Assuming a random Journeyman Mage had learned Fireball, under the Faustian system, the damage of his spell would depend on his elemental affinity, his mana, etc.
The very same Journeyman Mage would be given a fixed value solely based on his mastery as assessed by the Supreme System when it scanned him.
So, let us say his Fireball spell had been at level 1, though one should keep in mind that this was different from Darius' level 1.
The Journeyman Mage would start with his Fireball at 1%, which would grow by 1% for the first 20 levels, and then by 4% from level 21 until level 40.
So when the Journeyman reached level 20 with Fireball, it would deal 20% fire damage. Darius, assuming the skill was learned without Transmutation, would start at level 1 with 20% fire damage.
So the difference was clear. Even though SP only for skills was a harsh requirement, it was balanced out by the fact that should Darius have never had Transmutation, his skills would still be far stronger than his counterparts at all stages.
It was just that Transmutation was so ridiculously overpowered that it rubbished everything and took these numbers to insane heights.
Taking the same Fireball, Darius learned it with Transmutation, so its base power at level 1 was 100% fire damage, which was the usual 5x boost Transmutation gave products.
This increased the maximum power cap in which he could upgrade skills to. This was extremely important for upgradeable skills, as their system was quite complex, but based off the two above mention criteria.
Like Sparks. At the Basic Grade, it had started at 5% and grew by 5% until it hit level 20 with 100% Lightning damage. When Darius upgraded Sparks to level 21, it had morphed into Lightning Bolt and its damage had increased to 520%.
This was because it moved up the 'Sparks' or 'Lightning Element' skill tree and saw lighting Bolt was a natural successor to Sparks. Since it was Intermediate, it was taken back to level 1, where - since it was transmuted - it started at 100% and grew by 20% per level.
Then the skill points were reallocated, bringing it to level 21.. So 100%(at level 1) + 420% (21 levels x 20% per level) = 520% at level 21.
