Lord of Avalon : Lost in Another World

Ardi leaned back in his Lord's Office, sipping a warm cup of tea while scrolling through his Status Interface. After storing all the rewards he had collected in the village warehouse, his eyes landed on something new—Skill Combine.

Curious, he tapped on it. A sleek virtual panel appeared in front of him.

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[Skill Combine Panel]

Selected Skills:

[Wildlife Tracking D][Herbal Knowledge E]

Warning: Skill fusion may result in a rank increase, but there is also a chance of failure. Failed combinations will result in the loss of both skills.

Cost: 1 Low-Tier Gacha Ticket

Proceed with Combination?

[YES] | [NO]

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Ardi smirked. "Well, let's see what happens…" He pressed YES without hesitation.

The virtual panel shimmered as glowing energy connected the two skills. The interface buzzed for a moment before displaying:

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[Skill Combination Successful!]

New Skill Acquired:

[Survival Instinct C] (Blue)

A fusion of tracking and herbal knowledge, enhancing survival abilities in the wild.

Enhanced Tracking: Detects animal tracks, scents, and movement patterns more accurately.

Herbal Recognition: Identifies useful plants for medicine, food, or alchemy.

Instinctive Survival Sense: Detects natural hazards like predators, toxic plants, and dangerous terrain.

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Ardi let out a victorious laugh. "Hell yeah!"

Yui, who had been lounging on his desk in her fairy form, fluttered over. "Master, what did you do this time?"

Ardi grinned. "Check this out! I combined two skills, and it ranked up into something better!"

Yui squinted at the panel. "Hmm… That's actually pretty useful. But you're not going to gamble all your skills away, are you?"

"Of course not," Ardi said while already selecting two new skills.

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[Skill Combine Panel]

Selected Skills:

[Woodcrafting E][Basic Smithing E]

Warning: Skill fusion may result in a rank increase, but there is also a chance of failure.

Cost: FREE

Proceed with Combination?

[YES] | [NO]

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Ardi tapped YES, and the interface glowed once more. Moments later:

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[Skill Combination Successful!]

New Skill Acquired:

[Artisan Craftsmanship D] (Green)

A fusion of basic woodcrafting and metalworking, allowing the creation of reinforced items.

Basic Woodcrafting: Craft simple wooden tools, furniture, and structures with improved speed and precision.

Basic Smithing: Produce metal components such as hinges, nails, and weapon parts.

Combined Crafting: Reinforce items by integrating wood and metal for increased durability.

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Yui raised an eyebrow. "That was free? I guess this system has some mercy on you Anata."

Ardi chuckled. "Exactly! Now, one more—"

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This time, he selected [Artisan Craftsmanship D] and [Building Construction D].

[Skill Combine Panel]

Selected Skills:

[Artisan Craftsmanship D][Building Construction D]

Warning: This is a high-risk fusion. Failed combinations will result in the loss of both skills.

Cost: 1 Mid-Tier Gacha Ticket

Proceed with Combination?

[YES] | [NO]

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Ardi hesitated for a second but shrugged. "Go big or go home." He pressed YES.

The screen flashed brightly, the interface vibrating violently. For a moment, Ardi held his breath—

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[Skill Combination Successful!]

New Skill Acquired:

[Master Builder C] (Blue)

A fusion of crafting and construction, improving efficiency in building and reinforcing structures.

Enhanced Crafting & Construction: Increases construction speed and quality.

Structural Reinforcement: Strengthens buildings against natural wear and minor impacts.

Blueprint Understanding: Allows modification of simple building designs for efficiency.

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Ardi grinned, his excitement growing. "This is amazing! If I keep doing this, I can optimize my entire skill set—"

Smack!

A small hand hit the back of his head.

"Ow! Hey!"

Yui floated in front of him, arms crossed, looking exasperated. "Enough, you gambling addict!"

Ardi blinked. "Eh?"

"You just wasted a Mid-Tier Gacha Ticket without even thinking! What if you lost both skills? Do you have any idea how hard it is to regain a lost skill?"

Ardi scratched his cheek. "Well… I mean, I had a good feeling about it…"

Yui narrowed her eyes. "A good feeling? That's what every gambler says before they lose everything!"

Ardi sighed. "Come on, Yui. It's not that bad—"

Yui floated right up to his face, her blue eyes burning with frustration. "Master, if you keep this up, I swear I'll make you sleep on the floor tonight!"

Ardi froze.

"…Yes, ma'am."

Yui huffed before crossing her arms. "Honestly, you need better impulse control!"

Ardi chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, alright… I'll stop."

Yui gave him a suspicious glare. "Promise?"

Ardi raised his hand. "Promise."

"Good." Yui let out a relieved sigh before snuggling into his chest. "I swear, you're hopeless sometimes."

Ardi smiled, stroking her hair. "But you still love me, right?"

Yui pouted but didn't deny it. "…I guess."

Ardi chuckled, enjoying the warmth of their moment. Even though Yui could be strict, he knew it was because she genuinely cared.

Maybe next time, he'd be a little more careful.

…Maybe.

Ardi leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh. "Phew… That was fun."

"Fun?" Yui huffed, floating in front of him with her arms crossed. "You call gambling with your skills fun?"

Ardi smirked, rubbing the back of his head. "Well… kinda?"

Yui glared at him but sighed in defeat. "Fine. But let me see your Status Interface. I want to make sure you're not secretly learning anything weird."

"Weird how?" Ardi raised an eyebrow.

"Just show me."

Shrugging, Ardi opened his Status Bar, projecting the information into the air. Yui floated closer, scanning through his stats—his Skills, Inventory, and finally, his Traits.

Then—

She froze mid-air.

Her sapphire-blue eyes widened slightly. "Golden… Trait?"

Ardi tilted his head. "Yeah? What about it?"

Yui's expression twitched. Her fairy wings fluttered anxiously as she read the Ultimate Adaptation description.

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[Ultimate Adaptation] (Gold Tier) [Ardi's Unique Trait]

A rare and powerful trait that ensures continuous self-optimization through adaptation.

Passive Effects:

Perfect Physical Optimization: Continuously refines the body by eliminating inefficiencies, enhancing reflexes, stamina, and metabolic efficiency.

Accelerated Learning & Cognitive Growth: Increases memory retention, analytical thinking, and combat intuition. Enables faster skill acquisition and pattern recognition.

Adaptive Resistance: Gradually develops resistance against non-lethal conditions.

Survival Optimization: Adjusts bodily functions to endure extreme conditions.

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Yui gulped, suddenly feeling like she was standing before something incomprehensible.

No—someone incomprehensible.

She clenched her tiny fists. "Ardi… do you even realize what kind of monster-tier ability this is?"

Ardi blinked. "Eh? It's just a little cheat that lets me stay in good shape and learn things faster."

Yui facepalmed. "Just… a little cheat?!"

She shot him a sharp look. "Ardi, this is Gold Tier. Do you even know how rare that is?"

Ardi raised an eyebrow. "Is it? I mean, sure, it's useful. But it's not like I can destroy mountains with a single punch or stop time or anything. Everything still takes effort."

Yui's fingers twitched in frustration. She took a deep breath before pointing at the screen. "Ardi, this isn't just a cheat. It's a permanent, ever-evolving trait. People would kill you to get this kind of ability!"

Ardi chuckled. "But Yui, everything still takes work. It's not like I got instant mastery of anything."

Yui groaned, pulling at her hair. "That's not the point! The fact that your body and mind can constantly adapt—without limit—is already insane!"

Ardi tilted his head, clearly unbothered. "Well, I guess it just makes things easier for me."

"Easier?!"

Yui took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She tapped her temple, accessing Ardi's memories through their quantum connection. After a few moments of scanning, her expression grew even more serious.

"Ardi…" she whispered, her tone completely shifting. "This trait… it's almost identical to Reactive Evolution from that character Darwin in X-Men."

Ardi raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You mean the guy who can evolve in real-time to survive anything?"

Yui nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes… but your adaptation is passive and gradual. Meaning—your body and mind will always improve, but it's not an instant transformation. You chose to remain human, so the adaptation isn't extreme… yet."

She stared at him, her expression unreadable. "But Ardi, what if… what if someday, your body adapts beyond what even humans are supposed to be?"

Ardi's smirk faltered slightly.

For the first time, he saw genuine worry in Yui's eyes.

She wasn't just scolding him.

She was afraid.

Ardi let out a breath before reaching out. Yui yelped as he suddenly pulled her into his arms, wrapping her small frame against his chest.

"H-Hey!" Yui blushed, squirming slightly.

Ardi chuckled, gently stroking her silver hair. "Yui… I know you're worried. But listen to me, okay?"

She hesitated but slowly relaxed against him, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

"I get it," Ardi murmured. "This ability is crazy strong. Maybe even dangerous in ways I don't fully understand yet. But… I chose to stay human. That's why my adaptation won't suddenly turn me into some god-like monster."

Yui didn't respond, so Ardi continued.

"And let's be real… if I ever started losing myself, you'd be the first one to knock some sense back into me, right?"

Yui blinked before pulling back slightly, looking up at him.

Then—

She puffed her cheeks. "That's right! I'd definitely smack you silly if you got out of hand!"

Ardi laughed. "See? So no need to worry. I trust myself. And I trust you to keep me grounded."

Yui huffed but didn't argue.

Instead, she snuggled deeper into his embrace, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

"Fine," she mumbled. "But if you ever start acting weird, I'm tying you up and locking you in a room."

Ardi smirked. "Kinky."

SMACK!

"OW!" Ardi winced as Yui smacked the back of his head again.

"Idiot!" Yui fumed, her face bright red.

Ardi laughed, rubbing his head. "Okay, okay, I'll behave!"

Yui let out a long sigh before gently pressing her forehead against his chest again. "...You really are hopeless, you know that?"

Ardi smiled softly, holding her closer.

"Yeah," he whispered. "But I'm your hopeless idiot."

Yui didn't reply.

She just closed her eyes, letting herself relax in his warmth.

And for that moment… everything felt perfect.