Overpowered Idiots

With the new information about their abilities Salem and Star found themselves leveling at a slightly faster rate, now knowing what part of their abilities they can exploit. Exploiting scan to the highest tier allowed the duo to find and then test the limits of their abilities. From Salem testing the upper limits of expanding and contrasting space to Star attempting to pick the exact traits she desired in a synthesis.

Spring turned to summer turned to fall as the power the two held expanded. Until finally they hit a wall.

“Why does it say max?” Star wondered looking at her screen.

Current skills:

• Deconstruct [99] MAX

• Gacha gathering system [99] MAX

• Lucky [99] MAX

• Scan [99] MAX

• Synthesis [99] MAX

Star chewed on her lip, “That’s bullshit, I can barely use S tier materials at this level.” She checked her scan again.

Synthesis level 99

One of the required skills for any alchemist, at this level the user is able to create object with up to five [5] unique properties or five [5] unique skills. The user can use plant and animal parts up to S tier quality materials with a .001% success rate.

“Yeah, I can’t use this yet, I still only have a 1% chance of success even with my luck. Something isn’t right, we should be able to go farther.” Star glared at the screen.

Salem nodded, “You’re right what is stopping us? The system says I can’t even create portals yet.”

“Something about the system must be limiting us.” Star mused. “The question is how to get around it.”

“Scan it.”

“What, scan the system?”

Salem nodded.

Star did as told

Skill system

A system given to each living sapient being, allowing them to reach up to level 99 on selected skills.

Star gritted her teeth, “Bullshit.” She punched the screen causing it to flicker and die. “Their has to be a way to get around this. We won’t be able to leave like this.”

“What if we combined our abilities.”

“What?”

“You have luck and synthesis, I have magic, what if we combined them. Maybe if I use my magic to see what’s happening during synthesis we could get around the fail rate of the S rank synthesis and create something to break away from the system.”

Star went silent for a long moment, “I think… I think that might work.” Star began speed walking to her alchemy lab, “If you can find out what is happening on the magic side of things it might let us by pass whatever is failing during my synthesis. We can start small, make a couple non magical based items, then magic. To, ya know, see the difference.” Star began explaining her plan getting into the zone as she pulled material after material from the shelves, placing them in her arms.

Star spread out her armful of plant across the desk and flipped open her book placing it off to the side, “We’ll start with a simple vitamin E supplement.” She picked up the needed plants according to her book, “Ready?”

Salem looked Star in the eyes and nodded, “Ready.”

The synthesis began, Salem reached out with her magic, not calling on any affinity in particular. She felt her magic pock and prod at the synthesis feeling a magic completely separate from her own brushing up against hers. She focused on the feeling as it twisted in a way foreign to her. Then it stopped, dispersing.

“I felt a different kind of magic then I use. Do another one, I need a better feel.”

Star nodded, picking a different recipe. The duo experimented until the sun dipped behind the horizon disappearing as the moon rose. Salem mixed her magic in with Star’s seeing how it changed the reaction. Together they discovered many things.

When Salem followed Star’s intent with her magic the synthesis resulted in a higher quality half the time, however if her intent was even slightly off Star’s magic would beat Salem's off making it dissipate with no effect. In low level synthesis Salem had been able to override Star’s magic, but only if Star let her. However as the synthesis grew more difficult she found she was unable to. By the time they’d reached B tier Salem was barley able to influence the synthesis at all.

The two sat at the dinner table quietly looking down at their food.

“I think we just need more practice,” Salem mutter, “I’ve never worked with alchemy before and you’ve been doing it for more than a year now.”

Star nodded absentmindedly staring down at her food.

“We still have time.”

Time that passed swiftly. The duo practiced for hours each day, aligning there intent and expanding their understanding of each others abilities. Star found that, even if she couldn’t use magic like Salem could, she’d been gathering a better understanding from working with her with her alchemy. She became attuned to Salem's specific magic.

As Star began to understand and feel Salem’s magic Salem to understand and felt Star’s. They became more aware of one another able to sense each other from across the island if they focused. This of course made hide and seek impossible between the two, as they were always able to pick out the exact location of the other. Unfortunate.

And so as their magic mixed they began picking out imperfection in each others use of magic. Salem found herself able to weed out impurities in Star’s synthesis by helping notice and direct Star’s magic to those areas to fix. In a similar fashion Star found herself able to see the thread of space and fabric of time able to point out better ways Salem could use her magic as she view the whole process from other prospective.

As their understanding of one another grew the temperature fell, growing colder as winter crept up on them. Winter came with freezing temperature and heavy snow. Star’s space heaters where once more established within the walls of the duo’s home as blizzards raged outside.

It was once such snowy day, when Star and Salem where forced inside due to the blowing blizzard that they made a break through. By this time they managed to succeed every time, or nearly at least, for A rank synthesis, as well as a single S tier by accident, managing to evolve an A rank into a S rank.

Star and Salem sat side by side looking down at the collection of ingredients before them, hypothetically, it would create an S rank item. Specifically it would bypass the system. From what the two understood about the materials, the synthesis skill, and their magics, if they could perfectly align their intentions down to the most minute detail and control the synthesis like they’ve been practicing – absolutely perfectly – it would create the system bypass item, hopefully.

“Lets review just one more time.” Star jittered. “We only have two tries and we need both to succeed. I won’t be able to pull these items again for a while.” Star had been lucky enough to have a S tier pull bring two of a the same material instead of two different materials.

Salem placed a hand on Star’s shoulder, “We’re going to get it ok? This thing won’t work if we don’t believe it will.”

Star took a deep breath, “Ok, ok, lets do this.”

The two looked over the materials laid out before them, they’d need to add each to the synthesis at different times, unlike low grade synthesis where they would add them all at once. Both Star and Salem took a deep breath, and began.

The first two ingredient lifted in the air covered in bluish purple light. As Star directed her synthesis magic to work on combining the materials in just the right way, Salem picked out little imperfection flagging them for Star. The next material joined them mix, it nearly overwhelmed Salem as it integrated with the rest.

Salem breathed, moving her magic in tandem with Star’s. Their magics merged together swishing and swirling, moving in perfect harmony. The light began to dim, something new dropped form the air where the synthesis once was.

Star caught it with one hand, clenched tightly around it. Slowly she opened her hand looking at the new pill she and Salem created.

System leveling pill

A pill created through the perfect harmony of an alchemist and wizard. This pill will the user to increase the max level of all skills from a max level of 99 to a max level of 1000.

Star eyes widened, mouth dropping open as she stared at her creation in amazement.

“What does it say?” Salem asked, breath hitched.

Star made the screen visible in response. Salem’s eyes grew wide as she read the information. “We did it.” She whispered.

“We did it.” Star echoed, turning her attention from the pill to Salem.

Wide grins stretched across their faces. Star squealed throwing herself into Salem’s arms, hugging her tightly around the waist as she cried tears of joy. Salem hugged her back just as tight, wrapping her arms tightly around Star.

Star removed herself from the hug first, “We just need to make another one.”

The second one went smoother then the first, both Salem and Star now knowing what exactly they need to do. In the matter of minutes they were left with two identical pill.

Star held her pill in the palm of her hand, “Ready?”

Salem nodded, “As I’ll ever be.”

“On three then, one.”

“Two.”

“Three!”

The duo popped the pill, swallowing them. A moment passed then another and another.

Star’s face fell, “Did it not work--”

System leveling please stand by…

Rebooting…

Rebooting…

Success!

Current skills:

• Deconstruct [99] MAX – Deconstruct [100]

• Gacha gathering system [99] MAX - Gacha gathering system [100]

• Lucky [99] MAX - Lucky [100]

• Scan [99] MAX - Scan [100]

• Synthesis [99] MAX – Synthesis [100]

“Oh there it is!” Star pointed to the screen, “Do you get it tooOOOO WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!”

Salem brows creased together, “What happened to me, what happened to you?”

“Huh?” Star blinked once, twice, and darted to the mirror. “HUH?!” All across her checks and lower jaw lay markings of varying shapes and colors. On each cheek lay a blue star, a large pink circle, and a smaller purple circle. On either side of her mouth, on her lower jaw, lay two spike like markings, the larger one a green color and the smaller a blueish purple. “Where did these come from…?”

“Can’t you scan them or something?” Salem’s voice cut into Star’s thoughts.

Star turned observing her markings, they were nearly the same as hers, except that instead of a star on her check their lay a moon, that and her colors were a deeper color. “Hmmm.”

“Star?”

“Right, yeah! I can do that.”

First level power markings

Each pair signal an ability the user has reached level 100 in.

[In depth scan]

“Oh that’s new.”

“What is?”

“I have a in depth scan option.”

First level power markings

Each pair signal an ability the user has reached level 100 in.

Dark blue moon marking – earned by reaching level 100 in spacial affinity

Large red circle marking -earned by reaching level 100 in summoning affinity

Small deep purple circle markings - earned by reaching level 100 in chrono affinity

Large forest green spike markings - earned by reaching level 100 in mana manipulation

Small purple blue spike markings - earned by reaching level 100 in mana regeneration

“Oh wow that’s a lot more information.” Star quickly made the screen visible.

“Huh, try it on yours.” Salem suggested.

Star obliged.

First level power markings

Each pair signal an ability the user has reached level 100 in.

Pastel blue star marking – earned by reaching level 100 in scan

Large pink circle marking -earned by reaching level 100 in gacha gathering system

Small pastel purple circle markings - earned by reaching level 100 in luck

Large pastel green spike markings - earned by reaching level 100 in synthesis

Small mauve blue spike markings - earned by reaching level 100 in deconstruct

“Neat.”