Assimilate - Reincarnated as a Legendary Paladin, I Can Assimilate All Things!

Now holding the two codices in his hands, Aurelian decided to test [Assimilate] on them.

'I should be able to assimilate these codices,' he thought.

He gripped the two leather-bound books Heron had provided. The first was a standard codex, containing Light-element spells that ranged up to Tier VIII. The second was far heavier, and according to Heron, it contained spells that could reach as high as Tier XVI. Normally, a magi would spend decades memorizing the theories, rune structures, and aether-flow diagrams etched into texts like these. It was slow, painful work that demanded patience most never had.

But with [Assimilate], Aurelain believed he could bypass all of that.

He then tightened his grip and focused.

[Assimilate].

Placing his palm flat against the cover of the first codex, he activated his new skill.

[Ding! Assimilation initiated.]

A white, swirling vortex of energy erupted from Aurelian's palm, pulling the very concept of light magic out of the book.

Aurelian felt a massive surge of information flood his brain. It was like living a thousand hours of study in a single heartbeat.

[Ding!]

[Codex on Light Magic assimilated! Arcane art learned: Multiple. Attributes gained: +15 Intelligence.]

The weight of the knowledge was immense, but with his high Intelligence stat, Aurelian's mind processed it without any trouble. He then moved his hand to the second, more powerful codex.

[Ding! Assimilation initiated.]

The second wave was even more intense. Aurelian gritted his teeth as his sea of consciousness expanded to accommodate the Tier XVI spells.

[Ding!]

[Codex on Light Magic assimilated! Arcane art learned: Multiple. Attributes gained: +25 Intelligence.]

With that, notifications began to scroll so fast they became a blur of blue light before his eyes. One after another, they hovered in front of him.

[Ding! Learned]

Aurelian exhaled, a faint wisp of air escaping his lips as he felt exhausted. Eudora was still clutching his leg, cuddling him tightly, but he didn't mind. He closed his eyes as the system began to categorize the massive influx of data. He focused on a few of the newly acquired spells, trying to understand their functions.

* Falling Star [Tier XX]: Summons a massive projectile of condensed light from the upper atmosphere. Deals catastrophic damage in a wide radius upon impact.

* Halo of Judgment [Tier XII]: Creates a ring of light around the caster that automatically strikes any hostile entity entering its range with searing beams.

* Solar Brand [Tier IX]: Places a mark of light on a target; the mark explodes with light energy if the target attempts to use a hostile ability.

* Beacon of Absolution [Tier VIII]: Releases a wave of purifying light that clears all low-to-mid level debuffs and poisons from allies within 50 feet.

* Light Hammer [Tier VI]: Materializes a blunt weapon of solid Aether that ignores physical armor and deals double damage to undead or corrupted beings.

* (...)

Reading through the various entries, Aurelian noticed that the spell [Falling Star] was ranked Tier XX. He recalled from the system description that Tier XX was equivalent to a Mythical-ranked skill in the system classification.

Aurelian understood that there would be multiple spells he could naturally enhance due to his innate affinity with light magic. Because of that, the codex was believed to only contain spells up to Tier XVI at its peak. However, when wielded by someone with enough insight and compatibility, those spells could be pushed far beyond their listed limits, reaching as high as Tier XX.

With that, he flicked his arm and materlized his system panel.

********

[Reincarnator System - Update available]

Name: Aurelian Knox

Level: 15 (60/1600)

Class: Legendary Paladin

Title: True Wielder of Light

HP: 270/270

Aether: 860/860

Origin Fragment: 1

Strength: 22 ↠ 23

Stamina: 16 ↠ 17

Agility: 13 ↠ 14

Intelligence: 16 ↠ 26 (+40 from Assimilation) = 66

Constitution: 17 ↠ 18

Charisma: 18

Luck: 15 ↠ 16

Attribute Points Available: 40

[Class Skills]

* Silent Spell-casting [Grade: Mythical]

* Divine Touch [Grade: Mythical]

* Lay on Hands [Grade: Mythical]

* Celestial Avatar [Grade: Mythical]

* Aura of Sovereignty [Grade: Mythical]

* Assimilate [Grade: Cataclysmic]

* Summon of the Faithful (Locked: Reach LvL. 25 to unlock) [Grade: Cataclysmic]

[Traits]

* Pseudo-Celestial Physique

* Legendary-Grade Swordsmanship

* Light Affinity

[Arcane Arts Learned]

********

Aurelian's eyes lingered on the new locked skill: [Summon of the Faithful].

He then read through its description. The skill was said to summon a faithful warrior, one as powerful as the heavens themselves. The meaning behind those words intrigued him, but the required level was twenty five. That meant it would take time before he could even think of using it.

Unless he found more Primordial artifacts.

That thought surfaced almost immediately, followed by the familiar problem. He did not know where to start looking. The world was vast, and artifacts from the Primordial age were not things one simply stumbled upon. Still, if those artifacts could accelerate his growth this much, then finding even one more would change everything.

However, his attention was quickly diverted by a new notification at the bottom of the screen.

[Ding! System Update Available]

[Notice: The system has reached a critical threshold of Origin Essence. A fundamental upgrade is now possible.]

[Do you wish to use <1> Origin Fragment to update the Reincarnator System?]

[Yes/No]

Chapter 23 - Assimilate