[350 GTs bonus chapter]

He remembered that while Madness and <Maddened Meditation> were both at Common Mastery, <Madness Control> was certainly not.

Having the Madness Key around his neck felt far more intimate than observing the barriers had been. It didn't flicker in and out, and he felt that he could be immersed in his own thoughts and under its influence at the same time

[Madness Control (FF+) (Skill)]

[Your body is your temple and it listens to no commands other than your own]

[+ Dexterity]

He focused in on that + Dexterity.

The more he came to know about this world, the more he understood that things weren't always as they seemed. There were obviously some things, often hidden in plain sight, that were obscured maybe by design, maybe maliciously, or maybe both.

There was no reason for the Grades of his Skills and such to be hidden. The idea of "simplicity" made no sense. The human race was an intelligent enough one to understand a simple nine-tiered system from F- to FFF+.

But as with everything in this world, information was at a premium.

They distracted you with Genes and fancy stats and Aether, when in reality nothing was more important than the information surrounding them itself.

And he felt that this was another piece of wool over his eyes.

He looked down at the Madness Key. This thing could give him the answer to any question he wanted, and yet there were so many weird things surrounding it. There was that odd glitch in the system, then there was him magically losing three months of time, and for what? Because there were certain things he shouldn't be allowed to know?

Even for the Madness Key, when he asked a question that he shouldn't, he was directly punished for it.

There were big players in this world, a world that was suddenly far vaster than he was used to.

'Efficiency' Sylas suddenly thought. ' No, Effectiveness.'

Sylas' mind suddenly drifted to a thought, linking two seemingly unrelated things together. He had lost one of his daggers, but there was still one that remained.

[Simple Dagger (F)]

[Level: 1]

[+3 Strength]

[Ability: Pierce]

[Makes applied Strength doubly as Effective]

[Durability: 10/10]

That word "Effective" was capitalized, much like Strength was.

Why?

[What is Effectiveness?]

[Effectiveness is a hidden Variable Stat. It acts as a multiplier to your stats, ranging from 0.0 to 1.0. Though, some special methods can push it beyond those measures, sometimes at a cost. Its purpose is in deciding how Effectively your stats, Skills, or Comprehensions are being applied]

Sylas's eyes narrowed. A hidden stat? And by its description, it was probably the most important stat there was.

But it made sense. What did having 50 Strength even mean? Could he exert the same Strength with a fist as he could a kick? Of course not. The latter would always be stronger. Would he be able to run at the same Speed on grass while barefoot versus if he had a pair of cleats? Again, of course not.

Even so, he felt that the purpose of the hidden stat was more complicated than just those obvious examples. It probably took into things like technique, how trained his actions were, how well he shifted his weight in battle, how good the defenses of his opponent were.

The number of factors was endless, and Sylas suddenly understood why it was hidden. At least it made more sense that this stat was hidden as opposed to the nine grades.

Such a number would wildly fluctuate so quickly in battle that no human, not even Sylas, could possibly read and react to them. What would even be the point in seeing it?

Unless you had a Skill capable of taking control of those variables, putting yourself in a perfect state at all given times.

Suddenly, it clicked.

If he was going around with a 0.1 Effectiveness, but <Madness Control> could raise it to 0.2, it would be as good as doubling all Suddenly, it clicked.

If he was going around with a 0.1 Effectiveness, but <Madness his Physical stats instantly. It was no wonder this Skill was the result of the fusion of those three.

[Your understanding of <Madness Control> has deepened]

[<Madness Control> has reached Common Mastery]

[Madness Control (FF+) (Skill)]

[Your body is your temple and it listens to no commands other than your own]

[+0.1 Effectiveness]

The change felt lackluster, especially when even a trashy dagger could double the Effectiveness of Strength. But Sylas felt that this small change might be worth far more than he knew. Pierce could only work in conjunction with the Strength stat, but this applied to an overall change, a synergy of sorts.

Stats, in general, felt like they had quite some overlap. For example, just simple physics, wasn't Speed often correlated with Strength? And what about acceleration? If you were given little room in battle, and needed to explode with a lot of power in a short time, wouldn't you need Dexterity? Would Strength alone be able to do it? And what about when your attack landed? Would you prefer if your fist was as elastic as a bouncy ball or as tough as iron? If you chose the latter, wouldn't you need a high Constitution?

Everything fed into one another, and an overall increase of 0.1 Effectiveness was more like 0.4 when it was evenly applied across his stats, another 0.1 for when he activated a Gene Talent, and then another 0.1 for when he used his Aether.

They would all steamroll into one another, layering and strengthening.

Sylas wouldn't be surprised if his overall battle prowess had suddenly taken a huge leap forward.

The flaps of the large tent suddenly opened, letting some sunlight in.

"Ah, you're awake," Lauren said with a pleasant hint in her voice. "The City Lord asked to see you."

"Oh, alright," Sylas nodded, standing to his feet.

He kind of wanted to take another shower, but it was more inconvenient now with everyone out and about. The Bronze Stele had a diameter of 100 meters and a population cap of 100 as well. This Common Rudimentary Village, though, had half that. It was the middle of the day and everyone was rushing to prepare for tonight. He didn't have the luxury, so he could only deal with it.

Sylas thanked Lauren for delivering the message and made his way to the core of the city before being escorted by a militiaman into a shabby shack where both Olivia and Cassarae were waiting.