As an NPC, having a lot of skills is quite reasonable, right?

[Life Stone: Judgment of Sin]

[Quality: Pale]

[Life Stone Motto: I cut the chains, not the throat; I judge violence, not life.]

"Pale quality?"

Logically speaking, as an NPC above level 30 who has just experienced an epic storyline like tearing apart divine punishment, Gray's life stone should at least be azure.

How could they give me a low-grade, pale life stone? That doesn't make sense.

Could it be that the function of the Fate Thread is not just as simple as issuing tasks?

The "Judgment" that Gray gave him merely represented the end of his phase of breaking free from the shackles of the church and finding himself.

This was just the beginning of Grey's long and legendary life.

Anyway, the threads on Gray's head are currently blue, but there's no clue to them when you look at them.

"As long as there's some profit, it's fine. A little bit helps." Moen had a good attitude. Pale is pale, every little bit helps. Besides, even if he was given the Azure Life Stone, Moen couldn't use it because his Holy Ritual skill bar wasn't full.

The first thing to do after obtaining the life stone is naturally to think about how to maximize its benefits.

Upon seeing the word "judgment," the first thing that came to Moen's mind was the few passive skills with a strong church-style influence that Gray had taught him during his special training.

"Give it a try." Moen opened the [Skill Fusion] panel and skillfully placed the [Judgment] Life Stone into the socket.

He then placed two mortal skills in the skill slots: [Iron Shoes of Judgment] and [Iron Law Breathing Technique].

On the system interface, silver-white fonts appeared, carrying a solemn and sacred feeling.

[Compatibility: High]

Success rate: 87%

[Recommendation: This combination exhibits directional resonance and could be a priority for integration]

If the fusion fails, the Life Stone, as the main material, will shatter, and the skill will undergo an irreversible and malignant mutation.

"87%, that's very high." Moen stroked his chin.

For a gambling addict, anything that isn't 0% is 100%.

However, out of caution or perhaps obsessive-compulsive disorder, he tried adjusting the formula again.

Moen removed [Iron Law Breathing Technique] and replaced it with another passive skill, [Silent Discipline], but the success rate was still 87%.

"That's a bit of a problem," Moen frowned.

He tried replacing the core "Iron Cudgel of Judgment" with only the breathing techniques and the commandment of silence.

[Success rate: 77%]

"It seems that the [Iron Cudgel of Judgment] is a core component and cannot be replaced."

Moen felt that combining swordsmanship and footwork might create a skill that increases damage, while combining breathing techniques and footwork might create a skill that enhances stealth.

Now that Moen has completed the skill chain for the Martyr class, he could consider developing a new skill set.

Finally, he decisively locked the [Iron Shoes of Judgment] and [Iron Law Breathing Technique] in the fusion tank.

"melt!"

Perhaps because the success rate did not reach 90%, this time there was no earth-shattering phenomenon. Only two crystals representing skills turned into pure white streams of light and gently merged into the life stone.

The light dimmed and then slowly dissipated.

【Successful integration】

[Gained Skill: Silent Judgment]

[Skill: Silent Judgment (Passive)]

[Level: Mortal Quality·Conviction]

[Description: When the trial bells no longer toll, the silent execution will quietly take place.]

[Cooldown: 10 seconds (resets upon target kill)]

[Skill Effect]

[Sin: When you are not attacking (moving, stealthily, standing), your movement speed is increased by 20% and you are absolutely silent. Every second, you will automatically gain one stack of "Sin Value", which can stack up to 5 times.]

[Judgment: Consumes all "Sin Points" to perform a lightning-fast, imperceptible linear dash forward. The next basic attack after the dash will always be a critical hit. Each stack of "Sin Points" consumed increases the damage of this attack by 30%.]

【Execution: If an enemy is hit from behind while at full stacks (5 stacks), an "instant death" effect will be triggered, instantly killing any normal unit with less than 20% health (except for bosses and rare monsters, which will instead deal massive true damage)】

"Hiss..." Moen couldn't help but gasp after reading the skill description.

Normally, walking silently increases movement speed. Standing still allows you to stack buffs. Once fully stacked, you can instantly teleport to the enemy's face, guaranteeing a critical hit, doubling the damage, and even potentially finishing them off when they're low on health!

This is like adding wings to a tiger for Moen now.

"Let's see how it feels." Moen stood up and stretched his arms and legs in the cramped room.

He sensed the difference the moment he acquired the skill.

The world seemed to quiet down. He could clearly hear the hissing of the steam pipes outside the window and the snoring of old Jack downstairs.

Of course, it's also possible that the world has become quieter, or that his own movements, including breathing and heartbeat, no longer make any sound, making Moen's hearing more acute.

"Squeak squeak".

A bold mutant rat was climbing into the house through the drainpipe in the corner, peeking out from among the pile of old scrap parts.

Moen did not move, but felt the sins on his body passively accumulating.

[Sin Value: 5 (Max)]

The moment the mouse poked its head out, Moen grabbed a discarded nut from the table and flicked it with his fingertips.

With a soft thud, the rat didn't even have time to scream before its head was gone, leaving only a headless corpse twitching on the ground.

Moen looked at the results with delight.

In that instant, his senses seemed to enter bullet time; everything around him slowed down, and his attack precisely struck a weak point, triggering a critical hit.

Furthermore, if we can discover a term that matches "Conviction," we might be able to unlock a hidden class similar to "Martyr."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, let's take it slow first." Moen clapped his hands, in high spirits.

He glanced at the mechanical clock on the wall; it was already two in the morning.

So much happened that day: escape, entering the city, settling down, and skill integration.

Even with his current physical condition, he felt a trace of mental fatigue.

"Everyone's busy, but I'll just go to sleep."

Moen quickly washed off the dirt and lay down fully clothed on the hard bed that smelled of engine oil.

By now, the night was deep, but in the lower districts of Skargard, night was never a synonym for quiet.

"Boom, boom." The sound of the huge gears overhead was like the heavy heartbeat of the city, never stopping.

Outside the window, the roar of gang members riding modified steam locomotives could be heard from time to time, while in the distance, the shouts of drunkards and the shattering of glass bottles could be heard from a bar.

Occasionally, a few screams could be heard, but they were quickly drowned out by the hissing sound of steam erupting.

"Goodnight, Skargard." Moen closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.