Chapter 56 -56-Eerie Power, Infinite Void Domain!
Moments passed before Ryze finally withdrew the astonishment from his face. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "This talent you've replicated is truly intriguing. Even for someone like me, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a short span of time."
Link chuckled. "Honestly... I didn't expect it to be this powerful either."
He wasn't bluffing—that was exactly how he felt.
When he first copied this talent Veil of the Impostor from Talo, a disciple of the Moon Worship Sect, Link hadn't held high expectations. To him, it merely allowed the user to change appearances, imitate someone's facial expressions, mimic their voice, and replicate behavioral habits—essentially a disguise. He'd assumed it had no real combat application.
But now, after field-testing it personally, he was forced to reevaluate everything.
The talent had fooled Ryze—a man operating at a terrifying level of perception and strength. That wasn't just surprising; it was borderline terrifying.
Ryze tapped his fingers on the table, clearly considering something deeply. After a few seconds, he added, "Unless you come across someone who possesses a perception-based talent ranked S-grade or higher—one that's specifically attuned to detection—even then, your disguise might remain undetected. Even Tier-9 espers would have trouble seeing through this talent."
He paused, locking eyes with Link, and continued in a solemn tone. "This is exactly why we espers often say: effort determines your floor, but talent decides your ceiling."
"For generations, scholars among humankind have observed something very telling. Many talents naturally counter each other—forming pairs of dominance and suppression. No matter how brilliant a talent may appear to be on the surface, if it encounters one of its natural predators, the user will likely lose. It's just the way of things."
He leaned forward. "And that works both ways. When two espers possess similar talents, it's almost always the one with the higher-tiered version who wins."
"For example," Ryze gestured, "your core talent—Death Replication. Compare it to mine—Soul Oath. On paper, I have the superior battle stats and decades more combat experience. As the principal of Astral Nexus Academy, I've seen countless battles and talent interactions. By all metrics, I should be able to suppress you."