Skills represent usable techniques and special abilities. SK is an abbreviation for “skill”.
　
There are two types of skills: Please think of SK1 as magic, and SK2 as techniques.
　
SKP is skill points, which are used to develop skills.

An explanation of SK1 skills: By consuming MP, so-called magic can be invoked. The power of such a skill depends on how far it has been developed and your stats.
　
SK1 skills are ranked in two ways:
　
First, in seven stages, represented by the letters E to SS, which are ranked E → D → C → B → A → S → SS in ascending order.
　
Second, by a number ranging from 1 to 21, which isn’t displayed on the status screen, but can only be seen when inspecting the details of a skill.
　
Each of the seven letter stages is separated into three numerical levels. For example, two skills might be D-Ranked, but have different performance and power depending on if they are D-4 or D-5¹.
　
The higher a skill’s rank, the better its performance and power. SS skills are especially rare, with tremendous destructive power and absurd performance, but you likely won’t come across those.

SK2 skills increase weapon proficiency and crafting techniques. Only some of these consume MP. You can improve the expertise and techniques, and expand your possibilities, by developing the skills.
　
SK2 skills also have a rank, which is represented by the number of stars (★). The more stars a skill has, the more powerful it is, up to five stars.

SKP raises the development stage of a skill. However, allocating a single point to a skill will not raise its stage. A certain amount of SKP needs to be invested, to advance it to the next stage.
　
Please refer to the following chart. It shows up when a skill is examined in detail.

On the upper right is the total amount of SKP that can be allocated to that skill, on the left is its rank, and below that, the number of SKP needed to reach certain development stages of the skill.
　
The stages with an ○ next to them have already been reached. Obviously, you can raise skill stages by spending SKP. However, the stages of SK2 skills can also be raised without expending SKP, by training and performing certain actions². Think well before allocating your SKP.

Please wait a moment. The explanation is not over yet, you know?

The explanation is not over. May I continue?

The initial skills and stats are the same for everyone. However, you can personalize your build by increasing the number of your skills.
　
There are largely four ways of acquiring new skills: «performing specific actions», «obtaining them from items», «derivation and evolution of a skill», and «skill synthesis».
　
To explain them in order:

«Performing specific actions» means to do a specific action that leads to obtaining a new skill. You can have other people teach you, or you can also get hints from books, for how to acquire new skills.

«Obtaining them from items» means you can directly acquire a skill from an item. Some skills you can obtain from those items can even be A-Rank or higher. However, acquiring an item to obtain high rank skills is usually rather difficult.

«Derivation and evolution of a skill» means to either to derive a new skill from another skill, that has the maximum SKP allocated to it, or evolving that maxed out skill itself. It is also possible to do both. Even after evolving a skill, the previously allocated SKP will neither be reduced nor will the previously acquired magic disappear³. However, there is a price for skill evolution.
　
As for derivation, since it creates a new skill, different from the original skill it was derived from, said new skill starts from zero SKP. Same as for evolution, the original skill will remain, but a price must be paid.

There also exists a great number of skills that can neither evolve nor be used for derivation.

Finally, the most important is «skill synthesis».
　
As the name suggests, it is to synthesize a skill. When synthesizing a skill, a price must be paid.
　
There is no limit to the number of skills used as materials, and because you can also attain different results, depending on the order of the skills used as materials, there is no limit to the skills that can be created. Of course, if the same materials are used in the same order, they will produce the same result.
　
Note that SK1 skills used as materials will disappear. SK1 skills marked with an (X) and SK2 skills will not disappear, even if they are used as materials for synthesis. Furthermore, unless SK1 skills have 30% or more of their maximum SKP allocated, they cannot be used as materials. On the occasion that the allocated SKP exceeds 30%, the overflow will be allocated to the skill resulting from the synthesis.
　
SK1 skills with an (X) cannot be used for synthesis unless they have all SKP allocated, but previous stages of evolved SK1 skills with an (X) can be designated as materials with no risk.
　
When using SK2 skills as material for synthesis, generally neither the skills nor SKP will disappear, but should the created SK2 skill be backward compatible to an existing skill, the latter will disappear.
　
Of course, it is also possible to designate the previous stage of SK2 skills as material for synthesis, like SK1 skills with an (X).
　
Please note that synthesis might be meaningless, if the difference in rank of the materials is too great.

This concludes my explanation. Please attain happiness in your new life. If you have any serious problems, pray strongly for me. If you are fine with it happening in this form, I will support you, as much as I am able to.
　
Jizou.