CHAPTER 132.

Frei was still in disbelief. Amber had received a Special Advancement. Or rather, it was better to say that she had achieved it. And while yes, Amber was extraordinary in all measures, getting a Special Advancement was the equivalent of getting into the hall of fame for magic. Except, given Amber was extraordinary, it was more like getting into the hall of fame and then doing it two more times.

That was how ridiculous the notion was, and how difficult it was. That said, the payoff was equivalent to the difficulty, and it was clear that Amber had gotten a more than suitable thing.

Accursed Primordial Human. Frei smiled to herself, suppressing a snicker. If the council found out about this, they’ll throw a damn fit. All the more reason for me to grow stronger. So I can aid her when the time comes…

She had yet to get her Special Advancement, but given she had been unremarkable until level 300, she was quite sure that this advancement would allow her to attain one. Though that didn’t matter, because hers was never going to be as insane as Amber’s. That said, Amber’s advancement unsettled her.

Her body had changed. And while it was a subtle change, anyone that had seen it in real time would have been able to tell. That wasn’t all either, Amber was behaving differently. She was a lot more confident, and while it was normal for it to happen after an advancement, it wasn’t normal to this extent.

In short, Amber had changed. But that wasn’t what unsettled her, it was Amber’s presence. For lack of a better word, Frei felt tense around the woman now. As if wronging her would lead to deep consequences. And that feeling wasn’t tied to the contract she had made, but rather to something deeper.

A feeling of inferiority. She knew exactly what it was, yet even though it bruised her pride a bit, it didn’t take long for her to dismiss her feelings and instead become happy. This was the woman she had chosen as the “end point” to her search. This was her last hope. And it seemed that she had made the right choice.

Still, Frei was shocked.

I feel inferior in spite of being almost three advancements above her. How ridiculous is that? Of course, she didn’t understand what an Accursed Primordial Human class actually was, but given Amber had literally stopped being human ⁠— in her own words ⁠— it only made sense.

She looked at Amber, who was a few meters away, she seemed to be thinking, though that didn’t last long because a moment later she seemed to resolved herself.

“You really are extraordinary,” Frei muttered only for herself.

And Amber teleported away, according to what she could sense, she went away back to Remmel and the lovely Aveline, and so Frei followed suit, summoning her new staff and using it to follow after her master.

* * *

Aveline couldn’t believe the reactions of others. Remmel was angry, Frei just looked fascinated, and Amber had just dismissed⁠— they all had severely underreacted to the fact that Amber’s body had quite literally fallen apart before her very eyes. Sure, it was a gradual thing and not a completely brutal process that reduced her to bone, but even then, she still felt sick thinking about it.

It was truly horrifying. What kind of twisted and weird advancement would do that? Certainly not anything she had heard of in her entire life. Even the legends she was fed about advancements that would grant different eye colors or slightly different appearances, did not match this. There was also the fact that Amber had drastically changed too.

Though if I have to suffer through that to look that good maybe I wouldn’t do it, Aveline shuddered at the thought of undergoing whatever Amber had felt⁠— and it was most definitely not something she’d ever be able to endure.

And a moment later, Amber appeared in front of her and Aveline squeaked.

“Oh huh, I was slightly off,” Amber said, confused, before turning away. “So, the skill behaves differently if I’m not using mana? Interesting.”

Aveline looked at Amber, appalled. She was now trying to analyze her own advancement rather than worrying about her body.

“Are you not concerned?” she asked, after a moment. “Your body fell apart and you even look different now.”

Aveline didn’t know what she expected, but she didn’t expect for Amber to calmly look back at her ⁠— hand still on her chin ⁠— before letting it go and shrugging.

“Well, when the System forces you to stop being human, I think that much is expected.”

Stop being human? Aveline’s brain paused hearing that. What does that even mean⁠— And finally she processed it as her jaw dropped open. It didn’t make sense logically, it didn’t make sense at all, but Amber’s neck scar was gone.

And her body had completely fallen apart just moments before.

“What…” she finally said.

A chuckle left Amber and she went off to talk to Remmel, who still seemed highly displeased.

“Ya done waiting for us to get into trouble or what?”

“I wanna write a letter to King Octavius, can you get it delivered to him?” Amber asked, uncaring for what he had just said. “Unless it’s too much for you?”

“It’s not,” Remmel said, offering a piece of paper. “Let’s leave quickly, I don’t want to get in another scuffle with the guards of the Sacred Forest.”

“If they were bandits or something I wouldn’t mind, but I think it’s best if we avoid unnecessary deaths.” Amber grabbed the paper and produced a pen as well as her sword to write on. “That said, I don’t think you care for morals.”

“I don’t.”

Amber shrugged and began to write at incredible speed, then a moment later she finished it and folded the paper. Remmel on the other hand, just accepted the letter, and then he himself wrote something on the outside before burning it with black flames.

“There, he’ll get it in about a day’s time,” he said. “Given he’s a bit hard to reach right now and all that.”

Amber nodded at that and began to walk towards the carriage. “Good enough for me, I don't want my actions to spark a war after all.”

“That would only mean more business for me so⁠—”

“Yes, I get it, you don’t give a shit, let’s go,” Amber said, a hint of irritation in her voice that⁠—

Gave Remmel and Aveline pause. It made her nervous even, and Remmel, he lightly shivered at that. But he simply grumbled and followed after her. Meanwhile Aveline’s heart was beating fast, incredibly so. She wasn’t that fearful of Amber, but she was wary of Remmel turning his rage onto her.

He was definitely the man to do so⁠—

A hand was placed on her shoulder and she shrieked.

“Eek⁠—”

“Don’t worry, I quite like your class, so if Mr Assassin bothers you I’ll help you out,” Frei said.

The elf had been overly friendly with her, and perhaps it was for good reason. But her reassurance didn’t help much, even if Frei had the best interest of Amber at heart, it didn’t mean that that extended to her.

For all I know she just wants me as a tool for Amber… Then Aveline paused. But isn’t that what I am to Remmel? I guess it’s not a bad thing…

Her previous life was over, so she supposed that she had to choose whose tool to be with. Whether it was to be loyal to the selfish assassin who saved her life and now exploited her, or to the surprisingly kind berserker she had tried to exile from the place she called home.

“This is all too complicated,” Aveline finally said, sighing and walking towards the carriage. “But we’ll see what happens I suppose.”

Frei chuckled. “Indeed we will.”

And with that, they hit the road once more.

* * *

Amber looked at the assassin who was staring at the road at the front of the carriage. His name was Remmel, and he was the asshole that had convinced her to join the Obsidian Rose. And right now, she was keenly aware of one fact, and one fact only.

Remmel was upset. No, that was an understatement. He was pissed.

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And that was bad. Pretty damn bad in fact.

Worst part is the only way he’ll be happy is if he gets things out of this, and even then he’ll still be mildly upset after the fact, Amber understood him. He doesn’t care for doing the right thing or making it up to me.

Which means one thing and one thing only. A frown settled on her face.

Once he’s done “making it up to me”, he will try to eventually find a loophole to get back at me or worse…

She fixated on the man. If she ever began to truly get more out of him than he was getting out of her⁠— or rather if that kept happening, there was only one outcome that would happen.

He’ll try to get rid of me.

She shook her head. For now, Remmel was nice to have around ⁠— given he was useful to her ⁠— but she wasn’t so sure about staying in the Obsidian Rose long term unless she figured out a way to keep Remmel happy. Either that, or he’d find a way to keep himself happy⁠.

That said, he can always find opportunity elsewhere and be happy being my ally or doing his own thing and considering this a sunken ship.

In the end, she was overly wary of Remmel after the blender she had gone through. And maybe she was being overly skeptical and paranoid, but that was fine for now.

Aveline on the other hand was nice. Good company and possibly very trustworthy. She was also incredibly reliable, so those were all positives. The problem was, once more, Remmel and his ties with her. That said, she was certain of one thing.

Aveline would refuse to do anything that would negatively affect Amber— unless of course, she was forced to do so. Well, there was no use in lingering too long in it. Right now, she had to focus on herself more than anything. Her advancement had changed her body a lot, so she had to explore it.

First things first, notifications I missed— and Amber paused, having a random thought.

Can Essence skills be berserker related? She frowned. So far I’m kind of like half a warrior and half a mage. Sure, while Essence granting me access to magic is nice, I want more than just that.

Using Essence to do something better than Inexorable Body or enter a frenzy state… That was what she wanted.. Otherwise she’d end up becoming some kind of all element wielding mage that had no reason to use her sword, which she disliked.

She also had to give more priority to System skills and leveling them, so she bumped that in her priority list. She had a sense that if she continued focusing on Essence she’d end up sidelining the System and it was already happening a bit, which was something she didn’t want to do.

“Well, nothing wrong with adding more things to my plate,” Amber whispered to herself after a moment.

And finally, she took a look at the first notification.

[Due to their strength, Core Skills for Accursed Primordial Human will now be granted or offered every 25 levels. Legacy Branch Skills shall remain at the same frequency.]

That was a first, but also something that made her feel excited. If the System had to hold back so she wouldn’t be absurdly strong, then what kind of thing awaited her at level 225? She really wanted to know.

[As a Fledgling Primordial Human you shall now gain a Core Skill slot every 50 levels until you have 20 Core Skills.]

That was certainly exciting. And there was more.

[As a Fledgling Primordial Human you shall receive the opportunity to evolve your own being every 100 levels. This evolution is no different than a Class Advancement and will offer unique skills or additions to your being.]

In simple terms. It was a better Class Advancement. A much better one. And the idea itself excited her. In fact, it excited her to no end. Now, she had yet another thing to look forward to, and while it was most likely locked behind a quest, it also meant that it was yet another form of growing stronger.

[As an Accursed Primordial Human you now excel over curses and have almost complete domination over them.]

That was the final notification, but Amber couldn’t really tell what it meant just yet given she felt exactly the same as before in regards to curses. Though, there was definitely something she was missing. There were also other things she noticed that weren’t even stated. For one, her mana seemed to be stronger. So, skills that required mana input barely used any now. Which meant.

I need to get a charge skill…

There was actually so much she had to do, but if she could use curses like she could use Essence, then maybe she could even create her own skills. Which was something she definitely wanted to explore.

There were so many things she wanted to take a look at, it was kind of ridiculous. She had yet to take a look at her Legacy Branch skills, and unfortunately, they would have to wait. Because now, it was time for something more important.

Her core.

The one that had shattered and reformed multiple times during her Class Advancement. It surely had to have changed. The question was: did it change in any noticeable way?

Amber outputted her Essence, just like she had done earlier to use Quick Dash with it ⁠— having opted to not use her mana that time ⁠— but this time she used it on the very familiar Advanced Blue Fire Manipulation skill which ignited a stable blue flame.

“It feels exactly the same as before.”

Her advancement was System related so it did make sense it wouldn’t make her core more powerful or anything. But it did influence it beyond just granting her skills. Amber nodded to herself, and closed her eyes, peering within her own being.

For a moment everything was dark, and then she found herself staring at her core. It was the familiar inner room of her being, and right now she was standing there. A feat that she couldn’t exactly achieve before.

Her core itself was almost the exact same size, except its surface was smooth like metal. It’s flames seemed crispier almost, and it had lines, lines running through its entirety. It was reminiscent of the lines present on Cursewelder or in Arkara’s Staff.

“So this is what godhood means for my core?”

It was a big change, yet it didn’t feel any different which bothered her a bit. That said, she had a feeling she would get to understand a lot more things after her Core Advancement. Nothing in regards to her core seemed to have changed, not even the amount of Essence she had, which she didn’t mind at all. In fact, it only made her look forward to her Core Advancement because she was certain that it was going to be different this time around.

Amber took a deep breath and returned to the real world, before finally taking a look at things pertinent to her Legacy Branch.

The Legacy Branch of Primordial Demonic Blood.

She had been granted three skills. First was the skill known as Blood Catalyst, which was incredibly straightforward and was what Amber would consider a pure utility skill.

[New Legacy Branch Skill! You have learned Blood Catalyst ⁠— level 1.

Your blood has become more than just blood and now has Primordial Power flowing through it. Therefore its contents can be converted into Primordial Power for you to use. Others’ lifeblood can be converted into Primordial Power upon shedding it.

This skill takes twice the time in comparison to normal skills to level.]

It was simple. Incredibly useful but simple. After all, who was she to complain about getting yet another way to restore her Essence? That said, she still wanted to focus on not relying that much on it.

The next skill was a lot more interesting. And it was something she had seen coming, but it was something that she felt more than confident in handling. And that was Demonic Frenzy.

[New Legacy Branch Skill! You have learned Demonic Frenzy ⁠— level 1.

A beast lies within you. One that loves blood. One that awakens at your own blood being spilled, one that drinks the blood of the enemies, one that feels great pleasure from wreaking havoc.

Self-inflicted injuries cause a burst of strength and grant you the Curse of Hemorrhage. Injuries dealt to others rouse your Primordial Energy. The longer this skill carries on the stronger the bonuses it grants and the more unstable it becomes.

This skill takes twice the time in comparison to normal skills to level.]

A pureblooded berserker skill.

While it wasn’t the type of Frenzy skill she wanted ⁠— the one that the healer of the Saints of Truth had, or the one that the Abyssal Briroar had ⁠— it was still incredibly good. And it had an edge of danger that worried her too. Would she lose herself if a battle went on far enough? She didn’t know, she already had other skills that messed with her emotions already.

She wanted to test it, but stabbing herself here was probably not a good idea. She didn’t think Remmel liked the state of his now bloodied carriage considering it was sparkling clean when they first got in, so making it worse was definitely off the table.

And finally, there was the third skill she had gotten. An Essence skill and one that would most certainly greatly upset Sid’fril, and even bring a raised brow from Val’leri. Ax’thra⁠— knowing him⁠— probably would think it’s hilarious.

The skill was simple.

Demonic Blood Contract.

And much like Essence Pact it allowed her to make demands of others. Though this one had a few more requirements, first it required total submission of the target, second it required her blood as a catalyst, and third it could only be used against a specific target.

Demons.

The skill also had another function, one that was probably the most intended one; it also allowed her to make contracts with demons in general or more specifically, allow her to mend contracts offered to her by demons. On her understanding, regardless of how she used the skill she had to offer something in exchange, but if she was the one creating the contract the conditions could be a lot more demanding.

It was an interesting skill, one she didn’t quite welcome, but one that excited her simply because it opened new doors for her.

To betray the spirits and side with the demons… That had become an option now. Of course, she wasn’t Ishtar or anything, but the skill also had another meaning. Make demonic allies.

She was grateful to Sid, so she would never betray the spirits. Therefore she would never take an equal or losing contract against a demon, however if a different opportunity arose, one where she was only winning, then…

She would take it.

Amber closed her eyes.

In the end, this skill just like my other skills is just a tool to be used.

Suddenly she felt excited at the prospect of exploiting the Demon of Genesis. And she felt even more excited about trying her new skills and capabilities. But she could do neither of those things at the moment.

That said, there was still something she could do.

Amber teleported to the front and right next to Remmel as she turned to him.

“Hey, I was wondering if I could get some information.”

“What is it?” he grumbled.

Amber held off the temptation of teasing him, even if she wanted to annoy the shit out of him, it was better to not make his mood any more sour.

“I want to know where I can level up in the Republic of Mercenaries or the general state of things.”

Remmel shook his head. “The entire country is under martial law, our best bet is to leave for Lathyzia immediately. At least as far as safety is concerned, though given you’re kind of insane guess that’s a no go.”

“Rude,” she snorted.

Remmel sighed. “Anyway, I’ll look into some dungeons or whatever, there should be some belonging to fallen civilizations plus there is a whole spirit tower buried somewhere.”

He shook his head before putting his hand into his pocket and taking out a pair of envelopes.

“But for now you can have this. I haven’t reviewed the information in it, but it was curated by the people under me so it should be truthful...”

Amber blinked as she received the mysterious messages from him, however his following words greatly excited her.

“Your investigations on Eisheth the Calamity and Ishtar the Exiled Emperor are complete.”