[Congratulations!

You have evolved into a D-grade, earning a new Ability slot.

Note: The second step on the path to power]

[Congratulations! You are the third in this world to successfully evolve into a D-grade being.

Rewards: An extra body-modification card slot to your deck, Fate is increased by 6.

Note: You can only have up to ten body-modification slots in your deck]

Hmm, no unique cards for a quick rank-up.

Reading through both of the pop-ups, he realized he didn't mind. The extra body-modification card slot was equivalent to the rare reward from the Meritorious Hall, and unless the first two got significantly better options, it meant less opportunity for the others to grow stronger than him.

Especially the invaders.

Gently pushing off the bed, he focused inward and marveled at the changes his evolution brought.

After all, both Strength and Dexterity just reached D-grade so the difference was much more noticeable than the last time.

At least I don't have to suffer the aftereffects, he smiled and wiggled his bare toes on the soft brown skin serving as a carpet.

He was eager to test himself against the roaming packs of Rothounds. If his physical attributes grew proportionally to the Focus, he could be expecting almost twice the increase in strength and also a much finer range of movements.

Hell, even my weight went up, he noted after doing a couple of stretches and fluid movements. He felt the heft of increased momentum in every action he took.

Remaining in his room, he tested his new body for a couple more minutes until he was fully satisfied and only then dressed up and looked through his deck.

[John Miles {D⋆}

Feral intuition (E)

Champion of the Fourfold Crucible (E)

Unbreakable mind (Unique)

Nightstalker's Awareness (Un)

Troll's Blood (Un)

Hand-crafted heart of the Pale Eternal (L)

Cold resistance (C)

Predator's Guise (Un)

]

[Universal connection

Increase Affinity effect (E)]

[Animate blessed stiletto (E)

Increase melee penetration (C)

Increased minion movement speed (Un)

Increased minion combat distance (Un)

Wicked wounds (Un)]

[Storm Wisp (R)

Increased minion attack speed (Un)

Increased projectile distance (C)

Heavy impact (Un)

Minion camouflage (R)

Weakening strikes (R)]

[Desert Wraith (R)

Increased area of effect (Un)]

[]

The most striking difference was the yellow border around his main body card.

Focusing on it, he smiled and read through all the rows of stats.

[John Miles {D⋆}

Strength: D (40), Perception: D (40), Vitality: D (55)

Fate: C⋆ (110 + 1)

Dexterity: D (40), Focus: D (40), Willpower: D (40)

Soul marks: Shroud of the Fate-Stalker

Elevated bond: Witherfang {F★}

Excellence: Apex Progenitor (L)]

Hah, the evolution's reward pushed me over the next attribute cap, he cheered. If this trend continues, I would need only forty-nine more Fate to reach A-grade.

Apart from that and the changes in attributes, the only new addition was the line about his chosen excellence, and thinking back, the warning about memory alteration proved true, because when he tried to recall the descriptions of the tablets, the requirements remained blank as if they were never there.

Whatever, he shrugged. Not like I need to know that anyway.

Leaving the room, he descended to the ground floor and headed for the bar.

"Hey, Slayer of Gorax'thal." He welcomed the young man standing behind the polished counter. "Can you tell me how long I've been asleep?"

"I believe you passed through here six hours ago," the tavern keeper replied after a moment of thought. "Was that information helpful?"

Oh damn, that was longer than I expected. I wonder what the situation is outside.

Giving him an appreciative nod, John was about to order a hearty meal, but before he did, he remembered wanting to ask about the unfinished conversation during his earlier visit.

"By the way, what about you, is everything alright?" He asked, watching for changes in body language.

"No… I… It is fine. I don't want to…"

"C'mon, man," John pressed. "It's obvious there is something on your mind."

"It is… It is not my place to…" Slayer of Gorax'thal tried to keep what was troubling him to himself, but John refused to be denied.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Frowning, he held eye contact for a few seconds before adding, "I should be the one to decide if I can or can not help you, but before that, I need to know what is going on. Am I to assume that it can also impact me if it takes a bad turn?"

"What?" The youth spluttered. "No, nothing like that! It is just…" Then he froze and his eyes went wide.

So it can? What the hell is going on?

"I… It is about my mentor," he finally admitted.

"Go on." John tried to gently nudge him to continue.

"My mentor… He took the role of a Settlement-Guardian under a young alpha of the house Terrorclaw for their spot in the invasion, but someone betrayed them and revealed their location to their enemies."

"Okay. First, am I correct to assume the Settlement-Guardian fits into the same position as the royal Knight-Protector for the Aerilians?"

"Yes, that is exactly it."

"I see. And how did their enemies respond?"

"They apparently hired two extermination squads who secured invasion points into the same territory and would be working together to ambush the young alpha during his bid for the Territory Hierarch. I've only found out by a dumb chance, because one of my acquaintances," his face scrunched up as if he had bitten into a lemon, "gloated to me that my mentor's Shelter just finished the promotion into Bastion and they're effectively cut off from the outside worlds and as good as dead."

"That's… I am sorry to hear that," John said, watching the youth's strong facade crumble down. "How can I help with it though?"

"That is the odd thing. You see, normally, having someone like me pass any kind of information to a faction inside the inn would be impossible. Somehow, not only the System is significantly looser with its rules here, but the inn's blessed Patroness is also willing to look the other way and let me explain the situation to you."

Interesting.

"As far as I know, the extermination squads do not know of my mentor's exact position which is why their best opportunity to prepare an ambush is near the Territory Hierarch. Luckily, house Terrorclaw follows a strict procedure of consolidating strength inside their sector before pushing out, giving you a three-week window of opportunity to intervene… Err, that is if you would be willing to help, Sir." He shyly scratched his head, realizing that he was already planning the rescue operation before John even agreed to do anything.

"Whoa there. Let me make sure I get this right. You want me to warn them about the ambush, correct?"

"Yes!" He quickly nodded. "And perhaps offer a bit of help… if possible?"

"Right…" John sighed. "You know what? I won't make any promises right now, but a lot can happen in three weeks. I have plans of my own, plus I need to check up on my own family first, but I will try to… Wait, you haven't even told me where I am supposed to find them. Do you at least know where they are, or do you expect me to figure it out by myself?"

"Oh, right. S-sorry about that," he stammered. "They are in a territory neighboring yours. It was called Austria and they claimed a sector in the northern part, a town with a river flowing through it called Linz. Does that sound familiar?"

"It does," John replied, with a deep frown.

What are the odds of that all happening together and then being in one of the closest possible locations around me.

"Is there a problem, Sir?" Slayer of Goraxthal anxiously asked after noticing John's worried expression, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"No, just a lot of things happening around me lately," John deflected. "I'll keep this in mind and try to make it there in time. What is your mentor called?"

"He earned the name of the Butcher of Kal'faral shore, and thank you," The youth bowed and added with an emotional voice. "If you save him, I will be deeply in your debt."

"Mhm," John accepted his gratitude with a small nod. "On a little different topic, do you have a suggestion for a meal? I've just finished promotion into D-grade and I feel ravenous."

"Then congratulations are in order, Sir." Slayer gave John a surprised smile. "Your progress is exceedingly well-paced. Perhaps I may interest you in the Jungle Ravager steak with a spicy sauce cooked in a leaf of the Salia tree? It is a well-known delicacy of my people and offers a temporary buff of a medium length."

"That sounds great, how much is it?" John asked, remembering that meals with attribute buffs were not covered by his discount.

"This time, it is going to be on me, Sir." He cut another perfect bow and summoned a wooden plate stacked with four thick steaks wrapped up in a dinner plate-sized dark-green leaf. "It tastes the best while it is still hot, so don't let me hold you down."

Trusting the advice, John carried the plate to the nearest table and dug in.

"Well, damn." He wistfully smacked his lips after finishing the last piece of the succulent meat. "That was delicious."

Returning the empty plate, John headed out and toward the opulent building named the Al'drul's Emporium.

Let's see why the obsidian merchant wanted me to drop by after finishing my evolution.

He had an inkling of what it was about and was curious about the mysterious Patron's machinations.

"Hey, Al'drul. You said you wanted to see me before I head out."

"Indeed," the merchant gestured with his arm for John to come inside.

After he walked in and let the glass door gently close behind him, he was assaulted by a piercing gaze moving up and down his body as Al'drul's face remained locked in an expression of utmost concentration.

The uncomfortable stare down remained for a few more seconds where John felt like a bug under a microscope, until finally, the merchant sighed in relief.

"I owe you an apology, John. I am afraid that it was my meddling that started all this. My hints and tips coupled with the situation where you discovered the use of Fate made it easier for others to act as well. As you've surely noticed, it is possible to push what is and is not allowed by the System. Especially if you are willing to pay the price."

Seeing John's nod, he continued, "The part you didn't know, is the more one of us, Patrons, interfere to one's benefit, the easier it becomes for someone else to interfere against him. That is one of the unbreakable laws which not even I am able to meddle with. Unfortunately, it was also the reason why someone who should have been bound and cut off from the integration was able to offer you his boon. I have no idea what has happened during your evolution, but I can see that you, by some miracle, prevailed against one of the most corrupting powers in the wider universe."

Standing there in silence and listening to his explanation filled John with uncertainty. If what he was saying was true, and he had no reason to doubt that, then it all really was Al'drul's fault. However, blaming him for it despite all the help he offered would not be entirely fair either.

"There is one caveat to all that, John." Al'drul's face morphed into a predatory grin that sent chills down his spine. "It doesn't matter if he succeeded or not, by forcefully interfering during your evolution, the &$#&*#$&# tilted the scales heavily the other way, giving us opportunities to offer assistance to you in the future."

The moment he spoke out the name, John's senses were momentarily overwhelmed by white noise, blocking him from hearing it or trying to figure it out from the movement of Al'drul's lips.

It seems the System wants to keep it hidden, John noted and continued listening to the rest of the explanation until its end.

"I am not sure how to feel about this. On one hand, I can understand that you were trying to help, but on the other neither did you warn me about the possible consequences nor did you give me the option to make the decision myself."

"And for that, I apologize," Al'drul briefly bowed. "I was working on wrong assumptions and wasn't expecting you to catch the attention of someone like him this early. By the time we realized what was happening, it was already too late."

"Who is the we you are talking about?"

Al'drul briefly froze up before answering. "Me, Serath, the patroness of hearth, hunt, and justified slaughter, and Rograr, the boundless patron of the aetherial pathways."

"Hrmh, I… I have a lot to think about. Despite what has and will happen, I appreciate you telling me the truth about this," John offered a small nod of his own, turned, and left the shop behind.

Well, that's another complication on top of my already overflowing pile of troubles.

Walking through the archway and out of the abandoned villa, the first thing he noticed was the night sky.

Has it been a whole day since leaving the trials? John pondered, making his way south.

Roughly halfway there, he noticed an Aerilian squad of six jogging from the opposite side of the street and wondered if he'd be stopped. Surprisingly, the word must have gotten around, because they only gave him quick salutes as they passed by and continued further north.

I guess I am easy to identify, aren't I? He chuckled, looking over his shoulder at the cluster of heated sand dutifully following behind him.

The other squad he met was also moving north, but apart from that, the way to the Silverstar Enclave was uneventful.

Where are all the squads manning the wall? He slowed down and observed the bare walls with only a small number of patrolling watchmen.

"Stop and identify yourself!" Commanded an Aerilian woman with a long spear slung over her shoulder.

"John Miles, returning from my hunt. Is that sufficient?"

"Of course, you may go inside," she gestured and the other three guards protecting the gate stepped aside.

"Ehh, before I go in, can I ask you something?"

"Depends, what do you need to know?"

"Where is everyone? Before I left, the place was locked tight and packed with battle-ready squads."