There was something about this world, that made Mash feel freer. He basked in it, and so did the others. Everyone, even Ythass, seemed to enjoy it.

“It’s kind of like when we fly through the stars.”

She spoke while taking in the world, looking around with a little astonishment. She probably hadn’t believed him until that very moment. He could sense it now though. The fact that this was his world, even if he didn’t have any control over it. He had to ask though.

“You mean when you aren’t in any world?”

“Yeah, there is nothing here. I mean there is magic, that will likely manifest in weird ways, but it is just that. No greater purpose to it.”

Mash got the picture as she prattled on. His world didn’t have a system. No classes or skills, or if there were, it wasn’t limited in the same way as the class system. No signs of manipulation or coercion at all. Even without any of that, it had mana and a lot of it. His friends seemed to feel that too. Luke spoke and confirmed his thoughts.

“She is right. Mash, when you did whatever, you did, it freed us from the class system’s influence. It lasted only a moment, but I felt it.”

Mash smiled at the words, pleased to know that the whole world would’ve felt that. Luke wasn’t done though.

“It was terrifying. My class makes me feel like I won’t do something evil like a necromancer. It proves that I won’t become that. It was like I had all the power and no direction. All the skills, but no defining path behind it. My class is what separates me from evil, not my abilities.”

Luke’s voice wasn’t steady. It shook with his troubles. It was the first thing he had said, and Mash realized just how shaken Luke had been. He didn’t smile and decided to ask about the rest, about how the rest of the world reacted to his actions. Ythass left after a few minutes of the conversation. She wanted to explore the world, and there wasn’t a good reason for her to remain here. Plus, the conversation would be boring for her.

Mash learned some of what happened from his friends and Priscilla. Between the two, he got a pretty good idea of how he was being treated. Every kingdom decided to treat him like an intelligent monster of an equivalent caliber. Essentially, he would be treated like an adult Kraken or wyvern queen. At first, he was offended since both of them were brutal and ruthless. However, his recent actions might make him a more significant threat. Neither creature could do something on a global scale. At least not without a lot of warning. On the other hand, he had done it in a way that none could prepare for.

He wasn’t sure if he could recreate that power, but it was something he could do. There was proof of it now and everyone knew, and they were all pointing their fingers at him. The king, his king, wouldn’t protect him either. Well, Mash guessed that he was no longer a part of that kingdom either. It was his home, but he didn’t feel like he owed it any loyalty. No, this world was more his home than the world he was born in. In truth, it was his responsibility as well, and he thought he was doing a pretty good job.

It had been a while since he had been here, and Priscilla had appraised him of the situation. Not much had changed in this world, and she had been preventing any conflict between the people. More than one city had been built too, and a few new species had popped up. Priscilla did want him to make more bodies for her to work with. He did as she asked and made a body. It grew from his palm, and she curled on it. The body was slightly different than the bodies that were present on his friends. The scales weren’t dark anymore, rather her body was multicolored like a rainbow. Upon closer inspection, he saw that her scales were actually changing colors now.

[What’s up with the new look?]

[I believe that it has to do with new combinatory nature of your magic. These bodies are magical constructions given life now. My body is fully magical, like the Lisa girl. A portion of myself goes into each body you make.”]

He nodded, remembering that he could make true life now. He could just create full-grown adults without much effort. Not that he would. The very implication bothered him.

[Are there any limits?]

[Not, as far as I can tell.]

That response gave him a lot of new options. Should he just make an army of bodies for her? Each body was probably as strong as someone over level 100, and he could easily make an army. Mash considered that for a moment.

“I can take over the world, can’t I?”

Mash smiled as he said the words aloud. He interrupted Jill, who was busy talking about the war. She had been complaining about Lisa’s leveling speed. He didn’t think she had the right to complain since she refused the mark herself. All three of them had refused it. They were happy with the directions that their classes were going and didn’t want to risk changing them. They turned to him, and he smiled.

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Then he held his arm out and let the bodies of Priscilla pour out of his arms. They plopped onto the ground and scuttled away. Into the surrounding forest. The others stared as the numbers increased rapidly. He used nearly all of his energy and had made around 60 bodies for her.

“You can just make those now?”

Red asked the obvious question, and he smirked.

“Yup, at least if I have enough energy. I can make living creatures now remember?”

“That’s pretty illegal. Though I guess you don’t need to follow any law. It’s still unethical though.”

Luke commented as he stared reproachfully at the bodies. Mash shrugged and replied simply.

“That’s why I haven’t made anything that was actually alive. These are just like any of her bodies.”

“How strong are they?”

Red asked, staring at one of the bodies and comparing it to the one wrapped around her wrist. She had clearly noticed the differences. Mash grinned at her.

“Strong, probably around level 100, or 150 since she can use my magic. And she can do more with it than me.”

That was a truth he had long accepted. Skill use of magic was more about practice than anything else, and Priscilla was very old. He was good at simple things that were about raw power, but she usually guided him for any controlled use. His words provoked a momentary silence. None of them didn’t understand the implications of what he could do. If he spent a day or two making bodies, he could easily have an army stronger than any other. They all knew it too.

It wouldn’t help against someone at his level, but he could easily use it to defeat any other army. Most people didn’t get over level 100, though that might change now with all the fighting and dungeons. Even still, he could pretty easily become one of the most powerful beings on the planet. No, he already was one.

“What are you going to do?”

Lisa asked the question when she noticed how Mash’s face had contorted. His thoughts frightened him slightly, and he hesitated even more at the question. How did he answer it? What did he want to do? Was there even an enemy for him to hunt? He freed the slaves and killed the low-leveled slavers. There might still be a king or two who supported it, even if their throne wasn’t directly related. It was something he could do though.

Another idea came to mind. He could reveal some of his secrets to the rest of the world. The truth behind some of the dungeons. Tell the world about the corruption within the class system. Even if Luke didn’t like the feeling, he had felt the freedom. He knew now that the class system had some greater purpose behind it, or at least it wasn’t unbiased. Lisa’s last advancement under the influence of his aspect had shown that there was a better way.

Other ideas popped into his mind. Plenty of people could use some help, not that he necessarily had the right or authority to get involved. Almost anything he did at this point would step on the toes of a king or a god.

He thought of many things he could do and settled on two final things. Confront those who would come after him, and or find the world owner. Mash still wanted to change the class system. After Lisa’s advancement, he was even more certain of that decision. The class system wasn’t meant to be so limited. The way people placed importance on the name and rarity of a class was dumb, especially if people were meant to craft their classes for themselves. The world would change when everyone could make their own class like Lisa. It felt like the right thing to do.

He looked toward the others and met their eyes carefully. He spoke, feeling confident in his decision.

“I’m going to change the world, try and give everyone the freedom Lisa had when advancing.”

Everyone listened to his words, but only Lisa nodded. Luke opened his mouth and closed it. Then he took a short breath before responding.

“No. At least I don’t want that. Plus, I need to take a trial too. I’ve been at level 149 for two days now.”

Luke said the words calmly, but everyone else was surprised. Jill jumped, Red scowled, Lisa gaped, and Mash just looked at him. His domain let him see more than anyone else, and he looked into Luke.

“Why?”

The word slipped from Mash’s lips. He sucked in a breath as he realized how that question came across. Part of him was glad to know that Luke was getting stronger, but he didn’t understand why. Luke hadn’t chased power like Mash, and hadn’t been as desperate or focused either. Mash shook his head at the thought. It was petty to think that way. Luke, of all people, would have earned it. He really shouldn’t be jealous, considering how the others must feel about him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I just assumed I got it because of all the different forms of power I had taken. I didn’t think…”

He trailed off for a moment as the words shook something within his mind. Then it hit at the same time as Red. She spoke before he could.

“You both steal power, take it from people’s souls. Its different in how but you both have done it. Luke almost wins every fight now by doing it.”

“No! I don’t steal it. I carry their souls to a better place. When I do, they leave with me a portion of their power.”

Luke was desperate as he protested with Red. Mash heard the fear in his tone. Luke was the most concerned about the nature of his skills and adamantly shot down any comparison between him and Mash. Mash shrugged. He knew what his powers did, and he had consumed the King of Chains’ soul, and he did it while the man was still alive too. His friends didn’t know about that incident, and he wasn’t inclined to tell them about it. Not right now.

“Well, let's get Luke to a dungeon then. And how close are you two?”

Red and Jill glanced at one another. Jill spoke first.

“I’m level 148. I’m close. Also, can we just kill those to level? Can you make us some monsters?”

Mash was about to say no and explain how that would be stupid but paused. His skill said that he couldn’t gain levels himself by doing that, but it didn’t say others didn’t. Also, he was making real monsters now, so it would probably work too. His face went slack, and everyone’s mouth hung open as they froze on their words. He smiled awkwardly.

“New plan, I give you both enough monsters to advance while Luke goes through the trial. Then I change world.”