Ezra growled. Every single time he woke up, it was the same message. He’d pop into his menu and click the class-up button, and he’d receive the same complaint.

Dark Seal required.

But this was the first time it warned of the system disconnect. Usually, it just said that he needed to select his class soon.

“Filamenta, do you know what it’s talking about?” Ezra said. “ A system disconnect?”

Filamenta’s voice echoed in his mind, “I’m afraid that I do. It’s happened a few times when a person’s growth was being artificially enhanced using potions. The system claimed that their bodies couldn’t handle the rapid growth. If the person kept on trying to grow their power anyway, the System eventually cut itself off from the person and neutered their powers for their safety.”

Ezra sat up and stared at the message.

“But why now?” Ezra said. “That’s the part that confuses me. I’ve been growing quickly already, so why is the system freaking out now?”

“It seems like you Otherworlders have a higher growth cap, from what I can tell. That’s why you’re being used as fodder by that Queen,” Filamenta said. “However, the System still needs you to do a class up.”

Ezra stood up and sighed. “But I can’t class up, because my system is glitched.”

“…indeed.”

“So then, my only option is to use this Dark Seal thing, huh?”

Filamenta crawled onto his shoulder. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“You still haven’t explained what it does. Whenever I bring up the topic, you’re asleep.”

“I’ve been asleep a lot in general,” Filamenta muttered. “It’s not that topic specifically.”

“So then, you don’t mind telling me about it and why I shouldn’t use it?”

Filamenta sighed. “A Dark Seal is a tool created by the Demon Lord. You remember how he’s capable of manipulating the system?”

“Right, Synica mentioned that.”

“Well, a Dark Seal is a tool that takes advantage of that,” she said. “The System normally regulates your growth along with the types of abilities you receive. It makes sure that you don’t get anything too dangerous and that your powers are integrated safely into your body. The Dark Seal rips all those restraints away.”

Ezra glanced over toward Filamenta. “That sounds like a good thing. Isn’t more power what we want?”

“Not necessarily,” Filamenta said. “I mean, do you want to end up with red skin and grow horns?”

“Wait, the demons—“

“The demons are creatures that have had a Dark Seal applied to them, yes. Once they’re cut off from the system, the Demon Lord is free to manipulate their growth and turn them into his servants.”

Oh. “So, definitely avoid using that if at all possible.”

“Yes, please do. You need the class-up, but we can’t do it that way. The risks aren’t worth it.”

The big question was why this was happening in the first place. Did all Otherworlders need a Dark Seal for class-ups? No, surely that wasn’t the case. Maybe it had something to do with what happened when he first arrived in this world? His system had a minor meltdown, and he never did find out why that was.

Ezra walked over to the doorway and opened it up. He walked downstairs.

“So, is this why you referred to the demon as a traitor?” Ezra said. “Because they used to be soldiers of yours or something?”

“Something like that. It’s a painful topic, Ezra, I’d rather not discuss it.”

Ezra frowned. She was hiding something, but what else was new? He noted the sore topic and resolved to bring it up at a later date.

He exited out of the house. The sky was a dark blue, the color of the early morning. He walked over to the pine trees. He wouldn’t go too deep in. His goal for right now was to train, and, maybe, pick up some new abilities. It’d been a while since he’d done so.

He stopped and opened up his skill tree. The constellations greeted them as they always did. He clicked his way through them, looking for something good. He still had to level up [Stitch Wounds] so he could get the higher-level version. He eventually came across a skill tree in the shape of a web. He clicked on the first one in the center of the web.

[Thread Manipulation] - Lv. 1

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Harness the power of intricate threads to control and manipulate objects, people, or the environment around you. As your mastery of [Thread Manipulation] grows, so too does your ability to influence the physical world with precision and creativity. Threads can be used to bind, restrain, entangle, or enhance objects, offering both offensive and defensive utility.

Cost: 10 mana per thread per second

Maximum Number of Summoned Threads: 1

[Buy for 15 Ability Points?]

[Y/N]

Ezra raised an eyebrow. This would’ve come in handy in the past. He clicked ‘Y’ and the skill integrated into his body. With a mana regen rate of 30 per second, he’d be able to maintain 3 threads once he leveled up the skill a bit. He checked the skill directly above [Thread Manipulation].

[Thread Sensing] - Lv. MAX

Develop the ability to sense the presence of threads in the environment, even those not created by you. This can help detect hidden traps, barriers, or other thread manipulators.

[Buy for 3 Ability Points?]

[Y/N]

Ezra clicked ‘Y’, getting another skill. There were several more abilities, and Ezra intended to look at them, but for now, he wanted to practice with the abilities he’d just gotten. He held out his hand.

Instead of speaking aloud, he focused his mind on his intent. Fighting Villscha had been a bit of a nightmare, but at least he’d figured out how to silently use his powers as a result.

Yellow thread poked out of the ground and wiggled around. Ezra mentally redirected it toward a tree and the thread whipped out toward it in response. The thread wrapped around the tree trunk. Ezra gave a mental command to tighten the thread and the pine tree bent from the force.

Ezra rubbed his chin. Some interesting ideas came to mind. [Restrain] was immensely useful, but it was a pain to control and it was way too loud for anything stealthy. What if Ezra could snake his threads through the opponent’s clothing, then throw them into the ground with a surprise attack?

“While you’re experimenting,” Filamenta said. “There’s an ability I was hoping you’d consider using a bit more.”

Ezra paused, letting the pine tree spring back.

“Yes?” he said.

“[Polymorphism]. At first, you stuck to the dagger form out of necessity, but that skill has grown much stronger. You don’t have to limit yourself.”

Filamenta had a point. There was no reason to stick to such a small size anymore.

He recalled Filamenta into his hand as a needle. He applied [Polymorphism], but focused on expanding her to the size of a long sword. She expanded in size, creating a thin, pointed blade the length and shape of a rapier.

Ezra gave an experimental slash, then stabbed out. The weight was heavier—this would be useful for some of the enemies with particularly thick skin.

A noise caught his attention and he turned on his feet.

A little girl dashed behind a tree. She stared at him, her eyes narrowed.

Ezra tilted his head.

She kept on watching him before she broke off into a run back toward the ‘inn’ he was staying at. So, the guy had a daughter? Ezra looked over at the now-rising sun. He was hungry after experimenting—he could use a meal.

He practiced a bit more with his new rapier form before deciding to call it a day for training. Filamenta changed back into her spider shape and crawled up his arm and onto his shoulder. He noted that just a month or so ago, he’d have freaked out or at least gotten spooked by a spider crawling up his arm.

He walked over to the diner—Miss Marnie’s—and entered it. In the corner, three young men were conversing excitedly. In front, his innkeeper was seated next to the young girl while they both ate. Beside them was a smattering of middle-aged men and women, a handful of children too. In the back, Sen was off to the side, digging into some eggs alongside four or five men and women—all of them dressed in armor and with their weapons attached.

As soon as Ezra entered, the conversation between the three young men stopped. They both stared at him, bodies tense. When Sen saw him, he raised his hand and gave him a wave. The men and women surrounding Sen, after a second of hesitation, gave Ezra a mixture of nods and greetings.

Ezra walked over to the counter. An older woman with her hair done up in a bun smiled at him.

“What can I do for you?” she said. “I’m Miss Marnie, in case it ain’t clear.”

“I’ll have a plate of eggs,” Ezra said.

“That’ll be a single copper.”

Ezra blinked. No haggling? No stranger danger? Just a fair price?

Wow.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single copper penny. She took the coin and stuffed it into a sack on her side. She wandered over to the back and the sound of something sizzling echoed out.

The conversation had started back up with the three young men whispering instead of talking. They were looking rather pointedly at Ezra. Ezra ignored them and waited for his food. A few minutes later, Marnie stepped out, a plate full of eggs in hand. She’d added two slices of bread to the plate.

“Enjoy, dear,” she said.

Ezra frowned. “Don’t call me dear.”

Marnie’s eyes widened. “I’m just trying to be friendly, I’m sorry if that caused any offense.”

Ezra took his plate and wandered over to the most separated part of the diner. He ate a few bits of his toast. It was pretty tasty.

He hated this town already.

Outside, a large amount of footsteps echoed out. Ezra looked up.

The door in front opened, and two men stepped forward. Both of them were wearing thick white cloaks with the emblem of the kingdom, their hoods drawn up. They approached the counter.

“We’ll take 13 of whatever you’ve got,” the taller figure said.

Marnie raised an eyebrow. “That’s a hell of a lot of grub.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve got a lot of people.”

Marnie shrugged and walked over to the kitchen in the rear. Ezra felt his stomach drop, even though he didn’t see any visible threats. Why? Ezra strained his ears in an attempt to pick up on their quiet conversation.

“So, this is the only place to get some food?” the shorter one said. “It seems nice enough. I do wonder where we’ll get some rooms. It didn’t seem like they had a lot here.”

“Worst comes to worse, we’ll… commandeer some homes. The kingdom will compensate the people well enough.”

The shorter figure turned his head, dropping his hood in the process. In slow motion, the figure’s face revealed itself. Blond hair, blue eyes, a chiseled, defined jawline. Ezra would recognize that face anywhere.

“We’re not going to do that, Idia,” he said.

Idia dropped his hood and snorted. “In case you forgot, I was put in charge when Synica was taken back to the front lines. Not you.”

Ezra dropped his fork onto his plate, creating a loud clattering noise. All heads turned to him, including that of Charles and Idia.