"Look, you have one last chance to change your mind," I warned Limenta as we looked at the huge wall in the distance. The royal military still filled the walls, easily rebuffing the attacks of the corrupted beasts and monsters, but I could see the signs of significant damage along the walls.

It was not an accident that the reinforcements took so long to arrive.

"No, boss. I have decided," he said as we looked toward the walls that the corrupted creatures had raged against.

"Are you sure?" I asked, even as I lifted one of the plates that Zolast prepared for isolation. "Not only is it going to be risky, it might mean we end up sacrificing some of your potential."

"Yes, boss. You said so repeatedly," Limenta answered with a stiff nod. "But you know Zolast is right. It's better to experiment with me than anyone else."

A sigh escaped my mouth, showing him that I knew exactly what he was talking about. But that didn't mean I had to like it. "So, you have been hanging around Launara a lot," I said, teasing him for some distraction.

"I-I'm just helping her with her projects," he said quickly, his blush thick enough to make me worry about his health.

"Really, and how does it explain you learning how to forge?" I asked even as I activated another ward. He said nothing, blushing even more. "Well?"

"Well, since she doesn't have an experienced teacher to show her the tricks behind the process, learning more about blacksmithing helps me compare her tricks with the other blacksmiths," he explained. "That way, I could use my Concealment to sneak into the workshops to steal the secrets of the others."

"Good answer," I said, finding it practiced. "But, you should know that the more you delay telling the truth, the harder it will be to explain."

"T-truth, what truth?" he said.

I didn't dignify his deflection with an answer, just let out another chuckle. The alcove we picked got filled with silence as I worked.

Soon, the activation was complete. "Step into the middle and level up," I said.

He took a deep breath, and soon, he was covered with a soft glow, fading slightly before it regained its intensity. Three repeats, and he was level thirty. At the same time, I felt a shift in our connection, almost like a switch I could flip on.

Promotion.

Instead of activating it immediately, I opened the large crate I had brought along, filling the alcove with a soft blue glow. Then, I flipped the switch.

The sensation that followed was familiar, but different. When I had first triggered the process, it was like accidentally falling down a cliff, a frightening fall before I found myself floating in the empty void.

This time, it was different. For once, I felt like I had the option whether to follow or not.

I chose to follow, and suddenly, I found myself floating in the same black emptiness, but not alone. Limenta was next to me, and, at a distance, I could feel Zolast, who was just a faint presence.

The last time, Limenta was just a vague floating presence, but this time, I could get a much better understanding of his stats and abilities, distinguishing them easily.

However, that was not the full extent of the changes. I could feel that the dark emptiness of the astral world had changed. It felt less like a dream I was having trouble understanding, and more like reality. The difference was not huge, but unmistakable.

A benefit of Authority.

More importantly, as I mentally reached Limenta, I felt another menu appear in the emptiness. A menu that was just a blur, one that I couldn't interact with or read, because it felt like it was behind a blurry glass.

A blurry glass that didn't belong to the System, preventing me from interacting with it.

I was tempted to try and break that glass, but after a moment of consideration, I changed my mind. The risk of alerting someone or revealing my location was too great.

Instead, I focused on the next viable target: Limenta's abilities.

I was tempted to focus on his sole Ability, one that allowed him to enhance his stealth, but I had no idea how to improve it. Instead, I turned my attention to the real objective.

Elevated Life.

I soon found the source of it. A small seed, one that was right where my own Elevated ability was, at the center of his stats, too small for me to detect without the increased clarity. I carefully pushed both Experience and mana into it. It felt like I was slowly watering a tree.

A tree that shot into existence rapidly under the control of the System.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

And, as it did so, it took something else from me, something I wasn't able to recognize, but felt important. However, I had already committed to improving Limenta.

I recognized the shape of the Basic Elevated Life. As much as I was tempted to play with it longer, I did not. Instead, I pushed more energy, feeling it grow. It transformed twice more, reaching the advanced stage, but I felt like I could push more.

I pumped even more Experience, glad that I had stored a sufficient amount.

Twice more, it changed, consuming almost three hundred million Experience points in the process, but it was worth it. As the last improvement was complete, the process stopped, the ability turning solid.

Another screen that I couldn't read appeared, but I ignored it, instead focusing on the other Experiment.

His skills.

I could easily identify his skills, their dead nature giving themselves away as they floated around the core of Stats and Abilities. I focused on them, plucking the first basic skill off. At this point, basic skills were more of a hindrance than a help to him.

It came apart easily, leaving behind a small wound on his soul.

Problematic, I thought even as I removed all the basic skills he possessed, while not touching the advanced ones.

I wanted to check in with Zolast to make sure the damage was reversible before I started messing with Advanced Skills.

After I completed both, I didn't pull back immediately, turning my attention inward instead to see if I could improve my own abilities. However, it did not work. The best way to describe it was to define it as a passive state, while Limenta's was active.

Likely, it was what the Promotion was.

I let the astral world around us dissolve. The alcove appeared around me once more, and Limenta was in front of me, gasping as he fell to his knees. His expression showed signs of distress, but it was nothing compared to the pain Mahruss had gone through during the class change.

Meanwhile, I was looking at a notification with a frown.

[-5 Stat Points]

That was not good news. I didn't expect creating an ability to come with such a cost … but, at least, it helped me understand what the unique element I used was while creating the stat.

Ruining my plans of rapidly creating an army linked to me rather than gods.

"How do you feel?" I asked, focusing on Limenta instead.

"N-never better, boss," he stammered. "I have gained Elevated Life."

"What's the full text," I asked.

"Elevated Life, Complete, Human."

"Interesting," I said, giving him a chance to breathe while I deactivated the ward plates and gathered them, with no intention of lingering any longer than necessary. "Now, let's move," I said, easily lifting him and carrying him like a package.

Though, we still needed a new way to move around.

As I ran at full speed, I communicated with Zolast, checking whether he was available.

He was.

As we approached the town, I had to avoid many patrolling teams, all wearing armor with a bright symbol of the Sun drawn at the center. Each team was made of a combination of spearmen and archers, moving in a square formation with a dedicated search pattern.

Takis' forces were already doing their best to eradicate the cultist forces. I wondered how they would react.

Though, the patrolling forces were the smallest change. Soon, we were at Town Maell, which was already going through another stage of expansion. A third layer of wall was being built, and every single business in the inner town was being transferred into the middle layer.

The church took every single part of the inner town, including the barracks … once the Baron decided to join the church directly, turning his house into a direct vassal. It was a choice that severely curtailed the freedom of the Baron, binding him to the church.

I would have been suspicious of such a move, but after interacting with the Baron for a while, it was clear that he had a significant case of hero worship for the mysterious knight. I wondered how he would react if he realized it was Hero worship instead.

I didn't waste much time examining the changes, just quickly making note of the most obvious ones, trusting Mahruss to handle the operative details. Once I arrived at the building that was designated as a temporary church — a bigger one was under construction— I finally let Limenta down.

"We need to find a better way to travel, boss," Limenta said.

"Don't worry about it," I said as we used a secret entrance that we put in place. "Now that we have official standing, we can finally purchase some flying carts from Town Oniphia. I just need to reach my next promotion."

Limenta nodded, but before he could answer, we were already at the private chamber, where Zolast was waiting for us. He didn't say anything, just cast a spell to cover Limenta with a blue glow, carefully diagnosing him.

"Just one impossible thing this time, Edward, you're slipping," Zolast chuckled even as he examined Limenta.

"Everything is well, right?" I asked. I could see that it was the case from the way he lost his tenseness, but better make sure than sorry.

"Seems so," Zolast answered. "The ability is stronger than anything else I had identified, but it seems like it's functioning well. Stats are operating three times their original capability."

"Pity that weird barrier blocked me from upgrading it further. It's clear that there's a way to push further."

"Yeah, let's not poke around with that until we're sure it's not going to bring any divine attention to us," Zolast said, already aware of the critical details I communicated through our connection. "Pity we can't just replicate it endlessly," I said.

"Looks like it, unfortunately," I answered, still not happy with the fact that creating that ability cost Stat points. Not exactly a great amount, but still, enough to make it strategically meaningful.

"Still, it has some interesting implications," Zolast said.

"Really, like what?" I asked.

"Gods are willing to awaken abilities. With all their selfishness, there are only two options. Either they have a way to somehow replenish those stat points, or they have an alternative way to awaken those stats."

"Good point, but don't blame me if I don't prioritize that experiment. It's not like we have a lot of candidates for that," I said.

"True," Zolast accepted.

"Any progress securing an invitation from the princess to the other side of the wall?"

"No such luck, unfortunately. They are willing to extend it, but only if we stay within the fortress. The military is still not allowing ground forces to access the other side," Zolast said.

"Pity," I answered with a shrug.

"You don't seem too bothered —" Zolast started before freezing. "You're going to sneak in," he accused.

"Exactly," I answered.

"Isn't it too dangerous?" Zolast asked. "Maybe we should just rely on the dungeons until the next promotion?"

I shook my head. "No. There are too many things you need to attend to. You can't just spend hours in the dungeon…"

"And, without me, the experience collection would slow down," Zolast followed.

"Exactly. That's the last thing we need with everything else going on."

"Still, sneaking into the wall. Isn't it too risky?"

"Don't worry," I said, letting my smirk widen. "I have a plan."