As Jonathan read through his stats, he smiled. He had enough to break through now. With a grimace, he sent his free stat points into Wisdom, bringing the stat up by 125 points. As the threshold process started, he gritted his teeth in preparation.

As it started, he began to feel thoughts that were not his own drift through his mind, seemingly the omnipresent knowledge of the universe itself. It judged him and his decisions, and judged them harshly at that. Every mistake he had ever made was laid bare by the threshold, and this time, it actively punished him for them. Every possible path to victory that he could have chosen could have saved the lives of his followers, or achieved something without undue risk. Every time he was met with this cold and calculating surge of regret, he screamed out loud. The torment was too much to bear. As the broken bodies of the wendigos gathered dust, Jonathan embarked upon an odyssey of the mind and soul.

Eventually, the threshold ended, and the painful insights were banished, leaving him to gasp on the ground. At some point, he had collapsed. A few notifications waited for him, but he waited until he had fully recovered. Then he dove in.

You have passed the Second Threshold of Wisdom!

In your journey of progression, you have learned that there is always a better path. The eternal vagaries of the universe lend themselves to the manipulations of the truly wise, and you have embarked upon a similar journey. What use is strength of the body when strength of the mind can be used instead?

Jonathan closed the notification, and opened the next one.

You have gained a new title!

Wise Initiate: Mythical

You have crossed the second threshold of Wisdom while still in Tier 2. You have proven beyond a doubt that your wisdom is unparalleled among others of your level.

Bonuses: +10% boost to effective Wisdom utilization

Another title notification waited below, this time heralding an upgrade.

You have fused a series of titles!

Forceful Initiate: Mythical, Hasty Initiate: Mythical, Durable Initiate: Mythical, Vital Initiate: Mythical, Knowledgeable Initiate:Mythical and Wise Initiate: Mythical -> Supreme Initiate: Ancient

You have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are one of the most powerful Tier 2s to ever have lived. Crossing a threshold is already a great feat, and crossing the second threshold even more so. To cross all six of them during Tier 2 is a legendary accomplishment indeed.

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Bonuses: +15% to the efficacy of all stats

Jonathan’s eyes widened at the title. He had been expecting something good, but this was beyond that. Gaining an extra five percent efficacy for each stat on top of the original bonuses of the fused titles might not have seemed like much, but it added up to a thirty percent increase across the board. All that was left now was the racial upgrade.

You have upgraded your race!

Void Human(Exalted)

You gain an additional stat point per level on account of your upgraded body. In addition, your senses are greatly improved. Because of reaching this level before level 50, as well as the great personal suffering that you went through, you have retroactively gained the points from your previous levels. In addition, you have empowered your body with the energy of the void, further upgrading your natural abilities. You now gain an additional point per level, for a total of 2 extra points from this race. These points will not be gained retroactively. For upgrading your race for the third time, you have gained access to a greater degree of elemental connection, making you more Potent than before. Reaching this level grants you an additional three points per level, for a total of five. Finally, your senses have been upgraded once more. For upgrading your race for the fourth time, you now gain an additional ten stat points per level. You are an Exalted member of your race. Your senses have been upgraded as well.

The racial upgrade list was beginning to grow a bit too long, and Jonathan eventually decided to shorten it down a bit.

Void Human(Exalted)

Bonuses: +15 stat points per level, greatly increased senses

From now on, it would appear in a more streamlined manner.

In any case, he was very happy about this. Although the points were not retroactive, which would have been ridiculous, he was still glad that he had chosen to use the natural treasure to upgrade his race. It seemed like racial upgrades were exponential in nature. The stat boosts would add up over time, especially as he entered the next Tier. He wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about changing his race so often, as it hadn’t exactly been a concern on Earth. Should he be feeling more of a sense of existential dread at the prospect? All he really cared about though was the power it brought.

Closing his System interface, Jonathan simply let the feeling of his newly attained strength wash over him. Between all of the titles and the racial upgrades, he had gained a not insignificant amount of power. He felt like he could flatten a small town in a single punch, back in the Ash Heaps. Here where the materials were harder, that would be a different proposition. Every object in Tartarus was Tier 2, or at least enhanced by the ambient mana, while the Ash Heaps was basically made out of materials that one could find back on Earth. The difference was night and day.

Jonathan clambered out of the pit, and continued on his way towards the center of the world. His body hummed with power, and his mind moved like it was a well oiled machine. With his new strength, nothing would stand in his way. Not the Uthraki, the monsters, or even Granath himself.