"Better. Go fetch four fresh recruits. Four lamias and four dwarves. I'm taking them along so they can report what I've done later."

That would reduce the Exp Vesper would get by a third but I would help other eight people to grow. And I intended to go all out. While I didn't have the same power as Lakerta, at least my fused Energy resource pool was comparable in size.

The nine recruits came and the rumors that I was around spread like wildfire through the barracks. It was just a matter of time it reached the capital a few miles away and I got roped into Windemere again.

I didn't want to. That place held too many painful memories. While I loved Windemere and the people there, the feeling of loss was too big. To them, a century might've passed, but to me, it was just a couple decades ago.

The Dungeon grind was the same as before. I circled near the center lake, drawing aggro from the monsters while Nenandil and Vesper strolled along the outer side at the edge of my Exp sharing radius. With my spell-songs and Radiation burning the undead, I nearly matched Lakerta's magical prowess.

I sang a {Sonata} mixing walls of Force-Radiation with {Stacatto} to burst-fire [Radiation Bolts]. Whenever a stronger undead came, I held the note in a {Grand Fermata} and - literally - nuked the monster out of existence. As I gained Exp, the kids also gained levels and Marlowe's new body grew in power. I couldn't directly pick the Perks for the living silk items but I could project my intent into them to guide their growth.

Once the recruits grew tired of walking or slithering, I created mobile Force platforms inspired by the classical RPG "Tensor's Hovering Disk" spell and carried them as I carried them [1]. I also let Pandora in her {Gifted Divinity} aspect. The soothing powers of this aspect were even subtler than {Truesilver Blood} but over hours, it enhanced their rest and improved resilience.

They slept on the Force platforms and I ground for two days, nonstop. Halfway through the second day, I had already gone a full circle around the lake and sat by the edge of the murky water, just sniping the respawns.

Once the recruits hit level hundred-ten, I knew it was time to stop. Too much power at once was bad. Spoiler alert, it already was. Vesper reached level hundred-thirty-three as she broke through and reached the third rank. Marlowe's new body was level hundred-three. Good enough. Inspecting the perks, I saw that it picked the ability to transform its lower body into a dolphin's, self-healing, magic damage boosts, resilience, and magical damage resistance. He could even be a [Spell-sword] if he wanted.

I did another round along the walls, checking the enchantments for any signs of weakening or damage. I shored up the physical walls in some places and added my Truesilver Blood to a few glyphs, as Truesilver was anathema to the undead and would help strengthen the repulsion fields. Once we were done and near the inner compound that doubled as barracks, I instructed the recruits to make detailed reports and shapeshifted into a harpy eagle. With the two fairies secured on my back, I flew away.

Time to reincarnate an [Archmage].

----------------------------------------

There was only one problem. The cantankerous bastard didn't want to.

"I won't, my liege. I don't want to be alive again. I fared extremely well as a contracted spirit to you, and I wish to continue being one. We can use this magnificent body like a cloth golem, can't we?"

I pointed at the life-size silk doll sitting on the chair, "A chance to be alive again! To live, breathe, eat, drink!"

He deadpanned, "A chance to die, choke, drown, and do basal necessities this spirit form needs not. As you say, milady, hard pass. Worse yet, I would no longer be able to travel with you anywhere. Carrying me alive would be a burden. On top of it all, I would need to start over at level zero. Our current arrangement has been quite productive for me."

Stolen novel; please report.

I {Appraised} the ghost. By leeching five percent of my Exp awards, the bastard grew all the way to level 173. While I was wilting under {Bygone Hero}, he reaped the benefits.

I sighed. "Well, if you are going to be a golem, I guess you don't need internal organs. Neither some of the external..."

Vesper yelped and hid her face.

Speaking of face, Marlowe's was as straight as polished cedar as he said, "They would only incite basal instincts that would get in the way of achieving ultimate magic, my liege. Do cast them away."

I took a pair of scissors and snipped it. Worse, being a former man I was the one that felt it the most. After taking a deep breath, I sighed, "I guess I need to sew this hole. Or are you interested in knowing the other side?"

He smiled back, "I indulged in such curiosities in my youth, my lady. I am quite confident in my shapeshifting magic."

I quit while I was slightly ahead. Let's add some enchantments too. Size alteration to shrink it comes to mind. I took my tools and ground some mid-level cores. Time to work. Barbie-doll-smooth-golem it is.

I spent the rest of the day swapping his internal organs for ordinary fluffy stuffing. No need to leave him more vulnerable to critical hits.

Marlowe examined his new golem body in the mirror. "This is most excellent, my lady," the [Archmage] was blissful. "And I do believe this is the best path. This way, the body can level up independently and grant me even more passive abilities."

He had a good point. A good set of points, actually. Having the body level up on its own meant he would have almost two classes active at the same time. He used the body's physical attributes instead of his own.

"But now that you aren't a cute little doll, please stay dressed. You can level up your clothes on your own," I told him.

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With the team back to full strength, we returned to Atlantis. Marlowe kept teaching me wizardry while I practiced my spellcasting. One day, I felt as if my training was getting too focused on magic. Against a powerhouse like the Barbarian of Tushies, my physical attacks were too weak. I added some training on the other skills to my regimen.

I was practicing Yoga when Adyra came running into my alcove. The little girl just turned eleven now and had a beautiful womanly figure. Her vibrant red hair floated in the water like the ornamental tails of a betta. She had all the curves of a classical mermaid and was about to get inducted into the System at any time.

"What are you doing with legs here under the water, sister?" She asked, a bit flustered.

"I'm practicing my skills. This is Yoga, a physical ability that increases agility, flexibility, and motor control. It is very useful for fighting!"

Her eyes gleamed. "Really? Sister... can you {Appraise}?"

I shot her a glance with the proficiency.

> [Princess] Adyra

>

> Level 0 Fae-Touched Dolphin Mermaid

>

> HP: 555

>

> MP: 777

I squealed and brought back my tail. I shot to hug my sister and took her for a spin. "Adyra! Congratulations!"

"My species, sister! It is Fae-Touched!" She said in a hushed voice with no small amount of concern.

"Is it {ultra-rare}? Did you get {Fairy Goddaughter}? What are you afraid of?"

"I'm different! I have a weird Attribute nobody else has! Luck!"

I snorted. "That's awesome. Look, trust me. Calm down. What did you get?" I also brought golden Pandora to hover next to us.

"I have that one you mentioned and also an affinity with all four basic elemental magics, {Druidic Power}, {Improved Swimming}, {Rest and Relaxation}, and {Head Start II}," she whispered. "That's nine Perks, sister!"

That's the result of five elders plus me blessing with her at birth.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. Keep your status to yourself, though. And regarding Luck, that's very good. There are three hidden Attributes. Ego, Soul, and Luck. Unlocking them will widen your Class and Path choices, giving better rarity ones."

"I don't know what to do! I'm not ready for this! I got the System too early!"

Indeed she got it earlier, but that's because she'd developed faster. Activation in normal circumstances was related to sexual maturity. Looking at her, she indeed had the body of a woman.

"Oh. Don't you dare come tell me you're a child when your chest is bigger than mine!" I scolded her with a grin.

She covered herself. I wondered, she swam around with these jugs dangling all the time, why get conscious of them now?

"About that... can you get me one of these 'bras' sister Callisto was talking about?"

I raised an eyebrow. Teasing this young woman was making my day. "Why?"

She cupped her hands over them. Embarrassed, she said, "They chafe when I swim too fast with my Perk."

I laughed and hugged her again. "Of course I can."

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[1]: Carry, in gaming jargon, is when one person of the team does all the work, "winning" for everyone else on their own.