For a few moments, the crater was silent save for the distant tolling of the city bells and the faint shouts of panicking citizens. After that massive explosion, it'd be a miracle if they managed to sleep through that. I bet everyone and their mothers were awake right now trying to understand what was happening.

Even I had no clue what in the almighty fuck was happening. The last two assassins that tried to kill me were now piles of meat on the ground a short distance away from my head, dying all of a sudden due to God knows what, while I was a fully conscious head whose body was now minced meat.

Fortunately for me, my regeneration was back again to save the day. I could feel the stump of my neck heating up as it started reforming my body, and at quite a fast pace, too. Judging by the rate it was going, I'll have a full working body back in ten minutes, which was fucking crazy. What the hell happened to my regeneration?

I checked my notifications starting from the time I recovered from the explosion, and by Skorm's hairy asshole was there a lot. The improvements in my Status across the board were tremendous, the most notable being my Regeneration being upgraded to its tier three version, Greater Regeneration. If not for that improvement, I don't think I could've survived tonight's ordeal. My Minor Poison Resistance upgraded too, which must've been why the assassins', or rather the Dark Blades', poisons suddenly reduced in intensity by the end of the fight.

More notifications were waiting for me to read them, but I had to put them off for later as two people entered my line of sight.

It was the Slayer Guildmaster Morgan Thorn and the Governor Camille. The thin old man was dressed in his usual business attire while Camille was covered completely in her shiny steel armor, complete with a helmet that left only her eyes exposed.

Upon seeing me, Camille rushed over to my head with a sort of panic that I never would have imagined to see on the aloof woman. She kneeled beside me as she took off her helmet, allowing me to see her tear-stained and grief-stricken face.

Alarm bells were going haywire inside my head. Camille was not the type of gal to show such vulnerability to others. Shit must've really hit the fan hard.

“I'm sorry,” Camille sobbed as she hugged my head. I appreciated the gesture, but being hugged by a woman wearing steel gauntlets and armor was painful. “This is all my fault.”

I tried to talk to her, but I realized I couldn't speak without my lungs. Fortunately, Morgan seemed to notice that I was alive. He looked like he couldn't believe I was alive at first, but when I waggled my eyebrows at him, he quickly spoke up. “Lady Camille, I believe the Constable is still alive.”

Camille stopped hugging me and gave me a second glance. By that time, I was already starting to regenerate my shoulders. Her mouth hung open in shock. “Bob, you're still alive? But how?”

Both of them watched with morbid fascination as my body slowly reformed. As soon as I got my lungs back, I spoke with a hoarse voice. “What are the both of you doing here? This wasn't in the plan.”

Camille's face twisted as tears ran down her face. “Warner is dead.”

My mind froze in shock for a brief moment. “What? That's impossible. He was hiding in my shadow.”

“The trap that Carmen set up considered that possibility. Warner is all but invincible from physical attacks while hiding inside a shadow, but if that shadow is banished completely, he is forced to emerge.”

“Ah, shit. I was right on top of the explosion.”

Camille nodded as she wiped her tears. “The flash would've erased all shadows at the point of detonation for the briefest moment, long enough to kick Warner out of your shadow. He was likely caught up in the explosion.”

“Fuck. Is there any chance at all that the old bastard is just hiding?”

Camille brought out a pendant with a cracked jewel in the center. “This gem is linked to his soul. Upon his death, the gem is supposed to crack.”

“Fuck. I'm sorry for your loss, Camille.”

At my words, more tears came running down her face, which she quickly wiped away. “It doesn't matter. As much as I would like to just… run away from all this… we must push on.”

Warner's death must've really rattled the woman because it was completely unlike her to show this much vulnerability, especially to someone like me who she knew for less than a week. I suspected the old man was like family to the woman.

“You still haven't answered why the two of you are here,” I said as my torso and arms finally finished reforming with my lower body already partially done.

“The old plan is now obsolete,” Camille said. “There is no more hiding this fiasco from the public, not after that massive explosion. We have to find and eliminate Carmen tonight before outside actors interfere with the situation. I have already secured Guildmaster Morgan's assistance for this.”

“As in, right fucking now?” I asked incredulously. “Didn't we already discuss why that isn't possible? The bastard's mansion is a heavily defended fortress!”

Morgan answered the question this time. “We have no other choice, I'm afraid. We've received word from neighboring cities that Carmen is calling in all of his favors. Come tomorrow morning, a small army of mercenaries is arriving to reinforce him. The security of the city is at stake, and as a Guildmaster of the city, Shieldhold's safety is one of my responsibilities.”

“Well, shit. Why is Carmen suddenly making drastic moves? It makes no fucking sense at all. He stands to lose as much as we do by acting this blatantly. It reeks of desperation.”

Morgan went silent and looked at Camille, who suddenly seemed unsure. That immediately ignited my suspicion.

“Camille, what the fuck did you just do?”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

She turned defensive as she stepped away from me. “What I had the right to do! I sent Carmen an ultimatum this morning that he should either surrender or he shall lose everything he holds dear. I… I sent him a finger of his son to prove my point.”

I covered my face with my palms. “You stupid idiot. Did you stop to even think how that could've affected our operation tonight? You could've done it after the raid! You technically—”

—killed Warner. At the very last moment, my stress-addled brain managed to stop me from being as stupid as Camille was. But judging from her trembling expression, she already knew what I was about to say.

“What? I technically what, Bob? Say it to my face! Just say it! It's my fault! I'm the reason why Warner is dead! I never wanted to be Governor, I didn't! But I had to or else that bastard Carmen would come into power! The bastard who killed my father and my fiancé! I—”

With my legs now healed, I stood up and pulled the sobbing and incoherent woman into a hug, and she immediately crumbled. To be honest, I hated hugs, especially while she was wearing armor and I was stark naked, resulting in my skin being pinched in weird places, but it was the only thing I could think of to shut the woman up. I was sure that the enemy was watching us right now, and if there was one thing Camille was right about, it was that we had to make our move soon. We had no time for all this drama.

“I know, I know. I'm sorry. But I need you to keep it together, dammit. This Carmen killed your family, yeah? Then let's stroll up to his house and kick his ass. I also have a bone to pick with him.”

Camille sniffled as she broke away. She took a few moments to inhale and exhale. Once her composure was back, she gave me a nod. “Thank you, Bob. I needed that. Warner was the last person I had left that I could trust and...”

Before Camille could start bawling again, I patted her on the shoulder. “Alright, alright, I understand. If there's one thing Warner would want you to do, that is to kill Carmen. So let's get to it before the bastard could even think of escaping.”

Camille gave me a solemn nod. “Come, we will return to the City Hall first. While you gear up… I will gather my army.”

•••••

[Congratulations! The Gods have deemed your deeds worthy of Accolades. You have obtained the Accolades ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Brain-Damaged.’]

[Unbreakable - You have suffered through unimaginable pain that would have broken any sane man but still came out whole in mind and body. Your mind is now unassailable from external influence and all healing on your body is Absolute.]

[Brain-Damaged - You managed to continue fighting even while your brain was severely damaged. Your thought processes are now decentralized and can occur throughout your entire nervous system.]

[Congratulations! You are now Level 25. You are eligible for a Class Evolution.]

[Please choose a Class Evolution below.]

1. Murderous Bastard…

2. Masochistic Bastard…

3. Gluttonous Bastard…

4. Undying Bastard…

OR

[You may reset your levels and choose a new Class instead of evolving your current Class.]

1. Hand of Carnage…

2. Justicar of Zytarr…

3. Seed of Bahanelle…

4. Figment of Ichklmrk…

5. Sanguine of Sancthis…

6. Prime of Galthar…

[Warning: After evolving your Class, all experience gained from killing entities one Class Tier below you will be reduced to zero. Experience gained from all other sources will be drastically reduced.]

“Say, what does ‘Absolute’ mean regarding my abilities?” I asked Morgan as he sat across from me. We were in the City Hall's cafeteria, eating leisurely as if we weren't about to storm a noble's mansion a few hours from now. But the fight ahead will be difficult, and there was no point in entering that fight on an empty stomach.

Morgan raised an eyebrow at my question. “You must be quite the character to have one aspect of yours to be ‘Absolute,’ Mister Bob. To put it simply, anything that the System considers ‘Absolute’ cannot be affected by anything at all. It is one of the most powerful characteristics that something could have. May I ask what aspect of yours has become Absolute, Mister Bob?”

“One of my new Accolades said any healing I receive is now Absolute,” I replied as I stuffed my mouth with some roasted chicken. “What does that mean?”

“I'm surprised to learn that you are an Accolade-holder. And based on your words, you have more than one,” Morgan said with a smile. “Anyway, to answer your question, having all of your healing become ‘Absolute’ means that it can no longer be affected by any outside influence. It can neither be improved nor hampered by any Skill or object. As an example, you will no longer have to worry about anti-healing poisons hampering your regeneration, and any beneficial potion that may boost your regeneration is now ineffective.”

Goddamn, that was a very powerful boon. Somebody up there must be looking out for me because the ‘Unbreakable’ Accolade just removed two of my most glaring weaknesses: the vulnerability of my mind and the possibility of my regeneration being nullified.

As for my second new Accolade, ‘Brain-Damaged,’ the way I understood it is that even if my brain ended up being destroyed, I'd still be able to think clearly. I would have appreciated it more if it had a better name, though. Making me sound like a had a few screws loose.

Putting aside the new Accolades, I turned my attention to the Class Evolution notification, and boy was there a lot to unpack.

First off, why was I given a choice to either evolve my Class or reset my levels to choose a new Class? Camille never taught me about anything like that, and given its significant effects on my future progression, she wouldn't have skipped it over. This was not normal.

The source of the abnormality was easy enough to spot. In the portion where I was allowed to change my Class, which should've required a World Crystal or something, the choices were… discomforting, to say the least.

[You may reset your levels and choose a new Class instead of evolving your current Class.]

1. Hand of Carnage - All the world is a lamb to the slaughter. You have been chosen by the Carnage God as his Champion and are thus allowed to serve him faithfully. The Hand of Carnage is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Hand to harness the divine power of their God.

2. Justicar of Zytarr - The world is dictated by law and order, and you are the arbiter. The God of Logic and Justice has deemed you worthy of his patronage. The Justicar of Zytarr is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Justicar to harness the divine power of their God.

3. Seed of Bahanelle - Life is sacred, and it is the duty of the strong to protect the weak. The Goddess of Healing and Fertility has deemed you worthy of her patronage. The Seed of Bahanelle is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Seed to harness the divine power of their God.

4. Figment of Ichklmrk - There is no such thing as insanity in an insane world. The God of Dreams, Chaos, and Insanity has deemed you worthy of his patronage. The Figment of Ichklmrk is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Figment to harness the divine power of their God.

5. Sanguine of Sancthis - Blood is the language of all that breathes. The God of Blood and Flesh has deemed you worthy of his patronage. The Sanguine of Sancthis is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Sanguine to harness the divine power of their God.

6. Prime of Galthar - Strength supreme. The God of Might and Grit has deemed you worthy of his patronage. The Prime of Galthar is a religious Class that creates a direct connection between God and servant, allowing the Prime to harness the divine power of their God.

Gone were the mundane Mountaineer or Monster Slayer Classes that I was once offered. Instead, all of the choices were religious Classes that would tie me to a God.

It seems like Morhaven's gods wanted a slice of the best-selling pie that was Bob Dinkle.