Prometheus spent the next hour on the ground listening to the General reporting various military activities to the Nightmare and the Emperor, but since the shapeshifter couldn't bother to care, he began thinking about himself, I got a title by being recognized by the Emperor? Does it mean that if he recognizes me as a 'Major' for example, I'll get that title too? Theo nodded at his own theory, quite sure that it was likely.

Before they left, Theo said, "Excuse me, Supreme Emperor, where is Mr. Fluffernutter? What about his children? Are they safe?"

The Monster Emperor moved his eye, which was his entire head, to look at Prometheus and replied, "Naturally. They are resting in my personal space, resting and regaining their energy. I noticed how they were in terrible condition so I already sent someone to take care of them," Then he lifted his hand, and a ripple appeared in the air, opening a door-sized portal in the room. On the other side of it, Theo saw Arthur and the three children enjoying a meal on a round table, covered with many plates of different types of foods. They're having a nice time over there, I'm glad. He moved to enter the space and was stopped by the General, who said that Theo needed to ask permission first. Theo sighed and asked, "Can I please join Arthur in that room?"

Then Nightmare Dalo closed the distance in an instant, towering over the shapeshifter, "You will not use such a sarcastic tone in front of His Majesty the Supreme Emperor." Theo could hear the eye-monster sigh from his chestmouth and add, "Dalo, he's just a Private. Don't lose your composure over that."

The crystalline creature nodded and moved back to the side of the bed. After the Emperor gave him permission, Theo entered the spacious room, where he could then see that doors on the far end of the dining room opened up into separate bedrooms, with a bathroom near them. Theo reprimanded himself for not shifting into a more approachable form since his Antis shape wasn't exactly suited for spending time with kids, but they didn't seem to care, running up to his insectoid legs and hugging him. Orion, the youngest one with the glasses, shily hugged his front-most leg, retreating a second later. Freya jumped around, probing his exoskeleton and testing its strength. Atlas did something similar, but with a more hands-on approach, that being punching him.

Mr. Fluffernutter wiped his mouth with a napkin on the table and walked up to the shapeshifter, gaze warmer and calmer than last time. He's still very skinny and pale, but being safe is what he needed the most to recover. "Hello Arthur, how are they treating you?" Asked Theo, curious about the Emperor's hospitality.

"Let his actions speak for themselves. Look at that," Arthur pointed behind himself with his thumb, "We have a fully furnished apartment, with everything we could ever need. A nurse comes twice a day to check on our health, and to make sure that we are recovering well. They even made a playroom for the three walking problems over there," He nodded at his three children, smiling all the while. Under that smile, Theo could see a different undertone. The kids have recovered very well, seeing how energetic and happy they seem. How did they do that after that traumatic experience?

Theo voiced his doubt, making his owner sigh and cross his arms. He moved closer to whisper in Theo's ears to avoid the kids listening in and said, "I asked the Emperor if he could help me with their trauma, and he suggested we remove the memories of the incident. Keeping those memories in them would only have created more problems in the future for them."

"Why didn't he remove yours as well?"

Mr. Fluffernutter's jaw tightened, and then he said, "I can't forget what happened. I will not allow myself to die or forget before I've exterminated those monsters."

Prometheus nodded, sympathizing with the sentiment. He too wanted to eliminate the weird priests once and for all. "How should we do that, sir?" he asked his owner. The bald man hummed quietly before replying, "We'll gather our strength first, and then attack swiftly. After your raid with the General, they won't expect us to attack them so soon." Prometheus and the tall man exchanged a few other ideas, spending various minutes on that. Then, the shapeshifter's mind wandered to another place.

A suspicion began to form in Theo's mind, Why is the Emperor even doing this? What does he get? he then voiced his doubts to the bald man, looking behind him to confirm that the portal was closed. Arthur sat down and closed his eyes, face looking down. "They said that they want my medical knowledge, and that's why they call me Doctor. First of all, I never told them what I know about medicine, so I don't know why they know, and second, I believe it has to do with the Emperor's condition. Did you see how he's lying in bed all day?"

Prometheus nodded, "Yes, it did seem weird to me. After everything that I've seen, I can't imagine a cure not existing with all the magic bullshit around." Arthur nodded, continuing, "Right. Also, he told me that once I got better, he would start 'training' me. What for, he wouldn't tell me, only that it was related to the Soul."

Prometheus used his Supernality sense to look at Arthur's Soul, thinking, His Soul is there, but it looks so muted, like a seed that hasn't sprouted yet. Is that what tier 0 Souls look like? "We can ask him directly," Said Theo while moving back toward the Emperor, hoping the portal would open automatically. Mr. Fluffernutter stood up and said, "No. He won't tell us anything, and we have to be more careful about what we say. We can't act so impulsive, Theo."

The shapeshifter turned around and sighed loudly, accepting his owner's directive. Maybe he's right, but I still feel like asking the Emperor directly would be faster. When the kids stopped swarming him, they tried pulling him into the playroom to show him their toys, and he agreed to do so. Many wooden toys lay thrown around the room chaotically, most of them being dolls of some kind. Theo took out the dino plushie from his inventory and gave it to the kids, who all began fighting about who should take it.

Prometheus chuckled at the scene, before walking back to Arthur, who was drinking tea from a cup. The man asked, "Do you want any?"

"Yes, thanks."

Prometheus and Arthur spent a couple of silent minutes enjoying drinking tea together, and Theo created taste buds in his mouth for that specific moment. His moment of peace was interrupted when the portal opened and the General ordered him to get out, telling him they were about to leave. Prometheus left the room after making sure his owners were doing well, returning to the old, clay hut. The laying form of the Emperor was a stark contrast to what he would expect the head of the Monster Army to be once again, which unsettled Theo. I couldn't beat that weird priest head-on without my toxins, and he was already injured. I would get pulverized by anyone near the Emperor's level, probably.

Theo and General Espanto moved out of the poor hut, reaching the place that they had come in from. Once again, a large portal opened up that allowed the two monsters to return to their base. Once there, Prometheus noticed Sayuri, the bamboo samurai following the Major, and the shapeshifter used the opportunity to talk to her.

"Sayuri!" Exclaimed Theo with a mental connection, waving with his insectoid arm. The samurai turned to him and nodded, approaching him, "Hello, Prometheus."

"How are your bodily improvements? Any problems whatsoever?" Asked Theo, noticing the leathery covers on the joints just as he had planned. Sayuri nodded, lifting her arms to show her elbow and shoulder, "Yes, I feel much stronger. You have my appreciation. My opinion of you has changed."

What's that supposed to mean? Instead of focusing on that, Theo nodded and returned to the General who was impatiently waiting for him. The tree monster walked swiftly, arriving at the central room with the large tree once again. He's weirdly impatient for being a tree. He then sat down on a conjured throne of roots and said, "Private, it's time you start your training, as you're embarrassingly weak currently." Prometheus interrupted, shouting, "I'm very strong for my tier. I have no idea what you're talking about."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"That doesn't matter. Enemies of a higher tier won't spare you just because you're a lower tier. Most deaths in our army happen at the hands of higher-tier enemies. That's why I prepared this training for you." A mental packet arrived at Prometheus, detailing his training schedule. It was divided into four parts, with each one taking an entire day. The first one was called, 'Soul technique training', the second one was 'Combat training', the third was 'System training', and the last one was 'Mental training'.

"The first training is simply one where I'll teach you a handful of Soul techniques, and you'll practice them. Then, the Combat training consists of fighting a training golem for a day straight, alongside the other monsters you brought with you. Third, the System training means that we'll upgrade your Status. Lastly, Mental training means that an instructor will teach you general knowledge from many fields, be it battlefield strategy, theorems, and whatnot. Everything clear?"

Prometheus nodded. Seems easy enough.

"Another thing. You'll have one hour of free time a day, in which you'll be able to do whatever you want. Follow me, we're going to the training area." Before they departed, Theo told the tree monster that he wanted to spend that hour each day with his owners and friends, which the General agreed to.

A large opening in the central tree allowed General Espanto to walk through, immediately plummeting down below. Prometheus ran over and saw a deep shaft going down the tree for hundreds of meters. Shifting his body to be lighter and better for gliding, the shapeshifter walked off the edge and began falling down, increasing in speed. He couldn't see anything around him, except light from the end of the tunnel. The sound of air moving around him sounded at his sides, slightly annoying him. When Theo came out of the tunnel, a distant floor greeted him, giving him a couple of seconds before impacting with it. I have 3.64 seconds before impact. More than enough. Prometheus used that extra time to study the large chamber in which he had fallen, his eyes moving to the large central shape. A black cube, three meters on each side, rested in the center of the circular chamber, which was otherwise dull and empty. The general was already walking to a side of the space, not even bothering to turn around at the loud sound of the shapeshifter impacting the ground. The Body points and my genetic modifications through the tier-ups are insane. I only barely felt the impact.

Repairing the small fractures on his exoskeleton, Prometheus skittered over to the General who was sitting down on his usual throne of roots, resting his head on his right hand. When Theo arrived, the tree monster began, "Perfect. First of all, what is your Soul affinity? And second, list all the Soul techniques that you can use."

The shapeshifter fell in thought, remembering the Examiner's words, "They called it 'Replication affinity', as it was the first time that they've seen it. Also, I know how to use [Mental Connection], the technique to speed up my transformations, and the replication of raw materials."

"Indeed, I've never heard of that affinity either. There are ones like Illusion, but not Replication. Show me those two techniques, which I assume you made by yourself?"

Theo nodded, replying, "An Examiner suggested an idea for the raw material technique." He demonstrated his first personal technique by shifting into a tiger. The process, using the Soul technique, took slightly less than five minutes. Four minutes and fifty-seven. Not bad. The General stood up, surprised, and told Theo to repeat it. He then shifted into his Antis form once again, and back into a tiger, both times using his technique. I feel... strange. His vision became blurred, and his cells became less and less efficient, even though they were being fed as much as usual. Prometheus couldn't find any problems in his body, which concerned him.

"You're probably experiencing Soul fatigue right now. Using Soul techniques back to back tires the Soul, which needs rest. As you use them more and more, your Soul will adapt and be able to handle more stress. But if you overdo it, you might damage your Soul, even permanently." Explained the tree monster, which made the shapeshifter fall in thought, I'm lucky I never needed to use my techniques too many times. After half an hour, his Soul felt rested.

"Now show me your other technique." Said the General. Prometheus searched the ground for any usable matter, focusing on a pebble. He then sent a tentacle of Influence on it, enveloping it completely. After a while, smaller pebbles materialized alongside it, accumulating slowly into a pile. If I focus on my Soul, I can see exactly how much it can take before reaching Soul fatigue. He continued materializing small pebbles until a large pile had formed on the ground after two hours and his Soul protested once again. For rocks, it seems I can make one hundred kilograms an hour, with constant use. It's different from when I used this on the acids, maybe using it on solids is more inefficient?

"That's interesting. You can use that technique on any material?" Asked the General, stroking his beard of leaves.

"I don't know. I've only used it on an acid and pebbles, now."

The General nodded and walked over to another side of the chamber, pushing his hand on a seemingly random spot on the wall, which made an opening appear nearby. From his spot, Theo could see a large pile of objects in the hidden room, but before he could walk over, the General returned with a pile of mixed materials, dropping them in front of the shapeshifter. Most of them were solids, but glass bottles of various liquids were also present.

"Try your technique on each material, and see which ones it works with and which don't. I'll be back in a moment." With that, Espanto walked under the hole in the ceiling where the shaft was, and with a large root conjured from the ground, he exited the chamber. Prometheus spent the next hour experimenting with his technique on the materials and made various conclusions: First, liquids are easier to replicate, while solids become more difficult to replicate the denser they are. Also, some of these are impossible to replicate. A metal similar to steel was the most inefficient to replicate, arriving at a rate of one kilogram per hour, just one percent of the pebbles. A strange metal, transparent in origin, outright refused to be replicated at all, along with a glowing substance in a bottle, somewhat resembling the rejuvenating potions he had found at the bandit camp.

Prometheus used a stone tablet to write down the conversion rates of the various materials, giving it to the tree monster who arrived soon after.

"I can't read this, Private." Exclaimed the tree monster upon looking at Theo's writing. Oh right, he can't speak or read English. I forgot with all the mental communications. Theo explained the various conversion rates to the General, who nodded occasionally, "It sounds like a lackluster technique for now, so we need to improve your Soul as soon as possible. Have you thought of names for the two techniques?"

What's a cool name for them? They need to be simple and clear to understand. Maybe [Cellular Surge] for the first? Why not. For the second... [Matter Multiplication]. After being told of the names, the General nodded, continuing, "Since you've been able to use them at tier one, surprisingly enough, they are considered tier one techniques. Honestly speaking, with how complex [Cellular Surge] looks, other individuals would need to be at least tier five or even six to perform it without a Replication affinity. For [Matter Multiplication], it sounds like an inherent quality of your Soul, so it would be just as difficult for someone without your affinity. With that settled, I'll teach you the three basic techniques that everyone learns. You won't use them much in the future, but they are great at practicing the basics. The first one is [Enhancement], which is a technique where you imbue a part of your body, or equipment, with Influence to achieve various results. Don't mistake it with Enchantments. Most learn how to make a weapon sharper, or a body part more durable, so I'll teach you that. Look at my Influence,"

The General's left hand spiraled into a single root, resembling a drill. Theo focused on the Influence around the General's Soul, which was slowly moving to the hand-drill. It then created a thin veil around the hand, covering it completely. Prometheus walked closer to sense it better, studying the configuration of the Influence. It seems like the General's Influence is packed as closely together as possible. Is that the way to make something more durable? When Theo asked about it, the tree monster nodded and continued, "That's correct. This one is the easiest, as you just need to condense as much Influence as you can with a mental image of a barrier, or a wall, or something equally durable. Remember, influence works with intent and mental images. Any questions?"

Comprehending the concept easily, Theo didn't have any questions. The General continued, "Now, I'll use [Enhancement] to make my hand sharper. Watch closely." Once again, Influence moved to the tree monster's hand, covering it. This time it focused on the tip of the drill-hand, becoming infinitesimally thin and sharp at the tip. I wonder what would happen if I touched that. He moved his hand toward the Influence sting, stopping at the General's shout, "Don't touch it! This [Enhancement] is making my hand sharp enough to affect your Soul and damage it. As you saw, you need to try and shape the Influence in a very thin configuration, like a blade. As you grow in power, you'll be able to make it sharper and sharper. But this is only if you want to make weapons and whatnot sharper, so what about blunt attacks? Great question," Prometheus hadn't asked that question, but he focused either way.

The tree monster reared back a fist and threw a punch in slow motion, "If you wanted to use [Enhancement] on your punch, for example, you would need to do this," Once again, Influence gathered on the fist of the General, but this time, when the fist punched forward, the Influence pulled the fist forward, increasing its speed. "That's the basic technique [Enhancement] and how to use it in different ways. Now, I'll show you the other two techniques."

The General spent the next hour and a half explaining and repeating two techniques, called [Influence Blot], which was a technique in which influence is gathered in an elongated shape and thrown like a projectile. Apparently, the affinity of the user would determine the technique's effect. The last technique, [Soul cloaking], prevented others from seeing the user's Influence and reading their intention. I've used something similar when I attacked that patrol group in the melee trial, but more irregularly. I need to spin the Influence that's escaping my Soul in a specific way to prevent it from going around, possibly to my enemies.

The General left Prometheus with the new knowledge, instructing him to practice the techniques on his own. The weird priests aren't going to extinguish themselves. After a handful of hours of patient training, the Unsafe Hours arrived, so Theo rested on the floor to sleep, ready to do the 'combat training' the next day.