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Zarian couldn’t wait. He tore off another slab while it was still dripping, the meat thinly seared at the very least. He sunk his teeth into it ravenously, feasting with the nature of a beast.

He dominated the meal like it was a life and death match between his hunger and the drippy food in his hands. It felt like he was going to die if he didn’t fill up the hole inside of him, so he feasted and feasted, tearing away another piece when the first wasn’t enough.

Then, finally, the hunger subsided and Zarian felt a little more human.

No, I’m more than human.

He felt superhuman. He felt more robust and powerful, his muscles flexing with inner parasitic power.

He didn’t feel like a dainty wizard anymore.

From his throat, he let out a satisfied and inhuman growl. Then he gave the others a bloody smile from across the campfire.

None of them batted an eye, which was a little disappointing. They’d grown used to his strangeness.

Zarian carried on: “So, yeah, someone, the king perhaps, had meant for the soldier kids to die to the gnolls as part of some fucked up peace treaty between the kingdom and the tribe.”

Zarian leaned back against a log while Para used a thin needle of bone like a toothpick for him. She picked at his teeth as he spoke on:

“We, of course, didn’t let that happen. We killed the hunters, and I wrecked the Gnoll Force Monk, who might’ve been the overseer and messenger for the tribe. But, uh, they’ll probably wonder what the heck is happening when they don’t hear anything for a while.”

Zarian had already given them the gist of the fight. He’d withheld how he sped-read the Black Fire section while the skeletons sacrificed themselves for him.

That screw up was too embarrassing for him to share. And the way Naomi had looked up to him, absorbed by the details of the fight, kept him from speaking aloud the blunder.

Naomi was angry that he’d left them with little warning. But she wasn’t as angry as Zarian would’ve expected.

They had an interesting relationship where she was super loyal to the point of putting him on a pedestal while also being the only person who could tear him a new one for when he was a colossal idiot. It was an interesting balancing act, and right now, Zarian didn’t want to distract from what was most important.

And I can scold myself for this one. Zarian glanced over at Loner who stood outside of the warmth of the campfire. I could’ve won faster if I had finished the Black Fire section earlier. I let myself procrastinate because I’m so overpowered at my level, it’s easy to slack off.

Loner’s friends were gone because of him.

Things could’ve gone worse if the goblin skeletons hadn’t sacrificed for him. Granted, he would’ve done scarily well if he’d removed the aura cuffs and switched Straight Darkness +1 to the alpha skill section before the fight.

While Zarian was upset with his mistakes, he was also amazed by how far he could push himself even while disadvantaged.

Can I fight someone who’s in the Level 50s if I go all out while in the Low 30s?

That was a scary prospect.

He wasn’t just fighting their class, stats, and levels. He was also fighting their years spent growing and rising in the Infinita Star System. He’d have to overcome the power disparity and their wisdom and extra stat growth they accumulated over the years.

At least he had a benchmark, which wasn’t satisfying. He would prefer to push higher than a twenty-level difference. He was also certain that there were different ‘qualities’ of opponents.

The lost stone knight had served as a tough enemy who could soak a lot of damage and continue fighting. But the monk was also tanky, quick, and could punch out shockwaves, which had proven more dangerous for Zarian.

The knight would’ve been a bigger problem than the monk if it was in the mid forties in level and had a class advancement.

Yeah, there are enemy types who will be weaker or stronger even at the same level. One might have more stats, traits, skills, while the other doesn’t.

It was safe to say that Zarian could fight enemies between ten to twenty levels above him. The closer to his level, the safer.

“Was your Straight Darkness in your beta skill section?” Naomi asked, breaking the long silence filled by the crackling flames and sizzling meat.

Zarian froze. Then he said, “Yeah, it was.”

Naomi reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to let this one go, sir. For this one time. Okay? We have more important things to worry about.”

Zarian let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry about the other skeletons,” Hannah said. “I just figured out an enchantment that lets me double up on runes. I could’ve enchanted them with Reinforcement +1 and another enchantment.”

Zarian looked over at Loner. The goblin skeleton looked into the dark, his arms folded over his ivory ribcage.

“Loner needs a refresh, if you don’t mind. I think Reinforcement +1 and Amplify Force will suit him.”

“Amplify Force +1.” Hannah said with a small smile, patting her gauntleted hand on the Roller Golem beside her. “I’ve advanced a lot lately thanks to my, um, new toys.”

“Not the best phrasing, but go on and speak your mind,” Gilbert drawled, taking out a knife to cut free a piece of meat from the campfire food. “As for this screwed up situation we’ve gotten ourselves into … how can we get ourselves out of it? Do we have to just leave?”

“But we told Roland we’ll help as his foreign advisors,” Bianca said, wiggling her fingers over the campfire.

She captured some firelight and spun it into a single shiny ball. She kept at it before palming the ball of firelight into one palm.

Then she shot an intense and focused flash into her empty palm while diffusing it simultaneously. She’d been doing that for a while now, and she failed more often than not, which had the skin of her free hand burnt and in need of Gilbert’s Healing Force.

Gilbert looked miserable, more pale than usual. At some point, all of that healing drained more than just his aura. It affected his vitality, as if he had to borrow pieces of himself to help make others whole again.

He’d done a lot of that to save soldiers who would’ve died otherwise. Healing Force fixed vitality mainly, but it could secure someone’s flagging life energy as well.

More importantly, vitality could regenerate just like Health Points in a video game, especially with enough food and rest. So Gilbert would be fine. He didn’t complain much about healing Bianca, since she was committing to some painful but important training for herself.

Nobody was truly idle – Hannah kept sneaking in runic study during lulls in the conversation. Naomi was using one arm to hold above her head a boulder that would’ve crushed a handful of men flat.

Zarian enjoyed seeing consistent training and study from his party. They motivated him. I’m going to put some serious study time on the next spell, the weirdo gravity one.

He wished he could hop to that right now, but he was the party leader. He needed to steer his people through a rocky political situation that could turn out bloody.

“You guys know I’m evil +1, but I like to uphold meaningful promises.” Zarian held out a hand to one of his spectral spiders and picked it up. He watched its near-translucent body dance around while filled with firelight like a living glass figurine.

He said, “If we told Roland we’ll advise him, we’ll do that, for a time. And for a fee.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we will get paid,” Naomi grunted. “Ain’t no way I’m letting us show up to town all broke after all we’ve done.”

“Amen to that, sister,” Gilbert drawled before having another bite of food.

“Acting as advisors won’t be forever,” Hannah added. “It’s a temporary arrangement while also an opportunity to learn more about the Eternal Garden Kingdom. From what I’ve heard so far, they’re usually a defensive force, patrolling their main walls and staying within the kingdom’s more guarded inner boundaries. This unit is young in age and level. Normally, most units have soldiers between Level 25 to Level 35 with officers in the early Level 40s.”

“They sent their youth as sacrifices,” Naomi said darkly.

She switched the boulder from one hand to the other above her head. She turned slightly, mouth open, and accepted a cut of the meal from Bianca’s hands.

Naomi chewed and swallowed before she continued: “Can’t say if our old world is perfect, but they wouldn’t do something so stupidly blatant.”

“Eh, it depends. But yeah, that’s screwed up regardless of worlds and universes.” Zarian held up multiple spectral spiders, as they had a dance party on his outstretched arms. “Still, we probably sparked something. So … we either get to town, get what we need, and get out of dodge. Or we hang around for a little while and see what comes out of it.”

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“Will the kingdom attack us?” Gilbert asked.

Everyone looked at him sharply.

Gilbert shrugged. “Might be a possibility.”

“Yeah, no, that’s nothing I’m interested in,” Naomi said. “I’m not strong enough to take down a kingdom. Not yet.”

Zarian laughed before shaking off the spiders. They skittered away, fading from view. “I say we hit town and find what we need for the Forgotten Kingdom Dungeon.”

“Yes, I agree,” Hannah said, “after we give some decent advice to Roland and his soldiers. It wouldn’t sit right with me when you, Naomi, and Gilbert could be a big help to them.”

“I can’t. I’m evil. But the other two, yeah,” Zarian said.

Naomi and Gilbert agreed.

That was that. Zarian’s party would advise the young soldiers, arrive at Bramblevale, get paid, enjoy some R&R, get all the information and gear they needed for their next adventure, and leave. They weren’t beholden to the fate of one kingdom.

From a pragmatic viewpoint, they had to keep moving to stay on track with their own goals, especially their main quest to save Foodie – who was worth an entire kingdom, maybe more than the Eternal Garden Kingdom.

Bianca sighed unhappily. “I don’t like it. It’s … not good.”

“We’ll stop and help the little people in need when we can. How about that?” Zarian offered.

“Well, I guess that works for me. I care about the little people more, anyway.”

Zarian shifted the conversation before Bianca changed her mind. She was the only good aligned person of the party, and regardless of his opposing views, Zarian didn’t want to suppress her alignment.

He only wanted to manage it in a more beneficial way.

Talking about the gains and epiphanies was the easiest way to keep their campfire hangout from getting burdened by the political stakes. Honestly, it was the most important aspect of the night.

Zarian felt like a giddy kid as he heard Naomi, Gilbert, and Bianca’s version of the battle of the two towered trees. They’d faced more pushback than him and Hannah, and would’ve died if it wasn’t for Gilbert’s tanking support, Naomi’s psychic aggression, and Bianca’s flashy trickery.

“You three work well together,” Hannah admitted. “I was practically walking through a field of bleeding bodies, picking off what Zarian leaves me, which was all of them.”

“That depends on when Naomi doesn’t go gung-ho and run forward like a maniac,” Gilbert grumbled. “Or when Bianca doesn’t keep flashing everyone.”

“Keep up,” Naomi said.

“Sorry!” Bianca chirped.

Zarian laughed as insults flew across the campfire before they settled on the nitty gritty of their growth. Everyone was vastly stronger than they were before reaching the surface. Their skills had grown fast.

Other than Zarian and Naomi, who had already advanced their skills, the other three were at the cusp of seeing their skills advanced. Zarian felt relieved that his party was more likely to survive without him having to hover over them constantly.

Of course, his growth was the most stellar. He’d broken into the low thirties, now Level 33. He had the Black Fire spell under his belt, which could help dominate fights even more.

In fact, the Black Fire spell paired well with Gilbert’s Healing Force – the War Healer Trainee could deny healing of a single target with his Healing Force set to ‘cancel,’ which helped against high vitality targets who could regenerate.

“Damn, Gilbert, you are an all-around good tank and support for us,” Zarian admitted.

Gilbert took his time to answer, looking into the campfire. “I don’t want to make the same mistake I did with Kenneth.”

The mood soured a little, but Gilbert didn’t let it stay that way. “Enough about me. You’re the one who’s got powers out the wazoo. Now you got buffed up by Para and you can cast multiple spells when you couldn’t before.”

Zarian jolted in his seat, nearly throwing himself off the forest floor. His log seat tumbled away after his backside smacked into it.

He had to remind himself that his body was more resilient and physically capable than before. He wasn’t Naomi or Gilbert’s equal in Strength – Naomi now had 70 in Strength, Gilbert had 62 in Strength, and Zarian had 24 in Strength.

But Zarian still felt like a powerhouse because of his Overpower trait combined with the parasitic threads enhancing his body.

It was almost peculiar that Parasite Cloak +1 used a distinct language in the first advancement instead of the usual stats, but that was a curiosity for another day. Zarian’s heart was pounding fast after what Gilbert had said.

“Whoa, chief, whoa! Am I not supposed to toss the praise your way or something?” Gilbert held up his hands.

Zarian reached down and hoisted the big man off the forest floor. His Parasite Cloak snapped and wavered dynamically around the campfire hangout.

“Did you say I could multicast spells?” Zarian asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I said? What? You didn’t notice! You used the Black Fire thing while Loner was still upright.”

Zarian dropped Gilbert, and the big man landed with a thump. He grumbled under his breath as Zarian stalked around the campfire.

Naomi watched their party leader like a hawk. Bianca and Hannah looked up, concerned and interested.

Zarian’s bewildered gaze landed on Loner. Then Zarian stretched out his hand and called upon his newest spell.

He felt resistance, but it wasn’t terrible. His mind’s eye split and envisioned two different spells from the grimoire. He felt his aura split down different channels that he was in charge of, not the System.

Black and gray embers flicked into existence and covered his stretched out hand.

Zarian gawked at the spell before bringing up his profile to look for a new trait. That meant one of two things.

Either this power was separate from the System.

Or he’d created his own trait, and the System hadn’t made it official yet.

Am I the creator of my power? Does the System dig up what’s potentially inside of us and then present it as abilities listed on our profile for easier use?

Zarian looked at Gilbert. He was the only one outside of Zarian who had a strange supernatural quirk from the old world.

The Extra Life trait resulted from Gilbert’s prior specialness, just like how Zarian’s Straight Darkness had shown up before the Advanced Integration.

“Guys, if we work hard enough, we can make our own powers,” Zarian said. “Just think about that for the rest of the night.”

All conversations ended there, each one having their own council with themselves. The next morning, Zarian was greeted by a notification that wasn’t exactly what he’d expected.

<You’ve grown, earning the traits Fractured Mind (Uncommon) and Basic Aura Manipulation (Rare)!>

<Fractured Mind (Uncommon): Your mind has cracks, but it is not wholly broken. Your mentality can work in strange and unique ways that may or may not require professional help. >

<Basic Aura Manipulation (Rare): You’re now able to manipulate aura inside and outside of you at the basic level. This can broaden your mystical horizons.>

“But how does all that lead to me … wait a minute.” Zarian got to his feet, shaking off his grogginess and ignoring his peckish hunger.

He found Loner hanging out by himself. Then he extended his hand and conjured the Black Fire spell.

Just like before, he split his mind’s eye between two different disciplines of spellcraft runes. However, he paid closer attention to his aura around him.

He could honestly feel it flow inside and outside of him in a constant cycle. Part of his aura split off and fed into his cracked brain, enhancing his splintered visualization to support two spells.

He’d never created a new ability to cast multiple spells. He’d basically rewired his own brain to support his visualization of multiple runic symbols while controlling his aura to boost his unique mind.

Hell, he could feel the effect it had on him. His brain felt like it was sitting calmly in an abyss, the pieces held together while it fractured to multicast powerful black magic spells from a soulbound grimoire.

“Your eyes,” said a feminine voice to his side.

He twisted around and noticed Naomi watching him.

“What about them?” he asked.

“They’re usually brown. Now they’re pitch black. The type of black that’s so dark it feels like I’ll fall into them and get lost. Forever.”

Zarian nodded slowly before ending the Black Fire spell and releasing his manipulation of aura. All of this would require extensive testing. This might lead to unlocking Aura Ignition.

“I have good news.” Naomi shifted from side to side nervously.

What the hell? Zarian had to stop himself from gawking at her. You don’t get nervous. It’s so creepy. Cute, but creepy.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I’ve earned a trait of my own,” she blurted out, looking relieved. “It’s called Physical Phenom, and it does what it sounds like, making everything about my body better. It’s only uncommon, but it’s something, right? I also got 2 more stat points in Strength.”

Zarian smiled broadly. “Atta girl, I’m proud.”

Naomi nodded and walked away stiffly. He watched her go before turning to face the early dawn.

Zarian forgot about his detest of the daylight and only thought of the endless possibilities.

Aura Channeler made it so he could do more of the same with less effort. Enemies who could disrupt aura and other people’s abilities would find that hard to pull off with him.

Basic Aura Manipulation made it so that he could control aura in unique ways outside of his abilities. For example, he used a separate aura channel to empower his cracked brain so he could visualize the multicast.

Fractured Mind was the System’s acknowledgment of his uncommon way of thinking.

The lack of direct multicast support had to mean it was a hard rule the System stood by with most wizards – unless the wizard had undergone self-lobotomy to get past that hard rule. Thus, the System ended up notifying him of a few things he’d gained by accident, circumventing the hard rule.

He cheated the System by having a screwed up head.

“I almost feel like I should thank any god on my side,” Zarian said. “Which is basically Shadowfell, it seems like.”

He’d mentioned to his party last night how the gods approved or disapproved of him again, but the conversation over the gods’ involvement was brushed aside for later. So far, Shadowfell was two for two of approving Zarian.

So Zarian threw a bone her way. “Yeah, okay, I’ll give you some appreciation, even though you are kind of messy. Thanks, Shadowfell, and System, for approving of my overpowered growth and not nerfing me completely.”

A weird shadow passed over him from behind. He turned to look and saw nothing unusual, only the blocky verdant forest and the light from the rising sun.

Zarian’s cloak slowly crawled around the outside of his body and shielded him from the sun. When he amplified the darkness of his hood, Zarian noticed the aura channels linking Dark Affinity to reality, which deepened the shadows under his hood and cloak.

He watched how he only needed a tiny, tiny amount of aura to bend the world of physics and laws to his whim.

Zarian ran around the forest like a headless chicken, testing out anything that came to his Fractured Mind. He didn’t care what it was as along as it felt feasible.

Yes, he even ran fully into a blocky tree and tried to condense aura in front of him to stop the collision.

That ended up as a failure followed by a visit to the local War Healer Trainee.

Zarian ran into the blocky tree again, but this time he flooded his body intensely with aura.

He visited the War Healer Trainee once more after that failed.

Then he was back to running around, trying to make aura do things outside of his abilities. He hadn’t figured out anything new yet, but he enjoyed sensing his aura roll, weave, and somersault inside and outside him. He laughed and jumped around like a wild man beast having fun in the forest.

Off to the side, his party watched while following their morning routine and having breakfast.

“There’s dark and evil forces around him,” Bianca said while warming up meat with her Searing Light Flashes. “But he’s acting adorable and having fun. He makes me feel conflicted sometimes.”

“He’s got a new power, that’s for sure,” Naomi said, working up a sweat with deep squats with a large boulder held over her head.

“I need coffee if this is going to be more of a thing,” Gilbert said, sending out his Healing Force when Zarian ran into something again. “Hannah, you think they have coffee in Bramblevale?”

Hannah was tinkering with some runes on her Roller Golem, only looking up when Zarian ran nearby. “Maybe we can pray to a friendly god to have it delivered directly.”

Gilbert frowned. “No. I must stay strong.”

Zarian zipped by the party again, roaring like a creature who was half man, half animal.

Gilbert’s frown deepened. For a split second, he looked weak enough to break his spiritual beliefs from the old world. He withstood against the temptation, however, even at the sacrifice of his limited sanity.