Hell yeah, got it!
By the evening of the next day, he’d turned himself into a contender for the skill through only the acts of creation he could pull off while flying through so many different cities, and he chose to focus on his success, rather than the fact that that was where his leveling for the skill was going to end. Same as with soul affinity, he had no way to cheat the countless thousands of years needed to awaken such an ability, meaning his odds of ever raising it to an authority were slim.
But, as disappointing as that was, it was also a minor concern. Sure, he’d hit a wall with a skill he’d only just received, but he could already tell how much it was lowering the mana cost of his enchanting and material manipulation, and it was an instant, giant leap towards his goals of hitting the third tier again for the skills he did care about. Progress was progress, and he’d taken all he could get.
And who knows? He told himself as they finished up their last city. Maybe if I do make a mythic item, then that will awaken my new affinity too.
With that goal reached though as they finished working their way through their final city, that left them with only a detour remaining, albeit a somewhat lengthy one, followed by one final task for after as the two met up with a space mage to be taken to the untamed lands.
Every army on the planet had already been modified by him, they’d all specifically made the time during the last one, but with such shorter notice for his new run, they weren’t as easily able to get out to be linked to his experience pool, necessitating the trip out with an awakened space mage, one neither he nor Thera personally knew, but they at least made the trip quick by constantly refilling his soul as they got to each destination until finally, that segment was done.
“Meaning there’s just one more thing to do.”
“Sleep, because one of us still actually needs that sort of thing?” Thera asked, having been denied the night prior since Ben hadn’t stopped working, meaning she needed to keep up her soul magic as well and pushed her sleep resistance in the process, claiming a level of it in the end.
“Ha, I won’t wake you up tomorrow, but this is going to be a big part for you too. Come on, everyone’s ready and waiting, but the sooner we get this done, the sooner we get to go home.”
Dropped back at the magic towers, by the coast where they’d arranged to meet, there were only a couple dozen between both land and sea who were waiting for them, individuals who, either from working themselves beforehand or gaining levels under the authorities and knowledge Ben had provided, reached a point where he could awaken their magics.
With Thera’s help of course, his girlfriend filling the roles that Yuzu and Elvat normally played by lowering their awakening thresholds while also increasing their leveling bonuses to make what they were doing easier, as well as give her a bit more experience in spells that normally wouldn’t come up too often so that she’d eventually reach a point where she’d cast them passively like others in that domain she would use, all while Ben went through them, one by one, leaving flashes of mana each time.
With only a couple claiming unique variants from their awakenings and only a little more gaining bonus skills, Ben took what he could for his rings before finally they were done, their task complete and the world once more stronger for it.
And nobody better be complaining about me after this, Ben thought up to the sky above while he and Thera made their way home. I did an extra round of modifications and even awakened people earlier than expected. Look at me, being nice and agreeable, so I don’t want to hear anything else from anyone until the war is either won or everyone is dead.
Myriad said in his head.
Ugh, yeah, it just felt like a lot, Ben sighed, having helped capture thousands of such individuals. Across the millions I helped, I get it’s not a crazy number, but it’s definitely going to make me lose a bit of sleep.
You’ve got me there. Still, people who used the demons as an excuse to kill their enemies, a couple of serial killers, one nefarious dark mage, and a few other magic-related crimes, there’s always something going on here, huh?
True, and on that note, how’s Cheele doing? New head of a crime family, that's gotta be a little bloody.
Mostly want to confirm that he’s not going out murdering people left and right. I can forgive some of it in the right circumstances. Hell, did that more than a couple times over the last couple days too. Just want to confirm the power hasn’t gone to his head or that he’s not taking after his psycho mother.
<... I’ll leave it at the fact that after his takeover was completed, his organization got a fair bit more peaceful, but I’ll say nothing of how he dealt with some of the old guard. More importantly, back up a bit. How many people did you see murder someone and let them off the hook?>
A few, Ben shrugged, keeping things intentionally vague. I’m not a cop and I can only act on my own best judgement. If it seemed like the person they killed deserved it then I’m not sending them in, especially if they’ve shown otherwise good or upstanding lives since.
<... I’m going to let this pass, but just for reference, never mention to anyone else that you discovered any murderers and decided to let them get away with it.>
Deal.
Evening came the following day, and with it, a new task. Ben had linked so much of the world to his experience pool; now he needed to exploit it.
Back in the guild, a small party was already waiting for him and Thera to arrive, his partner immediately joining while he himself touched his job crystal first, finding no other new options had slipped in and, thanks to that, there was nothing to choose. Only one thing was remotely interesting to his curious mind, and with it, he thought out his choice.
Give me father of abominations.
Name: Ben Heph
Race: Demonic Human
Titles: Apostle of Myriad, The Forgotten One, Miracle Maker, Skill learner, Enemy of Eneth, Trial Defier, Trial Breaker, Godslayer, Monster, Madman, God killer, Threat, The Mad Apostle, Destined God of Connect, God of Destruction, Creator of Life, Awakener, Maniac, Brutal Blacksmith, Defier of Gods, Title Holder, Enemy of Olensia, Great Teacher, Student of Helori, Myriad’s Monster, Outsider Slayer, Demigod Slayer, Transgressor, Destined God of Mental Symbiosis, Destined God of Alien Thought Structure, Destined God of Soul Production, Job Holder, Destined Holder of Actualization, Enemy of Duna, Demon Slayer, World Slayer, Demigod of Growth and Gain, First Human God, First of the Faith, Record Breaker, Psychopath, City Builder, Destined Holder of Multiversal Inclination, Blessing to the World, Abomination, Mockery to all that’s good, Horrible Thing, Freak, Blight
Jobs: Father of abominations (lv 0)
Previous Jobs: Apprentice craftsman, Craftsman, Priest, Enchanter, Mind user, Magic item maker, Magic weapon maker, High enchanter, Fractured mind user, Tree tamer, High craftsman, Apprentice mage, True mage, Tank, Heretic, Adventurer, Divine heretic, Kin, Master craftsman, Master enchanter, Scholar, Connected enchanter, Infernal craftsman, Marksman, Destruction mage, Material mage, High material mage, Profane enchanter, Master material mage, Impious creator, Mind master, Master adventurer, Otherworldly craftsman, Material creator, Master of all, Ritual enchanter, Holy craftsman, Cursed item maker, Actualizer, Summoned enchanter, Destructive craftsman, Soul mage, Freak mind user, Unholy thinker, Polymath, Alien mind, Soul user, Soul master, Evil soul user, Soul defiling gardener, High actualizer, World killer, Connect master, Abysmal connecter, Master of destiny, Hive brain, Divine enchanter, Inclination master, Slayer, Judge, Holy adversary, Title master, Beneficiary, Divine kin, Multiversal material mage, Expert, Body user, High tank, King of intelligence, Body master, Master tank, Primordial heretic, God defiling gardener, Master actualizer, Outsider, High marksman, Fallen actualizer, King of mana, King of stamina, King of vitality, Intelligence embodiment, Soul creator, Mind breaker, Total self, Degenerate body user, Demonic body user, Divine body user, Foul tank, Resistant tank, High destruction mage, Mortal realm actualizer, Beginner dancer, Assassin, Therapist, Trap user, Eldritch mind user, Trap master, Immoral trap user, King of strength, Cycler, Evil god, Destruction god, Soulcrafter, Divine apostle of Myriad, Craftsman: sewing path
Attributes:
Vitality: 20478
Vitality recovery rate: 1129/hr
Mana: 53452
Mana recovery rate: 6165/min
Strength: 16002
Agility: 6152
Stamina: 33248
Intelligence: 465,548
Affinities:
Light: 3
Life: 2
Fire: 4
Water: 3
Air: 4
Earth: 2
Death: 3
Dark: 1
Space: 4
Time: 5
Resistances:
Light: 68
Life: 72
Fire: 75
Water: 69
Air: 66
Earth: 81
Death: 78
Dark: 85
Space: 63
Time: 61
Blessed skills:
Unending crafting lv9*
Divine enchanting lv9*
Eldritch mind lv2**
Passive skills:
Evil god of sacrilege lv8**
Divine defense enhancement lv3*
Perfect absorption resistance lv2*
Extreme affinitied resistance enhancement lv2*
Abominable bite enhancement lv0*
Corrupted piercing resistance lv0*
Artisan’s soul*
Unnatural intelligence enhancement lv9*
Blood regeneration lv9
Unending extraction enhancement lv9*
Soul affinity lv9*
Tier two modifier compatibility*
Deep material sense lv9*
Flavour enhancement lv9
Balance enhancement lv9
Soul expansion lv9
Defiler of ambrosia
Destruction authority lv6**
Evil authority lv6**
Defense affinity lv0*
Unnatural vitality enhancement lv1*
Integrated divine body lv9
Mythril blood
Unnatural mana enhancement lv1*
Strength enhancement lv9
Unnatural stamina enhancement lv0*
Bludgeoning resistance lv6
Agility enhancement lv4
Flesh regeneration lv7
Fracture resistance lv7
Unnatural mortal realm actualization enhancement lv9*
Multiversal affinity lv2*
Alien sense lv9
Eternal soul protection lv5*
Destructive touch
Evil touch
Soul enhancement lv9
God’s boon
Crafting affinity lv9*
Abomination production lv0
Active skills:
Stealth lv2
Soulcraft lv0**
Cycling lv5
Marksmanship lv9
Material manipulation lv9*
Swimming lv4
Dance lv4
Rule bender lv1
Aim lv9
Esoteric actualization lv9*
Condemnation lv9
Realm access lv9
Blessings:
Myriad’s Blessing
Anailia’s Blessing
Helori’s Blessing
Galwax’s Blessing
Elvat’s mana regeneration Blessing
Eneth’s Blessing
Earth Pantheon’s Blessing
Life Pantheon’s Blessing
Dark Pantheon’s Blessing
Olensia’s Blessing
Nare’s Blessing
Yuzu’s mana regeneration Blessing
Child of Chaos
Oaun’s Blessing
Phixth’s Blessing
Passive Pantheon’s Blessing
Duna’s Blessing
Jagal’s Blessing
Non-Affinitied Pantheon’s Blessing
Crafting Pantheon’s Blessing
Velmet’s Blessing
Knowledge Pantheon’s Blessing
Trials:
Trial of Anailia and Tolona
Trial of the Dead God
Earth Tower
Life Tower
Dark Tower
Non-Affinitied Tower
Craftsmans’ Tower
Myriad, language. Gosh.
It’s fine, it’s fine, Ben told him, discreetly touching his job crystal again before a small frown came to his face.
Hmm? Oh, given that my last skill with the word ‘production’ in the name was a magic, I was hoping this would be one too, but it looks like no such luck, Ben explained while materializing a small piece of metal and bit through it while testing one of his new awakenings, able to feel the new strength in both his teeth and jaw. Still, always hope for how it grows. What do you think? If it awakens to abomination source, that has a pretty good ring to it.
Surprisingly enough, it seems to be a mind skill. Definitely passive.
Looks like it’s making me better at holding information on biology-
Hmm? You saw it when I fought Yuzu and the other two, Ben said while his testing went on; a small, simple blade produced to poke at his flesh, not breaking through and yielding another effect worthy of the prefix ‘corrupted’ as his body automatically gave off just a small amount of destruction magic in response to weaken and dull the weapon, making him grin. Even with Eldritch mind being as strong as it is, when I’m building something on a molecular scale, if it’s as complex as a biological system then it has to be small, that’s why I’d actualized a seed for it and packed in all of the genetic info it needed to grow. I couldn’t just materialize one of the hole-people-
Eh, it’s a working name, it’s not like it’s important. Anyway, before my mind awakened, I needed Jagal to teach me the structure of the simplest seed she was aware of, and even then she streamlined it. The terraforming seed I made during that spar was about a trillion times more complicated than it, but even then, it wasn’t as complicated as trying to materialize a fully formed body from scratch. Too many different biological systems to manage all at once, even with any shortcuts I could try to make when arranging the information-
Myriad finished for him, with both comprehension and growing horror at the notion.
As it is, I probably wouldn’t be able to materialize something like a fully formed body for myself, but if I get to the point where I can awaken it…?
Right! Honestly, I’d been expecting second tier; third tier is great!
Natural talent? I’m personally pretty happy with them considering how they just raised a lot of my defensive skills and attribute enhancements. Guess it makes sense too, the longer it takes to kill me, the more apocalyptic I can be. And who knows, I get one more job with those bonuses and maybe I’ll even manage to get an apocalyptic inclination to go with it. That would be pretty sweet, right?
Very hurtful thing to say to one of your dearest friends and most important believers.
Myriad, I’m literally the god of evil; I think we both know that changing that’s going to be impossible.
It’s not like it matters where I go; I’m always with you.
Alright, suit yourself.
With his god leaving, all that there was left was to start as Ben began creating souls, using what he could see in everyone else in the guild as a reference for how many he should make.
Considering that he and Thera both had third tier jobs while two others in the party had advanced second tier ones, with that experience split across the world, what he needed to do was create a level of experience that could finish the jobs of more than two hundred third tiers, but by that point, Ben knew it was well within his power. He’d reached a point where he was finishing even two third tier jobs in minutes before, multiplied by the new total and such a thing wouldn’t even take him a day, but he still needed to make sure he did it slow enough that anyone else would be able to comfortably get to the different job crystals around each town and city to change a few times over.
Leaving him to settle on a pace that would take him a few days to finish before he’d be able to move on to Thera’s next option, being back to no more at that level for himself, but as it was, across the planet, the change was surely already being felt as the people near the tail end of their jobs finished what they had while everyone else crept up too. The experience a third tier would need was incomparable to anything at the first after all, and when he was creating such an endless amount of it, the difference was sure to be felt soon.
And who knows? Maybe, as long as everyone keeps up with changing their jobs these next couple of days, by the time we finish great spirit and mana goddess for Thera, we might have ended the majority of first-tier options on the planet. As for anything left, well, I’ve got some other workarounds.