CH949

“That was long and terrible, and if anyone up here is still mad about the whole ‘evil god’ thing then I’m going to start living up to the name.”

“Why, hello to you too, Ben,” Myriad greeted him as he and Helori looked up from their work. “What has you so unhappy this time?”

“Oh, you know, the same things I was complaining about before. I did so much work and was paid a pittance for it, so if anyone is still unhappy with my existence despite the monumental achievement of what I’ve done, I’m going to be a touch displeased.”

“There’s always going to be people unhappy with your existence, Ben,” Helori told him, shaking her head.

“Then here I am, a touch displeased. Any chance you’ll give me specific names so I can take it up with them?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Lame. In that case, how are things looking otherwise? Any problems popping up worldwide?”

“Nothing unexpected. The sudden boost in strength is leading people to break things a bit more often than normal as they get used to the change and similar effects resulting from other attributes too but in general, everyone in the world who participated is enjoying their new level of power and those who chose not to are regretting it.”

“Well, anyone regretting it can join when I get to my second round of soul modification in however many months.”

“Mmh, it’s possible we’ll feel a fair bit differently about it by then,” Helori pointed out. “Even if not skill-wise, everyone that joined is going to have the attributes worthy of a second tier. While our armies and adventurers are already putting that power to work for the planet, what any common man might do with it is an entire other worry.”

“It’s not like that wasn’t always going to be a problem,” Ben countered. “People are always going to abuse the power they get-”

“Case in point, you,” Myriad made sure to get in.

“Not enough to deserve to be called out over it. Either way, yeah, this will undoubtedly be used for crime, but it will also be used to let people protect themselves. Sometimes you’ve just gotta balance risk and reward. On a marginally different note though, any word on if you guys want me helping anyone else with their jobs because I just finished mine and will happily start a new one if there’s no takers.”

“There’s always going to be takers,” his god told him. “Still, it took you a while this time, huh?”

“Considering the fact that I was being flown around for days without my coat along with a need to manage my mana for the way I was modifying souls, there was no avoiding it. Still, this is going to be great because I’d bet I’ve got three new options. Seems like third-tier skills always give a job, which means I should have two there, plus I should have gotten king of strength in the mix now too. Oh, and since getting three awakened inclinations unlocked me the job inclination master, I wonder if getting three authorities would give me an extra third tier job too? Inclination god has a pretty good ring to it, don’t you think? Bonuses to my defensive and multiversal inclination, maybe finally score me those connect and crafting inclinations I crave too.”

“And all at the low, low cost of figuring out how to get another inclination to the third tier,” Myriad pointed out. “Considering that by your own admission, it took the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of years for you to do it for the other two and that you have no shortcut for your soul affinity, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“Mmh, maybe whenever I materialize soul one trillion, it’ll push it over the edge. That’s coming up, it could happen.”

“The very notion that you’re nearing your trillionth soul is theologically horrifying. It’s enough to make me worry that you really are going to somehow draw the eye of some greater god of the multiverse.”

“If there is someone like that and they haven’t blinked at the quintillions of lives the demons have slaughtered, then I think I’m fine. Unless there’s some sort of system to detect souls that finds more are leaving reality then there should be then I’d go unnoticed but honestly, even if there is anyone like that, I’ll make sure to give them a few choice words before I’m smited.”

“Ugh, you would too.”

“So, anything else then?” Ben asked them. “Any stupid new problem or new fuss being raised up there that’s going to end with me having to argue for my existence again?”

“The last one wasn’t really about you arguing for your existence so much as it was trying to settle some of the other gods' fears and worries,” Helori pointed out.

“Yeah, and I notice that when I make gods afraid and worried, the go-to solution is wanting me dead.”

“There’s nothing, so don’t worry so much,” Myriad told him.

“I feel like worrying about the fact that the beings who technically rule the world want me dead is both a normal and appropriate response to my life.”

“And yet, currently not important. Since you’ve finally got that job done, I’ll let Phixth know. He should have people on standby for you so we can get your next ones started now if you’re ready for them.” 

“Yeah, sure then, let’s get this over with.”

---

On the same pier as the last time, Ben looked at everyone he was with, examining their souls for the changes they held.

Each person had a modified soul, and he remembered all of them, the nature of his mind making it easy despite the millions he’d assisted, and it allowed him to see what growth they’d gotten since then too. Either as a result of the sort of the knowledge he’d given then, the training and practice they’d been able to pull off thanks to their newly grown attributes, or the few hours they’d been under the effects of his authorities, all of them seemed to have leveled since then, leaving Ben satisfied to witness that some had continued to benefit from his help and left him to re-apply the effects of his authorities to them before they began, in the hopes that it would lend results for whatever new jobs they would take when he was done with them before getting to the task at hand.

AVAILABLE JOBS

• Craftsman- alchemy path

• Craftsman- artistic path

• Craftsman- blacksmith path

• Craftsman- cooking path

• Craftsman- stonecrafts path

• Craftsman- sewing path

• Mathematician

• Beginner puppeteer

• Cycler

• Entrée

• Dancer

• Trap master

• Destruction god

• King of strength

• Evil god

God, how long has it been since my job list has looked so short and manageable? He wondered to himself. So many complicated feelings here. It’s nice that I’ve gotten so many done, but I just want more. For now, three great new options, so let’s kick things off with trap master to see what that gets me.

<ACQUIRED JOB- TRAP MASTER LV0>

<MAJOR BONUSES GRANTED TO IMPROVING STRENGTH, STAMINA, AND INTELLIGENCE>

<ALL TRAP SKILLS WILL RECEIVE A MAJOR GROWTH BONUS>

<MAX LEVEL OF THE TRAP MASTER JOB ACHIEVED>

Fantastic, and that yielded me… only one advanced variant, the sacrilege aligned one. Fine, whatever, I’ll take it. Give me immoral trap user.

<ACQUIRED JOB- IMMORAL TRAP USER LV0>

<MAJOR BONUSES GRANTED TO IMPROVING ALL ATTRIBUTES>

<ALL TRAP AND SACRILIGIOUS SKILLS WILL RECEIVE A MAJOR GROWTH BONUS>

<MAX LEVEL OF THE IMMORAL TRAP USER JOB ACHIEVED>

He couldn’t deny the bit of disappointment in his heart that the master job had only left him with a single new option but it was still major bonuses to all of his attributes, something that always felt good to get in the end as he moved past it to make his next choice. King of strength.

<ACQUIRED JOB- KING OF STRENGTH LV0>

<MASSIVE BONUSES GRANTED TO IMPROVING STRENGTH>

<STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MAX LEVEL OF THE KING OF STRENGTH JOB ACHIEVED>

And now I just need agility to finish off all of the king jobs, not that that’s anywhere close to happening. Unless I get some massive and unexpected growth in those areas, even a few more third-tier awakenings won’t get me there. Oh well, I’m helping six groups total, so since I have one more before I get to my big ones, let’s mix things up by taking cycler, just for funsies.

<ACQUIRED JOB- CYCLER LV0>

<BONUSES GRANTED TO IMPROVING STRENGTH, STAMINA, AND AGILITY>

<ALL CYCLING SKILLS WILL RECEIVE A GROWTH BONUS>

<CYCLING LEVEL INCREASED>

<MAX LEVEL OF THE CYCLING JOB ACHIEVED>

Yeah, should have seen those agility bonuses coming. No new job after it either from the looks of things, but whatever, now I can get to the ones that matter.

<I think I’d prefer you didn’t.>

Yeah, I’m sure a lot of people up there feel the same. Anyway, I’m taking evil god.

<ACQUIRED JOB- EVIL GOD LV0>

<ALL EVIL SKILLS WILL RECEIVE A DIVINE GROWTH BONUS>

<EVIL AUTHORITY LEVEL INCREASED>

<VITALITY ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<VITALITY RECOVERY RATE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MANA ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MANA RECOVERY RATE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<STAMINA ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MULTIVERSAL INCLINATION LEVEL INCREASED>

<ALIEN SENSE LEVEL INCREASED>

<ACQUIRED SKILL EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL 0>

<... Wow, I absolutely hated that.>

Not gonna lie, my feelings are a bit mixed too. As cool as it is getting more divine bonuses, the fact I’m not getting any attribute bonuses for this hurts more than a little. On the plus side, since destruction god is likely going to be the same, what do you think the odds are that it will push my material manipulation to the third tier? It is going to be under my world killer bonuses too after all, plus everything else I’ve got going to it. I think there’s a chance.

<Ben, if you get a new third-tier skill after just revealing the last two you’d gotten then you’re going to cause a panic up here.>

Well, considering my goal is to reach the third tier once more anyway before the next wave starts, it feels pretty safe to say I’m going to cause a panic regardless. Still, it or my connect won’t awaken into anything morally objectionable, probably, maybe, so there should be nothing to complain about, right?

<I assure you, others will not be seeing it that way. Especially when word gets out that you just leveled your evil authority.>

Yeah, but it took forever, it’s probably fine.

<Less than two weeks is the opposite of forever!>

Well, they already know I have them and that I’ve been leveling my sacrilege, they should all be emotionally prepared for my authorities to grow too. Really, I wouldn’t let it get to you. For now, on to the next. Looks like in skill, title, and now job, I’m going to be a destruction god.

<ACQUIRED JOB- DESTRUCTION GOD LV0>

<DESTRUCTION AUTHORITY LEVEL INCREASED>

<ALL DESTRUCTIVE SKILLS WILL RECEIVE A DIVINE GROWTH BONUS>

<UNENDING EXTRACTION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DEEP MATERIAL SENSE LEVEL INCREASED>

<DEFENSE INCLINATION LEVEL INCREASED>

<BLUDGEONING RESISTANCE LEVEL INCREASED>

<FLESH REGENERATION LEVEL INCREASED>

<FRACTURE RESISTANCE LEVEL INCREASED>

<UNNATURAL MORTAL REALM ACTUALIZATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<SOUL REGENERATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<ACQUIRED SKILL DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL 0>

Name: Ben Heph

Race: 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 Holder 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 Holder of Mental Symbiosis, Destined God of Alien Thought Structure, Destined Holder 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

Jobs: Destruction god (lv 99)

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

Attributes:

• Vitality: 17653

• Vitality recovery rate: 974/hr

• Mana: 47724

• Mana recovery rate: 5504/min

• Strength: 13979

• Agility: 5334

• Stamina: 29698

• Intelligence: 270,639

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 lv0**
  

Passive skills: 

• Evil god of sacrilege lv3**

• Bind

• Integrated demonic body lv9

• Divine defense enhancement lv0*

• Perfect absorption resistance lv1*

• All affinity resistance enhancement lv9

• Bite enhancement lv9

• Piercing resistance lv9

• Artisan’s soul*

• Unnatural intelligence enhancement lv9*

• Blood regeneration lv9 

• Unending extraction enhancement lv3*

• Soul affinity lv9*

• Tier two modifier compatibility*

• Deep material sense lv4*

• Flavour enhancement lv6

• Balance enhancement lv8

• Soul expansion lv9

• Defiler of ambrosia

• Destruction authority lv1**

• Evil authority lv1**

• Soul resilience lv9

• Defense inclination lv8

• Vitality enhancement lv6

• Vitality recovery rate enhancement lv6

• False Ben

• Integrated divine body lv9

• Mythril blood

• Mana enhancement lv6

• Mana recovery rate enhancement lv6

• Strength enhancement lv5

• Stamina enhancement lv5

• Bludgeoning resistance lv4

• Agility enhancement lv2

• Flesh regeneration lv3

• Fracture resistance lv3

• Unnatural mortal realm actualization enhancement lv3*

• Multiversal inclination lv6

• Alien sense lv3

• Soul regeneration enhancement lv6

• Destructive touch

• Evil touch

• Empty soul

Active skills: 

• Stealth lv2

• Deep connection lv9*

• Cycling lv4

• Marksmanship lv9

• Material manipulation lv9*

• Swimming lv3

• Dance lv3

• Hive mind lv9*

• Rule bender lv1

• Aim lv9

• Esoteric actualization lv9*

• Soul source lv9*

• Condemnation lv9

• Mind break lv9*

• Realm access lv9

• Calming lv9

• Evil thought lv0

• Destructive thought lv0

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

Trials:

• Trial of Anailia and Tolona

• Trial of the Dead God

• Earth Tower

• Life Tower

• Dark Tower

• Non-Affinitied Tower

• Craftsmans’ Tower

<Oh, and you leveled the other one too.> Myriad said, the sarcasm thick in his voice. <How lovely for you.>

It is pretty nice, isn’t it.? I would have felt uneven if it didn’t work out that way. All in all, I’d say that even went pretty dang well for me too, don’t you think? And now I’m officially done with jobs!

<By my count, you have ten left.>

Yes, okay, fine. They’re all tier one, and I plan on keeping the path jobs in case there’s ever anyone I personally want to help raise with them, but if you guys find another three groups you want me helping in the future, then I will. Other than that, I’ll still be checking my crystal occasionally if anything interesting pops up, so I’ll let you know if it does, and then you guys can work on making me a new party when the time comes.

<I notice you left one job unaccounted for.>

Yeah, because I’m never, ever, ever taking entrée. Why would I take a job that, by all appearances, is only going to raise my flavour enhancement? I should be trying to become less delicious, not more!

<In fairness, I’d assume it would give bonuses to some of your other skills too. Blood regeneration, flesh regeneration, really just anything that could stretch out the meal.>

Terrible way of putting it. Pass.

<Mmh, I’m still betting on you getting curious about it eventually, but fine. In that case, what about your new skills? I’ll reserve my judgement on the names until we know what they do but the fact that they seem to be of the same type is interesting.>

Yeah, looks like all it took for me to finally get some evil and destructive skills was to take the jobs, level up the authorities, and gain the touch skills first. Just look at me, such a good and morally upright guy that there’s barely anything evil or destructive for me to gain.

<I heard the trap job you took, moral is even more of a stretch now than it was before.>

We’re ignoring that bit, it’s just the system’s naming sense.

<Sure, whatever you say. So, any idea about what your new skills might do?>

Not sure, give me a second.

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<EVIL THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHT LEVEL INCREASED>

Yes.

<Do you enjoy making me regret asking you questions?>

It has its charms. You wanna know or not?

<Obviously. Just tell me already.>

Alright, from practicing on Haro, it seems like it does two things, although the second seems more like a side effect of the first rather than the skills’ intent. It lets me provoke an evil or destructive mood in the person I’m connected to and it lets me more easily find evil and destructive memories in a target’s mind, with the ability to bring them to the front of their thoughts and amplify the feelings they cause. It doesn’t seem like I can cause this effect through mana either, so it’s definitely a connect-derived skill. Well, a connect, soul, and hive mind-derived skill if we’re being super specific, although I guess hive mind was already dependent on connect and connect is partially a soul skill-

<And none of that matters because not only would both be super illegal to use everywhere, unlike plenty of other mind control type skills, I cannot see a single positive application of them.>

I mean, more easily honing in on evil and destructive memories could have positive applications.

<Sure, but you just described them as side benefits. I’m clearly referring to their main purpose.>

Okay, sure, yeah, but don’t worry. I won’t be making people more evil or destructive… unless I can safely pair the two to let anyone gain better effects while under the power of my authorities-

<No.>

We’ll put that idea in the maybe pile for now. Anyway, don’t worry about it. The only practice with it I’m going to get is on whatever god I’ve got strapped to my arm at the time.

<But why though?>

At this point, I’m addicted to trying to awaken my skills. Even without the attribute bonuses, it just feels so good. Also, in case awakening them comes with any handy benefits. Don’t worry, it’s just going to be something I try in the background to split up millennia of sacrilege and authority training.

<Ugh, empty skies, fine. So what are you going to do now?>

Now? Myriad, for the first time in ages, I’ve got no tasks from the gods to work through and sure, even if I have my personal projects, nobody’s going to bother me about anything. I’m going to do whatever I feel like.

<UNNATURAL MORTAL REALM ACTUALIZATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<UNNATURAL MORTAL REALM ACTUALIZATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<UNNATURAL MORTAL REALM ACTUALIZATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<UNNATURAL MORTAL REALM ACTUALIZATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>