CH815

When he got up in the morning he made a point to mention how much better he was feeling over breakfast, getting to see Mora perk up at it while Thera caught on to the deeper implication of it before they split up for all of the tasks they had, with her back to deal with hospital work while it was time for him to stop putting off a visit be needed to make, passing through the magic towers’ guild to do it.

With a side effect of his activities there not going unnoticed. People around recognized him as he walked through the streets, both from all he’d spoken to and helped teach at the library as well as for his work rushing people through jobs, with whispers going up around him and thoughts of awe in more than a few minds he passed.

All of which he tried to ignore. There was nothing about fame he particularly cared about getting when there were no real benefits to it to outweigh the expectations it created as well, it left him picking up his pace as he made his way to the library, thoughts of wearing a hood the next time he needed to go that way in his head to save him whatever trouble he could with the bit of anonymity.

The attention didn’t disappear when he got there either but at the very least it was quiet, letting him ignore the world around him as he made his way to the top floor where the friend he was looking to see was already waiting with a pile of paperwork in hand as he moved to sit across from him, eventually pulling Verbum’s eyes.

With the reaction a bit more subdued than it had been in the past. He saw the other’s eyes widen in surprise but that was it, bringing a grin to Ben’s face.

“Been a while Verbum, you seem surprisingly chill.”

“I don’t think I can keep getting shocked every time I see you but… Why are you a skill now?”

“Ah, that? Funny story. So I took on the non-affinitied tower and one of the trials created a copy of me and long story short I merged it into my soul so now I’m him and he’s me and here we are.”

“...Why?”

“Eh, I like every copy of myself I meet, I’m well-adjusted like that.”

“...Okay, whatever, what are you here for? Trying to look into all of the insane changes it looks like you’ve gone through?”

“Yes please, I even brought food as payment.”

A trade that looked like it had almost managed to capture the other’s interest until he shook his head.

“Well unfortunately for you, I actually am busy right now. I need to read all these documents by the end of the day and extract whatever information I can, I don’t have time to check over all of the insanity it looks like you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“Interesting, interesting, and if I could hypothetically help reduce your workload now and forever?”

“I can’t have you read over my shoulder and mind constantly.”

“But I can help you think more and faster if you’re willing. Come on and give it a try.”

He pulled out a circlet as he said it, quickly applying some enchantments even as Verbum looked at it critically.

“Those things you donated to the library?”

“An improved version but yeah. You tried them already?”

“I’ve heard enough people say that suffering through them wasn’t worth the benefits of using them. Pass.”

“God, Verbum, that literally hurts so much to hear. Aren’t we pals? I worked hard on this thing.”

“You enchanted it in front of me in less than a second.”

“Yeah, but what you didn’t see in that second was the years of practice and training that let me get to this point. It’s going to be one of the best I’ve made, man, at least try it before you reject it.”

He looked at the other summoned with the widest, most innocent eyes he could while Verbum rolled his own, ultimately taking it from his hands.

“Fine, but if I hate it I’m throwing it as far as I can.”

“I’d like to point out that’s mythril.”

“Which you can materialize.”

“Touché.”

Still looking suspicious, Verbum ever-so-gently placed the circlet on his head, blinking twice as Ben was left expecting to have to go off to pick it up wherever it was about to land, only to get a different reaction entirely.

“Oh, this really isn’t that bad? Thinking five times at once and with some control over the speed I can think at, it looks like it works in tandem well with my skill so… why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

“This is just the first time someone hasn’t outright bad-mouthed my circlet effects to me after trying them. This is a special moment.”

“Okay, stop having it. I’ll take the tool though.”

“Deal, and?”

“And I’ll look at whatever you want me to, now that I have some mental leeway,” Verbum sighed. “So what is it?”

“All of my slayer titles, my current job, integrated divine body, and mythril blood, pretty please.”

---

<Well? Learn anything?>

“That I desperately wish I could understand how the system stores information,” He sighed. “Like, it’s not a god anymore but with the way it was remade, is this related to thinking and memory and how that changed for it? It feels either insane or alien to a point that I can’t understand even with all of the changes to my own thought structure.”

<You know I was talking about your status information.>

“Yeah yeah, loads. Plenty pretty interesting too. Fun fact about slayer titles that I missed before since they never seemed interesting enough to look into until now, it looks like I get experience for killing the things they apply to on top of the built-in experience everyone already gets from killing demons.”

<Oh, wow, that’s… Bad.>

“Strongly disagree, just not particularly handy to me either. I don’t get enough chances to kill gods, demigods, outsiders, or worlds to really take advantage of it so all it actually means is I’m getting more job experience from the demons I kill than usual, although that might explain that last boost I got after killing that crappy time demon. It became a god too so I was already double or triple dipping.”

<Ugh, just don’t let me hear you suggesting killing gods you don’t like more frequently because of it.>

“Myriad, you really shouldn’t bother asking things you know you can’t stop. It’s gotta be a depressing habit.”

<Yeah, whatever. So what else did you learn?>

“That the main unlock condition for my beneficiary job was having both defiler of ambrosia and modifier compatibility which is pretty cool. Not only am I the first person to get it, I might be the only person to ever get it seeing as how I’m definitely the first to get both of those skills. Definitely a win for me, even if it didn’t exactly give me anything when I took it.”

<Ugh, I can only imagine it would help you gain another one along those lines though.>

<It’s not like the first isn’t helpful but what’s the second?> Helori chimed in, making her presence known while Ben prepared a lie. When he’d first revealed the effect of the skill to his god, strengthening all of his jobs, titles, blessings and inclinations, Myriad had asked him to keep it a secret from everyone and he’d been doing just that, giving a far simpler answer.

“Oh, that? Strengthens my inclinations so it’s handy but nothing crazy.”

<Pfff, considering how they’re growing in you I don’t think you can say that. You have a lot of good synergies going on.> She laughed, having no idea just how true that was. <And what about your skills?>

“Well, for mythril blood it does in fact look like there’s literally some mythril being made in my blood cells now and it’s going to be boosting my mana and recovery growth rates a bit which is cool but not the best part. I’m now going to get a bit of passive growth to my mana. Again, not positive how much but seeing as how the amount before was none I’ll happily take it for all it’s worth.”

<And that’s nice and all but what about the big one?>

The last skill’s implications were on both of their minds but again Ben was low on answers, even if he’d gotten something.

“I’m definitely getting attribute growth which is pretty nice to know, sounds like from everything too but other than that, the system’s info was somehow messier than usual. I’m half convinced I checked it while it was still trying to figure out the changes I’d be going through itself.”

<A shame, that really was what I was most curious about.> Myriad sighed while Helori spoke.

<It’s not like there’s no theories to be made though.>

“Yeah? Hit me, I love theories.”

<...Nothing I want to say without being able to back it up. Ben, are you sure you haven’t noticed anything yet? Changes to your attributes or skills, maybe even some feeling from your sacrilege considering what you’ve done to yourself?>

“I don’t know what to tell you Helori, it’s only been a day since I did this and it’s not like it’s the only thing that’s changed in me either.”

<Annoyingly true.> She muttered to herself before falling silent for a moment, thinking it over. <I suppose waiting is always an option but I’m not so patient and if what I suspect is right…>

<Helori, you’re worrying me here, what do you think my insane apostle has gone and done to himself?>

<...There’s a simpler way to test than just waiting, isn’t there?> She asked herself before turning her attention back to Ben. <No reason not to do it when I’ve done it so often before. Ben, come up to the realm. I’m going to take a look at your soul.>

---

Her hands plunged deep into his chest once Ben had made it back to the shop to safely close his eyes, Helori’s brow was crinkled in concentration the moment she’d reached within him, muttering to herself as she did.

“How can a single soul look more and more freakish every time it’s checked?”

“Wow, super offensive. You don’t get me commenting on how your arms feel every time you shove them in there you know, because I’ve got a little something called class.”

“Ben, shut up for a minute. Myriad, the good news is that nobody else on the planet is going to be able to tell this as things currently stand but if the skill grows that might change.”

“And the bad news?”

“Not exactly bad news. In fact, I think it qualifies as good news too, it’s just… this is going to be complicated,” She said, her own excitement hidden by how much of a headache it was sure to be when word got out. “The boy’s turned himself into a demigod.”