Chapter 341: Thank You For Coming
LEVEL 80 REACHED! CHOOSE A SKILL: DIVINE COMMUNION, MULTITHREADING, SPOTLESS
Bee regained her feet as she read through the options. As much as she would’ve liked to sit and contemplate them for a few hours, there were still things to be done. Her allies were still fighting the archfiends, and she didn’t want to leave the rest of the Nighty Knights alone for a minute longer than required. Fortunately, her mind was so amped up on adrenaline and experience that she processed the choices in record time.
She had no real basis on which to choose any of these skills. No human she’d ever heard of had reached level 80. At least, not for certain. There was no precedent in the historical record other than some ancient myths and legends, which were likely blown out of proportion anyway. Even if they had, they definitely hadn't left records about their skills. And even if they did, the odds of her getting the same skill options as them would be astronomical. Especially considering how specific and unique her recent choices had been.
She looked at the options. Divine Communion was a strong frontrunner. Anything related to her god would probably be great, even if she didn’t know exactly what it did. The second option was solid as well but underwhelming. If the ability would allow her to multitask mentally or something, then that could be worthwhile. It would certainly make running the kingdom and the church easier.
But while being able to multitask might be nice, it wasn't like she could really do too many things at once physically. Perhaps the skill would allow her to change that. Still, there was a nonzero possibility that the term “multithreading” would simply allow her to knit multiple scarves at once or something. The possibility was small, but it was there. She had seen how much Void enjoyed making its tapestries.
The last option was downright heretical.
She knew that Void liked to play with the system. But the fact that it referred to her, a Prodigy of Spot, becoming Spotless? Well. That was simply unthinkable. There was no excuse. She couldn't choose that in good conscience.
By the time she’d started moving to help Jason with his opponent, she already made her choice. Divine Communion was the most fitting for a priestess like her, not to mention the most certifiably useful. However, it worked.
As she lunged forward with her broom, the understanding of what the skill did filled her mind. The web of links that constantly connected her and Void's followers remained the same, except for one. The all-important link between her and Void itself. It felt as though it strengthened, solidified, and pulsed with life. Rather than a dormant thing, it felt as though she could interact with it.
Curiously, she decided to test it out. Even as her broom batted aside the archfiend bearing down on them, she focused on the line and sent along a single querying thought: "Master?"
A warm feeling of reassurance came down from the connection. The feel of her master's presence and aura flooded through her entire body, revitalizing her tired muscles. She felt a surge of power erupt within her as she splattered the archfiend over the volcano wall a hundred feet away.
She looked down at her hands in surprise before her eyes went up to the sky, where a black dot could be seen fighting the demon lord miles above them. "Thank you, master," she thought as she wheeled to face the last opponent.
—
Diving in, I followed the still-traveling light of my sanitation lamp into the nonsensical space where reality warped. I passed the light as it slowly crept toward the abomination and dove toward one of its many maws. With 100% of my processor behind it, I flashed the largest void bubble I'd ever made and pulled the being into my dustbin.
A perfect sphere of total blackness roared out from my dustbin. It stretched out on all sides, completely encompassing the being. Below me, I saw the world darken as our combined existences blotted out the entirety of the sun's rays.
The empty blackness tried to right back, but once it touched mine, it lost all sense of identity and was consumed.
I watched as the inky blackness seeped into the void, seemingly inert of whatever malevolent will had controlled it. The process took a long time as I sat there, hovering in the sky. Eventually, the last of the bubbling, sinuous blackness disappeared into my smooth bubble. With a final effort of concentration, I stripped away the last layer, revealing the true core of my opponent.
It was yet another human-shaped body. But rather than the intimidating figure I’d seen before, this was a confused-looking man. He wore a pair of slightly too-large glasses and was dressed in a red polo shirt and brown khakis. A name tag pinned to his chest read “Will.”
"Wh... what?" The man spluttered, looking around. "What... what just happened? Wh-where am I?!"
I didn't answer. Instead, I examined the man. His shirt was slightly frayed, and there was dirt at the hem of his pant cuffs. He was slightly overweight and needed a shave, but altogether wasn't too much of a slouch. Magically, he was completely inert. It felt as though he hadn't even gotten his first level.
But there was something still there. A thread running off orthogonal to any direction of this reality. It wasn’t like a power line or some sort of data stream, either. It felt pretty harmless this time. It was just a tether. With a small flex of my will, I gave him a push. The man vanished, flying down the tether back to wherever he came from.
The second he vanished, I felt a rush of power pour into me from the system that I now felt intrinsically, having sensed its location in another. Suddenly, I received several notifications.
LEVEL 95 REACHED! CHOOSE A SKILL: REALITY TRANSMUTATION, DIMENSIONAL MASTERY, WORLDLY PURIFICATION.
DEITY FELLED! ASCENSION REQUIREMENTS UNLOCKED.
LEVEL 100 REACHED! DIVINITY UNLOCKED.
CONGRATULATIONS ON REACHING GODHOOD! PREPARE FOR ASCENSION.
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