Chapter 54: SoulTime

His SSS Physique LifeSkill finally advanced to the 2nd stage! However, he didn't expect his whole body to suddenly radiate a dim light. Practically everybody's eyes were on him.

"No way…"

"That fast?! I can't believe it."

Lizzie walked up to him with amazed eyes. "You advanced to 2nd stage Student…after just one mission. Wow…"

The reason why she and everyone else were surprised was because Saviors usually took months if not years to get to the 2nd stage Student realm. Only the most talented could do it earlier.

For example, Yasmine with her S class DPS LifeSkill, achieved this feat only one week after she was drafted!

And from what Lizzie could remember, Atlan was also drafted exactly one week earlier. This meant that Atlan was equally as talented as an S class genius hailed to be the next great Savior in the City.

It could even be argued that Atlan was much more talented than her. After all, Yasmine achieved this after two missions in the Remedium, all in one week. While Atlan achieved it in just one mission.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

Reverend Fifty-seventh clapped his hands in wonderment. "Amazing! God has deemed you worthy enough to give 1000 experience points just from that one mission. As expected. Your heroism has been rewarded."

Everyone's reaction was a mix of amazement and disbelief. They never thought that he would be blessed this much. The Genesis God must have been really impressed with Atlan. S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

However, Atlan knew that that wasn't the case.

He only received 10 Experience!

The God wasn't the reason why he advanced; he already had enough experience to fill it up multiple times. The problem before was that it didn't advance even if it was filled up with 1000 experience.

Is being 'blessed' by a God a requirement for me to advance my Physique LifeSkill?

This guess wasn't without merit. After all, his LifeSkill had the job of a God.

Specialty: GLOBAL

—God: (SSS) Grim Reaper Physique

———Consolidating the 2nd stage

———— 12 hrs : 59 mins : 27 s

But the most alarming thing about this was that his whole body glowed a white light when he advanced! Everyone saw it with their own eyes.

"Why did my body glow?"

Lizzie answered him. "That's normal. Everybody glows like that when they advance to the next stage."

Atlan was relieved to know that his case wasn't abnormal. However, he wondered why his previous advancements showed no physical manifestations.

When he advanced his SSS class Cherubic Retribution LifeSkill, it didn't show anything on his body. The same was with his other LifeSkills.

Is it because of my Physique? Does it hide the other advancements?

But no matter what, he wished that it would stay the same. It would be weird if they suddenly saw his body glowing every time he advanced one of his LifeSkills.

"Congratulations!" Lizzie gave him another big hug.

Soon after that, Neumann and the rest of his teammates gave their praises to him. They weren't envious at all, because Atlan proved himself to be a commendable Savior.

"I can't call you Newbie now. You are a full-fledged Savior!" Neumann saluted him by bumping his fist two times in his chest.

Atlan awkwardly returned the salute. "Thanks…"

TICK…TOCK…TICK…

Just then, Atlan suddenly saw something change in his Soul System. He closed his eyes and focused on it.

In the dark expanse of his Soul System filled with large planets, asteroids, blue wisps, and red geometric objects, he suddenly saw something new to the side.

Just beside his LifeSkill planets, he saw a large construct completely made out of glass. This object was made out of two triangular bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck. And inside this thing were cascading grains of sand, slowly pouring from the top to the bottom.

This was an hourglass.

[SoulTime]

—40 yrs : 110 d : 20 hrs : 09 min : 01 s

"What's SoulTime?" he asked out loud.

Lizzie, completely expecting his question, answered immediately. "Simply put, it's your lifespan."

But this left Atlan confused. He thought everyone was 'immortal'. And If everyone was considered immortal, then they shouldn't have lifespans to begin with.

"I don't understand."

This time, the priest answered. "Well, child. Being immortal doesn't mean that your lifespan is extended infinitely. It only means that you can't die.

For example, I have a SoulTime of more than 500 years. Even if that is a long time, it is still a finite amount of time. If I don't do anything and God doesn't intervene, then I will die in 500 years.

However, people like us who live in God's embrace are given extra time, or SoulTime, to extend our lives.

Saviors not only get Experience from doing missions, they also get SoulTime. Normal citizens get blessed with SoulTime for their services towards the City."

Atlan was still hazy about the whole thing. "But what about Angels? I thought they were the beings that made everyone immortal."

Neumann explained. "If people live a normal life, then their SoulTime ticks normally. However, accidents happen and we Saviors risk our bodies and lives in the Remedium.

Each hit, and each injury that we sustain corresponds to a large chunk of decrease in our SoulTime.

A simple cut could correspond to a 1-hour decrease in SoulTime. And a critical injury in your heart could decrease your SoulTime to less than 10 percent of what it was originally.

When I got mutilated, my SoulTime decreased to dangerously low levels. They estimated my SoulTime was only 30 minutes left."

"What if your SoulTime turns to zero?"

"That's where the Angels come in. They follow every person in this City like a shadow, and during times when a person has only a few minutes left in their SoulTime, the Angel injects them with more life, more SoulTime, making them virtually immortal."

The priest nodded, feeling that Neumann's explanation was accurate.

Atlan finally figured out the reason how Angels and immortality worked. It turned out that Angels were more like emergency medical officers, rather than immortal beings who gave out immortality to everyone.

He then looked at his Soul System. He only had 40 years left, which was a significant improvement to the 20-year-old expected lifespan of those in the Unclaimed Lands.

But when he inspected his SoulTime, he noticed something extremely weird.

—40 yrs : 110 d : 20 hrs : 09 min : 01 s

—40 yrs : 110 d : 20 hrs : 09 min : 02 s

—40 yrs : 110 d : 20 hrs : 09 min : 03 s

It was ticking up!