Book 3: Chapter 38: Rewarding Honesty and Busy Day

Book 3: Chapter 38: Rewarding Honesty and Busy Day

Every remaining skills level up was a resistance, much to Lone's pleasure. He happily took his time savouring each and every level. He didn't know why exactly, but he simply enjoyed getting and improving resistance skills over all other skill type. Perhaps it was because doing so made him less killable.

Regardless, he mentally ordered the skills to, as usual, appear by skill groupings in order of first acquired to last. The initial resistance to level up was, unsurprisingly, Water Magic Resistance.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Water Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 3.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Water Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 4.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Water Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 5.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Water Magic Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 6.

'A respectable amount of levels for 15 minutes of work,' Lone nodded, happy with four level ups.

Of course, next was Drowning Resistance. Lone hoped for intermediate rank and perhaps a special effect from intentionally drowning himself. After all, even if his mind believed himself to be drowning, Basic Regeneration would keep him alive no matter what his lungs were filled with.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Drowning Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.

He sighed. "Only seven levels? And no new effect outside of a rank up? Fuck me. I don't wanna drown myself again... That fuckin' sucked..."

"Only seven levels? What is he talking about?" the matriarch asked Soph.

Soph shrugged. "He's in his own world right now. Like he said, he'll answer all your questions once he's done. You really are younger than me, huh? I don't get as impatient as you are right now."

"What? You think you're older than me?" Lossa's befuddlement amused Lone but he quickly tuned the two ladies out again.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Fear Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Advanced Level 9.

It was only one level but given the self-inflicted fear, the short duration, and the knowledge deep down that he was safe, even one level was a generous offering from the system, so Lone happily accepted it.

His next notification was actually his last, disappointingly enough, but it was for a new skill so he couldn't really get upset at that.

The host has developed the passive skill Identity Disassociation Resistance.

'Wow, that is super specific. What do you do, new friend?' Lone asked in excitement as the skill's information filled his vision. 'Hopefully something beyond the obvious.'

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

"I get no say in this?" Lone asked.

Lossa shook her head. "The elders did not think your opinion to matter. It took Gilbert fighting your case and eventually giving up with a warning of your power for them to offer even this much. You are also, of course, expected to never mention the attack to anyone. They didn't specify how I should accomplish that, but I think a magical contract is expected."

"Absolutely not. I couldn't care less about the money," Lone said as a small pile of ruby gold coins appeared in his hand to illustrate his point. "I could buy the entire clan if it was for sale, Lossa. I respect you a lot for being candid with me, but I will be getting my compensation straight from the horse's mouth. That horse being your war leader."

"That is... an absurd amount of money. But I can't change the decision of the elders, Lone. I wish I could, but I can't. They are all X-rankers. Granted, much weaker X-rankers than Clari- did you just lick your lips? Why did you do that?" Lossa pivoted, apparently confused.

Lone smiled awkwardly. "No reason. Look, I don't want you to get in trouble. Tell the elders I accept, but I'm not signing any contract magic. They can trust my word or they can't. I won't go around saying I almost got killed by some random X-ranker. That's hardly healthy for my immortal moniker, but I will be seeking out compensation separately from her. You can tell the elders that's a personal matter and all debts between the clan and I are resolved with the Spirit Pavilion and permanent, unrestricted permission to live in the clan for myself and my companions. I don't need the gold. What's a Spirit Pavilion, by the way?"

The matriarch took a deep breath and decided to answer his question before asking any further ones of her own. "It is a rather lavish collection of pagodas and gardens that host several spirits of various ranks. Spirit Pavilions promote the growth and evolution of spirits which serves as a pleasant living environment, ideal for attempting to achieve peaceful enlightenment, both for ranks and skills. Considering which Spirit Pavilions are not currently lived in, you will only be able to get one with lesser spirits, meaning I to G ranked ones. I'm sorry. We can't really evict the other residents. They're all important members or guests of the clan."

Lone stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's fine. By the way, if the elders aren't happy with my response, tell them I'll only speak about this further with one or all of them. If you come again, we can chat, but officially, I won't speak on anything the elders want to know."

He sprung up onto his feet and approached Lossa before putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling. "And here, as thanks for being nice, honest, and just a good person to me. Ya didn't have to be. Full Body Diagnostics."

"What are yo-"

Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 5.

'The face of someone in their late thirties, but the body of someone in their late sixties. Four scars from pretty bad looking injuries. Stiffening of the finger joints. Neural circuitry is fucked, likely caused by excess and prolonged stress. And... is that the initial stages of breast cancer? Well, let's make this all disappear, shall we?' Lone nodded.

Lossa had stopped herself from talking, having clearly felt a sudden mass of MP flowing into her and rebuilding her body from the ground up. Lone had fixed Gilbert, so why wouldn't he undo the ageing effects and all of the underlying conditions of the matriarch when it cost him only a fraction of his MP and some kindness to do so?

Item does not exist on Altros, however, there are many like it. 50,000 MP has been consumed to compensate for the difference.

The host has a good understanding of the item. 40,000 base MP cost.

90,000 MP has been consumed to create the item: [Perfect Condition Body [Lossa Redtail]].

He pulled back once he felt the magic finish. He saw the matriarch slowly and hesitantly standing up to test her limbs. He cracked a big smile when he saw he shed tears of joy. He looked to her lifespan, hazy as it was, and could tell it has more than tripled in length when compared to how it had looked when she entered the room.

"Well, would ya look at that. You couldn't be a day over 20," Lone remarked.

Lossa grabbed him and hugged him tightly. "I can feel it."

"Feel what? Better not be love. You have grandkids and I'm a committed man," he joked as he hugged her back.

"Haha, no, the barrier to-"

Lone felt it just as she did. Lossa had become an SSS-ranker. That surprised Lone. She had felt generally a bit stronger than Gilbert just judging by aura alone but he had no idea she was at the level cap for SS-rankers.

"-ranking up!"

'Was she stopping herself from ranking up subconsciously, maybe? All the stress? Did she not think it possible or worth it since she was slowly dying? For the laugh lines and few wrinkles she had plus her rank, she must have awakened decades or even a century or two ago. So for me to undo all of that ending up with the mental barrier dropping, allowing the enlightenment... Man, I'm getting good at this. This is the second person I've helped rank up. Wonder if the third'll give me a skill? Maybe a new effect for Teaching Mastery?' Of course, Lone's mind drifted to his favourite past time.

Helping people like this felt good. It was.. fulfilling. Still, he had a powerful X-ranker to visit so now wasn't the time to be getting retrospective. He also had a new home to move into and a farewell to give to the merchant caravan.

Lossa was still weeping as they shared a hug, but Lone's mind was, as always, elsewhere. 'Such a busy day ahead of me...'