His mind space had changed a lot. It looked like a vast, ever-expanding expanse. That was the result of his [Soul Domain], and it would continue to expand as he nourished it with more pure Blood and Origin Essence.

While [Soul Domain] didn’t do anything actively, it guarded his soul from damage and augmented all aspects revolving around his soul. Nourishing [Soul Domain] and pushing it beyond Advanced not only increased the potency of his Blood by a fraction, it also augmented the output of his Skills, Sparks, and Intents.

Last but not least, it influenced his Source too, accelerating the production of pure Blood and Origin Essence.

A gargantuan palace highlighted the center of the massive expanse in his mind space. It engulfed his Source, the Laws and Intents, and his Skills and Sparks, safeguarding them from damage. However, [Mind Palace] did much more than just protect. It held everything within its towering walls together, ensuring nothing broke, no matter how much David strained his Skills, Sparks, or Source. Everything was held together and joined the weave that connected it all.

The Class Skills of Serene Ego were not particularly powerful when David used them for the first time. However, they had augmented his mind and soul, creating a formidable foundation, which he had nourished ever since. Both Class Skills had transcended the threshold of the Advanced grade and granted David a foundation that was exceedingly difficult to acquire under normal circumstances.

He could clearly feel that his Class Skills had crossed a line—their limit. Before he arrived at the Naughtrealm, he felt that Serene Ego had reached its limit. The Secondary Class hadn’t been of a high grade, which was why it made sense for its Class Skills to reach a limit. Monk was different. Still, even his first Secondary Class was struggling to provide him with any more benefits. It was highly possible that it would have reached its limits a long time ago if David hadn’t created the Spark called [Aether Breath].

Regardless, Serene Ego had gone beyond its designated limitations. David was sure of it. However, he couldn’t ask the System about it since the System was inactive. He was still unable to access it and received the same response whenever he tried:

[System is unavailable. Intelligence is being transferred to the Host.]

[Pending…]

Unable to rely on the System for anything, David had to search for answers on his own.

He sat cross-legged atop Orhain’s walls and watched the townspeople as they lugged the monster corpses around the battlefield. They pushed them into a tin box the size of a fridge, which held far more than it should. A spatial device, just like the muscular woman had mentioned. However, the box retained the weight of its contents, making it extremely heavy.

Nobody carried the box, and David watched it compress the earth underneath as they squeezed more corpses into it.

They worked efficiently, but without the right tools, their efforts were slow and tiring. It was strange to see someone cleaning the battlefield without proper spatial devices, yet everyone did something. Even the elderly tried to help, though they were more baggage than actual assistance. They were old, fragile, and classless.

“To think they survived like that without anyone’s help for so long.” David grimaced, leaning back as he thought of the things he had achieved since the integration struck the Earthen Union like the disaster it was.

He’d done a lot, and he would have to do much more in the future.

“The System won’t be the same. I think I broke it,” he murmured to himself, leaning back.

Even if he hadn’t meant to, consuming so much Nihilum and transforming it into Vitae had caused that. Given the fact that his heart had somehow transformed into the gathering place of Vitae, and the unknown power he seemed to generate the more the people of Orhain relied on him, his situation seemed a lot more complicated than expected.

Is it their trust that grants me power? Or their reliance on me and my power? It could also be their awe and fear of my power? Then again, the strength that gathers in my heart cooled off when I asked them for information. When… they doubted me, the power seemed to change. But what exactly is that power, and where does it come from?

The latter was something he’d already answered in his mind. It was merely a theory, but he was fairly confident that the Fallen had something to do with it. The Fallen’s power, to be precise. The moment the god ceased to be, its power had entered his body. It was inside him… and that seemed to have changed a lot.

He couldn’t be certain the events were related, but the Maelstrom was no longer in Deryadus’ Arm—let alone intact. Its shards were embedded in David’s heart, which could easily contain his Vitae. It was corrupted, yet nothing was happening to him. If anything, the Vitae in his heart seemed to strengthen him more than it did when it was in his arm. He felt stronger—better than before.

The Fallen did something to me. He would have loved to do it to Zachariah, but since that asshat wasn’t present, the Fallen chose him instead. But we were compatible…was that what he said? He’d been working on Nihilum as well, but he failed, whereas David succeeded.

David ruffled through his hair while allowing the complicated feelings to wreak havoc within him. Meanwhile, his attention never left Orhain’s townspeople.

Clearly, they did not have many Skills. In fact, David was certain their strongest fighters had to stay in the town at all times to protect Orhain from aerial monsters, as well as the ones living on the surface and underneath.

He had yet to see the rest of the country, but Kamia was clearly riddled with monsters. They weren’t too strong for him to deal with, but definitely too much for Orhain. Even more so considering David had yet to find any other survivors. The muscular woman hadn’t been wrong—they appeared to be the only natives of Kamia who’d survived the integration.

Through the avian Echos’ reconnaissance, David learned a lot. He discovered half a dozen recently opened Rifts and packs of monsters that could only have spawned from collapsed Rifts that hadn’t been cleared fast enough. It was only a matter of time before Kamia would be razed to the ground.

Since he had a rough understanding of his location, David could have left. He might have to travel for a while to reach the Dwarven Sanctuary, but he could have left. However, he couldn’t see a reason to leave early. There was no need to rush back to the Dwarven Sanctuary.

First of all, Zachariah would be fine without him. Second, the Naughtrealm was no more, so there shouldn’t be any more overpowered Voidre for quite a while. Even if there were, Zachariah could deal with them alone—or with Maja’s help.

Third, the Aether density in and around Orhain was quite high. David’s first assumption had been that the Earthen Union’s awakening had finally concluded, but that did not appear to be the case, as the regions claimed by the Infected were not as densely packed with Aether as Orhain.

Only the immediate surroundings of the Rift Core in the prehistoric valley were better, yet David had to share the Aether and Essence there. Here… in this place, he didn’t have to share much. A little bit for the people he’d have to teach Meditating—maybe he could help them create a Spark. If not, they could nonetheless absorb Aether more efficiently. A Spark wasn’t required to do so. Or he wouldn’t have been able to replenish holy power when the integration arrived.

Plus, he kind of liked it in Orhain. The part about being ‘revered’ as some pseudo-deity was a little over the top, but the rest was quite interesting.

At last, he was free. He was no longer stuck in the Naughtrealm. It no longer existed either, which ended the End’s plan for a quick destruction of the Earthen Union. His avian Echos had yet to find any wastelands or signs of Voidlings as well. While that didn’t mean anything definitive, David was certain the Regressor wouldn’t need him to deal with the Voidlings spawning under the End’s natural influence. After all, it would take a little bit longer before Voidre could—or should—form naturally.

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We should have until the end of the awakening, David mused. The World Awakening had long since changed the Earthen Union, but the planet’s Aether density was still increasing. The planetary core had yet to fully develop, removing the last restrictions forced upon the external forces, and David hoped that it would take a few more years before the first gods and naturally spawned Voidre would walk the Earthen Union. Gods were not all that pleasant to be around, after all.

Not all of them, at least.

Memories of William and the Poisonous Beast God resurfaced in his mind, and he grimaced.

Focus.

David couldn’t do anything about William or Zephyr right now. Sure, he could search for William with Divine Compass, but he doubted the Intent would lead him to his old friend at once. He knew he was too happy being around the living—around people—to trigger the Intent properly. Sure, it would probably lead him closer to his old friend, but he couldn’t even be certain his friend was anywhere nearby. Running around without a plan screamed of idiocy.

Thus, he would stay. As for how long... David couldn’t quite tell.

Did I change this much? Am I so lonely that I feel like playing guardian to a town of weaklings? he wondered, his Bloodthrone Dominion lingering on the battlefield.

Screams reached his ears, and he turned to see a handful of non-Classers dropping the corpse of a larger, scaled wolf they’d been carrying as they ran back to Orhain. Their life signals were a mess of desperation and uncontrollable fear, threatening to consume them at the sight of a few dozen monsters running toward them.

Chaos was bound to sweep through the rows of volunteers who’d been busy clearing the battlefield, but David didn’t allow it to go that far. He cast [Archaic Shackles] several times in a row and watched the monsters in the distance as silvery-white chains burst from the ground around them. The shackles coiled around the monsters’ limbs first, slowing them just enough for the remaining chains to do their work, pinning the monsters to the ground.

“Calm down,” David called out from the wall, amplifying his voice with pure Blood. He didn’t bother standing up, but watched the excellent work of his Class Skill with wonder.

Was the range of effect of [Archaic Shackles] always this long?

The monsters that had been charging were still thrashing, trying to escape the confines, but the taut chains weren’t something a bunch of hyenas at the Bronze Rank could break free from. Even Rift Bosses at the Gold Rank would be unlikely to escape [Archaic Shackles] at this point.

“The hyenas must have smelled the corpses. Or the blood of the dead,” David spoke calmly toward the panicking non-Classers. He went as far as to cast [Healing Sphere] to calm the nerves of the least stable people working on the battlefield.

“Either way, everyone without a Class can kill one of them. If no one is willing, or no one in need of a Basic Class knows which one to choose, the Iron Ranked Warriors can slay them. You may not rank up more than once, given the lack of a challenge, but one more rank is better than nothing,” he called out, his voice still amplified.

Warriors would gain the most from slaying and protecting. While there was little to protect when fighting against a chained monster, they could still gain something. Hunters, Mages, and Clerics, on the other hand, wouldn’t gain anything—except for a massive boost in their Skill proficiency. Every Skill Rune successfully used on an enemy above one’s Rank would increase the gains drastically. Then again, David was certain he couldn’t trick the System by shackling Rift Bosses at the Gold Rank and transforming them into Orhain’s punching bags. It may work for a few days, but the System was bound to find out.

When nobody moved to take one of those easy kills, David got up. He leaped from the wall and landed on the battlefield with a soft thud. His eyes flicked from one volunteer to the other, and it took a tremendous amount of self-control not to sneer at what he saw.

“You.” He pointed at the skinny boy with ocean-blue eyes. “You wanted a Class earlier. Get over here.”

The teenager had been overly confident before. At least, he tried to make it look like he was confident when he asked David for a Class. And in the few hours that had passed since David nourished [Soul Domain] and [Mind Palace], that hadn’t changed. Fear was ever-present in the teenager’s bright eyes, yet he tried to mask it all as he approached David.

“Do you want to back out? If you do, others who are more willing to acquire a Class can gain full access to the System instead.”

“No!” the boy shouted, moving faster to close the remaining distance between them. “I want a Class. I need it!”

“Sure.” David shrugged. “What’s your pick?”

The boy looked at him, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features.

“What Class are you going to pick?” David asked, suppressing a groan.

“I want to be a Warrior!”

That declaration earned the boy a scrutinizing look.

“Sir! I will be a powerful Warrior and protect everyone. I may have always been a little bit skinny, but I am a good protector! My siblings are alive and well even after the world collapsed. I made sure to follow my duty as the man of the house, and I will not stray from that path! My parents would be proud of me!”

That was a lot more information than he wanted, but David didn’t complain. He looked at the boy and saw a bright flame of determination flickering in his eyes. The boy may not have a Class—he may even be scared to death of the future that awaited him as a Warrior in a world that devoured the weak—but he appeared far more strong-willed than his initial impression suggested.

“I don’t mind your decision, but you do realize that you don’t have to be a Warrior to protect everyone, right?” David said. “I was forced to pick [Cleric] as my Basic Class because I was injured and bitten by an Infected at the start of the integration. But while I didn’t like my Class at first, it turned out better than expected. Sure, not everything was great, but it worked out in the end.”

The teenager’s eyes widened in surprise. “H-How is that possible, sir? I… I saw what you did out there. I mean… I also saw you healing everyone, but that’s all the more reason to believe what Lilia said!”

Lilia? What did she say?

Was that odd woman trying to tell everyone that he was a demi-god or something along those lines? David shrugged inwardly and continued to trod through the battlefield. He called out for a few more people whom he believed to be ready. Some didn’t move, but that was fine. David replaced them with more willing subjects, including a few Iron Ranked Warriors.

“I can fight, heal, and wield magic. Then again, my magic is different from a regular Mage’s. My first Class evolution was special, and it allows me to do many things.” He waved dismissively. “But my past isn’t important. If you think the Warrior Class suits you, you should choose it. However, if you want to protect your siblings, you don’t necessarily need to be a Warrior. A Hunter is good with traps, reconnaissance, sneaking, and occasionally excels at deception as well.”

Most would have advanced Classes by the time they learned the basics of their initial Class. They’d specialize from then onward and could potentially change their entire build-up—especially since advancing to the Bronze Rank granted access to a Secondary Class.

David didn’t speak further. Instead, he watched the people around him and listened as they spoke about their choice. Everyone regarded him carefully, but they didn’t seem suspicious of him anymore. Something about the townspeople’s attitude toward him had changed, and it affected the warmth and power that filled his very being as well.

The tension around him skyrocketed suddenly as the distance from the fortified town increased, and David found himself surrounded by low-ranked Warriors and non-Classers. They inched closer as they emerged from the battlefield, only to slow down and press closer to him as they neared the shackled hyenas.

The monsters hadn’t stopped thrashing, but their attempts had lost their initial vigor. [Archaic Shackles] was still active, draining tidbits of his reserves every other second.

“Who wants to go first?” David asked, only to realize something crucial. “Preferably someone with a weapon.”

He had a few weapons, but the Obsidian Blade wouldn’t work for others. Precisely, it would drain their lifeforce instead. Serpent Fang, on the other hand, was way too heavy. He considered conjuring a weapon made of blood, but he didn’t know if a weapon created from [Blood Manipulation] would interfere with the Class acquisition somehow.

One of the Warriors stepped forward, his steps slow and his quivering eyes fixated on the nearest hyena. The monster yelped and shrieked. It thrashed and tried to escape the chains’ confines, but it was to no avail. In fact, David tightened the chains until the hyena could no longer move.

“If you want to be over with this quickly, you can pierce its eyeball and brain in one go. But if you want to train your Skills a little bit, you can also use [Slash], [Charge], and the like.” He offered a piece of advice, but it didn’t look like the Warrior was listening.

His trembling arms moved at a sloth’s pace as he lifted his sword, and a tear dripped onto the ground as he watched the monster. The Warrior screamed at the top of his lungs and slashed down, drawing blood. He slashed through its neck—after David gave him a little push and cast [Herald’s Blessing] on the sword.

The sword clattered to the ground beside the dying hyena, all while the Warrior’s legs caved in, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Is that guy serious? David nearly blurted.

He rolled his eyes, glanced at the mortified figures of weak Warriors and those who had yet to acquire a Class, and sighed deeply.

This is going to take a while.