“Ben, why do you have to go and make deals that are going to leave you with the most mangled soul in existence?” Thera asked him, already working on repairing the damage he caused to himself and at least feeling marginally grateful that it was getting easier to do, even if she didn’t particularly like what that fact implied either. “I don’t need you to end up being the first person to discover any long-term consequences from this.”

“There won’t be, it’s fine, and just think of it as training for you too. You’re getting a level of experience healing souls that the other soul mages could only dream of.”

“Yeah, and I’m so incredibly jealous of them for that.”

With the day he had to begin giving his blessings finally arrived, Ben had made sure to be proactive, just so that he wouldn’t need to go back over multiple days to do it again and again and again. Ever since he’d blessed Falk, he’d been shaping and storing a few blessings a day, and when he’d gotten word that the gods had agreed to his terms from Myriad, he’d only increased the load, getting Thera to heal him as he cut more away and, combined with the levels he had to skills that improved his healing rate, he’d managed to double his maximum, even while still sneaking in just a bit of practice for skill creation as well, all of it leading to that particular outing, with a sneaky increase to his workload added at the last minute.

He, Thera, Mora, and Delair walked through the streets of the magic towers, their destination being where the aquatic and terrestrial points met, with a gathered crowd on both sides already left waiting as he arrived, with one more there to help, running over to join them.

“Thera, what?” Yuzu yelled, seeing the other’s growth for the first time in a way that left her positively giddy as she ran around, poking and prodding at the new soul mage in front of her before Thera could react. “Why am I just finding out about this now?”

“Sorry, Yuzu. I’ve been a bit busy with, well, everything, but… you’re looking a bit surprising too.”

“Ugh, did he not tell you? Blame your boyfriend for using me as a test subject,” Yuzu explained, knowing that Thera was referring to the fact that she was suddenly a contender for magic cancelling, a skill Yuzu had most certainly not possessed when they’d seen each other last. “Doesn’t matter though, you’re a- mhmhmph.”

“She wants to keep it somewhat private, so please don’t scream it out loud,” Ben told her, watching as Yuzu untied the gag he’d materialized around her mouth.

“Okay, fine, but how did it happen? Come on, this is huge! And for that matter, why am I not getting to train you?”

“Well, it happened because Ben got beheaded, and sorry, but I haven’t had to learn with you because-”

“No, pause there,” Yuzu said, covering Thera’s mouth. “What do you mean that Ben got beheaded?”

“Ugh, let’s not go over it,” Ben groaned. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassment is not a normal reaction to what happened to you,” Thera sighed. “But to keep it brief, he lost a fight to a demon, and trying to save him got me that awakening.”

She didn’t want to go into too much detail either. With both children there, she didn’t want to focus on what was surely a traumatic memory for them, and Yuzu seemed to pick up on that, letting the matter drop.

“So, I guess that means you’re helping me with all of this then?” Yuzu asked, the crowd standing back and waiting, while Thera nodded.

“Helping and also participating. Now that you’re a contender too, are you?”

“Of course,” she sighed. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that getting this skill has increased my workload, but it’s definitely affected it. Not that I expect today to do anything for me, or really anyone.”

“But it’s practice.”

“It’s practice,” Yuzu agreed. “So, we just need Ben to kick things off, and then we can start.”

“Yeah, I’m just waiting on payment to come through,” Ben told them, looking up at the sky as he did. “Well?”

<Just a second, we’re getting there.>

<ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE PANTHEON’S BLESSING>

<DIVINE DEFENSE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

<EXTREME AFFINITIED RESISTANCE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<UNENDING EXTRACTION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DEEP MATERIAL SENSE LEVEL INCREASED>

<FLAVOUR ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<BALANCE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<BLUDGEONING RESISTANCE LEVEL INCREASED>

<AGILITY ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<FLESH REGENERATION LEVEL INCREASED>

<FRACTURE RESISTANCE LEVEL INCREASED>

<MULTIVERSAL AFFINITY LEVEL INCREASED>

<ETERNAL SOUL PROTECTION LEVEL INCREASED>

<SOUL ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<CYCLING LEVEL INCREASED>

<SWIMMING LEVEL INCREASED>

<DANCE LEVEL INCREASED>

<VITALITY ENHANCEMENT HAS COMBINED WITH VITALITY RECOVERY RATE ENHANCEMENT LV9 TO AWAKEN TO UNNATURAL VITALITY ENHANCEMENT>

<DEFENSE INCLINATION HAS AWAKENED TO DEFENSE AFFINITY>

“So it’s the knowledge gods this time, huh?”

<It would be fair to say that this is the last big group of gods that overwhelmingly favour you. Considering that you’ll be one of them one day, it’s generally a good idea for them to put a bit of effort into making a favourable relationship with you early.>

“Well, with this, they’ve got it.”

“Ben, I know you’re talking to your god right now, but are we not going to talk about what just happened there?” Yuzu asked, with both soul mages having witnessed all of the changes in him, while he just shrugged.

“Trust me, I could talk endlessly about how either my soul or reality itself seems to be forbidding me from getting awakening bonuses; I’m just choosing to hold my tongue.”

“Very much not the point.”

“When you’ve had as many awakenings as I have and still haven’t gotten one, trust me, it feels like the point.”

The fact that not even awakening an inclination would give him one continued to be a sore spot, but with his payment received, it was time for him to fulfill his end of the agreement as he pushed his grumbling to the back of his mind and finally began, pulling out soul crystals and cutting away the blessings he had stored on them, applying them to each contender in his sight as notifications rang out in that groups minds.

He recognized all of them by that point, even if he hadn’t spoken to every one of them. Uliel and Vasta were both in the crowd, two he probably would have blessed eventually anyway, as well as the two he’d escaped the demon world with: the energy being with their light magic and the tri-swordsman with a trilateral body-plan. The rest he’d seen, either in the meeting between the third tiers or as the add-ons to various parties he’d helped during his many job runs, with the majority of the individuals with that level of power across the planet all there.

Of course, there were some missing. He didn’t see Amy or Jake, the two both already blessed by him, and while most people at that level had skills that were at least applicable to combat, given those were the ones who’d received the most support from the gods, there were others with skills that wouldn’t as obviously help with the war that hadn’t been seen as worth paying Ben to bless. What would they need someone with a third-tier calculate for when an army was at their doorstep?

That reasoning did show its flaws when one considered all of the work the divine chef was putting in, or how much planning Killi and Verbum had both contributed to strategies to help lower their casualties and bolster their success, but by and large, it was viewed as too late into things for such skills to deeply contribute compared to a combat skill that could rip and tear through and endless storm of enemies.

With that done, though, came what was next, with Vasta calling out to the crowd.

“Alright, you’ve all heard the arrangements by this point. Surface dwellers, follow me to the city’s training area and aquatics, follow your own lead. When we get there, no killing anyone, and if you’re hurt badly enough, then stand off to the side for a healer to come treat you. For the few of you that don’t have a proper combat skill, this is your time to step back as well and do some personal training under the effects that we’ll have going around.”

“And this is both of your notices to keep back when we get there too," Ben told the two children, with Delair practically shaking with excitement at what she was going to be allowed to watch while Mora held her hand, not out of any fear or need for comfort, but instead to make it easier to pull her back if she got any dumb ideas in her head. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you both through all of this and you’ll be guarded by a swarm of spirits so you should be perfectly safe, but if anything does happen, I want it to be because I’m a bad guardian and not because either of you thought it would be a good idea to try and get a closer look, got it?”

“Got it, Ben!” Delair told him, already planning on making sure she and Mora would get the best view they could when they arrived, with Mora already forced to keep her from running then and there.

“Don’t worry,” Mora told him. “I’ll make sure she behaves, and if she tries to run, I’ll get a space spirit to keep her with me.”

“Ha, good kids. Alright then, I’ll point out where to stand when it looks like we’re about to start.”

Something he was personally regretting allowing himself to agree to on such last-minute notice, with the majority of the contenders of the world there; he, Thera, and Yuzu had all been instructed to give what benefits to everyone’s growth they could while partaking in a small battle royale among some of the most powerful people in that world.