Ding!

—

╔════════╗

║OVERFLOW!║

╚════════╝

[Fear Points: 20 → 28]

—

Malik, now back sitting on his throne in the empty hall, smiled once more at the rising numbers on his system screen.

’That’s what I like to see!’

He was previously wrong about something.

Ironically enough, to gain Fear Points at maximum capacity, he did not only need to spread his name to his enemies and his useless allies—no, it was also to spread his name to his own people.

Worship was not only love; it was fear as well.

Fear of his might, fear of his wrath, and fear of his disappointment.

Indeed, one had to be fearful of who they worshipped, and for now, Malik banked on that to be his main source of Fear Points.

Aside from the negative effect from his enemies, Malik’s initial slow gain of Fear Points could mainly be due to that dynamic.

Now, the average citizen felt more fear despite their immense love for him, even as they cheered at his return.

Again, fear alongside the love.

Yet his soldiers, despite the overwhelming display of power he had shown against the Demons, barely gained him any Fear Points.

They would likely not fear him even if he did the cruelest of things to them—they were too far gone in their fanaticism, way too devoted to ever feel anything but adoration.

Rather, they seemed to be more terrified that he hated them instead, bawling their eyes out at their earlier misunderstanding and at the mere thought of his disappointment.

This was also why he was so adamant about keeping his weakness a secret.

Malik knew that his people would accept him fervently, whether he was weak or strong, but if his secret was known, he would be less feared and more pitied.

He could not have that happen at all costs.

Otherwise, he would entirely lose out on a very lucrative source of Fear Points.

This ’weakness’ was to stay with him and with him alone.

From now on, Malik would be steadily gaining Fear Points as he just sat there on his throne.

This would be due to the knowledge of his return spreading across his land and the worship of his people reaching him.

Passive income was the best!

Later, once he was ready, he would fully reveal his might to his enemies and doubters.

The floodgates would truly open.

Anyhow, now that he had enough Fear Points, finally, he would go up a class, fully unlocking a new Rune.

—

╔════════╗

║Fear System║

╚════════╝

{Class: 12 (Bringer of Light)}

{Unlocking Class (11): 27/27}

{Fear Points: 0.3}

—

The moment he input all twenty-seven Fear Points into the system, he felt a change occur deep in his Soul.

It was a shift of fundamental foundations.

The golden chains wrapped around his Ninth Rune began to fall away, links dissolving into Rukh that scattered into nothingness.

Directly following that, Rukh quickly stormed in to fill his now bigger reserves.

Ding!

—

╔═════════════╗

║CLASS UNLOCKED!║

╚═════════════╝

[You Have Stepped Closer To Your Truth.]

—

Of course, the changes did not only occur in his Soul but also in his body.

His strength increased nearly twofold, muscles tightening and bones hardening.

He was now likely able to punch a boulder in half with a single strike, not that he planned on testing that theory anytime soon.

But it wasn’t only that.

His unchanged appearance became a little more youthful once more!

The faint lines around his eyes softened, and his white hair seemed to shine a bit brighter.

Though he was still far from not needing his ring or throne to look as he once did, he had gotten a step closer to his true form.

Good as this new class was, one still had to keep in mind that it was among the weakest in the Divine Hierarchy.

There were twelve classes.

While using a Soul Glyph, he was an Angel of the Sun, which was Class Three. In his weakened state, however, he was Class Eleven, just one step above the very bottom.

So no, Malik was not about to win any war solely by his weakened strength anytime soon.

And yes, despite his ascending so fast, he was sure that things would quickly slow down.

What came next was much, much harder.

—

╔════════╗

║Fear System║

╚════════╝

{Class: 11 (Knight of Rukh)}

{Unlocking Class (10): 0/101}

{Fear Points: 0.4}

—

One hundred and one Fear Points.

A massive jump from the twenty-seven he had just spent.

Malik wasn’t too worried, though.

He had a stable source of Fear Points now, and his lifespan had increased enough that he would not die from old age by the weekend, so for now, time was on his—

Crack!

The hinge of a nearby hall window broke, allowing the heavy frame to bang open against the stone wall with a loud sound, interrupting his thoughts.

Through the opening came a man dressed entirely in black, his body barely visible through the shadows that clung to him.

Or rather, he should have been invisible, but Malik, without any evidence of surprise, calmly glanced at the man. No doubt, thanks to the enhanced perception the Golden Throne provided.

That simple act seemed to startle the assassin more than any alarm could have.

’Hm, maybe I shouldn’t have thought that. I always end up jinxing myself.’

An assassin had arrived to kill him at a most awkward moment.

Though surprised, his thoughts moved fast, calculating options and weighing risks.

He needed to think of a way out of this without wasting resources... not that he had any to waste, his Fear Points being near zero.

The one remaining ember of power from his earlier spins, his safety net, the one thing he never wanted to lose, had been lost.

He had no real option here.

And so, without much thinking, he landed on the same solution that had saved him before.

The same thing he had been doing since his first day in Devil’s Maw. Something as common as people cutting off his thoughts.

’I have to bluff my way out.’

Leaning his head on his right fist, Malik sighed heavily, as if the assassin’s presence was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"What brings you here, boy?"