Name: David Stears

Rank: Ascendant

Divine Seed(1.1%)

Source: 204 Droplets

Corrupted Divine Heart: [Vitae Nihilum: 250]

[Modification: III]

[Weave Optics]: [Bloodthrone Dominion]

[Promethean Constitution]

[Deryadus’ Arm]: [Sacred Beast Core]

He could access a list of his Laws, Class Skills, and Skill Runes independently, but that was hardly an issue right now.

His status screen was nothing like it used to be. Sure, most of his Modifications were still intact, even if the Maelstrom no longer existed. It had been removed from the Modifications and reframed as a… Corrupted Divine Heart. The amount of Vitae was higher than before, but that was also related to the Corrupted Divine Heart.

It… That’s the Minor God’s heart, isn’t it? His heart was corrupted… No wonder my heart looked and felt so similar. That bastard planted his heart into mine, didn’t he?!

His Source was one thing. Nothing about it had changed. Sure, it worked faster than before, but that had nothing to do with Vitae Nihilum or Fallen Xeros. But everything else?

[Anomaly has been detected and examined. The Corrupted Divine Heart the User has detected on Fallen Xeros was repurposed. Records of the Origin determined that the Fallen’s heart stopped beating for 0.1 seconds. Comparing the data with the time and date of Xeros’ Fall, it is assumed that the User has taken hold of the Fallen’s heart.]

[The User’s conditions have been updated. Divine Heart containing a Divine Seed has been detected. Although corrupted, the User wields the power necessary to contain and repurpose Nihilum. Nihilum has been consumed and converted into Vitae, modifying the User’s Divine Seed permanently.]

[Corrupted Divine Heart has been successfully interwoven with the User’s heart. The User has claimed and annexed the heart and Divine Seed within, creating an unorthodox path to godhood.]

[Congratulations, Ascendant, you have taken the first step toward godhood.]

“Fuck that shit.” David cursed, “Am I really a demigod now?!”

Being an Ascendant and taking the first step toward godhood didn’t sound much different from being a demigod. If anything, it sounded exactly the same. Confused and trying to sort through the messages, David reread them a few times. He then cast [Lifeweaver’s Bond] on himself and spent the entire night examining the changes to his body, mind, and soul in detail.

However, one night of examinations was not enough. It was severely lacking, especially with [Lifeweaver’s Bond] providing too little information. The Spark was useful—essential, even—when it came to examining patients. Discovering their ailments and creating a treatment plan was straightforward using Spark’s information, yet it was not suitable for examining a healthy body. Not if one didn’t even know what to look for in the first place.

With that in mind, David used a portion of the Enlightenment the System had granted on [Lifeweaver’s Bond]. The elderly women returned to accompany him and acquire their Class at some point, but he told them to return later. Their Class was not as important as this—all of this.

David spent the next few days using the Enlightenment to modify [Lifeweaver’s Bond]. He did not necessarily have to upgrade it to an Advanced Spark and would have been fine with the necessary changes in the Spark’s abilities, but the things he learned over the course of a few days were too intriguing, too extraordinary to ignore, pushing [Lifeweaver’s Bond] over the edge of the Intermediate grade.

Following the modifications and the Spark’s breakthrough to Advanced, David learned all about the changes he’d undergone unknowingly over the last few months.

First, he discovered a tiny, inconspicuous seed in his heart. It was filled with Origin Essence and Vitae, swirling closely around one another without ever touching. The energies did not harm each other, but neither did they amplify the other. All they did was to coexist. But that was all they had to do: to coexist in David’s body and support the Divine Seed growing in the Corrupted Divine Heart.

The Divine Seed, as it turned out, was the reason the connections to everyone he had encountered since he left the Naughtrealm existed in the first place. After examining his body for days, David learned enough about the Divine Seed and its antics to determine that it created the links and that they empowered the Seed. Even more interesting was that the links were clearly divided into two sections. There were those who liked him or considered him favorable on one side, and those doubting his actions and intentions on the other.

Multiple sub-categories existed on both sides, each clearly separated by the firmness of the connection the people had with him. Lilia and Frey, for example, had a stronger connection with him than others, which resulted in a stronger bond—one that seemed to empower the Divine Seed with more than twice the potency of the weaker bonds. Then again, some weaker bonds were slightly stronger than others, creating a unique situation for each and every bond.

But as curious as the Divine Seed was, David was more puzzled by the Corrupted Divine Heart and the Maelstrom. Even after days of testing, it was impossible to tell how the Maelstrom moved to the Corrupted Divine Heart, or how it split without his notice. The result was excellent, to say the least—increasing the amount of Vitae he held while also creating an easier way to access and utilize it.

At this point, Vitae surged through his entire body at all times. It had interwoven into his bloodstream and empowered him constantly. At the same time, the Vitae-infused blood altered his physique ever so slightly, adapting it more and more to the dangers of Nihilum. And something that should not be forgotten: it also modified the Energy Pathways, attuning them to Vitae. In a few weeks, it should be feasible to release Vitae through any part of his body in larger quantities, instantaneously.

The instantaneously part was the crucial portion, as it allowed David to adjust his fighting style drastically. Furthermore, since his mind space and mind were also influenced by Vitae’s modifications, he considered creating Sparks that relied on Vitae as well. He may have already used Vitae in [Blood Blast]—now [Blood Burst]—and other blood projectiles to infuse Vitae into their tips, but that was not enough. David wanted more. He wanted pure Blood, Origin Essence, and Vitae to work together and amplify one another instead of merely coexisting side by side.

Surely, that would increase his prowess drastically.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

But so would focusing on the Divine Seed and the power it created through the bonds with others.

With that in mind, he returned to the status screen and willed the System to reveal more about Ascendants and the Divine Seed.

“System, can you tell me more about the Divine Seed and everything it does?” he asked as a screen materialized before him.

[Divine Seed]

Rank: Starless (1.1%)

Affliction: Unique(Twin Paths)

Champions: 1(Electra)

Sworn: 0

Bonds: 2351(739 Neutral)

Path of Favor: 1373(1301x Favorable, 69x Trusting, 3x Loyal/Follower)

Path of Conflict: 239 (238x Negative , 1x Critic)

So that is how I can tell what some people think of me? Because the Divine Seed creates an intangible connection that uses their emotions and opinions of me to generate power... is that it?

This was still a little bit confusing, but David guessed that Twin Paths were a good thing. If he had only one Path, those who thought negatively of him wouldn’t empower him— or so he guessed.

But to think that those who think negatively of me provide me with just as much power as the favorable opinions of others. Even the Critic gives me more power—as much as the dozens of townspeople trusting me.

Electra’s mention as a Champion was a great surprise, but it wasn’t like he knew what it meant to be one. The Sacred Beast probably met the requirements in some way, resulting in acknowledgment by the Divine Seed. However, that was also why it was so surprising; his connection with Electra provided him with power as well. Electra was not as far away as the Sacred Beast used to be, but she was still distant. Yet that didn’t matter, as the Divine Seed used the bond to empower David—and it did so constantly.

The constant supply of power was great, but it was also confusing. Was that normal? Was it normal for gods to grow stronger like that—gaining strength without having to lift a finger as long as the bonds remained active? If that was the case... how was he supposed to catch up to them?!

[The System has registered your request. Do you wish to use the rest of your Enlightenment to acquire a lesser information package for Ascendants?]

As always, the System had impeccable timing. Regardless, David was grateful the System was responding actively to him after being silent for months in the Naughtrealm.

“Do it,” he said, discarding all thoughts of investing the Enlightenment to learn more about the Law tied to Rend. It would have been great to manifest the Law at last, but this seemed a lot more important—especially without anyone there to teach him. He would have to wait for weeks, possibly months, until he met Zachariah again, and that was too long to roam the Earthen Union without a Class or the means to acquire Attribute Points.

His three main stats were no more, leaving only his abilities, Source, the Corrupted Divine Heart, and the Divine Seed to grow. The Source and his heart were hardly helpful. Sure, he could expand his energy reservoirs, if the way of the Lifeweaver was still all it took to expand the Source—if it would continue to grow without access to the Primary Class. As for his abilities... sure, he could learn a lot using his Legacy Skill and the like, but information about Ascendants—and possibly methods to utilize the Divine Seed properly—sounded far more important than anything else.

A flood of information struck David. He was familiar with the influx of knowledge, but this was different. It was far more potent and contained much more than anything the System had provided before. The information package was so extensive that David leaned back on the bed and rested, closing his eyes to digest the information while channeling pure Blood and Origin Essence through his head, hoping the headache creeping up the back of his mind wouldn’t get worse.

By the time the flow of information ebbed and David opened his eyes, it was already early in the morning. He regained his senses and sat up straight, grimacing as realization settled in.

Ascendants were beings with a Divine Seed—beings who had taken the first step toward godhood. That much had been apparent. The requirements to form a Divine Seed, on the other hand, were the first new information he’d acquired.

Most beings didn’t form their Divine Seed before one of their Transcendent stats reached 100 percent. It was possible to create the Divine Seed earlier—as early as three Transcendent stats crossing 25 percent, or one stat being nourished more than 50 percent—but it was recommended to wait longer. The longer one waited, and the more all Transcendent stats had been nourished, the better. After all, the creation and the Path chosen during the formation of the Divine Seed mattered greatly.

The System went as far as stating that the Divine Seed’s Path determined the rest of an Ascendant’s future—whether in the direction of their growth or the behavior required to grow stronger.

“So Ascendants choose a Path—one that reflects the way they lived and how they want to live for the rest of their immortal life. They imbue their intent into the creation of the Divine Seed when they form it,” David muttered to himself, forming an image in his mind as he tried to replicate what must have happened for his Divine Seed to form.

But no matter how much he thought about it, it still didn’t make sense. His Transcendent stats had all been below five percent, meaning he didn’t have enough Might—apparently what Attribute Points were called after they’d been invested into one of the three stats—to form a Divine Seed. So… how did it happen?

“By combining the designated Path with the Might of the Transcendent stats, Ascendants can form the Divine Seed and place it... wherever they want, depending on the effect they desire. What’s that nonsense?” He tilted his head a little and went through the information etched into his mind once again.

Ascendants whose powers rely on Mind would plant the Divine Seed in their brains, ensuring most of the Might created through the bonds would empower their minds. To do so, however, one would require a Transcendent Mind with nourishment exceeding 50 percent before the creation of the Divine Seed.

Those with magical abilities would implant the Seed into their soul, which was mostly done by creating a weave that connected the Divine Seed with an Ascendant’s energy reservoir. Once again, this would require a Transcendent Soul that had been nourished by more than 50 percent before the Divine Seed came to be.

Rarely, Divine Seeds were formed in the heart, since it encompassed all aspects—empowering Body, Mind, and Soul as the Seed grew stronger. Apparently, the Heart was the gateway that connected mind, body, and soul. David wasn’t sure how accurate that was, but he didn’t bother questioning the System’s information package. The package was too massive, granting him access to far too many details to bother challenging. Even if he had doubts… where was he supposed to begin questioning, and where would he stop?

What David didn’t understand at first was why anyone would use only one nourished Transcendent stat in the creation of the Divine Seed when they could nourish all three stats to 100 percent to create a Divine Seed that would empower them equally instead of focusing on one aspect.

Being patient and nourishing all stats to 100 percent sounded logical to him—until he grasped an inkling of understanding. To nourish all aspects of his being to the same extent that ‘inferior’ Divine Seeds enhanced their primary one, the Divine Seed in the heart required not only a greater quantity of bonds but also a higher quality of bonds.

Walking down the Path imbued into the Divine Seed of the heart was bound to increase the Ascendant’s prowess greatly, but it would also be full of obstacles and require far more time to reach the same rank as those who started at the same time.

“So, not only did I not create my own Divine Seed, which is now located in my heart and will thus require a lot more time and work to rank up properly, but I wasn’t even allowed to choose my Path?” David remarked snarkily. It wasn’t like anyone could hear him, but that hardly mattered.

“Well… Paths in my case. I have more than one. And I will be stronger than those other Starless Ascendants with a 1.1 percent progress. I guess that’s not too bad. I won’t have to decide which stat to neglect.”

Thinking about it, David recognized that he would have wanted to focus on Body and Soul either way. He would have invested heavily into the Transcendent stats to push them to their limit before creating his Divine Seed. That would have taken eons—probably until he reached the Peak of the Diamond Rank. Even then, he would have been forced to push his Mind stat to greater heights too. Mind was a crucial statistic that deserved nourishment as well.

With that in mind, he could easily accept the Divine Seed in his heart. Nourishing all three stats equally didn’t sound too bad, even if it would be challenging to nourish the Divine Seed quickly.

But would it really be that difficult with two Paths at his disposal? After all, it looked like he had one more Path than most Ascendants.