The hunt started relatively well. The Gargantuan Berserker, whose name was apparently Frey, charged the group of hyenas with renewed vigor and increased strength. She was stronger, tougher, and faster than ever thanks to [Herald’s Blessing], which empowered her Zweihänder.

The first hyena fell victim to the Zweihänder’s blade before it could do anything. A second hyena leaped at her and clung to the shield that rocketed forward. Frey headbutted the hyena when it didn’t let go, knocking the monster away. A moment later, she smashed the shield’s lower side into the monster’s back, crushing its spine.

She used [Block] and [Bash] in quick succession, blocking a third attacker and stunning it momentarily before the Zweihänder beheaded it.

But while the start of the battle was a great success, Frey fell back into her bad habits. She charged into the pack to kill another hyena, only to end up surrounded by the remaining monsters. They attacked her from all sides, their claws cutting deep into her flesh. The hyenas ripped chunks of flesh from her thighs and calves, and one of them even managed to slice through her left ear.

And David... he watched it all in silence. Maintaining [Herald’s Blessing] on her was one thing. It was fine with him. However, he wouldn’t reward her stupid behavior and suicidal antics by protecting her from harm. If anything, he’d push her as close to death as possible before he would reach out and help.

Crimson miasma oozed from her after myriad claws marked her body, and renewed strength flooded her limbs. Frey hurled her shield at a nearby hyena, impaling it with the shield’s slightly pointed lower side before splitting another hyena in two. As the hyenas around her closed in on her in unison, she spun around on her heels, executing a swift pirouette, holding her Zweihänder firmly outward. While she didn’t kill her enemies that way, Frey forced them to a sudden halt.

She stopped suddenly and charged one way, splitting a hyena’s skull with her massive blade. What she did next surprised David a little. She reached out to the dead hyena with her empty hand, picked it up, and hurled the corpse at its living brethren.

The fight didn’t last much longer as the Gargantuan Berserker used her superior physical strength and her Class Skill to dominate the battlefield.

The hunt ended… successfully. Somewhat, at least. Frey was still a mess and sustained way more injuries than necessary, but he could heal her easily. Most importantly, he only had to block four lethal strikes from smaller, more stealthy hyenas.

[Bloodbound Bastion] was all it took to block them, though he would have loved to avoid using the Skill Rune. Offering her too much protection wouldn’t help anyone. Then again, letting her die would do him no good either.

At the end of the battle, David was certain a few of her Skill Runes had leveled up. It was also quite apparent that her Primary Class ranked up once mid-battle as her strength suddenly increased. That was good enough for his first experiment, though he hoped the next would be different.

The corpses ended up in his spatial storage like the scaled wolves had, and he brought them to the Junkyard Artificers as they returned.

“Can you be trusted? I don’t know, but you have yet to harm me or the people I swore to protect,” Frey said as they left the Artificers’ warehouse together.

“Regardless, you’re odd. You look human, but I don’t think you are. You cannot be human. If you are, you would have to be a crazy oddball. Are you crazy? Mad maybe even?”

She didn’t make any sense. In fact, she hadn’t said much that made sense since they walked back to Orhain. Other than dropping her name, Frey barely said anything that David could make use of. Sure, she opened up to him—a little bit, at least—but she was still the odd one. Though she was certain he was the weird one. That she’d made painfully obvious after saying it no less than a dozen times after the hyena fight ended.

Despite her unique antics and clear lack of grip, David thought he could work with her. It may be a little bit cumbersome, but she was stronger than most and determined to grow even stronger for the townspeople. That was enough to ignore her bad sides.

Only a few minutes of sunlight remained as he walked back to his temporary stay, thinking about everything he’d discovered during the day, when the elderly women who’d guided him to his house the night before entered his vision. He’d seen their life signals earlier and knew that they were waiting for him, sitting on the masterfully crafted bench beside the entrance.

“We thought you wouldn’t return,” one of the women croaked, pressing her walking stick into the ground to get up.

“I found Frey outside and watched her fight,” David responded with a faint smile. “But I don’t think you care about that. You want something from me, don’t you? What is it?”

“That brute?” another elderly woman asked, shaking her head. “That brawn-brained fool is hopeless. She will either end up killing herself or be the doom of the entire town.”

He agreed with the first part but wasn’t so sure about the latter. Frey would probably kill herself before her actions would harm anyone else. As foolish as she was, she did not want to hurt anyone from town.

“You’re quite straightforward, aren’t you? Not that you’re wrong, kiddo,” the third of four old hags cackled.

Kiddo? I guess that’s better than ‘Your Excellency’, he mused, though he wasn’t quite sure about that now that he thought about it. It was never good to be considered a ‘child’. It indicated that the hag didn’t take him seriously. Or it would have if there weren’t a trace of reverence for his power flickering in her eyes.

All three elderly women were connected to him. He’d removed their aether ulcers, which had somehow bound them to him. But there was more. The third hag was more closely connected to him.

“We’re thankful for the support you offer our town, and we know that there’s nothing we can offer in return for everything you have already done to heal and protect us, but we want to support the town as well!” the third hag said, her old eyes lingering on him.

“But Lilia and the other brats don’t want us to help. They talked with those you’ve already helped and chattered about you and your offer all day, and they’re ignoring us. They don’t want to see us in danger, but what’s the help of staying in town, teaching the children things they’ll never need again—not after such a catastrophe. The Earthen Union we knew is no more!” the first added heatedly and took several deep breaths when she was done.

She patted her heart and looked like she was about to collapse, but though her body was old and starting to fail her, her eyes were filled with determination.

David couldn’t help but like that.

“These young scatterbrains don’t even know what real war means! We survived three wars when their parents were still brats!” the second granny grumbled, throwing as much of a fit as her weary body allowed. She slumped, exhausted, onto the bench, gasping for air once her mouth was dry with all the curses and outbursts she blurted aloud.

Listening to their rants was quite enjoyable, though it didn’t change anything about his plans. If anything, it reinforced them.

“I don’t really need anyone’s approval to help everyone who wants a Class. If you wish to acquire a Class, I can leave the town with you to hunt a few monsters. However, it will be exhausting, but I’m sure you know that already. The three of you may be old, but that does not mean you’re senile or idiots.”

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The elderly woman smiled at him in response, but David lifted his hand to stop them from daydreaming about greatness and immense power.

“As you know, you are older than the rest. Therefore, it will be difficult to improve your ranks if you were to choose the Warrior or Ranger Class. A physical Class is not impossible to rank up even in your circumstances, but your bodies are already slow, less responsive, and weaker than others. Increasing your Body stat may improve your situation, but you will always be weaker than others. Until you extend your lifespan and the like, at least.”

Some god could probably help with the latter and rejuvenate the elderly women, but David couldn’t. Maybe he could cast [True Restoration] and [Vital Weaving] on them while pumping pure lifeforce into them to regenerate their cells, but that would require a tremendous investment into their Body stat and a myriad of tests. David couldn’t promise them anything for the time being.

“Maybe pick a less physical Class like Cleric or Mage and invest one or two Attribute Points into the Body stat. I can examine the changes induced by a heavy Body investment, but I won’t guarantee anything.”

If the rejuvenation worked, the elderly women could pick a more melee-oriented Class as it advanced at the Bronze Rank, but he doubted that would be necessary. The grannies wanted to be helpful. They could do that in the backlines as properly trained Mages and Clerics.

The three elderly women looked at each other and nodded subtly.

“We are fine with that. As long as our request doesn’t put a burden on you, we would like to acquire a Class,” the first said.

“And you do not have to concern yourself with our decision. Your knowledge would be greatly appreciated, but we are old enough to decide what risks to take. We did not survive three wars by hiding in bunkers,” the third hag added with a meaningful wink.

“I’m a great shooter, so I’ll pick the Ranger Class. I know you do not think that’s a good decision, but that’s fine. In the worst case, I’ll be your guinea pig for the rejuvenating program,” the second cackled, bringing a smile to David’s lips.

So there’s a program like that now? Well… why not. He shrugged, going through the options. Increasing the Body stat was said to extend a Classer’s lifespan. In fact, all stats would extend a Classer’s lifespan, but breaking through the next rank, advancing one’s Class, and investing heavily into Body was said to be the most rewarding.

In the worst case, I’ll destroy her body slowly and heal it back up. Destroying her body cell by cell, allowing Vitae to do what it does best, before using [True Restoration], [Unyielding Vitality], and [Vital Weaving] to restore her body properly, giving her a body that suits her extended lifespan.

Maybe that would work. Maybe it wouldn’t. It shouldn’t matter to him—yet he was invested.

“We will see about that.”

The elderly women seemed satisfied with that and left. Having a lot to think about, David stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. However, before he could gather his thoughts and consider how he might help the town survive, he was interrupted once again—but not by the townspeople. Instead, a holographic screen materialized before him.

At first, there was only one, but more manifested in the seconds that followed. At the same time, David felt something within him shift. A strong presence flared up in his heart. It appeared seemingly out of nowhere and expanded rapidly, reaching for the weaves of power he had acquired in the last few days. David walked slowly through the house, ascended the narrow staircase, and sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the frail, inconspicuous presence of the townspeople around him and… within him.

His connection with the townspeople grew firmer, and their opinion of him more apparent. The stronger the connection, the more he could tell about them. He could guess their Classes and Rank; even their Skill Runes couldn’t be hidden from those with the strongest connection. Nor could the steady stream of power entering his very being.

“What the hell?” he muttered, eyebrows scrunched as he turned to the stream of notifications, hoping to find answers.

[The User’s system has been rebooted. The Host has received all the intelligence gathered by the User. Information package of the Naughtrealm and the End’s scheme has been successfully forwarded!]

[Fall of the Minor God, Xeros, has been verified. Sacrifice for the Origin’s sake has been recorded. May the Fallen enter the Cycle of Life and Death in peace, knowing his actions and achievements will never be forgotten.]

[Due to the System’s restriction in the Naughtrealm, the User has accumulated a considerable amount of experience. A surplus of Skill proficiency has been detected.]

[Due to the User’s actions against the Nemesis and active contribution in the destruction of the End’s schemes, resulting in the removal of the End’s control of the foothold established in the Origin, the accumulated Skill proficiency and experience has been multiplied.]

[The proficiency of your Skill Runes increased significantly.

Several Class Skills and Skill Runes leveled up.]

[Weave of Life: Tier-3 II]

[Blood Manipulation: High: Intermediate]

[Reinforce: Tier-3 X]

[Archaic Shackles: High: Intermediate]

[Phantom Rush: High: Intermediate]

[Blood Blast → Blood Burst: Tier-2 V]

[True Sight: Tier-3 II]

[Healing Sphere: Tier-2 XXV]

[Herald’s Blessing: Tier-3 V]

[True Restoration: Tier-3 XXX]

[Origin Lightning: High: Intermediate]

…

[Your selfless act resulted in the protection of the Origin, and Fallen Xeros’ escape of the End’s clutches. Appropriate rewards have been distributed.]

[+50 Blood Droplets]

[Your Primary Class, Lifeweaver, ranked up thrice.]

[Your Secondary Class, Herald of Origin ranked up thrice.]

[Error! Error!!

The User’s Classes cannot be detected. The Individual’s information cannot be accessed!

Anomaly has been detected! Information will be forwarded to the Host. Requesting immediate support!]

David stared blankly at the messages. He read through them thrice before he felt something stir within him.

[Authority to scan the User thoroughly has been guaranteed. Please remain calm!]

He was calm, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t confused. If anything, he was more confused than anything. Why couldn’t the System find his Classes? Something was clearly wrong, yet it annoyed him more than it made him anxious.

[Error! Classes cannot be detected. The User has to be scanned again!]

David grunted but let the System be. He waited impatiently, only for the System to return with the exact same message two more times. Almost half an hour passed before the message changed at last.

[The User’s Classes do no longer exist. Accumulated experience has been converted into easily accessible, customizable Enlightenment. Pick the date, time, place, and the Skill, Spark, Law, or Intent you wish to gain enlightenment and you shall receive it! Lasts up to 48 hours depending on the User’s choice]

“Fuck that shit. I don’t have my Class anymore, or what?” He couldn’t suppress it and cursed for a while, shaking his head. How did that happen? Was Vitae and the nothingness of the Naughtrealm at fault, or was it something else? While it would make sense if the Vitae he’d accumulated in the Maelstrom damaged the System’s access somewhat, that didn’t feel quite right.

He called upon his status instead, which took another ten minutes before it materialized.