Usually, Ascended students who fainted during the ordeal would remain unconscious for nearly a full day.
For their bodies to stabilize after the surge, they required almost twenty-four hours to recover.
However, Darien was able to recover the sa night, taking only several hours to regain himself.
The tutor had left him to rest in the dojo. He even laid a blanket over him before stepping back with a glimr of pride in his eyes after a successful Ascension.
But Endor’s delight wrestled with the unease within him.
He knew he couldn’t ignore what he had just witnessed from the boy.
His thoughts turned anxious and wary, burdened with the question of what should be done next, and the great knight left the dojo to answer that.
After waking up, Darien sat up and stretched, feeling invigorated like never before.
Every breath of his seed fuller, every sound he could hear was sharper, and even the beating of his heart echoed with pumping strength.
’So... this is what it feels like, huh?’
Darien thought as he glanced down at himself, inspecting his limbs. Quickly, he noticed that he had beco firr, as if the process had strengthened his bones.
Ascension was not only a reforging of the spirit within but also a manifestation upon the body itself.
From the knowledge gained, he learned that the process accelerated physical growth in young aspirants, making them taller and broader in the right places.
It was the sa for both boys and girls, which explained why so many of the female Warriors were hot.
Darien requested his status panel to see what effects it had on his status.
[Mage Rank: Beginner 0/250]
[Knight Rank: Novice 0/250]
[HP: 116 >>> 178]
[STR: 21 >>> 31]
[AGI: 11 >>> 21]
[DEF: 12 >>> 22]
[VIT: 24 >>> 34]
[STA: 23 >>> 33]
[INT: 30 >>> 40]
’Great. All Attributes increased by ten points each, and all my active skills evolved to the next rank!’
Darien couldn’t help but grin as he compared his new fra with the glowing status before him.
The physical refinent from Ascension alone was already a pleasant surprise, but seeing every Attribute shoot up by ten and all his active skills leap by ten levels was the cherry on the cake.
This impressed him deeply.
The best part was that he still had a stack of unused Attribute Points waiting to be applied, which ant this was only the beginning of becoming OP as he’d desired!
The system also ntioned that, in place of Attribute Points per kill, there was now EXP, aid toward leveling up.
That ant his stat upgrades would most likely co through advancing Levels, climbing from Level 1 (Novice) to Level 2 (Apprentice), and so on, under a single Rank.
If not that, then perhaps through advancing Ranks themselves, though that seed like a much longer stretch.
Either way, the path forward had clearly changed, and Darien would need to adapt to this new progression.
He also needed to allocate his 135 AP wisely, as it would be the last ti he would do so.
Darien already had his stats in mind, so he didn’t think too much. Since he had Ascended, he could now push his body as far as he wanted without worrying about backlash.
[STR: 31 >>> 51]
[DEF: 22 >>> 47]
[VIT: 34 >>> 59]
[STA: 33 >>> 58]
[INT: 40 >>> 80]
[HP: 178 >>> 328]
The surge of power was undeniable for Darien. He truly felt the increase coursing through him, every muscle brimming with newfound strength, and his mind sharper than ever.
The sheer weight of his boosted power was almost overwhelming, yet exhilarating all the sa. He couldn’t believe this was his body now!
’I need more of this power...’
He thought with burning hunger and with confidence that, with his current abilities, he could storm through any dungeon of the Mortal Ranks!
Darien noticed that he was still in the dojo, and it was the middle of the night.
He rembered the escapade he had planned with Jakob and the other students to the Underbelly to get so money and prepare for the coming weeks of no grace.
’Damn. I hope they haven’t left behind.’
The boy bolted out of the dojo without another thought.
He activated so he wouldn’t make any sound at all as he broke out into the cool night air.
Sprinting across the grounds, his heart raced with urgency as he made for the back of their training courtyard where they had agreed to et.
All he could hope for was that he wasn’t late.
At the training ground were the other four children, all waiting for the fifth, Darien.
They had been waiting for just three minutes, but the tension and caution of not getting caught made it feel like an eternity.
Since Darien was the best student of their set, the boys felt he deserved the courtesy of being waited for at least five minutes.
But Ayn, the covert leader of the group, the one who suggested the venture, was losing his patience.
He turned to Jakob, whom they all knew was closest to Darien.
"Where the hell is your friend? Did he just sleep off and forget?"
Jakob scratched the back of his neck, looking uneasy.
"Maybe... but he told he was ascending today. Sothing might’ve happened. Just give him two more minutes."
"We might not have that kind of ti. The guards will be making their rounds here any mont now."
Bowan, the tallest, murmured, shifting nervously as his eyes scanned every shadow.
Suddenly, one shadow approached them from the corner, silent and slithering.
Panic seized the students’ hearts, and they froze on the spot, knowing they couldn’t outrun whatever the hell that was.
A shadow without any sound?
Their hearts thundered in their chests, every breath shallow as the figure drew nearer. Then, as the dim moonlight cut across the courtyard stones, the shadow straightened and stepped forward.
’Oh! There they are!’
Darien thought with relief when he saw the group.
"Damn it, Darien... you nearly gave us all a heart attack!"
The boys were just as relieved as Darien, clutching their chests to relax as he approached them.
Jakob wanted to ask why Darien had kept them waiting and where the things he wanted to sell were, but the words died in his throat as the sound of heavy boots echoed from the far end of the courtyard.
A much broader shadow stretched across the walls, unmistakably belonging to a guard making his round.
Ayn wasn’t having any of it. He hissed loudly.
"Run.....!"
Without waiting for agreent, he darted off in the direction they had agreed on, forcing the others to scramble after him.
The guard, lazily whistling a tune to himself as he strolled the courtyard, suddenly paused when the faint scuffle of hurried footsteps reached his ears.
The soft patter turned into the distinct rhythm of children running. His brows knitted, and his eyes sharpened.
"Hah... puny, naughty first-years."
One would expect a guard to bark out a sharp "Hey! Stop right there!" and chase them down just to keep them out of trouble, but this one wasn’t that kind.
"After nights of boredom... I’d love to entertain so fun."
A wicked grin stretched across his face as his hand reached behind and uncoiled the whip from his belt.
He cracked it once against the ground, the sound splitting the night air like thunder.
"Let’s see how far you pests can run before I skin your backsides!"
The heavy man burst into a terrifying sprint after the children, the whip whirling eagerly in his grasp.
"Seven hells!"
The children panicked as the thunder of his boots closed in behind them, the whip’s crack echoing far too close for comfort.
Breathless gasps and hurried whispers pushed them forward as they ran with fear.
Fortunately, the clustered shadows of the buildings beca their saving grace.
They slipped into the darkness, darted in between corners, always managing to stay just more than two steps ahead of the pursuing guard.
The students eventually reached the fence that lay before the sewer leading to the Underbelly.
To climb it, the boys had planned the usual way—feet to hands, one after the other, and the last would be dragged up.
Darien volunteered to be the last, and Jakob would be the one to pull him up. No one protested because he was the strongest, and they were in a hurry.
Up and up, Darien boosted each boy over the fence effortlessly as the guard’s boots thudded sowhere nearby.
When Jakob scrambled to the top, Darien shoved him higher with a grunt. And just then, the guard’s looming figure filled the mouth of the alley, whip dangling like a serpent in his fist.
Jakob was frightened because Darien was still below, and the guard’s shadow had begun to stretch closer with every step.
Jakob didn’t even want to imagine what the man might do if he caught his friend. So, he leaned dangerously over the fence, thrusting out his hand.
"C’mon, grab my hand."
But Darien, unlike Jakob, remained calm. He knew that if Jakob pulled him up now, the guard would only catch them both.
Even the guard himself knew this, his grin wider, delighted at cornering his prey. He coiled the whip tight in his palm and sneered.
"Got you rats cornered... nowhere left to scurry now."
But Darien had other plans for him. He just stood there, waiting for the man to co into range.
It was a good thing the alleyway was dark, as neither party could fully see each other.
As the attacker lunged forward with whip raised, Darien suddenly raised his hand, and to Jakob’s utter shock, a crackling burst into being, glimring cold and sharp.
was much longer and faster, with a wider exploding range than .
The guard’s eyes widened with disbelief, but it was too late as the student hurled the javelin, striking near his feet.
In an instant, the cobbles erupted with a blast of frost, ice racing outward in glacial shards, and the guard was sealed in a prison of frozen crystals.
’Good luck searching for the culprit tomorrow morning, thinking it’s a mage. Haha.’
Jakob was frozen by his friend’s ability to manifest ice, but he knew there was no ti to waste. So, he thrust his hand down once more and yanked Darien with all his strength.
Then, the two vaulted the fence and dropped to the other side to join the others.
High above, atop the roof of one of the buildings, a hooded figure watched every mont unfold.
The figure’s eyes glinted after witnessing the student cast a spell on the guard.
"Ice...?
This kid is special."
The figure muttered to themselves before disappearing back into the shadows.
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