Next Time You Chum the Water, Call Me
After Iver confirmed his choice, the other two entries vanished and turned to ashes.
His spirit slowly rose, gazing down at the dark earth. A blazing light, like the sun, shone from his chest, and his spirit swelled towards the entire world as if drunk.
The remaining shimmering golden light traced a graceful arc and flew into Iver's chest.
It was like a key inserted into a lock, or a chemical reagent reacting with it. After the light entered Iver's chest, it boiled and exploded like cold water poured into a pot of hot oil. Iver's entire body began to glow, turning into a transparent, crystal-like substance.
Within his body, particles were rapidly shooting outwards. They coalesced into lines that continuously shot out, bending and flying back upon contact with Iver's skin, forming rapidly moving zigzag lines within his body.
Like a slowly burning fireplace, the light emanating from Iver grew ever more intense.
Iver opened his eyes wide, the intense pain making him want to cry out. But he couldn't make a sound at all—the whole world was silent, only pitch blackness and stillness.
He raised his left hand, and saw a dark golden light shimmering beneath his now translucent, glass-like skin. As the bright particles continued to collide with Iver's "shell," they seemed to shatter and gradually blurred.
The shimmering particles transformed into golden lines, and then into a hazy golden mist.
Iver looked up at the dark sky and suddenly seemed to understand something.
He raised his arms as if in praise of the sun.
The next moment, Iver's entire shape suddenly collapsed.
He transformed into an invisible cloud of light, about to disperse outwards in the next moment.
At that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and woke up instantly in bed.
And Iver's system panel also popped up automatically, updating the changed parts:
Enlightener LV30: [Basic Prayer - Level 5 (55%)], [Fire Offering - Level 6 (30%)], [Illumination - Level 5 (15%)], [Shepherding) - Level 7 (21%)], [Dawnfire - Level 2 (45%)], [Blessing - Level 5 (0%)
Mana Pool: 59/59 (Light), 68/68 (Dark), 57/57 (Fire)
Path Trait —
The path has been illuminated: Dedication - Fourth Layer, Transcendence - Third Level
It's immediately obvious that Iver's "Blessing" skill level was directly obtained through experience points before his promotion.
—In short, let's get them all to level 5 first.
"... Ugh!"
Just as Iver opened his eyes, intense pain followed after a brief delay.
His body suddenly began to tremble, and he clutched his heart.
It's so hot...
The blood pumping through his heart was now as hot as magma! His skin instantly turned scalding hot, his entire body flushed red. It was as if he had been soaking in a very hot spring for a long time; you could see with the naked eye that Iver's whole body was red.
He gasped for breath, gripping the sheets tightly from the intense pain. Sweat dripped from his body, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain without uttering a sound.
Lily heard the noise and suddenly woke up.
She walked over quickly, and upon seeing Iver's condition, immediately retreated to get hot water and a towel.
A crimson flame ignited in the depths of Iver's eyes. He looked down at his arms, which were gripping the sheets tightly, and his skin seemed to "crack," with fissures suddenly appearing like cracks in the earth.
Golden light seeped out from it! "Ugh—"
The pain instantly turned into an itch, Iver finally couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't help but groan softly, instinctively wanting to scratch his skin.
But then, his skin turned black and wrinkled, and withered rapidly.
Iver scratched even harder, tearing off a piece of his own skin! He was startled himself.
But it felt like tearing off a layer of dead skin, giving Iver a strange sense of liberation.
The skin beneath that skin is not the pink of the dermis. Instead, it is a pure, translucent white, like Jade Stone.
Iver paused, then vaguely realized something, and began to struggle violently, as if he were bound by some invisible rope and was trying to break free.
But what he wanted to break free from was none other than his own skin.
Iver's body became extremely supple... as supple as a snake.
He twisted and contorted his body, struggling to break free completely from his past skin. Just like peeling an egg in half, the other half could be easily removed... Iver's upper body skin was torn to shreds, but the skin below his waist was almost completely peeled off, like taking off his pants.
Immediately afterwards, Iver touched his face with both hands, as if confirming something.
As if he had found a crack, he suddenly used both hands to forcefully tear the skin on his face to both sides.
His hair fell out and then grew back quickly. The newly formed, translucent skin steamed with heat, so pure that it was without a single flaw. As time went by, that translucent skin, which resembled white jade, gradually "solidified" and turned into a pure white, like a boiled egg.
The next moment, all the skin that Iver had shed began to spontaneously combust.
They burned with golden flames, but did not ignite the bed. The flames clung to Iver as if they were sentient, burning quietly on his body before being absorbed back into Iver.
The only thing left on the bed was Iver's long hair. It had thinned slightly after being burned by the flames, but that only made it more dazzling. Now it didn't resemble hair at all, but rather platinum-gold threads.
His hair has now returned to the length it was when he first appeared in the newspaper. If he wants it to grow longer, he'll have to start growing it all over again.
Lily hurriedly came back in with hot water and a towel.
She paused for a moment when she saw Iver, whose eyes were clear and whose expression was calm.
"... Don't you need a towel anymore?"
"No need, thank you."
"Iver said in a gentle voice."
After he advanced to the Radiant One and completed his first promotion, Iver gained new abilities and even had an additional column added to his attribute panel.
[Occupational Characteristics——]
[Enhanced Blessing: Your "Blessing" evolves into "Radiance"]
[Radiance: Your maximum number of blessings you can apply to the same person is increased by 2; each time you complete a blessing, your next Radiance is free and instant.]
Enhanced lighting: Your "lighting" evolves into "radiance"
[Radiant Light: When you use Radiant Light on a target within the range of "Radiance" and that you have "Radiant" activated, you no longer need to make physical contact with them; your Radiant Light changes from focused casting to echo casting.]
Iver's panel has changed again.
Enlightener LV30: [Basic Prayer - Level 5 (55%)], [Fire Offering - Level 6 (30%)], [Illumination & Radiance - Level 5 (15%)], [Shepherding) - Level 7 (21%)], [Dawnfire - Level 2 (45%)], [Blessing & Enlightenment - Level 5 (0%)
"Very smoothly."
Iver smiled at Lily and said, "Isabel and I are both back alive..."
But just then, Iver suddenly heard a strange prompt that interrupted him—
You sensed the 'adaptive' gaze.
[You have acquired the trait: Adaptability - Enyo's Essence]
[Adaptation - Enyo's Essence: A potion crafted from the Essence of Enyo "City Breaker." Storm Container LV+2 (Max Wind Attribute Mana +42)]
"—This is your share."
A deep, hoarse voice rang in Iver's ears again.
The attribute panel, which had just changed, is now changing again.
Mana Pool: 59/59 (Light), 68/68 (Dark), 57/57 (Fire), 42/42 (Wind)
...Um?
Iver paused for a moment.
"I'm awesome!"
He blurted it out immediately.
He was just thinking about how he hadn't taken the "spoils" or, more accurately, the "project bonus" from the Lord of Scales and Feathers. He'd said He wanted to compensate him, but he didn't know what that compensation would be. He wasn't sure if he should pray and earnestly beg for the final payment... or just consider the Lord of Scales and Feathers's politeness and not keep chasing after him for it.
As it turns out, the Lord of Scales and Feathers really did pay the final payment very quickly.
Before he even got out of bed, the final payment was deposited directly into his account.
And so generous—
A two-level container, which is equivalent to a purple entry!
It was Wind Attribute Mana that Iver had never obtained before! Iver immediately clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly. "I praise the Lord of Scales and Feathers, the God of the Sacred Number Six..."
For a moment, Iver felt a surge of emotion.
—This boss is really good at getting along with people; he actually shares the meat with his subordinates!
Furthermore, Iver isn't currently considered his subordinate— Iver's bosses are the Candle Master and the Fallen Angel. Once the Demon Scholar advances to become Great Sin Scholar, he will be considered a subordinate of the Candle Master and the Ring Angel.
Such tangible benefits were given simply for the cooperation! Iver, who had been complaining that the Lord of Scales and Feathers was using him as bait, immediately changed his expression and his smile became genuine.
Hey boss, next time you're fishing, remember to call me when you're baiting the area!