CH604

<Alright, are you ready to head out then?>

“Yep, don’t worry about it.”

<And you’ll be on your best behaviour?>

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

<I don’t know but you make me worry.>

“Well, as long as nobody pulls any crap then you shouldn’t expect any problems. I have already been paid after all.”

With the day to awaken what few mages had managed to get to the eighth levels of their magics finally there, he already knew he’d be helping just over two hundred people, netting him close to forty extra points of mana thanks to his agreement with the gods which he intended to make good on, even if he found himself surprised to have so many more to do.

<It shouldn’t be that shocking for you. It’s admittedly a lot of people who’ve managed to reach such a level in the span of a year, but at the same time, look at what you’re offering. The prospect of awakening a skill is beyond what any average person could dare to dream, but if they were already at the seventh then the eighth level is going to feel significantly more within reach. If getting to just that point means they’ll be able to force an awakening within themselves then it shouldn’t be shocking that people have spent all of this time pushing themselves to the edge of death to take advantage of you. Hell, there are those who were at the fifth and sixth level when word got out that have been working just as hard, desperate that they’d be able to get there by the time we do this again before the third wave, even if their prospects aren’t exactly as good.>

“Well, what can I say, I’m happy to inspire people to get me more mana.”

<They aren’t doing it to make you more powerful.>

“No, but it’s a fair trade-off. Hell, it’s not even a fair trade-off, I was crazy generous with this deal. I’m getting a point of mana for every six people I help, meanwhile, they’re awakening their magics with all of the other bonuses that come with it. Every god that thinks I’m not generous is a factually incorrect asshole and you can quote me on that.”

<I won’t be doing that and anyway, get a move on.>

“Fine, fine, it’s not like there’s a rush.”

Walking through his mini-gate to the main network and to Allfaith from there, Ben went to the same place he’d been the last time he’d done it, going to the soul mage Elvat’s home on the surface and finding the expected faces already there.

He knew the two soul mages would be around, same as the last time, and everyone else he’d come to expect, with Thera there too, practicing with Uliel and Vasta at the side as she had been for months at that point, sparing him a smile while she worked on a spell as he greeted them all.

“‘Sup guys, everyone ready for the end of the world?”

“We’re being positive about it Ben,” Amy sighed, with Jake sharing Ben’s personal favourite strategy.

“I’m just not going to think about it till day of. This is officially the last month I can enjoy without stressing.”

“Okay, that’s the spirit.”

With a month until the invasion points opened, everyone was going to approach it in their own ways and it was easy enough to see discomfort creeping back up in random faces on the streets, even if Ben felt like he was seeing far too much optimism too. Things had gone too well during the first wave after all. It had raised some people’s faith for how things would continue to go to an unreasonable degree, something he didn’t feel at all himself.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Okay, Jake’s right, not thinking about it.

“Alright then, in that case, don’t mind if I borrow a few bodies before we start,” He told them all as he shifted a bit closer to Uliel and Vasta, making copies of both of their powerful and all-encompassing magics on new rings.

While in general, he would typically prefer the specialized versions to claim for his use since they would be more powerful in general while he could make up for how focused they’d be, he wanted to be prepared for what was going to come and having both options at the highest available level was going to do it for him.