CH976

<UNENDING EXTRACTION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<DEEP MATERIAL SENSE LEVEL INCREASED>

<VITALITY ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<VITALITY RECOVERY RATE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MANA ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<MANA RECOVERY RATE ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<STAMINA ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<SOUL REGENERATION ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

<ALIEN SENSE LEVEL INCREASED>

<MULTIVERSAL INCLINATION LEVEL INCREASED>

Two weeks after the wedding, Ben felt like smashing his face against a wall.

Why. Can’t. I. Do. This!

<Awakening connect in the same year you became a contender for it was unreasonable from the start. It only seems possible because of everything else you’ve pulled off in that time.>

I refuse to accept this is impossible! There’s a big range of options that might make it work, they all just fall into the categories of unlikely to succeed, liable to kill me, and unethical even by my standards. Something has to work!

<Yeah? Well, work your way through the unlikely to succeed options first. I don’t think I want to witness something that you of all people would dub as unethical.>

What’s that supposed to mean?

<That I’m speaking to the coming god of evil who, in his heart, deeply believes the topic is relative.>

Yeah, because I’m right and my skill literally proves that. I can detect evil viewed on a societal scale, evil viewed on an individual’s scale, and evil viewed on my scale. I’ve got no sense for any sort of innate evil in this world, which means there is none. Evil is a frame of mind.

<Fine, then I don’t want to see what happens when your mind is the one framing it.>

Ben was going to retort but lost his chance as he heard notifications coming from the heads of the people around him, telling him of the success of the people he was training.

By that point, every adult demidemon had awakened their connect and every one of them had gained a bonus mind skill for it too, leaving only a few who’d come to continue training with him since then.

He didn’t blame any that stopped, going from low levels of the skill to awakening through exposure to his mind was going to be rough and the majority of them seemed like they just wanted a nice long break more than they were quitting outright, and they’d gotten what he’d wanted them to as well. Not just the levels or the new mind skills, they were getting the attribute bonuses, making all of them more equipped to deal with whatever the future was going to hold in store.

And it’s not like everyone quit after their success, Ben told himself as he looked around the shop at who was still showing up.

While Delair and Mora worked off to the side with one of his clones, there were a good half dozen others there filling the space, continuing to train their awakened connect skills with him and their new mind skills too, be they complex mind, mental expansion, parallel thought, or focus. The demis hadn’t been able to awaken those yet, but of those who were still stopping by, it was only a matter of time, with one standing out there more than the rest in what they’d achieved. The only one who wasn’t a demidemon.

“Alright, excellent work everyone, but with your levels, you officially need to take breaks for a bit, so I’d better not see any of you trying to sneak back in with the next groups before that, okay?”

A small groan went up among them. Even if they were excellent at training properly, there was no denying that Ben was still putting them through hell, and it left a small chuckle breaking free of his lips before he went on.

“And other than that, let’s get a small round of applause for your high priestess. Valaria, you are officially Myriad’s second contender, the next closest in the faith to achieving a godhood of your own.”

That perked the rest of the demis up, clapping happily for her while Ben watched his apprentice look over in her own curiosity while the priestess blushed under the attention.

She deserved it, though. By reaching the ninth level of her advanced connection, there was no denying that she’d cemented her place and authority within the faith that was just as grand as the position she already held, and that wasn’t even the only skill she’d been growing. Her unnatural mental expansion was leveling well from that same exposure to his mind, and he wanted to help her keep growing it too, even if there was a touch of selfishness tied to his desire to help out his coworker.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

<You just want her awakening that to see if the skill at the third tier will integrate into your mind like it did when it hit the second.>

That’s not just why I want it, thank you very much. It would just be a handy bonus to getting her there. The world needs more third tiers. Think of how handy it would be to get her to that level, and the bragging rights to you as well. You’d have two living godlings to your name, has any god ever had two living third tiers at once before?

<Well, no, but you still can’t deny that you’re hoping that if she awakens that then you’ll level your own ridiculous mind.>

You’ve gotta admit, it would be handy.

<The word you’re looking for is horrifying. Besides, who knows? If you keep helping her, maybe she’ll be the first to awaken connect instead of her mind skill.>