Chapter 27 – Gears of Evolution

And so my journey as the man with an abysmal Usual-Rank class came to an end.

I no longer found myself pained by F-Rank attributes across the board, nor a cryptic description for my class skill. No, that was not the case anymore...

【Class: Unbound Blade – Rank: Regular – Weapon Type: Blades】

【Class Skill: Savant, Defiant】

›Health – F

›Mana – F

›Strength – E

›Magic – D

›Defense – F

›Dexterity – E

›Agility – E

【Class Skill: Savant】

›Through great sacrifice, a Savant is able to attain previously unknown heights. An equivalent exchange of present prowess for future potential. The one who persists shall be rewarded, yet the one who doesn't shall perish.

【Class Skill: Defiant】

›Through challenging the Gods themselves, even if but a mere man, a Defiant shall reach for divinity itself, with his own two hands.

My stats had risen... insignificantly! And no, I no longer had a cryptic description for my class skill. I now had absolutely incomprehensible descriptions for my class skills! The new one being even worse in its definition than the first one! Despite the end result not being quite as glamorous as I had hoped it to be, at the very least they sounded cool...

I wonder if I'll be able to have a little talk with the Gods sometime in the future. If my instincts serve me well, and they're the ones behind this apocalypse, I might just have to ascend to godhood myself and lay down justice with my own two hands... Though I suppose that's just a tad bit ambitious...

⌈Challenging the Gods, eh? Young man, do you reckon on this having something to do with the Trail becoming more difficult all of a sudden?⌋

Nero began to question me, baffled by the obscure information just as much as I was.

⌈It might... I did hear a voice thundering down from the heavens when I finally felled the beast. Could that have something to do with the Gods?⌋

Well, now that I think about it. It does sound quite obvious...

⌈Why would you leave out such a crucial detail? May I inquire as to what the voice was like?⌋

⌈How do I put it... It was young-ish, I guess? Kind of similar to Seth's, but definitely way wiser and more mature.⌋

⌈What the hell, kiddo? Don't go pulling that on me just because you one-upped me this time.⌋

Seth, however, didn't appreciate my description.

⌈Ahah... I'm glad you two are getting along so well... Anyhow, what did the voice tell you?⌋

⌈I think it was something along the lines of 'Oh! Sorry about that, dude! Here you go!' And suddenly I found myself with my hands full of S-Rarity rings...⌋

The old man soon held his forehead in his palm, directing his gaze onto the tiled floor.

⌈It was Igni... Without a doubt in my mind. Despite the other Gods treating me with respect, he always kept calling me a geezer... It would explain the dual affinity of the monster you faced too.⌋

Igni? I'm sure the God of Flame I wrote of was named Igni! How the hell is the God of Flame the same if the God of Origin isn't? It just doesn't add up. It also completely contradicts my theory of the Gods sending this world back to stone age. I suppose they do aid the races by bestowing their blessings on the chosen few adventurers... What a pickle.

Though the conversation about my new skill didn't quite lead anywhere, there was still another mystery to be solved about my rank up.

⌈So, old man... Would you happen to know why my stats barely went up at all? They're still worse than your average Usual-Ranks, aren't they?⌋

⌈Yes. That certainly is unorthodox, to say the least.⌋

⌈And..?⌋

⌈But it only follows the entirety of your existence, no?⌋

The old man nonchalantly shrugged.

I'm still unsure as to whether or not he knows the secrets behind how I came to be, but it doesn't really look like he does...

I guess I'll have to figure it out by myself as I go. Though while I think I have a faint grasp of it already, not everything is quite clear to me yet.

My Magic attribute was now at D, and the only monster I've fought that used magic was the Great Burning Woodland Spirit, which conversely was at the rank of Peculiar. But then again, I haven't fought a single Regular-rank monster after getting my class, which begs the question... How on earth did I raise my Strength, Dexterity, and Agility to E? I just hope that my class-specific abilities aren't just limited to minuscule growth.

But enough about me rambling on about my stats. I wasn't the only one to rank up, after all!

【Lime – Arcane Slime – Affinity: None – Rank: Regular – Rarity: S】

【Special Skills: Multidimensional Access – Assimilation – Absorption】

Though Lime didn't get anything special either. I wonder if we're both cursed, or something?

⌈*Master, do you want to see something funny!?*⌋

Lime began to beam her thoughts into my mind as I was staring at her with my eye.

⌈Funny? Eh?⌋

⌈*Tadah!*⌋

And in an instant, on top of the smooth, slimy, glowing skin, two pitch black eyes suddenly popped up and opened wide. Lime stared right back at me, with her round button eyes gleaming in adoration.

⌈*Hello, master! It's good to see you!*⌋

⌈Oh!?!⌋

⌈*Yep! Now... Do you want to hear something funny?*⌋

⌈Now I'm intrigued!⌋

⌈Hey, kiddo... Are you sure you recovered properly? You've been talking to yourself for a while now...⌋

Seth interjected our conversation and looked at me with pity as a noble would a beggar. Neither of which seem to exist in this world, weirdly enough.

⌈Oi, you! Shut up! He's talking with me, y'know!?⌋

Lime told Seth off in an instant.

Her voice no longer pierced straight into my mind, but now playfully reflected around across the sparingly decorated room.

⌈Kiddo... Is it just me or–⌋

⌈Nope, it isn't... I'm just as surprised.⌋

⌈You were talking with him all this time?⌋

⌈Well... How do I put this... Lime's a 'her'.⌋

⌈What the hell?⌋

⌈A self-proclaimed 'her' at that... Don't ask me, I don't know any better than you do.⌋

⌈Oi! I'm still here, y'know!?⌋

Lime forced her way into the conversation.

⌈Ahahaha! She's already assumed your excessive usage of 'Oi', too. I'm glad you're back, Light. I never knew how lonely just a few days would be without you and your shenanigans. You better not run off again or I'll have to smack you back into the dream world once more...⌋

⌈You just managed to turn something surprisingly heartwarming into a threat. Way to go, dude.⌋

⌈Hah, I suppose that's how I am...⌋

I guess I really am glad to be back.

Led by the old man, our group began to make our way through the countless corridors and into the inner chambers of the Chapel. I tried to pry as to where we were going, but for naught. My questions were answered with but a wry smile. Even Violet didn't seem to know where we were going. I figure it has something to do with the fact that I'm the only one who can hold the Shard of Forbidden Knowledge in my hands...

Seth kept his composure while Brigid and Grace were still as energetic as ever, constantly voicing their excitement out loud. Lumi, however, kept her distance as she silently followed behind in the back. I kept sensing bewitching currents flowing towards me from her direction every now and then, but as soon as I turned around to look, she would turn her head away in response.

After strolling down into the depths of the nearly endless, dimly lit, network of passages for what felt like an eternity, we finally found ourselves in front of a giant steel door... Nero gently pressed on the heavy metal, and a soft blue light radiated from between the cold steel and his feeble palm. Accompanied by low, rumbling creaks brought on by its ancient age, the unimaginable weight of the gate began to shift.

And so, memories began to flood my thoughts...

'"No blade would pierce through the scales of the Dragon of Origin." Or so they say... The legends tell a different tale. Since the beginning of times, underneath the crust of the earth, lying deep within the core of the continent. From the age of old, though now laid long forgotten, its bright white flames still raged on. For long I sought its whereabouts, searching far and wide, but now my journey was about to come to an end, as it stood before my very eyes... This is how the tale of the blade that would cleave the heavens in half began...'

⌈Welcome, adventurers, to–⌋

⌈The Crucible of Gods. The Forge of the Eternal Flame of Evolution.⌋

I accidentally spoke my thoughts out loud, finishing the old man's sentence...

Ah damn, my naming sense was on point that day.

A spacious hall roughly carved into the very earth itself opened up before my disbelieving eyes. A pleasant change from the flawlessly polished marble. At the heart of the dungeon, laid a lone hearth, grander than what one would dare imagine, burning brightly in brilliant white flames.

⌈H-How did you know!?!⌋

⌈It's only following the entirety of my existence, no?⌋

I shrugged. Rather sarcastically, at that.

I silently giggled at my wits. Revenge is best served cold, old man!

After closer inspection, the heat generated within the ancient forge wasn't fueled by mere coal, though I suppose coal wasn't exactly the first thing I'd use to fuel an eternal flame either... Its source of power seemed to be an endless amount of Shards of Knowledge.

⌈Hmm... Then I suppose you also know why I have brought you here?⌋

⌈Is it because of this?⌋

I redirected my gaze towards the Shard of Forbidden Knowledge in my hands.

⌈Your wisdom far surpasses your age... Very well. I'll assume you also know how to proceed.⌋

⌈I throw the shards into the thingy?⌋

⌈...Nevermind. It would seem that I'm not as good of a judge of character as I had presumed myself to be. Very well, young man... Throw the fragile fragments of ancient knowledge vital for the progress of the Races, into the thingy, which happens to be the forge of legend responsible for feeding the ancient knowledge to the people...⌋

Well, excuse me, pops. I'm not exactly all that keen on carefully sticking my hand right into white-hot flames, in the most literal sense of those words.

Trying my best to take Nero's remarks into account, I began tossing the Shards of Knowledge into the flames very, very carefully. My thoughts, however, quickly shifted away from the conversation I just had with the old man, as I found myself struck with awe.

With each shard added to the fire, bleak sparks flew about, the white flames danced around and curious magical essence began to radiate throughout the cavern. The warmth of the magic pleasantly pulsating through my body was unlike anything I had experienced before. Feeling cleansed by the arcane currents, I finally threw in the shard of forbidden knowledge.

In an instant, the flame roared ever higher and the very walls of the cavern began to tremble. The beautiful, bleak sparks, now shone brightly in all the colors known to man, carelessly bursting out without restraint. Though at that moment I didn't quite realize what unfolded before me, I did realize that this world as I knew it was about to change once more...

⌈Wonderful! Truly, truly wonderful!⌋

Nero began to yell in excitement.

I felt a firm grasp tightening around my shoulders.

⌈Young man! Do you realize what you had just brought us!?!⌋

⌈N-No? I'm not q-quite sure...⌋

I stumbled in my words while Nero nearly spat in my face...

⌈You've done the races a great service. No... That's not quite it. You've managed to achieve what nobody has even dreamed of within the last two decades! You've done the races a service of unimaginable proportions!⌋

⌈Eh?⌋

⌈Universal Classes... To think I would've forgotten...⌋

He muttered to himself, yet his hold staid firm.

⌈What are these 'Universal Classes' anyway?⌋

⌈Had you asked me mere moments ago, I wouldn't have known, yet it seems that along with the knowledge, memories of long past are coming back to me in vivid detail... Thought this isn't as much knowledge as it is a blessing.⌋

He regained his composure, and finally let me go.

⌈During the age before the Convergence, every man had a class of his own, from alchemists to tailors to herbalists alike... Even mere villagers and petty thieves had their very own classes. Along with their classes came knowledge, which was bestowed to them by the benevolent Gods that resided in the heavens. You can forget the blessings adventurers receive today... those are mere drops of water in an endless sea.⌋

⌈!?!⌋

⌈Many years ago, people could become whatever their heart truly desired... Should you have wished to become a smith, you had to but pick up the hammer, and should you have wished to become a scribe, you had to but sit down and write. Such was the way of life brought onto the races by the knowledge of the Gods. For two decades, that blessing had evaded us, but you...⌋

What the hell!? That's nothing like what I had written in my stories! I'm absolutely sure I never wrote about any class-systems... What does all this mean, old man!? Slow down! ...Is what I wanted to say, but despite my best efforts, I couldn't puncture through the impenetrable wall that was his excitement.

⌈You, my boy, have brought that very blessing back to us.⌋

⌈I have?⌋

⌈Yes! And what a joyous occasion it is for me to bear witness to this event unfolding before my old eyes!⌋

Despite his old age, his enthusiasm seemed to have no limits.

⌈Listen well, young man. From this day onwards, you shall be known throughout the world as a hero! This I will make sure of.⌋

⌈Are you serious? Me, out of all people?⌋

⌈The one who conquered the Trails unlike any that came before him and the one who faced and fell the blazing beast, refusing to kneel even in the face of unimaginable odds! If you're not a hero, then who is?⌋

⌈I don't know... Someone not terribly irresponsible? I'm not exactly fit to play the role.⌋

⌈You better start acting the part, because I'm not taking a no for an answer. The people need someone to light the way, and who would be better than Light himself? Or are you perhaps going to abandon the people in their time of need?⌋

There you go again, old man. Preying on my guilty conscience. Welp. I guess my dreams of living a slow life on the fantasy countryside will have to remain as dreams for a while longer...