Chapter 55

[Innate Gift] Glory of the Many

Description: Gain or lose stats and skills based on your civilization’s happiness, growth, security, health, stability, military, technology, infrastructure, economy, education, average level, average skill level, territory, resources, etc. You can gain additional benefits depending on how much your actions positively affect your civilization.

[Innate Gift Sub-Skill] Gathering of Providence

Description: Imbue your civilization's fate, destiny, and good fortune onto yourself. Every action will consume this resource. Use wisely.

Markus once asked his mother the meaning of providence to better understand his skill when he unlocked it. According to her, providence encompassed luck, longevity, positive encounters, prosperity, inspiration, and countless other concepts.

She explained that the System would positively affect individuals with providence. Someone with a lot of providence would find themselves frequently getting rare loot, while someone with low providence would often find themselves sick or lacking sparks of inspiration.

Since providence was so important, Markus had never activated the skill since acquiring it a decade ago. It was a resource so precious that using it to fight monsters or bosses was wasteful. Plus, it didn’t feel right that he would be spending other people’s providence, not his own. As such, he vowed never to use the skill.

But now, as he lay within the burning wreckage of a skyship, he had a sudden realization. At the time, perhaps the System knew Markus took his role as a guardian seriously and would never use it unless times were desperate.

As things stood, that time was now.

While providence was precious, what good would it do if Elaine decided to wipe out the Innate Nation? It was better to spend the providence to ensure that didn’t happen.

“So be it,” Markus sighed, pushed off the few planks covering him, and activated Gathering of Providence. As he stood to his feet, an unexpected notification appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations! Due to your immense providence, you’ve acquired a temporary title: World Blessing.

[Title] World Blessing

Description: As a person blessed by the world itself, events shift in your favor, misfortune befalls your enemies and mana yields to your will.

While the title’s description was pretty vague, Markus immediately sensed the mana around him calling out like children asking to play a game. All he needed to do was cast a skill, and they would rush to his aid.

Wasting no time, Markus cast the buff Physique of the Lurking Beast to test the exact effect. The difference was immediate. Compared to usual, the nearby mana rushed into Markus’s body as if he was a black hole. Next, a notification informed him that the title World Blessing boosted the effectiveness of the skill by an unbelievable 1,000%.

Markus was shocked beyond belief.

Thanks to the title, a single buff increased his stats by 250%, reduced any damage taken by 90%, and upped his natural health and stamina regeneration by 10,000%. However, as a consequence, Markus felt a slight decrease in his providence. Any excitement he had instantly vanished. He locked onto Elaine and knew he had to end this fast.

Glowing gold all over, Markus emerged from the skyship’s wreckage and took a step forward. As if by teleportation, he arrived before Elaine and grabbed her neck. A few steps later, he was far from his wounded companions, allowing him to fight without worry.

Undeterred, Elaine raised a palm before Markus’s face and cast a level 976 Force Shock. Followed by a loud blast, a forward-facing shockwave sent Markus staggering backward, and he only stopped after taking eight steps. Blood flowed out of his eyes, nose, and ears from the concussive blast, but he was mostly unharmed.

“Impossible!” Elaine expressed her disbelief after seeing Markus still standing after taking Force Shock at point-blank. “How can the power of providence affect your defense to this extent?”

Markus remained silent and swung his greatsword while casting a boosted Empowered Strike. A shrill wail rang through the air as a tangible blade light in the form of a crescent moon instantly arrived before Elaine. Her hastily summoned Mana Barrier collapsed upon contact, allowing the crescent moon free entry into her exposed flesh.

Elaine groaned and took a step back, clutching her chest with one hand and pointing at Markus with the other.

Lightning Flash!

A bolt of blue light hit Markus in the shoulder before he could react, charring his skin and dealing significant damage. Ignoring the pain, Markus responded with another attack, and the two quickly entered a fierce battle.

Thanks to the boost provided by the Child of Heaven title, Markus’s skills proved just as powerful as Elaine’s, even though hers were several hundred levels higher and had a better grade.

While the victor remained uncertain, Elaine slowly found everything become increasingly exhausting. What was she even fighting for, and why was she attacking this young man she didn’t know? Whether it be casting skills or simply breathing, it all took a herculean effort. The burst of emotions from before dwindled until only emptiness was left.

She was so, so tired.

Eventually, when Markus unleashed another Empowered Strike, Elaine unexpectedly closed her eyes and stood still. The crescent blade light cut straight through her neck, dropping her health to zero and granting her everlasting peace.

There was a thud as Elaine’s body hit the ground, followed by silence.

Markus took a moment to process what had just happened. When he realized Elaine had given up, he again wondered whether forcing her down this path was the correct choice. Deactivating Gathering of Providence and returning to normal, Markus collapsed on his back and knew killing Elaine would weigh heavily on his mind for years to come.