I still had two more years to get nervous about storming the Fire Sanctuary. Well technically, it would only now take a year and a half for the totem to activate a second time, but both to maintain the cover story and to give me time to steel myself for the mission ahead, the plan was to go ahead and finish out a fourth year on the 7th Floor.

By now, the others extracting resources for Grosstin had warmed up to us. This was a mixed blessing, though. Leeches overall had a reputation for being treacherous toward first-time Floor clearers and their competitors, for prioritizing the gathering of resources for their employers above the lives of any challenger that wasn’t on their team. The workings of the 7th Floor meant that there were more exceptions to this rule present than there were on the 5th or 6th, but there were still plenty of such “experienced” Leeches present.

After this long, dealing with that sort was enough for even Mewi to start to openly lose patience. Together, we put our foot down on any attempts to schmooze with us to gain favor, and things like that. We also resolved to reopen a discussion with Bruzigan, or even with Edwin if necessary, for permission to leave the 7th Floor as soon as the second evolution was complete. By the time we even started our fourth trip, I'd reasoned, I'd be as ready for what I was to face as I was going to be, and I'd be left with little but the stress of anticipation.

For the month between the third and fourth trips, with Mewi's help, and Bruzigan's approval, I did manage to come up with one more method to train. They, and Anna, Ri'legh and Arvallei as well, concocted a number of simulation scenarios designed to develop and put to the test a person's ability to react to unexpected developments and changing circumstances. There was no idea what to expect, so I needed to better my ability to expect the unexpected, was the logic.

It was pretty rough, but by the time I was satisfied with my runs though those programs, my quiet terror at the unknown I'd be going into had greatly diminished. I couldn't say I was ready for anything—but I'd be darned if I let that stop me.

When we exited the Floor for the third time, Mewi and I requested to speak with Edwin. Without much delay, we got word of his agreement, and of the time and place.

"I do see your point," said Edwin, once we'd explained, "but you realize that you'll be returning to the 7th Floor again once you pass the totem along to the next one to use it. It might draw suspicion if you two leave the Floor early in any case."

"Well, we tried," I said with a sigh, "I'll just have to deal with it."

Luckily, there were plenty of monsters for me to take out my frustrations on. I didn't have long, relatively speaking, to wait for the second use of the totem to complete this time either. Thanks to the months in between the Floors, it finished in the 5th month of the fourth trip to the 7th Floor.

And well, if I had thought the effects of the previous evolution were bonkers, I had no idea what I'd tell Past Me if I had the chance.

Once again, Mewi and I made an excuse to the others so that we were alone when the totem began its real work on my body...

[Evolution Energy fully extracted.]

Then, after another refreshing-feeling process...

[Congratulations. You have evolved beyond the constraints of your race.]

[Current Race: Enhanced Human II]

[Evolved from: Enhanced Human I]

[Continue to evolve to: Enhanced Human III]

This time, there were four alerts to changes in my racial profile instead of two:

[Lifespan]

[Attributes]

[Racial Trait]

[Professions]

[Lifespan: 400 years –> 750 years]

[Attributes]

[Health Pool +50% –> 150%]

[Health Regeneration +100% –> 500%]

[Defense +50% –> 150%]

[Resistance +50% –> 150%]

[Stamina +20% –> 60%]

[Stamina Regeneration +50% –> 150%]

That much was already insane...and then the really incredible stuff started.

[Your innate potential has risen.]

[The cost of adding AP to your attributes as fallen significantly as a result.]

[See the below chart for details. Each entry indicates the old and new amounts of AP required to raise an attribute by 1 point.]

[0-100: 1 AP –> 1 AP]

[100-200: 2 AP –> 1 AP]

[200-300: 5 AP –> 2 AP]

[300-400: 10 AP –> 5 AP]

[400-500: 20 AP –> 10 AP]

The numbers for AP were blanked out after that, but when I touched to expand, it extended into at least the several thousands in attributes. That was...kind of terrifying, honestly, that attributes that high were possible. I had thought that with everything reaching 100, my attributes had stopped being bottomless pits for at least a little while, but that was clearly not the case.

When I tried to access the new [Racial Trait] subsection, an introduction appeared first:

[A racial trait is a personal ability that emerges under the effects of a ‘major’ evolution.]

[Racial traits vary from person to person, even among those of the same ‘race.’ The helps guide best fit racial traits to emerge.]

[Racial Trait]

Your talent at mental and clairvoyance related abilities is greatly increased.

Curious...why is something like this a ‘best fit’ for me? On top of that, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be too useful right now...it might be related to my dreams somehow?

Finally, there was the [Professions] update. That effect was simple, yet far reaching: Adding an additional profession slot to the three I already had.

“Well, the attributes will be a big help, and the rest will be useful sooner or later,” I said, after Mewi and I were done freaking out again, “nothing left but waiting for the main event.”