Maybe he would have a bit more leeway with these matters once he gathered more skills or became the keeper of more spirits, but right now, he really didn’t know what else he could do to help the spirits out. That was why he was also doing the best he could to “excite” Jester and wake Gregor.

  At least Gregor seemed to be reacting well to the models Ryan had been building recently, though they were annoyingly complex. Different from the plastic models that Ryan usually built, these had to be assembled in annoyingly realistic ways. He had to add oils, tighten screws, and balance parts in ways he had never had to do before, so Ryan was struggling a bit. But he was getting better, so hopefully, Gregor would respond soon. The real issue was Jester, and Ryan was getting a bit annoyed.

  He was trying to do anything he could that might count as exciting, some of which worked, while others did not. Watching movies, playing games, going to locations that got Ryan’s heart beating crazy fast like the rooftops of skyscrapers; he did everything short of skydiving, though he was considering that for a while, too. Sometimes, Jester “grew more excited,” though that only seemed to be a small increase. The part that seemed to always excite Jester the most was combat. Fighting. Particularly when Ryan put his own body on the line. He had tried sparring with Anders the other day, and while that sparked up a little something in Jester, it faded away pretty fast. Ryan also didn’t want to jeopardize the time in the dungeon right now for something that probably wouldn’t even work anyway.

  So, there was just one more idea that came to Ryan’s mind, though he would rather not. He didn’t usually walk around to seek out fights, but maybe that was exactly what he had to do: get into real fights with others. The only reason Ryan was even considering that was because he hadn’t awakened any additional stats, though; otherwise, it would be morally more than questionable.

  “Urgh …” With a loud groan, Ryan thought about going out of the way to get roughed up just so that this obviously sadistic creep of a clown could get off on it. Actually, Ryan had already picked out something that he was going to try and get done later today, though again, he would really rather not.

  But for now, he should at least focus on what was currently going on again. He was distracting some rabbits as Maximus took three of them down, one after another. And while the last one was left, the knight activated his new skill. As he did, Ryan could see a pulse of Maximus’s red, wispy aura flow toward the giant rabbit, enveloping it for a few moments. The aura practically seeped into the rabbit’s body before forming a small mark that was hidden underneath the monster’s fur.

  Clearly, that was there to show the enemy that was designated as the “nemesis.” Ryan wondered if others could see that mark as well, though they probably couldn’t sense the aura in the same way that Ryan could. If this mark stayed around, then maybe this wasn’t just a good way to take an enemy down faster but also to keep track of a particular target like an actual tracking-type skill, even if that meant that Maximus was weakened against anyone else for a while.

  Seeing that the skill activated, Maximus immediately began to attack the giant rabbit, hurrying to take down his new nemesis.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Gregor’s Machinations

  Are the preparations done?” Christopher stared at the gnome standing in front of him, who just rolled his eyes and nodded.

  “Yes, Christopher, for the last time, they are done,” Richard responded, but Christopher didn’t seem particularly happy about the tone that Richard was taking.

  “You remember your position here, don’t you?”

  “Of course. You’re the one in charge. But you’re also the one that dragged me into doing some highly illegal shit for you, and I’m a Technomancer. I have literally all the proof in the world to absolutely ruin you, so … take it easy.”

  Christopher leaned back against the backrest behind him. “ … And here I thought you were supposed to be a bit more friendly. I guess that’s corruption for you, huh?”

  “Isn’t the corruption the reason you ended up scouting me in the first place? So, stop complaining.” Richard kept his hands behind his back, standing still in front of his superior’s desk. Christopher sighed loudly.

  “When you came in for orientation at Bluesky that day and we sensed you were corrupted and somehow managed to retain your sanity, we did realize that you were someone we had to properly use, yes. But that doesn’t mean you’re at our level here. I’m still your boss.”

  “Officially, I’m a Bluesky employee. And I don’t think that you are employed there. So, actually, you’re just someone I’m doing favors for. So, I rather think that you should be grateful I’m spreading my corruption around to all the places you want.”

  Christopher stared across the table. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to fill me in,” Richard said bluntly. “Frankly, I like this sensation. The corruption makes me feel powerful, and it certainly gave me quite the boost to my abilities. My mana recovers like crazy, and my stats are growing faster than ever before. I even seem to level up a bit faster. But even so, at the end of the day, I’m still a mage. I want to know what this is and why it acts the way it does.”

  With a raised eyebrow, the lamia looked at the man across from him. “Haven’t we been giving you all the resources that you need to fulfill your curiosities?”

  “It’s not enough, and you know it. There’s barely anything useful about corruption in any of the forums I frequent, even the hidden ones, nor is there anything in the university’s library. Yeah, you’ve been testing me, grabbing samples, drawing blood, all that. But that’s more useful for you than it is for me to learn what I actually want to learn,” Richard explained. “I think it’s about time you explain to me why I’ve become your little goon and why you have such control over Bluesky.”

  “Dream on.” Christopher scoffed. “We both know that’s not going to happen so easily.”

  “Oh, really? And here I thought my blackmail threats would be enough.” With a sigh, Richard closed his eyes for a few moments, but Christopher just laughed in response, his tail coiling around his seat in amusement.

  “Yeah, sorry, but even if you’re a Technomancer, we’ve got our ways to stomp anything you try. So, it would be better for you if you just … don’t,” he pointed out. “But I will just say, I do agree. You deserve to know more, and I’m sure you could be a valuable asset if we filled you in completely.”

  Opening his eyes again, Richard looked at the lamia, a bit confused. “Then why haven’t you done it yet?”

  “Because it’s not my choice. You need to prove your worth to him first. And I have a pretty good idea of what he will like.”

  A grin formed on Christopher’s face, his sharp fangs revealed behind his lips. Just a few weeks before, Richard would have jumped back, scared, but now, he didn’t really feel things like fear anymore. He didn’t feel a lot of things anymore.

  “Fine. What is it?” the gnome asked, and Christopher soon explained, as if he had been waiting for a way to solve this issue.

  “There’s this girl that’s been running around the city, causing trouble like you wouldn’t believe. And she’s been a bit of a sore spot to us.”

  As Christopher said so, he took his mouse and navigated through his file storage. He was done just a few moments later, turning the monitor around to Richard. The gnome looked at the screen curiously. It was a young woman, probably around Richard’s age, with some massive antlers on her head, decorated with glass flowers.

  Christopher smiled. “Do something about her.”

  A piece clicked into place, and Ryan pulled back his hands. They were covered in motor oil, and his clothes were just as stained. Even Tiar was growing annoyed at his patterns being covered by the black liquid.

  “Why the hell are these models … this realistic?” He groaned, though he already knew the answer. It was to make more Awakened.

  Many people believed that, if someone grew up deeply immersed in particular things from a young age, they were more likely to awaken a similar class later in life, compared to if they were to just start working that job in their adult years. That was why “toys” like this were pretty common.

  This one in particular was probably made so that more mechanical engineers would pop up. There were toys that were supposed to improve magic compatibility, and even creepily realistic toy guns to increase the number of gunmen who awakened.

  Of course, there wasn’t any actual proof to the idea that this sort of thing increased the probability of awakening. It was more of a rumor or some kind of fairy tale, but it did result in a few pretty unique toys like this. Even if it was pretty damn annoying for Ryan to deal with right now.

  “Okay, come on, baby!” Ryan grinned, pushing the last pieces into place. He reached inside and carefully twisted the oversized key around, and the motor began to rumble. It was a small car model, and it was so detailed that Ryan was sure Maximus might be able to drive in it if every part of it were actually linked up properly. It looked realistic, of course, but there were a lot of parts that still didn’t work right.

  But, at the very least, it seemed to be enough to give Gregor a small push. This was the third of these models that Ryan had built, and every time, Gregor seemed to have an extremely short moment of waking up. The same thing was happening now, and immediately, Ryan pulled the spirit’s core out of the space between the domains.

  The core now in his oil-covered hands, it also gave off a slight glow. It looked sort of weird, as the core itself seemed to be made of opaque metal.

  “Gregor, come on, stay awake. I want to help you out, but I can’t do it if you keep sleeping like that,” Ryan said immediately. “You’re safe with me here; don’t worry.”

  The glow slightly faded away, and Ryan thought that he failed, and would have to try again in the future. But right when he was about to put the core away, the light flickered for a few moments, and a system message appeared in front of Ryan’s eyes.

  [You have received a new Quest!]

  [Gregor’s Machinations]

  [The Automaton Spirit Gregor has been in a deep slumber, feeling disconnected from his trade and his very self. Do something to make him remember]

  [Conditions - Construct 20 Mechanical Models (0/20)]

  [On Success - Gregor wakes up]

  [On Failure - Gregor keeps sleeping]

  Ryan looked at the quest. This must be a result of the damage Gregor had sustained after Ryan’s father forcefully cut the connection to the system. Neither Gaia nor Maximus had any memories of their past, and it seemed as though Gregor was the same, though he was going through something even worse, or that was what it seemed like.

  “… Alright. Don’t worry, Gregor, I’ve got you,” Ryan said, smiling lightly. He looked at the message, letting out a quiet sigh. “But twenty of these models, huh? That’s going to take a hot second … though it will also let me practice my dexterity a bit more. Either way, you don’t need to worry. I’ll try to get to it as soon as possible.”

  Gregor’s light had already faded again, and Ryan promptly placed the core into the domain. He still had five more of these models, but with this quest, he had to get fifteen more.

  “Holy shit, I’m so damn glad Runar is rich.” With a wry smile, Ryan grabbed the oil-covered hand towel next to him, trying to wipe his hands a bit before using his computer to order a few more models from the site that he had gotten these from. Again, they weren’t really his style, so he probably wouldn’t display them, but they were still quite fun to build. It was a nice change of pace compared to the models that he usually put together. Maybe it was because his dexterity had risen so much, but most regular models were a little bit boring to build now. They were really too easy. Not that they weren’t still fun to build and cool to look at, though.

  “Maybe I should look into other models to build …” he said to himself. Maybe there were some interesting brands he hadn’t looked into before. Ryan usually bought from lower-end sites, since he never had the money to buy the really, really expensive models. He preferred getting multiple cheap models over a single expensive model, though that also meant they were often relatively low-quality.

  “Though I barely have any space for the models I already have …” Ryan sighed and got up, making his way to the bathroom to properly clean the motor oil from his hands when a message popped up in front of his eyes.

  [Gaia has leveled up!]

  [You have leveled up!]

  Ryan felt shivers run through his body for just a moment before his fingers felt lighter and swifter as he was cleaning his hands.

  “Seriously? Level 9?” Ryan grinned lightly. He pulled up his status as he scrubbed the oil away from under his fingernails.

  [Ryan Aglecard] [Age - 19]

  [Spirit Keeper | Level - 9(+1)]

  [MP - 41(+2.5)]

  [Stats]

  -[Dexterity - 1.81(+0.09)]

  -[Intuition - 1.79(+0.09)]

  -[Mana - 1.02(+0.05)]

  -[Sociability - 1.48(+0.06)]

  -[Spirituality - 0.99(+0.05)]

  [Skills]

  -[Spirit Armament | Level - 5]

  -[Spirit Construction | Level - 9]

  -[Spirit Domain | Level - 6]

  -[Spirit Link | Level - 9]

  “Okay, okay … point three four growth, that’s not bad. But really, my spirituality couldn’t grow that one last point?” Ryan said with a wry, annoyed smile. Either way, with how fast his dexterity and intuition were growing, Ryan was incredibly close to getting them to true superhuman points. Two or three more level-ups should do the job.

  It was like climbing over that two-point threshold was like a rite of passage; only if you had stats that reached that point could you really call yourself a true Awakened with your head held high. After all, it meant that you were, at least in that aspect, twice as powerful as the average person.

  “Or was it the median? I always get confused about that … I think it was the median?”

  “What’s the median?” Runar, who was walking past the open bathroom door, poked his head in curiously. “Are you helping Liam out with his homework again?”

  “Huh? Oh, no. Well, I am tomorrow, but it’s for his Riverian class, not math. He’s actually pretty good at math,” Ryan pointed out, almost proud. “But no, Gaia just leveled up, so I did as well, and almost all my points are at 1 now, and dexterity and intuition are close to reaching 2. Do you remember if the 1 was the median of that year or the average?”

  “Uh …” Runar thought about it for a moment. “It’s median, right? I mean, I think I only had my stats adjusted once since I awakened, so I never thought about it much, but median sounds right. Just make sure to check next New Year’s when you get the automated update message.”

  “Right, like that’s not half a year away, I’ll just look it up in a bit.” Ryan scoffed lightly, drying his hands. Every New Year’s, every single non-awakened individual in the world was measured, and from that, the value of the stats for the following years is established. 1 meant the average of all the world’s individuals, and 2 was simple proportionally twice that.

  “Wait …” Ryan realized something. “You said animals can awaken too, right? So, are animals counted for the update?”

  Runar stopped for a few moments. “Uh … I don’t think so. I think the actual formula is a bit more complicated than just simple average or median, and there might be some level of separation between species that are too distant from each other. But I really don’t know, I’m not a System Scholar.”

  “Okay, fair,” Ryan replied, walking out into the hallway. “Before I forget, I finally got Gregor to wake up for a few moments. He gave me a quest that’s going to lead to him waking up if I build another twenty of those mechanical models I bought.”

  “Oh, perfect. Did you already order some more?”

  “Yup.”

  “Great, then keep me updated. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Will do.”

  Ryan made his way to the balcony, climbing the stairs to the rooftop garden, where Gaia was gleefully working away. If she could whistle, then her melody would already be filling the air.

  “Hey, Gaia, congrats on leveling up again,” he said with a smile, squatting down and patting the Golem’s back. She looked at him and nodded happily, and Ryan looked at the plant that Gaia was currently tending.

  It was the Golden Apple Tree sapling, sitting solidly in a small planter. And at this point, though Ryan wasn’t totally sure, he could swear that he could already see some roots peeking out of the gaps between Gaia’s stones as her body changed according to the state of her garden.

  Looking around, he saw that the garden was still quite bare. The plants were still young, and the only thing that you could really see were some of the sprouts that had pushed out through the dirt. But he knew that it wouldn’t take long until this garden was quite beautiful and colorful, covered in the plants that Gaia was tending.

  There was just one exception to that right now, though: the copper wildflowers that had been planted a while before Gaia even came around had already grown a good bit. Due to the fact they were magical plants in the first place, they grew quite fast, and with Gaia’s care, that had only sped up the past few weeks. The planter was covered in strands of copper climbing out of the soil, and they would clearly blossom in just a few more days.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Stat Awakening

  Asmall gust blew through the room. Papers fluttered around, and the dust that had gathered over the past few days was being moved around here and there. But the windows were closed. So was the door.

  This wind didn’t come from outside or some kind of fan. It came from a canvas. On that canvas, a stone dragon was flying through the air, carefully flapping its wings, surrounded by softly shifting clouds. It was flying away from a city in the background.