Finally, they left the general knowledge section and made their way toward the Jade Slips containing the blessings.
There weren't any power rankings or restrictions—every blessing was useful and powerful at higher levels, and Spiritual Guardians could pick whatever they thought suited them best. But still, you could only study one blessing.
There was a never-ending sea of options, but Niara calmly explained:
"Since there are so many, to make it easier, they were all divided according to the class of the Spiritual Guardian."
"Class?" Darian asked, confused.
She nodded. "There's nothing written about that here because it's not that relevant in this universe. Summoners are just your partners in battle—we don't team up with others to fight together. But in your universe, you guys do all sorts of stuff in groups, right? According to the information left behind, these classes were created to help organize your teams. So, the blessings are sorted by them to make things simpler."
She went on to explain there were five classes: Support, Fighter, Mage, Tank, and Mystic. These were based on the type of blessing and how they were used in battle.
In short, Fighters focused on close-range damage. Mages specialized in long-range attacks. Tanks were the opposite of Fighters and Mages—built for defense and endurance, able to stand their ground and survive for a long time even alone.
Support was all about helping allies in every possible way. Mystics, on the other hand, had abilities that didn't quite fit anywhere else. They were versatile, strategic, and had the potential to adapt to any situation.
Darian got it. It made everything feel more structured and helped when building a battle team back on Earth.
While he was still thinking, Niara had already walked to the Support section. She was convinced Darian had a rare blessing—the kind that healed wounds.
She stopped and asked, "What do you really want?"
"I don't know much about my blessing. I mean, I didn't learn it from something already made, like the others. Show me the ones that can heal like mine."
Darian said it calmly. She nodded and moved toward the back of the library. After using a silver Summoner emblem to search, only three Jade Slips popped up out of the thousands in the Support category.
Those were the only ones focused on direct healing. All the rest were Support blessings too, but focused on stuff like barriers, buffs, and other things.
Darian read their names: Blessing of Regenerative Acceleration, Blessing of Vital Transmission and Absorption, and finally, Blessing of Purifying Light.
"I've heard a lot of stories about these. They're three very different and complex types of healing. They've existed for a long time, and almost no one's been able to use them. They're pretty much legendary among Summoners," she said, full of curiosity, not really sure which one matched his.
Even though she didn't waste time reading and studying, every Mannaz in that universe dreamed of becoming a Summoner. Talking about blessings and related stuff was super popular, so everyone knew at least some rumors or famous names.
Darian gave the intros a quick read. Their names weren't random—they did exactly what they said.
Within seconds, Niara looked at that colorful slug, puzzled; she felt he was in a bit of a daze.
"… my power does all three of those things at once," he muttered seriously.
Her eyes went wide. Right away, her blood ran hot and she clenched her fists, excited. Was this real? Hard to believe.
During the test, Darian had fought while healing himself with that white power. At first, his body just regenerated really fast. Later, he learned to create a subtle layer of light that seemed to purify and weaken enemy powers. And the absorption was exactly what he did when he devoured them, but in a different way. As for transmission… he'd never tried it, but he could tell it was totally possible.
Since there were no restrictions, Darian went ahead and read through all three blessings in full. That should help him improve. But… he quickly realized those blessings were incredibly different from his own.
Even at their peak—according to how their creators described them—the difference was huge. Not only did they have limits, but the user had to circulate their power in super complex, time-consuming ways. It could take hours to fully heal someone.
Darian, on the other hand, could do it in seconds—and use all three types at once if he wanted.
"Well, guess I know now that I can't use this in front of others anytime soon," Darian muttered.
Niara didn't get it, but she didn't ask why. Their relationship was built on trust, but they'd only met less than a day ago. It'd be too much to expect either of them to spill everything just yet.
Eventually, they went to the Martial Arts section.
Niara's eyes were glowing—she knew exactly what she wanted from the start.
"Level D: Divine Fist Art," she whispered, holding a small Jade Slip with excitement. "This fits my fighting style perfectly. I've always wanted to learn it."
Darian nodded slightly. "That's a low-level one. If it's useful, great. After this, we'll grab everything else you're into."
She nodded, eyes still shining. After that, they left the library casually.
Outside, Darian asked, thoughtful, "Do you need to train or do anything after being stuck for days? Or maybe we should focus on gear?"
"Nope, I'm good," she replied without hesitation. "I was born with a mutant body, and my Divine Dragon bloodline fully merged into me. When I'm serious, no one in my universe can fight me one-on-one. This martial art is all I need for now."
Darian nodded. "So, you want some time to train alone?"
"Train? I only learn by fighting," she said, full of confidence. "Just give me a few minutes in battle to test it out—I've never failed."
Darian sighed. No wonder the other Mannaz were terrified of her. If that was true, then she wasn't just strong—she was a terrifying combat talent.
"But even if I'm really strong alone, against a Summoner and their Spiritual Guardian, I'd lose easily. And as for the Risen…" She paused for a moment. "Even the weakest one—if I get the smallest injury from them, I'll be infected and become one of them forever."
Darian sighed. That universe could only survive because of the Spiritual Guardians.
On their own, the people there only had their physical strength; they couldn't use martial arts without the power that came from a Spiritual Guardian's ring. The blessings and the Guardians themselves were the only real line of defense in that world.
But the Guardians didn't help for free. They used the place as a training ground.
Darian paused to think…
Did the people from his own universe really want to wipe out the Risen for good?
Wouldn't it be more "profitable" to just keep a part of the population alive, so the Risen kept spawning and the power "farming" never had to stop?
Darian sighed bitterly. In the end, he was sure that world would never change if everything depended on the Guardians.
Maybe there were good people who genuinely wanted to end the suffering—but he wasn't naive. Those people were probably in the minority, and their solo efforts wouldn't change a thing.
"If your bloodline makes you strong, then wouldn't armor or magic gear still be useful?" Darian asked, trying to shake those thoughts off. He was still way too weak to worry about all that now.
"I can cover my whole body with my scales—that's tougher than any armor," Niara said casually, but with a hidden gleam in her eyes. "Don't worry about me—I'll be the impenetrable frontline. I'm a Summoner now, so the focus should be on you. If you get stronger, I benefit too."
Darian nodded, starting to think about their next move. There were a little over three days left, and all the other Spiritual Guardians with rings were totally focused on solidifying their powers.
Niara and Darian didn't need to waste time on that. That was their edge. They had to use it to prep in ways the others wouldn't have time for.
"This planet must have a huge market—probably the biggest in this universe, right?" he asked, and Niara nodded. "The Summoners use their earnings here to buy useful stuff, so there's gotta be all kinds of things for sale…"
Then came the obvious problem: neither of them had any money. That had to be their focus now—getting resources.
Darian started thinking hard, going over everything he'd seen since arriving for the trial.
Niara stayed quiet. She wasn't used to thinking ahead or strategizing—she preferred to go with the flow and follow her instincts. Since Darian was going to be the support and observer in battles, it made sense for him to lead and make decisions.
Plus, she still didn't really know what he could do. Her curiosity only kept growing, since she basically knew nothing about him. So, she chose to wait and see what he'd come up with.
Their relationship was just getting started. Both of them needed to keep testing each other to figure out their limits and expectations.
Not even two minutes went by.
That colorful slug suddenly jumped, like he'd just remembered something important. Niara turned to look at him, feeling a growing sense of anticipation.
"What do people do with the weapons and bodies of the Risen?"