Bastion had just finished taking stock of the materials they had gained before moving on to discuss their significant increase in levels. It truly did pay to take down the Goddess's enemies.
Elyra allocated 25 of her stat points into Strength to match her Dexterity, then placed the rest into Vitality. As a front liner, those three were her most crucial stats. The rest were just for convenience.
[Level]: 85
[Health]: 70/70
[Mana]: 70/70
[Strength]: 110
[Dexterity]: 110
[Vitality]: 70
[Intelligence]: 70
[Wisdom]: 60
[Charm]: 60
[Status Points]: 0
Lilia meanwhile dumped all her points into Wisdom. It couldn't be helped. She needed the boost to stay relevant in combat. She left herself open to assassination, but with Bastion and Elyra always by her side, she had confidence it was enough to secure her life.
Her stats had also finally filled out. Their dungeon dives and dates gave her the final push needed to max out her Strength and Charm, both of which had been limited by her lack of exercise and confidence.
Thanks to the ritual Seraphina intercepted, Lilia managed to surpass most commoners in raw stats, giving her a clear edge. That boost only strengthened her resolve to focus entirely on magical stats instead of balancing them out.
[Level]: 85
[Health]: 40/40
[Mana]: 110/110
[Strength]: 40
[Dexterity]: 40
[Vitality]: 40
[Intelligence]: 110
[Wisdom]: 75
[Charm]: 40
[Status Points]: 0
"Bastion! Is this what it feels like to have almost double the Wisdom stat? I can practically remember the day I was born. Formulas that were once vague are now flooding my mind in full detail. It feels like the world just suddenly became wider," Lilia said, her voice filled with awe.
The primary benefit of a high Wisdom stat was a significant increase in memory retention, granting near perfect recall. While this might sound advantageous, it carried a serious drawback.
Remembering everything, even the smallest details, could become overwhelming. Without the mental maturity to process and compartmentalize such memories, it could easily lead to emotional instability or even an existential crisis.
Fortunately, Lilia seemed to be handling the effects well. Her high Intelligence stat greatly improved her ability to absorb and organize information, allowing her to manage the flood of memories with clarity. It gave her the mental stability and control needed to adapt without becoming overwhelmed.
"You'll get used to it in time. Before you know it, all your memories will be neatly categorized," Bastion said.
"I have so many ideas for new spells now. Is this how you've been coasting through classes so easily? No wonder the academy places such strict limits on commoners. Only those with the right stats can actually absorb and apply all this information," Lilia observed.
A sudden knock broke the conversation. Elyra stood and opened the door, revealing Seraphina waiting on the other side.
"Bastion, I reached level 100. I can rank up now. I need your help," she shouted frantically.
Ranking up was always a big deal, with the primary goal of gaining a class that was an entire rank above the current one. This required more than simply raising all Arts and Skills to level 3. In most cases, other experiences mattered just as much.
For example, the Diamond Knight class required the infusion of diamonds into the body. It was essentially a form of torture, something no ordinary adventure could lead to. It had to be a deliberate act to acquire the class.
"What should I do? Should I just settle for Phoenix Mage? It would interfere with my potions and prevent me from making healing potions, which is why I picked Alchemist. It gives a general boost to effects. On the other hand, my explosives would get stronger," Seraphina explained.
"What is it that you plan to do in the future? Just alchemy? Do you not intend to raise your own ingredients? What about combat? Do you see yourself just throwing potions around from now on? Maybe you could take stealth and assassination lessons from Elyra. She praised your infiltration skills and said you might have a knack for it," Bastion suggested.
"I don't know. I haven't thought about anything past the Demon Lord. To be honest, you're making me panic even more. I feel so unprepared."
"Have you looked through the available Rank 2 classes in the library? I'm planning to take one so I don't have to keep wasting time with equipping my armor. Maybe you could try addressing a flaw in your current abilities or explore a different discipline instead."
"I did look through the Rank 2 classes, but none of them stood out to me. I don't know what class to take."
"Then just hold off for now and build up more life experience."
Gaining more life experience is the usual way to unlock better options when ranking up. Since people only get one chance, those who are unsure often wait years before making the leap.
In the meantime, they go on adventures or spend time doing what they enjoy. The hope is that the class they eventually unlock will match the activities they are most passionate about.
"Should I?"
"It's not like you'll stop gaining experience. At worst, you're just delaying the difficult training that comes afterward."
Another caveat of ranking up was the heightened potential of the body. Because of this, a rank up was usually followed by intense training to help the body reach its new limits. This also included leveling up to acquire new class skills and raising arts and skills to their increased maximums.
"You're right. I should just put it off. There's no need to be so hung up about it. I'll make a list of the classes I know and try to acquire them just in case. I also need to max out my Alchemist skills. Yeah, you're right."
"Also, you might want to wait until after the Demon Lord is destroyed. You never know. You might get a Demon Slayer class or something."
The pair shared a laugh before Seraphina settled on the couch beside Bastion and Lilia.
"Are you going to kill the Demon Lord?" Lilia asked, eyes wide.
Bastion had never actually told her, and it seemed both he and Seraphina had forgotten to mention it.
"I guess this is as good a time as any," Bastion said with a sigh.
"Sweetie, Bastion and I…" Seraphina began in a gentle, motherly tone, glancing at Bastion with concern.
"Why do you both look and sound like my parents when they sat me down and told me they had an open relationship? What's going on?" Lilia said, starting to panic.
"Lilia, Seraphina and I are heroes from another world," Bastion explained. "We were sent by the Goddess of Brilliance to defeat the Demon Lord."
Lilia stared at them, mouth agape, for a few seconds before her high intelligence processed everything. Bastion, her future husband, was a hero. Seraphina, his fiancée and first wife, was also one. And she, the little commoner girl, was completely out of her league.
Before she could bolt from the room in panic, Seraphina quickly reassured her.
"Don't worry about the Demon Lord. He's as good as dead with what I have planned for him. All you need to do is enjoy your time at the academy and learn as much as you can. Alright?"
"Not alright! When were you planning on telling me? When I was face to face with a demon army? I didn't sign up for this, Bastion."
"I was planning on telling you after everything was resolved," Bastion admitted. "Seraphina already has a plan. All we need now is for the Demon Lord to be unsealed, and then he dies."
"Besides, even if we had never met, you would have still ended up fighting a demon army," Seraphina added. "Their original plan was to attack the academy. But thanks to our little outing yesterday, that's no longer going to happen."
Lilia couldn't come up with a complaint. Everything they said was true. Rather than being swept up in chaos, it was safer to stay by Bastion's side. Besides, fighting demon worshipers was more profitable than dungeon diving, and the danger was about the same.
She blinked a few times before slumping back on the couch in resignation.
"Ugh, why does everything around you two always escalate to extremes? First, it was getting married. Then becoming the future duke. Now you're heroes."
Bastion shrugged. He was just as much a victim of the situation as Lilia.
"Anyway, do you have a class in mind for your rank-up, Lilia?" Seraphina asked, trying to change the subject.
"I don't have any reliable options, so I'm going to wing it," Lilia replied. "I plan on maxing all my skills and arts before even considering a rank-up. That said, I'm leaning toward an Ice-related class. My current one prevents me from continuing down the path of Water."
Gaining abilities like Lilia's Mystic Water, which granted her water magic attributes, was both a blessing and a curse. While powerful, they also limited the range of classes she could access.
For instance, Lilia could no longer use water-based skills that restrained or damaged opponents, as her healing attribute would cancel out those effects. Though this came with advantages, it ultimately made more sense for her to focus on a different element entirely. Given her natural affinity for water, Ice was the logical next step and one she now planned to specialize in.
"Same as me then? I guess that makes sense, considering we don't have any specific needs," Seraphina said.
"Oh, by the way, are you planning on attending the banquet at the end of the year?" she suddenly added.
"What banquet?" Bastion asked.
"Oh, right. You wouldn't know. Anyway, Julius is hosting a banquet in a few months. It's a pretty big deal for Aurelia, and now that I think about it, for Julius too."
"Is Aurelia going after Julius? I thought she was picking Tobin. They're always together."
"I'm not really sure, to be honest. She doesn't seem all that interested in romance in general. But eventually, she'll have to make a decision as the Saintess."
"Why?"
"Because once the Demon Lord is defeated, she's going to become the new Queen of the Kingdom of Brilliance."
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