AA. 170

Each body ascension seemed to take more time than the last. Because of the vast amounts of Cursed Energy in his system, Nil expected it to take close to a week. Selia and Shawn needed one day for Mortal to Iron and twice that for Iron to Bronze. Getting their bodies to Silver had demanded four and five days, respectively. Meanwhile, Nil achieved it in two. He had the consumption of Ashe’s essence and increasing master of cultivation to thank for it. The traits offered when using the ascension token reflected his time on Ashe Fall.

• Void Touched: You have bonded with an entity that toes the line between the Void and our multiverse. Your body and mind will be more resistant to the toxic aether and substances of the Void. The Void Lords will no longer drain your sanity. Cultivating energies from the multiverse won’t kill you but might alter your physiology to survive environments and conditions inhospitable to most.

• Inducted by Vaneheim: You are a nurturer and protector and have expanded Yggdrasil’s line to a barren land. The achievements have attracted the Vanir’s attention, and they respect one who has entangled with the energy that contains the multiverse and survived. You have an open invitation to Vaneheim, but your body isn’t ready. The Vanir has enhanced all your attribute’s potential to the next stage.

• Attention Of Primordials: Rare individuals get the attention of Primordial entities because of their talents, skills, or potential to be good. Only a rare few do the same with their achievements. You have attracted the attention of two. Enhance your Might, Finesse, or Mind potential to Platinum, and pick a related ability.

Despite the tantalizing range of options, the decision wasn’t challenging. Void Touched was the perfect tool for the Cleansing. Nil expected to face entities from beyond the multiverse, and with them would come energies and substances likely harmful to most. The sanity-draining effects worried him the most, and he worried that supercharging psychic fortitude wouldn’t be enough. Void Touched would enable Nil to pick more dangerous quests and be more effective during emergencies. But it was far too situational.

Meanwhile, the Attention of Primordials feat would help Nil catch up to his friends in terms of potential. Everyone started with decent potential in at least two attributes. Not many had Platinum, but two with Gold potential wasn’t unheard of—especially in his circle of high performers. Andrew, Selia, and Shawn all had one Platinum and a Gold. Nil had to rely on a feat to get the same. They also had a natural Silver in one or more of the remaining attributes. Feats further enhanced them. Everyone on his team also had a passive that further enhanced their fighting prowess. Nil believed everyone would eventually surpass him once their handle on cultivation and connected techniques improved. Attention of Primordials would somewhat even the playing field. 

Inducted by Vanheim didn’t come with an additional ability, but it felt like a better deal. Platinum Finesse, Silver Might, and Bronze Mind potentials would make an enormous difference. Nil had read and heard about the Vanir while on Ashe Fall. They were god-like entities as strong as an Ascendant, if not significantly more powerful, and were apparently born of Yggdrasil. The Vanir spread fertility wherever they went, spreading wealth and wisdom. Nil believed the opportunity to visit their home and befriend them would come with incredible power and knowledge.

In the end, Nil didn’t just think of what would get him the most significant upgrade but also what fit him best. Entangling with Watcher was one thing, but he didn’t like letting in the Void or somehow becoming one of them. Schema-given abilities, though powerful, paled before what cultivation and the collection of techniques in Moon Rabbit Emporium had to offer. 

• Might: Silver 0 | Potential: Silver

• Finesse: Silver 5 | Potential: Platinum

• Mind: Bronze 0 | Potential: Bronze

• Spark: Silver 5 | Potential: Immortal

Brutal Battery: Bronze 8

• Absorb: Bronze 8

• Expend: Bronze 8

• Toggled Supercharging: Bronze 2

• Energy Instinct: Bronze 1

• Anti-Friction Lattice: Iron 8

Feats:

• Armmaster’s Disappointment

• Through Sheer Grit

• The Power of Belief

• Primal Origins

• Inducted by Vanheim

Source Gauntlets: Bronze 0

• Wield The Source: Bronze 1

• Galvanized: Bronze 0

Ironroot Drakeling: Bronze 0

• Reinforce: Bronze 0

• Regenerate: Bronze 0

• Quiksilver Burst: Iron 0

When Nil woke after the ascension, he didn’t regret his decision. He expected his Finesse potential to rise to Platinum, but Immortal Spark was something else. Nil didn’t realize some of the sort could exist. Nothing he had heard on Ashe Fall, read in the library’s academy, or on the internet spoke of something of the sort. It wasn’t just a matter of up to what realm he’d get the best results but also of growth.

As soon as Nil stirred, he immediately spent all of his stored Schema Tokens. It was tempting to take Finesse and Spark to their maximum, but regular cultivation and training would do the same eventually. Investing in the attributes that were harder to raise made more sense.

Since Nil’s Might now had a potential of Silver, he would gain excellent benefits from it until Silver-Nine. Each rank wouldn’t just improve his basic strength, toughness, and natural recovery but also his resistance to poison, disease, and other physical ailments. Similarly, getting Mind to Bronze Realm increased his passive mental fortitude and also the value of the boost gained from supercharging it.

The overall benefit felt much more significant than a new ability. There was no telling whether the options would be any good or valuable for the Cleansing. Shawn and Selia’s time on Ashe Fall also impacted their choice of feats during body ascension. 

See Through The Veil gave Selia a sixth sense similar to Energy Instinct but more akin to echolocation or a tremor sense. It helped her detect nearby energies and life forms even while phasing and far more detailed information than Nil received from his sensory ability. The feat also indirectly enhanced her cultivation and technique mastery. 

Shawn’s feat had a similarly ominous name. Shaper of Planes had something to do with the spatial magic and forces, which was apparently one of Yggdrasil and the druids’ specialties. The man had started training a variety of techniques, which he wasn’t yet willing to discuss but hoped to eventually bend the laws of physics in and around his barriers.

Before leaving the room, Nil scrubbed himself clean, getting rid of all the dark sludge and other vile materials his body had expelled during the body ascension. The shower was extra powerful, and it felt like riot police had turned their hose on him—or so he imagined. The space also had magical grooming tools that he used to shave and groom. Nil also considered getting rid of all of his hair, but his mind changed. He enjoyed the look of his current wild locks. Apparently, the growth of all hair and facial hair also slowed down at Silver Realm. He didn’t want to remain bald for long.

The ascension had improved Nil’s skin and hair. His eyes appeared brighter and sharper. His locks were more lustrous too. He didn’t gain any height or muscle mass but felt more flexible and nimble. Nil didn’t mind. It was perfect. He felt like the best possible version of himself. Nil was sure more changes would follow when he woke the following morning when his body adjusted to the changed attributes.

It was tempting to go to the running track and obstacle course so he could push Toggled Supercharging’s limits. Nil wanted to test his new top speed and reflexes. Testing his raw and supercharged strength in training building also excited him. Instead, he prioritized food. Ascension always came with incredible hunger. 

Nil had expected to crave his guilty pleasure foods—fried chicken, fresh sugar donuts, and similar high-calorie and greasy food. Instead, he wanted nothing but some sort of meat or fish, lots of vegetables, and either bread or rice. He sent a message to his friends and family about being done, called the cafeteria, placed a rush order for ample quantities of whatever was their daily special and his favorites, and finished getting clean.

Much to Nil’s relief, his old clothes still fit him. He had brought along an extra set and left it in the ascension room’s air-tight locker. Unfortunately, he forgot to put the T-shirt, jogging pants, and socks away. Black residue stuck to the fibers, and they smelled vile. Even though Nil was currently making money hand-over-foot, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about just throwing things away.

Thinking about gaining Body of Iron made Nil chuckle. He thought of the mess he had made of Andrew’s ‘master bathroom’ and the amount of effort it took to clean everything. They had to throw out his old clothes, the shower curtains, towels, and all fabric Andrew had in the space. Even after they scrubbed everything clean and used the strongest cleaning chemicals they could find, the stench took several weeks to clear. Now, all Nil had to do was press a button. The sludge drained out of the deep bath. Powerful jets, firing colorful liquids, cleared it, and a voice advised him to leave the room within two minutes. More powerful chemicals were to follow.

Nil evacuated the awakening room, and by the time he reached the cafeteria, everyone was present, including Susan.

“Don’t you look like a fine piece of Silver!” She exclaimed, giving him a tight hug. “I’m sorry I wasn’t around to congratulate you on the victory. Congratulations. I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you,” Nil told her. “All going well with CIT?”

“It's going.” She shrugged. “Let's not get into the mess now. Today is about celebrating your victory.” She returned to Andrew, taking his hand. “Nil looks great, doesn’t he?”

“He needs all the ascensions he can get,” Andrew said. “Not even Silver can make his ugly mug appealing.”

“Hush, now!” Susan smacked her partner’s arm playfully. “You’re just jealous of how well he cleans up.”

“No, I’m not!”

“I’m going to be gorgeous after a couple of ascensions, aren’t I?” Emily asked, wide-eyed. “What do you think, Selia? We have the same cheekbones and nose, right?”

“You have softer and cuter features and are pretty enough already,” Selia told the younger woman. “Between Udit and Elizabeth, the pair of you got gorgeous genes, Emmy. You don’t need ascensions to look great.”

“You’re just flattering me—”

“I sensed Qi today!” Sam interrupted, taking the seat next to Emily. The pair sat opposite the couple. He glanced at Udit who was busy talking to Shawn before continuing at a lower volume. “At least, I think I did. It's like a tingly warm.”

“Are you sure you didn’t pee yourself?” Emily asked, nudging the youngest Roy.

“Shut up.”

Everyone sat together in the private dining room, and Nil was relieved when the kitchen brought out bread, butter, dips, and oils. Even though they hadn’t ordered it, vegetable fritters followed. Nil dug in hungrily, joking and conversing with his friends. They didn’t need to go to a fine restaurant to celebrate. As long as he had good company and excellent food, nothing else mattered. He made most of the evening. Come morning, training for the Cleansing would begin.