As soon as I turn the key I hear a click and the door opens slowly. I enter inside with flaming shoulders that illuminate the metal walls better than obsidian. I quickly find the stairs and descend down. As I do, my thoughts turn to the tests themselves.

  I shake my head for a moment and reset my focus not on who can pass them, but what I can do to make the tests less risky. The immediate option is to take my team with me to help me out. But, not all would be a good choice.

  Nepenthes can work, as can Auranta with her ability to fly and attack from range. Boriss and Irmgard are strong, but they are strong in comparison to normal humans. Maybe once they become experts it won’t be risky, but I’d rather avoid putting them against monsters similar to what I just fought.

  Arriving at the bottom, I’m met by a familiar scene. Not wishing to waste anymore time, I touch the glass to shatter it, and then I grasp the card.

  ___________________________________________________________________

  I am met with the glorious white-room alongside two floating eyeballs. One green and one blue.

  They blink at me.

  I blink back.

  They blink again.

  I blink back even harder.

  They blink back the same as usual.

  “Yea, you guys are still boring.” I pout. “Blue, you’re going second this time. I got fucked over last time and never got to use my points. Green, I’m sure you’ve got quite a nice update for me. Show me my traits. Actually, show me everything. Traits, Skills, Blessings, Titles, souls. I want to see it all!”

  “Acknowledged.”

  Skills Obtained: 3

  Souls Possessed: 4

  “Damn, I blew up my entire arm and I’m still not thirty yet.”

  I rub my chin as I stare at my traits.

  “Oh, nice. I increased my base strength. Looks like the resistance training is working.”

  I glance at the percentage increases. “Perception and control have a five percent boost. When did I- oh, right. The blessings!”

  I continue down the page until I find the two blessings in the titles column. Then I notice the soul count on my shift skill. I quickly scroll further down in the souls section. When I arrive at the very bottom, a grin rises on my lips.

  “Royal Wyvern! I can transform into a fucking mini dragon!”

  My grin quickly recedes as I notice the extreme activation cost of 534 mana.

  “Wait? Can I?”

  I glance at my maximum mana pool of 510.

  “Oh come on! That’s so bullshit! Wait, how many attribute points do I have?”

  Six points. If I put it all into Mana, then my mana increases to 540. With the sustain cost, I can become a monstrous wyvern murder machine for a good half minute!

  “Green, put all six trait points into mana.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  I see the shift at the change and watch as the number changes. A sense of giddy excitement overtakes me for when I awaken, but that is for later. I still have another boost to obtain.

  I glance up at the third card floating in the air. It is a picture of a bipedal humanoid hanging with a rope around its neck with the backdrop of a cavern. Under the man looks to be many pointy stalagmites.

  “Green, I’m done with you. Blue, it’s your turn to shine. Show me what I got.”

  Green disappears into a portal while Blue floats closer.

  “Entity Quasi Eludo, you have obtained the Hanged card. Please choose one of the following blessings:”

  Shit, these blessings are all actually pretty good. Hanged Perceptions

  Then again, it’s not that impressive when I think about it. As a Fenrimorph, I have natural night vision alongside the ability to see nearly everything around me. Unless i’m in complete darkness, then it’s ability is quite moot. Hell, I can always just set myself on fire if I need to see. And considering my mana regeneration, I can keep the fire going indefinitely.

  Hanged Mana

  Hanged Control

  Then again, will that actually be useful? As a cat, I’m already pretty stealthy, and if people see me, well, they think I’m just a cat. I can also sneak as a bird too. A sneaky Fenrimorph also isn’t very efficient on account of its massive weight and size. As a cat, I can hide behind a bucket. As a fenrimorph, I can hide behind a carriage.

  “Blue, let's go with Hanged Mana.”

  “Choice: Hanged Mana, accepted.”

  “Blessing application completed.”“Activating Reset Protocol.”