Chapter 91: A Completely Beautiful Man Bathed In Power

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When Benjamin awoke the next day, sunlight was already slanting through the carved wooden shutters of his guest chamber.

{Assimilation Complete: Master has acquired the unique skill [Lion’s Nest]. Review: it gives the user the ability to summon Unique Beasts to command.}

[First, good morning, Sys.]

{Good morning, Master.}

[Secondly, are you sure this skill isn’t just made up now?]

{That is correct, Master. With Concept Assimilation, we can take data from concepts and form a unique skill. Using the essence from yesterday’s trial and the ancient tree energy, this unique skill was formed. Did I work above my station?}

[Not at all, but I’m actually starting to think you want me to slay a demon lord soon, with all this upgrading.]

Such had been the greeting Benjamin and Sys exchanged in recent times; Benjamin waking up to greet Sys, while telling it to calm down a little.

He pushed himself up from the ornate and majestic bed, the heavy silk sheets sliding away from his bare chest. The room still smelled palely of cedar and last night’s incense.

He walked barefoot to the wide window and pushed the shutters open, letting cool morning air wash over him.

Below, the capital stirred gently awake: merchants setting up stalls, children already chasing each other through narrow streets, and guards changing shifts with sleepy yawns.

The cherry trees along the main avenues still held their blossoms, petals drifting lazily on the breeze.

“I’ll be leaving this place today…” he thought to himself. “It was really fun… I am happy I came here. But now, I have to go back home; Sara is waiting for me. Sigh. I’ve never been happier to have [Infinite Stamina] as now. Those Amazons will drain me when I’m back…”

{Notification: As an Arch Human, Master’s abilities have also hit a high point. [Infinite Stamina] will have little to no resistance now.}

[It had before? Now that I think about it—despite having infinite stamina, I get exhausted quite often.]

{Answer: Master was always against dangerous and high-level beings such as the Amazons and Half-spirits. [Infinite Stamina], a formerly physical-exclusive ability, could not keep up with the constant plummet of your spirit. However, that is immensely averted with Master’s evolution.}

[Didn’t quite get what you were saying, aside from I won’t collapse if Izra jumps me again… Hm? What’s that?]

His gaze drifted downward.

High up as he was, the base of the building came into view; a wide courtyard where official-looking beastkin in formal robes moved with purpose. They were escorting a peculiar group of people.

Benjamin leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes.

Said peculiar group was small, with only five figures at most, but one stood out immediately.

The leader (or at least the one who moved with unmistakable authority) raised his head at that exact moment, and their eyes met.

Just a few seconds of eye-to-eye contact, and Benjamin felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. A cold sting raced down his spine, as his palms turned clammy immediately.

The figure’s presence pressed against him like a physical weight, even from that distance.

Then the individual turned away and continued walking. The group subsequently disappeared around the corner of the building.

Benjamin exhaled shakily and wiped the sudden sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

The figure had worn a coat-like dress; long and tailored, and the most modern style outfit Benjamin had seen anywhere in Elyndor

Sleek black fabric with sharp silver lines. But the parts of him that had been visible—the palms, a sliver of chest, the head—were something else entirely.

Pitch black. And it didn’t look like skin… it looked like exoskeleton. And silver traces ran along the edges like circuit lines or veins of ore.

The head resembled a humanized stag beetle; glossy black chitin, mandibles folded neatly, with compound eyes that caught the light in unnatural facets.

The visible body looked more like armor; segmented and jointed, and gleaming faintly under the morning sun.

[Hey, Sys… what was that person just now?]

{What Master just saw was an individual from the race called Entomids. They are sometimes seen as a type of demon, but known for their unreasonable physical power and anti-magic capabilities.}

[Well, I’m not sure I’ll like to get on their bad side. Why was he even looking at me like that? Do I owe him money?]

{Answer: Master, in fact, do not owe any individual money. However, if one with the intense aura of Master stares at an individual without restraint, they might feel threatened, and possibly react back with hostility.}

[Eh? But I wasn’t being hostile or anything.]

{…Master does not seem to realize, but—}

[Whoa!]

As Sys spoke, Benjamin’s perspective shifted violently, as the world seemed to tilt.

His point of view rose, upward and outward, as though he were suddenly looking down from high above, then from every angle at once.

Basically, he gained countless of eyes everywhere.

And what caught his attention was himself.

Shocked, but still propped casually against the window sill, his blue eyes shimmering like deep lake water under sunlight, a completely beautiful man bathed in power.

Power as in, the deep blue smoky essence filling the entire room, pouring from his skin, his hair, his breath, and coiling like sentient fire.

The chamber itself seemed to burn with soft blue flames, and every surface sparkling as though lit by a single, dreadful torch: Benjamin Mark.

His body went instantly pale, as his knees nearly buckled.

Then his vision snapped back to normal.

[Wh-What was that terrifying person? Me? It looked even scarier than the stag beetle guy. H… Have I been walking around like this? Since when?]

{What Master saw was his aura unrestrained; the evidence that the power within is immense. What Master displayed at the racial summit was magic power release; that one is dangerous for weak beings, coupled with the truth that Master’s magic can wipe out a small village uncontrolled.

{But pragmatically, Master’s magic is firmly held by me inside Master’s core, though destroying Master’s soul slowly and regenerating it stronger every time. But as for the aura… there is simply no more space for me to hold it. Perhaps with Concept Assimilation, something can be done.}

[Hey, what was that about my soul being destroyed again?]

Knock, knock!

A soft thud sounded at the door.

Several beastkin attendants, with polite and calm faces, entered to escort him for his morning bath and preparations.

They bowed low, their movements smooth and practiced.

But Benjamin looked at their serene expressions and suddenly understood why only the most powerful-looking attendants ever came to help him.

’Were the others scared I’ll explode?’ he wondered as he followed them down the corridor. ’I need to do something about the aura… Sys, I leave it to you!’

{Understood, Master.}

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