Chương 26: Level Up

Doom. Impending doom. Rage filtered in his system as stars poured into his eyes and a sense of vanishing death covered his being, pain filling every receptor of his mind and body. The texture of parchment in his fingertips, the cold touch of the stone on his back, the frigid breeze of the mountain midnight, it all disappeared as his whole being was overtaken by the astral entities. The cosmic furnaces that illuminated the night sky were the source of much power, and beyond everything else, knowledge. Old knowledge.

New knowledge. Future knowledge. Especially future.

"Raaaaaagh!" Nolotl let out a primal scream as his body exploded with pain and rage. Especially rage, one far more primal than it already was. You have resisted Madness. You have failed to resist Rage. You have failed to resist Rage. You have failed to resist Rage.

"I'm going to fucking kill them! I'm going to kill them all! I'm going to burn down their whole country and culture to starless ashes! I will wage the bloodiest and longest war so not even their memories linger! Not a single trace of them will remain in historyyyyy!" The terian's vocal cords threatened to snap as he screamed, several blood vessels popping in his neck and head. He repeatedly slammed the cold stone beneath him, not carrying how red his fist became.

If anything, he couldn't feel more pain that what he had felt and was still feeling as his body had been turned into a bloody paste. Or rather, it would in the future. His whole body trembled in pain that had yet to occur, the divination ritual that he always was forced to perform at the start of the loop only increasing it more. If it wasn't for his Rage and Resistance to Cognitive Harm, Nolotl would have passed out both from the pain and the nausea as he did his best to keep his insides in. You are clear of Rage.

Your tolerance to Rage has permanently increased.

"Hah… hah…" Nolotl gasped heavily, his body deprived of energy as the rage flushed out of his system. It wasn't even one brought by his Animal Spirits, that was truly how he felt.

"They made a fucking big mistake by making me their enemy. I don't know if I would've led to the destruction of Cahtul before the ambush, but they've now certainly sealed their fates. I won't rest until only an unnamed memory remains of them." The terian priest gritted his teeth and pain and stood up. Perhaps he was clear of the Rage status effect, but he was still plenty angry. He still could feel how the wooden clubs broke every single one of his bones and the obsidian blades tore his skin and flesh.

How he lost his extremities and was bathed in a myriad bloods as he was reduced to a mound of flesh, still fighting to his last moments. Not even breath, for he had lost long the capacity to breathe by that point. Pain. Rage. Indignation. All boiled inside of him. This wasn't a slight that could be forgotten or pardoned. They would play in blood. Thousandfold.

The diviner looked up to the heavens, taking the clear and starry sky into his body, his Starguided Blessing doing wonders to calm him down alongside the clean and frigid breeze.

"Oh, well…" He sighed as he caressed the reddened spots of his fists.

"I was sorta entranced by my rage, but this certainly verifies that the time loop is a real thing. Well, at least not a one-off. I should press Enantyum for more information, but at the very least I still have one more loop considering his first statement about giving me two free ones to adapt." He now had clear what he would do this loop. Perhaps it was a bit infantile, but after what he had experienced, he really needed to do it. But that would have to wait for later, way later.

"What's actually more pressing now is this little notification," Nolotl gazed at the near-cyan blinking box of information contained in his sight that had been there for a while now, only being able to address it once he had managed to calm himself, even though his Animal Spirits still kept demanding blood. You have leveled up. You are now a Level 5 Gnosiamancer. Select a new Boon. Nolotl wanted to feel happy about, he really wanted to. It was his first level up in years, after all.

But all of his rage made it extremely difficult to feel the adequate elation, only rage or apathy. You have resisted Madness.

"Hah…" He sighed yet again, trying to make the best out of his horrible death.

"I already know what options will be there, but let's read them." The number of Boons people were able to select upon level up was determined by their total level, no matter if they specialized in multiple Alignments. As a level 5 gnosiamancer, Nolotl only had access to five Boons as they followed the growth of the golden ratio. He had three choices on the previous level and he would have eight on the next one.

These five choices were perfectly recognizable as the lower levels of every Alignment were completely charted and common knowledge. The following list appeared in front of him: Read Thoughts: The natural progression of those gnosiamancers that have taken the Lesser Read Thoughts Boon. This Boon makes it easier to read thoughts and infiltrate foreign minds undetected, granting additional lesser bonuses to do so.

Insight: Both of these attributes increase by 20%, in addition to any preexisting ones by precursor Boons. Insight: This Boon requires the Lesser Read Thoughts Boon to be unlocked. Alignment Obfuscation: Since time immemorial, people have sought out secrecy. You shouldn't be forced to display the information that details your very being. This Boon allows the user to hide their status from divinations.

Lesser Reservoir Increase: To do the impossible one needs resources, the greater available to them, the higher the chances to change the world. This Boon gives the user a considerable boost to their maximum main resource reservoir. Insight: The boost of the resource is 30%. Heightened Computation: Gnosiamancers are known for their ability to use computational power instead of mana to perform their magic and now you are taking your first step to completely forgoing mana in the first place.

This Boon increases the computation resource, reduces the cost of casting with computation, and reduces the difficulty of casting with computation by a lesser amount. Insight: The boost for all three attributes is 10%. Insight: This Boon requires the Cognition Connection Boon to be unlocked. Lesser Alignment Assimilation: Gnosiamancers are known for their capability to cast anything they put their minds into and now you are taking your first step to grasping any and every Alignment.

This Boon unlocks a sub-leveling system where you need to increase your understanding of every Alignment. Upon reaching maximum understanding with one, you will be able to assign a spell to their corresponding generic school of casting. The assigned spell gains proficiency, regardless of whether you lack proficiency with that school of casting. Insight: Proficiencies can be stacked. Insight: This Boon requires the Cognition Connection Boon to be unlocked.

"Hmm, whilst none of them are a surprise per se, I'm surprised my Insight proficiency is high enough to give me so much information about them. Last time I leveled up, I had no Insight into the Boons, though it's not like I needed it considering they were basic ones." Nolotl sat down and reread the descriptions whilst taking the information from his Insight proficiency to mind.

He could've easily checked the actual values for these Boons at the Archives as basically every single one had been taken thousands if not millions of times. He could've had another choice if he had taken Alignment Obfuscation at level 4, but unlike certain regressor, he didn't have anything to hide and that would've been a significant loss of power. Lesser Read Thoughts was just that powerful, regardless of the Lesser epithet. One couldn't put a price on comprehending minds and the Cognition.

"I would never have thought of taking Lesser Reservoir Increase before as my mana pool is quite decent from my age, but knowing that mana is the only thing of my status that doesn't get transferred between loops certainly changes things. Though at the same time, my computation will increase as it's bound to my mind and information, so it's sort of redundant. Perhaps the bonuses are a bit lower, but I believe it's a bonus that it isn't part from a series of Boons. I could take it and be done with."

It was common knowledge that Boon series could be a honeytrap. They sounded very powerful and they indeed were, but one ran into the possible problem of overspecializing and dedicating a lot of their power budget in one single thing. Enantyum had prohibited him from continuing him the Mind Control Boon series, but for him to get there, he would need to invest six different Boons to it.

Not only a waste, but he didn't intended to follow that path in the first place, even if it would synergize perfectly with his Title of High Priest of Nochochenca. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Mind controlling people was, without needing to mention it, a pretty bad thing.

"Alright, considering there's no use for that series and obfuscation, my only real choices are Lesser Reservoir Increase, Heightened Computation, and Lesser Alignment Assimilation. The question now is which one to chose from…" He pondered with the near-cyan screen in front of him." Heightened Computation is certainly the best choice, especially for a one-off increase in power.

The buffs aren't exactly linear as a 10% reduction to spells cast with computation—which is every spell I have a proficiency with thanks to Cognition Connection —is a better increase than 10% to my computation, at least for the time being. Once I have the Second Mind enchantment, that will definitely change, making it a virtual 20% increase.

And that 10% additional casting difficulty reduction will be key both for the ritual and the Simulacrum spell. It's certainly the best Boon…" The diviner had that very clear in his mind, it was the Boon he had originally decided to pick before this whole time loop ordeal. Yet now he couldn't help but feel a powerful unease.

He wasn't sure if it was due to the time loop itself or the effects of the divination he always started the loop with as that feeling of impending doom flowed in his blood vessels, making him unnerved.

"Perhaps this is against my better judgment but… I should ask Enantyum for his opinion," he mused to himself.

"Not only he must be at the very minimum level 9, which means he has far more experience picking Boons, but also I might score some sympathy points." Nolotl didn't forget that his whole life now depended on the man's whims. He wouldn't ever be able to forget it. With a groan, the terian stood up and dusted himself before entering back into the tower with the Time Tower as his destination.

Even though the Empyrean of Time was bound to have protections against divinations if his virtual age was anywhere near the one Nolotl had guessed, the Dijkstra's Routing divination still marked him in his studio-library. Just like the first loop. Something odd happened at the start of the loops, and Nolotl couldn't say what it was"You can come in." Once again, Enantyum said before Nolotl even had the chance to knock on his door. How is he doing it?

He shouldn't be able to feel neither my mind or soul to detect me remotely… The terian questioned to himself as he made his way in, finding the eastern chronomancer in his armchair with a glass of wine. It was a different kind from his first visit fifty days ago.

"So," Enantyum started, "do you know accept the reality of the time loop?"

"I'm forced to," Nolotl admitted without shame but plenty of worry, his tone was a defeated one.

"I'm not sure if it can last as long as you've led me to believe as all of this is outright impossible but… I will have to take your word for it."

"Smart," the brazen-eyed man smirked and took a sip of his violet wine.

"Have you just come to notify me of the obvious or did you just want to see me? I'm a very busy man." Nolotl had the feeling he should joke with the man, Enantyum certainly looked like one that not only handled humor but enjoyed it, yet at the same time, the gnosiamancer was even more scared than before. This wasn't a powerful divination or illusion, he truly had gone one hundred days back in time, or rather, two times fifty days. Which was even worse.

"I came to notify you that I have level up," the terian stated calmly.

"Oh, right!" Enantyum jumped out of his chair, his eyes glowing.

"I almost forgot you could do that! Oh, you don't know how marvelous it's to have someone that can level up without needing to pay the tax for an additional looper. This is just superb! Superb I say! How marvelous!" He even twirled in the spot, his robe lagging behind him. His excitement and humanity could have been endearing, if it wasn't because Nolotl could see a fragmented mind in the Cognition.

It was protected and secure, unreachable for him, yet he still could see that shattered silhouette beyond the curtain. A fragmented mind that had absolute control over time.

"But," the chronomancer suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the gnosiamancer through the corner of his eyes, those globes blaring death and the weight of Time itself, "mustn't I remind you to not follow that Boon series, right?" Time itself seemed to warp as he spoke. Nolotl felt no magic taking place, yet he could feel the following second stretch on for a tormenting eternity.

"T-there's no need for that." Even throughout all of his emotion-numbing cantrips, Nolotl still stuttered. You have resisted Fear. You have resisted Despair. You have resisted Madness. None of the status pop-ups surprised him. If there was a man that could inflict such unease into someone with just words, it was Enantyum Dei. The diviner hadn't felt any magic take place, but time had undoubtedly become a nauseating messed thing.

"I actually came here to ask you for an opinion on what to take…" Nolotl revealed sheepishly. He feared not as thirty-seven warriors came to kill him, but he was struggling to even stand upright before the monster in his sights.

"Oh, that's good to hear, then," Enantyum responded, recovering his nonchalant self as if nothing had happened.

"Then there's no question. Just take Lesser Alignment Assimilation and make your way out."" Lesser Alignment Assimilation?" The Empyrean of Information inquired with a bit more spine.

"But doesn't that Boon take years to be useful?"

"Oh, how foolish you are, little prince," the Empyrean of Time smiled, his teeth white as pearls, yet they were considerably outshined with those eyes brimming with Alignment.

"If there is one thing you have in plenty now is time."

"Oh…" Nolotl mouthed.

"I must admit that… I didn't think of it." Not only his mind hadn't assimilated the weight nor ramifications of the time loop, but he actively wanted to think against it.

"So there's that, just pick it and get those cheap nine spells," Enantyum made a shoving gesture with his hand and sat back down on his armchair.

"But that's also the quid of the question, isn't it? I'm going to dedicate several—countless even—loops to getting nine spells cheaply. It isn't just a severe investment, but a quantifiable loss of power."

"Only a child would consider an investment as a bad thing," the Regressor scoffed.

"The Alignment Assimilation series is without a doubt one of the most powerful Boon series in all Alignments. Do you even know what the Alignment Assimilation Boon does?"

"No…?" The terian hesitantly responded.

"I believe that's a level 10 Boon, but that's all I know."

"Ah, you gnosiamancers and your paradoxes," the chronomancer rolled his eyes and sipped from his wine.

"You all preach about open and free knowledge, yet at the moment of truth you all covet your secrets voraciously. The Alignment Assimilation gives you the ability to use all generic schools of magic." Nolotl's eyes shot wide open upon hearing that.

"But that makes no sense! At level 7 we have a choice to select proficiency with an additional one! Why would we be able to have proficiency with every single one three levels later?"

"Because it follows the same restrictions as it's precursor Boon. You need to investigate and adequately research the target Boon," Enantyum explained.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't even completed half of the Alignments for Lesser Alignment Assimilation by the time you get to level 10. That Boon alone is it's own Alignment worth of leveling."

"You aren't making this choice that appealing," the terian revealed.

"Having proficiency with all generic schools of magic is certainly great, but if it will take me years, maybe even decades to get there… shouldn't I best use my time investing in other Boons?"

"Ah, there seems to be a misunderstanding," the bronze-skinned man set down his glass and scowled at him. Then everything felt wrong. You have failed to resist Stasis. Nolotl tried to breathe, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but move. His whole body was locked in place, and he wasn't able to bulge a single cell of his body, no matter how much he pressed. His breathing, heartbeat, and every other corporal function came to a sudden halt. His body halted in time yet his consciousness still working.

Enantyum calmly stood up and strolled towards him, without caring that his fellow regressor was dying in real time as his body stopped working. Even though Nolotl shouldn't have been able to hear nor see as his organs stopped working, he still heard those heavy and slow steps approaching. The terian prince then felt the touch of the chronomancer in his chin as he grabbed it and looked at him directly in the eyes, a pitiful cyan meeting a brazen desert that expanded for infinity.

"You don't have a choice," Enantyum Dei, Empyrean of Time, stated. The next instant, the chronomancer freed him from his physical grasp, and in the subsequent from the chronal grasp, allowing the gnosiamancer to move. Though as he was deprived from control of his body whilst he processed everything, the Tezlan collapsed on the ground and gasped for air. You are clear of Stasis.

"Honestly, I don't plan to pick all the Boons for you," the chronomancer calmly talked as he sit back down yet again.

"I truly want us to create a healthy working relationship, but not picking Lesser Alignment Assimilation would be the greatest mistake of your life. You should be grateful, really. And well…" He swirled around his glass of wine.

"If you are not, you will definitely be in the future. As you will inevitably find out, there's always the future." Nolotl was having his second thoughts about this time loop, yet at the same time, if he didn't obey the man in front of him, there definitely wouldn't be a future for him. The terian prince softly bit his lower lip as he recovered his composure.

He couldn't even feel angry, but that was mostly due to the fact that his Animal Spirits—both the keen crow and the rapacious quetzal—had been too intimidated by the chronomancer to show any emotion, reduced to little more than whimpering birds in front of an apex predator, a serpent in front of them.

"I… will do it…" Nolotl complied easily, telling himself that it was because he only had had two valid Boon choices so it didn't matter much. One of the advantage of gnosiamancers was that the could read and interact with their statuses at any time, meaning that he didn't need to meditate to select the Boon, a spare thought was more than enough for him to interact deeply with Alignment itself. Lesser Alignment Assimilation Boon obtained.

He didn't need the message from the Real-Time Status divination to know that his mind had expanded, assimilating the increase of progression level and becoming closer to the apex of Information, as slight as the progress was. But most importantly, with the level up finalized, he felt the exhaustion flew out of his body as pure Alignment poured inside, restoring any ailment and capping out both his mana and computation, even restoring the wounds in his reddened fists.

This was a phenomenon that every living person was acquainted with yet only experimented few times over their whole life. The increase of Alignment had brought him to his optimal condition and elevated him to greater heights as he meagerly grasped an infinitesimal fraction of infinity with the level up.

"I see that it's done," Enantyum lazily commented as he noticed the slight changes in Nolotl's status. Somehow.

"You can go away now, I'm busy." The terian really wanted to scowl, but between his presence of mind and emotion-numbing cantrips, he had managed to restrain himself. He simply stood up from the carpeted floor and nodded to the chronomancer before heading for the door.

"Oh, and in case you forgot," the Empyrean of Time spoke with so little interest that the gnosiamancer thought for a moment he was an akyromancer and his presence had been erased.

"This is your last loop to adapt. Don't misspend this freebie!" Enantyum's tone made him sick, feeling less worth than garbage. This whole exchange meant nothing for the chronomancer. And yet again, Nolotl failed to comment as his body and mind still remembered the futility and weakness of everything when he had been paralyzed, only giving the man a weak nod before leaving the room. Just like a beaten beast, Nolotl Xocoyotzin knew that he couldn't contest the chronomancer in any shape or form.