Black lava coiled down Arwin’s fingertips and encased his entire hand in a glowing gauntlet. It shifted forms, moving as easily as a new limb in accordance to his will as it moved through shapes and twisted around his body like a coiling snake. Every movement drew power from him. Controlling the soul lava drained his magical energy reserves at an alarming rate. He’d only been controlling it for around a minute and he was already nearly drained of power — but the tests had shown him all he wanted to see. He could control the lava with a thought. It was immensely hot and immensely powerful — and he could feel everything that it felt. It was an extension of his very soul. Instinctively, he knew that the terrifying power could do anything his [Soul Flame] could do. That, and more. Much, much more. Arwin called his status forward with a thought as he let the lava sink back into his own skin. The temperature within the smithy immediately started to lower now that it was no longer being super-heated from within. Letters shimmered through the air before him. It had been some time since he’d taken a moment to look at the full extent of his power, and things had changed significantly. Class: Living Forge (Unique)(Tier: Adept 1) Specialization: Forbidden Soulmancy. “Something wrong?” Lillia exclaimed, taking a step back from him. “What the fuck, Arwin? How are you Adept 1?” “I made a Core,” Arwin said. “It gave me an enormous amount of power. Far more than I had expected.” “Enough to skip half a Tier? How is that even possible? What in the world does that Core do if it gave you that much power? Is it going to destroy the entire city?” “I’m, ah, not actually sure yet.” Lillia stared at him. “You’re not sure. You jump six levels in a single item, waste an enormous amount of potential in the process, and you aren’t sure about what you even did? Are you insane, Arwin? Wait. Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?” “I’m fine,” Arwin promised, putting his hands on Lillia’s shoulders. “And I didn’t lose any potential.” “After I leveled up and saw what had changed, the only thing I wanted to do was come see you again,” Arwin said. “The [Soul Guardian] will still be where I left it when I get back.” Lillia’s cheeks reddened and she coughed into a fist, averting her gaze. “Did leveling up somehow turn you into a flirt?” “That would probably be the void,” Arwin muttered, his thoughts drifting for a moment before he yanked them back. “The void?” Lillia’s concern was back. “Are you sure you’re okay, Arwin? What happened to you when you leveled up?” “I’m fine,” Arwin promised. He gave her shoulders a small squeeze. “I’ll tell you everything tonight. I’m messing with your dinner preparation. Sorry. I should have waited until tonight, but I had to see you.” “It’s fine, you big oaf. You’re more important than dinner is. Losing a bit of satisfaction isn’t going to hurt me after the amount I’ve gotten over the past few days. I’m practically getting flooded with strength and energy,” Lillia said with a shake of her head. She put a hand on Arwin’s cheek. “But I can wait until tonight.” Arwin nodded. He covered Lillia’s hand with his own. She let her hand lower together with his and he gave it a tight squeeze. A weight felt like it had lifted off his chest. Even though it had only been a few hours since he’d seen her last, his internals couldn’t quite tell if it had been seconds or years. It was like someone had tossed his internal clock down the side of a cliff. They released each other and, after one final exchanged look, Arwin slipped out of the kitchen and walked through the common room of the tavern. His eyes locked onto Olive. She sat at a table eating dinner with Reya, Elias, and Maeve. He walked over to them. “Olive, Elias, Maeve, I’d like to see you in the Infernal Armory after you finish dinner,” Arwin said. Reya’s brow scrunched as she squinted at him. “Are… you okay?” Arwin blinked. “What? Yes. Does it look like there’s something wrong with me?” “Reya’s right. You do feel a bit odd,” Olive said slowly. “I don’t know how to phrase it. Kind of wild, I guess?” “Like you haven’t slept in forty days,” Elias said. Even though his face was covered with bandages, Arwin caught the unease in the man’s posture. “It’s your eyes. They’re different.” “Well, never mind that,” Arwin said. “I’m just ready to make your equipment. I don’t know when the Secret Eye are going to announce the Proving Grounds are starting and we need to make sure you’re all ready for it.” “We’ll be there,” Elias said immediately. “I can’t thank you enough. We—” Arwin was already gone, sweeping out the door and slipping past the crowd. The four adventurers at the table exchanged a glance. Then they set back at their dinner with renewed vigor. Not a single one of them was about to be late for this. Something important was happening. Arwin returned to the Infernal Armory, not pausing once until he stood before his [Soul Guardian]. The imposing suit of armor rose before him, silent and still. Power radiated from within it, but it was fading with every passing second. No. Not fading. Concealing itself. The power is still there. I can feel it deep inside myself, but externally, this just looks like a suit of armor. How do I pull up its information with the Mesh? And more importantly…