Chương 7: Accidental Advancement

Now that his father was staying with them, the house had grown livelier. More people came to look for him. Ember even got to see many of their close relatives in the clan, as well as his grandfather. He certainly did not have the look of an old man, appearing only in his middle age, with not even a single strand of grey hair. Well, his Silver rank and levels perhaps helped with that. He was one of the elite few in the clan, and the whole of Seynhold, who had ascended beyond level 100.

Although it seemed like there was only one level of difference between level 99 and level 100, there was also a difference in rank. From what he had learned, the hierarchy of class was like this: Rank > Tier > Level.

For Copper, Iron, and Silver, each class rank was divided into three tiers, with level divisions within them, as follows: Copper Tier 1: Level 1 - 8 Tier 2: Level 9 - 16 Tier 3: Level 17 - 24 Iron Tier 4: Level 25 - 49 Tier 5: Level 50 - 74 Tier 6: Level 75 - 99 Silver Tier 7: Level 100 - 174 Tier 8: Level 175 - 249 Tier 9: Level 250 - 324 Of course, there were still Tier 10 and above, but those fell under the legendary Gold rank.

Ember might have been able to draw a division of its tiers from the prior nine tiers, but that would only be an assumption. Besides, Gold-class rankers were like legendary figures. There were only a handful of them in the entire Seynfield, each either the head of a prestigious house or holding some other influential position, such as governing lord of a city or commander of a legion. House Blackstone did not possess a Gold-classed patriarch, from what he understood. They had more than a few Silver-class rankers.

His father might be joining their ranks soon enough. It was how he had obtained the long leave, as he would be attempting to reach Silver class in the next three or four years. All this had little to do with Ember. He was still a decade away from achieving his class, but he liked collecting tidbits of secrets, as some of them were too interesting to ignore. Sadly, his primary source of information, Rain, was not privy to much of the classified knowledge either.

Besides, these days she was preoccupied with something else.

"No, no!" Cliff Blackstone stammered.

"Your breathing is incorrect. Your stride's still as clumsy as last month's." His sister hurled forward with her sword, ready to plunge it into the knight's chest without hesitation. His father parried with his left arm. Despite the ease with which he carried himself throughout the spar, he did not hold back much, sending an electric spasm through Rain's palms.

"Come again," he shouted.

"I'd rather leave you in house arrest than let you enter the trial with this flimsy skill of yours." Ember watched from the porch, his eyes flinching at each strike that battered and bruised his sister. Involuntarily, he hugged the spider construct tightly.

"Your movement is still headless and straightforward," his father accused.

"What did you say your mastery of Enhanced Running was? At five? I have seen disabled people run faster, with far more resolve." Ember was unsure if he was saying it for effect, but with mana and magic being a thing, it might as well be possible.

"Step with purpose. Don't assume you can strike me just because you have pulled more force into your swing. Think and strategise. Watch and learn." Then he hit her on the calves, causing a yelp to escape her lips. Cliff Blackstone was worse than those sadistic gym trainers who goaded you with insults so that you would train harder. He was like a slave driver. Every morning and evening, he would help his eldest daughter practise, only letting her rest when she had nothing more to give.

Even his mother, bless her kind heart, was unable to watch after the first couple of days. Ember could not help but wonder about his own situation when he would be her age. No, no, no. I am a mana prodigy. I don't have to train swordsmanship like a lunatic. On that note, his mana sense was almost on the precipice of reaching the ninth level. Ember could feel it in his skin. It would only take a couple of hours of diligent practice.

He had known that for about a week now, only hesitating because earning that point would prompt his Tier 2 advancement. Normally, Ember would have been elated to no end, but remembering the near-death agony, he could not help but hesitate. He was not even three, yet expected to endure such excruciating torment. I should have taken the pain tolerance skill. On that note, he was unsure whether he should hide his advancement or not.

Well, his family would find out either way, as his father could likely tell anyone's tier at a glance. So there was no point hiding it. Moreover, his father's healing skill was more dependable than Rain's, if the worst came to pass. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. I should wait until Dad finally has some time to spare. Perhaps in the afternoon, he decided. But that plan was thwarted, as the knight headed out at noon and only returned by sunset.

The first thing he did after returning was present his mother with a crystal vial filled with a thick yellow liquid glistening in the light.

"Is that an elixir?" Ember asked, eyeing the vial. He could feel the high density of mana despite the insulation.

"Unhuh, this is something for your mother," his father grinned, "to help her keep her beauty for decades to come." He tilted his head, ruminating on the implication behind that. An anti-ageing potion? Rossana rolled her eyes.

"Is that a potion to raise my racial tier?" Ember squeaked as if thunderstruck. You can do that, evolve race with potions? Why had he been diligent for so long if it is true?

"It looks to be of Iron rank," his mother said, biting her lower lip.

"How much did that cost?"

"Only a bit of my credits." Rossana shot him a peeved look.

"Out with it already."

"A thousand credits," he muttered.

"But I got a huge discount for being—""A thousand credits?" his mother screamed, jumping to her feet.

"Are you out of your mind, Cliff Blackstone?" The Iron Knight flinched slightly.

"It's only a thousand credits. I have ten times more to spare."

"Well, not anymore, from the sound of it," Rossana sighed.

"Can't you return it?" Cliff shook his head.

"Returning it will waste one of my rank privileges for the year," he said, scrunching his nose.

"Besides, it's less than what my beautiful wife deserves." The wife in question fought to keep the blush off her cheeks.

"You could have used that on Rain's gear."

"That's already coming in order." Cliff handed the vial to her.

"It's inexcusable that I left you in this state for so many years. I can't forgive myself if you continue to falter on your path."

"But it's only a lifestyle path..."

"Not another word. Drink it and advance. I will watch over you." While they were being affectionate and arguing, they did not seem to notice a fuse ignite in Ember's head. There were potions that could advance your race? Why had he not known that? And why had they not fed him a dozen of them already? It sounded expensive, but...

"How many points are you off the threshold?" his father asked.

"One hundred and sixty-three," his mother sighed, already accepting her fate.

"Good," he said.

"This is supposed to give about four hundred points to anyone below Tier 4. But since you have only ingested a minor potion before, we can still expect it to bestow over three hundred points. More than enough to get you to Tier 4." Three hundred points? Ember screamed internally. That was almost half a year's work. But what also surprised him was that his mother had not yet advanced to Tier 4.

Yes, he understood that the threshold for advancement doubled every time, but that still should not be impossible if she had over a decade to practise. Now he wondered what tier his father might be, considering the density of mana coalescing around him whenever he meditated or practised. He had to be on the higher spectrum, perhaps even having raised his race to Silver tiers. After preparing her mind, his mother sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, with his father sitting beside her.

Before they began, Cliff eyed him.

"Now, Ember, I want you to sit right there and only watch," he said.

"This is going to be very painful for your mother, so do not cry. It will only distract her."

"How painful?" his mother asked, a trace of fear in her tone. His father looked at her for a moment, collecting his words.

"Well, this is your advancement to Iron rank. It's going to sting a bit, but you only have a lifestyle class, not a pure warrior or mage class, so your body won't need to be completely reforged. The only problem is that Iron transformation tends to take quite a bit of time." Iron transformation? Body reforging? Ember was astounded at what he was hearing. Meanwhile, his mother's expression shifted from one emotion to another. Cliff held her palm, clasping it.

"Don't worry, I'll be here throughout the process, and will heal you if there is a need." As he ruminated on his father's words, Rossana inhaled deeply and gulped down all the yellow liquid. Within a minute, the transformation unfurled. Although her flesh and clothes acted as a barrier of interference, Ember could still feel a wild amount of energy rushing through her body, some even exuding from her pores. Her jaw clenched in concentration as a muffled grunt of pain escaped her lips.

"This is not a sting of pain," she complained.

"Steady," Cliff reminded. Her skin began to swell, with all the pores in her body emanating sweat and patches of blackish goo. Even dark scarlet blood seeped out as her skin tore, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. His father did not heal her as he had mentioned, only watching with a calm expression. It was only when she seemed completely unable to endure any more that he cast the healing spell.

Most of her fresh wounds and torn skin knitted back under his power, while the murky impurities and dark blood coated her face, emanating a stench that almost made Ember leave the room. He still observed, utterly transfixed by the transformation taking place in his mother's body.

"So many impurities," his father said.

"You would need to get some high-tier purifying potions to have any chance at advancing to Silver." His mother clearly was not hearing him. At least, her pain had subsided. Ember was watching closely when, abruptly, light flickered and a disembodied screen opened before his eyes, startling him. [Mana Sense (Copper) +8 → 9] [+90 EPs.] [Human (Copper) - Tier 1 (557 → 647/600)] [Tier 2 Evolution threshold met.] [Initiating advancement to Tier 2. Please stay calm and collected.] Ember was neither calm nor collected.

He let out a scream before the pain even tore through him. A flood of force surged through his veins. His heart wrenched with twisting pain, as if his body were circulating erratically. Ember thought he heard his father's voice, but he could not be sure. His entire focus was consumed by the upheaval unfolding within his body. Thankfully, unlike Tier 1, his advancement to Tier 2 lasted only about half a minute. By the time it finished, he was sitting in a cold sweat.

Little to no impurities had emerged from his pores, but he still felt like he needed another bath. [Congratulations, you have advanced to Tier 2.] [+6 skill slots.] He had not even looked at his status to see the changes when he noticed the expression on his father's face. He almost flinched.

"Don't tell me," his father said, dumbstruck, "have you just advanced?" Still with a pang of trepidation running through him, the words escaped his mouth, "I didn't mean to. It was an accident." His father chuckled. He glanced at his mother, who was still in the midst of her advancement.

"Accident, he says. I wish I had these accidents when I was young." Unsure what to say, Ember remained where he was, wiping a line of sweat from his face.

"We will need to have a talk later," his father said.

"Once your mother finishes. Before then, don't learn any skills, all right?" Ember nodded tentatively and rushed to refresh himself in the washroom, as in due time it would be completely occupied by his mother, considering the state she was in.