The First Archmage

(Gavin)

I have a fair bit of Experience to sort out. 480,680, to be exact. Due to the sheer amount of it, I could probably max-out everything I currently have. My Species, my Bloodline, and my three Tier III Classes to Tier IV. Actually, I might not manage my Bloodline, but it's worth the try, right? Unless I want to take on some more Classes that will do almost nothing for me in comparison.

The question here is… what do I pick for my Tier IV Classes? There are several options, but in the end, I select Dragon Magus, Eternal Magus, and Dragon Brawler, all of them sitting at Mythical, meaning that they give a bonus every Level.

Dragon Magus: A mage whose power far exceeds that of mere mortals, little stands in your way. +5 INT, +3 MNA every Level, +20% to learning new Magics

This is an available Advancement for both Mystic Magus and True Magus, as well as the next option.

Eternal Magus: Your life is long and ancient, as are your powers. Fear little. +5 INT, MNA, MNP every Level, +25% to learning and Leveling Magics.

Powerful. The final one is the best option to advance Mystic Pugilist.

Dragon Brawler: With a strong body and even stronger fists, your foes fear your blows. +10 STR, +5 CON, INT every Level.

I accept the Quests, and my stats jump immediately. They aren't massive boosts, though, and are barely worth noticing in the long-run. However, every little bit helps, and considering that they amplify what's already there, not add on, even a single point is actually pretty good.

That part is easy to forget.

Acquiring those Classes net me the 'First' Titles for each of those, as well as the Title related to earning more than thirty Titles, Title Collector.

Experience Remaining: 255,695

Now to finish up my Species. That one doesn't take much for this Tier, considering it's already at Level 23.

+20 to All Attributes, LIF

Experience Remaining: 242,043

Looking at my next Species, I learn that there is no real 'quest' for it. It simply exists as a means for me to become stronger than I already am. All I have to do is accept it, and as Nies and Twist discussed, there is only one option for the Advancement.

Timeless One: One whose life is so long, whose body is so ageless, that they seem to exist outside of time, never aging again, living far beyond the mortal boundaries. With vast powers and seemingly endless knowledge, mere mortals worship you as a god. +25 to all Attributes, Resources, LIF per Level

It requires over 1,000 in each Attribute and Resource, with over 10,000 Total Attributes and 25,000 Total Resources in order to unlock, in addition to having slain at least three Dragons and forged three new magics.

Something only an impossible being could ever attain, outside of the Dekami…

Outside of the Dekami…

Wouldn't beings as powerful as them, and with bonuses higher than mine from my Bloodline, be able to reach higher Tiers? Or are they… are they not considered 'Enlightened'?

Clearing that thought from my head and deciding to focus on it later, I look at my student and Tristan.

"I am about to Advance to Tier IV of my Species," I tell them. "The feeling of awe and fear of my power you feel will increase when I do. I am unaware of what changes will occur to my body, but I will also grow intensely more powerful when I move on."

They both nod, so I remove my robe and shirt, then I accept the Advancement.

As always, I feel my body surge with power and energy, morphing and becoming stronger, though I know my appearance isn't changing much, though as expected, my wings are forced out of me and into the open, as I am pushed into my true form for the transformations.

When it fades, I am much more powerful than I was before, and my student and Tristan are looking at me with awe clear on their faces. I'm not taller or anything, and I can't sense any real difference to my body, so this must be from my aura.

You have Successfully Advanced Your Species to Tier IV!

+100 LIF

+300 OFV!

+300 RRN!

Ignoring their gazes, I immediately begin putting Experience into my Species. Tier IV Species and Classes require 250 Experience per Level, so it'll take me 75,000 Experience to finish.

+600 to All Attributes, Resources, LIF

Experience Remaining: 177,048

You have Successfully Mastered Your Species!

+200 LIF

+400 OFV!

+400 RRN!

You Can Now Turn Off and On the Aura of Enlightenment

I knew about the OFV and RRN bonuses, but I wasn't expecting the LIF bonus, or the two Titles for Mastering my Species. I suppose that's only natural, though, especially the Titles, since I acquired the set for reaching Tier IV.

Now, I'm sitting at thirty-nine Titles, just from this Quest. Two more, and I'll reach the final Title Hunter Title. I expend a small bit of Mana, and determine that it takes me less than a second to regenerate. Based on the rate at which I regained it, I can regenerate all of my 5,613 Mana in under an hour.

"Boys," I say. "Will you stop ogling and tell me my changes?"

"Sorry," Ryan says. "It's just… whoa."

Sighing, I turn off the Aura of Enlightenment, confirming that it's the one that causes the sensation of fear and awe in those below my own Species Tier, though it looks like the effects are lingering on them a little.

I summon a mirror, and examine my body. My skin is unchanged, though my hair has turned from platinum blond to looking akin to platinum itself, and my wings are now a metallic violet with flecks of gold here and there, and my eyes are in their true form, which remains from my time as an Eternal, as brief as it was.

Immediately, I fix my eyes and hair, grateful that I can do so, and then release my wings, before pulling my tunic and robe back on. That done, I dismiss the mirror, then clap loudly, startling the two magicians before me.

"Thank you," I say. "I'm going to work on adding Experience to my Bloodline, now."

They nod, and I get to work.

+375 to All Possible Stats!

Experience Remaining: 49,548

That granted me two new Titles as well – Bloodline Beast, for Mastering my Bloodline, and the First Title for that. It seems I acquired Title Hoarder somewhere along the way as well. I also acquired some for having no less than 2,000 of each Attribute, as well as another for having no less than 40,000 Total Resources.

Now what to do? Take on a new Class or Subclass, or a new Subspecies? Leader of Magic falls into the same category as Ruler Classes, so it doesn't count as a Primary. Due to my Tier IV Primary Class being over Level 15, I can have a total of three additional Primary Classes and seven Subclasses. Right now, I have no other Primary Classes and only five Subclasses.

The main issue is probably that outside of a Legendary or Mythical Class, I'd receive almost no benefit from a new Class, period. Even then, it would probably need to be a Mythical Class, for the every-Level bonus.

Then again, even a single point is useful, due to the amplification properties, but even then, it'd be barely noticeable.

I need to figure it out, though… I can't just abandon this Experience. I could Quest it to someone, but even then, I'd still have Experience leftover.

You could always save it, Nies mumbles into my head.

"Save it?" I ask, the two magicians giving me curious looks. "What do you mean, Nies?"

The moment I say my patron's name, the two magicians look understanding of why I'm talking 'randomly'. They should know by now that I do that when the gods talk to me.

Dismiss the notification, and you'll be able to come back to it later by pulling up the 'Unused Experience' window.

"Oh," I say. "Thanks."

You owe me.

"I'm planning on making you a new shrine here," I tell him. "It wouldn't be right, having this place without a shrine to you. Was going to work on that after I get things settled down."

Okay.

"Plus," I say. "I got you millions of followers."

That won't work forever.

Yet you keep saying that and accepting it, Nies.

His presence fades from my mind.

"So," I say to the two of them. "Will you enter the Tower with me?"

They nod, so I turn and press my hand against the wall of the Tower, opening the archway. We can see within it, and it looks like just a room, rectangular, apart from where the curved wall of the Tower meets it here at the front.

A desk stands about ten feet from the back wall, a door standing to either side of it. A crimson carpet covers the floor, and magic crystals glow, fixed into the walls. There are seats scattered across the room, low tables between them, and all in all, it looks almost like an every day Guild Hall or office.

"That bothers me a little bit," Ryan comments.

"The Sages," Tristan says. "Were wise and powerful. The fact that the crystals – even after thousands of years – remain lit is indicative of their power. In addition to that, they knew the differing languages. You can bet they were responsible for the muddled versions that mixed them together wrongly that is spread across the globe."

"Indeed," I nod. "We go in here, we might just find the sources of true magical knowledge, not the butchered forms of it scattered across the universe. Are you two ready?"

"Yeah," Ryan nods.

"Indeed," Tristan confirms.

"Then let's go in."