Freya opened her eyes, and bright divine light reflected in them.
She reached out one hand and gently placed it on the back of Karl's palm, while with the other she softly pressed against his forehead.
"Let my hands heal every wound and pain in your body and soul."
"Let my cloak become the strongest barrier, shielding you from your own fragility."
With the final syllable came a soft chime — "zzz". All the swirling runes, together with the divine light in Freya's palm, trembled, and then, like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, they instantly plunged into Karl's body.
There was no earth-shaking spectacle — only a warm, gentle breeze, like spring sunlight piercing through and spreading softly within.
Freya withdrew her hand. The sacred radiance around her gradually faded. She lightly patted Karl's wrist, and her voice regained that ethereal, almost otherworldly note of concern:
"It's done. Return now." She paused. "And remember: if you ever face a riddle you cannot unravel, or... if you lose your way on your path — be sure to ask me."
Karl sensed the changes inside himself. It was not an increase in power, but a subtle, necessary "blessing." As though the blessings had been stamped upon his body and soul — his vision grew sharper, more penetrating, and his heart filled with quiet confidence. Even his perception of the world around him — the light, the air, the ground beneath his feet — became clearer, more familiar...
This was certainly no ordinary "blessing." Freya had summoned him specifically and granted it personally. This was likely the most precious and powerful favour she could bestow as a deity.
Such friendship and help — too great a gift.
He looked at Freya, about to offer a proper word of thanks, but then caught the corners of her lips twitch into a sly smile. Then, without even glancing at him, she casually waved her hand.
"Boom!" — the familiar rainbow ray descended once more from the heavens, engulfing Karl entirely.
"Wait! I haven't even—!" Karl's protest was swallowed by the light.
He felt himself caught up and carried away, as if by a rushing river of radiance — unable to resist, swept rapidly out of the divine realm. Along the very path he had come, he hurried back to his starting point.
After a few seconds, the light dispersed, and the piercing wind rushed to meet him.
Karl was once again suspended in the sky where he had departed — beneath him lay a sea of clouds, above him the scorching sun.
High above, Karl twitched the corner of his mouth, a mixture of annoyance and amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Forget it." He said to himself. He wasn't angry with her.
Freya had spent countless long years alone in that vast divine realm. There was no one with whom she could hold an equal conversation, no true companions, and precious few who could even understand her thoughts. Over time, loneliness had seeped into her very bones, and sometimes those harmless little pranks became her way of easing that solitude.
Pushing Freya's grinning face from his mind for the moment, Karl's expression turned focused and calm once more.
With a thought, the system's translucent panel silently unfolded before his vision.
Energy Pool: [20,798,415]
His gaze drifted down to the rows of innate abilities.
Talents:
[Biolield Lv.1] [Steel Body Lv.1] [Super Strength Lv.1] [Super Speed Lv.1]
[Super Senses Lv.1] [Super Brain Lv.1] [Thermal Vision Lv.1] [Frost Breath Lv.1]
Karl's eyes first settled on Biolield — one of the abilities he used most often and relied upon the most. It wasn't just about flight or telekinesis; it combined defence, perception, and precise control. The strength of Biolield directly affected his command over his own power. In confronting the conceptual corruption of the Dagons or large-scale attacks, it could play a key role in isolation and protection.
Without much hesitation, Karl focused his mind and gently touched the "Lv.1" next to [Biolield].
"Ding." The glyphs for [Biolield Lv.1] blurred for a moment, then sharpened and stabilised into [Biolield Lv.2].
Almost simultaneously, the numbers in his energy pool began to pulse:
20,798,415 → 20,008,005 → 19,190,113 → 18,000,218...
Finally, the digits settled at 17,798,415 — consuming exactly three million units of energy in a single go.
Karl's heart tightened, but he wasn't overly surprised. He immediately turned his attention to another notable feature.
That button — which had shifted from grey to dark red, the one that enabled world-crossing — remained dark red. It hadn't turned grey after the skill allocation.
So the time-travel function didn't require a fixed twenty-million-energy consumption just to "activate" once? During an actual transition, it might be an independent "open state."
Perhaps the energy consumption depended on factors like the target world and distance? That was good news.
He then switched his focus to the pattern of attribute distribution and consumption.
"From level one to level two costs three million," Karl pondered. "Which means from level two to level three might require five million, maybe even eight or ten?"
He needed to verify that — at least to understand the pattern of ability upgrade costs. At the same time, he wanted to confirm another theory: were the distribution of attributes and the costs of different abilities independent of each other?
Karl's gaze shifted to Super Strength, and his thoughts sank once more.
[Super Strength Lv.1] → [Super Strength Lv.2]
The energy pool figures began to plummet again, finally halting at 14,798,415.
Another three million? A sharp gleam flickered in Karl's eyes — the consumption was exactly the same.
Moreover, he quickly glanced at the cross-over button — still dark red.
"Each ability consumes points separately, at least at the lower levels," Karl concluded preliminarily. That meant he didn't have to choose between being well-rounded but mediocre or specialised but narrowly focused — at least in the early stages, he could pursue both.
Having verified the pattern and confirmed that the travel function remained viable, Karl's gaze turned to Super Speed.
Speed, in many situations, was life itself. Extreme speed meant supreme mobility. Faster reactions, and... more powerful momentum. When strength and speed combined, the destructive force they could unleash grew exponentially.
"System, show me your limits! Let's allocate!" Karl shouted inwardly.
[Super Speed Lv.1] → [Super Speed Lv.2]
The energy pool made its third high-platform leap — 14,798,415 → 11,798,415.
After consuming another three million, his energy reserves had dropped below twelve million.
Karl's gaze swept over the other abilities one by one: Steel Body, Super Senses, Super Brain...
His eyes lingered on Steel Body for a few extra seconds. Stronger defence meant a greater margin for error. Facing the Dagon of the Cthulhu divine line, he had no idea what misfortunes might arise — an extra layer of protection was never a bad thing.
But in the end, Karl looked away. With a thought, the system panel silently vanished.