'System, we have some things that need to be settled before we move on.'

[Ready when you are Jack]

Jack's mind was already organizing the mountain of tasks ahead.

Stats to allocate, skills to improve, Corvin to strengthen. But first, the most immediate concern.

'You mentioned my storage is reaching capacity. What does it cost to upgrade?'

[System Storage Upgrade Available]

[Current Capacity: 1,000 item slots, 100,000 gold storage]

[Upgrade Cost: 50,000 Reputation Points per 1,000 additional slots/100,000 Gold]

Jack did the mental math. He'd just earned 250,000 Reputation Points from the demon slaughter. Spending 50,000 to double his storage capacity seemed reasonable, especially given how quickly he'd filled the current space.

'Purchase one upgrade.'

[Confirmed]

[Deducting 50,000 Reputation Points]

[System Storage upgraded to 2,000 item slots, 200,000 gold capacity]

The change was immediate. Jack felt the expanded space open up in his mind.

Now he didn't need to worry about having too much of something.

'Good. Now, about my classes. Can I unlock the next tier?'

[Negative]

[Arc Mage has reached MAX rank]

[To unlock advanced class options, you must seek out Draven]

Jack's jaw tightened in frustration.

Of course it wouldn't be simple. Nothing in this tower ever was. He'd have to commune with Draven once he got out of this god forsaken tower.

But that could wait. He had other options.

'What about the Lightning Apostle class? The one I passed on initially?'

[Lightning Apostle class available]

Jack considered the decision.

He'd skipped Lightning Apostle when he first started because lighting mage had seemed more straight forward.

But now, with all of his classes maxed out, learning a new one wouldn't be too bad.

More skills meant more versatility, more options in combat.

'Show me the skill list first.'

[Lightning Apostle Skills]

[Judgment Bolt]

[Summon a purple lightning bolt that can be thrown or thrust at a single target]

[Damage: Faith × Magic]

[Special: Deals double damage to demons, undead, and abyssal beings]

[Faith's Resurgence]

[Channel faith to heal yourself or an ally]

[Healing: Faith × Magic]

[Restriction: Fails if user is mentally shaken or in doubt]

[Stormkeeper's Rebuke]

[Release a concussive blast of lightning in 8-meter radius]

[Damage: Faith × Magic]

[Effect: Stuns enemies for 1.5 seconds, removes fear/charm/confusion from user]

[Celestial Descent]

[Call down a pillar of lightning from the heavens, in a 15 meter radius, lightning bolts will stirred down repeatedly at random]

[Damage: Faith × Magic]

[Covenant of the Storm (Passive)]

[Gain +1 Faith Stack per hit on demons/undead/abyssal creatures (max 10)]

[Each stack grants +2% Magic, +2% Healing]

[At max stacks: Spells explode on impact and chain to 2 nearby enemies]

Jack stared at the skill descriptions, his frustration building with each line.

These abilities would have been devastatingly effective against the demon horde he'd just faced. Judgment Bolt dealing double damage to demons.

Covenant of the Storm stacking power with each hit. Celestial Descent wiping out entire groups.

And he'd ignored this class completely because he hadn't bothered to read the descriptions properly.

'I'm an idiot,' Jack thought bitterly. 'I could have been using these skills this entire time.'

But dwelling on missed opportunities wouldn't help.

The answer was obvious. A healing ability alone made it worthwhile. He'd been relying on his Crimson Recovery ring and potions for healing, but having a direct heal would give him far more sustainability.

'Unlock Lightning Apostle and learn all five skills.'

[Confirmed]

[Deducting 130 Skill Points]

[Lightning Apostle class unlocked]

[Learning: Judgment Bolt, Faith's Resurgence, Stormkeeper's Rebuke, Celestial Descent, Covenant of the Storm]

[Skills learned successfully]

[Remaining Skill Points: 5]

Knowledge flooded Jack's mind, not words or images, but pure understanding.

He knew how to summon Judgment Bolt, how to channel faith for healing, how to call down Celestial Descent. The skills felt natural, as if he'd been using them his entire life.

But they were all at rank 1. Weak compared to what they could be.

'System, what would it cost to max out all my skills?'

[Calculating...]

[Lightning Apostle skills: 5 Dread Cores per skill (25 total)]

[Arc Mage skills requiring upgrades: 15 Dread Cores per skill]

[Soul Warden skills: Currently maxed]

[Total cost: 86 Dread Cores]

Jack checked his core inventory.

Spending 86 to max out his skills was nothing.

'Do it. Max everything.'

[Confirmed]

[Deducting 86 Dread Cores]

[Upgrading all skills to Rank 10...]

[Judgment Bolt: Rank 10]

[Faith's Resurgence: Rank 10]

[Stormkeeper's Rebuke: Rank 10]

[Celestial Descent: Rank 10]

[Covenant of the Storm: Rank 10]

[Arc Blast: Rank 10]

[Static Orbs: Rank 10]

[Static Field: Rank 10]

[Arc Reversal: Rank 10]

[Thunder Mantle: Rank 10]

[All skills maxed]

The rush of power was overwhelming. Each skill expanded Jack's understanding.

[DING!]

[All Arc Mage skills have reached Rank 10]

[All Lightning Apostle skills have reached Rank 10]

[You may now select ONE Arc Mage skill to become a Universal Skill]

[You may now select ONE Lightning Apostle skill to become a Universal Skill]

[Universal Skills can be used regardless of active class]

[This decision is permanent, choose carefully]

Jack paused.

This was important.

Whichever skill he chose would be available to him always, regardless of which class he had active.

But he didn't have time to make that decision now, not while standing in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield with S watching him expectantly.

'I'll decide later. Save that choice for now.'

[Acknowledged]

[Universal Skill selection pending]

'Good. Now, my stat points.' Jack pulled up his character sheet, his eyes scanning the numbers.

He'd earned 30 stat points from various achievements, plus the 5 to all stats from consuming thirty demon hearts.

Strength was still one of his three weakest stats

Getting it to 100 would bring him one step closer to a milestone he could feel hovering just out of reach, all stats at 100 minimum.

'Allocate 40 points to Strength.'

[Confirmed]

[Strength: 60 → 100]

[13 stat points remaining]

[Approaching milestone threshold]

[When all stats reach 100, a significant bonus will be awarded]

Jack felt the change.

His muscles didn't grow visibly larger, but power flooded through his body like liquid fire.

He clenched his fist experimentally, feeling the raw force behind the gesture.

But the stats could wait. He had something more important to address.

Jack looked up at where Corvin perched on a nearby rock, preening his dark feathers.

The great raven had fought beside him throughout the entire battle, killing dozens of enemies without hesitation. He deserved to be stronger.

'System, how much would it cost to level Corvin to 49?'

[Calculating...]

[Corvin is currently level 39]

[Cost to reach level 49: 74,000 Death Tokens]

Jack had over 500,000 Death Tokens from the battle. Spending 74,000 was nothing compared to the value Corvin provided.

'Do it.'

[Confirmed]

[Deducting 74,000 Death Tokens]

[Corvin leveling up...]

Corvin's head snapped up from his preening, his eyes widening as power flooded through his body.

The great raven's form shimmered, growing slightly larger with each level gained. His talons lengthened, each one gleaming like polished obsidian.

The transformation lasted perhaps ten seconds. When it ended, Corvin shrieked, a sound that echoed across the empty battlefield with enough force to make the air vibrate.

[Corvin]

[Rank: Dread]

[Level: 49]

[Strength: 200]

[Stamina: 150]

[Agility: 205]

[Vitality: 225]

[Endurance: 135]

[Magic: 175]

[Mana: 1,000]

[HP: 13,275]

[Affinity: Dark]

[Skills: Flight, Death Sense, Scavenging, Shadow Strike, Carrion Swarm]

Jack whistled low. Those were impressive stats for a Dread-rank creature. But Corvin could be more.

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