Defeating the monster, Gregory took them all into a nearby building. No one remained. The only signs of the previous owner were scattered cups and shattered picture frames belonging to a small family of a single child.

  “We’ll stop here for a minute—”

  Levi was about to protest. There were people out there that needed their help, but when he saw Gregory’s condition, he paused. Blood seeped from his left eye as Kara supported his frame, healing magic pressed against his chest.

  “Are you okay?” Levi asked, concerned.

  “I’ll be fine,” he replied, sitting down with the help of Kara. “Over utilising my ability takes it out of me. Give me a minute to recharge.

  Levi nodded. He rushed to the large pot located right next to the magic powered refrigerator. Suddenly, the urge to understand how it worked, how the magic cooled everything with. But he shook his head, gathered the water, and handed out cups to everyone. They all muttered thanks.

  After that was done, Levi sat down on the bed overlooking the door. If something arrived, he’d be the first to know about it. Well, maybe not, but he’d help them, anyway. Now that he was given a moment to breathe, he entered his System while still paying attention to the outside world.

  His lips twitched as a wall of text hit him.

  You have reached the Third Tier — Adept.

  | As a jewel of your evolution, you have earned the Class — Infernal Time Invoker: Time and fire is at your command. Utter your words and all shall listen. Whether they like it, or not.

  | All Inciting Words are 25% stronger.

  | All magic of the fire element is 25% stronger.

  | You have unlocked access to the Time element.

  Awesome, Levi thought with a grin.

  Rare condition: Talent of the Arch-mage has been detected. Increasing all consumed Ingredients by one whole tier.

  You have consumed the Ingredient — Machinists Book of Magi (Rare -> Epic)

  | Magic is increased by 16 points.

  | Epic Rarity detected, granting Class Buff.

  | Mechanical Fingers: Upon successfully creating or imbuing magitek technology, improve the effectiveness by 15%

  So that’s why I wanted to instinctively check out the fridge? It’s considered magitek? Levi wondered. He’d have to experiment with it further. In his past life, he knew nothing of engineering or mechanics. So, he’d have to rely on his talent in this world to help guide him.

  Then, he turned his attention to how many Stat points he received for an Epic Ingredient. If he remembered, then when he consumed a Rare Ingredient, he was 6 Level worths of points. Now, an Epic granted him Stats totalling to 8 Levels. How many would a Legendary grant him?

  Excited to find out, he moved onto the next.

  You have consumed the Ingredient —- Grane Brightsayer (Epic -> Legendary)

  | Magic is increased by 15 points. Mana is increased by 5 points.

  | Legendary Rarity detected, granting Class Buff.

  | Blood God’s Renewal: All self-healing is improved by 50%. All Blood Control is increased by 25%.

  Levi trembled, his lips twitching at the sight of the Class buff. It was insane. His Archmage talent was so incredibly overpowered that he was having trouble fully digesting what he was currently seeing. And this wasn’t even the best one.

  You have consumed the Ingredient —- Pocket Watch of the Eternal Hourglass (Legendary -> Exalted)

  | Magic is increased by 50 points. Mana is increased by 10 points.

  | Exalted Rarity detected, granting Class Buff.

  | Father of Time: All time control Skills have their effectiveness increased by 25%. Time whispers to you, and it isn’t kind.

  He was practically jumping on the spot as he read through the message, until he landed on the last section. Time whispers to me? It isn’t kind? What the hell did that mean? Levi knew it was an important piece of information. The System wouldn’t have it there if it wasn’t.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Levi sat still, pondering on it for a moment before shaking his head. It wasn’t something he could understand with so much fighting going on right now. He’d just have to discover and experiment later.

  So, Levi thought as he interlocked his hands. Exalted was above Legendary, and it had granted him a whopping total of 20 Levels all at once. It was an unfathomable amount, especially as he had reached Level 50 and it was getting more difficult to Level up.

  He focused on his mana container, feeling the wild storm churning inside. It wasn’t much larger than before, but the quality had increased at least threefold. More importantly, his control had improved. He could now draw out far more mana with greater precision, making it stretch much farther than ever before.

  Even with all of that, there was still more.

  Evolving to the Third tier before adulthood, you have accomplished an astonishing achievement. You have obtained the Title: Apex Talent.

  | Apex Talent: All earned experience is increased by 10%.

  Levi approved. 10% didn’t appear good at first glance, but as he fought monsters or practised with his abilities, it would prove to be an amazing boon over time. He was effectively 10% more talented than anyone else thanks to the new title.

  After that was the new Skills he had gained, which weren’t a lot, to his surprise. All he had received was a self-healing Skill named Regeneration, and a time related Skill that let him use the time element in his words. Something inside him, maybe his talent, was telling him that if he wanted to learn more, he’d have to do it himself.

  Finally, it was time to see just where his attributes lay.

  Levi Caddel

  | Birthright Tier: 3 – Adept

  | Class: Infernal Time Invoker

  | Level: 50

  | Titles: Otherworlder, Caller of the Round Table, Talent of an Arch Magus, Golden Tongue, Crypt-Hound Slayer, Prodigious Child, Apex Talent.

  Attributes:

  | Strength: 21

  | Vitality: 22

  | Dexterity: 15

  | Magic: 164

  | Mana: 70

  Skills:

  Incite (★★★★★★)

  Mana Control (★★★★★★)

  Trap Making (★★★)

  Meditation (★★★)

  Fire Control (★★★★)

  Golden Carapace (★★★)

  Regeneration (★)

  Words of Time (★)

  Relics:

  Baphomet's Spike.

  Levi grinned, noticing the change immediately. The Machinist's Book had disappeared from his list of Relics, as expected after absorbing it. But that didn’t matter—the knowledge was now imprinted in his mind. With just a thought, he could mentally flip through its pages. The first page was an introduction to all things Magitek, intriguing enough to explore later. Before he could dive in, though, a piercing screech yanked him back to reality.

  Gregory stood up. Blood no longer eerily dripped from the corner of his eye. Bram, who was thin and slender, had now ballooned back to his original state—almost. Kara, who was still healing everyone, was the palest of them all.

  It seemed she wouldn’t get the rest she desperately needed. A second later, the entire floor shook violently. Chunks of rock crumbled from the walls, where Levi and the others had taken shelter. A support beam snapped with a loud crack, sending the roof collapsing down.

  Levi coughed, waving away the thick cloud of dust trying to invade his lungs. Wasting no time, he climbed onto the debris, his eyes quickly locking onto a massive crater nearby. Everything around it had been flattened. At its centre was a huge boulder. Men, women, and children screamed in terror.

  Another one was coming—hurtling straight toward them.

  “Bram, grab him!” Gregory yelled from the street, just outside the ruined building.

  “It’s fine,” Levi shouted back, his voice unnervingly calm. A whisper gave him the confidence he could accomplish it. It was a murmur of an untold amount of experience of magic. His eyes stayed fixed on the enormous boulder tumbling directly toward him, ready to crush everything in its path. The civilians stared in horror, fully expecting Levi to be obliterated. But he didn’t move.

  Instead, Levi focused, commanding the tightly concentrated mana within his core to surge into his throat. It obeyed. Just as the boulder was about to collide, Levi’s mana exploded outward.

  “Stop,” he commanded, his voice rippling with power. The boulder froze in mid-air, halted by the sheer force of his will. The crowd watched, wide-eyed, as the impossible unfolded before them.

  Levi’s body trembled, the strain overwhelming his mind and muscles. A groan of pain escaped him as his control began to falter. Sensing the danger, Bram acted swiftly. In a single powerful leap, his arms and shield glowing with red energy, Bram slammed into the boulder. The impact shattered it into pieces, its momentum completely severed as though cut by a blade.

  The shattered rock fell harmlessly to the ground, leaving the onlookers in stunned silence.