“That must make for a long desk plate. Is there a reason you’re standing in my way, Standish?”

“Actually, Mr Asano, I’ve been looking for you for some time.”

“Well it isn’t my fault,” Jason said. “I had no idea she was your wife, so you can’t blame me.”

“What?” Clive asked. “I’m not married.”

“She told me the same thing,” Jason said, shaking his head ruefully. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Clive’s brow creased into a frown. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here.”

Jason patted him consolingly on the arm.

“Welcome to my life,” Jason said, then walked past Clive and out the door.

Left alone inside the jobs hall, Clive stood on the spot, confused.

“What just happened?”

“That’s Jason,” Albert said. “Nice enough guy. A bit odd.”

“Bert?” Clive said, turning to the man behind the desk. “I thought you sold fruit?”

“You’re probably thinking of my brother, sir.”

* * *

In the delta, Jason had been given a room at the only inn in the village. After clearing out a monster and healing some of the sick, the innkeeper refused to take payment. The room was humble, but clean, and Jason sat on the floor performing his evening meditation.

Jason had yet to arrive in Greenstone when Rufus told him the three foundations of building his power as an essence user: training, to prepare himself; danger, to push his limits; and meditation, to consolidate his efforts. For months, Jason worked on two of the three pillars, under the guidance of Rufus, Farrah and Gary. Without all three, however, his abilities made little progress.

Jason was driven to take contract after contract, fighting monster after monster. He was caught up in the heady rush of danger, his skills and powers the line between life and death. It was one of the three pillars Rufus described as the foundations of power advancement, and Jason was starting to see results.

The fastest was his vision power, which Farrah told him was normal. After all, it was constantly in use. The next fastest was the spell he used to cleanse sickness and poison, feast of absolution. It had been crawling slowly but surely upwards as he used it over and over at the clinic. Once he started using it in combat, the slow climb turned into a regular upwards tick.

Feast of absolution was more useful in combat than he anticipated, as many monsters spawned in groups. He could use it on a monster right before finishing it off, replenishing himself on the afflictions he had placed on it himself. The injection of mana and stamina gave him the endurance to go full-bore through an extended fight, instead of needing to pace himself.

Ability [Feast of Blood] (Blood) has reached Iron 1 (100%).

Ability [Feast of Blood] (Blood) has advanced to Iron 2 (00%).