'I am so dead…' Michael cursed in his mind as he lay down on the ground.
More than ten minutes had passed since he won against Tiara and the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer team, but he had yet to stop sweating buckets. His head was still thumping wildly as well.
Michael was exhausted, but he was quite satisfied with the results of the spar. He felt a lot better. Meanwhile the spark in his heart developed into a small burning flame that flickered brightly, bringing light to the darkness inside his heart.
At one point Tiara appeared next to him. She stood there, biting her lower lip while waiting for him to get up and notice her.
Michael finally looked at her while slowly pushing his upper body from the ground.
"What are you thinking about, Tiara?" He asked when he noticed that Tiara hesitated a bit.
"Master… I think I should take back what I said the last time you asked me if I wanted another Soultrait…" She revealed, clutching her clothes tightly while subconsciously avoiding locking eyes with Michael.
"Hm? Was that ever off the table? Didn't you just say that you didn't like the Soultraits I had at that time because they were not compatible with the Soultraits you manifested? I agree with that, mostly," Michael said lightly before he added, "Once I harvest more Soultrait Symbols, I'll show them to you, and you can tell me which ones you want, and I will give them to you. It's easy."
Michael smiled at Tiara, who looked both happy, yet uncomfortable. As Michael's subordinate and Battle Maid, Tiara was supposed to be one of Michael's strongest fighters. She ought to be a great asset to his territory and army, yet Michael defeated her easily – and she requested to be granted some of his most valuable resources- Soultraits.
Looking at Tiara, Michael couldn't help but feel that she was a much worse overthinker than he was.
"I would shower you with Soultrait Symbols and SoulStar Fragments in the future, either way. If I can ensure that you grow stronger, and that you and my people will have a higher survivability during the future wars against our enemies, I would do it without a second thought," Michael explained calmly.
Tiara looked up and locked eyes with Michael, a shimmer of gratefulness and happiness gleaming in her ocean-blue eyes.
"By the way, you have two 5-Star Soultraits, don't you?" Michael asked suddenly.
He noticed that Tiara's Soultraits were on a different level compared to the Forest Elves' Soultraits. She possessed two Soultraits just like them, but each of her Soultrait was on a higher level than theirs.
Tiara was surprised for a moment, but she nodded her head in the next second. There was no need to hide her Soultraits in front of Michael.
"I have a transformation Soultrait that replicates the natural transformation a member of the Silverfang Tigerfolk attains upon evolving their lifeforce, which happens when we become Higher Lifeforms at the 4th Tier. Once I ascend to the 4th Tier, my first Soultrait, Silvarean Tiger, will receive a qualitative upgrade that allows me to grow even stronger in my Silver Tiger form. You already know my other Soultrait, Internal Force. It allows me to re-distribute the energy and force inside my body instantaneously. By precisely adjusting the force in my body I can change my attack pattern and movement trajectory at once without losing momentum," She revealed without hesitation.
Michael fell deep in thought while listening to her explanation. He pressed his palms against the firm soil and got up from the ground.
'Upgrading a 5-Star Soultrait cost more than 50,000 SoulStar Fragments. Giving her more Soultraits and upgrading them should be my main goal to enhance Tiara's combat prowess. That's much easier than collecting tens of thousands of SoulStar Fragments.'
Michael had yet to upgrade all of his Soultraits to 5-Star, but he was not exactly in a rush. He had other means to increase his strength and had a huge to-do list to complete before he could return his focus on upgrading his Soultraits.
One of the most important tasks was to improve his control of Soultraits, especially when he utilized multiple simultaneously. He had realized that he fought mostly instinctively against Tiara and the Forest Elves, which was good to a certain degree, but it also revealed his lack of comprehension and mastery of most Soultraits.
Michael had only comprehended bits of Extraction, but that was already more than what he knew about his other Soultraits. He could only control his other Soultraits because of the knowledge imprinted in his mind when he fused with them.
That had to be addressed soon since he wanted to grow stronger. But then again, Michael could also tell that he could unravel more of his body's hidden potential if he learned more combat techniques, and if he started to use his brain a little bit more mid-battle. He had yet to refine his mind to a deeper level, and his Soul hadn't been refined at all.
Other than that, Michael felt that his equipment required an upgrade as well. After sparring with several students in possession of customized Epic Tier-2 Artifacts his interest in powerful Artifact increased. However, the spark of interest evolved into an inferno only after obtaining Dragon Might.
It enhanced his mental power, and ability to multitask drastically, allowing him to wield six Soultraits simultaneously. Without the Legendary Ring Artifact, Michael would have collapsed the moment he attempted to use six Soultraits at once. He might even have sustained permanent brain damage if not for Dragon Might.
Thus, Michael was extremely curious about the Spirit Armor Set that was currently being produced by the Relic of Draka.
He smiled at the thought of the Spirit Armor Set and only got back to his senses when he saw Blaire Tracer rushing over to him.
"My Lord, three Starless Summons attained enlightenment after watching your battle! They drank the Warrior Enlightenment Potion earlier and comprehended the essence of a 1-Star Warrior all thanks to your spar!!" Blaire exclaimed in pure excitement. She smiled vibrantly like a little child who received an expensive toy.
"Where are they?" Michael asked immediately.
Blaire turned around and pointed toward a crowd of Summons that had gathered around two young men and a young woman, "Over there."
Michael nodded and walked over to the crowd. He squeezed his way through the crowd and appeared in front of the three Starless Summons. Then he closed his eyes and lifted his right hand, focusing on his Link of Loyalty with the three Summons that stood right in front of him.
Their Links of Loyalty were firm, and they shone brightly in his Mind's eye allowed him to see the deepest parts of his consciousness.
His Mind's eye saw the War Rune's pillar of light, the Sphere of Light hoarding his Soultraits, and tens of thousands of Links of Loyalty that branched out from the bottom of the pillar of light like countless roots.
Some roots were thicker while others were firmer, but out of all three small roots attracted his attention. They were shorter than most, and not as firm and stable as the roots around them. These three roots were the pulsating Links of Loyalty of the Starless Summons, who had attained enlightenment.
Michael closed his eyes and continued to focus on the pulsating Links of Loyalty. By focusing on the Links of Loyalty, Michael could feel their emotions clearly. They were excited and curious, but there was also a tinge of fear.
What would happen if they failed to be promoted to 1-Star Warriors? What if they wasted the Warrior Enlightenment Potion? Even though they had never been punished unjustly in Michael's territory, they were afraid. Afraid of failing. Afraid of being of no use. Afraid of staying worthless.
The fear in their hearts blossomed, and the pulsating of their Links of Loyalty grew unstable. The calm and rhythmical pulse devolved into a frantic mess.
Michael might have never observed one of his Summons being promoted, but he could instinctively tell that their fears and worries would cause more harm than good. He kept his eyes shut and circulated some of his energy through the roots of the pillar of light.
He infused his energy into the pulsating Links of Loyalty, slowly altering the unstable pulse. Michael's interference was a little risky because he might startle the Summons, which would forcefully interrupt their promotion to 1-Star Warriors. Fortunately, the trust he had earned from his Summons over the course of the last months was enough to keep the Summons at ease even after Michael infused energy into the Link of Loyalty that connected Michael to his subjects.
His energy infusion was calming, and it made the Summons realize that their Lord was no other than Michael. They recalled his actions and how well he treated them, which instantly dispelled most of the doubts that had popped up in their hearts.
They calmed down and regained their focus within seconds.
Afterward, the three Summons paid attention to nothing other than their promotion. They recalled every bit of Michael's spar against Tiara and the Forest Elves, which they used in combination with the effect of the Warrior Enlightenment Potion to stimulate the potential that was sealed in the deepest parts of their being.
Their focus entered the deepest parts of their being, where the first layers of their potential were uncovered – slowly but steadily.
Comprehending the essence of a Warrior after drinking a Warrior Enlightenment Potion was much easier. However, that didn't mean it was actually easy. Most Starless Summons required several potions and weeks of hard work to trace the essence of a 1-Star Warrior.
Yet, the three Summons did so by watching Michael's spar, just like that.
The layers of their sealed potential crumbled, and the roots – their Links of Loyalty – grew longer, firmer and they stabilized in the following hours.
All this while, Michael never left their side. He remained next to them, trying to guide them through the promotion to become 1-Star Summons.
