As he passed through the main living area, he shouted at Robin, who sat there with the twins, that he would be busy and didn’t know how long it would take.

  A few seconds later he settled down on his bed, closed his eyes and opened the next notification message that shimmered gold.

  Congratulations, five of your perks have reached Uncommon or higher, you therefore meet the requirements for Tier 2.

  Confirm that you want to proceed with the process now, once started it can’t be interrupted.

  Ben confirmed eagerly.

  As this is your first tier upgrade, some explanations are in order.

  As we have always said, your success, your species’ success, is dependent on shaping your own Path. While we have taken a more active approach in perk allocation during Tier 1, it is increasingly up to each individual, to take things into their own hand.

  The first, and smallest step, in that context is that your body will be infused with Energy, allowing you to add four attribute points in any configuration as you see fit. You must choose now.

  Ben quickly reviewed where he stood currently. Body was on 20, Mind on 15, Magic on 6. He could see the allure of Magic, and he was sure that spells would disproportionately grow in strength with higher tiers, but even if he wanted to, the gap was too large. Putting points into it would be a waste.

  That left him with Body and Mind. He could either lean even more in his biggest strength, or try to push Mind up. Over the last few weeks, he had increasingly learned to appreciate Mind. The increased perception, the slightly better processing power, it was valuable. Very valuable, especially for somebody responsible for leading a place that would have more citizens than some small countries prior to Arrival Day. Also, it was highly attractive to get Mind up to 20, so that he could choose a Direction, just like Constitution for his Body attribute.

  At the same time, it was Body that had got him here, that had kept him and his family safe. He remembered a saying that Barry had brought up several times during their martial arts training: Extend your strong points.

  Putting no points into Body was a no-go. He also hoped that there might be further opportunities to stretch his thinking, that would maybe allow him to get a point or two in Mind, and eventually he would hopefully gather the Mind perks as well.

  He decided to put two points into both. It would reinforce his beyond-human physical abilities and give him a chance to achieve 20 in Mind eventually.

  With that he confirmed his choice and reveled in the feeling of Energy rushing into him. The brain freeze was intense, and he felt his whole body shaking as every fiber of his being was strengthened. His muscles briefly locked up, until everything, body and mind, relaxed, and he felt calm and refreshed again.

  The second step is the most meaningful in the long term as the decision is not easily reversible. You must choose your Path. The Path is a crystallization of the central tenets that you will pursue to grow. It will serve as the fulcrum around which your perks will need to align.

  Perks that have a high Path Alignment will be more powerful, progress faster, and will be easier to shape. Others will experience friction with your Path and therefore be weaker.

  You will now be infused with Energy, to help you crystallize your Path. Choose wisely.

  Before Ben could even process what he had just read, he felt more Energy than ever before being pushed in his body.

  Pain.

  So intense he felt it tearing at his consciousness.

  He struggled to breathe, bit his tongue.

  He closed his eyes. And the pain was gone.

  He opened his eyes. And he was no longer in his bedroom.

  That was not true. He felt his body lying on his bed.

  He—his mind—was drifting in another place.

  Or maybe it was more accurate to say that his consciousness was drifting in his Mind.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He stood on a golden, square platform in the middle of nothing more than light gray mist all around him.

  Where are you coming from?

  Let the moments, the people, the trials and tribulations that have gotten you to this place infuse you with the strength to take a step forward.

  He wasn’t sure whether he heard these words or felt them, but the task seemed daunting either way.

  He closed his eyes.

  He saw the deep love of his parents and sister.

  He saw the childhood between school time in Simonston and every free moment in the forest.

  He saw his miserable attempts at being a boyfriend.

  He saw the accident. In detail.

  … the never-ending loyalty and support of his friends and family in getting him back on his feet. Literally.

  … his initial failed attempts at being a boss.

  … the wolf that attacked him on Arrival Day.

  … the sunrise shining on the Protectorate Pillar for the first time.

  … Simon lying in the grass in front of the gate.

  He took a step forward.

  As he opened his eyes, he still stood in the mist, but behind him a narrow golden path wound its way back dozens of meters to his starting platform. Far more than a single step should have taken him.

  He felt emotionally drained but shrugged it off and looked forward.

  Where do you want to arrive?

  Let the vision of the future as you wish it infuse you with the strength to take a step forward.

  He closed his eyes.

  He saw his family and friends around him.

  He saw himself healthy and full of strength.

  He saw a metropolis, home to thousands—millions.

  … food and trade goods flowing from the city to places across the world.

  … the Academy being a place that rivaled the best universities pre Arrival Day.

  … portals opening to places beyond Earth.

  … the Protectorate Pillar again, this time rising high into the sky.

  He took a step forward.

  Again, the golden path on which he stood had stretched far further.

  How will you get there?

  Let the means and your convictions infuse you with the strength to take a step forward.

  He closed his eyes—and struggled to find an answer, until he focused on what made him him.

  He fought. From the first wolf to the bears.

  He learned. Step, Defend, Strike. Flow.

  He strategized. Together with the Council and many others.

  He saved. Liz and Zack had only been the first.

  He inspired. The looks he got on the second trip back after fighting off the wolves.

  He led. Even if ill-conceived, his charge against the Retskuls.

  He built. A home.

  He resisted. Against beast attacks and mental infiltration.

  He bled. If needed to the end.

  He took a step forward.

  Dozens of meters from his last position, he stood on a golden platform, identical to the one he could see in the distance on the other end of the path he had forged.

  He was drained. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but all three steps had taken a lot out of him.

  You have chosen the Path of the Unyielding Protector.

  The words echoed in his mind. And resonated.

  Protecting his family had been his first instinct on Arrival Day, and ever since. He had leaned heavily into the identity of [Knight Protector] since the day he got the perk.

  And he would not stop, no matter what the world threw at him. As long as he lived, he would protect those that he loved and that had trusted him to keep them safe. He would not yield.

  Path of the Unyielding Protector. It felt like him.

  Nine golden spheres of Energy erupted from him, glowing in varying intensity.

  His perks. He could feel it.

  The brightest one, [Knight Protector] shot forward, hitting the Path he had created, and merged with it. It was foundational. Immutable. Intrinsically linked. The Path grew in breadth and robustness.

  Next was [Resilient Body], the perk that had healed his spinal injury. It glowed not quite as intense, but stood about the rest, being rare. His Path grew further.

  [Strengthened Body], [Meditation], and [Public Speaking] all had the same effect. He felt them resonate with his Path.

  [Axe Handling], his very first perk, and [Self-Defense] were next. They had saved him many times, and fighting had become core to his being over the last 50 days. It wasn’t that they didn’t fit; they simply weren’t enough. They merged with his Path, but they didn’t have a meaningful impact.

  He easily admitted that he had not made good use of [Party Coordination] and [Administration] was relatively new and also not necessarily his core focus. That they didn’t broaden his Path was no surprise.

  Finally, [Frenzy]. [Cleave] had been born out of his need to defend his mother. Under the pressure of the Retskul attack, it had morphed into what it was now.

  As it merged with his Path, the gold dulled, looking… brittle, as if tiny cracks spread through the band.

  He had felt it ever since the Retskul Dungeon, he needed to get rid of the perk. Whether he could upgrade it to a rare perk, or just get it back to being [Cleave], he did not care, what mattered was to get rid of a perk that made him less sane, less of a leader, and more of a danger to himself and those around him.

  He resolved to make that a priority.

  With a start, Ben opened his eyes, back in his body, on his bed. The Energy that had nearly burst from him was drained—so was he, body and mind exhausted.

  It was dark outside. His memory was hazy, but if he recalled correctly, he’d started in the morning—meaning he had spent nearly the entire day here. He was also hungry, time to get something…

  As you can see, keeping perks fully aligned with your Path is essential. You will have to build future and evolve existing perks in line with it.

  That activity requires deep insight into yourself and your perks and an environment to create the perk. Anyone can create that mindscape for themselves, for example via meditation. Many fail.

  This is the third step and benefit of your tiering procedure: we provide an Energy-fueled mindscape to form a new uncommon perk in line with your Path. The insight must come from you. Failure would be unfortunate.

  Good luck.

  Apparently, he wasn’t done yet. Food could come later…

  Ben settled back, as he felt Energy being pushed in his body for the third time that day.