Chapter 392: All Four Authorities Evolve, Insane Upgrades!

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"Well, thank you, but what is it that- OH MY GOD."

Riven’s question went unfinished as the new information appeared. For a moment, he forgot what he had been about to ask. Then he checked the details again, looking from one Authority to the next. No, he had read them correctly. This was really what the System was giving him.

Hiss eyes widened in utter disbelief, and he could not help but shout. He stared at the information in front of him, unable to believe what he was seeing.

All four Authorities had been upgraded into something completely insane!

Ding!

[The System Compensation is being granted. Basic Authority Upgrade +1.]

[Greed Authority Upgrade +1: x100,000 Multiplier.]

"A hundred thousand?!" Riven stared at the number, making sure he had not added an extra zero in his head. No, that was exactly what it said.

He had expected an improvement, but this?

From x10,000 to x100,000, it was a whipping one hundred times increase!

He barely had time to think about it before the next message appeared.

[Gluttony Authority Upgrade +1: Double Stat Gains, Talents, and Skills.]

[Pride Authority Upgrade +1: Can Claim Weaker Dungeons Without Conquering Them.]

"Wait, I can just claim them now?" That one made him stop. Conquering Dungeons was one thing, but being able to claim weaker ones without having to conquer them first was something else entirely. He wanted to check how it worked, but the notifications were not finished yet.

[Lust Authority Upgrade +1: Five Times Investment Speed.]

Even Lust had received an Upgrade! Riven looked over all four messages again, trying to take them in. Double the gains from Gluttony, a new, easier way to claim Dungeons through Pride, and now this. The System had called it compensation, but he had not imagined it would give him so much.

FLAAASH!

The moment Riven saw just how massive the upgrades were, his aura surged with the power of all Four Authorities at once.

"Oh, so it is happening right now!" Riven had been so caught up in reading that he had not considered what the Upgrade would actually feel like. He looked down at himself, then at the auras spreading around him. They were already changing, and he could not decide which one to look at first.

The Golden Aura of Greed became more solid than ever before, taking the faint shape of a giant, dragon-like demon made of pure gold, swimming in a sea of gold coins.

He followed the dragon’s movements with his eyes, watching its body pass through the coins. He could still recognize it as his aura, but seeing it take such a form was strange. "That is Greed?" he wondered. Before he could get a better look, the red aura drew his attention.

The Red Aura of Gluttony took the shape of a massive, monstrous beast with gigantic jaws. It resembled a chimera of several creatures, though its overall appearance was still much like a wolf’s.

Riven stared at those jaws for a moment. Yeah, that definitely suited Gluttony. The more he looked at the beast, the more details he noticed, though he could not name every creature it resembled, he knew they were all the creatures he’d eaten. He was still trying to figure that out when another figure began rising beside it.

The Blue Aura of Pride expanded into a tall, humanoid demon king with blue skin, long white hair, and towering black horns whose sharp tips glistened with gold. A shattered crown of molten gold and hellish fire floated above his head.

And lastly, the Pink Aura of Lust expanded further, revealing a beautiful, almost angelic demon woman with pale skin and long pink hair. She had black wings, small black horns, and a pointed tail, and she chuckled mischievously.

[Your Authorities have been successfully upgraded.]

[With your Authorities upgraded, you can now unleash [Authority Manifestation] once you gather enough energy sources and power.]

[Authority Manifestation creates a physical manifestation of your Authority, which can help you fight, grow stronger, and overcome various challenges.]

Riven read that part with growing interest. So, the manifestations wouldn’t just be something to look at. He could actually use them! There was still the matter of gathering enough energy and power, but at least he now knew what he could work toward.

[The more you develop your Authority Manifestation, the more it will evolve. Eventually, it may even develop high intelligence and the ability to speak.]

[As a result, you have obtained the Talent: [Authority Manifestation – L Rank]!]

"An L-Rank Talent!"

Riven couldn’t believe it!

He went back to the description, wondering whether he had missed anything else. They might even learn to speak? That made him curious. What would his Authorities have to say if they could talk to him? He almost wanted to try it immediately, just to see what would happen.

The System kept giving him more and more gifts!

However, it was fair compensation. He really had almost lost everything.

And he still didn’t know what had become of the Divine King of the Cold Star’s Vestige, which worried him a whole lot.

Thinking about the Vestige made it harder to keep celebrating. The upgrades were great, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise, but they didn’t tell him what had happened to it.

He wanted an answer to that as well. Until he had one, there was still something for him to worry about.

However, perhaps the system really didn’t know, as that vestige of such an ancient might be beyond their jurisdiction.

"Thank you," Riven said. "I suppose this is enough compensation... For now."

[Understood...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

Riven waited for an explanation, but all he got was another message with no answer. Had the System misunderstood his last remark? He hadn’t been asking for more gifts. He was about to explain that when he noticed it still wasn’t saying anything.

"What? What’s wrong?" Riven asked as the messages kept appearing one after another.

[The System Network has decided that I might be "infected".]

Infected?

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