Chapter 318: Knowledge is Power

As he left the Celestial Sanctuary, Priam found the sky tinged with a vibrant orange hue. A green window floated silently before his eyes.

[Main Quest First Step Completed!]

[+60,000 GP]

The notification had appeared the exact moment he completed his breakthrough and returned to his physical body. A satisfied gleam crossed his eyes. That massive amount of points exceeded his expectations.

Without wasting any time, Priam walked quickly toward the central mountain of his faction’s territory.

Upon entering his private quarters, he found Mirra meditating on the bed. As soon as he approached, the little girl opened her eyes.

Her breathing caught instantly, and her pupils dilated in shock.

She stared fixedly at Priam, feeling an invisible and overwhelming pressure weighing down on her shoulders.

The Essence of Creation was simply too sublime a power, capable of subduing an ordinary Mage in the blink of an eye. The involuntary leakage of this energy from Priam was affecting her.

"Sorry, I still can’t contain this energy perfectly," Priam said softly. "But everything worked out. I became a Sage."

Mirra froze for a brief moment, but soon forced her own body to ignore the weight of that pressure. A radiant smile lit up her face.

"Pry is amazing!"

Without hesitation, she jumped off the bed and threw herself into his arms. Priam hugged her back, gently stroking her hair.

With the twins immersed in their training regimen, Mirra — who matured a little more every day — had decided on her own to isolate herself and focus on advancing her level. She didn’t want to fall behind, and after experiencing everything Priam went through, she already understood the importance of her strength.

In terms of raw power, she was the weakest member of Priam’s group; however, whenever she dedicated herself to something, her progress was frighteningly fast.

Even so, Priam refused to let her be consumed by training and studying.

With so little time having passed since her birth and the mind of a child, she deserved to have her childhood. Because of that, Priam had imposed strict rules: she was only allowed to study for half the day, and every six days, she was required to take an entire day off.

It was a routine similar to children on Earth going to school.

Would it slow down her growth? Without a doubt.

But it guaranteed that she would grow up healthy, happy, and mentally balanced.

Mirra didn’t need to keep up with the others’ levels and Ranks. She would never have to carry the burden of the front lines; she could safely stay inside Priam’s inner space, helping manipulate the energy of nature.

Having greater power would only optimize her support, but it wasn’t a vital necessity.

For Priam, seeing Mirra grow up well was infinitely more valuable than making her as strong as possible.

"How about we eat something?" Priam murmured.

"YES!" Mirra immediately replied, letting out an enthusiastic roar.

The little girl never refused a meal. Eating was her greatest passion, and thanks to her bloodline, consuming high-level food directly strengthened her natural power.

Priam went to the kitchen and started roasting some meat for the two of them.

Throughout the entire process, Mirra remained perched on his shoulder, chattering nonstop about the mundane things she did during her mandatory free time.

While Dandara was busy training the twins, Mirra had been given an important mission. She would use her free time to wander among the faction’s soldiers and generals.

Her childish presence brought a sense of lightness to the environment, and everyone adored her. However, behind her playful and distracted facade, Mirra possessed a sharp and meticulous observational ability.

She only seemed like a carefree, scatterbrained little girl, but deep down, she was actually noticing every little detail around her.

Knowing the girl’s personality, Dandara had asked Priam for permission to give her this mission: observe the behavior, alignment, and training of the troops, then report everything in detail.

It was an arrangement where everyone benefited, since Mirra saw it as one big investigative game.

While the meat was roasting, Priam listened with amusement to his little spy’s pseudo-report about the faction’s routine.

Fortunately, there was no longer any risk of betrayal or anything like that. Everyone currently in the faction was completely loyal to Priam and trusted him blindly.

Once the meal was ready, the two enjoyed it in a festive atmosphere.

After dinner was over, Priam let Mirra go play with the rest of the group and retired to his room.

---

It took Priam three days to finally contain the chaotic energy fluctuations, consolidating Level 1.

Even so, the biological friction caused by the Essence of Creation in his meridians was noticeable, requiring constant caution.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the System interface and focused on his updated balance.

[Total: 63,000 GP]

Driven by curiosity about the newly unlocked options, Priam looked over the available skills.

[5 Purchasable Skills:]

[18,000 GP] [EX Training Amplifier]

[10,000 GP] [Random Treasure Box]

[10,000 GP] [Lost Divine-Class Magic Art]

[8,000 GP] [Perfect Energy Assimilation] [NEW]

[5,000 GP] [Power Rune Storage +1]

Priam’s eyes settled on the only new option on the list.

’Perfect Energy Assimilation?’ he thought, a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty taking hold of him. The name suggested immense possibilities, but he would only understand exactly how it worked if he bought it.

[10 Transcendental Knowledge Available:]

[2,000 GP] [Complete Ancestral Art of One of Your Bloodlines]

[18,000 GP] [Combat Mastery] [Level: Divine]

[18,000 GP] [Magic and Energies] [Level: Divine]

[18,000 GP] [Natural Elements] [Level: Divine]

[25,000 GP] [Synthesis] [Level: Divine]

[9,000 GP] [Catalyst] [Level: Medium]

[9,000 GP] [Holy] [Level: Medium]

[6,000 GP] [Arcanist] [Level: Basic]

[6,000 GP] [Physical] [Level: Basic] [NEW]

[6,000 GP] [Fighter] [Level: Basic] [NEW]

Priam nodded silently. All five basic Mage classes were finally available for purchase.

In the past, he had only acquired the basics of Catalyst Mages and Holy Mages. Since he didn’t have a direct affinity with those classes, he hadn’t considered investing more points in them a priority. However... time had proven the invaluable worth of that knowledge.

Using only the basic guidelines, the Holy Mages in his faction had become indispensable pillars. His twin sisters, in turn, had developed applications of power that even Mages native to the Divine Plane couldn’t easily reproduce.

Every fragment of knowledge provided by the System was a devastating tool in the hands of talented people. The famous saying from Earth, "Knowledge is power," proved irrefutable even in another world.

Besides, Priam himself didn’t have to be the only one studying and benefiting from that content.

’If I had endless time or infinite points to keep the EX Training Amplifier running nonstop, I could personally study every class and master every branch. But reality doesn’t give me that luxury,’ he reflected.

Priam was only one person, had limited points, and needed to focus on making himself stronger as quickly as possible for the sake of survival. Devoting himself to learning other classes that he wasn’t good at or didn’t enjoy would be a slow and tortuous path, even if it increased his versatility and power. That’s why he focused only on what he was good at, since that allowed him to become extremely powerful quickly.

On the other hand, arming his allies with advanced knowledge and building an extraordinary military force would bring an enormous strategic return.

He made his decision.

[18,000 GP] [Magic and Energies] [Level: Divine]

[18,000 GP] [EX Training Amplifier]

[6,000 GP] [Arcanist] [Level: Basic]

[6,000 GP] [Physical] [Level: Basic]

[6,000 GP] [Fighter] [Level: Basic]

[9,000 GP] [Catalyst] [Level: Medium]

[Total: -63,000 GP]

Divine-level Magic and Energies was essential for him to understand the power of a Sage and find a way to level up faster. However, assimilating that amount of knowledge without purchasing the EX Training Amplifier would be far too inefficient and time-consuming.

To complete the transaction, he acquired the basic knowledge of all the classes his faction was still missing. He also invested in the Medium level of Catalyst Mages, aiming to directly accelerate his sisters’ development.

Priam would do everything in his power to ensure that both of them became as powerful as possible, giving them a long and safe life. No opportunity to make them stronger would be wasted.

As soon as he accepted the exchange, a monstrous torrent of knowledge flooded Priam’s mind all at once.

The cognitive pressure was so overwhelming that he collapsed onto the bed, on the verge of losing consciousness. Even so, using the last bit of focus he had before blacking out, he activated the EX Training Amplifier.