Lenia was nervous as Aleks gripped her hand from across the desk. She remained standing but Aleks urged her to sit because the process would take time. While Aleks held her hand, she could feel the warmth flowing through at his touch. Aleks seemed to be fixed on something other than her and so Lenia observed him without him realizing. She wished he would take the mask off more often and felt a tinge of sadness which she couldn't fully understand.

Why? Why is he so sad, and there is a hopelessness which seems ingrained within him. Is he not happy with me here? I would do anything to see his smile.

Aleks's eyes began to glow slightly which wasn't very obvious unless someone were relatively close to him. If one looked carefully, they could see strange numbers and symbols moving across his retina. Lenia was surprised by what she was seeing, but even more so for what came next. The golden mask Aleks wore on his face began to emit a strange and eerie light which she had never seen before.

"Aleks! The mask, it's glowing!"

"What? I see, how strange. Do you see anything else peculiar?"

"Wait. I see strange patterns forming into words just like what I see in your eyes."

Tower of Babel System Online...

Scanning...

The eerie glow which had manifested on the mask moved outwards and illuminated Lenia, moving from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

"Master! What's going on!?"

Lenia almost jumped out of her chair as she shouted nervously and tried to shoo away the light from her body. Being unable to do so she became somewhat nervous.

"I was not expecting the system to have this type of reaction with the mask. It seems the mask acts as a display in this case and can transmit the information as I see it. Interesting. Oh, don't worry about the glowing light. You are just being scanned."

Lenia calmed down after hearing her master's words but she was uncertain what he meant by the word scan. She sat down once more, the eerie light that had moved on her skin had stopped and she once again observed the words on the mask as they moved across its surface.

Displaying Status...

Name Lenia Class Warrior Knight Intermediate Rank Level 30 30 Total Level 60 Vitality 300 600 Total HP 900 Magic 0 0 Total MP 0 PHY. ATK 60 60 Total 120 PHY. DEF 60 90 Total 150 Agility 30 30 Total 60 MAG RES 30 60 Total 90 Abilities

Martial Sweep (Attacks up to three enemies within 5 feet of the user, PHY. ATK must exceed PHY. DEF)

Bulwark (Redirects a portion of the damage from the target to self, scales with damage received, PHY. ATK must exceed PHY. DEF)

Double Strike (Attack twice in rapid succession, Second attack reduced PHY. ATK by 25%)

Daunting Strike (Powerful strike that adds 25% to PHY. ATK, Deals double damage when target is stunned)

Knight's Aura (Continuous aura that boosts PHY DEF by 10% of allies within a ten feet radius)

Shield Bash (Chance to Stun PHY ATK vs. Agility)

Valorous Charge (Charge forward at 2x speed causing knockdown effect and double damage, Ignores 15% PHY DEF, can be dodged with high Agility)

Fighting stances

Dual Wielding

Shield bearer

"Master, what is this? Is this, me?"

"Yes, this is your lifeforce, power and abilities listed and quantified through the Tower of Babel interface. Basically, what you are seeing is your status in numbers and words. It is probably strange since you are seeing it for the first time listed out so clearly. Normally, those who obtain classes aren't able to see such information. They have to operate through instinct and careful observation. Well, there are spells which can give similar information albeit in a different format than what you are seeing here. This is an ability that only I possess, it is the 'Soul System'. It is an ability that scans a person's soul and reveals the very life force that exists within. It also allows me to develop those who serve me as you do."

Lenia nodded her head even though she didn't fully understand his explanation. She did get the gist of it though.

"So this is me. But I don't really understand all these numbers. What do they mean?"

"Hmm. Well vitality should be apparent, that is your overall health. It will fall when you become injured. You do not possess any magic since you weren't developed in such a way although that could change in the future depending on what class is chosen for you. As for physical attack and defense, those are your battle capabilities. Since you are a Knight, your defense is greater than your attack but you still have a relatively high attack because of your martial nature. Agility is your speed, it also affects how well you can dodge attacks but since your a Knight, it isn't your forte. Your Magic Resistance is actually pretty decent, again this is because a Knight is designed for defense and that includes resistance to magic. It isn't as high as some other classes though, so you still have to be mindful of spells. Well, no magic caster of the same rank could defeat you in a close quarter battle anyway. As for the last line, you are able to use simple martial weapons like daggers, shortswords, handaxes and such in each hand. You are also proficient in using a one handed weapon along with a shield but this you should already be aware of."

Some of Lenia's confusion was cleared up by Aleks's explanation but she was still having a hard time relating the numbers she was seeing with reality. When fighting, it wasn't as if she swung a sword and numbers were attached to it. She knew if she stabbed an enemy, they would get hurt and the attack could even be fatal depending on where she struck.

So how does that relate to what I am seeing? UGH!

"I'm sorry master but I just don't get it. I mean I understand what you are saying but I can't realistically relate it to when I am fighting an enemy."

"That's fine. It isn't necessary to understand fully, just trust your instincts as you have been. These numbers also don't include your equipment which would also add to your defense, attack and magic resistance. There are also spells which affect all of these things too. As I said, normally people aren't even aware of this kind of data so just continue as you have been. Now, it is time to increase your strength. Just relax and close your eyes, it will be over before you know it."

Lenia closed her eyes somewhat nervously as Aleks held her hands in his. She felt slightly embarrassed because of his warm touch and her heart thumped swiftly out of her control. She couldn’t see what was happening but felt a tingling sensation spreading throughout her body. Her body heated up and power welled up inside of her. She had never felt anything like this before as when she was created, she hadn’t been fully conscious. Something similar happened then but she hadn’t been aware of it. As her eyes were closed, she couldn’t see the data flitting across the mask as if it were a display but Aleks paid close attention to the Data flowing across his retina.

Hmm, as a Knight she was focused more so on defense which I felt was necessary at the time but I want to develop her more offensively this time. I also want to max out her levels which will cost 100 SP per level so 3000 SP to max her advance class out. It costs another 3000SP just to advance her class for a total of 6000 SP. Choosing abilities will also cost additional SP. I have a feeling I will be relatively low on Soul Potential after this but it is worth it. Lenia will be very powerful when we are done here!

Aleks's thoughts were rapidly surging through his mind as he perused all of the data related to Lenia within the 'Soul System'. Ultimately he decided on the Warlord class which was a powerful offensive advanced class. The reason why he chose this was because it was one of the paths towards a Valkyrie, which was a solid choice for a Legendary class. The Valkyrie class was very powerful and only available for females. He felt it was a suitable future class for her once she reached Legendary status due to its combat oriented nature and many useful group boosting auras. For now, he felt the Warlord class was a good fit because it maximized offense but still had relatively decent defensive stats and also would be beneficial for the eventual leadership role she would have.

After choosing the class and maximizing her level gains he confirmed the changes. Aleks then perused the information on abilities offered and chose two which he felt were pertinent to their circumstance while being mindful of future needs.

I will go with 'Warlord's Aura' which is similar to a 'Knight's Aura' but boosts attack instead of defense. As for an offensive ability, 'Penetrating Strike' will be extremely useful against that Paladin. It ignores 20% of defense and should give Lenia a huge advantage over him! That is another 1000 SP spent for a total of 7000 SP. I only have a few hundred SP left which means I won't be able to use my abilities much but it shouldn't matter since Lenia is strong enough to protect me from any threats now. Even that Paladin isn't at max level and the assassins are weaker than him as well. Of course, once we kill all of them I should be able to recuperate almost all of the SP I lost.

Finalize?

"Yes."

With that, the process was complete and Lenia felt power surging within her. She felt stronger than she ever had before and new data began to flit across the surface of the mask. Feeling the power welling inside of her, she opened her eyes at Aleks's command and read her new status.

Name Lenia Class Warrior Knight Warlord Advanced Rank Level 30 30 30 Total Level 90 Vitality 300 600 900 Total HP 1800 Magic 0 0 0 Total MP 0 PHY. ATK 60 60 90 Total 210 PHY. DEF 60 90 90 Total 240 Agility 30 30 30 Total 90 MAG RES 30 60 60 Total 150 Abilities

Martial Sweep (Attacks up to three enemies within 5 feet of the user, PHY. ATK must exceed PHY. DEF)

Bulwark (Redirects a portion of the damage from the target to self, scales with damage received,PHY. ATK must exceed PHY. DEF)

Double Strike (Attack twice in rapid succession, Second attack reduced PHY. ATK by 25%)

Daunting Strike (Powerful strike that adds 25% to PHY. ATK, Deals double damage when target is stunned)

Knight's Aura (Continuous aura that boosts PHY DEF by 10% of allies within a ten feet radius)

Shield Bash (Chance to Stun PHY ATK vs. Agility)

Valorous Charge (Charge forward at 2x speed causing knockdown effect and double damage, Ignores 15% PHY DEF, can be dodged with high Agility)

Warlord's Aura (Continuous aura that boosts PHY ATK by 10% of allies within a ten feet radius)

Penetrating Strike (Ignores 20% of PHY DEF)

Fighting stances

Dual Wielding

Shield bearer

Two-handed

"Master! A Warlord? I feel much more powerful now."

Lenia felt almost speechless and she couldn't contain her excitement.

I will certainly be able to protect master now! I can finally be of use to him.

"Indeed, you are strong. But never forget, there is always someone else out there who may be stronger still. Don't let the power go to your head."

Lenia nodded aggressively but even his words couldn't put a damper on her enthusiasm for her new strength.

"It's also time we got you some equipment useful for your class. Once all of the loot has been gathered here from the deceased Dons, I will choose the most powerful equipment available for you. It will soon be time to give the proper due to those who dare stand in our way!"