(Jamie)

"Holy shit," I stare at the sack of gold and 'diamond' coins sitting on the table in the room at our new inn. "Holy shit."

If Adam were here, he'd probably be excited as fuck, but also disappointed that the gold's Max's and not his. He'd also probably be thinking about how he could get all of that. I hope he gets strong enough to grind the shit out of those levels the way Max did.

I hope he starts to build up his hoard some more while we're apart, too. I know it's pretty big, from what he said, but he never told me how big. And his draconic side makes him want to have a big hoard.

One day, he'll be able to come here, go into that Dungeon, grind, and sell his loot without an issue.

Max suggests we go out to eat dinner, so we head out. On our way there, I lose him somehow and end up searching for him. Half an hour passes without any luck, so I decide to stop somewhere on my own.

We can meet back up after.

Would You Prefer to Adapt to Resist and Fight or to Escape? Resist and Fight Escape Time Limit to Decide: 48 Seconds

The timer's ticking down every second. Why the fuck am I being given this choice? What is Limitless Adaptation trying to tell me? That there's something very powerful coming my way that I won't be able to deal with outside of one of those?

Before I know it, the timer's down ten seconds. I quickly pick fight. I'm built more for offense than evasion in the first place, so whatever it is, that would probably be the more logical choice, both short-term and long-term.

The Fog of Identity Clouds You Timer: 1,000 Seconds

What?

+1 STR! +1 END! +1 CON! +1 VIT!

Four notices, one right after another…

And a second later, it happens again.

Then again another second later.

Until the timer hits zero. And then again a second later, at the same time that someone grabs my arm as they pass me by, pulling me into an alley.

I don't have any time to react before finding myself manhandled down the alley, a silencing spell cast over me, as evidenced when I call out and no sound comes out.

They push me down around a corner and onto the ground. I don't have time to see any of it, to process any of it. It happened in moments.

I try to scramble back to my feet, only to find them kicking me, along with several more people. My stats continue to rise, and after several seconds of attempting to escape and receiving only more pain, and I curl up into the fetal position.

"He just won't go unconscious, will he?" Someone asks.

"I could've sworn his Health was visible earlier," someone else says. "And that we've dealt enough damage to kill him, yet he just won't die."

They talk, a couple of them laughing, and Limitless Adaptation continues to adapt me, even increasing a couple of Skills of mine and adds on two more. Well, Pain Resistance might have come from the pain, but I doubt the Levels were from that.

Limitless Adaptation begins to slow down, decreasing to every two seconds, then every three, until finally, they are dealing almost no damage to me, and not enough to overpower my Health Regeneration from combining my Vitality with Accelerated Regeneration after using Tough Skin with Ironskin, a Skill I obtained during this.

Ironskin Level 3 Passive Increases the effectiveness of the Endurance Attribute by 10% per Level of this Skill.

And at Level 3, that means that whatever my current END is, it's effectively 30% higher.

Limitless Adaptation advances another Level as I take a hit that dealt no damage at all.

New Skill! Dangerous Punches Passive Increases the effectiveness of the Strength Attribute by 10% per Level of this Skill. Dangerous Punches is Now Level 4!

Why did it immediately jump up three Levels? And to higher than Ironskin? Unless I need my STR to be 40% higher than whatever its current value is.

Adaptation Complete Commence Battle

The fuck?

No more Stat Point increases, no doubt. Nor increasing Skills. I think I processed a few Agility and Flexibility increases, but not as many as the others, which means that these guys aren't that much quicker than me, if at all, right now. I've acquired some Intellect and Willpower increases as well, due to the use of Mana for some of the Skills I'm using and Limitless Adaptation determining that I need more of it and more regeneration.

"Is he still alive?" One of them asks, and they stop kicking me. "He's still breathing?"

"Naturally," I release my head, standing, and they all take a few steps back. "That really, really hurt. Tell me: what did you hope to accomplish by murdering me? Pissing off the Demigod I was seen walking around with and training with?"

"Demigod?" One of them asks. "You didn't mention no fucking Demigod, Travis!"

"He didn't have a fucking Demigod when I saw him!"

I look at Travis to find one of the soldiers from the city I arrived in.

"Oh, it's you," I smile. "Hi. So this has to do with the Half-Dragon I was walking around with when I first arrived in this world more than half a year ago?"

"How did you survive?" He demands. "We know your Health! It was barely over two hundred when we checked it while waiting to ambush you!"

"My Health?" I ask, checking the value displayed in my vision and receiving a shock.

The Fog of Identity has Cleared

"What the-?" He stumbles back. "3,150? That's more than ten times what it was twenty minutes ago!"

"You picked the wrong son of a bitch to attack," I smile at him.

"How the-never mind!" He yells, activating a Skill of some sort, his body glowing crimson.

"Strong Punches," I say, triggering it, then launching myself forward.

My fist slams into his chest, punching right through the metal of his breastplate and throwing him back. One of them tries to grab me, and I grab his wrist, triggering Iron Grip, shattering it. I sense the air movement, hear them move, and I slam an elbow back and up, right into someone's face. They are thrown back by the impact as well.

There are six of them, and they fight me, but my boosts make me faster than they can keep up with, stronger than their own attacks, and more resilient to their power. It takes me less than a minute to take the six of them down, then I read the notifications in my vision.

Martial Artist is Now Level 5! +1 STR! +1 END! +1 AGI! Brawler is Now Level 4! +1 STR! +1 END! +2 CON! +1 AGI!

I do my best not to snort at those. Compared to the boosts I received, that's nothing. Limitless Adaptation didn't simply adapt me to be able to fight them or survive – it adapted me so I could deliver a painful ass-kicking they won't forget.

That's adapting beyond a mere need.

The biggest change in them all, however, is the last notification, which popped up after the two Class ones.

Congratulations! Your Rating is Now Red!

I went up a rating after gaining those Class Levels.

ERROR: 87902 Ultimate Skill Not Working Properly Resolved Stat Points Added Retroactively +30 to All Stats

Uh… what? Limitless Adaptation wasn't working properly?

Oops! You weren't supposed to see that message! It was supposed to just state that Limitless Adaptation's auto-stat function was repaired! Sorry!

Sorry about not noticing it sooner! If I wasn't looking at you when it went up a bit ago, I wouldn't have even noticed it wasn't working, and it probably would've stayed broken awhile longer! So again – sorry!

All Ultimate Skills are supposed to grant Stat Points per Level of it. Ultimate Class Skills grant +3 to all Stats per Level, while Ultimate Species Skills are supposed to grant +10 to all Stats per Level. So I fixed it and added them in retroactively, once the fight was over!

Anyway, it should be working properly now, but I'll keep an eye on things, just in case! With the Ultimate Skills, this is a little bit different, so it's hard to know for sure if they work properly or not with the autostat function unless we actually see it in action.

With Love, Vaefor

P.S. - I laughed so hard when I saw Limitless Adaptation use its "Overbuff" adaptive ability. Knew right then and there that those guys were going to get an ass-kicking.

P.P.S. - Itimar and I do have Taboos, they're just incredibly rare for someone to violate, so we never really tell anyone about them.

That… is one hell of a message.

Wait.

Vaefor?

As in, the giant, blue moon and the god whose personal playground this world is? He just sent me a message?

I dismiss the message, and it fades in a series of red hearts. That's… somewhat disturbing.

Oh, and also – that was Limitless Adaptation's "Adaptive Choice" ability. I wasn't expecting it or Overbuff to trigger until at least Level 5. I gotta tell Itimar that it decided to use them both at only Level 2! He'll probably crack up laughing and ask who the poor idiots were!

-With Love, Vaefor

Okay, then…

I dismiss that into another burst of red hearts, then look at the whimpering men around me.

"Oh, shut up," I say. "You're the ones who attacked someone who you thought you could kill. It's a shame you picked me. You'd probably have better luck going after a Demigod than me. Ever come after me again, and I won't hold back. I'll punch your heads off your shoulders and leave no chance at you ever coming after me or mine again. Am I clear?"

They just whimper, so I walk past them, fixing my clothes as I make my way back to the streets. I've got blood on me from before I adapted enough to resist their attacks, as well as from them, so I draw a few stares.

But this is an adventuring town with a shitton of adventurers and a Dungeon in it, which means that people are used to injured and bloody people. Probably not ones without any damage on them, but still.

They don't stare too long.

I check my status as I try to find a place to eat, and am stunned at the sheer changes to it.

Name: Jamie Species: Human Sex: Male Total Level: 14 Age: 19 Public Title: None Class: Squire Health: 3,310/3,310 STR: 656 AGI: 286 INT: 115 VIT: 647 Mana: 915/915 END: 661 DEX: 45 WIS: 183 LCK: 44 Rating: Red CON: 662 FLX: 264 PER: 138 LIF: 48

Over 600 points overall to each of the four stats, and Agility, Flexibility, and Perception all went up a large amount, too. Over 200 Points for the first two, and over 100 for the third. And the 'all Stats' meant all, and it boosted my LIF.

An extra 150 years to my natural lifespan. And with Limitless Adaptation, I have not a single doubt in my mind that I will make it to the end of my natural lifespan, either. If I can max-out Limitless Adaptation, that would be another 350 years to my natural Lifespan.

Another 350 years to make and ensure a place of safety for people of all Species, not just the 'good' ones.

"There you are," a familiar voice says, and I turn to face him, and he instantly looks furious when he takes in my bloody, disheveled appearance. "What happened to you?"

"Someone from my first town saw me," I explain. "And ganged up on me with some people after determining that I only had 215 Health and didn't have the half-dragon around to protect me."

"Had?" He raises an eyebrow. "I seriously doubt they were people you could take on, Jamie."

"Oh, yeah, had," I nod. "And according to Vaefor, I was adaptive enough through something called Overbuff combined with Adaptive Choice."

"Never heard of them."

"That Skill," I say. "Think about what I said, and what that would mean with those."

"Um," he thinks for a moment, then frowns. "It can do that?"

"Yeah."

"Wait!" He exclaims, drawing the stares of people around us, which is exactly why I didn't go into specifics. "What do you mean, 'according to Vaefor'?"

"He sent me a long-ass message," I say. "Including two P.S.'s on it. Then after I dismissed it, said he was going to let your father know it happened a few Levels earlier than they thought it would. By the way – he said that they do have Taboos, they're just so rare that they're never really violated."

"Did he say what they were?"

"No," I answer. "But it seems he was listening when you were telling me about that."

I hadn't stopped yet from watching you two have sex.

With Love, Vaefor

That's disturbing.

"He just sent you another, didn't he?" Max asks.

"Yes," I say. "He did. How'd you know?"

"You made a disturbed face," he answers. "What'd he say?"

"Something pretty private," I say. "That I'm not going to say in public. Anyway, I'm starving, and dealing with assholes who think they can ambush me because I'm traveling with decent traveling companions only made me hungrier."

"Sorry for losing track of you," he says. "I'm not used to being in crowds – back home, they part for me."

Probably running in fear.

"That said," he continues. "I did find a nice restaurant to eat at."

He turns and starts walking, and I follow him. His stomach's probably just as empty as mine right now. We reach a fancy-looking restaurant with clean paint and dark, tinted windows. The Singing Sparrow, according to the wooden sign hanging over it.

We enter into a space with muted conversation, walls around five feet in height separating the tables from each other. The tables themselves are booths, each with a crystal hovering in the air above them, glowing faintly.

A woman stands behind a podium a few feet inside. She's a little on the taller side, with slightly-pointed ears, chestnut-brown hair, and amber eyes. She has smooth, flawless skin and a small pair on her chest, outlined by the dark green vest over a brown tunic she's wearing.

Cynthia Human-Elf Cook

So she's part Elf, then. That explains the beauty, probably. That, and likely a decent Vitality. Knowing this world, she's probably got a sex-related Class of some sort that's contributing to her Level. Maybe two.

"Table for two," Max tells her. "Male preference."

Male preference?

"Right this way," she grabs two menus and rolls of silverware, then walks off.

We follow her to a booth and sit, and she places down the menus and rolls of silverware.

"Dylan will be your server tonight," she says, then walks back to her booth.

"She looks like she has an Elf for a grandparent," Max comments. "I'm surprised she managed to get a job here, since this city is pretty hating towards anything that isn't human."

"They seem to respect Demigods."

"They fear Demigods," he corrects. "We're kind of a big deal, since most Demigods are in contact with their… crap."

"What?"

"You said that Vaefor said he was going to tell my father?"

"Yeah."

"It's probably not a problem," he sighs. "But Father might see it as me abandoning you, even though we got lost in the crowd. With how long it's been, I don't think there'll be anything as a result of it."

"Hello," a guy around our age approaches us.

Not gonna lie, he's pretty hot. He has short, dark brown hair and bright green eyes, a lean build, and a chiseled jaw. He's also go pretty nice proportions for his body.

Dylan Human None

"No Class?" I ask. "Sorry, didn't mean to blurt that out."

"Yeah," he says. "I haven't really done anything that'd earn me a Class yet, so I'm still at Level 0. I basically sleep, do some light exercising to stay in shape, and work here as a server, and there aren't really Classes for those. That, and read.

"Anyway," he flashes a dazzling smile. "Are you two ready to order your drinks?"

"I'll have lemonade," I inform him after a quick glance at the drinks list.

"Little Mt. Beer for me," Max says.

"I'll be back in a minute with them," Dylan says, then leaves.

"He's fuckable," Max comments, and I stare at him. "What? That's what the preference was about in the first place. Many of the workers here also double as whores. Though it looks like we got seated with one who doesn't. Doesn't matter, though, as you can probably find someone who'd be willing to do it with you just by asking random people on the street that you think are hot. And your recent boosts to Vitality only add to the appeal. Just how high did it go?"

"Erm," I say. "Is it that noticeable?"

Okay, that's a stupid question.

"Yes, it is," he answers. "Your body also has more muscle now than leanness, even if not by too much, which means that the ratio went a lot more in favor of your strength than your agility. Care to explain exactly what Overbuff did?"

"Allowed me to kick ass," I answer. "From what I can tell, its function is to adapt me more than it normally would to something, to allow me to not just survive or get through it, but to deal with the situation itself with extreme prejudice and care. It probably has some sort of limit to how often it can happen, the type of situation required for it, or a nerf to the Skill's effects for awhile after – possibly a combination of those or all three, or something else."

He nods, and Dylan returns with our drinks and takes our orders before leaving.

"I have a question for my personal database of knowledge."

"Huh?" He looks confused.

"You," I say. "I have a question for you."

"Oh," he says. "Just say that. What do you want?"

Other than for you to be a little bit nicer? I know you're falling for me, Max. You keep slipping and putting on that cold front again. I also know that my 647 VIT has probably made me almost irresistible to you and others, since it affects the 'beauty' and 'youthfulness' of people.

"Are there ways to increase your LIF?"

I mean, I already know of one, but I want to know if there are others.

"Yes," he nods. "Ultimate Class Skills grant three per Level of the Skill, Ultimate Species Skills grant ten per Level of the Skill, and Ranking Up grants some based on your Species."

"Ranking up?"

"Reaching a Total Level of 100, 200, 300, and so on," he nods. "As a Human, you would gain 20 LIF each Rank Up, I think. Approximately one in every three thousand become a Ranker, and the odds of reaching a second Rank Up are even rarer than that among Rankers. Something like one in every five thousand. There have only ever been twelve Triple Rankers, with only one living right now."

"Why does it get harder?" I ask.

"It becomes more difficult to Level up a Class," he answers. "As you grow more Skilled and experienced, as well as stronger. You need to actually struggle for most cases. Or at least, not one-shot things, unless it's a lucky strike, like the Crimson Field Viper you killed earlier out of pure luck. Since your Stats and Skills are high from having so many Classes and such a high Total Level…"

"It takes a lot more," I say. "And a lot stronger things, to really make it matter. But couldn't someone take on easy-to-Level Classes that don't rely on what they have?"

"Nope," he answers. "The System's designed to register that and adjust its difficulty. Sure, you could probably deal with the Skills just fine, but the Classes themselves will take forever to Level."

Makes sense that there would be a fail-safe in to prevent that abuse.

That means that, with my new Stats, Leveling my Classes will be a pain in the ass. I'm nothing more than a power-Leveler, only without the Levels. The only difference is that it's not a lack of actual experience for my Skills that I have, but a lack of Levels to explain my Stats.

So at Level 14, it will be tougher than it normally is to bring me up a Level. It's possible that I'm akin to a Ranker, actually, in terms of raw stats.

So how does Rating factor into this?

"How is Rating determined?"

"A mix of your Skills, Classes, Levels, Stats, actual skill, experience, knowledge, and a couple of other things."

So that's why I'm only Red, despite my stats being so high. In other words, a Ranker could probably take me on, even if I'm stronger than them by raw stats.

I think.

Actually, that's kind of wrong, but also kind of right. The Rating was just me not wanting to figure out how to make the status screens look nice and even, but not knowing what to stick in that spot, nor how to adjust it so I could do without those two blocks. Nor wanting to spend the time and effort to figure that out. So I came up with the Rating. It's a broken thing, and just says your overall power, in reality. Not much in the way of Skill.

With Love, Vaefor

"He just sent you another message, didn't he?"

"Yeah," I say. "This is kind of annoying."

He snorts.

"Be glad you're getting messages from a god," he says. "They don't talk to just anyone, even if it's one of their most devout believers."

"Most… devout?" Dylan's shocked voice catches my attention. He's holding a tray with our food. "You're a Paladin?"

"No," I answer. "I'm just receiving random messages from a god, after some people ambushed me earlier. He seems to have found it somewhat amusing, and has sent me four messages so far since then. I'm not sure if I should be happy or annoyed that a god's finding me entertaining."

Both?

With Love, Vaefor

"Let's say annoyed," I say. "Anyway, may we have our food? It's been a long time since lunch, and I've had a fair amount of exercise since then."

He nods, putting the food down on the table, then asking if we need anything else before leaving, a shocked expressions still on his face.