Out of his control, John’s body leaned backward and was about to fall when two strong hands held him by the shoulders. “Got you,” Marleya spoke from behind him.

Neina let out a gasp. “Is he advancing?”

“Yes, barely two years...”

Marleya’s words faded to the background as John focused on himself. With each passing second, he lost more and more control of his body, making him feel like a puppet with its strings cut. His breathing came out in labored gasps and his body turned so much warmer that he felt like he’d walked into a sauna. His arms and legs felt like weights attached to his body rather than a part of it.

John had taken the time to study how advancements worked but experiencing it was a whole different matter. For example, he knew that loss of muscle control happened at every bodily advancement. What he didn’t realize is that the diaphragm would be such a muscle. Try as he might, he could no longer get the air to enter his lungs. He started to suffocate.

Marleya and Neina stood over him. Their lips moved and yet he couldn't make out their voices. Was it a concern in their eyes? Neina’s maybe. Certainly not the knight's. John couldn't picture her showing concern about anything. Not that she didn't care, just that she didn't know how to show it.

Soon, even his vision had turned too cloudy for him to make out anything beyond their vague shapes. Having lost all his other senses, John was only able to feel the changes in his body and nothing else.

The heat inside him kept rising up, starting from his center and spreading to his limbs. He wondered if his body would continue heating up until it burned to a crisp. Instead, when the temperature at his chest got past a certain point, his whole body jerked violently as if he just had a seizure.

The process repeated itself, again and again, each time more violently than the previous. His muscles strengthened every time it happened.

Finally, as the last spasm rocked his body, John found himself able to move again. With a sudden gasp, he breathed in, filling his lungs before breathing out. He did it. He was now a Crusader.

He opened his eyes and Neina’s smile was the first thing John saw. “Congratulations.”

Marleya spoked next, patting him on the shoulder. “Not bad. Barely two years to advance.” After that, she grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back to his feet.

“I thought I would die.” John kept on breathing hard. An acrid stench burned his nose. It didn't take long to realize that it was coming from him. He looked at his hands and found them smeared with a black grime. Under the gambeson he felt his skin sticking to the fabric, indicating that his whole body was as dirtied as his hands. Those would be the impurities that were expelled from his body.

“That’s normal, same for the impurities,” Marleya said. “Knowing you I’d think it to be a fair price.”

“I’d just have preferred to know it beforehand. Everyone always talks about the spasms, the burning up, and even the impurities being expelled from their bodies. No one never said anything about suffocating.”

She laughed. “If you think it was bad now, then just you wait until advancing to Paladin. It’s like drowning while a hundred lightning bolts course through your body.”

“Lovely.”

While they had been talking, Neina walked away and returned with a clay pitcher filled with water. “Here, you must be parched. I know I was after advancing.”

John nodded and extended his hand to grab it. Not used to his newfound strength, his hand moved too quickly and banged against the pitcher. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I also took some time to get used to it as you probably remember.” She smiled.

Carefully, he moved the pitcher to his lips and started drinking. What started as a gingerly sip turned into a series of big gulps that soon drank all of the water.

“So, how do you feel after advancing?” Neina asked while taking the pitcher from his hands.

Accomplished was the first word that came to John’s mind, but he refrained from saying it. He still had a long list of things he needed to do, the top of which was getting into the secret realm. “Strong, I’d say, or at least stronger than before.” He eyed Marleya. “Can I borrow your sword for a moment?”

The knight shrugged and drew the blade from her hip. “You still won’t be able to use it.”

After being handed the sword, John had to agree. It remained too unwieldy for him to use in actual combat, but at least now he could lift it with a single hand. This would make his squire duties much easier. “Yeah, definitely stronger,” he told Neina while handing the blade back to Marleya.

Neina nodded with a smile. “That’s how I felt too.” Her smile then turned into a playful grin. “And by the way, now that we’re both Crusaders you won’t have any excuse the next time I beat you.”

“Is that so? From what I recall, you were the one always getting defeated by me. Now that we’re both Crusaders, things will return to their natural order.”

“Let’s see about that then. Think fast!” Neina swung the clay pitcher as if to smash it against John’s head.

Startled, he raised a hand intending to intercept it. Instead, he raised his hand too quickly and hit his own chin.

She cackled with laughter. “Oh yes, I can barely wait for our next spar. I admit it will be hard to beat you before you knock yourself out.” She kept on laughing before jumping back with a yelp as John advanced to grab her.

He considered running after her but didn't want to risk tripping over his own feet. She’d never let him live that down.

“She’s just teasing, forget about it,” Marleya commented. “You should instead go tell lady Athalia the good news. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled about it. But do yourself a favor and bathe first.”

John nodded. He honestly would prefer to get on training to get used to his strength but he really needed a bath. He grabbed the training sword from the ground, put it back on the rack, and walked back to the castle.

As he walked through the castle hallway, John received a few congratulations from some of the staff. From a safe distance. He had just reached the stairs when he noticed a commotion further down the hallway. That’d be the throne room.