Steven felt like a lightning bolt had gone through him in a good way. Thinking about that analogy for even a second showed that it didn’t make sense, but Steven didn’t care.

He felt good.

Strength flowed through his limbs, and his thoughts felt clear and focused.

Her smile, the fading light staining the yard in reds and oranges, as if it were nature's own dye.

Steven backpedaled from that line of thought.

Which is what’s put you in this situation.

Steven acknowledged the thought, but he was still reeling from the memory. He needed some time to process. Besides, today was for celebration.

He turned to the others to find Micheal practically bouncing with excitement.

Just like before, Micheal had changed. The man’s nose was again a little straighter, enough that Steven could barely tell it had been broken. His face was a little older, his frame a little fuller, and his hair gleamed as if styled.

“Well!“ He asked. “What did you get?”

Steven blinked. His voice had changed too. It was…it wasn’t quite the trained smoothness of a public speaker or voice actor, but it flowed with a richness it had lacked before.

It bubbled with a natural grace that would have a talent scout scrambling to recruit Micheal to a boyband.

Steven grinned and sent him Anchor Shield and MR PRESIDENT, GET DOWN.

Micheal laughed, then sent his own rewards. Steven read them over and whistled, “a voice Trait? Interesting. I haven’t seen any Classes that lean into social manipulation like this. “

Micheal nodded. “I figured it was a good idea to try and broaden my kit. Adding something that might help us prevent a fight seemed like a good idea.”

Steven nodded.

Micheal grinned so wide It looked like it hurt. “But an epic! That’s incredible! And it has will built into its function. Do you think all epic skills are like that?

Steven shrugged. “We only have a sample size of one to go off of, so we can’t really say.

“True.“

So far, one of the biggest differences between uncommon and rare was the raw power of the Skill before taking Augments into account.

Jugger Hound was absurd, even before you gave Buford increased elemental resistance or an electric bite.

The strength, durability, and regeneration made him virtually impossible for a Classless human to fight with just a single Skill.

Meanwhile, Hand-Shield, as much as Steven loved it, was far less impressive without Augments.

If not for those, all the Skill would be was three stationary shields.

Still useful, and he’d manage to do a lot with them before getting Shield Pull. But it was his Augments that let his skills shine.

Micheal and Margie, and Markus, for that matter, didn’t need to rely on strong Augments nearly as much.

Steven and Micheal turned to Margie, who was in mid-conversation with Markus and Del.

Margie had undergone just as much of a change as Micheal. She stood straighter than Steven had seen her in years. Her skin was smoother, her arms less frail, and her stance steady. She looked like a healthy sixty-year-old instead of a woman pushing seventy.

Sensing their gaze on her, she turned and gave them both a wry look.

“Is this the part where you pester me for info?“

“Yes!“ They shouted in unison.

She laughed.

“Well, I’m not going to send it just yet. I’d rather show you.”

Red light began to gather around her hand.

They leaned forward.

The light built until waves of black joined the red haze. It sped up, mixing together and wrapping the air around her hand.

She clenched her fist and disappeared.

Steven gasped as Buford, who had been sleeping on the couch, appeared where Margie had been standing.

Margie was on the couch, standing on the cushions as proud as could be.

Buford lifted his head and looked around frantically. He started to get up, realized he was still in the house, then laid his head back down and went to sleep.

At this point, Micheal looked like he was about to have an aneurysm from excitement, and Steven wasn’t too far behind him.

“Details!“ Micheal begged.

Margie chuckled and pointed at them.

Steven read over the Skill several times before looking up. “This is amazing! This gives you more offense and defense in one Skill, hell it gives you mobility too!“

“Two epics,“ Micheal grumbled. “What a bunch of bullshit“ despite his grumbling, his grin hadn’t diminished.

He turned to Markus. “Get anything good?“

The old man shook his head. “I’m afraid I didn’t quite reach level 10. I’m close. I can feel it. But I’m not there yet.“

Del nodded. “Same here. I’m level 8, but I feel I’m on the cusp of 9. Another Scenario will tip us both over.“

Buford started snoring.

“How much time do we have before the Beasts leave their territory?” Markus asked.

Steven shrugged. “As far as I’m aware, the System just said soon.”

“Hmm.” Markus paused. “The System isn’t inclined to give us more details. It just told me ‘they grow restless’ again.”

Markus clapped his hands. “Well then. Before we rush off into another Scenario, we have a few things we need to take care of first.”

Margie raised a brow. “Oh?”

He gave them a blindingly white smile as he spread his hands. “Training.”