Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

In the adventurers’ guild, a peculiar group stood, indescribable emotions across all of their faces.

Mora and Delair were staring at Tress, both children left feeling endless curiosity at the newcomer and their unique appearance, while Thera stared at Ben, trying his best to not look like he had anything to be guilty about considering that, as far as he was concerned, he absolutely didn’t. Surely there was nothing unethical about Tress’s creation, perhaps even beyond the fact that no philosopher on that world had ever considered the ethics of stripping away the mind of a beast to replace it with a person, at least not that he’d seen in all of his reading, but Mora had been quick to ask about their skill and Thera had been quick to understand where it had to have come from, leaving her to work through her own feelings on the matter once an explanation had been given, since she was left standing beside the soul of a creature that had once captured and controlled her, even if the person it had been was long gone.

With Tress making conversation through all of that, chatting happily and just enjoying the feeling and knowledge that they were alive. The talk with Myriad on the way to Stonewall to pick up the last they’d needed had left them with no end of warmth and his god with a surprising amount of ease once he’d actually gotten to exchange words with his newest believer, while their current conversation partner appeared to be having a harder time between the two.

Valaria, Myriad’s ever-reliable high priestess, had been called and asked for a favour. They couldn’t just toss Tress out into the world after all, no matter the fact that Ben had given them all of the knowledge they’d need to survive, but Ben didn’t have time to look after them himself. On top of all of his other various tasks, he had two children to help raise and look after, adding another to the mix would only make his work more difficult, and worse, it didn’t seem like staying with him would be good for them either.

Ben’s existence created too many potential futures for a prophet, even one at the third tier. They didn’t have to use their skill around him, of course; they weren’t in the moment, but they needed time to practice and grow proficient in that ability, and being close to him would only hinder that. Sure, they would be staying in Anailia and Ben would pass through often enough, and sure, Valaria was a contender for a mind skill of her own, but that came down to a matter of scale. It would be enough separation to keep them from feeling the full force of his butterfly effect, and as powerful as unnatural mental expansion seemed to be, it was no equal to the unnatural mind he’d once held, let alone his eldritch mind. Smoothing the matter more than anything else was that, when he’d brought the idea up to Myriad, he’d found his god in agreement, the cube muttering something about not wanting to expose the new third tier to a bad influence.

Which is a little hurtful, but whatever. If it doesn’t land me any accusations of being Frankenstein, abandoning my creation right after it’s born, then I’ll take it. Just gotta make sure I transfer Valaria a buttload of money before they go.

Both to try to make up for the shocking task being dumped on her, as well as to eventually give Tress once they got a card of their own. At the very least, he trusted the high priestess to do her best, and if Tress ultimately decided to settle in Anailia, then they’d be able to count on her as a neighbour as well.

But that’s a concern for after the war. Still, guess there’s a couple more things to do before we start.

“Tress,” Ben interrupted. “A couple more things before you start the job. Myriad?”

Give them your blessing already.

Yeah, because they only just started existing. I made them so devoted that they’re never going to leave you, and if I’m going to give them my blessing, then it shouldn’t be before their own god. Now, come on. I got you a ridiculous amount of faith, don’t be so cheap.

His god told him a second before his newest believer’s eyes lit up, looking in rapture at the gift they received as Ben timed their acquisition of connect to look like it had come from Myriad as well, at least sparing his god that one expense while letting him have the credit for it.

That was an important one to give, though. Ben fully expected the ability to pair well with temporal domination, given that was a magic with both time and soul properties and, in the future, he’d have to help awaken it for them as well, but with both of those received, Ben was then free to give his own blessing, the act causing noticeably less excitement but still earned him a polite nod.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he grinned, amused despite himself in the difference in feelings between how they reacted to their god compared to their creator. “Train with Valaria as much as you can, she should be able to get you at least a couple levels of connect fairly quickly, and I’ll give you a hand in the future, but for now, if everyone’s ready, let’s get started.”

The only one in their group without any curious or complicated emotions was Dewdrop, asleep in his arms as Ben carried him there, leaving him to wake the scrungle up to paw at the crystal hanging from Ben’s neck, the connection between them letting Ben see all of the options to try to narrow in on which one would be for his third tier skill.

And I’m pretty sure I know which it will be, but apparently there’s no need to actually test it because it looks like you’ve also got outsider. Dewdrop, go for that one.

Nodding and looking like all it wanted was for that to finish, Dewdrop did as it was asked, taking the job and left notifications to go off in its head as some of its other outsider skills got levels for the new bonuses, yet still thankfully showed no noticeable result within that reality, making Ben more confident that, whatever they were, they couldn’t be displayed in that universe.

At least so long as they don’t awaken, but since none of them are at the ninth level and if they can’t be trained in this universe, then they presumably can’t grow more than a single level if Dewdrop gets lucky with its bonuses. It should be fine, leaving only one more.

Creating a new job crystal, Ben threw it Tress’s way, the reflexes the other possessed made it easy to catch as they took it and selected the job that sounded most aligned with their third tier skill, selecting temporal dominator and getting the expected result as third tier notifications rang out in their head as levels and skill acquisitions came, the soul that had once belonged to the demon still bore plenty of unused potential that the system could take advantage of and, with no prior jobs, it was starting off strong.

Those two ready though, Ben nodded to the adventurer patiently waiting at the side, signalling them to invite them while he touched his own job crystal, looking at what choices he had and felt his eyes widen in mild surprise as he saw the options available.

AVAILABLE JOBS

Craftsman: alchemy pathCraftsman: artistic pathCraftsman: blacksmith pathCraftsman: cooking pathCraftsman: stonecrafts pathMathematicianBeginner puppeteerEntréePlanar mageFan user

Okay, that was unexpected.

He had at least been aware that he’d be gaining fan user, with weapon skills appearing at the first level if they didn’t at the zeroth, and given how little of a priority they were for him, the delay wasn’t a surprise. Far more unexpected than that could have been was instead what sat before it, a new mage job, with what had unlocked it obvious from the name alone.

Planar manipulation, same as material manipulation, only manipulating reality instead of matter. Fascinating. Does this mean I’ll be able to break reality with mana since my spatial senses aren’t good enough outside of hell to let me punch through it?

More interesting to him was how he had acquired it, though. There were a few ways one could gain non-affinitied magics. Training was the most common, of course, using one’s mana to learn the skill like he technically had with soul production, even if that had been an unexpected result at the time. Being born with a blessed skill of that nature, or gaining one as an awakening bonus as well, such as his enchanting, along with material user and destruction. Being gifted one from a god, a boon he’d not received himself but had been giving constantly now that he could make enchanting himself, and finally, a non-affinitied skill had the potential to awaken into a non-affinitied magic, such as how Toltho grew his stealth into invisibility, or what it seemed Ben himself had managed to pull off.

My fourth official magic. Okay, looks like I’ll have to dedicate a bit more time to figuring this one out.

The fact that it seemed to have non-magic elements to it only made it more interesting to him; he certainly hadn’t been using mana to expand his realm, but he tried to keep his curiosity in check. He’d be done soon enough, then he could experiment as much as he desired and, with no need to waste another second of thought, made his choice.

Planar mage.

Name: Ben Heph

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Race: Demonic Human

Titles: Apostle of Myriad, The Forgotten One, Miracle Maker, Skill learner, Enemy of Eneth, Trial Defier, Trial Breaker, Godslayer, Monster, Madman, God killer, Threat, The Mad Apostle, Destined God of Connect, God of Destruction, Creator of Life, Awakener, Maniac, Brutal Blacksmith, Defier of Gods, Title Holder, Enemy of Olensia, Great Teacher, Student of Helori, Myriad’s Monster, Outsider Slayer, Demigod Slayer, Transgressor, Destined God of Mental Symbiosis, Destined God of Alien Thought Structure, Destined God of Soul Production, Job Holder, Destined Holder of Actualization, Enemy of Duna, Demon Slayer, World Slayer, Demigod of Growth and Gain, First Human God, First of the Faith, Record Breaker, Psychopath, City Builder, Destined Holder of Multiversal Inclination, Blessing to the World, Abomination, Mockery to all that’s good, Horrible Thing, Freak, Blight, Destined Holder of Abomination Production, Destined Holder of Condemnation, Destined Holder of Realm Access, Destined Holder of Alien Sense, Destined Holder of Defiler of Ambrosia, Defeated Pantheon’s Enemy

Jobs: Planar mage (lv 0)

Previous Jobs: Apprentice craftsman, Craftsman, Priest, Enchanter, Mind user, Magic item maker, Magic weapon maker, High enchanter, Fractured mind user, Tree tamer, High craftsman, Apprentice mage, True mage, Tank, Heretic, Adventurer, Divine heretic, Kin, Master craftsman, Master enchanter, Scholar, Connected enchanter, Infernal craftsman, Marksman, Destruction mage, Material mage, High material mage, Profane enchanter, Master material mage, Impious creator, Mind master, Master adventurer, Otherworldly craftsman, Material creator, Master of all, Ritual enchanter, Holy craftsman, Cursed item maker, Actualizer, Summoned enchanter, Destructive craftsman, Soul mage, Freak mind user, Unholy thinker, Polymath, Alien mind, Soul user, Soul master, Evil soul user, Soul defiling gardener, High actualizer, World killer, Connect master, Abysmal connecter, Master of destiny, Hive brain, Divine enchanter, Inclination master, Slayer, Judge, Holy adversary, Title master, Beneficiary, Divine kin, Multiversal material mage, Expert, Body user, High tank, King of intelligence, Body master, Master tank, Primordial heretic, God defiling gardener, Master actualizer, Outsider, High marksman, Fallen actualizer, King of mana, King of stamina, King of vitality, Intelligence embodiment, Soul creator, Mind breaker, Total self, Degenerate body user, Demonic body user, Divine body user, Foul tank, Resistant tank, High destruction mage, Mortal realm actualizer, Beginner dancer, Assassin, Therapist, Trap user, Eldritch mind user, Trap master, Immoral trap user, King of strength, Cycler, Evil god, Destruction god, Soulcrafter, Divine apostle of Myriad, Craftsman: sewing path, Father of abominations, Dancer

Attributes:

Vitality: 23294Vitality recovery rate: 1333/hrMana: 56562Mana recovery rate: 6508/minStrength: 17201Agility: 7250Stamina: 35152Intelligence: 478,995Affinities:

Light: 3Life: 2Fire: 4Water: 3Air: 4Earth: 2Death: 3Dark: 1Space: 4Time: 5Resistances:

Light: 68Life: 72Fire: 75Water: 69Air: 66Earth: 81Death: 78Dark: 85Space: 63Time: 61

Blessed skills:

Unending crafting lv9*Divine enchanting lv9*Eldritch mind lv2**

Passive skills:

Evil god of sacrilege lv9**Divine defense enhancement lv4*Perfect absorption resistance lv4*Extreme affinitied resistance enhancement lv3*Abominable bite enhancement lv1*Corrupted piercing resistance lv1*Artisan’s soul*Unnatural intelligence enhancement lv9*Blood regeneration lv9 Unending extraction enhancement lv9*Soul affinity lv9*Tier two modifier compatibility*Deep material sense lv9*Flavour enhancement lv9Perfect balance enhancement lv0*Soul expansion lv9Defiler of gods*Destruction authority lv8**Evil authority lv8**Defense affinity lv1*Unnatural vitality enhancement lv2*Integrated divine body lv9Mythril bloodUnnatural mana enhancement lv3*Unnatural strength enhancement lv0*Unnatural stamina enhancement lv1*Bludgeoning resistance lv7Agility enhancement lv6Flesh regeneration lv8Fracture resistance lv8Unnatural mortal realm actualization enhancement lv9*Multiversal affinity lv5*Layered alien sense lv1*Eternal soul protection lv7*Destructive touchEvil touchEvil god’s soul enhancement lv0*God’s boonCrafting affinity lv9*Abomination source lv7*Active skills:

Stealth lv3Soulcraft lv0**Cycling lv6Marksmanship lv9Material manipulation lv9*Swimming lv5Dance lv5Rule bender lv2Aim lv9Esoteric actualization lv9*Planar manipulation lv0*Fan wielder lv1Blessings:

Myriad’s BlessingAnailia’s BlessingHelori’s BlessingGalwax’s BlessingElvat’s mana regeneration BlessingEneth’s BlessingEarth Pantheon’s BlessingLife Pantheon’s BlessingDark Pantheon’s BlessingOlensia’s BlessingNare’s BlessingYuzu’s mana regeneration BlessingChild of ChaosOaun’s BlessingPhixth’s BlessingPassive Pantheon’s BlessingDuna’s BlessingJagal’s BlessingNon-Affinitied Pantheon’s BlessingCrafting Pantheon’s BlessingVelmet’s BlessingKnowledge Pantheon’s BlessingForbidden Pantheon’s Great BlessingDefeated Pantheon’s Great BlessingCoward Pantheon’s BlessingTrials:

Trial of Anailia and TolonaTrial of the Dead GodEarth TowerLife TowerDark TowerNon-Affinitied TowerCraftsmans’ Tower

A second-tier job, it wasn’t as likely to give him an advanced option as a master job would be, but then, he hadn’t mastered it. That was a whole new power grown from the roots of his old ones and would require some effort to properly learn the depths of, but that didn’t matter. Technically, it was a distraction from his more important work, but as much as it was that, it was also deeply exciting, something he could really sink his teeth into, and he couldn’t wait to plunder its depths.

“Alright,” he nodded Tress and Valaria’s way. “If you two need anything, call Myriad and I’ll rush right over, and let me transfer you some funds before you go, but otherwise, I think we’ve finished up nicely. Do you want me to walk you both back?”

“... I think we’ll be alright, thank you,” Valaria told him, still struggling with the reality of the new roommate she was going to have as Ben tapped his card against hers, providing a hefty amount given the bit of guilt he felt for dropping such a task on her.

Definitely going to have to do my best to push Valaria to the third tier soon. Helping someone reach godhood is probably a fair trade for dumping a bunch of work on them, right?

What I’m hearing is to make it a priority, gotcha.