Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 348 : Blessed or cursed (2)

From the moment I awakened my ability, I became crippled—no longer having the opportunity to raise my level ever again," Freya explained.

Hearing her explanation, Alex was shell-shocked. Sure, the ability she described was an overpowered one, but now knowing its drawback, he was wondering if it was worth it.

Freya's ability was one that could make someone stronger passively even without doing anything, but he seriously doubted that the advantages it provided were worth sacrificing the potential to level up. After all, there was one major factor to keep in mind—aging.

The lifespan of Wadata inhabitants, regardless of whether they could use mana or not, was generally higher than on Earth, spanning over a hundred years. And the stronger one was, the longer their lifespan became. This meant that with Freya's ability, one could live a long life, and the longer one lived, the stronger they would get. But there was a limit to how much one could slow aging without leveling up. Eventually, a time would come when physical strength alone wouldn't be enough to sustain life. From this perspective, Freya's ability wasn't just crippling—it was somewhat of a death sentence in the long run.

Besides this thought, Alex doubted that even if the Drazen elders poured everything they had into providing Freya with an environment rich in mana or giving her an endless supply of beast cores, she would ever become as strong as a level 7.

It had to be remembered that each time one leveled up, there was a substantial boost to their strength, speed, stamina, mana control—everything that defined power in general. And the higher one climbed, the more overwhelming this boost became. For this very reason, Alex was certain that even with her ability, if Freya never leveled up even once, she would never reach the strength of a level 7. Those who attained that level were simply on another plane of existence.

Grace's situation was proof of that. She had annoyed, and still continue to annoy the imperial family of Fiore to no end, yet they hadn't attempted to deal with her. Of course, part of it was because she hadn't pushed them beyond their patience, but her sheer strength was also a major reason why they didn't dare make a move against her.

"When I learned that I couldn't level up, I was devastated at first. But as time passed, I realized there was nothing I could do and just assumed it was one of the consequences of my mark. After accepting this fact, I started seriously investing in my ability, notably by trying to acquire information about particular environments with strong mana concentrations or by purchasing beast cores. Surprisingly, the elders actually helped me in my endeavor, so everything went smoothly," Freya explained.

Freya took a pause, gathering her thoughts before she continued, "Everything returned to normal after a while, at least as normal as it can be after it was known that you were marked by a god. The elders did everything in their power to contain the matter and not let it spread outside the family. That's actually why not many people know about my mark," she explained, placing a hand over the tattoo on her cheek. "The elders also requested the witch to make me a bracelet that would cast an illusion on me and make the mark disappear. They didn't want anyone outside the family to discover it, fearing that the information might attract the wrong kind of attention."

"Oh, so that's the witch that made the bracelet," Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Our family is actually on quite good terms with the witch, so it wasn't hard to convince them to make the bracelet and keep their mouths shut about it," Freya explained.

"You must be pretty strong now, then, if you've had your ability since you were eighteen," Alex joked, poking Freya's arm muscles.

"That's actually not the case," Freya chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, the ability had indeed made me stronger, but its effects didn't last because the ability itself didn't last."

"What do you mean?" Alex inquired, a frown appearing on his face.

"Well, you see, one morning, exactly a month after I awakened my ability, I woke up feeling weird. For example, I felt that my mind was exceptionally fresh that day—my thoughts ran smoothly, my focus was sharper, and as the day went on, it only got better. On the other hand, the usual feeling I would get as my body grew stronger wasn't there anymore. But since I could still feel my body continuously absorbing mana, I just assumed I was imagining things."

"However, as the days passed, I came to a shocking and, quite frankly, disturbing realization. My body had stopped growing stronger altogether, no matter how much mana it absorbed. Instead, I could feel my mind becoming sharper by the day. Even without that extra gain in intelligence, though, it didn't take me long to realize what had happened. Somehow, my ability had changed—instead of allowing my body to become stronger, it was now my mind that was being enhanced."

"The fact that my ability had morphed was puzzling, but I didn't think badly of it. While it's true that strength rules in our world, intelligence and a strong mind are also one of the most important assets in life. And considering my family's business, it was perhaps the kind of ability that actually suited me best."

By this point, Alex was starting to get a hunch of where Freya's story was going, but he didn't want to make assumptions, so he urged her to continue. "What happened then?"

Freya's expression remained thoughtful for a moment before it darkened. "Once again, after I had accepted the changes, things settled back. But then one day, I woke up, and… nothing," Freya sighed. "After two months of feeling your body siphoning the surrounding mana, you kind of get used to the feeling—you can tell what's going on inside you, and you can also tell when something is wrong. That day, I woke up and couldn't feel my body absorbing mana anymore. The enhancement to my mind had also stopped. It was then that I finally understood—my first ability hadn't morphed a month ago. No, it had disappeared altogether, replaced by a new one. And now, two months later, that new ability had vanished as well, giving way to yet another."

Alex sighed. That was pretty much what he had deduced, but he had still hoped it wouldn't be the case. Because what Freya was telling him was insane—absolutely insane!!

"What was your third ability?" he wondered.

"Oh, I haven't fully uncovered that one. All I know is that it had something to do with plants," Freya explained. "You see, it's kind of difficult to understand—don't even mention mastering—an ability when you only get one month."

"That means that your ability continued to change?" Alex realized.

"Even to this day, my ability changes on the first of each month," Freya sighed in defeat. "At this point, I don't even remember how many abilities I've had or how many types of abilities I've gone through. There isn't a pattern for the changes. I can wake up one day having an ability that makes me breathe fire, the next month I would get one that makes my body transparent, another month it would be an ability that makes me strong or weak depending on my feelings, and many, many others."

"The majority of these abilities only had a temporary effect on me, and when I obtained another ability the following month, those effects wore off. But that's not always the case. There were some abilities whose effects or consequences remain even now. For example, even though I lost the ability that made me stronger by absorbing the ambient mana, the strength I gained at that time still remains—same for my mental strength."

Freya turned to glance at Alex and smiled. "One time, I woke up younger than I should have been. Not just that, but my ability at that time had actually kind of reset my body to its 'prime.' That's why I actually look younger than I should despite my low level—and also why I 'regained' my virginity."

Alex remained silent for a moment, trying to assimilate all the crazy things Freya had just explained. If what she was telling him was true—and he had no reason to believe she would lie to him—then this was huge. Very, very huge.

"And what ability do you currently have?" Alex asked after a while.

"I don't actually have a perfect grasp of my new ability because I only awakened it the day before yesterday, but from what I know, it allows me to split my mind into different parts, allowing me to do or think about several things at the same time," Freya answered.

As he heard Freya's explanation, Alex's eyes were practically shining.

This was it, he had just acquired a golden goose!!!!