“Are you ready for the bus?”

“Meow!”

[ You have absorbed… ]

[ You have obtained 96,157 EP! ]

[ You have absorbed… ]

[ You have obtained… ]

[ ‘Essence Sharing’ has been activated! ]

[ Transferring a total of 188,451 to blood companion ‘Light’… ]

[ 129,482 EP has been successfully transferred! ]

[ ‘Light’ has leveled up! ]

[ ‘Light’ has reached level 18! ]

Precisely transferring the amount of EP that I gained from my first two victims, I announced the start of the leveling bus for Light!

“Meow!”

Feeling the change the most himself, Light almost jumped from joy! Although slightly late, it was finally time for him to taste the effect of power leveling himself!

Even though I could have immediately started doing so from the very beginning, I had held myself back due to the focus I required for my initial stage of training. Moreover, considering the ‘Player initiated quest’ that I was still ongoing, I was in urgent need of leveling up.

Despite the EP being gained from that quest being the most efficient, it had one big downside to it, which was also its biggest advantage, it was a static percentage depending on the level!

‘It’s both satisfying and frustrating…’

The satisfaction that could be felt from gaining a fixed level through questing rather than ‘farming’ was definitely through the roof. However, even I couldn’t help but get frustrated considering how bigger the gain would be if my level was slightly higher, that was especially the case on my current level.

As such, since I was given both a perfect ‘farming’ and training location, I decided to hit two birds with one stone, accumulating my EP in hope of leveling up even once, at least until I managed to finish the initial stage of my training.

Naturally, with how I coincidentally managed to finish both goals almost at the same time, I was now more than free to start the bus going!

Knowing the rush that came along gaining levels in succession, I wasn’t lazy enough so as to wait for the EP to accumulate before transferring them. Even though that ate some of my focus, Light simply deserved much more than that!

[ ‘Light’ has leveled up! ]

[ ‘Light’ has leveled up! ]

[ ‘Light’ has leveled up! ]

[ ‘Light’ has… ]

“Meow! Meow! Meow!”

Considering his current low level, just the first mini-gate alone helped Light gain more than a few levels. Even I couldn’t help but start to feel a bit jealous…

However, I quickly shook away my wandering thoughts as I focused once more. Other than transferring EP to Light in chunks, I put the rest of my focus into training!

After finishing the initial stage of my training which consisted of suppressing my strength to suit the moles, I was currently working on raising it to match the slightly higher leveled moles. 

‘It keeps getting smoother and smoother…’

Naturally, compared to the suppression, which I wasn’t used to, increasing my strength felt easier and smoother to pull off, that was especially the case since my overall control had strengthened as a result of the initial training stage.

‘But…’

Even so, it wasn’t exactly effortless. Increasing my strength was easy, but increasing it by the precise amount that I lacked under my self-suppression was hard enough, although the hardness couldn’t compare to the initial stage.

‘I could get used to this.’

Feeling more relaxed compared to the effort that I had to put in earlier. Just like that, I enjoyed the cute expressions that Light showed as I continued my training in bliss…

`~~`~~`~~`

[ ‘Light’ has leveled up! ]

“Meow!”

After finishing two more cycles of nine and allowing Light to level up one last time, I didn’t directly jump into the 55th mini-gate after enjoying the breeze that came along the fall with Light.

[ ‘Light’ has reached level 69! ]

As Light’s level increased, the number of EP required per level continued to escalate to a crazy level, and the loss from transferring EP increased even further. Nonetheless, he still managed to obtain as many as 51 levels in a matter of 3 hours!

In comparison, if the EP that Light received was put into my EP bar instead, it would have hardly managed to fill half of it!

‘Another Coincidence?’

Remembering the time I managed to reach the same oddly numbered level that I reached myself just before I finished clearing the Minotaur Gate’s first floor back at the Light Domain, I couldn’t help but marvel at the second coincidence that managed to occur just at the end of the sixth cycle…

Feeling dizzy from thinking about the strange logic that this gate seemed to enforce on its guests, I dismissed my thoughts as I checked Light’s changed status.

[ ‘Light (Three-eyed Lightning Cat)’ Lv.69

Attribute: Lightning & Thunder

Age: 2 months

~~~~~~

• Stats : 

Strength: 15.5

Constitution: 15.5

Agility: 25.5

Wisdom: 6.5

Intelligence: 8.5

Dual-Element: 11.78 ( Lightning, Thunder ) 

~~~~~~

• Skills:

– ‘True Dual Lightning-Thunder Wave’

~~~~~~

• Abilities:

= Body Abilities:

– ‘Myriad Growth Transformations’

Unassigned Stat Points: 30.6 ]

‘My hands are getting itchy…’

Just looking at the numbers of stat points that I could assign for Light, I felt an incredible urge to distribute it immediately, but I held back as Light stared at me.

“Meow…”

“Let’s save it for now…?”

“Meow!”

Despite yearning to get involved in my fights, Light simply asked me to leave the points as they were, believing that it wasn’t the time yet to decide on his growth direction.

‘Must have been influenced by that…’

Furthermore, I could tell that he was saving them for when an important battle ensued, just like his first level up was used to help with a critical point of my plan at the Nature Domain.

Since he would lack either speed or strength to deal with the moles if he invested the points in either, Light was more than happy just riding the bus for now till he could prove his worth, or so he proudly announced.

“Meow!”

Most importantly, while he clearly showed his elation for the quick leveling, Light knew that such a leveling pace couldn’t be realistically continued, having experienced the EP requirement jump after each level…

“No hurries, let’s sleep first, it’s not like the points would run away.”

Feeling no need to use my privilege to force a certain distribution on Light, I took out the bed from my ring in preparation to get some sleep as my plans for the next day floated in my mind.

‘It’s about time I proceed with the third stage…’