The road from level 60 to level 70 was slow and tedious, or so it should have been.

Originally I was at level 58 but after integrating those measly mana of that faker, I was able to reach level 60. Then after integrating a bit more from the converted mana, I was able to reach level 62.

Now that I had |force| and |dedicated one| both activated, I was  able to jump from level 62 to level 75. All that occurred in the span of merely a few minutes within my subspace. In the process, I used up about half of the volatile mana that I had gathered from the Abyssal Gate.

I felt like level 75 was a good stopping point. It wasn't that I couldn't keep going but rather if I levelled up too fast, there might be unforeseeable consequences aside from the possible side effects of using |dedicated one|.

Once I was at level 75, I thoroughly optimized all my stats to the best of my abilities. Those that were originally capped by the system could now reach for new heights.

Now to see my base status, I manually undid all my special enhancements, traits and abilities that affected my status. Base enhancements probably couldn't be undone but it was worth the try.

I took one deep breath and with my mind cleared of stray thoughts, I examined my status.

To my surprise, the status displayed something different than I had bargained for.   

[Level 75 Celestial;
Species: Veraine;
Physical: 782/782;
<Health: 782>
<Force: 748 (enhanced)>
<Speed: 723 (enhanced)>
<Agility: 728 (enhanced)>
<Sense: 794 (enhanced)>
<Resistance: 920 (enhanced)>
Spiritual: 898/898;
<Mana: 898>
<Mass: 872 (enhanced)>
<Mastery: 842 (enhanced)>
<Detection: 724 (enhanced)>
<Luck: 757 (enhanced)>
Traits: Bewitching, Cautious Tactician, Creator, Dedicated One, Singularity, Limit Breaker, Enhanced Will;
Abilities: Hypnosis, Subspace, Genesis, Celestial Eyes;
Blessings: Enchanted Fate, Forced Destiny;
Description: A divine being.]

The previously capped stats for both spiritual and physical had all surpassed the first set of limits which was set at 499. Since these were base stats, albeit enhanced by my traits, the change was a significant upgrade, meaning my effort paid off!

Speaking of traits, it seemed something nefariously happened to them. The three special traits or ascended traits had somehow merged into one single trait,|singularity|. After receiving an information download, I had a reasonable understanding of it. Basically, I still had access to the ones that were merged but with some added bonuses including a power up to all three traits when used together. Furthermore, it somehow became entangled with |creator| and the new ability [genesis].

This new ability [genesis] replaced the overused [creation] ability. With this, I could now create permanent constructs from mana outside of my subspace. Though, the mana requirement was outrageously high compared to the phantom constructs that I had been so fond of. Hence, I would likely continue using phantom constructs. In addition, [genesis] ability allowed me to now create life, living beings with tiny soul cores. The catch was, to do so would require me to sacrifice my own soul energy. What was more was that I was limited to creating living beings without self identity such as small plants, bacteria, mushrooms, etcetera. Technically, I could create more complex ones but I rather not split off good chunks of my soul.

Anyway, I was ecstatic with this new ability. My home within the subspace could now be renovated with living plants! Not that I would immediately...

I could finally replace the fake shrubs with the real stuff. Trees would have to wait until later when or if ever this ability receive upgrades. However, I doubted that I'd have another upgrade to this ability. If I truly wanted trees or animals, I could always import them. As for soul cores, with enough time given, they should naturally grow. Once they become sizeable, I could transplant them into bigger vessels like trees or whatnot.

All in all, [genesis] was definitely a super upgrade of [creation]. Needless to say, [genesis] being a living creation type ability allowed me to provide healing to living things! It was a stress-free way of learning healing magic. Now, working in conjunction with |singularity| and |creator|, these two became a power house to be reckoned with. I now had the confidence to patch up the Abyssal Gate.

At the same time, |dedicated one| trait still wasn't satisfied. Perhaps I would have to become a true god in order to make the best use of it. Seriously, without this trait, most of my other traits and abilities would suffer extreme underperformance.

Last but not least, there was this strange |enhanced will| trait. It apparently ate the other pure enhancement traits. Exactly what it entailed, no explanation was given. Nonetheless, the trait itself so far only enhanced all my of regular stats therefore it was of benefit to me. I could only speculate that this |enhanced will| might be related to one of the criteria set by the system to ascend to true god, not that I wished for it at this point.

A wave of exhaustion overcame me while I was analyzing my status. This time, it seemed that |dedicated one| had overclocked my soul. However, I couldn't stop just yet.

|Dedicated one| would always used my entire soul as a collateral when activated. Unfortunately, it was either all or nothing. After extensive use, I would require time to heal and recuperate. It wasn't something I could fix with magic. If I had a lifespan, it would have been drastically shortened. Thankfully there were no other effects, at least not to my knowledge.

Let's rest a bit after I clean up the mess at the Abyssal Gate. I'm tired. Echo, download the blueprints to me, I'll patch this place up.

[Understood. Accessing original blueprint... Copying... Transfer complete.]

There were still plenty of volatile mana remaining in my subspace. With those, I began the construction of planetary tiles, as part of the planetary shell, using [genesis]. As I did, I opened a portal connected to the interiors of the Abyssal Gate allowing more volatile mana to flood in.

As for the demons, penetrate this thick shell would be next to impossible unless they could hack the system. Currently, even a sealing barrier was too much for them to handle. Should they somehow manage to break that barrier, I could use that as an excuse to eliminate the demons. A bit of mana leak like now was perfectly fine with me. I could always clean that up later. It was a win-win situation for me.

Anyhow, this daunting task was something only I could do. Certainly, calling it a godly project would not be an exaggeration.

With power came responsibility, in an unpleasant way.

Since these tiles were too large to be transported, I had to start small. I manufactured shards of crystals each the size of a small mountain, that once joined together would form megalithic planetary tiles.

From what I understood, the entire planetary shell was constructed of the same material. Then, as for how a hole this large was formed, I could only guess that it was from a bad hiccup of the previous mediator or administrator. Echo wouldn't disclose any details and I didn't care enough to know.

As I created the shards, they were at the same time being shipped out into the Abyssal Gate. And once I had enough, I left my subspace to find a good spot to began the next phase. Well, it had to be at the edges of the Abyssal Gate. Then, megalithic crystals in the hundreds began automatically assembling seamlessly.

The Abyssal Gate was a gap that allowed planetary core's pure unfiltered energy to breach the surface. In normal circumstances such as mana fountains, volatile mana would travel through the planetary shell and the earth above, bit by bit refined as it seeped above surface. Although I had never seen a mana fountain, I still would surmise that the mana even then would require some processing before it could be used for magitech. As for the leftover mana that couldn't be used would probably end up released into the environment. That might be the reason why the Federation's climate was less hospitable.

Speaking of environmental disasters at the Federation situated at the northern part of this continent, should the need arise, I had the power to fix it. Though, knowing that the reptilians brought it onto themselves, they did not have my sympathy. Hence, I probably wouldn't lift a finger for their cause.

In any case, my work was slow and cumbersome even with the aid of all my traits and abilities. The amount of mana I was processing was absolutely astounding. If I didn't have a subspace, this task of fixing the planetary shell would be impossible for me.

Because of the amount of mana I had used to create these shell fragments, the density of mana at the surface had decreased by a significant amount so much so that the floating islands had completely sunk into the earth. Yet, the demons were none the wiser, stilling seeing the illusion I had created.

They'll be in for a big surprise! Ahahah!

Now that the foggy illusions had mostly dissipated, I could actually see the edges of the Abyssal Gate. Piece by piece, I began attaching the planetary tiles to the planetary shell. As if they were magnetic, the instance one fragment neared the edge, it automatically hovered over and attached properly before becoming part of the whole. What was strange was that these fragments occasionally morphed their surfaces to properly fit with the other pieces. That itself made my job a bit easier since I didn't have to be perfect when arranging them.

As some archaeologists would say, it was so perfectly put together that not a needle could fit in between the seams. It was truly the work of a master!

With the last piece inserted into the shell, I sighed with extreme exhaustion.

I'm pooped... At this rate, I won't even be able to lift my arms.

Unfortunately, this was only the second phase of the project. The next step would have to be worked together with everything upstairs.  

So far, to prevent rocks and the floating islands from crushing me, I had kept them afloat with my own power. Thanks to |dedicated one|, I hardly noticed the tremendous energy I was expending on this task. Though, it was incomparable to the energy I spent on my primary task which was to repair the planetary shell.

blanksphere

Sorry for late post... it stayed in draft. Will post with adjusted schedule to catch up.