Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

In the end, Hardt and Loar accepted Rain's offer… they had one less thing to worry about with that agreement. With that, Rain had the chance to test a bunch of other things. Before bringing people there to see what he was doing with the place, he used Hardt and Loar as test subjects. While keeping the pocket dimension active, Rain equipped the diligence path.

Rain also equipped the skills of the teacher's path that increased the wisdom and Intelligence of those around him, and then he began to teach them with Telepathy how to learn skills like Phoenix Rebirth and Bear's Stance, all in order to improve their physical skills. That was also part of a test to check if they could learn skills faster under the right conditions, and that worked.

"... I guess we can speed things up," Rain said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I will teach you guys Limit Breaker, Magic Boost, and Scholar Insight."

Learning physical skills proved to be relatively straightforward for Hardt and Loar, as they quickly understood the mechanics and techniques involved thanks to the increased wisdom and the power of the diligence path. In just half an hour, they successfully mastered Limit Breaker. Perhaps that was a testament to their innate aptitude and Rain's effective teaching methods as well.

As for the more complex skills, such as Magic Boost and Scholar Insight, the process required a bit more time and effort. It took them half a day of dedicated practice and instruction, but the results were well worth the investment.

Not only did they successfully acquire these skills, but they also experienced a significant increase in their mana pool, further enhancing their capabilities and potential on the battlefield.

"Work on leveling up those skills until I return," Rain said. "Maybe you should use some of your mana to make them level up later, but using them now at low levels is better for that goal."

"Yes, master," Hardt and Loar said in unison.

"What the fuck… that is creepy," Rain said while furrowing his eyebrows. "Don't call me master ever again… call me the most humble and awesome person in the universe."

Before departing from the pocket dimension, Rain couldn't help but notice the envious gazes of the other residents as they witnessed the rapid growth and progress of Hardt and Loar.

In just six hours of focused training and skill acquisition, the duo had managed to increase their strength by an impressive twenty percent, a remarkable feat that was evident from the potent aura radiating from their beings.

The onlookers, observing the tangible results of Hardt and Loar's efforts, couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and a lot of jealousy. As they witnessed their former comrades' transformation and improvement, a palpable desire to achieve similar levels of growth and improvement stirred within them.

"I am not sure this is good… luring people with the promise of power," Rain thought. "Once they find someone that can offer them more power, they will try to change sides, but my secret technique won't let them."

It would be fine if Rain could just use those people as he sees fit, but it was better not to do that in front of others. After giving some more spectral weapons to others, Rain was informed by Terra and Seara that they had twenty-five thousand warriors ready for combat. It was better than the estimate of ten thousand that he initially had, but it wasn't enough…

"I guess this is all we can do," Rain said while scratching his cheek.

"Do you think that we can make armor and attach the mana gems to them to decrease the power of magic attacks?" Terra asked.

"... That can work, but only if everyone stocks some of their mana on it beforehand as well," Rain said. "Tell everyone to do that. Even if it only decreases their survivability by a small margin, we need those small victories."

"What about making some people stay behind and make them use the full seal on those who will fight?" Seara asked.

"Oh boy… who could have thought that you two were like me?" Rain asked. "Having the brawns and the beauty as well."

"We always had," Seara said and then lightly punched Rain's left side. "I will spread this to the others and see what they think about it."

Rain's wives thought a lot about that in order to decrease the burden on his shoulders… He realized that when he saw the bags under their eyes. He could only be thankful for their help… and he could only also make sure that the mission would be a success. Soon, Rain couldn't help but think that things were starting to look up.

The skill Scholar's Insight leveled up.

The Polymath's path reached level 100.

Level 100: Polymath's Mastery - Become the ultimate Polymath, wielding the ultimate non-elemental spells and possessing unparalleled wisdom and mastery of the arcane arts. All non-elemental attacks cause five percent more damage per level.

Sage's Path – The Sage's Path epitomizes a journey toward versatile mastery across a plethora of skills and knowledge domains, focusing on the cultivation of wisdom and intellectual acumen. Each level brings forth significant enhancements to one's understanding of the world and proficiency in non-elemental magic. Wisdom + 30 per level.

Level 1: Sage's Wisdom initiates the journey with a keen eye for research and learning, granting bonuses to learning and discovery while gradually increasing mana reserves by 2% per level.

"Good, very good…" Rain said. "Let's see for how long you can stay on the fence, overseer…"

By equipping the new skill and path, Rain's mana increased by a total amount of one hundred thousand points. If that was insanely good, he didn't know what it was… making that skill level up for a while would be pretty easy, so soon Rain's mana pool would double… Still, one idea began to bother Rain's mind… what if the dragon god had all those skills mastered already?