Armad led his regiment back to the palace.
They parted ways as soon as they entered. The regiment went towards the training grounds, while Armad and his guards went towards his part of the palace.
Back in his chambers, he secluded himself and checked the system. It had been notifying him about some new developments on his way back after dealing with that troublesome legionnaire, but he had chosen to ignore it until now.
The first message he received was about the meat he had eaten earlier. It should be noted that the body currently occupied by Armad was allergic to meat. However, Armad had eaten it all without any visible problems, something that should not have been possible under normal circumstances.
The system wasn't done with digesting the food when Armad went out with his regiment. Now, it was finally done, and it alerted him to a new substance discovered in the meat and gave him the option of creating pills from it.
Armad studied the message for a while, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered the implications, before answering in the affirmative. This prompted the system to get to work, and soon several pills were made—twenty-seven in total. The most striking thing about these pills was their color. They matched the exact shade of human skin, as caramel as any complexion among the Wilberforces. It was not just similar—it was exact.
Armad had seen his fair share of pills before. Cultivation boosters, rejuvenation pills, and others produced by the system. But these were different. Even to his experienced eyes, they looked unsettling.
Unlike the other pills he had created before, these did not look medicinal. They did not look like something that should be consumed.
They looked… wrong.
It made him uneasy enough to set them aside and contemplate the wisdom of taking them, if any wisdom existed in doing so.
Eventually, he decided to ask the system, just as he always did whenever something exceeded his understanding, and the system readily obliged him.
[Skin tempering pills]
[These pills could be used to enhance the toughness of the body. As the Master of the system, you have the choice to enhance your body in four steps: skin, flesh, bones, and blood. Each stage of enhancement strengthens a deeper layer of the body, making it progressively harder and more resilient.]
[The strengthening begins from the outer layer and moves inward. The more you enhance, the more resistant your body becomes to external damage.]
He read the message once, then again, much more slowly the second time.
It dawned on him that the pill was probably skin-colored for that reason. It was meant to affect the skin first, and perhaps all such pills would reflect what they enhanced.
Even with that understanding, however, he still felt reluctant.
There was something deeply unsettling about consuming something that resembled human skin so closely.
With visible unease, he picked up two of the pills and threw them into his mouth.
Surprisingly, they were no different from the others he had taken before. They melted easily, dissolving like candy, completely tasteless. Yet, just like before, they evoked a rising heat inside his mouth the moment they dissolved.
The heat spread throughout his body, flowing through him like a current before concentrating on his skin. It felt as though he were sitting before a blazing bonfire, the heat pressing against every inch of his body.
When the heat subsided, he did not stop.
He picked up another five and threw them into his mouth.
This time, the heat did not simply increase—it intensified sharply, rising to a level that made Armad clench his teeth in discomfort. The sensation was no longer just heat.
It felt as though his skin was being stretched… pulled… refined.
It took nearly an hour before the sensation subsided completely. During that time, he remained still, enduring it without interruption.
Since he was a cultivator accustomed to pain, Armad did not hesitate for long.
He took a couple more of the pills.
Then he sat with folded knees on the bed and entered deep meditation, allowing his body to fully process the transformation. Sweat trickled down his body despite the open windows placed high above the walls. The air flowed freely, but it did nothing to cool him.
Time passed.
The rest of the evening slipped by as he remained in that state, unmoving, silent, focused entirely on the changes taking place within him.
Only at sunset did he rise.
He walked to the bathroom, washed himself clean, and returned shortly after.
Sitting down on the armchair, he prepared to test his newest enhancement.
The difference was already noticeable even before testing it. There was a subtle firmness to his skin, a sense of resistance that had not been there before.
Still, he needed proof.
He picked up a knife and held it against his palm, preparing to cut.
Before he could proceed, the system interrupted him with another message.
[You have successfully enhanced the overall strength and toughness of your skin. Your skin toughness is now 2.1 percent. Further enhancement will continue to increase its resilience.]
As he read the message, he wondered whether the system's assessment truly reflected reality. But whether it did or not, he could already feel the change.
Starting with his palm, he examined it closely. It looked unchanged. Completely normal. No visible difference. Yet, he knew something was different. He pressed the tip of the knife against his palm.
There was pressure. He could feel it clearly. But the blade did not sink in. He increased the force slightly. Still nothing. He increased it further. The knife still refused to pierce his skin. Only after applying significantly more strength did the blade finally break through, drawing a thin line of blood.
Armad stared at it in silence.
This level of resistance was far beyond what he had before. It meant that ordinary attacks would no longer be enough to harm him easily. And this… this was only the beginning. This was only a small enhancement. If it continued to grow, then the implications were enormous.
The effect of the system did not stop there. Armad tested other parts of his body—his arm, his stomach, even his hair. Then, after a moment of hesitation, his eyes. He assumed that since his skin had been enhanced, everything connected to it would follow.
But the moment he attempted it, he immediately felt the difference. Pain came much sooner. Far sooner than expected. He stopped.
It became clear to him that not every part of his body had been strengthened equally. The eyes, being composed mostly of softer tissue, had not undergone the same level of reinforcement.
Which meant one thing. They would only improve when he enhanced the deeper layers—flesh, bones, and blood. Overall, his skin had been enhanced, and it was now far tougher than he had ever expected.
All this… from a single meal.
A single meal had given him the chance to create these pills and transform his body. If he continued like this… If he continued to consume more, to produce more… Then his growth would be limitless. That thought alone sent a quiet thrill through him. And once again, he was reminded of the treasure he had obtained. The system.
It was, without question, the greatest advantage he possessed. It had been a while since he had used any of his abilities since reincarnating, but the system's next message took him by surprise.
[Your abilities have been identified by the system.]
[You currently possess the following: Kaban'shisu, a speed-based skill that easily increases your speed by maximizing your lightning element.]
[Pol sword, a sword-based technique that allows you to channel your pol into a weapon, greatly increasing its cutting power.]
[Miyura, an inherited bloodline ability that manifests as a mark on your forehead and allows you to temporarily increase your cultivation.]
[Negrinki, an acquired ability gained upon reaching the core formation stage, allowing you to access and manipulate a deeper form of energy that's hidden in your pol.]
[These are the abilities currently available to you. Their effectiveness depends on your cultivation and how you utilize them.]
Armad glowered at the system after reading those long strings of messages.