Isaac checked the changes to the skill. Since it had advanced to Transcendent+ Rank, he expected significant improvements.
The first upgrade was simple enough to understand. The effective range of Domain of War had increased by five times, expanding from five hundred meters to two thousand five hundred meters. It was a straightforward improvement, yet Isaac knew just how valuable range truly was on a battlefield.
A commander who could strengthen troops across such a massive area gained an enormous tactical advantage. Whether defending a city or leading an army into battle, being able to cover more soldiers without worrying about positioning was always worth far more than people realized. Isaac smiled in satisfaction before continuing to read.
Then his eyes landed on the second upgrade.
Every time a target was killed by troops affected by Domain of War, all troops under the skill's influence would gain one percent Attack Damage, one percent Speed, and one percent Mana Recovery. Isaac stared at the description for several seconds before reading it again to make sure he hadn't misunderstood.
"This is crazy," he thought.
He lowered his voice instinctively, not wanting to wake Celia, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. Even after reading it a second time, the wording remained exactly the same.
The skill didn't say that the only soldier who secured the kill received the bonus. It clearly stated that all affected troops gained the increase, regardless of who landed the final blow. That single sentence made the ability far more terrifying than it first appeared.
Isaac immediately understood how absurd the effect truly was. If a hundred enemies died during a battle, then every soldier fighting under Domain of War would become significantly stronger. If the battle dragged on even longer, the entire army would continue growing stronger with every enemy that fell.
The more Isaac thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. This wasn't a burst of power that affected only a few elite soldiers. It was a stacking enhancement that could transform an ordinary army into an unstoppable force over the course of a single battle.
'This will be extremely useful when we have to face the Thousand Year Stampede,' he thought.
His excitement only grew when he noticed another detail. After advancing into Transcendent+ Rank, Domain of War had returned to Level 1, meaning these effects belonged to a freshly evolved skill. If this was only the first level, there was no telling how much stronger it would become after gaining levels again.
Isaac slowly let out a breath before smiling.
"I really underestimated what a Transcendent+ Rank upgrade could do," he said.
His voice was barely above a whisper, but the excitement in it was impossible to hide. Without wasting any more time, he immediately moved on to the skill he had been even more curious about.
'System, share the Selene's upgraded skill!' he said with a grin.
A new screen appeared before him.
Merchant Network (S Rank) → Merchant Network (Transcendent+ Rank)
Isaac began reading from the very beginning, but only a few lines later, his expression completely froze. He blinked once before starting over, convinced he had overlooked something.
'...No way,' he thought, shocked.
He almost burst into laughter.
Only the sight of Celia sleeping next to him stopped him from making any noise. Selene had also fallen asleep since she was exhausted after the events of today, otherwise Isaac would have run straight to her room and covered her face with kisses.
He forced himself to calm down and continued reading.
The first improvement increased the merchant limit from ten to five hundred. The increase was outrageous, but considering the skill had skipped directly from S Rank to Transcendent+ Rank, Isaac found it surprisingly easy to accept.
Then he reached the next effect, and his smile became even wider.
The skill could now transport items through the merchant network. It wasn't limited to letters or information anymore, as artifacts, herbs, equipment, building materials, and almost any physical object could now be delivered.
Isaac nearly laughed again.
Selene's original skill already ignored distance whenever messages were sent between contracted merchants. Now that same convenience applied to physical items as well, opening possibilities that ordinary transportation methods could never match.
Naturally, there were limitations. Higher-ranked objects and items containing greater amounts of mana required much higher costs to transport, making powerful artifacts incredibly expensive to send through the network. That restriction was perfectly reasonable.
Then Isaac noticed another line.
Instead of consuming mana, the skill could also consume System Coins to activate its effects. This meant, the transportation cost could be directly handled by the customer instead of Selene, or her merchants.
The merchant network could also now send messages and deliver items across dimensions.
Isaac leaned back against the bedrest as his mind raced.
Most communication skills became completely useless once explorers entered dungeons because those places existed within separate dimensions. Armies often struggled simply because they couldn't communicate with the outside world or replenish their supplies after entering.
Selene's skill ignored that problem entirely.
Food could be delivered into a dungeon. Medicine could be delivered. Replacement weapons, armor, herbs, and emergency supplies could all be transported whenever they were needed, provided the required cost was paid.
The strategic value of that ability alone was difficult to measure. Entire expeditions could survive disasters that would normally wipe them out simply because reinforcements and supplies were no longer restricted by dimensional barriers.
Isaac thought the skill description had finally ended, but there was still one final ability waiting for him.
Merchants contracted through Merchant Network could now establish shops connected to Selene's skill. With permission from Syl, the Goddess of Wealth and Purity, Selene could offer tributes and receive divine blessings for those shops.
Isaac naturally knew who Syl was. She possessed an enormous number of followers throughout the Sector, and it was rumored that one of the Sector's two High-Rank Species worshipped her as their primary goddess.
Once a shop received Syl's blessing, something remarkable would happen. If the city where the shop was located came under attack, every contracted merchant inside that city would immediately be summoned back to their own shop, while a divine barrier would appear to protect it.
The description never explained how durable the barrier would be. Isaac wasn't particularly worried because it came from the blessing of a god, which meant it was almost certainly powerful enough to withstand attacks that ordinary defensive formations could never endure.
The most unbelievable part was that Selene didn't even need to convert to Syl's religion. She didn't have to become one of the goddess's priestesses either, as the Transcendent+ Rank skill itself acted as the medium that connected both parties.
Isaac frowned slightly as another thought crossed his mind. At first, he couldn't understand why Merchant Network had suddenly gained an ability involving a goddess, but the answer quickly became obvious.
'Selene is already a priestess. That's why her skill can do this,' he concluded.
Then another thought came to him.
'Does that mean Transcendent+ Rank skills adapt themselves to the person using them while they're evolving?'
It was only a theory for now, but it seemed surprisingly plausible. Domain of War also suited Alice quite perfectly.
Rather than dwelling on it, Isaac pushed the thought aside because there were more immediate matters to consider.
Tomorrow, he would begin preparing everything necessary to help Selene establish a proper contract with Goddess Syl. If the blessing worked exactly as described, the benefits would be worth every coin they had to spend.
More importantly, Selene could now build a merchant network that stretched across the entire Sector. Combined with Isaac's Farming Talent and Lord Talent, their city would eventually control trade, supplies, and information on a scale that few powers could rival.
Of course, such an unbelievable skill would not remain unnoticed even for a short while. Sooner or later, powerful people would learn about it, and some of them would undoubtedly set their sights on Selene.
Isaac's expression gradually turned cold. That was their problem. Anyone foolish enough to reach for his wife would quickly discover that there were consequences they couldn't afford to pay.
Isaac shook his head and pushed those thoughts aside for the time being. He was more than happy with the upgrades they had received tonight, but there was still one final reward left to claim before the day truly came to an end.
The talent upgrades.
Compared to skills, talents were much more difficult to improve, and much better. That was precisely why Isaac had been looking forward to this part the most ever since the System informed him that he needed three Transcendent rank the Talent Fragments to upgrade his Talent.
With a smile, he said, 'System, share Alice's upgraded Talent Rank!'
The familiar screen appeared before his eyes without delay. A line of text quietly materialized before expanding into several notifications.
[Total Talent Fragments: Transcendent ×2, SSS ×1 → Transcendent ×3, SSS ×1]
Isaac's eyes brightened as he read the first notification. Before he could think further, another message appeared directly beneath it.
[Three Transcendent Rank Talent Fragments detected.]
[Would the host like to fuse them with his Talent?]
'Yes!' There wasn't even a moment of hesitation. Isaac had been waiting for exactly this opportunity ever since he learned what Talent Fragments could do.
The notifications flickered before a new line appeared in front of him. Isaac unconsciously leaned forward as the System completed the fusion.
Genesis Farmer (Transcendent Rank) → Genesis Farmer (Transcendent+ Rank)
A broad grin immediately spread across his face. It had finally happened. His own talent had stepped into the Transcendent+ Rank.
After everything that had happened today, this was the perfect ending. He had waited for a long time to strengthen his talent, and now it had finally reached an entirely new realm.
Isaac didn't waste time admiring the notification. His excitement quickly shifted toward curiosity as he opened the talent description.
He wanted to see exactly what had changed.