Chapter 571: A Quiet Walk In a Great Street II

Benjamin squinted at her in playful annoyance, his eyes narrowing with offense.

"Now you're painting me as a promiscuous pervert, a womanizer who cannot control his urges? Also yes, I do have a type of passive ability that allows me to not lose stamina at all, to keep going indefinitely. However, it is not a normal ability, and I cannot… train it in any conventional way."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Heka's attention locked onto him completely, her vibrant brown eyes fixed on his face with intense focus.

She slowed her pace just enough to keep perfectly level with Benjamin as they walked the quieter street, matching his stride with deliberate precision, the soft glow of distant lanterns painting faint gold across her features, illuminating the thoughtful crease between her brows.

Benjamin drew a slow breath, organizing the knowledge in his mind before he spoke.

"Let me explain—you should know that abilities come in different packaging, yes? Some of them are downright law-defying, abilities that break the fundamental rules of reality, like my [Imaginary Barrier] which lets me hide from existence itself. But some are innate abilities, that exist as a part of yourself given power, abilities that are born from your very soul and identity. Others are magical, gained as a result of magic interference from external sources. Some are gained through hard work and accomplishments, earned through years of training and dedication. And many more exist in many other categories."

He gestured lightly with one hand as he spoke, the motion slow and deliberate, as though sorting invisible categories in the air between them.

Heka looked away for a moment, a faint flush of embarrassment touching her cheeks, a subtle warmth spreading across her dark skin.

"Truly…? I did not know that, I never thought to question the nature of abilities," she admitted, her voice quieter than usual. "I felt all abilities were simply abilities gained, powers that appeared or were learned: some are weaker, some are stronger, and that was all there was to understand."

Benjamin's expression softened, his features relaxing into something gentler. He offered a small, reassuring smile, the kind that carried no judgment, only patience and understanding.

"Well, a very smart professor explained the mechanics to me, broke down the categories and classifications with great detail... Though I still don't understand all of it, not completely," he said, the words serving as gentle consolation for her admitted ignorance. "But understand that a law-defying ability is almost a finisher, a trump card that can end any conflict instantly. It is absolute and would most likely defeat you, regardless of your power or preparation. Its power is deterred only by the user themselves, by their own limitations and will. Other abilities can be worked against, or smartly compromised, circumvented through strategy and cleverness."

Heka processed the distinction, her head tilting slightly as she walked, her mind turning over the new information.

Her strides remained steady and even, her pace unhurried, the improvised leaf bikini shifting against her skin with each step, the green fronds rustling softly in the night air.

"So... your stamina ability, the one that prevents you from growing tired, is in which category? Where does it fit in this classification system?" she asked, her curiosity driving her to understand more.

"It is an innate one, born from my nature," Benjamin answered without hesitation. "Possibly born from my desire to not get tired and work every day, to push through exhaustion and keep going no matter what. A bit stupid when you look at it that way. But as it is innate, it is very tied to who I am, to my identity and essence."

"What does that mean?" Heka pressed, her curiosity only deepening, her eyes searching his face for more insight.

Benjamin stopped walking for a moment so he could explain more carefully, his feet coming to a halt on the worn cobblestones.

The quiet street stretched ahead of them, empty of other pedestrians, the houses on either side dark and silent.

A single lantern farther down the road cast a long, soft pool of light across the cobblestones, the amber glow reaching toward them like an invitation.

"You know, before I became a demi-god, I already had the power to do something forever. Especially something physical, something that required endurance and persistence." He met her eyes directly, his gaze steady and sincere. "I could fight a battle for centuries and would not get tired physically. My body will refuse to give out no matter how long the conflict last. But there's a problem, a limitation that prevents this ability from being absolute."

Heka folded her arms across her chest, her leaf-covered torso shifting with the motion, then lifted one finger to rest against her chin in thought, her brow furrowing with concentration.

"Magic and mental fatigue… the exhaustion that comes from using magical energy and mental exertion?" she offered, her voice flowing with tentative understanding.

"Yes, basically," Benjamin nodded, his expression confirming her guess. "Normal humans lack the magic capacity to reasonably strain me, their magical reserves being too small to pose a true threat. And there is no physical exertion that can truly bring me to my knees due to fatigue. No amount of running, fighting, or labor can naturally exhaust my body.

"But I do NOT have Magic Stamina or Mental Stamina, no protection against those forms of depletion. If I get mentally spent, and my mind is pushed too far, the willpower to move will be unavailable, and I will simply stop. If I get magically spent, and drain my reserves too deeply, I will grow weak as well, my power diminishing. And there's the part of spirit weakness and death too, the exhaustion of the soul itself."

Heka's expression showed clear understanding, her eyes widening with recognition of the concept.

"Ah yes, communing with spirits without protection or resistance will stress the soul of a mortal. It would erode their very essence over time," she said solemnly.

"Indeed. Some folks, like Amazons, have a high degree of spirit, about seventy to seventy-five percent on average, making them naturally resistant to spiritual damage. They're also nearly spirits themselves, existing on the boundary between the physical and the ethereal." Benjamin raised a finger in emphasis as he continued the explanation, his voice taking on a lecturing tone. "I found out about the resistance thing when I became an arch human in Shishi-no-su. I was elevated to that position and began to understand my own nature more deeply.

"Which meant I haven't just been exposed to spirit poisoning—I have been having sex with it. I evolved quite abnormally faster than a standard god-touched, so I didn't die. Another month of that dangerous movement without evolution, and I would have been seriously dead."

Heka nodded slowly, absorbing every detail, her mind working through the implications of what he had just revealed.

"I see… that explains a great deal about your resilience and rapid growth," she began, her voice thoughtful.

Then something sharp clicked into place behind her eyes, a sudden realization that made her stop walking entirely.

"Eh?! But how did you survive then?! You did it every single day when you were human, didn't you? How did your body and soul withstand such constant exposure?"