The transformation was tangible; he could feel the increased power flowing through his body, his muscles responding with more power, his mind processing information with enhanced clarity, his mana reserves deepening substantially.
"This explains why second-order represents such a massive power gap," Arthur murmured, flexing his hand experimentally. "It's not just about gaining a domain. The fundamental stat increase creates a multiplicative effect that makes first-order opponents almost irrelevant."
"Ooh! Master feels different!" Aether observed with his characteristic enthusiasm. "More strong! More powerful! Like Master ate a super-duper power-up mushroom! Even I feel stronger too, I can also feel something buried in me...waiting to awaken."
"That's your domain, Aether. We need to awaken our domain through something called a trial." Arthur smiled at his companion's innocent analogy, but his mind was already calculating the implications.
