The moment passed swiftly, and Azrael was finally ready to use the potions.

"Which do you suggest I use first?" Azrael asked the system.

The system was quiet for a moment before it responded.

[The core advancement potion. A stronger core means more essence capacity before the tier advancement kicks in.]

Azrael nodded.

"That is what I thought too," he muttered.

"But why did you pause for so long? Were you buffering?" He asked with a smile.

An eye rolling emoji appeared on the screen.

Azrael smiled as a brown vial appeared in his palm.

The vial radiated a cold aura that made him furrow his brows.

But he said nothing.

Slowly, he uncorked it.

"Hmm," Azrael groaned, pinching his nose shut against the smell.

"Why does it smell this bad?" He asked, pulling it away from his face. "And you expect me to drink this?"

[You could always give it to the birds in your garden.]

"Very funny," Azrael said, rolling his eyes.

Slowly, he brought the vial back toward his mouth, still holding his nose.

Then he poured it in.

The brown liquid flowed across his tongue.

Azrael squeezed his face, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth in discomfort

"So bitter," he muttered, face still squeezed.

[If only I could take a picture of you right now for future reference.]

The system sighed with a sighing emoji.

"Too bad you cannot," Azrael said.

[I already did.]

The system’s screen switched to a picture of Azrael mid grimace.

"Keep it. You cannot use it anyway," Azrael said.

[It is already my wallpaper. Now you can always admire yourself.]

Azrael’s eyes lingered on the picture for a moment before he looked away.

"Whatever. Give me the tier two advancement potion."

A golden vial appeared in his palm the next second.

Azrael was momentarily caught by its beauty.

[Getting dazed by something at this level.]

The system face palmed.

Azrael recovered but said nothing.

"I really do not have time for you right now," he said.

His palm rested over the silver cork, fingers curling around it.

The system’s screen began to flash in his face.

"Do not say anything stupid," Azrael said before it could fully materialize.

The screen dimmed slowly.

With a tug, the cork came free.

A blissful aroma drifted into the air, filling his nose with something warm and pleasing.

"Why is this so much better than the other one?" Azrael asked with a smile.

[Oh, you will find out soon enough.]

A smirk emoji appeared on the screen.

"What is wrong with you?" Azrael asked, still smiling. "You sound insufferable."

The system said nothing, only displaying three smirk emojis in a row.

Azrael shrugged and lifted the vial, emptying its contents into his throat in a single gulp.

Nothing happened.

At first.

"It is actually sweet," Azrael said, pleasantly surprised.

This was the first time he had ever used a power up without pain or bitterness.

Then he froze, as if time itself had skipped over him entirely.

A golden light erupted from his body without warning.

Before it could rise further, everything was sucked back in, condensing rapidly toward his chest.

A tremor tore through Azrael from the sudden injection of essence.

The core within him shattered before he could brace himself.

His face drained of color instantly as the pain rippled through his entire existence.

Then the core began to draw from the new aether, reforming piece by piece.

Each second stretched into what felt like a year.

His mind went numb without meaning to.

Creak.

The final piece of the core clicked into place.

His body seemed to detonate from the completion of it.

Azrael’s eyes closed on their own.

[That is the difference between both potions.]

Azrael’s hand rose slowly.

Everything around him was a blur at first.

"Am I still awake?" He wondered, still feeling the echo of what had just happened in his chest.

[You were unconscious for two hours.]

"You could have warned me about the pain before I drank it," Azrael said, rising from the floor slowly.

He tapped the side of his head repeatedly, trying to shake himself fully awake.

"To think something that beautiful could do that," he muttered, recalling how the system had smirked beforehand.

"How did I not read the warning signs from your behavior?"

[Instead of dwelling on that, check your core and your new advancement.]

The system said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. Core."

Azrael looked inward at his core.

It burned bright red, threaded with tints of black, gold, silver, and purple.

"That is a lot of colors," he muttered.

He thought for a moment.

"Can I purchase Infernal grade fruits from the shop?"

[Yes. The cheapest is approximately ten million points.]

"I did not ask for the price," Azrael said, feeling a dull ache behind his eyes. "Now I have to sleep knowing how broke I am."

[I also have to sleep knowing I am merely a guide. We are even.]

Azrael shook his head with a tired smile.

But the memory of the angel from the illusion surfaced in his mind.

"What power system do angels use?" He asked.

[...]

[Ten thousand points.]

"Everything costs something," Azrael groaned, lying back flat.

[Did you think this was a charity?]

The system asked with a laughing emoji.

"What about humans?"

[Same price.]

"Figured."

[Humans, angels, and demons are the second highest ranking races in the universe, which is why the information is priced accordingly. That said, I would advise you to wait. Your teachers will likely cover both power systems in class before long.]

Azrael blinked.

"You can actually be reasonable when you want to be?"

The disbelief in his voice was impossible to miss.

A sighing emoji appeared on the panel, then the screen went quiet.

"Wake me up early for class tomorrow, please," Azrael said, adjusting himself until his back was against the headboard.

[I will. I have accepted my role as your alarm, at least for now.]

"Thank you," Azrael said with a small smile.