It was all a test?

When I opened my eyes, I found myself still kneeling before the alter. Next to me Hylia was also kneeling, but her body seemed to be trembling, and bruises began to appear on her body. When her eyes opened, they were once against the soft eyes that I found so dear. When she saw the concern on my face, she remained quiet and softly shook her head.

The voice of the goddess of war entered my head.

***You both did well. Yuri your skills need improvement. Your abilities as an assassin are subpar. You must work hard to strengthen yourself. Remember, stats are not everything.

Hylia, your performance was disappointing. If I had not interfered you would not be here to experience this. Your directional awareness is lacking, and your reflexes are non-existent. What is the point of all that speed if you cannot use it to react in time? Invest into dexterity. A single point per level should be fine. Take it from your strength, as even with the loss of a point your growth will still be monstrous. I also suggest taking a point away from your agility growth and investing it into constitution. Your defenses are garbage without armor, so you need to focus on raising them.

I can feel the questions in your heart. What you just experienced is a ritualistic ceremony used to dedicate yourselves to me. Yuri your power and talent have met the requirements to be my champions consort, and have earned the title [War's Mistress].

Alex, though you failed to win you have shown both the courage and ability needed to honor me. From this point forward you class will be changed. You are now a [Divine Champion]. Your bonuses and abilities from your previous class will stay, but you will be unable to advance in that class any longer. ***

The voice began to slowly fade but continued

***I have used too much time and resources to interfere with not only your growth, but this world in general. I must go into a period of rest for a while. But before I leave, I would like to advice your choices in skills with your current points.

Yuri Your path of growth as an assassin is slacking. You have a plethora of abilities to choose from, but these two should be what you choose now.

[Rapid Stealth]

you can immediately enter stealth again after exiting it. (Normally you need the opponent to take its focus off you for you to enter stealth again) 50 mp Requires lvl 10 stealth. Cost: 10 skill points

[Persistent Stealth]

You remain in a stealth state for a second after attacking. Requires lvl 10 stealth. Cost: 15 skill points.

Hylia, your growth in strength and speed is astounding. As long as you are not wearing armor you will be unrivaled in these regards. However, your defense and health are extremely low. To offset this the following skills from your new class are essential.

[Damage nullification] level 1

Reduces that damage you receive by 5%. Damage is reduced before defense is calculated. cost 10 skill points

[Divine Defense]

Doubles the rate of your Constitution growth. Cost: 10 skill points.

With these skills the two of you should have no problem becoming a pair that will provoke envy from your peers. An [Arcane Assassin] working with a [Divine Champion]. Will the wonders never cease? two classes that rarely appear in this world... ****

Her voice faded and the pressure on my body left. When I looked to my left, I could see that a burden had been lifted from Hylia's shoulders, but the bruises and cuts on her body remained.

"She said she left them as a punishment for my own weakness. They will only heal with time. But she is gone. I can feel her watching, but her voice in my head is gone. She kept her word."

Before I could respond a system, message appeared.

<You have been tested by the Goddess of War and Passed. You have earned the title [War's Mistress]>

[War's Mistress]

The Goddess of War has marked you as her champions mate. As such you have gained a small portion of her thirst for battle. Grain 10%, mana on the death of an enemy.

Hylia showed me the screen that had appeared before her.

[Divine Champion]

A pinnacle champion in the arts of melee combat. The Divine Champion is an all-rounder, with a slight focus on defense. Unlike most classes, the Divine Champion does not receive any growth to mp when they level, and mp is returned to a value of 10.

The penalty of the class was harsh. Being at the pinnacle of a specific category had its cons, after all power always had a price.

We did not linger any longer at the shrine a left after buying the skills the goddess had selected for us. The sun was setting when we left the shrine, yet the priest still kneeled on the ground. His entire body was shaking and he flinched at the sight of us. I could only shake my head at him. Men would always tremble before the presence of powerful women.