<h4>Chapter 8: Tiffany</h4>


    [Quest Completed: Met with mysterious stranger +5 Exp]


    [System Notification: You leveled up! You are now Level 3! Exp: 0/40]


    [System Notification: You have 20 affinity points and 5 ability points avable]


    Ss''s eyes fluttered open, quickly remembering the events of the previous night. The vial of eye drops was on his bedside table. He had to take them before anyone saw his eyes. Keeping his eyes closed, he fumbled for the eyedrops.


    He felt the bottle knock against his hand as he identally sent it to the floor. He got out of bed, his eyes still closed and felt around on the ground for the bottle.


    Jace was already up and about. "Hey, Ss. What are you looking for?"


    "I need my eyedrops, Jace. I have really dry eyes. It feels like I have sand in my eyes without them." Ss replied.


    "Oh, they''re right here. Oh your eyes are closed. Let me put them in your hand," Jace said, as he grabbed one of Ss''s hands. "There you go."


    "Thanks, Jace." Holding the bottle, Ss turned away from Jace, and opened his eyes. Unscrewing the top of the bottle, he dropped two drops in each eye. He blinked several times and when he was sure the eyedrops had taken effect, he turned around.


    "Morning, Ss!" Jace said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Ready for another day of magic and adventure?"


    Ss couldn''t help but chuckle at Jace''s enthusiasm. "Give me a minute to wake up properly," he said.


    As Ss stood and stretched, his gaze fell upon Rowan''s sleeping form. The broad-shouldered young man was sprawled across his bed, his familiar curled up contentedly on his chest. The creature''s soft snores mingled with Rowan''s deep, even breaths, creating a gentle symphony of slumber.


    Jace followed Ss''s gaze and smirked. "Looks like Rowan''s going to need a bit more time to join thend of the living," he quipped.


    "Yeah, looks like it." Ssughed.


    Ss pulled a book out of his pack and opened it, pretending to read.


    He pulled up the system menu in his head. The familiar interface popped up in front of his eyes.


    He pulled up his Skill Trees first. He realized he never even looked at the avable skills in Biomancy, and Essomancy.


    Biomancy had 2 branches: Physical Enhancement, and Biological Maniption. Essomancy had 2 branches: Essence Maniption and Soul Maniption.


    Thinking back, he hadn''t noticed if Neuromancy had names for its separate branches cuz he was in such a hurry but it probably did.


    Under the Essence Maniption and Soul Maniption branches there were the skills [Essence Extraction (cost: 10 ap (Affinity Points)] and [Soul Link (cost: 10 ap)] respectively.


    Under the Physical Enhancement and Biological Maniption branches there were the skills [Regeneration (10 ap)] and [Drain, Venom Synthesis, and Tissue Maniption [10 ap)].


    Below each of the branches was a button that said, "see more." He would look at the other skills another time.


    Essence Extraction and Soul Link seemed like the most interesting skills. So he focused and purchased them with his affinity points.


    The exnation for Essence Extraction was, "extract the essence of a magical creature or nt."


    The exnation for Soul Link was, "create a temporary link between your soul and another''s, allowing for shared sensations, emotions, intentions, and thoughts."


    Those both sounded like they could be really useful. With essence extraction he assumed he could use essences in alchemy, and soul link in all sorts of ways. Communication,bat, and interrogation were just what he could think of off the top of his head.


    Next, he pulled up his stats screen. He hadn''t seen it since he became part leviathan.


    Stats:


    Name: Ss ckwood


    Species: Human/Leviathan Larva


    Affinities: Neuromancy, Biomancy, Essomancy.


    Lv. 3


    HP: (20/20)


    MP: (1225/25,000)


    Strength: 18


    Agility: 17


    Stamina: 16


    Intelligence: 10


    Luck: 15


    Ability points: 5


    He put the points into Luck again, bringing it up to 20. He also noticed that his HP had gone up. Doing the math, it looked like his HP went up 5 points with every level up.


    Having done everything he nned to do with the system, he closed the book and looked up. He noticed Rowan had woken up while he was checking on the system, and was getting dressed and ready to go.


    After getting ready himself, Ss, Jace, and Rowan headed out the door to attend their first ss. They all had the same ss.


    Ss, Jace, and Rowan filed into the ssroom, taking their seats among the other students. The room buzzed with anticipation as they waited for their Combat and Magic I instructor, Professor Theophania Umbercrowe, to arrive.


    The door swung open, and in strode a striking woman with an air of confidence. Her long, raven-ck hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes shined with life. She wore a full suit of armor, engraved with runes all over its surface. Strapped to her side was a massive sword, its sheath and hilt decorated with red scales.


    "Good morning, ss," she said, her voice rich and toned with a twinge of practiced stoicism. "My name is Theophania Umbercrowe, but you may call me Tiffany."


    She surveyed the room, her gaze lingering on each student as if assessing their potential. As she looked at Ss, he felt like she could see straight through him.


    "In this ss, you will learn the art ofbat and magic," Tiffany continued. "But more than that, you will learn how to harness the power of magical creatures to enhance your own abilities."


    She gestured to a disy case at the front of the room, filled with an array of weapons and armor that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. "These are beast weapons and armor," she exined, "crafted with the mana cores of magical creatures."


    The ss collectively leaned forward, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe. Tiffany lifted a sword from the case, its de shimmering in the light. "This sword was forged with the core of a sea serpent," she said, running her fingers along the de. "It imbues the wielder with enhanced strength and speed, as well as the ability to breathe underwater and control water currents."


    She reced the sword and picked up a helmet, its surface adorned with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change. "And this helmet was crafted with the core of a griffin," she continued, "granting the wearer enhanced vision and the ability to see through illusions."


    Ss nced at Jace and Rowan, seeing the same mix of excitement and trepidation on Jace''s face that he felt himself. Rowan looked to be suppressing a smile while furrowing his brows in concentration. The idea of wielding such powerful weapons was both thrilling and daunting.


    Tiffany returned the helmet to the case and turned to face the ss once more. "In theing weeks, you will learn how to wield these weapons and harness their power," she said. "But more than that, you will learn the true nature of the creatures that inhabit our world."


    As Tiffany stepped back from the disy case, a glint of excitement flickered in her eyes. She unsheathed the sword hanging at her side. The de was a dull ck.


    "This," she said, her voice filled with reverence, "is my personal dragon-scale sword. It was crafted from the core and scales of a fire dragon, and it possesses the ability to channel and amplify my affinity, fire magic.


    With a flick of her wrist, Tiffany sent a burst of mes spiraling along the length of the de. The students gasped as the fire danced and swirled, casting a warm glow across the room.


    Ss watched in fascination as the professor demonstrated the sword''s power. He nced down at his own hands, wondering what it would feel like to wield such a weapon.


    As the mes subsided, Tiffany sheathed the sword, and surveyed the ss once more. "Your first assignment," she said, "is to research the different types of beast weapons and armor that exist in our world. Consider which ones might best suit your individual affinities and fighting styles."


    She waved her hand, and a stack of books appeared on each student''s desk. "These tomes contain information on various magical creatures and the weapons and armor that can be crafted from their cores. Study them carefully, and be prepared to discuss your findings in our next ss."


    Looking at Tiffany, he sensed she held great power and strength. Curious to see what an instructor''s stats looked like, he ran Essence Revtion on her.


    Stats:


    Name: Tiffany Umbercrowe


    Species: Human


    Title: Knight of the Summer Court of the Fae


    Status: Immortal


    Age: 734 years old.


    Maximum Tier: Tier 2


    Current Tier: Tier 2


    HP: (100/100)


    MP: (3000/3000)


    Affinities: Fire


    Strength: 52 (102 with armor)


    Agility: 49


    Stamina: 54


    Intelligence: 8


    Luck: 33


    Ss stared at the Stats screen, unblinking. Once he hit the Title line, he froze. He had no idea what to think or what to do. Tiffany was a Fae knight!


    Tiffany noticed Ss staring at her with a terrified look on his face. "Boy! What are you looking at? You look like you''ve seen a ghost." She chuckled, trying to lighten to mood and potentially snap Ss out of shock.


    Ss wouldtere to regret the next words that came out of his mouth, but in the moment he couldn''t think to say or do anything else. "Are you a Fae?"


    Tiffany gave him a look that could kill a wiser man.


    Ss gulped.