ã€ŠThe First Archmageã€‹


 Chapter 0001 - Gaining Access to the System

    (Gavin)

    "Did you hear?" Bryan, one of the other boys in our little village, pokes his head into the hut I''m currently whistling in. "The Adventurers what came through here a couple months back are passing through again, their quest completed. Seems they lost a few doing it, though."

    "No, I didn''t," I answer. "But it''s not surprising ¨C even the best of parties usually lose someone in the wyverns'' territory. It''s not like they''re us. Let''s go see ¡®em."

    "Ya," he nods.

    We race down the path and into the village, stopping at the square, where the Adventurers have stopped to speak with our village elders.

    They''re strong, powerful beings who have been bestowed with Access to the System. No one knows how they are selected to have Access to the System, but it makes them stronger, faster, more powerful, and gives them access to all kinds of magics we can''t normally learn.

    Well, Skills. There''s no such thing as a magic-class Adventurer, even if they can use better magics than before they gained access to the System. Supposedly, no one knows why there are no Classes for magicians.

    These Adventurers are all Knights, I think. They''re all wearing armor and have swords, anyway.

    "We''ll be resting here tonight," the Adventurer speaking with Chief informs him. "After, we''ll be on our way. Could you ask the shops to stay for us, as it''s late already? We''ll need to restock before we leave on a couple of items, to tide us until we reach Nevinsword."

    "Consider it done," Chief nods. "Adventurers are always welcome in these areas."

    I love how easily Chief fools them. He has an issue with most Adventurers, though I think he doesn''t have an issue with the one he''s speaking with. He''s too good of an actor to let it show, though. I''ll ask him later.

    "Thank you, Chief," the Adventurer dips his head a little. "Not all places are as hospitable as here."

    "Were it not for you Adventurers," Chief tells him. "This village would have ceased to exist long ago. As you pass through the mountains nearby, you hunt the monsters and deter the larger threats. It''s not often, but it''s often enough to deter them from attacking our village. They see us as a place where you Adventurers rest, and to destroy it would be to anger the Adventurers. And so, the more intelligent of the monsters keep us protected from the smaller, warning them away. For that, we are much grateful to the Adventurers who serve the crown."

    All others are traitors. Criminals. Exiles. Enemies. Only those who serve the crown are legal, and I hate that. We all do. Chief says that Jozan is not meant to be a place for prisoners, and that anyone who is truly Jozan would never enslave another just because they''re stronger.

    If I had Access to the System, I would change that.

    Congratulations!

    You now have access to the System!

    Species: Human (Level 1)

    Species Traits:

    +1 INT, AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF, MNA, HLT per Level

    You may select two Classes. Set one to Primary.

    Classes Available:

    Wizard (Level 1)(Mythical)

    Scout (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Archer (Level 1)(Common)

    Thief (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Squire (Level 1)(Common)

    Blacksmith (Level 1)(Common)

    Tailor (Level 1)(Common)

    Mixer (Level 1)(Common)

    Woodcarver (Level 1)(Common)

    Cook (Level 1)(Common)

    Huh. Guess I should get working on changing that. But reading through that list¡­

    I''m a bit confused. I can understand why I have most of those Classes available, due to my lifestyle in this village ¨C probably everyone would have them available ¨C but the first one?

    I¡­ thought there wasn''t a magic Class?

    Does that mean I''m rare or something? Especially since it''s labeled as a Mythical Class. Chief said that there are five levels to a Class''s rarity: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, Mythical. Mythical Classes are ones that can''t be trained for, and can only be attained through certain actions. How did I qualify for Wizard?

    Hrm.

    You know¡­ most kids my age would probably be confused, not trying to decide what Classes to pick right now.

    But whatever. I''m not most kids, according to Chief. I''m not even like most kids in our village, which is pretty damn different from outside of it, according to Chief.

    Back to what I''m focusing on. I just gained Access to the System, and also have a Class that supposedly doesn''t exist.

    Is it illegal?

    If so, then why aren''t there magicians in the System? Adventurers don''t always gain Access with others around, so you can''t stop them from picking Classes they want.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Plus, it''s hard to imagine every land has outlawed them, and that every magician who gained access to the System wouldn''t have picked a magician Class immediately.

    So¡­

    Guess I''m rare!

    Shame I''m just a human, though. I''m not that rare.

    You have selected Wizard as your Primary Class.

    You now have the Wizard Class!

    +1 to all Stats each Level, +10% to learning and leveling all Skills, +10% to learning and leveling all magical Skills.

    You have selected the Scout Class!

    You now have the Scout Class!

    +1 AGI, PER every fifth Level.

    There we go! Wizard, ¡®cause it''s obviously rare, and Scout, because if I remember correctly, Scouts are the ones who move all stealthy like, and I''m good at that. Well, I''m good at lotsa things, growing up here, but definitely moving all stealthy like is one of my skills. With how hard gaining Levels is, according to Chief, it''d be good to have the agility and perception boosts that Scout grants, as it means I''ll be able to react faster with my magic.

    Now¡­ how do I pull up my stats and stuff? I think it was called status.

    Name: Gavin

    Age: 13 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human Level 1 0/25

    Classes: Wizard 1 0/25, Scout 0/25

    INT: 18, AGI: 14, CHA: 12, STR: 15, CON: 21, PER: 20, LIF: 22, LUK 29

    HLT: 15

    Health: 38/36

    Mana: 49/47

    There we go!

    Would Thief have been a better choice than Scout? Pretty sure they can move all stealthy like, too, and they''d probs be good in dungeons, with disarming traps and stuff. Maybe Scouts can do that, too?

    "You look like you have questions," the Adventurer with whom Chief was speaking with walks over to me, then crouches down so he''s more on my level, which is cool, because most Adventurers just talk down to us, they''re so full of themselves. I think it''s weird that slaves can be full of themselves, but it''s probably because of their power and the fact that they do have plenty of freedom, they''re just forced to work for the king, even if they don''t want to. "Do you have any questions for Adventurers? I can''t imagine you see many around these parts."

    "Ya," I say. "Would Thief have been a better pick than Scout?"

    "What?" He looks confused.

    "Well," I say. "I just gained Access to the System, and I picked Scout, but I also had Thief available, and now I''m thinking that maybe I should have picked Thief instead of Scout. I dun really know the difference between the two, other than that Scouts move all stealthy like and look at stuff, and Thieves move all stealthy like and nick stuff, and didn''t think about Thieves probs being better than Scouts until after I made the choice to be a Scout."

    "Forgive him," Chief walks over. "He''s always had a fair bit of an imagination, and it''s gotten him into quite the trouble, too. Gavin, if you have questions for the Adventurers, then simply ask them, don''t-"

    "If you have access to the System," the Adventurer says. "Say status, then focus on me and say share status, and I can view your status screen."

    "Already gots it open," I say, then focus on him. "Share status."

    "Interesting," the Adventurer says. "You only just gained access to the System?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    He laughs as Chief scrutinizes me, and I feel like he''s looking into my soul. It''s creepy, how he does that.

    "I can see you''re quite the character already," he smiles. "Thief might have been a better Class to pick, but you can pick it when your second slot opens up."

    But I already have two Classes? Can''t he see that?

    He''d have to know that¡­ unless he can only see the Primary Class, but if so, then he''d know I have Wizard. In which case¡­ he''s hiding that I have Wizard.

    Can he see both Classes? Or just my Primary Class?

    "Share status," he says, and I can see some of his stuff.

    Name: Bryant Bravesword

    Age: 68 years

    Titles: He Who Defies Frost

    Species: Human Level 12

    Classes: Knight (Tier 2) 4, Scout 23

    INT: 25, AGI: 43, CHA: 29, STR: 59, CON: 56, PER: 43, LIF: 22, LUK: 14

    Health: 109

    Mana: 69

    "What''s L-U-K?" I ask. "And why''s mine higher?"

    "Luck," he answers. "Everyone has a varied amount of it, and no one knows how to increase it. We think that having lucky things happen affects it, but have never been able to successfully train it. It affects how good of a drop you''ll get, if you get a drop from a monster, as well as the chance for critical hits and other things. Very useful for rogue-based classes, such as Scouts and Thieves."

    "You don''t look like you''re sixty-eight."

    "You don''t have a filter, do you?" He asks.

    "Not once I get going!"

    "Oh, dear," Chief mutters, putting a hand to his head.

    "You see your LIF?" The Frost-Defier asks.

    "Ya, what''s that?"

    "Lifespan," he answers. "Each point of it is five years. Most people without the System would probably have between six and twelve LIF, and those who gain access to it generally do. The higher your LIF, the longer you''ll live before a natural death. That means that you sort of age slower. Combine that with CHA, or charisma, and CON, or constitution, and you''ll live longer. Charisma is your charm, both physical and verbal, and constitution affects your Health and how resilient you are to damage, which also affects your appearance. There''s also VIT, or vitality, which affects how healthy your body is, how young you look. It''s the primary factor in deciding how old you appear, outside of your actual age.

    "To your Health," he continues. "It''s a mix of natural level, any buffs to it, and your CON and HLT. Most humans start off with around ten to twenty, and around four to ten Mana, though magicians often have up twenty-five to thirty Mana if they gain access to the System. Still no magic Classes, though."

    He''s telling me not to share that I have the Wizard Class, isn''t he?

    +1 INT!

    Oh, cool!

    "Normally," he says. "People start in the single-digits for all of their stats, which is why you''re interesting."

    "Because I have stats in the double-digits?" I ask. "And my LUK is really high, and my LIF is the same as someone who''s probably been an Adventurer for a long time?"

    "Yes!" He laughs. "That is, indeed, why you''re interesting."

    "Seriously?" One of the other Adventurers walks over.

    "Indeed," Bryant nods. "22 LIF and 29 LUK. He has 15 STR on that skinny frame of his."

    "High AGI?" The Adventurer asks.

    "Fourteen," Bryant nods. "He probably climbs trees a lot, and built up strength and agility from that."

    "And from working in the forge," I add. "Us kids are all trained in everyone''s fields around here, so we''s got skills, in case the monsters decide to risk angering Adventurers, if too long a time passes ¡®tween Adventurers passing through. Makes sures we can survive out on our own, if we gets scattered. So, nows I''m an Adventurer, do I have to leave with you? I ain''t planning on being no criminal, that''s for sure!"

    "Yes," the Adventurer nods. "By law, you''ll have to return with us. As you''re a minor, your parents-"

    "Oh, they''s dead," I say. "They''s been dead for years. I mostly sleep at Bryan''s. His name''s real similar to yours. Sometimes, I sleep on Chief''s roof."

    "And whistles until he falls asleep," Chief mutters, then focuses on Bryant. "We found Gavin when he was a toddler, abandoned in the woods, stark naked. We''ve never known his age, only an approximate. We believe him to be around twelve."

    "The System says he''s thirteen," Bryant states. "So you aren''t too far from it. He''ll receive a notification on his birthday, wishing him a happy one. Say your goodbyes to everyone tonight, Gavin, then meet us at the gate at sunrise."

    "So sleep on Chief''s roof tonight," I say. "And then wait for you to show up at the gate tomorrow. Got it."

    "I think I''m going to like this kid," one of the other Adventurers laughs.

    "You probably will!" Bryant laughs. "His CHA is already at 12."

    "Only twelve?" I pout. "Damn! I''m not cute enough yet!"

    +1 CHA!

    That worked!

    "Rest up," Bryant ruffles my hair. "You have quite the journey ahead of you, for a new Adventurer."

 Chapter 0002 - Leaving Home

    (Gavin)

    "If I''m supposed to meet you here," I say to Bryant as he and the other Adventurers approach the gate, looking a little sleepy. "Shouldn''t you have been here first?"

    "How much sugar have you had?" He asks.

    "We don''t usually have sugar in this village," I tell him. "And when we do happen to have some brought here, us kids aren''t allowed to have it. We usually get too hyper."

    "You seem pretty wide-awake for it being this early in the morning."

    "I''m always awake when I''m awake," I tell him. "It''s so cool, being able to see the time in my vision. All I have to do is think it, and I can see it."

    "Date, too," he says.

    Date.

    Friday, the 8<sup>th</sup> day of the 11<sup>th</sup> month of the 1,347th Year of the Age of Chaos.

    "Age of Chaos?" I ask.

    "It runs to two thousand," he nods. "Then changes to a different Age. If you think horoscope, you''ll get a little thing for today that will tell you what will happen for you today, but it''s usually just some mocking thing, and doesn''t actually tell you what''ll happen. Higher LUK does mean it''s right more often, though, so check it out."

    Horoscope.

    You will be injured.

    "It says I''ll be injured."

    "It does that for everyone''s first time!" He laughs. "As I said ¨C you can''t really trust it. Sometimes, it''ll be things that are already probable to happen. If you''re going into a dungeon, it''ll almost always say you''ll be injured. Sometimes, it''ll say you''ll be healed, and you won''t have a healer in your party. It''s not trustworthy, so don''t put too much stock in it."

    "So trust the horoscope to always be right," I nod. "Got it! Okay! Let''s go off on an adventure!"

    "That''s not what we''re-"

    "We''re Adventurers, aren''t we?"

    "Well, yes, but-"

    "Then everything we do is an adventure!"

    "You have to admit," one of the other Adventurers says. "He''s right."

    "Yeah," Bryant nods. "He''s right."

    +1 CHA!

    "So how hard is it to raise stats?" Because it seems pretty easy, to me.

    "Quite," Bryant answers. "The one or two you get from your Classes, and the ones you get from Leveling your Species Level, are most of what you''ll get. I''ve only gained around two or three into each stat on my own, and I''ve been an Adventurer for forty-eight years."

    "Slacker."

    Bryant just shakes his head, then looks at my pack.

    "What do you have in there?" He asks.

    "Firestarter," I answer. "A waterskin, some nuts and dried fruits and herbs, some twine and rope, my torture kit, some bandages-"

    "Torture kit?" One of the Adventurers asks.

    "-a map of the local area, in case we get lost while we''re traveling down this road, and a spare knife. That''s in addition to the waterskin and knife ya see on me, by the way."

    "Can you use the knife?" Bryant asks.

    "Can a hunter gut rabbits and fish?" I ask. "Ya, I can use the knife. I''m good at skinning things and disembowelment."

    "What, exactly, do you torture with your torture kit?" The Adventurer who interrupted me asks.

    "Small animals, children, the occasional Adventurer," I answer. "The usual stuff for a demented child. So did you enjoy the village whore last night?"

    "Excuse me?" He asks, cheeks blushing.

    "I can smell her perfume on ya," I sniff the air. "And the smell of sex. How''d ya like her?"

    +1 PER!

    "How do you know what sex is?" He asks. "You''re just a kid!"

    "I''m thirteen, not an idiot," I tell him, a little bit agitated by that question. If only he knew what Adventurers do¡­ Oh, wait. He''s an Adventurer. The jackass. "And I grew up in a small village. Ya learn things. Anyway, let''s get going ¨C on with the adventure! And possibly regrets of not knowing whether or not yer going to be a father¡­ or already am, and are about to add to the count of kids ya have!"

    "You''re right," the Adventurer Bryant told last night that he''d like me says. "I am going to like this kid. Gavin ¨C my name''s Seamus, and I''m a Squire. Not sure if you had the option or not, but it''s a basic Class, like all starting. It''s the start for the sword-wielding Classes. I''ve brought mine up to Level 25, and once I complete its Quest, I can take on a Second Tier Class stemming from it."

    "Like Bryant and Knight?" I ask, figuring that''s probably what it meant when I saw his status yesterday and it had the two after it.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    +1 INT!

    Yup. That''s what it meant. I''m so smart.

    And adorable. I''ll make all the Adventurers fall so in love with me, they''ll never suspect I''m a demon hiding in plain sight.

    Just kidding.

    I''ll eat all of them for breakfast.

    "I really don''t want to know what''s going on in his head right now," the interrupting Adventurer says.

    "Wondering which nuts and berries I should cook you with."

    "You''d need to really scrub him, first," Seamus says. "Want some help? I can hold him down for you. Don''t want to use any toxins, and they''ll ruin the flavor."

    "O-kay!" Bryant interrupts the interrupting Adventurer''s protests. "Let''s get started. We''ve got a couple of days to make it to the capital, and I don''t want to delay it longer than it''s been because of the stuff we encountered on our quest. Gavin ¨C since you''re a Scout, we''ll teach you some basic tracking and stealth movements along the way. You''ll want to put in every effort you can to increase AGI and PER, as they''ll be very useful with the Skills you''ll utilize as a Scout."

    "Got it," I nod, wondering if he''s confirming that they''re useful stats for magicians.

    "It''ll take a long time, though," he says. "Before your stats will increase. Stat increases are few and far between, as I stated, so don''t get frustrated. STR is the easiest to level, as it comes with performing exercises that increase your STR. Many warriors can up it up to fifteen times in their natural lifetime, if they live long enough, while other stats, at most, increase up to five in a natural lifetime for any."

    In other words¡­ I''m probably going to screw over the whole system in that regard.

    Sweet!

    "He looks excited," the interrupting Adventurer says.

    Wait ¨C pretty sure Bryant''s stats got increased hugely. How did he do that? It''s not like he''s getting Stats every Level.

    "He''s a kid," Bryant says. "They get excited about a lot of things. He''s probably just figured out which type of seasoning he''d like to use for you. Let''s go ¨C I want to make it to the woods by lunch, and we''ll need to move fast to make it."

    Bryant starts walking, and the other three Adventurers do so as well. I have to work hard to keep up with their longer legs, and by the time we break for lunch, we''re at the edge of some woods. I feel like the reason we only made it to the edge and not in them was because we had to stop a couple of times so I could rest.

    I''m used to moving fast, and for long periods of time, but they just have long legs, and we just walked the entire time.

    As we eat lunch, Bryant has me work on my PER by focusing on observing our surroundings, doing my best to give him as much detail as possible. When we pack up the lunch supplies, Bryant tells me to do my best to move as silently as possible in the forest, for while we''ll be safe with the group, it''s better to work on being as silent as possible from the start, and for a Scout, having the Soundless Skill is a huge boon.

    Silent, I can do. I''m used to it from running around the mountain and woods on the other side of the village. I can also do stealthy and sneaky like, too, and be very unseen just by the way I move.

    Skill Gained!

    Soundless 10/10 (Adjusted for skill prior to access): Allows one to be quieter in their movements.

    You have mastered Soundless! +10 Experience Points!

    Skill Gained!

    Camouflage 10/10 (Adjusted for skill prior to access): Allows one to blend into their surroundings. Mana Cost: 10; Duration: 1 minute per Skill Level.

    You have mastered Camouflage! +10 Experience Points!

    "Status."

    Name: Gavin

    Age: 13 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human Level 1 0/25

    Classes: Wizard 1 0/25, Scout 20/25

    INT: 20, AGI: 15, CHA: 14, STR: 15, CON: 22, PER: 21, LIF: 22, LUK 29

    Health: 39/37

    Mana: 47/47

    Skills: Soundless 10/10, Camouflage 10/10

    "Huh," I say. "It only increased Scout''s Experience."

    "What did?" Bryant looks at me.

    "Looks like I''d had enough skill with Soundless to have it mastered."

    "Ah," he says. "It increases the Experience for any Class you have that it works for when you mastered it. Generally, it''s ten Experience to the respective Class or Classes for a Tier I Skill. No one knows what really affects your Species Level, as it''s different things for different people."

    "Are you going to mention," Interrupting Adventurer asks when Bryant stops talking. "The fact that it''s incredibly difficult to gain a single Level in a Skill, and he''s somehow mastered one?"

    "Oh, I also have Camouflage mastered, too."

    "Seriously?" Bryant asks, and I show him my Skills. "His Skills screen says he has."

    "Shame there isn''t a cuteness Skill," I pout. "I''d probably have that mastered as well, and I bet it''d give me experience for Human."

    Skill Gained!

    Cuteness 4/10 (adjusted for skill prior to access): You''re just adorable. When flaunting your cuteness, you gain a small CHA boost.

    "There is!" I exclaim in excitement. "But it''s only Level 4."

    "With how cute you are," Bryant says. "I''m pretty sure it''ll be tough to get it to Level 10, if it''s only at Level 4 right now. It could also just mean you need more girls to fawn over you, so-"

    "Right!" I exclaim. "Alright! Let''s get moving to the nearest city! I bet I''ll have more girls flocking to me than the four of you combined!"

    "Why did the System think it was a good idea to give him Access?" Interrupting Adventurer asks.

    "Well, it gave you Access," I say.

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "That yer belt buckle''s not done properly?" I say, and he snorts.

    "Actually," Bryant says. "He''s right. You might want to tighten it, before we go too much farther."

    Interrupting Adventurer glares at me, then fixes his belt, and we''re off again. I start humming as we move, and he tells me to stop.

    "Why?" I ask.

    "The less noise we make as we move," he says. "The lower the odds of something hearing us that we don''t want to encounter."

    "Monsters usually avoid the paths."

    "That doesn''t mean-"

    "Plus," I pull off my pack, then rummage through it until I find what I''m looking for before pulling my back back on. "I''ve got this."

    I pull the charm around my neck. An adder stone strung on a leather cord, a four-leaf clover sealed in the hole worn by time with the sap of a tree.

    "That some sort of childish village charm?" Interrupting Adventurer asks.

    "No," Bryant stares at it. "Where in the hell did you get that?"

    "Found it."

    "Sure you did."

    "No, seriously," I say. "There''s a cave not far from here that I found it in while I''s exploring a few months ago. Monsters don''t come near when I''s wearing it. I have to be wearing it for the effect to take hold, though."

    "You''ve¡­ been in these woods?" Bryant asks me. "Without someone to protect you?"

    "Me and some ''o the other boys come in here all the time," I nod. "We loves camping out here, ya know. It''s more fun on the mountain, though, bigger cats to scares. But ya, nothing ever bothered us when I''s wearing this. Never understood why."

    "Focus on it for a couple of seconds," Bryant says.

    I focus on the amulet, and after a few moments, a message pops up.

    High Amulet of Warding: Gives a powerful aura that deters the presence of most monsters from approaching when worn. Does not work on elite or boss monsters.

    "That''s cool!"

    "Just like a kid in a sweets shop," Bryant mutters. "If you focus on an object for a few moments, you can usually pull up a little info screen about it. High Amulets of Warding are rare, and worth quite a lot. I find it hard to imagine you''d just find one laying around."

    "Well, I did," I say. "I mean, it was on some corpse, but he ain''t needing it anymore, is he? Not much use for it for a dead person. We picked ''is pockets, too. He had some sort ''o tome on him. I took that, ''cause I likes reading, and the other boys don''t care much for it. It''s my pack, now. He was dressed all fine and stuff, but his clothes were all bloody and torn up, so we left those, but he had this really cool sword, and Jeffery took it, and I took his knife."

    "Do you remember where the cave was?" Bryant asks.

    "Does a bear shit in the woods?" I ask. "If yer looking for ''is body, is probably just bones now, if any left at all. Monsters''ll probably ''ave eaten ''im up after I took the amulet, y''know."

    "Take us there," Bryant orders.

    "Oo-oo kuku mutata," I roll my eyes, then start walking, humming as I go along.

    "The fuck?" Interrupting Adventurer says.

 Chapter 0003 - Gabriels Corpse

    (Gavin)

    "Huh," I say. "He''s not all bones and stuff. Weird. It''s been, like, six months since we looted ''em."

    "Thought you said it was a few months ago?" Interrupting Adventurer says.

    Or is that questioning it?

    Hrm.

    Whatever.

    "My natural lifespan is over double what an ordinary person''s is," I tell him. "Is only natural for me to adapt to that frame of timeline. A few months really ain''t all that much, and nor is six months, when you''s gonna live a hundred years."

    "Can I gag him?" Interrupting Adventurer asks.

    "I''ve got one of those."

    "No," Bryant looks at me, and I''m pretty sure he''s trying not to smile.

    +1 PER!

    "His INT is high enough that it''ll be useful to keep his mouth running," Bryant continues as I grin at Interrupting Adventurer. "Only once he puts us in danger will I consider gagging him."

    "He''s starting to really agitate me," Interrupting Adventurer complains. "And how powerful is the charm, anyway? I can''t get a read on it at all."

    "Try focusing on it?" I suggest. "It tells ya."

    "It doesn''t say how far out the range extends!" He snaps. "Or how long it''ll last!"

    "You''ve never seen a True Ward before, have you?" Bryant asks. "They don''t have a duration, and never need buffing. I suspected when I saw it, but the corpse has confirmed it. This man was Gabriel Goldenlight."

    "Dunno the name," I say. "He famous or something?"

    "Are you sure?" Interrupting Adventurer asks, looking thoroughly worried.

    "Positive," Bryant sits down, closing his eyes. "Our real mission in the wyvern territory was to locate him. How did he die out here, though? These wounds are monster wounds, but he was wearing the amulet-"

    "It was in his pocket."

    "So he wasn''t even wearing it," Bryant mutters. "Of course, the monsters around here aren''t that powerful, so he was probably just looking for the little experience he''d gain from killing them, if any at all, but still¡­ there isn''t much out here that should be capable of killing Gabriel."

    "So who was he?" I ask.

    "A Paladin," Bryant stands, looking at me again. "And one of the few who made it to the third tier of a Class. He was powerful ¨C very, very powerful. To think that something could just kill him like this¡­ what could have done that? He vanished around six months ago, and probably didn''t make it to the wyverns'' territory, which would be why I found no clues."

    Pretty sure he made it there.

    "So how comes his body''s not decayed and eaten by animals and stuff?"

    "He has the blessing of a god," Bryant answers. "Adventurers can take on a god''s blessing, and when they do, it grants them special powers. Most Tier II Adventurers have the Blessing of a god. Gabriel was a follower of Aulor, the god of healing. His followers won''t decay, and in death, their bodies will remain untouched by darker forces. This solves the mission we were assigned."

    "I thought the mission was-"

    "Only I knew the real mission," Bryant interrupts the Interrupting Adventurer. "The King ordered me to not reveal it unless we found what happened to Gabriel. Unfortunately, this happening six months ago means all signs of what happened were gone. Gavin ¨C can I see his tome?"

    "Sure," I say. "But it''s got a bunch o'' spells, and it''s not his. The Grimoire of Tristan Lightblade is its name. Gots all kinds of spells in it, though I never bothered tryin'' to learn ''em. Do ya think Access means they''ll be a good idea for me to learn? It starts off with the basics, like magic missile and fireball and demon''s blight."

    "Demon''s Blight?" He asks.

    "Just kidding," I pull off my pack, then look through it for the tome. "Here it is! None of the spells are dark magic, I don''t think."

    "I''ve never heard of Tristan Lightblade before," Interrupting Adventurer says.

    "He was a magician," I helpfully tell him.

    "No shit!"

    "Enough, Gregory," Bryant says without taking his eyes off the tome. He hasn''t opened it yet. "Tristan Lightblade¡­ to think ones his Grimoires was found."

    "So who was he, then?" I ask.

    "An old wizard," Bryant hands me the Grimoire back. "Keep hold of that, Gavin, as it''s yours by looter''s rights. The King might want it, when we return, but unless he says that, it''s yours. Now that we''ve located Gabriel, we can go directly to the king to report it. Should be tomorrow night, as planned for our return, anyway."

    We''re that close? Huh. I never realized how close my village was to the capital. We never really leave it, and rarely receive visitors, so I thought it was a lot further.

    "Let''s make a stretcher," Bryant says, and then shows me how to make one with sticks and cloth and rope.

    After we get Gabriel on the stretcher, they cover him with a couple of blankets, pick it up, and start walking. I pull my pack back on and follow them.

    When we stop for dinner, the sun has long since fallen, and it''s nearly ten in the evening. At this time, I''m usually trying to figure out where I should sleep and if I should whistle or not. Tonight, if we were back at the village, I''d probably join some of the others in a group cuddle to sleep.

    It''s pretty chilly out, and the group cuddle-huddle sleeps help us with the warmth. It''s so cozy and warm with the thick, wool blankets over top of us and a fire burning in the hearth.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    We settle down for dinner, and Bryant decides to tell me a little about Tristan Lightblade.

    "He was an ancient magician," Bryant begins. "He never had access to the System, though with his power, he might as well have. He knew over a thousand spells, and each one was recorded in his Grimoires. He could judge his Mana amount as if he could see it, and supposedly recorded each cost in the Grimoires.

    "Legend has it," he continues. "Tristan had figured out old magics ¨C from times before recorded history ¨C and hid them away, sealed within his Grimoires. He had five of them, you see ¨C and each one was sealed with powerful magics. Magicians and Adventurers have been seeking them out ever since ¨C over a thousand years, now ¨C and none had ever been found."

    "What happened to Tristan?" I ask.

    "No one knows," Bryant shrugs. "He hid the Grimoires ¨C then vanished. Rumors have it that he found a way to travel to other realms, and used his power to enter the realm of the gods, but there are also rumors that he went to a world without magic and the system, or that he went to hell to challenge the devil. There are dozens of versions of what happened, but the only thing that can be agreed upon is that he cannot be found in this realm. Just like his Grimoires, he''s been looked for, but never found. Gabriel located a Grimoire¡­ it''s only a shame he''s not alive to tell us where it was, or how he found it."

    "He made five Grimoires?" I ask, and he nods. "So that''s, what, two hundred spells each?"

    "Roughly."

    "This Grimoire has a thousand in it."

    "What?" He looks at me in disbelief.

    "Ya," I say. "It has a thousand spells in it, along with alchemy recipes, charms, enchanting, and stuff. Probably over two thousand total magics and concoctions. The book''s magical ¨C each page can have several things on it. It took me a month to read it all. I never tried any of the spells and magic and stuff, but the alchemy is fun to do. That was actually an available Class for me."

    "And you didn''t take it?" Interrupting Adventurer asks.

    "Hush," I hold up a hand. "The interested are speaking, here. If he split his knowledge up, then that means that he really learned something like five thousand spells, don''t it? And thousands more in alchemy, charms, enchantments, and such?"

    "Yes," Bryant nods. "It does. You seriously never tried the spells?"

    "I wanted to," I tell him. "Just like I''ve always wanted to try riding a Dragon. Ain''t a good idea, that, and I didn''t really see the need for magic. I''s been happy in my village without magic, what''s magic gonna do ¨C make me more happy? Nah. Just mean I should probably join the war or something, so I didn''t bother. Guess now I''m an Adventurer, magic''ll be a good asset."

    "The king," Bryant says. "Will likely want the Grimoire when we arrive at the castle. Until we arrive, you can try to learn spells from it."

    "So I should just," I stand up.

    "No!" Bryant exclaims, scrambling to his feet. "Do not just attempt a random spell from the book, Gavin! Aim away from us!"

    "But how do I know how effective it is, if I don''t get ta hit someone with it?" I ask. "Plus ¨C it''s not like I''m powerful enough to actually hurt one of you."

    "No," he says. "But you really shouldn''t be aiming your magic at people, anyway. Not unless you intend on killing them."

    "What are you going to do?" Interrupting Adventurer asks. "Fire off a single shot, then wait until your Mana manages to restore enough? Isn''t it ten Mana for a single Magic Missile? It takes awhile to regenerate, doesn''t it?"

    "Probably," I shrug. "And the book says ya to that. But I got forty-seven Mana, so I could probably hit ya with four of ''em before I run out. Can I try?"

    "How the fuck do you have so much Mana?" He asks.

    "I''m just that adorable," I smile at him. "It just flocks to me."

    "Are you sure I can''t gag him?" Interrupting Adventurer asks Bryant.

    "Positive," Bryant says. "You''re on first watch, I''m on second. Gavin ¨C it''s best to try to get some sleep now."

    "How come?" I ask.

    "You''ll be doing second watch with me," he answers. "And you''ll want all the sleep you can get when you''re out in the field."

    "Ah," I put my back down, then lie down and put my head on the pack for a pillow. "Wake me when it''s watch time."

    He does, quietly and gently.

    "How quiet do we have to be?" I ask.

    "We can talk normally," he answers. "Your charm ensures that, and anyone who''d dare attack King''s Adventurers out here are fools, especially with a Tier 2 in the party."

    "You?"

    "Yes," he nods. "I''ve made sure the others are sound asleep, and they won''t be waking for this conversation. On serious business, Gavin, I want to know how you managed to take on two Classes. You can''t take on a second until you reach your second Tier."

    "System told me to," I say. "Said to select two Classes, and to pick my Primary Class."

    "Do you know how you gained Wizard?" He asks.

    "It offered it to me. Duh."

    "I mean its requirements," he says. "Even magicians don''t get offered that, when they''re granted access."

    "It was just there," I shrug. "First thing on the list, then Scout, then-"

    "First?" He asks in shock. "It orders them by how attuned to that Class you are ¨C that is, which Class is best for you to take on, the one you''re most qualified for. You can also change your Class, by the way, by making it to a Dungeon''s Core. There, touch it, and you''ll be allowed to change Classes. That''s only if your Class hasn''t reached Level 5 yet. Your current Level with it is memorized, and you keep the stats you gained from its Level. You''ll likely be asked to move into the Squire Class, when we arrive at the city."

    "How comes?"

    "It''s complicated," he says. "But after gaining the two stealth Skills, which you''ve done, there isn''t really much use to having something like Scout or Thief, and warriors are stronger and more resilient. Thank you, for not sharing you had Wizard."

    "Should I hide it from the king?" I ask.

    "No," he answers. "But do not share it with others. You got lucky that I was the one you showed it to, and not one of the others. There is corruption deep within the king''s forces, and he trusts only a few. As a Wizard, you''ll be invaluable, but you''ll also be vulnerable to exploitation. The king and I want to reshape this kingdom into a land that is glorious and powerful ¨C powerful enough that monsters will think twice before coming at us, as well as enemy nations. However, we also want it to be a peaceful place."

    "The forced service-"

    "The Council pressured his father into it," Bryant shakes his head. "They are, essentially, running the kingdom. Due to certain complications, the king can''t simply arrest them. Each member of our party, save for the two of us, are paid by one of them behind the king''s back. We lost two who couldn''t be bought, and I know I''m supposed to be dead as well. Fortunately for me, it takes more than a couple of wyverns and first-tier traitors to kill me."

    "Unfortunately for them," I say, and he smiles. "So what''s that mean for me? I can''t let people know I''m a Wizard, and I''ll pretty much be forced to switch to Squire and pressured into working for one of the Council behind the king''s back."

    "Easy way to avoid that," he smiles. "Each member of your party, when you go into the dungeon, will probably work for a different member of the Council. They''ll each talk to you alone, and try to get you to see that the one they work for is superior to the others, but they won''t say they work for them. This is just a forewarning."

    "Ah," I smile. "So that''s how I avoid it immediately. They''ll work on me in the long run, and as I prove myself to be superior in every way, they''ll start fighting each other."

    "No," he says. "That''s not what I was saying. They''ll work on you over time, if you say you''d like to get to know their Councilman a little bit better, to form your own opinion, and-"

    "Isn''t the goal," I say. "Long-term, to get the Council to basically make it obvious to the public they work for themselves and not the king?"

    "Yes," he says. "But the Councilmen work together, because together, they''re stronger. It''s only once they have complete control that they''ll start to backstab each other, until only one of them is left in charge ¨C as king."

    "Indeed," I say. "So cause chaos now, let them bicker over me when they realize how superior I am to any of their puppets, and they''ll screw themselves over. Got it."

    Bryant gives up, but I know my plan will work. I''ll have to make some huge decision changes, though, for it to work. And he''ll be mad at me.

    But if the king really is a good guy, then he, the king, will understand my plan, and forgive me the chaos I cause.

    The rest of our shift goes smoothly, and in the morning, we begin the trek to the city. After lunch, the city''s massive stone walls enter our view, and we begin to walk pass merchants and others making their way into the city as we draw near to dusk and paths merge into a single wide, paved road.

    No one really says anything, though ¨C King''s Adventurers are guaranteed entrance into any city, town, or village within the nation.

    As the sun touches the horizon, when the gates are to close, we arrive at the gates, the guards waving us through.

    For the first time in my life, I am in a city.

 Chapter 0004 - Meeting King Wesley of Jozan

    (Gavin)

    "Who''s the kid?" A guard asks at the castle gates as two more take Gabriel''s body away.

    "A new Adventurer," Bryant answers. "He acquired Access as we were passing through his village, and he willingly came with us to pledge fealty to the crown. He took on the Scout Class."

    "Very well," the guard dips his head to Bryant, then signals to the guards at the gate to let us through.

    We pass through, and I look around, taking in every detail. The thick, stone walls, the wooden floors, the tapestries and statues and servants and guards¡­

    All of it, and I commit it all to memory as well.

    After almost ten minutes of walking, we enter a room where a group of men are standing around a table, discussing what sounds like battle plans.

    "Majesty," the Adventurers clap their fists to their chests, all looking to the same man, who is, no doubt, the king.

    He''s not wearing his crown, though.

    +1 PER!

    Shut up!

    "Does the child not know his place?" One of the other men in the room asks. "Show respect to the king!"

    "Good luck with that," Interrupting Adventurer mutters under his breath.

    "Considering I''s don''t know which one''s the king," I look at him, keeping my expression bored, hiding my amusement. "I''d say is quite difficult. And judging by the attitude ya just issued to an Adventurer, I''d say if I accidentally saluted the wrong person, ya''d have made a comment as well."

    Skill Gained!

    Acting 8/10: You possess the ability to conceal your true emotions, and deceive others with your attitude.

    Oh, I''ve got attitude, alright.

    "Adventurer?" His attitude changes immediately.

    "Ya, Adventurer," I restate. "I gained access ta the System while theys was passing through my village a couple o'' days ago."

    "Is that Gabriel''s charm?" The king asks.

    "Ya," I answer. "It is. I looted his body months ago, before I knew he''s an Adventurer. Me an'' my friends, that is. I took his charm and the book o'' spells, though I din''t actually bother ta learn any o'' ''em. By looters'' rights, they''re mine, and ya can''t take them from me."

    "Actually," another man says. "That only applies to-"

    "I believe," I look at him. "That ya''ll want ta shut yer hole, mister. Who the hell are ya people, anyway?"

    "They''re the Council," Bryant tells me.

    "Ah," I say. "The Council. That makes sense, them being in a room with the King by themselves, no guards about. Ya, the Council. Hrm. Well, I guess I can tell ya, though I''d intended on just the king, ya know how it is, with strangers and all."

    "And you believe that, as a new Adventurer, you can simply request to speak with the King?" A Councilman asks. "You were brought here to swear fealty to the king, not to make requests."

    Actually, I could just request an audience with the king, no others about, but we won''t get into that little detail.

    "I''s not here ta swear fealty ta the king," I state.

    "And I shouldn''t have you arrested, why?" The king holds up a hand as the Adventurers move toward me, and they stop. "Your words were treason, there."

    "I will swear fealty not to ya, Yer Majesty," I say. "But ta the kingdom. That is the greater force, ya see. I swear fealty ta the kingdom, then I swear to ensure its survival. So long as yer aligned with the interests of the kingdom, I''ll serve ya as well. As a servant of the kingdom, it means I''s to keep you in-line, should ya start ta stray. It means I''s to let ya know when yer going wrong, and put ya back on the track to protecting the kingdom. Yer goal is to protect this kingdom and make it strong ¨C that is in the better interests of the kingdom, and so, that''s my job as well, as a servant o'' the kingdom. Ta make sure the kingdom is protected, ta make sure its strong, and ta wipe out corruption within it. Our goals, for now, align. If you start ta destroy the kingdom with yer actions, then it''ll be my place to make sure ya know it, and ya stop. That be why my fealty ta the kingdom is greater than any fealty to ya, Yer Majesty ¨C I will protect ya, so long as ya protect the kingdom."

    +1 CHA!

    What part of ''shut up'' did you not understand?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "And if I don''t protect the kingdom?" The king asks.

    "Well," I say. "That''s treason, by yer own authority, Yer Majesty. I wouldn''t kill ya, no, simply do what I can ta make sure ya stop and return ta someone who wants ta protect his land."

    "And if I don''t?"

    "Then I kill ya," I answer. "But see ¨C I''m protecting the same land that ya, currently, want to protect. If ya enter a mode where ya can''t be returned to reason, then ya are no longer the person ya want to be, and ya can''t see the reason. Ya''ll have been influenced too heavily by evil, so''s killing ya would, in fact, technically be me obeying yer will, even though I''m acting in the better interest of the kingdom."

    +1 CHA!

    "And why, exactly, should I trust you to protect my kingdom?" He asks. "As it stands, I see no reason to let you live, after your treasonous refusal to swear to me."

    "Well," I say. "See, the reason you should accept my fealty to the realm you wish to protect, instead of ya directly, is because I''s not like other Adventurers."

    "No!" Bryant realizes what I''m about, and I step forward as he reaches to grab me, his hand missing my arm. "Gavin, no!"

    +1 AGI!

    "Because I''s the first to ever have access ta a magician Class," I state. "And only a fool would kill such a valuable ¨C and rare ¨C being. ''Specially as I gain one to every stat each time it gains a Level, and have a boost to learning spells."

    "Oh?" The king raises an eyebrow. "Normally, I''d laugh at your claim, but Bryant''s reaction tells me he''s seen this Class."

    "On me screen, ya," I nod. "I act''shly had two Classes ¨C having Wizard as an option grants two Classes to start, instead o'' just one. Scout''s the other. Bryant wanted me ta just say I had Scout, until I got Wizard up a bit more, but I''s figures I can do my own thing, ''cause I''s got Wizard, not Squire, and so technically, he ain''t my superior. We''s in two different sets of Classes. I mean, ya, he''s got Scout, but I''s got the Mythical Class o'' Wizard. Mayhap it be better ta follow ''is advice and not ''veal it now, but ya know what? Who the fuck cares? I''s a Wizard, and that means that, with training, I can be a powerful asset ta protecting the kingdom. And everyone knows any true magician would die ''fore they break a vow o'' fealty, and I made a vow o'' fealty to this land. In fact, aren''t all magicians bound by oaths of fealty? See, Yer Majesty ¨C this protects you, for if I swore fealty to you, then you told me to murder innocent villagers ''cause you thought they''s a threat ''cause you blinded by evil, then I''d have to murder innocent villagers, and have that on me conscious. With a vow ta protect the kingdom, I''d defend those villagers against yer forces as I seek a way to make you realize yer wrong, while also try to end the evil blindin'' yer eyes. Then once the darkness cleared, ya''d realize what you ordered, and feel glad ya had me on yer side. If I''s ta swear to you, then if the darkness cleared, ya''d realize that ya forced me to do that, and be filled with regret and stuff, instead of glad. So it''s better for both the kingdom and for ya for me to be sworn to the kingdom, and not ya. Especially ''cause I''m a Wizard, soz that if darkness orders ya ta order me ta do something bad, and the influence works, I don''t have ta do it. I can just smack ya instead of and say ''snap out of it, Yer Majesty''. Does that all make sense?"

    +1 CHA

    NO ONE CARES!

    "That does make sense," the king nods.

    +1 CHA

    If it grants me one more freaking Charisma¡­ Imma freaking beat the shit out of something.

    Like ¨C why is it even going up in the first place? That''s four times this conversation! Three after I worded my stuff exactly as I might have intended it, then again when the king accepted it! Pretty sure that''s not how it''s supposed to work. Maybe if I tried that a lot and it worked a lot, but one time?

    Hell no!

    Acting is now Level 9!

    Okay, that didn''t surprise me. I''m concealing this anger and confusion and shit pretty well in a group that actually intimidates me pretty bad when I''m terrified I''m going to be killed for treason even though I''m being completely serious.

    Especially when I''m being completely serious because it''s going to cause the Council to screw up.

    Now that I''m a Wizard, instead of just some Adventurer, they''re going to fight for me to be working for them on the side. They''ll rush, and they''ll make mistakes.

    And when they make mistakes¡­

    The king will finally begin to have reason to start killing them off.

    Or just imprisoning them, but I like the idea of killing them off. Not like they''d be killing people off, but more like with executions in a square for everyone to see that the king doesn''t care your position, if you''re a traitor, because then it''s a former position, isn''t it?

    Yeah, it is, and that''s why you''re being executed, you betraying, back-stabbing, no-good jackasses. The wolves we had to chase away from our sheep and cows and chickens were better than you, you birdbrains.

    Specifically, pigeons. I ain''t even seen them before coming to this city, but I hear they''re real stupid. They''ll walk right up to you, if you''re still enough, and then you can just grab it and kill it ¨C and even though the others will fly off, they''ll be right back walking up to you again, even though the corpse of their fallen comrades are right there!

    I bet these men will do that.

    Oh? You just killed one of us? Well, okay. Here, let us come back to you, even though we do the same thing that idiot did that got him killed.

    Oh? You just killed another of us? Okay. Here, we''re coming back.

    Then you''ve got a big ol'' pile of pigeon carcasses, and can make a feast. Though I doubt we''d eat them, since cannibalism is rightly outlawed, and I doubt the king would stoop to such a disgusting, vile thing.

    "What are you thinking about right now?" The king asks me.

    "Cannibalism."

    "And I think we should find him somewhere to sleep for tonight," Bryant clamps a hand over my mouth from behind. "Before his mouth gets him into trouble, Your Majesty. Forgive him ¨C he has a twisted sense of humor."

    I lick his hand, and he quickly releases me.

    "I''m more hungry than tired," I say. "And ya did say we should show the king Tristan''s Grimoire, though since I''m a Wizard, I expect I''ll be keepin'' it, as it''s gots spells and shit I can use to become an even more powerful asset."

    "Tristan''s Grimoire?" The king asks.

    "Yes," Bryant says. "Gavin''s charm caused me to forget. When he and his buddies looted Gabriel''s corpse months ago, thinking it was just some wandering warrior who got himself killed in the woods, one of the looted items was a book. Gavin kept it for himself, along with Gabriel''s ward, because of curiosity more than anything."

    "And the fact that me mates ain''t able ta read."

    "The book," Bryant continues. "Is one of Tristain Lightblade''s Grimoires. It seems that Gabriel managed to find it, before he passed. It is filled with spells of varying levels, and I do believe it would be beneficial for the young Wizard to have possession of it, for his training. While it would be useful in the hands of a magician, they wouldn''t want to give it up to a boy, even if he''s an Adventurer and better-capable, in the long run, of learning the more advanced magics within it. To allow him to keep it on him at all times would be a huge advantage for him, as he could learn new spells when he''s able and ready."

    "Very well," the king says. "Though I would like to examine it, tomorrow. For now, get some rest. I''m sure you''re all hungry, after your trip, so I will arrange for the kitchens to send you food. Dismissed."

 Chapter 0005 - Meeting Natalie

    (Gavin)

    "What the fuck were you thinking?" Bryant almost yells when we''re in my assigned quarters.

    "At this time?" I ask. "Not much. No one really around my age ta have those kinds o'' thoughts about."

    "Dammit, Gavin!" He snaps. "This isn''t funny! Do you have any idea the kind of situation you just put yourself in?"

    "An amusing one," I answer. "It''s my life, so screw off if ya don''t like what I''m doing with it. Ya, telling them I''s gots the Wizard Class might not be smart in yer eyes, but-"

    "And cut the damn accent!" He snaps. "You''re the only person in your entire damn village with it, so I know you don''t have it! And you weren''t speaking with it when we first met, too!"

    "Well, boo-hoo on you!" I stick my tongue out. "Anyway, as I was saying ¨C doing that might not be smart in your eyes, but by revealing my ace-in-the-hole, so to speak, works out for me."

    "No, it doesn''t," he says. "What you just did is going to cause problems. You really should have waited until you''d gotten Wizard up to the second tier, so you know what, exactly, it entails."

    "Plus one to each Stat every Level," I say., "And a boost to learning and leveling all Skills, plus a boost to learning and leveling all magical Skills. If those stack on top of each other, then that''s a boost of twenty percent to learning and leveling all magical Skills. The Grimoire also gives minimum Intellect amounts for learning new spells."

    "What?" His face twists in confusion. "How would he know stuff like that?"

    "He''s got a lot more than spells and recipes in the book," I sit down at the table, pulling the Grimoire out of my pack and setting it down in front of me. "He has information on monsters, on flora, fauna, and all sorts of things. Despite what people say, he definitely had Access to the System. However, he didn''t have access to the Wizard Class. He does note that, in all his searching, he believes he found a way to gain access to the Wizard Class, but he doesn''t say what that way is at all. I definitely didn''t want the Council or their magicians finding that out, or some of the other things in here. However, as I have a magic Class, they''d be obligated ¨C at least publicly ¨C allow me to keep the Grimoire which allows me to maximize my potential, which will thus keep the knowledge secret.

    "Anyway," I yawn. "Let them know that I won''t be eating before bed, and will just be heading straight to bed."

    "Before I go," he still looks angry, but seems to be understanding, now. "Why did you put on a fake accent? No one at the village commented about it, or even hinted it was false, but I found it hard to believe that you really spoke like that."

    "They were used to me speaking like that to outsiders," I tuck the Grimoire back into my bag. "Which is probably why they didn''t hint that it was fake. And I do it because of shock factor."

    "Shock factor?"

    "Did you see the looks on their faces when they realized the kid who spoke like an idiot was pretty intelligent?" I ask. "Because the looks on their faces were really damn amusing."

    "You know that you may lose the Grimoire during the night, right?" He asks.

    "You do realize," I say. "That had you opened it when you were looking at it, the Tristan wrote an introduction, and had you read it, you''d know that the tome can only be passed willingly from person to person ¨C never stolen. It also protects the vessel that carries it from theft and nicking, so no one will be able to just take my bag, or even open it and take stuff from within. He''s a powerful magician who knows powerful enchantments, and he''s still out there, somewhere, looking for a way to gain access to the Wizard Class."

    "Do you know why you do?" He asks as I make my way over to the bed, dropping the bag down by it.

    "No," I slip out of my boots and belt, then climb up onto the bed. "Just that when I gained Access, the Class was there for me. Now shoo ¨C I''ve had a long couple of days and just went through a very intimidating experience. I need my sleep."

    Bryant leaves my room, and I blow out the candle on the nightstand. As soon as I do, all the lights in the room turn off.

    Magic is a wonderful thing, indeed.

    Within moments, I''m asleep, and when I wake, sun is shining through the windows. Standing, I stretch, pull on my boots and belt, then look at the platter of fruits and bread on the table. Breakfast here sure is different than breakfast back home.

    I sit down and eat what''s on the platter, and as I''m finishing, there''s a knock on the door.

    "Welcome!" I call, and after a few moments, the door opens, a servant ¨C I think he''s a servant, anyway ¨C pokes his head in. "Hows can I help ya?"

    "I have been asked," the servant gives me a slight bow. "To escort you to the Wizards'' Tower to begin your magical training, once you''ve finished your breakfast, of course."

    "Looks like I''s done," I gesture to the tray, then rise and grab my bag. "Lead the way."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    He nods, then leads me through the halls of the castle, until we have left the castle grounds through the front gate. Another half-hour of walking later, and we''ve arrived at a tall tower surrounded by fields, with a sort of wall surrounding that.

    "Here we are," the servant walks through the open gates, and I follow him. "This is the Royal Wizards'' Tower, where magicians come to train their craft. We''ll be looking for Natalie ¨C she''ll be the one training you, I think. Well, she''s the one what told me to bring you here, said it was king''s orders for you to come here and train. Odd, if you asked me ¨C why train an Adventurer in magic? Especially a brand-new one. Doesn''t make sense, to me."

    "Unlike other Adventurers," I explain. "I''s given the option o'' the Wizard Class, and I took it, ''cause who knows when I''d be able ta take it on again, and better ta get a start on it now than wait and find that I should''ve done it first."

    "Seriously?" He asks.

    "Ya."

    "That''s cool!" He grins at me. "I was asked to escort the first Wizard Class Adventurer!"

    He starts walking with a skip in his step, and I have to speed up just a little to keep up with his excitement. After a few minutes, we arrive in a study filled with tomes and scrolls and charms and stuff, but there''s no one in it. He thinks for a moment, then leads me to another study, which looks pretty similar, and just as cluttered, but also as empty. The third study has a woman in her forties in it.

    Seeing someone that old is pretty rare in outlying villages like mine, but I guess in a city, they might be able to live a little bit longer, especially if they know magic.

    "Oh," the boy looks disappointed.

    "What is it, Kade?" She asks.

    "I''m supposed to be bringing him," he jerks a thumb in my direction. "To Miss Natalie. He''s the Adventurer what got the Wizard Class."

    "Hello, Gavin," the old woman greets me, then looks at Kade. "Natalie''s waiting up in one of the advanced training rooms for the two of you."

    "Thanks!" Kade says.

    "Good luck, Gavin," the old woman dips her head to me. "It''s going to be a long adventure for you, becoming an Adventurer so young, and having that Class."

    I dip my head to her, then follow Kade up the tower. He pokes his head into several training rooms, which are mostly just big rooms with a few training dummies and stuff in them, though as we go up, I start to sense something different about the rooms.

    +1 PER!

    As we go through the rooms, I begin to focus on that feeling, and notice that it''s all around me, but stronger in the training rooms we''re looking at.

    "Why do we need to have thirty advanced rooms?" Kade mutters to himself as he checks yet another training room. "Half of ''em are never even get used."

    It''s magic I''m sensing, I realize. Just barely, though.

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Sense 1/10: You have the power to sense the presence of magic. As this skill grows, so too will the strength of your sense, and the distance in which you can sense it.

    As soon as I gain that Skill, the sense becomes a little bit sharper, and I can sense the magic just a tad bit better.

    I continue to focus on sensing magic as we walk, and by the time we stop for a moment, it''s at Level 2.

    "We''ve looked in all the advanced training rooms!" Kade grumbles to himself, then starts walking up the stairs. "I bet she decided to upgrade to the elite rooms. I mean ¨C a Wizard Class? Never know what is going to happen with magicians, so you never know how powerful the Class would make you until we try it out, right? Of course, it''s just like a magician to forget to actually tell the person guiding someone to them where to meet them. We magicians are forgetful in that way, you know."

    Really? I wonder if it''s an inherent trait in magicians, and if so, if I''ll acquire it at some point.

    Is talking to yourself also a trait of magicians? Because I generally don''t do that.

    Not out loud, anyway. People generally look at you like you''re crazy when you do that, sort of like what I''m doing to him right now.

    A few more rooms ¨C with a stronger magical touch to them than the previous ones ¨C later (and another Magic Sense level later), Kade lets out a breath in relief.

    "It''s about damn time," he mutters.

    This room looks like the others, and has the same sense of magic as the other elite training rooms, but it also has a woman firing several magical bolts at a target, obliterating it. After several seconds, the target reforms.

    The woman is around twenty, probably, and has long, brown hair tied into a tight braid that reaches almost down to her hips, brown eyes that almost glow with magic, and fine clothes on. My Magic Sense tells me she''s got a lot of magic. Far more than the rooms and Kade.

    "Hm," she says. "Perhaps if I tried that instead?"

    Yeah¡­ it''s probably a magician''s thing. I wonder how long it''ll take me to start talking to myself.

    Kade coughs into a fist, and Natalie looks at us, about to ask a question, then rests her eyes on me.

    "OH MY GOODNESS!" She exclaims. "YOU''RE SO ADORABLE!"

    "Should''ve warned you!" Kade exclaims as she runs over to me and picks me up in a hug. "Miss Natalie! You''re squishing him!"

    "I''m so sorry," Natalie sets me down. "We don''t see many fair-haired in these regions, you know. And I was told you''re thirteen, but you''re a little on the small side, and village life shows on your frame, and are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday? That won''t do, and nor will they. Kade ¨C take him into town and get him some new clothes. A whole new wardrobe. Oh ¨C and his room''s the one next to yours. Do you have more things than what you have with you, Gavin? If so, I''ll have another one of the apprentices go and bring them to your room. You''ll be staying here until you''re good enough to stand on your own two feet.

    "Here," she pulls five silver coins out of her pocket, and I feel my eyes widen as I see them. She hands them to Kade. "Talk to our usual tailor. That should be enough for ten outfits for him. Just have one made up now, and the rest can be delivered later. Oh, and you''ll need something to eat while you''re out, too," she hands him another silver. "There you go! Just bring me whatever change is left when you''re done! Now out with you two ¨C I don''t want to see you back until Gavin''s dressed in better clothes!"

    Silver coins¡­

    Worth a hundred copper apiece, we don''t really see them in our village. We don''t really see currency much in our village, because we generally create everything we need, and share it with each other. One hundred copper to a silver, one hundred silver to a gold, one hundred gold to a platinum.

    From what I do know, most common people deal in copper coins, with silver usually only used when there''s something more expensive, like the tax on their property, or something.

    For her to just give them to him¡­

    How wealthy is she? Kade doesn''t even looked fazed by the money. Is he wealthy, too?

    I guess I should get used to it ¨C as an Adventurer, I''ll probably become really wealthy, since I can take on jobs most normal mercenaries can''t, and I won''t be running around, doing things for the king all the time, now will I?

 Chapter 0006 - Conflict at the Adventurers Guild

    (Gavin)

    "Strip," the tailor tells me.

    "Why?"

    "So I can measure you, of course," he says. "Now strip off your clothes. Once I''ve measured you, I''ll start fitting a new outfit to you. And Kade ¨C you tell Natalie that I do two sets of clothes for immediate use, not one. She always says just one, because she thinks I''ll always be able to get the rest done the same day."

    "Well, you do," Kade shrugs as I strip. "So what''s the harm in only one that''s just fitted, instead of two? Gives more that''ll fit better, as they''re tailored specifically for the wearer."

    "What if I miss one day?" The tailor pulls out a measuring cloth and begins measuring the various parts of my body. "What if my workshop burns down? Then the young apprentice will only have one set of clothes to wear! Young man ¨C what colors do you like?"

    "Darker ones," I answer. "Purples, blues, greens, and reds. Some browns and greys."

    "Nice choices," he says. "Lighter colors are too bright, in my opinion. Kade, he has good tastes, yes he does!"

    He finishes measuring me, then walks off, returning with pants and a tunic. Black pants, and a dark blue tunic with violet trim. He has me put them on, then makes adjustments so they fit on my body better. I''ve never had clothes fitted to me directly before.

    Once he finishes fitting the outfit, he looks at Kade.

    "Did she only give you five silver for the clothes again?" He asks.

    "Yup!" Kade pulls the coins out of his pouch and skips over to us, handing them to the tailor.

    "Dammit, Natalie!" He groans. "You tell her that she needs to stop pretending she gets a discount, and that next time, I''m charging her the full silver for tunic, and full for pants. And she''s not including the cost for a proper belt, either!"

    "What''s wrong with me belt?" I indicate the strip of cloth with a buckle we use back in the village. "I know ya all have leather and stuff, but that works fine, don'' it?"

    "Oh, children from villages," the tailor mutters. "I''ll throw in three belts," he speaks up, looking at me. "A proper magician shouldn''t be wearing something so cheap. Magicians are highly valued because of their similarity in power to Adventurers, as well as with their versatility with magic, when they manage to learn spells. They''re quite prominent in the Adventurer Guild, and those who aren''t magicians often use magical equipment."

    "Adventurer Guild?"

    "I''ll show him," Kade says. "So he''s getting three belts? You only gave me one."

    "He grew up in a village," the man states. "You grew up in a town. There''s quite the difference between the two environments. See his boots? A child, in a village, will rarely even have those. His are a decent quality, and I''m sure that they''re quite durable. Soft leather boots, yes?"

    "Ya."

    "Good for moving around quietly in," the tailor nods. "You''re slender, but your muscles are defined. That, combined with your boots ¨C which are undoubtedly made of sliphound leather ¨C suggest you grew up in a forested region. Considering where the Adventurers you came in with yesterday came from, I''d say you grew up in Kar?"

    "Indeed."

    "Nice place," he nods. "It''s been a few years since I was last there, though I don''t say I remember you. Of course, seeing as you have boots like that, you''re probably one of the ruffians of the village, and I do remember that every time I''m there, their local ruffians were out in the woods."

    "Yer the tailor what come in every few years and make a couple o'' tunics for Chief?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "So what brings you to the city to learn magic?"

    "I''s an Adventurer," I tell him. "Gots the Wizard Class, so the king says to go train with the magicians. Makes sense, right?"

    "The Wizard Class?" He laughs. "That''s a good one!"

    "No, seriously," Kade says. "Miss Natalie even said so, and you know I''d never lie about her."

    "Really?" The tailor looks at me. "To think that the first ever Wizard Adventurer is in my shop. I''ll throw in a fourth belt for you."

    He disappears into a back room, handing me a belt, and I pull it on, then my pack, slipping my free knife into the new belt.

    "A wizard with a knife," he snorts. "It''ll be awhile before the village leaves you, boy."

    "Pro''bly," I say. "Or pro''bly it never does, right?"

    The tailor laughs, then tells me that he''ll have the rest of the clothes sent to the tower when he finishes them, and to be off. Kade and I leave, and he asks if I want food first, or to see the Guild first.

    "Guild first," I answer. "I''ll be hungrier after, won''t I?"

    "Indeed!" He nods, then starts walking along the streets, a bounce in his step. "One of the things you have to know about the Adventurer Guild is that anyone can join ¨C and I do mean anyone. All Adventurers are a part of it, as are a lot of regular people who want some extra money, or want to make a living as an adventurer. It gets confusing, but you''ll get used to it.

    "Anyway," he continues. "We adventurers can take on jobs and stuff, and are the king''s primary force in keeping monsters clear of areas and raiding Dungeons. We actually use some Dungeons as training grounds.

    "The Adventurers," he continues. "The ones what have Access to the System, that is, they''re the ones who take on the bigger threats, who lead the battles with other nations, and so on. You''re more likely to gain access to the System if you''re a registered adventurer, hence the Adventurers being called that, instead of something different. That''s¡­ really the only way people know how to increase the odds, but it''s not by much."

    Then isn''t it possible that it''s really not increasing the odds, it just seems like it because more people who qualify become adventurers?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    +1 INT!

    +1 Human Experience!

    "The hell?" I exclaim.

    "What?" Kade looks at me.

    "I jus'' thought something," I say. "And gained an INT and some Experience fo'' being Human. The System be either sentient and jus'' screwing with me, or jus'' has some crazy as fuck standards!"

    "What''d you think?" He asks.

    "Jus'' somethin'' that be logical," I say. "And it only gave me 1 Human Experience, the cheeky bastard."

    +1 INT!

    "Now it''s being extra cheeky!" I exclaim. "If I''s able to slap it, I would!"

    "You''re funny," Kade giggles. "What did it do this time?"

    "Give me another INT when I called it cheeky!"

    Kade laughs, shakes his head, and keeps walking. Eventually, we arrive at a massive building toward the center of town.

    "This," he says. "Is the Adventurer''s Guild. Miss Natalie probably expects me to take you here, since all Adventurers are adventurers, too. That means that if you do a duty for the king, and end up completing a quest at the same time, you''ll get paid from the Guild as well. Hell, the Guild pays for most of the Adventurers'' stuff, because they can afford it better than the kingdom can."

    "Ain''t Adventurers in all kingdoms?" I ask. "How would the Adventurer''s Guild affect their name across all o'' ''em?"

    "Because the Guild is across all of them," he answers. "The Guild is unaffiliated to any individual nation, and holds a neutral stance across them. No nation will ask it to work for them, for it means they''ll lose a source of income. Jobs are posted, and while the Guild takes a cut of all rewards, it spreads the wealth across nations, increases the need for smiths, and any nation without the Guild has a far weaker system in place, even if they have their own form of the Guild."

    Um¡­ okay?

    "So the Guild doesn''t participate in any wars between the nations," Kade continues. "But all nations allow the Guild to function, there. Without the resources of the guild, their magicians and warriors would be much weaker."

    I can see how having the Guild in multiple nations would be beneficial to them, but it''d be even more beneficial if more people had Access to the System.

    "Plus," he says. "So many people die from quests that they completed that the Guild doesn''t have to pay out, so that also boosts the Guild''s finances. Let''s go in and get you registered."

    I follow Kade in, chuckling to myself at his absent-mindedness about telling me about the Guild.

    The entrance room is massive and filled with people walking around and talking, many of them looking at magical screens. Kade leads me up to one of the dozen lines at the counter along the back wall, and we wait for our turn.

    As we wait, I look around the room, taking note of tables, the different people, people who are probably Adventurers, and the spiral staircases leading up to the second level of the Guild. There are four total, one in each corner of the room, and the two front ones seem to be for people going down, and the two in the back for people going up.

    "Oh, those?" Kade asks when I ask him about them. "The second level''s where more advanced quests can be taken on. You can take on basic quests down here, and you have to go to this counter to register or collect rewards. Tier 3 and above quests and rewards are upstairs, though the stairs don''t actually have assigned directions, hence them being a little bit wider ¨C that''s just how people are using them right now. It''s seen as a courtesy thing."

    In other words: walk in the opposite direction of everyone else for maximum impact. Got it.

    After twenty minutes of waiting, we approach the counter, where a tall, muscular man stands. He''s kind of intimidating, especially with the battleaxe strapped to his back.

    "Heya, Vincent!" Kade greets him. "We''re here to register Gavin!"

    "You''re not taking on a quest?" Vincent looks disappointed.

    "I''m showing Gavin around before we return to the tower so he can learn magic," Kade shakes his head. "Gavin just became an Adventurer a couple of days ago, and-"

    "And he''s learning at the Tower?" Vincent looks confused.

    "He''s got the Wizard Class!" Kade squeals. "Can you believe it? I get to show around the first-ever Wizard Adventurer! Once we''re done getting him registered, we''re gonna go get lunch, then return to the tower so he can start learning the basics to magic!"

    Kade''s excitement brought his volume up, but I doubt that would have mattered. His comment about me has drawn a few stares, and I notice a couple of the possible-Adventurers looking my way, not looking amused in the slightest.

    +1 PER!

    Okay, now the System''s just being smart with me. There''s no way it''s normal for someone to gain this many stat points this fast.

    +1 INT!

    And now it''s confirming that¡­

    Jerk.

    "Excuse me," one of the Adventurers approaches us. "Did I hear right in that you claim to be an Adventurer with the Wizard Class? If that''s true, you need to show me your stats, and now."

    "No."

    "I am the Chief Adventurer," he draws his sword, and the adventurers back off, the two Adventurers with him looking ready for a fight. "I stand above all Adventurers who serve the king, and if you don''t obey me-"

    "I don''t serve the king, though," I say.

    "So you want to be trained by royal wizards," he growls. "But don''t want to serve the king? I am taking you into custody."

    "The king already knows," I say. "He''s cool with it. In fact, he''s the one who assigned me to the tower to learn magic."

    "I did receive a royal summons!" Kade puts his hands up. "I thought that meant he''d sworn to the king!"

    "Do you really expect me to believe," the Adventurer says. "That the king would let someone go who doesn''t swear fealty to him?"

    "Ask him," I say. "I did it right in front o'' the kingdom, too, and he agreed wit'' my logic."

    "Heated Steel," he says, and his sword takes on a fiery hue.

    "Heated Steel," I draw my knife, and it takes on a fiery hue.

    Skill Gained!

    Heated Steel 1/10: Heats up the blade of your weapon.

    "This be a pathetic Skill," I say after several seconds of silence. "Why are ya trying ta intimidate me with it? Even a new Adventurer like me can learn it easy, and please ¨C it''s only 10 Mana. How many of it can ya cast? Oh, it faded. Guess it''s got a time limit. Naturally. Heated Steel. Anyway, as I was saying. Ya should, when attempting to intimidate someone, do something a bit more showy ¨C or simply show little care ¨C or even none at all. That is why the king accepted that I will swear fealty not ta him, but ta the kingdom. Of course, my explanation was much, much lengthier than I''s bother bestowing upon a simple soldier, so feel free ta ask the king about my affiliation. I serve the kingdom, still, just not the king, directly. As ya report directly ta the king, I''m sure it won''t be hard for ya ta ask him ¨C especially since it appears any Royal Adventurer can simply walk up to him and request a discussion with him."

    Let''s just hope my CHA is enough to work, here, because the spell fades in the silence, and I really don''t want to bother using it again.

    He slices his sword through the air, and the glow fades, then he returns it to its scabbard.

    "I ask that you come with me peacefully, then," he says. "If you still serve the kingdom, that won''t be an issue."

    "Thomas," Bryant says from the stairs he''d just descended. "Did I hear correctly in that you threatened a Royal Adventurer? Gavin ¨C what in the fuck are you doing here?"

    "Yo."

    "Bryant," Thomas looks at him. "This boy is claiming to be an Adventurer, yet has refused to swear fealty to His Majesty."

    "And so you pretend to be the Chief Adventurer of the King?" Bryant asks. "You''re only second, Thomas, and I am here. Gavin is, indeed, an Adventurer ¨C and his Classes are Wizard and Scout, as apparently, having Wizard as an option grants two slots instead of one. He''s only had access a few days, but he''s impressed the king, and I''ve no doubt you''re realizing he''s unusual, as his words alone were enough to cause you to put your sword away. His CHA started off with two digits to it.

    "And yes," Bryant continues. "Gavin did not swear fealty to the king, and the king approved it. That is all you need to know. Either finish your business here or leave, but you will allow Gavin to register in peace."

    Thomas stares at Bryant, then leaves, and Bryant looks at me.

    "You just can''t stay out of trouble, can you?"

    "He went after me," I shrug, flipping my knife, then returning it to my belt. "Anyway, let''s get me registered, so I can go eat."

 Chapter 0007 - Learning My First Spell

    (Gavin)

    "Oh, and before we reenter the training room," Kade stops outside the door. "I should just let you know that isn''t just because you''ve fair hair, blue eyes, and the Cuteness Skill that she finds you adorable. She loves children in general, and your looks and Skill only amplify it for you."

    "How did ya know I have Cuteness?"

    "Please," he snorts. "You''re too cute to not have it, as I doubt your CHA is high enough right now to make you that cute."

    I stare at him.

    "Plus," he says. "I''ve seen the Skill in use before."

    "That''s what I thought."

    He opens the door, and we enter the training room. Natalie is blasting the target again, and I really can''t discern anything different betwee when I saw her the first time and now.

    "Welcome back," she greets us with a smile. "That outfit really does you justice, Gavin."

    "Thank you, milady."

    "Come in," she gestures, and we enter, Kade closing the door behind us. "Take a seat, you two."

    We sit down in front of her.

    "Now," she says. "Kade already knows all of this, but he''ll listen in anyway, since I''m sure he burned all of that silver I gave for food buying you sweets so you could try them for the first time."

    My face heats up when she says that, and Kade''s definitely turned red.

    "We''ll start with learning basic magics," she walks over to a table against one wall, grabbing a stack of papers and a couple of quills, then setting them down in front of us.

    "Do you know what you need to use magic?" Natalie asks me.

    "Runes," I answer. "And for more advanced ones, magic circles."

    "Indeed," she nods. "I hear you have one of Tristan Lightblade''s Grimoires, so I''m assuming that''s how you know this?"

    "Assumption made from the tome, milady," I nod.

    "Smart," she smiles. "That will help you. There are two basic spells taught to all magicians, regardless of what type of magic they do. Do you know what they are?"

    "Magic Missile and Fireball?" I ask.

    "No," she frowns. "Is that what the Grimoire says?"

    "They''re the first two spells in it," I shrug. "I didn''t really read the magics too much, but those were the only easy ones I saw, the rest had high Mana and INT requirements."

    "Ah," she says. "The two basic spells taught to all magicians are Magic Bolt and Magic Missile. To cast a spell, you must bring their runes to mind in the proper order, will the spell into being, and incant the name. For more powerful spells, you''ll need a chant, first, but most Tier I spells don''t need those. Magic Bolt."

    A violet bolt of energy forms above her hand, and after a few moments, it fades away.

    "When you use magic," she says. "You must use it immediately, or it dissipates, and you''ll have wasted the Mana. When you use it, don''t throw your arm, like many try to do when they first use a launched spell. Instead, simply focus on the target, and will your bolt to hit it, and it will go toward the aimed spot. If that spot moves as it flies, it won''t redirect, not until you''ve gained a fair bit of skill with it. From what I''ve heard of Adventurers who continue to use their spells instead of switching entirely to regular Skills, it''s around Level 5 that it''ll begin to follow your target, though even those dedicated to attempting for Wizard when they unlock their second slot rare manage to get a spell past Level 7 before. Mastering a Skill is not easy, and does not happen often, so even with your bonuses, don''t expect things to be easy when it comes to leveling. You''ll likely still spend years before you can, with your bonuses."

    "Understood," I plan on challenging that theory.

    "What I want you to do," she continues. "Is to practice the runes for Magic Bolt on these papers, until you have them memorized. Once you do, we''ll work on actually hitting a target. Once you run out of Mana, we''ll work on the runes for Magic Missile. They''re slightly different. Judging by your Mana Pool, you''ll be able to cast fifteen Magic Bolts."

    "How can you tell?" I ask. "I can''t sense anyone''s Mana Pools."

    "Mana Sense," she answers. "Is the official name for the Skill. Once you master Magic Sense, you''ll gain Mana Sense as a Skill. For magicians, Magic Sense is easily mastered, even without the System."

    "Ah," I say.

    She teaches me the runes for Magic Bolt, and has me practice them on the parchments. It only takes me three attempts ¨C all on the same sheet ¨C to get it perfect, along with a new Skill.

    Skill Gained!

    Dekami Runic Language 1/10: You have understanding of the universal language of magic, which can be learned by all Species.

    +1 Human Experience!

    Learning that gave me Species Experience? Seriously?

    +0 INT!

    Screw off!Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    -0 INT!

    This thing is as cheeky as I am, isn''t it?

    +0 INT!

    I''ll shut up now.

    +0 INT!

    "I got a Skill for the language," I look at Natalie, and find her raising an eyebrow at me. "What?"

    "Your face," she says. "It just went through a series of frustrated and irritated expressions, then you sighed and spoke. Want to share?"

    "The System is abusing its ability to grant or remove none of a stat to be a cheeky little shit."

    +0 INT!

    "I''m guessing it just did that again," she says.

    "I''m not using my Acting Skill right now, apparently," I say. "Since I learned the language, do you think I can try it, now? It''s only at Level 1, but I''m sure it means that the runes for a simple spell, such as Magic Bolt, will work."

    "What happened to your accent?" She asks.

    "Dammit."

    "You were faking it?"

    "The System screwed me up in it."

    "You''re cute when you''re pouting," she says, then indicates a target. "Try to hit the center of that with your Magic Bolts until you''re out of Mana."

    "Yes, milady."

    Calling forth the runes, I raise a hand.

    "Magic Bolt," I say, and a violet bolt forms. I visualize it attacking the target, and it does. "Seems basic magics might come to me quickly, with my boosts. I''m guessing I really do have a twenty-percent boost, instead of ten-percent, with them stacking."

    "Possibly," she says as I examine the message in my vision. "Go ahead and fire off your others."

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Bolt 1/10: A single bolt formed of magic.

    "Alright," I fire off the other fifteen Magic Bolts. "You were just slightly off ¨C it''s 3 Mana per Magic Bolt, and I have 48 Mana."

    "Alright," she says, and Kade looks at me funny. "What is it, Kade?"

    "Is forty-eight your cap?" He asks.

    "Ya."

    "Didn''t you use twenty back at the Guild?" He asks. "I''ve heard Heated Steel uses up ten each, for most with starting stats."

    "Ya, why?"

    "You already restored to full?" He asks.

    "That''s not normal?"

    "No," he shakes his head. "Not even for Adventurers. That much Mana probably should have taken you all day to restore. You have a good regeneration."

    "Very good," Natalie nods. "I really shouldn''t be surprised by that, seeing as you have the Wizard Class."

    She teaches me the runes for Magic Missile, and the first time I try them, I learn them, able to do them perfectly the second time. Because of that, she teaches me a variety of other magics'' runes, including a couple I know from the Grimoire.

    Once I reach ten Mana again, I attempt Magic Missile.

    The difference between Magic Bolt and Magic Missile is not just their size ¨C bolt is more slim and like a crossbow bolt in size and shape, and missile is thicker, more like an oval ¨C but also the distance they go. Missile, as a spell, is for long-distance attacking, while bolt is for short-range.

    On my first attempt, I succeed, firing the missile at a distant target, and it flies true.

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Missile 1/10: A single missile formed of magic, capable of much further distances than its stronger sibling, Magic Bolt.

    "Very good," Natalie says. "I''d say it takes you around three hours to restore to full Mana, currently. Unless your regeneration increases a fair bit, you''ll probably have to wait longer and longer as your Mana Pool increases, just to warn you. The best way to improve that is to cast magic when you can, completely emptying your Mana Pool. It won''t improve it much, and will take months for you to see a noticeable difference in your regeneration, but it will still gain Mana for you. Normally, doing this for ten hours a day can increase your Mana Pool by one a day, but with you already a little bit higher, I''m sure you could gain five a day, if you do this. However, it requires you to burn off your Mana when you can, which is why many magicians who acquire Access to the System have high levels of Magic Bolt ¨C especially if they''ve been practicing for decades."

    I can see why it''s said that magicians tend to have naturally high Mana Pools when they gain access to the System ¨C they grind the hell out of it.

    For the rest of the day, I grind Magic Bolt. It takes me approximately four minutes to recover a single point of Mana.

    By the time Natalie says I''ve trained enough, I''ve gained five points of Mana and a point of INT, and Magic Bolt is Level 4 (though I didn''t mention that last one) to them.

    Kade takes me down a few floors to where our quarters are, showing me my room. King-sized bed, wardrobe, a couple of bookshelves, a room branching off of it filled with whatever magic the rooms are filled with, thick carpeting on the floor, and a room with a sort of massive bowl in the ground, filled with water with a couple of weird things fixed to it.

    "That''s your bath," Kade says. "Never seen one before?"

    "No."

    "It''s for soaking in," he explains. "And for washing up in. You can adjust the heat level of the water added to it with the knob on the right, and maintain the heat level with the one on the left. It''ll refill itself whenever the water level drops. You can also drain it by pushing on the indentation between the two knobs, then spinning it all the way around, so the arrows line back up. That''s to avoid most accidental triggering of it draining on you, since it will drain all the way. It all works through magic."

    "What are in the vials and jars?" I ask.

    "Soaps and shampoos," he answers. "They''re labeled which they are. Personally, I like soaking in hot water after a long day of ¨C what the chaos?"

    "What?" I ask.

    "I just got access to the System," he frowns. "And it''s giving me a single Class option - ''Novice''. Let''s see¡­ yeah, that does pull up its description. It''s a magic-based class. That''s¡­ weird."

    "Yeah, it is," I frown. "Pick it?"

    "Did," he says.

    "Say ''status share'' while focusing on me," I say.

    "Status share."

    Name: Kade

    Age: 12 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human Level 1

    Classes: Magician 1

    INT: 14, AGI: 6, CHA: 8, STR: 5, CON: 9, PER: 10, LIF: 13

    Health: 17/17

    Mana: 68/68

    I wonder¡­

    Let''s see if it''s possible to pull up available Classes.

    Available Classes:

    Novice (Level 1)(Common)

    Actor (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Archer (Level 1)(Common)

    Thief (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Squire (Level 1)(Common)

    Blacksmith (Level 1)(Common)

    Tailor (Level 1)(Common)

    Mixer (Level 1)(Common)

    Woodcarver (Level 1)(Common)

    Cook (Level 1)(Common)

    Class: Novice.

    Novice (Level 1): Those who have begun to harness the power of magic, this Class is for those who have begun the path to learning magic. +1 INT, MNA every fifth Level, +5% to learning new magic.

    "I thought magic Classes didn''t exist?" I say.

    "They didn''t," he frowns.

    Class: Wizard. And give me all the damn information about it.

    Wizard (Level 1): An elite form of magician, the Wizard has survived passage through a natural Rift. Their arrival into a realm will spark a permanently-increased amount of people gaining access to the System. If this is the second arrival, it will allow people to take on magic-based jobs as well. +1 to all Stats each Level, +10% to learning and leveling all Skills, +10% to learning and leveling all magical Skills.

    In other words¡­ because I gained Wizard, more people will be gaining access to the System. But I don''t know what it means by a Natural Rift. What''s that? What''s a Rift?

    And how are the nations going to react to the increase in Adventurers?

 Chapter 0008 - An Increase in Those with Access to the System

    (Gavin)

    "You, too?" Natalie asks after we tell her about Kade.

    "Me, too?" Kade asks.

    "Yes," she nods. "You''re the second to come to me with the Novice Class available in the last ten minutes. The third, here in the tower."

    "Two came to you, but there are three?" Kade asks. "Are you assuming Gavin has it?"

    "Of that, I''ve no doubt there''s access," she says. "But no, I''m referring to myself. Your Majesty."

    "Natalie," the Kings voice floats from a mirror, and Kade and I turn to face it. "Gavin, adept."

    "Novice, now," Natalie says. "It appears that more people are gaining Access to the System than before ¨C and at least one magic-based Class is included."

    "So," he says. "It wasn''t just coincidence that two of our soldiers and the son of one of them gained access minutes ago, then. I''ve been receiving reports across the kingdom the last three days of this. I''m inclined to believe it has to do with you, Gavin, gaining the Wizard Class."

    "It does," I say. "People who have access to it, it seems, are people who have passed through Natural Rifts, whatever those are. I''ve no recollection of such a thing, but then, I dunno what a Natural Rift is, so I couldn''t tell you.

    "It seems," I continue. "Judging by the detailed description of the Class ¨C which the System was kind enough to give me when I asked ¨C the first time someone with the Wizard Class arrives in the realm, people can gain Access to the System for the first time. The second time there''s someone with the Wizard Class, it increases how many people are eligible for Access, and also grants access to magic-based Classes, such as Novice. It didn''t give me that information the first time."

    "You asked the System to give more information?" The king sounds impressed.

    "It''s a jerk."

    -0 CHA!

    "Shut up, you!"

    "Excuse me?"

    "Not you," I tell the king. "The System has realized it can grant or remove zero of a stat, and has been using that to harass me today."

    "These two rooms are secure," Natalie says. "And I trust Kade. I know you trust Gavin, and I agree. He''s too ignorant and new to things. I had him watched while Kade showed him around town, and he came up clean."

    I didn''t notice anyone following me. Being in a city is so much different than the village and woods. I''ll need to adjust my observations to account for more factors, it seems.

    "You trust Kade?" The king asks Natalie.

    "I''m not sure what you''re talking about," Kade looks unsure. "But I''m an Adventurer, and I''ve always been loyal to you. Is there something proper to say, to pledge fealty to you as an Adventurer, or-"

    "No need," the king interrupts Kade. "Pledge fealty not to me, but to the kingdom."

    "Why?" Kade asks.

    "Gavin can explain to you later," the king answers. "But the short explanation is that it means that you can disobey me, if I order you to do something against the interests of the kingdom itself. Ultimately, I want to protect the kingdom. With the coming times, with this influx of Adventurers we are receiving, there will be times I''ll be forced to order Adventurers into actions I do not agree with. If there is a group of you who can ignore that, especially if you''re powerful enough, then it will not matter what my orders may be.

    "To add onto that," the king continues. "Gavin here brought up an excellent point yesterday, in that it is possible that I will turn against my own values, corrupted without realization. The Council is not an ally of the kingdom, and they wish to tear me from the throne and claim it for themselves."

    "As the Royal Witch," Natalie says. "My fealty is already publicly sworn to you. I, unlike these boys, cannot swear to the kingdom."

    "Yet I expect you to act in its interests," the king states. "And that is a Royal Decree."

    His words sound differently when he says ''Royal Decree'', and I wonder if it''s some sort of Skill.

    "Yes, Gavin," the king says, and I realize I questioned that aloud. "Royal Decree is a Skill. It is an irrevocable order. All monarchs have Access to the System, with an automatic Class granted to us: Ruler. As long as I am the Council''s puppet, I am fine, but if they realize that I am not the puppet they believe, they will end me and put someone they want on the throne ¨C someone far less kind than I am, and who will do whatever they wish with the powers that come with this Class."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    "Tomorrow," the king looks at me. "You, Kade, and three others from here will be going into a Dungeon used for training outside of town. Two of them are cadets, and one of them is the son of a servant, all of whom gained Access to the System. Natalie ¨C ensure their Mana Pools are full when they leave tomorrow. Gavin ¨C you''ll need to go to the North Gate. They will meet you there at dawn."

    "You heard, huh?"

    "Yes," he smiles. "I did hear about your difference of view on that matter."

    "Well, we''ll be there first," I smile at him. "So how can Natalie make sure our Mana Pools are full when we arrive? I mean, mine will be, but Kade''s been practicing magic all day, too, and unless his regen is higher than I think, he won''t be full tomorrow."

    "Natalie," the king dips his head to her. "I have business to attend to."

    "Farewell," she says, and his image fades, the mirror returning to a reflective surface. I make a goofy face in it. "Seriously, Gavin?"

    "What?" I look at her. "We didn''t have mirrors in the village, so these are new to me. I haven''t had a chance to make any silly faces in the ones I''ve come across since arriving here last night."

    "Children," Natalie mutters. "In the Grimoire, does it mention any potions?"

    "Quite a few," I nod. "Oh! Mana Potions! Some that restored Mana, some that increased your restoration of it."

    "We have potions that will refill Mana," she says. "I''ll make sure Kade has drunk one before leaving. If he intends the Dungeon I''m thinking, then know this: you two are not to go past the first stage. Period. The two cadets will probably want to, but none of you are ready for it. Kade ¨C let''s refill your Mana so you can gain the spells you know, so you don''t waste Mana tomorrow."

    "Yes, Miss Natalie," Kade says.

    She pulls a bottle with a light blue liquid out of her pocket, and as I wonder how she fit it in there, she hands it to Kade, who downs it.

    Then, she leads us back to a training room ¨C a regular one, this time ¨C and she has him perform a few spells. As he does that, I focus on sensing the magic in this room, and noting the differences between it and the magic in the other rooms.

    Sensing it only gives me a general judge of its strength, and I''m trying to actually read the magic, not that I''m getting any results from that.

    Magic Sense is now Level 6!

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Sight 1/10: You can read magic as if it were a book.

    Focusing back on Kade, he''s casting his third spell, a shield of some sort that only lasts for a moment.

    "What''s that one?" I ask.

    "The third and final spell he knows," Natalie answers. "Magic Shield is, like most magics, an instant-spell, though as with most magics, you can sustain it for a small cost in Mana every second. Now that you''ll be going on a quest tomorrow, I suppose teaching you the spell will be useful as well."

    A series of runes drawn on the air with light from the tip of her finger later, and I have the runic formula memorized, then manage to cast the spell.

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Shield 1/10: A barrier formed of magic. Cost: 5 Mana

    "Got it," I tell her, then yawn. "I guess we should be heading to bed."

    "Probably," she nods, handing Kade another potion. "Drink it now, even though you''ll be able to restore a few of your Mana overnight."

    "Why?" He asks. "Won''t the odds of me gaining another maximum point increase if I let it restore until we leave?"

    "Yes," she says. "But we''re not looking for that right now. This is in case we don''t get the chance to give it to you, and I''d rather not do it when others are around. Potions aren''t cheap, and people would be very mad if they found out I''d given you a couple. You two go on to bed ¨C I''ll be gaining the spells I already have."

    Kade and I leave, and as we make our way up, I ask him if it''s normal for magic to be blue, since his and Natalie''s are.

    "Yeah," he nods. "Yours being violet is probably because you''re a Wizard."

    "So you''re saying that if I''d been using magic before," I say. "It would''ve been blue, and then changed to violet when I took on Wizard?"

    "Probably."

    "That sounds stupid."

    +0 INT!

    -0 CHA!

    "Shut the fuck up, System!"

    -0 CHA!

    Or not.

    "What did it just do?" He asks.

    "Take away 0 CHA twice," I answer. "Once for telling you that sounded stupid, then again for my graceful telling of it to shut the fuck up."

    "So it agreed with me?"

    "Oh, it confirmed you were wrong," I say. "It granted me 0 INT for that comment as well. I''m guessing my magic has always taken on a violet hue. It might be because of where I came from."

    -0 INT!

    "That seems to be wrong," I say. "Because of the fact that I passed through the natural Rift?"

    -0 INT!

    "That''s wrong, too," I think about it as we stand in front of my door. "Does it have to do with my heritage?"

    -0 INT!

    "I give up," I sigh.

    "I don''t know," Kade shrugs, then yawns. "Let''s get some sleep, you can be sure we''ll be waking early tomorrow."

    "Probably," I say. "I''m going to try out the bath. I''ve never had one of those before, and I am a fair bit dirty, because, you know, I''m used to running around woods and bathing in a lake."

    "You bathed in a lake?" His eyes widen in surprise.

    "Yeah," I say. "We all did, why?"

    "Brr!" He shivers. "I like my hot water!"

    I go into my room, then strip off my clothes and make my way to the room with the bath, feeling the water temp and adjusting it with the knob.

    Once the temp is desirable, I step into the bath. There''s a stone bench along the edge of it that''s comfortable to sit on, if a bit warm. Probably part of how it heats the water, and probably also because of the water''s heat.

    Soaking feels amazing, and I feel my body relax in the heated water. After a few minutes of letting my muscles relax, I start washing myself off. The water turns brown, and so I drain the bath. Once it''s empty, it begins to fill again, and I rinse off, and rinse the tub off, letting it drain as I do, catching water in my hands to spread around the tub to wash the dirt off, up until I realize it''s moving toward the drain on its own.

    Huh. They thought of an enchantment like that. I wonder why they''d put so much effort into figuring out an enchantment like that when new magics are tough as hell to learn?

    Once I''m done washing, and the tub is filled with clean water, I just soak in it, because the experience is unlike anything I''ve ever felt before, and it feels amazing.

 Chapter 0009 - Meeting the Party

    (Gavin)

    "Well," Kade mutters as we watch a trio of boys approach us. "Now I understand, at least, why we weren''t told to meet them here, but that they''d be meeting us here. I know you soaked for a couple of hours last night¡­ how the hell do you have so much energy already?"

    "How the hell do you not?"

    "Blargh!" He grumbles in frustration as the boys draw nearer, and I give him a sideways look, then ¨C on a whim ¨C check to see if assessment works on him.

    Kade, Human Level 1, Novice Level 1

    Huh. It works. Why hasn''t everyone just done that to see if I''m really a Wizard or not?

    I scan the three of them as they stop before us, two dressed in leather armor, the third dressed in lighter clothes. Probably the two cadets and the servant. One of the cadets has two furry black wolf ears on the top of his head and a fluffy black tail.

    Nicholas, Human Level 1, Squire Level 1

    Michael, Beastborn (Wolf) Level 1, Squire Level 1

    Tyler, Human Level 1, Royal Level 1

    Royal? Is that a Class, now? Just some random Class the kid somehow had, or¡­

    Is he really an heir of the king''s, but kept hidden and raised to believe he''s nothing more than a servant''s son? Was she his mother?

    "I know you," Nicholas looks at Kade, then to me. "So you must be Gavin. The king told us that you were to be the party leader, and I can''t see why we''d have to listen to some magician."

    "Tell me," I say. "Have you heard of the Wizard who appeared? The one whose very presence has caused the enabling of people to take on magic-based Classes, as well as the increase of those with access? Because if so ¨C that''s me, and the king and I have an understanding on things."

    "My father is a Councilman," Nicholas says. "Which gives me superiority over you. I should be the Party Leader."

    I can definitely see the resemblance between Tyler and the king. Yeah, Nicholas ¨C I doubt you''re the most superior, here.

    +1 PER!

    Shut the fuck up, System.

    -0 CHA!

    "What did the System just do?" Kade asks me.

    "What?" I ask him.

    "You have that look on your face you get when it grants or revokes zero of a stat."

    "Oh," I say. "It granted me 1 PER when I noticed something, and I told it to shut up, then it took away 0 CHA. Nicholas ¨C the power of your father grants his son no authority. The king has ordered for me to be the Party Leader, and thus, I am the Party Leader. Unless you wish to defy the orders of the king? Then I will personally speak with him when we return, and inform him of your treason."

    Nicholas glares at me, but I can tell that he''s accepted defeat.

    Now to figure out how to form a Party, since I had no idea I was going to be Party Leader.

    "Form Party," I say.

    Do you wish to form a Party? Y/N?

    "Yes, dumbass," I say. "That''s why I said to form a damn Party."

    -0 CHA!

    You have formed a Party: Gavin''s Party.

    Parties can hold up to 15 members.

    Slots Filled: 1/15

    "Invite to Party," I say to each of them, and as they accept, I see them enter my party.

    Nicholas has joined your Party!

    Michael has joined your Party!

    Tyler has joined your Party!

    Kade has joined your Party!

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Cool.

    "Show me your stats," I tell them. "Just pull up your status window, then focus on me and think ''status share''. Kade ¨C you already did. I was right there when you gained access."

    Name: Michael

    Age: 13 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Beastborn (Wolf)

    Classes: Squire

    INT: 7, AGI: 7, CHA: 4, STR: 9, CON: 8, PER: 8, LIF: 10

    Health: 19/19

    Mana: 6/6

    "Why aren''t you reacting all weird to me?" Michael asks. "Everyone else gets uneasy around me."

    "Shut the fuck up, dog," Nicholas snaps at him. "No one cares about your kind, and the only reason you''re even allowed to be a cadet is because your daddy''s some chieftain the king wants to play nice with."

    "This is my Party," I say. "I won''t have you talking to my members as a jackass.

    Skill Gained!

    Party Leader 1/10: You have proven worth as the leader of a party, either through time or many orders ¨C or a mix of the two ¨C and now know more information about them. You also receive first pick for loot.

    Huh. So that''s a Skill. I guess I eased into it. The thing that really gets me, though, is the other message that popped up, when that one did.

    +1 Human Experience!

    Gaining a Skill like that granted me a point of Human Experience. I wonder what mastering it would give me. Ten, like Soundless and Camouflage, or even more? I''m sure it''ll be harder for me to learn.

    Not that it''ll take me forever or anything, like it would for the few who manage to gain it. It almost feels like cheating, to me, like my successes mean others are pitiful and pathetic.

    They kind of are, compared to my learning speed, but that''s irrelevant, here.

    "What did you do, grow up under a rock?" Nicholas asks me. "Beastborn are wild creatures from outside the kingdom. They''re constantly at war with each other and us humans. They rape and pillage villages, and-"

    "Do you like getting scratched behind the ears?" I ask Michael.

    "I''m not a dog!" He exclaims. "It''s offensive to compare us to animals! And why are you not getting uncomfortable? You heard what my people do, and-"

    "Pretty sure humans do it, too," I say. "In fact, if I recall correctly, we have barbarians, vikings, rogue mercenaries, and such that do that. And aren''t humans at war with each other and the beastborn? So I guess that means we need to look at humans that way as well.

    "And for the record," I look at Nicholas. "I grew up in a small village a couple days'' travel from here, not under the rock. We just didn''t have jackasses like you to give us a lopsided view of reality. We did, however, have wyverns living a day''s travel from us. Want to go meet some? My favorite was Bert."

    Bert was one temperamental fucker. He probably wanted to kill me, and is probably glad I won''t be around him much anymore.

    Probably.

    "You¡­ played with wyverns?" He asks, trembling a little bit, and I smile just a touch.

    Bert was a mean son of a bitch. No one liked him. He once tried to eat me, when we strayed too close to their territory by accident.

    Then got distracted by another wyvern eating his kill and went after them.

    Man, was Bert fun to harass some days.

    So much fun.

    Hrm. Maybe he did want to kill me?

    "Show me your stats," I order Nicholas, and he glares at me, but shows me his stats anyway.

    Name: Nicholas

    Age: 13 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human

    Classes: Squire

    INT: 6, AGI: 6, CHA: 5, STR: 7, CON: 6, PER: 6, LIF: 9

    Health: 13/13

    Mana: 3/3

    "Dude," I say. "You''re weaker than Michael. Shut the fuck up. Your turn, Tyler."

    "I''d rather not," he says.

    "What the heck is up with your Class?" I ask, and he pales. "What?"

    "How do you know my Class?"

    "What''s his Class?" Nicholas asks. "He refuses to tell us. I can''t see how useful a servant would be, especially since he said it''s not a combat Class."

    "You can''t appraise people?" I ask. "All I have to do is look at people, and I can see their name, Species, and Class, and their Levels. Which is funny, because you sharing your stats with me doesn''t show me their Levels."

    "Appraisal?" He frowns. "That''s an advanced Skill that you can''t obtain, you have to gain a god''s Blessing to have it. How do you have it?"

    "How do I have Wizard?" I ask. "It''s probably one of the many mysteries of life, I guess. I know your Class. What''s up with it?"

    "I don''t want it shared," he says. "It''s¡­ personal."

    "I can see that."

    "What is it ¨C whore?" Nicholas snorts. "I always knew the servant was a fag."

    Can I kill him? Please?

    "Would you be jealous if it was?" I ask, then look at Tyler. "Don''t worry, Tyler ¨C I won''t reveal your Class to anyone, unless you want me to."

    "No," he shakes his head. "When Father found out I had it, he told me to accept it, but to not tell anyone."

    "Understandable," I say.

    I''m going to guess that he knows his father''s the king, then. Especially since the king ordered him to come with us.

    "Speaking of," I say, looking at Nicholas. "The king himself ordered this party. You will shut the fuck up about its members, or I will shut you up."

    Name: Tyler

    Age: 12 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human

    Classes: Royal

    INT: 9, AGI: 4, CHA: 4, STR: 3, CON: 5, PER: 5, LIF: 6, LUK 19

    Health: 13/13

    Mana: 3/3

    "Thanks," I tell Tyler. "You can see your LUK already?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "I was told that''s unusual."

    "It''s probably because of your Class," I say. "It''s pretty decent. It''s not mine, but it''s definitely decent. Your other stats are abysmal, though. Hopefully, your LUK makes up for that. Do you have any Skills?"

    "No."

    "He can''t even help us," Nicholas mutters, and I send a Magic Bolt into the ground between his feet, causing him to jump. "What the fuck?"

    "The king ordered his presence," I say. "And remember that I am the leader of this party, not you."

    "But my father-"

    "Is beneath the king," I state. "And the king appointed me to the head of this party, not some noble''s son. You will obey me, or I will kill you. It''s a simple as that."

    "You wouldn''t dare-" he cuts off as a second Magic Bolt flies past his right ear. Then, he screams, "WHY ARE YOU WASTING YOUR MANA?"

    "It''s only 6 Mana," I say. "It''ll take us three hours to reach the Dungeon. I''ll be recovered by then, because unlike certain people in this party, I recover Mana at a rate of one per just-over four minutes."

    "That''s ridiculous," he snorts. "Only people who''ve been training in magic for years can manage to get their regeneration down to even forty-five minutes just for a single point of Mana ¨C do you really expect me to believe that your Mana would recover so fast, untrained commoner?"

    It takes all the power of my Acting Skill to not scoff at his comment and emphasis on that word. I am no mere commoner, Nicholas. Not in the slightest.

    I am the first Wizard.

    "Well," I say. "Either you can put trust in the person the king appointed to be the leader of the party, or you can remember that you shouldn''t always rely on the magician in the party. Before me, the only ''magicians'' in the System were Adventurers who''d trained to be magicians before I came along, and they probably didn''t rely on their magic too much, either."

    He glares at me, but shuts up, and I start walking.

    Three hours of silence later, and we arrive at the entrance to the Dungeon. It''s surrounded by a small village, which was practically built around the Dungeon.

    The entrance to the Dungeon is made of white stone, stands approximately fifteen feet in height, and is filled with blackness. Standing just a few feet from the entrance is a building labeled "Adventurer''s Guild", which we need to enter before we can begin the Dungeon. The two guards standing in front of the entrance probably wouldn''t let us pass without doing so.

 Chapter 0010 - Quests from the King

    (Gavin)

    The Adventurer''s Guild''s outpost at this dungeon is kind of sparse, but I''m not sure if that''s normal or not. We approach the counter, which has but one worker, and he looks at us, sighing.

    "Sorry, kids," he says. "But by the king''s order, the Dungeon''s closed, if that''s what you''re here for."

    "Closed?" I ask.

    "He''s got a party of new Adventurers on their way here," he nods. "Says they''re to be allowed in, and no one else until after they finish. It''s to ensure there isn''t another party blocking their path when they enter."

    "Blocking their path?"

    "He means," Kade looks at me. "About the limit. Only one party can enter a Dungeon at a time."

    "Ah," I say, then look at the worker. "Good work, sir. I''ll be sure to inform the king that you obeyed his command when we return to the city."

    "Nice try, kid," he says. "If you really wanted to pass yourselves off as the Adventurers, you''d have an experienced one with you as a guide, not your friends and a servant."

    "I''m guessing you don''t have Access?" I ask.

    "Does that matter?"

    "If you did," I say. "I''d be able to show you my status. Yes, it appears you lack Access to the System, as appraising you yields no results."

    I summon four Magic Bolts in a row, letting them dissipate.

    "If I weren''t a good Adventurer," I say. "Do you think I''d be so confident as to just waste four Magic Bolts like that? The king himself instructed me to bring these four here and into the Dungeon with me. We''re all new Adventurers, and this Dungeon is to be our first."

    "If you''re new," he says. "That explains why you''d just waste four Magic Bolts. You do realize that your Mana won''t regenerate faster just because you''ve become an Adventurer, right?"

    "That''s six," Nicholas tells me. "Six damn Magic Bolts you''ve cast in the last few hours. Do you really think your Mana has already filled back up? I can''t imagine you can cast more, unless you somehow have 21 Mana."

    "My max is 53," I state. "Kade''s trained for years, and his is 68. And no, it hasn''t filled back up ¨C I just used some of it, and I told you, it takes a little more than two minutes per point. I''m surprised your INT isn''t lower."

    "Let''s assume this is true," the worker tells me. "The king is no fool, and would never send five new Adventurers ¨C especially children ¨C into a Dungeon by themselves. There''s a reason a party can hold up to fifteen people in it. Level 5 is the minimum recommended Level to enter this Dungeon."

    "Does the Dungeon have a minimum Level requirement?" I ask.

    "No, but-"

    "We''re only planning on the first Stage," I say. "You have a magician who''s trained for years, the first Wizard, two cadets, and Tyler. And one of the cadets has a furry tail."

    "Even still, the first Stage-"

    "I have two Classes."

    "Two?" He asks. "My apologies, then. I wasn''t aware you were that high of a Level. To be so at your age¡­ I cannot fathom what you went through."

    "No, Kade," I say as Kade starts to speak, and he looks at me. "I know what you were about to say."

    "I was under the impression," the worker says. "That you were including yourself when you said you were a new Adventurer."

    "Not nearly as new as them," I gesture to my companions. "But in the grand scheme of things, could anything in a Human lifetime truly be new?"

    "Indeed not," he says as words appear in front of me vision.

    I hold up a hand to silence him.

    Personal Quest Available:

    Source: King Wendell Trueflame, King of Jozan

    Quest: Smack Kade

    Requirement: Smack Kade

    Reward: Cheap notebook

    Accept: Y/N?

    "Accept," I say, then smack Kade.

    "Hey!" He exclaims. "What was that for?"

    Quest Reward Available:

    Cheap notebook

    Accept: Y/N?

    "Yes," I say, and the book forms in the air in front of me, likely new, but from some cheap shop. I hold my hand out, and the book drops into it. "I wonder why he did this?"

    "You got a book for smacking me?" Kade asks.

    "Yeah," I answer, opening the book. "The king issued it to me," I pull out the first page of the notebook and hand it to the worker. "I believe this is the evidence you need?"

    The worker examines the page, eyes widening as he does.

    "What''s that?" Kade asks.

    "How do Quests relate to the rewards?" I ask.

    "Why?" He asks.

    "Answer the question, Kade."

    "In short," he says. "The more complicated the Quest, the bigger the reward can be. Those with a Ruler Class have a bigger reward allotment, meaning they can give a bigger reward for Quests than most people can. Only Adventurers can send or grant Quests, because it''s done through the System. It also requires, as the reward, something of the petitioner''s, so you can''t just say you want it to grant a thousand Experience upon completion, unless you actually have a thousand Experience in a single Class to grant. I''m not sure if even the Tier 2 Classes can actually require a thousand Experience or more to Level, so that''s not feasible, anyway, but you get the idea, yes?"

    "Yes," I say.

    "In addition to that," he says. "Said reward vanishes ¨C no one knows where, so don''t ask me ¨C once the Quest is accepted. If the Quest is completed, the Adventurer who completed it receives the reward, if they fail, then it returns to the petitioner."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    So the King likely hid that notice in the book after creating the Quest, hoping it''d travel with the book. Not that it was actually needed, since I could definitely have gotten the worker to realize we''re seriously from the king, but still, I do appreciate it.

    "It''s a notice from the king that we''re to be let through," I say. "The notebook has other information within it."

    Personal Quest Available:

    Source: King Wendell Trueflame, King of Jozan

    Quest: Read the notebook

    Requirement: Read the notebook rewarded upon completion of the last quest from me before entering the Dungeon

    Reward: Spatial inventory

    Accept: Y/N?

    "Accept," I say. "Sir, give us a little while ¨C it''s been requested that I read this notebook. It seems the king has some information for me, probably pertaining to the Dungeon."

    The worker nods, and we move to sit at one of the tables. It takes me only twenty minutes to read everything the king had written in the notebook, and it can be summarized into just a few simple points.

    Tyler is his son.

    Nicholas knows Tyler is the king''s son.

    Nicholas was put into this party at his father''s request, but the king couldn''t refuse the request without complications.

    Nicholas is under orders to kill Tyler while we are in the Dungeon, to make it look an accident if possible, or from the Dungeon.

    If he can''t, he''s to kill us.

    Nicholas''s father underestimated my own stats, and believes his son''s enchanted armor will enable him to ignore our magic.

    It can ignore my magic, but it doesn''t cover his face.

    A Quest will be incoming for me to kill Nicholas while we are in the Dungeon. Make sure I set the spatial inventory as the default Quest reward location, as the Quest''s reward will not portable without that, and nor will it fit.

    All Dungeons are dual-Dungeons, though very few know this. Bryant, the king, and Natalie are the only ones the king knows of who know this in this nation.

    The second Dungeon for this one is of similar difficulty as the first, but contains a key difference: if I choose to leave through the exit there, I''ll have two locations to pick from. Do so after killing Nicholas, and leave to the second location.

    The other entrance to the Dungeon leads to a Dungeon of similar strength, with the ''hidden'' Dungeon as its alternate. All Dungeons do that secret passage on the second Dungeon.

    The other side of that Dungeon rests deep within a forest on a foreign continent. The last time the king went through it, it was undiscovered, and uninhabited. He doesn''t know how it is now, as it''s been a few years, but it''s probably still the same.

    That continent is mostly uninhabited, save for a few human settlements along its southern coast, and a few non-human settlements throughout the southern coast and woods. Almost the entirety of it is unexplored, and the Dungeon is a little bit into that unexplored territory.

    The king will probably be dead by tonight, so we only have hours before then to act.

    It is in the best interests of the kingdom that I take Tyler away from the kingdom of Jozan, for Jozan will be no more, once the king dies. It might bear the same name, but it will be a different nation. I came a few years too late.

    But that doesn''t mean a new nation can''t be formed.

    We''re to train, to become stronger, and in a few years, to return. Tyler looks a great deal like his father, and the king believes that, once he''s an adult, Tyler will resemble him quite well. This means that he will have an undeniable claim to the throne, unless someone can disprove his heritage.

    The rebellion that will have formed will, undoubtedly, rally behind him.

    But we are not to return until he is stronger, until we are stronger. Strong enough that we cannot be stopped.

    The death of the king will end my vow to the kingdom, but we can restore the kingdom to its power, once we have enough.

    I read the final page in the notebook a second time, knowing the king knows I will do everything I can to become powerful enough to protect Tyler and restore the kingdom.

    No one has ever made it to Level 25 of a Tier 2 Class before, and it is believed there is no Tier 3 beyond that. At least, not in belief.

    Seek out the fairies on the continent you''ll be on. They live far in the north, hidden within the woods of that land. The Fairy King, Oberon, has attained not just the third, but the fourth Tier of his King Class. When we spoke, he said that no option to advance came upon hitting Level 25, so that is likely where it ends.

    Tell him of my demise, Gavin ¨C and request his aid in becoming strong enough to reach not just the second Tier, but when the time comes, the third Tier of your Class. I doubt it will take you the centuries of a normal being, as a Wizard already defies explanation.

    So you''re aware, the Class for King goes like this: King, Great King, High King, Emperor. And, unknown to most, the Royal Class of my son is not new. I''ve seen record of it before ¨C as well as of your Class. My son''s Class goes like this: Royal, Royal Heir, Prince, Crown Prince. If he should have the option of taking on King, tell him to refuse it until he has mastered Crown Prince. Just mastering Prince alone would make him my superior when he begins his reign as King.

    For Wizard, I know not what alternate Classes there are, but the main line of the Class, the direct route without Skills or other Class masteries making available others, goes like this: Wizard, Archwizard, Mage, Archmage. If there are alternates, they are unknown.

    If you are wondering how I know about these three lines of Classes, it is because I have seen a Grimoire of Tristan Lightblade before, though it is guarded heavily. It was entrusted to Oberon by Tristan Lightblade himself. Prove you are worthy, and he will grant you the great magician''s tome.

    Good luck, Traveler, and farewell.

    The King has told me that the kingdom itself will die with his death, but that we can revive it, once we are strong enough to reclaim it.

    I look at my teammates, and at Nicholas.

    "Alright," I close the book, and receive the reward, a pitch-black ring in the form of a simple band, a strip of violet around the edge. I slip it on, and discover that sticking the book within the ring is as easy as touching it with my Mana. "Let''s go fight a Dungeon."

    We approach the counter again, and the man hands us each a chain with a metal disk on it.

    "What''s this for?" I ask.

    "We have its pair," he says. "If you die, both will break."

    "Thank you, sir," I say. "Are we free to go in?"

    "Yes," he hands me a scroll. "Simply hand that to the guards, and they''ll let you through after reading it."

    "Thank you," I say.

    Personal Quest Available:

    Quest Class: Royal

    Source: King Wendell Trueflame, King of Jozan

    Quest: Kill the Traitor Nicholas

    Requirement: Kill Nicholas, and do your best to protect my son. Quest can be completed if Tyler does not survive, but his survival is preferred.

    Reward: Wealth of the Kingdom of Jozan, 199 Primary Class Experience, 249 Species Class Experience

    Accept: Y/N?

    "Ho. Ly. Shit."

    "What?" Kade asks.

    "I''ll tell you after we finish the Dungeon," I say. "His Majesty just sent me another Quest, dealing with something in the Dungeon, and the reward¡­ damn. Is it even possible to up the reward on that level?"

    Does the fact that it''s a Royal Quest change that? Or rather, a Personal Quest with the Quest Class of Royal? I get the feeling that a Royal Quest would be even more powerful, but probably available to more people ¨C possibly every Adventurer under his rule.

    "What''s the reward?"

    "I finally understand why he wanted me to have this," I look at Kade. "How do you change a spatial inventory''s setting to be where Quest rewards go?"

    "Why do you act like I''m a book of knowledge?"

    "Do you know?"

    "Well, yes, but-"

    "Accept," I say, the window vanishing. "How do I do it?"

    "Just focus on the ring," he sighs. "As it belongs to you, you won''t need your ability to appraise to be able to pull up the screen if you focus on it with the intent to change its destination. You don''t even need Access to the System for that, it''s one of the weird things of spatial rings, and they''re incredibly rare. Proper ones, anyway ¨C we can make them, if we''re powerful enough, but no one knows how to make ones like the one you have, and they don''t have the ability to change stuff like that."

    That implies you can accept Quests without having Access, but I was told you can''t.

    One of the many mysteries of this realm, I suppose.

    I focus on the ring.

    This ring is currently set to accept automatic loot rewards

    Do you wish to change this setting: Y/N?

    Only one spatial inventory can be set to receive automatic loot at a time. If you have multiple spatial inventories, setting one to accept automatic loot drops will disable the previous recipient.

    "No," I say, dismissing the window.

    The king possibly wasn''t sure what the ring was set to. I don''t remember seeing it on him before, which means that he probably had to pull it from the treasury or a vault or something.

    The reward¡­

    I will be richer than many small nations, I think, with that reward. So long as I complete the Quest before the king dies.

    "Let''s get a move on," I say, and we make our way outside.

    There, I hand the paper to the guards, and they allow us to pass. We make our way to the entrance of the Dungeon, then step through it.

    Our surroundings simply change, becoming different from the small village it was, taking us to a field as far as the eye can see.

    "It''s supposed to be caves!" Nicholas exclaims.

 Chapter 0011 - The Fall of Jozan

    (Gavin)

    "What the hell happened here?" Nicholas looks around. "If a Dungeon changes, the exterior changes, too!"

    As the rest of the party looks around, trying to figure out what happened, I hold the Guild''s disk in my right hand, focusing on the spell the king left in the notebook. After several moments of concentration, I gain it.

    Skill Gained:

    Dispel (II) 1/10: Dispels enchantments and magics from people and objects. Cost: 5 Mana

    "Michael," I say. "Come here."

    "Why don''t you seem unfazed by this?" Nicholas asks me. "Did you know the Dungeon was changed?"

    "It''s less that," I grab Michael''s disk. "Dispel," I release the disk. "And more that the king gave me a piece of information about Dungeons few do: how to change if the Dungeon is in its primary mode or secondary mode. Every Dungeon has two forms to it, roughly the same in difficulty. Only a Party Leader can change which challenges you face, and it must be done upon entering. Magic Bolt."

    Before Nicholas realizes what''s happening, the bolt slams into his head, penetrating it with only a little resistance, but that doesn''t matter.

    Having your brain pierced generally means death.

    "What the fuck?" Tyler exclaims, jumping back.

    "Tyler," I look at him. "He was under orders from his father to ensure we didn''t make it out. The king will be dead soon, and that notebook was his final order to me. It included killing Nicholas, which is exactly what that quest ordered. Give me your guys'' tokens, I need to dispel their enchantments so it''s thought we''re dead."

    "But-"

    "Do you want me to reveal your Class?" I ask, and he pauses, starts to say something, then frowns. I quickly scan him. "Do you believe me now?"

    Tyler, Human 1, Fallen Royal 1

    "Shit," he says.

    "Had I waited any longer," I say. "It''s possible I might have failed the Quest, due to the granter dying."

    "It doesn''t work that way," Kade swallows. "That''s why it''s transported immediately ¨C so that the reward cannot be revoked. Why was Nicholas under orders to kill us?"

    "It wasn''t you guys, specifically," Tyler swallows, looking at me. "It was me. My father is, was, King Wesley. My Class is, was Royal. Now, it''s Fallen Royal. Description: A member of a once-royal family. The stats didn''t change."

    "Expanded information," I say clearly, hoping I''m right about this. "Fallen Royal."

    +0 INT!

    "Shut the fuck up," I mutter as I scan the new message, which popped up first, telling me it probably wasn''t granted for me, but already a possibility.

    Fallen Royal: A member of a once-royal family, you have been cast into exile. Should you manage to reclaim your throne or establish a new nation of at least ten thousand members, the option of King will become available to you, with a prefix based on your claim. Prefix possibilities include: Honorable King, Wicked King. Can include others.

    "What?" Michael asks, and I raise an eyebrow. "You just went ''damn''."

    "It seems," I say. "I can view the Class of any member of my party, as well as its information. In the expanded information, it reveals you can still gain the Class of King, so long as you either reclaim your throne or establish your own kingdom with at least ten thousand citizens."

    "Seriously?" He asks.

    "Indeed," I nod. "I''m guessing those are the requirements to obtain it. I''m sure there are variations on King, in case it''s not a kingdom, but it probably defaults to saying ''King'' because you''re Royalty."

    "Fallen, now," he looks sad. "That means Father''s dead, isn''t he?"

    "It does," I nod. "Let me accept the reward."

    He nods, and I accept the reward.

    Wealth of the Kingdom of Jozan has entered your spatial inventory!

    +199 Primary Class Experience!

    Managing Experience Overflow.

    -25 Wizard Experience

    Wizard is now Level 2!

    -50 Experience

    Wizard is now Level 3!

    -75 Experience!

    Wizard is now Level 4!

    +299 Species Experience!

    Managing Experience Overflow.

    -25 Human Experience

    Human is now Level 2!

    -50 Human Experience

    Human is now Level 3!

    -75 Human Experience

    Human is now Level 4!You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    -100 Human Experience

    Human is now Level 5!

    Well, damn!

    "So what was the reward?" Tyler asks.

    "It was three-part," I answer. "The first was all of your father''s Experience ¨C Species and Class. Judging by the scaling, I think he was Level 10 and Level 8, respectively, since each Level requires 25 more Experience than the last. I''m now a Level 4 Wizard and a Level 5 Human."

    "Holy shit!" Kade exclaims, understanding what that means.

    "What?" Tyler asks.

    "He just skipped several Levels as if they were nothing," Michael states, scratching the back of his head. "Normally, someone would train, act, and complete Quests for more than a decade to make it to those Levels, possibly several decades. Experience isn''t easy to gain, just like Stat Points, but managing to acquire enough to gain a Level gives them freely. He just got a massive boost for killing Nicholas. I can''t see how His Majesty managed to grant him so much Experience, even if he''d declared it of the Royal Class, but he probably knew some secret we didn''t know."

    "That wasn''t all he gave me," I look at the ring, then at Tyler. "He also granted me the Wealth of Jozan. In other words: we now have everything from its treasuries, vaults and libraries. Since nothing popped onto the ground us, I''m guessing this ring is far more massive than I thought."

    I check it, and stagger back when I see how much is in it. The System organized it neatly for me to look at and pull out, though the inventory still needs to be able to contain it.

    "You''re kidding," Tyler says.

    "No," I shake my head. "I''m not. Your father had something extraordinary up his sleeve, to be able to grant such a mighty reward for such a simple feat. Plus, I only got a single Human Experience for killing Nicholas.

    "Now we have a choice to make," I say. "Work on the Dungeon, or just leave it?"

    "If we leave," Tyler says. "Won''t there probably be guards waiting outside for us?"

    "No," I say. "When we leave here, I can set a different destination. The Dungeon''s second form is both a Dungeon and a link to another Dungeon. We''ll be leaving through the other one, which will take us to an entirely different continent, whatever that is. Come here, you two."

    They do, and I grab their disks, using Dispel.

    "And now," I say. "The Guild believes we''re all dead. I can remove enchantments off of objects with that. It''s a Tier II spell, but with it only being at Level 2 right now, I''m not sure how powerful of enchantments and effects I can remove."

    "Let''s leave," Kade says. "Let the rest of us gain a few Levels before we try a Dungeon."

    "We could always grind the first part of the first stage," Tyler says. "My Class isn''t useful for combat, but I was trained in unarmed combat, in secret. Anything more would''ve raised suspicions. I also know a healing spell, but haven''t tried it yet to see if I can gain the Skill for it. Nor have I done any bare-handed fighting for that Skill."

    "Understandable," I say, then punch Kade in the arm. He exclaims, rubbing his arm. "That probably did some damage ¨C want to try healing him?"

    "Seriously?" Kade asks me. "You''d just hit me like that?"

    "My CON is higher than my STR," I say. "It would probably take quite a few hits for me to actually take damage from myself."

    Tyler chuckles, then moves his hands to Kade''s arm, closing his eyes and muttering ''Heal''. A white light envelops where I punched Kade, and Tyler nods.

    "Got that Skill," he says, then takes a few steps back before punching the air a few times. "I thank the System that I qualify for that, too."

    I grab his arm and throw him to the ground.

    "Mine''s at Level 2."

    "That wasn''t very fair," Tyler stands back up. "Your STR and AGI are definitely above mine."

    "Want me to throw you again?"

    "Aren''t I your prince?"

    "I''m sworn to the kingdom," I say. "Which, with your father''s death, no longer exists, not unless you reclaim the throne."

    "That''s cold," Kade says. "And you''re not even giving him time to mourn."

    "He can mourn as we move," I say. "Are the rest of you voting? Tyler? Michael?"

    "Leave," Michael says, and I look at Tyler.

    "Let''s leave," he says. "We can always come back when we''re stronger ¨C and not just you. This Dungeon is meant for a party of at least ten Level 5 Adventurers and above, or their equivalent, if possible."

    I nod, then look out across the fields, wondering what this Stage is supposed to be.

    "Anyone else find it odd," I say. "That we''ve basically been standing here talking, and yet not a single thing has happened relating to the Dungeon?"

    The three of them stare at me, and then they all realize that they overlooked that minor detail.

    "That is odd," Kade nods. "This Stage might be relatively easy, since they do get harder the further you go. Many parts of a Stage can have multiple ways to succeed. It''s possible that finding the way out of this area is one of those ways. If it is, that would be some easy Experience. If this portion hasn''t been completed before, we''d gain a bonus, but the king probably already cleared it.

    "Of course," he says after a moment of thought. "It''s also entirely possible that the predators aren''t until further ahead. Thinking about that, I wouldn''t mind risking it, but not going beyond the second part."

    "You two?" I ask.

    "Agree," Michael says, and Tyler hesitates, then nods.

    "Alright, then," I look out across the fields, and for the first time, notice something in the distance. "With my boosts to PER, I can make something out in the distance. That might be the way out. Be careful, though ¨C the grass is tall, so it''s entirely possible there are predators. Move quietly, but swiftly, and keep an eye and an ear out. If you notice the grass moving differently than from the breeze, immediately alert me, though do so quietly."

    "Why?" Tyler asks.

    "Threats," Michael answers. "We were taught it in training, ourselves. When in tall grass, look for grass that''s moving differently than the rest. It''s a sign there''s something moving underneath it. Not all threats will move it, as snakes won''t, and those usually go for the feet. The three of you are ill-prepared for that, since you''re wearing leather boots, but-"

    "My boots are designed to resist snake bites," I say. "And unless they''re absurdly fast here, I''ll notice them before they arrive. We had to be wary of them whenever we ventured too far into the wyvern territory, and we all got some pretty good reflexes and resistance to their venoms as a result."

    I wonder if there''s a resistance for that. I know there are a wide variety of resistances, so it''s likely there''s one for venom, or even just an all-encompassing poison category.

    And on that topic, I''d rather not have reason to ever see those resistances appear.

    Unfortunately, with the goal I have ¨C right now ¨C I''m probably going to be putting such Skills to use multiple times.

    "Mine aren''t," Tyler says.

    "Nor are mine," Kade says. "And I don''t know any poison-curing spells."

    "Nor do I," Tyler says.

    "I should notice anything that gets too close," I say. "And the Grimoire had a magic for purging poisons. I studied the runes for it last night, before going to bed."

    "So you have a Skill for that?" Kade asks me.

    "I didn''t have a source of poison to use to try it."

    "You would have poisoned yourself to try a Skill?" Michael''s golden eyes widen in shock and horror.

    "I''ll do what I must to survive," I state. "My loyalty is to Jozan, and always has been. While the nation is dead, I will do what I must to restore it. I may gain loyalty to another, I may not, but until then, I will protect my kingdom until the end. So long as the land itself exists, and the people are still there, the kingdom can be reborn. If Tyler dies, then someone else can take his place as Jozan''s true king."

    It isn''t the king that makes the kingdom, but the people. As long as the people and the core principles of the nation survive, so too does the nation, even if it temporarily dies.

    "Let''s get moving," I look out across the field. "Maybe we can get the rest of you some decent Experience, and possibly a Level, if things aren''t too touch in the first Stage."

    They all nod, and we start to move when I catch something. If it weren''t for my current PER, I probably wouldn''t have noticed it.

    "There''s a good chance," I stop moving, and they stop as well. "That it''s just been so long since someone was last here, it took a few minutes for them to realize there were people here, and to actually begin to act like a Dungeon."

    "Something''s coming, isn''t it?" Kade asks.

    Michael twitches his ears, scanning the fields.

    "Yes," he says. "I change my vote to leave."

    "We''re leaving," I say. "You guys get out first. I''m the strongest of us, so if something does attack, I might be able to defend."

    They all starts to disappear through the portal, and just as I''m about to take a step through, I acquire a Skill, and can suddenly sense something very, very faintly overlapping the portal.

    Skill Gained!

    Rift Sense 1/10: Capable of sensing the intangible Rifts which form through natural causes, or ¨C more often than not ¨C through outside interference or accident.

    It''s a seventh-Tier Skill¡­

    And it granted me ten Human and Wizard Experience for learning it.

    Too late to even think about that, I pass through the portal/Rift, and my surroundings shift, but not to a forest, a new message appearing in my vision.

    You Have Arrived in A New World: Earth (Birthworld)

    The System is not yet accessible to those of this world

    You retain access

    A Mage must first grant access before others within this world can gain access

    Divine Being which Oversees this realm: Merlin Ambrosius

    I''m¡­ in a different world? How?

 Chapter 0012 - My Father?

    (Gavin)

    As I try to process the message, the Rift behind me vanishes. I spin around, then jump back in surprise. There''s a large green thing made of metal standing there. I quickly appraise it.

    Dumpster: A storage unit for nontoxic waste.

    I don''t understand the words. I mean, it''s in Jozan, but nontoxic? And what waste? We do our best not to waste anything. As I focus on the last two words, a new message appears.

    Toxic waste can can include bodily releases, such as urin, poop, blood, and vomit. Nontoxic refers to anything which is not toxic. Nontoxic waste is any waste that is not toxic, such as leftover food, everyday trash, and unwanted items.

    Leftover food? Since when is food leftover? Food should never be wasted. And they would put it into one of these storage units? What, then? Does their magic enable them to just store it until they want it?

    I walk forward to the dumpster, examining it further. It''s boxlike, and has two big, black things on top made of some unknown substance. They''re thin, and cover the entire top. I push it up, and immediately, my nose is assaulted by a foul stench.

    I quickly drop it, jumping back.

    They leave it to rot. I''m too short to look inside, and now I''m grateful for that. It smells so bad that I probably don''t want to know what it looks like.

    The buildings on either side of me seem to be built of brick, and the ground, some sort of strange, rough, grey stone. One end of the passage ends in another building, the other opens onto a street also made of the same strange stone.

    There are strange noises coming from out there, and when I look that way, I can see a few people. Their clothes are nothing like mine. They look weird, and I''m a bit nervous to set foot out there. If I do, they''ll probably question me.

    I''m not even sure if I know the answers, and that''s a problem. A huge problem.

    Plus, they have big, noisy metal things moving by. Not all of them are noisy, just some, but they''re scary.

    I watch as they go by, focusing my eyes on a stationary one on the other side of the street.

    Car (Vehicle): A mode of transportation powered by an engine within it.

    Someone walks up to the one I assessed, opens the side of it, and enters. A few moments later, the ''car'' moves into the streets and starts down the street. The person''s hands are on the wheel. They all look human. I try out my appraisal on one of the people, who is standing by a tall, metal post, looking at something in his hand.

    Frank, Human, Unclassed

    People without access to the System still register through appraisal? I guess the message upon arriving here kind of told me that, since they simply don''t have access to the System, but it''s still here.

    Five men enter the alley I''m in, and their eyes immediately fix on me. They all have magic, I sense. One of them speaks in some foreign language, and I can''t understand a word of it.

    He takes a step toward me, and I sense danger. I gained Threat Detection in the Dungeon, and at Level 4. I''m not surprised by that, and wouldn''t be surprised if others from my village would gain the Skill and some Level above Level 1.

    I summon a Magic Bolt in front of me, sustaining it as I stare him down.

    They all pause, and the sense of danger weakens, but only a little. The violet light of my Magic Bolt gives the alley an ethereal glow. Magic Bolts are ordinarily bluish in hue, and I''m hoping that the color alone gives them pause.

    One of them says something to the one in front, and I still can''t understand a word of it, no matter how hard I try. Somehow, I seem to know a couple of their words, as if a language once known, but forgotten. I can''t figure out what they mean, though.

    I catch a name. Christopher.

    The two men start arguing, and as I watch, my path out blocked, I gain a Level for Magic Bolt.

    All five of them look back at me, likely sensing the slight increase in power that came with the increase.

    The leader of them pulls one of those strange objects in people''s hands out on the street, then puts it to his ear.

    It''s some sort of magical communication device? I can''t sense magic in it, no matter how hard I try, and I even gain a Level for that as I try.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Christopher," he says, then speaks in that foreign language.

    A moment later, I feel a flux in space, and a man with eerily familiar blond hair and blue eyes appears in front of me, staring at me.

    "Gavin," he says, and I take a step back, firing off my Magic Bolt in shot.

    A shimmering blue barrier forms in front of him, my spell deflecting off. The man looks shocked for a moment. It didn''t do anything to his shield, yet it wasn''t until the impact that he looked shocked.

    "My son," he says.

    That, for some reason, I seem to understand.

    Skill Gained!

    English Human Language 1/10: The human language of English

    Gaining a foreign language Skill has unlocked your native tongue''s respective Skill

    Skill Gained!

    Jozan Human Language 4/10: The human language of Jozan

    I''m only at Level 4 of Jozan? Really? That only shows me how difficult it is to learn a language Skill and its Levels.

    I consider myself quite fluent in it.

    The five men behind this man seem to fear him, yet the moment they said his name, the sense of danger vanished. This man¡­

    Is he my father? His hair and eyes¡­ I only recently saw mine, but his look the same. Plus, he knows my name. Chief says that when I was found, I knew my name. I was quite happy to share it, they said.

    "Gavin Jakran," I say, and the five men behind him swallow, fear evident on their face.

    Even more so than before they looked at my magic.

    I can see why, though.

    This man''s magic is greater than even Natalie''s, and she was the most powerful magician in all of Jozan. If this man is my father, and they had hurt me¡­ what would he do to them?

    "Begone," he commands without even looking at them, and while I can''t understand the word, his tone makes me think it''s an order to leave.

    The five of them leave, and the man steps forward. I summon another Magic Bolt, just in case. I don''t sense any danger from him, but he might be able to fool my Threat Detection.

    He holds his hands up to either side of his head, but I don''t let up on the spell. He''s way stronger than me, but that doesn''t matter. I''m not trying to scare him. I want him to know I don''t feel safe.

    He frowns, then focuses for a moment.

    "Speak?" It sounds more like a question.

    Does he¡­ know I can''t speak his language? But if so, why would he try such a simple word for me? Wouldn''t that mean he¡­ knew I might know some? It''s been a long time since I''ve spoken this language, if this is my birthworld, that I''ve forgotten probably everything. Only with that Skill did I even begin to understand the few words I do know.

    He frowns, then gestures to his mouth. He knows I can''t understand him, yet he''s trying to get me to speak.

    He thinks for a few moments, then a message appears in my vision.

    Personal Quest Available:

    Source: Wizard Christopher Jakran

    Quest: Say a few words

    Requirement: Say a few words so I know if I know your language or not.

    Reward: 5 Human Experience

    Accept: Y/N?

    He¡­ has access to the System. And it says that he''s a Wizard. Like me. He could see my name and Class. That''s how he knew I had access to the System, and how he probably figured I couldn''t speak his language.

    The System message was all in Jozan, though¡­

    Does it automatically translate Quests and stuff into my native tongue?

    +0 INT!

    Thank you for that, System.

    +0 CHA!

    "I accept the Quest you''ve given to me," I hope that''s enough, and that saying it while accepting the Quest counts for the Quest reward, since it was technically after I accepted that the last four were said.

    "Jozan!" He laughs in Jozan. "It''s been many years since I last spoke this language, I''d almost forgotten I had it! Though, with the difference in time between worlds, and the instability of the passages, it''s probably been many more years."

    The Quest worked, too, putting my Human Experience up to 69 out of the 125 needed to gain another Level.

    "You may not remember me," the Wizard says. "But I''m your father. When you were two, you simply disappeared from us. I found traces of a Natural Rift, but as it had already closed, I couldn''t determine its passage. I''m glad you''re safe, though, and that it was Jozan that you ended up in. It''s a nice country."

    "It doesn''t exist anymore," I state. "At least, not until I return."

    "What do you mean?" He asks.

    "Its king was killed while I was in the Dungeon that sent me here," I state. "When I return, I will find his heir, protect him, help him train, and once we''re stronger, we will return to the land that once was Jozan, and I will return him to the throne."

    "Unfortunately," he says. "Time passes faster there. It doesn''t always flow at the same rate when compared to here, as sometimes, a hundred years could pass in a minute of our time, or in a decade of our time. It''s highly possible that when you return, your companions aren''t where you arrive.

    "Especially," he says. "Since there are only two ways to pass between worlds: through Skills, or through Rifts, and the latter is risky. You''re lucky, if you haven''t encountered bad Rifts, but the majority of them are."

    "I learn Skills quickly-"

    "Because you''re a Wizard yes," he nods. "Assess me."

    Christopher Jakran, Archwizard (II) 25

    "Archwizard?"

    "The next Tier above Wizard," he nods. "I hid my other Classes, so you''d see that. Even for me, and all the bonuses of the Class, I have yet to bring any of the Skills that permit passage between realms and worlds to a Level that permits me to bring others along. You will need to train here, in this world, until you are powerful enough to learn one of those Skills, if you wish to return. And yes, I''m aware you''ll want to ¨C it''s your home, after all. I''m sure you''ve already had many confusing and frightening encounters here, those fools not included."

    "What was with them?" I ask.

    "Those who can pass between worlds are few and far between," he says. "So the Mage Guilds of this world are always looking for any sign someone has passed through. They capture and torture and experiment on them, in an attempt to learn the secrets. They''re unaware of the System, but they know that those who come from other worlds have far greater strength than those of this world can often achieve. They seek the secret to this. Unfortunately, the language barrier prevents them from finding out it''s through the System, and that honestly amuses me.

    "It will take some time for you to become more powerful," he switches back to that. "But as long as you continue to expand your Mana Pool daily, as well as train in magic, then I''m sure that, with your Class bonuses, you''ll be able to return within a year. Would you be willing to come to my home? So long as you are under my protection, the Guilds will leave you alone. They know that I am more powerful than anything any of them can ever achieve, and so would never dare to harm those I protect. As you are my son, they will see you as a being to avoid at all costs."

 Chapter 0013 - Meeting my Family

    (Gavin)

    "That''s called a lightswitch," Christopher says as I flick the thing that causes the orb of light in the center of the room to turn on and off. The orb''s attached to the ceiling, the ''switch'' is on the wall. "If you keep doing that, you can cause a short in the wiring."

    "The what?" I stop, since he seems to not want me to keep doing that.

    "Imagine threads," he says. "That connect the switch to the lightbulb, hidden behind the wall."

    "But the other side of the wall is outside?"

    "Actually," he says. "The wall has several parts to it: the framework within it, insulation, and then on either side of it is the wall. Outside, you''ll have siding. That''s how many buildings are in this world."

    "Weird."

    "We also harness the power of electricity for many things," he says. "Light is one such thing. Magicians are not common in this world, and nor is knowledge of magic. They instead advanced their technology."

    "What''s your LIF?" I ask.

    "One hundred, eighteen," he answers. "I''m a Level 21 Human, so there''s 21 LIF from that, and a Level 25 Archwizard, so there''s 50 from that, and the 25 from before. Those total up to 96 Life, and then there''s the 8 I had from before then, and fourteen more points I''ve gained from various things. In this realm, humans have longer natural lifespans ¨C they average 13 to 16 LIF, a result of their technological advancements making many things safer for them, combining with natural evolution of people."

    "Natural evolution?" Those terms are familiar, but not combined like that, not for humans.

    "The humans and species you''ll see on each world," he nods. "Might be different, or they might be the same. But even those species have slight differences, due to the environments that surround them. Your mother and I? We come from a world far behind many others, and thus, due to nutrition not being as great, have a smaller stature, even as adults. This is a result of lack of technology or magic being widespread, as well as lack of the System itself. Much like Earth, my birthworld doesn''t have access to the System, even if its ever-present self is there."

    "Does the System communicate with you?" I ask. "Granting or subtracting of stats?"

    "You''ve already gotten to that point?" His eyes widen in surprise. "I was a Level 21 Wizard the first time it ever did that to me. The other Wizards I''ve spoken to have all claimed that they were at least Level 15 as a Wizard before it began. Oddly, I''ve received a few reports in the last few hours of it doing it as a zero-value."

    It probably didn''t have much of a need to figure out how to do that until I kept getting responses from it, and it wanted to stem the flow of my stat gains a bit, instead of letting me just become extremely high in INT and CHA.

    +0 INT!

    Thank you, for your wonderful input.

    -0 CHA!

    Though it could also mean that it''d have to drop my CHA down pretty hard¡­

    +0 INT!

    "Oh, shut the fuck up," I mutter, and Christopher raises an eyebrow. "It''s being cheeky again."

    "Of course it''s my son who gets the System to show emotion!" He laughs as I realize something.

    "Did you say my mother, too?" I ask. "Did you leave her behind?"

    "No," he answers. "She''s here, too."

    But if he can''t bring others with him¡­ then she has to know the magic as well.

    "Is she a Wizard?" I ask.

    "Witch," he shakes his head. "The Class is only Wizard for those of the male sex ¨C it''s Witches for those of the female sex."

    "Oh, okay," I say. "So both of you have traveled through a Natural Rift?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "Do you know what that means?"

    "Not really."

    "A Rift," he says. "Is a tear in reality. The majority are caused by outside influences ¨C usually Divine Beings arguing with each other. There''s a very good chance it was some minor argument that escalated that caused the creation of the one you passed through. Thankfully, Rift Wolves are quick to close them, and they usually only last a few moments, and only the unlucky usually fall through them, but your Stats suggest that perhaps it was luck instead, due to how high it is."

    How would that be luck? Are you a fucking moron? I got pulled away from my home, my team, and the people I''m to protect, then thrown into another world where I don''t know anyone and things are vastly different.

    That''s not lucky. That''s unlucky.

    "Most Rifts are simply breaches between two realms," he continues as I wonder how he knows my LUK, since I didn''t show it to him. "Some also contain small realms, or even portions of places that used to be connected to the rest of reality.

    "Then there are Natural Rifts," he continues as I determine that he can probably use the same sort of appraisal I can, but far, far stronger, and it reveals stats like that. "Rift Wolves take longer to seal them up, as they form naturally, and give off a much different feeling. The majority of them are simply a passage from one realm to another. By the time I located the one you wandered into as a toddler, there were already Rift Wolves inside, and I couldn''t see you anywhere. I didn''t want to risk angering the Rift Wolves, and so backed out. I never did find out where the other end led to, and the Rift Wolves aren''t the most cooperative of species. Since they were in there, you were probably already gone, though I can''t, for the life of me, fathom why they would enter the Rift they were trying to close."

    As he mentions Rift Wolves, a memory surfaces.

    A memory of giant wolves of swirling blues and purples and oranges and blacks, sparkling like the night sky. Four of them, their voices in my head, telling me to get out. The wolves chasing me, and me thinking they were dogs who wanted to play.

    Then finding myself in a forest, confused and scared, because the dogs were gone and I wasn''t home.

    "Your face just turned red," Christopher says. "What''s up?"

    That''s a weird phrase.

    "I, ah, think they were trying to get me out of the Rift, so they could seal it up," I admit, scratching the back of my head. "When you mentioned them, a memory of something like that surfaced. I think that I just thought they were wanting to play. I remember being so scared when I ended up in that forest, now. It''s been so long since I last thought about it. I don''t know what I''d have done if Chief hadn''t found me."

    "Chief?" He asks.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Yeah," I nod. "The guy who ran my village. We didn''t have much contact with the rest of Jozan, but every now and then, a party of Adventurers would pass through on their way to the wyverns'' territory, and-"

    "I''m surprised that bastard''s still alive!" Christopher laughs. "He''s likely nearing the end of his life, though. I wonder if Natalie''s still around."

    "Who?" I ask, since there''s no way it can be her, since she wasn''t an Adventurer.

    "A normal person," he answers. "The last time I was there. A powerful witch, in her own right. She learned spells at an increased rate, much like us Wizards, though not quite as fast as us. I always thought she might have had the Novice Class passively, even without access to the System. She was powerful enough that her LIF could even passively increase as a direct result of it, sort of like how your mother''s and mine did. Though for more than a couple of points, she''d need external sources, no doubt. I wonder if she''s still alive. If she is, you''d probably like her, after her initial attack."

    "Attack?"

    "She loves children," he nods. "Especially small children. Jozan was her home, and she was the Royal Witch, back when I was there-"

    "She''s definitely still alive," I nod. "She''s got a firm hug."

    "Yes, she does!" He laughs. "I''ll return in just a few moments with some clothes of this world for you."

    He vanishes, then reappears, holding some clothes. He explains to me how to button the pants, and to tell me to keep the zipper up. Then he explains the purpose of the grey boxer-briefs, as well as the socks. They''re both foreign to me, though he says many realms have some form of them.

    He leaves the room, and I change into the new clothes, sticking my clothes and gear into the ring, then I leave the room, locating Christopher in the room he called the living room. He''s sitting on the couch.

    "So," he says as I sense magic at the door, other than what he says are the defensive magics. "Something you should-"

    "Someone''s at the door," I say as the knob twists. "Several of them. They''re coming in."

    "Oh, right," he smiles. "It''s around the time your mother usually arrives home with the boys."

    The boys?

    I have brothers?

    The door opens, and in bursts someone who looks like he''s my identical twin. He charges into the house, shrugging off some kind of bag as he tackles Christopher.

    "I''M HOME!" He yells as a woman with long, blond hair and brilliant blue eyes enters, followed by three more boys.

    One is around seventeen, one is around fourteen, and one is around ten. She''s also carrying a boy around four or five on her hip as he hugs her, arms around her neck, and her stomach is bulging a little bit, indicating she might be pregnant with another.

    "I still need to pick up Drake from preschool," she begins to say, but is cut off by the older boy.

    "Gavin?" He asks in shock, and the woman notices me.

    "Who?" The boy who attacked Christopher with a hug asks, then spots me. "How come I didn''t know I was a twin?"

    Well, that was a fast acceptance.

    "How did you locate him?" The woman asks as the older boy closes the door. She puts down the boy she was carrying, shifting uncomfortably, as if she wants to do something, but is holding back. "Even the Elders couldn''t locate him. And to bring him back?"

    "Rift," Christopher answers. "He fell through it. Ended up in New York, of all places. Thankfully, the Enforcers there knew me personally, and could tell immediately he was related, even if they didn''t know Eli. Eli ¨C this is Gavin. When you were both two, he wandered into a Natural Rift and disappeared into another realm, and by the time I realized he was in the Rift, it was filled with Rift Wolves."

    "I was only six at the time," the older teen rubs the back of his head. "But, as you know, I don''t really forget anything. I remembered Gavin, and to be honest, it''s why I''ve been interested in Rifts and traveling between worlds."

    "He''s not staying," Christopher states, and everyone looks at him. "His home is on another world, and he feels a sense of duty to the land he grew up, which apparently just had a coup that resulted in the death of his king and the exiling of its secret prince. He''s agreed to train with us until he''s powerful enough to make the passage back home. And I''m not going to ask him to abandon that duty for a family he''s not known."

    "Does he know?" The woman asks.

    "I was about to tell him when you returned," Christopher shakes his head, then looks at me. "Gavin ¨C in this world are a wide variety of Witches and Wizards. Time passes slower here than it does elsewhere, extending our unnaturally long lives even further. We use it as a sort of gathering place for our order as well."

    "Order?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "The Ancient Order is its name. All humanoid life is descended of the Ancients, in one heritage or another. They were beings who could harness all forms of magic, and the order''s purpose is to spread this knowledge. We accept all species within it, and it is run by Witches and Wizards, beings also capable of harnessing this power. Would you have interest in joining it?"

    "What does it require?" I ask.

    "Nothing," he answers. "Our sole interest is the sharing of magic across realms and species. Had Earth not already been advanced when we found it, we would''ve long since turned this entire world into an epicenter of learning and expanding magic. Though we currently can''t do that without complications, we still spread it in other realms. When species, together, work together, they can achieve more than they could alone. Imagine the dragon riders of legend. Dragons are powerful on their own, and humans, not so much. But together, they created a truly terrifying force that transcended the limits of both species, simply because they worked together.

    "That''s what we do," he says. "We unite members of species and share among them our skills and knowledge. Though not all can learn it, the knowledge alone can be enough for them to progress.

    "As a result," he says. "Being a member of this order grants vast protections in many realms, worlds, and planes, though yours isn''t one we''re known in. In fact, I do believe I''m the only member to have ever set foot there."

    I''m a little bit suspicious, but I always am of new people, and his tale is a bit too good for my tastes. Maybe I can trust him, though¡­ I''m not sure. I will, for now. It''s my only way to get home that I know.

    "Oh," I say, then frown. "When you arrived, was the System already active?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "I was a Wizard the first few times, and an Archwizard the last time. It requires a Mage to activate. No one knows who the Mage is ¨C or Mages are ¨C who activate the System for places. It''s very slight. Once a Witch or Wizard enters that realm for the first time, it increases those with Access. The second time increases it further and grants magic-based Classes. The third time, it increases it even more, and the fourth and final time, it grants access to all. However, it requires a unique presence ¨C that is, a different Witch or Wizard, which is why my multiple visits was fine. We try to leave your world alone, which is why only I ever went there, and why my visits are so few and far between. Thousands of years have passed since my first visit. Six total ages between then and my last."

    Over twelve thousand years of time in my world, yet it''s probably only been hundreds for him, if that, because of living here. But if he was the second, then how come magic-based Classes didn''t show up until I acquired Access and took on Wizard?

    I need to return to my world as soon as possible. I need to make sure that Tyler is safe and protected. Who knows how much time has already passed.

    "What are the benefits to joining the order?" I ask as the woman who is apparently my mother goes into the kitchen and starts fiddling with things, my brothers continuing to stare at me. "Other than protection? If you truly wish to spread knowledge across the species, I can''t imagine you holding it from those not within."

    "We don''t," he answers. "It''s why Natalie and Tristan both gained spells and formulas from me, as well as other knowledge."

    "Tristan," I frown. "Lightblade?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "We''ve yet to find him outside the realm, though everyone''s on the lookout. I ''let slip'' how to gain access to the Class he sought, when we spoke. He''s no idea that I, myself, was a Wizard, and believed it to only be rambles. Natalie said that, according to legends, he simply vanished from records. No one ever heard from him after a certain point. No body was ever found, either."

    "Benefits, or no?"

    "Back to the topic," he smiles. "Indeed. Sharing knowledge and training others in it are two entirely different things. In addition to that, there are some things we absolutely will not share with people outside of the order, including how to unlock one''s Bloodline."

    "My Bloodline?" I ask.

    "Indeed," he smiles. "Saying that, alone, already pushes what''s allowed. Would you like to join the order, and gain a powerful force behind you? Or would you like to be stuck with only what''s publicly available?"

    I contemplate it. Joining the order probably means I''ll become even more powerful than I could without, and it would speed up my return to Jozan, I''m sure of it.

    "What are the conditions?" I ask.

    "That you obey our law," he answers. "And our law is simple: spread the knowledge of magic between species and realms, to let all who wish to flourish, flourish. Do not partake of dark arts, nor support criminals in doing so. Seek to further yourself before all others. Do not share the limited arts of our orders with those outside of it, lest they truly fall into the wrong hands."

    "How will me going home affect that?" I ask. "Would I be counted as the order''s representative?"

    "No," he answers. "Those of us within the order are free to explore and live as we please, so long as don''t cause problems."

    "Yeah," I say. "About that¡­ I''m going to be causing problems."

    "You won''t have to worry about that!" He laughs. "Follow your own moral compass. If you believe you''ve been wronged ¨C even if we disagree with it ¨C we''ll back you. Many realms, planes, and worlds have found themselves suddenly going from Stage 1 Access to Full Access because a dozen Witches and Wizards traveled there to support someone in their personal quests. Not too long ago here, that happened when a young Wizard was establishing his own kingdom and slave system. Another king had issue with the slaves ¨C and the fact that they were beaten and sometimes tortured, just downright abused ¨C and the order went in to make it clear to the other king that the Wizard was fine with what he was doing. Did I agree with the Wizard''s moral compass? No. Did I support him anyway? Yes. Every world is different, and so is every person. Members of the order and our allies are hard-pressed to find ways to anger us."

    That sounds¡­ weird.

    "So," he says. "Do you wish to join?"

    This sounds really, really good¡­ and if joining them will help me get home, then I will do what I must. I need to return home, so I can protect Tyler and restore Jozan. I absolutely have to, no matter what.

    "I do."

    "The welcome to the order," he smiles. "Initiate Gavin Jakran."

 Chapter 0014 - Master of Pools

    (Gavin)

    "To think," Christopher mutters, staring at me. "That your Mana is at 60 with you not even having unlocked the Mana Affinity yet."

    "The what?" I ask.

    "Affinities," he says. "Are special types of Attributes. They determine how much of a specific resource you have. And the fact that you have Mana with your Mana Affinity locked is incredible. That''s simply not possible, as far as our records go. Your Mana Pool is a combination of your Mana Affinity and your natural pool. It''s unlikely you''ll have learned it, but there are methods to increase that as well. It wasn''t one I ever shared on your world."

    "Is that what MNA is?" I ask. "Mana Affinity?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "Other than CHA, anything with an ''a'' after is an affinity. Humans have a natural gain to MNA and HLT ¨C the only resource that''s not activated through an Affinity, but we actually have all of the Affinities. However, most have all of them locked at birth, not just hidden, including Mana. I''m sure the System is a little confused at how to handle you, with you having Mana while having it locked."

    "Human Species says it gives me MNA."

    "So it treats it as unlocked," he laughs. "Let''s actually get that unlocked, as it''ll just be easier in the long run."

    "Okay."

    "Close your eyes," he says. "And sense within you the flow and ebb of magic, the natural flow of mana. Don''t use your Magic Sense for this, just visualize it flowing through you like a river, a force you can shape into nigh anything you desire with but your will and runes."

    I close my eyes, not sure how to do what he''s asking. How can I sense the magic within me if I can''t use a sense for that?

    I do what he says, though, turning off Magic Sense. As I focus, I begin to sense other things flowing within me, all sorts of Resources. One of them is definitely Mana, from its feel, but I sort through the others, getting a feel for them as unlock messages flash in my vision.

    Affinity Unlocked: Spirit!

    Affinity Unlocked: Blood!

    Affinity Unlocked: Aura!

    Affinity Unlocked: Soul!

    Affinity Unlocked: Aether!

    Affinity Unlocked: Will!

    Affinity Unlocked: Void!

    Affinity Unlocked: Arcane!

    Affinity Unlocked: Psionic!

    Affinity Unlocked: Life!

    Affinity Unlocked: Mana!

    Mana Affinity Unlocked ¨C Mana already possessed

    Calculating Actual Mana Value.

    [Mana Affinity: 68] has been added to 60 Mana.

    Actual Mana Value: 128

    Life Affinity Unlocked ¨C Health already possessed (mostly because they''d be dead without it)

    Calculating Actual Health Value

    [Life Affinity: 109] has been added to 52 Health

    Actual Health Value: 161

    Overflow Value Increased by 4

    Overflow Value now 6

    Overflow Value now visible as a stat: OFV

    Attribute Added to list: HLT Attribute (Value: 22)

    "Whoa," I look at myself. That felt like all of the resources flowing within me. "That was¡­ whoa."

    "Indeed," Christopher says. "Know that you probably only unlocked Mana Affinity that fast because you already had access to your Mana Pool. Other Affinities won''t be affected by that, and will take much, much longer for you to sense and unlock."

    "How many other Affinities are there?" I ask.

    "There are nine total that we know of," he answers.

    "There are eleven," I say. "I unlocked that many. I could feel them all flowing through me when I looked inward, and just unlocked them. I got so much, too."

    Name: Gavin

    Age: 13 years

    Title: None

    Titles: Master of Pools

    Species: Human Level 5 69/125

    Primary Classes: Wizard 4 60/100

    Secondary Classes: Scout 1 20/25

    INT: 30, AGI: 23, CHA: 25, STR: 23, CON: 30, PER: 32, LIF: 29, LUK 32, HLT: 22

    LFA: 109, MNA: 68, SPA: 69, ARA: 73, BLA: 59, WLA: 97, PSA: 81, ACA: 52, SLA: 68, VDA: 27, AEA: 61

    OVV: 6

    Health: 167/161

    Mana: 134/128

    Spirit: 75/69

    Aura: 79/73

    Blood: 65/59

    Will: 103/97

    Psionic: 87/81

    Arcane: 58/52

    Soul: 74/68

    Void: 33/27

    Aether: 67/61The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Tier I Skills: Soundless 10/10, Camouflage 10/10, Cuteness 5/10, Acting 9/10, Magic Sense 7/10, Dekami Runic Language 1/10, Magic Bolt 6/10, Magic Missile 1/10, Magic Sight 1/10, Magic Shield, Party Leader 1/10, Bare-handed Fighting 2/10, Threat Detection 4/10, English 1/10, Jozan 4/10

    Tier II Skills: Dispel 2/10

    Tier VII Skills: Rift Sense 1/10

    It also made the window take up even more space. Dammit. Is there any way to condense that?

    -0 INT

    Guess not. Would sure be nice it we could, though.

    Looking at my stats, I determine that the base value of the stats is whatever the Affinity is. For Health, it''s also increased by CON and HLT stats, but it has a base state as well ¨C LFA. That means it''s a resource I can pull on.

    Not sure I want to pull on my Health as a resource, though¡­

    That sounds dangerous.

    I''m a little amused by what I can only assume was a note to the System from itself on the Life Affinity Unlock message. I don''t think it thought anyone would unlock that Affinity, and so never got around to removing the note from whenever it was setting things up.

    +0 PER!

    +0 INT!

    It''s probably busy removing the message right now.

    +0 INT!

    I snort, and Christopher looks at me strange.

    That was definitely the hardest one to unlock, Life Affinity. Took me a few moments longer than Aether Affinity, whatever that is. I''ve at least heard of everything else.

    "What are all the Affinities you unlocked?" He asks, and I tell him. "Aether and Life are the two we didn''t know, though we always suspected Life had one, since everything listed separately like that had an Affinity attached to it, but no one could ever sense it and unlock it. Aether is a resource that''s told of only in myth and legend ¨C no one''s ever believed it to be one someone actually had. And for you to unlock all of the Affinities we knew of ¨C plus two more ¨C is just incredible. You truly are of our bloodline."

    "You mentioned that, earlier," I say. "What is a Bloodline?''

    "Complicated," he answers. "Most species, it''s the exact same. Our specific branch of humanity¡­ not so much. Instead of having the Human Bloodline, we often have varied monsters'' Bloodlines instead, and we''re not entirely sure why. Basically, the Bloodline you unlock grants further stat boosts, but they''re far, far greater than your Species''s boosts. However, it''s much more difficult to gain Experience for them. Even the eldest of our Elders has only managed to reach Level 8 of his Bloodline. We can work on unlocking that some other time.

    "For now," he shakes his head. "Let''s teach you the method toward increasing your pools. It''s the same for all of them, though I''m not sure on Life and Aether Affinities. To¡­ did you say there are eleven? You sounded so confident in that there are exactly eleven, not more."

    Something about his explanation of Bloodlines feels off to me, but I''m sure I''ll get the proper explanation eventually.

    "I gained a title," I nod, looking at the message in my view.

    Title Gained!

    Master of Pools: One who has unlocked every Affinity there is; no power is beyond your grasp. Even the power of Life and Aether will bend to your will, should you learn to shape them.

    "Set it," he tells me, and I do. "I can''t imagine that was easy to gain. What Tier is it?"

    "Third."

    "Incredible!" He laughs. "Your Bloodline must be truly incredible, for you to quickly unlock all of them."

    "It''s not going to be yours or hers?"

    "It''s possible," he nods. "But it could also be something else. Your mother and I have two different Bloodlines. Looking at your stats now, you still seem to have Mana that''s unaccounted for ¨C 68 Mana, to be exact."

    "It increased when Human and Wizard gained Levels."

    "I''m sure it did," he nods. "Both affect MNA. And yet¡­ it seems what you had access to wasn''t affected before. Did the Class and Species description change at all with the unlocks to indicate a separate thing affecting them?"

    "No," I answer.

    "Strange," he mutters.

    "What''s Overflow Value?"

    "Already?" He asks. "No one''s ever achieved that until Archwizard, earliest."

    "I''ve always had it," I nod. "But it''s now a visible stat, so I didn''t know what it was called."

    "I''m surprised you''ve unlocked it," he nods. "Overflow Value is how much higher than your caps your pools can reach, a sort of buffer, if you will. Normally, you can''t go above your caps without something external boosting that pool, such as a potion, but yours seem to hit that during natural regeneration. Interesting. Your Bloodline must be truly incredible.

    "Let''s move on to increasing your resource pools," he says.

    The process to doing that includes meditating and reflecting upon the pool itself, mentally willing it to expand, ever so slightly. He says that it''s akin to using that resource every day to expand the pool. For the first year or so, one can manage around one or two points a day, three or four if a Wizard, but after that, it can take a month or more of trying for each additional point.

    It''s strange that it requires me to will it to happen, yet doesn''t use up Will. Christopher explains that Will, as a resource, has an entirely different function. To expand the pool, I have to push at it with my actual will, making more space.

    At least, that''s how he describes it. That''s hard to figure, but I focus on doing that for my Mana, anyway. I sense the pool within me, focusing on trying to push it past what it can hold now. That sounds really weird to me, though.

    And it doesn''t really do anything. I''d think that trying to increase the density of my Mana would be more effective. Since the former method didn''t work, I try switching to the latter, gathering up a little bit of Mana and doing my best to compress it, to make it a little bit denser, thicker, so that it doesn''t take up as much space.

    As I focus on doing that, I notice a slight change. Just a tad bit more Mana than before, but not a full point. I stop the focus, and watch, seeing if the extra Mana remains, or dissipates out of me. It doesn''t, so I keep working at it, until, eventually, a full extra point of Mana forms.

    "I think I got it," I open my eyes, and Christopher frowns at me. "What?"

    "That''s a test we give to all," he says. "It''s impossible to do it that way."

    Yeah, no shit. Your explanation was suspicious as fuck.

    "I figured that out," I say. "I instead focused on condensing my Mana to make room for more, and-"

    "That''s¡­ unbelievable!" He laughs. "The others will get a real kick out of you doing that, Gavin!"

    "Are you making fun of me?"

    "No," he grins. "It''s the fact that you switched from trying to do an impossible task to something that''s close to it! They won''t believe me when I say you did that all on your own!"

    "So how many Witches and Wizards are there?"

    "Thirty-four," he answers. "Including yourself. Then there''s at least one Mage wandering around the universe."

    "What''s your Bloodline?"

    "Kesru Bloodline," he answers. "It boosts my Health and Mana by immense amounts, and my LIF by just a decent amount every Level. I''ve only gotten it to Level 3, and I unlocked it when I was twenty. I''m nearly four hundred."

    You don''t look it.

    "It also," he says. "Gives me the benefit of being able to walk between worlds, realms, and planes with no regard to their distance, which is why I''m the only one who goes to your world. It''s farther than any we know, and I only found it by accident. No one else has managed to get there."

    "What''s a continent?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "The king mentioned it in a journal. He said that the Dungeon''s link was a continent to the north, but I''ve never heard of that before. I know everything to the north ¨C and past that, it becomes the endless sea. I know the map of the entire world, and have never heard that term before."

    "A continent," he explains. "Is a massive body of land. The ''world'', as you know it, is just a continent. Your world is odd, in that its continents each sit in their own sort of plane, yet they''re all connected, like on other worlds, by the oceans ¨C what you''re calling the endless sea. Strangely, if you try to travel directly between them, you fail, no boat able to pass through whatever the distortion is. Flying, I ran into the same issue, and same with Teleporting. I had to resort to using Dungeon passages to find my way through, or leaving the world and reentering. There are two continents to the north of you, though I think the one you were sent to was the home of Oberon, the king of the fairies, and the home of the majority of the fairies. Not a fun place for Wizards."

    "Why?"

    "The southern part of that continent," he says. "Is safe, but the far northern part, where the fairies live, isn''t safe. Oberon and I had a few disagreements, and I find myself under attack anytime I go there. He''s ordered me to inform the order that his woods are off-limits, and that none of us are to approach any of his fairies. You know the overseer the message mentioned?" He asks. "The Divine Being of this realm, Merlin Abrosious? On your world, it''s a tree called Yggdrasil, the world tree. Oberon has lived in a palace at her base for far longer than any Wizard has lived, and his power is immense. He can prove a threat to me. If you do ever end up on that continent, do not, for any reason, go to him."

    Which conflicts directly with acquiring the Grimoire from Oberon.

    That might make things fun for me.

    "Okay," I say.

    I still have one Grimoire, so it''s not like I need the second one. Especially since it''ll probably take me forever to be good enough to prove worth to Oberon normally, anyway.

    "Also," Christopher says, and Rift Sense reacts to a Rift not far from us. "Get back!"

    He pushes me behind him, though I can still see what''s coming out of it.

    Rift Wolves are still as massive as they looked in my memories. Unless this one''s just bigger than those ones. It''s head is all that''s poking out of the Rift, and it fixes its golden gaze on me.

    Gavin, its voice reverberates in my head. Get in here. Now.

    "No," Christopher says firmly, and then is flung into the wall.

    Now.

    I can''t resist the force of the voice, my body moving on its own, no matter how much I fight it. In just moments, I''m through the rift, standing in front of a Dungeon entrance in a forest, the massive Rift wolf lying on the ground.

    The knowledge you gained is far too great for a child, it says. I have bound all your Affinities, save for Life Affinity and Mana Affinity. Those, you may keep unlocked.

    With a small flux of power in the air around me, I lose access to nine of my resource pools, and when I check my status screen, I find them and their Affinities no longer listed.

    The Title, you may keep. One day, you will unlock them again, but these powers are too great for you to possess now.

    "Give them back!" I charge the Rift Wolf, pounding my fists against it.

    The moment one connects, I''m thrown back, slamming into a tree, and blackness fills my vision.

 Chapter 0015 - Stage 1 of the Temple of Dar

    (Gavin)

    When I come to, the Rift Wolf is gone, and I still feel nothing less than anger. Anger at it, for taking me away from my family, from taking me away from all that knowledge, and from taking away access to those Affinities.

    At least I still have Life and Mana Affinities, and the HLT Stat is now visible, too, which means I can increase it through training, supposedly.

    It looks like I''m at the other end of the Dungeon''s entrance, meaning I''m probably back on my world, now.

    But where are my party members?

    I pull up the party screen, and find them no longer there. I''m still the Party Leader, but they''re all¡­ gone.

    Are they dead? I can''t see signs of a struggle.

    Christopher''s words come back to me.

    Sunday, the 4<sup>th</sup> Day of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Month of the 1,349th Year of the Age of Chaos

    A year and a third¡­

    The time difference for just one day was a year and a third.

    Time difference¡­

    A year and third passed here in the day I was there, but in the eleven years I was here, only eleven years passed, there. Time moved at the same rate between the two realms.

    What happened to my team in that time? Are they still alive? Are they dead? What happened to them? Did they leave my party simply because so much time had passed?

    Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the energies I had access to before, but apart from Mana and Life, they''re all gone. He locked them, which, I guess, means I can''t even sense them anymore.

    So I lost access to those, and my allies are gone, possibly dead or worse.

    What the hell do I do?

    Chattering nearby catches my attention, and I look over to see a short, humanoid creature with brown fur and a doggish face. It''s almost like a mix between a dog and a human, I realize as I see its paws. It''s holding a short sword in one paw and a shield in the other.

    Forest Kobold, Warrior 4

    Kobold¡­

    A monster.

    How do monsters gain Levels? Or Classes?

    It chatters some more at me, then charges.

    "Magic Bolt," I fire one off, and the kobold blocks it with its shield, which dents inward. "Magic Bolt!"

    I fire off two more, destroying the shield, and the kobold still charges me. I take several hasty steps back, falling on my rear as I fire off another Magic Bolt, this one catching it in the leg. The kobold falls to the ground, howling, and I fire off two more Magic Bolts, one hitting its chest, the other hitting its head.

    The beast dies.

    Loot Acquired!

    +1 Kobold Fur!

    +1 Kobold Tail!

    +1 Kobold Ear!

    I got three pieces of loot from that? Most people are lucky to get one piece of loot from a kill. I know my luck is good, but it''s not that good. Which is probably why I got the other message.

    +1 LUK!

    Very lucky things can cause it to increase.

    Looking around, I focus on my hearing, in case there are others nearby. Not detecting any, I stand up and scan my surroundings.

    Other than the Dungeon, there''s nothing around. If this is the same one I was supposed to leave through originally, then I could return to Jozan, but I don''t want to risk it.

    If it is, then to north of here is territory I shouldn''t enter, and to the south are the human settlements.

    I return to the entrance, and confirm it''s the other end to the second Dungeon. After waiting for my Mana to refill, I can try to gain some more Experience for my Class or Species by doing the first Stage.

    Clearing each part of a Stage grants a small amount of Experience. It''s not as much as being the first to clear the stage, but it''ll still be helpful. At Level 5 Human and Level 4 Wizard, I should be fine.

    Instead of going into the second Dungeon, I enter its natural form, which leads me into a large cavern with a tile floor.

    Each tile is roughly two feet on each side, big enough for me to stand on. Immediately, I''m nervous.

    This is a puzzle area, and it''s immediate. It shouldn''t be too hard, since this is a Tier 1 Dungeon, which are the easiest of them all, but most Dungeons don''t start off with a puzzle.

    Puzzles are part of how Dungeons trim groups down, once they get further in. That is, until the puzzle is solved and knowledge of how to solve it is spread.

    Except there''s no resources on how to solve this one, and those that do are probably far between.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Each tile is a color, and I can only see four. There are a ton of red, blue, and yellow tiles, but I can only spot a couple of green ones. The one I''m standing on is white, and has words written on it.

    To make it through the land of blood, you must first cross the forests, but before each forest is a desert, where you risk dehydration.

    What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

    Most people who come in here will have similar or lower INT, and the first areas are always designed for the weaker to be able to solve, even if for just a small touch of Experience that they''ll get for solving it.

    Which means that this can''t be too hard.

    To make it through the land of blood.

    I''m guessing that''s referring to the red tiles, since blood is red.

    You must first cross the forests.

    Forests¡­ there aren''t brown tiles, so probably the green ones.

    But before each forest is a desert.

    The yellow tiles, I think? I''ve heard desert sands are often yellow or near-white in color. There''s a green to my left, but north of that is a yellow tile.

    North. I should probably refer to them by their directions.

    To the north of me is a blue tile.

    Where you risk dehydration.

    It''s easy to figure that that one''s blue, for water.

    To make it through the land of blood.

    To make it past the red tiles. I''m guessing I''ll die instantly if I step on one of them, or something, since it''s referring to them as blood.

    It could, of course, be something as simple as taking damage, but I don''t want to risk it.

    To make it through the land of blood, you must first cross the forests.

    In other words: I probably have to step on every green tile. I could do that right now, but that''d be too easy, and there are still two more parts to the riddle.

    But before each forest is a desert.

    The couple of greens I can see have at least one yellow adjacent to them. The fact that it mentions that before each forest is a desert probably means I have to step onto the yellow tile before the green one.

    Where you risk dehydration.

    That follows deserts¡­ but it says I risk dehydration in deserts. Just as green is after yellow, can I only step on yellow after stepping on a blue?

    Determining that this is, in fact, the most likely solution, I begin moving. As I do, not a single negative thing happens to me. I can step on as many blue as I need to, it looks like, without repercussion. At one point, I have to step on nine blue in a row to get to the yellow to step on a green. That''s almost a direct path from one green to the next. Another time, I have to step on a blue, then a yellow, then a blue, then a yellow, several times until I reach the green.

    The final green tile I step on is the tile right in front of the black archway, through which I can see what looks like a church of some kind. There are rows of benches, and at the other end, an altar with a raised area behind him.

    I step through the passage, a message appearing in my vision.

    You have completed the Tiles of Blood of the Temple of Dar, Stage 1 for the first time!

    +10 Human Experience

    +10 Class Experience

    You are the first to complete the Tiles of Blood of the Temple of Dar, Stage 1!

    +10 Human Experience

    +10 Class Experience

    An unexplored Dungeon¡­

    Did the king leave it alone, for the day he''d need to send his son away, so that if it hadn''t been explored before, his son could train here?

    I check out the other message in my screen.

    Scout is now Level 2!

    +1 AGI

    +1 PER

    It looks like general Class Experience is split between all of my Classes. I wonder what the purpose of Primary Class is, since it split the Experience evenly between the two.

    And now I understand why there''s always a rush to complete Dungeons first, as well as to explore every aspect of it. Completing each part of it for the first time grants Experience, in addition to being the first to complete it, and it isn''t ''minor'' experience at any Level.

    And it grants Human Experience, too. I thought it only granted Class Experience.

    Human Experience, alone, is enough to warrant people trying to be the first to clear a Dungeon. The reward there must be massive, and likely enough to give Adventurers with a higher Level a significant boost, even if it''s not enough to get them to the next Level.

    The second area is suspiciously calm. The first didn''t have monsters, so this one should. Yet it''s just empty, save for the benches, the altar, the candles lit on the wall, and what appears to be a bath on the other side of the altar, its water clear as day.

    The stone this place is made of is a dark grey, and the benches are of a darker wood, one I''m unfamiliar with.

    I explore the entire room, but find no way out. All of the candles are identical and lit, there''s nothing on the benches or altar, and the room is, overall, pretty plain.

    Is this stage just one big logic thing? No monsters?

    It could, of course, be like the other Dungeon, where it''s just been so long since someone was in here, the monster or monsters are napping or something.

    No¡­

    Something tells me it''s another logical area, another puzzle of some sort.

    But what? There''s nothing here for me to go off of!

    I continue to search, growing increasingly frustrated as nothing reveals itself. No clues, no hints, nothing! It''s just-

    Calm the fuck down, Gavin.

    You''re a hunter, you''re a stalker, you''re a predator.

    You gain single-minded focus that takes in everything when you''re hunting. A puzzle like this shouldn''t make you lose your shit.

    Shouldn''t make me lose my shit.

    Why am I getting so frustrated?

    Because there''s nothing to go off of to figure out what to do for this puzzle. There is nothing to go off of, and that''s irritating, and-

    No!

    No¡­

    That is what is going on. Something''s influencing my thoughts. Closing my eyes, I focus on fighting the frustration. Then my brain starts to switch to getting frustrated about the frustration. I continue to fight it, pushing against the frustration, until my head feels like it''s about to burst.

    Just before then, a message pops up.

    Skill Gained!

    Mental Resistance 1/10: The power to resist mental effects.

    The frustration eases, confirming my thoughts that it was an effect of some sort.

    I push even harder against whatever it is, until it fades away.

    The moment it does, the sound of the bath draining suddenly fills the temple, and I approach the bath cautiously, peering into it. There''s a ladder set into the side of it, leading down into darkness below.

    The next stage.

    I descend the ladder, and when my feet touch the bottom, the chamber lights up.

    You have completed the Altar of Frustration of the Temple of Dar, Stage 1 for the first time!

    +10 Human Experience!

    +10 Class Experience!

    You are the first to complete the Altar of Frustration of the Temple of Dar, Stage 1!

    +10 Human Experience!

    +10 Class Experience!

    You have completed Stage 1 of the Temple of Dar for the first time!

    +10 Human Experience!

    +10 Class Experience!

    You are the first to complete Stage 1 of the Temple of Dar!

    +10 Human Experience!

    +10 Class Experience!

    +1 Warp Stone!

    I just gained 40 Human Experience, and 20 Class Experience to each of my Classes. Human gained another Level.

    After dismissing the windows, I scan the safe area. A timer tells me that I have twelve hours to rest up, and I could probably use a little bit of that.

    A table sits in the center of the room, fifteen beds scattered around the room, torches lining the wall, giving some warmth. The table is covered with a feast for a full party, and my stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven''t eaten since breakfast this morning.

    Or really, in over a year.

    And that I''m exhausted, too.

    Sitting down to eat, I devour as much food as can, filling my stomach until I''m stuffed. Then, exhausted, I lie down on a bed, letting myself pass out.

 Chapter 0016 - Nope

    As time ticks down, I stretch after having eaten another meal. It won¡¯t be too long before I¡¯m kicked into the next area.

    Since the first two areas were both mental challenges, the next area will probably be one as well. If it¡¯s a battle, and I can¡¯t handle it, I can always use the Warp Stone I got for completing the first Stage.

    Warp Stone: Allows for instantaneous warping to the Dungeon¡¯s entrance.

    Time hits zero, and the surroundings fade into a passage sixty feet in width and twenty in height, not all that different from the room I was previously in. Torches line the wall, giving off a little bit of light, but not enough to fully see everything in here, leaving the center area ¨C where I am ¨C fairly dark.

    Lining the walls are also ornate caskets, each slot for one well-illuminated by some unknown source. A chill runs down my spine. I¡¯ve never been a fan of the dead, and the fact that this passage is a hundred feet across creeps me out. There are three caskets per section, each section is roughly ten feet long.

    That¡¯s sixty dead people.

    Putting some energy into my steps, I move as quickly as I can to get to the exit opposite the ladder. Halfway across, the caskets starts to open up.

    Nope. Nopenopenopenopenope!

    Not doing undead!

    I run as fast as I can, ignoring the message that pops up.

    The exit turns red, and an armored undead steps out of it, then it fades back to just an exit.

    Undead, Death Knight 10

    ¡°Magic Bolt!¡± I yell, firing off shot after shot.

    A lot of it bounces off the thing¡¯s armor, but a few manage to hit exposed bone. I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re actually doing damage or not, but that doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I make it past its ugly sword and creepy self, I¡¯ll be good.

    As I get closer, I aim better, hitting its head more times than not. It moves its shield to protect its face, and I switch to the exposed bone of the arm supporting that shield. I hit that a few times, and the bone cracks. The Death Knight moves its arm to protect it with the shield, giving me a slight opening to the face for a moment, and I peg it with four Magic Bolts in a row.

    The Death Knight approaches me, and it swings its sword when it draws near. I duck under it, stepping around it and firing four more Magic Bolts at its back, causing it to stumble.

    Before it can turn around and get me, I¡¯m through the exit, tumbling to the ground. I lie there, gasping for breath.

    That was fucking terrifying.

    I fucking hate the fucking undead.

    You have completed the Crypt of the Temple of Dar, Stage 2 for the first time!

    +20 Human Experience!

    +20 Class Experience!

    You are the first to complete the Crypt of the Temple of Dar, Stage 2!

    +20 Human Experience!

    +20 Class Experience!

    Another Wizard Level, and Scout only needs five more Experience. I¡¯ve no idea if redoing a Stage will give more Experience or not, so I¡¯m going to try to do whatever this is. If it¡¯s more undead, I¡¯m probably going to just nope out of here with the Warp Stone and try the first Stage again to see if I¡¯ll get more Experience.

    The creaking of bones catches my attention, and without even looking to see the source, I pull the Warp Stone out of my ring and activate it, appearing outside of the Dungeon.

    Nope.

    Not doing it.

    Sitting outside of here, I allow my Mana to recover.

    There is another Dungeon I can try, and it¡¯s right here, too. That one was a nice, sunny grassland. No undead there, since they can¡¯t survive in sunlight.

    The thought that they could, of course, be crawling around under the grass, such as undead rabbits or snakes or something, does cross my mind.

    Once I catch my breath here, I look at my outfit. Still the Earth attire I was wearing. I¡¯m so glad I stuck all of my stuff into the ring before Christopher started training me.

    Looking around, I determine no one¡¯s around, so pull my clothes out and change. It feels so nice to be in my old clothes again, especially my boots. They¡¯re soft, they¡¯re comfortable, they make no almost no noise when I walk, and they¡¯re resistant to penetration.

    Looking at the Dungeon, once my Mana is filled, I decide to avoid it, even the secondary form. There was something in the distance, and if it was, like, a mountain or something, it could be teeming with undead.

    Nope.

    Not gonna risk it.

    Buh-bye.

    I start walking, making my way south. The team probably went that way, or ended up that way. I highly doubt Oberon¡¯s hatred is just to Wizards ¨C it could be to all Adventurers.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    After nearly two weeks of travel without seeing another soul ¨C leading me to believe the kobold was just coincidence ¨C I exit the forest, coming across plains. Not far from where I exited is a small town, the perfect first place to enter.

    I make my way to the front of the town, circling around its wall, then approach the gate. The two guards at the gate look at me, then say something in a language I can¡¯t understand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I hold my hands up. ¡°I don¡¯t speak your language.¡±

    The guards look at each other, unsure, then look back at me, one of them speaking again. I listen to their words.

    Skill Gained!

    Velusan Human Language 1/10: The human language of Velus

    Not enough for me to fully understand them. I can understand a couple of the words they¡¯re saying, but that¡¯s it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t speak your language,¡± I say again. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler from a faraway land, and want a place to sleep tonight.¡±

    I think he understands what I¡¯m saying, even if he doesn¡¯t understand my words. He says something about a fee. At least, I think he says something about a fee.

    Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think Jozan and this land use the same coin, if what Christopher told me holds true. The two lands aren¡¯t connected, except by that Dungeon.

    But I do have loot. Maybe if I show them the loot?

    I pull out the Kobold Ear I earned earlier, and the two guards stare at it. If loot is as rare as I think it is, then a pristine ear ¨C such as a loot drop ¨C would be valuable. Sure, I could have taken it off the kobold, but it wouldn¡¯t be in pristine form, like this.

    The guard who was speaking reaches out for it, and at first, I think he wants to take it as payment, but then I notice the way his hand is moving.

    ¡°Magic Bolt,¡± I summon one and hold it right in front of his face. ¡°My village once had a passing thief attempt to steal Chief¡¯s ring off his finger. A few moments later, he was nothing more than a corpse.¡±

    The guard pauses. He can¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, but he can definitely understand my tone, and my Level 7 Magic Bolt, combined with my 32 INT, means that unless he¡¯s an Adventurer or wearing enchanted armor ¨C which a quick appraisal says he isn¡¯t either ¨C he has no defense against it.

    Both guards pale, and the one who attempted to steal my ring steps back, sweating.

    He says something that sounds like an apology, and I allow the Magic Bolt to dissipate. Then, the guard looks at the other one, telling him something. I think he¡¯s telling him to go get someone.

    The other guard nods, then enters the village. Ten minutes later, he returns with a man easily around twenty or so.

    David, Human 4, Scout 25, Archer 13

    Adventurer. He probably can¡¯t understand me, though.

    ¡°What?¡± He looks at the first guard, then at me.

    I understood that word, and a few others. I hear the guard carefully pronounce ¡®Magic Bolt¡¯ for a moment, gesturing to me as he says something else. Did he just say it in their language?

    Velusan Human Language is now Level 2!

    I can understand their language a lot better, now. I thank the System, knowing that it probably did that on its own, so that I could communicate with them a little bit.

    +0 INT?

    Question mark?

    ¡°The System rarely picks children,¡± I think he says. ¡°Just because he used a spell, doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s an Adventurer.¡±

    At least they call them that here, too.

    I know his status in their language, too, I determine.

    ¡°David, Human 4, Scout 18, Archer 3,¡± I carefully say in their language, and the Adventurer looks at me. ¡°Language Skill gained, I speak a little, now.¡±

    ¡°How did you know my stats?¡± David asks.

    ¡°I looked at you.¡±

    ¡°Appraisal is one of the hardest Skills to gain,¡± he says. ¡°Even the best on the continent doesn¡¯t have it. Where do you come from.¡±

    ¡°Very, very far away.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that before,¡± he mutters, looking me up and down. ¡°Jozan?¡±

    He knows the country. I nod.

    ¡°Had three boys come by from there,¡± he says. ¡°Two winters past. Never did understand what they said about where they came from. I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very, very far away.¡±

    ¡°Only the fairies are north.¡±

    ¡°We come from the south.¡±

    ¡°You came from the north,¡± he says. ¡°As did they.¡±

    ¡°And yet from the south is our home,¡± I state. ¡°They be my friends. I¡¯m looking for them. Got stuck in time¡­ time¡­ time¡­ got stuck in time? Fuck this Skill Level.¡±

    ¡°That came across clear!¡± He laughs. ¡°Come, Adventurer, and we shall talk.¡±

    Velusan Human Language is now Level 3!

    Did the System just do that again?

    +0 INT?

    It isn¡¯t sure?

    +0 INT!

    Is it some passive thing I have?

    +0 INT?

    Possibly, then. So I have something passive that gives me a boost to learning languages and Leveling them.

    +0 INT?

    If the System can¡¯t figure it out, it must not be something common. Hell, it could be related to why I have extra Mana that¡¯s not from my MNA.

    -0 INT!

    ¡°Whatchu looking at?¡± The Adventurer asks.

    ¡°Just thinking about something,¡± I say. ¡°It appears that I have a passive bonus to learning and Leveling Language Skills. Can you tell me what happened to my friends?¡±

    ¡°The boys who came through here?¡± He asks, and I nod. ¡°It was two winters ago. They were wounded and scared, and something about their party leader not leaving the Dungeon. They were saying something about using the Dungeon to leave their home and reach here, which made no sense at all.¡±

    ¡°Are they still here?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he answers. ¡°They said they had a quest. They waited a full month before leaving, though. Their party leader never arrived and they created a new party, I think. They said they¡¯d waited a full month at the Dungeon itself, despite the freezing cold, and he never left the Dungeon. When they reentered, he wasn¡¯t there. Then they left, said they needed to get stronger to reclaim the throne.¡±

    ¡°Do you know where they went?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Why are you searching for them?¡± He asks.

    He thinks I¡¯m after them, but at the same time, something¡¯s off, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it.

    ¡°I¡¯m their Party Leader,¡± I state. ¡°When I went to leave the Dungeon, I was pushed into a Rift that suspended me in time. I only just managed to return a few weeks ago, and came from the Dungeon to here. This was the nearest village when I left the forest, so this is where I came. I¡¯m supposed to protect them, and need to find them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where they¡¯re at now,¡± he says. ¡°Though if you stay the night, I can possibly find out as you sleep.¡±

    Something warns me of danger.

    Then I realize what it is.

    He hasn¡¯t broken eye contact with me once. I¡¯m wearing a spatial ring, and he likely knows that, since I can sense magic around him. Any Adventurer can identify spatial rings by sight. Not only that, but they likely told him about it.

    And they¡¯re incredibly rare, and reserved only for the most powerful.

    Yet his gaze hasn¡¯t looked to it once.

    ¡°If they¡¯re not here,¡± I say. ¡°Then I¡¯ve no reason to stay the night, and will continue to search for my team to the south.¡±

    ¡°I insist,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯ve traveled a long way to come here, and-¡±

    ¡°And I said ¡®no¡¯,¡± I summon a Magic Bolt. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay in a village filled with people after the spatial ring in my possession.¡±

    ¡°Listen here kid,¡± he snarls, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°A child like you couldn¡¯t do much against an experienced Adventurer like me, now put away your basic magic and give me your ring, before you get hurt.¡±

    I fire the bolt at his face, and he moves to avoid it. I fire off two more, the second one hitting him square in the face.

    20+ Level Difference, 10+ Level Difference

    +10 Human Experience!

    +10 Class Experience!

    Scout gained another Level.

    I look at the guard who attempted to take the ring initially, and he looks scared.

    ¡°Magic Bolt.¡±

    +1 Human Experience!

 Chapter 0017 - Coliseum

    A week after I left that thieving village behind, I finally see another town, a town where several roads meet. There are others walking along the paths that met up with this one, though none of them travel alone.

    I¡¯m the only one walking alone.

    As we near the city, the crowd gets thicker and thicker as more paths joins this one. I¡¯m given a few sideways glances, but nothing more than that.

    Well, a couple of thieves attempt to pick my pockets, but I have everything in the ring, and no one I¡¯ve seen so far have recognized it for what it is.

    ¡°It¡¯s not often I see a kid with a Mana Pool the size of yours,¡± a low voice says behind me as I walk on the path. I continue walking. ¡°Nor one with a spatial ring. Are you truly thirteen, as your status suggests?¡±

    I glance over my shoulder. He¡¯s not much taller than me, though he¡¯s definitely older. I¡¯d put him in his forties.

    Collin, Assassin (II) 24, Martial Artist 19, Ranger (II) 7

    Title: Lord of Death

    ¡°Are you truly in your forties, as your features suggest?¡± I ask, and he chuckles. ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the Wizard Class before,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of around half a dozen magic-based Classes, since the shift two winters ago that increased the amount who qualify and enabled magic-based Classes.¡±

    ¡°Wizard is a rare one,¡± I answer. ¡°It has a very, very strict requirement. Singular, and yet incredibly rare. How did you get your Title?¡±

    ¡°You can see it?¡± He asks, eyes widening in surprise just a little bit.

    ¡°Lord of Death,¡± I nod. ¡°Your name is Collin, and you have three Classes, two of which are of the second Tier. Why is Martial Artist listed before Ranger?¡±

    ¡°Primary Class,¡± he answers. ¡°Ranger is a result of bringing Archer and Scout to Level 25 and accepting and completing the corresponding Quest. Lord of Death is a Tier I assassination Title. You don¡¯t seem to be intimidated by me.¡±

    ¡°I have a Level 4 Threat Detection,¡± I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not triggering for you. There¡¯s always the chance that you can fool it, but right now, you aren¡¯t, and with my current LUK stat, I doubt I¡¯d be this unlucky.¡±

    Then again, that fucking Rift Wolf was fucking unlucky as fuck.

    ¡°So how does a child like you have such an immense Mana Pool?¡± Collin asks.

    ¡°Natural Affinity,¡± I answer. ¡°Plus the Wizard Class. I also know a way to increase my Mana Affinity over time, outside of simply training.¡±

    ¡°And the ring?¡± He asks.

    ¡°How did you get yours?¡±

    He chuckles, pulling off his glove-covered hand to reveal a large, black ring with a ruby set into it, the metal engraved in gold with various runes and lines.

    ¡°How did you know I possessed one?¡± He asks.

    ¡°What¡¯s your Appraisal Skill at?¡±

    ¡°Six,¡± he answers. ¡°Yours?¡±

    ¡°Hidden,¡± I shrug. ¡°I can¡¯t see it. I could sense magic around your ring, and the magic reads similar to the magic of my ring, so I figured it was a spatial ring, too. Smaller, but a ring, nonetheless.¡±

    ¡°I am the Guild Master of the Hunter¡¯s Guild,¡± he states. ¡°One of the few in the world with a spatial ring.¡±

    The world is much larger than you think, Lord of Death.

    ¡°How did you come across your ring?¡±

    ¡°It was a gift from a slain king.¡±

    ¡°I find it difficult to believe you killed a King.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± I shrug. ¡°His advisers had him killed. The ring ¨C and its contents ¨C were all part of Quests he gave me, to ensure that though they won the land, they would be spending a long time rebuilding.¡±

    Something tells me I can trust him. He¡¯s like an animal, I think. He says what¡¯s on his mind, and is open. He¡¯s honest, and he¡¯s not someone to cross. He¡¯ll protect what¡¯s his.

    ¡°From where do you hail?¡± He asks. ¡°I know of no slain kings in recent history.¡±

    ¡°Beyond the turbulent seas,¡± I answer. ¡°There are ways to cross the continents of this world through Dungeons, and the late king granted me and my party a way. As we were coming here, I got stuck in a Rift and ended up leaving the Dungeon more than a year after they did. I¡¯m now looking for them.¡±

    ¡°Teus,¡± he gestures ahead. ¡°The city we¡¯re heading for, is at a crossroads, where four great paths converge. Many traders, travelers, and Adventurers come through. In addition, there¡¯s a Dungeon within it. Two, actually, but only those with at least one Tier II Class can enter the other. It would be an excellent place to try to collect information on your friends. The prices to stay are quite expensive. Do you have currency?¡±

    ¡°Of my homeland¡¯s,¡± I nod. ¡°But not of here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you enter with me,¡± he says. ¡°As I doubt you have the necessary fee to enter, then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got three pieces of loot from a kobold,¡± I say. ¡°I tried telling the last village I was at that I could pay them back after selling them, if that was enough, but my language Skill wasn¡¯t high enough yet for us to communicate, and they tried to steal my ring. They¡¯re now short a guard and an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who killed him?¡± He asks, then laughs, drawing stares from around before dropping his voice. ¡°Serves them right. I¡¯ve never much liked that village. I do remember that last spring, a trio of boys left that village. They would¡¯ve been around your age, but back then. One of them was a beastborn, which is quite curious, because we¡¯ve only heard of them in stories.¡±

    ¡°Michael,¡± I say. ¡°Squire, Novice, and Royal.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods. ¡°Those were their Classes. Kade and Tyler were the last two. They had difficulties leaving that village. I¡¯m not sure what happened to them after. I think I know the Dungeon you speak of, especially since we¡¯ve been speaking in Jozan the last few minutes.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°We have?¡± I ask, then realize that we are speaking in Jozan. I didn¡¯t catch that. ¡°You speak it?¡±

    ¡°I knew Wendell,¡± he nods. ¡°He told me of the Dungeon, and its passage between the two continents. To think that the world we know isn¡¯t all there is to the world was quite the shock. I never thought there could be anything beyond the turbulent seas.¡±

    ¡°Neither did I,¡± I admit. ¡°So how come we¡¯re speaking in Jozan?¡±

    ¡°Two reason,¡± he answers. ¡°The first was to see if your slain king was my old friend, and the second is because I¡¯m not known for talking to people, and so speaking in a language none of them can understand humors me, and allows for a greater level of privacy in our conversation, as they¡¯d want to hear what the mysterious Guild Master of the Hunter¡¯s Guild has to say. They never tried communicating while I was around, which might be why I never learned they spoke Jozan. If you stay in the city, I¡¯ll reach out to the various branches of the Guild, and see if I can locate your team for you.¡±

    ¡°You seem oddly trustful of me.¡±

    ¡°I can read lies,¡± he says simply. ¡°You¡¯ve been entirely honest with me. I can also sense your desire to reunite with your team and rain a divine justice upon those that overthrew your kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Is reading lies a Skill?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he confirms. ¡°Though it¡¯s quite difficult to obtain.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me various truths and lies?¡± I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. ¡°I have a small boost to learning Skills, as a result of my Class. I want to see if it¡¯ll boost me on this.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he says, then starts telling me various things, and I can¡¯t tell which ones are truth or lie, though I do my best to.

    As we reach the city, a message appears in my vision.

    Skill Gained!

    Lie Detection 1/10: The ability to discern lies from the truth.

    ¡°It¡¯s only Tier I?¡± I say in shock, and he laughs.

    ¡°Tiers are a bit odd,¡± he says. ¡°Many of the Tier I Skills should be a higher Level. The real difference is actually that Tier I is a throwaway Tier., when it comes to Skills. Any Skill, of any level, can be on it. They all count the same, though, and reward the same amount of Experience for mastering: your Level times ten.

    ¡°All Tier I Skills,¡± he continue. ¡°Only act on one Tier. All Skills above have four Tiers to them. Once you master the first Tier of that Skill, you gain Experience and it turns to Level 1 of the next Tier. Tier VII is the highest natural Tier, with Tier X being the highest-possible Tier. At least, supposedly. In our records, no one¡¯s ever managed to get any Tier VI or VII Skill mastered.¡±

    Kade told me that, back on the trip to the Dungeon.

    We arrive at the gates to the city, having passed up everyone in line, and the guards wave us through. Collin leads me to the Hunter¡¯s Guild, which sits between the entrances of the two Dungeons. He introduces me to their system here, including their own version of tags (which are still just tags that hang around the neck).

    After that, Collin tells me that in addition to the two Dungeons, there¡¯s also the Coliseum in town, a massive arena where people battle it out. Some do it to the death, others just fight until the other is disabled. There are no rules there when battling one of the prisoners.

    I thank him, then leave, my Acting Skill useful for not showing my amusement at everyone looking at me, trying to figure out where I¡¯m from with my language, and I get the sense that Collin is utilizing an Acting Skill as well.

    Deciding to check out the Coliseum, I make my way there, but am turned away due to not having the four-silver fee. I find a loot shop to sell my stuff at, and leave there with ten silver, then make my way back to the Coliseum.

    Fee paid, I make my way inside and take a seat near the front. It¡¯s pretty empty, but it looks like they¡¯re only just starting to pick back up from lunch.

    My growling stomach reminds me that I still need to eat, but I tell it to hush as I look at the match going on.

    A few hours pass as I watch Adventurers and regular people battle it out. Every now and then, they bring out prisoners and have them battle other prisoners or monsters or even Adventurers.

    The last case is brutal. Someone without access to the System is pretty much a nothing to an Adventurer, and the Adventurers are pretty cruel.

    ¡°And now,¡± the announcer calls out. ¡°We¡¯re bringing out a crowd favorite!¡±

    The crowd cheers louder than any I¡¯ve heard before.

    ¡°But first! To battle him, we have a member of the Dark Swords Guild! He¡¯s not an Adventurer, but if anyone will qualify, he will, so it¡¯s only a matter of time!¡±

    A large, bulky man dressed in dark armor, a massive, evil-looking sword on his hip, steps out onto the field.

    ¡°As always!¡± The announcer continues. ¡°There is a reward for anyone who can beat our crowd favorite! And! I¡¯ve just been informed by the owner just moments ago that the reward has been increased from ten high gold to twenty high gold!¡±

    Ten silver to a high silver, ten high silver to a gold, ten gold to a high gold.

    That¡¯s¡­

    That¡¯s a lot of money.

    Damn.

    This guy looks powerful and tough, far tougher than anyone they¡¯ve brought out before.

    He looks confident, cocky, and dangerous, and I sense a dark power within him, even if he doesn¡¯t have access to the System.

    ¡°This little guy has been one of our best fighters since we gained him eight years ago!¡± The announcer says. ¡°He¡¯s small, but he¡¯s fast, and he¡¯s strong ¨C and that¡¯s without access to the System, too! Let us introduce our reigning Champion, Warren!¡±

    Out walks a boy around my age, with slightly pointed ears, shimmering green hair, emerald green eyes, and sparkly cheeks, a swirling green design that sparkles more than his cheeks beside his right eye. He¡¯s wearing nothing more than a loin cloth, his lean, toned body visible, an unusual power filling him.

    He looks scared and beaten, so they clearly don¡¯t put him against anyone who truly can beat him. They probably don¡¯t use Adventurers against him because they don¡¯t want to kill him.

    ¡°This,¡± the warrior draws his sword and points it at the boy. ¡°Is to prove that even if an Adventurer can¡¯t best you, you are still beatable.¡±

    He¡¯s fought Adventurers? They were probably low in Levels, then.

    The announcer makes some comments about how the odds are against the prisoner this time, and as he speaks, a look of shock crosses the prisoner¡¯s face.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The warrior laughs. ¡°I may not be an Adventurer, but through the secrets of my Guild, I might as well be one!¡±

    That¡¯s not what he¡¯s shocked about, judging by his expression. I quickly appraise the kid again, only barely containing my own shock.

    He just gained access to the System, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s shocked me.

    Warren, Fairy 1, Martial Artist 1

    He¡¯s a fairy.

    The warrior charges the fairy, whose mouth moves, a new language reaching my ears. A moment before the warrior reaches him, the fairy fills with an unusual magic, and suddenly stands behind the warrior, his foot lashing out, catching the warrior in the back.

    That power¡­

    It feels like the Spirit I gained access to.

    Thinking about that raises my anger again, and I push it down, focusing on the fight. This boy can use Spirit.

    He moves fast, strikes hard. He only used that one spell, whatever it was. He breaks the warrior¡¯s sword, dents up his armor, and by the end of the fight, the warrior is barely breathing.

    The crowd is silent for several long seconds.

    Then it breaks into booing. The fairy turns and walks back to the gate he came from, which raises. Once it closes behind him, medics rush out to the field to move the warrior away.

    ¡°And it seems, once again,¡± the announcer calls out. ¡°None can best Warren! As always, his speed and martial skill surpass the challengers! Is there anyone else willing to go up against him today? Or will he, once again, only be challenged by a single soul?¡±

    Another warrior challenges him. Then a magician. No one bests him, his speed unmatched. When he fights the magician, as he calls upon his strange magic with Spirit, I sense something near him, and realize what Spirit is for.

    Communicating and using spirits. He¡¯s summoning a spirit that bestows him with speed.

    ¡°Any more challengers?¡± The announcer asks. ¡°Or will he, yet again, go unbeaten?¡±

    To hell with this.

    I jump over the edge of the seating, landing in a roll thirty feet down, then stand up.

    ¡°We have a challenger from the crowd!¡± The announcer calls out, and there are some hesitant cheers. The fairy looks at me oddly as I walk to the center of the arena and stare at him. ¡°Challenger! Care to share your name and stats?¡±

    ¡°Begin,¡± I command, and the crowd falls silent.

    ¡°A boy of few words!¡± The announcer laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t be shocked when you lose, kid! This kid can¡¯t be bested by some of the greatest Adventurers who challenge him!¡±

    I¡¯d estimate his AGI to be around 25 when he uses that skill. Any good Adventurer probably doesn¡¯t bother.

    ¡°Begin!¡± He calls out.

 Chapter 0018 - The First Duel

    The fairy begins to cast his spell.

    ¡°Magic Bolt,¡± I summon a Magic Bolt, and he moves, probably to keep me from being able to focus on him.

    I watch him as he casts his spell. He¡¯s fast already, his lips and that language moving quickly to form the spell. I sense the magic surrounding him shift, sense the spirit appearing beside him.

    Then fire the spell.

    The fairy dodges.

    The spirit tries to, realizing only too late that the boy wasn¡¯t my target when the second Magic Bolt passes through it, the boy¡¯s magic dissipating. His Spirit Pool is still lower, though.

    He stares at me in shock, but only for a moment.

    Then he lunges at me. He¡¯s fast, I¡¯ll give him that. But without his spirit-enhanced speed, I¡¯m twice his speed.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what happened!¡± The announcer calls out as I dodge the fairy¡¯s various martial attacks. He¡¯s good ¨C better than me ¨C and he dodges my Magic Bolts, too. ¡°But the new challenger somehow disrupted the Champion¡¯s speed spell!¡±

    The fairy suddenly jerks backwards, his lips forming that language again, and this time, he does his best to keep the spirit from being struck by my spell. I listen, trying to make out what he¡¯s saying, and when he finishes, having dodged all of my Magic Bolts, he gains the same burst of speed he did in the other fights.

    He¡¯s barely slower than me, now. It¡¯s likely a difference of a single point.

    But that single point is all I need to continue to dodge his strikes, barely able to spare a glance to the message that appeared as I listened to his spell.

    Skill Gained!

    Silvar Spirit Language 1/10: The primary language of communication to spirits, used to cast spirit magics

    His spell lasts for five minutes, and by the time it wears off, both of us are starting to breathe heavily.

    He begins to chant another time, dodging my assault of Magic Bolts.

    Until he doesn¡¯t notice the one aimed at his right leg. It strikes him just before he finishes the chant, and he drops to the ground, clutching his leg. He glares at me, rolling away from my next assault of Magic Missiles, a new chant forming on his lips. He requesting for tougher skin, I think, and my attacks on the spirit miss.

    He gets back to his feet once the spell completes, and take one of my Magic Bolts directly to the chest right after, the spell catching him off-guard.

    It throws him back, and when he stands again, he¡¯s got a massive bruise and burn on his chest. He looks to be in pain, but he¡¯s swallowing it for the fight. That did a number on his body, I¡¯m sure of it. This spell felt weaker, somehow.

    It takes me about a minute to realize he can only sustain one spell at a time, though his last one has faded by then, another speed one active.

    We¡¯re both nearly exhausted. His Spirit is high, though I doubt he¡¯s ever really had to cast more than one or two chants in a battle before.

    The announcer won¡¯t shut up, and that¡¯s distracting me.

    The fairy gets in my guard, far more used to fighting longer battles than I am, his focus stronger than mine.

    ¡°Magic Bolt,¡± I hastily summon another one just before his fist connects with my face.

    I¡¯m thrown to the side of the ring, my ears ringing, head pounding. The crowd ¨C and the announcer ¨C are silent.

    My body feels so weak. He took out a lot of my Health with that one, speed-enhanced strike, and he¡¯d already worn down my Health a little bit with various strikes he¡¯d given me.

    Gritting my teeth, I stand back up and brush my clothes off, pushing the pain to the back of my mind.

    Skill Gained!

    Pain Resistance 1/10: Pain tolerance

    Ever helpful with your descriptions, System.

    +0 CHA!

    Nice sarcasm.

    +0 CHA!

    I look at the fairy, whose eyes are closed as he rests in the rubble of the wall. He took the Magic Bolt directly to his chest, and it gained a Level during the fight. That, combined with my INT and his CON, meant he took a lot of damage. I¡¯m surprised it didn¡¯t kill him, but perhaps that¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t trying to kill him?

    +0 INTThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    No modifier at the end of that¡­

    After a few moments, the fairy¡¯s eyes open, and he looks down at his chest, which is now covered in an even larger bruise and burn, and he sighs, leaning his head back and looking relieved.

    He¡¯s relieved that he lost the fight?

    ¡°It looks like,¡± the announcer calls out. ¡°Warren has conceded this fight! Never before has someone managed to interrupt his magic, and never before has someone survived this long in a match against him! Magician ¨C congratulations! You¡¯re now twenty gold richer!¡±

    The crowd cheers.

    I look up at the announcer.

    ¡°Take the gold,¡± I say, and the crowd falls silent. ¡°And shove it where the sun don¡¯t shine. In exchange, I¡¯ll be taking the fairy.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± The announcer laughs. ¡°Sorry, but the slave isn¡¯t for sale. We do have a fine selection of other slaves, if you¡¯d like, though-¡± a Magic Bolt slams into an invisible barrier in front of him. It figures he¡¯s protected. ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t do that!¡±

    The fairy quietly begins another chant, and I look over at him, wondering what he¡¯s doing as the announcer tells me that I¡¯ve forfeited my right to a reward.

    The fairy¡¯s chant finishes, and all of his remaining Spirit drains away as my body surges with power, my INT doubling.

    ¡°Magic Bolt,¡± I summon another one, and it feels far, far stronger than it should just from a doubled INT. ¡°The fairy will be leaving with me, free.¡±

    I fire off the Magic Bolt, and it slams into the barrier, shattering it and blasting past the announcer¡¯s head, slamming into the wall behind him.

    Not one sound is made for a solid minute.

    ¡°The owner has signed the papers granting Warren freedom,¡± the announcer hastily informs us. ¡°He may leave.¡±

    I turn and make my way out of the arena, the fairy following behind me. Once we¡¯re a fair distance away, I stop walking and look at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie to you,¡± I say. ¡°But I rescued you for entirely selfish reasons.¡±

    ¡°I will fight you every moment of it,¡± he says, causing me to wonder what else people do to fairies.

    ¡°You see,¡± I say. ¡°I need to talk with Oberon, your peoples¡¯ king, at some point in the future, except he doesn¡¯t particularly like my people. He has something I want. I figure that rescuing a fairy isn¡¯t a bad way to attempt to get on his good side. I do have to ask, though ¨C with magic like yours, how did you get caught?¡±

    ¡°I was caught when I was five,¡± he glares at me. ¡°My spirit spells weren¡¯t as powerful back then. Father always told me to use the Gift of Speed in a fight against human, because the extra speed deals extra damage, and humans have to be strong Adventurers to really be able to counter it. I haven¡¯t met one yet who could. How did you hit the spirit?¡±

    ¡°I could sense it hovering beside you as you chanted.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°Spirits aren¡¯t a part of this realm, you shouldn¡¯t be able to strike it. And rescuing me won¡¯t put you in his high regards, especially if it was specifically to get ¡®on his good side¡¯, as you put it. You should have just taken the twenty gold. Now I¡¯ve access to the System, it¡¯s only a matter of time before I¡¯d be strong enough to break my way out of there and kill every last one of those bastards.¡±

    ¡°We can come back at some other point for that,¡± I say.

    ¡°We?¡± He snorts.

    ¡°There are Adventurers even stronger than me,¡± I state. ¡°Would you rather be on your own as you make your way back to the fairy lands? Or train with another Adventurer, and have some semblance of safety when you eventually feel strong enough to make the trip alone?¡±

    He doesn¡¯t respond, and I send him a Party Invite. Not even a moment later, he¡¯s accepted it.

    ¡°Where are you staying?¡± He asks.

    ¡°I only have six silver,¡± I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough for us to get a room for the night. What say we go check out a Dungeon and grind out some loot? With my 34 LUK, we¡¯re bound to get a few things if we grind long enough, no?¡±

    ¡°Even with your absurd regeneration,¡± he says. ¡°I really don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to grind long enough for loot we can use to pay for an inn tonight.¡±

    ¡°We can find a cheap one for tonight,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find enough loot to afford that. Then, tomorrow, we can grind out more loot.¡±

    ¡°It takes me ¨C like most ¨C over an hour to restore a single point of any resource,¡± he says. ¡°An hour and a half per point, for me. Several days to restore to full. I drained all of my Spirit to fight you, then buff you strong enough to allow you to break through their barrier.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, for that,¡± I say.

    ¡°I only did it so you¡¯d scare them enough they¡¯d free me.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± I smile at him. ¡°We¡¯re both doing things for selfish reasons. Let¡¯s go grind the shit out of a Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± he mumbles, and we start walking. ¡°Since you¡¯re clearly new here, why don¡¯t I just give you information on the Dungeon?¡±

    ¡°You know about the Dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Prisoners talk,¡± he says, irritation clear in his voice. ¡°Yes, I know about the Dungeon. The one you can enter is mostly a combat one. The first stage is a cavern with ten kobolds in it. The next part of the first Stage is the beginnings of a mine filled with kobolds. Blocking the entrance to the safe area is a Boss kobold. The second Stage is a continuation of the mines, with the second portion being another cavern, though you can¡¯t see all of it when you enter. That room simply has a single Boss in it, another kobold. Much like the first kobold Boss, it¡¯s massive compared to the others. The rest area can¡¯t be accessed unless you beat the Boss ¨C it¡¯s blocked off by a gate that doesn¡¯t exist until the Boss is dead. People have tried to break through, but fail. The third and final Stage continues the mines, the second part of the Stage essentially being the same as with the Second Stage.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he continues. ¡°The monsters and Bosses get harder the further down you go. All monsters, Bosses included, respawn after a minute. Sixty seconds. Are you really restoring a point of Mana every two minutes and eighteen seconds?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I do my best not to laugh at his sudden switch. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I can sense your Mana,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s a trait inherent to fairies. If you train hard enough, you may, eventually, gain Magic Sense. Mastering that will grant you Mana Sense.¡±

    ¡°I already have Magic Sense Level 9,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to Mana Sense. I didn¡¯t realize it was an inherent trait.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he nods. ¡°So is Magic Sense. It¡¯s how I know you¡¯re powerful, and how I know you¡¯re strong. You might be able to grind out the first floor, but there isn¡¯t much useful loot in there. Mostly, we¡¯d be hoping for loot from the monsters themselves. Later into the Dungeon, we could mine items, if we had the gear and enough people to protect us while we did. In the final cavern, there are some pretty nice crystals people use in jewelry and some weapons. Most Dungeons are filled with undead, and the crystals have holy properties to them, affording some protection and effectiveness.

    ¡°Of course,¡± he says. ¡°That would require us being strong enough to even make it down there in the first place. Make it past the first part of Stage 1, in the first place. As long as we stay near the entrance-¡±

    ¡°Or just peg the kobolds in the face with Magic Bolts,¡± I say. ¡°That worked in the forest. Unless they¡¯re stronger kobolds. Then it might take two or three. Once my Mana drops, we can leave so I can rest up, then we can go back in. We¡¯ll probably not get much sleep tonight, unless we get enough loot quickly enough.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± he says, and we finish the walk to the Dungeon in silence.

    We rest for a few minutes, then I ask him if he¡¯s ready.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not used to fighting,¡± he shrugs. ¡°I just can¡¯t cast any more Gifts right now.¡±

    ¡°Want me to set Party Experience to Shared?¡±

    ¡°Shared?¡± He frowns.

    ¡°It splits Experience evenly between all members of the Party, even if they didn¡¯t help with that particular kill.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°Inhuman creatures have an Experience penalty, so the rare points of Experience you¡¯ll gain will just be wasted on me.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°Let me know if you do.¡±

    ¡°I just remembered something,¡± he looks at me. ¡°But the longer you¡¯re in an area training, the more monsters that will spawn. We may have to leave before you restore to full.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯ll never know until we go inside.¡±

 Chapter 0019 - The Second Dungeon

    ¡°Is the Dungeon open?¡± I ask the guard lounging by the gate.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need a bigger team than just two,¡± he says, not really looking at us. ¡°Especially as children.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve cleared an entire first Stage solo,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯re only planning on grinding the first room to get some Experience and loot.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he says. ¡°Even if you two were Adventurers ¨C which I doubt ¨C even the first room is dangerous to do for two children. You¡¯re simply not powerful enough, nor have trained enough, to be capable of doing any Dungeon. I highly doubt you¡¯ve managed to clear a first Stage solo before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve also killed an Adventurer,¡± I summon a Magic Bolt. ¡°And I will gladly kill another who prevents me from entering a Dungeon when there¡¯s no requirement from the Dungeon itself that says I need to be higher than a Level 6 Human, Level 5 Wizard, and Level 3 Scout. So tell me now, jackass ¨C is the Dungeon open?¡±

    The guard stares at my Magic Bolt, the sheer power of such a simple spell clear to him.

    ¡°Threatening a member of the Hunters¡¯ Guild,¡± he begins.

    ¡°Is the most effective way to get shit done,¡± I finish for him. ¡°Answer my fucking question, or I¡¯ll kill you the same I did the Adventurer who tried to steal my spatial ring.¡±

    The guard¡¯s eyes flick down my to hand, then widen.

    ¡°It¡¯s open.¡±

    I let the Magic Bolt dissipate.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, now was it?¡± I ask him. ¡°We¡¯ll wait a couple of minutes before we enter, so that I may restore the two points of Mana I lost. Should take me less than five.¡±

    The guard just nods, and after my Mana is restored, Warren and I enter the Dungeon.

    The first room is, indeed, a decent-sized chamber with ten of the dog-faced kobolds hanging about within it. It¡¯s made of stone that¡¯s been roughly mined-out, and there are a few crystals in the walls of the cavern providing light.

    Not enough the cavern¡¯s brightly illuminated, but it¡¯s enough to see clear enough for a fight.

    ¡°Magic Bolt,¡± I summon the first one, killing a kobold instantly.

    The only thing that drains on me as Warren and I fight is having to say the name of the Skill every time I cast it.

    After ten minutes of me casting Magic Bolt and Warren fighting with his fists, the two of us have worn-down enough that we have to make a tactical retreat. The passage to the next room opened up after we killed ten of the kobolds, and we probably could have run into there to grab the first-time Experience bonus.

    Oddly, I gained a point of Experience every two kills. I killed over sixty of the kobolds before there were too many for me to handle and I ran out of Mana. That was for Wizard. Scout was every four kills. I also gained 3 Human Experience.

    Not enough to get me a Level for any of them, but that¡¯s still decent. Warren only got 1 Martial Artist Experience, and he probably killed as many as I did.

    I¡¯m not entirely sure, but I don¡¯t think the Experience difference is that huge. In other words: in addition to unfairly being a Wizard and all the buffs that come with it, I have some sort of Experience bonus.

    +0 INT!

    Is it because of being a Wizard?

    -0 INT!

    Is it my Bloodline?

    +0 INT!

    Damn. I really need to unlock that thing.

    +0 INT!

    Rolling my eyes, I step out of the Dungeon, Warren having already done so. The guard looks at us, eyes widened in surprise.

    Get Acting, dude. Helps you hide your surprise, and then I look at Warren, remembering something.

    ¡°You know,¡± I say. ¡°I was getting a bit mentally exhausted from all the magic, but I do know hand-to-hand combat, and can use a sword, and even have one in my inventory. A couple of knives, too, and I prefer those over a sword. We probably could have lasted a few more minutes in there.¡±

    Warren looks at me, then starts laughing.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You!¡± He keeps laughing. ¡°You¡¯re the strangest human I¡¯ve ever met! It¡¯s a mere afterthought that you could¡¯ve actually gone for longer, and it was a genuine afterthought, too, not a faked one!¡±

    I stare at him, wondering why that¡¯s so funny, but can¡¯t figure it out.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a few pieces of loot,¡± I say. ¡°So let¡¯s go sell it and find a place to stay tonight, then we can come back in the morning.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°It¡¯s only a few pieces,¡± he sighs. ¡°We¡¯ll be lucky if we can afford food, too.¡±

    ¡°What did you get?¡±

    ¡°Two kobold ears and a kobold tail.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I ask. ¡°I got four pelts, nine ears, and six tails.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± The guard interrupts us, and we look at him. ¡°Loot is not that common!¡±

    ¡°It is for me.¡±

    ¡°You can sell it off in the Guild,¡± he tells me. ¡°They pay fair price for it. Five silver for a pelt, two for an ear, and three for a tail. Best you¡¯ll find anywhere that isn¡¯t desperate, which you won¡¯t find in this town, with the Dungeon here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I found,¡± I shrug, then Warren and I walk into the Guild and locate the trade counter.

    This late into the evening, there are only a few people around, so we don¡¯t have to wait long before we¡¯re at the counter, selling our loot. He earns seven silver, and I earn fifty-six silver.

    A quick conversation later, we find a place to eat and a place to stay, both relatively cheap, and make our way to the former, then after a quick meal that costs us both six silver, make our way to the inn. A single room is fifteen silver a night, and that¡¯s for one bed. Two beds increases it to twenty-five silver per night.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take one room,¡± Warren says before I can request a room with two beds. ¡°Single bed.¡±

    The innkeeper accepts that, giving me a pitiful look, then I pay, and we head up to our room for the night. I look at Warren when we get in there.

    ¡°Why did the innkeeper look at me pitifully?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re with a fairy,¡± he says. ¡°And he¡¯s watched me fight a number of times. So on top of you rooming with a fairy, you¡¯re rooming with an undefeatable one. He probably hasn¡¯t heard that you bested me yet. I¡¯m still trying to figure out how you hit the spirit I¡¯d asked for the blessing.¡±

    ¡°You ask for the blessings?¡± I ask, and he nods. ¡°But it works every time.¡±

    ¡°It works every time if they decide to grant it to you,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°Summon ones you¡¯re friendly with, and you¡¯re more likely to receive the blessing. Don¡¯t, and you¡¯re more likely to get nothing or a curse instead.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever been hit with a curse?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Fairies have a bonus to interacting with spirits,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°Simply because of what we are. Any other species¡¯ll have a much more difficult time befriending the spirits. I mean, I know a couple of my playmates, back when I was still with the fairies got hit by curses, but I, personally, never did. I¡¯ve always had an easy time gaining friendship with spirits.¡±

    I wonder if he cheats somehow.

    ¡°Why is the fact that I¡¯m with a fairy a bad thing?¡± I ask. ¡°Is it because people don¡¯t like fairies?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because fairies don¡¯t like people,¡± he says. ¡°And generally, if we¡¯re traveling with them, the power is reversed. That, and it¡¯s a relationship. If we¡¯re with a human, it¡¯s by our choice, not theirs.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you asked for one tiny little bed?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t slept on something soft in eight years,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a moment, sleeping on the ground.¡±

    Magic swirls around him, and his loincloth burns away as a deep green tunic forms over his chest.

    ¡°I hate that fucking thing,¡± he mutters, a bedroll forming in his hands.

    He spreads it out on the floor, a pillow forming under him, and then stares at me.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What happened to sleeping on a hard surface?¡±

    ¡°Fucking people,¡± he mutters, lying down and turning on his side, to face away from me.

    I kick off my boots and lie on the bed, wondering why, exactly, he never changed out of the loincloth at the Coliseum. He was the only prisoner I saw in just a loincloth. In fact, he was the only one with so little covering him, apart from one guy I¡¯m pretty sure just liked being naked.

    He didn¡¯t last very long against the Adventurer he was pitted against. In fact, he was dead pretty fast. His fights against the monsters were funny, though.

    Warren tosses and turns a lot, and at some point, his bedroll and pillow vanish and he tucks his arm under his head, using it as a pillow instead.

    Moments later, he¡¯s asleep.

    Yeah, you really needed that bedspread and pillow, didn¡¯t you?

    I watch him for a bit, his chest rising and falling slowly, his green hair, though not down to his shoulders, long enough to cover part of his face. He¡¯s got one foot pulled up to his other knee, his knee up in the air. He looks so relaxed right now, but I¡¯m sure that if I made a little bit more movement, he¡¯d wake in a heartbeat. We¡¯re all trained to wake instantly in case of danger, and I¡¯d imagine someone who was raised as a prisoner in the Coliseum would do the same.

    Warren is definitely considered beautiful by human standards, far more than anyone else, despite what¡¯s probably a lower CHA than mine. I have to wonder how that works. Fairies are probably naturally beautiful, but if their CHA isn¡¯t as high, why would they be more so? Does it work based on natural beauty? Or is there something else that affects it?

    Then there¡¯s the mark on his cheek. What¡¯s that about? I¡¯ve heard tales of fairies, and seen pictures of them, but I¡¯ve never seen any art with a mark like that on his cheek.

    Making a note to ask him in the morning, I begin to focus on expanding my Mana, working on that until my head starts to hurt from the effort. Even then, I keep working until the pain is unbearable, and only then do I decide to get some rest, though keep myself awake until the pain subside, then work on my LFA until my head hurts. I gain 3 MNA and 2 LFA from my efforts, though I have to wonder what the normal way to expand pools is, since apparently, focusing on the energies within me and condensing it isn¡¯t the normal method.

    That done, I turn on my side and watch Warren sleep¡­

    Or, well, not sleep. He¡¯s staring at me.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask.

    ¡°What were you just doing?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Raising my Mana and Health,¡± I answer.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± He doesn¡¯t sound like he believes me.

    ¡°Seriously,¡± I nod. ¡°Though apparently, it isn¡¯t through the normal methods. I focus on the resource pools within me and work on concentrating those energies, making a small portion of it denser, and slowly drawing more in. I have to pull the energies from elsewhere, and the dense area gets bigger as I do that, but since I¡¯m pulling the resource away from other places, more can flow in, but I have to hold it long enough for that to happen. I learned how to do it¡­ elsewhere, though this is the first time I¡¯ve actually thought to do it since. Boy, I¡¯m an idiot. I really could¡¯ve been doing it as I traveled. It gives me a killer headache, though. I probably shouldn¡¯t have done both Life and Mana. Mana¡¯s more important.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the normal way to do it?¡± He asks.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answer. ¡°I never actually learned that. I¡­ got pulled back here before I could find out.¡±

    ¡°Pulled back here?¡± He asks suspiciously, so I tell him everything from when I became an Adventurer, and he listens in silence, and at the end, he thinks about something. ¡°Does the Grimoire give the normal method?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see it.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you skipped over those parts?¡± He asks, and I nod. ¡°Well, then maybe you missed it. But please don¡¯t start doing it again, or go through the Grimoire. You messing with your energies was bothering the spirits, and that woke me up.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I say, and he turns back onto his back, asleep again in moments.

    I can¡¯t sense the spirits around, maybe they¡¯re concealing themselves, looking around, I focus on sensing the spirits. Maybe I could only sense them before because they were interacting with us.

    The sense works, detecting a couple floating in the room, though I can¡¯t make them out at all, only tell that they¡¯re there.

    Spirit Sense is now Level 2!

    ¡°Sorry for disturbing you,¡± I say. ¡°I hope you can forgive me.¡±

    Affinity Unlocked!

    Spirit Affinity is now unlocked!

    Did¡­ the spirit just unlock SPA for me?

    +0¡­

    The hell is up with that modifier?

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I whisper, feeling myself drift off into sleep.

 Chapter 0020 - Multiple Parties in a Dungeon

    When I wake up, Warren is sitting right by the edge of the bed, staring at me.

    ¡°Jeez, dude!¡± I jerk back in surprise. ¡°The hell are you sitting so close to me for?¡±

    ¡°Did you seriously stare at me as you fell asleep?¡±

    ¡°The spirits tell you that?¡±

    ¡°You were facing me, genius.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering about the mark,¡± I gesture to my cheek. ¡°All the art I¡¯ve seen of fairies, there¡¯s been no marks on them.¡±

    ¡°Only certain types of fairies have it,¡± he huffs. ¡°How did you unlock Spirit Affinity? You didn¡¯t have Spirit when I feel asleep.¡±

    ¡°Which time?¡± I ask, and he huffs again, causing me to giggle. ¡°After you fell asleep, I apologized to the spirits I bothered with my expansion, and suddenly, my SPA was unlocked.¡±

    ¡°When did you learn Silvar?¡± He asks in shock.

    ¡°I apologized to them in Velusan,¡± he says, and he gives me a look saying he doesn¡¯t care. ¡°Why do you think I know Silvar?¡±

    ¡°You learned it while watching me fight yesterday, didn¡¯t you?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°You told me how easily you learn languages,¡± he says. ¡°An extra ten percent to learning a new Skill wouldn¡¯t be enough to learn languages so quickly. You need to have a higher bonus than that.¡±

    I pull up my bonuses window.

    +10% to learning Skills

    +10% to leveling Skills

    +20% to learning magical Skills

    +20% to leveling magical Skills

    That open, I show it to him, and he scrutinizes it, his face scrunching up in adorability.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± he mutters. ¡°Not unless there¡¯s a hidden bonus.¡±

    ¡°There probably is,¡± I shrug. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I learned Silvar.¡±

    ¡°Show me your languages screen.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± He says. ¡°You did learn it! What Level is it at?¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    ¡°From that little?¡± He asks. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. And jealous. It took me four years to get to Level 2. I¡¯m at Level 5 right now.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell the spirits to not grant me gifts?¡± He asks.

    ¡°No,¡± he responds. ¡°Why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°I dunno,¡± I shrug. ¡°I feel like they were told not to give me gifts.¡±

    Warren speaks in Silvar, then listens for a few moments before shaking his head and saying something else. His face turns bright red as he listens to the response, and he hurriedly says something in response. I couldn¡¯t catch too much of what he was saying, just bits and pieces, but I¡¯m pretty sure the spirits are saying something embarrassing, and he¡¯s denying whatever it is.

    Unfortunately, I can¡¯t hear them, but I do gain another Level in Silvar as I listen in.

    ¡°The spirits say,¡± Warren huffs. ¡°That they were told not to give you blessings. They were told curses were okay, but not to give you a blessing. They also said that they¡¯re going to ignore the Rift Wolves, whatever those are, and do what they want anyway. Apparently, the three of them in this room like you.¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me their gifts?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he answers. ¡°I can ask you to let us go each breakfast, though, because I¡¯m hungry, and we¡¯re going to need to grind for awhile for more money,¡± then he mutters under his breath. ¡°Not that it¡¯ll really be fair, since we¡¯ll probably make enough from your insane looting ability to stay a couple more days here and eat every meal.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± I say, and his face turns red again. I keep the smirk off my face as I ask, ¡°So what else did they say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± his face turns redder.

    ¡°You seemed to have an awful long conversation for that.¡±

    ¡°They were just commenting on how I look today,¡± he turns redder as he says a clear lie. ¡°Saying this outfit suits me more than the loincloth.¡±

    ¡°It does, indeed,¡± I say as a pair of leather boots form on his feet. ¡°You do that without washing? Aren¡¯t your feet all dirty and stuff?¡±

    ¡°Do I look dirty to you?¡± He asks, and I realize that he doesn¡¯t. ¡°All fairies have a fire they can use to create clothing and remove dirt and grime and sweat. I might have been a prisoner, but I was a clean prisoner. I cleaned myself up when I removed the cloth and the made the tunic.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you change your outfit before?¡±

    ¡°Complicated.¡±

    I grin inwardly, then climb out of bed, and we leave, making our way to a breakfast stall and picking up four sweet rolls for three silver apiece, then consume them on our way to the Dungeon.

    ¡°Dungeon¡¯s closed,¡± the guard says when we arrive. ¡°Another party¡¯s inside. They¡¯ll probably be a couple of hours.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    It¡¯s a shame Dungeons aren¡¯t multilayered or something, since they don¡¯t take up space. Then, there¡¯d be the possibility of multiple teams being inside the same Dungeon at once, without actually being in the same Dungeon.

    +0 INT!

    What? That wasn¡¯t me making a statement. Unless you¡¯re just agreeing with me.

    +0 INT

    Not an agreement?

    +0 INT!

    A statement?

    +0 INT!

    Were you saying that¡¯s possible?

    +0 INT!

    Are you referring to the secondary form?

    -0 INT!

    So multiple parties can be in the same Dungeon, but in different, um, I guess instances of the Dungeon?

    +0 INT!

    Is it through the same interface for switching which form the Dungeon is?

    -0 INT!

    Through something similar?

    +0 INT!

    Thanks!

    +0 CHA!

    ¡°Alright,¡± I look at the guard. ¡°Thanks for you opinion. Come on, Warren, let¡¯s go grind in the Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°He literally just told us that the Dungeon¡¯s got a party in it.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± I walk up to the Dungeon, pushing a hand against the portal, which is solid, indicating a party¡¯s within. ¡°Sure does look like it. At least he¡¯s not an ass like the one last night.¡±

    So how do I do this?

    ¡­

    No response. Guess the System¡¯s limited to the gain/loss messages.

    -0 INT!

    Seriously? But that¡¯s all you do.

    I feel like the System¡¯s going ¡®so?¡¯ to me.

    +0 INT!

    So cheerful about admitting that, too. I wonder how I change instances on here.

    Suddenly, I feel as if something is telling me they¡¯ll give me a little boost for this.

    Wizardly Presence Detected: Dungeon Interface Opened

    Currently, this Dungeon can only sustain one party within it.

    Would you like to enable the Dungeon to contain no limit or set a new limit?

    This will create a new instance of the Dungeon each time a new party or individual wishes to enter, instead of only for the first to try to enter.

    ¡°Set to no limit,¡± I pull my hand away from the Dungeon.

    Confirm:

    Set this Dungeon to support any number of parties within: Y/N?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    This Dungeon can now contain any number of parties within it, each in a separate instance from the rest.

    ¡°There we go,¡± I look at Gavin. ¡°Perks of being a Wizard: I can kick a Dungeon out of the one-party limit. I can increase the limit, or I can set it to have no limit. The Dungeon essentially creates a new instance when someone enters it, be it an individual or a party. The instances are only there for that party, and when they leave, it vanishes. That explains why Bosses and stuff are reset, even if a party just left.¡±

    +0 INT¡­

    It was a correct assumption.

    No response. Mentally, I stick my tongue out at the System.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Warren asks, and I nod. ¡°And Wizards can change if a Dungeon does that or not?¡±

    ¡°Seems so,¡± I nod. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t know until just now. They¡¯re all probably set to a single party by default.¡±

    +0 INT

    No modifier¡­ it is, but it isn¡¯t?

    +0 INT!

    Not even going to try guessing that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say to Warren, then step into the Dungeon.

    A moment later, Warren follows behind me, and we begin battle. We last fifteen minutes before the kobolds are too dense for us to keep fighting, and we make a tactical retreat out of the Dungeon then, as well as to rest up and restore my Mana.

    ¡°There really are multiple groups in there,¡± someone says when we leave, and I look at him. ¡°When he told us, I didn¡¯t quite believe it.¡±

    ¡°You going in?¡± I ask, and he shakes his head. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few hours before my Mana¡¯s full again, Warren ¨C is there anything you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Murder you and consume your soul.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fairy not a dark fairy.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be a dark fairy?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Because you joined my party.¡±

    ¡°How long will it take you to restore to full?¡±

    ¡°Roughly five hours and fifteen minutes.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± A magician standing nearby exclaims, and I look at their magic, trying to get a feel for their power.

    Magic Sense is now Level 10!

    Magic Sense is now Mastered!

    +10 Wizard Experience!

    Mastering Magic Sense has unlocked Mana Sense!

    Mana Sense 1/10: The ability to sense Mana in and around everything.

    Sweet!

    I turn that sense inward, then read the magician¡¯s own Mana, to get a feel for how much Mana I have before comparing. I¡¯d say he¡¯s not got a whole lot more than me.

    ¡°Sir,¡± I say. ¡°You don¡¯t have much more Mana than me. I¡¯m thirteen. You should be embarrassed by that.¡±

    ¡°As if!¡± He scoffs. ¡°I¡¯m one of the first Novices this continent ever saw, gaining access the first day of the increase!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I ask, pretending to be impressed before pulling up my status screen and showing it to him. ¡°You only have Novice? Huh. I have Wizard as a Tier I Class. It looks like your Class is only Level 2. You¡¯ve had it for a year and a quarter. Mine¡¯s at Level Six. You make it seem like it¡¯s difficult to gain Experience.¡±

    ¡°Your Primary Class Level isn¡¯t enough to have a Secondary Class!¡±

    ¡°Perks of being a Wizard,¡± I smile at him. ¡°Now move ¨C you¡¯re in our way, and we¡¯ve loot to sell.¡±

    The Novice moves out of our way, and Warren and I make our way inside the Guild. We sell our loot, Warren receiving eighteen silver, me receiving sixty-three. As we start to make our way out of the Guild Hall, Collin intercepts us.

    ¡°Hello, Gavin,¡± he says in Jozan, people staring as he speaks with me.

    From what I understand, he doesn¡¯t talk to just anyone.

    ¡°Hello, Collin,¡± I respond in Jozan.

    ¡°It¡¯s only been a day,¡± he says. ¡°So I¡¯m surprised I have information already, but it might be some time before I find out where Michael and Kade are. Tyler, on the other hand, is in the royal city of Haywarl. He¡¯s supposedly a foreign noble who is traveling to learn of other places and their customs, but won¡¯t reveal much of his past.¡±

    I wonder if he¡¯s gotten Acting yet. Kade told me that it¡¯s difficult to gain that, even for nobles and royals, but Tyler is Jozan to the core. There¡¯s no doubt he¡¯d have been able to gain it to protect where he¡¯s really from.

    ¡°Thanks, Collin,¡± I say.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he says. ¡°Do you mind sharing how you managed to enable it so multiple parties can enter? We had your team, the team in there before yours, and one that went in after, to see if it really was possible.¡±

    I tell him how I changed the Dungeon Settings.

    ¡°Really?¡± He asks, and I nod. ¡°Will you share with me on how you managed to gain the Wizard Class? I also looked into that, and have only gotten a ¡®that¡¯s probably a later Tier¡¯ in response. Yours is Tier I.¡±

    ¡°Secret,¡± I grin at him. ¡°Thanks for the info, Collin. Since Tyler seems to be training, we¡¯ll probably stick around here a bit longer, to train up more and see if we can¡¯t find word on the other two.¡±

    I start to leave, and Collin grabs my arm.

    ¡°We need to talk,¡± he says in a low voice.

 Chapter 0021 - A Week of Training

    ¡°What do you want to talk with me about?¡± I pull my arm out of his grip.

    ¡°You,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re getting into dangerous territory, Gavin.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous territory?¡± I ask. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday,¡± he says. ¡°You got lucky in that fight against Warren, here. He could¡¯ve killed you. The only reason he didn¡¯t best you was because of your last-shot Magic Bolt. Had you not done that, his strike would¡¯ve been much, much harder.

    ¡°Then,¡± he continues without letting me interrupt. ¡°You attacked the announcer. You could¡¯ve been arrested for that, or imprisoned there as one of their warriors. Your stats are only marginally better than your average Adventurer, and they would¡¯ve loved getting a stronger one to fight you and put you down ¨C for good.

    ¡°After that,¡± he says. ¡°You decided to go and try the Dungeon with only two people. Sure, you didn¡¯t want to go past the first area, but that doesn¡¯t matter when you don¡¯t have a fucking healer. If you fight in there for twenty minutes, the kobolds not just spawn more, but also get stronger. After thirty, a much stronger kobold appears ¨C a miniboss. It¡¯s not recorded because only a few people know about it, because no one is fucking stupid enough to do that. The Experience simply isn¡¯t worth it, especially in a larger party.

    ¡°You rely on your Class way too much,¡± he continues. ¡°And on top of that, you forget that you¡¯re mortal. You both are. You had an exhausting day yesterday ¨C you traveled for several weeks, then sat on a hard bench for a few hours before foolishly attempting a battle in the Coliseum on an empty stomach, then, after you got your ass kicked, you went and challenged a Dungeon. Yes, you¡¯re rested today, and had food in you, but that doesn¡¯t mean today was a good idea, either. Getting stronger is one thing, but you¡¯re putting your life at risk unnecessarily. Don¡¯t push yourself to your limits, Gavin ¨C rest, recover, and most importantly, be intelligent when you fucking train. You¡¯re no use to your prince or your kingdom if you¡¯re dead.¡±

    I stare at him in shock. He¡¯s like Chief when he rebukes me ¨C he doesn¡¯t just rebuke me, he tells me exactly why he thinks I¡¯m being stupid or foolish. And his reasons¡­ make sense. I didn¡¯t feel exhausted yesterday, but I did when I finally laid down. I put that off to work on expanding my Mana and Health.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say, and he looks at me in shock.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He asks. ¡°No whining or arguing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re like Chief,¡± I say. ¡°Warren and I are going to go do stuff while I wait for my Mana to refill. Any recommendations?¡±

    ¡°Stay out of trouble,¡± he says. ¡°And rest. The best thing you can do after a battle is rest. Let your body recover. Don¡¯t just return as soon as your Mana is full. Only do the Dungeon once a day, and you¡¯ll be better than if you do it two or three times a day. You¡¯ll let your body and mind recover. Doing that allows you to function better, and decreases the chance of a momentary lapse of mental faculties that can result in serious injury or death. Think about Warren as well ¨C yes, he¡¯s a fighter, but his Spirit is still recovering from buffing you yesterday. You have an absurd regeneration, not everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± I look at Warren. ¡°Sorry, Warren.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± He asks. ¡°I heard my name, but can¡¯t understand a word of what you said.¡±

    ¡°I said sorry,¡± I say. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to drag you into doing a Dungeon twice in two days when you¡¯re still recovering your Spirit.¡±

    ¡°I chose to,¡± he shrugs. ¡°What language are you two speaking?¡±

    ¡°My native tongue,¡± I answer.

    ¡°I thought you said you came from-¡±

    ¡°He knows?¡± Collin asks in Jozan, and I nod. ¡°You need to be more careful what you tell people, Gavin. You might end up telling the wrong person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m using him,¡± I say. ¡°He¡¯s a fairy, and the fairy king knows my former king. If he finds out that my former king is dead and gave me a mission to speak with him, it¡¯ll make it easier. I trust Warren as a fairy.¡±

    ¡°You need to be careful of who you trust,¡± he warns. ¡°Not everyone is deserving of it.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± I say.

    ¡°There are a few places I recommend you hang around,¡± he says. ¡°Especially if you¡¯re looking for information, though a few are for fun or entertainment, or for physical training. The first of them is here. Hunters and Adventurers from all over enter the Hunters¡¯ Guild, and it¡¯s a good place to pick up information. For you, that¡¯s the best way.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± I say.

    Warren and I hang around the Hunters¡¯ Guild for a few hours, but we don¡¯t gain much information, despite listening and speaking to over a hundred different Hunters. At the end of the day, we return to the inn for the night. Having spent twenty-eight silver on meals, I can only afford three nights¡¯ rest with a single bed, or one for two.

    It makes me wonder just how good loot is later on, for hunters and Adventurers to be able to afford equipment and stuff.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    In our room, I inform Warren that I¡¯m going to be increasing my Mana Pool, and he sighs, telling me that the spirits got agitated when I did that.

    ¡°Ask them why it bothered them,¡± I say.

    ¡°Do it yourself,¡± he says. ¡°You can speak Silvar.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t hear them talking.¡±

    ¡°You can sense them, but not hear them?¡± He looks surprised, then his mouth forms an ¡®O¡¯. ¡°They just said that fairies have an inherent trait for it. You¡¯ll have to gain the Skill for it, but they said it¡¯s incredibly difficult, far more so than any of the Skills you¡¯ve gained before. Since when do they speak Velusan? Oh, it¡¯s just that one. I don¡¯t know him. He¡¯s apparently the one who unlocked your Spirit Affinity. He says neither of us can use his power right now¡­¡±

    Warren looks curious, and I can¡¯t blame him. A Spirit whose Gift is so costly that we can¡¯t harness it must be truly powerful.

    ¡°Can you ask him why me increasing my pools upset them?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s telling me,¡± Warren says, then frowns as he listens. After a minute and a half, he finally speaks again. ¡°He says it was less that you were increasing your pools, and more the method of doing it. Condensing the resource like that is an unusual method, and can lead to interesting results.¡±

    ¡°What kind of results?¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t say,¡± Warren shrugs. ¡°Said to let you discover them for yourself, and that you should focus solely on condensing your Mana, and pretty much ignore your other pools.¡±

    I stare at him.

    ¡°He did!¡± Warren protests. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me! He said to tell you to focus solely on your Mana!¡±

    +0 INT!

    ¡°The System seems to back that,¡± I say, then lie on my back and get to work on expanding my Mana Pool.

    By the time I can¡¯t bear the pain anymore, I¡¯ve gained three more MNA, and quickly fall asleep. In the morning, Warren and I make our way to a stall to buy four sweet rolls, Warren paying because I spent my silver on our accommodations, then we eat them on our way to the Dungeon.

    Over the next week, we fall into a routine. We wake up, buy four sweet rolls from the same stall, battle in the Dungeon, then hang out in the Guild Hall the rest of the day, save when we leave for lunch and dinner. At the end of the day, we return to the inn and get some rest, with me pushing the limits to my MNA.

    It frustrates me that I can only increase it by three each day. I want to be able to do at least five each day, but three gets too painful for me to do.

    The last couple of days, my Mana feels weird. It hurts, and I¡¯m wondering if it¡¯s from making it denser this much over such a short period of time. Twenty-seven extra Mana in a space designed to hold that much less. 145 Mana in a space designed to hold 124 Mana. It¡¯s affected my battle ability, though I¡¯ve gained around the same amount of Experience each day. These last few days, we¡¯ve had to stop early because of pain using my Mana when I start to get low.

    That doesn¡¯t change that I gained three Wizard Levels and three Scout Levels, though. I gain between seventy and eighty Experience for Wizard each day, and half that for Scout.

    Warren gained eight Martial Artist Experience, gaining a single point each day, save for today, when he gained two.

    I¡¯ve been paying for everything from my earnings, so my personal wealth is low, but Warren isn¡¯t paying for anything, so he¡¯s got a fair amount in his supply. We¡¯ve got a couple of more days before our room needs to be paid for again, but by the time it expires, we can probably pay for another week.

    Collin heard that someone fitting Michael¡¯s description has been spotted all over the continent with no explanation for how he got that far that fast, and no one necessarily sees him go into the Dungeon he came out of, even if they sometimes do.

    In other words ¨C Collin told me, without saying it in case someone who speaks Jozan overheard ¨C that Michael is utilizing Dungeons¡¯ second form¡¯s transport ability, and is likely trying to find a way back home.

    That, or he¡¯s mapping out the connections.

    Collin said that the last time he was spotted was a month¡¯s travel down the coast, going into a Dungeon, two weeks ago. No one he¡¯s gotten word from yet has seen him since, which means either he¡¯s still wherever that Dungeon led, or he¡¯s dead.

    I hope he¡¯s alright, and that he¡¯ll still fight for Jozan, even though he¡¯s not actually Jozan.

    Collin said that as soon as Michael reappears, all Guilds are under instructions to tell him his presence is requested here.

    I¡¯ve been listening to accounts from hunters and Adventurers, and that lines up with what they say, too. I¡¯m not sure how much of what Collin gets from other cities and towns isn¡¯t actually just from people passing through here.

    For Kade, Collin is drawing a blank. He can¡¯t find a single individual who fits Kade¡¯s description, seeing as Kade could really be any boy on the continent who¡¯s fourteen and a Novice. This continent, much like the one I¡¯m from, only has brown-haired, brown-eyed humans.

    Which means, of course, that I draw the eye.

    Hopefully, though, that means Kade will hear about me and know where I¡¯m at, since I¡¯m someone people talk about, and not just because of my looks.

    Hear about and come look for me, if he¡¯s still alive, that is.

    The lack of any sign of him at all concerns me. Kade isn¡¯t someone who¡¯d not be noticeable. He¡¯d be noticed, and well.

    Warren and I leave the Guild Hall after Collin gives me the update on Michael, which only just got today, and make our way back to the inn.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t manage it,¡± Warren says as we pass through the lobby of the inn, referring to condensing his Spirit. ¡°You make it seem to easy, but I know it probably isn¡¯t. I¡¯m going to try it again tonight, though. Imagine what I could do if my Spirit got really high.¡±

    Yes. Let¡¯s imagine that.

    A very powerful, low-Level fairy. He¡¯d be kickass in a fight, even more so than he is now. People would severely underestimate him, just like they do me.

    ¡°Hello, Gavin,¡± someone around a year older than me approaches me.

    Wesley, Human 3, Novice 8

    ¡°Do I know you?¡± I ask.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t aged a day,¡± he says. ¡°Since the last time you saw me. What the hell happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask, then summon a Magic Bolt. ¡°Either tell me, or fuck off.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡± He frowns, then laughs. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s been a year, and while you have the luxury of just not aging, some of us still age. Plus, I changed my name, so your freaky ability to see our stats wouldn¡¯t have reminded you. Though the fact that I¡¯m speaking Jozan seems to have eluded you.¡±

    Speaking Jozan?

    We are speaking Jozan, aren¡¯t we?

    That¡¯s two people in a row I¡¯ve not caught that with¡­

    Looking him up and down, I realize that he looks different from those here. Brown hair, brown eyes, but unlike those here, he has the curly hair prominent on my continent.

    ¡°Kade.¡±

 Chapter 0022 - Blood Oath

    ¡°Care to explain why you just vanished on us?¡± Kade asks.

    ¡°I got thrown through a Rift,¡± I say. ¡°Time passed slower there than it did here. To me, only a day passed before I made it back here, where a year and a third passed. I¡¯ve been trying to catch word of where you guys were by hanging out in the Hunter¡¯s Guild, though I¡¯ve also been running the Dungeon as well. I¡¯ve learned where Tyler is, and today, that Michael¡¯s going in and out of Dungeons, disappearing into one, and sometime later ¨C be it days or weeks ¨C reappearing in another. He¡¯s been gone for two weeks, right now.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s mapping the connections,¡± Kade states.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I figured he was doing,¡± I nod. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any word of you, and nor had Collin.¡±

    ¡°The Guild Master?¡± He raises an eyebrow. ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk to anyone.¡±

    ¡°He talks to me,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Kade.¡±

    I grab him and hug him tight.

    ¡°Gavin,¡± he sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°So how much stronger did you get?¡± I ask in Velusan. ¡°You going to train with Warren and me? Warren¡¯s going to help me get an audience with the fairy king, since he apparently doesn¡¯t like people. I figure, if I can get two Classes to the second Tier, then all of us will be strong enough to return to Jozan and take back the throne, and-¡±

    ¡°There is no Jozan,¡± Kade¡¯s expression turns dark. ¡°The Council killed off everyone who supported the king, and the rebellion was recently scattered, taking several massive blows to their leadership. Michael¡¯s had to flee from there several times, and has never come into contact with the rebellion. It¡¯s called Turas, now, and they¡¯re slowly conquering the surrounding nations. It¡¯s little pieces of property right now, places no one will care if they lose, but they¡¯re amassing an army. They¡¯re forcing every male over the age of twelve to train with a sword and join the military. All magicians are forced to serve them, even if they don¡¯t have access to the System. Turas is a slave country, and bears no resemblance to Jozan, save for the royal castle and the land the country sits on. Even that has changed.¡±

    ¡°There is a Jozan,¡± I say. ¡°So long as Tyler lives, so long as we don¡¯t lose our Jozan pride and spirit, Jozan lives on in us. All we need to do is get strong enough that we can take down the Council and place Tyler on the throne. To do that, we just need to get stronger, then join the rebellion. Unite the separated factions of it and lead a change like no other. Defend Tyler as he reestablishes his kingdom.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± Kade snaps. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Jozan¡¯s dead! We can¡¯t restore it! By the time we¡¯re strong enough to make a difference to the Jozan of then, there won¡¯t be a chance in hell for us! We¡¯ll be fighting against every soldier, every magician, every Adventurer in the entirety of Turas, Gavin! Do you have any idea how many Tier II¡¯s we¡¯ll be forced to go up against? How many powerful magicians we¡¯ll have to face?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll all get to the second Tier!¡± I snap. ¡°Then we¡¯ll make our way to the third Tier! We¡¯ll become as powerful as necessary to take back our land! Be it a year or a decade ¨C or even longer ¨C our prince will sit upon his throne. No, not our prince ¨C our king. He is our fucking king, Kade ¨C his father¡¯s death made it so! You might have lost hope for our land, but I haven¡¯t! It¡¯s been a year and a third to you, but a month to me! I still remember the pride from our kingdom! I remember the pride of being called Jozan! Every nation on the fucking continent speaks our language, knows our land! They respected us! I will not allow people who disgrace the honor of our land to remain in power! I will train as long as it fucking takes me to get strong enough to restore our king to his throne!¡±

    ¡°Tyler doesn¡¯t want to return!¡± Kade says. ¡°The nation is destroyed, its reputation gone! Jozan isn¡¯t anymore! You need-¡±

    ¡°The king doesn¡¯t make the kingdom!¡± I interrupt him. ¡°If Tyler won¡¯t take the throne, then there will be someone else who will be willing to lead Jozan back to prosperity and make up to the other nations the damage done by Turas! Jozan isn¡¯t dead, no matter how much you think he is! So long as his spirit lives, even if in just one person, then he lives on!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it-¡±

    ¡°He lives on in me!¡± I¡¯m yelling now. ¡°I will not let my kingdom perish! I will take as long as it takes to become strong enough to restore my kingdom! So long as I live, Jozan will return to power! I swear this on the blood and power that flows within my veins!¡±

    A crimson light emanates from me as a strange feeling of power fills me.

    Blood Oath Sworn!

    Blood Quest Granted: Restore Jozan to powerSupport the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Requirement: Destroy the forces ruling Turas and restore the former nation of Jozan to power, rekindling the spirit lost with the takeover in his people.

    Actions Left (will change as circumstances change):

    8 Turasite Councilman still alive (0 required)

    40 Turasite Inquisitors still alive (0 required)

    8 Turasite Executioners still alive (0 required)

    1 Turasite Grand Executioner still alive (0 required)

    1 Turasite King still alive (0 required)

    0 Jozan King in power (1 required)

    4 Jozan National Reputation (5,000 required)

    0 Jozan King Public Reputation (25,000 required)

    Time Limit: 5 Years

    All Requirements must be met within the time limit

    Reward: 25,000 Experience (will change as difficulty changes)

    Penalty for Failure: All Levels, Skills, and Classes stripped, all stats returned to base, Experience gains and LTC of 50% for 5 years, all Affinities decreased by 50% permanently

    Recommended (will change as difficulty changes):

    1 Tier IV Class

    2 Tier III Classes

    5 Tier II Classes

    4 Party Members of at least one Tier III Class

    As a result of this Blood Quest, a Hidden Stat now available:

    LTC: Loot Chance ¨C the chance to automatically gain Loot from kills (this is not a percent, which is why people don¡¯t see it, because they can¡¯t undestand that for some reason, no matter how clear you make it, and you really should make it a permahide sometime)

    LTC: 98

    ¡°Please tell me you did not just get a Blood Quest,¡± Kade says.

    ¡°You going to help me?¡± I ask. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty severe penalty if I fail.¡±

    ¡°No shit!¡± He yells. ¡°It¡¯s a fucking Blood Quest, Gavin! They¡¯re not going to let you off easy for failing it! Not something like that! Blood Quests are serious things, Gavin! You¡¯re a fucking idiot!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the fucking idiot!¡± I yell at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re both fucking idiots!¡± Warren yells. ¡°Everyone¡¯s fucking staring at the two of you bickering like children!¡±

    ¡°I am a child!¡± I yell at him, then look back at Kade. ¡°I am a child who still has a sense of duty to his kingdom, and is willing to risk the severe penalty of a fucking Blood Oath to restore his kingdom back to its former glory!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking idiot!¡± Kade yells at me.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re a fucking idiot!¡±

    ¡°Will you two fucking idiots shut the fuck up?¡± Warren yells, and we both look at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re as bad as Michael,¡± Kade says. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have approached you.¡±

    He turns and leaves the inn, and I¡¯m left angry and confused.

    Tyler and Kade both think Jozan¡¯s dead and never going to return, but Michael doesn¡¯t. It isn¡¯t until Warren and I are in our room that I realize something.

    Kade changed his name to the king¡¯s name. If he really thinks Jozan¡¯s dead, why would he do that? There¡¯s no way that¡¯s a coincidence ¨C he had to have picked that on purpose.

    He¡¯s still got a Jozan spirit. I¡¯ve got five years to return to Jozan and complete the Blood Quest. By the time I return, he¡¯ll be back with us.

    Now I just have to hope Michael returns soon.

    Lying on the bed, I close my eyes and start condensing my Mana again, going until my head feels as if it¡¯s going to burst. It takes a lot longer for me to recover from that than normal, and when I do, I notice Collin sitting on a chair in a corner of the room, Warren looking very worried from the pillow he¡¯s sitting on. Collin¡¯s face is impassive, though his eyes say he¡¯s furious.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± he says in Velusan. ¡°A major one, Gavin. Acting rashly is never a good thing, and then you went and swore a Blood Oath in anger.¡±

    ¡°It is one I will complete.¡±

    ¡°You say that now,¡± he says. ¡°But what about in five years, when you realize that you¡¯re alone, you don¡¯t have the power to do what is needed, and time¡¯s running out?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°You say that now,¡± he says. ¡°But things happen. You could get delayed, or penalized for something, you could be imprisoned by a force you can¡¯t defy or wind up back in another realm. What if, in five years, you¡¯re in the middle of a battle, and suddenly, you¡¯re back at zero, with no Classes or Skills or Levels to make you stronger? What will happen, then?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll die,¡± he says. ¡°That is what will happen. I¡¯ve paid an additional week for you in here, and paid for some magicians to enchant the room. For the next week, you¡¯re not to leave this room. I¡¯m giving you time to cool off and think about what you just did.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Share with me the Quest,¡± he says, and I frown. ¡°Just say ¡®Share Quests ¨C Blood Quest¡¯, and it¡¯ll share with me all of your current Blood Quests.¡±

    ¡°Share Quests ¨C Blood Quests,¡± I focus on Collin, and he frowns, probably reading it.

    ¡°You fucking moron,¡± he says. ¡°No one¡¯s ever confirmed the existence of a fourth Tier to Classes, and it¡¯s recommended you have one. On top of that, it¡¯s also recommended you have at least two Tier III Classes and five Tier II Classes. Then the party recommendations¡­ four people with at least one Tier III Class. This Blood Quest you¡¯ve gained is, right now, what is believed to be needed to kill a young dragon. Over time, it¡¯ll only grow more difficult. What you really need for this is a fucking army. The gained Experience alone should be enough to tell you how difficult the Blood Quest is, and then add on the penalty for failure ¨C something you are all but guaranteed to find.

    ¡°I¡¯ve arranged,¡± he stands and moves to the door. ¡°For food to be brought to you. Warren isn¡¯t trapped in here, like you are, so he can still leave and train. Think on what you did, and cool off. It¡¯s okay to have pride for your country, but to swear a Blood Oath isn¡¯t okay. It rarely turns out well for the one who made the oath.¡±

    He leaves, and it isn¡¯t until he¡¯s gone that I realize he knew the timeframe for the Quest, even though I didn¡¯t tell anyone.

    How?

 Chapter 0023 - Thick Mana

    I can¡¯t leave the room. I tried several times, and nothing works. My magic just bounces right back at me, too.

    With nothing else to do, I focus on expanding my Mana Pool, as painful as that¡¯s getting. After lunch, I work on it again, gaining two more points on top of the one I gained initially. After dinner, I manage to gain two more points, but pass out immediately after.

    Each of the days through the week, I push through, working as hard as I can to make my Mana denser, not stopping until I hit three new points in the morning, and two in the other two attempts, for a total of seven points each day.

    I pass out at the end of the day, despite my attempts to rest as much as possible after each session, and my Mana feels heavy and hard to use. There must be something beyond, though. Something past if I push through.

    When I wake up after the seventh day, the barriers preventing me from leaving are gone, but I have a headache so bad, I don¡¯t think I can. Warren¡¯s been trying to get me to stop, saying I should only go for one or two points a day, not three, and most certainly not seven, but there has to be something past this pain, some reward for suffering through it and making my Mana denser, allowing me to hold far more than my capacity should allow.

    ¡°Please stop,¡± Warren says as I try to increase my Mana again, instead of resting. ¡°You¡¯re only going to cripple yourself.¡±

    I tune him out as I continue to make my Mana denser. It¡¯s more and more difficult every time I do it, and this time, it¡¯s even harder to find Mana that¡¯s less-dense, and even harder to make it denser.

    But I manage it, gaining another point of Mana, and my head feels like it¡¯s going to burst while also feeling like a knife was run through it, splitting it and me in half, and I scream from the pain that fills me, all the way to my soul.

    I can feel Warren¡¯s healing flame run over me, but it doesn¡¯t soothe the pain that fills me. Time passes, the pain only growing worse. Some other sort of healing magic tries to work on me, but nothing happens.

    All I can think about is the pain, and how awful it is, and how I should have listened to Warren.

    Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, the pain lessens, but not entirely.

    Skill Gained!

    Mental Pain Resistance 1/10: Nullifies pain from overexerting any Affinity.

    The pain is still agonizing, and it continues to fill me.

    Mental Pain Resistance is now Level 2!

    Mental Pain Resistance is now Level 3!

    Mental Pain Resistance is now Level 4!

    Finally, it fades to a manageable level. Once it does, I pass out. When I come to, Warren and Collin are talking, and there¡¯s a man in healers¡¯ robes kneeling beside my bed, hands pressed together in prayer, eyes closed as his lips move.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t religious.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes open, his prayer stopping.

    ¡°The magic was to ease your pain and sleep,¡± he says. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Ready to punch you.¡±

    ¡°You can go,¡± Collin tells the healer, who nods, then leaves. Collin then looks at me. ¡°Do you have any penalties from whatever you did?¡±

    I scan the messages, dismissing the ones from gaining Mental Resistance and focusing on the remaining messages.

    Skill Gained!

    Mana Manipulation 1/10: the ability to manipulate the Mana within you

    How the fuck did I not already have that, if that¡¯s a Skill?

    Title Gained!

    Thick Mana: As one who has made their natural Mana far more dense than ordinary in a short period of time, Mana has begun to flow as a part of you.

    ¡°No penalties I can see,¡± I hobble over to him, wincing from the pain still filling me. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s entirely mental, since my entire body hurts. ¡°But I did gain a new Title.¡±

    I share it with him. It¡¯s Tier I.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± he says. ¡°You now have two Titles, which is more than most Adventurers have when they die. I will admit that I¡¯m sure there are higher Tiers to this, and if you continue to thicken your Mana as you are, you¡¯ll obtain them, but I will also warn you that doing so is dangerous, and could kill you. Imagine the pain you gained just for this one ¨C it¡¯ll be much, much worse. And before you comment about your new Skill ¨C please note that any Skill past Level 5 is harder to Level. Level 10 is very, very difficult to reach for any Skill.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already mastered three Tier I Skills.¡±

    ¡°Resistances are Tier II,¡± he says. ¡°Even if they only have a single Tier to them. They¡¯re far more difficult, and Resistances are well into that. Get some rest the rest of the day, and do not try to increase your Mana more. Rest. Nothing else. You need it.¡±

    He stands and leaves, and I sit on the edge of the bed, Warren¡¯s emerald gaze not leaving me once. When I realize he isn¡¯t going to let up, I lie down and close my eyes, willing my body to relax, willing the pain to recede.

    Pain Resistance is now Level 2!

    Huh. So this also counts as physical pain. I wonder why that didn¡¯t go up during those agonizing hours.

    ¡°How long was I in pain for?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Two days,¡± he answers.

    Two¡­ days?

    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± he states. ¡°You¡¯ve been out for two days with that pain.¡±

    I groan, pulling up my stats to see what my actual values are for Mana¡­

    And freeze.

    LIF: 33.

    It was 35 before.

    I lost 2 LIF from that.

    Ten years. I lost ten years off my life.

    There was a penalty.

    Before I aim for that much, I am definitely going to make sure I have a lot more LIF built up. Ten years doesn¡¯t sound like a lot when my natural death will be at a hundred and fifty years, but that¡¯s still a good chunk of life.

    A very good chunk of life.

    If there¡¯s a Tier II to that Title, it might strip me of 5 LIF, or even more. Tier IV might strip me of 20 or 30 LIF.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Warren asks, and I tell him. ¡°Fuck, Gavin. Yeah, you better not try to find the second Tier of that Title, you might lose a lot more LIF than you can afford right now. I¡¯m going to go get you something to eat, don¡¯t try to increase your MNA while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    I close my eyes and listen to him leave, and fall back asleep. The next couple of days, I do little aside from sleep, Warren pretty much babying me the entire time. I can¡¯t imagine he can afford to support me the entire time, and when I ask him about it, he says that Collin¡¯s supplying him with the silver for food and the inn. He¡¯ll give us enough to last a week after I¡¯m recovered, then we¡¯ll have to pay for our own food and room.

    Warren watches over me the full week I recover, bringing me food and drink, and making sure I don¡¯t exert myself. He feels like Chief, when I got sick a few years ago. He doesn¡¯t leave my side much, and I have to wonder why.

    Why doesn¡¯t he just abandon me? Why doesn¡¯t he want to run away from me? I¡¯m human, after all ¨C we abuse fairies, we manipulate them, we force them to do things for us. Why does he take care of me?

    Why did Chief take care of me? Why did he raise me like a son, despite all the problems I caused. I got into so much trouble, and yet he was never too firm with me. He¡¯d punish me, but he¡¯d never beat me or make me stay in the village. He let me have my fun.

    Why hasn¡¯t Christopher found me by now? An Archwizard like him should have no issue doing that. Time is probably passing at the same rate there as it is here, so he¡¯s had over a month to come and find me, but he hasn¡¯t.

    Why did he just give up on me? Why hasn¡¯t he looked for me?

    Why did they give up on Jozan? Why can¡¯t they see that we¡¯ll rebuild it?

    We¡¯ll rebuild it, and I¡¯ll make my own Order, since the stupid Ancient Order doesn¡¯t care enough to find me. It¡¯ll be an order that protects the good nations on this world, and not give a damn about that fucking Ancient Order.

    System Quest!

    Quest: Create Order

    Requirements:

    1 Member (Minimum of 25 needed)

    Establish a headquarters

    Establish an emblem

    Establish a primary purpose

    Time Limit: 5 Years

    Reward: 1,000 Experience

    Penalty for Failure: -50% Experience and CHA gain for 5 years, CHA is halved

    Accept: Y/N?

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Warren asks, and I look at him. ¡°Yes what?¡±

    ¡°System Quest,¡± I answer. ¡°1,000 Experience for completion, same time limit as the Blood Quest, down to the second, according to their timers. Fuck my old order, I¡¯m making my own damn one. Let¡¯s go kill some shit.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I look at him.

    ¡°You switched moods real fast there, Gavin.¡±

    ¡°I do that.¡±

    Warren follows me out of the inn and down to the Dungeon, where Collin is waiting, and it looks like he¡¯s waiting for us.

    ¡°Michael popped up about two weeks away from here,¡± he tells me in Jozan. ¡°As soon as we told him you were here, he said to give him three days, and he¡¯ll be here. We¡¯re not entirely sure how he¡¯s planning on that, though I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of that thing you told me about.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± I say.

    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I nod.

    ¡°Good,¡± he says. ¡°Don¡¯t overexert yourself again.¡±

    ¡°There was a penalty.¡±

    ¡°There was?¡± He asks.

    ¡°I lost two LIF,¡± I nod. ¡°I won¡¯t try to push myself like that again until I have plenty to spare. A century and a half ¨C five times the normal lifespan ¨C isn¡¯t enough for me. I plan on being around for centuries.¡±

    Collin nods, wishes us luck in the Dungeon, then leaves. Warren and I enter the Dungeon and I summon a Magic Bolt.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Warren says. ¡°The power radiating from that is different than before. It feels¡­ more concentrated.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± I nod, sensing the same thing.

    Did making my Mana thicker and gaining Mana Manipulation buff my power?

    I fire it at a kobold, and it dies instantly, the bolt cutting through its armor and chest, far stronger than the Magic Bolt I had the last time I was in here.

    We battle for almost twenty minutes, but retreat before the stronger kobolds came out. I want to get Magic Bolt mastered before then.

    With only one Magic Bolt needed to kill a kobold, and sometimes two if I¡¯m lucky, combined with using martial arts, now, I killed over three hundred total kobolds. Human gained a ton of Experience, more than usual. I only need two more to hit Level 7, now. I didn¡¯t gain another Class Level, but I¡¯ll only need another session in there for that.

    It isn¡¯t until we¡¯re selling our loot that I realize something.

    ¡°Warren,¡± I say. ¡°Is time moving faster than I think it is, or is my Mana restoring faster?¡±

    ¡°Mana,¡± he answers. ¡°I thought I was imagining that. It¡¯s only taking around a minute and a half per point.¡±

    Yeah, it is. Is it because I have thicker Mana, now?

    -0 INT!

    Is it related to my thicker Mana, though?

    +0 INT!

    Did whatever affects my Mana regeneration get a huge boost from me doing that?

    +0 INT!

    I feel like the System is really saying ¡®you can say that again!¡¯ with that last one.

    +0 INT!

    It must have been a massive boost, to increase my Mana regeneration from two minutes and eighteen seconds to a minute and thirty-one.

    +0 INT!

    I can figure out what that was some other time. For now, I¡¯m starving, so I tell Warren we¡¯re going to get dinner.

 Chapter 0024 - A Teacher of Magic

    ¡°There¡¯s the little enigma,¡± the worker behind the counter at the Guild says as I approach. ¡°What can I help you with today?¡±

    ¡°Do you know of anyone who can help me advance a spell?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m at Level 9 of Magic Bolt, and want to advance it. I also want to learn another spell or two.¡±

    The worker gives me directions to the local magic school, and Warren and I make our way there. He gets a lot of dirty looks from the adepts and staff of the school, but we ignore them as we make our way to the instructor I was told to find.

    Her classroom is fairly large, and the stone walls are enchanted against wayward spells. Twenty wooden desks sit at the front of the room, neatly lined up in front of her massive desk, and she¡¯s sitting on her desk, reading papers. Classes are out for the day, and there are no students at the desks themselves.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she looks at us. ¡°A fair-haired and a fae, I¡¯d say you¡¯re Gavin and Warren, yes?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± I respond. ¡°Are you Professor Temp?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± she nods. ¡°How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°I got Magic Bolt to Level 9 earlier,¡± I say. ¡°And it took me a lot longer to get there from 8 than it did to increase it to any other Level. I¡¯ve got a feeling that it¡¯ll be tough for me to get it up to Level 10, and was hoping for some advice on that. I¡¯d also like to learn a few new spells, too.¡±

    ¡°Only you would think that was hard,¡± Warren says. ¡°Everyone else would say that was easy. You have an unfair advantage.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous,¡± I tell him, then look at the witch. ¡°Would you be willing to assist me?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± she slides off her desk, snapping her fingers. A target appears at the far end of the open space side of the classroom. ¡°Hit that with your Magic Bolt.¡±

    I summon a Magic Bolt and fire it at the target, completely destroying it.

    ¡°Quite strong,¡± she says. ¡°Even for an Adventurer. Of course, it being Level 9 will explain that. Level 10 will make it even more powerful, and your cast time will be reduces by a lot, though it does appear you spend little or no time actually casting, simply calling out its name and firing it.

    ¡°My recommendation,¡± she says. ¡°Would be to try to cast it without the incant. For a low-Tier spell like this, that¡¯s just the name. Simply form the runes in your mind and draw on your Mana, then cast it. Also, attempt to control how much Mana you put into the Magic Bolt. Those two, together, should enable you to reach Level 10.¡±

    ¡°No surprise at how quickly I¡¯m expecting it?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re the Wizard, Gavin. You¡¯re strong, and you gain power fast. It¡¯s only natural you¡¯d expect to gain Level 10 so quickly. Try it, but be mindful of your Mana. Even with your absurd regeneration, you aren¡¯t at full, probably from the Dungeon trip you did a little while ago.¡±

    How does she know that?

    I walk over to the training side of the room and practice summoning Magic Bolt without words. It only takes me a few tries before I can summon it without incanting, and after that, I work on adjusting the Mana in it. After burning up the fifty Mana I¡¯d restored since leaving the Dungeon, a message appears.

    Magic Bolt is now Level 10!

    Magic Bolt is now Mastered!

    For Mastering a Tier I Skill, you have been awarded 10 Class Experience to all relevant Classes!

    Is the System trying out a new mastery message?

    +0 INT!

    It¡¯s nice.

    +0 CHA!

    Professor Temp calls me over when I say I¡¯ve mastered it, and then shows me three sheets of paper, one saying ¡°Magic¡±, one ¡°Fire¡±, and one ¡°Light¡±.

    ¡°Normally,¡± she says. ¡°Magicians spend more than a month on a Tier I spell, and up to a year on a Tier II spell, if they practice regularly. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have that issue, though ¨C my sister said you¡¯re quite adept as learning new spells, and learned three in a day.¡±

    ¡°Your sister?¡± I ask, then look her up and down, and an image of Natalie forms in my mind ¨C she was the only person I ever saw with straight here. ¡°Natalie?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she smiles. ¡°She talked to me the same night you learned those spells. You¡¯re quite impressive. She got your adorability down as well.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I smile at her. ¡°I¡¯m working on getting Cuteness Level 10 right now.¡±

    Cuteness is now Level 7!

    ¡°Of course you are!¡± She laughs. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m not showing you spells with these papers, but schools of them. The first one, Magic, encompasses anything that¡¯s simply made of magic, such as your Magic Bolt, Magic Missile, and Magic Shield.

    ¡°The second two,¡± she continues. ¡°Are elements. I picked the two that are most effective against the undead, since we have a fair amount of undead. Since you seem to plan on training her for awhile, we can take our time exploring each school. After you¡¯ve a few spells in School of Fire and School of Light, we can teach you the School of Holy, and begin to add the Holy modifier to your spells.

    ¡°What I want,¡± she says. ¡°Is for you to have at least four spells in each of those three Schools before we move on to the next. Not just have them, though ¨C have them at Level 10. I want you to have at least one Tier II spell in that category out of those four.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°You will train each spell,¡± she says. ¡°You will bring them to Level 9, and find the way to cross the threshold into Level 10. Now that you have Mana Manipulation, the Elemental Manipulations will come easily to you. We¡¯ll ignore the fact that you already have three spells from the School of Magic, unless you¡¯d like to learn a Tier II for it now.¡±

    ¡°Fire,¡± I answer. ¡°To burn away my foes.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± she touches the three sheets, and they each turn into a different fire magic. ¡°The three Tier I spells you¡¯ll be learning from me before we move on to another School are: Candle Flame, Fireball, and Firebolt.

    ¡°The first one,¡± she touches the runes for Candle Flame. ¡°Is the spell used to train people in their first fire spell. The third one is simply the fire version of Magic bolt, which has the added effect of burning whatever it hits. The second one, Fireball, is a ball of fire, and it will explode on impact, and thus is the most advanced of the three spells.¡±

    ¡°Candle Flame for lighting candles,¡± I say. ¡°Firebolt for piercing thick hides, and Fireball for setting fires. Got it.¡±

    ¡°Of course that¡¯s where your mind goes,¡± she shakes her head. ¡°Yes, it does help set things on fire.¡±

    ¡°Gavin,¡± Warren interrupts. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am, I just thought about something. Gavin ¨C why aren¡¯t you using the Grimoire to learn spells?¡±

    ¡°The what?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The Grimoire?¡± He asks. ¡°You told me you found one of them?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± I remember, then do my best to keep my face from heating up, my Acting Skill working, though it doesn¡¯t keep me from feeling embarrassed about that. ¡°I forgot.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ forgot?¡± He asks. ¡°Gavin ¨C you have one of the five Grimoires of Tristan Lightblade ¨C how did you forget you have it!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think about what¡¯s in my ring, okay!¡± I hold my hands up. ¡°I forgot it was in there! Most of it¡¯s just the Wealth of Jozan, and then I keep my pack and knives in there. It¡¯s not like I go into a lot! I forgot that I had the Grimoire! Plus, in all the time I used it, I never really went into the magical side of it, mostly the alchemical side. There are so many things in it that requires wyvern blood and scales and stuff. So many potions and salves and stuff. I had so much fun harassing the wyverns while getting the components.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ harassed wyverns?¡± Warren asks.

    ¡°You have a Grimoire of Tristan Lightblade?¡± Professor Temp asks. ¡°Natalie didn¡¯t mention that little detail.¡±

    ¡°Ya,¡± I pull it out of the ring. ¡°It only has a couple of basic spells ¨C most of them are advanced spells. He lists what he recommends having, in way of INT and Mana, before attempting to learn them.¡±

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I shake my head. ¡°He could get a feel for it, and might as well have been. He also knew about the Wizard Class ¨C he mentions he may have found the way to get it.¡±

    I wonder¡­ if Christopher told him about it, and how to obtain it.

    ¡°May I see it?¡± She asks.

    ¡°If you swear you¡¯ll give it back to me,¡± I answer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it back to you,¡± she says, and my lie detection determines she¡¯s telling the truth, so I hand it to her, dismissing the notification. She starts flipping through the Grimoire, muttering to herself. ¡°Gavin, you¡¯re right that many of these spells are beyond you, but I¡¯m guessing that, as you weren¡¯t a magician until you gained access, you didn¡¯t really look at the spells much. Am I correct in this?¡±

    ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°There are some more basic ones at the back of the Grimoire,¡± she answers. ¡°And to think that the pages each have multiple things on it, changing based on what you want to view. That¡¯s quite interesting. There¡¯s actually a full page devoted to teaching Magic Bolt, then turning it into an Elemental Bolt and how to shift the runes around for fire, water, stone, air, light, darkness, ice, and energy, as well as how to turn it into a Holy Magic Bolt, and how to add that modifier to each of the Elemental Bolts as well.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I ask, and she hands me the Grimoire on the page she opened it to, which is showing the Magic Bolt instructions. ¡°Whoa.¡±

    ¡°Chances are,¡± she says. ¡°Tristan Lightblade intentionally put only a couple of weaker spells, then many powerful spells. Doing that would deter people from trying to go farther, especially if the spells only got more and more difficult. Then, toward but not at the end, he listed easier spells to learn. Since it defaults to the spell pages, most wouldn¡¯t even know about the other stuff. You seemed to have figured out about those, and were more interested in them, it seems, so I¡¯m not surprised you didn¡¯t catch that.

    ¡°Now,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you to give me the book, and nor will I try to take it from you, but I will say that I don¡¯t want you attempted to learn any spells from it without me supervising you, while you¡¯re here. Even with your bonus to learning Skills and magical Skills, it can still be risky, learning magics. Many magicians have ended their lives to learn a spell that turned out to be far more powerful than they expected. As long as you are staying in this town, do not attempt to learn a spell from the Grimoire without my supervision. Do you understand?¡±

    I¡¯m about to tell her that she can shove it, but stop. Now that I¡¯ve had time to cool off from meeting Kade, I realize just how stupid I was, making the blood oath. Maybe it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t try to learn magics from the Grimoire for now¡­ at least, not without supervision. I seem to be making bad decisions lately.

    Ended up gaining a Blood Quest I can¡¯t get out of, then lose 2 LIF for something else, all in about a week. Who knows what would happen if I¡¯d remembered about the Grimoire and tried to learn one of the more advanced spells¡­ which I probably would have attempted to do the first chance I got to practice magic on my own after remembering.

    It might not have been LIF that I lost.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say.

    ¡°Good,¡± she smiles. ¡°Memorize these runes, but don¡¯t try to practice them. We¡¯ll put them into use tomorrow. Once you have mastered each of these, I will teach you the Tier II spell.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I send the Grimoire back into my inventory. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I play with some of the alchemy stuff, do you? I¡¯m actually quite good, and do have the option to take on an Alchemy Class, when I can.¡±

    ¡°Do what you¡¯re comfortable with,¡± she says. ¡°But make sure you get a high enough Skill before attempting the more advanced things. If you doubt, for even a moment, then don¡¯t do. That¡¯s the rule to follow now. When you¡¯re much more experienced and advanced, you can do what you doubt with alchemy. That¡¯s what I was told, when I looked into starting alchemy.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I like magic more,¡± she shrugs. ¡°So I hear you have an unusual way of expanding your Mana Pool. Instead of actually expanding it, you make your Mana denser. This will be harder to do if you¡¯re spent of Mana when you try it.¡±

    A piece of paper appears in her hands, and she hands it to me.

    ¡°Memorize these runes,¡± she says. ¡°And then will them into being within your Mana Pool. It¡¯s magic, but it doesn¡¯t use Mana ¨C it expands your pool. Stop after gaining a single point of Mana, in any session that you do gain Mana.

    ¡°Too much too fast will cause pain, and possibly irreversible damage. There is no risk to this, so long as you¡¯ve memorized the runes, and from what my sister said, you do that quite easily. At most, do this once a day. Most people can spend up to a month before gaining that first point, but I doubt you¡¯ll be waiting that long. If you start to feel any mental effects, stop, even if you have a resistance to it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I say.

    ¡°Good,¡± she says. ¡°Now run on back to the inn and get some rest ¨C you¡¯ll be doing the Dungeon and training here tomorrow, so you¡¯ll need it.¡±

    I nod, then Warren and I leave, the four papers she gave me tucked safely into my inventory. When we return to our room at the end, I close my eyes and focus on the runes she gave me for the expansion technique, and visualize them within my Mana Pool. The runes mostly deal with Mana itself, as well as expansion, and their purpose is solely to increase one¡¯s Mana Pool.

    Skill Gained!

    Taihi Mana Expansion Technique 1/10: One of many Mana Pool Expansion techniques in existence. Mastering this Skill will render it inert and incapable of expanding the Mana Pool further.

    That came without any gains to my Mana. I practice it for awhile, and gain no results from it before I can feel it affecting my mind, my mind becoming just a little bit fuzzy.

    My Mana hasn¡¯t restored yet, so I don¡¯t bother trying to gain even another point of it with condensing it, since that only works when it¡¯s full.

    ¡°Goodnight, Warren,¡± I say.

    ¡°Goodnight,¡± he looks over at me. ¡°One of the spirits I¡¯ve contracted with told me to teach you the method I use to expand my Spirit Pool, once you¡¯ve got a few more spells under your belt and your Mana Pool is at 300. I think he wants to contract with you as well, but doesn¡¯t want to until you¡¯re stronger as a magician.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I yawn. ¡°Goodnight.¡±

    I close my eyes, and am asleep instantly.

 Chapter 0025 - Michael Arrives

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying,¡± Warren says as we exit the Dungeon. ¡°Is that I could have killed that kobold.¡±

    ¡°Sure you could,¡± I nod. ¡°Just like you could have given me Gift of Speed when I ran out of Mana so I could abuse the enhanced speed to wipe out even more kobolds.¡±

    ¡°Your AGI is higher normally than mine is buffed,¡± he says. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you needed it.¡±

    ¡°Well, then you¡¯re paying for lunch.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± he groans, the two of us ignoring the stares we¡¯re receiving from hunters and Adventurers as we walk past them and into the Guild Hall to trade in our loot. ¡°I¡¯m almost to Level 2 on Martial Artist, now.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I ask. ¡°That¡¯s great! Have you gotten any Experience for your Species yet?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he sulks. ¡°And I could feel the shift when you Leveled yours up.¡±

    ¡°How did you know it was that and not Wizard?¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± he rolls his eyes. ¡°I know you gained a Level in that, too. Your Spirit didn¡¯t increase when your Mana and Health did one time, but did when they did the other time. Clearly, the latter case was you Leveling Wizard, with your plus-one to all Stats.¡±

    ¡°It does affect Loot Chance,¡± I tell him. ¡°Though I can¡¯t figure out why it doesn¡¯t affect Overflow Value.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he shrugs. ¡°The spirits won¡¯t tell me anything about Overflow Value and how it exists. You said you can¡¯t sense that extra resource, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nod. ¡°It just isn¡¯t there for me to sense, yet I know I can draw on it, because I use it first.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably one of life¡¯s many mysteries,¡± he shrugs. ¡°Sort of like what Health is really for, since getting hurt doesn¡¯t affect it.¡±

    Yeah¡­ I can¡¯t figure that out, either, and when I asked around, I found that no one really knows what Health is for.

    So why the hell can we see it, if it doesn¡¯t really serve a purpose?

    The System doesn¡¯t tell me, so I just shrug it off, then follow Warren to the restaurant we¡¯re going to for lunch and dinner as regulars now. I can¡¯t shake the feeling that we¡¯re being followed, but I can¡¯t see anyone when I look.

    We return to the inn to rest a bit and pay for ten more days in the room, which starts tomorrow, since we still have tonight paid for.

    ¡°Warren,¡± I say once we¡¯re in the room. ¡°I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that we were being followed on our way here.¡±

    ¡°Nor could I,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t sense anyone following us, and my checks didn¡¯t yield a stalker. We shouldn¡¯t have come straight here.¡±

    Yeah¡­ probably not. I wonder if we can get a refund, but before I can suggest that, there¡¯s a knock on the door.

    We look at each other, then at the door. There¡¯s a small Mana Pool on the other side, so either they¡¯re a new magician, or they¡¯re an Adventurer with a non-magic Class.

    I walk to the door, summoning a Magic Bolt, and open it, making sure the bolt is in full-view before I am, and I stop with the door only half-open, staring.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Warren asks. ¡°Gavin ¨C are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I manage. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Hello, Michael.¡±

    ¡°Gavin,¡± he dips his head to me. ¡°May I come in?¡±

    ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I ask, and his ears dip down a little bit.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he says. ¡°I wanted to make sure it was you. Your attitude¡¯s a little different, even if your body isn¡¯t. I ran into Kade, and he told me that you said you were stuck in a Rift for more than a year.¡±

    ¡°Come on in,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s sort of what happened. I was told it¡¯d be three days before you got here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been three days,¡± he says.

    ¡°I was told yesterday.¡±

    ¡°My message probably didn¡¯t get delivered the same day, then,¡± he shrugs, then pauses as he looks at Warren, and he frowns, the fur on his tail standing on end. He pushes me behind him, a growl forming in his throat. ¡°Have you been vulnerable around it at all?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not an it-¡± I start to say.

    ¡°Have you?¡± Michael interrupts me. ¡°Answer me! Now!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get you inspected,¡± he growls. ¡°I can see through your glamour, fae. If you attempt to have my ally attack me, know that I will end your life in an instant.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t place an influence on him,¡± Warren stands up. ¡°And he can see through the glamour as well. At least, partly ¨C he can see the mark on my cheek, even if he does see the green hair.¡±

    ¡°Glamour?¡± I ask. ¡°What glamour?¡±

    The light around Warren ripples, and his hair changes to an oaken brown tinged with greens and touched with blond highlights, his eyes turning to a shade of green that reminds me of the leaves of the forest I ended up in on this continent. The rest of him remains unchanged, though.

    ¡°Gavin,¡± Michael says. ¡°This fae bears a direct relation to the fairy king himself, and cannot be trusted. Any of the royal fae bloodline can influence others, even without their knowing.¡±

    ¡°I swear on the blood and power within me,¡± Warren says. ¡°That the only magic I have used on Gavin has been to assist or aid him, not to harm, influence, or control him. I owe Gavin a lot more than I can explain in mere words, and would never desire to harm or control him.¡±

    Warren glows red for a few moments.

    ¡°Did you¡­ just get a Blood Quest?¡± I ask.

    ¡°No,¡± Warren shakes his head. ¡°The fact that I survived the glow means that I was being honest. I didn¡¯t swear to the future, like you did, but of the past.¡±

    ¡°You swore a Blood Oath?¡± Michael asks me, and I can hear the fear and anger in his voice. ¡°Please tell me-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you, too,¡± I say. ¡°Warren and Collin have both ripped into me about it.¡±

    ¡°Collin?¡± He asks.

    ¡°The leader of the Hunter¡¯s Guild.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Huh,¡± he says. ¡°So he really does talk to you. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was true or not.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± I take a step back and look him up and down.

    He¡¯s wearing light leather armor over a black tunic and pants, a shortsword with a silver hilt strapped to his left hip, and some soft leather boots. He¡¯s a few inches taller, probably because more than a year¡¯s passed, and his jawline¡¯s stronger now than it was before, his shoulders a little bit broader. I appraise him.

    Michael, Beastborn (wolf) Level 3, Squire Level 8

    ¡°Level 8 Squire?¡± I ask. ¡°Thought inhumans had a penalty to Experience?¡±

    ¡°We do,¡± he nods. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of killing this last year, and have gained a lot of Experience. Kade told me you¡¯re still wanting to restore Jozan to power ¨C is this true?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± he says. ¡°I will aid you. Kade and Tyler have given up, but I haven¡¯t. My father understands that I wish to see it return, and has granted me his blessing to work toward that. We can do it without Tyler, even if it¡¯ll be tougher.¡±

    ¡°We can get Tyler back on our side,¡± I say. ¡°We just need to show him it¡¯s not hopeless. As for doing it¡­ we have five years.¡±

    ¡°Why five years?¡±

    ¡°Blood Oath.¡±

    ¡°Idiot.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Michael snorts, shaking his head, then looks at me, his azure gaze focusing on me for a few moments, then looking at me expectantly after a message pops up.

    His tail is wagging in what appears to be excitement, and I refrain from commenting that he¡¯s acting just like a dog.

    Michael has requested to join your Party!

    Accept: Y/N?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Michael is now in your Party!

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he says, then switches to Jozan. ¡°I¡¯ve been mapping out connections between Dungeons, creating a rough map of the world. I¡¯m not sure how the continents line up with each other, but I do know where more than a hundred Dungeons¡¯ second form leads. Each continent believes that the world they know is the only world, and it doesn¡¯t seem anyone knows about the second forms. It makes me wonder how His Majesty learned of it.¡±

    Makes me wonder that, too.

    ¡°Each continent is so different, too,¡± he says. ¡°We¡¯ve got ours, which was filled with nations, there¡¯s this one, that has a few on the southern portion of it and the forest covering more than half of it, including all of the northern part, then there¡¯s one that¡¯s got two empires basically at war all the time. I got a ton of Experience there. Nothing like trying to find a Dungeon and suddenly getting chased by four thousand imperial soldiers.¡±

    That sounds like an adventure.

    ¡°We have a lot to catch up on, don¡¯t we?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods. ¡°Including how, exactly, you gained an ally in a relative of the fairy king, and why he doesn¡¯t wish you harm, and would risk death by Blood Oath ¨C or worse ¨C to prove that to someone he¡¯s never met before.¡±

    ¡°I can sense how dangerous you are,¡± Warren states. ¡°And you¡¯re superior to me. You¡¯d probably silence me before I could finish casting a Gift.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Michael says. ¡°May I sit?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re a team,¡± I tell him. ¡°You don¡¯t need permission to sit in my room.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he sits down on the chair, his tail still swishing side to side. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re back, and the damn thing won¡¯t stop moving on its own.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for staring,¡± I grin at him. ¡°So how did you meet the fairy king?¡±

    ¡°Found a Dungeon that connects to one near his palace,¡± he groans. ¡°I was interrogated for hours on how I ended up so deep in their territory.¡±

    ¡°You told them?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°Oberon tried using his lineage¡¯s influential magic on me, but I have Mind Resistance Level 4, and it didn¡¯t work too well. Fighting him on it brought me up to Level 6 before he gave up, though I was almost to the point where I couldn¡¯t resist him anymore. I don¡¯t trust him, nor anyone of his bloodline.¡±

    ¡°I trust Warren,¡± I switch to Velusian. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t know he¡¯d risk a Blood Oath¡¯s punishment to prove he trusts me and looks up to me. He was a slave in the Coliseum here, used to draw crowds. No one had ever bested him.¡±

    ¡°Until Gavin,¡± Warren nods, his glamour returned at some point while Michael and I spoke. ¡°He was able to interrupt the spirits, and I had to restart the chant. He barely won against me, though, and it¡¯s been agreed that had he not done something risky and dangerous, he would¡¯ve lost the fight. And probably his life, too. Then he challenged them for my freedom. If it weren¡¯t for him, I¡¯d still be a slave there, forced to fight for entertainment. With Gavin, I¡¯m free, and able to train far more than I could on my own or in the arena. I gain so much more Experience.¡±

    ¡°He gained access before our fight,¡± I explain to Warren. ¡°We train in a Dungeon every morning, then rest most of the day after, usually looking for information on where the rest of you were, but then we got word, so we came back today. Kade and Tyler have given up hope.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Michael shakes his head. ¡°King Wesley was a good man, and the spirit of Jozan lives on, I can see it in you. You are my Party Leader, and until you do something that makes me lose loyalty to you, I will follow you in your goals. Five years? Ha! You¡¯re a Wizard ¨C I doubt it¡¯ll take you that long to do it! After all, the sense of power I feel in you, if it¡¯s really only been less than two months since you gained access, tells me just how powerful you can be in a year.¡±

    ¡°Status share,¡± I focus on Michael. ¡°These are my stats right now, all of that in the last few weeks, training here.¡±

    He reads it, then nods, smiling.

    ¡°Of course you¡¯d reach Level 10 with Wizard already,¡± he says. ¡°Status share.¡±

    Name: Michael

    Age: 14 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Beastborn (Wolf) Level 3

    Classes: Squire 8

    INT: 11, AGI: 10, CHA: 4, STR: 18, CON: 17, PER: 11, LIF: 11, HLT 9

    LFA: 8

    Health: 34/34

    Mana: 11/11

    He¡¯s unlocked Life Affinity and increased it? Does Beastborn increase it when he gains Levels?

    ¡°How do you have Life Affinity?¡± I ask.

    ¡°How do you know that¡¯s what it stands for?¡± He asks. ¡°No one ever seems to know it.¡±

    I explain what, exactly, happened to him, assuring him that Warren already knows when he looks over at him. When I finish, he nods.

    ¡°I understand,¡± he says. ¡°One of the continents is filled with dark knights, who are people who can sacrifice their Health for extra damage. LFA is boosted through use of Health. I learned a technique to heal myself using Health, a Skill called Life Restore. It¡¯s currently Level 2, and gaining those two Levels boosted my LFA by two. I was planning on going back to that continent and learning some of their dark knight Skills when I heard that you were back.¡±

    ¡°If you want to go,¡± I say. ¡°I can remove you from the party so you can do the switches on your own. We¡¯re training here.¡±

    ¡°I can return later,¡± he stands and stretches. ¡°I was wanting to take you there as well, though it would probably be a good idea to train up, first.¡±

    ¡°Why did you want me to go there?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Grimoire,¡± he says in Jozan.

    ¡°Warren knows about it,¡± I tell him, and he raises an eyebrow. ¡°I made a lot of stupid decisions, okay! I¡¯m just glad Warren¡¯s trustworthy. Only him and two others in town know about the Grimoire.¡±

    ¡°Two others?¡± Michael¡¯s azure gaze turns dangerous. ¡°Collin and who else?¡±

    ¡°Professor Temp,¡± I answer. ¡°We¡¯ll be seeing her after dinner. She¡¯s Natalie¡¯s sister.¡±

    ¡°The Royal Witch?¡± He asks, and I nod. ¡°Temperance Voltas?¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡±

    ¡°Of her,¡± he relaxes a little bit. ¡°She¡¯s trustworthy, but why did you tell her about it?¡±

    ¡°Warren did, not me.¡±

    ¡°I will take the blame for it,¡± Warren says. ¡°That kind of was my fault.¡±

    ¡°Using a glamour to hide your blushing isn¡¯t fair, you know,¡± Michael says, then snorts, shaking his head before looking back at me. ¡°What are you going to meet her for?¡±

    ¡°She taught me a couple of things when we met yesterday,¡± I answer. ¡°And will be supervising me learning the three spells she showed me the runes for. You said there¡¯s a Grimoire on that continent?¡±

    ¡°I believe so,¡± he nods. ¡°But I haven¡¯t confirmed its existence. It¡¯s in a place their dark knights don¡¯t bother going, so it¡¯s best if you get stronger, first.¡±

    He seems almost scared of where the Grimoire might be. As far as I know, wolves don¡¯t have natural predators, so I wonder what could make him scared of that place, as well as these ¡®dark knights¡¯, whatever they are.

    But I¡¯ll leave it alone for now. He¡¯ll tell me when he thinks I¡¯m ready for that place.

    ¡°So how many spells from the Grimoire have you learned?¡± He asks.

    ¡°None,¡± I answer. ¡°The spells later will be the first I¡¯ve learned since we got separated.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he says. ¡°Okay,¡± his face turns red, and his tail droops down behind the chair. ¡°So I, ah, don¡¯t get good loot drops, and aren¡¯t really in towns very often. I don¡¯t have any money, and if you¡¯ve already run the Dungeon today, I don¡¯t think I can ask you to take a trip in with me and we hope for the best. Would you, ah, be willing to let me sleep in here?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say. ¡°You¡¯re a member of my team. Warren can make you a bedrolls.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Warren protests. ¡°I can only sustain one a night!¡±

    ¡°Kidding, Warren,¡± I chuckle at his reaction and Michael¡¯s horrified expression. ¡°Go buy a couple of bedrolls and blankets and pillows. We¡¯ll be needing them once we¡¯re traveling, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t having this many people in a room upset the innkeeper?¡± Michael asks me. ¡°The room only has one bed.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a few weeks for us,¡± I say. ¡°And he hasn¡¯t complained. We can go talk to him, though.¡±

 Chapter 0026 - Learning Fire Magics

    Warren leaves as Michael and I make our way downstairs, and I find the innkeeper arguing with a customer about the rates for the room.

    ¡°I want to pay for two rooms for five nights for twenty silver a night each,¡± the customer says. ¡°And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s an issue because we¡¯ve got ten people for two beds, some of us can sleep on the floor.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s against the policy,¡± the innkeeper says. ¡°To allow more than two people per bed. I am not budging on this. In addition, you are wanting me to allow extra people to sleep while paying less. Not happening. Either pay for the appropriate number of rooms and beds, or get out.¡±

    ¡°That answers that question,¡± I tell Michael, then look at the Innkeeper. ¡°Sir, can we upgrade to a room with two beds, and pay the difference for what we¡¯ve already got reserved? A member of my party arrived in town unexpectedly, and can¡¯t afford his own room. We were going to see if he could just sleep on the floor, but since that¡¯s not allowed, we¡¯ll upgrade our room. We¡¯ll have to get Michael to pay you when he gets back, though, I don¡¯t have enough for the full eighty silver on me, since I paid for lunch, too.¡±

    ¡°Pay an extra five a night,¡± the innkeeper says. ¡°And you can keep the room. If you want to upgrade to a second bed, then I¡¯ll need the full fare, and will get it from the fairy when he returns.¡±

    ¡°Bed?¡± I look at Michael.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a few months,¡± he shrugs. ¡°I haven¡¯t been interacting with people much, and have grown accustomed to sleeping on the ground. I don¡¯t need one.¡±

    ¡°Very well, then,¡± I look at the innkeeper and count out forty silver. ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Do you ever take anything in high silver?¡± He asks. ¡°You always pay in regular silver.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no fun in high silver,¡± I grin at him. ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly fair,¡± the other customer says. ¡°You¡¯re letting a kid with beastborn and fairy scum sleep in a room with a single bed, but won¡¯t let good, hardworking human Adventurers? This place is shit ¨C that¡¯s probably why your prices are so cheap.¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re so cheap,¡± I say. ¡°Then why are you trying to get a discount and cram ten people in space that can barely fit eight?¡±

    The Adventurer grabs me by my collar and pulls me up to his face.

    ¡°Listen here, child,¡± he says. ¡°You have no idea what it¡¯s like to be an Adventurer, how difficult our lives are, and-¡±

    ¡°Brian,¡± I say. ¡°Level 2 Human, Level 5 Squire. You¡¯re pretty weak. Status share.¡±

    He falls silent, staring at the window that¡¯s now in his vision, eyes wide in disbelief.

    ¡°I know exactly what it¡¯s like to be an Adventurer,¡± I tell him. ¡°Now you are going to set me down, you are going to pay for three rooms with two beds at their full price for five nights, and you are not going to cause any more problems. Do so, and the Level 8 Squire and Level 3 Wolf Beastborn who drew his sword the moment you reached for me will probably let you off with your head still attached. I¡¯d deal with you myself, but that would get messy, and I¡¯d rather not have to deal with guards when I have some magic lessons to attend to in a couple of hours, and still need to eat dinner.¡±

    The Adventurer gently sets me down, pays, and then takes his team upstairs as they inquire why he didn¡¯t just say ¡®screw it¡¯ and teach us kids a lesson, and I look at the innkeeper.

    ¡°Let us know if they bother you again,¡± I say. ¡°He knows the difference in power between the two of us, and so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to keep him behaving.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Gavin,¡± he says. ¡°And don¡¯t think anything of your discount ¨C it¡¯s the least I can do for one of my calmest customers. I don¡¯t get summoned up to your room at all hours of the evening for noise complaints, and after the initial issue with you screaming, Collin arranged for someone to put up a sound barrier. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve recovered from what ailed you.¡±

    ¡°I lost 2 LIF from that,¡± I grumble. ¡°It was all my own fault, too.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± Michael asks, and I look at him as he sheathes his sword, then tell him. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the technique used to make Mana denser, but it was only theoretical. You don¡¯t have a Skill for it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I answer. ¡°The System¡¯s weird about what it grants Skills for.¡±

    -0 CHA!

    ¡°You still make that face,¡± Michael smirks. ¡°The System¡¯s harassing you, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°And it¡¯s only been a couple of months for me, not over a year.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± he nods. ¡°I do find it weird that you¡¯re viewed as calm.¡±

    ¡°Compared to some of the other Adventurers, he is,¡± the innkeeper says, and Michael jumps, looking at him. I snort. ¡°He doesn¡¯t cause problems here ¨C it¡¯s outside where he causes them. And the couple of times he¡¯s passed through here when there was a problem going on, there wasn¡¯t when he got to the stairs or the door.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Michael nods, then looks at me. ¡°So your plans, for until dinner?¡±

    ¡°Condense my Mana some more,¡± I make my way upstairs, Michael following. ¡°Then rest a bit.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he says.

    I work on condensing my Mana until I gain another point in it, then switch to expanding my Mana Pool, stopping when my brain starts to get foggy, then I try to get some sleep.

    When I wake up, Michael is sitting with his back against the bed, his sword beside him. Warren is relaxing on a magically-constructed bedroll, though he doesn¡¯t look too relaxed.

    I guess having a beastborn who doesn¡¯t like you and will stare at you to make sure you don¡¯t hurt his ally will make you uneasy.

    Thinking that, I then wonder why, exactly, Michael agreed to join my party so readily, without much explanation. We barely even know each other, and that was more than a year ago.

    ¡°What?¡± Michael looks at me, and I stare at him back. ¡°I could feel you staring at me, Gavin,¡± I tell him what I was thinking. ¡°I was ordered by both King Wesley and my father to protect you and Tyler. Tyler has refused my protection, stating he is no longer a noble of any sort. You, on the other hand, have readily accepted it. I will protect you until the orders from my father change, or until such a time as your own actions lead me to no longer determine you as worth protecting.¡±

    ¡°You were ordered to protect me?¡± I ask, having not detected any lies.

    The wolf side of him makes him as fiercely loyal to his tribe as I am to my kingdom. If he is ordered something by his alpha ¨C the chief of his tribe ¨C then he will see it through to the end.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My tribe remembers the last Wizard to walk this world,¡± he answers. ¡°Archwizard Christopher was his name. Powerful being. Wizards effect powerful change in the world, and you are but a pup. Father has ordered me to protect you until you reach maturity and are no longer needing of protection.¡±

    ¡°I can protect myself.¡±

    ¡°A trio can do what a single cannot,¡± he says. ¡°In a Dungeon, if you run out of energy and are trapped, you rely on your team for support. I will be that support. I have already informed him what Kade told me ¨C that you are determined to restore Jozan to power. My father will lend you the support of our tribe, when the time comes.¡±

    I¡¯m an asset to his father.

    There must be something in Jozan he wants, and Michael isn¡¯t aware of it. It was probably some deal he made with the king, and it involved Michael training in the Jozan military.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I yawn, then look at them. ¡°How long was I asleep for?¡±

    ¡°A couple of hours,¡± Warren answers. ¡°The stuff is in the corner, it cost me ten silver for each set.¡±

    Three bedrolls, three pillows, and three thin wool blankets. Cheap, but they¡¯ll do the trick for now, and it¡¯s warming up, so we can get thicker blankets later. That, and it¡¯ll be awhile before we¡¯ll be sleeping outside, so it¡¯s not like they¡¯re all immediate needs. I put two of the sets into my ring, then stretch.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat dinner,¡± I slide off the bed and slip my boots back on.. ¡°You¡¯re paying, though, because I had to pay extra so Michael could stay in the room.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Warren stands up. ¡°Michael told me that the innkeeper let us stay for just an extra five a night.¡±

    The three of us head to the usual restaurant, and we dig in for just seven silver. We could probably go somewhere with a bit more food, and with the way Michael digs in and I desperately want to, we probably should from now on¡­ the more a magician uses their power, the hungrier they get, and Michael probably needs to eat a ton because of his muscles and stuff. That, and being part-wolf.

    After dinner, the three of us head to the magic school and locate Professor Temp in her classroom, along with a boy our age wearing a threadbare tunic, pants, and nothing on his feet. It¡¯s not really common for anyone to have something on their feet before they¡¯re done growing, unless they¡¯re wealthy, because of the cost.

    My village is one of those exceptions, because we all travel through the woods a ton, and it¡¯s safer for us to wear them, and we can kind of make them on our own.

    ¡°And who¡¯s this young man?¡± Professor Temp raises an eyebrow in curiosity.

    ¡°This is Michael,¡± I answer. ¡°A member of my team.¡±

    ¡°Why do you have a fairy and a beastborn on your team?¡± The boy asks. ¡°Don¡¯t you know they¡¯re not safe?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to speak when the nobility are?¡± I ask him, and his face turns red in anger, and he clenches his fists. ¡°Professor Temp, Michael is one of the three original members of my team. He¡¯s also the son of the chieftain of one of the most powerful beastborn tribes.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± she says. ¡°Gavin, this is Blake, and I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t act so rudely to him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if he wasn¡¯t rude to the members of my party,¡± I state. ¡°I¡¯m not an ordinary magician Adventurer, I¡¯m a Level 10 Wizard who just realized that he had an experience penalty to Scout and Human the last couple of visits to the Dungeon, but Wizard somehow had a buff.¡±

    +0 INT!

    ¡°Shut the fuck up, System.¡±

    -0 CHA!

    Michael snorts behind me as Professor Temp raises an eyebrow.

    ¡°So why are you introducing me to someone who insulted my party members?¡± I ask.

    ¡°He¡¯s my best fire adept,¡± she answers. ¡°And he just gained access to the System during class. He has the novice Class available, and has gained the three spells you will be learning today. Candle Flame is at Level 6, Firebolt is at Level 8, and Fireball is at Level 6. He¡¯s been training in fire magics for only three years, and likely has an invisible boost to learning fire magics.¡±

    ¡°So are you wanting to see just how good I can do fire?¡± I ask.

    ¡°No,¡± she answers. ¡°We were simply discussing the System when you three arrived. He doesn¡¯t believe me that an unfair existence such as a Wizard as a Tier I Class doesn¡¯t exist. Why don¡¯t you try and use Candle Flame, now?¡±

    I hold up my hand, my index finger pointing up, and focus on my Mana.

    ¡°Candle Flame,¡± I activate the magic runes I formed, and a small flame forms above my finger, then burns me, and I release the flame as I wave my finger around. ¡°Ow! Hot!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t dismiss your notifications,¡± Professor Temp. ¡°Focus on Blake and think or say ¡®notice share¡¯, so he can see them.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡± I ask, and she nods. I look at Blake. ¡°Notice share.¡±

    Skill Gained!

    Candle Flame 1/10: A small flame useful for lightning candles or starting a campfire

    Skill Gained!

    Fire Resistance 1/10: The ability to resist the effects of fire

    Skill Gained!

    Heat Resistance 1/10: The ability to resist the effects of heat

    ¡°How did you know I gained more than one?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Your boost to Skills,¡± she answers. ¡°Though it seems like you have a larger passive buff than you can see, I¡¯d say that you would gain resistances quite easily. Now practice Candle Flame until you run out of Mana.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I sit down at a desk and start to work on the first fire spell I have learned, the fire taking on the violet hue of my regular magic as well.

    That¡¯s a curiosity, and Christopher said, when I asked him, that it doesn¡¯t have to do with me being a Wizard, but he said that my twin¡¯s magic is violet as well. I wonder if it¡¯s related to my Bloodline.

    +0 INT!

    Turning those thoughts from my head, I get to work on training Candle Flame.

    I only use up 100 Mana before I reach Level 9 with it, and then I focus on casting it without chanting, as well as manipulating the amount of Mana within it and the fire within it, using the former to control the power of the flame and the latter to move it around and make it change shape. It only takes me another 8 Mana and ten minutes.

    Candle Flame is now Level 10!

    +10 Wizard Experience!

    Fire Resistance is now Level 2!

    Heat Resistance is now Level 3!

    Mana Manipulation is now Level 2!

    Skill Gained!

    Fire Manipulation 1/10: the ability to manipulate the element of fire

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Professor Temp says when I tell her. ¡°Candle Flame is arguably easier than even Magic Bolt. The other two spells probably won¡¯t be so easy or fast for you to master. Let¡¯s move to the other side of the classroom, and begin working on Firebolt. Since you already know Magic Bolt, it¡¯ll be a little bit easier for you to perform than Fireball.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I say.

    ¡°Stop when you¡¯re around twenty Mana,¡± she instructs me. ¡°We¡¯ll attempt Fireball at that point.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have him learn Firebolt without protective gear?¡± Blake asks.

    I raise a hand, visualizing the runes for Firebolt, knowing each and every one of them and what they do, how they interact with each other.

    ¡°Firebolt!¡± I summon the burning version of Magic Bolt, the flames violet in color. I can already tell that controlling it will be difficult, and fire it off immediately. ¡°Firebolt!¡±

    I keep summoning Firebolts. They cost 5 Mana each. I cast sixteen of them before the cost goes down, and one more puts me to 20 Mana.

    Firebolt is now Level 5!

    I guess, unlike Magic Missile, this one won¡¯t be going under a single point of Mana for each cast, since it decreased in cost at the same first point, and costs two points more.

    ¡°Now try Fireball,¡± Professor Temp tells me. ¡°It costs 8 Mana, so if you get it immediately, you¡¯ll be able to cast two, if not, you might barely have enough for a second cast, or you might not.¡±

    I nod, then raise my hands, forming the runes for Fireball in my mind, and with a single chant, the violet-flamed fireball forms in my hands. I throw it at the target, and when it hits, it bursts, flames spreading out a little bit. I cast a second one, then look at Professor Temp.

    ¡°And that¡¯s all my Mana,¡± I say. ¡°Apart from what I¡¯m about to restore, and ignoring what I burned up to cast the spells.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she says. ¡°Tomorrow, when you return, we¡¯ll work on advancing them up to Level 10. I expect it will take you three days, at most, for each. Once they¡¯re mastered, I¡¯ll teach you a Tier III spell I saw in your Grimoire.¡±

    ¡°Not a Tier II?¡± I ask.

    ¡°No,¡± she smiles. ¡°None of the Tier II¡¯s I have are as impressive as that Tier III, and I expect you¡¯ll have the minimum INT of 40 recommended by that.¡±

    ¡°If I can gain two more Wizard or Human Levels,¡± I say. ¡°Or one of each, I¡¯ll hit it.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you the planned Tier II spell instead.¡±

    ¡°Sweet,¡± I grin at her, then stretch. ¡°My mind¡¯s a fair bit foggy after all of that and working on expanding my Mana Pool, so I¡¯m heading back to the inn. See you later, Professor Temp, and it was nice making you stand there and stare in shock at the amount of spells I could cast, Blake.¡±

 Chapter 0027 - Mastering Fire Magics

    ¡°Let me see if I¡¯m understanding you correctly,¡± Michael says. ¡°In this Dungeon¡¯s first area to the first Stage, the monsters will grow stronger after twenty minutes, and after thirty, a Miniboss will spawn¡­ and now that you have one extra person, you not only want to go past the twenty-minute mark for the first time, but cause the Miniboss to spawn?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And you really think I can make that much of a difference?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± I say. ¡°With our combined Levels, we¡¯re pretty strong.¡±

    ¡°Either we need a few more Levels,¡± he says. ¡°Or a few more party members, Gavin. I¡¯d recommend waiting until you¡¯ve mastered the fire spells you¡¯re learning, and the Tier III one she¡¯s going to teach you, if your INT is at forty or above.¡±

    I¡¯m about to tell him that I¡¯m confident we can handle the miniboss, since Warren and I only leave because of Mana, and that we¡¯re only starting to get exhausted then, but stop. Yes, we probably can beat the Miniboss, but how hard will be it? And can we do it after battling for thirty minutes at our current strength?

    I take a deep breath.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯ll stop before the thirty-minute mark, but go until we get exhausted. Warren and I only ever stopped before the twenty-minute mark because we didn¡¯t want to fight the stronger ones for a few more Levels, but with the three of us, it¡¯ll probably be easier. We could probably last one or two minutes with the stronger ones before wearing out, netting us another ten to thirty kills each.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fair,¡± Michael says, then looks at Warren. ¡°Do you think the three of us should do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Warren nods. ¡°The only reason I haven¡¯t suggested it before was because I was afraid Gavin would want to push us until the Miniboss showed up.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s do that,¡± I say.

    ¡°Not the Miniboss!¡± Warren exclaims.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t meaning to do that,¡± I say. ¡°I meant to go for a few minutes past the twenty-minute mark, going as far as we can before having to leave or triggering the Miniboss.¡±

    Warren grins at me, and I realize that he intentionally misunderstood what I said.

    ¡°Screw you.¡±

    I step into the Dungeon, and a moment later, they do as well.

    ¡°Where did all the kobolds go?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°He fires off ten Magic Bolts in rapid succession the moment we enter,¡± Warren explains. ¡°Now that he doesn¡¯t need to chant to cast Magic Bolt, he¡¯s even faster about it.¡±

    We wait for them to respawn, then get to work. The faster we kill them, the faster their respawn increase happens. By the time we hit the twenty-minute mark, we¡¯ve each killed over a hundred of them, individually. I have to deal with most of the ones after the twenty-minute mark, though Warren can take on a fair few with his Gift of Speed.

    We leave at around twenty-five minutes, and I have to admit that that was the hardest I¡¯ve fought in there before, even with an additional party member. I¡¯m so glad I didn¡¯t try pushing it before.

    ¡°I hit Martial Artist Level 2,¡± Warren informs me. ¡°Three more before I gain a STR and CON. Finally gained a Species Experience, toward the end, there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t gain any Levels,¡± Michael informs me. ¡°Though I gained a few Beastborn Experience and around 25 Squire Experience.¡±

    ¡°I gained 75 Experience to each,¡± I answer. ¡°With Scout and Wizard splitting it evenly, and me gaining Human Experience at half the rate they are combined, the three gain around the same amount of Experience.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be gaining so much Human Experience,¡± he says. ¡°Not just from killing so much.¡±

    ¡°As much as I can figure,¡± I say. ¡°Human Experience is based on a variety of things, including your personality, goals you¡¯re working towards, and how hard you¡¯re working towards, as well as your devotion to those goals. For me, killing a bunch of shit to get stronger so I can reclaim my kingdom and restore my king to his throne is giving me a boost to my Species Experience.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he says. ¡°That would explain why half of my Beastborn Experience was gained when I covered your back, then. I¡¯ve never had that much Experience in a single fight before.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± I say.

    ¡°Then how come I¡¯ve only now gained my first point?¡± Warren asks.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t as devoted,¡± Michael and I answer at the same time, then look at each other.

    ¡°Well, that happened,¡± he says. ¡°Speaking of stuff happening, I noticed that you, a magician, also switch to martial arts. Don¡¯t you use a knife?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t usually think about it ¡®cause it¡¯s in my ring.¡±

    Warren starts laughing, and then explains to a very confused Michael about me and the Grimoire, and my reason for not looking at it.

    Michael just shakes his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± Michael says. ¡°Seeing a magician fight like a fighter, but if you want, I can teach you more martial arts and train with you with a knife.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good way to pass the time between lunch a dinner.¡±

    We make our way into the Guild Hall and sell our loot, then head to a restaurant for lunch. It¡¯s not the same one we usually use, and Warren gives me an inquisitive look.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about you,¡± I say. ¡°But Michael and I need a fair bit more food than what we¡¯ve been eating. This place is a little bit more expensive, but hopefully, their reputation holds true. It¡¯s a high silver per meal.¡±

    We get seated and wait for our food, and it is a little more than we got at the other place, but I don¡¯t think it justifies the ten silver we pay by the time we finish food, and make a note to not return here.

    That done, we find a quiet courtyard near the edge of the city, and Michael has me strip to my pants as he does the same.

    ¡°Try to block my attacks,¡± he tells me. ¡°Don¡¯t let me touch you, and don¡¯t try to hit me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.

    ¡°If something gets past your magic,¡± he says. ¡°You want to be able to block them before they strike you. Odds are, you won¡¯t be able to strike immediately. It¡¯s how we train the mages in our tribes ¨C to block, then to parry, then to strike. We build up to it.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I say. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Michael attacks me, and for the new four hours, we switch between sparring and resting. Sometimes, he spars with Warren, sometimes, he has Warren spar with me, telling Warren not to use his gifts against either of us, except in the final match against Warren. I still win that one, but barely.

    The training done, I sit with my back against a wall, trying to cool off. That was exhausting, and my body¡¯s sore.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sore now,¡± Michael says. ¡°Wait three days ¨C you¡¯ll be even more sore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll only get worse?¡± I complain. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll get worse whether or not you continue,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re just not used to working out that much. Third day after, your pain and soreness will be at its peak. Let¡¯s go eat ¨C it¡¯s good for building muscles to eat meat after training.¡±

    I nod, then we seek out a place to eat, finding a place that charges nine silver per plate. Their portions are only marginally better than the place that charged ten, and that¡¯s because they served the exact same amount of food, though it was mostly meat. Michael dug into that like a wild wolf digging into a fresh catch, and draws quite a few stares.

    I pay, making a note that we might come back here if we can¡¯t find somewhere better, then we make our way to the academy, and to Professor Temp¡¯s room. Blake is practicing his Firebolt, and Professor Temp looks a little amused, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

    ¡°Hullo, Professor Temp,¡± I greet her, and she looks at us.

    ¡°You boys are soaked in dried sweat,¡± she wrinkles her nose, then looks at Warren. ¡°You couldn¡¯t clean them off after whatever they did?¡±

    ¡°He did it, too,¡± I say. ¡°We were training physically. I¡¯m sooooo sore.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± She shakes her head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let them bully you into fist fighting, Gavin. Magic is where it¡¯s at. A good magician never has to use his body to fight, except to aim his spells. He trains his body, yes, but he never needs to learn to fight with it.¡±

    ¡°While he¡¯s practicing his spells,¡± Michael looks at her. ¡°I was hoping to learn Magic Shield. He mentioned it while we were talking, and both he and Kade know it. As a soldier, I believe it would be useful to learn a spell like that to defend against attacks, in case a magician sends one at me that I can¡¯t defend normally.¡±

    ¡°He does have some brains,¡± Professor Temp says, then looks at him. ¡°Very well. I will teach you and the fairy the runes for Magic Shield. I will give you two until Gavin has earned the right to learn holy magic from me to learn it. If you don¡¯t, then I will no longer teach you. You will practice the runes every day until you can draw them perfectly every time. After that, I will explain their meanings to you, and how they interact with each other.¡±

    I move over to the training side of the room and begin firing off Firebolt after Firebolt. After fourteen shots, it moves up to Level 6, then another eighteen to Level 7, where it drops a point of Mana needed to cast.

    As I cast it, I manipulate the fire and the Mana in it, utilizing them in different ways. Make the fire burn hotter without increasing the amount of flames, instead making them thicker. Making the Mana denser, thus making the Firebolt itself smaller for the same amount of Mana. That one causes it to explode a little on contact, sort of like Fireball. Another twenty casts, and I manage to increase it up to Level 8, and the final twelve I can cast brings me up to Level 9, and decreases its Mana Cost down to 2 Mana per bolt.

    Tomorrow, I will master it, then begin my to work on Fireball. After that, I will learn whatever Tier II or Tier III spell she wishes to teach me.

    ¡°Done,¡± I walk over to my team and Professor Temp. ¡°My mind¡¯s getting foggy, probably from all the work today.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to expand your Mana Pool,¡± she tells me. ¡°You¡¯ll risk giving yourself a temporary block if you try too hard when your mind¡¯s foggy.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± I say, then look at the team. ¡°You two ready to go?¡±

    They both nod.

    ¡°See you, Professor Temp,¡± I say. ¡°Later, Blake.¡±

 Chapter 0028 - Firebolt Chain

    We fall into a rhythm over the few days after Michael begins training with us, waking up and just wandering the town or chatting in the inn before breakfast and for a little bit after, then we go to the Dungeon, battle it for twenty or so minutes, then eat lunch, then train for a few hours in martial arts before dinner.

    On the second day of this, I master Firebolt and bring Fireball up to Level 4. On the third day, my Species and both of my Classes go up a Level, and Fireball reaches Level 6, and Michael gained a Beastborn Level.

    On the third day of this, I brought Fireball up to Level 8, and Michael gained a Squire Level. Michael began to teach Warren and I knife combat, and Warren started off at Level 2, surprisingly. Michael told us, when Warren asked why, that it was because of the training with unarmed combat ¨C a lot of it crosses over into other forms of melee fighting. I started off with Level 6, and wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest.

    On the fourth day, I get Fireball up to Level 9, and Fire Manipulation to Level 3.

    On the fifth day, I bring Scout to Level 9.

    On the sixth day, I bring Human to Level 9, Wizard to Level 12, and Fireball to Level 10. We also found a restaurant for 12 silver per plate that serves a decent amount of food for us, but I think it¡¯s mostly because word got around that the powerful young Wizard was looking for a new place to eat at, and they wanted to impress me. Everyone else¡¯s plates had a little bit less food than ours.

    ¡°Mastered,¡± I tell Professor Temp, earning a ¡®hmph!¡¯ from Blake, who stubbornly insists on being here every day, trying to increase his Firebolt Level to new heights. ¡°Though I¡¯m low on Mana.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she says, picking up a piece of paper and holding it out as runes form on it. ¡°These are the runes for the Tier III spell from the Grimoire, as promised.¡±

    I take the paper and begin to read it, realizing just how powerful this Tier III spell that costs 40 Mana to start really is. Professor Temp explains to me the purpose of each rune I don¡¯t understand, and instructs me on how they interact with the others, how all of the runes come together to form the final spell.

    Firebolt Chain. A single Firebolt which, instead of exploding once it penetrates the hide, continues to move, striking more targets. At Level 1, it will only strike three targets, which is far fewer than the equivalent Mana from a Level 1 Firebolt, but it¡¯s so much more than that. It doesn¡¯t weaken as it travels ¨C the increased Mana cost enables it to leap from target to target, reaching even further than a regular Firebolt could. At Level 10, it¡¯ll hit up to fifteen targets for only 35 Mana ¨C less if I can get my Mana Manipulation and Fire Manipulation to a better Level.

    This is a spell that acts at full effect, and learning its runes granted me a second Level to Dekami Runic Language. It also requires more than me simply saying its name ¨C I have to perform an actual chant. Tiered Magics are so much different than a regular spell or Skill in that respect.

    Tomorrow, I will attempt to use it for the first time. The most powerful spell in my arsenal¡­ I can¡¯t wait for the 30 Wizard Experience I¡¯ll gain for mastering it.

    With the remaining 50 Mana I have, I blast the targets with Magic Missiles, gaining two Levels to it. Since I wasn¡¯t going to be using it for Firebolt Chain, I could use it to get to work on that spell, since I¡¯ll eventually need it at Level 10 anyway, so that Professor Temp will allow me to learn a Tier II regular magic spell.

    It isn¡¯t until after I did that that I think about the fact that I could have used it to work on improving Fire Manipulation, to further decrease the cost of my fire magics and improve their kick. Oh, well.

    We return to the inn, and I pay for another week¡¯s stay at only twenty silver a night.

    We run the Dungeon as normal, and gain another Bare-handed Fighting Level during the session with Michael and Warren.

    When we go to meet Professor Temp for our next training session, we find thirty boys in her classroom, some of them practicing in the back of the room, others practicing at their desks. Professor Temp looks a little bit amused.

    Blake is still working on summoning and manipulating Firebolts, stubbornly refusing to believe that he¡¯ll never catch up to me.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Professor Temp asks me, and I nod. ¡°Good. There is a large chance that the spell will backfire on you,¡± she picks up an amulet off her desk. ¡°This is a fire ward. Wear it while attempting to cast the spell. Once you have the Skill for it, you won¡¯t need this amulet anymore. The amulet will drawn in the chaotic fire energies that result from a backfire, even if they originate within you. With my healing powers and your CON, you¡¯ll survive if there is damage.¡±

    ¡°And if there isn¡¯t?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Then your CON is probably a lot higher than the forty-three you claim it is, and your Fire Resistance is higher than Level 2.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± I take the amulet and move to the back of the room, Professor Temp following me.

    When I hold my hands up, I notice everyone else has stopped practicing and are watching me, even Blake.

    They¡­ all stayed to watch me attempt Firebolt Chain, didn¡¯t they?

    Taking a deep breath, I begin the chant.

    ¡°Burn long and strong, burn through all foes which come for me, blaze a path right through my enemies, Firebolt Chain.¡±

    I lose 20 Mana, but nothing happens, other than my body feeling a little bit hotter for a few moments.

    Fire Resistance is now Level 3!

    Heat Resistance is now Level 3!

    Backfire, huh? I tried weakening the spell, just in case, and I¡¯m betting that if I¡¯d let it run at full power, it would¡¯ve burn through me.

    ¡°Burn long and strong, burn through all foes which come for me, blaze a path right through my enemies, Firebolt Chain.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    I feel stupid with that chant, but it¡¯s needed to guide the energies, for now. I lose another 20 Mana, and feel the heat in my body again, but not as strong.

    ¡°You¡¯re suffering a blacklash, aren¡¯t you?¡± Professor Temp asks, and I look at her, nodding. That movement caused me to wince. ¡°I figured, considering how red your skin¡¯s turning.¡±

    She waves a hand over me, chanting a spell three times, and the pain fades away.

    ¡°There,¡± she says. ¡°Next time, tell me so I can heal you.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± I turn back to the targets, focusing on the three I want to strike again.

    ¡°Burn long and strong, burn through all foes which come for me, blaze a path right through my enemies, Firebolt Chain.¡±

    This time, a Firebolt explodes from my hands, striking into the first target, passing through it, hitting the second one, then zipping across to the third, vanishing after entering the dummy¡¯s chest.

    Skill Gained!

    (III) Firebolt Chain 1/10: Creates a Firebolt that blasts through multiple targets. Current target hits: 3. Cost: 45 Mana

    I cast it two more times, then decide to wait a few minutes for the four points of Mana I¡¯m missing to cast it a third time.

    Once I can, I cast it again, then sit down by my teammates, who have completely ignored me, knowing I¡¯d get it. As they work on making the runes perfectly and learning what each one does, I focus on using the Mana I restore to work on Fire Manipulation, and by the time we¡¯re done with our usual hour-session, I have brought it up to Level 4.

    Then we return to our routine, with me working on either manipulating Mana or Fire after the four casts of Firebolt Chain I can perform at full Mana.

    On the first day in the new pattern, I bring Scout to Level 10. After that, I keep track of things by the Level of Firebolt Chain, because of how many of those I¡¯ll likely need to cast for each Level.

    At only four a day, it will probably take me two or three weeks for a single Level of it. Professor Temp offers to let me learn the Tier I light magics, but I refuse. I will learn those after I master Firebolt Chain. I also start working on increasing my Mana Pool again, using the Expansion Skill Professor Temp taught me.

    At Day Eleven, I gain two things. The first, and probably the most important in this respect, is a point of Mana from the expansion. The second is Wizard reaching Level 15, allowing me to gain another Secondary Class. There are two that I¡¯m debating between.

    Novice: +1 INT, MNA every fifth Level, +5% to learning new magic.

    Archer: +2 AGI every fifth Level, +5% to Leveling archery Skills.

    Michael and Warren both tell me I should pick Novice, but after my session, I talk with Profession Temp about it, and she tells me the same thing as Collind id.

    ¡°The INT and MNA,¡± she says. ¡°Will be useful to you, as a Wizard, but with the mission you have, you¡¯ll need something that doesn¡¯t grant: agility. The boost to Agility from Archer and its related Classes when it goes up a Tier will be beneficial to you. Taking on Scout before was a smart choice, and I recommend adding Archer to your list. Take on Novice as your second Primary Class, once you master Wizard and advance it to the next Tier.¡±

    I take on Archer, and then we call it a day.

    Day Twelve, I increase Firebolt Chain to Level 2, and Archer went up to Level 2.

    Day Twenty-Three, Firebolt Chain goes up to Level 3, and Fire Manipulation goes up to Level 5.

    Day Thirty-One, Firebolt Chain goes up to Level 4.

    They insist I should train in other magics, but I¡¯m determined to master this one first. I will spend however many more months it takes me for me to master it.

    Mastered, it will be powerful against those who would dare to tear Jozan apart. With it, I will leave nothing behind.

    In the end, it takes me nearly four months after Level 4 to reach Level 10 in Firebolt Chain, with Mana Manipulation sitting at Level 7 and Fire Manipulation sitting at Level 8.

    Firebolt Chain is now Level 10!

    Firebolt Chain has reached Maximum Level of its First Tier!

    +30 Wizard Experience!

    Firebolt Chain is now Firebolt Chain (II) Level 1/10!

    I didn¡¯t get a fucking Title for that? I spent five fucking months working to master that spell¡¯s first Tier, and I didn¡¯t get a fucking Title for it? I have four fire spells mastered and Fire Manipulation almost mastered, and there isn¡¯t a fucking Title that awaited me?

    What the actual fuck?

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Warren says, and I look over to see him somewhat worried. ¡°You¡¯ll break through Level 9 and hit Level 10 soon, I have trust in you, even I do think you¡¯re wasting time focusing on this one spell.¡±

    ¡°I got it,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m pissed because I put in four months of effort to master this spell, past the time already spent mastering the other three, and it should¡¯ve taken me several years, but didn¡¯t because of my high Mana Pool and regeneration. I was hoping I¡¯d get a Title, but there¡¯s no fucking Title awarded.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse,¡± Michael nods. ¡°That¡¯s deserving of at least a Tier IV Title.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha,¡± I roll my eyes, then look at Professor Temp. ¡°No Title?¡±

    ¡°Master of Flames,¡± she says. ¡°Tier I. You need five spells from the School of Fire mastered, as well as Fire Manipulation, with at least two of the spells at Tier II or above. And I do believe it best if we move on to magic or light, rather than you learning another fire spell.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost to Level 24 Wizard,¡± I say. ¡°Tomorrow, after we finish our routine in the first room, I should be able to take on the advancement Quest. I¡¯d rather wait to gain another spell until after, so I don¡¯t master it and waste the Experience.¡±

    ¡°With how rare the Class is,¡± Michael, who hasn¡¯t taken on a Secondary Class, despite Squire being at Level 18, says. ¡°You can expect it to be a dangerous, difficult Quest.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯ll see what it requires once I reach Level 25. There¡¯s something I¡¯ll get, once I reach Archwizard, that I¡¯m looking forward to.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He asks.

    ¡°My Bloodline,¡± I smile at him. ¡°It seems to be very, very powerful, and the source of my power-Leveling. Once I unlock it, I¡¯m sure that Leveling it will make me much, much more powerful. Far more so than I could be without it.

    ¡°Professor Temp,¡± I look at her. ¡°I¡¯d like to think I¡¯ve matured a lot in the last six months, but that doesn¡¯t change that I have a Blood Quest with around four and a half years left on it. Had I not been too exhausted at the end of each day, I could¡¯ve attempted to increase my Mana Pool some more. Yes, the technique would¡¯ve added only twenty before it became incapable of granting more more, but 20 Mana can make a world of difference. So would any Mana gained from condensing it, which probably would¡¯ve been over three hundred, with me only going for one or two a day, had I been able to actually risk the mental cloud and pain from that.

    ¡°And so,¡± I continue. ¡°I will be ending my time here. Tomorrow, I will be gaining the last 125 Wizard Experience needed to gain the Quest, and then, if it is doable, I will be working on it. Thank you for your time, and I¡¯m going to decline further studies, though I may come back sometime and train some more, if you¡¯ll have me. I need to get to work on other things, and return to my homeland.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± she says. ¡°Good luck, boys.¡±

    We leave and head back to the inn, and once we¡¯re in the room, I look at the other two.

    ¡°Sorry for making the decision without you guys,¡± I say. ¡°But this is my quest, and I won¡¯t force you to join me on it. If you want to join me on where I go next, I won¡¯t have an issue with that, but if you do, then be aware that the Blood Quest is difficult enough that my party members are recommended to have the third Tier of a Class, it is that difficult.¡±

    ¡°We already told you,¡± Michael claps his fist to his chest. ¡°We¡¯re with you all the way, Gavin. Warren owes you, and I have a duty to my tribe to see this through.¡±

    I nod, then lie down, closing my eyes and letting sleep overtake me. In the morning, I go into the Dungeon alone, clearing out the cavern as soon as the monsters spawn, leaving the moment I reach Level 25 Wizard.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Quest?¡± Michael asks me when I step out.

    ¡°I have to kill a wyvern,¡± I say. ¡°And clear a Dungeon by myself. I came out to let the two of you know. It looks like all Experience is halted for me, until I advance Wizard, which means my other Classes won¡¯t gain Experience.¡±

 Chapter 0029 - Returning to Jozan for the First TIme

    I reenter the Dungeon, and move quickly, passing by every Monster, stopping only to kill the Minibosses, and those fall easily to my superior power with only two or three hits apiece. The final Boss of the Dungeon only takes me six hits to kill. Due to the penalty I have until I reach Archwizard, I don¡¯t receive any loot, but that¡¯s fine by me.

    Done, I leave the Dungeon, looking to my team and nodding, and we make our way back to the inn.

    ¡°The fastest way back,¡± Michael says. ¡°Would be to make the three-week journey to the Dungeon we came through initially, it¡¯s the closest that will get us to Jozan. At least, to the part with wyverns. Since you grew up there, I¡¯m assuming you know a trick to killing them?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I grin at him. ¡°My friends and I harassed them all the time, and accidentally killed one. Wyverns have thick hides resilient to magic, but they¡¯re weak against sharp objects. The trick is getting close enough to them to pierce that hide.¡±

    ¡°So how did you do it before?¡± Michael asks. ¡°I always heard it took teams of high-Level Adventurers to kill one, and even then, they risked losing several of the team.¡±

    ¡°Our village,¡± I say. ¡°Has a technique we call Natural as Nature. When we use it, we become virtually undetectable unless you know we¡¯re there. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll just seem like some part of nature to you. I¡¯ve only used it a few times. We used it all the time to harass the wyverns. So I got in real close to this wyvern once, and one of the idiots accidentally released Natural as Nature, and the wyvern freaked out. I was just going to poke it with my knife, but when it jerked away, it kind of jerked right into the knife. There was blood everywhere. It was awesome.¡±

    ¡°Only you would think that¡¯s awesome,¡± Warren rolls his eyes.

    ¡°Mind if we get moving now?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯d like to get there as soon as possible, since it¡¯s going to take us a few weeks.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Michael stands, and Warren agrees.

    We pack up our stuff and head downstairs.

    ¡°Yo, innkeep!¡± I wave him over. ¡°We¡¯re packing up and leaving, you can keep the rest of what we paid. Thanks for letting us stay here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he says. ¡°You¡¯re always welcome here, Wizard.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯ll be Archwizard soon. We¡¯re returning to my homeland so I can complete the Advancement Quest.¡±

    ¡°Good luck,¡± he says. ¡°I hope we see you again.¡±

    Michael, Warren, and I make our way to the Hunter¡¯s Guild and bid Collin farewell, letting him know that we¡¯re returning Jozan and might not return. He nods, and wishes us luck.

    We travel on the road for a week before arriving at the bastard town, and Michael¡¯s expression grows dark.

    ¡°Bunch of thieving cowards,¡± he mutters, probably forgetting my PER is high enough I can hear it, even if Warren¡¯s isn¡¯t. ¡°If I were stronger, I¡¯d kill every fucking Adventurer in this town.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯d they do?¡± I ask, and Michael looks at me, face red. ¡°I already killed a guard and an Adventurer when they tried to steal my ring, so I do agree that they¡¯re a bunch of thieves and jackasses.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± he says. ¡°But Kade, Tyler, and I ended up trapped here for a month before we managed to escape.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± I say, then look at the town. ¡°Well, then let¡¯s go give them a warm, Jozan welcome. We are known for holding grudges and not letting people take advantage of our own.¡±

    ¡°Jozan, or you?¡± Warren asks.

    ¡°Jozan,¡± Michael answers. ¡°It¡¯s part of why Father made the deal with King Wesley. Their honor is high, and they don¡¯t take lightly those who take advantage of theirs. Even a kid from a small village like Gavin has a powerful sense of pride to his nation, and his sense of honor won¡¯t allow him to back down when it¡¯s threatened.¡±

    We arrive at the village, and the two guards look at us.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I say in fluent Velusan. ¡°My name is Gavin, and around seven or eight months ago, you people pissed me off, and I was going to let you off with a stern warning and destruction, but now I learned you trapped three of my team here for a month. Congratulations. You¡¯re all going to die, now.¡±

    The guards snort, and two Magic Bolts later, they¡¯re just headless corpses.

    Not even twenty minutes later, the village is burning to the ground, and there are none but corpses and my team left in it.

    We leave the village and travel into the forest, Michael asking me if I know where we¡¯re going.

    ¡°I have Scout for a reason,¡± I tell him. ¡°Two or three years could pass, and I¡¯d still know the way to a place I¡¯d been to a single time, when it comes to forests.¡±

    Two weeks later, we arrive at the Dungeon, and we rest for two days, to make sure we¡¯re prepared for whatever rests on the other side. Then, I bring us into the secondary form, then lead us into Jozan.

    Guarding the Dungeon entrance are two guards in black armor and a wyvern.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Well!¡± I laugh as they look at us, swords drawn. ¡°Here I was, thinking I¡¯d have to travel for a week to find a wyvern, and you had one waiting for me!¡±

    ¡°Kill,¡± the guard says in a familiar language ¨C the language of the wyverns.

    Skill Gained!

    Shatus Wyvern Language 8/10: The language of wyverns

    The wyvern screeches, then charges toward us on its two hind legs and its forelegs, which are part of their wings. Wyverns are small, only somewhat bigger than a wolf, but they¡¯re fast and powerful, and their claws are dangerous to those who draw too near.

    ¡°Firebolt!¡± I snap my fingers for flair, sending a firebolt into the wyvern¡¯s right wing.

    The wyvern screeches in pain, and I fire off four more firebolts into its wing, and two into the guards. It doesn¡¯t pierce their armor, which is interesting, but instead, simply throws them back, barely denting that armor.

    Some sort of magical protection. Annoying.

    More guards come, so I quickly summon up more Firebolts to destroy the wyvern¡¯s other wing. That has all but immobilized it.

    ¡°This is another way to kill a wyvern,¡± I tell Michael, holding out my hand. ¡°Destroy its wings with overwhelming firepower, then use a sword to cut off its head.¡±

    Michael draws his sword and hands it to me, and I approach the screaming beast, raising the sword up, then bring it down.

    Skill Gained!

    Sword Mastery 4/10: You have an understanding of how to wield a sword

    Class Advanced!

    Wizard has now become Archwizard!

    For advancing a Class to the second Tier, you¡¯ve been awarded bonus Species Experience!

    Legendary Class Bonus Experience: 100 Species Experience!

    +100 Human Experience!

    For advancing a Primary Class to the second Tier, you have been awarded +5 to all unlocked Stats!

    Class: Archwizard

    +2 to all Stats each Level, +20% to learning and leveling all Skills, +20% to learning and leveling all magical Skills

    The Bloodline within you has Awakened!

    Bloodline: Dekami

    The Dekami, also known as the Ancients were the first mortals to discover magic, and are the species which all humanoid species are descended from. Their magical prowess is second to none.

    +25 to all possible Stats, +200% to learning and Leveling all Skills, +200% to learning and Leveling all spells, +400% to learning and Leveling all language Skills, +400% to Experience in Dungeons and from all non non-System Quests every Level. There is no penalty for distance when moving between worlds, realms, and planes. If you are a twin, your twin possesses this Bloodline as well, and time passes at the same rate when in different worlds, planes, and/or realms.

    To gain Experience for a Bloodline, you must change your Species Experience Gain to Bloodline Experience Gain.

    That¡­ explains a shitton of stuff and answers a shitton of Questions that I have.

    Congratulations! You¡¯ve reached the second Tier of a Class! All Resources have been restored!

    Shut the fuck up, System.

    -0 CHA!

    Real funny.

    ¡°I am the Archwizard Gavin,¡± I say as knights surround us. ¡°Magician of the second Tier, and am more than a little curious as to how you managed to tame a wyvern. I am also curious to know if there are any Executioners, Inquisitors, or Councilmen around.¡±

    A larger man in heavier armor that radiates power approaches me, crimson sword drawn.

    ¡°I am an Executioner,¡± his voice fills the air, deep and intimidating. ¡°You have been deemed an enemy of Turas, and-¡±

    ¡°Firebolt,¡± I send one into him, this one with more kick than before. It doesn¡¯t do anything to his armor. ¡°Interesting. Firebolt.¡±

    That pierces his armor, and he was so confident in it that he didn¡¯t try to evade it. He cooks from the inside.

    ¡°How pathetic,¡± I snap my fingers, sending out a Firebolt Chain and killing the fifteen nearest guards. ¡°I will introduce myself once more. I am Archwizard Gavin of Jozan, formerly Wizard Gavin of Jozan. In the next four years, Turas will die. King Wesley may have died, but his son, Tyler, lives on, and once it is safe for him to return to Jozan, he will. I will cut down any Turasite warrior who stands in my way. I will find every last one of the scattered factions of the resistance, and reunite them into a single, powerful force that cannot be combated but the forces of Turas. Turas has wounded Jozan, but Jozan isn¡¯t dead. So long as even a small fragment of the spirit lives on, Jozan will never die, and I am the spirit of Jozan incarnate.¡±

    With another Firebolt Chain, I kill the rest of the guards around me, then look at the citizens.

    ¡°King Tyler lives on,¡± I say, then begin to walk down the street, Michael and Warren following behind me.

    The town has begun to fall into ruins in the two years since the fall of Jozan. Weeds grow in the alleys, and only the main roads themselves are maintained. The houses are cracked, the paint fading, and the people are dirty, their faces haunted, their bodies thin. I only see women and young children in the homes ¨C no men.

    Any guards who attempt to stop us as we leave the town meet a fiery death.

    ¡°You know,¡± Michael says. ¡°They won¡¯t all be as easy to kill as that one.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°I only succeeded because he wasn¡¯t expecting me to be able to penetrate his armor. That armor has a powerful buff to it, and anything short of a direct hit like that probably wouldn¡¯t do anything. The first hit damaged it, but the damage wasn¡¯t visible. There¡¯s Inquisitors as well, and the Grand Executioner. Those will likely be harder to kill than any Executioner.¡±

    I keep walking, and after a few hours, Michael asks me where we¡¯re going.

    ¡°Home,¡± I answer. ¡°To my village, to see what¡¯s left of it.¡±

    ¡°I got word on them,¡± he says. ¡°Most were slain, and Chief vanished. Natalie disappeared as well, as did all of the magicians in the Tower loyal to Jozan, the bodies of those serving the Council discovered. It¡¯s believed, at least, the last time I was here, that they¡¯re leading two different factions of the resistance.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± I say. ¡°As long as they¡¯re alive, I¡¯m a little bit happier. I¡¯m still returning to the village, to see the damage done to it.¡±

    ¡°Just remember,¡± Michael says. ¡°The Blood Quest gives you a pretty high recommendation for your Classes, and you¡¯re nowhere near them.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°And at the first sign of true danger to me, we¡¯ll be out through a Dungeon in no time.¡±

    ¡°If we can get to one quickly enough,¡± Warren says.

    ¡°Unlike the continent we just came from,¡± I smile at Warren. ¡°This one is covered in them. You can¡¯t travel for a day without coming across one, and if you¡¯re an Adventurer with a few Levels under his belt and a decent Agility while running for your life, you¡¯ll probably not spend more than a few hours before reaching one.¡±

 Chapter 0030 - The Village of Kar

    ¡°Did you take on Novice yet?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± I answer. ¡°I wanted to boost Archwizard a few Levels, first.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± he says.

    ¡°How come you haven¡¯t taken on a second Class yet?¡±

    ¡°Many magical species,¡± he says. ¡°Can shut off gaining Experience for Classes. Since it isn¡¯t normal to be immediately launched into the Advancement Quest and locked out of gaining Experience, I was planning on waiting until I reached Level 25 Squire, then take on Martial Artist or Novice, and bring that up to Level 25. Depending on which one I take, I¡¯ll have access to either Gladiator or Mystic Knight, to advance Squire. Once I advance that, I¡¯ll take on the other, then bring it up to Mastered and advance the second to the other one. I¡¯ll work on shadow-based spells while also working on the required Skills for Mystic Knight, so once I take on the Tier II I missed, I should then be capable of advancing the other secondary Class to either Mystic Pugilist or ¨C hopefully ¨C Shadow Pugilist.

    ¡°After that,¡± he continues. ¡°When my first Primary Class reaches max, I¡¯ll take on whatever advanced magic Class I have and bring that up to the second Tier. My ultimate goal is to complete the near-impossible Tier III Quest, and hopefully, eventually the Tier IV Class. I¡¯ve heard that an option that¡¯s been seen ¨C but never gained ¨C is Dragon Knight. It requires a heavy mix of melee and magical Classes to obtain, and only the power Levelers of one continent I¡¯ve been on have rumors of it.¡±

    ¡°You can shut of Experience gains for a Class?¡± I ask, and he nods. I look at Warren, who nods as well. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°We just pull up our status screens,¡± Michael says. ¡°And pull up the Class Interface through it. We can tell it to stop assigning Experience to it. Once we do that, it stops flowing Experience to it and instead distributes that to whatever other Classes we have. It¡¯s useful for Leveling a single Class at a time.¡±

    ¡°Status,¡± I pull up my status screen. ¡°Class Interface,¡± it switches over to just showing me the active Classes and available Classes. Archer Experience.¡±

    Archer Experience is currently Active

    Would you like to disable Archer Experience?

    Doing so will assign earned Experience to other available Classes

    Disable: Y/N?

    ¡°Has anyone ever told humans about this before?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± he shrugs. ¡°Humans have tortured our kind for that information before. Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it would¡¯ve been nice to know this before we left the northern continent. I can do it, too. Had I known that, we wouldn¡¯t have have traveled so far away from that town after I killed the wyvern, but returned. Imagine just how powerful I¡¯d be, if we worked that Dungeon for another six months. I could probably have Archwizard to Level 25.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in a dozen Dungeons similar to that one,¡± Michael says. ¡°There¡¯s actually a Dungeon near where you grew up whose other end is one. Then there¡¯s also the Tower Dungeon, which is an excellent place to grind the hell out of shit.¡±

    ¡°The Tower Dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± His tail starts swishing from side to side again. ¡°It¡¯s more like a reverse tower, in that it goes underground. So you go in there ¨C any number of parties can be in it, all at the same time, and can even help each other out and stuff ¨C and each floor is, essentially, just a series of caverns and tunnels filled with monsters. The first four floors have mostly kobolds. Every sixth floor is a rest area, and the floor before it is a boss room. First boss is a giant kobold. After every boss, the monsters get tougher and tougher. I made it all the way to Floor ten, but stopped there because my party wasn¡¯t sure if we could handle the boss. We didn¡¯t think we could ¨C we could barely handle a group of monsters as it was, and the bosses are much tougher.¡±

    Michael¡¯s eyes have lit up, his ears perked up perfectly, and there¡¯s a smile on his face that isn¡¯t normally there. He loves the Tower Dungeon. I¡¯ve never heard of a Dungeon like this before¡­

    But if it exists, and he enjoys it as much as he shows, then I have no doubt it¡¯s a part of why his Levels were where they were when we reunited.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check in on my village, first,¡± I say. ¡°Then, we can head to wherever this Tower Dungeon is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy!¡± Michael exclaims in his excitement, practically jumping forward. ¡°The Dungeon near your village takes us to a two-day journey from it! It¡¯s one of four on that continent! By the way ¨C your village was mostly intact when I showed up. Resistant, but other than occasionally being harassed by guards, there wasn¡¯t much change. The kids can¡¯t go exploring as much as you could, though.¡±

    His tail droops.

    ¡°So how long were you fighting in the Tower Dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Four months!¡±

    I snort and shake my head, then keep on walking. After a few hours, we near my village, and I see a group of a hundred soldiers led by three larger men in powerful armor walking toward it.

    Executioners. I wave Michael and Warren down, telling them I¡¯m going to use Natural as Nature to sneak forward and see if I can find what they¡¯re doing. This is way too early to be a reaction to my presence, since the capital is a couple of days¡¯ travel away for a small group.

    Skill Gained!

    Natural as Nature 10/10: A special technique of those of the village of Kar to pass oneself off as nature, so long as one isn¡¯t aware of your presence before hand, you will be thought of as nothing more than simply nature.

    Tier I, and mastered, too. I gained 10 Scout Experience.

    Moving swiftly and quietly, I draw near, neither the guards nor the Executioners noticing me.

    ¡°It¡¯s about damn time we got the orders,¡± the Executioner in the lead says. ¡°We should have wiped this village out a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°The preparations for the fort are nearly complete,¡± another Executioner says. ¡°Once we burn this down, we can get them to work on building it. Those we let live, that is. Once they¡¯re done, they¡¯re dead, that¡¯s the Council¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± the one in lead states. ¡°They had us stationed nearby in case the one they call Chief returned, but he hasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Do why know why they told us to destroy the village?¡±

    ¡°That wizard brat Gavin has returned,¡± the one in lead says. ¡°They think he¡¯s on his way here. He has another couple of hours before he should make it, giving us enough time to wipe them out, then pull back.¡±

    Not if they have word you¡¯re coming. They¡¯ll scatter into the woods and become untouchable. No one knows them better than we do, and we can walk right up to you like this.

    ¡°Why is there a deer standing right beside us?¡± One of the Executioners asks. ¡°No animal would draw this close¡­¡±

    He draws his sword and swings it at me, and I jump back, releasing Natural as Nature and firing a trio of Firebolts. They dent three different spots on his armor, sending him staggering back.

    ¡°Gavin,¡± the lead Executioner says, all three of them having their swords drawn and at the ready, as do the nearby soldiers, who are beginning to spread out around me. ¡°You moved faster than we expected. Welcome home. Are you ready to die?¡±

    ¡°Did you really think I came alone?¡± I ask. ¡°I am here on behalf of King Wesley¡¯s son, King Tyler, to pave the way for his return. I may be the sole Wizard of this world, but I am not the only one here.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± he smiles at me. ¡°Your two little friends, the beastborn and a fairy. Was that Michael? I¡¯ll take great delight in killing him, and the fairy? Oh, the things we could do with one of them.¡±

    He chuckles, but the fact that they haven¡¯t tried to attack me yet says they¡¯re weary. The know about my attack that killed the guards before. They probably think a spell like that is too costly for me, but they have no idea that I can cast over twenty of those with my current Mana.

    No idea just how powerful a Wizard is, especially one like me.

    ¡°Do you really think those are my only allies here?¡± I laugh. ¡°If I focus on the three of you, the others will kill the rest.¡±

    ¡°I have granted them all,¡± he says. ¡°Soldier¡¯s Might. Their strength and defenses are heightened ¨C double what they were before! You couldn¡¯t hope to hurt us, and that¡¯s before their armor is factored in. You think you could handle one of us when we aren¡¯t unprepared for your surprise attacks? Ha! You make me laugh, child.¡±

    Yet you¡¯re still talking, and talking, and talking. Blah-blah-blah.

    A howl pierces the air, and while the Executioners look unaffected, the soldiers all tremble. That didn¡¯t paralyze them, but it did shake them a little.

    ¡°He was delaying for the beast!¡± The lead Executioner looks to the source of the howl. ¡°Kill him!¡±

    With a snap, I cast Firebolt Chain, but not aimed at the Executioner.

    Damn guards aren¡¯t wearing helmets. Their heads are easy to aim at. Fifteen die as the Executioner nearest to it moves to the side.

    ¡°Oops,¡± I wave a hand, summoning more Firebolts and firing them at the Executioners.

    The Executioners yell for the soldiers to take care of my allies, which frees up my ability to back up a little bit, giving me more space to dodge their blades. They¡¯re fast, almost as fast as me, but¡­

    Gift of Speed!

    Warren¡¯s chanting could be heard to those soft of hearing, and the spirit was looking right at me.

    I become twice as fast, and with my increased speed, so too does my magic¡¯s speed. It hits harder, and punches right through the Executioner¡¯s armor. It doesn¡¯t kill him, but it does piss him off.

    I just spent six months training in a fucking Dungeon, I can cast magic as I move, and this is a spell I don¡¯t need to chant for. Michael and Warren are struggling with the guards, but they won¡¯t be a problem much longer. I just need to draw out this fight¡­

    A hail of arrows begins to rain upon the soldiers, each one expertly aimed and missing me and my party.

    ¡°What the-?¡± An Executioner asks, looking to the side.

    Distracted for but a moment is all I needed to hit him in the face with a Firebolt. It would have been the back of his head, but he turned and looked at me. Unfortunately for him, it was too close for him to defend against or block.

    +5 Human Experience!

    Shut up! I¡¯m in a battle!

    The other two Executioners buff themselves again and focus on me, but the arrows don¡¯t let up, and minutes later, warriors enter the fray, aiding my allies. Not one arrow touches the warriors of Kar as they fight, and it only takes a few more minutes for them to take out the rest of the soldiers, surrounding the two remaining Executioners.

    One of the Executioners manages to grab me, but not before Gift of Tough Skin appears in my vision. He pulls me against him and jams his knife into my throat. It shatters.

    ¡°What?¡± He asks. ¡°That should be the equivalent of 60 STR hitting you! You¡¯re a fucking mage!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not any ordinary mage,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m an Archwizard, and within a year, I will be a true Mage. The thing about magicians, is we train to have tough bodies specifically for shit like this.¡±

    ¡°Your Mana is, no doubt, low or gone,¡± he growls, looking around. ¡°You can¡¯t fight back anymore, child. The Inquisitors will have delight in drawing out the secrets of your Class and the whereabouts of the fallen prince.¡±

    ¡°King Tyler?¡± I laugh. ¡°You seriously think you can reach him? He¡¯s safe, waiting until we tell him it¡¯s safe for him to return. The Order isn¡¯t going to risk him getting killed, as much as he¡¯d love to return to Jozan and personally assist in its revival. And I¡¯m not with just any old beastborn or fairy, you know.¡±

    ¡°The order?¡± The executioner asks.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I smile. ¡°The Order. The Order of the Violet Flame. If you think I¡¯m absurdly powerful, wait until I don¡¯t return ¨C then the Order will bring in its might.¡±

    I sense a shift in magic nearby, and then a man in red and violet robes appears in front of us, his blue eyes infuriated.

    ¡°Take your hands off of my son,¡± Christopher growls, lightning crackling around him. ¡°Right. This. Moment.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± I say. ¡°The Order didn¡¯t wait to send in reinforcements, it seems.¡±

    I mean, it¡¯s a completely different order, but still. I have to wonder why Christopher only now showed up. The time difference is nonexistent.

    It takes me a moment to notice he¡¯s got a scar on his right cheek and some weird magic in him that wasn¡¯t there before. And the red on his robes is blood¡­

    Magicians don¡¯t normally get soaked in blood when they kill people, Christopher. Even I don¡¯t get covered in blood when I kill people. It¡¯s not natural.

    ¡°You really think you can defy an Executioner of-¡±

    The Executioner¡¯s words are cut off as lightning strikes his head, chaining into the other one¡¯s.

    Christopher looks around, the warriors of Kar stunned and intimidated.

    ¡°Allies,¡± I say. ¡°Not enemies.¡±

    ¡°They better be,¡± he says. ¡°Congratulations on advancing to Archwizard, though I¡¯m curious to know how you managed to advance the Level so fast, if you¡¯re only fourteen now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my Bloodline,¡± I say in English. ¡°Which causes time to pass at the same rate when my twin and I are in separate realms, planes, or worlds. It¡¯s been more than six months since the Rift Wolf threw me back here.¡±

    ¡°My apologies,¡± he says. ¡°Something came up on Earth. An unknown force began killing off the order¡¯s members, starting with the Wizards. There are only a few of us left. I¡¯m not here as reinforcements from the order, but-¡±

    ¡°Oh, that?¡± I say. ¡°The order¡¯s clearly abandoned me, since you wouldn¡¯t come to the aid of someone you call your son, and I know you¡¯re higher in it than you revealed. So I made my own. I just had to bluff. Appearances are important, here.¡±

    ¡°How many languages do you know?¡± Michael asks me in Jozan.

    ¡°Five, plus a runic.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Warren asks Christopher in Velusan, who looks at him.

    ¡°You bear the blood of Oberon in your veins,¡± Christopher says. ¡°You¡¯ve likely heard of me from your father ¨C I am the magician Christopher, whom your father has attempted to kill on multiple occasions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you,¡± Warren says, then looks at me. ¡°Don¡¯t trust him.¡±

    ¡°You never told us the fairy king was your father,¡± I say.

    ¡°You knew we were related,¡± he says. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters. This magician cannot be trusted. He¡¯s attempted to steal Tristan¡¯s Grimoire on a number of occasions.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t attempt to steal the Grimoire,¡± Christopher sighs. ¡°I was trying to look at it. It¡¯s the only one I knew the location of, and I wanted to know if he¡¯d revealed information in it that I¡¯d shared with him. And your father tried killing me before I ever asked to see it.¡±

    ¡°He said your magic stinks,¡± Warren says. ¡°And it does.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably the curse that¡¯s eating me alive,¡± Christopher holds out his hand, tree rings resting on his palm, along with his own spatial ring. ¡°I got hit with it a few months ago, when I first attempted to get here. I haven¡¯t much longer before it finally kills me. Gavin ¨C I¡¯m going to die soon, and when I do, the Ancient Order will officially be dead. These are the Founding Rings, the spatial rings owned by the four leaders of the Ancient Order. Within them are all of our resources, wealth, and power. As the final head left, I am giving them to you, if you¡¯ll take them. If not, I¡¯m sealing them away across the universe. I believe that whatever is killing the order wants them.¡±

    ¡°Take them,¡± I say. ¡°I don¡¯t want them, or anything to do with the order.¡±

    ¡°I told you-¡± he begins.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made my own Order,¡± I say. ¡°Now unless you¡¯re going to be useful, get the fuck out of here. I have shit to do and a kingdom to restore to power.¡±

    Christopher moves his hand to his side, then nods. There¡¯s a flux of power, and he vanishes.

    ¡°You two didn¡¯t sound like you¡¯re on good terms,¡± Michael says.

    ¡°He¡¯s had eight months to find me,¡± I say. ¡°But hasn¡¯t. He can screw himself,¡± I look at the warriors of Kar, then switch to Jozan. ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Gavin,¡± one of them walks forward, putting his sword away. ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡±

    ¡°Temporarily,¡± I nod. ¡°I came to check in on the village, to see how things were, before leaving again. I¡¯ll be back in six months to a year, and when I do, I¡¯ll likely be at the third Tier of my first Class.¡±

    ¡°Will you stay a little while?¡± He asks. ¡°We¡¯ll be disappearing into the mountains after this, as they clearly intended on destroying us.¡±

    ¡°Did you like the advance warning?¡± I ask.

    ¡°They could have killed you,¡± Warren approaches me. ¡°You were foolish, Gavin.¡±

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d give me Gift of Thick Skin in time,¡± I grin at him. ¡°Warren, Michael, these are my people, a fair number of whom have access to the System.¡±

    Like¡­ all of them. Every last one of them.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Garret, the one who spoke to me, say. ¡°After the coup, we all found ourselves with access. Most of us took on Scout, though many took on Squire instead. We¡¯re working on both, and will take the other at Level 15.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± I nod. ¡°How long before reinforcements arrive, do you think?¡±

    ¡°A couple of days, at the earliest,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°They¡¯ll be wary when the Executioners don¡¯t return. To think there¡¯s someone who could kill them ¨C even if struggling to ¨C will be quite worrying to them. Are the rumors true, that King Wesley had a son?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± I nod. ¡°He¡¯s safe, learning the ways of nobility in other nations. When it¡¯s safe enough for him to return, I¡¯ll allow him to. Let us return to the village, we¡¯ve been traveling a little while, and fought a fair bit. It¡¯ll be good to be home again.¡±

    ¡°Before we move,¡± Garret says. ¡°You should know that Chief is gone. We don¡¯t know if he¡¯s alive or dead, but he¡¯s vanished.¡±

    ¡°Michael told me,¡± I gesture to him. ¡°He¡¯s the son of a beastborn chieftain. The other member of my party is Warren, the son of the fairy king. The Order of the Violet Flame has powerful allies in powerful places, and once the nation is ready, our allies will aid in the final battle to reclaim Jozan.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what¡¯s going on,¡± Michael says in Velusan. ¡°My father¡¯s pledged his troops to aid in restoring Jozan, but the fairies¡­ hate people. All people. And you haven¡¯t spoken with the fairy king ¨C what will you do when the time comes, and he doesn¡¯t assist?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Warren asks. ¡°You said what? I said I might be able to help you get an audience with him ¨C there¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to allow troops to assist you! He¡¯ll probably force me to stay at the palace, once we¡¯re there!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll sort it out when we come to it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re doing it again,¡± Michael says.

    ¡°Doing what again?¡±

    ¡°Digging a deeper hole for yourself.¡±

 Chapter 0031 - The Secret of Kar

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many people,¡± I observe as we pass through the village.

    ¡°Most have already scattered,¡± Garret nods. ¡°The rest are already packing their things. The Council has been sending guards to harass us for awhile, but never Executioners. Those have been beyond our power. That man who showed up ¨C was he your father?¡±

    ¡°Only by blood,¡± I nod. ¡°I don¡¯t like him, nor his bullshit reasons.¡±

    ¡°Did he try offering you four spatial rings?¡±

    ¡°With a bounty on them.¡±

    ¡°I can see why you don¡¯t like him,¡± he says. ¡°The magic around you is powerful, Gavin ¨C just how powerful are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an Archwizard,¡± I say. ¡°The second Tier of the Wizard Class. My lowest stat is HLT, at 58 Points. I have 250 Mana and 280 Health. I noticed the soldiers had wyverns ¨C how did they tame them?¡±

    ¡°Some of them have a sort of beast taming Skill,¡± he says. ¡°They¡¯ve learned Shatus, and managed to use it to command some of them.¡±

    ¡°Have they been using the wyverns against all of you?¡±

    ¡°They learned to keep the wyverns away from this village,¡± he laughs. ¡°And pass by here quickly, too. They only brought the wyverns through us once, and when they did, the wyverns went crazy.¡±

    I look around at the village. It¡¯s a lot different than people think it is. To most, it seems like a weird group of people with multiple talents, but it acts as the stem. It¡¯s a waypoint, and the reason the wyverns don¡¯t pass through here and leave the monster-filled eastern regions of the continent. A small village with a powerful impact.

    A plant we grow agitates monsters simply by the smell alone. Harvested, the scent can last for months, but only if the monster presence is weak and the plant is dried properly. The village has hundreds of it growing throughout.

    ¡°Sorry I sped up the attack on you guys,¡± I say.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he says. ¡°They were likely going to in a few weeks, anyway, but wait for another Executioner or two.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me about them?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods, leading me into Chief¡¯s hut, where we all sit down. ¡°There are ¨C were ¨C eight of them total. I guess there¡¯s five, now, though you can expect them to be replaced, once suitable replacements are found. Each Councilman had control of two of them. The Executioners are their most vicious warriors, and they enforce the law. They¡¯re the ones who force Adventurers into service, now. The fact that you were able to kill one is immense.¡±

    I could barely kill him. It¡¯s because of my absurd stats and unfair Class that I could have, and only now, after the battle, do I realize that they could have killed me ¨C and quite easily. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten too close with Natural as Nature.

    +0 INT!

    Shut up.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be furious,¡± he says. ¡°When they discover that three are dead.¡±

    ¡°Four,¡± I shake my head. ¡°I killed one when I returned as well. I caught him by surprise, and punched right through his armor with two Firebolts. Had he time to prepare, he would¡¯ve been able to defend against it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving again ¨C to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± he nods. ¡°Each Councilman also has five Inquisitors under their power. The Inquisitors investigate crime, torture criminals and members of the resistance. They use magic dealing with the mind and illusions. They came almost immediately, and have no doubt been preparing for decades.¡±

    ¡°And the Grand Executioner?¡±

    ¡°Works for the new king himself,¡± he says. ¡°The new king is just the Council¡¯s puppet. Right now, he¡¯s low in favor, but give it five or ten years, and the people will have been brainwashed into believing he¡¯s acting on his own, not for the Council, and will have begun to forget about Jozan, gaining loyalty to him. The resistance will still exist, but weaker than before.¡±

    Which must be why the Blood Quest is five years and not ten, even though I said I¡¯d wait ten years when I was arguing with Kade. It would become significantly harder after that point.

    No matter! I¡¯ll still complete it.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I yawn.

    ¡°Tired?¡± He asks, and I nod. ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯m not sure where you three traveled from, but it must have been a long way. I¡¯ll arrange for you to have food when you wake.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, then look at Michael and Warren. ¡°You two going to rest as well?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Warren nods.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stand watch,¡± Michael says. ¡°You¡¯ll need your rest more than I will. Warren ¨C I¡¯m waking you up after a few hours, if he isn¡¯t up, so I can get some rest as well. He fought harder than we did.¡±

    I leave the hut and scale the wall, lying down on the roof. The warm, familiar ceramic tiles are hard, but comforting, and when I close my eyes, I dream of better days, days when I didn¡¯t have any responsibility at all and could do as I wanted.

    I begin to whistle, letting the old tune fill the air. I whistle until I fall asleep, waking as the sun is dropping below the horizon. Standing, I stretch, then jump off the roof, landing in a crouch, then make my way back inside the hut.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Warren and Michael are both asleep, and I smile to myself. Michael either forgot to wake Warren, or Warren didn¡¯t care enough to keep guard. This is my village, my home, and so long as a single member of it lives, no harm will come to us here.

    The villagers of Kar are no easy foe. The guards will learn, when they build their fort here, just how tough we were, when the monsters begin to harass them. I can smell them burning the plants that keep the monsters at bay, which means that within a week, the monsters will begin to draw nearer to the site, and within a month, will begin to kill the unprotected.

    The legends of Kar have been forgotten, Chief said, but peoples¡¯ superstitions of us have remained, which is why few ever come to us, and those that do are usually Adventurers. In ancient times, we were accused of making deals with demons and devils for power, because no one could win against one of us in a fight, and the monster never drew near. No matter how many times we were chased from our homes, we would always reclaim it, no matter how much time passed. Yet those that settled in our place were always subject to monsters, monsters who never so much as sniffed at us twice.

    There are many secrets to our people, secrets we only share with our own. Searching the village, I locate Garret, who is chatting with Emilia, one of the best warriors from the village, second only to him and Chief.

    Skill Gained!

    Kar Sacred Language 10/10: The sacred language of the people of Kar, this is a Skill that can never be learned

    Kar Sacred Language Mastered!

    +70 Experience!

    Crap. I should¡¯ve switched over to Bloodline Gains. There we go!

    ¡°Hello, Emilia,¡± I greet her in our language.

    ¡°Hello, Gavin,¡± she dips her head to me. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t get to speak with you earlier, but I wanted to make sure my family made it out alright. We left for the fight before the others evacuated. Then we I went to speak with you, you were upon the roof, whistling.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the last time I¡¯ll get to sleep there, ever,¡± I sigh in what is, for me, the first sorrow I¡¯ve ever really felt.

    I¡¯m going to miss this place. Back when I first became an Adventurer, I was sure I¡¯d be able to return here, no matter what. Now¡­ this place is going to be destroyed.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Emilia pulls me into a hug. ¡°Though you weren¡¯t one of us by blood, you are one of us in spirit, Gavin.¡±

    ¡°I annoyed all of you,¡± I feel myself starting to shake. ¡°I got on everyone¡¯s nerves, and constantly rallied the other kids into mischief. I-¡±

    ¡°We never really minded,¡± she interrupts me, speaking softly. ¡°You were a light we hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, Gavin, and to all of us, you were Kar, through and through. You reminded many of us why we stay here. We wouldn¡¯t have taught you our village¡¯s techniques if we didn¡¯t think you worthy of them.¡±

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t you guys who taught me,¡± I say. ¡°I learned it from the other kids, and-¡±

    ¡°Do you think we didn¡¯t let that happen?¡± She laughs. ¡°Gavin ¨C you have much to learn about our ways. Natural as Nature is only one of many tricks an adult Kar knows to evade notice. Find us, once you¡¯re older, and I¡¯ll teach them to you.¡±

    Quest Granted!

    Quest: Reunite with Kar!

    Requirement: As an adult, return to the people of Kar

    Reward: Learning Advance Kar Techniques!

    Accept: Y/N?

    A System Quest¡­

    Yes.

    ¡°You just got a serious look in your eyes,¡± Emilia says, wiping the edges of my eyes, and I realize that I¡¯d started to cry. ¡°A look of determination.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys again,¡± I step back, wiping my face with my sleep. ¡°I¡¯m getting soft, crying like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re human,¡± she laughs. ¡°I¡¯d be concerned if you didn¡¯t cry like this, Gavin ¨C you¡¯re facing the fact that you may never see your home again. But I have faith in you.¡±

    ¡°We all do,¡± Garret puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Preparations have all been completed, and we¡¯ve no more business here. Once you and your friends are gone, we¡¯ll be leaving. You know how to find us, should you ever need to.¡±

    ¡°What are you guys going to do, now?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We¡¯ll remain scattered, for a time,¡± he says. ¡°Then we¡¯ll regroup. We¡¯ll let them build their fort, for now. Eventually, we¡¯ll destroy it, but the Executioners aren¡¯t foes we can handle, not at our current power. Each one of them is of the second Tier in not one but two Classes. The Grand Executioner is said to be nearing the third Tier for his first Class.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say, thinking about that.

    I¡¯ll need to reach the third Tier before I can hope to return, then. That must be why the System recommends I be at the fourth Tier ¨C to not just be on even or slightly-better grounds, but to be superior. Over time, they¡¯ll grow stronger. Not as quickly as I can, but with their devotion to their goal and their leaders, they¡¯ll receive an Experience buff as well.

    +0 INT!

    Thanks for confirming that¡­ it¡¯s not like I needed the confirmation my enemies are going to Level a little faster than most.

    +0 CHA!

    Now it¡¯s being smart with me again.

    ¡°Do you think we should tell him?¡± Emilia asks. ¡°He¡¯s fifteen, now-¡±

    ¡°Fourteen,¡± I interrupt. ¡°I got stuck in time for over a year, and so I¡¯m only fourteen.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± she says, then laughs. ¡°Well, that will be an interesting tale, when you return. Do you, Garret?¡±

    ¡°We generally don¡¯t,¡± he says. ¡°Until they¡¯re sixteen.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she says. ¡°But he may be older when we finally see him again.¡±

    Garret thinks about it, then nods.

    ¡°Tell me what?¡± I look between them.

    ¡°Kar,¡± she says. ¡°Is a Divine Being, a sort of god. The village of Kar are his people, his priests and priestesses and paladins. Those whom he blesses with his power are capable of learning a variety of skills, and doing them well ¨C it¡¯s why the people of our village are all multitalented.¡±

    ¡°Where is he a god of?¡± I ask. ¡°I thought the world¡¯s Divine Being was Yggdrasil?¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± she nods. ¡°But there are many Divine Beings who aren¡¯t for a specific world. Kar is one of those. He is not of any specific thing, but this valley and forest ¨C they are his, and his alone.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I nod. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving once they wake. We¡¯re on our way to a nearby Dungeon, though I don¡¯t know the Dungeon Michael¡¯s talking about.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hidden,¡± Garret says. ¡°We wove illusions and protections around it so that you children wouldn¡¯t accidentally stumble into it. You wouldn¡¯t find it by simple exploring or wandering. You have to be searching for a Dungeon to find it ¨C to find any of the ones around here. Imagine the looks on the soldiers¡¯ faces when they can¡¯t find any Dungeons to farm around here.¡±

    I chuckle at that ¨C Dungeons are a good way to gain Experience and resources, after all.

    ¡°That would be fun to see,¡± I smile. ¡°You can leave now, if you want.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re staying until you¡¯re gone,¡± he says. ¡°Emilia and I will walk with you to the Dungeon. I¡¯m assuming you know about the little trick.¡±

    ¡°The king told me,¡± I nod. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Kar who set them to do that,¡± he smiles. ¡°Our god is quite the mischievous being. Supposedly, the king of the fairies hates humans because of Kar.¡±

    I¡¯m starting to think the king of the fairies just likes to hate people.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on my team,¡± I tell him. ¡°And eat the nonexistent food awaiting me.¡±

 Chapter 0032 - The Guild of the Tower Dungeon

    ¡°Goodbye, Gavin,¡± Garret says. ¡°Remember ¨C come find us when you¡¯re an adult, and we¡¯ll teach you more. For now, we¡¯ll be a pain in the asses of Turas.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back before then,¡± I tell him. ¡°In less than four years, I will see Tyler on his throne.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure the resistance hears of this,¡± he nods. ¡°They¡¯re scattered, but perhaps hearing that King Wesley truly does have a son will help them unite.¡±

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± I wrap him in a hug. ¡°I miss all of you, and it¡¯s gonna get worse.¡±

    ¡°No more tough guy?¡± He asks.

    ¡°You guys are my family,¡± I say, then give Emilia a hug. ¡°It¡¯s so hard, being away from all of you. But I have to! I have to see Jozan back to power!¡±

    ¡°And you will,¡± Garret nods. ¡°But don¡¯t overdo it or act rashly, Gavin. We¡¯ve taught you that, but you¡¯ve never had a harsh lesson in it ¨C most of us learn that once we turn sixteen and are allowed to enter a Dungeon for the first time.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s learned it,¡± Michael says. ¡°He has a Blood Oath as a result, and lost 2 LIF from another rash decision. He almost died before either of those happened because he decided to do something stupid. Hopefully, he¡¯s learned that lesson.¡±

    ¡°Three times,¡± Garret shakes his head, and my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. ¡°If Chief were still around, he¡¯d be unamused.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°We should get going, or I¡¯m never going to leave again.¡±

    I turn and go into the Dungeon after setting it to secondary form, and find myself on a chilly mountaintop. The others join me, then we pass back through, into the other area, plains with a dirt road leading away from the Dungeon.

    I look at Michael.

    ¡°All roads lead to one of the four Tower Dungeons,¡± he says, then starts walking.

    It takes us two days before we arrive in the massive city surrounding the Dungeon, which sits at its heart. Michael speaks the language here, and I pick up on that even though he said he never spent too long somewhere, the four months he spent here were probably forgotten with that. He chats with the person behind the counter, then receives three room keys.

    And the innkeeper clearly knew him. They chatted for almost twenty minutes. Long enough for me to gain Levels 1, 2, and 3 of their language, Karus.

    ¡°So,¡± I say as Michael leads us upstairs. ¡°You were just mapping stuff out for a year and a third?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Michael chuckles. ¡°Yeah¡­ I forgot about here. Aw, man!¡± He smacks himself in the forehead. ¡°I even told you about it, and still forgot about it!¡±

    Warren and I chuckle.

    Michael shows us our rooms, then we gather in mine (why do we have to gather in mine?), and Michael says that there are a few things we should know.

    ¡°To start,¡± he says. ¡°All monsters have drops, however, they¡¯re not considered ¡®loot drops¡¯. All monsters drop magic crystals. They¡¯re of varying size, and typically a dark blue in appearance with a spark of light at its core. The stronger the monster, the larger the crystal. You can, however, receive a loot drop instead of the magic crystal. You can trade in any drops or crystals at the trading post above the Dungeon.

    ¡°The currency,¡± he says ¡°Take the form of coins. There are four colors: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, each with two coins ¨C a smaller one, and a larger one. One and five, ten and fifty, hundred and five hundred, thousand and five thousand, respectively. I don¡¯t have any money, but with our combined strengths, we¡¯ll be fine if we make a trip to the Dungeon, and Jeffery knows me well enough to know I¡¯ll pay him for tonight.

    ¡°The two of you,¡± he continues. ¡°Will need to register at the Guild, but once you do, you¡¯ll be free to travel into the Dungeon. They do restrict how far you can go based on your strengths, and have been able to read relative Levels in non-Adventurers for centuries. What are your current Levels?¡±

    ¡°Level 1 Archwizard,¡± I answer. ¡°Level 19 Scout, Level 14 Archer.¡±

    ¡°Essentially,¡± he says. ¡°Level 59 ¨C the total sum of all of your Levels. Your stats are even higher than that suggests, though, because of Wizard boosting every stat by one every Level.¡±

    ¡°Archwizard does two,¡± I say. ¡°Though I¡¯ve switched my Species over to Bloodline Experience.¡±

    ¡°Bloodline?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I explain to him what Bloodlines are. ¡°And with mine giving me twenty-five to all possible stats, and those learning, Leveling and Experience boosts every Level, it¡¯s worth it to sacrifice the few stats Human gives every Level, even if it means I delay how long it takes me to advance Human to another Tier. Just gaining a single Level to my Bloodline will massively boost how quickly I gain Experience, speeding up gaining the next Level.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you gain how much?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°Twenty-five to all possible stats, every Level.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ whoa!¡± His tail starts swishing back and forth again. ¡°Not just all stats, but all possible stats! This is beyond just hidden stats ¨C it includes all locked stats in that! ¡®All¡¯ is just for visible and hidden, but not locked! Just one to all possible stats is a mythical potion, and you gain twenty-five to all possible! That¡¯s insane!¡±

    ¡°Dekami,¡± I nod. ¡°Their Bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Dekami?¡± He frowns. ¡°You mean the name of that runic language Warren and I can¡¯t get a grasp on?¡±

    ¡°For now,¡± I nod. ¡°Yes, them. The Ancients, the long-lived, supposedly immortal beings who first discovered magic. By the end, I¡¯ll have gained 600 LIF, or three thousand years to my natural lifespan. If I gain just five Bloodline Levels, there won¡¯t be a damn foe who can stop me, regardless of how many Classes and Tiers they¡¯ve gained. I¡¯m aiming for Level 5 by the time a year is left. I¡¯m betting I can reach it faster than that, but if I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll return to Jozan at the start of the final year. I should be plenty strong by then.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Michael nods, and Warren looks between us.

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand a word of what you two are saying,¡± Warren says, and we look at him. ¡°You¡¯re speaking in the locals¡¯ tongue. I can¡¯t understand it.¡±

    Michael and I laugh, then explain to Warren what we were talking about. Once he understands, we make our way outside and to the Guild Hall, a large, imposing stone building that stands three stories tall with few windows on the second floor, and none on the third.

    Inside, we approach the counter with several men and women standing behind who, each one dressed in the same uniform, which consists of a weird form of tunic with another piece over it, which Michael tells me is called a vest, when I ask.

    ¡°Hello!¡± He greets the woman behind the counter, who puts her hands on her hips and gives him a stern glare.

    ¡°Michael Thomas Burrclaw!¡± She says. ¡°Just what do you think you¡¯re doing, disappearing like that for a year, then walking in here as if you didn¡¯t skip out on paying your Guild fees?¡±

    His last name is Burrclaw? Like¡­ the little spiky things that get stuck on your pants and tunic when you¡¯re not paying attention to where you¡¯re going when going through some woods?

    I can totally see that.

    ¡°What did she just say?¡± Warren asks, and I tell him as Michael talks to her.

    ¡°You know I only forgot to do that!¡± Michael sticks his tongue out at her. ¡°I have a new party! Mind if we get them registered so they can go into the Dungeon? We¡¯ll be splitting up in there and battling on our own, but I¡¯m loads more powerful, now, so I can probably pay off your fee.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be something a couple of Levels can fix,¡± she says. ¡°We add on interest when you don¡¯t pay your fee, and are aren¡¯t allowed in the Dungeon until you do. It¡¯s 2,500 krat per month, and since you didn¡¯t inform anyone that you weren¡¯t going to be in the Dungeon, it¡¯s built up. You owe us 169,400 krat.¡±

    ¡°Eeh!¡± Michael squeals. ¡°I don¡¯t have any money! And nor do they! Can we please go in the Dungeon? I guarantee we can pay off my debt when we leave it! I mean, I won¡¯t be able to, but Gavin can!¡±

    ¡°Why am I always the one to pay for everything?¡± I ask.

    ¡°No,¡± she crosses her arms, glaring down Michael. ¡°Not with your little antic the last time you went into the Dungeon. You are not going in there until you pay off the fee, and no one goes in unless they¡¯ve paid their monthly fee.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I step forward. ¡°My name is Gavin, and I¡¯m his party leader. Warren and I just came from a very, very faraway land, and have no currency of this one. It would be impossible for us to gain currency here unless we did work or traveled outside of the city to hunt monsters and do regular Dungeons. If we are unable to pay the fee, we¡¯ll have to delay entering the Dungeon, where we could easily gain enough loot and crystals to pay it off. Sure, we could probably afford the krat for my fee and Warren¡¯s, to be able to enter the Dungeon, but it would be a few days before we could return here. In addition, Michael would be incapable of affording it until I went in and gained the necessary loot and crystals to exchange for it. If you let us in now, you¡¯ll gain his fee when we finish. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll have to wait a few days.¡±

    ¡°I will have to see about that,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of letting kids into the Dungeon, and only let Michael in because he had an older, more experience team with him.¡±

    ¡°By two years!¡± Michael nods his head. ¡°Though by the time I went back to what I¡¯d been doing before getting distracted by the Tower Dungeon, I was a higher Level than them! I¡¯m even stronger, now!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± she holds out a thin, clear sheet. ¡°Hand.¡±

    Michael places his hand on the sheet, tail swishing back and forth, and the sheet glows blue for a moment, runes of this language forming on it. She takes it back, then frowns.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be right,¡± she looks at Michael. ¡°You made it to Level 18 in the last thirteen months?¡±

    ¡°Yup!¡± He nods his head vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Gavin! He says you likely gain a small buff to your Experience when you¡¯re focusing on things dealing with your Class, as well as when you have a purpose! Plus, if it weren¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill hundreds of kobolds a day, every day! Those dog-faced beasts, trying to pretend to be smart! They deserved it! Hiyah!¡±

    Michael slashes a hand through the air, and people stare.

    ¡°And you,¡± she looks at Warren, holding out another sheet. ¡°Place your hand on the tablet, then input a small amount of Mana to it.¡±

    Warren does, and the tablet glows, runes forming on it. She looks at it.

    ¡°Level 5,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯d be restricted to the first two Floors of the Dungeon,¡± she looks at me. ¡°And you. Your turn.¡±

    I do as she says, and when she takes the tablet back, stares at it, then stutters as she tries to talk.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask.

    ¡°250 Mana?¡± She asks. ¡°A combined Class Level of 59, and a Species Level of 18? How is that even possible? You¡¯re only fourteen! And all these Skills¡­ and mastered ones, at that¡­ how is that even possible? Eh? You¡¯ve advanced Firebolt Chain to the second Tier? How did you do that so young? That takes years to do! You¡¯d probably be able to clear the first three bosses by yourself! I¡¯ve never seen a kid in my hundred years able to do this!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look a day over twenty-five,¡± I comment. ¡°Does it have to do with your species being Elf?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± her gaze is still on the sheet. ¡°How¡­ how are your stats and Level so high?¡±

    How did that sheet read me so well? I didn¡¯t sense anything when I put my hand on it, and I was trying to. No magic at all¡­

    Is it something to do with the System itself?

    +0 INT!

    Interesting. If you would talk to me, I¡¯d ask you directly, but you won¡¯t, so shut the fuck up.

    -0 CHA!

    ¡°So,¡± I say. ¡°Would you be willing to let us go in? I¡¯m sure I¡¯m capable of earning the amount needed to pay off his fine and our fees in this trip.¡±

    ¡°With your stats,¡± she¡¯s still staring at the sheet. ¡°And your Mastered spells¡­ there¡¯s no doubt you¡¯re a formidable foe. I¡¯d put you in the upper second Tier of two Classes, but you¡¯re only fourteen¡­ how is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°Is this normal?¡± I look at Michael.

    ¡°When they find an unfair existence?¡± He asks. ¡°Probably! Miss Kayla! Can we? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± she glares at him. ¡°But you have three days to pay it off. If you haven¡¯t paid it off by then, I¡¯m barring you from the Dungeon until you do, and no exceptions this time,¡± then she looks at me. ¡°We absolutely must talk when you finish ¨C I¡¯ve never seen a child with stats so high!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± I say. ¡°Thanks. Michael ¨C lead the way.¡±

    ¡°This way!¡± Michael leads us deeper into the building, until we arrive in a large, circular room with a large pit in the center, stone steps wrapped around it, leading down, the stone walls studded with crystals that glow with a faint blue light, giving just enough light to see by. ¡°Here we are! The stairs down to the Dungeon!¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s to keep people from passing through?¡± I ask. ¡°If someone really wants to? A spell or something? I can¡¯t sense one.¡±

    ¡°Nope!¡± He says. ¡°But you don¡¯t want to get banned by the Guild! Let¡¯s go! There¡¯s lots of stuff to kill!¡±

    ¡°Warren,¡± I look at him. ¡°Are you alright with working on your own? Or would you rather one of us stayed with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you stuck around,¡± Warren says. ¡°I can¡¯t speak their language at all. But we need to pay off Michael¡¯s debt,¡± he glares at Michael. ¡°So you two should go to where you can take care of, and I¡¯ll just stick to the first two floors.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°But don¡¯t hesitate to Gift your way down to me if you need it.¡±

    ¡°Will do,¡± he nods. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you upstairs when I¡¯m done, take your time.¡±

 Chapter 0033 - Entering the Tower Dungeon

    The first Floor is denoted by the stairs stopping in a large cavern, and Michael informs us that the next set of stairs is at the far end of the Floor. In other words, we have to travel across the Floor to get to it.

    ¡°However,¡± he adds. ¡°It¡¯s a straight walk to them up until the fifth Floor, when you fight the first Floor Boss. After that, you have to know where they¡¯re at or get lucky in finding them. That, or you can jump down the holes to the next floor.¡±

    His tail starts swishing when he talks about jumping down the holes, and I can¡¯t help but wonder if that has anything to do with the incident the last time he was in the Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll train here on the first floor,¡± Warren says. ¡°Go to the second only if I feel confident enough in my strength to pass it.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say. ¡°And don¡¯t hesitate to flee if you feel like you need to. Before you go, though, I want to pose a question to the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Warren says.

    ¡°What if we split up?¡± I ask. ¡°Train on our own? Not fully split up, but we¡¯re at three vastly different power levels. I could obliterate Michael with ease, and Michael can easily kick your ass, Warren. The three of us should be training at our own level, instead of stuck with the others. Here, we can do that. We can meet up every now and then, to share progress or just hang out, but other than that, do our own thing, train our own way. That way, you guys aren¡¯t stuck fighting monsters too strong for you or Michael and I aren¡¯t stuck fighting monsters too weak for us. We¡¯ll get stronger faster that way, I believe.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Michael nods. ¡°We¡¯d only hold you back, and if we were to all go with you, you¡¯d be constantly saving us. We¡¯ll grow faster separately.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Warren says. ¡°I agree with that.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s set a time limit,¡± I say. ¡°In six months, we¡¯ll meet up again. Until then, we¡¯ll train separately, do our own things. If we make it to a Class Advancement Quest, we can accept it before then and increase our Class. I wouldn¡¯t want you to be stuck a few Levels because we weren¡¯t together. Looking at you, Michael.¡±

    He smiles at me.

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet back up,¡± I say. ¡°In the Guild above six months from today.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Warren suddenly looks concerned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to try to master another Tier III spell from your Grimoire, are you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I smile at him. ¡°That would be a waste of Mana. I¡¯ll probably drop in here twice a day, and work on condensing my Mana and expanding the pool as well. I will work on learning some new spells, though ¨C they saw me use fire magics, and will probably prepare for me being a magician of fire magics, especially since I said I¡¯m of the Order of the Violet Flame. I need stronger fire, and to counter it, they¡¯ll probably work on water and ice. So, I¡¯m going to learn ice and lightning. I will melt their ice and evaporate their water, but also freeze their water, blast apart their ice, and turn their water deadly to the touch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re evil,¡± Michael says.

    ¡°I¡¯m chaotic,¡± I look at him. ¡°I do what I must to achieve my goals. My goal is to restore Jozan and complete this Blood Quest. It¡¯s also to establish a true Order of the Violet Flame.¡±

    And complete this other Quest as well.

    Quest: Create Order

    Requirements:

    1 Member (Minimum of 25 needed)

    Establish a headquarters

    Establish an emblem

    Establish a primary purpose

    Time Limit: 5 Years

    Reward: 1,000 Experience

    Penalty for Failure: -50% Experience and CHA gain for 5 years, CHA is halved

    I still haven¡¯t decided on a primary purpose or an emblem for it yet, though I do have an idea for the emblem.

    ¡°Why do you want to create an Order?¡± Michael asks. ¡°I mean, I understand you don¡¯t want to be a part of your father¡¯s anymore, but-¡±

    That¡¯s it. That¡¯s why. Because something isn¡¯t right with the Ancient Order. I don¡¯t like that. I don¡¯t like the way he talked, and wanted to hand me four rings with bounties on them. I got the sense that he was lying, and about a lot of things.

    What would I have had to give up, in order to unlock my Bloodline with them?

    Just what do they really do? I find it hard to believe they really spread knowledge to everyone. I mean, they probably do, but for a price. I don¡¯t care about that, though.

    Protection.

    Jozan was destroyed because of human greed and desire for power. My own village had to flee their homes or risk being slain ¨C and they were all there, leading me to wonder why Michael thought most of them were slain in the first place. Warren was kept as a slave, and Michael, while not a slave, still faces the same hate that Warren does for not being human.

    Safety.

    I want my Order to be a place of safety, a place where people of all species can feel safe and learn from each other, where they can live in harmony with each other, not in fear of abuse or exploitation.

    After the six months are up, I¡¯m going to ask Michael if he knows of any open spaces I can use for my Order¡¯s headquarters, somewhere people can get to easily.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    That means I¡¯ll need to tear apart the barriers preventing travel between continents¡­

    Looking at Michael, I realize that he knew about the secondary form of Dungeons. He¡¯s not from my continent ¨C none of the wolfen beastborn tribes have black fur. I¡¯ll talk to him about that at some other point in time.

    ¡°What?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°We can talk about it later,¡± I say. ¡°Just thinking about stuff, about another Quest I have.¡±

    Quest Altered:

    Quest: Creator Order difficulty has increased, and now has a time limit of 10 years from start to compensate, reward remains the same

    System Quest!

    Quest: Remove Boundary of Sages

    Requirements:

    Remove the Boundary of Sages which separates the eighteen continents and regions of the world Nierfa

    Time Limit: 9 Years

    Reward: 10,000 Experience

    Accept: Y/N?

    No penalty for failure on this one¡­ guess because I decided to do it as part of another Quest, there¡¯s no penalty for failure. That reward, though¡­ if completing the Blood Quest will net me 25,000 Experience, just how difficult is removing the Boundary of Sages?

    I nod as Michael asks me what Quest.

    ¡°To create the Order,¡± I answer. ¡°I need a minimum of 25 members, a headquarters, an emblem, and a primary purpose. I have the primary purpose, now, but the others¡­ it¡¯ll be awhile. The Quest did just increase the time requirement, though.¡±

    ¡°It has a time requirement?¡± He interrupts me. ¡°Sorry, Gavin, that¡¯s just weird. Most regular Quests don¡¯t have time limits.¡±

    Then why do I have two with time limits?

    ¡°It does, though,¡± I say.

    ¡°Something must happen if you don¡¯t create the order,¡± he says. ¡°But then¡­ why would the time limit increase, then? That¡¯s just weird. Quests don¡¯t normally change like that ¨C I¡¯ve only ever heard of timed Quests losing time, not gaining some.¡±

    Something will happen if I don¡¯t create the Order? What? And what¡¯s with the Boundary of Sages, then? Do I need to take it down in the next nine years? I get a penalty for not doing one, but do for the other. This is confusing.

    ¡°We can think on this later,¡± Michael says. ¡°You have plenty of time, right?¡±

    ¡°More than nine years,¡± I nod. ¡°Plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he says. ¡°We can talk about it after we reunite in six months.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Warren says. ¡°Then I¡¯m off. I¡¯ll see you two around.¡±

    He waves, then disappears off into a cavern. Michael and I quickly make our way through the Floor, and I note only goblins as monsters. A single hit is all I need to kill them, but the short, squat green things are interesting to me. I might come back at some later point to study them a little bit more.

    The second, third, and fourth Floors also have Goblins, and they get progressively stronger the deeper the Floor. The fifth floor is empty, and I look at Michael.

    ¡°Bosses only respawn after an hour,¡± he says. ¡°That way, if it was several parties that fought it, they all have time to do emergency heals and move on to the safe Floor.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    We pass by, and the Floors have some goblins, but also spiders. Michael stops on Floor 10 again, and I pass through to Floor 11, hoping for another boss fight. None.

    Who¡¯s killing all my Bosses?

    Down another Level, through the safe zone, then down to the thirteenth Floor. The monsters here are easy, they¡¯re a mix of spiders, goblins, bats, and kobolds. Floor 15 adds in some wolves, but they aren¡¯t too tough, even with me being by myself.

    Floor 17¡­

    I smile when I see the orc standing there, fighting a team of ten Adventurers. They¡¯re struggling in the fight, and after a quick assessment, I determine that they may be a little underpowered for this battle. They haven¡¯t even scratched the orc¡¯s hide. The big, tall, ugly green orc that¡¯s swinging its club around. I watch them for a few minutes, and determine that they don¡¯t have a chance in hell of killing this thing. In fact, I think they¡¯ve begun to realize it.

    I summon a Firebolt, concentrating the energy within it, increasing its power, then fire it. I summon two more immediately after and fire them as well, each one hitting the orc in the same spot in the chest, the third one piercing through its hide.

    The orc stops moving, turning still for a moment, then explodes, its guts and blood turning to shadows and dissolving after a moment. The ten Adventurers stop moving, staring at the decent-sized crystal sitting on the ground.

    +20 Dekami Experience!

    +20 Class Experience!

    The Adventurers turn and look at me, and then their eyes widen and mouths drop in shock.

    ¡°That was easy,¡± I comment as I approach them, making my way past them to the magic crystal. Drops in here aren¡¯t looting automatically into my ring, and that¡¯s annoying. I place a hand on the crystal ¨C roughly twice the height of a watermelon and just a little bit slimmer ¨C and it disappears into my ring. The ring¡¯s starting to get full, there isn¡¯t much space in it after my kingdom¡¯s wealth. ¡°Sorry for claiming the kill from you, but you weren¡¯t even hurting it, and I wanted to see if I could. Looks like I really can handle the third Boss. I wonder why she only said the first three, and not the fourth?¡±

    ¡°The fourth is a wyvern,¡± one of the warriors approaches me. ¡°Resilient to physical and magical attacks, has two legs, then foreclaws on its wings. Its claws and its bite are dangerous, and they¡¯re particularly nasty to kill.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve killed a wyvern before,¡± I shrug. ¡°Shredded its wings with my magic, first, then, as it was crippled, sliced off its head.¡±

    The Adventurers all stare at me as if I¡¯ve grown a second head.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Killing a wvyern isn¡¯t that easy,¡± the warrior says.

    ¡°It was for me,¡± I say. ¡°Though I will admit, that wyvern in particular was only four years old, so its magical resistances hadn¡¯t been fully developed. An adult wyvern might pose a small threat to me. However, I fought it alone, and I do have a party.¡±

    The Adventurers look past me in confusion.

    ¡°They¡¯re weaker than me,¡± I explain. ¡°And are training on previous Floors. I¡¯m looking for a Floor with more of a challenge. I suppose, since it¡¯s a wyvern for the fourth boss, I should train a little bit more before challenging myself.¡±

    ¡°Past here,¡± the warrior says. ¡°You¡¯ll be finding larger, stronger monsters than you have before. Weaker orcs, trolls, giants ¨C mixed in with the smaller monsters, of course. It proves a deadly combination. After the safe area on the twenty-fourth Floor, you¡¯ll start coming across undead. That is, if you make it past the wyvern. A team finally made it to the boss on the forty-seventh Floor, and it¡¯s a Scaled Wyvern. Couldn¡¯t even scratch its scales. Those things are far, far more powerful than any wyvern you¡¯d come across.¡±

    ¡°Sounds interesting,¡± I say. ¡°I have an issue with Undead, so I probably won¡¯t go past the fourth safe area.¡±

    ¡°How are you so powerful?¡± He asks. ¡°You¡¯re only a child.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not just any child,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m me.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain anything,¡± the warrior says.

    ¡°Nor does you being here,¡± I say. ¡°Considering your Levels are far too low, even as a team of ten with three Novices, to be able to take on the Orc Boss that was in here, yet you were.¡±

    ¡°Those are two unrelated things.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± I say. ¡°So mind your own business.¡±

    ¡°Alan,¡± one of the mages steps forward. ¡°Look at his right hand.¡±

    The warrior looks at my hand, then frowns.

    ¡°Judging by the magic in it,¡± the mage says. ¡°That¡¯s a very, very large spatial ring. I¡¯ve only seen two others near that size in my life, and each of them belonged to the head of a wizard¡¯s Guild, including my own.¡±

    Of course it¡¯s massive ¨C it has to hold the entire Wealth of Jozan. I¡¯m watching it, until the king returns and his kingdom is restored.

    ¡°Good luck returning to the surface,¡± I begin walking to the other entrance. ¡°I may see you around.¡±

    The next Floor is a large cavern with grass covering the bottom, a few huts built up here and there, but not much else. All of the safe Floors have looked like this so far. I decide to rest for a few minutes, since it¡¯s taken me a few hours to make it down here. Once I¡¯m recovered, I¡¯ll begin the trek downward, to see just how far I can go.

 Interlude I: Warren 1

    Leaving the party behind, I can¡¯t help but feel a sense of relief. I was so scared of the deeper monsters, and getting forgotten and left behind.

    Being able to train on my own, though, will be nice. I can work on a few things without them knowing. I have Gifts I haven¡¯t bothered attempting yet.

    ¡°So when are you going to tell him?¡±

    ¡°Hush,¡± I say in Silvar.

    ¡°You should seriously tell him. The worst that will happen is he says ¡®no¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this with you,¡± I spot a goblin, then charge forward, driving a fist into its gut, then another into its chin. I spin, kicking the goblin in the head, and it dies.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t!¡± I quickly kill the next Goblin I come across, then turn into a hall filled with them, including two with bows. Quickly, I chant the Gift of Tough Skin, the Gift going into effect just before the first arrow strikes. It shatters. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to be useful, go away!¡±

    The spirit chuckles, not speaking more as I kill the goblins in the hall. They respawn as I leave it, entering a chamber with only a few goblins within.

    ¡°Are you scared that he¡¯ll say ¡®yes¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this with you!¡±

    Why does this spirit have to stick around me all the time?

    ¡°Warren and Gavin, dancing in the moonlight, their magic humming in perfect harmony...¡±

    The spirit keeps singing as I go deeper into the first Floor, doing my best to ignore him. I don¡¯t know how he figured out I liked Gavin, but he did, and he harasses me endlessly about it. I can¡¯t ask Gavin out, even if I¡¯m a prince and he¡¯s not, he¡¯s too far above me. He¡¯s my Party Leader, and my rescuer.

    And he¡¯s just all-around better than me in every way. He¡¯s not weak, and he isn¡¯t scared of anything. He has a goal, and he won¡¯t give up until he does it. I owe him for saving me from that hell, and I¡¯m going to stay by his side and give him Gifts and protect his back for as long as I can.

    Father can screw himself if he thinks I¡¯m returning to the fae woods without serving my debt to Gavin. And the spirit can shut up about me liking Gavin. He¡¯s cute, and he¡¯s nice, but I¡¯m not going to risk causing tension in our relationship or party, and I¡¯m not going to ask someone that much more powerful than me to be a lover.

    Besides ¨C his Spirit¡¯s lower than mine. Father wouldn¡¯t hear of it, were I to do that.

    Bare-handed Fighting is now Level 9!

    Really? I haven¡¯t changed my style much at all. I know I¡¯m probably gaining some buff to learning it because of my devotion to protection Gavin, but still¡­

    I shouldn¡¯t be mastering it this quickly. It takes years for each Level of a Skill, and I¡¯ve gone up several since we began training.

    ¡°Are you going to sing all day?¡± I ask the spirit. ¡°Or are you going to finally tell me what kind of Gift I can ask of you?¡±

    ¡°My Gift would take at least two hundred Spirit, you¡¯d need to waste Spirit Potions to refill that while doing the chant.¡±

    A Gift that powerful is rare¡­ and so are the spirits that can grant them¡­

    And it¡¯s following me around, harassing me because I think my party leader and savior is cute.

    ¡°Is that just for the base amount of it?¡± I ask. ¡°Not even for a certain level of the buff?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Going to tell me what it is?¡±

    ¡°Not until you guess it, lovebird!¡±

    Which I probably won¡¯t manage until my Spirit Sense is at least Level 8. It¡¯s currently Level 4. Stronger spirits are harder to sense, and I only know this one¡¯s here because he¡¯s letting me sense him.

    ¡°You know Father wouldn¡¯t stand for me with someone with a lower Spirit.¡±

    ¡°You never know! Your father did, after all, sire you and your brothers with a woman weaker than him.¡±

    ¡°Father¡¯s Spirit is monstrous,¡± I shake my head. ¡°There isn¡¯t a single fairy ¨C male or female ¨C who can come anywhere near his 500.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure your father would be alright with you with someone with a strong Spirit Pool, even if it¡¯s smaller than yours. After all, what ruler would want a stronger lover?¡±

    ¡°Gavin will one day surpass mine.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the contradictions.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± My face heats up. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to share with me even a fragment of your Gift, then will you please go away!¡±

    ¡°I can summon more goblins for you to fight, if you want.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°Of course! All spirits have the ability to draw in more monsters. Or scare them off. I like scaring them off, their faces are so delightful. Here in a Dungeon, I can increase their spawn rate. I was doing that back in the one you boys were training in.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    I felt like there were more goblins than there should have been, but didn¡¯t say anything about it. Now I know why¡­

    ¡°Is that why I¡¯m coming across so few right now?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not affecting their spawns or fear. Want me to attract more and increase spawn rate? This cavern would be a nice place for you to do that in. Oh, but there¡¯s a miniboss as well. Want me to spawn the miniboss?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I could kill the miniboss?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting strong at a decent rate, probably because of your infatuation with Gavin and your desire to protect him, because he¡¯s your savior, and so I¡¯m sure that after a few days, you could probably kill him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why not? You only need six more Martial Artist Levels and another Fairy Level or two, a decent offensive Gift, and-¡±

    ¡°And you really think I can gain six Martial Arts Levels and a Fairy Level or two in a few days?¡±

    ¡°Probably if I increase the Experience and learning buff I¡¯ve been giving you. Well, Martial Artist Levels¡­ you¡¯re not doing very many Fairy things, so it¡¯s a bit tougher.¡±

    He¡¯s¡­ been giving me Experience buffs?

    ¡°Have you been giving the buff to my whole party?¡±

    ¡°Just you. They didn¡¯t need it. Especially not Gavin, seeing as he already had a powerful one. I wonder what would¡¯ve happened if I¡¯d granted him the buff.¡±

    ¡°Are you a Dekami?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You answered that awful fast.¡±

    ¡°Sort of like you answering me when I asked if you liked Gavin?¡±

    This thing won¡¯t stop!

    ¡°What was the buff you were giving me?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Plus one hundred percent Experience, and plus one hundred percent to learning and Leveling Skills related to martial arts, as well as to Gifts. No offense, but you fairies suck at learning stuff like that, and it was paining me to see you Leveling the Gifts so slowly. And no, I¡¯m not a Dekami, but I¡¯m close to it. I¡¯ll increase it to a thousand percent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big boost.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need it to catch up with your team. Michael¡¯s got an inherent buff from his species to learning his species-related Skills and combat stuff, and he¡¯s got a good experience buff from his devotion. Plus, he doesn¡¯t get hit as hard by the Experience nerf inhuman species have as you do. You really need this buff. Of course, it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll compare to Gavin, by the time he gets Dekami up a few Levels. Level 3 will put it at over twelve hundred percent, and he doesn¡¯t have the nerf.¡±

    He has a point, there¡­

    ¡°Oh, and your father¡¯s Spirit Pool is actually closer to a thousand than it is to five hundred.¡±

    Thank you, for telling me I have no hope of ever being as powerful as my father.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your Gift, anyway?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I have several. How do you think I¡¯m buffing your Experience and learning?¡±

    ¡°I thought you need our Spirit to channel that?¡±

    ¡°Eh. Things are little iffy when it comes to that. If you channel our buffs, you have to sacrifice the Spirit needed for the amount and the duration asked for. If we choose to give a passive buff like this, we have to supply the power ourselves. But we can¡¯t just, say, supply you with a buff like my Gift. It¡¯s why I was able to unlock Gavin¡¯s Spirit Affinity without issue.¡±

    ¡°And piss off a Rift Wolf.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s always chewing me out for one thing or another. I wonder if I could sic him on you to get you to ask Gavin out.¡±

    ¡°Will you stop with that?¡±

    ¡°Or I can just tell Gavin myself.¡±

    ¡°Is Gavin even able to sense you?¡±

    ¡°You forget ¨C you aren¡¯t. I¡¯m letting you sense and hear me. It¡¯s annoying, though, because I have to take on a more physical form in this realm at all times, and I can¡¯t look at my own realm. It¡¯s so beautiful¡­ just like Gavin.¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡± I snap. ¡°What the hell is your Gift, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Powerful, like Gavin.¡±

    ¡°Pervert.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re curious.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and increase the monster spawns, will you?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    More goblins spawn, and I continue the fighting. I¡¯m so glad I figured out how to fight while this thing is annoying me, or I¡¯d have probably taken a few dangerous strikes from these goblins. Not enough to really hurt me, but enough to be a pain in the rear.

    I begin a chant I haven¡¯t used before, and hope the spirit is still wanting to work with me.

    ¡°Your power burns strong and bright, blazing with an endless might, please grant unto me, O mighty spirit, your flaming right.¡±

    Gift of the Blazing Fist!

    Fire swirls around my fists. Not as strong as it will be when I master the Skill and the spirit¡¯s full power of the Gift will flow to me, but it will be nice bringing this to its maximum Level.

    Unlike most Skills, the Gifts, regardless of their Tier, have only a single Tier to them.

    I step forward, and move into a flurry of strikes, and by the time the Gift runs out, I¡¯ve gained a decent amount of Experience.

    +5 Fairy Experience!

    +49 Martial Artist Experience!

    I dismiss the messages, judging my Spirit. That took a lot of Spirit, but lasted around five minutes.

    I return to fighting, but this time, without using a Gift.

    By the time I finish for the day, I¡¯ve gained an addition hundred Martial Artist Experience and thirty Spirit Experience. I make my way back up to the surface and the Guild, then take a seat and wait for them to show up.

    ¡°You know I can translate what they¡¯re saying for you, right?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help when I don¡¯t know what to say, right?¡±

    Someone approaches me, he has a slender build and pointy ears, and is a little tall. He asks me something. At least, I think he asks me something, but I can¡¯t understand him.

    ¡°He¡¯s asking you what language that is, since he¡¯s never heard it before, and it sounds almost like a song.¡±

    ¡°I still can¡¯t understand him,¡± I roll my eyes, and the guy says something.

    ¡°He¡¯s not happy you rolled your eyes at him.¡±

    ¡°Can you drop water on his head?¡±

    ¡°For ten Spirit.¡±

    ¡°I thought your weakest was at two hundred?¡±

    ¡°I count it more as a utility magic than a Gift.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the chant?¡±

    ¡°¡¯I ogle my leader, because I love him so much, and I dump water, on those who think they could match him in looks¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Pervert.¡±

    ¡°Or you could go with what most spirits use and say ¡®bubble, bubble, ball of water and ball of life, form here and now, upon my chosen spot¡¯, then release the chant after it forms.¡±

    ¡°Bubble, bubble, ball of water and ball of life, form here and now, upon my chosen spot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so stupid,¡± I say as a ball of water three times the size of the guy¡¯s head forms above him. ¡°That¡¯s only 10 Spirit? I didn¡¯t get a Skill for it.¡±

    ¡°I was joking about the chant. It¡¯s actually different.¡±

    I roll my eyes.

    Want me to tell you what he¡¯s been saying?¡±

    ¡°Is it pleasant?¡± I ask, doing my best not to laugh as people are staring at the man.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m amused he hasn¡¯t caught to something being off, considering how many eyes are on him right now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the actual chant?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Because you still drained my Spirit.¡±

    ¡°Contract with someone else for that spell, there¡¯s a limit to how many can we create a contract with per person, and I don¡¯t want to use it up with meaningless spells.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± I say. ¡°You do realize that being able to request water while in a hot desert could save lives, right?¡±

    ¡°Find a water spirit. I¡¯ve got other Gifts for you, once you¡¯ve the Spirit to actually use them. This guy is so funny¡­ Imma put him out of his misery.¡±

    I roll my eyes again, then lock gazes with the man and point. He frowns, then looks up. His eyes widen just before the giant orb crashes down onto him, soaking him through.

    ¡°And it¡¯s icy cold, too!¡±

 Interlude I: Michael 1

    I stop at the tenth Floor, confident I can handle things on my own here, unlike months ago, when our party kind of failed out.

    Confident until the damn spiders show up. Why did they have to show up first? I¡¯d much, much prefer fighting and killing goblins over spiders. They¡¯re creepy and crawly and their webs are annoying to get in my face and ears and tail.

    Drawing my sword, I get to work on killing them, doing my best to avoid any of them crawling on me or getting stuck in their webs. One of them gets me in the arm with its web, and it¡¯s so gross. Ewwww! I hack at the spider until it dies, then try to scrape off the web. It¡¯s so sticky!

    Eventually, with a use of some Mana, I manage to detach the web. That was soooo gross.

    I¡¯m going to the goblin portion of this. I hate that spiders inhabit the area by the stairs down here, and that to get to the goblin-only portions, you have to cross through spider territory.

    The goblins that are in the spider areas are crazy. I dunno why the Dungeon things goblins like spiders. They¡¯re creepy and crawly and icky. They give me the shivers and make my fur stand on end!

    Goblins!

    They all die way too fast. I mean, they¡¯re tough, but they¡¯re way easier than they were before. I don¡¯t think I can take on the second Boss, though. But killing the goblins is fun, anyway! It¡¯s not like I¡¯d be able to handle the thirteenth Floor on my own, I¡¯d definitely need support!

    ¡°I thought I heard a familiar howl!¡± A voice laughs, and I look over to see my old party from when I was here. Daviv, Kyle, Eric, and Sam. They have someone new, another soldier, probably Squire. ¡°What¡¯s up, Michael?¡±

    ¡°Training!¡± I answer. ¡°Here with my party!¡±

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Daviv looks around, looking a little confused.

    ¡°Oh, we left Warren on the first Floor, and Gavin went farther down.¡±

    ¡°You guys split up?¡± He asks.

    ¡°We¡¯re training where we can handle,¡± I nod. ¡°So cool that you¡¯re on this Floor! Have you tried the Boss yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°We need a few more Levels before we can dream about fighting it. So have you gained another Level yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Level 19 Squire, now!¡±

    ¡°How is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°How did my Party Leader reach the second Tier of his Primary Class in less than a year?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯re just weird like that.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still fighting while talking,¡± the new member comments to Sam.

    ¡°That¡¯s Michael for you,¡± Sam nods. ¡°He gets very, very enthusiastic when it comes to killing things. Sometimes, I picture him as a Novice who likes to blast everything with Fireball.¡±

    ¡°Novice is probably my next Class,¡± I nod. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m and I¡¯m a Level 10 Beastborn now, too! I gained a Level to each while fighting down here! Wow! Has it already been that long? It¡¯s been hours! I bet Gavin¡¯s gained a few Levels!¡±

    ¡°Michael,¡± Daviv says. ¡°This is James, the Squire we found to take over your spot, though he¡¯s not as enthusiastic as you are, when it comes to killing monsters. He¡¯s good with his blade, though, and-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve reached Level 8 Sword Mastery!¡±

    ¡°How in the fuck are you getting so powerful so fast?¡±

    ¡°Gavin says it¡¯s ¡®cause of my devotion to my goal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s utter bullshit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve shown you utter bullshit. And udder bullshit, too.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, for bringing forth those suppressed memories.¡±

    ¡°So watcha up to?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Heading back to the surface,¡± he answers. ¡°Want to catch up later?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be at the usual place,¡± he says.

    ¡°See you at dinner!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    They leave, and I keep on killing shit until I get tired enough I think it¡¯s better to return, resting briefly on the sixth Floor to recover a bit before fighting the first Boss.

    Who isn¡¯t there.

    When I reenter the Guild, I spot Warren sitting by himself on a bench, and people giving him a wide birth. His eyes are closed, and he looks relaxed. I sneak up on him, circling around behind him. Why is Greth glaring at him? He only just got here, since his hair¡¯s wet. He really needs to learn to dry his hair after a bath.

    ¡°Hello, Michael,¡± Warren says when I get right behind him, and I freeze. ¡°You do remember that I¡¯ve got spirits contracted to me, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to summon them to talk to them?¡± I ask. ¡°And continuously feed Spirit into them for them to interact with this realm?¡±

    ¡°I used to think that,¡± he sighs, then looks at me. ¡°So how¡¯d you do?¡±

    ¡°I gained a Level to each!¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± he stands up. ¡°So how do I exchange what I earned into money?¡±

    I take him over to the station, and show him how to exchange it, since he can¡¯t communicate with them. He earned a total of 917 krat today, which is a good haul for someone of his Level and stats. I managed 3,947 krat. It¡¯s not enough for either of us to pay the fees, but we have three days, and Gavin has yet to come up here.

    We sit back down and wait for Gavin, who shows up with about fifteen other people, four of whom are carrying massive magic crystals. Like¡­ one of them is the size of Warren. A Boss¡¯s crystal.

    That¡­ is probably worth a hundred thousand, by itself. His LUK is damn high for him to get one so big from a Boss.

    A couple of others are carrying loot items, such as horns and skulls and stuff. Their supports¡¯ bags look stuffed.

    Did Gavin enlist them in helping him bring his loot to the surface? Is his ring full?

    ¡°Hi!¡± Gavin greets the worker. ¡°I¡¯d like to trade in my loot for the day!¡±

    One million four thousand eight hundred twelve. That¡¯s how much krat Gavin just earned.

    More. Than. One. Million. Krat.

    In one trip.

    ¡°Thanks for volunteering to carry my loot,¡± Gavin smiles at them after sending his coin into his ring. ¡°The ring got filled up pretty fast, since it¡¯s already full of stuff.¡±

    Their reaction says they didn¡¯t volunteer to carry his loot. They sell off his stuff as Gavin walks over to me, and I realize something.

    ¡°Gavin?¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes?¡± He always seems distracted by something when he¡¯s around me.

    ¡°I just remembered,¡± I say. ¡°But how come you don¡¯t sell any of the stuff in the ring?¡±

    ¡°Why would I?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Well,¡± I say. ¡°King Wesley gave it to you, and-¡±

    ¡°To watch over and protect,¡± Gavin shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to use the Wealth of Jozan for personal things. It isn¡¯t mine to use. I am simply watching and protecting it until Jozan is restored.¡±

    Gavin really has a strong sense of duty to his kingdom, even though it was restored. He¡¯d definitely make a fine member of my tribe.

    Gavin pays off my fine and their join fees, then we leave, parting ways. I catch snippets of what the other Adventurers say as I leave, the ones who ¡®volunteered¡¯ to carry his loot out.

    Apparently, they tried to pass off their monsters to the kid they saw wandering around the Tower Dungeon¡¯s twenty-second Floor as they ran away. Ten minutes later, they found him smiling at them from the exit, and thanked them for volunteering to carry his loot.

    His smile was so intimidating, one says, that it felt like the devil was smiling at them. They didn¡¯t know what to do or how to react, and then suddenly, he was standing right in front of them, a knife to their leader¡¯s throat.

    Then, Gavin apparently told them that the next time they want to pass off monsters they can¡¯t fight, it better not be to a Tier II Archwizard who plans on continuing his ¡®training¡¯ for a few more hours, and that, since his ring was full with the crystals from those monsters, they¡¯re then volunteering to carry his loot for him

    Gavin is so evil sometimes¡­ but they totally deserved that!

    ¡°Your tail wags any harder, you might fly off,¡± a deep, familiar voice says, and I turn around to find a wolfen beastborn with pitch-black hair and azure eyes standing there.

    He¡¯s not much taller than me, and he¡¯s got the same build as me ¨C slender, but toned, with defined muscles. His body oozes strength and speed, and he has a faint aura around him that warns others against fighting him. Light, leather armor protects his chest, his forearms, and his knees, and leather boots adorn his feet. Underneath it all, he wears black clothes.

    Matthew, Wolfen Beastborn 19, Greater Chieftain (II) 2, Brawler (II) 18, Knight (II) 8

    ¡°Papa!¡± I throw myself into him, giving him a hug. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were here,¡± he answers. ¡°So made my way over with haste. It¡¯s been months, and I haven¡¯t heard a word from you.¡±

    He takes a step back, hands on my shoulders, and looks down at me, smiling.

    ¡°You are my son,¡± he says. ¡°Level 10 Beastborn? Level 19 Squire? You¡¯ll be in a new Class in a week or two, no doubt.¡±

    ¡°I gained so much Experience today!¡± I nod. ¡°I don¡¯t even know why, but I bet it¡¯s because Gavin is right, even if it¡¯s more than I was gaining before!¡±

    ¡°Temporary buff to our tribe!¡± Papa laughs. ¡°We¡¯ve all gained the boost, but only for today! You¡¯ll probably be back at your regular pace tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Boost?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh! You gained a Ruler Level!¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he smiles. ¡°Gives a buff that lasts the day to all those under my rule.¡±

    ¡°Second Tier is awesome,¡± I grin at him. ¡°My Party Leader hit the second Tier! He¡¯s an Archwizard, now!¡±

    ¡°So you found Gavin?¡± He asks, and I nod.

    ¡°We have a lot to catch up on!¡± I nod. ¡°I know this amazing restaurant! Oh, but you¡¯ll have to pay, ¡®cause I need to pay the bill for my room tonight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Papa laughs. ¡°One of these days, you¡¯ll get smart about money. And probably gain Acting so you can stop wagging your tail whenever you get excited. One of these days, someone is going to just grab it.¡±

    ¡°Nah!¡± I say. ¡°And if they do, I¡¯ll fight ¡®em!¡± I punch the air a few times, ignoring the looks Papa and I are receiving. ¡°Oh! Except for Gavin! I wouldn¡¯t mind it if he grabbed my tail!¡±

    ¡°So your feelings were rekindled?¡± Papa asks.

    ¡°Yup!¡± I nod. ¡°He¡¯s getting even hotter as we get older, too! But I think Warren has a crush on him, so I¡¯m not saying anything. I don¡¯t take other people¡¯s wolves! Or men!¡±

    Papa laughs again, ruffling my hair.

 Chapter 0034 - Finding a Place to Train Magic

    Due to your maturing body, your Cuteness Skill will soon become the Hotness Skill. Would you like to switch now, the first moment you are able to work your hotness?

    Switch: Y/N?

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I ask no one in particular. ¡°I¡¯m shitting!¡±

    +0 PER!

    Why the fuck am I being asked that while I¡¯m shitting? Who the hell is perving on me, and why can¡¯t I notice them with my 121 PER?

    I accept it, finish my business, clean up, then return to the bedroom at the inn I¡¯m booking, glad the rooms here come with places to wash up and do business. I spent a night at the one Michael did for us, and the last few at this one. This one¡¯s comfier and more expensive. But since I make over a million krat a day¡­ it¡¯s not like affording it¡¯s an issue for me.

    Yesterday, I reached Dekami Level 2, and Archwizard Level 6. Ten days was all it took me. And now I¡¯ll gain that same amount of Experience even quicker, if I grind as much as I did then. Of course, I was also busting my ass off in the Dungeon, exhausting myself.

    But I also gained an extra thirteen Mana ¨C ten from making it denser, and three from Expansion.

    Stretching, I sit down on the floor, waving my hand over the ground, the Grimoire appearing. I stare at it, thinking.

    Most of the spells in this one require an INT of at least fifty before they can be learned, at least seventy-five for half of them, and at least a hundred for the last third of them. A tenth requires at least a hundred and fifty, and around one percent of them ¨C ten spells that I have seen ¨C require two hundred or higher. One of them requires five hundred.

    Even with my insane Mana regeneration, it will take me nearly eight hours to restore to full. Eighty-five and a half seconds per point.

    Deciding what I want to do, I send the Grimoire back into my ring and make my way to one of the nearby Mage Guilds, walking past the curious magicians as I approach the counter. They spend so much on making this place look good that I just want to rip their heads off their shoulders.

    It looks stupid, not good. They have no real taste. When I have a Guild Hall, it¡¯s going to have dragonstone bricks, phoenixwood will be for any wooden parts, the trimwork and etchings and stuff will be done in unicornite. I have such good plans for my Guild Hall, and no one will be able to compare.

    Of course, I need to find a large enough supply of that stone, brick, and metal, among other things, first, but I can figure that out later.

    ¡°I¡¯m requesting use of one of your training rooms,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m going to be practicing magic the next week or so, and will need a place I can perform it without risking blowing up the building I¡¯m in.¡±

    ¡°Only allowed for Guild members,¡± the mage behind the counter says. ¡°If you¡¯d like to join our Guild, you¡¯d need to-¡±

    ¡°No, thanks,¡± I wave, turning away from the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll see if one of the other Guilds will be more accommodating to me.¡±

    I spend most of the morning looking at Guilds, but they all turn me away when I refuse to join their Guild. The last few were expecting me.

    After lunch, I make my way to the next Guild on my list. When I enter, there¡¯s a man with a spatial ring sitting by the door. He stands when I enter.

    ¡°Mage Gavin,¡± he greets me, then frowns. ¡°Or rather, Archwizard Gavin. So there really is a line of Wizard for Classes?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± I nod. ¡°Mage is the Third Tier, though I understand that magicians are called mages, here.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± he says. ¡°I am Vincent Stormwind, Guild Master of of the Stormwind Guild. Some of our daughter Guilds reported you were going around, requesting a training room, but refusing to join Guilds.¡±

    ¡°I am a member of the Order of the Violet Flame,¡± I state. ¡°We don¡¯t have an official headquarters or location around here.¡±

    ¡°A member or a leader?¡± He asks, his gaze moving to my ring for a moment before meeting my gaze again, a smile on his lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re the first person to question that.¡±

    ¡°How did a child such as you come to be the leader of a Guild?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± I shrug. ¡°But in short, I was sort of betrayed by the only person I knew in the last order I was in, and decided to found my own. Seeing as I¡¯m of the Second Tier, I figured it a smart move to simply create my own Order, with my own purpose, rather than to follow the whims of people who would seek only to use me.¡±

    ¡°How large is your Guild?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Right now?¡± I ask. ¡°The Order is small, with only a few members. I¡¯m quite selective about who I will allow in it, because of the stuff I¡¯ve been through.¡±

    ¡°Are the fairy and wolfboy in the Order?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re traveling companions of mine,¡± I shake my head. ¡°They¡¯re working with me toward a personal goal of mine, for their own reasons. If they wished to join the Order, though, they¡¯d be more than welcome. I do not discriminate based on Species. After all ¨C I one day intend on moving past Human and into the Second Tier of my Species, myself. If I were to limit it to but one Species, would I not be forced to leave it when I leave that Species, myself?¡±

    The Guild Master thinks for several long moments. I can¡¯t read him at all. I can¡¯t see his name, his Level, nothing. I don¡¯t like that, especially since he seems to be able to read mine.

    ¡°You do have an excellent point, there,¡± he nods. ¡°I do hope you know what you¡¯re doing, though, allowing any Species into your Guild.¡±

    ¡°Any Species is welcome,¡± I say. ¡°But not just any person. The Order does have strict requirements. I will not allow fighting amongst my members, and until I reach the Third Tier, I plan on keeping it a smaller Order.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Where is your headquarters?¡± He asks. ¡°Every Guild has one.¡±

    ¡°Wherever I am, for now,¡± I answer. ¡°I have yet to find a place I determined suitable enough for my Order, and so for now, we are scattered across the world, working on our personal goals while looking for a suitable place to make our permanent base.¡±

    ¡°While it is against policy,¡± the Guild Master says. ¡°To allow those outside of our Guild to use our facilities and resources, I have no issue with you using our training rooms to practice magic, and have already notified all of our daughter Guilds.¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± a mage steps forward. ¡°I don¡¯t believe-¡±

    ¡°While you are my trusted Assistant Guild Master,¡± the Guild Master looks to the other man. ¡°Archwizard Gavin is a powerful young magician who leads his own Order, and from the way his Mana and magic shifted with his words, he is fully dedicated and loyal to his cause. I would rather be his ally than someone who turned him down.

    ¡°However,¡± Vincent looks at me again. ¡°I will admit that I am acting a fair bit selfishly in this matter. Your Mana Pool is higher than most I¡¯ve ever seen before, save for those who¡¯ve lived decades ¨C or even centuries. If your Order one day surpasses mine, and I¡¯m in need of help, I would only hope that you¡¯d remember my kindness to you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do me wrong,¡± I say. ¡°And I won¡¯t do you wrong. Do me right, and I might just help you out, if you need it.¡±

    Skill Gained!

    Appraisal Resistance 1/10: The ability to resist Appraisal, a power granted from a god¡¯s Blessing. Only Appraisals at or beneath your Resistance will be affected.

    I forgot that Appraisals came from a god¡¯s Blessing. And that gods give Blessings. Didn¡¯t that one magician I found have a god¡¯s Blessing? It kept him from decaying and being attacked by monsters and animals while he was dead.

    ¡°I will tell you,¡± Vincent says. ¡°That only our training rooms are free for you to use. Anything else will require negotiating. I¡¯m sure a boy your age didn¡¯t come to be of the Second Tier at fourteen without access to many magics and a talent for learning them. If you wish to make a trade between our Guild and your Order, we can supply you with magics you don¡¯t know or have access to learning, potions, and other such things.¡±

    ¡°Understandable,¡± I say. ¡°I have access to a book of spells, though most of the spells are far stronger than any I¡¯ve ever learned before. In truth, I really only know a few spells. Mastered? Even fewer. I can probably learn the spells, now, but I¡¯d also like to learn more basic ones.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± he says. ¡°We can trade you some smaller spells, and a trainer, for more advanced ones. I would also be willing to give up some Mana Potions in exchange for powerful spells as well.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any Alchemists?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Two,¡± he nods.

    ¡°I also have a book of alchemy,¡± I state. ¡°I¡¯ve a few recipes I might be willing to share, though since alchemy is far easier than magic, I¡¯m sure those won¡¯t get as much of a boost as some of my spells might.¡±

    ¡°Depends on the recipes,¡± Vincent says. ¡°There are some that would be quite useful.¡±

    ¡°How much does a Mana Potion cost in your currency?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The standard one,¡± he says. ¡°Would cost one thousand krat. Our alchemists can craft Lesser, Mana, and Greater Mana Potions, though we lack recipes for the higher two, and all experiments for them have created duds. The recipes for each would cost fifty thousand, two hundred thousand, and five hundred thousand, and that¡¯s to sell the recipe, not to buy the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°I have a recipe for Legendary,¡± I say. ¡°Why the spike in price?¡±

    ¡°Lesser,¡± he says. ¡°Restores three points of Mana, regular restores ten, and Greater restores thirty. The potions themselves cost five thousand, ten thousand, and twenty thousand.¡±

    In other words ¨C not much at all, and they cost a lot. Mana Potions are meant for last-resort.

    ¡°How difficult is it,¡± I say. ¡°To obtain the necessary components for those potions?¡±

    ¡°Not too difficult,¡± he answers. ¡°Many of the resources can be farmed in this or other Dungeons, or found outside, though the higher the potion, the harder it is to obtain some of the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°I actually had access to the Alchemist Class when I gained access to the System. I will admit that I haven¡¯t done alchemy since gaining access. Cost for the components for a Mana Potion?¡±

    ¡°Four thousand krat,¡± he answers. ¡°But then the time needed, and the Skills required ¨C those aren¡¯t cheap.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I say. ¡°A Legendary Mana Potion restores one hundred Mana, according to the recipe. The potion itself would probably cost at least one hundred thousand to purchase, and as the recipes seem to cost ten times the potion, that means the recipe is worth one million. It¡¯s only useful to people who have immense Mana Pools, such as the two of us, but with the normal regeneration rate being what it is, it would be useful in a longer exploration of a Dungeon or somewhere else, as well as in any prolonged battles.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Vincent nods. ¡°There are four members of my Guild with a Mana Pool large enough for that to be useful to, and all four of them would be able to afford one every now and then.¡±

    In other words, it¡¯s something people need to save up for. Huh. Guess I¡¯m just lucky.

    +0 PER¡­

    You know you¡¯re just upset that I can net five hundred thousand or more in a single trip to the Dungeon.

    +0 INT¡­

    Jealous?

    -0 CHA¡­

    ¡°Of course,¡± Vincent says. ¡°That¡¯s if our Alchemists can make it consistently. The only reason those potions are so cheap are their Skills enable them to succeed more often than not. A Legendary Mana Potion will probably be more difficult, and result in more failures than successes, to start.¡±

    ¡°So two or three million is a more reasonable expectation, starting out?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Correct,¡± he nods, then tilts his head a little. ¡°Were you going to buy them from us?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have them,¡± I nod. ¡°And I¡¯d rather trade for what can be made easily than what can¡¯t be. I restore Mana at a decent rate, though I¡¯d also like to not have to wait seven or more hours to refill to full.¡±

    ¡°How long per point?¡±

    ¡°Little more than a minute and a quarter per point of Mana,¡± I say, and his eyes widen, just a little bit, in his surprise. ¡°Like I said ¨C it¡¯s a decent rate.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an impossible rate,¡± he says. ¡°What a magician wouldn¡¯t give to regenerate Mana that fast.¡±

    ¡°It takes me almost eight hours to restore to full,¡± I grumble. ¡°That might seem really fast to you, but to me, it feels like forever. Even a full minute faster in regen would still take me almost three hours to refill completely. And I really need to get stuff done.¡±

    ¡°We also have Regeneration Boost Potions,¡± he says. ¡°They accelerate restoration speed for half an hour. They¡¯re a little bit cheaper, though it all depends on your intended result.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather restore now than later,¡± I say, and he nods.

    ¡°How does five Greater Mana Potions sound, then?¡± He asks. ¡°In addition to three Tier I Lightning or Air spells?¡±

    Considering how hard those are to learn, normally, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s quite the deal.

    ¡°Five,¡± I say. ¡°And four. Two Air, two Lightning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± he sticks out his hand, and I shake it. ¡°Let me show you to a training room, and I¡¯ll have someone create the necessary scrolls.¡±

    ¡°My tome,¡± I say. ¡°Does posses the bolts for those spells, so don¡¯t include those, please.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± he nods. ¡°Do you have a protection charm, for if a spell backfires while you¡¯re attempting to learn it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I answer. ¡°Though I¡¯ll only be using today to master the spells I already have. I¡¯ve a friend that can teach me a spell to heal myself if something backfires, though.¡±

    Michael and I completely forgot to do that. I¡¯ll locate him later.

    ¡°A charm is good to have,¡± Vincent says.

    ¡°For most,¡± I shrug. ¡°I gain resistances quickly, and my body¡¯s quite tough. I¡¯ll be fine for weaker spells, I promise.¡±

    He nods, then leads me through the Guild Hall into a training room in the basement, a stone room with glowing enchantments covering the walls. He closes the door behind him as he leaves, and I look at the training dummies.

    ¡°Magic Missile.¡±

    By the time I finish for the day, I¡¯ve mastered Magic Missile and Magic Shield. I¡¯ve also gained Lightning Bolt and Air Bolt.

    I thank Vincent, then head back to my inn, yawning. That was actually pretty exhausting. At the inn, I close my eyes and focus on my Mana Pool, and shortly before I pass out, a message flashes in my vision.

    +1 MNA!

 Chapter 0035 - Matthews Oath

    Michael is at his usual restaurant, chatting with a man who looks like an older version of him, but not by much. The man radiates authority and power, and I know he¡¯s got a Ruler Class, even if he¡¯s somehow able to block my Appraisal.

    He must have an Appraisal Resistance higher than whatever my Appraisal Level is. I really wish the System would just give me the Skill, so I know.

    ¡°Hello, Michael,¡± I approach him, then look at the man. ¡°Chieftain.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just as you described him,¡± the beastborn stands up, sticking a hand out. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Gavin. I am Matthew, Michael¡¯s father, as you assumed. How are you today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing well, sir,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯d heard there was another beastborn around this last week and a half, hanging around Michael. Didn¡¯t think it would be his father.¡±

    ¡°My son hasn¡¯t contacted me in months,¡± Matthew shrugs. ¡°I thought it time I sought him out and talked with him. Taught a few things, too.¡±

    ¡°Yup!¡± Michael nods enthusiastically. ¡°Going to try some of them out in the Dungeon tomorrow. So watcha up to?¡±

    ¡°Was wondering if you could teach me Life Restore,¡± I answer. ¡°I¡¯m going to be practicing new magics, and figure, if I can make use of my massive Health Pool, that would be better than relying on someone to heal me. And it¡¯d give me practice on Life Restore as well.¡±

    ¡°Life Restore?¡± Matthew asks his son.

    ¡°Yup!¡± Michael nods. ¡°It uses Health to heal your own wounds! I learned it while traveling around!¡±

    ¡°I know what it does,¡± Matthew says. ¡°I know more than a few Health-based magics.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°You never told me that,¡± Michael says. ¡°How did you learn them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± Matthew puts a finger to his lips.

    ¡°How light is your blade?¡± I ask Matthew, who tenses up for a moment, then looks at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with me ¨C my blade I just as light.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Michael looks between us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, son,¡± Matthew puts a hand on his son¡¯s head.

    So at least one of the tomes teaches magic that uses Health. Unless¡­ only one Grimoire teaches Mana-based magic.

    ¡°Is there someplace private the three of us can speak?¡± Matthew asks.

    ¡°My inn,¡± I nod. ¡°I¡¯ve spelled the walls of my room against intrusive listening.¡±

    Matthew pays, then tells Michael to come with us. In my inn, Matthew looks around the room, then nods.

    ¡°You have fine tastes,¡± he says. ¡°Expensive, but fine. This inn already spells its walls against intrusive listening.¡±

    ¡°I buffed them up,¡± I nod. ¡°Just flowed a little bit more Mana into them.¡±

    ¡°Let us speak in Jozan,¡± he says. ¡°To reduce those who might understand what we say.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± I say in Jozan. ¡°Are all of the magics for Health?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he nods. ¡°How did you guess?¡±

    ¡°I have one for Mana,¡± I answer. ¡°Though the magics within are pretty powerful, with only a few basic magics.¡±

    ¡°Mine are basic,¡± he says. ¡°With only a few powerful magics hidden deep within it, but not quite to the end.¡±

    So the reverse of mine¡­

    There are two tomes. One for weaker, one for stronger.

    But there are eleven Affinities. How many did Tristan learn? And how many Grimoires does he really have? Is it only five? Or are there more.

    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Michael looks between us.

    ¡°The Grimoires, Michael,¡± I say. ¡°Your father apparently has one.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Michael exclaims. ¡°I think I know someone who has one, but he¡¯s in a time ruin right now.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± Matthew and I both ask.

    ¡°A time ruin,¡± Michael says. ¡°Time isn¡¯t passing while he¡¯s in there. It¡¯s preventing him from reaching the end of his natural lifespan.¡±

    ¡°How old is he?¡±

    ¡°Technically, he¡¯s our age,¡± Michael answers. ¡°He¡¯s training while in the time ruin, but also studying the Grimoire. It¡¯s got tons of easy spells in it.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°His natural lifespan ends at fifteen?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Thereabouts,¡± Michael nods. ¡°Though he said that, as a result of his Species, he won¡¯t live to his thirteenth birthday. Then discovered that while he¡¯s in the time ruin, it doesn¡¯t count as him aging. So he¡¯s currently studying the Grimoire, hoping one of the alchemy recipes has something that increases LIF. Well, it does, but only by a single point, and he can¡¯t get the ingredients. I told him I¡¯d be on the lookout for them.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he missing?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Um,¡± Michael scrunches up his face in thought, his tail swishing from side to side as he thinks hard. ¡°I think he was missing dragon¡¯s blood essence. I think he has the rest of the ingredients. I know he has the Guilds of his continent looking for it.¡±

    ¡°A kid has Guilds looking for it?¡±

    ¡°Max is very, very intimidating when he wants to be,¡± Michael nods. ¡°He can apparently threaten all of the major Guilds and face no retaliation, despite being far inferior to them in power.¡±

    ¡°My Grimoire has a recipe for a potion that increases LIF,¡± I say. ¡°Though it requires phoenix tears to make.¡±

    ¡°You know your Grimoire has that off the top of your head?¡± Michael asks. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t study it.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t study the magics in it,¡± I say. ¡°I know alchemy. What¡¯s his Species?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s labeled as a mutt,¡± Michael answers. ¡°He honestly doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s got in him, though he looks human.¡±

    ¡°If I can find the ingredients needed for the potions,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to let me know how to get to him.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Michael says. ¡°So I¡¯m a bit confused. Why are we here?¡±

    ¡°To teach Gavin Life Restore,¡± Matthew says. ¡°Then, a few more Health-based magics. From what you¡¯ve told me, it likely won¡¯t be difficult. Are you ready, Gavin?¡±

    ¡°Before I learn anything from you,¡± I say. ¡°Why is it in your interests for Jozan to exist?¡±

    Matthew pauses, and Michael frowns, looking between us.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t answer that?¡± He asks.

    ¡°I will kill you,¡± I exert the power of my Mana, infusing it into the air with the force of my full bloodlust within it, filling the room.

    Michael pales and collapses, his father paling and dropping to one knee under the sheer force of my Mana.

    Skill Gained!

    Mana Presence 1/10: Exert your presence and mood through your Mana, filling the space around you with it.

    ¡°Jozan is my home,¡± I say. ¡°And the spirit of Jozan must never die. I will not allow anyone to act in such a way to destroy it. That is why I am working toward Jozan¡¯s revival. As such, I will also allow none to act in such a way as to use it for their own gains. Think carefully before each word you say next.¡±

    ¡°A deal,¡± Matthew says through gritted teeth. ¡°I made with King Wesley¡¯s father, when we were but children. It is a deal that spans continents, though now, I am the only one left alive from the original agreement. Jozan was a kingdom with a single purpose. So long as that purpose exists, we are to fight for its continued existence. When Robert was a child, that purpose had been nearly forgotten, but he rekindled it. The Council had already begun digging their roots and his grave. Wesley proved to be just as difficult as his father to control.

    ¡°In exchange for a certain item,¡± Matthew continues. ¡°I will grant my support to Jozan, and until the spirit of Jozan is dead, I will continue to do so. Jozan is a nation founded for the prosperity of magic and the shared knowledge of magic, without the control of guilds of magic to limit the knowledge. Until the rule of Turas, that has been the way, though the Council fought against it. I have the item Robert promised me, and so will continue to work for Jozan¡¯s restoration. It would be dishonorable to turn against my oath, and no member of my tribe would ever do such a thing. It is why I have tasked Michael with aiding you in your journey. All of this, I swear on the blood and power that flows within me to be true.¡±

    He glows with a crimson light touched with some sort of unusual power.

    Skill Gained!

    Divine Detection 1/10: The ability to detect the presence or power of a Divine being.

    So Blood Oaths have a touch of Divine in them? It¡¯s faint, but it¡¯s there.

    ¡°Who were all those participating in this oath?¡± I ask. There¡¯s more to it, but he hasn¡¯t told me it. ¡°Their names and occupations.¡±

    ¡°The Witch Sisters,¡± Matthew answers. ¡°Natalie and Temperance Voltas, the Tier III Adventurer Elijah Mountainstep, Robert, and myself. We lost contact with Temperance a long time ago, Natalie perished in the takeover, according to my reports, Elijah vanished two centuries ago, and Robert is now dead.¡±

    ¡°Professor Temp is quite alive,¡± I say. ¡°She teaches magic at a school on another continent. One that doesn¡¯t force you to join to learn its secrets. She taught me, after all. Michael told me that Natalie vanished during the battle, as did any magician loyal to Jozan. No clue who Elijah is, and King Robert was definitely buried. I think.¡±

    And yet the Blood Oath confirmed what he said¡­ so it must mean that it will work if you believe what you say to be true.

    ¡°Temperance is alive?¡± Matthew asks in surprise. ¡°Would you¡­ mind lifting this? I¡¯m growing very weak trying to resist it.¡±

    ¡°You pass approval,¡± I release my new Skill, and Matthew breathes out in relief, then stands. He was sweating from that, and is quite pale. I can see him trembling. ¡°But if I sense that you are acting against Jozan for any reason, or attempting to acquire something you shouldn¡¯t be, I will kill you. Without hesitation. Do I make my self clear?¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± he answers. ¡°Despite being far inferior to me in terms of Class Levels and Tiers, I don¡¯t doubt that, were you to truly desire it, I would die. I might manage to wound you badly, but you would kill me, in the end.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re at an understanding,¡± I say, then look at Michael, who hasn¡¯t moved, though from his breathing and the slight whimper coming from him, he¡¯s quite awake. ¡°My apologies, Michael. I didn¡¯t mean for you to be caught in that. I wanted to ensure your father knew that I would not tolerate his orders being for selfish reasons alone, and that I would act to protect the interests of Jozan over anything else. Matthew, I believe it best if we were to not do the lesson tonight, to allow the two of you to recover from this.¡±

    ¡°Do you have paper?¡± Matthew asks, and I indicate a stack on a table in a corner. ¡°Mind if I use a few? I¡¯ll use them to write down the runes and instructions for using Health and these Skills, as well as two Health Expansion techniques.¡±

    I gesture to the table, and he walks over to them. Twenty minutes later, he finishes, then returns to Michael, picking his son up with ease and carrying him out of the room.

    I feel bad for hitting Michael with that. His tail was between his legs, and his ears were drooping. He was still pale, shaking, and whimpering when they left. The next time he¡¯s around me, I¡¯ll make sure to apologize again. Things aren¡¯t as fun when he¡¯s not around.

    Walking over to my bed, I lie down and stare at the ceiling. My Mana¡¯s refilled, so I close my eyes and focus on making it denser, then on expanding it, the former of which yielded a point, the latter of which yielded none.

    Closing my eyes, I allow sleep to overtake me.

 Chapter 0036 - A Conversation With the Rift Wolf

    Closing my eyes, I follow the instructions on the papers Matthew left me. Focus on my health itself ¨C not a resource flowing throughout me, but on my health, on the state of my body. Visualize it within me, the state of my flesh, my blood, my bones.

    A force that doesn¡¯t just flow through me, but permeates every aspect within me. And as soon as I sense it ¨C grasp it, grab it, and pull it. Opening my eyes, I watch as a violet glow forms between my hands.

    Skill Gained!

    Health Manipulation 1/10: The ability to manipulate the Health that permeates every aspect of your being.

    I grab my knife and slice my forearm, then focus on the wound, manipulating my Health to seal it back up, and after a few moments, the wound glows violet as it regenerates.

    Skill Gained!

    Life Restore 1/10: The ability to manipulate your Health into healing power within yourself.

    A Tier II spell¡­

    I try the other two spells Matthew left me, gaining each of them quickly, both also at Tier II.

    Skill Gained!

    Strong Body 1/10: Manipulate the Health within into a greater defense.

    Skill Gained!

    Strong Grip 1/10: Manipulate your Health to enhance the STR of your grip.

    The two Expansion techniques come to me quickly as well.

    Skill Gained!

    Vora Health Expansion Technique 1/10: Increases your Health Pool. Mastering this Skill renders it inert.

    Skill Gained!

    Tini Health Expansion Technique 1/10: Increases your Health Pool. Mastering this Skill renders it inert.

    I send the six papers into my ring, then close my eyes and sigh.

    Sorry, Michael. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you like that, I just had to make sure your father wouldn¡¯t try to manipulate me or Jozan. I hope you can forgive me for that.

    The Skills gained, I make my way to the Guild Hall to train, flashing Strong Body and Strong Grip every now and then, when my Health is full, to boost them a little, getting each to Level 3 before I arrive. The boost from my Bloodline is massive, to boost them that fast. I only used each a couple of times.

    At the Guild Hall, I make my way into the training room and get to work on mastering Lightning Bolt and Air Bolt. I master them before I¡¯m even halfway done with my Mana, and I¡¯ve gained the Manipulations for both of them ¨C and raised them to Level 3, too.

    Instead of learning the other two spells they gave me, I decide to work on my Resistances a little bit. Leveling Manipulation at the same time will only be a bonus.

    I manipulate some of my Mana into Lightning, and run it up and down my forearm, ignoring the pain that fills me, gritting my teeth as I watch my flesh turn pink, then burn.

    Skill Gained!

    Lightning Resistance 1/10: The power to resist electrical power

    I continue to shock myself, using Life Restore when it gets to be too much. By the time my Mana is down to a quarter of full ¨C which takes an hour, when adding in my Regeneration ¨C I have mastered Lightning Resistance and Pain Resistance, and even Heat Resistance. I guess Lightning does have a bit of heat, doesn¡¯t it?

    Each one gave me 20 Dekami Experience for Mastering, and I get to work on Air Resistance, allowing it to swirl around my body and flow across me, wearing at my skin, until I run out of Mana, but I Master the resistance anyway.

    Life Restore only made it to Level 4, and the Manipulations for the two elements made it to Level 7. Health Manipulation reached Level 4.

    My Mana Pool empty, I figure it¡¯s a good time to work on expanding it, closing my eyes and ignoring the boundaries I set myself previous, watching as the notifications tick by until the final one appears.

    Taihi Mana Expansion Technique has reached Level 10!

    +10 Dekami Experience!

    +10 Wizard Experience!

    Taihi Mana Expansion Technique will no longer affect your Mana Pool.

    I then do the same for my Health, feeling myself grow faint as I do, already foggy from the use of Mana, the pain I just suffered, and expanding my Mana Pool. But I manage to master both of those, gaining an additional 20 Health from each.

    It might have been better to wait until I had a Class where mastering those would have boosted it, like I¡¯m doing with Heated Steel. Especially since it¡¯s not like I needed the extra 40 Health, and I would¡¯ve gained the Dekami Experience from other stuff, anyway.

    Once I finish that, I stretch, then decide to go to my usual restaurant for lunch, and return to training after, though in the Dungeon. I think this will be what I do, until I¡¯m satisfied. Train in magic in the mornings, then in the Dungeon later, to bring Dekami up.

    Settling into this rhythm, that¡¯s what I do for around two weeks, gaining around 200 Dekami Experience a day until it gains a Level, then around 300 a Day, then 400 a day. I gain twice as much Archwizard Experience as I do Dekami Experience, in the Dungeon.

    That¡¯s ignoring the Experience gained from the spells I learn, both from the Guild and from the Grimoire.

    The Tier I spells I¡¯ve learned, in the last fifteen days, are: Air Slash, Static Shield, Waterbolt, Icebolt, Shadowbolt, Lightbolt, and Stonebolt. I¡¯ve mastered each of them, and their respective Resistances and Manipulations. I also worked on Fire¡¯s Manipulation and Resistance.

    I¡¯ve also learned a Tier II Ice spell: Ice Lance. It¡¯s strong, it¡¯s powerful, and it¡¯s dangerous. I managed to bring it up to Level 6.

    Looking at my stats, I determine that I have quite a lot of good things, now. I¡¯m powerful, and I¡¯ve even unlocked what are apparently ¡®special¡¯ things, one each time a stat went up to 150, and they¡¯re all damn nice, too, even if some are only slight improvements to what I had before.

    Right now, I¡¯m trying to decide if I want to switch my Dekami Experience back to Human Experience, and change where my Class Experience is going. Archwizard is at Level 21, so I could let it gain three more Levels, then rest right before Level 25 so it won¡¯t take me long to hit that, then grab Novice and bring it and the others up to the second Tier, or I could just stop now and work on other Classes.

    I take a look at the Tier I Classes I can take on directly relating to magic. In addition to Novice, I have various Elemental Novices, probably from the Manipulations being mastered. Then there are two more that really stand out.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Mystic Novice (Level 1)(Rare): A magician who has learned a wide variety of magics and elements, he dabbles in all areas of magic itself. +2 INT, +1 MNA every third Level

    Adept of Kar (Level 1)(Mythical): A magician who has pleased Kar, your powers are enhanced through affiliation with him. +1 INT, MNP, MNA each Level, +10% to learning and Leveling magics and Techniques of Kar. Invulnerability in any Territory of Kar.

    Adept of Kar, and it¡¯s a Mythical Class, just like Wizard. The bonus is kind of amusing, because it pales against all of my Dekami bonuses, but most people probably don¡¯t have such an unfair Bloodline boosting them. I wonder what MNP is. Probably has to do with Mana, consideringwhat I have it through.

    I take on Adept of Kar, and after dismissing the acceptance message, read the next one.

    Mana Power is now visible!

    Current MNP: 208

    So that is why my Mana is so much higher than my Mana Affinity should make it. I wonder why Mana Power was hidden instead of locked. From what I know, most people don¡¯t even know it exists. I¡¯ll ask Warren what he knows about it, the next time I see him.

    Thinking of Warren, I sigh. Michael hasn¡¯t returned from wherever his father took him. Probably back to their tribe. He¡¯s still in my party, but his stats are stable, so I¡¯ve no clue if he¡¯s doing anything to gain Experience, or if he¡¯s lost the bonus he had for working toward his goal. I feel really, really bad about doing that to him.

    I should check in on my other party member, to see how he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s getting stronger, and I¡¯m wondering if he¡¯s gotten a buff of some kind. Pulling up his interface, I confirm it.

    Buffs Active:

    Spirit of Elikar (Experience): Grants +1000% Experience from killing

    Elikar must be one of the spirits hanging around him. I wonder if Warren knows about his bonus. Deciding to talk to him, I slide off my bed. Do this now, instead of tomorrow, I guess.

    Gavin.

    I glance over at the Rift opening up, the head of a Rift Wolf coming through. It¡¯s the same one that stripped away my Affinities before.

    ¡°The fuck do you want?¡± I ask.

    I sensed the strength you gained.

    ¡°You¡¯re not taking that away, either.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t planning on it. Have you come to understand why I stripped away your Affinities yet?

    ¡°No, and I¡¯m still pissed.¡±

    Think about what happens when you use too much Mana too fast, when you expand your Mana Pool and make it denser. That fogginess is only the start. Then, you feel that pain. Your Resistances only remove up to a certain amount, not negate it fully. Negating something is impossible through a Resistance.

    Do you know why your body reacted that way?

    ¡°I expanded it and made it denser faster than it could adapt to,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s different from increasing it through stuff like use and Levels.¡±

    And exerting yourself?

    ¡°The mental cost of using it.¡±

    Indeed. And without resting yourself properly, it only grows worse, yes?

    ¡°Correct,¡± I say. ¡°So what¡¯s your point?¡±

    You unlocked nine Affinities. That was a powerful influx of power for you. Yes, it was always there, not even locked, just not visible to you. You seek to grow stronger, so you can restore Jozan. You ignored the pain you were suffering to have a higher Mana Pool. You¡¯ve calmed down from that now, but imagine what would have happened, had you done that with the others ¨C had you not had the lessons you¡¯ve faced.

    ¡°I-¡± I start to argue with him, but stop.

    I would¡¯ve put myself at risk. I lost 2 LIF from making my Mana denser, and have been far more careful after Collin got angry at me. Had the stuff that happened here not happened, I would¡¯ve kept going and possibly crippled myself permanently.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you send me back here?¡±

    Several reasons, and I¡¯m glad you understand why I bound your Affinities. Now that you¡¯ve calmed down, I felt it possible to actually discuss it with you. There are two reasons I¡¯ll tell you now. The first is that the Ancient Order encouraged people to grow stronger. They wouldn¡¯t have stopped you, nor given you the lessons you gained here. You would be dead right now, had I not returned you.

    The second reason¡­ is that even we Rift Wolves ¨C as well as many Divine Beings ¨C believe it best if Jozan is restored. Jozan stood for more than just a place to learn magic freely, until Robert¡¯s Council began to corrupt it a couple of centuries ago. Jozan is part of a trinity of forces, and so long as they live on, a certain force will remain sealed away. You have little more than five years now, before that seal breaks, unless Jozan is restored. That is why Nies gave you the time limit of five years for the Blood Quest ¨C to ensure the seal would begin healing in time.

    ¡°Did Chief know about that?¡± I ask.

    Chief always said that Jozan existed for a reason, and that we should always support it, no matter what happens. He said that Jozan was one of the best places in the world to live.

    Yes. Chief knew of it, as did Natalie and King Wesley, then there was also Temperance, King Robert, Matthew, and a few others you probably haven¡¯t heard about.

    ¡°Elijah Mountainstep?¡±

    He is the one you call Chief, and he is very much alive. An Adventurer with the Class of High Priest of Kar isn¡¯t killed so easily, and he was a Mountain Knight long before that. Kar, Jozan, and Kaz are the three aspects of the trinity. Kar is the guardian of borders, while Kaz is the guardian of peace. Jozan is the catalyst that binds the two together.

    ¡°Where is Chief at?¡±

    Calm, pup. You will see Chief again, when you are ready to lead the resistance to victory in Jozan. I know you want to see the man you consider your father again, but all things in time. And Gavin, I am sorry that I did what I did to you, and I hope you can forgive me for it. I did what I felt was best for both you and Jozan.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I walk forward, placing a hand on his forehead. ¡°I really want to see Chief again. He taught me everything, and I want to show him how strong I¡¯ve gotten, now.¡±

    Chief taught me everything I know about Jozan, he taught me its history. But he never taught me about the seal. He has to know, though, if he¡¯s got such a powerful Class from Kar. At least I know why the time limit was given to me as five years, when I said I¡¯d take as long as needed.

    I know you do, pup, and you will. For now, you need to train and grow stronger. You will be reuniting with acquaintances soon enough, and you need to be here when that happens.

    Apart from the three things I¡¯ve already done ¨C letting you know why I did what I did, that Chief is very much alive, and the true reason Chief cemented a loyalty to your homeland into you and all those in the Village of Kar, I have one more thing, and you might not be happy with it.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I ask.

    I want to bind your Bloodline. You¡¯ll still have its effects, but you won¡¯t be able to gain Experience for it.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.

    You¡¯ve gained three Levels in fifteen days. Your stats are almost double what they were a month ago, and you¡¯re already Leveling quickly. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt a fogginess in your mind these last few days. You need to rest, and allow your body to adapt once more. It is best if you do not Level your Bloodline again until you are an adult.

    ¡°Four more years?¡±

    Two to four, depending on which realm we¡¯re considering adults from. Or negative years, for some. Kar considers it sixteen, others consider it eighteen. When you¡¯re sixteen, I¡¯ll look to see if there¡¯s a threat to your life if you gain power that quickly again.

    ¡°What about from my Classes and stuff?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯ll gain stats quickly, and-¡±

    Not like Dekami. Yes, you¡¯ll gain stats quickly, but Dekami is a Bloodline that feeds its own growth. You¡¯d gain power too fast and unlock too many things. Sure, you could master a Tier I Class in a few weeks at most, but for what? A dozen stats? A month or two for a Tier II Class for a couple dozen stats? Five days for hundreds of stats is entirely different. The bind is so that, if you don¡¯t take on a subspecies when able to, it won¡¯t automatically start sending Experience to Dekami. Experience has to go somewhere, and you can¡¯t convert Species Experience to Class Experience. Going somewhere, exempting if there¡¯s no other option, and you can¡¯t tell it not to direct Experience to the only place available. Being a Rift Wolf, that rule doesn¡¯t apply to me.

    ¡°What happens if I keep gaining Dekami Levels?¡± I ask.

    The last person to unlock their Dekami Bloodline and Level it did so as an adult. He mastered it within a year. He¡¯d lived for three hundred years before then, and lost so much LIF that he¡¯d gained negative LIF from Dekami, and the only reason he was still alive was because he still had an extra eighty years left in his natural lifespan. He also had a variety of other issues, such as penalties to his Resources from expanding them too quickly, his mind was shattered from what happened, and more. You would never function again. I risked you damaging yourself just by allowing you to reach Level 5 so quickly.

    He¡¯s silent after saying that, and I digest what he says. Maybe it is better he bind my Bloodline. I¡¯m not sure how well I can trust him, but I know he¡¯s right, even if I can¡¯t trust him. It is better if I don¡¯t continue to gain so much power so fast.

    ¡°What about my Species?¡± I ask. ¡°With my Bloodline¡¯s bonus, I¡¯ll Level it and my Classes quickly. Won¡¯t that be a lot of a flux, too? Especially as it goes up in Tiers?¡±

    Indeed, the wolf nods its massive head, the first movement its made since it showed up. However, it still won¡¯t be enough of a boost to affect you adversely, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll rest when you need to, which will stem the flow. With Dekami, things are simply too risky.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I drop my hand down to my side. His fur is so soft and silky, I forgot I was even touching him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you bind my Bloodline.¡±

    His eyes glow with an otherworldly light, then return to normal.

    It is done. I will tell you this, pup ¨C you can gain the Mana Mage Title, now. It¡¯s the Tier II version of Thick Mana. You won¡¯t cripple yourself with it the way you did previously, though you¡¯ll still be out for a few days. You¡¯ll probably lose around 5 LIF, which is far less than you would have before. If you push to an additional 3 MNA per session twice a day by making your Mana denser, without utilizing any other form of increasing your Pool size, you¡¯ll probably achieve it in about a month of trying straight. At 500 Mana or so, you¡¯d need to gain around 200 Mana through density to acquire it, I think. It might be 300 Mana. So if you want to hinder all progress for a month, month and a half, go for it. If you don¡¯t do it now, you¡¯ll have to wait until after you restore Jozan, despite possibly having the time to do it, though it¡¯ll take far, far more to do it.

    To note: you¡¯re safe gaining around point-six percent of your total Mana through making it denser each day, as well as from other sources, such as expansion. This is combined, by the way. And I¡¯d like to inform you that the Grimoire you possess contains ten ways to increase Mana. Each method of Expansion for a Resource grants twenty before it hits Level 10. So that¡¯s an extra 200 Mana you can gain. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll take you a few months to manage them all.

    ¡°Are you challenging me on that?¡±

    Possibly. Thank you, for your understanding, Gavin. I¡¯ll return when it¡¯s safe for you to gain more Dekami Levels, though ask you allow me to bind them again, once you reach another couple.

    ¡°Depends on my mood when you come.¡±

    I¡¯m sure. Goodbye, pup. I will see you again.

    The Rift Wolf leaves, and I sit down, closing my eyes as I think about what just happened, and wondering what acquaintances I¡¯m going to be seeing soon. The only ones I can think of would be Collin, Natalie, Professor Temp, Chief, Kade, and Tyler. Maybe Bryant, if he¡¯s still alive.

    Shaking my head, I take let out a sigh. I can figure that out some other time.

 Interlude I: Warren 2

    Why haven¡¯t you picked your Secondary Class yet?

    At least he¡¯s not talking about Gavin¡­

    ¡°I want to see if I can unlock a better one,¡± I answer. ¡°None of them really appeal to me all that much.

    Available Classes:

    Royal (Level 1)(Mythical)

    Spirit Caller (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Ruffian (Level 1)(Common)

    ¡°I only have three available,¡± I say. ¡°And I want to try to get a better Tier I Class. It¡¯s only been three weeks since you gave me the boost, though, and it¡¯ll probably take me awhile before I can unlock more Classes.¡±

    Spirit Caller and Martial Artist, when both are at Level 25, will grant access to an Uncommon Tier II Class. Same with Spirit Caller and Ruffian, or Martial Artist and Ruffian. Royal can only be taken on as a Primary Class. I¡¯d suggest taking that when you¡¯re able to take on a second Primary Class. It¡¯ll be listed first, though, just as a warning.

    Also ¨C and this isn¡¯t widespread information ¨C but when you reach Level 15 of a Tier II Class, you can take on a Tier II for a Secondary Class. Tier II or Tier I. How it works is, once you reach Level 15 of a Primary Class on any Tier, you can then take on a Secondary Class of that Tier or lower that you¡¯ve unlocked. Otherwise, someone like Gavin would actually run out of Classes they could take.

    So what I recommend doing is getting Martial Artist to Level 25, then Spirit Caller to Level 25. Once you do that, you¡¯ll have Spirit Monk available as a Tier II Class. Take it on, and Royal for your second Primary Class. Make sure to arrange it so that only Spirit Monk gains Experience. Ruffian should be your next Secondary Class. Once Spirit Monk is mastered, bring Ruffian up to Level 25. Bring Royal up to Level 15, and then grab Spirit Ruffian. If you have Rogue when you can take on Ruffian, grab that instead, and Spirit Rogue as your next Secondary Class. Because Royal and Spirit Monk are both Tier II, you¡¯ll be able to do take on the Tier II Class as a secondary, and could¡¯ve for the first one, though didn¡¯t have one available.

    Let¡¯s see¡­ that¡¯s four Subclasses, right? Oh, I messed up a little bit.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°Just a little. ¡°Would I be able to take on Spirit Ruffian or Spirit Rogue if I¡¯m taking it as the one that Royal unlocked, with Royal being Tier I?¡±

    I¡¯m actually not sure on that. You might be able to, since you have a Tier II Primary over Level 15, but I¡¯m not sure. If you can, take it, if not¡­ you¡¯ll have a free Tier I Secondary Class slot available. Let¡¯s see¡­

    You¡¯d have Royal at Level 15 and Spirit Monk II at Level 25 for Primary Class.

    For Secondary Classes, you¡¯d have four slots. No. Three slots. One would be Spirit Caller, then Ruffian. I think Rogue is Tier II. I confused myself, sorry. I didn¡¯t have this issue in life.

    He was once living? I thought the spirits simply were?

    ¡°So I¡¯d have three Secondary Class slots?¡± I ask.

    Yes.

    ¡°And two with Advancement Quests available?¡±

    Yes.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t I just take on Spirit Ruffian for Spirit Caller or Ruffian, and Advance the other to whatever¡¯s available? Save the third slot for when something comes up that I can use for it?¡±

    Oh, right. Yeah, that¡¯s actually a good plan. Heh. You might actually want to save a Tier II slot with one of those for in case another Uncommon or Rare Tier II pops up. Personally, I¡¯d vote on Ruffian on that one.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    It doesn¡¯t really matter, since you¡¯re unlocking Classes based on what other Classes you¡¯ve gotten up to Advancement, but there are a few things you can do with Ruffian when Advanced. Even though you Advance them, you can still take on Classes based from them when you meet the qualifications. Then there are various Skills or accomplishments that open up new Titles. Spirit Caller would have limited Second Tier Options if you kept Advancing others, because it¡¯s already Uncommon. Ruffian is Common. There is plenty you can do with it.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I say. ¡°Okay.¡±

    So do you think this is a good plan?

    ¡°Why do you want me to go the spirit route?¡±

    Most of faekind do.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I know,¡± I say. ¡°But what if I wanted to go fighter all the way?¡±

    You still use your Gifts, yes? Spirit Caller is powerful for that. It buffs Spirit and INT every fourth Level, and provides a small bonus to Leveling your Gifts. Every Class in its line only increases this. That¡¯s an additional 6 INT and SPA when you¡¯re at Level 25. It¡¯s a pretty decent buff, and you¡¯re slowing down in Species Experience. Sorry I couldn¡¯t provide a bonus for it longer than this. I¡¯m surprised that lasted three weeks. Your Class Experience will continue, though.

    Anyway, all of the Classes in its line from having other Classes or certain Skills up in Level or Mastered will only increase your combat prowess. You¡¯ll actually be more powerful than most fairies of the Second Tier.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    And Gavin will probably be very impressed.

    DAMMIT!

    The spirit giggles as my face heats up, and I glare in his general direction, then leave my room at the inn and make my way through town. As I walk toward the Dungeon, I spot a familiar blond head, and start to make my way over when I get a better view of Gavin¡­

    Or rather¡­ someone who looks a lot like him, but definitely isn¡¯t him. He doesn¡¯t have Gavin¡¯s high CHA and VIT, but he¡¯s still deadly attractive. Identical twins¡­ though with more normal stats. His clothes are weird, and before I can think on this further, an older version of him approaches. They converse in some unknown language.

    How interesting¡­ now there¡¯s two Gavins! I like the original better. He¡¯s hotter.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Looks like Gavin¡¯s an identical twin, though his brothers don¡¯t have access to the System. They also don¡¯t speak this language. The elder one is telling Gavin¡¯s twin that Gavin is around here somewhere, but he¡¯s concealing his presence too well for him to track down. The twin is now saying that he figured Gavin is here, based on the looks he¡¯s receiving from others. The elder says it could just be that they¡¯re blond, since he¡¯s received a few looks, too, and isn¡¯t seeing any blonds. The twin is now saying he¡¯s hungry, and the older brother is agreeing with him.

    ¡°You can speak their language?¡±

    I¡¯m an ancient spirit, I¡¯ve picked up a few languages in my life. I¡¯m not bound to a single world, realm, or plane, remember ¨C the Spirit Planes exist across all of them. Well, that¡¯s the simple way of saying it, as it¡¯s not quite all of them.

    I approach the brothers, who both look at me, frowning.

    You¡¯re absolutely insane. These two boys both have Mana Pools over one hundred.

    WHAT? That¡¯s unheard of in people our age, even for magicians from old families, without access to the System! I mean, I could sense that they were strong magicians, but still. That¡¯s powerful! How many Expansion Techniques have they each used to negation?

    ¡°Do you have a translation Gift or something I can use?¡±

    A translation Gift, yes. One you can use? No. It¡¯s a bit complicated.

    The elder of the two says something to the twin, who shrugs.

    ¡°Gavin,¡± I say, and they both have a confused look in their eyes. I beckon for them to follow me. ¡°Gavin.¡±

    I turn and start walking, the brothers saying something to each other before following me.

    It takes me around twenty minutes to reach the inn he¡¯s staying at, and I approach the counter and ask if Gavin¡¯s here. The worker says that he left awhile ago, and probably won¡¯t be back until this evening, and that he¡¯s probably in the Dungeon.

    We leave and make our way to the Guild, who tells me that Gavin left the Dungeon awhile ago after bringing in a huge haul, and to check the Mage Guild he¡¯s been training at in the mornings, as he sometimes returns there after. They tell me he¡¯s probably at his usual restaurant, so I check there, and they say that I just missed him.

    ¡°Can you make yourself useful and track down my blond friend?¡± I ask the spirit in frustration.

    I know exactly where he¡¯s at right now.

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t say something!¡± I snap in frustration. ¡°You know I¡¯m trying to get Gavin¡¯s brothers to him!¡±

    How do you know they¡¯re his brothers? Maybe they¡¯re only pretending to be, to try to capture him. Is his father not evil? Perhaps they are, too?

    ¡°Useless spirit,¡± I mutter.

    I¡¯m quite useful. Who else can create a massive sphere of water and drop it on a half-elf¡¯s head?

    ¡°Gavin probably could, if he learned the magic.¡±

    Though he¡¯d have probably made it boiling water, not icy.

    He¡¯d have probably made it boiling, though, and only burned the half-elf.

    Just what I was thinking¡­

    Then probably snorted in amusement. That boy has one twisted sense of humor.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Gavin right now?¡±

    Being his usual hot self.

    ¡°You¡¯re not very helpful,¡± I say, then look at the brothers. ¡°What are they saying?¡±

    That while it¡¯s clear you know Gavin, it¡¯s also clear you¡¯re not finding him, and they¡¯d have probably found him by now, if they weren¡¯t following you around, which isn¡¯t true. Gavin simply can¡¯t be traced easily, even with blood tracking. That¡¯s why his father couldn¡¯t locate him here, and only found him after knowing he was in this realm.

    ¡°If we went back to the inn,¡± I sigh. ¡°Would we be able to find him?¡±

    When he finally returned for the night. He usually walks around town for awhile, if he¡¯s not focusing on training or something. He¡¯s currently buying sweet rolls. I wish I could eat a sweet roll, but sadly, there isn¡¯t a spirit mage powerful enough to grant me a physical body, even if it¡¯s only temporary.

    ¡°I thought that was only temporary?¡± I ask. ¡°And my father can¡¯t?¡±

    I would never ask your father for something selfish.

    Sweet rolls¡­

    ¡°Thanks for telling me where he¡¯s at.¡±

    You¡¯re welcome.

    ¡°Gavin,¡± I tell the brothers, beckoning.

    There¡¯s a shop near here that Gavin enjoys the sweet rolls from, so that comment from the spirit tells me he¡¯s probably around there.

    I walk quickly, making my way there as fast as possible, the brothers reluctantly following behind me. I have to make sure I¡¯m not walking faster than those without access can manage, and only hope we can get there before Gavin gets too far away. Michael disappeared a couple of weeks ago, so I can¡¯t just ask him to track our leader down.

    I don¡¯t see Gavin at the shop, and am about to step inside and ask them if they know where he was going when he left when a chill runs down my spine.

    Then, Gavin speaks, his tone eerily calm, and I turn around to find him staring at his two brothers, who turn around to face him.

    Yeah. Comparing them like this, the twin has nothing on Gavin¡¯s looks.

    Not the appropriate time to say that¡­

    Considering that Gavin¡¯s calm face shows nothing of the obvious fury and bloodlust emanating from him, which has a slightly noticeable effect on the people around him, as they unconsciously step a little further away from him as they walk by.

 Chapter 0037 - Reuniting with Eli and Dylan

    ¡°Tell me your business in this realm now,¡± I say as calmly as I possibly can when I see my brothers.

    Warren turns around first, then the brothers do.

    ¡°Gavin!¡± Dylan exclaims. ¡°Thank goodness we found you!¡±

    ¡°Explain, before you lose your lives.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dylan asks. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for you, and-¡± I summon a Magic Bolt, and he pales. ¡°Why are you so hostile to us?¡±

    ¡°After Christopher tried giving me rings with a bounty on them?¡± I ask. ¡°After lying to me about how the order was dying? Did he think I wouldn¡¯t know he was lying? I told him I had Lie Detection! Now I see two members of the order wandering around town, looking for me? I am not going to allow myself to be fooled.¡±

    ¡°Dad what?¡± Dylan¡¯s eyes widen in shock. ¡°I swear, Gavin, we had no idea he¡¯d come to you! We¡¯ve been on the run for months!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask as Warren walks around them to behind me. The Spirit with him is powerful, now that I¡¯m actively trying to sense it. I¡¯m curious about its Gifts. ¡°Why not run to your daddy and ask him for help?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s the one killing everyone!¡± Dylan answers. ¡°Dad killed Mom and our brothers! He stripped them of their stats and Affinities, taking what he could for himself to make himself stronger! He went after the rest of the order, and has wiped pretty much all of it out! He¡¯s trying to make himself a Divine! As soon as I realized what was going on, I opened up a Rift and escaped, bringing with me anyone I could. Unfortunately, the only one of us still alive was Eli. We¡¯re running from Dad, Gavin. We can only hope it takes him a long time to realize we¡¯re here. We can¡¯t defend against him ¨C neither of us have access to the System. We came seeking your help. You¡¯re the only other Wizard we know of.¡±

    ¡°Archwizard,¡± I state. ¡°Level 21 Archwizard. I¡¯ve also reached Level 5 of my Bloodline, but it is so powerful that it had to be bound, lest I suffer ill effects from Leveling it too quickly. If that man is draining people of their power, he will suffer the same ill effects I did, despite his age. He¡¯ll need to rest for awhile.

    ¡°That said,¡± I say. ¡°The two of you need to swear a Blood Oath that you are not my enemies, and are not allied with that man. Prove you are here with pure intent, and I will let you live.¡±

    ¡°I swear,¡± Dylan says. ¡°On the blood and power that flows within me, I am here seeking refuge and aid from you, and that I am running from our father for fear of my life.¡±

    Eli repeats the swear as Dylan glows with a crimson light touched with Divine power, then the same light glows around him. A sense within me flashes, telling me that they really are running from Christopher, and that they really do want protection and my help. The glow alone confirms it, but this¡­ did the Divine Being that enforces Blood Oaths just confirm it for me? Is he telling me to let them be my allies?

    That sense touches me again, Divine power within it.

    ¡°It appears,¡± I say. ¡°That a Divine Being is siding with you on this. I will keep an eye on you, until you can fully prove yourselves. That said, I can¡¯t allow you to run around this world without access to the System.¡±

    ¡°Even going to places with full access,¡± Dylan says. ¡°We didn¡¯t gain it. You have to be selected to gain it if you¡¯re from a realm that way, and we¡¯re from a realm without access.¡±

    ¡°The Grimoire has a method for granting access.¡±

    I turn and start walking, ordering them to follow me. They do, and Warren sticks by my side.

    ¡°What did they swear to you?¡± He asks.

    ¡°That they are not affiliated with my father.¡±

    ¡°The spirits told me that.¡±

    ¡°Elikar?¡± I ask, and he stops walking. I stop and look at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How do you know that name?¡±

    ¡°Elikar?¡± I ask. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the name of the first fairy,¡± Warren says. ¡°How do you know his name? Humans shouldn¡¯t know it.¡±

    ¡°I can see any buffs my party members have,¡± I explain. ¡°You have a gift from a spirit named Elikar that¡¯s granting you a thousand-percent bonus to Experience gained from kills.¡±

    Warren¡¯s eyes widen, and he slowly turns his head to where the spirit is hovering.

    ¡°You¡­ are Elikar?¡± He asks.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know the name of the spirit you contracted with?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t contract with him,¡± Warren says slowly. ¡°He hovers around me, harassing me all the time. He¡¯s the one who unlocked your Spirit Affinity.¡±

    ¡°So the first fairy is a spirit?¡±

    ¡°He was smote by a Divine Being,¡± Warren nods. ¡°Apparently, that turns you into a spirit. He apparently forgot about Party Leaders being able to see that. He¡¯s now making up various excuses as to why he¡¯s hovering around a kid fairy. He sounds flustered. He better be. Why are you harassing me? You¡¯re an ancient spirit who was the original fairy! Don¡¯t you have better things to do than harass me about my crush on Gavin?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Uh¡­ what? He has a crush on me?

    I¡¯m¡­ going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the inn,¡± I turn and walk, then speak in Silvar. ¡°Thank you, for unlocking my Spirit Affinity. If you would like to contract with me, I¡¯d be more than happy to feed you Spirit.¡±

    I have plenty of Gifts I can contract with you with, many of which are good for a being of your power and Spirit Pool, though might I recommend waiting until you¡¯ve a fair bit more Spirit? I have Gifts that cost more than three hundred Spirit to cast, and even for those that cost less, it¡¯d be best to not burn up all of your Spirit at once.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I respond. ¡°Do you know of any spirits who would be willing to contract with me?¡±

    Several. Steve. Steve! Get over here. This is Gavin. Contract with him, and be nice about it.

    Why?

    Ever seen a Divine Nuke before?

    Yeah.

    Want to be the first spirit contracted to someone who will one day be the first mortal to have the power of a Divine Nuke?

    He seems too weak and flimsy for that.

    For now. He¡¯ll eventually have that much power. Why, it won¡¯t be too long before he¡¯s going from Archwizard to Mage, I¡¯m sure! Wouldn¡¯t you love the bragging rights of being able to say you were contracted to him before it was a cool thing to do?

    I don¡¯t know him well enough to contract with him. You know my standards. Plus, he seems weak and flimsy.

    He¡¯s more powerful than almost any mortal you¡¯ve ever seen before.

    Pretty sure he¡¯d crumble if I breathed on him.

    Nah. He¡¯s tougher than that. And he¡¯s too stubborn to die, too. I know, I¡¯ve tried.

    Uh¡­ what?

    ¡°You know I can hear you, right?¡± I ask, and Warren laughs.

    ¡°I am so glad they¡¯re doing it to someone else,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s annoying how they¡¯ll forget that they¡¯re allowing us to hear them and start discussing stuff like that. I have to wonder what, exactly, he tried. Especially since a being such as him would be far too powerful for something to just fail. You looked shocked and confused, so I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t even know.¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That makes it even funnier,¡± he giggles, and I look back at my brothers.

    ¡°Spirits are talking to us,¡± I say in English. ¡°Or rather¡­ to each other, and forgot that they¡¯re letting us hear them. Well, they stopped, now, but they¡¯re probably still arguing. We¡¯re almost there.¡±

    They nod, and we resume the trip.

    Up in my room, I open the Grimoire and go to the page that discusses how to grant access to the System to others.

    ¡°If I¡¯m going to grant you two access,¡± I look at them. ¡°You¡¯ll need to grant me information.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Dylan asks.

    ¡°Do you know the Advancement Quest for Mage?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nods. ¡°Dad couldn¡¯t do it, and he¡¯s power hungry. It¡¯s probably why he¡¯s doing what he¡¯s doing. You have to kill a Scaled Wyvern and complete a Tier II Dungeon solo.¡±

    I am so glad I decided to train Scout these last few days, instead of taking Archwizard up to Level 25. I stopped in the Dungeon after bringing Scout to Level 25 today, even though I probably could¡¯ve worked on Archer a little bit. But I was getting tired, and didn¡¯t want to overexert myself.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°What I want from the two of you, in exchange for access to the System, is knowledge of various magics and Expansion Techniques. Right now, I have Health, Mana, and Spirit. It needs to be good spells, and powerful enough spells, and enough spells.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Dylan asks.

    ¡°A Mage can do it without the sacrifice,¡± I say. ¡°But anyone else requires spending 500 Mana and sacrificing 10 LIF. While it might not seem like much in comparison to my 192 LIF, 20 LIF is a hundred years of a natural lifespan, and more than ten percent of my current Lifespan. Since my Bloodline is locked and I¡¯ve switched my Class Experience over to my other Classes, it¡¯ll take me awhile, especially with Human being almost to Tier II, and while I¡¯ll Level that fast, it¡¯s still a decent sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°Switching where Experience is going?¡± Dylan frowns. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible. Only inhuman Species can do that.¡±

    ¡°I can do it without a problem,¡± I say. ¡°Have people actually tried?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dylan states. ¡°Dad did, before reaching Level 25 Archwizard, so he could focus on his other Classes. That¡¯s why people take Classes as soon as they¡¯re able, so that they slow down the progress of their Primary Classes and gain other boosts for when they take the Advancements. It¡¯s exclusive to the inhuman Species.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Warren says. ¡°The spirits are telling me that Gavin shouldn¡¯t be able to do it, and don¡¯t know why he can.¡±

    Really? That¡¯s interesting.

    ¡°Though I have absolutely no clue what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Warren says, and I snort and tell him I¡¯ll explain later.

    ¡°What¡¯s your Bloodline?¡± Eli speaks up for the first time since we reunited, apart from the Blood Oath.

    ¡°Same as yours,¡± I say. ¡°Though since you haven¡¯t unlocked it, let me warn you: don¡¯t bother trying. Mine was bound to prevent me from getting too powerful too fast. It buffs itself, granting plus four hundred percent Experience from most sources each Level, including Level 1, and its stat bonuses are powerful. +25 to all possible stats each Level. Gaining more than one Level to it every few years is dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nods. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    He¡¯s a lot calmer than he was when we met a year ago. He was a hyper kid who ran into the house and tackled Christopher just to say hello. Now, he¡¯s calm and quiet. What happened to them to cause that?

    Then again, I¡¯m a lot different than I was back then, and I didn¡¯t have my family murdered so that my father could grow stronger and try to become a Divine Being.

    ¡°Do you have paper?¡± Dylan asks, and I nod, gesturing to the table where I keep it. ¡°Mind if I use it to write down the spell formulas and what their runes mean?¡±

    ¡°Feel free to,¡± I sit down on my bed and close my eyes, rubbing my temples.

    I haven¡¯t tried expanding my Mana Pool or making it denser these last few days, since my Bloodline was bound. My body has been feeling weird, and my mind¡¯s been hurting a little bit. I need to let it rest, past the boosts I gain from Levels. That¡¯s part of why I decided to focus on my Secondary Classes, instead of Adept of Kar.

    And that leads me back to wondering which Divine Being I should ask for a Blessing. I¡¯ve done a little research the last few days, and the ones commonly held by Adventurers who go for them ¨C and succeed ¨C don¡¯t really appeal to me.

    As I think about that, my surroundings change, and I find myself in a black space. Apart from a pedestal with a bowl on it ¨C both black ¨C there¡¯s nothing around me, save the smooth black floor and the horizon, where it meets the black nothingness that fills the air.

 Chapter 0038 - Receiving a Gods Blessing

    Hello, Gavin.

    The voice is filled with the power of the Divine, and it¡¯s painful.

    I am Ekre, a god of adventuring, chaos, and vengeance, among other things. I don¡¯t have very many followers ¨C just one, my only Hero ¨C but have been watching you for awhile. My bonus would provide a True Ward you can turn on and off, instead of having to wear the amulet when you want to prevent monsters from drawing near. It won¡¯t work on elite or boss monsters, just like all True Wards, but you will be able to control the range. Monsters won¡¯t attack you while it¡¯s active. And, of course, you¡¯ll gain Appraisal. Unfortunately, that¡¯s all I can grant you with my Blessing, due to my small pool of followers.

    I gained Divine Resistance the moment he spoke, and it¡¯s already Level 3. That¡¯s all from Dekami, no doubt.

    ¡°So¡­ you provide me no benefit, and probably won¡¯t ever provide me benefit?¡±

    You¡¯d be able to see your Appraisal Level.

    I¡¯m¡­ not even sure how to react to this, and just stare at the bowl in utter shock at his offer.

    ¡°So you want to give me your Blessing, which will yield me no useful benefit that I don¡¯t already have in some form. Am I understanding you correctly?¡±

    Yes.

    ¡°Are you a fucking idiot?¡±

    I¡¯m a Divine Being. I can be whatever I want to be. Usually.

    ¡°And so you want to be an idiot?¡±

    No. I just like you enough that I thought I¡¯d offer you my Blessing. It¡¯s not like you have to accept it. I won¡¯t be offended if you don¡¯t and try to exact vengeance on you, or something. It¡¯s not like Dekami is going to come and offer you his Blessing just because.

    ¡°I thought the Dekami were people?¡±

    They are. Then there¡¯s Dekami, the Divine Being. They named themselves after him. They all have his Blessing, the irritating fucktwats. Pray you never encounter them.

    ¡°Are they evil?¡±

    You¡¯ll be tempted to smack them upside their heads, and they¡¯re far, far more powerful than you could ever be. And they don¡¯t have Bloodlines. Irritating fucktwats know they¡¯re powerful shit, and I just wanna beat the crap out of them. The only reason I haven¡¯t gone and taught them a lesson is because Dekami¡¯s asked me to play nice. Only a few more centuries until my agreement is up. Uh¡­ what the hell, Nies?

    Yo.

    Okay, that one¡¯s a different voice. Ekre sounds like a guy in his late teens, possibly early twenties. He¡¯s got a little bit of a deeper voice, but not a deep voice. This voice ¨C Nies, apparently ¨C is a softer voice, and sounds closer to me in age ¨C possibly younger than me.

    I¡¯m offering him my Blessing. Get out of here.

    Hi, Gavin.

    Go away, Nies. Jeez. The only two times I ever offer someone my Blessing, some other being shows up. Last time, it¡¯s Owen, this time, it¡¯s a Divine.

    The Oracle made an appearance? How did Max react?

    Confusion and amusement, mostly. Now get lost. I¡¯m doing an offer.

    He¡¯s rejected it.

    That doesn¡¯t matter. These are supposed to be Divine encounters, not everyone-show-up-and-make-it-not-really-what-it¡¯s-for encounters. Only one Divine is supposed to be here, and that¡¯s me. Now get lost, Nies.

    But I want to offer him my Blessing.

    Screw off. Dude! Did you seriously just enter my realm?

    Yes. I¡¯m going to tickle you until you shut up. It¡¯s not like you have a useful buff for him.

    I¡¯m starting to like Nies. Even if he¡¯s going to punish me hard if I don¡¯t complete the Blood quest.

    I¡¯m not even in my realm right now.

    That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait. Oh, candy.

    Get out of my stash!

    Does Dekami know you got Owen to give you some of his homemade sweets? Oh, they¡¯re strawberry-flavored.

    Stop eating them!

    It¡¯s not like you like strawberry-flavored things. O probably knew I¡¯d show up. This chocolate is delicious.

    Nies has very little emotion to his voice. He sounds almost bored, and his tone is just bland. He¡¯s got a ¡®whatever¡¯ attitude, I think.

    Stop projecting into the realm, Nies. I¡¯m trying to have a discussion with Gavin.

    About the dimwits, I know. Hullo, Gavin. Want my Blessing? In addition to being able to see Appraisal, you¡¯ll gain a useful buff you don¡¯t already have. All System Quests grant double Experience and 1 LIF upon completion, along with certain other types of Quests, such as person-given. Blood Quests aren¡¯t affected by it. It does have to grant Experience for that bonus, but the LIF bonus applies to all Quests that aren¡¯t Blood Quests. That means it can actually be useful, unlike a bonus that grants the same effect that your amulet does, except with an adjustable range. And I actually have followers.

    I have a follower!

    You have a Hero. There¡¯s a difference. His existence doesn¡¯t buff your power.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Since when do you have followers?

    I¡¯ve had followers.

    How many?

    Two.

    That barely qualifies for plural.

    That¡¯s two more than you have. And if Gavin accepts my offer, I¡¯ll have as many Heroes as you, too. So I have two more followers than you, and might be having as many Heroes as you.

    You¡¯re hijacking my offer.

    It was rejected. It¡¯s no longer being hijacked.

    He never actually rejected it, he just called me an idiot.

    Pretty sure that counts as a rejection. So, Gavin ¨C want to be my Hero and have a useful bonus?

    What if he loses his amulet?

    How many monsters do you know of that would be able to hurt him?

    They can still hassle him.

    Give him time, and he¡¯d be powerful enough that most weaker ones wouldn¡¯t even bother. I¡¯ll also give you the recipe to craft a spatial ring, if you become my Hero.

    Now you¡¯re just straight-up bribing him. Plus, he can¡¯t enchant things, and he¡¯d need a pretty good ring for that.

    It¡¯s not as if he won¡¯t learn enchanting eventually. Plus, spatial rings aren¡¯t enchantments.

    Yes, they are.

    They are?

    Yes.

    My recipe doesn¡¯t use enchanting.

    Does it work?

    Has every time I¡¯ve tried it.

    You¡¯re a Divine. It¡¯s going to work.

    I¡¯ve given it to mortals, too. Tristan Lighblade used it every time he crafted a spatial ring. Never enchanted them. Gavin¡¯s wearing one of his earlier ones. The ones he hid with his Grimoires are bigger.

    Are you eating my pudding?

    Yes.

    Stop.

    It¡¯s delicious.

    It takes a lot of effort to make.

    Delicious isn¡¯t easy. Do we have a deal, Gavin?

    Blessings aren¡¯t supposed to be deals, Nies. We¡¯re just supposed to offer it to them, and if they accept it, grant it, if they refuse it, send them back.

    He rejected yours, but you haven¡¯t sent him back.

    Don¡¯t give him the spatial ring recipe.

    Why not?

    Do you seriously want a boy like him having access to a recipe like that?

    He¡¯d probably just stick a bunch of food into it.

    Don¡¯t do it.

    Okay. Sorry, Gavin, but O told me not to do it.

    I¡¯m not O.

    O¡¯s eating your pudding with me.

    Of course he is¡­

    Ekre sounds exasperated, and I¡¯m trying my hardest not to laugh at their interaction. I¡¯m pretty sure Nies is just trying to annoy him.

    So, Gavin, do you want a useful Blessing? It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t going to be getting Quests. Pretty sure you already have several Quests. The bonus comes from completing it as an extra bonus, so it doesn¡¯t matter that you already have some, as you¡¯ll still gain the bonus for those when you complete them.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Okay. Just drip a drop of blood into the bowl, and I¡¯ll be able to grant you my Blessing.

    Don¡¯t you be using my Bowl of Blessing for your own Blessing!

    We¡¯re already here.

    Take him to your own domain, you thief!

    We¡¯re already here.

    I prick my finger and let a drop of blood fall into the bowl.

    Blessing Received!

    Blessing of Nies: Completing most Quests, exempting some, such as Blood Quests, grants double Experience. Completing any Quest grants +1 LIF

    Title Gained!

    Hero of Nies: One who has gained the approval of Nies, the God of Blood Oaths, and received his Blessing.

    Skill now Visible:

    Appraisal 5/10: The ability to view some information about others

    You weren¡¯t supposed to go along with it, Gavin.

    We were already here. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a problem.

    It is a problem!

    Not really. You¡¯re just trying to make it one. That was some nice pudding. I think I¡¯m going to take a nap.

    Nies! Why did you even offer him your Blessing? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s actually completed a high-Level Blood Quest! Yes, he¡¯s got one, but he hasn¡¯t succeeded yet!

    But he does have one.

    So do many others, Nies¡­

    He¡¯s also wrangled Blood Oaths out of quite a few people in a short time. I¡¯m impressed. It¡¯s not easy for a child to do that, especially when one of those people is a being as strong as Matthew. I¡¯m taking a nap.

    Get off of my bed.

    I¡¯m on your couch.

    Pretty sure you¡¯re on my bed.

    You have a funny-looking bed, then.

    Oh, you are on my couch.

    Yo.

    Don¡¯t ¡®yo¡¯ me. I forgot that your face matches your tone¡­ emotionless. You don¡¯t even look content, after eating all my food.

    I left the fish for you.

    O won¡¯t touch it, either.

    You know he has an image to project.

    So do I¡­

    That boat sailed a long time, ago, Ekre. Now stop staring at me like that, and stop talking to me. I¡¯m trying to sleep.

    Go back to your own realm.

    I¡¯m already here.

    Things go silent, and I¡¯m left wondering what the hell is going on. Nies is pretty amusing, and I like the way he pretty much just ignored Ekre, but¡­ did they forget I¡¯m here? Ekre probably has to be the one to return me, and the others are probably getting worried and confused about what happened to me.

    Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake! I can¡¯t believe I let him distract me to the point I forgot you were here. Sorry about that, Gavin. Returning you.

    I receive a small shock as I return to exactly how I was when he summoned me to his realm, startling both me and them. Me from the sudden shift in my position, and them when I jump.

    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Warren asks me.

    ¡°Just a little bit of a shock,¡± I answer. ¡°Time didn¡¯t seem to pass.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± He looks a little confused, so I explain what just happened. ¡°Father always told me that Nies was a bit emotionless when he spoke, and that he didn¡¯t care too much about stuff. I¡¯m surprised he took on a Hero. I¡¯ve never heard of Ekre.¡±

    ¡°Ekre?¡± Dylan looks over again, having gone back to writing when Warren and I started chatting. ¡°The God of Vengeance?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a God of Adventuring, apparently,¡± I switch to English. ¡°Though also chaos and vengeance. He offered me his Blessing, but then another Divine named Nies offered me his. I took Nies¡¯s Blessing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of Nies.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the God of Blood Oaths.¡±

    ¡°And he likes you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve apparently impressed him,¡± I say. ¡°Though I think he also offered it to me just to annoy Ekre, since they both have such a small following that they only have their default bonuses given to their Heroes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± he says, then looks at the paper, scribbles something else down, then looks at me. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±

    He hands me ten sheets of paper, and I scan each spell and rune, learning the purposes of them and how they interact. Some are ones I already know. As I read, a sudden influx of knowledge fills me.

    Dekami Runic Language is now Level 3!

    Thanks. That¡¯s kind of useful.

    ¡°These check out,¡± I send them into my spatial ring, then look at Dylan. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want access first?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he says. ¡°I can give you more for Eli tomorrow night.¡±

    I take a deep breath, then begin to speak the words of the Dekami Runic Language, forming the necessary runes within me and within Dylan. He gasps as I work the necessary magics, and when I finish, the remaining Mana necessary flushes out of me, and I feel the 10 LIF fade away as well.

    That was exhausting, and I collapse onto my bed, resting.

 Chapter 0039 - Resource Regeneration Stat

    ¡°Gavin,¡± Dylan says once I set back up. ¡°Do you want to see my available Classes?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to share them with me?¡±

    ¡°Eli and I have been seeking you out,¡± he says. ¡°Ever since Dad turned on everyone. We agreed that, regardless of what your goals are, we¡¯d aid you in them. Father wouldn¡¯t have turned so fast if you were doing something that was not in his best interests.¡±

    So I¡¯m the reason Christopher went against everyone? But why?

    The monster. Whatever that evil force is that¡¯s sealed away. If he knew about it, then me restoring Jozan would¡¯ve been a negative if he wished it to be free. But then¡­ why not kill me?

    Unless he¡¯s planning on controlling the evil, and needs to be more powerful to do that. So he¡¯s probably growing stronger so that he can kill it, and wants me to be stronger so that he can gain an even larger boost.

    ¡°Swear to me that you will never betray me,¡± I say, and both of my brothers stare at me. ¡°And that if you ever do, all of your stats will return to base, and that you will lose all of your Skills, Classes, Bloodlines, Species Levels, everything.¡±

    ¡°I swear,¡± Eli speaks up. ¡°On the blood and power flowing through me that I will never betray you, Gavin.¡±

    He starts to continue, but glows crimson, Nies¡¯s power within the glow.

    ¡°I just¡­ got a Blood Oath,¡± he frowns. ¡°But I don¡¯t have access to the System.¡±

    Eh. A small oversight. You really should¡¯ve made them make the Blood Oath before giving Dylan access. The Blood Oath gives them the same penalty for breaking that you intend, even if you didn¡¯t say the full thing.

    ¡°Thanks, Nies.¡±

    You¡¯re welcome.

    ¡°Enjoy your nap.¡±

    I will, once Ekre shuts up. Maybe I should turn him into a turtle. There we go.

    Not sure I want to know how that is going to end up.

    ¡°I swear,¡± Dylan takes a deep breath. ¡°On the blood and power flowing through me that I will never betray you, Gavin.¡±

    He glows with Nies¡¯s confirmation, and I hear the Divine Being yawn in my mind, and hide my laugh at that.

    ¡°I just realized,¡± I say. ¡°But I never said anything about my Order. If either of you act against those within my Order or my allies ¨C without it being in my best interest or the best interest of my Order, I will consider it a violation of your oath, even if it isn¡¯t a part of it. Do not think you will escape my wrath.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Dylan says. ¡°Would you like to see my available Classes?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He focuses for a moment, then a few messages appear in my vision. One of them is Novice, as expected, but he also has Martial Artist and Squire. Then one I haven¡¯t heard of.

    Rift Novice (Level 1)(Legendary): One who has begun to harness the power of the Rifts of the universe, the possibilities of where you can go and what you can see are endless. +1 INT, MNA, AEA every second Level, +10% to learning and Leveling all Rift-related Skills.

    ¡°AEA?¡± I look at him after dismissing the message. ¡°You have access to Aether?¡±

    Dylan freezes when I say that, and Eli looks utterly confused.

    ¡°You never told anyone,¡± I realize. ¡°How long have you been able to use it?¡±

    ¡°Since I was twelve,¡± he answers. ¡°I discovered it during my studies of Rifts. It¡¯s needed to open them. I never agreed with the order¡¯s way, and so hid my knowledge of it from them. They let anyone in, regardless of if they were good or evil. Servants are good, but slaves? No, thanks. Torturing innocents for progress? No. I wouldn¡¯t mind if they were evil, if they were criminals, but innocents? I didn¡¯t agree with that. We were forced to join the order, though, because Mom and Dad were leaders of it.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned an Order,¡± Eli says. ¡°You have your own?¡±

    ¡°The Order of the Violet Flame,¡± I nod. ¡°I need a place to build a Guild Hall, and twenty-four more members, and an insignia, and once I do that, I¡¯ll be set. I even have a Quest for it.¡±

    With a penalty for failure, but I¡¯ll succeed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of the order?¡± Dylan asks. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have to have one of those, too.¡±

    ¡°My two closest allies are a beastborn and a fairy,¡± I say. ¡°Yet they are discriminated against everywhere ¨C even here, where inhuman species walk amongst humans. I want my order to be a place of safety, where they can mingle with other Species ¨C even humans ¨C and feel safe, and even develop friendships and relationships with each other. Even other Species discriminate against other Species. Michael disliked Warren when they first met simply because Warren was a fairy. Warren disliked everyone.¡±

    ¡°I keep hearing our name,¡± Warren mutters from where he¡¯s sitting, and I look over at him.

    ¡°Explaining to them my Order,¡± I say, and he makes an ¡®O¡¯ with his mouth, then nods. I look back to my brothers and switch back to English. ¡°I also want it to be a place people can feel safe, feel like they¡¯re protected against evil. I want it to be a haven not just for people of different Species, but children who are abused, people who live in fear of others, and more. The name, the Violet Flame, signifies the unusual color of my magic, combined with the primary element of the bird of rebirth, the phoenix. My insignia will incorporate both of those into it, when I finally come up with it.¡±

    Dylan nods, then asks if he can join my party, the request popping up in my vision. I accept it, then look at Warren.

    ¡°Dylan joined my party.¡±

    ¡°Which one¡¯s Dylan?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Which one did I just give access to?¡±

    ¡°Oh, duh,¡± he blushes, and I roll my eyes. ¡°Sorry. So these are your real brothers?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer. ¡°And they¡¯ve given a little more insight into what Christopher was really doing, when he offered me those rings.¡±

    I tell him what Dylan said, and he listens silently, then nods when he finishes.

    ¡°I knew Father was right,¡± Warren says. ¡°I didn¡¯t trust him. I doubt that curse finished him off.¡±

    Same here. I look at Eli.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow night,¡± I say. ¡°The two of you can sleep in the extra room.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that his room?¡± Dylan indicates Warren.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°He sleeps with you?¡±

    ¡°He sleeps in a different inn,¡± I answer. ¡°My team is acting on its own right now, training. We¡¯ve got just over five months before we actually reunite as a team. Why would you think we¡¯d be sleeping in the same bed?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± he says.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed,¡± I tell them. ¡°Good night.¡±

    I repeat the same thing to Warren, who leaves, and my brothers figure out which room is the extra bedroom for my suite. It¡¯s nice how the innkeeper was willing to upgrade my room after that incident when I arrived. Upgrade for free, that is.

    Sleep quickly overtakes me, and I wake feeling refreshed, my Mana full again. I¡¯m kind of agitated about losing 10 LIF, and that I¡¯ll be losing ten more later, but it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t regain it. It probably won¡¯t be too long before I can probably gather the ingredients for the potion, anyway. Well before my natural lifespan expires. What¡¯s twenty years when I¡¯m going to be living thousands?

    It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t plan on defying death, anyway.

    I¡¯m getting ready to leave the room when the door to the spare bedroom in my suite opens, and I remember that my brothers are here.

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± I say. ¡°You two are here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sound so annoyed by it,¡± Dylan says. ¡°We are on your side.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say. ¡°But you don¡¯t speak the native language, Karus, so that makes it a pain. Show me your stats.¡±

    Name: Dylan

    Age: 18 years

    Title: None

    Species: Human Level 1

    Primary Classes: Rift Adept

    INT: 9, AGI: 6, CHA: 8, STR: 8, CON: 10, PER: 12, LIF: 11

    LFA: 2, MNA: 123, AEA: 47

    HLT: 3

    Health: 15/15

    Mana: 12/123

    Aether: 47/47

    ¡°Decent stats,¡± I say. ¡°Why¡¯s your LIF higher than average?¡±

    ¡°Where we grew up,¡± he answers. ¡°It¡¯s different based on heritage and the place you¡¯re born and grow up. Average natural lifespan for humans on Earth is fifty to a hundred. We have a bit of our parents¡¯ natural lifespan mixed in, so we¡¯re on the low end of that.¡±

    Mine started off higher in a place with a lower natural lifespan¡­

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°You¡¯ve got decent stats. What spells do you know?¡±

    ¡°A few,¡± he answers. ¡°Though most of my focus has been on Aether, and my regeneration is about average ¨C an hour and a half for every point.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s abysmal,¡± I say. ¡°It takes me a minute and eighteen seconds per point.¡±

    He coughs in surprise.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± He asks.

    ¡°Seriously,¡± I answer. ¡°Why is your Mana so much higher than Aether, then?¡±

    ¡°Two reasons,¡± he answers. ¡°Dad taught us Mana Expansion Techniques, with me mastering the four he¡¯s taught me, as well as using up all of my Mana and keeping it low. I don¡¯t know any Aether Expansion Techniques, though it¡¯s gone up a fair bit this last year, with me using Aether often.¡±

    ¡°Not a good idea around here,¡± I say. ¡°To keep your Pools low, unless you¡¯re confident you won¡¯t be attacked. I¡¯d probably have a higher MNA if it was safe to keep my Mana low. Let¡¯s get you two to the Guild. There¡¯s a Tower Dungeon here, and you¡¯ll probably be able to grind the first Floor of it on your own as a team. Since you have Martial Artist and Squire, I¡¯m assuming you can fight with a blade?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods. ¡°Though again-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need it,¡± I say. ¡°If you want to get stronger, since your regeneration is so low. It takes you a week to restore to full. When you¡¯re always in danger, it¡¯s better to not waste your Mana on trying to gain more. From what I know, that method doesn¡¯t affect how quickly it regenerates. I think my own method does, though. It seems to go up pretty fast.¡±

    ¡°Making it denser?¡± Dylan asks, and I nod. ¡°Why would that make it regenerate faster?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± I answer. ¡°But since regeneration affects all Pools, I can¡¯t be too sure. I just know that the more dense I make it, the faster I regenerate each individual point.¡±

    ¡°Dad tried to figure out how you did that,¡± Dylan says. ¡°He says he¡¯s heard of that before, but that actually doing it was something he¡¯d never managed. Eli tried it as well.

    ¡°Nies?¡±

    Yes?

    ¡°Is the density of Pools able to affect how quickly someone regenerates their resources?¡±

    Yes, even if they¡¯re making only one denser. Your Resource Regen stat increases as the density of any of your Resources grows denser. It¡¯s why you took such a huge boost to your regeneration when you gained Thick Mana ¨C your density leveled out and wasn¡¯t adversely affecting you anymore, and so your RRN went up.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say.

    You¡¯re welcome. Just remember to give me lots of food sacrifices.

    ¡°How do I do that?¡±

    Find one of my temples and put food on the altar.

    ¡°Where is your nearest temple?¡±

    They¡¯re all ruins.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    I think¡­ the nearest one to you is through a Dungeon travel. It¡¯s on another continent. Oh, its altar is destroyed. Let me get back to you when I find one that you can still make sacrifices at. I think I¡¯ll go to Erti¡¯s domain and see if he¡¯s got food.

    ¡°Bye.¡±

    Bye.

    My brothers stare at me.

    ¡°The god who gave me a Blessing was talking with me,¡± I say. ¡°It appears that increasing the density of a resources affects overall regeneration, probably because your body is adapting to restoring a resource that dense.¡±

    Correct.

    ¡°Hello, Nies.¡±

    Yo.

    I think about what I do to make my Mana denser. If other Witches and Wizards weren¡¯t able to do it, then it probably doesn¡¯t have to do with my Class, and I¡¯m sure Eli¡¯s tried it, so it doesn¡¯t have to do with my Bloodline. To me, I¡¯m really just using Mana Manipulation to compress my Mana.

    A stat is now visible!

    Resource Regen is now visible!

    RRN: 2083

    ¡°Thank you, Nies.¡±

    It was nothing. You can probably see the RRN of those who share their stats with you, now.

    ¡°Dylan,¡± I say. ¡°Can you share your stats with me?¡±

    Name: Dylan

    Age: 18 years

    Title: None

    Species: Human Level 1

    Primary Classes: Rift Adept 1

    INT: 9, AGI: 6, CHA: 8, STR: 8, CON: 10, PER: 12, LIF: 11

    LFA: 2, MNA: 123, AEA: 47

    HLT: 3

    RRN: 387

    Health: 15/15

    Mana: 123/123

    Aether: 47/47

    However RRN affects regeneration probably doesn¡¯t work at a static rate, decreasing in efficiency as it goes up. I¡¯ll monitor that as time goes on.

    I almost laugh when I realize that people complain about stats being so low, but have one stat that¡¯s probably at least 100 when they gain access without even being aware of it.

    ¡°I think,¡± I return to the topic we had before that happened. ¡°That it has to do with manipulating your Mana.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve tried that,¡± Dylan says.

    ¡°I forced it to compress,¡± I say. ¡°Pushing past the fogginess and clouding in my mind until more Mana filled in the space that had opened. With a higher regeneration, it¡¯ll probably take a long time ¨C an hour to a full point ¨C before it happens. But doing too much at once is dangerous, because you¡¯re forcing more Mana to fill a space smaller than it¡¯s designed to, so the Pool has to adapt to that.¡±

    And that is why it¡¯s dangerous for me to try for more than a few points a day.

    ¡°However,¡± I say. ¡°Through this adapting, it also slightly increases the regeneration rate of all resources, probably because of how the regeneration rate is tied to all of them.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± he says. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Dungeon,¡± I say. ¡°Once you¡¯re registered, there isn¡¯t much communication you¡¯ll need to bother with.¡±

    They nod, and I lead them to the Guild and to a clerk, ignoring everyone who was in line.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to register my brothers for the Guild,¡± I say. ¡°One with access, one without for now.¡±

    ¡°For now?¡± She asks.

    ¡°He¡¯ll have access tomorrow,¡± I say. ¡°This, I predict to be true.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± she pulls out to tablets, and I tell my brothers what to do. They obey, then she scans the tablets. ¡°Floor 1 is the furthest they should go, and that¡¯s in a party.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± I say, then look at my brothers. ¡°She agrees that you shouldn¡¯t go past the first Floor. Let¡¯s go down.¡±

    They nod, and we make our way down, looking around at the walls of the cavern with amused looks.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± they say in unison, then look at each other and laugh.

    And laugh¡­ and laugh¡­ and laugh.

    I stare at them in confusion until they collect themselves, glad no one is around to witness that. When they finally stop, I ask them what was so funny.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Eli smiles at me. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since we last laughed that we couldn¡¯t stop. It felt good.¡±

    ¡°What were you laughing at?¡±

    ¡°Something from our world,¡± Dylan shakes his head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand it. We¡¯ll meet you up top when we¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be down here a few hours,¡± I say. ¡°You might miss me. There are counters with drawers that you can put loot it. They¡¯ll pull it in to their side, exchange it for krat, then push it back out. I¡¯ll locate you when I¡¯m done.¡±

    They nod, and I make my way to the next set of stairs.

 Interlude I: The System

    Interlude I: The System

    It¡¯s me, the System! Yeah, yeah ¨C you¡¯re probably wondering ¡®what the heck is the System doing, interrupting the story? Wait ¨C it¡¯s acknowledging me, the reader! Huh? I¡¯m so confused right now!¡¯ That¡¯s because I¡¯m the System.

    Okay, so people are confused about some of the stats and stuff, so I¡¯ll share how things work, but only for ones already introduced!

    Affinities: You must unlock an Affinity to have access to that resource, even if you have something unlocked that affects it ¨C such as CON affecting Health. All Affinities¡¯ short version end in ¡®a¡¯, and are the only thing, save CHA, that ends in ¡®a¡¯. So if it ends in ¡°a¡¯ and doesn¡¯t start with ¡®ch¡¯, it¡¯s an Affinity.

    There are three things that affect Health: CON, LFA, and HLT.

    CON is your constitution, and determines how durable your body is. LFA is Life Affinity, and determines how much your base Health Pool is. HLT is health.

    MNA is Mana Affinity, and determines the base value of your Mana Pool. MNP is Mana Power, and just adds to Mana.

    SPA is Spirit Affinity, and determines how high your base Spirit is.

    Then we have your Attributes. They¡¯re the first line of stats.

    INT is intellect, and affects how quickly you process information and draw conclusions from it, not how well you remember things. AGI is your agility, which is also your speed. It isn¡¯t your reflexes. CHA is charisma, and affects your physical beauty just a tad, but also affects how likely people are to swing in your favor over how likely they aren¡¯t. It also affects whether or not people with an inclination toward you are going to be into you.

    STR is your physical strength. CON, again, determines how durable your body is, and adds on to your Health Pool. PER is perception, which increases how much you can notice from your senses, not how strong said senses are.

    LIF is your natural lifespan, and each point equals five years. Some species can have limits. There¡¯s a boy with Mutt whose Species doesn¡¯t allow him to live more than thirteen years, despite having 3 LIF. He has over two hundred Species in his ancestry. Despite this massive con to his Species, he suffers no learning penalty, which is nice, and has boosts from a variety of his ancestral Species.

    Not that he¡¯ll live very long, unless he can increase his LIF more¡­ if that does, in fact, allow him to live past the 13 years his Species will kill him at.

    Sorry, kid, but puberty ain¡¯t nice to mutts, and if you¡¯re at the point where even I can¡¯t determine a dominant Species in you, it¡¯ll just rip you apart.

    LIF can¡¯t be trained or increased without consuming certain things (such as potions designed specifically for that) or from Species Levels (or certain Classes, like the line of Wizard).

    LUK determines how often lucky things happen for you, as well as the rarity of loot dropped from monsters, though it does not affect how often drops occur. LUK cannot be trained, and will increase as lucky things happen.

    Gavin¡¯s LUK hasn¡¯t gone up very much on its own. If at all.

    I already explained the Affinities and Pool-Affecting.

    LTC is Loot Chance, and affects how often Loot will drop. It is not a multiplier.

    OFV is Overflow Value, and affects how much extra of a resource someone can regenerate up to. This extra usually floats around you, ready for you to draw upon, but it¡¯s usually just a point or two. Some people, such as those with Dekami Bloodline unlocked and Leveled even once, tend to break that. And some of them are silly enough to draw it inside of them, so it can¡¯t be sensed by others that he¡¯s got ambient Resources just floating around him.

    That is not good, and can cause some serious problems. -coughcough-

    Stat points do increase by partial points, but they can¡¯t see those.

    On to Experience.

    Just like with gaining stat points naturally, gaining Experience isn¡¯t easy. It¡¯s common to have to kill dozens or hundreds of monsters just to gain a single point of Experience. With Species Experience, it goes to one of two places: your Species, or your Bloodline. You have to tell it to go to Bloodline, though.

    Upon reaching Level 25 of their Species, Humans can take on a Subspecies, which is any Species they¡¯ve befriended a major leader of (must be a current major leader, not one that got smote by a Divine Being in a tantrum thousands of years ago and became a spirit), and can be Leveled up to Level 25, but not advanced past Tier I. They can do this each time their Species reaches Level 25 of a Tier, allowing them to take up to 4 Subspecies.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Or, if they know what to do, they can unlock additional slots, because some jerk named Tristan Lightblade figured out potions that add on extra Subspecies slots.

    For Class Experience, it¡¯s divided like so: Number of Primary Class Slots + 1. Then, the resulting number is split between each Primary Class in equal portions, with that extra 1 split equally to all Secondary Classes. So if someone has two Primary Classes and four Secondary Classes, and they receive 9 Class Experience, it¡¯s divided by three. Three to their first Primary Class, three to their second, and that last three is split into four parts and given to the Secondary Classes.

    If it doesn¡¯t split evenly, the first Primary Class in the list that isn¡¯t locked out of Experience (such as at Level 25) will receive the greater portion. So if there¡¯s 10 Experience for the previous example, dividing by three earn three and a third. Instead of a portion being added for each group, the extra is converted into a full point (because that¡¯s what it equals, duh!) and granted to the first Primary Class.

    For Secondary Classes, if their portion doesn¡¯t split evenly, the extra is granted to the first secondary Class that can still earn Experience in the list.

    However, partial points Experience is earned. It just isn¡¯t seen. With my example, they¡¯d realistically get 3.33 Experience, each, with the first Primary Class earning 3.34 Experience, and each Secondary Class earning 0.83 Experience with the first Secondary Class earning).84. But examples.

    What Classes and Species are available for the next Tier depend solely on their Skills, their stats, and their Classes. So that¡¯s three things that culminate to affect what they can become.

    Ordinarily, a Class cannot be changed after it has reached Level 5, even by accessing a Tier I Dungeon Core. However, it can be changed up to Level 25 of the first Tier by accessing a Tier II Dungeon Core. However, doing this costs 5 LIF, so most people don¡¯t do it. Most who know about it.

    For a being as powerful as Gavin, that doesn¡¯t really matter, and he can spare the LIF to do it as many times as he wants, because we all know that he¡¯ll just regain it.

    I so can¡¯t wait until he reaches Mage¡­

    So many fun things will happen.

    Hrm¡­ what else?

    Skills! Right! Let¡¯s not forget the Skills!

    All Tier I Skills, and most Tier II Skills, have only one Tier to them. A few Tier II Skills and all Tier III through Tier VII ¨C exempting the rare few ¨C have four Tiers to them. Once they reach Level 10, they move to the next Tier at Level 1. However, this is not a nerf. Firebolt Chain Level 10 is the exact same as Firebolt Chain (II) Level 1.

    This allows you to gain bonus Experience for mastering that Skill four times while making it even more powerful each time. At minimum, you would gain 140 Experience from mastering a Skill, if it¡¯s first Tier is Tier II. At most, it¡¯s 340 Experience.

    That¡¯s a ton.

    Natural Skill Tiers only go up to Tier VII. That is, a gained Skill will never be higher than Tier VII. However, Skill Tiers go up to Tier X, so virtually any Tier VII Skill (save ones like Rift Sense, which only have one Tier to them, and I should probably fix that because it was meant to be Tier I, but the automated portion of my works decided it was difficult enough to be Tier VII and so few people got it that I never got around to changing that) will hit Tier X.

    When it comes to setting if a Class gains Experience or not, that¡¯s something only inhuman Species can do. No exceptions. I¡¯d have to directly interfere for a Human to be able to. No exceptions. End of story.

    I DON¡¯T WANT GAVIN BEING FORCED TO FIGHT A SCALED WYVERN JUST SO HE CAN KEEP GETTING STRONGER, OKAY? HE WOULDN¡¯T SURVIVE!

    -deep breaths-

    For Blessings, an Adventurer can take on one. One. Only one. They have to have it revoked if they want to change Blessings, and that changes their Hero Title to Betrayer. Usually. Nies has edited his Betrayer Title to something pretty funny. At least, in my honest opinion. You might not find it funny. But I¡¯m the System, so I don¡¯t care. I have no regrets in letting him change it when he asked.

    Oh, and if the Blessing is revoked for certain reasons or in certain ways, it doesn¡¯t grant the Betrayer Title, though Hero doesn¡¯t remain.

    Those who have Blessings are known as Heroes. Receiving a Blessing grants Appraisal, as well as various buffs. The more followers a Divine has, the more buffs are granted. At base, all Divine will have a single buff, even if they don¡¯t have any followers.

    Some of them are useful. Like Nies¡¯s. Some of them are just like ¡®well, you can keep monsters from coming near you as you travel through territory where no sane monster would want to approach you, because they can all sense just how powerful you are, and you¡¯re really sticking in towns and stuff, anyway, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯d be using that ward very often, anyway, and really, gaining LIF and extra Experience from Quests is going to be a lot more useful to you¡¯.

    Ekre¡¯s mad at me, now. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only one to call it useless.

    Now he¡¯s saying that I¡¯m just encouraging Nies.

    Before I go, one last thing. Dungeons. A Dungeon¡¯s Tier determines what Tier you need to be to enter. For a Tier I Dungeon, you need to have at least a Tier I Class. For a Tier II Dungeon, a Tier II Class. And so on.

    Oh, and back to Experience. To gain Class Experience, you must do something relating to one of your current Classes. That Experience is then split between all Classes. For Species, you must do something relating to your Class. So for Fairies, using Gifts is a huge one. For Beastborn (Wolf) people, fighting is a huge one. For Humans¡­

    Humans gain Species Experience from pretty much everything. They actually have a nerf to Species Experience, while other Species don¡¯t. It just seems the reverse, because they gain more Experience. Inhuman Species do have a nerf to Class Experience, though.

    So the reason inhuman Species have nerfs to Class Experience is because they get stronger stat boosts upon gaining a Species Level, and they live much longer than Humans. Their base LIF is generally stronger, and nearly all inhuman Species gain more than 1 LIF every time their Species goes up.

    So they have longer to gain Class Experience, have unnerfed Species Experience (even if they have fewer sources of it than Humans), and are naturally better than Humans. You really think I¡¯m going to let them just outpace their weaker cousins, the Humans?

    Heck no!

    Peace!

 Chapter 0040 - The Oracles Three Gifts

    ¡°I can sense you,¡± I state in Silvar. ¡°But just barely. Are you trying to let me know you¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the spirit responds.

    ¡°How can I help you?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I was just curious as to your progress so far today.¡±

    I look at my stats. I gained 519 Human Experience and 1,038 Archer Experience, putting me up to Level 22 Human and Level 17 Archer. I¡¯m on my way back up to the surface now. That isn¡¯t really relevant to the spirit, though, as far as I¡¯m aware.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Because the only spirit I¡¯ve talked to before is Elikar.¡±

    ¡°My name is Meiva, and I am a spirit with an affinity for ice. You¡¯ve spoken with Lord Elikar? I¡¯m amazed by that ¨C he doesn¡¯t talk to many.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s currently harassing a teammate of mine,¡± I say. ¡°Apparently, he follows him around often.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know the fairy prince? Wait ¨C he harasses him? We all thought he was watching over him.¡±

    ¡°He harasses him.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± I answer. ¡°Mind telling me what you wanted? I¡¯m about to make my way back up, and I need to focus, so I don¡¯t get ambushed by monsters.¡±

    One of my flaws, when it comes to fighting, is that I have to focus on the fight. I can¡¯t have other things distracting me. I need to work on that.

    ¡°Short and curt,¡± he comments. ¡°To the point. I¡¯ve been watching you for awhile, Gavin ¨C ever since you entered this Dungeon. A few come in here with Spirit Affinity unlocked, many with enough to support my Gifts once every now and then, but few have ever caught my attention like you have.¡±

    ¡°And so you like me because I¡¯m dangerous and kill everything?¡±

    ¡°No. Because the power within you is violet, like an amethyst. It is unusual, and a powerful sign. I would be willing to contract with you, for a single Gift, to start. Would you be interested?¡±

    ¡°Not right now.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± He asks. ¡°You have the stamina to go on with my Gift, and it¡¯s quite easy to use. A basic one, for-¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know you,¡± I say. ¡°In addition to that, if you¡¯d been watching me, then you¡¯d know that I haven¡¯t used magic in a few days. I have fought with my fists and knife,¡± I flip my knife around a few times, then return it to my sheathe. ¡°Intentionally halting any progress I have with my Resources, save what I am using to grant my brothers access.¡±

    ¡°I did notice that. Mind telling me why?¡±

    I snort at his request, and get the feeling he wasn¡¯t just mimicking me with that.

    ¡°I need to recover from the massive influx of Resources I gained,¡± I answer. ¡°So it¡¯s best if I don¡¯t do anything that increases them. It would be better if I simply didn¡¯t fight, since I apparently always gain Experience from killing, even if it¡¯s only partial points, and that increases my Species Level, but I¡¯m ignoring that. I need to increase my Subclasses. I have a limited amount of time before I have to return to Jozan, after all.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me what it¡¯s like?¡±

    ¡°Currently, or what it used to be like?¡± I ask. ¡°Meiva Jozan, the Frost King, founder of Jozan.¡±

    The spirit doesn¡¯t respond for several long seconds, the only sounds filling the cavern the sounds of the creatures in the distance.

    ¡°How did you figure it out?¡±

    ¡°Your name is unique,¡± I say. ¡°And you mentioned that your Gifts were frost-based. From what Warren has told me, a spirit¡¯s Gifts are based on what they had before they became spirits, if they weren¡¯t originally spirits. The founder of Jozan was smote by a Divine Being, and when I mentioned Elikar¡¯s name to him, Warren said ¨C probably because Elikar was explaining it to him ¨C that Elikar became a spirit after being smote by a Divine Being.¡±

    ¡°You took a guess based on that?¡±

    ¡°Was it wrong?¡± I counter.

    ¡°Somehow¡­ you were able to guess it correctly. Meiva was a common name, in my time. Times have changed, though. As far as I¡¯m aware, my name and what happened to me aren¡¯t common in Jozan ¨C they only know me as the Frost King, and that I died in an instant during that battle. How did you come to know it?¡±

    ¡°Chief told me the history of Jozan, and its founding,¡± I say, then pause and shake my head. ¡°Some of it, not all. He never told me about the seal, though he apparently knows.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he chuckles. ¡°The seal¡­ one of my finest works. I united the powers of three gods ¨C Kar, Jozan, and Kaz ¨C and created a seal to bind the evil. That¡¯s why I was smote, but it was too late, by that point. Kar, Jozan, and Kaz would not yield to the gods who wished for them to unbind the demon, and the Divine cannot force each other into action. Nies has forced all Divine to swear an oath to that.¡±

    ¡°So Nies can force Divine into things?¡±

    ¡°Nies is different from most Divine Beings in that he is a Divine Origin, instead of a mere god.¡±

    Divine Origin? What does that mean?

    ¡°Put simply, Nies is the origin of oaths. When it comes to them, his word is law, and not even the Divine are outside of his power. There is only one being in the entire universe capable of commanding him ¨C the Oracle.¡±

    The Oracle¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard mention of that,¡± I say. ¡°I think. They called him Owen and O, too.¡±

    ¡°O is his common reference, Owen is supposedly his name, and he is the Oracle. He, much like the Rift Wolves, exist outside of this universe. He is a servant of Origin itself, and no one knows his true origins. At least, no one in this universe that I¡¯ve spoken with or encountered. Even the Divine Origins are within his power. There is nothing he cannot See with his Sight, and nothing he cannot do with his power. He is outside the System itself, and wherever he is from, the difficulty is much, much different. Much lighter. He is also standing right behind you¡­¡±

    I turn around, noticing a boy around ten years old, with pitch-black hair and violet eyes. He¡¯s wearing a cloak of swirling oranges and greens and purples and blues, with silver and gold flecks like stars, the cloak¡¯s coloring literally swirling slowly. Underneath, he wears a black shirt that reminds me of Earth¡¯s, black pants with pockets on the legs, and boots that go up most of his calves. His belt buckle is a silver fish with a blade through it, and he¡¯s scrutinizing me closely. A wand that matches his cloak rests in a sheath on his belt.

    ¡°Um¡­ hi?¡± I say.

    He doesn¡¯t sense like a Divine Being. Just trying to sense him with Mana Sense shot it straight to Level 10, my head nearly exploding from pain and the sudden influx of knowledge on how to read Mana.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Gavin Jakran,¡± he says, his tone tinged with annoyance after a moment, then cocks his head to the side. ¡°Did you really just try to read my Mana after hearing that I¡¯m a being that can command the Divine Origins? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± he says. ¡°Don¡¯t try to look at me with Magic Sight, as you were thinking of doing ¨C it won¡¯t shoot it up to Level 10, and you won¡¯t get a read as much as you will a headache that knocks you unconscious.¡±

    ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°You know that you can¡¯t trip me up, right?¡± He asks. ¡°I see everything. I know everything. There is nothing I cannot predict. I see all possible futures, every possible route it could take.¡±

    ¡°Lie Detection says that¡¯s a lie.¡±

    ¡°It also went up a Level,¡± he states. ¡°There are some exceptions, but there are exceptions to every rule. In another universe, there are many True Prophecies out there. Regarding True Prophecies, I cannot see everything involving them, though I can see much. Far more than most with Sight.¡±

    ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Owen.¡±

    ¡°The Oracle.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods. ¡°But you will call me O and kill the fish,¡± what? ¡°On to business.¡±

    ¡°You know I¡¯m just going to-¡±

    ¡°Interrupt me until I put a silencing spell on you,¡± he nods. ¡°I know.¡±

    I try to interrupt him, but no words come out of my mouth.

    ¡°If you weren¡¯t focused on me,¡± he says. ¡°Your high PER would have caused you to notice that there are no monsters moving around. I have also halted time around us. That spirit was annoying, anyway. At least he enjoyed fish in life.¡±

    Are you going to tell me what your deal is with fish?

    ¡°No,¡± he answers, confirming that he¡¯s reading my mind. ¡°Of course I can read your thoughts ¨C I¡¯m the most powerful Seer to ever exist. I come bearing gifts.¡±

    And why, exactly, is a being that supposedly serves the Origin ¨C whatever that is ¨C bringing a mortal like me gifts?

    ¡°Because I want to,¡± he answers. ¡°And the Origin is the Origin, the founder of all things. It is the origin of itself, as well as of all other things to be. I am a part of a council that serves the Origin, the Grey Dragons. We were born of the Origin, and when all things return to it, so too shall we. We cannot be slain, though this vessel can be destroyed. Not easily, but it can be. Not that anyone has ever actually succeeded in destroying my vessel.

    ¡°As for the gifts I bring,¡± he says. ¡°The first is knowledge that you have years before Christopher will return here. To him, only hours will have passed ¨C the time dilation, with your brother being here, has returned to what amounts to ¡®normal¡¯. I so dislike this universe, because of all this time dilation, but Tyler¡¯s all ¡®no, just leave it, it¡¯s awesome this way¡¯, and I¡¯m not having much say on that.¡±

    Tyler?

    I¡¯m assuming Tyler has something to do with time.

    ¡°Yeah, he does,¡± O says. ¡°As I saying, though ¨C I much prefer the others, because time passes at the same rate regardless of what world you¡¯re on or realm you¡¯re in. Sure, their days might have different lengths, years might be longer or shorter, but time still flows at the same rate between all of them. Here? Apparently not. And Tyler won¡¯t fix that, even though all he has to do is sneeze on it.¡±

    What?

    ¡°Or was that cure to kaera?¡± He looks thoughtful for a moment. ¡°Oh, right. All he has to do is snap his fingers.¡±

    The hell is kaera?

    ¡°A deadly, incurable illness where your body is frozen in time, but you aren¡¯t. It¡¯s worse than it sounds, because you aren¡¯t immortal, and you still age.¡±

    You age with your body frozen in time? That makes no sense.

    ¡°Stop asking stupid questions,¡± he rolls his eyes. ¡°So Tyler could fix this universe just by snapping, but he won¡¯t, because he thinks it¡¯s cool that this universe has a time dilation between realms. We didn¡¯t even know it existed for half its life, or he would¡¯ve fixed it before. So now he¡¯s not. So the first gift is the knowledge that your father won¡¯t be here for several years for you, but only hours for him, because of this ridiculous time dilation.

    ¡°The second gift,¡± he says. ¡°Is Appraisal and Lie Detection reaching Level 10.¡±

    The moment he says that, I receive the notifications that they both have been mastered. No Experience, though.

    Why did he do that?

    ¡°Because I felt like, it okay?¡± He asks in agitation. ¡°Why do people always question what I do? I can¡¯t do shit just because I want to? Huh? Is that really a problem? Maybe I like being a nice person? All I ask for is that people understand that True Prophecies can¡¯t be diverted, that I can have lots of fun, that the balance in each universe is kept within acceptable deviations, that people kill all the fish, and that I can help people out just because I feel like it!¡±

    He¡¯s just like a little kid who¡¯s getting frustrated. His face is red and he¡¯s pouting and everything. I¡¯m half-expecting him to stomp his foot. He already has his fists clenched tight enough to make his knuckles white.

    ¡°I am not a kid!¡± He huffs. ¡°You¡¯re making me consider rescinding my third gift.¡±

    The one you haven¡¯t given yet?

    ¡°Yeah!¡± He exclaims, then sighs. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± he lifts his left arm up, and after a moment, a snake materializes on it. No¡­ it was already there, just invisible. ¡°This is an ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail.¡±

    The ouroboros is wrapped around his arm twice, forming two loops with a crossed path in the middle on the back of his forearm. Its dark purple with black markings, its fangs almost silver in color.

    ¡°Each universe has its own version of them,¡± he continues. ¡°As do many realms within those universe, which are variations of that one. Each universe¡¯s version of the ouroboros is based off of this one ¨C the original.

    ¡°My third gift to you,¡± he lifts his right arm, and a second ouroboros appears. It¡¯s only a little bit different from the first one, including being slightly smaller and shorter. ¡°Is Reij. He¡¯s young, and not yet fully grown. He¡¯s barely old enough to be on his own. He will wrap himself around your arm. When he bites his tail, he¡¯s invisible. Only my breed of them have that trait. He will consume all negative magics directed at you. You will not need protection to learn new spells, as he will consume it before it can affect you.

    ¡°And before you reject,¡± he drops his left arm down. ¡°A being that serves the Origin is offering you a gift. Do not refuse it.¡±

    In other words ¨C I¡¯m going to need him at some point in the future, just like I¡¯ll need Appraisal and Lie Detection to be mastered, too, and probably faster than if I trained them normally, even with my insane bonus.

    Appraisal¡­

    I use it on him.

    Unknown Being Filled with Cuteness and Adorability Capable of Wiping Out All of Existence With a Thought or as an Afterthought ¨C Do Not Mess With

    Uh¡­

    ¡°I can control what it shows,¡± he giggles. ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    It¡¯s a bit much.

    ¡°Try it now,¡± he giggles.

    The Origin¡¯s Most Adorable Servant

    Full of yourself, aren¡¯t you?

    ¡°Quite!¡± He nods happily. ¡°Hold out your arm, so Reij can wrap himself around it.¡±

    I lift up my left arm, and O touches my hand. Reij moves from his arm to mine, wrapping himself around. His scales are softer than I expect ¨C not hard at all. Yet¡­ I get the sense that if I tried to hurt him, I¡¯d be left confused.

    Reij, Ouroboros of Origin

    An Ouroboros of Origin, this creature is indestructible by most mortal means

    Will consume negative magics directed at or within anyone he is friendly with

    Cuter than most things in existence

    Uh¡­ what the heck is up with that description?

    ¡°I had to come up with something, okay?¡± O asks. ¡°Jeez! It¡¯s like this with everyone, I swear! You can make sound again.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say. ¡°And for the gifts, too. I know you¡¯re giving them to me because I¡¯ll need them.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± He asks, then sighs. ¡°As for your request¡­ why do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°You already know why.¡±

    ¡°Say it,¡± he says. ¡°Or I¡¯ll deny it. People need to stop saying stuff just because they know I know it.¡±

    ¡°To help someone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the cheat way of answering.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what?¡±

    ¡°Yes to your question,¡± he says. ¡°The Dungeon is 100 Floors. The 100<sup>th</sup> Floor has the Final Boss on it. It¡¯s a Dragon. To ascend from Mage to Archmage, you will need to clear a Tier III Dungeon by yourself, much like with the other two Tiers, and you will need to kill a Dragon by yourself. Dungeon Dragons and Scaled Wyverns count.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ okay?¡±

    ¡°Dragon,¡± he says. ¡°Dra-gon. I don¡¯t look at everything, just so you know. I look at what¡¯s relevant and what¡¯s not. It¡¯s fun, being able to guess stuff. I¡¯m estimating that, based on a variety of things, that how things turn out, you will be able to kill the dragon within three years. Do not return to Jozan until you have killed it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You can gain a very powerful ally if you kill it first,¡± he says. ¡°I should be going. Unfreezing time. Goodbye, Gavin.¡±

    He vanishes, and time resumes.

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s gone. Huh? You have a snake on your arm. I can¡¯t get a read on it¡­¡±

    I look at Reij again.

    Reij, Ouroboros of Origin

    The description disappeared¡­ Did O put it there while we were talking, just so I¡¯d see it the first time?

    +0 INT!

    That¡­ was one hell of a weird encounter. And I seriously doubt it was a dream.

    +0 INT!

    No way would my dreams keep the System doing that, so this is definitely real.

    Why would such a powerful being just decide to give me three gifts ¨C a piece of knowledge and two actual gifts ¨C just to help me out in the future? What is he planning?

    I am so confused right now.

 Chapter 0041 - Michael Returns (Again)

    ¡°Nies?¡± I say on my way back to the surface.

    Yo.

    ¡°Do you know what just happened?¡±

    Never question O. You¡¯ll only get a headache. He knows far more than I ever could.

    ¡°What¡¯s his deal with fish?¡±

    That includes that. It¡¯s easier to just ignore him and his actions. Yes, he does stuff, but you might never know why he did stuff. It could be the smallest thing in relation to you, but have a massive impact elsewhere, and you¡¯d never know you were the cause of it. For example: you having such a powerful Lie Detection means you¡¯d see right through Acting if someone lied with a mastered Acting Skill. If that person was a merchant who was telling you about an item, and you didn¡¯t know he was lying, but weren¡¯t interested, you¡¯d react differently. The end result for you is the same: you don¡¯t buy the items. The end result for him could be vastly different. If you called him out on his lie, he¡¯d possibly stew on it, and make a decision in his next deal that could cost him his life ¨C or someone else theirs. And you¡¯d be none the wiser. So it¡¯s easier to just take it as it happens, eat food, and nap. Speaking of naps, I¡¯m going back to mine. Bye.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, looking at my arm.

    It only took me a few moments to adjust to Reij being there, and I can¡¯t detect him at all, or see him with Magic Sight. I know he¡¯s there, though. On the surface, my brothers are waiting, and looking a little bit exhausted. I can¡¯t sense any loot on them, so either they exchanged it for money already, or they couldn¡¯t carry it back with them.

    Maybe it was the latter? Not everyone has spatial rings like me, and they don¡¯t have packs. Now that I think about it ¨C how do Warren and Michael get their loot back up here? They only have small pouches for when they go down.

    I walk to the counter and trade in my loot, then walk over to my brothers.

    ¡°Your Mana doesn¡¯t feel any lower than it was before,¡± Dylan says.

    ¡°I used martial arts and my knife all day,¡± I respond. ¡°Can I see your stats and skills?¡±

    Name: Dylan

    Age: 18 years

    Title: None

    Species: Human Level 1

    Primary Class: Rift Adept 1

    INT: 9, AGI: 6, CHA: 8, STR: 8, CON: 10, PER: 12, LIF: 11

    LFA: 2, MNA: 123, AEA: 47

    HLT: 3

    Health: 15/15

    Mana: 68/123

    Aether: 47/47

    Tier I Skills: Magic Sense 5/10, Magic Bolt 4/10, Magic Missile 3/10, Magic Sight 2/10, Magic Shield 3/10, Mana Sense 2/10

    Tier VII Skills: Rift Sense 4/10

    ¡°How do you have Mana Sense if Magic Sense isn¡¯t mastered?¡±

    ¡°Is that unusual?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s unlocked through Level 10 of Magic Sense,¡± I nod.

    ¡°Dad did something when we were younger,¡± he shrugs. ¡°After that, we were all able to sense Mana.¡±

    Probably some illegal magic, or something. Well, illegal, except within the Ancient Order and other darker organizations.

    ¡°Did you gain any Experience?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would, though. Species is difficult to gain Experience, and with something like Rift Adept, I¡¯m sure just killing won¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°Dedication to a goal can increase Experience gains,¡± I inform him. ¡°You can gain Experience from anything if you¡¯re doing it to further a goal. The more dedicated to your goal you are, the more you¡¯ll gain. That¡¯s before any regular boosts ¨C like my Bloodline gives ¨C are factored in. Of course, what you¡¯re fighting also determines the amount, but the point still stands. Work towards a goal, and you¡¯re more likely to gain Experience. Did you two have loot?¡±

    ¡°A little,¡± he nods. ¡°We could fit it in our pockets. Not sure what the currency means, though.¡±

    I pull some out of my ring and show them the different coins, explaining what each one is. There are looks from people all around, and I can tell from their expressions that they think my brothers will be easy targets.

    I spread out Mana Presence as I continue to explain the currency to my brothers.

    ¡°Do you understand, now?¡± I ask as they both stare at me with eyes widened in shock and a little bit of fear.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dylan nods, swallowing. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Dealing with a problem,¡± I smile at him as I send the krat back into my ring, then switch to Karus. ¡°Now that my brothers know how the currency works, I¡¯d like to know ¨C has anyone seen my teammates come up yet?¡±

    I fix my gaze on a tall, burly Adventurer who gives me a nasty feeling, and the moment my eyes meet his, he flinches.

    ¡°The fairy left an hour ago,¡± he answers.

    ¡°And Michael?¡± I ask, and he shrugs.

    I scan the room.

    ¡°No one¡¯s seen the beastborn in awhile,¡± an adventurer tells me.

    So he hasn¡¯t returned yet. I sigh, then release Mana Presence and look at my brothers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the inn,¡± I say. ¡°I need to rest.¡±

    We make our way back to my rooms, and I take a nap while they talk about¡­ whatever it is they¡¯re talking about. I don¡¯t really understand it. When I wake up, the sun¡¯s already set, and Dylan is sitting at the desk, Eli on the couch.

    ¡°You seem pretty exhausted,¡± Dylan tells me. ¡°But I¡¯ve got more spells written up for you. We can wait longer if you¡¯re not ready for it now.¡±

    ¡°I can do it,¡± I yawn and stretch. ¡°I¡¯m rested, now.¡±

    As much as I can be, with this fogginess in my mind. I probably shouldn¡¯t be doing this until it¡¯s cleared up a bit more, but I¡¯ll manage.

    I read through the spells, committing them to memory, then send them into my ring. Then, I perform the granting of access on Eli. When he finishes, there¡¯s immediately a request to join my party.

    ¡°Why are you guys requesting to join my party immediately?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to, to enter the Dungeon?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°Not this one,¡± I shake my head. ¡°Tower Dungeons work differently. Did you see any other Adventurers while you were in there?¡± They nod. ¡°They¡¯re not in our team. Tower Dungeons are an open Dungeon ¨C you don¡¯t need to be in a party to be in it with people you¡¯re working with.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± he responds. ¡°Can I still join your party?¡±

    Sighing, I accept his request, then ask him for his stats.

    Name: Elijah

    Age: 14 years

    Title: None

    Species: Human Level 1

    Primary Class: None

    INT: 10, AGI: 5, CHA: 9, STR: 7, CON: 9, PER: 10, LIF: 10

    LFA: 1, MNA: 125

    HLT: 1

    Health: 11/11

    Mana: 89/125The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Lower than Dylan¡¯s, which kind of makes sense, since he¡¯s still more of a kid than Dylan is, and Dylan¡¯s probably done more intensive training.

    ¡°What Classes do you have available?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Novice, Martial Artists, and Squire,¡± he answers. ¡°I¡¯m taking on Novice.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say. ¡°Know that you¡¯ll probably get better Classes eventually, too. Our Bloodline is one where twins are guaranteed to have it, so you have a plus four hundred percent to Experience in Dungeons, as well as from all non non-System Quests. You also have a boost to learning and Leveling all Skills, all magics, and all languages. Two hundred, then four hundred and four hundred. They stack, and percents seem to work from Level 1. Do not, as I said before, attempt to unlock your Bloodline ¨C you do not want to Level it unless you can do so slowly.¡±

    He nods, and I look between my two brothers.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be sleeping most of the next few days,¡± I tell them. ¡°Eli¡¯s got a couple of Levels to Karus Human Language, so-¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°Did you not hear what I said your Bloodline is?¡± I ask. ¡°It isn¡¯t hard for us to pick up languages with a six hundred percent bonus to learning and Leveling them, and I¡¯m sure you already know you learn languages fast. You can probably hold a conversation with people.¡±

    He nods.

    ¡°I can understand a little bit of it,¡± he nods. ¡°Enough that if I tried speaking it, I could probably hold conversations decently. More complicated stuff will probably be beyond me. What¡¯s your Level for it?¡±

    ¡°Four,¡± I answer. ¡°It went up earlier today. I don¡¯t focus on conversations or really pay attention to them, and three or four seems to be the limit of common conversations. Anyway, don¡¯t expect me to do much or talk much. My head¡¯s getting too foggy, and that pushed it a fair bit.¡±

    I lie back down on the bed, and quickly fall back to sleep. I sleep off and on over the next few days, my brothers leaving to train, while Warren sticks around, making sure I eat. I feel so tired and exhausted, and the fogginess is heavy, much heavier than it was before.

    That really pushed it for me. I should have waited a few weeks to do that again.

    Almost a week passes before I feel well enough to continue. Not doing anything but eating and sleeping helped me a lot with that.

    Warren¡¯s sleeping on the other side of my bed, facing me. He refuses to let me out of his sight, because he thinks I¡¯m going to do something stupid. I once got up in the middle of the night to go for a walk, and he blocked my way out of the room, telling me that he wasn¡¯t going to give me the chance to train.

    I felt bad about him sleeping on the floor, and decided that since the bed¡¯s big enough to fit a few people between us, he could sleep on the other side of it. He¡¯s getting used to sleeping on beds, now, and while this is more comfortable than the ones he¡¯s comfortable sleeping on, he took me up on the offer.

    His excuse was that it would allow him to keep a better eye on me, since he¡¯ll be on my level and not under me, able to just slip away on the other side of the bed.

    Yeah, right.

    He sleeps so heavily that I could probably jump around on the bed and not wake him. I know the real reason he wants to sleep in the bed with me, even if on the other side. It worries me, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m comfortable with it.

    Despite that, I carefully get off the bed, tuck him in, then start to leave the room. I¡¯m about to open the door when Warren grabs my tunic from behind.

    Damn fairy.

    ¡°Just where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± He asks me.

    ¡°To train,¡± I turn and look at him, seeing his determination to keep me in here in his eyes. ¡°I spent a week letting the fog in my mind clear up, and that¡¯s a week I could have been training, so-¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he says firmly. ¡°Two weeks. You are resting for two weeks, not one. You are not starting just because you feel well enough to continue training. You will clear up that fogginess more than just well enough to continue getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°Warren-¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he says firmly. ¡°You called a Divine Being an idiot. Your mind is too clouded right now. You need to rest, recover, and let yourself think clearly.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call him an idiot because of the fogginess,¡± I say. ¡°I did it because he was offering me stuff I already had.¡±

    ¡°Only an idiot calls a Divine Being an idiot.¡±

    ¡°That, or someone who doesn¡¯t care about the punishment,¡± I say. ¡°He was offering me stuff I already had, and-¡±

    ¡°A True Ward?¡± Warren says. ¡°Gavin ¨C if you lost the amulet, what would you do? What if you forgot it? Or it was stolen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d track it down.¡±

    ¡°What if that wasn¡¯t possible?¡± He asks. ¡°This is why you shouldn¡¯t be allowed to discuss plans with people! Why you shouldn¡¯t be allowed to act in diplomacy for a long time! You don¡¯t look at the broader picture, or at other possibilities! What if something isn¡¯t possible? You can¡¯t just say ¡®Oh, I¡¯ll do it¡¯, you know!¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± I tell him. ¡°If it isn¡¯t possible, I¡¯ll simply make it possible.¡±

    ¡°And what of Jozan¡¯s reputation?¡± He asks.

    ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°You dismiss a king,¡± he says. ¡°Like you did the Divine Being, you call him an idiot the way you did to Ekre, and you¡¯ll lose reputation for Jozan ¨C and its king ¨C just for that.¡±

    Warren takes a deep breath, then lets out it slowly, closing his eyes as he does. Then, he looks at me, his glamour fading. His hair is white with blue tinges to it, almost like frost, and his eyes are an icy blue.

    ¡°I am issuing an ultimatum,¡± he says. ¡°You must win over my father and earn permission to see the Grimoire of Tristan Lightblade in his possession before you can attempt to restore Jozan. If my father will not allow you to even see the Grimoire itself, you must sever all ties to Jozan and request of Nies the revocation of your Blood Oath.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answers. ¡°At great sacrifice. For you, it would probably be a hit to your LIF. He will probably turn it back to a normal amount, and prevent it from growing, such is the difficulty of your Blood Quest.¡±

    Everything comes back to taking away my LIF, doesn¡¯t it?

    ¡°What if I refuse to accept your ultimatum?¡± I ask. ¡°What will you do?¡±

    ¡°Leave,¡± he answers, and I can see the pain in his eyes when he speaks. ¡°I will leave you and your party, and never return. I will not be party to you ruining your kingdom¡¯s reputation because you lack diplomacy. I have stuck by you because you rescued me,¡± and because you like me. ¡°But that will only go so far.¡±

    There¡¯s more to it than that, his eyes speak that loud and clear. He is willing to put himself through the pain of leaving me because of this.

    I close my eyes take a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

    ¡°Very well,¡± I look Warren in the eyes. ¡°I will win over your father, then return to Jozan.¡±

    +1 INT!

    I return to my bed, and notice Warren sighing in relief. He didn¡¯t want that to happen.

    Another week passes with Warren watching me just as closely as he did before, if not more so, and I get the feeling that he¡¯s not sure of what I will do next.

    To be honest¡­ I don¡¯t, either. I go where I feel like it, do what I feel like doing. I react instantly. I have the same problem in combat¡­ when I focus on something, I lose sight of the bigger picture.

    That could prove fatal for my allies, if we were to go somewhere stronger than they can handle, except in moderate amounts, and I don¡¯t notice they¡¯re in danger.

    At the end of the second week, Warren says he feels I¡¯m ready to return to training, since twice the time I felt was necessary has passed. The fogginess is still there, but extremely faint. Something tells me I recovered faster than I should have.

    As I¡¯m about to open the door to my room, there¡¯s a knock. Warren and I look at each other. The brothers have their own room, now, so it could be them, but the knock was from my level, not Dylan¡¯s, and he¡¯s the one who usually knocks.

    Plus, they usually call through the door, which I find weird.

    Opening the door, I take in the appearance of Michael, who¡¯s a little bit buffer than he was before, and has on light metal armor made of a dark grey metal glowing with enchantments.

    Michael, Beastborn (Wolf) 10, Squire 25, Novice 1

    ¡°You gained the last few Levels fast,¡± I say. ¡°So you finally learned Dekami Runic Language?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nods, his tail swishing behind him. ¡°And Magic Bolt Level 1.¡±

    ¡°How did you gain Levels so fast?¡±

    ¡°Power Leveling.¡±

    ¡°And how did you manage that?¡±

    ¡°The Grind Arena,¡± he answers. ¡°It¡¯s these special Dungeons on other continents. It¡¯s sort of like the Coliseum. You go in, and fight monsters. They come in waves, starting off easy and getting harder as you go. You earn Experience after each wave based on your performance. You¡¯re guaranteed at least one point per kill to Classes. It doesn¡¯t affect Species at all. The first ten waves are goblins, starting with one, then two, then three, then four, then five, and so on. I stop after that, but that¡¯s 45 Experience per run. Then, I just wait out the time needed and return.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go past the tenth wave?¡± I ask, and a look of fear flashes in his eyes, the same look he had when he talked about the place he thinks has a Grimoire ¨C drooped ears and tail included. ¡°What?¡±

    He looks around, then steps into the room and closes the door, leaning in close.

    ¡°Spiders,¡± he says, his voice filled with terror. ¡°Wave 11 has spiders! They¡¯re so scary!¡±

    Michael shivers, and I wonder what happened to him to make him scared of spiders. I know he has issue with fire as well. Thankfully, the ones in the Dungeon don¡¯t have fire. At least, not any I¡¯ve seen do.

    ¡°Michael,¡± I realize something. ¡°The place you think a Grimoire is, on the continent with the dark knights?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± He looks at me, his fear growing even deeper.

    ¡°Does it have spiders with fire magics?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± He whimpers. ¡°They¡¯re so scary, Gavin! I hate spiders! Hate ¡®em! Hate ¡®em! Hate ¡®em! And then they have fire! No! I dun wanna go there!¡±

    More like fear them, but okay.

    ¡°So how long do you have to wait to return?¡± I ask. ¡°To the Grind Arena, after leaving it, I mean.¡±

    ¡°For only going through the first ten waves,¡± he responds. ¡°You have to wait twelve hours. If you stop in the next ten waves, it¡¯s ten hours. The next ten, it¡¯s eight. The next ten, it¡¯s six, then four, then two, then none. The farther in you go, the less time you have to wait to return. You have to actually beat the waves, though, which is why I don¡¯t just do Wave 11 and then leave.¡±

    He shivers at the thought of fighting the spiders.

    I¡¯m trying to figure out the math on his Experience, though. It¡¯s been a few weeks, yeah, but something else had to have boosted his Squire Level as well. That would¡¯ve been enough for one Level, at the end, not five. Two Levels, maybe, if he did two runs in a day.

    ¡°And then,¡± he says. ¡°With my knowledge of Dungeon Mapping, I was able to hit two or three of them a day. The first ten waves are always the same, but they vary from area to area after that. But I still wouldn¡¯t go past them, because what if it decided it wanted to give me spiders instead of whatever was supposed to be there?¡±

    That explains his sudden, rapid growth.

    ¡°Well,¡± I say. ¡°Welcome back, Michael. And sorry about scaring you, before. I¡¯m having a hard time trusting people, and wanted to make sure your father¡¯s intents toward Jozan were pure.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he smiles at me. ¡°Papa doesn¡¯t blame you for it, and I don¡¯t, either. We have four months left of individual training, right?¡±

    ¡°Unless you two want to rejoin,¡± I look from him to Warren. ¡°Especially with you now having Novice, and probably needing to use magic to increase it, since you¡¯re not me and don¡¯t just gain Experience because of your Bloodline and wait ¨C does the guaranteed Experience ignore if you¡¯re killing them with things relating to your Class or not?¡±

    ¡°You still gain Experience,¡± he says. ¡°And you have multiple Classes all gaining Experience through the same source. As long as one of them is relating to your Class, and you gain General Class Experience ¨C such as from kills ¨C you¡¯ll gain it for all Classes. Or in our case, whatever Classes you¡¯ve set Experience to. So it¡¯s not a full point for humans for each Class per kill, but you get a full Class Experience per kill, guaranteed. More on higher Levels.¡±

    Sounds like a good place to grind.

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t affect Species Experience?¡± I ask after remembering that his Species is the same.

    ¡°No,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°You¡¯ll still gain that at the normal rate. Oh, but every tenth Wave has a boss monster as well. Beating those Waves also yields you extra Experience, regardless. 5 Class Experience per multiple of 10, and 1 Species Experience, static.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I look at the two of them. ¡°We have some decisions to make.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait for your brothers?¡± Warren asks, and Michael looks a little confused.

    ¡°We can ask them when they leave,¡± I nod. ¡°Though I think they¡¯d prefer to stay here, instead of having to learn a new environment again. Let¡¯s go to the restaurant they¡¯ll head to for lunch.¡±

    I¡¯ll explain to Michael what he missed on the way there.

 Chapter 0042 - The Teams Discussion

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that stem your Experience gains?¡± Eli asks me after I tell them the plans. The two of them have switched to Eli talking in Karus, and Dylan silent, trying to learn it. ¡°Since you¡¯re gaining is so much faster here?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± I shake my head. ¡°It¡¯s possible the Grind Arenas would be affected by my Experience bonus, and that I¡¯d actually end up gaining more Experience there than I do here. A thousand points of Experience a day here could be two or three thousand there. The difference between here and the Grind Arena, other than functionality, is that Experience isn¡¯t granted until after a Wave is completed ¨C it tallies it up, then applies it. According to Michael, it was determined that every kill is guaranteed Experience, not you¡¯re guaranteed Experience from each Wave. There¡¯s a good chance kills have higher base Experience as well. We won¡¯t know until we try, though.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he says, then talks with Dylan for a few moments in silence before looking back at me. ¡°If you want to do that, we have no issue with it, but we¡¯d rather stay here. We¡¯re still getting used to this place, and going to a new one would probably be a bit tough for us to adapt to.¡±

    ¡°We adjust just fine.¡±

    ¡°Michael¡¯s been to most of these places and has barely adjusted,¡± Warren says. ¡°He only knows the ones he¡¯s actually stuck around a couple of months, and even then, he still doesn¡¯t know a whole lot. I mostly rely on the two of you. You¡¯re really the only one who adjusts quickly, Gavin.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I say. ¡°Well, we can stay here, then. We¡¯ll be returning when it¡¯s time for me to advance Archwizard, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°The eighth Boss is a Scaled Wyvern,¡± I answer. ¡°And killing it will count for the Advancement. All I¡¯ll need after that is to clear a Tier II Dungeon by myself. I¡¯m going to get a few Classes up to Tier III before taking on the Scaled Wyvern first, though ¨C make sure I¡¯m strong enough to actually kill it.¡±

    I¡¯m a bit worried, though. Completing a Tier III Dungeon by myself is no doubt part of the Advancement to Tier IV¡­ but so is killing a Dragon by myself. No one can kill a Dragon ¨C not even teams of Tier III people have succeeded. At least, that¡¯s what Chief said. He said that only three times in history has it been attempted, each with ten or more Tier III warriors, with at least one who had two Tier III Classes, and not one of the Adventurers survived.

    Not only that, but the Dragon¡¯s apparently the Final Boss of the Dungeon. That, alone, speaks to the difficulty of it, considering no one¡¯s made it halfway through the Dungeon and survived.

    And I¡¯ll have to do it alone.

    I want to make sure I¡¯m as powerful as possible before taking on Jozan. I don¡¯t need Archmage to do it, I don¡¯t think. The Blood Quest simply said a Tier IV Class, not Archmage.

    Archmage will definitely be a boost, though. Just how many stats will I gain per Level? Five? Ten?

    Not as much as Dekami, but it will still be immense. There is a reason I¡¯ll have to kill a Dragon for it.

    I lean back in my chair and think about this, coming to a decision after a few moments.

    ¡°How about this,¡± I lean forward. ¡°We stay here the full six months of individual training ¨C or split up and do our own thing ¨C and meet up at the appointed date and time. I will do what I can to become strong enough to slay the Scaled Wyvern on Floor 47 before then, and reach the Class of Mage.

    ¡°After the six months,¡± I continue. ¡°We will make our way to a Grind Arena and spend six months there. If I¡¯ve reached Tier III, I will focus on bringing that up to Level 24. If not, I¡¯ll focus on my other Classes. After six months, we¡¯d return here, and I¡¯d go after the Scaled Wyvern, as I should be strong enough, then, to kill it. Especially since it probably won¡¯t be too long before I advance Human to Tier II.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°Nothing should surprise you about his growth,¡± Michael says. ¡°How many days of solid training do you think it will take you, Gavin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at Level 22 now,¡± I answer. ¡°Halfway to Level 23. Figure a day or so for each Level, and I¡¯d say three days, overall, before I reach Level 25 and can see what my Advancement Quests for it are.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he says. ¡°According to Father, various things can unlock various options for Tier II. Depending on what you have available, it might be a good idea to wait. You¡¯ll also be able to select a Subspecies once you reach Tier II.¡±

    ¡°Subspecies?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nods. ¡°It¡¯s exclusive to Humans, the ability to take on a Subspecies. It occurs when you bring Human to Level 25 each Tier. You can take on the Species of any Species you¡¯ve befriended a major leader of. As a Subspecies, it will grant you all the benefits of that Species, though you cannot advance it to Tier II. As far as Papa knows, you can take on a new one every time you bring your Species up to Level 25. It¡¯s probably to aid you in the Advancement, since they¡¯re generally not easy things, Advancing your Species to a new Tier.¡±

    It can¡¯t be any harder than Advancing the Wizard line of Classes, even if it takes more to Level a Species.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve unlocked any for that,¡± I say.

    ¡°Papa says you¡¯ll probably have the wolf line of Beastborn,¡± Michael says, and I raise an eyebrow. I hear a swishing noise, and just know that doing that got him excited. ¡°Since he¡¯s one of the major leaders for Beastborn in general, and you befriended him.¡±

    I threatened to kill him, and he considers us friends?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°What are you excited about?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He looks confused.

    ¡°You¡¯re displaying your usual signs of being excited.¡±

    ¡°Papa and I made a bet on whether or not you could raise a single eyebrow,¡± he breaks out into a smile. ¡°I won it! Next time I go home, Papa has to let me sleep with him one night!¡±

    Uh¡­ what?

    ¡°He has to¡­ what?¡± Eli asks in shock, and Warren looks like he¡¯s probably blushing under his glamour.

    ¡°Ya, ya!¡± Michael nods. ¡°See, in most families, the papa can sleep with the kids, but Papa has to sleep separately because he¡¯s the Chief and all. Well, Thomas gets to sleep with him at night, but that¡¯s because Thomas is his heir, so he has to get used to sleeping away from the rest of the family. But Papa¡¯s warmth and scent is so much better than the rest of my family¡¯s, so we all try to find ways to get him to let us sleep with them one night. Papa agreed to the deal because he didn¡¯t think you could raise just one eyebrow! I¡¯m so happy! I¡¯ll get to sleep with Papa and Thomas next time I go home.¡±

    ¡°Does your mom not get to sleep with him?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°Mama?¡± Michael looks confused. ¡°Of course she sleeps with him. That¡¯s a silly question, Eli. Why would Papa let his heir sleep with him, but not his mate? The only time Thomas isn¡¯t allowed to sleep with them, or anyone else, is when they did the mating rituals.¡±

    ¡°The what?¡± Eli asks, and Warren giggles, earning a glare from him. ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡±

    ¡°Mating rituals,¡± I say, and Eli looks at me, still confused. ¡°Mating. Rituals.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dylan asks Eli.

    ¡°They¡¯re discussing mating rituals between Michael¡¯s parents,¡± Eli says. ¡°I¡¯m confused. What are they talking about?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Dylan looks at me. ¡°How did that come up?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know,¡± Dylan sighs. ¡°You¡¯re fourteen, for goodness sake ¨C watch some porn sometime.¡±

    ¡°What does porn have to-¡± Eli cuts off as his eyes widen in realization. ¡°Sex. The nights they¡¯re having sex.¡±

    ¡°Did he just figure it out?¡± Warren asks me.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± Michael looks at me. ¡°What was Eli confused about?¡±

    ¡°Your terminology confused him,¡± I say. ¡°I suppose growing up in another world, they use different terminology, and probably never referred to sex as mating rituals where they grew up.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Michael nods. ¡°So other than those nights, Thomas sleeps with them, and if one of us wins a bet, we get to sleep with them, too. There¡¯s nothing more comforting than Papa and Mama¡¯s warmth and scent surrounding me.¡±

    He misses home more than he¡¯ll admit to.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to our topic,¡¯ I say. ¡°How does that sound as a plan?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Warren says, and Michael nods.

    Eli whispers with Dylan, then tells me that they agree.

    ¡°Also,¡± Dylan adds. ¡°Would you be willing to allow Eli and I to stay on this continent?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only bound to not betray me,¡± I say in English. ¡°You¡¯re not bound to serve me or do as I command.¡±

    ¡°However,¡± Dylan says. ¡°We have agreed to join your Order, Gavin. Eli and I agree with your mission of creating a haven. We would like to stay here until you have your own headquarters, continuing to train in the Dungeon, here. Once you have established your headquarters, we¡¯d like to move there as both guards and teachers.¡±

    ¡°Teachers?¡±

    ¡°I know more than sixty different magics,¡± Dylan nods. ¡°And while I¡¯ve only used four Mana Expansion Techniques, and Eli has only used five, we both know of ten, with a combined knowledge of sixteen. I can assist in the unlocking of four different Affinities. There are some benefits to having been in the Ancient Order, before Dad went crazy. Eli and I would be willing to teach members of the Order various magics. After all, what¡¯s a haven without a place for people to learn?¡±

    ¡°A haven without a place for people to learn,¡± I answer. ¡°If you two want to stay here, you¡¯re free to. Also, I never asked you to join my Order, and if you¡¯re doing it just because-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doing it,¡± he says. ¡°Because we want to. We agree with your view on the Order, and what you want it to be. That¡¯s why we want to be a part of it.¡±

    I¡¯m not detecting any lies, and they¡¯d be useful as teachers, with their knowledge of magic. I can¡¯t be doing that, not if I¡¯m going to be the leader of the Order. Maybe every now and then, but I¡¯ll have more important things to do.

    Like killing Christopher, removing the Boundary of Sages, getting stronger, and so on.

    Whatever comes up that I need taking care of.

    What am I going to do after I establish the Order? I can¡¯t count on problems coming up all the time that I need to deal with, like right now.

    ¡°What are you discussing now?¡± Michael asks.

    ¡°The Order,¡± I answer.

    ¡°Speaking of that,¡± he says. ¡°Papa said he¡¯s fine with me joining it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to join it as well,¡± Warren adds.

    ¡°I was going to wait until I had a headquarters before asking anyone,¡± I say. ¡°But it¡¯s nice to know you two would be willing to join. Back to the training plans we have. Michael ¨C I want you to focus on overcoming your fear of spiders. By the end of our six months here, I want you able to fight on at least the sixteenth Floor by yourself.¡±

    ¡°But spiders!¡± Michael shivers.

    ¡°Why are you scared of them?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared!¡± He shakes his head. ¡°I just don¡¯t like ¡®em! They¡¯re creepy and crawly, and their webs are all sticky! They¡¯re so disgusting, and-¡±

    ¡°Undead.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± He stops talking, looking at me in confusion. ¡°No, they aren¡¯t undead. Well, there might be undead. Bones shouldn¡¯t move, though. Those are just weird.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m terrified of the undead,¡± I explain. ¡°Every Floor past the fourth Boss, excluding Bosses and safe Floors, has undead on it. In order to get to the Scaled Wyvern, to Advance Archwizard to Mage, I will need to fight against something I have had a fear of since I was six years old, when I had a bad encounter with them. Did you have a nasty encounter that scarred you, mentally? Or do you just not like them because of stuff like their webs being sticky and icky?¡±

    It¡¯s harsh, I know, but I really am terrified of the undead, after what happened to us back then. It¡¯s one of the only times I saw an unnatural death of someone before gaining access to the System. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking him to get over his fear of fire ¨C which he¡¯ll have to do at some point. I¡¯m asking him to get over his dislike of spiders to the point that he fears fighting them just because they¡¯re creepy, crawly, and icky.

    Yes, they are. Yes, I have an issue with them. I can also kill them without issue. I also did not nearly die fighting one of them when I was eight years old, and suffer nightmares anytime I even think about fighting them.

    ¡°You¡­ are scared of something?¡± Michael asks, eyes wide.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it,¡± I respond. ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll be going into the territory filled with flaming spiders to retrieve the Grimoire Tristan hid there, going past whatever else he¡¯s got guarding it.¡±

    ¡°All-alright!¡± He exclaims, tail swishing again. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Gavin! I¡¯ve got about four months, right? Four months!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I stand. ¡°You four should probably do whatever you¡¯re planning on for the day ¨C I¡¯m going to go and look for a house or something for us to stay in, since we¡¯ve got people going to be here awhile.¡±

    +1 MNA!

    My world turns black.

 Chapter 0043 - What I Gained

    When I wake up, the first thing I notice is Warren sleeping next to me.

    His Spirit is incredibly low.

    Skill Gained!

    Spirit Detection 1/10: The ability to sense Spirit in and around everything

    Huh. I¡¯m surprised I haven¡¯t gained that before now. I will admit that I¡¯ve never really tried before, though.

    Why is Warren¡¯s Spirit so low?

    There are so many messages in my view, I get suspicious, and check the date.

    Saturday, the 20<sup>th</sup> Day of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Month of the 1,350th Year of the Age of Chaos

    A full month¡­ I was out for a more than a full month. We have three months before we leave here, now. Less than three months.

    What the hell happened?

    I check my messages.

    Mental Pain Resistance is now Level 10!

    +20 Human Experience!

    I have no memory of being in pain at all¡­ yet that went up six full Levels to mastery.

    +100 RRN!

    Did my RRN really go up that much while I was out? The System added it all up because I wasn¡¯t dismissing them, I¡¯m sure.

    +1 OFV!

    So my OFV went up again¡­ interesting.

    -20 LIF!

    This is starting to become routine for me¡­

    Skill Gained!

    Magic Resistance 1/10: The ability to resist the effects of magic

    Magic Resistance is now Mastered!

    +10 Human Experience!

    So whatever happened not only granted me a Skill that supposedly doesn¡¯t exist, but also caused it to be mastered. What the hell happened to me?

    My Resources haven¡¯t gone up, either. They¡¯re the same as they were when I gained that point of MNA.

    +3 INT!

    +5 CON!

    So the first one increased somehow, but the second one¡­ what, exactly, did my body go through while I was out? And how come I don¡¯t feel any different, other than from those boosts?

    In addition to that¡­

    The fogginess is gone. Completely. Not a single trace of it left within me.

    Skill Gained!

    Clarity of Power 1/10: Reduces the Fog of Power that comes with increasing Resource Pools rapidly or forcing them to hold more than they can hold. A high enough Fog of Power will still take effect, even at Level 10. This simply reduces how quickly it forms.

    Clarity of Power is now Mastered!

    +70 Human Experience!

    +70 Archwizard Experience!

    +70 Adept of Kar Experience!

    What¡­ is Fog of Power? Closing my eyes and focusing, I see if I can pull up its info box just by wanting to, since it isn¡¯t a tangible thing.

    Fog of Power:

    A fog that begins to fill one¡¯s mind as they overexert themselves through magic or expansion of Resources. Hinders ability to use magics, as well as function, as it grows stronger. Can only be reduced by resting and not increasing Resource Pools or using magic. Clarity of Power reduces how quickly the Fog of Power forms, but can never completely block its formation.

    Adept of Kar went up a Level from that, and Human is now almost Level 23. Definitely just three more days of grinding to be able to Advance it. I wonder what my options will be. I give myself three weeks to bring the Subspecies, if I do have one available, up to Level 25, too.

    That looks like all of the messages I had available. I continue to sense for Warren¡¯s Spirit, not stopping until Spirit Detection is Level 10. I have to wonder why Spirit Sense is sensing spirits, but Spirit Detection is sensing Spirit. Mana Sense is sensing Mana. Consistency isn¡¯t there.

    -0 CHA!

    Shut up.

    ¡°Warren,¡± I gently shake him awake, and he looks at me.

    His glamour isn¡¯t active right now, and his hair is a light brown with golden streaks through it, his eyes green mixed with gold.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± his eyes widen as he wakes up fully, and he scrambles to sitting, looking me up and down. ¡°How are you feeling? Are you okay? I had to make another contract so I could keep your pain minimized, you seemed to be in so much pain. Even the Gift of Soothing didn¡¯t work a whole lot.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in any now,¡± I respond when he finally stops. ¡°I feel fine, actually. The fogginess is gone. What happened?¡±

    ¡°You stood up at the restaurant,¡± he says. ¡°Said something, then your eyes rolled into the back of your head, and you dropped to the ground. A moment later, you started screaming, and you looked like you were in pain. Your skin was bubbling. Michael and I brought you back here while Eli ran for a medic. None of the healers could find anything wrong, though ¨C no curses or anything. Elikar grabbed another spirit and told it to form a contract with me so I could ease your pain, but even that wasn¡¯t enough. I had to keep rebuffing it, but spending more Spirit than what I did would¡¯ve meant you¡¯d go longer with more pain, so I had to keep doing it small. You¡¯ve been quiet the last few days, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I know how long I was out,¡± I tell him. ¡°Was I unconscious the entire time?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he nods. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you this entire time. The others have been training. We have less than three months before our agreed stopping point.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I say. ¡°We can leave it as that ¨C I gained a couple of useful things.¡±

    And lost more LIF¡­

    Despite having Clarity of Power, I doubt I could handle more rapid growth right now. This seems to be an effect from the fog, not from expanding my resources. Gaining that point of MNA simply pushed the fog too high for me.

    ¡°Also,¡± he adds. ¡°Some magician paid for your room while you¡¯ve been out, so you could stay here and not get moved to where we¡¯re staying. We, ah, can¡¯t afford a house or anything, so we don¡¯t have one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I climb off the bed. ¡°Where are the others now?¡±

    ¡°Probably eating breakfast,¡± he answers. ¡°That, or on their way to bring me breakfast. Weirdly, you haven¡¯t eaten anything, yet didn¡¯t seem affected by it.¡±

    You¡¯re welcome.

    ¡°Nies did that,¡± I say, then mentally thank him.

    Just bring me sacrifices, once I find a temple for you to actually¡­ oh, there¡¯s one there. Found one. It¡¯s in a place that¡¯s hard to get to, though.

    ¡°How hard?¡±

    The Dungeons that lead to it are all in dangerous territory. Places where Tristan hid his Grimoires. Not that they¡¯d be difficult for you to find, but whatever. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find your way there someday. It¡¯s actually got the perfect place for you to base your Order.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Yeah. It has no intelligent society whatsoever. It¡¯s the center continent for the world, in technicality. I dunno why no one ever settled on it. The Sages of old had a base there for awhile, but then they erected their Boundary and left it. It¡¯s the perfect place. So you can give me your offerings when you eventually make your way there. For now, I¡¯ll just eat Ekre¡¯s food.

    Screw off, Nies.

    No.

    Your two followers are dead, so now we¡¯re on even grounds.

    I¡¯m still superior.

    We both have just a single Hero.

    Mine¡¯s more powerful, and not hiding in a time ruin because he¡¯s going to die if he leaves. So I¡¯m superior.

    You know I¡¯m working on increasing Max¡¯s life.

    If he converted over to me, he¡¯d have no issue gaining LIF.

    You and I both know that gaining LIF alone won¡¯t cut it¡­ his Species will still cause him to die.

    My Hero doesn¡¯t have that problem. I¡¯m superior. What did you put in this, salt, salt, and more salt?

    Get out of my realm!

    Scones.

    Nies said that like someone would say ¡®whatever¡¯.

    ¡°What?¡± Warren asks.

    ¡°I was talking to Nies,¡± I say.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°And now he¡¯s ¡®arguing¡¯ with Ekre,¡± I finish.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he says. ¡°Sorry for interrupting you.¡±

    ¡°Am I hearing Gavin?¡± Michael pokes his head into the room, and I can hear swishing again. ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡±

    Michael rushes into the room and gives me a hug, and my brothers enter behind him, Dylan putting down the food he had in before the two of them give me a hug as well.

    ¡°What the heck?¡± I wiggle my way out of their grip.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± Michael exclaims. ¡°I just got so excited that you were awake that I couldn¡¯t resist! If you were one of my brothers, I would¡¯ve given you kisses, too!¡±

    That¡¯s because you¡¯re part-wolf, Michael.

    ¡°But you¡¯re human, so that¡¯s seen as weird and inappropriate,¡± he adds.

    ¡°We grew up in a more physical society,¡± Dylan tells me. ¡°I guess habits are hard to kill. How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± I answer. ¡°How are your guys¡¯ stats?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± he answers. ¡°Status, status-¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I hold up a hand, and he stops talking. ¡°We can share our statuses with each other at the end of the six months. Anyway, I haven¡¯t eaten in over a month, so I¡¯m going to head out to eat breakfast, if anyone wants to join me. After that, I¡¯m going into the Dungeon and killing a bunch of shit. I¡¯ve lost more than a month of training and Experience.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely in for that,¡± Warren says.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Michael says. ¡°We¡¯ve got to talk about the spiders.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s still having issues,¡± Eli giggles.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault!¡± Michael protests. ¡°They¡¯re just so crawly, and their webs are so sticky!¡±

    ¡°Try to avoid getting shot by their webs, ¡°I say. ¡°That should reduce it. Also ¨C you can use Mana to detach the webs, just manipulate a little bit of your Mana into it.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Michael¡¯s ears droop. ¡°It¡¯s just so hard, dealing with them.¡±

    ¡°After breakfast,¡± I tell him. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill the wyvern on Floor 17, then fight the undead on the Floors below it. When I was little, one of my closest friends was killed by an undead, and I nearly lost my life. I¡¯ve dealt with undead once since, and was terrified shitless. That was after we fled Jozan.¡±

    I¡¯m going to finish that Dungeon. Once I can handle undead, I¡¯m going to return to it, and kill every last Undead in it.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Michael hangs his head down. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll try harder!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I leave the room, and the team follows me.

    ¡°Glad you¡¯re feeling better,¡± the innkeeper says as we pass through the foyer. ¡°You doing alright?¡±

    ¡°Just getting too strong, too fast,¡± I smile at him. ¡°I¡¯ve recovered from that, now. We¡¯re going out for breakfast, then more Dungeon.¡±

    ¡°Good luck!¡± He laughs.

    We leave and go to a nice breakfast restaurant, where I eat until my stomach is filled. My brothers have already eaten, and don¡¯t touch anything, while Warren eats a fair bit and Michael eats a little.

    Then, the five of us make our way to the Dungeon, where we separate as we go farther down, until it¡¯s just me. All of the Bosses are dead until I reach Floor 17, where a wyvern as tall as I am standing when it¡¯s on all fours awaits.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet it in Shatus. ¡°It¡¯s nice to be of your acquaintance.¡±

    It screeches at me.

    ¡°I¡¯ve killed a baby when I was much, much weaker,¡± I raise a hand as it starts to charge me. ¡°You are of no threat to my more powerful self.¡±

    The Magic Bolt rips right through its head, and the wyvern slides across the floor from the momentum. It stops at my feet, then fades away, leaving behind a decent-sized monster crystal.

    +30 Human Experience!

    +30 Archer Experience!

    I send the monster crystal into my ring, then walk toward the exit, and ignore the safe Floor as I make my way to the nineteenth Floor.

    Once there, I close my eyes, feeling my body tremble, my breath increase, my palms sweat. I can hear them, the sounds of their bones clattering as they move through the caverns, and I flash back to when I was six years old, hearing their screams, my screams. The blood. The body.

    His body¡­

    Brody¡­

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± I roar, pushing the images to the back of my mind.

    All sounds halt, and I notice a team of ten Adventurers who had begun to exit a tunnel. They¡¯re frozen, too, with fear clear on their faces.

    Skill Gained!

    (III) Roar 1/10: With a shout, instill fear into those around you, either generally, to your foes, or to monsters

    Huh. So that¡¯s a Skill. Interesting. Seeing it calmed me down a little.

    It¡¯s Tier III¡­ is it one of the ¡®rare¡¯ ones that don¡¯t have multiple Tiers? Or is it like most Tier III Skills, and has additional Tiers to it?

    ¡°Sorry, guys,¡± I say to the Adventurers. ¡°Bad experience with undead in the past.¡±

    I take a deep breath, then look down the tunnels, hearing the undead begin to move again.

    ¡°Time to go kill some of them.¡±

 Chapter 0044 - Beginning to Advance

    Human is now Level 25!

    You can now Advance Human to Tier II!

    You may now select a Subspecies!

    Available Subspecies:

    Beastborn (Wolf)

    Beastborn (Wolf): A humanoid creature with a few wolf characteristics. +2 INT, HLT, MNA, +1 AGI, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    Requisite: Befriended Matthew Burrclaw

    Huh. So I do have that available. Looks like it really is whatever the Species would ordinarily gain. I pull up the info on Subspecies.

    Subspecies:

    When a Human reaches Level 25 of their Species, they can take on a new Subspecies, which can be Leveled up to Level 25, but not Advanced to the Second Tier. To qualify for a Subspecies, they must have befriended a major leader of that Species.

    I wonder how Matthew knew about Subspecies.

    I take on the Subspecies of Beastborn. There are probably better ones, but it¡¯s available now, I have no idea how long it will take me to gain new Subspecies to take on. At least I have four slots.

    Besides, it¡¯s not like this isn¡¯t a useless one, like Ekre¡¯s Blessing. That¡¯s 48 INT, HLT, and MNA once at Level 25, and 24 AGI, STR, CON, PER, and LIF. I guess They don¡¯t gain a boost to LIF increases, which is a little bit of a shame. It won¡¯t make up for all of the LIF that I lost.

    Will I still lose LIF from making my Mana too dense, too fast? I get the feeling I will, that it wasn¡¯t just the Fog of Power doing that to me.

    Time to look at what Species I have available.

    Greater Human: As a Human, you have proven yourself, and can now become even greater. +2 INT, STR, CON, LIF, +1 AGI, CHA, PER, MNA, HLT, +5% to Class Experience in Dungeons

    Power Human: As a Human, you have proven yourself to be superior to most, in strength, in speed, and in intellect. +2 INT, AGI, STR, CON, LIF, +1 CHA, PER, MNA, HLT, +5% to gaining stats, +5% to Class Experience in Dungeons

    Mystic Human: As a Human, you have proven yourself to be superior in magics. +2 INT, MNA, MNP, PER, LIF, +1 AGI, CHA, STR, CON, HLT each Level, +5% to learning magics, +5% to Class Experience in Dungeons

    High Human: As a Human, you have proven yourself superior to all others. +2 INT, AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF, MNA, HLT, +5% to learning all Skills, gaining stats, +5% to Class Experience in Dungeons

    True Human: As a Human, you have proven yourself an explorer ¨C the very nature of humanity itself is to explore the world and learn new things. +2 INT, AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF, MNA, HLT, +10% to gaining stats, +10% to gaining Class Experience in Dungeons, gain +5 Species, Class Experience every time you enter a new land, Dungeon, Ruin, other

    Other? What does it mean by ¡®other¡¯? Does that mean that it can¡¯t just describe everything that would give me Experience?

    I pull up True Human to see the Advancement Quest for it.

    To Advance Human to True Human:

    By yourself, clear a Dungeon no one else has cleared before

    Harder than it sounds. But if the Temple of Dar Dungeon is still untouched, then I can take care of that one. I¡¯m getting over my issues with undead. At least, I like to think I am.

    I was spying on Michael earlier, before coming down here¡­ and had to do my hardest not to laugh. He was scolding the spiders as he killed them, whenever one got him with their webbing. He would jump and then start attacking the webbing, then eventually use his Mana to remove it.

    Surprisingly, he never got hurt when he did that.

    Shaking my head, I dismiss the windows in front of me. I¡¯ll probably take on the Advancement Quest once Beastborn (Wolf) is Level 25. Time to get to work on that. It only took me a few kills down here today to do master Human, and I was able to gain the same amount of Experience as usual yesterday, using a mix of magic and melee skills.

    I can probably hit fifteen hundred Species Experience, which means around three thousand Class Experience. Archer will definitely be mastered today.

    I get to work on fighting the undead warriors wandering this Floor, switching to Adept of Kar for Experience once Archer hits Level 25.

    It takes me another two days to bring Adept of Kar up to Level 25, and so I take on Mystic Novice for my third Secondary Class, and bring it up to Level 10 before leaving the Dungeon that day.

    It takes me another two days to bring Mystic Novice up to Level 25. Beastborn (Wolf) also hit Level 25 that day.

    I can take on one more Secondary Class before my Slots for it are full, and I¡¯ll have to work on Advancing them and Adept of Kar.

    -0 INT!

    Uh¡­ yes, I will.

    Not really, Nies says.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask. ¡°Was that you who took away the zero INT?¡±

    That was the System, as usual. I figured I¡¯d explain it this time so you don¡¯t get utterly confused, because he refuses to actually talk to you until you reach Mage.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Yes.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I say. ¡°So what do you mean, ¡®not really¡¯? I thought you could only change a Class before it hit Level 5, and that was by getting to the end of a Tier I Dungeon and completing it, then opting to access the Dungeon Core instead of leaving immediately?¡±

    Yes, for a Tier I Dungeon. A Tier II Dungeon Core access allows you to change a Tier I Class up through Level 25. If you couldn¡¯t do that, it¡¯d eventually become nearly impossible to take on new Secondary Classes in ordinary cases of people who aren¡¯t holding a Dekami buff, like your Bloodline.

    ¡°Will I lose the bonuses?¡±

    Nope, just like with changing before Level 5, though in most cases you don¡¯t actually have a bonus to lose, unless it¡¯s not a Common Class you took on. Sort of like you and Wizard. The System decided that was unfair, since you actually earned that Level, in most cases. Useful for switching out Common Classes to rarer ones, like Novice to Mystic Novice. And yes, you can still take on Novice, too, but Mystic Novice will grant any advancements Novice does, which is why you have Mystic Ranger available to advance from Scout or Archer, and would have if you¡¯d gone Novice and brought that to Level 25 instead of Mystic Novice.

    Okay.

    Also ¨C if you switch out a Class, you¡¯ve still ¡®qualified¡¯ on it, so you don¡¯t lose any possible Classes from having it mastered, just like with its stat boosts.

    ¡°That¡¯s useful,¡± I say.

    Very.

    ¡°The only problem with that,¡± I say. ¡°Is that I can¡¯t do a Tier II Dungeon by myself, and even if I did, I don¡¯t know where one is.¡±

    Oh, there¡¯s one not too far from here. And nearly all of your stats are over 200, with INT at almost 200¡­ you can definitely solo a Tier II Dungeon. Any Archwizard who knows what they¡¯re doing can handle most weaker Tier II Dungeons on their own. As a Mage, you can ignore the requirement of accessing the Dungeon Core of a Tier II Dungeon, and just do it yourself.

    ¡°Why does that not surprise me?¡±

    Archmages can revoke System access.

    That¡­ is random, but also interesting to know.

    ¡°You¡¯re referring to individuals, right?¡± I ask. ¡°Since a Mage can change the setting for a world, realm, or plane, I mean.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Yeah, for individuals.

    ¡°So you really think I can handle a weaker Tier II Dungeon?¡±

    I said that Archwizards who know what they¡¯re doing can handle weaker Tier II Dungeons on their own with ease. You¡¯re an Archwizard who gained 4 Levels of the Dekami Bloodline. You could probably sneeze on a low-level Tier II Dungeon, and it¡¯d complete itself.

    Dungeons don¡¯t complete themselves, Nies.

    That sounded like an adult, not a kid or teen, like Nies and Ekre.

    Yo, Aulor.

    Aulor? As in the god of healing that Gabriel Goldenlight had the Blessing of?

    You kid Divine¡­ you have no respect for elders.

    Technically, I¡¯m your elder. Why are you here?

    Looking for Ekre, this is his realm, after all. Why are you projecting me to the mortal? We¡¯re supposed to have minimal contact with them.

    No, you old gods just hold yourselves to that standard, interacting with your Heroes as little as possible. Mine needs help, and ¡®sending a sign¡¯ is too much work, so I¡¯m just going to tell him. If I feel like it.

    Do you know where Ekre is?

    Give him like five minutes, and he¡¯ll storm in here, pouting.

    Pouting?

    He doesn¡¯t like me using his bathroom.

    Say no more.

    Apparently, he has an issue with me putting scented candles in there. It¡¯s better than it smelling like poop.

    Gods poop?

    Boy does Ekre stink the place up¡­ so glad I changed the scent of my poop to something a little more tropical.

    Uh¡­

    I have no doubts he knows I can hear him.

    Stop projecting stuff like this to mortals, Nies. It isn¡¯t appropriate for a god to interact with them this much. I-

    It¡¯s too much work to do signs, and he¡¯s my Hero. I¡¯m just going to talk to him.

    Not how it works, Nies.

    You don¡¯t make the rules, Nies suddenly sounds very, very dangerous, and his tone sends a chill down my back. You are not an Origin, Aulor. If you have an issue with the way I handle my mortals, then take it up with the council, and then we will determine whether it¡¯s worth bothering about. Yes, I am a child in form and mentality, but I am still your superior. You old gods have a bad view of how things should be handled, and want to impose yourselves upon us. In addition, you think you can just enter another Divine¡¯s realm without permission.

    You¡¯re one to talk, Ekre apparently showed up. That, or he¡¯s just projecting to them. Seeing how often you show up here.

    So he showed up. Got it.

    Ekre, I wish to speak with you about-

    No one cares, Aulor, Nies¡¯s dangerous tone continues. You will leave at once, and request permission to speak with the Origin of Adventure when you have learned your place. We might be ¡®child gods¡¯, but we are not children. Do not forget that we are Divine, not mortals, and are not to be treated as such.

    Now begone, Nies orders. You are too troublesome to deal with, and I will kill you if you continue.

    Silence for several long seconds, though I can still sense him projecting to me.

    Old gods are so troublesome, Nies mutters. Ekre¡­ can I nap on your couch again? The tigers got back into my house, and they¡¯re too troublesome to deal with. They¡¯re napping on my couch.

    What about your bed?

    I like sleeping on couches more.

    They¡¯re on your bed, too, aren¡¯t they?

    No response.

    This is why you don¡¯t leave your doors open, Nies.

    It¡¯s too troublesome to close them.

    You close mine.

    Only ¡®cause you yell at me if I don¡¯t.

    I yell at you for being here, Ekre sighs. Go ahead. And stop projecting us to Gavin. If you want to talk to him, just project what you¡¯re saying to him.

    This is easier. I¡¯m done, anyway. Good luck, Gavin.

    ¡°Hey, Nies?¡±

    Yeah?

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Dungeon?¡±

    Instantly, knowledge of the location and how to get the Tier II Dungeon, as well as information about the Dungeon, forms in my mind.

    You¡¯re welcome.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say. ¡°Enjoy your nap.¡±

    After a reminder about the food offering, the connection disappears, and I snort, rolling my eyes at the gods. Nies got terrifying for a moment, and that was just from his voice. The fact that Aulor actually left only reinforces to me that Nies is not someone I should ever piss off.

    He¡¯d probably do something far worse than smite me and leave me as a spirit.

    What happens if a Divine smites a spirit?

    Shaking my head, I go back to looking at my available Classes.

    (II) Mystic Adept (Level 1)(Rare)(Quest Waiting)

    (II) Adept (Level 1)(Common)(Quest Waiting)

    (II) Student (Level 1)(Uncommon)(Quest Waiting)

    Elemental Novice (Level 1)(Rare)

    Leader (Level 1)(Rare)

    Fire Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Ice Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Water Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Air Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Stone Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Lightning Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Light Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Shadow Novice (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Novice (Level 1)(Common)

    Hunter (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Actor (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    (II) Mystic Ranger (Level 1)(Rare)(Quest Waiting)

    (II) Ranger (Level 1)(Uncommon)(Quest Waiting)

    Mystic Scout (Level 1)(Rare)

    (II) Mystic Archer (Level 1)(Rare)(Quest Waiting)

    (II) Spy (Level 1)(Common)(Quest Waiting)

    (II) Greater Archer (Level 1)(Common)(Quest Waiting)

    Thief (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Ruffian (Level 1)(Common)

    Squire (Level 1)(Common)

    Martial Artist (Level 1)(Uncommon)

    Blacksmith (Level 1)(Common)

    Tailor (Level 1)(Common)

    Mixer (Level 1)(Common)

    Woodcarver (Level 1)(Common)

    Cook (Level 1)(Common)

    Uh¡­

    I count eight Tier II Classes among that, when I¡¯m looking at Available Classes, though they¡¯re all listed as ¡®Quest Waiting¡¯. Strangely, Adept of Kar¡¯s Second Tier isn¡¯t listed. Mythical Classes probably have something extra needed. That, or Primary Classes¡¯ Second Tiers aren¡¯t listed among ¡®Available Classes¡¯. But then¡­ why would it list Tier II¡¯s in the first place?

    A little confused, I pull up Adept of Kar¡¯s Advancement Quest.

    Adept of Kar Advancement Quest:

    Request of Kar to Advance this Class to the Second Tier. Can be done anywhere, at anytime. Simply ask. If Kar finds you worthy, it will Advance to Magus of Kar.

    Ah. That¡¯s probably why it¡¯s not available ¨C it only has one Advanced form. I¡¯m guessing that a Class is only showing up here if it has more than one available Second Tier. Having whatever enabled the Mystic Attribute for Novice probably affected that, allowing for the Mystic addition to most of them. Then there are the regular additions.

    ¡°Kar,¡± I take a deep breath. ¡°I know we¡¯ve never talked before, but I am requesting permission to Advance my Class. I-¡±

    Adept of Kar is now Magus of Kar!

    +2 INT, MNP, MNA each Level, +20% to learning and Leveling magics and Techniques of Kar. Invulnerability in any Territory of Kar.

    Well, that happened.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    +1 CHA!

    Did Kar just grant me a point of charisma for thanking him?

    +0 INT!

    Thanks, System.

    +0 CHA!

    Back to figuring out what my fourth Secondary Class should be. As I do that, I look at the Quest for advancing Scout. It has Mystic Ranger and Spy as its advancements. No Mystic Spy, though.

    Mystic Ranger:

    +2 AGI, PER, +1 INT, STR every fourth Level

    Mystic Ranger is superior to Mystic Scout. I pull up Scout and compare it to Mystic Scout.

    Scout:

    +1 AGI, PER every fifth Level

    Mystic Scout:

    +1 AGI, PER, +1 INT every fourth Level

    I can¡¯t take on Scout, since I mastered it, but it looks like I can still take on Mystic Scout, and gain the boost from that. I pull up the Quest for Adept.

    Adept Advancement Quest:

    Bring Novice up to Level 25, then master a Tier I or higher spell

    Uh¡­ okay. So part of the Quest is taking on the base version. That¡¯s kind of amusing. I pull up the Mystic Adept Advancement Quest.

    Mystic Adept Advancement Quest:

    Master a Tier I or higher spell

    So looks like I just need to master a Tier I or higher spell for that one. Its bonuses aren¡¯t bad, either.

    Mystic Adept (II):

    +3 INT, +2 MNA every third Level, +10% to learning new magics

    I almost laugh at the ridiculously easy requirement. Ridiculously easy for me, that is. Most magicians would probably have spent decades to do that. It gives me a new level of respect for people who¡¯ve reached Tier II of a Class. All of the Quests seem to be difficult without some sort of boost. The Novice line only affects learning new magics, not Leveling them, and most Classes don¡¯t even have something like that.

    What Tier I spell should I learn now, to advance Mystic Novice to Mystic Adept? I took on the Quest.

    I wonder if these count for the Blessing. I didn¡¯t see a notification that I received a point. A quick check to my stats: LIF is one point higher.

    Mystic Ranger wants me to master an Archery Skill while having Stealth or Camouflage at Level 10. I still haven¡¯t used a bow, so I don¡¯t know my Skill Level for any of them, but it probably won¡¯t be too difficult for me. I¡¯ll buy a bow in town, and probably have that done within a week, at most.

    Back to the Tier I Spell, though. I have a bunch of Tier I Skills, but it specifically said ¡®spell¡¯, which relates to anything that¡¯s a magic that costs Mana to use.

    Maybe I should just get Ice Lance up to Level 10. It¡¯s only four more Levels, and it¡¯s not like it won¡¯t be part of my restoration of Jozan.

    An hour later, I have Mystic Adept and a much lower Mana. But Ice Lance is now Tier III, and again, I have Mystic Adept, so it doesn¡¯t really matter.

    Plus ¨C I¡¯ll just regenerate the Mana anyway, and Magus of Kar is now Level 6.

    I make my way back to the surface, since I¡¯m done for the day, my Mana depleted while gaining Mystic Adept, and sell my loot. That done, I look for a weapons shop that sells decent bows.

    ¡°Not every day we see a mage in here,¡± a couple of knights say from by the swords. ¡°Damn mages, always wanting to branch out. Their bodies are too flimsy to handle other shit. He¡¯ll learn that he can¡¯t just-whoa!¡±

    Skill Gained!

    Longbow Mastery 6/10: Proficiency with longbows

    Skill Gained!

    General Bow Mastery 6/10: Proficiency with bows in general

    ¡°The next shot,¡± I tell him. ¡°Will be through your head.¡±

    The first one passed only an inch in front of his eyes.

    I¡¯m surprised I have such a high Longbow Mastery, since I¡¯ve never used one before. My other bow masteries must be pretty high. I wonder what affects General Masteries.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I look at the clerk, who¡¯s staring at the arrow in shock. ¡°Do you have any shortbows? I need to get a bow Skill to Level 10 so I can take on Mystic Ranger, and while Longbow Mastery probably won¡¯t be too hard for me, I¡¯ll probably have a higher Shortbow Mastery, since I actually used them before gaining access.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the clerk says after looking at me. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I say. ¡°How much for this bow? It seems to work pretty fine. I could also use some arrows, as well as a recommendation for a place where I can fire this for a bit.¡±

    By the time I leave the archery range, I¡¯ve mastered Longbow Mastery. That¡­ was actually pretty easy. I mean, my arms are sore as hell (I can flip the bow around to use it in either arm, which is part of why I picked it), and it took me quite awhile, but I got it, and Mystic Ranger.

 Chapter 0045 - The First Mage

    After five more days of grinding, I reach Level 25 of Magus of Kar, thought opt not to advance that, because, uh, I¡¯d rather not ask Kar to do that again so soon. Not sure if he¡¯d approve or not. It takes me another ten days to bring Mystic Ranger and Mystic Adept, combined, to Level 25.

    I decide to take on Elemental Novice for my fourth Secondary Class.

    Elemental Novice:

    +1 INT, MNA every third Level, +5% to learning new magics, +5% to learning and Leveling elemental magics

    It locks me out of all of the element-specific Novice Classes, but those boosted a specific element by the same amount, rather than all.

    Another two days, pushing hard, and I bring it up to Level 25. I only have to master a Tier I or above elemental spell, so I decide to tackle Ice Lance, since I won¡¯t be gaining Experience until I Advance a Class, anyway.

    I reach Ice Lance (III) five minutes before remembering that Magus of Kar unlocked for me another Secondary Class slot when it reached Level 15¡­ and another Primary Class slot when it reached Tier II.

    I think my ability to gain Classes is broken. Because I¡¯m using magic ¨C which is related to nearly all of my Classes, now ¨C and because of my two thousand percent boost to gaining Experience in Dungeons, combined with my strong dedication to what I¡¯m fighting to gain Experience for, and¡­

    It takes me two or three days to master a Tier I Class, and five to master a Tier II.

    What should take people decades or more than a century is taking me days.

    So what do I do?

    I bring Elemental Adept up to Level 25 in five days.

    Elemental Adept and Mystic Adept both go to their respective Magus Classes¡­ but it looks like having both at Level 25 unlocks an additional Class: True Magus.

    True Magus (Legendary): Someone with not just a Mana Pool far higher than what others believe possible and learned several spells of regular magic, but someone who has mastered the elements and what lays beyond. +3 INT, MNA, MNP every second Level, +20% to learning new magics, Leveling Magics

    I pull up the requirements for it.

    True Magus: Mystic Adept (II) Level 25, Elemental Adept (II) Level 25, Minimum of 3 School of Magic Spells mastered, minimum of 3 Mastered Magical Manipulations, plus Mana Manipulation Mastered, minimum of 5 Mastered Elemental Spells of differing Elements.

    The Quest requires me to master a Tier III or higher Spell. I have two at Tier IV that I could bring up to Tier V, I suppose. I should pick another Secondary Class or another Primary Class, though. That way, I can actually gain Experience and power.

    What should I take, though?

    In the end, I decide on Leader for my third Primary Class. It can apparently only be a Primary Class, and the moment I take it, it moves itself to the front of the list. Priority Class, I should¡¯ve seen that coming just by the name.

    Leader 1 (Rare): Someone who leads a group of others, you¡¯ve shown strength and wisdom in your choices, and have learned from past mistakes. +1 INT, CHA every third Level, +5% to learning and Leveling all leadership Skills

    It takes me two days bring Firebolt Chain to Tier V, and pushing hard, Leader to Level 25.

    I almost laugh at the fact that my first Tier III Class is a Secondary Class. They take 100 Experience per Level, so it¡¯ll probably take me ten days to bring it up to Level 25 again. However, I could probably increase my training each day. I¡¯ve been stopping a little sooner than I actually need to. Instead of three thousand or so Experience, I could probably push for four or five thousand Experience per day, which would actually speed things up a bit.

    I am so ridiculously overpowered¡­

    I manage to bring True Magus to Level 25 in six days. I can hit around 5,000 Experience before I need to head back.

    The sad part about only having one spatial ring is the inability to bring my loot back with me. I focus on the larger monster crystals and whatever actual loot drops. I¡¯ve gotten pretty good at estimating their values, because of that.

    I wonder if O thinks I would¡¯ve broken the economy, with my massive influx of loot from here. I can only manage about five hundred thousand or so krat per trip, and have to use the city¡¯s banking system just to store it, because then I¡¯d have no room in my ring.

    ¡°Hey, Bethany,¡± I approach the Guild lady who registered me and my team for the Guild. ¡°I know y¡¯all have been letting me go down to the 30<sup>th</sup> Floor without a problem, but I was wondering if you could increase that for me, so I don¡¯t have to break the rules to Advance Archwizard to Mage? I have to kill a Scaled Wyvern as part of the Quest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be able to do that,¡± she holds out the tablet. ¡°Unless you grouped up with some other strong Adventurers. Even then, odds are that you¡¯d fail. No one¡¯s ever passed Floor 47 because of that thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can handle it,¡± I place my hand on the crystal, and it glows. I release it, and she pulls it back to read my new stats, and I think I shocked her a little too much, since I haven¡¯t updated in over a month, and this last month has earned quite the amount of Levels and stats. ¡°Bethany? You there?¡±

    ¡°Wh-wh-wh-wha?¡± She finally says. ¡°How in the Dungeon did you get so strong so fast? A combined Level of 371? 385 INT? All of your stats are over 200!¡±

    ¡°So can I?¡±

    ¡°Can you?¡± She asks. ¡°You could probably kill the Scaled Wyvern by yourself! I¡¯ve never even heard of a Subspecies before, but it says you have one! Jeez, Gavin ¨C you having Wizard is one hell of a Class!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± I smile at her. ¡°Wizard has pretty much nothing to do with this, actually. Something else enabled me to do this. Do I have permission?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she answers. ¡°According to the logs, you should be able to handle up until the twelfth Boss on your own.¡±

    In other words, I can make it to Floor 76, but will probably run into trouble on Floor 77, against the thirteenth Boss. That¡¯s nice to know.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I smile at her. ¡°I¡¯ll run down to Floor 47 tomorrow, then, and kill the Scaled Wyvern so I can get this Class up to the Third Tier.¡±

    ¡°According to this,¡± she waves the tablet. ¡°You already have a Tier III Class.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± I smile at her. ¡°A Legendary Class.¡±

    I turn and leave, concealing my humor at the reactions of everyone who overheard her squealing. A lot of them know I¡¯m powerful, because of my haul and my practicing at the Guild (which I stopped doing because I don¡¯t really need more magics). This, however, is showing it to them. Killing the Scaled Wyvern will only further that proof for them.

    I wonder what loot I¡¯ll get from that thing.

    The fourth, eighth, and final Bosses are all harder than other Bosses of the equivalent difficulty levels, and they each drop good loot.

    I can¡¯t wait until the Final Boss fight, and whatever loot it grants me. It must be pretty good.

    I make my way to a restaurant for dinner, then back to my inn to sleep. In the morning, I shop around town for houses, until I find one that I think is actually decent. Has a decent-sized yard, nine bedrooms, four bathrooms, three potty rooms, a nice, stone kitchen, and a cellar. I can easily afford to have it enchanted for privacy and anti-magic.

    I pay the owner the fee upfront, then seek out the best Enchanters¡¯ Guild in the city that I can trust (as much as anyone can be trusted), and pay them the fee to enchant the house. I think they give me a discount, and the leader promises to get to work on it as soon as possible.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    An hour later, I think the entire Guild shows up. I watch as they enchant, bringing Magic Sight up to Level 10 as I observe the enchantments being placed.

    They finish by the end of the day, and I think they put a rush on the job. Not rushed the work itself, but there¡¯s no way they normally have thirty Enchanters to do a single house. I made sure to pay a little bit more than he told me was the agreed price, after they finish.

    That done, I track down my team and introduce them to our new home, and Michael looks at me, a little confused.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You got it enchanted all in a day?¡±

    ¡°Four hours,¡± I nod. ¡°I think he had the entire Guild come out to enchant it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a lot more powerful, now,¡± Eli comments, and I look at him. ¡°We can sense Magic and Mana, remember? Your Mana Pool has grown immense this last month, and the pure magic just radiating off of you¡­ I think even Dad would find you a tough foe to fight.¡±

    Though with him stealing people¡¯s Stats and Resources, that¡¯s probably not entirely true. He¡¯s probably going to be more powerful than me, now, just from whatever he managed to get in the months between when he started that and when they showed up here.

    That¡¯s part of why I want to Advance Archwizard ¨C it will be at least twenty-four to all stats. I¡¯m not sure how the scaling works for Classes and Tiers, so it¡¯s possible I¡¯ll only get plus three to all stats each Level, or I might get four or five.

    Once everyone moves their stuff to our residence in this town, we go our for dinner to celebrate, then meet back up at the house and pick out our rooms. I get the only room with an attached bathroom and attached potty room, because the rest of the team says it should belong to the leader.

    The Leader Class Advancement Quest¡­

    Leader Advancement Quest:

    ???

    ¡°Nies?¡± I say as I lie on my bed.

    Yes?

    ¡°Do you know what the Leader Advancement Quest is?¡± I ask. ¡°It¡¯s not showing me anything.¡±

    What a bother.

    ¡°Sorry for bothering you.¡±

    The System¡¯s too lazy to put in the full explanation. Basically: you have to prove worth as a leader. You probably unlocked the Class because of your stupidly powerful Bloodline¡¯s stupidly powerful bonuses and having people willingly join your Order without you having to convince them to. You¡¯ll probably need to grow your Order more in order to advance it. That, or perform some great feat of leadership.

    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± I say. ¡°Enjoy your nap at Ekre¡¯s.¡±

    I¡¯m actually at my own place, he pouts. Ekre blocked me from entering his domain. It¡¯s such a bother, closing the doors. So I only closed the front and back doors. And made sure to close the windows, after the incident last week. Now, the tigers can¡¯t get in. I have to keep adjusting the temperature, though. Leaving the windows open made it feel nice in here. Ekre¡¯s so mean.

    ¡°Enjoy your nap, then,¡± I say.

    I¡¯ll do my best to try.

    I get some sleep, and in the morning, make my way back to the Dungeon, noticing an increase in the amount of Tier II Adventurers hanging around the lobby. They all follow me ¨C at a distance ¨C as I make my way down into the depths of the Dungeon. I collect the last-needed Experience for Archwizard with mundane skills on my way into the Dungeon¡¯s depths.

    I stop walking at the entrance to Floor 47, turning and watching as they all approach as they think I¡¯ve already gone down to the next Floor.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I say once the three teams have arrived and are staring at me. ¡°So the thirty-seven of you know, I have to kill the Scaled Wyvern without any help, to Advance one of my Classes. No one buff me, no one attack the beast, no one distract it. Nothing. I must do it on my own.¡±

    ¡°What about healing?¡± A priest asks.

    ¡°You¡¯re assuming I¡¯ll be injured,¡± I turn and begin walking down the tunnel to the next Floor. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to have to wait however long it takes me to regenerate Mana, if needed, or an hour, whichever is what I¡¯ll end up doing if one of you interferes, so stay the hell back. I don¡¯t get it on the first kill, I¡¯ll probably be in a foul enough mood to kill whoever interfered.¡±

    Entering the cavern, I find a beast standing twice my height with dark grey scales walking on its legs and foreclaws. It screeches the moment it sees me, and I unleash a wave of Firebolts at it. They slide it back a little bit from the force, and burn the scales where they struck.

    It screeches again, and I send another wave of Firebolts at it, this time, breaking through its scales. It takes off in the air, its wings circulating the air in here and sending gusts my way, and my next wave shreds its wings, sending the beast crashing to the ground, back to where I can hit it with more accuracy. My fourth and final wave bursts through the skin under the destroyed scales, exploding inside the beast, killing it.

    ¡°Well,¡± I realize after I finish. ¡°I just realized¡­ but I probably would¡¯ve gotten through its scales faster with Lightning Bolt or Firebolt Chain. Oh, well.¡±

    I walk over to where the beast one, where scales dropped down, and send them into my ring.

    ¡°Alright,¡± I turn around after collecting the ¡®Scaled Wyvern Scales¡¯.¡°Time to head back up. That was surprisingly easier than I expected.¡±

    It really was. I thought it¡¯d be just a tad bit harder, since Christopher couldn¡¯t kill one when his stats were about half of what mine are, now.

    Wait¡­

    How were his stats so high?

    He¡¯d been stealing stats for awhile, hadn¡¯t he?

    +0 INT!

    Damn. I wonder how no one noticed that.

    I walk past the Adventurers, who are staring in shock, though can hear them following behind me after a moment. When I reach the surface, Bethany raises an eyebrow.

    ¡°He hit it with fifty Firebolts,¡± one of the Adventurers says. ¡°Launched them rapidly, without a single utterance of its name, and killed it, just like that. It was over in seconds.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± I say. ¡°Now I need to go complete the other portion of the Quest. See you.¡±

    I leave the Guild, then make my way out of town. The Tier II Dungeon is a four-hour walk away. According to Nies¡¯s information, it¡¯s just caverns filled with goblins and mazes, but he (probably accidentally) gave me a map of the Dungeon.

    The goblins in the Dungeon are stronger than regular Goblins, but with how powerful I am now, that¡¯s probably not a problem. I did, after all, just kill a Scaled Wyvern on my own, with relative easy. It takes me longer to reach the Dungeon than it does for me to recover the spent Mana.

    Taking a deep breath, I enter the Dungeon, putting on some speed as I do, flying past most monsters and killing any that are too close to me or in my way. The bosses die quickly.

    It takes me all of an hour to reach the Final Boss, a giant Goblin that dies with two Firebolts to the face.

    Would you like to Access the Dungeon Core: Y/N?

    Archwizard is now Mage!

    For advancing a Class to the next Tier, you have gained +5 to all stats!

    Mage (III): A true master of magic, your boundaries are few and slim, and your power greater than any other. +4 to all stats each Level, +40% to learning and Leveling new skills, +40% to learning and Leveling all magics.

    Title Earned!

    First Mage: The first person to ever attain the Class of Mage

    A First Title? For reaching Mage?

    I knew they existed for being the first to reach a Class, but gaining them is difficult. I didn¡¯t even get one for Magus of Kar, which should have been incredibly difficult to obtain. But for Mage?

    Isn¡¯t there a Mage going around the universe, granting partial or full access to different worlds, realms, and planes?

    If I¡¯m the first Mage¡­

    There¡¯s no one doing that.

    Is the System just randomly granting access?

    +0 INT!

    Bored, much?

    +0 INT!

    Sadistic bastard.

    +0 CHA!

    He finds that endearing¡­ oh, dear.

    Sighing, I accept access to the Dungeon Core and remove Archer as a Class. It looks like I can take on a total of six Secondary Classes, with slots for two Tier II Secondary Classes. How?

    Primary Class at Level 15, Nies¡¯s voice echoes in my head. Why is he echoing? You can take on a Secondary Class at that Tier or Lower. I don¡¯t know why the System never explains this somewhere. Most people don¡¯t know about this, though, because of how difficult it is to get a Class to the next Tier, and bringing it up to Level 15 again is difficult as well. That¡¯s the equivalent of reaching Level 21 in Tier I. Or almost reaching it. Either way, it¡¯s difficult. Also, don¡¯t forget that you have a new Primary Class slot available now, too, and will be able to take on a Secondary Class of Tier III or lower once Mage reaches Level 15.

    That¡¯s right¡­ I can take on two more Primary Classes.

    I wonder how strong I¡¯ll have to be to defeat the dragon.

    Honestly? Not much stronger than you are now. Get your INT up to 500, and it¡¯d be a piece of cake to kill. Cake¡­ I want cake. Now I¡¯m hungry.

    ¡°You¡¯re always hungry,¡± I say. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you could read my thoughts, like the System can.¡±

    You¡¯re my Hero, of course I can read your thoughts, and that came out worded weird, it did? I just don¡¯t normally do it because it¡¯s too much effort.

    ¡°Then why were you doing it?¡±

    I honestly have no idea. I¡¯m not doing it now, though, because it¡¯s too much effort. Since you haven¡¯t taken advantage of that free slot for a Tier II Class, you still technically have them available, even though you have Tier II and III Classes. It only counts starting.

    Get out of my realm, this sounds like an adult god. So I guess an ¡®old god¡¯. Not Aulor, though. Nies, don¡¯t make me sic the council on you again.

    All they did was give me food and tuck me in for a nap. Anyway, as I was saying, you can take on up to two Tier II Classes from start because of having slots open from the Tier II Primary Classes at Level 15 or above. This is good cake.

    Yes, and it was supposed to be my dessert.

    It¡¯s a delicious dessert, Nies responds without a trace of emotion in his voice. Do you have any other questions, Gavin?

    ¡°What Classes do you recommend I take on?¡±

    Martial artist, Squire. Mystic for Tier II. Once you¡¯ve gotten enough Classes up to Tier III, Level 25, you¡¯ll have access to not just Dragon Knight, but Dragon Mage. It¡¯s a pretty OP Class, sort of like Wizard. It¡¯s a Legendary Class, so it gains stats every even Level.

    Get off my couch, Nies.

    I want to take a nap.

    Go back to your realm, then.

    Anything else, Gavin? If not, I¡¯m going to take a nap.

    ¡°Nope,¡± I say. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    You¡¯re welcome.

    The image of a wolf pup forms in my mind, and I can¡¯t help but wonder why he sent that to me.

    Deciding that it¡¯s probably something to do with Michael, I close the interface for the Dungeon Core, then allow the Dungeon to warp me out. Out of the Dungeon, I run back to town and locate Michael, who¡¯s napping on his bed. He¡¯s curled up in a ball, his tail tucked between his legs, his arms around his legs as he sleeps. He looks so peaceful. He¡¯s kicking a foot a little bit, making small yipping noises, and it reminds me of when dogs are dreaming about hunting.

    Nies¡­ did you really send me an image of a wolf pup just because Michael was napping?

    No response. Of course not.

    Shaking my head, I make my way to a restaurant, to find something to eat.

 Chapter 0046 - The First Archmage

    Another month has come and gone, and it¡¯s finally time for the team to meet back up. I¡¯m far, far more powerful than I was before, despite not having allowed a single Level for Mage until the last six days, bringing it up to Level 24 and stopping it there. It takes me a trip and a half for a Tier I Class, three trips for a Tier II Class, and six days for a Tier III Class, to bring them from Level 1 to Level 25.

    At the start of the month, anyway. By the end of the month¡­

    Yeah, right. Like I¡¯d take that long to do something I now see as trivial.

    I can probably handle the Dragon on my own. It likely won¡¯t be as fast as the Scaled Wyvern, but I can still probably handle it on my own, so on my way back up to the Guild, I gain the last Mage Level.

    ¡°Hey, Kayla,¡± I greet the usual Guild Elf.

    ¡°Going to update your stats again, since it¡¯s been a month?¡± She sighs.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer. ¡°I want to head down to the Final Floor and battle the Final Boss. I need to kill a Dragon for my Advancement Quest for Mage. That, and solo a Tier III Dungeon. I have to solo the Dragon, too, mind you, it¡¯s just finding a Tier III Dungeon isn¡¯t easy.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think you can handle a Dragon by yourself?¡± She holds out my tablet, and I place my hand on it and push in a little Mana. ¡°It¡¯s a far different creature from a¡­ seriously, Gavin? Why do I even bother questioning you? You¡¯re qualified to go all the way down to¡­ it says Floor 100.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the Final Floor,¡± I confirm. ¡°Has a Dragon as the Final Boss.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be able to kill it or not,¡± she says. ¡°It simply says you¡¯re qualified to go down that far. Generally, that means in a team. But I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone who could actually survive that deep, other than you,¡± she sighs. ¡°How many Tier IV Classes do you have?¡±

    ¡°Two,¡± I answer. ¡°I have a Tier III Primary, a Tier II Primary, two Tier IV Secondary, a Tier II Secondary, and three Tier III Secondaries.¡±

    ¡°How many are at Level 25?¡±

    ¡°All of them.¡±

    ¡°That explains the combined Level of 600,¡± She sighs. ¡°Is Advancing your Species really that hard? You haven¡¯t done it yet, despite being at Level 25 Human for more than a month.¡±

    ¡°For the particular Advancement I want to do,¡± I say. ¡°I have to completely clear a Dungeon that no one has completely cleared before, and I have to do it alone. There aren¡¯t any of those around here.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± she says. ¡°Well, I do know where a Tier III Dungeon is located, and can tell you for two hundred thousand krat.¡±

    I pay the fee, and she gives me the location.

    ¡°I can get there in a day,¡± I say. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    I leave and make my way to a restaurant, then meet up with my team after, and let them know I¡¯m ready to Advance to Archmage.

    ¡°However,¡± I say. ¡°That would require us staying a few more days. I¡¯ll rest for two days in the Dungeon going up and coming back, each ¨C once at Floor 60, and once at Floor 96, to make sure I¡¯m rested enough for the Dragon. Then another two days for the Tier III Dungeon, which I can handle on my own, as it seems it¡¯s simply combat and mazes,¡± this continent is a huge fan of those. ¡°So it¡¯d be another week or so.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Michael stretches. ¡°We can train or rest for another week, then share our advances after that. I will admit, I am kind of nervous to see your stats.¡±

    ¡°So am I,¡± Eli nods.

    ¡°Same,¡± Dylan says, having actually learned some of Karus, but still doesn¡¯t have the Skill for it.

    ¡°I am, however, a bit confused,¡± Michael looks at me. ¡°From what I overheard at the Guild, you have two Tier IV Secondary Classes, but you¡¯ve yet to take on another Primary Class. Don¡¯t you have four slots? You¡¯re about to open up a fifth slot for it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nod. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for another Mythical Class to appear for me to take. I¡¯ve decided that all of my Primary Classes will be Mythical Classes. Sure, I could probably Advance something like Thief to something powerful at Tier IV in a week or so, but I find myself a little bit spoiled in the regard for Classes. That, and I find this a nice way to cap how many Classes I can take on. I¡¯m currently limited to seven Secondary Classes, though I only have six right now.¡±

    ¡°Leader¡¯s Mythical?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare,¡± I shake my head. ¡°But it can only be taken as a Primary Class, sort of like Royal and King. So I¡¯m making that an exception to the Mythical-only Primary Classes.¡±

    Leader Class has been transformed into Leader of Magic Class!

    Leader of Magic grants the same bonuses as Leader, no adjustments made

    Leader of Magic (Mythical): Someone who has proven his worth as a leader and in magic, combining the two to prove a formidable diplomatic foe

    Uh¡­ thanks? I¡¯m not sure how I actually qualify for that, but that¡¯s nice to know.

    ¡°You look baffled,¡± Michael comments.

    ¡°The System decided to upgrade Leader to Leader of Magic,¡± I say. ¡°Which is apparently a Mythical Class.¡±

    That was me.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I say. ¡°That was Nies who did it. Why, exactly, did you do that?¡±

    You killed a Scaled Wyvern with magic after commanding people who had no affiliation to you, and they listened. You kind of earned that. So I upgraded you because you really do deserve it, even though it¡¯s a month late. I also gave you random extra LIF, just because. I¡¯m not sure if you noticed.

    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± I say. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    To bribe you into offering up more food when you finally make it to one of my temples with an intact altar.

    ¡°Is that even allowed?¡±

    No, but I did it anyway.

    ¡°What did Nies do?¡± Eli asks.

    ¡°He was being him,¡± I answer. ¡°He¡¯s trying to bribe me into putting more food on the altar when I finally get to one of his temples. The rest of the day, I¡¯m going to be stocking up on food and resting, for my trip down to Floor 100, though I¡¯m also going to leave the next couple of days, take care of that Dungeon, first.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    They nod, then we finish up eating and chatting, and we split up. I do my shopping and put everything into my ring, then make my way back to the house to turn in for the night. In the morning, I head out to the Dungeon, which is filled with goblins, kobolds, and spiders (Michael is officially over his fear of them and it¡¯s now a mutual dislike).

    On a hunch, I access the Dungeon Core, and discover that I can remove a Tier II Class up to Level 25 from it, and promptly remove Mystic Gladiator. I can also use this interface to simply reapply any Class I¡¯ve already gained access to, as well as accept any Advancement Quest, regardless of Rank.

    That¡¯s actually really useful. A Tier IV Dungeon¡¯s Dungeon Core will probably enable me to remove Tier III Classes, meaning I could bring any Class up to Tier III Level 25, then remove it, and keep doing that until I have the perfect combination to unlock Legendary Classes and beyond.

    That done, I return to the entrance and make my way back to town, then to the Dungeon. When I enter the Guild, I notice a heavy presence of Tier II Adventurers, most of whom know about my power from the Scaled Wyvern, but there are some I¡¯ve never seen before.

    ¡°Who do you think you are, kid?¡± A trio of burly Adventurers approach me, along with five magician Adventurers in their party, two roguelike ones, and one I think is a healer, but mostly because I¡¯m not bothering to actually pull up their windows. ¡°Claiming to be able to kill a Dragon? Hah! As if! How¡¯d you fool the tablets?¡±

    ¡°Please move out of my way,¡± I say. ¡°You¡¯re blocking the path to the entrance of the Dungeon, and I¡¯d rather not kill someone before I make the journey down.¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± one of the mages begins to say.

    ¡°No,¡± the man who spoke originally interrupts him. ¡°I want the brat to tell me how he fooled the tablets, and why he thinks he can get away with claiming to be able to kill a Dragon.¡±

    ¡°There were more than thirty witnesses,¡± I say. ¡°To me killing a Scaled Wyvern on Floor 47. There is a Dragon on Floor 100, and I¡¯m going to kill it. Final chance to move before I do something drastic.¡±

    ¡°Why do you believe you can spread this-¡± he cuts off as the air takes on the violet hue that denotes the presence of my Mana Presence.

    I leverage enough of my Mana Pool to drop every person in here to the ground, only the strong able to only go down to their knees.

    ¡°Let me make something clear,¡± I say. ¡°I have a combined Level of 600, and two Tier IV Classes. I am the most powerful Adventurer you will ever meet. I am the Hero of Nies, the God of Blood Oaths, and unlike your god, mine actually talks with me. I have spoken with a variety of Divine Beings, and even a being who can command the Divine. You are nothing more than a pest to me. When I say move, you hurry. I am going to kill the Dragon on the Final Floor, no matter how many attempts it takes me. Once I do, I will reach the Fourth Tier of my first Primary Class, a Mythical Class in the line of Wizard, Advancing Mage to Archmage. Now move, before I decide to kill you to be done with the problem.¡±

    I release my Skill, and he doesn¡¯t move.

    ¡°NOW!¡± I roar, and he ¨C and his party ¨C scramble out of my way.

    I walk towards the Dungeon, and begin the trek down to the Final Floor, a trip that takes me three days to manage.

    When I finally enter Floor 100, I am met with the peak of a mountain, thirteen pillars in a circle around me. The fwooing of wings through air fills the air, and I turn to face the Dragon.

    Scales as red as blood, and eyes to match. The beast¡¯s head is as tall as I am, and the sheer magic and Mana radiating from it is immense.

    This is a creature of intelligence, its eyes tell me. And it¡¯s a creature with OFV unlocked as well, to have Mana radiating around it.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    The Dragon halts its descent and stares at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to be reborn an hour after I kill you,¡± I say. ¡°Same exact dude you were before. Would you mind just letting me kill you?¡±

    It roars, then breathes out fire. I summon a Magic Shield, which cracks after ten seconds of the breath. I summon up a second one, holding it behind the first, then a third, just in case. The third one cracks just as the breath runs out.

    I fire off several Lightning Bolts at the Dragon as I run to the side, ducking behind a pillar just as more fire is unleashed.

    Sensing the Dragon move as it burns the air around me, I summon up Magic Shields to protect myself. The Dragon flies over the pillar, flipping in the air to keep its breath on me. I move around the pillar as it does that, to give myself as little time under the flame as possible.

    Timing it, I launch several Lightning Bolts at the air above me, the Dragon flying off to the side and stopping the breath to dodge them. They couldn¡¯t have done that much damage before, if any, yet it still avoided them¡­

    So it¡¯s smart enough to know that repeated hits can break through its scales. It¡¯s nice to know that I can still damage it, even if it doesn¡¯t appear like I¡¯m damaging it.

    I run behind another pillar after firing off lightning bolts in multiple directions, and then notice the Dragon flying directly above, breathing fire down at the pillar itself, hitting all around it with its breath.

    My shields weren¡¯t even needed, because the flames hit the top of the pillar, then split into a cone around me. I am grateful for my Heat Resistance ¨C the flames, just a foot away from me, are so hot that I can still feel the heat on my skin.

    I count out the seconds as the Dragon breathes its fire, and just before I think it¡¯s done, I fire off two dozen Lightning Bolts and launch them up. The fire fades just before the bolts pass through, and they slam into the Dragon, whose scales break.

    The Dragon flies off for a few seconds, returning with its scales healed. Its Mana Pool is around ten percent lower than when we started, and I¡¯ve already burned up twenty percent of mine, just from the Lightning Bolts and blocking its breath with my shields.

    I run across the peak, and the dragon chases after me. I spin around, launching a dozen Lightning Bolts at it as it inhales for its next breath attack. It rears back, but a moment too late ¨C some of them damaged its scales, but one hit my intended target: inside its giant maw.

    The Dragon splutters and coughs, flying up into the sky, probably to recover more of its health, and I fire off more Lightning Bolts at it, then stop when it¡¯s out of range.

    Ten minutes pass before the Dragon returns, and it¡¯s at full Mana.

    The moment I heard it coming, I begin working on a new spell formed of runes I learned from my various teachers and the Grimoire.

    ¡°Chaotic energies and frozen order, come to life in a single strike, halting all within range as you ravage any you calm. A single icy blast, charged with the energy of a thousand lives ¨C Spear of Frozen Lightning!¡±

    A six-foot spear forms in my hands as the Dragon descends. Formed of solid, violet ice with a gold glow at its heard, violet energy sparking off the surface, the air around it cooling, an icy mist radiating around it.

    Skill Gained!

    (VII) Spear of Frozen Lightning 1/10: A spear formed of the chaotic energies of lightning and the frozen order of ice, this spear will freeze nigh anything it comes into contact with, while at the same time, ripping it apart with lightning.

    Title Earned!

    (IV) Spell Maker: One who has not only drawn from other magics, but forged his own, crafting a new spell of the highest Tier

    Damn chanting time needed for this spell¡­ and it took me 100 Mana to create, too.

    I fire the Spear as the Dragon unleashes another breath, and when the spear and flames collide¡­

    The world is filled with a brilliant white light that blinds me. I rapidly use Life Restore on my eyes until I can see again, and when I do, I find myself surrounded by ice shaped like a cone of fire. The entire peak has been filled with this, a violet light filtering in through the ice. Electricity snaps across the ice here and there, and I¡¯m left in awe at the sheer beauty of it.

    The Dragon¡¯s dead, too.

    +3 Vials of Dragon¡¯s Blood Essence!

    Mage is now Archmage!

    For Advancing a Class to the next Tier, you have gained +5 to all stats!

    Archmage (Mythical)(Ultimate): A true master of magic, there is nothing beyond your power. No spell is out of your reach, no magic beyond your grasp. +10 to all stats each Level, +100% to learning and Leveling all Skills, +100% to learning and Leveling all magics

    Title Earned!

    First Archmage: The first to have attained the Class of Archmage

    Title Earned!

    First Ultimate Warrior: The first to ever attain an Ultimate (Tier IV) Class

    -Prerequisite met previously exempting one qualification: Primary Class Tier IV

    Title Earned!

    Dragonslayer: One who has slain the most mighty of foes, a Dragon

    Title Earned!

    First Dragonslayer: The first to ever slay the most mighty of foes, a Dragon

    You know¡­ I could probably master Archmage in two weeks, here.

 Chapter 0047 - Time to Leave

    (Gavin)

    Looking around at the violet ice surrounding the peak, I wonder if, even though this is a Dungeon, the Dragon has a hoard. Odds are that it does, and I want to see it.

    There has to be something in it.

    First, though, I need to figure out how to break through the ice. My last three bolts of lightning did almost no damage to it.

    Summoning up even more of my power, I blast through the ice with a bolt of lightning more powerful than any I have cast before.

    That done, I manipulate the air around me to fly off the peak and scan the area surrounding me, until I spot a small glimmer in the distance.

    There.

    I fly in that direction, manipulating the air around me to guide me to the cave, settling down gently and looking around at the gold and treasures. There''s a nest not far from the entrance, but what captures my attention rests on a pedestal at the back of the Dungeon.

    A thick, leather tome with the same symbol on its cover as on the cover of the Grimoire in my ring.

    Approaching, I confirm that it''s another Grimoire, and flip it open. Between the cover and the first page is a separate sheet of paper.

    To whomever has managed to slay the Dragon and make their way to this cave, congratulations. Know that the Dragon which spawns here has no more power than any Dragon a year old. A full, adult Dragon is not something a mortal could do, even a long-lived one such as the Wizards.

    If you''re reading this, then you are, no doubt, familiar with the Class of Wizard, possibly even one, yourself, so I won''t go into details.

    Know this about Dragons: they are beings which mix all 11 types of Resource into one. Likely, you didn''t experience this power. If you did, then you already know all 11 of them, and can wield them.

    This Grimoire contains the secrets to Aether, and is the text containing my most powerful Aether Magics. Even I, with all my power, was unable to slay the Dragon. I had to return after our initial battle, and request of it permission to hide the Grimoire here. If you have never found one before, know that I have hidden them throughout the world in places that will likely kill more people than will ever be able to hope to enter.

    Thankfully, the Dragon isn''t a mindless beast, and understood that I did not wish to kill it, but to hide something of great value. Holding the Grimoire when I came onto this floor likely helped me that.

    Good luck with your journeys, warrior, and know that this is just the beginning to it all.

    Whatever that means, I burn the paper, then pick up the Grimoire. It''s quite hefty, just like mine, and I don''t have the space for it in my ring. I tuck it under my arm, then spot a ring that sat beneath it.

    It''s similar to mine, but the space within it is far, far larger than space of my ring.

    I slip on the ring and send the Grimoire into it. The ring was in a small dip in the pedestal, and I don''t recall Gabriel having a ring on him when we found him.

    If someone looted him, they would have taken something as valuable as the Grimoire and the True Ward.

    Did he lose it before then?

    I doubt it, but it might have happened. That, or he simply didn''t take it. Perhaps he didn''t notice it, not examining further after finding a Grimoire filled with magics like that one.

    The Dragon reforms behind me, and I stare at it.

    "Hi."

    The Dragon exhales a breath of flames, and they draw to my arm, the Ouroboros consuming the magic. It then glares at the Dragon, which stares at it in shock.

    Then, then Dragon walks over to its nest and lies down, and the Ouroboros takes its tail back into its mouth, turning invisible once more.

    I fly back to the peak, then begin to descend the Dungeon, making sure to spend some extra time at the upper Floors, so that I can bring Archmage up to Level 25. once I finish that, I make my way all the way down to the surface, breezing by Adventurers who don''t even notice me at my speed.

    I don''t even bother dropping off my loot, just make my way to my house, startling Michael, who was reading a book.

    "Back."

    "You spent more than ''a few days'', Gavin," he rolls his eyes. "What''d you do ¨C Master Archmage while you were in there?"

    "I didn''t know how long it''d take me to be somewhere that would give decent Experience to it again."

    He snorts and rolls his eyes.

    "I"m glad you were the one I came across," I say. "I know your memory is excellent ¨C could you draw up a map of what you know of the world, and the Dungeons across it, and how they link?"

    "Already done that for you," he says.

    "I meant another copy," I correct. "I''m not going to the Grind Arena with you guys."

    "Why not?" Warren asks, entering the house.

    "You two," I say. "Need to get stronger. I, on the other hand, need to start getting shit taken care of, before time runs out on my Blood Quest. I''m going to see your father, then track down Kade and King Tyler."

    And while I''m on that continent, might as well start boosting Jozan''s reputation. There''s nothing in the Blood Quest requiring it to be on my continent that their reputation is boosted, just that it reaches a certain value.

    I only hope it''s enough that it can make a difference, once I start boosting it on our continent.

    Those fuckers have no idea what they''re in for.

    At all.

    I am beyond the recommended power for my Blood Quest, and have no doubt that by the time war comes, my allies will surpass the recommended for allies as well.

    He nods, putting his book down.

    My brothers return home, and I let them know that we''ll be leaving tomorrow, and we go out for one last feast. I make my First Dragonslayer Title public, just to shut people up, and we aren''t charged for our meal.

    That wasn''t the intention, but it''s nice.

    Michael finishes the new map after dinner, and I look it over, memorizing it. The world really is huge, and he hasn''t even been on all of the continents. He doesn''t know how they''re arranged, so just guessed, based on stars and such, but I''m not sure how accurate that is.

    It''s Michael, after all.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    I send the new map into my inventory, then head to bed, writing a few things down before I actually turn in for the night.

    In the early morning, we wake, make sure our preparations are completed, then bid my brothers farewell and leave.

    I surround Michael, Warren, and myself with the flight spell from my Grimoire, the same one I used to fly to the Dragon''s nest. I turn and look at Dylan.

    "By the way," I say. "I left something in my room for you. Notes from one of Tristan''s Grimoires, this one on Aether. Figured, since you use the power of it for Rift Magics, you might benefit from his notes and spells. I won''t leave the Grimoire with you, though, as I don''t believe you''re powerful enough to protect it."

    He nods, then I lift my team and I into the air, flying us to the Dungeon that will lead them to the Grind Arena. We bid farewell, then I fly to the nearest Dungeon that will take me back to the other continent. Velus, or whatever it''s actual name is.

    The Dungeon sits near an ocean, not far from a harbor city, and I startle the guard standing outside of it when I appear.

    "Hello," I greet him.

    "When did you go in?" He asks.

    "Pardon?" I ask.

    "This Dungeon," he indicates it. "Kicks people out after four hours. I''ve been on shift for six, and haven''t seen you go in."

    "Ah," I say. "I''ve never heard of a Dungeon that does that."

    I walk off making my way into town. A festival of some sort is going on, and after chatting for a bit, I find myself smiling inwardly.

    Kade is around, and it seems he just dealt with a powerful sea creature they''ve been dealing with for awhile.

    I locate him sitting in a restaurant, then kick my Title to public, approaching him. He''s gotten stronger, despite the difficulty.

    Dedication to a cause.

    Is his dedication to that cause going to prevent him from returning to Jozan with me?

    The restaurant goes silent as I approach him, Kade himself unaware of my approach.

    "Hello, Kade," I say in Jozan.

    He tenses up for a moment, then turns and looks at me, mouth open, as if to say something. Whatever he was to say, however, falls silent the moment he sees my Title.

    "Still think retaking Jozan is hopeless?" I ask.

    "Gavin," he stands up, looking confused, annoyed, and curious as he speaks in Velusan. "How did you manage to kill a Dragon?"

    "In Jozan, Kade," I say. "Our business is of that nature."

    "I told you," he says in Jozan. "It isn''t possible, despite how powerful you may have-"

    "I have three," I interrupt him. "Tier IV Classes mastered. I have two Mythical Classes. My lowest stat is over six hundred. My Mana Pool is over sixteen hundred, yet my most costly Spell only costs me around a hundred Mana ¨C and that is the spell that killed a Dragon with a single blast. I made that spell myself, in that battle against the Dragon. I am the most powerful human in the world, and once I''ve completed my Species Advancement Quest, I''ll be a True Human."

    "Species Advancement?" He blurts in Velusan, eyes wide. "You-"

    He falls silent as I make my Species Level public as well.

    People begin to whisper, wondering who this powerful being is, and how he''s connected to Kade, their ''savior''. A creature like that would probably be no issue for me to just smite, but for Kade? It was probably a long battle, and the people revere him.

    I admire him, for that. Things come so easily for me, and to be able to slay a monster by himself that teams of warriors couldn''t¡­ that''s just incredible.

    "My goal," I tell him. "Is to start here. Raise Jozan''s reputation on other continents, since doing so on ours will be difficult. Once formidable alliances have been developed, I will return to our continent, and begin my work on the other nations, making the distinction between Jozan and Turas. Build up the reputation, and gain allies there. Then, work with the resistance, and end the tyranny of Turas. Reinstate Tyler ¨C or if he refuses to take the throne, instate someone else as King ¨C and finish restoring Jozan. Once the Blood Quest is completed, I''ll get to work on another Quest ¨C taking down the Boundary of Sages."

    "The what?"

    "The barrier that prevents passage between continents in this world," I answer. "It was set in ancient times, and no one knows why. I want to create a place of safety, where people can live without fear of enemies coming in and attacking. To make this place accessible, I will need to remove that Boundary."

    "Wouldn''t that-"

    "Who in their right mind," I say. "Would attack a place the most powerful mortal in the world himself created and protects? I might not be there all the time, but I will live for thousands of years."

    "Thousands?" His eyes bulge.

    "I said every stat," I say. "That includes LIF. I might achieve eight or nine thousand total years of life, before my natural lifespan comes to an end, and there''s nothing else for me to do, factoring in the boosts I''ve yet to gain from my Bloodline, as well as from Species and Advancing Classes."

    He stares at me for several long moments as people continue to whisper.

    "Everyone," Kade says in Velusan. "This is Gavin, the most powerful magician from the land I come. He is a Dragonslayer, a being soon to exceed the Human Species, and master of Classes. It appears that the time for me to return home is nigh."

    I smile.

    "Thank you," I say to him in Jozan. "If you don''t mind, would you act as translator? I''d like to keep my ability to speak their language a secret, for now."

    "Sure," he responds. "You know, I only recognized you by the look in your eyes, and the fact that you had your name public."

    "I know," I nod. "I barely recognized you, myself."

    "Your team?"

    "Grind Arenas."

    "What?" He looks confused.

    "This world," I explain. "Has quite the variety of things within it. They''re Arenas where monsters come out in waves, and you gain Experience once they end. Good for gaining Levels, apparently. Michael loves them, but I think he just likes killing things more."

    Kade snorts.

    "Probably," he says. "So what, now?"

    "Now?" I ask, and he nods. "I''m going to go visit the fairies, and see if I can''t make an ally out of Oberon."

    "You do realize that he''s more likely to kill you than he is to support you, right?"

    "Probably," I nod. "But then again, he hasn''t reached the Fourth Tier in a Class yet, and I have in three. In addition, I''ve not only mastered those, but one of those is Archwizard. He''d probably have to summon up a powerful spirit to actually hurt me."

    "Ah," he says, and I decide something.

    "Actually," I say. "If you''re willing to let me stay in whatever room you''re staying out, and stick around a few weeks, there''s something I''d like to do, before heading to Jozan, but it''ll dock a few of my LIF off, and cripple me for a little while. I''m not sure how long, but it shouldn''t be too long. A few weeks, at most."

    If I can get it to work quickly. It might take me a couple of weeks to do it. I''m not thickening my Mana, since the Rift Wolf said that wouldn''t be a good idea to do until after restoring Jozan, if I didn''t do it then.

    "Sure," he says. "I only killed one of those beasts ¨C there are still three more that might come, and I was planning on staying here until they were all dead. It might be a few months."

    "Alright," I say.

    I sit down beside him, and he orders me some food. After we eat, he leads me back to his room at the fanciest inn in the city, and I strip and lie down on the bed.

    "So what are you going to do?" He asks.

    "When I was first here," I close my eyes. "I was thickening my Mana at a rate faster than someone should do, and ignored the Fog of Power, which begins to cripple you until it clears up. I have a Skill now that allows me to ignore it, a little bit. Making my Mana so dense so fast gave me a Title called Thick Mana. I contain more Mana than my Pool would show, if someone were to look at it, as a result, because the Mana''s much, much denser.

    "Since I''m going to the realm of people who use Spirits," and where a Spirit Grimoire is likely hidden. "Which requires the use of the Spirit Resource, I decided that I''m going to thicken up my Spirit. It might take me a couple of weeks to do it, but I''m hoping that I''ll be able to manage it faster, since the Fog of Power won''t affect me as quickly and force me to stop earlier."

    "Alright," he says. "Should-"

    "I''ll probably scream up a huge fuss," I tell him. "Once I make it thick enough to earn the Spirit equivalent of Thick Mana. My body will be in a lot of pain. Ignore it ¨C I''ll be fine. It''ll only remove a few of my LIF, and that''s it."

    "A few LIF-"

    "I have over six hundred," I say. "I can sacrifice a few, and have, before. I want at least a thousand Spirit before I face Oberon ¨C the sheer size of it should give him some pause."

    He nods, sitting down, and I begin to focus.

    It takes me no time at all to condense my current Spirit as much as I can, gaining Spirit Manipulation as I do. I hold it, waiting the painful regeneration time for my Spirit Pool to fill up, the Fog of Power beginning to fill my mind as it draws near to full again. I continue to pull in the new Spirit, making it as dense as possible, until a splitting pain fills my head, then my body.

    When the pain finally fades, I scan the messages that float in my vision.

    Title Gained!

    Thick Spirit: One whose Spirit is thicker than ordinary, you are far more powerful than you seem.

    Someone needs to work on their descriptions.

    -0 INT!

    Shut up!

    -0 CHA!

    At least he''s still around. I was getting concerned, with how quiet he''d been lately. His annoying buff and removal messages were a fair bit missed.

    +0 CHA!

    If he could blush, he probably is.

    No response. He''s probably blushing.

    I lost another 10 LIF, but my SPA is now 1,004, and my OFC went up by three. RRN is another eight higher as well.

    Kade looks relieved when I sit up.

    "Did you get it?"

    "Naturally," I stretch, then slide off the bed. "I''m going to wash off the sweat, then fly to the fairies'' kingdom."

    "Alright," he points at a door. "Bath''s through there."

 Chapter 0048 - Orders of Yggdrasil

    (Gavin)

    As I fly over the forest, I pull up my Species Advancement Quest, contemplating stopping and becoming a True Human before arriving in the fairies'' kingdom. After reading the new additions to it, I decide against it, and continue to fly on.

    As I draw near the forest mountain pass that leads into the actual kingdom, I see a massive tree in the distance. Even from here, I can see its information.

    Yggdrasil (Divine Being)

    World Deity

    It must be at least a thousand feet thick, and many tens of thousands tall, its canopy stretching for miles, the green leaves shimmering with a faint golden touch to them.

    As I draw even nearer, I can make out the leaves clearer ¨C they''re green, with golden veins. The bark of the tree is a deep, rich brown color unnatural to any tree I''ve ever seen before. There are various berries growing out of the bark, along with brightly-colored flowers, and on the branches, apples golden in color.

    A small figure begins flying towards me, a group of others joining him. They all look like children, but I seriously doubt a single one is under several decades of age. Especially the naked one in front, with golden-brown hair, emerald-green eyes, sparkling cheeks, and a pair of shimmering, green wings flecked with gold, the massive Spirit Pool, and the green and gold crown rests atop his head.

    The Fairy King looks furious, and is chanting something in Silvar, the language of the Spirits.

    Summoning a powerful Spirit to cast a curse upon me, judging by my knowledge of that language.

    The other fairies all chant as well, casting powerful spells and curses at me with their Spirits, and I evade all attacks.

    "I''m not here to fight you!" I yell out to them, but they ignore me.

    I doubt Oberon''s curse is something I can dodge, and unless I attack, I won''t be able to interrupt it. As old as he is, though, he might be able to evade any attacks while still casting that curse.

    He completes the curse, and the powerful Spirit forms, taking on an almost physical form, yet it''s not easy for me to put what it looks like into words.

    I feel its power all around me, gripping into me, coursing through my Mana and beginning to ravage it. Immediately, I weaken heavily, but manage to maintain my flight spell. It might be months before it actually consumes all of my Mana, blocking it off.

    Not just my Mana ¨C all of my Pools.

    The Spirit fades away, and Oberon glares at me.

    Now I know who did that to my father, if this is what Warren was referring to, back then.

    "Son of Christopher," he growls. "Humans aren''t welcome in my realm, and you most of all, with your heritage. That curse will have already halved your Pools, and over the next months, wear them down until there''s nothing left for you to use. You''ll be an empty vessel, with no way to restore them. Any that you regenerate will be twisted, and not work the same, and every spell and Skill will cost more than double it normally would."

    "I have more than 600 LIF," I say. "And two of Tristan''s Grimoires, with knowledge of where more are. I''m sure that figuring out a way to undo your curse won''t be too difficult, Oberon. Especially since there are several Spirits willing to make a contract with me, and your own son an ally of mine."

    "My son?" He snorts. "As if-"

    "Warren is quite safe," I tell him. "And happy. He''s currently on his way ¨C actually, he''s probably already there, since a week''s passed ¨C to a place where he can train to become even stronger than he already is. He is one of my two closest and most trusted allies. If you have Appraisal 10, which I''m sure you do, with your many hundreds of years of life, then I''m sure you can see my name and Title. Ignore my Primary Class, since it only lists the first one, and leadership Classes are always put ahead of others."

    He looks irritated, and opens his mouth to say something.

    "Sir," one of the fairies says.

    New Skill!

    Ygdris Fairy Language 1/10: The Common Language of the Fairies

    I guess my buff to learning languages mean I learn them the moment I hear something in it. That''s¡­ interesting. I wonder how much I''d have to do to hit Level 10. Being antisocial after gaining those boosts didn''t really give me a good judging ground for this.

    "I checked him," the Fairy, I guess, says. "His Title is ''First Dragonslayer''."

    "What?" Oberon exclaims to him, then looks back to me, eyes widening in shock. "A Dragonslayer?"

    He trembles slightly, probably as he realizes just how powerful a person he just cursed was. He probably feels relieved that he''s only realizing this after he cursed me, and that I didn''t attack him.

    "I understand," I say. "Why you cast that curse without hesitating, Oberon. I am not here to steal the Grimoire. Rather, I am here for two reasons. The first is that I made a promise to your son, and I intend to keep it. The second is that I wish to learn Spirit Magic. There are several Spirits who wish to contract with me, but before I do that, I would prefer to learn under masters of Spirit Magic ¨C people who wield it by nature."

    "I will never teach a human Spirit Magic," he scoffs. "Even one with as large of a Spirit Pool as you."

    "Not even for an Archmage?" I make that Class public, and he pauses. "My father is going to try to kill me, and take in some of my power. He''s likely waiting until whatever Skill he has that allows him to do that is at maximum, so that he can gain the most out of it. Comparatively speaking, I''m more powerful than you.

    "With training in Spirit Magic," I continue. "I''ll be able to more effectively combat my father. I plan on learning Health Magics and Blood Magics, though I haven''t reunlocked Blood Affinity yet."

    He frowns, then gold and green markings begin to cover his body as his Spirit fluxes. He''s casting something that''s not with Spirits.

    "You''re a Jakran," his tone is very dark. "And a human. I can''t trust you, no matter how much you''re trying to earn it. If I begin to trust you, and you turn out to be just a good actor-"

    "I''m an excellent actor," I say. "Acting 9 is somewhat proof of that."

    "-then we could be royally screwed," he says. "I will not change my judgment. Now leave, before I change my mind about allowing you to live, and instead, cast you into Nulmis."

    Calm, Oberon, a voice radiates through my mind. Childish, like a fairy''s, yet ancient and powerful at the same time. The moment it speaks, the fairies'' eyes widen, and Oberon goes stock-still. Gavin is not like his father, and intends for good. He does what he must to achieve his goals, which some might say make him no worse than his father. Different from his father, his goals aren''t selfish, but, indeed, quite selfless. He wishes to protect those who are dear to him, including your son. He has formed his own order, the Order of the Violet Flame, with the mission of being a place beings of all species can learn, and grow together. It will be a place of learning as well. Gavin''s dedication to restoring his own kingdom back to power, removing the false rulers from it, falls second to it by a great amount. He is not his father, and far from other humans in personality.

    Nies?

    Yes?

    Who is talking to us?

    Yo, Yggs!

    Oberon and the fairies look completely confused, and I know, just know that Nies let them hear that on purpose. He''s in a cheerful mood right now, for some reason.

    So the World Deity is conversing with us, telling Oberon to calm down. How interesting.

    Hello, Nies. Your Hero is quite something. Are you aware that he''s unlocked the Advancement Quest to become Ultimate Human?

    Yes! Can you believe it? My Hero is going to be the first Ultimate Human? That''s just insane! I''m squealing so hard right now! What if he unlocks beyond? That''d be even more cooler!

    Nies is in a very cheerful mood.

    Gavin ¨C the notion of your Order is quite interesting to me. When it is time for you to establish the official headquarters, return to me, and I will grant you one of my World Seeds. It will grow a World Tree that bears silver fruits.

    "Lord Yggdrasil!" Oberon blurts out. You can''t-"

    Hush, Oberon. Gavin is not his father, and nor is he like his father. He wishes to create a place where Warren feels safe to be himself, where Michael can train without worry of how others will treat him, and where people of all species can gather and share knowledge, without it being monopolized. With the vast power he possesses, Gavin can achieve this, and his determination to it is quite strong.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    In fact, the World Deity continues. His determination for this Order has given him a Quest for it ¨C as well as one to remove the Boundary of Sages. So calm down, and-you, too, Nies.

    BUT YOU''RE AWAKE! Nies yells, and I''m glad I''m not the only one who covers his ears and recoils from the sound. THAT DOESN''T HAPPEN OFTEN! I''M GOING AND STEALING ONE OF EKRE''S CAKES, THEN COMING AND VISITING YOU!

    You haven''t changed a bit, Nies.

    You are not stealing my cakes, Nies.

    Yes, I am.

    I''ve blocked you from my realm.

    I''m in it right now.

    What? Hey! How''d you get in there?

    You left a door open.

    That still shouldn''t let you in¡­

    Quiet, you two, the World Deity says, and their voices fade from my mind. The child gods can be interesting, a yawn sounds in my head. My apologies. It''s been several centuries since I last woke, and I''m still shaking the cobwebs from my mind.

    A soothing feeling fills my body, and the power of the curse fades away.

    Well, what was left of it after my Curse Resistance Skill, anyway.

    I have lifted the curse from your body, Gavin, the World Tree says. Oberon ¨C teach Gavin the power of Spirit.

    "But, Lord Yggsdr-"

    When it is time, I will bestow upon Gavin the Class of World Mage.

    World Quest!

    ???

    Requirements: ???

    Reward: Title [World Mage of Eisnar], Class [World Mage]

    "Eisnar?" I say aloud.

    The name of this world.

    Expanded information: World Mage.

    World Mage: One of the most powerful True Ultimate Classes in existence, this can only be granted by a World Deity, and shows that you have proven yourself to them. Congratulations! This is not an easy thing to achieve, by any means! Possessing this Class enables you to use magics unique to this world, interacting with the world itself. It also provides a massive buff to all resource regenerations while in on the World it was granted for. +50 to all Affinities, +30 LIF, INT, each Level, ability to learn the World Magics of Eisnar.

    "Lord Yggdrasil," Oberon says with forced calmness. "Gavin is a Jakran, and while I respect your knowledge and wisdom more than anything, he could be-"

    He is the reason I am awake, Oberon, the World Deity says. And in the time since I awoke, I have reviewed everything he has done on Eisnar since gaining Access, as well as everything before then. Though he may come across as evil, he simply does what needs to be done to achieve his goals, which are more selfless than they are selfish. Yes, he is selfish, too, but he will cast that aside without hesitation to do stuff for those who matter to him.

    He could have forced your son to come here, to ''prove'' that he meant no harm, but he happily let your son go with Michael, so as to allow him to grow stronger, which is something your son very, very much wished for, after his time as a prisoner and battle slave.

    Warren is one of his most-trusted allies, Oberon, and he would do anything to ensure his safety. When he spoke to you, he said that your son was safe and happy, and an ally of his. If he wanted to manipulate you, don''t you think he would have mentioned that he rescued Warren from his enslavement? Or that Warren has a crush on him bigger than the sun? The mere knowledge that Gavin could play with your son''s heart could change things, as could the fact that if you did something to harm to kill Gavin, it could destroy your son.

    However, Gavin is not that kind of person. Even if you were a true enemy of his, he would not treat Warren that way, because he sees him as a friend. He might be a Jakran by blood, but he is not his father, and nor are his brothers who are here.

    Gavin has only a few major goals. The first of them is to restore Jozan ¨C Wesley was slain an in usurping, and his son forced out of the kingdom. Turas is the name of the nation that Jozan has become, and Gavin will do anything to destroy it and restore Jozan. It is part of why he has come to seek you out.

    As are the other major goals. He wishes for his Order to have a headquarters with powerful defenses, yet still able to let in those who mean no harm, and wish only to live in peace, happiness, and doing what they love, so long as it doesn''t bring about harm to the other residents.

    He also wishes to remove the Boundary of Sages, allowing the world to unite once more and share its knowledge across every continent. Part of this is so that anyone could come to his nation, be it through the Dungeon Travel, if they know of it, or through boats and airships, or other means.

    Airships? Those are the ships that fly through the air that Michael mentioned, I think.

    And most importantly, the World Deity continues. Gavin wishes to end his father. You were unable to slay him, only place that curse on him while your warriors and mages distracted him, and that was at huge danger to yourself. You are still recovering from those wounds. Gavin is much stronger than his father. Had he wanted to, he could have prevented you from casting that curse entirely, and dealt great damage to you before you and your guard managed to chase him out of here. He allowed you to cast that curse upon him, only protecting himself from attacks, to prove he didn''t come with hostile intent.

    And so, Oberon, give him a chance, and train him in magics. Allow him to prove to you that he is not his father, and that his intentions are pure. Well, as pure as they can be, for him.

    "Hey!"

    You killed an entire village, then burned it to the ground, Gavin. Yes, I understand the reasoning of it, and I know you''d do it again, given the chance, but you can''t say you''re entirely pure, if you''d do something like that.

    Anyway, he sighs. Nies is actually here, along with Ekre, who is yelling at him to return the cake, so I will stop, now.

    He kind of sounds like an exasperated older brother, there. As if this isn''t uncommon for him to deal with, when he''s awake.

    Oberon ¨C you''re still flexing your Zierna. I know you don''t trust humans ¨C and those related to Christopher, most of all ¨C but give Gavin a chance. You know quite well that I wouldn''t trigger a World Warrior Quest for just anyone.

    The presence of the World Deity fades, and Oberon closes his eyes, sighing. The markings across his body fade away, and I realize two things.

    One, those markings somewhat resemble the mark on Warren''s face in style ¨C glittery, and slightly raised. What is a Zierna? And why is Oberon''s not visible unless he''s activating it? The mark on Warren''s face is always visible.

    Two, Oberon likely has World Mage. Or¡­ some other version of World Warrior, since that''s apparently the name of the Class series World Mage is a part of.

    I use Appraisal on Oberon.

    Oberon, Fairy, Fairy King (III)

    World Knight of Eisnar

    So he''s a Knight. I wonder what his boosts are, and what its Level is, if I''m powerful enough to take him on and only be driven away, yet such a Class grants such massive boosts.

    It''s more powerful than Archmage. Much more powerful. If that''s Tier I for it, and it grants that much power each Level, what does Tier IV grant?

    Also ¨C why does his Ruler Class just say "Fairy King"? Isn''t it supposed to change to something like Emperor or something?

    "What''s that mark on Warren''s face mean?" I blurt out before stopping myself.

    With Acting Level 9, one would think I wouldn''t do stuff like that.

    "That mark?" Oberon frowns. "His glamour should hide it, even when he''s weakened."

    "He only hides it sometimes," I say. "And usually doesn''t use his glamour around just the team. I also have a habit of looking right through a glamour without even knowing it''s there."

    "Clear Sight?" He raises an eyebrow. "It''s rare that a human would have that."

    "I don''t have any such Skill," another one the System ''hid'' from me?

    +0 INT!

    Screw you.

    -0 CHA!

    "Lord Yggdrasil," he takes a deep breath. "Has told me to give you a chance. Know that once we are under his canopy, my power will be ten times as great. In my haste to cast you out, I thought not to stay under and await you, though I didn''t imagine you''d be more powerful than your father, not by far, so felt that you wouldn''t be a threat.

    "I do not trust you," he continues. "But I will respect Lord Yggdrasil''s wishes to give you a chance and some learning. If you even once show any sign of being anything other than what Lord Yggdrasil has stated, I will personally end your existence, shattering your soul so you could never return. The curse was a punishment and a deterrent. This will be a permanent end, and a mercy, in comparison. But do not think of it as a mercy, Gavin Jakran ¨C I will not allow any threats to my people."

    "I do not intend to harm your people."

    "Before I allow you anywhere near us," he folds his arms across his chest. "Another one of my sons is captive, elsewhere on the continent. He''s in a city called Neai, and forced to do the same as Warren was."

    "And you''re leaving him in that state?"

    "It''s not like I can leave," he spits. "Not with your father on the loose, and I''d lose too many good men and women to the warriors protecting them."

    "Shouldn''t you have kept a better eye on them?" I ask. "I mean, Warren was kidnapped as a child, after all."

    Oberon''s nostrils flare.

    "Sorry," I say. "Not trying to be rude, just can''t quite comprehend how two of your sons have been kidnapped. Warren wasn''t exactly honest with me on it, and I got the feeling he was trying to protect someone."

    "Bring Beck here," Oberon orders. "Then I will teach you some Spirit Magic."

    "I''m not exactly sure where Neai is," I say. "Could you direct me there?"

    "You''re a human," he says. "You can figure it out."

    The knowledge of the location fills my mind.

    "Was that you, Nies?"

    Yeah. I don''t like the way he''s talking to you.

    "Thank you, Nies."

    You''re welcome. Don''t forget to bring me lots of food, when you find an intact altar.

    "I won''t," I say. "Forget, that is. You sound a lot more like you usually do."

    I''m so stuffed right now¡­ that cake was sooooo good. I''m going to take a nap. It''s been a long time since I''ve slept inside of Yggdrasil.

    Okay¡­

    "The god who chose me as his Hero," I say to Oberon. "Gave me knowledge of where Neai is. Give me a few days, and I''ll return with your son."

    He scoffs, but I ignore it and fly away. I promised Owen I wouldn''t kill his father if possible, and if a World Knight grows stronger under the canopy of the tree, then he''d probably just fly under there if I attacked.

    Plus, I want to make friends with him ¨C not enemies. I''m not even interested in taking the Grimoire, which is likely the secret to his full power, past what he has from his True Ultimate Class. I just want to learn some magics from it.

    Soft snoring enters my mind, and I assume that Nies has fallen asleep. He sounds cute when he snores.

    Nies? I ask. No response. Nies? NIES!

    Still doesn''t respond, just sleep.

    Ekre?

    What? He sounds grouchy.

    Is Nies actually asleep?

    He curled up inside of Yggdrasil after splitting some of my cake with him, then passed out after talking to you. Why?

    He''s still projecting into my mind, I tell him. I can hear him snoring.

    He forgot to disconnect, he sighs. Nies won''t wake up if I try. I''ll see if Yggdrasil can wake him to get him to disconnect.

    Thanks, I say. When I make it to one of your temples with an intact altar, is there anything you''d like me to put on it, as a thanks? And an apology for my god''s way of treating you?

    Hrm¡­ I''ll think on that. Usually, the Heroes of a god won''t make offerings to others unless they want something.

    Well, I do want Nies to stop snoring in my head¡­

    Fair enough. Yggsdrasil is currently trying to wake him, so he can disconnect from you. I''ll let you know if I think of something. Do I even have any intact altars on this world?

    His presence fades from my mind, and my trip to Neai passes with just the sound of the wind whipping around me and the god snoring in my mind.

 Interlude II - Tyler I

    (Tyler)

    "Lord Jozan," a soldier approaches me.

    Alan, Human 3

    I seriously need to increase my Appraisal, and soon. Fortunately, few people have it, and fewer still have it at Level 3, so I''m safe. There''s only one person I''ve come across on this continent who can see my Class, and he''s shown no inclination to using it against me, nor to sharing it with others.

    At least, only one person who has revealed he can see it. His Appraisal Resistance is high enough to resist my Appraisal, making me wonder what, exactly, he has faced in his life that allowed him to bring it up so high.

    Not that it matters right now.

    "How may I help you, Alan?" I ask, and he looks stunned for a moment.

    As far as I''m aware, we''ve never met before, so he''s probably wondering how I know his name.

    Someone as young and weak as me never has a god''s Blessing.

    "Duke Thornly requests your presence," the soldier answers. "I am to escort you there."

    I nod, and he begins walking. I follow him to a conference room, where Nick sits at a table, a couple of maids standing at the ready. I sit down, and a maid pours me a glass of wine. I sip it. A little bit more bitter than usual.

    "Dismissed," Nick waves a hand, and the soldier leaves. The Duke looks at me. "You''ve been in our town two months now, yes?"

    "That is correct."

    "And yet," he says. "You haven''t been to the Coliseum once."

    "I''m not interested in watching fights like that," I respond. "When you intentionally pit a weaker opponent against a stronger one, and his death is drawn-out for nothing more than entertainment, I find no pleasure. I''d much prefer seeing an all-out fight than something so ridiculous."

    "Why don''t we attend the Coliseum?" He suggests. "You can watch a show, and see if you like it."

    "When a demon is bored," I say. "It will chase a human around, possibly for days. No matter what the human does, it cannot damage the demon, and in the end, the demon gets bored and kills it. Many demons won''t just kill the human, though, but begin to rape or eat it while it''s still living, sometimes both, sometimes in that order. It does that because it''s bored, and other demons find interest in that, often watching just for their own amusement, or even participating."

    Nick stares at me as he processes what I said. His Acting Skill is good enough that he doesn''t show his actual feelings on me comparing humans to demons. They are something of myth and legend, and not at all real, as far as I''m aware. The story of their hunts, however, was not invented by me.

    "I see," he says. "Why don''t we watch a few matches, then, after, if you still find no interest, I can have them put two opponents of similar strength against each other?"

    "How do you qualify ''similar strengths''?" I ask. "A warrior and a magician could have similar strengths in their own Classes, but if that magician specializes in ranged combat magics, and that warrior with a sword, then would not that allow the magician to be superior? Indeed, even a weaker magician could take on a stronger warrior.

    "Continuing that," I say as he attempts to speak. "You could say that two soldiers are of similar strengths, but their mindset and training could put them on two entirely different levels, even if they had the exact same stats, Skills, and Classes, and all at the same Levels."

    He contemplates my response, several minutes passing before he opens his mouth to speak again.

    "That may be," he says. "However, the circumstances at the time could change the entirely. If, after a few matches of that, you aren''t bored, then I am sure we can find some other way to pass the day away, and I will owe you a favor."

    "Very well, then," I say. "The latter option is the most likely to entertain me, as long as they are going all-out, and it isn''t one-sided. Otherwise, I will find it nothing more than barbaric."

    Nick nods, then we leave, entering a carriage outside his manor. It leads us out of the Inner Ring and into the Middle Ring, stopping in front of the Coliseum, a circular arena three hundred feet in height and built entirely of stone.

    We make our way inside and to the Duke''s seats, attendants arriving to bring us food and drink to consume as we watch the matches going on. The current fight is between two humans, a man and a woman, and the man is clearly the superior, and only toying with her.

    It''s disgusting, especially when the crowd yells for him to force himself on her. Concealing my disgust from that ¨C especially when he complies ¨C must not be within my Acting ability, because Nick sighs.

    "Not your thing?"

    "I find it disgusting," I answer.

    "If it were two males, would that be more to your tastes?" He asks. "I know-"

    "I find rape disgusting."

    He falls silent for several seconds, then walks to the edge of the booth, holding his hand out, a thumb down. As the crowd notices it, they begin calling for blood. When the warrior realizes that it''s the Duke calling for death, he finally reacts, snapping the woman''s neck.

    The Duke speaks with an attendant as the warrior adjusts his clothes, then waits for the next challenger.

    "This will be a little more one-sided," the Duke says. "But I''m sure you''ll enjoy it. After, we''ll pit it against another of its kind."

    It?

    So he''s sending one of their captive fairies in for battle.

    A few minutes after that comment, the gate opposite us opens, and a boy who appears around ten or eleven walks out. He has nut-brown hair and eyes, and is dressed in a threadbare tunic, a frayed rope tied around his waste, and a silver collar around his neck. The two humans did as well. Some sort of imprisonment binding?

    Aiden, Fairy 4

    "How old is it?" I ask.

    "I''m not sure," Nick answers. "He was here when I was assigned to this town twenty or so years ago."

    Fairies don''t age past ten or eleven, and few will ever look twelve. This Fairy could be forty or fifty, or even two hundred. Its Species is low, but still decent, for a Fairy, so it''s probably at least four or five decades.

    The warrior looks at the fairy, then up at Nick.

    "The agreement was human-only!" He yells.

    The fairy looks at Nick, who watches the two of them, nodding slightly. A gong sounds.

    Then, the fairy''s lips begin moving. From this distance, I can''t hear it, but it''s probably doing a chant for a Spirit. The warrior turns around, then attacks the fairy, which moves to the side, its movement too quick for my own eyes to catch.

    That was fast.

    No wonder the warrior isn''t happy about being pit against a fairy.

    It finishes its chant, then flames begin to swirl around it, the vortex lasting only a few seconds before exploding forward, burning the warrior. The warrior screams, scrambling back as he smacks at his body.

    In his distraction and pain, he loses focus of the fight, and the fairy lunges forward, his fist connecting with the warrior''s face. The warrior flies backwards several feet, then crashes to the ground, the fairy appearing above him, bringing a foot down and into the warrior''s face.

    I check the warrior, and see no stats. He had them before.

    Deceased, just like that.

    "Tch," Nick says. "He''s been talked to before about killing his opponents."

    "I prefer it when they don''t hold back," I state. "Though it was too one-sided."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "There is a prisoner," Nick says. "That we pit Aiden against, when we need a crowd. Him and some of the other fairies. The strongest prisoner we have, who isn''t a fairy. Aiden won''t kill him. They only fight until they reach a draw, as is their orders. However, we believe that if the two were to go all-out, the result would be the same as when they fight ¨C the other warrior winning."

    Nick says something to an attendant as the corpses are cleared off the field, the fairy watching silently, but not moving from his spot, and a few minutes later, a new warrior floats through the far gate.

    This one stands nine feet in height, with a thick, meaty body devoid of hair or clothes. Its skin is crimson in color, its eyes a blazing orange. Two black horns protrude from its head, and its ears are a little pointy, curving back a little. A pair of tusks protrude from its lower lip, and its legs merge together past the knees, forming an almost tail-like appendage, surrounded by a sort of mist.

    A necklace of bones hangs around its neck, a golden link on each wrist and ankle. It also has the silver collar the other prisoners I''ve seen have, so it''s likely my initial assumption ¨C something to bind them, in case they try to escape.

    Ta''Avar, Fire Jinn 9

    I''ve never heard of Jinn before, but this thing is ugly. And why is it naked? To show off its assets? Blech.

    "What is it?" I ask.

    "A Jinn," Nick answers as the Jinn and the fairy examine each other, likely waiting for the signal to fight. "Ordinarily, they aren''t physical beings, but we managed to capture one. This one is a Fire Jinn, and all of its powers are exclusively fire-based. Its Experience Rate is roughly two-thirds a human''s."

    "Why is it naked?" I ask. "Even the fairy is dressed, and fairies aren''t known for wearing clothes, unless it''s armor for war."

    "Quite ugly, yes?" Nick chuckles. "We think it does that to disturb its enemies, though the fae just attack it without care."

    "I look forward to seeing it die."

    "I don''t believe," he says. "The Jinn will lose to the fairy."

    "If it wins," I say. "Send in a stronger fairy than that one."

    Nick gives a small nod, and the gong sounds. The fairy begins its chant as the Jinn raises a hand, sending a wave of flames at the fairy. The fire surrounds the fairy, but when they fade away, it''s unharmed, chanting.

    Did it do a protection chant, then switch while that was active?

    The fairy ignores the Jinn''s fire magics as it chants that single spell, a massive vortex of flames beginning to form around the Jinn. It closes in on the Jinn, which comes only look furious, floating towards the fairy, which runs to the side.

    They battle it out with fire for a bit, the fairy taking longer to cast spells, the Jinn casting more, but they don''t seem to be doing much to each other.

    This isn''t entertaining in the slightest.

    After nearly ten minutes of battle, the crowd yelling for an end, the gong sounds again, and the Jinn and the fairy stop, looking confused. Battles aren''t normally ended early.

    Nick walks to the edge of the booth, looking down at the two creatures. He holds a stone up to his mouth.

    "Prisoners and guests," he says, his voice echoing through the arena. "Today, we have an esteemed guest, Lord Tyler, of a distant nation, here to observe the fights. He is, however, quite bored by fights where blood doesn''t necessarily come. Nor is he pleased with one-sided fights, like between the fae and the humans.

    "And so," Nick continues. "Until he is satisfied, fights will go without restraint. If a warrior is able to satisfy him with their fight before the sun goes down, then they will be given a week-long rest, to be done at my manor."

    The crowd begins murmuring to themselves as Nick sits back down, and I look at him.

    "It''s been six years," he says. "Since I granted a rest to any prisoner for a feat, allowing them the luxury of my manor. It was a human, and the other prisoners were quite jealous of him. He didn''t last long, once he returned. The others used dirty methods, though I don''t really disprove of those. He never made it to another fight against a fae."

    This will both incentivize and deter winning. However, the implication that the fights are to the death means that both sides will fight until the other is dead.

    The Jinn performs some spell, and the fairy is thrown back, screaming, its clothes burning, its flesh darkening.

    So the Jinn has been holding back in its power¡­

    Shame. I want it dead, and soon.

    Roots burst up from the packed-dirt floor of the arena, surrounding the fairy, and its screams fade away. The Jinn looks stunned.

    "That little-!"

    "What?" I calmly interrupt Nick''s outburst, and he takes a deep breath, holding it for several long seconds before letting it out, the Jinn roaring and trying to burn the roots away. "That wasn''t the fairy?"

    "Not that one," he snarls. "We have twenty fairies imprisoned here, and one of them is more powerful than the others. Much more powerful. We''ve talked to him before about interfering in fights, when the fairies'' lives are in danger, but he just doesn''t listen!"

    A sapling forms in the center of the arena, quickly growing into a massive flower with pink petals, blooming, a fairy standing in its center. It''s dressed in a fine, green tunic with silver trim, a black, leather belt with a silver, flower-shaped buckle around its waist. A silver collar around its neck denotes it as a prisoner here.

    The fairy has brown hair and ocean-blue eyes, and glares at Nick, before turning and walking over to Aiden.

    Beck, Fairy 8

    Fairies have one of the lowest Species Leveling rates out of all Species. If this one is Level 8, just how old is it? How did they capture it? How powerful is it really?

    I really wish I had Appraisal Level 3 already, so I could view Classes.

    Appraisal is now Level 3!

    How convenient¡­

    Thanks, Len.

    That wasn''t me, it was just time for it to go up, with how often you use it, and the various things you use it on.

    Thank you anyway, Len.

    You''re welcome.

    I check the fairy again.

    Beck, Fairy 8, Royal 15

    A Royal? He''s related to Oberon?

    I check the Jinn.

    Ta''Avar, Fire Jinn 9, Firebringer 23

    Damn, is this thing powerful. What''s his Secondary Class? Beck might have one, if he''s been fighting in here, or he might not. Judging by the level of power of that root-shell he put up around Aiden, he likely has one.

    But still¡­ if his Primary Class is only 15, how could he be so much more powerful than then Level 23 Firbringer?

    "YOU DARE!" The Jinn roars.

    Beck glances at the Jinn, which then flies backwards, slamming into the arena''s wall. A moment later, a dozen spears float in the air around Beck. They look ordinary, but the way the Jinn hesitates after seeing them tells me that they''re likely charged with some sort of power that can severely injure the powerful monster.

    "That''s him," Nick sighs. "Beck, our most powerful prisoner. We can''t pit him against others, due to his sheer level of power. Only the collar keeps him here and under our control ¨C but not the one on him. No, it''s the collars on the other fairies that keeps him here. So long as there is a single fairy imprisoned here, he will not dare attack us, for we will use them against him. Capturing him was a sheer stroke of luck."

    "How old is it?"

    "The time I managed to get him to show me his basic information," Nick responds. Basic information only shows name, Species, and age, and nothing else ¨C not even Species Level. "It said he was fourteen. That was two years ago, so¡­ I''d say he''s around your age."

    My age, and its Species is already Level 8, its Primary Class at Level 15? Just how did it gain so many Levels so fast? It''s a fairy!

    Beck walks over to the shell, which unfolds itself, the roots sinking back into the ground. The spears remain in the air, aimed at the Jinn.

    Beck picks up the sobbing fairy, lips moving in some sort of brief chant, and the other fairy begins to glow with a faint, golden light.

    The Royal Fairy walks back to the flower in the center of the arena, stepping into it, and the petals fold back up over it, and the flower fades away, the spears lingering for a moment, then launching into the Jinn, which screams, its skin bubbling, then turn black, charred, the smell of burnt flesh filling the arena as the Jinn cooks from the inside, turning into nothing more than ash by the time it finishes.

    The crowd has fallen silent, no one daring to make a sound.

    Nick sighs.

    "We''re going to have a serious talk with him," he says. "Interrupting a fight is not allowed, and this? This just went too far beyond. I''ll punish him, Aiden, and a few others, to make it clear that this will not be tolerated."

    "Why don''t we leave for now?" I ask. "Let it recover? I actually found that a little amusing."

    I''m not sure if anyone else noticed, but the Jinn pissed and shit itself when it saw the spears.

    Nick concedes, and we leave, making our way outside and to the carriage.

    "Hello, King Tyler," a voice says in Jozan, and I stop in my tracks.

    When I recover from the fear of an assassin finally tracking me down, I turn and face the speaker, a boy around a year younger than me, with blond hair and ocean-blue eyes. His body is solidly-built, with squared shoulders, a chiseled jaw, and an authoritative and uncaring look in those eyes.

    He''s dressed in a simple, black and violet tunic, black pants and boots, and a violet belt wrapped around his waist. His clothes aren''t made of any material I know of, and Appraisal fails against him.

    "It''s been awhile," he continues speaking, staying in Jozan. Why does he seem so familiar to me? "And we only knew each other briefly. I''m Gavin, formerly Wizard, currently Archmage, a Tier IV Class. I''m surprised to see you here, though last time I was on this continent, Kade told me you were on the coast."

    Oh. That''s why he looks familiar.

    Wait.

    Archmage?

    In just barely more than two years, he went from a Tier I Class to a Tier IV? Is he lying, or is he really a Tier IV Class?

    He''s honest, Len speaks into my mind, the familiar feel of his time-slow taking effect. What does he have to say to me that will cause him to do this? And why would he do it? Gavin isn''t patient often, and I''d rather not upset him, or I''ll get an earful from Nies.

    The God of Blood Oaths?

    And the one who Blessed Gavin. Well, hijacked Ekre''s offer to Bless Gavin. Gavin is the most powerful human in the world, Tyler. He still wishes to restore Jozan, and with the power he has acquired, as well as the team he''s formed and the allies he''s making, doing so would be no difficult feat.

    However, he is not here for you. Rather, this is mere coincidence. He is here to gain favor with the Fairy King, by bringing his son, Beck, back to the fairies'' realm. Best pretend like I didn''t tell you that, though. I''m not sure what he''ll say, and I''d rather not get chewed-out by Nies again.

    Alright.

    Also, tell him that he can be relieved of a Blood Quest of that caliber without his LIF being restricted to not-growing anymore, though Nies would still probably drop it down to a normal amount, and probably require some other stuff, if he doesn''t restrict his growth. No better way to piss Gavin off than to remove his LIF and to restrict its growth, yes? Yeah¡­ that''s why he hasn''t bothered asking Nies to lift the Blood Quest.

    Blood Quest?

    He has five years to restore Jozan, Len explains. Though it''s a little less than four years, now. Or is it three years? Something like that. He could also ask for extensions, if he''d prefer that over sacrificing it entirely. Those are costly, too.

    Okay¡­

    Just let him know that, Len tells me. He won''t be happy about sacrificing his LIF, but he might do it, to give him more time.

    "Gavin," I say. How did he get so strong. "Kade mentioned he ran into you. If-"

    "In Jozan, Your Majesty," he interrupts me, though his tone is respectful.

    Either he''s a good actor, or he actually sees me as his King.

 Chapter 0049 - Reuiniting With Tyler

    (Gavin)

    Neai is massive. It probably has a million or so people, which is a ton, for a city here. Tall stone walls surround the city as well, and I fly over them, ignoring the guards down below and making my way towards the Coliseum, which sits a little before the walls surrounding the third ring of the city.

    The city is divided into three rings total, with the outer ring seeming to be the common area, the middle being the merchant and upper area, and the inner ring being the wealthy and nobles'' area. At least, that''s what my assumption says, based on the way the buildings and strees look.

    People look at me as I land in their midst, giving me curious glances. I wonder how many of them have Appraisal 5 or higher, and can see my information.

    As I approach the Coliseum, wondering how I can pull this off and still make it seem as if I cannot speak their language, I spot a boy with curly brown hair. A distinct characteristic not found on this continent, and it''s not Kade¡­

    I use Appraisal on him, looking at the relevant information, of which, there isn''t much.

    Tyler, 16, Human 2, Fallen Royal 2

    So he hasn''t really done much training, then¡­

    "Hello, King Tyler," I say in Jozan, and he tenses up, then turns and looks at me, frowning as he looks at me up and down. "It''s been awhile, and we only knew each other briefly. I''m Gavin, formerly Wizard, currently Archmage, a Tier IV Class. I''m surprised to see you here, though last time I was on this continent, Kade told me you were on the coast."

    Several emotions go through his face, and I get the sense that he''s talking to a god. He''s not powerful enough to have gained a Blessing that way, so did he befriend a god?

    Seems like my kind of guy.

    Now let''s hope that he doesn''t try to fight me on returning to Jozan. It would be much easier to put the actual Heir on the throne than it would be to find someone trustworthy enough to run the Kingdom who holds Jozan''s values.

    "Gavin," he says in Velusan. "Kade mentioned he ran into you. If-"

    "In Jozan, Your Majesty," I interrupt him. "I''ve spent a fair amount of time not on this continent."

    "You don''t speak Velusan?" He asks in Jozan.

    "Actually," I say. "I''d much prefer it if others didn''t know I could understand them. You sounded like you were about to ask a question, before I interrupted you. Forgive me for that, Your Majesty."

    "I''m a Fallen Royal," he says. "Not a Royal, Gavin."

    "You are still the King of Jozan," I say. "Regardless of whether or not the nation is still active. So long as the spirit of Jozan exists, so too does Jozan, and so too does its royalty. If you would like proof of my power, Your Majesty, I am willing to show you my stats."

    "I am aware that you are honest," he looks at a man who approached shortly after, a noble of some sort, judging by his expensive attire and pompous air. The man gives him a questioning look, but Tyler looks back to me, ignoring it. "Though you look younger than I expected."

    "When I disappeared," I explain. "I had fallen through a Rift that had formed. I was away for only a day for me, but a year and a quarter passed, here. You have befriended a god?"

    Tyler shows a little shock, but quickly covers it up. He has Acting, no doubt, but likely only at Level 1.

    "How did you know?"

    "The rapid changes in your expression," I answer. "When I greeted you. You were conversing with someone in your head. From what I know, a god can slow down time, to allow them to communicate with someone quicker, taking up less time. I am the Hero of Nies, the God of Blood Oaths."

    "My god," he says. "Isn''t entirely sure how you managed to gain his liking, but says he''s quite amused by it. He also said to tell you that you might be able to have your Blood Quest rescinded without such a penalty to your LIF, and if not, at least extended."

    Was Nies planning on ever telling me that?

    NIES!

    Ah! Screaming in my ears! Wakey-wakey! WHO''S THERE? Oh, hey, Gavin.

    Is it possible to rescind or extend my Blood Quest?

    Um¡­ yeah. You''ll need to go to an altar of mine for that, though. Plus, rescinding your Blood Quest¡­ the requirement set for that, at its current difficulty compared to your stats, is to return your LIF to normal, and lock your ability to increase it. I know how much you hate having your LIF reduced, so I never mentioned it.

    Sighing, I send him a bad thought.

    That''s mean.

    Is there another way?

    Too much effort.

    I''m reducing how much food I give at your altar.

    I could always make your Blood Quest have no time limit. However, there would still be a major penalty for you. If I were to extend it instead, crap. I''d have to balance it with your abnormal LIF. Normally, it''s a sacrifice of 10 LIF for an extra unit the Quest is in. For you, that''s years. Give me some time to think of something I could do.

    His presence leaves my mind, and I feel a fair bit relieved. He''d been snoring for fourteen hours.

    "You just converse with him?"

    "Yes," I answer. "He has to think up something. Apparently, having over 600 LIF and a Hero who doesn''t like his LIF being reduced means that he can''t do the normal rescinding, and that the regular extensions don''t really work."

    "You have how much?" His eyes widen a little.

    "607 LIF," I answer. "It''s also my lowest stat."

    "If you didn''t come here for me," he says. "Then why did you come?"

    "Oberon, King of the Fairies," I answer. "Has requested that I bring his son home, a fairy named Beck."

    He''s sixteen.

    "He''s sixteen, according to Nies."

    You''re welcome.

    "Thank you, Nies."

    Extra food?

    "I''ll consider it."

    "Pardon?" Tyler asks.

    "Something with Nies," I wave a hand. "He''s a lazy, yet gluttonous god. He likes eating and sleeping, and that''s about all."

    I like my tigers, too.

    "He also likes his tigers."

    A large tiger forms in my vision, cuddling a boy around ten years old with jet-black hair, who looks to be sleeping peacefully.

    That''s my son!

    The tiger?

    No, the boy! I also like him! That''s my attack tiger!

    "Beck," Tyler says, then looks at the noble and speaks in Velusan. "Nick ¨C Gavin here is my nation''s most powerful magician. He''s here to retrieve the fairy, Beck, and bring it back to its father."

    He''s referring to Fairies as ''it''. That agitates me quite a lot, but I keep my face passive, calm, devoid of that anger.

    Wait.

    Nies? How in the hell do you have a son?

    When a guy and a girl like each other, they-

    I know how babies are made, Nies.

    Then don''t ask silly questions.

    How old is he?

    He''s ten. He''s currently napping. I like him. He naps a lot, and knows good sweets when he sees them. He also knows bad sweets when he sees them. That''s a useful skill to have.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Skill Gained!

    Sweets Quality Detection: The ability to know how good sweets are by seeing them.

    That''s¡­ a Skill?

    It is, now!

    Dear gods¡­

    You''re already talking to me.

    Dear Oracle¡­

    Talk to Reij.

    He actually responded.

    Acting is now Level 10!

    I guess concealing my surprise at Divine Beings'' actions was enough to push that over the edge.

    "Unfortunately," the noble says. "I cannot authorize him to be released."

    "He says he cannot," Tyler tells me in Jozan. "If he releases it, there is nothing to keep it from attacking us in retaliation, and in addition to that, if it were released, it would refuse to leave without the other fairies here."

    "Are outsiders allowed to spar with them?" I ask.

    "Nick," Tyler looks back to the noble. "He wishes to know if he may fight it."

    Not exactly what I said, but¡­ that is what I was thinking.

    "It will be a suicide fight, then," the noble says. "Even our most powerful warriors cannot fight the fairy and win, and he doesn''t hold back in matches. You saw what he did to the Jinn, when he went to Aiden''s aid."

    "You probably would die," Tyler tells me in Jozan. "It used a spell earlier that caused the Fire Jinn to burn from the inside. I don''t know what Fire Jinn would be in Jozan, so that had to be in Velusan."

    "Translation issue," I say. "That is fine. You are the King, after all."

    "I''m not-" he starts, then takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "That fairy is powerful and dangerous. At just sixteen, it can take on older beings that should be far more powerful."

    Information, Nies?

    You can handle him easily.

    "I have made my Title visible to you," I say, and he glances up a little, eyes widening. "I believe that, unless he can also kill one, I will be fine."

    "He insists," Tyler looks at the noble. "However, it will not be a fight to the death, as he intends on freeing the fairy."

    "Oberon himself requested this of me," I say. "If it means freeing all of them, then I will do that as well. As Oberon is a potential ally for Jozan, I will treat the situation as if someone is holding the prince of an allied nation hostage. Never forget."

    Tyler stares at me for several seconds, then sighs.

    "Never show mercy," he finishes. "I do not approve of fairies. They-"

    "Are a powerful ally to have," I answer. "And the leading experts in Spirit Magic. Michael''s tribe will be at our aide, when the time comes. Having the Fairies on our side will be an additional boon. As the traitors grow in power, so too is our need to have even stronger allies."

    "I would much rather not owe debts to anyone," he says. "Than to ask the aid of those things. If-"

    "Forgive me, Your Majesty," I interrupt him. "For interrupting you, but Michael''s tribe is doing it out of loyalty and honor, for a price already paid and an oath sworn to your ancestors. One of Oberon''s sons will already aid us in this task. Right now, my only goal is learning Spirit Magic from Oberon himself, and that is what this quest is for. Should he decide to aid us, we can worry about that cost later.

    "However," I say. "If your issue with Fairies is that they are Fairies, or that they are not human, I do not care. Your father entrusted me with restoring Jozan, and I will do it, no matter the means required, no matter the species. I am not against any particular one, and will welcome any as an ally, so long as they are honorable in their intent and actions."

    "And yet," Tyler says. "I am your King. If I say-"

    "I am sworn to Jozan, not to its rulers," I say. "You are my King, but my duty is to the Kingdom. Until its restoration is complete, I will prioritize that over anything you say. After, I will focus on my other goals, only returning to Jozan if necessary, or to visit, or if it''s in danger. If befriending the Fairies is what is required to restore our Kingdom, then that is what I will do, regardless of if you like them or hate them."

    He stares at me, unsure of how to react.

    "Fairies," he takes a deep breath. "Are vile, vicious creatures that-"

    "Are hunted by humanity," I interrupt. "Because of what they are. They''re forced to fight each other or other species for amusement, and in some cases, tortured for certain things they have, or various other things. There is a reason they dislike humanity. Oberon himself hates me especially, because of my father. And yet I will put that hatred aside to show him that I hold no ill will for him, even if he cursed me upon sight just for who my father is and the fact that I''m human, because I understand what he''s thinking."

    "Your father?"

    "An evil, vile being," I explain. "Who is draining people of their stats, stealing a small portion of them, all to grow more powerful. He wishes to become more powerful than the gods, and reign over all that exists. He tried to pawn off rings on me so he could easily retrieve them when it was convenient for him, likely after I''d grown powerful enough for him to gain a decent boost from. Of course, the idiot told me that whoever was killing beings far more powerful than me was likely after the rings. I didn''t know it was him at the time, but that detail alone told me not to accept them.

    "Then," I say. "There''s the fact that he had months to find me, due to my Bloodline making it so that time passes at the same rate where my brother and I were, and he knew exactly where I was, and yet didn''t come to me.

    "So while you," I continue my small rant. "Might have an issue with Fairies, try to look at it from both sides, Tyler, and then distance yourself. As a King, you will need to make many decisions involving people that you dislike, or that dislike you, yet not make things worse for you. Befriending a powerful enemy is greater than simply letting them do their own thing.

    "Besides," I say. "The Fairy I know isn''t so bad, and while these ones might not like me at first, I''m sure I could win them over as well. Since I''ve learned there are more here than just Beck, I would like to free them all."

    Tyler looks at the noble.

    "He''s insisting on fighting it," he says in Jozan, then corrects himself to Velusan, repeating it. "He has also changed it from freeing Beck to freeing all of them."

    "My apologies," the noble looks at me. "Unfortunately, we cannot free so many prisoners, especially not when sending them against our stronger adventurers and human prisoners is what draws the crowds."

    "He''s not going to let you," Tyler says. "And I''d much rather not have to deal with fairies than to deal with them. That nation is a lost cause."

    I flex my Mana Presence, enveloping not just the small area around us, but the entire square we''re standing in, laying it on thick and forcing everyone to their knees, all but the strongest of Adventurers around collapsing to the ground entirely ¨C Tyler included.

    "If Jozan is a lost cause," I infuse my voice with my Mana, causing it to fill the air itself, vibrating the very fabric of all magic and Mana within its range. "Then its most powerful ally would not have three Tier IV Classes, a Tier II ready to advance to Tier III, and three Tier III Classes ready to advance to Tier IV ¨C and I could do that at any time. Its most powerful ally would not have his lowest stat at over six hundred, and his highest at over nine hundred. Its most powerful ally would not have more than sixteen hundred Mana, and capable of killing Dragons.

    "The town that you were held prisoner at," I continue, having command of the attention of everyone still conscious. "Was burned down when I was far, far weaker, simply for having imprisoned my team and doing what they did to all of you. My most powerful spell ¨C one I created specifically to try and kill that Dragon with ¨C the spell I succeeded in killing that Dragon with ¨C costs only 100 Mana. Very few of my spells cost a full point of it. I could obliterate this entire town without a second thought. Do not forget that I can dispel magics, Tyler. If needed, I will break into the Coliseum, dispel the magics on those collars, and bring those Fairies home without his," I point at the noble. "Blessing."

    Though to be honest, I only remembered that I could do that as I was talking, and I''m sure some god or other was the reason I remembered. I haven''t used it since I dispelled the magic on those tokens from the Guild back when we first met.

    "So let me be clear," I continue. "If you will not take your rightful place as King, then I will appoint someone to be the King of Jozan. Either you can take your father''s place, or you can truly sever all ties to Jozan. To me, it makes little difference, and only adds to it an extra thing I need to do to restore Jozan. However, it will be restored."

    Uh, Gavin? I could do stuff to extend your Blood Quest, but, um¡­ don''t forget that you would still have that time limit.

    For what?

    The demonic force that''s sealed away.

    I thought the time limit was due to how difficult it would be after five years to bring people back to Jozan''s loyalty?

    Nah, Blood Quests that can take years just default to five years if it takes more than that, except in some cases. Erm¡­ you weren''t made aware. Huh. So you know about the evil force sealed away, that Kar, Jozan, and Kaz are a part of, right? Chief is one of the few from your village aware of it, as they kept it just to the Elders of Kar.

    Anyway, you have about four years left on your Blood Quest, and around the same time, that demonic force will break free. It''s a fair bit more powerful than the baby Dragon you fought, more akin to a Dragon several decades old.

    Also ¨C I came up with an extension, but if you refuse it, it will not be made again, and a new requirement would have to be thought up, so don''t expect me to bother. Would you like to hear it? If not, I can tell you at some other point.

    What is it?

    The Blood Quest will no longer have a time limit, but you will be incapable of gaining Experience until you complete it. Skills can still increase in Level, as they are based off something different. In addition, for the same amount of time it took you to complete the Blood Quest after the Blood Quest finish, you will not be able to increase your LIF. You will also not be able to increase your LIF before you finish the Blood Quest.

    So in short, if I accept it, I would not be able to advance any Class, my Species, or Bloodline until I finish the Blood Quest, and nor would I be able to increase my LIF until after a period of time equal to how long it takes me to complete the Blood Quest after the Blood Quest ends.

    I can see why it''s a one-time offer, as rejecting it now, then increasing stuff, then accepting it, would mean I could become far, far more powerful, and push until the last moment possible to accept the unlimiting.

    If it takes me twenty years to complete the Blood Quest, that''s forty years without being able to increase my LIF, and I''m the kind of person who keeps doing shit to decrease it¡­

    I don''t need to be at an altar to accept that?

    Nope. It''d pretty much just be me adjusting the requirements for the Quest, but not quite.

    Ah. I don''t really want to do it, but if it gives me more time, I''ll accept it. I don''t like that I can''t increase my LIF, though.

    Certain methods will still work. All Quests that aren''t Blood Quests will still give that 1 LIF, for example. Any Divinity-granted LIF will still be granted. Are you sure you want to accept it?

    Yes.

    Done. You won''t feel a change, but it''s there. Anyway, you''re still intimidating them with that annoyed look on your face and your Mana Presence. I''d suggest lifting it, before you end up breaking their minds.

    I lift my Mana Presence, and it takes several minutes before anyone recovers. The noble was on his knees during that time, but still seems to be heavily affected. He''s the first non-warrior to recover, standing and looking at me.

    "Can you stand, Your Majesty?" I ask in Jozan.

    Tyler shakily rises to his feet, looking pale and unsteady.

    "Forgive me for that," I say. "However, I will not allow anything or anyone to stand in the way of my completion of these Quests. If you will not be party to its restoration, then tell me now, so I know now that I need to find a suitable replacement for its leader."

    "Give-give me a few days," Tyler trembles.

    I may have gone too far with that¡­

    "As for the Fairies?"

    He looks at the noble, who looks uneasy.

    "He says," Tyler says. "That either you can cooperate with him, or he''ll just free the fairies on his own. He can dispel the magic on the collars, and if you try to hurt the fairies using them, he''ll probably just kill everyone in the city and burn it down, like he did to Trempar, after finding out they''d held me and a couple others on our team prisoner for a month."

    So much for playing nice here, though after my Mana Presence attack, I don''t think it would be possible for me to be friends with them. Not likely to increase Jozan''s reputation.

    The noble nods.

    "If he wishes to fight the fairy," he says. "Then I will allow it. If he wants to free any of them, we will need to negotiate it."

    "Lead me to the arena," I say, and Tyler passes that on to the noble, who turns and begins walking into the Coliseum.

 Chapter 0050 - Battling Beck

    (Gavin)

    It takes about fifteen minutes after they clear the arena and I enter it for Beck to show up. He looks really, really pissed off, and has a massive Spirit Pool. I''d estimate it to be around six hundred or so.

    In addition to the massive Spirit Pool, he has a glittery brown mark on his face, similar to Warren''s, but smaller. It''s on his right cheek, and is mostly a swirl, with a triangle on it. Like Warren''s, it looks like it''s a little raised in its appearance.

    Sort of like the markings that covered Oberon''s body, when he was showing his Zierna.

    Come to think of it, I couldn''t sense any Spirit at work, when he did that. What Resource was he using, then?

    "Before we fight," I say in Ygdris as the gong sounds to signal the beginning of the fight, and Beck hesitates. "I want to let you know that I am here to free you. This fight is necessary, so that they can see the full might of my power."

    "How do you, a human know Ygdris?" He growls.

    "Your father taught it to me."

    "Liar!" He snarls.

    Roots form around me, yet I cannot sense the power he''s using to create them. I manipulate my fire and burn them away.

    They''re taking a lot more power than they should, for roots.

    He doesn''t stop his assault there, switching as soon as he realizes that I could do that to spears in the sky that launch at me. I strike at them with Firebolt Chain, adding in extra power, and they splinter, falling to the ground in flames, then fade away.

    Something about those felt really nasty.

    Beck continues his assault, changing between manifesting things out of nothing and launching them at me or trying to squish me with them, and attacking me with plants. Roots, trees, branches, leaves, petals, thorns, and more.

    He also adjusts his power to resist fire, and I switch to Lightning Bolt Chain, gaining the Skill for that as I do. When his strange magic becomes resistant to it, I learn Icebolt Chain, then later, Air Bolt Chain.

    Whatever this other Resource is, he must be as powerful with it as I am Mana, to be able to adjust his attacks. I check his stats, and his Secondary Class gives me pause.

    How long has he locked his Experience to just it, after taking it on?

    SC: Nature''s Scholar (II) 4

    His Primary Class is Level 15, which means that as soon as he took on that Class, he locked his Experience to it, and even pushed it to the Second Tier. As a Fairy, that''s beyond impressive.

    Nature''s Emissary.

    Nature''s Scholar (II): One who has learned the true power of nature, wielding the might of Aether, the stuff from which all things flow, to be one with nature.

    Aether? Do all Fairies know Aether, or just Beck?

    Is the Zierna something that uses Aether?

    Powerful vines wrap around my legs, these ones resistant to any magic I hit them with, and Beck breathes heavily. He''s probably feeling as exhausted as I am from this fight. A defensive fight is more exhausting than an offensive one, especially when the defender is doing his best not to hurt the attacker.

    Now that he''s stopped moving around a lot, I might be able to make this work. Sending up a prayer to Nies, I lift a hand, forcing it to stay outstretched as vines wrap around it, trying to pull it down.

    New Skill!

    Metal Manipulation 1: The power to manipulate not the element of stone, but of the metals within the stone

    New Skill!

    Chain (III) 1: Create chains through magic, these chains can be forged of any element

    Chains burst from the air in front of my palm, new links forming as they zip towards Beck, who attempts to dodge. I manipulate them using Metal Manipulation, and they wrap around him, forcing him down to the ground.

    He tries to break free, and I can feel some of the chains weakening, but as I suspect, he''s too exhausted to fight back, now.

    "My wish," he says as my chains bind him to the ground, linking to the stone, which I slowly hardened throughout our match. "Is granted."

    Wish?

    A giant shadow surrounds me, and I look up, staring at the meteor floating above me.

    Fuck.

    I''m almost completely out of Mana, and what I do have is nowhere near enough to protect me from that damn meteor. Only a few moments before it lands on me, nowhere near enough for enough Mana to restore to save me.

    Blood Affinity Unlocked!

    BLA Value: 159

    New Skill!

    Blood Smite (VII) 1: At the cost of your Blood, smite a single target ¨C be it a person, object, or location. The greater the target or force of the smite, the greater the cost of Blood.

    Thank you, Nies.

    I''m actually impressed that someone could drive you into a corner like this.

    I didn''t want to hurt him.

    I know, now save yourself, before it finishes dropping.

    Forcing my other hand to break through the vines, I aim my palm at the meteor. The massive, flaming, blazing meteor dropping rapidly toward me. That thing is going to destroy a fair portion of the arena, and I doubt Beck can stop it at this point, even if he wanted to.

    The cast time for Blood Smite is long, and takes me nearly twenty seconds. When it finishes, my body feels light, and I grow dizzy.

    A crimson beam that appears almost liquid flows out of my hand, meeting the meteor in moments, just yards above my head.

    The two collide, and the meteor explodes, turning to dust that falls down upon us. I shield my eyes with a small barrier of Mana, then slowly work my Mana into a blade, using that to cut through the vines holding me.

    The chains holding Beck down fade as I run out of power, and he struggles to his feet. I straighten my tunic as I approach him, and he glares up at me.

    "Your nature was done through Aether," I state, and he pales. "But your other magic ¨C that was something else, wasn''t it? The spears, walls, and such?"

    He doesn''t respond.

    "I have a Grimoire from Tristain Lightblade," I say, and he looks shocked, but also suspicious. "Which teaches Aether. I haven''t used it yet, but your Class Description told me you use it. In exchange for me bringing you home, your father is going to teach me how to use Spirit. There are several powerful Spirits that wish to contract with me, and I''d much prefer to learn from a master than figure it out myself. I could always ask Warren for help, but I''d much prefer it if he focused more on training himself than me, with how long it takes him to Level anything up or gain Experience."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    When I said his brother''s name, his eyes widened.

    "Yes, your brother," I say. "He''s one of my closest allies. I rescued him from another Coliseum, and right now, he''s pretty far away, training as hard as he can to get stronger."

    That might actually be the best place for him to train, since Experience is guaranteed. It might not boost his Skills, but it will definitely improve his Levels.

    "Now," I say. "I''m going to touch you, to remove your collar-"

    "You can''t," he takes a step back. "Even Pain Resistance can''t let someone free without a key, and it can''t be broken."

    "I can Dispel enchantments," I take a step forward, faster than he can react, and have my hand on the collar. "Dispel."

    The magic in the collar fades away, and I snap the collar between two fingers, Beck looking shocked and stunned.

    More than likely, shocked and stunned at the realization that, had I been serious in fighting him, he wouldn''t have had a chance at winning. I could have easily escape his magic by sheer speed, and a punch at a high speed means even a weak strike would be powerful.

    "How much more powerful than your father are you?" I ask.

    "To combat me," he says. "He''d have to trigger his Zierna," his eyes flick up as I make my Title visible to him, then they widen again. "You¡­ killed a dragon?"

    "A baby dragon, but a dragon," I nod. "I had to forge a Tier VII Spell to defeat it. Fighting defensively, I had to use up nearly all of my Mana to protect myself."

    "Had you tried to fight me," he says. "You would have been too fast for me."

    "I could have ended you," I say. "With a single spell."

    "Aether would have allowed me to defend myself," he shakes his head. "Aether is that which all things flow through, it is what gives it substance and existence. I could dismantle your spells with it. But¡­ your speed is much, much greater than mine. I wouldn''t be able to react quickly enough to physical attacks from you."

    "My STR is even higher than my AGI," I tell him, then look up at the noble''s booth. "Why don''t we go up there and chat with them?"

    I manipulate the air around us and fly us up to their booth, Beck barley managing to stay standing after I set us down, his shock at suddenly flying like that a bit too much. Almost completely out of Mana, now.

    "I expect," I say in Jozan, and Tyler starts translating for the noble. "That the other fairies will be freed shortly as well. You have twenty-four hours. If Beck tells me that any of them are missing, or that any new injuries have appeared on any of them, I will be very, very displeased. The safety of your people means nothing to me when it comes to my allies and potential allies.

    "Our nation," I look at Tyler. "Could use allies, as well as people on friendly terms with us. I am not, however, above wiping out those who would abuse or enslave our allies. My statement from earlier still stands. Does he want to be an ally of Jozan, or an enemy?"

    "Our people," Tyler says. "Should not wipe out entire cities for something so small, Gavin. Wipe out a city just because they displeased us? Because they were an enemy? That would make Jozan feared, not respected.

    "Nick," Tyler looks at the noble, and I smirk a little on the inside. You''re doing exactly what I want, Your Majesty. "Forgive Gavin, he''s a bit¡­ strong. Some pretty bad stuff went down, and he is pretty fiercely protective of our people and our allies. Jozan is not in the habit of wiping out people who annoyed them, and I am sure there is some compromise we can come to, for their release.

    "However," he sighs, looking at me for a moment, before looking at the noble again. "Gavin isn''t patient, and doesn''t want to leave the fairies as prisoners any longer, so pushing past the day he''s granted might provoke an unwanted reaction, such as his earlier threat of wiping out the entire city after freeing them himself.

    "As stated," he continues. "We can discuss something reasonable, in exchange for their freedom. We will make sure you are compensated."

    Tyler looks at me.

    "You still hold the Wealth, yes?" He asks in Jozan, and I nod. "If I am the King of Jozan, and this is being done to earn us allies, then we can exchange something from the Wealth, though I only know a small portion of what it holds."

    "I can access a menu with all within the ring," I tell him. "I memorized what was in it awhile back, though, and can tell you what would be a fair exchange for them. However, our views on ''fair'' in this case are vastly different. I do not condone the enslavement of a species simply for being that species, and am a fair less tolerant of that. I do not think there should be any price for setting free fairies who were enslaved and forced to fight simply because they were fairies. They''re people, too, and they did not commit crimes, did they?"

    "Please don''t ever reveal you can speak their language," he says, then looks back to the noble. "Why don''t we return to the manor for dinner? I''m sure that filling our stomachs will allow us time to each think on what might be considered a fair exchange."

    "They''re not criminals, they''re fairies," I say. "They are hostage allies of our people. I am not going to allow the Wealth of Jozan to be used to free people who shouldn''t have been enslaved."

    "Even if it''s in the interests of Jozan?" He asks.

    "See if you can get him to release them for free."

    Divine Quest Available!

    Free the Kemmal and Slay the Ilinia

    Details: The Ilinia Elvish Kingdom has enslaved the Kemmal, a small nation of cat beastborn, and heavily abuses them as a labor force. Please free them and kill the elves who would do such a thing!

    Time Limit: As soon as you''re able! I''ll understand if you take a little while, because of your other stuff with the fairies right now, but please! Don''t take too long!

    Reward: We can work something out! Let me think of something!

    Accept: Y/N?

    Nies? I ask while Tyler speaks with the noble a bit more.

    Yes?

    Are you able to see my Quests and offered Quests?

    I''m the Origin of All Quests, so yeah, I can. Why?

    I thought you were the Origin of Blood Oaths?

    That''s my more common iteration. Dealing with all quests is too much work for me, so I usually ignore them. Besides, it isn''t like there aren''t hundreds of Divine Beings who deal with Quests. I can leave it. I''m actually the Origin of Oaths and Quests. The OQ came from me, after all.

    I just got a Divine Quest offer.

    You did? You did. Huh. Ultarna doesn''t usually interact with people-whoa. That description. She must be desperate.

    Ultarna?

    A Divine Being cat beastborn. She''s really cute. I invented tigers as a gift to her, some eons back. She doesn''t really have a following, and her power is very, very small, and is often mistaken as just a powerful beastborn.

    Will I face any sort of divine retribution for wiping out an entire nation?

    A normal person would, but you won''t. Shouldn''t. You might, because it is genocide, but it''s a Divine Being asking you, so¡­ yeah. It''ll probably mostly be an issue in the Divine Realms. You might get hit by a Rift, though, as a result of the argument.

    I thought Rifts formed as a result of Divine Beings arguing had random spawn locations?

    Usually, but it can also be drawn to the source of that argument, especially if the argument is powerful enough, and the target is, too.

    And I guess I count as ''powerful enough'' for that to happen.

    Ah, so that''s why Ultarna''s desperate.

    Huh?

    That tribe makes up all but one of her followers, and part of the reason they were captured was because they were her followers. Those elves are a nasty piece of work. I''ll see if I can get Ekre to defend the two of you in the Divine Realms for me, I''d much rather nap than deal with that drama.

    His presence fades from my mind before I can ask if he is sanctioning me committing genocide.

    The noble leads us outside and to a carriage, and we ride in it to his manor, though I can tell he isn''t happy that I have Beck join us. Beck isn''t happy, either, but I assure him in Ygdris that the fairies will be safe, and that their enslavers will be extra careful not to piss me off, considering that I can beat a fighter no one else can survive against.

    He''s still worried for his people, though, and I can understand that. I''m worried about Tyler, Kade, Michael, and Warren every time I''m away from them, and I know that my team can handle themselves.

    I definitely don''t have to worry about Kade anymore, though it seems Tyler, I do have reason to worry about. He''s so weak right now, and would be easy to assassinate.

    It might actually be better to keep him out of Jozan, for awhile ¨C let him get stronger before returning.

    Actually, the Grind Arenas might not be a bad idea. I could see how good he is with awakening his MNA, and then how good he is at learning magic and the Dekami Runic Language. If he can learn a few basic spells, and learn to fight with a weapon and martial arts, he''d be able to defend himself.

    Take on a fighter Class or magic Class as his Secondary, and he''d be fine. A magical one might be better, for the boosted INT, which would help with his status as King. Most rulers, I think, take on more diplomatic and leadership Classes, as well as Actor and other such Classes, for the boosts to INT and CHA.

    But with the world Tyler will live in, in Jozan, he''ll need to be able to defend himself. He''ll be surrounded by people he can''t fully trust, and any one of them could try to kill him.

    The Grind Arena is definitely a good idea for him. At least get Royal up to Heir, and have a total of two Secondary Classes.

    We arrive at the manor, and once more, I find myself grateful for Acting. The manor''s meant to intimidate and impress with wealth, in its design. Large, flashy, and obviously something someone at the top would live in.

    We make our way inside, past the staff, and to the dining hall, where we are joined by a couple of visiting nobles. Dinner is succulent and long, then I am shown to a room for the night. I make sure Beck is roomed well, and tell him that I will make sure that, by tomorrow night, all of the fairies there are free.

    "I still don''t trust you," he says.

    "I know you don''t," I tell him. "But even if I didn''t wish to learn from your father, so that I could protect those dear to me, I''d still intend on freeing you and yours, if I knew about this place and your enslavement just for being fairies. I''m not fond of people treating species differently just because they''re another species. There''s even a god that''s given me a Quest to free her followers, and has sanctioned me committing genocide to do it."

    Nies giggles in my mind, and I ask him what''s up.

    So I asked Ekre, it sounds like he''s eating something that crunches, but isn''t crunchy. I''m not sure what it is, but it sounds¡­ interesting. To back her up in my place, and he got real mad at me, about being lazy and stuff. Then apparently, said something to her, and she defended herself, and now, the Divine are all arguing amongst each others about the whole thing. There''s, like, forty of them all arguing there. Oh, I love the hidden viewers I placed throughout the Divine Realms. And I love people for inventing popcorn.

    Popcorn?

    An image of a bowl of fluffy, yellowish things appear in my mind.

    It''s delicious! Now I want cotton candy.

    How can cotton be candy?

 Interlude II - Tyler II

    (Tyler)

    "Your friend is inexplicably powerful," Nick says, and I look over at him. "I''ve never heard of an Adventurer with that much power before."

    "He''s the first magic-Class Adventurer this world has known," I say. "His Primary Class is Wizard. Or at least, the Tier IV version of it. Once he took it on, magic-based Classes became available."

    Though that seems to not have affected fairies, with that one being as powerful as it was.

    What does he see in them, anyway?

    "Wizard?" He asks.

    "The most powerful magic-based Class there is," I nod. "It has a very strict requirement, and is very, very powerful. He''s reached the Fourth Tier of it. His diplomacy skills leave something to be desired, but he can be relied upon to get a job done."

    "You don''t like anything that isn''t human," Nick says, and I pick up my glass of wine and inspect it. "How do you feel about your peoples'' desire to work with fairies?"

    "Not just fairies," I slowly tilt the glass in a circle, watching as the wine swirls within. "Other species as well. I am not happy about that. They are vile, murderous creatures, and should be exterminated, not befriended. I am turning in for the night, I will see you tomorrow."

    I set the goblet down, then walk to my room, changing into a nightshirt and lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

    Why does he want to work with them? Maybe he is the same person Kade said he was, back then. He doesn''t want to work with just any of their kind, but fairies. Did he get hit in the head or something?

    Not everyone has issues with other species, Tyler.

    They should.

    Gavin has a curiosity for other species, and is interested in meeting them. As long as they don''t wrong him or his, he finds no fault with them. He is also far more forgiving, when the need is there. Oberon twisted his Resources with a curse, and yet Gavin forgave him, because having the Fairy King as an ally is much better than having him as an enemy.

    I do not want to hear of this!

    And yet you will, Tyler, he says. The Divine themselves have been watching him for awhile, myself included. They have even begun to argue amongst themselves, because of him. Gavin will put aside any differences he has with another, if it means a goal is met. To him, there is nothing more important at this moment than his three tasks: restoring Jozan, removing the Boundary of Sages, and creating a headquarters for his Order.

    Because of this, I really, really wish I could tune him out. On that note ¨C Gavin can tune out the Divine. Because of his placement of importance, any differences he has with another mean nothing, if they can be an ally. Your own father worked with beastborn, and their harmony worked well.

    I know you are upset over what happened, Tyler-

    "DON''T YOU DARE!"

    But you will need to put those differences aside. The actions of one do not represent the many. If they did, then Gavin wiping out an entire city because they kidnapped his team would be representative of Jozan, yes?

    Actually, he pauses for a moment. Gavin''s a bad example of that. Jozan likes to make a point to its enemies, and ensure that they don''t cross that line again. Your father probably would have done the same thing. Jozan could only have been destroyed from the inside, because of its ways. It was respected by its allies, because of its refusal to budge on its morals, and feared by its enemies, because of its sheer might and wrath.

    Those morals are morals that you do not hold dear to you, Tyler, Len states coldly. Jozan, at the core, will help those in need, and is a nation of acceptance. It does not judge all for the actions of one, when that one did not act on behalf of all. If Gavin believes for even a moment that you are not up to the duty of upholding Jozan''s morals and honor, then he will cast you aside and find someone who can to lead the nation.

    "What does he know?" I ask. "He was in the capital what, a day before everything went down, and we had to leave? How would he-"

    Gavin is no ordinary child! Len snaps. Your father knew of him long before his birth! He knew of all four of you ¨C Gavin, Kade, Michael, and yourself! He knew of the attack before it happened! Your father had the power of foresight, and set things in motion for you to be saved! He and Gavin''s Chief spoke for years before your births and Gavin''s arrival in this world as a toddler! Chief instilled within Gavin a complete and devout sense of loyalty to Jozan ¨C something he still bears! Gavin bears the Codex of Kings, bearing it for the sole purpose of ensuring that whoever rules Jozan next will know it!

    The Codex of Kings? The ancient Jozan code written by Meiva Jozan, the First King of Jozan himself, as a guiding principal for our people?

    In addition to that! Len continues his tirade. Gavin knows every ancient law of Jozan, all of its customs and traditions! When he acts in a way that harms Jozan''s standing with others, it''s to protect Jozan itself! To help Jozan! He is more worthy of being its leader than you are, and you are the blood of its royal family! It''s first royal family!

    Not only that, but the Spirit that is the being once called Meiva Jozan wishes to contract with Gavin, and bestow upon him powerful Spirit Gifts! Meiva is perfectly fine with Gavin being friends and allies with fairies, and with the aid of that which isn''t human being allies with Jozan! The very being who founded your little country!

    So if you want to act a child, Tyler, he continues. Then be a child, but give up Jozan! Gavin doesn''t need you to restore it ¨C he''s being nice by allowing you to take the throne! If you want to be a king, then you will need to learn to set aside your differences, for the better of your kingdom! Gavin can start a war between the Divine without even trying, he is that powerful and influential, even in ways he doesn''t even know! He can and will gain allies you will have issues with, yet they will be what makes Jozan return! Without him, you are a mere boy, chased from your home! Without Gavin, you are no more than a Fallen Royal!

    Yes, you might one day be able to found your own kingdom on this massive continent with few nations, but it would be a long, hard road, filled with trials and challenges that may well kill you! If you find yourself able to set aside your issues, you can become the king of your true nation ¨C Jozan ¨C and have issues of a different sort, but allies who can help you when they come up! Gavin knows you as well as you know him, and he will give you up for the better of Jozan! So either act like its king, or give up your heritage as one!

    And if you wish to keep acting like a stupid, selfish child, then I will revoke my Blessing from you!

    Shaking, I do my best to calm the rage boiling within me. I do not like being yelled at, especially not from a god who sounds like a child. But Len is the only person who has been on my side, the only person who has truly been on my side, since then.

    I need to get out of here.

    Wait.

    "Len?"

    What? He sounds pissed.

    "You said," I say. "That Gavin can start a war between the Divine without even trying. Did he actually do that?"

    Yeah, he did. It''s mostly arguing right now, but I imagine it''ll turn into a full-scale war at some point. I''m on his side. There''s, like, fifty Divine currently arguing here.

    "You''re there?"

    I''m at a bathhouse for the Divine, though no one''s noticed me yet. Uh¡­ weird.

    Do I want to know?

    Probably not, damn him hearing my thoughts, since that wasn''t directed at him. It happens whether I want it to or not, when I''m in direct contact with you telepathically.

    Len sighs in my mind.

    "How long have they been arguing for?"

    It''s all relative, since we live somewhat outside of time, he answers. Gavin''s patron god just showed up for a bath, which is weird, because Nies never takes a bath with the rest of us. And he''s got a massive bowl of popcorn. Hold on. I''m going to see if I can sit near him and eat some of his popcorn. I think he''s mostly here for the amusement, because he''s super-lazy, and it takes a lot to get him to leave one of the few realms he''ll go in.

    Yo.

    He''s apparently talking to you.

    Be nice to Gavin and the fairies. I''ll punish you, if you upset him more.

    Please don''t punish my Blessed. It''s been so long since I''ve had one.

    Same here, and I punish him. Hands off my popcorn!

    Aw. Can I please have some? It''s been so long.

    Maybe if you''d leave your realm to do more than take a bath or visit Tyler personally, you could steal some of Ekre''s popcorn, too. Surprisingly, it''s the one thing he doesn''t get mad at me for taking.

    He stocks it just for you to steal, Nies.

    He does?

    They do know I can hear their conversation, right?

    Yeah, he does, Len responds. The other stuff, you''ll get elsewhere, but you''re too timid and lazy to actually enter the mortal realms that have it to get it yourself, so he keeps it in stock for you, because he knows you''d probably pester him until he got it for you.

    Oh. Well, you still can''t have some.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    What''s popcorn?

    An image of a fluffy, yellow-white thing appears in my vision.

    Buttery and delicious, Tyler. Great for eating while watching arguments.

    Tyler, allow me to introduce you to Nies, the Origin of Quests and Oaths, Len says. He''s Gavin''s patron god, and is very, very lazy, and loves his sweets and tigers. If you''re ever having problems with a Quest, make an offering to him, and you might just find yourself lucky.

    Of course, Len says. That''s if you don''t piss him off or wrong his followers or Heroes. If you do, you might find yourself having bad luck on every Quest you ever go on, until appeasement happens.

    I don''t have any intact altars, Nies sounds sad. My last surviving one just got destroyed earlier. At least watching Divine argue has lifted my spirits a bit. Nothing like a war between the Divine to make my day.

    Is everything alright with this god?

    Only when Gavin''s happy, Nies responds. And he isn''t, right now. He really wants to just destroy the city and take the fairies back to their home.

    How come Reij didn''t eat Oberon''s curse?

    Gavin told him not to consume any of the fairies'' attacks, no matter how powerful or dangerous they were, when they were flying over.

    Ah, okay. I was wondering about that, after I saw Reij on his arm.

    Why were you watching Gavin?

    His mana is cute.

    Seriously?

    Do you know how rare it is for someone''s magic to be violet? It''s just adorable. I just wanna squeeze him tight and feel that magic flowing through him with my own body. The last time there was someone with violet magic was¡­ oh, how long ago was that?

    Yes, and we had to seal him away with powerful binds on him because of how dangerous and evil he''d become.

    Aren''t you the god who gave Gavin your Blessing?

    Yeah.

    Did you just compare him to one of the worst evil''s the universe has ever known?

    I was making a point. You can''t just say his mana''s cute because it''s violet.

    Yes, I can. And I did. The way it ebbs and flows¡­ it makes me want to take up my original mantle.

    Smacking you is too much work. I''ll sic some tigers on your realm instead.

    You do that, I''ll tickle your son.

    You touch my son, and-

    I tune them out, sliding off my bed and changing into an outfit entirely dark blue in color, including the cloak. I pull the hood over my face, and slide my dagger into its sheath on my hip.

    Opening a window, I check to make sure the area is clear, then step out onto the ledge, carefully turning to pull the window closed behind me.

    New Skill!

    Narrow Balance 1: On narrow surfaces, your balance is greatly improved, and as a result, you are less likely to fall.

    It''s about time I got that. Now if I only I had the Climbing Skill already. Then, my trip down the wall would be a lot easier.

    Something tells me a god is being very cheeky with me right now.

    Once my feet touch the ground, I move as quickly and quietly as possible out of the manor, scaling the wall surrounding it, then taking off into the city.

    After nearly thirty minutes of running in the shadows, I reach a small, hard-to-find building, with its entrance hidden in an alley, down some steps blocked by old crates. Carefully, quietly, I descend the steps.

    Pulling out my lockpick gear, I get to work on the door, cursing the fact that I don''t have the Skill yet, so it takes abysmally long.

    New Skill!

    Lockpick 1: You have proficiency with lockpicking. As this skill increases, you can pick tougher locks faster!

    It''s about damn time!

    Though the timing makes me wonder if something granted it to me.

    Len?

    Several seconds pass, and he doesn''t respond. I finish picking the lock, then as silently as possible, open the door and look inside, sticking to the shadows as I enter the room.

    Seven humans and a fairy, the fairy sitting on a chair at the far end of the room.

    Found it.

    That black hair, dark red eyes with slits for pupils, pale skin, and translucent, glittery black wings. It looks around nine or ten, and has a glittery black mark on its face, similar to the powerful one Gavin fought earlier. This one''s mark is beside its right eye, swirling around it. There are some sort of magical runes on its wrists, which rest on the arms of the chair.

    That look and those marks on its face and wrist confirm it.

    This is the damn fairy I''m looking for. Ugh. These disgusting creatures need to learn clothes. It might be older than me, but even if it looked it, it would still be disgusting, vile, and-

    It just looked at me. It shouldn''t have noticed me, not that fast, even if my Camouflage is only Level 1. I''m hiding myself in shadows, with dark clothes. I would naturally blend into it.

    "I''m still not doing it," the fairy looks back to one of the humans. Appraisal yields no results, so it has either at least Appraisal Resistance 3, or no Access. "I refuse."

    "Do you remember what happened the last time you refused?" The human asks.

    Only two in the room yield results, both of them much more powerful than me. That doesn''t matter, though ¨C surprise attacks will work, though the fact that it noticed me means I should run, should get as far from here as possible before it or they attack.

    "Which time?" The fairy asks, sounding bored. "You''ll torture me some more? You forget ¨C you''ve done that so much, I''m getting resistant to pain. You''ll need to up it."

    "You will do what we want you to, you little monster," the man slaps the fairy across the face, and the fairy starts screaming, its body twitching, yet its hands remain firmly on the arms of the chair. Weird. "Suffer a bit, then we''ll see if you''re still resistant. Or do we need to torture dust out of you?"

    Wait, what?

    What''s going on here?

    When the fairy finally stops screaming, then man looks down at it with a sneer on his face.

    "Foul creature," he says. "You made me touch you. For that, you are going to make us some dust."

    "Nah," a familiar voice says in Velusan, and Gavin walks past me. "What I think you''re going to do is release the binding on his wrists, so that you no longer have hold over him. Then, I''m going to kill you."

    "Who are you?" The man sneers at him, then frowns. "And why isn''t Appraisal working on you?"

    "Heh," Gavin smirks. "Tell your god that Gavin said ''hi''."

    The men all die, and the fairy stares at Gavin, fear clear on its face.

    "Hm," Gavin looks at the fairy. "That''s a nasty little binding on your wrists, isn''t it?"

    He approaches the fairy, touching one of its wrists and trying to lift it. The wrist doesn''t move.

    "I can''t do anything with his orders," the fairy starts sobbing. "I''m suck here forever!"

    "Nah," Gavin says, and the runes he''s touching fade away. He touches the other wrist, and those runes fade as well. "There we go! You''re all free! You can come out, Your Majesty. I doubt he''ll hurt you."

    He knew I was here, too?

    Stepping out of the shadows and releasing Camouflage, I approach them. Gavin tosses me something, and after I catch it, I watch the bluish liquid swirling in the bottle. A Mana Potion.

    "Whatever your Regen Rate is," Gavin says. "It''s probably abysmally slow, and you were using your Mana because you were confident in your abilities."

    "How did you know I was there?" I ask.

    He hasn''t even looked at me, and he tossed that to me perfectly.

    "I can sense your Mana, for starters," Gavin answers. "And my Perception is quite high. A Level 10 Camouflage probably wouldn''t have fooled me."

    "It noticed me, too," I drink the potion. "I''m here to kill it."

    "How long ago did they bind you?"

    "Six years ago," the fairy sobs. "I was only nine! It stunted my growth and everything! They''ve been making me do awful things and torturing me into making dust! As a Shadow Fairy, I can get places without being noticed, and sense things in shadows. I didn''t want to do it! I swear! They were making me! If I refused, they-"

    "It''s okay," Gavin lifts the fairy up and pulls it into a hug. "You''re okay, now. What''s your name?"

    "Kivuli," the fairy sobs into Gavin''s shirt. "Please don''t hurt me! I don''t want to do bad stuff anymore!"

    "I have no plans for that," Gavin tells him, then looks at me. "Do you know him?"

    The fairy lifts its head up, looking at me and frowning, scrutinizing me. If Gavin weren''t around, that thing would be dead right now.

    "I think?" It says. "Looks like an older person than someone I saw some time ago. They made me kill some noble''s daughter. I didn''t want to, ''cause she was a girl, and she was pregnant, too, but they tortured for me a week, and I kept refusing, and then they started torturing me into making dust. I resist for another week, but then couldn''t anymore. But he''s older than the one I saw. I think¡­ a year or two older? Maybe? I dunno. Maybe the older brother?"

    Gavin looks at me, and I''m lost as to what to do. The fairy seems¡­ honest.

    That''s because he is, Len tells me. He didn''t want to kill any of those people, that night, but he was forced into it. Gavin can tell you more about those runes he removed from the fairy''s wrist, but in short, they bound Kivuli into doing what those men wanted.

    Did you know?

    Yes, Len answers. But I wanted you to sort through this on your own, Tyler. You''re probably confused right now. So much hate, so much rage you''ve built up the last year and a half¡­ only to find the assassin you thought was the mastermind was, in fact, just another victim. That is why Nies rejected your Blood Oath, back then. He didn''t want to bind you into killing a victim, especially since he knew Gavin liked fairies, and would permanently turn against you, should you kill one who was powerless to fight you because he was forced into doing something previously.

    "Tell Len to shut up," Gavin says in Jozan, and when I refocus my gaze on him, the fairy is sleeping, its head resting on Gavin''s shoulder. "You were here to kill him?"

    "It killed several people close to me," I tell him. "A year and a half ago. In addition to Anna, it killed two servants, a knight, and a smith, all with access to the System, though Anna didn''t have it. Anna was three months pregnant."

    "Was one of them your boyfriend?" Gavin asks.

    "What?" I''m so confused.

    "You had a boyfriend, last I heard," Gavin states. "Well, last time I was on this continent That was a couple of years ago, I think. Time is getting confusing for me. Was one of the others he killed your boyfriend? If so, I can understand why you''d be so furious. Love is a powerful thing."

    "I hadn''t been with him for awhile," I feel myself make a face, and quickly stop. "He turned into a jerk after gaining Access. I was dating Anna."

    "Anna?" Gavin doesn''t look surprised at all. Does he have Acting, or does he just not care? "Was that your baby, then?"

    "Yes," I answer. "That was my girlfriend and baby it killed."

    Gavin looks between the fairy and me, then wakes the fairy up.

    "We''re heading back to the manor, now," Gavin says. "Why don''t you come with us? Tyler is one of the people you hurt, he was the boy you saw, a year and a half ago."

    "It''s been that long?" The fairy asks, then looks at me. "I''m so sorry, Tyler! I didn''t have a choice! They made me do it! I didn''t want to, but they kept torturing me, and then they start torturing me for dust!"

    Oh, no. I know what Gavin''s getting ready to do.

    "Gavin-"

    "Here''s an idea," Gavin ignores my protests. "Why don''t you serve Tyler, to make it up to him? Help him out? He''s going to be king one day, and will need someone he can trust."

    I don''t trust fairies. This doesn''t change anything!

    "I''d be worthless," Kivuli looks down. "I want to make it up, and pay back for what I did, but I can''t. I don''t even have access."

    Gavin sets Kivuli down, then focuses on him. A few moments later, Kivuli''s eyes widen.

    "How did you do that?" Kivuli asks in shock. I quickly scan him.

    Kivuli, Shadow Fairy 1

    Did Gavin just do what I think he just did?

    "I can give or revoke access," Gavin answers. "That was my first time doing it, though. I mean giving it without a ritual anyone with enough LIF and Mana can do. I''m never doing that again."

    So Len really did mean that Gavin didn''t like giving up LIF, then.

    "How can you do that?" I ask.

    "Perk of being a Wizard," Gavin answers. "Tyler, I can tell you still have a boiling hatred for fairies within you. I want you to give them a chance, and this is the perfect way to. I want you to swear a Blood Oath."

    "No."

    "The Blood Oath," Gavin says. "Is that, so long as Kivuli does not act against the interests of Jozan or to bring you harm without it being for you or Jozan, you cannot harm him or act against him."

    "What?" I nearly yell at him. "You have to be insane! I will not-"

    The fairy says something in the language of the fairies, and Gavin scrutinizes him. Then, the fairy glows with a faint, crimson light, and I take several steps back, drawing my daggers.

    "That was a Blood Oath," Gavin looks amused. "He was swearing that he''d not act against you unless it was to protect you or Jozan. Then he asked me what Jozan was. Kivu, Jozan is the nation Tyler and I are from. Tyler is it''s blooded King, though it was taken over years ago. I''m working to restore him and it to power."

    Gavin and the fairy stare at me, both of them with intense gazes.

    I want to kill that thing, even though I know it says it was forced to, and probably was. I still hate fairies.

    But I do want to see my kingdom restored, and need to play nice with its most powerful Adventurer in order for that to happen.

    "Fine."

 Chapter 0051 - Dragon Attack

    (Gavin)

    Beck is staring at Kivuli. I told him what happened last night, after I heard Tyler sneaking out, but apparently, seeing Kivuli in person is a different matter from hearing it.

    After a brief morning discussion that only irritates me further, due to the noble not releasing the fairies, saying he still needs to do stuff before he can make a final decision, I have Beck meet me in my room.

    "What did you want?" He asks.

    "For you to knock your attitude off, before I do it for you."

    He starts to say something, then stops, huffing.

    "I set you free," I say. "Your allies will be freed, regardless of what the people imprisoning them want. Cut the damn attitude with me. Once everyone is able to leave, we''ll be returning to your kingdom."

    "That doesn''t mean I have to like you," he snaps.

    "I never said you did," I counter. "Now cut the attitude, because it''s pointless. There is no benefit to snapping at me over every little thing."

    "What do you want?"

    "For you to lose the attitude."

    He huffs, lets out a small scream of irritation, then storms toward the door. I flick my hand, holding it closed with a gentle manipulation of air. He glares at me, then a gateway appears beside the door, which he begins to step through.

    I''m a fair bit more powerful than that, dumbass.

    A flick of my wrist, and he''s pulled toward me, landing on his ass by my bed.

    "Undo the gate," I tell him. "I have to put up with your shit, you need to put up with me. I just have a couple of questions for you."

    He relents, the gate disappearing, but he''s still clearly unhappy.

    "The first question is," I say. "You were using two different Resources during our match, weren''t you? One for your nature magics, the other for the manifestations, such as that gate and the meteor, right?"

    I know the nature magics was Aether, but the other one stumps me. He as good as confirmed it was Aether yesterday, when I said the same thing. Well, that, and his Class''s description.

    "Why are you so questioning?" He asks. "Why do you want to know my secrets? And how the hell do you even know about Aether, in the first place?"

    "I''ve unlocked it, in the past," I say. "But a Rift Wolf sealed it up, as I''d unlocked all Affinities, and that was too much power for my weaker self to handle. As it is right now, it might not be a good idea for me to unlock it again, since Nies unlocked my Blood Affinity during our fight and gave me that spell, so that I could destroy your Meteor."

    "Nies?"

    "The God of Blood Oaths," I explain. "I''m his Hero. Well, and the only non-Divine who knows of his existence and actually pays him any heed. He knew I was low on Mana, and that your Meteor would probably kill me, and so unlocked Blood Affinity and bestowed upon me the Blood Smite Skill, so that I could destroy your Meteor and survive.

    "I am," I sit down on my bed, and gesture for him to sit on the chair from the desk, which I move over with a small nudge of manipulated air. "Just curious about how you were able to do that Meteor, along with the other manifestations. I know you used Aether, so you can''t hide that from me."

    "What Affinities do you know of?" He sits down.

    "How many do you know of?" I ask. "If you''re trying to find out whether or not I know of it, I have a Title for having unlocked all Affinities."

    I make Master of Pools public long enough for him to read and process it, then make my Title invisible and back to First Dragonslayer.

    "You could just be a master of swimming pools."

    "Huh?" I''m confused. "How would you swim in a Resource? You swim in ponds and rivers and lakes and stuff."

    "No," he says. "You-never mind. I have three Resources. Spirit, as all Fairies do, Aether, as you somehow know about and figured out, and another one that starts with the same letter as Aether."

    "Arcane."

    "So you do know about it."

    "Yes, because I was totally lying," I say. "Hey, big, ugly Rift Wolf? Are you around to prove my point?"

    Beck starts to say something, then snaps his head to the side, likely sensing the shift in Aether that signals the opening of a Rift. Probably gained Rift Sense, too, if he didn''t already have it.

    "I''m not ugly," the Rift Wolf pokes his head into the room through a Rift that formed exactly where Beck was staring. "I''m also not available to summon on-command."

    "You''re here, aren''t you?"

    "I happened to be observing you when you requested, and I have nothing better to do right now."

    "Have you tried licking your balls?" I ask.

    "I''m not a dog."

    "Ah, right," I say. "You''re a wolf. Have you tried being silent?"

    "I''m still debating on if I''m going to eat you or not."

    "In case you didn''t catch it," I say. "Nies locked my ability to gain Experience until I complete the Blood Quest, as well as my ability to gain LIF until an equal amount of time as it takes to complete the Blood Quest after I complete it, in exchange for not having a time limit."

    "I know."

    "So the whole thing about the next level of Thick Mana," I say. "Still restricted until after I complete the Blood Quest?"

    "No, since you aren''t bound by the time constraints anymore. It was a matter of not having time to deal with how long you''d be out, and the fact that your idiot ass would probably go after the third tier of that Title immediately after."

    "Alright," I say. "Also, since I unlocked Blood Affinity, would it be bad for me to unlock Aether and Arcane again?"

    "Seriously, Gavin? You can''t just keep to the four you have? You had the First Fairy reunlock your Spirit Affinity, and then just yesterday, your damn patron god reunlocked your Blood Affinity, and you want more?"

    "Just wondering."

    "As long as you don''t go train-happy, yeah," he answers. "But the Fog of Power will affect you if you start increasing those rapidly as well. No thickening more than one, and be moderate about it! I can''t believe you went after Spirit like you did! What are you, an idiot?"

    "What are you, a giant doggy?"

    "It''s bad enough someone else is calling us that," he says. "We don''t need you doing it, too."

    "How difficult would they be for me to unlock?" I ask.

    "Last time, they weren''t locked, merely hidden," he says. "This time, they''re actually locked, so it would probably take years of meditation and studying, or sheer luck."

    "For a normal person, I mean."

    "You could probably manage in a month for Arcane, a year for Aether."

    "Can you just unlock Aether for me?"

    "No."

    "You do know that if I promise Nies some extra food when I finally make it to an altar, he''d probably unlock it for me, right?"

    "Dammit. You had to befriend one of the handful of gods that can actually do something to us Rift Wolves. Alright, I''ll-"

    "So which would you recommend?" I ask. "Arcane or Aether? Or should I focus on upping my current Resources'' abilities?"

    "You''re just trying to agitate me, aren''t you?"

    "Me?" I put a hand to my chest, faking being offended. "Agitate a being that even gods would be hard-pressed to do something against? Agitate a being akin to Dragons?"Stolen story; please report.

    "Aether is that which all stems from," the Rift Wolf says. "It is very potent, and what allows one to open or close Rifts. Arcane is the power to manifest desires into reality. Or rather, bring one''s wishes into reality. Both Resources are powerful, but using them comes with a great cost to each. Even their most basic and simplest of spells and techniques cost a great deal. For you, Arcane would be the better of the two, for now."

    "For now?"

    "Yes, Gavin," the Rift Wolf says, sarcasm dripping in its tone, for whatever reason. "For now, because your fragile little mind would probably explode the moment it tried to shape aether."

    Beck stares between us, clearly confused by this conversation.

    "So do Aether, then."

    "I seriously recommend Arcane first, if you had to do one of them," the Rift Wolf says. "Aether would take a lot of time and practice for you to begin to wield. The Fairies, unlike you, have a natural affinity for it, as evidenced by their power to summon a Zierna."

    "That strange marks Oberon took when he attacked me?" I ask. "And the marks on Warren and Kivu''s faces?"

    "Yes," he nods. "They''re a physical manifestation of Aether upon the wielder, infusing the very power of any magic they perform with the power that all existence stems from. Those with the Zerina, the marks always on their bodies, have much greater power. Kivu and Warren are both immensely dangerous, should they ever attempt to harness their powers of Aether."

    "Okay," I say. "Bye."

    "Are you really trying to dismiss a Rift Wolf?"

    "Are you going to comply?"

    "Hush."

    The Rift Wolf pulls its head back into the Rift, which then seals up, and Beck slowly turns his head to stare at me.

    "That was a Rift Wolf."

    "Is that all you processed?" I ask, and his mouth opens and closes several times.

    "He just chatted with you, as if it were nothing!"

    "He sealed up my Affinities," I explain. "After I unlocked them all at once. It was too dangerous for me to harness them that soon against each other, especially with my state of mind at the time. I would''ve destroyed myself instead of boosted myself.

    "Can you explain Arcane a bit better?"

    He stares at me, thinking.

    "I think," he finally says. "The best way to describe it would be to say that it''s manifesting one''s desires into reality. The stronger the desire, the less Arcane you''ll need to use, and the more powerful it can be. That Meteor last night was actually hollow ¨C I didn''t have enough Arcane left to make it full. Had I, your Blood Smite probably wouldn''t have done as much damage as it did to it."

    Oddly, my Blood never increased after it restored. I would''ve expected a couple of points, due to my absurd growth when it comes to affinities.

    Oh, right, Nies says in my head. I was so lazy, I only bothered partially unlocking it. There. Now you can increase it.

    His presence fades.

    "That sounds like regular magic," I say.

    "Aether will, too," he says. "Except anything done by Aether is more powerful than regular magic, because Aether comes straight from the source of all existence, unlike magic, which is just converted Mana, in a sense. That makes a spell of similar power more difficult to counter, and it requires Aether magics to nullify.

    "For Arcane," he says. "Its major difference is that you can take the desires of someone else and make them reality. A Djinni uses Arcane to manifest its elemental desires into reality, while a Genie, a similar species, uses Arcane to manifest the desires of others into reality.

    "And sorry," he says. "But neither is something I can teach you. Both are instinctual to me, and I can''t explain how it works. Aether itself is instinctual to us fairies, and I''m not sure of any species that would be able to harness it in a way where they could actually explain it."

    "That''s fine," I say. "I have a book on learning Aether, and I''m sure I''ll eventually find the version that teaches basic Aether, instead of the advanced stuff."

    "A book?"

    "A Grimoire of an old magician named Tristian."

    "Ah, one of his."

    "Yeah," I nod, summoning both of mine out. "One for advanced Aether magics, and one for advanced Mana magics. I''m not sure where their counterparts are for the other Resources, or where the Grimoires for the weaker magics for those are. I''d be willing to exchange some of the magics given in the Advanced Aether Grimoire, in exchange for knowledge on Arcane magics."

    He opens his mouth to say something, and a bell begins to toll. He snaps his head to the side, listening.

    "People are panicking," I say, and he looks at me. "What''s that bell?"

    "It''s an alarm," he says. "You can hear people panicking?"

    "And sense it," I stand. "Something''s going on. An alarm?"

    "Attack," he nods, and the door flies opens.

    "Dragon attack!" The guard yells. "It''ll be here in maybe ten minutes! Everyone needs to get down to the cellars!"

    "He said-"

    "I can speak it," I say. "Just hiding it, for now."

    "You''ve killed one before, right?"

    "I killed a baby Dragon," I say. "An adult Dragon is beyond my power. As it is, I might be able to drive it away and minimize the damage."

    I turn to the window, and Beck tells the guard to tell them that we''re going to drive the Dragon away as I fly out.

    The Fairy follows me out, and I scan the surroundings, spotting the Dragon and flying towards it, forming as many Spears of Frozen Lightning as I can, then launching them once we''re over the plains, halfway to the Dragon.

    It breathes fire, the flames dissolving my magic. I trigger a Blood Smite, and the Dragon does the same thing. Beck attacks furiously with his own magics, and I continue to attack with the Spears of Frozen Lightning.

    The Dragon stops to fight us, and on the occasion something does hit, it seems to get more and more annoyed. Anytime one of my Spears hits, that violet ice explodes out, forming, a massive sphere of jagged ice.

    Yet that doesn''t stop the Dragon, which simply burns it away with its fire. Beck and I have to constantly dodge that, too, and its roars are ear-shattering.

    So damn painful, and this fucker does not want to go away.

    As my Mana starts to drop low, I realize it''s less of burning away my magic, and more making it vanish. The power of a Dragon''s breath, combining multiple Resources into one. It''s using Void to erase our magic.

    And the Resources I can sense, we''ve barely put a dent in. What little it''s been forced to expend on us, it regenerates within moments.

    Not only that, but it slowly drove us back to the city, and has destroyed part of the wall and outer sector. We can''t let it keep going, it needs to be driven off.

    Chief always said that a Dragon just needs to face a powerful enough threat for long enough, and it''ll fly away. If people weaker than me could do that, then why am I pretty much just ignored? My mix of Spear of Frozen Lightning and Blood Smites should be enough to drive it away, yet it''s not.

    "Cover me!" I yell, and Beck looks at me curiously, but flies forward.

    Closing my eyes, I still my heart and mind, and time feels as if it''s slowed as I reach within me, the sounds of the battle slowing, dulling, the powerful winds blowing today feeling like a lazy breeze against my body.

    If the Dragon will consume my magic, then I will consume its.

    "Wake," I say, my voice echoing through the air as I open my eyes. "O Void within my heart, and consume that which opposes you."

    Putting my hands together, I then draw them apart, a sphere of nothingness forming between them. The Dragon locks its gaze on me as Beck stares at me, then quickly flies out of the way, sensing the danger of the magic I''m holding.

    Void Affinity Unlocked!

    VDA valued at 127

    New Skill!

    Summon Void: The ability to summon a sphere of the Void, an orb of nothingness that consumes all which comes into contact with it

    I pull my hands apart, the sphere of the Void growing to the size of a grapefruit before I can no longer sustain it, and I thrust my hands forward. The sphere zips through the air at the Dragon, which exhales more flames, which draw into the Void I created, the two Voids clashing, then fading away into nothing.

    The Dragon stares at me.

    "You want some of this?" I yell at it. "Then come on! I''ll rip you to shreds, you bloody flying lizard! I can do it, too!"

    The Dragon roars, flying at me at a high speed. My Resources are at nil, now, but that doesn''t matter to me.

    The endless void in my heart ignores RRN. Even if I can only hold up to a certain amount, more simply replenishes what I lose when I lose it. Sure, I can''t exceed the power of what I can hold, but that doesn''t mean I can''t attack with a lot of them.

    The only bad part is the annoyingly long cast time needed to summon that tiny of a Void.

    But I can still dodge the Dragon. I need practically no Mana to manipulate the air that little.

    Our Voids clash several times, then the Dragon lets out a screech that causes me to lose all focus and drop, my vision turning black.

    The next thing I know, I''m on the ground, a group of people surrounding me, including Beck, whose face is right over mine, and Tyler, who''s kneeling beside me, Kivu crouching beside him.

    "Dragon?" I sit up, Beck leaning back.

    "Left after you dropped," Beck responds. "You do realize that you''re the first person in our history to have ever chased a Dragon off, right?"

    "Your history, maybe," I rub the back of my head. It doesn''t hurt, despite my drop. I''m one tough bastard. "But back home, I''d heard stories of it, and if regular people could, then I definitely could."

    "What was that?" He asks. "That magic you used? I''ve never heard a language like it before, and it felt almost as terrifying as the Dragon''s breaths."

    "A magic to consume," I answer, feeling dizzy and light-headed. "I need food."

    They help me to the noble''s manor, and I briefly notice that he was in the crowd, too. Once there, the chefs start preparing food, and I get a little bit of starters.

    "How are the people?" I ask in Jozan. "Casualties?"

    "None," Tyler answers. "You delayed the Dragon long enough that we were able to clear that part of the city underground, so no civilian casualties are known."

    No civilian casualties, huh? I''ll pretend I didn''t catch that slip, Your Majesty.

    "That''s good," I say. "How are you? Alright?"

    "I''m fine," he nods. "They evacuated me underground as soon as the bells began to toll and word reached us that a Dragon was on the way. Not much to do when that happens, except for hide and wait. When word reached us that you and Beck went to fight the Dragon, I honestly thought you''d gone crazy, since you said you could only handle a baby Dragon, and that was if it wasn''t using certain parts of its powers."

    "Specifically," I say. "A power I now possess," I look at Beck, switching to Ygdris. "As it will be somewhat important for me to learn Void, in case another Dragon comes, I won''t need to learn Arcane, as that would only make a third new Resource for me to manage.''

    "Alright," he says.

    "Tyler," the noble says, and my King looks to him. "Because of your magician, no civilians were harmed by the Dragon, and the damage to our city was minimal. I am agreeing to his terms."

    "Well," Tyler says in Jozan, looking back to me. "I guess you got your way, after all."

    I have a tendency to do that.

    "Speaking of having one''s way," I say. "There''s a way you could easily advance your Royal Class to the next Tier."

    "That''s not possible," he says. "Leadership Classes are among the most difficult to gain Experience for, as they need stuff relating to it to gain Experience, and don''t gain any combat Experience. You can''t-"

    "Forgive my interruption, Your Majesty," I say. "But there is. Remember how I mentioned Warren and Gavin were at the Grind Arenas? They give a static amount of Experience to all Classes. It likely works for Leadership Classes as well, or Michael would have mentioned that, when he was telling me how they worked."

    He tends to be a bit scatterbrained and hyperactive, but he does still give any relevant information.

    "Beck," I turn to the Fairy. "After your friends are freed, I''d suggest heading straight back to the Kingdom."

    "Thought you wanted my father to teach you?" He asks.

    "I need to drop His Majesty off somewhere," I tell him. "Then do something else. I''m not sure how long it will take me, so could you inform your father that I''ll return to request his mentorship once more once I''ve finished?"

    "Okay," he looks like he wants to ask me what it is, but decides against it. "I''ll let him know."

    "Thank you."

 Chapter 0052 - Meeting the Elves

    (Gavin)

    Forests as far as the eye can see.

    Including my PER-enhanced vision several miles above the canopy.

    Nies had to guide me here, so I can work on the Quest for Ultarna, but then he went and took a nap, leaving me with absolutely no fucking clue on where this particular kingdom of elves are in this massive fucking continent that is nothing but fucking forest as far as I can fucking see.

    "Hi!" Someone appears in the air in front of me.

    It''s a male around sixteen or seventeen, I''d say, with platinum-blond hair, emerald-green eyes, fair skin, and pointy ears. Somewhat tall, with a lean build. He''s dressed in a brown tunic with green embroidery in the pattern of leaves, brown pants, and brown, soft leather boots. A bow is slung across his back, though no quiver of arrows, so a magical archer.

    Well, that''s probably the appearance he''s trying to give.

    "You aren''t suppressing your Divine Aura in the slightest," I tell him. "And you appearing caused my Divine Detection to go up to Level 4. Also, the fact that my Level 10 Appraisal fails on you would tell me you''re a Divine Being, even if you were suppressing it."

    "No one mentioned either of those to me," he looks stunned. "You have Divine Detection?"

    "You here to smite me for going after the Ilinia?"

    "Absolutely not!" He grins. "Actually, I''m here to tell you that I support you one hundred percent in it! As the Patron God of Elves, that carries a bit of weight, even if the Divine are warring over this Quest of genocide."

    They''re¡­ what? They''re what now? They''re warring over me committing genocide? Have the Divine lost their ever-fucking minds?

    "Anyway," he says. "Just wanted to let you know that. Bye!"

    He vanishes, and I check to see if Nies is around.

    Yeah? He responds sleepily.

    "Someone claiming to be the Patron God of Elves just said he backs me in committing the genocide of elves."

    Probably Hubert. He never liked the Ilinia in the first place. That, and I think he''s trying to get into Ultarna''s skirt. He did tell the Ilinia to not do it, and then to free them, and they didn''t listen to him. The other Elven Kingdoms are refusing to do anything, though, due to the sheer size of the Ilinia Kigndom.

    "How big?"

    The others, combined, number around four million Elves.

    "And the Ilinia?"

    Has roughly that many fighters.

    "I''m supposed to kill millions of warriors?" I ask. "I thought it was just, like, a million or so Elves."

    Nah. It''s closer to twenty million. Also, you''ve flown over, like, ten Elven settlements. They''re not Ilinia, but you''re currently hovering over a capital. They''re built in the forest itself, making this forested continent ideal for them. Wiswim is a good kingdom.

    His presence fades from my mind, and I drop straight down, using the air around me to deflect the canopy so that I drop straight down without incident.

    Not that the trees could hurt me, but it''s the principle of the matter.

    The forest is much, much taller than I expected. The Dungeon I came out through was hovering in the air, and the canopy is thick, so I wasn''t bothering to examine it, or I''d have probably noticed the buildings built into and around the trees.

    Very few actually rest on the ground, the majority of them built on or across sturdy branches, walkways spreading between them. It looks a bit hectic, but at the same time, the craftsmanship was done masterfully.

    The hundred or so elves that raised bows and readied magic at my appearance are all beautiful, and share similar ginger hair and hazel eyes, all tall and with pointy ears. I remember reading that elves were, by nature, somewhat tall or elegantly tall. All of them have lean, graceful builds as well.

    "Human," someone says as I gain the language Skill for Kavvul. It''s a human language, not an Elven. "Why have you invaded upon our lands? The treaty-"

    "Apologies," I say. "But I''ve come a long way, and find it interesting that a human casually dropping from the sky is seen as normal around here. Where I''m from, it most certainly isn''t."

    "Irregularities aside," the Elf says. "The treaty bans your kind from coming here. Tell us which nation you hail from, and after we kill you, we will return your head to your people. The peace-"

    "That''s not very nice," I say. "I come from a land called Jozan, and it''s quite a long ways from here. Also, I''d like to see you try to kill me."

    He fires an arrow, and it moves at what would be, to others, an untouchable speed. I watch it as it moves, my AGI and PER high enough to make everything feel much, much slower to me, unless I will myself to be at the rate of others.

    It slams into my face, right between my eyes, the metal tip smashing flat, the wooden shaft shattering. I close my eyes, letting the shards bounce off me, then open my eyes as the remains of the arrow drop to the ground.

    "When I said," I say. "That I''d like to see you try to kill me, I really did mean it. You can''t kill me. I''m also not here with hostility, though if you wish to fight me, I''ll be willing to oblige. It isn''t really genocide if the other side is trying to kill you before you have any hostile intent.

    "That said," I say. "You aren''t my enemy unless you make me your enemy, and I have no intent to fight you, unless you wish to attack me more. In which case, I''ll kill you with a lot more ease than I did the Dragon."

    I make my First Dragonslayer Title public, and they all tense up or gasp.

    "Now that I have your undivided attention," I smile. "I''m here on a Divine Quest to wipe out the Ilinia and rescue the clan of beastborn they''re abusing known as the Kemmel. I only dropped in to see if I could get directions to them.

    "I apologize," I say. "For whatever treaty I''m violating, but I''m from quite far away. Beyond the ocean. The knowledge of treaties and such of this realm are beyond me. Admittedly, I''d probably ignore them anyway, but the goals of my land and of my Order come above such trivial things as treaties that don''t deal directly with them."

    "What is your Order?" An Elf asks from behind, and I turn to find an elf that looks quite aged, a braided silver crown atop his head, a single diamond embedded into it. "I am-"

    "Lulin, Level 4 King, Level 12 Elf," I interrupt him. "You are the king of this realm?"

    "This nation," he answers. "We are the Wiswim Elves. You come from beyond the Endless Sea?"

    "Is that what you call it, here?"

    "The Endless Sea, which surrounds the continent," he nods. "Legends tell that there is more which lay beyond, but all attempts to pass have told us this is the world, and there is nothing beyond. So there is?"

    "There is," I nod. "Though I cannot divulge upon you my method of transport between the various continents."

    I really want to check out that mountainous one I had to go through to get here, too. I mean, it probably wasn''t entirely mountainous, I just popped up out of a Dungeon on the mountain, and went to another one a few dozen miles away on the same range of mountains, so that''s all I saw.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Forgive my skepticism," he says. "But you speak Kavvul quite fluently, for someone who comes from another realm."

    "I learn languages quite fast," I tell him. "Speak a few words of your own language, and I''ll learn it as well. The more you or I speak in it, the more the Skill will go up. I hit Level 5 Kavvul from zero during this exchange so far. Most languages seem to stall out around Level 5, implying I need quite a bit more in order to push past that. Funnily enough, before I gained Access, I apparently spoke enough of a language for wyverns that it''s at Level 8."

    "Is that so?" Lulin asks in Surlin, the Elven language they speak here.

    "It is," I respond in it.

    "How interesting," he says. "I am still retaining skepticism, as you could be a very good acting."

    "Concealing my utter bewilderment from Divine Beings and beings above them pushed it to Level 10."

    "Back to Kavvul?" He asks in it.

    "I don''t know enough of Surlin to actually speak it that well," I explain. "I''ll need to hear or say more in it in order for me to speak it. Three words wasn''t enough to do more than hit Level 1. A few more sentences will probably push it to Level 3, depending on the words used. I can pretty much understand basic grammar and a few words, and that''s it."

    "Interesting," he says. "So you claim that you have a Divine Quest to wipe out the Ilinia? Ignoring the improbability of such an occurrence, do you expect me to believe that your tough body would be enough to kill tens of millions of Elves by yourself? All the while trying to rescue people?"

    "Roughly twenty million Elves," I say. "And I''m not a warrior."

    "I''ve yet to hear of any mage with a body of steel."

    "Ah," I say. "But I''m not a regular mage, I have the Classline that has Mage as its Third Tier, though I''ve mastered the Class in its entirety, so I''m an Archmage. The Elven woman beside you has no Access, yes?"

    "Indeed not," he answers. "All of the halura species are bound by the same odds of gaining it, unlike monsters."

    "She has Access, now, yes?" I ask, and she gasps. Then I point at a boy probably five or six years old, watching from a window. "That boy also has Access as well," then I point at an Elven Archer not far from me. "As well as him."

    The Elves don''t fully believe me, but the ones who have Appraisal confirm it, as well as the ones who now have Access, and they begin to whisper in their own language, that alone enough to bring my Surlin Elven Language Skill to Level 5.

    "I am beyond the power of mere mortals, such as yourselves," I say as violet flames begin to swirl around me, yet not burning the grass around me or fill the air with heat. "I am the most powerful magician Jozan ever birthed, as well as the founder of the Order of the Violet Flame. Once I have finished my pledged duty to restore Jozan back to his former glory, I will establish a headquarters for a place where members of all species can mingle and feel safe, learn from each other, and grow together.

    "I do not," I continue, the flames taking on the form of a serpentine dragon coiled around me, which then stares down the Elven King. "Tolerate people abusing another species simply for being another species. That is why the goddess of the Kemmel sent me that Quest, and why I have defied the barrier that prevents travel between continents to reach here. I am a being that can grant and revoke Access at will. Do not try to apply logic to me. My CON is over eight hundred, and my INT is even higher. If I wished, I could burn this forest to the ground.

    "In fact," I say. "That is what I will be doing to the Ilinar, as I rescue the Kemmel from them. I will scar their land so badly, they will never recover, what few of them there will be left. I will gouge out a hole in the land, leaving a permanent reminder of what happens when one decides to use what isn''t theirs for being different.

    "Now," I continue to stare down the now thoroughly-terrified Elf King. "If there is another species doing the same thing, tell me, and I will do the same to them as well. I do not discriminate based on species, and will rescue any suffering abuse and slavery for being another."

    The forest has fallen silent as I wait for him to respond first, and as I do, I realize that I should probably try working on my diplomacy skills.

    Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes, allowing my manipulated flames to dissolve into the air.

    "Forgive me," I open my eyes. "I get a bit heated, when it comes to certain matters, and this is one of them. I''ve sacrificed precious time learning under the most powerful of the Fairies to rescue the Kemmel, and I am someone who values getting stronger very much. That is how much I despise people who do such things this, and it tends to cause my anger to flare up. I apologize."

    "The gods do not like those who commit genocide," Lulin says after several moments of silence. "Nor do they like people who willfully and knowingly scar the land. The scale you are doing this will earn you the ire of many gods."

    "Oh, I''ve already earned that ire," I say. "The Divine are at war right now over this Divine Quest I received. Now, do I care for their ire? No. Any god that dares to smite or hinder me will have to face my patron god, the one who gave me his Blessing, and trust me when I say that only the truly powerful of the Divine Beings would even think about doing so."

    "Who is your patron god?" he asks.

    "Nies."

    "Never heard of him."

    "He''s an Origin God," I answer, and he gives me an expression that says he wonders if I expect him to actually believe that. "Let me deal with issues with Divine, okay? It''s not like you really care for me. I''m going to go and kill twenty million Elves to rescue a few cat beastborn, regardless of if anyone wants me to or not. It isn''t really your problem, according to Nies. In fact, he said that the rest of the Elves on this continent would be grateful if something came and wiped them all out, since the other nations combined have about as many members overall as Ilinia''s military force, and so can''t fight back against them.

    "Now," I say. "Would you kindly point me in the direction of the Ilinia? Nies wasn''t very helpful with his directions, and only helped me get to this continent."

    Mostly out of laziness.

    It''s easier.

    Suddenly, a new sense forms within me, but no Skill attached to it. I can sense the Iliniar, which are showing up as red dots in my vision. There are orange dots as well, and green dots representing others. Not sure what the orange dots are.

    The sense also gives me a general feel for the borders of the Ilinar kingdom.

    "Huh," I say. "Nies got off his lazy ass and did something for once."

    I was trying to find pudding, actually.

    "And accidentally did that?"

    Too lazy to do something like that.

    "So it apparently wasn''t him," I say. "Your help is no longer required. I would suggest, however, that you avoid Ilinia until I''m done. It''s going to be bloody and dangerous. Very bloody, and very dangerous."

    That said, I fly up into the sky and make my way to the Ilinia Kingdom. The orange dots are scattered throughout, but clustered, and only appear in the Ilinia Kingdom. There''s also a golden dot among the orange, which is curious, as I''m assuming the orange are the Kemmel. There''s also a silver dot as well, near the other side of the Kingdom.

    So what are the golden and silver dots for?

    I''ll ignore them, for now. The first community within the Elven nation of Ilinia is near their border, which appears as a shimmering red field to my vision.

    There are roughly a hundred thousand Elves in the fort built within the forest. It has high wooden walls roughly twenty feet thick and reinforced with magic, trees scattered here and there throughout the small city, buildings of wood built both in the trees and on the ground.

    Not one Kemmel can be spotted in this city.

    A few Elves spot me as I draw near, and an arrow flies out of nowhere. I catch it and inspect it. Wooden, imbued with magic, with strange, crimson feathers and a crimson tip.

    "Dispel," I say, and the magic leaves the arrow.

    I turn it around, and flick my wrist, sending it zipping through the air, piercing the Elf who sent it at me right between his eyes. It continues through him from the force of my throw, which exceeds that of whatever power he put behind it with his magic, and the arrow kills an Elf on the ground as well, before sinking fully into the soil, not even the notch on the end poking out.

    They attacked first.

    Those who saw the event only noticed it after the two bodies began to drop, and then stare at them.

    They attacked first.

    "Spear of Frozen Lightning," I command one into existence, then another, then another.

    Once I have twelve of them, the attention of the Elves on me as their magicians and archers attempt to assault me from below, I speak, amplifying my voice with magic, a small trick I saw the noble perform, before I left.

    "You attacked first."

    Then, I launch the spears, and they pierce the magical barriers of the fort, continuing until they hit the walls. Three per wall, and that''s all I needed. The moment they make contact, they burst, exploding in a shower of violet light and violet sparks, the ice rapidly spreading, forming spiky spheres of my beautiful, lightning-charged, violet ice.

    The gaps between the ice are few and far between, despite the size of the walls and the city below. That is how much more powerful I am, since the Dragon. I wait the time to summon another twelve of them, to fill in the gaps ¨C two along each wall, and the parts of the corners still visible. Not that I need to hit the corners, since the ice already there blocks them, so no one can escape.

    Yet I still want to, because I can.

    Yes, I came here to obliterate them, but they did attack the human who was just casually flying through the air. I wasn''t even giving off a feeling of bloodlust.

    Once all hope for escape has disappeared, I begin assaulting the city, throwing Spear of Frozen Lightning after Spear of Frozen Lightning into it. It even goes up a Level before I finish.

    No more red dots here.

    I look in the distance to either side of the city along the border. There are two more settlements nearby along it, and I can reach them, flying, probably within three or four hours. Five or six, if I barricade the kingdom using my powerful ice.

    Since this ice doesn''t thaw naturally, it''d take hella powerful magicians to thaw it out. Then, I''d be able to just set things on fire without worrying about it spreading to other Kingdoms.

    That''s actually a good idea. The only problem is that the Ilinia would probably try escaping/invading another Kingdom while doing this. Plus, they''d probably suspect it was the¡­ whatever their name was. The people I just left.

    I am starting from their border, after all.

 Interlude II - Panic of Ilinia

    Interlude II ¨C Panic of Ilinia

    (At the Capital)

    In the vast forests of the continent of Sougol, in the region ruled by the Ilinia, panic ran rampant throughout the trees. At the very heart of the Kingdom of Ilinia, in their Capital, three million Elves prepared for the battle they knew was coming.

    In the heavily-fortified castle built into the largest tree at the heart of the fort, the nobles and advisers of Ilinia gathered around a large, circular table of polished wood.

    "Latest reports?" A tall, brown-haired elf asked. The crown atop his curly locks denoted him as the rule of this kingdom ¨C this kingdom that had angered some foe they could not trace. "Any news on this invading force?"

    "No," a woman stands. "Whatever this force is, they''ve never been spotted. This morning, a scout said they caught sight of someone soaring over the treetops, but before they could send the image, communications ended."

    "How much longer before the ring around the nation has been completed?"

    The Ring of Violet Ice, as the Elves had taken to calling it. From what they could tell, it was a series of near-spherical spells of ice, not a single, long stream. However, instead of being perfectly spherical, they were crystalline in shape, as if exploding outwards from a single force to form.

    It was an ice their magicians had failed to discern the secrets of, and one that failed to melt, no matter the heat applied to it. Had they not known better, they would have assumed a Dragon had appeared.

    There were two vital differences between a Dragon''s attack and this. The first difference being the shape of the ice itself. A Dragon''s breath would become more rectangular, more wall-like, instead of the spherical shape this ice took on. The second difference was that a Dragon wouldn''t bother cutting off a single nation, and simply attack everyone and anyone. It wouldn''t fly from border fort to border fort, turning them into a living prison, then moving on to the next one, leaving behind its wall of impossible ice.

    "Whoever this force is," an elf in flowing, blue-green robes speaks up. "They are able to take out two border forts a day. In the last two weeks, they''ve taken out twenty-eight total. It''s safe to assume they''ve already hit one today, though. In addition, it seems they know when we are moving forces to escape this barrier, and intercepts them. Whoever they are, they have forces positioned at all anticipated flee sites. There are only four more border forts left, or three, if they did hit one, so tomorrow will likely be the last day of this."

    The Elves began discussing various reports. Anytime someone laid eyes on it, it was reported as a single person soaring above the treetops, but no descriptions ever made it ¨C the scouts ceased communication shortly after.

    "What I want to know," Isan, the King of Ilinia, strokes his chin. "Is how many of them there are. At minimum, at least seven, based on our reports. I also want to know their plans, after they finish sealing us off."

    "They have," the elf in the robes, Kain, the Royal Mage, says. "At least six fliers. Outside of that, their forces are virtually unknown. They use a mix of fire magics and that strange, electrically-charged violet ice on the cities and the border."

    "The ice is charged with electricity?" Another elf speaks up.

    "Lightning, more precisely," Kain nods. "However, it''s only within, not without, so the forests don''t have risk of burning. Once a fort is sealed off, they then begin assaulting with with ice and fire. Whoever they are, they are careful not to risk damaging the environment too harshly. The most damage they''re doing is this barrier of ice. However, it''s likely¡­ shit."

    "What?" Isan asks.

    "The ice doesn''t melt," he says. "Their forces can safely use fire within the fort without burning the forest around it."

    "And?" Isan asks. "What does that mean?"

    "Shit!" Another elf yells, rising to his feet. The only muscular Elf in the room, Lucius was one of the rare few who went down a melee path. "They''re going to burn Ilinia! The ice is to ensure the flames don''t spread to outside nations!"

    "Very good," a voice speaks up, and the Elves turn to face the speaker, who stood in a corner. A tall figure wearing a cloak woven of a deep black thread that defied light itself, creating the appearance of emptiness. "The assailant does, indeed, plan on burning Ilinia to the ground."

    The Elves look nervous, only noticing this newcomer for the first time. Who was he? How did he get here without being noticed? How did none of them notice him before?

    "Are you sure?" Isan asks, his lack of fear and shock not from his Level 4 Acting Skill, but from having known the cloaked figure might be there."

    "Indeed," the figure responds. "Lady Imisa confirmed it to me not long ago. He is here on a Divine Quest to kill every last Ilinia. His mission is to free the Kemmel. Once he''s secured them and made sure they are safe, he will begin to destroy Ilinia."

    "He?" Isan asks as the others whispers among themselves. "Are you sure it''s a single being? No Adventurer could be powerful enough to perform such a feat."

    "According to Lady Imisa," the figure responds. "It''s a single being, though she could be wrong. She says that her goddess only referred to a single entity, the Archmage."

    "Where is Imisa, now?" Isan asks.

    "Hidden," the figure answers. "She managed to escape the Kingdom. She-she''s under attack!"

    His voice sounds panicked.

    "I can see it," he says. "It''s a human boy! Strange¡­ since when do humans have blond hair?"

    The elves began whispering to each other.

    "She''s holding her own against him," he says. "She¡­ communication lost."

    The Elves look at each other nervously. They all knew of Lady Imisa, as she was their nation''s greatest witch, and their only Blessed. She had gained special powers from the Goddess of Elven Magic, and they put her far above any mortal spellcaster.

    At least, they should put her far above any mortal spellcaster. Her spells are affected by their respective stats by a factor of four. If it was based off of INT, her INT counted four times, not once.

    "She''s back," the figure says. "He disrupted her barriers with a powerful Dispel, and it cut her communications. She''s currently flying away, but he''s keeping pace with her. He''s casting both spears of a violet ice charged with lightning, and flames. When the spear strikes something, it rapidly expands into ice. The lightning dancing around it on turns what it touches to ice, though she says its electrical power is still present in the magics. It also pierces right through her barriers. The flames seem to be ordinary, though they switch between ordinary and violet. The violet doesn''t seem to be different, other than color."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Who are you?" Nil, the Royal Ranger Corps Chief, speaks up from his seat, dagger in hand. "I''ve never known you before, and you presume to tell us-"

    "Enough, Nil," Kain says. "Our guest is one of the few people that Lady Imisa trusts. She is in constant communication with him. He isn''t people-friendly, though, and uses invisibility to remain out of sight. His Majesty and I are likely the only ones in this room to have ever seen him before, though one or two of you might have caught word of him."

    "Continue," Isan gestures to the guest.

    "She managed to hit him with a spell," the guest continues. "Or at least, she thought she did. He didn''t evade or throw up a barrier, like he normally did. His lightning-ice spear has a several-second cast time, and she managed to time the spell just right to hit him during it, at a point where he seemed too focused to be able to defend."

    "She thought she did?" Kain asks. "He managed to deflect it?"

    "No," the guest responds. "She says that a snake appeared on his arm and consumed the spell. Then promptly ate its tail and vanished from sight. She didn''t even notice it was there before, and says that she can''t sense it, now."

    "That sounds like an ouroboros," Kain says. "But I''ve never heard of a variety that can eat magic or turn invisible. They do have a tendency to eat their tails when they aren''t hunting, and most varieties of them can''t be sensed. This is troubling news. A single magician, able to take on Imisa by himself, and the source of this strange ice, having a creature that can consume magic thrown at him aiding him? He''s essentially a one-man army."

    "One-boy," the guest corrects. "She says he''s roughly twelve or thirteen in looks, though judging by his his sheer power, his stats likely give him a more youthful appearance, so he''s likely fourteen or fifteen, possibly sixteen. However, his sheer power belies that age, and he might be even more powerful. She says it''s possible he''s a demigod, and an old one. However, she cannot detect a trace of Divinity within him, not in the slightest. He does, however, possess a Blessing."

    The guest falls silent.

    The Elves begin discussing what this could mean. A single boy, capable of such powerful magic, is beyond anything they know of. He appears to be a powerful demigod ¨C or possibly a low-level god, even, but bears no traces of Divinity, meaning he couldn''t be.

    Unless, of course, the guest was lying ¨C a notion their King put an end to the moment it came up. He had full confidence the guest would never lie, though he''d never tell them why.

    The Elves have been summoning all able-bodied fighters and magicians to the capital, as well as citizens. Their goal is to create an impenetrable fortress the army of magicians assaulting them couldn''t handle.

    Finding out it''s a single person, and one able to handle a demigoddess like Imisa on his own without being a demigod, himself, is among the worst news they could handle.

    An army, they could handle. A single person? A lone target is much harder to strike, and his magic seems to ignore barriers. They would need to strike those spears with their own magic before they reached the city.

    "Lady Imisa," the guest speaks up, interrupting their conversation. "Has confirmed that hitting his spears with her own magic causes them to react. However, it requires a powerful spell to do so ¨C small ones only add to its power. No barrier she has tried has successfully stopped them. Also, his flames managed to hit one of her legs. The violet ones, that is. The moment they touched her, she knew they were different, despite not seeming so in sense. She said that if she were to survive, it would be a long time before that healed, and she would likely be left scarred."

    Demigods and demigoddesses don''t scar, except in rare and extreme circumstances. If that flame could cause her to scar, then it could likely do far more damage than the magician was performing.

    "He''s using his flame in the forest?" An Elf named Kaiser asks. "I thought he was trying to protect the outside forests from when he came to burn Ilinia?"

    "He chased her back into Ilinia," the guest responds. "It appears that he finished sealing us off this morning. All forms of escape, except for flight, are out."

    And only two Elves in all of Ilinia had the power of the Flight Spell, one of whom was currently engaged in battle with their enemy, and the other standing in a corner, wrapped in a cloak that ignored light.

    "She has now added," the guest says, interrupting the silence that fell when they realized that unless they killed this foe. "That he is killing off Elves that are nearby their fighting. He ignored them while they were outside of the Kingdom, and has left the Kemmel alone. Even from their distance, he shouldn''t be able to differentiate between them, yet can."

    Three of the Elves in the room came to the conclusion that this Archmage possesses the Eyes of Divine Targets. Normally a Skill held by demigods and demigoddesses, it causes all ''higher'' beings to appear as dots in the wielder''s visions. Any nearby, that is.

    Any enemy would appear as a red dot, and targets for a mission would have special-colored dots. For the former, they would only appear at all distances if part of a Quest, while the latter would always appear, regardless of if Quest-granted, a regular mission, or otherwise, no matter the distance.

    "Why don''t we kill off the Kemmel?" One of the Elves asks. "Put an end to his rescuing them."

    "If we do that," Isan says. "He will likely continue to kill us. In addition to that, genocide will earn any behind it or participating in it a Taboo. The moment that appears, every Hero in the world will sense it, and see the sources as a red dot in their vision. If that were to happen, then every Hero in the world would come seek us out, and likely aid our assailant."

    "Won''t he receive a Taboo?" The elf asks. "If-"

    "No," the guest speaks up. "If he is here on a Divine Quest, it is likely that any and all gods that would take issue of a genocide have already been satiated for this, and that he will suffer no ill consequences."

    The Elves finish their discussions about preparations after that, then leave, the King and the guest remaining behind.

    "Can you take him?" The King asks.

    "Possibly," the guest responds. "However, he is clearly no ordinary mortal. It is likely he has a Bloodline not seen in a very long time, and several Levels in it. It is the only explanation I can think of as to how he could be this powerful, yet not be a Divine."

    "What Bloodline?" The King asks.

    He, himself, had only recently unlocked his own Bloodline, which gave him a small boost to Agility, Strength, and Intellect, but knew how powerful it could make someone. With the guest''s aid, Imisa had unlocked it as well, though it wasn''t publicly known.

    "Dekami," the guest responds. "The most powerful Bloodline of them all. If I am correct in this guess, then he is a far more powerful foe than one could fear. According to Imisa''s senses, he has awakened five Pools within him, and three of them are monstrous. He¡­ communication lost."

    "So even your victory is unsure?" The King asks.

    "Had he not that ouroboros," the guest says. "I could win easily. However, I will have to rely on physical attacks to take him. She confirmed that physical attacks aren''t bothered with by it. However, his stats are immense enough to stop them with ease. It''s likely he''s either fully Leveled, or nearly done so, his Bloodline. Had he not, things might be easier. No, I can, indeed, take him ¨C he''s flying this way, rapidly."

    Crimson runes began to glow around the room as an alarm began to sound through the city, and the guest disappeared, leaving the King alone, with the parting words of ''he will die''.

    Though the people of the Royal City of the Elven Kingdom of Ilinia could not see the target that set off their alarms, they knew it was there. A scout in a tower of the castle spotted a speck in the sky first, descending rapidly towards them.

    Then, others began to spot it, and all attacks missed. The alarms and defensive magics faded, as if shut off, confusing the people.

    Then a scout saw what was dropping towards them.

    "IT''S LADY IMISA!" He yelled.

    The Elves began working towards stopping her momentum, the magicians succeeding only just before she landed on the ground.

    Within minutes, the Elves determined that their most powerful witch had passed away, her dress and jewels destroyed or lost in the battle that covered her with cuts, gouges, and burns.

    The nobility immediately put a handle on the situation, doing their best to keep word of her death a secret, but within a week, word had spread no just throughout the city, but through all of their cities of her death at the hands of this mysterious Archmage.

    Any settlement with Kemmel found itself under assault, its Elves slain and the Kemmel relocated to an area sectioned-off with sparking, violet ice.

    Within a month of the Archmage beginning his assault on their Kingdom, the 19,874,617 Elves of the Ilinia Kingdom found themselves at only 12,789,415 members.

    Of the near-thirteen million Elves left, roughly ten million had managed to escape to their capital, where such a powerful being would stand no chance against the millennia-old fortifications, magics, and defensive measures, as well as the Group Magics of the Elves within.

    Right?

 Chapter 0053 - Completing Ultarnas Quest

    (Gavin)

    That''s the last of them. The Kemmel, I mean. They''re really adorable. Even the older ones, whose fur has only begun to turn grey, no wrinkles present on their faces.

    They have triangular ears atop their heads and long, slender tails. I discovered while rescuing some that they also have claws that retract under their nails, normally hidden. Just like a real cat''s.

    The Kemmel have orangish-brown hair and fur, though their bodies are mostly devoid of it, like Michael''s. That confuses me, since they are part animal, but seem to lack the cover of fur animals have.

    "Thank you!" A girl bounces towards me.

    The golden dot who has appeared in my vision. I can''t sense anything about her, and Appraisal fails on her, putting her as about the same as all the others. None of them have Access.

    She wraps me in a hug, her tail flicking in her happiness. The energy radiating off of her is reflected by those around her, and she seems to be the leader. I''d think that gold was leader, except none of the Elves have a golden dot on them.

    "This is all of the Kemmel," I tell her, looking around at the three hundred or so beastborn in the forest around us. This section is safe from my magic, once I begin the assault, and unless they have another flier, like that silver dot I fought a couple of weeks ago, then the Kemmel are safe here. "You should all be safe here, but I can open a passage in the ice on the border to allow all of you to escape. Once I finish what I''m doing, I''ll meet up with you, and see how you''re doing."

    "My people won''t last long!" She says, taking a couple of steps back. "There''s lots of monsters between here and our homeland!"

    "That''s okay," I tell her, then frown. "I can''t grant you Access. That''s weird."

    "Grant Access?"

    "As an Archmage," I explain. "I can grant and revoke Access at will. I was going to grant all of your people Access, so you can take on Classes and gain Levels, getting stronger, to defend yourselves. Let me-"

    "Oh!" She says. "Of course that fails on me! I''m not mortal, after all!"

    "Not¡­ mortal?"

    "Nope!" She says. "I''m Ultarna, the goddess who gave you the Quest! Thank you so much, Gavin! You can do that? No one told me about it!"

    "Nies said it was safe to do to for the Kemmel," I nod. "I can''t sense a trace of Divine around you."

    "I''ve suppressed it!" She tells me. "I do it in the mortal realm! My people can tell it''s me, though, because they''re a bit more sensitive than you humans to things like this!"

    "Ah," I say. "You have no need to come up with a reward for me, Lady Ultarna. I despise things such as what was done to your people, and-"

    "I know!" She throws herself at me in another hug. "That''s why I sent you the Quest! I''ve been waiting for a worthy hero to help me out! I didn''t expect him to know Nies, though! Glad to know he''s still alive! I haven''t heard from him in sooo long! Oh! I see your Blessing! Wow! He chose to make you a Hero? You must be truly special! Thanks for the help, Gavin!"

    "You''re welcome," I say. "You appear as a golden dot in this vision ¨C is that because you''re a goddess?"

    "Yeah!" She takes a couple of steps back. "Gods and goddesses are golden, while demigods and demigoddesses are silver! Heroes, like you, would appear copper!"

    There are a few of those, but they''re far away, and nowhere near Ilinia.

    "I fought a silver a couple of weeks ago," I tell her. "Some woman named Imisa. She was powerful. I haven''t had a fight like that in a long time, but managed to win."

    "Imisa?" She asks. "If you killed her, then you shouldn''t have an issue with the rest of the Ilinia! Thanks for all the help!"

    "You''re welcome," I tell her. "If you''ll excuse me, Milady, I would like to grant your people Access, so that they can defend themselves a bit better."

    "Thanks!" She throws herself at me in a hug, then starts rounding up her people.

    They all thank me, now that they know I was doing this to help them, not for my own desires. The fact that their goddess likes me and asked me to do this helps boost that reputation.

    By nightfall, every last one of the Kemmel have Access, and I am grateful that I do not need to sacrifice LIF for it anymore.

    I''d have probably gone crazy long before reaching the halfway point.

    The beastborn sleep in bunches, curled up next to each other, and I end up wedged between a group of them, their warmth soft and gentle. Sleep comes quickly to me, and in the morning, they present me with some rabbits they caught to eat. After we all finish breakfast, I open up the passage in my ice, allowing them to escape, then I seal it back up with a Spear of Frozen Lightning, just in case.

    It took me two weeks to seal Ilinia up, then two weeks to kill seven million Elves and rescue the Kemmel.

    Without a doubt, I could probably wipe out the rest of the Ilinia within a week, especially with my more powerful spells going up in Level during my Quest so far.

    Maybe I could make it in five days?

    Unless, of course, that mysterious violet dot that keeps appearing and disappearing is troublesome, like the silver dot. I had to rest up most of that day to recover from the fight with her, and something tells me that violet could trigger Threat Detection.

    Vibrations run across my left arm, and I look down to find that I was stroking Reij.

    "Sorry, buddy," I say. "Didn''t realize I was doing that."

    Reij reveals himself, looking at me, and I realize that he wasn''t upset. He was purring.

    "Oh," I rub the back of his head. "Okay. Thanks for your help against her, buddy."

    Reij wiggles his head, then bites his tail and tightens himself around my wrist once more, disappearing from sight.

    A moment later, I sense a threat, the violet dot appear in my vision. Behind me.

    I duck, a foot passing over my head. At the same time, I spin, kicking out with my foot, and the attack flips up, landing in a crouch out of my reach. A figured wearing a cloak woven of some black material that ignores light. Not absorbs it, not reflects it ¨C ignores it.

    It''s hard to focus on him as a result, my PER barely enabling me to. It''s concealing his Resources, too, making it impossible to gauge how powerful he is.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Or she.

    He vanishes, and Threat Detection triggers again. I jump back, holding up my hands in a cross, his punch hitting them square and sending me back. Manipulating air, I soar straight up into the sky, raining a hail of icy lances and bolts of lightning and fire at him.

    Threat Detection triggers again, and I soar away, his kick barely missing me.

    Fucking teleportation. This fucker is going down.

    "Blood Smite!"

    One my inescapable attack. It hits him square on when he attempts to vanish, blasting him backwards through the air, his cloak burning away with bloody flames, revealing his real appearance.

    Tall, with platinum-blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes, bare-chested with a body built of lean muscle. He''s dressed in a pair of violet pants, a black belt around his waist inscribed with the Dekami rune for ''mage''.

    Nolsar, 497, Dekami 18, Spellweaver (IV) 18

    A Dekami¡­

    FUCK!

    The Rift Wolf said I couldn''t hope to fight one of these guys. If he''s here, I''m dead.

    "Not bad, Gavin," he chuckles. "A lesser being would''ve died to that spell. Unfortunately for you, power like that can''t even hope to harm me. The most you''d do is annoy me. And I know about your interesting little creature, and that it doesn''t bother with physical attacks. Don''t think I''ll let you win this battle. And when I''m done with you, I hear there''s a very nice tribe of beastborn on the loose. The girls in that group¡­ it''s been a long time since I had taste of one. And please, I know the spells you''re casting ¨C I can unweave them with but a thought."

    My magics dissipate.

    Dammit! I thought I was being subtle!

    "Now," he smiles. "Why don''t you go down, like a good boy, and-"

    A bolt of blue lightning strikes him square in the head.

    "Or you can go down!" A cheerful voice exclaims. "Dekami don''t belong in this plane of existence!"

    The moment that voice spoke, a being filled with Divine Power appeared behind him. He doesn''t appear in my vision, though. A being that can avoid this strange Sight?

    Well, Ultarna told me that, until the Quest is completed, I''ll have it, and that it''s called the Eyes of the Divine Targets, or something like that. It allows me to see all ''targets'' around me.

    The Dekami drops out of the sky a moment later, his body turning to ash as he does.

    "What the hell just happened?" I ask.

    "I used a Divine Smite on him!" The newcomer grins at me. "Not even a Dekami could withstand something like that!"

    He looks around twelve years old, with a lean, muscular build. His hair is a deep, rich, royal blue, his eyes a bright, brilliant sapphire blue. He is dressed in a pair of black and blue shorts, and I only know what they are because of my visit to the other world. Ert, or whatever its name was.

    He is most definitely not from here.

    "What are you?" I ask.

    "I''m the super-young, smart, talented, energetic me!" He exclaims. "But you can just call me Stem!"

    Could you be anymore obvious?

    "And what are you?"

    "I''m a demigod!" He answers.

    "Uh-huh," I say. "You''re not appearing in my vision, and I can''t use Appraisal on you."

    "You couldn''t on the other one, either!" He says.

    "She still appeared in my vision."

    "Hm¡­ maybe it''s broken?" He gives me a sly look. "I''m Stem!"

    "Yes, you said."

    He doesn''t really interact with people normally, does he?

    "Oh!" He says. "I like all things blue! Blue hair, blue eyes, blue magic, blue spells, blue people-"

    "Blue people?"

    "Blue foods, blue-"

    "Hold up," I say. "What Divine is your parent?"

    "I dunno," he shrugs. "Probably something blue, though! Look at my hair!"

    Nies?

    I''m eating popcorn right now.

    You''re enjoying this, aren''t you?

    It''s not everyday Stem does something like this. I might have to get Father involved, if he doesn''t behave himself.

    Father?

    Nies giggles in my mind, but doesn''t respond.

    "How old are you?"

    "Ancient!" Stem exclaims. "I''m way older than a kid like you!"

    "Says the guy who looks twelve."

    "I can''t help it!" He protests. "This is just the form my body takes! I can''t change it at all!"

    He''s too much of a kid for it to be anything else.

    "I HEARD THAT!"

    Nies giggles again.

    "You heard that?"

    "I can hear all Divine communications around me," he nods. "It''s part of my mysterious heritage."

    Idiot.

    "Thanks for taking him out," I say. "I don''t think I could''ve handled much more of his teleporting."

    "Oh, you probably could''ve," he nods. "You likely would''ve killed him, but it would''ve been costly for you, and you''d take awhile to regenerate. So I stepped in and killed him for you with my Divine Smite! It''s inescapable! All demigods can do it!"

    "Then why didn''t that bitch use it on me?"

    "She forgot."

    Uh-huh.

    "Anyway, I gotta go, or someone is gonna show up and chase me out of here!"

    He vanishes in a puff of blue smoke.

    "Nies?"

    Yes?

    "What the hell was that about?"

    I have no fucking clue! Though to be honest, I had half a mind to come down and smite that bastard, myself. Dekami are not allowed in these realms. That cloak shielded him from our sight, so I''m not surprised that he showed up.

    "Stem?"

    You''ll probably be seeing a lot more of him. I''m surprised he isn''t observing you right now, to be honest. He''s usually watching you out of excitement at what crazy things you''ll do next.

    GET OUT OF MY REALM!

    Oh, stuff it, Ekre. I just want your cookies.

    I MADE THOSE FOR ME!

    And now they''re entering my stomach.

    The sound of Nies stuffing cookies into his mouth fills my mind, and I shake my head, pushing as much as I can against their presence, and it leaves. Either because that worked, and I disconnected them myself, or because they decided to make that a bit more private, I''m not sure. But either way is a win for me.

    Now that the problem with the Divine is taken care of, I begin to work on destroying Ilinia. It takes me five days to wipe out everything but their royal city, the place with the majority of their people.

    When I draw near the city, dozens of powerful spells blast out at me. Group Spells, likely to overwhelm Reij. I had a feeling that bitch was transmitting information. She kept testing me, seeing what I could do.

    She had to know that she''d die in that fight, yet she still tested me anyway.

    Unfortunately for them, Reij doesn''t have a limit to how much magic he can consume, and consumes all of their attacks, allowing me to spend the two seconds to cast Spear of Frozen Lightning when I do, as well as my other powerful lightning and fire magics.

    Anytime a particularly powerful Elf enters my range, I hit them with either a Void or a Blood Smite.

    After four hours of this battle, I''m drained, exhausted, and ready to find somewhere and take a nap, but there isn''t a single red dot left in my vision.

    The forest itself is on fire, and their mages were incapable of quenching it as they focused on me. My flames are spreading out of control, though they have been for several days, now. Now that Ilinia is surrounded by my ice, I can burn without fear of hitting outside nations.

    To drive my fury home, I spend the next few days burning down every settlement I can, reducing them to nothing more than ash and scarred land. The forest and air is filled with ash and smoke, and it''s hard to breathe without manipulating the air around me.

    Once I finished with their royal city, the Quest completed, the dots fading from my vision. However, I know the general location the Kemmel were, and can probably reach there in about a day.

    It''ll get me away from this hell.

    I reach the Kemmel when night falls, just as they''re arriving at a series of caves. Touching down, I approach them, noting that a couple of them gained Levels. Their goddess likely had a hand in that.

    "It''s done," I say once I locate her. She''s currently tending to some cuts on a boy probably five or six years old. He looks like he tripped and scraped himself up. "I''m going to rest up, and once tomorrow comes, be heading out. I have other stuff to do and take care of, too."

    "Thanks for coming!" Ultarna tells me. "I told you you could wait until after you finished with the Fairies! I''m not sure what you''re doing, it was just that I caught word about you not tolerating stuff like this, and wanted to plead for your help! I can''t be killed permanently, just sent back to the Divine Realms, but my people¡­ I couldn''t bear the thought of this going on! Thanks so much! I''ll pay you back for it! I promise!"

    "Again," I tell her. "You don''t need to worry about that," I yawn, covering my mouth. "Sorry, I''m exhausted. I spent the last few days making sure their settlements would never be settlements for a very long time."

    "Thanks!" She says.

    We settle down for the night, a few of the Kemmel curling up against me, and I quickly fall asleep, waking only when the sun is high in the sky. After a decent lunch and some farewells, especially to the children, who really don''t want me to leave, calling me their savior, I soar up into the sky and make my way back to the Dungeon, passing through quickly and finding myself in the mountainous area I passed through on my way to that continent.

    Time to track down those monks I saw last time.

 Chapter 0054 - Niess Request

    (Marty)

    The temple looms above me, built of ancient, tan stones that have faded with time, the crimson paint on its trim vibrant, the dark brown clay shingles giving it the feel of an ancient fortress. The temple, built in the old times, houses the Chain Monks, the world''s most elite warriors.

    Masters of martial arts and chain combat, only the most powerful of foes could hope to take on one or a team of these warriors.

    Among the enlightened species, there stands no equals to the Chain Monks.

    Bald heads, brown eyes, and tanned skins wrapped in their martial arts gis, they represent discipline and strength, courage and honor, kindness and iron wills.

    My first destination, after gaining access to the System. My curly locks will probably be shaved off, upon admittance to the temple, but that is fine. With Access, that means I am eligible to join these elite warriors.

    I can only hope that my Aura is high enough for acceptance. They can work with someone with little or no Mana Affinity, but decent Aura is a necessity for them, warriors who favor martial arts above all else.

    Martial arts, and the unyielding binds of a chain. If I have low or no Mana Affinity, they can train me as a regular Novice, and not a Chain Novice, and I will be happy with that. There is, naturally, the hope that I could one day bring my Mana to the level needed for Chain Monks, as long as I have Mana.

    "Hello!" A monk dressed in a yellow and red gi greets me. I would place him around fifty years of age, but with the System, it''s difficult to gauge that in stronger people, I''ve heard. "How may we help you today? Come for a pilgrimage?"

    A pilgrimage, or a journey to cleanse one of worries and troubles. Many people make the trip each year to visit this place for healing of the mind.

    "No," I answer. "I have come seeking training, if I will be accepted."

    "Access?"

    "A month ago," I nod. "I''m sixteen."

    "You look younger," he looks me up and down.

    "Only just turned it, sir," I respond. "I''ve always been small for my age."

    "Would you kindly show me your screen?" He asks.

    "Status."

    Name: Martin

    Age: 16 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Human Level 1 0/25

    Class:

    INT: 10, AGI: 12, CHA: 9, STR: 13, CON: 15, PER: 19, LIF: 16

    "Status share," I focus on him, and he looks through it.

    "Basic stuff," he nods. "Though your strength, constitution, and perception are higher than we normally see, from someone of any age coming here. Have you trained in hopes to be accepted?"

    "No, sir," I answer. "I grew up in a hut on Xran Peak, and lived in the forest daily. I assumed my stats in that regard were a result of my life climbing trees and running through the woods."

    "Very likely," he nods. "What of your family?"

    "I only ever knew my grandfather," I respond. "He was a kind, but firm man. He told me that, should anything ever happen to him, and I had Access, to seek out the Chain Monks, and learn from them. He passed nigh on three years ago, and until I gained Access, it was just me, once he did."

    "A new training session begins tomorrow," he tells me. "The first stage is learning to awaken the Aura within you. If you succeed, we can begin your training as a Novice, while you attempt to awaken Mana within. If you succeed, you will be accepted as a Chain Novice. If not, you will remain a Novice. Does this sound acceptable to you?"

    "Yes, sir," I respond.

    "No, I''m not showing you my Status!" Someone sounds angry, and I look over to them. "That''s a personal thing, and I was never told I''d have to, if I wanted to be a Chain Monk!"

    He''s around my age, but also small, like me. He has short hair the color of pale straw, and glimmering blue eyes filled with anger. The Monk he''s speaking with looks calm, dressed in a silver gi with a black belt wrapped around his waist, a series of rings on the fingers of his right hand, each one with a chain connecting to the band around that wrist. A Chain Monk, unlike the one I''m speaking with, who is likely a regular Monk.

    "We need to verify that you do, indeed, have Access," the Chain Monk calmly tells him. "Before we can allow you to begin our training. If you''d like to learn martial arts, Gavin, you can study at many of the temples throughout the mountains."

    "I want to learn here," Gavin argues. "And I do have Access! I''m not showing it to you!"

    "He has Access," the Monk I was speaking with calls out. "He has at least Level 5 Appraisal Resistance."

    "Thank you!" The Chain Monk calls back, then looks at Gavin. "If you wish to study here, you will need to learn to follow directions."

    "I do have a question," I say to the Monk I was speaking with.

    "Ask."

    "I am someone," I say. "Who has severe anger issues. I am looking to calm and focus myself, and be able to take a step back from it. That is part of the reason I wish to study here. Will that be a problem?"

    "It will not," he answers. "You seem very level-headed, but even if you were not, our training requires focusing and meditation. Only the most stubborn with anger will be able to hold out. It can take anywhere from one to three months to unlock Aura, if one has it. Judging by how you have appeared to me so far, I would estimate it would take two months. That is, unless you are concealing your anger from me, though judging by your stats and Experience, you have no Acting Skill."

    "I do not, sir."

    "Very well," he nods, then produces a small token, handing it to me. "Take this inside, and hand it to one of the monks in there. They''ll direct you to where the applicants will be staying."

    "Thank you, sir," I accept the token, then make my way inside, Gavin following behind.

    I can feel the anger radiating off of him, and get a bad vibe from him, too. I don''t want to have to do that, if he causes a problem. Hopefully, I can avoid his anger, before he calms himself. Best to avoid unwanted situations, when possible.

    When we make it inside, we meet three others youth around our age, two boys and a girl, and show the Monk with them our tokens. He looks at the five of us, then looks outside.

    "Sun is beginning to set," he says. "It is doubtful more will arrive before it does. Come."

    He begins walking, and we follow him to a room filled with white gis and belts on shelves, along with wooden boxes.

    "Strip off your clothes," he says. "And place them and your belongings into one of the boxes sitting along that wall. Once you have, close it, then place your hand on the lid, and the chest will seal and bind to you, so that only you may open it."

    Sounds like old magic to me. How many of these boxes do they have?

    I begin to undress, and Gavin argues with the Monk, but eventually complies. Unlike the rest of us, he didn''t have a bag or belongings. He only had his clothes and a strange, black ring.

    Once the boxes are sealed, our names appearing on them, the Monk gives each of us a gi, the sizes perfect for us. After we pull them on, he shows us how to tie the belts.

    Once we have changed, the Monk leads us to a room with around fifteen more people, between twelve and twenty, and tell us that we should get some sleep, as training for applicants begin tomorrow.

    Then, he leaves, and people introduce themselves. Gavin claims a corner, lying down and saying that he doesn''t want to bother with us, so leave him alone and keep it down.

    "I can foresee a lot of problems," one of the older applicants mutters, then looks at me. "I don''t think you introduced yourself yet."

    "Sorry," I cover a yawn. "I''ve had a long trip here, and am tired. Marty."

    "Nice to meet you, Marty," he says. "I''m Craig."

    "I''ll probably forget your name," I admit. "I''m bad at remembering them, unless the person is important to me for some reason. There''s a good chance I''ll forget the Monks'' names, and all of yours, constantly."

    "That''s fine," he laughs. "Not everyone is good at names. You remember faces, though?"

    "Every face I''ve ever seen," I nod.

    "That''s good enough for me!" He claps me on the back.

    "I''m turning in for the night," I say, then find a spot and lie down, closing my eyes.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Next, I''m being woken for the day by the gong sounding outside. We assemble in the dining hall for a breakfast of rice and meat strips, then are led to a garden with stone walls surrounding it. There is a small pond in it, fish of white and gold swimming in the water, lilies floating on the surface. It''s my first time seeing lilies in person, and they''re beautiful.

    The Monk in charge of our group has us sit with our legs crossed, doing the same, himself. He instructs to close our eyes, but open our minds, to listen to the sounds around us, and focus on all and none at the same time, to clear all thoughts.

    I struggle to. We train here for weeks, doing this. Some succeed, and can move on to unlocking their Aura, and after a month, two unlock theirs. A month and a half pass, and more have. At the two-month mark, only five of us remain, two of us without having unlocked Meditation itself.

    I find it relaxing, and calming, and yet still can''t clear my mind of everything needed for it. I have so much going on in me, and so much anger.

    Not as much as Gavin, though¡­

    He keeps groaning and gritting his teeth in frustration, and that only agitates me more, though I acquired Acting. Divine know I''ve restrained my temper and kept my expression neutral enough.

    Another week passes, and the other three drop out, giving up entirely, likely not having the aptitude for Aura. Supposedly, anyone who hasn''t gained Meditation after the twelve hours of it every day for two months doesn''t have Aura Affinity, and those three seemed pretty calm.

    I know my issue is from anger, though. Distancing myself is why I wanted to come here. I wanted to distance myself from that emotion, to discipline myself, and be able to work without resorting to anger and violence.

    I think Gavin''s only staying out of stubbornness.

    New Skill!

    Meditation 1: The power to calm your mind and focus yourself, your body will heal faster, your head will clear quicker, and your Resources will recover sooner, during this state.

    How much time has passed?

    Standing, I stretch for a minute, then approach the Monk.

    "I now have Meditation, sir."

    "Congratulations," he smiles. "It''s rare for someone to take this long to unlock it, with this much effort. Those who do have little chance of unlocking their Aura Affinity. As the rest of the applicants in this batch have either given up, failed to awaken it, or awakened it, I will oversee the two of you as you work towards it."

    "Yes, Sensei," I give him a bow.

    "Why don''t you focus on more Meditation, for now?" He asks. "Continue to center yourself. Once the two of you have both earned it, I will give it another two weeks, then we will begin awakening your Aura. With how long it''s taken the two of you to reach this point, it will take you longer to waken your Aura."

    "Yes, Sensei."

    I return to my usual spot and close my eyes, beginning to meditate once more, feeling a sort of calm fill my mind. I focus on the sounds around me, of the water in the pond, the birds in the bushes, the insects chittering amongst themselves.

    That, and Gavin''s noises of frustration.

    "Focus your breathing."

    "What?" He snaps, and I feel his gaze on me.

    "Focus your breathing," I repeat, keeping my eyes closed. "Something I noticed with each of the others who gained Meditation was that, before they did, they focused their breathing. Slow, steady breaths in and out. Not too big, not too small. Rhythmic, like the beat of a drum, yet fluid, like water on rocks in a brook. It''s useful for more than just meditation, though ¨C it helps to calm oneself down when feeling angry."

    "As if you''d know anything about anger!" He snaps. "You''ve been calm and collected ever since I first saw you!"

    "You have no idea the rage that boils within me," I say. "I only appear calm on the surface. There''s a reason it has taken me this long to acquire Meditation."

    He scoffs, but returns to trying to meditate, and he does slow his breathing, and I return to meditating, stopping only when Gavin lets out a weird noise.

    He really has no idea the rage boiling within me, the fury that burns brighter than the sun. A need for vengeance so absolute, I would allow nothing to stand in my way. Right now, I wish to beat the crap out of him for distracting me so much. Beat him so bad he can''t even get up to leave with his tail between his legs.

    A destructive, violent path that I wish to stray from, before it destroys me. My trip here, which began a month ago, has allowed me to calm myself some, at least, externally. I have already learned much, these last few months, and wish to continue to learn and grow.

    "Finally," Gavin mutters, standing. "I have it."

    +1 Human Experience!

    That was random. Why did I gain Human Experience? I made a full journey on my own, and yet hadn''t gained any. Yet somehow, I gained it when he acquired Meditation? Did helping him that cause that? How? And why did my solo journey not?

    The ways of the System are beyond my comprehension.

    "Take two days off of training," the Monk tells us. "You are free to go into town in your spare time. If you need funds, the townspeople often have Quests and Jobs you can do. They''ll have them pinned to the board at the base of the steps."

    "Thank you, sir," I bow to him, and he dismisses us.

    I don''t know what Gavin will do, but I make my way into town. The food here is good, but I''d also like something a bit more sweet every now and then. I didn''t have money when I arrived, though, so I''ll need to do some work.

    At the base of the steps, I look at the massive Jobs Board, which stretches twenty feet long and rests under a sort of wooden shelter, to protect it from the weather. Mostly. A strong enough wind could cause rain and stuff to still hit it.

    Requests fill the board, and there are a few Monks, trainees, and regular people ¨C probably those with Access ¨C examining them. It''s just barely past lunch now, so I could do a couple of smaller requests, or one bigger request. Most of them rest beyond my capabilities, though I do see a number of them that I could perform.

    I decide on two smaller ones. One requests assistance acquiring some stratus petals, and another requests assistance acquiring faerin berries. Both grow on this mountain, according to the requests.

    Well, the former says they do, the latter wants some. Having grown up on mountains, myself, I know that faerin berries grow near the stratus flower.

    Turning from the board, I meet the first petitioner to see if they still need the status flowers. It''s an old woman who performs alchemy from her home, and she received an order for featherlight potions.

    "Do you have nesmar feathers?" I ask.

    "Nesmar feathers?" She asks.

    "The feathers of the nesmar bird," I nod. "Stratus flowers grow only in their territory."

    "I use helso feathers," she shakes her head. "I''ve never heard of using nesmar feathers."

    "Could I see your recipe?" I ask. "Or is it a secret?"

    "It''s a common recipe," she says, and looks through her alchemy tome until she finds what she''s looking for, then shows it to me. "This is the standard recipe for the featherlight potion. I''ve never heard of an effective variant."

    "It''s the same as what I grew up learning," I tell her. "With the exception of the nesmar feather and using twice as much stratus petals. You''d need about three-quarters of the weight for the feather as you use now in nesmar feathers for the same size batch. This says the effect lasts twenty seconds ¨C the effect of the potion I learned lasts a full minute."

    "Really?" She asks.

    "Yes, ma''am," I nod. "Would you like me to pick you up some extra while you''re out, so you can try it? Nesmar down is incredibly useful in a variety of potions as well."

    "Will you be alright?" She asks. "You''re a Novice, yes?"

    "I''ll be alright," I smile at her. "Nesmar are very friendly, unless you try to attack them. I''ll be able to get what I need from them without an issue. Actually, it''s probably because of that no one around here''s known about their alchemical properties. Every part of them has strong alchemical properties. However, taking anything by force¡­ I''ve heard that high-Level Adventurers have been killed."

    Her eyes widen.

    "I''ll be alright," I tell her, my smile returning. "I''ve never been attacked by one."

    Well, I have, but I know how to survive against them.

    "If you''re sure," she looks hesitant.

    "I''ll be alright," I assure her, and she nods, then I leave to meet the next one, an alchemist who works at a regular shop, who confirms he still needs them, but said that he doesn''t know where to acquire them, and he wants to make a certain potion really bad.

    He won''t tell me what potion, though, because I''m ''just a Novice, and wouldn''t know anything about the fine art of alchemy''. It takes everything I have not to let my anger take over me at that.

    I probably know more about alchemy than you could ever hope, you¡­

    Calm yourself.

    Informing the petitioners done, I make my way onto the mountains, traveling an hour to where the woman told me the stratus flowers grow. Small, with light, fluffy petals a pale grey in color. I pinch them at the base of the stem, pulling straight up in a swift motion. For twelve of the plants, I acquire the roots with them, for three, rip it, and only retrieve the stem and up. That''s fine by me, though.

    Putting those into the small basket I was given by the woman, since I had nothing to hold them in, myself, I look for the berries, locating them within minutes. He wants to make a single potion, though I''ll collect four times as many, just in case.

    That done, I locate the nesmar flock. Ground-dwelling birds that live in small caves and burrows underground, they''re puffy little things with light grey feathers and golden beaks and talons, their silver eyes gleaming with mischief.

    Despite their fat bodies and desire to live on the ground, these birds are excellent fliers, something many people fail to even consider a possibility when they see them. If a Dragon can fly with its massive body, then so too can something so much more proportionate.

    This is a world of magic, you idiots.

    I collect feathers and down from their nest, ignoring the birds'' attempts to trip me up and drop on me from above. A few nip at my heels, and ignoring that isn''t difficult, either.

    These ones seem to be especially docile today.

    Deciding I have enough, I make my way back into town, dropping off the berries first. He scoffs and tells me he''s not paying me more for having collected more, then scoffs again when I told him I didn''t expect him to. We agreed to a set amount, and I chose to acquire more, just in case the first failed. It was my decision, and not part of the arrangement, done out of the good of my heart.

    He pays me, and I make my way to the old woman, handing her the basket. She looks inside, eyes widening when she sees the amount.

    "You collected much more than I expected," she says.

    "I thought you might like to have a little more," I nod. "I''m not intending on charging you more, though ¨C we agreed upon five copper for this, and that''s all I''ll expect."

    She tries to pay me more, but I refuse, telling her that it wasn''t a part of the original agreement. She reluctantly agrees to the deal, handing me just the five copper coins.

    +1 Human Experience!

    Interesting.

    I leave her shop and make my way to to a small cafe for dinner, dining on soup and sandwiches, and eating a sticky bun. First one in months, and it''s just as delicious as I remember them being.

    After dinner, I leave the restaurant, and make my way through the crowded streets. Everyone is finishing up for the day and either going out for food or returning home or to the Temple.

    About halfway to the steps from the cafe, a powerful sense fills me, the sense that something not of this world has honored us with its presence. Many others react, either standing still, or dropping to a bow. I turn and look around, until I spot the source of this sense.

    Three creatures that resemble large cats, such as the mountain lions I am used to, walk down the street. Each has orange fur with black stripes, their faces almost round in appearance, with an orange nose, and white fur with black stripes, a few orange streaks towards the back of the head. Their underbellies and the backs of their front paws and legs look to be white in color as well.

    Three three creatures walk down the street in a line, civilians moving out of the way, bowing to this being. Or rather, the one sitting atop the largest of the tigers, the one walking in the center.

    He looks to be around ten, with pitch-black hair and crimson eyes, and he''s dressed in a black shirt of some sort, along with pants that stop at the knees, his feet clad in strange footwear, also black in color, though with some red marks and strings.

    The Divine''s eyes are filled with tears, and he''s mostly lying on the tiger, holding its fur tightly with his head facing toward this side, resting against the tiger''s head.

    The beasts themselves walk with their heads high, not even looking at us, just walking straight down the path. The people of this region aren''t religious, as no Divine Being has really ever graced the world with their presence or made public their influence, though they do know of a few. I''ve yet to hear of one with such majestic creatures, though.

    They stop walking when they reach this area, the tiger with the Divine resting on it approaching the spot I''m standing, then turning so the Divine is facing me.

    Me.

    He''s looking at me.

    "Mar-Martin," he sniffles, trying hard not to cry. "Sar-Sarvan-nos?"

    "Yeah?" I ask, a little worried. "Um. Yes, Your Divineness?"

    As soon as I speak, the others around me are pushed away by some unseen force, a translucent crimson barrier forming around us.

    "Please find my Hero!" He wails.

 Chapter 0055 - Quests and Experience

    (Marty)

    I''m too stunned to react to him. A Divine needing helping finding their Hero? From what knowledge is available here, a Hero is a Divine''s Chosen, someone who has done a lot for them and proven them worthy of special powers.

    Shouldn''t a Divine be capable of locating their Hero at all times?

    What do you do when a god is crying?

    I''ve never even seen a god before! This one''s crying! He''s just a kid, too!

    "Six months ago," he finally starts speaking again. "My Hero just disappeared on me. He entered this region of the world, this continent, and then vanished. He kept appearing and vanishing, and I wasn''t really paying attention, then he just vanished for a couple of months! Then he reappeared, and before I could locate him and see what he was doing, he was gone again! I don''t know how he can evade my sight, but none of the Divine can locate him! Even the System can''t find him! Please help me find him, Martin! Please!"

    "Wh-why me?" I stammer out.

    "Everyone around here loves quests!" He continues to cry. "They even have that huge Quests Board to post them up on, and most people here are honorable for it! Even though you''re new here, you went above and beyond without being asked, and still insisted on the agreed-upon reward! You had no ulterior motives or anything, and just wanted to help them out! You''re like the perfect follower, if I had them! Gavin''s my only follower, though! Everyone else who knows about me don''t worship me, just Gavin, and I really miss his teasing and talks and his presence! Please find him for me!"

    "Gavin?"

    "My Hero!" He cries. "I picked him out all myself, even hijacked Ekre''s offer to him to make the offer, ''cause I didn''t want to have to make my own Offering Realm for him, since I''ve never had a Hero before! He means so much to me, and now he''s found a way to evade my sight, and he won''t talk to me, and I can''t contact him or see his stats or anything! But he''s still alive! I''d know if one of my Heroes was dead! Especially Gavin! He''s gotta be in this region of the world somewhere! Please find him!"

    "This¡­ region of the world?"

    "Yeah," he sniffles. "The world has eighteen regions, separated by magical barriers. The ''world'' you know is just one of those regions. Gavin knows how to travel between them. No one''s left this region, though, so he has to be here somewhere! I know he wanted to train with the Chain Monks! Please help me find him!"

    "There''s a Gavin-"

    "It''s not him!" He wails. "I already looked at him! My Gavin''s hair is lighter in color, and that one''s got all the wrong Classes and stats. My Gavin''s hundreds more powerful than him! He''ll live for thousands of years, and you''d sense him coming from miles away, he''s so powerful! He bows to none, not even Divine, and can force Kings to do what he wants! Only Divine and beings that shouldn''t even be in this realm can pose a threat to him, save for the Ultimate Ones!"

    Ultimate Ones?

    Dragons and the like? He''s that powerful?

    "But he''s missing!" He wails again. "I can''t find him anywhere! Please! Find my Hero, Martin! Please!"

    Divine Quest Available!

    Please find my Hero!

    Requirements: Locate Gavin! Please!

    Time Limit: None! Please do it, though!

    Reward: Level 25 Human! Be my Hero! Please!

    He really wants me to do this¡­

    "What if I can''t do it?"

    "You have to!" He sobs. "I have to believe that you can find him! If you can''t, then no one can! Please! He''ll have to show himself! He won''t be able to just meditate for long periods on his own! He doesn''t have the patience for it! He''ll have to show himself! Please find him!"

    "I''m just a person," I say. "If you ¨C the god who made him a Hero ¨C can''t locate him, what can I do?"

    "I don''t know!" He wails. "Please find him!"

    "Can you even have two Heroes?" I ask.

    "Yeah!" He sniffles. "As long as they''re not the same person."

    "As long as¡­ what?" I ask. "How would you accidentally give it to the same person twice?"

    "Formshift," he sniffles. "It''s not a Skill humans can have without a Divine granting it. I think-I think Ultarna gave it to him, after he helped her out! He''s in another form! He''s changed his name and his looks and probably adjusted his stats for this form, to make him weaker! But please! I need help finding him! He''s someone who can make anyone swear an oath, and his temper is righteous!"

    "Um," I frown. "Then how do you know it''s not me?"

    He gives me a look that says ''it''s quite obvious''.

    "You''re too calm!" He states. "Plus, your LIF is barely above average! Gavin has a tendency to do stuff that causes his LIF to reduce, so he''d never let himself be caught with LIF lower than five hundred!"

    From this, one can conclude that Gavin is a human who somehow gained an impossible lifespan. Just what the hell is his Hero?

    "Not only that," he sniffles. "But your stats are waaaaaay too low! Gavin prefers to deal with issues by overwhelming them! Your lack of Skills and stats entirely make it impossible for you to be him in any form! That, and Gavin can''t gain Experience right now, and you have! So you definitely can''t be him!"

    "He can''t gain Experience?" I ask. "Why not?"

    "It''s part of an agreement he made with me!" He says. "So that he didn''t have to worry about a time limit for his Blood Quest! But he still needs to take care of the demon before time''s up, even though that''s not part of it! He''s only got, like, three years or so left before it breaks free! Please find him!"

    He wants me to do something that''s probably really, really impossible¡­ and the best candidate for it, he''s ruled out.

    "Okay," I say. "On one condition."

    "What is it?" He sniffles.

    "I''m not made a Hero," I say. "It should be something really, really special. I know finding him means a lot to you, and will probably be a feat in and of itself, but he''s probably got his reasons for hiding from you, and I wouldn''t feel right for becoming a Hero by finding another Hero who is trying to hide from the same Divine that made me a Hero, who is his own Divine. If that makes sense. Plus, having only one Hero makes that Hero so much more special."

    "Okay," he sniffles. "How about Champion or Paladin instead?"

    "Champion or Paladin?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "Well, they''re the same thing. You''re a Paladin if you''re a Divine''s Champion. Champion is sort of the same as Hero, but without the powerful buffs they get. Or in the case of a god with few followers like me, the¡­ okay buff. As a Paladin, there would be a few Skills you''d have access to that weren''t available elsewhere."

    "If you really want to do that," I say. "I''m going to look for him, okay? I don''t know how long it''ll take, though. If I find him, I''ll tell him how much you''re missing him and want to talk with him again."

    "Thanks," he sniffles, and the Quest changes to reflect the change in reward, only it doesn''t reflect that Hero is changed ¨C that disappears entirely. "I changed the Quest."

    Class Acquired!

    Paladin of Nies 1: A mighty being who has earned the blessing of Nies, the Origin of Quests and Oaths. +5 STR, CHA, CON, LIF each Level

    Skill Granted!

    Bestowment of Quest Bestowment: Grants the power to turn any Job Board, Quest Board, or Petition Site into an official place for Quests. Any Requests posted there will trigger an official Quest for anyone with Access to the System, even if the petitioner doesn''t hold Access. They will still be notified through the System of the Acceptance.

    Skill Granted!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Removal of Quest Bestowment: Grants the power to deactivate a Quest Board''s official status.

    As a Paladin, you will gain access to new Skills every fifth Level of the Class. This Class does not take up a Class Slot. This Class does not have multiple Tiers.

    Title Earned!

    Champion of Nies: One who has earned the title of the Champion of Nies, the Origin of Quests and Oaths

    Skill Granted!

    Appraisal 1: The power to Appraise people and monsters, allowing you to see some information about them

    So I can acquire up to five more Skills from this Class.

    "Thanks so much!" The Divine ¨C Nies ¨C says. "I''m going to go and get some sleep, now. This has been so much work for me, and I just wanna sleep. Prolly gonna sleep through the whole day. Bye."

    He sniffles, hugging the tiger tighter, and the four of them walk down the street. Well, the three tigers do, with the child Divine resting atop it.

    The barrier around me fades as he passes through it, and everyone looks at me.

    "I think I''m returning to the Temple."

    I turn and begin walking, making my way to the Temple. Word of the Divine''s presence hasn''t reached here yet, and I am able to locate a Monk without too much issue.

    "Yes, applicant?" He asks.

    "I have a question concerning the Divine, sir," I say. "Do you know where I could locate information on them?"

    "The Divine?" He thinks for a moment. "They don''t interact with us much, so there isn''t much known about them. I probably know as much as anyone here, though the one teaching you and the other applicant still behind would know more. What were you wondering?"

    "What''s an Origin?"

    "An Origin Divine?" He asks. "Now that''s something I haven''t heard in a long time. The Origins are the first Divine ¨C the most powerful of them all. All I know of them stems from rumors, and Adrix would likely have the same answers."

    "Rumors are welcome," I say.

    "The Origins," he says. "Are supposedly the first Divine, the source of the very fabric of existence. War, Love, Hope, Peace, Dreams, Plants, Animals, Land, Sky ¨C all of them have an Origin, and that Origin is a Divine who came up with it. The only one whose name we know for guarantee is that of Nies, the Origin of Oaths and Quests. Supposedly, he once descended to us upon a magnificent beast, though the name has long since been forgotten to our people. In the form of a boy, he looked. Quiet and untalkative, but one cannot expect a Divine ¨C especially one as ancient and powerful as the source of all Quests ¨C to speak to mere mortals without good reason. What he did here has been forgotten, though it''s also said that he never actually did anything, just wandered through here until another Divine showed up and took him away. As no one here worships a Divine, there was little reason for him to have been here in the first place. Why do you ask?"

    "Oh," I say. "Uh¡­ the Origin of Quests and Oaths, Nies, showed up while I was in town. He made a request of me while we were there, giving me a Divine Quest to find his Hero."

    "Find his Hero?"

    "Yes, sir," I nod. "Apparently, his Hero found a way to avoid his gaze six months ago, and has been doing so since then. Nies apparently misses him, and wants him found. He, uh, approached me personally to ask me to find him, though I got the sense that he felt his Hero would find his way to me at some point, for some weird reason."

    He shrugs, and says he''ll see if the library has anything else on Divine that I can look at, and I make my way to the dorm. A few of the others have returned by then, and are chatting. Those who managed to unlock Aura have their heads shaved already, leaving on Gavin and I with hair.

    When I step into the room, they all look at me.

    "They say," one of them says. "That the Divine that showed up in town talked to an applicant. Since Gavin''s been in the temple all day, and the next session doesn''t start for another month or so, we can assume that was you. Did a Divine really approach you?"

    "Uh¡­" What was his name?

    "Grant."

    "Grant," I nod. "Yeah, he did. He wanted to issue me a Quest, though honestly, I''ve no clue how I''m supposed to complete it. His Hero ¨C someone he''s chosen to represent him, or something ¨C has gone missing, and he can''t locate him. Apparently, his Hero decided to hide from him, and figured out a way to do it, and the god really, really misses him. If a god can''t do it, how am I supposed to?"

    "Why did he pick you for that?" Grant asks.

    "No clue," I lie down on my mat. "He just said that he thinks I''ll eventually find him, or that he''ll come to me, or something. I have no clue what''s going on in his head, but he''s a Divine, so it''s not like I could be expected to understand it. Especially with how infrequently they interact with us."

    "True," Grant says.

    "I''m going to get some rest," I cover my yawn. "Gavin and I both acquired Meditation today, so we''ll begin working towards Aura when our training resumes. We have the next two days free, and I''d like to do Quests while waiting."

    They resume talking quietly, and I fall asleep. In the morning, when I go to make my way to town, I''m stopped by a Monk.

    "Yes, sir?" I ask.

    "Our knowledge on the Divine aren''t too great," he says. "But do you know anything about what happened last night?"

    "With Nies approaching me?" I ask.

    "No," he shakes his head. "I mean about everyone gaining Access to the System."

    "Every¡­ everyone?" I try to maintain a normal volume. "Everyone has Access?"

    "From what we can tell, yes," he nods. "The timing is highly coincidental."

    Blargh. Ekre kicked me out of his realm. He didn''t like a dozen tigers napping in his living room.

    "Good morning, Nies."

    Good morning, Marty, the Divine greets me. I wanted to sleep through today, too.

    "Mind if I ask you a question?"

    I''d probably enjoy it.

    "Did you grant everyone Access during the night?"

    Only a rare few beings possess that power. I can name four. One of which is a certain Rift Wolf that keeps interfering with things, one of which is a being that doesn''t exist in this universe, one of which is the System itself, and one of which is my Hero, the only remaining being with Access who possesses the Wizard Class. Specifically, he has Archmage, the Fourth Tier of it. He can grant access to¡­ since when did he decide to grant Access to the world? Oh. Huh. He only did it to your region of the world. I didn''t even know that was possible. Guess with the world being segmented, and everyone considering their portion of it to be the whole world, since the magic makes you never go too far or just loop around, he was able to. That''s confirmation that he''s still around, though. The System would never do that, and nor would the other two. On second though, O might, just for shits and giggles. But so would Gavin, so it was probably him.

    "Thank you, sir," I say, then apologize to the Monk. "Sorry, sir, Nies began talking to me. He said it was likely his Hero who did it. Because of that, it can be assumed he''s in the area."

    "His Hero can grant Access to everyone?"

    "According to Nies," I nod.

    "Very well, then," he nods. "Thank you, Applicant."

    He turns and walks away, and I walk down to the Jobs Board. There are only a handful of others at it, all Monks save one, an Adventurer in his forties. I saw him here yesterday, when I was looking at the two Quests.

    Since everyone in the world¡­ since everyone in this region of the world has Access, now, then making the Jobs Board an official Quest Board might be a good idea. Help some people out a little.

    Placing a hand on the Quest Board, I focus on the power I have now.

    "I declare you an Official Quest Board," I say, my voice filled with a power that feels similar to Nies''s yesterday.

    The Jobs Board glows with a crimson light, which fades after a few seconds, but otherwise remains the same¡­

    Mostly.

    In my vision, it''s now labeled Quest Board, and has a faint crimson aura around it. In addition, every petition on the board has a sort of look to it that tells me its relative difficulty for me. I don''t know how I know it''s the relative difficulty for me, just that it is.

    When I select a Quest and state that I accept it, a notice appears in my vision, telling me the reward to be obtained, the requirements for it, and that the petitioner has been notified.

    I select two more Quests ¨C all three of them require gathering ingredients on the mountain, which I can obtain easily with my current Skill set. Then, I make my way onto the mountain to begin gathering the items for alchemists.

    After turning in the first set, I''m handed the reward, and a message appears in my vision.

    Quest Completed!

    +1 Human Experience!

    +1 Paladin Experience!

    Is that normal, or no?

    When I turn in the other two Quests, I receive the same message, telling me it''s normal. The question is if it''s exclusive to me, because of my status as Nies''s Champion, or if everyone who completes a Quest through the System receives Experience for it.

    Listening in on conversations around me and to the Novices at the Temple when I turn in for the night, I determine that no one else earns Experience through completing Quests. That means the extra reward is a bonus to me exclusively.

    As I''m falling asleep, a message appears in my vision, and from the murmurs of the Novices in the room, they all received the same message.

    System Message to All With Access:

    Specialty Classes (Classes that do not take up a Class Slot) will be separated from other Classes from now on

    Previous Experience Distribution: Performing actions relating to any Class can earn Experience. If it does, Experience was split between all Classes, with the majority of it going to your Primary Class.

    From now on, it goes solely to the Class or Classes that allowed the Experience to be gained, using the same distribution as before.

    This will be a nerf in some areas, and a boost in others.

    "Nies?" I ask hesitantly.

    Yes?

    "Do you know about what just happened?"

    Yeah ¨C the System hit all of us with it, too. He broadcasted it to everyone who had Access to the System, as well as all Divine, so that we were aware of the change.

    "Do you mind if I ask why?"

    Not really. The System decided that, since my Hero is being such a bully to me, he''s going to do this. It''s not like Gavin''s even capable of earning Experience right now, but he abused a massive bonus he has to Experience in Dungeons to basically grind out his Classes to insane heights. He''s got multiple Tier IV Classes. At least it doesn''t affect his friends¡­ that would really suck.

    "His friends?"

    They''re utilizing something in another region called ''Grind Arenas''. You kill monsters in ''waves'', which is where set amounts of set monsters come out, with brief rests ¨C or not ¨C between them. In the Grind Arenas, there are rests. Once you finish a wave, you gain Experience based on how well you did ¨C the easier the wave was for you, the less Experience you''ll gain. Faking a struggle doesn''t work. It distributes it the normal way, so earlier Levels will just flood the first Primary Class for more powerful people. They actually got a revamp about nine or so months ago. Gavin''d probably be a little irritated, if he found out about it.

    Anyway, it ignores whether or not you''re doing stuff that would boost the Classes to gain that Experience. Someone who has Alchemy and Blacksmithing as their Classes would still gain Experience if they shot up the monsters with arrows. So his team won''t be affected by this. I''m hoping he tries going to them, to see how they are handling this, just so I can tackle him in a hug and tell him he needs to stop being a meanie.

    Anyway, he sighs. This is a lot of talking for me. Bye.

    He stops talking, and I settle back into my mat, then realize that every other trainee in the room is focused on me. I open my eyes and look at them.

    "Can I help you?"

    "Did he tell you why that happened?"

    "Apparently," I say. "The System didn''t like his Hero abusing the fact that he could gain a bunch of Experience using magic for Classes that didn''t involve it. It''s been coming for more than a year, though. The System was probably making sure it had everything adjusted properly before actually implementing the change."

    After that, they let me get to sleep. I know they have more questions, but having a Divine''s chosen around is new to everyone here, and so they want to avoid upsetting the Divine by not letting its chosen sleep.

 Chapter 0056 - The End of Training

    (Marty)

    A steam-like substance seems to float away from my body, from every pore across it. It feels a little heavy, and prickles. It''s warm, and feels almost like a loving embrace. It feels strange, but powerful.

    Aura.

    I have finally unlocked it, after three weeks of Aura Meditation. Or at least, trying to Aura Meditate. But I finally have the Skill, now, which allows me to passively increase the might of my Aura.

    Focusing on Sensei''s instructions, I sense the flow of Aura, and pull it back to my body, stemming its flow and preventing it from escaping. Gavin managed to unlock his Aura at the same time, though it looks slightly weaker than mine.

    "Congratulations," Sensei tells us both. "You succeeded, and at the same time, too. Could you tell me your values."

    "One-oh-two," Gavin huffs.

    "One-oh-eight," I respond, earning a glare from my fellow trainee.

    "Decent-sized pools," Sensei nods. "Impressive. Usually, it''s under forty at first, but still higher than most Resources, which hover under fifteen, most of the time. You both have fine talent with Aura."

    "Now that you have awakened it," he says. "And learned Meditation and Aura Meditation, I have a single question to ask of you two: do you wish to train to become Chain Monks, or do you desire to simply train? Or would you rather leave us, now?"

    "I want to be Chain Monk," Gavin clenches his fists. "I already have Mana unlocked."

    "Really?" The Monk asks. "That''s impressive, most don''t already have it."

    "I had it available when I gained Access," Gavin states. "Are you going to make me wait with slowpoke over here, or can I join the others?"

    "You will study under me," the Monk says. "I, too, am a Chain Monk, and you are already behind the other students, but too far for the next batch to be ready for you to join, once they begin. We will see if Marty here is capable of awakening his Mana, if he has it at all."

    "That could take months!" Gavin complains. "The other applicants haven''t done it yet, either!"

    "Mana," I look at my right hand, holding it in front of me. "My grandfather said that my family has a high affinity for Mana. He said that, when he gained Access to the System, it took him three days to awaken his Mana, and he wasn''t even trying. He had eighty-six Mana when he did."

    I inhale, focusing, then exhale, visualizing a power flowing through me, one different from Aura. As I do, a faint blue light begins to surround me, Mana unlocking.

    "Six-three," I say. "Not as high as my grandfather''s."

    "Still impressive," the Monk nods. "And yours, Gavin?"

    "Five-nine," he answers through his teeth.

    He does not like being outdone. At all.

    "As you are both ready to be Chain Novices," the Monk says. "You must decide: will you begin the journey to this power we wield, or will you choose another path?"

    "I already said I want to be a Chain Monk!" Gavin snaps.

    "I would like to learn the arts of the Chain Monks, Sensei," I give him a bow.

    "Very well, then," Sensei says. "It is time to shave your heads."

    "What?" Gavin asks, eyes widening in horror. "No! You can''t cut off my hair!"

    "It is the rule," Sensei says. "Either you lose your hair, or lose your status as a student here. The choice is yours."

    "I will be sad to see my curls go," I touch them. "They are apparently unusual in this region, though bountiful where I come from. The attention is not unwelcome."

    To be honest, I am really only saying that because I know Gavin gets attention from his blond hair, and that that is probably why he doesn''t want to lose it.

    Gavin huffs, then reluctantly agrees to losing his blond hair. Sensei pulls out a razor and some cream, and first hacks off the hair, then shaves us bald. After, he rubs an ointment onto our heads, handing each of us a small tin of it once he''s finished.

    "This ointment," he says. "Will keep your hair from growing back, as long as you rub it in every day. If you don''t use the ointment, you''ll need to shave it every day, which is why we use the ointment."

    Gavin grumbles, but accepts the tin, and the monk dismisses us for the day, telling us we will have the rest of today, as well as the next two days, free from training. Then, we will begin our training with martial arts and chains.

    I make my way out of the temple and down to the Quest Board, taking on a few Quests.

    After the two and a half days of ''rest'', Gavin and I return to our training area to meet with Sensei to begin our martial arts training. He teaches us basic moves, drilling us day after day until we can perform a series of moves, flowing from one to the next. He requires Gavin and I to fight each other. I think Gavin''s a little bit more aggressive than he should be, but that''s probably partly my fault.

    The urge to agitate him is too strong. He''s getting better about controlling his anger, as we both receive punishments whenever something happens, but his anger is still violently worse than mine. I got past the violent part of it a long time ago.

    In addition to the martial arts training, Sensei also teaches us to expand our Aura and manipulate our Mana, ensuring both are emptied completely several times throughout the day. Every two weeks of training, he grants us a full day of rest, which I use to perform Quests.

    Quests become a huge thing to everyone. Every now and then, I can hear Nies giggling to himself, and know that he''s happy to have so many people worshiping him. He''s still sad about Gavin, and keeps checking in on my progress finding his Hero, but his Hero really doesn''t want to be found. At all.

    That kind of makes it tough. Besides, how I am supposed to find someone a god can''t find?

    That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    After six months of martial arts and training our Aura and Mana, Sensei introduces us to the chains. Thick and heavy, he has us wrap them around our bodies and practice our martial arts wearing them.

    Fun.

    After a month of that, the chains begin to feel natural as we move, and Sensei makes gives us lighter chains. Then, he teaches us how to infuse our Mana into the chains, to control and move them around.

    As we begin to learn to do that, we begin to spar with both martial arts and the chains, moving the chains ourselves and with our Mana, using our Aura to enhance our defenses against the chains and other physical attacks, as well as to strengthen the chains.

    Mixing Aura and Mana in the chains is difficult, and Gavin and I both have our frustrations pushed to the limits to keep them from breaking. We go through so many chains trying not to break them, it''s annoying.

    We do manage, eventually, to create the perfect balance of Aura and Mana within the chains, and begin to fight with greater skill.

    Once our skill fighting with chains is great enough, Sensei teaches us how to form them with magic. This takes us back to the slower days of meditation, before we began to learn how to fight. We sit, and we focus, and we will the chains into existence.

    Once we are able to do that, Sensei has us train with those chains. Not a fun thing, nor an easy one, since we have to infuse them with Aura while also extending or shortening them with Mana while also sustaining them.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    I just want to throttle Sensei.

    A year after we unlock Aura, Gavin and I pass the test to become full-fledged Chain Monks, and the moment we do, we receive the Class for it, an automatic thing.

    Chain Monks (Tier I) 1: Masters of martial arts and chain-fighting, your melee combat skills are a force to be feared. +2 AGI, STR, CON, MNA, ARA every Level

    "Congratulations," Sensei tells us as he hands us our grey gis. "And welcome to the Ranks of the Chain Monks. You two have done well, and come far, since you arrived. Matured a great deal, even if you two do not get along very well."

    "It isn''t enough," Gavin complains. "We still hit it well after those who came with us."

    "Actually," Sensei says. "You two being segregated from them ensured that you two interacted from them minimally. The path to Chain Monk typically takes five years from unlocking Aura. You two completed it in less than one."

    "What?" Gavin looks completely and utterly confused.

    "We''re the first people to arrive," I look at him. "In the last three years to reach Chain Monk. That''s over five hundred people."

    Gavin stares at me with his eyes wide.

    "I asked over the weekend, during our off day," I tell him. "On the status of our other applicants, and then inquired about how long. We''ve actually hit Chain Monk faster than anyone they have had here at the temple in more than a century."

    "And yet," he says. "It still isn''t enough. Aren''t you still looking for your god''s Hero?"

    "I am," I nod. "I was actually wondering if you could help me with something."

    "Like what?" He scoffs.

    "Something a bit more private," I say. "I''m thinking I might know how to draw the Hero out, if it''s possible. Nies said he thinks I''m the best chance he has at doing it."

    You are. Gavin owes me lots of offerings, for this. Well, he owed me lots before, but I''m not letting him get away with this.

    Sure you are, you lazy bum. How is such a lazy god the origin of quests? That doesn''t make any sense to me.

    "I''ll get you offerings, Nies," I tell him. "But I''d rather you not be looking at me or this area for the next week. Would you be willing to do that for me?"

    You know that as soon as I do that, Gavin''ll show up just to spite me.

    "Maybe," I say. "But hey ¨C if he does, I''ll contact you directly."

    We have a deal. I''m holding you to it.

    "And if I don''t?" I ask. "What are you going to do, sleep on me?"

    Um¡­ I''ll send Ekre after you.

    It''s bad enough you''re sleeping in my realm constantly, now, I am not going to go annoy your Champion for you.

    Please?

    No.

    Please?

    No.

    What if I gave you a sundae? With a cherry on top?

    No.

    But there''s a cherry on top.

    No!

    You''re mean.

    And you''re annoying! Stop sleeping on me, too! I was trying to eat when you decided to take that nap!

    You make a comfy pillow.

    Haku no vu lasu!

    Are you doing a Gavin impersonation, now?

    Shut the hell up, Nies.

    "Nies?" I say. "Do you think you could convince the other Divine to turn their eyes away from here? I know it''s been a year and a half since Gavin went missing, but what I''m doing might draw him out, and it''ll be more likely if no one''s looking, based on what you''ve said about Gavin."

    Which is a lot. Nies talks about him a lot. Seriously. Almost every time we talk, Gavin gets brought up, and it''s something to do with something Gavin did. Apparently, the reason he picked Gavin for his Hero was because Gavin pulled Blood Oaths out of people without discrimination for who they were or what their rank or status was. He didn''t care, and did as he pleased.

    And caused chaos wherever he went. Nies seems to enjoy that. Chaos, I mean. For a lazy god, he sure seems to have a lot of active attributes to his power. Just what happened that made him so lazy?

    Yeah, I can do that. I can just put a block on the entire area.

    Please don''t.

    Done. Only I can tap into it until¡­ shut up, System. Only I can tap into it until¡­ yes, I''m aware Father''s able to do it. Don''t think I won''t tell on you. Only I can tap into it until ¨C I''m getting Dad.

    What the System kept interrupting him about was irrelevant. What Nies was saying was that only he can tap into it until he lifts it, though our Father could technically also tap into it. I''m only able to stay in communication with you because I''m hijacking Nies''s link to you, by accident. This normally only happens with Gavin, but it seems that all of Nies''s chosen have this trait.

    Get out of my Champion''s head.

    As if you listened when I asked you to leave my Blessing Temple when I was offering mine to Gavin.

    He rejected you. I was offering.

    Make your own Blessing Temple.

    It''s easier to just hijack yours.

    Get off of me.

    You''re so comfy. I''m going back to sleep.

    Their voices fade from my mind, and I look at Gavin.

    "Sorry," I say. "He was arguing with a couple of other Divine."

    Including the System. Who is their father, and why can Nies just call him when the System is annoying him?

    System-Wide Announcement

    Due to the System being naughty, he has been grounded.

    I guess you can all have twenty-four hours of bonus base experience for Classes.

    This exempts Experience from Quests and such.

    Don''t tell the System I did this.

    "Did you two just get that?" I ask, and they both nod. "That was Nies, I think. Anyway, he granted my request, so Gavin, would you mind helping me with this? It''ll take about a week to do, I think."

    "Fine," he groans. "What is it?"

    "Oh, nothing much," I say. "But it''s secret, so I can''t tell you in front of anyone."

    Gavin huffs, but follows me out of town and up the mountain, to a series of caves. He doesn''t want to follow me, but does because he''s already come this far. Once we''re deep in the caves, only my glowstone lighting the way, I stop, looking around the chamber where I''ve assembled some items.

    I pull out my tinder and start a small fire in one of the braziers, lighting the fires in the others as well, revealing the chamber. Standing around fifteen feet high and around twenty feet in diameter, it is relatively plain. I have a brazier standing every few feet against the walls, along with four smaller ones at the center of the room.

    Also waiting for us are a variety of stones, blocks, and logs, along with fuel for the braziers.

    "Don''t worry about the smoke," I tell Gavin. "It doesn''t look it, but this cave is well-ventilated. That''s why the air still smells fresh in here."

    "What are we doing in here?" He asks.

    "Building a shrine and altar for Nies," I tell him. "I wanted your assistance, since you''re physically strong enough, and I know for a fact that you know his Hero."

    Gavin stares at me, then starts to deny it.

    "You probably don''t know you do," I tell him. "But you do."

    "I''ve never met his Hero before," he says. "I''d know if I did, and-"

    "Your name," I say. "Your looks. You were approached by someone and told to use that name, weren''t you?"

    "How''d you-"

    "Nies," I interrupt him. "You look somewhat like his Hero, according to him. He didn''t tell me that Gavin wasn''t your name, but the odds? I figured that the real reason you didn''t want to reveal your stats was because you were hiding your real name. It''s part of why I didn''t want any of the Divine Beings able to look in on us."

    "Yeah," he nods. "I come from some islands off the coast, and have wanted to be a Chain Monk since I was little. When I was halfway here, this guy who has some traits similar to mine approached me and asked me to use the name ''Gavin''. He''s paying me for it, gave me a ton of money, and even a ring to store it in."

    "The spatial ring you were wearing?"

    "How''d you know it was a spatial ring?" He asks. "I''d never even heard of one before, and I couldn''t find anything in the monks'' library."

    "Nies mentioned it to me," I tell him. "Said it was one of Gavin''s. He also told me that you weren''t Gavin, which is why I realized you were probably asked or something into doing it. You seriously just gave in and did it?"

    "That other guy?" He says. "Fucking scary as fuck. There was something eerily charming about him, and something eerily dangerous, too. I snapped at him, and suddenly, I felt a pressure on me that made me feel as if the world was going to end. He told me it was a Skill called Mana Presence, and that if he leveraged the full power of it to intimidate me, it would kill me in an instant. If you think I have anger issues, you''d think I''m tame as a puppy once you saw his anger. And why the fuck do you want me to help you?"

    "To get this done in under a week," I answer. "And to confirm you''ve met his Hero. He let you have a spatial ring?"

    "He said I can borrow it," Gavin shakes his head. "That he''ll be collecting it when he''s finished whatever it is he''s doing. He didn''t say, and got pissy when I asked. Do you really want my help?"

    "If you think you have anger issues," I tell him. "Know that I only appear calm on the outside. Just like you, I, too, took more than two months to awaken my Aura, and-"

    "You did it-"

    "Faster than you?" I ask. "I started meditating six months before reaching the Temple, Gavin, or whatever it is your name is."

    He stares at me.

    "Noah."

    "Pardon?"

    "My real name," he says. "It''s Noah. The other guy, I guess Gavin, said not to use it, because Nies would know instantly, but he didn''t say what. I guess that we''d met."

    "Want me to call you that?" I ask. "Since Nies isn''t going to be listening in? He promised, after all, and Nies is a god of oaths. The Origin of them, actually."

    "Yes," he nods, then hesitates. "Thanks."

    "Doesn''t come naturally, does it?" I ask, and he shakes his head. I smile at him. "I know the feeling. I used to resort to violence for everything. Overwhelm the enemy, make them know I was superior. Don''t let them see weakness for a moment. I came here to get a new start, to start over and try again."

    "You''ve interacted with Divine before," he realizes. "Did your stats and Skills get reset?"

    "Something like that," I tell him. "So, Noah ¨C want to help me build a shrine and altar to Nies, the Origin of Oaths and Quests?"

    "Sure," he says. "And I''d love to see how that fucker reacts when he sees it."

 Chapter 0057 - Making Nies Happy

    (Marty)

    "Nies?"

    Yes?

    "Are you only in my mind right now?" I ask, and Noah gives me a funny look.

    Yeah. It''s only been six days. I agreed to seven.

    "Would you mind looking at where I am right now?"

    Why?

    "A pleasant surprise."

    Okay. Looking¡­ IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

    "Ow!" I put my hands over my hears. "You just yelled right in my head, Nies!"

    Yay! I''m so happy! Someone made me an altar! And it''s a whole shrine! That is so cool!

    "He likes it," I tell Noah, who snorts. "Do you like our offering, too?"

    SO MUCH FOOD!

    The food vanishes off the altar.

    "I can tell," Noah chuckles. "I heard that one."

    "He''s happily chowing down on it," I tell Noah. "I can hear it."

    THIS IS WHY YOU DIDN''T WANT ANYONE SEEING ANYTHING! Nies yells again. I LOVE THIS SURPRISE! Oh! That''s why you think it''d draw Gavin out, isn''t it? I keep telling you about Gavin''s promises of food offerings to me, and so you know that if word got around that there''s a shrine and an altar to me, he''d come and make offerings. It''s so clever!

    "Thanks, Nies."

    I knew picking you was the right idea! Now to wait it out¡­

    A pair of tigers appear in the cave, sitting to either side of the altar. A moment later, they turn to stone, and the smoke from the braziers vanishes entirely, the air becoming crisper, cleaner, refreshing.

    At the same time, a power akin to what I felt when Nies approached me fills the cave, and Noah and I look at each other.

    "Nies?"

    Yeah?

    "What did you just do?"

    I approve of your shrine. It''s now a Blessed Shrine, that is, a real one. The tigers will act as watchmen. Gavin shows up, they''ll let me know. I''m going back to eating this food, then gonna take a nap. Bye.

    "Huh," I say. "I didn''t know that was a thing."

    "What was?" Noah asks. "And is that his power I''m feeling in here?"

    "Yes," I look around. "It is. This is an official shrine to Nies, and he''s given it his blessing. I think he''s mostly happy that he''s got an altar again, and that it''ll probably draw Gavin out."

    Noah nods, and we return to town, heading to a restaurant to eat our first good meal after starting the altar, especially since all of the good food we harvested or hunted went onto that altar.

    During dinner, we tell a couple of adventurers we know from the Quest Board about the shrine to Nies, and that he likes good food. Though no one here was particularly religious before Nies showed up a year and some months ago, they do believe that offering up prayers to Nies might grant them good luck on Quests.

    An actual offering? There will definitely be trips to the shrine, and not infrequent ones. The people of this region of the world favor quests, and now that they can do Quests, it will be a huge thing. Nies giggles up a storm quite a lot about his sudden influx of followers.

    It could be temporary, but seeing as he''s a god of quests, and the people here like quests, it''s unlikely to fade anytime soon. Even if this is temporary, he''s still happy, and that makes me happy, in more than one way.

    We finish dinner, then make our way back to the temple and meet up with Sensei.

    "Marty," he says. "Gavin. How did your adventure the last week go?"

    "Pretty well," I answer. "And I think Gavin here has calmed down a fair bit."

    Noah shoots me an angry look, but it''s true. Working on the altar and shrine helped him to calm himself and focus himself. He needed something to focus his mind in order to calm down. Yeah, he''d get mad, but it only made him want to work on it even harder.

    Meditation and martial arts training isn''t the kind of thing that could do it to Noah. He needs something he can do to prove to himself he''s better than it at, something that doesn''t really involve people.

    Working as a team was awkward at first, but we got a rhythm down, and managed to complete it a day sooner than I expected. It isn''t often a calculation of mine dealing with stuff like that turns out wrong.

    "I wasn''t going to lose to the tools," Noah states. "I''m going to go lie down."

    "Same," I say, then look at Sensei, handing him a slip of paper. "This is the location of the shrine, it''s just a few hours outside of town, in some caves. Nies won''t be happy if someone sets up a settlement around it, so I located it where someone can get there and back during the same day."

    Sensei takes the slip, and I head to the room to sleep.

    Over the next week, word goes around about the shrine, while Noah and I relax from our work, but also practice our arts as Chain Monks. We''ve both been so active the last year or so, it''s hard for us to be idle, and we agreed to not take on Quests for a week after completing it.

    Nies is happy as can be the entire time. I can''t go an hour without hearing his giggling in my mind. He even has a tiger roaming the streets today. It isn''t taking people trying to touch it, but only snapped at me when I decided to pet it. Then, he just nuzzled his head into my hand and purred.

    Champion of Nies earns me points with his sacred animal.

    "Nies?"

    Yeah?

    "Are tigers considered your sacred animal?"

    Of course! I made them for Ultarna forever ago!

    "Ah," I say. "The beastborn goddess you were telling me about?"

    I don''t remember telling you, but yeah! And after Gavin helped her out and did her Quest and freed her chosen people, the ones who actually worship her and have for thousands of years, she''s been in a super-good mood! We''re cuddling right now! She keeps tickling me with her tail! She also-

    "I don''t think I want more details on that," I say. "Sorry."

    That''s fine! By the way, your stats say you''re eighteen. When was your birthday?

    "My birthday doesn''t matter much to me," I tell him. "Though it wasn''t that long ago."

    Gavin''s birthday wasn''t that long ago, either. His birthday doesn''t mean much to him, either.

    "You mentioned it to me," I say. "You actually talked about his birthday on it. You wanted to give him a present."

    I did?

    "Yeah," I nod. "You wouldn''t tell me what it was, though. Gavin and I share a birthday, actually."

    Seriously?

    "Yeah," I nod. "And we''re the same age, too. Are you going to name any official priests or other Champions or such who share our birthday?"

    Uh¡­ I didn''t know your birthday when I did that. Nor did I know Gavin''s when I named his. It''s the random odds from probability that did it.

    "It''s¡­ the what?"

    The random odds from probability. The universe and all of existence is one big mass of chaos. Everything is determined by probability, the odds of something happening, as a result of free will and flexible rules. Otherwise, everything that happens would be the exact same. Random. Chaotic. Probability. Probability is the odds of something happening.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "Like your Hero and I sharing a birthday," I say. "Or someone who could be mistaken for your Hero having the same name as him."

    Yup! I still can''t figure out¡­ his name isn''t Gavin, is it?

    "No, it''s not," I snort, and Noah looks at me. "He figured it out."

    "Ah," Noah says.

    "Nies," I say. "Your Hero paid him to call himself Gavin."

    When Gavin returns, I''m going to throttle him.

    "You''re going to throttle your own Hero?"

    He''ll be fine. It''s not like¡­ huh. I just noticed, but while I was in the blackout, Gavin removed the time limits from his Quests. How did he even figure out how to do that? Seriously?

    "Remove the time limit from his Quests?" I ask. "What do you mean?"

    I did that to the Blood Quest he had, Nies explains. And while I had the area in a blackout, Gavin apparently did something to cause the same circumstances. He no longer has a time limit on his other two major Quests. He did show up. Did you see him? He''d have needed the altar for it.

    "As soon as we finished the altar," I say. "We put the food on it. I contacted you right after that, Gavin-Noah and I were there the entire time."

    Crap.

    "What?"

    You left after that, right?

    "Yeah."

    I was still in the blackout. I know you only wanted it until you finished, and that was the true intention behind it, but I figured, do it for another day, since that was the agreement. Gavin must have snuck in there during that.

    "You were still in the blackout?"

    Yeah. But I didn''t tell you that, ''cause I figured you''d think I wasn''t anymore.

    "Yeah, I did," I tell him. "So Gavin knew, and slipped in to do that when you weren''t looking?"

    Yeah.

    "And you didn''t have to approve of the change?"

    No, Nies answers. Since they were regular Quests, I didn''t have to. His offering was good enough, as well as the sacrifice he wished for them. Actually, the idiot went overboard, and didn''t need to go that far. Blood Quests or Divine Quests, yeah, but those were just weird Quests that spawned him out of nowhere. The System is still trying to figure out how that happened. I keep telling it''s because Gavin''s probably going to become a Divine. High Quests usually only appear on people who-

    "He''s what?" I ask. "He''s going to become a Divine?"

    What? Nies asks. Oh, yeah, that. Gavin''s meeting the same requirements as the others who almost did, but they all died before they ascended to Divinity. I don''t think Gavin subscribes to something as simple as death, though. Pretty sure nothing short of a Divine Smite could actually keep him dead, and there isn''t a Divine Being around who''d be stupid enough to smite the protege of Chaos.

    I am so confused right now.

    "You can become a god?" I ask.

    Theoretically, Nies answers, and I sense him nodding and stroking something that''s not a cat, but similar. Ultarna, maybe? It''s never happened for sure. Gavin meets the circumstances we believe are necessary for it. Others have, before, but they all died before ascending to Divinity. The only people to receive High Quests like those were the others who met the same set of circumstances Gavin does. We''re not sure what the final thing is that''s needed, but Father says Gavin might actually ascend to Divinity, unlike the others. He''s watching them.

    "Who''s your father?"

    Dad.

    I''m not going to get an answer out of him.

    "Go back to cuddling Lady Ultarna," I tell Nies. "I''ll keep an eye out for your Hero."

    Okay!

    He falls silent, and I look at Noah and start to speak

    How did you know I was cuddling her?

    "You told me, Nies," I say. "And I could sense you stroking her tail and scratching behind her ears."

    Oh!

    I snort, and look at Noah.

    "Nies is so much more energetic than he has been," I say. "I think he really likes having an altar."

    Noah snorts.

    We head into town to talk with people, quite a few of whom want to talk with me just because I''m Nies''s Champion, and then I complete a couple of Quests before returning to town for dinner. Noah was helping repair a roof while I was collecting items, and meets up with me for food.

    We talk about our activities, and over the next few weeks, fall into a routine. Mine mostly consists of trying to get away from the people wanting to get advice on Quests or on issues with a promise they made.

    A month after Nies told me about Gavin possibly one day ascending to Divinity, a shift in routine occurs. A duo arrives in town, people unlike anyone seen here before. Word reached me, as the people figured that people who aren''t normal might be people I might know something about.

    When I go to look at them, I''m stopped in my tracks. One of them has black, triangular ears atop his head, bright blue eyes, a bushy, black wolf''s tail, and black hair atop his head. He''s got a guarded look on his face, a sword strapped across his back. He''s dressed in all-black, and seems pretty dangerous.

    The beastborn is definitely someone I''d not be able to fight, in my current form.

    His companion has golden hair with a few strawberry highlights, his eyes a rich emerald in color. Beside his right eye is a swirling, raised green mark that has a sort of sparkle to it. Glittery. The fairy is dressed in a pair of dark green shorts and a dark blue vest with dark green cords tying the center together, loosely.

    "Hello," I greet them, and they look to me from the woman they were speaking with. The beastborn looks around fifteen or sixteen, while the fairy looks around ten to twelve, at most. "How are you two?"

    "I''m sorry," the beastborn steps forward, his piercing gaze attempting to stare into my soul. "We were speaking with someone. Who are you?"

    "Marty," I introduce myself. "Hello, Gretel."

    "Marty," she dips her head to me. "I will let you speak with them."

    "Too young," the beastborn says. "To be a leader around here. Why is she ¨C and others ¨C giving you a level of respect? They seem to almost revere you."

    "Champion of Nies," the fairy says. "The spirits are saying that he''s the Champion of Nies. They''re saying there''s something weird about him, too, almost as if he''s living a dual-life."

    In an instant, the beastborn has his sword drawn, aimed at me.

    "I don''t care if you''re a Champion of Nies," he says. "There isn''t a chance in hell I''m going to trust someone the spirits can''t read properly."

    "So they can sense it, huh?" I ask, and he snarls. "I''ve undergone something akin to having my Access reset. I needed to calm myself down, center myself. I felt undergoing such a thing would help me with that. I wouldn''t have access to all the power I''d acquired. Starting over from scratch, and training with the monks and doing Quests here has helped me immensely. Perhaps you should look into that, Michael? You seem to have a few issues."

    "How do you know my name?" Michael demands to know.

    "Appraisal, you dolt," Warren snorts, then frowns, looking at me again. "You suddenly looked annoyed."

    "I have a god giggling in my head," I say. "Speaking of, Nies ¨C you didn''t tell me people from another region of the world were here. You said you were monitoring all travel."

    Oh, right. By the way, Gavin''s two friends are looking for him. Well, his two closest teammates. By the way, the Fairy is actually nearly nineteen. Fairies just look like kids. Michael''s about a year older than you, by the way ¨C as a wolf beastborn, his aging slows during puberty, and after, too.

    "Understood," I say. "I''m guessing you led them here?"

    Actually, Michael knew how to get here on his own. He heard my name while they were passing through, and realized that Gavin might be around, though it''s really because of you. He speaks the language here, Warren''s using the Gift of Tongues from a Spirit to communicate. He can only do it in bits and pieces, though.

    "Understood," I say, then focus on the two adventurers. "Welcome to this region of the world. If you''re friends of Gavin''s, I assume you have some relation with Nies?"

    "Not like Gavin," Michael answers, still holding his sword. "Tell us what you know."

    "I know," I say. "That if you hurt me, Nies won''t be happy. I''m his Champion. I actually turned a quest board into an official Quest Board through his power. He''s tasked me with locating Gavin. I recently built a shrine to Nies, with an altar within it. Nies believes that it will help lure Gavin out. It seems the Hero of Nies has been missing for nearly two years, now."

    "He has," Michael puts his sword away, but still looks to be on-guard. "And we have stuff to deal with. This disappearing act of his is bothersome. I doubt you have Appraisal five or higher, how did you know Warren''s name?"

    "I communicate with a Divine regularly," I say. "How do you know I didn''t already know his name?"

    He doesn''t have a response to that.

    "Would you two like to see the altar?" I ask. "Perhaps make an offering to Nies? He''s favorable to sweets."

    Michael resists, but relents when Warren confirms that he would like to, as it might draw Gavin out of hiding.

    We purchase some sticky rolls, then begin the trek to the caves. Noah is there when we arrive, and gives them curious looks.

    "We have Fairies back home," he tells me. "I''ve never seen one with a mark like his, though."

    "It''s special," Warren smiles. "Using it, I can do some pretty dangerous things."

    Noah enters the caves with us, and we walk until we reach the altar. The boys put their offerings on the altar, where the food immediately vanishes.

    "Whoa!" Michael jumps back, sword in hand. "What just happened?"

    "It''s an official shrine," I explain. "Offerings immediately disappear into Nies''s domain. He only likes food offerings, though will occasionally accept something else, I''m sure. The other day, he threw a fit because someone decided to be mean and put a basket of old fish on the altar. Soiled up some of the other offerings he had waiting for him to eat. He was not happy about that. That person¡­ we''ll not discuss it."

    He got what he deserved. I''m taking a nap.

    I snort, then look at Michael.

    "Jumpy, are we?"

    "You have no idea," he says. "What we''ve been through. Warren might be quick to trust others, but I''m not, and I will protect Warren. We both have a few choice words for Gavin."

    "Why?" I ask.

    "Other than simply disappearing on us?" He asks. "Warren and I both like Gavin, and those feelings have persisted. Gavin is different from others, even if he''s got a vicious temper. Never, ever get on his wrong side. He has the power to destroy Demigods, I''m sure.

    "But past that," he sheathes his sword. "Gavin''s smart, he''s intelligent, he''s caring and compassionate, and loving. He''s protective of those he cares about, and won''t stand for anything to hurt or wrong them."

    "Him being incredibly hot doesn''t help," Warren shrugs. "Michael and I were both going to tell him how we felt, the next time we saw him, but when we contacted Nies last month, when Gavin still hadn''t returned, he said that he was still alive, just¡­ missing."

    "Yeah," Michael nods. "And I was so wanting to tell him, too! Plus, he made Warren cry, and I want to beat some sense into Gavin for doing that!"

    "Made Warren cry?" I ask.

    "Yeah!" Michael nods. "Warren was crying when he found out Gavin was missing! How could Gavin just figure out a way to evade the sight of the Divine, and not at least tell us? And why wouldn''t he return? It''s been almost two years since he sent Tyler our way, so that his king could get stronger! I don''t understand it!"

    More like you want to be around him again. You should-

    Formshift is now Level 2!

    You can take on one additional form!

    Total Forms Available: 1

    You can now remove one more form!

    Total Form Removals Left: 1

    It''s about damn time!

 Chapter 0058 - Hunter of Titles

    (Gavin)

    "Nies?"

    Yes?

    "Would you be willing to show up here?"

    My presence into the mortal realms isn''t a common thing. I don''t do it lightly.

    "What if I said Gavin was here?"

    I can''t see him.

    "You will," I say. "And then you''ll understand what was going on."

    Michael and Warren look confused as hell. Especially when a trio of live tigers appear, a god sitting on one of them, looking annoyed.

    "So where is he?" Nies asks. "I can''t see him anywhere."

    "Yes, you can," I say. "Did you ever ask your girlfriend what her gift to me was?"

    "To you?" He asks. "Why would she give you a gift?"

    "Formshift: True," I say, and all four of them widen their eyes as my body shifts. One of the tigers snorts. "Hello, Nies."

    "You-you-you!" Nies stammers. "How did you-you knew I was-wh-wh-wha?"

    "Hello, Nies," I smile at him, then look at Michael and Warren. "Michael, Warren. Your stats have gotten pretty high, since we last met. Noah ¨C would you mind giving me my ring back?"

    Noah continues to stare at me.

    "How did you change forms?" He asks.

    "A Skill Nies''s girlfriend gave me," I answer. "The ring?"

    "Right," he reaches under his shirt and pulls off his necklace, handing it to me.

    I slip the ring off the cord, then strip off my gi, shoving them into the ring before pulling out my regular attire and pulling it on.

    "Did you really have to strip in front of us?" Noah asks.

    "I enjoyed the show," Michael comments, then clamps his hands over his mouth.

    "We''re all men here," I say, then look at Nies. "Except for you, you''re a kid."

    "Hey!" He exclaims. "I''m older than this world! And I''m mad at you!"

    "For how long?" I ask, and he opens his mouth to say something, then thinks. "Sorry I fooled you, Nies, however, you have to admit that I was on a destructive path. I used the Skill your girlfriend gave me, after I discovered it, to distance myself from everything. I had to give myself time to calm down. When I realized the monks trained in discipline and focus, I thought it best for me to do that. Sorry for taking so long to return, Nies. Part of my massive offering when the altar was completed was part of my apology. I hope you can forgive me, as well as when factoring in that I arranged it so that you''d gain hundreds ¨C even thousands ¨C of followers, plus the creation of an altar and a shrine."

    "Marty did that," Nies tries to look smug with his logic.

    "I''m Marty," I tell him. "Nice try, Nies."

    "Well-"

    "You''ll forgive me," I say. "You mentioned you wanted to give me a birthday present?"

    "I''m mad at you," he tries to ignore me, looking away with his arms crossed.

    "So," I look at Michael and Warren. "Welcome. I was planning on shifting back soon, to let Nies know, and then going and doing something. After that, I was going to stop by and see how you were all doing. Then, stop by the Fairies'' Forest to learn from Oberon Spirit Magics."

    "When?" Michael asks.

    "I was going to reveal it in a week," I answer. "If Formshift hadn''t gone up a moment ago. It''s the Skill I used. It''s not normally available to humans, but Ultarna gave it to me. She snuck it into my list without a notification, as a reward for helping her with a thing involving her own people."

    "And before you came to us?" Michael asks.

    "After I dealt with the other issue," I answer. "It''s time-sensitive, or I''d have planned on going to you first. We probably have six months before it absolutely has to be dealt with. Did you get the dragon''s blood essence to your friend?"

    "Yeah," Michael nods. "Thanks."

    "I forgot to give it to you before," I tell him. "Remembered when I was dropping His Majesty off to the Dungeon that would take him to you, so gave it to him."

    "Max was happy," he says. "He can attempt three of the potion. Probably already has. Why didn''t you say anything to us?"

    "I needed no one to know," I answer. "I had to clear my mind by myself, focus myself. I couldn''t do that knowing others were worried and stuff."

    "But we-"

    "I meant," I say. "Because I put myself essentially to zero. You guys know that Divine are angry with me, you''d want to be around, keeping me safe. I couldn''t put that on you, especially since it''d stem my ability to focus myself."

    "What''s this other thing you need to do?" Michael asks.

    "You two head to the Fairies'' Forest," I say. "Warren, you know how to get there, right?"

    "Yeah," he nods.

    "Tell your father," I say. "That I''ll be stopping by for our meeting after I deal with this thing. I''m not putting you two in harm''s way, even if you''re as powerful as you are, now.

    "Noah," I put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what I told you, when we first met, okay?"

    He nods.

    "Do well," I say, then step back and look between the three of them, before looking at the pouting god. "Oh, stop that, Nies. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at your girlfriend ¨C she''s the one who gave me that Skill."

    The tiger''s he on starts laughing, and Nies pretends to be mad at him.

    "And if I discover where I can find this ''cotton candy'' thing," I tell him. "I''ll make sure to give you an offering of it, if able, to make it up to you."

    "Okay," he huffs. "I guess I can''t be mad at you. You haven''t really aged much, you don''t look much older. Even with Formshift, you should''ve aged normally."

    "Aren''t my stats causing me to look younger than I am?"

    "Yeah, you stupid shota," he mutters. "Well, I guess Warren''s the real shota."

    "The what?"

    "Nothing," he mutters, then vanishes, along with his tigers.

    "Well," I look at the trio in front of me. "That happened. Again, I''m sorry for not telling the two of you about it, and I hope you can understand my reasoning. Do you mind if I left to do my thing?"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "We''ll help you," Michael says.

    "I''m going into Jozan," I say. "To kill an ancient and powerful Archdemon. I can handle it, but I''d rather not risk my team being killed. How is Tyler doing?"

    "He''s well," Michael answers.

    "And Kivu?''

    "Kivuli?" Warren asks. "I didn''t know there were any Fairies of his type still alive. He''s strong. The two of them are a dangerous pair."

    "Has Tyler finally forgiven him?" I ask.

    "They''ve come to a mutual understanding," Michael snorts, then a moment later, tackles me in a hug and starts rubbing his face against mine. "You jerk! I can''t believe you did that to us!"

    He verbally berates me while showing me lots of affection, and I think Noah is completely and entirely confused by this conflicting display.

    "At least you''re not licking me like a dog," I say, and Michael bops me on the head.

    I stick my tongue out at him, and he turns around to face Warren, his tail swishing from side to side.

    "I think-" Michael starts, then yelps, jerking away and giving me death glares, his hands behind him.

    "Sorry!" I exclaim. "It''s been so hard to resist doing that, I couldn''t help it!"

    "Jeez," he says. "Papa was right, when he said someone was going to do that, someday. I never thought it''d be you, though!"

    "Sorry, Michael," I say. "It was just so hard to resist, and then¡­ sorry."

    He sighs, then smiles at me.

    "I like you too much to stay mad at you," he says. "Sure, it''s been what, almost two years? Everything is still there."

    "I can tell," I tell him, and he gives me a confused look. "Let''s head back into town."

    "How will you explain us going in with Marty, but leaving with you?" Noah asks.

    "I showed up and sent Marty off on business for Nies, on an important quest."

    I start walking, and the boys follow me. Everyone gives me strange looks as we walk through town, and I pay for a room for us to spend the night in. More than a few people ask us about Marty, but their awe and respect pulls them away from me when they realize I''m the Hero Nies assigned Marty to locate.

    And by that, I mean that they maintain a sort of perimeter around me, not drawing too close. They are in too much awe and respect at the being who acquired the Blessing of their new god.

    Speaking of¡­

    Has he had enough followers now to have boosted my Blessing?

    Blessing of Nies: Completing most Quests, exempting some, such as Blood Quests, grants double Experience. Completing any Quest grants +1 LIF, +3 Experience to Class of Choice, +3 Experience to Species; all Quests granted by you will require only 90% of the reward, instead of the full amount

    So if I do something like King Wesley did, and give a Quest granting Experience, then instead of it needing to pull 100 Experience from a Class that isn''t mastered to reward 100 Experience, it would only require me to give up 90 Experience.

    I like this bonus, and I''m sure Nies is going to figure out soon that part of me doing this was for more than just calming myself and helping my anger issues, but for, well, buffing the Blessing. Of course, that came after he approached me with the quest to find myself, since I didn''t really have a way to get him more followers without tipping my hand.

    But he gave me the opening to, and so I seized it.

    Though with my restrictions, I doubt I''ll gain Experience. It doesn''t affect me when I''m another person, but Nies admitted it to me before that Formshift forms act, essentially, as entirely different people.

    I pay for a room at an inn, so that the three of us can sleep, and Noah leaves, saying he will probably be returning to his island, now that he''s become a Chain Monk. Michael, Warren, and I make our way up to the room, and they look around.

    "One bed?" Michael asks.

    "What?" I look at him, then at the room. "Sorry, I forgot it''s been a few years. Some habits break hard. When we first met, it was a single-bed room we were renting, with you two sleeping on the ground. I can sleep on the floor, if one of you wants the bed. If you both want beds, we can switch to a two-bed room."

    "A single bed is fine," Michael says. "It''ll save us money, too. Besides, it''s a nice inn, and the bed can fit all three of us¡­ if you don''t mind sharing."

    If I agree to sleep in the bed with them, I have no doubt in my mind that I''m going to wake up with both of them against me.

    "You two can have the bed," I tell them. "I''ll take the floor."

    Disappointment shows on their faces. They were both hoping to cuddle against me, after being separated so long. Michael, it probably stems from his canine aspect, as they don''t forget certain things, such as feelings and emotions for others. Even if we reunited after a decade, Michael would probably still react this way to me.

    As for Warren, he''s imprinted on me in a different way, because of my rescuing him. Even though it was in a time of need, and he''s grown on his own and away from me, that imprint remains, and he remains attached.

    It''s dangerous to let that progress. They can sleep on the bed, and I''ll sleep on the floor.

    I have enough issues to deal with already.

    I lie down on the floor and close my eyes, allowing myself to fall asleep. When morning comes, I find Warren snuggled up against me, and Michael lying across both of us, his left foot kicking a little bit.

    I shove Michael off of me and stand, stretching as the boys wake.

    "I thought I said to sleep on the bed?" I ask.

    "But-!"

    "No," I interrupt Michael. "I''ll forgive you this time, if you and Warren agree to not come with me to Jozan."

    He droops his ears, but agrees. Warren does as well, and we set out, though it takes more than an hour just to leave the town, because of all the people wanting my blessing and to know where Marty disappeared off to.

    After an hour, I just get tired of it and wrap Warren, Michael, and myself in my air manipulation and fly us straight up and out, having them direct me to the Dungeon needed to get to where they are going. Michael gives me directions to reach Jozan, and we land.

    "So," Michael looks at me. "I stopped in Jozan for a bit, Turas has made you out to be a villain, and the Order of the Violet Flame as evil. Even if you use Formshift to take on Marty''s form again, you won''t be able to do much there-"

    "I''ll manage," I say. "They painted me as a bad guy? I haven''t even been there. It''ll just be fun."

    Michael stares at me for a few moments, then nods, and the two of them pass through the Dungeon. I fly away and towards another Dungeon, passing through it and into the next region, flying through there and to the Dungeon Michael directed me to.

    When I leave that Dungeon, I notice a strong lack of people here. From the way things look, they left in a hurry, and not too long ago. Maybe a few days.

    Flying straight up, I scan the surroundings. Damage, and far-reaching. Something powerful went on a rampage.

    Nies?

    He doesn''t respond. Still upset with me.

    Flying in the direction of the damage, I eventually spot it.

    A creature standing roughly a hundred feet in height, massive, naked, and ripped with muscle. Its skin is a swirl of black and red, with twin black horns adorning its head, each one at least five feet tall on its own. Its crimson eyes glow with an unsettling light, and it burns the area with a flame of black and red. Whenever the magicians and adventurers attacking it manage to launch an attack or Group Spell, a shimmering crimson barrier forms to block the attack.

    Nal''Ru''Sa Archdemon 24 Decimator (III) 17

    It''s free.

    "Hey!" I yell as I soar forward at a higher speed than before. "Naked bozo! Why don''t you just fuck off?"

    The Archdemon looks at me, raising a hand, fire bursting forth. I fly up and out of the reach of the flames, sending a Spear of Frozen Lightning its way, followed by a Void, then a Blood Smite. The first crashes into its barrier, the second removes its right arm, and the third blasts a massive hole into its chest.

    I follow up with two more Spears of Frozen Lightning, then an Ice Lance, before hitting it with a bolt of pure lightning.

    The Archdemon roars, attempting to hit me, but neither its magic nor its remaining arm is enough. It takes me less than a minute to completely destroy the Archdemon.

    New Title!

    (I) Demonslayer: One who has slain many demons or a demon of high caliber, you are not a foe to be careless against

    New Title!

    (IV) Slayer of Archdemons: One who has single-handedly killed an Archdemon, woe unto those who make you their enemy

    No ''first'' on those¡­ someone''s killed an Archdemon before. Are they still alive?

    The third Title I gained amuses me a little bit.

    New Title!

    (I) Title Hunter: One who has acquired more than ten Titles

    There is a Title for that. And something tells me there are four total Titles for that. It has nothing to do with there being four Tiers to Titles¡­

    I touch down and look at the adventurers around. A lot of them are Enforcers and Inquisitors, but most of them are just regular Adventurers, complete with obedience collars.

    "Hm," I look around as they look at me. "Hi! I''m Archmage Gavin, Founder of the Order of the Violet Flame! I''ve heard that some pretty nasty things have been said about me and my Order, and possibly even false attacks made to sully our name! You wouldn''t happen to know anything about that, would you?"

    The Turas-loyal adventurers attack me, but a simple flex of air stops their attacks, and then I remember that I can make magical shields.

    Oh, well.

    A single Firebolt Chain is all it takes to kill the loyal ones, and I look at the collared Adventurers. They flinch when I move forward, but I''m too quick for them. As soon as they realize that as soon as I touch the collar on them, it falls off, they stop trying to escape.

    "I have some business to take care of elsewhere," I tell them. "If you''ll excuse me, I''ll be going. That said, feel free to spread the truth ¨C the Order of the Violet Flame has not been doing whatever it is that''s been said about us. In fact, we''ve only been here three times, and briefly. King Tyler lives, and in the next six months, he will return to reclaim his throne. Anyone loyal to Turas will be given a choice: surrender and rejoin Jozan, or lose their lives."

    I turn and fly up into the sky, leaving behind a burning, violet flame in my wake. Let them know that I''m serious, as there is no ordinary magic that can create violet flames. Eventually, I''ll find out why I''m special in that regard.

    At least I know why Stem has blue magics¡­ violet doesn''t make any sense for me to have.

    And Nies is too mad at me to talk right now. But it won''t last long. He can''t stay mad at me, no matter how hard he tries.

 Chapter 0059 - Returning to the Fairy Kingdom

    (Gavin)

    Things happened faster than I expected, and I was able to get to the Fairy Kingdom faster than I thought. I really thought taking out that demon would take me longer than a minute and a half, and that I''d have to spend several days destroying the seal and then it.

    I tried to locate Warren and Michael, but they weren''t visible to me, and I couldn''t sense them or their trail anywhere. They''re still alive, though, so I know they''ll show up here eventually.

    It might take them a month, though.

    Touching down under the shade of Yggsdrasil, I walk through the clearing, ignoring the stares of the Fairies around me. A lot of them look at me with hate, but many of them look at me with awe and respect.

    There is fear, too, but I can sense confidence that their leader will protect them from me.

    "Gavin," Beck approaches me from the palace, a building constructed against the base of the World Tree, built of white marble. "Welcome to our Kingdom. You were gone a fair bit longer than we expected."

    "I was undergoing a different sort of training," I explain. "I am here to collect on the agreement between your father and I."

    "He was hoping you wouldn''t show up," he snorts. "Especially after all this time. He actually did say that he was hoping you''d gotten yourself killed, as he didn''t want to train you."

    "I''m not surprised," I tell him. "Warren and Michael were on their way here, but I had something else to take care of. I''m not sure-"

    "They''ve arrived," he interrupts. "Michael knew about a Dungeon that opens nearby, and used it to come here."

    "Oh, right," I remember Michael mentioning that he accidentally popped in here once. "I forgot about that. That would explain why I couldn''t find them."

    He snorts, then gestures for me to follow him.

    The Fairy Prince leads me into the palace, and through the halls to a dining hall, where Warren, Michael, and a few other Fairies are chatting, seated to eat the fruits and vegetables on the tables. Warren sits beside his father, Michael beside him, at a rounded table.

    Oberon huffs when he sees me.

    Oh, hush, Yggdrasil''s voice rings out. Gavin isn''t the kind of person who subscribes to death. Besides, he has an offer which you might find quite appealing.

    How does Yggdrasil know about that?

    You''ve been thinking about it, Gavin, and as long as you are within my domain, I know all of your thoughts.

    Oh. Sorry for anything in appropriate I may have thought about you.

    I''m used to it, from your kind.

    My kind?

    The chosen of Nies. All of you are quite troublesome, and there hasn''t been a single one who''s not had thoughts like those about me.

    Oh, okay.

    Thanks for the image you just had.

    You''re welcome!

    I approach Oberon, who is looking confused. Could he hear Yggdrasil speaking?

    No, Nies responds. Yggdrasil restricted that to you.

    Welcome back, Nies.

    I''m still not talking to you.

    Sure you aren''t.

    He doesn''t respond to me, and I just mentally shrug and reach the head table with Oberon.

    "Hello, Oberon," I give him a small bow. "Sorry for taking so long, I was dealing with personal issues of my own."

    "What''s this offer Lord Yggdrasil mentioned?" He asks.

    "Something I''d prefer to share in private," I answer. "The less who know of it, the less chance there is of it going wrong. I do, however, believe it is something you will find appealing, just as Yggdrasil said."

    Oberon stares at me, then tells his guards to come with us before standing and leaving. I follow him, and he leads me to a room where he tells his guards to wait outside. I wave for Michael and Warren to do the same.

    I shouldn''t be surprised that they followed, too, but I am. I suppose they don''t want to let me out of their sight for awhile.

    Hopefully, we take long enough they return to the dining hall, as I suggested they do.

    Oberon sits down in the next room, gesturing for me to do the same. He sat on a pillow, and the only other spot to sit that isn''t the floor is another pillow. I sit on the pillow, folding my legs underneath me, out of habit from the temple. His are crossed.

    "What is this offer Lord Yggdrasil said you have?" He demands.

    "I can get Christopher under the canopy of Yggdrasil," I tell him, and he scoffs. "Whenever it is he returns to this world, it will be to come after me. However, odds are that his stats will be at or above mine, so I won''t be able to fight him. I''ve made sacrifices in order to not have time limits on my major Quests, and one of them is Experience. I cannot gain Experience until after I complete all of them, which means becoming stronger will be nigh impossible.

    "That said," I say. "Christopher will want to capture me, so he can do whatever it is he''s doing to steal stats and grow stronger, as I''ll be a tasty reward. Either he''ll overpower me instantly, or he''ll barely manage to keep up with me as I fly directly here, when he comes for me.

    "He''ll be too focused on gaining my powerful stats," I continue. "To pay attention to where we are. By the time he does, we''ll likely be at or near the trunk of Yggdrasil ¨C perfect for you to fight him at full power, a power he won''t be able to handle.

    "And," I add. "If he does capture me, you know he''ll come for you ¨C he''ll be overconfident in his ability and power, and think it''s enough to take you on while you''re under the shade of Yggdrasil. I don''t want to risk my own life, and know that you will be powerful enough to kill him while you''re under the canopy. In addition, I know that you want to exact revenge against my father, yourself."

    Oberon sits and thinks about it for several minutes.

    "I know how your father is stealing stats," he says. "However, I am not sure if I should reveal the source of his secret."

    "I swear on the blood within my veins," I say. "I will not reveal your secrets, without first acquiring permission directly from you. Nor will I use the secret of stealing stats from others, unless you tell me that I may."

    A surge of divine power flows through me, confirming my Blood Oath, and Oberon shakes his head with an expression of disbelief.

    "I should have expected that," he says, then looks at me and smiles. "Seeing as you''re the Blessed of Nies. Blood Oaths are like drinking water to you¡­ either you''re doing it, or you''re making someone else do it.

    "Very well," he takes a deep breath, then releases it. "It is a trick of Arcane magic your father is using, manifesting the desire to become stronger and weaken others in a single spell. It acquires only a single percent per Level of the Skill, per absorbed point. It does round, however. However, it only takes from the highest stat. Your father is, instead of stopping somewhere along the line, draining them of a full stat, which is an instant-death to the victim.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "He learned it," Oberon says. "From me. Before he revealed his true nature, I had accidentally allowed slip the knowledge of that Skill ¨C or at least, that it existed. Your father likely sought it out on his own. He attempted to use it on me when he came to steal the Grimoire Tristan left in my possession, but as you can see, he failed."

    "This Skill," I say. "It''s how you''re as powerful as you are, isn''t it?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "Though I have only ever used in on criminals, and they survived the encounter. It reduces all stats by the same amount, but only grants you the percent of the highest one. When I attacked you before, I activated my zierna with the full intention of reaching you and gaining the time needed to use it on you."

    "Speaking of our encounter before," I say. "I can still see that you do not trust me and still have some hostility towards me. I swear on the blood in my veins that I do not currently, nor ever have, possessed any ill intent towards you or Fairies as a whole."

    A surge of divine power confirms my Blood Oath, and Oberon stares at me with wide eyes ¨C this time in shock.

    "Had you been even slightly off," he says. "Ever had even the slightest amount, that would have smote you instantly."

    "Which tells you," I say. "How confident I was in that statement, Oberon. Would you be willing to swear the same oath of secrecy, for my secrets?"

    Oberon thinks on it for several moments, though I can sense a faint Divine Presence, which means he''s likely communicating with Yggs.

    He nods, then swears the Blood Oath, a crimson glow surrounding him, then fading. I nod, then stand, realizing something.

    "Formshift: Marty."

    My body shifts into the martial artist''s body, and Oberon stares at me with wide eyes.

    "That''s not a Skill humans can acquire!" He says. "It-"

    "Was given to me," I say. "By a Divine Being, a goddess named Ultarna. Formshift: True."

    My body reverts back to my real form.

    "I have discovered," I say. "That those seeking me out will be drawn towards me in other forms, even if they can''t tell that it''s me. In addition, alternate forms don''t count as me ¨C which is why they can''t detect me ¨C which means that I can gain Experience still while in them. I can''t have a Bloodline''s bonus, though, which is unfortunate. Actually, I couldn''t at Level 1. I unlocked an additional Form and Form Removal at Level 2, so it''s possible I might be able to trigger Bloodline bonuses at a higher Level, even if it''s just mine."

    Which, to be honest, wouldn''t be bad at all.

    "Using that," I say. "I can probably trick Christopher entirely. He''d be drawn to me, and as the Champion of Nies, I could say I know where Gavin, the Hero of Nies, is. Depending on how I work it, I could make him not even notice Yggdrasil."

    "And if he realizes?"

    "A Void and a Blood Smite will probably let me escape."

    He snorts.

    "It was something I realized after you swore the Blood Oath," I shrug. "Thought I''d show you it. I can''t remember what I was going to tell you, though. The thing that I wanted you to swear the Blood Oath for, that is."

    I''ll probably remember¡­ after I leave here and am quite a distance away.

    "That is fine," he says. "What can you Formshift into?"

    "Beastborn, wolf," I answer. "And beastborn, cat. That''s in addition to human, of course. It seems that in addition to my actual species, I can Formshift into any species I''ve befriended a powerful leader of, much like for taking on Subspecies."

    "And you have one additional form?" He asks.

    "Yeah," I nod. "I took on another human form, though I can sustain a form without making it permanent ¨C needing a Form Removal ¨C for seventy-two hours."

    "To let you try it out, yes," he nods. "So it''s at Level 2, then. And you have only one Removal left? Did you use one up?''

    "Yeah," I nod. "I worked as an overweight female barkeeper at a tavern for a few months, to get used to not being me and how it works. My patron''s furious at me over taking other forms, though. I, uh, didn''t tell him, even after he came to me and asked me to find myself."

    Oberon looks completely and utterly confused by that.

    "Long story," I grin at him. "Nies will forgive me eventually, won''t you, Nies?"

    Naturally, he doesn''t respond, though it does sound like someone sighed in my head.

    "Ekre?"

    I can''t get rid of him this time.

    "Sorry."

    He''s trying to stay mad at you, and is afraid that if he talks to you, he''s going to no longer be able to force himself to be mad.

    "That''s fine," I say. "It was kind of mean of me to do that, but I needed no one to know it was me, for it to work properly."

    I know.

    "Which kinds of beastborn you can be?" Oberon asks me once Ekre stops talking.

    "Wolf and cat."

    "No," he says. "Of those. Which particular species can you be?"

    "It just lists wolf and cat," I answer, pulling it up when he looks confused. "I''ll share it with-"

    Formshift Available Forms:

    Human

    Beastborn (wolf)

    Beastborn (cat)

    Fairy

    Uh¡­

    I guess Oberon now realizes how mistaken he was, if I can become a Fairy as well. But for that to be available, wouldn''t we have to be friends? I know I hope we can be, but in order for it to count, he has to as well.

    "Yes?" He asks.

    "Fairy''s on it now as well."

    "Strange," he says. "I''ve accepted that I made errors with you, and that you are not my enemy, but it should not have registered that as friends. May I see?"

    I nod, showing him, and he reads it.

    "The lack of specific species of them," he says. "Would require you to befriend not just a powerful leader, but the most powerful of them. Normally, it''d show whatever particular type that is. I think his name is¡­ Matthew Burrclaw? The current wolf beastborn who is the most powerful leader?"

    "Michael''s father," I nod. "I intimidated him, and he decided we were friends."

    "He probably liked you from other things," he nods. "It''s been decades since I last met that old wolf. For cat beastborn¡­ I''m not sure of who it would be, for them, you''d have needed to befriend more than half of their leaders across the world."

    "Does the goddess of one of the clans of them count?"

    "Well, yeah," he says. "But-" he stops talking, staring at me with his eyes widening. "You befriended a goddess?"

    Has he forgotten everything he knows about me?

    "I do have gods talking to me pretty often," I remind him. "Ultarna, the goddess of the Kemmel cast beastborn, sent me a Quest to free her people ¨C that''s why I didn''t come back with Beck and them, at first. But then I decided to undergo some training, to focus myself and help cope with my anger issues. I trained with monks as Marty, the permanent Formshift Form I have right now."

    Oberon thinks for several minutes, standing up and looking me up and down.

    "Very well, then," he says. "Create a Fairy Form."

    "Pardon?"

    "A Fairy Form," he repeats. "I''d like to see what you look like by default. I agreed to train you, as per Lord Yggdrasil, but was only going to give you the basics. In order for you to have access to the Fairy Species Forms without having befriended me, only come to a mutual agreement not to kill each other but to work together, then either the System or Lord Yggdrasil interfered and put it in for you."

    More than likely, it was Yggdrasil, not the System. It must have known I would say something to Oberon, who would then want to see me as a Fairy."

    "And that will affect how you train me?"

    "Yes," he answers. "As a Fairy, you would have access to a range of senses not available to humans. If one of them has granted you access to it prematurely, then it is to tell me to teach you the full powers of the Fairies. You will need to awaken Arcane and Aether ¨C much like Spirit, all Fairies are born with it unlocked. Mana is iffy. Most are, some aren''t."

    Closing my eyes, I reach within myself, sensing the locked Affinities, and releasing the binds the Rift Wolf placed on Arcane and Aether. The moment I do, Oberon jumps, taking several steps back.

    "How did you do that?"

    "They were sealed by a Rift Wolf," I shrug. "All I did was unseal them. Rift incoming."

    The Rift Wolf appears in the room, scrutinizing me with its golden eyes.

    "How did you do that?"

    "You mean undo your seals?"

    "Yes."

    "I''ve been able to since around the middle of Archmage," I answer. "I can sense the seals you placed on me, and while the seals are powerful, it takes a small flex of my own power to break them."

    "So you were just harassing Beck and I, then?"

    "Do you really think I wouldn''t pass up the opportunity?" I ask. "You know how much I like screwing with people."

    The Rift Wolf gives me an "I wish I could kill you" look, then leaves, his Rift sealing back up. Oberon just shakes his head.

    "I would say that I''ve seen it all," he says. "But knowing you, I''ll see more. Can you take on your default Fairy Form? I''d like to see it."

    "Why?" I ask. "I like customizing them around. I haven''t even looked at my defaults for the other two."

    "Seriously?" He looks surprised. "The kind of guy you were last time we met, and from what little we''ve interacted, that seems out of character."

    "I didn''t think about it."

    He snorts, then cracks up laughing. I stare at him, wondering what''s so funny. He''s so strange¡­ he was hostile to me until I made those vows, particularly, the one about my hostile intent.

    "Alright," I say. "I''ll do it."

    "Oh," he says. "You might want to take off your shirt, first."

    "Why?"

    "Fairies have wings."

    "I''ve only seen a few Fairies with wings."

    "We can ''banish'' our wings," he says. "It''s a trait of our Species, not a Skill. However, if you take on a Fairy Form, the wings will be out."

    "Ah," I say. "And the tunic would damage them."

    "Indeed," he nods.

    "Okay," I pull off my tunic and let it vanish into my ring.

    I then string the ring onto a thin metal chain I form with my magic. I pull that around my neck, so that the ring rests against my chest, and then I take a deep breath.

    Ekre, please inform Nies that I''m about to vanish from his sight, and let him know where I''m at. I''m taking on a Fairy Form.

    There is no response to that, but that''s fine. I know he''ll let Nies know, as my friendly god will go nuts the moment I vanish from his perception, unless he''s warned in advance that I will.

 Chapter 0060 - Becoming a Fairy

    (Gavin)

    "Formshift: Fairy," I trigger the Skill Ultarna gave me, allowing it to simply transform me instead of previewing it and making adjustments.

    My body changes, shrinking. Do I really have to become a kid to be a Fairy?

    I''m still shrinking.

    And now I''m tiny.

    Super freaking tiny. Way more than I should be, even as a kid with my normal short stature.

    "Uh, Oberon," I look down at my pants, which are no longer able to fit around me, and are bunched up on the floor. I grab them and pull them up to my waist before looking back to the Fairy. "Why the fuck am I so small?"

    "No clue," he says as I look back up at him. "Considering your personality, the fact that your natural Fairy Form is that of a five year-old is quite intriguing. And I''ve never heard of any Fairy with violet hair, eyes, and wings before."

    "What?" I ask, twisting my head.

    Extending from my back are two thin, transparent wings of a glittering violet. They flutter with just a desire, and a moment later, I''m in the air.

    "This is cool," I touch back down on the ground and look at Oberon. "What is all this stuff I''m sensing?"

    "Our sense for Mana," he responds. "It''s a little bit different from a human''s, and your Mana Sense Skill won''t have much relevancy, apart from detecting it in other living things. You''ll be able to sense Mana, Spirit, Arcane, and Aether naturally, and probably are right now."

    "My clothes don''t fit anymore," I will my wings to vanish.

    "Wait," Oberon says.

    "What?"

    "For starters," he says. "You''re not in a human form. Your body is lighter and more fragile, you have wings, glittery cheeks, pointed ears, and inhuman eye and hair coloring. You-"

    "Really don''t want to go around naked," I say, feeling my body grow as I force it to adjust. "Huh. I can only get it to around ten."

    "Fairies can''t age past twelve," he says. "Most don''t past ten. Since your default was five, I''m not surprised ten is as old as you can appear. But remember ¨C those are human ages. We Fairies do not gauge one''s body in that way. To a human, you appear ten. To a Fairy, you''re whatever age you are, regardless of what you look to other Species. So even though they would say you''re ten, we''d still say you''re eighteen."

    "Is my default age being five bad?"

    "Not bad," he says. "Just unusual. Your default form reflects how you''d appear if you were that Species. For a Fairy, the age we no longer age after says a lot. You''ll see most Fairies between eight and eleven, and the rare few a year past. Even rarer at six, and only twice in my life have I known of a Fairy to stop at five."

    "What does it mean?" I try to pull my pants up, but they don''t fit. My feet don''t fit in my boots, either. Well, they do, but they''re too small to fit comfortable. I''d need padding. And a good belt. I can just make that. There we go. "That''s better."

    "If you''re going to go around clothed," Oberon sighs. "Do it like that dolt of a son, and just wear a tunic that covers what you want to hide. I''ve never understood why humans are so intent on covering their bodies. We are animals, just like a wolf or a bear."

    "Those have fur."

    "To keep them warm in winter," he nods.

    "Why did you call Warren a dolt?" I ask. "Most Fairies I''ve seen who actually wear clothes only have the tunic, too."

    "Have you seen him manifest clothes?"

    "Yeah," I nod. "It''s in a swirl of flame, the color of which is sometimes purple, but often a color representing the season."

    "The flames isn''t normal."

    "It isn''t?"

    "Not in the slightest," he sighs. "At least, outside of elemental Fairies, ones who are aligned with the element of those flames. Warren saw a Flame Fairy manifesting stuff when he was a toddler, and became a bit obsessed with that. Now, he''s got the small desire to have that happen, and so, it does. You have an interesting form, Gavin. Why don''t you finish your adjustments? If you will set it as a form, and stay in it for your time studying with me, I would be willing to teach you more."

    "Okay," I tell him. "What Attributes are normal for a Fairy?"

    "The common Fairy," he says. "Would have INT, AGI, CHA, PER, and LIF, as well as the four stats I listed. I would like you to have minimal stats ¨C what your stats are as a natural Fairy."

    "Understood," I nod.

    Name: Zelv

    Age: 18 years

    Titles: None

    Species: Fairy Level 1 0/25

    Class:

    INT: 23, AGI: 21, CHA: 34, STR: 18, PER: 29, LIF: 613

    MNA: 241, SPA: 293, ACA: 219

    Mana: 241/241

    Spirit: 293/293

    Arcane: 152/152

    Arcane: 181/181

    Tier I: Spirit Sense 5, Divine Detection 5, Spirit Manipulation 4, Sweets Quality Detection 1

    Mastered Tier I Skills: Mana Sense, Spirit Detection

    Tier II Skills: Dispel 3, Mental Resistance 1, Appraisal Resistance 5, Divine Resistance 5, Curse Resistance 7

    Tier VII Skills: Rift Sense 3

    Mastered Tier VII Skills: Clarity of Power

    Language Skills: Dekami Runic 5, Jozan 5, Velusan 5, Silvar Spirit 3, Kar Sacred 10, Ygdris Fairy 5

    Mastered Manipulations: Mana

    Mastered Masteries: Bare-handed Fighting

    Mastered Resistances: Pain, Lightning, Air, Heat, Fire, Water, Cold, Frost, Stone, Light, Shadow, Mental Pain, Magic

    Fairy:

    +2 INT, CHA, LIF, SPA

    +1 AGI, HLT, LFA, MNA

    Everything looks good to me. I show it to Oberon, to see if it meets his standards.

    "Um," he says. "That''s quite a lot of Skills to have starting out."

    "I''m not giving up my Resistances," I tell him. "I didn''t put them on my other Form, as I didn''t want to risk giving away that I was more than I wanted to seem, and I''m grateful for that, but I am not doing that for other Forms. Sorry, but no."

    "I don''t even want to ask how you managed to acquire so many Resistances, and master them all."

    "My Bloodline gives me a bonus to learning and Leveling any Skill."

    "There are only three I know of that do that," he looks me up and down, then scrutinizes my entire appearance. "Dekami?"Stolen story; please report.

    "How did you guess?"

    "Your absurd stats," he answers. "For your human form. Speaking of them¡­"

    "I am not going back to having low LIF," I tell him. "I took a risk with that with my Marty form, in case Nies contacted me and looked at my stats ¨C which he did ¨C but I have a tendency to use up my LIF randomly."

    "Oh, that''s fine," he says. "I was referring to your others."

    "My others?" I ask. "What about them? I know Marty''s was lower, but-"

    "They''re high," he says. "I said ''natural''."

    "Those are the stats I had when I took on Fairy Form," I tell him, and he gives me a look of disbelief. "I swear it on the blood in my veins."

    He huffs after the Divine Power fades.

    "You throw Blood Oaths around too casually."

    "I am the Hero of the Origin of Blood Oaths," I say. "It was true, so I saw no harm in it."

    "Blood Oaths aren''t to be made carelessly!"

    "I''m all too aware of that, Oberon," I say. "Considering I have a Blood Quest that is the result of me doing one years ago, when I was a lot more temperamental and dealing with a lot of things and changes in my life."

    "Hm," he says as he looks through the list. "I can understand why you retained these Skills, however¡­ there are two I have questions on. How in the forest did you acquire something like ''Sweets Quality Detection''?"

    "Nies gave it to me," I answer. "You''d have to ask him for why, it seemed kind of random."

    "You have an interesting patron, Gavin," he says. "For my other question¡­ just what did you to do not only obtain, but master Clarity of Power?"

    "I condensed my Resources," I answer. "Making them denser within me. I seem to be naturally adept at manipulating Resources, before my bonuses. That''s based off of what I can tell, and what Nies has told me."

    Wow, it really is like you aren''t Gavin, Ekre says in my head. I''ve been trying to detect your real self since you shifted, and I can''t.

    "Hey, Ekre," I say so Oberon knows that I''m talking with a god. "Sorry for bothering you, I know you aren''t really a fan of Nies and me, but-"

    It''s Nies I''m not a fan of, he interrupts me. You''re amusing, even if you did commit genocide.

    "That was at the request of a goddess," I say. "And that Species'' patron god gave me the O-K for it. Personally. He showed up and flat-out-"

    Hubert came to you?

    "Is that really his name?" I ask. "Nies called him that, too."

    No, but it''s something complicated most mortals have a hard time actually saying, so we just call him ''Hubert'' when talking with you mortals. What kind of name is that?

    "A weird one," I answer. "How did you guys pick it?"

    I meant your Fairy Form''s name.

    "Do you like it?"

    Nies is pouting at me, he sighs. He doesn''t want me talking with you, apparently.

    "Remind him," I say. "That I built him not just an altar, but a shrine, and put a lot of food on it. Oh, and that I gathered him thousands of followers, possibly millions."

    You and I both know that you did that to increase your Blessing''s power. I know you''re somewhat disappointed in how ''weak'' it is.

    "Well," I say. "Considering that most Quests already granted double Experience, an additional three isn''t much, even if it''s to the Class of my choice, but the bonus three to Species is awesome, especially once I can actually gain Experience in my true Form again. Needing to only give up ninety percent of the actual reward for a Quest is great, too. I thought it was only thousands, even though it had been a couple of years since Nies showed up to give Marty the Quest to find his real form."

    Oberon gives me a befuddled look, and I grin at him.

    I couldn''t give you an estimate, you''d have to get that from Nies himself. Oh, he fell asleep. The lazy bum.

    Ekre''s presence fades from my mind, and I shrug.

    "I think he''s done talking," I tell the Fairy.

    "Your form is fine," he says. "Though those clothes look ridiculous on you. Way too big."

    "I don''t have my Bloodline or Class bonuses," I say. "As I did think that would fall withing your restrictions on the latter, and I can''t trigger them on the former. Therefore, I can''t just manifest clothes into existence. Would you be kind enough to?"

    "You''ll have to do it yourself, if you want them," he says. "I forbid you from asking for help."

    "So basically," I say. "You want me to go around naked until I can learn the appropriate Skills and utilize them properly?"

    "You''re a Fairy now," he says. "This is normal for our kind."

    "My mind is still that of a human."

    The familiar presence of a Spirit manifests beside me, and Oberon''s eyes widen. A moment later, a black tunic forms around my torso, my pants and boots disappearing.

    "Thank you, Meiva," I say.

    "You''re welcome," the First King of Jozan responds. "Oberon was going to, but I got tired of his game. Testing your anger, after your claims of calming down, was not appropriate, especially for a King as old and wise as you, Oberon. Yes, the minds of Fairies may be childish, but that was just plain uncalled for. You know better."

    "Hmph!" Oberon pouts.

    Am I going to have to be the mature one, here?

    Something tackles me from behind, pinning me to the ground. I try to wrestle them off of me, only to find Nies clinging tightly to me, his three ''guardians'' standing behind me, looking amused. Oberon''s eyes are wide with shock at this point.

    He can probably sense the Divine Presence Nies is far from suppressing, and doesn''t know how to react.

    "Nies," I struggle to pull him off of me, or at least, get him into a position on my front, so I can look at him properly as he hugs me. "Are you okay?"

    "I''m not letting you out of my sight this time!"

    "This body is so weak," I look at Oberon, having only managed to get Nies halfway around me, so he''s clinging to my side. "Are Fairies really this weak naturally?"

    "Yes," he nods. "Very few of them have the STR Attribute unlocked, after Access, which means that very few of them would be stronger than a normal Fairy. Warren is one of the rare few to have the STR Attribute unlocked, likely because of his time in the arena."

    Makes sense, but if that''s the case, does that mean most of the Fairies I rescued have it as well? Or just a handful of them? From my understanding, most of them used their magic and Spirits to fight, unlike Warren, who preferred martial arts.

    "Is that," Oberon hesitates. "Is that your patron?"

    "Yeah," I give up trying to move Nies. "This is Nies, the Origin of Oaths and Quests."

    "Forgive my rudeness, Your Divinity," Oberon bows to him. "And for my attack on your Hero, a couple of years ago."

    "If Gavin was serious," Nies looks at Oberon. "He''d have killed you in a few moments. You can make it up to me by giving me lots of good food."

    "I understand," I say. "Not wanting to let me out of your sight, Nies, but does that mean you also need to cling to me at all times?"

    "Yes!" He asks, then yelps. "Reij doesn''t seem to like that."

    "Reij?" Oberon stares at the Ouroboros that nipped Nies''s arm. "An Ourboros¡­ but I couldn''t sense it? How?"

    "It was given to me," I look at the Fairy King. "By a being from outside the universe, a being that makes the Divine Beings look like children."

    I look down at Nies, then back at Oberon.

    "Maybe ''amateurs'' would have been a better word?" I shrug. "He makes them look weak and pathetic. Reij here turns undetectable when he bites his tail, and is capable of consuming any magical attack sent my way ¨C and will, unless I''ve told him not to. When you attacked me previously, it took a lot of control from me to keep him from simply consuming all of your magic."

    Nies yelps again.

    "I think he likes you."

    "Okay, okay!" Nies looks at Reij as he releases me. "I''ll let go of Gavin! But I''m still not letting him out of my sight!"

    "What if I have to take a shit?" I ask, and he stares at me intensely. "I suppose it''s better than you not talking to me. I missed you randomly chatting with me. Are you going to ride your tigers around?"

    Nies gives me a ''duh'' look, and I snort. Oberon looks at me, confused.

    "Despite," I explain. "Being the Origin of Oaths and Quests, Nies is incredibly lazy. When we first met, he also often had a bland ''whatever'' way about him. He prefers riding his tigers around to walking, so that he can keep up with his laziness."

    "Ah," Oberon says, then looks at Nies. "Welcome to my palace, Lord Nies."

    "You do realize I built it, right?" Nies asks, and Oberon gives him a stupefied stare. "I made it for the First Fairy, after I bopped them into existence. You can ask Yggdrasil if you don''t believe me."

    You didn''t ''bop them into existence'', Nies, Yggdrasil''s powerful voice enters my mind. You took a dying child and reworked his makeup to allow him to survive the illness he was suffering from. That, in turn, morphed his body more, until he became the First Fairy.

    "See?" Nies asks. "Bopped him into existence," he looks at me, then smacks me in the back of the head. "And now I bopped you."

    Thank you for finally leaving me, Nies, Yggdrasil says. You do realize that your tigers like to pee in me, right? And poop in me? That isn''t very pleasant.

    "Doesn''t it immediately turn into-"

    That''s beside the point, Sein, Yggdrasil says. It''s still not pleasant. By the way, I''m going to be leaving this world in a few days, there''s a Council of Worlds taking place, and it''s been a long time since I was last awake for one. Watch over things while I''m gone, and try not to burn the world to a crisp. Again.

    "That was an accident," Nies says. "And I did help restore it."

    Oberon isn''t the only one staring at Nies in confusion now.

    "What?" Nies looks at me in confusion. "I just forgot to moderate my Divine Flames when I tried to kill that dino. They''re a lot more powerful in mortal realms than they are in the Divine Realm. All Divine Powers are. I''m not in the habit of going into the mortal realms. I''m not letting you out of my sight while you''re in a Formshift Form, though, so I''m here until you switch back, and I''ll be back again, you switch back into one."

    "Got it," I say, then look at Oberon. "I think that means we can pretend Nies isn''t here. Do you wish for me to make any adjustments to the Form? Or leave it as it is now?"

    "This is fine," he says.

    "Confirm Form," I say. "Fairy: Zelv."

    Form Confirm: Fairy Zelv

    Are you sure? If so, confirm again.

    WARNING: CONFIRMING THE FORM MAKES IT PERMANENT

    YOU WILL NEED A FORM REMOVAL TO REMOVE THE FORM

    "Confirm Form: Fairy, Zelv," I repeat.

    Form Confirmed: Fairy Zelv

    If you wish to lose this Form, you will need to use a Form Removal

    Got it.

    "Done," I tell Oberon, and he nods.

    "Let us return to the dining hall," he says. "I am sure you are hungry, after your journey here."

    "I am," I tell him. "Also, I believe Nies will be hungry as well, though he would probably prefer desserts and snacks over meal food."

    "That is fine," Oberon says. "We do an exquisite dessert array. You arrived just as we began dinner, and they are likely waiting for our return. It will be a small while before dessert arrives."

    "I''m sure the Divine Being can wait," I say. "Seeing as he''s lazy, he''s probably used to waiting."

    I give Nies a pointed look, as he''s already climbed back onto a tiger, though his gaze has remained fixed on me. The god just pouts in return, and Oberon chuckles.

    Oberon leaves the room, and I follow him, Nies behind me. The guards outside startle when they see me, then freeze up when they see Nies, unsure of how to react to the god that has graced them with his presence. Michael and Warren are gone, likely back in the dining hall.

    "I believe your King is walking," I tell them. "If you''re his guards, are you not to stay with him?"

    The guards hurry to return to Oberon''s sides, and he gives me an amused glance before looking forward.

 Chapter 0061 - The New Voice

    (Gavin)

    "Father," Warren greets Oberon as we return, then stares at me, before looking back to his father. "Where''d Gavin go?"

    "He''s being a jerk," Nies mutters.

    "Warren," Michael rolls his eyes. "It''s Zelv, the Fairy. The violet alone should''ve been enough to tip you off to that. The way Nies is staring at him should also contribute it."

    "No," Warren shakes his head. "You can''t Formshift into a Species that you haven''t befriended the leader of, and the Eternal Fairies don''t even have any living members, so for Gavin to-"

    "Eternal Fairies?" Oberon asks, and Warren clamps his hands over his mouth. "What''s an Eternal Fairy?"

    A being as old and powerful as Oberon not knowing what it is, but Warren does?

    "Yeah, Warren," I put my hands on my hips. "What''s an Eternal Fairy?"

    "That mocking tone should tell you it''s Gavin," Michael tells Warren as Nies throws something at the back of my head.

    I turn and look, seeing a piece of candy on the ground and my patron looking at it sadly.

    "You can get off the tiger and get it yourself, you know."

    "So much work," he sighs. "Can you get it for me?"

    "After you threw it at my head?" I pick it up, then pop it in my mouth. "What''s this flavor?"

    "You''re mean."

    "What''s the flavor?"

    "I wanted to eat that."

    "What''s the flavor."

    "Cotton candy."

    "I thought you said it was fluffy and soft?"

    "It''s cotton candy-flavored candy."

    Candy-flavored candy?

    "It''s good."

    "I was going to eat it."

    "You gave it to me."

    "No, I didn''t."

    "You threw it at me," I say. "It''s food. Now, it''s mine."

    "I wanted to eat it," he looks sad.

    "I can give it to you, if you want."

    "Yeah," Warren says. "That''s Gavin. But a Form like that couldn''t be possible, since there aren''t any Eternal Fairies."

    "You still haven''t told me what they are," Oberon tells his son.

    "The weird species of Fairy," Nies says lazily from his tiger. "They''re the only Fairy species I didn''t bop into existence. Though they have a LIF value, it''s almost always random, and it means absolutely nothing to them. They''re timeless. Their levels of Affinities are above that of any other species. They also have naturally high attributes, before the System kicks in. No one knows how they came into existence. The Dekami got banned from all realms but their own after hunting down and killing all of them."

    "That''s why the Dekami got banned?"

    "Hiani was friends with one of my sacred tigers. They killed it, too. So I told them to never leave their realm again."

    He says that so lazily, as if it''s that simple, but I get the sense that they''re scared to leave their realm, after he told them not to. Just what, exactly, is Nies? He has to be more than just the Origin of Quests and Oaths, especially with how lazy he is.

    "Who''s Hiani?" I ask.

    "I have no clue," Oberon says. "I''ve never even heard of Eternal Fairies before."

    They threw the best parties, Yggdrasil says. Now that I know that there''s a cloak that can shield them from Divine Sight, I have made some adjustments. Should they use one of those here again, I will Smite them myself. Already Smote three.

    "There were three here?" Nies asks.

    ''Were'' is the key word here, Nies. There aren''t anymore.

    "Oh," Nies says. "So that''s how you detect them. There are eighty-seven across the universe that have left their realm. I''ll sic Ekre on them."

    "Why not do it yourself?" I ask.

    "I''m keeping you in my sight," he sighs. "Ekre can handle taking care of them. I told them not to leave their realm again. I wanna find out how they got those cloaks. Or made them. Probably made them. And how long they''ve been around."

    Pretty sure you just want to be lazy, Ekre says.

    "No," Nies says. "I don''t want to let Gavin out of my sight again."

    "Okay, gods, Fairies," I say. "I''m kind of hungry. Could you four shut up and?"

    "I wasn''t say anything, Gavin," Oberon says.

    "If you want me to be in a Fairy Form," I say. "To receive your training, then you need to address me by my Fairy name."

    "You aren''t acting like one of my subjects."

    "You rule over most of the Fairies, not all," I say. "And clearly, I''m of a type that hasn''t been around since your birth, so I''m not one of your subjects. Especially since, as you stated, this is my default Fairy Form."

    "You''re being disrespectful," Warren tells me. "Remember our agreement?"

    Ah, crap. I mentioned the Forms thing to everyone here.

    I took care of that, an unknown voice enters my head. He sounds like he''d be around my age. Only those who already knew caught word of it, and the filter I created won''t be noticed or seen through. It will last, should you slip again, while in the Forest of the Fairies.

    "What the-?" Nies mutters.

    "What?" I look at him.

    Did he hear that, too?

    "I don''t know," he looks around. "I sensed a strange presence, but only for a moment. I couldn''t pin it down."

    "The Dekami?"

    As if I''d allow one of them back into this world, Yggdrasil says. I could sense it as well, but also couldn''t it track it down. A Divine Being capable of avoiding our perception. They were likely only communicating with someone, though.

    Yeah, me, but I''m not going to tell them.

    I sit between Michael and Warren, and Oberon sits down. Nies parks his tiger between Warren and I, and as we eat, it becomes clear fast that he''s too lazy to reach forward and grab things off the table, so I help him out a little bit.

    Most of the Fairies are a bit unsure of the situation. Two Divine Beings openly communicating with us, one of whom is sitting in front of them, and he''s probably nothing like any they''ve heard of before. Then, there''s the strange Fairy among them, one none of them likely know of.

    Except Warren, and I plan on finding out later how he knows about the Eternal Fairies. I just hope I can get Nies away, I don''t think he''ll be too keen on sharing information with a god hanging around.

    He probably won''t, that voice returns. And Nies won''t be leaving your side anytime soon. Warren heard about them from the Spirits. He knows of many things that most wouldn''t.

    "That weird presence is back," Nies mutters. "It''s annoying me. It''s gone. I wanna kill it. Where is it coming from?"

    "Have a cake," I hand a slice of cake to him, and he starts eating it, looking somewhat content.

    I end up feeding him the entire cake.

    After dinner, I''m given a tour by a green-haired Fairy named Isai. Ee-sah-ee. He shows me around the palace, and then to the gardens where many of the noble Fairies sleep. There are around a dozen already sleeping, though a couple are talking, both of them sitting on hammocks.

    It seems like the Fairies will sleep on the ground, on stone or wooden benches, or on hammocks, though I see a couple sleeping on branches.

    The two Fairies that are talking are one with brown hair and eyes, and one with white, his glittery white wings out, dressed in a loincloth that matches his colors. I''d put his ''human age'' around ten, and when he sees me, he stares.

    "Prince Haia," Isai bows.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I know they don''t speak Jozan, but¡­ that sounds like ''hiya''. I think that''s English, too. Must resist the urge to make jokes.

    "Isai," Haia greets him, then looks at me. "Zelv?"

    "Hiya, Haia," I say, and Nies snickers behind me, the Fairies looking confused. "Sorry, I couldn''t resist. It''s been so long since I wasn''t under stress and pressure, and it seems my old personality is slipping out. In several languages I know, your name would sound like ''hiya'', a greeting."

    "A strange Fairy," he says. "Followed by a Divine on a strange cat. From which land do you hail?"

    "Actually," I say. "I''m a human, but your father decided I should be a Fairy while I''m learning under him."

    "Humans can''t change forms," he says. "And my father doesn''t have the power to do that."

    "There''s a Divine following me," I say. "I don''t think a human being a Fairy isn''t too out-of-concept."

    "All this traveling is annoying," Nies sighs. "Can we just settle down somewhere and nap?"

    "You''re free to."

    Especially since you''re not even the one who''s doing the traveling, Nies.

    "Uh-uh," he says. "Not unless you are, Gavin. Not letting you out of my sight until you''re back in human form."

    "Gavin?" Haia asks. "You''re the human Wizard Father was hoping wouldn''t return? The son of that asshole, Christopher?"

    "Yes," I nod. "Your father has also acknowledged that I''m not my father, and that I''m not the enemy of the Fairies."

    "Uh-huh," he doesn''t believe me.

    "I swear on the blood in my veins that I am not an enemy of Oberon''s or of the Fairies as a whole."

    My body glows crimson, and out of curiosity, I look at Nies. He looks sleepy, but also has that crimson glow.

    "I forgot I did that," he says. "If someone swore a Blood Oath while I''m in the mortal realms. How do I turn it off? That''s your third one since arriving in the forest, and I don''t wanna be all glowy all the time."

    "It''s the fourth one made because of me," I tell him. "Since I arrived here. Oberon swore one, too."

    Or was it five?

    "Me damn it," Nies mutters, and I snort. "That''s rude."

    "Says the god swearing on himself."

    "I''m allowed to insult myself."

    "Oo-oo huku mutata."

    "Where in the ''verse did you learn that language?"

    "I forgot that a Divine Being would know something like that."

    "That was really, really rude, Gavin."

    "Says the god stalking his Hero."

    "I''m kind of afraid to ask if they''re always like this," Haia says to the other Fairy.

    Maybe I should''ve kept Appraisal? Why didn''t I, actually? Too bad I can''t just add it back on, I''d have to Remove this Form to get Appraisal.

    My Gift to you.

    I quickly pull up my Skills, and find my full Appraisal there¡­ along with more.

    Divine Appraisal 1: the power to Appraise the Divine and their offspring, no one can hide their secrets to you.

    Divine Appraisal Resistance 1: the power to resist the Appraisals and gazes of Divine Eyes.

    Targeting Eyes of the Divine 1: you may see those around you. At Level 1, all will appear as green dots to your vision.

    Who are you?

    I look around, noticing that Nies isn''t appearing as a dot, though he is looking agitated.

    Just a friendly person.

    Are you Nies''s father?

    No, but your assumption to that was quick. I''m impressed. Not many would jump to that conclusion that quickly. You could consider me¡­ his older brother.

    "I''m not feeling too comfortable," Nies mutters. "It''s still here this time. It''s sticking around."

    Also, those Skills will not be detected by Divine Beings, even if they''re looking directly at your Skills. Only you and I will know of their existence.

    "Yes," I look at Haia. "We''re always like this. Sometimes, I even stick sticky stuff in Nies''s hair."

    "No, you don''t," Nies mutters.

    "He does," Michael tells him. "You didn''t see him put some honey in it earlier."

    Nies stares at Michael, knowing that he''d not lie about that, especially since we''re around a lot of unfamiliars. Micahel''s reverted back to his silent, watchful mode, and I doubt Nies would have paid much attention to him, had he not spoken. He''s been following us around during the tour.

    Warren''s with his Father, I think.

    "He did what?" Nies starts feeling the back of his hair, then gets an aggravated look on his face.

    The tiger behind him approaches and starts licking the honey out.

    "I can''t believe you did that," Nies grumbles.

    "I couldn''t resist," I tell him. "You took your eyes off me."

    "You''re mean," he grumbles.

    "Says the god who won''t leave his Hero alone."

    "You''re mean," he says that as if that''s the only reason he needs to stay here and watch me personally.

    The tiger returns to its guarding position beside Nies, and the god huffs. I guess the honey''s gone.

    "That was good honey, too," he grumbles.

    Yeah, he wanted to eat the honey.

    "You can get some later," I ruffle his hair, and he stares at me.

    "I''m not a kid!" He pouts.

    "Fine," I say. "You can''t cuddle me tonight, Mr. Adult."

    His expression says he regrets those words.

    "You''d let him cuddle you, but not me?" Warren asks.

    "He''s a god," I tell Warren, who''s approaching with a couple of other Fairies. "And specifically, the one I''m a Hero of. Yes, I''m going to let him cuddle me, if he wants to. He can smite me by accident. I don''t want him to intentionally smite me."

    "But you just told him he can''t cuddle you."

    "He told me he''s not a kid."

    "You''re not, either."

    "And nor are you," I tell him, and he opens and closes his mouth several times, then pouts. I look at Michael. "You clearly aren''t."

    "What am I missing?" Nies mutters.

    "Your sanity," I tell him, then look at Haia. "How are you?"

    "Utterly bewildered."

    "How old are you?"

    "Eighty-seven."

    "I''m eighteen," I tell him. "I think your dad is jealous of me."

    "Of what?" Warren asks in disbelief.

    "You do realize that," I say. "Without his zierna or the power granted under the shade of Yggdrasil, I''m more powerful than he is, right? And I''m only eighteen. He is¡­ who knows how long? Everyone has a different version of his age."

    "Two thousand three hundred seventeen," Nies mumbles from his tiger.

    His birthday''s in two weeks, so he''s nearly two thousand three hundred eighteen.

    Thanks. What day?

    Tuesday.

    Got it.

    "I am so confused by everything going on," Haia says.

    "I''m just wanting to lie down for a bit," I tell him. "I''ve had a long couple of days, and could really use some sleep. Plus, I''ve never been in a Fairy Form before, and it''s taking a lot out of me. It''ll take me a few days to adjust to it."

    Haia''s eyes widen when I say that.

    "You-"

    I''m already shielding.

    "-have Formshift?" He asks. "But how? You''re human!"

    "So weird," Nies looks around. "Whatever this thing is, it''s preventing others from knowing you have Formshift unless they already know. I can sense its presence still. This is annoying me."

    You''re annoying Nies.

    I can''t fully mask my presence from those who are sensitive. Yggdrasil can sense me strongly, but we''ve already spoken, and he won''t out you.

    That sounds like it has some other meaning to it.

    Your supernatural ability to sense things that have not even the slightest hint or suggestion to it is unnerving. I like it.

    So it does mean something other than what it seems?

    In some societies, being outed means being revealed to not be straight.

    Like my team.

    Yeah.

    "What presence?" Haia asks, then hesitates. "Sorry, Your Divinity, if I have co-"

    "He''ll ignore it," I say. "He''s used to it with me. I think he likes it, actually."

    "I have yet to be," Haia says. "In the presence of a Divine Being that wasn''t Lord Yggdrasil, and he was asleep until your presence woke him. Father''s grumbled about that a lot, since Lord Yggdrasil wouldn''t wake for him."

    "I have that effect on the Divine," I tell him. "Anywhere particular I should lie down?"

    "Anywhere that isn''t taken," he says. "We aren''t too picky about that."

    I pick a single-Fairy hammock, earning pouts from a beastborn, a Fairy, and a Divine Being.

    I close my eyes, still feeling the Mana flowing around me. It might take me a few extra days to adjust to that.

    "So how does he have Formshift?" Haia asks Nies, who is staring at me intently. I can feel his gaze, it''s so intense. "Humans shouldn''t be able to have that."

    "My girlfriend gifted it to him," Nies says.

    There''s a sudden movement, and then there''s a small body lying on me.

    "Now there''s two," Nies mutters, snuggling his head into my chest.

    I open my eyes to find a tiger kit lying on my chest. Its fur is white instead of orange, and it has three tails instead of one. A crimson mark that resembles a swirl sits in the center of his forehead. I''m not sure what his eyes are, since they''re closed, and he looks content.

    A moment later, my tunic fades away, though thankfully, black and violet pants form around my legs and waist.

    "You''re so cozy," Nies mumbles.

    "Most tigers don''t speak through their mouths," I tell him.

    "Most tigers don''t have three tails," he flicks all three of them, then wraps them around himself, snuggling into me a little.

    "Please don''t claw me," I say softly. "I really do need the sleep."

    "I won''t," he mumbles, wiggling his head a little. "Good night, Gavin."

    "I''m a Fairy," I tell him. "Call me ''Zelv''."

    "Good night, Gavin," he repeats, and I close my eyes again.

    Would you like updates on your missing teammates?

    Tyler, Kade, and Kivu?

    Yes.

    As long as they''re doing okay, I''m fine.

    Kade is doing well. He''s planning on traveling to some islands that have been plagued with issues the last few years, and will do what he can to assist them. His trip will likely occur in the next few months. He''s reached Tier II of two different Classes.

    Kivu passed away a few months ago, he contracted a disease that turns Aether into flames. It''s very rare. Tyler is doing well.

    After Kivu passed away, he began pushing himself harder in the Grind Arenas, bouncing between two different ones. He''s mastered Crown Heir, the Tier IV version of Royal. He''s now working on his first combat Class. He''s brute-forcing Levels by only allowing one Class at a time. He will likely return to Jozan soon.

    How soon?

    Probably in the next few months. With your elimination of every Inquisitor and Executioner Turas had, they''ll be struggling. Even without a combat Class, Tyler was powerful, just from the raw boosts from his Royal Class and his Skills and dedication. You put a fierce determination in him, and he won''t give up until he returns to his throne. He''s matured greatly since you saw him a couple of years ago.

    Will he be alright?

    He''ll be fine. Once he sits on his throne and claims it as his, his Class will vanish, but he''ll retain the bonuses he gained from it. In its place, he''ll have the King Class.

    I thought it was Ruler?

    It is if you don''t reach Crown Heir first. He''ll have a more powerful version of it, though essentially, the same bonuses. Tyler will be fine, in Jozan.

    That''s good to hear. Would you be able to let me know as soon as he starts to make his way there? I want to make sure for myself.

    I can, but he''ll be fine. They don''t have the manpower to fight him. Well, they could acquire it, but¡­ the resistance will back their blooded King with their full might, and the Village of Kar will ensure his survival. So there isn''t a chance in the world they could actually win against him. Your best bet would be to go to the other nations and begin the spreading of his return and the peace of your people.

    I''d need to return the Wealth of Jozan to him.

    Understandable, but it''d be best to make sure he''s secure before restoring the full Wealth of Jozan.

    That would still require me being there, unless what you said about the Village of Kar is true. In which case, I can just gift him the ring.

    It doesn''t quite work like that. As a King, he can ignore certain restrictions using his Royal Quest power, but that, in and of itself, has restrictions, just like Royal Decree. You don''t even have that luxury.

    I want to know what those are, personally, but at the same time, I don''t want the, uh, responsibilities that come with it.

    I do have one more thing, before I try to get some sleep, especially since Nies is agitated by sensing you.

    Go ahead.

    I forget.

    Of course you did! He laughs. Get some sleep!

    I''ll try. Might be hard, with a god sleeping on my chest.

    He''s harmless. To you.

    Chuckling, I settle in.

 Chapter 0062 - Contracting My First Spirit

    (Gavin)

    "Oberon," I walk into the dining hall. "I''ve fully acclimated to this Form, I believe."

    "That''s good," he says. "I will have someone begin your training with Spirit after breakfast, then."

    "Thank you," I say.

    Oberon and I agreed a couple of days ago that we would have me train under others at the start, then him once I begin to grow more powerful. We also agreed to pretend as if Nies isn''t here, but neither of us can really hold to that.

    He''s just too adorable.

    I look at him with Divine Appraisal again. Expanded Information on it reveals that it can reveal something about Divine Beings ¨C up to three things. At Level 1, it will reveal ''chosen'' information about them, whatever that means. At Level 5, it reveals their ''Divine Title'', and at Level 10, it reveals their real name.

    Lord Cuddly of Fluffersville

    Whatever the fuck that''s supposed to mean. Looking at Yggdrasil just makes me even more confused. At least, before he ''left''. Though his tree is still here, I can''t read it right now, since he''s at the Council of Worlds, or whatever that is.

    But still¡­ that ''chosen information'' about Yggdrasil.

    The Biggest, Hardest Wood

    For the child god, we have something cute and declaring him lord of cuddles, which makes sense, since children love cuddling. For a giant tree, we have something¡­ that could probably be sexual.

    The ''chosen information'' is chosen by them. They set it.

    What does yours say?

    Mine just says "Hello". The looks on peoples'' faces when they see it is hilarious. So many people have reacted with "Hello?" when they see it. Oh, the confusion that can happen with such a simple thing.

    So Nies decided to declare him the Lord Cuddly of Fluffersville, and Yggdrasil decided to have something sexual?

    Yep. And Yggs'' was fully intentional. He actually set it to that after he woke up because of you. Nies has been considering changing his to "Lord Cuddly of Floofersville".

    Is there a difference?

    It''s possible that no one will ever know.

    Nies is pouting, probably because he can sense the voice again, but doesn''t say anything about it. The voice has been chatting with me at random, and I feel like he''s some sort of Divine who took interest in me because of my patron, not because of what I did to Ilinia.

    +0 INT!

    It''s been so long, System. Welcome back.

    +0 CHA!

    Are you aware that the System seems to know who you are?

    He does?

    Yeah, he does. I was thinking something, and he gave me no INT in response to it, basically confirming something.

    I forgot he did that with those of the Wizard Class, sometimes. It was about me?

    Yeah.

    Give me a second. Jeez! Nothing like looking to where he is, and finding him staring back at me! And what was that on his head? Why does he have a rat on his head? I''m going to go chat with him, he seems to want to. I''ll see how he knew who I was.

    So the System shouldn''t have known? Does that mean the System should know about those Skills, either? Because I''m pretty sure he does, since he''s the System.

    We eat a breakfast of eggs, berries, nuts, and fruit, then Oberon summons a pink-haired Fairy with matching wings and eyes. He leads me to a clearing outside of the palace and sits cross-legged, telling me to do the same. I do, and he closes his eyes. His name is Koby, and that''s all I got from him.

    "The first step to harnesses a Spirit," he opens his eyes. "Is to learn the Silvar Spirit Language. According to Prince Warren, you have the basics down for it. Would you kindly tell me what Level you have?"

    This boy doesn''t have Access, it looks like. He''d have to trust me on the actual Level. For Oberon to trust him with my training, he must be pretty powerful. Judging by his Spirit, I''d say he is.

    "Seriously, Gavin?" Nies mumbles from his tiger.

    I look over to my ''sleeping'' god, who is spreading out on his tiger, which has laid down, the other two lying beside it. I want to tickle him.

    "Seriously what?" I ask, ignoring the Fairy''s gasp and stare.

    "Did you really just give Access to the System to all of the Fairies born within the Fairy Kingdom?"

    "Is that bad?"

    "How are you even doing targeted granting?" He asks. "That isn''t even an option in your hud. It''s ''grant Access'' if you''re focusing on an individual, or ''activate Access'', which does it for the world."

    "If I do ''expand options'' on ''activate Access''," I tell Oberon. "I can select regions and do specifics."

    "That''s a possibility?"

    "Check it out," I say, and he scrunches up his face, then gasps.

    "That''s so cool!" He exclaims. "Wow! I didn''t know that was possible? Did you, Yggs?"

    "He went to council thing, remember?"

    "Oh, right," he sighs. "I wanna go crawl inside of him and nap."

    "Feel free to."

    "I am not taking my eyes off of you."

    Hard to keep them on me when they''re closed.

    I look back to the Fairy in front of me, then show him my Silvar Spirit Language.

    "It''s only Level 3," I tell him. "But it''s enough for me to communicate on a basic level with them."

    I wish I could have gotten it up to Level 5 before creating this Form.

    "Okay," he says. "The next step is befriending a Spirit to forge a contract with. This clearing has a tendency to draw in low-power Spirits, making it an ideal place for meeting ones for starting out. The typical Gift that someone first acquires is usually one of three: Gift of Speed, Gift of Tough Skin, and Gift of Might. They''re basic, and not commonly used for our people, but they''re easy ones to acquire. The Spirits that will grant them usually can''t hit you hard with curses. That''s another reason that it''s best to befriend the Spirit, before asking for a contract."

    "Okay," I say. "So what do I do?"

    "Speak in Silvar," he says. "See if any Spirits are willing to communicate with you."

    "Hi?" I say in Silvar. "Any of you want to make a contract with me?"

    "Hi!" A Spirit immediately responds.

    "It''s about damn time, Gavin!"

    "Yo! Want my Gift of Stoneskin instead of Gift of Tough Skin? It''s way better!"

    "Hey, Gavin. I''ve got a Gift of Water Orb, if you want it."

    Suddenly, my Spirit Detection begins to flood with dozens of Spirits, the air filling with their chatter. The Fairy and I stare at each other.

    "Oh, yeah," Nies says sarcastically. "Tell the guy that hundreds of Spirits want to contract with to try and befriend a simple one. Brilliant idea. The fact that he can take on most Gifts Fairies already have means there are plenty of Spirits who can contract with him. Except you, you''re really an evil one who wants to draw on his Spirit to hit him with a curse. Begone."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    One of the Spirits vanishes.

    "That was so annoying," Nies sighs, reaching out with an arm, as if trying to grab something. "No cookies. Where''d the cookies go? Ekre? Can you give me some cookies? Please? Why not? But I want them! I don''t want to take my eyes off of Gavin. No, I''m not being lazy! Pleaaaaaaase?"

    "Are there any cookies in your Offering Space?"

    "It takes so much effort to pull them out of there," he sighs. "Since I''m in the mortal realm."

    He sighs again, and I close my eyes, erecting a mental filter so that I can focus. There are way too many Spirits wanting to make a contract with me.

    That''s another reason you drew my attention, the voice says. It isn''t often there are over five hundred Spirits interested in a single person.

    There are over five hundred?

    For legitimately giving you a contract? He asks. There are eight hundred forty-six.

    That''s definitely more than five hundred. You seem to be able to give exacts on everything.

    I tend to know things like that.

    Any chance of you telling me who you are?

    Nope.

    The poor Fairy looks so confused right now.

    "To explain," I look at him. "I forgot about this. While traveling with Warren, Spirits who were watching him noticed me, and discussed me. A few high-powered ones began to follow me around, and word got around to other Spirits. I began to be observed by others. It was sort of annoying, when I could sense them, but most of them never had enough of a presence for me to detect. Now, though, they''re all wanting to contract with me, now that I''m actually looking for a contract.

    "Sorry, Meiva," I say. "But I don''t have enough Spirit right now to make the contract with you."

    "That''s fine," the ancient Spirit says as the Fairy''s eyes widen. "As long as I''m your first as your true self, we can consider it fair."

    "Deal," I say, looking around at the presences surrounding us. "All Spirits who are not already someone I have communicated with, please leave unless you are a Spirit capable of granting fire-based Gifts. For my first one, that is what I desire. I will eventually take on more contracts, but for now, this is what I desire. My apologies."

    All but forty Spirits fade away.

    "Spirits whose contracts require more than 30 Spirit at base for me," I say. "My apologies, but you are a bit too strong for me to be able to contract with and train, starting. Once my Spirit is higher, I will be able to contract with stronger."

    All but six fade away, two of which are ones I''m friendly with, according to Meiva.

    "Alright," I say. "Now, before I can contract with the four of you who meet the requirements, please show me your real forms, if you can. If not, my friend Meiva will assist you."

    "I never agreed to that," Meiva says.

    "See?" I say. "He''s even agreed to it."

    "You''ve hung around him for years," Nies huffs. "You should know better than to argue with-you knew, didn''t you?"

    "Knew what?" Meiva asks.

    "That Marty was Gavin. You''ve been hanging around him forever. You knew he was Marty, didn''t you?"

    "We had a running bet," Meiva says. "On how long it''d take for you to track me down to see where Gavin was. When Gavin revealed himself to you, we changed the bet to when you''d realize I knew all along¡­ along with thousands of Spirits."

    "Out of curiosity," Nies says. "How many won?"

    "Just me!" Meiva laughs. "I bet that you wouldn''t figure it out before Gavin revealed it himself, and then that you''d figure it out as Gavin''s gaining his first Spirit Contract!"

    Nies huffs, but goes back to being lazy.

    The Fairy is still staring at me in shock and disbelief, and I''m surprised he doesn''t pass out when four forms begin to manifest, see-through, and wavering in visibility.

    Two of the Spirits are Fire Salamander Spirits, flames rising from their bodies, vanishing into the air.

    The third Spirit looks like flames with eyes and a mouth, just floating in the air.

    The fourth Spirit is a crimson-haired Fairy with matching wings and eyes, dressed in a crimson loincloth, with red and gold bracers, anklets, armlets, and a leather cord decorated with two red beads and two gold beads, a fang of some form hanging from it. He wears a crown made of braided gold bands, rubies set into it.

    The Fairy Spirit looks to be around ten human years old, with a lean, toned body that makes me nervous in my current form. He looks to be the most powerful of the four, and the level of Spirit surrounding him confirms that. He probably doesn''t need a contract to interact with the mortal planes.

    So how come I haven''t sensed his power before? Has he intentionally hidden himself while watching me? Was he a former royal Fairy? A King?

    "A Fairy Spirit," the living Fairy gasps quietly in awe. "I''ve never heard of any Fairies who have been smote before."

    "Hanatsu," Nies says lazily. "He was on another world, got smote by Udumi. She''s a cranky old bitch. She''s now suffering in a hell she''ll never escape, nor see out of. There exists almost no trace of her presence."

    Killing a Fairy is one of his taboos, isn''t it?

    Usually, yeah. It''s more of killing any Fairy King that''s his strict taboo, royals are next, and the young are next. Nies is just waiting for your father to kill a Fairy King. Once he does, Nies can just smite him.

    And make him an evil Spirit?

    Oh, Nies''s smites are far, far more powerful than that, he chuckles. If Nies smites something, it goes into a special little hell, never to return again.

    Like the Divine that smote Hanatsu?

    Yep! You know, those two might actually get along¡­

    Shame it''ll be Oberon who kills Christopher.

    Oh, no worries about that. Nies has already arranged things so that when Christopher dies, he''ll end up in that hell. Those two wouldn''t meet, even once your father dies. Nies creates a separate hell for each special case.

    Ah, okay. I should probably go back to speaking to the Spirits.

    Interviewing them, more like. This is like a job interview on certain other worlds. Ask them their strengths and weaknesses.

    Okay?

    Sorry, couldn''t resist.

    "Alright," I look at the Spirits. "What are some of your strengths?"

    "I can burn things," one of the salamanders says. "See through clothes, burn through clothes, eat clothes, consume poisons, and burn poisons."

    "I can do the same things as him," the other salamander says. "I am also talented at heating water, and even making it steam."

    "I am a Fire Elemental," the flames say. "I am the embodiment of fire. If there is a fiery Gift you desire that is within my power, I can grant it to you."

    Wait, so is that a Spirit or an Elemental?

    Spirit. It was an Elemental before it got smote by Nies.

    For killing a Fairy?

    Never met a Fairy before it was smote. To be honest, I don''t think Nies is aware he smote that particular Elemental¡­ no one''s entirely sure what was going through his mind when he did that.

    "And you?" I ask the Fairy Spirit.

    "I am trained extensively in fire magics," Hanatsu answers. "And possess a wide range of Gifts, from basic and simple, to vast and powerful. I am capable of contracting up to ten Gifts, instead of the standard three, and my status as a Second Tier Spirit allows me to require less Spirit in exchange for my Gifts."

    A Second Tier Spirit? I knew that Spirits had a special form of the System, though I can''t read them with my Appraisals, but I didn''t realize they, too, could advance their Species. Meiva never mentioned that to me.

    I like the sound of that.

    "What are some of your weaknesses?" I ask.

    "Water," both salamanders say.

    "I''m incapable of working in the rain," the Elemental Spirit answers. "And my power is virtually worthless underwater. I am weak in cold environments."

    "When I see a hot babe," Hanatsu says. "I can''t help but hit on them. There aren''t many around who can understand us, though, but then again, most Fairies learn Silvar from a young age. Also, I''m very unorganized, but I''m not sure if that relates making a contract with you for a Gift. I feel like I''m in an interview for a job, which is weird, because that doesn''t really happen on this world, and I haven''t seen you in a situation where you''d encounter that. You are an intelligent young man."

    "Thank you," I tell him, giving a mental glare to the Voice, who giggles. "Hanatsu, would you be willing to contract for a fireball Gift?"

    "I would," the Fairy Spirit responds.

    "Thank you," I say, then look to the other three. "I will be accepting Hanatsu, for my first contract as a Fairy."

    Their forms fade, and then I look at Hanatsu.

    "You don''t have to keep sustaining that form," I tell him. "It can''t be easy, if you aren''t drawing on someone''s power."

    "It is of little importance to me," he shrugs. "I am much like Meiva, in terms of power. I can sustain an ethereal form for several days, before needing to use the Spirit of someone else. Less, if I need to use my available Gifts."

    "Okay," I say, then look to the Fairy assisting me. "Koby ¨C how do I form the contract?"

    "By scaring me to death and back," he responds, then looks shocked, then quickly recovers. "I am three hundred years old, and I''ve never once seen so many Spirits flock to someone."

    "Gavin''s true Form," Hanatsu says. "Has over one thousand Spirit. He''s attracted the attention of many Spirits, and many of high power as well. It isn''t often someone who can contract with Spirits can also contract for our more powerful Gifts. I would love to contract the Gift of the Empire of Flames with Gavin."

    "To make the contract," Koby says. "You first need to know Silvar, then befriend a Spirit, then offer up some of your Spirit to them. If they accept it, they''ll grant unto you the words to speak to invoke the Gift they''re bestowing upon you. You can only have one Gift of a type at a time, so when you begin the incantation, there won''t be a mistaking it.

    "After that," he continues. "The Spirit will do one of three things, typically. Depending on how well they like you and their current mood, they might perform the intended Gift, though whether it''s how you want it or not isn''t guaranteed, based on the same factors. They might also perform a curse instead, or just ignore you completely. That''s why it''s always a good idea to get to know the Spirits before making a contract."

    "Meiva and Nies both seem to like him," I say. "So I''ll take that as a positive, and say that we can skip the ''get to know'' stage."

    The Fairy nods numbly. I think he''s a bit in awe and shock over what''s going on. There''s a god who''s here, as well as someone who has dozens of Fairies ¨C including powerful ones ¨C standing before him. Along with some of those powerful ones.

    If I were in him, I''d have probably passed out. But after everything that''s happened to me, this is par for the course. If Nies''s father descended and said ''hello'', I''d probably just say ''your son is fucking weird'' in response.

    He''d probably just laugh, clap you on the back, and say ''isn''t he?'' in response to that.

    The Fairy walks me through offering some of my Spirit to the Spirit I''m making a contract with, and once I do, Hanatsu accepts it, then gives me his incantation for a ball of fire.

    "Burning, blazing ball!"

    Short and sweet, just like Nies.

    I like it.

    As Hanatsu and I work together, me performing the incantation, him creating the fireball where I want it and throwing it that way, I can tell that the living Fairy has a question for Nies, but is hesitant to ask it.

    "Koby," I say, and he jumps, looking at me. "Was there something you wanted to ask Nies? He doesn''t have an issue with it, if you do. Just go up and ask him."

    Koby nods, then approaches Nies, bowing.

    "L-L-Lord Nies," he says, then pauses. I give him an encouraging wave, and he looks back at the ''napping'' Divine. "May I¡­ may I, um¡­ touch you?"

    "Sure," Nies says lazily. "Stopping you isn''t worth the effort."

    Koby looks at him in confusion, and I laugh hard enough that I hit the ground. When I calm down, the Fairy hesitantly reaches out and touches Nies''s forearm. At first, he touches with just his fingertips, but slowly slides them across the god''s arm until his full hand is resting on it. He looks to be in so much awe right now.

    Then one of the tigers stands up, startling him, and the Fairy scrambles back several feet, looking terrified.

    "Don''t worry," I tell him as the tiger wanders off. "He just had to take a shit."

 Chapter 0063 - Small Desires

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin?" Nies mumbles softly, waking me as he kneads my chest with his paws.

    "Yes?" I respond, opening my eyes to find him still curled up on me, eyes closed. "Nies?"

    "Sugar pops," he mumbles, stopping his kneading and flicking one of his tails, smacking his own nose. "Stop that, Oiz," he smacks his nose again. "I''m grounding you for that."

    He''s dreaming. I look around, spotting a Fairy watching me.

    "How long has he been doing this?" I ask quietly.

    "About twenty minutes," he shrugs. "Your god is cute."

    "Thanks," I tell him. "You''re one of the Fairies dating the silver-haired Serena, right?"

    "I am," he looks happy that I remember that. I''ve been here for a month, now. Serena keeps hitting on me, which is the only reason I remember her name, but I do remember seeing him around her a few times. "I woke up around twenty minutes ago, and he was doing that. I don''t remember seeing him dream-talk before."

    "Nor have I," I gently place a hand on Nies''s head and scratch behind his ears, causing him to purr in content and mumble something under his breath. "I wonder why he''s doing this."

    "I dunno," he shrugs, then tilts his head towards Warren and Michael. "Better than those two, though. Michael has a habit of shifting in his sleep, and accidentally throws Warren off a few times. You sleep right through that all the time."

    Warren and Michael sleep in a multi-Fairy hammock, usually with three or four other Fairies. That''s Michael''s fault, though. In a shared quarters like this, his wolf nature takes over, and he wants to sleep with the warmth of others around him. With a ''pack''.

    Which is probably why, at first, he would just grab Warren and pull him onto the hammock, along with whatever random Fairies he''d already determined were ''good''. If he weren''t afraid of my might, he would probably try pulling me into the group, too.

    I do not desire to stop among his people, because of that. It would be an insult to them if I did not sleep in a group.

    Carefully, I pick up Nies, muttering an incantation, then float up into the air for a moment. I release my wings, then fly into an upright position and land on the ground gently, setting the Divine Being on my head.

    "I''ll be going for a walk," I tell him as the tigers move into position around me. "Going to find a place to see about learning Arcane without bothering people."

    "May I go with you?" He requests. "I am not as adept at it as Prince Beck or some of the others, but I do know a few good places to practice the Arcane, and it helps when practicing if you have someone else around, to manifest their desires."

    "That''s why I''m bringing Nies," I point at the kitty on my head. "Instead of leaving him here, since he''s still asleep. But if you''d like to come and show me where and hang around to watch and give pointers, that would be appreciated."

    He smiles, then leads me out of the sleeping grove. He releases his wings and begins flying, and I move Nies to my arms and do the same, his tigers running to keep up with us. After roughly an hour of flight, the sun still a fair bit from rising, we stop in a grove well away from others.

    "Here," he tells me, sitting beside the creek that runs through it. There''s a small pond. "This is where I come to do my own magical practices, not many know this spot."

    "Thank you," I sit down, placing Nies on my head once more.

    "Something I''ve noticed," he says, then hesitates. I raise an eyebrow. "Sorry, I''m not used to being in direct communication with someone of your¡­ status. Or his."

    He indicates the god atop my head with a tilt of his own.

    "You can say it," I tell him. "I won''t smite you for it. Nor will he. He''ll probably just demand food offerings."

    "Something I''ve noticed," he says again. "Is that even though we all sit with our legs crossed, you always sit in a sort of kneeling position, sitting on your legs."

    "Habit," I explain, realizing that I''m sitting the same way we had to at the temple. "Formed through having to sit this way every day during training for two years."

    The Fairy thinks on that for a moment, then nods.

    "Typically," he says. "When starting out, one needs to have another vocalize their desires before it can be drawn out through the Arcane. It allows you to grasp the desire. You''ll need that, until you have Sense Desire.

    "Before explaining that," he takes a deep breath. "There are seven Tiers to Manifest Desire: Minor Desire, Lesser Desire, Desire, Greater Desire, Major Desire, Ultra Desire, Godly Desire. The bigger the desire and more complex the desire, the more Arcane it will require to cast. The stronger the desire, the less it''ll require.

    "Sense Desire," he continues. "Allows you to sense the desires of others. The higher its Level, the more of a desire you''ll be able to sense without them stating it, as well as the less Arcane you''ll need extra to summon it through Sense Desire."

    Which explains how Beck was able to summon so many things during the fight ¨C he was probably manifesting their desire for me to get my ass kicked, and since they knew what he usually did, that made it easier. So many people wishing it would probably have reduced the cost heavily.

    "Is it possible to manifest a wish," I ask. "Without it being stated and without Sense Desire?"

    "It is," he nods. "But it''s really, really costly, especially the bigger the desire and more complex the desire. Also, the more powerful powerful a desire is, the less it''ll cost. So someone who wishes they had a rock, and someone who wishes their goat produced milk, might actually have the same cost, if the latter''s desire is of a superior strength."

    "Okay," I say, holding out a hand and focusing. He looks at me curiously. "Do you have Sense Desire?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "Why? I doubt you would have acquired it already, Lord Gavin. It''s quite difficult to obtain with years of practice and manifesting wishes, and this is the start of your attempts, yes?"

    "Sense his," I indicate Nies with my other hand, and a moment later, his mouth forms an O. "Yeah, that. I don''t need to have it stated or have Sense Desire to know his desires. I''m going to see if I can manifest his desires without either of those."

    I return to focusing on Nies''s desire for all things sweet and tasty. Specifically, hard candies, since those are small, and likely easy to manifest.

    -8 Arcane!

    New Skill!

    Minor Desire: The power to manifest a desire of minor scale

    A small piece of hard candy rests in my hand. It is white, a little more than half an inch in diameter, with red stripes around the edge, but not touching the center.

    "I guess," I say. "Either I''m talented at manifesting wishes as a Fairy, or Nies''s desires are just that strong. It cost me 8 Arcane."

    "Sounds about normal," the Fairy nods. "And I''d heard rumors that your kind of Fairy had high natural talents for all of the magics we Fairies use. It would likely be both of those, though, judging by the strength of his desires. Also, not all of his desires deal with sweets."

    "I kind of figured," I say. "He''s got a girlfriend, too, and loves some of the other Divine Beings. Not in the way he loves his girlfriend, but more like as family and siblings, so dealing with them would also be reasonable. Then he''s got his desire to have followers, though after my actions a couple of months ago, he''s pretty happy with that. Then there''s his desire to keep around me and keep chatting with me."

    I pop the candy into my mouth. It has a cooling sensation. Is this a one of those ''peppermints'' he talked to me about?

    "Um," the Fairy hesitates. "Lord Gavin? He has more desires than just those¡­ dealing with you."

    "Dealing with me?" I ask. "Really? He likes my company, and wants to keep me around as long as possible. That''s why he won''t leave me until it''s time for me to go back to my real Form."

    -8 Arcane!

    "Um," he hesitates, and I stare at him with all of the intentness that I can. "I probably wouldn''t be able to sense them, if it weren''t for how strong his desire for them are¡­ but some of them include you being happy. He really, really strongly desires that you can be happy."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    -8 Arcane!

    "I am happy."

    -8 Arcane!

    "Nies doesn''t seem to think so," he shrugs. "And he''s a Divine Being. I''ll trust his desires over your words.

    -8 Arcane!

    "Nies is weird," I say. "What are his other desires dealing with me that are so strong?"

    -8 Arcane!

    "He strongly desires you complete your Quests," he answers. "Find real happiness, find true love, and live a long, and happy life. The sorts of desires we can''t manifest into reality, and usually can''t sense, even if we have Sense Desire at Level 10."

    -8 Arcane!

    -8 Arcane!

    -8 Arcane!

    -70 Arcane!

    Finally! That worked! And it looks like doing a bulk batch of his candies grants a small discount to the Arcane cost as well, which is nice.

    "I smell goodness," Nies mutters from atop my head. He stands, then walks forward, falling onto the ground and waking with a start, having knocked my candies out of my hand in his tumble. "Whoa! Ah! Where am I? Candy?"

    He licks one of them off the ground.

    "Yummy," he purrs contentedly. "Minus the dirt, of course."

    "That''s your own fault, Nies," I say. "Considering they were in my hand."

    Nies looks up at me, transforming back to his real form, scrutinizing me.

    "Oh," he says. "You got Small Desire. Candies are good."

    "Yeah," I tell him, then show him the one I''m sucking on, holding it between my teeth for a moment before sucking it back in. "Is this one of those ''peppermints'' you were telling me about?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "It is. This is a butterscotch."

    He holds up a yellowish one, then pops it into his mouth and starts chewing. Weren''t candies supposed to be sucked? Hard candies, I mean.

    Since when does Nies follow the normal of things?

    "It''s back," Nies mutters. "Why is it back? I haven''t sensed it in two weeks, and now it''s back."

    "Maybe it wanted to cuddle with the cute little kitty?" I suggest. "But now that the kitty''s gone, it''s upset?"

    "I switch out of that when I''m awake," he says. "I''m only in it so I can sleep with you, since you''re insistent on using a single-Fairy hammock."

    "You could join Michael, Warren, and their sleeping buddies."

    "They are neither my Hero nor females," he states, as if that should have been an obvious reason not to.

    "There are plenty of female Fairies who''d be happy to have you sleep with them at night."

    The Voice laughs, and the Fairy looks like he''s struggling not to, then a moment later, his eyes widen in surprise.

    He just got Acting, didn''t he?

    Nies pouts, looking at the Fairy. I mimic tickling, and the Fairy frowns. Nies turns to look at me just as I tackle him and start tickling. The Fairy is hesitant, but he joins me as Nies giggles and tries to wrestle with me. His lack of real victory tells me he''s enjoying it, since he''s not using his real strength against such a weak Fairy as me.

    Once we calm down, soaked in sweat, the Fairy and I wash off in the creek as Nies climbs onto his tiger, sighing from ''exhaustion''. That was probably more effort he wanted to put in, but he enjoyed it, and that makes me happy.

    Once we''re clean, we dry off using one of my Spirits'' fire magics, dress, then begin to walk back to the palace''s grounds. On the way, I focus on manifesting something new, something else I know Nies loves.

    -27 Arcane!

    Something soft and fluffy, but also hard, forms in my hands. It''s pink, and somewhat sticky. Nies sniffs the air from beside me, then looks over.

    "Cotton candy!" He exclaims. "You can try it without me bringing it here, now!"

    I take a bite out of the stuff. Wow, is it sticky. It''s also really, really sweet, and good. I shouldn''t be surprised by it being sweet, though, since Nies likes it.

    "What is this?" I ask.

    "Spun sugar," he answers. "Also, you''re supposed to pull off pieces and eat it that way, not take out giant chunks of it."

    "It''s really sticky."

    "Yeah, it is," he nods. "The fun part is licking off your fingers and lips after."

    "Want to try some?" I offer a little to the Fairy, who nods, tearing off a small chunk and biting into it. "How is it?"

    "I like it," he answers. "What is it?"

    "Cotton candy."

    "Cotton can by candy?"

    "It''s spun sugar," Nies shakes his head. "It''s just called that because of how it looks."

    "But it''s pink," the Fairy and I say.

    "Yeah, it is," Nies nods. "If it actually looked like cotton, people wouldn''t eat it."

    The Fairy, Divine, and I eat the cotton candy as we walk, and when we''re nearly there, Nies stops walking. The Fairy and I do, looking over to him.

    "Are you just manifesting my desires?" He asks.

    "Are you just now figuring that out?" I ask, and he huffs.

    "I want some sticky buns."

    "I want to know how my team is doing."

    They''re doing well, actually. Kade is still preparing for his trip to the islands, while Tyler is nearly ready to return. He''s also close to unlocking his Psionic energies, though I think he''ll do it when he returns to the royal palace and claims his crown.

    "Kade and Tyler?" Nies asks, thinking. "Kade''s currently having sex, and Tyler is killing monsters."

    "Kade''s having sex?" I raise an eyebrow.

    "It''s a three-way."

    "Be serious, Nies."

    The Divine huffs.

    "Kade''s cuddling a wolf," he gives in. "It''s a really cute wolf, and it''s his Familiar. The wolf is of a magical nature, with some dragon in its heritage. It''s durable, powerful, and perfect for Kade. They''re both asleep. And no, they aren''t having sex. Kade really needs to get a sex life, though. But with a person, not a wolf. That would be disgusting. But he won''t, because he''s hung up over this guy."

    This guy?

    Instead of elaborating, Nies sighs, returning to being lazy, because that was too much talking for him.

    What did he mean by that?

    After seeing you again, Kade fell in love with you all over again. He admires your strength and determination, even if he doesn''t fully understand it, and he still finds you attractive.

    He does know that a relationship with me will never happen, right?

    No, he doesn''t. He isn''t aware of your circumstances.

    I''ll let him know, when I see him next, that he should give up on me.

    Perhaps the full explanation of why you are so loyal to Jozan would do as well? He still doesn''t understand it, even if he''s regained his loyalty, after your ''intervention''. Also, Tyler definitely doesn''t need help, now.

    How long before he returns?

    I''d estimate it to be around three weeks or so before he returns to the palace itself.

    Then I have some work to do, before he returns. I will go to Oberon and give him some of the information from my Grimoire on Aether, as a thanks for allowing me to stay here this long.

    It''s part of the agreement to train you, and you''ve already given him much, by deciding to allow him to take out Christopher instead.

    I would still like to ensure he knows I am an ally, O Mysterious Voice Who Will Not Tell Me Who He Is.

    Still not going to. Maybe one day, Gavin, but not now.

    How do you know, for sure, that I''m going to die?

    All die, in the end.

    So I won''t become a Divine, then?

    Do you want me to tell you what kills you?

    Is it becoming a Divine?

    Nope. Your death will be in the next few years, and it will be a mortal death.

    Then no, I don''t want to know. I''m sure I could circumvent that, but if it''s something like ''a Dragon''s breath will kill you'', then I really don''t want to know, because though I''m stubborn and will do whatever I want, and even though being told something like that would normally make me prove it wrong¡­ it would make me hesitate when I face such situations, seeing as it comes from something that can hide from Nies.

    He doesn''t respond.

    It''s a Dragon''s breath, isn''t it?

    No response.

    You do realize that that''s confirming it, right?

    How in the ''verse did you just say the exact thing that will kill you?

    So a Dragon''s breath really will be my death?

    Yes. It will consume you, burning through your very being. However, the Dragon will still die, and the people you are trying to protect will survive. That said, your goals will be met: Jozan will be restored soon, you will remove the Boundary of Sages, and your Order will finally establish a headquarters, all before this happens.

    The next time I fight a Dragon, I may be hesitant because you couldn''t cover your ass.

    Sorry. I can promise that it isn''t the next time you fight a Dragon, though, even if that''s a full-fledged Dragon. You manage to kill that all on your own.

    Is it the time after that?

    Not going to tell you how many Dragons you kill before one kills you, Gavin, other than you kill at least one before then.

    Alright¡­

    We reach the palace and make our way to the dining hall, where we feast on a nice breakfast. After, I speak with Oberon, telling him that I will be leaving soon, as I am needed back in Jozan for some things.

    "So it''s time, then?" Michael asks as he and Warren approach us. "To return?"

    "Yes," I nod. "Some minor things need to be checked on before Tyler returns, and it''s almost time for him. You two stay here, though."

    "But-"

    "No, Michael," I hold up a hand, interrupting him. "Warren has been away from his people for too long, and I don''t want to be the reason he''s gone again so soon. In addition, with my own power and Tyler''s, combined, along with the resistance''s and my peoples'' own powers, those who are loyal to Turas won''t be able to stand a chance. You and your peoples'' power is no longer needed, though we do still welcome you as allies."

    Michael starts to say something, but Warren taps him on the arm. He leans down so the Fairy can whisper something to him, ears twitching, and then nods, looking at me reluctantly.

    "Very well, then," he says. "Please inform me if I or my people may be of assistance. I will inform my father."

    "Thank you," I tell him, then look to Oberon. "As I have a source of Aether knowledge similar to your source of Spirit knowledge, I felt that I would gift you some of this knowledge of Aether, as a gesture of goodwill and good faith, from both Jozan and from the Order of the Violet Flame. May we speak in private?"

    The Fairy King nods, then leads me away from others, into a private room. I pull out my Grimoire, and we discuss various magics, until we settle on the ones to give him. Once that is done, I revert back to my True Form and extend a hand to him.

    "Thank you," I say. "For allowing me to study here, and for forgiving me."

    "You are most welcome," he takes the hand, having already been taught the gesture by me, and we shake. "And you are welcome back to this realm whenever you so desire."

    "Thank you," I tell him. "I have a twin, once identical, before the System gave me absurdly higher stats, and an elder brother as well. They, too, possess knowledge of Aether, though Dylan, my older brother, specializes in Rifts over other forms, the last I spoke with him. That has been years, though. Perhaps one day, the two of you can get together, and share your knowledge."

    He''s learned a little bit more, the Voice says as Nies gives me a hug from behind. Though he still primarily studies and manipulates Rifts. Your Order has quite the following, because of your actions and theirs.

    Thank you, Odd Voice.

    You''re Welcome.

    "I should be going," I tell the Fairy King. "I need to stop by my brothers, first, to see how they''re doing, check to make sure Noah made it home safely, and then do a couple of things in Jozan."

    "Good luck," he responds. "And may the Divine watch over you¡­ and now I remember that they already do."

    He looks at Nies, who is still hugging me.

    "Nies?"

    "Yeah?"

    "How long are you going to hug me?"

    "Until I die."

    "Do I need to call Ekre?"

    "He''ll probably just give up before even trying."

    True.

    I ruffle the god''s hair, then tell him I should be going, and he reluctantly detaches himself from me.

    "Goodbye," I tell the Fairy King once more, then depart.

 Interlude II - Tyler III

    "Have you heard?" A servant asks another as I walk past, the pair of them oblivious to me, my Cloak of Shadows Skill concealing me from their gaze entirely. "The Archmage destroyed Fort Kar so completely, there aren''t even ashes left behind."

    "I heard," the other servant responds. "Did you hear that once he did, the monsters stopped attacking? I heard he came from there ¨C do you think he was the reason the monsters were attacking in the first place?"

    This is the fourteenth rumor I''ve heard of Gavin''s return since I made my way back into Kar two weeks ago. It seems the Archmage has been rallying the Resistance and taking out Turas forts and military cities they built themselves.

    True to the way of my father, and his father, and his father, and so on, Gavin leaves no survivors. By himself, Gavin is able to show the might of Jozan. Rumors have spread far and wide of his capabilities, as have rumors of my existence.

    I''m sure Gavin started that two months ago, when he apparently stopped by to kill a massive fucking demon that Turas''s Inquisitors and Enforcers couldn''t handle and free a variety of Adventurers who were there.

    They''re talking like he used some special spell that no one''s ever heard of to do that. There is no doubt in my mind¡­ that he used Dispel. It''s not even that advanced of a healing or holy spell, yet even the priests I''ve heard discussing him don''t seem to have realized he used it.

    Ignoring the gossiping servants, I make my way to the throne room. When I reach the great, wooden doors, the banner of Turas hung over them, I feel a rage boil within me. They haven''t replaced the doors, which have the symbol of Kar carved into them, just hung banners over them.

    They have defiled my home for too long. Six years have passed, and it is time for me to reclaim the throne. Once I have, I will find out what happened to my sister. Hopefully, she and her son are still alive.

    If they are dead¡­

    Then the wrath of the Hero of Len will grow even greater.

    I step forward, slashing with my knife, and the two guards drop to the ground, their throats slit. Their blood sprayed out, but it slid off my magical cloak. The Skill is useful for staying free of such trivial things.

    "Firebolt," I mutter, then again, and the two banners turn to flames.

    Ignoring the burning, knowing it will not affect the doors, I push the heavy wood open. Only someone with Access could do so easily, due to the sheer weight of the wood used.

    I stride into the Throne Room, past the pillars decorated with the banners of Turas, and set them aflame as I pass, until I reach the dais, where the grand, golden throne sits.

    The same grand, golden throne my father once sat upon, and his father before him, and his before him, all the way to Meiva Jozan, our founder and First King.

    Beautiful and majestic, it is no place for my enemies to sit upon. They are lucky the Throne Room is currently empty, it being so late at night. Or rather, early in the morning. According to the System, it is only three in the morning. It will be at least another hour before anyone would enter, though with the guards dead outside, it might be a little bit sooner.

    I walk up the steps to the dais, running my fingers against the cool, glimmering metal, which currently reflects the burning banners.

    Turning around, I look out against the empty room.

    My empty room.

    I place my hands on the arm rests, deactivate my Cloak of Shadows Skill, then lower myself onto the cushion, sitting with my back straight.

    "This is my throne," I say, to no one in particular.

    Throne Reclaimed!

    Fallen Crown Heir is a Tier IV Class, as a result, it will not be returning to Crown Heir, so that you may keep its Power of Vengeance; however, you will be acquiring Crown Heir''s Ultimate, Power of an Oath

    Because you have Mastered Crown Heir, you qualify for the King Class instead of the Ruler Class!

    You now possess the King Class!

    This Class is a Special Class, and does not take up any Class Slot

    Power of an Oath (Special Skill): Oaths made to you are akin to a Blood Oath, with some additional benefits, including that you can decide the penalty for breaking the Blood Oath, within reason, and you can sense the location of all those who have made an oath to you

    King (I): The ruler of a kingdom, people bow to your feet and fear your wrath. +2 to INT, CHA, CON every fourth Level, +5% to all charismatic bonuses, Royal Decree, Royal Quest

    Royal Decree: You possess the capability of declaring a new, absolute rule, within set guidelines. You cannot force someone into loyalty, you cannot force someone to betray another, you cannot force someone into honesty, you cannot force someone to answer a question. This Skill is to allow you to instill a new law and allow all the people of your Kingdom know it and know it is true and yours. This Skill can only be used once per Level of your King Class

    Royal Quest: You are capable of granting a Royal Quest to someone, which can be granted even when they are not before you. This Quest ignores the normal limitations of Quest-granting, and can possess greater rewards based on the views of the granter

    Title Acquired!

    Reclaimer of Thrones (I): You have reclaimed a throne that is yours by birthright

    Now to wait for my new subjects to discover that their false King no longer holds power.

    It takes less than ten minutes for guards to rush into the room, including from the passages leading to the royal bedchambers. From there, the new Fallen Ruler runs out as well.

    They see me sitting here, and weapons are drawn.

    "You would dare to draw your weapons against your King?" I ask in a curious tone, not a trace of mocking in it.

    That, in and of itself, will tell them I am mocking them, that I view them as so far below me, they could not stand a chance. The Hero of Len is not a weak Adventurer.

    "Who are you?" The Fallen Ruler demands.

    "Tyler Jozan," I answer. "The true King of this realm. Now kneel before me, all of you, before your lives end."

    "You aren''t-" the Fallen Ruler begins.

    "The only way," a man in finer clothes, who I recognize as one of the Councilmen from Father''s time, interrupts the Fallen Ruler. "That you could possibly claim the throne with him still alive and without a variety of other circumstances would be for you to have been of the royal bloodline of Jozan. And yet, there was no male heir, so-"

    "I lived as a servant, with only minimal training for the crown," I state. "Father believed it best if men like you weren''t aware of my existence. For the last six years, I have trained to become stronger, and-"

    "How sad," he says. "As someone with the Fallen Royal Class, you wouldn''t have been able to take on another Class until it reached Level 15¡­ until the System changed things. But even still, you would have no-"

    "Magic Bolt," I blast his head off. "You were saying? Oh, my apologies ¨C you can''t talk anymore, because you''re dead. I am Tyler Jozan, the True King of Jozan. Kneel before me and affirm your loyalty to me, or lose your lives."

    Several of the guards begin to rush forward, but before I can react, they drop to the ground, a pair of soldiers having moved forward at a speed even I couldn''t follow, despite my 61 AGI and 63 PER.

    They sheathe their swords as they move, dropping to their knees before me.

    "My King," the say in unison. "I swear my life, my blood, my blade, and my skills to you."

    Immediately, I become able to sense them. I will need to find if there is a way to turn it off, because it might become¡­ problematic, if I''m sensing every person who swears fealty to me.

    "I am surprised," I say. "That you would kill your own comrades."

    "We are loyal to Jozan," the man on the right says, neither rising from their bow as the other swords stare on. "We hail from the Village of Kar. The Archmage warned us of your return."

    The moment he mentioned where they were from, the other guards looked very, very uneasy. In fact, many of them appear to be sweating. Sweating, pale, and trembling.

    Gavin''s people are dangerous, huh?

    How did they manage to avoid being collared for having Access?

    "You may rise, my children," I say, and they stand. "My first order as King is this: should anyone attempt to flee this room, kill them. Anyone who is not kneeling and swearing fealty when I reach ''five'', kill. Do not kill my usurper, though do not allow him to leave, either. If he will not swear fealty to me, I will kill him, myself."

    "Yes, Your Majesty," they clap their fists to their chests.

    "One," I say clearly, and no one reacts. "Two," the soldiers of Jozan draw their weapons. "Three."

    Nearly everyone drops to their knees and begins to swear fealty. I count six who did not.

    "Five," I say. "Because I''m King, and do not need to bother with keeping my word to my enemies."

    The soldiers of Jozan kill them. The Fallen Ruler does attempt to flee, but before the soldiers can reach him, he''s thrown back with a gust of violet-tinged wind, which then holds him down in front of me, forcing him into a kneeling position.

    I catch a rustling from the rafters, then hear whoever it is drop down, landing in a crouch, a flowing robe of black with violet Dekami runes lining its edges wrapped around him.

    My blond-haired Archmage stands, smiling at me.

    "Welcome back, Your Majesty," he shows me those brilliant white teeth of his, his azure eyes filled with a light and amusement that reminds me of when we first met, not the boy I saw a couple of years ago, the one who was going through a lot of stress. "It is good to see you back where you belong."

    "Thank you, Gavin," I tell him. "You have kept your oath to the Kingdom of Jozan, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I must ask, though, what happened to the ring my father gifted you? I only see your second one on your hand."

    "Oh, that," he flicks his wrist, and the other spacial ring appears in his hand. "I was storing it in my own ring."

    He can do that? That''s possible? How does one store a spatial ring in another spatial ring?

    By having an amount of free space in the containing one larger than the space within the first ring and the ring itself.

    Thank you, Len.

    You''re welcome. Gavin probably tried to do it just to see if it was possible. If I can get Nies to wake up, I''ll ask him about it.

    There is no need, Your Divinity.

    I''m honestly kind of curious.

    Of course he is.

    "Here," Gavin flicks the ring to me, and I catch it, slipping it onto my finger. "The Wealth of Jozan, restored to its proper place."

    "Thank you, Gavin," I say.

    "I''ve added to it," he informs me. "Various things I found on my journeys, including some torture gear. I also added in a few whips and gags, just for you."

    Yeah, Gavin''s back to his old self.

    "Thank you, Archmage," I say. "How long will you be in the area for?"

    "Not long," he answers. "I planned on leaving Jozan to begin amending our relationships with other nations once the crown was yours. According to Nies, you are more than capable of defending yourself, Hero of Len.

    "Speaking of His Childishness," Gavin snaps his fingers, and two more bodies drop from the rafters.

    These are creatures I have only seen in images, large, with orange fur with black stripes, golden eyes with slits for pupils. Large, muscular, and majestic. Tigers. Only¡­ these ones have stubby black horns atop their heads.

    "Nies told me to leave these here," Gavin says. "That they''ll protect you from threats you can''t. They''re Sacred Sein Tigers. They come from Nies''s Divine Realm, and are immune to mortal attacks."

    The tigers move to sit beside me, and Gavin looks at the Fallen Ruler.

    "Are you going to swear fealty to your King?" The Archmage asks. "Or will you die?"

    "Killing him would make him a martyr," I remind Gavin.

    Violet flames begin to swirl around Gavin, taking on the form of a serpentine dragon, its head beside Gavin''s, its glimmering golden eyes staring at the Fallen Ruler with distaste.

    "A martyr for what?" Gavin asks. "Because when the Master of the Order of the Violet Flame decides someone is not worth living, they no longer are. He took the throne from the true King, broke several laws, and has committed high treason. By law, he is to be executed. Allowing him to live, at this time, is to disgrace Jozan."

    Gavin might have a powerful Acting Skill, but I doubt it''s assisting him at all. He is right, in that the Fallen Ruler is worthy of death. Letting him live or die, there will be a resistance loyal to Turas among those who truly were.

    Why does Gavin hold such a powerful loyalty to us? It''s not like he ever interacted with anyone outside his village. I always got the vibe he didn''t think much of most Adventurers, and they were really the only people who went to his village, before he gained Access.

    It doesn''t make any sense to me. Len still won''t tell me why he was raised with the Code of Jozan, or why he actually took it to heart. He didn''t swear fealty to my father, but to the Kingdom, and he didn''t even have to obey that oath. He could have just kept the Wealth of Jozan for himself, yet he didn''t.Stolen story; please report.

    Looking down at the usurper, I make a decision.

    "Thank you, Archmage."

    Gavin nods, and then his dragon soars forward, burning a hole through the man''s chest before returning to its coil around the Archmage. Gavin has not a trace of care on his face for him, but when he turns those blue eyes to me, I see nothing more than respect.

    Very, very confusing.

    "Archmage Gavin," I say. "You have vowed yourself to Jozan. As its King and representative, I know that you have much you have planned for in life, and great goals that you wish to accomplish. In order for you to do them, you cannot be tied down to a nation. For that, I relieve you of your oath and duties, so that you may do your own things, without worry of needing to return here when we are in danger."

    Gavin begins to glow with a crimson light, and he looks annoyed, then downright pissed, and after a few moments, I realize that he''s fighting to keep the violet light. Several minutes pass as everyone stares at the glowing magician, until the light retreats back into him.

    He sighs.

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," Gavin says. "However, I have sworn Blood Oath to ensure the full revival of Jozan, and I will see it through to the end. Until it is completed, I will be visiting other nations of our region, and spreading word to them that the True King of Jozan has returned, as well as doing my best to amend relations that have soured because of Turas''s actions."

    That glow¡­ was him fighting to retain the Blood Oath. Why is he so stubbornly insistent on restoring Jozan? He has no reason whatsoever to be loyal to it.

    "Thank you, Archmage," I tell him. "And good luck on your journeys. Whatever is needed, I trust you will be fair and true."

    "I will," he says. "And Your Majesty, I will always be tied to Jozan, no matter what, from now and through death, even with the releasing of my vows."

    He bows, then turns and leaves.

    "Does anyone know what happened to my sister and nephew?" I ask, and some of them look at each other. I turn my gaze to the two soldiers of Kar. "Do either of you?"

    "Our apologies," the one on the right says. "We only arrived in the palace last night, at Gavin''s announcement that you would be returning."

    How did Gavin know I was returning?

    Nies and I have been talking. It is believed that there is a Divine Being able to mask its presence from other Divine Beings who is communicating with Gavin. The only other option would be for Gavin to have unlocked his Psion Resource, which he hasn''t. You will, soon enough. That said, neither of those is really possible, so we Divine have no fucking clue.

    Psion, the power of psychics. The power to foresee the future¡­ all of the males of my family hold this power, and my father was said to have Psionic power that rivaled Meiva''s.

    "Someone find out what happened to my sister," I state. "Princess Alyssa Jozan. We were twins, so she would be eighteen, now. She had a son around six to eight months, so he''d be around six or seven, now."

    I honestly don''t remember how long it''s really been, even with the ability to pull up the date. My daily Horoscope is annoying, too.

    You will receive a massive shock regarding two people close to you.

    Like, what the fuck?

    I will admit that I check it every day, but they usually aren''t that¡­ weird. Not lately. What kind of shock? Is it something different for each of them? Or is it the same shock?

    "And before anyone leaves," I say. "I make this a Royal Decree: Jozan will not now, nor ever, so long as I reign, ever place a collar on those of us with Access. Ever. They are to be removed from all Jozan Adventurers as well, and anyone who refuses to remove them from an Adventurer is to be considered a traitor to the crown and to the Kingdom. The old reign of the Council is gone, and my line will be governed by them no more. I am the King, not a puppet, and I will not yield to the whims of those who are here to advise me."

    In addition to a message informing me of the creation of the Royal Decree, another one appears.

    A Massive Royal Feat has been Performed!

    +25 King Experience!

    King is now Level 2!

    You may now use Royal Decree one additional time!

    "Following that," I dismiss the message. "The former Councilmen of Jozan are hereby declared traitors. They, their families, their staff, and their guards are to be arrested, their properties absorbed into the Kingdom. They and theirs will be interrogated, and the Councilmen and any deemed worthy will be executed.

    "The People of Kar," I continue. "May return to their home, in the Duchy of Karus. Please continue to watch the passage and drive the monsters from our land. I am sure your assistance will be required, from what I have heard of the wyverns."

    Which are apparently led by one named Bert¡­

    Dammit, Gavin.

    I dismiss people, and get to work on sorting out various things. I have a list of the Duchies brought to me, of both those designed for Turas, and those of Jozan. Because of the nature of Jozan, and the fact that it''s governed by three Divine Beings, in order to officially change the Royal Register, the approval of Lord Jozan is required, and he apparently refused to grant it, so they redrew the lines in their own register.

    As I go through them and give my orders and declarations, one name catches my eye.

    Gavin Jakran, Duke of Zelar. Looking at the date on it, I would''ve been eleven then. Father and Alyssa had gone on a trip shortly before then. Actually, looking at it, I think that that''s Gavin''s birthday.

    What did Gavin do that Father gifted him an entire Duchy for his birthday? That doesn''t seem right. It notes that there''s a Reagent actually governing it. Or at least, was. I''ll have to see how he''s doing and who''s governing it now.

    Is that what Gavin meant, though, when he said that he would always be tied to Jozan? If so, then why didn''t he simply ask me to lift him of that?

    I check the Turas register for their Duchies, to see which ones Zelar became, and find that it''s whole and untouched, though it declares Alyssa as the Duchess of it, and that she watches over it and takes care of it.

    Those are definitely shocks, especially since there''s no way they would have wished for a royal of Jozan to do that. Unless there''s something special about Zelar, and they needed her to govern it. But then¡­ why did Father simply gift it to Gavin?

    This is so confusing.

    At least I know what happened to my sister, now.

    "Tyler," a woman''s voice greets me, and I look up from the table to find a gorgeous girl standing before me, her curly brown hair matching that of everyone else on the continent, and same with her brown eyes. Despite that, she is not like other women of this region. I know from her name and Class that though she may be attractive, she is not mine to take. "It has been years."

    "Alyssa," I stand, beckoning to her. "It has, indeed."

    Alyssa walks over to me, and we embrace for a moment. I kiss her on each cheek, then she takes a step back.

    "I was just going over the registers," I tell her. "You governed over Zelar as Duchess, while Turas reigned?"

    "Yes," she smiles. "They cannot divorce someone married under a Divine''s Oath without a Divine annulling it, and they wished to marry me to their false King, to help ''placate'' people over not being ruled by the Jozan bloodline. However, no Divine would approve of the annulment. In fact, only three even responded ¨C the rest flat-out ignored their attempts. As a result, they were too scared to do anything to me, and considered giving me a Dirty Marriage or sending me off somewhere to be forgotten. However, they were scared of the wrath of whatever Divine put fear into the others enough to prevent the annulment to do that.

    "And so," she continues. "I told them that, if they let me do my own thing in Zelar, I would not rally people behind me to put my son on the throne. As they had no knowledge of you, that meant that their only chance at having it taken from them would be placated, as they did not wish to kill the child of the woman the gods would not annul the marriage of."

    "I am glad you are alive," I tell her. "Regardless of the reason. How is Zelar?"

    "Quite lovely," she answers. "Do you mind if I leave? Your nephew escaped me when I received the notification that I was no longer a Fallen Royal. I was informed that you were returning, and so made my way here, so that we could reunite, once it was time."

    "You were informed?" I ask. "By who?"

    "Gavin," she answers. "He stopped by the castle to let me know you were on your way back."

    He knew where my sister was? Why did he go to her to let her know?

    I am so confused by all of this. Len?

    He doesn''t respond to that.

    Your Divinity?

    Yes?

    I am so confused right now.

    Perhaps a bath would help you clear your mind?

    "I am going to the Royal Bath," I tell Alyssa. "See if I can''t clear my head some. It has been a long day, and a long journey for me. I hope to see you and my nephew at lunch."

    "I will try to find him," she smiles. "He takes after his father quite a lot, though, so that might be difficult. I''m just glad there weren''t any wyverns in Zelar. I might have died from fear, were there!"

    Not sure what to make of that comment, I make my way to the Royal Bath, a room which can only be entered by the bloodline of the true rulers of Jozan. It was blessed by Jozan himself, so even Gavin would not be capable of entering.

    I enter the large room, steam hovering above the eternally-hot waters. There are small plants here and there, and the bath itself is made of stone and divided into sections, with rocks or plants separating them, giving it a more natural, soothing view.

    I shed my clothes, and for a moment, look down at my body. I am lean, very lean, from my high AGI and low STR, my body smooth and devoid of hair, something I once believed to be only rumors about Heroes.

    Then I asked Len about it, and he confirmed that all Heroes have smooth, clean bodies, as a result of a certain god deciding that all Heroes need to be able to be considered ''sexy''. I asked him about what if someone thought hair was sexy, and he told me that that particular Divine thought those people were idiots.

    I trail a finger down a scar that runs from my left nipple to nearly reaching my crotch. Had that claw made it once inch lower¡­ things might have been different for me. Looking at it, a question comes to mind.

    Your Divinity?

    Yes, my Hero?

    Len hates it when I call him that, but it''s respectful, and he always responds, as it''s a way for me to contact him when he isn''t eavesdropping. I''m just glad he informed me that I don''t need to speak to communicate with him, as a Hero.

    I probably could right now, but I''m no longer in the habit of doing so.

    Yes, and you''re also in the habit of thinking to yourself after contacting me.

    Sorry, Your Divinity.

    What did you desire to ask?

    I like both boys and girls, though to continue my line, I will be marrying a woman from somewhere-

    Do you mind if Gavin finds a foreign girl for you to marry, as a way to placate another nation?

    Um¡­ what?

    Hypothetically, if another nation would be placated by you marrying their fourth princess, would you be okay with that?

    If it is needed to ensure Jozan''s survival, then I will be fine with it.

    I''ll inform Nies, then.

    I''ll seriously need to marry their fourth princess? I would much prefer it be a noble of Jozan, Len. There really is something that-

    No, it was just a hypothetical question Nies had for me. None of the nations around here even have four princesses. There is one that might want you to marry their princess, though. Isil.

    Isil. Dammit. Isil is one of the few nations that could actually rally a force to attack Jozan, and with our current shifting powers¡­ that might not be good. And knowing Gavin, if he knows our surrounding nations, then he will probably visit Isil first.

    Then again, this is me using old knowledge, things might have changed. Everyone might want to attack the shit out of Turas.

    If it is needed, Len, I will do it. But I trust Gavin to seek out a way outside of that.

    Okay. Was that what you were wishing to know?

    No, it wasn''t. I was actually going to say that though I like boys more than girls, I will marry a female to ensure the legitimate continuation of my line.

    Your nephew can continue it as well. He is a legitimate air. It would allow you to explore your true preferences, and not worry about legitimate or illegitimate heirs.

    Thank you, Len, but as King, I should also attempt to produce an heir.

    As King, you can also have sex with people other than your wife, and no one will care. Just remember that.

    Thank you, for the unwanted advice. As I was saying, Your Divinity, I prefer both sexes, though will marry a female, so as to continue my line. I know that Kade likes boys, from what time we did spend together, and based on various things, I know that Michael and Warren also like boys-

    Which things? He interrupts me. You hearing them at night? Because that could be explained by other things. Or was it that time you walked in on them, and they were-

    Thank you, for bringing that back to mind, Your Divinity.

    Well, based on the fact that the image in your mind got you up in an instant, I think we can say that-

    I was wondering if Gavin, too, was gay. And if so, why the entire team Father arranged was gay. That seems to be way more than just coincidence, and it makes me wonder if a Divine had something to do with it.

    Nope. Your father knew the team would form long before any of you were born. He hand-picked each of you before your conceptions, after a series of visions he had with his psychic powers. I''m not sure why he picked boys who preferred other boys, but probably because he knew you would be gathered together for years. Well, suspected you would be. He probably expected for you to take one of them on as your lover. One or all of them. And that your nephew would take the crown, when you passed. Gavin was in the party purely because he needed to be.

    So he''s actually into females?

    You know how, all through puberty, and even sometime after it, you randomly get hard? And how it''s guaranteed if you see someone attractive? Gavin''s never had to deal with that. In fact, the last time he was up was when he turned twelve.

    What does that have to do with anything?

    Wait a second¡­

    His twelfth birthday? The same day he became the Duke of Zelar? Is that why my father made him a Duke? Did my father-

    Go take your bath, Tyler. You''ll know soon enough why your father made him the Duke of Zelar. And no, your father did not have sex with him. He preferred the other sex, and though he might have been willing to marry you and your sister to other nobles at that age, as is custom, he would not have done that himself. He liked his lover too much to go with another.

    I am confused, and further attempts to receive answers fail. I lower myself into the bath and begin to relax, then notice something by the rocks to my right, on the other side of this section of the bath.

    Were it not for my high AGI and PER, I would not have noticed him, as he dropped down as soon as I looked over.

    A boy with curly, platinum-blond hair and ocean-blue eyes. I would have put him at around six or seven, and those are the same two traits my nephew had, and is the same age¡­

    His Class of Prince confirms it, and his name tells me it as well, though now that I''m a King, I have both first and last name through appraisal.

    Garret Jakran

    Jakran¡­

    Gavin''s last name.

    My nephew''s last name¡­ is Gavin''s last name. The last time Gavin was hard was his twelfth birthday, the same day¡­ he became a Duke. He became a Duke not as a gift, but because¡­

    He married royalty. Gavin is my sister''s husband. That''s why he visited her, first. That''s why he''s so devoted to Jozan. He was raised to be loyal, and he is loyal to his wife.

    Wait, Your Divinity?

    Yes?

    Gavin is eighteen and a half, and has seriously only blown his load once?

    Well, more accurate to say, not once in about six and a half years.

    I can''t go a week without it, or I''m sore as hell¡­ how does he manage?

    We''re not entirely sure. We Divine have actually been racking our brains on that. We actually wonder if it ties into his magic being violet in color, unless he forces it to be normal. That, and his eyes turning from blue to violet if he uses powerful magics or a lot of magic. That, or Gavin''s sheer stubbornness has prevented him from needing to get off. Considering how magical things are, that wouldn''t surprise me, actually. I''ll ask Father about it.

    I thought you didn''t communicate with your father unless it was important?

    In a world where people marry at ten to twelve, usually, when they have some sort of position of power, and often have children by thirteen or fourteen, the fact that someone who is eighteen hasn''t blown his load once since his wedding night is quite intriguing. Father might actually enjoy the discussion, and probably be able to explain how that''s possible. Oh, hi, Nies. What are you doing here?

    Ekre kicked me out, another voice fills my head, sounding as much the child that Len does. I want cuddles.

    I''m talking with Tyler right now.

    Cuddle me. I''m tired. Get me cookies.

    Which do you want me to do?

    Both. Pick me up.

    Okay. Tyler ¨C you seem to be quite interested in Gavin and his loads. Do you want to see if your sister would be alright with him sharing it with you?

    Gavin''s loads? You mean the ones he doesn''t make because he''s weird like that? Sometimes, I don''t even think he''s human.

    Tyler knows he''s married to his sister.

    Oh, cool. Gavin doesn''t want to be married to her, but because he''s the adoptive son of Elijah Mountstep, the Duke of Karus and the man known as ''Chief'', an arranged marriage was somewhat necessary. Though as a result of his loyalties forged because of Mountainstep, Gavin doesn''t have any interest in anyone, as he is married, and he doesn''t have an interest in her. He did the deed the one time, and as his baby was born, there was no need to do it again. Your sister is aware of that, too, and does not expect him to try again. She also knows that if she wishes to pleasure herself, she may go with another man. Actually, Gavin could probably see if she''d like to annul the marriage, so that she can marry her lover, but I don''t think his loyalty would allow that. This is too much talking. I''m done, now.

    The sound of someone eating cookies fills my head, and I try to stifle a laugh, then remember that I''m not alone.

    "Garret?" I say. "It''s Tyler, your uncle. I''m your mother''s twin brother. I''ve been away most of your life, but I''m back, now. Would you like me to help you bathe? I can do your hair and back."

    My nephew slowly looks over the rocks at me, then drops back down, walking around it, keeping his head up to his nose under the water as he does, until he''s right in front of me, then, he pokes his head up out of the water fully.

    "Momma said only our famyee can come in here."

    "She was right," I smile at him. "So only your momma, you, and me can come in here. I''m your Uncle Tyler."

    "Unca Tyer?"

    "Yeah," I smile at him. "Your momma''s brother. I have been away for a long time, but I am back, now. Would you like me to wash your hair and back? Then, I will wash, and we can dry off and go find your momma."

    "I''m hiding," he puts a finger to his lips. "Momma gotta find me."

    And I''m starting to see the Gavin in him. The blond hair and blue eyes should have hinted at it to me, in the first place. I should have made the connection, six years ago, but I didn''t see my nephew often, and even though I only knew of two people with those back then, I didn''t know Gavin very long, and was thinking about other things at the time.

    Six years for me to realize that they were related¡­

    How many people know that the Archmage is the father of the current first-in-line?

    Probably not many.

    "Okay," I smile at him. "Want me to wash your back and hair?"

    "Can Vivi join us?" He asks.

    "Vivi?" I ask.

    "Yeah," he nods. "Vivi."

    "Only royalty can be in here."

    "Vivi!" Garret yells in his squeaky boy''s voice. "Come here!"

    Vivi''s already in here? How? Did Alyssa have another-

    A small turtle swims from the section he was hiding in into this section, stopping by my nephew.

    "This be Vivi!" Garret declares, picking up the turtle and proudly showing it to me. "He my turtle! I a Tamer!"

    Garret has the Tamer Class? Why didn''t I-oh, right. I only see the ''primary'' Class, but for Royals, it shows that instead.

    Knowing that he''s Gavin''s son, him having Tamer at only seven years old does not surprise me in the slightest. Nor does him then nodding and telling me I can wash his back and hair, putting the turtle on his head, telling it to stay, and then turning around so I can wash his back.

    I''ll inform him that the turtle needs to move when we get to his hair¡­

    Gods be damned, Gavin''s son being my nephew is going to cause me to die before I can find a wife, isn''t it?

    Speaking of the Divine¡­

    Your Divinity?

    I''m a bit busy, trying to get Nies to detach from me so he can take a nap on my bed.

    You knew Garret was in here, didn''t you?

    He went in there about three hours ago, after harassing the guards at the vault and stealing from the kitchens.

    Yeah, he''s Gavin''s son.

 Chapter 0064 - The Return of Stem

    (Gavin)

    "Papers," the guard at the gate to Isras says, and I hand him mine. He scans them, frowning. "These are Jozan papers, we cannot accept-"

    "Papers from a Kingdom that was reclaimed two days ago?" I ask. "King Wesley''s son has claimed his rightful place as King. The Councilmen, Enforcers, Executors, and Inquisitors of Turas have been slain, and the soldiers have resworn their loyalty to the rightful King of Jozan. I have not, nor ever have, accepted an allegiance to Turas. Jozan has been for several hundred years now your most powerful neighbor and ally. Please do not think of Jozan as Turas, as they are, indeed, two different things. I have never received papers for Turas, as the rulers of that nation considered me an enemy of the highest caliber, while both the previous and current Kings of Jozan acknowledge me as a powerful ally."

    So does the first one, but bringing him up ¨C and asking him to prove it to them ¨C would be a tad bit excessive, I think.

    The guard stares at me for several long seconds, and another one looks at me.

    "Do you have Access to the System?" He asks.

    "Yes."

    "Show us your status."

    Instead, I make Hero of Nies my Title and public.

    "Is that enough for you?" I ask. "As proof of my Access, that is."

    "That is enough," he nods, then looks to the guard holding my papers. "Let him in. Rumor has it that King Wesley''s heir was returning," he looks to me. "We''ll need to verify this information. Judging by your clothes and your robe, you can afford more decent things. In the Inner Circle, there''s an inn called the Golden Miracle. Stay there. We will contact you if we find this to be false."

    I hide my Title once more and switch it back to its usual.

    "You won''t," I take my papers back, then show them to him. "These are my official papers, including my official title and status within Jozan, Duke of Zelar. If you''re verifying the information, you should also verify that as well."

    The guard nods, then waves me in, and I join the crowd of people entering the city.

    It reminds me of the royal city back home. That doesn''t surprise me too much, as the two cities were built around the same time, and the people in this region of this continent have similar architectural style.

    Hence why both Kingdoms have three rings to their royal city, before reaching the ring with the castle itself, and why the thickness of said rings are roughly the same.

    I make my way to the Inner Ring, ignoring merchants peddling their wares, including a couple of rather aggressive ones seeing a wealthy youth on his own.

    Must resist two strong urges. The first is to mess with them, and the second is to dominate the air in the area with my power, forcing them into stopping. The first one is good for amusement¡­ the second one, not so much for relations with Jozan.

    I reach the inn suggested, and find a four-story building with clean paint and trim. I somewhat suspected that it was an obnoxiously wealthy one, and seeing it arrogant sign confirms that.

    Making my way inside, I ignore the stares of the patrons wondering what a child is doing traveling by himself.

    "Hello," I say to the woman at the counter. "I will be staying here for a short while, time unknown. How much are the rates?"

    "Two gold per night," she says. "Twelve for seven. Three per night, twenty for seven, if you want breakfast and dinner included."

    "I''ll take one week," I tell her, dropping twelve Isilian gold on the counter, the coins coming from my ring, drawing the stares of even more.

    "My apologies, Magus," she looks me up and down. "I didn''t recognize the runes on your robe. You wear no collar."

    "I hail from Jozan," I say. "Its new King, the legitimate Heir to King Wesley, has outlawed collaring Adventurers."

    "You also have no tanline, Magus."

    "He found a very loyal magician who didn''t have a collar," I state truthfully.

    So is she respectful of me being a magician, or just confused? Because her tone indicates the former, while her words indicate the latter.

    "Which room will I be in?" I ask.

    "But all Adventurers are collared," she says. "How would-"

    How did I manage to escape being collared? In fact, none of us were collared back then¡­

    "I am quite tired," I tell her. "I flew here from the royal city of Jozan. Would you mind giving me my room key and telling me which room I''m in? I''ve already paid."

    "But you-"

    "Want to lie down and get some rest," I tell her. "And so would like to know which room I''m in, as well as receive the key to it. I have already paid. Or should I inform my King that the people of Isil no longer care about granting services which have been paid for?"

    "You''ll be in room two-oh-five," she hands me a key. "It''ll be just up the stairs, third on the right."

    "Thank you," I smile, taking the key. "Please be advised that I''ll be warding my room, as I''ll also be practicing magic in there at times, and when I am doing that and sleeping¡­ or in there in general, then I don''t want to be disturbed. And any half-assed magician in here can tell you how interrupting me practicing magic could be¡­ disastrous."

    I turn and begin walking toward the stairs, and a trio of magicians approach me, all of them wearing collars, just like every Adventurer I have seen so far in here, apart from the one criminal who tried to pick my pocket on my way to the inn.

    No one knows what happened to him, and nor will they ever see him again.

    The joys of being faster than literally every other human to the point where they can''t even see me.

    "Can I help you?" I ask.

    "I have never," the magician in the front says. "Ever met a magician with as much Mana as you do. It''s so great, in fact, that I can''t get an accurate read."

    I show him my Mana Pool.

    "Sixteen hundred Mana?" He exclaims in shock.

    "I have a Resource higher than that," I tell him. "Would you mind moving? I''m here on official business from Jozan, and flew from our royal city to yours, and am quite tired."

    "I wanted to know if-"

    I don''t hear the rest of his question, because, as I told told you just a moment ago, I''m faster than humans. Sure, my senses are powerful enough to hear them, but I can tune them out easily. The brain adapts to that with INT.

    In my room, I draw the runes with my magic, creating the barriers I feel necessary, then strip off my clothes and sit in the center of the floor, moving my ring so it hangs from a chain around my neck.

    I close my eyes and feel for the Void within me, the way it exists and yet doesn''t at the same time. Of the others, it is the one I thought I would have trouble making denser, and that turned out to be true.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    As a result, I completely ignored the others so I could focus on Void. If I want to kill a Dragon, this is the one I will need. In order to combat their own Void magics, Arcane and Aether won''t be enough ¨C it is the Void I will need to command.

    Two Voids cannot exist within the same space, and it results in a cataclysmic explosion.

    Well, probably. I can''t make Voids big enough to result in that. But when my two small ones collided, there was a brief explosion, then a pull that began to draw things in. It was small enough that I could stop it easily, and I''m a bit nervous to try that again without having enough Void to control it completely.

    The Void, unlike most of the others, does not ebb and flow. It simply exists within me, constant, steady, and unchanging. I know it can increase, as it has before, but only slightly. Aside from that, the only change is when I use it.

    The Void is a lack of existence, an emptiness that consumes the existence of others, eliminating it entirely. I cannot make it more dense, for there is nothing there to make denser, as it is the lack of existence itself.

    That said, I can still manipulate it. Now that I''m settled down and somewhat rested, I am going to try something different.

    I manipulate the Void, this time, letting it touch my Health Pool, having manipulated that just enough so that only an amount equal to 1 Health touches the Void.

    -1 LFA

    +1 VDA

    In other words, to expand my Void past simply using it, I must sacrifice others to it.

    I push Void up another three hundred points, and feel absolutely the same. Were I to try to increase any other Resource by 300 at once, I would definitely feel the Fog of Power. Hell, several of them would probably put me into the haze and headache stage of it.

    Now that my Void has expanded a fair amount, I begin expanding my other Resources, making those denser than they were before. For LFA, I bring it up fifty points. I could probably push it another fifty, but with me going after all of my Resources, I don''t want to risk it. With MNA and SPA, I bring them both up by another hundred, and the remaining three, I only bring up by fifteen apiece. As I do Arcane, I can start to feel the Fog of Power at the back of my mind, and know that I was wise to stop at those levels for each.

    Finished for today, I stand up, and just as I''m about to walk to the bed, there''s a knock at the door. Manipulating light a little bit to hide my parts rather than getting dressed, I answer the door, only to find the blue-haired Stem standing on the other side of it.

    "Dude, seriously?" He asks. "Answering the door naked?"

    "I''m using light magic to make it look like I''m wearing something."

    He looks me up and down, then sighs, looking back up at my eyes.

    "You''re being lazy," he says. "And I was ignoring that."

    "Try not to?" I ask. "You haven''t aged a day."

    "Of course not," he says. "It''s part of my Divine heritage at work."

    "How old are you?"

    "Ancient as fuck."

    "What do you want?"

    "Can I travel with you?"

    "Get your own room."

    I close the door and turn around, finding Stem standing in front of me.

    "Seriously, Stem?"

    "What?" He asks. "You closed the door in my face."

    "I want to get some sleep," I tell him. "Not deal with¡­ with you. Why are you even here?"

    "Can I travel with you?" He asks.

    Nies?

    The god sighs in my mind.

    I don''t think I can change him on this.

    Can you hit him with a Divine Smite?

    "That''s not very nice," Stem says, and I stare at him. "I can hear all Divine communications."

    "This is a private communication between a god and his Hero," I say. "Unless you''re saying you''re really a Divine Being¡­"

    "No, no," he says. "Definitely a Demigod. Do you have any food?"

    "I will spank you."

    "Seriously?" He looks excited.

    This is going to be fun.

    Can you do anything about this?

    The fuck you doing, Stem?

    "Hi, Nies," Stem jumps onto my bed, kicking his feet, his boots flipping off and landing perfectly in front of him on the ground. "I like Gavin. I''m going to hang around him."

    "You do realize," I approach Stem. "That saying you''re ancient as fuck kind of contradicts you saying that you''re young."

    "When did I ever say I was ancient?" He asks innocently.

    "Right before you got smacked by me," I say.

    "I never got smacked by you," he says, and I smack him in the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

    "For annoying me," I say. "As a mere Demigod, you are no match for this Archmage. I have, after all, killed a Demigod before. Unless, of course, you''re really not a Demigod, in which case, I won''t be smacking you and reprimanding you and treating you like the little kid you appear to be."

    "I''m an ancient and powerful Demigod," he says. "My powers are far beyond your imagination."

    He just called himself ancient again. He really needs to work on sticking to his cover story.

    "Uh-huh."

    The Blue Master

    Nice try, there.

    "I am," he says.

    "If you''re going to be pestering me," I say. "Then you can sleep on the floor."

    "But-"

    "Or are you really not a Demigod, and can force me to let you sleep in my bed?"

    "I-" he starts to speak. "I''m a Demigod who can do whatever I want."

    "Then you want to sleep on the floor."

    "I-"

    "Will either sleep on the floor, or get his own room," I say. "Only Divine are allowed to share a bed with me. After all, I don''t think my Patron would be happy about it, especially since I am vowed to someone, if someone else is in my bed. He is a god of oaths, after all. The Origin of Oaths."

    Stem stares at me, then sags his shoulders, looking down before sliding off the bed, a blue mattress appearing on the ground a couple of feet away. His clothes morph into a blue nightshirt, and he lies down, a blue blanket forming over him.

    I shake my head, then put out the lights, climbing onto the bed and allow my illusions to fade away, before taking precautions.

    Nies?

    Yes?

    If he tries getting into my bed to cuddle me, please hit him with a Divine Smite. You were a kitty when you slept with me.

    What if he turned into his wolfish form?

    How wolfish is he?

    As wolfish as I was catlike.

    So it''s an actual wolflike thing, not something like a beastborn or beastkin?

    Yeah.

    Ah, okay. Thanks, Nies.

    I never said I would. That''s a lot of work.

    I built you a shrine.

    That won''t work forever, he grumbles.

    That wasn''t a rejection. I pull my covers up over me, falling asleep as soon as I allow myself to. When I wake, there''s a form next to me, and it''s furry.

    I open my eyes to find a wolflike creature curled up beside me. It has pitch-black fur with an occasional blue streak, and on its forehead, a dark blue swirl identical to Nies''s crimson one in his kitty form. This creature has two catlike tails and a bushy wolf''s tail, all three of which are curled up towards its front. Its snout and face reminds me more of a fox''s than a wolf''s, but at the same time, the snout is somewhat more wolflike than foxlike.

    Well, at least he''s not in his human form.

    Rolling over a little bit, I then leave the bed and get dressed, before considering leaving Stem behind.

    With a wave of my hand, a sphere of water appears above the sleeping creature, then drops directly on its head.

    He jumps up, spluttering, looking around in confusion before glaring at me.

    "You want to annoy me," I say. "You''ll have to deal with me being me, Stem. I''m leaving, and I''d rather you not come and annoy me because I left you behind."

    He sighs, then morphs back into his human form.

    "I''m heading out for breakfast," I tell him. "Are you coming with me, or have you decided you''ll annoy someone else instead?"

    "That was a rude way to wake me up," he pouts.

    "Pushing your presence on someone who doesn''t want it is also rude."

    I turn and leave, and hear Stem follow behind me. The innkeeper looks at Stem, frowning.

    "He''s an annoying person," I tell her. "Who just randomly showed up as I was heading to bed."

    "I''m the Super Young, Smart, Talented, Energetic Me!" Stem announces. "I''m not annoying, I''m Stem!"

    "You''re annoying," I tell him, then look back to the innkeeper. "Will I need to pay extra for having someone else sleeping in the room?"

    "No, Lord Magus," she answers. "There is no extra charge, up to three members."

    "Thank you," I tell her, then look at Stem before looking back at her. "Do you have any rope?"

    Her respectful facade fades for a moment as she looks amused, then quickly returns to the more respectful look she had.

    "No?" I ask. "That''s fine."

    I snap, and thin metal chains form around Stem, tightening and holding his arms tight against his body.

    "Hey!" He exclaims.

    "I can gag you, too," I hold out my hand, a chain extending from him to my wrist, wrapping itself around me.

    "You''re awful," he says, and I look at the innkeeper.

    "I am sure," I say. "That your food might be wonderful, but I would like to eat at various places, as I have never traveled to Isil before, and would like to try various local cuisines, and see the differences in your food from ours. Is there anywhere you''d recommend?"

    "Yes," she answers as the chains vanish and Stem mutters about how abusive I am. She looks at him, but keeps talking. "If you take a right when you leave here, Lord Magus, walk down the street and take the first left. On the right side of that street is a restaurant called the Ancient Porker. Not a lovely name, but definitely quality food that fits a being of your status."

    "Thank you, ma''am," I say, then turn and begin to walk towards the doors. "Come, Stem. You will obey my orders like a puppy, just like you were when I woke up this morning."

    "Hey!" He protests. "I wasn''t a puppy, I was a wolfie!"

    "Quiet," I order. "Come. Follow. Obey. Die."

    "I''m not going to do the last one, probably ever," he mutters.

    The doors open just as I''m about to reach them, a quartet of soldiers entering, along with a man I recognize as former nobility of Jozan. I say ''former'' because his expression tells me he''s probably someone who was very loyal to Turas.

    "Hello, Fartkey," I smile. "How are you?"

 Chapter 0065 - The Violet Changes

    (Gavin)

    "That''s Varkle," the former noble of Turas growls. "Duke Varkle. You will learn to respect your elders, Gavin."

    "So you know who I am, then?"

    "The little brat," he says. "How did you survive? The tokens-"

    "Had their magic Dispelled by the First Wizard," I tell him. "Promptly after he killed your son for attempting to kill Prince Tyler. Well, King Tyler. Your old, false king is now dead, and Tyler sits upon his throne. The throne that is his by birthright. So you''re no longer a duke, Fartkey."

    "Can I smite him?"

    "Down, doggy,"

    "That was a wolf!"

    "I call a Rift Wolf a doggy," I say. "You think some half-assed Demigod will bother me?"

    "I forgot about that," he mutters. "Wait! I''m not half-assed!"

    "Your form''s flickering."

    "What?" He asks, then is silent for a moment, probably checking himself. "No, it''s not!"

    "So, Fartkey," I say. "You seem to have come here with intent towards me."

    "I am a Duke of Turas," he says. "Jozan has not existed in six years. You-"

    "Am getting tired of this," I say. "I am here on official business for the King of Jozan. I have already informed you that the False King has been slain."

    "Listen here, kid," he reaches forward, then jumps back, staring in fear at the blazing violet dragon that formed around me.

    "I am Gavin Jakran," I state in a clear, powerful voice, amplifying it just a tad with Magic Voice. "Duke of Zelar, and the First Archmage. I have reached the Fourth Tier of Three Classes. I am sworn to Jozan, and have come to Isil on behalf of His Royal Majesty, Tyler Jozan, the Blooded and True King of Jozan, and the Hero of Len. I do not answer nor respect one who took part in the coup against his father, who supported the regime that exists no more. His Majesty has ordered the execution of those nobles who supported the false regime and participated in the coup. As you ordered your son to kill him, you are you just as guilty. So you have a choice, now, Adrian ¨C surrender yourself, or become a fugitive, until such a time as I or someone else decides to hunt you down and end your life."

    "I-you-you can''t-you''re just an Adventurer!" He snaps. "You live to serve-"

    "I am the First Archmage," I raise a finger, accessing my menus. "I can grant and revoke Access on a whim. Access I have no granted to every other person in this room, and revoked from your guards. I did not want to exert my authority or show my power, but though I have tempered my anger, I will not take your actions gently. No Adventurer should ever be collared, and your support of that angers me. You believing that those of us who are superior should be enslaved angers me. Every King has Access, and thus, must be controlled, in your mindest.

    "I am giving you your final chance," I say. "If you do not surrender, then I will acknowledge you as a fugitive, and erase your existence."

    "You have no proof!" He declares. "You are just-"

    "I swear on the blood that flows within my veins that what I have stated in this conversation regarding Jozan has been the truth. The true heir to Wesley Jozan has reclaimed his throne, and I slayed the False King who took it when his father was murdered."

    The crimson glow of a Blood Oath being sworn envelopes me, and the guards and the former noble stare at me.

    "My¡­ my god," Varkle says. "He¡­ he talked to me¡­ that was a true Blood Oath¡­ my god actually confirmed it."

    "Of course he would," I state. "After all, in quite a short time, comparatively, I have sworn many Blood Oaths and pulled them out of others, enough so that I attracted the attention of the God of Blood Oaths, Nies, and became his Hero quite early into my time with Access.

    "Now," I continue. "You will either step aside and allow my traveling companion and I to leave, so that we may have breakfast, or I will have my Violet Dragon consume you."

    New Skill!

    (VII) Violet Dragon 1: A serpentine dragon forged of violet flames, it respects no Resource, drawing from several for its power, using Mana, Arcane, and Aether, as well as whatever else is added to it. The additional Resources used in its manifestation determine its effects. See expanded information for details on what each Resource will do.

    "Oh," Stem says. "That was¡­ interesting. I guess having such things automated was a good idea, rather than having to go in and do it manually."

    "Pardon?" Varkle looks at him.

    "The System," Stem explains. "The automated Skill Creation just accepted Gavin''s Violet Dragon as a Skill. It registered it as Tier VII, and considering that it uses multiple Resources as a requirement, and can take on multiple more for added effects, I''d say that''s pretty neat. If the System didn''t automate this, there''d actually be quite a few less Skills, and Skills such as this would exist only if the System actually noticed the spells and converted them into a Skill, so that they can go beyond the reaches of the magician, were they to not have Access."

    "Who are you?"

    "This is Stem, Fartkey," I say. "He''s supposedly a Demigod."

    "I''m the Super Young, Smart, Talented, Energetic Me!" Stem puffs out his chest, and I snort. "You can call me Stem!"

    "You should just go into your doggy form and stay in it," I tell him. "I''ll smack you through the wall, if you don''t."

    Stem stares at me, then I glow red, and he huffs.

    "Fine, Nies!"

    Seriously?

    I''m bored, and it''s entertaining.

    "That wasn''t even a Blood Oath, Nies."

    Yeah, I know.

    Stem snorts, but transforms into his wolf form, though he forgot to get rid of his clothes first, so they rip apart as his body lowers and thickens, becoming the wolf. He looks at them, then shoves his snout into the shirt, sniffing it. The shoulders ripple, probably as a shrug, then the clothes vanish.

    Stem looks at me, and I pat his head, scratching behind his ears. He leans into it for a moment, then stops, pulling away and giving me a glare. I laugh, then look back at Varkle.

    "So," I say. "What is your decision? Because my Violet Dragon is more than willing to devour you."

    Reij shifts, releasing his tail and looking behind me, opening his maw. I look down at him, wondering what he''s doing, then sense the magic he''s absorbing. It''s¡­ hidden. So too is the source. Not that I was caring, as anything that Reij wouldn''t eat, I''d detect long before it had a chance of touching me.

    Touching, I say, because for the idiots who don''t remember¡­ there really aren''t mortals that can hurt me. Those that can are either something everyone is running from, or that Stem or one of the other Divine would kill.

    Just Smite right out of existence, like the Dekami.

    "My treat," Varkle visibly deflates, giving in. "Let us dine at the Golden Rolls."

    "Reij," I say. "Would you mind pointing out whoever it was who cast that hex at me?"

    Reij looks at me, then looks around the room, before looking at a man sitting at a table in a far corner. He looks terrified the moment I meet his gaze.

    Then the Violet Dragon lunges forward, flying at him. He throws up a barrier, but it''s useless against a beast of magic forged with the power of an Archmage.

    The hex-caster loses his life, his body, its existence, and then the Violet Dragon resumes its position around me before fading away. I look back to Varkle.

    Maybe I''ll be kinder with my options.

    "You have two options," I tell him. "Swear total allegiance to Tyler Jozan, King of Jozan and son of the late King of Jozan, Wesley Jozan. Or, you can leave, and never return to Jozan for any reason other than the former. I can give a third option, but it involves me summoning the Violet Dragon again. I believe, considering you ordered your son to kill Tyler, this is a fair set of choices."

    Varkle stares at me, then drops down to one knee.

    "I swear," he says. "On the blood that flows through my veins, that I will serve Tyler Jozan, King of Jozan, and his family and heirs, and support their reign, to never betray them or act against them or the interests of Jozan again."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    He glows, and a new sensation fills me. I can accept or reject his Oath. Is that an effect of the boosted power of my Blessing?

    "As the Hero of Nies," I say. "Origin of Oaths and Quests, I accept your vow. Should you ever break it, no matter the reason, you will pay not in death, but by never being able to touch another being again without feeling pain beyond what you can handle, that lasts for as long as you were in contact with them after."

    The crimson glow fades, and Varkle doesn''t move from where he is.

    "By the way," I say. "I''m not your King, just the Duke of Zelar. You don''t need to bow to me, unless you acknowledge a position less than that of mine."

    New Title!

    (I) Duke of Zelar: The Duke of Zelar, a Duchy within the Kingdom of Jozan

    That seems¡­ random.

    "Huh," Stem says, drawing eyes to him. Probably because no one realized he could talk in that form. "Something must have gotten screwed up in the automated application of Titles. You should''ve had that when you gained Access. Probably because of you having the Wizard Class available."

    "The System should probably fix whatever caused that."

    "Yeah, probably," he says, then shrugs again. "It''ll probably be fixed by the time we go to bed. If the System can figure out what caused the issue."

    Uh-huh.

    "So," I look at Varkle. "The Golden Rolls? On you?"

    He nods numbly, then turns and leaves. I follow him, Stem following at my heels.

    Varkle leads me through several streets, and I memorize them, in case he is thinking of pulling one over on me. His Oath might have some flaws.

    Len, Patron of Tyler Jozan, King of Jozan?

    How are you able to just directly contact me like that?

    Trade secret. Would you mind giving King Tyler a message for me?

    I''m an ancient and powerful Divine Being that has existed since before most other Divine. Only your Patron and couple of others could even contest me in power. And you wish to use me as a messenger?

    Inform His Majesty that Adrian Varkle has sworn a Blood Oath to serve him, and that I accepted it.

    Stem starts laughing, drawing looks from others, but I ignore it.

    I might hit him with a Blood Smite out of curiosity, just to see what he does in response to it.

    That''s an evil thought, Gavin, Nies says. I like it. I want to see you do it. Just not around other people. It might be messy.

    Alright.

    We arrive at the Golden Rolls, a place looking as pompous as the inn.

    We enter the restaurant, whose other patrons stare at us and the beast following me, but don''t say a word. A woman seats us, and Varkle shifts nervously as I stare at him.

    "Didn''t your eyes used to be more of an ocean blue?" He asks me.

    "Pardon?" I ask.

    "They look like a purple-touched blue," he says. "I remember looking into your eyes, back when you swore fealty to the Kingdom, and they were an ocean blue."

    "There''s purple in my eyes?"

    "Yeah," Stem says. "Your eyes have been slowly transitioning to purple of the last few days. A couple more, and they''ll probably be a pale lavender. I give it a full month before they turn the rich violet of your magic. It seems that the expanding of your Resource Pools has an effect on it, as does your experiments with them. The more powerful you grow, the closer to this violet color they will become."

    I can see so many flaws with that, considering how powerful I already am. Unless it required me reaching a certain threshold, first.

    Why does my magic have a violet effect to it? What causes this? Nies doesn''t know, and the Voice seems to, but won''t tell me.

    I''m surprised the Voice hasn''t spoken to me at all, but considering that Stem is here, maybe that shouldn''t be surprising. He doesn''t want to risk too many people finding out, even if Yggs knows. but he seems confident that Yggs won''t share who he is.

    Speaking of, have you returned, Yggs?

    Yes, I have.

    Nies didn''t burn the world down.

    Not this time. I''m still not sure why he summoned a meteor to get rid of an annoying dino.

    I still want to know what you guys are talking about.

    Maybe one day, we''ll explain it to you.

    Okay.

    A waitress comes and serves us a hearty breakfast of biscuits, gravy, sausage, and eggs, along with glasses of milk. They refill them until I''m stuffed, which takes awhile. Stem manages to snag some sausages from them, after they get over the shock of not just a definitely-mystical creature, but said creature talking.

    Varkle doesn''t talk much, after asking about my eyes, so the two hours following that where I eat as much as I can stuff in me is filled with silence at our table, apart from the occasional comment from the waitress about the meal.

    The rest of the restaurant is pretty silent as well, though judging by their whispers, it''s because of my presence. Part of it because of Stem following me, part of it because of word about Jozan making its way out here, and part of it because of my hair and eyes.

    No human they know of has straight hair, blond hair, or blue eyes.

    Well, I guess slightly-purple-blue eyes, now.

    Once the meal ends, Varkle pays the obscenely high bill, then we leave.

    "Why don''t you come to the castle with me?" He asks. "I have a meeting with the King tonight, I can give you a tour before then, and have servants arrange a room in the wing I''m staying in for you and¡­ the Demigod."

    "Call him ''Stem''," I tell him. "And I was planning on exploring the city until I receive an invitation from the King himself. Having you introduce me to the King would probably be a fair bit detrimental to amending relations. Also, please inform your guards that I will not tolerate them being loyal to Turas. Thank you for the meal, Fartkey, and have a good day. Stem, follow."

    "I''m not a dog," Stem grumbles as I turn and begin walking away.

    We walk through town for a bit, and I look around, examining the buildings and the people. I draw a lot of stares, but I ignore those, up until a little boy runs up to me. He looks to be around six years old, and his mother chases after him.

    "I''m so sorry, Lord Magus," she bows to me, then looks at the boy. "No, Tomas! You can''t just run up to people! See the marks on his cloak, he''s a magician. You can''t-"

    "It''s quite alright, ma''am," I crouch down and look into the boy''s eyes. "My name''s Gavin. Yours is Tomas?"

    "Yeah!" He nods.

    "Nice to meet you," I say. "I''m an Adventurer from Jozan."

    "You don''t have collar?"

    "No," I smile. "King Tyler, the son of King Wesley, the late King of Jozan, outlawed collaring Adventurers."

    "Why was King Wesley late?"

    "When I said that," I explain. "It means he''s dead."

    "Where''s Jozan?"

    "You know Turas?" I ask, and he nods. "Turas used to be Jozan, but then some bad people killed King Wesley and took over, forcing Prince Tyler to go on the run, about six or seven years ago. Tyler returned to his throne a few days ago, though, and his first law as King was to remove the collars."

    "So Tyler rules Turas?" He asks.

    "No," I shake my head. "Tyler rules Jozan. Turas no longer exists, having its leaders killed."

    "Like King Wesley?"

    "Yes," I nod. "And then Tyler took his throne and restored Jozan. So it''s Jozan, now."

    "Okay," he says. "So you''re Adventurer?"

    "Yep," I smile.

    "I no want be Adventurer," he says. "They put collar on them. Make them fight. I want System, but not be made fight."

    "The System is amazing," I tell him. "If you weren''t so young, I''d grant you Access."

    "They said it be random," he says. "No one do that."

    "I can," I smile. "I can grant and revoke Access as I please. It''s something I can do because of my best Class. Stem, under the current requirements, do you know if he''ll gain Access?"

    "Probably in the next five years," Stem answers. "So it doesn''t matter too much, honestly. They''d collar him and force him to serve them anyway."

    "Then I guess," I look at Stem as the kid stares at the beast. "I''ll have to convince Isil''s King''s master''s to stop with the collars nonsense, won''t I?"

    Stem chuckles, and I look back to the boy, who''s staring at the beast with eyes widened in awe and fear.

    "Want to pet him?" I ask, and his eyes grow even wider, if possible. "Go on, he''s very friendly."

    The kid hesitantly approaches Stem, placing a hand on his back and rubbing it. Then, he puts his hand behind Stem''s ears and scratches, giggling with the beast leans into it.

    "Want to ride him a little?" I ask, and Stem freezes up, giving me a horrified look.

    "Yeah!" The kid asks.

    I pick him up and set him on Stem''s back, making sure he''s holding on tightly, then tell Stem to walk around the plaza. The kid goes quiet as Stem crouches, preparing to pounce, then he giggles as the beast takes off, running around the plaza.

    "Thank you, Lord Magus," she says. "For not¡­ for not being angry at him."

    "For being a child?" I look to her. "I didn''t grow up in the cities and such, so was raised differently. For us, Adventurers and magicians were just like other people, albeit powerful ones. We could walk right up to them. The boy had questions, and I wasn''t going to stem his natural curiosity."

    "Is what you said true?" She asks. "About¡­ about Jozan?"

    "Every word of it," I nod. "Tyler''s first Royal Decree was the outlawing of the collars. He doesn''t care about pleasing the council, nor about keeping peace the way his predecessors have. He wants freedom, and he doesn''t care what it will take. He has ordered the executions of those nobles who supported to the Turasian reign and the coup that led to his father''s death and his own escape. As an Adventurer, he will not stand for being a puppet, nor being forced into service to others. Jozan will be a different nation than it was in the past.

    "Tyler, a couple of others, and myself traveled to a far distant land, beyond the reaches of our world, to escape Turas''s might and train. He''s studied and trained among other nobles and royalty, and learned other ways. With their nations, there were no collars, and the thought of doing that horrified them."

    "A land without collars?" She asks. "That exists?"

    "It does," I nod. "We were all a bit amazed by it, ourselves, when we came to it. Some of the places we traveled, if the people of our world tried to collar them, they''d find themselves dead in an instant. One such place allowed for quickly grinding through Levels. Tyler is a Tier IV Adventurer."

    "I find that hard to believe," she snorts. "No one''s ever managed to breach that barrier before."

    "We were on another world when we did it."

    "We?"

    "Yes, milady," I smile at her. "We. I did it as well, though several years before His Majesty. My primary Class, Wizard, is currently Tier IV, which is Archmage. I also have Dragon Knight and Forest Guardian, both also Tier IV, and several Tier III Classes, except for Magus of Kar, which is only Tier II."

    Kar is very impatient, and has half a mind to descend and tell you that you need to ask if you may advance already.

    Nies¡­

    I told him to stop being a ninny and just cuddle. He huffed and walked away. So I cuddled my son instead. He liked it. So did the tigers we pulled into it.

    I snort, and the woman looks uneasy.

    "Sorry," I tell her. "I forgot how unnerved people are by magicians around here, and how the slightest thing can cause fear and uneasiness. The god who made me his Hero was talking to me, and he''s¡­ interesting."

    Stem returns to us with the boy, who''s absolutely beaming from his excitement.

    "Mommy!" He exclaims as I pick him up and set him down. "I got to ride the doggy! You see? You see?"

    "Yes," she says. "I saw," she looks at me. "Thank you, Lord Magus, for allowing him to ride your familiar."

    "Oh, he''s not a familiar," I say.

    "I''m a Demigod," Stem huffs. "He''s just making me be in this form as we travel through the city. I''d take on my human form, but he really can slap me through a wall."

    "A¡­ mage who can slap a Demigod through a wall?" She stares at me.

    "What''s your STR, by the way?"

    "Five hundred, sixteen."

    I snort.

    "That''s not funny."

    "I''m more than three hundred higher than you, Stem."

    That is so funny, considering what Stem really is.

    "Wait," I realize. "I really can slap you through a wall?"

    "Yeah."

    I can''t hold back the laughter. I can slap him through a wall! That''s so funny!

    "I can still smite you, though!" He says. "My INT is more than ten times your puny little nine hundred!"

    "I''m sorry," I hold my stomach. It hurts from my laughing so hard. "I just-I can''t-you¡­ that''s so funny, Stem! I can-I can slap you through a wall! I didn''t realize you were that weak, physically!"

    "My true form would just stare at you. Then slap you through the wall."

    "But not your human form!"

 Chapter 0066 - Talking With Divine Beings

    (Gavin)

    "The Silver Hawk looks as good as place as any to eat lunch, don''t you think?" I ask Stem, who huffs. "What? It smells good."

    "You''re not going to give me a say, are you?"

    "You could go off and do your own thing, you know."

    He huffs again, then follows me into the Silver Hawk, where we''re greeted almost immediately by a big-breasted hostess.

    "We don''t allow pets in here," she tells me sternly.

    "I''m not a pet," Stem grumbles. "I''m an ancient and powerful Demigod, and the Adventurer and Mage you''re speaking to has forced me into this form."

    The woman pales, then takes in my robes.

    "Shut up, Stem," I tell him, then smile at her. "Ignore him, he''s just grumpy because I won''t let him walk around town in his human form. I''m visiting here from Jozan, and am checking out local restaurants, to let His Majesty, King Tyler, know of which ones have fine service, for if he should ever come out here and dine in the city."

    "Jozan?" She lifts an eyebrow. "The coup ended that nation six years ago, and King Wesley had no sons."

    "Actually," I say. "He had one, Tyler, the twin of his daughter. Tyler fled with me during the coup, to ensure his survival. He''ll have his hands full restoring the Kingdom, but after ending the reign of Turas, things are a bit better, now.

    "Now," I continue. "Stem and I are quite hungry, and we''ve chosen this establishment as the place to dine for lunch. Would you kindly seat us, or should I put a black mark beside its name and find somewhere else to eat?"

    The Blood Oath Sworn by Adrian Varkle Has Been Broken

    Punishment Engaged

    Huh. Does that happen for all Blood Oaths, or just ones made in my presence?

    "That didn''t take long," Stem comments, and I look at him. "What? I can see the messages, too. It''s a perk of being who I am."

    "I was hoping he''d at least wait until after I met with the King to break the oath," I say. "It seems he didn''t realize that a Blood Oath is truly that binding. He will enjoy the punishment I declared, for if he should ever violate it."

    "Probably not," Stem shrugs. "That''s a lot of pain to deal with every time he hurts someone. What do you think he did?"

    "No clue," I shrug, then turn back to the hostess. "Well, Madam Boobs?"

    A lady around my age bursts into laughter, and I look over to examine her. Slim figure, small chests. She''s wearing a fine dress of green and blue, the colors of Isil, with several guards around her table, all of them bearing the golden griffin emblem of Isil. Judging by the rose held in the claws of the griffins, she is nobility of some sort. The Griffins of the Rose only protect nobility.

    Nina Human 3 Royal 4

    Hero of Ahlura

    "If you have Access," she says once she calms down. "Then I presume you know who and what I am? I cannot see your information, suggesting either no Access, or Appraisal Resistance Level 5 or higher."

    "Level 5," I answer. "Nina, and fellow Hero."

    "Would you like to sit with me?" She gestures to the empty table. "The Demigod may join us as well."

    "Thank you," I walk around the hostess and to her section, seating myself across from her. Stem sits beside me, pouting. "There is no food, nor scent of food fresh enough, to indicate that you are dining. Are you simply relaxing?"

    "I was only seated a few minutes ago, myself," Nina answers. "I am Nina vul Isil, Princess of Isil. You are the light-haired Jozan I have heard rumors about?"

    "Indeed, Milady," I give her a small dip of my head. "I did not expect to find a Princess out and about in the city."

    "Were I not to do this," she responds. "I would drive my father and brothers mad. So they allow me to, on the condition that a dozen of the Roses join me. I heard rumors that, early this morning, an invisible snake revealed itself around your arm? May I see it?"

    I hold up my arm.

    "Reij, would you kindly reveal yourself to Her Highness?"

    Reij lazily release his tail, looking at the princess for a few moments before biting his tail and turning invisible once more.

    "He''s an Ouroboros," I explain. "Of a special breed, given to me by a being that transcends Divinity itself. He turns invisible while biting his tail, and can consume nigh any magic, save for the flames of an elder Dragon, as far as I''m aware."

    "A being that transcends Divinity?"

    "I have the weirdest associates," I nod. "Stem here being one of them."

    "May I see his human form?" She asks.

    "Sure!" Stem sounds happy, transforming back into human form, his clothes wrapping themselves around him once he''s back. He sits in the seat beside me, then sticks his tongue out at me. "So how is Ahlura lately? I haven''t seen my little sis in¡­ actually, a long time."

    He pronounced it "Ah-loo-rah", instead of the "Uhlooruh" I thought it was.

    "Your little sis?" Nina asks.

    "Yeah," he nods. "She''s my little sis."

    There''s a huff to my right, and I look over as people gasp, many of them rising to their feet, some looking on in shock, including the collared guards, all of whom can clearly sense the Divinity of the being lying on a tiger beside me.

    "If Lil Sis is coming," Nies grumbles. "I have to be here to make sure she doesn''t kill anyone."

    "That''s not very nice," a woman in her twenties appears on the other side of Stem.

    She''s dressed in a tunic, pants, and boots, quite odd for a female. She has on light leather armor, a rapier strapped to her left hip, a dagger and a whip on her right. She has various pouches along her belt as well, her long, auburn hair tied into a tight braid, the point of which reaches her waist, her emerald eyes glaring down at Nies.

    "Oh, stuff it, Lil Sis," Nies huffs. "I''m still mad at you for kicking my Paladin back then."

    "He did try to attack me," Ahlura snorts, seating herself between Stem and Nina.

    The Princess immediately stands, recovering from her shock, then bows to the goddess.

    "Your Divinity," she says. "Please forgive my rudeness, and thank you, for gracing us with your presence."

    "Do you wanna swear a Blood Oath?" I ask Ahlura, and Stem cracks up laughing so hard that he doubles over, smacking his face into the table.

    "I like your Hero, Nies," Ahlura smiles at my god, who smiles. "He cares not for Divinity. One of these days, that will get him into some serious trouble."

    "As if!" Stem laughs. "Do you know of a single Divine who would dare to attack Big Brother''s Hero? Especially one that Hubert personally Descended to talk to? Then there''s Ekre, who also likes Gavin because he can usually calm Nies down when he gets into one of his lazy, I-don''t-want-to-do-anything-but-sleep-in-your-realm moods, Aulor, who''s too terrified of Nies to allow people to go after Gavin, after that little fit, Len, whose own Hero is Gavin''s King. Then there''s Kar, Jozan, and Kav looking out for him, especially after he took out that Demon, and so many others. Don''t even get me started on Yggdrasil, Merlin, and Hitos."

    Hitos? That''s the only one whose name I haven''t heard before.

    "I''m out of the loop," Ahlura looks stunned. "What, exactly, is so special about this mortal boy? Other than having three Tier IV Classes and fourteen Titles?"

    Hotness is now Level 9!

    That''s totally random. Speaking of Skills, I should use Divine Appraisal on her.

    The Penis Pirate

    "What are you a goddess of?" I ask. "I''m assuming you''re a goddess-type Divine Being, since you have a Hero."

    "I''m-" she starts, then narrows her gaze, looking between Nies and Stem. "Which one of you did that?"

    "Did what?" Nies asks.

    "Changed what my Divine Appraisal result says," she responds. "Which of you did that? I know it was one of you two."

    "Talk to Sein," Stem giggles.

    "It was Stem," Nies says. "He did it when Gavin''s Hotness Level went up."

    "Yes, he is hot," Ahlura says, then glares at Stem. "That''s inappropriate."

    "It''s not like he''d see it," Stem says.

    She''s probably fixed it by now.

    The Queen of Blades

    Yeah, she fixed it.

    "So, Ahlura," I say. "What are you the goddess of?"

    "Anyone else, and I''d smite you for the rudeness," she says, then looks back at Nies. "Why, exactly, is Gavin attracting so much attention from Divine? Including you, Big Brother? You''ve never taken on a Hero before."

    "Because he''s Gavin," Nies says, then waves at a waitress. "You have Stem, two Divine Beings, a foreign diplomat, and your own Princess sitting at the table. Are you going to make us wait, or should I smite you up right now?"If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "That would be work," I tell Nies. "You''d probably just glare at her."

    "True," he says. "But it works. She ran off to get food."

    I smack him in the back of the head.

    "I''m not Stem," he says. "I actually can smack you through the wall in my human form."

    "What''s your STR in human form?"

    "Fourteen thousand six hundred twelve," Stem answers. "His kitty form is eight times that. He''s one of the strongest Divine in existence, and that''s his weakest stat."

    "If you were me," I look at Nies. "What would your STR be in human form?"

    "Approximately twice what they are," Stem answers.

    So Nies''s raw stats in human form are about the same as my own raw stats, ignoring the System''s bonuses. How does it work for Divine, anyway?

    "What about in your true form?" I ask. "What would your STR be, using mine as a base."

    "Ninety-seven million four hundred sixteen thousand, seven hundred eighty-two," Stem answers.

    "How are you doing that?" I ask.

    "I can easily convert any of the Stats in the System," he answers.

    Probably because of who you really are, Stem.

    "Because you''re a Demigod?" I ask.

    "Yup!"

    There are so many holes in your cover, kid.

    "You''re pretending to be a Demigod?" Ahlura asks him.

    "I am a Demigod," he looks at her pointedly. "Only one parent is a Divine, lady. The other is mortal. I am a Demigod."

    She looks at me, then at the other mortals around, then nods.

    "Right," she says. "Forgive me, I forgot about that, considering how powerful you are, and all the things you do."

    "What''s that?" I ask. "Annoy the Hero of Nies? Do you Divine mind? I was going to have lunch with a princess."

    "You weren''t even planning on it," Nies grumbles as two waitresses arrive with food, putting them down in front of us and giving a lot of curtsies. "None of this looks even remotely appetizing."

    The entire restaurant goes silent as Nies sighs.

    "Lunch first," I tell him. "Dessert later."

    "I want to skip lunch and go straight to dessert," a cake appears in his hands. "That shrine you built me is so useful."

    I snatch the cake out of his hands.

    "Lunch first, Nies," I say, sending the cake into my ring. "Or I will not make you cookies."

    Nies grumbles, but has the tiger move so he can eat the food at the table, picking at the roasted bird.

    "Forgive his rudeness, Your Highness," I say. "Nies tends to forget his manners. It is good to see that you are well."

    Nina is still bowing to her goddess, so I look at the Divine Being.

    "Are you going to keep your Hero bowing?" I ask. "It''s hard to have a conversation with her if she''s like this."

    "Rise, child," Ahlura tells the Princess, who stands, returning to her seat. "If Nies wasn''t your patron, I''d have smote you by now."

    "But he is, so you haven''t," I tell her. "Nies, stop picking at it and eat it, or you aren''t getting dessert."

    He sighs, and takes a bite. Only he doesn''t use his hands or utensils or anything, just leans forward and bites into it, chewing.

    "That''s one way of doing it," I look to the Princess. "So how are you today, Your Highness?"

    "I am¡­ well," she answers, still not over the shock of the presence of two Divine.

    "You can ignore normal courtesies," I say. "Nies prefers it, unless you''re a Divine. Then, he either just cuddles you, ignores you, or intimidates you."

    "Are we having a party?" Another Divine Being appears, this one looking to be a boy around ten.

    He has leaf-green hair and emerald eyes, and is dressed in brown pants, a tunic that matches his hair, and brown, soft leather boots. His ears are slightly pointed, and he has glittery cheeks.

    The Fairest Fairy Who Ever Did Fare

    "I don''t know you," I say, and he looks at me, then at Nies.

    "Is this Gavin?" He asks. "I know his name says he''s Gavin, and his Class confirms it, too, but I want to be extra-extra-extra-extra sure."

    "Yeah, it''s Gavin," Nies takes another bite from his bird. "Gavin, this is Twist, my older brother. Ever since I made Fairies, he likes being in his Fairy form."

    This is Nies''s older brother? He seems a lot more cheerful and happy than I''ve been led to believe. They had me thinking he was a dark, brooding, moody guy who didn''t put up with anything.

    "Nice to meet you, Twist," I say.

    "Hello, Gavin!" He sits in the seat beside Nies, then waves at the dumbstruck waitress. "Yo! Can I get some food, too? It''s been aaaaaaages since I last had mortal food!"

    "Just steal from Ekre, like Nies does."

    "Wait, that''s who you keep stealing from?" Twist asks Nies, then looks at me. "Wanna meet Ekre? I can ask him to come visit for this."

    "No, thanks," I say. "I think three Divine and Stem, along with a Princess, is a bit too much for most people here. They''re probably already feeling overly-blessed just by your presences."

    "Don''t forget the Archmage!" Twist points at me. "Don''t sell yourself short, shorty!"

    "Says the shorty."

    "I like him!" He claps Nies on the back, then looks at me. "Did you know that Nies is the Origin of Quests and Oaths solely because he was being lazy? He didn''t want to do stuff, so he started issuing Quests to people and ordering them to make oaths that they''d carry through with the Quests. It was hilarious."

    Could someone please explain to me why there are three Divine and Stem here right now? Because I am completely lost. And unsure that Her Highness and I will get to talk.

    "I''m sure it was," I say. "I kind of assumed as much already. What are you a god or Origin of?"

    "Magic," he grins. "All magic comes from me. I thought of it, I invented it, I became it, I nurtured it, I birthed it, I farted it, I burped it, I cried it, I made it, I wove it, I am it, I was it, I forever shall be it."

    I''m not even sure how to react to that. I look back to the Princess.

    "So how are you today, Your Highness?" I ask.

    "A bit stunned, being honest," she answers. "I did not expect to be seated with three Divine and a Demigod."

    "Don''t forget Gavin," Twist says. "You probably didn''t expect him to show up here, either."

    "She hoped," Nies takes a bite of a potato. "But didn''t expect it. She felt there was a zero chance of it happening."

    We eat the rest of lunch without the Princess and I being able to talk, because the three Divine do so anytime one of us tries. Once lunch is finished, Nies sighs in content, looking happy.

    "Time for dessert."

    "They don''t serve dessert here," I inform him, and the two tigers he''s not lying on start shaking, doing their best to not laugh at the god''s pouting. "Here''s your cake back, though."

    He looks happy at that, up until I throw it in his face.

    The Princess has to cover her mouth in her attempt to not laugh as Nies pouts again.

    "I''m going home!" He wails, then vanishes, and Twist cracks up laughing.

    "Now I know why the Divine are so interested in you," Ahlura comments. "Nies would have given you a special hell for that, normally. If he''s just going to run away¡­ you''re something damn special. I should be going as well, then."

    She stands, then fades out of existence. I look at Twist.

    "I am taking you into my Divine Realm for a minute," he says. "I would like to speak with you about something somewhat private."

    "Alright," I say.

    The next moment, we''re sitting at a table in a library, golems walking around, moving books or scrolls or plaques or slabs of stone or something or other. The sheer power of Divinity radiating in this place nearly overwhelms my senses, though Twist waits until I adapt, Divine Detection maxing out, as well as Divine Resistance.

    Once I recover from the flood of sensations, he nods, tapping the table.

    The Violet Dragon forms above it, coiled up, ready to strike. It stares at me intently.

    "This is an interesting spell you''ve forged," he says. "When the System officially recognized it as one, I was impressed quite a bit. The violet power of your magic is intriguing, in fact. You and Eli are, quite likely, the only people in this universe whose magic is violet."

    "Coming from a Divine," I say. "I''d normally think you were saying there was something special, but¡­ you said this universe, and considering you''re the Origin of Magic¡­ are you saying that¡­ we aren''t from this universe?"

    "You are," he shakes his head. "As is your father. When you came to my attention earlier, I looked into your heritage. Unlike my younger siblings, I have been in several universes, able to travel through them, much like the Rift Wolves and the Oracle, the being you met who gave you the Ouroboros. Hello, Reij."

    Reij releases his tail and wiggles it at the Divine for a moment, before returning to his normal position, turning invisible once more.

    "Your magic," he says. "Made me curious, as there are a few universes where it is possible to have violet magics. The woman who you and Eli know as your biological mother was not, in fact, your biological mother, and she knew it. Your siblings, on the other hand, were unaware of it. She still loved you and your brother like you were her own children.

    "Your father," he continues. "Was unable to remain faithful, and slept with another woman, one time. You and Eli were the result of that union. That woman hails from another universe, coming here as a small child by way of Rift Wolf, though it wasn''t intended, and nor was she aware of it.

    "This," he taps the table, and the Violet Dragon fades. "Would explain why your mother did not drop the toddler she was holding to the ground and push her other children out of the way to hug a child she hadn''t seen since he was a baby. That is, of course, ignoring the fact that, having lived for hundreds of years, she knew patience, and that she would get the chance to hug you later. Being old, she knew that time would pass, and the chance would arise."

    "What?"

    "Not much for you," he says. "But for others, who would think that she was heartless for not dropping the toddler and running to hug you."

    "That''s stupid," I say. "As you said, she was old enough to know patience. Plus, she probably figured I''d freak out if she ran towards me, since I''d never seen her before. As an old woman, she''d know a fair bit more than idiots. Plus, you can''t honestly expect her to just hurt her other kids so she could hug one she''s never really known, right?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "How would you have reacted, had she run up to hug you?"

    "I probably would''ve blasted her with my magic."

    "So it was, indeed, wise for her to wait until she had a chance to hug you without it being sudden, yes?" He asks, and I nod. "Then those people are, indeed, idiots."

    Twist looks off into space, falling silent for several long moments, before looking back at me.

    "So," he says. "Nahor."

    "Pardon?"

    "The being who is communicating with you at times," he says. "His name is Nahor. I''ve sensed him interacting with the mortal realms a few times recently, and it wasn''t until I noticed you earlier that I realized it was you he was communicating with. I''m assuming he stopped after Stem showed up?"

    "He did," I nod.

    "Do you know who Stem is?" He asks. "I mean his real identity, not this ''Demigod'' persona he''s taken on?"

    "I do," I nod. "As would anyone who knew and understood my thoughts when we first met. It was kind of obvious ¨C all you have to do is look at the way he introduces himself. Do you mind if I ask a question, Your Divinity, about Stem?"

    "Go ahead."

    "What''s his fetish with blue things?"

    "The universe may never know!" He laughs. "Stem has always been a strange one to us, and his antics amuse us all. Had I not been paying attention to other worlds and realms in the universe, I probably would''ve noticed you sooner, and thus, him. His smiting of the Dekami was quite amusing to me."

    "Is that fetish the reason the windows are all blue?" I ask, and he nods. "Figures."

    "Stem''s creation of the System confused us all," he smiles. "Especially when it impacted all of us Divine as well. We are, of course, far beyond the powers of a mortal, and if we''re slain in the mortal realms, we''re simply returned to the Divine Realm, but Stem didn''t care."

    "Is that his real name?"

    "It''s Kulta," he answers. "I don''t think he''s aware that he''s basically told everyone he''s the System."

    "To be fair," I say. "Most people would probably assume he doesn''t have Access or is just a Demigod. If I didn''t have a few of my past experiences and Skills, I would''ve only suspected it, myself. May I ask you a question or two?"

    "You are free to ask whatever you wish," he responds.

    "Do you know why I have Fairies as a Formshift possibility?" I ask. "And why my natural Fairy Form is the Eternal Fairy?"

    "Are you asking if a Divine gave it to you?" He asks, and I nod. "No, the Divine did not. You befriended the leader of a Fairy, but it took a small while for it to impact."

    "What do you mean?" I ask. "Oberon and I weren''t allies yet when I noticed it."

    "Noah is a Fairy," he answers. "Using a Human Formshift. It wasn''t until he returned home, to his people, that he acknowledged you as a friend, and being a Fairy King, himself, well, I''m sure you get the picture."

    Noah was a Fairy? That''s¡­ unexpected.

    "And my natural Form?" I ask.

    "Likely because of your mother," he answers. "And your power already manifesting itself as violet. The Eternal Fairies were a breed of Fairies that began as a mix of your mother''s mortal heritage and Fairy lineage. Humans exist in many universes, and she wasn''t the first to cross between them. Another who had mated with a Fairy, and their child was the first Eternal Fairy.

    "Before I return you," he says. "To the mortal Realm, I do have one question for you."

    "Okay."

    "Would you like to be able to acquire Experience for your Species?" He asks. "I am fully capable of ignoring the restriction placed on you, for the Quests, and allowing you to gain Experience for your Species once more."

    "Even Nies can''t do that," I say. "And he''s the Origin of Oaths and Quests. The trade-off for even that would be-"

    "Astronomical," he nods. "However, as I stated, I can ignore it, without a sacrifice to your LIF. No trade-off necessary, as the price has already been paid."

    "What do you mean by that?" I ask.

    "You alerted us," he says. "To the presence of Dekami outside of their realm, and the issues that they have been causing. In addition, you have performed something few have ¨C you crafted spells, and not just low-Level ones, but Tier VII spells. You did it not once but twice. That, alone, is enough to grant you the ability to earn Experience for your Species, if you would like for me to make the adjustment. Either of those two things. I could also do for your Bloodline, but it would be best to stick to just your Species.

    "So," he says. "Would you accept?"

    Would I? I would love more than anything to accept the offer, but at the same time, I made a deal with Nies. The thing is, though¡­ I could really, really use the strongest Species I can advance to.

    Ascended Human: One who has transcended human boundaries, you are more powerful than your inferior predecessors, and may, one day, achieve even greater power. +5 to all Attributes, LIF each Level

    I''m not sure, but since LIF is an Attribute, and it''s listed after, I think that means that I would receive 10 LIF per Level of it, not 5 LIF. A total boost of 240 LIF would be immense for me. I''m not even sure how I unlocked this option, just that it was there when I checked a couple of weeks ago.

    The massive boost to, well, all of that would be very welcome.

    But at the same time, I made the deal with Nies. I know that Twist is saying I have done enough to revoke part of this, but¡­ I don''t know if I''d feel right, accepting it.

    "Alright," I come to a conclusion. "I''ve decided."

 Chapter 0067 - The Decision

    (Gavin)

    "Okay," Twist says. "What is your decision?"

    "That Nies should probably be here for me to decide."

    Twist laughs, and a moment later, Nies appears on the table, lying down, propping his head up on his hands, staring at Twist.

    "Whaddayawant?" He asks. "And why did ya pull my Hero into yer Realm?"

    And why are you talking like that?

    "And why did my Hotness just go up to Level 10?" I ask.

    "I''m not entirely sure," Twist shrugs. "One of the library''s residents probably saw you. Just be glad you aren''t pooping, like when those goddesses noticed you."

    It was goddesses that caused that to happen? And they seriously thought I was attractive as I was shitting?

    How many goddesses?

    "Why did you summon me?" Nies asks. "I''m cranky right now, because you pulled my Hero into your realm. Don''t think I won''t slap you through your Realm."

    "I''d rather not destroy my Realm with us fighting again," Twist says, then looks at me. "Nies is more powerful than me physically, but I''m more powerful than him magically. However, when compared against each other, we''re roughly equal in power. Nies has a tendency to vent his anger on me."

    "You should probably answer his question."

    "Yeah," Nies kicks his feet a little. "Answer the question, Twist."

    "Gavin has crafted two Tier VII Spells by himself," Twist says. "That is enough balancing to negate the need for him to no longer receive Species Experience until the period is up. Not enough for Bloodline or Class, but definitely for Species."

    I''d still qualify for Bloodline, though, because of the Dekami thing, you said.

    "So you''re asking me if it''s okay?" Nies asks. "You know I don''t really care, since it''s balanced. I didn''t want to just go and trample on your domain by acknowledging it. You can adjust it."

    "Actually," I say. "He asked me if I would accept it, or if I would rather keep to the agreement we made. I told him that I wanted you here. As it is an agreement between the two of us, both are needed to make the decision."

    "Oh," Nies says. "Well, it doesn''t bother me. It''s all about the balance. I never changed it because I didn''t want to trample on Twist''s domain."

    "Are you sure you weren''t just being lazy?" I ask, and my patron tenses up.

    "Looks like it," Twist smiles at me, then looks to Nies. "So you have no issue with it?"

    "Nah," Nies says. "How many people do you know who can craft a new Skill on their own? Gavin''s done it twice, and a Tier VII one both times. That''s a perfectly acceptable exchange to be able to advance his Species again. You do know that one of his options is the Ascended Human, right? He''s become the first person to ever have that as an option. Period. That''s what, four Titles he''ll get, should he decide to actually Advance his Species, even without gaining Expereince. Just imagine how quickly he''d reach the next Tier. I wonder what his options would be. Do you think he''d have Eternal as a Tier III Option?"

    Eternal?

    "He does already," Twist says. "And he has you-know-what as a Tier IV Option."

    He does, but I don''t.

    "He does?" Nies says, then turns his head and scrutinizes me for a moment, before widening his eyes. "Whoa. Already. Huh. He can actually complete the Advancement Quest to Ascended Human. How come you didn''t do it already, Gavin?"

    "What would be the point of Advancing something," I ask. "When you can''t Level the new form?"

    "Well," he says. "You do gain 5 LIF for every Class Advancement, and 20 LIF when you move your Species to Tier II."

    "I¡­ what?" I ask. "I gain 20 LIF for Advancing my Species?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "Stem thought it''d be a nice boost to any Human who manages to. Not that anyone''s managed before. Of any humanoid Species. I finally figured out how you know that language."

    "What language?"

    "Oo-oo huku mutata."

    New Skill!

    Hoihoi Common Language 1: The language of the Hoihoi, an evolved form of honey badger

    Due to prior knowledge, the Level of this Skill has been adjusted to reflect reality

    Hoihoi Common Language is now Level 10!

    "That was rude, Nies," I say. "Are you sure you want to call your Hero a stupid fuck, noku-ah?"

    "Asshole," I grin at him. "So did you just not Advance your Species and Classes because you didn''t want to be reminded of the fact that you can''t gain Experience, even though you''d gain LIF from it?"

    "Yeah."

    "Ah," he says. "Well, like I said, I don''t have an issue with the tradeoff. You''d be able to gain Subspecies Experience as well, once you bring whatever you pick-"

    "Do you really think I''d be so stupid as to not do Ascended Human?" I ask. "That''s a shitton of power I wouldn''t have, it''s worth losing the other bonuses to learning and stuff. What are Elder and the other option?"

    "Not saying the other," Nies says, then gives Twist a stern look.

    "Elder," Twist says. "Is currently double Ascended Human''s bonus. And I wasn''t going to tell him that, Nies, especially since you know that the Fourth Tier Species is a single option, always. It''s currently that option. It might not be in the future."

    "There''s nothing higher than that," Nies snorts. "He''d have to literally become a Divine to become higher than that, and the System is locked against that happening as a Species Advancement. It''s a total morphing. That''s why we''re not sure if it''s possible or not to become a Divine. Weren''t sure before Stem made the System, we''re certainly not now."

    "Indeed," Twist looks at me. "So, your patron ¨C and the god with whom the agreement was with, has said he doesn''t care. Would you like for the change to happen?"

    "It sounds to me," I say. "Like you two just needed to chat to know for sure what to do with the whole thing. With how many Divine talk with Nies¡­ how come you two never discussed it?"

    "I don''t have any sweets, so Nies never stops by unless I actually call him here."

    "You just don''t want me visiting," Nies pouts.

    "I told you you''re free to visit and chat," Twist says. "But you still never visit."

    "You never have anything for me to snack on or nap on," Nies huffs. "That means you don''t want me to visit. Even Ekre keeps stuff around for me, as much as he wants to say he doesn''t want me around."

    "Pretty sure Ekre likes his older brother," I say. "Even if he doesn''t want to admit it."

    "Likes me?" Nies looks at me. "He''s always so mean to me."

    "Yet he keeps snacks around," I say. "Knowing you''d come over to steal them. He probably just doesn''t want to admit that he likes having you around. It''s one of those sibling things.

    "Anyway," I stand and stretch. "I should probably be returning, even if time isn''t passing in the mortal realms for me."

    "How did you-"

    "I''m me," I say. "Nies, are you sure you''re okay with it?"

    "Positive," he nods. "It''s all about balance. It''s balanced."

    "Then I accept it," I say.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Quests Modified:

    Species Experience May be Acquired Once More

    "Thank you," I say. "I''m taking it on before I leave. Is there anything I should know?"

    "It''ll morph your body a little," Twist nods. "Ascended have feathery wings."

    "So I should remove my tunic, then," I pull my robe and tunic off and set them on the table. "Will I be able to ''remove'' the wings? Or will they be permanent?"

    "You can," he nods. "It isn''t a Skill, but an innate ability. I will warn you, though, that as the wings are part of your nature, if you take on Ascended Human, that you''ll feel a bit weird without them. Not sure if you''ll ever get used to that feeling, since no one''s, you know, hit Tier II of an Enlightened Species."

    "A what?"

    "The humanoid ones," Nies says. "Beastborn, Beastkin, Humans, Elves, Fairies, Dwarves, and such. Plenty of Monsters have done it, as it''s part of their natural life cycle. Dragons are a prime example of this ¨C Baby Dragon, Adolescent Dragon, Adult Dragon, Elder Dragon are their Species, not their Classes."

    "Oh," I say. "I wasn''t aware of that. Can I see your real forms?"

    "No," they say in unison.

    "Why not?"

    "Why did you randomly ask that?" Nies asks.

    Because my form changing has made me realize that I''ve still yet to see yours.

    "I want to see them."

    "They''re hideous," he pouts. "At least, to mortal standards. We formed long before things such as monsters and people existed. If you saw our true form, you''d probably shit yourself."

    "Nies," Twist says.

    "True," Nies nods. "This is Gavin. He''d probably just freeze up, instead of freezing up, shitting himself, pissing himself, and passing out, all at once."

    "Point is, Gavin," Twist looks at me. "Our true forms, as original Divine Beings, means that you''d be heavily affected by our Divine Power, regardless of your Skills and resistances. It''s best you don''t encounter it. Even if you reached Tier IV Species, you''d be heavily affected by it."

    "Alright," I nod, stretching. "Taking it on. Species Advancement: Ascended Human. Accept. Confirm."

    Power begins to flow through my body, and I feel something forming out of my back, a sensation of two new limbs, feeling natural, as if they have always been there. My body continues to flow with this new power, and after several minutes, it fades away.

    Your Species has Advanced to Tier II!

    You are now an Ascended Human!

    +5 to all Attributes, LIF per Level

    You Have Successfully Advanced Your Species to Tier II!

    +20 LIF!

    +100 OFV!

    New Title!

    First Greater Enlightened: The first Enlightened to have successfully Advanced to the Second Tier of their Species.

    New Title!

    Greater Enlightened: An Enlightened who has Advanced their Species to the Second Tier

    New Title!

    First Ascended Human: The first Human to become an Ascended

    New Title!

    Ascended Human: A Human who Advanced their Species to Ascended, the most powerful Tier II Species of them all

    New Title!

    First Ascended: The first of any Enlightened Species to become an Ascended

    New Title!

    Ascended: An Enlightened who has Advanced their Species to the most powerful of all Tier II Species

    I''m at twenty Titles, now¡­ just one more, and I''ll get the next Title for collecting Titles, as that means I''ll have surpassed twenty Titles. At least, if I''m right that it''s for surpassing more than twenty Titles.

    It looks like Advancing one''s Species to the Second Tier is an automatic gain of three Tier II Titles. Greater Enlightened, whatever the new Species is, and the form it takes. At least, that''s if I''m right, and it isn''t just for Ascended.

    At least I know I managed to take the most powerful one there is.

    Looks like Nies probably forgot two of the Titles, when he said I''d gain four.

    "Thank you, Nies, Twist," I say, then look around. "Do you have a mirror anywhere, so I can see my new form?"

    "I can manifest one," Twist says, reminding me that I could do the same. "But before you do, know that there were only two changes to your physical body. The rest of it was already like that."

    "What do you mean?" I ask.

    "The wings appeared," he says. "And your eyes turned fully violet. That''s it. The rest of your body was already like that."

    "Oh," I say, and he gestures in front of me, a tall mirror appearing before me, reflecting the library behind me, as well as myself. "Whoa¡­"

    I wasn''t aware that my body had that much muscle definition to it, even with me being this slender. I never really paid much attention, but¡­ I''m solid, even if I''m not big or bulky. My body has a light tan on the hands, fading around my wrists, where my sleeves normally cover. There''s also a tan on my face, stopping just below my neck.

    Warren and Michael don''t have tan lines, now that I think about it. I should probably work on clearing mine up at some point. I do find it somewhat amusing that me turning into a whole new Species didn''t ''erase'' my tan or smooth it out or something.

    Speaking of the changes¡­ my eyes really are a pure violet, now a rich, vibrant violet that nearly glows from its brilliancy. My wings match my eyes for color, with a hint of golden flecks here and there, each wing nearly ten feet in length.

    I can sense the inherent power within the wings which will allow me to fly. No Resource required, just stamina, which I already have plenty of.

    I want to try them out.

    "Would you like to try them out?" Twist asks.

    "Yes," I nod. "Though I should be getting back."

    "Sometimes," Nies mutters. "You can be a real idiot."

    "What do you mean?" I ask.

    "You mentioned," Twist snorts. "About time not passing in the mortal realms while you''re here, Gavin. There''s no rush to return. You were actually only partly-right, but it doesn''t matter either way."

    Our surroundings change, putting us in a field near the edge of a cliff, three chairs around the table Nies is still lying on, Twist remaining seated.

    I look around, then flap my wings once, twice, and then am up in the air. This feels so natural, like it''s something I''ve always done. I fly around for a bit, not confident enough to do any form of tricks, then allow myself to fall into a dive down the cliff, tucking my wings in against my body.

    The cliff is at least a mile tall, and when I''m near the bottom, I unfold my wings, transitioning into a glide and soaring over the grass.

    Had I waited half a second longer, I would''ve crashed into the ground. So glad I didn''t.

    The wind seems to part around me as I fly, giving me only a gentle breeze on my body. It feels amazing.

    I flap my wings, ascending into the sky to well above the top of the cliff, then soar down to the Divine Beings chatting at the table, landing in a slight walk-run thing, slowing myself down for a few steps before turning and walking towards the Divine Beings, tucking my wings in.

    "That feels amazing," I tell them. "Way more so than just using my magic to fly. It felt so natural."

    "I was hoping your landing would fail," Twist says.

    "That''s mean," Nies says.

    "Why?" I ask.

    "First time trying," he answers. "Flying might feel natural, but even a bird might still crash its first landing attempt. Many do, actually. Oh, well."

    "I stumbled a little," I tell him. "But I caught myself. This feels so amazing."

    "Congratulations on your Advancement," Twist says. "What will you do now? Work on bringing your Species up to maximum? With your bonuses from Dekami Bloodline, and how all-encompassing Human is when it comes to acquiring Experience, I''m sure it won''t be too hard for you."

    "Not for now," I tell him. "I''d rather finish the Blood Quest, first. I''ll gain Experience naturally over time, and once I''m working on taking down that damn Boundary of Sages, as well as establishing my Headquarters for my Order, then I''ll work on gaining Experience again. I''m working on increasing my Affinities again, well, started that yesterday, and want to focus on that before dealing with whatever potential issues arise from increasing my regular Attributes."

    "Oh, there isn''t any," Nies says. "It''s only your Resources that cause the Fog of Power."

    "Also," Twist adds. "Each Species Tier increases the threshold needed to hit the Fog of Power. It doubles whatever it was."

    "And adds to my OFV?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "100 at Tier II, 200 at Tier III, and 300 at Tier IV, gaining another 400 when you max it out."

    "Damn," I say. "That''s a nice bonus."

    "It is," Twist nods. "Especially for someone like you. Your RRN will have gone up as well, though the System doesn''t usually log those boosts, since it''s even rarer for the stat to be visible than OFV."

    I check it, and sure enough, it''s gone up by a hundred.

    "Do you know how much faster I''ll gain Resources, now?"

    "Roughly eleven seconds faster," he nods.

    "So about thirty-nine seconds for a point?" I ask, and he nods. "Thanks, Twist."

    "You''re welcome," he responds.

    "Mind if I fly around a bit more?" I ask. "And play around with my powers? I feel more powerful."

    "That''s because you are," Nies looks at me, kicking his feet. "Ascended Humans are naturally more powerful, so even though your stats didn''t change, your base power did, which means that, due to the amplification properties of the stats, you''re even more powerful."

    "Alright," I say. "Do you mind if I do?"

    "We have time," Nies says. "Go play with yourself."

    I unfold my wings, then take off again, flying out over the valley. Once I''m a fair distance away from the Divine, I look around, then lift a hand into the air.

    "Spear of Frozen Lightning," I say.

    Instantaneous creation. I''m so much more powerful that the spell formed instantly. I let it drop to the ground, and it spreads for a quarter of a mile.

    Much, much more powerful than it was before. More than a thousand feet, rather than about a hundred and fifty. Almost ten times as expansive, just from that.

    How does a Dragon compare to me?

    Unless¡­ that Dragon I fought before was only a Baby Dragon. How much more powerful do Dragons become with every Species Advancement? What was its Level?

    How powerful of a Dragon will I be facing, when I die?

    An Elder Dragon, no doubt.

    Then again, I got lucky with the first Dragon and nearly died against the second, doing nothing to it. So maybe my gauge is slightly off at the moment. I just feel so powerful.

    "Summon Void!" I hold out my hands, a Void a hundred feet across consuming the center of the previous Skill''s impact. "Damn! That''s awesome!"

    I inhale, then let out a roar that thunders through the air, vibrating it and shattering the powerful ice below.

    After playing around with my magic and new strength, leaving several scars and craters across the valley, I fly back to the two Divine. Nies is eating cake, and Twist is building a tower of cards.

    "That was fun," I tell them as I land, tucking my wings back across my back. "I think it''s time I go back, unless there''s more you two have for me."

    "Actually, yes," Twist says. "Nies here is just too lazy to tell you. I''d like to note that all Tier I Enlightened will feel a sense of power coming from you. Not on the level that they typically feel around Divine, since you seem to ignore it entirely, but enough that they''ll know you''re not a regular person. This is even when your wings are gone."

    "Alright," I say. "Good to know that I''ll be stared at even more for my unusual eyes and hair. Anything else?"

    "One last thing," he nods, and I unmanifest my wings and begin to pull my shirt back on. "We can get Stem to leave you alone¡­ but in his place, would you be willing to take on a student?"

 Chapter 0068 - Meeting My Apprentice

    (Gavin)

    The Rift is a lot quieter than I expected. This one is a strip of ground with a swirling violet nothingness surrounding it. It stretches approximately three hundred feet in length and thirty in width.

    I''m currently standing near one end of it, a ''shift'' in perspective barely noticeable to even my powerful eyes and perception. Other than the ''shift'', it appears to just continue on the path.

    I''m shirtless, my wings out and folded up behind me. The Divine were merciful enough to warn me that entering any Rift forces one into their true form ¨C and if their true form has hidden parts, such as what I can do with my wings, they''re manifested.

    Mortal, a voice fills the air. How did you enter this plane?

    "Through the Rift," I answer. "Duh."

    Ascended Human¡­ Gavin¡­ ah, yes, you are Tulmis''s charge, are you not?

    "Is that his name?"

    You don''t even know his name?

    "Never asked," I say. "Will you shoo? I''m waiting for the time dilation to work out for when someone walks in here. Twist said that there would be a boy of thirteen arriving shortly, were I to come here and delay you long enough."

    Please don''t, we don''t need-

    "Take it up with the two eldest Divine," I say. "Could you make yourself useful and disappear? I''m sure he''d freak out as it is, seeing you might do it more."

    And the wings?

    "They''ll just remanifest when I leave," I shrug. "Might as well let him see them when he arrives."

    The Rift Wolf sighs, then his presence behind me fades.

    Several minutes later, a boy around fourteen steps into the Rift and freezes, then slowly starts looking around.

    He has pitch-black hair and bright, azure eyes, and is dressed in black jeans that are tight against his legs and one of the shirts that people on Earth wear, with some sort of design on it. He''s wearing sneakers.

    Twist said he would come from Earth.

    "Hello," I say, and he turns his gaze to me.

    "Am I in Heaven?"

    "You''re in a Rift," I tell him. "A place that does and does not exist. They take on many forms, and this is this one''s. As a Natural Rift, this one can only be entered willingly, not by accident."

    "What''s with your wings?" He asks. "Can you fly with them?"

    "I can."

    "They don''t look long enough to support human flight."

    I flap my wings once, flying up into the air and hovering several feet off of the ground, looking down at him.

    "You are in a magical place," I tell him. "You really think ''science'' matters?"

    "So who are you?" He asks. "The Gatekeeper or something?"

    He seems about as unfazed by this as I probably would have been, at his age.

    "My name is Gavin Jakran," I answer. "I was human until not too long ago. You play video games?"

    "Yeah."

    "You read stories with a ''System''?"

    "Sometimes."

    "It exists," I tell him. "Earth doesn''t have it active, and many worlds, it randomly grants people Access, while on others, it''s a given for anyone born there. The world I''m from, it''s a random selection based on certain requirements. So long as you meet the requirements, you will acquire Access."

    "That''s not random."

    "Probably a translation error," I tell him. "My Skill Level for English is not too high. The more we speak, the higher it will go, and once it''s around Level 4, it should be fine ¨C there we go. Ah. Yeah, that was wrong. It''s seemingly at random. I was missing a word.

    "There are two important aspects," I tell him. "To the System: your Species, and your Class. Both can gain Experience. Once you bring them up to Level 25, you can take on an Advancement Quest. Once you complete it and accept the Advancement, it goes up to the next Tier. I just recently Advanced Human to the next Tier, and one of my options was quite powerful."

    "Why do I feel like you''re not human?" He asks. "There''s this sense that-"

    "Because I''m not," I explain. "Anyone below my own Species Tier will sense that. The bigger the difference in Tier, the stronger the sense. I will warn you that gaining Experience isn''t easy. I have several innate buffs for various reasons, including one of my Classes, Archmage."

    "Archmage?" He asks.

    "It''s the Fourth Tier Class," I say. "That starts with Wizard. The singular requirement to gain access to it, for one who has Access to the System, is to have entered a Natural Rift. You meet that requirement. Should you accept my offer, I will grant you Access and take you on as my student. Know that if you lie, I will know about it."

    "I would never lie to someone who feels as powerful as you."

    "That was a lie," I tell him, and he grins at me.

    I''m going to have my hands full. He''s a miniature me, isn''t he?

    "How old are you?" He asks.

    "Eighteen."

    "So it can''t be too hard, can it?" He asks.

    "I have a boost of more than a thousand percent," I say. "To gaining Experience while in Dungeons, with abnormally strong magical powers and a high Mana Pool. Makes it easy for me to quickly grind out Experience, when coupling on that I have a naturally good gain for Experience."

    Now that I know that LUK affects not just the rarity of dropped loot, but how often one gains Experience, as well as those who are working with someone with such a high boost.

    Thanks for that information, Twist, since your brother seemed to forget to mention it to me, instead letting me think the wrong thing.

    "As a result," I continue. "I''ve exceeded the levels of anyone before me. I''m the first to ever reach a Tier IV Class, and the first to ever Advance my Species to the Second Tier. There are people who have lived for hundreds of years without doing either of those. I''ve met a Fairy who''s lived for more than a thousand who can''t breach those thresholds."

    "A Fairy?" He snorts. "You really expect me to believe that they exist?"

    "Formshift: Zelv."

    My body morphs, changing into my Fairy Form, and I hold my pants up and stare at him.

    "Yes," I say. "Fairies exist. Kid, you''re in a Rift standing before a being who just radiates power. You''re going to believe that Fairies don''t exist?"

    "I thought Fairies were tiny?" He asks. "You¡­ look like a kid."

    "Fairies look like human children," I say. "With pointed ears and glittery cheeks and sparkly wings. You''re probably thinking pixies, they''re about this tall, at most."

    I hold two fingers around four inches apart.

    "Nasty little devils," I say when he nods. "Formshift: True."

    I return to my True Form and fix my pants.

    "So how do you do that?" He asks.

    "Formshift?" I ask, and he nods. "It''s not something Humans can gain without a Divine Being granting it. Do you accept my offer of becoming my student as a Wizard, taking on that Class after gaining Access?"

    "Sure," he says. "Sure beats playing video games if I can be in one."

    "Death is permanent, here," I tell him. "It''s not a game."

    "Alright," he shrugs, then grins. "Still sounds like fun."

    Yeah, I''m going to have my hands full.

    "Before we go," I say. "I''m going to warn you that I''m in the middle of mending relationships between my nation and our most powerful neighbor. We''ll be passing through a Divine Realm on our way back to where I was. Be quiet and respectful. The Divine like me, but that won''t go the same for you."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    "Why do they like you?" He asks. "And what are Divine?"

    "They are the Divine Beings," I tell him. "Some take on the roles of ''gods'' and ''goddesses'', but some just do their own thing. We''ll be meeting my Patron, Nies, who has made me his Hero, and his older brother, Twist. They are the first two Divine Beings to form from existence, and can erase entire Realms with but a thought."

    "So why do they like you?" He asks.

    "I make things interesting," I answer honestly. "Do you agree to the terms?"

    "Sure," he grins at me. "I wanna see how cool this is."

    "Abuse the Access," I tell him. "And I will revoke it from you immediately, and you will lose the buffs that come with it and the Stats."

    "Got it," he says, then his eyes widen. "Whoa! That''s so cool!"

    "What Classes do you have available?"

    "It says I can take on a Primary Class and a Secondary Class," he says. "The Secondary as a ''bonus'', or something."

    "Indeed," I nod. "Normally, you can only take on a Secondary Class when a Primary Class reaches Level 15 or goes up a Tier, but those of us who have Wizard available can also take on a Secondary Class from the start, giving us one extra Class."

    "I only have Wizard available."

    "Take it."

    "Already did."

    Ryan Human 1 Wizard 1

    Yeah, I know you did. The rest of your information is about as revealing as I expected, since there are no Secondary Classes, Titles, or Blessings.

    "Show me your stats," I tell him.

    "How?"

    "Say ''Status''," I say. "Then focus on sharing them with me and say ''Share Status''."

    "Status," he says, focusing on me. "Share Status."

    Name: Ryan

    Age: 13 years

    Titles:

    Species: Human 1 0/25

    Primary Class: Wizard 1 0/25

    INT: 12, AGI: 11, CHA: 10, STR: 7, CON: 7, PER: 9, LIF: 17

    Mana: 18/18

    From what I know, those are actually pretty decent. Judging by his skinny frame, I''m not surprised that his AGI is higher than his STR. His durability is pretty weak.

    "So those are my starting stats?" He asks. "How do I compare?"

    "Your ''starting Stats''," I say. "Are determined by your natural stats, though they aren''t a tell of your natural stats. What stats do is boost certain things. INT boosts your ability to remember things and your magical power, as well as enable you to learn magics easier ¨C or just period. AGI boosts your speed, CHA ¨C this one isn''t normally visible at the start for humans ¨C boosts your charisma, or how likely people are to listen and believe you, as well as how youthful you look. STR boosts your physical strength. CON boosts your physical durability. It does other stuff, but you don''t need to worry about it, as you don''t have that Resource visible, and it doesn''t matter unless you actually use it. PER boosts how much you can perceive from what you take in through your senses.

    "Finally," I say. "We get to the important one. LIF is your natural lifespan ¨C it''s five years for every point. However, that doesn''t mean you''re guaranteed to live for eighty-five years, it means that, as long as nothing else kills you, you''ll die a natural death between eighty-five and ninety years.

    "Continuing that," I say. "It doesn''t matter how young you look. I stopped aging from the sheer size of my various Stats that affect that, but were I to reach my natural lifespan, I''d still expire. Even a young person can have their heart stop without warning, after all."

    "Were you to reach it?" He asks. "You make it sound like you won''t."

    "I won''t," I answer. "I''ve been advised by a being that can see into the future that I''ll be killed by a being beyond my power. Though I''m not sure if that still holds true after my Species Advancement, as that wasn''t possible until a few minutes ago, but-"

    No, it still holds true. I knew it would happen. Elder Dragons are simply that powerful.

    "Never mind," I say. "He just told me that he knew the change would happen."

    "How?" Ryan looks around.

    "Mentally," I answer. "He can communicate directly through thought. I could, too, if I bothered unsealing my Psion Affinity and figuring out telepathic communication."

    "Psion Affinity?"

    "There are eleven Affinities," I nod. "Each one corresponds to a Resource. Not everyone has all of them, like me. Most only have one or two. You have four total Resources, only one of which is Awakened ¨C Mana. Your Mana Affinity is actually pretty decent ¨C it''s normally less than 5, at start. However, since your MNA isn''t showing up on your stats list, it''s still ''hidden'', so I''m not sure how much of your Mana is actually your Mana Affinity, and how much is Mana Power. I''m¡­ actually not sure how to know that. Nahor?"

    How do you know my name?

    "Twist knew you were talking with me."

    Ah. He has 18 MNA.

    "How come it isn''t visible?"

    Probably a glitch in the System due to the uniqueness of the Wizard Class. You two are among three who came into it without having used Mana before. There. Corrected. He won''t have noticed the change, though.

    "Thanks, Nahor."

    Please stop using my name, and I''ve sealed him so he can''t reveal it.

    "Whatever, Nahor."

    He sighs.

    "I''m guessing you''re talking here because they can''t observe?"

    Basically, yeah. Stem being around is a bit annoying.

    "Hopefully, whatever Twist says to him gets rid of him."

    It does. Temporarily. He''ll return.

    I snort, then look to Ryan, who looks confused.

    "Long story," I say. "Are you ready to go?"

    "Sure," he grins. "I wanna meet some gods!"

    "I will slap you through the Rift."

    He gives me a cheeky smile, then I turn and walk, the boy following me to the other side, until we step out into the valley surrounded by mountains. A lake rests in the center of the valley, a river flowing into it from each of the four cardinal directions.

    At the center of the lake rests an island approximately a mile in diameter, a tower stretching thousands of feet at the center.

    "I don''t see any gods," Ryan looks around. "Or anyone."

    "There are no Enlightened Species on this continent," I tell him. "The world is divided into eighteen Regions due to something called the Boundary of Sages. That tower there is part of what sustains it. Each Region believes it''s the whole world.

    "This Region," I continue the explanation. "Has long since been abandoned, for reasons unknown to the Divine I''ve spoken with. I could always ask Yggdrasil-"

    "The World Tree from Norse mythology?"

    Did I interrupt people a lot, starting out?

    "No clue what the latter is," I tell him. "But I know that some of the Divine have leaked into your world''s stories and tales. Yggdrasil is the World Tree, yes, but it''s this world''s Divine Being. Yours is Merlin."

    "Merlin?" He asks. "Like from-"

    "World Deities," I ignore his interruption. "Oversee a world, protect it from certain types of threats, and ensures that its people continue to live and thrive, the world lives, nature continues on, all that good stuff. He''s a giant fucking tree sitting in the Fairy Kingdom. Really friendly. My patron god likes sleeping in him."

    "Uh¡­ what?"

    "I haven''t figured that out, myself."

    I look around, breathing in the fresh air.

    "There are wild animals and monsters," I look at Ryan, and he looks back to me. "But no Enlightened here. One day, I''m going to be taking over this Region for myself. I''m making an Order that promotes the advancement of magical knowledge, the sharing of it, and the nondiscrimination of Species. We will also act as a haven for those seeking freedom from abuse. Once I figure out how to destroy that damn Tower."

    "Destroy it?" He asks.

    I hold out a hand, summoning the Violet Dragon mixed with each Resource I have unsealed, and send it after the Tower at full force. It collides into it, then fades away.

    "The damn Tower is resilient to everything I throw at it," I say. "It''s made of some magic-resistant stone that can resist even the Void, and my absolute desire to destroy the Tower isn''t enough. The Sages who built the eighteen Towers are pissing me off, and if I could travel through time, I''d rip their throats out and shove them up their asses."

    "Uh¡­"

    "Long story."

    "Where does something like that come from?"

    "Wyverns."

    "Wyverns rip people''s throats out and shove them up their asses?"

    "Sometimes," I nod. "Especially when you agitate them. Bert was known for doing it to whatever random monster got in his way after I played with him."

    "Uh¡­"

    "Bert''s a moody fucker," I say. "He didn''t like me playing with him."

    "What, exactly, did you do?"

    "Usually?" I ask. "Dulled his scales, dumped feces or urine on him, dropped him in a pitfall trap, and other such things. It was fun, but he didn''t think so."

    "How long ago did you do that?"

    "Before I had Access," I answer. "My friends and I harassed the wyverns all the time. Wyvern-spooking was so much fun. I might have to go do it again sometime."

    "Can I join you?"

    "Sure," I say. "Just don''t get killed, wyverns are powerful, temperamental things. I wonder if Bert''s still around."

    He is.

    "Nies says he is."

    "Who?"

    "Me," Nies appears. "Come on, back into the Divine Realm, so we can send you home."

    "Why are you lying on a tiger?"

    "He''s lazy."

    "I''m tired."

    Ryan looks between the two of us, then snorts. We appear on the cliff, though there''s no table or Twist around. I unmanifest my wings, then pull my tunic from my ring and pull it on, followed by my cloak.

    "Alright, Nies," I say. "Send us back."

    "You''re really making demands of me?" Nies asks.

    "I built you a shrine and got you tons of followers," I remind him.

    "That won''t work forever," he sighs, looking at Ryan. "Don''t judge me just ''cause I''m a kid in form. I can''t help it. I''m older than pretty much everything. I was around when this universe was just a floating mass of-"

    His voice cuts out, his lips forming words our minds are incapable of processing.

    "Nies," I say. "I think we should be going back, now."

    "Right," he says, and Ryan and I appear in the restaurant, causing the guards to jump, the Princess starting.

    "Princess Nina," I give her a slight bow of the head. "Forgive the delay in returning, the Divine had me meet with a new Wizard. Please don''t attempt to speak with him, though, as he cannot speak our language."

    "I can''t understand a word of what you just said," Ryan tells me.

    "That''s actually what I just told her," I tell him. "Ryan, this is Princess Nina, so please, be respectful."

    As if you care about respect.

    Hush, Nies.

    "He comes from a distant world," I inform the Princess. "So he doesn''t know any languages you will. I''m lucky in knowing his. I''ve been tasked with teaching him magic, as he ¨C like me ¨C never used magic before gaining Access. He still hasn''t."

    "That is fine," she stands. "The ways of the Divine are mysterious to us all."

    Not really. Give Nies food, and he''s happy and will give you good luck in quests and adventuring. Break an oath, especially one made in his name, and he''ll be unhappy. Build him an altar and a shrine, give him thousands of followers, and he''ll do whatever you want for all of eternity.

    "Now that you have returned," she says. "Would you like to meet my father? I am sure that the mending of relations between our lands I hear you wish to perform will have a chance at happening sooner, should you meet him now, rather than later."

    "Her boobs are big," Ryan comments, and I smack him in the back of the head.

    "Would he see me now?" I ask. "Or wait until later, so that he can prepare whatever it is he will prepare for our meeting?"

    "Tomorrow, then," she says. "I will have someone meet you at the inn you are staying at, to escort you to the castle. I will inform him of the meeting, and he will likely agree to it, as breakfast, after word of the Divine accompanying you reaches him."

    "Thank you," I give her a small bow. "And please inform him that Adrian Varkle is not an agent or Duke of Jozan. He violated the Blood Oath he swore in my presence, which has nullified any chance he had at redemption. I have already had word sent to my King to inform him of this, and Varkle is officially exiled from Jozan."

    She gives me a dip of her head, then leaves, and I look down at Ryan, who''s grinning at me mischievously.

    I smack him in the back of the head again.

 Chapter 0069 - Three Affinities

    (Gavin)

    "You only have one bed?" Ryan looks around the room.

    "I only planned on just me sleeping here," I tell him. "Not guests."

    I hold out a hand, Manifesting my desire for him to have his own bed, and a violet bed forms. It''s big enough for a single person to sleep in, but has its own blanket and pillows.

    "There," I say. "Now you have your own bed."

    "Are you allowed to do that?" He asks. "Just add a bed to a room in an inn without permission?"

    "I''m a magician of high power," I say. "They''ll let me renovate the place, should I so desire. And now that I''ve Advanced my Species to the Second Tier, they all sense power from me in a different way than Resources do, telling them I''m a higher being, even if not a Divine Being. In addition, I''ve been accompanied by Divine Beings, among other things. I''m also here as a representative of their neighboring nation, which, until the coup six years ago, was untouchable by others."

    "The coup?"

    I sit on my bed and explain to him what happened, the boy sitting on his bed and listening intently.

    "Do you understand all of that?"

    "Yeah," he nods.

    "Okay," I say. "Then we''re going to start with your training in magic. There are two ways to expand your Mana Pool. One of them is by using Mana ¨C many people, for new magicians, have them train by this method, burning up their Mana as often as possible, going to 0 Mana as soon as they can use magic again.

    "Using this method," I say. "For several months, you can gain around one or two per day. Not bad, and is pretty useful ¨C if you''re in a safe place and won''t be needing to use Mana. It tapers off after then.

    "I don''t like that method," I say. "As it barely affects your regeneration of Resources. The method I use is much riskier, but also allows you to retain your Resources ¨C it expands them without consuming them. Or rather¡­ makes them denser."

    "Denser?"

    "Stores more in the same ''space''," I nod. "You''ll have to search within yourself, sense your Mana, and then manipulate it, grabbing it and making it denser. This requires two Skills to manage ¨C Mana Manipulation and Mana Sense. You''ll need to look within yourself for this. As you do that, I''ll do the same to my own Resources."

    Except for Void, as I don''t want to increase it until my others are higher, considering what it requires.

    Ryan closes his eyes and begins ''looking'', though I won''t know for sure if he''s actually succeeding or not until his Mana begins to shift within him.

    I start with LFA, increasing it by a hundred, then my MNA by two hundred, then SPA by two hundred. As I work on bringing BLA up by another hundred, I sense Ryan''s Mana wiggle a little. He''s getting close. ACA is next, then AEA.

    As I finish, Ryan sighs, opening his eyes and looking at me.

    "No luck," he says. "Though I did acquire Mana Sense."

    "Good job," I tell him. "It normally takes months of practice to gain either of those. I''m sure you''ll have Mana Manipulation soon enough."

    "Are you sure?"

    Considering that you managed to wiggle your Mana?

    "I am."

    Nies? What''s his Bloodline.

    Merlin.

    Merlin?

    Normally, a Bloodline is the same as the world''s Deity. It requires at least one ancestor having been born on that world before you. Since he comes wholly from Earth, that makes it Merlin. It''s got boosts to magic.

    Thanks.

    You''re welcome. I''m going back to napping on Ultarna.

    Enjoy.

    I am, he giggles.

    Hey, I have a question.

    Yeah?

    Who is your kid''s mother?

    Vinai.

    Who is she?

    Just a regular Divine Being.

    The image of a cat beastborn with black hair, ears, and tail, with bright blue eyes, forms in my mind. She looks to be in her late teens.

    That''s not a regular Divine Being, Nies. That''s one formed from cat beastborn.

    Yeah, whatever, he responds. Her people don''t exist anymore, and she has no followers, so she''s pretty weak. She''s essentially just a Divine Being, now.

    You really have it for catgirls, don''t you?

    Maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe! But Ultarna''s the best! Hey, Ultarna ¨C wanna say hi to Gavin?

    Hi, Gavin!

    Hello, Ultarna. I do apologize, but the student Nies dumped on me is giving me a confused look, because your boyfriend didn''t adjust time perspective.

    The sound of something smacking something else fills my mind, then Nies giggles.

    "Sorry," I tell Ryan. "Nies was communicating with me."

    "The gods talk with people often?" He asks.

    "Just the rare few," I shake my head. "I''m well-liked, so they tend to chat with me. At least, certain ones. Twist, I''d never met before today, and had only heard of now and then as Nies''s older brother."

    "Oh," he says. "I give up on trying today. Can I try a spell?"

    Give up on trying, then try? You should probably word that better.

    "Nope," I answer, a sheet of papers appearing in my hand, along with a quill and bottle of ink. "You''ll need to master certain runes, first. Once I''m satisfied with your ability to form them on paper, you''ll then draw them in the air with your Mana ¨C which will require Mana Manipulation to do. It won''t do anything as an effect, but it''ll show that you can form them.

    "After that," I continue. "You''ll then draw them in the air without using a channel, such as a finger or a wand. Only once I am satisfied that you won''t fuck it up will I then allow you to actually cast the spells.

    "The reason for this," I hold up a hand, an orb of pure, violet Mana forming above it. "Is because even the slightest screw-up-"

    The orb explodes, destroying my hand, and Ryan stares.

    "Can destroy you."

    "You just destroyed your hand," he gasps. "For that?"

    "Life Restore," I say, channeling my Health through my arm and wrist, manipulating my Blood as well, my hand rapidly regenerating, healed in moments. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Ryan. I wouldn''t hurt myself without a guarantee it won''t be permanent. I will be here to heal you, if possible, if you wound yourself, but there are some things I cannot heal you from.

    "Normally," I say. "The teachers supervise, provide healing, and don''t care if the student hurts themselves with a screw-up in their own time. I don''t want you practicing magic without me around, especially new magic. Once you have the Skill for the spell, you''ll be fine ¨C as long as you don''t start experimenting around."

    "I don''t want to sit around and learn runes, though," he groans. "I just wanna learn magic!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Want me to blow up my hand again as another demonstration?"

    He falls silent, and I use my air magic to float the papers and quill and ink to him, and he looks at the quill and ink. He''s got a desire for something else, but he''s got a lot of desires, and I can''t sort them out just yet.

    He''ll need to vocalize it, in order for me to Manifest it for him.

    "You don''t have pens here?"

    That must be the desire I sensed from him.

    "Our world is," I say. "What you would call ''medieval''. We don''t have pens."

    "I don''t know how to use these."

    "You''ll have to get used to it at some point," I say. "Just dip the tip of the quill into the ink, it''ll absorb some up, and then you''ll be good to write."

    He dips the tip into the ink, then stares at the sheets.

    "What am I supposed to be writing?" He asks.

    "It''s on the papers already," I tell him. "I think you flipped them over."

    He flips the stack over, seeing the runes and their English translations.

    "Until you can replicate each of those runes perfectly," I say. "And not just Level 1 of the Dekami Runic Language, we can''t work on you casting the spells."

    He sighs, but gets to work, and I strip to my pants, lying down on my bed and closing my eyes, listening to the scribbling of the quill. As time passes, I''m grateful for my Acting Skill, because he keeps looking at me, so he''d notice the massive grin I''d have without it.

    "When does this thing run out of ink?" He finally asks me. "I''ve only had to dip it once."

    "The Quill is enchanted," I explain. "It absorbed all of the ink when you dipped it. Just tap it into the inkwell when you''re finished, and it''ll release the stored ink back inside."

    "Oh."

    He falls silent, and after several minutes, starts scribbling again.

    Perhaps it is time I unseal the rest of my Resources.

    Aura Affinity Unlocked!

    ARA is 198

    Will Affinity Unlocked!

    WLA is 222

    Psionic Affinity Unlocked!

    PSA is 206

    Soul Affinity Unlocked!

    SLA is 193

    There we go. I should probably increase them.

    Aura will probably be the easiest one for me to increase, so I focus on manipulating it, cycling it through my body and condensing it at the same time. I bring it up another hundred, then stop, as with the others.

    The other three are tougher for me to increase. I already have pretty solid willpower and soul, and my mind is tough as anything. Those three take me longer to figure out how to manipulate and condense, but I manage it, doing Will, then Soul, then finally, Pisonic.

    The Fog of Power is creeping up on me as I do, but I still push for a hundred more points of each. As I reach the end of them, I have a nasty headache, but I think that comes from pushing PSA so hard.

    When I finally finish, I remember that I need to eat, and so too does my new student. I look over, only to find him sleeping on his bed.

    It''s late. I spent hours working on increasing my Resources, and less time than I would have, if I hadn''t done all three of those at once. That was tough, and probably also part of why I now have a headache.

    And despite that, I still forgot about my student for awhile, long enough for him to pass out.

    Looking out the window and rubbing my growling stomach, I realize that the entire night slipped by me.

    Damn. I''ll need to be more careful in the future.

    Hopefully, Ryan isn''t too mad at me.

    I walk over and examine his attempts at the runes. They aren''t half-bad, but he could definitely use some work. If he tried to create a Magic Barrier, he''d probably rip himself apart.

    I don''t have time for sleep, before the meeting with the King. That sucks, because I''ll need to be alert for the meeting.

    I''ll cut the resources in half, except for the two higher ones, for gains.

    My wings really want to be stretched right now.

    To take my mind off of that, I start thinking about my upcoming meeting with the King. There are currently limited options for what I can do, and depending on what Varkle did, I might have even fewer.

    I should probably communicate with Tyler. Now that I have Psionic Affinity available, I should be able to. Normally, this distance would probably require an intense amount of Psionic, just for a couple of words, but with my high INT, that shouldn''t be too much of an issue.

    Closing my eyes, I focus on His Majesty.

    "Tyler?"

    New Skill!

    Telepathy 1: The ability to use Psionic power to communicate through thoughts with a short range

    New Skill!

    Long-Distance Telepathy 1: The ability to use Psionic power to communicate through thoughts over a great distance

    New Skill!

    Mental Link 1: The ability to connect with someone else''s mind, using telepathy to forge a temporary path of communication

    "That sounds like Gavin," his voice echoes in his mind a few moments later. "Len, this is weird. I don''t have that Skill yet, but-"

    "Your Majesty?"

    "Len says it''s the real Gavin," Tyler says. "Hello. I see you have finally unsealed your Psionic. How are things in Isil?"

    "They are alright," I answer. "Adrian Varkle broke the oath he gave me, did Len inform you of this?"

    "He did," His Majesty responds. "I have revoked his status as a Duke. How are you doing this?"

    "Long-Distance Telepathy," I answer. "As well as Mental Link. It''s draining my Psionic slowly, we probably have only four or five minutes to communicate, total."

    "Okay," he responds. "Have you met with their King yet?"

    "I thought it best," I inform him. "That I should wait until I am extended an invitation, rather than simply dropping into the castle. Coincidentally, I went to eat lunch at the same place as their eldest Princess yesterday, and as a result, I will be meeting with the King for breakfast today."

    "Good luck."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," I respond. "I have been running through several possibilities of how this could go, and without something to offer up, it could prove problematic. I will likely utilize a resource of my own for this, unless there is something you wish to offer them."

    "If you do, I will reimburse you for it, Gavin," he tells me. "You should not have to lose your own resources to amend relations that were damaged due to others."

    "Had I gained Access sooner," I say. "Had I not opened my mouth, back then, and blabbed about what I was, and kept it a secret for awhile, maybe the coup wouldn''t have happened. Maybe I would''ve been stronger when things happened, and your father would still be alive, and we wouldn''t need to mend relationships with other nations."

    His Majesty is silent after I say that.

    "Because of that-"

    "You can''t focus on ''what if'', Gavin," His Majesty interrupts me. "You were a child, then. We both were. Huge changes hit your life and all of our lives. That was the first time you ever had to deal with a situation like that. Yes, this whole thing probably could have been avoided, but we will never know.

    "Therefore," he continues. "It is not your sole responsibility to do this. You are doing this as the Duke of Zelar, Gavin Jakran. I will reimburse you anything you give up, whether the same thing, or something of equal value. If it comes down to it, I would be willing to give them the Eighth Fief, if it will help amend relations."

    "I have no plans on Jozan giving up anything," I tell His Majesty. "There must be a way to avoid that. We''re running out of time. I am requesting permission to give them magic unique to our people ¨C something our magicians have hoarded and monopolized, if necessary. This is something we would not lose, but simply share."

    "Something in-line with the way of your Order," he says. "That is a fair deal, though do you have any?"

    "I do not," I inform him. "Requesting permission to contact you again later, if it necessary to share such a thing, to obtain a spell or two. All you would need to do is tell me the runes used and the general formation used, and I can figure out the rest."

    "Granted," he responds. "I will speak with Natalie, and see what she says. I just received word that she''s back at the Tower."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," I say. "I have one final request, before I run out of Psionic. Would you be willing to allow me to give him a spatial ring, if necessary?"

    "You only have the one, yes?"

    "I believe I know where another may rest," I inform him. "One equal in size to my own. If you are willing, I could retrieve that one and trade it to you, giving him the smaller one you currently possess."

    "I will need to think on that," he says. "This ring has been a standard for the royal family for many generations. I do not want our neighbors having a larger one than ours, but at the same time-"

    "Forgive the interrupt, Your Majesty," I say. "But I could also, potentially, figure out the enchantment myself, and craft a Spatial Ring of my own, albeit a smaller one."

    "If you are capable of that," he says. "I will be most impressed."

    "Just about out," I tell him. "I will talk to you again soon, Your Majesty."

    "Goodbye, Gavin," he says, and I sever the link.

    I sigh, then hold up my hand, staring at the ring on my finger. Best not to waste time.

    For roughly an hour, I inspect every aspect of the magic that forms it, remembering back to the comment the gods made, back when they were offering me their Blessings, about how granting me the knowledge of how to perform the enchantments was not a good idea.

    Was it because of how I was back then? Immature, like most boys that age? Or something else?

    The spell looks like it requires Aether, Mana, and Void to craft, which explains why no one alive knows how to forge them, now. All Spatial Rings seem to have the same scheme to them, regardless of size of the ring or storage space ¨C mostly black, with some violet to it.

    That seems to be an effect from using Aether and Void on it. It involves no runes being marked or carved into the surface or the insides of the ring, but rather, into the existence of it, which is where Aether comes from. Mana is used to ''guide'' the spell, while the Void clears the space.

    And yet it is all still just enchantments ¨C likely Greater Enchantments, but still.

    Will I be able to craft one?

    Someone knocks on the door, and Ryan jumps, looking around in surprise, looking confused for a moment before remembering where he''s at.

    "Morning," I tell him, sitting on my bed and pulling my boots back on. "Sorry for forgetting about you last night, I tend to do that when it comes to certain magical things."

    "Some blue-haired guy showed up and brought me food," he shrugs. "Said he wasn''t surprised you did that, after unsealing your other Affinities."

    Thank you, Stem.

    Someone knocks on the door again, and I pull on my tunic, then my cloak, and approach the door, opening it.

    "Yes?" I ask.

    "Archmage," the soldier dips his head to me. A Griffin of the Rose. "I have been sent to bring you to the castle, for the meeting with our King."

    "Thank you," I tell him. "I have been sent an unexpected student, and he will need to accompany me. Will that be an issue?"

    "It will not."

    "Ryan," I say. "Put on your tunic and shoes, and we will be going."

 Chapter 0070 - Meeting the King of Isil

    (Gavin)

    Ryan looks around, awe and wonder clear on his face, as we walk through the halls of the castle, eventually arriving in a moderately-sized room with a rectangular table with two seats on either side, as well as one on each end.

    Sitting on one end of the table is a man in his sixties, dressed in fine clothes, a simple crown atop his head.

    George Human 9 Ruler 7

    Princess Nina sits to his left, Prince Wyatt to his right, and Varkle beside Prince Wyatt. The other end seat is empty, as well as the seat to its right. The table is set, though no food is out yet.

    "King George," I say. "I was not aware that this meeting would involve someone who betrayed his homeland, served under a False King with absolute loyalty, and then violated the Blood Oath of absolute loyalty to the True King of Jozan he swore to the Hero of the First God of Blood Oaths."

    In the presence of Varkle, I can sense the exact thing he did that resulted in the violation of the oath."

    "Excuse me?" King George asks.

    "You have no need to be excused," I say. "Though Adrian here does. He won''t be, however. Adrian, you are aware that when you swear an Oath to me, I am aware the moment it is violated, yes? You broke it within hours of swearing it. As you are not a representative of Jozan, the only assumption would be that you are here to further the lie that Jozan has fallen, and not restored, and that Turas will soon reign again?"

    Adrian opens his mouth to speak, and I look at the King.

    "I swear," I say. "On the blood that flows in my veins that Tyler vul Jozan, son of Wesley vul Jozan, has claimed his rightful place as the King of Jozan, and that I am Gavin Jakran, Duke of Zelar of Jozan.

    "In addition," I continue as I glow with Nies''s acceptance of the oath. "I swear on the blood that flows within my veins that Adrian Varkle is no longer nobility of Jozan, after violating the second chance he was given, and that he is, as of my conversation with His Majesty, exiled, as an act of mercy, instead of having a bounty for his head placed on him."

    I glow with Nies''s confirmation once more, and King George stares at me.

    "I am here," I tell King George. "On behalf of His Royal Majesty, Tyler vul Jozan, King of Jozan. I have little patience for traitors, as they will only interfere in our talks. I do apologize if I''m coming off inappropriately for you, but I believe things would go much smoother if he were to vacate the premises."

    "How do we know that some minor god," Adrian looks at me. "Isn''t backing you, faking all of this? How do we-"

    "If my patron weren''t sleeping," I fix my gaze on him. "I would happily request his presence, so that you may feel the sheer power behind his existence. It is unlike any you have ever encountered before, and no minor god could replicate it. That said, as you have no Access, I don''t believe there is any place for you within this room, either. You aren''t even worth the notice of a Divine, right now."

    Adrian stares at me, anger barely concealed within his gaze, then stands.

    "I will have you know-"

    "That is enough," the King says calmly. "We have yet to receive confirmation from Jozan or Turas on the matter, so until our message arrives, and then is returned, we cannot know for sure."

    "Is there any question in particular," I say. "Whose answer you know, which someone of Turas would not know? Something which King Wesley and King Tyler would know?"

    "What was the gift I sent Wesley for his fortieth birthday?"

    "Your Majesty?"

    "Yes?"

    "Do know what King George gave your father for his fortieth birthday?"

    "Nothing."

    "You''re sure?"

    "Yeah," His Majesty responds. "George was only twelve at the time. He wouldn''t have given a gift to my father. I do think his father sent mine some crates of Thorntyne Wine, though. Forty-one bottles, one for each year of his life, and one to grow on."

    "You didn''t," I end the communication with His Majesty. "According to His Majesty, you were only twelve when King Wesley turned forty, and His Majesty said that he believes your father gave him some crates of Thorntyne Wine. Forty-one bottles ¨C one for each year, plus one to grow on."

    "Sorry for the communication again, Your Majesty ¨C how do you know this? We weren''t even alive back then."

    "I''m looking at my father''s ledger of the gifts he received right now."

    "Thank you," I end the communication. "His Majesty is sure of this, as he''s looking at his father''s ledger at this very moment."

    Adrian does his best not to snort.

    "It took Wesley," King George looks slightly amused. "Nearly four decades, from what I hear, to acquire the Skill required to communicate over such a long distance."

    "His Majesty doesn''t currently possess it," I inform him. "He has only barely woken up that power of his, as of this morning, according to our communication before I entered this room. I am having to link to him, in order for us to communicate. He has authorized me to act on behalf of him, to do what is required to amend relations with Isil. You were one of our most powerful allies, and we would like for us to return to being allies once more."

    The King still looks unsure, though I did already plan on spending several days waiting for his message to arrive, then His Majesty to answer it.

    "Father," Princess Nina speaks up. "My goddess has already verified his identity to me, and the truth of what he claimed. She personally Descended yesterday when Archmage Jakran and I met, resulting in his own patron, along with another, Descending.

    "She is also speaking to me right now," the Princess continues. "Omitting certain things she''s saying, she says that she will Descend again if it is needed to prove the validity of the Archmage''s claims."

    She''s saying that?

    Yeah, Nies sighs. I dun wanna have to Descend again to keep her in check.

    You would need to do that?

    Have you ever heard the saying, Ekre calmly asks. That when a god Descends from the heavens, they are accompanied by a pure one?

    Yes, they always show up with a young boy, because-

    That''s you guys.

    Divine Beings are forbidden to Descend without one of us Elder Original Divine Beings present. I''m not sure why Nies commented about it, I told him that I''d Descend this time, should she choose to.

    I want cookies.

    Then get some, Nies.

    Okay.

    Please don''t encourage him.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Says the guy who keeps, on-hand, things that Nies likes. Thank you, Ekre.

    For what?

    For entertaining Nies and keeping him from obliterating every world in existence. I''ve heard he''s good at that.

    I only burned up one world, and it recovered. It was also an accident.

    That is enough, a young voice filled with ancient power speaks, and everyone in the room freezes up as the voice radiating with Divine power that fills their minds.

    Well, everyone but me.

    There is no doubting in any way whatsoever that this speaker is a Divine Being of immense power.

    Adrian Varkle, Yggdrasil continues. Former Duke of Turas, Duke of Jozan, you have committed high crimes against Jozan and the Code of Jozan. There are currently three powerful gods who wish to destroy you for your crimes and violations. As you swore a Blood Oath to the Hero of the Divine Being known as Nies, also the Origin of Oaths themselves, you were given a chance at not meeting their wrath, despite escaping justice from your former home.

    However, you have violated that Oath, Yggdrasil continues. Despite knowing for sure that Jozan has been restored, and you have acted against it and to twist the truth into lies. For that, your existence is no longer necessary. The Code of Jozan was designed for honor, and you have violated it. As the Code of Jozan is etched within my Heartwood, I will be the one to destroy you.

    Adrian explodes into bloodred petals, which then fade as they drop to the ground, and the presence of a Spirit forms in its place, though not one I can see directly.

    Light pink, light green, light blue, and light purple petals form in the air near me, swirling around, revealing a fair-skinned boy around ten or eleven in appearance, his Divine Presence filling the room.

    A silvery leaf is imprinted upon his left side, a golden upon his right. His right eye is silver, his left, gold, his hair as green as the leaves of the World Tree, with silver and gold strands here and there. His pointy ears declare the high worship from the Fairies, along with his sparkly cheeks.

    A pair of thin, translucent wings stretch from his back. The wings are a vibrant green in color with sky blue veins, matching Warren''s hair and eyes respectively in the summer seasons.

    He is dressed in shoulderplates made of bark, with more bark covering his more private regions. A bracelet of woven fibers rests on each wrist and ankle. Each ear has a small, platinum cuff clipped to it, hanging from which are two leaf-green beads and a golden feather with a silver stalk.

    The Biggest, Hardest Wood

    Yggdrasil himself. Or rather, his Divine Avatar.

    "Bow before me, mortals," Yggdrasil''s ancient, powerful voice fills the air, and every person in the room, save for me, scrambles to obey the Divine being. "The Kingdom of Jozan has been restored. Gavin Jakran is here to see what can be done to amend relations damaged by Turas. There is no doubt of this whatsoever."

    Yggdrasil turns to look at me.

    "You still show no respect to the Divine," he says. "A true testament as to a reason Nies likes you. That said, Kar is still furious you won''t ask him to Advance the Magus of Kar Class to the Third Tier."

    "Lord Yggdrasil," I dip my head to acknowledge his status. "Could you kindly inform Lord Kar that in exchange for not having a time limit on those Quests, I can''t acquire Experience? I do not wish to Advance a Class, only to have it sit there, showing me that I need Experience. When a Class is Mastered for its Tier, it shows no needed Experience. It is for my own sanity that I have not. I do apologize to him for that, and intend no disrespect to the Gods of the Kingdom of Jozan."

    "I will talk to him again," he says. "But do not expect Kar to remain patient, he may one day personally Descend to demand that you request for him to Advance it, so that he may."

    "I will explain to him then," I say. "Why I have not, and hope that accepts it from me directly. Thank you, Lord Yggdrasil, for your interference."

    "I only interfered," he says. "Because Kar, Jozan, and Kaz are all inside of me and agitated. As Adrian was not within Jozan and being dealt with by Tyler''s forces and the Village of Kar, as the other traitors are, all three of them wanted to personally smite him. Have you ever had three gods argue inside of you? It isn''t fun. Especially not with Rifts opening up left and right inside of me as a result. Not fun. Then Nies and Ekre started arguing in the way they do, and that wasn''t pleasant, either. This was entirely selfish.

    "Now that Adrian''s gone," he says. "I''m going to go smash some Divine Heads together."

    He vanishes in a puff of petals.

    "Whoa!" Ryan is the first to act once Yggdrasil disappeared. "That power¡­ that was a god?"

    "That was Yggdrasil," I turn to face my wide-eyed student, who did not bow, now that I notice it. He probably didn''t understand what Yggdrasil said. "He is the Divine Being attached to this world. He was apparently agitated by a few of the other Divine Beings, and decided to personally get involved. Rare, when it doesn''t involve the Fairies."

    "Was that what he said?"

    "In summary," I nod, then turn to look at the King, who has return to his seat, albeit looking shaken-up. "Your Majesty, I do apologize for that, I seem to agitate the Divine a lot. That said, I believe a Divine Being Descending and confirming my honesty is enough?"

    "It is," he says, shaking a little and still somewhat pale. "You may be seated."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," I dip my head to him, then take my seat, gesturing for Ryan to sit to my right. "Please know that I will not force you into an alliance with us again. If you will settle for neutrality, Jozan will be appreciative, after what happened. If you wish to return to an allianceship, then we will look into what is needed for that."

    "Very well," he nods. "Let us eat before we discuss this further."

    He gestures to the servants, who begin putting food out and pouring wine and orange juice. Ryan looks hesitant with the food, but eats, eyes widening a little. He starts eating a bit faster, then slows himself down when he sees the rest of us eating slowly.

    Lord Yggdrasil?

    Yes, child?

    I do apologize for causing you issues.

    It wasn''t your fault. I already have to deal with other Divine being agitated because of you, and diverting the Rifts so they don''t hit you again. Your very existence is an irritant to many, because of how ridiculously powerful you are and your unfair buffs. At the same time, your willingness to wipe out the Ilinia furthered this, despite it being a Divine Quest. Doing something like getting my children to stop squabbling over who gets to smite an enemy of theirs is nothing.

    Princess Nina covers a snort with her hand, and her father looks at her.

    "Sorry," she says. "Something Her Ladyship just said to me."

    "Indeed," the King looks from his daughter to me as the servants begin clearing the table. "One of my conditions is that Tyler weds Nina. Unless that is acceptable, I will consider Jozan to retain Turas''s hostilities towards us."

    "Even if we offered you," I say. "Three of Jozan''s closely-guarded magics and a Spatial Ring?"

    King George''s gaze flicks down to my own ring as I sip some of the wine, then he returns his gaze to my eyes.

    "Jozan has them sitting around, to offer up?" He asks. "The ring worn by the members of the crown was the only one known to us, and it seems you have another, but a third? Does Jozan intend to offer them to all of their enemies?"

    "If you see us as enemies," I say. "Then I believe there is nothing to negotiate, and Jozan will turn from seeing Isil as the ally it once had to seeing Isil as an enemy. However, I, much like my King, believe that the animosity between Turas and Isil should not affect relations between Jozan and Isil, and wish to settle things peacefully. Will you accept this offer of peace, even if not allianceship, instead of our King marrying your daughter?

    "You see," I say as he attempts to speak again. "If you marry your daughter to Jozan royalty, then your daughter would, in essence, lose her place among your court, turning to a Princess of Jozan instead of a Princess of Isil.

    "With my offer," I continue. "She retains her heritage and birthrights, you gain a Spatial Ring, and also three magics Jozan has kept to itself."

    "What spells?" He asks.

    "Magics," I correct. "Only two are spells. Shroud of Gardens and Mysts of the Lake are the two spells, and Paired Mirror is an enchantment.

    I wave my hand, a stack of bound papers forming, dropping into my other hand.

    "This here," I hold the stack up. "Is a book containing the knowledge needed in order to create the Paired Mirror enchantment. I have never performed it, myself, but our Royal Witch was honest with me as to the method of enchantment, so I believe you''ll find it true."

    The booklet floats out of my hand with a gentle manipulation of air, then floats down the table to the King.

    "Regardless of your decision," I say as it lands on the table before him. "The enchantment is yours, as an offering of goodwill. The maximum range our magicians have managed for it in the past is approximately twenty miles ¨C enough to communicate between neighboring cities.

    "If you would like to verify it," I tell him. "Before making a decision either way, then I will wait. I had not expected to be invited here so soon, and had already planned on waiting for your enchanters to verify the magic."

    "My enchanters," the King says. "Will take a look at the enchantment, and tell me whether or not they believe it to be a true one, as well as attempt to forge them. I will expect to see you tonight."

    "Very well," I say. "For dinner, or after?"

    "We will meet for dinner," he answers. "Then discuss things after."

    "Very well," I say. "Just so you''re aware, I''ve never used either of the spells before, either, and have only acquired their formulas today. Would there be a place I can safely use them for the first time?"

    "Mysts of the Lake requires a source of water, correct?" The King asks.

    "Indeed."

    "Would a small source suffice, or must it be a large pond or a lake?"

    "Our magicians first practice using it on small sources," I answer. "First with a bowl of water, then a basin, then shallow wells roughly two feet deep and three across, filled with water. They only transition to bigger once they can do it safely on a smaller on repeatedly with success. Typically, when Jozan performs it in war, it''s with four or five more powerful magicians. The other spell simply requires nature being around."

    "We have gardens here you can use," he informs me. "I can have a bowl brought out for you."

    "Does the garden have its own water source?"

    "It does," he nods. "However, the pond is roughly thirty feet long and forty across, much larger than that which you are used to."

    "Wyatt," the King looks at his son. "Escort the Archmage of Jozan and his apprentice to the Moon Gardens. Ensure he has whatever he requires."

    "Yes, Father," Wyatt nods, then the King dismisses us.

 Chapter 0071 - Boost Resources

    (Gavin)

    "Wow," Ryan says as we follow the Prince through the castle halls. "The Princess has definitely got a nice rack."

    "A what?" I ask him.

    "Boobs," he says, and I smack him in the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

    "Is everything alright?" Prince Wyatt turns and looks at us.

    "Forgive my apprentice," I say. "He was making unsavory comments about your sister. He believes that, since only I can understand his language, he is free to say whatever he wishes."

    "Indeed," Wyatt says curtly. "We''re nearly there."

    He turns and resumes walking, and a few minutes later, opens a door with two guards to either side of it. Not one to either side of it ¨C two.

    We follow him into the garden, which spans a hundred feet across and two hundred long, with bushes, several large trees, and the pond the King mentioned to us, which rests in the eastern portion of the garden. Many of the flowers have white or off-white petals, and all of the benches and tables within the garden are carved of a pale grey stone.

    "Here we are," Prince Wyatt says. "I will be observing you while you are in the garden at all times."

    "Thank you, for the assistance," I tell him, pulling out a stack of papers, a quill, and an inkwell, then holding them out to Ryan. "Sit at a table and get practicing."

    "Yes, Master," he grumbles, taking the items and moving to the nearest table.

    "The runic formulas for the two spells," I look back to Prince Wyatt. "Use a variety of runes I have yet to learn through my Dekami Runic Language Skill or see before, so I will be studying the formulas for a little bit as I do my best to understand how the spells work."

    He nods, and I move to a table, pulling out some papers and beginning to write down everything Natalie told me as we spoke on the way to the room where breakfast was held.

    Once done, I separate them into the notes for Mysts of the Lake and Shroud of Gardens, setting the latter aside and beginning to look through the notes on the former.

    Between the two, there are thirteen runes I haven''t seen before, only one of which is used in both, totaling twenty-five new runes for me to learn.

    After two hours of studying the runes, only understanding a grand total of three of the new ones, I decide to rest a bit and play around with the weird effect of two Voids colliding.

    Before I do that, however, I put the papers into my ring. There is no way on Eisnar that I''m going to let those get sucked into it. I haven''t yet seen what happens when something pulls into that weird orb.

    Those put away, I stand and stretch, then hold out two hands, creating two Voids, each the size of my fist. The Prince suddenly looks on-guard, with a flux of Mana about him, ready to act on a moment''s notice.

    I move the two Voids towards each other, slower than I have in the past, and as the two press together and I focus on sustaining them and merging into each other, the strange energy begins to form again. The pull is weaker than before, but as I move them closer and closer, it grows stronger and stronger, my tunic and robe both attempting to pull off my body and into the new orb.

    The new orb is solid black, as with any Void, but has a ''shroud'' around it, a sort of blackness/greyness that can be seen through, a thin layer of power that swirls around it.

    I nearly manage to successfully merge the two before it explodes. Without my high PER and AGI, it''d probably be devastating to myself and that around me.

    Fortunately for the environment, my student, and the Prince of Isil, I have a high PER and AGI, and am able to quickly nullify the strange power of the merged Voids and the contain the explosion within a Magic Barrier I shrouded the explosion with.

    Then I look down and notice that the front of my robe and tunic had both been hit by the explosion. With a wave of my hand and a flux of Arcane, the two are mended, and I look over at the two stunned spectators.

    "I needed a break from learning new runes," I tell them. "And decided to try something again. I knew I could stop any damage, so long as I kept it small, and I was told I could use this area to practice."

    "What was that?" Prince Wyatt asks. "That magic ¨C I''ve never heard of something like that before."

    "Nor have I," I shrug. "Wait, do you mean the Voids, or the weird one that occurs when I mix them?"

    "Both."

    "The two plain orbs," I say. "That seemed to be nothing at all are the produce of Void Magic ¨C it''s a magic that ''removes'' whatever it comes into contact with. Another term for it is ''consume'', though it doesn''t go anywhere. It''s one of the reasons why a Dragon''s breath is as powerful as it is. Reij," I stroke the Ouroboros, and he releases his tail, looking at the Prince. "Uses a form of the Void, but it isn''t a magic of this universe or existence, so it''s not one I can replicate."

    At least, not with my current power.

    Reij bites his tail, returning to his natural position.

    Hey, Gavin? Nies''s voice enters my head.

    Yes?

    Where was Reij while you were training with the Chain Monks?

    He was still on me.

    Well, yeah, but with how often your forearms were used to defend things, it''s not like he couldn''t been there. I''ve been trying to figure this out. He couldn''t have been on your legs, either.

    He was around my neck.

    You wore him like a necklace?

    He took the position himself, without prompting.

    Okay.

    Nies cuts the connection.

    "The other magic," I frown. "I''m not sure what that one is. I discovered it while looking to see what would happen if two Voids connected. At first, it was just an explosion, so I tried adjusting one Void to see if I could direct the explosion. If I could manage that, then I''d be able to use that as an advantage over Dragons ¨C the reason I was looking into it in the first place. I wanted to make sure I wouldn''t suffer if I used a Void against a Void-infused Dragon''s Breath.

    "I''d noticed something weird," I continue. "Initially, when I first discovered it, but as I tried it a few more times, I began to notice that pull. I''ve been trying to succeed in making the pull without the explosion, but even as slow as I was moving, it still caused it. I spent an hour doing that just now, and it was still too much. I''m missing something needed for the effect without the explosion, but as the Void uses no Runes of any form, I can''t figure out what, so all I can do is practice and observe, making minor adjustments if possible. Which, at this point, isn''t, because the Void is a singular thing. I can make it, I can shape it, I can grow it and shrink it, but I can''t do anything to it. Infusing my Violet Dragon with it is about the limits of the ''extra'' stuff I can do, and all that does it give the Violet Dragon the power to consume as well."

    "Please don''t blow us up," the Prince says.

    "I won''t!" I laugh, then look at my stunned student. "Do I need to go through that full thing with you as well?"

    "You can manipulate gravity?" He asks.

    "Gra-vi-ty?" I sound out the unfamiliar word. "What''s that?"

    "Whoa-wait," he says. "You''re manipulating gravity, and you don''t even know what it is?"

    "I''m manipulating the Void," I tell him. "I''ve been attempting to understand that strange power that forms when I fuse two Voids together. You''re calling it gravity? What is that?"

    "You seriously don''t know what gravity is?"

    "Are you going to answer me, or am I going to throw you across the garden?"

    "Gravity," he sighs. "Is the force of attraction. It pulls things towards the object with the largest mass. Isn''t affected by small things, but rather, large things ¨C like the world we''re on has a gravitational force that pulls the moon to orbit it, while the sun''s gravitational force causes the world to orbit around that.

    "It also," he continues. "Is what keeps us from floating out into space. What goes up must come down because of gravity ¨C gravity keeps us rooted to the world, because we''re within its atmosphere, and it has a large gravitational force. That''s why, if you drop two objects of varying weights from the same height, they''ll land at the same time."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "A feather and a rock will land at different times."

    "A feather has other factors involved," he says. "But it''ll usually land at the same time as the rock, unless it floats, which is a direct result of the properties of what makes it a feather. However, a rock the size of your fist and you, dropping from the same height, will land at the same time."

    "I would land later, due to my magic," I tell him. "I would simply manipulate the air to keep myself from falling."

    "Ignoring stuff like that," he says. "I''m saying without extra things involved. Anyway, with your Voids ¨C you''re trying to merge them, and this is happening?"

    "Yes," I nod. "However, it always explodes. I feel like I''m missing something important."

    "Try making it denser."

    "Denser?"

    "Yes," he nods. "Denser. A black hole is a very, very dense void that sucks things into it, I think. That''s because of its immense gravitational force. Maybe it''s because you''re fusing them together instead of making it denser that this happens?"

    Making it denser? Why would I make the Void denser? It wouldn''t increase its power at all, and they all come out the same, unless I intentionally affect its density. But that¡­

    I sigh, closing my eyes.

    Knowledge from another world, beyond what I know. That doesn''t sound like a magical thing to me, but it might work anyway.

    Taking several deep breaths, I ready myself, then hold up a hand, opening my eyes as I summon a Void and begin to manipulate it, making it denser, something I cannot do within myself, with the raw Resource itself.

    At first, nothing happens, even once the Void is four times as dense, but as I continue, I start to notice the difference in the air around it, that ''shroud'' forming once more, faintly, a small pull forming around it.

    I continue to make it denser, until a message appears in my vision, and I cancel the spell immediately.

    New Skill!

    Black Hole 1: The power of a dense Void, the Black Hole not only eliminates the existence of that which enters it, but also pulls items in towards it

    A Tier VI spell¡­ is there a more powerful version for Tier VII?

    Acquiring that net me something pretty cool, too.

    First To Unlock Advanced Void Magics

    +1 Species Level (Static)

    A full species Level, static? Checking my stats, I realize that it granted me a full Level. I went from 23 Experience at Level 1 to 46 Experience at Level 2.

    Unlocking that Skill granted me another one.

    New Skill!

    Gravity Manipulation 1: Harness the power of the Void to manipulate gravity, the force of attraction

    New Boost Affinity!

    Gravity Force: Used to Manipulate the forces of gravity

    GVT: 64

    First to Unlock Gravity Force!

    +1 Species Level (Static)

    What¡­ the fuck? That one didn''t pop up until after I read the message.

    And what''s a Boost Affinity?

    I check my stats, and locate where GVT rests among them.

    HLT: 649, MNP: 668, GVT: 64

    So HLT and MNP, or Health and Mana Power, are both Boost Affinities? But those boost the corresponding Resource, while Gravity got its own line.

    "Are you okay?" Ryan interrupts my thoughts, and I look at him. "You have a really confused look on your face."

    Even with Acting 10, my reaction to this is pretty obvious. I am so confused right now.

    "I''m fine," I tell him. "Just trying to understand some of the stuff going on."

    "Okay?"

    New Title!

    (IV) Pioneer of Gravity: You are the first Enlightened to discover the power of Gravity and harness it as a force.

    New Title!

    (II) Title Seeker: One who has acquired more than twenty Titles

    Well, that was interesting. Are there any other magics or whatever one would consider that that have yet to be discovered?

    New Title!

    (II) First Title Seeker: The First to ever acquire more than twenty Titles

    Huh. That actually exists. Who was the first to acquire Title Hunter, and how many have earned it, total?

    "That took a long time," I stretch. "And it''s lunchtime now, yes? Could we get some food, or will we need to leave to get some?"

    "One moment," Prince Wyatt opens the door and tells a guard to get a servant to bring us food, then returns. "There should be food in around twenty minutes."

    "Thank you, Your Highness," I dip my head to him, then sit back down. "I''ll study some more while waiting. I recommend you return to practicing, Ryan, as you took a decent enough break to observe me."

    Ryan groans, then resumes studying.

    "Prince Wyatt?" I say after a few minutes.

    "Yes?"

    "Do you know any of these runes?" I look over at him. "Unlike you, I was never formally trained by a magician, and while I could ask Natalie, I''d rather not do that while trying to study, as it''s quite taxing mentally for both. The Skill for this Language doesn''t bestow knowledge of all Runes at this level, just the more common ones, and some of these seem pretty complicated."

    He walks over and examines the runes I''m looking at for Shroud of Gardens, and begins explaining what each of the runes I listed out as unknowns are for, and how they would connect into the greater spell.

    Once he finishes explaining the new runes to me, he pauses, then frowns and looks at me. I give him an inquisitive look in response.

    "Two things," he says. "The first one ¨C you said you were withholding the spells until after Father could verify the legitimacy of the Paired Mirror Enchantment. You just allowed me to view these, not knowing whether or not I could memorize them."

    "Did I?" I ask. "Huh. Are you sure I let you view the runes and the formula for the spell?"

    He stares at me, then sighs.

    "And how did you know that I knew runes?" He asks. "And don''t try saying you didn''t ¨C the way you asked me if I knew any of them said you knew I did, without any doubt."

    "Appraisal."

    "As I am a Royal," he says. "It will only show that as a result, even with the shift to how Classes are displayed and determined."

    "Indeed," I say. "That same shift also causes Special Classes, such as Royal, to not count towards the Class Cap, allowing you to then take on a Primary Class, which, due to the shift, is visible past Special Classes through a high enough Appraisal Skill. As mine is maxed, that means I could see your Level 3 Mystic Adept Class."

    He doesn''t respond to that, and I return to examining the runes, now understanding how they work together and interact, formulating it in my mind, then raising a hand, beginning the incantation. As I finish and the Mana finishes flowing, several bushes begin to grow, more sprouting up from the ground, creating a miniature maze with thick walls and a dense canopy formed of the bushes'' leaves and branches, flowers blooming everywhere.

    An effective spell that creates a maze from the surroundings, one resistant to magics and blades. Enemies can be trapped within, and is one of the spells Jozan has used to dominate the battlefield. It''s one of the reasons why no one could oppose us in the past.

    Just three powerful magicians of ours casting this spell, even in a field, could destroy enemy forces entirely, causing them to exhaust themselves just to escape, our people ambushing them as they finally make it out.

    Add on to the fact that, in order to enter Jozan, one must enter through a forest, fields of flowers, swamps, and such, and it means that invasions must be without enough notice for us to mobilize, or else they would face this power.

    The only way to enter without going through something like that would be to approach within range of a fort ¨C each of which has enough magicians who can perform the spell to cause issues for enemy forces, even in the plains.

    Thinking back on this, though¡­ how do we have powerful enough magicians to do this? Magic is not that easy of a thing to use, especially not a spell of this caliber. There must be something more to the power, then, even if, once I understood the runes and worked them together fluidly, it took almost no Mana or effort to use. Such an insignificant amount that it''s as if it didn''t take any at all, even if for just the tiny one I made.

    This actually confuses me, now.

    I am so confused right now.

    Food arrives as I''m trying to figure that out, and we eat lunch, then I begin studying the runes for Mysts of the Lake, another part of Jozan''s ultimate defense and offense.

    This spell draws on the inherent magical properties within water, amplifying it and drawing it out, creating a powerful mist that fills the air, resistant to heat, cold, and wind, making it impossible to get rid of, save for time or until Mana runs out.

    The knowledge from Dekami Runic Language rising to Level 6 with my understanding of Shroud of Gardens grants me some of the runes'' knowledge and allows me to bridge the gap for the others, when combined with my bonus to learning languages.

    Overall, it only takes me thirty minutes to learn the spell, acquiring the Skill as I fill the air here with the Mysts of the Lake, generating it from the pond.

    Only as I do that do I understand how Jozan''s strongest magicians are able to perform these spells. They aren''t working with just Mana alone, but with magic in the world, as well as what''s already around. They don''t need to be powerful to do it.

    Unlike with most magics, where the entire spell is created right then and there, every aspect of it created through Mana, these two use what''s already around to fuel them.

    "Gavin?" A muffled voice speaks.

    Oh, right. Fog also mutes sound¡­

    "Reij?"

    If he could snort, he probably just did.

    It''ll take awhile for this to dissipate on its own, because I performed it as a construct, setting it to last until the Mana runs out, instead of fueling it actively. Both spells were given to me with that as the preferred method, and I understand why.

    Though it increases how easily enemies can deal with it, it also allows for the casters to focus on other things, such as bombarding the enemies with magic as they escape.

    If they have enough Mana leftover for that, that is. But if they have access to Mana Potions, that won''t be too much of an issue, I don''t think.

    Thinking about Mana Potions¡­ Jozan has the best recipes in the ''world'' for them¡­ everyone envies them, as well as our ability to supply our offensive forces with them.

    After Reij finishes consuming the magic and returns to his hidden state, I look at Prince Wyatt and the agitated apprentice.

    "Sorry," I say. "I didn''t need to do it that large."

    Prince Wyatt just sighs, shaking his head, then takes a seat on a bench near the entrance.

    I rest for awhile, then contact King Tyler.

    "Yes?" He responds immediately. "Please make it fast, I''m in a meeting."

    "Mind if I share a recipe for Mana Potions or two?"

    "Feel free to," he responds. "Contact Natalie if you need the recipes."

    "I memorized them already, Your Majesty," I inform him. "Though I also wrote them all down awhile back and stuck them in my ring. Are there any in particular you''d prefer I did or didn''t?"

    "Up to you," he responds. "Anything else?"

    "No," I answer. "Good luck with the meeting, Your Majesty, and thank you."

    I end the connection, then look at Ryan.

    "You messed up the lower right-hand corner of that rune."

    "What?" He looks at the rune, then at the paper with my copies of them. "Danggit!"

 Chapter 0072 - Victories

    (Gavin)

    For dinner, we find ourselves in a larger room than for breakfast, with several more people seated at the table. Judging by their stats, Mana, and collars, some of them are Adventurers, others, magicians, while a few others who lack Access are probably the nobles controlling the strings of the King.

    The nobles look at me with distaste, probably due to my lack of a collar, but I ignore it as I take my seat, and Ryan takes his. Prince Wyatt sits up by his father, and dinner commences in silence, no one speaking.

    The servants clean up the table after we finish eating, serving wine for us to sip as we talk.

    "The Enchantment," the King says. "Has been verified, and it worked. We were able to communicate from here in the castle to guards in the Middle Wall. Isil will accept the previously-stated terms for peace."

    "Jozan has changed its terms," I inform him. "As stated, the Paired Mirror Enchantment is an offer of goodwill, and we will still offer you Shroud of Gardens. However, instead of Mysts of the Lake, we will instead offer you the recipes to produce Lesser Mana Potions, Minor Mana Potions, and Lesser Mana Regeneration Potions."

    "That was not-" a noble begins speaking.

    "I believe," I interrupt him, and the man shrinks back in his seat when I lock my gaze onto his. "That I was speaking with the King. He is the one who rules Isil, and is the one who makes the rules, the laws, the treaties, the agreements, and everything. Unless he is a mere puppet, that is. In which case, then his presence is not required here. If he isn''t, however, then it is him I am speaking with, not you, and it will be his decision that is made. The three recipes are ones your nation could use greatly, and is of equal ¨C possibly greater ¨C value than the other item you would receive."

    The nobles stare at me.

    "Shall the King of Isil and the representative of the King of Jozan," I look around at the nobles. "Continue their discussions? Jozan will only accept terms made freely between the two, without outside interference or otherwise."

    "Look, kid," one of the nobles speaks up.

    "Look, faisute," I meet his gaze, and he flinches. "I do not want to waste anymore time, so I am now going to be blunt, as I apparently was not very clear. The discussions of what will happen between Jozan and Isil will happen between your King and myself. He will make the decision of his own will, without your interference, without being affected by the collar or given any sort of threat in any form. He is a King, not a puppet, and he will be treated as such. You are nothing more than noblemen and advisers, and you can and will be replaced, if you attempt to interfere in this discussion.

    "In fact," I hold up a hand, aimed at the King. "Dispel. The magic in your collar is now inert, and cannot be used to punish you for acting against the wishes of your ''controllers''. You are a King, not a tool. You are above the law forced by those beneath you."

    "You-" a noble shouts, standing.

    "What?" I turn to meet his gaze, and he, too, flinches. "I what, sir? I¡­ am here as the representative of a King of another nation, here to discuss things with the King of this nation. I believe me freeing him from the binds forced upon him the moment he became King is an act of goodwill on my part. As further proof of this act of goodwill¡­"

    I snap my fingers, creating an Air Slash just beneath the King''s neck in four spots. Though he would barely feel it, my magic is powerful enough that the four vertical slashes cut through the collar with ease, the four fragments of it falling to the ground.

    "¡­I will further show that the collar cannot bind him any longer," I finish. "As it can''t bind that which it isn''t embracing.

    "Now," I look around at the nobles, meeting the gaze of each and every one of them. "Does anyone else wish to interfere in the talks between the King of Isil and the representative of the King of Jozan, something intended to end a war caused by the usurping by Turas?

    "If so," I continue. "Please know that you will then be considered an enemy of both Jozan and Isil, as attempting to stop something to end a war when neither side comes out with a loss is the same as intending to continue the war. Jozan gains peace with a former ally, Isil gains the same, as well as several powerful resources, having to sacrifice nothing in return.

    "That," I conclude. "Would make you traitors to your own people, by telling them that gaining several things and losing nothing is worth less than continuing a war that results in the loss of resources and, more importantly, the lives of their own people.

    "Now," I look to the King. "I do apologize for my bluntness and the disrespect I have shown you, but I tired of their games. You are above your nobles, not below them, and they should have no hold on you. If the faisute had kept his mouth shout, he would have heard the next part.

    "Jozan will also," I inform him. "Give you Mysts of the Lake on the condition that you, as King, outlaw the collaring of those with Access to the System, just as Jozan did a few days ago, contingent on accepting the peace between our people, the three alchemy recipes, and Shroud of Gardens."

    Each of Isil''s borders is lined with rivers, waterways, tributaries, lakes, ponds, and so on. Isil has prospered because of the nutrient-rich soil and the waters that flow through it. Many of their magicians have high affinities for water magics.

    Mysts of the Lake would be a powerful asset for them in any war. All it takes is agreeing to end one, as well as outlawing something the King himself likely did not appreciate in the first place.

    "Apology accepted," King George says. "And I believe it to be in the best interests of Isil to accept the two offers of Jozan. Our neighbor, despite the changes it is undergoing at the moment, is still powerful, regardless, and the offer is fair, allowing us to partake of part of this power and use it for ourselves. Naturally, I am sure Jozan is keeping the secrets to countering them to themselves?"

    "You assume correctly," I nod. "Our magicians are hesitant to grant you that much, should you turn against the agreement made and invade once more. That said, I am willing to grant you a single spell from my personal source of powerful spells on top of the other offers, which I have also granted to the Royal Witch of Jozan. Ice Lance, only Tier II, yet is still quite powerful on its own. It explodes into a spray of ice around the impact point, dealing even more damage from that, with a certain tweak to the runic formula, which I will also happily give to you.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "For this spell," I summon the papers from my ring, setting them on the table. "There are no conditions attached. This is my act of goodwill, from me, personally, to show that I hold no hard feelings against you for the actions of your nobles just now and their attempts to continue a war that is likely costly on both sides. It is also a part of the apology to you, just now."

    I manipulate the air around the papers, letting them float up, then over to the King.

    "Thank you, Archmage," he dips his head slightly. "As I said, Isil accepts the offer of peace, in exchange for the spell formula and three alchemy recipes, and I believe that Isil can grow as a nation and as a people were we to not enslave those who are truly powerful among us. As of this moment, the collaring of those with Access to the System within our borders is illegal, and all those with the collars must be freed. I will give four days for this to go fully into effect. Anyone who has still collared an Adventurer will be imprisoned as such."

    "Very well, then, Your Majesty," I say. "Before I grant you these papers, would you be willing to swear a Blood Oath to the matter? It will verify your intent and honesty."

    "How does one swear a Blood Oath?"

    "Milord!" A noble exclaims. "You shouldn''t-"

    "I can end his life now, if you wish," I tell the King. "As he clearly wishes to see the war between our nations continue."

    The King''s Acting Skill isn''t high enough to fully conceal his smile, a small twitch occurring on his lips as he attempts to hide the smile that says he understands I''m just fucking with the noble.

    "I think he should be given another chance," the King says. "I do believe the stables are looking for someone new to muck out the stalls. How does one swear a Blood Oath? If verifying the agreement between us requires one, then I will swear it ¨C on the condition that you do as well."

    "I swear on the blood that flows within me that I intend to uphold the agreement as stated."

    The crimson glow forms around me for several moments, then fades away.

    "I swear on the blood that flows within me," the King ignores the protests. "That I intend to uphold the agreement as stated."

    His body glows with a crimson light, the power of my patron confirming his honesty.

    "Here we are, then," I pull the other five things from my ring and float them down to him. "The other two spells, as well as the three recipes, as agreed."

    The King accepts the papers, scanning through them before handing them to one of the magicians, who looks through them, then nods to him.

    "Thank you, Archmage," he stands, and the rest of us do the same. "If you would kindly stay a few more days, we will hold a feast to celebrate the end of the war. There are several ambassadors from other nations around and on their way as well, and I am sure you could be grateful for the chance to begin the amends with them as well."

    "Thank you, Your Majesty," I dip my head to him. "I-"

    Threat Detection is Now Level 9!

    The fuck?

    There is almost nothing that could-

    Almost nothing.

    Dragons can definitely trigger a detection, and scanning the direction the sense directs me to, I spot a dot moving towards the castle. I don''t know how far away it is, other than that it is drawing closer.

    "Everything alright?" King George asks.

    "Forgive my sudden departure," I tell him. "But it appears that-"

    "Dragon!" A guard runs into the room. "Your Majesty-"

    "That," I point at the guard. "It appears that there''s a Dragon flying towards the city. I''d hate to see an ally lose his life so soon, so I am going to go and eliminate it. I will be back once I finish.

    "Ryan," I switch to English. "Stay here, and follow them, should they try to get you to go somewhere. We''re under attack, and I need to leave."

    Before he can respond, I have left, utilizing the full power of my 699 AGI to move through the castle, out of it, onto the rooftops outside, and across the buildings.

    The Dragon is easily forty feet tall and at least half that more in length. Its crimson scales shimmer in the evening sun, magic flowing around it.

    Baby Dragon 19

    Damn, this is powerful. But Nahor said I would kill the next Dragon I fought, which means that, so long as the battle begins, this fucker dies.

    Once I''m close enough that I won''t be wasting Mana, I take off and start flying towards it, meeting it two miles from the city with a Spear of Frozen Lightning to the face.

    The Dragon roars, its shields protecting it from the spell, and I begin assaulting it with blasts of Psionic power, Spears of Frozen Lightning, Blood Smites, Voids, manifested meteors, threads of woven Aether.

    I told Reij to only protect me if absolutely necessary, and for the most part, I seem to be able to deflect its magic on my own.

    The Advancement of my Species made me that much more powerful.

    And yet it''s still draining, and we draw nearer and nearer to the city with every passing moment, though not by much. The Dragon''s slowing down, however, which means I''m taking a toll on it. A heavy toll that also affects me.

    The Dragon unleashes a breath far more powerful than any it''s sent my way before, and I throw my hands up, using the last of my Void to create a Black Hole, which sucks up the breath.

    The Dragon''s nearly out of power, now, but it still regenerates its Resources much, much faster than me, and needs far less than me.

    I inhale as much as I can, then let out a massive Roar, shaking the air around us and causing the Dragon to lose hold of its focus. I feel myself slipping, my Resources nearly spent.

    Hopefully, it''s enough to perform one final spell.

    "Come forth," I intone in the Dekami Runic Language. "O Beast of the Violet Flames, born to devour all that opposes you. Blaze through all that challenges you, through all that tries to slay you, all that tries to stall you.

    "Let no power be your bane, and be the bane of all powers. Let no life end yours as you end theirs. Burn and blaze, O Violet One, and bring about the final end. Your Health is endless, your Mana, infinite, your Spirit, everlasting, your Aura, unbreakable, your Blood, limitless, your Will, unyielding, your Psionic, unchallengeable, your Arcane, undreamable, your Void, unconsumable, your Aether, omnipresent.

    "Manifest," I hold my right arm out in front of me. "O Violet Dragon!"

    The spell complete, the last of my Resources drain away into this spell as the Dragon regains its senses. The serpentine spell forms around me, the tail forming around my left leg, then wrapping up and around my leg, then my torso, then my right arm, the head of the Violet Dragon looking over my hand at the Dragon, its flames surrounding it, bathing the area in a violet light that makes the sun seem dulled, as if drawing in the light around us.

    Shadows lengthen as the Dragon hesitates, sensing the power behind my spell, noticing the changes around us, the air stilling, despite my clothes rippling as if pushed by a powerful gale.

    "Consume."

    The Violet Dragon, in all of its powerful might amplified by the incantation for the spell, flies forward, the Dragon exhaling a Void-infused Breath. The Violet Dragon tunnels through it, the flames drawing into it, fueling it, making it stronger.

    The Violet Dragon then slams into the Dragon, blasting through it, leaving no scorches or burn marks behind, failing to cauterize the hole it puts through the length of the Dragon''s body. A hole only the thickness of my arm, yet one that is, ultimately, fatal.

    Not even a Dragon can withstand its heart being consumed by such a powerful magic.

    A message flashes into my vision, but I don''t register it, my body beginning to drop, my vision turning black.

 Chapter 0073 - Spatial Rings

    (Gavin)

    "You''re awake!" Someone exclaims as I sit up, and I look over to see a woman in white robes with blue and gold trim and emblems on it, denoting her as a member of Aulor''s order. She quickly hides her surprise and happiness, reverting to formality. "Finally."

    "How long was I out?" I sit up, looking at her.

    "Two days, Milord," she answers.

    I look around. This is a private room, not the healing hall of the castle. Though judging by the sounds around me, I am still within the castle.

    "Thank you," I climb off the bed and look around, pulling clothes out of my ring and pulling them on. "Where''s my cloak?"

    "Here, milord," she lifts a basket onto the bed, which contains the clothes I was wearing when the Dragon attacked.

    "Thank you," I pull on my cloak, then shove the clothes into my ring. "Do you know where my apprentice is? I''m sure he''s been getting up to no good, without me to supervise him."

    The reaction on her face confirms it, but she hides it fast.

    "He would likely be in the dining hall, at the moment," she answers. "It''s lunchtime, and Prince Wyatt has been keeping a very close eye on him for you."

    "Thank you, ma''am," I say.

    "His Majesty has requested to speak with you," she informs me. "Once you''re awake, Archmage."

    "I''ll inform the guards waiting outside," I tell her. "That I can be found wherever my apprentice is. It is not as if you are expected to actually keep me here, to wait until he arrives, and I am sure that Prince Wyatt could use the relief of not watching my apprentice.

    "I do have one request, however," I say. "Could you tell me why you looked shocked that I knew he would be acting inappropriately, and my comment about him needing to be supervised to keep him in line."

    "It is nothing, Milord," she gives me a small bow, and I raise an eyebrow. She flushes. "Your apprentice has been hanging around the Order''s quarters, and has made several remarks which, while we cannot understand them, have been said in a way that has made several of us ladies uncomfortable."

    He''s commenting about boob size again, isn''t he? At least I never did that.

    "Ow!" Ryan exclaims after his head slams into the table. "What the-Gavin!"

    "That''s for harassing the Order of the Rod," I tell him. "It ends now," I turn to Prince Wyatt, giving him a dip of the head. "Your Highness. I apologize for the trouble of watching my apprentice while I was out, and I also thank you for it. Now that I am awake, I will be able to keep a closer eye on him and keep him under control a little bit better."

    "How are you feeling?" Prince Wyatt inquires.

    "I am feeling well," I answer. "I''ve rarely had need to burn through my Resources like that before. The last time I did was against a weaker Dragon."

    "You''ve fought a Dragon before?" He asks.

    Twice, but I don''t think I should count the Dungeon Dragon, as it was limited in power and hadn''t used its full power because it wasn''t used to needing to.

    "I didn''t slay that one," I answer. "It was apparently impressed enough with my raw power that it fled, though I do suspect that it realized who my patron was, and chose to not anger it by attacking me further after I fell unconscious during that fight."

    Silence around me.

    "What did you say?" Ryan asks, and I smack him in the back of the head. "You''re going to give me a concussion!"

    "Does it look like I care?" I ask him, then look to the Prince. "I heard your father wishes to speak with me?"

    "He informed me of his intent," Prince Wyatt nods. "Said that you might track down your apprentice first. He informed me that he is grateful for your assistance with the Dragon and protecting us, despite the hostilities shown on both sides, and that other than the Spatial Ring mentioned, he believes that there is nothing else required for Isil to restore its old alliance with Jozan, complete with trade."

    "Very well," I say. "After I eat something, I will be taking my apprentice back to my room, to teach him a little bit of a lesson."

    Ryan pales, not understanding my words, but still understanding my tone.

    "Thank you," Prince Wyatt says.

    I sit down and begin eating, ignoring the stares around me, then once done, follow Prince Wyatt to the quarters he says have been assigned to me, for the duration of my stay here.

    "Thank you," I tell him, and he leaves. I turn to my apprentice, manifesting papers. "Start practicing."

    "Seriously?" He complains. "You just got back, and you''re making me practice runes already?"

    "Yes," I tell him. "You agreed to my apprenticeship, and this is punishment for harassing the Order of the Rod."

    He groans, takes the papers, then moves to the desk and starts his lesson. I move to the bed, sitting on it and examining my ring, manifesting a single ring in one hand and comparing the two, before beginning to manipulate my Resources into the new one.

    The ring shattering startles Ryan, but I ignore him, manifesting a new one. On the eighth attempt, I succeed in the enchantment.

    New Skill!

    Enchantment 1: The ability to enchant an item with any Resource

    Congratulations!

    You have succeeded in enchanting a Spatial Ring!

    Its storage isn''t that large, only about the size of my fist, but that is alright. When I try expanding that space within it, the ring shatters. It takes me several more attempts to create a space the size of my head and determine that expanding a space already existent does not work very well, and that the size of the ring depends solely on the creation of it.

    Not just how much Resources are spent crafting it, but the visualization and crafting of the enchanter.

    By the time we are summoned for dinner, I have managed to create three rings with a space roughly one cubic yard in size. I stick them into my pocket, then collect the papers Ryan has.

    "Good job," I tell him. "You''re improving. Let''s go."

    He nods, following behind as I follow the servant to the dining hall, where what appears to be two additional Kings await, along with people who are likely the other representatives. I ignore the stares as I approach King George.

    "Your Majesty," I dip my head to him, then pull one of the three rings from my pocket, holding it out. "I acquired the ring a fair bit sooner than I expected. A Spatial Ring, as agreed. It doesn''t span as large as my own or His Majesty''s, but any space is a good space."

    "Thank you," he accepts the ring. "Archmage Jakran, these are Allen vul Naira, King of Naira, and Harold vul Trii, King of Trii. They were both on their way here already when you arrived in the city."

    "Majesties," I look between them, then to King George. "Are they aware of Jozan''s tolerance of the collar?"

    "I have already informed them that you might not be happy that they are wearing them," King George nods. "Unfortunately, their own advisers believe it to be in their best interests to continue to wear them."

    "In theirs, maybe," I say, looking at King Allen. "Are you wearing that collar of your own volition, entirely of your own free will?"

    "I am," he answers.

    "Was that a lie?" I already know it was.

    "It was," he says, the light in his eyes saying he knows I know he cannot tell me he isn''t. He was ordered not to. However, they left out denying it if asked if he lied. "You are here to represent Jozan, yes?"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Indeed," I answer. "And the current King of Jozan views anyone who forces collars onto those with Access as enemies. As you are one of our nearest neighbors, in addition to Isil and Trii, and we are currently at war because of Turas, there are two things which can happen.

    "The first," I say. "Is that Naira does not outlaw the collars. If that occurs, then we will continue the war. However, as we have been aggressed against, as a result of the war continuing after Jozan has sought an end to it, Jozan will act in a way Turas would not ¨C with the complete and entire removal of our enemy, as per normal. We cannot afford to leave behind those who would seek us destroyed, and as is tradition for centuries, Jozan will follow through.

    "The second," I say. "Is that you defy your controller and outlaw the collars. If you do that, Jozan will see it as Naira wishing for peace between us to be restored. Which option do you choose, Your Majesty?"

    "I am unable to determine a decision at this moment," he says.

    "In other words," I say. "You will need to inform your controller and advisers of this. Is your controller present?"

    His eyes shift for a moment, and I turn, looking at the man who seems to be the one in charge of the King directly.

    "Congratulations," I tell him, and his eyes widen. "According to my Patron, you now have Access to the System."

    I never said that.

    Zip it.

    "Which means," I continue. "One of two things can happen. The first is that you can relieve His Majesty of the power binding him to your will, allowing the collars to be outlawed. The second is that you can be collared as well. Make your decision, but remember that Jozan isn''t very patient. We''re giving you five seconds. Any other thing will be considered an act against Jozan, so decide wisely and quickly, because your time has started. You have two seconds left."

    "You can''t-!"

    "Your Majesty," I turn to King Allen. "It appears your adviser wishes for war to continue between our two nations. As the representative of Jozan, I can assure that we see it as an act of war on his part, and not on Naira''s, as you seem to wish for it to end. Therefore, I will commence battlefield policy. Eliminate the threat, not the tool."

    "Please do not kill anyone in my castle," King George requests. "I am aware of how Jozan is, and what your policies have always been, but I do not wish for bloodshed within these walls."

    "Yes, Your Majesty," I raise a hand, aimed at the noble controlling a King. I curl my fingers into a fist, my index finger sticking out, pointing at him. "Will one of you Spirits please place a curse upon him? Speak with Meiva on whether or not you need to form a contract with me for it. He will slap you silly."

    "Hello, Gavin," Meiva speaks. "How did you know I was around?"

    "You''ve been hanging around me lately, Your Majesty," I say as the hall goes silent at the voice that manifested itself from nowhere. "It was only natural to assume that you were still around. You heard King George, Meiva ¨C no bloodshed. So simply cast a curse. Is there one around who can cast the same one the Fairy King cast upon me?"

    "That is a nasty, dangerous curse, Gavin," Meiva says. "Most Spirits wouldn''t dare ever acquire that power. Oberon himself only possesses it to deal with threats he ordinarily couldn''t. The only reason you still exist as you are is because a Divine Being chose to remove the curse from you-"

    "Oh, please," I say. "I probably would''ve dispelled it eventually on my own."

    "That, or harassed the Spirits following you around until one of them did."

    "Or that," I say. "By the way, we''re still speaking in Silvar, so no one can understand us."

    "Their loss," he says, then I feel him shift, turning to face the noble, who seems to feel a chill running down him. "I won''t be placing that curse upon him, but¡­ may you always feel the cold of winter upon your back."

    The noble begins shivering.

    "Meiva decided to do a different curse," I say. "I''m not sure the full details, but he said you''ll be cold," I turn to the three Kings. "My apologies for the unpleasantness. I believe I have a question for the two of you. King Allen, King Harold ¨C do the two of you wish to amend relations with Jozan in a way where Jozan does not come out superior, and your two nations come out stronger?"

    "I do," King Allen nods.

    "Trii does as well," King Harold says.

    "Very well, then," I lift my hands up. "Dispel. Dispel."

    Once the power fades from the collars, I break them into four in the same way I did King George''s.

    "There we go," I say, then look at the shivering noble. "My patron said he revoked your Access, as it was granted without being part of the actual automated process, and so it shouldn''t have been there in the first place. He apologizes, he really does, but there are rules to follow."

    Pretty sure you revoked it, just like you granted it.

    Hush, Ekre.

    "Now that," I say. "The two of you aren''t being forced into decisions you do not wish, I believe amends can be begun. But first, these discussions have already taxed me, and I believe everyone here wishes for food, so, King George, I believe we shall wait until after dinner for the rest of us to speak."

    He dips his head to me, then I take my seat, Ryan sitting beside me.

    Within three minutes, the table is covered in food and we are eating in silence.

    For the most part, there''s a nervous silence. I''m blunt, forceful, and demanding, but that is the way of Jozan. If one wishes to be our ally, they must know that we will not tolerate enemies. We have no issue with those who wish to remain neutral with us, and they will understand that, but with the war that''s gone on with Turas, these methods are necessary to ensure they know that Jozan is still as strong as ever.

    Especially since most of Jozan still needs to recuperate and restore themselves. Until that happens, Jozan''s might will rely on the strength of the Resistance, the People of Kar, and myself. It could be several months before Jozan is able to properly defend itself with its military.

    Once dinner finishes and the table is cleared, wine served to us, King Harold speaks.

    "Archmage Jakran," he says. "There is an issue that Trii requests Jozan''s aid for. I believe Naira would like some assistance with this as well. If Jozan assists us with this, then we will consider the hostilities ended between our nations."

    What could both of them be dealing with that they would request assistance of? And why would they-

    Oh.

    Ah.

    That.

    "You are requesting assistance," I say. "In ending the war with the beastkin?"

    The beastkin live on the southern edge of their nations, which rest to the southern edge of Jozan. My people have never really had to deal with them, and their hatred comes from the stories that came to us from the people of Naira and Trii.

    "Yes," the King nods. "The beastborn have harassed our people for far too long, and-"

    "Beastkin."

    "Pardon?" He asks.

    "Beastkin," I correct again. "Beastborn are different. Beastborn are basically human in form with something like ears and a tail in almost every case, but virtually no other noticeable characteristics. They also typically live longer lifespans than humans, and are not covered in hair, fur, scales, feathers, etc., but rather, have smooth, clean bodies. The might have fangs, but not noticeable.

    "For beastkin," I say. "They are more animalistic in their traits, and often live for shorter lifespans than humans. They typically have hair, fur, scales, feathers, whatever in places other than the tops of their heads, often covering entire portions. Their animalistic traits are more noticeable as well, so if their species has horns or tusks, they''d probably have them as well.

    "Another major difference between them," I say. "Are their personalities. Beastkin tend to follow the more primal side, while beastborn tend to follow the more cultured side. I had the privilege of working alongside a beastborn for several years, before being able to allow His Majesty to return home. He was quite the helpful young man, and assisted me on several occasions. He even assisted His Majesty in training, for a couple of years. Were it not for the ears and tails, one would think he was simply a young soldier.

    "If you would like assistance," I look between the two Kings affected by the beastkin, who border their southern edge. "Then Jozan would be happy to assist, so long as you two both agree to something."

    "And what would that be?" King Allen sounds angry, his Acting Skill unable to fully conceal it on his face, either. "If you would like for-"

    "It''s simple, really," I state. "All the two of you need to do, other than agree to consider the hostilities ended if I help decrease the war between the beastkin and your peoples, is to send a cease-hostilities to your soldiers. They are to engage only if provoked, and not provoke the beastkin.

    "Now," I say. "While this might decrease incidents, it might also increase them. However, when I go to the beastkin, I will see what I can do to calm them down. It might require communication between the two of you and myself, so I will create Paired Mirrors for us to communicate as well.

    "Continuing that," I say. "I cannot promise that all of the beastkin clans will cease hostilities. Those that don''t will be fair game to you and your soldiers. However, if your soldiers will cease attacking unless attacked, then the beastkin will be more likely to begin peace."

    "Understandable," King Allen looks calmer. "I apologize for my previous assumption."

    "No worries," I tell him. "It is simply something that I, myself, will not be able to do, as they are not my people, and as far as they are aware, Turas rules, not Jozan, and so they would fail to believe me in the first place. Your Majesty?"

    King Harold nods when I turn my gaze to him.

    "I will issue the same order," he says.

    "Thank you," I say. "If all goes well, we can end this war between your nations and the beastkin without too much blood shed, and possibly open up some route of communication or trade, even."

    "I doubt that the-"

    "Sometimes," I say. "One must put aside their differences for the greater good, Your Majesty, and look at the what-ifs. If they turn out to have a resource your people don''t, and you have one they don''t, and both might want or need the other, would you be adverse to opening up trade with them with those items, simply because of a past war?"

    He does not respond to that.

    "You would be a fool not to, correct?" I ask, and he nods. "Sure, you should be hesitant, sure, you should be wary, but it''s possible they would be the same way with you. Mending relations when there''s been nothing but war can take a lot of time. As long as both sides are willing to come to a compromise where both sides win fairly, then things will begin to smooth out. This is much different than mending relations destroyed by another nation usurping their throne."

    The Kings and nobles are silent when I say that.

    "I will rest for a few days," I tell them. "Find out what happened to my trophies from killing the Dragon, make the Paired Mirrors, then head out to the warfront. While I''m here, would you two and whoever else could possess the information please fill me in on stuff I should know, before dealing with the beastkin tribes?"

    The two Kings nod, and a diplomat from another nation informs me that he can offer some information as well.

    "Thank you," I look between them, then back to the two Kings. I slip a hand into my pocket. "There is one last thing, before we move on. As a gesture of goodwill to Trii and Naira, Jozan would also like to offer their Kings a Spatial Ring."

    "The rings," I pull them out of my pocket and hold them out. "Are the same size as the one the King of Isil was given before dinner. As stated, they are nowhere near King Tyler''s ring, nor my own, but I believe that they will work as a gesture of goodwill, to show that Jozan is serious about amending relations with your nations and that we wish to be allies once more."

    The Kings accept the rings from me, then the meeting concludes, and I ask King George if he knows where the remains of the Dragon are.

    His expression reminds me of Bert, when he realizes I''m watching him do something he''s not supposed to.

    Looks like they did something to it. Or with it. I can''t blame them, though the code of combat declare the remains as my property, since I was the one who slayed it, and I was there. I was only a few yards away from it. And they knew I was alive.

    I''m sure they''ll be willing to make up for it.

 Chapter 0074 - Encounters at Fort Aysor

    (Gavin)

    "Whoa," Ryan says in awe as we land. "You''re freaky-cool. You know that, right?"

    "I have no idea what that means."

    "Dude!" He exclaims, waving his arms about. "You can fly!"

    "Eventually," I say. "You will learn to fly as well. First, though, you need to learn the runes."

    My apprentice groans, mostly because he still hasn''t mastered his runes, even though it''s been two weeks since he came into my care. Then again, it typically takes months for a magician to acquire Dekami Runic Language 1, so I suppose a boy who continues to focus on things other than his studies taking more than a couple of weeks should be expected.

    "Where are we?" He looks around.

    "Standing on the southern wall of Fort Aysor," I examine the lightly-wooded hilly expanse stretching out before us. "Those hills begin the beastkin territory."

    I turn to face the trio of soldiers approaching us, weapons drawn.

    "I just flew in," I say. "From high above here. Do you really believe those weapons would be useful against me?"

    "State your name and business!"

    "Gavin Jakran, Duke of Zelar, Archmage of Jozan," I state. "I am here to assist with dealing with the beastkin, and the reason your king sent the orders to cease hostilities with them."

    "As if the beastkin would ever respond to anything other than force!" The soldier scoffs.

    They haven''t ceased hostilities, have they?

    I pull a scroll from my ring.

    "Here is an official document," I hold it out, pulling out another. "Stating that all hostilities are to cease against the beastkin unless they initiate the altercation. It also states that you are not to provoke them or attempt to provoke them in any way.

    "This other one," I hold that one out. "Grants me authority to do with you as I see fit, should you ignore the first. This includes ending your existences. Will you continue to disobey your king?"

    "The beastkin will never give us rest!" He yells. "They-"

    I wave my hand, weaving runes together, and his voice disappears.

    New Skill!

    Silence: Cause target to cease all sounds, no matter how hard they try.

    "You will lead me to the man in charge of this fort," I state. "There will be no resistance."

    Ten minutes later, Ryan and I are standing in a cozy office. Carpeting, tapestries, carvings, and more fill the room. The chairs are thick and no doubt soft and comfortable.

    This is a man who values his position over his duty, which means that I will likely need to put the fear of Nies into him.

    "And I should believe you about Jozan, why?" The commander asks.

    "Other than," I say. "The fact that I am aware you''ve been informed of me and my coming? Or would you like to deny that you have not been communicated with via the Paired Mirror resting on your desk? And will you deny the proof of your own king''s orders I have given you?"

    "The beastkin are-"

    The air turns violet as I leverage my power against everyone in the fort, and Ryan sighs.

    Mana Presence is Now Level 6!

    "Gavin," Ryan looks at me. "You summoned the Violet Dragon, too. Was that really necessary?"

    "It''s about as necessary," I say. "As continuing to resist."

    I turn my gaze to the commander, who flinches.

    "I am here with permission from your king in an attempt to solve the issues between beastkin and humans. Their Majesty desires an end to this war ¨C one that will result in the least amount of lives cost. That is why he has authorized me to kill any soldiers who continue to push the issue of fighting the beastkin.

    "Now," I say. "Will I need to prove to you my might? Or will you shut the hell up and allow me to do what I am here for?"

    "I-I-I-"

    "He''s probably shit himself," Ryan sighs. "Gavin, you can''t just unleash your power upon everyone who pisses you off."

    "I-"

    "You do that, you wipe out half the world," he says. "Can you stop the Mana Presence? You''re not doing it enough to force us to the ground, but it''s kind of stressful."

    I release my Mana Presence, and the soldiers in the room visibly sigh in relief.

    "Thanks," Ryan says. "This body''s made for getting babes, not getting pressured with the Mana of the most powerful mortal in existence."

    "I am grateful," I say. "That you are speaking in your native tongue, and not the one spoken commonly here."

    "Only because I''ve only managed to learn enough of yours to reach Level 2, so I can''t really communicate as fluently."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    I don''t know the full meaning of what he said, but over the last two weeks, I''ve learned enough about him to know it was probably inappropriate.

    I turn my gaze back to the commander.

    "Will we have any issues?"

    "N-n-no!"

    "Will you continue to allow your soldiers to antagonize the beastkin?"

    "N-n-no!"

    "Good," I say. "Give me a briefing on everything you know about the beastkin living in the hills and forest. I want every last detail."

    I want to confirm the information I have, and see if there is anything they left out. Using my ability to detect lies, I will be able to tell if the information they have supplied from here was false. Adding in Telepathy with the intent to only read minds, I will also be able to tell what the truth is, in most cases.

    Most people think the truth momentarily when spouting lies.

    By the time the commander finishes the briefing, I have a decent grasp on the situation here. I glance at Ryan, who''s taken a seat in his boredom, then back to the commander.

    "I flew here from the capital of Isil," I tell him, and he starts in disbelief. "I am requiring a meal, and then my quarters for while I am staying here, so that I may rest some."

    The commander gives the orders, and a soldier leads Ryan and I to the mess hall. We''re given stares by others, but I ignore them. Ryan makes a comment about how it''s all guys here, not a girl in sight.

    Why would there be any? The fort''s purpose is to defend the Kingdom of Trii, not bolster the population. All supplies are brought in from elsewhere as well.

    After our meal completes, Ryan and I are lead to an officer''s suite. It''s needlessly fancy, with two rooms for sleeping, a room for bathing, another for relieving ourselves, and another for meetings, planning, paperwork, and such, the latter of which is the one we entered through, passing by the desk through another door to reach the actual bedroom.

    The beds are massive, the room decorated with expense, and overall, I want to burn it down.

    "You know the General isn''t arriving until tonight," Ryan says as I look around the room. "Why did you arrive before him?"

    "I put the fear of Nies into the fort," I look at my apprentice. "It is not your place to question me, Ryan. It is your place to learn. If the General arrived first, things might be a small bit easier to deal with. However, in the long run, having them aware that I can obliterate them with ease before the General shows up to temper them will work better. Being told is one thing, feeling my power for themselves is an entirely different."

    "Into¡­ the fort?" He asks. "You hit the entire fort with Mana Presence?"

    "Indeed."

    He blinks several times.

    I manifest several papers and some ink and a quill, holding them out. He sighs, then heads into office to work. I walk to the bathing room and wash myself, then lie down to sleep, easily slipping into the world of dreams.

    When I wake, I dress, then locate my apprentice. He''s sleeping in his room, sprawled out on his bed in the nightclothes I had tailored for him.

    I write up two notes for him, setting them on his nightstand, then make my way out of the room and track down the General, who is eating breakfast in the officers'' mess.

    "Good morning, Lord Jakran," he greets me.

    "General Samuel," I dip my head to him, taking a seat. A few moments later, one of the staff is serving me breakfast. "It is good to see you made it safely."

    "You didn''t wait for me to show up," he says.

    "They will be more willing to work with me, now," I state. "I have also acquired some more information regarding the beastkin living in the forest. I intend on making my way out there to greet them after we conclude breakfast. Will you be joining me, as a show of Trii''s support?"

    "Indeed," he answers. "Do you have a solution for the Howls of Terror?"

    Howls of Terror is a Skill that the wolf beastkin use. It sends crippling fear through those who hear it, and the more of wolf beastkin using the Skill, the worse the effects become. Dozens of soldiers a year go crazy from hearing it, unable to ever recover.

    "I do," I hold my hand, pulling two globs of wax from my ring.

    "Putting wax in your ears," he says. "Only lessens the effects, not neutralizes it."

    "I am an Archmage," I say. "These are not ordinary globs of wax. They''re enchanted in a special way that will completely neutralize the effects of the Howls of Terror. You will still be able to hear just fine as well, without any reduction to your hearing."

    I used Arcane to manifest them a few days ago. It seems that such a desire is a large one, though, and was the first thing created using Arcane''s Large Desire Manifestation.

    To be honest, I''m not really surprised it''s considered a large desire to be able to completely cover your ears, neutralizing the effects of sound-based magics while still hearing perfectly fine.

    Took a huge chunk of my Arcane to manifest, too. 637 Arcane required to make the pair of globs.

    I send the wax back into my ring, then resume eating breakfast, Ryan stumbling into the room just as we finish, looking exhausted.

    "I could really use some coffee," he moans.

    That seems to be some sort of dark drink that energizes people, if my understanding of his explanation is correct. I have no idea what it is beyond that, though, so he can deal.

    Well, he can deal anyway. I don''t need him having more energy.

    Though maybe having something to wake him up in the mornings might not be a bad idea. Especially not when he spent most of the night practicing runes.

    "Hello, Ryan," I say. "How did you sleep?"

    "I don''t think I got much," he yawns. "I went through all of the papers last night trying to copy your runes down perfectly. At laaaaaaaaaaast."

    "At last what?"

    "I have Dekami Runic Language," he answers. "The Skill. Is that sudden rush of information normal when acquiring a Skill?"

    "Depends on the Skill," I answer. "Dekami Runic language supplements your ability to memorize and call upon magical runes, which are the foundation of nearly all magics, as well as all magics relying on Mana. Skills for Spells grant you a small amount of knowledge about the spell, as well as assist you in preparing the runes properly when you cast it, among other minor things to assist you."

    "Oh," he says.

    "Then there are Skills," I continue. "Which have no obvious immediate effects as a rush. The Cuteness and Hotness Skills simply amplify the effects of your Charisma when someone finds you cute or hot. You can only have one of the two, with Cuteness typically transforming into Hotness either when you reach a certain age, or if your cuteness fades into hotness.

    "There''s also," I continue. "Skills such as Party Leader. It has no immediate rush of knowledge, but there are still effects it bestows. It can impart a bonus to Leveling to any and all Party Members loyal to you, cause your words to have more sway, and bolster their powers, among other things.

    "In addition to that," I continue. "There are also Skills such as the Expansion Techniques. Utilizing them, one can increase the size of their Resource Pools. Each Expansion Technique can allow up to twenty more into its related Resource.

    "These are just some of the types of Skills," I tell him. "There are several more, though those are the most relevant to you right now."

    Speaking of Expansion Techniques¡­ it might not be a bad idea for me to start using some of the ones in the Grimoires. I might track down my brothers, and see if they have any they''re willing to share with me.

    They probably are.

    "General," I look at the General, who is just finishing eating, himself. "I am going to be leaving for a few hours. We will need to push back our meeting with the beastkin until I return."

    "Very well, then," he says. "May I inquire as to the reason for the delay?"

    "I need to visit my brothers."

    I might be able to acquire something from them that the beastkin will want, considering their knowledge of magics. Considering the beastkin use Aura over Mana, that''s not likely. Perhaps I''ll visit the Chain Monks and see if they have any Aura Expansion Techniques as well.

    I make my way to my room, then focus my powers, channeling the Aether as I focus on my brothers.

    Rift Sense is now Level 7!

    New Skill!

    Rift Creation: The ability to open a Rift to pass through to your target destination. Be forewarned: what lies within the Rift may not be friendly. The higher the Level of this Skill, the more you will be able to control what the Rift passes through and how brief it is.

 Chapter 0075 - Preparations

    (Gavin)

    The moment I''m out of the Rift, I revert back to my human appearance and look around the room I arrived in. It''s my bedroom, from the minimansion I bought forever ago. The room looks exactly as I left it back then.

    After the quick assessment of my room and hearing an argument going on downstairs, I make my way to the source of the commotion. Eli and Dylan are arguing over a runic theory.

    I sit down and wait for them to realize I''m here. It takes them eleven minutes.

    "Gavin!" Eli notices me, then starts. "Why are you shirtless?"

    "Because wearing a tunic would result in its destruction," I stand, my brothers looking thoroughly confused. "I Advanced to the next Tier of Human, and it included the addition of wings. Passing through a Rift causes my wings to manifest themselves, and I have to actively conceal them. Since I''ll be returning through a Rift again shortly, it would be a bother to put a tunic on just for the time I''m spending here."

    "I feel inadequate," Eli tells Dylan.

    "About what?" I ask.

    "Uh¡­ that," he gestures to me. "We''re identical twins, yet you''re clearly the superior in terms of looks. I wish I had a body with that much muscle on me."

    Ah. The typical thing where men like having muscles, and feel inadequate around others with more than them. I suppose us being identical twins affects him worse.

    "I have over eight hundred STR," I state. "And am fairly active with my body. In addition, I have have six hundred CHA, which only accents the appearances of my body''s perception. If you can find a Natural Rift to pass through, as well as start working your Dekami Bloodline, then you will be able to reach this. However, it would also require you to exercise your physical muscles, and not just your magical ones, and have a high determination to get stronger and work towards a goal.

    "Now," I look between my brothers. "I was wondering if you two had any Mana Expansion Techniques or other Expansion Techniques that you would be willing to write down the methods for. In addition to that, I have taken on an apprentice, another Wizard. This is his first time encountering magic.

    "Due to that," I say. "I am requesting that you two write up a tome on the basics to magic. I will return anywhere from three to six months from now to collect it. He''ll be a bit past the very beginning by then, but I''m sure the later portions of it will be useful in his education. In addition to that, it would be good to know what tips you two have for learning magic. It will be a good step in the direction of-"

    "The Order''s mission of education of all sorts," Dylan nods, walking over to a bookshelf. "Eli and I already thought of that. You said he''s a Wizard? So that would be magic based in Mana. Basics, basics, basics. Here we are."

    He pulls a tome off the shelf and walks over to me, holding it out.

    "This is a tome we titled ''Introduction to the Magic of Mana''," he informs me. "We have two copies of it, aside from this one, as well as the original."

    "Can I see your wings?" Eli asks, and I stare at him. "Please?"

    I manifest my wings, stretching them out. It feels good to have them out and stretched. I may have spent longer in the Rift than I should have to stretch them and fly around, but since time doesn''t pass while I''m in there, it''s not really a problem.

    That, and it allowed me to kill a shitload of monsters, which boosted my Level quite a lot. Three hours in the Rift allowed me to gain two Levels to Ascended Human, putting me up to Level 10.

    There were a lot of monsters, and Ascended Human benefits from butchering. The more I''m butchering at a time, the bigger the boost. So the more I slayed, the faster I gained Experience.

    If I were an Ascended Human when I was killing those Elves¡­ I''d probably have been able to go from Level 1 and 0 Experience to able to take on the Advancement Quest by the time I finished it.

    That was a fun war. It''s a shame I didn''t have my wings back then, I could probably have dealt with it faster if I relied on my flight magics through my wings than through manipulating the air to fly around.

    I shift my wings for a moment, then release them, returning to my more human appearance. I hold out my hand, and Dylan stares at me for a moment before realizing that he''d dropped his down to his side, the tome still gripped in his hand.

    My brother holds the tome back out to me, and I send it into my ring.

    "Thank you," I say. "How are things going for the Order here?"

    "Well," he answers, looking around. "We''ve been collecting information about magic ¨C what we can, anyway ¨C and compiling it into these tomes here. We haven''t written down any of the Expansion Techniques we know, though if you give us about an hour, we can write them down."

    "Alright," I say. "While you''re doing that, I''m stopping elsewhere to see if they have any as well. It''s a place of Aura users, and what I''m looking for are primarily Aura Expansion Techniques, though any and all would be appreciated. Also, please inform your students that I''m not the bogeyman."

    With that, I draw a finger through the air, opening another Rift and stepping through it. Hearing the whispering coming from the other room was bothering me a little, and I don''t think the students were aware that I was the brother of their mentors.

    This Rift is a strange one, a swirling mass of colors and darkness, though no monsters or civilization this time. I fly straight ahead, focusing on something that was, at first, simply at the edge of my perception.

    As I fly, it becomes clearer and clearer, turning out to be exactly what I expected: the other end of the Rift I opened. I fly through the Rift, touching down inside the shrine I built to Nies as Marty and releasing my wings.

    Three Adventurers were kneeling in front of the altar when I arrived, and they''re now staring at me in both awe and fear.

    "Relax," I tell them. "I am Gavin Jakran, Blessed of Nies. I use an unconventional method of traveling."

    A very unconventional method of traveling.

    Nies?

    The looks on their faces were amusing. Do it again.

    Will you allow me to channel a small portion of your power so that I can grant them luck on their Quest?

    That''s so much effort, though.

    You''re squeezing a tiger again, aren''t you?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    They''re durable enough to withstand my puny strength.

    May I? These three are powerful Adventurers, judging by their appearances, ages, Classes, and Levels. If they are praying to you for luck, they probably need it.

    I was going to give them a small boost. They gave me good sweetcakes. They''re delicious.

    A quick glance at the altar reveals it to be empty.

    You''re eating them now?

    Yeah, he sounds like he''s talking to me with his mouth full.

    Even though this is telepathic communication.

    Sure, I''ll let you. Though it''s really Marty who should be doing it, as he''s my Paladin, not you.

    Oh, hush.

    He huffs, then I feel the flowing of his Divine Energies coursing through my body.

    "By the power of Nies," I place a hand on the head of the closest man, and he flinches. "I bid you good luck on your journey."

    A crimson glow flows from me, then into him, fading after several seconds. I repeat the blessing with the other two, then Nies''s power fades from me.

    Thank you, Nies.

    You owe me one.

    I built you a shrine.

    That won''t work forever, he gives his usual response.

    I smile, turning and leaving, making my way into town, then to the temple. It takes me much longer than it should have, because the people who lived here before I left recognize me as the Blessed of Nies and want to ask how things have been and for my blessing.

    It really is the Paladin''s job to do the blessings, not the Hero''s. Our job is to, well, deal with other shit.

    I do manage to reach the temple, though, and once inside, I track down my old Sensei. He stares at me for a few moments.

    "Gavin, Hero of Nies?" He questions.

    Oh, right. He knows me as Marty. I''m in my True Form.

    "Yes," I say. "I was wondering if there were Aura Expansion Techniques ¨C that is, a way to increase the size of your Aura Pool by applying runes to them, or some other method similar to that."

    "There is," he nods. "Follow me."

    He leads me to the library within the temple, then looks through several sections before pulling out a slender tome.

    "We know of twenty-three different methods," he shows me the tome. "However, it requires a knowledge of the Dekami Runic Language, at at least Level 3, in order to perform."

    "Mine is at Level 7," I state, and he starts. "I believe I''m nearing Level 8."

    "As to be expected," he collects himself. "Of the Hero of Nies. Do you know how Marty fares?"

    "Quite well," I answer. "He''s about to encounter a number of¡­ people you probably know not the meaning of. They are heavy with the usage of aura, though do have a number of magical abilities as well. May I copy down the techniques? They will assist both of us greatly."

    Especially Marty, as he has a harder time acquiring more Aura than I do. If I somehow manage to up my Formshift Skill a few more Levels, I''ll be able to apply my Bloodline bonus to it. Unfortunately, I doubt I will manage to reach that in the near future, and if Nahor is to be believed¡­ that means never.

    Sensei allows me to, so I spend the next ten minutes hastily copying everything down. My PER and AGI are high enough to allow me to move hastily, but still write and draw meticulously, essentially allowing me to create a second, nearly-identical set of notes.

    "Thank you," I use my magic to dry the ink, then send everything into my ring. "Good luck, Sensei."

    "Good luck, Hero Gavin," he gives me a bow.

    I return the bow, then make my way back to the shrine and open another Rift, passing through it quickly while ignoring the odd monsters within it. They are creepy, and I don''t like them.

    How did Dylan and Eli even make it through so many Rifts?

    I reach them in no time at all ¨C quite literally for my brothers ¨C and step out of the Rift, reverting back to my human appearance before heading downstairs, where they are arguing over their runic theory again.

    I sigh, waiting for them to finish. There''s a woman around seventeen or eighteen sitting in one corner, studying a tome intensely, and it takes her about three minutes to notice me sitting down, despite my powerful aura. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and her face reddens.

    Then she looks at my brothers, who are still arguing about the tome. A few minutes later, a boy around fourteen enters the room, carrying two jars of regents, stopping when he sees me. He looks between Eli and myself, then widens his eyes, his mouth forming an ''O''.

    As he drops the jars. I gesture with my hand, the jars stopping before the hit the floor due to my application of Air Manipulation.

    "Careful," I say. "Don''t want to waste resources."

    My brothers look at me.

    "You''re back!" Dylan exclaims, then runs off into another room.

    "O...kay?"

    "He went to fetch the papers," Eli informs me.

    That explains it.

    "Okay," I say. "You were arguing about that before as well. What is it?"

    "Oh, right," he says. "We''re theorizing that there''s at least one more runic language out there. At least, that we mortals can use and understand."

    "Why are you two theorizing over this?"

    "He is theorizing this," Dylan returns to the room. "There is no evidence of such a thing existing, and in all worlds, realms, planes, Rifts, and whatever that we''ve been to or through, they all used the Dekami Runic Language."

    "I really do believe there''s another Runic Language out there," Eli tells me.

    "Why?" I ask as I accept the papers from Dylan, sending them into my ring.

    "Because," he walks over to a shelf, pulling out a thick tome. "Of these."

    He sets the tome down on the table and starts flipping through it, showing me spell after spell, enchantment after enchantment.

    "This is," he says. "A compilation of all of the spells, enchantments, and other things that use runes that I believe may be from another Runic Language. In other words: literally every spell, enchantment, and other shit that use runes. Period.

    "Each of these spells," he continues. "Become noticeably improved when replacing the noted runes with ones that I believe are from the Dekami Runic Language and that work for the same purpose those runes are supposedly there for. They''re also runes that no amount of research has yielded unto us the knowledge of. In addition, I cannot figure out how to work them into spells together, despite knowing what they''re supposed to do in the spells they''re for."

    He walks over to a shelf and pulls out another tome, from beside the one the first one rested, then pulls a tome from the other side, setting them both down on the table.

    "This one," he opens up the first tome, flipping through its pages. "Consists of all of those magics, but with the runes replaced. The spells become far more stable when used with this version than with that one, yet all I''m doing is swapping out the unknowns for knowns that perform the supposed function of the unknowns. In addition to that, they''re easier to use, have shorter cooldowns and lower Resource costs, and I actually managed to Level several of them or obtain them easily, compared to what is the norm.

    "This one," he opens up the other tome, which is much slimmer than the two spellbooks. "Contains all of the unknown runes, as well what they supposedly mean. The reason I believe that there might be more than one is because, of the one hundred, eighty-six different runes, I have found three that supposedly mean the same thing as another, meaning there might be a third runic language, in addition to this one."

    "And I''m telling him," Dylan closes the spellbooks. "That he''s overthinking things. Odds are, these are just advanced Dekami Runes that are far beyond the understanding of our current Dekami Runic Level. We receive the same headaches from reading them for too long as we do any other runes that are too advanced for us to understand."

    "Yet their design is different," Eli looks at his brother. "Subtle differences in the design of the runes indicate they might be from a different language ¨C or character set ¨C altogether."

    "Or they could just be some moron who didn''t know how to do the runes properly," Dylan says. "Fucked it up, and then the runes spread. It''s a completely viable excuse. Hell ¨C it could''ve been the Dekami themselves screwing with things so that ''mere mortals'', in their eyes, don''t get too powerful."

    "Eli," I say. "Do you mind if I take the tome with the runes? Or is it your only copy?"

    "You can have it," he tells me. "It could do me some good to write them down again. If they are another language, it''d benefit me heavily in acquiring the Skill for it."

    "Which there isn''t," Dylan says. "Because there aren''t other Dekami Runic Languages. That bastard would''ve talked about it before if there were, and you know he''d know. The whole damn order would''ve known about any other Runic Languages that existed."

    I flick my wrist, the jars I was supporting with my magic floating up to the apprentice, who accepts them and thanks me. Then, I look at the female student sitting in the corner.

    All of their apprentices are youth, judging by the sounds of the people in here right now and who were in here before. Somewhat understandable, as it can be easier to teach someone younger than you than it is to teach someone older.

    Older people often don''t like younger people telling them what to do.

    This will be useful to remember, for when we''re ready to build our headquarters. We''ll have to be extremely selective of which adults join us at first, to ensure things go a bit more smoothly, as much as I''d rather just let people in from the start.

 Chapter 0076 - Beginning Negotiations

    (Gavin)

    Samuel looks at me, stopping when he realizes I had. He has the wax covering his ears, though asked why I didn''t put some in mine. The answer to that is that I highly doubt the Howls of Terror could affect me. They''re based in magic, meaning that my INT gives me a large protection, and they also utilize a form of mental magic, which I have a Resistance Skill for that''s still at only Level 1.

    Howls of Terror might bring it up to a fair bit higher.

    The reason I stopped my progress into the wooded hills is because I could sense the beastkin gathering around us, though they''re remaining a fair distance away. Far enough that the General wouldn''t notice them with his measly PER, but mine''s exceptional enough that I can spot them clearly, making out every detail of their bodies quite well, despite the shade from the trees and the distance.

    They have grey fur of varying shades, streaked across them to give them a sort of camouflage. Though they have human bodies, the fur covers them entirely. They walk on their toes, like wolves do, and have thick, bushy tails. In addition to that, each one has a pair of triangular ears atop their heads, much like Michael. The beastkin also posses fangs, though they''re only visible when their mouths are open.

    Each of the forty-six beastkin I can see have lithe, muscular bodies. They all also have decent Levels ¨C not a single one of them is under Level 15, meaning that they all might have a secondary Class. The highest of their Levels is Level 23.

    That one has a larger frame than the others, as well as a far more menacing air about him than the rest. He also has a number of scars covering his body, telling of a life of war and hardship. His eyes are a deep blue, instead of the amber or gold of the rest of the packs'' eyes. His Aura and Mana Pools are also much larger than the others''.

    Nothing for me to worry about, though. General Samuel looks nervous, and is practically radiating it as well. They will definitely notice that, and probably already have.

    As expected, a few moments after we stop moving, the Howls begin. It starts with the leader, the Alpha Wolf Beaskin, then quickly spreads to the others, who all begin to howl as well.

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 2!

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 3!

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 4!

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 5!

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 6!

    That was¡­ after only two seconds of the Howls of Terror, which has been known to last for a full minute against particularly tough people. I barely had time to register that there was a slight effect on my mentality before it was gone.

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 7!

    General Samuel relaxes beside me, realizing that the effects of the Howls of Terror are not affecting him. Sometimes, one must experience the power for themselves to believe it possible.

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 8!

    How long will they go, before realizing that we are unaffected and will not succumb to their Howls? Before they realize that we are not like the others they have faced?

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 9!

    Probably awhile. Best to remain as stoic in expression as possible, like the General has begun to do. That, or I could just smile. I''ll do that. Clasp my hands behind me and smile.

    Mental Resistance is Now Level 10!

    I turn my gaze to the Alpha Wolf Beastkin as soon as I receive that notification, and he falters for a moment.

    "Hello!" I call out using Magic Voice to ensure he hears me clearly. The Howls around me falter, stopping within a few seconds. "I am Gavin Jakran, Duke of Zelar, Archmage of Jozan! General Samuel du Drei of Trii has accompanied me here as I am from Jozan, and not a nation near yours! May we speak?"

    Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 7!

    That one just jumped past Level 6, didn''t it? Does the Alpha Wolf Beastkin have Level 6 Appraisal, then?

    "Thank you!" I call out. "For your attempt to have me Appraised, Wendell Greytail! I swear on the blood in my veins and my status as the Hero of Nies, the God and Origin of Blood Oaths, that I am not here to fight!"

    My body glows with Nies''s crimson Divine Power for a few moments.

    "Would you kindly come closer so we can speak without needing to rely on my verbal magic and high perception?"

    Wendell Greytail, the Alpha Wolf Beastkin, hesitates, then approaches, two of the nearest beastkin following close behind.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "Why have you come, human?" Greytail sneers.

    "A human can''t go for a leisurely stroll through some woods?" I ask, and he glares at me. "General."

    "I would like to apologize," General Samuel steps forward, and Greytail snaps his gaze to him. "For the actions of my men. They were under orders to not attack unless provoked, as of thirteen days ago, yet it is my understanding that they violated these orders and actively antagonized your people. Demerits and punishments have been given unto them, and soldiers more willing to listen to their superiors are on their way to the fort as we speak to take over their duties."

    "Why would Trii give such an order?" Greytail growls, showing his fangs a little.

    "Easy, there," I say. "We are simply chatting, there is no need to get hostile."

    "Maybe I should teach you-"

    "Calm yourself, Greytail," I warn. "Before I descend unto you a world of hurt like you''ve never known. I don''t intend on fighting you, but if you grow violent, I will show unto you the power of Jozan. The General is apologizing to you, and you remain hostile. He wishes to seek peace, and you remain hostile. If you would like proof that we could have wiped out every last one of you, I will gladly give it to you."

    "As if a mere human could take me on!" Greytail laughs, though I can tell he''s unnerved, likely affected by my aura as a Tier II Species.

    I remove my cloak, my tunic, and my boots, the wolf beastkin looking at me in confusion. To them, it appeared as if they simply vanished, due to my speed.

    "Come at me with all of your might," I tell him. "If you can kill me, then Trii will surrender to you and yours."

    "No we-"

    "If he can slay me," I look at the General. "Then it is clear that he and his are capable of wiping your people out with ease."

    I turn my gaze back to Greytail, the General silenced. After several moments of thought, Greytail takes several steps back, then begins to glow with Aura, cloaking himself in it and forming claws of Aura on his hands and feet.

    He charges at me on all-fours, pouncing at the last moment and slicing at my exposed chest with his claws. He performs a number of attacks, hitting my body over sixty times before stepping back, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily.

    "Without¡­ a trace of Aura or magic to defend yourself?" He asks, half to himself, half in amazement, and entirely in disbelief.

    "I am no mere Human," I state. "I am the Archmage of Jozan and Hero of Nies, God and Origin of Adventures themselves. Had I wanted to harm you¡­"

    I surround the area around me with a gravity field in the form of a dome over the ground.

    The beastkin are forced to their knees, the Alpha Wolf Beastkin struggling to stay standing as all of the others are forced down by my power.

    "As you can tell," I say, dressing myself once more, then stepping over to the Alpha Wolf Beastkin, who falls as he attempts to step back. "The gravity field does not bother me in the slightest, yet it''s forcing even the General there to his knees, and you are barely able to withstand its force through your sheer strength alone.

    "Now," I disperse the gravity field. "We can continue to flaunt our powers against each other, and you can continue to fail to intimidate me, or we can discuss things like reasonable people. Trii is seeking an end to the war, and I am sure that you are as well. It costs lives and resources on both sides, and only morons would want to continue to waste both of those. So are you a moron, Greytail? Or are you intelligent and reasonable past the primal side?"

    Greytail stares at me for several long moments.

    "If you truly are as powerful as you claim," he growls low. "Then you must slay the Wyverns living in the mountains to the south. Only then, we talk. Prove your might."

    Must I really prove my might to such an inferior being?

    "Very well, then," I manipulate the air around the five of us, lifting us into the sky. "Direct me there."

    The beastkin seem startled at the sudden change in altitude, but I ignore it and follow Greytail''s directions, once he collects himself. He leads me to a region of the mountains where the wyverns live.

    Fifty wyverns live within these caverns, thirty of which are flying around now. Six of the wyverns come at me.

    "Icebolt Chain," I snap my fingers, firing off an Icebolt.

    It slams into the first one, passing clean through before snapping into the next-nearest. In under ten seconds, all six of the incoming monsters are falling to the ground, their bodies freezing as they do. When they hit the mountainside, they shatter into tens of thousands of shards.

    Icebolt Chain is Now Level 9!

    "Airbolt Chain," I snap my fingers, an Airbolt blasting forth and slamming into another wyvern, the beast exploding in a shower of blood, bone, and guts.

    Then, the Airbolt snaps towards several more, raining death and destruction upon others. I slay six with that one before canceling the spell.

    Airbolt Chain is Now Level 9!

    "Lightningbolt Chain," I snap my fingers, a bolt of lightning flashing forth.

    This one dances from wyvern to wyvern, cooking them and exploding them, killing twenty in total before ending.

    Lightningbolt Chain (II) is Now Level 2!

    The rest of the Wyverns fly out of the caves and towards me, shrieking as they do so. The beastkin cringe from the calls, though I recognize it as the sounds they make when summoning a Scaled Wyvern.

    This one emerges from deep within a cave, and easily stands forty feet in height, its metallic scales a mix of grey and crimson, unlike the ordinary grey scales of regular wyverns. Spikes run from its head down its back to the tip of its spade-shaped tail, a crimson horn protruding from the top of its head.

    Is it related to Bert? Because it looks a bit like Bert.

    "Oi!" I yell in Shatus. "Do you know Bert?"

    The Wyverns stop moving for a moment, clearly surprised by a person speaking their language. The beastkin and Human are both confused as well. The Scaled Wyvern flies towards me, the others forming a fight pattern behind it. They don''t have magic of their own, but they''re still dangerous bastards due to their resistant scales.

    The one I fought in the Tower Dungeon was much weaker than Bart.

    I can handle him.

    "Who taught you to speak in our tongue?" Bart snarls, the beastkin covering their ears from his screeches. "I know that my brother would never have done such a¡­ Bert? You!"

    "So he''s your brother?" I ask.

    "YOU!"

    "What about me?"

    "You are Gavin Jakran, aren''t you?"

    "Maybe. Who are you?"

    "Do not play games with me, Human!" He yells, the beastkin flinching, visibly shaken by his yells. "My brother has told me about how much of an irritant you are! He never mentioned you knew magic!"

    "Hi, I''m Gavin, I use magic and am the Archmage of Jozan. I am also an Ascended Human capable of removing your head simply by raising my hand."

    I raise my hand, summoning a Void around Bart''s head. The rest of his body drops to the ground a moment later, and I release the Void, then look at the other wyverns, which are staring at the corpse of their leader.

    Then¡­ they go into a frenzy, screeching loudly and flying around randomly. Several fly towards me.

    "Lightningbolt Chain."

    Lightning Bolt Chain (II) is Now Level 3!

    "Spear of Frozen Lightning," I perform the cast, a violet spear of lightning-filled and sparking ice forming in the air above me.

    This spear is over thirty feet in length and a foot in thickness, the ''blade'' two feet at its widest, tapering down to a fine point. An arc of lightning runs down the length of the blade, then I fire the spell.

    It strikes my target square in the back as it tries to flee. I aimed for the wyvern closest to the center of the group, and after the spell hits, lightning explodes outward, turning to ice, as well as anything it touches, everything between the bolts of frozen lightning turning to ice as well.

    My magic continues to spark and crackle, filling the area and traveling into the caverns, though once the spell fades, the lightning remains within the ice, as usual.

    +500 Ascended Human Experience!

    Ascended Human is Now Level 13!

    +5 to All Attributes!

    Interesting. Was killing Bart the reason I acquired so much Experience? I didn''t think I''d gain that much Experience from something like this, though I did expect to gain quite a bit.

    "So," I turn my gaze to the Alpha Wolf Beastkin. "Are there anymore wyverns you''d like me to deal with?"

    "¡­no."

 Chapter 0077 - Meeting with Alpha Beastkin

    (Gavin)

    After recovering from his shock at my power, Greytail directed me to the hill through which we can access their underground society. We also talk a little, mostly to satisfy my curiosity about a few things.

    His people don''t have mines, so they rely upon whatever materials they acquire from others, and do not have forges themselves. None of the beastkin tribes in the area he knows of do, and his tribes are merged with the bear beastkin tribes, sharing territory and underground caverns.

    They also don''t have clothes. Apparently, even suggesting they wear them is offensive to his people, though I explained that I had come across a similar type of people before who did wear clothes.

    He took great interest in beastborn, and was thoroughly confused by the ''humans with some animal traits''. That''s¡­ honestly the best explanation for them. They''re basically just humans with some animal traits, as well as the nerf to Experience and shit.

    At least he forgave me for the insult, realizing I was being honest in not knowing it was insulting to suggest that beastkin wear clothes. To them, it is shameful to hide one''s body.

    As we pass through the tunnels and caverns, I notice that we only pass male beastkin of varying ages ¨C no females. They probably keep them elsewhere, just in case.

    Greytail stops as I''m examining the tiny tails of the bear beastkin we''re passing by while wondering what that familiar smell is, then slowly turns and faces me, frowning.

    "What''s your CHA?"

    "685."

    He blanches for a moment, then frowns.

    "I''ve never heard of anyone having such a CHA before."

    I show him my Status, and he blanches further, then stutters for a few moments before collecting himself. This is probably the first time I''ve shown anyone my Status in a long while.

    "How did you acquire such high Stats?" He asks.

    "Three things," I answer. "The first, as you''ll have noticed, is my first Primary Class. It provides a bonus to all Stats currently available, hidden or not, as long as they are not locked. It is also at Tier IV, and has provided a bonus every Level from the start. Then there is the thing called ''Bloodline'' you''ll have noted. It provides a bonus of 25 to All Possible Stats each Level."

    "And you have Advanced your Species to Tier II," he says, gaining us the eyes and ears of every person within range. "I have never heard of such a thing happening before. The only difference I see between you and other Humans are your eyes, and this feeling of¡­ what magic are you using to give me this feeling of inferiority to you? Is it your CHA?"

    "It''s my Species," I casually remove my robe and tunic, folding them over one arm. "According to the Divine, that feeling is natural, when faced with someone of a higher Tier of Species than you. And my eyes actually have nothing to do with my Species, but something else. My Species has afforded me something else, which I have the capability of ''hiding''."

    I manifest my wings, which have to remain partially-folded in order to fit within the cavern we''re within.

    "It also increases," I say. "The base for all of my abilities beyond that of a normal Human''s, so one with the exact same Stats as myself would be weaker."

    I release my wings, then pull my tunic and robe back on.

    "I assure you, however," I say. "That my only reason for using any of this power would be if you showed hostility while we are attempting peace. Consider me a third party with minimal interest in ending the war. I am here to keep the peace and act as a sort of mediator."

    "No wonder the Howls didn''t work," he mutters.

    "I have Mental Resistance Level 10," I state. "Mind magic would have next-to-no effect on me even without my Stats and Tier II Species."

    "You''re¡­ a Tier II Human?" General Samuel asks.

    Greytail looks between us, then twitches his lips in a smile before resuming his stiff expression.

    "Your own ally wasn''t aware of this?"

    "He is from Trii," I state. "I am from Jozan. I am here to see if there is a way your peoples can find peace. I didn''t find it necessary to inform him of my higher status, and nor did I find it relevant to the situation. Shall we continue?"

    Greytail''s lips twitch once more, then he leads us into another cavern, passing through another room, then I stop and turn, facing the Alpha Wolf Beastkin.

    "Is that salt I''m smelling?" I ask. "I wasn''t aware we were near the ocean. Though it doesn''t smell like the permeated air ocean salt I''ve smelled before."

    Greytail stares at me for several moments, then shakes his head.

    "The Snake Beastkin tribes to the east harvest salt from underground," he informs me. "As well as from the ocean to their south."

    "Salt?" The General asks. "Your people harvest it?"

    It''s a rare and expensive mineral used for preserving meats, though it can also be used to season foods. However, due to its rarity and cost, it''s only used for preserving meats here. It''s been used elsewhere a bit more commonly, though.

    In other regions of the world. It still isn''t too common, but preserved meats are more common for travelers out there.

    "Likely through the mining process," I say. "Commonly used in Shelri, to the northeast. They also likely use solar evaporation."

    "What is solar evaporation?"

    "Evaporating water in shallow ponds," I say. "Leaving behind just the salt. It''s a bit more complicated than that simple process, but that''s how it was explained to me."

    "Indeed," Greytail nods, his tail flicking a little. "You have come across it before?"

    "Elsewhere," I nod.

    "Elsewhere?" He asks. "I''ve known only of the Snake Beastkin who utilize it."

    "You know of how the world is a sort of loop?" I ask. "One that causes you to circle around the continent?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Yes."

    "That isn''t the whole world," I state. "But simply part of it. We live within one of our world''s many regions, believing this to be the whole world. Each region believes them to be the whole world. There are ways to travel between them. There are powerful barriers separating them. Eventually, they will be taken down.

    "That is neither here nor there, though," I say. "I have traveled to several regions of the world, and heard of the method of solar evaporation in one of them, during my time studying under some masters of Aura."

    "You can wield Aura?" Greytail asks, then frowns. "Right. That was in your Status. I''ve never heard of an ARA so high before."

    "As a gesture of goodwill from Jozan," I say. "I would be happy to grant you several Aura Expansion Techniques. However, they do require some basic understanding of Dekami Runic Language. As long as you know the runes and how to apply them properly, you will be able to increase your Aura Pool through the methods."

    "By up to twenty points apiece," he nods. "We have knowledge of four."

    "I can double that for you," I state. "And again, this is as a gesture of goodwill from Jozan. Do not allow it to affect your discussions with Trii, as it is unrelated."

    He nods, then continues leading us to the chamber that was our destination the entire time. There are several pieces of furniture, all made of wood, no cushioning at all. Several guards stand nearby, though Greytail tells them after several minutes of discussions that there is no need for them.

    They don''t want to leave, but they do.

    Around twenty minutes after the guards leave, a female wolf beastkin enters with a tray of drinks with a bitter smell to them. It is a deep, dark brown, almost black, liquid that is steaming hot.

    Is this¡­?

    She serves it to us, and I take a sip of it. Far too bitter for my taste, though Greytail drinks it without issue. The General is hesitant, though I assure him that there are no toxins in it, if that''s what he''s nervous of.

    Greytail is obviously irked at the suggestion.

    Please remember, I think into his mind, and he stiffens. That you have been at war with his people for a long time. His mind naturally went to the thought that perhaps you would poison him after getting him comfortable. It is a long-standing war tactic, poisoning your enemies.

    "What is this drink?" The General picks up his mug. They''re made of ceramic, not metal. "I have never seen such a thing before, nor heard of one."

    "We call it ''coffee''," Greytail answers.

    "It is good," I say. "For when you are tired, though there are those who drink it at any time of the day. An excellent drink for when you have a long night ahead of you for paperwork, General. I believe it is something that nobles of all nations might desire for those long parties. I have also heard that it is excellent for dealing with a hangover, though the one who told me that has never experienced either."

    "You have had coffee before?" Greytail asks.

    "Never," I answer.

    "You failed to react when you tasted it," he says. "How high is your Acting Skill?"

    "Level 10."

    He thinks for several moments.

    "I know someone who comes from an area where coffee was common," I say. "He informed me of the existence of coffee. Only with my Language Skills allowing for translation of words into my native tongue was I even aware that you were referring to the same item, though I suspected when I tasted it. To reduce the bitterness of the coffee, some people would add sugar, milk, or honey to it.

    "While Trii does have several farms where animals are miked," I say. "Naira possesses both sugar and honey. In addition, the scent of alcohol has not entered my nose at least once. Trii is famous for several of its brews and wines.

    "This, right here," I say. "Are different things at least three tribes of beastkin could trade with two Human kingdoms. In addition, the Human nations could also trade various supplies to your people."

    "Such as?" Greytail asks.

    "Are you aware," I say. "That drinking from stone increases the odds of sickness? The stone cannot be properly cleaned, after all. Not without magic. Using metal or glass cups would decrease the amount of your people who grow sick from simply having a drink. If you would prefer more comfortable seating arrangements, you could trade for cushions for your seats ¨C or even seats that have them built into them.

    "Of course," I say. "Since your people have been at war with the Human Kingdoms for so long, people would be suspicious of consumables on both sides. The Human people would likely demand some sort of payment from you as proof that you bear no ill intent towards them.

    "That is stupid and foolish," I say. "As they are just to blame for the war as you are. If the two of you settle for simply peace, then that is well. If you would settle for trades of some sort, then that is well as well. My only interest here is seeing if peace is feasible. Whether or not it is will be up to the leaders of the beastkin tribes and the representatives of the Human kingdoms.

    "And so," I say. "If you would kindly inform the four beastkin hiding behind the false wall that they may listen to us and actually participate, then I believe we can begin, yes?"

    Greytail twitches his ears for a moment.

    "You are perceptive."

    "You''ve seen my Stats."

    "Indeed, I have," his lips twitch into a smile for a moment, then return to his moody expression.

    He''s definitely more in-tune with his animal side than Michael was, and yet¡­ the beastkin aren''t that much different. In fact, I''d say there''s really just a physical difference between the two sides, though that''s yet to be seen as being wholly true.

    "Enter."

    The wall behind Greytail swings open, startling the General. An Alpha Wolf Beastkin walks out, along with two Alpha Bear Beastkin. The fourth one is an Alpha Tiger Beastkin.

    He has white fur on his chest and face, the rest of his body covered in orange fur with black stripes. Unlike the others, his face more closely resembles his animal species, protruding out a bit more like a tiger''s than a human''s. He has a pair of triangular ears atop his head, just like a tiger''s, and a long, slim tail, striped as well.

    The General stares at the Tiger Beastkin, and I remember that tigers¡­ aren''t exactly a common thing. Or known. I noticed some jungles to the southwest as we flew to the mountains¡­ is he from those tribes?

    "I wasn''t aware there were Tiger Beastkin in the area," I say. "I was wondering if there were only bears and wolves here."

    "It has been a long time," the Alpha Tiger Beastkin, Grazin Flametail, says. "Since my people have come anywhere close enough to interact with Humans. How do you know of tigers?"

    Nies? I check to see if my patron is paying attention. Would you mind sending me one of your tigers?

    No.

    No, you don''t mind?

    Too lazy.

    There are Tiger Beastkin here.

    "Seriously?" Nies appears next to me. "OH, MY GOODNESS! THERE ARE!"

    He''s riding a tiger. As usual.

    "Flametail," I say. "Allow my to introduce my patron Divine Being, Nies, the Origin of Adventures. He has a fascination with big cats, especially tigers, as you can see."

    "Can I ride you?" Nies asks, and the Tiger Beastkin looks horrified.

    "He''s a person, not a mount," I say. "You''re a Divine Being, Nies. Will you act like it for once?"

    "Want me to Smite you?"

    "The personwho net you millions of followers and made the first shrine to you in thousands of years?"

    "That won''t work forever."

    Keep telling yourself that.

    He probably will.

    "I can sense him," Nies scans the room. "I KNOW THAT''S YOU, NAHOR! TWIST TOLD ME!"

    "My apologies," I say to the startled beastkin and General. "Nies¡­ is a bit more childish than most Divine Beings. Don''t be fooled, however, as he''s the second-eldest in existence. He could wipe out this entire world with a flex of his Divine fingers ¨C and accidentally, too. Nies, you''re drooling."

    "I wanna ride the kitty."

    "Will you act your age?" I ask. "And you''re already riding one."

    Nies looks down at his mount.

    "Yeah," he looks at me, snuggling into the fur. "He''s so warm and cozy. I invented tigers, you know."

    "To impress Ultarna," I say. "Yes, I''m aware. How is your newest girlfriend?"

    "Pregnant," he sighs. "We''re expecting another boy sometime in the next¡­ sometime. Divine pregnancies are weird. Her hiccups are cute, too."

    He sighs again, a happy look on his face.

    "I was asking him to send one of his Sacred Tigers here," I look at Flametail. "And as soon as I said there was a Tiger Beastkin, he showed up. Being a God of Chaos means he''s a bit¡­ unpredictable. Though in hindsight, I probably should''ve expected that.

    "Anyway," I say. "Nies here created tigers himself, and they''re his Sacred Animal. One of them, anyway. So while we may not have seen them, considering what we''d have to go through to get to your region, I''m aware of them because of Nies.

    "Speaking of whom," I look at my patron. "How does your son feel about getting another brother?"

    "Ugh," he sighs, vanishing, alongside his tigers.

    "So," I look at the Alpha Tiger Beastkin. "Was this the first time you''ve ever encountered a Descended Divine Being? If so, what are your thoughts?"

 Chapter 0078 - Gavins Fury

    (Gavin)

    The wolf beastkin and bear beastkin in this particular region are not particularly interested in stopping the war they have against Naira. Every other tribe was able to come to a peaceful resolution, though there were a couple of forts of the Human side that weren''t happy with it, but were asked kindly to comply.

    They''re complying. For now.

    After two months, I''ve finally made it to the edge of the beastkin territories, and they''re perfectly happy waging war on their human neighbors on both sides that human territories touch, waging war against three different nations.

    They are complete and utter morons. If the three nations actually bothered to work together and put effort into snuffing them out, this specific region would cease to house any beastborn of any kind.

    Or maybe that''s me overestimating their power.

    Either way, their constant attempts on my life are starting to piss me off, and even Ryan''s annoyed to the point that he can''t concentrate on his studies. It''s not like he''s actually learned a spell yet or anything, but still.

    I am about damn ready to hit this place with a Shroud of Gardens so fucking big, they''re never getting out.

    Right now, I''m in a fort, trying to locate my apprentice telepathically, since I can''t seem to do so physically. Yet my mind isn''t touching his.

    "You!" I point at a soldier. "Do you know where my apprentice is?"

    "He went with a hunting patrol to the north to catch something for dinner," the soldier answers. "They should be returning soon."

    Dammit, Ryan! I told you not to do that, then you do it while I''m visiting the beastkin with one of Naira''s princes.

    I extend my mental range to the north. Over the last month, I''ve increased my Resource Pools immensely and kept in mental contact with a variety of people, giving me a vast range and a much-lower expense than I used to have.

    Adding on the seven Levels I''ve gained to Ascended Human since Nies Descended, and I''m quite a bit more powerful than I was back then. And yet these particular beastkin still arrogantly defy me and all attempts to bring peace to them.

    They want war, even though Naira no longer attacks unless provoked.

    After twenty minutes of pushing my mental powers as far as I can stretch them and trying to find my student, I fail completely.

    I can''t even find the patrol he went out with¡­

    I turn my mind to the south, blazing through the minds of every beastkin in their tribes until I locate my apprentice and his patrol.

    They really think they can use him against me?

    Against me?

    Fucking morons.

    I leave the fort, my rage boiling within me, every mere Tier I Species around flinching from the sheer force of it. Once I''m out of the fort, I strip, my clothes in my ring as I take on my full, true form, my wings spreading out, my Violet Dragon forming, coiling itself against me tightly.

    With a single flap of my wings, I''m a hundred feet in the air in less than a second. Another, and I''m soaring over the woods, my Violet Dragon burning it to ashes with a flame so powerful that everything it touches is gone instantly. It reaches far, extinguishing before causing too much damage.

    Any time I near one of their caves, I throw a Spear of Frozen Lightning into it, the magic designed to spread within the caves.

    Ten minutes later, I''m fifty miles into their woods, and I descend rapidly, slamming into the ground with enough force that I travel through it, leaving a crater above me and a tunnel leading from the surface directly to the chamber I land in.

    I stand, glaring at the cowering beastkin.

    "Told you this was a bad idea," Ryan says casually. "You do not want to piss off my master. Yo, Boss. How''s it going?"

    Ryan''s currently tied to a chair, while the soldiers are all tied together unceremoniously and tossed in a corner, guarded by a dozen beastkin of both bear and wolf types. Ryan''s got a gag, though he managed to get it out of his mouth somehow.

    Not surprising. He gets out of mine, too.

    Well, my original ones. My current gags are magicked to prevent that.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "THIS WAR IS OVER!" I Roar, shaking the air, the caves, the tunnels, and even the forest above with the sheer force of my power. "IT ENDS NOW! YOU WILL NOT ATTACK NAIRA ANY FURTHER! SHOULD I RECEIVE WORD THAT YOU HAVE WITHOUT PROVOCATION, THEN I WILL RETURN AND ELIMINATE THE REST OF YOUR MEASLY FORCES! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

    The beastkin whimper, several of them relieving themselves in their fear. The Humans are hit by the force of the roar, but not by the power of the Skill. They are not my targets. Simply using it just now brought it from Level 2 to Level 5, amplifying the effects even further by the time I finished.

    That part.

    "I ASKED A QUESTION, TIER I TRASH! SHOULD I JUST ERASE THE REST OF YOU FROM EXISTENCE NOW?"

    They prostrate themselves in front of me, begging for forgiveness. I growl low in my throat, then flick my wrist, performing slices of air to free the Humans.

    "Good," I snarl at the beastkin, then look up at the narrow hole leading to the surface. "That''s bothersome."

    The Violet Dragon immediately flies up, clearing out a path thirty feet in diameter all the way to the surface four hundred feet above, then returns to me, coiling itself around me once more. I gesture for the Humans to come over, and they do, though a bit reluctantly.

    I can''t blame them. I gave in to my rage there, and even if it wasn''t directed at them¡­

    A member of a Tier I Species could never hope to ignore the sheer force of the aura a higher Tier Species gives off, especially not when enraged.

    Once everyone has drawn near enough, I manipulate the air and fly us up, then back to the fort. After we touch down, I release my wings and pull my clothes back on, then take a deep breath and look at the soldiers.

    "I will be leaving immediately," I state. "There is business that I must attend to, and dealing with that scum took far longer than necessary. There may be some beastkin coming in the hopes of peace with you ¨C accept the offer. They will not be from these tribes, and are somewhat decent people, like you."

    "What¡­ what did you mean, ''Tier I trash''?" One of the soldiers braves the question.

    "He was referring to Species," a voice says, and the soldiers turn, immediately bowing before their prince. "He doesn''t view all Tier I''s as trash, but he does view those like them as trash. I am surprised you hadn''t given in to your rage sooner, Lord Jakran. I suppose them kidnapping your apprentice would explain the sudden shift."

    "You expected me to go on a rampage?"

    "My patron deity informed me that you once wiped out twenty million people a couple of years ago."

    Their prince is also a Blessed, and communicates with his patron deity once every few months, which is far more common than most Blessed. His patron''s a god of war, so I suppose it''s only natural that he informs his Hero when someone around him is capable of performing a one-man war.

    "Ah," I say. "Did you patron Divine Being also inform you that it was as part of a quest for another Divine Being? And that it was because that nation had enslaved her followers simply for being the Species they were?"

    And that after I dealt with it, she started dating my patron?

    "It was a Divine Quest?"

    "Didn''t think so," I say. "Yes, it was a Divine Quest. She gave it to me when she caught word that I did not tolerate discrimination based on one''s Species alone. It is part of why you''ll have noticed that I do not treat the beastkin any differently than I treat Humans. I do not see them as ''different'' in the same that most do, even if they are more in-touch with their primal nature than we are."

    "My patron made it sound like you are prone to bouts of anger."

    "I used to be," I state. "I will still suffer from them, from time to time, but for the most part, I am beyond such things. Now, I must be going. Ryan, collect your things. You have five minutes to return here."

    Ryan nods, then takes off inside. I wait, the prince and soldiers going about their business, then once my apprentice returns, I float us up into the sky, flying us to various beastkin settlements and locations nearby, informing them of the reason for the rampage, and assuring them that they have nothing to be afraid of.

    When I mention that my apprentice had been kidnapped, most of them become understanding. Pack mentality means that they''re more likely to understand wanting to teach a lesson to those that make a personal attack on one of their members. As a result of that, they relax a bit more easily.

    Now that my job for Naira and Trii is completed, I fly back to Jozan, making my way to the castle.

    Ryan looks around as we land, asking me where we are.

    "In a place," I say. "Where you will show the absolute utmost respect to anyone and everyone who seems to be above your station. Otherwise, I will delay your learning of actual magic a great deal."

    With that, I walk through the doors, ignoring the stunned looks on the soldiers'' faces. They recognize me, and thus, allow me through without any hindrance.

    Ryan has to nearly run to keep up with my brisk pace, though not as much as he used to. He''s getting better at walking quickly, and I''m pretty sure he practices it when he''s supposed to be sleeping.

    We reach the throne room quickly, where Alyssa and Tyler are discussing a few things with several nobles.

    "Whoa," Ryan says in English. He''s about to say something inappropriate, isn''t he? "Her boobs are really small. Like, they almost don''t exist at all."

    He''s getting better about keeping that inappropriate mouth of his in check. At least this time, he''s not commenting about big boobs.

    "Gavin," Tyler greets me, giving my apprentice a curious glance for a moment. "Welcome back. Have you finished your business with the beastkin?"

    "For now," I answer.

    "Len informed me," he says. "That you Advanced your Species to the Second Tier. Congratulations. Are you aware that, as a result of this, your marriage is no longer valid? All effects from while you were within it remain, so you are, in essence, a prince by marriage, though not by blood. You are also still the Duke of Zelar, unless you wish to give that up to my sister, so that you may be a bit more free with what you do."

    "Why would Advancing my Species to the Second Tier relieve me of marriage vows?" I ask.

    "They were bound between two of the First Tier," he says. "Any marriage bound in the manner ours are ¨C with Divine oversight ¨C are only valid between two of the same Tier of Species. The reason for this is because of the ''aura'' you emit, which everyone in here can feel. It would cause the other to be more yielding to them, creating a one-way relationship. As a result, your Divine Oath of Marriage was nullified the moment you Advanced to Ascended Human.

    "Therefore," his expression turns stern. "Your only true links to Jozan, now, are the Village of Kar and your status as the Duke of Zelar. You are no longer bound to us by marriage. Will you remain as the Duke of Zelar, Gavin, or will you turn that over to your former wife?"

 Chapter 0079 - Final Choices

    (Gavin)

    "Where are we?" Ryan asks. "How come we didn''t just land right in it?"

    "Where I grew up," I answer, walking down the path to the village. "And because it''s more respectful to my people to approach using the path if you don''t live within the village."

    As I no longer live in Kar, I cannot simply approach from elsewhere.

    Moron.

    "Excuse me?"

    "What?" Ryan asks.

    You''re a fucking Magus of Kar, Gavin. Your people won''t give a damn where you come in from. Also, Kar''s bitching at me again about you not asking to Advance.

    "Please remind him that all I''d get from it would be the LIF bonus from being your Hero, Nies. I can''t gain Experience for Classes."

    Yeah, yeah. I''ll tell him again. It''s so much hassle.

    He huffs, then stops communicating, and I resume walking, reaching the village after a few more minutes.

    They''ve rebuilt it entirely, and I can''t even see any signs that there was anything else here, though the construction is still new.

    As I enter the village, an old man approaches me, flanked by two warriors. Chief, Garret, and Emilia.

    "Chief," I dip my head to him.

    "Hello, Gavin," he smiles. "Welcome home."

    "It is good to see you''re still alive," I say. "Though that''s to be expected of an Adventurer as powerful as Elijah Mountainstep."

    "So," he says. "You know my name, do you?"

    "Indeed, Chief," I say. "And this isn''t my home, not anymore. It hasn''t been in years."

    "You are a Villager of Kar," he steps forward, touching my chest. "In here. You always will be. Because of that, this is your home."

    "It isn''t," I say. "Not anymore, Chief. I''ve never worshiped Kar, never praised him. I serve another Divine Being. I haven''t lived here in years, and don''t follow our practices much. I-"

    "THAT IS IT!" A voice screams, startling me. We all jump, looking to my left, where a boy around fourteen or fifteen in standing, dressed in forest garb, his hazel-brown eyes blazing with fury, his tawny brown hair crackling with a Divine Energy. "WILL YOU JUST FUCKING GIVE IT UP ALREADY, GAVIN?"

    Uh¡­ Nies?

    I warned you.

    "Will you, Kar?" I ask. "I know Nies has told you several times that I can''t acquire Experience for my Classes until after the Blood Quest''s time period restriction''s up. Actually, now that you''re here, Lord Kar, I would like to request that you remove Magus of Kar from me."

    The anger in his eyes boils even heavier.

    "You would dare-"

    "Now, please," I say calmly, ignoring the fury of the god before me. "Or I will simply do it when I go to a Tier III Dungeon."

    His nostrils flare.

    Class: Magus of Kar has been Removed!

    "Thank you, Lord Kar," I say. "I am not a citizen of Kar. I wasn''t by birth, and I haven''t been for six years, now. You should focus your attention and efforts on people who actually worship you."

    I turn my gaze to Chief.

    "Thank you," I say. "For raising me. You are much better father than my real one could ever be, and that will be his downfall. I am rejecting the Quest Reward for returning here as an adult, that I received from you, Garret, Emilia."

    Quest Ended: Reunite With Kar

    No Penalty

    No Rewards

    "Thank you all," I say. "For raising me as one of you. However, I have greater duties to attend to, and cannot be bound to the place of others any further. Again, thank you, but this is the end of it, for me."

    Chief looks upset, but also understanding.

    "Very well, then, Gavin," he says. "If you are ever in Jozan again, then feel free to return here. You will always have a place to sleep and friends with us."

    I nod, then turn to the Divine Being once more.

    "Kar," I say. "I''m aware that the reason you wanted me to Advance it again was to avoid something like this. You want me as one of your warriors, because you''ve come to care for me as one of your own, despite my blood saying I''m not. You know that the higher my Class and it''s Level is, the harder it would be for me to remove it, later on. Maybe one day, I might take it back on, but you had to know this day would come. I''m sorry, and thank you for watching over me all these years. I know you''re the reason Chief found me in the woods."

    His anger fades, and tears form in his eyes. Then, he runs over to me, slamming into me and hugging me, crying into my tunic.

    "You''ll always be one of my children," he sobs. "I don''t care about your bloodline. Please come back¡­ when you can."

    When I can¡­ I''m sorry, but that day may never come, if Nahor is to be believed. I don''t trust him completely, but part of me believes he might have been honest about my upcoming death. That''s part of why I can''t allow myself to be held back by a link to something.

    That''s why I gave up my status as Duke to Zelar to my former wife. Now, with this severance, my only connection to Jozan is my son. A son who has never seen me, and likely never will.

    But he has Alyssa, and he has Tyler. He will be fine, and so that connection has no hold on me. I know that Jozan, Kar, Kaz, and Len will watch over him.

    Kar eventually releases me, and I dip my head to him, then manipulate the air to fly away, taking Ryan with me deep into the mountains, landing near a cave.

    "I have some business to attend to," I tell him. "Practice your runes in here."

    "Isn''t this place filled with monsters and stuff?"

    "See those plants?" I point to plants growing around the entrance. "Monsters hate them. Stay in here, and you''ll be safe."

    Ryan starts to protest, but I fly off, taking myself higher and higher, reaching one of the peaks of the mountains, ignoring the cold and the snow. I walk to the center of it, then collapse, allowing myself to cry.

    That was so hard. So, so hard. I didn''t want to give it up, but I had to. If I didn''t, I''d always be held back, always want to come back home in the end. I''d never go too far from Jozan. I can''t do that, not if I''m to completely my Quests. I need to destroy the Boundary of Sages and found my Order officially. I need to bring my father to his death and create a haven for people of all Species who want to learn and grow together.

    When I finally collect myself, I use my magic to erase all evidence of my tears, then look into the monsters'' territory. For miles, wyverns reign.

    Removing my robe and tunic, I extend my wings, then fly into the territory, making a beeline straight for Bert''s roost, landing and staring at the startled beast. It narrows its gaze at me.

    "You have changed, Gavin," he says, his voice rumbling. "Ascended to the Second Tier. Congratulations. What brings you here, after six years of being gone? Come to harass me and my kin again?"

    "I''m past such childish things," I say. "I''m more in the kill-to-get-what-I-want mindset, now. Such as when I killed your brother a month or so ago."

    He narrows his gaze at me further.

    "So," he says. "That is why he hasn''t responded to me. I was preparing to fly down that way. I see that you are honest, though not about your being past childish things. As you did not attack, am I to assume you are not here to fight? Are you here to be the pest you always have been?"

    He saw through that? I really want to do some wyvern-spooking, but now isn''t the time for that.

    "About seven years ago," I say. "A powerful Adventurer came through. A follower of the Divine Being known as Aulor. When he left, he possessed a book, a Grimoir containing enchantments, alchemy, and Mana magics, written by Tristan Lightblade. I am seeking the location he found it in. Specifically, I am seeking the Spatial Ring that would have been with the Grimoire.

    "Considering," I say. "That the valley and mountain for roughly twenty miles is your domain, I believed that you would be the one to know its location."

    "The temple where he located the Grimoire," Bert tells me. "Is past my territory. Just past it is a Dragon''s domain. Not far within that is the temple where the Grimoire was hidden. Gabriel managed to enter the temple while the Dragon slept, timing himself properly after much studying. He proved bothersome to deal with, so I let him be."

    "Lead me to it."

    "No."

    "You might be more powerful than your brother, Bert," I narrow my gaze, then level the full power of my Mana across the area, forcing the ancient Scaled Wyvern to the ground. "But you are no match for an Ascended Human of my caliber."

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Mana Presence is Now Level 7!

    "Am I clear?"

    "Crystal."

    I release my Mana Presence, and Bert stands, shaking himself off for a moment before flying off. I follow him to the edge of his territory, spotting the ''temple''.

    It''s more like an open-roof pavilion with statues surrounding it, each one brimming with power. I recognize the enchantments ¨C they''re contained within the Grimoire. Tristan must have set them up.

    Standing the center of the ''temple'' is a pedestal, upon which stands a black ring similar to the one I retrieved with the other Grimoire.

    "The Dragon''s coming, so I am leaving," Bert says, then flaps his wings, stopping his progress before flipping and flying away.

    Adolescent Dragon Level 16

    Yeah, yeah. It''s powerful as fuck, and someone at my Level probably shouldn''t be able to handle it. But I''m here, so I''m going to.

    The Violet Dragon forms around me, then blasts forward as I create numerous Voids around the Dragon, creating Spears of Frozen Lightning and firing them. I unleash several Roars, Air Bolt Chains, Ice Lances, Lightnign Bolt Chains and Firebolt Chains, rapidly gaining Levels to those weaker Skills as I battle the Dragon.

    It attacks as well, of course, the two of us flying around as we do our best to evade the other''s attacks. I manipulate the air to counteract its gusts of winds, create Magic Barriers to shield me from its Roars, use the Violet Dragon to stop its breath from reaching me.

    Though the Dragon has far more power than I do, in the end, it isn''t enough for my versatile set of Skills. Its defenses wear down, and my Voids and Spears of Frozen Lightning riddle its body with holes. Mostly its wings, but it manages to stay flying through a mix of its magics.

    Mixing runes together, I weave together a new spell while simultaneously attacking the Dragon and blocking and evading its attacks.

    "Come to me, O blackest night," I chant, weaving the spell, my magic permeating the air around me as I do. "Come to me, O brightest day. Live as one and fight as two. Crash together and clash together. Cut through all who dare defy you, Aetherial Sword!"

    The spell completes, the charging finishing a few seconds later.

    And then¡­

    The world explodes into light and dark as a hair-thin, nigh-invisible blade forms in front of me, light to my right, darkness to my left, but only briefly, as the two halves spin rapidly around the blade that formed.

    A blade that I raise up with my magic, then bring down, slashing through the Dragon and cleaving through the ground.

    New Skill!

    Aetherial Sword: A sword formed of Aether, wielding the might of time and space to cleave through mighty foes. Lesser beings bow before your might.

    A Tier VII Spell. Naturally. Nothing this powerful could ever be anything lower.

    It drained me, though. It used up nearly all of my Aether, which I''d left nearly full, throwing every other Resource at the Dragon after my Violet Dragon failed to penetrate its defenses. A seven-minute charge-up to cast it, I only chanted at the end, to complete the spell. The Dragon was even powerful enough to ignore my Gravity Manipulation and Black Holes.

    Winning that fight and creating that new spell net me three Levels to Ascended Human, putting me only two away from being ready to take on the Advancement Quest for Tier III.

    I descend to the ground, walking over to the pedestal and taking the ring into my hand. It''s the same size as my other, and is completely empty.

    Gabriel probably didn''t notice it, when he took the Grimoire. He was probably too focused on the ancient source of magics in his hands to notice something as small and ''simple'' as a ring.

    After sending the ring into my other hand, I pull out the amulet I''ve carried since finding his body and pull it on, allowing its effects to repel the monsters around me. They shouldn''t bother me with my aura as a Tier II Species, but one never knows.

    Then again, the aura of the amulet might not work to ward everything off, but still. One never knows.

    With that complete, I sit down, resting my back against the pedestal, my wings stretched to either side behind me, and I close my eyes, resting.

    A few hours later, I''m woken to a message in my vision.

    Quest Completed!

    Blood Oath Quest: Restore Jozan to Power.

    Blooded King Restored

    Turasite Bastards Slain

    Jozan King Public Opinion Exceeding Required Amount

    Jozan National Reputation Exceeding Required Amount

    Reward: 50,000 Experience, can be allocated however you wish

    Fifty thousand¡­ that''s double what it started off as. I suppose having the reputation required increase and the amount of time that passed caused it to be difficult enough to do that. Tyler acquiring decent public opinion was surprisingly easy, leaving it to just the national reputation that was required. It was much, much higher than the 25,000 that was needed. If I remember correctly, it needed 35,000, when I started talking to the other nations and the besatkin.

    Isil, Naira, and Trii all hold Jozan in a higher regard, now, for sure.

    In addition to that, I made sure that the beastkin tribes who were willing to work with me saw Jozan in a higher light than they did the nations touching them. We never directly attacked them, at least, not often. Maybe sometimes, we''d send soldiers to assist our neighbors, but that was easily explained away. We''d never actually known them in person, so we only knew their reputation.

    With that, I was able to assure them that our new king had no interest in fighting them.

    Jozan''s new king.

    There''s a strong chance that other nations began to see Jozan in a new light, especially when they heard it was ending wars and making amends, as well as ending wars for other nations in a peaceful manner.

    Then, of course¡­ there are all the people I helped in other regions of the world, each knowing me as an agent of Jozan. That, of course, boosted the reputation as well, already putting it up some before King Tyler ever returned home.

    And now, because of that, I have 50,000 Experience to allocate.

    What the hell am I going to do with it? I can only allocate to my Species. Can I hold onto it? Or do I have to spend it now?

    Congratulations on completing your Quest, Nahor says into my head.

    Thanks.

    By the way, it''s serious when it means ''however you wish'' ¨C you can spend it into any Class, your Species, your Subspecies, and your Bloodline.

    My Subspecies? Oh, right. If I hit Level 25 of a Species Tier, I can take on another Subspecies.

    Thanks, Nahor.

    You''re welcome. Congratulations again. I suppose this is the end of your journey with Jozan?

    For now. I may return, one day. Before¡­ that.

    Maybe. Maybe not. Good luck. I need to go, before Nies locates me. He''s been hunting me for years, and with me communicating with you¡­ even if he can''t detect me properly, I risk it with prolonged communications.

    Why''s he hunting you?

    Oh, he just wants to find my Divine Realm and beat me up a little. I may have stolen some of his treats awhile back. Congratulations, and good luck.

    His presence fades from my mind, and I look at all of my things that I can Level with the experience. Naturally, I send Experience into my Species, taking the last two Levels needed.

    +10 to All Stats, to LIF

    Experience Remaining: 48,073

    I pull up my Subspecies menu.

    Subspecies Available:

    Fairy

    Beastborn

    Beastkin

    Wyvern

    Scaled Wyvern

    Well, okay, then, Bert. I guess we''re friends, now?

    I pick Fairy as my next Subspecies.

    +2 INT, CHA, LIF, SPA

    +1 AGI, HLT, LFA, MNA

    Experience Remaining: 40,573

    Now to figure out what to spend it on next. What''s required to Advanced my Species to the Third Tier?

    I pull up the screen and assess my options. As expected, the last one is the best.

    Eternal

    +10 to All Stats, LIF each Level

    Quest: Completed

    It''s already completed, too. In other words¡­ I can take it on right now. When I pry for information about the Quest through Archmage, it looks like the Quest required slaying a being of the Second Tier of their Species, and it acted retroactively.

    Which is odd, since the requirement for being able to take on Eternal includes slaying a being of the Second Tier of their Species. That, and 5,00 total Attributes, 10,000 total Resources, and at least 20 Titles.

    So now I''m curious¡­ how Nies and Twist could say that Eternal was already an option for me, before I reached those thresholds.

    I accept the Quest, feeling my body shift and change, my power intensifying more.

    Your Species has Advanced to Tier III!

    You are Now an Eternal!

    +10 to all Attributes, LIF each Level

    You have Successfully Advanced Your Species to Tier III!

    +40 LIF!

    +200 OFV!

    +200 RRN!

    New Title!

    First Ultra Enlightened: You are the first Enlightened to successfully Advance to Tier III of their Species

    New Title!

    Ultra Enlightened: You are an Enlightened you Advanced to the Third Tier of their Species.

    New Title!

    First Eternal: You are the first of the Eternals, a powerful class of Tier III Species. Your life is long, your power, high.

    New Title!

    Eternal: A powerful Class of Tier III Species. Your life is long, your power high.

    At first, I don''t feel any different when it''s complete, though when I look at myself in the mirror I conjure up with Arcane¡­

    Though my irises are still violet, and my pupils still black, the rest of my eyes are almost like universes, with stars and galaxies within them, shifting and changing, like O''s cloak.

    I stroke Reij, and he releases his tail, looking at me curiously for a moment before taking his tail into his mouth and vanishing from sight once more.

    I stand, stretching my wings out, then focus, reverting my eyes back to ''normal''. That is, the only thing out of the ''ordinary'' being that the irises are violet.

    I fly around for a few minutes, unleashing my new power upon the environment around me, then land back by the pedestal, resuming my previous position sitting against it.

    For my next batch of Experience¡­

    I decide to use it on Dekami, acquiring five more Levels to it. I could probably push it another five, or even all the way up, but I''d rather way for now. Well. I couldn''t actually go all the way up. I might be able to push two or three more Levels with this Experience, but definitely not more than five.

    +125 to All Possible Stats

    Experience Remaining: 23,281

    What to do next, then? After a lot of internal debate, I decide to go against using it on a Class and just go for Eternal, giving it more Experience, bringing me up to Level 21 of Eternal, with 218 Experience Leftover. I add it into Eternal as well. If I hadn''t done that and gone for a Class, I definitely would''ve been low on Experience for it, probably only reaching Level 15-20, and being stuck there until I can acquire Experience once more.

    +200 to All Attributes, LIF

    Experience Remaining: 0

    New Title!

    Millennial Attribute: One who has no Attribute, regardless of visibility or accessibility, below 1,000 Points. You are above all mortals. Fear little.

    So. Even my hidden Attributes are over 1,000 Points. Do the Senses count for Attributes, or are they something else? I know it''s only the first row that counts for Attributes, but I don''t know if the Senses sit on it or not.

    Perception has Reach 1,000 Points

    All Senses not Already Visible are Now Visible

    SIT: 1,093

    TST: 1,086

    HRG: 1,112

    SML: 1,099

    TCH: 1,089

    Looking at them, they rest under the Attributes line, so I guess Senses has its own. I suppose that makes sense, since even though they''re a subcategory of the Attributes, and the Boost Resources receive their own line, despite being a subcategory of Resources.

    I perform a few Experiments, determining that I now regenerate Resources at a rate of approximately fifteen seconds per point. Just under fifteen and a quarter.

    It''ll take me around seventeen and a third hours to go from empty to full.

    My allocations and changes complete, I flap my wings once, twice, then rapidly ascend into the sky before flying to the cave I left Ryan within. He''s currently studying his runes, but looks up when I approach.

    "You''re different," he says.

    My eyes are normal, so he shouldn''t tell any difference.

    "The aura you''re giving off," he says. "The one that says you''re a being above me ¨C it''s a lot more powerful than it was before. Did you Advanced your Species to the Third Tier?"

    Ah, right. That''s a thing.

    "Yes," I answer. "I was capable of it, after something happened. Let us leave, now."

    "Where are we going?"

    "To another continent," I answer. "It is time to begin the official founding of my Order."

 Chapter 0080 - Kratus and Dirsoor Runic

    (Gavin)

    "So¡­" Ryan trails off.

    "Yes?" I ask.

    "Aren''t we in a hostile area?"

    We''re back in the valley with the Tower on the island in the lake that was his first introduction to this world.

    "We are," I answer, landing us on the shore on the outer edge of the lake. "I plan on using this valley as the base for my Order."

    I wave my hands, weaving Arcane, Mana, and Aether together into a fluid form that begins to solidify, taking on the shape and form of a building as I do. A simple, two-story house with a few bedrooms on the second floor, a bathing room and a relief room on the first floor, along with a kitchen, a dining and family area, and a study on the first floor.

    One of the bedrooms on the third floor has its own bathing room and relief room. That will be mine, for now.

    "What about the hostile shit?" He asks.

    "It will leave us be," I answer. "The animals in the lake are docile, and the ones that venture this far into the valley aren''t monsters, either, so we''ll be fine."

    "So you built a house using magic?"

    "Yes."

    "Are you planning on living here?"

    "Yes."

    "For how long?"

    "Until I can figure out how to remove the Boundary of Sages," I answer. "And then probably until I die after, as this will be the headquarters for my Order."

    With that, I turn and focus on another spot about twenty feet from the house, weaving magic once more, forming a sort of shed. That will be for firewood. Once that''s formed, I look twenty yards away from the house and begin to weave another building, imbuing it with resistances and enchantments as I do.

    "That will be," I look at my apprentice. "For training in magic. Come."

    He follows me into the enchanted building, the magics woven into its existence more potent than mere enchantments could ever be, though my enchantments are there as an added measure.

    I lead him into one of the training rooms I formed, then conjure up a chair and sit down.

    "You are going," I say. "To practice the Magic Bolt spell."

    "Seriously?" His eyes widen in excitement. "I can finally use magic?"

    "Yes," I answer. "However, you will only do it in here, with my supervision, until I have determined that you have done well. You will also never experiment with it, nor adjust how much Mana is used in it, or any other such things, outside of here or without my permission and supervision until I have stated that you may. Do I make myself clear?"

    "Yes," he answers, looking a little bit less excited.

    "Good," I state. "Now form a Magic Bolt and shoot me with it."

    "Oh, cool!"

    I had a feeling that would get him excited again. I''m sure he''s dreamed about shooting me with magic before.

    Ryan puts his hands together in front of him, focusing.

    "Magic Bolt!"

    Nothing happens.

    "Magic Bolt!"

    Nothing happens.

    "Magic Bolt!"

    Yeah¡­ nothing happens.

    He tries for about five minutes before managing to have a weak bolt of Mana form in front of him, but it dissipates before he can fire it. I watch as he drains himself of Mana trying to create the Magic Bolt.

    "Good job," I say. "You failed to create the Magic Bolt. Perhaps next time, you''ll succeed."

    "Are you being sarcastic?" He asks. "I feel like you''re being sarcastic."

    "I''m being perfectly serious," I answer. "You''re pretty advanced. However, you only receive a small bonus to learning and Leveling Skills ¨C nothing as extreme as mine. You may take a few days, but you will still do it before most.

    "That said," I manifest a paper in my hands, holding it out. "This is the instructions for performing the Taihi Mana Expansion Technique, which expands your Mana Pool by applying runes to it. Practice it, but only go until you achieve it."

    "Yes, sir," he says.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "And do not go any further until I give you permission to. Am I clear?"

    "Yes, sir."

    He sits on the ground, cross-legged, and I pull out a tome. One of Eli''s, the one containing the runes that he believes may be from another language.

    This is my first time looking over them seriously, and as I do, I can understand why he''d believe that. They do seem to be different.

    I manifest three new tomes and a quill, then begin writing, noting down runes and their supposed meanings in each one. By the time I finish, I''ve confirmed my suspicions.

    These runes do belong to a different language. In fact, there are at least three different languages, though only enough for me to figure out a bit of two. They are the Kratus Runic Language and the Dirsoor Runic Language.

    Both are usable for spells.

    I pull out my tome on the Dekami Runic Language, then look between it and the other two. I''m not sure what the other one''s good for, but it doesn''t take me long to figure out these three. Or at least, to theorize on them.

    Dekami is better for straight-up spells. Kratus is excellent for enchantments, including the Expansion Techniques. Dirsoor is best for manipulating magic and existence.

    The last one, I only have three runes for, which is nowhere near enough to acquire the Skill for, leaving it unknown, as well as its purpose. The several dozen of the other two were enough for my boost to learning Language Skills to acquire the Skill for them, once I separated them and looked at them as if they were each their own language.

    Which I''m glad for, because I actually recognize the style of them.

    Of all four of them.

    I stand abruptly, startling my apprentice. Ignoring his confusion, I quickly leave the training hall and make my way across the lake, landing at the base of the Tower and studying the magics woven into its construction.

    It utilizes all three of the Runic Languages I know, plus another. Possibly more than that.

    No wonder my magic''s been inefficient against it. It uses far more runes than the ones I''m using, and I''ll likely need to utilize multiple Runic Languages in order to tear it apart.

    Perhaps studying my Grimoires will net me more runes.

    With that in mind, I make my way back to the training hall, where Ryan''s holding his stomach. I stare at him.

    "I''m hungry."

    "Did you practice more?"

    "No."

    "Why not?"

    "Uh, because you said I can''t without you actually being here?"

    "You actually listened?" For once?

    "Uh¡­ yeah," he says. "I may be inappropriate and a goofball and joker, but I''m not stupid. You demonstrated what can happen if I don''t use magic right, and I''ve talked to other magicians who''ve confirmed it. I am not going to be doing it without your say-so. I am not going to risk blowing myself up or worse just to learn magic."

    "Good," I say. "Let''s get something to eat."

    "Okay," he says, and we head into the house.

    I pull food out of my spatial ring, then we eat. As we''re eating, I think about what to do next, coming to a conclusion as we finish our meal.

    "Night is several hours away," I tell Ryan. "Due to the difference in location from Jozan. You might want to nap. I am going to be leaving for awhile, so I will leave some food with you. It might be a day, might be three. I''m not entirely sure. Stem? Would you mind watching over my apprentice for me?"

    "How did you know I was here?" He asks, and Ryan scoots back, looking under the table.

    "I have over a thousand Perception, dumbass," I say. "I could hear you breathing."

    "Oh. Right."

    "I couldn''t even sense him," Ryan says.

    "He''s suppressing his Divine Aura."

    "I''m not a Divine, I''m a Demigod."

    "They didn''t tell you, did they?"

    "Tell me what?" He nuzzles my leg, then yelps when I kick him.

    "I''ve known who you really are since we met, Stem."

    "You have?"

    "Think about how you introduce yourself¡­"

    "What about it?"

    "Turn it into an acronym. Then add on your fetish for blue things."

    "What does that have to¡­ oh."

    Stem pokes his head up between my legs. He''s in his wolf form.

    "You seriously figured it out when we met?"

    "I swear on the blood in my veins," I say. "I knew before you''d finished introducing yourself the first time we met who you really were, having figured it out myself."

    I glow crimson, Nies confirming that I was honest.

    "Damn," he huffs. "So where are you going?"

    "Who is he?" Ryan asks.

    "First," I say. "I''ll be heading to the Fairy Kingdom, to see a Fairy King about a Grimoire and ask a certain Wolf Beastborn where someone is located and how to get to them. After that, I''ll track him down and ask him about a certain Grimore. I''ll see about tracking down another Grimoire if I can while I''m out. Then I''ll return."

    "Why?"

    "Because," I say. "I''m pretty sure that removing the Boundary of Sages requires some extensive knowledge that would be worth far more than 10,000 Experience for me to complete."

    "Well¡­ yeah, it is," he nods. "It''s worth more like five hundred thousand."

    Quest Adjusted!

    Remove Boundary of Sages

    Change: Experience Reward increased from 10,000 to 500,000

    "I wasn''t asking you to change it, Stem."

    "I know," he shrugs. "I was planning on doing it once you figured it out."

    "Thanks, for watching my apprentice," I say.

    "No problem," he shrugs. "I''m bored, anyway. Plus, I''m sure Ryan and I can come up with some pretty good pranks while you''re gone."

    "I will skin you alive and make a coat out of your fur."

    "I will strip you of Access and crush you under my foot."

    "Pretty sure Nies would beat you senseless for that."

    "Probably," he shrugs. "But it''d be worth it."

    "You''d regrow your fur."

    "I-well, that''s besides the point."

    Gavin can''t come back from the dead. You can regrow your hide. Can you let him make a coat from your pelt?

    "How much of the conversation did you catch?"

    From you threatening him. What''d he do?

    "Nothing worth mentioning."

    You should let him harvest your pelt and make a coat anyway. It''d be beautiful.

    "I need him to watch my student," I say. "As I''m leaving for a few days, and won''t be able to supervise him to keep him out of trouble, and I''d rather not provoke Oberon further."

    Okay. Can I turn him into a tiger?

    "No."

    Aw. He''d be cute as a tiger.

    "I don''t think he likes tiger forms," I look down at Stem''s face. "He seems to prefer more canine appearances. Anyway. I will be going. You two behave yourselves. Ryan, here are more runes for you to work on memorizing and creating perfectly."

    I wave my hand, dropping another set of parchments onto the table, then I depart, making my way to the nearest Dungeon to exit this region.

    I''m not going to try to get them to give me the Grimoires, but I would like to look through them so I can memorize everything within them. If I can figure out the other language or languages, and Level all of them enough, I might be able to figure out how to take down the Boundary of Sages.

 Chapter 0081 - Old Allies

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin!" Michael tackles me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.

    He''s taken to the Fairies'' dress code¡­ which is minimal or nonexistent. He went with the latter. Warren''s floating in the air a few feet behind the beastborn, dressed in his tunic, as always.

    "Hello, Michael," I say, then look at Oberon. "Is your father available? I wished to ask him something."

    "He''ll probably want you in Zelv," Warren tells me.

    "Maybe," I say.

    "What''s with the aura?" He asks. "You don''t need to do that-"

    "It''s not something he can help," the Fairy King approaches us from the side. "Lord Yggdrasil informed me of your Advancement, Gavin. Congratulations on reaching the Second Tier."

    "Oberon," I dip my head to him, pulling the Beastborn off of me and throwing him at his boyfriend. "May we speak in private?"

    He nods, leading me to a quiet room fortified against eavesdropping.

    "What brings you back?" He asks. "Especially to speak with me? I''m sure it isn''t the return of your father¡­ yet."

    "Not yet," I shake my head. "I was actually wishing to look at the Grimoire."

    "Why?" His expression turns serious.

    "To memorize every page of it, in every form they take on," I answer, and he raises an eyebrow. "I have nearly fifteen hundred INT, Oberon. Considering that it increases the capacity for what we can learn, as well as what we can remember, it doesn''t take me much effort to memorize anything."

    "And why should I allow you to?"

    "Because I believe," I say. "That the Grimoires contain a secret that would allow me to take down the Boundary of Sages."

    Oberon thinks about that. He''s aware of it, and what it does. He''s also mentioned that he knows the location of the Tower in this region as well, though I never asked for that, so he never gave it.

    "You are aware of the potential problems that could cause, yes?" He finally decides.

    "The Boundary of Sages," I say. "Has no purpose that I can discern, other than to separate the world. From Michael''s travels and my own experiences, I can see no reason for its existence. If the world is united, it could become a stronger place. In addition, the Boundary stands in the way of my Order. I do not need your Grimoire, but it is one of the more easily-accessible ones, as I know its location."

    Oberon stares at me, but gives in. It''s likely partly my CHA, and partly my Tier III Species, but I knew he would give in, as much as he wants to keep the Grimoire hidden.

    Plus, he knows he couldn''t stop me if I truly wanted it, so that might have factored into his decision as well.

    The Fairy King leads me out of the hall and through the roots of Yggdrasil, leading me down a tunnel taking us deep underground. The presence of Divinity fills the air here, likely from the tree''s presence.

    After nearly an hour of walking, we reach a chamber guarded by four powerful Spirits. Oberon speaks in Silvar, intoning a spell, and the magics within the door allow us to enter the chamber beyond, granting us exactly thirty seconds to pass through the door before it seals itself back up.

    Resting on a pedestal in the center of the room stands the Grimoire, the room itself illuminated by glowing green crystals lining the walls. The Grimoire currently rests open to a page on fire-based Spirit magics.

    I touch the pages of the Grimoire, then close it and lift it up.

    "What are you doing?" Oberon sounds furious.

    "Wondering if you knew about this," I indicate the spatial ring underneath the Grimoire. Oberon approaches, and his expression confirms he was unaware of the extra ''gem''. "You didn''t, did you?"

    "I''ve never lifted the book before," he admits, then frowns. "How did you know about it?"

    "Each Grimoire seems to have its own spatial ring beneath it," I answer. "Do you want it, or may I take it?"

    "Mine," he grabs it, slipping it onto his finger.

    Greedy, greedy.

    "They''re all roughly the same size," I set the Grimoire down. "Containing the same amount of space within. Thank you."

    He nods, and I flip the Grimoire to the first page, beginning to read each version of it, memorizing every aspect of it to recreate later. The entire time I read the Grimoire, Oberon watches me intently.

    "Did you find what you needed?" He asks when I close the Grimoire.

    "No," I answer, and he growls. "I actually needed the runes within it, Oberon. I have to compare them to my others, as well as decipher how they work and interact with each other. It''ll take me time to sort everything out. The more spells and magics I have to work with, the easier it''ll be for me to sort it through."

    "How many have you looked at?"

    "I have two," I answer. "One with the more powerful Mana magics, and one with the more powerful Aether magics. I''ve looked at yours, the one with what seems to be the weaker Spirit Magics, and will be visiting a friend of Michael''s, who has the one containing the weaker Mana magics."

    "Michael''s mentioned his father possessing one," he says.

    "Ah, right," I say. "He possesses one containing Health-based magics. I''ll have to stop by there and see if he''d be willing to allow me to read the Grimoire."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Why are you looking at the runes?" He asks. "The Dekami Runic Language-"

    "It is a complicated situation," I state. "And I would like to be going. Thank you, Oberon."

    He stares at me, then sighs, then allows us to leave the chamber.

    Once we''re up at the surface, I locate Michael and ask him what the fastest route to his father and the Max kid friend of his would be. He tells me which Dungeons to go to, then I depart, reaching his father''s forest and cave network in just a few hours.

    Several of the beastborn are outright hostile at my presence, but the way their tails are down¡­ they''re also scared. They don''t want me here, not knowing who I am, but their instincts tell them that I can wipe them out with ease.

    It only takes me a few minutes to locate Michael''s father, who''s chatting with a beautiful she-wolf beastborn, likely Michael''s mother.

    "Gavin?" Matthew asks in Jozan when I approach.

    "Indeed," I nod. "Hello, Matthew. I was wondering if I could examine your blade of light."

    He thinks for a moment, then realization hits his face.

    "May I inquire as to why?"

    "To memorize every facet of it," I answer. "To test a theory that could allow free travel between all, without the secret means."

    He nods, then beckons for me to follow, his wife following as well. The chief leads me through several caves and tunnels, taking me deep underground, to a room fortified with powerful magics based through Health.

    He places a hand against the door, flooding a rather hefty portion of his Health into it, and the door opens, allowing us to enter.

    This room is illuminated through standard light crystals fixed into lamps on the wall and hanging from the ceiling, with several shelves of tomes lining the walls, a table standing in the center of the room.

    My Magic Sense allows me to easily discern the runes hiding behind one of the shelves, revealing another sealed room. Matthew lifts the shelf, easily and carefully moving it to the side without scraping the ground, then places his hand on the wall. A push of Health later, and the runes glow crimson, then the wall opens, allowing him to enter.

    About a minute later, he returns with the Grimoire, setting it on the table in the center.

    "Did you find it, yourself?" I ask.

    "No," he shakes his head. "My great-grandfather discovered it, along with a spatial ring, elsewhere. It''s what has allowed my pack to grow and flourish the way we have, though I only I and my wife know of the Grimoire itself."

    "We believe," his wife speaks up for the first time since our trip here began. "It to be best that others do not learn the secrets contained within this tome. We have selected the techniques and magics within it we believe can be of use to our pack, but the rest mean little to us. Reaching a caliber of power required to use most of them is beyond our dreams."

    "May I?" I ask, and Matthew pushes the Grimoire across the table. I flip through its pages. "So you have the one with the greater Health techniques and magics that Tristan created. Which techniques do you have?"

    "The ones towards the back," she answers. "The more simple ones. We''ve also taken a few of the enchantments and alchemy recipes that can be found within it."

    "Would you like the Grimoire?" Matthew asks, and I look at him, raising an eyebrow. "My son has told me of your Order, and its purpose. Feeling this power radiating from you, I know that there is little that can stop you. If you swear to protect the Grimoire, then I have no issue parting with it."

    "I swear on the blood that flows within my veins," I say. "That I will protect the Grimoire to the best of my ability."

    I glow with Nies''s confirmation ¨C and his giggling in my mind ¨C and the two alphas nod.

    "Thank you," I send the Grimoire into my ring. "I will guard it well, and use its knowledge to further my Order and the nations and societies that arise from it."

    At least, what begin to and will after I die. If Nahor is to be believed, that could come anytime in the next two or three years, meaning that my Order will only start to gain true traction when I pass.

    Matthew resets the seal, then returns the bookshelf, then the three of us make our way back to the surface. I thank them for allowing me to examine their blade of light, then depart, making my way to the Dungeon Michael directed me to.

    It takes me a day to reach where Michael said was the location his friend was living at when they last saw each other, which would be the best place to start looking, as he''s likely managed to leave here without fear of dying, after being given the Dragon''s blood essence for the potion to increase his LIF.

    Two pillars stand beside a stone archway set into the face of a cliff on a continent with only a dozen or so major cities, despite being larger than the one I grew up on. It''s mostly forested with some mountains, as well as containing a great number of cliffs.

    I pass through the archway and down the stone tunnel, reaching the sanctuary quickly. Rows of stone benches lead up to the altar, behind which are two sets of doors. Golden flames burning on dark green candles rest in stands to either side of the altar.

    Standing in front of the altar is a boy around thirteen or fourteen, his expression wary. He has pitch-black hair and piercing green eyes, as well as a fit, strong body clad in an entirely-black outfit. A spatial ring the same size as the others from Tristan Lightblade rests on his right thumb. He has more than a dozen spells at the ready, prepared to fight.

    "I am not here to fight, Max," I say.

    "Who are you?" He asks. "And how can I believe you?"

    "I swear on the blood in my veins," I say. "That I am Gavin, ally of Matthew Burrclaw, and the one who supplied him with the Dragon''s blood essence that was brought to you, to allow you to attempt to create the potion that would increase your LIF by a point, as well as someone that your own patron, Ekre, once attempted to make a Blessed of his own."

    I glow crimson with Nies''s confirmation, along with his laughing ¨C this time out loud, into the temple itself.

    "Ekre confirmed this," Max relaxes, but only slightly.

    "I come bearing a gift," I hold out my hand, a dozen vials of the crimson essence appearing in the air above my hand. "A dozen more vials of said essence, from a Dragon slain recently. I am sure a recipe as difficult as that would likely have yielded a failure."

    "And what do you know of difficulty?"

    "I have a similar recipe," I explain. "Though it uses phoenix tears. It stems from the same source ¨C a Grimoire of magic written by Tristan Lightblade. While yours possesses knowledge of weaker magics used through Mana, mine possesses knowledge of powerful magics used through Mana."

    "Why have you come here?" He asks.

    "I wish to look through the Grimoire you possess," I answer. "Not take it ¨C not unless you wish to entrust it to me ¨C but simply look through it. I believe that the Grimoires left behind by Tristan Lightblade may possess a secret that can take down the Boundary of Sages."

    His expression says he knows of it.

    "You know of it?"

    "It''s mentioned in my Grimoire," he nods. "He noted that he wished to tear it down, that it was a foul thing, but that he was missing something important to it ¨C something vital."

    Tristan called it a foul thing and something to remove? Did he know something of it?

    "Actually," I say. "He had it all along ¨C he just didn''t know it. It''s contained within his Grimoires. I don''t need all of them, but the more I look through or have, the easier it will be for me to figure out. It''s contained within his spells and enchantments."

    "The runes?" He asks, and I nod.

    He came to that conclusion quickly, likely having already suspected it.

    "You seem more mature than a boy of thirteen."

    "Only my body didn''t age."

    "The brain wouldn''t, either."

    "The mind does," he says. "While the brain does hold me back in some regards, I am nineteen, just as you."

    "I''m eighteen."

    "Michael said-"

    "I went somewhere where time passed a lot explained," I say. "More than a year passed here while only a day passed. It was functionally different."

    "Another world?"

    "The Grimoire?"

    "Yeah."

    Tristan did seem to also use them as his journals, so it makes sense that he''d mention other worlds.

    "So," Max says after a few moments of silence. "If I allow you to read through the Grimoire, you''ll grant me a dozen vials of dragon''s blood essence?"

    "Yes," I say. "However, I have another proposal."

 Chapter 0082 - The First Narkaj

    (Gavin)

    The moment I mention my proposal, Max immediately turns on-guard, and I sense several more spells forming. The kid is exceptional, considering that it would require a high INT, PER, and decent Magic Sense to notice his spells. He''s talented with magic, likely through his studying of the Grimoire.

    "Michael," I say. "Has informed me of what you do ¨C you don''t make a distinction between groups, and will give the same knowledge to anyone¡­ provided they make it worth your while. You believe hoarding knowledge to a single group is bullshit, but to avoid being abused, you charge and hide your knowledge away, so that no party would dare try to bind you to them, for fear of losing everything you have and know. Your real interest is simply in learning and seeing new things.

    "So," I say. "If you agree to join my Order and return to our headquarters with me, I won''t give you twelve vials of dragon''s blood essence for a chance at success, but sacrifice a portion of my own LIF to extend yours."

    "I don''t believe that''s possible," he scoffs.

    "Do you believe this is?" I ask, dispelling all of his magic at once, and his eyes widen. "I have read through several of the Grimoires, I have forged new magics, and I have slain Dragons. I have the LIF to spare."

    Seriously. If I''m dying in less than five years, I seriously don''t need all of this LIF. I have more than a thousand more than I''ll ever need.

    Though my LIF transfer technique is purely theoretical, so it might not work, but I will push that out of my mind and do it anyway, because I fucking can.

    "Okay," he says. "It''s a deal, but only if you grant me the LIF first."

    "Remove your tunic," I say, and he frowns. I sit down, sending the vials of Dragon''s blood essence back into my ring. "I''ll need you to sit in front of me, and your back exposed to me, for it to work."

    He doesn''t look happy, but does what I say, sitting in front of me. I place my hands against his back and close my eyes, reaching within myself, drawing on my knowledge of runes and my Resources.

    As well as my knowledge of what it''s like to lose my LIF from each and every last thing that has reduced it thus far.

    And then¡­ I push into him with my power, feeling something flowing into my arms, then my hands, and then into the boy in front of me.

    -1 LIF!

    Target has Acquired +1 LIF!

    Title Acquired!

    Life-Giver: One who is willing to sacrifice his own lifespan to increase another''s, and has gone the extra mile and done so.

    "Whoa," he says. "That was¡­ that was¡­ it actually worked. You really can."

    "Indeed," I say. "Are you ready for more?"

    "Yeah," he says happily, then I sense his mood dampen. "Um¡­ actually¡­ wait."

    "What?"

    "I think you just wasted that."

    Wasting it would be dying without using it.

    "How so?"

    "I just remembered," he sags forward. "My Species description¡­ all this time, I''ve pushed it out of my mind. It flat-out says I could never live longer than thirteen years, and that I''ll die on my thirteenth birthday, because I''m a Mutt."

    That''s harsh.

    "May I read it?"

    "How do I do that?"

    "Pull it up," I say. "Then do the same thing you would for sharing your Status."

    He follows my instructions, and a moment later, the information appears in my vision.

    Mutt: A blend of species with too many to accurately guess a dominant in, despite the primary form being humanoid with no other distinguishing features. You posses a lithe body with powerful muscles, sharp canines, greater senses, and enhanced reflexes, among other things, but gain far fewer stats than other species and mixes upon Leveling your Species, as well as have a naturally low natural lifespan, not living past your thirteenth birthday. You do not suffer the penalty all inhuman Species have to Experience and training up Stats. +1 INT, AGI, STR, CON, and PER each Level.

    Yeah, that''s harsh. However¡­

    I press my hands against his back again.

    "I said-"

    "Hush," I order, and he does.Stolen novel; please report.

    This time, I look within him, sensing the myriad of Species within him. He''s got eight different types of beastborn, three different types of Beastkin, some Fairy, some Human, some Elf, some Dwarf, some of something called a ''gnome'', and even a little bit of Dragon within him. There''s also a touch of giant as well, which I find¡­ interesting.

    Eighteen different Species make up this boy, blended together to restrict his lifespan.

    That won''t do.

    "I may be able to fix that," I tell him.

    "I don''t believe you," he says.

    "Utilizing the full power at my disposal," I say. "I am able to sense each of your different Species. It''s possible that I can manipulate one of them to increase it enough that you''re no longer registered as a Mutt. However, it may alter some¡­ aspects of you. For example ¨C if I made the dominant one Human, you would likely lose the inhuman aspects, and your Species Bonus would shift the Human one. That''s your highest ratio, it looks like."

    "I''d rather not lose my Species," he sighs. "The only thing I don''t like is the restriction on my lifespan."

    "I can sympathize with that," I tell him. "Let me look further."

    "Okay."

    I focus again, sensing his ancestries and heritages, the Species within him. Then, I begin to flow a small amount of Aether into him.

    "That tingles."

    "Ignore it," I tell him. "I''m not going to make one more dominant over the others unless you tell me to, this is¡­ simply me testing something and checking something. It''ll be harmless, but potentially lift the awful limitation to your lifespan."

    "Okay," he sounds unsure, but I''m sure I know why.

    After all, we did only just meet, so even if his friend, his patron, and my Blood Oath says he can trust me, he''s still going to be unsure on that.

    I continue to flow a small amount of Aether within him, and after several minutes, hear him gasp.

    "What did you do?" He asks.

    "I''m not entirely sure," I answer in full honesty. "What did I do?"

    A moment after I ask that, a message appears in my vision.

    Narkaj: A species that looks similar to the Human Species, you are are superior to many others. You posses a lithe body with powerful muscles, sharp canines, greater senses, and enhanced reflexes, among other things, but gain far fewer stats than other species and mixes upon Leveling your Species, as well as have a naturally low natural lifespan. You do not suffer the penalty all inhuman Species have to Experience and training up Stats. +1 INT, AGI, STR, CON, and PER each Level.

    "My Species changed," he says somewhat excitedly. "Do you see that? It doesn''t even mention the limited lifespan anymore. How did you do that? What did you do?"

    "I manipulated the fundamental aspects of you and smoothed over the flaws that arose due to the mixing of eighteen different Species being contained within a single being."

    "What?"

    "The Species name is pretty interesting," I say.

    "It just said that," he shrugs, looking at me. "I''m not sure why that''s what it named me."

    It''s the flip of my last name¡­ considering that Yggdrasil sometimes calls Nies the inverse of his name, there might be something in that. I''ll test this with something else, and see if the System gives it another inverse.

    "Alright," I push my experiments out of my mind and focus on the Narkaj in front of me. "Eyes forward and hold on a second."

    "Why?"

    "I promised to grant you LIF in exchange for joining my Order," I say. "Unless you''ve decided you don''t wish for that, now?"

    He looks forward, and I return my hands to his back, focusing, channeling. I stop once I have granted him nine more LIF, for a total of ten, or an additional fifty years.

    "Thank you," he says.

    "You''re welcome," I stand, then help him to his feet. "Should you Advance your Class, you''ll gain an additional 5 LIF each time. This should help you get started with that."

    "Thank you," he says, then holds his hand up, a Grimoire appearing. "As promised."

    "I didn''t give you the blood."

    "I have agreed," he says. "To join your Order. That means the sharing of our knowledge. You may have the Grimoire. Ekre says I can trust you with it, and that you may protect it far better than I ever could. Will you take me to your current base?"

    "Thank you," I accept the Grimoire, sending it into my ring. "Will you need time to prepare before leaving?"

    "No," he answers. "I keep everything within my ring, just in case. Though I do believe I know of the location of another of the Grimoires."

    "You do?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "There is a cave in the northern part of this continent, it''s hard to get to without flying. I came across it about six moths before finding this one. It has a powerful seal on the door, woven using magics similar to whatever it is that you were flowing through me."

    Aether?

    "I''ve never felt magic like it elsewhere," he shrugs. "Well, other than in the same place where that Grimoire was located, but those magics were faded away, so I could barely sense them. Maybe it''s connected?"

    "Maybe," I say. "If you''re ready to leave, then let''s go."

    He nods, and we leave the temple. As soon as we''re outside, I manipulate the air, taking us up into the sky. Max seems stunned at first, but quickly adapts, then points me in the proper direction, and I fly us that way.

    Four hours later, we reach the cliff he was referring to. It''s pretty high, and the cave''s entrance is about a hundred yards below the top of the cliff¡­ more than a mile above the forest canopy below.

    We land in the cave, and I approach the door, reading the Aether woven into it.

    New Skill!

    Aether Sense: The ability to sense and read the Aether around you.

    Uh¡­ what the fuck? Why have I not had this before?

    Blame it on Stem, Nies yawns into my mind. Glitch in the System.

    Tell him to fix them?

    Too lazy.

    You or him?

    He doesn''t respond. It''s definitely him being too lazy to tell Stem to fix it. My Aether Sense is at Level 5, which means I should''ve had it quite awhile ago.

    I return to reading the Aether in the door, then unlock it, the two slabs of stone sliding to the side.

    What rests before us isn''t a dungeon of some sort, or a chamber for housing a Grimoire.

    No¡­ it''s a dwelling. A bed rests in one corner, a variety of bookshelves lining the walls, tables with tomes and scrolls scattered across them, a small kitchen, another room for bathing in¡­

    And a very old man staring at us in shock, without access to the System.

    "Who are you, and how did you unlock that door?"

    "I am Gavin Jakran," I state. "Dragonslayer. I-"

    "Where did you get that ring?" His eyes notice the spatial ring on my hand, then travels to Max''s. "You both possess my rings. Where did you locate those?"

    "I found it in a temple to the southwest," Max speaks up. "It had faded enchantments, and contained a Grimoire of magics. Your rings?"

    "Yes, my rings," the old man stands, approaching us. "Those magics shouldn''t have faded, not unless a Dragon attacked the temple for some reason. You¡­ have one of my Grimoires?"

    "I possess four of them," I state. "And know where two others are located. Who are you?"

    I already know, knew it from my Appraisal before he spoke, despite his lack of Access, but I still want to hear him say it. I want to confirm with my own ears that he really is the one I think he is.

    "I am Tristan Lightblade," he answers. "Ancient magus, and master of the eleven Resources."

 Chapter 0083 - Tristan Lightblade

    (Gavin)

    So this old man really is Tristan Lightblade, author of the Grimoires and crafter of the Spatial Rings. He''s not just an old man, he''s a really old man.

    "Come in," he gestures to us. "Before the seal undoes itself."

    We enter his abode, and he waves his hand, the door closing and the magic restoring. He shuffles around for a moment, clearing two chairs of books, then gestures for us to sit.

    "So you live," I say. "I would think someone without Access to the System would die long before they reached a thousand."

    "My dwelling is enchanted," he says. "It''s based off a more powerful version I found in a temple. Time moves at a much, much slower rate, here. I couldn''t halt it, like it is in the temple, but I could slow it. The temple wasn''t secure enough for me, and I couldn''t grow my own food. I have golems tending to the gardens below us."

    The ancient magician moves without issue, walking around the room and preparing tea for us to drink, serving it to us before sitting down on the other side of the table.

    "The Grimoire," Max says. "That I found mentioned you had found a way to grant oneself Access. That''s how I acquired it. How come you didn''t do it to yourself?"

    "He was looking," I say. "For a Natural Rift, before doing it."

    "Yeah," Max nods. "The note said that, but wouldn''t having Access allow him to increase his LIF, thus increasing his lifespan? He can''t hunt for a Natural Rift while stuck in here."

    "No, no, I can''t," Tristan shakes his head. "I gave up on that centuries ago, after erasing the locations of most of my Grimoires from my memory."

    "Why would you do that?" Max asks.

    "In case someone found him, bound him, and tortured him for their locations," I state. "It''s a rare chance, but it''s possible."

    "Indeed," the ancient magician nods. "It''s also why I sealed myself away here. I have been improving my own magics and doing my best to figure out just what it is I am missing."

    "To remove the Boundary of the Sages?" I ask.

    "You know of it?" He asks.

    "I hail from Jozan," I nod. "I also have a Quest for doing it. I also know what it is you are missing."

    "You do?" He asks. "I have studied the Dekami Runic Language extensively, yet nothing I have found would allow one to-"

    "Because you''re looking at it from the wrong angle," I draw three runes in the air. "What are these?"

    "Runes for fire," he answers. "Three different variations of it, though all three can be used for the same thing. However, the one in the middle is the one best for creating spells with fire-based magics in them, while the one on the left ¨C my left ¨C is best for enchantments."

    "Wrong," I state. "And right. These aren''t three Dekami Runes. They are runes for three separate languages. The one in the center belongs to the Dekami Runic Language. The one on my right ¨C your left ¨C belongs to the Kratus Runic Language, which works best for enchantments. The third and final rune belongs to the Dirsoor Runic Language, which works for manipulating magic and existence. There is at least one more Runic Language, though I have yet to decipher enough of it to gain the Skill for it.

    "In addition," I say, the runes fading from the air. "Each rune has a slightly different purpose. It would take a decent grasp of each language in order to remove the Boundary of the Sages."

    "And likely more power than I have left," the ancient magician sighs. "Especially if it requires mixing together multiple languages together in a proper way. I assume our magics are through faulty arrangements, then?"

    "Indeed."

    "I am long past the peak of my power," he says. "Though judging by your aura, Gavin, you are likely at it. And have reached the Second Tier of your Species."

    "I have."

    "And you believe you can remove the Boundary of Sages?"

    "With enough runes mastered, I believe I will be capable of it."

    "Then I will grant you my resources," he says. "Though don''t expect too much help from up there," he points at his head. "For though I have aged slowly, my mind has holes in it, memories and knowledge long forgotten. I''ve likely forgotten more magics than you''ve ever known."

    "Why did you hide away your Grimoires?" I ask.

    "To protect them," he answers. "I wanted to write down all of my knowledge, to preserve it for the future. But then I realized, after some centuries, that everyone wished to hoard magic for themselves. Allowing such Grimoires to exist was dangerous, but I''ve spelled them to be nigh indestructible ¨C destroying them was beyond my own power. And thus, I hid them away, in dangerous places where few could ever hope to find them. I only remembered the locations of two ¨C one here, and one hidden with a certain being."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Oberon, the Fairy King," I state, and he nods. "I don''t have his, though I have memorized it."

    "You''ve memorized my Grimoires?" Tristan turns slack-jawed. "That shouldn''t be possible, not with their enchantments. How high is your INT?"

    "Over a thousand."

    He stares at me in silence.

    "You might want to close your mouth," I say. "Before you begin drooling."

    "That¡­ certainly explains it," he says. "It would take at least a thousand INT in order to be able to memorize even half of a single Grimoire, due to my enchantments."

    Whatever.

    "Why did you desire to earn Wizard before Access?" I ask. "And why not bestow Access upon yourself after giving up?"

    "For the latter," he looks sheepish. "I''ve forgotten the method for doing so. It''s been a thousand years, and was one of the things I never thought I''d forget, so I never wrote it down outside of the Grimoires."

    Moron.

    "And for the former?" I ask.

    Tristan stands, walking over to a shelf and looking through it, before grabbing a tome and bringing it to the table, setting it down. He flips it open and looks through the pages, before finding what he''s looking for.

    "You are aware," he looks at me. "Of Wizard''s passive bonus to learning and Leveling Skills yes?"

    "Indeed."

    "And how it grows even stronger each Tier?"

    "Indeed."

    "If you qualify for Wizard before gaining Access to the System," he says. "You acquire another bonus to Experience."

    "There''s no mention of that."

    "It''s secret," he smiles. "And is multiplicative to all other sources of Experience. You acquire three times the Experience. This includes for learning and Leveling Skills."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Positive," he answers. "It multiplies with Class Bonuses, Blessings, Bloodlines ¨C everything. And what''s more, now that you''re Tier II, it''s tripled again."

    "Meaning?"

    "It triples the bonus every Tier of your Species," he answers. "Meaning that instead of being three times, it''s nine times."

    In other words, being at Tier III, I receive twenty-seven times the Experience for everything, including learning and Leveling Skills. On top of the bonuses I already receive. According to my Lie-Detection, he''s wholly honest.

    Now that I think about it, I did obtain Experience absurdly easy at Tier II. I just assumed it was because it''s me.

    "There are a variety of factors," Tristan continues, skimming the page of his tome. "That contribute to Experience, as well as learning and Leveling Skills. This includes the mindset of the Adventurer in question. The more they believe it''s possible to do it faster or acquire it faster, the easier it will be for them. There''s a limit on how easy it becomes, but someone who doesn''t believe it''s as hard as others do will earn it a lot easier. There''s also devotion to acquiring it and the cause they''re working towards, and their connection to someone who believes such a thing."

    I''ve already figured those out, though not on the part about belief ¨C the part about devotion to the cause.

    "Understood," I say. "If I told you that I intend on creating a haven for people of all Species, to facilitate the spreading of knowledge and magic without hoarding it to ourselves, would you be interesting in becoming a part of it?"

    A magician as old and powerful as Tristan Lightblade would be a valuable addition to the Order. He would help not only me with my own advancements, but the Order overall.

    "My life is nearing its end," he shrugs. "I likely only have weeks left, outside of here."

    "And if I bestow upon you," I say. "Access to the System, you would get a general feel for your lifespan, and become capable of increasing it. I''m sure you''ve performed the recipes before."

    "Indeed," he nods. "They increase your natural lifespan without the System, and is partially how I managed to live for so long. However, I have long since run out of the ingredients necessary, and lack the recipes needed."

    "We possess four of your Grimoires and knowledge of a fifth," I state. "I could give you the recipes, as well as the ingredients required. All I''d require is your loyalty to the Order."

    "So once we join, we cannot leave?"

    "You may," I say. "Though abusing my people, my powers, my knowledge, my magics, or coming after us after will result in my full fury. And that is not something you want. So if you do decide to leave us, do not ever betray us."

    "Understood," he nods. "If your Order truly is as you say, then I believe it would be good to join. However, I do not see how you could protect it properly, especially if you remove the Boundary of Sages. People will seek to make your knowledge their own."

    "Any moron," I say. "Who thinks they can steal from the Order will find themselves sorely mistaken. I will handle the defenses."

    "Are you sure you are capable of it?"

    "Do not mistake me for a lousy Tier I being," I growl low in my throat. "You may have been the greatest magician of your time, and more than a thousand years my senior, but I master any magic I put my mind to with ease, I make kings bend to my will, I instill fear in even the Fairy King, I discovered a Boost Resource none had before, I''ve learned magics none have before, and I have forged my own magics, earning the eye and acceptance of the first God of Magic himself, the Origin of Magic itself. Yes, I am sure I am capable of it."

    Tristan Lightblade cringes in his seat, looking terrified. He should be. I may respect him as a magician, but I will not respect his doubt in me.

    In the end, he still agrees to join us and come to my new home with Max and me. When I manipulate air to fly us, he asks why I do that instead of using simple flight magic.

    "Because I can," I answer. "Do you wish for Access? You never did answer."

    "I might as well," he answers. "Though I''m sure you want to perform the ritual required to grant to me as much as I wish to perform the one that grants it to me. I do remember that it isn''t exactly pleasant, and-I have Access."

    "Perks of being an Archmage," I inform him. "I can simply grant Access without issue. I can revoke it as well."

    "You''re a hostile one, aren''t you?" The ancient magician asks.

    "I''ve had a rough life," I state. "And your mind isn''t exactly all there."

    "So how are we getting there?" Max interrupts our discussion. "Didn''t you say that the Boundary of Sages prevents travel between regions?"

    "There are ways around that," Tristan and I say simultaneously.

 Chapter 0084 - Almost There

    (Gavin)

    "Can I see it?"

    I look at the ancient magician, who''s looking at me like an eager child awaiting candy, having not told me what he wants to see. Again. I know I have Telepathy, but I''m not constantly using it.

    "See what, Tristan?"

    "The Violet Dragon."

    "I''m still working on improving its creation utilizing our newfound knowledge of the runes."

    "Please?" He asks. "Its existence is incredible. I want to see it with my own eyes."

    I sigh, then summon the Violet Dragon, allowing it to take its natural position around me. It watches him intently, and Tristan reaches out, as if to stroke it. The Violet Dragon snaps at him, and he pulls his hand back.

    "Am I correct," he looks at me. "In my assumption that your Violet Dragon is akin to a creature on its own? Complete with its own sentient force?"

    "In a sense," I nod. "It''s merely an extension of myself and my power. It''ll react immediately to anything it deems a threat ¨C or anything that tries to get too close to me. That''s simply a product of its design."

    "Can I see your Black Hole?"

    It''s been a month since I brought Max and the ancient magician to the headquarters, and while they each have their own home, we still remain near each other, helping each other. Max has helped train Ryan, while Tristan and I have separated out the runes and discovered that there are a total of five distinct languages.

    The last two that I were missing were Nakim Runic Language, which is best for manipulating time and space, and Kurew Runic Language, which is best for mixing different things together.

    Things like elements, Resources, and Runic Languages. My ''adjustments'' to the Violet Dragon are utilizing this newfound knowledge of ours, with what limited runes we''ve figured out or acquired from the Runic Languages'' Levels. This will be our first attempt at actually using the runes, instead of simply reading them.

    I dismiss the Violet Dragon, and it fades away.

    "No," I state. "The Black Hole is a powerful Tier VI magic that might as well be Tier VII, and is dangerous to be around. It is a purely offensive spell that can and will suck up everything around it unless it''s contained, and I don''t intend on doing what''s necessary in order to keep everything around us from being sucked into it and eliminated."

    The ancient magician looks disappointed, but accepts that answer.

    "Told ya!" Ryan yells from the firepit he''s currently attempting to build a mundane fire within.

    "Alright," I say. "Now can everyone kindly shut up so I can actually concentrate? I''m attempting to do a Long-Distance Telepathy through the Boundary of Sages, and had almost succeeded when you guys interrupted me."

    "Sorry," Tristan says, and I sigh.

    "You didn''t know," I say.

    Then, I return to concentrating in the space two hundred yards from our buildings that I had rested at, pushing with all of my mental might to breach the Boundary of Sages. After several long minutes, I finally manage it, finding my mind wandering around through the next area¡­ and then the next¡­ and then I finally reach the one I was looking for, my mind popping into Michael''s head.

    Long-Distance Telepathy is now Level 6!

    "Michael?"

    "Whoa!" He sounds surprised, though that''s understandable, since a voice suddenly started speaking in his head. "I''m now even hallucinating Gavin''s voice in my head. I guess that means I''ll have good dreams tonight."

    "Dream about your boyfriend, Michael," I state. "You''re actually hearing me. I was trying to find either you and Warren or my brothers."

    "Huh?"

    "Have a little bit more mental strength than that, Michael," I tell him. "Are you still interested in being a part of the Order? I know you''ve found a people who are accepting you."

    "I am," he states. "I''m part of the reason you wanted to do it, and I want to help you with it, because of everything."

    "What about Warren?"

    "One moment," he says, remaining silent for about thirty seconds. "Do you already have a headquarters or something?"

    "Yeah."

    "Oh, cool," he says, then falls silent for about twenty seconds. "Yeah, Warren says that he''ll talk to his father when you''re ready to bring us to it, wherever it is. It''ll be tough for his father to let him leave again, but if it''s to a place you''re protecting¡­ I think the old Fairy will relent fast."

    "Alright," I say. "It''ll be today sometime."

    "Cool!"

    He''s probably wagging that tail of his in his excitement.

    "See you," I say, then leave his mind and immediately start searching for my brothers''.

    Long-Distance Telepathy is Now Level 7!

    Still no luck. I continue pushing.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Long-Distance Telepathy is Now Level 8!

    Long-Distance Telepathy is Now Level 9!

    Found them.

    "Dylan," I say.

    "Gavin?"

    "Indeed," I state. "Are you guys wanting to stay there, or move to the headquarters?"

    "We can move to the headquarters," he states. "Do you have one, now?"

    "Indeed."

    "How long before the move?"

    "Depending," I answer. "On if we''re going through a Rift or if this spell succeeds and allows me to take others along with it. By the way ¨C they''re runes from other Runic Languages."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Positive, considering that I acquired all four of the other Runic Languages."

    "Damn. I was hoping Eli was wrong."

    "You owe him?"

    "Yeah," he answers. "I can open a Rift there to transport us, our property, and the apprentices we''ve acquired. All I''d need is the location, which I can scry for, I think. Give me about five minutes."

    "Alright."

    Roughly five minutes later, he finishes what he''s doing.

    "I think I have it," he says. "Hold on a second¡­ and¡­ there."

    Rift Sense is Now Level 7!

    I glance over at the Rift that formed. The others wouldn''t notice it, but I can see right into it. It''s roughly five feet in width and eight feet at its peak, slightly curved at the top. It seems to link directly to my brothers.

    Dylan''s head pokes out of it.

    "Oh, hey, Gavin," he says. "I wasn''t expecting to open a direct Rift. That''s rare. Might as well get everyone moving before I lose hold over it."

    His head retreats into the Rift as Tristan stares at it.

    "Did someone that looks a bit like you just look at us through a Rift?"

    "My older brother," I state. "You''ll see my identical twin at some point, though we aren''t really identical anymore, due to the differences in our Stats and my Species."

    He nods, and I wait for my brothers to start bringing people and things through. I manage to confirm the existence of an additional twelve members to my Order, excluding the two of them. Including myself, Tristan, Ryan, Max, Michael, and Warren, that means we have a total of twenty members to the Order.

    Five more in order to complete the Quest.

    I think it says something about me that a thousand Experience seems ''small''. Considering that, I look over at my apprentice. He''s gaining Experience at a decent rate, though nowhere near my absurd level, which was affected by my Bloodline''s bonus before I ever had access to it.

    If I truly am dying within the next few years, I want to leave behind an heir. Ryan''s a bit like a mini-me, complete with the pranks and everything. At least I''m powerful enough and have enough Stats that I catch them before they can really annoy me, though Tristan isn''t so lucky, and the rest of my Order probably won''t be.

    But then, he''s only thirteen. If he can get over his obsession with big boobs, he''d be fine as he ages and matures. He would make a fine heir, and be fifteen or sixteen by the time it happens. He''s already an adult, which means that there would be no issues there.

    However, my brother''s fine as well. Looking at Eli as he runs back through the Rift to grab more books, I think about him. If he were to pass through a Natural Rift, he''d receive an Experience Bonus as well, just weaker. Instead of receiving triple to all, multiplicative, like my apprentice and myself, he''d receive double, multiplicative, according to Tristan.

    He''s several years past adulthood, being eighteen and nearly nineteen. He''s already past the inappropriate part of the teenage years, and has matured a fair bit. He''s also got the same bonuses as me, otherwise, due to his Bloodline.

    If possible, I''d like to give the reward to one of the two of them. To Ryan or Eli. Even though it''s a tiny amount of Experience for me, it would be a massive amount for either of them, allowing either of them to advance a few Levels in pretty much anything except their Bloodline.

    Speaking of Bloodlines¡­

    "Hey, Dylan!" I wave him over as he returns from the other place. "Do you or Eli know how to awaken Bloodlines?"

    "No," he answers. "Father never taught us, since it was ''restricted'' by the order, and we know what he told us about it being some monsters'' Bloodline we get, but rather, just a random place''s peoples''. Why?"

    "So neither of you have it awakened?"

    "No," he answers.

    "Okay," I say. "I think I''m going to see if Christopher will tell me."

    "Uh¡­ what?" He asks. "You really want to go after him?"

    "I''ll get Michael and Warren here, first," I say. "But before I do that, I want to try something."

    Focusing on the runic formation I''ve been working on the last few days, I trigger the spell, appearing in a spot twenty yards away.

    New Skill!

    Teleport: The ability to teleport between two locations.

    Barely touched into my Aether and Mana for that. I Teleport to over the ocean two thousand miles away. Not much more of a difference in that power.

    Then, I teleport into Jozan. A bit of a difference, there, but I expected that, both due to the distance and due to having to pass through the Boundary of Sages. It''s warded against Teleportation magics. Or at least, magics that bend space.

    I return home and rest for a few minutes, recovering some of my spent Resources. Teleporting into Jozan increased Teleport to Level 2. I''m not surprised by its low increase, considering it''s a Tier VII spell. However, with my powerful bonuses to Leveling things, I''m sure that going to Warren and Michael will increase it a bit more, and bringing them with me will again as well.

    I put a hand on Ryan''s shoulder, then Teleport us into Jozan.

    Teleport is Now Level 4!

    "The fuck?"

    "Hey, Bert," I wave to him, then Teleport Ryan and myself back to headquarters.

    "Bert?" Ryan asks. "That was fucking terrifying. Was that a Dragon?"

    "That was an ancient Scaled Wyvern," I state. "Anyway, things are sufficient now, so I''ll be heading out. I''ll be returning with two more members for the Order, then we''ll get your buildings arranged."

    I Teleport to Warren, startling him. He was snuggling Michael, a pair of bags on the ground under the hammock they''re cuddling on. Michael''s ears twitches, his eyes remaining closed.

    "Hello, Gavin," the beastborn says.

    "You two ready to go?"

    "Yeah," he opens his eyes, then extracts himself from Warren and climbs off the hammock, picking up both bags. "Come on, Warren. Wait ¨C how did you get here? You just¡­ appeared."

    "I can instantaneously transport myself between two locations," I state. "Thanks to the help of Tristan Lightblade and reading the Grimoire Warren''s father possesses."

    "How many of his Grimoires do you have?" Michael asks.

    "Five, including the copy of Warren''s father''s that I made," I answer. "You two ready?"

    "How does it work?" Warren asks, floating off the hammock before hovering in the air next to Michael.

    "Like this," I place my hands on them, then Teleport us back to headquarters.

    Taking along two passengers wiped out most of my Aether and Mana. However, it brought Teleport up to Level 10 of Tier VII, automatically bumping it to Level 1 of Tier VIII.

    Title Earned!

    Pioneer of Tier VIII Skills: The first person to ever achiever a Tier VIII Skill, your powers are vast, your abilities, incomparable to nigh all mortals.

    That''s a Tier II Title. If I''m the first to hit Tier VIII, that means that if I reach Tier IX and Tier X, then I''ll probably receive a Tier III and Tier IV Title, respectively. That''s useful information to know.

    Achieving that puts me at twenty-nine total Titles, so two more, and I''ll receive the third Title for earning Titles. Hm¡­

    Is there a bonus for reaching the fourth Title Hunter Title?

    +0 INT!

    Thanks, Stem.

    +0 CHA?

    The fuck is that for?

    I forgot you knew.

    You know you can talk to me telepathically, like most Divine do.

    Oh, right.

    "Alright, people," I look around. "Let''s get your housing situation sorted out."

 Chapter 0085 - Bloodlines

    (Gavin)

    Christopher currently sits at a table, studying a tome with great intensity. He failed to notice my arrival, as evidenced by his thoughts. Judging by his Resource Pools, he''s undoubtedly powerful.

    Yet he''s nowhere near my Level. He''s still a Human, too, and his Bloodline is only Level 9. He''s had plenty of time to advance it past Level 8 when we met, yet has failed to go far, because of the difficulty.

    Simply stealing from people doesn''t work.

    It seems he managed to get rid of Oberon''s curse, and has even gained the Blessing of a Divine Being called Slkar. If my source is correct, he''d recently lost the Blessing of the other Divine who had given him one¡­ because that Divine didn''t want to risk Nies''s fury.

    Christopher, your son''s standing behind you, a silky male voice says into his head.

    Christopher immediately stands, knocking his chair down as he spins to face me, eyes widening.

    "Hello, Christopher," I say. "Your other children need help awakening their Bloodlines, and you''re going to give me the information on how to do it. And properly."

    "Welcome," he smiles at me. "I suppose this saves me the effort of going to that irritating world of yours and tracking you down. You hurt me, you know, back when you-"

    "Summon Void," I state, a Void appearing around his right forearm.

    Immediately, I can tell he''s being shielded by a Divine Being.

    "Ah-ah-ah," I say. "You shouldn''t have done that, Slkar. You really shouldn''t have violated that little rule of the elder Divine."

    "Really?" A Divine Being appears between my father and me.

    He appears to be in his thirties, with pale skin and pitch-black hair and eyes, his irises crimson. He''s dressed in an outfit forged of flowing shadows, and he does his best to exert his Divine Power over me.

    Divine Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 2!

    Divine Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 3!

    Divine Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 4!

    Wait, what? He''s using Divine Appraisal on me, and it''s increasing my resistance to it? What? Was Stem sick when he generated this aspect of the Skills? Or are my bonuses just that immense?

    "Give it up," I say. "You''ve just violated several big things. And attacked another Divine''s Hero. And unfortunately for you, my Divine¡­ isn''t very merciful."

    I find a Divine Shield around myself as the room explodes. Christopher''s still alive, fortunately, but Slkar has found himself flung across the mountain we were within.

    The mountain that''s now partially rubble because of Nies''s fury, which radiates throughout the air around me far stronger than any power I''ve ever felt before.

    The Divine Shield surrounding me is tinged with a deep crimson color, while the one protecting Christopher is tinged with a blue so dark, it''s nearly black and seems grey. Despite that, Christopher still took some damage.

    The only reason he''s still alive is because Nies knows I want information out of him.

    Slkar picks himself up, glaring at the Divine Being hovering between his Hero and me.

    Nies isn''t in the forms I know, but I doubt this is his true form, considering that I haven''t shit or pissed myself or frozen up in absolute terror, as he said I would if I ever encountered it.

    However, he does stand over twenty feet in height, with the torso of a tiger-man with dark blue fur with a cream belly and chest, his legs replaced by a snake-like appendage, matching his fur. His face is mostly human, save for the crimson horns protruding from its sides, spiraling up and inward, and the crimson swirl mark on his forehead. Nies also possesses a trio of tails, two of them catlike, one of them wolflike, each of them a deep red. Spines run down his back and along his arms, forming an almost armor-like getup.

    The snakelike appendage suddenly shifts, splitting apart into two separate appendages that grow feet on them, Nies''s crimson eyes blazing with fury, his claws curled into fists.

    "HOW DARE YOU?" He screams at Slkar, who promptly pales. "First, you directly interfere to save a mortal from another, then you directly attack another Divine Being''s Blessed?"

    Thousands of fireballs manifest, pelting Slkar, followed by lightning bolts, shards of ice, massive boulders, gales of wind, and more. I''m not even sure what some of the things are. Then, the other Divine Being gets sucked into a sudden tornado that threatens to pull Christopher into it.

    As the tornado rages, various elements and powers striking into Slkar, I notice several tigers within it as well. And the color of the wind forming the tornado turning green. And the Divine Shield surrounding Christopher fading.

    And Nies transforming into an adult version of his kitty form that''s twenty feet to the shoulders, standing on all four legs.

    He walks over to Slkar as the tornado fades, the other Divine Being beaten, his body riddle with injuries, his clothes destroyed. I doubt he could run from this if he tried, knowing my patron. Nies is the Origin of Adventurers ¨C just as he can pave the way for people, he can no doubt seal them up as well.

    Nies glares down at Slkar.

    "Have you learned your lesson?" He growls at the lesser Divine Being, who trembles before him. "Very well, then."

    Nies then proceeds to eat the lesser Divine Being. When looks at me, the Divine Shield around me fades away.

    "So much effort," he sighs, then vanishes, his Divine Presence fading away as well.

    I turn my gaze to Christopher, and he flinches.

    "Answers. Now," I state. "If you lie, I will know, and you will not like the anger of a Third-Tier Species."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    His eyes widen as ¨C to him ¨C my robe and tunic disappeared, and I grew wings and my eyes shifted to an otherworldly look.

    "I don''t have much patience for you," I say.

    He gives me all of the information regarding awakening Bloodlines that I request, and then I knock him unconscious and open up a Rift, passing through it. It''s an instant-movement, resulting in me appearing back home immediately.

    I revert back to my human appearance and look around at the miniature village here. Max, Warren, and Michael are all chatting around a table, getting to know each other a bit better, though I believe it''s a bit platonic. Michael just wants to introduce Max to his good friend, and Max is glad to be able to meet others at last.

    Tristan, Ryan, and most of the Order are probably in the training hall or one of the study halls, while Eli and Dylan are likely arguing about something or other.

    Actually, I know they are, because I can hear them. This time, they''re arguing over whether or not runes I didn''t see fit into this language or that.

    Shaking my head, I head to find Tristan and Ryan, the latter of whom is practicing his Magic Bolt spell under the supervision of the former.

    "Want to awaken your Bloodline?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "What?"

    "Isn''t that dangerous?" He asks. "You told me-"

    "About me," I state. "Remember ¨C you don''t have the absurd bonuses that comes from having the Dekami Bloodline, as yours will probably be the Earth Bloodline. According to Christopher, it provides a decent bonus, as usual, but no bonus to Experience."

    "Alright," he says. "How do I awaken my Bloodline?"

    "Either through immense growth of power," I say. "Deep meditation and concentration and dedication to awakening it, or by having it awakened by someone else. Remove your tunic and sit with your legs crossed, in front of me."

    He does, and I place my hands against his back. This will be similar to what I did to Max to alter his Mutt status so that he could live past his thirteenth birthday.

    I focus, channeling my energies and pushing them into my apprentice, who shivers at the sensation. I continue to push my energies within him and reach into the various aspects that make up the boy known as Ryan Smallding.

    I''m¡­ not sure why he had his last name changed, nor what that''s supposed to mean.

    As I reach into his makeup, I notice each of the Resources within him, linked in some way ¨C small or minor ¨C flowing smoothly and steadily. He has a decent level of Aether and Void, and a small amount of Aura and Blood. His Life, Soul, and Will are quite high, even beyond his Aether and Void. His Arcane, Mana, and Spirit are around the same, and probably make up the average range for him.

    His Resource Regeneration Rate is not half-bad, either, resting at a decent level. With training, he can easily exceed what most people do, especially since it already takes only forty-seven minutes per point, sitting thirteen less than the low end of average.

    -3 LIF!

    Target +3 LIF!

    "Gavin?"

    "Ignore that."

    "Did you just-"

    "Ignore that."

    I return to sensing every aspect of his makeup. He has decent senses. Once I am sure I am able to sense every part of him, touch every aspect of it with my Aether, I get to work. This is a much less painful version of what Christopher told me the process was, and I''m sure my apprentice will be grateful for it.

    It takes me almost an hour, but I manage it.

    Your Target''s Bloodline has been Awakened

    Releasing a breath, I lean back, resting on my hands. I''m soaked in sweat from the effort that took. The way Christopher mentioned brute-forces it awake and nearly kills the target, and becoming powerful enough for it to awaken on its own or focusing on meditation and shit takes so long that it may never happen.

    "Are you okay?" Ryan twists, looking at me.

    "Yeah," I answer. "Awakening your Bloodline was taxing. I''m probably going to get some sleep in a minute. Mind sharing with me what it is?"

    "Sure," he says, then a window forms in my vision.

    Earth Bloodline: +5 to INT, CHA, and LIF, +10 to AGI, STR, CON, PER, and all Senses, +25 to RRN, +100% to learning and Leveling all Utility Skills each Level.

    "My RRN and Senses are still hidden," he tells me. "And you said that I won''t get those Stats until I Level it up, but the percent bonus is always there, even before it''s awakened. What''s a Utility Skill?"

    "Stuff like cooking, alchemy, enchanting," I explain. "The Skills related to them are utility Skills. Acting counts as one as well, I think."

    "Ah, okay," he says. "You look pretty exhausted. You should go get some sleep, first."

    "Can you go fetch my brothers?" I ask. "And Warren and Michael, too?"

    "Sure," he says, then runs out, and Tristan looks at me.

    "Are you awakening theirs as well?" He asks.

    "Yeah," I answer. "I''ll do Warren and Michael, first, then if I still have the energy left, I''ll do my brothers. If not, I''ll handle them after I get some rest."

    "How did your visit to your father go?" He asks. "Did you need to use force?"

    "No," I answer. "I used a Void on him, but his new patron protected him, then attacked me."

    "You survived being attacked by god?"

    "I did tell you who my patron is, right?" I ask.

    "Right," he smiles. "The second-eldest of the Divine Beings, and among the most powerful of them all. He shielded you?"

    "And killed the other Divine," I nod. "At least, I think he did. I''m not entirely sure. He kicked the shit out of him, then ate him."

    He''s dead.

    "Ekre says he''s dead."

    "Who?"

    "Another Original Divine Being," I answer. "Is he napping your realm again?"

    He''s completely crashed. He stumbled in here, told me he killed the Divine who Descended into Lrunai, then passed out. I had to contact Twist to find out what happened. I hate talking to that boy.

    "Pretty sure he considers you a boy, Ekre," I remind him. "Considering you''re significantly younger than him. Would you mind letting him know that I''m grateful for that, when he wakes? Though that he didn''t need to kill Slkar?"

    He''s wanted to for awhile. The bastard attacking his Blessed was enough for him to decide to finally do it. Anyway, I need to go. Ultarna''s knocking on my door, probably because she wants to know if Nies snuck back in.

    "Good luck," I tell him, and his presence fades from my mind.

    I rest until the others arrive, Tristan studying the tome in his hands as I do. When they arrive, I let them know what is about to happen, and ask each one if they are alright with it. They are, so I call Warren over first. His tunic swirls in fire, and as the fire descends, the tunic disappears. When it reaches his waist and continues to move down, it leaves behind a pair of pants.

    His outfit changed, the Fairy sits in front of me.

    I straighten up, then place my hands against his back and focus, channeling my Aether into him. He shivers as well, though his body feels warm. Don''t Fairies have cool-feeling bodies? Why is he hot? Is he ill?

    I cannot detect any illness in him, so I make a mental note to ask when I finish. It takes me around an hour to finish my work, and determine that I can probably only perform one more Awakening before having a severe need to rest again.

    Warren fixes his clothes as Michael removes his tunic, then sits in front of me, and I place my hands against his back. His tail immediately starts swishing back and forth, brushing against my stomach as it does. I still haven''t returned my tunic from when I removed it earlier, so it''s brushing my skin, and that just feels weird.

    Really, really fucking weird.

    I create a small membrane of Mana over my skin, to protect me against that feeling, then focus on channeling my Aether into Michael''s warm back. Why is he warm, too? Him and Warren both are, yet neither are sick.

    Another hour later, Michael''s Bloodline has awakened, and I ask him and Warren what they are.

    Eisnar Bloodline: +10 to INT, CHA, PER, LIF, LC, +25 to MNA, SPA, ACA, AEA, +40 to RRN, +200% to learning and Leveling nature magics and Spirit magics each Level.

    That''s a pretty good Bloodline, in my opinion. Considering what Yggdrasil is, I''m not surprised by that. It''s possible Bloodlines are affected by the age and power of the World Deity connected to the world the person was born on, and considering how much older and more powerful this world is, as well as the Divine Being attached to it, than Earth, it would make sense that the Bloodline would be more powerful as well.

    However, that''s only a theory of mine, one I''m not exactly able to just test, unless I want to go around and grant random people awakened Bloodlines and find out how old their world and World Deity are.

    "I''m going to go get some sleep," I say as Michael pulls his tunic back on, and I look at my brothers. "I''ll take care of you two later."

    Then, I Teleport into my room and collapse onto my bed, promptly falling asleep.

 Chapter 0086 - The Other Fairy King of Eisnar

    (Gavin)

    Gavin? A voice speaks hesitantly into my head, and I frown.

    I don''t recognize this voice. They''re male, and probably only around nine or ten. I''m already a bit tired, because I just awakened my brothers'' Bloodlines for them, and I''d rather not deal with more mysterious voices.

    "Who are you, and what do you want?" I ask, standing and ignoring Dylan''s confused expression.

    Despite the young-sounding voice, he''s likely a Divine Being. Unless it''s a weird case, he''s an ancient one, likely one of the Original Divine Beings.

    I am Grinto, he answers. Um¡­ do you see No-Noah as a friend?

    "Noah?" I ask. "The Fairy who pretended to be me to fool Nies in exchange for some money? I befriend him as Marty, yes. Why?"

    Um¡­ he and his people are under attack. Some people discovered that they were Fairies, and attacked them. They''re losing. Would you¡­ be willing to go help them?

    Immediately, I Teleport to the general location of Noah, though about two hundred feet in the air, my robe and tunic already put away, my wings spread out. I''m over a tropical island, where a battle''s broken out on a beach.

    There are around a hundred Fairies total, with maybe thirty or forty already dead, excluded from that number. At least a thousand Humans, and I only count three dead ones.

    The Fairies all have similar looks ¨C varying shades of blue hair and matching eyes and wings. A lot of them look exhausted, and judging by the devastation through the woods, they were chased from the other side of the island and from within it.

    They''ve been cornered.

    I descend rapidly, stopping around twenty feet in the air, all eyes on me, the presence of a Tier III Species overriding their current thoughts of war.

    "What do we have here?" I ask with my Magic Voice.

    Magic Voice is Now Level 8!

    "Do I see Humans slaughtering Fairies for being Fairies?" I ask, and many of the Humans tremble.

    "Who are you?" One of them yells at me, rage in his eyes.

    "Blood Smite," I hold out a hand, a blast of crimson light bursting forth.

    He tries to dodge, but one does not simply dodge a Smite. It strikes him, and he explodes into a shower of blood.

    "I am Gavin Jakran," I state. "Archmage. Eternal. Mere Tier I trash like you can only tremble in fear at my power. And die against it. Firebolt Chain."

    I cast several of them. The Humans try to flee, but I destroy them, their weapons, their ships ¨C everything. Once there are no living Humans left on the beach, I land in the sand, looking out across the terrified Fairies.

    "I only know your Human appearance, Noah," I state. "You know me as Marty."

    A blood-soaked Fairy flies towards me. He looks to be around ten in non-Fairy ages. He''s dressed in light leather armor that covers his chest, his groin and ass, his shoulders, elbows, and knees, along with a pair of soft leather boots.

    I suppose I should have expected it to be him. Twist did tell me that Noah was a Fairy King, and this one wears a golden crown with a leaf-like pattern adorned with blue jewels.

    Plus, his Status kind of says that, too.

    Norahl Fairy 17 Ruler 6

    Hero of Grinto

    So that mysterious voice was the Divine Being he worships, then? I suppose that explains why he petitioned me. He must be a Fairy in form as well, which would explain his youthful voice.

    "You look quite different," Noah/Norahl says. "Than you did in either of the forms I remember, though I do see the resemblance to your True Form."

    "This is my True Form, now," I state. "I have Advanced my Species twice. Eternal was not a title, but my Species. Unfortunately, I cannot dampen this aura I emit, which is why you likely feel a sense of both fear and awe at my presence. It affects anyone of a lower Tier of Species than me, with a stronger sense the further the Tier they are away. It likely won''t be long before I reach Tier IV, considering I hit Level 23 of Tier III earlier.

    "That said," I look around at the Fairies, who are weary and wary. "It looks as if you have had a hard time."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    "Indeed," he nods. "We''ve concealed what we are, and have managed to do so for centuries, but in the end, it wasn''t enough. Somehow, someone discovered what we were, and then¡­ this. We are no longer safe here, though we have nowhere to go."

    "Do you remember," I state. "What I do? The purpose of my Order?"

    "To protect those who cannot," he says. "And train those who wish to train. Yes, I remember well what you said the purpose of the Order of the Violet Flame was. I also remember that you did not have a location for it¡­ and were still a Tier I Human, Marty."

    "I have a headquarters, now," I say. "It''s in a vast valley. Right now, the only people in that region of the world are of the Order. If you would not mind moving, and leaving behind this place, I would be more than happy to bring you there."

    He looks hesitant, as do many of his people. It would be a huge move for them, but after what has happened¡­ I know there''s more to the hesitation than that, especially as they need a safe place.

    "I have several Humans," I say. "A Wolf Beastborn, and a son of the Fairy King Oberon. I assure you, those within my Order cannot have issues with others simply because of their Species. In addition, the valley is quite vast, spanning several miles before reaching the mountains. I would have no issue creating a home for you, as I have done for others there, and you would not have to stay around mine, though I do ask that you do not create problems with them, should you interact. I know it might take some time to trust people, because of this.

    "That said," I say. "There is the requirement of giving us all knowledge you have of the full variety. Magical, mundane, Skills, and so on. My brothers are in charge of the actual acquisition, so you would have to speak with them."

    "Okay," Norahl thinks for a few moments. "There is an item that I would not feel comfortable leaving here. It''s hidden underneath the island, in a sealed room. The way into it has been forgotten, though it''s rumored to be an artifact of great power and knowledge. I''d rather not leave it for them to find, in case they find a way to enter the chamber."

    I close my eyes, pushing out with my magical senses until I locate the room. It''s sealed pretty tightly, but using proper runic formulas¡­

    It only takes me a moment to Teleport into the chamber, grab the Grimoire, and Teleport back to Norahl.

    "Obtained and stored in my ring," I state, smiling at his stunned face. "I can take everyone there, though it will take me several trips. Thankfully, the distance isn''t too far."

    He nods, and starts calling Fairies over. I tell him that I can do two at a time, so he calls over two at a time, bringing me a couple of stronger warriors first. I Teleport them to the settlement for the Order, then return immediately, taking two more warriors.

    After that, Norahl calls over others, weaker ones. They trust him, and thus, they relax a little, though I can tell they aren''t too sure. I can tell that they know of me, though. Likely from Norahl''s mentioning of me at times.

    It takes me around four hours to manage to Teleport them all to the Order''s headquarters, and the Fairies are all looking quite nervous. A few people are trying to talk with them, but failing, while Michael chats happily with a couple, able to speak a common language. Warren''s likely using a Spirit to translate for his own conversations, and I can tell that my twin''s learning as he goes, listening intently to the various conversations.

    "Thank you," Norahl says when I finally bring him, the last of them, to the headquarters. "I suppose we should find a place to live and make our homes now, Marty."

    "Call me Gavin, and I''ll call you Norahl."

    "Alright, Gavin," he smiles. "I suppose I should thank you, for helping me with my anger issues back then. We were both working on them, but if it weren''t for you able to actually manage yours, I''m sure I''d still be the rash child I was back then."

    "Maybe," I shrug, taking on my more human appearance, and he jumps. "I can revert the extreme changes, such as the spatial appearance to my eyes and the wings, though they''re part of my True Form. It feels weird, not having them normal. My wings itch to come out, and my eyes just feel itchy."

    "I know how that feels," he smiles. "That year we were training was hard on me. I wanted so badly to return to my True Form and stretch my wings, flying around for awhile. I did sneak out a couple of times to do so."

    "I debated following you," I say, and his eyes widen a little. "I noticed you sneaking out. But yeah, I debated following you to see what you were doing, but figured it was just you venting your anger more. Normally, I''m not surprised by things, but finding out you were a Fairy was¡­ interesting. Definitely a shock to me, and unexpected."

    "How did you find out?" He asks.

    "A god told me," I answer, and he raises an eyebrow. "Months ago, and it wasn''t yours. Yours contacted me just before I Teleported to rescue you and your people. They can''t interfere directly ¨C not without certain issues ¨C so he requested my assistance, since he knows I have no issue with Fairies and holds no love of those who do what those Humans were doing. I once wiped out twenty million Elves for imprisoning a goddess''s small following."

    Speaking of them¡­

    "I''m going to be back," I down a pair of Potions, recovering my Mana and Aether, then Teleport, startling a group of the Kemmel, immediately spotting a golden dot in my vision and teleporting to it. "Hello, Ultarna."

    "Gavin!" The goddess exclaims, charging at me and giving me a hug. "Nies gives me so much crap about giving you that Skill! I have no regrets! He totally deserved that! Congratulations on Advancing your Species, too!"

    "Your people seem to be settling in alright," I say. "I wanted to make sure they were doing okay, and weren''t having problems with others ¨C of any Species."

    "Nope!" She smiles up at me, then releases me, stepping back as the Kemmel who heard her exclamation start approaching, watching. "I think everyone learned their lesson! Thanks so much for the help! My people are doing well, too! Oh! They wanted to do a feast for you, if you ever came back! And a few want to join your Order!"

    "A few want to join my Order?"

    "Yep!"

    "You were talking about it with them?"

    "Yep!"

    Her tail''s flicking back and forth, energy in her eyes. Inwardly, I sigh. I guess I should''ve expected that my patron''s newest girlfriend would talk about me and my goals with her people, especially since it''s why they were freed in the first place.

    "I''m currently," I tell her. "Helping settle in some people who just moved to my Order''s location. There''s around a hundred of them. If you want to do a feast, I will return one week from today, to give you time to prepare, as I''m sure you''d scramble to figure out what to do, only to panic, if you were to do it now.

    "That said," I say. "If anyone wishes to come back with me now, I will not mind bringing them to my Order''s location. Otherwise, I would have no issues taking you with me after the feast, to give you time to say your goodbyes."

    She nods, then starts speaking with her followers. A couple have no issues leaving immediately, while the rest will wait until after the feast.

    While I''m in this region, I should probably see if any of the Elves want to join the Order. There might be a few of them in that nation I dropped into before attacking the one whose name I can''t remember. The one I rescued the Kemmel from.

 Chapter 0087 - The Boundary of Sages

    (Gavin)

    Quest Completed!

    Found an Order

    Reward: 1,000 Experience!

    Blessing Bonus:

    +2 LIF!

    +5 Experience!

    +5 Class Experience!

    "Ryan," I say, and my apprentice looks over at me. "I''m issuing a Quest to you. Punch me in the stomach."

    Quest Issued to Ryan Sordris!

    Requirement: Punch Gavin Jakran in the stomach.

    Reward: 1,005 Experience!

    +5 Class Experience!

    -854 Experience!

    -4 Class Experience!

    I discarded the last Class Experience, since I''m not Advancing any of my Classes at the moment. I only need to sacrifice eighty-five percent of the reward from myself for any Quests I issue, meaning that I can still use 146 Experience. Looking at my information, though, I see myself having 151 Experience.

    Ah, right. Duh. That''s why. I was subtracting from one thousand.

    "Uh¡­" Ryan looks nervous.

    He changed his last name again. Is he nervous because issuing the Quest revealed that to me? Or because of what it requires?

    "Just do it."

    "Why?"

    "Do you want the free Experience or not?"

    "Why are you giving it to me?"

    "You are going to be my heir," I state. "I initially offered it to Tristan, and while he doesn''t mind helping run the Order with Dylan, he suggested I make you my heir instead of him. You are already a Wizard, and even with his Dekami Bloodline, he cannot hope to catch up to you, unless he is to acquire Wizard as well, which is an unknown. Even then, I am personally training you already. Therefore, he believes it to be best that I name you my heir."

    He has other reasons, but he did not tell me them.

    "Oh," he says. "Why does the Quest require me to punch you?"

    "Would you rather the Quest be," I say. "To allow me to punch you for changing your last name again?"

    "Alright," he walks up to me nervously, then punches me in the stomach. "It didn''t complete."

    "Of course not, that was pathetic," I say. "Put some power behind it."

    He nods, this time actually punching me with all his might. He yelps, shaking his hand. He should have known punching me with all his might would hurt him. I heal his hand.

    "Use 500 Experience into your Species," I tell him. "And 500 into Wizard. Use the other 5 wherever you wish."

    "None into my Bloodline?"

    "You would only raise it by a single Level," I state. "Worry not about it."

    "How did you have General Experience laying around?"

    "After bringing the Kemmel and those three Elves here earlier," I say. "I completed a Quest that gave 1,000 Experience."

    "And the other five?"

    "I gain five Class Experience and 5 Experience," I say. "Whenever I complete a Quest, thanks to my Blessing of Nies. I also acquire 2 LIF for completing Quests, and only use a portion of the spent Experience if I issue a Quest. Use the Experience."

    "Alright."

    A few moments later, his Class and Species Levels increase instantly, rising 5 Levels in each. After that, he informs me he used the extra 5 Experience for his Species Level, and I nod, then look to the Tower.

    "Do you want me to do anything else?" He asks.

    "Come with me," I answer. "I figured out what I needed to yesterday in order to remove the Tower of the Sages."

    "You can remove the Towers?"

    "The Tower, yes," I nod, leaving the room, my apprentice following me.

    Though it''s actually removing the enchantment, now the Tower itself.

    "What do you mean, ''the Tower''?" He asks, nearly running to keep up with my quick stride. "Didn''t Tristan say that you have to destroy all eighteen at once?"

    "There is only the Tower," I state, spotting Tristan speaking with a group of Fairies who stayed behind.

    I created a light amount of trees throughout the field of the valley, and for now, the Fairies are sticking near the lake around two miles to the north, and are working on constructing their own homes. With their own uses of the Resources required, they wanted to do it themselves, even if my understanding of the proper runes makes my magic far more efficient.

    The trio of Elves are off hunting in the actual forest right now, though I intend on speaking with them later. They wanted to see the game. They don''t have Access, so I had one of the other members of the Order who does head out with them, just in case. The monsters around here aren''t that tough, they''re just annoying if they swarm you.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    And probably terrified shitless of the Tier III Enlightened before them.

    "Tristan," I say once I have reached the ancient Human and the group of Fairies. "I am taking down the Boundary of Sages. I figured out the requirements before offering to awaken the Bloodlines for my student, friends, and brothers."

    "You know the runes required?" He asks.

    "Yes," I state. "And why the Tower is so difficult."

    "What makes the Towers so difficult?" He asks.

    "The fact that it''s a single Tower, Tristan," I state, then look at the Fairies. "The four of you lack Access. Would you like it?"

    "Can you grant it?" One of them frowns. "We heard there''s a method to do so, but that it strips LIF away, and we wouldn''t want-"

    "I have more LIF than I will ever use," I state. "But actually, as an Archmage, I can ignore that method and simply grant Access directly. Like I just did for you."

    His eyes widen as he reads the messages in his vision. I grant it to the other three as well, and they widen their eyes as well.

    "Why don''t you four," I say. "Play around with your new Access, while Tristan accompanies me for something. I promise to bring him back in one piece. Unless I decide not to. It''s all up for grabs. Also, I think Michael wants to play seek-the-friend, since I added a few trees and boulders to the valley. It isn''t enough to obstruct the view, but it''s enough to make some decent hiding places, if you don''t mind a large expanse."

    The Fairies nod, giggle, then fly off, presumably to locate the beastborn.

    "Come," I state to Tristan, wrapping him, my apprentice, and myself in air magics.

    I fly us over the Mysts of the Lake that spans the half of the lake around the island itself, then past the Shroud of Gardens on the island itself, landing us in the hundred-yard stretch around the Tower of the Sages clear of my protective magics.

    According to Tristan, the true purpose of the Boundary of Sages was to separate the world to prevent the unification of the different Species as they began to develop cross-continental travel methods. In addition to that, they intended for people to never be willing to spread the knowledge of magic, keeping it tight and close within them.

    The reason this continent is empty, I theorize, was to keep people from locating the true Tower of Sages. From this location, and this location only, can the magics be undone. The Tower itself already existed before they decided to create the Boundary, likely thousands of years and hundreds of generations prior to the ones who did that.

    They were hoarders of knowledge, and in the end, that was their downfall. When they created the Boundary of Sages, they became sealed out of their own Tower, and in the end, died out. Over time, the valley reclaimed its land, creating small hills where their homes once stood which eventually smoothed out, but never a forest, simply fields until the forest that already touched the mountains.

    Even the Sages were unable to undo their magics, they had woven it so tightly and sacrificed so much. They used the Tower as a conduit for their spell, a Tower made of a material that is all but immune to magic and is harder than any other stone in existence. Even they were likely unaware of its crafters, likely claiming it from some long-lost civilization.

    That is the life of Eisnar, also known as Nierfa, the world in which we live. Many civilizations have come and gone and been forgotten, to the point that even the ones who used the old ones'' resources have been forgotten as well.

    And today, I undo that hateful magic. The people of Eisnar shall, for the first time in thousands of years, be able to travel freely around, and those who do will be free to spread their knowledge and might.

    With that, my Order will flourish. Word will spread of my Order and our goals, and by the time that Dragon kills me, we will be untouchable. My heir and my brothers, along with Tristan and my other allies, will be able to defend this place well.

    We will be unstoppable in our goal of a unified peoples without magics being hoarded between them, sharing it with anyone willing to share and spread knowledge of magics and techniques and accept all without bias against Species.

    But first, I need to remove this Boundary, and so I place my hands against the Tower''s surface, focusing my magical senses into it, spreading them out and reading the vast amount of power woven together.

    Once I have a grasp of the way the Runic Languages have been woven together here, I begin to undo them, and it takes its toll on my LIF, removing a total of 136 LIF before I finally finish undoing the ancient magics, my Resources nearly drained entirely.

    Despite magics still woven into the Tower itself ¨C magics of the five Runic Languages ¨C I know the Boundary of Sages exists no more.

    Quest Completed!

    Remove the Boundary of Sages

    Reward: 500,000 Experience!

    +2 LIF!

    +5 Experience!

    +5 Class Experience!

    Requirement Met:

    All Quests preventing the earning of Class and Bloodline Experience have been completed!

    You may earn Experience for Classes and your Bloodline once more!

    I dismiss the latter notification, then look at my apprentice.

    "Did it work?" He asks.

    "Indeed," I answer, placing a hand against the cool stone surface of the Tower, and a moment later, an arched opening forms within the wall. "And I even unlocked the front door, though only someone with the proper knowledge of runes may enter. Let''s keep that a secret. I received an Experience reward. I will share some of it with the two of you. Tristan ¨C I will give you only 1,000 Experience, while I give my apprentice more."

    "I understand," he states. "You wish to prepare your apprentice, who has far less power and knowledge than me, for the future, in case you should be indisposed."

    "Actually," I pull my hand away and close the door. "I would like the two of you to swear Blood Oath to me, vowing that you will not share with anyone what I am about to say until I die or give you permission to do so."

    They both do, Ryan frowning as he does.

    "Why did you add in ''until I die'' into that?" He asks.

    "Because," I say. "In less than three years, I may be killed."

    Ryan snorts.

    "Dude," he grins. "You seriously had me worried, there."

    "I''m serious," I say. "A Divine Being able to see the future has stated that I will be slain in two to three years by a Dragon. He did that before I met you, Ryan. Though there are chances he may be lying, there is also the chance that he is correct. Even at my peak, I will never be able to take on a fully-grown Elder Dragon. Ever. If it comes down to sparing my life or killing it and protecting people, I will gladly give up my life. That is why I wish to prepare you as best I can to carry on my legacy.

    "And that," I hold out my hand, a spatial ring forming in my hand. "Is why I would like for you to accept this spatial ring, as a sign of your apprenticeship."

    This ring is a simple band ring, like most spatial rings, but unique to it is the emblem of the Order of the Violet Flame woven with the violet marks, along with the rest of the violet marks resembling a Dragon, akin to the one I summon forged of magic. The ring matches the ones Tristan forged in size.

    With the proper runes, it was quite easy to forge this, and I did while I was visiting the Elves, partly because I was already forging a ring to offer to their leader, as a bit of an apology.

    "If you accept the ring," I say. "As a sign of your status as my heir, you will complete another Quest, in addition to being officially named my successor, for when I pass away."

    Quest Issued to Ryan Sordris!

    Requirement: Accept the Status as Heir of Gavin Jakran and the ring that comes along with it

    Reward: +6,993 Species Experience, +6,986 Class Experience, +7,500 Subclass Experience, +250 Bloodline Experience!

    -18,470 Experience!

    Experience Remaining: 481,530

    Ryan thinks about it. And thinks about it. And thinks about it. After several long moments, he accepts the ring, completing the Quest. His eyes shift for a few moments as he dismisses notifications, then selects his Subclass, taking on Novice, likely because of its magic-based association working a bit with Wizard.

    At least, for now, I don''t have to worry about him Advancing Wizard. With his boosts, he''ll be able to become a fair bit more powerful before worrying about that. Not that he hasn''t technically beat out pretty much anyone who has ever lived before.

    Ever.

    I look to Tristan Lightblade.

    "Create a Fireball," I state.

    Quest Issued to Tristan Lightblade!

    Requirement: Create a Fireball

    Reward: +1,000 Experience!

    -850 Experience!

    Experience Remaining: 480,680

    Tristan creates a Fireball, the Quest completing.

    "Use that Experience how you see fit," I tell him, and he nods before spreading it evenly between his Species and Class. "Give me a few minutes to sort out my own Experience, and we''ll head inside, to see what awaits us."

 Chapter 0088 - Timeless One

    (Gavin)

    I have a fair bit of Experience to sort out. 480,680, to be exact. Due to the sheer amount of it, I could probably max-out everything I currently have. My Species, my Bloodline, and my three Tier III Classes to Tier IV. Actually, I might not manage my Bloodline, but it''s worth the try, right? Unless I want to take on some more Classes that will do almost nothing for me in comparison.

    The question here is¡­ what do I pick for my Tier IV Classes? There are several options, but in the end, I select Dragon Magus, Eternal Magus, and Dragon Brawler, all of them sitting at Mythical, meaning that they give a bonus every Level.

    Dragon Magus: A mage whose power far exceeds that of mere mortals, little stands in your way. +5 INT, +3 MNA every Level, +20% to learning new Magics

    This is an available Advancement for both Mystic Magus and True Magus, as well as the next option.

    Eternal Magus: Your life is long and ancient, as are your powers. Fear little. +5 INT, MNA, MNP every Level, +25% to learning and Leveling Magics.

    Powerful. The final one is the best option to advance Mystic Pugilist.

    Dragon Brawler: With a strong body and even stronger fists, your foes fear your blows. +10 STR, +5 CON, INT every Level.

    I accept the Quests, and my stats jump immediately. They aren''t massive boosts, though, and are barely worth noticing in the long-run. However, every little bit helps, and considering that they amplify what''s already there, not add on, even a single point is actually pretty good.

    That part is easy to forget.

    Acquiring those Classes net me the ''First'' Titles for each of those, as well as the Title related to earning more than thirty Titles, Title Collector.

    Experience Remaining: 255,695

    Now to finish up my Species. That one doesn''t take much for this Tier, considering it''s already at Level 23.

    +20 to All Attributes, LIF

    Experience Remaining: 242,043

    Looking at my next Species, I learn that there is no real ''quest'' for it. It simply exists as a means for me to become stronger than I already am. All I have to do is accept it, and as Nies and Twist discussed, there is only one option for the Advancement.

    Timeless One: One whose life is so long, whose body is so ageless, that they seem to exist outside of time, never aging again, living far beyond the mortal boundaries. With vast powers and seemingly endless knowledge, mere mortals worship you as a god. +25 to all Attributes, Resources, LIF per Level

    It requires over 1,000 in each Attribute and Resource, with over 10,000 Total Attributes and 25,000 Total Resources in order to unlock, in addition to having slain at least three Dragons and forged three new magics.

    Something only an impossible being could ever attain, outside of the Dekami¡­

    Outside of the Dekami¡­

    Wouldn''t beings as powerful as them, and with bonuses higher than mine from my Bloodline, be able to reach higher Tiers? Or are they¡­ are they not considered ''Enlightened''?

    Clearing that thought from my head and deciding to focus on it later, I look at my student and Tristan.

    "I am about to Advance to Tier IV of my Species," I tell them. "The feeling of awe and fear of my power you feel will increase when I do. I am unaware of what changes will occur to my body, but I will also grow intensely more powerful when I move on."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    They both nod, so I remove my robe and shirt, then I accept the Advancement.

    As always, I feel my body surge with power and energy, morphing and becoming stronger, though I know my appearance isn''t changing much, though as expected, my wings are forced out of me and into the open, as I am pushed into my true form for the transformations.

    When it fades, I am much more powerful than I was before, and my student and Tristan are looking at me with awe clear on their faces. I''m not taller or anything, and I can''t sense any real difference to my body, so this must be from my aura.

    You have Successfully Advanced Your Species to Tier IV!

    +100 LIF

    +300 OFV!

    +300 RRN!

    Ignoring their gazes, I immediately begin putting Experience into my Species. Tier IV Species and Classes require 250 Experience per Level, so it''ll take me 75,000 Experience to finish.

    +600 to All Attributes, Resources, LIF

    Experience Remaining: 177,048

    You have Successfully Mastered Your Species!

    +200 LIF

    +400 OFV!

    +400 RRN!

    You Can Now Turn Off and On the Aura of Enlightenment

    I knew about the OFV and RRN bonuses, but I wasn''t expecting the LIF bonus, or the two Titles for Mastering my Species. I suppose that''s only natural, though, especially the Titles, since I acquired the set for reaching Tier IV.

    Now, I''m sitting at thirty-nine Titles, just from this Quest. Two more, and I''ll reach the final Title Hunter Title. I expend a small bit of Mana, and determine that it takes me less than a second to regenerate. Based on the rate at which I regained it, I can regenerate all of my 5,613 Mana in under an hour.

    "Boys," I say. "Will you stop ogling and tell me my changes?"

    "Sorry," Ryan says. "It''s just¡­ whoa."

    Sighing, I turn off the Aura of Enlightenment, confirming that it''s the one that causes the sensation of fear and awe in those below my own Species Tier, though it looks like the effects are lingering on them a little.

    I summon a mirror, and examine my body. My skin is unchanged, though my hair has turned from platinum blond to looking akin to platinum itself, and my wings are now a metallic violet with flecks of gold here and there, and my eyes are in their true form, which remains from my time as an Eternal, as brief as it was.

    Immediately, I fix my eyes and hair, grateful that I can do so, and then release my wings, before pulling my tunic and robe back on. That done, I dismiss the mirror, then clap loudly, startling the two magicians before me.

    "Thank you," I say. "I''m going to work on adding Experience to my Bloodline, now."

    They nod, and I get to work.

    +375 to All Possible Stats!

    Experience Remaining: 49,548

    That granted me two new Titles as well ¨C Bloodline Beast, for Mastering my Bloodline, and the First Title for that. It seems I acquired Title Hoarder somewhere along the way as well. I also acquired some for having no less than 2,000 of each Attribute, as well as another for having no less than 40,000 Total Resources.

    Now what to do? Take on a new Class or Subclass, or a new Subspecies? Leader of Magic falls into the same category as Ruler Classes, so it doesn''t count as a Primary. Due to my Tier IV Primary Class being over Level 15, I can have a total of three additional Primary Classes and seven Subclasses. Right now, I have no other Primary Classes and only five Subclasses.

    The main issue is probably that outside of a Legendary or Mythical Class, I''d receive almost no benefit from a new Class, period. Even then, it would probably need to be a Mythical Class, for the every-Level bonus.

    Then again, even a single point is useful, due to the amplification properties, but even then, it''d be barely noticeable.

    I need to figure it out, though¡­ I can''t just abandon this Experience. I could Quest it to someone, but even then, I''d still have Experience leftover.

    You could always save it, Nies mumbles into my head.

    "Save it?" I ask, the two magicians giving me curious looks. "What do you mean, Nies?"

    The moment I say my patron''s name, the two magicians look understanding of why I''m talking ''randomly''. They should know by now that I do that when the gods talk to me.

    Dismiss the notification, and you''ll be able to come back to it later by pulling up the ''Unused Experience'' window.

    "Oh," I say. "Thanks."

    You owe me.

    "I''m planning on making you a new shrine here," I tell him. "It wouldn''t be right, having this place without a shrine to you. Was going to work on that after I get things settled down."

    Okay.

    "Plus," I say. "I got you millions of followers."

    That won''t work forever.

    Yet you keep saying that and accepting it, Nies.

    His presence fades from my mind.

    "So," I say to the two of them. "Will you enter the Tower with me?"

    They nod, so I turn and press my hand against the wall of the Tower, opening the archway. We can see within it, and it looks like just a room, rectangular, apart from where the curved wall of the Tower meets it here at the front.

    A desk stands about ten feet from the back wall, a door standing to either side of it. A crimson carpet covers the floor, and magic crystals glow, fixed into the walls. There are seats scattered across the room, low tables between them, and all in all, it looks almost like an every day Guild Hall or office.

    "That bothers me a little bit," Ryan comments.

    "The Sages," Tristan says. "Were wise and powerful. The fact that the crystals ¨C even after thousands of years ¨C remain lit is indicative of their power. In addition to that, they knew the differing languages. You can bet they were responsible for the muddled versions that mixed them together wrongly that is spread across the globe."

    "Indeed," I nod. "We go in here, we might just find the sources of true magical knowledge, not the butchered forms of it scattered across the universe. Are you two ready?"

    "Yeah," Ryan nods.

    "Indeed," Tristan confirms.

    "Then let''s go in."

 Chapter 0089 - Niess Realm

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin," Tristan says, and I glance over to him. "I have finished my assessment of the floors."

    We split up several hours ago to investigate the Tower individually. Ryan''s already finished his own assessment, mostly because he couldn''t read too much of the tomes, so he''s¡­ I''m not sure.

    If Tristan noticed the same things I did, then that is a positive. If he noticed something new, that could be a positive or a negative.

    "And?" I ask.

    "Same as during our initial investigation," he answers. "Everything here has been preserved ¨C all food, grimoires, tomes, scrolls, regents, and such. Their magics also use runes properly, from what I can tell, instead of the bad versions we all have."

    "Nothing different from what I discovered," I state. "Exempting that I found more."

    "You did?"

    "Indeed," I hand him a scroll. "Read that."

    He reads through it, his expression turning to shock as he does. When the ancient magician finishes, he looks at me.

    "Is this what I think it is?"

    "It is, indeed," I state. "That scroll is concrete proof the Sages tampered with the magical knowledge across the universe, to butcher magic and make it more difficult to learn and wield. They wanted things their way or no way.

    "It is also," I state. "Concrete proof that the Sages were not, in fact, of this world."

    "Indeed," he says. "But who were they?"

    "My best guess?" I ask, and he nods. "The people who use the name of Dekami, despite not being the true Dekami."

    He looks confused.

    "The beings we know as the Dekami," I state. "Are not the true Dekami. They are a Species with an attitude problem. The five runic languages are named after five higher Species ¨C beings above even the Dekami. From the scrolls and tomes I found, the beings calling themselves Dekami made their home here after the true Dekami abandoned it, and took on that name themselves, believing themselves to be the next-best thing. They are arrogant, boastful, and wicked.

    "I have deciphered," I indicate two journals resting on the table beside me. "These two journals already. According to the Language Skill I acquired, it was written by the Mnarians. They are the people of Mnaria, an ancient realm of pure magic, according to the language Skill. When I acquired it, the description for Dekami Runic Language changed. I am unsure of what the true Dekami Species is, but I do know what two others are."

    "You do?" He asks.

    "Yes," I answer. "The Kurew are the Dragons, and the Dirsoor are the Rift Wolves. Beings that merge many things together ¨C the many Resources that exist merged together to form these powerful beings akin to mortal gods. The Dragons. Beings that are masters of manipulating magic and existence, using that to seal up the Rifts caused naturally and by Divine issues, as well as passing between various existences without limitation. The Rift Wolves.

    "The languages," I say. "Or rather, the Skills for them, have adjusted their wording for me to reflect this knowledge. However, my Bloodline hasn''t changed."

    "What does that mean?" He asks.

    Other than that the Divine Beings were lying to me about a certain little thing? Letting me believe one thing when they knew it wasn''t true? I already gave Nies an earful about that.

    "That my Bloodline," I state. "Does not stem from the false Dekami, the Mnarians, but rather, from the true Dekami. What I want to know, now, is what the true Dekami are. They receive massive bonuses to Experience while in Dungeons, to learning and Leveling all Skills, as well as to magics and Languages."

    "What will we do now?" He asks, then looks around. "Where is your apprentice?"

    "I Teleported him back to the training hall," I answer. "So that he can practice his Magic Bolt some more."

    Which is why I''m not sure what he''s actually doing.

    "Ah."

    "I will be visiting my Patron," I inform him. "Would you like me to return you to the village?"

    "No," he answers. "I will look through the texts and see what I can glean. There may be more to this place than we know."

    "Very well, then," I state, then focus my magical energies.

    "Wait, did you say-"

    His voice cuts off as I find myself standing in a tiger''s den, the twenty-six tigers resting within looking startled at my sudden appearance.

    "Sorry," I apologize to them. "It appears I Teleported into the wrong location. Would one of you kindly guide me to my Patron''s home? The jungle makes it a bit obscure, and the Divine Energies permeating the air blocks me from being able to sense things properly."

    One of the tigers snorts, then stands, stretches, and exits the cave. I follow him through the jungle, the two of us walking at a leisurely pace, arriving at a rather large temple around thirty minutes later.

    It stands probably two hundred yards tall, with dozens of spires, and covers probably two miles of land across, and likely as much back. The entrance to the temple is massive as well, standing over a hundred feet in height and eighty in width.

    The only reason I can think of for Nies to have that in his temple is if his true form is that fucking massive. That, or if he used to invite Dragons into it on a regular basis, and is just too lazy to change the size to match its current entrants.

    Knowing Nies, it could be either.

    The tiger stops outside of the building, at the base of the steps. I rub its head for a moment, then walk up the stairs and push open the massive doors. They open quickly and with ease, though judging by their weight, they probably weigh as much as a Dragon, each.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I walk into the temple, which is illuminated, yet without any clear source of light. Divine Power at work, no doubt.

    I walk through the wide, tall halls for several minutes, up until I come across a boy who looks around ten, with pitch-black hair and crimson eyes. He''s dressed in all-black, though his tunic does seem to have slightly-lighter swirls on it. He looks at me in shock, a spoon in his mouth, hand frozen gripping it. He''s holding a bowl of some sort of cold item that looks¡­ interesting.

    "You must be Nies''s son," I say.

    He pulls the spoon out of his mouth, then frowns.

    "You must be Gavin," he says. "How in the fuck did you get here?"

    "Weren''t you ten several years ago?"

    "Dad''s weird existence stopped me from physically aging once I reached this point," he says. "But yes, I was ten when he sent you the projection of me sleeping. How the fuck did you get into his Divine Realm?"

    "I Teleported in using my magic," I state. "I''m looking for him. Is he here? Or did he sneak off to Ekre''s realm?"

    "He''s napping," the kid shrugs. "Or at least, he was six hours ago, when I popped into Earth to get more ice cream."

    "Is that what you are eating?"

    "Yes."

    "So are you half-god or whole-god?"

    "I''m just a Divine Being," he shrugs. "Wanna see my sjkuldra?"

    "I have no idea what that is."

    He thinks for several minutes, then decides on the explanation.

    "It''s a really big sword."

    "Um¡­ sure?"

    "Okay!" He looks happy with that, then grabs my hand and leads me through the temple until we reach a bedroom.

    It''s decorated with blacks and reds, with a massive bed in the middle of the back wall, the bath left open here, instead of in a separate room. No bathroom, but I doubt Divine Beings actually need that.

    A quartet of tigers nap on the floor near his bed, and I have no doubt that they''re used for sleeping more than the bed is, based on the vision Nies sent me of how proud he was of his son, who hasn''t stopped babbling since we met, his ice cream forgotten in his hands.

    The young Divine Being whose mind may not have aged, either, sets the ice cream down on a table on his way over to a chest, then opens the chest up. He reaches inside the chest, pulling out a variety of toys and stuffed creatures that look quite soft, unlike normal trophies.

    What is the purpose of those?

    "Found it!" He exclaims after pulling out the thirty-fourth sword in that chest.

    That''s excluding the four battle axes, six warhammers, nine maces, seventeen whips, twelve shields, and more.

    This kid really loves his weapons.

    The sword he pulls out now is unlike the others in that it really is massive. The handle itself makes it look like a six-hand sword in his kid-hands, a bloodred stone set into the claw-gripped pommel, another in the crosspiece shaped like horns. A pair of massive horns.

    The kid continues to pull it out, revealing a black blade patterned akin to his shirt, until the twenty-three foot blade is entirely out of the chest. It''s at least a foot and a half in width, and if I''m not mistaken, its ''edges'' actually consist of hundreds of tiny little razors.

    And considering my significant SGT and PER attributes, I''m not mistaken.

    "That¡­ really is a huge sword," I say. "Your father lets you swing it around?"

    "No," he shrugs. "But I still do it anyway."

    "So is this your true form?" I ask. "Or do you just prefer it?"

    "Oh, it''s similar to my real form," he answers. "Hold on."

    A moment later, a dark blue monkey''s tail comes out from under his shirt.

    "There we go," he grins at me. "Now I''m in my real form. Dad had me with some monkey goddess."

    Who has a blue tail.

    "You only have one tail?" I ask. "Your father always has three, when I see him in other forms."

    "Yeah," he shrugs. "Dad''s always got three tails if he''s got tails. Don''t ask me why. Not sure if he does it on purpose or not, and I don''t know if his real form has three tails or not."

    "You don''t know his real form?" I ask.

    "Nope."

    I''m not sure what to say next. I should probably locate my patron.

    "Are you just going to hold the sword?"

    "Do you want to hold it?" He offers me the handle.

    This kid is a Divine Being. I want to reject holding such a ridiculous sword, but doing so could be problematic, especially since his father is my patron, as well as one of the Original Divine Beings.

    "Oh, right!" He exclaims. "You''re mortal! Only Divine Beings can hold it! I put that in when I made it."

    He shoves it back into the chest, then starts packing everything else back into it, stopping at a stuffed bear around a foot and a half in height. He frowns at it for a moment, then looks at me.

    "Want the teddy bear?"

    "The¡­ what?"

    "Teddy bear!" He exclaims, a light in his eyes. "You see, in some worlds and cultures, they make stuffed animals from fabric and some sort of stuffing material. Lots of kids love them. Little kids often fall asleep cuddling them. They''re a comfort thing. They''re awesome! Dad told me about them a few years ago, and I started collecting them. Every time I go somewhere that sells one, I buy it! Dad makes me use money, ''cause it''s not nice to steal from mortals, even if I''m above them and most Divine Beings."

    Judging by your ''nickname Title'', that''s probably true. Nies mentioned previously that you''re unable to change it, and unless you''ve become an ''adult'', that hasn''t changed. And I don''t think you have, or Nies probably wouldn''t still coddle you.

    Or maybe he would. Still, though. That Title.

    Princely Divinity of Pure Chaotic Princehood

    Pretty sure Nies set that.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Feel it!" He exclaims. "You don''t come from a world with stuffed animals! It''s so soft and plushy and comfy!"

    I accept the teddy bear. He''s right, it is soft and ''plushy''. It squeezes easily, and it feels nice to hold.

    "You don''t show much emotion, do you?" The Divine Being asks, and I look at him, raising an eyebrow. "That eyebrow raise is probably the most you''ve done. Why don''t you show much emotion? What do you think of my plushie? Do you like it? How does it feel?"

    "I have a high Acting Skill," I say. "I tend to subconsciously mask my emotions through it. It''s a force of habit. It feels interesting. I might share the knowledge of this with my people. There are people from Earth there, so the knowledge of it was bound to come out eventually."

    There''s more to my lack of expressions than that. I feel¡­ distant, lately. Distracted. Separated from my normal emotions, apart from my care for others and my wrath. And pride. But for most mortal things, I feel¡­ aloof, I suppose.

    I suppose too much has happened for me to feel otherwise.

    "Okay!" The princely being grins.

    Let''s not muse on my lack of emotions, shall we?

    "Shall we go find your father, now?" I ask.

    "Sure!" He says, then takes off.

    I follow him, until we reach another sleeping chamber. Nies is sleeping on a massive bed in the middle of the room, wearing a long tunic that reaches halfway down to his knees. It''s dark red in color, though it has my Order''s insignia patterned on it in violet.

    The same violet of my magic.

    The Origin of Adventures is lying on his back, his right arm hanging over the edge of the bed, along with his head, which is turned towards us. His legs are spread out, and his other arm is stretched straight out to the side, his palm facing up.

    He''s also lying on top of the dark red blankets, ignoring the matching pillows at the head of the bed and instead lying halfway down it.

    "DAD!" My patron''s son runs onto the bed, jumping onto his father, landing square on my patron''s back with that single jump from the ground.

    I''m starting to see why Nies naps in other realms¡­ and why he might be so tired so much. He''s not really lazy, just exhausted from dealing with his son. Though that would probably be only the last decade and a half or so, yet he''s been doing that much longer than that.

    So maybe he is just lazy and likes sleeping around other Divine Beings. But it''s a more frequent thing now because of his son.

    "What?" Nies mumbles, shifting and dumping his son onto the floor.

    "Your Hero warped himself into your realm."

    "Stop trying to prank me and let me get back sleep," Nies mumbles.

    "Actually," I say, and my patron snaps his gaze to me. "I did."

    "You''re as bad as Soren," he mutters.

 Chapter 0090 - Unexpected Visitors

    (Gavin)

    "I have returned," I state, and Tristan jumps, spinning to face me, stopping when he registers the Divine Presence around us, his gaze turning to the Divine Being standing beside me. "Ignore him, I have to babysit him for awhile."

    "Babysit him?"

    "His dad wants him out of his hair for awhile," I nod. "And he gave me very strict instructions for what to do if his son misbehaves, didn''t he?"

    "Yes, sir!" The Divine Prince salutes to me.

    "Treat him like you would anyone else," I say. "He may be a Divine Being, but he''s not allowed to use that to exert his authority or punish people while under my care, or his father will¡­ we won''t discuss that threat."

    It made me cringe in horror. Nies said I have to do it to make up for Teleporting myself into his Divine Realm. The worst part about me having to babysit this hyper kid while already dealing with my own apprentice is that Nies didn''t tell me how long I''d have to babysit him for.

    And that he and my apprentice might get up to some pretty heavy mischief while I''m doing stuff for the Order or heading around doing other things.

    "How did your¡­ discussion with your patron go?" Tristan decides to ignore my new duties.

    "I have to babysit his son," I state. "Do you want more time here?"

    "Yes," he nods. "Will there be a way for me to return to the village?"

    I manifest a set of scrolls, setting them down on the table beside him.

    "How to do my Teleportation," I inform him. "There''s plenty of food here, so if you want to stay awhile longer, you should be fine."

    Then, I Teleport the Divine Prince and myself into the village. Tristan will probably stay there awhile to study the scrolls more. My apprentice is in the training hall, as I expected, practicing Magic Bolts under the tutorship of one of the Elves. It costs a fair bit of Mana, so he has to wait for it to regenerate as well, and in the time between, the Elf is teaching him runes.

    "Ryan," I say. "If you get up to any mischief with this kid here, I will punish you harshly and force you to write runes for six months without casting a single spell. Am I clear?"

    The Elf is staring at me with reverence, though I know he feels it towards the Divine Prince, considering the Divine Presence radiating out of him.

    "Yes," Ryan groans, then looks at the kid. "This feels like a Divine Presence, and he looks like Nies, but¡­ this isn''t your patron, right?"

    "It''s his son," I confirm. "He wanted to get his son out of his fur for awhile, so he''s asked me to babysit the kid."

    "Okay," Ryan says. "Are you sure we can''t have fun?"

    "You two can have fun," I say. "But no causing problems, or you''re banned from using magic for six months and will be forced to practice runes the entire time. Am I clear?"

    "Understood," he groans.

    "And if," I look at the Divine Prince. "You even try to convince him to, I will spank your ass until it hurts to sit. Am I clear?"

    According to Nies, his son absolutely hates spankings, and I''m allowed to use my full strength on him. Unlike his father''s, the Divine Prince''s ''mortal'' body is insanely tough. Mostly because it''s his real body, just without the tail, and Nies locked him into this form.

    "Understood!" He salutes to me.

    If the Divine Prince dies, he''ll resurrect in Nies''s Divine Realm, and I''ll get scolded. Then probably have to watch the kid for longer. Since the Divine Prince knows I''m stronger than him, both magically and physically, he''ll hopefully behave, and not just be saying he understands.

    Hopefully.

    "How do you like it so far?" I look at the Elf, who stammers for a moment.

    My aura is turned off, yet people will still likely react this way to me. If they know who I am, they likely know what I can do and some of what I have done. The Elves were in awe of my powers. A handful were willing to come immediately, while others said they would need time to decide or prepare to leave.

    "It is well," the Elf responds to me. "Though there are communication difficulties, as we don''t speak the languages of the others, but the Fairies have helped out, with their Spirits translating at times. Then there is the beastborn, who seems to know many languages."

    "Michael''s traveled the world," I inform him. "And has a knack with languages. How long have you had Access?"

    "I acquired it a few days after you began your raid of our neighbor," he answers. "I lived near the border, and was terrified of the beast who could do such magics, sealing them over with ice. I had thought, at first, that it was our people who were being trapped, and like the others in my town, fled. It was on our journey to the capital that I acquired Access. Once we arrived, we heard tale of the Human who could grant Access at will and had decided to slay our neighbors for a transgression against the Kemmel.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    "I wasn''t sure what to think, at first," he admits. "But as time passed, I realized that what I heard you told them sounded like something I wanted to be a part of. Thank you, for having me within your Order."

    "You''re welcome," I say. "Do you know where the others were? There was only one of you who came immediately who did not have Access, and I would like to see if he would like it."

    "I believe they were adjusting to the homes you built for us," the Elf informs me. "Though that was several hours ago, so I may be wrong."

    "I''ll check there," I say, then Teleport onto one of the walkways spanning between a small grove of tall trees, where a series of homes have been constructed. There weren''t many Elves who came immediately, but I still made sure to build some extra homes just in case.

    There are a few Fairies talking with the Elves right now, though I focus on locating the one without Access. He''s actually on the ground, practicing his archery.

    The Elf is a little more than six feet in height, tall, like all of his kind. He has orange hair and hazel eyes, and possesses a lean frame, toned from years of practice and hunting. He has a focused gaze in his eyes as he moves around, shooting the targets erected in the fields.

    The bow itself looks like a standard Elven bow from the people I had landed in the village of, and the Elf himself looks familiar. He must have been there, when I dropped in all that time ago.

    The Elf finishes off his quiver, then approaches the targets and draws his arrows. Once he returns them to his quiver, he turns and approaches me, giving a slight bow first to me, then the Divine Prince.

    Interesting. Most people would bow to a Divine Being first.

    "Lord Gavin," the Elf says. "It is an honor to be before you."

    "The honor," I say. "Should be for being a part of this Order and making a difference. Do not be honored by my presence. Would you like Access to the System?"

    "You would do that?" He asks.

    "You were there, weren''t you?" I ask. "I granted Access to three of your neighbors to prove a point. If you wish Access here and now, so that you may grow stronger and protect others, I would have no issue granting it to you. You seem to have a dedication and purpose to your training."

    "Indeed," he looks down at his bow, running his fingers across it. "I wish to grow stronger to protect others. This bow was my father''s, before the Ilinia raided our village when I was younger. I have trained with his bow since. Had you not come along and done what you claimed you could do, I would likely no longer be here."

    He would have given in to his rage once he felt he was strong enough, and attacked the Ilinia.

    Ah, right. Wiswim was their nation. Such an odd name.

    "Would you like Access, then?" I ask, and he nods. "Very well, then. And now, you have it, Lyari. You have decent talent with a bow. Here."

    I draw a series of runes in the air, then wave my hand, the runes imprinting themselves upon a sheet of paper that forms.

    "These runes," I hold my hands up, a longbow forming in them, and I pull the string back. "Will form a spell, Mystic Arrow."

    A shimmering, violet arrow forged of magic forms in the bow as I draw the string.

    New Skill!

    Mystic Arrow: An arrow forged of Mana.

    I fire the arrow, and it soars into the target, penetrating it deep, then allow the bow to vanish from reality.

    "With the proper formula actually created," I tell him. "It should be relatively easy to learn the spell, compared to how it was in the past."

    Formulas themselves have turned out to be easier to memorize than runes individually, when a proper formula is looked at. He might be able to harness this spell within a few days. And the upside to it is that with the proper formula, there would be no backlash for failure or doing it wrong.

    The spell would simply dissipate.

    I haven''t exactly shared that with anyone yet, though I do know it''s true. Tristan, Eli, and I all confirmed it. We plan on announcing it at our first Conclave. We''ll have more members by then, so it won''t be an issue.

    "Try it," I tell him. "Draw the bow, visualize the runic formula on that sheet, as well as the arrow forming. Ah ¨C but know that it''ll be blue in color. My magic is violet due to special circumstances."

    Due to having a mother from an entirely different universe, it seems. Though I won''t exactly share that with anyone. Eli and Dylan know, but they''re my brothers, one of whom was born of the same mother as me, and so has the violet magic as well.

    I watch as Lyari practices the spell. He doesn''t manage to use it, though I can tell he''s on the right track. He''s forming the formula without too much issue, and the spell simply dissipates when he doesn''t get it right. As expected, it might take him a few days.

    As I read his magic, I notice a slight affinity for ice magics within him. Ice Arrows might be a thing he could use well, so while he focuses on trying to use Magic Arrow, I draw another series of runes, imprinting them upon a fresh sheet of paper, leaving that hovering in front of him as well.

    "This formula," I tell him. "Will teach you how to forge arrows of ice, instead of pure Mana."

    "Thank you, Lord Jakran," he bows to me as I feel a fluctuation in magic, and a sudden presence in this area.

    That''s not a Rift Wolf, as they would have come through a Rift. What was that? I sense no hostility, so will ignore it, for now.

    "You''re welcome," I tell the Elf, twitching my ears as I hear what''s being said. It''s a foreign language, and a message appears in my vision when I hear it, a most curious one. "I have some other duties to attend to, Lyari. Good luck, and practice well. I have no doubt that you can acquire both Skills within a week, if you do."

    "Thank you, Lord Jakran," he bows again.

    I can tell it means much to him, to have this assistance. I dip my head to him, then stroll towards where the visitors are, reading the message in my vision and smiling a little.

    New Skill!

    Soradi Dekami Language: The language of the true Dekami, the first Enlightened Species within this universe, who are also known as the Ancients.

    Even if these aren''t the true Dekami, they will have a connection to them, to the first beings who became Enlightened. And it seems that the true Dekami are also the beings once known as the Ancients.

    The Ancients¡­ the first Enlightened Species in our records, most tales and stories of them lost to time, yet their legacy not forgotten, nor their prowess with magic itself.

    Which makes sense, considering that the Dekami Runic Language works best with straight-up magics and spells.

    When I reach the visitors, I see a trio of beings who are humanoid in appearance, yet the aura they give off say they are anything but. Each of them has a relatively small frame, much like me, and each has pure violet eyes, their cheeks glittering in a way akin to the Fairies'' cheeks, their hair a blond so light, it''s akin to sunlight.

    Judging by their Statuses, they are true Dekami. The one on either side of the center one are each a soldier, while the center one¡­

    I smile.

    "Gavin!" Eli exclaims when I''m spotted, the Dekami turning their violet gazes from my brother to me. "I can''t understand them! My Language Boost isn''t high enough for me to just acquire languages yet!"

    "That''s alright," I tell him as I draw nearer, turning my gaze to the true Dekami, then speak in Soradi to the center one. "How may I assist our realm-traveling guests, Majesty?"

    The center Dekami returns my smile.

 Chapter 0091 - The Dekami King

    (Gavin)

    "Hello, Archmage Gavin," Sor, the Dekami Ruler before me, says. "I was expecting to learn a little more of the local language before communicating, though it seems there is one here who can speak ours."

    "Indeed," I nod.

    "I am not surprised by that, though," he tells me. "Considering the level of power within you, and the fact that you and your brother both posses our Bloodline."

    Theirs? Not the fake Dekamis''? So I was right, then.

    "It seems," he says. "That you have ancestry rooted in our people, Timeless One."

    "So the true Dekami," I say. "Then come from another universe?"

    "Indeed," he nods. "We are wanderers, and much like the other First Beings, many of us are capable of passing between universes."

    "Would you like to go somewhere private?" I ask. "Or would you not care?"

    "When the spell on our Tower here broke," he tells me. "We were able to sense it from the realm we were within, and I thought I should see the being who broke it in person. Judging by the power radiating out of you, and the properly-formed runes concealed in the air around you, in case we should turn hostile, I would assume that it was you?"

    Perceptive. I should''ve expected them to detect the spells.

    "It was, indeed," I answer. "May I ask why you and your people never broke the magics?"

    "We don''t often concern ourselves with mortals," he answers. "Often leaving an area when they begin moving in. We are often worshiped as gods, due to our more mortal appearances and our nigh-impossible powers. For the last several¡­ eons, we have secluded ourselves, ever since leaving Eisnar. We have not interacted with mortals much. It seems that those who call themselves us managed to spread their influence and false runes everywhere."

    "Indeed," I state. "Though with the aid of my twin and one of the greatest magicians of our age, I and my Order are deciphering the magics and sorting out the runes, crafting proper formulas and learning the five true languages.

    "Why don''t we go somewhere and sit down?" I ask. "And have a much smaller crowd observing us? If you would like to speak further, that is."

    "Indeed," Sor nods, and I wave my hand, Teleporting us within my house.

    With another wave of my hand, a pitcher of water and several glasses appear, and we sit down, pouring ourselves drinks.

    "So," I say. "Will you be staying long, Majesty? Or simply visiting to see who would break such a powerful spell?"

    "I simply wished to meet you," he says. "Would you mind telling me your story, Archmage?"

    "Not at all," I nod, then begin to tell him everything, all the way back as far as I can remember.

    I tell him about my fun childhood, my stern Chief, my marriage to the princess, gaining Access to the System, meeting the king for the second time and my harassment of the Council, the coup, the journey to Earth and back, the rough time I had after returning, and everything else that happened up until now.

    The trio of Dekami listen intently as I speak, and when I finish, their king nods.

    "And what of your son?" He asks. "You have never met him?"

    "Indeed," I answer. "And I do not plan on ever meeting him. I have no emotional attachment to the child, though if I were to meet him, that might change. As it is, with my severance of my connection to Kar and my stepping down as Duke of Zelar, I no longer posses any connection to Jozan whatsoever. This allows me to focus fully on my goal of having a safe space for beings of all Species to live. Being able to spread magic without hindrance is merely a bonus."

    "Very well," he nods. "My people cannot directly interfere with things, though I would like to make a request, Archmage. Would you allow one of my people to live among your Order? Not to train, but to chronicle the tales of you and your people, and their journeys. We consider ourselves the chroniclers of the various universes, and in a space between, we have a library to contain all of the lore we have acquired. It seems that the Order of the Violet Dragon may be interesting, and we would like to record it first-hand."

    "You are welcome to," I answer. "However, the Order works on a series of exchanges and balances. All contribute to its growth, to the training, to the survival, and more. Though you built the Tower, that was eons ago, and we broke a spell on it from people who inhabited it after you, and not from you directly."

    "Indeed," he nods, holding out his hand. Violet magics swirl in the air over the center of the table, weaving together to form a thick tome. "This tome contains every rune of the language named after my Species. Not most, not many ¨C all. Every last one of them. Our gift, to the Order, in exchange for allowing us to have one reside here and chronicle your tales. The tome is impervious, and can never be destroyed, except by someone or something on the level of you or I, or even greater. Even then, it would take great effort.

    "The tome," he says. "Contains not just the runes, but in-depth descriptions of how they can be used, their meanings and purposes, and more. It will likely assist your Order in developing new magics for ages to come."

    "Then we have an agreement," I say.

    "Nilae," he says in a calm voice. "Would you care to bring Hai to us?"

    A moment later, another Dekami appears, this one with a Scholar Class. Standing beside him is a being akin to a Wolf Beastborn, even having black hair and tail, much like Michael, and golden eyes. His pupils are darker than black, almost as if absorbing light itself, and I realize after a moment that his hair and fur do, too.

    According to his Status, he''s a Void Mage ¨C his Species, not his Class. He''s also a Ruler, much like Sor. He''s also very much naked, yet he possesses no genitals, oddly.

    It doesn''t take me much to put two and two together. If the Dekami are the Ancients, the Dirsoor the Rift Wolves, and the Kurew the Dragons, then the Void Mages are likely the Nikim. Manipulators of time and space, which would explain how they simply appeared without any warning or sense of magic for me.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    "Gavin," Sor indicates the Dekami Scholar. "This is Hai, he will be our Chronicler living among your Order. The Void Mage is Nilae, a close friend of mine, though he isn''t very social with new people. Nilae, say hi to our new friend."

    "Hi," Nilae glances at me, then returns his gaze to Sor.

    "I understand that," Sor tells him. "Thank you," the Dekami looks to me. "Thank you, Gavin, for the story. It''s been a long time since I last heard a good one, and I am sure that we will have much to learn from you, and many more tales to hear from your Order in the future, even once your immense life has finally come to an end. Goodbye. Nilae?"

    The Void Mage, the Dekami King, and the two Dekami warriors vanish, and I look at the Dekami Scholar.

    "Hello," I say. "I am Gavin Jakran, Archmage, and founder of the Order of the Violet Dragon. Would you like me to construct an abode for you, or would you like to do it yourself?"

    "The Rift Wolves would be much better for that," he answers. "Would you care to?"

    "Tell me what you request, and I will do it. We have a large valley to place it in, so location isn''t too picky, either."

    He nods, then gives me his requirements. It isn''t much, though he does wish to have at least a sizable library. We leave my home, and after a few minutes of looking around the valley, he decides on a spot near the main group of buildings. When I ask for the reasoning, he explains that it would be easier to obtain the stories if he is near the heart of the people, than if he is further away.

    I smile and admit that it is a smart thing, but not common, then begin to weave together his home.

    "You are as natural," he says. "At magic as any I have seen before."

    "My immense bonuses and Stats," I say. "Likely assist me to this point."

    "Indeed," he nods, then pauses. "Are you aware of the effect that Advancing your Species has on you?"

    This sounds like something other than just my power and physical boosts.

    "What effect?" I ask.

    "The one on your mind," he answers, tapping his head.

    "I was not aware there was one."

    "There is," he nods. "Would you like me to tell you?"

    "Go ahead."

    "Have you ever noticed yourself," he says. "Feeling arrogant around those of lesser Species Tiers? More so than you would have before you first Advanced your Species Tier?"

    I''m about to reject that, but then stop and think. I do definitely have a tendency to view lower Tiers as trash, especially when I get enraged, such as when Ryan was kidnapped. Is that an effect of the higher Species?

    "Yes," I tell the Dekami. "Now that I think of it, I have noticed that it''s a bit more¡­ excessive. At least, than it was before I Advanced to the Second Tier. I didn''t start viewing people as trash until then, but that was only ever when I got enraged. I do find myself a fair bit more confident in my abilities, but should that not be attributed to the fact that, well, there is actual power and skill within me? I have an extremely-fine control over each of my Resources and an intimate understanding of Runes."

    He dips his head to me.

    "Now that you are aware it happens," he tells me. "It should be easier for you to resist. Considering the immense power within you, I am sure your INT is quite high, which should afford you some assistance with this."

    "Thanks," I say. "Is there anything else I should know?"

    "I feel like it," he says. "But cannot remember at the moment."

    "Let me know, if you do," I say, and he nods.

    Then, I go off in search of Nies''s son, who I forgot about when I saw the Dekami. I locate him chatting with my twin.

    "You''re not getting up to no good, are you?" I ask, and he gives me an innocent grin. I look at my brother. "Eli?"

    "Nothing you need to worry about," he smiles at me. "Are those really the true Dekami?"

    "Indeed," I answer. "They wanted to meet the one capable of removing the spell the false Dekami placed upon their Tower. The one who''s stayed behind wishes to hear peoples'' tales, and will record them down for the true Dekami to keep and store for eons to come. Long past the time even our legacies will be gone."

    "So that''s a real Dekami?" Nies''s son asks.

    "Yes."

    "Imma go say ''hi''."

    "No, you don''t," I grab the back of his tunic. "You''re not going to go and harass one of the most powerful Species in existence."

    "I''m a god," he says. "The Dekami are beneath me. I just want to say ''hi''."

    "Behave," I release him. "If he gets mad at us, I''ll look for you. And spank your Divine ass."

    "Yes, sir!" He salutes to me, then giggles and runs off.

    "By the way," I hold out my hand, the tome the Dekami King gave me appearing. "The King of the Dekami granted me this tome. It contains every single rune within the language named for them, as well as their purposes and how they are used. The tome itself is virtually indestructible. We will need to guard it well, though copies should be made of it, first."

    "Alright," he says. "I''ll work with Tristan on that. I assume you already have a personal copy?"

    "Indeed."

    "Alright," he sends the tome into his spatial ring. "What will you do now?"

    "Check on the Elf I was working with earlier," I answer. "Then investigate something that I realized while we were talking."

    He nods, and I Teleport to Lyari, who''s still practicing with the bow, attempting to acquire the magics. I give him a few more pointers, and he thanks me, then I Teleport into the room my apprentice is studying runes in.

    "Hey, Gavin," he says. "I have a question."

    "Okay," I say, and he asks me several questions regarding the formula he''s looking at. I answer each of them. "Are you satisfied?"

    "For now," he nods. "Using the right runes really helps. I got Magic Bolt up to Level 2 earlier."

    "Good job," I say, and he beams. "I''m going to investigate something. Don''t be alarmed if you feel a power surge around me."

    "That''s normal," he says, then returns to studying the runes.

    I smile a little, then pull up the window. Of all the people here, he''s probably the one most used to random bursts of power from me.

    Subspecies Available:

    Beastborn

    Beastkin

    Wyvern

    Scaled Wyvern

    Dekami

    Void Mage

    So I was correct. Sor saw me as a friend, and after our exchange, I suppose the System acknowledges it. With Nilae greeting me after Sor told him to greet their new friend, I suppose the System registered that as us being friends as well.

    I pull up the information for Dekami.

    +100 to All Attributes, Resources per Level, +500% to learning and Leveling Languages, Spells, +500% to acquiring Experience from All Sources.

    Despite only affecting Attributes and Resources, and not everything else, that''s still far more powerful than the Bloodline, which affects All Possible Stats, especially since this is only for Tier I for their Species. The boost to Languages and Spells isn''t much, as it''s overall and not per-Level, but still pretty damn good. Then the bonus to acquiring Experience¡­

    That''s actually pretty pointless for me, unless I plan on taking on another Class.

    I pull up the information on Void Mage.

    +100 to INT, PER, LIF, Resources, OFV, RRN per Level, +500% to learning, Leveling, and using all Skills relating to to temporal or spatial magics, +500% to acquiring Experience from All Sources.

    That''s a pretty damn good one, too. Looks like they receive less overall Stats, but the bonus to OFV and RRN can''t be ignored as being inferior to the five Attributes lacking from the Dekami''s bonus. And considering that their Skill Boost also affects using those Skills, that''s definitely a strong boost, there, making up the last of what was missing.

    What are the other three''s bonuses for that?

    "Archmage?" The Dekami Scholar enters the training room. "I remembered what it was."

    "Yes?" I ask.

    "If you have a maximum-Level Skill," he says. "It unlocks additional Subspecies slots and grants a bonus of twenty-five to All Possible Attributes."

    In other words, I need to bring three more Skills to Level 10 of Tier X, and I can have all five of those Subspecies as mine.

    That sounds nice.

    "Thank you," I smile at him. "Do you know where I can locate the Kratus?"

    "Much like Void Mages," he says. "You don''t locate them, they locate you."

    That''s a challenge, if I ever heard one.

 Chapter 0092 - Gifting Spells

    (Gavin)

    That''s cheating.

    "Hello, Nies," I say.

    That''s cheating.

    He''s referring to the fact that I gave Ryan a Quest to watch the Divine Brat while I''m away, doing business and other things.

    "There''s nothing in the rules saying I couldn''t."

    He sighs into my head.

    Too much effort to deal with you.

    "He''s being watched," I say. "And considering he''s a Divine Being himself, he''ll be fine."

    Yeah, yeah.

    Nies stops bothering me, and I manifest a mirror to look at my current Form. I''ve taken on the appearance of a Classless Human with blond hair and emerald-green eyes, and am currently dressed in a plain, cotton tunic and brown cotton pants, along with a pair of well-worn leather boots, a knife strapped to the belt around my waist.

    I didn''t actually lose anything with this change, other than the itchiness to have my wings and eyes in their natural state, as well as leaving behind my Appraisal Resistance. That would be suspicious for me to have, if I''m to claim I have Access to the System, and only recently.

    Now that I''ve finished assessing my appearance, I dismiss the mirror, then release the illusion around me and leave the forest, making my way to the nearest town.

    I''m on one of a dozen islands in a chain off the coast of Jlies, the continent that the party and I arrived on after fleeing Jozan. It''s not time to trap Christopher yet, but¡­ I want to check something out, and see if it''s possible to establish an outpost of the Order here. Hopefully, I can. If not, then at least acquire some new members.

    Once I reach town, I spend a few days getting to know some locals and listening to rumors and gathering information.

    On my fifth day in this town, my primary goal arrives, walking into the restaurant I''m currently eating at, looking exhausted. A young man around nineteen or twenty years of age, with thick, curly brown hair and tired brown eyes.

    Kade Human 12 Mystic Adept (II) 25

    He''s gotten powerful. His two Secondary Classes also rest at Level 25 of Tier II.

    "Hey, Kade," the waitress serving me another mug of ale waves to him. "How did the mission go?"

    "Badly," he answers. "We lost two of our soldiers and another magician. The damn thing didn''t want to die. We barely managed to drive it away. I don''t think I''ll be able to take it out until I reach the next Tier, but this damn thing just won''t die."

    "Who did we lose?" She asks.

    "Harold and Jared," he answers. "For the soldiers, and Bethany for the magician. No empty tables."

    He sighs.

    "You can sit here," I say, and he looks over. "It''s just me."

    "And you are?" He asks. "Tyler? Unclassed? Do you have Access?"

    "I do," I answer. "Though haven''t a Class in my current state."

    "I once knew someone named Tyler," he makes his way over to me, sitting across from me. "What brings you here?"

    "You, actually," I answer, sensing him immediately go hostile, despite his calm and tired face. "Which is why I used Tyler''s name in this form."

    "This form?" He asks, frowning. "Are you a Fairy?"

    "An old acquaintance," I switch into Jozan. "A certain little Wizard you once knew."

    His eyes widen slightly.

    "Don''t say my name," I say. "I''m not here as him."

    "I have a life in this world," he tells me. "And a duty. I-"

    "I''m aware," I tell him. "Also, the Boundary of Sages has been removed. It will no longer affect travel around the world. I did so a little while back, though it didn''t hinder me before, when I did. I am¡­ capable of ignoring such pathetic things.

    "In addition to that," I say. "I completed the Blood Oath Quest. Jozan has been restored to power, and Tyler reigns as its rightful King. I have since cut off all connections to Jozan, with Tyler''s blessing and acceptance.

    "Instead," I continue. "I now work towards my goal of the Order of the Violet Flame, creating a safe haven for those of all Species to live and grow together. I would never ask you to leave the life you have for my own goals, Kade. However, I am aware that you are dealing with issues, due to the various Divinities that I am in communications with."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Mostly Nahor''s early comments, though he''s been quite silent lately.

    "And despite our brief time together," I say. "I still find myself drawn to you as an ally and friend. I am not sure if you still feel that way, but I do. And as such, I would like to provide some assistance to you, and make a request."

    "What kind of assistance?"

    "What do you need?" I ask. "In order to reach whatever Class you are seeking past Mystic Adept, or your other two Tier II Classes that you''ve mastered?"

    He thinks for several long moments.

    "For Mystic Adept," he decides. "To Advance to Grand Magus as the Tier III form, the strongest one I can take on at this time, I need five Level 5 or higher Tier I Spells, three Level 5 or higher Tier II Spells, and a Level 5 or higher Tier III Spell. I only have the other two Classes for the boosts to my INT, to strengthen my magics."

    "So you would prefer to Advance that one, then?" I ask, and he nods. "What are you missing?"

    "I have the Tier I Spells at Level 5 requirement complete," he says. "Only two Tier II at Level 5, and no Tier III Spells."

    "What spells do you have?" I ask.

    "Magic Bolt, Magic Missile, Magic Barrier," he answers. "Firebolt, Icebolt, for my Tier I Spells. They are my only Tier I Spells. I have Ice Lance and Wind Wall for Tier II already there, and Water Whip at Level 2."

    "Okay," I say. "Have you attempted to obtain a Tier III Spell?"

    "Yes," he nods. "I am currently studying the runes for Firebolt Chain. Since I already know Firebolt, it will be much easier than learning something else."

    The waitress brings him a plate filled with food, then leaves us, and he looks around.

    "We are drawing stares," he says.

    "I have created a barrier to prevent eavesdropping," I state. "They cannot hear our conversation."

    "How powerful have you gotten?" He asks.

    "Apart from my Party Leader Class," I tell him. "All of my Classes are at Tier IV, mastered. Same with my Species and my Bloodline. I also have two Subspecies mastered, and am able to take on two more at the moment. In total, I have a single Primary Class and five Secondary Classes. Most of my Classes are at Mythical. So quite powerful."

    As he processes that, I manifest nine sheets of paper, then manipulate the air to drift them over to him. He accepts the papers, frowning.

    "These are the proper runes," I tell him. "For each of the spells you have, as well as Firebolt Chain. The Dekami Runic Language you know lacks several of the runes in each spell you know due to false Dekami messing with peoples'' knowledge of them a long time ago. These are the correct formulas, using the true, full Dekami Runic Language to form those spells.

    "Using them," I explain. "Will cause them to gain Levels quicker than they currently do. The fucked-up formulas is why people have a difficult time Leveling their Spells. You''ll also learn them easier.

    "This spell," I manifest a tenth sheet of paper and drift it over to Kade. "Is a Tier III Spell that I created a few weeks ago. I gave it to a Human magician shortly after, and he already has it at Level 2. He is only a Level 3 Novice."

    Kade reads the spell, his eyes widening as he does. The spell itself is nothing powerful, by itself. Despite that, it is quite useful. With a short chant ¨C or less, if one''s Leveled it enough and grown proficient enough with it ¨C a caster is capable of blinding a target.

    "This," I manifest another sheet of paper, and drift it over to Kade. "Is a Mana Expansion Technique beyond what you would ordinarily find. It uses a different Runic Language, one centered around enchantments and the like. You don''t need the runic language to use something so basic. Instead of the standard 20 Resource Points at Level 10 you''ll have gained, you will receive 40 Resource Points by the time you master it. A magician I gave it to two weeks ago already has it at Level 8, though he also has some level of knowledge with the Runic Language used for it."

    He looks at that parchment, then looks to me.

    "You would just give this knowledge away?" He asks.

    "Though my Order," I say. "Is designed to be a safe haven for all Species, no matter what, so long as they do not cause problems, we also promote the studying and spreading of knowledge. We do not lock it into guilds and nations and such.

    "And that," I say. "Brings me to my other reason for coming here."

    "Your Order?" He asks.

    "Indeed," I answer. "Judging by what I have heard from the various Divinities in my head, you have values that heavily align with ours. Not only that, but these islands have begun to be a safe place for Fairies since you arrived here, and the peoples are beginning to look up to you, yet you have only been here for a short time.

    "Because of that," I continue. "Would you like to become our representative out here, creating a sort of outpost for the Order of the Violet Flame? You''ve already been told our primary rules, and the responsibilities that come with it are already known or a part of what you do.

    "To keep in communications with us," I say. "I would also enchant a mirror for you, so that you may communicate with us long-distance, despite the many thousands of miles between us."

    "That knowledge is heavily guarded by our people," he says. "They-"

    "Have willingly allowed others to learn it," I say. "And even had they not, my knowledge of the magical runes would have enabled me to learn it, had I put my mind to it. In fact, one of the reasons I can perform the Enchantment on such a level is due to this knowledge, as I have improved the formula quite well, and my INT is sufficient for the extra power behind it.

    "I would, naturally, also give you the formula to perform the enchantment, should you so choose. Beyond what I have said, we do not require much of our members. Protect those who need it from evil, do not discriminate based on Species, further the knowledge of magic, and do not restrain it from others without good cause."

    Kade thinks for several moments.

    "I will need to think on it," he tells me.

    "That is fine," I say. "I am staying at the Golden Wind Inn. You can find me there, or here. The formulas for the spells are not a bribe, so do not take it as such, and separate those from your decision. This offer is also separate from it ¨C would you like me to deal with the beast you are facing issue with?"

    "No, thank you," he answers. "It should stay away from settlements for another month or so, if the pattern follows. That should give me enough time to reach Tier III, if what you have told me is true, and if I reach it, then we should be able to slay it easily, especially if these Spells do become more powerful with the corrected formulas. It would be a good source of Experience for myself and the party fighting it."

    "Very well, then," I say, then stand, flipping some coins onto the table. "I''ll pay for our meal. This should be more than enough to cover it, the rest is a thanks for the server. By the way ¨C my cover here is that I am a new Adventurer who has come from a long distance, hearing rumors of a powerful magician in the area and wanting to learn from him. If you get asked about it, those formulas were given to me by someone else, and the spatial ring was a gift from them as well."

    He nods, then I leave, making my way to the inn I am staying. While I am waiting here, I will be working on a new spell of mine, since he is here now. I haven''t managed to complete it yet, but I hope to manage it soon.

    It would greatly increase training ability for Adventurers, should I succeed in it.

 Chapter 0093 - A Tier X Spell

    (Gavin)

    "Yes, Master?"

    "Please don''t ever," Kade frowns at me. "Use that tone of voice and that phrase with me again. Ever. Please."

    "As you wish, Master."

    He groans, smacking his face into his hand.

    "You were wanting something?" I ask.

    "Yeah," he shakes his head. "I-"

    "Congrats on your Advancement, by the way."

    "You''re not going to let me talk, are you?"

    "I''m not stopping you."

    Kade sighs, shaking his head. He still looks exhausted. It''s been two weeks since we reunited, and while I''ve checked-in back home, I''ve mostly stayed here. I''ve given the magicians in his party the proper versions to the spells they have, and in this time, they''ve all become more powerful for it.

    "We''re going to go hunt it down," Kade tells me. "With our current boosts, and the Spells you gifted us in addition to those, we should be able to manage it. We''ll be leaving tomorrow. We want to take it out before it comes near us again."

    "Can you wait another week?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "I think I''m almost done with the spell I''m trying to craft, and if I manage it, I might be able to assist your non-magicians with their training as well."

    Non-spells don''t use Magical Runes, and thus, there''s no real ''improvement'' for them. This means they take longer to Level still. And one major downside is Mana. I''ve granted them recipes for Mana Potions, though they still aren''t easy to craft and are pretty expensive.

    If I can manage to complete this spell, then Mana won''t be an issue for training¡­ while I''m around.

    "If it draws near-"

    "Won''t be an issue," I tell him. "The Alpha Demon Boar will avoid this area, due to the spells I''ve placed around it."

    "Spells?" He asks. "I haven''t detected-"

    "They''re not through Mana," I state. "And it uses a touch of my true essence, from being a Tier IV Species. It will avoid this area. In my true form, without my Species Dominance turned off, any being of a lesser Tier of Species than me will feel a sense of awe and fear. The difference between our Tiers affect this. It''s a Tier II Species, so it''s not as great as you would feel, but combined with the spell I used, it will leave us be. The effect will fade in eight days. Seven will be sufficient."

    He thinks about then, then asks how sure of that I am.

    "I swear on the blood that flows in my veins," I say. "That the spell I generated will prevent it from drawing within two miles of this settlement."

    I glow with Nies''s confirmation, and Kade accepts that.

    "What kind of spell is this?" He asks. "That would benefit us?"

    "If I manage it in time," I tell him. "You will know."

    He accepts that, then leaves, and I return to focus on increasing my Resource Pools while pulling Runes together in my mind.

    On the fifth day after that, I succeed in my goal, with a quartet of notices appearing in my vision.

    New Spell!

    Training Dimension (Mana): A pocket dimension to allow for the training of Skills; time is stretched within at a rate of 1 hour per Level to each hour in real life (current ratio: 1 hour for every 1 hour in real life); Mana Regeneration of all those within is at the rate of the creator''s; learning and Leveling all Skills within is boosted by 100% per Level of this Skill; can contain two people other than the caster per Level of this Skill

    That''s a powerful-ass spell, and with a little bit of work, I could probably bring it up to its Maximum Level, which is only Level 10. However¡­ the Title means that it could be a little bit more work, as I don''t even need to check to see its Tier to know what it''s at.

    Title Acquired!

    Limit Breaker: One who has transcended the previous limits of the System, this one was obtained by obtaining a Tier X Spell without a lower Level enabled for the Skill

    In other words, this Spell is automatically Tier X, and I''m not surprised by that. I had to forge all five Runic Languages and all eleven Resources together in order to design the spell. I also had to keep expanding my Resource Pools. Over the last three weeks, I expanded everything by 2,000 Points, except for Mana, which I brought up by 6,000 Points. I had to, partly to acquire more RRN for it.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Part of that is so that those within can train even faster, but part of it''s also so that I can actually sustain it. I knew from the start that it would drain a lot of Mana and other Resources to continue to sustain. Right now, I regain roughly seventy-four points of each Resource every ten seconds, while it will take me seventy points of each Resource to sustain in that same time frame. For now.

    With higher Levels, it will take less, as well as with me improving the spell as time goes on. Hopefully, I will be able to manage to make the better versions of it for each Resource before I pass, so that my heir can use it for those around him.

    Returning my focus to the remaining two windows, I dismiss the first one, as it''s simply the notice that I''m the first Limit Breaker.

    The final notice¡­ is a juicy reward.

    For Bringing a Skill to Tier X

    +10,000 Experience!

    Even though Training Dimension starts at Tier X, and thus, probably cannot go any higher, it still referred to it as ''bringing to'', probably a wording from the fact that it''s literally the first Skill in existence that can start above Tier VII, so the System doesn''t actually have a wording for those that just skip the others.

    I dismiss that notification, then pull up my Subspecies options, debating between taking on Dekami or Void Mage. Void Mage will benefit me with Leveling Training Dimension and Teleport, as well as boosting my ''extra'' Resources and my RRN.

    On the other hand, Dekami would boost all Spells, including those two, and increase all of my Attributes. I don''t really need the Attribute boost, but the bonus to all of my Spells would be major, and a huge help for bringing me up to obtaining more Subspecies Slots.

    In the end, the fact that Training Dimension is both temporal and spatial magic makes my decision for me. I can bring another one up to Tier X within it, and the boosted RRN will enable me to do that even faster. Bringing Training Dimension up to Level 6 would automatically exceed the bonus that Dekami Species would grant me, too.

    Though considering this is a Tier X Skill, that could be awhile.

    I pick the Subspecies, then immediately put the 7,500 Experience into it to bring it all the way up, dismissing the notification about the increased Resources before checking the amount of Experience I have left.

    Experience Remaining: 51,048

    Still a decent amount. The amount acquired for reaching Tier X in a Skill didn''t even get used up all the way for the Subspecies that just boosted my power a fair bit.

    As soon as I finish, I lean back onto my bed, allowing myself to pass out. Way too many Stat Points and Resource Points in too short of a time frame for me. I''ve more than doubled all of my Resources, bringing me to the point that even my Clarity of Power and Tier IV Species cannot fully push away the Fog of Power.

    When I wake, the sun has begun to set, and a quick check with a pouting Divine Being later, I confirm it''s the same day. I was out for six hours total. My Clarity of Power and Tier IV Species at least kept me from being out for too long.

    Missing several days would have been bad.

    It wasn''t arrogance that led me to doing that, though¡­ it was me forgetting just how dangerous massive leaps in my Resources in a short period of time can be. I could feel the Fog of Power at the corners of my mind, but it was ignorable.

    But then adding in all that extra Resources from Void Mage Tier I, coupled with the thousands more I acquired over the last month¡­

    Yeah. That was foolish, and will serve as a reminder to me. Do not do that again, Gavin. Ever.

    Got it?

    Yeah, I''ve got it.

    Good.

    Taking a deep breath, I burn off Mana to test my new regeneration rate¡­ and the continue to burn it off¡­ and off¡­ and off¡­

    Eventually, I summon the Violet Dragon with the full force of my Mana''s extent, expending 5,000 Mana instantly to do so.

    Well, Gavin, it looks like you regenerate nearly 3,000 Resources per second of a Resource. If my math is right, if there''s another one of those Species that gives +100 RRN per Level, I''ll exceed a million points per second.

    I''d be truly unstoppable.

    And yet¡­ some sense within me tells me more and more than Nahor was honest, and that I will be slain by a Dragon. I''ve never looked to the future before, though I know it''s possible for me, considering that King Wesley possessed the power to.

    Perhaps¡­ I can look to see that which will kill me? Not when, but rather, what.

    Closing my eyes, I draw on my Psionic powers, looking forward with them. Forward from here and now, searching for myself. It only takes me a few moments to gain the Skill for Foresight¡­ and the vision of that which is destined to kill me.

    An Elder Dragon more than five hundred feet in height flies through the air, its scales a deep black in color, its eyes a rich violet. Magic swirls around it, the air thick with the beast''s power. This is a being that has awakened its own Bloodline for sure, and no doubt has reached higher than nigh any other mortal existence.

    As it flies across the ocean, it comes across a majesty of Dragons, dozens of smaller ones that challenge it for the territory it''s migrating to. Without hesitation, it burns them all with its breath, not a single one able to resist its power with their shields. It expends tens of thousands of Mana per second, yet recovers it just as quickly, even my absurd PER barely capable of noting even the slightest drop in its Pools.

    In just seconds, its foes are dead, and it continues to fly on, towards the continent it has decided to settle on now.

    The vision fades, and I''m reminded of one simple fact: How much I can regenerate per second means nothing when I can''t even reach that much. The Elder Dragon I saw likely has hundreds of thousands of each Resource, possibly millions.

    Slaying something like that would take everything I have, and then some. I didn''t see how long it would be before that happens, though. At least Nahor was honest about what would kill me, though some sense tells me it isn''t the Dragon itself that kills me, which is odd, considering I just looked for the being that would kill me.

    Shaking my head, I decide to go find my former teammate.

    Even if the Dragon kills me, I''ll guarantee its death. It isn''t a Divine Being, which means it can die. And if it can die, then I can kill it. That is a guarantee.

    The trick is putting it off for as long as possible so I can get the Order prepared fully for my departure from this plane of existence and ascension into the next.

    No doubt the afterlife will be quite fun for me. I''m not sure what''ll happen, but if I become a Spirit, I''ll definitely be able to have a lot of fun.

    Speaking of Spirits, maybe I should forge another contract?

    Oh, and go back into my other Form. I''ve been in my real form, minus the wings and weird eyes, while training in my room. People might be confused if they suddenly see the real me.

 Chapter 0094 - Training Hard

    (Gavin)

    "There you are," I say, and Kade jumps, spinning to face me. "I completed the spell several hours ago, but promptly passed out due to¡­ stuff. It is stable and will work."

    "What is it?"

    "A sort of pocket dimension," I answer. "Where time passes slower. At Level 1, it''ll pass at the same rate. However, growth for Skills is increased while within."

    "That won''t be of much use," he says. "With the rate at which people regenerate their Mana."

    "Actually," I say. "One of the reasons it''s such a powerful resource is because everyone''s Mana Regeneration will be using the Mana Regeneration of the creator of the space for it while within the space. Considering how much it takes to sustain the space if I don''t set an amount of time immediately, that would mean the creator would have to have a rather large RRN. Otherwise, they would have to just set it for a set period of time, and it''d only last for that, and it would be limited by their Maximum Resource Pools for each Resource. Due to my absurd rate¡­ it would be beneficial.

    "The downside," I say. "Is that it can only hold two people other than myself per Level, and it''s currently only at Level 1. Time will pass at the normal rate until it goes up a Level. If you would like to enter it with another magician in your party, or send in two magicians, then we can see if I can''t Level it sooner, so that we can double that time and increase how many can go in while still having growth."

    He nods, thinking.

    "There are two magicians," he tells me. "Who could benefit from it. They''re among the weakest in the area. With the proper formulas not having nasty backlash for failures, it will be safe to practice."

    I nod, then tell him we can start now, or in the morning.

    "Why don''t we go for a few hours now?" He asks. "If you''re up for that, then we can do more in the morning."

    I nod, then tell him that we''ll need to use somewhere more private than my inn. He leads me to his home, and tells me that we can use the spare room for it, then leaves to fetch the other two.

    While in here, I put up defensive barriers and runes, to protect the space from intruders and eavesdroppers. I''m not sure if passing through it or not will reveal my true form, and want to be safe.

    After a few minutes, Kade returns with two female magicians around our age. They kind of stare at my body, probably because I''m currently in just my pants and boots.

    "When we enter the training space," I tell them. "It may force me into my true form, akin to when I pass through Rifts. If it does, it may also force my Aura of Power into activeness, which will cause a powerful, overwhelming sense of fear and awe, similar to what you''d feel if you were in the presence of a Divine Being. Be prepared for that. If I''m forced into my true form and the Aura of Power comes out, I''ll deactivate it immediately and revert back to this form, though you''ll still be affected by the flux for a moment. Are you two ready?"

    The girls nod, then I focus on a space in front of me, channeling my powers and Resources, weaving the spell. A few moments later, a black doorway with emptiness beyond it appears, standing around seven feet in height and three and a half in width.

    "After you, ladies," I give them a slight bow, and the two magicians enter the Training Dimension, though a bit cautiously.

    Once they''re inside, I let Kade know that I''m not sure how it would react if a third person tried entering, and he assures me he''ll make sure no one does. Once he says that, I enter, and feel myself revert to my true form. Immediately, I shut off the aura, though the magicians have already felt it.

    "I did warn you," I tell them as I disappear my wings and the weirdness to my eyes.

    I suppose after seeing me with my full CHA, seeing the Human form with a much, much lower CHA isn''t that useful, and training doesn''t really affect me much if I''m not doing it in my real form. Increases don''t carry over through Formshift.

    At least, not yet. Not sure if it can at a higher Level or not.

    "We will remain in here for three hours," I tell them. "Your Mana Regeneration will be nearly-instantaneous, it will seem, while you are in here. This means that your training will be based upon your stamina amounts.

    "And before you begin," I say. "I would like to bestow upon you two a Gift.

    "Come now, and dance with me, dance your way up-up high, learn and live and never forget, never fade away. Come, now, and dance with me, dance your way to endless heights, no matter the form of your fights. Come, now, and dance with me, dance your way to eternity!"

    The moment I finish the chanting for the Gift in Silvar, my remaining Spirit drains a fair bit, and the two magicians glow with a golden light that fades a few moments later, and their eyes widen.

    That particular Gift grants an All-Experience bonus of a thousand percent to each Target. Anything that is All-Experience affects learning and Leveling all Skills.

    In other words, they''re receiving an even larger bonus while in here than just the training room provides. The bonus itself lasts for three hours. Once Training Dimension reaches Level 2, I can test to see if it relies on real time or current time.

    Of all the Spirits I interviewed during my search for Kade, that particular Spirit caught my attention, as did its range of Gifts.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The Training Dimension I created stretches over ten miles in space, and currently has the appearance of plains. I wave my hand, and a mile out, a shimmering wall appears, blocking visibility and access to the other side.

    With another wave of my hand and weaving of magics, a variety of targets appear in the area. Some are still, some are moving, and several of golem-like constructs.

    "I will be in the other portion," I inform the two magicians. "Practicing my own magics."

    They nod, then I fly into the air with a gentle touch of Air Manipulation, then through the barrier, where I spend the next three hours using what Resources I can working on my spells.

    This is my first real attempt to Level things in quite awhile, and adding on the boosts and my innate bonuses and bonuses from my Classes and Bloodlines and Species, it becomes somewhat easy to do so. I start with the lower-Tier Spells first.

    The first spell I master is Firebolt Chain, and the moment I do, a notification appears in my vision.

    You Have Mastered a Tier III Skill (Firebolt Chain IV)!

    +3,000 Experience!

    More Experience bonuses¡­

    Considering that Firebolt Chain is actually Tier VI right now, I suppose the bonus is based on its base Tier.

    Shaking my head, I get to work on mastering my other -bolt Chain Skills. I manage to bring them up to Mastery as well, and so begin working on Ice Lance. I''m not doing it for the Experience bonuses, as those¡­ are pretty useless to me, but rather, to get them out of the way.

    When the training period ends, I have brought four total spells to Mastery, and Ice Lance up five Levels. I probably could have brought it to Mastery, except that I was dividing my focus between it and watching the two ladies train, making sure to adjust their targets as they did.

    I don''t think they realized I could hear them talking. Other stuff aside, they''re amazed and impressed by their ability to cast spells repeatedly without worrying about running out. I''ll need to make sure everyone understands that they need to be careful out of the Training Dimension, as their Mana won''t be regenerating that quickly.

    As soon as the bonus fades from me, I remove the barrier and fly towards the girls, landing in front of them as their training targets disappear.

    "You two make progress?" I ask.

    "Quite a lot, thank you," they say at the same time, blushing.

    "Good," I say. "Let us leave. You two are likely exhausted, and I will need to rest before doing this throughout tomorrow and the day after for the rest of the party."

    We leave the Training Dimension, and as soon as we''re through, I shut off my aura and end the spell, then revert back to my Tyler form, yawning. This form doesn''t have my absurd CHA, because it wasn''t designed to basically seduce everyone into doing what I wanted, and it''s become a bit more comfortable for me.

    "How did it go?" Tyler asks them.

    "We both brought some of our Tier I Skills up to to Level 5 or higher," one of the girls answers.

    "Though Tyler was hiding himself from us the entire time," the other tells him.

    "I was training in my real form," I state. "The level of power contained within it is immense, and were it not for the Training Dimension''s ability to restore the damage to the landscape, you would have seen the results of that training everywhere."

    The two girls look confused.

    "He''s Advanced his Species," Kade explains. "His base abilities are much higher, so his spells are much, much more powerful as a result."

    "I am exhausted," I tell them. "So I will be heading back to the inn. You three have a good night."

    "You can stay here," Kade tells me. "Rather than walking all the way back while exhausted. I''m sure holding that open was draining."

    "It was," I tell him. "And I don''t need to walk."

    A moment later, I am back at my room in the inn. I strip and lie down, passing out immediately.

    When morning comes, I take a long soak in the bath, then eat breakfast, dress, and Teleport to Kade, who jumps when I appear next to him. He''s speaking with a young Knight. The warrior has blond hair and ice-blue eyes. Judging by his status, he''s not far from Tier III.

    At least Kade was able to easily move on. Michael and Warren¡­ still have their times.

    Such as the tackle-hug Michael tries to give me every time he hasn''t seen me in awhile. I understand it''s partly from his wolfish nature, but¡­ it''s also kind of annoying.

    "I am refreshed," I inform Kade. "And will be able to sustain it for awhile, though I would much prefer to do it in batches of three real hours with an hour''s rest between."

    "Alright," he says.

    "That includes once I can hold it open for longer."

    "Alright," he laughs. "I already have the next two trainees selected. Henry, can you go grab Samuel? The two of you will be training within it next."

    Henry nods, then I head to the training room, returning to just wearing pants, then waiting. Once the three of them have arrived, I give them the summary of what to expect once we enter, then I summon the Training Dimension, and the three of us pass through.

    After returning to my more Human appearance, I give them the Spirit''s Gift, then manifest their training targets and the golem-like constructs before flying through the barrier I summon and get to work.

    I bring Ice Lance to Mastery, and then work on Shroud of Gardens and Mysts of the Lake, using both of them in the space I created, which now contains a lake. Then, once they''re summoned, I generate more golem-like constructs and begin attacking with Black Holes and Blood Smites, mixing in some Spears of Frozen Lightning and Voids a few times.

    When the three hours end, we leave the Training Dimension, I pull back my form and cancel the spell, then rest for an hour while Kade has Henry fetch two more soldiers for the third round. When this one ends, I receive a pleasant notification.

    Training Dimension (Mana) is Now Level 2!

    Learning and Leveling Bonus: 200%

    Time Dilation: 2 Dimensional Hours per Real Hour Maximum

    Non-Casters Contained: Up to 4

    Tier X Skill Leveled Up!

    +1,000 Experience!

    I feel like everything is made to mock me, now, considering how little I can actually do with Experience, personally.

    Not that it will matter. I will give them all a Quest for the kill when it''s time to run against that thing, to burn up some of this extra Experience I have. Two thousand each should be satisfactory.

    Maybe. How many are there?

    "Twenty-two of us," Kade answers when I ask. "Why?"

    "Just thinking," I answer. "Is that including you?"

    "Yeah."

    So 37,400 Experience for me to spend for that. Perfectly fine by me, even if I weren''t increasing that extra Experience amount on what now seems to be a frequent basis.

    Wait. Tier X Skills grant 10,000 Experience immediately, and probably another 1,000 every Level. Possibly more when it hits Level 10. Does that mean Tier X Skills are almost as difficult to Level as ¨C or just as or more than ¨C restoring Jozan to power back when I first obtained the Blood Oath Quest?

    It truly isn''t meant for normal beings, is it?

    The rest of the day passes fast, and when I return to my inn, I pass out fast. The next day passes fast for me as well, and on the eighth day, the final day my Fear Ward will be active, Kade gathers his party to go over the plan.

 Chapter 0095 - A New Shrine

    (Gavin)

    I mentally review the things I determined in the Training Dimension as Kade discusses their plan for taking on the beast, now that they''re all a fair bit stronger. Several of them managed to ascend a Tier higher in a Class or two than they were before I arrived.

    There were several things of note that I determined with the addition of the Training Dimension and while training in it.

    A Tier X Skill awards 10,000 Experience upon reaching that Tier and when it reaches Level 10, as well as 1,000 Experience every Level between, for a total of 28,000 Experience. This means that Tier VII Skills do not award 7,000 Experience upon Mastering, but four times as much.

    In addition to that, I have determined that the Dekami Scholar was wrong, and that fully mastering a spell to the ultimate doesn''t actually give another Subspecies Slot or any Stat Bonuses. That may only be for certain Species, such as the tier of Species the Dekami and Dragons and such are at.

    Finally, I have also confirmed that while a Skill that has multiple Tiers to it does, indeed, grant Experience for Mastering, Skills that don''t have multiple Tiers to them do not. That was something I suspected from the start, considering the number of Skills I have Mastered from Tier I and Tier II that did not grant me Experience upon Mastering.

    I was able to confirm this with Silence, Roar, and Blindness, thanks to Kade''s people allowing me to test those on them (I might have also given some of them nightmares from the Roars), which are all at Tier III, so a Tier or two higher than the ones that didn''t grant Experience for Mastering, and with Shroud of Gardens and Mysts of the Lake, which are Tier IV Skills, so yet another Tier higher.

    "Is everyone ready?" Kade concludes his discussions, and everyone confirms it. "Alright, then let''s set off," he glances to me. "Are you coming?"

    "Yes," I answer. "Though I''ll retain a distance, and only interfere if it''s absolutely necessary. Your team should be able to deal with the Demon Boar, but regardless, it will die today. How long will it take to reach it?"

    "Approximately four hours," he answers. "Based on what our scouts have determined."

    "Alright," I say. "I''m going to give you all the Gift when we draw nearer to it, which is part of the reason I''m coming, as I''d suspected such a thing. However, before we leave here, I am going to give everyone in your Party a Quest, yourself included. It''s for each member of the Party individually, but the Quest is assigned to the Party itself."

    Quest Issued!

    Requirement: Slay the Demon Boar harassing the settlements on Emerald Island

    Reward: 2,000 Experience (44,000 Total)

    -28,050 Experience (25% reduction for issuing to a Party of over 20 members)

    Experience Remaining: 92,998

    Everyone''s eyes blanch when they receive their Quests, reminding me just how absurdly high 2,000 Experience really is. I probably could have doubled that, actually. Maybe I could amend the Quest?

    Quest Amended!

    Requirement: Slay the Demon Board harassing the settlements on Emerald Island

    Reward: 4,000 Experience (88,000 Total)

    -28,050 Experience (25% reduction for issuing to a Party of over 20 members)

    Experience Remaining: 64,948

    "Gavin!" Kade exclaims, blushing furiously for some weird reason.

    "Yes?" I ask.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Ignoring the normal limitations of Quest Rewards, why?"

    "How are you even able to sacrifice that much Experience?" He asks. "First you issued 2,000 Experience as the Reward, now it''s 4,000!"

    "Oh, that?" I ask. "I have a lot of Unused Experience that I can just grant."

    He stares at me.

    "How do you have unused Experience?"

    "Several different reasons," I answer. "Mastering a Skill that has multiple Tiers to it grants you Experience based on its base Tier ¨C a thousand per Tier for the base Tier. Tier X Spells grant even more than that, granting Experience every Level of it. This Experience is just General Experience ¨C that is, it can be used for anything that takes Experience, and this works even if you''re incapable of gaining Experience. It doesn''t have to be used immediately. I''ve been using it to help out some of the higher members of my Order and my apprentice, but I feel that if you can manage to defeat this thing, you can get the bonus as well."

    "You have an apprentice?" Kade asks.

    "You have five hours until my Fear Ward fades."

    "Right," he says. "Let''s go."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    We begin the journey out of the village and through the woods, and once we''re near the Demon Boar''s territory, I give them the Gift.

    "Shouldn''t we wait until we''re closer?" Kade asks. "It should be-"

    "It''s roughly two hundred yards that way," I indicate a direction to the east. "Sounds like it''s in a cave."

    "A cave?" He asks.

    "It''s eating."

    "Are you sure?"

    I listen for a few moments.

    "Yes," I answer. "Judging by the sounds within it, it''s the beast''s den. I''ll be ascending into the sky and observing from there, so as to not affect the fight unintentionally."

    With that, I soar into the air, stretching my wings. I left myself in my natural Human form, because I know the battle below will make it a little hard for me to resist flaunting myself, now that I''m aware of the effect being a Timeless One has on my mental state. It affects me even when I''m not in my natural Human form, it seems.

    I keep an ear on the battle, looking at them every now and then as they fight, but for the most part, I think about my plans for the future. I can use my new Skill to get my brothers and apprentice trained well, so that they may become capable of handling themselves even better before my departure from this plane of existence.

    I also need to construct new shrines for Nies. This cave here looks like a good spot for it, and I still need to find a decent space back at headquarters. Might add one to our outpost in the city I left Eli and Dylan in. There are Spirits guarding it for us.

    Before I pass, I also need to work on improving the Training Dimensions'' runes and spells so that they are more efficient in terms of Resources, and also to finish making the others. This way, I can pass them on to my apprentice and brother before I pass. Tristan wouldn''t be able to sustain them, despite his immense age and level of power.

    That''s mostly due to his body being a fair bit more fragile, at its base.

    Otherwise, he would be able to take them on.

    Another option would be to create a space that functions similar to the Training Dimension Skill. Working on creating that might not be a bad idea, either.

    There''s also the matter of locating the Kratus. I''d like to befriend a leader of them, so that I can take on their Blessing. The bonus to Enchanting that would definitely occur would be a massive boon for me in creating said space.

    Doing that, I could leave behind the formulas to create them through the Skill, but not have to worry about my apprentice or brother being able to create them, as that could likely take many more years than I have.

    I''m technically an incomprehensible monstrosity. Due to both the bonuses from Dekami Bloodline and the triplicating bonus from having qualified for Wizard before acquiring Access to the System, neither of them could reach my levels as fast as I have, and part of the reason I did was because of Dekami''s bonus to all Experience acquired in Dungeons and my heavy training in one combined with the triplicating bonus.

    And since that was before Experience only generated with and for things relating to the Class, they would be able to take advantage of something like that again.

    Though I do want a way for my Order''s members to be able to grind Experience and Levels. The forests surrounding the valley are mostly filled with animals for food, not many monsters, so they''d have to travel several hours past the edge of the valley to get into the mountains to do proper hunting.

    Something like the Tower Dungeon would be nice, though I''ve no clue how to get one of those, and according to Michael, they only appear there, sort of like with the Grind Arenas in the realm of the Dark Knights.

    Speaking of them, I still need to check out the location he suspects one of Tristan''s Grimoires are in. While I''m there, I can investigate said Grind Arenas. It might give me an idea for something.

    I smile, thinking about Michael''s stories of that place ¨C and his encounters with the spiders. He''s over his fear of large spiders, but his shriek when a regular, non-monster spider was spotted in a corner¡­

    That was hilarious. I heard it and went to investigate, thinking something was wrong, and found him on the table yelling at Warren to kill it. For good measure, I hit it with a Blood Smite before the Fairy could take it out.

    "Whooo!" A voice calls, and I turn my gaze to the party, who seem to have slain the beast.

    I descend down to the party, my thoughts about the future disrupted.

    "Congratulations," I tell the team. No casualties this time. "Do you mind if I do something with the cave? Or would you rather I don''t?"

    "What is it?" Kade asks. "And were you paying attention to us at all."

    "At first."

    He laughs.

    "So what do you want to do with the cave?"

    "Make another shrine for my patron," I answer, and he gives me an annoyed look. "He''s the Origin of Quests and Adventures. I got him millions of followers some months back, and he''s happy about that, but he could probably do with another shrine or ten. As long as you put good food on his shrine and offer up a prayer, there''s a chance you''ll have a bit better luck on any journeys you undertake ¨C or any quests or Quests that you''re performing. He also doesn''t care if you''re worshiping another Divine Being, not discriminating for those who give him good treats when he bestows a lucky blessing upon someone. With you guys being on a series of islands, having a place to get good luck for travels would be beneficial, unless you plan on never leaving the island. In addition, a hunt like this would qualify as an adventure to him, and so he''d be likely to give a blessing of luck with a proper enough offering. Not saying you''d win, but the odds of people dying if you can''t win would definitely be lower."

    Kade thinks about that for a few moments, then nods.

    "Sounds reasonable enough," he says. "How long would it take you?"

    "Moments," I answer. "If I use my magic to do it. I will, if you are okay with it, as I need to return to my Order and its businesses elsewhere and don''t have the time to work on it by hand, though it makes no real difference either way, as a mortal-made shrine is still a shrine."

    "Alright," he says. "Thank you for your help, Gavin. Once you finish, we''ll return to town."

    I nod, then make my way into the cave, clearing it out with my magic to erase all signs of the boar''s presence, then I begin to weave my powers together, creating an altar within it surrounded by braziers blazing with fire that will never go out, the altar itself black with crimson tigers carved into it.

    Once I finish that, I pull food out of my ring and set them on top. Several cakes, baked just for this occasion, along with many other treats he likes.

    As soon as they''re on the altar, the Divine Being appears on the other side of it, watching me from his tigers.

    "Meanie."

    "Hello, Nies," I say as two tigers sit beside the altar, the shrine becoming an official Shrine to Nies. "Do you like it?"

    "¡­maybe."

    He quickly swipes a cookie off the altar, cramming it into his mouth.

    "It''s mediocre."

    He grabs another and shoves that into his mouth, then another, then another. The twenty-two Adventurers behind me are staring, likely encountering a Descended Divine Being for the first time in their mortal lives.

    In their lives.

    Stop that, Gavin. You, too, are mortal, and you know you can die.

    "I''m glad you like it," I tell Nies. "Is my babysitting duty over?"

    "No."

    "I made you a second shrine."

    "You haven''t even been watching him the last month."

    "It''s a good lesson for my apprentice."

    "You just want to get out of it," he finishes the first plate of cookies and moves on to the plate of sticky buns.

    "Says the Divine Being who''s pawning his son off on mortals so he doesn''t have to deal with him," I say. "And Nies? I do deal with him when I''m stopping by the Order''s headquarters. I even spanked him and put him in time-out for that prank he pulled on the Elves."

    He sighs.

    "Okay," he says. "But only because you made me another shrine. We''re even."

    He vanishes, along with all of the food on it, and I turn to face the Adventurers.

    "Let''s had back to town, shall we?" I ask. "There are a few things I want to discuss with Kade and some of you and others, then I''ll be heading back to my Order''s headquarters, so that I can work on some other things."

 Chapter 0096 - Christophers Return

    (Gavin)

    Oh, right. There''s a difference in the time of day between where Kade is and where the headquarters is. You need to stop forgetting shit like that, Gavin. The sun''s beginning to set, and it looks like they''re preparing dinner right now. Some sort of feast.

    Though the giant boar they''re cooking here looks decent. It''s not on the level of the Demon Boar Kade''s team took out, but is still quite large, standing roughly fourteen feet in height. Some of the Fairies are preparing the sides of fruits and vegetables and desserts, a few of them having drafted Kemmel into helping them.

    "Nice boar," I say as I approach Eli. "How was it taken down?"

    "Lyari managed it on his own," Eli answers. "He went hunting, and after a few hours, contacted us through the Paired Mirror we were using, asking for help bringing his kill back."

    "Where is the Elf now?"

    "Cleaning up," he answers. "More recruits?"

    "Indeed," I nod, waving the half-dozen Adventurers over. "These six come from our newest outpost, which rests on an island off the continent the majority of the Fairies come live on."

    He looks unsure about that.

    "I trust the person I have in charge of it," I assure him. "It''s an old acquaintance of mine, and another magician, who''s recently reached the Third Tier of his Class. Where is the Divine Brat?"

    "Vanished about six hours ago," he laughs. "As soon as you were gone, he started acting up. He''d calm down every time you showed up."

    "Yeah," I laugh. "Ryan told me about it. He mentioned he kept having to run around to try and contain him. By the way ¨C tomorrow, I want you and your brother to meet me at my house. I''ll need Ryan as well, and Tristan, if he wants to, though I think the ancient wizard wants to continue to study the things in the Tower."

    Tristan is more of a scholar than anything, and prefers studying magics and ancient things, so I suppose it makes sense that he''d rather study than participate in running the Order.

    "Alright," he says.

    For the next few hours, we enjoy the feast that''s set out, then those of us who sleep at night head to bed.

    Gavin? Nies wakes me up very early in the morning.

    "Yes?" I do my best to not be grumpy with him.

    Christopher''s preparing to travel to your world, he tells me. He''s using his connection to you as a basis for the travel. And this isn''t ''cause you made me a new shrine and gave me lots of treats.

    His presence fades from my mind, and I Teleport to Oberon, startling him during his breakfast.

    "Alright, Fairy King," I say. "Ready for vengeance?"

    "Your father''s coming?"

    "Christopher will be here soon," I confirm. "Want to be above the forest when arrives?"

    "Yes," he stands, extending his wings.

    "I can get us there faster," I say.

    I walk over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, then Teleport us to two thousand feet above the canopy, only the massive Yggdrasil itself standing above us.

    Moments after we appear here, Christopher does as well.

    "Hello, so-" he begins.

    "It''s me, fucker!" Oberon snarls, and Christopher''s gaze turns to Oberon, his eyes widening.

    Then he attacks, only to find the powerful World Warrior of Eisnar easily deflecting it while simultaneously casting spells and wielding Spirits.

    Christopher may have grown more powerful, but Oberon is not to be taken lightly, especially not while under Yggdrasil''s canopy. I Teleport a safe distance away, watching the fight as Christopher attempts to evade Oberon''s fury. He attempts to escape the shade of the World Tree, but fails, finding a barrier of wind blocking his path, one strong enough that he can''t power through it, yet subtle enough he cannot see it unless he''s touching it.

    I sense him attempting to bend space to escape, and quickly put an end to that with a manipulation of Void and Aether.

    In the end, his stolen Stats aren''t enough to take out the furious Fairy King, and he falls, his corpse covered in scrapes, burns, acid burns, lacerations, holes, and more. Several parts of him were even turned to stone.

    Oberon then calmly flies down and catches the corpse, slinging it across his shoulder before looking at me.

    "I''ll be taking care of this," he salutes to me. "Thank you, Archmage."

    "You''re welcome, Oberon," I say. "Enjoy¡­ whatever you''re going to do with that."

    "Have some fun," he says mysteriously, then flies back towards his palace.

    I smile, wondering what kind of fun the Fairies are going to have with the corpse of their enemy, then pause, looking to my right.

    "Tulmis?" I ask. "Are you aware that there''s a Natural Rift that''s been hovering around thirty feet to my right for the last eight minutes?"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    About ten seconds later, the Natural Rift seals up, fading away.

    Thanks, the Rift Wolf''s voice forms in my head. We weren''t aware of that one yet.

    "I figured," I say. "I remember it being mentioned that it takes longer to deal with Natural Rifts due to them being different from the more common Rifts."

    Alright, he responds. See you around, Gavin.

    "Hey, Tulmis?" I ask, and he doesn''t respond. "You never tried stopping me from burning myself through with Stats and such."

    You could take it, he responds. Advancing your Species increases your threshold, remember? You weren''t doing anything that would cause issues, and you need the powers you have ¨C and then some ¨C if you wish for a chance against that Dragon.

    "You know about it?"

    Naturally, he responds. It''s one of the most powerful Elder Dragons in existence. We''ve had no doubt that you will, eventually, encounter it. Eisnar is your world, so no doubt, once you''re more than confident you are powerful enough, you would go after it to erase such a dangerous threat to all.

    "I''ve been told I''ll be killed by a Dragon''s breath within the next couple of years," I say. "That implies I''m not strong enough when I face it. Just how powerful is it?"

    Immensely, he answers. It is older than nearly all of us, and being a Dragon, it has rights and privileges we do not. There are a rare few that are not Divine Beings themselves that can slay that particular one. It may be impossible for you to accomplish in the next two years, if Nahor is to be believed about the timeframe, but there is a chance that you truly can become more powerful than that Dragon.

    "How?" I ask, looking at the forest below me.

    Perhaps more Fairies might wish to join the Order?

    Secondary Species, he answers.

    "Secondary Species?" I echo.

    Indeed, he answers. In addition to that, the First Five do not count for Subspecies Slots. You can have, at most, nine total Subspecies. You won''t gain more through your Secondary or Third Species. In other words, you can still take on two more Subspecies, and you can also take on the Dekami and Dirsoor Subspecies.

    "Wouldn''t I need to befriend one of the powerful leaders of one of those?" I ask. "Unless the errand bitch that used to keep interfering with my life counts as one of those?"

    I do not, he chuckles. And gaining access to our Subspecies is a fair bit different.

    Makes sense.

    Maybe some Elemental Fairies? Maybe I should see if there are any Fire Fairies who''d like to come to the Order''s headquarters with me and join it fully there.

    "So how do they become available?"

    Interaction, he responds. Which is why I stopped interfering in your life for awhile. Had I continued to do so ¨C even though there wasn''t really a reason to anymore, once you Advanced your Species to the Second Tier, thus increasing your capability to possess power ¨C then you would have gained access to Dirsoor immediately, due to our interactions previously.

    "I gained Access to the Void Mage''s just by him greeting me," I say.

    Yeah, you did, he chuckles. That was because it also counts if we consider you a friend. Or at least, one of the leaders of our people, and considering that he responded to you being a friend, that was enough for it to trigger the activation.

    "Okay," I say. "So I can take on two more Subspecies now, and probably see if there are any more powerful ones than Enlightened ones to take on, to boost my power further. How do I gain access to Secondary and Third Species?"

    Four Subspecies maxed-out, he responds. Then completing a true Tier I Dungeon. The true Dungeon Ranking relies on more than just Class. What you knew as a Tier II Dungeon was actually still a Tier I ¨C it was a Tier I-I-II.

    "Tier I-I-II?" I ask.

    Indeed, he responds. The first number is representative of which sequence of Species you are. You are currently in your First Sequence, that is, your Primary Species. The second number is representative of your Species Tier. The third, your first Primary Class''s Tier. You can perform any Dungeon at or below your sequence. So for you, that would, technically, be I-IV-IV.

    "Technically?" I ask.

    Where do the Flame Fairies live, anyway? This is a forest.

    Technically, he repeats. Once you reach Tier I-IV at maximum Species Level, you become "True". In other words, you''re a "True Tier I". This enables you to access any Tier I Dungeon. It ignores the Tier of your Primary Class, on the off-chance that you aren''t at Tier IV of it yet.

    "Is that even possible, once you''re a Tier IV Species at max?" I ask.

    Yes, he answers. It''s quite possible. That aside, once you reach True Tier I, you can enter any Tier I Dungeon, period. It also allows you to challenge a True Tier I Dungeon, making them visible and accessible to you.

    "So challenging one is how to acquire my Secondary Species?"

    Yes and no, he responds. When you reach one, place your hand on the portal''s frame, then focus and pull up a hud. All True Tier I can do that for the True Tier I Dungeons ¨C this hud allows you to perform the Trial of the Tier I Species. Attempting it can kill you ¨C but if you succeed, you may select any Enlightened Species you can take on as a Subspecies to be your Secondary Species, and bring it all the way up to maximum ¨C thus becoming a True Tier II. True Tier III is the ultimate peak of existence an Enlightened can be.

    "In other words," I say. "It''s something I can probably manage pretty easily.

    No, he responds. In fact, you would need to rely heavily upon your versatile set of magics to complete it, and that''s for the chance at victory.

    That makes it sound like an absurd being such as myself could actually die in one.

    "What do you mean?"

    Is there a desert around here? Actually, no, they probably wouldn''t reside there. Maybe a volcano or two?

    The Trials scale to you, he responds. They are always a life-or-death ordeal. It''s unique to Enlightened, and provides the only hope one has to take on a being of the First Five that has become as powerful as one such as the Elder Dragon you are destined to die against. It takes into account your Bloodline''s Level, your Species, your Classes, and all of your Subspecies. Any Trial of the Tier I Species would factor those into account and challenge you absolutely. It would know about your absurd, nigh-impossible Regeneration and account for that. It would know about your affinity for magics, your Contracts with Spirits for their Gifts, your wide array of Skills. Taking on more Subspecies would not benefit you for it.

    In fact, he pauses for a moment. It''s actually best that you don''t.

    "Why?"

    I can''t sense any volcanoes, though. Maybe they''re out of my range? The mountains surrounding the Fairy Forest are a fair distance away, considering how vast the forest below is.

    Remember why I locked your Resources when you were younger?

    "Ah," I say. "I''m nearing the limit of what amount of Stats I can have without complications?"

    Indeed, he responds. In fact, it''s only due to your Tier IV Species that you can handle it. Advancing a Species increases the threshold. Once you start working on your Secondary Species and getting it up there, that threshold will increase yet again, though it might not be safe unless you get to Tier III Species or Tier IV on that one to really take on more.

    "Understood," I say. "Where can I find one of these Dungeons?"

    And Flame Fairies. I want to find one of those, too. Maybe I''ll just Teleport all over the Fairy Kingdom until I find some. Or Oberon could direct me? That would be a lot simpler.

    You probably should have thought of that first, Gavin.

 Chapter 0097 - Trial of the True Tier I Species

    (Gavin)

    Now that I found some Flame Fairies willing to join the Order and move to our headquarters, then dropped them off, I can locate the True Tier I Dungeon Tulmis told me about. It''s located in an ocean.

    After several hours of flying, I locate the whirlpool that marks its entrance. Other than the sparkles, it would look like any other whirlpool formed in the ocean.

    Descending down to it, I place my hand on the edge of the whirlpool.

    Trial of the Tier I Species Available

    Attempt

    Don''t

    "Attempt," I state.

    A moment later, I feel myself sucked into it, finding myself in a long, narrow tunnel. It''s dark as hell, with absolutely no light around me. Not really an issue for me, though, considering what I am and my array of Skills.

    I can see just fine in the dark, listening to the sounds around me and reading the magics in the air, feeling the vibrations in the air and the ground on my skin.

    The tunnel is approximately five feet in width, and thousands in length. It''s completely and entirely empty, which is suspicious. Too easy of a task.

    As soon as I begin walking, the real challenge presents itself. Kobolds almost melt out of the walls. Or rather, the walls themselves seem to melt, kobolds forming from the liquid, then attacking. They''re easy to deal with, my magic illuminating the tunnel in both directions as I slay all of the kobolds the form, before and behind.

    However, as I walk, the kobolds grow stronger, and even my powerful SIT doesn''t allow me to see the end of the tunnel. The kobolds grow larger, and I begin to wonder just how long before this ends. Hours pass, yet I have not begun to see the end of the tunnel, and even though I regenerate my Resources within seconds, I am still exhausted.

    Not even my Roars work on the strongest of them I have faced, forcing me to rely on my magic, with both my spells and weapons forged of Aether, my magic and body. I''m unable to use several of my favored spells in here.

    Blood Smite is effective, but only hits a single target at a time. When facing dozens, I can''t keep recasting, especially since another melts out of the walls immediately after one is slain. Spear of Frozen Lightning is powerful enough to wipe them all out, but that also traps me in.

    I had to use my Violet Dragon to dig myself out of that issue.

    Sustaining the Violet Dragon on a level large enough to fill the tunnel on one side takes up a lot of Resources as well, leaving me needing to pretty much deal with the kobolds on the other side physically, and that drains me as well, especially since kobolds aren''t just before and behind, but also spawning to my sides.

    Which isn''t fun. My clothes have long since been ruined because of the amount of physical and magical attacks I''ve taken directly. They aren''t powerful enough to hurt me, but they''re still annoying. Especially since I may soon be facing kobolds powerful enough to damage me.

    Other spells that would be useful here would be manipulating the gravity, except that sustaining that drains me, and I can only sustain it for so long before being wiped out. Black Holes are nice, but also draining, and doesn''t extend too far.

    Teleporting isn''t exactly a good idea, since I''d just end up in the middle of more kobolds, and the ceiling of the tunnel only reaches a few feet above me, meaning that flying isn''t exactly feasible, either.

    I see something ahead, barely at the reaches of my vision. It''s about damn time.

    Instead of powering through even harder, I continue at the pace I''m at. There''s no way I''d manage to do it if I pushed myself harder because ''the end is in sight''. Especially since, as I draw closer, I see it''s just another wall.

    I''m tempted to use Aetherial Blade on it, out of sheer exhaustion, though it won''t work. It needs a lot of open space to manifest.

    As soon as I reach the wall, I summon the Violet Dragon. There are no kobolds forming in a rectangle three feet wide and six feet tall, which means that that is definitely the next space.

    The Violet Dragon gets to work protecting me, protecting me from all three sides apart from the front as I examine the ''door'', trying to find a way through. I push, I pull, I punch, I attack, but nothing seems to work.

    This is a Dungeon, Gavin. There is probably some hidden switch or something.

    Looking around, I spot a portion of the wall to my left that has no melting forms on it. Slowly and carefully, I make my way over to it, the Violet Dragon swirling around me completely. When I reach that spot, a space around six inches on each side, I press my hand to it, then look at the door. No change.

    Maybe¡­

    I flow all eleven Resources into it at once, and when I do, it glows golden, and a golden light forms behind me. I look over and see the doorway glowing golden.

    With a burst of speed unlike any I''ve used here, I charge through the kobolds, then through the doorway.

    As soon as I''m through, I take stock of my surroundings, not allowing myself a moment to rest or read the notification, just in case of an immediate attack.

    The room seems to be carved out of a cave, with a bed sitting against one wall, a bath, a table with food on it, another room for relieving myself, and the doorway I just passed through, the glow faded, returning the door to its smooth, stone state.

    Maybe the message in my vision would be an indicator of what this room is.

    Trial of the Tier I Species Stage I Passed

    10-Hour Rest Period Before Stage II

    Oh. Rest period. I suppose even this will be that gracious to me.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I eat a light meal, then wash up in the bath before collapsing on the bed, passing out immediately, sleeping for a total of eight and a half hours, according to the notice. After another meal and relieving myself in the relief room, I reform my pants, then wait out the time for the next Stage.

    As soon as nine hours, fifty-five minutes from when I entered the rest area passes, the doorway glows golden once more, another notice appearing my vision.

    Trial of the Tier I Species Stage II Ready

    5 Minutes To Ejection if Not Begun

    I suppose that means I should head through it, so I head through the doorway, immediately finding myself submerged in magic-filled water. A quick test tells me that the Violet Dragon will be useless here.

    There''s too much magic in the water for it to work. It seems this Trial is designed to make me use other things.

    Using a careful application of manipulated wind, I create a bubble of air around my head so that I can breathe just fine, though it hinders my vision a little bit, even with it being spread thin and clear. Then again, the water itself isn''t very well-illuminated.

    Summoning a Spear of Frozen Lightning, I launch it, then wait for it to impact something. And wait. And wait. And wait.

    The spell itself eventually fizzles away, the magic in the water eating away at it. In fact, it''s affecting my body. If I don''t get out of this water soon enough, it may well kill me.

    That would leave swimming up. I can''t manipulate the water, so I start swimming as fast as I can, using air to boost myself when I''m able, though there isn''t much for me to do.

    The further up I go, the more I begin to doubt my direction. The light isn''t getting any brighter at all. Or rather¡­ there''s no light forming in my vision.

    I attempt to Teleport, only to find myself blocked. There''s too much magic here. In fact¡­ there''s too much magic for really anything outside of a straight-up manipulation of the elements, isn''t there?

    Summoning up my control over air, I weave together several Resources to create an underwater tornado to propel myself higher. After several minutes, I find absolutely no change in the lighting above.

    I need to go down. Dammit! Twisting, I cancel the tornado and face downwards, then summon another one. The magic in the water kills it fast, so I have to keep summoning new ones.

    I begin to feel my body weaken, the magic in the water starting to break through my defenses. Pushing as hard as I can, I pass through something, finding myself falling into the air¡­ and momentarily disoriented, down becoming forward.

    Catching myself, I find myself back in the rest area, though not strong enough to pull myself to my feet, quickly collapsing entirely on the ground.

    This place really is trying to kill me. The instinct is to go up. The further up one goes before realizing it, the longer they''re exposed to the water that eats away at them.

    Life Restore helps heal my body, but it doesn''t work all the way. Damage of just magic itself is in an entirely different class, and this Trial is meant to kill people.

    Those that don''t come out stronger, yet at the same time, it''s still¡­ not good.

    I doze off at some point, and when I wake, I drag myself onto the bed, passing back out, waking with only an hour left. I bathe, relieve myself, eat, then reform my pants, which faded from the magic in the water, even though they''ll probably just get destroyed again.

    The Human ancestry in me still wants me clothed. I''m not a Fairy.

    When the glow fades after passing into the next Stage, I find myself in a maze. Roughly seven feet in height, with walls four feet apart, giving me a little bit less moving space than the first Stage gave me.

    I begin walking, wary of any incoming attacks. Nothing spawns, and I come across no traps, just¡­ walking and walking and walking.

    I would Teleport, except that I''d just end up elsewhere in the maze I''m in. Without knowing where the exit is, that would just result in me getting even more lost.

    So instead, I walk, relying on my unfathomly high INT to keep track of the passages, despite them being nearly identical.

    Hours pass, and I grow hungry, feeling my stomach rumble. Unlike the other stages, I can take a break in here, so I stop and¡­

    Where is my ring?

    Staring at my hand, I notice a distinct lack of a spatial ring. Searching my memory, I look to see if I lost it in the previous Stage. It takes me awhile, but I determine that I didn''t have it during that, so I look to see if I lost it during the tunnel of the kobolds.

    No¡­

    Looking back far enough, it wasn''t on my finger when I first appeared here.

    That means I''m without the resources within that ring ¨C including the food I always keep, just in case of a situation like this.

    That means I can''t take my time in this Stage, and need to move on to the next one, and now. As soon as I come to that conclusion, I take off at nearly my full speed.

    It will wear me out faster than walking, but I need to get out of here, before I starve.

    Hours pass, yet I still find no exit. It''s just an endless maze.

    It continues on and on and on, the tunnels blurring together, even my nigh-impossible INT struggling to keep track of everything, until, finally, just as I''m about to collapse, I see the glowing golden doorway.

    One more rest area, and then likely the final stage, if we stick to the System''s four-tier system.

    Two more stages if I''m unlucky, and it sticks to the Titles'' tiering.

    I burst through the doorway, tumbling onto the ground as I do.

    It''s not the cave floor of the rest area though. Reading the message, I don''t even need to look up to know where I am.

    Trial of the Tier I Species Stage III Passed!

    All Stages Passed!

    You may select your Secondary Species!

    All Enlightened Species that can be taken on as a Subspecies are available.

    Primary Species: Human ¨C Human not available

    I dismiss that notification, and another window appears.

    Choose Your Secondary Species:

    Forest Elf

    Wood Elf

    Wind Elf

    Elemental Fairy

    Spirit Fairy

    Fairy

    Forest Fairy

    River Fairy

    Mountain Fairy

    Black Wolf Beastborn

    Kemmel Beastborn

    Wolf Beastkin

    Bear Beastkin

    Lizard Beastkin

    Snake Beastkin

    Mole Beastkin

    Tiger Beastkin

    So it doesn''t give me a broad spectrum, but rather, specific ones. It looks like it''s based on which ones I''ve become friendly with.

    My choice was set from the start, except¡­ I''m not seeing it. My natural Fairy Form is the Eternal Fairy, so shouldn''t that be available? I know I can take it on as a Subspecies. So why am I not able to take it on as the Secondary Species?

    Unless¡­

    My mother was a Dekami. A true Dekami. According to Twist, Eternal Fairies were the offspring of a Fairy and someone of the same heritage as my mother. In other words, they came from Dekami as well.

    Does that affect the ability to take it on? Does the fact that Eternal Fairies are half-Dekami mean they''re treated like something other than an Enlightened?

    But then¡­ I''m just ''Human''. Why would I still be Human if they weren''t considered that?

    More questions for the Dekami Scholar, I suppose.

    Looking at the differences between the Fairies, it seems that the Stats themselves are the same, no matter which one I pick. However, each has its own bonuses. Fairies themselves have a higher affinity for all magics using their natural Resources, while the others have bonuses for their elements or are only able to use them. Mountain Fairies, Forest Fairies, and River Fairies have multiple elements and greater power when in said environments.

    Making my decision, I select it.

    As soon as I do, I feel my body shifting, changing every-so-slightly. Power courses through me as I''m changed both physically and magically, and the Fairies'' innate sense of magic in the air around me grows strong.

    The changes finish, and I feel my being restore, healing completely, my energy returned.

    Congratulations!

    You are now a Timeless One (IV) and a Fairy (I)!

    You will be ejected from the Trial

    Immediately upon closing the notice, I find myself bursting out of the portal to the Dungeon.

 Chapter 0098 - Nali-Ho!

    (Gavin)

    After first mentally reorienting myself, I manipulate the air to stop my ascension, then to float in place.

    The next thing I do is realize that I''m in my true form with the aura active, so I immediately shut that off, then summon a mirror to look at my new appearance. I haven''t changed in size at all, and my wings are the same. My eyes remain the same as well, though my hair has a streak of violet on the left side of the top.

    My ears are the same as they were before, so they''re not pointed, thank goodness. I don''t mind seeing it on Fairies and Elves, but I''m not a big fan of my ears being pointed. That said, I do have the sparkly cheeks of Fairies, now, and it doesn''t seem I can turn them off.

    One final change I can see is the presence of a zierna, akin to Warren''s. It''s on the back of my left forearm, and is a rich, sparkly violet in color. Examining it, I realize that''s a rune in Kratus.

    Are the zierna runes Kratus Runic Language runes, then? I haven''t recognized any of the others, but I recognize this one, mostly because it''s in several of the more powerful spells'' fucked-up versions.

    The rune is a barrier rune that works for containment without hindering the spell''s power. It''s exceptionally powerful, and would normally be beyond my Level of the Skill to actually know without a headache, though I saw it so much I managed to figure it out.

    Summoning several more mirrors, I check to see if there is a change anywhere else on my torso or higher, and determining that there is none, I dismiss the magical constructs, focusing on the flying ship that''s off in the distance.

    It''s like a ship for the seas, only it''s in the sky. Flying. It has masts and sails, much like a ship for the ocean would, but also strips of metal attached to poles spinning akin to a windmill in high winds sticking out of it.

    An airship. I remember Michael mentioning them before, as well as Lord Yggdrasil, but I haven''t been to a continent with them yet. He mentioned they were only on one continent, and that its people were interesting.

    They''re also short. Very, very short. And bearded. And stout.

    What¡­ are these? Michael never described them, yet their Species all register as something called "Dwarf".

    The airship draws closer and closer, and once it''s about a thousand feet away, it suddenly turns to the side.

    "KILL THE HARPY!" A Dwarf yells as panels on the side of the airship open up, revealing a series of metal tubes with Dwarfs behind them, tapping a crystal in his hand to one affixed to the back of the tubes.

    What''s a harpy?

    With explosions, massive balls of metal blast out of the tubes.

    Oh. They''re attacking me. Duh. You should have seen that coming, Gavin. He did yell to kill the harpy, while aiming those things at you.

    I extend a hand, stopping the metal balls with a blast of air, then allowing them to drop to the ocean. With a flap of my wings, I soar up, then down, aiming at the airship. Maybe we can clear up this misunderstanding. It would be a good opportunity to get to know a new Species, too.

    They start shooting at me with arrows, though nothing actually hurts me, so I let them bounce off my body and wings harmlessly. It only takes me a few seconds to land on the deck to the ship, dismissing my wings and turning my gaze to the Dwarf who yelled to kill the harpy.

    He flinches.

    "The Hero of-"

    "Aisranar," I say. "Yes, I know what you are. I''m not a harpy. I''ve never heard of those before. What are they?"

    "It talks!" He exclaims, then takes a step forward. "Ye be an Enlightened, then?"

    Monsters can talk, too¡­ I know a couple of languages of species that aren''t Enlightened. Including a wyvern tongue.

    "Once Human," I nod.

    "Once?"

    "I''ve Advanced my Species," I answer. "What is Aisranar a god of?"

    "She be a goddess, lad," he smiles at me. "She guides our sails and guards our ships! Sorry ''bout the misunderstanding, there! We''ve come across all sorts of harpies in our journey to discover what rests beyond the impassible field!"

    He accepted my comment about Advancing my Species pretty fast.

    "The impassible field?" I ask. "Are you referring to the Boundary of Sages?"

    "Perhaps!" He exclaims. "The great, impassible field in the ocean that surrounded our continent! Aye, a nasty thing! We could never fly through it! It tried to fool us, but we knew its presence! We left our home in search of the rest of the world! Our lads back home are checking around to find the one who dealt with the damnable thing! The great tower that manifested it just up and vanished!"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "That, um," I say. "That was me. I undid the Boundary of Sages a little while back. It was hindering me and my goals, so I got rid of it."

    "I like you, lad!" He says. "Nali-ho!"

    "What?"

    "Traditional Dwarven greeting, lad!" He laughs. "Nali-ho! Say it with me! One! Two! Three! Nali-ho!"

    "Nali-ho!" The other Dwarfs exclaim.

    "Nali-ho?" I say.

    "With a bit more enthusiasm!" He says. "We''ll work on that. Thanks for taking that sucker down for us! Now-"

    "How do you know I''m telling the truth?"

    "Aisranar is not just a goddess of airships!" He tells me. "She''s a goddess of truth as well! Her blessing allows me to see through any lie!"

    No wonder he''s accepting things quickly.

    "Now!" He says. "How did ye Advance your Species? Just reaching that much Experience is pretty darn difficult, ain''t it?"

    "Yes," I answer. "But I have multiple bonuses to Experience gains. I''m actually the reason the System did that change six or so years ago, so that Classes will only receive Experience from things relating to them. How has your traveling been going?"

    "Quiet well!" He exclaims. "Why, we just left a land of the most interesting folk! Call themselves Dark Knights, they do! Now, we''re off in search of more adventures! That, and to track down old Michael! Well, he ain''t old, but he''s sure Michael!"

    "Formshift," I say, pulling up the interface and quickly changing my Form to take on what Michael looked like years ago. "This what he looked like?"

    "Aye!" He exclaims, looking quite startled at the sudden change. The other Dwarfs do, too. "How ye do that?"

    "Formshift: True," I revert back to my previous appearance. "Through a Skill not normally available outside a select few Species."

    "So ye know Michael?" He asks.

    His assumption was that I know Michael, and not was Michael, screwing with them? Interesting.

    "Did he ever mention a Gavin to you?"

    "Aye!" He nods. "Talked ''bout that Wizard all the time! Boy, did that wolfy have one hell of a crush on him! Ye know him?"

    "I am he."

    "Well, I''ll be!" He exclaims. "I knew Gavin was hot, but you take it to another level! Michael never said it was that well! Glad me wife''s back home, or she''d probably leave me for ya! Ye ever reunite with your old friend?"

    "I did," I answer. "I was actually getting ready to head back to where he is now. I''m the founder of the Order of the Violet Flame, and we accept people of all Species without hate, and spread our knowledge without holding back, without good reason. The Order''s headquarters is located on the center of a continent that direction," I point in the direction of the continent. "It''d take me about three hours to fly there, manipulating the wind, though I''m not sure how long it''d take you. To get to the continent, I mean.

    "That said," I say. "There are also high mountains surrounding the valley we live in, and we haven''t begun forging a path through them yet, as we''ve only just begun settling there shortly before I took down the Boundary."

    "No worries, there!" He says. "The Invincible can fly quite high! Boys! Who wants to go see that wolfy again!"

    "Aye!" The dozen or so Dwarfs on deck yell out at once.

    "Aye, then!" The Dwarf in charge exclaims. "Set a course for the Order of the Violet Flame! Let''s go, go, go! Nali-ho!"

    "Nali-ho!" The Dwarfs all yell in response.

    "Ye can leave or ride with us!" The leader looks at me. "Up to ye, Wizard Gavin!"

    I could just fly or Teleport there, but the Trial left me exhausted, and the time will give me an opportunity to adjust to these folk some. That, or just sleep.

    "Archmage, now," I answer. "And I''m exhausted, so if you''re alright with it¡­"

    "Aye!" He says. "There''s some beds belowdecks, Archmage! Get some rest!"

    I head below the deck, and after asking another Dwarf for directions, make my way into one of their sleeping chambers. I have to duck a little, because the Dwarfs are shorter than me, and this place is built for them.

    Once in the chamber, I lie down on one of the beds, closing my eyes.

    My eyes¡­

    Moron. You didn''t revert your eyes back to their ''ordinary'' appearance, Gavin. I do that now, then relax. The Dwarfs are a friendly bunch, and I sense no hostility from them. I do still put up some magical defenses, just in case, but Michael told me that the people with the airships were a friendly bunch who''d only attack if they knew one was their enemy.

    I guess being mistaken for a harpy automatically made me an enemy, even though I was a distance away. I''ll have to ask what those are, when I wake. For now, I''ll relax, and fall asleep.

    The next thing I know, I''m being woken by an overenthusiastic Dwarven greeting.

    "NALI-HO!"

    "You''re lucky," I look at the Dwarf leader. "That I didn''t smite you out of shock."

    "It''s a risk a Dwarf takes!" He tells me. "We''re landing in the valley now! There''s quite a crowd looking out at us, too! That''s normal, though, seeing as flying ships ain''t exactly normal outside our continent, according ta Michael!"

    No, they aren''t.

    I climb out of bed, then follow the Dwarf to the deck, arriving there just as we land on the ground. A ramp is lowered to the ground, and the crowd watches as the Dwarfs begin exiting it, only a few staying behind.

    I stretch my wings out, then fly up, over, and down to the ground, people realizing then that I guided these short folks here, which means that they probably aren''t hostile.

    "Nali-ho!" The Dwarf leader exclaims, turning just in time to see a certain Wolf Beastborn charging at him. "Michael! The real one this time!"

    That''s all he gets out before Michael''s tackled him in a hug, his tail swishing from side to side in his excitement.

    "Thomas!" Michael eventually says, releasing the Dwarf. "Nali-ho! Gavin finally went to your continent?"

    "Nah!" The Dwarf pats the Wolf Beastborn on the head, standing on his toes to do so. "We found ''em as we were flying out, searching for continents and word of where you were! Thought he was a harpy, we did, so we attacked! But we cleared it all up, and are friends now! And we found you! The real you this time!"

    "The real me?" Michael asks, and I explain what the Dwarf means. Michael looks¡­ amused. "Ah."

    "I''m going to go check on my apprentice," I tell Michael. "You reunite with your friends and¡­ translate for them. I''m sure they''ll be happy to actually be able to communicate a bit with locals."

    "Aye!" The Dwarf exclaims. "Wait ¨C how do you know our language? Michael teach ya?"

    "I learn languages exceptionally fast," I answer. "Had the Skill for it the moment you yelled to kill the harpy. From our conversation, it''s already at Level 5."

    "Aye!" He exclaims. "That''s fast! Yer just as amazing as Michael said ye were! Michael! I''m glad the missus is at home! If she''d came with us-"

    I tune him out and make my way to the training hall, where Ryan''s furiously studying runes again, rather than practicing his magic. As I enter the building, I catch a part of the conversation between the Wolf Beastborn and the Dwarfs about having a feast.

    If any Dwarfs join the Order, times might become real¡­ entertaining. Hopefully, I can keep my apprentice from being corrupted further by them, as they seem like the kind of folk he''d get along with just fine.

 Chapter 0099 - Faeborn

    (Gavin)

    "Nali-ho!" The Dwarf leader greets me as I approach.

    He holds up a plate covered in food.

    "Come and join us!" He says. "This beast is quite delicious! A group of Elves here caught it!"

    I look around, spotting Lyari and a few other Elves celebrating near one of the bonfires set up for the celebrations.

    "Thanks," I accept the plate from him and sit beside him.

    "Ye''ve got quite the Order here!" The Dwarf tells me. "We like it! Alright if we join? We can mine out them old mountains for resources! I''m sure they must be brimming with metals, if it''s been a thousand or more years since they were last touched! I''m sure the boys would love to mine the ores and forge ''em into gear for yer men!"

    "If you wish," I say. "Let me know what kind of homes you want, and I can-"

    "We''ll get ''em constructed ourselves!" He tells me. "Thanks for the offer, though!"

    I nod, then eat the food, watching the celebrations. Ryan''s eating, but he''s also sitting with a Fairy who''s generated a small orb of light so my apprentice can study.

    Why is he so focused on learning runes, now? He used to hate them immensely.

    Standing, I walk over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. By the way he jumps, one would think he saw the avatar of death behind him. The Fairy illuminating his papers giggles.

    "What are you studying for?" I ask. "Everyone else is partying."

    "Yeah, I know," he says, looking back at the papers. "Warren was playing around with some illusions while you were gone, and they looked pretty cool. I want to do that, too, so I''ve been studying the runes like crazy, but memorizing them is hard ''cause my Skill for it isn''t high enough yet."

    "Stop studying and party," I tell him. "There''s a she-Kemmel that''s been giving you longing looks since before I came out here, and probably wants to dance with you."

    "I can''t dance," his face blushes furiously.

    "She probably can''t, either," I grab the back of his neck and pull him to his feet, setting him down a few feet from the table, then gently push him. "Go party."

    He sighs, then turns and grabs the papers, stuffing them into his ring before taking off. I look at the Fairy, who''s now turning the orb of light into an illusion of a dragon fighting a bear.

    "You don''t have to cater to his whims, you know," I say.

    "I know," he smiles. "But it''s fun watching children play and try to master illusions."

    "How old are you?"

    "Two hundred, nine."

    "You look nice," I say, and he blushes.

    With that, I leave him, then mingle with others. The party lasts until early into the morning, and I return to bed, grabbing a few more hours of sleep before waking, though the Order seems to be still sleeping.

    I can''t blame them, though ¨C most of them were up until just a few hours ago, and the sun''s begun to rise.

    "Nali-ho!"

    Though the Dwarfs seem as energetic as always.

    "Nali-ho," I dip my head to the approaching trio of Dwarfs. "How did you sleep?"

    "Quite well!" The Dwarf leader exclaims. "The temporary lodges ye made were wonderful! We''ll get to work on working the mines later, my boys said they found some nice metals down in them! Once we find some nice stones, we''ll also be building our homes and forges! Got anything ye''d like us to build for you, too?"

    That would actually work for one of the things I want.

    And¡­ he''s already got some miners out and locating stuff? The Dwarfs move fast! I''ll have to be careful around them, lest I lose my mind again.

    I''ve had enough of rapid changes and occurrences to last me several lifetimes, and would like to take some time to actually relax. In the way that I relax, that is.

    "Yes, actually," I answer. "If you''d be so kind."

    "Just tells us what yet want, and we''ll construct it for ye!" He tells me.

    "Two buildings," I answer. "I''d much prefer it if they had two rooms, one smaller, more like the entrance, while the other one is at least fifty feet on each side, including high. The second room needs to be able to be enchanted with magics later, but not immediately. However, these aren''t light enchantments.

    "I could make the place myself, once I finish the preparations," I say. "Except that there are some flaws to that, such as the resources made would likely not be as quality, if you know of good ones, and I might make the dimensions and such wrong. I want these rooms to be exceptionally stable and able to hold this enchantment for pretty much eternity."

    "Aye!" He says. "We can make yer rooms, bud! Just give us some time and we''ll get it done! What kinds of enchantments are going into it?"

    "Spatial and temporal," I answer, and he raises an eyebrow. "And could you keep that part hush-hush?"The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Secret''s safe with me!" He grins. "Though know that we might be able to do it even better if we make it as ye enchant it! It''d hold much better!"

    "That''s fine," I say. "I do still need to figure out the proper enchantments, first, so this would help me anyway. How much will it cost?"

    We don''t have a currency for around here yet.

    I''ll grab Michael and Eli for that once they wake.

    "Nothing at all, for ye!" He tells me. "Glad to help build up yer Order, friend of Michael''s!"

    Ah. He''s really doing this for Michael. What kind of bond did they form while Michael was with them?

    "Thanks," I say. "Enjoy your day, Thomas."

    "Nali-ho!"

    "Nali-ho."

    He walks off to chat with some of his Dwarfs, and I look around at the people who are waking. As I do, I notice one of the Fairies from Norahl''s group floating by lazily, one of the rare Fairies who wears pants and a tunic. I noticed before that he could resist my Appraisal, which means that he has a Divine Appraisal Resistance of at least Level 3, since my Divine Appraisal is Level 2.

    That''s always confused me, as Norahl''s assured me they''re all mortal, no Demigods, which means that my Appraisal should work just fine on him.

    As if sensing my gaze, the Fairy looks at me, then gives me a lazy, early-morning wave and a yawn, which he promptly covers with the hand he was waving with, blushing.

    Divine Appraisal is Now Level 3!

    Immediately, I see the Fairy''s status¡­ or rather¡­ the not-a-Fairy''s status.

    Eia Elder Faeborn (III) 9 Grand Enchanter (II) 18

    Faeborn find me, huh? Seems like I found one. The name declared on his status matches the same one he uses, so calling it out won''t make him suspicious.

    "Eia, right?" I call out.

    "Yeah," the Faeborn responds as I walk towards him, and he floats towards me. "Thanks for allowing us to live here, Archmage. Your Order is quite wonderful."

    "Thank you," I say. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

    "Not at all," he yawns again.

    "Is the yawning as much of an act as you being a Fairy is, Elder Faeborn?"

    He blinks at me several times, then gives me a shy smile.

    "The yawning''s real," he says. "I suppose you have a Divine Appraisal at Level 3, then?"

    "I acquired it upon looking at you and using it a moment ago," I nod. "How long have you been hiding out among his people?"

    "Around a century," he yawns. "Forgive the yawning, Archmage, I really am quite tired. I''ve gotten into the habit of sleeping among his people."

    "No worries," I answer. "I was actually looking for one of your kind. Does the Dekami Scholar know of your presence?"

    "He suspects," Eia shakes his head. "But believes me to probably just be a Demigod who''s had to resist Appraisal a fair bit. He''s only got a Divine Appraisal Level 1. Why were you looking for a Faeborn?"

    "Subspecies," I answer. "Along with knowledge of your peoples'' Runic Language. Advancing my knowledge of it will help me enchant a project of mine to contain a complex spell that uses both spatial and temporal magic. I''ll have to use my limited knowledge of Kurew to forge them together, but I''m sure I can manage it."

    "If keep the secret of who I am," he yawns again. "I''ll give you a tome containing our knowledge. Hrm. How would we guarantee-"

    "I swear on the blood in my veins," I say. "That I will not reveal who you really are without your consent. Keeping your identity a secret is why I created the barrier surrounding us, which I''m sure you are aware of."

    "I was wondering why you had a privacy barrier," he says as I glow. "I suppose Nies''s confirmation works for me. Hrm. Here. Let''s try this."

    He lifts his hands up, then spreads them out, weaving Aether and Arcane together, the tome coming into existence a few moments later.

    "That should do," he says. "Did you want anything else?"

    "No," I answer. "Thank you, Eia."

    "You''re welcome," he yawns again. "Now to find the Kemmel I was wanting to sleep with. See you around, Archmage."

    The Faeborn floats away, and as he does, I check my available Subspecies, confirming that his Species has been added to the available ones.

    I send the tome into my ring, then make my way to the Tower, where Tristan is already up and studying one of the texts within it. We talk for a few minutes, then I head back out and make my way to the training hall.

    Why is Ryan already up and studying runes?

    "Ryan?" I ask, and he turns to face me, giving me an inquisitive look. "Why are you awake already?"

    "Like I said last night-"

    "You do know I can tell when people lie, right?" I ask, and he pauses. "And read runes a lot more fluently than you?"

    He deflates, then frowns, looking between my forearms.

    "Didn''t you only have one of yesterday?" He asks. "The zierna thingy? I could''ve sworn you only had it on your right arm, but you have it on both.

    "You''re probably imagining things," I tell him. "I have two of them, matching zierna. They amplify my physical attacks if I activate them while also allowing me to create a nigh-impenetrable barrier. So why are you trying to make a spatial pocket when you can barely weave spells?"

    "I¡­" he starts, then sighs heavily. "I think it''d be cool to have one without needing a ring or anything."

    "The rings are more efficient."

    "Are you sure?" He asks, and I stare at him. "You''ve tried it before."

    "I''ve put together the runes for it," I say. "But never actually activated the spell. The rings are more efficient."

    "Hey, Gavin," Dylan pokes his head into the training room. "You don''t normally walk around shirtless, but were yesterday and now, and didn''t you only have a zierna on your right arm last night?"

    "I had two," I state. "And the Fairy Secondary Species wants me to be nude. The Human side allows me to resist it enough to wear pants without issue."

    "Ah," he says. "I was wondering if you were going to be using your wings more often."

    "I use my wings."

    "Not normally," he says.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Uh, dude," Ryan says. "You usually manipulate air to fly, not fly with your wings and innate flight powers. Even when you have your wings out."

    I¡­ didn''t realize that. I got into the habit of using manipulated air to fly, so much so that once I acquired innate flight magics, I never even used them. I don''t actually need my wings for that, but they do help some with control.

    "I actually don''t need the wings, either," I admit. "I''m just in the habit of it from before I became an Ascendant Human."

    "Ah," he says.

    "Yeah," I say, then return my gaze to my brother. "Were you looking for me?"

    "Yeah," he responds. "Do you know of any runes for fire from the Dekami Runic Language that aren''t in our tomes?"

    I draw several on the air, then imprint them onto a parchment I manifest before rolling it up, tying it with a ribbon, then tossing it to him.

    "Thanks," he catches it. "Um¡­ you didn''t write their explanations."

    "You didn''t ask for those."

    He sighs.

    "The parchment''s enchanted," I tell him. "It has eight runes on it, but you''ll only see one at a time, similar to Tristan''s Grimoires. Each form of it will tell you the relevant information."

    "Ah," he says.

    "I need your brother and Michael," I tell him. "Can you have them meet me for breakfast in half an hour?"

    "Sure," he says. "Where at? And do you need me, too?"

    "You can come if you want," I say. "Ryan, too. However, you two aren''t needed, and let''s do my place. I want Michael because he''s most familiar with the different currencies in the world, and Eli because he''s more scholarly than you. No offense."

    "None taken," Dylan shrugs. "What do you need them for?"

    "To figure out what the currency here will be," I answer.

    "Ah," he says. "Alright, I''ll go let them know."

 Chapter 0100 - Training With My Team

    (Gavin)

    "Probably something," Eli says after presenting to them the fact that we need to have a currency of our own. "That has the Seal of the Order on one side. The trick would be making it so that we can easily identify fakes."

    "That would be easy," I say. "Create a series of stamps with the Seal to magically imprint them. I could do that now, actually. The magical imprint would be easily identifiable, and merchants could use a tool to register if it''s real or not."

    "Alright," he says. "Now the issue is deciding how to determine its values, and how to convert everyone else''s money into it."

    "That''s where you and Michael come in," I say. "I''ve already come up with the basic system for it, off of the currency somewhere I''ve been to before. The currency is tiered in coins of different colors, made of different metals. There are one hundred of each before reaching the next. I think you and your brother were there."

    "Ah," Eli nods. "Yeah, we know the system. A lot of games back on Earth used it, too. So then we need to figure out the basic prices for things, and go from there."

    "Yeah," I nod. "That''s where you two come in ¨C you can talk with everyone, figure out how much they price everything, then determine the values in our currency from there. I may recruit a few more continents'' people here. I''m planning on heading to the Dark Knights'' continent, partly to grab the Grimoire that''s there. Ah. I''ll ask the Dwarfs if they had a place that was difficult to get to or impossible to survive in, just in case."

    "Oh, yeah!" Michael nods, and I hear his tail start swishing. "They do! There''s these tunnels deep underground that come out in these mountains that have a magic that prevents their airships from working! Anyway, if you go into the valley in the center of those mountains, there are these golems everywhere! They punch hard! We could only get a few dozen yards in before having to turn back."

    He''s loosened up a lot. He used to be extremely stiff whenever new people were around, yet lately, he''s been a bit more friendly. The old Michael never would have charged at someone for a hug like that, unless they were in private.

    I''m glad, for that. It will be helpful, when my time comes to depart this plane.

    "Michael," I say. "You already know some of the currencies ¨C maybe most ¨C so that should help speed things up. It''ll basically just a refresher for you. As part of it, I want you to figure out how to convert everyone''s own wealth into our currency.

    "Also," I say. "You''re an excellent swordsman who''s learned many styles from your travels across the world. Once this is figured out, would you mind helping train people who want to learn how to fight with a blade?"

    "Sure," he nods, his face turning more serious.

    I guess combat-related business will override his cheerful demeanor and turn him serious again.

    "Thanks," I say. "Before we get to any of that, though, I''d like you two, Dylan, Ryan, Warren, and Tristan to meet me for some special training. I''m going to fetch Tristan, then Ryan. Can you two locate the others?"

    They nod, then I teleport to the Tower.

    "Hey, Tristan," I say.

    "Morning, Gavin," he says. "Something else?"

    "Want to have some rapid Leveling on Skills?" I ask.

    "Not if it''s experimental," he tells me.

    "It''s not," I answer. "It''s through a Skill I already have at Level 3. It allows people to train their Skills a fair bit more rapidly."

    "No, thank you," he tells me. "I''m more interested in studying these tomes than training. I''ll acquire the Levels eventually."

    "Alright," I say, then Teleport to Ryan, who jumps, looking up from the runes he''s studying. "Come on, Ryan. You''re training in actual magic this time."

    "Not in here?"

    "Not in here."

    He frowns, but approaches me so I can Teleport both of us back to my house. We wait a few more minutes for everyone else to return, and while we do, I look through my First Five Subspecies left, deciding to take on Dekami after reviewing its bonuses. The others aren''t as all-round, but they''re all still powerful. Other than Dirsoor, they all add to the RNN, too.

    Once I have the Dekami as a Subspecies, I immediately spend the 7,500 Experience to max it out.

    Experience Remaining: 34,948

    Still have plenty left to finish the others and get my Secondary Species up. With the Tier X Skills, I''ll be able to probably bring my Secondary Species all the way to maximum. It needs 105,000 Experience left for that. To bring a Species or Class all the way to maximum from absolutely none takes 127,500 Experience, so unless I get ridiculously lucky with Skills and shit, I won''t be bringing my Third Species up to maximum through that alone.

    However, it''s possible that these Tiers also increase the Experience bonus from Wizard as well, which would override that. Unfortunately, it does seem that the ''All Sources'' bonus from the First Five Secondary Species doesn''t affect the Experience acquired from mastering a Skill or bringing it to Tier X or up a Level at Tier X, but I suppose that''s too much to ask for.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "What did you just do?" Ryan asks.

    "What do you mean?" I ask.

    "You just got a look on your face like you were doing something with the System," he answers. "I''ve seen it a few times. What were you doing?"

    "Adding a Subspecies before the training," I answer. "It''ll help me Level some of my higher-Tier Skills."

    "Ah," he says. "You''re scary sometimes, you know that, right?"

    "Yes, I know that," I tell him. "Also, when we''re done, you''re taking a bath. You seem to have forgotten to do that yesterday."

    He sniffs himself.

    "I don''t even smell," he says. "Wait ¨C you can tell I didn''t take a bath?"

    "My Stat for hearing is over a thousand," I say. "Yes, I can smell it. I use magic to regulate the cleanliness of my body, so I can get away with, but you can''t do that at this moment, so you can''t get away with it."

    He sniffs himself again, then shrugs.

    He probably doesn''t realize he''s got a streak of dirt on his neck. I''ll let him figure it out later, or if someone else tells him, but I won''t.

    I mostly just want him to take a bath because I swapped his soap out with something that looks identical, but will turn the bath water yellow. It''ll still clean him, but it''s an old alchemy trick I learned when I was younger.

    The number of people I got with that before they realized it was happening was hilarious. Almost the entire village fell prey to that prank. The punishment was so worth it, too.

    My brothers, Michael, and Warren arrive, and I explain to them about the Training Dimension.

    "A spell like that exists?" Dylan asks.

    "Duh," Eli smacks him in the back of the head. "He did just say he designed it. So it can hold up to six people at a time?"

    "Right now," I nod. "It can also stretch an hour into three, and grants a bonus to learning and Leveling Skills of three hundred percent. It only Levels once everyone leaves and the spell cancels, too ¨C which actually wasn''t part of my design, but is nice. I''ve improved the spell a little since I used it on the island, for efficiency, so I can make it larger than before as well, and it''s much, much more stable. Once I get a few things in order and take on the Faeborn Subspecies, I''ll be able to work on enchanting a building to function similarly, though we might need to charge people for use in it. Odds are, it would require a lot of Mana to actually function."

    "And right now," Warren says. "You can only do the Mana version of it?"

    "I already have the formulas for the others," I shake my head. "I''ve just never formed them yet."

    Actually, doing that might give me plenty of Experience. That''s ten more Skills at Tier X, after all. Mastering all of them would actually give me enough Experience for everything. I''ll leave it alone for now, though.

    Even though I''m a higher Species, I still need to pace myself with the gains in my Stats and Resources. Especially my Resources.

    "Alright," Michael says. "And what about with my warrior training?"

    "With the bonus to your Mana Regeneration," I say. "You''ll be able to advance the Skills of yours that use them quickly. That said, you have several that use Health and Blood, right?"

    "Yeah," he nods.

    "Which ones do the Dark Knights use more?"

    "Blood."

    "I''ll work on generating that one next," I tell him. "Then Spirit, for Warren. After that, I''ll work on the Aether one."

    "Alright," Dylan says. "Should we have someone stay out, to guard it?"

    "No," I answer. "It won''t let anyone else in once it''s full, and you can''t damage it. Tristan''s not joining us, though¡­ but I can seal the room we''ll be in so that others can''t enter. Let''s head to it."

    They follow me to a spare room I made just for this, then I seal the room off before summoning the Training Dimension (Mana). After the five of them enter it, I follow them in, shutting off my aura immediately.

    "Sorry about that," I say. "I forgot it does that to me."

    "Gavin?" Warren says.

    "Yeah?"

    "You only had one zierna last night."

    "I had two."

    "You''ve already advanced Fairy, haven''t you?"

    "What makes you think that?"

    "You have two zierna."

    "I had two last night, too," I say. "Let''s get working. I''ll be on the other side of that barrier," I summon up my barrier. "To practice without affecting you five, but I''ll be able to see and hear you. Let me know if you need help with someone, and remember ¨C your Mana will regenerate at the same rate that mine does."

    They nod, then I summon up targets for them before heading to my side of the Training Dimension to begin working on some of my spells. Spear of Frozen Lightning will be next, so I begin summoning it over and over, improving the formula little by little as I do, adjusting the Mana within it and how it flows, though there isn''t much left to do to improve it.

    After an hour passes within this Dimension, I bring it up to Level 7. Another two hours, Level 8. Another three, and Level 9. With three hours left before our agreed time to leave, I focus on using it and adjusting it more, making it larger and smaller, directing its blast, and more. Just before the nine-hour mark is reached, I receive the final notification.

    Spear of Frozen Lightning (X) is Now Mastered!

    +10,000 Experience!

    Good. Next time I''m in here, I''ll work on Summon Void, and bring that up. After that, Blood Smite, then Aetherial Sword. At least that one can be used in here without rending the place and destroying the Dimension, otherwise, I''d never really get to Level it much.

    "Ah, fuck," I realize something.

    I forgot to give everyone the Gift.

    Oh, well.

    I fly back to them, landing on the ground and looking between the five of them, then dipping my head. We leave the Training Dimension, and I cancel the spell.

    Training Dimension (X) is Now Level 4!

    +1,000 Experience!

    Dismissing the notification, I look at the team.

    "Everyone else will probably be waking," I say. "Though you five look exhausted. Progress?"

    "Lots!" Ryan grins at me. "I got Magic Bolt up to Level 7! I also studied runes some more, and got Dekami Runic Language up to Level 3, finally!"

    He actually worked on ones that he''d be able to comprehend with some heavy studying, so I''m not surprised he acquired that.

    "Good job," I tell him. "Go take a bath before going to sleep, though."

    "Yes, sir!" He salutes, then runs to the door, slamming into it because I hadn''t unsealed it yet, so he pulled without it actually moving, resulting in him pulling himself into the door. "Ow!"

    "Try it a bit more gently?" I suggest, removing my seal.

    Ryan sheepishly opens the door a bit more gently, then gives me a sheepish smile before leaving. Eli looks out the door, counting under his breath. Once he reaches ten, he looks at me.

    "You hadn''t unsealed it yet, had you?"

    "Nope."

    Michael cracks up laughing, then the five of us part ways, my brothers off to their place, Michael and Warren off to theirs, and I head out to meet with some of the other members of the Order, chatting with them if they want, or if they''re training, giving them some tips or tricks I know, as well as learning a few from them as well.

    This is starting to become what I want it to be. With the help of the Dwarfs, the Fairies, and the Elves, I might even be able to figure out a decent defense system against any monsters that try to come here ¨C or people who want to invade us.

    "Gaaviiiiiin!" Ryan half-yells, half-whines, running out of our house with a towel around his waist, his body soaked and half-soapy. "The water keeps turning yellow while I''m bathing!"

    "Have you tried not peeing in it?"

 Interlude III - Michael I

    (Michael)

    "Michael?" Warren whispers. I turn onto my side without knocking us off the hammock and crack open an eye. "Did I wake you?"

    "No," I smile, feeling my tail swishing, striking the hammock''s netting as I do. "What''s up?"

    "How close are you to your next Class?"

    "I could take it now," I answer. "Gavin''s Training Dimension let me get the last of what I needed."

    I changed my decision while working on Novice before, so once I mastered it, I removed it, then grabbed other Secondary Classes. The Blood Knights have mentioned a powerful Tier IV Class, and I felt that with Gavin''s aid and determination, I''d be able to manage it.

    "What''s the Quest?" He asks.

    "Retroactive," my tail swishes harder. "For the one I want to take on. I''m gonna take it on when we wake, so I can play around with its powers."

    If I took it on now, I''d want to play around with it now instead of sleeping, and we need our sleep.

    "What is it?" He asks.

    "Armageddon Knight."

    "What happened to Disaster Knight?"

    That''s the Legendary version, the Class that the Dark Knights knew of. It''s a bit weaker than the Armageddon Knight, though, considering this one''s a Mythical Class.

    "It''s a step down," I grin at him.

    "Mythical?"

    "Yup!"

    Warren sighs. I know that sigh.

    "He really is amazing, isn''t he?" I ask, and Warren gives me a curious look. "You had your Gavin sigh."

    "Oh," he sighs again, his zierna mark changing to a deep red to match his blushing face, though his hair, eyes, and wings remain the golden they usually are when he''s in summer. "Yeah, he is. Such a powerful Skill."

    "Yeah," I nod. "And he''s planning on making a place that does the same thing. The regeneration rates probably won''t be as high, though, yet they would still be a massive boon."

    "Are you planning on going with him?" Warren asks, and I raise an eyebrow. "To the Dark Knights. I know it''s been awhile, and you''ve talked about going back there again."

    I enjoy the Dark Knights'' presences. Disaster Knight and Dragon Knight are both Legendary Classes, and while I''ll probably go for Dragon Knight after mastering Armageddon Knight, taking on Novice and Martial Artist then, Armageddon Knight seems cooler to me now. Especially since the Dark Knights didn''t know about it.

    It requires shadow-based, fire-based, and blood-based powers. Thankfully, not everything is as impossible as the magical Classes or Gavin''s Classes, but then, that''s what happens when one goes for the Mythical or Legendary Classes intentionally. My Tier III Classes did end up being all Legendary Classes, though, but that was coincidental. I was expecting Rares, but had Legendaries to pick from as well.

    I''m not a moron, so I picked them. Having a bigger bonus every time the bonuses pop, as well as every second Class instead of every third, is a huge difference. To someone like me, even if not to someone like Gavin, to where the hundreds or so Overall Stat Points he''d get from a Rare or Legendary Class wouldn''t be even noticeable in comparison to the rest. Maybe two hundred.

    Thankfully, the Quests I''ve had for my Classes weren''t too difficult, and I didn''t need an absurd amount of Skills for it.

    "Michael?" Warren says, and I focus on him again. "You spaced out."

    "Oh, right," I say. "Yeah, I''m probably going to go. He wants to check out the place that might have a Grimoire there. Tristan can''t remember if he put one there or not. His memory''s not the greatest, you know. So I wanna go with him so I can prove to the spiders that I''m not scared of them anymore!"

    "Michael!" Warren yelps as I punch a fist out and jerk, causing the hammock to swing and Warren to fall onto me. "You did it again!"

    The hammock swinging is one of the things that scares him. Even though he can fly if we fall. It''s hilarious, and I like doing it to see his reaction.

    I giggle, holding him against me, then twisting, making the hammock swing even more, doing that until we both fall off. I land on top of him, staring down at the pouting Fairy, but he can''t keep pretending he''s mad at me, eventually smiling up at me.

    "You''re bad," he says.

    "I''m Michael!"

    His zierna mark returns to its golden color, and I gently stroke it, causing the Fairy beneath me to blush. That''s a normal reaction, though, if someone strokes someone''s zierna. Not something he can control.

    It only works if they have an innate zierna, and it''s funny. I got into trouble in the Fairy Kingdom for doing it to a bunch of Fairies I saw who had them.

    Well, ''a bunch'' is relative. There were only, like, ten I saw while we lived there who did. Oooh! Will it happen if I stroke Gavin''s?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I need revenge for him grabbing my tail!

    Warren suddenly sighs again.

    "What?" I ask.

    "Gavin has two," he says. "No one ever has two. How come he got two when he took on his Secondary Species."

    "He had one," I say.

    "But he-"

    "Probably doesn''t want people to realize he Advanced his Secondary Species already," I stand up, then hold out a hand to pull Warren to his feet. "He had one last night, then two this morning. The rune also changed a little as well. He definitely Advanced his Species."

    "How far are you?" He asks.

    "To Level 25?" I ask.

    "Yeah."

    "One point."

    "Seriously?" He asks.

    "Yep!" I say, feeling my tail swishing again, then immediately blush when I remember the time Gavin impulsively grabbed it for the second time in a couple of minutes.

    Even with Acting 7, I often have a hard time stopping the tail if I get too excited. It''d be no issue right now, but since it''s not needed, I''m not. Man, I wish I had it back then, though. Father was right in that someone would eventually grab it.

    I''m just glad the only person who did was Gavin, and not some random person on the street. I probably wouldn''t have minded if it was a little kid. They''re fun to play with.

    I actually get Species Experience for playing with kids. The younger they are, the more likely I''m going to earn Experience from it. Part of the nature of my people is to care for children and make sure they have fun while still growing.

    Training others helps me, too. Another part of the nature of Beastborn of a wolf nature is to help others of our kind grow stronger, so that they can protect themselves. It works better if they''re young.

    "So how long before you think you''ll hit Level 25 and be able to try for the next Tier?" Warren asks.

    "I''m not sure," I shrug. "Training today was fun, and helped boost it a lot, because of the Experience bonus."

    I ran around a lot and chased after them, and we sparred a lot. Warren has a contract to boost Experience gains, so that helped us all a little, too, but not by much. Warren said that the Spirits told him Gavin has the best version of it ever, which would be awesome to use. With everything on his mind, he probably forgot to give it to us, but had intended on doing so.

    In addition to that training, I helped Ryan with some of his magic, and used my Howl a lot.

    The Human Wizard was amused by that. He didn''t acquire a resistance to it, but it was still fun. I gained 12 Species Experience from the training today. Another session should bring me up to Level 25, and then, I''ll get to see what I can take on.

    "How far are you?" I ask.

    He was Level 22 before the training.

    "I only gained 9 Experience," he shrugs. "You seem to get it easier than me, but then, you get it more from combat and training and stuff, and I don''t do a lot of Fairy things."

    "You summon Spirits," I grin at him. "And you-"

    "Sh!" He blushes. "Don''t continue that! Gavin might hear it!"

    We''re not in a building Gavin constructed of his magic with anti-eavesdrop wards, but one of the settlements some of the Fairies who came here wove together with their Arcane and Aether. It''s cute, how he finds that embarrassing. It''s not even inappropriate!

    "He might," I giggle. "But is it really that embarrassing? I mean, if he didn''t believe he was going to die in the next few years, he''d probably join us, and-"

    "No!" He covers my mouth, pushing me back until I''m pressed against the hammock. "Don''t!"

    He''s blushing again, his zierna crimson once more.

    I love teasing him so much. I know the Spirit that harasses him about his crush on Gavin''s probably saying stuff to him as well. I haven''t managed to sense it yet, but he sometimes reveals his presence to me so I can practice speaking the Spirit language with an actual Spirit, instead of with just Warren.

    Warren hates the teasing, but he never gets too mad, and making it up to him is always fun.

    As he stares into my eyes, I smirk, then start tickling his sides.

    "No!" He flies up into the air, hovering near the ceiling, parallel to it. "No tickling!"

    He''s extremely ticklish.

    "Aw," I pout at him, knowing he''ll come down once I start laying it on. "I can''t help it, Warren, you know that. It''s so hard to resist. You''re so hard to resist, I just want to keep touching you."

    He sighs, but comes back down, giving me a hug.

    "Sorry," he says into my chest. "I shouldn''t have gotten mad."

    "Really?" I ask.

    "Yeah."

    "Even though I''m going to tickle you again?"

    I start tickling him, but because my arms are wrapped around him this time, he can''t get away, and ends up squirming until we''re both on the ground, though he landed on top this time.

    "You''re bad," he tells me.

    "I know!" I stick my tongue out at him.

    He thinks for a few moments as we lie like that, then decides on something to say.

    "What are you-"

    I pull him down so that his face is beside mine, only my Acting Skill preventing me from smiling before he can''t see my face.

    I bite his ear, and he yelps.

    +1 Beastborn (Wolf) Experience!

    Beastborn is Now Level 25!

    +2 INT, HLT, MNA!

    +1 AGI, STR, CON, PER, LIF!

    "Oh, cool!" I shove Warren off of me.

    "Oof!" He grunts as I sit up. "What?"

    "I''m now a Level 25 Beastborn!" My tail is swishing heavily now. "Let''s see what I can become!"

    I pull up my selection.

    Grand Beastborn (Wolf)

    +3 INT, HLT, MNA, +2 AGI, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    Magic Beastborn (Wolf)

    +4 INT, MNA, +3 HLT, +2 AGI, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    True Beastborn (Wolf)

    +4 INT, HLT, MNA, +3 AGI, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    Wolf Beastborn

    +4 INT, HLT, MNA, +3 AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    Wolfborn

    +4 INT, HLT, MNA, AGI, CHA, STR, CON, PER, LIF each Level

    Those options¡­ are amazing! Especially the last two! They''ve got to be a step down from Ascendant Beastborn, I''m sure of it!

    "Your tail''s going crazy," Warren says. "Good options?"

    "Yeah!" I nod. "The pick''s a no-brainer! Lemme read the description on it!"

    Wolfborn: Formerly a beastborn, your outward appearance hasn''t changed much from your days as a lower Species, but your body is vastly superior, becoming stronger, faster, and more durable, your senses sharper, your life far, far longer.

    "It''s awesome!" I tackle Warren into a hug. "Imma take it on! Oh! But I''ll probably pass out! Maybe? Gavin didn''t pass out while his body underwent the changes, but he''s an utter beast!"

    Warren snorts, then we return to the hammock. We''re exhausted anyway, so this probably will knock me out. Once we''re back to snuggling in the hammock, I close my eyes and pick the option, feeling my consciousness slip away as my body strengthens.

 Chapter 0101 - Giant Spiders

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin?" Michael asks.

    "Yes?" I respond.

    "Can you please fix my gravity?"

    I look over at the Wolfborn, who is floating upside-down a few feet behind me. I may have gotten annoyed at his energy levels during our flight, and so adjusted his gravity to suspend him like that.

    His tunic''s slipped free of his belt, exposing his lean, developed torso while covering his face. There''s a good chance he purposely let his tunic fall free, considering the things I heard him doing while he''s been like this.

    With a gesture, I undo my spell, and he finds himself spinning so he''s facing the right way up. He grins at me as he fixes his tunic back into his belt.

    "Thanks, Gavin!"

    "Are you done being a hyperactive¡­ thing?"

    "Nope!"

    I sigh, then return my gaze to the mountains we''re flying over. We''re about to enter the territory he mentioned with the giant spiders, where a Grimoire is likely hidden. Only we''re coming through the normally-impassable mountains.

    Even the Dwarfs'' airships cannot fly high enough to pass over them, these mountains are so tall, though that is of no concern to my powerful flight magics and ability to supply us with extra air. Oxygen, according to Ryan, Eli, and Dylan.

    Once we''re clear of the mountains, I take stock of the location, looking around.

    Hundreds of miles of forests, swamps, and fields, with mountains surrounding three sides of it, nearly seven hundred miles from where we passed being the ''opening'', where the forests begin.

    Spotting something in the fields that touch the base of the mountains below me, I frown. Not at the ruins there, though.

    "Michael?"

    "Yes?"

    "When you said ''giant spiders''," I say. "You neglected to mention that they were over ten feet in height."

    "They''re so huge!" He exclaims, his tail swishing behind him. "I''m not afraid of them anymore!"

    He got over his fear of mammoth-sized spiders by fighting giant spiders. Will he actually manage, once we''re down there? Or will his fear return to him, since they''re a lot larger?

    Listening for a few minutes, both with my ears and my mind, I determine that the spiders truly are nothing short of a monster. They''re primitive, like spiders are, but these ones are strong. I can sense strong magics within, and even though Michael''s tales were probably exaggerated from his fear, their hides are probably tough.

    I can dig out the ruins later, as that''s probably where the Grimoire rests.

    "Gavin?"

    "Yes?"

    "Why did you just manifest a Spear of Frozen Lightning?"

    "It''s easier than going down there and fighting them one at time?"

    "Good point!"

    I drop the spell, turning the plains into¡­ a frozen thing with lots of frozen spiders, lightning crackling through the ice.

    Adjusting my air magics, I drop us straight down my Violet Dragon forming and descending even faster, working on clearing out my impossibly-tough ice from the ruins. By the time we reach them, the entrance to the ruins is open, as are several of its areas.

    Michael and I make our way through as I focus on sensing a spatial spell. If each Grimoire has a spatial ring, then it shouldn''t be hard to find, doing that, now that I''m actually thinking about that fact.

    New Skill!

    Spatial Detection: You are able to sense the fluctuations in space.

    That makes things easier. I can even sense the space-warped area better, now, and direct my Violet Dragon to it as Michael and I continue to walk through the halls. With a small change in magics, I look through the Violet Dragon''s eyes as it reaches the chamber.

    That''s definitely a Grimoire on a pedestal, and it''s guarded by another giant spider, this one almost fifteen feet in height, and it''s eyeing my Violet Dragon warily. When I gently push with my mind, I feel a resistance.

    "Hello," I say to it.

    "Who dares to intrude upon my land?" The spider responds, sounding male, which I find interesting, as none of the ones outside ¨C all of which were males ¨C responded to my mental probings.

    This one''s more advanced than those outside. Let''s see if I can''t come to an agreement with it.

    "Someone who could completely and entirely freeze not just these ruins, but the land outside for miles," I respond. "I am here for the Grimoire, which I assume you''re guarding."

    "I was entrusted with the Grimoire," the spider says. "By its creator himself. I will yield it to none."

    This thing is more than a thousand years old. Might be a worthy foe.

    "Do you know Oberon?"

    "I have met the World Knight once or twice."

    "Want me to give him a message?"If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Even my mind could never reach that far," the spider moves closer to my Violet Dragon, just a step. It''s ready to attack. "Identify yourself, Creature of Flame."

    Telepathy is Now Level 9!

    "This¡­ is a spell," I inform it. "It''s a magical construct. I''m currently walking through the ruins on my way to that chamber. I sent it ahead to clear out the ice."

    "I shielded my chamber from it," the spider responds. "I''m to guard this with my life, which I would fail in doing, should the Grimoire freeze. The magics contained within it are too powerful for any mere mortal to ever possess."

    Must be the stronger version.

    "Tristan?" I project my mind to the old sage.

    "Is it something that can wait about five minutes?" He responds. "I think I''m about to crack one of these spells wide open."

    Long-Distance Telepathy is Now Level 3!

    "Do you remember a giant spider that talks?" I ask.

    "Vaguely," he responds. "I remember coming across one, oh, twelve hundred years ago? Thirteen hundred years ago? Big fella. A bit of a runt among his kind, but he also possessed a mind akin to us Enlightened. Ah, yes, I remember, now. His name was Soren, I believe. I saw him a couple of times, and as time passed, his mind seemed to grow stronger and more civilized. Well, for a monster. Why?"

    "Why do you think?" For someone his age, he seems to be oblivious to why I''d be asking about something only he''d know.

    "Ah," he says. "You''ve come across something mentioning Soren? Does it mention how he died?"

    "No, it doesn''t," I respond.

    "Are you leaving me, or attempting to stare me into submission?" The spider suddenly asks.

    It did catch that that''s nothing more than a magical construct, and that I''m not actually there, right?

    "I''m communicating with an ally about the situation," I respond, then return to talking to Tristan. "However, he might die to a Blood Smite or a Void, if I get too much more irritated. He''s refusing to allow me to take the Grimoire, as you entrusted him to guard it, and so he''s doing so dutifully. Anything I can do or say that would make him realize he could just hand it over to me, without violence?"

    Tristan''s silent for several long moments.

    "I''m getting impatient, mortal."

    "Also, why does he keep calling me a mortal?"

    I''m now very annoyed.

    "Or shall I just devour your construct?"

    I stop walking, looking at Michael, tell him I''ll be just a minute, then Teleport to Tristan, grab the thinking sage by the back of his neck, and Teleport back.

    Teleport is Now Level 2!

    "Come on," I growl. "We''re almost there."

    "Attempt to eat it, and I will destroy you a little bit at a time," I snarl, and the spider flinches back.

    A few minutes later, we reach the chamber just as the spider''s preparing to attack the Violet Dragon, overcoming its fear of my threat.

    "Soren?" Tristan asks. "Is that really you? Still alive, after all these years?"

    The spider hesitates, then takes a step forward.

    "Tristan?"

    "It is you!" Tristan exclaims. "I suppose that explains why I can''t remember what you and I talked about, the last time we met! I erased everything dealing with the location of the Grimoires from my memory, to avoid them being forced out of me, so that included our conversation!"

    Tristan and the spider then enter into a rather lengthy discussion about the last twelve or thirteen centuries, and after half an hour of it, I weave together a table and a pair of chairs and sit, Michael doing the same.

    As the sage and his¡­ ally talk, I pull out some food and drinks, Michael and I sharing a nice bottle of wine I acquired from Jozan during my last trip there. Then a second bottle, because I can''t get drunk, and Michael''s amusing as he drinks. He''s resistant enough to not actually get drunk, but it still affects him a little bit.

    With a face red from the drink, he talks to me about his night with Warren last night, and his decision to take on Armageddon Knight. I manage to steer him into rambling about his adventures with the Dark Knights.

    As he talks about those, I decide that maybe I can bring them to Nies as well. The Origin Being will probably-

    Soren.

    I look over at the giant spider. Nies said I''m as bad as Soren.

    "Sorry to cut this reunion short," I project to the sage and the spider. "Soren is your name, yes?"

    "What of it?" The spider asks the Violet Dragon warily.

    Seems he still hasn''t fully realized it''s me, and that the Violet Dragon isn''t an entity by itself.

    "Do you know Nies?"

    "Nies?" He asks, uncertainty in his voice.

    "An ancient Divine Being, one of the Original Divine Beings," I respond. "Is a bit of a child, and the Origin of Adventures, Quests, Oaths, and Blood Oaths."

    "No, I don''t," Soren responds. "Will you ever show me your actual form? Tristan has stated that you and he are working together, and it is safe to hand you the Grimoire. I have already judged that he has stated that of his own will, and there are no ill magics in him. I still cannot sense your mind, though. The two companions here both have clean minds as well."

    Soren entered my mind? When did he do that? And how? Did he do something to it? He shouldn''t have been able to without my noticing, because of my Level 10 Mental Resistance. Just how powerful is he, to not only pass through it with ease and without my noticing, but for him to not even notice such a barrier?

    Especially with my INT actively augmenting that resistance.

    "Soren?" Tristan asks as I look over with my own eyes, rather than the Violet Dragon''s, and Michael frowns at the sudden halting of our conversation. "The one with the blond hair and the violet streak? That''s him."

    Soren pauses, half of his many eyes looking between the Violet Dragon and me. I stand, walking over to them as the Violet Dragon moves to coil itself around me in the ''neutral'' position.

    "Me," I activate my Aura of Power. "And I would appreciate it if you refrained from entering my mind in the future."

    The spider stares at me, and I sense something akin to a mix of awe and fear, as well as a bit of caution in it. Yet it doesn''t seem to be affected the same way others are.

    "So," he finally responds. "You''re a Tier VI?"

    Tier VI? As in, A True Tier I with a Tier II Secondary? He can tell that?

    "You don''t seem affected."

    "I am Tier VII."

    A wash of power fills the room, overriding my own, and I find a sensation of fear pushing at me. An Aura of Power stronger than my own. I''m aware of what it is, and even with my immense resistances and INT, it''s still affecting me.

    New Skill!

    Species Dominance Resistance: Allows you to better resist the various Species Dominance Auras.

    Divine Appraisal Resistance is Now Level 5!

    Divine Appraisal resistance is Now Level 6!

    Species Dominance Resistance is Now Level 2!

    "If you two are done flexing your powers," Tristan says as my Mana Presence fills the room, sending him to his knees as he struggles to stay conscious. "I''d like my two allies to not become enemies and turn this into a battle."

    "He started it!" Soren and I exclaim at the same time.

    "Yes, and you''ve already knocked-out one innocent soul," Tristan says. "And I''m about to pass out, too."

    Soren''s Aura of Power fades, and I reign in mine and halt my Mana Presence.

    "I have changed my mind," Soren says. "I will not give up the Grimoire, Tristan."

    "You swore a Blood Oath," Tristan says.

    "Indeed," Soren sighs. "If Gavin can slay my mother, then I will have no issue granting him the Grimoire. However, unless he can do that, I will not trust him to guard the Grimoire properly. It is well within my Blood Oath to make that decision."

    His mother?

    "How powerful is she?"

    "Tier IX."

    Fucking hell. I go from one absurd monstrosity to another. And I''m willing to bet that her mental powers are even greater than her son''s.

 Chapter 0102 - Isulta, the Giga Mind Spider Matriarch

    (Gavin)

    "What are you doing?" Tristan asks.

    I look over at the old sage, who accompanied me, Michael, and Soren to the entrance of the caves that will lead to the spider''s mother. She''s too large to leave, as their kind apparently never stop growing, but Soren mentioned that she could probably just open a path out if she wanted.

    He also mentioned that he''s different from most Giga Spiders in that he''s a male with a more advanced, less-primal mind. It seems that all of the ones in the fields were males, which explains why they all seemed so primitive.

    The females, on the other hand, tend to be sapient, and his mother is a Giga Spider Matriarch, a more powerful female Giga Spider. Naturally.

    And she''s not one, not two, but three Tiers of Species above me. How the fuck did something as powerful as these two exist, and word of it never reach my ears.

    Considering how powerful she is, I need to be prepared, especially mentally. So I''m¡­ preparing.

    "Adding becoming stronger than is probably safe," I answer.

    Probably made no sense to him, but whatever.

    Scaled Wyvern is Now Level 25!

    +1,200 to INT, STR, CON, LIF, ARA, +600 MNA, OFV, RRN

    Remaining Experience: 40,448

    Should I take on one of the more powerful ones, too? One of the First Five I don''t already have? I might need it, based off what Soren told me of his mother, and how much more powerful she is than me. Considering a monster''s natural level of power, and how much stronger every Tier is than the past, her have not one but two Tier IV Species is bad for me.

    Yeah, I''ll take on another.

    Which one, though? I already have Void Mage and Dekami. I can take on Kratus and Dirsoor. Dammit. I wish I had Kurew, for that powerful bonus from Dragons. Then again, they''re all massive bonuses.

    Dirsoor is probably the better bet, but I mostly need the extra INT and Resources, which both provide, and Kratus boosts my OFV as well, while Dirsoor doesn''t. In addition, taking it on now means I''ll be able to work on those Enchantments easier as well.

    I accept the Subspecies of Kratus, then pause.

    Maybe I should advance Ascendant Fairy, first. Increase my limit, as pushing through Kratus might push me past what''s safe.

    Looking at the options, I grin. Luck truly works for me, doesn''t it?

    I can take on Eternal again. And since its Quest acts retroactively, that means I don''t need to do anything special.

    You Are Now an Eternal (III)!

    Eternal is Now Level 25!

    +240 to All Attributes, +240 LIF

    Remaining Experience: 10,448

    Enough for me to push Scaled Wyvern to the top, I determine as I feel my body grow more powerful, yet doesn''t change. Probably because of me already being an Eternal, and thus, receiving the ''changes''. I suppose?

    Wait. There was something. It was so subtle, I didn''t notice it with the other changes.

    My zierna changed again, both of them. Examining the runes, I smile, Reij unwrapping himself so he can examine them. He can''t protect me against mental attacks. If he could, I wouldn''t be so worried.

    The new zierna, however¡­ with them activated, I can resist mental attacks much, much better.

    Speaking of Reij¡­

    "Michael," I stroke the back of Reij''s head, sending a quick message to him. "I want you to take Reij, while I''m in there."

    "Why?" He asks. "Wouldn''t Reij be able to stop any magics she throws at you?"

    "Yes and no," I answer, and he takes on a look of confusion, even moving his head back a little. "Reij is good against magic, but not things like spatial spells, which their species of spider can harness, and he''s also susceptible to mental magics over a certain level. It''s possible that she''d be able to command him to consume my magics while she attacks."

    "Oh," Michael holds out his arm, and the Ouroboros slithers off of mine and onto him. "He''s so soft."

    "Don''t be fooled," I tell the Wolfborn. "His scales are nigh-impenetrable. It''s likely soft in feeling to make it more comfortable for him to be around."

    Soren watches the Ouroboros curiously, fidgeting nervously when it bites its tail and vanishes again.

    "What?" I look at the giant spider.

    "Reij''s mind doesn''t exist to me," he answers. "Not unless he''s visible. Most curious."

    "Would still be useless," I sigh. "Unfortunately, he can only eat magic if he''s not biting his tail, and he''s only invisible if he''s biting his tail."

    "He''s a magic-eater?"

    "Among other things."

    "Like what?"

    "Spiders."

    Though Reij has confirmed that he''s pretty sure a spider their size is too big for him to just up and eat. He did mention he thinks he could eat at least most of Soren, but he''s not so sure he can eat a spider that''s a hundred feet tall.

    Reij is able to convert magics back into raw magic, which is the power he feeds on to survive. He prefers magics formed of Aether more than anything, though he accepts others as well. He really is just an anti-magic creature, though.

    He''s still useful as fuck.

    I stroke the back of Reij''s neck, and he detaches himself for a moment to look at me, then bites his tail once more. Then I remember that I hadn''t finished with my Experience yet, and finish that.

    Kratus is Now Level 25!If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    +2,400 INT, AGI, CHA, PER, LIF, Resources, RRN

    Remaining Experience: 2,948

    Done. In all honesty, none of this is necessary. I could take the Grimoire by force, and not give a damn about the consequences. Even kill Soren, if necessary. But it''d probably piss off Tristan, and fighting something this strong will probably benefit me. With my INT now resting over ten thousand, that, combined with my Mental Resistance sitting at Level 10, means I should be fine and able to resist her mind-control powers. Or at least, detect them and fight against them.

    However, she''s not just a mind-controlling spider. She''s a fucking bitch, according to her son. She''ll use others around her, create powerful illusions, and is a master of shadow magics and psionic spells, and is highly resilient to magics.

    She''ll probably be susceptible to Aether and Void, though there''s a chance that, being as old as she is, she has some resistance to those. And possibly use them. The Aetherial Sword would be nice to use, but her chamber isn''t large enough to use that.

    I seriously do need a lot of open space for it.

    After doing some last checks, I decide to take on Timeless One again, even though I can''t just spam it to maximum. I do add in the last of my free Experience, though. All 2,948 General Experience. It bought me up to Level 4, granting me seventy-five to my Attributes, Resources, and LIF. Not much of a boost, but that''s fine.

    Fighting and killing this thing will benefit me well. This is going to be one thing that actually can give me Experience naturally, instead of being such a small amount, it''d take hundreds or thousands of kills.

    Combining that with a bonus ¨C just from having Wizard available before having Access ¨C of 6,561x to Experience.

    So I''m gaining probably a few Levels from killing her, if I succeed. And that''s before factoring in all other bonuses I have that affect my Experience gains.

    "Alright," I look at my companions. "I''m going in. I''ll see you once I''m finished. And Soren? I''m holding you to your promise. As the Hero of the Origin of Blood Oaths, I take violating them very seriously."

    If Soren could gulp, he probably would have right then, judging by the way he shifted and his eyes moved.

    Without further delay, I make my way inside, keeping a firm sense within my mind for its state, in case she does somehow manage to get through my defenses.

    With my powerful senses, I can still hear them even after ten minutes into the cave, and based on what Tristan says, I can guess at Soren''s question.

    "Yes, he probably did go up a couple of Species Tiers," Tristan responds to the question. "That''s one of the reasons I tried getting you to not antagonize him. He''s friendly if you''re an ally, but he''s devastatingly powerful ¨C enough that he can slay full-grown Dragons on his own. He probably didn''t even think about powering-up when he faced you back in the ruins, but had you two gotten into a full fight, he''d have probably quickly made the changes. Had he done that, we''d have been standing in a crater."

    "Well," Michael says. "He would have been standing in a crater. Soren wouldn''t exist, and you and I might or might not."

    I''d kill Soren, not you, Michael. You''re an ally, up until you aren''t. And you haven''t done anything to make yourself not.

    After an hour of descending deeper into the mountain and the ground, I find myself sensing entities poking at my mind. The moment I detect it, I perform a psychic blast. It''s crude and unrefined, but considering how powerful I am, it doesn''t really matter right now.

    The beings ¨C probably a variety of female spiders ¨C stop their prodding.

    For the next two hours, I continue to sense them, though I never see them. They''ve stopped attempting to read my mind or take control after that burst, which tells me that they possibly see me as stronger than them.

    Finally, I arrive in the massive chamber containing Soren''s mother, and fuck, is she massive.

    Over a hundred feet tall, with dark grey skin and fur. Scales a darker grey than the rest of her sparsely line her legs and body, giving her a touch of armor as well. Fucking fuck, she''s strong, especially with her Aura of Power active.

    Isulta Giga Spider Matriarch (IV) 25 Mind Rat Queen (IV) 25 Shadow Wyvern Matriarch 8

    Fucking fuck. A Tier IX Species thousands of years old. She won''t be as powerful as the Dragon, but she''s still got to be powerful as fuck.

    And she only gives me a few moments to gaze upon her before the mental assault begins as she attempts to gain control over me. I push back against her, fighting with all my mental strength, and she starts using other spiders in the attack, having them attack me.

    Males and females, the males for strength, the females for psychic powers. I summon up the Violet Dragon and the Void, and begin my offensive and defensive as I push back against her mind. I need to kill the others before I can even think about fighting her, she''s too powerful.

    The difference between even just Tiers is just too much.

    Even after an hour of just fighting, I can''t hurt her. She and her minions are capable of casting curses and manipulating shadows and psychic energies, while also able to Teleport around.

    Thankfully, I''ve already taken out those she''s thrown at me, but she''s just too powerful, her body too tough, even as just a spider. My spells are stopped by her magical defenses, her natural resilience, and those damn scales! The difference really is that-

    STOP!

    With that single mental shout, I blast her out of my mind, a wave of psychic energy radiating out of me in a sphere, forming a shimmering, fluid-like violet barrier around me.

    New Skill!

    Psychic Sphere: A gathering of pure psychic energy turned physical, this sphere forms a strong barrier around oneself ¨C or one''s target.

    The moment I''ve created the sphere and the blast that cleared her from my mind, I calm down a bit. She had managed to get in my head just a little bit, but not with her psychic powers.

    Her damn Aura of Power. The sphere''s protecting me from it right now, but as soon as I let it up, the assault will begin again. That''s fine, though, because now I''m thinking about what the Aura of Power does to others, the better I can resist it.

    Reading through the notifications I ignored while fighting her, I notice several notices giving me more Levels to my resistance to it. It''s now at Level 5. Damn, the difference between Tiers really is huge, if it was still affecting me at Level 5.

    With me actively resisting it now, though, it''ll go up faster, I''m sure. Formulating a battle plan, I release my barrier, dozens of Voids forming as the Violet Dragon lashes out.

    She might be tough, but she''s nothing against a triple Timeless One Dragonslayer.

    Isulta raises her defenses as my spells soar towards her, and I open my mouth, unleashing a Roar much more powerful than any I''ve ever achieved before. Part of it''s boosted by my innate powers from increasing my Species by two Tiers, but part of it''s boosted by other means.

    An experimental adjustment to my normal Roar, powered by magics I''ve only observed in the past. Before I can see her react, I know the adjustment worked, the Skill notification appearing in my vision.

    New Skill!

    Dragon''s Roar: Unleash the anger of a Dragon upon your foe, terrifying them and stilling them where they are.

    The Mind Spider Matriarch freezes the moment she hears my Dragon''s Roar, her defenses going down. She recovers, but I timed it just right, not giving her enough time to recreate her barriers before my Voids devour parts of her legs, my Violet Dragon weaving around and slamming into several of her eyes.

    She screeches in pain, and it resonates with a part of me. The Scaled Wyvern Subspecies. A sense forms within me, and I open my mouth, letting out a screech of my own.

    New Skill!

    Wyvern''s Screech: The screech of a wyvern is shrill, able to disrupt the thoughts of those who hear it and freeze them where they are.

    I dismiss the notification as I follow it up with another Dragon''s Roar, then several more Voids and assaults by the Violet Dragon. Every time she attempts to attack or defend, I unleash my Screech and Roar to disrupt her thoughts and fill her with the fear of a Dragon.

    Using that combination, I manage to whittle her away bit by bit, until eventually, she''s weak enough for a Blood Smite.

    The crimson spell blasts from my hands, slamming into her and boring through her as the Violet Dragon returns to its coiled state around me. As my final attack finishes, the damn bitch explodes into a shower of blood.

    Using a Psychic Sphere, I stop it from actually touching me as I sort through the various messages I received through the fight. Several of my Skills became Mastered, particularly from my Tier I and II Skills. Threat Detection and Magic Voice both went up to max, my Spatial Detection went up to Level 4, Species Dominance Resistance hit Level 8, and Curse Resistance hit max.

    I guess that explains those prickly feelings I kept getting. Didn''t even realize she was using curses.

    Summon Void reached Level 10, granting me 16,000 Experience, since it was at only Level 3 when I started. Teleport went up to Level 4, though I can''t blame it, as I didn''t really use it much here. Blood Smite went up a Level, reaching Tier IX.

    Oh, looks like Divine Appraisal resistance and Appraisal Resistance both went up as well. That''s pretty nice. I''m probably missing some, as I did dismiss a few notifications throughout the fight.

    There are a lot of Experience notifications for me to sort through, so I have the System just add them all up and total it to me.

    All in all, killing the bitch put me up from Level 4 to level 25 just from the raw Experience earned by fighting and killing her, and I''m a bit glad it was worth a ton of Experience at its base.

    The extra little bonus is even better.

    Slayed a Species of a Higher Tier Than You

    +15,000 Experience per Tier

    Slayed a Species of a Higher True Tier Than You

    +20,000 Experience per True Tier

    That''s 195,000 more General Experience, putting me up to 211,000 General Experience just from this fight alone, on top of all of those Skill Levels and maxing-out my Fairy Timeless One.

    Exhausted, I collapse onto the ground, into the only part of the room without the bitch''s blood covering it.

 Chapter 0103 - Checking Out a Grind Arena

    (Gavin)

    "Yes, I''m sure he''s not a god," Tristan says as I draw near the exit of the caves a couple of days after I entered them. "At least, I''m pretty sure he''s mortal."

    "Gavin!" Michael spots me. "How was it? Is she dead?"

    "I see no proof of victory," Soren turns to face me. "Where is proof?"

    "I blasted her into nothing but blood," I state. "There''s nothing but that left, if you want to investigate personally."

    "Gavin?" Michael frowns, looking confused. "Since when do you have a tail?"

    "There was True Tier II Dungeon a little bit further into the Dungeon," I state, then wave my hand, a Grimoire appearing in the air. I catch it and hold it up to Tristan. "Found another one of your Grimoires as well, Tristan. Seems both mother and son were guarding them. This one contains knowledge of Will Magics."

    I return the Grimoire to my spatial ring, then look at Michael.

    "What?"

    "You took on Beastborn of the Wolf variety as your Third Species, didn''t you?"

    "What gives you that idea?"

    Damn this tail and its desire to move on its own. I''m going to have to get used to it. I could, of course, just dismiss it, but I still want to adjust to having it. Even my perfect Acting Skill can''t control it at the moment.

    "The tail, Gavin," he says. "The tail gives that idea to me."

    "Tail?" Tristan looks at me, just now realizing what Michael''s referring to. "You do have a tail!"

    And a stronger desire to be naked, though I''m able to keep my pants on. Damn other Species and their lack of body shame.

    "Michael, come here."

    "Why?" He asks.

    "Just do it."

    Reluctantly, the Wolfborn makes his way over to me. I put a hand on his head, and he sighs.

    "Seriously, Gavin?"

    "Yes."

    "Why did you do that?"

    "Because I can?"

    "He just gave me a bunch of his LIF!"

    "Not even a full percent of what I have," I shrug, then look at the spider, who looks confused. "What?"

    "You willingly give some of your LIF to others?" He asks. "Isn''t it precious? It should be savored and kept for as long as you can, because you never know when something might drop it down against your will, shortening it, and-"

    "That doesn''t concern me," I say. "Plus, I was making it a nice, even, round fourteen thousand."

    "¡­how much?"

    "Fourteen thousand."

    "You¡­ have that much LIF?"

    "Yes," I say. "While your mother has none, because she''s dead. I swear that on the blood that flows through my veins."

    I glow with the crimson light verifying my statement.

    "What was that?" Soren asks. "It felt Divine in nature."

    "It''s the sign of a Blood Oath," I explain. "The Origin of Blood Oaths'' power is what you sensed. That light and touch of Divine Power is a form of recognition that the statement I swore was the truth. If I were to swear to do something through the Blood Oath, it would bind me into it with harsh consequences for failing."

    Very harsh, so I''m glad I managed to adjust the time limits, then complete them.

    Soren decides to accept that as an answer, then reaches under himself, unbinding the Grimoire from his underside before allowing me to take it. After checking it and finding it''s definitely the Greater Grimoire of Psionic, I send it into my ring.

    "And the ring?" I ask.

    "I gave it to an adventurer centuries ago," Soren answers. "I''m not sure where it is, now."

    "That''s fine," I shrug, then turn to the sage. "Michael and I are heading to the Dark Knights so he can greet his old friends. Do you want me to take you back now, or after we finish what we''re doing?"

    "Can I go with him?" Soren asks, and I look at the spider. "We have a lot to catch up on, and I can probably help protect your people. I''m not as powerful as my mother, but I am powerful."

    "Do you know of the true Dekami?" I ask.

    "Not those fakers who tried stealing the Grimoire from me?"

    "Yeah."

    "Yes. I had a chat with one several centuries back," he responds. "And a Faeborn and a Void Mage."

    He''s talked with three of them? Does he have their Bloodlines, then?

    "I have a Dekami living in my settlement," I say. "Among other powerful beings, some of whom are hiding their real identities. I don''t fully trust you, even if Tristan does. As long as you can prove yourself useful and not a threat to my people, I won''t have issues allowing you to live in our area."

    "Do you have a forest?" He asks. "I''m partial to those."

    "I know a spot," I nod, then Teleport him and Tristan to the area, letting Tristan know where, exactly, we''re at, then I return to Michael. "You ready?"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Do you normally leave your allies in areas where they could be attacked at any time?"

    "There''s nothing around," I tell him.

    "Pretty sure I saw some shadows moving."

    I was bored, and wanted to see if anyone would notice. Seems Michael did, yet he didn''t react to them.

    "You probably imagined it," I tell him, then manipulate the air around us so we can fly above the fields and forests.

    After a couple of hours of flying, Michael directs me to a rather large city, and I can see the Grind Arena from here. The battlefield itself is over a hundred yards in diameter, and it''s surrounded by stone seating for people to spectate in.

    Right now, a man in black and red armor is battling against the monsters within it, the crowd cheering as he fights. He''s got four Classes, including two Tier II Primaries. Likely one of the Dark Knights Michael''s spoken of.

    Actually, most of them probably are, since he told me it''s the capital for this kingdom, and most of them are of the chain of Classes Michael''s informed me of for Dark Knight, here.

    I fly us down directly into the stands, startling several people as I read the magics in the arena.

    It''s a place forged of the eleven Resources, but definitely mortal ¨C that said, there''s something Divine about it.

    Something added in after they were initially created? It doesn''t feel like any particular god I know. In fact, while it seems Divine, it''s almost as if it formed on its own, not by the hand of a Divine Being.

    Is that even possible?

    Then again, the Divine Beings can form based upon belief. Maybe that''s what happened there, and the Grind Arena has a sort of Divine Being formed within it? Or forming within it?

    It''s a bit confusing, and I''ll need to examine it a bit to figure out what''s going on. Nies is napping, or I''d ask him what he knows, and I''d rather not bother the others right now.

    "Michael?" Someone speaks. "Is that you?"

    Their language is Eitos, it seems. Michael never did tell me what it is.

    "Yeah!" Michael exclaims. "Benny! How''s Toby? He still trying to kill himself?"

    "He almost killed the Dragon last time," Benny responds.

    Speaking of Michael and knowing many languages ¨C how many does he know? Does he have a Title for them?

    Archmage Access: Michael Burrclaw''s Titles.

    Michael lights up with a blue glow, but it''s probably only in my own vision, highlighting the fact that it''s his Titles I''m examining at the moment. I can only do it for people in my direct line of sight, unless they''re in my Party.

    Titles of Michael Burrclaw: Multilingual, Wolfborn, First Wolfborn

    So he does, then. It seems Multilingual is for having at least twenty Language Skills at Level 5 or higher. Damn, does that boy speak a lot. Wolfborn and First Wolfborn don''t even need to be examined to know what they are, since that''s his Species, and I have Titles of the same chain.

    Speaking of Species, I can probably take on my last Subspecies, now. But what should I find something to befriend? I want it to be strong and powerful, like a Scaled Wyvern. But what, though? I can''t remove a Subspecies, so I have to choose wisely.

    The only way I can stand a chance to change my fate is to be more powerful than that Elder Dragon, so I need it to be powerful, especially since I can only acquire its bonus twenty-four times. Otherwise, I''d take on Dwarf, since I have that, now.

    Dwarf: A short, stout, strong people of a hardy nature and high resilience. +3 STR, CON, LIF, LFA per Level

    Yeah, they''re tough bastards. And apparently, their LIF is allowed to go up three every time their Species goes up a Level. Since I''m looking at Subspecies, I might as well take on Dirsoor, now. I can handle the influx, and have the General Experience.

    Dirsoor is Now Level 25!

    +2,400 to All Attributes, Resources

    Experience Remaining: 196,000

    There we go, that''s out of the way, now I know I can handle it. All I need to do now is track down and befriend a Dragon, and I''ll have all of the First Five. Finding one for that will be tough, though. They''re the least-friendly of the five.

    "Hey, Gavin?" Michael pulls me out of my thoughts.

    "Yes?"

    "Whatever you just did," he says. "Everyone here could probably sense it."

    They could sense me growing stronger?

    "How many people here have Blood Detection?" I ask, and quite a few raise their hands. "Ah. Yeah, that''d be a sign. I was just adding in another X Species."

    That seems to be how the System is sorting the First Five, now.

    "Wasn''t Dirsoor your only one left?" He asks.

    "Yeah."

    "So you just gained twenty-four hundred BFA?"

    "Yeah."

    "That explains it."

    "He did what?" Someone asks, so Michael explains to him as I return to contemplating which Species I should figure out for my final Subspecies.

    Something with a high CON and INT, I think. CON for the resilience, and INT for the amount of magical power that''d give me. Since every Species Advancement increases my base, that''d be pretty useful, much more so than just a Class''s bonus.

    That''s part of why I want something powerful. A single Species brought to Level 25 will be more powerful than the bonuses for almost any Class I can find. If I find a Legendary or Mythical Class I can take on at Tier I, then I''ll look into it, but nothing else is worth my time.

    The only downside is that I can''t advance my Subspecies. I suppose that''d be too powerful, if I could. If I could manage that, then I''d truly become a beast that Elder Dragon would need to fear.

    I think.

    Good luck with that, Nahor''s voice enters my head.

    Hello, Nahor.

    I promise you that the Dragon''s flames will be your death, Gavin.

    I will not actively seek it out. I will only fight it if it instigates it with me and mine, and from what I know, that''s a long ways off.

    Perhaps, perhaps not. However, I do promise that it will kill you.

    Considering you''re a voice in my head, a being who won''t reveal himself ¨C who hides himself from even the other Divine Beings ¨C I don''t know how well I can trust you. I know it''s destined to kill me because of my Foresight forcing, but that doesn''t mean I can''t change that.

    Perhaps, he chuckles. I have my reasons for not wanting to draw their direct attention. Nies can be a bit¡­ overbearing. And the more he interacts with me, the greater the chance of him reverting to who he used to be.

    Who he used to be? What does that mean?

    Who he was before he became lazy and the Origin of Blood Oaths, Oaths, Quests, and Adventures. Nies and Twist are the two most dangerous ones of them, and I must avoid interacting with them as much as possible. Who they used to be¡­ let''s just say that things are better as they are now. Until, that is, you die.

    Until I die? I''m not playing some god''s game, Nahor. You-

    Have seen the future, he says. Whether you believe me or not is up to you. The Dragon will kill you with its breath. That is a guarantee. You, Gavin, will die. You''re even preparing, for the chance I''m right.

    It''s always good to be prepa-

    Yes, it is, he says. Believe me or not, it''s up to you. But I know that you will die, and with your death will come great changes for all involved. I need to go, before Nies wakes up and realizes that I''m talking with you. If he traces me down again¡­ well, that won''t happen.

    His presence fades from my mind, and I sigh.

    "What''s wrong?" Michael asks.

    "Nothing you need to worry about," I smile.

    "He was talking to you again, wasn''t he?"

    "Yes."

    "What''d he say this time?"

    "That it''s a guarantee," I shrug, then stand and stretch. "Looks like someone else can take the challenge. Care if I do?"

    "I wanna see you challenge it!" Michael exclaims, his tail swishing as the Dark Knights erupt into laughter. "Erm. I mean, I''d like to see how far you can get. I''m sure you''d win."

    Snorting at his attempt to be less excited, I make my way to the entrance and place my hand on the pedestal that Michael''s told me is how we accept the Arena''s challenge.

    Level 25 Subspecies Detected

    Would You Like to Challenge the Arena and Advance One?

    If you accept the challenge, you will be reverted into your true form as a member of the selected Subspecies, and only possess the Skills you have relating to its nature. If you fail, you will not be able to challenge for that Subspecies for one hundred years. If you succeed, you will Advance to the default Species for the next Tier of it. You will need to defeat 100 Waves of monsters to complete the challenge. You will not receive the Advancement Bonus for Advancing your Subspecies.

 Chapter 0104 - Fighting as a Beastborn (Wolf)

    (Gavin)

    I stare at the message for what feels like several minutes, but in reality, less than a second passes before I realize I''m stunned.

    There is a way to Advance a Bloodline. But even the Divine Beings weren''t aware of it? Or did they know? Tulmis didn''t seem to know, and the Dekami Scholar didn''t believe it was possible. Is it something that one would have to know about existing or chance upon in order to actually know about?

    I chanced upon it. How did Nahor know? He had to have known ¨C why else would he have contacted me just as I was thinking about how impossible it was, while sitting in the very place that enables it?

    The Divine Power within this place ¨C is that the source of this? Did it truly form on its own through some sort of belief, enabling this place to allow Advancements for Subspecies? How? And why? The Dark Knights don''t know about it, so I doubt it would''ve been their own belief for it.

    In fact, if I''m the first Enlightened to have a Subspecies maxed, then no one would have ever known about this. Then again, there''s no confirmation I''m the first Enlightened to master a Subspecies, even if there is confirmation I''m the first to ever Advance their Species.

    Deciding this is something I can think about when I actually have a way to investigate, I accept the challenge for Beastborn (Wolf) to become Grand Beastborn (Wolf).

    You will have 10 seconds of rest between each Wave per Wave you''ve beaten. You will have 300 seconds to prepare before the fight begins. Move into the arena to confirm, and the transformation will take place. It will revert upon completion.

    Everyone''s staring at me in confusion, likely wondering what''s taking me so long. They''ll be even more confused when I turn into a Beastborn upon entering the arena, but that''s fine.

    Dismissing the message, I walk around the pedestal and enter the arena, my body shifting immediately. While I remain mostly the same, my tail turns from violet to black, and my hair turns black, my ears moving, changing into a pair of triangular ears resting atop my head, much like Michael''s.

    My eyes are likely golden in color, instead of the violet they normally are, since I''m a Beastborn (Wolf), now. I feel a lot weaker, too.

    I pull up my Status.

    Name: Gavin

    Age: 18 years

    Title: First Dragonslayer

    Species: Beastborn (Wolf) I 25 0/0

    INT: 61, AGI: 36, CHA: 15, STR: 34, PER: 38, LIF: 36

    MNA: 13, ARA: 589

    Mana: 13; Aura: 589

    Tier I: Sweets Quality Detection 6, Aether Sense 7, Spatial Detection 5

    Mastered Tier I: Soundless, Camouflage, Magic Sight, Acting, Hotness, Mana Knife, Threat Detection, Magic Voice

    Tier II: Appraisal Resistance 7, Divine Appraisal 4, Divine Appraisal Resistance 8

    Mastered Tier III Skills: Chain, Silence, Roar, Blindness

    Mastered Tier VII Skills: Clarity of Power, Rift Sense

    Language Skills: Dekami Runic 7, English 5, Jozan 5, Velusan 5, Silvar Spirit 5, Shatus Wyvern 8, Karus 4, Kar Sacred 10, Ygdris Fairy 5, Kavvul Human 5, Surlin Elven 5, Hoihoi 10, Kratus Runic 5, Dirsoor Runic 4, Nakim Runic 4, Kurew Runic 5, Mnarian 7, Soradi Dekami 3, Nali Dwarven 5, Eitos Human 5

    Mastered Manipulations: Mana, Aura

    Mastered Masteries: Bare-handed, Knife

    Mastered Resistances: Pain, Lightning, Air, Heat, Fire, Water, Cold, Frost, Stone, Light, Shadow, Mental Pain, Magic, Divine, Mental, Curse

    Mastered Detection/Sense: Magic Sense, Mana Sense, Lie, Spirit, Divine, Spirit Sense

    I lost almost all of my Skills, and it seems that even though Beastborn receive HLT per Level, it isn''t a ''natural'' part of their nature, whatever that implies. It seems Aura is, though, since I have a hefty amount of it like this.

    I kept my Languages, Resistances, and Sensing or Detection Skills, but lost all of my weapons Skills, save for martial arts and knife-wielding. They do augment actual ability a fair bit, especially when someone doesn''t have much real skill, which means I can''t really fight well.

    I could if I had a bow, since I have actual skill with one, and decent skill with a sword, but I''ll have to stick to martial arts. What''s my RRN, though? It''s not visible anymore, probably because that''s not normal. Depending on what it is, fighting with the Mana Knife might not be unfeasible.

    Using a small amount of Mana ¨C just a single point ¨C I check my recovery rate. If I recover it before the fight starts, then it''s fine, if I don''t, then it''s not. As I wait, I stretch and adjust to my new body and senses, getting a feel for it before beginning the fight.

    Best to do that, than to try to do something I can''t do and get tripped-up.

    It takes me four minutes to recover the point of Mana. Still abnormally-fast, though it''s not too useful. Good for getting out of a bind.

    Right at the five-minute mark from when I entered the arena, a lone goblin appears. It''s short, it''s squat, and it has green skin and nothing on but a leather loincloth, and man is it ugly!

    I charge it, jumping into the air and scissoring with my legs, snapping its neck and landing on the ground, the corpse fading away.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Wave 1 Complete! Wave 2 Starting in 10 Seconds!

    The 10 is ticking down, allowing me a real-time track for how long I have left. As soon as it reaches 0, the notification disappears, and two goblins appear. They die quickly as well, then I wait the twenty seconds until the next wave.

    This time, two goblins appear, along with a third one wielding a club. I quickly dispatch them, using my arm to block the club''s attack. Goblins are weak enough that a Level 25 Beastborn without any Classes can handle it.

    I continue to fight, feeling myself get a little bit tired, but it seems my stamina is still higher than average. Much higher than average, based on what little I do know of the Beastborn (Wolf)s. It isn''t until I''m resting after Wave 20 that I even remember I have other weapons in my spatial storage.

    And then discover, when I attempt to pull a bow out, that it''s locked. Here, the Trial, what''s next? When I''m lounging at home, hungry?

    Sigh, I wait for the timer to tick down. There''s a mix of armed kobolds and goblins coming after me now, and it''s getting to be a bit too much for me to handle. I''ve been delaying the waves as long as I can as well, creating a chain a few links at a time, using just a couple of points of Mana each attempt.

    Finally, after Wave 29, the chain is ready, and my Mana is full.

    Now, with that ready, I begin fighting using the chain in the style of the Chain Monks, mixing my Aura and Mana together as a deadly weapon, using it only when my martial arts alone aren''t great enough.

    The fights continue, and I grow more and more exhausted, especially as as orcs and trolls enter into the mix. They''re both annoying on their own, due to their brute force, but trolls especially, due to their immense regeneration. Thankfully, I only have to fight one of those in each Wave, it seems.

    Despite how exhausted I grow, I push on, fighting harder and harder until, at last, the final notification enters my vision as my chain punches through a troll''s chest, then rips its heart out, pulling it back towards me, the beast fading away.

    Wave 100 Beaten

    Beastborn (Wolf) has Advanced into Grand Beastborn (Wolf)

    My body shifts, returning me to my true form, wings and all. Shutting off my Aura of Power, I look around at everyone, who looks stunned with their awe and fear at such a terrifying being.

    Thinking of the Aura of Power¡­ how come no one seems bothered by it with Michael? Everyone chats with him as they always would, despite them simply keeping distance from me and a healthy level of respect, while they simply chat cheerfully with him.

    "So what was that?" Michael calls out.

    "You know damn well what that was!"

    "No!" He yells back. "You turning into a Beastborn!"

    "The arena made me!"

    It''s not a lie.

    I exit the arena, contemplating trying again. I could probably push Grand Beastborn (Wolf) up to whatever the next Tier''s default/basic state is. Or do Fairy next ¨C I just need to contract a couple of Spirits, and they''d do pretty much everything for me.

    I highly doubt that the arena''s version of my default form as a Fairy would be too much different from mine through Formshift. So I could handle it.

    Yeah. I''m going to do it again.

    "Spirits around," I speak in Silvar. "Would any of you like to form a contract with me? I''ll need it to require under 100 Spirit to perform, preferably something combat-oriented."

    Immediately, the thirty or so Spirits observing the area and me immediately rush to me and start talking, so I leave the arena and sit beside Michael as I talk with the Spirits and listen in on his conversations with the Dark Knights he''s friends with. There''s quite a crowd, and he''s explaining to them who I am ¨C they''re glad to finally meet me ¨C and just how powerful I am, as well as what that burst of power they felt was.

    I do give a brief apology for that, as I''d not thought about the fact that the arena would likely shift me back into my real form, and it always triggers that little annoyance. Not exactly a good first impression.

    After two hours of chatting, interrogating Spirits, and observing the fights, I''ve settled on three different Spirits and their Gifts.

    While Warren''s own Gifts tend to focus on enhancing his physical state, that''s born from his life as an arena slave. Generally, Fairies use distance-based magics, much like Beck did. So the three Gifts reflect that.

    The first Gift is an energy-based Gift, which will probably use up the most Spirit between the three. The Gift of the Static Wave creates a wave of electricity bordering on lightning that will radiate out of me in a sort of sphere.

    The second Gift is ice-based, because why the fuck not? It''s me. The Gift of the Icy Night creates a series of icicles, launching them at enemies at a high speed with great penetrative power.

    The third Gift is, naturally, fire-based. I had to cover my three basics. The Gift of the Blazing Whip creates a whip of fire that I can wield and manipulate. I could probably just make one with Mana, Arcane, and Aether, but this is still good to have, in case I need those for something else.

    With my Gifts decided, I enter the arena again, letting Michael and the Dark Knights near us to expect that burst of power for a moment once I finish.

    Down in the arena, I accept the Challenge to Advance a Subspecies, selecting Fairy to Advance to Grand Fairy.

    As I enter the arena, I feel my body shift and change, reverting down to the little Fairy I am naturally. Dammit. I forgot I did that. At least I have some Aether and Arcane, making manifesting a pair of pants to cover me trivial.

    After performing a series of stretches and flying for a bit, I check my Status.

    Name: Gavin

    Age: 18 years

    Title: First Dragonslayer

    Species: Fairy (I) 25 0/0

    INT: 63, AGI: 37, CHA: 64, STR: 9, CON: 8, PER: 13, LIF: 435

    MNA: 62, SPA: 285, ACA: 24, AEA: 123

    Mana: 62, Spirit: 285, Arcane: 24, Aether: 123

    Tier I Skills: Mana Presence 9, Sweets Quality Detection 6, Enchantment 7, Aether Sense 7

    Mastered Tier I Skills: Candle Flame, Soundless, Camouflage, Magic Bolt, Firebolt, Fireball, Magic Missile, Magic Shield, Lightning Bolt, Air Bolt, Air Slash, Static Shield, Waterbolt, Icebolt, Shadowbolt, Lightbolt, Stonebolt, Magic Sight, Acting, Hotness, Mystic Arrow, Frost Arrow, Threat Detection

    Tier II Skills: Dispel 8, Appraisal Resistance 7, Divine Appraisal 4, Divine Appraisal Resistance 8,

    Mastered Tier V Skills: Ice Lance (IV)

    Mastered Tier VI Skills: Firebolt Chain (IV), Icebolt Chain (IV), Air Bolt Chain (IV), Lightning Bolt Chain (IV)

    Mastered Tier VII Skills: Clarity of Power, Rift Sense

    Language Skills: Dekami Runic 7, English 5, Jozan 5, Velusan 5, Silvar Spirit 6, Shatus Wyvern 8, Karus 4, Kar Sacred 10, Ygdris Fairy 5, Kavvul Human 5, Surlin Elven 5, Hoihoi 10, Kratus Runic 5, Dirsoor Runic 4, Nikim Runic 4, Kurew Runic 5, Mnarian 7, Soradi Dekami 3, Nali Dwarven 5, Eitos Human 5

    Mastered Manipulations: Health, Lightning, Air, Fire, Mana, Water, Ice, Stone, Light, Shadow, Aura, Void, Spirit, Metal, Gravity

    Mastered Masteries: Crossbow, Shortbow, Longbow, Whips, General Bow

    Mastered Resistances: Pain, Lightning, Air, Heat, Fire, Water, Cold, Frost, Stone, Light, Shadow, Mental Pain, Magic, Divine, Mental, Curse

    Mastered Detection/Sense: Magic Sense, Mana Sense, Lie, Spirit, Spirit Sense

    Gifts:

    Blazing Emperor, Freezing Emperor, Final End, Turnip Dance, Ultimate Experience, Static Wave, Icy Night, Blazing Whip

    Wish-Granting:

    Sense Desire: 4 Small Desire 5 Medium Desire 2

    Large Desire 1

    Huh. Looks like I kept most of my actual spells. Burning a point of Mana, though, tells me that it won''t be feasible to just spam them. Using the Gifts, Arcane, and Aether will be required for me. No Health, though. I suppose that even though they receive a bonus to it, they don''t have it naturally.

    Wish-Granting¡­ it''s been so long since I''ve actually used my power of Wish-Granting, my Skills there are pretty damn low. Had I thought about it, I would''ve trained them up for a few minutes. With my absurd bonuses, that wouldn''t have been an issue.

    My Arcane isn''t high enough to do too many big things, though, so it''s fine. I''ll just use it in an emergency scenario.

    Time ticks down as I formulate my battle plan, and the first goblin appears.

 Chapter 0105 - Niess New Followers

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin?" Michael asks as I rejoin him and the Dark Knights to watch more fights.

    "Yeah?" I pull some food out of my ring and start eating. I''m famished, after that. "Want some?"

    "Sure," he accepts a sandwich. "You do realize we can tell you Advanced a Species, right?"

    "How?"

    "Your Aura of Power got stronger before you shut it off," he looks at me pointedly.

    "Subspecies don''t affect it."

    "No, they don''t," he says. "And you didn''t have a zierna around your tail before the change in your Aura of Power."

    "I have a zierna there?" I twist around, looking down as best I can. Sure enough, there''s a shimmering violet zierna that flows above and to the sides of my tail. It''s quite graceful and beautiful. "Huh. So that happened. Do you think anyone will notice back home?"

    "Yes," Michael answers. "They will notice for sure, just like they noticed that you acquired a zierna on your other arm."

    "Everyone imagined that," I wave dismissively.

    "Gavin," he says. "They might have believed that, but I know you Advanced yourself to the Second Tier of Fairy that night. What kind of Beastborn did you get to be?"

    "I had a bunch of options," I shrug. "But I picked the best one."

    "Wolfborn?"

    "That was the second-best," I tell him, and his eyes widen. "Be proud of achieving it at only nineteen, Michael ¨C getting past Grand is difficult enough. The best is actually Ascendant, and it''s nearly impossible to achieve as a Tier II."

    "As a Tier II?" He asks. "Does that mean it can be a Tier III?"

    "I believe so," I nod. "Though it''d be Ascendant Wolfborn instead of Ascendant Beastborn (Wolf), like I have. The bonus might be the same, or it might be stronger, I''m not sure. Work hard enough, and you might earn it."

    Michael sighs, probably deciding not to push me just Advancing my Species again, especially since he knows I probably pushed my two new Subpsecies Tiers to their max. Why leave it to just acquire Experience naturally when I can simply add them in.

    Speaking of that.

    Quest Issued to Michael Burrclaw

    Eat Five Sandwiches

    Requirement: Eat the five sandwiches offered by Gavin Jakran

    Reward: 10,000 Experience

    -8,500 Experience

    Experience Remaining: 157,500

    "Seriously, Gavin?"

    "Seriously," I ruffle his hair.

    "Seriously?" He almost yells.

    "Seriously."

    "You really need to stop doing this," he mutters.

    "Just accept it."

    He accepts the Quest, so I hand him five sandwiches as he mutters about me being unfair.

    "Don''t worry," I tell him. "I''m giving Warren some, too."

    "That''s not the issue, here," Michael says.

    "It is the sauce on your lip?"

    "The what?" He rubs his mouth with his sleeve. "Oh."

    He inspects the sauce, then snaps his head to look at me.

    "No, it''s not!" He says. "That''s not the issue! Stop doing that!"

    "Doing what?"

    "I''m not going to get anywhere with you, am I?"

    "Not really," I answer. "Do you think they''d let me examine the space underneath the Grind Arena?"

    "Why?" He asks.

    "Just a theory of mine."

    "Let me see."

    Michael leaves, and once he''s out of earshot, the Dark Knights decide to strike up a conversation with me to find out a bit more information. I indulge them a bit, as it''s good to see how they''d feel about a few things.

    Namely, having a shrine built to Nies around here, as well as potentially joining my Order. A few of the Dark Knights seem like they''d be interested in joining such an Order, though they wouldn''t want to lose access to the Grind Arenas, and traveling between continents just for that would turn into a long voyage, especially with the time restrictions on them.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    They don''t see an issue with having a shrine built to Nies, and the ones I talk to actually seem interested in the idea of adding an Origin God to their worships ¨C especially the Origin of Adventures and Blood Oaths.

    "What is your status within his Order?" One of the Dark Knights, Devion Kab''Inai, asks. He seems to be a leader around here, and I''m not basing that just on his Level 25 Party Leader Class. "Are you a simple missionary, and your power standard, or¡­?"

    "I''m abnormal," I shake my head. "This level of power is definitely not normal, and most of his followers are just normal people."

    Though they do tend to advance faster. Having his blessing on Quests and adventurers really gives a boost. I won''t just say that, though, and will let them discover it on their own.

    "So you''re a Paladin?" He asks. "Not a mere Missionary, but the Champion of Adventurers and Blood Oaths?"

    They seem to be focused on the Blood Oaths part, which I suppose makes sense. From what I''ve learned of them, they actually perform Blood Oaths frequently, and take them seriously, as seriously as any religion.

    Being as they use their own blood for their techniques, focusing heavily in Blood and Life, it makes sense that something like this would catch their attention. I hadn''t thought about that, and was trying to play it up from the adventures angle, and I''m sure he caught onto that.

    "If I want to be," I answer. "I actually have to take on a different form to be the Champion of Nies."

    "You¡­ what?" He looks confused. "How can you-"

    "I have the Formshift Skill," I clarify. "While I was going through a calming period to temper my anger, Nies didn''t realize that he was talking to me and sort of named the Form I was in at the time his Champion. Formshifts are people in their own right, so it didn''t register as being me."

    I''ve made sure, Nies says. That if that happens again, I will know it''s you.

    "I''m sure you have, Nies," I say, and the Dark Knight''s eyes widen. "He randomly talks to me."

    This isn''t random, Gavin. I just got a sudden increase in followers in an area that''s had none, save you and Michael, and that was only for a few hours. So I was looking in, especially since my Hero was chatting about me a lot. Are you really building me another shrine?

    "Get out of my head, Nies."

    Are you telling a god what to do?

    "Where''s your son?"

    He''s- Nies cuts off. I gotta go find him.

    His presence leaves my mind, and I smirk.

    "What¡­ was that?" Devion, the Dark Knight I was speaking with, asks.

    "Hm?" I ask. "Oh, Nies. He has a son who''s pretty chaotic and gets up to mischief. It''s always a safe bet his son''s up to something. Anyway, I''m not a Champion in my True Form, but his Hero."

    "The Hero of the Origin of the Blood Oaths?" He asks. "Do you have a way to verify this?"

    They will recognize the Divine Confirmation, if they truly do perform Blood Oaths on a regular basis.

    "Yes," I answer. "I swear on the blood that flows through my veins that I am the Hero of Nies, the Origin of Oaths, Blood Oaths, Adventurers, and Quests, and potentially other things that I''m either unaware of or haven''t confirmed."

    My body glows with the crimson light touched with Divine Power, and judging by their reactions, they believe me.

    "It is the Blood Confirmation," Devion nods. "Had you lied, you''d have turned into a shower of blood."

    "Yeah," I shudder, remembering the burst of blood from earlier. "Watching those isn''t fun, being one would be less so."

    "Watching those?" He asks. "You''ve seen it?"

    "Something similar," I shrug. "A spider decided she wanted to kill me, so I turned her into a shower of blood."

    "Didn''t you instigate the fight?" Michael returns with another Dark Knight, this one dressed in simple clothes rather than armor. "You did go in there with the intention of killing her."

    "Her son hired me?"

    "Are you referring," Devion says. "To the Mind Spider Matriarch?"

    "You know of her?" I ask.

    "We''ve only got legends," he nods. "But it''s mentioned that she''s a being who''s ascended several Tiers to her Species and mastered several Classes, and lived for fifty centuries or more."

    "All true," I answer. "However, she''s dead now, as she was in my way and posed a problem. I also eliminated the majority of the spiders in the fields, so the numbers in the forests and swamps should be lessening as they retreat a bit. That, or they''ll surge up and try to take the land near it. If you''d like assistance, I''m sure Michael here and a few others of the Order would be willing to help you clear things out. There are plenty of resources to be found in that area that you likely haven''t access to."

    The Dark Knights stare at me in shock.

    "You¡­ killed a being of several Species Tiers because she stood in your way?" He asks.

    "Don''t worry," I smile. "I have no intention of harming any of you. There is a large difference between people and monsters, and you are the former. She was nothing short of a monster, and her only goal and purpose was to rule and reign. Combining that with my desire for something to help the people of my Order grow strong and be able to protect themselves, and it was only natural that I''d attempt to kill her. Especially since, though I did attack first, she did attempt to take control of my mind as I simply walked through her territory."

    I can see the answer satisfies them, though only somewhat. It''s fine, though. I cannot expect the lesser beings to fully understand-

    Stop that. Seriously, this is getting annoying. Even knowing it happens, you still find yourself doing it. This is ridiculous. Yes, they are lesser beings, but you should still try to work with them.

    I am, so hush.

    Michael explains to them a bit differently what happened, stating that I chose to kill an evil over killing a guardian, and then he brings up that the higher one''s Species Tier is, the less they''re able to properly convey things like that, and the more they''ll simply make it ''because I wanted to'', regardless of whatever legitimate reason they have.

    Yeah, you really should''ve thought of explaining it that way.

    "Alright," Michael looks at me. "They''ve agreed to allow you to inspect underneath. They wanted you to explain what happened with your own words, but I already did."

    I nod, then follow the Dark Knight he came with, along with Devion, into the tunnels under the arena. They give me some information about it, including that they don''t know who built or constructed them.

    As we walk, I read the magics that make it up, and determine that this Divine Power simply permeates it. It is and it isn''t. There''s no central location for it, no area where it''s stronger than the rest. The Grind Arena''s constructed that way, too ¨C it simply functions without a central location to power everything.

    The walk is enough for me to determine how the Grind Arena works and how it''s powered. I don''t even need to create the monsters or give it any ¨C it''ll simply know on its own, the same way a Dungeon does.

    Dungeons¡­

    "Michael?" I call out to the Wolfborn as we leave the Grind Arena to find a hotel for the night.

    "Yes?"

    "Do you think giving the Order its own Grind Arena is enough?" I ask. "Or do you think I should figure out how to construct a Tower Dungeon, too?"

    "Is that why you wanted to check under the Grind Arena?" He asks. "So you could figure out how to build one of your own? Isn''t it constructed by the Divine Beings?"

    "No," I shake my head. "It''s very much mortal in construction, and from old times. It''s possible the false Dekami built it, and possibly the Tower Dungeons, though it''s possible they predate the asses. The Dekami Scholar doesn''t know, so it wasn''t the true Dekami."

    Michael thinks about it for awhile.

    "I think the Tower Dungeon would be a nice addition," he says. "Just¡­ no undead?"

    Thinking back to my time in the Tower Dungeon, I suppress a shiver. Even as powerful as I am, even as much training and adjustments I did, I never did fully get over my issues with undead, even if I can simply erase them from existence with but a thought.

    "Yeah," I agree. "No undead in it."

    There''s an Undead Dungeon that could probably use a purging, though¡­

    "Hey, Michael?"

    "Yeah?" He tilts his head to the side.

    "Wanna help me destroy a Dungeon?"

 Chapter 0106 - Destroying a Dungeon

    (Gavin)

    "Gavin?" Michael asks as we land in front of the Dungeon''s entrance. "Why did you Advance your Species again on the way here?"

    "Should I have waited, do you think?" I ask.

    "That''s¡­ that''s not the point, Gavin," he says.

    "I can do it," I say. "And I do need to grow stronger, in preparation for what is to come. Do you think I should simply send myself to Tier IV of it, now? Or should I wait a little bit, to adjust to my current level of power?"

    Michael thinks for a few moments.

    "I''ll do it after we take care of this," I tell him. "The current boost to my power might cause me to overuse my powers."

    "Alright," he looks at the Dungeon''s entrance, tilting his head to the side. "This place is familiar. Perhaps Warren and I passed through here at some point? We are near the Fairy Kingdom."

    "It''s the Dungeon," I inform him. "We exited through when we fled Jozan."

    Michael''s eyes widen in recognition.

    "Right!" He says. "Wait ¨C why are we destroying it?"

    "I have a grudge against it," I send him a Party Invite, and he joins my party. "Let us enter."

    "What kind of grudge?" He asks as we enter that colored-tile-floor room. "We never figured out how to get through here."

    "You attempted it?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "We thought that maybe clearing the First Stage would give us a bit of Experience to work with, but we couldn''t figure out how to pass through here."

    Considering how powerful I am and my resilience to pretty much everything, there''s a good chance I could just walk to the other side, rather than going along the proper path.

    "Don''t step on the red tiles," I say. "You can walk on the blue tiles without issue. Before stepping onto a green tile, you must step onto a yellow tile. However, you cannot step on a yellow tile without first stepping on a blue tile. In other words: avoid the red, and step on the tiles in the order of blue, yellow, green. Do not step on two yellows in a row, and you can walk across as many blue as you wish."

    "You did it?" He asks.

    "Correct," I nod. "The next area is a test of your mental resistances and capabilities."

    "And the next?"

    Undead.

    "The reason I have the grudge."

    "So what are we doing to destroy it?" He asks. "Destroying the core will only result in it weakening until a new one forms, and same with removing it."

    "We''re not destroying the core," I say. "We''re destroying the Dungeon. As powerful as a Dungeon might be, this is nothing more than a Tier I Dungeon. It isn''t a true Tier I Dungeon. I am a Tier III Species, nearly at True Tier III Species, with three Subspecies, two of which are at their Second Tier, with four of the First Five Species as X Species.

    "Destroying something like this," I gesture to the area around us. "Is simply a matter of figuring out how."

    "Isn''t that what I was just asking?"

    I step forward onto a blue tile, then onto the red tile directly across from it. Immediately, I feel the power of the Dungeon assaulting my blood. It takes me a few moments to adjust myself and begin to manipulate my own blood in response, quickly ending the threat as I feel my body revert to its true form.

    If it wants to force me into my true form in order to resist its death-inducing punishment for stepping onto the crimson tiles, then I shall show it what happens when a Timeless One is crossed. Or when one holds a grudge.

    Lifting a foot up, I allow it to hover for a moment, then bring it down with all the might of my two Timeless One and my Eternal Species augmented by the 9,770 STR Stat.

    With a deafening boom, the tile shatters, my foot driving a hole through the ground beneath, forming a crater around as the tiles connected to it break as well. Michael is launched into the air from the sheer force of my impact, and I catch him, then throw him to the entrance to the next area.

    I continue walking through the room, damaging the floor as I go. Normally, a Dungeon could repair itself from damage. However, that''s from minor damage, as they''re resilient things that are impossible for normal people to damage.

    This much damage will take it a long time to repair, if it ever had the chance to. I''m going to overload the Dungeon''s defenses and healing mechanisms, and that will, hopefully, give me the opportunity to destroy the Dungeon.

    I reach the end of other area, then look at the amused and bewildered Wolfborn.

    "So," I say. "Are you ready to resist a mental assault?"

    "I never knew Dungeons could be damaged that badly."

    "I used to think that," I shrug. "But as I''m me, it only makes sense I''d find a way. Come on."

    We enter the temple-designed area, and I immediately sense the influence, though it''s so pathetically weak against me that I can''t help but laugh.

    Then I immediately augment the link with my own psychic energies, feeling its flow and how it functions. I sever it from Michael, then immediately yank on it. It permeates the air, an intrinsic part of this area of the Dungeon.

    And my violent mental assault on it shows clear physical signs as the walls begin crumbling and the ''bath'' breaks apart, the water spilling onto the floor. I raise a hand, lifting it up before bringing it down with the palm facing the floor, and as I do, a force of concentrated air crushes the bath, driving a hole down into the next Stage.

    "Let''s go," I tell Michael as he looks around with wide, wide eyes. "Time to destroy the Second Stage."

    We descend to the next section of the stage, back into that disturbing tunnel, and I summon the Violet Dragon and Voids, ripping through everything in my path, be it wall, ceiling, floor, monster, decoration, whatever.

    The next area is a crypt with dozens of skeletal death knights and mages, and they and their space is destroyed with ease. When we reach the next Stage, we find ourselves in a broken place.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The crypt is only half-formed, with sections of the walls missing, emptiness beyond. Many of the torches are partial, and most are either missing or unlit.

    "What¡­ is going on here?" Michael asks.

    "The Dungeon''s failing," I answer as I destroy the place further. "I''m overloading it, resulting in it being unable to handle creating the spaces required to function properly as it attempts to mend itself and function at the same time."

    He nods.

    "Why doesn''t it just reject us, then?"

    "It can''t," I answer. "That''s not a feature any Dungeon has ¨C they aren''t designed to be able to simply kick someone out unless they''ve failed the task. The reason for that is because some Dungeons are created by Divine Beings who want to use them as a sort of testing grounds for their followers.

    "Because of that," I continue. "To prevent the gods from making sure that only people who they want can enter, they have to have that as a requirement for entry ¨C once someone''s inside, the Dungeon isn''t allowed to reject anyone, to evict them, unless it''s actually part of the trial. This way, a god can''t unfairly kick someone out just because they don''t like them. It was implemented for all Dungeons, though, rather than just those designed by gods. Otherwise, a god could then meddle in ones that formed naturally."

    "Ah," he says. "This looks like it would''ve been the boss Stage."

    "It probably was," I shrug. "Too much damage to summon up the monster, though. Let''s go."

    We pass through the passage on the far end, the barrier that would normally seal it until after the boss''s death having never formed. Through there, we''re greeted with the sight of the Dungeon Core, a shimmering, shining sphere three feet in diameter, with a light yellow hue to it, hovering in the center of the chamber, which stretches around thirty feet on each side.

    "I thought Dungeon Cores were a light blue?"

    "Normally," I nod. "Was the one you encountered blue?"

    "Yeah," he nods. "From what I know, that particular shade is normal. What does the yellow mean?"

    "It''s a Divine Being''s Dungeon," I answer, extending a hand.

    Immediately, a Void surrounds the Dungeon Core, and beams of the Void extend out, piercing through the walls of the chamber.

    The Dungeon begins to rumble and shake, and I confirm it''s soon to break, so grab Michael and Teleport us out. Not ten seconds after we arrive in the fores does the doorway explode. A simple thought, and a barrier forms in front of us, stopping the shards and dust from hitting us.

    Once the dust settles down, I look at Michael, grinning.

    "Bye bye, Dungeon!"

    He snorts, shaking his head.

    "You''re a fucking monster," he says, and I shrug. "So what now?"

    "Now?" I ask. "I''m going to ask you a question, and I want a simple, and honest, answer."

    "What?"

    "What was it," I say. "That you suggested to Warren that you ask me to join in you two doing that got him so embarrassed, the other night?"

    Michael gives me a goofy grin.

    "Spirit meditation!"

    "Spirit meditation?" I ask. "Is that some Skill or something?"

    "Nope!" He quickly strips. "Focus on sensing my Spirit and the Spirits around us!"

    As soon as he''s naked, he sits on the ground, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees, closing his eyes.

    "Why did you just get naked?"

    "It''s easier," he tells me. "To do Spirit meditation if there''s nothing on you."

    I frown, but watch with my eyes and senses as his breathing slows and becomes rhythmic. After several long and awkward minutes, a shift in his Spirit occurs as the Resource stops simply being within him and starts flowing through him.

    The way it''s doing it¡­ is he using Spirit Manipulation? It seems different than when that normally happens? There''s something¡­ off about it.

    I can''t describe it, though. It''s so weird.

    Several more minutes pass, and I''m about to ask what he''s doing when I sense a stronger source of Spirit. Or Spirits? What in the-

    "Gh!" Michael gasps, bending forward and hacking.

    "Michael!" I rush forward, crouching and putting a hand on his shoulder to sense his injury. "What the-there''s no injury? Michael, are you okay?"

    "Yeah," he coughs, and I release his shoulder, waiting until he''s recovered from whatever that was. "Thanks. Dammit. Almost had it that time, too."

    "What in the hells was that?"

    "I told you," he grins at me, sitting up straight so he can meet my gaze evenly. "Spirit meditation. It''s an advanced technique that requires meditating upon your Spirit and visualizing it flowing within and around you as if you were a Spirit. Sort of? It''s a bit hard to explain, but you''d understand, once you did it."

    "Right before you started hacking away," I tell him, standing. "There was something weird ¨C it was like there was a lot of Spirit or Spirits, yet there weren''t any. What was that?"

    "The point of Spirit meditation," he answers. "I had almost connected. If you do it successfully, you can actually gaze into the Spirit plane. According to the Fairies, it helps you increase your Spirit, understand the Spirit language, and a bunch of other stuff. It''s also not easy to do ¨C Lord Oberon said that even among the Fairies, who have a natural affinity for Spirits unlike any of the other Enlightened Species, the odds of being able to do it is one in a million. Warren and I both being able to do it is exceptionally rare."

    "Why does that make him embarrassed?" I ask.

    "Huh?" He asks, then giggles. "It''s because he''s shy about his crush on you."

    Ah. I can see why that''d make him uncomfortable, then, if he has to get naked to do it properly right now.

    "Alright," I say. "Well, get dressed, then we''ll head back."

    He nods and starts dressing, then pauses and frowns at me.

    "Should we be worried about the fact that you just destroyed a Divine Being''s Dungeon?"

    Before I can respond to that, I sense a Divine Being, and then we both look to the source of that sensation ¨C a Divine Being that formed. With golden hair and eyes, and a white and gold outfit, this guy exudes a level of holiness, arrogance, and stupidity. He looks relatively human, one somewhere around forty years of age, though the Divine Aura around him makes it clear that human is not even close to what he is.

    "How can we help you?" I ask the clearly pissed-off Divine Being that''s appeared. "If you''re looking for members of your following, we haven''t seen any. If you''re looking to recruit, we follow another."

    "I''m well-aware of who you follow, Hero of Nies," the god says through clenched teeth. "If you weren''t his Hero, I''d strip you little by little as punishment for what you did to my Dungeon."

    "That was yours?" I ask. "You seem a bit too holy for such a horrid Dungeon."

    "It was to be a test," he says. "To see who is worthy of receiving my Blessing. While I can''t touch you, because of your status as a Hero, I can touch others. Such as your former King, your son, your friend there, your allies back at the Order-"

    My vision goes white as an unholy rage fills me. No one threatens my allies.

    My Violet Dragon forms around me, then attacks, and the Divine Being laughs, dancing to the side. By the time he''s done that, I''ve already lunged, my fist slamming into his stomach. He''s a weak Divine Being ¨C weak enough that I''m stronger than him.

    The Divine Being attacks back, using all sorts of holy spells, but I shrug them off or evade them. Even his Divine Smites miss me, hitting where I''d been, not where I am. My spells and body collide with his over and over, but I''m not intending on killing this avatar, since I can''t.

    I just need to weaken it enough. Even as a weak Divine Being, he''s still powerful, as this seems to be his native form.

    It takes a lot of work, but eventually, he becomes weak enough for me to do what I want with him. He''s realized by this point that I''m too strong for him to handle, that he''s pissed off the wrong person. He''s attempted to flee into the Divine Realms a few times, but I''m not letting him.

    He''d just go after what''s mine. What I''ve built and intend to protect until my end.

    Once his avatar''s weakened enough, I reach out with my Soul. I''ve never truly used it before, outside of such a thing as my Violet Dragon, so this is new to me.

    "No!" The Divine Being roars as he tries to escape my assault on his Divine Soul. "No! Do you know what-"

    "Shut the fuck up," I crush his jaw, sending my flames into his throat to silence him for good.

    I continue my assault, exerting my Soul over his Divine Soul, ripping it, shredding it, tearing it to pieces. I can''t kill a Divine Being, but I can certainly scatter him across the universe and make it take him an eternity to reform, and I do so, sending the bits and pieces through Black Holes.

    Normally, they would destroy anything, erasing it from existence. But souls are eternal and everlasting, so I''m taking a wild guess in that doing this will simply scatter his.

    Black Hole (III) 9 is now Black Hole (IV) 1

    As the last bit of his soul is scattered, I suddenly find myself assaulted by¡­ something.

    New Title!

    (X) God Destroyer: One who has committed the taboo of dealing nigh-irreversible damage to a Divine Being.

    Before I can process that, a new message forms in my vision.

    Taboo Title Earned: God Destroyer

    System Access Blocked

 Chapter 0107 - Niess Proposition

    (Gavin)

    "What?" I ask. "Wait ¨C no! What?"

    "What?" Michael asks.

    Nothing works. I can''t summon up the interface anymore, no matter how hard I try. I''ve still ''evolved'' into a Timeless one, still have the changes to my body, but the amplification that comes from the Stats are gone, even if my base is still absurd. That''s not going to be enough to face the Dragon! Not even close! I can''t protect my people properly without the System, either!

    What the fuck?

    "What''s-what''s wrong?"

    I look over to the Wolfborn, and find him filled with both awe and fear. Dammit! Being able to turn off the Aura of Power must have come from the System, as a reward. Same with revoking the changes to my body''s outside, meaning my eyes, hair, and wings are out. I can tell that not just because of actually feeling my wings, which I quickly tuck as best I can behind me, with enough space for my tail to have some room, but because the constant itching feeling for putting them away is gone.

    "Shit, shit, shit!"

    "What happened?" He asks, trembling.

    "Fuck!"

    "Nothing to worry about!" A cheerful voice speaks up as a Divine Presence forms, and I look over to see¡­

    Nies. Only¡­ he''s not Nies? He looks closer to being eighteen or nineteen than his usual ten-year-old self, and while he''s still dressed in his normal red and black attire, he also has a broadsword strapped across his back, a mischievous glint in those crimson eyes of his.

    "Run along to your Order, now," Nies waves a hand, and Michael vanishes. "Come on, Gavin! I''ve got just the fix!"

    Suddenly, we''re standing in a Divine Realm with literally hundreds of female Divine Beings. There''s a giant bed near us, and I look at Nies with complete and total confusion on my face. No doubt about it.

    "How, exactly, is taking one of them to bed going to help me with this, Nies?"

    "Easy!" He exclaims. "The only way to nullify a Taboo Title''s effects is to do something extraordinary! Like siring a god. Even if you aren''t inside of the System anymore, you''re still a Double Timeless One and Eternal! Because of that, the odds of you siring a Divine Being by sleeping with one is exceptionally high! So go on, Gav! Do it! Do the deed! I''ve picked six hundred of the greatest, bestest, most delightful she-Divine Beings with humanoid forms for you! Look! Even Ultarna''s here!"

    The cat beastborn goddess waves at me, and I groan, burying my face into my hands.

    "It''s okay," Nies rubs my back. "I know my sudden shift is a bit much to take in, but it''s perfectly okay! You''re not limited to just one, by the way ¨C they''re all gonna be willing. So have six hundred kids, if you want. Now, I know it''s been seven years, so if you need a demonstration of how to produce babies, I''d be willing to-"

    "No, Nies," I say. "I know what''s needed, and it''s not happening."

    "But if you don''t, you won''t regain access."

    "Is there another way?"

    "Well, yeah, but-"

    "Then I''m doing that."

    "It could, potentially, take longer than nine months," he says. "This is the fastest way. Especially since the other way could literally take an eternity, and that''s even risking not being able to succeed."

    Is he trying to keep me from going the other route? He seems to really want me to sleep with a bunch of goddesses. Including his own girlfriend.

    "No, Nies," I say. "I''m not doing this, I can''t do this. The other way is better."

    "Oooooh!" He says. "If you were into guys, just say it! Even male Divine Beings can birth children! All they really need to do for that is-"

    "What?" I look at him in shock. Did he just-? "No! Nies, no! I can''t! I can''t have kids!"

    "What are you talking about?" He asks. "You wouldn''t even have to care for them."

    "That''s not the problem!" I say. "I can''t have kids!"

    "A Timeless One is pretty much guaranteed to," he says. "Heck, any kid you had with a mortal woman would likely be a Demigod, unless the mother was a high enough Species."

    "No, Nies!" I say. "I can''t have kids! At all! It''s not possible for me!"

    "What are you talking about?" He asks. "Or¡­ do you have impotence? That''s an easy fix! Sabriabriar! Get over here! He needs a bit of your-"

    "No!" I snap. "Nies, I can''t! It''s not possible! I can''t have feelings for others that way, can''t get it up, can''t get kids ¨C any of it! It''s not possible!"

    "What are you talking about?" He asks. "You''re a Timeless One, Gavin, of course you can! You just need a little bit of-"

    "You''re the Origin of Blood Oaths!" I snap at him. "I''m sure you''re the Origin of the more powerful type of oath, too!"

    "What, Soul Oaths?" He asks. "Yeah, but-"

    His eyes widen as he realizes what I''m saying. A few seconds pass, probably as he reads the Soul Oath I swore, all those years ago. It prevents me from being able to have children ever again, so long as I have an heir.

    And even if I''ve never met my son, even if I''m no longer Human, that boy is still considered my heir by the Soul Oath. And Soul Oaths are impossible to break. Nies once briefly mentioned to me that they were nasty things, and he hated them, because not even he and Twist together could alter or break one.

    "Wh-wh-what did you do that for?" Tears well up in my patron''s eyes. "H-h-how long ago did you do it?"

    "After Alyssa," I answer. "I was thirteen! I did what I had to for the Kingdom I was so loyal to back then! But things were different in Kar! I swore the oath because I was thirteen years old and had had my world shattered by the arranged marriage! I wasn''t acting logically!"

    Nies waves his hand, and the horde of goddesses vanish as tears well up in his eyes.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "B-b-but-" he breaks down.

    Then, he starts rambling about different things, about different possibilities, but then dismissing them. I know there''s probably a lot more going on in his head, considering who and what he is. I''m only hearing the things that I can actually understand, no doubt.

    I sit on the bed, sighing. He''s not even noticing me at this point, just rambling as he tries to find a way to restore my System Access. From what he''s saying ¨C if he''s not saying it to convince me of it, but because he genuinely believes it ¨C then the other way really is nigh impossible for me to do.

    It also seems like there is a way to remove my Soul Oath. Another Divine Being showed up to talk with him about it, but Nies is adamant that it can''t be done. This Divine Being has taken on the form of a person, a man in his early twenties, with brown hair and green eyes, looking remarkably human.

    "Why not?" The other Divine Being asks. "He''d be cured of that Soul Oath, and after being cured of it, he''d be able to-"

    "No," Nies shakes his head. "To purify his soul would erase who he is."

    "Indeed," a voice echoes through the room. Nahor. "While he''d be reborn, it would not be as Gavin. To purify a soul is to kill the person they were. Doing it would kill Gavin, even though the soul would remain and continue on in the mortal realm.

    "Yes," Nahor continues, and I realize that the other god''s eyes have widened, and he has an almost reverent expression on his face. Just who and what is Nahor? "The soul that currently exists as Gavin would continue, and yes, the new person would be powerful ¨C even if not on Gavin''s level ¨C but he''d not be Gavin. Gavin would be dead. There is only one case I know of, one situation I know of, where a soul has been purified and the memories were preserved. And it is not something that can be forced, and nor is it something that can be worked towards.

    "However," he continues. "Even in that case, the person the soul had been known as before that purification was killed, a new person taking their place ¨C even if with the same memories. Their personality shifted with the change, and they became a new being.

    "So to purify Gavin''s soul in order to remove the oath," Nahor says. "Would kill Gavin, and someone else would be born. Yes, we could accelerate the new souls'' identity''s growth to bring him to adulthood quickly, so that he may mate with a goddess, but then, he''d likely need do the deed several times in order to sire the Divine Being with one, as he wouldn''t be as powerful as the soul''s current identity of Gavin."

    "Wh-wh-what''s the other case?" Nies asks. "Maybe we could-"

    "No," Nahor interrupts my patron, and I sense that he''s shaking his head. "Again ¨C it isn''t something that you can simply work towards. It would also still kill Gavin, even if it could be. While he''d retain his memories, he''d become a different person, and his level of power would still change.

    "Besides," Nahor adds. "Were he to undergo that type of soul alteration, then he''d have no need to regain Access. In the first place, a soul purification would remove the Taboo Title."

    "But if we don''t-"

    "It can''t be forced or worked towards," Nahor interrupts Nies. "Period, Sein. It''s impossible. And no, Gavin is not doing that other option. Were he to try it, he would die, and move on from this plane into the afterlife."

    Looks like everything is leading up to me dying in some way. I can''t protect my people this weak, though. Especially not if a Dragon like that is on its way. What can I do?

    Nies and the other god leave me to my thoughts, and Nahor doesn''t seem interested in speaking more. I can sense him still around for awhile, though. I''m not really sure how much time passes before his presence fades from the room.

    At some point, it shrank, becoming just a bedroom, though there are no doors or windows. After discovering this, I just lie down on the bed and sigh.

    Some of what he said doesn''t make sense. What''s the difference between dying and dying through a soul purification? The former sounds like it''s actual death, and sends us to the afterlife, and the latter sounds like we just forget who we are, become weaker, and are reborn.

    But there''s got to be more to it than that, right?

    No one seems intent on letting me leave here, and my teleportation won''t allow me to, either. I suppose I needed a boost from the System to be able to enter and exit the Divine Realms at will. Then again, I was only able to go into Nies''s at will, because of our link.

    Closing my eyes, I attempt to teleport into his Divine Realm, but nothing happens.

    Letting out a frustrated sigh, I slam my head back into the bed, which breaks from the sheer force. I suppose my patron didn''t factor in how violent I can get when I''m angry, and I really need to relieve some stress.

    I''d attack the walls, but there''s a good chance that they''re the limit of this Divine Realm ¨C I''m sure Nies created it specifically for getting me to mate with six hundred goddesses.

    Attempting to speak with my patron ¨C or any of the other Divine Beings I know or know of ¨C fails me, which means he''s probably blocking me, too. He''s probably crying into one of his tigers, because of what''s happened to me.

    A presence forms near me, and I sigh, sitting up and facing the Divine Being who''s appeared. She looks to be around ten, like Nies and the other Original Divine Beings, but that doesn''t mean too much.

    She''s got brown hair and leaf-green eyes, and is wearing a dress of autumn leaves, with thin, golden markings on the little skin of hers I can see.

    "Hello, Gavin," she smiles at me.

    "Go away."

    "Nies and the others," she says. "Likely don''t know of another way ¨C or at least, didn''t think of it."

    "What other way?" I growl.

    "It takes something quite massive," she says. "To earn a Taboo Title. Shredding a Divine Being''s soul is one of them. It''s never been done before, but you''ve managed it, even if he was a weaker one. Not only that, but you scattered the pieces across the universe, based only a theory of yours. Quite nasty thing you''ve done."

    "Are you here to mock me?" I snarl.

    "No," she says. "I''m here to tell you that it''s possible ¨C only just so ¨C that there''s another way to nullify your Taboo Title with a Sacred Title."

    "Oh, really?" I scoff.

    "Yes," she answers. "If shredding and scattering a Divine Soul can earn you one, then would it not stand to reason that collecting the pieces of a Divine Soul and allowing it to restore grant you a Sacred Title? His soul will, eventually, gather together on its own, but that could take thousands ¨C even millions ¨C of years."

    That''s¡­ I didn''t think of that possibility.

    "But how long would that take?"

    "That depends on you, Gavin," she answers. "You ripped his soul into four hundred, eighteen pieces and scattered them as you did. While some might collect together naturally before you reach them, the others¡­ might not."

    I groan as I remember that I''m trapped in this room, then fall back onto the bed.

    "I can''t leave this room."

    "Do you want to give this a try?"

    "I have to be back at my Order," I say. "I need to-to protect them."

    "I''m aware," she says. "So I suppose that means you should move fast, doesn''t it? Do you want to give this a try?"

    I doubt she''ll let me return to my Order, but even if she did, what could I do? I can''t protect them fully, even if I''m far, far above them. I need the System''s boosts to compete with Dragons. So many of my Skills work only because of the System.

    Which means that I need to regain Access ¨C and that''s before factoring in that only through the System can I become powerful enough to kill that Dragon and survive.

    "Yeah," I nod. "I do."

    "Excellent," she smiles. "I''ll go present the theory to Nies."

    "I don''t think he''s in a mood to listen to anyone."

    "He''ll listen to me," she smiles. "Or at least, not throw me into oblivion, like he keeps doing to Divine Beings who approach him right now."

    "Uh¡­"

    "Don''t worry," she says. "They''ll find their way out eventually."

    "Why won''t he do it to you?"

    "I''m his wife," she answers, then vanishes.

    An agonizingly long wait later, Nies appears, back in his normal form, riding a tiger with two more flanking him.

    "Alright," he says. "We''re giving this a try. But you gotta hurry, okay? And by that, I mean ''take your time''. I''ve, uh¡­ don''t worry about your world until you''ve finished. None of that asshole''s soul is there, anyway, so my-so you don''t need to worry about it."

    You''ve frozen Eisnar in time, haven''t you?

    "Also," he says. "You''re shit at soul magic, so Imma dump you with someone who''s a prodigy at it. He''s captured a fragment of the asshole''s soul, too, so it''s not like it''ll be useless for you to go there. Good luck!"

    Before I can talk, I find myself in a different bedroom, this one sort of cramped. There is a desk wedged between the bookshelves that line the walls, and there are even shelves above the desk¡­ and the bed. Much smaller than the massive ones I''m used to.

    Sitting up on the bed, his eyes filled with both terror and awe, is a man around eighteen or nineteen, as well as really, really skinny. He has dark brown hair and leaf-green eyes, and is somewhat pale as well. Only the moonlight illuminates his room, though I''m sure it''s enough to reveal my form.

    What does he think of my wings?

 Chapter 0108 - Freeing a Mentor

    (Gavin)

    Judging by the strength of this guy''s soul and the fact that I appeared right before him, he''s likely the soul mage Nies mentioned to me. That means that he could, potentially, launch an attack on me against my own soul ¨C which is something I can probably only barely defend against.

    "Wh-wh-what do you want?" He asks, and even though it''s another language, I can understand him immediately. "I''ll-I''ll give it back. P-p-please don''t-"

    Since I can understand him, and even communicate with him through his language, that means that my boost to learning and understanding languages doesn''t come from the System, which is good news. I''m still limited, though, so I''ll have to keep what I say short until I can understand more. It does seem that my ability to learn them did receive some boost from the System, though judging by how much I learned with that question and two fragments of a statement, it wasn''t much.

    "The fragment of a god''s soul?" I interrupt the soul mage, and he nods. He''s shaking, terrified. He thinks I''m here to punish him for capturing it. "How long ago did you find it?"

    "S-s-six months ago."

    Six months here? How long was it on Eisnar, before Nies let me out of that Divine Realm? And I''m still assuming he froze my world in time, even if he didn''t say so. It''s Nies ¨C he''d want things to be as ''fast'' as possible.

    Though how ''fast'' it is on Eisnar depends on how long passed before he froze it.

    I can worry about that later. There are a few things I want to ask, before getting on with business.

    "How old are you?"

    "N-n-nineteen."

    "Do you have the System?"

    "Wh-wh-what is that?"

    Guess not.

    "What am I?"

    "A g-g-god," he prostrates himself before me. "I-I-I''m so-"

    "I really don''t care," I tell him. "And no, I''m not a god. I''m a mortal. Sort of. I''m simply a very, very powerful mortal who''s in a very, very foul mood. So stop with the prostrating and fear, because you aren''t in danger."

    I don''t even need to see his face to know he''s confused.

    "You''re a soul mage?" I ask, and he nods. "The god I serve sent me to you because of that. I need to learn soul magics."

    "Wh-wh-wh-"

    "Stop with the stuttering already," I order. "It''s only agitating me."

    He gulps. This is why I hate having the Aura of Power active. I can''t fucking stop this shit. I order him to look up at me, and he does. Frowning, I realize that he''s got a collar around his neck. It''s slim and thin, but it''s there.

    "What''s that collar for?"

    "It''s a slave collar," he answers, and I feel my blood boil. "It-"

    No longer exists, which he can probably tell, judging by the shocked expression on his face.

    "There," I say. "It''s dealt with."

    "You-you-you," he stammers. "How did you-you truly are of the gods!"

    This again!

    "No, I''m not," I sigh. "I''m just a very powerful mortal from another world. One who needs to learn soul magic. My patron has tasked me with gathering the fragments of that particular god''s soul, which are scattered across the universe. I hear people coming."

    "They-they probably know the collar''s broken."

    "Excellent," I grin and turn towards the door, reading the magics making up the spell that prevents him from leaving this room. "Those spells are annoying."

    With a wave of my hand, I disable the spells. I don''t need the System for shit like this.

    "What''s your name, mortal?"

    "L-L-Litrar," he answers. "I thought you said you were m-m-mortal?"

    "Hm?" I throw a look back at him, then realize what I said. "I am. Ignore the condescending remark, I can''t help it. I''m of a species so much more powerful than a mere Human that I can''t help shit like that at times. I''ve gotten used to restraining myself, but¡­ never mind."

    Without my Acting Skill, it''s going to be a bit more difficult to restrain that kind of shit. Fucking hells.

    When I collect this Divine Being''s soul, I''m going to throw him into the oblivion that Nies''s wife spoke of. Will need to find it, first, but I''m so going to do it. Let him see how he likes that. Hell ¨C Nies might even happily help me ¨C maybe even guide the way.

    Make it so that it''ll take him awhile to come after me and mine, and those that come after me.

    A couple of minutes pass before the door is flung open, and before the half-dozen guards and magicians can do anything, my Aura of Power freezes them in their tracks, my fury overwriting any awe they would''ve felt, with nothing but terror filling their bodies.

    "Hi," I say, my smile back. "Which of you assholes thought it a good idea to use slave collars?"

    They don''t answer, so I pierce their hearts with manifested spears.

    "Hm," I spit on the one closes to me. "Pathetic. This isn''t even worth comparing to my last fight."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I look to the soul mage, whose eyes have widened with shock.

    "I have a bit of an issue with slave collars," I tell him. "Somehow, I managed to escape having one put on me when I was younger, but they''ve left a foul taste in my mouth. I suppose without¡­ that, I can''t conceal said rage as easily. Come on. Gather what you need ¨C and the fragment of his soul ¨C we''re leaving. You''re going to teach me how to use soul magic so I can track down and pull together the pieces of his soul."

    "I-I can''t leave this room without-"

    "Because of the magics in the doorway and the door itself?" I ask, and he nods. "I removed those spell. Something cast by a mere Human could never stop me. Get moving. If you need more than you can carry, we can place them into my ring."

    "Your¡­ ring?"

    "Yes," I hold up my hand, showing the ring on my right ring finger. "My ring. It contains a spatial compartment within it, allowing me to store vast quantities of items within. So gather what you need. We''re leaving and heading somewhere better-suited to you teaching me what I need to know. While I''m not pressed for time, I''d like to learn as quickly as possible."

    "Y-yes, milord," he dips his head to me as he climbs out of bed. "I-slaves are not-not graced with-clothes, milord. Even a pair of pants, such as what you wear, would be enough to-to cover me, when outside, if you would b-b-be so k-k-kind."

    He''s shy about his body. Not because of me, nor being in here, but it''s leaving this building nude that bothers him. He''s likely lived here for years, and grown accustomed to it with his jailers and the other slaves.

    Looking at him, I pull on his desire for clothes, manifesting a pair of pants for him. That''s all he wanted, likely because he noticed it was all I was wearing. The pants themselves are simple, brown cotton pants.

    Pathetic. You are before a great and powerful being, and the only type of pants you wish for are simple? Not even a tiny glimmer of a hope for something better?

    With a flex of my powers, I upgrade them to quality velvet pants, black in color. Then, I weave together matching leather boots and tunic, plus a belt, tossing them to him.

    "There," I say. "You''re a Human. Such an outfit is more appropriate."

    He swallows, then nods and quickly dresses, fumbling a bit with the belt and boots, but manages to dress alright. I ask him, and he mentions that he''d been captured when he was seven, during a random testing of everyone in his village proved him to have high soul magic potential. Apparently, they''re stripped immediately upon becoming a slave ¨C it makes it less likely for them to run.

    So it''s been a decade and a fifth, so his fumbling is alright.

    Once he''s dressed, and has gathered the things he needs, I turn and leave with a simple order to follow me, and he does. I could save everyone here, and I really, really want to, but I really need to focus on learning soul magic and restoring the Divine Soul.

    Really need to return to my Order and find out how safe they are, with me gone.

    Shutting out the sounds around me, the sounds of slaves, young and old, sleeping or working in their cells or crying and wailing, I continue to walk, killing any guards that draw near me.

    We descend the tower with a path of blood paved behind me. By the time we reach the front, the guards run from my presence, rather than try to fight me. They know they can''t win, and they know those who''ve tried to challenge me were slain as well.

    With a flick of my wrist, I throw the door off its hinges, and it soars through the air, landing hundreds of yards away.

    Stepping out into the moonlight, I inhale, the scent of sweat and blood from the tower giving way to the scent of fresh grass and flowers, with a light afterscent of rain.

    We''re now in fields, though around twenty miles in the distance, a forest starts up. There are several guards out here, but they''re keeping their distance, having already been warned of the otherworldly being with a temper.

    Flicking my wrist, I send fire outwards, killing each of the guards out here without breaking my stride. Litrar follows, and once we''re around half a mile from the tower, I stop and turn to face it. Built of a greyish stone and rising two thousand feet into the air, it''s quite impressive, for a world without the sciences of worlds like my brothers''. It being around three hundred feet across probably helps with the weight and support issue, though it''s mostly through the use of enchantments that it can stand without issue, if my reading of the magic is correct.

    Litrar looks at me nervously, then back to his former home.

    "How does freedom taste?" I ask.

    "I-I''m not sure."

    "You''re not my slave," I say. "I just need some help doing something and it deals with that fragment of a Divine Soul."

    "Piecing it back together?"

    "Yes," I answer. "Piecing it back together. I need to be able to track down each of the four hundred-some fragments of it and return them to each other. They''re scattered across the universe."

    "I-I''m not sure if I can-"

    "You don''t need to do it yourself," I tell him. "I''m more than capable of moving between the various worlds, realms, and planes of the universe. I even once entered my patron god''s Divine Realm."

    "You-you truly come from another world?"

    "Truly," I answer.

    "Your god wants you to-to restore the shattered one?"

    "Yes."

    "But if you do, whatever being shredded it might-"

    "That is of no concern to me," I state. "My patron god was the first Divine Being to ever form, and is the most powerful of them all. That said, even if he weren''t, I wouldn''t have need of worrying, as I am the one who shredded that particular god."

    Litrar gulps, and I glance over to him. He''s staring at me with pure fear in his eyes, his body rigid and white.

    "He pissed me off," I say. "Threatened those I love and care for. So I shredded his soul. However, some stuff came up, and now, I need to put him back together."

    "And you''re¡­ you''re mortal?"

    "Essentially."

    "Essentially?"

    "Do you know of evolution?"

    "Where a species is altered through the generations," he nods. "To adapt to environments or get rid of that which is useless."

    "There''s a way for things to evolve directly," I state. "And I have done it several times, becoming a being often viewed as a god. However, becoming a god itself is impossible, as far as I know. As I said, though ¨C I am not a god, I am simply a very, very powerful mortal.

    "So," I turn fully towards him, doing my best to stop my tail from swishing. My anticipation and excitement at learning this magic and being able to regain Access is showing through through the infuriating appendage. "Will you agree to teach me what I need to know, to complete the task my patron has assigned to me? Refuse, and I will simply relieve you of the fragment you have, take you somewhere safe, and return to you the items we stored in my ring. Then, I will give you some food and extra clothes, before departing and seeking out another soul mage."

    Litrar thinks for only a few seconds before nodding.

    "Yes," he responds. "I''ll-I''ll do my best to teach you."

    "No need to be afraid," I smile at him. "My patron wouldn''t have sent me to you if he thought I''d hurt you ¨C he''d wait for me to be seeking out the fragment to find you."

    Litrar nods.

    "Thank you," I smile at him. "So ¨C do you know a place we can go? Or were you kept in isolation for too long?"

    He thinks on it for a few moments, then nods.

    "Haivura is a free place," he tells me. "They don''t practice slavery, and do spread the knowledge of magic. If you want a place less-populate with people, the Haivar Forest is mostly uninhabited by people, though it''s far too dangerous for most people to go into."

    Though since I''m anything but normal, he probably doesn''t think I''d have an issue. Considering how powerful I am even without Access, the forest is probably child''s play to me. Depending on what he can do with soul magic, it probably wouldn''t be an issue for him, too.

    And a nation that doesn''t practice slavery and supports the spreading of knowledge? That sounds like my kind of place. I might be able to find some new recruits for the Order. Will translation magics work to let my people communicate with them, since they''re from another world? Or will we need to rely on the Dekami for awhile if I bring some of them to Eisnar?

    You can worry about that later. For now, just focus on learning how to use soul magic, sensing the Divine Soul''s fragments, and pulling them back together.

    "Alright," I tell Litrar, weaving together my air magics and lifting us up into the sky. "Do you know the way?"

 Chapter 0109 - Soul Link

    (Gavin)

    The Haivar Forest really is quite massive. It took us a couple of days to travel to it, mostly because we had to stop for directions a few times and turn around twice, plus rest. Without my boosts from the System, I can''t go as far for as long, and it was a huge distance.

    That''s really an excuse. I probably could have gotten there within a day, but Litrar still seemed nervous of me, and I''m still adjusting to not having Access. With Access, I knew my limits, but right now, I don''t, other than that they''re smaller.

    While I probably can go as far as normal, my control over magic is a lot less fine without the Manipulation Skills, for instance. They provided a concrete ability that would only improve as I built upon it. I have what I used to build upon it, but not the base from them, so my control is less refined right now.

    By the time we land in a clearing near some waterfalls, though, I think I''ve gotten proper control that would impress my old self, if looking at someone without Access.

    The clearing isn''t too far from the edge of the forest, and a walled-in town rests a few hours'' walk past that. If we were walking, it''d probably take us two days to reach it. According to Litrar, the Haivar Forest is filled with all manner of beast, so any settlement near it would have to be situated a distance away and built with proper walls to protect it, just in case.

    With our current resting place determined, I weave together my magics and build us a house. Aether comes to me naturally, and the Arcane is a tad bit natural for me ¨C likely because of the Fairy base for one of my Species ¨C so it isn''t too difficult.

    The house is simple ¨C it has two bedrooms, a washing-up room, a relief room, a kitchen, dining room, and communal space, plus the basement, which was designed to act as a training area for both body and magic. I spend an hour enchanting the basement as well, to give it added protections.

    Once that''s done, I head back upstairs and prepare lunch for us, pulling things from my ring and working swiftly, having the meal prepared in twenty minutes. We eat, then clean up, and I sit Litrar down for some questions.

    "What, um, what do you want to know?" He asks once I tell him I have some questions.

    "Do you know what happens when someone dies?"

    "Yes," he nods. "Their soul moves on into the afterlife, if it''s death because the body died. At least, in most cases."

    "In most?"

    "Yes," he nods. "There are two true types of death. The first type of death is where the body dies. When it does, the soul ¨C and the person ¨C move on into the afterlife. The second type of death is through soul purification, though there are two forms to it. In most cases, the soul undergoes a sort of purging that removes all connections to it, all memories, the body, everything, and it finds its way into another vessel ¨C developing creature, before its birth. I think it''s called reincarnation? Except that the person that soul used to be is dead, as all memories and such are gone, with no way to be retrieved. It does, however, retain most of its old power, as most of one''s power is linked into their soul."

    The two things that the Divine Beings were discussing.

    "And the other way?" I ask. "They keep their memories?"

    "No," he shakes his head. "All of our reference materials never said it was possible ¨C in fact, it''s impossible, as far as we know, to keep one''s memories through a soul purification. This other method, the target retains their body, but the old person still dies. They''re a new person, with the same body and powers the old person had."

    So that''s how it''s possible to die without dying, then. And Nahor mentioned that there''s a way to retain one''s memories through a soul purification.

    I''m meeting that, aren''t I? Whatever that specific type of death is, that''s what I''m facing, isn''t it? Where I undergo a soul purification and remember who I am ¨C was ¨C and retain my power. But I think he said it made the being more powerful, or something.

    I can worry about what''s happening to me later ¨C since I''m dying yet not dying, there''s a huge relief filling me. I can still protect my Order, even after I die.

    So for now, I''m going to learn soul magics.

    "Can you show me some soul magics?" I ask Litrar, and he thinks for a few moments, then nods, heading outside.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I follow him, and he kneels at the edge of the clearing, and I sense his soul shifting. After a few minutes, a horned rabbit hops into view. Watching the two of them, I can tell that he''s using his soul to summon this creature, to pull it towards him and bend it to his will as the odd rabbit hops into his arms.

    Another type of slavery.

    "Stop doing that!" I snap, and he jumps, turning to face me with fear clear on his face. "I don''t mind if it''s a partnership, but slavery is against my code, and that is most definitely a form of slavery."

    "S-sorry!" He says, and the shift in their souls stops, the rabbit suddenly ramming its horn into his stomach. "Ah!"

    I flick my wrist, a beam of crimson light bursting out of my hand and slamming into the beast, turning it to a shower of blood, then I quickly rip Litrar''s tunic to the sides to expose the wound.

    Manipulating his own blood, life, and health, I get to work. It was obvious the rabbit hit something vital, and Litrar won''t survive if I don''t push myself here. Healing others has never been something I''ve really needed to do before, only myself.

    It takes me a few minutes, but I manage to stop his bleeding and mend his flesh, leaving behind a pink, circular scar. Litrar moves his hand to the scar, breathing heavily, and I pull his hand away, using my power over the Aether to mend and clean his tunic.

    "Rabbits are dangerous here?"

    "You''ve never seen a horned rabbit before?"

    "That thing just attacked you."

    "Well, duh," he looks confused. "Everyone knows horned rabbits are violent, vicious creatures. Only through some form of magic can they be tamed. I-I''m sorry, sir. I-I didn''t mean to upset you."

    He''s turned his gaze downwards, towards the hand he''s pushed under his tunic to feel the scar. He''s feeling guilty over upsetting me, over pissing off his savior and the powerful being before him.

    Letting out a sigh, I stand up.

    "I don''t like any form of slavery," I state. "I work towards freeing others. I don''t want to see you doing something like that again, and I don''t want you to teach me how to do that. Am I clear?"

    "Um," he looks nervous.

    "Say it."

    "The magics used for that are all in other forms of soul magics," he tells me. "For example, the Soul Link that allows me to control a creature can also be used to cause harm to another."

    "Harm how?"

    He frowns, then looks around, sighing.

    "Everything''s avoiding us," he says. "They''re¡­ they''re scared of you. Without pulling one towards us-"

    "Perform it on me," I say, and his expression turns to one of horror. "My soul is quite powerful in comparison to yours, and I''m sure that if you were to do anything I didn''t like, it wouldn''t be difficult for me to sever the link. I learn magic fast. If there''s a way to harm someone else through it, I''d probably learn it fast."

    He swallows hard, nodding, then closes his head. After a few seconds, I feel something tugging at my soul, a connection to another. To his. I read the connection as I feel a pain in my stomach. Is this the same pain he''s feeling?

    Litrar opens his eyes as I continue to study the Soul Link, then he pinches his arm, and I feel the pinch as well.

    "The link goes both ways," he tells me when I examine my arm. "Any injury one of us receives, both receives. It doesn''t even have to be of a similar spot."

    I unfold my left wing, then swiftly snap part of the bone making up the top, and Litrar screams, arching his back and falling forward, catching himself on his hands. A few seconds later, I''ve healed fully, and he''s left gasping. There''s no pain left for me, though I have a natural resiliency to pain from having dealt with so much of it.

    I did feel that, though ¨C probably because I don''t have Pain Resistance anymore. I forgot how pain felt. It was¡­ interesting.

    "How did you," he gasps. "Not even¡­ flinch?"

    "I have become numb to a lot of things," I tell him. "Feeling pain isn''t unusual for me, even if so lately. If you had wings, yours would''ve broken like mine?"

    "Yes," he gasps.

    Then the same would be true for arms, yes? Watching the link between us, I snap my left arm, and he screams again as his own arm breaks. Assuming the link causes what happens to one to happen to both, and not just injuries, that would mean that healing my arm will heal his.

    It only takes a few seconds for my arm to heal, confirming that his own healed as well.

    Looking down to Litrar, I''m suddenly hit by a wave of guilt. I just hurt someone else for the sake of experimenting, and they weren''t a bad person. He hasn''t done anything to warrant this, and I was just hurting him.

    Am I becoming a monster?

    I sever the Soul Link and look through my ring, pulling out a potion and dropping it in front of Litrar.

    "That''ll nullify your pain," I tell him, and he looks up at me, confused. "I''m not used to feeling pain, and hadn''t taken into consideration the effect it''d have on you. Sorry. I''m¡­ I''m going to go lie down for a bit."

    I turn and make my way inside, to my room, and strip off my pants before lying on my bed. Lying with my wings is awkward, but they''re both durable enough and flexible enough that I can sleep on my sides, as long as they''re tucked against me the right way.

    A blanket forms over me, and I sigh.

    Using a regular person as a guinea pig? What in the world were you thinking?

    Not much, really. It was simply something to do, something to test, and the opportunity was there. He''d even opened the route up himself. You simply¡­ walked down it. But it was wrong. He''s not an enemy, he''s an ally.

    Or at least, was. If he''s still here tomorrow, we can see about the training. If not, then you''ll have to find someone new.

    Are you talking to yourself?

    Yes. Yes, I am. I''m talking to myself. How long have I been doing this? I dunno. Probably awhile, now I think about it. Kade told me, all those years ago, that magicians do tend to talk to themselves.

    You definitely meet the qualifications to be a ''magician''.

    Does Litrar talk to himself, since he''s a soul mage? Or does that fall into a different category than ''magician''? If he''s still here in the morning, I''ll ask.

 Chapter 0110 - A Trip to Town

    (Gavin)

    The folks of Haitul, the town near where Litrar and I landed a few months ago, part as I walk down the street, though not a trace of fear shows on their faces, nor emanates from their minds or in their souls.

    Instead, awe fills them. Awe, wonder, and worship. I hate coming into town, because of the amount of awe and worship they give me. A far cry from their reaction when I first entered the town to see about acquiring some stuff.

    They were terrified of me while still in deep awe due to my appearance and the gods-dammed Aura of Power that I can''t turn off. No matter how hard I try, I can''t even suppress it. Which pisses me off to Eisnar and back.

    Unfortunately, I''m still having a difficult time getting a good read on Divine Souls, and I need to be able to do it over massive distances. Managing between worlds, planes, and realms will be tough enough ¨C I''ll likely need to enter quite a few just to try and sense, and do a lot of traveling.

    Hopefully, I can be ready enough for that soon, but the fragment that Litrar had is already hard enough for me to sense more than just a mile or so away, and that''s with just the souls in the forest ¨C doing it in a town or city?

    That would become much, much tougher.

    Then factoring in environmental muting?

    Yeah, I''m going to need to up my soul sensing to a massive level to pick out the tiny fragments of the Divine Soul I shredded.

    So for now, I''m going to continue working on improving my power over the soul and my ability to sense them, because that''s all I really can do. I''m not even close to being able to properly weave a soul back together, either ¨C just putting them near each other means they''ll heal naturally, and even for a Divine Being, that would take a long while.

    Forcing the fragments into each other also results in it healing naturally, rather than merging together. It seems there''s some sort of safeguard in the souls themselves that prevent them from healing ''wrong''. Which is weird, considering they don''t need to be put back in any order, they just need to heal ''right''.

    Reading a soul is difficult work, even for an exceptional case like mine. The goods news is that it''s been confirmed to me that Nies froze Eisnar ¨C though apparently, he froze the entire plane that it''s in. Which means that I can take my time working on this, which is good, because it''s going to take a lot of time.

    Clearing my thoughts of my slow progress from my head, I continue to walk past the awe-filled townsfolk until I reach the central plaza, where a fountain sprays up into the air. It''s dark grey stone flecked with bits of green sparkling lightly in the summer sun, the clear water glimmering.

    They really did change the fountain because of my comment. When I first arrived, it was a three-tier fountain, with the water spraying out of the top layer and cascading down the three beneath it. Last time I was here, I made the mistake of commenting about a fountain I saw during my walk through the capital of Jozan with Kade that resembled a layer of cliffs with the water cascading down like waterfalls.

    Not something I really took note of back then, but with my mental capabilities enhanced by my superior species, recalling such a small detail was actually pretty easy.

    Lately, I''ve been doing a lot of reflecting, and thinking about random events from my past. Sometimes, it''s to think about the decisions I''ve made, while other times, it''s just to see what random details I can pull from memory that I probably couldn''t have back then.

    I''ve made a lot of stupid decisions in my life ¨C the Blood Oath Quest being among them ¨C but most of them came from when I was a thirteen-year-old under a lot of stress and going through a lot of changes.

    And admittedly, I didn''t know that Blood Oath Quests were a thing. I knew about Blood Oaths and Soul Oaths because of the way Kar was, but there was no mention that having Access would mean earning a Quest for it.

    Breaking a Blood Oath without any reparation earns a punishment in death. To me, at that time, I would''ve gladly taken that punishment. After all, it would''ve meant that I''d failed in protecting my home and bringing it back.

    Not that it matters anymore, since I''m past all of that, and what''s done is done.

    Just like with me shredding a Divine Soul. He knew exactly what buttons to push, which meant that he''d looked up stuff about me, had possibly even studied me. He knew he could provoke me into attack him, voiding out the no-interfering rule.

    Allowing him to fight another god''s Hero.

    I''m sure that Nies is furious about that, and I honestly wouldn''t be surprised if he''s currently ''accidentally moving'' fragments of the Divine Soul so I can find them easier. If he''s not, he''ll probably start doing it once I''m able to track them down.

    The reason for that?

    So he can exact his punishment for that manipulation upon the god. Knowing Nies, he might decide to just shred the soul and scatter it again, or throw him into the oblivion.

    Or shred him and throw him into the oblivion.

    Though it''s Nies, so he''ll probably be lazy about whatever the punishment is, but that won''t mean it won''t be light or gentle. He did literally Descend personally, kick the ass of, and then eat another god because of some attack he stopped before it ever actually entered the mortal realms.

    "Lord Jakran!"

    Why in the damn universe did I mention my last name to them?

    Because them calling you "Lord Gavin" sounded weird because that''s my first name. That''s why. So you mentioned your last name after getting tired of it without thinking about the fact that they''d just switch to that.

    And no matter how much I try to tell them to stop and just call me "Gavin", they won''t. At all. Ever.

    Looking at the speaker, he''s unfamiliar to me, and his scent doesn''t match the area''s. He must have arrived here since I last visited a month ago.

    The man is likely in his forties or fifties, though since he''s clearly a magician, it''s possible he''s even older than that. Were the System to exist in this world, he''d probably be a powerful magician ¨C at least Tier II.

    But the System doesn''t seem to be active here, and Nahor mentioned that Stem just hasn''t been bored enough to randomly trigger the first stage of Access on this world.

    It was Nahor who confirmed to me about Nies freezing the plane that Eisnar is in.

    The man who called out to me stands around six feet in height, with sapphire eyes, fair skin with a light tan, golden-brown hair, and a sturdy build, his square shoulders and firm jawline suggesting physical strength hidden by his fine outfit.

    Standing around him are roughly forty guards, though some have hidden themselves in the shadows or on the roofs, indicating nobility or status of some sort.

    The golden crown adorned with sapphires and emeralds resting atop his head denote his status as the king of Haivural.

    The king and his guards clearly feel fear, according to their scents and auras, though the king himself hides it well. He''d have a high Acting Level, if he had Access. Only the slightest shift to his eyes and mouth, the slightest tensing, shows that he feels fear.

    Not that he can hide it in his soul.

    They were likely warned what my presence felt like, but hearing about it and feeling it are two different things.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "King Aldrai," I dip my head to him, striding over and stopping a few feet in front of him.

    He managed to not move a muscle, though his guards shifted a bit, doing their best to resist the urge to take several steps back. Or run.

    Two in particular seem quite wary of me. I''ve been practicing my psychic abilities here, as they go hand-in-hand with soul magics. Specifically, mental magics, such as telepathy. It only takes a gentle touch for me to enter their minds unnoticed, and I confirm that those two aren''t loyal to their king.

    The random odds from probability, huh? Nies''s words come back to me. Sometimes, it seems like he''s more than just an Origin of Quests, Adventures, and the like. Probability, and the inherent state of chaos surrounding him ¨C could he also be a god of chaos? Possibly the origin of it?

    He''s too lazy for that, but then, he''s a bit too lazy for quests and adventures, and those are generally pretty active things.

    Either way, random coincidences happen quite often with me. Much too often to accept as ''normal''.

    "Lord Jakran," he dips his head to me. "I received word of your presence during my visit here last week, and wished to personally welcome you to my kingdom. Would you care to dine with me?"

    To refuse to dine with the king could be taken as a sign of hostility or negativity. I only come into the town every two to four weeks, usually to drop something off or pick something up. That, or to practice soul-reading. Judging by his tone and his soul, the king had planned on staying here until my next visit.

    How would the people react to me refusing to dine with him? Probably take it as me disapproving of their king, and with the way they worship me, that could result in the town pulling away from him.

    Accepting the offer to dine with him would be seen as a show of support, even though that''s not what it is, and word that the king dined with a godly being would likely spread quick as a wildfire. If it''s seen that he''s allied himself with a godly being, it could help protect their borders, especially as word of my existence has spread quickly, as has my assault on that tower.

    It doesn''t matter that it''s mostly just rumor right now, the fact that it''s coming from multiple sources ¨C the people here, the soldiers at that tower of slavery, and the places Litrar and I stopped by on our way here ¨C will give people pause.

    That, itself, is likely why King Aldrai has requested to meet with me. A small manipulation. He knows that my refusal to dine with him could be seen by those same people who''d hesitate at the thought of our alliance as an act of dislike, of disapproval, and could lead to Haivural being invaded sooner rather than later.

    As long as the godly being isn''t agitated, why worry, right? They''d probably avoid this area for awhile, if they did invade.

    Though it seems that every damn nation around this one uses those damn collars on magicians over a certain level of power or with certain talents, such as Litrar and soul magic.

    So should I potentially risk the nation that doesn''t enslave people being invaded, or show my ''support'' to it?

    It''s me. I don''t play stupid games like this.

    "I am quite busy at the moment," I tell the king. "I need to be returning to what I was doing before coming here as soon as possible. That said ¨C I do feel inclined to warn you that Nilmi and Vulcur are both traitors, and are aware of an ambush set up to kill you after you leave this town. Someplace called Haivuras Pass.

    "From their thoughts," I say, and eyes widen all around me. "They work for someone named Kiltua. Ah, seems he''s a noble of some sort. Yes, I''m reading thoughts, which is how I know that the man on your right has been taking to bed one of the handmaidens of your daughter''s, and that he can''t wait to tell her about meeting me.

    "Anyway," I turn back to the direction I was originally walking. "I have business to attend to. Perhaps I''ll see you again, before I leave."

    Without another word, I leave, making my way to the shop I had already targeted. The king will likely know soon enough that I am capable of reading thoughts ¨C the townsfolk have been aware of it, because I''ve asked their aid in letting me practice reading ¨C but not messing with ¨C thoughts, including ones they want to hide.

    Practicing it is fun, to be honest. They do their best to hide some random piece of information from me, and I do my best to seek it out without their noticing. I''ve probably awakened actual psychic abilities in ten or eleven of them from the practice, too, so the townsfolk see me in an even greater light.

    Once I arrive there, I pull an item out of my ring, though it fills up nearly the entire room. It''s the carcass of a cat-like creature with dark blue fur streaked with green and brown, a trio of horns atop her head.

    The shop owner stares at it for several moments, before his face breaks out into a wide smiles.

    "Thank you, Lord Jakran," he dips his head to me, then quickly starts walking around it. "The worth of this creature is 139,000 Haiv. I see no marks on its hide, which means its quality is likely as exceptional as the past hunts have been, with your mysterious way of killing at work."

    They want to find out how I''m killing these things. It''s through the soul ¨C I''m targeting it, ripping it right out of the body and letting it fade into the afterlife. Something, it seems, which will take a very long time to happen to my soul, even though I''m to die at some point soon after I return to Eisnar.

    Clearing that thought from my head, I continue to listen as the old shopkeeper continues to spout praise as he examines the corpse of the beast.

    When he finally calms down, fiddling with the black-and-violet ring on his finger ¨C a gift to him, so he can transport my larger kills out of this room without having to deal with bleeding the place up from it ¨C the shopkeeper disappears into the back room.

    While he''s back there, a young woman comes out, probably around seventeen or eighteen. I''ve never asked. She makes small talk with me, asking about various things and being as subtle as she can about her interest, before leaving when the shopkeeper returns.

    "Dairy day?" I ask.

    The girl is the daughter of a farmer outside of town ¨C the town''s only source of milk. She has six brothers who all help tend the farm and cows, two older, four younger. She typically comes with her two older brothers for the deliveries.

    "Yes," he nods. "She''ll likely be leaving soon, she and her brothers were just finishing unloading."

    The shopkeeper fiddles with his ring, and various supplies and food appear on the counter. I transfer them into my ring, thank him, and then decide to avoid the king''s men and simply teleport, arriving in the forest clearing moments later.

    That''s the first time I''ve used my teleportation magic around them, making me wonder what they''lll think of my ability to just appear and disappear at will.

    They''ll probably just praise you even more for it.

    "Was she there?"

    Looking over, I spot Litrar, who''s removed his tunic, resting it on the chopping stump, his boots resting next to it, as he performs pushups, soaked in sweat and breathing heavily.

    "Yes," I answer. "She asked how you were doing, too, though she''s probably getting ready to leave with her brothers to return to the farm."

    A smile breaks out on Litrar''s face. The two of them are so obvious about their crushes on each other, I want to play matchmaker. Litrar falters in his pushup ¨C he wants to have a toned body to be more ''attractive'', not aware that she''s already in love with him ¨C and then a scowl crosses his face.

    "What did you do the berries?"

    "Whatever do you mean?" I put on my best innocent face.

    "The flavors are all swapped!"

    "Really?" I ask. "Are you sure you''re eating the right ones?"

    He scowls, stops his pushup, then stands and quickly makes his way inside. I make sure to cancel out my spell as he does, and he walks out looking thoroughly confused.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "The berries are all mixed up!" He exclaims. "How did you move them all without me knowing you were here? You can''t suppress your soul enough for that yet!"

    "I moved the berries around before I left," I tell him. "Are you sure you didn''t just get confused and grab the wrong ones?"

    Litrar stares at me, and then sighs, shaking his head.

    I put an illusion on the berries to change their appearances. He really was eating the wrong ones ¨C the illusion affected even their textures.

    "What did you get?" He asks.

    "More food," I answer. "He threw in some of the milk and cheese from the farm, too. Then some more supplies ¨C soap, shampoo, and the like. What was that creature, anyway? I know it was powerful, but its worth was double the highest I''ve touched so far."

    "A kulkrul tiger," he answers. "They''re pretty deadly ¨C I''d overheard guards talking about it in the tower. It seems they''d had to deal with them sometimes sneaking out of the forest near them and attacking, though why they would travel that far to the tower is anyone''s guess."

    Maybe they had a secret dislike of slavery?

    "Alright," I say. "We''ll resume training today, I''m pretty exhausted."

    He nods.

    "Oh, right," I say. "Do you want to meet the king?"

    "The king?" He looks confused. "Why?"

    "He''s in town," I shrug. "I''m sure if I said I knew someone who wanted to meet him, he''d let me introduce you."

    Litrar stares at me for twenty long, long seconds as he processes what I just told him, then sighs and shakes his head.

    "Meeting the king," he mutters. "Probably just another prank of his. Besides ¨C what would I even say to the king, if I did meet him? It''s not like I''m one of his subjects¡­ kind of?"

    Rolling my eyes, I make my way inside the house to get some sleep. It took me two hours of wrestling with that weird tiger to rip its soul of it the way I''d been practicing.

    And then I shredded it and wove it back together. That was tough. And then I teleported to the edge of the forest, walked to town, did all the stuff there, and teleported back. So I''m very exhausted.

    Though before I head to bed, I rig up a bucket of water over the front door. Just in case. If he falls for it, it''s his own fault for not checking the door. I know he can sense me doing something here, since he''s right in that I can''t properly suppress my soul from his sight yet.

    He''ll probably complain when I wake up, but it''s not the first time I''ve dropped a bucket of water on his head. The time he thought it was blood was pretty funny, until I undid my illusion.

    Being able to relax and pull pranks like this is a huge relief to me, even if I still have the urgency of needing to repair the Divine Soul. I can''t do anything until I can sense them between realms, worlds, and planes, after all. Or at least, over vast, vast distances. Like across an entire world.

    Hopefully, that comes soon. Very, very soon.

    Hopefully.

 Chapter 0111 - Beginning the Mend

    (Gavin)

    Sitting on the stump, I focus, reaching out with my senses and looking at the souls around me. The fish swimming peacefully in the nearby pond, long-since used to my presence and comfortable knowing that they aren''t to be eaten (they are, but their memories are awful), the horned rabbits that keep their distance from my clearing ever since my last little rampage on them, the kulkrul tigers, the various bears, deer, squirrels, and other beasts.

    Further out, I can sense Litrar, as he stalks through the forest, doing his best to remain as quiet and stealthy as he can as he hunts a deer for dinner. At least, I''m pretty sure that''s a deer he''s hunting, and that he''s not hunting something completely different.

    I continue to reach out with my mind and my soul-sensing abilities, pushing them further and further. I sense the people within the town, counting each and every last soul in there ¨C fourteen thousand nine hundred seventeen humans ¨C before moving on, allowing my mind to expand over the world.

    Straining myself like this gives me a headache, but it''s also the only way I can push my limits and let them grow. A year has passed since I arrived here, and I need to be able to blanket a lot of space and pick out each and every soul, no matter how strong or weak, no matter how larger or small, if I want to detect the Divine Soul I shredded.

    This isn''t my first time enveloping the entire world with my mind and soul sensing, but something''s different this time. Not that it''s easier and more fluid ¨C that doesn''t surprise me ¨C but because of an unfamiliar soul. I don''t recognize it, and yet the signature is familiar to me.

    Snapping my eyes open, I immediately teleport to the location, startling a few regular, harmless rabbits that were feeding on the grass.

    While the soul isn''t visible to normal eyes, my soul sight allows me to witness the wispy, grey-white existence. A small fragment, barely the size of my little finger, drifting lightly in the air.

    Extending a hand, I allow the fragment to draw towards me, and I pull the fragment out of my ring. The fragment of the Divine Soul that Litrar had captured by luck has formed into a grey-white marble the size of a blueberry.

    Comparing the two, I confirm that the new fragment is a portion of the Divine Soul I ripped apart. One thing about souls is that they don''t have to match up exactly how they were previously, which means that I can take two fragments of the same soul that originated from opposite ends of the soul and weave them back together, and there are no issues.

    Souls are a weird thing, and they''re a mystery. Nahor said that even Nies and Twist can''t understand them properly. Then Nies protested that and told Nahor to screw off and stop talking with his Hero, because he most certainly could, and Nahor made some comment about ''then you aren''t registering the continued existence of a certain being''.

    None of the Divine Beings I''ve spoken with are sure who Nahor''s referring to with that, and I had to yell at those two in order to have some mental peace.

    Speaking of Nies, I do have to wonder if he''s the reason this fragment ended up here, since it wasn''t here the last few times I checked ¨C the latest check occurring yesterday.

    There''s always the possibility it drifted here on its own as well, but I''m doubting that, even with how randomly powerful my coincidences are.

    Bringing the two fragments of the Divine Soul together, I begin weaving them back together, a process that takes me around five minutes, though that''s much better than the hour I used to take for similarly-sized fragments.

    As soon as they''re done, I return them to the marble state of the fragment I''d already possessed, and note that it''s only slightly-larger than before. Other than that, it doesn''t look any different, so I return it to my ring, then sit once more, crossing my legs in front of me before reaching out with my mind and soul once more, blanketing the entire world, looking on the surface, in the skies, and deep, deep beneath the land.

    Not a trace of the Divine Soul around. If I really can sense it now, that means there aren''t any other fragments here. After carefully performing another sweep of the world, I return to the clearing, where Litrar is roasting the deer he caught. The technique I use to check the world like that takes me a long time to read and assess. Hours. Judging by my internal clock and the set sun, it''s been about eight hours since I left the clearing.

    "Welcome back," he dips his head to me. "I sensed you doing the second check. Trying it from another angle?"

    "Found another fragment," I shake my head. "The second check was to see if there was another around, but there''s not. I''m ready to leave this world anyway, so I''ll be departing tomorrow."

    "Any idea where you''ll try next?" He asks, knowing I can''t sense the Divine Soul fragments on other worlds.

    Try Eitarol.

    "According to Nies," I say. "I should try someplace called ''Eitarol''."

    Litrar snorts, then returns to cooking. I let him know I''m going to do a scrying to see if I can view the place, then teleport to another clearing that I''ve placed fear wards around, specifically to deter monsters from setting home up in it or being around when I arrive.

    It''s easier for me to focus.

    Once I''m seated, I clear my mind and focus solely on the name of the world Eitarol, enhancing my thoughts with my psychic abilities until I''m able to glimpse a portion of the world.

    The glimpse I receive is more than a little disturbing, a city of stone and metal with thick, black and grey clouds filling the air. Or is it smoke? The city itself isn''t burning, it''s coming from within the buildings, and nearly all of them. Yet people walk the streets just fine, their bodies covered with something black, as well as sweat. Their skin almost glistens from whatever it is.

    Shaking my head, I stop the flow of power, then teleport back to the home clearing, enjoy dinner, then head to bed as Litrar starts cleaning up from dinner. I''d help him, except I''m extremely exhausted from everything I''ve done today, and Litrar seems content to clean everything, anyway.

    Apparently, using my magic to clean stuff bothers him, because he just scrubs it all down after anyway.

    When morning comes, I dress, listening to Litrar as he sits at the table outside, drumming his fingers on the top of it. It''s him waiting for something. Is he waiting for me to come out?

    Shrugging, I make my way outside, and as soon as I open the front door, he looks over to me, standing.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Gavin," he says. "I would like to come with you."

    "Really?" I ask.

    "Yes."

    "What about the farm girl?"

    "Tie myself down," he says. "Or explore the universe with a godlike being such as you?"

    There''s more to it than that, and my gaze doesn''t soften until he relents.

    "You''ve told me much about your Order," he tells me. "And I want to help you with it. You mentioned yourself that soul magic wasn''t something really studied on your world. I can help the Order, and the idea of being a place of protection, freedom, and the advancement of magic appeals to me."

    There''s probably still more to it than that, but I''m not going to push him. He''s being honest, and I don''t sense a darker intent in him ¨C he can''t hide that in his soul, not from me, at any rate. I''m simply too powerful of a soul mage, now.

    "Have you packed your things?" I ask, and he nods, holding up his hand to show me the spatial ring I''d gifted him.

    I gifted it to him mostly so he could transport things around, though it''s still fairly large. He''s become something of an apprentice to me, and I felt obligated to gift it to him. It''s not like I had any reason not to gift it to him ¨C I do trust him.

    I also gifted one to the king of Haivural, the last time he visited the local town, though that stemmed from me being an in exceptionally good mood at the time, unlike with Litrar, where I simply felt he deserved it.

    And it seems he used it to pack his stuff, now that I reach out with my senses to see what he''s taken. Anything that''s ''his'', and any food as well. He really hopes he can come with me.

    "It might not be easy," I tell him. "We''ll be going through a lot worlds, realms, and planes, and as quickly as we possibly can. You won''t understand anyone anywhere we go, and when we enter different planes, things might¡­ function weird. Are you ready to accept that?"

    He nods.

    "Very well, then," I say. "Come in close."

    He does, and I draw upon my power over the aether to open up a Rift as I focus on Eitarol, opening an ''instant Rift'' ¨C that is, a Rift that simply takes us from location to location, no Rift Realm between.

    We step out into the smoke-filled streets of the same city I saw before, my only visual image of the world, and as soon as we arrive, I seal up the Rift, looking around. The people here have either frozen up, begun prostrating themselves, or taken several steps back.

    Dammit.

    I''d gotten used to people not doing this. I really, really wish I could turn off my fucking Aura of Power. I''d settle on being able to make my eyes normal again!

    Wait.

    I¡­

    Please tell me this isn''t that simple.

    Taking a deep breath, I slowly let it out as I perform a spell. I''ve done it enough times through the System to know how it works without Access just from reading it, and if my theory is correct¡­

    My Aura of Power vanishes as my eyes turn to normal, and Litrar jumps, startled, and looks at me with wide eyes.

    "What did you just do?" He asks.

    "I''m a fucking moron sometimes," I tell him. "I¡­ can change my form entirely."

    "Your eyes looking normal ¨C even if purple ¨C are the only change."

    "Yeah, I know," I shrug. "Though I guess there''s another issue ¨C passing through a Rift will undo any alternate forms, much like it undoes me retracting them when I have Access."

    Litrar nods, not questioning what Access is anymore. I''ve mentioned the System enough to him that he eventually got curious and asked me what it was, and I had to explain it to him. He finds it fascinating.

    I revert my form, since my Aura of Power already affected everyone here. If we ever arrive somewhere without people, though, I''ll change my form. Unlike when I use the Skill for it, doing it on my own actually takes up power and energy for me.

    Of course it does, why are you surprised by that?

    Stop talking to yourself and deal with the situation at hand, you''ve already learned a fair bit of their language just from listening to the conversations going on around you. Well, mostly from conversations of people who aren''t aware of your presence here, being too far to feel the Aura of Power, though there are some affected by it whispering, with a few spouting off worship nonsense.

    "I''m just passing through," I say in their language, waving a hand through the air dismissively. "I''m looking for something, and once I''ve acquired it, I''ll be gone."

    "Please, O God, tell us if we can be of help," one of the worshipers says in the most reverent voice I have ever heard.

    "Erm," I hesitate. "Not really, but I do have a few questions. What is this black smoke filling the sky?"

    "The smog?" He asks. "It comes from our factories, from the coal we burn and from working the metals and forging our tools and weapons."

    His mind shows him wondering why a god wouldn''t know that, but he''s too terrified of voicing that to mention it.

    "Shouldn''t a god know that?"

    Someone else, on the other hand, isn''t too terrified, though when I turn my starry gaze to him, he pales and takes several steps back. His body''s devoid of the dust ¨C likely from the coal, I''m guessing ¨C that everyone else has, and his velvet clothes are as pristine as they can be in this environment. He''s a magician as well, and the only magician I''m sensing within five hundred yards of me.

    Magicians are likely nobles around here.

    "Yes," I smile at him. "A god would know about that, wouldn''t he?"

    The magician gulps.

    "The air is difficult to breathe," I say, gesturing to Litrar as I form a layer of purified air around his head. "And as such, my quite mortal companion is choking. Your people have probably had to get used to it, though I''m sure it''s decreasing lifespans¡­ except for a magician like you, I''m sure. Especially with your own little spell giving you clean air. How many people here die from the smog every year?"

    The magician gulps again.

    "Run along, little child," I say, even though he''s probably old enough to be my dad.

    Not my real dad, just to be a dad of someone my age.

    "Go on," I gesture with my hand, then look at the sky, inhaling deeply with an air-filtration barrier in front of my mouth.

    Once I''ve sucked in as much air as I can, I exhale, a gust of pure, clean air filling the sky, neutralizing the smog and purging it from the area. Not pushing it away, purging it. I have to use a bit of Aether to do so, but there''s a touch of Arcane as well, with the people actually wanting clean air.

    When my endless breath finally ends, the sky is clear, as blue as it ever is anywhere I''ve been, the sun shining down, the people covering their eyes with their hands, unused to such a bright, harsh light.

    "There," I smile at the magician as I cancel the air-filtering spells. "The annoying smog is gone. Unlike you, even after being dismissed."

    He gulps again, bows, apologizes, and leaves.

    "Hm," I look at the people, who are giving me even more reverence, now. "Is there somewhere I can relax a little bit?"

    "The baths," the man I spoke with initially begins to tell me. "They are-"

    "I don''t mean relax in that way," I say. "I''m going to be performing a very powerful magic, and would like somewhere to focus."

    I''m led to a very spacious room at the magician''s home ¨C mostly because he had a servant intercept us and invite me to use their space. The mansion itself is extremely clean, and I''m kind of disgusted buy this. He uses his magic only for himself, not for his people. His servants might be clean, but that''s probably only to keep his place clean.

    They have a separate entrance and everything, so that they can scrub themselves down and change into their clean work clothes, and they''re required to keep that room pristine as well.

    After several hours of pushing myself, I locate three fragments of a Divine Soul scattered across this world, which is a little bit smaller than Litrar''s home world.

    Three of them.

    I had absolutely nothing to do with that, Nies tells me once I teleport to the first fragment.

    "Then why are you telling me that when I never even brought it up?"

    He doesn''t respond to that, his presence quickly vanishing from my mind.

    I weave the fragment into the other, then track down the other two and weave them in as well. One was in a forest, the other two were in cities; one in some sewers, the other in a factory. Litrar and I find a quiet place to rest once everything''s assembled, with plans to visit a random world tomorrow from the list of ones I know of due to my brothers'' travels.

    This is going to take awhile, especially since once I''ve run out of places I know of, I''ll need to start interrogating people for more places to reach.

 Chapter 0112 - Reconstructed Soul

    (Gavin)

    "Are you the being that''s popped in and out of this world twelve times in the last thousand years?"

    I turn and face the two Divine Beings that appeared next to me. It''s only been three years for me, but that''s mostly because I rarely stay on a world longer than a day or three.

    The Divine Being that spoke is the one who looked around twenty or so, with silver hair and golden eyes, dressed in white and silver robes, his skin as pale as this world''s moon. Since he''s Descended ¨C and seems to always be here whenever I arrive ¨C I''m not surprised by his companion, a Divine Being who looked around ten.

    This one''s a boy, like most of the Original Divine Beings, with spiky brown hair, his vibrant blue eyes wide with shock and awe. He''s heard stories, hasn''t he?

    "You''re Gavin, aren''t you?" He asks.

    Yeah, he''s heard stories.

    "Yes, I am," I answer. "I''ve been hoping to show up here when there weren''t two Divine Beings around."

    "We''re always here," the younger Divine Being looks down at the Original Divine Being. "You know of him?"

    "He''s Nies''s Hero," the Original Divine Being nods sagely. "What do you keep coming here for?"

    "I''m looking for fragments of a Divine Soul," I answer. "I''m only missing probably twenty of them, after my searches the last few years and some drawing to it due to the collective amount."

    "Oh, yeah," the younger one nods. "There are six of them here. They all coalesced together and are getting all happy and such. Why are you making a face like that?"

    "Why is your outfit made entirely out of citrus peels?"

    "I like fruit," berries grow on his shoulders. "So what are you looking for them for?"

    I pull the Divine Soul out of my ring, and Litrar shifts uncomfortably next to me. The anger radiating out of it is pretty evident, and always makes the mortal next to me uncomfortable.

    "Yeah," the Original Divine Being pokes at it. "They''re this guy''s soul. Why''s he so mad?"

    "He probably wants to kill me," I shrug.

    "Uh," the elder being makes a horrified face at it. "He does know what''ll happen if he does that, right? How stupid does someone have to be to anger Nies?"

    "Pretty stupid."

    "So Nies isn''t the one who ripped him up?"

    "That was me."

    "And you''re putting him back together?"

    "I lost Access to the System for doing it."

    Litrar has Access now, due to our ventures into a few worlds where it''s automatic for everyone. He''s a Level 19 Soul Mage and Level 2 Human, according to him, though I''m still blocked from Access.

    "Yeah, give me a second," the two Divine Beings vanish for a few minutes, and when they return, the six fragments of the Divine Soul immediately rush to the fist-sized orb. "There you go!"

    I begin working on the mending, taking five minutes to merge the six pieces back into the main. If I''m not mistaken, that leaves me with thirteen fragments, though with this much of the soul repaired, the others will draw to it across planes, realms, and worlds. I probably only need a few more fragments for the Divine Soul to enter full-restoration mode, which means my efforts won''t be needed anymore. That said, most of them are actually in one place, and I think there''s only one that''s not there.

    In fact, as I''m working, another fragment of the Divine Soul appears, giving me a few more seconds of work, and probably removing the need to go anywhere but the place with the rest.

    When I complete it, I hold the soul out and watch the two Divine Beings discuss something in their own language. At some point, I became able to understand all languages, probably from having learned over eight hundred of them, though I''m not entirely sure.

    A few languages aren''t affected by this ¨C the Runic Languages and the Divine Languages are the ones I''ve confirmed as not translating automatically for me.

    The younger Divine Being probably watches over this particular world personally, likely interacting with his people on a regular basis, but still retaining his status as a god among them. The younger one likely comes here because of the huge limitation in that Divine Beings ¨C except certain ones, like Ultarna ¨C may not Descend without an Original Divine Being.

    Which explains why he''s been here each time I''ve come before.

    "Do you two need me?" I ask, and they look at me. "Or mind if Litrar and I leave?"

    "No, go ahead," the elder one says. "Tell Nies that Ulvar says ''hi'', will you?"

    Couldn''t you do that yourself? He''s in a much better mood, now that I''m a lot closer to having finished repairing this thing.

    "I will," I wave to him, then look at Litrar. "Ready to go face the false Dekami?"

    They have the remaining fragments, as far as I can tell. According to Nies, Twist, and Nahor, they managed to intercept thirteen fragments'' scattering and pull them into their own realm. The conversation got pretty heated.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Nies apparently wanted to go in there and smite the hell out of the false Dekami, Twist wanted him to calm down, and Nahor kept giving cryptic messages about them meeting their deaths soon enough anyway. Hopefully, whatever kills them all either does it before I arrive, or arrives after I leave.

    Litrar takes a few seconds to confirm he''s ready, and once he does, I open a Rift directly into their realm, sealing it up behind me.

    I''m greeted by the blond-haired, violet-eyed false Dekami gathered in the plaza we arrived in, and they looked stunned, to say the least. Before any of them can react, seven fragments of a soul whiz through the air, arriving and merging into the orb.

    I did assist them, but they were eagerly merging in, the soul able to repair itself rapidly now. As soon as they''re in, I can sense the other six fragments breaking free and making their way here. No matter what the false Dekami are, they are not gods, and cannot truly contain a Divine Soul. And with the bulk of it here, they can''t stop the fragments from rejoining.

    The soul swirls and shifts, beginning to glow, taking on a light blue coloration.

    Sacred Title Earned!

    (X) God Mender: One who has mended a Divine Soul which had taken damage beyond normal repair.

    System Access Restored!

    Stats/Skills Adjusting to match actual values based upon actions during block.

    Please wait 10 seconds.

    Some may not register until use.

    Fina-fucking-ly.

    "Hi," I wave to them. "I just needed those things. If you don''t mind, I''ll be leaving, once he finishes healing up."

    "You really think we''ll let an intruder leave?" A false Dekami ¨C their Status registers them as the Kumadi ¨C steps forward threateningly. "Just because you''ve reached a high Species Tier doesn''t mean you can take on a Celestial Species. And we really needed those soul fragments."

    "Yeah," I say. "Well, so did I, and are you threatening me?"

    He opens his mouth to continue, and a Blood Smite later, well, there''s nothing but a shower of blood left in his place. My barrier deflected it, protecting Litrar and me, but the rest of the Kumadi in the area?

    They got soaked with their man''s blood.

    Oops?

    Several of them snarl and attack, and I unfold my wings, taking off into the sky after ensuring a barrier''s around Litrar. Up in the air, I begin attacking, bringing nothing but death and destruction to these beings.

    They are nothing compared to me. None of the Kumadi I face even start to stand up to my power. The ones that manage to resist an attack die with the next. A few manage to escape an attack or two, but never survive past the third.

    The Kumadi continue to attack, more drawing in from the nearby areas, and I continue to fight, slaying them all. The Kumadi are evil, and the Divine Beings do want them wiped-out. Some of the things Nies has mentioned to me about them in the past only fuel my rage.

    While they don''t do it anymore, due to being sealed into this realm (mostly), they were huge on slavery, and would still follow that if they weren''t here. That''s probably one of the reasons they helped those Elves, all those times ago.

    I suppose this is what Nahor meant about the false Dekami meeting their deaths soon enough. His power to know the future probably told him I''d end up killing all of them. And if I''m not mistaken, Nies, Twist, and a few others are currently watching. I know for sure that Nies is, because he''s cheering me on in my head ¨C and has assured me that he''s placed a Divine Protection around Litrar ¨C as he eats what sounds like popcorn.

    When I finally finish killing the Kumadi, I extend my mental and soul-sensing powers, triggering my Skill of Mind-Soul Blanket, as the System calls it. The Soul and Psionic cost is heavily decreased, now that I have the System and it as a Skill, and the ease of using it has increased.

    Confirming there''s nothing left, I grab the healing Divine Being and bring us into Nies''s Realm, along with Litrar. He''ll recover faster, there.

    We appear right in the middle of a room with more than two hundred Divine Beings eating popcorn and watching me on a three-dimensional screen. I look at the screen, then back to the Divine Beings, then back to the screen, then back to them.

    "Uh," Nies blushes, then waves a hand, the screen vanishing. "Nothing to see here, Gavin. Nothing at all."

    "Nies?"

    "Yes?"

    "You''re in your older-teen form again."

    "It''s comfy."

    "What happened to your childish form?"

    "It''s napping."

    Napping? Nies, your form can''t nap while you''re not napping. That''s not how it works.

    Then again, it''s Nies. He''s probably just created a Divine Avatar of his child form to nap.

    "Bye, everyone!" Nies says, and everyone but Twist vanishes from the room.

    That was probably by force, too ¨C I''m sure they''re all just as surprised as I am by their sudden absence.

    "You didn''t have to stay," Nies mutters to Twist, then looks at Litrar. "Hi, Litrar. I''m Nies, Gavin''s patron deity."

    Nies then shifts into his kid form, climbing onto a tiger that appears out of nowhere, two more taking up their guarding positions beside him.

    "Going to go nap?" I ask.

    "Yeah," he answers. "Though he''s going to finish healing here in a minute. I''ve unfro-you can return to Eisnar, now."

    "You do know that I know you froze the entire realm in time, don''t you?"

    "No, I didn''t."

    "Yes, you did."

    "Did not."

    "Nies, Nahor told me."

    "Bully."

    "How am I bullying you?"

    "Nahor."

    "I''m not bullying Nahor."

    "No!" He pouts. "Nahor''s bullying me! Telling you my darkest secrets. I bet he told you that I secretly like eating lemons raw, didn''t he?"

    Uh¡­

    "No," I say as Twist does his best not to laugh. "You''re a Divine Being, aren''t you supposed to put on some air for the mortal in your presence?"

    "I''ve never done it for you, though."

    "I meant Litrar," I gesture to the stupefied Human standing beside me.

    "Oh, him," Nies looks at Litrar, then back at me and shrugs. "Too much work. Besides, that''s only gods that really care about that, and they''re in the minority."

    "You''re a god, too," I point out.

    "Maybe," he shrugs. "But I''m not one that cares about putting on such airs. The whole ''divine air'' of theirs is way younger than me. Hell, there are poop piles older than that."

    I''m not going to ask. I''m not going to ask. I''m not going to ask.

    "Poop piles?" Litrar asks.

    "Yeah," Nies mumbles into the tiger''s fur. "Poop piles. Giant piles of poo."

    "Anyway," I say before this topic can go further. "I''m going to return to Litrar''s world, to free those slaves and move them into Haivural, then I''m heading back home. Since you''ve unfrozen time and I have Access again, time will pass at the same rate between Eisnar and wherever I''m at."

    "Alright," Nies yawns. "I''ll watch over this guy. He''s reforming."

    The Divine Being I attacked reforms in front of me and smirks. He''s going to rub one in and ignore the fact that Nies is right here, isn''t he?

    "Everyone dies, buddy," he tells me, glee in his voice and on his face. "And once you''re dead, your Order is mine. I''ll have so much fun with it-"

    Rage boils up within me as Twist slams his head into his palms.

 Chapter 0113 - Returning Home

    (Gavin)

    Eisnar. Home. Finally. Nothing like that old scent I''ve come to know and love, the feeling of the air, the pressure of its gravity, and more.

    The moment the one thousand four hundred eighty-six people joining my Order from various worlds, planes, and realms I''ve traveled exit the Rift (my Aura of Power disabled the moment I''m through it), I''m assaulted by an over-excited Wolfborn and an excited Elder Fairy. Michael hasn''t managed to Advance his Species a second time, sitting at only Level 9 of it, and Warren managed to hit Tier II of it his well, and currently rests at Level 2.

    Looking at their ages, I''d estimated that roughly two years passed while I was gone, before Nies froze it.

    "Hey, Michael," I ruffle his hair, hiding my amusement at Warren forgetting how shy he is with me, since he''s clearly missed me, the way he''s hugging me. "Hey, Warren. Michael ¨C what happened after Nies sent you back?"

    "Well, first," Michael snorts, detatching himself from me as people start trying to mingle with the various people I brought and sort out what''s going on. "Nies didn''t send me back. Not here, anyway. I found myself landing on top of Papa, who was in the middle of sleeping with Mama and Thomas. Not how they wanted to wake up! After talking with them, I hurried here. Two years have gone by, Gavin ¨C what happened? You kind of freaked-out, then Nies showed up."

    "Nies pulled me into the Divine Realms," I explain. "Doing that to the Divine Being kind of locked my Access, which was a huge decrease to my power since it augments me so much. I''ve spent the last three years working on fixing that issue and regaining Access. Thinking about things, I''m actually probably now how old I''d have been, had I not ended up on Earth when we went into that Dungeon forever ago, and had been here all along."

    "So you have Access again?" He asks as the Dekami Scholar makes his way over to me.

    "Yeah," I answer, looking to the Dekami Scholar. "Letting you know that the Kumadi are dead. Their realm was burning with nigh-unquenchable flames, the last I checked."

    He pauses, frowning.

    "How did that happen?"

    "A Triple-Species guy got really pissed at them," I shrug. "Then two hundred or so Divine Beings started cheering him on. They continued to attack, so he continued to kill. Nothing remains of them except a burning realm. Has everything been running smoothly in my absence?"

    "Indeed," he dips his head to me, then looks to Michael, who''s actually giving jealous looks at Warren.

    "Warren," I say. "Would you mind giving your boyfriend a hug?"

    Warren quickly releases me, blushing deeply, and Michael snorts, before walking over and giving the Elder Fairy a hug. At least they aren''t getting mushy. Right now.

    "So?" I look at Michael.

    "As you can see," he gestures to the town that''s been built up. "We''ve expanded greatly over the last two years. Ryan''s done a good job leading us while you were gone, though Warren, Dylan, Eli, and I have helped a lot."

    "And Tristan?" I ask.

    "He''s studying in the tower," Michael answers, staring at the item hanging around my neck, resting against my sternum. "That''s an interesting amulet. It radiates Divine Power. What is it?"

    "It''s the Divine Being I shredded up," I answer. "I had to fix him up to regain Access, and he decided to be an ass again. So I ripped his soul out of his form, forced him into the jewel-like state you see, and bound him into the amulet. Since he''s not damaged, there''s no Taboo Title to revoke Access from me."

    Nies pouted for a solid hour about me doing that, too. He really wants to exact his revenge on the guy, but I compromised, and told him that he can have the guy after I finally die. He pouted about that, saying that it''ll ''take forever and ever'', but he agreed to the deal.

    Seems he either doesn''t know or doesn''t believe Nahor about me dying in the next few-

    Years.

    It''s been three years for me, and two for them here. No matter how it''s sorted, unless his statement was about my time on Eisnar, then my death against that Dragon will happen soon. Which means I need to get to work.

    It seems Ryan''s already pretty much taken over, which is good. I''ll start working from the background and continuing my recruitment-

    I pause in that thought and look at the crowds of people, who are having trouble communicating.

    Maybe we can halt on my own recruitment, for now? I''m sure everything will sort itself out after I ascend to the next plane of existence. If it calms down before then, then maybe I can go on another recruiting spree.

    I pull the leaders of the Order aside and we spend several hours of me learning what''s going on and the new layout of the valley, then I get to work on creating copies of my plans and the things I''ve thought about and learned. I take extra care to ensure a copy of my plans for the Grind Arenas are given to the Dwarfs, doing so personally.Stolen story; please report.

    Bad thing about spending so long away from here, I forgot how damn cheerful the Dwarfs were. Thankfully, I remembered to say ''nali-ho'' when greeting them, which meant I did not have to suffer through a hundred Dwarfs shouting it multiple times.

    Only once.

    And that was to greet me as a group.

    They''re multiplying.

    I speak with the Dwarf King who moved into the Order''s area, and though he''s officially leading his people, they all ¨C himself included ¨C still defer to the Order, and follow its codes and ways. It''s somehow efficient, according to Michael, Warren, and Dylan.

    I''ve yet to see Ryan, and I''m curious at his changes. He is, after all, fifteen, now.

    Making a mental note to seek him out after I finish with the Dwarf King, I return my focus to him. He''s excited at the idea of creating the Grind Arenas of the Dark Knights, having experienced them for himself a few times since I removed the Boundary of Sages.

    It takes us a few hours to discuss the Grind Arenas, as well as where to place them with the new setup to the valley. The Dwarf King then leads me, along with some of the Fairies, to the Resource Training Rooms ¨C the ones based off my own Skill.

    It seems that Norahl, a few other Fairies, Eli, Tristan, Ryan, and the Dwarfs managed to figure out how to do it, and the training rooms allow for the recovery of up to ten of their respective Resource per second ¨C though they have a set limit of ten people or beasts within them.

    They''ve got them running on a payment system, partially to afford the cost of running the rooms, and partially to prevent people from just using them all the time. However, for the people who can''t even hope of affording it ever, there are ways to ''work off'' the payment over time, so even the less-fortunate members of the Order can still use it from time to time.

    After I examine the Training Halls, I head to my home, hoping to see Ryan, but he''s out. After taking a few minutes to relax, I decide to sleep. I am exhausted, after all ¨C I haven''t slept since before I went to the world with the two Divine Beings watching over it personally, and it''s been nearly forty hours for me.

    So I guess I can wait for some sleep. He''d probably appreciate me being awake when we reunite, anyway.

    Heading up to my room, I detect the scents of no one in it, as well as a spell from Ryan warding anyone out of it, with a stern warning to not even think about entering.

    Breaking the ward is no big feat for me, and I''m inside of my room only seconds later, stretching a bit, before summoning up a mirror.

    There''s no telling when I''ll need to deal with the Dragon, so I should just up and finish my Species now. Pulling up the familiar interface, I smile. As expected, Timeless One is available. I Advance it and immediately max it out.

    Timeless One (IV) is now Level 25!

    +600 to all Attributes, LIF, Resources

    Experience Remaining: 52,500

    I can sort out what to take as my fourth Subspecies later. I still need something strong for it, and still need to find a powerful Dragon leader to befriend. They''re the ''monstrous'' of the big five Species, the ones that can move between universes, with or without ease, which means it''ll be tough for me to do.

    Shame the big bad one destined to kill me won''t be friends. That would be fantastic. I''d strike two birds with a single stone, doing that. Not only would I not be dying, but I''d also have the final X Subspecies I''m missing.

    Three birds.

    I''d have a friend who''s powerful as fuck and gives even other X Species pause.

    As I expected, my body didn''t really change, though the zierna did alter a bit. They''re no longer runes, but just markings on my body. I can still trigger them at will, though.

    I do feel a lot more powerful, though, and quickly reign in my aura as I read the notification that''s appeared in my vision.

    Three Tier IV Species Maxed-Out ¨C Collective Species Merged

    Single Species: Celestial (Nikamor)

    I dismiss it, only to have a rather lengthy notification appear in my vision instead of allowing me time to process what that means and investigate it through my windows.

    Notice: Celestial Species cannot have General Experience allocated to them.

    Notice: Three Nikamor Seeds are generatable at will. Due to System Access, you will acquire the ability to generate one more every 5<sup>th</sup> Level of Celestial.

    Notice: Nikamor Seeds will birth infant Nikamors (one each).

    Notice: Nikamor are nigh-immortal, being a Celestial Species.

    Notice: Nikamor boosts per Level: +200 to all Attributes, INT, +20 to All Senses, +100 to All Resources

    Notice: Celestial Species do not grow better, but instead, simply continue to increase in Tier while remaining the same.

    Notice: Too many damn notices for this.

    I''d actually like more notices, thank you. Though I do have most of the information I want, and I grew even more powerful again, though my body didn''t change outwardly, just my base adjusting to my new Species.

    I''m curious to know how my new Species acquires Experience, what boosts actually affect it ¨C I''m sure some don''t, considering that I can''t allocate General Experience to it ¨C and how many others of it there are.

    Or are Celestial Species so rare and difficult to Advance into that each time someone reaches it, a new one forms? It''s highly unlikely for anyone to ever have the exact route I took to here, so that would make sense. I can sense how to form the Nikamor Seeds as well, though I''m going to refrain from doing it just yet ¨C I want to deal with some stuff before having ''children''.

    Making a mental note to speak with the Dekami Scholar in the morning about Celestials, I strip off my boots and pants, and climb onto my bed, settling down after vanishing my wings.

    There''s no itch to have them back out. At all. No need, no desire for it. Is that because I''ve just spent three whole years with them out, save for the rare few hours here and there I didn''t? How long before the itch returns?

    I''ll revert my eyes in the morning, so they look ''normal'', instead of starry. No reason to do it right now.

    Stretching out on my bed, I pull my blanket over me, only then realizing something else.

    The strong desire to be naked that came from the Beastborn and Fairy Species disappeared with the Advancement into Celestial.

    Fina-fucking-ly.

    It makes sense, though, considering that "Celestial (Nikamor)" is my official Species, now, and since I resisted that urge, it likely factored into the nature of my new Species. Being shirtless so much, giving into that urge, and not really being able to wear a shirt due to my wings the last few years will probably mean a shirt would itch to Oblivion and back.

    Clearing those thoughts from my head, I quickly fall asleep, the last couple of days'' activities finally allowed to catch up to me.

 Chapter 0114 - Celestials

    As I make my way to the Dekami Scholar''s home, a strange sight and sound off in the mountains catches my attention. It''s a little past the Dwarfs'' mines, and there are Dwarfs outside, gawking at the scene.

    Manifesting my wings, I flap them a few times, taking off into the sky, then fly over the buildings that have been constructed, ignoring the gawking members of my Order and residents of the valley. They''ve recruited people from all over the world, and I''m sure most ¨C if not all ¨C of them have heard about me. Seeing me, however, is vastly different from simply hearing about me.

    It doesn''t take me long to reach the Dwarfs, who call up a greeting, and I shout one back down to them, passing by them and reaching the unusual scene, where a few Dwarfs are gathered.

    "Nali-ho," I dip my head to the Dwarfs, who greet me back as I turn my gaze to the two figures approaching.

    One of them is a massive dragon with crimson scales. Known for raw power and anger, red Dragons are among the worst to encounter. According to this one''s Status, he''s a Dragon King.

    He''s not walking willingly.

    Holding him by the horn, practically dragging this ancient, powerful being down the mountain is what appears to be a boy of around eight or nine, dressed in a tunic of reds and oranges and yellows, almost looking as if aflame in the rising sun, his golden hair and crimson eyes sparkling lightly.

    Until I was in his view, he had a fierce look of determination on his face, though a smile broke out once he saw me. He continued to half-drag the Dragon anyway, and stops once he reaches me.

    "Hello, Gavin!" He waves to me cheerfully.

    He''s a Phoenix, according to his Status.

    Ulviva Phoenix (IX) 18 Armageddon Mage

    The fact that he shares a Classs-type with Michael worries me a bit. From what I can tell, even though it''s a highly-disciplined Class, it''s also highly chaotic.

    "Hello?" I say.

    "Hello!" He greets me again, tugging on the Dragon''s horn, the great beast letting out a few deep, though muttered, ''ows'' in response. "This is the local Dragon King. I''ve had to keep him in-check the last couple of years, because he''s wanted to demand tribute. But we''re friends with Gavin, aren''t we?"

    "I AM-"

    "Aren''t we?" The Phoenix smiles, speaking in an overly-sweet voice.

    "Yes!" The Dragon huffs.

    "See?" The Phoenix beams at me. "We''re friends! And this Dragon here''s not going to be harassing your Order and demanding tribute, right?"

    "I AM-"

    "Right?"

    "Yes."

    This is more than a little amusing, the Dragon being ''controlled'' by a ''child''. Considering the Phoenix''s odd Species, though, it''s likely ancient ¨C possibly more so than the Dragon. It''s definitely more powerful, considering it''s keeping it controlled and preventing it from attacking my Order.

    "Alright!" The Phoenix releases the horn, then pats the Dragon on the snout. "And you''re going to apologize to Gavin for wanting to harass his Order, aren''t you?"

    "I AM-"

    The Phoenix sweetly smiles at the beast.

    "I apologize for wishing to harass your Order. I will not do it again."

    "Then our business here is concluded!" The Phoenix claps his hands. "Bye, Gavin!"

    The Dragon starts to open its maw, but a look from the Phoenix shuts it up, and the great beast flaps its wings, flying towards one of the peaks, likely to return to its nest. Maybe sulk over its treatment.

    The Phoenix gives me a V with its fingers, then erupts into flames, transforming into the fiery bird of legends, though it''s more the size of a falcon than a human child.

    The Phoenix dips its head to me, then takes off towards a different peak of the mountains from the Dragon. If I''m not mistaken, that''s a volcano, which makes sense, as the legends surrounding the mystical creatures claim they favor volcanoes for their nests.

    I look back at the Dwarfs, who promptly greet me again and tell me that they''ve never seen either of those that close before.

    "That close?" I ask.

    "Yes," one of the Dwarfs nods. "We''ve seen them fighting before. Every month or two, the Dragon leaves its peak and starts heading towards the valley, and then the Phoenix arrives and attacks it for a few minutes, then the Dragon returns to its peak."

    A few more minutes of discussion, and I learn that ¨C at least in the Dwarfs'' eyes ¨C it''s pretty well-known the Dragon''s made a few attempts on the valley, but is stopped by the Phoenix every time.

    This is just too unbelievable for me to process, so I unfold my wings and take off, flying back towards the valley. As I do, I remember something.

    The Dragon acknowledged that we were friends, and with the X Species, that''s all that''s required. Even if it doesn''t actually believe it or consider us so.

    Subspecies.

    Available Subspecies:

    Wyvern

    Dwarf

    Elf

    Kulkrul Tiger

    Wooly Mammoth

    Lichors

    Mimi Bear

    Nodas

    Persias Snake

    Dragon

    PhoenixThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Phoenix? But it''s not an X Species? That simple acknowledgment alone shouldn''t make it possible for me to take it on as a Subspecies, and what''s more ¨C Phoenixes don''t have a ''leader''. They have a Conclave, a gathering of many Phoenixes. They decide things through that, but rarely ever meet. According to the one I spoke to when I was younger ¨C it might have changed since then, but I doubt it ¨C the last Conclave had been millions of years ago.

    If just acknowledging that we were friends were enough to trigger it for Phoenixes, I''d have had it a long time ago. There''s a Phoenix that lives near Kar, and I have visited him since acquiring Access ¨C I''d actually gone to ask him to see if there''s a way to obtain the Phoenix Subspecies, and he''s specifically told me that it would be impossible for a Human to ever acquire it.

    For a Human.

    Stopping my flight over the plaza near the Dekami Scholar''s house, understanding reaches me.

    He wasn''t referring to Advancing my Species. He was referring to becoming a Celestial, wasn''t he? Celestial Species only continue to grow in Tier, according to the notices, rather than ''get better''. With its bonuses being above even the X Species, that would make sense.

    And that''s why the Phoenix''s Species was just the same thing, but at Tier IX ¨C Phoenixes are a Celestial Species, obtaining 3,000 or more Stats per Level. It''s possible that all Celestial Species obtain 3,200 Stats per Level. Let me check theirs.

    Phoenix: The Celestial bird of rebirth, it is reborn with every death, be it injury, illness, or age, its powers of life and healing far beyond any others. +500 INT, CHA, LFA, BLA; +200 AGI, STR, CON, LCK, +40 to all Senses per Level

    Totaling that up equals exactly 3,000 Stats per Level. But don''t I receive 3,200? Checking my bonus again, I confirm that it''s 3,200, since INT is added in there in addition to Attributes, and there are 9 Attributes, making that 2,000. Then there is 100 to each Resource, of which, there are 11, that totals up to 1,100, making it a total of 3,100. Then add on the additional 20 to each Sense, of which there are 5, adding in another 100, making it a total of 3,200.

    Frowning, I look back at the Phoenix''s bonuses, something feeling off about it.

    It receives a bonus to INT, CHA, LFA, BLA in massive levels, which makes sense to me, in a way. The first of those provides it a powerful bonus to any of its magics, the second ¨C I guess for aesthetics, as any powerful being should have ¨C then to its Life and Blood Affinities, the two that are used for any powerful form of healing.

    The smaller bonuses add into its speed, giving it better movements, and its strength, making it much stronger, both of which meet up with its legends. Then there''s the addition to its toughness, making it probably the toughest bird around, and then the bonus to its luck ¨C no clue why that''s there.

    Then the bonus to its senses ¨C double mine, but it would only make sense that the ultimate mortals have powerful senses. Since a Phoenix originates from a type of bird ¨C likely a bird of prey ¨C it would only make sense, to me, that its senses would be improved more than mine.

    So then what is off about-

    Oh.

    There''s no LIF bonus. But why not?

    It takes me a moment, but then I remember something the Notices said, when I became a Celestial: Celestials are nigh-immortal.

    We don''t age, do we? Or maybe we only age to a certain point? Do I have a natural lifespan, now?

    Pulling up my stats, I skim the Attributes line. It skips over LIF, going from PER straight to LCK. I have no LIF stat, either.

    Which means that I only receive 3,000 Stat Points per Level. Still powerful, but the lack of LIF¡­

    Why couldn''t it have let me distribute it to people before removing it? I''m sure Ryan, Dylan, Eli, Tristan, Michael, Warren, and the other important members would appreciate the massive amounts I''d have given them, and the more common people would probably appreciate the few points I''d have given them.

    Shaking my head, I take on Phoenix as a Subspecies, and find it listed as my Celestial Subspecies. Unfortunately, I''m not able to add in General Experience to it ¨C which I suspected, since I can''t do that to myself.

    With it being listed separately, I''m able to take on Dragon as a Subspecies, so I do.

    Dragon is now Level 25!

    +2,400 to INT, STR, CON, LCK, Resources, OFV, RRN

    That notice doesn''t even show the LIF bonus ¨C probably because I simply have no limit to my natural lifespan, now, and so it can''t add to it.

    I find it highly amusing that someone set to die soon has no limit to his natural lifespan.

    Yeah, that''s funny.

    Shaking my head, I land, then make my way to the Dekami Scholar''s, and he gives me a curious look when I ask him about Celestials.

    "I know you''ve probably heard about the Phoenix," he says. "But how did you know it was a Celestial?"

    "I didn''t actually mention the Phoenix," I say. "Though I have met him. Why did he look like a kid?"

    "He probably died recently," the Dekami Scholar shrugs. "A Phoenix''s human form ages one year for every ten that passes. After a thousand years of a natural life, they''ll die, and be reborn again ¨C while their mortal forms will have the same issues that those of those species would at the infant ages, their true form doesn''t, and that''s the form which they''re locked into at first."

    So he probably died around eighty or ninety years ago, then. "Recently" is a relative thing.

    "So how did you know of the Celestials?" He asks.

    "What, exactly, are they?" I ask.

    "Beings that are nearly immortal," he answers, probably remembering that I won''t answer unless I want to.

    Unlike all those years ago. I''d just blurt things out, back then. Then again, I was a child, so it makes sense, even if there are those who''d refuse to acknowledge that.

    "They have no limit to their natural lifespan," he continues to explain, ignorant of my musings on the past. "And can live indefinitely, if nothing delivers unto them a true death. The Phoenixes are the only ones we Dekami know of for sure, though according to the ones we''ve communicated with, there''s at least one other out there. They''re highly resilient, and even what would be fatal to others would fail to kill one, in most cases.

    "As such," he continues. "They have no natural lifespan. That said, it''s believed that every member of a Celestial Species can create three ''Seeds'' of their Species, which will either hatch or be born into a newborn of it, though the Phoenixes said that they can mate normally as well.

    "In addition to that," he continues. "The Phoenixes stated that Celestials are not bound to any universe, and can easily pass between them at will. We''ve also theorized that they can probably enter the Divine Realms as well."

    A commotion outside catches my attention, and I frown, turning towards the door.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "There''s something going on," I frown. "It sounds like Ryan''s coming towards me, though his voice is a bit deeper."

    "Yes," the Dekami Scholar nods. "Ryan''s voice has deepened a bit, these last two years. He''s matured a bit as well, and has stopped making comments about the chests of women. It seems that after meeting a couple of the recruits from Jozan, he learned that in Jozan''s region of the world, having a large chest is seen as a bad thing."

    Didn''t I make that clear to him?

    Looking back on it, I realize that I never actually said something, just smacked him or silenced him or punished him for it. Oops. He must have been so confused by that.

    "He''s probably just wanting to meet up with you again," the Dekami Scholar tells me.

    "No," I frown. "He seems like he''s in a panic."

    His Soul is filled with it as well.

    Ryan bursts into the room, gasping. He''s dressed in black and violet with silver trim to his outfit, and has grown several inches since I last saw him, his blond hair cut shorter, the blue of his eyes more vibrant, though filled with panic as he bends over and presses his hands to his legs as he starts catching his breath.

    Oddly, he hasn''t advanced his Species, Class, or Subclass yet, and hasn''t taken on a Subspecies. Is he waiting until he''s a bit older and more mature, due to the Fog of Power? Wouldn''t that have cleared up by now? Or is he just taking the cautious route, knowing he has plenty of time to work on stuff later?

    Ryan''s breathing heavily, his face red from the effort expended to reach me in his hurry. Did he run and fly all the way from the Tower? That''s where he''s been since I arrived.

    "Gavin," he gasps. "Issue. No time for reunion."

    "What''s wrong?" I ask.

    "Kade-" he gasps.

    "Take a few breaths," I tell him. "Speak once you''ve caught yourself. A few seconds of rest can mean a few seconds less of gasping."

    He nods, taking a few seconds to collect himself, straightening up and looking at me with those panic-filled, clear blue eyes. In addition to the ring I gave him, he''s wearing a second ring, this one looking as if it''s made of bone, and worn on his left ring finger.

    Congratulations. She''s probably a lucky girl.

    Or unlucky, depending on how one views it.

    "Kade just contact me a few minutes ago," he tells me. "Hundreds of Dragons are flying towards the isles. He said that, leading the charge is a Dragon of unbelievable size, and that it-"

    "Has so much Mana and other Resources in it, it''s impossible to fight?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods. "You-you know it?"

    "Yes," I say. "I know the Dragon very well."

    Looks like I made it back just in time for my death. I''m not letting Kade and the outpost there be destroyed. They''re part of the Order, and I am going to do everything I can to protect it.

    Then again, I''m a Celestial, now. I''m nigh-impossible to kill. I don''t even know what the ways to kill me are. So it might just be that the tables have turned, and it''s not me who''s going to die.

    Time to go kill some Dragons, and possibly gain a lot of Experience.

 Chapter 0115

    (Gavin)

    "Are we going to evacuate everyone here?" Ryan asks. "Can you do that? The teleportation circles we''ve set up can only transport up to fifteen at a time."

    "It''d take more than an hour to transfer everyone here," I shake my head. "And that''s not even factoring in they''re on several islands. Then there''s that I actually have to focus on the Rift while I have it open, which would leave me largely useless in the fight. I''ll deal with the Dragons, you guys focus on getting everyone here."

    If I don''t focus on sustaining the Rift, it can ''snap shut'', which just cases a dangerous Rift to form, and could potentially rip open the area around me as a result. Not a good ending.

    "Alright," he nods.

    Just in case I''m wrong, and the elder Dragon somehow manages to kill me, I need to leave a final set of preparations behind.

    "Also," I turn to the Dekami Scholar. "Raise them well."

    "Raise who well?" He asks as I focus, three violet and gold spheres of light forming in front of me. "Are those-"

    The spheres then fade away, leaving behind three infant versions of me ¨C two male, one female ¨C though without wings, but I can tell immediately that they''ll grow them later. Their backs have imprints on them in the form of wings.

    "Do you want you need to," I look at Ryan, who''s staring at the infants in confusion. "Do you need to be there? Or can you work from this side?"

    "I can work from this side," he tells me. "What just-"

    "Ask him after everything settles down," I pull off my amulet and place it on him, letting it drop against his chest. "If you don''t hear from me, Nies will contact you to let you know what''s happened. Also, have this."

    I toss Ryan my ring, and he fumbles, catching it.

    "See you," I give him the ''peace'' sign, the same V that the Phoenix gave me. "I''m heading over, now."

    I Teleport to the isles Kade lives on, hovering a hundred feet above it and scanning the horizons. The Dragons aren''t too far out, and there is definitely the one I''m destined to fight against there.

    Inhaling sharply, I tilt my head back, then let out a massive Dragon''s Roar.

    Dragon''s Roar is Now Level 8!

    Dismissing the notification, I soar towards the Dragons, immediately assault them with magic. Many of the weaker ones erupt into showers of blood or disappear into the Void, my Violet Dragon tunnels through a great many. They are so numerous, however, that I know I''ll have to work hard to win this fight.

    Thankfully, the roar and my immediate assault draws the Dragons'' attention towards me, and they focus on fighting me instead of claiming the isles. The leader of the Dragons attempts to attack me numerous times, but I manage to evade it each time.

    Whenever I can, I focus on the isles to see how the evacuations are going. Slowly. Each island has a single teleport circle, but they can only move up to fifteen people at a time, and they take time to be able to be used again, and time to activate as well.

    They set up the teleport circles everywhere we have a branch location, to move forces in and out as quickly as they can ¨C generally just some stronger people are needed ¨C and while they''ve improved them over the last year (of their time), they still need massive improvements.

    My estimates tell me it will take at least two hours for them to fully-evacuate the isles. A brief telepathic communication alerts Oberon to the issue, and he promises to come out in his full garb, but it''d still take him awhile.

    I could Teleport to him and bring him here, only that could cause problems as well.

    Every moment I''m not fighting the Dragons, they draw closer to the isles.

    And so I fight, slaying Dragon after Dragon. Strangely, I''m not obtaining any Experience for it, which tells me that I definitely don''t acquire Experience bonuses ¨C at least, not as much as I used to. And fighting and killing doesn''t seem to grant me any as well.

    Dammit. I could really use some power boosts right now.

    Power boosts.

    There''s that.

    Soaring upwards, I check to make sure the Dragons are following me. At least six hundred remain, and they know that as long as I''m their enemy, they won''t reach the isles.

    As I soar upwards, I begin chanting.

    "Dancing in the morning, dancing in the evening, with a skip and a hop and a brilliant stop, in burn and blaze, in chill and freeze, dance, dance, and do the turnip dance!"

    The song is ridiculous, and requires a sort of dance to go with it ¨C which isn''t easy to do as I''m soaring upwards ¨C but it''s powerful as it, and that''s before factoring in that the Spirit''s power can affect more due to my high Spirit Pool and massive INT.

    The moment I finish the spell, roughly four hundred of the Dragons instantly find themselves turned into dancing turnips. Anything with a lower overall power level ¨C base magic combined with the augmenting from INT ¨C than me was affected, as is the effect of that particular Gift.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Immediately after the Turnip Dance begins, the remaining Dragons looking completely and entirely befuddled at the turn of events, I begin casting spell after spell, ripping through the annoying root thingy that I never really liked the flavor of. Unfortunately, they''re resistant to nigh any element, so I''m left with using the Void and other powerful attacks that require a lot of mental energy and stamina, in addition to my quickly-replenishing Resources.

    They''ll remain turnips once they finish dancing, but they''ll have much of their power returned to them at that point, so it''s best to wipe them out before they can recover.

    The remaining Dragons continue to attack, and I soar down, speeding past them, taking out several more on my way down. There are hundreds of more Dragons flying towards us in the distance, and I need to deal with these guys before they arrive.

    The leader Dragon continues to attack me, the only beast that could pose even the slightest threat to me here. Its flames narrowly miss me one time, and result in a burn on my arm. While it heals quickly, that just attests to how powerful the flames are.

    To burn me from fifty feet away, with my tough body and high resistances.

    As I attack the others, I ignore that one, save for dodging it. It knows I''m only dodging it, and is content to ''indulge'' me. If it were to go after the isles, then I''d directly attack it, but I really, really don''t want to face it without Oberon here.

    Whatever it takes to protect the people from such a horrid threat.

    "Why do you seek destruction?" I call out as the fighting begins to die down, only a few Dragons remaining from the first wave. "Answer me, beast!"

    "Why do you care for mortals, Celestial?" He responds, glowering at me.

    So he can tell what I am?

    "If you know what I am," I say. "You know that I used to be a mortal ¨C something that you are, beast. Why do you seek to destroy?"

    "Why should I not?" He asks. "Humans are pests, and I will purge all from here. There is nothing you can do to stop me. You''re still an infant, little one. Given a few thousand years, you might be able to contest me in power."

    I glower at him, and he just chuckles.

    "Tell me," he says. "Why do the Dekami and Faeborn here stay idle? Why do they not seek to aid you?"

    "Because they follow an ancient code," I respond. "A code that you Dragons do not follow, being the monsters that you are. Begone. I will protect the people of Nierfa Eisnar until my last breath, and if I die, then I will be taking you down with me."

    The Dragon chuckles.

    "Really?" He asks. "You really think you have a way to kill me? Even the Dekami and Faeborn here, working together, wouldn''t manage that. Not even the flames of a Dragon can penetrate my hide! I am simply that old and powerful, and have been to that many places and lived for that long. The universes I have seen¡­ have destroyed¡­ this one is next."

    This one? He''s not just working on taking over this world, is he? He''s planning on taking out my universe? Why hasn''t someone like O put an end to him yet? Or is O sticking to his own universe for major interferences.

    Stroking my arm ¨C Reij ¨C I furiously think. Oberon''s probably going to be here soon. Reij can''t take on this Dragon''s breath, even if he''s been handling the others''. In fact, he''s probably full, with how much of their power he''s eaten. He''d probably survive, but¡­ I''m giving him to Oberon, and telling him to get the fuck out.

    "Oh, look," the Dragon chuckles. "Your reinforcement is here, when mine arrive as well."

    "Gavin!" Oberon calls out, and I glance over to see him and hundreds of other Fairies geared up for war flying towards me, their zierna glowing and swirling around them.

    Right, I have that.

    It enhances my defenses greatly.

    "Oberon," I fling my arm out. "Catch!"

    He looks startled, but flies forward, catching Reij, who had jumped when I flung my arm out, knowing what I intended.

    "Assist the evacuation!" I say. "There''s about to be a lot of flames going on!"

    "But-"

    "Now!" I say. "Mop up what''s left after this ¨C you do not want to be in range of what I''m about to do!"

    Reij settles into his normal mode on Oberon. I know I''m about to ascend from this plane. Nahor was right. But I''m taking down as many of these Dragons as I can as I go.

    Including the big, bad boss of them.

    "GO!" I roar, dodging a fiery breath, feeling a slight burn, which fades quickly.

    I trigger my zierna, enhancing my defenses to their maximum, then begin weaving in and out of the Dragons, killing them as I go. I''m getting exhausted, but I can do this. There''s a third wave coming, but they''re far, far out.

    When these Dragons here die, as well as their leader, those ones will likely stay behind, not coming back, even if there''s no trace of the attacker left. And if they don''t¡­

    Well, there''s going to be a really, really upset Original Divine Being shortly. They wouldn''t survive if they didn''t flee.

    With my zierna active, the leader Dragon''s breath''s near-misses don''t affect me, giving me much greater room for movement, though I learn quickly that it still results in burns when missing me by five feet.

    If the Dragon''s honest about being powerful enough that the Dekami and Faeborn can''t hurt it, then they''re probably contacting their people right now, possibly for extraction or to leave on their own. Or to get reinforcements to help.

    Regardless, I can''t worry about what their own plans or goals are, or what they''re thinking. I can only focus on my own plans.

    Once Oberon is out of the potential range, I begin working my magic.

    Soul Link Acquired!

    Soul Link Level: 10

    Ignoring the message that appeared in my vision as I use the Skill for the first time since my Access was restored, I continue to link every Dragon around the leader to me. He just laughs, taunting me, telling me that they would gladly sacrifice themselves, if it meant a powerful pest like me died.

    I continue to attack, careful to remove the Soul Link from any Dragon I attack, just in case. A few even attack each other, or the leader Dragon attacking them, in an effort to take me out that way, but I catch it every time and remove the Soul Link, sometimes forcing one between some of the Dragons, instead of with me. It''s causing chaos among them as they fight each other and me in the hopes that they manage to kill me, that they manage to catch one I don''t sever fast enough.

    I''m getting exhausted, but I''m almost ready.

    If I can just link one last Dragon and figure out how to sever myself from the link, I can then end the fight by-

    Threat Detection Triggers, and I turn to face the leader Dragon, who managed to get closer than I realized, my senses muddled from my exhaustion. I see it just in time to see its maw opened, flames spilling out. It''s only a few yards away.

    I hastily erect defenses as I create the final Soul Link, but I''m not removing myself from it. I''m dying anyway, and I don''t have enough time to sever myself from the Soul Link without ending it or letting them break it.

    I''d hoped I had a full minute to do that, but it seems my fate really is carved in diamond.

    The flames burn through my defenses and the zierna, incinerating my body, and before my senses are destroyed entirely, my screams dying out, I''m aware that every nearby Dragon is burning.

    Including the leader Dragon, connected to me by that final Soul Link. His flames can''t burn him, but they can burn me, and damage dealt to one in the Soul Link affects all in exactly the same way if possible, regardless of defenses.

    My last thought, before my thoughts fade away and I feel my soul disconnect from my body, is that I at least managed to protect everyone. Nies will be infuriated, and probably take out the other Dragons himself, even if they don''t continue their assault and flee.

    But I did it. I saved them. And my death will ensure their safety through the deaths of these Dragons and of Nies''s own Descending from his grief and rage. If the others don''t flee, he will end them.

    Everyone is safe.

 Epilogue

    (Twist)

    "Nies," I locate Nies, who''s currently chilling on a tiger in his more mature form.

    The fact that he''s in this form bothers me a bit. A lot. If my worry were to take the form of pure energy, it would obliterate an entire realm or forty-eight.

    It''s his old form ¨C Sein. The Origin of Chaos. He''s highly unpredictable in this form, and it''s forced me to take on my old form, Tsiwt, the Origin of Order.

    If we have a repeat of what happened before, my status as the Origin of Order will be needed. Eisnar, or Ransie, as it was originally known, was burned, the surface of the world thrown into chaos and turmoil, ravaged by Sein''s raw power.

    Gavin Jakran''s brought out the old Nies, the Sein of Chaos. Thankfully, Nies ¨C or Sein ¨C is a mix of the two versions of himself at the moment. He sent himself into the lazy spiral because of what happened, because of his guilt and depression. Gavin Jakran''s helped him overcome that.

    Unfortunately, what''s just begun might mess everything up. Hopefully, there''s no issue, but¡­ depending on how the fight goes, we might have a repeat of what happened before, what happened when the Sein of Chaos got close with a mortal.

    "Yeah?" Nies shoves a cookie into his mouth.

    Some habits never changed, and Sein''s sweet tooth carried over into Nies. Only now, there''s a much, much wider variety of treats. Cookies didn''t exist back then. Mostly, he ate honey or other natural sweets.

    "Gavin Jakran''s making his way to the isles," I inform him. "To defend against the hordes of Dragons. The one that''s taken out three worlds is there."

    "Gavin''ll win," he gestures lazily. "He''s a Celestial now, and that thing''s specifically avoiding messing with the other Celestials."

    The other Celestials it''s avoided tangling with were more than ten times as powerful as Gavin Jakran. He is, by nature of the Celestials, nothing more than a baby.

    "Can you create a viewing screen?" Nies suddenly sits up. "I wanna watch it."

    "I was planning on that," I nod, our surroundings changing to our usual viewing room, a projection of Gavin Jakran''s fight filling the air, giving us a three-dimensional view of it as Nies and I put our power into the display field. It only works with us combining our powers. "Here we are."

    Gavin Jakran begins attacking the Dragons, and the fight''s going well, but there are four separate groups of Dragons coming this way. The party he''s fighting consists of the strongest, and I doubt he can handle all four without issue.

    Especially since he doesn''t gain Experience from combat ¨C not directly. Protection. Safety. That''s the style of Experience his Celestial Species takes on. Spreading of knowledge. Education. Training.

    Not combat. Not killing.

    Gavin Jakran eventually talks with the world-destroying Dragon, clearly attempting to recover some of his stamina and energy as he does. He''s aware he needs to recover a bit, if he really wants to fight this thing.

    Nies frowns at the screen, sitting up and using his tiger as a chair rather than a bed.

    "He''s used his seeds?" He asks.

    "He gave them to the Dekami," I nod. "He also gave his ring to Ryan. He left prepared to die just to protect his people."

    A feeling as if time isn''t right prickles at my neck, and Nies shifting confirms it to me.

    "Hello, Nahor," I say.

    "Hello, Twist," the mysterious, time-ignoring Divine Being responds. "Mind if I join you two?"

    I look over to Nahor. He''s dressed, as usual, in the blue-green armor of his, without any clothes on underneath, as usual. I''ve never understood his style, though it''s reminiscent of the style of armor of a particular kingdom from Ransie. He probably does it because of what the armor style means to Nies.

    Apart from the armor, he could ¨C somewhat ¨C be taken for a mortal human around sixteen or seventeen, much like Gavin Jakran. His eyes and hair have the same fluid-like, blue-green coloration as his armor, and a single gold chain leads from his left shoulder down to his right hip, the only bit of other color on his body, save for the paleness of his skin.

    Nahor unnerves a lot of us. No one knows how old he really is ¨C it''s possible he''s older than Nies and me ¨C nor how he knows what he knows. He''s the one and only God of Time, and even Nies and I can''t remember if he was around when we were young or not, despite our memories being pristine.

    Nahor is unsettling with his ability to perceive time as if it''s always been, as if he''s simply remembering the future. He predicted, back when Sein destroyed Ransie, that Nies would claim a Hero of Adventures named Gavin, and it happened. Even though Nies had forced that memory and prediction into a seal within his own mind long before ever meeting Gavin.

    The God of Time ¨C possible Origin of Time ¨C moves to sit on one of the viewing chairs, stroking Nies''s tiger with a light smile on his lips. He tries to avoid Nies, for some reason, though I''m not sure why.

    Which means that him being here means that the fight Gavin Jakran''s facing is something huge. Something bigger than anything I can assess and predict. It''s¡­ frustrating.

    As the fight goes on, more and more Divine Beings show up to watch it. This is the only place within the Divine Realms something like this can be viewed ¨C it requires both Nies and I to activate. Normally, a Divine Being needs to have some sort of spark or influence to view something, outside of us Original Divine Beings, and that''s why we created this space.

    Soon, more than two hundred Divine Beings are watching the second half of the fight with the first wave. Gavin''s given up Reij, under the assumption that the Ouroboros can''t absorb the greater Dragon''s flames, and he''s right.

    He truly is prepared to die to protect everyone, even people he''s never known before. Just hearing that the Dragon intended on taking out his world pissed him off to a level that his power increased from his fury.

    He''s hiding it, possibly lying to himself, but he can''t stand the thought of it. Can''t tolerate anyone wanting to do what this Dragon does, and can''t tolerate the thought of letting those he cares about or wants to protect dies.

    If Gavin Jakran were a Divine Being, he''d likely be a God of Protection.

    Glancing back a few rows, I watch the Origin of Protections, Ulmias, Sein''s wife. She''s taken on her more mature form, as have all of the other Original Divine Beings. Nies''s Hero has, once again, caused a great shift in the universe.

    Had Nies not gotten to Gavin Jakran first, Ulmias would''ve offered him her Blessing.

    However, because Nies managed to do it first, all of us Original Divine Beings are prepared for the worst to come. For Nies to revert fully back into Sein, and for Eisnar to once again be destroyed by the Origin of Chaos''s sorrow.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    "No!" Nies exclaims as everyone gasps, and I turn my gaze back to the viewing screen, finding myself greeted with the sight of Gavin Jakran being incinerated.

    A quick mental check, and I see what happened. The world-destroying Dragon managed to get close to Gavin Jakran as he fought other Dragons and exhaled its most powerful breath, the young being unable to protect himself against it.

    The boy was clever, though ¨C he''d performed Soul Links on every Dragon there, so his death wiped them all out. At the last moment, he even linked the attacker''s soul to his, binding them together, the great Dragon that only a Divine Being or high-Level Celestial could end burning from the inside, turning to ash.

    When the flames recede, nothing''s left of Gavin Jakran, save for Gavin Jakran''s soul, a glowing, faintly-grey, swirling mass the size of a watermelon. Gavin Jakran''s soul is strong and powerful, not just from his Resource Pool being that high, but also from all the training he spent with it, all the strengthening he gave it.

    From all his good deeds, he''ll have a great afterlife, too. The fact that he''s remaining there is weird, though. He should''ve already begun to fade into the afterlife.

    "It can''t be like Rohan!"

    Nies wails, and before I can react, he vanishes, leaving behind all of us and his tiger, and appearing on the viewing screen, where he sobs, wrapping his arms around Gavin Jakran''s soul, hugging it.

    So he''s stopped it from passing on, then? We can''t bring the dead back to life ¨C that''s beyond even our ability.

    Nies continues to wail, and I watch. There''s something weird about Gavin''s soul. Nies would probably notice it if he weren''t so hysterical at the moment. I need a better look, but approaching Nies in his current condition could be explosive.

    Esinar might be ravaged by his power again. Both of his Heroes have died ¨C the Hero of Sein and the Hero of Nies. Rohan and Gavin Jakran. This isn''t good.

    Nies and I are both powerful enough to destabilize the universe. It might not be just Eisnar that gets destroyed this time.

    The other Divine Beings register that probably around the same time as I do, because they all depart quickly, though I find myself stuck here, with just the tiger, Nahor, and Ulmias. And judging by Ulmias''s expression, she''s not here willingly.

    Looks like Ekre got stuck, too, but he''s melded into the shadows. He''s pretty shy, no matter his form, and I didn''t notice him here earlier because of it.

    "Nahor?" I turn my gaze to the God of Time. "We need to prepare the universe ¨C if Nies goes-"

    "He won''t."

    "I know you''re powerful and can perceive the future," I say. "However-"

    "Gavin is dead," Nahor leans forward. "But do you remember the soul purification I mentioned before? The one that''s only happened once before, and can''t be worked towards?"

    Where they''re even more powerful than they were before, and remember everything? Where the person dies, yet the being lives on? I''ve yet to discern what you meant by that.

    "Gavin''s met the final condition for it."

    Gavin Jakran''s what?

    Looking back at the viewing screen, I realize what''s off about his soul. It''s¡­ it''s undergoing a soul purification. But what kind of soul purification requires him dying to attain?

    "Sometimes," Nahor says, and I look at him to find a smile playing at his lips. "All of you are so dense, and so oblivious. Nahor. Rohan."

    What does that-

    Ekre and Ulmias gasp at the same moment I realize what he''s saying.

    Nahor is the inverse of Rohan ¨C with us Divine Being, things can be flipped, such as me once being Twist, and Nies once being Sein. Gavin''s even an example where it can affect mortals ¨C the Species he turned Max into was the flip of his name, and his Mana Expansion Technique is the flip of his first name.

    And Rohan, the first and only Hero of Sein, was a powerful time mage. He''d studied it heavily, and then died in an experiment with time.

    "You''re Rohan," I say, and Nahor smiles. "You''re the Hero of Sein. But how-"

    "As I said," he says. "The conditions for that particular soul purification have only occurred once before ¨C I knew it was possible because it was me. I ascended from being mortal and became a Divine Being when I died."

    Nies lets out a louder wail, and I look back to the viewing screen just in time to see the third wave of Dragons burst into showers of blood, the ocean beneath beginning to boil.

    "But how?" I ask. "And will it happen fast enough to stop Nies-"

    "It will," he states. "I can perceive the future and remember it as if it''s happened specifically because of the very requirements. There are several of them, and you actually have some of them. One of them is that there is something you must believe in absolutely. Gavin believes in protection and sanctuaries. Of freedom when no wrong has been done. You must work for it, even if it costs you, and Gavin did. You must do whatever you can for it, and Gavin did. There are others, but the final requirement?

    "That," he says. "Is to die for the very thing you work towards in a selfless act. Gavin''s thoughts, all the way to the end, were of protecting others, even if it took his life. He created the Soul Link as a final resort, and knew that his death would result in Nies coming down and stopping the rest of the Dragons. He knew it was hopeless, once he saw the other waves, and so, he did what he knew would result in the end of the attacks. He knows his Order is in good hands, and that they''re safe and protected. To the end, he was a protector, and those were his final thoughts, and his selfless actions in death.

    "Meeting that," Nahor gestured to the screen, where Gavin Jakran''s soul has begun to turn blue. "He''s met the final requirement, and thus, is undergoing the same soul purification I went through, all those years ago. It''s nearly completed, and once it completes, Nies will calm down."

    Nahor starts to add something else, but doesn''t, and the three of Divine Beings us stare at him, the tiger looking a little confused.

    All this time, Rohan lived.

    No, not Rohan. The soul purification killed Rohan, and Nahor took his place. And while they''re the same ''being'', they''re different ''people''. Gavin Jakran is dead, but the being he is continues on.

    A few moments later, the soul that once called itself Gavin Jakran shifts and warps, the Divine Being hugging it oblivious to the changes as it takes on the form it once held, its starry eyes looking at the Original Diving being with amusement, violet hair blowing gently in the wind, violet wings flecked with gold stretched out behind him.

    "You know," the new Divine Being says, and Nies freezes. "How do you think your wife and girlfriends will feel about you hugging a naked guy?"

    At once, everything around them stills, and Nies slowly, carefully detaches himself from the younger Divine Being, who looks every bit Gavin Jakran that he had been, complete with the fluffy tail and runic marks.

    "Hm," the young Divine Being looks at his body, then gestures with his hands. He frowns for a moment, then does it again, and a pair of black pants and a belt form on him, and he smiles. "There we go. It seems getting used to this will take some time. That said, Nahor, fuck you, and Nies, boiling the air and ocean isn''t exactly letting the people I died to protect survive."

    It wasn''t Nies who froze everything, was it? It was the being once known as Gavin Jakran.

    The younger Divine Being gestures with his hands, frowns for a moment, then does it again, and the ''boiling'' ocean calms, the breeze picking up again.

    "Yeah," he says. "Getting used to it will take a little time. Now, Nies ¨C what say you that we attack this last wave of Dragons? Or are Divine Beings not allowed to do this? Because I''m still itching to protect these people as they evacuate, and letting the Dragons reach them won''t exactly suit my desires."

    Nies just stares at the Divine Being, who shrugs, then looks at the incoming Dragons. They''re still a few miles out, and he really shouldn''t be interfering directly, but¡­

    Nahor''s often pulled stuff like this before, and we''ve never stopped him. Mostly because he unnerves us, and has proven himself capable of truly killing a Divine Being, but maybe there''s a reason for it? There are cases where Divine Beings can interfere, but we usually have to keep a close eye on them for that. Perhaps ones who were once mortal don''t need that?

    This is confusing.

    The young Divine Being raises his arms, extending them out to the sides, and violet light envelopes the Dragons, and when it fades, there''s nothing left.

    "There," the young Divine Being smiles, turning to face Nies. "Dealt with, and the itch to protect them is gone. And due to that, the evacuation isn''t needed anymore. Out of curiosity, Nies ¨C do I need to wait a certain amount of time before I can give someone my Blessing? I''ll need to pick between Michael and Ryan, but since I''m apparently a Divine Being, now, I do think it''d be useful to have one of them having a Blessing, since they work for the Order so much."

    Nies starts spluttering, then throws himself at the young Divine Being, wrapping his arms around him and sobbing into him, rambling incoherently in the Divine Language.

    "Huh," the young Divine Being says. "I can actually understand that, now. I guess you need to be a Divine Being to?"

    "Wait," Nies suddenly stops, detaching himself from the young Divine Being. "Fuck Nahor? Why?"

    "He clearly knew this would happen," the young Divine Being answers. "Even said it''s happened before. I''m guessing it happened to him. Does the name ''Rohan'' mean anything to you?"

    "Rohan?" Nies''s eyes widen, and he suddenly appears back in here, right in front of Nahor, examining him closely. Hesitantly, he asks, "Nahor?"

    "Hello, Sein," Nahor smiles. "It took you long enough."

    The young Divine Being appears in here moments later, only he''s a little upside-down, and four feet off the ground. He quickly rights himself, shaking his head, but smiling.

    "That''s better," he says. "How long is the transition period, Nahor?"

    "You''ll probably adjust within a few days," Nahor laughs. "Welcome to Divinity, God of Protectors, Guardians, Sanctuaries, Travelers, Adventurers, and Knowledge, Nivagran."