“Yuck!” All that work, for nothing! We spent the last hour dragging the goblin and hobgoblin corpses up the stairs. My human teeth were decent at tearing the flesh off of them, but the taste was gross compared to the food in the box. Have I been conditioned to be spoiled? In the Demon Lands I had to eat whatever I defeated. I looked at Attor, and he looked unhappy with the taste of these things. The taste of goblin was acidic and its flesh was chewy, but did not cut off when I bit it entirely. Worst of all, the blood stuck to my skin. This was not good.

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. You have been poisoned. Poison ticks until Poison Resistance Passive Skill is unlocked: 67/100.

Oh, no wonder why I felt like I was dying while chewing on this dead goblin. I actually was! My muscles twitched as the poison coursed itself through my veins. It felt like someone was pulling my stomach apart. Uh oh.

— HP: 0%

“Charlotte?”

I blinked, while I heard Wisdom’s Intervention activate and the pool of bloody jelly washed over me as I saw the tower’s roof above me. I checked my status. Sure enough, I died. I sat up in the middle of all the dead bodies and a judgmental dragon.

“Ah, I died again,” I muttered. I guessed that I did not survive long enough through the poison to acquire the poison resistance skill. I needed that skill. I was still a level 1 witch, at least. Dying could be a part of the process, although I hoped nothing else got worse.

“You turned purple,” Attor held a rag for me to wipe my face off. “How did you come to life again?”

The Skill, Divine Equalizer, was something, wasn’t it?

“It's a Skill I have,” I told him. Attor eyed me suspiciously. “What?”

“Have you tried cooking?” he suggested. “I’ve heard of your kind getting Skills before, but never have I seen someone getting them like this…”

I died again after I shoved a mouthful of the poisoned meat down my throat. That tone of his, I scoffed. Was he looking down upon me? Probably, because I was on my hands and knees retching and throwing up. I doubted humans ate goblins raw, but the poison counter increasing meant that it carried over even in death.

“I can’t cook without flames, nor do I have any of those bowls like the rest of the humans, ah, never mind,” I was also a human now. I needed to stop forgetting that. “I can get a Skill from eating these guys and I’m still hungry!”

“If it’s poison immunity, I could just breathe my Jade fire upon you and you would get it immediately.”

“Maybe later! You would set this place on fire!” I groaned. Was this forgetfulness a quirk of his? I figured his green breath weapon was no ordinary fire, and these goblins that were cooked by him probably were not poisonous to begin with.

The truth was, that Cooking skill told me I needed several things before I could use it. I gave Attor the list, and he flew off to the goblin village to retrieve the items. Once activated, smaller windows appeared over the dead goblin parts, giving them each Tier 0 ranks. The hobgoblins that he retrieved, however, had an ominous Tier 1 rank floating above it in big red letters. Tiers cannot stop me! I bit into its arm and immediately felt my body go limp. Oh, no. I coughed out bile before I could feel disappointed and my body melted. After I awoke again, a window floated above my head.

— Passive Skill Poison Immunity [Epic] Unlocked.

That hobgoblin was enough to rank it to max? I gulped. My class was unchanged and my level still remained at level 1, despite dying. Divine Equalizer truly has its uses, as a witch I am bound to perform experiments on myself due to the lack of test subjects. I have eaten several goblins and even the rest of that hobgoblin without any harm done to me, but the taste was not getting any better. Perhaps when Attor gets back I could wow him by cooking something incredible with these dead things!

— Upgrade Skill: Cooking [Common] to rank E? (120 points needed)

Yes! I thought enthusiastically, but pulled out of it before I had confirmed it. He’s a dragon, so he probably has had many E ranked meals. This shall not do! Go, status! Upgrade my Cooking Skill to the limit!

— Skill: Cooking [Common] has been upgraded to Rank S. Total Skill points are now 800.

Yes, I grinned. It’s all coming together now. That hobgoblin’s red Tier 1 label turned to green, suggesting that I could now cook it. I have never cooked anything, however, and dread began to settle on me. Did I waste my Skill Points? 1200 points for maxing out one Skill seemed like a hefty cost, but I was bound to upgrade my Skills in combat eventually and get more, right? What’s wrong with a little spending?

Speaking of spending, there still was that Familiar Bond Skill I had to sort out. The Skill was necessary if I wanted to use magic, but required a willing and powerful Soul to bond with my own. Would that Dragon be willing to pair with a human like me, even if I used to be the Demon Lord? There was also Frampton, but I was not sure if he fulfilled that second condition of the Skill’s requirements. I moved to the bed and noticed the bat was still resting. Surely, he’s pretending, right?

“Frampton,” I called to the bat. He did not stir at all, so I roared even louder. “Frampton!”

The Imp Bat immediately sprang up on his hind legs to attention. Yeah! That’s what I thought!

“F-Forgive me, Master!” He begged. “Are we under attack?”

“Hmm,” I said nothing but checked what the Bond Familiar Skill had to say about the cowering bat.

— Framton, level 9

— Blood Imp Bat

HP:100%

I noticed the Status appeared to fill in his own strength, but I was not sure if things other than humans in the Human Realm gained experience points. I looked out and noticed the sun was setting. It was getting close to start testing out my new Class, but since I did not have a Familiar I would not be able to use the Spellbook.

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Skill: Bond Familiar [Rare] cannot bond with target “Frampton.” Target is too weak!

Well, that explains a lot, I guessed. I pat the confused bat on the head and exited the room. That meant that the only other target was Attor, but I was not sure if he would even be willing to help a failure of a Demon Human such as I out. I climbed up the stairs, realizing that he was already in there with a lot of supplies for cooking. How did he get here so fast!? My eyes must have lit up in wonder as I held up a heavy pot, because the dragon simply snorted proudly. There was also a cauldron that I might need to use because of that Brewing skill.

“Wow,” I uttered.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Wood’s outside,” he motioned out the open window. Did he jump in here from the ground? Judging by that knowing smirk, he simply nodded and gestured to his arms. Get on? I cautiously approached him, and he scooped me up with incredible speed and power. An ambush! I screamed as the cold wind blasted my face before I realized we were already out the window.

It was dark in the room and it reeked of goblin anyways! He landed without problem, even though my legs were shaking. I was lucky that I did not drop the pot during that fall, old man! He chuckled at my attempted jab, which annoyed me! To add more insult to my injury, he jumped back up to the top of the spire with incredible power. Soon, we were staring at a pile of dead goblin and the crude blades I was going to use to… use my Cooking skill on! Yes! You just wait!

Despite me expecting to do something while using this skill, a window appeared before me. Huh?

— Cooking Skill activated: Cookbook menu opened.

— Use available ingredients to cook one Tier 3 Goblin Feast?

That sounds amazing! I read over the menus. There were options that were up Tier 2 and the higher Tier were locked because I did not have the ingredients, but for a dragon as powerful as Attor he deserved the highest this S ranked skill can muster. I selected yes and the window burst into light. It covered the dead goblins in a bursting cyan glow as the Skill did all the work for me. That was kind of disappointing, I sighed. I realized I needed the supplies nearby, but I didn’t know I wasn’t going to actually use them, the Skill was!

I sighed. It was fine for a former Demon Lord to not have to actually learn how to cook, right? Eventually the glowing aura dissipated, and an incredible platter of food rested in front of the pile, complete with a cooked goblin’s head on top of the various meats. Attor tentatively sniffed at it, then lifted a cooked leg as he eyed me. Take that! Taste my S ranked cooking! I stood there with my arms folded in anticipation of my triumph.

The dragon’s usual stern face began to glare back at me. Why?

“I can’t read your mind back, you know,” I sighed. You’re ruining my cool moment! Eat, eat! “Go on, I made this for you. Well, with a Skill, but that’s how this Realm works!”

“I,” he almost looked like he was about to stammer. What, why? Was I too forward? “I don’t want to eat this alone.”

The silvery moonlight matched his hair, but I did not sense a single monster around. I pushed back a black strand of my own and looked at the meat. A Tier 3 meal shared with me? Well, I took one of them and raised it towards his. A toast, to a hopeful friendship, I nodded and then tore into the meat. Attor did the same, and soon we were both paralyzed by the overwhelming savory flavor filling our mouths.

Was this really goblin? It tasted like… Well, I did not have a comparison from the Demon Realm. I peeked at Attor and noticed a tear slip down his cheek from his eyes. He loved it that much too? We spent most of the night eating in silent camaraderie, before we headed back up to his room. There was a slight issue, however, I scanned the room. There was no bed for him! Even demons had those. Most demons in the Capital Reign had them at least!

“Do you have a Skill to make one, then?” He narrowed his eyes.

“I, uh,” I scanned the list of Active Skills I had. “No.”

He sighed.

“Hey, I plan on hunting right now,” I continued. “You can sleep in—“

“I certainly will not!” The dragon already rejected my offer. Why? Was it against human customs or something? I could only guess so. “You are a Witch, are you not?”

“Yeah,” I finally admitted. “I have this Skill, you probably know. I need a Familiar in order to use it.”

“Very well,” Attor declared without hesitation. “I can sleep in your spirit, as a Familiar then.”

“Eh?” I asked him in disbelief. “You will?”

It was probably due to the fact he would outlast me, a lifetime scale that far outweighed my puny human’s lifespan.

“You shall cook me these meals, Charlotte,” he demanded. “And in exchange, I shall make you powerful.”

“Deal,” It was my turn to grin. You will learn that there are meals beyond that Tier 3 one you have never dreamt of! I reached up and shook his hand.

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Skill: Bond Familiar’s conditions have been activated. True Jade Dragon Attor has accepted to the bond’s condition.

A dazzling, green mist filled the entire room as Attor’s hand and body burst into magic light. Did he know this would happen?

Of course, child. I have been around the Human Realm for thousands of years.

“You’re in my head?” I asked through the fog. The magical burst cleared as if a mighty wind blew it outside, but soon I was standing there alone with no Attor in sight. “Attor?”

A mighty laugh echoed throughout the room, but I could not see any sign of him. Slowly, a magical ghostly outline of the Jade Dragon’s true form filled the entire room. His maw actually, for the rest of his body seemed to be converging within the center of my chest. A Spirit form? I have seen this happen in the Demon Realm, where blue spirits taking form of the dead would haunt the battlefields, but this was different somehow! The Jade Dragon’s head faced me, dwarfing the entire room and me especially! Don’t tell me you died in the process! The green spiritual energy coursing through the room was enough to make my skin feel like it was going to break, but it only intensified the moment I heard him speak.

I see everything, Demon Lord, he echoed in my head with a powerful laugh. Your Status, goals, Wisdom.

“Hey, she’s a dear friend of mine,” I cried out. “If you know where she is then lead me to her first!”

“Your memories interest me, child. I have had little desire to watch the Mortals play their games with other Realms, so I took to the Forest where they left us alone. But you are different. What you say you were is true, a Demon Lord from another Realm. We will be an unstoppable force, but I shall guide you.”

“H-How do I summon you?” I could hear his voice clearly now, as if he was speaking. Was that the Skill adjusting to him? Attor’s Spirit maw rushed straight into my heart with another laugh, and I felt like a blade stabbed into me repeatedly as his ghostly form siphoned into me. After all of the chaos, I felt a little cold but nothing else and everything was quiet again.

“Are you there, Attor?” I called for him after the light show finished. Silence settled in the room like the misty wind outside the window. Oh, right. You must be resting inside of me… somewhere. I checked where my heart was, and felt a faint warmth emanating from it on my palm. No matter! It was now time to check my Status’s Spellbook!

Spellbook

Tier 1 — 10% mana cost

— Arcane Missile: Launches a pure magic projectile at a target.

— Elemental Weapon Support: Can infuse the Ice, Fire, or Wind elements to weapons or fists for extra damage.

— Poison Breath: Allows user to use a Poison infused Breath weapon.

Tier 2 — 20% mana cost

— Arcane Beam: Shoots a powerful beam of pure magical energy at a target.

— Elemental Ball: Launches a Ice, Fire, or Wind projectile at an area.

Tier 3 — 30% mana cost

— Eldritch Beam: Shoots darkness infused beam at a target.

— Poison Cloud: Releases a cloud of poison in an area.

My eyes scrolled over the list as I sat in the chair thinking. This Status seemed to rely on classifying Tiers for various objects and spells. The Tier 3 spells seemed potent, but the number of Spell Slots confused me. Wisdom? A little help on this! I hesitated upon waking him up, but I couldn’t wait and thumped my chest. Instead of him popping out of me like I thought he would, I only felt pain from hitting myself.

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. Spell Pages contain spells from your Spell Book. You have enough Spell Pages for three Tier 1 spells, two Tier 2 spells, and only one Tier 3 spell. When a Spell is used, that Spell Page is consumed. They refresh daily.

Were you waiting for me to smack myself before answering that, Wisdom? I sighed. The number of spells I could use was probably due to my low level or this frail human body. The five pages manifested before me in a floating book of magic, with a neat menu I could prepare the spells in. I placed three Arcane Missiles, two Arcane Beams, and 1 Eldritch Beam without much thought. There was not a lot to choose from, I mused. Still, simplicity was fine enough for me! Come to think about it, when I was Demon Lord my magic was also limited. I would rather tear my opponents apart with my bare hands than use my First, Second and Third spells. Here shall be no different!

“Thanks, Wisdom,” I grumbled. “Now how do I cast these things?”

— Wisdom’s Intervention activated. A wand is required to cast these spells.

So I need a wand. I recalled humans would bring sticks along in battle, so I shall simply have to hunt one with a stick and steal it! On second thought, I wondered if Attor could help me with acquiring a wand. Where was that dragon? He and I were supposed to be a team, right?

Attor, I cast my thoughts to him. Wait, that Skill I had, what was it called again?

“Is Attor the name you gave to that dragon, Master?”

“Gah!” I shrieked. Frampton floated above me, apparently waiting on me this whole time. How did he sneak up on me like this!? “Y-Yes, Frampton.”

“As expected of you, Master! That dragon shall be an excellent addition for the Demon Army.”

“Indeed, indeed,” I muttered, but my eyes remained scrolling through the list of Skills for that Familiar Skill. Ah, there it was. The Summon Familiar Skill, rested in the middle of all of the menu’s text. “Hey, Frampton.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Go find me more places to hunt,” I commanded him. The bat’s furry head bowed as he bobbed in his flight.

“As you wish, Master!” He flew off out the window, leaving me alone once again. I shall have to cook him a meal for his loyalty!

Now, I got up and went outside to check for any signs of monsters I could hunt, but the moon was slowly fading away over the horizon. I could have hunted or done something, but the orange haze of the sun’s wake was quite pretty to behold. There were no monsters waiting for me, only the fire pit and the empty plate remained behind the tower. Time flies in this Realm! I stretched. I guess I will have to wait to hunt with him, but I should try to see if this Skill could be used without a wand. I don’t see why it wouldn’t, but I hesitated before selecting the Skill.

“Come to me, O Familiar!” I uttered. That sounded cool, right?

Slowly, a warm sensation burst from my chest and green mist slowly manifested into a shape. There Attor was! Why did he seem smaller than his original form? A tiny creature floated in front of me, reminiscent of the dragon, but much more cuter! His little wings and tail! I swooned.

“Wait, Attor?” I asked the small dragon. It turned away from me. Is that shame?! “Is that you?”

“I’m not cute!” He roared, but it sounded like a squeak. “And I was sleeping!”

My heart! He was so adorable! Now I have another cute minion like Frampton!