Chapter Fifteen: Should I Try to Do Some More?

Fourth Tower Year 4771, 8.5.2

The Holy Kingdom of Zah’paht Dur

City of Threshis

《Good Morning.》

Marc sat up in his bed expecting a headache or paralysis or some form of malady but was pleasantly surprised to feel perfectly normal. The previous night he had started the upgrade process for his interface to Stage 4.

He looked around and everything looked normal. He stood up and everything felt normal. Stretching, he took a few steps, testing his body. As expected, nothing had changed. Upgrading the interface never affected his physical condition. The interface was nothing more than an intermediary between himself and the magical world he lived in.

He tried calling up his usual informational displays. After the upgrade, his view was reset with no indicators or pop-up windows. He started opening them all up again, starting with the status bars, map, and finally the alert popup windows.

The Health and Stamina bars were similar, but now showed small sub-indicators that showed his recovery speeds as well. He noted that both his health and stamina recovery rates seemed to have substantially increased. Even without buffing, he should be able to recover over half his health in just a few minutes and it would now take hard work to reduce his stamina at all. He could probably run for days.

The map had some interesting changes. At first glance, it looked almost the same, but when he focused on the room he was in, another popup window appeared. It was a 3D view of the room he was currently in, a small rental room near the blacksmith forge that he was apprenticing at. Using it intuitively he found he could move the camera’s perspective. He could even focus on himself standing in the middle of the room. That was a pretty disorienting experience.

Next, he tried to peek in on the forge. He focused on the building down the road. A new popup appeared showing him the smithy. He could move the view and check out the forge and the various tools. He could even zoom in and out.

As his excitement grew, it was quickly tamped down when he noticed at the top of the window a small message alert.

[NO OBSERVATION POINT AVAILABLE, IMAGE IS BASED ON PAST CONTACT.]

Marc realized that, unlike the view in his room, the images from the smithy were static. It seemed he could only see the live view from the room he was currently in. He was a little annoyed as the more dynamic view was something Kira was capable of doing already, but still, an upgrade was an upgrade. Now he was curious about what Kira could do with her new interface stage.

Checking out the alerts he looked down the long list of changes that had come with the upgrade to his interface.

[INTERFACE HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO STAGE 4, LEVEL 1]

[HEALTH RECOVERY HAS BEEN INCREASED +2%/MIN]

[STAMINA RECOVERY HAS BEEN INCREASED +1.5%/MIN]

[MANA MANIPULATION EFFICIENCY INCREASED 50%]

[ACQUIRED NEW SKILL: MANA FIELD DETECTION]

[ACQUIRED NEW SKILL: MANA FIELD MANIPULATION]

[INTERFACE MAY NOW ACT INDEPENDENTLY THROUGH USE OF A CATALYST]

As Marc read through the messages Kira spoke up.

《ehem. I said, “Good Morning.”》

“Huh? Oh sorry, morning Kira.” Marc mumbled.

Suddenly, Marc’s feet were swept out from underneath him and he fell face down on the wooden floor.

In a panic, he scrambled to a crouching position from the hard-felt belly flop. He looked around the room for whatever had knocked him over, but there was nothing.

《Ooo, I like this. Time to teach you some manners.》

“Oh, you can’t be serious.”

《Better get used to the new world little boy. Kira’s in charge now.》

“What the hell? What’s going on?”

《Just trying out some of my new toys. I finally get to show you what true power is.》

Marc could feel the energy starting to concentrate directly in front of his face. In just a couple of seconds, the energy grew and he felt a barely tangible force impact against the side of his face.

“Um, ouch?” The force of the blast was about as powerful as a child’s plastic baseball bat.

《Wait…》

Another energy field hit him square on the chest.

“Umm. Kira? What are you doing?”

The hit to his chest was about as strong as someone lightly tossing him a basketball this time.

《Are you kidding me?》

“Kira! You’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do!”

《Ewww.》

“Talk. Now.”

《Yeah. Right. Well. You see.》

“…”

《Right. So, the upgrade. Thanks for that by the way. Feeling great now.》

“…”

《Right, Well, you see, the thing is that your new abilities, well, I can use them too now.》

“What? What do you mean you can use them?”

《Exactly that. It is so cool! I can trigger and control your Mana Field Manipulation ability. I can now automate all your interface-connected abilities.》

Marc could feel the headache starting to grow behind his eyes. Not that he ever got real headaches anymore, but the stress he felt built up in his head was pretty close to the same thing.

His mapping, language, and information-based skills were all pretty much under Kira’s control before, but…

“Personal space?”

《Oh! Wait a second.》

A portal doorway appeared in front of Marc.

He stepped through the door, cautiously, but more than a little curious.

He emerged into the Witch’s Den. But this was worlds different than the last time he had entered his personal space.

Everything was… real. The wind, the smell, the sound of insects, and even the old chicken strutting around the cabin like it owned the place. Every detail was entirely indiscernible from the real thing.

《Check this out.》

A torrential downpour appeared out of nowhere. The sky was dark and full of rain clouds as buckets of water dumped on Marc’s head.

“Dammit! Kira!” Marc screamed as he ran for cover under the front awning of the cabin.

《Nothing to worry about!》

As soon as he stepped under the awning, the rain stopped and the water drenching his clothing disappeared. It didn’t evaporate, it just disappeared, as though it had not been soaking him moments before.

“Are you done showing off?” Marc yelled testily.

“So grumpy! Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” Kira’s avatar stood in the doorway of the cabin.

Marc turned to look at her. Her avatar was the same she used when she appeared to him, but she seemed more… real somehow. Her movement, small details, thousands of small imperfections that he hadn’t noticed before. She had seemed more like a photograph of a model in a magazine before. Now, she was obviously the same person, but she was somehow more real. There were imperfections woven into her perfect form giving her an even more convincing appearance of a real person.

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Marc needed to test something out.

A water balloon appeared in his right hand and without waiting he smashed it into Kira’s face.

She glared at him and sputtered as water streamed down to drench her. Marc just smiled as the water pooled into a small puddle at her feet. He asserted full control over the environment.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so wet?” He taunted.

“…” She glared at him.

“Ah, so has the revolution has been called off?”

“Fine. You win. Okay?”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Marc gloated as he released the command to prevent Kira from drying herself off.

“Now, are you going to explain what that was all about?”

Kira walked into the cabin, now perfectly dry, with no sign of Marc’s treachery remaining. She sat at the table and Marc sat opposite her. He had to admit the upgraded space felt much more comfortable. It lacked that unnatural feel that had always bothered him. Maybe he would try spending the night in the fancy hotel bed in his room some night.

“The Mana Field skills. They are A-MAZE-ING! You can see Mana now. Not only that, but you can gather and manipulate Mana outside of your body. And so can I!” Kira was instantly back in a good mood.

“Wait, so that’s what you used just now? You hit me with… Mana?”

“Exactly!” Kira exclaimed triumphantly. “Although it seems that control is still rather weak, at least with what I can gather in a few seconds. But it means I can now do more than just watch over your shoulder. I can use the Mana Fields to manifest your abilities in the real world.”

This was a terrifying thought. Marc realized that the computer in his head now had the power to wreak havoc in the real world rather than just annoying him by nagging into his ear.

“Hey! That’s so disrespectful. If it weren’t for me, you would have been dead a dozen times over.” She huffed.

The computer in his head that could read his thoughts had the power to wreak havoc. The thought spun in circles in his mind.

Marc slumped forward onto the table, holding his head in his hands. This was not good.

“Here, this should help.”

A cup of steaming tea was sitting on the table in front of him.

“Is that…?”

“Charnall,” Kira said with a giant Cheshire grin.

“How?” He had never been able to cook in the space before.

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend drinking imaginary tea and then walking outside the space. Not again anyway. But in this case, the water and the tea are real. I borrowed them from your inventory. Brewing the tea is a simple matter now.“ Kira explained.

Marc cautiously took a sip of the warm drink. It was… great. Anything created by his personal space was imaginary. It only had substance within his space. Of course, walking out with a bellyful of imaginary food would cause problems when it all disappeared after leaving the space.

The other problem was that he had never been able to keep all the laws of physics intact. Things like gravity worked instinctively. The air was breathable, but it had all seemed linked to his understanding of the physical laws. That understanding was for lack of a better description, lacking. He had never been able to so much as light a fire, but if Kira could brew tea…

Marc looked over to the fireplace. He held out his hand and conjured a spark of fire over the hearth. In a few seconds, a small fire was growing.

“This… Kira! Do you know what this means?”

“Of course.” She replied, rolling her eyes.

“Kira, can you replicate the Forge now?” He demanded.

“Perfectly.”

“How about Mythril?”

“Mythril can be tricky. It’s a complicated Mana-infused material. I can’t guarantee that a substitute is 100% accurate. In fact, I can guarantee that an artificial facsimile would not be accurate. The dynamics within the alloy are closer to a personality than a material.” She explained.

That was a disturbing comparison. Something to worry about later, however. For now, he needed to do some testing and for that, he needed to get his hands on some real Mythril. Unfortunately due to the damage caused to the mine by his… experiment, and the continued risk of dangerous beasts, the mines had been closed until they could be assessed for safety and structural integrity. It would likely be months until they re-opened. For now, Mythril supplies were going to be curtailed and monitored closely.

《Good thing you listen to me then.》

“Huh?”

A large black stone appeared in the middle of the room. It was more than half his height and oddly shaped, with angles and flat surfaces like a natural crystal. Marc approached the stone and could feel heat radiating from it. It also smelled like a campfire. He quickly focused on the rock with his interface.

[MYTHRIL ORE]

“What the… Kira? Where did you?” He turned to look at the avatar.

She had a self-satisfied smile plastered to her face.

“The mine you idiot. You are the one who grabbed it, remember?”

Marc looked back at the black stone. The heat from the explosion was still dissipating. It had been frozen in time in his inventory. How much ore was there? At least a hundred kilograms. He had paid over two million Rel for the half kilogram of low-grade Mythril ore he had used in his forging practice. That represented nearly every single Rel he had managed to save since arriving in Threshis. The value of this treasure was incalculable in the current market considering the closure of the mine.

Which is why he could never tell anyone. He was the one to blame for the mine closure to begin with. If he suddenly showed up with a King’s fortune in Mythril, he’d be thrown in the bandit’s prison until they figured out what to do with him.

But there was no harm in using some of the ore to practice with, was there? Especially since he could now create his own forge in his personal space.

He imagined Meservi and Enpii in front of him giving him looks of encouragement and warning. He mentally erased Enpii’s furrowed brow.

No question. He was so doing this.

But first, he had some other business to attend to. Marc sighed a tired breath of resignation and walked out of the doorway to his personal space and back into his rented room. He closed the doorway with a thought and proceeded to get ready for his meeting with the Guild Head.

----------------------------------------

Marc and Ba’eth stood in front of Buchee, the wizened old Dwarf and Guild Head of the Hall in Threshis.

At 402 years old, Buchee was the oldest being Marc had ever met, far surpassing Ba’eth’s 284 years. While humans rarely lived over 200 years, even with a magic extension, some of the other races could live much longer naturally. The mental degradation that seemed to affect humans over two centuries old was also not as pronounced. That said, Buchee looked every bit the age that Marc’s interface revealed. Perhaps it was the extra work that the mine incident had put onto his shoulders.

“Is that all?” He directed his question at Ba’eth who had just finished giving a report on the outcome of the rescue effort.

“Yes, Guild Head.” She replied in a respectful tone.

They had revealed Marc’s identity as a Traveler. No other story would fit the situation, and lying to a powerful magic user always carried great risks. Reluctantly, Marc agreed to open up and trust this person at Ba’eth’s recommendation. The report that she had made was a complete retelling of the events, with nothing glossed over. She had explained Marc’s plan and her approval of its execution, including the miscalculation of the power of the explosive force.

“I see, and what about you? Do you have anything to add?” The tired old Dwarf asked Marc.

“No… Except…”

“Except?” Buchee raised his eyebrow.

“I just wanted to say that Ba’eth only approved the plan because I assured her it was safe. I told her I could keep the blast from damaging the mine. The responsibility-“

“The responsibility will be carried by the ones who are responsible.” The tired old man suddenly seemed to double in size in Marc’s eyes. Marc could see waves of Mana congregating around the Dwarf. He hadn’t moved at all, but his presence now filled the room with power. Marc’s breath was caught in his throat as he was paralyzed by the raw force of the presence of the most powerful being Marc had met besides his teacher.

Slowly the aura of the Guild Head withdrew and Marc could again breathe as he once more saw just a small old man in front of him.

“Child, Decisions by leaders can only be trusted if those leaders accept the responsibility for those decisions. The one in charge of that rescue operation was Ba’eth and the one who placed her in that position was this old man. The responsibility for the results, both good and bad falls upon these shoulders. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Guild Head.”

“Good. Then if there is nothing left to add, you are excused.”

With that, Marc followed Ba’eth out of the Guild Head’s office into the busy main floor of the Guild Hall.

“Is that it? Won’t the mine closing be a huge problem for the city?” He asked Ba’eth.

“Of course, it will be a problem. The entire mine must be re-certified safe after a structural analysis after that giant blast. There’s going to be war between the different factions controlling this city as the cost and impact are calculated and blame is assigned.” The Dwarf said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Marc said glumly. “I thought there would be…” He said, then saw Ba’eth stop and stare expectantly at his face.

“I thought there would be more yelling. After all, if I didn’t mess up the explosion the damage should have been minimal.”

Ba’eth stared at him for a moment before speaking.

“How many people would have died if it took longer to get there? If we had to fight through those damned bats to get there.” She asked.

“I don’t know. Really, I don’t know. Maybe none. Maybe a few.” He answered.

“How much money would each of those lives be worth? Shutting the mines will cost billions of Rel. Would it be worth saving the mines if it only cost one life?”

Marc was surprised by the question. He knew it sounded callous, but he came from a world where human life certainly had a monetary value. He remembered his father explaining how they did not have enough money to pay for his mother’s hospitalization.

“The mines closing will have a huge impact. Every person in the city could be affected. Maybe even harmed due to what I did.” Marc said grimly.

“Did you hear the Guild Head? That is the role of those with the responsibility to solve those problems. That’s why they are in those positions. Yes, many people may be harmed, but the Guild is here to protect everyone, even from the effects of our actions. What you did was dangerous and reckless, but you did not do it for greed or pride. You risked not just damage to mine, but your own life in order to save lives. While you may not receive great praise due to the damage caused by the explosion, you acted as every Guild member is expected to act when lives are in danger. You acted the same way Grenn would have.”

As she spoke those last words, Marc felt the blood freeze in his veins. He understood finally why he had gone ahead and put forward that crazy plan. He was trying to live up to Grenn’s sacrifice. He could feel the years of suppressing that desire welling to the surface. He had never been a brave person. Far from it. He had always avoided confrontation, even in the face of injustice. Grenn had shown him what courage was and Marc had grown sick over the past few years thinking about his own cowardice. Some small part of him wanted to be as good as his respect for his adopted father had been and pushed him to try that crazy plan.

Ba’eth seemed to realize the effect of her words. Putting her hand on his shoulder she locked her steely gaze onto his eyes.

“You did well. I see him in you, I could give you no higher praise than that. He would have been proud of you today.”

Marc could feel his knees weaken and he wanted to collapse into tears at her words, but somehow managed to keep up a stoic front.

“That said, the powers you displayed. They are concerning. I think it’s time we had a talk. Come with me.” Ba’eth led Marc out of the Guild Hall and into the City.

Whatever she had to talk about, Marc finally understood a bit more about himself and what he needed to do. He knew that he needed to complete his internship quickly and leave this place. There was something he needed to do and he had been putting it off for far too long.