Chapter 13: Rewards

"Congratulations, Black Lily. More notifications are on the way, but I've taken the liberty to suppress them before. It will be a lengthy update. Let's hope we can review it in a more peaceful setting soon. You deserve another round of congratulations. It's quite rare for a Magical Girl to defeat an Anathema over twenty levels above their own at such an early stage, even with Shining Arrow's assistance. Do you want to review your notifications?"

"Alright, we have about twenty minutes. Shall we start going through them?" I replied.

"First, here's your kill notification for defeating the Arachnomantis. It includes points and experience."

[Defeated: Arachnomantis Knight Level 36]

[Reward: 70 Points]

[Bonus EXP awarded for defeating an Anathema more than twenty levels above your own, despite minimal help from another Magical Girl.]

[You have leveled up multiple times from level 8 to level 13]

[Remaining Points:521]

"Wow, I still get the bonus despite not doing it solo?"

"Yes. The system judges the killing of Anathema fairly. It deemed the other participants' involvement minimal, thus granting you bonuses. Had they not interfered and you had defeated the Arachnomantis solo, you could have reached level 15 in one go. It's a rarity for an MG to defeat something more than twenty levels above their own, anyway."

"I see. What should I do with the points now?"

"I strongly suggest saving them to buy skills or unlock Rare vaults. Rare weapons from vaults are crucial as you advance your rank." While her advice seemed sound, I knew I needed to unlock that kinetic handgun vault later for the bullets essential to the soldiers.

"Now that you've surpassed level ten, classes have been unlocked for you."

[Congratulations! For reaching level ten, you have unlocked Classes! Signature locked. Please contact your Familiar for the unlocking procedure.]

[Number of Classes Available: 10]

"What exactly is a class?"

"A class defines your role in a mass deployment. The basic seven classes are: Striker, Tanker, Healer, Buffer, Scout, Sniper, and Hunter. Each class plays a specific role in a team. More evolved or variant classes can offer bonuses.

"For instance, a Striker might choose to receive a 30% increase in STR, benefiting their combat style in various ways. Scouts could receive a boost in AGI, Tankers in VIT, and so forth. Some special or rare classes might even grant a unique skill." Felicia paused, tilting her head as she regarded me.

"Speaking of skills and rare classes, you qualify for a rare class known as Slayer. It offers a 15% bonus to all stats when fighting Anathema that are of a higher level than you. I strongly recommend taking it as your primary class."

I stared at my cat, astonished. A 15% bonus to all my stats? Having been given a comparison, this seemed incredibly generous. With six different stats on my status screen, this essentially amounted to a 90% bonus compared to the 30% offered by other classes.

"Hm? What's a 'main class'?"

"Ah, classes can be switched as often as you like, with a one-day cooldown. Also, class levels remain the same even after switching, so MGs commonly swap classes based on their needs. A 'main class' is the one they focus on developing. Since Slayer is a rare class, I suggest you concentrate on building it up."

"Alright. I'll take it."

"Now, let's discuss your Augment—"

"Lily, are you guys ready? Let's head out. The jeep's been waiting. We have 9 more zones to clear!" Shining Arrow called out, urging us to gather. Following her lead, I boarded the jeep with Felicia's voice continuing in my mind. Throughout the ride, my focus remained on her explanation.

"Now, regarding your augment. Upon reaching level 10, your augment has been upgraded. Given its uniqueness, our arcane system has crafted a distinctive description. You must accept the upgrade to discover its function."

[Congratulations! For reaching level 10, your Augment (The Ambivalence of Virtue and Sin) has been upgraded!]

[Embrace the ambiguity: as you don the mask, so too does your soul transform. What was true becomes false; what was false becomes true. In a realm where absolutes fade, your soul roams free, ensnared within a gilded cage, veiled behind the facade.]

[Accept Upgrade?]

"I accept."

[The Ambivalence of Virtue and Sin]

Level: MAX

Virtue: Diligence

Empower spaces with mana-infused eyes, ears, and marks upon your touch. Integrating these into your mana constructs grants tactile feedback. Mana expenditure: 30 upon placement, 5 Mana per minute active, 1 per minute idle. Cap of twenty eyes, operational up to a 10km radius before disconnection. Keywords: Wiretap, Dismiss.

Sin: Vainglory

Nominate a mana construct as an alternate existence. In facing mortal peril or upon utterance of a keyword, instantaneously swap locations with your construct, potentially sparing your life. This act halves shield capacity or incurs a mana regeneration debuff. No mana cost. Keyword: Horcrux.

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

[LOCKED]

"..."

"Well, you've got a remarkable augment. It's truly beneficial, especially considering the safety net it provides. It's typical for a Dark Magical Girl, where both the aspect and grimoire work in tandem, enhancing each other's effectiveness. This makes the often dangerous and reckless endeavor of hunting high-level Anathema considerably safer. The automatic teleportation feature is a significant advantage."

"It complements my new class as well, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does."

"Black Lily, you seem distracted. What's going on?" Sapphire inquired.

"She's probably just hit level 10. She's been defeating a lot of Anathema, and taking down that Arachnomantis alone must've boosted her several levels in one go." Despite Red Flame's typically relaxed demeanor and blunt speech, he hit the nail on the head with his guess. His accurate guess caught me by surprise.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Yes, you're right."

"Really?! Wow, that's fantastic! We should celebrate!"

"Alright, I'll cover it," I offered politely, which was met with cheers from the team.

"No, wait, we'll have DOUBLE celebrations! I've hit level 30, you know. That Arachnomantis was a great kill, though it drained a lot of my mana. My signature move is on cooldown now."

"Yeah, we've all taken quite a hit, haven't we?"

"We've got an hour before we can tackle another zone."

"Eh... but the next zone is right over there," Alice pointed out, gesturing towards a supermarket just across from where we were. The supermarket and the shelter were almost adjacent, separated only by a street, and we could even see Anathema from the supermarket windows peering towards the shelter's yellow dome.

"Are we really considering clearing another zone without our signature moves? Is that wise?"

"But we need to assist the people in the shelter."

"We might manage even after reinforcements arrive. They'll have D-rankers with them. It's not like the shelter will fall apart tomorrow. They might be a bit hungry, cramped, and thirsty, but they won't die immediately, right?" Red Flame turned to the soldier escorting us for confirmation, while Sapphire offered a wry smile.

"Sapphire, as our medic, what's your take on this?"

"If everyone was healthy to begin with, then perhaps. However, it could be challenging for children and the elderly."

"But it's pointless if they don't deactivate the barrier, isn't it? Unlike in sanctuary cities, this barrier isn't designed to open from the outside."

"We possess a yellow protocol key that can forcibly open the emergency barrier," the soldier revealed.

"Is that so?"

"However, the key will arrive with the reinforcements, either tomorrow or the day after," he added, eliciting a collective groan of frustration from us all.

"The shelter was designed for a maximum of a thousand refugees. Shelter One is already overcapacity. Without contact and if people are hungry, panic could set in," I pointed out, silencing the earlier bickering.

"Though I agree with Red Flame. Venturing in without our signatures might be unwise."

"Let's conduct some scouting first. Wan-chan, go."

"I'll send Phoenix as well."

"While we wait, there's one more notification for you regarding your grimoire."

[Congratulations! For reaching level ten, your Grimoire (The Ambivalent Grimoire) has been upgraded!]

[The Ambivalent Grimoire]

[Shadow Spell: Summon a shadow clone of yourself with 50% of your STR, Agi, Dex, and Vit. Mana cost: 50/cast. Duration: 5 Minutes + Spirit stats x 3 seconds. Automatic Augment applied.]

[Mimic Spell: Alter your appearance or that of your magical construct to assume a specific form. Altering non-magical constructs may not change mass and can only have up to a 50% volume difference. Mana cost: 40.]

[Locked]

[Locked]

[Locked]

[Locked]

[Locked]

"Your new spells offer a diverse array of applications, their utility bounded only by your creativity," I noted, concerned about the mana costs. It seemed I might need to allocate more points to either Spirit or Willpower.

"What if I transform a clone into a sword?"

"That's possible. However, the sword would sustain damage with each use. After reaching a certain threshold, it would dissipate, much like a regular illusion."

"I understand." So, that idea wouldn't work after all. My illusions lacked a shield aura, and my Vitality was notably low. Yet, the potential for using clones as makeshift ladders or ropes remained an intriguing thought.

"Let's review your status screen. Your signature magic is currently locked. Given the unpredictable nature of signature magics, it's advisable to unlock it at the Guardian Command. This way, we can ensure safety until we fully understand its capabilities."

"Okay."

BASIC

Origin: Dark

Aspect: Ambivalent

Class: Slayer

Signature: Locked

STATUS

Name: Yuri Shirayuki

Alias: Black Lily

Level: 13

Points: 521

Shield Aura: 100%

Mana: 300/300 (15/Min)

STATISTICS

Strength: 55

Dexterity: 15

Vitality: 10

Agility: 15

Willpower: 30

Spirit: 15

Bonus Point:50

PERMISSIONS

GRIMOIRES / VAULTS

ABILITIES / AUGMENTS

The Ambivalence grimoire

The Ambivalence of Virtue and Sin

Spear Vault (Common)

First aid Vault [common]

Sword Vault (Common)

Glaive Vault[common)

INVENTORY

WEAPONS

EQUIPMENT

Seraph Spear

Zeus Javelinx2

Kuro No Yari Nagi

Poseidon harpoonx2

None

"Red Flame, what does your phoenix report?"

"Nothing above level ten."

"Same here, just a Blade Reaver, a level 15 Anathema."

"Let's get moving. We can wrap this up in an hour."

"Eh? Are we just going to ignore the Level Parity Protocol?" Alice muttered.

"Seriously? We're under a tight schedule, aren't we?"

"What is the Level Parity Protocol?" I asked Felicia.

"Not sure. I haven't really focused on the Guardian Command's customs."

"Level Parity Protocol is a guideline from the Guardian Command for matching usurpation zones with a Guardian's rank. Here, since there are no Anathema above level 15, this zone is considered suitable for Rank F. Higher-ranked MGs encountering a lower-level zone are expected to clear the surroundings and report back so that appropriately ranked MGs can be dispatched." Shining Arrow explained in lieu of my usually dependable cat.

"But we're the only MGs available here!" Red Flame and Shining Arrow debated.

"In two days, there will be others, right?"

"What if I go in alone? I'm Rank F, aren't I?"

"Lily…" Alice seemed disheartened as she glanced at me.

"There. Are we satisfied now? Let's scout the next zone." Red Flame was visibly frustrated with the protocol.

"Sapphire will stay back too. Though she's Rank E, her combat capability aligns more with Rank F."

"Sorry, everyone. If only I had chosen a different skill set."

"No need to apologize. You've helped my brother, after all. And facing Anathema is frightening." Alice gave Sapphire a reassuring smile.

"Being cautious is a virtue, Sapphire. No worries," Red Flame added. "Your role is to heal. Let us handle the combat. See you later."

"We'll scout the building behind the shelter, about 400 meters away. If anything happens, contact us with your Familiar, okay?"

As we stood there, feeling like children left at the school gates by their parents, we entered the supermarket where various Anathema prowled. Summoning three of my clones, I prepared for confrontation. As soon as the Anathema sensed our magical presence, they turned and advanced towards us.

"You're incredible, you know? You just became a Magical Girl and you're already taking on these Anathema so effortlessly," Sapphire remarked, after dispatching a stray hound that had come too close.

"I'm really not," I replied, growing tired of the constant praise. Just a week ago, I despised being overlooked, resenting the expectation to marry Jonathan. Now, however, I found myself dreading the acknowledgment for choosing my own path.

"Sapphire, why did you decide to become a Magical Girl?" I ventured, aiming for casual conversation and perhaps a bit of insight. However, Sapphire seemed to take the question more seriously, turning introspective and self-critical.

"Yeah, why did I become a Magical Girl... I wonder..." she mused, her voice trailing off into uncertainty.