“Green! You floating ball of an eyeball. It’s so nice to see you. Have you come to shower me with numerous levels for my amazing ability to slaughter a big muscular woman?”

Green blinks once, unfazed by the words spewing from the mortal's mouth.

Quasi sighs. “I don’t suppose I can get a more advanced administrator? Something with a bit more personality? I’m just saying, I could really get used to being praised.”

The floating administrator blinks again, completely and utterly unhurried to fulfill its duty.

“I guess not. Alright Green, how many levels have I gained?”

“You have gained a single level. You have one attribute available.”

“One level? Really? I think two levels would be far more reasonable.”

The ball of glorious floating eyeballness floats un-menacingly in complete silence. Even the occasional blinks make no noise.

“Fine. Just throw the attribute point into strength and then get me Red.”

“Acknowledged”

Green disappears and is quickly replaced by the eyeball in charge of system recognized jobs. Red blinks and floats in the exact same way that green does.

“Did I get any levels in [Captain]?”

“Negative.” Red answers.

“Yea, figured as much since I had to call you over. Anyway, show me my crew page.”

Job: [Ship Captain]

Level: Level 17

Job Skills: 2

Ship Size: Frigate

Primary Jobs Available: 8

Support Jobs Available:5

Maximum Job Capacity: 22

Primary Jobs

[First Mate] level 11: Irmgard Von Braun level 13 [Sword Officer]

[Quartermaster] level 14: Cillian Wallace level 19 [Merchant]

[Security Chief] level 10: Boriss Smirnov level 18 [Skirmisher]

[Chief Carpenter] level 7: Emma level 29 [Rune Smith]

[Head Chef]: N/A

[Chief Physician] level 7: Nepenthes level 16 [Druid]

[Artillery Chief]: N/A

[Navigator]: N/A

Support Jobs

[Boatswain] level 1: Auranta level 37 [Air Mage]

[Gunner]:

[Cook]:

[Carpenter]:

[Rigger]:

[Physician Assistant]:

Lets see, everyone but me is leveling in their job. I guess delegating isn’t going to give me levels. Damn, Nepenthes got seven levels already. Seems like reconnecting spinal neurons is something to get a burst of levels over.

As for Auranta, it’s good to know that she isn’t hiding her level or class. All that’s left is to make sure that she’s not actually a champion.

“Aight, everything looks good. That's all I need to know. Send me back.”

“Acknowledged.”

________________________________________________________________

Like a dream, the white room is replaced by my [Captains] cabin and my body is replaced to that of a kitten.

“All is good with the world.”

I hop off the bookcase and walk outside my room. The moment I stop, my head pivots to a moving bright light at the end of the hallway. Following it, I halt right outside Irmgards room. What I find is Irmgard and Auranta sitting on a bed with an open book between them. Auranta’s hand is extended palm up. Right above her palm is a floating ball of fire. Irmgard has her hand doing the same, though lacking in the actual ball and flame.

“You two seem to be bonding pretty well?” I walk inside and startle the two women.

“[Captain].” Irgmard nods in greeting. “Auranta is trying to teach me to utilize magic.”

Auranta closes her palm and the ball of flame disappears. “Apologies if this is not allowed.”

I hop onto the bed. “It’s only not allowed if you don’t teach me too. I want to see if I can use magic.”

Auranta tilts her mask to the side. “I was under the impression that [Druids] are already experienced in the magic arts.”

Right. People keep thinking I’m a [Druid].

“Ever heard of the [Shifter] class?” I ask.

Auranta quickly leans forward in interest. “Only in writing.”

“And what does the writing say about the class?”

“It says that [Shifters] obtain the ability to transform immediately upon obtaining the class. It also states that the transformations differ from [Druids].”

“How so?”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

She takes a moment to stare at me through the tinted glass eye-holes of her mask. “Where [Druids] cast spells to shift their forms, a [Shifter] replaces their body with another. The transformation also does not restrict the ability to regenerate mana, so a [Shifter] can stay transformed indefinitely.” She waves her hand towards me. “That’s why you are constantly in that form. It costs you less to stay in that form than the speed of your regeneration.”

Yea, that checks out.

“Did that writing explain how [Shifters] obtain new forms?”

“It mentions the acclamation of willing souls.”

Willing souls? So what I kill has to be willing to become a transformation?

“Care to expand on that?”

She shakes her head. “The book doesn’t go into further details on that. I imagine it is similar to [Druids], where the beast is raised, cared for, and on its death the [Druid] obtains the ability to transform into the animal.”

Well, shit. That sucks. I don’t think I have the time to find a powerful beast, care for it, and then wait for it to die.

“Good to know.” I sigh. “So, yes, I’m a [Shifter] and I transform not by spell but by skill. I have no training or understanding of magic, but I want to take a crack at it. So, teach me like you’d teach a complete beginner.”

“A beginner? Are you able to sense and shift your internal mana?”

“I can, yea.”

“Then you are not a beginner. Magic and spells are all based on one's ability to manipulate mana in desirable forms. Those forms are dictated by the formation of runes, the number of them, and the specializations that you are capable of wielding.”

Auranta grabs the open book on the bed, turns to a page, and then pushes the book to me.

Looking down, I’m met with five circular symbols.

“What type of magic a mage is capable of depends on which and how many of these specializations they have mastered. The specializations are Materialization, Destruction, Alteration, Transfiguration, and Mutation.”

She flips to the next page where the first symbol is shown in greater detail. The symbol depicts a flowing gas. “Materialization is the ability to manipulate mana outside your body. It is considered the most basic specialization and a requirement to even be offered the [Mage] class.”

She flips to the next page where the second symbol is located. This symbol depicts a ball of fire. Auranta extends her hand with palm up. Immediately, a ball of fire comes into existence. “Destruction is the ability to change the very nature of your mana into a different form. This is done by manipulating your mana into a specific runic formation. Currently, the runic formation I have produced is called Fehu- meaning fire. This ball of flame is a combination of Destruction and Materialization specialization.”

With her other hand she flips to the next page, depicting a symbol of what looks to be random objects.

“Alteration is the ability to shift the qualities of objects, even created ones.”

She lowers her arm and thus the ball itself. As I stare at it, the fire shifts and morphs into a compressed javelin of fire.

She flicks the book to the next page. The symbol now is that of dozens of random directional arrows.

“Transfiguration is the ability to add a force to an object. That force can be applied to anything, including a spell.”

The javelin of fire starts to move on its own. It twists, spins, and drifts around the room. Then it stops. She closes her palm and the magic disappears. She turns the page.

“The last specialization is Mutation. It is the rarest and most difficult- one that I’m not skilled enough to even attempt without appropriate skills. Mutation is the ability to change the structure of the physical world. It is the realm of [Healers] and to an extent, [Druids].”

She flicks back pages until all five specializations are present.

“The specializations are the very basics of utilizing your mana. You do not need to know them all, but if you wish to even be offered the [Mage] class, then you must learn to use one adequately.”

I nod slowly as I stare at the five circles on the book. “You’ve done this before.”

“Done what?” She asks.

“Explaining magic. You sound like a professor.”

Her hands move and rest on the open book. “I was a [Professor] at Plidsonia Academy. Teaching aspiring [Mages] is something I have years of experience with.”

I perk up in interest. “Why did you stop?” I ask.

“My… mother required my assistance as a [Ship Mage]. My studies took a pause until my assistance was no longer acquired. I eventually returned to the academy, only for my assistance to be called up once again.”

I lean back to allow my tail to wrap around my legs. “Right. That’s vague as shit, but I won't pry. Back to the subject at hand. How would I know if I’m capable of magic?”

“All are capable of magic, even Buxon to the most limiting sense. But, not all species are capable of learning all specializations. For example, Buxon and Gemma are not able to use Materialization. Their bodies cannot naturally release mana, so they can never manipulate the external world. This limits them to only learning the other specialization. Unfortunately, that poses detrimental danger to the individual's well-being.”

“Mistakes are lethal.” Irmgard answers.

Auranat nods. “Correct. An externally malfunctioning rune exploding a meter away may scar you, but an internal one can lead to a loss of a limb.”

“Or worse,” I add my two cents. “So, I just need to first move my mana externally, right? If I can do that, then I can fling spells.”

“Correct.”

“Alright, give me a moment.”

I close my eyes and feel the mana coursing through my body? Odd, it feels disconnected somehow, but also there. Willing the mana to move, I feel it course through my body with ease. Only when I try to force it to leave do I notice that there is nowhere to leave to, like my mana is completely enclosed.

“Huh. Odd. Let me try something else.”

I hop off the bed and cancel my transformation. I am back into my Fenrimorph form and all that the form entails. Irmgard stares at me with her usual resting bitchface, while Auranata shows just as little reaction now. Honestly, she seems human, but in an uncanny valley kind of way.

Looking away, I quickly focus on my mana. This time, the mana doesn’t feel disconnected, though it does feel different- as though it is constantly raging and shifting. The reason becomes immediately clear as the mana is being suctioned into my gauntlets. As the mana is lost, my body recovers it. This new mana causes a constant shift of my internal flow- never allowing the energy to calm.

With a stretch of my will, the raging mana comes under my control. I even halt the flow into the gauntlets- terminating the runes for the moment. Then, I attempt to force the mana outside my body… and again. It refuses. After several more attempts, I’m forced to give up. With a thought, my form returns to that of a kitten.

“Damn, I can’t do Materialization.”

“Are you sure you attempted it correctly?” Irmgard asks.

“He did,” Auranta interrupts. “Astoundingly so. I’d argue he is even more gifted than me at the manipulation of mana. His ability to grab hold of his entire reserve is astounding.”

When I look at Auranta, I find the woman's eyes are aglow.

“You can see mana,” I say.

The glow immediately stops. “To an extent. But, I agree with you, your two forms are not capable of Materialization. Do you have other forms you wish to try?”

Now you’re just prying. “I’ll try my other forms later. In the meantime, I think you were teaching Irmgard something?”

“Materialization.” Auranta flips to a page much later on in the book where an image of a three dimensional runic image is superimposed next to a ball of flame. “This is the rune for Fehu. It is one of the simplest Runes known and is ideal for training.” She extends her palm upward. A ball of fire forms directly above it. “Irmgards job is to surround the rune with her mana via Materialization. This training improves Materialization and teaches one how to create the rune at the same time.”

I stare at the rune in the book for a long moment, memorizing it to perfection. “How would one learn destruction without Materialization?” I ask.

“By creating the rune within one's body. Of course, the runes effect would be active in one's body- which can be detrimental to health depending on the rune.”

I pout. “Something like Fehu would be a detriment, correct?”

“For training? Yes. But, I heard [Monks] can form Fehu close enough to their skin that the spell effect activates outside the body.”

My spine straightens in interest. “Why would they do that?” I ask.

“[Monks] are known to release explosive spells on physical contact with any object. Think of a fist that bursts into flames on contact with fles- are you alright?”

I halt halfway out of the room. “Huh? Yea… I just remembered I have something to do. By!”

I rush out with an eager grin on my face.