As Cier and I re-entered the city, I remembered that I owed him and handed him ten Trias.

"What is this for?" He asked.

"Nash said I owed you." I replied. "Y'know, for the trouble I caused."

Cier clicked his tongue. "That Lacertian! Among his kind, such a price would be common, but..." He handed me back the gold coins. "I require no such considerations. Besides, you are the one in need of it more than I am."

I put the coins in my pouch. "Alright." I said.

We came to the Windsong Guild Hall, where Wyll and the other receptionists were dealing with a long line of Adventurers. "It seems we came just as they were receiving requests." Cier remarked.

"Maybe we should come back at a later time?" I asked.

"No." He said. "We simply wait."

As it turned out, Wyll's group was surprisingly quick at getting all of the Adventurers dealt with. When the line was gone through, Cier and I approached.

"Ah! Cier!" Wyll exclaimed. "When I heard about what happened with the bandits, I was concerned for your health, but I am glad you are otherwise unharmed."

Cier smiled. "It was thanks to my protégé." He replied. "A very reckless lad, but he was of great assistance."

Wyll looked at me. "Ah, Rex Rotenkaiser. Are you here to check missions? I think there are a few more toward your rank..."

"He still has much training to undergo." Cier stated. "He requires a Rank 1 Appraisal charm, perhaps a ring or pendant?"

"Right." She nodded. She left the desk and entered a room behind them, and after a few minutes, she returned with a box. "Unfortunately, we are out of Rank 1 Appraisal charms, but we do have Rank 2."

"What do the Ranks entail, exactly?" I asked.

"We divide magic items and abilities into Ranks." Cier stated. "Depending on their total growth, they become more powerful. Magic items, such as an Appraisal charm, grow in power with use, up to Rank 5, which details traits, abilities, affinities, ailments, and paths, respectively."

"Paths?" I asked.

He sighed and looked at Wyll. "As such." He said.

"Paths are the sources of power that an individual can attain." She said. "Most Paths, like abilities, have Ranks, which go up to Rank 20. Cier, for instance, is at Rank 15 Pugilist, which requires years of dedication to even reach that Rank."

"And a person can be multiple Paths, such as Sorcerer and Rager." I remarked.

"Yes." She replied. "I am honestly surprised you did not know this, despite being those and a Priest as well."

"So, then that hidden Path is just one that I haven't attained yet." I remarked.

"Hidden one?" Cier asked. "Paths are not so strictly defined, one can have as many Paths as they wish, but growing them equally requires great diligence. To have one 'hidden'' indicates a Path that you have not acknowledged as existing."

From was I was understanding thus far, these Paths were essentially RPG Jobs, and that meant I had four already, all but one at the lowest level.

"Would the amount of growth reflected in my Appraisal be typical or atypical for one my age?" I asked.

"It would be typical." Cier stated.

"Alright. Do I have to choose one Path at a time to use the abilities they grant, or do they all apply at the same time? Can abilities stack with another?"

"Wow, I had no idea you were so ignorant of the world." Wyll remarked. "Paths are 'active' all of the time, and abilities one gains following these Paths can be used with one another. For instance, you could likely enhance your weapon with Mana when you attack, or channel a holy spell through it."

I nodded. I was basically multiclassing four different Jobs at once and leveling them at the same time. "That means because I have four Paths, they all grow at the same rate?"

"If you focus on one the most, you will progress through its Ranks at a faster rate, and you can abandon a Path at any time, though you will have wasted all of that effort." He said. "Of course, these Ranks are mere abstractions, a means of determining the skill of a given individual, and Paths are more of an indication of the power one can gain. Swinging a sword one way a thousand times will give you all of the information you need to perform a specific Ability, which is typically formed from said practice. No two Abilities are exactly the same, either, as mine are more reliant on Mana, while others may be reliant on pure strength."

I nodded. "So it's all classifications to gauge relative power." I replied.

Wyll nodded. "Yes. Your magic using individual Units of Mana, however, is one of the few instances of something being quantified."

"Like joules or volts." I remarked. I was a little disappointed that these Ranks weren't as concrete as levels in a given Class or Job, but knowing the distinction meant I wouldn't be going after monsters for XP.

"Is there anything else like Mana Units that can be explicitly quantified?" I asked. "I understand that Ranks are more of a benchmark, but what about, let's say, the level of power for a spell. What determines the difference between a Lesser and Greater spell?"

"The amount of Mana that goes into them." Cier replied. "Let us say, for example, that a Lesser spell uses up one spell per eight hour-"

"Spell slot." I said.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Spell slot is a more narrow term, it describes the amount of mana that can be expended for a standard spell, equivalent to 1000 MU."

He nodded. "Spell slot, then. One spell slot for a Lesser spell, but two for a Standard spell, and three for a Greater."

I nodded. Rather than having different level spell slots, it was all the same level, just a different expenditure for a given spell.

"So, it depends entirely on the amount of power overall." I remarked.

"As educational as this is, would it not be prudent to complete the transaction before teaching the new Adventurer, Wyll?" The wolf-like Beastfolk asked.

"Eh, right!" Wyll exclaimed. "That will be one Velkas for a Rank 2 Appraisal charm."

I handed over the coin and she handed me a ring. It magically adjusted to fit. "How do I use it?" I asked.

"You can choose a command word or gesture." She said. "You can also choose to allow it to passively remain within your field of vision, which some Adventurers do."

"Like a Heads-up Display." I remarked. "Alright, Status!"

My MU and abilities manifested as a small screen that, when I intentionally went to look at it, stayed static.

"Hey, my MU cap went up by two Units." I remarked. "I guess your training did bring immediate results."

"It would seem so." Cier remarked. "An Appraisal, unless otherwise specified, will always appear in the user's native tongue, for the casual observer who cannot speak your native tongue, it is unable to be read."

"Cool." I said. It seemed that in the time between now and my initial Appraisal, I'd gained a new Ability.

[Mana Slash: Sorcerer. Cost: 1+X MU. Deal X amount of damage where X equals the total amount of MU used beyond the initial cost.]

I was sure the description didn't directly imply the existence of HP and was instead giving me the effect as I could understand it. It basically meant I could attack someone with as much Mana as I wanted.

"When I use Mana to release an energy blast, what is the equivalent?" I asked Cier. "A slap? A punch?"

"It is most like being slapped." He said.

"Imagine that, but ten times as powerful without any chance to resist." I said.

"I believe that would be the equivalent of a Lesser Force spell." He remarked. "Which does indeed feel like a strong punch, That delivered through an actual punch could indeed lead to an individual being staggered from the force." Without warning, he punched me, and I was flung into the wall behind me. I was winded and dazed. "As such." He said.

It took me a while to regain my breath and stand, in the meantime, Cier calmly stated that he was training me and was giving me a helpful reminder that lesser spells could still be useful. "To be fair, though, I did have to expend some energy to bypass your resistance to magic." He added.

"I thought you used up all of your spells." I said.

"I have the ability to, once every full day, to restore all of my spells." He said. "This is a direct result of me going through a very dangerous trial, which involved me fighting my way through a nest of dangerous monsters, naked, after a full week of fasting."

"Gods, Cier, the more I learn about you, the more terrifying a person you become." I said.

"We have what we came for, we should stop bothering these fine ladies with our blathering." He bowed his head to them before heading for the door.

"I hope you all have a good day." I said before following Cier out of the Guild Hall.

"So..." I said as we walked toward Lissana's manor. "Wolf girl..."

"Canician." He replied. "Canicians have the ability to guide large groups of people as a result of their Racial Talent."

"As strength is to Lacertians, loyalty is to Canicians?" I asked.

He nodded. "They make for excellent generals and other combat-oriented leadership roles."

We passed by a raccoon Beastfolk, who stood at half my height.

"Procyoni." Cier stated. "Their Talent grants them the ability to stay hidden even in plain daylight. It is not strictly invisibility, it's more as though you glance over them as though they were uninteresting."

"I bet they'd make excellent rogues." I remarked.

"They would indeed." He replied. "Due to their natural disposition toward stealth and thievery, they make for excellent spies, and my Lady does employ them to test the defenses of her manor. Among other things."

"Like how she had one spy on me when she didn't know whether or not to trust me?" I asked.

"Your attempt at digging for information is not appreciated, and is quite frankly insulting." He stated.

"Sorry."

"That being said, you should at least have some inkling of such before you run your mouth without restraint. My Lady is quite taken with your rather informal manner of speech, and your stories of your world are fascinating. The fact that you treat her with respect, yet also treat her as an equal is, to her, rather refreshing, as she does not have to maintain specific appearances around you as much." He looked at me. "Though, she would not admit it so easily."

"What, does she find me attractive?" I asked. Cier gave me a cold glare. "Good, as much as I wouldn't want to break her heart, I'm nowhere near ready for that kind of relationship, and I'd also rather not cause her any trouble if I can help it."

"You have too many strange ideas." He remarked.

"The first step to surviving a fantasy world is knowing your tropes." I replied. "Speaking of which, I never asked what this world is called."

"You haven’t?!" He asked, he looked as if he was completely done with the situation. "Amanria." He said. "The name of this world is Amanria, so named after Amana, Goddess of literally everything that exists." He paused for a moment. "How exactly does such a detail slip your mind?"

I shrugged. "It never really came up." I replied.

He shook his head as we approached the front doors to the manor. I saw Lodran leaning against it, tossing something into the air and catching it again.

"Human." He said. "Catch." He flung it at Cier, who took a step back with a look of terror on his face. Time stopped, and I immediately shoved him out of the way and caught the object. Nothing happened, the object, a long triangular pyramid, merely glowed brightly in my hand. Lodran's shit-eating grin turned to one of utter shock as I approached him.

"I promised Lissana I wouldn't fight you unless I had a good reason to." I said. I cracked my knuckles. "I have a good reason now."

I triggered my Berserker Rage ability and blacked out. When I came to, it was to me punching Lodran's face in and Nash struggling to pull me off of him. I felt drained, completely exhausted, and didn't resist him.

"Have you gone utterly mad?!" Nash snapped.

"He threw something at Cier, and considering how terrified Cier looked, I caught it because yay magical resistance, and then I appear to have blacked out from rage." I replied.

"What did he throw at Cier?" Nash asked.

I pointed at the crystal, and Nash let go of me. "He threw a..."

I walked over to it and picked it up, it glowed brightly again. "I don't know what this thing is, but I'm guessing its dangerous. I'll go stick it in the cursed items room for the time being-"

"Take it directly to Lissana." Nash stated. I'd never heard him call her by name before, and the expression he was giving me indicated this wasn't a time to argue.

"Alright." I said. I went in and walked straight to Lissana's room. I knocked, and she said, "You may enter."

I opened the door. "Sorry to bother you, your brother tried to kill Cier and I beat his face in." I said.

She had been reading from a book and looked up at me. "What?!" She exclaimed, then she saw what I was holding. She shot up and rushed over to me, taking it from my hand. "By the Gods, where did he get this?!" She asked. She immediately rushed past me. I decided to follow her back to the front door, where Nash had tied Lodran's hands behind his back.

He looked up at his sister as she approached him and smacked him across the face. "Nash, you know what to do. I will write a missive for you as well as put this in a secure box for your protection."

Nash nodded as Lissana rushed past me.

"I take it he fucked up?" I asked.

Nash didn't respond, he simply stared at me, as if I was a complete alien. 'Though, technically, I am.' I thought to myself. I snapped my fingers. "Amanria to Nash, you awake?" I asked.

"Rex, what exactly are you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean exactly what I asked. What in the names of the Gods are you?"

"Last I checked, I'm Human." I said. "Unless there's something I don't know-" Lissana brushed past me with a box and a letter. Nash took them and, with one last look at me, lifted Lodran over his shoulder and carried him out of the building.

Lissana spoke softly with Cier, who nodded. She looked at me as Cier shakily walked past me.

"Rex, I would like to know the truth." She said. "I do not want any jokes, I do not want any attempts to avoid the subject, I just want the honest truth from you. First, are you indeed a Human?"

"Yes." I said.

"Second, are you absolutely certain you are not from this world?"

"Yes."

"Third, are you truly of common birth?"

"Considering my family is neither wealthy nor prominent in society, I would say technically." I replied.

"Can you trace your lineage?" She asked.

"Not really, I think an ancestor of mine was a general at one point."

"You do not know your full family history?" She asked.

"Lissana, could you just tell me what the hell's going on?" I asked, exasperated. "Cier looks like he's about to have a heart attack and I want to make sure he-"

"Rex, my brother threw a Conceit Fiend's crystal at Cier." She said. "He intended for both of you to die, and you caught it without suffering any ill effect." She looked into my eyes. "Not only that, but where it would only bear a dull glow for my family, it was bright as the day star. By all accounts, you may bear the blood of royalty..."