Nemo blinked and woke up. She scratched her head and tried to remember why she was lying on the hallway floor.
She remembered learning a skill called Strenuous Reach that allowed her to fling her cloth and wrap it around stuff. After realizing that it meant she could basically swing from anything anywhere she wanted, Nemo immediately wanted to practice the skill and find places to swing, or at least that was her plan but Demon Lady’s glare meant she had to finish her work before she was allowed to goof off.
So after what felt like an eternity of cleaning up the chandelier she just broke and some other chores, Nemo finally finished her work. She waved a quick goodbye to her still slightly miffed supervisor and skipped back to her room to change.
Afterwards, she stood in the middle of the hallway outside of her room. None of the house guests wandered into this specific hallway and that was why the Count decided to let her stay in a room here. He also mentioned something about spells and barriers so it was better not to wander, but Nemo haven’t seen any of those things when she sneaked out so she was sure the Count was just, like always, scaring her into not making trouble.
Foolish friend. Didn’t the Count know by now that Nemo feared nothing? Also, she was not making trouble, she was going on an adventure!
With a white towel in hand Nemo stood in the empty hallway.
Strenuous Reach!
Nemo yelled the skill in her mind. The towel flopped forward and dropped weakly into the air.
Nemo frowned. Something wasn’t right. She remembered the sensation when she used it last time just a few hours ago when she had to face off against the White Titan. It was a splendid victory. When she flung the towel energy surged within her body and she felt that the cloth was part of her, that she could trust it managing her weight when she hung from the chandelier she eventually broke.
Now the towel was just a lifeless piece of fabric dangling in the still air.
Nemo tilted her head and began to think. She clearly remembered that she was able to do the skill just earlier and she had heard a synthesized voice telling her that she learned the skill. Was the earlier experience all just a dream?
Was Nemo dreaming ever since she woke up in these strange lands?
Meh.
This was as real as it gets and Nemo knew for a fact she indeed used a magical ability that allowed her to cling onto any surface with her tower. She thought back hard and realized a key difference between when she was able to use the skill and when she was not.
Nemo was wearing her housekeeper uniform.
She dashed into her room and changed into her uniform.
[Maximum health increased. 3 -> 80]
[Maximum mana increased. 3 -> 80]
[Maximum energy increased. 3 -> 10]
Nemo smirked at her own genius. She rushed back out of her room and flung her towel, her mind instantly imagined the towel latching onto something. The towel heard her command and flew forward.
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
The towel soared and was still, straight as an arrow. It vibrated slightly as if it needed to find something to hold onto. Once the towel realized it had nothing to connect to it dropped.
Nemo looked around and found an ornament sticking out of the walls just big enough and close enough, and most importantly, high enough to test her skill on.
Nemo jumped.
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
The towel once again flew forward but this time it extended. The tip of the fabric became longer like magic and wrapped itself around the ornament and sturdily supported Nemo as she dangled off the ground.
Nemo grinned and swung but the lustre of swinging in the air correlates to how high she was and Nemo was very close to the ground. With a pout and a thought, the towel loosened and she landed onto the ground.
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An idea struck her like lightning. Nemo could totally swing around like a certain comic book superhero. The ceiling of the hallways were filled with patterned carvings and hollowed nooks and crannies. It was perfect.
Nemo began climbing the walls. It was much more difficult than when she was energized by Demon Lady’s magic, but she was still confident she was able to scale the walls with little difficulty. After several minutes she reached a height where she was sure the tower could reach its mark.
Nemo took a deep breath and leapt off the wall.
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
The towel darted forward and latched onto the ceiling. Nemo used her momentum and gravity and swung in an arc. She willed the towel to loosen just a moment before she reached the apex of her swing and flung her towel. Once again it repeated the motion of grabbing onto the ceiling.
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
Nemo smiled. She was swinging like a superhero!
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
The breeze and speed felt amazing!
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
She could do this forever!
[Skill - Strenuous Reach (rank E)]
[Mana and energy insufficient.]
Oops.
[Damage received. Health: 80 -> 20. Status received: Blackout.]
Then there was darkness.
Nemo sat up and slapped her palm with a fist. So that was what happened.
“I did remind you to not to overspend your mana and energy,” said a familiar echo. The Count appeared from the darkness in the ceiling and descended in front of her, his cloak melded into the shadow he cast. “When you overspend your mana and energy both and you receive a certain threshold of damage afterwards, you would faint.”
Why didn’t you tell me?
“The short time I spent with you leads me to believe you learn better from experience.”
Boo.
“Nemo, what do you think of skills. Are you accustomed to them?”
Nemo remembered the surging sensation of energy and how the towel felt like an extension of her body, something familiar and free, and nodded.
“Please take a seat Nemo,” the Count gestured onto the floor and Nemo tilted her head. “I foresee you running off if we don’t have our little chat now.”
Nemo crossed her arms and did as she was told.
“Let me explain briefly what I discovered. Although I have not yet fully grasped the extent of your Origin and Talents, I believe one of them allows you to learn skills and gain buffs of certain classes without needing to choose one from the System. You being able to use Housekeeper abilities without being one demonstrates it is highly likely that it would work with other classes. There are some tests I would like to run, but before then I must go and acquire some items that would be needed.”
Test sounded fun. She wondered when they could begin.
“Soon, Nemo. For now, there is one more thing I wanted to tell you. I was actually very impressed on how you managed to make the White Titan yield its march. It is a task not many are able to accomplish. Even Demon Lady praised your bravery.”
Really?
“In a sense,” the Count said as his hidden eyes looked away. “Regardless, I decided it is time for you to start chores in helping some of my more non-violent house guests and tasks that would require you to wander about my mansion. In certain approved areas that are safe of course. So in the next couple of days after you finished your work, Demon Lady will train you in using your abilities so you would be ready when the time comes.”
Ready for what?
“It’s a secret,” the Count chuckled. He then stood up and extended an arm to the pouting Nemo. “Come, let us prepare for supper.”