When Zeke came to, he was suddenly surrounded by several girls.
Then he woke up for real to realize that those girls are just Clara and Ana hugging him tightly. He wasn’t even disappointed–he was filled with so much warmth from their affection.
He tried to move his head, but it was wracked and shackled with migraines beyond anything he could ever feel. His insides were a frozen tundra, and his blood nitrogen.
He relished the warmth. He never felt so cold in his life, so despite his awkwardness of being hugged from all over, he took advantage of the warmth. He also noticed Mikella just napping on the chair beside him, impressively keeping herself up despite her eyes being closed and breathing as though she was in a deep sleep.
He tried to recall what happened before he got knocked out. He was starting to dislike how often it was happening. He recalled at least one word from his messed up memory.
“Mana Deprivation…”
He muttered, remembering that horrible feeling of spending all of his mana and beyond. This happened during the wyvern fight. He was sure that his high Spirit was enough to never go through that again. Apparently it wasn’t enough.
He then noticed the corner of his eye blinking rapidly. It was his notifications, waiting for him. He grimaced, thinking of nothing but bad news as he pulled up the prompts.
The first one was just as he was expecting.
> You are afflicted with Intense Mana Deprivation.
> Your Mana regeneration is reduced by 50%. For every mana you generate naturally, you will receive damage based on how much you receive. Restoring mana artificially will not damage you.
He couldn’t have found a worse debuff even if he tried. Not only is his mana regeneration shot, he even gets damaged depending on how much he regenerates. For someone with a high Spirit like him, this was practically a death sentence.
Though he felt his body filled with mana, just not his own. It was somehow acting as a filler for his affliction to hit instead of him, allowing him to recover. Unfortunately it didn’t say how long he would be suffering this debuff like in the games in his old world, so he won’t be casting any magic anytime soon.
On the other hand, the next notifications brought up some good news…
> Skill incorporation has commenced.
>
> Your skill Internal Senses has integrated with Recovery due to your mastery of intertwining the skills during a life-altering trial.
>
> Internal Senses (Uncommon) has been integrated into Recovery (Rare).
>
> Internal Senses have been lost. Recovery (Rare) has advanced into Recovery (Epic).
>
> You gain points based on the advanced rarity:
>
> +2 INT
…..
> Recovery (Epic), Level 3
> You can pour mana into any target’s inner workings, recovering them back to their original state. Due to your influence, you are able to view deep within the inner workings of any target, material or organic, and sense the pathways that make up the target. Your healing and perception increases according to the level of the skill and the current Spirit stat.
…..
> General Skill learned: Steadfast Mind
…..
> Steadfast Mind (Uncommon), Level 1
> Your mind has adapted to the harsh mental struggle, increasing your resilience. Increases your mental defenses to any and all pain and damage to a degree. This will increase according to the level of the skill and the current Spirit stat.
…..
> Mana Perception Level Up! It is now Level 8.
>
> You have gained +1 INT (x2) from your skill.
> You have gained +1 SPI (x2) from your skill.
…..
> Pain Resistance Level Up! It is now level 5.
>
> You have gained +1 VIT from your skill.
> You have gained +1 END from your skill.
…..
> Recovery Level Up! It is now level 5.
>
> You have gained +2 INT (x2) from your skill.
> You have gained +2 SPI (x2) from your skill.
He stopped reading when he heard Mikella groaning, rising from her slumber. She looked at the awakened Zeke, her eyes bugging out.
“Zeke…!” She noticed her surroundings, noticing the kids sleeping on his bed. She put herself in a comfortable position, looking at him straight in the eyes. “I’m glad that you woke up.”
“Hey,” Zeke wanted to say a lot of things, but seeing her look so worried for him, he almost lost his wording. Near the small lighting of the room, she looked subtle, a warm radiance coming off in waves. He shook himself out from that as they barraged themselves with questions of what happened.
As he expected, he was carried back by his team after losing consciousness. After explaining everything, she went to ask the important questions.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’m about to die internally,” Zeke said honestly. He shrugged, wincing as the quick flash of pain entered. It was like nerve damage, tracing from his head to any part of his body that sent the signal. “This is the worst case of Mana Deprivation I ever went through. Still, not like I had a choice…”
“Yeah,” Mikella nodded. “I heard. Myra says she owes you a debt she can never repay.”
“Eh, it’s nothing,” Zeke waved it off. “Anyone would’ve done the same if they had my abilities.”
And he was right. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t try doing anything. That was the reason why he wanted to learn how to support others. It’s exactly stuff like this that makes having a healer around essential.
“But you got hurt.”
For a moment, Zeke looked at her. She stared at him intently, and after listening, he realized there was heat in her tone.
“What’s the point of being a supporter if you only hurt yourself?” Mikella asked.
Zeke grimaced. It was obvious she would be angry after what happened. It feels like no matter what happens, he’ll end up knocked out in one way or another. It was starting to get a bit embarrassing.
Still, he turned to her, showing a guilty look.
“Hurting myself is better than letting someone die.”
The words traveled around the room for a while, making an awkward silence. He didn’t mean to make it sound so dramatic. But it was the truth.
Thankfully, or maybe not, Mikella let out a heavy breath.
“I kinda figured you’d say that. Still, you gotta promise me–no matter what happens, keep yourself alive and return to us. Got it?”
“Of course,” Zeke answered immediately. “That’s my intention.”
She smiled, warming his heart. She turned to Clara who slept peacefully. Brushing against her hair, and for good measure, doing the same for Ana, she spoke again.
“I’m glad you returned to Clara’s side too. She was worried, you know?”
“Yeah,” Zeke smiled. When he saw Clara’s sleeping face, he felt an emotion that was complex. Hard to describe.
Whether it was familial love, an aching of a child whose life weighs heavily on him, or something else entirely, he wasn’t really sure. All he knows is that Clara is important to him. So hearing her worry for him was like a stake driving through his heart.
The two kept talking after that, but they made sure to keep quiet while the kids were asleep. The others were still talking so they ended up just… chatting their day.
Throughout the week, apparently Mikella was green with envy, especially after hearing how everyone leveled up easily thanks to his help.
Even if she shared in the experience, her help would have gained a lot more XP for everyone involved, even if she didn’t get any training in. There was nothing wrong with adding extra force as long as it would help. But Zeke was surprised to find that she managed to gain an Axe Mastery skill, proving that she wasn’t being idle.
That’s when he showed her his own improvements. That almost made her shriek, her face distorted to shock and disbelief.
“Are you serious? A new skill, and an Epic skill too?” Mikella shook her head. “Then again, maybe that’s what you deserve after all that crap.”
“Honestly, I think I gained more from this experience,” Zeke shrugged, once again wincing. “Ugh, maybe not. My head’s splitting apart…”
“Here.”
Before he could do anything about it, Mikella stood up and held his head with her hands. For a moment, he panicked, thinking she was gonna try to do some weird massage involving twisting his neck or something.
He was surprised at how… soft her hands were. They moved delicately, her supple fingers trailing along the sides of his head, appeasing his pain in ways he can’t imagine doing for himself.
“I do this a lot for Clara, whenever she gets a headache from having colds,” Mikella smiled. The warmth from her words and finger movements made his cheeks flare up. “I never tried it on a guy, though. Am I being rough?”
“N-No, it’s… it’s wonderful.”
Zeke wanted to close his eyes, to enjoy the moment. But deep within himself, he cried out to not get used to this.
Otherwise, he might end up falling for–
The door opened, surprising Zeke as Cloud, Val, and Myra stepped in, noticing him awake.
“Hey, Zeke!” Myra waved, smiling. “You’re awake!”
“Myra,” Zeke widened his eyes as Mikella stood aside. He figured Myra would end up haggard looking, but she didn’t just look vibrant–she was practically radiant with life. “You’re okay.”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Do you have any idea what you did for me? I can’t thank you enough,” Myra said, but Zeke knew it was coming.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zeke said, interrupting what he figured was more thanks. “I’m just glad to be able to do it.”
Myra was taken aback, turning over to Mikella for a second. Zeke noticed that Mikella shrugged, as though it was obvious. He tilted his head at that but Myra continued.
“No, you don’t understand,” Myra said. “You did way more for me than you think.”
That got the two’s attention as they talked for a bit, the hosts picking up their sleeping child and bringing her to her room. They left Clara there with Zeke for obvious reasons.
When the hosts returned, Zeke was practically brimming with shock.
“Damn… I didn’t even think about how that really helped you,” Zeke said, amazed to hear that not only did the attunement work, it practically powered her up even more than normal.
“That sounds so cool!” Mikella said, practically looking at Myra with envy in her eyes. “Zeke, do you think you can do the same for me when we reach level 30?”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea…” Zeke said, referencing Myra with his eyes. “Who knows, we might level up at the same time…”
For a moment, Mikella furrowed her brows, but then realized what he meant as she suddenly clammed up. Myra looked confused as well, but it was obvious. After all, she didn’t know that the two were linked together in terms of XP share.
“Oh, right…” Mikella brushed her hair. “That’s true.”
“Zeke,” Cloud stepped forward, thankfully stepping in before things got weirder for the confused Myra. “How do you feel? Do you have any lingering effects?”
Figuring it was time to repeat what happened, Zeke first offered the notifications to the three in front of him, then explained how he felt at the moment–in summary, pretty shitty.
Still, they were more surprised at the skill notifications.
“A skill incorporation,” Cloud said, rubbing his chin in deep interest. “At such a young age, too. Not to mention that they weren’t even maxed level yet.”
“I knew you were talented, but I didn’t think you could intergrate skills already,” Val said, a rising smile on her face. “That goes to show that adversity can sharpen you if you know what you’re doing.”
“So, basically,” Zeke said, turning to Myra with a smile. “I kinda got a lot more than I bargained for.”
“That still doesn't matter,” Myra said with a grin. “You still saved my life. You could jump all the way to Journeymen for all I care–I still owe you.”
Zeke only rolled his eyes, which only earned him another migraine as he held his head. Myra just chuckled at that with Mikella along with her.
“Steadfast Mind will certainly help you a lot, especially since you just gained a new slot in your General section,” Cloud continued, reminding Zeke of that point.
Normally people only have a limited amount of General Skills. At best, ten is the maximum, though there can be some circumstances that explain otherwise. Having a General Skill removed and added into an Acquired Skill improved his Recovery to Epic rarity, which is more advanced and potent than a simple Rare rarity. At the same time, it granted him a new slot which was immediately taken in by a useful mental defense skill.
He gained more at the cost of nothing. Well, at the cost of a terrible headache, but Zeke was used to that.
“Right! The Fire Mana,” Zeke turned to Cloud, reminding him of the issue that caused this in the first place. “Do you know what happened? Why did the Fire Mana try to kill Myra?”
“It got spiked,” Myra answered. Her face looked just as animated along with Val’s, but with a touch of bitterness. “While we were there, my potion got jacked up with a lot more Mana than usual. That’s why my attunement almost messed me up. I mean, I got stronger, sure, but…”
“In other words, that’s why we came in to tell you two,” Cloud said, getting both Val and Myra to nod at him, letting him continue. “I found out the source of the Mana spike, and the reason for why the horde continued attacking us.”
…..
“A dungeon?”
Zeke asked in surprise. They were already out of his room to let Clara sleep, leaving only the adults awake in the living room. Zeke, Mikella, and Myra sat on one sofa with the hosts on the other side as usual. To them, that’s their couch where they always sat, something that the younger adults know inherently that it’s their special spot.
“So a dungeon is around here,” Mikella asked. “And it’s causing the monsters to go crazy... Are we going to go and conquer the dungeon then?”
“That’s the plan,” Cloud said, conjoining his fingers together as he talked. “It’s probably going to be dangerous, but there’s no other choice. So… I hate to say this, especially after what happened, but we’re gonna need some serious support.”
“Of course,” Zeke nodded. “Now that my Recovery got stronger, it’ll be better for all of us.”
Cloud turned to Mikella, his eyes expecting. “You’ll join him, right?”
“Obviously,” Mikella answered without hesitation. She didn’t mean any disrespect, but it was par for the course. “Besides, I want to go either way. Though, I know I’m going through punishment. Would it be okay for me to join?”
“We’re also planning on inviting a small group of high level soldiers. But yes, Mikky–I can waive off your punishment due to special circumstances. Your power is far higher than the others thanks to your abilities, but you have to remember…”
“I know,” Mikella nodded. “That’s why I want to join. What better way than to prove myself than to fight in a dungeon with a handicap?”
Zeke furrowed his brows and turned to Mikella, noticing his stare at her.
“I’m seriously starting to worry about how you’re handling your… ‘tendencies’,” Zeke said slowly, getting Mikella to smile awkwardly.
“Hey, I know now not to mess around. I’ll have Val and Myra to watch me over.”
“As long as you don’t steal my kill again, I’m good,” Myra said, showing a smirk to the shame-faced Mikella.
“I promise never to do that again,” Mikella said seriously. “Honestly, I still feel guilty about it even now. I’ve been meaning to apologize to you for a while…”
“Heh, it’s fine,” Myra snickered. “I can see that you feel really bad about it. All water under the bridge.”
Mikella smiled sincerely at that. Zeke couldn't help but feel relieved to see them going back into good graces again.
“With that settled,” Cloud said, getting their attention. “I’ll talk with the General tomorrow. Most likely we’ll set off in a few days to prepare. Though I’m not looking forward to it…”
“He had been pretty forceful about setting off in the first place,” Val shrugged. “No other choice, Cloud.”
“I know…” Cloud let out a tired breath, way more exhausting than before.
Zeke knew about the strenuous relationship between the general and Cloud, but that’s how it is. Though a certain place in his heart worried whether the general might ask too many questions during the raid.
“How long do you think we’ll take before we tackle the dungeon?” Zeke asked, putting the question everyone must have thought of to the front.
“We can’t go immediately tomorrow, if that’s what you're worried about,” Cloud said, smiling. “We’ll need you at your best. Mana Deprivation may seem harmless from status alone, but if you keep pushing yourself, you’ll damage yourself permanently. Chronic headaches would be the least of your worries.”
Zeke shivered, nodding to it immediately. His body still feels the shivers every now and then, something that he knew the others picked up on. That was why he figured Mikella was closing up to him to give him warmth.
“We also need to gather up the soldiers and prepare them,” Val continued. “That alone should take us a few days at best. I don't want to get everyone rushing toward a dungeon unprepared.”
“How many we’ll bring, Captain?” Myra asked, a glint in her eyes showing that she doesn’t plan on staying behind. Val nodded in return.
“A small group, preferably level 30,” Val smiled at Zeke. “Thanks to Zeke, most of them are rather close to it, but there’s only so many monsters we can face. After the preparations are ready, we can have Zeke and Mikella up with us. Their combined power should make farming XP that much easier for the rest of us.”
Zeke smiled. “We can finally hunt together, Mikella.”
Mikella smiled brightly at that. That almost dealt a nuclear strike on his heart. He was half-joking, half-serious on that proclamation, but the way Mikella just beamed after hearing it sounded like she was glad for that.
“It was long overdue, for certain,” Cloud smiled. Zeke had to look away as he noticed Cloud’s teasing look at him. “But there is another thing…”
He looked at both Zeke and Mikella, then referenced to Myra at the side. “I believe that… we should involve more people into our little secret.”
Zeke widened his eyes at that, but he noticed quickly that both Mikella and Val nodded.
“I think that is for the best,” Val said, turning to the two. “What about it? Are you two okay with it?”
“Zeke?” He turned to Mikella. “I honestly don’t mind… I think Myra deserves it.”
“Huh? Wha…?” Myra looked dumbfounded. She was following along right before her name was mentioned, if a little bit confused by it. “What’s this about?”
Zeke took a moment, realizing the implication. It’s only natural that people will start asking some awkward questions regarding both their link and their circumstances. Especially with magic involved, particularly the Identify ability, they can tell that Zeke is leveling up at the same rate as Mikella who fought more monsters than him.
Myra must have not really thought about it or figured Zeke had his own ways, but there was only so much they could hide. But more than anything, if it’s Myra, he has no reason to hide.
After all, it’s not like Myra’s the type to be a traitor, or anything of the sort. She’s as straightforward as they come.
“I agree,” Zeke nodded, and then all of them turned to Myra, quickly noticing their stares.
“W-What’s going on?” Myra asked, realizing the situation at hand. “I’m not gonna die all of a sudden, right?”
“No,” Mikella chuckled, shaking her head. “Just… umm, get ready for what you’re about to learn. Both Zeke, me, and Clara aren’t really… normal.”
…..
Myra paced around the living room, her hands at the sides of her head. Zeke felt a little guilty, noticing how this type of information is making her brain fume.
And it wasn’t because she was too simple to get it. If anything, Myra was smarter than she seemed. She just couldn’t handle the fact that the new visitors were basically aliens from another world.
Would anyone else from his world accept it so easily? Then again, they’re always ready to deny reality to the point where they can convince people that the earth was flat.
“Okay. Wow. That’s a lot of shit to take in,” Myra finally said. The two travelers finished explaining everything which took about an hour or so to explain. Throughout it all, Myra was extremely silent. “And… and it also answers a lot of questions? Gods, this feels so unreal…”
“Tell me about it,” Cloud said, crossing his arms. “Despite everything I’ve seen, this is the first time I ever saw this happen.”
“Even you too, Lord Cloud?” Myra seemed even more perplexed now. “I knew that Mikella wasn’t your average soldier, and Zeke not an average mage, but… I mean. Wow…”
Myra finally sat down on the chair, her eyes still looking distant with her hand on her head, the other resting on the armrest.
“Okay, so…” Myra let out a deep breath. “You two came from a world with no levels and no monsters. Nothing, right? Not even magic?”
The two nodded silently.
“Then you were taken away against your will to some dungeon that just appeared out of nowhere? Even with Clara?”
The two nodded again.
“And you’re even linked together somehow, so you always share XP? Is that why Zeke is so high in level despite being at home this whole time?”
The two nodded one final time.
“That explains so much, yet my brain can’t handle it all,” Myra said, resting her head on the top side of the chair. “Maybe I shouldn’t have learned of this. I feel like I might mess up.”
“Myra, you’re a smart girl,” Val cooed. “I know you can handle it. Just make sure not to tell Maxie and Jackie, though. I know they’re your friends, but you know how much they gabble.”
“Trust me, I’m keeping this to my grave,” Myra said, shifting her weight and straightening herself. She stared at the two, her eyes fixed them. “I swear, upon my name and my status, I will keep this close to my heart. No matter the cost, I stand by my promise.”
Zeke was taken aback by that. Myra always seemed so flippant and playful, but the way she swore felt like it was deeper than the words. Not just their formality, but… their weight, if Zeke could say. For a moment, he thought he was about to receive a notification from that, but nothing showed up.
“Do you want me to swear a System contract?” Myra asked, turning to the rest of them. He heard about them, but Mikella turned to Zeke for answers.
“You can swear a contract by the System’s power. It’s like an actual contract, but the System makes sure to keep it. If you go against it, the System will punish you by taking your levels away, your skills, maybe even your life.”
“Whoa…” Mikella shook her head. “Myra, you don’t have to take that far. I trust you–we both do, so don’t worry.”
“Still, aren’t you afraid of this?” Myra asked. “If what you said is true, then a lot of people, and I mean a lot of people would want your special status. Hell, the Aetheric Federation bastards would pay out of their ass to have you in their service. Learn a couple of skills to increase your resources and you’re basically charging the city by yourselves.”
“And we trust that you won’t snitch on us,” Mikella said slowly, affirming her decision.
“Hell no!” Myra blurted out. “I’m just worried that those folks might… I don’t know, do something nasty! And Clara! Oh god… what are they gonna do to Clara if they find this out…”
Myra brushed her hair up and down to the point where it looked like she was about to pull it apart. Zeke didn’t even think about what others might do to Clara.
Naturally, coming from the same place, Clara would be linked along with Zeke and Mikella. Only reason why she doesn’t now is because she was too young to be initialized by the system.
But if the country that’s heavy on taxes found out about her, and they take her in and groom her to do their bidding…
“Zeke, relax. I’ll never let that happen, and neither would you, right?”
Zeke was taken aback by Mikella’s insistence, even putting her hand on top of his. He didn’t even realize that he was gripping his hand into a fist so hard it almost teared into his skin.
“Of course,” Zeke said without even thinking. He didn’t realize how his voice turned low, almost murderous.
Mikella, however, wasn’t phased at all. If anything, she shared his murderous intent, a strong glint in her eyes.
“Myra, I trust that you’ll keep your word,” Val said, finally getting Myra’s attention. “No need for a contract. I know you’ll keep it. But we hope that you’ll help these two out in case something does happen. We would also do our best, but it would certainly help to have people around their age by their side.”
“Of course,” Myra stood up. Despite all her worries and doubts, Myra straightened herself to the captain. “I swear that I’ll look out for them. I owe them that much. Zeke is my savior, and Mikella is my friend; On my life, I’ll support them no matter the cost.”
“Good…” Cloud nodded. When he turned to Zeke and Mikella, each showed no complaints. Then, he turned to the rest of them with a serious look. “Then we prepare for the battles ahead. Get some rest for tonight–we’ll need to work ourselves to the bone for a while.”