“You’re kidding me?” Mikella asked in surprise, quickly running over to where Zeke was. Her injury just seemed to not bother her anymore. “Is it for real? An actual spell book?”
Zeke couldn't bother paying attention to the greaves as he picked up the book. It was hefty, perhaps about a dozen or so pounds.
It had a brownish leather cover, like an old fashioned book made in the medieval times. It felt brand new somehow, despite its aged appearance from the look of the yellowed pages between the covers.
He tried to open the book, but it felt as though it was just for appearance. He couldn't pry open the cover, or read through the contents. It remained as it is–a closed book.
However, he knew this had to be a spell book. There was this… film of sorts that he can’t quite explain.
It felt like air that was congealed into a physical form. He trailed the cover with his fingertips, noticing the feeling even more.
“It feels weird… Check it out,” Zeke said, handing the book over to Mikella.
Rather than holding it, however, she hesitantly rubbed the cover with a finger. She furled her brights together.
“I don’t… think I feel anything. Maybe there is? I’m not sure.”
She explained that she felt… something, but not the film that he imagined. He instantly realized what this meant.
It was Mana. Her Spirit was five, at the lowest between them all. However, his Spirit was the highest at ten. It would be natural for him to sense the feeling more than she could, and she nodded in approval at the realization.
“Go and open it up then!”
“I can’t, it’s literally stuck together.”
“Seriously…?”
Despite her curiosity, she doesn’t seem keen on touching the book. Even Clara didn’t seem that curious, as though noticing the importance of the book.
Then he thought about everything that happened so far. He was touching the book, but didn’t quite get the notification. So he stared at the book and willed himself to let him see what it was.
A notification appeared in front of him, surprising him entirely.
> Skill Book: Barrier Craft (Rare)
>
> You are only able to learn this skill after meeting the following requirements:
>
> SPI: 1000—ERROR!
>
> Your Otherworlder state changed the requirements. Adjustments will be made.
>
> There are no requirements. You are able to learn the skill.
For a moment, Zeke was bewildered at this massive notification that dropped to his vision. Outside of his status screen, this was the first time the notification got this long.
It wasn’t quite a spell book, but it was definitely a Skill Book. What’s more, the supposed requirement was having an unnaturally high Spirit stat, which was supposedly his best stat.
However, the notification just bleeped like an alarm, telling him that his ‘state’ of sorts changed it. Now there are no requirements at all.
“What’s going on? Is it a spell book or not?” Mikella asked. Her persistence was clear as her impatience was written all over her face. Even Clara looked at him with pure anticipation.
Zeke didn’t know how to explain it other than saying exactly what he read. After a minute, Mikella showed the same shocked expression he did.
“Seriously? I was joking earlier, but is this place actually glitching on us?” Mikella said. She shivered at the thought of being trapped in a glitched out game.
Zeke felt the same, but after thinking about it further…
He peered into the skill book further. It was as though now he saw the notification, he had this strange feeling that he knew how this skill works–at least on the imagery.
It helped create a barrier, like the name suggested. There wasn’t much else, except in his mind the image of a powerful wall of magic would show up and defend against any attacks made on him or his allies.
It was a magical spell that was perfect for him.
“Do you think I should learn this?” Zeke said, then he paused again as he turned to Mikella. “Or, what about you? Wouldn’t you want to make a barrier for your sister?”
Mikella took a moment to consider her words. Then, suddenly, she shook her head vehemently.
“I-I know this sounds weird, considering that it’s actually magic and all… but I prefer to use the sword. My stats are better suited for fighting, remember? With your stats, that skill would suit you better.”
Considering her words, she had a valid point. If he was honest, he really did want to learn the skill for himself. He would just feel really guilty to not mention this first. After all, the entire purpose of the survival was to make sure that the only non-combatant, Clara, would be safe.
But putting their attributes up for display, it was wiser for him to learn the spell-like skill. Nodding, he looked back at the book and…
“Actually, I’m going to put all my points into Spirit.”
“Umm, didn’t you say that you should hoard your points?” Mikella mentioned after Zeke suddenly paused and considered his actions. “Not to mention, what’s the point? You can already learn the spell, right?”
“It first said that it required a huge amount of Spirit points. I’m betting that this skill really needs that stat, like Pain Resistance relies on Vitality. Maybe it might be better to handle or something.”
“Huh… yeah, I guess,” Mikella shrugged. “Just… take it easy, okay?”
Taking her words to heart, he put his free points into his Spirit.
When he did, he felt that strange energy flowing into him, his joints locking up for a moment like Mikella did.
He learned to prepare for it, easing him into the strange feeling. After it passed, the film across the book suddenly became firmer, more apparent in its appearance. It even had a color showing, like a mixture of green and blue as if it was deep within the ocean.
He then turned to the book, which the notification now changed to show something else.
> Would you like to learn the skill Barrier Craft?
He accepted it.
A second after that, he began to regret it.
Pain.
So much pain.
It was worse than getting gouged out by the sword. It was even worse than when he got through the system initialization.
His head felt like he got slammed by a warhammer over and over, trying to pierce into his skull and mind.
Then it felt like a drill was trying to pierce through his head, his skull, his brain matter, all the way to the center of it all. Something assaulted him straight to his metaphysical soul, mostly where the head was. He knelt down, not even realizing that he was screaming in absolute pain.
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His eyes were clouded, the strange energy entering through his head making him blind. But he knew the girls were showing horrified expressions as blood now seeped from his eyes. At least that’s how it felt as his vision turned dangerously reddish.
He rolled on the ground, the palm of his hands plastered onto his eyes and forehead to counter the pain, but it was too much. He instinctively checked his status, but there was nothing showing it other than the intense pain.
It was a trap again. And he felt for it hook, line, and sinker. The damn knight got him back in the worst way possible. That’s what he kept thinking as he screamed in further pain and agony.
And finally, it stopped. The pain gradually receded, as though the pain was never there at all.
A few seconds passed as Zeke finally stopped screaming, his ears still working well as the girls were crying. He figured it was Clara crying out while Mikella kept pushing him to stay steady. However, the silence was growing stronger before finally Zeke forced his eyes open.
He saw Clara crying, for him to his amazement. Mikella was screaming his name, trying to bring him back while helping him by feeding the apple’s juices. She literally crushed an apple in her hand, the bits of blue chunks and juices pouring down from them and into his open mouth. He didn’t even realize he was grasping for it with his tongue like a man dying of thirst in a desert.
He was screaming, so she didn’t have a choice but to help feed the apple by literally juicing it with her hands. Thanks to her increased Strength, it helped the process somewhat. He felt fine now, forcing himself to stand up again.
He breathed raggedly, noticing that he did bleed from his eyes as he wiped them away. Mikella kept asking if he was alright, forcing him to nod to abade her worries. All the while, a notification was blinking in front of him by the corner. He opened it up to find out what happened next.
> Acquired Skill learned: Barrier Craft.
> Barrier Craft (Rare), Level 1
> You can create a barrier at the cost of your Mana. The barrier you create can grow stronger according to the level of the skill and the current Spirit stat.
“Zeke!” Mikella shouted, beginning to pale as she screamed. “Are you okay? Answer me!”
“I-I’m fine…” Zeke finally muttered out. He kept checking his notification, unable to truly believe what just happened. “I… I learned the skill.”
“You better have, especially after making me feel like you were about to die! Again!”
Mikella really looked upset, which surprised him first before realizing how obvious it was. That was the second time he was close to death. Not even the sword stabbing was as bad as this. Is this what happens if he tries to learn a skill from a skill book?
It felt like something was intervening with his soul, forcing new information, or something like it, into his brain. Reason why he felt that way is because he could do it now with no problems.
He somehow learned how to channel mana, how to form it with imagery, then how to make it a reality in the physical world. He stood, forcing himself to keep steady despite his body protesting to stop and rest.
“Zeke?” Mikella asked again. “What are you doing?”
“I’m… I’m gonna test the skill,” Zeke answered. He smiled back at her. “Don’t worry. I’m fine now. Thanks for the apple, by the way.”
“Okay…” Mikella lowered her hand, making Zeke realize that she dropped her longsword again. She picked it up again, as though an enemy could pop out anywhere. “Just to make sure, I’ll have the sword in hand… you never know what can happen when you’re trying a spell or something, right?”
He nodded as he made sure he faced away from the girls. Lifting his hand up at the empty air in front of him, Zeke let the mana flow.
Warmth left his body, as that very same feeling of a film of congealed air reappeared–this time within himself. It was the warmth that filled his body, and when he actively controlled that mana out of himself due to his skill’s instruction, it slowly made him feel colder like a passing breeze went through his body.
The energy was channeled out of his body. In his eyes, he saw a gaseous form of bluish-tint. It was so transparent, Zeke had a hard time seeing it for himself. It eventually formed into a true physical thing a moment after.
A wide square wall appeared in front of him. It was completely transparent, allowing him to see through it to the other side of the pantry. It shimmered, thanks to the lights in the room, almost like a glass wall tinted in a turquoise color.
The two girls behind him let out amazed gasps and awed at the sight. Zeke himself marveled at it. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t actually bigger than a car door. He was hoping for something as big as the walls around this place, but he supposed that was as far as his Level 1 skill can do.
He checked within himself, realizing that the gentle breeze he felt before somehow lingered. However, small hints of warmth soon flowed through his body, proving that he was regenerating his mana, at least marginally.
He wasn’t quite sure how much Mana he spent, but he can somehow calculate that he spent over half of his mana pool. That’s the feeling he got along with the still trapped breeze within his body–if that even made sense.
What would happen if he kept casting the spell? Would his body grow colder and colder, eventually leaving him to freeze? He shuddered at the thought, not wanting to go through another morbid near-death experience again.
He approached his barrier, somehow understanding that it was a part of him. Like a part of his soul that attained physical form.
He knocked on it like a door, and it made a dense but loud noise, like hitting reinforced glass. But he knew it wasn’t as feeble as glass either. If anything, it felt compact and sturdy.
Considering that it took more than half of his mana, it better damn well be.
“That’s really a barrier…!” Mikella exclaimed, approaching the barrier herself. She kept spinning around it, looking at it in all directions. “That’s so cool…!”
“Try attacking it with the sword,” Zeke said, pointing at the barrier, then at her longsword in her hand. “Let’s see how well it can defend.”
“A-Alright,” Mikella propped her sword up, showing some more confidence now that her Strength is keeping up with its weight. “You sure? It won’t hurt you or anything, right?”
“It shouldn’t, I think. Otherwise, this would be a pretty shitty barrier.”
At least he guessed. He doesn’t know whether he was connected to his barrier or not. He knew he had control over it, such as being able to make it disappear, or even make it bigger. However, he felt that other than canceling it, doing anything else might drain more mana out of him, so he let it be for now.
So just like making it disappear, if someone broke it, he shouldn’t feel any side effects… at least he hoped.
“Go for it,” Zeke said, stepping as far away and staying close to Clara just in case some other invader comes close. With Mikella nodding in approval to that action, she propped her longsword up to the air and aimed the tip of the blade at the wall of light in front of her.
With a roar, she pierced the barrier. Only for it to be deflected and made Mikella topple over from the sudden rebuff to her stance.
“Hyaa!”
Mikella actually fell over, too surprised to stop herself from her fall. Zeke ran over to her to help, surprised himself at how sturdy the barrier was.
Considering that Mikella was strong enough to manhandle that knight to the other side of the pantry, the barrier was truly keeping up its name as a Rare skill.
He remembered that particular rating of that skill now, wondering why he had such a highly advanced skill already. Both his General Skills were Uncommon and Common respectively, with Pain Resistance pretty obvious for it.
However, considering that the knight’s body wasn’t able to drop the sword that they clearly saw it had, perhaps they had a drop chance like in an actual video game. If that was the case, it wasn’t that strange that something rare would drop and he got lucky enough to get it.
He’s not gonna look at the gift horse in the mouth; especially if said mouth took a bite out of his organs.
“You okay?” Zeke said, noticing that Mikella was shaking her head.
“It’s like trying to take down a metal wall… just how tough is that glass thing?” Mikella said, actually frowning at the barrier. Wasn’t she supposed to be happy that the barrier was stronger than it looked?
“My skill did say that it gets stronger depending on my Spirit stat. And I just increased it earlier.”
“Oh, yeah,” Mikella slowly nodded in understanding.
“Also, I can even make it stronger by training it.”
“Training?” Mikella asked, reminding Zeke and explaining to her what he meant.
After explaining about the level 1 section of the skill and the rarity, Mikella knitted her brows.
“It made sense why it’s so powerful,” Mikella nodded. Zeke noticed that she was still in doubt as she continued. “And didn’t that skill book say that you needed something like a thousand Spirit to learn it?”
Zeke nodded. “Yeah, but it decreased because of my Otherworlder state or something. Made it totally free.”
“Then… is this place special, or something? Or maybe we’re special,” Mikella asked, moving her index fingers between the both of them. “Actually, we still don’t even know where we are!”
“One thing’s clear,” Zeke said, putting aside the burning questions. “I think the only way to get out of here is to get stronger. These knights are coming for blood, and there’s probably more of them coming. I don’t know where, or even why, but they don’t care about us.”
Mikella nodded in return. A solemn look casted over her eyes. She grasped Clara’s hand tight, making sure to never let go as Zeke continued.
“We have food and water now. And while the fruits help with healing our injuries, I’m gonna use my Meditation and see if that would work instead. With that, we can make our way out of here.”
He hoped that Mikella could also gain the Meditation skill, if it did what it actually said it would do. That way, they can recover their bodies in case they get injured, and recover mana on his side to use his barrier.
“Mikella, you focus on offense. If we somehow get into a situation where your longsword won’t work, you can use my axe to attack instead. I’ll focus on using my barrier to defend ourselves.”
Looking back at the barrier, he made it disappear with a thought. It was simple, like canceling it with a right click for a buff skill in a video game.
He felt his Mana slowly returning, making him believe he can use it again right now. But not yet.
The feeling of his body being pierced with the sword flashed in his mind again. He doesn’t want to go through that again. He doesn’t want anyone here to go through that.
“We will survive, and we will get out of here.”
He was determined to not die, nor to let any of the girls die. He didn’t know where he was, why he was there, and why everything was happening the way it is. The only thing he knows is that he doesn’t plan on letting this stupid place have its way with him again.
With a nod from Mikella and the quiet Clara, the three left the pantry to find a way out of this weird castle.