Victoria returned to the castle, much to the guard's relief, returning to her room to ponder her little outing. A world with accessories and equipment that provide abilities, a Hunters Guild, and cultivation… it was like a setting straight out of one of her manga! Hell, all it was missing was some sort of sys… tem… Victoria's eyes widened as it hit her. She had a system! This- was she sure she wasn't dead? Well no, she did die. That definitely happened, but this place wasn't good enough to be heaven and it definitely wasn't hell, so those were out. However, she couldn't help but wonder why such a world would exist. All this was such a departure from the reality she used to know, but it wasn't strange enough to be completely alien, so it threw her off. She could see her mind coming up with such a world on its own, leaving her wondering if all this was just a dream or not.

But then, she was still essentially Thomas, so the existential crisis passed quickly. Even if this was a dream, what could she do about it? Might as well just play along, right? Best to just assume everything is real, and if she's wrong, well, no harm done, right? Victoria nodded to herself. *Yeah, that's the best way to deal with all this.*

Going back to the system, Victoria considered it carefully. Ever since she started getting involved with cultivation, she'd simply been using the system as an aid. It was there to support her cultivation, rather than being its own thing, and admittedly, it'd been very helpful. Every time she meditated on her Rune, she felt closer and closer to understanding it, mostly thanks to the boost from her points, though she still couldn't manage to concentrate on her Rune and shift her points at the same time. However, with her exposure to the true nature of this world, she couldn't help but feel as if she was somehow misusing the system.

Weren't skills one of the fundamental aspects of a game system? It was a fundamental mechanic that characters in games were able to increase their skill levels to make their skills more effective and powerful or even evolve them to a higher state, granting them unique abilities! Honestly, it was pretty similar to this world's Runes and Victoria couldn't help but wonder if she could put something like that into her system.

Victoria created a page and titled it 'Skills', pausing as she wondered what exactly a skill was. She frowned as this thought rolled around in her head. *Damn it, I miss the internet.* Victoria sighed, reminiscing of a time where she would simply enter a word into a search bar and a definition would just pop up. *Alright, come on Victoria, think! What is a skill?* She scolded herself, focusing on the question. *Alright, so, basically, a skill is the ability to perform an action, right? Like jumping. Your skill in jumping is defined by how well you can actually jump. However, some skills fall under other skills… like punching. Punching is a skill, but you could also categorize it under fighting, because if you're good at fighting, naturally you'd be good at punching, right? Or would it be the other way around…* Victoria thought this over for a moment before nodding firmly. *Okay then, the Skill page will list the user’s ability to perform an action. Any action that supports the user's ability to perform another action will be grouped under the other action as a sub-skill.*

The Skill page rapidly filled with a list of skills. A long list of skills. *Why is pooping a skill? Can one be skilled in pooping?!? It has sub-skills!* Currently, there was no indication of skill levels, but the page seemed to have automatically listed the skills in order of proficiency, with Design at the very top, followed by Language, which had a ton of sub-skills, starting with the two languages she knew, then reading, writing, and speaking as sub-skills under those, which all had sub-skills as well. It was truly a comprehensive list of every action Victoria could perform.

Trying not to think about why pooping was so high in her list of skills, Victoria considered her options for a moment before adding a few points to her Design skill, just to see what would happen. Immediately, she felt the points going to work. It was a strange feeling, almost similar to the way she felt when she meditated on the Design Rune, but… reversed. The Design Rune felt like it was running water over sand, etching channels or ways of thinking into her mind, showing her a new way of looking at things. With the points it was more like they were reinforcing the channels the Rune had created, making the thought processes feel more… natural, a lot of the ideas that had initially confused her suddenly clicking as the points went to work.

Victoria quickly dumped more points into the skill, but it only accepted about ten more, as if it was saturated. Victoria frowned for a moment, but quickly dismissed any concerns she had as she entered her Runescape and began to meditate, focusing on the Design Rune. A surge of Runic energy flowed through the channels of her mind and the world seemed to open before her, everything breaking down into its disparate parts, before reconnecting into a larger whole. *I get it. Design is about mapping out how the individual fits into the whole.* Victoria thought absently, almost offhandedly, not really thinking much of it, when her Rune shook. Pressure descended on her as new lines began to etch themselves into the Rune, adding nine or twelve new lines, depending on how you counted. Six more lines were added in the upper curl, creating a three by three grid, while in the lower curl, a larger triangle had encompassed the smaller, as if four small triangles were perfectly fit together to make one large triangle.

Victoria was left gasping for air the moment it finished, her head pounding as the increased pressure crushed down on her. [What the fuck just happened!?!] She exclaimed, defaulting to English on instinct. Suddenly a sharp pain erupted from her forehead and her hand flew up to press against it, her eyes widening as she felt small ridges forming on it. She immediately rushed to the mirror to examine herself, freezing in shock at what she saw. Outlined on her forehead was her Design Rune, the old one, from before the new lines showed up. [What the fuck?!?] Victoria exclaimed again, staring at her new mark, not sure what to make of it, when it slowly began to fade, disappearing completely after just a few seconds.

Victoria was still frowning into the mirror, when she heard a knock on the door. "Lady Victoria? Are- Are you alright? I heard shouting…" Beatrice asked from the other side, sounding worried.

Victoria shot one last look into the mirror, to make sure the strange protrusions were gone, before walking over to open the door, revealing a nervous looking Beatrice. "I am fine." Victoria answered simply, giving the worried servant a light smile.

"Thank goodness!" Beatrice exclaimed, letting out a tense breath as she patted her chest, before flushing and bowing slightly. "I- I'm sorry for disturbing you. I- I didn't understand what you were saying and worried you might be calling for help."

Victoria let out a light sigh. "It is fine. You had concern. This is good. It shows you care. I appreciate it." Victoria responded, patting her on the shoulder lightly.

Beatrice's face flushed even deeper. "T-thank y-you." She stuttered, before rushing off, escaping into her own room, which was also attached to Victoria's sitting room, though it was much smaller.

Victoria raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior, but she chose to ignore it, shrugging as she returned to the room. With a frown, she sat on her bed and returned to the Runescape to examine the changes to her Design Rune. *Why would it suddenly develop new lines?* She wondered, but she couldn't think of an answer. Maurice had never mentioned anything like this happening! All he told her was to comprehend the Rune, and once she had a good understanding of it, she could Assimilate it and begin to cultivate. That's it! Now the Rune had developed new lines, and she'd even gotten a weird tattoo on her forehead! Thankfully, it had gone away, but still, why had it happened?

Thoughts whirled around in her mind, but they went nowhere, and Victoria had to admit defeat. If she wanted answers, she was going to have to talk to Maurice. Hopefully he knew something about all this.

*

"Ah, Victoria! How can I help you? I thought you weren't coming by today?" Maurice questioned her as she entered.

"I was not, but thing happened." Victoria explained. "Have you ever seen Rune… change?"

Maurice frowned. "Change? In what way?"

"More lines. As if adding on to previous shape." Victoria explained simply, looking at him with an earnest expression, hoping he had answers.

Maurice froze, then frowned. "Your Rune developed more lines?" He asked, and Victoria nodded. "How… how many?"

"Nine or twelve." Victoria answered, explaining her Rune's new look. "The lower curl could be three big lines or six small lines with two in row. I lean towards six, as that would make nine up top, and nine below, for… eh, uh… [symmetry]. I do not know word for this in Callowan…"

Maurice's eyes widened. "That would be at least fifteen lines… plus the S… That's an Advanced Rune!" He mumbled in shock, before fixing a stern gaze onto Victoria. "You're sure of this? Your Rune actually changed?"

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I say if not true? What benefit would that be?"

"Right, right. Obviously." Maurice nodded absently, still caught up in his own thoughts. "This… how would something like this even happen? Were you exposed to anything strange today? What was your meditation like? Did you enter a special state?"

Victoria considered his questions for a moment before answering. She didn't feel comfortable telling him about the system, which had definitely played a large part in whatever happened, but she could explain the rest. "There was… strangeness. When I meditated, I felt… I saw the world break into pieces, then form together, like puzzle, and I understood. Design is how pieces form the whole. After this thought, Rune changed." Victoria explained slowly. "Oh, yes, after Rune change, the old Rune appeared on my forehead for moment as well."

"Through epiphany? A high level of- of-" Maurice muttered to himself before his eyes widened and he turned to look at her with an expression of absolute shock. "W-what did you say? Th-the Rune appeared on your forehead?!?"

Victoria gave him a strange look. "Yes? Does this mean something?"

"Did- did it look like this?" He asked, sounding almost nervous as a Rune outlined itself on his forehead, as if it was trying to break out through his skin. It didn't quite look as sharp as hers had, but it was clearly there.

"Yes!" Victoria immediately exclaimed excitedly. "What does this mean?"

"J-just wait a moment… try- try picturing your Rune in your head, as- as it appeared before it changed." Maurice replied, almost sweating from nervousness.

Victoria frowned, but did as he asked, picturing the old Rune with its three lines and a simple triangle. Almost instantly, she felt the skin on her forehead stretch slightly, before a strange energy began to gather, flowing through the Rune and into her brain. With a start, she stopped, opening her eyes wide, wondering what just happened. She looked up at Maurice, about to ask, before freezing as she took in his appearance. The old man looked like he'd just seen a ghost: eyes wide, face pale, trembling slightly.

"This- this- it- it hasn't even been a full week! How?!?" Maurice exclaimed in bafflement. "How have you already Assimilated your Rune!?!"

"What!?! I Assimilated it? How?!?" Victoria asked incredulously.

"How should I know! It's your Rune!" Maurice retorted.

"You are expert! Your job is knowing!" Victor countered.

"I can't be an expert if someone keeps doing the completely unprecedented!" Maurice shot back. "Knowledge doesn't just pop out of nowhere! You need previous examples! Research! This- this has never happened before! How could I possibly have any knowledge about it?!?"

Victoria paused. "Okay, that fair. My bad."

Maurice remained tense for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh and collapsing into his chair. "I don't- to have a Rune evolve and automatically Assimilate- this- I don't even know how this could even happen! Maybe- maybe the sects would have some knowledge of this, but I'm just an advisor in a small kingdom! This is completely out of my depth."

"I understand." Victoria sighed. "But what does this mean for me? What do I do?"

Maurice paused, considering her question for a moment. "Well, that's simple, now isn't it? You do what every person with an Assimilated Rune does: you cultivate!"

*

The cultivation process was rather simple. In fact, Maurice had already shown her how to do it. All she needed to do was picture her Rune in her mind, and it would automatically gather energy, slowly condensing it into her Core. This would be where she saw how good her Rune actually was, as the quality of a Rune, as well as the level of understanding, determined how much capacity the core would actually have. The more energy the Core could store, the more powerful she would be. As a Spirit Cultivator, her energy would mainly focus on boosting her mental capabilities, but that didn't mean her physical capabilities would be completely left out. In general, a Spirit Cultivator with a full core, before they began core strengthening, would have ten times the mental capabilities of a normal person, and four times the physical capabilities. This was reversed for Essence Cultivators and Qi Cultivators evened out to seven times for both. Differences in capacity could make this higher or lower, but it stuck to the five-two ratio.

Once Maurice finished explaining all this and giving Victoria a few more general tips, it was time for dinner, and they both headed towards the dining room. After they took their seats, the Marquis looked up, giving Victoria a look. "Victoria, I hear you took a trip into town this afternoon."

Victoria nodded. "I did. Should I not have?"

The Marquis shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with visiting the town, but you must remain aware of your position. As a young, noble lady, the daughter of a powerful lord, you are a target for many vicious people who would hurt you to hurt me. While your trip today was uneventful, in the future, be sure to notify me or Maurice, and we will arrange a retinue to accompany you. Is that understood?"

"Yes." Victoria nodded, sighing lightly. She didn't particularly enjoy the idea of being followed around everywhere she went, but after the Marquis had laid it all out like that, it was hard to argue.

Maurice coughed slightly. "Albert, there's one other thing you should be aware of. Victoria, show him what you accomplished today." Victoria nodded and pictured her Rune, allowing it to appear on her forehead. Immediately, both Melissa and the Marquis dropped their silverware, eyes going wide in shock, while AJ spit out a mouthful of wine.

"Bullshit! How?!?" AJ exclaimed, sounding almost offended, before something seemed to occur to him and he began to chuckle. "Oh, I see. She must have rushed to Assimilate it after barely comprehending the Rune. Simply a waste."

The Marquis turned to frown at AJ, before slapping him upside the head. "Idiot. Look at how crisp and defined the Rune is! Does it look like something she's barely comprehended?"

AJ scowled at the Marquis, before frowning and studying the Rune on Victoria's forehead more closely. His eyes widened in shock and he went pale. "But- but that's impossible! Even a simple Rune like Jump would take more than a week to comprehend!"

The Marquis shook his head. "Only fools deny the reality that is staring them in the face. The proof is right in front of you! She has indeed comprehended her Rune to a high level in an extremely short amount of time… what a remarkable talent." The Marquis praised Victoria with a slight grin.

Victoria made an awkward expression, knowing it wasn't really talent, but the system that made it possible. She'd never really enjoyed receiving praise even when she did deserve it, let alone when she felt like she didn't.

AJ stared off into space, lost in his own thoughts, before a determined expression came over him. Noticing this, the Marquis frowned. "AJ, don't. Rushing to Assimilate your Rune before you've fully comprehended it will only weaken your own foundation."

AJ opened his mouth to retort, before twisting it into a grimace and letting out a frustrated grunt. He pushed his plate away and got to his feet. "I'm not hungry anymore." He growled, before stomping out of the dining room.

Melissa and the Marquis shared a look, before sighing in unison. They knew Victoria's success wasn't just a blow to his pride, but also yet another obstacle to his future plans. For a boy who'd been living a smooth and easy life up to this point, it was a rather heavy blow. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to soften it for him. He simply had to learn to accept it and move on.

*

After dinner Maurice and the Marquis were relaxing in two comfortable looking armchairs, smoking pipes. Maurice glanced over at the Marquis, before chuckling lightly. "What's got you looking so bitter? If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd just gotten the news that someone painted your favorite horse green, rather than the news that your daughter is a genius Cultivator."

The Marquis grumbled slightly, before giving Maurice a bland stare. "I'm certainly proud of her, but I can't help but be disappointed by the fact that she's closer to you than she is to me. I'm her father! I should have been the first person she told such good news to, not one of the people left dumbfounded around the dinner table!"

Maurice shook his head. "Can you really blame her? Ever since the marriage with the Duke came up, you've been more and more distant with the girl, even before she lost her memory, let alone after. You practically abandoned the girl! Besides, she didn't even know what had happened. She came to me as a student asking questions, not as a little girl showing off her accomplishments."

The Marquis grumbled a bit more, before sighing and rubbing his temple. "I just don't know how to connect with her anymore. She used to be this sweet little bundle of sunshine, but…" the Marquis let out another heavy sigh. "Why would she oppose this marriage so much?!? He's a Duke! He's young, strong, talented… every girl at the capital practically drools over the boy, yet when my daughter gets set to marry him, she acts like we're sending her to her death! There couldn't be a more perfect match! It even helps out AJ! Our family has always been on the outskirts, far from political power, but if AJ can tie himself to the young Duke, we'd have a direct line to the heart of the kingdom! I- I just don't understand why she can't see all this…"

Maurice sighed and shook his head. "The heart of a young girl is wild and untamable. Who are we to make sense of it?"

The Marquis snorted. "That's the least of my worries now. Ever since her memory loss, she's just gone… cold. I can't even tell what she's thinking anymore! She just looks at everything as if it's something to be studied, even her mother and I. It's like we aren't her parents, but paintings on the wall, interesting to study, but ultimately unimportant."

Maurice nodded slightly. "She has become much more… analytical, since her memory loss, but you can't hold that against her. All this is new to her now, of course she'd want to study it! Just give her time, I'm sure she'll get better. Maybe if you'd reach out and spend some time with the girl, she'd actually start to see you as her father, rather than just the lord who sits at the head of the table. As a parent, it's your responsibility to maintain a relationship with your children, not the other way around."

"You're right, as always." The Marquis sighed, before turning to raise an eyebrow at him, grinning slightly. "How is it that an old bachelor such as yourself is better at dealing with relationships than me, a father of three?"

Maurice shrugged. "The benefits of an outside perspective and good observational skills. The tricks to maintaining good relationships aren't all that hard, we just tend to get too caught up in our own experiences to actually see what we need to do."