After spending a month out in the woods, the first thing I wanted to do when I returned to Bizet was bathe. I didn’t sweat anymore, so I didn’t smell much, but there was enough dirt and grime that the baths I had taken in nearby rivers or streams weren’t enough. My hair was a mess, too.
The first thing I did when I got back to the city was take my spare changes of clothes out of storage. I now actually had enough space in [Inventory] to hold it all, so I no longer needed to pay for storage. My clothes had also gotten somewhat dirty and worn, and I wanted a fresh outfit for when I was clean again.
It was early morning, so I was able to get my clothes quickly and set to searching for a bathhouse. I had seen signs for a couple when I walked around the city, so I went to find one. It was mostly a public bathhouse, with a few private rooms for rent, which I splurged on. I didn’t have much money, but I had been able to cut my expenses down to 0 over the past month, and I was planning on going adventuring in the near future, so I didn’t mind the expense.
I booked the room for 3 hours, and spent the first hour scrubbing myself down with the help of my new [Water Jet] spell, and then I spent the next two soaking in a tub full of scalding water. While I relaxed in the water, I pulled up my stat sheet to see the results of my month of training.
Name:
Lucille
Age:
22
Sex:
F
Race:
[Vampire]
Class:
[Sole Survivor] lvl 10
Level:
19
HP:
540/540
MP:
1400/1400
Status:
[Adventurer], [Pawn of the Gods], [Undead]
Passive Skills:
[Dark Vision] lvl MAX
[Perseverance] lvl MAX
[Pride] lvl MAX
[Vampiric Superiority] lvl MAX
[Vampiric Weakness] lvl MAX
[Dagger Mastery] lvl 18
[Mana Sense] lvl 19
[Detection] lvl 6
[Enhanced Senses] lvl 12
[Imitate Life] lv 11
[Rapid Regeneration] lvl 6
[Fire Resistance] lvl 2
Active Skills:
[Pickpocket] lvl 17
[Inventory] lvl 16
[Pick Lock] lvl 16
[Stealth] lvl 15
[Appraise] lvl 11
[Meditate] lvl 10
[Deceive] lvl 9
[Charm] lvl 7
[Persuade] lvl 7
[Sprint] lvl 10
[Aura Sense] lvl 5
[Create Thrall] lvl 6
[Aura Control] lvl 2
[Magic]
Stats:
Available Points: 0
Category
Base
Bonus
Total
[Strength]
28
28
56
[Dexterity]
64
64
128
[Agility]
64
64
128
[Vitality]
27
27
54
[Intelligence]
75
75
150
[Willpower]
70
70
140
[Charisma]
59
59
118
[Perception]
30
102
132
Magic
Attribute
Spells
Unattributed
[Mana Manipulation] lvl 19
[Magic Missile] lvl 15
[Telekinesis] lvl 12
[Magic Shield] lvl 5
Light
[Light Manipulation] lvl 11
[Blind] lvl 11
[Laser] lvl 9
[Flash] lvl 7
[Light] lvl 5
[Dome of Darkness] lvl 4
[Cloak of Darkness] lvl 3
Illusion
[Minor Illusion] lvl 8
[Camouflage] lvl 7
[Obscure] lvl 3
Space
[Spatial Manipulation] lvl 5
[Swap] lvl 5
[Teleport Object] lvl 5
Earth
[Earth Manipulation] lvl 7
[Stone Bullet] lvl 7
[Earthen Wall] lvl 5
[Earthquake] lvl 5
[Earthen Spear] lvl 4
Air
[Air Manipulation] lvl 7
[Propel] lvl 7
[Gust] lvl 5
[Vacuum] lvl 5
Fire
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[Fire Manipulation] lvl 5
[Flamethrower] lvl 5
[Heat] lvl 5
Water
[Water Manipulation] lvl 10
[Water Jet] lvl 9
[Siphon Water] lvl 7
[Water Blade] lvl 6
Blood
[Hemokinesis] lvl 19
[Blood Blade] lvl 6
[Blood Spear] lvl 6
There were a lot of changes from how it had looked before my training. Most noticeably, I had learned so many spells that I needed to fiddle with the System and move all my magic to its own separate window to keep my main [Status] window from being too cluttered.
Many of my skills, such as [Inventory], had gone up drastically, and I had even capped out [Hemokinesis], [Mana Sense], and [Mana Manipulation]. There were a disappointingly small number of spells contained in the books I had purchased. Most of each book was spent explaining each element and how it worked, but with my Earth education, I already knew most of what was written, and I even recognized some of the information to be blatantly incorrect. I considered informing Anatoly of this, but I decided against it. He was probably already suspicious enough of my vague backstory. No need to pull out mysterious knowledge on top of that.
There were 3 reasons that I decided to return to the city when I did. First, was that I had only rented the storage room at the guild for a month, so I needed to collect my things, or pay the next month’s fee. Second was that I had finally gotten the [Aura Control] skill, so I needed a new book that would tell me how to use my aura. I was also interested in seeing some more spell books that contained less theory and more actual spells. However, to get those, I would need more money, which was my third reason for returning. I would need some money, and to get money quickly, the best method would be to go Dungeon diving.
Technically, with my current Adventurer’s Guild registration, I was not allowed into the Dungeon yet. Not on my own, at least. However, the informational pamphlet they had given me said that I could rank up without taking on a bunch of low-rank collection type quests by taking an exam prepared by the guild, which would be ideal for me.
When I got out of the water, my skin was waterlogged and wrinkled, and it looked even paler than usual, but with just a quick use of [Siphon Water], my skin was back to its normal, pristine smoothness. I donned one of my clean outfits and left the bathhouse, heading for the bookstore.
When I got there, the first thing I noticed were two familiar guardsmen standing on either side of the door. When I approached the door, the one on the right stepped to the side, barring my entry.
“I am sorry,” he said, “but the Lady is currently inside. I cannot allow suspicious persons such as yourself in.”
I was momentarily offended at being called suspicious, but when I glanced down at myself, I realized that he wasn’t wrong. I was dressed in all black, and though I had unlocked Illusion Magic, the evolution of Light magic, I hadn’t gotten any disguise skills yet, so I was still wearing my mask, too.
“I suppose I am a bit suspicious,” I said. “Would you mind poking your head in and asking them if it’s alright if Lucy comes in?”
The guard nodded, and then turned around and poked his head in the door, while the other watched me warily.
“My lady. Sorry to bother you, but there is a suspicious masked woman trying to enter. She says her name is Lucy.”
“Lucy with purple eyes?” I heard Lady Lyon’s voice call back.
The guard turned, looked me in the eye for a moment, and then turned back.
“Yes, my lady.”
“Let her in.”
The guard turned back towards me. “You may enter,” he said, stepping out of the way.
“Thank you,” I replied as I walked passed him.
Inside, the elf was sitting behind his desk while the noblewoman stood on the other side, this time in a red dress.
“Ah, Lucy. You’re back!” said Anatoly, smiling as he saw me. “It’s good to see you. I was beginning to worry that something had happened to you.”
“I’m alright,” I said. “I was just doing some isolation training. I just finished this morning.” I turned to Lady Lyon. “It is a pleasure to see you again as well, Lady Lyon.”
“No, the pleasure is all mine,” she replied with a small curtsy.
“Isolation training…” mused Anatoly. “Does that mean that you have already learned all the spells in the books I gave you?”
“Not quite all of them, but I learned most of them,” I replied.
“That is quite impressive. Then I take it you are here for more advanced spellbooks? Which elements are you interested in?”
“Well, I do need a few for Light, Illusion, Water and Space, but more importantly, I need a book about Aura.”
“Aura? You can use aura now too? Every time I see you, you have another surprise for me.”
“Aura, and magic?” said Lady Lyon, sizing me up. “Would you be interested in employment with the Lyon family? We would pay handsomely to have a dual user in our ranks.”
“I will have to decline that offer,” I said. “I prefer to be independent. If you need me for a job at some point down the road, though, I would be happy to help, as long as the pay is good.”
“Ah, that’s a shame. Since you said you only just recently learned how to use aura, your skills probably aren’t at the level of immediate usefulness, but I will keep your offer in mind for the future.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Lady Lyon, if you keep trying to recruit everyone you meet, your family will go bankrupt in no time,” said Anatoly jokingly.
“It’s not everyone, it’s just- nevermind,” said the lady.
“So I take it that your problem hasn’t been solved yet, Lady Lyon? It must be quite a serious problem if you’ve been willing to spend so much time trying to recruit a single person, even if that person is an ancient elf.”
“Please, call me Sylvia,” she said. “And unfortunately, no, it hasn't been resolved yet. I can’t share too many details about it, but it is quite serious, though not urgent.”
“It’s also very time-consuming to solve,” added Anatoly. “And I am not willing to leave my shop unattended for as long as I would need to help them.”
“As I said, the Lyon family would be more than willing to provide you with people to help keep your shop running while you’re gone. I promise you, you won’t see a decrease in profits.”
“It’s not about the profits. If I wanted profits, I would be doing something else. You know very well that I could be doing almost anything I want. I run this store because it’s interesting. Your issue, while difficult, is not interesting. It’s merely tedious.” Sylvia opened her mouth to speak, but Anatoly raised his hand to silence her. “But enough on this. This conversation can wait. Right now, Lucy is in need of some books.”
“Of course.” She nodded her head to me. “I apologize for wasting your time.”
Once again, I was taken aback by her politeness. “Oh, it’s quite alright. I’m in no rush. Really, I should be the one apologizing to you for interrupting your conversation.”
“Oh, there’s no need,” she said, waving me off. “It’s not like it’s a new conversation.”
“Thank you.”
“So, you said Light Illusion, Water, and Space, correct?” asked Anatoly.
“Yes. And preferably something with less theory and more actual spells.”
“Of course. Those other books you have are a bit heavy, but I find that they provide the best grounding for each element. If you understand everything in those books, you shouldn’t have much trouble with any of the more advanced spells, especially with your talent.”
He led me over to the bookshelf next to the table where he had gotten the previous spellbooks.
“Now that you have learned the basics, you can start choosing how you would like to specialize. If it’s you, you might be fine, not specializing, but I recommend you pick a specialty anyways. Having one or two things that you excel at could be very beneficial to you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
“Now, for Illusion magic, you have three options. The most well-known use of illusion magic is grand performances, with large visual spectacles, in which case you’d want this one.” He handed me a book titled Imaginary Dragons. “A less well-known, but equally popular type of illusion magic is focused more on subterfuge, and features spells for disguise, misdirection, and general deceptiveness.” He handed me another book titled 101 Faces. “Illusion magic for combat is a bit more of an obscure branch. Fortunately, I have here a translation done by myself of Using Art for War by Song Tsao, the eastern military general who pioneered the field. His insights are rather interesting, and he was very creative with his spellwork.” He handed me another book.
“Hmmmm…” I said, looking down at the books in my hand.
It was a difficult choice. 101 Faces sounded like it would be useful, but after I learned how to hide my fangs, I wasn’t sure how much more use I could get out of it. I didn’t plan on continuing Lucille’s life of crime, nor was I interested in being a spy, so it might not be all that useful after that. On the other hand, if my identity as one of the incarnations was ever discovered, I could use it to escape.
Imaginary Dragons sounded like it would be the least useful, but also the most fun. Any usefulness it might have in combat would be covered in more detail in Using Art for War, so most of the benefits I gained from that book would be purely for my own pleasure. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Having a hobby not directly related to my survival could be good for my mental health. And it would probably still give me levels in [Light Manipulation], if nothing else.
If Using Art for War was anything like the book on Earth that it sounded like a parody of, then I would definitely be getting that one. It was tough to decide which of the three paths I wanted to take. I kind of wanted to take all of them.
“How much would it be for all 3?” I asked.
“For you, 1 silver 2 copper.”
I did some quick mental calculations. “Alright then. I’ll take ‘em”
I handed over the coins and put the books in the spatial bag with the rest of my books. That purchase left me with 1 gold, 3 silver and 4 copper.
“I would probably need sound magic to make my illusions more believable, right?”
“Correct. Would you like a book on that as well?”
“Yes, please.”
He reached for a book on the top of the shelf and handed it to me.
“This one is by far the best introduction to sound magic. There are some more specialized books focusing on different uses of sound, such as destructive, or musical, but I believe that you will only need the basics, if you only want to apply it to your illusions. As long as you properly learned your Wind magic, then you should have no trouble also learning sound.”
“I see. And how about we figure out the price at the end, so we don’t need to keep pulling out our coin pouches,” I suggested.
“That’s fine with me.”
“Wait wait wait wait. Hold on,” said Silvia, who had been watching in silence up until now.
“Yes?” I said.
“Earlier you said you needed books on Light, Illusion, Water, and Space, right?”
“Correct.”
“And just now, Mr. Ivanov mentioned that you also could use Wind magic. So wouldn’t that make you a quad-elemental mage?”
“Actually, she’s a hex-elemental mage,” said Anatoly. Silvia’s eyes bulged.
“I would like to once again offer you a job working for my family,” she said, quickly. “You would receive the best of treatment. We could even give you a title and your own castle, as long as you swear loyalty to the Lyon family.”
“It’s a generous offer, but I still-”
“You wouldn’t even need to do anything for us,” continued Silvia, cutting me off. “We would let you be completely independent. You would only work under us in name. We would even help fund your growth with no strings attached.”
The fact that she was willing to offer me a title and complete independence in exchange for what essentially amounted to lip-service spoke volumes about my own talent. Anatoly’s somewhat lukewarm reaction to my affinity measurement sheet had lulled me into a false sense of normalcy, but this offer suddenly brought my talent back to the forefront of my mind. If I had known exactly how extraordinary I was before, I probably would have tried to keep it a secret. I would most certainly keep it more secret in the future, otherwise, I would have nobles and other wealthy persons tripping over themselves to hire me. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but it would be pretty annoying after a while.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad offer though. Its benefits were mostly positive. The biggest downside, and the main reason I didn’t want to take it though, was that the Lyon family would definitely want to make my existence public, so they could brag about me. Otherwise, there was no point to Silvia’s offer. However, I wanted to remain under the radar of the church of Order, at least until I felt I was strong enough that I no longer needed to worry about them, so that wasn’t a viable option. Maybe if the offer was still available in the future, when I was strong enough to keep myself safe, I might take it.
“I might consider it in the future,” I said. “For now though, I’d like to remain independent.”
“Are you sure? You would grow much faster with our support. We could even let you into some of the Dungeons around Claude. They’re much better than the one here, and you would be able to gain levels far faster there. It’s hard to get into them without support from one of the powerful families in the capital.”
That made me pause. I had read about Claude’s Dungeons in the Dungeon book I got when I was last at the store. They were some of the largest Dungeons in the world, and housed some of the strongest monsters and most valuable treasure, and there were 5 of them all within a day’s march from the capital. I had wanted to go there, but gave up on those dungeons, since I would need special permission to access them. If Silvia could get me in though, I might be able to get strong quickly enough that I wouldn’t have to worry about the church.
“How will a Bizet noble get me into Claude’s Dungeons?”
Silvia stared at me for a few seconds. “Have you been living in a cave? The Lyon family is one of Ravel’s ducal families. The head of the family lives in Claude. We practically own two of the Dungeons, and we can easily get you into the other three.”
“Oh,” I said. I should have gotten a book on the kingdom’s nobility as well. “I have been living in isolation for most of my life. I wasn’t aware you were in such an important position. Forgive me if I was rude, previously.”
“Nevermind that,” she said, speaking quickly. “You can address me however you like, and you can speak to me as formally or informally as you want. So, what do you think? We could get you into any of Claude’s dungeons, and we could group you up with a group of experienced adventurers to protect you from harm while you level up. We’ll give you your own mansion in the best part of the city with a private training ground. All your meals will be prepared by a top chef. Your bed will make you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud. We can provide you with expensive weapons, or staffs, or wands, and we can even get you access to restricted spells and techniques. We have System experts who can help you qualify for whatever class or skill you desire. All you have to do is say that you’ll serve under us. We won’t even try to make you sign a contract. Just as long as you don’t publicly deny your relationship with us, that would be enough. What do you say?”
“That’s- hold on. Give me a minute to think,” I said.
Previously, I had been thinking that she was some minor noble from Bizet, but learning that she was the daughter of a duke made me rethink a little bit. If I had a duke supporting me, they might be able to keep me safe from the church of Order, at least for a little while when I leveled up. And she was correct about the increased leveling rate. I wasn’t on board with everything she offered, such as the personal chef, or handpicked adventuring part, but I’m sure that was negotiable.
However, being affiliated with a duke could also be more dangerous, since I would draw even more attention to myself. I couldn’t think of many things that would give me more fame than becoming a vassal of a duke who would really want to brag about me. And if I became that famous, people would definitely start to do background checks on me, and some might even connect me back to the petty con-artist that Lucille had been. Lucille had died, however, and the guards confirmed that, so my existence would definitely draw the attention of the church.
“I’m going to have to say no for now, but in the future, I may take you up on that offer.”
I would need to master the disguise skills before accepting that offer.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take it now? I may not be in my own city, but I could still give you plenty of immediate benefits, such as funding.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I said after a slight hesitation.
“Well at least let me pay for the rest of the books you need, then,” she said.
“It’s alright. You don’t have t-”
“I insist,” she said, cutting me off. “I want to at least form a good relationship with you. And really, this is nothing. Even if you bought every book in the shop, it would barely amount to pocket change for me.”
Anatoly, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, chose this moment to finally speak again.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I have some pretty rare books here. You might be surprised at how much some of them are worth.”
“Even so, I would still be willing to pay,” said Silvia firmly. “So please, let me help you.”
“Alright, if you say so,” I said, shrugging.
“Thank you. I hope to maintain a good relationship with you in the future.”
“Likewise.”
With that part of the conversation over, I returned to talking to Anatoly about what books I would need. That conversation lasted almost an hour, as we discussed the different options for paths to take with each element. Whenever I came to a crossroads, and couldn’t decide which specialization to choose, Silvia would encourage me to just get all the books, and see which one I naturally gravitated towards after reading them, like I had with the Illusion books.
Originally, I would have tried to decide right then and there, but since I no longer had to worry about the cost of the books, I gladly took her advice, and by the end, I had purchased over 30 new books with Silvia’s money. Surprisingly, the bag that Anatoly had given me with the other books was still large enough to hold all the new ones as well. When I had first received the bag, I didn’t think too much of it, since I could do similar things with [Inventory], but now that I had so many things in it, I was beginning to realize that it might be a more extraordinary item than I had previously assumed. The elf’s flippant attitude about it was likely due to his many years of experience, and probably very high level. Silvia didn’t think much of it, but she couldn’t really be considered ordinary either, given her wealth and power.
I left the shop in an excellent mood, having gained so many things that I needed, and it wasn’t even midday yet. I was half tempted to just sit down and start reading right then, but I knew that I needed to head to the Adventurer’s Guild. Even if Silvia continued to fund my future trips to the bookstore, I wanted to earn some cash of my own and Dungeons were undoubtedly the best way to gain levels.
A few minutes later, I walked under the excessively huge sign at the guild, and got in line in front of the desk, mentally preparing myself for the rank up examination.