Liam, Avery, Ariyana, Artem, Mercer, Roman, Gimmel, Omira, and a few of the crew members that were around the table looked both amazed and shocked. They quickly came to their senses as they erupted into cheers and shouts. They all raised their cups and with wide grins they yelled out their congratulations before downing their cups.
Blair explained to them that she was given three choices when it came to her evolving her class. One of the classes was a plain tank like class called Heavy Guard that she overlooked it, not really interested in it. The second choice was a class called Magical Axe Wielder. She felt the both the name and the description of the class didn’t suit her, so she looked at the last class option she had.
She said that when she read the name and the description of the class she felt that it was something she wanted to dive right into. However, instead of choosing it right away she went to Uncle Naro for his opinion on it. She explained that while she felt this class looked good to her it also felt like it had a specialized focus, and she didn’t want to jump right into it without knowing what she was getting herself into. After all, Uncle Naro had explained to them at one point that if they were given options for a class evolution and they didn’t like them they could always choose to not pick any and continue to train until one did come.
Liam winced internally when he heard this. He hadn’t known this information when he received his class evolution. He had received a single class evolution when it happened, and it was in the middle of a tough fight. He wasn’t the only one either when it happened. Jude, Inyis, and Aranis had also done the same. He was really hoping that he hadn’t screwed himself over with that.
After she went to Uncle Naro and explained what was going on he had asked her a single question. What type of fighter do you see yourself becoming in a group? She looked confused and at first didn’t understand why he had asked this question. After taking some time thinking it over she started to understand what it was he was getting at. What role do you see yourself being in a group? While in that role what do you want to do?
The others were curious after hearing what she had said. They were curious to hear what answer she came up with. She said that amongst them all only she and Artem were really considered to be the tanks of the group. However, she had deduced that with Artem’s healing capabilities his role was split. Therefore, she would need to step up in being more in the role of tank. She then said that the class evolution Heavy Armor would probably be the best choice for that.
When she had explained this to Uncle Naro he had nodded with her answer. She then said that he had surprised her by saying that her choice is a wise one, but by doing that it would cut off certain things that would better suit her. He then went on to explain that while it was good to focus on a role when being in part of a group it shouldn’t mean that a person should sacrifice what they have an affinity for nor what it is they really want to do.
This answer surprised the others as well. Uncle Naro saw the confused look on their faces and then went on to explain, “This advice isn’t something that is limited to just her. For example, Artem here has the Defender class, but he also has an affinity for Healing. He can do both. A tank that can heal isn’t something new…Maybe for your race it is, but for other races it isn’t. Another example is Roman. A Kitsune is better as a long ranged magical attacker, but he chose to stay true to what he has an affinity with as well as what he wants to do. Hence why his choice of becoming an Earthen Pugilist was a great choice. While the class does specialize in Earth Magic with a mixture of close range magic it is a good start for what he wants to do.”
Everyone nodded at that. What he said made a lot of sense to them. They each looked at her and waited to hear what she had to say next. Feeling their gazes fall on her she then continued by telling them while she did want to continue being one of the tanks for the group she also wanted to do more. She wanted to hit harder and utilize magic, especially Gravity Magic. She then said while she wanted to get a class that specialized in Gravity Magic she also knew it would be wiser to take a class that could help lay the foundation for what she envisioned.
With a slightly painful look she said Roman had the right choice and would follow that example. Everyone looked surprised to hear that, however, it was Roman who was utterly baffled. So much so he had nothing to say. No snarky remark, no chuckle, nothing. Before he could snap out of it she continued by telling them she asked Uncle Naro what class would be a good choice to help set that foundation. With a smile he told her that she already had a choice that would be perfect. It was the last option. With understanding she didn’t hesitate and went with it. The third choice was called Arcanic Marauder.
Arcanic Marauder was a heavy damage tank type class with a focus on a variant of Arcane Magic. Through using Arcane Magic they would be able to create more powerful strikes as well as strengthen their defenses. However, in order for her to use Arcane Magic in that manner she needed to use Arcane Magic in a different way than how they came to know and understand it.
After Liam and Mercer asked her more about this, they had found out that what led to this different type of Arcane Magic was how she viewed or understood Arcane Magic. This confused the two men as well as the other members of their group, except for Gimmel. She explained that she was given the hints needed for this to happen from Uncle Naro after she had hit a wall with Gravity Magic.
After talking about what she was wanting to do with Gravity Magic, Uncle Naro had explained that she needed to shift her view on a different type of Magic as well as focus on leveling it up. The reason for this need of change was because what she wanted to do would require not only a boost of power, but catalysts to help ignite as well as power the required Mana and more needed for it.
They had asked her what it was she wanted to do with Gravity Magic, but she said until she could grasp it better and could better put it into words she wouldn’t speak of it just yet. As for what kind of view she had changed with Arcane Magic? She had explained that instead of viewing Arcane Magic as a force that could deal damage, she now viewed it as a catalyst and a fuel source. One that could help her ignite her magic and boost it even farther than just channeling the mana type.
However, it took more than just shifting one’s perspective and view on the magic. It needed Knowledge Theory in the subject. While she was training she was given a book that helped her understand the different use of the magic. She also came to understand that all magic had different uses than how one thought they were used. It would take a lot of one’s time in order to study and come to understand it, but if one didn’t learn them then it would open doors they wouldn’t have believed possible.
Listening to Blair talk about the subject made Liam think about how familiar this talk felt. He tried to think about why he felt this was familiar. At first he believed it to be déjà vu, however, the more and more he thought about it he finally remembered where and who had told him about this information. It was Lady Arachne, or rather Vesely, who had talked to him about the importance of how he viewed Shadow Magic.
Thinking about that time with her at the end of his time on Cashat Port made him remember he needed to work on his Shadow Control magic. He hadn’t spent a lot of time on it due to being surrounded by a lot of people he didn’t know. That and having Uncle Naro around majority of the time as well. However, here on the boat in that room he was using to train… he could use that room. He had sighed after thinking that. That was just one of the many things he needed to work on.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“How does that work though?” Mercer asked bringing Liam out of his thoughts. “Are you saying that if we shift what we have learned and thinking about the magic we are using in a different way we will get different results? If that is true then why have we been learning how to use magic the way we have been?”
Uncle Naro took them all in. With a half smile he finally said, “That is because you all are still kids when it comes to magic. Still wet behind the ears.”
Everyone except for Liam, Gimmel, and Omira had frowned at that. Uncle Naro noticed that, but instead of commenting on it he continued, “I guess it is time we can get more into this now that you all are approaching the right levels.”
Liam and his group noticed the subtle change in Uncle Naro’s demeanor. While he was still in a jovial mood, the atmosphere he was producing was one of a teacher. It drew their attention in.
“You all, except for the obvious ones, are new to this world and are still learning how things work. Every race, every country trains their young ones at a certain age. First it’s through Knowledge Theory. They teach and train everyone to learn the basics and safety of using not just magic, but weapon skills and the stuff needed for them. After reaching a certain age they allow their young ones to plant their Seed of the Arcane. After that they have them train until they reach a certain level.”
“You mean level twenty?” Mercer asked.
Uncle Naro nodded. “Many things like, magic, are broken down into tiers. For Magic, the first nineteen levels is considered the basic levels or the Beginner’s Tier. Once you reach level twenty you are considered to be in the Apprentice Tier. That is the tier where everything starts to change. You are taught the basics and many of the beginners books in Knowledge theories make you understand and believe magic is one way so that way you don’t hurt yourselves and have a better understanding of how magic works. After that though…you start to understand that magic has a versatile use.”
Everyone looked a bit confused as they took it all in. Uncle Naro saw this and decided to pick on his own apprentice by using him as an example. “Let’s use Crafting Magic as an example. When you think of Crafting Magic you think of Blacksmithing, Alchemy, etcetera right?”
Everyone nodded. “Okay, now let say someone who is new to this world, like Liam here, decides that there should be other ways to use Crafting Magic…”
Avery, Ariyana, Artem, Blair, Mercer, and Roman all let out a collective of Oh’s as the small part of the example clicked into place as memories of Liam experimenting with his Crafting Magic while in fights came to their minds. Gimmel and Omira, who weren’t there for any of those times looked at the group before looking at Liam with a puzzled expression. They both had an expression that told the others they wanted to know why they reacted the way they did.
“We’ll tell you later,” Ariyana stated with a smirk while Liam, for his part, tried to hide the heat that was rising to his cheeks.
“It’s to minimize risks of trying to play around and test theories while in a fight isn’t it?” Mercer asked, feeling like he was starting to understand the method behind this.
Uncle Naro nodded his head in agreement as he added, “The Beginner’s Tier is considered the Learning Tier. You learn how the magic you have been given works and once you reach the Apprentice Tier you have a basic understanding of the magic. After you step into the Apprentice Tier, you are still considered to be learning about the Magic, but now you are exploring the different uses of it. After you reach the next tier after that, the Journeyman Tier, you have not only a basic understanding of the magic, but a wider view that will help you gain where you want to take the magic and how you want to specialize it. The tiers after that is you learning how to master it and making it your own. But we will talk more after you get closer to that tier level. The same is for other things too.”
“Huh,” Mercer muttered. “I knew there was more to Magic, but to think that we haven’t even gotten out of the beginner’s stage even with how much we’ve trained and practice.”
Uncle Naro let out a laugh. “Don’t feel too bad. This is just for magic. We haven’t even begun to touch up on the Mystical Landscape yet, which is both tied and not tied to your magic.”
Liam and the others shook their heads at that proclamation. While they were excited to learn more about magic, even they knew they didn’t want to get in too deep at the moment since it was a celebration. Choosing to continue the celebration, Ariyana quickly grabbed a cup and yelled out her drinking phrase, causing Liam, Avery, Blair, Artem, Mercer and Roman to swiftly grab their drinks and down them as soon as she finished her words. Omira and Gimmel looked confused by their actions while Uncle Naro laughed loudly before joining them.
They spent most of the night celebrating by drinking and eating. Liam decided not to drink too much. While he was having fun with the others he also decided he wanted to get back to that room and do some more training. When he saw the opportunity, he took it. For a few more hours he trained his Shadow Manipulation ability getting it to level ten.
Thanks to reaching level ten, Liam was able to do a bit more with his Shadow Manipulation ability. The amount of shadows he was able to manipulate had grown as well as the shapes he was able to make with them due to the growth. However, as he did this he felt like he could do more than that. He decided to test it out if his gut feeling was right. After gathering the bigger amount of shadows together he tried to see if he could separate them into two.
He was successful. However, the bigger blob of shadows had revert to the amount of shadows he was able to manipulate before. He was okay with that. He tried to see if he could do more than the two blobs of shadows, but he had failed. Deciding that reaching this point with the ability and testing out what he was now able to do was a good point to stop for the night, Liam went to bed.
The next day Liam practiced on working with his Mana Blend ability again while making chairs. When he came back to the room he had found his failed successes he had from the day before were broken down and ready to be used once again. Even though he didn’t see who had done it, he knew it was probably Uncle Naro. The man wanted to make sure Liam had plenty of materials to work with before needing to restock.
Not complaining, Liam went to work. Throughout the day he rotated through his Arcane Hand, Gravity Hand, Earth Hand, Air Hand, and Plant Hand. Even though he rotated through each of those Mana Hand Types, he kept Mana Blend on Arcane Hand throughout each session. He felt like if he kept the ability on that specific Mana Hand Type he would get a better understanding of what the Mana Hand Type could do. However, no matter how much he tried to focus on it nothing was gleamed.
Instead he was able to get a couple levels in the Mana Hand Types he had used as well as the levels in manipulating them. He was also able to gain a couple of levels in each Construction Craft abilities as well as the Construction Craft Focus Point. He was getting better at making chairs with his Mana Blended Mana Hand Type. He felt this was due to not only using the ability as much as he had, but also due to the levels he was gaining in it. He was getting close to level ten and the closer he got the easier he felt the ability was becoming another part of himself.
He wasn’t the only one to gain some levels. Artem was closing in on level twenty on a few abilities, Focus Points, and the Field of the Healer. He gained a few levels in his Water Magic and had succeeded in finding a new use for his Aqua and Healing Spheres.
To everyone’s surprise he had found a way to have both spheres merge together for a short amount of time. During that time he had discovered he could fire small spurts of water that when they hit any of his teammates would heal them for a small amount. While this was a great discovery for him as a tank who had certain situations where he couldn’t spare any time to use his Healing Magic, he also knew he would need to find a way to make the trick work better since having a sudden splash of water hitting you in the middle of a fight wasn’t an ideal thing to have happen and take your focus away from a fight.
The next day, during the middle of his training, two things had happened. He heard Avery hollering and screaming something happy. From what he was able to understand from where he was, thanks to his heightened hearing, it seemed she had finally succeeded in getting Mana Blend and something else. He was about to stop what he was doing and make his way upstairs to congratulate her, but before he could place his tools down the boat violently rocked.
Confused and worried, Liam placed everything down as fast as he could after the boat settled. He went to take another step, and the boat rocked to the other side causing him to lose his footing and fall onto his side. As he tried to get back up, he felt the hairs on his arms stand up as he heard someone shout out, “Sea Monsters incoming!”