“Hmm?” taking a closer look at my status, I noticed I forgot about something important.
“Is something wrong?” mom asked.
“Oh, no. I just forgot that I received a mission before all the excitement with the assassin’s guild. It was the first rank S mission I got, and the reward was based on my contribution. Time to find out what it is!” I said, accepting the reward.
Mission Completed: [Save Tyr!]
Rank: S
An undead monster army raised by the Assassin’s Guild and led by a demon lord seed is preparing to wipe out Tyr and slaughter its inhabitants! If left unchecked, their power may grow to threaten the entire world. Fight to push the odds ever so slightly in the city’s favor!
Rewards: Title – [Trailblazer].
Accept Rewards?
I accepted, then used appraisal to find out its effects.
[Trailblazer]
You have not just moved off the beaten path, you have forged one that no one thought was possible with your own two hands!
You are more likely to earn breakthroughs through evolutions, class advancements, and skill upgrades. Reveal requirements for nearly unlocked evolutions and advancements.
Wait, this might just offer the change I’ve been looking for!
I quickly told mom and went back to the evolution menu, and I was right to assume that my list expanded.
…
[Locked Evolution]
Secret Evolution Requirement:
* Is a Dragon.
* Is a Rank C creature.
* Can speak, read, and write fluently in an Akashic language.
* Possesses a minimum of high affinity for all attributes.
* Possesses at least five divine shards.
* Successfully cast a spell using at least three intermediate-grade magic circles.
* Has not gone through more than one class advancement.
* Possesses a limit breaking skill or title.
My jaw dropped.
What the abyss is this?!
“Kiara, what’s wrong? Did you get any new options?”
At mom’s voice, I picked up my jaw off the floor and began explaining.
“I am alright. I did get a new option, but the system says its locked. It also has a rarity color I’ve never seen before!”
Even mom was beginning to get excited.
“Quickly, tell me what the requirements for it are. Maybe we can get you to complete its conditions!” she said.
I did as she asked, and I watched her face sour at the mention of the ‘spell with three intermediate-grade magic circles’ part.
“I knew that reaching beyond mythic would be incredibly difficult, but these requirements are just ludicrous.” She sighed.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Listen, Kiara. Do you remember what I told you about how magic circles work, back when I taught you to cast [Mana Blade] and [Mirror Space]?”
“I remember the gist of it. You said something about how magic circles can get larger, more complex, and more mana hungry with each grade they climb.”
“Correct. Magic circles are divided into the elementary-grade, the apprentice-grade, the intermediate-grade, the advanced-grade, and the master-grade. Technically the ritual-grade magic circles are a tier above master-grade magic circles, but those are designed for groups of sorcerers and are cast over many hours at a time, so they are not intended for use in the heat of battle.”
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I nodded.
“Okay, good to know. I am guessing my two spells are elementary-grade?”
“You guessed right. To unlock this evolution, not only do you have to learn to cast spells two grades above yours, but you also have to cast a single spell that uses three or more magic circles at the same time. That’s not going to happen overnight. It’ll take a lot of work and at minimum months of intensive training, but it should be within reach. It looks to me like you’ve met all the other requirements. Are you willing to make that kind of commitment in time and effort?”
I didn’t answer immediately. Taking that as a cue, mom continued.
“Alternatively, perhaps it might be worth it to just take one of your mythic options and try again on your rank B evolution? Time is valuable, and you might also get a reward from the system for evolving from a rank F creature to a rank S one faster than anyone else.”
“No, mom. There’s no guarantee I’ll get such a reward from the system, that I’ll be the quickest to reach rank S, or that I’ll even get another beyond-mythic rarity evolution like this one. It’s probably better for me to take things slow and steady, especially since I was always going to learn to be a proper mage anyway.”
Mom grinned and ruffled my hair.
“Well, what do you know; you can prioritize prudence over recklessness! I approve of your reasoning. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Also,” she said as she pulled her hand back, “someone who casts spells is called a sorcerer, not a mage.”
“Is that the case? What’s the difference between them?”
“Well, a mage is someone who has the system cast spells using their mana in the form of skills, while a sorcerer is someone who casts spells themselves. The distinction may seem pedantic, but it makes a world of difference.”
Mom’s answer raised more questions than it answered for me.
“If I understand you correctly, the only difference between the two is whether they cast the spells or whether the system casts the spell for them? What’s the difference if the spell is the same?”
Mom smiled.
“Everything, my dear. The system handles all of the complicated magic circles and the manipulation of mana in favor of directly giving the person access to its power. The disadvantage of relying on a system like that is that you cannot modify the spell or use it to cast something beyond what it has given you. For that reason, if a sorcerer can already match a mage’s spell catalogue, then they’re free to select from a wider repertoire of spells and adapt them better to the circumstances at hand.”
My eyes widened as the implications began to dawn on me.
“Then why would anyone rely on the system’s spells if casting them yourself is so much better?” I asked.
Mom chuckled.
“There are plenty of reasons for that, Kiara. Sorcery is complicated and difficult, and it cannot match the convenience of system-granted spells – particularly in the heat of battle, where your attention may be too divided for sorcery. That means that even a sorcerer can benefit from system-cast spells. Another reason would be that there are only so many ways to alter a regular fireball spell; casting spells yourself only begins earning you a significant advantage with higher-grade spells. There is also the fact that it requires an advanced and thorough education, which isn’t widely available. However, all of these can be overcome with time, effort, and resourcefulness. There is a reason why the practice of sorcery is non-existent among humans.”
She paused there, and I leaned with interest to hear this alleged reason.
“That reason is the knowledge of an Akashic language. Akashic is the natural language of the world; the language all spells are weaved through. Without knowing an Akashic language, you cannot cast a spell yourself. After all, you cannot issue a command if you cannot communicate it.”
My mind raced back to the moment I met mother in the third layer, when she had given me mastery over Draconic Akashic.
To think that the gift she gave me was so much more than it seemed…
“On the surface of the planet, only dragons and some of the gods know an Akashic language, and the dragons’ knowledge of it is much more advanced than that of the gods. The reason that these gods do not spread the knowledge of the language is because of the treaty signed at the end of the celestial war, which stipulated that they do not teach or research it.”
A moment of silence passed as I tried to comprehend what she said. The way she phrased her last comment was oddly specific.
“On the surface of the planet, we and some of the gods are the only ones with knowledge of Akashic, and thus, any ability to use sorcery. That is as opposed to below the surface, where that is not the case…?”
For a few moments, mom closed her eyes and held a solemn expression. Then she answered me.
“Yes, you would be right to assume so. Sapient races do not begin and end with surface dwelling humans, their gods, and the dragons. This is just one of the many reasons that you should not descend beyond the third layer of the Abyss. In any case, we’ve gone on enough of a tangent. We’ll have lectures on magic theory and world history later.”
She said, clapping her hands and forcefully ending the topic. For obvious reasons, I didn’t feel the need to argue against it.
“Since you intend on unlocking that evolution of yours, you can’t advance your class until you evolve, given the limit on the number of advancements it has. Still, it might be worth it to take a look at your options now and see what is available to you.”
“I don’t mind, but I still have one last question about the locked evolution. You said that the rarity beyond mythic only existed in rumors and speculation, but what did they call it?”
At that, mom smiled at me.
“Being rumors and speculation, they are prone to contradicting each other and aren’t a reliable source for information. Still, to answer your question, they often refer to it as the ‘Supreme’ rarity.”