I stared at the ceiling for a few moments waiting or maybe hoping for something to happen after consuming the last core. After finishing the Systems off with Rank 1, I was able to choose an evolution. I was kind of hoping I would be able to do the same thing again. It was possible it would happen much later. I would have to ask Hiroaki if he knew anything about how the Classless leveled up or if he had any books on us.
I looked through my Systems tab. Everything was Rank 2, while Nervous was Rank 3. With such a large amount of Energy left, and with my Mana the primary way of attacking, I selected Nervous and increased it to Rank 4, costing me four hundred Energy.
Sensory was next on the list, and I almost leveled to Rank 3, being just shy, missing five Energy.
[ Sensory System: 295/300 ]
I almost wanted to leave my warm bed and go out and hunt something to get the last five Energy. A large yawn made me decide against it, so I turned over and closed my eyes.
The following day we headed over to The Guild and trained with Hiroaki. He trained with me in the sword again, away from the others. It was brutal, the Sugar Glider Beastkin repeating his mantra that pain was the best motivator for learning not to do something wrong repeatedly. He said I could handle it with the speed at which I healed. After the training, I was still relieved to have Vylria cast her healing spell on me. I also failed to gain an insight into the Classless. The man had never seen anything in reading about us either.
Draf said Kadler would be waiting for me at the Tallow and Flame around the fifth bell when I went up to check the class schedule for the week. I found out most classes were slotted in and around the nobles in the area, according to Draf. If one wanted to learn something, they would make it happen at the noble’s schedule.
That reason was why some of the same classes repeated themselves throughout the week. Dungeon Economics and Monster Habits seemed to be the two most popular, followed by practical classes such as butchering. I didn’t want to go into a Combat Dungeon anytime soon, so I decided to gloss over all the Dungeon-related classes.
In reality, none of the classes interested me. “Hey Draf, is there a library in Mythtide?”
“There is. Membership to get in will cost you.”
“That’s fine.”
“Let me see your magic map. I’ll show you where to go.”
An hour later, Luin and I were on the north side of town and in front of a massive building. It could have been a cathedral to one of the gods I’ve heard about. The building was very ornate, built with a shiny, almost like obsidian, black stone.
Entering the front foyer, an older man behind a desk greeted me. The room was square, only the entrance leading out and a smaller door behind the older man. He was looking towards me, then looked down at Luin with a hint of disgust.
“I don’t recognize you, young man. Are you currently a member of the Arcana Society?”
“I am not. I’m looking to join though. The Guild told me about the library here.”
“I see. Basic Membership is fifty gold. I can give a slight discount if you have proof of membership with the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Fifty?” I said and pulled out the bracelet the merchant captain had given me and the one Horrow gave me for clearing out the hive. Then counting the others from the quests. “How much is the discount? I currently have a bit over thirty.”
“Forty-five. Return when you have enough. Go do quests or something,” the older man said before returning to the book he was reading.
I was kind of taken back. Maybe I could have bought a day pass or something. The man never looked back up at us. Slightly dejected, we left the library. Hearing the four bell toll in the distance, Kadler’s meeting flashed into my mind, and I silently cursed. I had forgotten about him in a rush to get to the library.
Our stroll through the city of Mythtide was relaxing. I thought Luin’s head would come off as much as she spun it around to take in as many sights as she could. We got to the Tallow and Flame before the fifth bell and grabbed the same seat as before. The barmaid took our order, while we waited.
Kadler entered the inn just as the bells rang five bells in the distance. He was wearing a bright yellow suit that would have made a banana blush. The man sat down at our table and waved to the barmaid.
“Most excellent. I’m glad you were able to make it, Zeal. Where did we leave off last time? Ah right, advanced spatial storage.” he recalled.
We got our food and drinks, and Kadler began to explain the rules used to create spatial storage. Unlike portals, storage only used a few runes. The most basic storage only used three. The first rune was the same in just about every instance of creating the one-way portal into the void and only needed fifty Mana on creation. The second rune dictated the space carved out of the void to be used.
Kadler drew me the five runes he knew in order. He labeled them one to five and pointed at the first. This rune dictates a space a touch under a half meter cubed and required two hundred Mana at the time of creation. The second rune was double the size at about a meter cubed, which provided four times the amount of space and doubled the Mana cost. Each rune went up another half a meter while adding another two hundred Mana.
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The fifth rune was two and a half meters cubed and required a staggering thousand Mana. Kadler explained that this was the largest he could create if he were in a Mana-rich environment when he crafted the bags. There were larger runes, but he had never had the chance to study them or buy copies.
The third basic rune was the type of inventory system used. He wrote down the two runes used. The first was what my magic bag that I had found on the dwarf’s body used. Each item had its own space or pocket, as Kalder explained. If I put a hundred rocks into the bag, each would take up its own space. This was the rune commonly used as it only used up a few Mana points at most on creation.
The second rune became more favorable and gave the inventory a grid system. Those same hundred rocks would then take up one spot in the grid and stack. This saved space and also gave the user a friendly window interface to see what was in the bag. They no longer had to remember what was inside or blindly reach in and remove items.
The issue with this grid rune was the cost of Mana. Every level of the size rune added on another two hundred Mana. A level five storage bag with the grid system would cost almost twenty-seven-hundred Mana on the creation of the bag with just the three basic runes.
Kadler drew another three runes. Pointing to the first, the man explained this rune was needed if the bag was needed to hold liquids and cost two-hundred Mana no matter the size. The second was a special rune for coins. It would automatically pull all coins into a unique space and give you an exact count of your money. This rune only added fifty to the Mana total.
The third rune of this group was used more for storage chests and allowed multiple portals to use the same space in the void. The rune Kadler had drawn was a simple circle inside another circle. He explained that like gateways, the circle's rune had to be unique. If someone figured out the unique rune, they could technically add a bag or chest to the same space in the void.
I was puzzled by that and asked, “do the runes always have to be the same when adding something to the same void space.
“Yes, they need to be a hundred percent the same as the first, but the Mana cost rises with each bag or chest added to what we call a Void Network. The first rune costs nothing. Then each container added to the network increases by fifty mana. By the time you’ve added the eighth container to the Void Network, the rune will cost you three hundred and fifty.”
I didn’t understand why he needed tokens. I assumed he turned them into The Guild and got paid for them, so I asked him. “Couldn’t you just sit around and make bags and sell them? Why are you in need of tokens? I assume selling bags would make a decent amount of profit.”
“They do bring in money, but I can only make the level four void bags with the grid system on a regular basis. I have a high Intelligence, giving me a large pool of Mana, but I have almost nothing in Wisdom, giving me almost nothing in Mana regeneration.
It’s better to make larger bags slower than smaller bags faster. Many Spatial or Void mages make bags, so the lower-level ones sell for almost nothing. To really make a decent amount of money, you have to create the level five void bags. I could make more money doing quests instead of making anything lower, but I’m not much of a fighter, so I make a level four grid bag once a week and sell it.
Then I teach those like yourself and other nobles who think they will be able to make those fabled spatial bags and become rich. It’ll never happen for them. Two thousand Mana is typically the plateau for most. I’m Level 43 and have a bit over twenty-one hundred Mana. If I wanted to raise that higher, I’d have to go into Dungeons to level, and that just isn’t going to happen.”
“Why can’t the others you teach go into the Dungeon and level? Couldn’t the nobles just pay for someone to protect them?”
“Accidents happen all the time in Dungeons. In order for you to gain experience on a kill, you have to be involved in the fight. Let’s say you’re an inspiring Spatial mage and attack with one of our Void spells. You’re going to do a whole lot of damage and possibly pull agro. Most mages are shredded like paper inside a Combat Dungeon. Nobles won’t take the chance.”
“I see. How can you protect your magic bag from others using it?”
“Enchanting. You need someone to inscribe the soulbound rune inside the bag or chest before you finish the creation process on the bag. That single rune could cost you a platinum.”
“How does enchanting work?”
“Crushed cores and the blood of certain monsters is what I’ve heard. Enchanting is one of those rare vocation classes. Outside that, anyone could technically pick it up if you’re willing to spend an incredible fortune to learn how. Even then, you’re not guaranteed to gain the Vocation Stigmata for it, let alone any related skills.”
“Where can I find out and learn the sixth size rune and higher?”
“Find and then pay a Spatial mage who is down on their luck and needs coin. No one will just give out those runes. That would just add more competition.”
“What rank of Void magic is the fifth size rune? Is there no way to create a new one with intent or a Void construct?”
“The fifth is still a Class Bone spell. And no, you can’t. The runes are some predetermined part of the magic and must be correct in order for them to work.”
“Where did people learn the runes?”
“Passed down from generation to generation. Legends say the metal men that lived in the sky handed them down. Others have been learned through trial and error after being found in the countless ruins underground.”
“Ruins underground?”
“Say, where are you from, Zeal?”
“Far, far away. The land where I’m from seemed to have been sheltered from a lot of things, is all I can really say.”
“I see. All kinds, I guess. There are thousands, maybe millions of ruins all over the planet. It’s almost like the world had cities and villages eons ago, and then a layer of earth was just poured right over the old world, covering it. Most runes have been found in these buried places in old books or walls that had been preserved.”
“Fascinating! Where are those who explore these ruins?”
“See yourself digging into the past, do ya? The Explorer’s Guild is where you’d want to head. They frequently set up expeditions to find and dig up new finds. Unfortunately for you, the closest location is in the Akhusite Kingdom, and you look like a half-breed. They may not like you in their capital city.”
The six bell’s toll outside interrupted my thoughts.
“Alright, Zeal. That’s as much as I can teach you on Void magic and Spatial storage. I wouldn’t mind another sit-down, but there isn’t much else I could teach. I’d like that token, please.”
I thanked Kadler and gave him two of the tokens. He seemed surprised by my generosity and thanked me with a hug and a hard slap on the back. Then the banana-colored man left the inn whistling some strange tune.
“Papa, can Luin have more tasties?” the Kobold asked, holding her empty bowl.
“Sure,” I said as I flagged down the barmaid for more wine and meat for Luin.