Cassieus Hinari
Parrying a tentacle, I twisted my body in the water and kicked out with my legs, avoiding a giant toothy maw. Channeling mana into my fist, I swung, catching the shark on a fin.
Not fifteen minutes into my journey, I was attacked by this giant squid, which had attracted the attention of this shark that saw an opportunity for two free meals.
The battle had gone on for more than five minutes already and had been a great opportunity to test out my idea of what amounted to a Mana punch. It didn't have a name so I began calling it; Mana Nieve. I had managed to take out one of the eyes and got a good jab at the gills of the shark. The squid was missing the end of a tentacle for its trouble and had itself taken a good chunk out of the shark with its beak.
"Mana fist? You are not very good at naming things just because you know fancy words for them." Mel helpfully stated as I barely managed to avoid a tentacle coming in for a grab.
It's harder than it looks while fighting multiple giant sea monsters. I retorted.
"Even so. I feel like it's lazy and you should put more thought into it."
Swimming around the backside of the shark I punched at its tail before swimming around in an arc.
How about; Gauntlet of the something or rather?
"Promising. Maybe just stick with your (of the Karmic Ascendant) shtick. Could be a whole set."
I thought of that but thought maybe I should put more creativity into it. It's going to be with me for the rest of my life.
"You're overthinking it. Simple is good. And wouldn't you want your magic to reflect you and who you are?"
Are you calling me simple? I asked teasingly as I failed to miss a hit from the fin of the shark that clipped my left shoulder, sending me flying through the water.
"Yes, Cassieus. You are simple, but not in any way that is bad. I think the name actually could grow to have meaning. Your goal is to ascend and use the Karmic strings of fate to bring your loved ones back. It's kind of poetic." After a long pause, letting me get a few more strikes in, she continued. "Also, who are you trying to impress with creativity? It's just me in here. Stop worrying about naming things and focus on trying the new technique."
Fine, Nieve of the Karmic Ascendant it is but I'm gonna complain about it and you can't stop me.
She didn't reply but I could tell she was pleased.
She had the idea that even though I couldn't store spell forms in my Core, that didn't stop my mana from having the ability to still be controlled once it left my body. So instead of trying to form it into the shape of whatever spell I was trying to cast, I could push it out of my nodes while still holding onto it. This resulted in a one-inch claw at the end of my right index finger. It was good at slashing and did more damage than my dagger, but less than one of my Mana-infused punches.
Deciding to keep the motif going, it was now deemed the Unguis of the Karmic Ascendant, really starting to round out my collection.
Bring my attention back to the fight, I saw the mists of red hanging around us in the water. I needed to get out of there before the blood summoned even more monsters. Swimming forward I dove underneath a swing from the squid, getting closer to its main body. The shark came around once more aiming for the squid this time.
Just as I got within range and activated my Mana Sphere, my mana surged out of my body in an immense eruption. With my new Perception Stat, it displaced water in a two-hundred-foot bubble. Reducing the remaining health pool of the shark and doing massive damage to the squid. The water came crashing back in moments after I released the Sphere, swirling us around as it took both of us a moment to collect our bearings. I was slightly faster as a few more well-placed thrusts my Mana-clad fists, finished off the sea monster.
Six more encounters with sea beats until I finally dragged myself onto a ladder on a pier, outside of a sprawling port city.
"It looks like I used up all my luck on the first leg of the journey. "
"It does seem that way doesn't it?" Ospih laughed as he helped up to the dock. "Let's get you some dry clothes and some food. There is a small inn for sailors we will stay at before entering the city in the morning."
I nodded as we began walking away from the busy pier. We weaved between laborers loading and unloading the various ships in port. The area I had decided to land had been a small traders' dock with smaller regional ships parked in their designated slips.
Picking up some meat skewers for a few copper pieces at the first food stall we came across, as we made our way down a congested boulevard.
When Osiph had said small, I was picturing a one-room tavern with a few rooms upstairs. What we walked into could only be called a hotel. It was a ten-story, ornate stone structure that towered over every building in the outskirts district.
The massive building could easily fit over a hundred rooms, and when we walked in we were greeted by a lovely young receptionist who took Osiph's details before handing us our cards and wished us a good day.
Making it to the third floor via a short-range teleport pad, we entered our small room and I slumped into one of the two chairs. I looked around and saw that there was only one bed.
"I will not be staying here and it is only for two hours for you to rest, it should suffice," Osiph said, apparently reading my thoughts exactly.
"Alright, what is it you would like me to do in the meantime?
"Just rest, this is a list of items and gear we need to get you started. There are a few items that are a requirement. Such as some type of illusion enchantment to augment your level, to appear closer to your current strength. Since you made it here I feel like this is as good a time as any to tell you why we are here."
Osiph took out two sheets of paper and handed them to me, both looked like my supply list for school. The first had a list of gear suggestions, with only the illusion item with "Required" notated to the right of it. The other list was more traditional school supplies exactly like the ones I already had in my ring. The difference became apparent further down the list as I saw the description for a lap-cauldron and a resistance pad to help transfer Mana into runes for Enchantment, both for the Novice tier.
"The reason we came to this kingdom is that they have the best Mage academy for the earlier tiers on this world. Primrose Academy will offset many of the resources required to keep you on track for our ultimate schedule. Enrollment is in three months so you have until then to thoroughly enjoy my training program. As part of my act of service to the good of the people on this planet, one of my rewards was a lordship anywhere in the world with an estate, land, and many other benefits. One of which is tuition to this school to any of my descendants or disciples, and you will take advantage of this opportunity, assuming you pass the entrance exam, which I have a plan to make that a non-issue. The requirement to enter is at least Novice tier. With your growth, I don't see that being an issue either. Killing creatures above your level grants bonus experience, but it should slow down once you hit Level 250 and the experience you gain, even from tougher foes, slowly diminishes. So we will take advantage of this period of growth and grind your levels as quickly and far as they will go in the time we have. This academy will be essential as it will help build your foundational skill set to prepare for the path ahead of you. Mostly tedious information, but with a Librarian you should be soaking up as much as you can early on. The knowledge she holds will help shape her evolution to the following tier."
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"Training program?" I asked, also making a mental note to stop at a bookstore while I was out shopping.
"Why would I ruin a perfectly good surprise?" He grinned at me. "Besides knowing won't help. When buying gear today, just look for anything that shores up your weaknesses. Boosting yourself with stats is all and good, but the more prepared you are for any given situation, the better your odds of survival."
"Are you paying? Because I've got some money but not enough for Armor, let alone items."
"You will have a one-time allowance of one thousand gold pieces in this world's currency, which you will pay back an equivalent plus interest once you Ascend. I'm not an altruist after all."
Osiph pulled a palm-sized ornate, black, and gold card and a small bag of gold coins out of his dimensional storage, then handed the coins to me.
"This is one hundred gold coins, I suggest you separate them and get smaller denominations from a store or bank. I'm sure I don't need to stress that pulling out large sums of coin is unwise."
I nodded, as I gawked at the bag, not being able to help it. That was more money than I had ever seen in one place. We had not been poor, as the guard to a noble merchant house, our schooling and training were always taken care of. However, for those who didn't qualify for the Guard Scholarship, the tuition for an entire year at Denaris Academy, which was considered a top three school in the region, was 50 gold.
"This," he placed the card into my open hand. "Is the rest, and can be redeemed at any local bank branch. This is what you have until you have the skills necessary to begin generating your own income. I suggest spending no less than five gold on quality materials and ten on equipment. I have requested a guide to take you to the more recognized shops in the area once we are in the city proper. I will collect you when I have finished my business, to make our way towards the closest gate. Shower, rest, and try not to raise any attention to yourself before I return."
"Easy enough," I said, keeping my cool about the fortune I had just stored in my ring. "I didn't plan on going out, maybe just downstairs for some food after I get some rest. The restaurant across the street seemed like it was decently popular."
"Excellent, I will meet you here in the room in two hours." With that, he stood and exited the room.
"That was a lot," I said to the empty room.
"No kidding." Mel agreed, popping into the chair Osiph had occupied. "I didn't know that what books you read affected my evolution, we need to do some spring cleaning in here and find some more useful books, most of the earlier ones are just children's books. Wasting valuable mental space."
"Hey those books are-"
"Sentimental, I know but you have access to your mother reading you those stories in the Hall, do you really need both if they can be replaced with alchemical textbooks to build a more solid foundation for the lab upgrade."
"Is that how it works?"
"I don't know but I would assume so. The old man said it would shape my evolution, so I am just interpreting based on the most linear path to a logical conclusion."
"I can take care of that when I enter meditation. For now, I want to check my stats and the stuff I got from the fights earlier. Then, after my trip to the Library, I can shower and hopefully eat before we go into the city."
She seemed to agree as I opened up the notifications that I had minimized during my slog back.
Ding!
Experience earned!
You have increased your level!
Current Level: 26
Stat Points allocated
+126 Free Points
Name: Cassieus Hinari
Level: 26
Affinity: Karmic
Class: N/A
Armor Rating: 13,360
Health: 13,430/13,430
Health Regen: 13.27/sec (1% Vitality -0.16/sec Soul Damage)
Mana: 38,210/38,210
Mana Regen: 382.1/sec
Stamina: 13,390/13,390
Stamina Regen: 133.9/sec
Stats
Strength: 1,329
Vitality: 1,343
Endurance: 1,339
Toughness: 1,333
Agility: 1,345
Dexterity: 1,340
Perception: 1,337
Wisdom: 1,341
Intelligence: 3,821
Willpower: 1,337
Luck: 4,672
Free points: 150
Feeling good about my new Stats, I switched over to the loot from all of my fights.
Greater Beast Core
(Beginner)
Affinity: Water
Quantity: 6
Alchemy Ingredient
Lesser Beast Core
(Beginner)
Affinity: Water
Quantity: 42
Alchemy Ingredient
Greater Shark Tooth
(Beginner)
Affinity: Water
Quantity: 8
Crafting Material
Greater Giant Squid Eye
(Beginner)
Affinity: Water
Quantity: 1
Alchemy Ingredient
Only the squid and shark had dropped anything of value, and the other creatures I had encountered only dropped Cores. I would hold onto them for a while. They weren't worth much to sell but I was going to need some Cores for Alchemy anyway, so it would be just one less expense down the road. Not that I had any money issues currently, but rich people didn't stay rich by spending their money frivolously.
Setting that aside for now, I took a position on the floor and entered meditation, arriving at the desk in my room rather than at the usual table. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a pair of pinstripe, light blue sleeping clothes. Putting them on I walked into the main room, finding Mel waiting for me near one of the floating books.
"I have composed a list of unnecessary books to purge. You may review the list and keep up to five. Again, I will reiterate you can relive these books through memory with only slightly less integrity. These pedestals are for studying and understanding the knowledge held inside a tome. As much as I would love to further understand the complexity of something like "The Fox on the Farm" the energy could be better focused on Mana Theory or Pathway refinement. The ones you have are great but are only for someone in the Beginner tier before your body evolves and your mana becomes denser needing to be refined further. If we can build up that knowledge now, it will give us a considerable head start."
"I agree. While having these are nice, they aren't practical and I don't want to do anything to hinder your growth either." Giving the list a cursory glance, I waved it out of my vision. "All are fine. We will be stopping by a bookstore or a library later, how do I add more books to this place?"
"You will be presented with a prompt when you touch a book to add to your collection. No, you can't just steal all the books you want, you will still have to pay, as most bookshops ward their products against any information-gathering spells other than Identify. Though that should work in a regular library."
"Alright better get a move on then time's ticking."
I walked back to my room and crawled into the softest bed I could imagine, because it was, and drifted off to sleep. Ready for the real adventure to begin; getting new stuff!