Progress stagnated sooner than Malwine had expected. It was hard to worry about a potential bottleneck upon her Skills reaching level 29 when they all refused to make it past 25.
Your [The Plurilingual Psyche] Skill has improved! 24 → 25
Lessons with Bernadette were still enlightening, and Malwine was growing closer to confidence in her ability to read anything she could get her hands on, so long as she could do so privately—the memories of misunderstandings were still far too fresh in her mind for her to dismiss them. It would take longer than this for her rashness to properly recover.
Your [Meditation] Skill has improved! 22 → 25
Your [Write Anywhere] Skill has improved! 22 → 25
Within her visualization, Malwine had created, used, and shattered far too many blank panels to keep track of. The widow avatar served its purpose well—perhaps too well. It might have been a matter of perspective, but she could have sworn those last few levels came far more smoothly than previous ones had come in the real world.
Maybe being focused on the task had time flowing faster for her, maybe not.
Yet now she craved additional growth, horribly so. All those months of allowing herself to take things slow compounded, bearing down on her fear that she might be wasting time. It was a concern she could suppress easily enough, but its persistent returns were undeniable. Beyond pushing such thoughts away, there was not much Malwine could do. All she could do still was wait.
The focus of her [Meditation] sessions returned to cultivation, and it soon became clear that her conclusion about Affinities hadn’t been quite right. She could touch upon that {Foresight} energy, sure, triggering soft sparks on contact within her core, but actually sending them through those [Toll]-accruing channels simply didn’t work.
Any attempt at using it in place of {Legacy} fell flat.
So Malwine let it go. So what if it was limited to vaguely floating in her core? Pfft! I never wanted that useless {Foresight} anyway!
Her efforts moved to the bottleneck—as she had surpassed Level 50, the idea of breaking through on that felt more and more plausible. With her effective [Toll], she also found it considerably easier to sustain her efforts, compared to when she’d initially reached that last stage on Early Esse.
[Integrity]
951 / 972
[Toll]
33 / 2343
Strength
2313 (-99%)
Speed
2338 (-99%)
Endurance
2313 (-99%)
Dexterity
2313 (-99%)
Stamina
2313 (-99%)
Resilience
2313 (-99%)
Perception
2313 (-99%)
Charisma
2313 (-99%)
Adaptability
2313 (-99%)
Luck
2313 (-99%)
Circulation
2313 (-99%)
Presence
2313 (-99%)
…
[Integrity]
951 / 972
[Toll]
33 / 53
Strength
23
Speed
23
Endurance
23
Dexterity
23
Stamina
23
Resilience
23
Perception
23
Charisma
23
Adaptability
23
Luck
23
Circulation
23
Presence
23
All it would take was a single step.
If only she could figure out how to take it.
----------------------------------------
Another thing Malwine couldn’t shake was a growing feeling of imbalance. She had wondered if it could just be her tendency to imagine problems to be concerned by, but no, there was definitely something off.
Her inability to pinpoint the source of the eerie sensation quickly soared through her list of top annoyances—which she refused to make a panel for, no matter how tempted to she was—and settled somewhere between the curse and still not being at the next stage.
Some days, she felt as though she was making some progress on her cultivation, only for it to splash down as if the mana were pouring from her grasp.
Within that beach that wasn’t, the widow stood with both arms outstretched. Regardless of whether the usage of this imagery was unfortunate by this world’s seeming standards, it was far too late for Malwine to change it. It worked, and trying to fix something that wasn’t broken was the sort of thing she recalled her past life stated would be a terrible idea.
Citrine light coalesced as the widow’s hands rotated slowly, until her palms faced up and glowing spheres of {Legacy} hovered above each. She didn’t know why touching one to the other would work, nor what it would achieve, but the act just felt right. Two globs of mana pressed against one another, almost repelling each other, but the widow’s arms were strong.
Maybe stronger than they had ever been in reality.
The effort felt gargantuan, sweat beading across Malwine’s real brow, but at last, they began to merge. She felt the very Mana Source shaking, shuddering under the pressure. She was ready to take this step.
Her core—housed within a form that wouldn’t even have been 3 years old by her old world’s standards—wasn’t.
The spheres sped in opposite directions, one crumbing against the sand while the other rose to unseen heights within her visualized sky, and Malwine awoke, panting.
Your Acclimation to {Legacy} has grown! 2 → 6
Your Control of {Legacy} has improved! 5 → 8
Dammit. That was SO close.
Far from her first failure at pushing herself to the next rank, but certainly the most disheartening. It felt like climbing up a dozen flights of stairs only to slip right before setting foot on the next floor.
Malwine had taken to meditating in a sitting position when alone, but she could barely keep herself up now. Her [Integrity] was near full, yet she was exhausted. Having her bed double as meditation stool paid off, as she could just slink under her blankets for a well-earned nap.
“Malmal!”
Her eyes narrowed as soon as they were open. No more than seconds could have passed since she’d reached the point where she just knew she would have fallen asleep, and here she was, extricating herself from the blankets. What does she want?
Adelheid stood next to her bed with a grin, and Malwine's anger all but melted away. She could never bring herself to remain mad at her little aunt. “Hm?”
“Got somethings!” her aunt swung from side to side, still grinning, before reaching for Malwine with an exaggerated bow. What looked like somebody’s first attempt at molding clay materialized in her hand, undoubtedly summoned from inventory.
Gingerly, Malwine accepted the thing. Her eyebrow was up before she even identified what it was.
Unknown Harvestable
Claimed by Kristian Rīsan
This disk represents an item attained during The Harvest. Accrue [Toll] to reveal its corresponding item. Results may be influenced by a variety of factors.
Now both of her eyebrows were up.
Then Adelheid had the audacity to summon several others, placing them on the floor between them before sitting down. “Share?”
“Definitely!” Malwine couldn’t help her own grin as she joined Adelheid. “Yes!”
There were seven of those ‘harvestables’ in total, and she left four of them to Adelheid. It was only fair, seeing as the girl was the one to have clearly stolen these from Malwine’s grandfather. Just imagining that had Malwine struggling not to laugh.
“Can’t use.”
Entranced as she’d been by the object in her hand, Malwine had to look up to face Adelheid, who was frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Can’t use,” Adelheid repeated, handing the item to Malwine. It was a small, translucent gem.
Aspect Reroll Token
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Adelheid Rīsanin
This disk will force the rerolling of a single developed Aspect. Only Skills whose Aspect has been previously rolled less than 5 times may be affected by this. Only successful rolls count for this limit.
Use within 1:59h...to be able to choose which Aspect is rerolled upon token consumption, later usage will affect a random Aspect.
Malwine froze. Holy shit. And it’s only Uncommon? How?
What could make something like this not be considered a higher rarity? Was it the limited timeframe for usage? Perhaps that was it. A randomized reroll sounded risky enough to not be considered particularly powerful, Malwine figured.
She wanted to have it, and she wanted to use it. Immediately. Oh, the time limit was absolutely getting to her, and while she might have once considered herself not the type to get scammed by limited-time offers, the timers in this world had always been genuine so far.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
For what would she use it? No idea. But use it, she would.
Malwine held out one of the items they’d set to her side. “Trade?”
Adelheid tipped her head as if examining Malwine and the token, then nodded, taking the unused harvestable. “Trade.”
Maybe if I get one that’s of no use of me, I could give it to her, Malwine reasoned. She almost felt bad for taking something this seemingly powerful from Adelheid, but the girl couldn’t use it. Now I wonder, why could she 'reveal' this if she can’t get Skills?
Malwine figured a couple seconds or minutes wouldn’t be that much of a loss. Two hours was already low enough that whatever decision she made, would be rushed regardless. “Do you have Skills?”
Adelheid was focusing on the harvestable in her hand. After a few seconds, she shook her head. “Want Skills. Never get Skills.”
She almost sounded angry, despite the lightness of her voice making anything and everything she said seem gentle. Malwine figured she shouldn’t push. Where did the system draw the line when it decided whether children were mature enough to attain Skills? She supposed she’d find out sometime, if she remained close to Adelheid.
Now, to choose an Aspect to yoink…yeet…? Where’s Yoyo when you need him?
Oh, it had been far too long since she’d allowed her thoughts to wander to her old grandson, and she did everything in her power to shift gears as fast as possible. Pondering his hypothetical fate after her death would only lead to heartache—she knew all too well that, for all she knew, it might have been literal eons since her first life.
To her, he was—and always would be—the thirty-something grandson she’d reconnected with and loved more than anyone else in that life. A grandson who was—and always would be—out there, doing whatever.
Malwine strengthened her control over her train of thoughts to an almost uncanny degree, the sort of focus she could only manage when she absolutely wanted to avoid the alternative. She thought of her Skills—of their Aspects.
Skills
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x4)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x5)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot
Locked
UNUSED
The Plurilingual Psyche
25
Understanding
UNUSED
Home Sweet Home
50
Homeward Roads
Identify
Cool Head on Your Shoulders
50
Expressed Reversal
UNUSED
Unpacifiable
50
Implacable
UNUSED
Learning By Reading
50
Remote Reading
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x4)
Locked
Locked
Unused Skill Slot (x4)
Locked
UNUSED
Meditation
25
Undeveloped Aspect
Blank Panel
Write Anywhere
25
Undeveloped Aspect
UNUSED
Once and Forever
50
Mana Reclaimer
UNUSED
Situational Autopilot
50
True Autopilot
Locked
Nosy Old Lady
50
Purpose
UNUSED
Close to my Chest
50
Reveal Nothing
She shuddered at the sight of her Skills panel, that feeling of imbalance intensifying. Do I need to get another
Skill? Or is it…is it the last unredeemed Skill?That entire side of the panel felt…light.
Aspects first, worry about that later.
[Homeward Roads] was an Aspect that felt weak compared to its Skill, yet [Home Sweet Home]'s warning on wards made her suspect it existed for a reason. Malwine fully intended to go exploring as soon as she was able to, within reason, and while she'd have loved to use—and even just test—that teleportation home, the Aspect was a safety net.
[Implacable] and [Understanding] were both too valuable in their own way, especially the former—thanks to it, [Integrity] alone could sustain her if it came to that. Being able to increase her
[Remote Reading] was basically a core part of her usage of [Learning by Reading], and she expected that wouldn’t change anytime soon. [Mana Reclaimer] fit right in with her preferences, and her inability to make use of it yet didn't change how it would no doubt be useful down the line. She wanted—needed—more Affinities, and the Aspect gave her a tool for that.
[Reveal Nothing] was just…necessary. Even before she had Adelheid for comparison, she'd felt privacy was a must, and her certainty on that had only grown with time. She knew now, there was no scenario in which a Level 51 toddler wouldn’t raise suspicions.
That left [Expressed Reversal] and [True Autopilot] as the only options. The latter had something in common with [Homeward Roads] and [Remote Reading]—its utter reliance on the Skill in order to matter at all. And while Malwine had been refraining from using its corresponding Skill given the tension it seemed to cause on others, that automatic upkeep fit it well enough. She was fairly sure she could figure out how to at least use [Meditation] in tandem with it eventually, once she understood enough to let it handle unwanted situations for her. It all had too much potential still.
[Expressed Reversal] stuck out like a sore thumb. Its advantage over what she believed regular [Identify] were...a thing. But Malwine wasn't actually getting much use out of it. People rarely had visible buffs—she'd tested that on more than enough of the random staffers who wandered into the room. It really didn’t help that [Remote Reading] had convinced her the cost was too high, just to see hypothetical Status Effects.
Even if she realistically wouldn't ever need to burn all her [Integrity] to use it—especially with [Identify] bypassing the success rate's intended cap—she frankly wasn't getting that much use out of it. The only thing she'd learned from the Aspect was that Status Effects could be hidden—as had been the case with Anselm's on her first and subsequent attempts—and that her aunt Thekla somehow kept getting transcendent rarity injuries on random body parts almost every time Malwine saw her.
Like [True Autopilot], it had potential, but [True Autopilot] was too risky to replace. [Situational Autopilot] had barely any relevance as it was. If she could have rerolled that entire Skill, that would have been her choice instead. Her only concern about using the reroll on [Expressed Reversal] was that it may be too entrenched, with its link to [Identify]. Will the Trait be affected to?
[Identify] was valuable by itself—this would be risky.
Yet Malwine simply couldn’t bring herself to choose any other Aspect to reroll. Perhaps it was the right choice to take this risk, perhaps it was not—she suspected she may never know for certain, and time felt too limited.
She couldn’t justify any other choice, and she couldn’t waste this opportunity, perhaps for better or worse.
Malwine tightened her grip on the token, only for it to dissolve. Her vision blurred as if the world itself were spinning.
You have consumed Aspect Reroll Token
[Cool Head on Your Shoulders] has lost its [Expressed Reversal] Aspect
[Cool Head on Your Shoulders] has rolled the [Communion] Aspect
(❗) Error: Trait and Aspect interdependence detected. Unexpected changes may occur.
[Cool Head on Your Shoulders]
You are “blessed” with a peculiar mind, capable of isolating itself from distractions—though only of the emotional kind. Push past inner turmoil to focus on the things that truly matter, though empathy may take a hit regardless of whether this Skill is active. Not that you’ll notice the difference. Applies to Status Effects that affect your emotional state.
Trait: [Identify]. You may see the name (if known), kind, and level of anyone under your total level, or over your level up to a margin equaling your current Skill-based level, so long as said details aren't masked. Depending on the Perception and Presence attributes of both yourself and your target, the usage of [Identify] may be detected.
Aspect: [Communion]. You may share visible Status Effects you have dominion over with others. You may attain visible Status Effects from others who are willing, or from those who you can mentally overwhelm. The eligibility of specific Status Effects is determined individually.
A sort of lazy satisfaction filled her being and Malwine smiled. She no longer had an undetectable alternative route for [Identify], but the gamble had more than paid off.
Then it hit her.
Oh, no. Can I share the curse with people? How would that even work? Or would I need to have ‘dominion’ over it?
She almost wished Kristian were around. If there was any acceptable target to test this on, it would be her grandfather. At the very least, I could steal that boon of his. It sure sounds OP.
Adelheid’s giggles broke her out of her ruminations.
The girl was holding out an obsidian bracelet, showing it off to Malwine. “Pretty.”
“Pretty,” Malwine agreed, still seeing but not quite processing how these disks could spawn literal items, not just ‘tokens’.
Cloaking Bangle
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Adelheid Rīsanin
Boosts all modifiers to Stealth* by 1% of the differentiated attribute's current value. If no modifiers are present, no bonus is granted.
Requires access to the {Missing} Affinity
That would probably scale well in the long term. Whether or not it was usable to her aunt didn’t seem to matter to said girl, who seemed to only care for how it looked as she slipped it on. Her other items appeared to be a blanket and three identical objects, each the size of a coin.
Malwine was torn between trying to ‘reveal’ her own two harvestables, or checking out those other items Adelheid got. Guess I can do both.
Skill Creation Token
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Adelheid Rīsanin
Enhances the base chance of developing a Skill ahead of the expected schedule.
Cannot be used to create Skills in categories without available slots, and will be consumed regardless of an attempt's success.
Nap Blanket
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Adelheid Rīsanin
If kept close and not inventoried, provides a minuscule boost to the restoration of [Integrity] from sleep. Comfy!
Huh. Those were undeniably Adelheid-styled, weren’t they? Are the results of these ‘reveals’ related to the things we want?
Now Malwine really wanted to know what would happen if she revealed one. The disk instructed her to accrue [Toll] for it—sure enough, the moment she touched one, it happened.
[Toll] 13 → 17 [Integrity] Potion
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Malwine Rīsanin
Upon drinking this potion, current [Integrity] is reset to its maximum value.
Only one may be used in a single day.
Not as costly as I expected. A small vial formed where the harvestable had been. But wow, does only Adelheid get the cool stuff? Rude.
[Toll] 17 → 22 Trait Creation Token
Harvested by Kristian Rīsan
Revealed by Malwine Rīsanin
Allows for the generation of a single Trait for a specific Skill. The chosen Skill must already have an Aspect. Trait details will be influenced by Skill and Aspect alike.
Malwine blinked at the shimmering pearl in her hand. I take that back.
It was her turn to giggle—she might have just the thing in mind.