Life is such a finite thing, it's so easily destroyed. In her last moments she went through her whole life, replayed as flashbacks. She was taken back to her childhood, her parents, a time when she felt safe. She was reminded of the horrors of her childhood as well, she wanted some nicer things to remember in her final moments. She knew, but could only beg.

She felt an urge, a hope, that she could somehow survive and say hi to her friends one last time.

Alex never stopped kicking though, breaking ribs, and shattering hearts.

The pain that faded was replaced by a calming sensation, she felt relaxed, she let go.

Her life ended like that, her unknown name marked down on Alex's neverending list. It was a list that was soon to be discovered, Alex had grown too arrogant, and he would pay the price, in due time.

.....

> Skill level up <

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Alex only stopped kicking when her figure was unrecognizable, beaten into a bloody pulp. He of course had to finish his meal, which he did gladly. Instead this time there was a hint of mint involved, perhaps by the street floor getting intertwined with the bloody mush. The sound of wet noodles was maddeningly loud as it resonated within the damp alley.

Alex had now gone and stained his brand new gloves, he should've been more thoughtful. This was a quality item. He got mad that some lowly worm had gone and stained his new gloves, only if she were still alive could he repay her in full, how unfortunate.

Alex spat on the ground where her once bloody pile lay. He brushed off his shoulders again before setting out to go back to his hospice, preparing to get some answers.

Alex did take off his gloves before he went, in case anyone had anything to say about his bloody hands. He made sure to be careful eating her as not to get any blood on his face too.

The trip back was uneventful, but he did have to pay for a room again. He barely had any money left, just some scruples, only two silver. Only if the woman had some on her, if she did Alex ate it, how unfortunate.

Alex got the same room as last time, making sure to balance himself right on the rickety chair. When he took out the books the table almost collapsed under the weight. This pissed Alex off to no end, he was a fan of nice things.

Alex decided to open up the first book 'General Trivia of Halfbloom', he was greeted by a deep encyclopedia-styled format. He just read around, he didn't need the full history, just the cliff notes.

( INFODUMP WARNING. As much as I agree with skipping infodumping please read a little bit, it takes a lot of effort to make )

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

.....

\ Halfbloom is considered to be the only conceivable planet in our system. While some may preach of long-lost planets, none others have been proven to have any valid claim. Halfbloom is considered to be a planet with magic, as defined by Lordran himself, it is the ability to change our environment by use of altering forces. The history of Halfbloom is a long and distraught one, full of war and despair, with hatred to count. Even today, in our unified environment we do still see injustice.

Many factions have existed since the dawn of our time, each with unique powers. Humans, commonly known as 'Artificers' have the unique ability to blend and mesh science with technology, many of the greatest artifacts have been produced by this group, including the Royal ship Archon, used by his Majesty the Great. Long eared folk, more commonly known as 'Elves' tend to have a higher connection with magic, they are capable of producing more potent spells, and are able to produce more complex ones.

Lizardfolk, more commonly known as 'Reptilians' tend to have higher physical prowess than other races, they also tend to be more dextrous when it comes to many kinds of crafts. Dwarves, more commonly known as 'Mountain folk' tend to produce wonderous artifacts of their own, sometimes dwarfing the crafting abilities of humans, they also tend to have a stronger connection to the earth. Animal folk, more commonly known as 'Kindreds' tend to have a wide versatility of abilities, each unique genus of species have unique abilities that can be hard to identify; even the lizardfolk are a subcategory, but they are more prominent, thus deserving their own slot.

Religion is a prominent thing here, thanks to summoned beings. Because we can call upon mystical forces many people believe there are gods, or higher beings, that are capable of enacting this mystical prowess we see every day.

Many different cities and kingdoms exist, each kingdom has a unique background, each holds a prominent figure. Some of the strongest are ruled by summoned beings. \

.....

Interesting, thought Alex, many different things to consider. Yet he wasn't done yet, he reached for the next book 'Basics on Summoning'.

.....

\ Summonings can be performed with several rituals. None have been known to be the 'strongest' or 'most potent'. Rather it is just a byproduct of species having their own customs. Summonings, as stated in the name, is the ability to call upon mystical figures. By performing these rituals you are able to summon entities that have strong abilities. The person you will get is completely random, with some of the best, and worst people involved. It is random whether you will summon a prime evil or a prime good.

These figures make for great decisive military and political strength. They are not to be treated lightly though, they have a unique ability to grow faster and stronger than others. This phenomenon has never been successfully studied. They also tend to have knowledge that is otherwise impossible to have, or they have items that are impossible to have. They are treated as an immense opportunity for both wealth, power, and even intrigue. \

.....

This certainly explained why Alex was let off the hook when he was in the presence of the king. They literally could not bother with him with an opportunity like that out there. Alex reached for his next book 'Fundamentals of Magic'.

.....

\ Magic is an ancient art, there are many ways to practice it. Every kingdom has its own way to gather, and use mana. Summoned entities are the only exception to this rule however. They have the unique ability to use any school of thought to produce results, they are capable of learning anything. Some summoned entities have been known to fall exception to this rule as well. Although that tends to be very rare, and usually, they have something unique to take that place. Take Lordran for example, he was able to convert solar energy into anything he wanted, but lacked the ability to learn anything. \

.....

Alex stopped reading almost instantly when he read this, he already got what he needed. The book itself contained no spells, or ways to gather mana, it was simply useless.

Finally, he had one last book.

.....

\ Gods come in many shapes and forms, although, they are simply fiction. None have been proven to be real, none have had actual proof of existing. Some of the most famous gods are 'Vritus', 'Draxium', and 'Epox'. Vritus is believed to be the god of summoning and rituals, he is also believed to possess the power of the void. Draxium is believed to be the god of earth, magic, and general flourishment. Epox is believed to be the god of time, consciousness, and beginnings. \

.....

Alex felt a chill run down his spine when he read 'Vritus'. His mind jumped back to his summoning here, the words spoken by that entity repeated in his head. He had a feeling that was the person he was looking for. He had no evidence, just speculation, but his gut told him to trust it.

Alex lay back in his chair to process the information he just received, it was a lot to take in. It was almost overwhelming, this world was truly too massive to comprehend. Too many intricacies to make him believe that he could get away with anything he wanted.

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