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NAME: Li Mei
RANK: 2 (9%)
HEALTH: 90%
AGE: 14
SPECIES: Human (Seed)
JOB: Disciple
CORE: 100%
C.GRADE: A+
C. QUALITY: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
MANA: 1000/1000
M. QUALITY: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
EXP: 3619
STR: 10
CON: 10
DEX: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 10
GIFT: [Barrier Lv.3]
TITLES: [Disciple] [Experiment 44] [Illegitimate Child] [Sky Serpent Apprentice] [Yueluo Clan (Unrecognized)]
TECHNIQUES: [Barrier Manipulation] [Celestial Crane of the Northern Winds (Apprentice)] [Hecatoncheires (Apprentice)]
TRAITS: [Acrobat] [Enslavement Bind] [Mana Sight] [Poison Resistance]
SKILLS: [Archive] [Concealment] [Fera Riding (Natural) Lv.5] [Parkour Lv.1] [Scan Lv.5] [Sense Lv.5] [Storage Lv.2] [Throw Lv.5] [Traps Lv.3]
SPELLS: [Barrier (Basic) Lv.5] [Contract] [Dismantle Lv.2] [Synthesize Lv.2]
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[ Seed ]
???
(You don't have enough information to view details about this subject.)
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"That is extremely less than helpful," Li Mei muttered to herself as she sat in the study, snacking on a plate of dried fruit for a very early pre-breakfast. Frost still clung to the porcelain edges of her plate, lingering evidence of an extended circulation session. "Even the pitiful description for that new title has more information!"
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[Yueluo Clan (Unrecognized)]
Your status within the Yueluo Clan is nothing due to lack of knowledge about your existence, but you're a member of their most prestigious bloodline whether they know it or not.
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Confirmation from the Interface meant Li Mei knew Faust was telling the truth about the Yueluo Clan. Other details were still questionable, like how he knew 44's mother, but that wasn't as important. Of greater concern was the fact [Illegitimate Child] wasn't folded under the [Yueluo Clan (Unrecognized)] title.
Was 44 being an illegitimate child unrelated to her being of the Yueluo Clan?
'What kind of messed up familial history did I get wrapped up in...' Li Mei sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 'A second chance at life wouldn't let me leave this kind of garbage behind, would it? Of course not, that'd be far too convenient and generous.'
She closed her stat screen and opened the EXP shop instead.
The shop was fairly empty to start, but had the potential to fill up fast now that she was in a city. Arrays she saw were automatically added to the Archive as patterns, but the knowledge of how to activate them had to be purchased from the EXP shop. There were also categories for copied Circuits, circulation techniques, and skills, with the prerequisite being she'd seen them used while Mana Sight was active.
Prices depended on her knowledge of magic and mana manipulation, and the complexity of the magic involved.
Unfortunately, she hadn't seen anyone using any spells she could copy since the EXP shop opened up and her Mana Sight activated. Faust was especially stingy about using magic in front of her, as though he had a creepy sixth sense that existed only to deny Li Mei knowledge.
Most of the choices she had available, aside from copied arrays, were modules to enhance her Interface. She scrolled through them, glancing at their brief descriptions.
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Helper - 10000 EXP. Adds the Help function to the Interface. Request advice from Lina, who can help point you in the right direction, give reminders, or just be a shoulder to complain on. *
Helper Module: Friendly Face - 500 EXP. Requires purchase of 'Helper'. Adds the ability for Lina to create a visible form using your mana, influenced in design by your whims and preferences. Said form can only be seen by people who can see mana, and can only be heard by you through your connection to the Interface. Appearance must be cute things only!
Helper Module: Personal Assistant - 2000 EXP. Requires purchase of 'Helper'. Lina will display tooltips with information relevant to your current situation, be it combat or conversations. Useful for reminders involving social connections, scheduling, employee orders and more!
Quest System Level 2 - 6660 EXP. Allows for earning more EXP, receiving more varied and personalized Quests.
Scan Module: Detection - 5000 EXP. Scan becomes an automatic passive, only displaying notifications for information when willed, or when something worthy of notice is detected. Data is automatically saved to the Archive for anything you lay eyes on. **
Scan Module: Empathetic Gaze - 1500 EXP. Adds the ability to detect and display the emotions of Scanned creatures up to 1 Rank above you. The origin or underlying meaning of those emotions are not included. Can be used to determine truth from fiction.
Scan Module: Piercing Stare - 3000 EXP. Adds the ability to detect and display the base stats of Scanned creatures up to 1 Rank above you. Useful for seeing through enemy bluffs, finding potential allies, or avoiding hidden dragons playing the pig to eat a tiger. **
Scan Module: Threat - 500 EXP. Detect the level of danger a target would present as your opponent, in a concrete percentage display scaling from 0 - 100, without requiring a display of hostility first. ***
Storage Level 3 - 15000 EXP. Increases storage capacity from 5 cubic meters to 15.
*Lina cannot give information beyond the capabilities of Scan.
**Purchasing both Detection and Piercing Stare unlocks the ability to see weak points on enemies, without having to read through their Archive entry or otherwise gather information about them.
***Combined with Piercing Stare, Threat can also determine the damage range a creature's expected attacks will do to your Barriers based on your Barrier's displayed durability.
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Finally, her eyes rested on the one purchase she truly longed to make.
Quest System Level 2 for 6660 EXP. Scanning the word 'Quest' let her see how much all the upgrades cost, and the string of numbers made her head spin.
The Quest System was initially unlocked for 15 EXP. The Level 2 upgrade was 6660, 444 times the original cost. Li Mei squinted at her minimap, wishing the personality of her Interface had a face for her to glare at. Incentive to purchase the Helper upgrade and module... 'Very funny, Lina.'
For the Level 3 upgrade...
444 times the Level 2 cost. 2,957,040 EXP.
Li Mei clutched at her belly and let out a pained wheeze. A thousand stampeding horses raced through her heart. 'What's with this scaling? How is this fair?! No one said it would be fair, and I already have so many cheats at my disposal, but still... I just want the item upgrade! I want tangible item rewards from Quests! I'm so curious! What can it give me?!'
Though the cost for the Level 4 and 5 upgrades dropped down to 44 times Level 3 and 4 times Level 4 respectively, they still cost obscene amounts of EXP that didn't even feel like real numbers. 'They'd need a mosaic blur to show those numbers on television. Ugh...'
Li Mei drummed her fingers, doing some quick calculations about how long it would take to purchase the Quest System upgrade at her current earning capacity, when a sudden screech ripped through the peaceful morning air.
Sharp.
Loud.
Then another.
Piercing.
Painful.
Close.
But not too close. Li Mei exhaled, forcibly relaxing the tension in her body. Lucas and Vera, who moved into servant's quarters on the bottom floor, were waiting in the hall with concerned expressions as they debated going upstairs to see if their little Miss was disturbed from her slumber. They both had a habit of rising around six in the morning, extremely early by Elysium standards, but it allowed them ample time to enjoy breakfast together and prepare for the day ahead.
Seeing Li Mei emerging from the study already awake startled them both.
She waved a hand at them and hurried upstairs, where Otto and Hana were already scrambling to get dressed in the smaller rooms flanking the master bedroom. Bao was on alert in the doorway, all lazy sleepiness gone from his demeanor, muscles tensed and ears perked in the direction of the scream.
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"Dress me. Quick! Stop blushing Otto, this is important." Li Mei snapped an order as soon as she reached the top of the stairs, where her adjutants were stumbling into the hallway with her freshly laundered clothes in their arms. She could manage somewhat with a broken arm on her own, but getting dressed quickly would require more assistance. They thought ahead even while half asleep and startled awake - Li Mei couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride.
Otto, his face a brilliant shade of red, held open her fancy coat while Hana gave him a scornful glare and assisted with the rest of the clothes. Being taller than the girls by a significant amount, he chose to display his usefulness by brushing both their hair as they all rushed downstairs, making sure to put the brush away before Hana opened the front door.
"Lucas, Vera, keep an eye on the house just in case, give a shout if you see anything unusual. It's heavily warded, my guardians will be alerted if anything tries to intrude. Don't worry," Li Mei added as she glanced over her shoulder, sensing their hesitation and concern. "Otto and Hana are mid-Rank 1, while Bao and I are early-Rank 2. If nothing else, I'm absolutely confident in our ability to return safely."
Vera still seemed worried, but Lucas put a hand on her shoulder to silence her objections before bowing at the waist. "As you wish, Young Miss."
Early morning in Brittalund meant fog. Dreary, chill, and damp. Grey mist swirled in the streets, droplets of condensation clinging to the eaves of every building, illuminated by rays from the sun hiding just below the horizon. Outside, servants and masters alike stumbled from their homes in various manners of dress, ranging from the fully-clothed early risers to people who looked like they just rolled through a hanging string of drying laundry before heading outside.
The instant Li Mei stepped past her front gate, she was assaulted by the stench of blood and brine. She looked in the direction of its source, narrowing her mauve eyes as a cyan glint flashed through their depths.
Another scream drew everyone's attention, and dozens of curious neighbors turned their heads toward the hulking figure at the entrance to a nearby alley.
A bipedal body over two meters tall, its frame bulging with muscles, mottled green scaly skin riddled with scars, a head like a shark in shape but teeth like an angler fish filling its wide mouth, several rows of frilled gills on the side of its neck and along its ribs. Its long, finned tail lashed back and forth with agitation, slamming against the brick walls on either side of the alley. Specially made chitin armor protected the softer parts of its body, spiked features and aggressive designs serving to make an already terrifying creature more fearsome.
Sharp, pointy, and as long as one of Li Mei's legs, its long teeth were bloodied with globs of ripped flesh dangling in the gaps. In each of its large, clawed hands it held the partially-devoured bodies of what used to be a young couple on a clandestine tryst, judging by what was left of their clothing. Its bulging dark eyes had faint films of white over the lenses.
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[Young Sahuagin (Afflicted)]
Male
Rank 1 (5%)
Semi-amphibious aquatic race who prefers the depths of the seas to the harsh, arid environment of the land. Their massive empire spans a territory greater than the entire Eurasian continent of Earth. They rarely venture into inland settlements of their own accord, preferring to strike at fishing villages or ships on the open ocean when looking for an easy meal or to train their young ones.
Not much else is known by land-dwellers about their culture. They have tough hides thanks to their scales, powerful muscles from a lifetime of fighting and swimming, and are incredibly fast in the water. Surprisingly they're also agile on land, though they cannot stay out of water more than half a day.
This Sahuagin is affected by an unknown but familiar ailment.
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Li Mei scowled, subconsciously reaching up to grab the part of her coat hanging loose over her broken arm. Keori was 'Afflicted', and had the same empty look in his milky white eyes even before he died. If the eyes were a telling symptom, the Sahuagin was early in its infected stages.
Someone screamed.
As though a trigger, the crowds of people emerging from their homes in disgruntled curiosity turned instead to stampede back inside, shouting and screeching. With each new burst of noise, the Sahuagin's head bobbed and jerked around, trying to find the source of potential attacks while remaining hunched over its meal.
"He looks fearsome but, he's low Rank 1. Hana, Bao, test his reflexes. Aim for those frilly bits on the neck and sides, or his eyes where possible. Be swift, not hasty. Otto? Make a bird, fly it close. If you can help distract him during the fight by flying things at his face, it'll create openings for the other two."
Otto's jaw dropped as Hana and Bao darted toward the Sahuagin. "Wait... I can... Do that?"
Li Mei glanced at the boy from the corner of her eyes, raising her eyebrows. "I told you your Gift was excellent, did you think it was lip service? How could you, my first employee, ever think I bother with something like that... Distraction and reconnaissance are absolutely necessary for ease of combat and maximizing survivability, we learned as much in the forest.
"Messing with opponents by creating false targets, making large but relatively weak animals to carry goods or messages, scouting the land and enemy positions with innocuous birds? You can even use them to help garden and do chores if you practice creating more than one at a time and fine-tune your commanding process." Li Mei heaved a sigh and shrugged one shoulder, turning away from the boy whose face was red with a mixture of shame and excitement. "I really don't know why you think Simulacrum is a weak Gift. It's splendid. Now hurry, make a little bird with some soil or something from the yard and help them out."
Hana's Core should have healed, thanks to Faust's weird medicine. Li Mei planned to use her mana to try and examine the Core, see if everything looked fine before teaching both her adjutants the finer points of mana manipulation. Their understanding of their own Gifts was limited by a lack of education and creative thinking.
Of course a peasant boy raised into a soldier wouldn't see the merits of a puppet skill. Not surprising, really.
She wouldn't pretend she could teach them anything regarding their circulation techniques, they'd have to rely on themselves and the information from those data chips Faust handed over, but she could at least provide tips about how to practice using the mana threads and give some outside perspective on how to utilize their Gifts. Maybe she could find some books in a library as well, or pen some fiction from her memories of Earth to give them something as inspiration?
Hidden in her sleeve, Li Mei summoned a dagger into the palm of her hand while watching Hana and Bao approach the agitated Sahuagin. Those bulging eyes watched them carefully, his mouth parting to let out a strange, clicking hiss from deep within his gullet, and those sharp teeth gave her a strange chill that left her unwilling to relax even with Bao watching Hana's back.

[https://i.ibb.co/t8p9D1d/Divider.png]
Originally, Li Mei didn't allow the child to fight in direct combat. She was so small, so young, so cute! The plan was to teach Hana enough to defend herself in an emergency, experience what monsters were like in the forest in order for her not to be frozen in fear or surprise in the worst case scenario, and for her to escape if the others were unable to protect her. There was just one thing Li Mei didn't count on.
Hana loved to fight.
Her scarlet eyes sparkled whenever she handled a weapon, the dagger flickering between her fingers with an ease no child of seven should possess. She picked up the weapon like the knowledge was engraved in her very bones, waiting for the moment she touched the hilt of a blade to be unlocked.
Her face wouldn't show it, but her little black wings would droop and hang listless from her back every time Li Mei instructed her not to get directly involved in combat. Providing support, striking from the shadows, it was all fun in its own way but Hana also wanted to test her skills openly!
She wanted to fight too! To dance like Li Mei did, a whirling dervish of blood and fury.
It took forever to convince Li Mei that Hana was capable of holding her own. Only in the past couple months did Li Mei relent, and allow the smaller girl to face off directly against weaker opponents. Not quite the test Hana wanted, but it was a step in the right direction.
Facing something like the Sahuagin, much larger and bulkier than herself, made Hana's heart beat faster in excitement. Under the discerning gaze of her Big Sis, she planned to prove she, too, could become a good and strong ally! She wasn't a little kid to be protected by everyone else, or someone whose belly was full of fear like poor, trembling Otto.
Her time as a research subject made her hate the idea of being weak.
Being weak meant being a toy for others to drag around, coddle and pamper and harass and maim as they pleased depending on personal whims.
Being weak meant hiding under her brother's body as monsters ripped and tore into corpses piled around her, sobbing with her hands over her mouth to muffle the sound and the stench.
Being weak meant standing behind the one who rescued you from your suffering while she put herself in danger, unable to do more than watch as she fought and bled to obtain resources necessary for survival.
Being weak meant being nothing.
Hana's grip on her daggers tightened, slipping one hand inside her clothes to grab a small pouch of cloth Li Mei taught her how to make. She loosened the strings keeping the pouch closed, hooking it on her index finger for ease of use.
Bao charged directly at the Sahuagin, drawing its attention with his flashy crystalline horns and imposing build. Meanwhile, Hana kicked off from the ground and bounced off the wall of a nearby house to attain greater height, flicking her hand to scatter a fine light purple powder over the creature's massive head.
Her small foot impacted with the back of the Sahuagin's head just as Bao lashed out with his forelegs, aiming for the creature's hands still clutching those mangled bodies. The Sahuagin was forced to drop its prey in order to defend against the Fera's sharp claws, only to miss its own attack thanks to Hana's interference.
Hana slashed at the creature's eye before leaping away, using its skull as a launching pad to send herself up to a second floor balcony hanging over the street. She hung from the banister, nodding her thanks to a very startled old man hiding behind some potted plants.
It managed to avoid her attack by jerking its head away at the same moment she adjusted her weight to lean down before jumping. Her dagger merely grazed off its scales, leaving no mark for her trouble.
From out of the mist, a small bird dove at high speed to flap its wings in the creature's face. It hissed and swatted the bird away, but the simulacrum easily avoided the creature's massive webbed hands. Bao took the chance to duck in close, slashing with his claws at the monster's abdominal region as he ran past.
Sahuagin flesh was tough. Even with a strike carrying his full force, Bao barely managed to leave a wound that drew blood. The Fera clicked its tongue in a gesture reminiscent of Li Mei's own habits. He ducked away to avoid the creature's tail as it whipped its powerful body around, smashing a section of the wall behind where Bao once stood.
A sharp whistle alerted Bao to dance back a few steps, giving Hana room to scatter more of the powder from her lofty balcony perch.
The Sahuagin's green scaly flesh began to bubble and smell, rotting and burning under the powder's toxic touch. Hana grinned as the creature started to flail about in pain and confusion, clawing at its head and shoulders in a desperate attempt to rid itself of the offending substance.
She dropped down, slashing at its exposed eyes with her daggers. When it moved to grab her, she used her small body to slip between its arms, stabbing instead at the frilly gills on its sides. One dagger got lodged inside the gap where the frills emerged, so she twisted its handle to inflict as much pain as possible.
Bao slashed at the Sahuagin's legs, avoiding spots where the purple powder was causing the creature's flesh to burn in order to not get any on himself. Meanwhile, the simulacrum bird kept throwing itself in the creature's face, flapping against its eyes, nose, and sharp teeth whenever it tried to swing at the nimble Hana or ferocious Bao.

[https://i.ibb.co/t8p9D1d/Divider.png]
Some distance away, Li Mei sighed as she put her dagger back in storage. 'I guess they don't need my help after all.'