NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 42: Conflict (9)
Sitting on the stone dais, Michael observed his Status Window with a pensive and conflicted expression.
Status Window
Name: Michael Gray
Level: 25
Race: Young Draconic Human (E)
Class: Newborn Caster
Job: None.
Stats
Strength: 128
Dexterity: 144
Endurance: 125
Constitution: 134
Intelligence: 223
Wisdom: 245
Free points: 55
Skill Points: 11
Active Skills
Mana Sphere (F); Analyze (F); Mana Shield (F); Mana Wave (F), Mana Arrow (F), Whisper (F), Minor Heal (F), Twin Casting (E), Mana Blade (F).
Passive Skills
Clarity (F), Alacrity (E), Mana Empowerment (E), Force (E), Agility (E).
Hybrid Skills
Newborn’s Dragonheart (D), Astral Meditation (D).
Heritage
Blessing of Light: Cleansing, Illumination, Lightspeed.
Titles
Dragon’s Descendant; Apprentice Mage; Draconic Blessing, Mushroom Hunter; Bluestone Village’s First Star.
How am I supposed to explain this if someone finds out?
Simply put, based on the stat gains of the other Classes he had been offered and his experience so far, he was broken. All of his stats were considerably above 100, even the physical ones. Yet, his Class choice and two highest stats made it clear that he was a spellcaster.
I can probably go head-to-head with any warrior based on my Strength alone.
It wasn’t a matter of spreading himself too thin. He had always focused on casting, his physical stats had simply grown almost on their own. He had invested Free Stat Points into them after acknowledging their usefulness, but this seemed almost excessive.
Well, no matter. There’s no problem in being more powerful than anticipated.
His original goals hadn’t changed. Every day he waited in line to talk to Sullivan and ask for information regarding his friends and mother. The more powerful he became, the better it would be when those inquiries actually bore fruit. Of course, he needed to be able to control his power well; it was something that Tairy had drilled into him early on. It was also part of the reason why he was worried: he didn’t wish for his prowess to spiral out of his own control. Silently, he turned his gaze to the new Title that had appeared.
[Title
Bluestone Village’s First Star: you have cemented yourself as Bluestone Village’s leading figure. May your rank remain unshakable. Awarded to the first individual to undergo Class Evolution in Bluestone Village.
Effects: +3% All Stats.]
Not bad.
Maybe he was a bit too used to the insane boons that his Dragon blood granted him, but he didn’t feel much when he looked at the new Title’s effect. Still, it was better than nothing. He nodded to himself. Standing next to him, Tairy spoke.
“So? Are Intelligence and Wisdom near 100?”
“…Yes. Intelligence is closer.”
“Good. 25 Levels as a Mage result in 75 Intelligence and 50 Wisdom, so the immediate stat gains from acquiring a new Class must have been significant, especially since you got a special one. How many Free Stat Points do you have?”
“…Twenty.”
“Oh? Not bad. You managed to save up quite a bit, but there’s no need to go so far. Invest them into Intelligence and Wisdom, just enough to bring at least one of them above 100.”
“I find that saving up Free Stat Points can be important. It saved my life against the Mushroom Warriors. If I hadn’t had enough points to put into Dexterity back then, I would have died.”
“Yes, but if you had invested them in the first place, you may not have gotten into such dire straits. It’s a bit of a conundrum. I understand what you’re saying, but my recommendation is to spend them freely.”
Michael took the advice to heart but knew that it couldn’t be followed blindly. He had more than fifty Free Stat Points. No matter where he invested them, the effects would be considerable. He preferred to hold on to them and invest them in a time of need, as he had done before. Lying to his teacher felt wrong, but he knew it was the best way to preserve his secret.
“Alright. Intelligence has crossed the threshold and is now over 100.”
“Very good. It will help when creating your second Circle.”
Michael’s brow furrowed.
“How so?”
Tairy patiently explained.
“Just like all other stats aren’t as simple as they appear, Intelligence isn’t merely related to the power of the magical Skills you cast. It can be said that Intelligence is related to your affinity with mana itself, while Wisdom is related to how great of a vessel you are.”
“What does it mean to be a great vessel? Or to have higher affinity with mana?”
“The better a vessel you are, the more mana you can store within your spiritual self and the more it will be effective; less mana will be spent per spell, for example. A higher affinity with mana means that your absorption capabilities will increase. That’s the gist of it, but there are those whose affinity with mana has granted them unique effects. In fact, I’m one of those people.”
Michael blinked. His eyes shone with curiosity.
“Looks like I should’ve given you more credit, old man. What’s your unique perk?”
Tairy laughed with a smug expression.
“It’s not a single thing. Rather, it has helped me shape my path. My affinity with shadow mana rendered me great Skills during Skill selections and a special Class. I was born with higher Intelligence than others, and focused on developing it during my youth, even if at the cost of Wisdom. It was necessary.”
As he got to the end, his expression wavered into a more serious and darker one. His tone changed. There was silence between the two of them as Tairy appeared to be reminiscing. Michael didn’t want to pry or seem forceful, so he didn’t ask anything. After a few seconds, Tairy raised his gaze. It had returned to normal. He spoke.
“Either way, higher Intelligence means that the Circles you create will be more powerful from the get-go. You won’t have to go through as much trouble as others when you have to strengthen them down the line.”
Michael nodded. In short, having higher stats was a good thing, which wasn’t exactly a surprise or shocking information. This entire System seemed to be built on the idea of increasing one’s stats as much as possible. There was no apparent harm that came with increasing them. Tairy clapped once.
“Alright, let’s get started. It would be best for you to form your second Circle as soon as possible. It’s different from the first in the sense that you’ve already established a spiritual body. You should find it to be easier.”
Michael closed his eyes. In an instant, the world around him went up in smoke. His perception dismissed the reality that surrounded him and focused on the spiritual realm. He faced his spiritual self, and there it was. The horns had grown longer, and there were certainly more scales around his eyes and even on his hands and feet. His spiritual self stared back at him. One more trait of his that was draconic in nature, hidden by secrets that he was still far from discovering. It existed nonetheless. As they stared at each other, Michael felt the ring of mana revolving around both of their Hearts.
Silently, he activated Astral Meditation. With the stone dais enchantment as support, mana quickly started flooding his body. Something that looked like water flowed around his spiritual self, submerging it completely. Then, it flowed around himself as well. The first Circle spun faster. A slight tingle marred the flow of mana. Soon, it developed into a slight pain.
It's too much.
There was too much mana. He didn’t know if it was because his Intelligence was so high, because he had picked a Class related to Dragons, or any other reason, but this was beyond the realm of what he could handle. His body was superimposed with his spiritual one. He needed somewhere to direct all of this mana toward, but there was nothing like that. It flooded his mana path, to the point where he felt like they were about to burst. In a desperate line of thought, he came to one conclusion.
If my mana path isn’t good enough, I need to improve it.
He started carving new pathways, not relying solely on his blood vessels for guidance. He struggled to form these new pathways, that crossed one another and interconnected, It took him some time, but, because of the feeling that his whole circuit was about to burst, the desperation allowed him to succeed in creating an elaborate web. He felt the strain lessen. The more pathways he created and adapted, the more bearable the weight was. By this point, he had almost twice as many pathways as he did at the start of the process. He focused.
The mana that now flowed through him was guided to his Dragonheart. Unlike his physical and spiritual vessels, it absorbed all that was sent to it without issue. The ethereal outline of a circle started to come into being. Now, the problem was the exact opposite.
It’s not enough.
His vessels were already strained, but his Heart demanded more. Gritting his teeth, Michael allowed more mana to enter his domain and sent it directly to his Dragonheart. It greedily devoured all of it, until a second Circle completely coalesced into being. But, there was still mana left. For a moment, he was stumped. Should he let this excess mana dissipate? He hadn’t expected this. In a split second, he remembered what Tairy had said.
Strengthen the first Circle.
The excess of mana was sent toward the very first layer of the now duo of revolving circles, surrounding it. Slowly, ever so slowly, he tried to make it thicker and sturdier. It was difficult; he didn’t know the theory behind it and was attempting to do something he had never tried. At first, nothing happened. The excess mana wasn’t consumed, and the First Circle wasn’t strengthened. As an unknown amount of time passed, however, there was a change. His mana responded to his intentions, sinking into the Circle. It dragged itself into it, creating a noticeable change. Soon, the process was complete. The second Circle had been formed and the first Circle had successfully been strengthened.
Michael opened his eyes.