Just to remind you readers, I have taken the Intelligence stat out. It now all falls under EP/ATS, and Level Ups (from EP Boost I)
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"Pretty good if I do say so myself.", I mused, seeing my Stats again. I think I'm a little over ten percent stronger than someone like Lloyd Bannings, who is the main character from the Crossbell arc. I'd need to see the stats of others though to get a more accurate reading. And Since Observe can only go up ten levels to my own at its current level, I basically cannot use it on anyone, unless I want to see some question marks. It is all dependent on their current growth. If let's say, Lloyd has yet to enroll in his police academy, he likely doesn't have much stats to his name since he receives the bulk of his training there. So if I encounter him right now, he very well could be at Level 1, and in that case, I'd be far more powerful than him.
And now that Roselia is teaching Magic, even more quests might sprout up now to further increase my stats. My Strength is my highest due to Father, but this should round out my ATS and ADF more. I should go into that a little too, huh? ATS is one's Arts Strength. The damage stat is how strong Arts can hit onto your target. ADF is Arts Defense, which counteracts the damage. The more defensive you are, the less damage you receive from Arts.
The main way to increase EP is by unlocking slots on your Combat Orbment. You can't do that until you start obtaining Sepith, which are naturally dropped from monsters around the continent. You heard that right, Monsters! Just like the beasts that swarmed the bridge that ran away from Agnagarn yesterday. Those very same monsters. Specialized engineers can embed this Sepith to unlock those slots. The more you unlock, the more EP you gain. And Combat Orbments even have tiers. The more tiers you unlock the bigger EP pool it becomes. At first, you don't get much, but then you rake in EP. Kind of like that.
But the Gamer System threw me a bone. I get EP every time I level up now, and it was all thanks to my Vermillion Eyes! My EP is going to easily reach the limit, to which I think is 9999. It will be interesting to see if it goes beyond that. And yet, no matter where Roselia looked, only confusion remained in her eyes.
"I have no idea what these numbers mean. But according to what you said, this visuals your actions, meaning this tells you how strong you are?", Roselia asked.
"That's a very simplified way of saying it but yes. And to be honest, I still don't know much about this System. I'm the only one who has it, but it does seem to affect my surroundings no matter who gets in contact with me. And as far as I recall, the highest level ever recorded is two-hundred and fifty. I do not know if it goes beyond that.", I answered.
"But these "Levels" can still be raised through various means? And the way you worded that almost makes you out to be an Artifact bestowed by the Goddess.", Roselia said, musing to that.
"That's another way of putting this. And there sure are various ways to "Level Up". What you're seeing is just the beginning, Rose. Allow me to ask you one single question.", I suddenly said.
"Hoh? And what would that be?"
"Have you ever heard of the grind?", I declared, smirking.
Roselia just stared at me with a blank look in her eyes.
"What in Aidios's name is that supposed to mean? Why on earth would I want to grind anything?", Roselia retorted.
"Tsk tsk tsk. That's where you're wrong, Rose. Once you've started the Grind, you can't stop. It never ends. It started once I turned three when Father began instructing me. It still is questionable why Father would train such a young child though. Most kids if they hail from a prominent martial arts family don't start until they're four or five. Three is pushing it.", I retorted back.
"It only proves your father is an extraordinary man. Too much so. Those revelations you showed me realized his true caliber. But it is not like we can dwell on the past. The man he is supposed to be knows of me and others related to him, but until he decides to approach us, I will not seek him out. Instead, I will ask this of you, Naoto. Does he know of your secret?", Roselia asked with a serious look.
"Not directly. But knowing Father, he likely knows something. As to what it is, only time will tell, I guess.", I replied, unsure myself. Rose here has seen my memories. She knows who Giliath truly is, as do I.
The reincarnation of Emperor Dreichels who ascended the Erebonian Throne over two centuries ago in the War of the Lions. So in a way, I am a descendant of Erebonian royalty, despite how convoluted it seems. Father's own plot hasn't kicked off yet, and it won't for another couple years. I am not sure if he realizes who he truly is right now. Does he know he's Emperor Dreichels? Knowing Father, I'm sure he does. But he hasn't said a word to no one. Not even me. And I'm pretty sure he knows I'm "special". That I'm not from this world.
Roselia nodded her head to those words.
"Acceptance is a good thing, boy. You may have lived the life of another, but as you said, you are here now. Even this Quest thingy confirms that you have accepted me as your disciple. I do not plan to be easy on you. Having an outsider create a Mana Core can be...quite excruciatingly painful.", Roselia smirked, causing me to pause.
"How painful exactly?"
"I'll leave it up to you to find out~", Roselia answered, teasing me.
"Fair. But there really is no one better than to learn magic from you, Rose.", I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"Umu.", Roselia said, simply nodding her head. You've been meditating for a good moment now. How does it feel now?", Roselia decided to ask.
"Now that you've mentioned it...I feel extremely calm now to the point where we can talk like this. It's as if any worries I've had have been washed away. Almost serene, if I had to take a guess?", I responded in wonder.
"That is a good sign. Do not let that feeling escape your grasp. Meditating can ease the nerves, but what it does most importantly is that it can help you improve your Mana. We've not reached that part yet until you form your Mana Core first. Most Witches inside the village skip this step since they have this from birth. But any outsiders, not so lucky.", Roselia explained.
"And that is none other than me.", I said. "That must be this unique warmth I am feeling. I can feel it all around me, but I cannot get a proper read on it yet...", I murmured softly, letting this new sensation sweep my body. It felt very good, to say the least. Magic sure is something alright.
"Your senses are keen as it is, Naoto. Perhaps the Vermillion Knight has something to do with it too, but it's not like this is my first time assisting someone, nor will you be the last."
"I take it you've guided others then.", I replied.
"Umu. I've assisted that brat Dreichels to become the previous Awakener of Valimar. Not to mention I've assisted Lianne to become the Awakener of Agreion. I even helped that Arnor pup become the previous Awakener to Testa-Rossa. It will be up to you to see if you can become its current Awakener. Testa-Rossa hasn't found a new Awakener since. Not until you came along, Naoto.", Roselia explained, drawing my interest.
"Was it alright for you to say that to me?"
"You've shared your secrets, so it is only proper that I share some of mine. What I've said, however, most of it you already know with those memories of yours.", Roselia answered.
"The concept of equivalent exchange, eh? I like that.", I said, smiling.
"Nonetheless, you've gotten used to the breathing pattern I have taught you. You do not feel discomfort, right?", Roselia asked me.
"None whatsoever."
"Good. I wish we could proceed with the formation of your Mana Core right here and now, but it would not sit well with me to do so. We are not in the right place. It will be more effective once we arrive at the Palace. The Spirit Veins are much more active there. It is good the Palace sits atop of one.", Roselia said.
"So it winds back to Spirit Veins. I've this Septium Sensor Skill which can detect Septium nearby, but I do not know if it is strong enough to detect Spirit Veins. It does make sense for someone like you being able to tell where they are. It must be child's play to you.", I replied.
"Indeed. Spirit Veins are the very essences of the Magic we currently know. Given enough training, you too will be able to locate where they are, regardless of whether or not you have this "Septium Sensor" Skill.", Roselia said. My eyes grew in anticipation just hearing that.
"I so look forward to that day happening, haha! Heimdallr should be one of the testing grounds, so it does make sense as to why it would have a Spirit Vein beneath it, right?", I asked.
"That's right. For now, we will just continue your meditation.", Roselia nodded, answering me.
"Got it."
After we finished exchanging some more words, I continued to match my breathing to Roselia's as we sat cross-legged on this fast-moving orbal car. To be honest, I thought this wind would cause a much bigger distraction, but it didn't. I felt serene. It was as if I was already one with the wind, haha!
(A/N: Gaius is that you?)
And yet, behind me was another spectacle. A pretty silver-haired girl dressed in her Thors Military Academy uniform could be seen, wide-eyed and all. She continued observing the two of us out of shock.
"This is unbelievable...How could these two suddenly meditate with all of these distractions? Hell, is this even meditation? This bluish aura...", Aurelia murmured to herself as she observed us. Since I had my eyes closed, I didn't know there was this bluish thin layer of aura currently surrounding my body. I was completely unaware of what was going on outside of my head.
"But to my surprise, this is strangely calming...", Aurelia continued. "This little girl did say there is something to learn from this. Is this it?", Aurelia said, wondering what Roselia initially referred to.
Aurelia wasn't rude this time, and kept quiet. She too sat cross-legged, just like us. Before we realized it, the remaining ride passed by uneventfully. That is, until we arrived at the eastern gate of Heimdallr.
I felt this weird, dull pressure that made me too distracted to meditate. My eyelids suddenly flipped open, ending my session altogether. My eyes shifted outward, only to see something in the distance!
It was a lone figure, casually walking with their hands tucked away inside their pockets.