Vivi couldn't help but think that Saffra seemed less concerned by the announcement than she should be.
"That does explain the weird feeling I got," the girl said, pressing her hand against her chest like she had earlier. "It took my experience? That was why there was so much more when I did it, right? You're high enough level that nothing gives you more than a trickle, but I'm leveling several times an hour."
"Those are my assumptions, yes," Vivi agreed slowly. She wasn't sure what to make of how unruffled Saffra seemed by the introduction of an experience-stealing item—considering the surrounding implications. There was a high chance the item had been designed to aid Vivi, not to share in the other direction.
Indeed, the catgirl continued without faltering, and in fact only seemed to perk up further as she talked. "Do you think it drained all of the experience, or just some? I couldn't tell. I'll pay closer attention next time."
"You don't sound bothered," Vivi pointed out.
"Bothered?" Saffra blinked in surprise. "Why would I be bothered? I finally get to be useful."
Vivi wasn't sure the girl could've said something more upsetting. Only Vivi's natural stoicism saved her from outright frowning—something she didn't want to do, because meeting Saffra's enthusiasm with disapproval might not be appropriate.
But, 'I finally get to be useful'? she thought. The statement made her bristle.
Rafael came to the rescue, as he usually did. And in such a smooth manner that if Vivi hadn't known better, she might've doubted whether he was salvaging her lack of social grace or just continuing the discussion. "It's a relevant question," the man said. "Always best to fully understand a given scenario before making judgments. Shall we, Lady Vivisari?"
She appreciated the excuse. Continuing the experiment would give her time to organize her thoughts. "Yes, of course." She raised her staff. "[Detect Presence]."
One spatial warping later, Vivi had positioned their party of three over another level-appropriate monster. She handed the chalice to Saffra. The girl's hesitation cleared away, and she took the artifact and focused on painting out [Scorchlance]. The spell gathered, released, and detonated, and once more, streams of wispy red essence flew from the monster's corpse to infuse the bone cup.
As far as Vivi's own perception went, she had no way to test Saffra's theory. The Chalice might be claiming some of the experience, or all of it. She couldn't detect the flow of that enigmatic resource—it certainly didn't fly out upon a monster dying. Honestly, she had no clue how to go about studying that phenomenon, or nearly anything related to the System's inner mechanisms. Tearing open a portal between worlds seemed like an easier task.
All that to say, only the girl's personal intuition could provide evidence. Saffra shivered at the Chalice's thievery, visibly disturbed by the sensation, which made Vivi wonder why she herself hadn't felt anything. Perhaps because of how little experience it had stolen? Too high level, thus a diminished and imperceptible effect.
"I don't think it's taking everything?" Saffra proposed, clearly uncertain. "But I'm not sure how I can tell that. It's just a guess."
"You can usually trust your intuition when it comes to items," Vivi said. Connecting to the Codex had been no different. There had hardly been a set of formal instructions, or a spellcircle to facilitate the link. "We'll know for certain after a hunting trip. If you level up while keeping the Chalice on you, then that means it's only taking some. We'll also be able to guess how much, since we have an idea of how fast you should be leveling." They could use their earlier expeditions as a benchmark.
Saffra bobbed her head eagerly. "Should we do that now?" She looked into the cup. "Since there's not that much inside yet. Does it have to be full for it to work?"
"A mouthful is probably a good starting point." Even with how many millions of times more liquid Saffra's kills had yielded than Vivi's own, it would take many dozen [Scorchlances] for the cup to fill enough for a single gulp. The entire Chalice would take weeks. "Though I'm tempted to see if even this much would do anything," she admitted, eying the inside of the cup. "I'm assuming it won't."
"Only two monsters' worth of effort would be lost for the experiment," Rafael suggested. "Perhaps worthwhile, just to see what it does?"
Vivi couldn't disagree with that logic. Sensing that, Saffra held out the cup, and Vivi took it.
Looking at the thin layer of red inside the bone receptacle, she mulled over what the item's effect might be. She had a prevailing theory, but the truth was, it could technically be anything. Even following the belief that the item had been designed with her in mind—as a way for the System to aid against the Void—there were a thousand possibilities. For all she knew, it could be as simple as a potion, a temporary magical power boost to match the Codex's stamina increase. She doubted it, but it was possible.
Without deliberating longer, she tipped the cup back. The taste that hit her tongue was thick and metallic, offensively similar to blood. She grimaced and forced herself to swallow, then closed her eyes and opened her senses.
While the sensation that passed through her was faint, she could inexplicably describe the experience in a single sentence. The opposite of a statement Saffra had given earlier.
"It feels like I… took something," Vivi said.
Saffra's eyebrows rose, but she didn't seem overly surprised by the comparison Vivi had drawn. "Like, experience?"
"I think so."
Saffra's excitement returned in full force. "How much? Isn't that—completely ridiculous? How can an item possibly do that?"
"The Codex broke rules I didn't know could be broken too. But yes. If we're not jumping to conclusions, and even if we need to fill the entire cup for a single level, that's still…" She quested around for the right word and ended on the obvious one. "Absurd. It's almost impossible for me to level at this point, and if even a few droplets made me feel something, then I can't imagine what a full Chalice does."
They all stood there and digested the sheer ridiculousness of the item.
"I'm interested in whether it could be used in reverse," Rafael mused, breaking the brief silence. "If you slew a monster still within range of yourself, for example. One of those Greater Voidbeasts. Would the cup fill in an instant? Overflow? Could you distribute that kill and share a lake's worth of experience to whoever you please? Are lower levels and higher levels treated the same? If so, in what manner does the artifact not work in an absolute sense, but merely a relative one? Can experience be quantified in such ways to begin with?"
He shrugged.
"Some of these are answerable with experimentation, some are not," he said. "If I were a betting man, I would wager the item was designed with a particular synergy in mind." He nodded at Saffra, then at Vivi. "Between master and apprentice. I doubt the blessings would extend in both directions. Allow you, my lady, to share your experience effectively too. The effect boggles the mind as it is, almost regardless of how potent it turns out to be."
Vivi's frown returned, though she stayed focused on the practical aspects, rather than her discomfort with stealing Saffra's levels… and, in reverse, how pleased the girl at her side seemed. "All good questions. We'll have to test to find out. Though, Saffra can only train so many hours per day. Would giving the Chalice to other people be a good idea? A rotating schedule, so it's always in use?"
She cringed to be prioritizing herself in such a manner, but it went without saying that—since she was the only person in the world who could hold back the void threat—she would be irresponsible to not progress now that a clear avenue had been provided.
Rafael shook his head. "I would advise against that no matter the strategy's effectiveness, my lady. The Codex itself is an item whose existence should stay restricted to those you trust absolutely. The Chalice… no. Perhaps it would've been better if even I didn't know of it."
Her brow furrowed. "I trust you."
"And I thank you for extending that faith, but it's not a matter of trust. What if I were compromised through external means? Mind magic, most obviously. Minimize potential vulnerabilities, unless you gain value that offsets them. A good mindset to have. Not that every matter needs to be treated with such complete caution, but in this case?" He put his hands behind his back and gave her a serious look. "Consider the implications. The Codex must be filled by you, as the power it provides is greatly reduced when shared—only you have the oceans needed to supply and distribute that enormous power. Its value, therefore, is mostly derived from you. The Chalice works in the other direction. From weak to strong. Moreover, your apprentice will be in possession of it at all times. It is a known fact that one doesn't only gain experience in combat; she'll want to carry it during training and study too."
Vivi started to understand where he was going.
"Meaning," Rafael said, "that if it truly does provide easy levels to those who would under regular circumstances need to crack kingdoms open to gain them, then it will be highly coveted among the most powerful individuals in the world. Some may even attempt to… secure the item for themselves. And while I have ultimate faith in my guildmaster—especially in matters of strength—their target will be a thirteen-year-old girl. Not you."
"Point taken," Vivi said frostily. Even the idea of someone attacking Saffra to steal the Chalice had her on edge.
"And while your apprentice is already in danger simply by association, as a potential way to manipulate the Sorceress, the Chalice, I think, would grow that target tenfold," he said. "So yes. Minimize those who know about it, far more than even the Codex. In fact, if you wish, you may erase my knowledge of the past half hour."
Vivi's anger faltered out of sheer surprise. "What? I'm not going to dig around in your head, Rafael. Obviously. Even if you were 'compromised,' I could detect the mind magic and fix it."
He shrugged. "Simply giving permission should you wish it. I didn't expect a yes."
She frowned at him for a second longer, then shook her head. She glanced at Saffra next, and saw the girl looking disoriented but not especially worried. She suppressed a sigh at that. Her feelings remained complicated on this development.
"We'll need a cover story for what the item is and does," Vivi said to Rafael. "And she has protections. Enough that I'm not worried about anyone short of the Dragon King. But yes, like I said, point taken. Nobody should learn about the Chalice except us three."
Though an argument remained for maximizing the efficient management of the Chalice. Leveling herself to deal with a world-ending threat superseded most other concerns.
But in truth, it wasn't that important. Much of the Void's threat came from its resistances, and while amplifying her overall magical power by progressing in experience helped—especially depending on what skills she gained—a substantial factor of that fight would continue to be magical study. Research. Learning how to safely interact with the dimensional barrier, or slip past the alien creatures' defenses.
Even if that hadn't been true, the synergy of Saffra's quick leveling thanks to the apprenticeship buff meant that if the cup was passed off to someone else, their progress would be a fraction of Saffra's. It truly seemed like the System had handcrafted it for the girl. Or rather, for Vivi, through Saffra as a conduit.
In any case, Vivi wouldn't risk Saffra's well-being for a bit more efficiency.
"We still need to confirm it actually works like this," Vivi said. "I can take you back to your office, Rafael. I'll catch you up once we know for certain what it does. I'm assuming you don't want to stick around for a whole hunting trip."
"Indeed, my lady. If it's not a bother." He held out a hand.
She grabbed their party of three with a warp spell and returned them to Vanguard. Afterward, she ferried Saffra to a jungle zone in the Eastern Kingdom. Plant monsters, like ice monsters, were weak to fire, making it an ideal hunting spot.
Saffra was eager to begin, and Vivi used the reprieve to organize her thoughts. The reason why she'd initially disliked the idea of draining her apprentice's experience to benefit herself was clear enough. Even if it might be the practical thing to do, her discomfort with the concept at a basic level didn't need analysis.
What had actually, truly bothered her was Saffra's reaction. How enthusiastic she had seemed—how outright pleased. She displayed that even now, more focused than perhaps on any of their hunting trips before. That part of Vivi's feelings required some thinking through before she could articulate why she'd been upset. She was no Rafael; it took until Saffra had exhausted her mana pool, an hour and a half later, before Vivi had picked her words.
"Think that's enough?" Saffra asked, peering inside the cup. At least a mouthful had gathered, and despite the more serious thoughts churning in her mind, Vivi mentally wrinkled her nose at the idea of swallowing a gulp of what had tasted like blood.
"I'm sure it is." Vivi took the cup as Saffra handed it over, but didn't lift it to her lips right away. Instead, she appraised the girl with a serious expression.
Perceptive as she was, Saffra noticed the expression. Her posture shifted into one that radiated hesitance. "What's wrong?"
Vivi might never be Rafael, but with more than an hour of preparation, she could at least get her thoughts across.
"I'm glad you're happy that you have a way to help now," she started. "I know you care about that. And I appreciate the effort you're going to be putting in, the sacrifice of your own progress. But I didn't pick you as my apprentice because I thought you would be useful, Saffra. This doesn't make me value you more, for the same reason I wouldn't value you less if the Chalice vanished tomorrow. I didn't want to teach you because I thought you would be useful. Okay?"
Saffra seemed, as Vivi had expected she would be, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
Because Vivi knew she wouldn't explain herself well if the conversation continued—and because earnest statements like that weren't her strong suit to begin with—she moved on. "Though again: I do appreciate the help. So thank you."
She tipped the cup back and swallowed before she could think about what she was doing. The thick, metallic liquid slid down her throat in a barely tolerable way, and the sensation from earlier returned, a hundred times more powerful. A violent shiver went through Vivi, one of the strongest outward reactions her body had ever shown.
Then, perhaps unsurprisingly, just as the intense emotions faded, a screen popped into the air in front of her. Their theory had been correct: the Chalice worked on percentage gain, or otherwise in some manner that even Vivi could benefit from.
***
Level Up!
You are now a level 2111 [Archmage].