A/N: was really surprised with some of the votes. No write in options to just try to steal the skill book or Knight technique. It worked out but you guys really need to play to your strengths more.
-x-
Magus Ascendant
Arc One: Initiate.
Chapter Six point Three: Aboard the Dirigible (Week 2).
-x-
[O] Buy no books.
[O] Don't use the skill book.
Would you like to learn the skill [Byron Language Comprehension]!?
Yes | No
You stare at the little box of text with blank eyes. Every inch of you radiating raw disbelief. You spend several moments just staring at the box. You have to it three more times before you are willing to admit that yes, it does say exactly what you think it says. Even then, you are still unwilling to believe.
You move the book up, then down, left, then right. The box is still there, hovering inches above the pages and mocking you with its impossible meaning. You slam the book closed. The box vanishes. Slowly, cautiously, and just a tad hopefully, you reopen the book. The box reappears.
Would you like to learn the skill [Byron Language Comprehension]!?
Yes | No
Okay then. This is actually happening. You take a deep breath and release. This is new, certainly, but it's not the first time your power has greatly surprised you. You can deal with this.
Now, you're not stupid. Ignorant of a great many things, yes, but definitely not stupid. You've always had an inquisitive and quick mind. You wouldn't have survived as long as you did on the streets without one. The enforced calm of your power and it's allowance of level headed thought at all times, excepting moments of surprise of course, has done nothing but boost your already high reasoning ability. As such, you are able to quickly piece things together and understand what this means.
Somehow, your power is able to create new skills from books.
Certain books, you amend, looking to the various texts you just spent the night reading. None of those had given the option to teach you a skill. What exactly sets them apart from this one? Is it that they have no skills they can actually teach? That makes some manner of sense you suppose. Those are all informative texts regarding history, geography, culture and the like. This, on the other hand, is purely an instructional text. Following that reasoning, then it makes sense for this book in particular to have a skill to offer where those others do not.
That said, you still find yourself hesitating to tap the Yes icon despite every inch of you, from the tallest hair on your head to the tip of your toes, wanting to do so.
As you have come to learn, a sizable amount of effort is required in order for you to gain a new skill. Running, bluffing, and stealing, these actions pretty much summarize your entire life before Klaus found you. Despite that, you still required hours, and even days in the case of the last one, of effort for a skill to be created. Even your Observe skill only appeared after you spent several hours surveying the marketplace in search of an easy mark. The only exceptions to this rule, your two Affinity skills, could be excuse as unknown magics were at work there. Given all of that, you accurately reasoned that you need to perform an action several dozens of times at minimum before it can become a 'Skill'.
To now learn that there is a way to quickly and effortlessly learn skills, it is frustrating to say the least.
You can't help but curse your past self for not taking Old Jorin up on his offer way back when. Who knows what skills you missed out on by not exploring more of that library. Then again, the old man was looking for an apprentice Lorekeeper to someday replace him so who knows where you would be right now. Certainly not on this ship bound for distant lands.
That aside, even with this discovery and what you've reasoned about skills, you find yourself unable to select Yes. The reason? Simple. You have absolutely idea what this will do. Not to you that is, your power has never shown an inclination to bring you harm -the opposite in fact, but to the book.
Your eyes flick up and over to the seated Knight. Artus is paying you absolutely no mind, his eyes still roaming over the book in his hands. Your turn your attention back to the book.
Selecting yes… it is a risky choice. Instantly learning a new skill sounds awesome but there must be some drawback right? What if the book becomes damaged? Or if all the letter disappear because your power absorbed them or something. If something like that were to happen then you would be forced to pay for the book. You can't afford to risk it.
If this was the you of yesterday, you might actually be willing to take the risk. One Magic Crystal doesn't sound that high after all, not when you have ten of them in your Stash along. Thankfully, you are no longer that ignorant girl. The you of today is someone that understands just how valuable these crystals are. How could you not be after listening to the sheer number of lives lost just so you noble friends could scrap together the required school fee? Hundreds dead just to gather together the same number of crystals you have stashed away. It certainly put that into perspective for you.
You suppose your earlier ignorance can be excused. After all, Klaus had just absently tossed the pouch to you and told you to come see him if you needed more. How could you expect something treated so carelessly and considered 'Low-Grade' to be so valuable? Well… okay, you really should have seen it coming considering how Klaus treats other extravagant items but still!
Regardless, you now know the value of these crystals. Spending one on a book just so you can learn a new language quicker… is seems like a gargantuan waste. So, you tap the No icon and watch as the box fades away.
You close the book with a sigh. A moment passes as you just stare at the closed book with slight worry. Eyes closed, you open the tome again. You can't help but sigh in relief when you open your eyes and see the box returned. You might not be willing to chance it now but it's good to know that the option is still open if you change your mind later.
Closing the book again, you return it to the shelf and turn away. It's far past time for you to return to your cabin and fake at sleeping. The Byron Language text can afford to wait a few hours.
Besides, there's something you really want to try.
-x-
...
-x-
[O] Etiquette Lessons with Leo, Kulwin and Glen.
Lessons with Old Jorin were boring and tedious affairs. They mostly consisted of you listening to the Old man lecture on about this and that, then trying to use the knowledge provided to translate a paragraph out of some boring history text. Sometimes, the Old man would get nostalgic and then you had to work while listening to him drone on and on about one thing or another. These lessons lasted for hours at a time, Old Jorin having nothing else to really occupy his time, and by the end of each one you were actually glad to escape back to your cold, dirty alley.
Lessons with Leo and the others couldn't be any more different. There were no lectures, no planned subjects or review, and they barely lasted half an hour before you all ended up playing a game or doing something else for fun. They were confusing, infrequent and often times annoying. The first few lessons were more than enough to make you regret this decision.
To be fair, you really should have expected it when you asked a trio of thirteen and fourteen year old boys to teach you about a subject they vehemently disliked. The fact they actually bothered to try and impart some measure of etiquette on you was already notable effort on their part.
Still; in between the various games and distractions, you managed to squeeze some valuable knowledge out of the three.
When Leo had gone down the list of things you would need to know, you were a quite ready to call the entire thing off. The list was quite long and full of subjects you could only see as being useless. Things like, what style of dress you should wear depending on the season and climate. How to decorate a room based on its location relative to the rest of a manor and the importance of visitors that would be entertained there How to sew, embroider and put together a flower arrangement that conveys the correct message. The list went on, each item sounding even more useless than the last. Thankfully, the boys had no desire to teach such dull subjects and were glad to skip on those topics. Instead, your short lessons focused on the more important and relevant lessons. The things you would need to know in order to survive past a year in Magi society.
The first thing you picked up is that all Magi are to be referred to as 'My Lord'. The only thing a Magus respects is strength, if one has strength then all other matters are meaningless. Because of this, regardless of gender, age or social standing, a Magus is afforded the title of Lord to be used with every ounce of respect such title deserves. There are only two exceptions to this rule. The first is in regards to Magi of equal rank. In this case, both can use personal names if they are friendly or antagonistic enough. If they are neutral then the use of the title remains. The second exception is in regards to mentors and close colleagues. A mentor is simply referred to as 'Mentor' or 'Master' whereas colleagues gain the title of 'Senior' or 'Junior' where appropriate.
As if that wasn't enough, the rule completely shifts when applied to your fellow Acolytes. In this matter, you can refer to a fellow Acolyte as 'Senior' or 'Junior' based on their ranking, or by name if you are friendly enough. Unless they come from a great Magus family. If that is the case then the acolyte in question is to be afforded the title of 'Lord' and nothing else. You can't even play it safe and refer to all acolytes as 'Lord' since using such a respected title on a 'lowly' Acolyte with no great family to support them is considered insulting to the Magus Lords. But not using the title on an appropriately ranked Acolyte can also be seen as insulting to said Acolyte and draw their ire.
It's confusing and annoying. You can only think to avoid every Acolyte unless you know their standing or to memorize the name of every great Magus family in the South Coast.
On another occasion, you are taught how to properly bow and curtsy. The former more than the latter. Perhaps five minutes were spent teaching you an acceptable curtsy, the majority of that lesson was dedicated to making sure you knew how to bow with the proper amount of respect. Magi and Acolytes greet one another with bows. Things like handshakes and hugs are only appropriate if both parties are familiar with one another. As such, there is a whole lot of useless etiquette slapped onto the bowing to make sure the proper respect is conveyed.
As an Acolyte, you must bow at a ninety degree angle when greeting a Magus. Your knees must be locked and your legs straight. You arms have to be tight at your sides, hands open and fingers straight. Any mistake or imperfection can be taken as an insult or sign of laziness. Bowing to Acolytes is similar, you never bow as deep as you would to a Magus and the bow becomes degrees shallower based on the receivers rank and standing. Initiates like yourselves are only given a courtesy nod as a greeting. It sounds simple enough but you still had to spend several days practicing before the boys deemed you good enough to avoid insulting anyone. Those were not fun times.
Another lesson, drawing from your conversation with Lucifer, is to never contradict or talk back to a Magus. You are in no way, shape or form to ever even imply you know better than a Magus. You certainly failed at that one but now you know not to repeat it.
Most importantly, you learn that you are to never look a higher ranked Magus in the eyes. Matters of disrespect and implied challenge aside, this point is actually an important one due to the sheer danger involved. As far as the three are concerned, you shouldn't even look in the direction of a Magus if you can avoid it. This is due to something you already have a passing experience with, the radiation of a Magus.
Magi, you learn, are constantly exuding vast amounts of magical radiation. Radiation similar to what you faced when you first met Lucifer. Higher ranked Acolytes and Magical Beasts are guilty of exuding the same radiation but not to the same… potency as a Magus ranked being. The more powerful a Magus, the more powerful the radiation they generate. Most Magi, especially those in the academies and cities, forcefully contain their power to keep it from leaking out. They have to as If they didn't, normal humans and weaker beings would find themselves suppressed to the point of death. Even Acolytes would find themselves powerless against the loose radiation of an official Magus. Lucifer only released the smallest portion of his own radiation inside that tent and even you, with all the benefits afforded by your power, only had a number of days to live.
The reason the three advise you to completely avoid the Magi when you can, is because even contained, a Magus' power can have strange effects on the weak. Looking a Magus in the eyes, or even staring at one for too long, can cause all sorts of strange reactions. You might be drawn into an illusion, driven mad by strange and terrifying sights, or if you stand too close, you might even end up badly injured with no sign as to why. This warning primarily applies to the dark Magi but the boys warn that you should be careful even with the light Magi as just the slightest slip of their control is all it takes.
All three boys were yet again shocked that you managed to survive meeting Lucifer despite not knowing this. Knowing to keep their head down and eyes to the ground is the only way they survived Lucifer's carefully released aura unscathed. A test of sorts that you managed to pass without even knowing of it.
The etiquette lessons will continue for the rest of the journey but after covering these crucial topics, the boys don't feel like there is all that much else you will immediately need. Well, except for maybe knowing which utensil to use with which course when eating but you don't consider that to be as important.
[Knowledge tab added to character sheet. Etiquette added to Knowledge tab. Etiquette +3 points]
-x-
[O] Buy the Knight arts from one of the black robed Knights.
-7 Magic Crystals.
Sitting on your bed after another long day of... well, nothing really -your days seem to mainly consist of sitting around talking or playing games with your peers. When you're not doing that, you're off trying to parse through that language text or attempting to figure out how to control your power. Not much progress has been made in either case.
Tonight it different though.
Looking over the two innocuous looking items laying before you, you can't help the pleased grin that stretches across your face. A grin that soon turns into a grimace as you remember just how much you paid for these simple looking items. The two items, a small bead with swirling patterns engraved on it and a plain looking sword in a rugged sheath, are the result of a hard day's effort.
Well, it wasn't very hard in the end but the lead up was certainly nerve-wracking.
Following your failures at figuring out the Knight and Magi meditation techniques on your own, you'd decided to pursue another method for learning the Knight arts. Mainly, by buying it from someone that would be willing to sell. You first considered going to Leo or another of your peers but quickly dismissed the thought. Every one of them you'd seen was a Preparatory Knight at best. There was no guarantee that their techniques could be trained all the way to the Grand Knight rank. You would basically have to trust the seller to tell you the truth and you would likely have no way to verify until it was far too late for you to get you crystals back. So, you'd gone to the one individual you knew for sure held a Grand Knight ranked technique. One of the black robes.
Asking the question was perhaps your greatest feat of courage. The black robes seem to just exude a natural sense of disregard, disgust and dislike for you Acolytes. After putting the matter off for several hours, you finally gathered the guts to just go to the nearest Knight and ask. What you'd gotten was a simple reply. A price so outrageous you wanted to just call the whole thing off. Seven Magic Crystals. That was the going price for the Grand Knight level technique the black robes use. It was a set price too. The Knight you spoke with was almost... eager to make the sale but he would accept no less than seven Crystals.
According to him, when you'd asked, it was expected that some Initiates would want to learn the techniques after seeing what their black robed chaperons are capable of. So, the Magus Lords that own the enslaved black robes allow them to sell the technique off. Considering how much more powerful even trained Acolytes are compared to a Grand Knight, the Magi don't really see the techniques as something to be hoarded like the mundane nobility do. From this sale, the Magus gets six of the Crystals and the Knight keeps the remaining one for making the sale.
A single Magus Crystal is quite a lot for these Knights. Converted into gold coins, they could have enough to give what family they may have a life of luxury and decadence. Selling the technique is something they are all more than eager to do. The Knight was even willing to throw in a free Cross Sword to keep you from going to another of his comrades.
In the end, it came down to how badly you wanted the technique. So, you'd paid the exorbitant price. Unlike the language book which you could just learn the old fashioned way, Knight techniques aren't something you can just come across or discover on your own. The price was high considering your meager purse but you feel it was worth it. You might have been able to find it cheaper on the South Coast but that was weeks away at best, you wanted it now.
Taking up the bead, you bring it to your face for a better look. A simple use of Observe has the unchanged information box appearing before your eyes.
Knowledge Vessel.
A single use item containing the spiritual emanations of a Magus. Will impart the stored information on you when used.
Teaches the skills and techniques relating to the [Void Blade] Knight arts.
Use | Destroy
According to the Knight, and verified by the item's description under the effects of your Observe skill, this little bead contains all that you need to know about the Grand Knight level technique used by the black robes. Figuring out how to use the bead, understanding the knowledge within and mastering it is all up to you, of course, but acquiring said knowledge is supposed to be the hardest part anyways. The rest is just a matter of time and practice.
Studying the bead, you can't help but be amazed with all of the magic you've seen in the past few days. This item for example, a tiny little bead that contains what is essentially centuries of refined knowledge. With a single choice, you can make that knowledge yours. If items such as these are quite widespread then will your power allow you to gain skills from them? Like with the skill book you found earlier in the week. You're quite curious, though it will have to wait. You certainly can't afford to buy any such items at this time. Not without borrowing from Klaus or stealing them at least.
Deciding to finally get on with it, you reach out and tap Use icon on the box. The box vanishes and the bead shatters into countless flakes. For a moment, you panic, thinking that maybe you accidentally tapped the wrong option, but then you feel something happening. There is a flash of heat above your palm, as if you are holding a lit candle in your hand, then… you find yourself groaning and grabbing your head as you are suddenly besieged with a flurry of images and knowledge.
The secret to the Knight arts. The piece you were missing. The knowledge streams through your mind and suddenly you understand. The Knight arts, they're not just a matter of meditating like you thought but there is also a breathing technique required to stimulate the body's internal energy. A breathing technique that must be followed to absolute perfection in order to progress in the technique. If you are even a single second off on one breath, the technique will fail and you might even suffer some backlash. This is the reason you can't just create a Knight technique on your own. Something like this requires decades of delicate study, careful experimentation and continuous refinement.
A new skill has been gained!
Void Blade Breathing Technique (Active) | Lv: 1 / 50.
A skill capable of elevating the user to the rank of Grand Knight.
Allows use of Void Blade techniques.
+0.02 Str so long as Str stat is below 8.00 points.
+0.02 Agi so long as Agi stat is below 8.00 points.
+0.02 Vit so long as Vit stat is below 8.00 points.
+2 Life Force so long as Life Force stat is below 100.
Can only be used once every 6 hours.
You are barely able to read the box before another burst of knowledge has you groaning in pain. This time, your mind is filled with dozens upon dozens of images. Visions of how to properly hold a blade. How to stand, breath and move. How to slash and thrust, parry and flourish. You learn how to dance across a battlefield in a blur of steel and blood.
A new skill has been gained!
Void Blade Mastery (Passive) | Lv: 1 / 50.
A measure of your skill with Void Blade techniques.
Increases damage of Void Blade techniques by 2%
Increases damage with Cross Swords by 1%
Increases attack speed with Cross Swords by 1%
Then, you gain knowledge what you can consider as your first actual spell. A technique capable of transforming a simple thrust with the blade into a beam of pure destructive power capable of skewering multiple targets over a short distance.
A new skill has been gained!
Void Spear (Active) | Lv: 1 / 50.
By focusing your negative energy into a weapon and performing a jabbing motion, you launch forth beams of corrosive energy.
Damage: 1 | No. of beams: 1 | Range: 10 ft | Cost: 45 Sp.
50% chance of the beam penetrating a target.
High chance to disintegrate all matter within 1 cm of the beam.
You slump back onto the bed with a slightly hysterical giggle. Your newly acquired knowledge plays through your mind, images flashing about at the speed of thought in a confusing slurry.
This was definitely worth the price.
Still giggling, you sit up and unsheathe the sword from the leather sheathe. It's a heavy object. The only one the Knight could find in the vessel's armory that was short and light enough for you to use without tripping and stabbing yourself. The cross shaped hilt, for which the weapon is named, is long but not too long. It is designed to be used with either a single hand or two of them, the extended guard providing excellent protection to the hands.
The double-edged blade is long, narrow and far to thick. You didn't realize it before but with your new knowledge, you now know that this blade is far too thick and unbalanced to be used by any true swordsman. It's a weapon designed solely to be used by those that walk the path of a Knight. With their superhuman ability, a Knight can easily swing this weapon about with no care to the weight or imbalance. More importantly, the abnormal thickness and special crafting method used in creating the Cross Sword allows the weapon to survive the strain Knight techniques would place on it. Where regular blades would chip, bend or break, the Cross Sword stands firm.
Cross Sword |
Durability: 88%
A specially designed weapon for use by Knights. It is able to withstand great amounts of strain.
Damage: 0.5 + Str.
Speed: Medium (Slow).
Dropping the sheath, you stand from the bed and take a steady stance with both hands on the hilt. Only then do you take a few experimental swings with the sword. Your movements are slow and sloppy but you can't help but grin. Yesterday, all you knew about swords could be summarized with 'stick em with the pointy end'. Today, you're enough of an expert to not only know that you're sloppy with the weapon but also what to do in order to improve. How could you not be excited?
The next few minutes are just you swinging the sword about in known, but never before practiced, motions. Vertical, horizontal, diagonal and more. You practice the various swings one after the other with a gleeful grin. Focusing on a particular skill, you end the maneuver with a powerful thrust of the blade. Something in your chest, not your heart or any other physical organ, pulses and you feel an ice cold chill radiate outwards from near your stomach. The feeling travels up through your torso, down your arms and into the outstretched sword. The only warning you have about what is to happen is of a small sphere of the darkest black appearing at the tip of your weapon.
You blink.
A beam of darkness with a pointed tip lances forth from the sphere. The beam crosses the room far too fast for you to follow and skewers your dresser drawer. Your grin slips as a chunk of the wood roughly the size of your closed fist simply vanishes. There's no sound of impact or any sign of resistance at all. The spear of darkness simply strikes the piece of furniture and vanishes, leaving only a hole in the wood as a mark of its passing. You can see that the wood surrounding the hole is blackened and rotted. The corrosive effect is spreads outwards for a few centimeters even as you watch.
Maybe... maybe you won't practice that in closed spaces.
Still, your grin returns in full force. You can do magic! Something awesome and amazing that you can afford to show others, unlike your Steal skill or Inventory.
You try to give the sword a few more test swings, only to frown at how much heavier the weapon feels. In fact, now that you notice it, your entire body feels much heavier than usual and... and, are you breathing hard? What's- oh. Oh! Wow, has it really been so long since you were actually physically tired? You suppose so. You've never depleted your stamina this much before.
Wow, you did not miss this feeling.
[O] Try to train your power.
[O] Meditate nightly.
Deciding to try something else while your stamina recovers, you sheathe the sword and lean it against the wall next to your bed. Dropping onto the bed with a thump, you make yourself comfortable and close your eyes.
Breath in.
Hold.
Breath out.
The breathing technique comes to you easily, as if you've practiced it countless times. You inhale, hold it, then exhale, the whole while following an exact timing. Within seconds you begin to sense a slight chill, so slight that you might just be imagining it, circulating through your body as you meditate. You avoid seeking out your inner realm this time, simply concentrating on your body and its breathing.
With each breath you take, the feeling of ice water in your veins increases until you can no longer mistake it for a figment of your imagination. The chill seems to radiate out from your chest. Then it circulates out to each of your limbs before collecting in the center of your forehead. This happens multiple times, each time the feeling becoming stronger and your forehead growing colder. Just as the feeling beings to grow too uncomfortable to ignore, you feel that same point in your chest release a pulse of warmth. A moment. Then it feels like something in your head bursts open and the the chill spreads all over your head..
Your eyes snap open and you gasp.
Black smoke explodes out from each of your facial orifices. From your mouth, ears, nose and even your tear ducts. The Smoke flees your both in a fast rush, rising up towards the roof even as it seems to break up and fade away.
You wobble, breathing hard and groaning. Your stamina bar is completely full yet you feel so exhausted. You yawn and collapse onto the bed. You can only lay there, breathing rushed and eyes fluttering open and close. Several minutes pass before you manage to keep your eyes open long enough to read the box floating in front of your face.
Stats have improved!
+0.02 Strength.
+0.02 Agility.
+0.02 Vitality.
Skill [Void Blade Breathing Technique] is unusable for 05h:55m:32s.
You grin in triumph. One step closer to your dream.
Then your eyes close and you slip into your first real sleep in an age.
-x-
[O] Gain Knowledge.
[O] Read the skill book without saying Yes.
The Byron Language, you have come to learn, is quite a complex and powerful one. The language is ancient, older than the oldest kingdom you know of. It is also one wreathed in magic and power. The more you learn about the language, the more you come to understand its importance.
The Byron Language, is essentially the language of magic. The reason the translation text is on the dirigible is due to this. It is a language that you and the rest of the initiates on board will need to know if you ever hope to progress as Acolytes.
The Byron Language is the one that all spells are chanted in. It is the language that 'spell formula', whatever those are, are written in. It is the language that anyone hoping to walk the path of a Magus is required to be proficient in. Heck, if this book is to be believed then there are even other worlds out there that were conquered by the ancient Magi where the Byron Language is the main, and sometimes only, method of communication. It is singularly the most important skill you will need as you embark on your journey as a Magus.
So, it can be seen why you practically devour the book with gusto. Every moment of free time you have is spent parsing through that book. During the day, you read it while the boys are distracted with board games and pointless conversation. At night, you find a spot away from Flesha and whichever Knight is on guard duty and spend the whole night reading through it.
The only interruption you allow is for the hour long meditations to improve your physique. In regards to your Knight training, you are making steady progress. You can't exactly swing your sword around in your room or fire off those destructive spears but the nightly meditation is progress enough while you work on learning this language. Unfortunately, progress is somewhat slow when it comes to learning the Byron Language. In two weeks time, you could easily finish any other book of the same size. With this language primer however, you end up spending hours to days on a single page.
Like you said, it is quite a complex language.
Byron Language Comprehension has leveled up.
Lv 21 → 22.
Byron Language Comprehension (Passive) | Lv: 22 / 50.
A measure of your understanding of the Byron Language. Grants a minor benefit to related skills.
44% understanding of Byron Language.
11% bonus to deciphering Runic Arrays, Spell Formula and Spell Models that use the Byron Language.
11% speed bonus to creating Runic Arrays, Spell Formula and Spell Models using the Byron Language.
It does help that with each level up of your skill, you 'understand' more of the language.
Similar to learning the Void Blade techniques, every time your Comprehension skill levels up you have knowledge regarding the Byron Language poured directly into your skull. Even if it regards something you have yet to learn, you suddenly gain the knowledge as more of the language reveals itself to you. You've already discovered that you can learn the language simply by reading the first page over and over again and leveling the skill in this manner. This is quite boring and slower though, so you choose to stumble your way through the book instead.
Still, you have learned more about just how bullshit your power is. Your fear of what should happen should a Magus ever discover it is stronger than ever but this is something you can't help but take advantage of. Imagine, how many ancient magics out there can only be found in partially intact tomes? Where other Magi would have to pass it off as a lost cause or incomplete skill, you can master the whole magic from just that single piece.
The thought alone causes you to salivate.
Wiping the drool from your lips, you flip to the next page of the book. You're almost halfway through at this point. The more you understand of the tongue, the faster you can read these chapters and move to the next. You easily translate the first sentence on the page without aid of the provided glossary, only to pause as yet another box appears.
A new skill has been gained!
Speed Reading (Passive) | Lv: 1 / 50.
A skill that allows you to more quickly read and comprehend information.
Affects your perception of time.
Cannot be used while in combat.
+4% increase to reading speed.
Oh? Well, that will certainly help.
-x-
Sometime during the end of the week, you reach the South Coast.
As it is quite late at night, you are far too busy reading to notice the approaching land. You barely even notice the slight thud of the vessel touching down or the sound of shuffling feet as a third of the initiates, acolytes, knights and Magi on-board disembark.
When morning comes, the dirigible is now passing over a sea of green rather than blue.
Two weeks remain until you reach the academy and everything begins.
-x-
End of AtD: Week 2 progress report.
12 days of Void Blade Breathing Technique.
+0.24 Str.
+0.24 Agi.
+0.24 Vit.
Void Blade Breathing Technique Lv 1 → 8.
Meditation Lv 1 → 9.
Rank Gained: Preparatory Knight (Beginner).
-x-
Week 3 Vote!
Trying out a new voting mode which I plan to employ for your time in the Academy.
- There are 168 hours of time in a week. Rather than selecting a set number of actions, you get to instead choose how you will use that time.
- Certain activities and actions will drain away from that time however, leaving you with a set amount of free time each week.
- You can vote for as many options as you would like but I'm betting plans will get more votes over single votes. Double check that you suggestions dont go over the allotted free time.
- Any chosen item happens over a set amount of time each day for a full week. For example: something that takes 7 hours is actually split into 7, hour long activities.
Locked in Actions
Etiquette lessons with Leo, Kulwin and Glen (3.5 Hours).
Void Blade Meditation (7 hours).
You have 157 hours and 30 mins of free time.
What will you do this week?
[][week 3] Study (7 hours minimum. Choose how many hours you want to spend on each).
[][study] History of the Ancient Magus World (general knowledge).
[][study] Geography of Magus World (general knowledge).
[][study] History of the South Coast (general knowledge).
[][study] Culture of the South Coast (etiquette).
[][study] Geography of the South Coast (general knowledge).
[][study]Byron Language (general knowledge).
[][week 3] Socialize (7 hours minimum. Choose how many hours you want to spend on each).
[][socialize] Leo, Kulwin and Glen.
[][socialize] Magritte and the Grade-Threes.
[][socialize] The 'Golden' Nine.
[][socialize] Flesha.
[][socialize] Klaus.
[][socialize]Lucifer.
[][socialize] Random Initiate.
[][socialize] Random Knight.
[][socialize 2] Write in: any topic or aims you have for socializing.
[][week 3] Training (7 hours minimum. Choose how many hours you want to spend on each).
[][training] Work on your sword skills.
[][training] Train Void Spear.
[][training] Write in.
[][week 3] Gain Knowledge (3.5 hours minimum. Choose how many hours you want to spend on each).
[][knowledge] Write in: a previously mentioned topic that the MC would want to learn more about.
[][week 3] Write in
-x-
Voting is Closed.
