A lanky man with long blonde hair walked through a pair of doors into a large luxurious office.
"What is it, Roy?" A gruff man asked from behind a large mahogany desk.
The man was well-built with short black hair and a trimmed beard. His stern purple eyes and thick eyebrows gave him an authoritative appearance. He looked to be in his early forties.
"Sir, it's about Bone Marrow Cave," Roy said.
Roy was a young man at about six feet tall with blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He had emerald eyes with thin golden eyebrows and a sharp chin. He was tall, yet skinny with only a moderate amount of muscle adorning his body.
"Is there an issue there?" The man asked.
"Sir, we found the cave cleared of any beasts," Roy said.
"What! How could that happen?"
"I'm not sure, sir. We think the guard posted there has gone in alone and exterminated the beasts inside before fleeing to avoid punishment."
"Bone Marrow Cave, huh? But how is that possible, doesn't that place have a Rank 2 slackjaw spider roaming around? How could a simple guard, not even Tier 2, kill that thing on his own?"
"That's what we're still trying to figure out, sir. The only other explanation we can think of is that someone else killed the guard, broke in, and cleared the place."
"Did you find the guard's body, or any trace of it for that matter?"
"No, sir."
"I see. Assuming it wasn't the guard, it just doesn't make any sense. Someone that strong wouldn't need to train in a place meant for newbie guardsmen, and the materials given from those two types of creature aren't particularly valuable or useful."
"Sir, as much as we want to catch the culprit, we're left in a difficult position. We've lost our main training ground for the new guards. Is there anything you can do, sir?"
"Hmm. I'll contact a buddy of mine and have another Rank 1 dungeon secured for your regiment. In the meantime, investigate the cave and find the guard if you can, even if it's just his body."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
The gruff man nodded his head, "Dismissed."
After the captain of the 31st Guard Regiment exited. The stocky man stroked his short beard and muttered to himself, "Bone Marrow Cave… Hmm. If I'm right, we might have another wise beast on the loose."
After saying so, the man picked up a fist-sized blue crystal from his desk and injected mana into it.
--------------------------------
[Tier 1 - Human consumed]
[28 Essence gained]
[Rank 2 - Goblin (Shaman) consumed]
[17 Essence gained]
[Rank 1 - Goblin (Soldier) consumed]
[4 Essence gained]
[Rank 1 - Horned Deer (Mature) consumed]
[2 Essence gained]
'It seems the rank penalty was applied to the Rank 1 goblin and deer; I am a Rank 2 magical creature after all. But why did the deer give so much less compared to it?'
"Guide, why did the Rank 1 horned deer give me less Essence than the Rank 1 goblin?"
[The goblin is a monster. The horned deer is a beast.]
"Um, explain? Also, why can the Rank 2 goblin shaman use magic? Shouldn't magic only start unlocking at Rank 3?"
[Magical creatures can be divided into two categories: Beasts, and monsters. Beasts are non-sapient magical creatures, typically appearing as larger versions of ordinary animals, and relying only on instinct to function. Chef rats and slackjaw spiders are both prime examples. Monsters are sapient magical creatures who are generally humanoid. This includes magical creatures such as goblins, orcs, and lizardmen. Though there are exceptions such as dragons and treants. Put simply, what determines whether a magical creature is a beast or monster is whether or not they are mindless. Generally, monsters give more Essence than beasts. To answer your second question, due to monsters superior intelligence over beasts, they are able to unlock magic earlier at Rank 2.]
"I understand. So what does that make me?"
[A difficult question. Spirit foxes are usually beasts, relying only on instinct to survive. However, because you possess human-level intelligence and can access magic at Rank 2, you would technically be classified as a monster.]
"I see. A weird hybrid then! Say, just how much knowledge do you know?"
[I have been given only what is considered pertinent information generally known to all inhabitants of this world, as well as anything related to magical creature evolution.]
"So you couldn't tell me the location of a hot elven woman who's into foxes?"
[Negative.]
"Tch, worth a shot."
Something else then caught Zulu's attention
"Tier?"
[Affirmative. Humans and all other civilized races do not evolve by rank the way magical creatures do. Instead, they empower their bodies with mana in order to increase their physical strength. The more mana a human body can withhold and empower itself with, the stronger it is and the higher its tier. Generally, only mages can acquire a Rank 2 body or higher. Most non-mages typically have Tier 0 bodies; Usually only soldiers possess a Tier 1.]
"So the higher the tier, the more Essence I get?"
[Negative. Essence is determined by the rank and species of a magical creature. Essence is used solely by magical creatures for evolution. The civilized races such as humans, cannot use it; This is in order to offset the advantage given by their high intelligence. Due to this, humans cannot have ranks or evolve their species. Thus, all humans will give roughly the same amount of Essence.]
'I see. Well, at least they give a good amount of Essence to begin with. It's really no wonder magical creatures are so hostile towards humans… and they taste pretty good too.'
"You keep saying civilized races. Who does that refer to?"
[Civilized races refer to the most intelligent races on the planet. They are species capable of constructing complex societies and language. These most notably include humans, elves, dwarves, and fairies. As a result of their unparalleled intelligence, the civilized races cannot access Essence and its properties. Dragons are the only exception to this intellect rule; However, they are limited in a different way; Their population can never exceed a predetermined limit.]
'Of course there are dragons in this world! I hope I never run into one though. At least not until I'm stronger. Now then, I wonder if any of the goblin's or deer's abilities coincide with my species, allowing me to unlock some stuff. First, though, I should heal my injuries.'
"Open injury report!"
An orange panel appeared in Zulu's line of sight.
>—————————<
>>Injury Report<<
-1st degree burns (extensive), 2nd degree burns (extensive), 3rd degree burns (minimal)
>>Ailment Report<<
-N/A
>>Death ETA<<
-N/A
>>Heal all injuries and ailments?<<
-2 Essence
>—————————<
"Heal all injuries."
[Confirmed. Healing injuries.]
'Okay, I should have 49 Essence left. Time for some upgrades.'
"Open upgrades!"
>—————————<
>>Available Upgrades<<
-Rank 2: [Night Vision (10 E), Razor Teeth (10 E)]
-Rank 1: [Quick Feet (3 E), Sharp Claws (5 E)]
>>Available Skills<<
-Rank 2: [Bite (10 E), Creep (10 E)
-Rank 1: [Dash (5 E), Slash (5 E)]
>>Available Spells<<
-Rank 2: [Olfactory Confusion (30 E), Corporeal Illusion (40 E)]
-Rank 1: [Auditory Confusion (10 E), Fireball (15 E)]
>—————————<
'I unlocked the goblin mage's fireball spell? How does that coincide with my species?'
"Guide, why did I unlock the [Fireball] spell?"
[The [Fireball] spell matches your major elemental affinity.]
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Major elemental affinity?"
[I recommend checking your status.]
"What, okay? Status!"
>—————————<
Name: Zulu [Rank 2]
Species: Spirit Fox (Adolescent)
Species Specialization: Illusion Magic
Innate Ability: [Rank 1 - Corporeal Illusion]
Major Elemental Affinity: Fire
Essence Value: 49
Upgrades: [Rank 1 - Night Vision, Razor Teeth]
Skills: [Rank 1 - Bite, Creep]
Spells: [Rank 1 - Olfactory Confusion]
>—————————<
'It's really there! I have an elemental affinity! But why does it say major?'
"Guide, why does it say major? Is there a minor?"
[Affirmative. All beings have a single major elemental affinity. Living beings also may have any number of minor elemental affinities as well. Naturally, major elemental affinities make the magic of that element far more effective; Compared to minors, which only improve the element slightly. Trying to use magic outside of either your major or minor affinities is incredibly difficult and generally not worth the large mana expenditure required.]
"I see. So do you know my minor elemental affinities?"
[Negative. You will have to discover them for yourself.]
"Damn."
'So cool, though! Fire is my major! I'm happy with it. It's definitely better than something lame like water or earth.'
"Guide, can you tell me what the magic elements are?"
[There are seven natural elements: Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, and dark. Though there are other non-elemental magics such as space, gravity, time, and your illusion magic.]
'Hmm, most of the elements are self-explanatory except for light and dark magic.'
"What are light and dark magic?"
[Light magic, also refereed to as holy magic, can be used to illuminate darkness, damage the undead and other unholy beings, as well as heal injuries and ailments. Dark magic is the polar opposite; It's used to destroy anything holy, reanimate the dead, spread disease, and kill the living.]
"I see."
'I wonder if I have either of those. Well, I hope I don't have a light magic affinity. It's kind of useless, considering my [Night Vision] as well as the Essence that I can use to heal myself. Dark magic would be awesome though. Now the question is…'
"Guide, how do I find out my minor affinities."
[The same way you discovered your major; Kill and consume magic-wielding magical creatures.]
"I understand. How exciting!"
Zulu then returned his feverish gaze to the upgrades panel.
'I have 49 Essence. What should I get? I can afford [Corporeal Illusion - Rank 2], but I don't want my upgrades and skills to lag behind, so I'll hold off on that for now; It's just too expensive. I'll make two exceptions though, hehe.'
"I want to buy [Fireball], [Auditory Confusion], [Bite - Rank 2], [Quick Feet], and [Creep - Rank 2].
[Confirmed. Applying upgrade. Learning skills. Learning spells.]
"Awesome. Status!"
And an orange panel materialized.
>—————————<
Name: Zulu [Rank 2]
Species: Spirit Fox (Adolescent)
Species Specialization: Illusion Magic
Innate Ability: [Rank 1 - Corporeal Illusion]
Major Elemental Affinity: Fire
Essence Value: 1
Upgrades: [Rank 1 - Night Vision, Quick Feet, Razor Teeth]
Skills: [Rank 2 - Bite, Creep]
Spells: [Rank 1 - Auditory Confusion, Fireball, Olfactory Confusion]
>—————————<
'I'm really improving quite a bit. I'd wipe the floor with the me from a couple days ago. So fun! I can't wait to get more Essence!' Zulu thought, inspecting his new status.
"Alright, you can wake me now."
[Confirmed.]
And everything went dark.
--------------------------------
Zulu's eyelids opened as the sun began to peak over the horizon. Birds chirped their morning tunes as life in the forest began to reawaken. A few rays of golden light slipped through the entrance of his hole and landed on his fuzzy face.
'Beautiful. I never could have experienced nature like this in my previous life; That dirty city was an eyesore,' Zulu thought as his drowsy body steadily rejuvenated with energy.
Zulu stepped out of his foxhole and into the morning sunshine. As he did so, he realized something.
'My mana's run dry. Maintaining [Olfactory Confusion] for eight hours will do that, I suppose. I won't be able to test out my new spells until it recovers, so for now I'll just try out my new skills and upgrade.'
After thinking that, Zulu began to jump side to side and rapidly dash in multiple directions, testing his new [Quick Feet].
'I should be at least 10 percent faster, and my ability to change direction has vastly improved. I feel like a bouncy ball connected to a paddle. Also, I feel lighter than before. I really should have invested in [Quick Feet] sooner.'
Then Zulu focused his attention to his Rank 2 [Bite] and [Creep] skills. He found that his [Bite] was much more powerful, and his ability to move in silence with [Creep] improved.
'Oh yeah, it's all coming together.'
As Zulu thought that, he sprinted off into the forest to find more Essence.