After finding a suitable spot in the forest, Magnus invoked Master of the Hivemind once again and brought himself back.
He had not expected his escape to be that simple at all.
'Did they underestimate me or was it a simple miscalculation?'
There was no way for him to figure that out as of the moment.
Anyways, Magnus put his focus on his reward.
It was time to tear apart the Personal Trial Scroll.
Rrrrrrip!
With due excitement, Magnus tore the scroll apart in a hurry. He then felt a surge of information assault him. It rushed towards him in full force, even including a convenient explanation of his new powers.
'Could this be the special treatment given to those who are just receiving their Blessings and Curses now?' He thought to himself as he swam in the amazing feeling.
He felt a connection to the core of the planet. A substantial one. One that even Klaris didn't have.
"No way,"
Magnus muttered in ill-concealed excitement,
"Gravity?"
Magnus willed himself to float, but then, his Curse shimmered into existence.
Just as Magnus wished to stop floating, he suddenly felt a sense of danger.
'I cannot land!' He inwardly screamed.
He got a mini heart attack. His Curse seemed to be a peculiar one.
Magnus thus decided to first check the information inside his mind.
First was his Blessing.
{=[ Catastrophic Planetary Architect ]=}
- Naturally allows the Blessed to control handfuls of gravity. When invoked, control over gravity increases based on Spirit Energy consumption.
Invocation:
"I am the cause of creation,
The maker of stars."
{=[=o=o=o=o=]=}
"Hm? Could this name be some sort of possibility? A goal for my growth?" Magnus muttered in surprise. His Blessing only had two lines, depicting a humongous room for growth.
As for his Curse, it was something else.
{=[ Vow of the Unchained ]=}
- Requires one to always stay separate from any sort of flooring. Staying on the ground will lead to weakness and eventual death in ten seconds.
Verses:
"You are the child of gravity,
A creator of earthen tragedy.
Let your past haunt you,
Let those souls pester you.
For the day you set foot on the ground is the day you die."
{=[=o=o=o=o=]=}
"No wonder," Magnus smiled wryly, "So does this body have to stay above the ground forever? How sensible yet ironic."
Magnus was given the ability to command gravity itself, but now, if he listened to the rules of gravity, he would be killed.
It was a five-line Curse. It was terrifying, but at the same time, Magnus could feel his Spirit Energy reserves flowing with the gravitas of magnitude.
It was a substantial regeneration with every second. A huge difference when compared to Vow of the Unnamed or Vow of the Lonely.
Magnus floated around a bit more, using the trees of the forest to manoeuvre here and there. It was a refreshing feeling. He truly felt unchained as he caught a glimpse of what it would be like to fly.
He even had the ability to pull things to himself or repel them. He could create a point in space and use it as a pulling point.
With this, Magnus reached the status of being a 1-star threat.
At that moment, a Scroll then appeared before his face. Magnus saw the familiar seal on it and couldn't help but smile.
'Why do I feel like you were so excited to see me, The Jester?'
Unfurling the scroll, Magnus read,
[[ No way! You actually found and /completed/ the sub-Trial this fast? Did my guesses help? I really hope it did. ]]
[[ Now, you were actually absent for the third Trial that began yesterday. Now that you've returned, I can include you. This is definitely the vaguest one of all, and it lasts for an entire month. If I may, it is to associate yourself with the world or whatever that means. You need to include yourself in stuff like events, the famous factions or work a job. ]]
[[ As of writing this, I actually realised that a better phrase is to "become a part of society" and you can do so over the span of an entire month. But in the span of that month, sub-Trials are still present, so do your best to find those little easter eggs! Scrolls will be sent to you whenever you complete a milestone. The more Scrolls you have by the end of the month, the better the reward! ]]
[[ Also, do note that this might be the last "lifestyle" Trial we will have. The next ones are going to arrive in a different manner. Though it's just a gut feeling of mine, so I still have to seek out the answers. ]]
[[ Thank you for surviving. Good luck on your future endeavours, fellow Earthling! ]]
[[ -The Jester ]]
"How lively," Magnus couldn't help but comment on The Jester's style.
He then turned his attention to the details regarding his assimilation into society.
"Jobs and factions are definitely out of the question." Magnus had to abide by his soul's Curse. "As for events, those are doable. Perhaps I could even go to school, though when doing that, any group work would be so tiring to deal with. As for anything else, this body now has its own Blessing and Curse. I can worm into things better with it."
Magnus then switched with Javelin and rushed through the forest. Even without the current Trial, he would have tried becoming a part of society.
He needed techniques that would help him temper his body and grow. He needed a way to enhance his Blessings.
And the only way to do that was through human relations.
For that, he also needed a lot of cash.
'If only I could sell the fruit I had gathered in Tyrm... I shouldn't have eaten them all.'
.
.
.
Magnus was sneaking through the buildings of Quarteridge as a small cat. He used Javelin's body and transformation powers to go around, allowing people to pet him as he eavesdropped wherever he could.
He would even be given food from time to time, which he appreciated. Since as a Spirit Beast, all he needed was the Spirit Energy which was constantly being generated by his Curses. Normal food is a luxury for Spirit Beasts and not a necessity. The only reason they consumed other beings was to grow in strength.
Without the need for human-sized quarters and regular sustenance, Magnus spent his time relaxedly, gathering information on the world, the state of society, and about future events he could participate in.
At one point, since cats were a rather common sight in Quarteridge, Magnus was very close to getting adopted.
Thankfully, with a little wind, he was able to dash away, albeit the little wind already expended 30% of his Spirit Energy reserves.
Which was a lot considering his 15 lines worth of Spirit Energy.
'Spirit Manipulation is really an impossible feat on Thare,' Magnus sighed as he pounced onto a rude human who stepped on his tail.
He scratched the woman's face and left her screaming in rage.
"Bleh," Magnus stuck his tongue out.
"DAMN CAT!" The woman shrieked.
Those incidents aside, over the course of his days as living as a cat, Magnus was able to find something he could join.
'A tournament,'
Everything on Thare was about factions.
Students studied hard for the sake of getting into a powerful faction when they graduate. Competitions are held to find talents and reward them as well.
Every business on the Heaven-Touching Mountains was run by a faction.
Even the governing body of the Mountains was run by an alliance of factions.
Thus, through going to a tournament, Magnus would be able to receive certain rewards for winning. Those rewards were sponsored by a different faction each time. It was a way of stating, 'Join us and you will have more of these.'
After all, talents were very much welcome in any faction.
'I can just win and not join,' Magnus licked his lips... 'If they ever ask, I can just say that I'm already part of a faction.'
'My own faction.'
As for a suitable school, Magnus found a few. They were on the university level, and as a former high school student who still had another year to go, it felt a little early.
Nonetheless, Magnus wanted to try. It was for the purpose of earning himself more milestones.
The problem was, to enter such schools, he needed the talent and skill to back it up. If he didn't, then the sponsorship of a faction was what he needed. But those two tend to cycle back into each other.
Thankfully, Magnus might just be able to get in through the latter.
The rate of his Spirit Energy regeneration is much larger now, with Vow of the Lonely and Vow of the Unchained active while he was in his original body.
Instead of a yearly event, Mirror World Thief could be activated every month on Thare.
'I could steal any Pocket World Entrance Scroll I see and then get resources from there.' Magnus cackled, which sounded weird as a cat.
Going back to Tyrm and then freely activating Mirror World Thief several times to stock up on resources was also an option. Something he had planned on doing but never got to while he was there.
Basically, Magnus could create resources straight out of thin air.
He was self-sufficient.
.
.
.
Magnus was currently standing within a crowd of people. Not as a cat, but as himself. His feet were about half an inch above the ground, fulfilling his Vow of the Unchained.
While others tired themselves as they stood in place, Magnus was bobbing slightly up and down. He seemed relaxed, which earned him a few envious gazes.
But Magnus did not mind these.
He had already covered his face, and he was only joining this tournament because of the intent behind it.
It was less looking for talents and more for the entertainment of the masses and the high-ranking.
It was a tournament held once per month, and Magnus was lucky enough to be able to sign up for it on the last day. The same day he learned that the tournament existed.
'Hopefully, joining this will help me clear a milestone. I can try applying to a school after the next tournament in a week.'