Two things had changed ever since Talia had fed the two MagiKnights to the Mimic near the statue.
First, she officially closed the place down and made the outside of the church look abandoned.
It seemed like the Dungeon could disguise itself.
The second change was that Simon was getting me to focus less on fighting and more on magic.
His reason?
"You won't master your Skill that way." The old geezer lazily laid in front of the booze fountain.
I felt like he was using this as an excuse…
In the back garden, I held a wooden stick he was getting me to enhance without using my Skill.
And I did just that.
I closed my eyes and felt the unfamiliar power flowing through my Artes Lines. Trying to push it.
Move it towards the stick.
The first enchantment I tried was using fire.
The magic power circulating throughout my body started to focus into my hands while I meditated.
After a good while, I opened my eyes.
The branch had burnt into ashes.
It made me realise that simply pushing the magic into the branch wasn't enough to enhance it.
"Power Strengthen." I got another branch and used Word Enchanter to see where I needed to learn.
Magical energy automatically left my body and transferred into the branch. Turning into a layer.
I swung it and hit the ground, but the branch snapped before it could draw a line in the soil.
My understanding of 'Strengthening' heightened.
It looked like enchantments ranged from passive to active. Ones that activated twice, and those that stayed the same until the energy enchanting it ran out. Unless refined into a weapon, it's temporary.
I got engrossed into my studies that I didn't even notice the passage of time. It felt real weird.
Although we still had clocks, this back garden within the dungeon didn't have a day night cycle.
It wasn't strange that my efforts didn't unlock a new Skill in my stat window. This was how it is.
Unless I fully mastered a technique, it wouldn't reflect in my stats. Full mastery was necessary.
There WAS one Skill I unlocked by fighting Simon.
['Mixed Martial Arts (Physical)' is recorded.]
My mastery of MMA from my past life had somehow became a Skill. It entered the System.
And this was a Skill I could probably use well with Skill Acquisition due to the way I acquired it.
Unlike stolen and bestowed Skills that came through other sources, the Skills recorded through mastery could be regained simply through practicing. It was a really beneficial loop for me.
When I was done with my daily practices of my enchantment magic, I started to experiment.
Looking for creative ways to enhance using the four- No, three Attributes I was attuned to.
The attuned affinity towards Death I had was something that I was unwilling to master at all.
Fire, Evil, and Darkness were enough affinities that had a wide arrange of enhancements I could try.
Fire was, understandably, related to flames and power type enchantments. Usually temporary.
Evil was mostly shady shit that ruined people.
And Darkness was mysterious in that it had options similar to Evil, but was well-rounded overall.
I had a lot to learn regarding this.
Simon told me to never forget that everything in this reality was part of Mana, and I took it serious.
Trying to sense the world through Mana itself.
All while doing something others wouldn't know.
In the System window, I looked at the Mixed Martial Art (Physical) and decided to learn a second Skill.
One purely magic based.
It was a simple Skill anyone with Artes Lines should be capable of. I got up and stretched my body.
Raising my hand towards a metal training dummy.
It seemed to be made out of dead carcasses of those Treants that were watching me nearby.
"Interested?" I tried to strike up a conversation, but it looked like they had no feelings towards humans.
Rather than embarrassing myself, I fixed my focus.
Pushing Mana out of my body similar to before.
I didn't simply push it, because it would be stupid to master a simple Skill when I knew so much.
The magical power in my body was stripped of every attribute, but I maintained physical laws.
In front of my palm, glittering embers of Mana were trying to exist through some sort of medium.
This being an attribute.
It was common sense that without applying an attribute to Mana, it wasn't strong enough to exist.
And as an E Rank Magical Talent, I abided that rule.
I took a deep breath, then identified my Attributes.
Ready to combine them together.
The first was the most unusual and conceptual one among those attributes. 'Evil' applied to my Mana.
Those glitters on my fingertips took a new form.
A chaotic energy of ruination was created. It was selfish and untamed, trying to disperse silently.
Each glitter of Mana refusing to work together.
Before it could disperse, I gathered a ball of Mana at the centre and applied darkness to the power.
That marble of darkness pulled on the chaos.
Forcing the chaotic glitters to focus at one point.
The stability of the orb of magic started to increase with the darkness. 'Ruin' fought to be superior.
This was when the last attribute was applied to both parts of my magic orb. I ignited the spark.
Consuming both warring powers into my flame.
Rather than exploding in my face, the flames were held together using what I was taught by Simon.
Willpower.
Since all this power was part of my body, it was only right that it obeyed me without question.
This was something I refused to back down on.
'Listen!' My experience as someone who had intimidated and threatened others came out.
The stability of the magic started to increase the more I focused my will. All until it was complete.
My three affinity 'Magic Orb'.
A higher level Skill than 'Magic Shot' or 'Magic Release', which simply enjoyed magical power.
The orb in my hand followed my will and threw itself on the training dummy. Striking it.
Rather than exploding upon impact, the orb kept its density and started to gnaw on the training dummy.
Darkness dragged it into the power of ruination from the Evil Attribute, while also incinerating it.
By the time it was done pushing through, a hole the size of a fist was made through the dummy.
I sighed and felt tired. The magic orb vanished.
There was no notification that it became a Skill.
This only motivated me to master this technique I created for myself. A long range battle Skill.
The first of its kind.
If I managed to master enchantment, there was no way of knowing how I could enhance this Skill.
Feeling myself improving made me feel happy.
It wouldn't be long until I felt confident.
"What are you doing?" Suddenly, Shia's beautiful voice entered my ear and made me look back.
A curious pair of eyes looked at the training dummy. Looking amazed at my strength.
"It's a Skill I'm making. Like it?" I honestly told her everything without hiding anything from her.
For one reason or another, Simon arrived with her.
…..
….
…
..
.
While Pal was making strides in his attainments in magic, Shia had started recalling bits of her past.
She wanted to talk about them with Pal.
"Do you have the time to talk?" Shia respectfully wanted her 'husband' to give her some attention.
In response, Pal made a scrunched face.
Struggling to choose her over practicing magic due to the time constraint and observation of Talia.
Although unfortunate, Shia was respectful enough to not continue her words and brushed it off lightly.
The only one who did have interest was…
"Hmmm… I can sense your will becoming more firm and resolute. Ya remember who ye are?" The old drunkard walked up and asked with interest. His eyes somehow seeing forces only he could see.
How was it possible to tell by looking at her?
Shia felt her guard raising. The feelings and knowledge of someone else were awakening.
She had no idea how long her current self could continue to exist. It made Pal's rejection harsher.
"I'm fine." Shia turned away from him.
However, Simon didn't take her words to heart and continued to talk to her despite her attitude.
"What are your hopes and dreams now?" He asked the girl while following behind to keep track of her.
His interest was unwavering.
It didn't matter how she rejected his presence. His senses were telling him she'd become a big figure.
A ruler or even slaughterer.
It solely depended on what was 'awakening'.
Perhaps it was Pal's rejection that made her stop walking away aimlessly. Looking for a friend.
Someone to share her thoughts and opinions.
She turned to face Simon.
"Please stop doing that." Shia spoke her heart.
His eyes flickered at her words and attitude. There was enough shame in him to realise his mistake.
Deciding to stop his actions.
He didn't want to pry about this anymore.
"Little girl, those with strong wills are those who would sacrifice something… or everything. I don't know why he brought you here, but I hope you won't be offended after 'awakening'." (Simon)
"Those are words for my future self." (Shia)
"I'll say them now anyway." (Simon)
"Do you like him?" (Shia)
"I don't think he's as bad as he wants to be. Not saying his passiveness doesn't annoy me." (Simon)
"You still like him despite feeling that?" (Shia)
"Sure. Well… That's me. What about you?" (Simon)
"I feel attached to him." (Shia)
"Which isn't based of reason." (Simon)
"Yeah…" Shia admitted that she'd likely had felt attached to anyone who took her out that cell.
Her mood started to drop, and Simon felt that he'd spoken the wrong words behind Pal's back.
"Do you want to spar?" Simon offered. It was a normal thing for him, but the girl was surprised.
"Even though I'm a woman?" Shia gasped.
"Man or women doesn't mean anything when it comes to strength. On top of that, I can tell that the original you, from before losing your memory, was a martial artist." Simon's words touched her heart.
Was she really strong?
It had been natural to her earlier for a woman to fulfil her duties, but Simon had rejected that.
The idea she had was too ancient.
Making him wonder where she really came from.
Both of them had a look to see Pal absorbed into his studies. Something that could affect anyone.
Make them have the drive to do better themselves.
"…I'll be in your care." Shia bowed to Simon.
"Does that mean you want to be my disciple?" It was unlike him, but he appreciated her talents.
There was something about her…
Something worthy of taking seriously.
Rather than taking this as a joke, Shia immediately latched onto his words and took the opportunity.
"I greet my new Master." She bowed three times as if following old Chinese customs unconditionally.
The girl didn't understand why she did that, but since it was respectful, she left this alone.
'…Sorry, I have my reasons.' Simon thought inwardly about how her powers would increase.
Meaning no sex for Pal even more.
Even though he was like this now, he trained 'real' disciples for a noble cause he'd never admitted.
Something he would never tell to a soul.
He started teaching her martial arts from scratch behind Pal's back. While only beating him up.
Their statuses were different.
Simon had no reason to properly reach Pal his martial arts, but Shia was completely different.
He could sense an unwavering noble soul awakening as time passed. It was his honour.
Once her memories returned, this equilibrium they made together to stay neutral would break.
Unknowing to the old drunkard, Talia, the last free High Elf of her race, had watched him for a while.
The moment he started teaching Shia properly about his martial arts, she knew it was 'him'.
That man who was with her hundreds of years ago.
She held in her gasp and powerlessly leaned on the wall. Her expression a mix of many emotions.
But she held it in.
It wasn't the right time to say anything- No, she was unwilling to remind him about who she was.
A decision was made in her heart.
She looked at his true disciple in a new light. No longer seeing her as an add-on Pal brought.
Like that, another years had passed like a breeze.