After a fulfilling dinner, Ken convinced Simm to rest again while he sat beside her makeshift bed of leaves to practice his spellcasting.
He had just broken through to level 2 as an Ordinary Mage. The small reward brought by the breakthrough had to be utilized well.
[ Alert: Subject has broken through to Level-2 as a Mage of the Ordinary Grade. Choose one of the following enhancements to continue your journey as a mage. ]
[1. Elemental Affinity ]
[ 2. Mana Affinity ]
[ 3. Channelling Enhancement ]
[ 4. Physical Attributes ]
Elemental affinity had its own natural subdivisions, each catered to specific combat styles and spell categories. Mana Affinity improved one's ability to learn spellcasting faster, and often with better effects than ordinary mages of their ranks due to their increased sensitivity to mana movement.
Channeling Enhancements dealt with casting speed and smoothness, even granting a mage with the ability to wring out mana in magic-restricted zones to surprise his opponents. But that required a long-term investment plan, and repeated enhancements of the same category to make a significant difference.
Physical Attribute Enhancement was the most unpopular option on the list for mages. Technically, a mage could indeed put all of his enhancements for breakthroughs in upgrading his physique. They were called warmages, a breed of magicians who fused their little ability in magecraft with their Orc-like combat style. Most Warmages didn't live long, but those who did lived longer than most, and they lived gloriously.
Ken's choice didn't require extensive deliberation. He picked the Mana Affinity Enhancement option quickly and felt the world spirit's grace surging through his body and spirit.
A small change occurred in the progression panel in front of him.
[ Class: Mage ]
[ Class Aptitude: Mana Affinity (1) ]
[ Class Grade: Ordinary ]
[ Grade Level: 2/9 ]
[ Level Exp: 001/100 ]
[ Spell Library: Flamepalm (Common); Reflection Shift (Common); Plant Proliferation (Common); Basic Mental Manipulation (Common); Life-Seeker (Common); Bleeding Curse (Common); Basic Healing (Ultimate) (unusable); Talent Transformation (???) (unusable) ]
He would have to successfully cast at least 80 spells to reach the level cap again. While in theory, that didn't sound too difficult a task, no mage could really keep casting an infinite number of spells without burning out his spirit. For mages in the Ordinary Rank, each failure to cast a spell was a heavy blow to their spirit. After failing 15 to 20 times within a small timeframe, they would no longer be able to cast spells for a while. In fact, they would barely maintain their consciousness in that burnout phase, needing others to take care of their every need.
The reason why Ken hadn't fallen victim to burnout was because he hadn't failed much, at least compared to beginner mages. The total number of his failures in the last few hours was still below 15. And he had just been baptized by the world spirit's blessings, enhancing his spirit and increasing his affinity to mana. Not only had his success rate gotten a theoretical increase, but his limit of tolerance for casting failures was also now slightly above the mages of his level.
"Simm, you have a low-level Artificial Talent In Totemic magic like most Goblins, right? Show me a few Common-grade spells. I'm having trouble remembering when the last time I used a Common-grade spell was."
Simm was more than happy to help. With her guidance and a hands-on display of casting, he managed to learn a couple more incantations that he had never heard of. But this success came with 5 more failures, by the last of which Ken felt his mind blanking out faintly, his focus becoming frail. Experience told him that he was one or two failures away from a full burnout, and so he crawled over to Simm's side, plopping down on the bed of leaves groggily.
"I'll stay awake, just in case," Simm said, playing with his hair. Ken didn't mind. He didn't have a better, safer suggestion. His eyelids were refusing to open up anymore.
But an abnormal pressure in his abdomen finally forced him to shake off the sleepiness. He had to respond to nature's call, and as he sat up, he realized that what he deemed a ten-second's shut-eye had actually been a long, satisfying sleep. Simm was still sitting beside him, but she had fallen asleep at some point. The small fire they had made inside the cavern was close to perishing from the lack of things to burn on.
Ken crawled outside to check how much time had passed. The stationary sun in the sky wasn't yet lit, but faint rays of light could be traced there, dimming the stars far beyond in comparison. Dawn was less than an hour away.
While emptying his bladder, Ken made an important choice. They needed to move fast. If his conjecture about their new Artificial Talent was correct, Simm could end up heavily pregnant soon. Moving or escaping pursuit would be impossible by then.
Ken broke the news to her after gently waking her up. She wasn't surprised in the least. The only reason she hadn't come up with the plan to move was because the changes in her body had left her feeling a bit overwhelmed. The bloating of her stomach hadn't subsided. Any Goblin would mistake her for being a few months' pregnant.
"Normally, how long does it take the women of your race to conceive and give birth? Are there any exceptions to the general circumstances?" He asked her while walking deeper into the forest under her lead.
"Three weeks to confirm pregnancy, and three months to deliver the babies. They usually come out in twos or threes, four if you're extra lucky," Simm explained, her gaze flickering toward her stomach.
"Maybe we should sneak near a city. I'll get a midwife to come check on you. It wouldn't be wise to enter one by ourselves since you're on the run. We're still within the borders of the Emeraldflame Subcontinent, aren't we?" Ken wisely avoided bringing up Emora's name. He was curious to know why Simm and Emora had fallen out with each other. But asking for an explanation wouldn't be a smart choice, not now.
"Then I have a perfect hideout we can stay in. It's a couple of day's walk from here, just a mile away from Shamrock City. The protection there should hold up against scrutiny even if a Mutant Rank Mage comes nearby."
"Shamrock City it is, then. It's large enough...a lot of room for maneuvers," Ken muttered in agreement.
Things were coming together really nice. If he had his way, they'd leave Shamrock City far stronger than they were now.