As the dimension collapsed around me I stared at my hands, admiring how strong I'd gotten. I didn't pay much attention to the kitchen, as the system's interface flashed in front of me.
Melee +1, melee is now level 5. Class level up! Attention Miko! Every time you have 50 level-ups overall amongst your 10 skills, you will get a class level-up. When you do, you will earn a new unique skill, similar to Dragon's Breath. Since you are a pyromantic blade master, you have a choice between a blade skill or a fire skill. Blade skill:The Lord's Weapon- 10 mpCreate a second sword suspended in the air. This sword will move and strike independently of your own movement. Fire skill:Dragon's Shield- 10 mpCreate a shield of flames around you that burns spells cast by enemies, as well as deals 5 damage of hp every second to enemies near you. My head was spinning from this revelation. I guess I got a class level up? Looking at the levels of my individual skills, like one-handed, melee, etc. I saw that their total reached level 50. One-handed: 10Perception: 8Sneak: 2Armor: 8Two-handed: 1Annihilation Magic: 10Healing Magic: 3Illusion Magic: 1Melee: 5Charisma: 2 Which apparently results in a class level up. But which skill do I want? Both seem very handy. The blade skill would create a copy of my demon sword. Looking down at the "sword" I laughed, because right now that didn't seem like much. But when I get stronger... Yeah, it's really no contest. I want the blade skill. Blade skill acquired! With a class level up, all of your stats will be raised by 10 as well! Your hp is now 80, your mp is now 40, and your stamina is now 40. Souls acquired from the boss: 10. Total souls: 500 That's another thing I've learned recently. Some of the bosses gave me more than 1 soul when they died. I don't know if it's due to their strength or something else entirely, but I don't mind. It vastly lowered the chance that I'd need to kill someone innocent to grow stronger. My initial feeling of strength faded for just a second. This same thought has constantly invaded my mind. But it was a thought I wouldn't dwell on. That time was better spent training. So that my greatest fear would never become reality. "Aruna is a jackass!!! Mi- Miko, if you're here, I'm gonna be in theee... showerrrrrr..." I smiled at Farv's arrival. If he wanted to rest he could have it, I'm sure Aruna is pushing him past his limits. Momentarily I thought back to when I trained under her. My very first day with the system, even if I didn't know it then. How did I get the system? Just running laps had forced me past the point of exhaustion. Now, I can take on armies. Like Vakash. I scowled as my thoughts wandered over to that night. When Aruna scrambled to save her father. When her father died anyway. When Vakash threw Aruna into a wall as if she were an insect. I thought about how I had fallen to nothing more than his magic. Whatever it was. Thinking on it a bit more, I realized the functions were relatively similar to The Lord's Grasp. He was telepathically controlling my insides. It makes sense for my first magic to be common though, I guess. I wondered what would happen if I faced Vakash now. You would die, Miko. Yea. Even if I've gotten stronger, so much stronger that it would be impossible for most to even see me as Miko, Vakash was still on another level. If I felt like I could take on armies, he could take on the world. A clear distinction of power. "Hey, where's the towels?" Farv's groggy voice broke me from my thoughts, offering an escape to reality. Towels? They're in the cupboard- No. We moved them. "They're in the closet in our room." He gave his thanks with a smile before running off. Hearing the water running, I felt my stomach grumble. Training comes with a cost. Smiling, I opened a sort of refrigerator. It was more like what they used in the 1920s, before electricity. But it was good enough to hold meat and the like. Grabbing myself a piece of pork and butter, I closed the refrigerator lid behind me. Very important. Setting the food on a plate, I washed my hands quickly before opening the spice cabinet. Washing is also very important. Cross-contamination is a hassle. I grabbed some oregano and garlic from the cabinet and set them on the counter, near the pork. Grabbing a pan, I turned on the stove (running on coals) and waited for the pan to heat up. After the pan finished heating, I put the butter on it so the pork wouldn't stick, then put the pork on. After a few minutes of cooking, add the spice. I smiled as the pork sizzled, thinking back to the days I'd cook with Mom and Dad. The pork was a revitalizing meal, one that I knew I needed the second I saw Roan walk through the door. He never comes into my house unless there's something urgent, like discipline. I didn't do anything wrong this time, I swear! "Where's Farv?" He muttered in a serious tone. Oh. Don't tell me Farv and Aruna did something with his swords again. Why am I always the fall guy for their shenanigans?! "Huh, he's in the shower right now. I have nothing to do with whatever he did, I promise." I added a slight chuckle at the end, hoping it would calm Roan's edge. Judging by his still stern expression, no dice. "The devil spawns didn't do anything wrong today. I've even heard that they performed excellently in their training. That's not the problem here." I jumped as the blinds suddenly closed around us with a resounding bang. Damned spatial users. "The princess is missing." Not paying attention to what he said next, I instantly threw the plate into the sink and summoned my sword. Missing? Aruna?! I began racing to the door, ready to search every part of the town if needed. The only thing stopping me from rampaging was Roan's booming voice. "Miko, calm down. The princess can take care of herself for the time being. If we act rashly, we could very well share the same fate as her." Even with his commanding stance, and his authoritative demeanor, who the hell does he think he is?! Calm down?! Banging my fist through the wall I screamed, "What the hell do you mean calm? Share the same fate?! Do you still think I'm weak? Nevermind that! You said to leave Aruna in danger!!!" "No, I said the princess can- "Her name's Aruna bastar-! Roan was on me in an instant, pinning me to the wall. I winced as his damaged scowl stared into my soul. Not from physical pain, but emotional. Looking into his eyes now, I could see that Roan was hurting. For a man who shows no emotion, the situation had to be dire for him to be this deeply upset. He grumbled, "Miko, you will calm down now. Understand. Do not ever question my allegiance to the princess again. Never. Even if you are my friend, my comrade, I will kill you. When I say she can protect herself, I don't say it as some veteran warrior who knows battle strategy." He stared deeper into my eyes, not loosening his grip at all. If anything, it's gotten even stronger. "When I say she can protect herself, I say it as her mentor. As the one tasked with training her before she could walk. The one who swore an oath that she would be able to protect herself no matter the situation. I say it as the one who's watched her grow up her entire life, even when her father was absent conquering the kingdoms in his grief. I say it as the one who's devoted his life to her." Finally letting go, he whispered, "I say it as someone who has killed millions to protect her. As someone who would lay on his sword to protect her." "I promise you, we will find her and murder her kidnappers. So when I say she can handle herself, don't think I don't care about her. Don't ever say that again. Understand, Miko?." Completely breathless, my attempt to find words was futile. It was impossible. What he said... he said with so much conviction that it was impossible to doubt his intentions. With heavy breathing, I tried to show my understanding and tried to come up with the word that would confirm my belief in him. I was just too paralyzed to do so. In spite of my paralysis, Roan said, "Good." Before leading me back to the table. After we had sat down, Roan said, "Now, first we need to find out who kidnapped her."