[You have felled Level 6. Redcap Troll.]
[You have gained 13 EXP.]
At the system's monotone voice, I blinked and raised my head up from the book I was reading.
"Level 6...? That's a first..."
I muttered as my gaze turned to the window pane.
Should I go check it out?
I lingered for a moment before shaking my head.
No thanks...I don't want to empty my stomach just yet...
I chuckled lightly at my thought before uttering, "Stats."
[Name:] Vicki
[Epithet:]???
[Level:] 4
[EXP:] 96/100
[Skills:] Saturation, Ease of Learning, Parallel Processing, Seduction, Total Assimilation, Air Affinity, General Knowledge (depreciated), Thousand Tongues
[Aliases:] Little Devil, Dr. Vicki, Tiny Girl
[Debuffs:] Myopic Vision, Weakness, Naivete, Lolita
My eyes scrolled through the panel before resting on the EXP counter.
"Just a little bit more and am Level 5!", I said excitedly, pumping my fist.
I was after all really eager to level up.
The pleasant feeling that occurred during the process was immensely euphoric and intensely addictive, paired with the fact that my physical strength and intelligence was significantly raised each time.
How could I not adore it?
FWIP!
I flipped a page and frowned.
"Ugh...what's with these bloody magic circles?! They're so annoying and confusing!"
I never liked admitting to being unable to understand something. After all, I prided myself in my high intelligence which acutely compensated for my low physical capability; it was why I always ranked high in my classes, only being equal to Ayarr or seconded by...
Alex...
HISS...
Just hearing his name is enough to make my blood boil...
I thought as my jaw clenched and my brows tightened, my face flushed red but I immediately calmed myself.
No amount of hate was going to make me feel better, in fact, it'll only make me feel worse.
HOO...FWOO...
I respired softly and turned back to the book titled 'A COMPREHENSIVE TOME TO MAGIC CIRCLES'. Just as its name implied, it gave highly detailed and practical instructions to the art of making magic circles...at least that was what the blurb said.
The book stated that magic circles needed to be drawn in specific patterns for the World Energy to flow through it correctly and produce the desired result.
It detailed that different patterns have varying effects such as amplifying one's Affinity in a certain radius, giving it shape or changing its effects. It also constantly stated that a single break in the circle circuit would result in failure of the circle which, depending on the level of the circle being created, could cause harm to the caster.
It all seemed fun and exciting but...the thing was that the darn book was too complicated.
The various patterns of circles that had to be memorized were extremely complex, including even the most basic ones. It seemed that magic couldn't just be used by anyone.
Ugh...
"It reminds me of calculus..."
Calculus.
A topic that all science students in the world feared at some point in their courses.
Integration...Differentiation...ugh...
Frankly, I was pretty decent in calculus, I could solve both basic and even some intermediate questions but...when advanced questions are thrown into the mix, things...get messy real fast.
The higher powers, the complicated arithmetic and the damn c constant I always have to remember to put.
Like God, why does it even exist?
I end up solving the questions though but not after a long bout of headache.
And that's the exact questions our coordinator keeps throwing at us...ugh it's always such a pain...
I stared at the book in silence, the word 'coordinator' lingering in my head.
I smiled faintly, "He must be pretty happy, happy to have us off his neck for once."
My words lingered in the air for a moment before I added, "I wonder if he knows about our situation? I wonder about my parents? And my brother, Miel? Fionna is probably in the university but what about the rest? Are they all right?"
I wanted answers to my questions but obviously there was no one to answer them.
HA...
I leaned back with a sigh before staring up at the ceiling, "I wonder if my classmates are, ok?"
The answer to that question was also vague.
My classmates could either still be under the lake's spell or...
I shuddered, not wanting to complete the thought.
I didn't want to admit that there was a possibility that I may never see my friends again, that I may never see Seba again.
My face turned warm and my hands wrapped around my body as if to mimic his warmth.
"I miss him so much...I miss Zara and Bells...I miss them all so much..."
And... Dave...
I closed my eyes and breathed in slowly, before exhaling.
"I can't save them if I keep hiding here, I can't save any of them if am weak."
I raised my head as my expression turned to one of determination,
"If I want to become stronger, then I have to learn it..."
I clenched my fist.
"I have to learn magic!"
...
HOO...FWOO...
I let out a short exhale before opening my eyes.
"Alright, let's do it."
My eyes swept across the room I was in; it was the upper floor of Marta's cottage – the room I dreaded so much.
I looked around, the room was just as I remembered, eerily plain.
Reminds me of Galter...
At my thought, I chuckled.
Who would have expected him to turn out to be so strong and so intelligent?
The First Architect...
In Marta's memories, the First Architect was a position regarded with great esteem among the inhabitants of the Floating Palisades – a position earned through a person's feats in the realms of arts and sciences as well as, surprisingly, magic.
It seems that magic is a field of study in this world...and Galter was originally meant to be the First Architect but he declined and another person...Annabeth Nightingale...was handed the title...
"Annabeth Nightingale...the older sister of Williem Nightingale..."
At the mention of his name, I frowned.
Williem Nightingale...he had seemed so charming at the start...to think that-well in movies its always the flawless looking guys that are the most flawed but to think he staged his own assassination attempt...
I shook my head, "That's some Alex level shit."
I chuckled lowly before frowning, "But...why?"
Marta...didn't learn the reason behind...Williem's ploy and I don't really have an idea...could it be some political struggle of sorts?
I thought deeply before giving up with a sigh. I never really liked politics, not even in fantasy novels.
But...I wonder...why did Marta say that Galter went mad?
Marta's last statement before she vanished. She told me that Galter had gone mad.
But...why and how did he go mad? Did he turn into an actual lunatic? Or was she speaking metaphorically?
I remembered one action of Galter Droet that had both amazed and puzzled me – it was when he destroyed the Wailing Bloom with just his words alone. It was like he cursed it to death.
Or...
I suddenly glanced out the window, remembering how the Wailing Bloom had blown into pieces just like the other monsters that wandered close to the barricade.
Suddenly, my eyes shone with brilliance.
I-is that Galter's magic? The power of words? Does the ancient barrier somehow have Galter's magic in them?
"But I've never heard any sound from the walls before?", I muttered perplexed.
I remained silent for a moment before sighing, "Ugh...I don't know..."
Silence soon engulfed the room before I suddenly jolted.
"I've...I've gone off track!"
I originally came to this room so I could practice magic but ended up pondering about Marta's memories instead.
I slapped my cheeks lightly and riled myself, "Get it together, Vicki."
With that, I turned to the two books and flower vase in front of me.
The books, I had taken from the study room, and the vase from the living room but the flowers in it were from the garden.
The first book was the one I was previously reading, 'A COMPREHENSIVE TOME TO MAGIC CIRCLES' and the second was one I had skimmed through before, 'Nascent Nature Arts'.
Picking up, a wilting white rose from the vase and the book on Nascent Nature Arts, I said,
"Can't believe am saying this but Williem I need your power."
HOO...FWOO...
I calmed myself with a respire and uttered, "Let's start."