Eve snapped awake as her alarm clock gently murmured the music of a babbling brook. While it could no longer run on electricity since the power was devoted to keeping food fresh, the battery backup in it still ran.

Reaching out her hand, Eve used Summon Book I to pull Volume 2 into her hands. Quickly before the memory from her dream faded she moved to the section of the book that lined up with her dream.

Remember, in a world with Mana, imagination is key.

Cheat.

Cheat.

Cheat.

Do not limit yourself to the concepts of our world, only death awaits those without imagination in such a world.

Eve stared at the passage for a long moment before slapping her forehead. Moving out of bed she quickly donned jeans and a black T-Shirt emblazoned with the symbol of Superman in cameo. Slipping on her socks, she grabbed the boots from her closet before finishing getting dressed.

If I’m right. God, please, let me be right. Eve thought. Moving quickly she pulled the paper from practicing last night with her into the garage. Approaching the 1978 Chevrolet truck her brother had left in her keeping, she spun several of the sheets of paper like buzz sawblades. Keeping a safe distance back, she watched as the front windshield was cut expertly out of place. Lifting the resulting sheet of glass to her hands, Eve moved back through the garage door closing it quietly. Grabbing a wet rag from the kitchen, she removed all the glass dust that clung to the large piece. Finishing she lay it down on the floor before taking a deep breath. Using the paper buzz saw setup once more she cut the large piece of safety glass into smaller pieces. The new segments were paper sized pieces of 8 by 11 inches using one of her current sheets to measure size.

“Please, please, please. Work like I imagine.” Eve said quietly as she activated Inkless Words I forming a string of text copied from her mind onto the first segment. The glass accepted the words without error causing her to clench her fists in excitement.

“Final test.” Eve said before activating Levitate Paper I onto the glass ‘paper sheet’.

As it rose gently into the air Eve watched it before screaming, Status, in her mind.

Name: Eve Smith

Race: Human

Class: Scholar

Level: 0

Health: 60/60 (.6 hps regen)

Mana: 118/120 (1.2 mps regen)

Stats: Str 7, Dex 8, Con 6, Wis 11, Int 12

Skills: Scholar’s Sight I (3%)

Spells: Levitate Paper I (20%), Inkless Words I (2%), Summon Book I (1%)

The trick worked, yet it costed more mana than normal. More than likely due to the Spell not being used on actual paper. While the System considered anything with words printed on it, and sized correctly ‘paper’ there was still an additional cost in mana.

Still, it can be a trump card. Eve thought with glee. Unlike normal paper, solid ‘paper’ like glass or metal could be sharpened to a razor edge. While she had no proof that it would make a difference in cutting power, or blunt force, Eve knew it would fill the third type of damage perfectly. Paper darts had eluded her, but now she could have ‘paper’ darts made from glass, or perhaps even metal. The possibilities ran threw her mind, and she moved quickly to experiment.

Simple rules were quickly established. Nothing smaller than a playing card could be considered a ‘sheet’ of paper. Nothing larger than a normal piece of eight by eleven inches worked either. There was no forming a giant guillotine ‘sheet’ for easy murder allowed.

Other than size, Eve also found that certain metals didn’t work, along with colored glass. The rules seemed to follow a pattern that she didn’t yet understand. However, iron cards created by cutting part of her toolbox into pieces worked. The same for small cards created from a piece of her bathroom mirror, as well as glass. While it may have appeared that she was picking random things, each of these items brought something to the table.

Iron for the Faerie.

Silver for Weres.

Glass for Spirits.

Once the items were considered ‘paper sheets’ and she was able to use Levitate Paper I on them it was child’s play to create razor sharp card sized weapons. Eve created, small, medium, and normal sized ‘sheets’ for use. The result caused her brother’s truck to look quite a bit worse for wear, yet she was sure he would forgive her for staying alive at the cost of his precious baby.

Probably.

Yeah, let’s not mention this either if we ever meet again. Monsters got the truck. Damn those monsters Matt, right? Eve thought, practicing her alibi in her head. Just in case. Maybe I should switch it to Dragons. Dragons got the truck, like the dog ate my homework. That works, I’ll go with that.

Practicing the new materials after adding razor edges onto them cost more mana than she regenerated. This led to her creating a schedule of practice. First with normal paper sheets, then glass, then mirrored silver, then truck metal. Lunch was barely a blip in the constant practice, and finally Eve was rewarded by a message from the System.

The Spell of Levitate Paper I has reached 100%.

You may choose the following upgrades to the Spell:

Increase range of the Spell.

Increase paper strength for each sheet used in the Spell.

Increase time per Spell use.

Increase number of pages per Spell use.

Decrease cost of the Spell.

Option unavailable at this time.

Option unavailable at this time.

Option unavailable at this time.

Checking each available upgrade Eve was able to see the following.

Increase range of the Spell.

The range will be increased by double current.

Increase paper strength for each sheet used in the Spell.

Stronger than before by double current.

Increase time per Spell use.

Double current time limit.

Increase number of pages per Spell use.

Double current number of sheets per Spell.

Decrease cost of the Spell.

Halve the cost of each cast.

Eve was about to choose before she paused for a second. Didn’t she have the perfect power for something like this?

Scholar’s Sight! Eve thought, activating the Skill. She’d been so enamored with the Spell it had almost completely slipped her mind that she had more than just Spells.

Using the Skill revealed a far greater degree of information.

Increase range of the Spell.

The range will be increased by double current.

(The cost of the Spell will double. Each sheet will double the cost as well, and halve the time.)

Increase paper strength for each sheet used in the Spell.

Stronger than before by double current.

(The cost of the Spell will double. Each sheet will double the cost as well, and halve the time.)

Increase time per Spell use.

Double current time limit.

(The cost of the Spell will double. Each sheet will double the cost as well, and halve the time.)

Increase number of pages per Spell use.

Double current number of sheets per Spell.

(The cost of the Spell will double. Each sheet will double the cost as well, and halve the time.)

Decrease cost of the Spell.

Halve the cost of each cast.

(The period of time the casting lasts decreases by twenty percent for each decrease in cost. This option can Evolve at higher Ranks.)

Eve shuddered as she realized she had narrowly avoided a trap. Doubling the cost of the spell, because of course there was no free lunch!

“Decrease cost of the Spell, System.” Eve said as her breathing dropped back to normal from the scare.

User has selected to decrease the cost of the Spell.

The effect can evolve to utilize ambient mana with a higher Rank of the Spell.

Wow. I can only imagine how shitty it would be to find that out the hard way. Eve thought. There are probably upgrade Paths that have been mapped out meticulously for generations. Just one more way the upper class can stay up, right?

Wiping her forehead that had been covered with cold clammy sweat from the near mistake Eve moved to take a shower. Using her favorite large fluffy towel, and a smaller fluffy towel for her shoulder length hair, she took a seat in her favorite bedside chair facing the now defunct TV in her room. Using Summon Book I she pulled Volume 2 of her brother’s Transport to Another World series to her hand. Opening the book she moved to the section for creating synergistic combinations for combat. With Inkless Words I she wrote a small note in the extra space provided to always use her Skill before choosing any upgrade. Leaving a bookmark in the section she put the book on the nearby nightstand before finishing toweling herself off. Putting the towels up to hang, Eve slipped into bed before starting her nightly ritual of practicing before sleep.

The day had been filled with ups and downs, and while she hadn’t yet managed to get outside to try hunting it was only a matter of time. She would give one more day practicing on defense with Levitate Paper II before she tried hunting. Picking up the notepad from underneath her brother’s Volume 2, she made a quick list of things to do tomorrow.

First she needed to eat breakfast.

Then practice defense.

Clear the solar panels if there was any snow on them.

Practice offense.

Eat lunch.

Practice observing her garden for any new changes. If any of the plants looked the least bit carnivorous they had to go.

Eat dinner.

The following day after that would be her first attempt at hunting from atop her house. As for exiting her house out the front door and trying to hunt inside the forest? Screw that.

No reason to abandon a defensible position for the vagaries of hunting in a forest chock full of murder beasts. Eve thought.

In a small ritual that was starting to become tradition, Eve pulled up her Status before sleep.

Name: Eve Smith

Race: Human

Class: Scholar

Level: 0

Health: 60/60 (.6 hps regen)

Mana: 118/120 (1.2 mps regen)

Stats: Str 7, Dex 8, Con 6, Wis 11, Int 12

Skills: Scholar’s Sight I (13%)

Spells: Levitate Paper II (1%), Inkless Words I (12%), Summon Book I (11%)

Focusing on Levitate Paper II the new effect was shown.

Levitate Paper II

Move paper anywhere within five meters of your body for ten minutes.

Spell cost is halved.

The effect can evolve to utilize ambient mana with a higher Rank of the Spell.

Smiling, she dropped off to sleep. Images of roast chickens, turkey, and rabbits flowing through her mind as dreamland took hold.