Today was the day.

The most important day since Liliana had found herself in a strange body and strange world.

The day she finally leveled.

Liliana double-checked her gear, then triple-checked it. She knew Astrid had checked it for her already but her nerves demanded she re-check. Some niggling fear in her brain had her convinced she would forget a key item by the time she was already an hour from home, and be forced to turn around and head back. To return defeated because she had forgotten her naginata, or her daggers, or her water.

Okay, I have my food. My two canteens, the map, the compass, the Health and Mana tinctures, the poultice, bandages, food, and two gathering bags. Liliana replaced each item carefully, leaving the map and compass on top so she could easily reach them. She closed the bag and slid it onto her back, ensuring it was a snug fit and wouldn’t be so loose it would rub her shoulders raw. She double-checked that her daggers were on her hips before she let Astrid help her put on her cloak.

This cloak was the same one she wore to training. A plain, dark brown to blend easier into the forest and the shadows. It wasn’t too thick as they were getting close to summer now. Liliana had come to this world at the beginning of spring, she was grateful now that she had. Had she come in fall she’d have had to put off leveling until the end of winter. She’d heard of the harsh winters they suffered on the Northern side of the country by the mountains. According to Silas, it wasn’t a concern for anyone with over 100 Vitality as they could heal faster than the cold could hurt them. But for someone like her with a measly 20 Vitality, it would be deadly.

Liliana looked over herself in the mirror, catching sight of determined sapphire blue eyes set in a face that had lost the last of its baby fat. Her training had shed any lingering fat left on her body, she looked like a young adventurer going on her first Quest. Not a disgraced and unloved Nobleman’s daughter. Not a sick and cancer-ridden waif. She looked strong, stronger than she’d ever felt in this life or the last. The feeling drew a smile to her face as she turned to Astrid.

“I’m ready,” She said and Astrid frowned, looking over her. The woman brushed some non-existent wrinkles out of her clothes before taking a deep breath.

“You be safe, you hear me, Liliana?” Astrid’s voice was hard, her eyes steel. Liliana’s own eyes widened at the tone and the lack of title used. Astrid never dropped her title. She had never taken such a tone with her. While the woman had raised her, she had never forgotten the difference in their stations. Liliana nodded to the woman, to the first person who had loved her and cared for her in the world.

“I’ll be careful Auntie, I promise. And I’ll be back in our clearing right as the sun sets,” Liliana promised. They had agreed she should be back by sunset. It would be dangerous for her to be out in unfamiliar territory after dark. While there wasn’t too much in the area that could really give her trouble there was always the chance of a roaming monster. Most high-level creatures hunted at night as well. So to lessen the risk as much as possible Liliana was to avoid being out after dark.

“I wish you’d take someone with you,” Astrid sighed, though she knew why Liliana couldn’t.

The only person she could take was Silas, and he couldn’t be gone that long. It also raised the issue of experience share. Which she’d found described in a book and had verified by Silas. If there were others near you that you were with they would get a portion of the experience. If they were far over your level it could severely decrease the experience you received as a penalty. With Silas at level 190 and Liliana at level 1, it would mean she got no experience. Astrid couldn’t come because she’d be covering for Liliana while she was gone. Perhaps unnecessary as the servants, as much as they might not respect her, wouldn’t seek her out. The only people who would do such things were her family or her Governess, all of whom were gone now.

“I’ll be okay Auntie, I won’t take any stupid risks. I’ll stick to fighting level 1’s and 2’s until I level. I won’t aim for anything more than 3 levels over me and if absolutely anything feels off I’ll head home,” Liliana promised. It was true too, while she wanted power and wanted it fast she also wasn’t willing to die again. She had just got her new life, her first chance to really live. She wasn’t going to give that up. It was why, despite the urgency she felt to grow powerful quickly, she’d spent so long on raising her stats. She desperately didn’t want to give up this new life she’d found. As awful as it was at times, it was her first chance to really live. She’d do whatever it took to protect this new life. If it meant she had to spend longer than needed making sure she was over-prepared for something, she’d do it ten times over. She wasn’t willing to die young a second time.

Also, she didn’t want to know what Vita would do to her soul if she died before completing her Quest. Something told her the Goddess wouldn’t be as benevolent in the face of failure.

“I know, you’re a smart girl. And you’ve surprised me over these months with your dedication and skills, still, I worry,” Astrid sighed once more before she stepped back She wiped at her eyes which had gathered a few heavy tears. Liliana took a step forward and hugged the woman tightly. Astrid didn’t hesitate in returning the embrace and Liliana would swear she heard her ribs creaking under the woman's surprisingly strong arms. Warmth and love-filled her as she was held by a woman she had honestly come to see as a mother. She would never forget her mom from her past life, but it didn’t mean that Liliana didn’t have the room in her heart to fit a second.

“Okay, let's get you out before the manor gets too busy,” Astrid pulled back with a loving smile and Liliana giggled a bit as she followed along.

They made their way quickly through the manor. It was early morning, the sun barely rising, yet the servants woke before the sun and were already active. It was far more difficult to leave at this time and the risk of being seen was far higher than when they left in the evenings.

Astrid stopped before her and with a shooing motion alerted Liliana to an approaching servant. The girl ducked into a nearby linen closet, closing the door quietly and practically holding her breath as she heard the approaching footsteps.

Astrid must have some kind of Skill that let her hear before me. [Maid’s Intuition] perhaps? Liliana idly wondered as she tried to keep herself as small and quiet as she could.

“Oh, hello there Astrid.” A feminine voice leaked through the door and Liliana froze. The voice was very close.

“Hello Alice, are you on the way to the kitchens?” Astrid asked, her voice cheery. Liliana silently applauded her maid’s composure.

“Yes, I’m to get the Steward his morning tea,” The other woman responded, though her tone suggested she certainly did not want that job. Mentally Liliana noted it down. She had no idea what kind of politics were going on with the servants and it might be a good idea to find out. The only friends and allies she had were servants, after all, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to expand that circle. And perhaps get information on her family while she was at it.

“Oh, well, I best not hold you up. I know he can be very particular about punctuality,” Astrid held a bit of sympathy in her tone. The other maid sighed wearily before she said her goodbye and walked off. Liliana waited until Astrid knocked on the door to leave the closet.

“That was close!” Liliana said, her heart was still beating quickly at the almost disastrous encounter. Her face held a grin though, it was exhilarating.

“So it was, lets go before anyone else comes, “Astrid said, her face worried. Liliana obediently followed the maid and this time they managed to avoid any other servants.

When they got to the training meadow Silas was waiting, with Liliana’s naginata. She could hide her dagger easily, Astrid was the only maid allowed in her rooms. Or perhaps the only maid who wanted to be in her rooms. So she didn’t have to worry about someone finding them. But the naginata was simply too big and much harder to hide and move around the manor with unseen.

Until Liliana could get a spatial bag Silas would have to keep her naginata with him and give it to her anytime she wanted to go out. It irked her a bit, but there was nothing she could do about it yet.

“Look at you, you look like a warrior!” Silas greeted with a big grin that Liliana found herself matching eagerly. She practically snatched her naginata from his hands, running reverent hands up and down the haft to reassure herself it had not been damaged through the night.

“Hah! Did you think I’d hurt your weapon Lady?” Silas teased and Liliana stuck her tongue out at him as she stopped her examination. Her naginata was as perfect as it had been the night before. She felt better with it at her side, more whole.

“Now don’t forget these,” Silas cautioned her, handing over another small bag. Liliana rested her naginata in the crook of her elbow so she could use both hands to look inside. She saw a whetstone, cleaning cloths, vials of oils, and cleaning chemicals inside. Everything she’d need to care for her weapons while she was out, and more. She’d been shown how to use every last item the night before. With how many times Silas had made her repeat every action she was certain she could do it in her sleep. She tied the bag on her belt and grinned up at Silas.

“So am I ready, Captain?” She asked, giving him a salute she’d seen the other guards and cadets use when addressing him. Silas blinked at her before a deep laugh erupted from him.

“Never in my life did I think I’d see a noble saluting to me!” Silas got out when his laughter subsided.

“Well you’re my trainer, it felt appropriate,” Liliana responded primly. Silas smiled at her, a warm smile before he reached out and ruffled her hair. Liliana was frozen in shock. While she and Silas had good banter other than her hug the previous day they’d never exchanged any kind of physical contact outside of spars. It took a moment for her to overcome the shock before she pulled away pouting at the man for messing up her hair.

“You’ll ruin my braid!” Liliana whined as she frantically patted her hair. Silas blinked at his hand, seeming as shocked as she had been at the action. Recovering, he chuckled once more at her words.

“What’s a bit of mussed-up hair for a budding adventurer? “Silas asked and Liliana rolled her eyes at the man, huffing. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face though.

“You ready to head out?“ Silas asked and Liliana dropped her act She bit her lip nervously as she looked in the direction she’d be heading. She’d be going deeper into the forest that bordered the estate. Past the boundary wards that kept the monsters from getting close and then still further. It would take her a bit longer to get to the area she wanted since she couldn’t travel the roads. Too much of a chance of a servant who knew her seeing her.

“Yes,” Liliana finally said, looking at him with determined eyes, even if her hands shook a bit.

“Well then, may Venati bless you,” Silas’s voice was solemn now as he invoked the prayer. Venati was the God of hunting, both the hunting of normal creatures and for magical ones. Any adventurer sought his blessing before heading out to fight a monster or to delve into a dungeon, as it was said he could increase their odds of success.

Liliana didn’t expect attention from another God, she suspected that Vita’s Boon’s would be seen as more than enough for her in her endeavors. Her suspicions were proved right when no alert popped up. Venati hadn’t seen fit to give her his blessing today.

“Well, off I go!” Liliana said, smiling at Silas and Astrid before she turned and made her way into the forest.

“Okay according to the map I shouldn’t be far from the Slime grounds,” Liliana murmured. She was resting on a large boulder, her naginata next to her as she examined her map and compass. She carefully put them away, grabbing a small piece of cheese to eat. Washing it down with a drink from her canteen she put her bag and cloak back on and grabbed her naginata heading off in the direction for the Slime grounds.

She’d chosen to head for the Slime grounds first because Slimes were notoriously slow. They also had no ranged attacks so Liliana could use her naginata to stab at them from a distance without ever risking herself. She also didn’t want to head for one of the other known areas because the creatures there resembled earthen rabbits and squirrels a bit too much. Liliana wasn’t sure if she was prepared to kill a bunny rabbit just yet.

Liliana paused periodically as she moved to grab plants she recognized from reading herbology guides. She still found potion making and alchemy highly interesting. Though she’d had no time to devote to it other than the light reading she’d done on magical plants. She didn’t know a lot but she could recognize several common plants and fungi used in different tinctures and poultices. She hoped she could have Astrid sell them to whoever made the tinctures and poultices they used at the manor. It could get her a small bit of coin.

Liliana almost didn’t realize she’d arrived into Slime territory until she’d practically tripped over a dark brown Slime. With a yelp, she jumped back. The blob had reached out little tentacles of goop at her but hadn’t touched her. She used [Identify] on it to be sure it was within her range.

Mud Slime

Level 2

A Slime that has a slight Earth Affinity. Can regenerate health from absorbing mud and dirt.

Rank: Unranked

Liliana smiled at the information, [Identify] was at level 17 now and gave far more information to her than it did originally. She looked at her new opponent and leveled her naginata at it. If it could regenerate from dirt she’d just have to kill it before it could.

Using all of her 20 strength Liliana stabbed her naginata down into the Slime, aiming for the core that floated at its center. Typically one wanted to leave monster cores alone. While it was a quick way to kill a creature it meant you lost the material. Monster cores were useful and used in all manner of enchantments, potions, elixirs, spells, weapons, armor, and creations. But Slime cores were so easy to get and so plentiful that they sold for one copper to ten. You couldn’t even sell a single Slime core, no one would take it. So Liliana had decided when it came to the Slime’s she’d just destroy their cores rather than try to salvage them. It wouldn't be worth toting around a hundred cores to just get herself ten copper.

The first hit struck, her naginata barely finding resistance in the Slime’s body before it impacted the core. Liliana could see the core crack but not shatter and she pulled her weapon back for another stab. As she moved she saw the Slime desperately trying to gather dirt, the Slime growing and slowly shrinking as the crack in the core started to heal. Liliana didn’t give it time to heal, her second strike destroyed the damaged core. The Slime lost its shape and muddy goop splashed over the ground, topped by the broken pieces of the core.

White essence rose from the monster’s corpse and flew to Liliana, passed into her with no resistance. Liliana’s eyes widened as she felt new energy rush through her like she’d just taken a shot of espresso, as the creature’s essence filled her. A grin broke out over her face.

“Wow, I see why there are so many adventurers if killing monsters feels like that,” Lilian murmured.

You’ve killed a Level 2 Mud Slime

+1000 Experience

+500 Experience from Boon

You’ve reached Level 3.

+10 Stat points

+4 Stat Points from Boon.

An overwhelming feeling of euphoria hit her with the double level up. Liliana stared at the notifications and sat down suddenly in shock.

This is what it feels like to level? Makes sense why there are so many high leveled people then, that felt amazing. Liliana was still a bit thrown off, the high-like feeling of leveling combined with the utter insanity of getting two levels after one kill felt surreal. More surreal than her fighting a Slime with a weapon. Something she’d never thought possible in her last life. For a multitude of reasons.

She had expected leveling at first would be somewhat easy. In the game she’d usually hit Level 10 in a couple of hours of leveling at the start, it got harder the higher level you were of course. She also had a Boon that gave her a huge buff to experience gain. She hadn’t expected to go up two levels after one kill though! She had thought that unlike the game this part would be harder, it was real after all. Nothing in real life was ever easy.

Liliana grinned, excitement overcame her lingering shock as she realized that for once in her life something was easy. At least, for now. In the back of her mind, she knew it would get harder as she leveled. Liliana didn’t hesitate with opening her Status Sheet, wanting to see the numbers laid out there for her to see.

Status Sheet

Name

Liliana Rosengarde

Age

14

Level

3

Class

Locked

Race

Human

Rank

Locked

Health

200

H-Regen

+2/1.1sec

Mana

200

M-Regen

+2/1.1sec

Stamina

155/200

S-Regen

+2/1.1sec

Magic Power

200

Magic Control

250

Experience: 200/1,600

Vitality

20

Endurance

20

Strength

20

Dexterity

20

Wisdom

20

Intelligence

20

Speed

20

Charisma

20

Unallocated Stat Points: 14

Liliana let out a little happy squeal as she looked over the information. Her first levels! And new stat points she could allocate without weeks of training! No need to run away from Silas until she couldn’t breathe, no bruises littering her body! Just free stats, there for her to do whatever she wanted to with them! Liliana closed out her Sheet, wanting to save the stats until she had more and a better idea of where to properly put them. Her stats were already good enough to handle other Slimes around her level without issue. She jumped to her feet, eager to see exactly how far she could push her luck.

Liliana’s eyes scanned the forest around her, eager for her next victim. Seeing no Slimes she moved forward, steps light and naginata poised to destroy the next unfortunate Slime. She picked up on a Slime resting on a tree, almost blending into the leaves with its green coloring.

Sap Slime

Level 2

A Slime that has a slight Earth Affinity. Made of a stick sap that can trap prey in it.

Rank: Unranked

Liliana frowned at the stick sap comment, she’d probably have to clean her blade after this fight if she didn’t want all kinds of debris stuck to it. The allure of more experience called to her though and she barely hesitated before aiming for the Slime’s core. It was a bit harder to shove her blade through its body and to its core. Nothing her strength couldn’t handle but a noticeable difference from the Mud Slime. Pulling it out also used more of her strength and before she could free her blade the Slime seemed to grab hold of it. As she pulled back her blade the Slime came with it.

“Let go of my weapon!” Liliana growled at the Slime as she swung her naginata around to try and shake the pest loose. The Slime was unexpectedly tenacious and refused to let go of its prize. Liliana glared at it, looking for a way to remove the sticky creature. Her eyes focused back on the same tree and with a vicious smirk, she held her naginata like a bat and swung it against the tree. The Slime was caught between the blade and the tree, Liliana’s strength providing the pressure needed to destroy its core. As it died the some of the sap lost its grip and dripped off her weapon. As if in a last act of defiance a good amount of the viscous liquid stayed stuck to her blade. Liliana quickly forgot her irritation when the essence filled her and a stronger sense of power and euphoria filled her. Her bit of tiredness from her small fights and hike here were forgotten in the rush. She felt filled to the brim in energy for a few moments before it faded to a low hum in her blood.

You’ve killed a Level 2 Sap Slime

+1000 Experience

+500 Experience from Boon

You’ve reached Level 4.

+5 Stat points

+2 Stat Points from Boon.

Liliana pulled up her Status Sheet, succumbing to the urge to allocate her points when she felt something on her foot. Dismissing the Status Sheet she saw a new Slime on her foot, this one was just plain blue like the Slimes she remembered seeing in most games.

Slime

Level 1

A regular Slime with no affinity to call its own.

Rank: Unranked

Liliana frowned at it. She wasn’t sure what the creature was trying to do to her foot but she did not appreciate having any freeloading monsters using her as a taxi service. With a kick, she flung the Slime off. It hit the ground hard, several globs of goo falling from it. It was even smaller than before now, small enough Liliana could cup it in both hands. With no remorse, Liliana stabbed its core, the first strike shearing through it. Essence flowed from the creature into Liliana and she smiled happily. This time she looked around for a safe place to sit and found another boulder clear of Slimes. She climbed up and set her naginata across her lap. She frowned at the sticky sap stuck to the blade, some of the blue Slime had stuck to it and there was residual mud on it as well.

Five minutes later her blade was sparkling once more and Liliana was free to look at her stats without interruption. She pulled up her Status Sheet once more and looked over her points.

Charisma is the most important thing for Bonding, even if I won’t be using it for a while it would be good to get the Stat up before I need it. Otherwise, I’ll be stuck playing catch-up when I really do need it. So 4 points there. Liliana nodded at the decision. It hurt a bit to use stat points on a skill she wouldn’t see a lot of use for yet, but it would be worth it when she got her first Bond.

I should also add 3 points to Vitality and Strength. I know I haven’t gotten hit yet by the Slimes, and I don’t know if they’re strong enough to even have attacks. But I really hate training Vitality and the higher that Stat gets with levels the better. I’ll also add 4 points to Endurance, I’ll be using Stamina a lot today and the less time I need to spend resting the more levels I can get! Liliana double-checked her math and looked at where she’d spend the last 7 points she had.

I haven’t used [Light Burst] yet but I should, and [Enhancement] and [Regeneration] both use Mana too. I’ll up Intelligence and Wisdom by 2. I’ll add 2 to Speed, in case I run against something too strong and need to get the fuck out fast. And I suppose I’ll give a point to Dexterity. I don’t use it too much, and it gets points quickly with all of the Embroidery and Dancing but it looked kind of sad. Liliana sighed at her personification of a stat but still dropped her last point onto Dexterity. Looking over her new stats one last time she confirmed the changes. Heat surged through her as the essence stored from the Slimes was integrated into her body. It wasn’t unpleasant, three levels of essence gave her a comfortable feeling like napping in the sun. When it was done and her body reflected her changes Liliana felt like she’d just finished a warm-up.

Liliana pulled up her Status Sheet to see the changes, doing a small dance of happiness from her seated position at the noticeable difference three levels of stats made.

Status Sheet

Name

Liliana Rosengarde

Age

14

Level

4

Class

Locked

Race

Human

Rank

Locked

Health

230

H-Regen

+2.3/1.1sec

Mana

220

M-Regen

+2.2/1.1sec

Stamina

240

S-Regen

+2.4/1.1sec

Magic Power

220

Magic Control

270

Experience: 850/2,500

Vitality

23

Endurance

24

Strength

23

Dexterity

21

Wisdom

22

Intelligence

22

Speed

22

Charisma

24

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

Her eyes caught on her Magic Control, her highest stat so far. Her frequent use of Mana Manipulation to try and find new spells had caused the stat to increase steadily. It and Magic Power were the only two stats that could increase without their connecting stats of Intelligence and Wisdom increasing with it. They could also grow past the level cap. She’d found in her research, Magic Power and Control had a direct impact on your Rank later on. Ranks apparently had to do with your level and your Power and Control. All three had to be at a specific point to advance to the next rank. It was because one’s power originated from their Mana Core, and Magic Power and Control directly impacted how that was controlled and how powerful one’s Mana was. The strength of one’s Mana Core was what allowed them to Rank up. It was all rather confusing to Liliana at first and had taken time to understand, partially because it was different from the game’s mechanics.

Now she felt she had a slight understanding of it, as long as she got to the right level and her Magic Power and Control were at the right point she could Rank up. She could increase the stats by bumping up Intelligence and Wisdom and by manipulating the Mana in her body and her spells. Thankfully she didn’t have to worry about it too much just yet, as it didn’t really become necessary to manually improve one’s Control and Power until Rank 5 and above.

Liliana closed out of the sheet and hopped down from the boulder. Done with her introspection she was ready to find more Slimes to continue her one-sided massacre. She saw another Sap Slime but decided against fighting it. She was about to walk away and find a Slime that wouldn’t force her to spend another five minutes cleaning when a thought filled her.

Holding out her hand she pointed it at the Slime and focused on the one combat spell she had.

[Light Burst], a ball of light gathered at her palm, heat-less it looked utterly harmless as it flew from her and into the Slime. Up until the moment it hit and burst into shards of light that impaled the Slime mercilessly. The Slime shuddered and globs of gooey sap fell off but it wasn’t dead yet. Liliana focused again on the spell. This time she tried to pump more Mana than it needed into it, filling it until she could feel the spell integrity about to break down. It was twice the size as before and when it impacted the Slime the explosion was larger, the bark on the tree getting sliced by it as well as the Slime.

You’ve killed a Level 2 Sap Slime

+1000 Experience

+500 Experience from Boon

[Light Burst] Has leveled up to Level 2.

Light Burst: For 35 Mana send out a ball of light that will explode on contact with target, inflicting Light damage to a target. Damage equal to 20% of Magic Power

For an additional 30 Mana empower your Light Burst to double its size, area of effect, and damage.

Liliana smiled at the new notifications, she paid special attention to the newest information on the spell. That hadn’t been there before and it seemed the System had decided to make her experiment official. A quick check of her Status showed that her original attack had cost her 90 Mana, so the System’s version was more economical. [Light Burst] was an expensive spell, but it wasn’t a surprise. The spell required 35% affinity for Light, meaning it was typically a higher-level spell. She remembered beginner attack spells being weaker, usually dealing 5 or 10 damage at level 1 but costing around 15-20 Mana. Her Light Burst did 44 damage based on her Magic Power, and that would increase as both the spell leveled and her Magic Power increased. With its empowered version it dealt 88 damage, which should take care of most things around her level. Though it would deplete her of Mana fast. As it was she was down to 120 Mana, slowly increasing with her regen. She could do one more empower Light Burst or 3 more regular ones.

Liliana nodded to herself, already satisfied with her results and she’d barely been fighting for thirty minutes. She set off once again to look for more globs of free experience.