As usual during lunch, Swamy went to practice his flute. He didn't know if he had gotten good enough but atleast his parents praise had helped. But just in case they were partial with his playing, more practice couldn't hurt. And so he was in the sound room practicing his flute. After playing, he listened to the recorded sound and try to judge his mistakes and probably how to make his sound better. Music, he had learned was the toughest thing there was. For even if he made no mistakes, the sound did not sound beautiful. There was just something about art, which only another human could analyze and say that it is good...or not.

Practicing alone, however, he hoped that it would sound good to others as well. 'Atleast it didn't sound horrible or my parents would have told me!' he consoled himself.

The next time Swamy logged in, was after his parents left. Monday was an embarrassing day, more embarrassing than the parent-teacher meets in school. Atleast in school everyone's parents visited. In college, they stood out even more. What's more his professor turned out to be someone they knew from before, they had met during one of the conferences. And as such, much of Monday morning was discussing the advantages and disadvantages of virtual gaming on humans, correction one particular human, Swamy. Showing his parents around campus was not bad, but when the head of department is walking around with them, you stick out like the sun in the night sky.

His parents left happy and for that he was pretty happy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have grown. Your Age is now 10.

This was the first message Raka got after logging in. Still wondering how the 'Age' system worked! Computing had become almost light speed compared to the slow computers of earlier years, like 2014. Which made it possible for VR games to employ many many attributes to define a component. For example 'Art'. Thousands of points were used to define what looked beautiful in the VR world, which would closely relate to the real world. It also made possible to create art in the game. In fact for everything existing and player-created thousands of points were applied to come up with its properties and quality. Even the experience each monster gave, was mathematically calculated based on a number of factors

So to simply say that the 'age' system acted this way was nigh impossible. It may be simple but it also could be a factor of a lot of points. In any case, somethings can't be figured out just in a couple of months of gameplay.

Accepting it as is, he moved to resume his classes on magic language.

Raka was close now. The entire morning, he spent listening to instructors and in the afternoon he moved on to the magic library to peruse books. Just as it was getting dark and the sun was getting down, he finally got the message,

You have grown up. Your age is now 11.

Magic Language: 100%

You have learned Magic Language. You can now read and write Magic Language.

'Hmm well its good that I learned magic language but whats with my age! Hah anyway, time to learn the spell writing skill. I better meet with Lady Verina now.' And he headed towards the training hall.

'She's late!' Raka was waiting for her to come for a while now. Usually she arrived quite early and Raka would come either early or late. But today Raka was already late, and she was still not here. After waiting for some time he decided to check her office. 'Maybe she fell asleep again!'

He reached the office and knocked the door. 'No answer eh'. Raka leaned closer trying to hear and heard deep breathing sounds. He wanted to open the door but this time he restrained. Last time was bad enough. He knocked loudly and heard something fall off and shattering inside.

"Who...what!!!" came sounds as Lady Verina woke up with a grumble. Raka knocked again, lightly this time. After a while,

"Enter!"

Raka opened the door and stepped inside. Her hair was still tousled lightly and a stack on her table seemed to have fallen down. Something had broken and its pieces were scattered across the floor. She had a little trouble focusing.

"Ah its you!" she said as she took a yawn!

"Yes, you were late! So I came to see. Seems like you are already very tired! Should we skip today's training?"

"Hmm...yes I would like that very much!"

'I would like that as well' thought Raka.

"But well, we can skip the physical part, I am too tired to move right now. Just came back from the capital and it was a rather tiring journey."

Raka stayed quiet, listening to her complain.

"Hmm so what do we do then? Should we call it a night?"

"Um...I just learned magic language. Could you teach me how to make spell scrolls?"

"Ah that's right! I did say I would teach you that! Ah well this will require you to use magic as well, so lets head down to the training hall! Just let me get a few things....." saying which she opened a drawer and grabbed a couple of papers and some quills or pens with feathers behind them.

They walked down to the training hall.

"So the basics of making a spell scroll is to embed magic on paper. It is different from the kind of embedding you have done so far. Instead of making a coat, this time imagine energy flowing through the paper."

"Okay, I will give it a try!"

Raka entered his colorful world. This time he saw the form of the paper he was holding with his fingers, though again, he could only clearly see the parts away from his hands. He moved his hands like he was making a coat but he moved in a way like he was pushing air into it. A little while later, he saw the colors move again. The colors seemed to be moving through the paper out the other side. Slowly the paper form seemed to be getting brighter than before but he couldn't be sure. He looked at his energy meter and it was slowly rising. He did not know how much energy he would need, so he simply assumed enough energy to make a small fire ,should be enough.

Raka opened his eyes.

"That is good. Energy has been embedded on this paper. The more energy you put in, the more powerful magic becomes. The next step is to write the magic using magic language. Lets try with a simple one. Try writing 'wind' on it. Not 'air' but wind!"

Raka took one of the pens she had come with and wrote the word for 'wind' on the paper. The paper did not feel any different and in reality looked the same as it was before. After writing the word, he looked up towards Lady Verina for the next step.

"Now fold it, like this. Seal it, here's a little wax. Now write on the front the 'name'. For now, just write 'wind' on it as well."

Raka did as she directed.

"Try calling it now!"

"Wind!" The scroll vanished and a small wind was created. It blew from his hands, just like a hair dryer, wind blew wherever his hands pointed. A little later it stopped.

"Wow!" he said.

"Yes! good one! Remember that you cannot think of the name, you have to speak it out. Otherwise you would simply be doing magic, holding a piece of paper and not using the spell scroll."

Raka nodded.

"Also remember that the energy every magic requires to take effect, will be different. That is something you will have to realize on your own. Too little and the magic would not create the proper effect, too much and it will spiral out of control. Remember, it is designed so that anyone may use it. Everyone can use magic potentially, however not everyone actually trains in it. They may lack the perception of mana but rest assured they have it. Spell scrolls are designed with a factor of control, only the embedded energy in the paper will be used. So it does not affect their mana though there may be a limit of how many they can use at a time, depending on how powerful you make the spell scroll."

"So does it consume mana, seeing as there is a limit?"

"No! Mana is about controlling the transformed magic. When you embed it on paper, energy is transformed. When you write magic language, you already put in control. It will only create the magic you write and only use the power you put. So mana is not required. Mana is required when creating a spell scroll though as it is still transforming magic. Any questions?"

"Um..no! I think I have it pretty clear."

"Good, in that case you have learned how to make a spell scroll...."

You have learned the skill Spell Writing.

"Skill description, Spell Writing"

Skill Spell Writing (Beginner lvl 1: 1%) : Ability to use writing surfaces like paper to make scrolls of energy. Using magic language, magic can be embedded on these scrolls. The magic written has to be named. Invoking of the magic can then be performed by calling the name. It transforms the scroll's energy and hence the scroll itself can be used only one time. Magic embedded scrolls can be shared/given to magicians or non magicians for use.

As usual after his magic training, Raka headed to Neona's.

"No no, I said 1 stone of flour and a quarter stone of sugar" came Neona's voice as she corrected Raka. Raka had learned loads about cooking while working. He had even noted it down. Now he was confident he could make fruit pies and was eager to try it.

"Neona, is it ok, if I make a blueberry pie by myself. You can just watch me. I want to see if I can make one by myself."

"Hmm ok. If you become better, it will help me a lot. Lets see you make one then!"

"Thank you...here goes" and Raka started measuring things out to make a blueberry pie. When he got confused, he looked at his notes. "And this goes like this....and now to mix everything..." he muttered as Neona watched.

Soon he prepared everything and put it in the oven to bake. "The trick here is to watch carefully the heat and the rising" as he stoked the fire.

Some time later he took it out. Raka checked that the dough rose as he expected. He turned to Neona,

"Here Neona, please taste it!"

Neona took a small slice and waited a bit for it to cool down.

"Hmm the taste is good. The pie is cooked well. Seems like I can let you make some of my things from now!" She said happily.

Raka was happy. All the time practising with Neona, making so many notes, making mistakes and making more notes, he had finally improved his cooking to satisfactory levels. Oh hell, if Neona agrees to sell it in her shop, then it was beyond satisfactory to say the least.

He and Neona spent the rest of the time cooking everything. He cooked it delicious, but he was still slow was her only complaint.

Now if he could only show it to Lady Altia.

Next day, he skipped the library in the morning. He went to Neona's to ask and use her kitchen. He went upstairs while she minded her shop and slowly and carefully made an apple pie.

'Turned out quite good, even I am surprised by that!'

He showed Neona his pie and asked how it looked. She gave her approval. Raka was happy. He wrapped the apple pie in some paper and walked of towards the Battle school. The sun was high in the sky by now, and it would noon soon. He hoped he would reach on time.

Reaching the Battle school hall, he soon saw lots of people swinging all kinds of weapons at the training dummies. The instructors were guiding them along. Fortunately for him, Lady Altia was in the hall, perusing some papers and frowning slightly. Hearing footsteps she looked up,

"Ah Raka! How come you are here today?"

"Um...I thought that maybe we could have lunch together, seeing as its been so long since we met. I hope I am not coming at a bad time."

"No! ofcourse not. In fact I was about to have something to eat myself. Wait a second and I will get something to eat...."

"Please wait. I have brought some food with me."

"Oh! And you cooked it, did you?"

"Yes, I hope you like it!"

"Well I can't wait to try it..." she added smiling.

Raka opened the paper to reveal the apple pie and put it on the plates Lady Altia magically conjured up. He carefully cut it and served her a slice.

"Hmmm looks lovely."

"Please taste!"

Lady Altia took a bite and made a face! Raka's heart sank. 'Was the taste wrong! Did I add mix up salt and sugar! Maybe the apples were not good, or was it the flour...' All sorts of thoughts surfaced in the moment.

But Lady Altia started laughing.

"Hahahaha the look on you face! Its delicious. Do not worry so much!"

Just then,

You have learned the skill Cooking.

Raka ate a bite as well, which raised his vitality by 5 points. He quickly noted it down.

"Ah, that was delicious. You know what we need now. Some delicious tea to wash it all off!" and she magically brought out two cups and a tea pot. She waved her hands again and ingredients to make tea appeared. She carefully made tea and offered a cup to Raka.

"Thank you!" as Raka took his cup. They both sat down slowly sipping tea whiling their time looking at each other and the weather and the smacking of all the wood.

Hoping it goes well, Raka took out his flute, and started playing a tune. It was the same tune Lady Altia had played that wondrous night. Even though it was not night and there were no stars, he felt like he could play.

Lady Altia closed her eyes as she heard the tune played by Raka.

'That was a mistake, that note needs to be a bit higher' went on in Raka's mind in the beginning as he slowly let his training take over and his fingers moved naturally.

A bit later, his tune ended but Lady Altia still kept her eyes shut. Raka didn't know whether she had fallen asleep but in any case he didn't want to disturb her lovely figure, not right now! Soon she opened her eyes.

"That was beautiful! I almost felt like we were in that place at that time again! Just us!" she smiled.

You have learned the skill Flute music.

After spending some more time, Raka left.

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A few days had passed since he learned spell writing and magic language. His training now included learning magic from the books and making spell scrolls of different kinds to learn how much energy it would require. Apart from all the magic combat training he was doing with Lady Verina. In the mean time he was also trying to improve his perception. Both range and detail. He had no idea on how to improve detail so he hoped that in time he would get a clue. After all the most obvious thing, focusing at the colored forms more was not possible. If he tried to look, he would get away from his colorful world.

His range perception, however was improving. Once he realized that he could, he tried experimenting opening his senses, or that's what he imagined he was doing, while he stood still in one place. He could see farther now, he was able to look at colored forms quite a distance from him. And he was able to walk around the entire floor as usual. Which he did regularly trying different things to see what was possible. His range perception added with his capability to walk like this, in his colorful world, made it seem like he would be able to spy on enemies or monsters from some distance away. He would only be able to sense the colored forms though, so identifying someone might become a problem. He had gotten used to Lady Verina's colored form but he wasn't sure that he would be able to identify it either, if she was standing in a group. And ofcourse he couldn't see anything they might be holding or wearing. Add to the trouble, every magician will be able to do this to some extent!

'It looks useful, though I will only know when I get to use it!'

Another day had almost passed. He now no longer spent his time in the classroom, rather the library. In order to train his spell writing skill he had to write the magic words of all kinds of magic, on paper. Nope he was not allowed to make spell scrolls and show off. He had to write it on normal paper like everyone else seemed to be doing. Or atleast the people who were still learning magic language. The rest who had already done so, were eagerly moving on with their magic training with the other instructors, though a lot of them were still doing body training or something of that sort. It seems that it was required to atleast get the endurance stat before they could begin magic training. 'A wise choice indeed' remembering what he had to endure when his attacks failed. Without his endurance stat dulling it, he was sure it would have been quite painful.

That didn't matter for his training though. Atleast Lady Altia cared to increase her power as and when he got used to it, but according to Lady Verina, if you do not like pain, don't get hit!

And so he was still learning magic combat techniques from her today. Embed with air, earth...then move on to fire and fight like your life is on the line.

"Alright, use fire now!" said Lady Verina.

"Yes master!" Raka replied as he embedded fire on his metal staff. He could not use fire, coating it over the entire staff like he did with air. He had to coat only on the ends, so it looked like he was holding a staff with fireballs attached on the ends. The reason, Lady Verina kindly explained after he burnt his hand already, was that fire burns. These metal staffs were specially made with an insulator in the middle which kept the center cool otherwise the entire staff would become too hot to handle.

He moved to attack and Lady Verina avoided it. He quickly swung his staff to the side, but she had already moved. He rotated himself to hit her but she jumped clear above his staff. He quickly stopped himself and thrust his staff at her, but she landed and simply moved her hips to avoid. And the process of him trying to attack and her dodging continued.

Everytime she saw an opening, maybe Raka was tired or he was being lazy, she smashed her staff on him with enough force to throw him back a couple of feet. And as soon as she struck, she was back in her stance all ready to receive his attacks.

"Stop! That's enough" she called out after so many hours. Raka had just stood up for the umpteenth time and was facing her.

"It seems that you have gained control over your magic and can use it at will. There is no limit to learning magic and I can teach you a lot but you are not ready yet. You still lack one thing, experience. It is time that you go forth in the world and continue your learning."

"Yes master!"

"Trainee Raka. I hereby declare that you have successfully graduated the level 1 magic training course of Ilmentia nation, Gurrow village Magic Institute. Congratulations!"

"I accept your congratulations with honor!" replied Raka remembering his time with Lady Altia.

"Honor is for warriors. Magicians abide by pride. Our skill requires us to forsake honor. We can be warriors but we can also be assassins or spies. We can be the underbelly of any king or queen who has nefarious designs, or who seek to conquer. Or we can be the guiding light for the next generation. We can be anything a warrior cannot be. Magicians live by pride, we take pride in the magic we have done and will do." Lady Verina explained.

"I am sorry! I accept your congratulations with pride!"

Lady Verina smiled.

"That is the motto of the magic institute as well. Its getting late today. The next time you come, we shall conduct your graduation formalities. Oh and Altia has sent word. They would be expecting you as well, whenever you can manage it, just during the day."

"Yes, thank you again Master!"

"Before you eagerly head out into the world, know this however. There is magic in this world which can affect you. It is called curse magic. I already said that it is very hard to manipulate stable energy forms. But it is not impossible. Curse magic is the magic which tries to transform these stable energy forms. It is very difficult and often requires focus of the highest degree. And even if you succeed the effects are temporary. But it is possible to curse someone for a really long time, even their entire life maybe. We call the magicians who practice curse magic Black magicians."

Raka nodded seriously.

"Now you may think that it could be the ultimate form of a magician, but it is not. Because they deal with stable energies they often have to provide even greater energy to offset its natural balance. Kind of like going against nature itself. And that needs powerful magical objects and big sacrifices. Sometimes even their own bodies are consumed depending on the scale of magic. But do not be scared. They are very rare and hardly come out of hiding. Also the amount of sacrifice needed to curse a rabbit would be like a whole town, so you are relatively safe. The only thing which can be used effectively are magical objects however. They have a tendency to absorb energy, much like paper here. However they are really old and have absorbed energy for hundreds of years."

"So a black magician can use magical objects to cause great harm?"

"Yes and No! Yes, he can cause great harm with all the energy at his command. But remember transforming energy into magic still requires the magician's abilities. Even the greatest magician cannot simply transform all that energy into magic in an instant. And ofcourse there is always the risk that he will be absorbed by the magical object itself."

Raka nodded understanding.

"Well that's about it. To encounter them accidentally is almost impossible. You need to know that they exist though!"

Raka nodded again.

"Allright off you go then!" and she left.

Raka happily made his way to Neona's to tell her the good news. He arrived just at closing time, and helped her close the shop and do the books. He eagerly told her that he had finally graduated.

"Congratulations Raka! You have done so well! So what are your plans now?"

"Thank you! About the plans I haven't thought so far. But I would like to go out of the village when I can."

"Yes, that's what everyone does. Well have you given thought of where you want to go after you get out?"

"Not really. I just thought I would follow the road and wherever it leads! Maybe the capital!"

Neona sighed. "Brilliant plan as ever, if there was a brilliant plan contest, I am sure you would win!" she said sarcastically.

"It doesn't help to go blind. If you intend to go to the capital, I can introduce you to some merchants who will be heading there. You can go as a guard with their caravans..."

[p=center]Guarding the Caravan[/p]

When you decide to leave the village, Neona offers to introduce you to merchants travelling to the capital. You will be assigned the role of guarding them and their goods.

Difficulty level: E

Reward: Monetary compensation based on your job quality.

"Um, thank you for the offer. But I was thinking of going alone for a bit. I would like to take my own time getting there."

Quest has been refused.

"Hmm. Are you sure. It will be dangerous. The animals around here can be fierce!"

"Yes! I would like to train myself on the way. And I am not completely weak. So I would like to travel alone for a while!"

"Well if you are sure, maybe you can do me a favor instead!"

"Anything for you!" Raka replied smiling.

Neona blushed a little but said,

"My father's friend, Cassian, lives in the capital. He was the one who brought us the news of his death too. He said that they fought side by side in many a battle! After my father died, he was the one who looked after me and my mother till we could recover from his loss. After my mother died, he came to look after me again, till my Aunt could come from the capital. All in all I consider him to be a second father!"

Raka listened quietly.

"Usually he writes us a letter once every month. But last month he did not write any! Worried, I tried asking the merchants who go to the capital to ask of him. I found out that he was very sick but is recovering slowly. Yesterday I got his letter again, saying that he is getting well and not to worry!"

"Ah that's good!"

"Yes, but somehow I still worry. He may have said that just to keep me from worrying. I won't calm down. But I also cannot leave my Aunt who is sick. I don't know what to do!" Neona eyes filled with tears. "I hope to find a trustworthy person who will go and check on him. I trust you. Will you do me this favor?"

[p=center]Check up on Cassian[/p]

A friend of Neona's father. He took upon himself to take care of the family of his fallen comrade. Neona treats him like her father and hearing news that he is sick himself, is worried for him. Even though he says that he is recovering and is well, she would still like someone trustworthy to visit him and confirm. Check on Cassian and send word to Neona.

Difficulty level: E+

Reward: Intimacy increases with Cassian and Neona, ?

Note: If Cassian dies or you are unable to send word within a month, the quest will fail.

"I will be sure to check up on Cassian! But I cannot leave the village yet!" Raka replied.

Quest has been accepted.

"Thank you so much!" and a teary eyed Neona hugged him. Raka simply patted her awkwardly while he waited for her to calm down.

You have grown. Your age is now 12.

'Eh!' For some reason he had grown while Neona was hugging her. He was absolutely stupefied by the age system now. It felt like the system was helping him leave the village sooner, just so he could fulfill her request! Or that's what Raka thought anyway.

She soon separated. Blushing deep red, she smiled. Raka smiled back.

"So shall we start on the preparations for tomorrow" she asked while still blushing.

Raka simply nodded and followed her upstairs as they started to cook.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Swamy was pretty excited as he reached college. Tonight he would be attending graduation in the game. He hoped that he could soon set off from the village too.

He came to his classroom and found his four friends sitting together near his seat and laughing loudly. He walked up to them and asked,

"What up? What happened?"

"Oh Swamy, you are here! Listen to this, Rajan was just served a stay-away order. In the game!!!"

"What!! What do you mean?"

"Hahahah...it was the funniest thing that could happen. You see Rajan was learning blacksmithing from this lady blacksmith. He got annoyed of not being able to get the skill for so long that he absolutely yelled at her at the top of his voice. She got angry and said like 'you are banished from here' and he was like thrown outside the shop. When he tried entering, he could not as some kind of invisible barrier stopped him from entering. He started shouting from the outside then, making a scene! And then the guards came. They gave him a paper, which literally read stay away order. After that he couldn't approach like even close to her. Some sort of invisible barrier kept pushing him away as that lady blacksmith walked around town. We thought he would be thrown out of the village if she ever went near the gate.....It was hilarious."

"So now whenever she comes near him or he tries to go near her, he will be thrown back like hitting a wall?" Swamy asked.

"Yep! So he has to walk all the while being careful of not being anywhere near her."

"Oh so that's possible! eh!"

"Yeah seems this is the game system design to protect the local populace from the players." Manish added.

"Ah be careful Rajan! Why did you choose her in the first place?" Swamy said.

"Hah! But she looked like my type you know! Thought it would be easy to learn from her!" Rajan replied dejected.

Hearing that everyone started laughing again. Even Sneha, who ideally should have been upset, seemed to be laughing. Maybe she thought it was punishment enough or so Swamy thought.

And talking about this and that, classes began.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raka opened his eyes in the training hall of the Magic Institute. He walked out towards Lady Verina's office. Lots or people were around in the classrooms or in the hallways, just like a real school. Some people glanced at him, and a couple actually waved, the ones who recognized him from their classes. He waved and moved away.

He reached Lady Verina's office and knocked.

"Enter"

Raka opened the door and entered.

"Ah its you, Raka! I was expecting you to show up today!"

Raka simply smiled.

"Hold on a second!" And she started pulling out papers from all sorts of places.

"Raka, would you wait for me down in the training hall. I will be with you in about ten minutes."

"Alright!" and Raka left the office for the training hall.

He waited there quietly sometimes fidgeting a little. Soon Lady Verina arrived with, who else, but Cynthia!

"Alright Raka! This is your formal ceremony for level 1 graduation. Saying that, nothing complicated takes place, and we just hand you your certificate." She smiled.

"Trainee Raka, stand at attention!" she said in a serious voice.

Raka stood in attention.

"I, Lady Verina, head of the Gurrow Village Magic Institute, hereby grant you this certificate in honor of your completing the level 1 magic course. Please accept!" she took a certificate from Cynthia's hands and offered it.

"I accept with pride!" Raka bowed and accepted the certificate. Just then,

You have been granted a title. "Graduate of Magic level 1"

Effects: Focus +5

Perception +5

Agility +3

"Hmm now for your graduation gift! Cynthia..." Lady Verina said as Cynthia waved her hand and a staff appeared in her hands. She handed it to Lady Verina, who carefully checked it. Satisfied she said,

"This is a standard magic staff, given to all graduates of the school. Please receive it!"

"Thank you! I accept with pride!" as Raka took the staff in his hands. He could tell it was some sort of metal and it looked better than the metal ones he had seen so far. Later he would have to check it out.

"Alright that ends your graduation formalities. Cynthia, your job is done, you may go now!"

Cynthia simply nodded, made a face at Raka at left quietly this time. Maybe because she was acting in the official capacity of the school, she could not act rashly.

"So what do you intend to do after this?" Lady Verina asked.

"Um, once I get to age 14, I will probably head to the capital, I think!"

"Hmm...well if you are heading there, then it makes sense to know some people there! Try meeting with the Adviser for Magic over there. He is the previous head of the Magic Institute and the one who taught me as well. He is the one I talked about before, believing in the truth of the Goddess's children immortality. His name is Sambal! If you give my reference I think you would be able to meet.

[p=center]Meet with Sambal[/p]

Lady Verina's instructor in magic and the previous head of the Magic Institute is now working in the capacity of Adviser for Magic at the capital. Lady Verina suggests you should meet with him. If you give her reference, you should be able to meet with him.

Difficulty level: E+

Reward: Intimacy with Sambal increases.

"A word of warning! If you cannot meet with him at first, do not despair. Unlike its name, the Adviser for Magic is highly reputed and highly regarded post and most of all very busy. So be patient!"

"Yes Master!"

"Oh and another thing. You may address me as Verina or Lady Verina in the future!"

"Yes, Lady Verina!" Raka replied.

"And one more thing...." Raka expected to hear some more but this time she became quiet. And she blushed. Then she came really close and kissed him .................on the lips!

'Eh..........................................' Raka's mind went blank. Just then,

You have been blessed! You have received Lady Verina's blessing!

"May you carry my blessing and my heart!" Lady Verina said.

Raka could not open his mouth for a while, but slowly he regained control of his tongue just enough.

"I will carry your blessing and your heart with pride!"

Lady Verina blushed but smiled! Looking lovely like always she quietly left leaving Raka standing in the training hall.

Feeling incredibly nonplussed, Raka walked out of the Magic Institute into the blue sky with the burning sun. Then,

You have grown. Your age is now 14.

He stared at the message for almost 5 minutes before he came to his senses.

"Was that the way to deliver a blessing....but wait was that my first kiss!! Does that even count as a kiss if it is in the game....but it felt way too real!!" Raka shuddered excitedly thinking about it.

"Show description, Blessing"

Survivor of the High Seas (Unique) : A blessing signifies absolute trust between two people, be it friends or family. Lady Verina has blessed you. While the blessing is in effect, you will have a good chance of survival even in the roughest of seas. As long as you follow the path shown by Lady Verina, she will not bless anyone else. If you fail to follow the path, her blessing and her loyalty would be forsaken.

'Holy shit! What is this!' No one had mentioned anything about getting blessed before. Did they kiss all people to bless them!

Thinking this and that, he finally noticed he was 14 now. He could leave the village. He walked towards Neona's to say goodbye. He planned to attend his graduation in the Battle school and then leave. He reached her shop.

She was busy on the counter but lifted her head as he entered.

"Neona, I am finally able to leave the village. I came to say goodbye for now. I will send word as soon as I meet your father's friend."

"Ah...I had this feeling you wouldn't stay here for long. Return the clothes...."

Raka was flummoxed!

"Just kidding, seriously the look on your face is priceless. Well when would you be heading out?"

"Um after this I will go to the Battle school. And then I will set off!"

"Hmmmm...man the counter for a while! I will be right back!" and she quickly left for upstairs.

Raka went behind the counter. Soon, she arrived.

"Here, this is for you!"

It was a ring, all shiny, like it was brand new.

"Thank you Neona! But whats it do?"

"I will leave that mystery to you though I believe it will be helpful in your journey! This will also identify you as my friend when you meet Cassian" she smiled cheekily.

"And one more thing..." she came and hugged him tightly.

You have been blessed! You have received Neona's blessing!

'Another one! But this time only with a hug, whats up with that!'

"I bless you that you will have a fruitful journey" she said.

Raka thanked her and said goodbye once more. He walked out and looked up at the sky.

"Show description, Neona's blessing"

Fruits of Labor (Rare) : A blessing signifies absolute trust between two people, be it friends or family. Neona has blessed you. While in effect, your hard work would be highly considered and you would be more likely to succeed in your creations.

'Hmmm...' Raka headed towards the Battle school, his head full of various thoughts.

He entered Battle school and looked at all the students learning at the back. The hall was empty, assumingly everyone was out at the back. Raka walked out in the training grounds trying to locate Lady Altia.

He soon found her teaching some of the other students. She noticed him after a while and nodded waving him to wait in the hall. A few others also noticed him including Nathan. Raka turned around and took a seat in the hall. He waited.

After some time, Lady Altia arrived with Nathan and some other instructors.

"Hey there, long time no see! How have you been? I heard from Verina that you finished her training?"

"I am fine than you! I graduated with pride!" Raka replied.

"Wonderful. Alright then, lets start with the formalities of graduation shall we! Nathan!"

Nathan nodded and headed out back for a bit more. He came back with a wrapped package, opening which came out some armor and a certificate. He handed those to Lady Altia.

quot;Alright I am new at this so let me know if there is something left...ok!"

"Now Raka, I certify that you have graduated from Battle school having completed the level 1 warrior training course. Please receive your certificate."

"I accept with honor!"

You have been granted a title. "Spirit of a Warrior level 1"

Effects: Strength +5

Vitality +5

Stamina +3

"Now then, as per rules, every graduate is rewarded the basic armor of the school. Please receive yours!"

"I receive with honor!" Raka took the armor from Lady Altia's hands. He will have to check the armor later. Now that he thought, he had completely forgotten to check his staff as well! 'Later then!'

"Alright then, the graduation formalities are over. You guys may leave."

Nathan and the others left.

"So what are you plans after this?" Lady Altia asked after a while ignoring the giggling and embarrassed looks.

"Um I would head to the capital, I think!"

"Hmm and what about after that?"

"Not sure!"

"Well most people would want to try sailing the oceans. Are you interested?"

"Yes I am!"

"In that case, go and meet the dock master at pier 4. His name is John. He is an old friend and can help you!"

[p=center]Meet with Dock Master John at Pier 4[/p]

Lady Altia suggests you meet with dock master John at Pier 4 in the capital. He is an old friend of Lady Altia's. He might be able to help you.

Difficulty level: E

Reward: Intimacy with dock master increases.

Some time later, she gingerly asked,

"Did Verina do something to you? I mean like right after this...."

"Eh.....Um....eh!!" Raka could not speak the words out.

She muttered something under her breath...in which Raka thought he heard "Damn Woman! Always stealing a march on me" or something like that. He decided he couldn't trust his ears now!

"Well it can't be helped...." and she approached while blushing a little. And kissed him on the lips!!

Raka just stood there frozen. He felt his brain might just explode!

You have been blessed! You have received Lady Altia's blessing!

"May you accept my blessing and my heart!" she said blushing making her all the more lovely.

Raka forced himself to move his tongue...

"I will accept your blessing and your heart with honor!"

Dazed as he stood, he suddenly heard giggling sounds and he looked around! Seemingly the battle school hall, is not as private as the magic institute training hall. This one had large windows and door to the back, from where peeked all the other instructors including Nathan. Some students who saw the instructors peculiar behaviour had just come to join them and were eagerly looking at both Lady Altia and Raka. Seems like the students had just missed the kiss. But the instructors had enjoyed the whole show from the front row!

KABOOOOOOOOM!!! Raka felt his head explode and smoke come out from his ears! Well atleast thats what it felt like going red with embarrassment. 'And those ***** are giggling!'

Lady Altia was handling this a bit better though and she pouted looking at Raka.

After a while, Raka thanked her and said goodbye. He bowed and came outside.

"Show description, Lady Altia's blessing"

Faith of a Fighter (Unique) : A blessing signifies absolute trust between two people, be it friends or family. Lady Altia has blessed you. While in effect, you will receive a temporary stat boost when you are about to lose or are close to dying. The exact boost will vary. The stronger the enemy, the greater the increase shall be. As long as you follow the path shown by Lady Altia, she will not bless anyone else. If you fail to follow the path, her blessing and her loyalty would be forsaken.

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A few students who were piqued by the instructors peculiar behavior decided to approach them. They had hesitated for a while as they did not know if they would be angry at being disturbed at whatever they were doing.

But soon, curiosity won over. After all they seemed to be giggling and definitely peeking at something happening in the hall. They came over and asked,

"What's going on?"

"Oh nothing much. A student just graduated. Lady Altia is just handling the formalities!" One of the instructors replied smiling.

"Eh...someone's graduating. So it should be like the second person to graduate from this school correct? After Lady Altia's disciple!"

"No no...he is the first. After all he is Lady Altia's disciple."

"WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!" went the shout!

"So you mean that he was still a student here."

"And he went outside while still being a student?"

"Its possible though...Maybe he reached the age limit first but graduated now!"

"But wait how far ahead of us was he, when he last came he was already at or above the age limit remember!!"

"Oh hell! What nonsense are you guys talking about....when they guy's getting away! After him everyone!"

"To the gates! I saw him heading that way!"

And so a lot of people ran off looking for Raka out the door.

Raka stood in front of the gate and sighed. A step forward and he would finally be out of the village. And a new adventure would await him. Was he ready, he asked himself. He took out his staff and armor.

"Identify"

[p=center]Magician's staff (Common)[/p]

Class: Weapon

Damage: 15~20 (Added damage when embedded)

Weight: 5

Durability: 100/100

Made of a combination of metals, it is made in a way that the center consists of insulating material and the ends are made of a conducting material. Due to its special design it allows good use of magic hence making it a magician's staff.

[p=center]Iron Chestguard (Common)[/p]

Class: Armor

Defense: 15 (Added defense when embedded)

Weight: 15

Durability: 150/150

Made of good quality iron and handled by an expert blacksmith. There are no flaws in its making. Gives good defense.

[p=center]Leather Gloves (Common)[/p]

Class: Armor

Defense: 10 (Added defense when embedded)

Options: +3 Agility

Weight: 5

Durability: 50/50

Made of good quality leather. Designed for speed and agility. There are no flaws in its making. Options added.

[p=center]Iron Boots (Common)[/p]

Class: Armor

Defense: 10 (Added defense when embedded)

Options: +10% movement speed

Weight: 7

Durability: 100/100

Made of metal and leather. The outside is made of a layer of iron while the inside is coated with strong leather. There are no flaws in its making. Options added.

He finally took that step and moved forward, not looking behind.

And because of that he missed the crowd of people who were running and shouting at him as he walked farther away. While they soon got stopped by the age barrier!

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***This is the end of the first story arc!