“The Inheritance Scroll for Suryaakaruna. Has it been arranged yet??” The deep voice broke the [Monster Tamer] from her reverie and the woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she frowned. “It has proven to be a rather difficult task. Have you?”

“It would seem so, yes.” The [Ship Captain] frowned. “Do you remember the Tier 1 ascetic that joined the journey at the last moment?”

“Hmm?” The woman’s brows furrowed. “The one that is overly fond of chambermaids?”

“That one, yes. He fell.”

“Of course, he did.” The woman scoffed. “His fascination with the chambermaids was bound to deviate him from his path.”

“His obsession might be our gain though.” The [Ship Captain] replied. “He requested access to chambermaids.”

The woman’s eyes widened as she inferred her husband’s implication. “He wants to exchange an Inheritance Scroll for it?!”

“Indeed.”

“Heavens above. He's gone too far.” The woman’s voice was light, as if in disbelief. “Is he even sane?”

“He wouldn’t have fallen if he wasn’t beyond redemption.” The man agreed. “While his sanity is questionable, he is functioning at the moment.”

“His loss is our gain.” The [Monster Tamer] sighed. “What does he have to offer?”

“The choice is between the Skill [Anatomy Vision] and the Spell [Stimulate].” The woman’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment before her shoulders slumped. “It would have been nice if he had [Mana Manifestation] to offer.”

“Don’t be too greedy.” Her husband mildly admonished. “Receiving an Inheritance Scroll in this forsaken place is already a great fortune.”

“I know.” The woman agreed with a resigned sigh as she messaged her forehead. “It’s just, these are simply terrible choices for someone on the [Monster Tamer] path. Our Classes don’t give us any Skill or Spell to directly empower ourselves. This is a glaring weakness. But [Mana Manifestation] covers it up to some extent.”

The [Ship Captain] did not reply to the green-clad woman’s comment and simply remained silent. The woman opened her eyes and glanced at her husband for a moment but said nothing on the matter. Her husband had to deal with his feelings, about this matter, on his own.

“What would be your choice?” She broke the silence after a moment.

The moustached man pondered before he replied. “[Stimulate] might be a good option for him. It would let him heal himself and his monsters mid-battle.”

“Hmm.” The woman’s brows furrowed. “It’s an incredibly passive position though. If we chose [Anatomy Vision], he might be able to target the vitals fro-”

“No, you are right.” The woman cut herself off midsentence. “Surya doesn’t have the patience for something that intricate.”

The man’s lips twitched to form an amused smile. “I am glad I didn’t have to correct you.”

The woman rolled her eyes at the man’s apparent delight. “Oh hush, you.”

0.0

Kiran entered the [Ship Captain]’s office and once again found the moustached man busy with the paperwork. At his arrival, the man put down his pen and crossed his fingers.

Kiran did not give the man a chance to speak, however. “Have you made your choice?” The fallen ascetic did not waste time with greeting the much higher Levelled man and directly addressed the reason he had been summoned. These past few days had left him restless.

“Yes.” The moustached man’s deep voice seemed almost like a physical presence. “The Spell [Stimulate], if you will.”

“Do you want me to do it now?”

“Post-haste.”

Kiran nodded and summoned his Status. He focused on his Spell, [Stimulate] and then focused on the concept of Inheritance Scroll.

Ting.

[Do you wish to create an Inheritance Scroll for the Skill [Stimulate]?]

Ting.

[Yes] [No]

Kiran didn’t hesitate for even a moment and focused on [Yes].

Ting.

[Warning: Creation of an Inheritance Scroll would result in permanent loss of the Spell [Stimulate].]

Ting.

[Warning: Creation of an Inheritance Scroll would result in permanent loss of 20 Class Levels.]

Ting.

[Do you wish to proceed?]

Ting.

[Yes] [No]

‘Yes.’

Ting.

[Spell [Stimulate] lost.]

Ting.

[20 Class Levels lost. 20 Attribute points deducted from the most recently manipulated Attributes.]

Ting.

[Skill Levels exceed the Class Level. Levels have been adjusted.]

Ting.

[Skill Levels lost. Skill [Anatomy Vision Lv.21] has been levelled down to [Anatomy Vision Lv.1].]

Ting.

[Skill Levels lost. Skill [Link Lv. 15] has been levelled down to [Link Lv.1].]

Kiran clutched his head as a sudden pain hit him and he felt his thought slow down. At the same time, his comprehension decreased and his reasoning diminished. His wit became dull and his will became weak.

The fallen ascetic stumbled and fell. Meanwhile, a soft azure glow escaped his body and began to condense. The glow elongated and then divided itself. The divisions formed two rods that spanned almost the length of a mortal’s forearm.

The condensed rods became covered in layers upon layers of rolls that seemed to be made of cloth before, in a moment, the glow faded and the illusion became real.

The Inheritance Scroll had manifested.

The scroll began to slowly descend towards Kiran but before it could reach its destination, a hand reached out and grabbed the scroll.

“I will take care of this.” The [Ship Captain] announced. The man had left his desk and had come to stand beside the fallen ascetic.

Kiran shook his head to clear it of the sudden slowness but the feeling did not leave him. It remained. “I-Ye-yes.”

“Feel free to access the chambermaids now. They are all open to you.”

At the mention of the chambermaids, the fallen ascetic’s eyes narrowed and its slowed mind became focused. “I don’t need all of them. I just need the one that did this to me.”

The [Ship Captain] barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. “Yes, yes. You do that.”

-X-

Within a desolate desert, inside a dilapidated shop, on a simple chair, a youth seemingly slept.

-X-