Lucius spent the first day of the week—a Sunday, he eventually found out it was now called by Elyssians and Outworlders alike—holed up inside the library with a towering pile of books on his table.

It had been three days since his first PCC Classes, and ever since then, he attended History, Spell Theory, Crafting Theory, Economics, and Mathematics—all five of his academic classes—every day without fail, and he did so despite the attendances in each subjects being optional.

Lucius's reason for attending the non-essential academics classes, of course, was that he wanted to learn more about the world. And while he found that he and Gilly were usually just two of the few students who attended the so-called 'lectures', he still enjoyed listening to the Masters as they shared their knowledge about things that he hadn't even heard or thought about.

A lot has changed indeed. It's all so fascinating, yet so daunting. Confusing, even. What has this world come to? Not only the Elyssians themselves but Elyssia in its entirety has changed ever since the Sphere of Temporea was destroyed. Hmm. I can see why the Outworlders called the new era the 'Powerspike Update' shortly after the war. Everything that happened after that update was simply too unnatural.

Lucius was stumped over the thought of Elyssia changing drastically just like that. With the notable exception of the Outworlders who seemed to enjoy the changes up until they all realized that they have lost their Providence, no one expected a sudden alteration of such magnitude to be forced to occur by what many assumed to be Deus, The Creator itself.

No wonder people my age are as strong as they are these days. An Update, was it? What could be the purpose of all this? Why would Deus do such a thing?

After thinking about everything that he learned so far, Lucius rubbed his eyes and closed the book he just finished reading. A bit exhausted, he shook his head and sighed before taking another book from the pile and opening it.

"Hey, do you mind? I'm closing up soon."

"Just one more."

"That's what you said earlier. Ugh, doesn't your butt get numb just by sitting there for a whole day like that?"

"This one is the book you recommended me to read," Lucius said before turning over the book he was about to read and showing it to Marjorie. "I have saved it for last."

"Oh. Hmph, well then you better hurry. I have to do something real soon. I can't be missing another episode of my show just because of this lame part-time job."

Lucius shrugged as he heard Marjorie walk away with a small grunt. Left alone once again with nothing but silence, he glanced at the cover page of the book he was holding and grinned.

The Definitive Version 2.0 Progression Guide Volume 1. Seems like it was written by an Outworlder too. This ought to be interesting.

...

Lucius finished the book with a grin and a satisfied nod. While he found it a bit strange at first since he could tell that the mentality of the author was still hinged on the assumption that they were still 'inside a game', the book came off clear, concise, and highly informative. Ranging from the most efficient ways to gather experience points up to doing quests, training, crafting, spell casting, and slaying aberrants—the book had it all.

Lucius ruminated over the countless ideas and concepts stated in the book for a moment before sighing.

It seems like for now, my only options to get stronger are merely the two methods called 'aberrant farming' and 'questing'.

His brows furrowed.

Even so, Primus students can't just leave the academy and go out into the wilderness to slay aberrants except for when they're permitted by a Master. This means that I can't slay any aberrants until the Labyrinth Dive that's only conducted once at the end of every month. The nearest one is about seventeen days from now. Hmm. That's just way too long of a wait.

"«Revelare»."

STATS

Name: Lucius

Race: Halfbreed [Boon Unavailable]

Vita: 100%

Aether: 16/16

Virtus

102.2

Triforce

Corpus - 12.7

Sensus - 73.5

Animus - 16 (↑5)

Epithets

•Unremarkable

Level 1 - (0/10)

I've only managed to improve it again by 1.7 despite training every chance that I got for the past three days. As it stands, I'd have to sacrifice a significant portion of my daily schedule to see even better results than this. That simply won't do.

Desperate to find out a way to improve his Corpus first and foremost, Lucius realized that physical training would just take too long if he wanted to catch up to the other Primus students. His base Corpus was just too low, and what he needed urgently was the sudden influx that an increase in his level would give him.

Should I ask Tissette to sneak me out of the castle so that I can take on some quests from the residents in the city and the Marauder's Guild? Hmm, or perhaps I should just ask her to form a party with me and hunt aberrants outside the city instead. No. Too dangerous. Besides, I'd be putting her at risk as well. Tsk. What am I to do then?

Lucius rubbed his chin—deep in thought about the predicament he had just encountered.

If only there's another way to increase my experience points until it's time for the Labyrinth Dive. That way I'd have a much easier time hunting aberrants—

"Hey, are you done yet?"

A bit annoyed, Lucius turned towards the impatient girl and was about to say no when an idea came to him.

What if I just try to do some quests inside the castle? I doubt this is conventional since the difficulty and the grading of the quests will most likely be low compared to the ones outside, but low-level students doing odd jobs for quests while inside the academy aren't unheard of. Student Agents, I believe they're called.

With his resolve renewed, Lucius sighed deeply before setting his eyes on the librarian once again.

"Hey there, Lady Marjorie," Lucius said with a subdued, yet hopeful smile.

"Oh? What happened? Is this post-reading clarity? Are finally leaving?" Seemingly intrigued, Marjorie narrowed her eyes as she approached Lucius and sat beside him. "And call me Marj, will you?"

"Lady Ma—"

"Don't call me Lady. It's weird."

"Can you give me a quest?" Lucius asked after finally giving up on addressing Marjorie properly.

A brow upturned, Marjorie frowned and said, "What for? Are you that bored?"

"I just need a few experience points," Lucius said. "It does not matter what grade it is, I just need something that will give me, say, at least 10 experience points. I don't even need any rewards. Is that alright?"

"10? That's pretty low. I guess I could give you one since I only have one unresolved quest out of the three possible quests I can give out." Marjorie smirked. "Say, what do I get out of this anyway?"

Lucius sighed. After staying in the library most of the time for the past three days, he already knew the only thing that Marjorie could ever want out of him.

"I won't stay here until closing time for the next three days. That way you can leave early," Lucius said with much hesitance in his tone. He quite liked reading in the library rather than his dorm room because of the ambiance, but alas, it was still a sacrifice he was willing to make.

"Eh."

Lucius's eyes twitched. "Five."

"Cute." Marjorie smirked, her elven eyes glowing underneath her glasses. "I think you can do ten."

Lucius gritted his teeth. "Seven. Take it or leave it."

"Hmph. Deal."

Lucius shook Marjorie's outstretched hand and frowned. A week was his limit, and it seemed that the woman knew it as well.

Despite the lackluster result of his bargaining, however, Lucius still considered himself fortunate to have gotten one quest from Marjorie, since even though one could theoretically take on an infinite number of quests, a person could only give out three concurrent quests at most per week in accordance to the rules of the Providence of Samaritus, otherwise known as the 'Succor Providence'.

"Wait a second. I'm thinking of something for you to do," Marjorie said, her eyes looking up as she held her chin thoughtfully.

Hmm. The Questing System. I never knew it would develop into something such as this after the Update.

As he let Marjorie take her time, Lucius thought back to when the Providence of Samaritus, except for instances where quests that gave out great rewards showing up out of nowhere once in a while, had only been lauded mostly for its use by mercenaries and hedge knights as a way to ensure payment and for contractors to make sure that their ordered jobs had been completed.

With the implementation of the leveling system and the item drop system, however, it was easy for Lucius to see just how the once-obsolete Providence had become more utilized in recent times.

"Okay. That should do it," Marjorie said before walking to her desk at reception and grabbing a small, yet brilliant piece of blue-tinted stone from one of her drawers. "This should be a good reward. If you can find him, that is."

Lucius watched as the mysterious item on Marjorie's hand dissipated with a flash of light, and at the same time, a Declaration before him appeared.

QUEST REQUEST RECEIVED

The quest [Rat Hunt] has been given to you by [Marjorie Blueshard].

Will you accept it?

Accept | Decline

Objective: Find the white rat with no tail that's hiding within the Antebellum Academy's library before closing time.

Time Limit: 15m 37s left.

Grade: E

Rewards: [1] Bestowment Crystal

EXP Given: 25

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "«Accept»."

Quest Accepted

[Rat Hunt] has been added to your Quest Log.

"That's quite the creative quest name you've picked," Lucius said, his face deadpan. "Although must I try to search for a tiny rat inside this huge place? A bit of an overkill, especially given the time limit, is it not?"

"Hey, you wanted a quest, didn't you? I just gave you one," Marjorie said while grinning. "Besides, I put a reward on the line didn't I? The EXP you'll receive if you complete it has gone beyond 10 points as well. Way more than you initially wanted. Aren't you happy?"

"Quite," Lucius said, thin-eyed as he quickly got up from his seat, all while recalling every possible rat hiding spot that he encountered while roaming the library for the past few days.

Not even considering the hefty EXP that I could get, this is a low-risk, high-reward quest either way. All I have to do is find that rat and that Bestowment Crystal is mine!

Lucius's eyes burned with desire. Despite its value having dwindled over the years, a Bestowment Crystal was still a Bestowment Crystal, after all. There was no way he would pass up an opportunity to acquire one despite how low the odds were.

"Chop chop, little Primus," Marjorie said before chuckling to herself.

Before running towards the nearest hiding spot he could find, however, Lucius's eyes widened as he caught sight of a small rat that was dragging several books out of the receptionist's desk behind Marjorie with its small paws and mouth while also only standing on its hind legs. A ridiculous sight that amused and shocked him at the same time.

"Marj? Is that the rat I'm supposed to look for, mayhaps?" Lucius said as he carefully pointed at the rat who noticed way too late that it was being 'ratted' out.

Marjorie managed to turn around absently before the rat could scamper away at full speed. "What? Didn't I tell you to chop...What the—Master Wesker, there you are!"

QUEST COMPLETED

[Rat Hunt] has been completed and removed from your Quest Log.

Rewards Received: [1] Bestowment Crystal

EXP Received: 25

LEVEL UP

You have leveled up. You are now Level 2 (↑1). You have gained [5] Triforce Points.

TP Available: 5

EXP: 15/20

Lucius's eyes glinted as a cascade of prompts flooded his sight—filling him with an immeasurable sense of excitement, all while ignoring the chaos that was unfolding between the rat and Marjorie who, upon seeing the little creature, started to chase it with one, massive book in her hand that she swiped from his table.