Bob was wheeled in on his bed with the help of Garcia and an assistant. Garcial closed and locked the door, leaving just the three of them in the room. Bob looked worse than Mathew did by far. His face was repaired, but overall he looked to be very ill.

Not wasting a moment, Mathew pointed at Garcia. “You can tell her everything. She is contracted to keep my secrets, so long as I keep a small part of a deal held. Your job is to fix me, with her help if needed. Teach her soul magic or whatever it’s called if needed.”

Bob rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Straight to the point eh? Of course you are like that.” Bob muttered. “First off, calling it soul magic is like calling using a sword to fight ‘sword combat’. Its proper term is Animancy. Secondly, I am shit teacher since I sacraficed nine levels, two skills, and an ability to create that ghost. I imagine she is stronger than I am, even if she has no combat techniques. Lastly, to fix you I will need more people, resources, and a king’s horde of luck.”

Mathew narrowed his eyes, “Sounds like you got a shopping list. Good start. Keep talking.”

Bob’s eye twitched. “You don’t understand! You shouldn’t even be alive, you freak of nature! Even as I stare at what little of your soul I can see, it has holes in it! How? How are you alive!”

Mathew paused for a moment. “Honestly? No idea. Also, is your name really Bob? I hate to keep calling you by a fake name.”

“Ah- well…technically Bob is a correct name, but not my proper name. I just used the first earthly human name that I could use and respond to. My old name was Handsome Robert. My clan used a common naming convention. My parents hoped if they named me Handsome Robert, I would grow into the namesake. Luckily for me, I didn’t become too handsome. If we are being candid, I would prefer to remain as Bob. My old name might as well remain dead..”

Garcia looked at him, “Why is that?”

“You mean, other than the fact I sold my life to Mathew for a chance of a third life? The short version is Necromancy is frowned upon by my clan. I thought we could use undead as free labor, they did not like that idea. I ran away, hid, and continued my studies. It’s difficult to level up as a Necromancer. You need to use your own levels and experience to animate the bodies. Anyways, I got found, ran away, and The System gave me a chance to escape. I bought the cheapest dungeon possible. I didn’t have the one month security privilege, a tiny Dungeon, and a true random location start.”

Bob sighed. “I thought I got lucky. A world where nobody knew magic. Nobody was higher than Level 1. People flooded into my Dungeon. It was free experience, free bodies, and above all, free money. Then… Mathew showed up. Now my luck seemed fake. In turn, it seems the Fate Stealer really was using me for someone else.” Bob stared at Mathew.

“You think The System did all that for my benefit? Please, I just out played you. Next time, don’t run straight to your Dungeon after getting angry and losing a civil discussion.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you sent your Imp to spy on me! Anyone would have made that mistake. Just how did you land an Infernal familiar anyways?”

Mathew smiled, “Magic.”

“I hate you.”

Mathew’s smile turned to a neutral expression. “And I hate you too, enough chit chat. Explain my soul, I want to get fixed up before the World Quest at the latest, today if possible.”

Bob rubbed at his temples. “Okay, so let’s assume there is a way to fix your soul. The first idea that comes to mind is repairing it with…well your soul. You wouldn’t happen to have the missing pieces somewhere, would you?”

Mathew shook his head, “I tried to grab some and fix myself when that ghost almost killed me. I had to make do and fill the holes with…other things. The pieces just floated away from me. If they are still in the Dungeon, I have no clue. Nor do I know if they are still around me.”

“You..you just put random things into your soul?” Bob was appalled. “Do you have a history of Animancy? Perhaps practiced it in secret? Made a deal with a God? The Black King? Perhaps The System itself? Or was it some other powerful being that is hidden away on this planet? A dragon?”

“Dragons are real?” Garicia gasped.

“No, they are not. They went extentinct millennium ago. There are rumors The Black King has the last one under his control, but who cares about that childs night time story. Not like he is even real. I just threw his name in there because he is a warning against Animancy. If you reach too far for power, you die.”

Mathew shrugged and told him what he experienced. Bob tapped at his chin deep in thought. “Mathew, what are your stats?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I can’t share them with anyone else, unless you forgot to cover that in my slave contract. I need to know every detail about you I can. Then once I recover enough to fix my mana channels, I need to run a magical exam on you. Not a proper one like our medical professional can run, but I need to figure things out myself.”

“You tell me what mana channels are, and I’ll share my family's medical history if you think it will help.”

Garcia laughed at his joke, Bob instead looked at Mathew with pity. “I keep forgetting this planet has zero knowledge about magic. Does, by chance, cultivation ring any bells?”

Mathew’s heart skipped a beat. “We have stories of old monks doing it, why do you ask?”

Bob groaned, “Okay, so I have a man with no history of culviation, no idea what mana channels are, can use an Axiom, and his soul is like a patchwork quilt.”

Mathew opened his menu, and paused to look at it before he read it aloud to the man.

Name: Mathew McGonald

Race: Human [Beginner]

Class: Summoner

Profession: Contract Scribe

Level: 24*

Universal Currency: 171,024

Titles: Child of Axiom, Classy, Dungeoneer III, Forerunner, Hearth Crystal Owner, Lawyer, Pack Leader, Soloist, Survivor II

Axioms:

Glink of Piercing [Novice], Glint of Resistance [Beginner]

Strength:

62

Vitality:

122

Dexterity:

122

Endurance:

87

Intelligence:

269

Wisdom:

265

Unallotted Stat Points: 0

“Why is there an astertrick next to my Level?” He asked Bob as he finished.

“Oh, shit. You are already there?” Bob asked in shock. “I thought you would be at a lower level, after having your soul damaged. Your levels are tied to your soul. So either you gained enough experience for killing the spirit I made and everything else, or that theory is wrong. The mark is to show you don’t qualify to rank up.”

“What!” Mathew exclaimed in shock. “What do you mean I can’t rank up? I know Level 25 is the next rank, but why the hell can’t I do it?” The outburst caused Mathew to almost passout from the pain.

Garcia put a glowing hand on Mathew's shoulder, “Relax Mathew, let the man speak.” Healing magic washed through his body, relieving the pain ever so slightly.

Bob cleared his throat. “Right, how many Abilities, Skills, and Spells do you have?”

“Four for Abilities, and five for the other two.”

“That many already? Then this will be easy. You need to max out all three categories, and have at least four of them be Apprentice rank. Now, back to the more pressing matter of your soul. Given your stats in Wisdom and Endurance means you have a decent soul and mind strength for your rank, but not…and I can see by your face you have no idea what I am talking about.”

Mathew nodded, ackonlwege his lack of knowledge. “Go on.”

“Okay, so again, bringing it back to the basics. Each pair of stats pairs with a different aspect of who you are. Strength and Vitality for Body, Dexterity and Intelligence for Mind, and Endurance and Wisdom for Soul. These are not perfect comparisons and you can use other stats for different parts. It’s just what is taught to us as children. There have been numerous occasions where it’s been proven wrong, yet if you take any random person. That’s how it will work for them majority of the time.”

“Now, if we compare your stats to mine before I ripped a piece of my soul out of my body, well, you outshine me drastically. I have no clue what your Axioms give in stats, nor those titles, but it’s fair to say you’ve been lucky Mr. McGonald.”

Mathew nodded, knowing it was true. Yet, he wasn’t the strongest. “Your Novice tiered Dungeon gave me a run for my money, and I’m almost two whole ranks above it. Same with another Novice Dungeon. That one didn’t even have as many ‘failed attempts’.”

Bob was about to scoff, but paused. “Actually, it makes sense. Think about it. You don’t know how to do thing properly. Cultivation, proper mana usage, and fighting styles. I imagine you don’t even know how to fight with your knives very well. At least on part with a true user of a blade. You’ve been stumbling around like abandoned children, figuring things out through trial and error. Even how to properly apply stats, class choices, profession choices, and how to pair the two together.”

Bob trailed off and stared at his bedsheets deep in thought. Mathew too was thinking about what he said. He had the same idea, but Bob put it into perspective for him. “Bob, in your honest opinion, how quickly could you train me up if I was in peak performance. Normal soul and all.”

“Train you up to what standard? A Novice child? An adult on the verge of shedding his mortal coil like you are? There are so many things to go over, it will take weeks, maybe months to do properly.”

Mathew did some math in his head. “You have thirteen days to fix me up and teach me all you can. Starting off by fixing me enough so I can cast spells. Barely using a little mana causes my entire body to burn.”

“Can he teach the others as well, Mathew?” Gloria asked.

“We have to be careful.” Mathew said with some thought. “Bob’s fake identity is a martial artist, who hates magic, and is new to The System as well as everyone else. If people just start learning things left and right after talking to him, people are going to ask questions and draw conclusions we don’t want others to know.”

She nodded, understandingly, and looked slightly upset.

“That won’t mean we won’t do it. Let’s wait till after the World Quest. Bob can put things into writing, I can say I learned it all in there or something. Then pass it around the base. That seems the best course of action.”

Bob nodded, “I like that plan. However, I don’t think I can do that in thirteen days.”

Mathew shrugged, “Well, consider it your dead line. Both literally and figurativly.”

Bob’s face somehow went paler. “Right…So, your soul. Okay. Let me think for a minute.” He closed his eyes in thought.

Mathew waited silently, and swore he heard Bob snore before the man opened his eyes that started to glow. “Let’s start with what you already know about mana. You mentioned it hurts to use mana now, right? Elaborate.”

With a wave of a hand, and a grunt of pain, Mathew made [Droozkora’s Rod] appear in his hand. “I have a personal storage space. Items in and out using a sliver of mana. Takes a couple seconds, but nobody can steal from it at least. I’m afraid of what summoning Agnox will feel like. Unsummoning him so he could rest was enough pain to knock me out on our way back to this hospital.”

Bob’s jaw dropped. “Mathew, I need you to stop before I have a heart attack. Is that thing fucking soulbound to you?”

Mathew looked down, “Yes it is. Please tell me that is a good thing, not a bad thing.”

“It’s a ‘I found out how you are alive’ thing.” Bob said with a laugh. “Soulbound items are amazing items, extremely valuable. They can’t be taken from you, except by expert thieves. Even if you give it to someone to examine, they can’t use it, nor take it very far from you. That’s just the surface level usage for items. Was this a System reward?”

Mathew nodded, but slowly. “Yes…I’m afraid to ask why you know this is why I am alive…”

“Because Soulbound items over time grow with you. They can become stronger, gain new traits and abilities, and often awaken. You essentially took all that potential from it, and added it to yourself. Add that with what you took from your Familiar, you took two fates and tied them with your own. You are not safe from drowning in the metaphorical sea, but you are floating. It makes much more sense now with what I see.”

Bob’s eyes stopped glowing, and he rubbed his head. “Okay, so to fix your soul you just need to keep stealing others' souls. It’s going to require you to learn a skill or spell to harvest souls. But if you change your class at your next rank up, learn Necromancy, spend the next few months purely on such a topic, we can do this.”

Mathew narrowed his eyes, “Change my class? Why would I need to do that?”

“Summoners can’t use souls. They can summon other creatures with souls, but that’s just like any other class who can summon creatures.” Bob slapped his forehead as if he just realized something. “Oh god, the requirements for a Necromancy class will be annoying to get.”

Mathew looked down at the rod in his hand. “We can cross that bridge later. What about the soul that was in this weapon?”

“It’s inside of you now. That weapon will still work…probably. But any growth potential is gone. You are better off finding a better spellcasting item later on. I am curious about the soul. I could see it inside of you, it’s almost a perfect fit. Your soul is having problems gripping it, but over time, it will become a true part of you.”

“And Agnox is okay?”

Bob waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll need to look at him, but you can’t summon him right now, right?” Mathew nodded. “So, let’s start with your spell casting problem, and work our way forward.”

“Right, I push mana through my arms, into my hands.” Mathew started to say, watching Bob to see if he reacts to what he is saying. “Then I cast it.”

Bob nodded, “Anything else? Have you experimented with spells? Try to modify them? What about the mana itself? Have you ever tried to just use raw mana ? Create a new spell? Channel it a different way?”

“Well…yes. I’ve done Mana Cycling for weeks now to practice my mana control.”

Bob’s eyebrows raised slightly. “You’ve already figured out Mana Cycling? That’s actuall great to start with. You can’t do that without creating mana channels, so you’ve made those before somehow.”

Mathew pursed his lips, thinking back to when he first did Mana Cycling. “Are Mana Channles like rivers for mana? So it can flow faster, smoother, maybe even a more direct pathway?”

Bob nodded eagerly, “Very much so. You practically have the basics down. Mathew, I expect you to have a simple channel made by the end of the day.” He turned to Dr. Garcia, “If you want to try as well, it’s completely safe, so long as you don’t use a combat spell to practice on.”

“Right, so both of you close your eyes, we might be able to fix your channels right now if you are willing.”

Determination flared across Mathew’s face. “Let’s do it. Sooner I’m back to fighting health, the sooner I can finish preperations.”

“So after you close your eyes, think of a spell you are most familiar with. Think of every time you casted it. Everytime you pulled, pushed, and moved the mana. Find that space in your body where the power is drawn from. Imagine it as an endless spring of water. You are going to guide where that water flows. Just like water, Mana pools and travels the path of least resistance.”

“Now, imagine your body. Not an overly detailed version, keep it simple. A body with two arms, two legs, and a head.”

“Once you have this image, place that spring of power in this image of yourself. We are going to create pathways from your spring down each of your limbs, create places for the mana to exit your body, and all the excess to continue back to the spring to be used later.”

“A common mistake for mages, and those without mana channels is overusing mana, and pumping mana throughout entire limbs excessively. Flesh and Mana do not mix. Like clay and lightning. You can’t get lightning to go through clay, it is a poor conductor. It’s why Necromancy is one of the most mana intensive paths of study.”

“I want you to imagine the mana flowing throughout your body. Imagine that spell traveling down a limb and back to your mana spring. Start with your nondominant hand. Just keep it circuting down and back in a smooth loop.”

Mathew realized what he did wrong last time he created Mana Channels by accident. He created a one way flow. All extra mana left out with his spell. Sure his proficiency increased, yet, he hated waste. He was going to perfect his channels, even if it killed him. He imagined mana flowing down a single river that was bordered by reinforced walls. The mana turned in his hand, with five smaller channels that went down his fingers.

Sure, it was more than Bob was asking him to do, yet he couldn’t let perfection go to waste. Using the water analogy, he imagined his fingers like dams. He will be able to open and close them as needed, ensuring the exact amount of mana was used for each spell.

Time ticked by slowly as he worked on his pinkie finger first. He could feel his entire left arm was warm. It hurt, but it was a mild pain. Easily tolerable.

Garcia yelped next to him, causing him to jump and lose focus. Her cheeks grew rosy as she glowed briefly. “Sorry, I think I messed up and actually cast the spell.”

Bob shrugged, “That’s fine. It took me several days to get the basic circut made across my body. Once we have all four limbs made, you can work on creating smaller channels where you need them.”

“My old school teacher used the example of an ability that caused one to increase their speed at the cost of mana. For years people only build channels to the bottom of their feet. Yet you use more than just your feet to run. You use your joints and muscles. Limited thinking restricts your power. Don’t think the obvious answer is the actual answer. There could be more to it.”

“That’s why I think Necromancy should be used. Dead bodies are that, dead bodies and a waste. Creating Golems is expensive. Something that nobody can start doing until the Journeyman ranks at the earliest.”

Mathew closed his eyes again, working on finishing his first channels in his arm.