“Is that [Diamond Shell]? Is that really [Diamond Shell]?” Brian asked like a broken radio trapped in a loop. “But how? How in the world?”

He walked in, completely forgotten about the girls at the door just to check the shield. The door would have bumped her head if Emi wasn’t quick enough. Adrin dispersed the [Shell] as the other man got close.

“Look, I know you have the [Crystal] affinity but how are you doing this? Even those old crones took years to fathom the diamond, and it is a well-guarded secret,” he continued.

The diamond was one of the most studied materials but Brain didn’t know that. It was the hardest natural material known to men and it would be perfect for [Shell].

Lily stood up straight as if she had just woken up from her daydream. She then bowed and escaped quickly to the kitchen.

“You’ve scared her away, young master Brian,” Adrin mocked. “Have you had fun shopping with the girls? Did he do anything perverted, Emi, Nerina? You can tell me and I’ll kick him out.”

“Hey, I won’t ever do anything like that,” Brain took a seat. “You aren’t the only one with a lovely maidservant.”

“So you are a pervert then?” said Adrin.

He chuckled as Brian’s mouth opened and closed without saying a word. Emi giggled while Nerina looked at everyone before she followed Emi to sit beside him.

“I got us new clothes, no need to wear these plain white clothes anymore,” Emi said, but he knew that look in her eyes. “It’s comfortable, but one look, people already know we are apprentice mages from the backwater villages.”

He had made special orders and she should have been able to buy them. Secretly, of course.

“Yes, I just can’t stand the stares from so many people,” Nerina said in her new dress. “We had to change in the first shop we found.”

“You two looked gorgeous,” Adrin said before he forgot.

“Thanks!” Emilia blushed.

Unlike the other girl, Emi had chosen a pair of loose trousers rather than a skirt, but she still looked very feminine with the frills on her clothes. Nerina in her green one-piece dress just hid her face without saying anything.

“Is everyone going to ignore the whole [Diamond Shell] thing?”

“What [Diamond Shell]?” Adrin replied with a smirk.

“Right, you got me there,” Brian chuckled. “Well, it has been fun, girls, let me know if you need help with anything.”

Brian got up and left the house. He was good at reading the atmosphere.

“What got you in such an awful mood?” Emi asked right after the door closed.

“Am I?” he asked his longtime girlfriend and she nodded. “I don’t know, maybe what the Matriarch said, or the whole young master maidservant thing, I just don’t know,” Adrin sighed. “I’ll be in my room, maybe I just don’t have enough sleep,” he said and got up.

The girls were talking to each other while he climbed up the stairs. He didn’t know why he felt irritated towards Brian the moment he saw the man.

What was it? Or was he jealous?

Adrin closed the door behind him and threw himself on the bed. After a few minutes of doing nothing, he turned around and continued to work on the spell glyphs.

It felt like he had three large floating monitors as he was working on the glyphs. He used the most popular method of programming among self-taught programmers, the copy and paste. In this situation, it was copying the rune responsible for modulation and trying to fit it in.

After failing a few times to make a blue flame [Candle], he sat up and turned his attention to the [Shell] spell glyph. Placing it side to side with [Torch], Adrin began to decipher what and why each circuit connection was made.

Instant learning all runes helped tremendously, but figuring out how it should connect was another thing altogether. It was like knowing all the grammar rules of a foreign language, and now figuring out how the words were put together in a sentence, the nuances, and proverbs, or whatever.

The knowledge made it a lot easier, but even tiny mistakes could and would make the whole spell fail. He hadn’t messed around with the two more advanced spells because it might be dangerous when the spell failed right in front of his face.

In the case of the [Shell] spell, it was a lot easier to incorporate the math formula in the spell glyph after he had freed space for it. This was due to the knowledge he had absorbed from the spellbook which felt like someone else’s experience rather than constructed information.

The knowledge from the [Shell] spellbook felt like he had cast the spell numerous times minus the lethargy from the repetition. Odd but still worked for him.

And for the first trial cast, he decided to use the basic formula for the curved surface area of a hemisphere. Like any programming, he declared the pi, the radius, and the origin point upfront to make it cleaner and flexible. If he wanted, he could just adjust them at any time.

Adrin stood up with the improved [Shell] spell glyph active and filled with mana. He was actually both nervous and excited to do the spellcasting. It felt like the first time he made a very simple game by copying others' work and improved upon it a bit.

He knew that it would definitely work, but something at the back of his mind still gnawed on him. Adrin also knew it would be the safest compared to other options, but he still couldn’t help himself to worry.

‘Breath Adrin, breath,’ he told himself and straightened himself.

“[Shell],” he triggered the spell. It felt like the world had slowed down as the mana flowed according to the glyph.

And then the semi-visible layer of mana appeared around him. Adrin chuckled when the layer didn’t wobble or could be disturbed by touch. He knocked at the [Shell] and it appeared to be solid, and when he tried, he couldn’t pass through it.

Spell Scribe acquired,

Spell Scribe [Level 1], [Tier 1] Spell scribing space unlocked.

All known spells are listed in the spell library.

---

Arithmetic level up [x4],

Arithmetic level maxed [5], +5 Intelligence.

---

Mathematics obtained

Mathematics [Level 1], +3 Intelligence.

Adrin stared at the prompts for a long time. His ability leveled up four times until it maxed out! What in the world was happening?

He rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheek. No, he wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming. He wanted to slap himself but that would be unnecessarily painful.

The intelligence update rushed in like a dam broke inside his head. Suddenly, he was able to make connections he previously couldn’t.

He understood the glyphs a lot more and realized why the [Candle] spell kept failing. The key point was right there, right in front of his eyes, but he couldn’t see it before.

He also realized that Hana had been lying to him. She didn’t choose this place, it was already chosen well before he had arrived. His place in the family was already pre-discussed between Hana and the family as he had suspected.

Now he was sure everything was already set up.

Brian already knew who he was from the start, and that was why he was annoyed with the young man’s presence. He just didn’t know why his instincts were telling him to keep the man away. He just wasn’t smart enough to connect the dots.

But there was something more important to deal with right now. The information from the spellbook came to him like a memory he had never lived through.

It was weird but he knew how to adjust the spell to allow certain things or people to go through. It felt like an exception list, and when he added himself and the air, he could feel a tiny breeze coming in.

“Well, that’s dangerous,” Adrin mumbled. He could have suffocated without even realizing it.

Regardless, he celebrated inside after he dispelled the [Shell]. Like any enthusiastic self-taught programmer, he made more adjustments and recast it again. This time he used the [Spell Scribe] to test, and it would tell him whether the spell succeeded or otherwise.

After what felt like the longest time, Adrin called out his status.

Name: Adrin || Age:17 || Villager [level 3]

Life: 50/50 || Stamina: 70/70 || Mana: 12/?

||

Strength: 6 || Intelligence: 11 || Agility: 5

Willpower: 16 || Perception: 3 || Dexterity: 5

Endurance: 4 || Vigor: 5

||

Metal Affinity [35], Crystal Affinity [54]

||

Bodybuilding [3], Arithmetic [5], Melee weapons [1], Spearfishing [1],

Marksmanship [1], Mana Sense [3], Crafting [2], Cooking [1],

Farming [1], Lascivious [1], Mathematics [1].

||

Hack [1], Throw [2], Aim Assist [3], Sneak [2], Metallurgy [1],

Crystal Meld [1], Spell Scribe [1]

When he thought about it, couldn't he also get the [Lightning] affinity? He knew a lot about it, and he had only needed to figure out how to demonstrate it. Bending a spoon was not easy but a very simple task.

He was marveling at his stats when someone knocked on the door.

Lily came in with a smile on her face and supper in her hands. The girl would be the perfect young housewife if not for the collar around her neck. The smooth silky skin was protected by a frilly piece of cloth from the thin black metal.

“Master,” she called softly as she placed the tray on the side table.

Lily then approached him with a slow but purposeful gait. Her biggest assets wobbled gently with every step, threatening to spill out from its cradle.

Men are primarily visual creatures and the girl was oozing with sex appeal. She was fresh ripe fruit waiting, inviting to be plucked.

She bent over to kiss him with her hands on her knees and before he knew it, his hands were grabbing those fine bouncy asses. Lily let out delightful sexy-singy moans as he tasted her sweet juicy lips.

Adrin snapped out of it and pushed her away.

“Master?” Lily called for him.

“Call me Adrin, Lily, at least when no one is around,” he said. He wanted to say he's sorry but he didn’t feel sorry. Adrin had wanted her but guilt gnawed in his guts.

“A- Adrin,” she muttered as she cupped his cheeks and pulled into her generous bosom.

Buried in her comfy warmth, he smelled her flowery perfume. Lily straddled him and his hands naturally found her lithe back.

The girl cooed him as her hand played with his hair, “I’ve looked forward to this,” she mumbled. “Like all other girls, I have always dreamed of having a talented but kind, and caring young master. A man that I can trust my heart with, just like you, Adrin, and my dream came true,” she hugged his head a little tighter before she let him breathe again.

“But, Lily-”

“No but,” she cut him off as she settled on his lap and leaned on his chest. The girl chuckled, “your heart is beating really fast,” she said with a playful voice.

Lily was actually enjoying this.

She rose up again, her face beet red, “Adrin, can you touch me here? Please? I’ve heard it feels great being touched by a man,” Lily pushed her chest up.

She looked like a girl who was only exploring her sexuality.

Like any other girl, the maidservant just wanted to enjoy herself. She just wanted to feel good while exploring her own sensitive body.

Adrin already forgot that, sometimes, it was just that simple.