Vol. 2 - Chapter 9 - Arcane Awakening II

Elated with how things turned out, after spending time with Arundell Family where he showed the final product to the little twins, Theo and Aendyr along with Charles who was impressed by how dignified the suit look from outside.

Mathias even placed the hat on Theo's head which slid like a magician topper who was filling his hat with rabbits. Obviously, Aendyr also picked the hat from his brother's head and tried to place it over his own small head which slided in, covering his entire head.

"Haha, that's what you get for being a jerk Aen. Do you think it was fun having my head covered by the hat? Jokes on you."

"Get it off. I can't see."

"Stop playing around you two is time to eat." said Jasmine who smiled with a joyful expression, coming with plates of food.

Mathias, seeing Aendyr struggle getting the hat off his head, started chuckling, giving him a hand, and after that placing his hat close to him and tying down his hair, he placed his hands together as if in prayer, but instead of praying he thanked Jasmine for the food.

"Thank you for the food, mother."

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In a harmonious atmosphere the family started the meal, and along the process filled themselves with the daily events, especially Charles who was talking proudly of his livestock herd. Mathias even pointed out some possible business he can do if he was ever curious using his cows.

"You say I should, instead of focusing on pelts and meat, switch to cheese making?"

"Indeed, don't you think you are wasting the byproducts of the cows in your farm just breeding and raising them for meat and pelts? I think the breed of cows you have is perfect for cheese making, giving plenty of milk."

"But I don't know how to make proper cheese, son. Similar to the authentic cheese makers."

"Don't worry father, don't you have me here? Until I leave we will experiment around with cheese. But before that you will have to ask around if there's any demand for cheese otherwise the investment will not sprout fruit."

"Tomorrow I will go talk with the rest. What about you honey, what do you think of Mathias' proposal?"

Jasmine, who was eating, finished her spoon, turning her gaze at Charles who was talking with Mathias, and with a calm voice, she told him in a brief manner.

"Charly, you should listen to Mathias. He knows what he is talking, and if he is really right, we can also make some money."

"With that new income, you will be able to reinvest, enlarging your herd number, being able to fulfill more orders, and so on."

"Hmm, really?"

"In theory, you should. Now we have to see in practice how it would turn. I don't wish to tell you lies and raise your hopes since I don't know how common cheese is here."

"Understood. Mathias, I will ask around. We will see tomorrow what we can work with."

Mathias nodded his head and went back to finish his food, afterwards he went to oversee how Jasmine was teaching the twins, and to his surprise, it was something common a 10-11 years old should know.

He went one step ahead and introduced some modern concepts that were easy to understand which would prove useful later on for them. Simple exercises to keep their minds active, from puzzles.

"Sorry, mother if I seem a pain, but I have this exercise for the kids."

"I don't mind it. Let me hear it too, I am curious."

"Okay. The first game would be this one. Name all the round things from my following list. Ball, balloon, pretzel, bun, sun, moon, button, watch, glasses, drop on a glass, necklace, pendant, bracelet, ring, cherry seed, cherry, circle, mouse hole, jar lid, fox den, flower heart, iris eye."

Jasmine turned serious along with the boys who started pondering on each of the stuff on his list, and the first to answer was Aendyr after noting down all the round things on Mathias list.

"Big brother, all of the things you mentioned are round."

Mathias just smiled at Aendyr, and allowed the rest to give their answers and the next one was Jasmine who told him the same answer as Aendyr who only smiled, watching Theo who was still pondering, circling three items from his list. (A/N: Can you guess which one he picked)

"How is it, little Theo, made up your mind on your choice?"

"Yea, my answer is only 3 things on your list. Drop on the Glass, flower heart and rat hole."

Mathias kept his smile fresh, not telling them if they were right or not, he walked back and forth in his black suit giving off a professional feeling to him, and once he stopped keeping his suspense he told them.

"All of you are correct. However, this small game is used to show certain aptitudes to people. For example, someone who responded that everything I mentioned was right, like mother and little Aendyr, enters the category of people with fluency. This means people like you have a capacity of realizing a number of distinct mental connections in a short span of time. Something usually associated with people having high creativity.

"What about me, big brother? Don't tell me I am a fool?"

"You a fool? Haha, stop jesting little Theo. The type of people the people who might choose like you have a unique characteristic called originality. It designates someone's ability to make distant, surprising associations."

"So I am not a fool for not picking like mom and Aendyr?"

"Not at all. Didn't you hear me early, all the picks were correct." said Mathias chuckling, walking to ruffle Theo's head.

Like this Mathias after capturing the curiosity of his audience, started to think of other games that helped him in his early childhood which he spread out for the mature lady and the twins. With each minute he was spending talking with them about different manners of looking at things, he could see with his own eyes the flickering in their nameplates, turning more golden.

By the time it was night, Mathias changed himself in his rags and was seating at the fireplace where he had the entire Arundell family, having an open talk about their beliefs and what was the meaning of being a human.

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After such a day where his brain ran at full capacity, he went outside to take care of his physiological needs after his warning system warned him of a bladder.

It was comical in a sense because players had to take care of their outside needs such as staying hydrated, sated, and also clear of any possible embarrassing accidents. The case Mathias was could be described as normality, and after he also eat, checked his clock which showed 14:00, he started his workout which took him 30 minutes.

When Mathias finished his "recreation" time, it was already 15:00, and still allocating some time before entering inside the game, he went on the web searching for how mozzarella cheese was made.

"Should I really try with Parmesan? I mean, the environment of Cidarian is kind of similar to that of Reggio-Emilia. What if there's those type of bacteria that can produce the cheese? Hope dies last, nothing to lose with except to some time."

Documenting himself on how the cheese was made, the clock was already 16:25 when he finished putting down his notes, and with an excited drive, he jumped in the capsule and powered on the game, reconnecting himself.

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@Malakai: Looks who decided to enter.

@Mathias: ??

@Red: Brother Mathias, don't mind that crazy bastard, he finally succeeded in committing suicide.

@Malakai: Fuck you, stop saying that stupid thing, and yes, the Shadow Master has been born. Fear me bitches.

@Leona: I will pretend I didn't read your message.

@Malakai: Boss, we are outside of the working environment, you can't constrain me.

@Leona: …

Mathias had a busy schedule from outside to inside, yet he wasn't complaining about having to manage this strange group of people, especially with Leonor's advices on how to manage people and resources.

As he was staring at the sky that was shining again, he took a look at the ranking ledger and noticed that people already reached level 11, with Red being level 10.

@Mathias: Red, is it correct to say that the devs decreased the experience rate compared to the Beta Phase?

@Red: Correct assumption. It even created a buzz in the forums with beta players complaining all day long for how hard it is to level up and for the fact they lost all their hidden treasure spots. Haha, but no worries, I managed to team up with some guys and we are clearing a level 14 hunting ground. By tomorrow I should be level 12 or 13.

@Mathias: It seems I wasn't imagining things. Thanks, Red and good luck with your leveling. I will also start leveling up soon, after I am finishing my preparations in the place I spawned.

Saying that, Mathias equipped the 'Victorian Set' and the 'Boar Boots' then opened his status windows where 20 free status points awaited him along with his decision to where they could be put to good use.

"This status windows is quality wine compared to the one from the beta. Nothing to complain here, let's go with Agility and Strength on this first series. With levels and needs, I will adjust them, but this will suffice.

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[Status Window]

Name : Mathias / Class :Beginner

Level : 8 (1300/4100) / Title : Farmer's Son / Item Creator

Health : 877/877 / Mana: 734/734

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Strength : 66 / Stamina : 49

Agility : 38 / Intelligence: 367 / Dexterity: 196

STAT POINTS: 0

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I'll rather keep waiting with the Arcane Awakening spell, let me remember the entire spell from start to finish with the other spells, and I also need a secluded place to say the incantation. The forest? Why not close to that monster lair, it might hold some mana vein which will boost my performance overall.

Still wandering in a decent place, his crazy self took over and decided to attempt the awakening inside the Lurker Spider Lair.

"Haha, perfect. Since I don't mind getting killed if I disturb that monster again, but if she went to sleep, I might be able to use some mana from her lair for my awakening. Ahh, old man reading your journal and the crazy ideas you had, how can I not be corrupted too?"

Mentioning his plan for himself, Mathias stood outside the house watching the sunrise, and when Charles went out from the house he turned his head, telling the middle-aged man.

"Let's make some cheese."

"Sure, but after I give food to the cows and birds."

Hearing that lax response, calmed Mathias, and following Charles he too helped him give food to the cows and birds, afterwards beginning their plan on making cheese.

"So what I am supposed to do?"

Mathias started telling Charles the recipe for the parmesan cheese from A to Z, even going back to read again the note he captured and placed inside the capsule, just so he didn't mess the proportions.

"That's really all?"

"Yea. Why do you ask sir?"

"Seems too simple even for me."

"Give it a try. I will assist you on the first production. After that, you will have to write me a letter to tell me the outcome and how it matures."

"I get it, but from what you told me I will have to wait like a year for it to turn in the manner you described."

"What we are doing here is testing the waters, what I want to do is make the basic cheese which will take about one week to be mature enough for consumption. Slowly you can increase the amount of time you allow the cheeses to age, from three months to years."

"Ohh, finally I understand what you meant by that. I have no other problems."

Finishing his rundown on how the cheese was made after documenting himself thoroughly on the cheese-making, if you could call two hours of your life thoroughly, might make it seem a joke. Nevertheless, Mathias took this cheese making as some fun experience that might result in something.

Like this, the father and son started off the process of cheese making, from milking the cows to preparing the fire for cooking the milk, by the time they were on the end process eight hours passed by, yet both looked at each other when they were tying down the curds that would make the cheese.

"We did it, son."

"Haha, I never imagined it would be like this. We left such a mess trying to get the curds into shapes for the cheese."

"No worries, I will clean it. Also, even if I might not make money from this cheese, I will still make them." mentioned Charles, waving his hand as to reverse the thought they made a mess.

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Time passed after Mathias spent his time alone with Charles, and he seemed to relax himself, but at the same time call in his mind the arcane incantations required for his mana core awakening.

The twins noticed that Mathias wasn't focusing much on them and didn't bother him as he murmured something they couldn't understand, while Jasmine and Charles knew not to stick their noses where they had no part off.

"Honey, doesn't this feels like how Fayrene would be after she came from that stormy day holding in hand that old book?" asked the middle-aged man his wife as he observed Mathias concentrate on remembering his incantation.

"Probably you are right, Charly. However, let's not bother him, the young ones choose their own path, not us, old ones."

"Hey, we aren't that old."

"Shhh, just enjoy the tea, Charly."

It took Mathias two days to be confident that he knew the incantation from start to finish without breaking focus, and so, in a Tuesday, right after exiting from his work, where time allowed him to stay long hours in-game, he reconnect in the magical world and waiting for the night to arrive, he started his plan.

Exiting the Arundell House without much commotion, and using the cover of the night for shade, along with his black dress, he arrived after 20 minutes at the foot of Eldeyin Forest.

Stepping inside the forest, and distancing himself from where he was standing, Mathias started encountering the wild beasts which were on his hit list.

[Gragger Boar - Lv. 10] [3500 HP]

'Right, monsters also grow along with players. I almost forgot that aspect.'

Gazing at the boars from the shadow of a tree, the moment they smelled his scent and got allerted, Mathias exited his cover, starting with Raven's Movement that boosted his movement speed and agility, he took the beasts unprepared.

"[Treachery]"

Activating his attack skill, he started off the combo by unleashing two fast jabs that pierced the boar flesh, dealing to a single target [168] and [232] damage, and stepping inside the boars range, he used a spinning attack which wounded all of them.

[You have dealt an AoE hit of 310 damage.]

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*Shriek*

Not even ending his skill sequence, Mathias once again spinned Ragnius in a wicked manner which razed the flesh of the 5 boars around him, dealing a [289] hit, followed by slashing and jabbing the spearhead three times, one hit for a boar.

[You have dealt 135 damage to the target.]

[You have dealt 210 damage to the target.]

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 392 damage to the target.]

Those wild boars didn't wait for Mathias to hit them, instead reacted with vicious intent pushing to impale him with their long tusks, and to Mathias dislike, even with 'Raven's Movement' activated, the boars managed to give him a run for his money, with 3 of them wounding him, dealing a total of [178] damage.

'Even if my armor is superior, I can't get arrogant thinking I can't get killed by normal monsters. They for sure have the amount of power to have a run for my money.'

Thinking that, as he dodged the parried the two other boars from the herd, he sidestepped and unleashed [Piercing Rain] three times on the boars, blasting their sides and opening their bodies, turning the ground into a blood pool.

Seconds passed, and while he was still under 'Raven's Movement' consuming 5 mana each second, the boars started to get in their last phase of trying to self destruct and drag Mathias with them too.

"Your attacks started getting predictable. Do you think I will get demoralized if you are roaring at me? I have a coach who does it better than you all." commented Mathias, dodging the boar's attempts at wounding him while countering like a boxer who was sidestepping.

Nevertheless, one boar charged at him making him feel like a matador, believing he just had to sidestep like all the attacks and a sudden wake-call when the boar changed direction, followed by the other boars who charged, making him back away some steps.

'Those boars, they don't have pea brains and actually found a tactic to pressure me.'

Thinking that, he stopped from backing away, and standing his ground he started to attack the boars from distance, doing something similar to what they tried on him.

"Heh, you don't like it when someone else is doing it? Then let me increase the momentum."

Starting to move forward, he started wounding the boars using basic attacks, and as the fight was approaching the end, they all charged at him ignoring his attacks.

"Fuck! I got comfortable leading the dance. Arghh, damn it."

[You have suffered a total hit of 234 damage.]

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"[Sweep Thrust]"

"[Piercing Rain]"

"[Piercing Rain]"

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[You have defeated one Gragger Boar of the Eldeyin Forest.]

[You have defeated one Gragger Boar of the Eldeyin Forest.]

[You hav…]

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[You have defeated one Gragger Boar of the Eldeyin Forest.]

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Taking his breath after ending those boars watching his HP and MP start to recover he also took a look at Ragnius whose EXP rose to [27%] after this fight, and his Basic Skills who were at [54%]. There was some displeasure on his expression when he saw how much damage he ate from those boars he thought were easy prey any person could beat once adjusting to their attack sequence, as for his MP it was normal for him to consume his mana from using only one advanced attack.

"To think I would still be down to 50% HP after this fight and with only 44 MP, I should start getting adjusted to not having 'Mana Hunger' or 'Evocation' to start my mana recovery process even in combat. Sure, I have probably one of the best items in the entire game right now, but I shouldn't enter the sin of relying on items because there will be a moment when others will be the same like me with strong items and being comfortable, relying on my items will not get me anywhere."

Settling down his state of mind, and using Ragnius to get up, he started moving deeper in the forest.

As he was taking the same path as before, he saw some players fighting the Forest Wolves to which he ignored them, unbothered by what their situation in their fight was. Pushing ahead, he also encountered some large owls that were of level 11 which slowed his procession by 10 minutes.

[You have defeated a Forest Owl of the Eldeyin Forest.]

[You have defeated a Forest Owl of the Eldeyin Forest.]

[You have defeated a Forest Owl of the Eldeyin Forest.]

With his suit covered in blood and guts, he looked down at the giant owl with annoyance gripping tight on Ragnius while clenching his teeth in pain.

"Aerial bastards, arghh, they got me for good. Just imagine how big of a pain would be if there were more of those owls instead of three. Constantly watching your back because you can't hear their movement in the air."

Gazing at the owl who was turning to gray light, dispersing in the air like ash, in that moment even the blood on Mathias body was scattering, he took off and in about 15 minutes he arrived at the Lurker Spider Lair.

[You are about to enter the instance 'Tunnel of the Lurkers'.]

Ignoring that alert, he stepped forward, walking toward the Lurker Spider Queen audience room or whatever one could call the brood chamber of the spider mother.

What greeted him forward were the 'Giant Rats' who were most likely reseted after he got killed by the 'Lurker Spider Queen' and making easy work of them, gaining 50 EXP per head, his body was enveloped by the light of leveling up, from his 7th kill inside the instance.

[You have leveled up!]

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This new level in Mathias mind, was like an addiction that couldn't affect the outcome of what was about to happen.

Clearing out his path to where he last died, he stood right outside of the spider web trap, seated in a meditative stance and staring with his green eyes in the distance, but failing to spot anything or rather his target.

*Inhale* *Exhale*

Doing his breathing movement while calming his heart, he found this claustrophobic and creepy place calming, especially after he cleaved his path ahead, leaving behind him only scattering gray light.

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[Arcane Awakening]

Rating: ???

The incantation uses the purest form of magic energy surrounding the Middle Earth, drawing energy from the Realm of Gods, Realm of Demons, Realm of Elements along with the earth's magic energy to infuse your nascent mana core and awaken it.

*** According to your affinity with mana, you will awaken one type of mana core without the possibility of redoing the process.

Condition of use: Citing the incantation in the purest form possible.

Effects: Ancient Mana Core Awakening

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Taking a last look at the spell description before starting to sign to the abyss, he closed his green eyes that were of a cold hue, before slowly opening his mouth to pronounce the first line of the incantation.

Instantly when he said that in the ancient language of the past, the whispering of unknown beings started to travel past him while his body started to give off a purple light, making the scene even more creepy as if he was schizophrenic.

From deep underground, a woman with abyssal black iris sitting on a throne made of beings that had six wings on their back releasing a dark light looked up, and touching her black lips with her slender finger she said in a surprised voice.

"There's another little monster who is about to be born. Heh, old ghost I can bet my throne made from the remains of the Archangels I have slayed that those two pups of yours will not reach the age of maturity."