Chương 46: A New Way - 2

His weekends were gone but that was fine. He figured in that one week of partying, he had gotten as much booze and sex as the typical college student did in a full year, or at least a term, so who cared if the rest of his weekends were now taken up? Spending time with his dad, slaying beasts, powering up for the battle to save the world was hardly a bad way to spend his time. He had planned to spend his week before his father came studying. That was the plan, until a knock came on his door. LANCE went to answer.

He found Penn Vic at his door.

"Why, hello, Penn? Do you wish to study with me?" Penn fancied.

"Actually, I was hoping you could advise me? I have Boon Points to spend and wish to know how I might best allocate them." His gave the lady a smile.

"I would be happy to help! Please, come in!" He leaned against his bed while he offered Penn his desk chair.

"So, how many Boon Points do you have?" Sitting as daintily as any southern belle, Penn Vic smiled, teeth bright and white, and said, "I have ten Boon Points."

"Ten? Wow! That is a lot for just starting out."

"It is, but I received a surprising amount of XP for my role in the operation, the one you and the militiamen undertook. I checked the meta-notes on my XP gain and the System said, 'XP Gained for Services Rendered toward the Elimination of Corruptible Pockets.' What a mouthful! I conferred with a priest, and they said that the System often recognizes those who help initiate a corruption cleanse as much as those who purify. That's the long way of me saying I got several level ups."

Penn explained herself with all the grace of a great-grandmother, a role she seemed unsuited for with her heaviness and baldness. Maybe that was just he being too traditional, though?

"A grand haul, then! I'm happy for you! I also didn't know you could check... what was it you said, the 'meta-notes'? It explains how you earned XP?" That he was confused by; he hadn't ever heard of such an option for field operatives. Was it occupation specific?

"Yes. It is a feature support Champions can access. As a Paladin, as a field agent, you wouldn't have access to the meta-notes. I might be able to access yours, however, if you would desire to know more about how you earned XP. Just let me know!"

"A gracious offer, Penn, thank you. For now, I will be fine. I'm a Paladin, so most of my XP gain I already know about: I fight things, kill things, I earn XP. Simple," he laughed.

"But let's get you squared away. Your Boon Points. Your Occupation. Can you tell me the basics? How do you see yourself as a Deity Champion?" Penn Vic went on to explain how her occupational role within the System was 'Farseer.' It was a rare occupation. According to the priests, only a selected few were given the option of taking the role on, which also explained her gifted Boon of [All Seeing]. Adding to her fortune, Penn was also given a rare sub-class — Technician.

"Let me get this right," he recapped.

"Farseer allows you to observe your party long distance. Technician allows you to generate items long-distance? Limitations apply, of course, but that's the gist of it?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"That is correct," she confirmed.

"And my Patron Deity remains Cannabus, of course."

"Of course," he repeated, lost in thought. It was incredible the lady's luck. By contrast, his own Occupational designation, Paladin, was commonplace. Honored and one he was happy with, but compared to such a support role? It didn't compare.

"I think, Penn, you should go all in on your support role. I know a lot of people would say you should multi-class on something else to give you deeper use-value outside of the academy, so you can participate directly in field operations. That would be great advice a hundred years ago, but the world isn't like that anymore, it's changing. Go all in, don't divide your points two, three ways. That's just silly." Her smile grew wider.

"I had the same idea. Father wanted me to try and save up points for a Healer sub-designation or a Red Mage, but I feel I could offer versatile support with my current designation."

"I agree. You can. You could make any number of offensive tools with your Technician sub-occupation. That alone, when used by your party, would, I think, grant you some residual XP. It probably wouldn't be a lot, since at least with my Occupation, those who claim the kill receive the XP bulk, if not all of it. Support roles behave fundamentally differently from front line roles. Is your father not aware? He does know that the System changes from decade-to-decade, right?"

It was a fact that all too many people were unaware of, that the System changed depending on how human society developed. Learning about those changes was another matter entirely, so they couldn't fault Penn Vic's father's ignorance too much. But still, a one size fit all approach to System mechanics was a sure-fire way to lose valuable optimizations.

"I have tried to make him aware, but he is classically stubborn. He believes that the System is still as it is when he was a young man and adventuring with his guild. Intellectually, he accepts the idea that the System changes, just not that it has changed in the ways that concern me, despite the fact he was a Paladin and didn't even have a support role in his party outside of a plain White Mage healer. It can be frustrating talking with him, sometimes!"

"I bet. Well, Penn, the choice is ultimately your own. I would suggest going all in on what you have now. Cannabus granted them to you for a reason, methinks. I would not second guess out Patron Deity over matters as trivial as familial ignorance, but that is just me." He paused for a second to ensure he hadn't said anything which made Penn angry. Seeing she was in perfect alignment with his own ideals, he continued: "Now, as for the Boon Points, did you want to spend them on a Holy Shop Boon?

Do you have the Holy Shop unlocked, yet?"

"Alas, I do not yet have the Holy Shop unlocked!" Penn's smile turned rueful.

"I desperately want it unlocked, though. I've heard such things about the Boons one can purchase!"

"It is incredible! I have seen it myself and purchased a number of Boons."

"A number of Boons? What level are you?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, over the break my father took me on a special training mission. I got a lot of level ups. I won't say my exact level though. I like to keep things honorable with my peers."

"A special training mission? Oh! Wait! You're that Lance, aren't you? The Omni-Wizard is your dad!" He smiled bashfully.

"Yep. Caught red-handed, it seems. I sincerely hope no one in your family was hurt by my dad's 'incident' a couple of years ago. He was not well, mind you. He was infected with a Mind Slop parasite!" Penn Vic rose from her seat and placed her hands on his shoulder.

"Worry not, Lance. Although people in my home were indeed hurt by your father's actions, I understand his situation was unique and extreme. And besides, I do not begrudge the children of a perpetrator, even should I have held a grudge to begin with, which I do not. You are clean of your father's misdeeds and I forgive your father." Lance let the tension drain from him.

"Thank you, Penn Vic. It means a lot to hear you say that. You are a mature, strong woman." She giggled.

"I always knew I was strong, but mature? Thank you, Lance. Now, could you do this mature lady a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Help me train."