Chương 52: Unexpected Gains

Scarlet decided to leave future questions to the future as she continued to probed the Historian about the past. Apparently, the System deemed she was insufficiently educated on the history of Vixia, to clear the Sub-Quest. It wasn't long before she'd received the notification she was looking for. However, her inquiries didn't stop. This was the perfect opportunity for her to gather more information, and she gradually switched from questions about history to the current state of the Vulpian homeworld.

Then she proceeded to ask about newly integrated worlds in general. It wasn't until she started requesting information about the Factions themselves that the mercurial vulpian ran out of patience.

"That's enough," he said. Before she could protest, a book simply appeared in his upturned hand.

'Boss, it feels like your space bag!' Maus observed, having roused earlier from his slumber at Scarlet's prodding. His perception was just high enough for his Affinity to resonate with the spatial displacement created by whatever storage item the Historian was using. She was sure that kind of sensitivity would come in handy. Bewildered, but proud she watched him gain yet another point, this time in Mana. Was this an effect of the new Familiar Bond or did it have to do with his species?

She was eager to see what his growth would reveal. Thanks, she sent him, along with feelings of encouragement as she reached to take the item from the Historian. The cover was dark, bound in something that looked like leather. Silver script ran across the front in elegant, angular lines. Scarlet's eyes tracked the symbols, her mind unable to make meaning from them. Unlike with spoken language, and even some body language it appeared the Guide's translation function did not extend to text.

Her gaze settled on the book – no, the Tome – she'd been handed. She refused to admit to the Historian that she couldn't read it. Instead, she just gave him a searching look."

"Don't worry, the Tome is a crafted artifact. Once you use it, it will function the same way a System artifact would," he assured her. She frowned, then shook her head. She wouldn't be absorbing anything without understanding it first. Unfortunately, the Historian was being particularly cagey. Maybe he'd expended his quota of plain speak with the history lesson. Unless he truly didn't know she couldn't read it. In that case she didn't want to reveal her ignorance by asking directly.

Scarlet had wondered how literacy would work with the whole 'universal translation' thing. Apparently, it just didn't. Why couldn't she read it, though? Scarlet thought of the contract she and the Historian had signed. She'd been able to read that. Then there was the Resource Tome. Even though she hadn't read the Resource Tome in the traditional sense, she had been able to read the title before she'd absorbed it. Or perhaps she had not read any of it at all.

Perhaps the System, or the contract itself, had provided the meaning to her just like it did when she was speaking with the vulpians. Was that because they were System-supported objects? System artifacts the Historian had called them. In retrospect, that made sense. Most of the world was illiterate for most of history. The Guide was a trait, much like being able to speak was a trait, one that not every species possessed.

Barring extreme outliers, most children became fluent almost incidentally, while literacy was a deliberately cultivated skill. A skill that preserved and transferred much of the modern world's knowledge. Then she thought of the Nexus library. All that knowledge she wouldn't have been able to read if she'd tried. All that information just beyond her reach. The concept was viscerally abhorrent, like something inside her was rejecting the premise.

If it was a skill issue, perhaps she could use a Skill to solve the problem [Skill Tome Fist to Fist to Blade - Tier 3 This Tome created by ██████ The Historian ██████. This Tome contains knowledge and techniques for unarmed combat and small blades. Suitable for complete Tier 0 beginners to Tier 3 veterans.] A quick Inspect gave her a System breakdown of what was in her hands. Tier 3 That was generous, if reasonable, considering they were pressed for time, and she had a lot of Stats to boost.

Something she'd learned from her eventful time since Integration was that Stats grew fastest under pressure. Instead of immediately assimilating the Tome, she tried to read it. Opening it to the first page, she once more used Inspect. [Skill Tome Fist to Fist to Blade…] Okay, so it was not a translation tool. But perhaps, just like literacy had been a learned skill before the System, there was a Skill she could get to bridge the gap Or maybe… Scarlet reached for her psionics and tapped into the info-layer.

To her astonishment, she found that while she couldn't directly read the words, much of the meaning was made clear. The closest thing she could describe it to was reading subtitles while watching something in another language. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Even more incredible was that the info-layer displayed exactly what was there. No translator interpretation or smoothing, just pure meaning.

In many ways it was more informative than Inspect, if less nuanced, though the Skill was still handy. She wasn't yet at the level of psionics where she was able to read things like who created an object or its various effects. For now, though, she looked at the Historian.

"This is a Tome," he said. Scarlet nodded, wondering if he'd felt her use Inspect and was testing her, or if he was simply providing information he thought she needed.

"The reason we are using a Tome and not a Skill Book is because I do not want to dilute your Stats with artificial Skill gain," he continued Scarlet remembered reading something about artificial Skill gain when she'd retrieved her first rewards what felt like a lifetime ago. Immediately, her curiosity was piqued.

"Artificial Skills, like those gained through Skill Books, are not inherently bad. The method simply prioritises imparting instincts instead of knowledge. While gaining some understanding is inevitable, it tends to be incidental.

"A Skill Tome prioritises knowledge over instinct. There is no imparted muscle memory, no automatic form correction. Any instinct gained is purely incidental.

"Think of it this way. Someone with a basic combat Skill Book will be mechanically perfect in form, while somebody with a Skill Tome in combat will understand the mechanics and recognize when their form is correct or incorrect, but there is no true feedback from the skill. No imparted muscle memory, if you will." Sort of the difference between theory and practice, Scarlet figured, except she could already see the issue with the latter. Could 'perfection' that wasn't adaptable really be considered perfection?

One might have textbook fighting form, but if there was no room for flexibility, no accounting for experience, or environment, or individual differences, it was simply impractical. Being able to perform a perfect kick wouldn't matter if the Skill didn't help you avoid getting shanked in an alley, or sucker punched during an argument.

"Then there's the issue of Stat dilution," the Historian interrupted her musings.

"Skill Books, even System-granted ones, reduce the opportunity for failure. Normally this is a good thing. When something important is on the line you tend to care less about gaining Stats than about making sure your Skills don't fail you. Or more likely, that you don't fail your Skill. Though, as you've probably noticed, you're also much more likely to gain Stats when you're under pressure.

"While using a Skill Tome for, say, cooking might give a Tier 0 an idea of how to cook, what flavors and in what ratios, that person might gain a point of Dexterity while fumbling through the chopping, the stirring, and keeping track of many things at once. If that same person took the Skill Book, the functional aspects of cooking would be imparted automatically. Without trying, failing, and eventually succeeding, Stat gain is unlikely because there was no true growth.

"Of course, Skill Books have their place," he continued.

"It's possible to train them to become natural parts of one's own skill set. That try-fail cycle becomes less about learning how to do something and more about how to make it your own. It just takes the one thing we don't really have."

"Time," Scarlet said.

"Time," the Historian nodded.

"The Skill Tome will give you what you need while allowing you to make the mistakes you need. It gives you what you need while also giving you the flexibility to optimize for yourself. Of course, this is less of an issue with Skill Books that come as System rewards." Then the Historian looked at her. Scarlet's lips pressed imperceptibly together, before she reined in the micro expression. [Assimilate Skill Tome: Fist to Fist to Blade] [Yes | No] [Yes] She didn't feel much different once the Tome had assimilated.

She had a new awareness of her body, a new confidence in her movements, even in small acts like lifting her cup and positioning her shoulders. However, she supposed that much like the Knowledge Tome, the Skill Tome wouldn't truly show its worth until she could make use of the information.

She and the Historian then proceeded to talk in more detail about the training plan moving forward, settling on a schedule and her extracting a promise that whatever method he had to help her improve her mana wasn't experimental, would be fully explained, and wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as the Pools had been. By the time she was heading back to her quarters, she was well past tired.

Despite her Vitality being above human baseline, and the low-level psionic regeneration she'd seemingly picked after subsuming the Historian's healing, and she was beyond exhausted. As a person who basically lived in a windowless hole in the ground, she was displeased to find that the Portal World had no day-night cycle. In fact, the world didn't have any primary suns that she'd seen. It was just dirt and a bright, empty sky that made her restless despite her exhaustion. She opened her notifications.

[Quest: Fully Clear Tier 1 Portal World] [Description: The Portal World Trial Vixen's Vice has been triggered] [Time Limit: End of Trial] [Objectives: Complete all phases of the Trial: Vixen's Vice. Complete all Sub-Quests] [Sub-Quest 1: Completed] [Completion review: Exemplary Quest Updating…] [Generating additional rewards…] Oh, that was nice. Looked like the System gave out rewards when each Sub-Quest was accomplished. A pat on the back to keep people motivated.

Unfortunately, the System hadn't yet to give her the next Sub-Quest. Scarlet wouldn't complain. [You have received System Rewards] [View Contents] [Retrieve-] [View Contents] [You have been Rewarded: SC1000 (System Credits) Skill Tome: Survive and Thrive: A Guide to System Tactics] Scarlet and giddiness were not often in proximity, but this reward If it was anything like she thought it was, it would be more than worth its weight in whatever the Factions considered precious minerals.

She had barely finished reading the title before she was assimilating it. It was a good thing she was already tucked in because the absolute torrent of knowledge knocked her out cold. <–... –> Scarlet awoke to the smell of dry earth, the sight of a sunless sky, and the soft sound of familiar snuffling near her ear.

'Boss!' Maus sent. He was entirely too enthusiastic for Scarlet, who was still dealing with the residual pounding in her head; a side effect of the Skill Tome. The feeling of gentle reproach she sent to Maus was overwhelmed by her Familiar's excitement and distress. Leaning halfway up, she turned to look down at him and recognized her predicament at the same time Maus said it.

'Boss. We're in the pit!' Scarlet slumped back down, cursing the Historian in every language she knew, and some she didn't. She was in the Sunken Land, presumably with the Endless Horde. There had been no warning, no briefing, no breakfast. Training had begun.