Chương 39: Chapter 37. Facing Figments

Gita desperately wanted to be cool. Growing up in her poor village, with her poor parents, and poor siblings, she always wanted to be cool. Whenever one of the other kids got a new toy, clothes… or just about anything really, her jealousy would spike. Then she'd lash out, bully them, and then she'd get in trouble, and the cycle would repeat. When she had woken up in a new world, though? Her first thought wasn't about missing family or friends. All she cared about was how could she live a better life.

Then when she had learned about the existence of classes and skills, her brain began spinning with ideas. A class was the ticket for her to finally feel cool. But what class felt like her? Punching shit was cool, sure, but also perhaps a bit simple. Why not aspire for something else now that she had the chance?

"Gita, why would you want to be [Mage] as well? Someone with as little mana as you could get it in like… ten years. Best to stick with what you already have for now and flesh that out," Bruno had said, laughing at his own words. Gita was enthralled with the idea, though. It was so obvious, but even in a fantasy world, being a [Mage] hadn't cross her mind as a possibility until she had met Emily.

Growing up, she had engrossed herself in fantasy books and even some games when their parents had gotten them a super old gaming console. And learning about the magic systems had always been a highlight for her. After all, [Mages] were the epitome of cool. An epic lightning bolt to smite her foes from far away, or summoning forth pillars of stone to entomb enemies, or unleashing a torrent of water to hose away any opposition. There were just so many possibilities. And all equally capable of making her cool.

"No, I want to be a [Mage]. I like that idea, so I'm gonna do it," Gita had said. Bruno had thought she was joking, but he knew by now when she was being a bitch, and when she was serious.

"…Oh, you're serious. I was joking," Bruno said.

"I don't have the slightest idea of how to train you on that, nor do I know anyone offering magic coaching. I… hmm, you'll have to just check Plank's library and pray the man has stolen a book or two on the subject." That had been the other day when Oscar had went off on his mission. Since then, she had done as Bruno had suggested and thrown herself into the educational books inside Plank's little library. To her delight, he had books that detailed the basics of developing her mana and how to efficiently use it.

As far as actual spells, she'd need a spellbook for that. Fortunately, magic could be a self taught class, and beginner spellbooks were super cheap. The [Mage] class was unique in this world. She'd need to spec into a special archetype using the spellbook and then she'd gain the class relating to that archetype. Then once she'd gain her class relating to that branch of magic, when she leveled up she'd be able to pick from one of three randomly selected spells to learn.

The book had said that it was currently unknown if anything could influence the selections, so it advised her to just work hard. She could also, in theory, manually teach herself the spells out of the spellbook, but it was much harder. The benefit to doing that, however, was generally speaking, self-taught spells were a good bit stronger. And when she did specialize into an archetype, it wouldn't necessarily stop her from learning other schools, but it would make it harder.

As Gita sat in the Burrow's training room, she held out her palm and summoned forth all of the mana she could. It pooled in her hand, rippling violently like a miniature typhoon. The first time she had done it, Bruno had been amazed, but then admitted he couldn't really detect how much mana someone had. Whatever that fool said didn't matter because she'd done it. And she was getting better at the more she practiced.

"Hmph, you never quit do you? You might be one of the last remaining young folk that still put in the effort," Plank said, surprising Gita and causing her mana orb to explode and return back into her body.

"Fucking hell, old man. Didn't you see me in the middle of honing my concentration? Now I have to go through that process all over again…" Gita grumbled. She knew he'd scold her for that, and sure enough…

"You fucked it up, girl. If you can't handle a frail old man walking into a room, then how do you expect to hold your own in an all-out brawl? And stop mentioning that " hell" place. I told you our equivalent is called Bhenna. You sound stupid every time you say it."

"Go to hell, I'll say what I want," Gita replied.

"And why the hell do people say the Abyss and Bhenna? They're both used in the same fashion..."

"Eh? They're the same shit, basically. Who cares? Just use the curse like a normal perosn," Plank said.

"Anyway, I came here to help. Would you like me to "go to hell" still?"

"Help how? What do you know about magic."

"Not a damned thing, kid," Plank said with a shrug.

"What I know is how to cheat." This piqued her curiosity as she had no qualms cheating. She had learned that from her big brother Rahul, when she had been a little kid. He had access to more luxuries than she did—and even their parents—because he wasn't afraid to get dirty. Rahul placed wagers and bets on all sorts of stupid shit and won each and every one of them because he was an unapologetic cheat. It was the other kids fault for continuing to believe his lies about playing fair.

"Okay, I'm game. But how do you cheat the whole… class system bullshit? Isn't it ordained by some weird-ass god?"

"I'm not sure how the whole system truly works. Most likely no one does aside from the gods themselves," Plank said.

"What I do know is that you should be able to trick the system by taking some Desire." Gita didn't reply and just gestured for him to keep going when he kept staring at her. After a second more of blank staring, he remembered that she was essentially a newborn child in this world.

"Right… Well, it's believed that obtaining a class—and perhaps even skills, but there hasn't been enough research into that—is influenced by both the desire of wanting the class, as well as perceiving yourself as someone fit for the class. A boy won't become a [Soldier] just because he likes beating up other kids with a stick because he likely doesn't believe himself to be a [Soldier]. It takes a deep level of understanding and desire to adopt a class," Plank explained.

"And Desire is a drug that makes the users desires and dreams completely consume them. While under the drugs effects, you'd truly believe yourself to have achieved those desires, or at the very least, to be capable of obtaining them. So, before you take the Desire, just think intently about what class it is that you want, and when you wake up… maybe you'll have the class." Gita was completely on board until the last part.

"Uh, yeah, hey… so when you proposed this you made it seem like it was a known thing. The maybe aspect sort of betrays the notion that you had any idea of what you're talking about." Plank got annoyed at this like it was her fault that he had misled her.

"Whatever, it might work, it might not. What do you have to lose?"

"I don't know maybe my sobriety? Just how addicting is this shit anyways?"

"Highly."

"Do you guys have shit that can cure me of an addiction. Just in case?"

"Stop asking questions. You'll be fine. I'll lock you in a cell if you start wanting more, does that ease your fears?" No, it didn't. But also, she was a little curious on what a magical drug from another world would be like. And maybe Plank was right and she'd gain a cool new class.

"Okay, okay. Let's do it." Plank nodded and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small capsule. He tossed it to her, and she just barely managed to catch the tiny thing. She sat down, wanting to be as comfortable as possible during the high… and threw the pill into her mouth and swallowed. The drug kicked in almost instantly, and she soon found herself drifting away into yet another world. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. This world, though?

This world was one of her own creation, where she was the goddess that decreed what was possible and what wasn't.

A blow struck her across the cheek. Blood filled her mouth and she spat it onto the rich soil she found herself standing on. Her eyes darted towards her assailant and she almost cried at seeing who it had been. Rahul Basu stared at her with the same cold fury that she had seen on him the day that she had died.

"What the fuck! This isn't a pleasant dream of my own desires! Why are you here?" Gita cried, her voice high-pitched in confusion.

"This is what you desire, sister," Rahul said, his voice just slightly distorted.

"You were always so spiteful and jealous of me. You thought that you deserved my treasures even though I was the one who did the majority of the work."

"Bullshit! You taught me how you did things just so you could use me like a slave. I was only claiming a larger piece of the pie that I baked!" Gita said. Rahul laughed that cruel laugh of his.

"Shut the fuck up, you miserable cunt. You're high out of your goddamn mind, just like how our mother used to get. You created me because you desire one thing and one thing only… and no, it's not to be cool." Gita found her temper rising to heats unseen before. Rahul had always been adept at getting under her skin. When she had been a kid, she had also tried her hand at bullying and stealing… but could never truly commit to the act like Rahul had. She still did it, but could never be as ruthless as Rahul had been.

She'd return the things she'd stolen, but Rahul would never.

"What is it that I desire, my oh-so-benevolent big brother?" Gita asked, even though she already knew the answer. After all, this was a world of her own creation.

"Revenge. For everything. Not just what I did and didn't do, but for how you were born into a world that spat on you for even trying to believe that you deserved better," Rahul said, spreading his arms out.

"Who knows how long you have before the high runs out. Are you gonna let your desire be fulfilled… or will you rot away like mother did? Maybe after this you'll go out and get another hit of whatever this filth is…" She had heard enough. She was not about to let the figment of her brother continue to insult herself any longer. If her heart wanted her to act out on her desires, then she would make her regret it. In the span of a blink, Gita found herself overflowing with mana.

The magic coursed through her veins, itching to be released. She realized that she didn't want to just be a pure [Mage]. After all, she was an agile girl who loved to climb things, and to feel the air against her skin as she ran. No, being a [Mage] wasn't her true desire. It was a part of it, sure… but not the whole picture. Another blink later and she found she had on both of her hands a metal cestus. The cestus was a weapon that Gita had found herself loving after leaving Ascot.

Punching shit was simple, yeah, but it was also fun. Combine that with magic? Suddenly she's one cool motherfucker.

"Oh, this is going to be so cathartic," Gita said, as she pounced on her prey. For whatever reason, Gita's heart hadn't created Rahul to be a punching bag. He reacted to her engagement, and out of thin air… whipped out a glaive. Why the fuck did he have a glaive out of all weapons? She didn't know and didn't care enough to think about it further. Gita pivoted away, forgoing a strike and instead let the sweet words of a spell caress her lips.

"[Entangle]," she said, causing thick roots to shoot out of the ground, wrapping their earthy limbs around Rahul's ankles and the arm which held the glaive. She hadn't stopped moving and had instinctively been preparing for the spell to take hold. Already she was in the perfect position and rearing back her right arm, which she swung and hit Rahul in his ribs. However, her drug-created brother was sturdier than she thought and spat fire, burning her roots away to cinders.

"Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. What else have I made you able to do?" Gita asked.

"Don't ask me. I'm not even real," Rahul said, a smug grin adorning his lips. He swung the glaive at her, and just barely was she able to move out of the way. He was fast. It was unfortunate that he had to have been given a weapon that was so good at keeping her away. But this was her god-damned high, she wasn't going to let herself be defeated. She didn't know what skills or spells she had access to in this fantasy. The prior spell had just came to her and felt right, but she didn't feel anything else.

Once she had dodged another blow and crept in again, she felt a familiar sensation within her.

"[Ironwood Fists!], [Entangle!]," Gita said, and felt herself become giddy at the prospect of what was to come with the two spells. The roots this time shot up and wrapped around Rahul's neck, locking him in place. Unable to breathe those molten flames with his throat constricted, all he could do was watch. Watch as his little sister threw back her arm as she powered up an already skill-enhanced strike, and... Rahul Basu smiled gleefully up at her as his face caved in.

The first blow had killed him already, but Gita swung once, twice… thrice. She kept punching until she felt satisfied. All in all, it had been a quick fight. She wished she had created someone stronger so she could see other skills and spells… but this was all fiction anyway. That being said, it did feel real. The power didn't feel like a dream and her blows for damn sure felt real. For her sake, she hoped that Plank was right and she got her class.

Otherwise, she very well might allow herself to become addicted to this stuff just to remember this feeling again. Gita crashed to the ground and felt exhaustion overwhelm her body. Unable to remain in this high induced world any longer, she slipped away, further and further… until a few lines of text floated in front of her. Class Obtained! Class: [Mage] obtained! Spell: [Snare] obtained! Conditions Met for Class Evolution! Class: [Martial Artist] removed! Class: [Mage] Removed!

All prior skills and spells related to aforementioned classes has been removed! Class Obtained! Class: [Martial Mage] obtained! Spell: [Root Carapace] obtained! Skill: [Oaken Fists] obtained!

Gita woke out of her stupor with a splitting headache. Plank was sat in front of her, which almost made her jump since he was the first thing she saw. He had his eyes closed, his breathing was steady as if he was deep in meditation. One eye creaked open upon hearing her stir.

"How was the experience? Did you feel like a deity?" If she weren't so tired, she'd reach forward and strangle the old fossil.

"Ugh… that was not what I expected. Way more intense that I thought the high would be…"

"Well, did it work?"

"Fuck you… Yeah, it worked," Gita grumbled.

"Although, I thought I had to learn spells myself not have them given to me."

"Oh?" Plank was very interested to learn what class she had gotten now.

"You're not a pure [Mage] then? That's peculiar indeed and could be a hindrance if your level-ups give you skills rather than spells. But all magic classes can manually learn spells, so don't worry about it. It might be a bit harder for you, but you're a stubborn girl, I'm sure you'll accidentally create your own spell one day." Gita pocket that information.

"Nah, I got something called a [Martial Mage]. I lost [Tempo Strike], which is a shame. I didn't get to master the—" Plank whooped and clapped his hands, cutting Gita off. He looked genuinely excited to have had his expectations subverted. It almost made her smile. Only almost though.

"A specialization class from class evolution? That is most uncommon indeed. It would appear both you and Oscar are very special people," Plank said.

"Or perhaps… just being around a wise old man such as myself that inspired you."

"What the hell are you talking about? All you did was supply me some shady-ass drug."

"Again with that word!" Plank groaned.

"Just tell me what skills and spells you got already. I got paperwork to go through." Just like that, Plank had used up all of his alloted social time with her. She didn't want him around any longer, but still she obliged and told him what she had gained. As annoying as he was… he did know a thing or two.

"Fascinating! You're being pushed towards an earth-based spell user," Plank remarked.

"That's good, though! It'll enable you to not only endure some nasty hits, but also empower your blows immensely. [Root Carapace] is a highly coveted skill due to what it'll like evolve into later." Gita couldn't stop herself from groaning.

"Ugh! Earth-based shit only? I was hoping for a wider range of elements."

"The system works in mysterious ways. If that's what you desire, then it very well may happen," Plank said, shrugging slightly.

"[Martial Mage] is a relatively new class, so much hasn't been discovered about it yet. Just keep an open mind, girl." Obtaining a new class was still really cool, so she wasn't all that bummed out. Rahul might have said her wanting to be cool was a farce, and perhaps that wasn't her true desire, but it did have some truth to it. Because Gita truly did want to feel cool. She wanted to be able to carry herself in this new world and be respected.

She wanted to have kids look up at her and not see a bully and a thief, but someone who could protect them and become used as a source of inspiration. A raw source of strength, and an unyielding fountain of courage for others to draw from.

"Ew. Gross," Gita said aloud accidentally.

"That sounds like I want to be a superhero or some shit. That's cringe as hell. I just want to be strong; let's start there."

"What the hell—I mean, Bhenna… is a superhero?" Plank asked, but Gita stood up and left, leaving the old man alone to wonder how much stronger a [Hero] needed to be in order to be considered super.