Chương 23: Pushing Forward Regardless

Level: 1 Experience: BLOCKED Healing: 210/210 Stamina: 180/180 Mana: 60/60 Class: Tier 0, Child (Green) Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition(+8%), Increased Learning Speed(+8%), Increased Stat Gain(+8%), Increased Physical Gain(+8%) Vitality: 21 (+0) Endurance: 18 (+0) Strength: 16 (+0) Agility: 18 (+0) Perception: 9 (+1) Mind: 41 (+5) Magic: 6 (+1) Focus: 19 (+2) Free Points: 0 Tier 1 (24) (2+): Mathematics (99 +24), Running (90), Breathing (82+7), Eldarin History (75 +10), Meditation (65+15), Dodge (61), Toughness (53), Eldarin Etiquette (50 +5), Drawing Skills (41+7), Sword Skills (41), Shield Skills (29), Light Armor (29), Dancing Skills (28), Spear Skills (23), Monster Processing Skills (19), Cooking Skills (15), Bow Skills (15), Cleaning Skills (14), Axe Skills (14), Pugilist Skills (14), Dagger Skills (12), Wrestling Skills (8), Speech (5+2), Combat Tactics (2+2) Tier 2 (18): Eldarin Script (81+61), Writing Focus (61+54), Danger Sense (33+2), Mana Sense (42+22), Darkness Vision (8), Monster Analysis (3), Soul Sense (2+2), Trap Detection (1), Depth Sense (1) Tier 3 (12): Pain Resistance (20), Soul Resistance (11+9), Empowered Will (6+4), Fear Resistance (2) Tier 6 (-): Experience Siphon (C) Equipment Gloves: Gloves of Processing(T2) (Blocks Mana T2 and Below) Ring 1: Ring of Concealment (T3) (Hide Status T3 and Below) Amulet/Bracelet: Experience Blocker (T4) (Prevents all experience gain for primary level) I went over everything with Healer Castelle, Tutor Damian, and my father, listening in.

They were the only three people allowed to hear my full status under strict instructions from my mother. My father was sitting in the background, remaining quiet while the other two men discussed my skills and status.

"Another skill, which isn't good, but the Mind stat has increased. A ratio of 77. 4% gives more leeway, but we still aren't out of the danger zone," Healer Castelle said.

"It is a good thing that skill mastery doesn't count towards Meldor's Threshold," Tutor Damian said.

"If it did, then no one would advance. I know the idiots over at the College of Advancement like to count everything, but what matters is the actual status page as it is at this precise moment," Healer Castelle said.

"What do you think of the level gains? If my memory isn't failing me, that is 72 levels in Tier 1 skills, 141 in Tier 2 skills, and 13 in Tier 3 skills. The rate of progression is ridiculous." Both were ignoring me and discussing my health and status.

"It's the soul fruit, combined with his age, level, and Mind stat. Who gives a child a green soul fruit? Anyone would kill for a red one, and his mother just gives him a green one."

"Well, she is the Supreme Warlady," Tutor Damian replied.

"I know the soul fruit made it easier to increase my skills. Is it really that strong?" I asked.

"Child, a soul fruit is a near-priceless natural treasure of the dungeon. People can consume them multiple times. They make it easier for the skills imprinted on your soul to level. No one would lightly use such an item on a child who has just gotten access to their status. Let alone a green soul fruit. Even for people at the level of your mother, it is a priceless treasure."

"To put it in perspective, the soul fruit would cost as much as it took for your conception. An insane amount of money," Tutor Damian said.

"That much, but…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say. That my mother had given me such a priceless treasure made me even more thankful for her being my mother.

"There is no need to say anything. But these increases would be at least 25% less if you didn't consume such an item," Healer Castelle said.

"Not a quarter, but closer to half. He gained 393 skill levels, considering tier, in three months. A top student with very good Tutors would gain around 250, at most. I am good, but even with focused instruction, there is only so much one can improve in such a short time," Tutor Damian replied. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That much, hmm. Skill levels are just reinforcement of the skill that is already part of your soul. There is no additional stress unless it advances to the next tier. At least there shouldn't be. You are sure the difference is that great?" Healer Castelle asked.

"I don't question your healing skills, so don't question my math and reasoning. He is going to max out on Eldarin Script and Writing Focus after just copying that one book. At most, that should take him to level 50 and a breakthrough thereafter upon completing it. Not all the way to skill mastery. But progress is coming incredibly quickly."

"Well, it shouldn't be a bad thing. If anything, the skills being at a higher level provide more support to the skills and his soul," Healer Castelle replied.

"His mother will be pleased if something good comes from this debacle. I am sure other kids have consumed a soul fruit from their parents."

"What would happen if I ate another soul fruit?" I asked, curious if I could improve even faster. They both just stared at me.

"Child, if you were anyone else, I would slap you for saying that. Your mother must have found one and saved it for a long time. They are among the best natural treasures one can find in the dungeon. And with the state of your soul, it would be incredibly reckless," Healer Castelle said.

"The problem is the skill level gain has increased, which could indicate a problem," Tutor Damian interrupted. We all looked at him.

"I just did the mental math. It has increased by around 12. 9% over the last three months compared to the growth shown in the previous six months."

"It is probably him focusing on mental skills. His Mind stat is much higher. By ignoring the physical skills he has, the growth rate is larger than when he had to train under one of the Squires," Healer Castelle said after a few seconds of thinking about the situation.

"The actual concerns are Mathematics, Eldarin Script, and Writing Focus. Those are the main mental skills he has been focusing on, and Mathematics is at the last bottleneck."

"We could let them increase in tier and keep up studying with more advanced skills. It is the only way, since we want to avoid other skills that will level quickly," Tutor Damian replied.

"Then we are right back where we started, at the edge of Meldor's Threshold and destruction of his soul."

"Well, he has to improve some skills. Unless you want him to go back to physical skills, but there isn't a qualified tutor compared to the Squires."

"Then he just has to do with a lesser tutor then."

"And you want to tell the Supreme Warlady you limited her son's skill growth? You might not be afraid of death, but I prefer living. Those three skills tier up, and we keep going. The Mind stat should increase some more as well."

"And when his soul collapses, you can be the one to tell her you were responsible." They were both talking about me without even considering my perspective on things. I took a deep breath and then spoke up, cutting these two grown men off.

"I will decide. Ultimately, it is my decision, and my mother told me I had the final say about my future. One thing that the Squires and my mother have imparted to me is a sense of urgency. Even as young as I am, it is a race to level up skills, to get stronger, to advance faster. Slowing down is not an option. Although I can practice Breathing while completing other tasks, I cannot improve my other physical skills as easily without a dedicated tutor.

I will focus on mental skills, and Tutor Damian will help me breakthrough."

"So be it. But you need to be careful. But you already know the risks. Do what you want," Healer Castelle said with a wave of his hand. I could tell he was frustrated, but I wouldn't slow my progress. If I wanted to become a supreme legend, a greater spellblade than my mother, then I couldn't slow down. Even if it risked my health, it was a good way to level up Soul Resistance and Soul Sense. I didn't get those skills from nowhere.

"I can feel my soul. Like some blob that overlays my body. Can you help me improve it?" I asked Healer Castelle. He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"System save me from children who think they know best. Messing about with the soul is incredibly dangerous. While no skill is truly evil, soul mages have a terrible reputation. Often because of their experiments on others and their history with the Eldarin Empire." I looked at tutor Damian, who nodded.

"But if I can sense my soul, wouldn't that be useful to check if anything is going wrong?"

"Three rules then! If you break them, or I think you are breaking them, I won't teach you any longer. And I don't care if you think I am being unfair. The risk of you doing something stupid is too high."

"Yes, Healer Castelle."

"First, you do nothing. I mean anything regarding your soul unless you specifically ask me first. Even using the skill to sense your soul. You may not practice it independently. While you will have a residual soul sense, please don't focus on it. If you focus your mind in the wrong way, you might poke your soul. If you do anything, there could be greater complications. So only with my express permission will you try to do anything."

"Yes, Healer Castelle," I answered.

"Second, never use that skill on another being. Even as a test or to level up that skill. That leads down a dark path, and I will have no part of it. Unless you choose to become a healer, soul skills are dark. Don't go down a dark path." That was also easy to agree with.

"Third, no questions. I will tell you what I think you should know so you don't do something stupid."

"Understood! You have my word, I will follow your rules."

"We will see."

"Combat Tactics? I am curious where you could have gotten that from," Tutor Damian said.

"I was talking with the guard captain about the attack on the estate," I said.

"Ah, that would do it. Given how easily you can acquire skills... Well, I suppose we can combine it with more focused history lessons. Lots of books to read then and keep you engaged with different mental skills," he said with a smile. I wanted to let out a groan but held back. I knew I needed to focus on the mental skills to keep my Mind stat, but I preferred action. After getting a taste of the dungeon, I wanted to go back.

"Your Mana Sense has been making impressive progress. Now that I am thinking about the other areas, you are right, it is a bit much. We are going backwards, not forwards," Healer Castelle said.

"Backwards?"

"Your skills are improving too quickly in relation to your Mind stat. Once you have mastered them and increased their tier, the pressure on your soul grows, it doesn't decrease."

"If he doesn't want to slow down, there is nothing we can do. We must keep focusing on mental skills and increasing that stat."

"Foolishness, but it is your choice." I didn't need to hear anymore. It was time to focus back on learning and improving.