Chương 45: Chapter 38

"I'm running!" I scream, before the world starts to slow down around me as I dart out from behind the berm that I had used to conceal my presence, before I run forward into hostile territory. I instantly begin to regret my decision as I see the faint spark of recognition, followed quickly by the mobile turning and what is soon to be a complete activation of not one, but two mounted and seemingly fully operational ancient turrets.

My yelling for the others to run was mainly for me to give my team enough time to realize that I was doing something stupid. Which was evident when I ran forward a few dozen paces, basically until I got winded from running to far too fast while carrying too wide of a load, then stopped. Not only did I stop, but I planted my feet, and began taking in the attack vectors of the two turrets and realized this was either going to be something really stupid, or fantastically praise worthy in the future.

Focusing my mind, I felt the will and thrill of Spatial magic rise up in me, my second major affinity, and one that seemed mostly useless as I can't actually Teleport with it, but I can do some creative folds in space. I hear the whirr and grinding of gears, then I wait for it, the moment when the two turrets fully commit to their assault and annihilation of the intruder that came before them.

Then I see it, the spark of fire erupting, letting me know that I am about to be shot into oblivion, instant game over, if this trick doesn't work. Then as I see the first spark of instant death pelting my way, I clear my mind, hold up my left hand, then cast. Perfect Minor Portal. Instantly, I feel my mind take the coordinates of space and melt them around me.

I'm not good enough with my Spatial magic to cast this on the run, and unless the target I am focusing on is super large and can't dodge out of the way in time, or is stationary, like these turrets, then this attack is meaningless. Fortunately, this magical spell is exactly why I know this will work. See I'm a minor character in a world of romance, magic, diplomacy, and intrigue, from the amazing world of"To Love an Empire."

Unfortunately, I am the character who was meant for none of those amazing facets of this world, as they were all intended for this world's true protagonist princess Claudia Von'Roseblade. As for me, I am a side character that provided minimal uses, and only minor supporting roles but quickly got phased out by other more dominant and specialized leading characters.

It didn't help that I was the ugliest of the starting party members, and while my character did get more attractive over time, they were always minor improvements compared to the glow-up that followed the protagonist. In the end, I was always there to make the other characters, especially the main character, look better. I think that's why I was given this ridiculous back story of having an awakened ancient bloodline.

Which sounds cool, until you realize that part of why the ancients died out was likely due to a famine, thus my bloodline focuses on retaining bodyfat in order to use excess fat to increase mana reserves. Still, the developers knew what they were doing, as this Ancient Bloodline allowed for greater mythology and advanced technology blueprints that would help conquering rival lands and unite the kingdom under the banner of house Roseblade.

While I have forever severed my ties to house Roseblade, and made it so I am considered a minor noble in my own rite due to my assigning myself a last name thanks to this Ancient technology. Technology that is now activated, and actively trying to fire automatic weapons at me, like I was an invading spy sent to steal all of their secrets and resources, oh wait, that is exactly what I am here to do, good on them. Yet, I know a secret.

The secret is that the developers wanted people to explore these ancient ruins, and realized that having Karen, the character that I am now merged with, in a party meant that other members would not be possible. Most notably the rogue and assassin types, as my Disruption Field, the most important spell from my Arcane Repair line of magic, and second most cast spell next to my Arcane Repair Bolt spell, will break anyone who is attempting to stealth while within my area of influence.

What this meant was, in order for people to effectively break into these hidden Ancient lairs, one needed a character who could help break their way in. That is how I not only filled in as a tri-affinity caster, but also part time dabbler as a rogue, and I can sing apparently too. All of this is to say that my character is the minor-Mary-Sue of the series. For I can do a lot of things, but there are people who can do what I do better.

Take for instance healing, Marie De'Claire, the future saint candidate who is in my party, can heal a hundred times better than I can. Eventually she will be able to even resurrect the dead, and I got her from Claudia's clutches by all but demanding her to be my compensation for following the last true ancient, the grand guru himself, Rikt. Then my main warrior Octavia, I got from the Drakerton household after I saved Darren Drakerton from a choir practice gone bad.

Octavia is by far and away the tallest female in the series, and her exceptional use of the rapier, and shield combo are unmatched, making her an ideal frontline fighter. By contrast, I have taken up the role of the thief, and minor support caster. Which is good, as it allows me to take point in a lot of our operations as I have played this game so many times that I know the attack patterns and trap locations by heart.

That is why I feel calm, well my heart is racing frantically like it has suddenly been kicked into overdrive after idling for too long, while my lungs feel like I breathed in a vaporous form of liquid fire that I am now trying to extinguish from inside my lungs. But none of that matters, for it is just more proof of how deeply immersed I am in this world, of how real everything is, and how important my decisions are. Also, this intense level of immersion lets me feel the use and release of magic.

From all my playthroughs, I know how to cast every one of Karen's spells perfectly. Heck, I know how everyone can cast perfect iterations of their unique class powers perfectly, as I have played this so long and got the timing and habits down that the game is a breeze, which is why I don't flinch when I begin casting my life saving spatial spell. A spell that rips open a minor tear in space right in front of me and opens a corresponding exit point wherever I choose.

In this case, the exit point I chose for my Perfect Minor Portal is a spot right to the side of the far-left turret, the one that has the clearest line of sight towards Marie and Octavia and therefore needs to be taken down first. I know the spell is effective, despite being effectively blinded by a giant fold in space that shows me a dark void like realm before me.

Seeing the void, I know I need to be careful as that is simultaneously the source of all magic in this world, while also being the number one corrupting agent of this world as well. I'm still trying to get caught up on the new backstory of what exactly the void is, but I think it is how the Ancients both gained power and ruined their world by bringing in too much void energy too quickly.

Which caused said famine that I am now well equipped to survive, thanks to my body's ability to take in calories from air it seems. That is obviously a lie, as I have been getting skinnier from all our movements to this point, but it is sad how chunky I can get from even minor nutritional meals. I am just holding my minor portal open and feeling the tingling sensation of two different energy streams flowing into and then through my rift.

Only once I realize that the stream has been halved in power do I realize that my first attempt was a success and that the far left most turret was destroyed. A fact that is confirmed by the cloud of rising smoke coming from it. With the first turret down, I calm my mind and rather than recast the spell, to angle the exit point towards the last remaining turret, I instead focus and slowly rotate the exit point around to finally face the last remaining turret.

The reason why I didn't recast is simple, as I would have to drop my protection, get pelted by energy infused bullets I don't know how many times, before ultimately getting the spell back up to then retarget the one remaining turret. While my current method took relatively longer and was more mentally taxing, as changing the exit point of an established and channeled spell is taxing, it is worth it in the fact that I did this by myself and without any issues.

In the game, I could switch to turn based casting, where I would effectively use Marie to chain cast barrier magic, but one the Marie in my party hasn't quite mastered that spell, yet. Also, I don't think I could handle the level of paint that would come from the inevitable barrier break that would come from such a reckless operation. That is why I just focus take the mental headache and go until I see the same yellow sparks that are flying towards me, suddenly pelt the turret on the far-right side.

Then it is just a matter of waiting and focusing, until finally sparks fly, the turret drops, letting me know it is down for the count.

"Phew! You did it!" Marie exclaims excitedly, as she rushes out from the same protective berm that I had hidden behind a moment ago. Seeing her I panic, as I realize that the turrets are only momentarily deactivated, that some of the later stage turrets have a self-repair feature that makes dealing with them almost impossible as I have only done the first part of this operation.

"Wait right there!" I shout, pointing behind me for her to stay, as I cast a Perfect Dexterity Boost to help me gain the speed I need to get to the control panel as quickly as possible. Once I'm at the control panel, I cast Break In, a spell that causes the control panel for this facility to pop out of the wall, revealing a puzzle piece where I must re-align metal discs to form an image. Seeing the image, I feel a sense of panic, wondering if it is a new puzzle that I haven't mastered.

For there is a timing component to this as well. While I am working on the puzzle, the two turrets at my back are actively trying to repair themselves, which if I wasn't considered a hostile force before, I will be declared one now, as I am clearly trying to Break In to this facility.

Then I exhale and realize that while this particular puzzle might be new, I have seen others like it, and begin fiddling with the pieces quickly, my senses heightened as my fingers move nimbly and crisply thanks to my still active Perfect Dexterity Boost. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"It's a triangle!" I exclaim, finally seeing what it is supposed to be made into my mind's eye. Then keeping that mental image in mind, I move and reform the chips until they form said triangle. I know I've done it correctly when all the pieces are gone and they all fit in the panel. Then slotting the control panel back into place, I jump up and hope. There is a moment of hesitation, as I see the turrets coming back online, as the faint golden glow surrounding them begins to intensify before winking out entirely.

They both turn to face me, then to face Octavia who has also left the protection of the berm and is now standing next to Marie.

"Shit!" I exclaim, seeing that both turrets are about to go wild as I have not registered Octavia with any system.

"STAND DOWN!" I command, then to my surprise the turrets do just that, they stop their fluttering turning and generation of energy to infuse into their ammo and just proceed to hover there like some giant python ready to lunge and strike at any moment.

"Stay there!" I yell out to Marie and Octavia, realizing that I need to go in, and establish myself as the owner of this facility. A process that comes easily, though this one requires a drop of blood to confirm my status as an ancient. I don't recall if I had to do this for the other Ancient facility that I've already taken control of, but it seems like a good test regardless. A test that I pass handedly as it reads and registers my bloodline. Then proceeds to pull up my records. Welcome back Karen Laurain.

Updating your personal information. Seeing that I was in the control booth for so long and that I suddenly relaxed my posture, Marie and Octavia began walking forward, seemingly oblivious to the threat that was now flashing to life on the console. Potential hostile forces detected. Initiating protecting protocol.

"No wait, stop protection protocols. I repeat the two entities are not hostile forces, stand down," I give commands out right and left hoping that one sticks. I don't think this is a save point, and I would absolutely cry if I saw Marie or Octavia gunned down before me. That is why I am so adamant that this facility stop and recognize both Marie and Octavia. Standing down. I exhale a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

Then as if to try to gain forgiveness for it almost inducing a heart attack, the system goes one step further. Are these allies?

"Yes, these are allies. Tippity-top allies," I reply, trying to use the ancient language to the best of my ability. I must say that I am somewhat surprised by how seamless my mind is able to hear and understand the odd intonations. Before I get lost in my own immersion as an ancient, who came in with the knowledge of the ancients pre-loaded into their mind, only to have said baseline knowledge reinforced through immersion play, the facility tells me something that I didn't know was possible.

Temporary dignitary status granted. Oh this was new, I think to myself as I don't remember the other facility having anything like this. Then again, I think this facility was either new, or part of a different neural network, as it didn't seem to recognize me with a scan. Did that mean that this was a separate, counter faction to the one that was by my character's home? The same one that seemed to be connected to the love academy? If so, it would make sense.

Well, not much of this world made sense, but if there were different networks, then it would explain why these facilities were so hostile to random ancients who visited. That and the idea that this facility accepted dignitaries seemed to imply that foreign ambassadors would come here. Did that mean that this facility's teleportation array would allow access to the other continents?

If so, then all I would likely need to do is repair the existing nodes, fill up a few power cells and boom, new continents to explore with new never seen before content, this is… fantastic!

"You done?" Marie calls out, peeking her head into the control booth that opened up after my expert panel repair and override process was completed.

"Yeah, just about," I reply seeing a few commands, only to turn back and be completely frightened by the sight I see. While Marie is fine and completely unassuming, the turrets are pointing at both her and Octavia respectively. Apparently, dignitary status, or tippity-top status as I referred to them, giving them that designation, means keep weapons locked and loaded.

It almost feels like this should be overkill, but then before I could get lost in that thought, the system came back to life with yet more information. Well, namely my information. Newly registered facility owner identified and verified. After that, it proceeded to give me a readout of just how much I had improved.

Name: Karen Laurain Age: 14 Gender: Female Magical affinities: Current Rating Maximum Rating Primary: Combat Support (Healing Spells) B S Secondary: Spatial (Rifts) B S+ Tertiary: Arcane Repair (Disruption Fields) S SSS While it had been since just before the mid-semester break and subsequent mid boss fight against the choir leader who was also an agent for the Dark Messiah, I felt great about my improvements.

All of my affinities increased by half a rating and I was clearly able to show superb mastery in one field of magic which could be enough to graduate, if I so chose. I of course didn't want to, as there were still so many secrets to uncover at the love academy, that I would be a fool to leave early.

Attributes: Current Rating Maximum Rating Strength: B A Dexterity: B A Stamina: B B+ Perception: B+ A+ Intelligence: A+ S+ Magic: S SS+ For my attributes almost all increased by half a grade, showing that I pushed myself as hard as I could. A lot of these gains were likely earned by the final mid-boss fight at the end of the semester, but still I felt accomplished.

Most notably my by my Magic current rating and maximum rating increased, letting me know I wasn't wrong in my thoughts that I pushed through a bottleneck. Abilities: Death Sight – Can see and talk to spirits (might cause minor problems when interacting with people). Perfect Combat Support Caster: You managed to cast a perfect form of a Combat Support spell. All Combat Support related spells are cast as if one Rank Higher. Current Rank: B. Effective Rank: A.

Note: this can cause your spells to be cast at a proficiency rating above your Maximum Rating. Perfect Spatial Caster: You managed to cast a perfect form of a Spatial spell. All Spatial related spells are cast as if one Rank Higher. Current Rank: B. Effective Rank: A. Note: this can cause your spells to be cast at a proficiency rating above your Maximum Rating. Perfect Arcane Repair Caster: You managed to cast a perfect form of an Arcane Repair magic spell.

All Arcane Repair magic type related spells are cast as if one Rank Higher. Current Rank: S. Effective Rank: SS. Note: this can cause your spells to be cast at a proficiency rating above your Maximum Rating. Precision Caster: You managed to cast one perfect spell in each of your magical affinities. All magic spells related to your affinities are reduced in terms of mana cost by one Ranking. Note: Minimum mana required per spell one unit of mana per cast.

Perfect Caster: You managed to cast your first spell in all affinities perfectly. Your luck attribute (Hidden) has increased by one Rank. Current Rank: <Hidden>. Master Casting Dominance: You have managed to cast a perfect spell at the S Rank. With this, your spells will have magical dominance over lesser spells cast around you. My perfect Combat Support Caster, Perfect Spatial Caster, and Perfect Arcane Repair Caster all improved by half a grade. Now I could be listed amongst the truly elite.

Well I could, if Arcane Repair was a valid and recognized field of magic. Bloodline: Yes, awakened Advanced Survivor's Bloodline: Your body has been tempered to be able to gain nourishment that is twice as effective at generating fat that can be used for extra mana. Every percent of body fat, above a baseline 12% increases your overall mana pool by two percent per point of body fat. Current Rating: 33% (Rate calculated 33% - 12% for registered 21% Body Fat bonus (42% bonus Mana)).

Blessing of the Virgin Bestowed: This blessing is bestowed upon one who is pure of heart, mind, and body. So long as the bearer of this blessing remains celibate, they will receive a permanent increase in their overall Magic Power, Magic Capacity, Magic Range, Magic Accuracy, and Magic Abilities. Ratings increase by 1% per year that blessing remains pristine. Current Permanent Rating: 1%. Wow, just seeing that I am not as chunky as I am usually feels odd.

I'm getting healthier, which is good, but that is severely impacting me and my ability to have an almost endless reserve of mana available. Skills: Rank Dual Casting (Mixed Casting): B+ Mana Exertion Casting (Tireless reserves): B+ Mana Circulation (Progressive Increases of Mana Absorption): B+ Sneak Attack (Stealth Casting): C+ Focused Casting (Laser focused): B Camouflage (Masked Casting): B Arcane Machinery (Teleporters): A Even my skills went up by a half rank each.

While this would be expected on autoplay, seeing the results myself, created from my own efforts was oddly more satisfying in a way I could describe. I was lost with my own updates, before I was ripped away by an overly excited Marie.

"Can we go in yet?" Marie asked, almost impatiently. Realizing that she was right and that we were wasting valuable training time, I nodded and agreed, "yeah, let's go."