Chapter 152: A New Accommodation

Chapter 152: A New Accommodation

Chapter 152 A New Accommodation

The glowing network of runes was his entire world, nothing else existed. Not the bead of sweat coming down his brow or his thumping heartbeat. Careful and precise like a surgeon with his scalpel, Kai split a fraction of his attention and twisted his mana. The thread connected to the fifth and last rune.

It was done.

Spirits bless me.

His senses tensed in anticipation, afraid he would have to start over due to some minor mistake. Instants ticked painfully slow. No pulse canceled his mana, the cube had accepted his solution.

Kai relaxed his stiff neck and let out a relieved Yes with the breath he had been holding. Viryas riddle hovered an inch from the table he was sitting at, a hundred filaments of mana swirling beneath the wooden surface.

Shit!

A greater wave of worry clutched him. The sleek dark pieces clicked and shifted by themselves, rearranging the countless chains of runes woven into the cube. This was the thirty-fifth layer, the last of the fifth configuration.

Come on, come on. How many cursed layers did Virya put into this thing?

With a snap, the last piece slid into place. A perfect and smooth cube gently fell on the table. The enchantments he had spent the last month studying changed into an entirely foreign configuration.

Fuck me! Why?

Seven more layers with six solutions.

Kai wanted to scream and throw the damn puzzle across the living room, but he was too exhausted even to properly rage. He slumped into his chair, staring at the pale cream ceiling.

Its going to be forty-nine, isnt it?

Seven by seven, yes, that was something Virya would like. He had made offerings to Yatei and Kahali on the feeble hope they could spare him from that, but even the Great Spirits were powerless before the heartless witch. No reprieve or truce for little ol Kai.

The extra attributes in Mind and Spirits gave him the strength to push forward. He was going to do it even if he had to scramble his brain from dawn till dusk for the remaining five months and a half. He was too committed to pull back.

Virya must have known Id find a way to cheat. Maybe not a profession, but something for sure. There is no way Id solve it otherwise.

Multicasting (lv1) To control mana to its full potential, a mage needs to learn how to split their focus and perform numerous tasks at a time.

It was the latest of a long series of skills he had unlocked by working on the cursed puzzleprobably the most powerful. The question was if he going to take it before or after reaching Yellow

Still working on that thing? Flynn's upsettingly cheery voice breached his thoughts. He strode inside the room and set down his bag on the chair across from him. Whats with the face, did you fail again?

I didnt fail, I just reset it. Again. Kai struggled to force the frustration out of his tone. I thought I might finally be done with it, but it wasnt enough.

Have you considered how your teacher might have duped you? Maybe there is no way to open it. Flynn tapped onto the lacquered cube. I still think we should try with an axe.

No! Kai swiped away the cube into his ring. It wont work. Ill open it, I just need a little more time.

If you say so his friend stood back with a disappointed look.

Im getting close, just a few more layers, Kai said, unsure if it was for Flynn or for himself.

Let me know if you change your mind, I know just the guy to crack it open. Flynn gathered his satchel and left for the kitchen, his voice dampened by the wall. Im going to cook lunch, were both going to starve if it was for you.

The mention of food made Kai aware of his own hunger. A glance at the shining clock hung above the kitchen door confirmed it was indeed past noon.

I cant believe I let Reishi convince me to buy it.

Even the cheapest one cost him eleven silver mesars, just to tell time. The rhythms of city life required punctuality, or so the merman said. The sun always worked fine for him.

Lets get some good news.

The week would officially be over at midnight, an arbitrary rule he made to not constantly obsess over his XP. But everyone knew rules were made to be broken anyway.

*Ding*

Profession XP, General: 834 Skills: 600

Something is going well.

While the goal of Life Experience was to encourage the exploration of new skills and activities, General Profession XP rewarded practicing Mana Child. New and challenging activities earned more XP, but routine practice was also useful. Limited to the domain of a single profession, one couldnt always push for new experiences.

Since they had landed in Higharbor more than two months ago, Kai had roughly figured out the domain of Mana Child. His profession pushed him to delve and expand his knowledge of the arcane. Deciphering the enchantments copied with Mana Echo, learning new runes and alchemy recipes granted the most XP, but almost anything to do with mana and magic would work.

Viryas cube fit in almost perfectly, it was hard, challenging and required the use of several skills. While the foundation of the puzzle remained the same, the runes and configuration were always changing.

He might earn more if he varied his practice with other activities, but the difference wasnt worth the time investment with the months ticking by.

Gifted Novice (lv8>42)Mana Echo (lv7>38)

Cutlery clinked on the plates. The juicy meat tasted even better than it smelled, melting in his mouth. It was a rare treat, away from the hunting grounds of the Veeryd jungle, they couldnt afford it more than once per week.

Flynn looked up from his meal. Youve got to level 3?

Yep.

Is he worried Im catching up to him?

And are still bent on your plan? How dangerous is it to discard your profession exactly? You said it like it was no big deal, but everyone Ive talked to says the opposite.

Oh, that

Ill be fine, I know what Im doing. Seeing Flynn wasnt convinced, Kai went on explaining. The main danger is when you lose your attributes. If you have fifty Constitution and suddenly you lose half of that, there is the risk you cant handle the backlash and ends up crippled.

or dead.

That too, he conceded, casually gesturing with his fork. If you dont know what youre doing.

Having your attributes drain out of you wasnt a pleasant experience on all accounts. If you lost too many of your attributes, there was a high risk of permanent damage to the body or mind, depending on which stats you lost. Since Mana Child only offered mental stats, he knew where he fell.

Couldnt you wait till we were done eating?

And is there a way to safely avoid that? Flynns voice dripped with skepticism.

If you have a hundred Strength and lose one point you hardly feel the difference. Kai sent the last bite with a gulp of water, placing down his knife and fork. The reason why people dont do it is because everyone has their profession higher than their race. If they discarded it, theyd lose most of their attributes, and probably die.

In a very painful and gruesome way according to Reishi. Let's skip that part.

Flynn was still frowning, but Kai could see the pieces clicking together, so he gave the last push.

With my race at the peak of Orange, Ill survive as long as I dont raise my profession past red. Ill simply need to pay for a healer and buy the right potions to ensure there are no permanent injuries. Kai cleared the table and put the plates in the sink.

Ill keep Mana Child a couple levels below ten to stay extra safe since my profession is above average.

It was rare, but people had successfully done it before. Otherwise, why would the Guide bother to offer the possibility in the first place? The healer was going to cost a pretty penny, and the potion too, if he couldnt get his hands on a suitable recipe and brew it himself.

Yes, perhaps it wasnt as easy as he made it out to be. The process was not going to be pleasant even if everything went according to plan, Reishi had been very clear on that.

Or I could just not discard it.

The thought came unbidden, though it wasnt the first time. He liked Mana Child, it was powerful and could evolve in nearly any direction. Considering the age restriction, hed be surprised if he met anyone else with it.

I dont need to worry about that for a while.

Ill go brew some potions in my room, knock if you need anything.

kay, Flynn said, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

His bedroom was spacious even considering that it doubled as his working place. A wide bookcase covered the wall opposite the door from the floor to the ceiling. His dads volumes took the two middle rows, with his journals and alchemy manuals below.

He had pushed his bed against the right wall, while a long workbench took the left one. Boxes of herbs and a shiny silver cauldron were waiting for him.

After two months in a dingy house close to the outer city, Reishi had convinced him to move to a place he owned. If youre so insistent on renting a place, you might as well pay me. Kai couldnt remember how they got to that conclusion, but the merman made it sound like the only logical choice at the time.

He definitely used some kind of skill, damn merchant. Maybe I can copy it with Mana Echo and use it on him

Kai browsed the book of recipes he had been working on. It was always exciting to get to work after an attribute boost. Steps of the recipes that had seemed incomprehensible suddenly became obvious or far easier.

Name: Kai TylennRace: Human 17,514 > 32,414 / 300,000 XPProfession: Mana Child lv 3 0 / 8,000 XP

Body stats

Strength: 20Dexterity: 23Constitution: 25Mind: 28>31Spirit: 32>37.5Perception: 22>24.5Favor: 34

Spirit even went up a point naturally.

Alchemy was a nice distraction from the cube, a different kind of challenge that still fell within the purview of his profession. He was working in a limited capacity for about fifteen hours a week. Reishi had yet to figure out the logistics to supply the same volumes of ingredients as in Sylspring.

Bent on his cauldron and new discoveries, time flew by. Kai was finishing sieving a dexterity-enhancing potion when a knock came from the door. One second.

Is it already dinner time?

There was still light outside his window. The door opened and Flynn poked his head inside.

I said one second, Im almost done.

Then people say Im not patient.

I thought youd want to know this immediately. Your friends are back in Higharbor.