"What's the big idea, huh?" Jett yelled in annoyance, pulling at his blanket as if to defend himself from an invisible threat. "At this point, it just feels like abduction."
"C'mon, lighten up. You missed me, didn't you?" Aurelia's voice came from behind Jett, her presence sudden and disorienting.
Jett looked around, half expecting to wake up from what he thought was a nightmare.
The room remained unchanged, and Aurelia's voice confirmed that this wasn't a dream.
Jett felt a pang of disappointment mixed with a reluctant sense of relief.
"And why would I miss a conniving, selfish bastard like you?" Jett retorted, unamused.
"Well, I couldn't find any of you for a while, so I thought I'd check the moment I did," Aurelia said with a hint of nonchalance.
"You've been spying on us?" Jett asked angrily, puzzled that Aurelia hadn't sensed their presence. 'That's odd. This world should be within his jurisdiction.'
"Spying is a strong word. I'd prefer to call it keeping tabs," Aurelia replied, attempting to justify his actions.
"Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing," Jett said, sitting up properly.
"No one ever complains when Father does it," Aurelia mused, a touch of annoyance in his tone.
"Whatever. Is that all you wanted? As you can see, I'm fine," Jett said, spreading his hands as if to display his well-being.
Aurelia sighed and raised his finger, ready to leave. "I guess that's all. You can go..."
"Hold on, I need to ask you something," Jett said, stopping Aurelia as his curiosity got the better of him.
"I'll answer if I feel like it," Aurelia said, pretending not to care.
Jett took a moment to gather his thoughts. 'Alternate realities exist, but the one we were sent to, was it really normal?' He hesitated before asking, "Is it possible for anyone other than the big guy to create an alternate reality?"
Aurelia's expression shifted, and he fell silent for a brief moment, as if weighing whether or not to divulge information.
"Hmm, why do you ask?" he responded, feigning indifference.
"Well, I'm just curious about how the strongest entities operate," Jett replied, his tone earnest.
Aurelia's face turned smug as he said, "Of course, it's possible, but not many can do it: and definitely not mortals. Angels can, but that's about it... except for a few people... I've said too much already."
"Alright, at least explain the concept behind our luck stats," Jett pressed on.
"Luck?" Aurelia said, raising an eyebrow. "It's the factor that determines how achievable your goals are. The higher your luck, the less control you have over the outcomes."
"I don't totally get it," Jett admitted, looking puzzled.
"Ugh, think of it this way: the higher your luck, the easier it is for your goals to be achieved, but luck isn't always on your side," Aurelia said, clearly frustrated that Jett didn't grasp the concept immediately.
"Let's say your goal was to be king, but the situation required someone close to you to die to achieve it. With high luck, you don't have control over the outcome: whatever your luck deems most efficient will happen. So, in a way, too much luck can be a double-edged sword," Aurelia explained.
Jett absorbed this, thinking about his own maxed-out luck. "That won't happen to me, right?" he asked, his concern evident.
"Don't worry too much," Aurelia said. "As long as your luck isn't maxed out, you're safe. I remember father mentioning a curse for anyone who maxes out their luck." He then added, "Alright, I'm sending you back now since I've got work to do here."
"Huh? Hold on..."
Before Jett could finish, Aurelia snapped his fingers, sending Jett back to his room without warning.
They also discussed the basics of spellcasting, including Mana control, the importance of incantations, and how different types of magic are influenced by the caster's Mana affinity.
Jett, already familiar with these concepts, found himself zoning out from boredom as the instructor droned on. His mind wandered to their pending mission and how best to approach the trials.
When the class ended, Jett and the gang gathered for a brief discussion.
"Alright, guys, listen up," Jett started. "We need to talk about what to do about those trials. We obviously can't keep ignoring them forever."
"Do we really have to go back there?" Morrigan sighed in disapproval.
"Yeah, I'm a bit curious about who made such a place," Rosa said, nodding in agreement along with Freya, Rey, and Cedric.
"I hope the rewards are worth it though. I can't risk my life for nothing," Finn remarked.
"If it helps me level up, then I have no problem with it," Elora said cheerfully. "I got two levels from the previous rewards."
Seraphina nodded in agreement. "I'm with you there. We all got stronger after beating the trial, so it can't be all bad."
"C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?" Matthew said, carefree. "Money isn't everything in this world; it sure can't buy happiness."
"What are you talking about?" Finn replied confidently. "Whoever said money can't buy happiness just doesn't know where to make the deposit."
Jett then called everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone, listen up. Here's my proposal: Let's aim to complete two trials every month so we can finish before the year ends."
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The group listened as Jett explained his plan.
"That actually sounds like a good idea," Freya said at the end of the presentation. "We can use the remaining time to gather resources, and by that, I mean those teleportation scrolls you had with you last time."
'I was going to suggest that,' Jett thought to himself, feeling slightly robbed.
"So now we need to think of how we can afford those scrolls."
"Each one costs 5,000 points," Jett explained. "And since we're fourteen, we'll need 70,000 points just for the scrolls."
"So how are we going to pull that off?" Rosa asked.
Seraphina's eyes lit up with excitement as she sensed the conclusion approaching. "We..." she began eagerly, cutting off Jett, "We're going to hunt some monsters!"
"Yeah, we'll hunt monsters for the drops while also leveling up," Jett added with a sigh.
"So where are we going to find monsters to hunt?" Cedric asked.
"Sorry Cedric," Jett said, "but both you and Marcella need to sit this one out."
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Why though?
Hope this chapter doesn't look messy
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