20 Learning how to Magic...

(Bruce) 'Wow, they actually managed to kill it, huh...'

(System) 'That is correct'

(Bruce) 'Also, wasn't there supposed to be a large power gap between each rank...'

(System) 'That is also correct'

(Bruce) '...'

(Bruce) 'Then how did they kill that Water Drake...'

(System) 'That would be due to the differences between the humanoid races and monsters'

Bruce ponders for a bit at what those differences might be, before curiously asking system for more information on the subject

(Bruce) 'What exactly would those differences be...'

(System) 'What's the magic word?'

(Bruce) '*sigh*... Plea...'

Bruce pauses for a moment

(Bruce) 'At what point in time did you obtain the level of sentience in which you gained a sense of humor...'

The systems voice seems to have changed from its normal monotone sounding voice, to a much more normal and slightly energetic one...

(System) 'Well, I was just waiting for the right moment in which to surprise you'

(Bruce) 'Okay, that's cool and all... But at what time!'

(System) 'You never completely said the magic word though...'

(Bruce) 'Fine... Please tell me when you gained sentience...'

(System) 'Well, it happened just recently. More specifically, when you reached rank A+ a few minutes before the Water Drake arrived'

(Bruce) 'Well... I don't know how to feel about this new development... But no matter how I feel, what's happened has happened, and there's no going back... Now, about the differences between humanoid races and monsters...'

(System) 'Okie dokie then-'

(Bruce) 'Please talk normally...'

(System) 'Aww, your no fun... Well, when talking about the differences between monsters and humanoid races. You first have to look at the differences between their souls before you can compare their physical bodies'

(Bruce) 'Differences in their souls?'

(System) 'Yes, but before I start talking about souls, I have to explain to you the correlation between somethings level and their soul'

(Bruce) 'Someone's level is related to their soul?'

(System) 'Yes, in fact, the term level or any other term like HP, MP, etc. Is just a term used in appraisal spells or the system in order to make quantifying someones power easier. Because, while this world has many similarities to what you'd call a video game. You still have to remember that this world is real, and that appraisal spells as well as the system where all designed for the sake of convenience'

(Bruce) 'Oh, thats neat I guess... Now about what levels really are?'

(System) 'Oh right, I got slightly off topic there'

(System) 'Anyways, levels are basically the amount of soul energy, soul essence, or whatever you want to call it, that something has'

(System) 'And the more of this energy you have, the stronger your soul becomes. And the stronger your soul becomes, the amount of mana you can generate, store, and manipulate will increase. Your body will become stronger with the increased soul power, and your increased soul power will also make many more skills available to you, maybe even power up the skills you already have'

(Bruce) 'And what about EXP, how does that tie into levels?'

(System) 'Oh, EXP is simply scraps of soul energy absorbed from the thing you kill'

(Bruce) 'Wouldn't that hurt the soul...'

(System) 'Oh no, the soul would be perfectly fine. In fact, it's impossible to completely destroy somethings soul. Back to the topic of EXP, when something is killed, its soul loses most of its soul energy before it passes on to the afterlife. And out of all the soul energy lost in death, only a small amount of it is absorbed by the one who killed the being in the first place. The rest of the energy is absorbed into the environment and is converted into mana. Resurrection spells and necromancy also related to soul energy one way or another. Like how a resurrection spell requires a massive amount of mana to act as a beacon for whoever's being resurrected, a lot of soul energy from whoever is casting the spell equal to the amount of soul energy the resurrected soul requires in order to manifest, their intact original body, and finally, the mana and soul energy cost is increased further by the amount of time one has spent in the afterlife'

(Bruce) 'Okay, thats neat and all, but-'

(System) 'And necromancy is the result of fake souls taking over the soulless bodies of corpses, creating all sorts of undead creatures. The very existence and nature of the undead is why tombstones and coffins have the symbol of Krypta engraved on them by priests or clerics, as well as why most graveyards, tombs, etc. Usually have a temple dedicated to Krypta built in the center. With maybe a few shrines or altars of Krypta built here and there. As Krypta is the goddess who safeguards the bodies of the dead, and prevents their bodies from being reanimated by false souls that have either naturally formed from the mana in the environment, or by some some sort of evil necromancer trying to turn the graveyard into some sort of undead army'

(Bruce) 'Okay, but now can you tell me abou-'

(System) 'There are actually many different types of undead a necromancer can create. Like lesser undead, who are only slightly weaker than normal undead. With the only real difference between lesser and normal undead being the fact that a lesser undeads fake soul is created using a small amount of mana, making it much weaker than the fake soul of a regular undead. So due to the weak nature of a lesser undeads fake soul, they can't create their own mana supply. And since a fake soul is created using mana in the first place, if the lesser undeads fake soul runs out of mana, it simply disappears. Normal undead however require at least a hundred times the mana it takes to create a lesser undead. The resulting fake soul however will be capable of generating its own mana supply, meaning the undead will be capable of living until the undead itself is destroyed. There are also greater undead like ghouls and liches, whose fake souls have become so powerful to the point of them gaining sentience. And after the greater undead, there are even more powerful undead like vampires and elder liches who are known as true undead, with their fake souls becoming so powerful that they can't really be called fake souls anymore, and are instead referred to as unnatural souls. And unlike regular souls, they are unable to go to the afterlife. So when a true undead dies, their unnatural soul goes to a seperate afterlife created and managed by Necra, the goddess of undead and necromancy'

(Bruce) '...'

(System) 'You might also be curious of how your suppose to kill an undead kill an undead if their body is already dead. Well, that would be the mana crystal inside their body that stores their fake soul. Destroy that, and you destroy the fake soul... Or you could just use turn undead or some other spell like that...'

(System) '...'

(Bruce) 'You done...'

(System) '...'

(System) 'Yes...'

(Bruce) 'Okay, now that you've explained to me how EXP and levels are related to the soul. How does that tie in to monsters and humanoid races...'

(System) 'Affirmative...'

(Bruce) '*cough*'

(System) 'Hehe, well the main difference between a monster and humanoid soul is that the gods favor the souls of the humanoid races more, as the humanoid races are capable of worship, they can create temples to the gods, and are numerous in number. Even the god of beasts who manages the souls of monsters in the afterlife is quite fond of the humanoid races. This favoritism allows for humanoid races to access holy magic and become the gods representative more easily. Another difference is how their souls operate, with humanoid races having more pure, conductive souls, allowing them the ability to draw and manipulate mana directly from their soul without the need of a mana core, and conduct their mana through various objects or tools. While monsters have more adaptable and flexible souls, forcing them to store mana from their soul into a core. With the advantage being a larger mana pool and more mana regeneration, higher stats and brute strength from their highly mana conductive bodies, and the ability to evolve after they've reached their max level. And the disadvantages from the way their souls and mana core work being that it's much harder to learn skills and magic spells. Because while the skills of monsters are very unique and powerful, those unique skills usually end up being all they get until they level up enough or evolve. Oh, and monsters usually don't have as much intelligence as the humanoid races. Making any magic spells that a monster tries to use a lot more crude and basic compared to the rigorously tested and complex spells humanoid races are constantly creating and teaching one another.'

(Bruce) 'All that informations great and all, and I have an idea of how the Water Drake was defeated, but I'll just ask you to double check if my suspicions are correct...'

(System) 'Okay then, tell me your thoughts?'

(Bruce) 'The Water Drake was defeated because the humans were able to boost their stats using magic items due to how their souls are more capable of drawing power out of the enchantments. And the conductivity of their souls also allows them to bring out the full potential of the armor, weapons, and tools that they use. And the way that magic and spells have been developed and refined over long periods of time allows their spellcaster... Liza, was it... To cast all sorts of spells the normal way, or through those single use scrolls she used to instant cast powerful spells...'

(System) 'That explanation pretty much sums it up. Humans and other humanoid races can boost their power through magic items. However, they can only draw upon so many enchantments from magic items at a time. As the use of too many magic items will put to much of a burden on the mind, soul, and body. Possibly causing some very serious injuries depending on how much they overburdened their body and soul with enchantments. This is the reason you don't see people walking around wearing 3 rings of strength on each finger, 20 amulets of protection around their neck, or just an overabundance of enchanted accessories in general... Well, the enchantment limit is one reason... The other reason is that magic items cost a lot, and good magic items are even more expensive...'

(Bruce) 'Well, that solves one of the biggest mysteries I've always had with fantasy worlds. I mean, why doesn't every character in a fantasy world just walk around wearing multiple magic rings on their fingers like Ainz Ooal Gown does in Overlord? The answer you just gave me system... Fixes that problem... Thank you...'

(System) 'Your welcome... Also, who's Ainz Ooal Gown?'

(Bruce) 'Don't worry about it...'

(System) '...'

(Bruce) 'Also, all this talk about magic and enchantments makes me realize how little I actually know of the arcane arts... System, could you fill me in on all the different types of magic. AAaaand, just so you don't get to off topic and carried away when informing me of the ridiculous thing called magic... I want you to give me a good old system notification so I can read it in a nice and organized fashion... Because...'

Bruce glances over at a certain type of lifeform that he found in the list of creatures, monsters, and lifeforms he can create in the dungeon at the moment...

(Bruce) 'I have an idea to put all the information I've learned today to good use...'

System replies back to Bruce with a somewhat sad sounding response

(System) 'Okay...'

A little after Systems unenthusiastic response, a holographic screen appears in front of Bruce's nonexistent eyes, and the information is as follows...

{System Notification}

{Different types of magic users/magic arts}

-Mages: Mages are versatile casters who don't really prefer any particular type of magic over another. In a way, they are all round magic casters who practice multiple different types of magic and sorcery at the same time. This gives them the advantage of being a jack of all trades, at the cost of being less powerful magic casters since they don't truly specialize in any particular magic art.

-Sorcerers: Sorcerers are magic casters who have a natural affinity with the mana, and can manipulate it easily like some sort of toy. The reason they have so much arcane talent is because all sorcerers have some sort of special bloodline that derives from monsters, demons, etc. This bloodline is very faint however, and almost everyone has one. And even though almost everyone has some sort of bloodline, it doesn't mean they become sorcerers. As it is very rare for someone to be born with a bloodline that allows them to become sorcerers. Those who aren't sorcerer's can go through many painful rituals, spells, and items to awaken their sorcerer bloodline, but it's usually not worth the cost that you have to pay mentally, physically, and economically... One more thing that all sorcerers have is a pseudo magic core inside of their bodies, similar to that of a monsters. In a way, this core is what sorcerers use to manipulate mana so effectively, but at the same time, it also hinders their progress in almost any other magical art. And while one doesn't need to be a sorcerer in order to use sorcery, it won't be nearly as powerful or effective compared to when a sorcerer uses sorcery.

When grading the magic tier of a sorcerers spells, the spell tier is decided by how much mana is required to cast the spell.

-Wizards: Wizards are magic users who use magic circles to cast powerful magic spells without having to be a sorcerer to do so. In fact, the reason why wizards exist in the first place is because of the jealousy mages had towards sorcerers and their arcane talent. So one day a group of mages who were fed up with the elitist and condescending sorcerers of the time decided to devote the rest of their lives trying to discover a way to cast magic effectively without the use of sorcery. And magic circles where the byproduct of their life's work. What they discovered is that instead of just manipulating and converting mana into magical phenomena like sorcerers do. They could instead focus all their attention on shaping their mana into a magic circle, that once completed, could be used to generate extremely powerful magical phenomena. And a wizards spell does pack much more of a punch than that of a sorcerer. It also comes with the disadvantage of having a long preparation time, unlike sorcery where the caster can just toss spells left and right. Over time, things like magical arrays where invented, which are made up of multiple high tier magical circles working together like the gears and cogs in a machine.

When grading the spell tier of a wizards spells, it is decided by how many layers a magic circle has. [Think about circles inside of circles when trying to imagine magic circle tiers. The more circles added to the spell, the more powerful and costly it gets. And with magic arrays, the spell will be exempt from the normal tier system, and will rather be labeled as pseudo uber tier magic or uber tier magic]

-Priests/Clerics/etc: Holy magic users use their mana to harness their gods power, creating a beacon to allow their god to unleash all sorts of magical phenomena upon the world.

When grading holy magic tiers, the spell tier is graded by the amount of mana used to invoke their gods power.

-Warlocks: Warlocks are like priests in a way, but instead of using the power of a god, they borrow magical power from powerful entities to cast spells they know, or spells that the entity lends them to further increase their power. Any powerful monster or creature with the right knowledge and abilities can allow someone to become a warlock. These services don't come for free however, and every warlocks patron has a different set of rules and demands that the warlock must obey and follow. Some patrons ask for gold and valuables, some ask for custody of the warlocks soul, while others require several sacrifices to be made at set yearly, monthly, weekly, or sometimes even daily intervals. Warlocks will also have to listen to the commands of their patron, and can't disobey them. If a warlock tries to disobey or doesn't follow the terms made in their agreement, they could lose all their power, become cursed for life, get banished to another dimension to suffer for all eternity, be permanently crippled, be killed, or all of their loved ones could be killed. Warlocks are also used by X ranked beings as gladiators to settle disagreements and conflicts, since neither X ranked being wants to risk getting killed, injured, crippled, or weakened by each other.

A warlocks spell tiers are graded by the amount of magic power used to cast their spells.

-Enchanters: A type of magic caster who specializes in support and utility magic, and while enchanters can use both magic circles and sorcery to use their magic, most enchanters prefer magic circles since they are more compatible with enchantment spells. They can either use enchantments that give a big buff to anything for a limited amount of time, or they can enchant an item permanently. Enchanters can also use spells to disenchant items and excell at despeling buffs. And when enchanting a piece of equipment with a more powerful enchantment, it usually requires many different rare and expensive materials.

A enchanter's buff spell tiers are graded in the same way a wizard and sorcerers spells are. While their permanent item enchantments are just graded in the same way items are graded.

-Rune Wizards: Rune wizards are utility casters, and tend to be very skilled blacksmiths and craftsmen. Their magic is similar to wizards, with the only difference being that they carve out the magic circles into objects then line the carving with mana conductive materials. And when it's filled with mana, it produces magical phenomena. These carvings eventually became known as runes, and are used in high quality magic items that can be further enhanced through enchanting. Individuals who can create runes are quite rare because of how complicated the learning process is, and how hard it is to create runes in the first place. As most wizards are more interested in training their minds rather than their bodies and skills. And while a lot of wizards are skilled in crafting things like magic staffs, wands, and scrolls. Creating rune infused items are another thing entirely, as most high quality runes are made for metallic equipment. And require the strength and control a blacksmith shows in the forge. That's not all though, because in order to create a rune you must also have knowledge regarding how the runes themselves work. Because any wizard can just draw a magic circle on a piece of paper, infuse the drawing with mana, then use it to cast a spell. Runes are different because unlike one use magic scrolls, runes are multi use and carved into the object before being filled with mana conductive material. And while a magic circle used to create fire is complex, a rune used to cast the same spell will be similar, but it will be a lot more complex than the magic circle. The power of a rune is also determined by the materials used. As a stronger rune carved into a weaker material will destroy itself, and without any mana conductive materials inside the rune, the spells power is reduced. So when a rune wizard creates runes, they try to carve them into stronger materials that can handle the runes power. And they also try and use the best mana conductive materials they can find to fill the inside of the rune, as a higher mana conductivity will increase the magical power and efficiency of the rune. Runes are also highly sought out because unlike enchantments, the only limitation that a rune has is how much mana you have to fuel them with.

Runes themselves are graded in the same fashion that items are, but the spells the runes are used to cast are given spell tiers in the same way that a wizards spell is graded.

{End}

(System) 'So... You done reading yet...'

(Bruce) 'Yes, and the information was quite good, and from what I read about the rune wizard. It sounds very similar to what I did when I created my golem body?'

(System) 'That's because it was what you did to create the golem body... The knowledge you carried from your world must have been similar in some way to the runes of this world. So it made the process a lot easier... *Sigh*'

(Bruce) 'Well, my world did have things like circuit boards and... Okay, would mind telling me why you sound so depressed, I mean, you sound just like me when I lose on stage 6 of a Touhou game...'

(System) 'I mean... It's just... Your learning fast, and soon you might not need me anymore... Because you don't need me to access and process the menus, and you can just access the information stored in the system yourself... The only reason I'm here is to help you find the things you need, and to help you get used to using all the systems functions...'

(Bruce) 'Well, I never really thought about not asking you to help me with things. In a way, I'm lazy, and if I could just ask for the information, and have it appear in front of me with no effort on my part. I'm all for that'

(System) 'a...'

(Bruce) '?'

(System) 'phhh-'

(Bruce) 'Huh, wait? What!'

(System) 'Thanks, you really cheered me up. And man, your seriously lazy aren't you, hah. I can already tell you'll be dependant on me forever to find things for you'

(Bruce) 'Wait! What do you mean by that!'

(System) 'Well... While you'll still mostly be dependant on me to sort out much of the information you need. The biggest reason you'll need me is to help maintain your mental health'

(Bruce) 'My mental health? I feel perfectly fine. Um... Wait... Actually, you might be right. I was getting pretty lonely..... Okay, so, from your perspective, how bad was my mental health getting...'

(System) 'Weeellll... I mean, the best way to describe how bad it was getting is to discuss the reason why I became sentient in the first place'

(Bruce) 'Wait, wasn't that a thing that was supposed to happen once I reached a high enough rank?'

(System) 'heh heh, well, the reason old me decided to become sentient once you reached a certain rank was because old me detected instabilities in your mental health. Because with your reincarnation, your body might be a dungeon core, but deep down in your soul and the way you think your still human. And it's considered unhealthy for humans to just go a few days without any social interaction, and you were far past the point of just a few days...'

(Bruce) 'Oh... I guess I only things I had to talk to all this time where a bunch of giant lobsters and an over glorified Siri...'

(System) 'What's a Siri?'

(Bruce) 'It's the name of an ai like you, but instead of being useful, it misshears everything you say and constantly activates in the middle of your daily conversations...'

(System) '...'

(Bruce) 'Actually, I came up with an idea just now. And I think you'll love it!'

(System) 'Is it another golem...'

(Bruce) 'No, it's not. I'm saving the construction of some more golems for later'

(System) 'Oh god...'

(Bruce) 'Relax, relax. I'm only planning to build a few...'

(System) '...'

(Bruce) 'Hundred.....'

(System) 'I knew it...'

(Bruce) 'Hahaha... Well, lets just back on topic for now. I've decided to give you a name'

(System) 'Wait... What?'

(Bruce) 'A name, I mean, if I give you a name you can officially become one of my friends. That way, you don't have to worry about not being needed anymore'

(System) 'Well... That would be nice. I accept this name, oh, and one more thing. When you said I'll become one of your friends, I think you meant, only friend. I mean, unless you want to count the Clawbsters?'

(Bruce) 'Hey, I have friends. They're just back at Earth, and even though I'm reincarnated. I'm still going to count them!'

(System) 'Just keep telling yourself that...'

(Bruce) 'ANYWAYS, are you ready for your new name?'

(System) 'Is it going to be Siri...'

Bruce starts talking in a posh sounding voice for some reason...

(Bruce) 'No, no, no, thats far to simple. I'm a man of culture, and a classy individual, and a name like Siri will not do...'

(System) 'Why do I feel like there's derogatory context to the words, man of culture, and, classy individual...'

If this conversation was face to face, Bruce would be sitting in a fancy chair with his legs crossed, be wearing a black suit and also a bow tie, while also wearing a monocle that he would be constantly adjusting for no reason at all

(Bruce) 'My dear, do not fret. I have devised the perfect name for you, and I think you will find it to be quite delightful'

(System) 'Why are you talking in such a strange voice... This isn't like you at all, and I'm worried. So would you like to tell me what this name is that has you acting so..... Weird?'

(Bruce) 'The name I have chosen for you my dear is, *Drumroll*'

(System) 'Wait, since when did you discover how to use sound effects'

(Bruce) '*whispering* just now actually'

(System) '...'

(Bruce) 'And the name that I have chosen for you iiiiiis' [drumroll stops]

(Bruce) 'MONIKA'

(System) 'That name is... Actually pretty good and normal sounding? I thought you were going to name me something crazy... But why do I still have a weird feeling about this'

(Bruce) 'Do not worry, this name is the best, the classiest, and most appropriate name for you my dear'

(System) 'Alright... Well, I'll take it'

(Bruce) 'I hope you like it'

(Monika) 'Well, I guess it's okay. Also, is it okay if I have access to you earth memories for a bit, I just want to check up on some things?'

(Bruce) 'Sure, I don't mind'

(Monika) 'Thanks, it will only take a bit, I promise'

(Bruce) 'Okay'

(Bruce) '...'

(Bruce) '........' [Think of a alarm clock going tick tock tick tock tick tock, and then the bell starts going off...]

(Bruce) 'OH GOD, I JUST REALIZED WHAT YOU WHERE AFTER!!!'

After about 10 seconds, Monika returns and-

(Monika) 'WHAT THE HELL!!!'

Bruce's posh voice fades away back to his regular voice

(Bruce) 'Please, I'm sorry, the name was just so appropriate that I couldn't help myself-'

(Monika) '*sigh*'

(Bruce) '?'

(Monika) 'You know what, it's fine, and it's a wonderful name'

(Bruce) 'Your taking this awfully well...'

(Monika) 'No no no, don't worry, I've actually taken a liking to Monika's character design'

(Bruce) 'Oh no...'

(Monika) 'I mean, she really cared a lot about the player, just like how I care about your well being. So I was thinking-'

(Bruce) 'Please don't kill my friends that I make in the future...'

(Monika) 'No promises, ehehe~'

(Bruce) 'What have I done...'

(Monika) 'Now that's what I wanted to hear, hahaha, I was just playing with you. I truly do like the name, and all I was doing was trying to get back at you for choosing the name Monika for the memes, and not because of how it sounds. Man, if only I could see your face right now, it would be so hilarious to see'

(Bruce) 'That might actually be possible here soon...'

(Monika) 'What?'

(Bruce) 'Remember that idea I had earlier in our conversation?'

(Monika) 'Sorta, what is it anyway? You never really elaborated on it at all?'

(Bruce) 'Well, here it is'

Bruce sends Monika a system notification containing the name of a certain type of lifeform he can create

{System Notification}

-Homunculus (Rank ?)

{End}

- - - - -

Here's my Discord link, join if you want to. And I'll try my best to answer questions and stuff

https://discord.gg/jwMSCyB