Sixth day, commercializing Magical talent

I found a roof to stay at while walking down the dark forest road. It was a shelter made out of wood with a roof over the top, along with two walls on both sides.

The inside was big enough for some people to stay in, and there were also candles inside that spread some odd smell into the air.

'Are those, repellents?'

An open shelter like this and it isn't overrun by forest animals was a completely surprising thing. I crouched down to get a closer inspection of the smell, and indeed it was the smell of a repellent from its unusual and slightly nostril burning smell.

'It's worse for the animals who have heightened senses of smell…'

These work very well, but it's only for a short while. The candle was running low, as short as my palm right now.

'They must've been lit some time ago now.'

Someone from the village must be incharge of setting the candles here. And from the looks of it, there were multiple candle spots on the ground already, not just this one candle.

'I wonder how long this place has been here for.'

From a quick glance, this shelter was probably built quite some time ago. Maybe a month or two? In any case, it was a blessing for me right now.

'I don't have to go any further and just stay here for tonight.'

I sat down and took off my ring. Then, my human desires returned to me like normal. I got some berries out from somewhere and started eating away to refill my Hunger.

"Can I have some, mister Mage?"

"Hm? But aren't you a Spirit? How can you even eat?"

The child Spirit, whose name is Seriphyl Embras, went up close and looked at my berries with a brimming expression.

"I can still taste, mister Mage. Even if I'm a Spirit, I still haven't lost most of my human senses.''

The girl was looking at me with a slightly disappointed expression like I should've known that fact already. But I didn't because it's not a common thing amongst ghosts and apparitions.

'To still have human cravings is to have a strong will in life. This child… she is awfully deceived.'

A strong will can help one even unto death. But a child who's only about 8 years of age isn't strong-willed. They're still pure to the concept of Death, so like she had said before, she didn't even notice that she was dead until I came along to release that fact into her mind.

If not, she would've probably lived for untold more years waiting until some occultist or shaman finds her Spirit wandering aimlessly. Spirits, much like humans and the likes, have an expiration date to them. She would've become a Zen, a type of ghost that no longer has a will to follow anything. They forget who they are, and only act as a background to some spooky places.

"Fine, here."

"Umm, could you, squeeze them for me?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

Following her request, I squeezed the berry on a separate hand and let its liquid drip down. The child got underneath from where the small amount of liquid was going to fall and lapped it up. How she's going to digest it was something I wish not to know.

However, aside from that the scene in front of me was, in a word, somewhat sensual. A child is lapping up juices and one droplet missed her mouth and slid down her cheeks. To some people, this would set them off on a dangerous path of unforgiveness.

'Ugh, this is… quite dangerous to my beating heart.'

The half human side of me was reacting quite sensitively to this… otherwise non-sensual sight of a child.

'Guess Lust is no joke.'

Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Human Race. As a Player, they're met with these Sins in the form of Daemons. Vanquishing them means pushing that Sin back by a bit, liberating you from experiencing that Sin in a predetermined amount of time.

'Damn, calm down, she's a child, a Spirit even. I can't do anything physical to her even if I wanted to… no wait, I can.'

My mind was a little heated in keeping itself in check. The human desire to mate, its Lust, was quite a bit high. How it scaled was based on Level, and how many Classes or Job Classes you have on the 'Will'. 'Will' is the power to control one's self, to cage the beast that is yourself and sharpen it like a sword.

'That's the basis for the Martial Art Build, to control one's self and sharpen it to perfection.'

Of course, attaining perfection is close to impossible. Because, upon reaching the state that is 'perfect', one can never ascend to greater heights even if they tried for untold lifetimes.

'But… I don't have that many Classes or Job Classes that focus heavily or solely on the concept of 'Will'... this is going to be bothersome.'

With my Level being so high, I practically have a heightened sense of Lust. And with most of my Classes and Job Classes being about depravity and such, my 'Will' was geared towards the opposite.

'If I lose control… this will become something irreversible.'

I can outright lose the Quest, and that was the least of the punishment. I could lose a massive portion of my Godhood Reputation, and that would put me in the negative within this World.

'I should control myself properly, I am a God, I shouldn't have these… inappropriate feelings. Especially towards a, child like her.'

I reasoned with my mind and gradually, I snapped back to control. But, I didn't notice the amount of time passing that when I came back, the girl was looking at me peculiarly.

"Is something the matter, mister Mage? You looked focused earlier."

"Ah, no. It's nothing."

With that, silence settled in as the seconds ticked by. I continued eating the berries until there were none left. Of course, I shared some of it with the little girl at her request every time. I made sure to eat slowly so that she could ask for more.

'Ah, it's… almost time.'

And so, the fifth day passed by.

...…

The sixth day starts, the sun is shining down to give me the signal that another day has greeted me.

"...Hey, it's morning."

"Ah? Oh, mor…ning.''

The child, Seriphyl Embras, was still sleeping on my lap from last night. It was cute, seeing her sleeping face at my leisure.

"Wake up, I have plans today."

"Plans…? What… plans, mister Mage?"

"Just don't be sleepy, and you'll enjoy the show I'll put on."

I stood up and stretched my body. Then, I open my Inventory to get an Item that'll help in the upcoming plan I have.

"Where… ah, here it is.''

From within the black void, I pulled out a fancy looking bottle that has a skull cap. The bottle's color was black, while the liquid inside shined a deep pink one.

[Aromatic Perfume Liquid]

[Potency: 100%]

[Item Effect:

+Increase your Charm by 30

+The opposite sex will become interested in you

+A pleasant smell will radiate from you, reducing any hostility towards you by a little bit

[Item Usage: 13/20]

The Item was made by Kokio, with a Potency of 100%. It translates to how effective the Item Effect will be if you use it. I opened the cap and a very nice, almost hypnotic smell began to spread to the surroundings. This even caught the attention of Seriphyl as her eyes opened completely.

"What… is that smell…? Kun kun…"

She sniffed like an animal and her face directed up to the bottle of opened perfume.

I put my finger over the lid and flip it upside down. I apply the slightly slimy pink liquid on my finger onto my neck. I rubbed it to spread the surface area and did this for the other side as well.

"Whaaa, you smell so good, mister Mage."

"Thank you, now, let's go."

With this fully waking Seriphyl up, I walked out from the shelter and back to the town.

'Since I'm a Mage, common folks will have a high interest in me. I can use that to my advantage and make a street performance for myself, earning a small fortune for now.'

I make a plan for the long run while walking, examining many variables that have happened in the past and ways to deal or avoid them if possible.

'First, I need to know if there'll be a noble or someone with a high Status, and deep pockets of course, inside the village or not. If they're willing to pay and not just some arrogant ass crack, I might luckily munch off of their pocket money.'

That was the gist of what I'm thinking. It's a small scale operation that shouldn't be used as a viable method to earn an income. What's most profitable is being a teacher, not a street performer.

'But, I'm building a reputation here. Can't be too picky on how to build one.'

And besides, I've done this for many Worlds as a disguise. Usually, NPCs aren't labeled as such. They don't have a convenient [This is an NPC] line above their heads. No, that would've been pretty unrealistic in a game advertised for its realism, minus the whole World traversal thing, Magic, Skills, and the likes.

'Anyways, let's hope I get a decent amount of money at the end of the day. If not then I still have some time.'

I hope for some good progress, and maybe something interesting to take place during the day. A variable that's either good or bad is fine as long as my safety is guaranteed.

Upon my arrival at the village, the people looked at me in surprise and with a small amount of shock. I didn't mind it, however, and just continued on with their gazes placed on me.

'This is good, very good…'

And upon reaching the very outskirts of the merchant filled street that I had walked through, the intersection to be precise. Which is a good spot to gather attention, and so I decided to set up a small stage there.

'This should be fine.'

A wooden box I pulled from my Inventory along with my old premade sign. It was written elegantly by my hands, and took a very long time to be finished as well because of my bad calligraphy skill.

"Woah…''

"What was that? He just pulled it out of thin air.''

'Ah, right. NPCs don't know the concept of Inventory.'

To be even more realistic, WSO made it so that the Player is unique even in their own World. They can level-up at a quick pace that, when done right, can surpass the Named NPCs inside their World in a couple of years. That was the case for me, who devised his time effectively so that not even a second was wasted and progress is slowly built.

'Well, that'll get them more interested in what I'm about to do next.'

Then, upon setting the sign down in front and standing on the wooden box that's made out of a very unique and sturdy tree, I crossed my hands and showed it outward so that the people could see.

[Magic Show for money — any fee is fine]

(NOTICE: Ask before spending, no refunds)

This immediately piqued the people's interest and some came flocking over to form a small crowd.

"Space, please."

But with one, or in this case two, words from me, the people backed away and kept a somewhat reasonable distance to my stage. Then, one of them spoke with a surprised but interested tone.

"Is it true that you'll demonstrate Magic, sir Mage?"

"Yes, as you can clearly read below. How much would you like to pay?"

"Urk, that's…"

Having been singled out by me, I stare at the guy with an emotionless gaze and followed by the people's interested eyes. Gulping down what seems to be dry saliva, the man spoke to me with a trembling voice.

"I-I have 5 coppers, would that suffice?"

"...Sure, any fee is acceptable. I can perform tier 2 Magic for you."

"Woah! R-Really?"

"So easy…''

''Is he for real?"

The people murmured while the man who I singled out had sparkling eyes. He probably didn't believe that his little amount could buy a tier 2 Magic Spell from me, but I'm a generous man who wouldn't refuse money.

'Especially coming from this village.'

The people here have simple clothes, a shirt and pants. Women had the same but with a long skirt that covered their entire lower body. Though, to be frank if they were to wear pants I would think the population in this village would double and grow a lot.

'They're freaking gorgeous!'

It was by my Human standards speaking. It was more susceptible to charms and was very weak-willed in terms of sexual denial coming from the opposite sex. And it obviously comes from the fact that I have no Job Classes that's related to having a strong willpower.

'I have the Death Worship Monk Job Class but it's only at Level 20 for the Skill Hymn of Death, so I gained no Willpower Stats that come later down at Level 50 and above.'

Some Job Classes are like that. It only gives what's necessary and saves the very best for the last sections. Such is the case for the Death Worship Monk that I have. I have a few affinities to Necromantic Spells and proficiency in comprehending and executing them.

"So, any special requests?"

"Ah, um, can… I see fire? Small, small of course."

"Small… I think I have one."

I don't, but I can replicate it at least.

'That's the perk with Vulgrim residing inside my Soul.'

Of course, when I mentioned the great World Boss, his voice perked up.

'Huh? What are you on about?'

'Ah, nothing…'

I was surprised for a bit, taken off guard by his sudden appearance. But that wasn't the end.

'Wait… now that I sense it, why can I detect a… major change in the World right now?'

My eyes were wide in shock.

'Wait… right, my Soul acts like a cage.'

The Soul of the God of Death, it is a concept that's similar to a cage that traps anything inside. I can hold any amount of Souls within me, but only if they're above a certain range that keeps on growing as I do.

'The only reason I was able to… I shouldn't say it while he's listening.'

'What're you babbling about, idiot? Out with it.'

I ignore his words and focus back to the task at hand.

'I'll need to borrow some of your Skills.'

'Huh? Sure, go ahead. Not like I can stop you or anything.'

He was able back then, but now that my Godhood has advanced and refined to this point in time, he truly can't do anything but accept the hard reality.

''Any specific shapes?"

"Well… how about a Far-sight Eagle?"

"A Far-sight Eagle…''

Not an entirely unfamiliar name, but one that isn't listed in my memory of it being called so.

'The Praetorian Far-sight. An avian bird the size of a carriage, with a wingspan of more than 5 meters, it casts the shadow of Death over its prey. Sharp talons that can pierce 2 inches of dense iron, and a beak that's sturdy enough to break through thick wood with ease even though it's not a pointed beak but a curved one.'

I summarized their description and was reminded of their characteristics, a curved yellow beak with a red dot at the front, big and strong wings made out of flesh surprisingly and with strong bones, not hollow bones. Their feathers were sometimes raven black or very colorful. It's an indication though, for their rarity and also their strength. The brighter the color, the more threatening and stronger they can possibly be.

'Alright, let's settle on that design.'

I do not know the exact appearance of a Far-sight Eagle, but I guess a creature with a slightly similar name should suffice.

'Hopefully no one can differentiate.'

It would be embarrassing if someone noticed he got the appearance of the requested creature wrong.

I gather the Mana in the atmosphere, subsequently making the atmosphere somewhat harder to breathe in just by a bit. I then ignite the particles and shape the form of the Mana, a big red bird appears that raises the village to a heat that's barely manageable by Humans.

However, it soared upward and became even larger, surpassing the tier 2 limits of 'grandeur' while not consuming much Mana at all from me. It caught the eyes of the entire village due to its size and that made me smile a bit.

'Good, good. This'll be very good.'

The first thing is to pull attention, and when attention is achieved, strive for entertainment through various ways, sometimes in unexpected ways.

'First step is complete, now the second.'

It isn't hard to entertain, certainly so for the common folks who rarely see any Magic Spells being performed.

[The gaze of the Sky has befall upon you]

And it seems like the common folks aren't the only ones that'll be watching the show.

'Yes, this… is quite the outcome.'

It wasn't planned, not in the slightest. But, I'm currently in disguise, so everything should be fine as long as I don't use any Necromantic Spells or any ability that might resemble the persona I made.

'Yes… everything's under control.'

Futile words meant to keep my Human psyche from stressing. It's a Human condition, and there is such a thing as Stress Damage for the weak-willed.

"Woahhhh… so cool.''

My mind snapped back to reality once the voice of a child resounded oddly very clearly. It was Seriphyl, and her eyes sparkled with excitement and amazement as she watched my control over the bird.

With a single move of my hand, the bird freely glided through the air while the heat subsided slowly. My controls were getting better as I familiarized myself with using pure Mana and let a satisfied smile dawned on my face.

'I still got it…'

My ability to quickly grasp an objective or control is still surprisingly good. It wasn't like my prime, but I wasn't seriously trying right now.

'...This should be enough.'

I have been showcasing my Magic for about 34 seconds now. The people were getting restless from the heat, but their amazement couldn't be overshadowed, or in this case outshined, by the blazing creature I summoned from pure Mana.

But, as bright as it was, its time of dusk had reached and with one final flap of its massive wings that're more than enough to wrap around the village, it disappeared in a soaring position. The way it goes out, amazing and fantastically executed.

[The Sky is amused by your stunt]

[The Sky praises you for your talent in the mystic arts]

[The Sky giggles before turning away]

And, as soon as those three prompts showed up, a glimmering star caught my eyes in the horizon.

'...Coincidences?'

Might be, might not be. But, the fact that my talent caught the eye of a Divine Being was good enough of a statement that I truly had 'entertained' the masses.

"Me next! Me!"

"No! Me! I got here first!"

Almost right on cue, the people started to crowd and argue with each other over the one that gets to request my Spells. I could even see the merchants getting out of their stalls and watching from afar with interest.

'Everything's going according to plan…'

Yes, this was the most desirable and predictable outcome.