I made it

It's here... Phew.

Recently, due to achieving several goals on P@treon, I spent the last few days writing nonstop, so I'm a little tired.

If you like this story, you can now go there and get 3 advanced chapters... Just saying.

Though I have yet to add one more as I just updated it.

It's rough.

Anyway, I hope you can all enjoy this chapter and also... Tell me what you think will change for Philip.

What do you think his new race's name is?

Some people gave me some really good ideas, but until the day I write it, I'll keep asking these questions to have as many references as I can.

In any case, see ya.

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/One to two hours later.../

'Time passed, and eventually, Philip rose from the ground covered in sweat.'

/Gasp.../

"Haa..."

'He looked around, quickly raising his right hand up, and an ice pillar rose in front of him, becoming a smooth mirror.'

'Watching his appearance that was still the same as before made him smile in relief as he sat down on the ground, Laplace asking if he was okay...'

/Crack.../

'The ice crumbling down into beautiful sparks, he breathed in and out, calming down…'

"Yeah, I am okay, mostly sore."

'A new person, or one that never really changed, Philip made his way back to the Manor.'

'He was hungry and tired, the day was long, and there was a lot to do and check.'

'His eyes were too tired to go over the strings of notifications the system was throwing at him.'

…

/Time rolled.../

'In the remainder of the day, Philip stood inside the Manor, recovering his body, understanding the changes within him.'

'With that out of the way, his biggest worry was now how Viera would react to the item he placed in the office near her.'

'Worst case scenario, she actually grabs it and brings it to him without even activating it, forcing him to awkwardly explain it to her and receive her anger and wrath... Or nothing at all.'

'And to his utmost demise, she didn't even care… Until very late in the night when she grabbed it out of curiosity, finally being dragged into the mental trials within.'

'And Philip saw it all because he remained most of the time observing her, waiting for her to show any strange reaction.'

'From here on it was a game of patience, how long would she take to come out victorious… Or defeated.'

'Nevertheless, Philip couldn't allow her body to remain slumped over the table, it wouldn't do well for her posture and health.'

'So he grabbed her and pulled her to her room, making sure she was well placed.'

'And with that, he focused his attention on something else, his own progress.'

'He may be incapable of training physically due to the lack of a proper training area, but there were many books to read, and the more he did, adding them to his mental Library, the higher his Skill Level was going to increase.'

'He wanted to raise Great Scholar into whatever was beyond it because that's where its scary true potential lies.'

'If with each Evolution more information will be displayed, there will come a moment where he'll be able to check the full information of any being, even if the information comes out inaccurate due to the translation.'

'A power like no other, worthy of being feared.'

'As for the rest, he didn't check on his other 'contacts' for today, preferring to remain home and relax his mind.'

/DONG!/

'The main clock in his office rang, indicating that it was now 12 am... The start of a new day.'

"I should take a nap..."

Tomorrow I'll...

'And like that, the days passed.'

...

/In the blink of an eye, the sun rose and fell quickly several times.../

'It had been a week since he arrived, or half a month by this world's standards.'

'Quite a lot happened during this time.'

'Starting from within the Manor, the construction workers finally finished everything they had been commissioned to do, and albeit Philip felt there was still a lot that could be done, he also understood that it was better to get things over quickly so he could work instead of waiting an extra week for things to finish.'

'Although the quality of his workshop wasn't bad by any means, it was definitely nothing extremely breathtaking.'

'Even if he had the coin to cover expenses, Philip didn't have the time to spare for the installation of tools and facilities he may not even use.'

'Because his future plans only went as far as his 5 months timeline given to him by Dae, he hadn't really thought ahead.'

'He had to prepare for the things in the future, and so he would... There was no time to enjoy the beauties of this world yet.'

'In any case, a workshop and a training room meant a lot, as now he could start grinding his Skill Levels efficiently and quietly while also starting to test just how much he grew over the last few days.'

'Fully understanding his abilities was a must, especially now that he had a new Class.'

'It was time to pass everything he could to his main Status, and even some things he had left pending from his Second Class.'

'At the same time, he had to read and enhance his Mental Library's collection of books, the more the merrier.'

'And most importantly, continued to understand how exactly he changed.'

"ZZZzzz..."

'As for Viera herself, it had been a few days since she lost conscience, and in order to make sure she didn't suffer from any health problems, Philip constantly cast all kinds of magic on her while also just helping her by changing the pillows and sheets.'

'No... She didn't cause a mess, his magic prevented that on a fundamental level.'

'Though, this didn't stop others from noticing her absence.'

'The Maids and Sebastiano became a bit worried, but he easily showed them her condition, and told them she was okay as a way to not spread confusion.'

'In this case, just being direct was the best option, and by using some complicated words, it was possible to make them take this situation in a better way.'

'Such as telling them that was imperative that no one bothered her.'

'It wasn't like they didn't know what Level of Magic she was at, and even if that information was slightly inaccurate, they did understand Viera was a very talented girl for her age, and as such, needed all the private time she could have to further boost her capabilities.'

'And without much fuss, things went back to normal.'

'On the topic of the maids and workers, the head butler, Sebastiano, had been forced to order a lot of food recently due to his Lord's, Philip, great appetite.'

'This greatly raises the food expenses of the Manor, albeit for Philip, from 10 gold coins to 30, did it matter when he had half a Million?'

'Back then, he did ask for a massive sum of money, and they delivered it... A lot.'

'That was without counting how much he made from stealing from Rafiel's stash and the extra resources inside the storage tool...'

'As he said when he first arrived at the Parad Academy, the Human empire and many nations have the same economic system to facilitate trade where 1 Gold is the same as 10 gold pieces, which are the same as 100 Silver, 1000 Silver pieces, and finally, 10K Big Copper.'

(100M Copper pieces -> 10M Small Copper -> 1M Big Copper -> 100K Silver pieces -> 10K Silver -> 1K Gold pieces -> 100 Gold -> 10 Big Gold -> 1 Gold Bar…)

'And to put it into perspective, back in the city surrounding the Academy, a family of 4 inhabitants and 1 pet with an average house of around 2 floors and a basement in a medium housing district will spend around 1 Big Copper daily.'

'For them, 30 Gold would... Suffice for 300K days...'

'And that's his monthly food expenses, now... This puts into perspective how inflated some things are.'

'In essence, that was why powerful families and such beings would use their own methods of exchanging materials since money can often be... Inflated.'

'Like Viera said when she went to Rafiel's party, it was crazy how expensive food could get... He was sure he could use this same amount to feed many for a long long time...'

'Because the meat of magical beasts with herbs and vegetals of high quality, all raised in special conditions... The price of it all...'

'If that wasn't enough of an expenditure, Philip had also been ordering Sebastiano to collect a grand collection of materials from all over the city in preparation for his Workshop's 'grand opening'.'

'Sebastiano didn't hesitate in buying the materials, of course, he had long realized his Lord was too... Bountiful for him to give advice.'

'But he wondered, was his Lord also proficient in crafting arts?'

'Being talented in multiple areas wasn't rare, but actually achieving something within it was.'

'Especially for Philip who was already an irregularity for his age, at least for him, a butler who lived most of his life in the city of Freedom.'

'That was about it for what happened in the Manor, but it was by far the end of everything that occurred this week.'

'Starting off from his "Acquaintances".'

'On his 5th day of being in the city and not long after they first met, the Dwarf and his son came to him on their own, greatly surprising him…'

'By their looks, Philip immediately knew what they wanted, so he welcomed them with open arms… And his 'true' identity.'

'They previously saw him as a mysterious person clad in black, now they saw him as a young man, it was obviously very hard for them to accept or understand, but he managed to get things going.'

'What they wanted was pretty simple, to thank him for what he did, he had saved their wife/mother and even their future son/brother.'

'There was no way they could truly put into words the extent of what he did…'

'So they came here to… Figure out a way to repay him, and perhaps even, to ask for help, albeit they didn't phrase it like that.'

'Philip saw their desperation and worry merely by the large black box the father was carrying around, he didn't recognize it at first, but he felt it was dangerous in some capacity just by the way the Dwarf held it as if he was ready to pull it up at any moment.'

'When they were gone, by asking his trusty partner, MT, he learned what it was, making him a bit disappointed as there was still a lot of work ahead of him regarding their relationship and trust.'

'It was... A heavily modified Military Dwarven Rifle… As if things couldn't get more complicated.'

'Still, it's not like he would need it anymore… Because Philip accomplished what he wanted…'

'The Dwarves needed his support since they had, pretty much, lost contact with their superiors and they didn't know when or if the thugs would try to bite them in the ass…'

'It doesn't seem like they will or would, there is no reason for it...'

'But what if they simply wanted to vent on someone? Or had higher reasons?... They needed someone that could be their shield, as a single Dwarf with a rifle wouldn't do much.'

'Tedris wasn't only thinking about himself and his family, but also about the many researchers in his laboratory, if it wasn't for his quick acting, things would've gotten quite chaotic there.'

'So it was then, amidst all of this that Philip offered to be that guy… To protect and invest in them.'

'But before doing so, like in any good negotiation, he had to 'butter them up'.'

'A nice talk over their life, hobbies, and a few more, together with him showing his own crafts was everything he needed to make the old and young Dwarf build some sort of lasting connection, one that was closer than that of savior and saved.'

'A contract was made to seal the deal, even if said contract was invalid from the start.'

'After all, the original investors never pulled out, they just stated their dissatisfaction with his overall progress, but that was the same under Tredis' gaze.'

'Tedris was indeed dissatisfied with his work speed, he wanted to show his work to his race and the world, but his reason for being late was due to how uncooperative his investors were, not due to his own incompetence.'

'In any case, it was all over now, they were dead for him, even if he broke the contract, he didn't mind becoming a fugitive or paying the fee, he had his own tricks on his sleeves.'

'And for now, Philip breathed easy, he had managed to pull the people he came here to find in less than a week, and albeit he didn't know how he would take them with him, he had close to 4 Earth months to figure that out.'

'As for the Dwarf's wife, she was inside the laboratory for safety, though it's not like she truly needed to be there.'

'She was far from being in the late stages of pregnancy, and her injuries had already recovered, so the facilities within would suffice… Until she grew bored of it.'

'A dwarven woman wouldn't accept being strapped to a bed for long, much less a warrior.'

'Regardless, the crisis passed, and she was already recovering, the only reason she tolerated it was due to her immense worry for the well-being of the thing inside of her that could barely be called a fetus.'

'But she would be okay, that was for sure.'

'And that was it for his small friends with big hearts...'

'As for his other friends…'

'He didn't meet with the Elven girls and the Dragon, unfortunately.'

'But it's not like there was no contact.'

'About 3 days ago, not long after he transformed and before he talked with the Dwarves, he received a letter from them saying they were very sorry for being unable to meet with him, as they were tied with sudden work.'

'Honestly, Philip didn't mind, his curiosity for the draconic being and the cute elves had already vanished under the massive workload of shit he saw himself carrying around.'

'So he let them be, waiting for the day they would approach him, as it wasn't like it was hard to monitor them, he literally knew where they lived, he could, at any time, go to them if he wished.'

'But even if he didn't fear them per se, he was very skeptical of angering that dragon.'

'Not fear per se, as Philip believed it to be sealed in some way, shape, or form... Yet he wasn't inclined to anger it also.'

'And funny enough, they weren't the only ones that sent him a letter…'

'With a surprised gaze, around the day he sealed the deal with the Dwarves, Sebastiano gave him another letter, coming from none other than the daughter of the Azul Family.'

'Philip was obviously just as surprised as the butler, he had, after all, never met this girl… For real.'

'He did exchange a few gazes with her, and even saw her spiritual familiar, but was that enough for anything this formal?'

'He wondered as he read her letter in his office...'

'Was she perhaps curious about something? Why him in particular?'

'Regardless, she asked if it was possible to meet him, and also as she was interested in having another talk over tea with Viera, surprising him even further.'

"Another?..."

When did the two of them even meet? During the party as I was away?

She never told me that… Well, it's okay, a girl needs her privacy.

So... Is this due to that? Is she addressing me first as I am publicly, Viera's fiance and the owner of this Manor?

That might be it.

'In the end, Philip replied to her letter, there was no need to refuse, at most, this might piss off Rafiel if he were to find out.'

'Even then… What of it?'

'But that was still not the end of his week.'

…

/Around the 6th day.../

"Are they gone?" Laplabe asked Philip with a tired tone

"Yes, they are." Philip replied as he took a quick look out his window, gazing at several men and women of multiple species as they entered a black carriage and flew off into the horizon

"Seems everything will be okay now."

'But Philip shook his head.'

"I wouldn't say that for sure."

"For now, we were lucky, but the more time it passes and the more desperate they become, they may start to resort to more… Direct means."

And once they realize they can't break through me, they may become suspicious... Even if without a base.

Their desperation will push them into clutching onto anything suspicious, and if I'm unlucky then, I might even be used as a scapegoat.

It has been a week since the Academy entered a lockdown, which was long enough for them to open partially and resume operations, yet for the rest of the Continent, they still haven't found anything.

A massive loss of prestige, or in cooler words... FACE!

After a long period of no results and luck, they decided to start investigating anyone that left the Academy within a day of the alarm.

Even though, in theory, the alarm would've been rung by the Academy Spirit immediately the moment the intruder was located...

However, the Archmages must've started to hypothesize that the thief was more capable than they could imagine, to the point he might've affected the Spirit somehow.

I was just one of the many possible suspects now, and even though they came after me and found nothing unusual, it was not like this will be our final encounter.

The Academy's Arch Wizards each have their own plans and goals, some want to find the culprit, not for the sake of the resources, but for the fame and the chance to rise to the position of Principal... Or so it was at the start.

Now that everything has been taken, is there any merit to becoming the principal?

Their struggles are endless and I'm sure most weren't even willing to become it, but I still took a lot, everything that the principals collected over the centuries…

Things would've been calmer had all principals been from the same species... Let's say, Human.

Other species might even laugh at that, or try to make the Humans fail in their search attempts just for the sake of it...

However, this matter now encompasses multiple species.

It's just a matter of time until they send more capable people everywhere.

Either that or they'll find a scapegoat, as of right now, their prestige is constantly falling.

"You're right… Had it been one of the Archmages... Perhaps even just a higher ranking council member, they might've noticed the lass back in her room, and that would've caused a completely new string of problems."

Depending on how sharp they are, and how loyal they were to the principal...

"It would be a game of chance from there on out." Laplabe said after some thought

'Philip remained silent, the Academy was only one of his many worries, and it's not like it by itself was everything he had to watch out for.'

'He already knew some people in there were looking specifically for him, and even with his contract with Rafiel, there is a chance the boy somehow managed to leak his existence to them out of Vengeance or Spite.'

'A contract can be broken, its contents twisted, Dae told him more than once to be careful of signing such things.'

There is a Duke within the parents of the kids I beat up, it's just a question of how patient the father and mother are with their child and how willing they would be to interfere in their matters.

I don't expect any kind of repercussions in the short run, while in the long run, it wouldn't really matter.

I'm betting on their intelligence that once they realize who I am, they wouldn't really dare to move further.

The identity of the Human Heroes is still being kept a secret, but that won't be forever, once they realize I am one, they would just accept their useless son was beaten up for his own mistakes.

If they do try to go any further… It's their own stupidity and arrogance for trying to make up for their successors' lack of manners by being tyrannical instead of understanding.

"Enough of that, let's just lay low for a while just in case they decide to observe us from afar, that should do the trick." Philip mumbled as he turned around to sit on his office chair

'He closed his window, making the room a little darker.'

It's not like they are the only pairs of eyes on me…

I'm sure the crown is after me in some way, the meeting with the Princess was enough for me to understand that.

In fact, it made me question if I ever escaped from them, because they either recognized me somewhere along my journey, acting soon after to follow me…

Or they never lost sight of me to begin with, tailing me ever since I left the Palace.

That would be some crazy dedication and network, but the fact they didn't stop me at the time proves what Dae said, they are likely leaving me be due to the things I did… As repayment.

And out of curiosity as well.

Why would I leave? And what do I seek? Wouldn't it be interesting to understand how a Hero thinks?

That woman was definitely doing just that, figuring out my intent…

I was just a tad too violent and ended up clashing with her.

I hope this doesn't make things awkward between us next time we meet.

'Letting out a small sigh, Philip got up from his chair, it was time for lunch.'

'And he was very hungry.'

…

/Sometime later…/

"Urg…"

/GROWL!/

"Hungry…"

'Viera… Slowly woke up from her long long sleep…'

'The first thing she noticed was her surroundings, she didn't remember being here before she entered "that" place…'

"Ahh… My throat is a little dry…"

My belly is super empty…

My body is stiff and hurting…

How long have I been sleeping?

'She looked at the window, it was "still" sunny.'

It looks like it's been a few hours.

"Am I that weak physically? Perhaps I do need some training as he said." She mumbled as she stretched her body

Regardless… This damn thing… How did he get his hands on it?

And how dare he trick me by putting it next to me! It was a trap all along!... Ouch!...

/THUD!/

'She hit her pinky on the corner of the bed... There was no pain.'

"Shit..."

My feet are numb... But this is going to hurt later, I'm sure...

'Feeling betrayed due to what she had to experience inside the trial grounds, Viera turned her anger to the sole being that could take it… Philip.'

'So after checking herself and taking care of her foot, she left her room.'

…

/A few more minutes later…/

/Step step step!/

'Viera ran across the forest with a fierce expression, moving towards the secluded workshops, the place the maids had told her Philip was currently at.'

/Stops…/

'She finally arrived, and the first thing she did was…'

/KNOCK KNOCK!/

'Slam her fist on the door, but it was too solid, and in the end, she hurt her hands…'

"OUCH!"

I curse you!

'Pain only increased her resentment.'

'Though she wouldn't have a lot of time to complain…'

"Enter." A voice echoed from within

'Feeling slightly embarrassed and defeated, she twisted the knob and entered the room, she should've tried that first.'

/Hot!…/

'The first thing she felt was the strong heat emanating from further down the room…'

/CLANG CLANG!/

'Followed by the rhythmic sounds of metal clashing.'

"What?..."

'Quickly casting magic to protect her body from the heat, she approached the source of it all, a man hammering a small lump of brilliant red hot iron… Shirtless of course.'

'At least he wasn't pantless... Though she wondered for a split second, why the pants when he had no shirt?'

"It seems you're awake, welcome back into the land of the living."

"If you don't mind waiting, I'm in the middle of a small activity as you can see…" Philip said as he hammered down, without removing his sight from the lump of iron

/CLANG CLANG!/

"I… Huh… Um… Okay."

'Many things passed through her mind, she wanted to ask questions, but all of a sudden her mind went blank as instead, she saw herself observing what he was doing.'

'She touched a chair, but it was hot, making her flinch.'

'The temperature in the room was indeed hot but just enough for her to get slightly uncomfortable, so her magic was mostly to make her feel better.'

'The place that was truly hot was right behind Philip, a small collection of multiple forges, each different from the other, each with their own purposes, spewing fire towards the air like the mouths of dragons!'

'She could tell the overall heat striking his back had to be at least enough to boil water immediately given how close it was to the anvil he was using, and it made her wonder why did it have to be soo close, after all, there was a lot of space in the room…'

/CLANG!/

'Finally, her thoughts were cut by a mighty swing creating a multitude of sparks in the air.'

"So uh… What are you doing?" She asked with a frown, the light too strong for her to look straight

Sometimes he appears in a tuxedo, ready for a party...

Other times he's wearing armor...

And now he's shirtless, hammering iron...

What's next?

/CLANG!/

'Philip stopped for a moment, raising his head to look at her with a small smile.'

"Iron daggers."

"???"

Iron daggers?

"Your expression tells me you're confused, but that's to be expected."

Imagine if I was making forks...

/CLANG!/

"Why are you making Iron daggers out of all things?"

It doesn't even have a shape... Does he know what he's doing?

/CLANG!/

"Because I want to test something, and even then, these daggers are necessary for me to make because they'll be part of another small experiment of mine later on."

I'll enchant them and see how it goes.

/Clang!/

'Philip hammered, part of his focus was on the metal, the other was inside his head...'

It's nothing impressive really, from what I remember, the more valuable the thing I make is, the more experience I'll get.

And considering it takes me 10 minutes to half an hour to forge even the crappiest iron dagger, even with my stats, I have no time to waste.

It's better to use magic, potions, enchantments, high-tier materials, and more to craft one good sword and get several levels' worth of Experience for a day of work instead of spending the same time making daggers and not getting a single Level.

But I still need the daggers for an experiment, besides, they also serve a purpose on their own, otherwise, I would just buy some crappy daggers on the market and enchant them.

I want to see if I have to stick with the recipes in my head or if I can be creative…

Depending on that, my progress will be either super fast… Or super fucking slow.

If I had to stick with Dragon Bones, Daedric materials, or other High-Class materials to make my shit, it would take forever to advance.

I have no supply of those... At least until I finish my side project.

/CLANG!/

"I didn't know you could forge." She replied, not even that surprised anymore

"I know a little, I'm better at tinkering with more mechanical objects rather than making something this… Simple?"

I never really took university that seriously, I just went with the flow, but without realizing it, I ended up learning more about engineering in a nightmarish victorian world where beasts roam free than in my 3-4 years of Electronic Engineering.

"So yeah, forging the basics is no problem, just don't ask for something great."

At least for now.

/CLANG CLANG!/

'It was only now Viera had realized that the previous lump of iron had turned into a perfect blade, it scared her, she barely saw it transform...'

'The only explanation for that was that his swings were so fast, they sounded like a single cohesive one...'

/TSSS!/

'Philip took the shaped iron and put it on a quench, letting it cool down for a few seconds as he counted the time on his head.'

'Everything had to be on time, there was a lot of timing and understanding, its not completely methodical.'

'Metalwork may sound macho and strong, but it's equally as fragile and sensitive.'

'As he waited for that, he asked:'

"How are you feeling? Did you eat anything?"

"I… Yes, I was starving…"

'She took a deep breath and asked what she had been keeping on her tongue…'

"What was that all about?... Who was he?..."

'Inside the strange object, she met an old man, the old man introduced himself and his field of research, he said that if she passed his trials, she could become his disciple.'

'Well… In a very simplified way at least, they did talk a lot...'

'Like for example, she told the man she already had a master, but he was stubborn, telling her it was fine and even then, as long as she failed, then it didn't matter at all.'

'He was unwilling to let her go that easily.'

'So with that mentality, not knowing how to leave, she was left with the only choice available… Persevere through whatever he wanted her to go through.'

"Can't you recognize your own principal?"

"..."

'She bit her own lips in silence.'

'Of course she could, Viera wasn't so ignorant of the things happening around her to not know that.'

'Back in the Academy, she would every once in a while see his face and name on murals and paintings.'

'But that was what she feared hearing the most because it meant that…'

"T-T-T-The thief…"

If the principal is here...

'Philip took his dagger out of the quenching tube, checking it.'

"Ah yes, that… I was indeed the one that entered the Principal's office and grabbed all the stuff."

/CRACK!/

'That was the sound of Viera's mind shattering.'

"Calm down, I didn't steal anything… Even if that was my original intention…" Philip replied awkwardly

"???"

'She was even more confused now.'

"Sit down, I'll explain everything to you while I finish this… And then, I want to hear from you how things went inside there, deal?"

"Meanwhile, here, have this juice I was holding for myself, it's still cold so enjoy it." He said as he moved a large bottle with telekinesis after taking it from his inventory

Cool off your head, it wouldn't be good if you started to get all worried and stuff.

"I... Alright."

Am I supposed to take all of this that easily? He talks as if that was supposed to be a simple thing he does every Sunday...

Monday, steal from the Academy, Thursday, go to a Noble party, Wednesday, implode the training room...

Can I have some time off? I'm not that great I swear, and I need things to slow down a little...

…

'For the next few minutes, Philip explained how he managed to get inside the office, and how he met with the Principal's shadow and their deal.'

'He omitted some parts, such as how he received the knowledge to even do such a thing, and Laplabe's existence… He simply didn't know how to introduce them to each other yet.'

'It may be too stimulating for her.'

'He made it all sound impressive like he was some sort of Divine thief and as if everything was a matter of course...'

'Like they were all stupid for not realizing there was a secret passage to the Office...'

'After he was done with his story, he started to polish his dagger as he heard her own tale…'

...

"... And… That was how I failed his trial."

'Her story was one of survival, discovery, wonder, fear, longing, and disappointment.'

'But Philip only felt the latter.'

"Hm… I see, it's a shame, but it just means you were not meant to be." Philip said as he shook his head with some disappointment

It would be convenient if she passed, but it isn't terrible that she didn't.

"Wait! It's not like I completely failed…"

Look at his face... Is this due to his contract with the principal?

He has to find a successor for him, and in exchange, he can access the resources... Is this why he is so rich?

Or am I missing something in the timeline?

"Well... The reason I was not qualified for the last trial was that… I have my own master, so I was still struggling to accept him…"

The last trial was merely that, a test of character. One that I failed.

It didn't test my morals, it tested wheater or not I took him as my Master.

"He told me before sending me out of that… Thing… That I was qualified, but if I could learn to accept him, then he would take me in as his disciple."

"Really? Now that's a surprise… But how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well… Asking my master, if she accepts it, then I'll learn from him as well."

"But let me guess, you have no idea how to contact her?"

"On point."

"... Sigh."

If only life could be a dream…

'Philip smiled slightly.'

"Regardless... It went better than I thought."

"Oh yeah?... Next time, don't leave such a thing behind and tell me okay?"

"But I did?"

'She stomped on the ground with a slight look of annoyance.'

"You didn't tell me its true purpose!"

"It was supposed to be an opportunity…" He dismissed her as he blew some air on his dagger

"Even then!"

/Chatter.../

/Chatter.../

…

'She started to argue with Philip, but it was clear she wasn't being serious, she just wanted to vent some steam that was all, and Philip let her.'

'Staying inside a trapped cage took its toll on her, Philip understood how she felt to some extent, he spent many months outside in his own "dreams".'

'After 2 minutes, she was perfectly okay and ready to take on everything that had happened so far.'

"So I… Slept for a few days?... It felt like less than a day passed inside… But when I think about it, it's impossible, I simply did too much for it to just be one day." She said as she scratched her head

"Can you enter it anytime?" Philip asked

"I can, but I was told not to abuse."

"Abuse?"

"Well, the old ma… Principal Erat helped me greatly with many questions I had, things MT couldn't properly explain to me."

"I believe that the time I spent with him was the same as my current progress over 4 months, even though I just spent a few days inside."

It makes me understand just how impactful having Master with me was...

I miss her... I wonder how much simpler things would be if she were around.

But then... I can't grab onto her shoulders forever, I'm 6th Class!

"Honestly, I truly want to speak with him more, but as he said, I couldn't see him as a master, and until I can, it would be best to not press him on."

"After all, he is waiting for his true disciple to appear, and even if the machine can last longer, I'm unsure how much longer his… Shade can."

"If I took out his time, then, when that person truly appears…"

"I would feel terrible."

'Philip stood silent for a few moments.'

"... I see."

"I don't think having more than one master is a bad thing, but then again, it's not like this is the relationship between a teacher and a student, it's much more than that."

"So, make sure you're comfortable with it, at the end of the day, it's my job to find a successor, you don't have to feel obliged to it."

"And if like you, this person is uncomfortable yet forces it down, then I don't think that's the right choice at all."

"Find your own answer, talk with your Master, see what she thinks, but at the end of the day, it's you who shapes your path, as taking him as a Master will deeply impact your future."

'Philip nodded before patting her shoulders, but she wasn't a fan of that...'

"Your hands… Are sweety."

"..."

You broke my moment…

…

'After helping her clean her casual dress, Philip went to the corner of the room before opening his Skyrim inventory.'

'He had long emptied it of items, leaving behind only a series of heavy inexpensive materials.'

'Why? Because they were constantly weighing him down.'

'If it ever comes a moment where he needs to become lighter, is he supposed to just through several hundred bottles of expensive potions on the ground and waste it all?'

'Better to throw away a chunk of iron, and if he's spicy, at his enemy's foot.'

'Still, he left some things behind, and it was time to take them out, he had gathered what he wanted, the minimal for an experiment.'

"What are you doing?" Viera asked, interested in his next course of actions

'She approached him, wondering what he was going to do.'

"Watch."

/THUD!/

'From, thin air, an enchanting table fell like a block of iron.'

'Well, this particular one was indeed made of pure iron, a high-quality enchanting table.'

"Hum..."

'Philip felt that, with his enchanting knowledge, he could make his own specialized table, but it would take some time for that.'

'Neither did he have time to research enchantment that much.'

"?!"

'The sight of the ominous table with the strange candles, runes, and Skull made Viera take a step back in surprise… Then 10 steps forward in curiosity.'

'She felt something she had never felt before, just what was that strange thing?!'

'Runes she never saw before... In an order that made her frown.'

'She could tell they seemed to be connected somewhat, but this intuition was just like how modern men might look at a circuit board and think it looks orderly.'

'She raised her head and looked at Philip like a dog asking for a biscuit, and to her bubbly look, he replied:'

"This is an Enchanting Table, it can be taken as a specialized workshop for… Well, Enchanting."

'She didn't seem convinced, or perhaps, she was still too lost in what she was seeing to properly process things.'

"Here, watch, I'll enchant this dagger I just made."

"Wait, the dagger? Isn't that an absurd waste of resources?" She suddenly said as she snapped her head to the dagger

'From what she knew, Enchanting was a complex subject, one she wasn't completely versed with, but knew enough to do such things herself if necessary.'

'Permanently… Even temporarily imbuing items with magical properties wasn't something simple.'

'Even if the knowledge was easy to understand as a whole, and some families having their young children enchanting...'

'Taking the cost of the materials, the effectiveness of the techniques passed down from master to disciple, father to son, everything was simply too much for the ordinary craftsman to gather.'

'She never knew Philip knew such crafts, inheriting it from somewhere...'

'He never showed himself as a Magician or versed in such fields...'

'There is a reason why Magicraft isn't that popular, even though, technically, this isn't Magicraft, it can be easy to learn at first, but it's extremely complex to master...'

'And costly... Very costly... Don't go thinking it's easy to make up for what you use... That is only the case for proficient Enchanters.'

'As such, it made her suspicious.'

'Philip may have the talent and some basic understanding of it, but he said more than once to barely know anything beyond Second Tier Magic.'

'Had he lied?... Again?'

'To her doubts, as if sensing it, he replied in a proud statement, "This isn't normal Enchanting… It's my own kind…" as played with the knife.'

'With that, he took out his materials... A small blue cristal… And that was all.'

'He put the crystal in a special location and the dagger above the appropriate Runic Symbol before his hands started glowing…'

'Together with the table.'

"?!"

What is happening?

I can feel some pressure... But what is this?!

'All of this came as an incredible surprise for her!'

/Crack!/

'With a loud pop, the cristal turned to dust while the dagger glowed, depending on the angle, you could see a myriad of runes in it in, it was very…'

'Mystical.'

"!!!"

'And obviously, for the small mage, this was a phenomenal thing to see.'

'Not for Philip though…'

"Worst than I thought…" He said disgusted

I enchanted it with a fire rune, so it should burn upon contact… But it's weak, well, not like I came prepared nor did I go through any complex ritual, I just channeled the power through a simple set of runes and that was it.

There are many ways to enchant, using the Soul of a living being for power is the simplest out of them all.

Though I could also use materials in a similar way as Alchemy, like uh… Cooking an Enchantment... Though it's considerably weaker.

I could, of course, make it stronger than conventional Enchanting, but why would I do that?

Killing a strong monster, trapping its soul, and making the proper set of runes is that much simpler than spending so much gold…

The biggest cost of this process is the cost of the Soul stone and procuring a Soul.

I could also try using Dragonic Runes for more power… There was once a great Nord Enchanter that used such runes to win a War and make himself memorable for eras…

I do know those runes… Now using them? It's not like just adding them will change anything, understand why and how is important.

But my Enchanting Level is still a tad low for that…

'Philip scoffed as he put the knife aside.'

I have somewhat tested that I don't need to follow the schematics in my head to gain experience related to this craft, it was very likely for this to be the case, but I wanted confirmation regardless.

The best way for me to get Levels… Get the most expensive materials I have and make a very expensive weapon.

I'll Level up… Then repeat this process, getting better and better.

I can even sell what I make for some gold, even if not profit.

Or enchant it as the power of enchantments affects the experience I receive.

I can craft potions to boost the experience-gathering process as well…

I can make a fully closed cycle of using money to make more money, raking in experience in the process, and perhaps even some connections too.

Though first, I need to raise Smithing to a decent enough Level…

"Hm?"

'While he wasn't looking, he noticed Viera was intently glaring at his knife, fearful of touching it, but still trying to make contact with it, like a cat seeing a strange toy.'

"Is something wrong?" He asked with a smug smile, knowing full well why she was so surprised

"I… Uh… How?"

"How what?"

"How did you make this so… Simple?!"

"Ah, that… Well… As I said, it's my own form of Enchanting, pretty cool don't you think?" He said smugly

My apologies to all Enchanters throughout the 3 Eras, the mythical Era, and the Astral Spirits that made the planes of reality...

"Wait… You're telling me… You made this? All of this?"

'He smiled.'

"I even got an award for it, pretty neat don't you think?"

'Looking at her with a smile that contained a thousand words within, Philip awaited her reaction.'

…

.

.

.

Notes

This chapter was pretty long, I hope you enjoyed it.

I ended up jumping Philip's evolution and also most of his interactions.

I felt that it would extend this arc even further, like... All of that is at least 5 chapters.'

Let's instead move slowly and unravel the mysteries one by one.

For now, we'll have one more small arc before a big skip.

I might do some things like reserving one entire chapter to explain some things here and there, and also stop to make POVs, but we'll see about that.

I hope you all enjoyed it, I have many things to write and edit still, goodbye!

And make sure to give me your names and opinions.