Chapter 44: My Core (1)
We slowly settled into a routine, swapping around the classes we currently had, as well as completely dropping Baron Jilk's class. The Marquess decided she wanted to push forward the physical training that she was going to give Jahi, and since I wanted to join in, she allowed Baron Jilk to stay, however Jahi would no longer have to 'study' under the Baron for three hours a day now.
The new schedule had Baroness Estra at the same time, 8-10 in the morning. After that was an hour break, before we went to study with Arch Mage Kolia from 11-3. Another break, then we practiced with either the Marquess or Countess from 4-6. That was the new schedule, and while it was demanding, it was quite rewarding.
Time slowly passed by, and I noticed that I was getting much stronger, and my control over my body had increased as well. I also learned that I could train myself to increase my own stats, as I had gained a few points in every category, as I was improving my body and mind.
Add that to the large amount of experience I earned just from basic day to day activities and my status now looked like this:
(A/N - Just remember... this is a whole YEARS progress, and I am showing you the progress from lets say January 1st 2000 to January 1st 2001. Which means the numbers are fucking HUGE. If you remember from like 10 chaps ago, I had a little quest sheet for how much XP per room cleaned, plus her additional daily quest of Bathing Jahi. I took Averages for each quest, so this number could be MUCH bigger if I made her get every quest done to perfection...)
[Level 11 - (1555/5764.5) -> (291055/5764.5)]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level 19 - (7097/147744)]
[STR - 11(22)
CON - 10(20)
AGI - 10(20
DEX - 11(22)
CHA - 13(26)
WIS - 12(24)
INT - 12(24)]
My stats all reached at least 10 in my young form, which the system told me that the average, non core having adult human had. So, I was as strong as a normal adult... at the age of 5!
I was pleased with my growth over the past year, and I couldn't wait to be able to actually use my stats.
Since it had been a year since I was sent here, I assume that it was now my birthday, and that tomorrow, I would awaken my core.
I was both excited and nervous. Even with all the assurances from the system, I couldn't help but think about the what ifs and maybes.
What if I didn't actually awaken a core?
Maybe my core would be faulty. After all, nothing is set in stone in the universe. Probability and chance rule everything.
What if Jahi leaves me because I don't have a core? What if she didn't want me to have magic at all?
These thoughts would pop up here and there, and I would be sent into a mini spiral of nervousness and trepidation.
However, I always managed to drag myself out from it, with and without help from Jahi.
I smiled as I looked over at her sleeping face, my heart warming at her peaceful expression.
Over the last year she had aged considerably. You can hear about how Demons and Cores speed up maturation, but seeing it is something different.
Jahi was now 6, and she looked like she was around 8 or 9 in reality.
Her dark rams horns were now tipped with a burnished gold, a small side effect of her light magic.
Her light blue skin remained smooth, and her raven black hair was still silky smooth.
Recently, her normally amethyst eyes were speckled gold, and Arch Mage Kolia had told us that it was something that could happen when you awakened your core; features on your body would start to display your element. In Jahi's case, it was her gold tipped horns and speckled eyes.
Jahi was now much taller than me, standing at roughly five feet. Her body was also slightly toned, and when I ran my hand over her midriff I could feel the solid muscle of her abs.
She had grown much more beautiful over the year, and had also grown much more... promiscuous.
She was more hands on than before, which was hard to believe, and had no problems letting her hands roam freely. Additionally, she started giving me light pecks on parts of my skin, be it my forehead, cheek, hand, wrist, or even my neck. However, she never once went for my lips...
Shaking myself lightly, I continued to watch her sleep, before rolling out of bed.
Stretching, I entered the bathroom, looking into the mirror.
Jahi wasn't the only one to change.
I let my hair grow out longer, and I usually let it hang freely.
My ears were more defined, and the fur on both them and my tail was longer.
I had grown taller as well, though I stood at roughly four and a half feet.
I smiled at myself, before starting to prepare everything we needed for the day.
Leone and Anput would be arriving today, and while I had slight concerns about Anput, I was looking forwards to seeing the both of them.
I had gotten better at sparring, and while I wasn't as strong or agile as Jahi, I made up for it in technique and strategy. Jahi, like the Marquess, preferred to overwhelm their opponents in brute force, while the Countess and I used our heads, utilizing the surroundings to our advantage. I wanted to use my newfound strength and beat Anput in a spar...
Chuckling, I remembered when I surprised everyone when we started prating with blades.
I had managed to defeat Jahi with ease on the first day. My movements were clunky and unrefined, but my [Dagger Proficiency (Adept)] made me look like a natural compared to Jahi.
Jahi had pouted the entire day, before slipping out every night to train herself. I didn't catch her until a month or so after, and by then she herself had caught up, making our spars more even.
Sighing, I exited the bath, quickly arranging our clothes on the dresser, before sitting not he edge of the bed. Looking at the light blue demon snoring softly as she hugged a pillow made me smile, and I shook her shoulder.
Grumbling, she blinked her eyes a few times before looking at me, yawning.
"Good morning, Jahi."
She just nodded at me, her eyes unfocused. Chuckling, I got up from the bed, making her pout slightly. I gave her a small smile as I quickly stripped, before entering the bath.
Like clockwork, Jahi entered in behind me only moments later, hugging me from behind.
She gave me a peck on the cheek before sitting on a stool. Kneeling behind her, I started washing her off.
"Kat~ Are you excited for tomorrow?"
Hearing her cheerful voice, I smiled, saying "I can't wait! Not only will I finally start growing quicker, but I also get magic!"
Jahi looked over her shoulder, chuckling. She knew how much I enjoyed magic, as I had created dozens of spells for both her and myself. Arch Mage Kolia had also started challenging me, creating complex sequences or ritual circles and having me decipher them.
"Haha~ I can't wait to spar with you after you get your core... you're already so tough now..."
I smiled again, gently rubbing her shoulders. Jahi was truly a battle junky, and besides teasing me, it seemed like it was the only thing on her mind.
We slowly finished our bath, before slipping into our clothes and making our way towards the Marquess' room. We were going to eat with them before waiting for Leone and Anput to arrive.
Entering the room, we sat down on the couch, Jahi picking up the book on the table in front of us, opening it. She started reading quietly, her arm wrapped around me.
I leaned into her, enjoying her warmth as we waited for the Marquess, Countess, and Mother to come out.
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So, we have a few scenes to go through here, before some more mini time skips to get to different scenes I have planned. Then, the Academy starts...
Also, doing the math for the levels took more time than I would care to admit, and is making me realize how stupid I was in the beginning. I mean, 1.5x per level seems small, until you reach the 100,000s. Then it's quite large....
Anyways, hope you enjoyed. I know I 'skipped' over her learning to fight, but I would rather do what I have planned than make you read about how she learned how to use a dagger...
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