Deepest Desires
Finally! I was a bit later than I expected, but I delivered.
This chapter is chunky, 7K words.
Power stones? XD
Enjoy.
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[
Name: Philip Vinten
Race: Type 2+ Pure Human (+)
Home World: Earth (+)
Registered World: Eden (+)
Level 0
Class: None (+)
Title: Apex Evolver(One of a Kind) (+)
/Resonation Effect: Progenitor/
All Titles:
Exterminator of Nightmares; Antesunderian Archeologist; Master of all trades(Incomplete); Great Scholar; Martial Grandmaster; Magic Lord; Mental Lord; Blessed; Apex Evolver; One of a Kind; Judicator's Attention;
-Vital info-
(+)
Mind> 330.4 (399.9)(+)
Physical> 325.1 (368.3)(+)
Energy> 329 (399.9)(+)
Spiritual> 334.8 (371.8)(+)
Mystique> 250(+)
Abilities:
Armament Lv1(3) (Hybrid)
Mental force Lv13 (Hybrid)
Mental force manipulation Lv13 (Hybrid)
Mental Domain Lv5 (Hybrid)
Command Magic Lv0 (Hybrid)
Spiritual Domain Lv0 (Hybrid)
Skills:
Ripper Mode LvMax (15) (Active)
Ignition Strike LvMax (10) (Active)
Phantom Sword Lv16 (Active)
Great Scholar Vision Lv0 (Hybrid)
Origin of a Desire Lv0 (Active)
Advanced Skill fusion Lv9 (Hybrid)
Western continent language Lv2 (Hybrid)
Combat Genius LvMax (Passive)
Gamerverse (???)
Traits:
Castle Town ***** (Recovering)
Hardworking
Unyielding
Sword Heart
Spiritual Ascension(Incomplete)
]
"Sigh…"
7 Titles… Gone.
It would take a lot for a normal person to gather even 2-5 Titles throughout their lives, yet I burned away 7.
And those 7 weren't some stupid Titles you can receive normally, like Farmer or something, they were all rather decent and 'unique' Titles.
Hunter Genius, One man army, Protector, Soldier, The Invisible Hand, Seeker, Extreme.
Just from their description, you can kind of figure out what sort of requirements someone would have to fulfill to be worthy of receiving them.
One of them is pretty simple to receive, Soldier, I don't know the ratio of actual soldiers that have this Title, but it should be rather decent.
While Hunter Genius is literally completely impossible to receive again., perhaps even Protector.
The last 3 were even more special with Seeker being granted because I became a Magic Lord, and Extreme because… Because I did something indescribable by common standards?
I had little time to get familiarized with them, but even then, I feel extremely remorseful…
"It's much worse than last time…"
When Dae told me to sacrifice my Titles to Evolver, I was so tired due to the operation that I just did it, it ended up being good and I didn't feel that much at loss…
But now…
'Letting out one last sigh so he could get his bearings right, Philip's expression became resolute as he looked forward.'
"Enough crying."
From top to bottom as always.
And this time, I'm going to be efficient…
Because right now, I'm on a timer to choose the rewards…
[The host has 17 hours 57 minutes… to make a choice]
"Wh… What?"
'Philip frowned, looking outside and noticing it was considerably darker than before.'
"How long was I out for?!"
"You finally realized it? I would say around 6 hours?"
"It's already 1-hour past lunch, you should go back else they'll get worried again."
At this point, they might think it's normal for him to be late for it though...
'Philip frowned, but he eventually accepted it, saying "... I'll do it soon… I am in need of some food." while he scrubbed his eyes.'
'Although he said that, Philip felt disappointed with himself.'
Once again, I collapsed and time passed without me knowing.
This has happened quite frequently in the past few days.
What is the cause of this? Even if my body collapses, I can still keep myself awake inside my mind…
'In the end, he continued.'
"Type 2+?"
What does that mean?
My race didn't change yet it did? It became better but not enough for it to be classified as something else?
"I wonder how this would affect the consequential branch pathways…"
Next are my new Titles…
Master of all Trades, an evolution of Jack of all Trades.
Jack of Trades increased the learning speed of new subjects in a similar way as Apex Evolver, while also increasing my talent for "basic" activities.
Even now, I'm unsure of what the Title meant by basic since even with the Title on, it's difficult to pinpoint any difference at all.
How do you quantify talent after all?
"Here comes the depressing part..."
At this point, I would be reviewing my other Titles... But since two of them were just vored, there's only one left…
[Judicator's Attention
Description: ***** Risk Magnitude 3 *****
Effect: The attention of the Judicator
]
"..."
'Philip's body turned cold.'
This is ominous… I'm sweating cold…
I'm unsure what the Judicator is, but it's likely not something I should play around or neglect.
Magnitude 3… Is this good or bad?
'He decided to risk it…'
"Hey Laplabe, do you have any idea of what the Judicator is?"
"Hm? Judicator?... I'm afraid I don't… Unless you're talking about the people that work at a Court."
"Is there anything strange about this individual?"
His tone is a bit heavy, is it some sort of important title?
"No… I'm just a little concerned, that's all." Philip replied with a pensive gaze
"If you don't know it's okay, but if anything crosses your mind, make sure to pass it on to me."
"Sure thing, I'll read some of the records inside the inheritance, see what I can find, if anything in there mentions this… Judicator… Then I'll notify you."
'Philip nodded, this was the best he could do for now.'
"Next…"
My Stats.
They once again rose considerably, that's always good.
Still, even though I achieved what I wanted to do, that doesn't mean Laplabe was wrong.
I need to give my body time to cool down, even if the process conducted by the System was flawless, I need time to get used to this strength else I'll cause some accidents.
A few days of not pushing my body and breaking it apart for growth will definitely do me a lot of good…
Both for my muscles and my sanity…
Well… This is considering I don't choose Race under the options…
I'll leave that for later though, it's time to understand what changed about my Abilities, Skills, and Traits so I can comprehend what to do in the future.
There is, however, one slight detail about my Stats...
Mystique went from 100 to 250...
This is a MASSIVE increase.
This isn't some sort of small-time occurrence like the Fate bubble that occurred when I suffered that gruesome operation, but my basic Stat.
There are many things that could've led to this, but I have a slight suspicion...
'His eyes fell onto his new Title.'
"This world is too confusing for me sometimes..."
"..."
'Laplabe looked at Philip, and for a moment, he resembled his old friend...'
'Both always seemed to complain, although one talked about his back problems while the other seemed just psychotic...'
...
"Abilities…"
Armament is being affected by the bonus of the Hunter Genius Title… And Albeit it's weaker than before, a bonus is still a bonus.
Hopefully, knowing what the path ahead is will help me in developing Armament faster since as of now, Armament is likely my strongest combat Technique… No, it's the only one I have pretty much.
Everything I knew was just kind of fused into it.
The rest aren't really techniques…
Most of what I know about Armament comes from the abilities that were used to make it, and that isn't really a dictator of my mastery, on the contrary, it shows how clueless I am.
"A more precise word would be that Armament is the center that ties everything together."
So I need to fully comprehend it so I can effectively make use of it.
I just need to be careful so as to not get complacent with the +2 Levels bonus.
Aside from that, all of my Mental Abilities improved considerably as expected.
Mental Force by 4 Levels, Manipulation by 2, and Domain by 2.
It's a no-brainer this is due to the growth of my Mental power and the fact Castle Town has finally started to recover.
I wonder how it'll look once it reaches the stage it should be.
And in the future, what the next step looks like, Dae did mention that forming something like the Castle Town was the first step to making a Mind Space.
Though that's definitely far from now...
Aside from that, I got two more Abilities, and from the looks of it, they are associated with the Magic Lord and Spiritual Lord Titles, even if I failed to attain the latter.
Command Magic and Spiritual Domain.
I'll have to go back and check the archives on MT to determine what they do, hopefully, he has something on them, I find it difficult to that there'll be anything conclusive, yet finding some mentions should be fine.
With enough mentions, I can form a pattern, and with a pattern, I have a base, and anything is better than nothing.
Though with such information, I need to be wary of possible distortions and censorship... I'm unsure how secretive the top people would be in regard to the domain of a Lord...
As for a more ration take on the abilities, Spiritual Domain… There should be some similarities to Mental Domain.
Spiritual Power and Spiritual Power Manipulation…
"More things to train and get familiarized in… Not that it's a bad thing." Philip scoffed as he tapped on the table
Command Magic does sound interesting, to say the least.
"Next, my Skills…"
Nothing really worthy to point out in those apart from Advanced Skill Fusion leveling up crazily.
If we go by how Intermediate Skil Fusion evolved, then the limit should be Level 20?
I'm still about halfway… Though Level 10 out of 20 doesn't exactly mean half as there is a tendency for things to get more and more complicated as you advance.
There is one thing I found odd, and its the fact Origin of a Desire remained.
Originally granted by the Title, The Invisible Hand, it should've disappeared once it was absorbed, right?
Even if it's similar to Scholar where I don't need to have it equipped if the source is gone…
"I'm grateful, my losses were almost completely cut with that one…"
Lastly, my Traits.
I already talked about how Castle Town ***** has started to recover, this is great, but still, I'm unsure of what it means…
And this is a great embarrassment… I'm supposed to be a Mind Lord.
Like he said… The Dumbest Mind Lord in history…
'Holding his nose bridge, Philip decided to focus more on studying this time around rather than training all the time.'
"Flow vanished… In fact… Laplabe, what can you tell me about Flow?"
"Huh? Flow?... What sort of question is that?"
"Flow of what? Air? Water?... You'll have to be a bit more specific than that…"
"I'm talking about 'the' Flow, the one that's likely related to the people that attained the Title of Magic Lord…"
I'm just shooting in the dark here, I have no idea if that's a requirement or not…
"Ahhh! The 'Flow'... I am aware of that." Laplabe said in a lackluster tone
"You are? Could you tell me more about it?"
"I was being Ironic… Philip, you come to me out of nowhere and ask me something about Magic Lords… Do you have any idea of what that implies?"
"... A little?..."
"Sigh… Look, even the Principal wasn't qualified to be a Magic Lord…"
"On that note he was close, his research had gone just far enough that he was about to fully revitalize his clan's, Magic Art."
"Albeit he died searching for it, now his body being lost somewhere where few can touch, that doesn't mean his accomplishments were in vain."
"If you're asking me about it, then 'Flow' isn't the correct terminology, even if it can be applied in this situation... It's more of the after-effect than the phenomenon in question."
"It is widely accepted that to become higher than yourself in the field of Magic, one must understand how everything interacts with one another, more specifically, how their Art interacts with the world around them."
"To understand the minute changes and interactions, to fully control everything and achieve a level of manipulation beyond what's feasible..."
"By properly changing their bodies and attuning them with it, the need for any sort of complicated String Theories and Vocalization of Rituals vanishes as your will can Command Magic in the same way if not in a more proficient way than those."
"It's a lengthy process and honestly too bothersome for me to understand, the old man thought the same, but it's not like he ignored it."
"Achieving this… 'Flow', is necessary in order to make up space in order to advance further…"
"Now, how this actually impacts a Magician… I'm not sure."
"I can understand up to 7th Class Magic, after that things get too mushy for me to bother, or in other words, a proper consensual method of advancement just kind of breaks apart as Magic Theories start to clash with one another, being proven wrong left and right."
"And the contrary all the same."
"That is why long Magic inheritances tend to produce higher tier mages over time while everyone gets stuck as a Tier 6 mage, it's the lack of a proper workout routine."
"Also, this is one of the reasons why the Human Kingdom has a law that forces every mage to publish at least one Magic Thesis once they reach 7th Circle, this is so they can have some part of their understanding stored."
"And they do it with pride mind you, producing a strong and well-rounded Magic Thesis is something to brag about, and even if the Kingdom didn't ask, they would still do it, they just have the law so they can claim a small part of the thesis and store a copy with them."
"The old man made one too when he was younger… Hum… What was the name of it?"
'Laplabe went into deep thought until he remembered something.'
"Something about the Multi-Spacial dislocation of Runic Aeterial engravings during Circle formation… Did I get that right?... It's been so long…"
"..."
Guess that's it.
"Your face doesn't seem that bright, let me give you a heads up..."
"You know when a wizard casts magic they have these floating runes? At least those that use stable formations..."
"There is a slight phenomenon where those runes seemingly vanish given the right conditions for a split moment, so you basically have an empty formation, which shouldn't be possible..."
"That was his study, it was a load of bull because he eventually concluded nothing, but he always disagreed saying it was actually an incredible study and bla bla..."
…
'While Philip thought, Laplabe continued to share his dissatisfaction with how complicated mages were until he grew tired of it.'
"... Anyway, I'm 100% sure there is a book talking about this procedure and the 'Flow'."
"Nevertheless, you'll have to give me a moment, that'll take a gooood while for me to find it amidst the Millions of books inside this damn space."
"I can wait, if you find anything, I'm always up to listen… Of course, you could let me take a look at the books…"
"Heh, you think I'm dumb? If I let you take a look at those books you'll steal them all with that strange machine of yours… I'm honestly baffled by how complicated it is."
Sigh, I'm sure the old man would've liked to see it…
"Tsk, think of the benefits!"
"Bla bla bla! Fancy words won't buy me, I've heard it all during my years."
"You know what will? Go out there and find a damn successor! Then you'll be allowed to play with these books!"
'Philip rolled his eyes.'
'Only one thing left…'
[Spiritual Ascension (Incomplete)
Type-Trait
Description: The Shadow of the Soul cast upon the body, taking shape upon the real world.
The Spirit set free, touch the forbidden, and take a peak of what lies beneath the curtains of the material.
Forge away an eternal vessel, break the boundaries of birth and rebirth.
Reach out for the infinite skies, or pull them towards you…
The true form of nature as it was meant to be, gaze upon it and judge creation.
A single step left, what lies beyond the balance? Who carved heaven?
To find the truth, 'My' spirit shall become boundless.
Effects:
The Spirit is the shadow of the Soul, taken shape by the physical.
A Soul of extreme proportions within a body most fragile.
Seedling of grandeur, waiting to germinate.
]
"..."
It doesn't really explain anything, instead, it's more of a small story.
But it did touch on some interesting subjects…
Heaven and Creation... Is it some figurative term, or…
From what I understood, my Spirit is on the verge of turning into something, but that doesn't make much sense.
I was pretty fine until these rewards started to pop up…
All due to this:
[An imprint of your existence has been left on *****]
From there, I received the Trait, Spiritual Mountain, and that transformed into this.
It seems that is quite the big deal if leaving my imprint there caused all of this to happen.
If so, did I jump several steps and went directly onto Ascension?
Is this Trait one of those wacky scenarios where, since I coincidentally touched upon it, the System decided to accept it, giving me some feedback, even if I'm far from being worthy of it?
"Urg… Okay, that's all."
'Pushing the table aside, Philip was finally done with his.'
'He looked at the mess he made on the ground, frowning, so he started to prepare a magic spell to clean it…'
'Meanwhile, he checked his rewards once more.'
I have a few hours to make a choice but I don't think that'll be needed.
Just by taking a look at this new Trait that I got, I can already see that something's wrong.
Albeit I have yet to transfer anything, this new Trait seems to be mentioning the Dragon Soul, and this is bothersome.
If I don't transfer it now, will I encounter future problems?
Things are starting to get convoluted… And I was barely understanding everything already.
'Philip opened his new Class Status, quickly choosing what to pass on.'
Considering all of the choices, these seem to be the most meaningful.
It has to be Greater Thu'um Lv0 and my Trait, Dragon Soul.
[DING!]
[The Trait Dragon Soul has been transferred to your Main Status]
[The Skill Greater Thu'um Lv0 has been transferred to your Main Status]
"Done."
It feels wrong to make such a quick decision, but I still think it was the correct one.
Considering the future I have ahead of me, I'll still have many opportunities to pass more abilities.
There is one guaranteed event of that, and that is achieving this Class' fate.
I wonder what that'll be...?
But at least I took that out of my mind.
"Now… For me to rest easy…"
The last thing… For real now.
[1- Race
2- Talent/Potential
3- Skills
4- Title Evolution
5- Path to fulfill the missing Requirements
6- The prospect to the Order of Magic or an Order of Second Magnitude
7- Increase in Authority
8- Communion with a Greater Power
]
I don't think I need to explain what 1 to 4 are... But I'll do it quickly.
First one... Choosing a Race is risky because I don't know much about everything… Although, even if I lack Dae to help me, I do have MT to fill in the gaps.
MT absorbed an unholy amount of books, and I would find it strange if Dae were to know just as much as it…
In his defense, he should have some bits of knowledge and insight that far surpass what MT can currently compute and provide, he has that reincarnation outlook MT will never be able to simulate.
Having both to give me opinions would be ideal, but now, my time is ticking and I don't think I'll have that chance.
Second one... Talent and Potential are likely to worst choice of it all, but still good regardless.
Do I lack that? I definitely do, I don't want to be arrogant and say I'm overflowing with talent.
But at the same time, considering everything I have laid out to me…
Third one... Skills are too random, and also, it's not Skill evolution like last time… It's merely Skills.
Anything could come, and in any quantity, if I had some sort of Luck Skill then perhaps….
Fourth one... Title Evolution irks me, but right now, Apex Evolver has entered slumber, so I'm unsure what would happen if I were to interfere with it.
If it were to awaken, things might be different.
Fifth one... The path to fulfilling the missing requirements… Now, this is great if I'm interpreting it right.
I lack a lot of things, I don't know what a Mind, Magic, and Spiritual Lords are supposed to be or do, and I failed to become a Sage also.
And I'm sure there are even more things that could be laid bare for me to understand if I were to choose this…
Though, as compared to some other options, this seems like the kind of thing I can learn on my own in the close by future.
So next.
Orders… And one of them is the prospect for the Order of Magic…
Prospect means that I won't own it, but rather, compete over it. And hence, a candidate?
Seems a bit strange, regardless, I don't want to compete with some unknown being, especially over something of a dubious nature.
Authority is self-explanatory, I've been slowly raising it, but I have yet to see any of its effects…
Perhaps I already am, it's impossible to tell apart what was supposed to be censored and what wasn't.
Lastly, Communion with a greater power…This... This scares me.
The only time I did meet such a thing was way back in the Palace inside the broken ruins of a mostly forgotten God.
Eridia Goddess of Valleys and Mountains, animals, knowledge, and Life, the very same Goddess that left her relic behind in order to understand Death and eventually climb higher in the divine ladder like a true hardworking Cultivator...
I was blessed by her thanks to a loophole in her ritual, although, since the Gods can't exactly interfere with the mortal world anymore, it wasn't her that blessed me, but rather, the red jar that is slowly recovering its power inside my Mental space…
I have to deal with that Jar eventually, apart from using it to devour some corpses, I barely ever touched it, sometimes even fully forgetting it.
But I can't neglect the fact that the jar is some sort of divine item with a conscience, and even if I'm the owner of it, I'm unsure how loyal it actually is to me…
Or how its previous owner is going to react once it finds out someone stole it…
By communion, does it mean I'll receive the attention of one of these Gods? But that's impossible…
The pact should still be working… But... Is the System even affected by it?
That's a great question, if the System is beyond the pact, then it could indeed allow a meeting between me and whatever lies beyond the barrier…
It's not like affecting the System is impossible, in some ways, the System is a creation and not some sort of universal rule... From my understanding so far.
There was that big-ass Artifact used to awaken all of the Heroes, someone made it...
The question is how exactly meeting a God would benefit me, I don't want to sound arrogant, but I don't want to become the butler of a God, much less give my all in the name of religion.
I'm pretty fine on my own, I don't need spiritual guidance, my head is most fine.
"Choices and more choices…"
/Tap tap tap…/
'Philip tapped his foot on the ground, but after thinking, he turned around hastily, making his way to the door.'
"Oi! At least warn me before you go." Laplabe said as he turned into a shadow, making his way to Philip's pockets
"Uh?... I forgot."
"..."
This kid…
…
'Philip made his way back to the Manor, enjoying the scenery on his way, from the pretty flowers to the exotic birds that made him remember Paradise Island before meeting with his collected butler, Sebastiano.'
"It is great you're here M'Lord, Lady Viera already ate lunch despite me trying my best efforts on having her wait for you…"
'Shaking his head, he was quick to reply, feeling a bit guilty:'
"No, it's okay, I would feel bad if I were to have her starve again."
I was thankful she waited for me last time, but I'm also thankful she actually lost her patience and ate something without waiting.
These first few days in the city have been tense.
"In any case, can you prepare a plentiful meal for me? Just keep it coming, I feel like I can devour a horse."
"Understood sir, I'll have the others reheat the ovens, everything should be ready soon considering it hasn't been long since lunch was served."
The ovens should still be hot, in fact, they should be preparing some deserts as requested by Maddam.
A slight change of plans won't affect them.
"Thank you."
"It is but my duty M'Lord."
…
/CHOMP!/
/CHOMP!/
/Gulp!/
'In the dining hall, a monster was currently going through the entire Manor's food stock…'
/Cling!/
'One more plate was pilled up on top of a dozen others, cleaned to a sparkling sheen…'
"Phew… I think I'm almost full… Do we have deserts?" Philip asked as he looked at Sebastiano on the side
"W-We definitely have sir, I'll request them to prepare a few for you right at this moment." He replied with a bow
The Lord has eaten a tenth of the food stock on his own…
That was enough food to feed everyone in the Manor for a week, including most meats and quickly perishable foods, if he continues to eat like that I'll have to rethink our budget and future stock…
In any case, we are out of meat and similar products, I'll have to procure more as soon as possible.
It's not exactly the day for that, but I can only hope they'll sell me some at a premium, with the Lord's permission of course…
"Haa… I'm beat…" Philip exhaled as he tapped his tummy
"..."
It doesn't seem to be a good time to bring that up.
'Sebastiano turned around, making his way to the Kitchen.'
…
/Half an hour later…/
/Knock knock!/
"Enter!" Viera replied from within the Office
/Creak…/
'Philip opened the door, surprising Viera who was currently with her head buried in notes.'
'This made him remember the first time he saw her, albeit this time, she was wearing some prettier clothes, the dark circles around her eyes had greatly receded, and her skin was glossier as it was being taken care of more.'
"Huh? Look who it is! For a moment I thought you were going to vanish for an entire day again." She said ironically as she turned to look at him
"Did I leave that kind impression on everyone?" Philip asked with a helpless expression as he took a step forward
"Perhaps not everyone." She said with a cheeky smile
'Philip entered the room and closed the door, sitting on a couch next to Viera.'
'Resting her head on her hands, she asked "So? What brings you to my humble abode this time?" while she played around with magical orbs around her fingers.'
'Philip looked at her with some disappointment.'
"Can't I just come here to check on you? As you said, I've left quite the impression on others, and since I need to wait for the workers to finish construction, I thought about spending some time here with you."
"..."
'Viera opened her eyes slightly, freezing in shock and almost dropping her notes, a few of the floating orbs of light even popped…'
'Her expression became a bit rosy, one of her hands reached out to her pen, and she started to fondle it unconsciously as if trying to hide her embarrassment by writing.'
"I-I see, but don't make too much noise I…"
'While she spoke, Philip approached her silently, looking over her shoulders and into the notes on the table.'
'Many sorts of runes and other scribbles covered the white parchment.'
"... Need to concentrate…"
"Your handwriting is very pretty, but are you sure you'll be okay doing so much?" Philip asked as he saw the small pile of papers on the right side of the table
She did all of this in half a day? That's at least a small book's worth of complicated formulas…
Back on earth, I would start complaining if I wrote even 5 pages back to back, and I would take an hour to do that, much less this…
Well, you could say there is a difference in body quality, but the patience is the same, she deserves praise.
"I… Cough!... Thank you." She said as she cleared her throat, trying to sound more serious
"Don't worry, I know MT can help me in this regard as well…"
"But then again, I don't want to lose this habit, it helps me soothe and sort my thoughts, and even if it doesn't help me much in regards to practice, it helps me memorize things."
"If I really wanted to make more complex notes in an efficient way, I would use a simple enchanting Spell and be done with it… Or now, MT."
"I also think that… It would be lazy to just have MT do all the work… Or something…"
Although in all honesty, MT is simply too handy, he can perfectly help me keep track of things without me needing to make any notes at all.
But despite it all, I've been meaning to make a few for some time, sort out what I know and what I've been studying about the 6th Circle.
'She took a few peeks over her shoulder at him but didn't say anything.'
"I see, good work, keep up this pace and you'll become Archmage in no time." Philip said with a genuine smile as he patted her shoulder
"!... T-Thank you, no need to over-praise me… Being an Archmage is still a bit far…"
Smooth talker...
'She seemed to become a bit gloomy, and Philip noticed that.'
"..."
As I thought, her years living alone in the Academy might've left some scars on her.
She presses on, but she seems to lack some confidence.
Is it her master?...
Just how capable was she for her to be like this if that's the case?
"What's with the expression, you're one of the best mages I know."
"If others can do it, so can you… Believe in the 'me' that believes in you…" Philip said with a smile as he pulled a chair with telekineses
"..."
He really just stole a seat next to me…
"You… Sigh… Okay, I'll do my best."
"You've already been doing that." He replied with a sly smile
"Then I'll go 200%!"
"Don't overdo it." He said as he shook his head
"Then what should I do?!"
'Philip looked at her and shrugged, making her annoyed.'
"Arg, fine, I understand, now leave me alone."
"..."
'Philip stared at her silently for a moment, making her turn her face to the side, she couldn't look him in the eyes for long… Not like this.'
"Before I leave, there are some things I need to ask you…"
"Hah, I knew it." Viera replied with a scoff, perhaps even a bit disappointed
"Can you give me your hand?" Philip asked seriously
"!"
'Viera once again froze, and when she went back to her senses, Philip was measuring her ring finger…'
"?????"
'Her expression transformed into a myriad of things before she finally broke down into a slight blush.'
"Thanks… Now…"
'Philip didn't let go of her hand, he measured her wrist, and then hands fully, this gave enough time for Viera to relax a little as she realized he wasn't probably doing what she was thinking he was...'
"Why do you need all of these?"
"I'm planning on making something for you… But we'll have to wait until the workshop is ready."
Since I'm going to try my hand at making gear, I aught have some goals to work towards.
'While he measured her arm, going for her neck and head next, Philip asked slowly:'
"It's already been a few days, how about we check the city out? I'm sure you're a bit tired."
I promised this to her but failed to deliver it, I'm sure she has an interest in the world outside.
She isn't a flower, this isn't her cage.
And I want to eat those burritos things again...
"I…"
'She became silent before smiling a little, though she tried to hide it.'
"Okay, but can we leave it for later, I really need to finish what I was doing."
If I lose my momentum I have no idea when the motivation to continue will come...
"Sure thing, we have a lot of time."
Now that my main objective has been partly completed, I have nearly endless time.
But I also have endless things to do… Regardless, time off with her doesn't seem bad.
There are many beautiful places to visit, and as we go, who knows? I may find someone suitable.
"I'm done." Philip said as he took out a small note, scribing some things within
'Honestly, this action of his was pointless, if he asked MT, it would give him all of Viera's proportions without hesitation.'
'But he felt that if he were to do that, she might've felt awkward or estranged, so it was better to just directly ask.'
'It was also funnier to see her reactions live…'
"A-Are you done with everything, then?"
"Almost there." Philip asked with a small smile
"I want to try something, but I'm unsure of its effects, though I'm 100% sure nothing bad will happen."
"And you want me to be your test subject?..."
So much for being kind and gentle…
"That is a bad word to describe it… But I won't lie."
"In exchange, you can cast magic on me."
"And why would I want to do that?" She asked with a frown
Is he giving me an excuse for me to just blast him away?...
If so, I won't refuse.
"Because I also want to test something." Philip said with a smile
"..."
'Letting out a sigh, Viera moved away from the table.'
"Fine, let's go somewhere else…"
"There's no need for that." Philip said with a smile
'He grabbed her hand, but now she was used to it, pulling her to the center of the room.'
"Just stand there for me please."
"Uhum…"
'After making sure everything was done, Philip activated his Skill.'
[Activating Skill, Origin of a Desire Lv0]
/Flash!.../
"!"
'The moment the Skill activated Philip felt something sparkle from the center of her chest, and not long after, a blinding light took over his sight.'
…
/Mooo!.../
/Beeeh!.../
'Philip's vision soon returned, and the first thing he realized was that he was now surrounded by farmstock, some of which was licking his face.'
Not exactly what I expected...
"...??"
I can't…
'The second thing he realized was that he couldn't speak, much less move his body, he was more of a spectator… Albeit he was sure he was inside his own body due to the reflection of his own face on the cow's eyes.'
'The third thing he noticed was that all of his abilities were sealed, he could barely perceive his surroundings, the best way to describe it was that… He had returned to being normal, just like when he took over Eddy's body.'
/DING DING DING!/
'A bell rang, and the farmstock moved to the side, and before he knew it, someone appeared in his field of vision.'
"You're really bad at this, you know that do you?"
"And the animals love you so much… How can you be so damn clumsy?"
'In front… Or better put on top of him was currently a woman with long purple hair tied into a ponytail.'
'She seemed to be wearing leathery farming clothes, but her complexion didn't seem like that of someone that worked at one.'
'It was fair and well-taken care of, she didn't even seem dirty.'
"Come on, mom's calling, the food's ready, you won't miss it again will you?"
'And finally, "Philip" spoke:'
"I won't I won't, just give me some time to recover my bearings, those animals did a number on me…"
"Humph!"
'Viera… Adult Viera grabbed Philip by his shirt, pulling him up easily, for a pair of thinner arms, she sure had some power.'
"This time I won't be deceived, move along partner."
'She kicked him in the ass lightly, pushing him forward.'
'And as they walked, Philip thought:'
So… If I put everything together…
Is this Viera's desires? Her deepest desire? Or just some sort of random wish she just happened to be having the moment I activated my Skill?
The way this Skill works is still a mystery, so it'll take many tries to reach something conclusive... Because depending on what it is, everything changes...
But if I connect the dots...
Anyway… What's this? A farm in the countryside?
'It was truly frustrating to not be able to turn his own face, Philip was almost having a slight anger attack, he felt like he was in a conscious dream, but he wasn't in control.'
Taking that cow's weird shape and coloration, I'm sure we're still in Eden.
But isn't this… Simple?
Despite everything she has, deep inside, everything she wants is nothing but to go back to her previous life together with her family in the countryside...?
"Tell me, how's your research?" Philip suddenly asked
"Mnn… Master told me I should be advancing soon…"
'Philip smiled.'
"You've wanted that for a long time didn't you?"
"Yes! It's been hard…" She said with a tired expression
'Meanwhile, Philip thought:'
I see, so even her master is here.
That was to be expected, Viera does seem to have a love for what she's doing.
It's much more than just effort.
She also seems to be advancing... So she is indeed upset about her advancement...
I can understand that, after spending so much effort to become 6th Class, she now has no master, no Academy... I'm her lifeline.
She must be feeling quite conflicted, perhaps even powerless...
So her ideal life is to go back to the countryside, but while still maintaining her lifestyle as a mage, and also with her Master?
Well, talking about her age, and the time it takes to advance, she likely stayed with her Master for around half of her life, so it's obvious she's an important person to her…
The person who saved her and her family, albeit despite so, she still misses them.
Still, I'm flattered, I've known each other for barely a month, and yet I'm here...
Did I cause that big of an impact on her life?
...
I think I'm starting to understand what this Skill is supposed to mean…
If you know your target's Desires, then controlling them becomes easy…
How awful.
"Viera…" A slow yet sturdy female voice echoed behind them
"Hm?"
"Master!"
! Master? Hehe!
Last time I didn't manage to take a proper look at her face, now the time…
'But when his body turned, Philip frowned.'
Why's she censored?! This isn't Japan!
"My my, late yet again are you?" Her master said with a smile as she looked at both Viera and Philip
'Her face was mostly censored, but he could see her lips, though he wondered if he was seeing right or wrong, they could be a ruse for all he knew.'
"That's only due to him!" Viera said as she pushed Philip slightly with a playful smile
'She turned to Viera, telling her to go ahead and that she wanted to have a talk with Philip…'
"I'll see you then!... Don't get late again, you hear me?" Viera said as she turned to Philip
/Shrug/
'Philip shrugged.'
… Am I like that?
Honestly, I thought I was calm and cool, but I just look provocative.
I'll keep a note to myself.
/Step step…/
'Viera walked away while her master approached him.'
'She looked at him from top to bottom before smiling deeply.'
"My my, aren't you a cheeky one?"
"..."
'But "Philip" did not reply, he looked... Frozen.'
What's happening?
"Yes, I'm talking with you, the boy who's overstepping his boundaries."
!!!
"I wonder what sort of face you're making, it sure must be so interesting…" She said with a chuckle
'She touched his cheek before continuing.'
"This isn't good, a man shouldn't pry into a lady's most secretive desires…"
'She flicked his forehead, and the pain was transferred to Philip, it wasn't much, but the pain was more on a spiritual level, meaning, it hurt his pride.'
'She approached his face, whispering in his ears:'
"~If you really want it, you should seek them out yourself, I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard if you tried~..."
"But try not to push it, no one wants a bad boy~."
…
/SNAP!/
"Huh?"
'Philip suddenly woke up back at the office, with Viera looking at him with some concern.'
"Hel-lo oo~ Viera calling Philip from beyond the Spiritual realm~..."
"I'm here…"
"There you are." She said with a cute smile
"What happened?"
"You suddenly dozed off after telling me to stay still, I was waiting for you to do something but you just stared at my face…"
I would like to request my palpitations please, I feel deceived.
"I…"
So that's what happened.
If the Skill works like that, then I must avoid using it in…
/Flick/
'Viera flicked his forehead.'
"There you go again, thinking and thinking, for someone who has so much muscle, you do think a lot."
"..."
'Philip looked at her with a helpless smile…'
'Truly a disciple of her master.'
…
.
.
.
Notes
With this we end the Analysis of his gains, it's not really much of a spoiler, but the other Skills and Abilities will be properly displayed over time as I think we stayed too long in this.
I also plan to jump Philips and Viera's stroll across the city for those that are concerned, though if you're interested, I could try making a side chapter focusing on that, I think that would make it the first of this Novel?
I also tried to develop more of their relationship. I do think it's clear Viera has something going on for Philip, but it's unsure if its love or not, perhaps that kind of crush that makes you embarrassed to be around someone else?
Philip, on the other hand, is in between, he plays around and teases, though he himself is likely unaware of the true scope of his actions, even if he is somewhat aware of her budding feelings.
I tried to make the 2 new Lord Titles sound cool, but I don't know if I did a good job at it as it feels underwhelming compared to Mental Lord.
I could always just be lazy and say Mental Lord is better than the other two or something, but that doesn't make much sense to me.
After this, expect perhaps a meeting with the Dwarves, some backstory on the Elves, and then some sort of repercussions from what happened with the Dwarves.
These should be the last things we need to fully clear out before heading to the time skip.
Everything else can be mentioned either later, or through POVs during the time skip.
I would say we are around 10 to 12 chapters away from the end of this Volume, it'll pass faster than you think.
Anyway, by! I need to take a shower and hit the bed, I'll be with you all tomorrow morning... Or afternoon...
Peace!