Shielded by Seals [Chapter 32] (Patreon)

Wow, I can't tell you how much the past three weeks diverged from how I thought they'd go. I did find some changes I want to make in the story, but I think those are mostly further ahead. There will be a few adjustments to the Prologue, to how the MC remembers his past life, but I'll give y'all a heads up with those changes are up, and a little summary for those who don't want to read it again.

Okay, let's keep going.

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132353583

Your Role Genius has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner I-> Beginner II! You gain a permanent extra Skill slot! (Current Total: 11) You have gained insight into your Role Genius! Temporary Role Genius’s duration has improved by 6 months.

Temporary Role Genius (Time Remaining: 1 Year, 10 Months, 1 Week, 6 Days)

For increasing Role Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For permanent benefits, an extra Skill slot… With blazing eyes, I examined my Status Screen. But for now, at the very least, I know how long I have Genius. But it seems that this total can be continually improved by raising the Proficiency…

Name: Osiris Scowl

Level: 4

Roles (2): Child (Proficient III, 32%), Genius (Beginner II, 0%) (1 Year, 10 Months, 1 Week, 6 Days)

Score: B-, D, F

Traits: Mana Hungry (Apprentice, 60%), Mana Adjusted Physique (Proficient II, 75%), Accurate (Usable, 49%), Quick Learner (Locked)

Skills: Emit Mana (Proficient II, 50%), Clean (Proficient II, 27%), Silk Shot (Proficient I)(43%), Concentration (Beginner III, 43%), Corrosive Leap (Beginner I)(0%)

Considering all the benefits I’ve received… the fact that the Fang Family discourages Roles is really strange… I felt puzzled, yet those were extraneous matters. I flexed my fingers. My fist was triumphant; my methodology worked. Despite the fact I occasionally woke from a nightmare covered in sweat-

Sometimes it was the vast void of death, sometimes it was a cackling man with a dagger, other times it was Argyle, his hands covered in blood, muttering about what I owed the family… My nightmares had plenty of material.

I coughed into my fist to discontinue that train of thought. My Mana Pool hummed, releasing chilling energy that clashed with the seal power in the ring. This is how I guarantee I won’t be so helpless again.

Yet this was just the beginning. Training continued.

Your Skill Emit Mana has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient II-> Proficient III. You possess more control over the Skill. The density of the released Skill increases. You increase your general Mana density by a small amount. Due to an increase in Proficiency, your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

…

Your Skill Concentration has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner III-> Apprentice. You can activate the Skill in more environments. The amount of outside influence you can ignore has increased. Due to an increase in Proficiency, your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

…

Your Skill Clean has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient II-> Proficient III. The amount of area you can Clean has increased, both actively and passively. Your body produces less filth. Your Mana affiliation can occasionally add special effects to Clean. Due to an increase in Proficiency, your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

…

Your Skill Silk Shot has reached a new Proficiency! Proficient I-> Proficient II. You can activate Silk Shot more quickly. You possess more control over Silk Shot. Your Mana affiliation can occasionally add special effects to Silk Shot. Due to an increase in Proficiency, your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +5%.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +2%.

At the end of the week, I had a wide grin on my face. Through concerted effort, and a little assistance from the seal ring, the Proficiency of all of my old Skills rapidly grew to Proficient III. During that time, I barely slept at all except for my Mana Hungry induced power naps, but the old thrill had returned.

Grinding, after all, was king.

Plus, Concentration definitely made it easier for me to just push away all the strange looks from children as I established a permanent Silk shot rope down from the solarium to the ground. 

Of course, the halcyon days can’t last forever. I felt helpless as I looked at my Emit Mana Skill. After the increase in Proficiency Tier, further grinding became a chore. It took about a day and a half to get the 90% Proficiency I needed. After going through the other Skills, when I returned to Emit Mana, I attempted half a day of grinding. From that time period, I only managed to get 5% Proficiency.

The numbered Proficient Tiers didn’t require much difference in Proficiency to grow, but because Emit Mana improved, it could directly overpower the seals more easily. The bonus from difficulty evaporated.

It was a speed I was willing to endure to grow, but it was disappointing how quickly I had adjusted. 

“Which means we are back to you,” I looked at Corrosive Leap in my Status Screen. But then I raised a hand to shade my eyes and looked at the Solarium. An attendant had stuck his head out the window and was waving at me. I clapped my cheeks and used Concentration to force through a Clean to wipe away my sweat.

Training would pause for a bit, as I finally had the chance to ask the Fang Family instructors about Roles.

*****

Desmond Undetter took slow steps toward the classroom. He blinked as he passed a window, pausing to consider the sun outside. He  sidestepped the window; at this time of day, sunlight contained dangerous humors of unpredictable nature. He adjusted his heavy cloak, keeping back the chill in the air. 

Right before he entered the classroom, he peered at the scroll by the door. The confirmation that it was the zero-leggers day made him smile, just slightly. He raised a hand and rubbed it across the few wispy hairs that covered his head.

Of all the groups, this age was his favorite. Because such was the overwhelming power of history that it could sweep up the hearts and imaginations of the young and transport them to another world! It was excitement and education blended into one perfect afternoon!

A hush fell over the room as Desmond entered. He walked slowly to the front. He raised his gaze, settling his eyes on a knot of wood on the timbers of the ceiling. He cleared his throat. “Welcome. Today, we will be examining several of the general theories of historical development upon the Malwar continent. While most traditional historians prefer to proliferate Malni’s timeline of recovery and stabilization, you’ll soon discover how informative other perspectives can be. Some secondary socioeconomic impacts become almost inevitable…

“Ahem ahem, what’s first important is context. The Progenitor of your Fang Family was born in the year 391, two hundred and fifteen years ago-”

“Professor?”

“-to a farming community at the edge of what would soon be called the Holy Ax Empire. The Primes had jointly established the space, but no one faction had achieved supremacy; all were too weary of the surrounding Hell Mana. As the young Fang rose to prominence-”

“Professor!”

This time Desmond swayed and allowed the holy information he imparted to cease its flow. His brow furrowed and he lowered his gaze from the wooden knot in the ceiling. One of the reasons he appreciated the youth was that they were too engrossed in his monologue to ask questions. It was not a good feeling to have his expectations subverted.

In the back of the classroom, next to another student who was blatantly sleeping, a toddler with grey hair had a hand raised. Desmond felt surprise, seeing how sharp and clear the youth’s gaze was. The kid offered a small smile. “I had a question. Why does the Fang Family de-emphasize Roles so much?”

Desmond’s frown deepened as he looked at the child. Could he know…?

In the face of Desmond’s silence, the attendant at the door stepped in. “Osiris, that’s an inappropriate question. The Fang Family has your best interests at heart. Trust the methods developed by the Progenitor and follow instructions. That’s all you need to know.”

“But-” The child frowned. “How can I… I just-”

“The child is correct,” Desmond said. His frown became a soft smile. Curiosity was the greatest boon of youth. “It isn’t a matter of the present; this is a matter of history. Ohoho, I had no idea a young genius of history was being raised in the Fang Family. But after all, this is your birthright. Yes, I will answer your question about the Golden Emperor and the Great Betrayal.”

The children stirred at the term. It wasn’t the lecture that Desmond had intended to give, but it was one of the most hotly debated topics in the history of the continent. Each year, several ‘ground-breaking’ scrolls would be released, as snide historians tried to impress their pretentious theories upon the rest. Nothing brought Desmond more joy than casually debunking them while drinking a cup of tea.

“Before we jump into such complex waters, allow me to set the stage…” Desmond’s gaze drifted back upward and settled on the wooden knot. Despite his gravity as a teacher, he could not help but speak more quickly due to excitement. “In the first year of our calendar, the continent was created through the concerted effort of a dozen Primes. That event marked the beginning of our recorded history. It is a work of seal coordination that hasn’t been replicated since. If you visit the Holy Ax continent now, you’ll notice their sealwall possesses a pearlescent shimmer. We believe this is a remnant-- ahem ahem, excuse me, I’ve meandered a bit.

“By the time Young Lord Fang was born, the Continent had been split into three factions. The Imperials, the pacifists, and expansionists. The Imperials were the old guard, the servants of the Primes who originally created the continent. However, it was clear that rampant corruption had largely hamstrung the old order; the peace provided by such a spacious continent, free of the dangers of Hell, gave room for the worst of humanity to flourish.

“Opposite them were the expansionists, those who believed the empire needed to be remade, so the safe zone could be grown once more. Although the current space was sufficient, the population on the continent was rapidly growing. Finally… there were the pacifists. Those who tried to mediate between the other sides. Who believed that the rot wasn’t so bad and the necessity of expansion wasn’t so strong.”

Desmond felt a fully-fledged grin bloom on his face. “What followed is the most hotly debated two years in the history of our Malwar continent. By the end of it, the expansionists were eradicated and the Imperials had been decimated. In the end, the Pacifist faction, which included the now ascendant Fang Family, clambered on top of the corpse of the Imperialist faction. However, this is where it gets interesting, and where our original question comes back into play.

“In the continent at that time, there were two schools of thought regarding growth. One was the same methodology that has been refined to today… well, the details are hidden behind the taboo, but you youngsters can understand it either as pursuing ‘Purity’ or ‘Score Tempting’. But opposite them…”

Desmond licked his lips. “Were those who believed that Roles held the key to a better humanity. Although certain wells were poisoned… what prevented an individual from creating their own methods of improvement? At their head was the Golden Emperor, widely believed to be the greatest leader the continent had ever seen. He was the hope of the expansionists. He was…”

Desmond trailed off. For these kids, who hadn’t been to the former capital of the continent and seen the great fissure in the ground, they would not understand. Eventually, he continued. “We have a scant few genuine sources of information regarding the happenings of those two years. The one thing that was clear: it all began with a pronouncement by the Golden Emperor, although the exact nature of the inciting announcement is debated. And considering the resulting chaos, one would think that the factions went to war with each other, yes? Well… what actually occurred was that the imperialist faction devoured itself. And after they had thoroughly collapsed, the expansionists and the pacifists struggled for supremacy in the power vacuum.

“All, it is believed, because of Roles.”