In the room where Mage Pernt sat, he was amazed that Eros returned so soon. It hadn't even been half a day, and Eros had returned!
"You killed... all this?" Pernt was surprised to see Eros return so soon with a cart full of corpses.
"...What level are you?" Pernt asked.
"Level one. But I was trained as a force used by my master." Eros answered.
The friends of Eros were also shocked to hear it.
"What?! Are you still level one?! You could slice an imp with one slash!" Wesret exclaid.
"It's a knight's cutting skill. My forr master used to experint on with his energy formation circle. It hurt, but he said my strength should be level 3."
Pernt glanced at Eros with a mysterious look.
"Your master must be soone aweso."
"He truly was. At level one, he was fighting foes far greater than what a team of level 10 people had. I think he had a Cardinal's potential. He had so special heritage which I didn't understand..." Eros sighed.
"A Cardinal's potential at level 1?!" Pernt was amazed.
"He must be so relative to the gods or fallen!" Pernt was amazed.
"I... don't know."
"He must be soone related to a being outside of our solar system. The far descendants of gods and fallen would have higher potential. People born with forty stats higher than the rest of us mortals..."
"My master did say sothing about a Yggdrasil."
"A Yggdrasil? I heard of that. But I'm too poor to learn about it. But from what I understand, people living in these Yggdrasil often have a much better heritage than we have. So that's probably why you naturally saw the weakness in my energy formation circle. Do you know any more tricks?" Pernt asked Eros.
"Yes. But, Mage Eros. I do hope that you will help us level up. Think of it as an investnt. I want to grow stronger! I think if we both work together, we can all benefit from this. The stronger monster we kill will soon reach the point that it could help you level up. Besides, the deeper we go into the mine, the more resources we find." Eros then brought out a strange stone.
"What?!" Pernt was shocked as he saw a magic stone.
Magic stones were very rare. Normally, people who mine one instantly give it to the guards and encash it as it would help them get a week's worth. Eros offered several common ores and a few magic stones that would have paid his team for a few days. But the truth was, he had more.
"How?!" Pernt exclaid.
"My eyes can see mana flow. I might have downplayed it earlier, but I could see it within the mines. And I know that more powerful gems are inside."
"Amazing!"
"And... Mage Pernt. My master has once talked about... a Low-Grade Elental core. He had a formula."
Pernt trembled as he heard it.
"Low-Grade Elental Core?!" He shouted.
"Mage Pernt! Not too loud!" Eros covered his mouth.
"You- you know how to create one?!"
"No. But he showed . That's why I need those mory-recalling potions. If I can get my hands on one, we can start!"
"...There is one outside! An aristocrat is here with scholars to study the environnt of this mine... We could steal one from them!"
"Is it that expensive?" Eros asked.
"Didn't your master use them?"
"..." Eros looked back and recalled the INT stat of Kyros and Noxus.
"He was so smart it was infuriating. He didn't need it." Eros answered.
"He must have really been soone with a divine or fallen lineage! But anyway, these dicines are not exactly expensive. Most aristocrats brew their own. They get the material needed from a rare sli called Ethriope Sli. It's very rare, but once you can capture one, you can make as many. So aristocrats and scholars invest in capturing one. If I have one and I sell it, none of my peers will buy it unless I lower the price by a lot! So the only people willing to use it are desperate people. Like the ones going through a test. But it's hard to get a hold of a cheap one!"
"I understand. So rich families have a lot of it and monopolize it, but poor people like us will have a hard ti buying them due to availability, and if one appears on the market, it's expensive. What an interesting setup. The rich don't want the poor to surpass them, and they made it hard for us to access these things." Eros understood.
"...Wow. You don't talk like a slave. You understood the gist of that?" Pernt was amazed.
Eros could only smile. The truth was, he was less than a slave. But the recent mories he received have greatly changed his manner of thinking.
"My relationship with my master isn't the conventional relationship," Eros spoke.
But then he noticed the odd look of Pernt.
"It's not sexual. I ant he was treating more of an apprentice and guinea pig." Eros glared.
"Errr... That-that's not what I thought! What exactly are you accusing of? A-anyway, let see all the ores you have...
Eros brought out all the magic stones.
"...You didn't use the fire bombs I gave you?" Eros was amazed.
"I was saving it for stronger monsters. But I overestimated myself and got this wound."
"Hm? Take a small sip of this potion to increase your healing." Pernt offered.
"Thank you." Eros sipped.
"Let's talk more about business then. Can you help create it? Low-Grade Elental Cores?"
"Yes. But for now, we can aim for Inferior ones. Elental Cores need to be constantly recharged before they can be used. From then, we can dive deeper into this mine and gather more materials to slowly build the foundations to make a Low-Grade elental core. But I need to level up! And my friends will need to grow!"
"Fine. I won't ask you to pay any fees for that, and I can help you reach high levels. But... I can't make it too obvious. People are watching. I'm here in this desolate mine because I have people I angered. So we must find ways to work this and make it more believable. If people find that I favor you too much..."
"It's alright. We can talk and whisper at the hearing of others and make it look like we're doing so deals that are making shell out a lot. You can say things like 'if you want to see your dear sister' or lie."
"...That could work! In this place, having a relationship not founded on bribery or threats is more suspicious than trades of equals. We can do that!" Pernt smiled.
"For now, help with my level up. We can use these monsters and even these ores. We've collected a lot. We can give all the monsters to my team, but let's use this ore for ."
"...Eh? You can use magic ores to level up?!" Pernt exclaid.
"...My master could. You an to say... it's not possible?" Eros had recalled how Kyros used the knowledge he acquired from the Library of Nephilim on the spells to do that.
"...No! I have not ever heard of it! Magic stones like this have no life in them! It cannot empower us!"
"I know. That's why we use a Dark Dependent formula."
"A Dark Dependent formula?! You an... use black magic!?"
It was then that Eros realized just how poor and uneducated his world was.
"And Kyros thought the Lowlands had it bad..." Eros thought to himself. If this place called Dark Dependent 'black magic,' it ant that there was a huge stigma against this magic.
"...He had an energy conversion circle that could turn that dark energy to fuel the death magic."
"Is it safe?" Pernt asked.
"He said it wasn't an issue. He said sothing about how this world is not ready for it due to the stigma. But in reality, even Paladins could level up for twenty levels, and there would be no consequences."
"What about the Dark Maddening?"
"...Dark Maddening only happens when absorbing the life of great dark beasts. Although, I guess Master knew how primitive this planet was, and your ans would be too... stupid."
"...Do you know that spell?!"
It was a very basic formation, and Eros could recall one of the more important parts of it.
"I think so."
Eros drew on paper what the energy conversion circle looked like based on the many mories of Kyros. Kyros had kept drawing and improving this during his ti in the Unrecorded Pages to draw out the power from the Brimstone beast. Eros decided that he needed magic stones to increase his mana. Since his body naturally had no mana, he needed magical sources for his level-ups. He could not provide this. And so, Eros mined several powerful stones that he saw with his eyes as they went back.
And so, with Kyros drawing repeatedly, this mory was more engraved on his mind.
"Wait a minute... You an... Energy conversion circles need to have a flow of mana to make it move differently?"
"Yes. Depending on the purpose and use. This one was sothing he always had draw, so I know a bit about it. But it's not exactly perfect. It's been a while since I had to draw it. We can use it on if you're not confident."
"...You're insane, kid. You trust ?"
"Well, I can tell to so extent if it's wrong or write. Draw it first."
Pernt quickly got to work.
Soon, the energy conversion circle was created and slotted on a large gap in his room.
Eros observed it and could see how the energy flowed.
"...I guess it's safe?" Eros hesitated for a bit but sat down on the slab.
"Are you sure this is good?"
"Er... What's the worse that could happen?" Eros asked.
"...I don't know. I've never worked with Black Magic formulas!"
"What if we try with one stone?"
"It doesn't work that way. It has to start with a large amount of energy to activate it."
Eros took in a deep breath.
"It should work. Load them up, and let's try it." Eros spoke as he sat at the place where the energy would be sent.
"It's your funeral, kid! Brace yourself!"
Pernt began to use the spell to activate the circle.
The light flashed, and the energy surged out.
---
Level up!
1-> 3
Strength: 18-> 24
Magic: 11 -> 13
Dexterity: 15 -> 25
Vitality: 18 -> 24
Intelligence: 134 (Classified as 'Smart' in most kingdoms)
Force: 11-> 13
---
As the light flashed, Eros quickly felt his strength increase.
"That...! Eros! The response! Did you just level up twice?!" Pernt exclaid.
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