Nathan – POV
As soon as the camp was done setting up, I went into a small part of the pavilion reserved as my own room. I then sat in a lotus position and summoned my status page.
Status:
Name: Nathan Mayweather- Abensberg
Noble House: Mayweather – Abensberg (member)
Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction
Title: Otherworldly Knowledge
Name: Nathan
Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction
Title: Otherworldly Knowledge
Level: 51
HP: 520
MP: 6600
Strength: 52
Stamina: 52
Agility: 52
Dexterity: 52
Intelligence: 660
Constitution: 52
Affinity: Shadow SSS+, Fel Energy SSS+
Active Skills: Shadow Bolt 7, Immolate 6, Summon Imp, Shadow Tendrils 10, Corruption 5, Curse of Weakness 5, Life Tap 5, Curse of Agony 5, Fear 2, Summon Voidwalker, Drain Soul 3, Create Healthstone , Health Funnel 6, Drain Life 5, Curse of Recklessness 3, Unending Breath, Searing Pain 5, Create Soulstone (Greater) , Ritual of Summoning, Summon Succubus, Summon Incubus, Rain of Fire 3, Demon Armored Skin 4, Eye of Kilrogg, Shadowmeld 1, Drain Mana 3, Sense Demons, Banish 2, Summon Fellhunter, Subjugate Demon 2, Hellfire 2, Curse of the Elements 2, Shadow Ward 3, Detect Invisibility, Summon Felsteed, Howl of Terror 1, Death Coil 2, Curse of Shadow 1, Soul Fire 1, Detect Greater Invisibility, Summon Infernal
Passive Skills: Mana Sense 6
One-handed Sword Mastery 10
Two-handed Sword Mastery 25
Spear Mastery 12
Dagger 12
Mounted Combat 10
As expected, my proficiency with various weapons had improved, but my level stubbornly refused to budge from fifty?one. No new active skills, no flashy notifications, not even a hint of progress. Just… nothing.
How much experience did I even need to reach level fifty?two? A thousand? A million? A billion? The system never told me anything. No progress bar, no percentage, no UI interface I could manipulate. I had tried everything; mental commands, visualization, even whispering “status” like some idiot hoping the universe would take pity on me. Nothing worked.
Whoever designed this system seriously needed to play a few MMORPGs. Or at least listen to user feedback. I bet there wasn’t even a customer service department. No patch notes. No bug reports. No quality?of?life improvements.
How backward.
I sighed, long and deep.
There had already been so many deviations from the game I used to play. Weapon proficiency existed, sure, and so did shadow spells; but affliction and destruction spells were conspicuously absent. That was the part that truly bothered me. My status clearly listed me as a demonologist warlock, destruction warlock, and affliction warlock all at once. So where were the spells? Where were the curses, the DoTs, the Shadowflame bursts?
By level fifty?one, I should have had a whole arsenal. Maybe the system would unlock them at sixty? Or maybe it was bugged. Or maybe this world simply didn’t care about my expectations.
Either way, I needed more levels. Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
My musings were interrupted when Christine called my name from outside the curtains that separated my “room” from the rest of the pavilion.
“My Lord Nathan? May I come in?” she asked softly.
“Please do, Christine,” I answered.
She stepped inside, and as always, she looked adorable—almost unfairly so—in the new clothes my mother had bought for her. The outfit suited her perfectly, highlighting her gentle features and bright eyes. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You look cute and adorable, Christine.”
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Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. “Thank you… Lord Nathan.”
“Christine, please. You don’t have to call me ‘lord.’ Nathan is fine.”
“O?okay… Nathan,” she said, shy but trying.
“See? That wasn’t so hard. Now, what can I do for you?”
She clasped her hands behind her back. “Will you be joining us for magical studies with Belle and Jennie?”
“Hmmm… maybe tomorrow. I’ll meditate on my own for now. I need to review my core.”
Her brows knitted with concern. “Is something wrong with your core, Nathan?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I just have questions that need answers. Maybe by examining my core, I can figure things out.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Well… for one thing, I’m confused about how leveling works. Don’t get me wrong; slaying monsters, beasts, or… people give experience. But how much? How many kills to the next level? What counts? What doesn’t? That sort of thing.”
“Oh!” Her eyes brightened with recognition. “Belle and Jennie taught us something about that. They said you can tell when you’re close to leveling by the density of your core. We’re still low?level, so we haven’t felt it ourselves, but they said you’ll simply know. You get a feeling when you’re near the next level.”
“A feeling? How?”
“Well… according to them, if you concentrate enough, you’ll sense a kind of fullness. Or a breaking point. Like your core is reaching its limit.”
“That is… extremely vague,” I muttered, frowning.
“I know. I haven’t felt anything like that yet since I haven’t… killed anything.” She looked embarrassed. “Maybe you can ask Anda and his party.”
“I definitely will. Thanks, Christine.”
“You’re welcome… Nathan.” She blushed again. “I’ll go join Serena and the girls now. See you later.”
“See you later, Christine.”
As she left, I couldn’t help but admire her. She would grow into a stunning young woman someday. I sighed, already dreading the hormonal chaos puberty would bring. That was a battle for future?me.
For now, I needed to investigate this “feeling” she mentioned. All the times I had leveled up, I never sensed anything like that. I needed more information... from Anda, from the others, maybe even from my parents.
But first, I needed to examine my core.
I closed my eyes, shutting out the world, and focused inward. Slowly, the physical world faded, replaced by the swirling presence of my fel?shadow core.
Several things immediately caught my attention.
First, the center of my core had darkened; so much so that it resembled a black hole. A void. A singularity. The swirling mass around it shifted in color: black at the center, blending into dark purple and fel?green as it spiraled outward. The outer edges were lighter, almost luminescent compared to the ominous center.
My core hadn’t looked like this years ago. The changes were undeniable.
What did it mean?
I hoped it wasn’t some kind of magical quantum singularity. That would be… bad. Very bad.
The physicist in me recoiled at the thought, but I forced myself to breathe. This wasn’t physics. This was magic. Mana. The rules were different here.
Still… was my core turning black? And if so, what did that imply?
The scientist in me took mental notes, cataloguing every detail. I would learn more as I grew older and gained more levels. For now, I set the concern aside and shifted my focus outward, reaching mentally toward my minions.
Krizkek… Leshner… Xander… report.
Master, they replied in perfect unison.
How are you? How is your mission?
We are almost done, Master, Krizkek answered. We have eliminated nineteen out of twenty targets. The count is our final target. We have already transferred his treasures into the pocket dimension.
When will you finish?
Tonight, Master, Leshner said.
Good. Be careful. We’re in the city of Bunzad. It’s full of priests and paladins. Dangerous for you.
We know where you are, Master, Xander replied. We always know. Do not worry. We will avoid confrontation. They will not detect us. After we finish, we will rejoin you the following night.
That fast?
Of course, Master, Krizkek said. We do not require rest.
Excellent. There are several dungeons around this city. Maybe you can do some delves.
Excellent idea, Master. We can resume our growth, Leshner said.
I ended the telepathic link, relieved. The mission was nearly complete, and my minions would return soon.
I stood, stretched, and stepped out of the pavilion to find my father.
I spotted him with Anda a few meters away, supervising Jack and the other trainees. The air rang with the rhythmic clack of wood striking wood, grunts of effort, and the occasional barked correction.
Anda noticed me approaching and called out, “Lord Nathan, you’re late.”
Crap. I forgot to tell him I was skipping weapons training today. It looked like I’d have to join them after all. But first, I needed to tell my father about my minions’ success.
Later that night, just as I settled into bed, the notification I had been waiting for finally appeared…
Your summoned demon has slain a level 54 Fire Mage! You are awarded experience points!
Congratulations! You have level up to Level 52!
Whoa... they are done. Finally, they can come back to us. I quickly summoned my status page...
Status:
Name: Nathan Mayweather- Abensberg
Noble House: Mayweather – Abensberg (member)
Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction
Title: Otherworldly Knowledge
Name: Nathan
Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction
Title: Otherworldly Knowledge
Level: 52
HP: 530
MP: 6650
Strength: 52 + 1 = 53
Stamina: 52 + 1 = 53
Agility: 52 + 1 = 53
Dexterity: 52 + 1 = 53
Intelligence: 660 + 5 =665
Constitution: 52 + 1 = 53
Affinity: Shadow SSS+, Fel Energy SSS+
Active Skills: Shadow Bolt 10, Immolate 10, Summon Imp, Shadow Tendrils 10, Corruption 10, Curse of Weakness 10, Life Tap 10, Curse of Agony 10, Fear 10, Summon Voidwalker, Drain Soul 10, Create Healthstone , Health Funnel 10, Drain Life 10, Curse of Recklessness 7, Unending Breath, Searing Pain 8, Create Soulstone (Greater) , Ritual of Summoning, Summon Succubus, Summon Incubus, Rain of Fire 3, Demon Armored Skin 4, Eye of Kilrogg, Shadowmeld 6, Drain Mana 7, Sense Demons, Banish 7, Summon Fellhunter, Subjugate Demon 6, Hellfire 7, Curse of the Elements 8, Shadow Ward 8, Detect Invisibility, Summon Felsteed, Howl of Terror 6, Death Coil 7, Curse of Shadow 6, Soul Fire 6, Detect Greater Invisibility, Summon Infernal
Passive Skills: Mana Sense 10
One-handed Sword Mastery 11
Two-handed Sword Mastery 27
Spear Mastery 13
Dagger 17
Mounted Combat 11
As expected, no new spells or skills appeared but something else caught my attention. Several of my existing abilities had suddenly jumped multiple ranks at once. There was no clear pattern to the upgrades, yet my earliest spells, like Shadowbolt and Immolate, had both reached rank ten. Even my only passive skill, Mana Sense, increased to rank 10. Was rank ten the maximum for my class? And if so, why did everything leap forward all at once? Had I triggered some hidden threshold without realizing it? Or was the system quietly adjusting itself behind the scenes? What the hell is going on?
The more I stared at my status page, the more questions piled up. Why now? What caused the surge? Was there another tier beyond rank ten waiting to be unlocked?
I clearly didn’t understand the mechanics of this world as well as I thought. I needed answers; and soon. I should speak with Father and Mother, or perhaps Belle and others. Someone had to know more than I did.
