Chapter 75

  B.O.S.S.

  “Bestiary Originated System Suppression, at least that is what everyone refers to the markings that appear,” Markan began as he spoke, I realized something. There was a slight tingling in my mind that let me realize that the status screen that had been blocked off from me was now readily available.

  “Wait, does that mean we can access our Status Screens?” I ask, but before I even finish the question, the noted screen in question blares to life with a deep blue color that fills me with instant relief.

  “You, can, but you should—” Madame Voyou begins but her voice trails off as she no doubt sees the vacant look on my face as I look at all the changes.

  Right off the bat, I notice that my Class has expanded its available Skill slots by one. Then going deeper into this, I realize that this notification is correct.

  Empty space? I don’t remember there being an empty space earlier. That or it was there, and I just never noticed? Regardless I can all but feel my body telling me to fill that slot as quickly as possible. I almost want to take any Skill, but I quickly remember the fact that Madame Bloom is bound by the system to provide a second class Skill. One that she has already given to me and that I should learn, lest she suffers feedback for a broken oath. Or worse, it comes back on me for purposefully making it so she couldn’t complete her oath. The system is apparently odd about those types of taboos. Best to deal in good faith, at least that is how the records go.

  Still, I can’t help but look on and see what else has changed. Only to find that the next part is still the same.

  Still the same basic Skills that were completed and turned in for badges. Realizing that nothing had changed with these, I went onto my next set.

  Seeing both the progress and fact that I had managed to MAX out not one but two Skills felt amazing. I almost wonder if there is a bonus for being close to death. Or at least next to monsters who die right before you. Remembering back to last night where I helped heal monsters and tamers alike who were part of killing Z-Rot infested monsters. Then seeing the change here from this relatively light work on my part. I felt there was something missing.

  By comparison my Actor and Music Resonance Skills did not go up by much, I really didn’t use them that much. Other than maybe appearing to be calmer than I actually was by the spiders and snakes constantly charging for me, I can’t say that I did much that deserved this much growth. Even my Strategist* Skill wasn’t used much, a key point of this was the way I charged head first into danger.

  That said, I could definitely feel the effects of Eagle Eye and Improvised Weapons when I charged forward and slashed into the beast’s side. Again, even now, if I think back I can feel that exact moment and the way I knew I needed to speed up to gain more thrust and try to cause damage.

  Ultimately, it wasn’t enough as all I did was enrage the beast, but I did contribute. From there I go to my Personal and Bloodline related Skills.

  Seeing the changes, I honestly didn’t expect this much of a change from just before we entered the rift until now. My Soul Devour increases made sense as it was the night light that made all the monsters go wild and try to strike me first. The odd increase to my Trash Skill, going up over twenty levels well that was likely due to not only using Trash to remove the fog so often, but to also alter the removed cores and somehow get the cores to come to life and grow to pristine shapes and sizes. Speaking of which, we still had the last core of this boss monster, or Bestiary Ordained System Suppressor monster. That sounds like a mouthful and completely made up, but I don’t’ want to argue too much with the others about such a trivial name. Especially as it seems that everyone else had to accept the name as well.

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  “Hey, quickly, come on do your magic with the core,” Mr. Karl’s joking voice bellows out and causes me to shift my focus, I still have a lot to go through, to see what has changed, but I skipped my Attributes panel and went straight for the part that interested me the most. I wanted to see what changes happened to my Class Age Modifier.

  Pulling up my now last tab, the Class tab that tracks all my advancements and most importantly my Class Age Modifier, I am impressed by the change. As my Class Age Modifier increased by six percent. Maybe it was just over five percent and I had enough left over from my base 163% that it wasn’t a full six percent, but I was happy with the gains. Especially as that meant roughly an extra thousand days of life were added to me.

  Again, the idea of having an extra thousand days granted by the system made me pause, as I wondered again if the system outright killed people that it deemed to be unproductive. Once again, the idea that people lived on average to be seventy years old here, but many who only unlocked common classes died at forty. Or at least that is what I gathered from the descriptions that everyone was telling me. The system would let people live just long enough to have a next generation of children and then pass away.

  “Give her a break, she is likely seeing how close she is to MAXING out her Skills,” Markan stated.

  Blinking away those bad thoughts about system generated deaths, something I would have to look further into. I turn to see a somewhat knowing glance from Markan.

  “I am not close,” I respond.

  “You aren’t? Seriously? You have the new Class buff. The one where learning things should be easier. That and the training bonuses from being surrounded by four teachers should have helped you get close!” Markan responds, a look of incredulity in his voice as he spoke and almost seemed to look dejected. Hearing him speak though I do realize that this might be why I have been getting pushed so hard these last few days, and why everyone is seemingly willing to give up sleep in order to keep pushing.

  “Wait, so there is a new Class buff?” I asked, confused.

  “Yes, depending on the rarity of the Class, you should gain an unprecedented bonus in Skill learning speed, and types of Skills available.” Madame Voyou added.

  Suddenly my lack of sleep and seemingly forced labor made so much more sense. This was just to force me to learn faster. I feel that I heard this, or at least part of this earlier. But now that I am more awake and seeing the direct results of having two recently learned Skills MAXED out almost immediately, I can see that this method might be brutal, but very effective.

  “Well, I am not close to maxing out a Skill, as I MAXED out two Skills,” I comment.

  With that both Markan and Madame Voyou stare at me. Even Mr. Karl who had been diligently carving deep into the body of the head and tailless beast, turned to look at me as if seeing me for the first time.

  “Wait, you MAXED out two Skills?” Markan asked.

  I nodded then responded, “yes Eagle Eye and Improvised Weapons.”

  At my confession Markan just stared at me as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and seemed to stroke his morning stubble. Meanwhile, Madame Voyou just rocked backwards for a moment and then slowly nodded to herself.

  “Two Uncommon Skills, not completely unheard of, still we will need to inform the General,” Madame Voyou noted. At her words Markan just nodded in agreement.

  “Hey, mind giving us a hand over here?” Mr. Karl called out.

  At his words we all turned to see a large core that was being held in place by rib bones that were apparently hard to break. That or Mr. Karl was trying to go easy on his strikes to keep the spikes from puncturing the clearly glowing core.

  Looking at the core, I could see why Mr. Karl wanted to be gentle as there was a clear puncture wound on the side of the core. Not much, but clearly enough to cause some of the vital energy to pour out of the beast.

  Grimacing at the sight, I realized that was likely more of my fault, as that was right where I had pierced the beast. I began moving forward instantly, knowing that I was both smaller and could hopefully dissolve most of the carcass away to help get at the needed core.

  While I was moving the others apparently decided to be ridiculous.

  “Bravo! Whoo!” Madame Voyou began, clearly jeering her beloved. Markan apparently not sensing the dynamic at play also joined in, quickly clapping and jeering as well before running over to catch up to me, before passing me.

  “Move aside, I think I’ve got this,” I began and walking up to the ribs I put my hands up and was about to use my Skill. Not certain if I could eat away at something so thick, but I was willing to try.

  “No, not the bones,” Mr. Karl cried out, a note of panic in his voice.

  Hearing his cry I turned to look at him, at which point he just responded, “what, they are expensive and can be used in crafting.”

  Shaking my head, I take a step further in, and let my hand squish its way into the dead beast’s muscles and tendons. Coating slime washes over my hand, but I am already at work, using both my Trash Skill to remove the excess muscle and my Golden Life Ratio Mana Regeneration* Skill to regenerate the excessive mana needed to clear away such a large monster.

  This process, while messier than just letting Mr. Karl and Mr. Yi carve the core away for me, is ultimately better as the residual mana of my Trash Skill begins to go directly to the core. First fixing the minor ding that was leaking mana. Then to the muscle that had residual mana coating into it.

  After a point I find myself having to reach through the ribs of the beast and catch the core before it falls. Once there in my hands it is an odd process of me shifting my hands between bones to slowly walk the core out, cleaning it and removing any straps of muscle in the process.

  Finally, after a bit of an effort, I manage to get the fully formed and intact core out of the monster’s body.

  Looking at the larger core, I can see distinct shapes and patterns in the core. Shapes that look like faint lines of smoke that could almost form familiar shapes.

  “Ahh!” The group lets out.

  “A perfect boss core,” Mr. Karl exclaims holding up the core and turning it so that the smoke and lettering are mostly facing him.

  “What seriously? I thought that was just a myth?” Markan asks, pushing past me to look at the intact core.

  “No, look, there it is. B. Jh-ohb, S-sub ‘y’, and S-sub ‘u’.” Mr. Karl exclaimed, pointing to the lines and seeming to see something that in those lines that I clearly couldn’t see. That said, the letters he was referring to were likely some old forgotten language? At least, that seemed to be the case as I had never heard of them before.

  “What?” Was all I managed to ask. But my words were cut short as the ground around us began to rumble.

  “We will have to explain later, as for now we need to leave here before this rift space closes completely,” Madame Voyou noted. Then gestured to Mr. Karl, who took off his satchel of cores that he had, making sure to wrap up the newest one the alleged boss core in some type of protective covering. Then rather than putting on the satchel himself he did something completely different. He handed the satchel to Madame Voyou, who put on the satchel and instantly began to sink into the marsh lands, her body leaning backwards before Mr. Karl reached out a hand and grabbed her.

  “Go on, we will catch up,” Mr. Karl exclaimed, gesturing for Mr. Yi, Markan, and I to all leave.

  I paused, before seeing that Mr. Karl was turning his back dropping to one knee and letting Madame Voyou climb onto his back.

  Seeing the action, I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter a bit at the gesture. I might never know what true love is, or ever have someone that I feel that comfortable with in my life. But seeing that one gesture was enough for me to know what true love was. It was getting down on one knee into the muck and filth, so that you could allow your partner to climb onto your back so you could both succeed or fail together.

  I was so lost at the moment, that I almost didn’t take that as my own cue to leave.

  “Come, on, let’s go,” Markan began, then turning back to see Madame Voyou gingerly reaching onto and putting her hands into Madame Voyou sized hand grips on Mr. Karl’s sheathed battleaxe it was clear that he had always intended to carry her out.

  Only once Mr. Karl took one somewhat shaky step up and got to his feet did I turn and begin to run. Putting everything I had into following Mr. Yi who was far out in the lead, apparently having taken off right from the start. Not doubting for a second that Mr. Karl had Madame Voyou. Seeing Mr. Yi’s glowing golden eyes bouncing up ahead, I realized I too needed to run, which I did.

  Activating my Life Reinforced Movements* the world became a blur behind me.

  Thump, thud, thump.

  As soon as I began running, I heard deep heavy footsteps catching up behind me. I didn’t even need to look but, I just knew it was Mr. Karl carrying Madame Voyou on his back. At his speed, and acceleration it was clear that he could easily overtake me and be the second and third team members out of this rift, but instead he chose to slow up and stay right by my side.

  “You did good kid, now just a bit further and this will all be over,” Madame Voyou called out encouragingly from Mr. Karl’s back.

  “She’s, huh, right,” Mr. Karl added, trying to talk in between deep breaths of air.

  “Stop that, and focus on running,” Madame Voyou chided, raising her hand to swat at Mr. Karl, only to immediately place her hand back on her hand grip before she could fall.

  Like that we made it to the exit.

  Mr. Yi’s glowing eyes the welcome sign of our exit being right there. Seeing him waiting like a doorman, I felt relieved. While he had charged ahead, it was clear he was taking his role of scout to be important.

  “Thank, huff, you,” I wheezed out once I got to the exit. While my body had been able to keep up with the constant movement, it was still a strain on my body and respiratory system. Still, it did feel great to go full speed and try to get out as quickly as possible.

  That was how I was the first of our team to leave the rift, followed shortly by Mr. Karl and Madame Voyou.

  As I exited, I was surprised to see that Madame Bloom was not alone, as she had company.

  For a moment the new people did not register, as I was too exhausted. It was only once Mr. Karl exited carrying Madame Voyou on his back that the leader of the new group’s eyes widened in recognition. Instantly causing my hackles to rise, especially after his simple one word greeting to all of us.

  “Vivienne?” Third Prince Theo Fiammata asked.

  Seeing his gaze upon Madame Voyou, I felt every ounce of well-earned exhaustion leave me as I was suddenly on guard and ready to prevent whatever might happen next.