“Ba-ba-ba!”

  “You have no power against me. It doesn’t matter how much you try, I know your game.”

  “Da-da-da!”

  After Alissandra took a nice warm bath, she no longer got angry about getting dirty. She got angry for another reason afterwards and started to make a fuss, but she calmed down after I put her in my arms and she began to grab my fingers and giggle like a baby. Well, she was one, so it wasn’t surprising.

  “I know your kind. You want to make me drop my guard and then brainwash me to spoil you rotten for many years? Your tactics are useless here.”

  “Da-da-da!”

  Although I said that, she was too damn adorable, to the point that I couldn’t help but sigh. She was a happy baby, and completely oblivious that her mother just died… I couldn’t tell if her mother was a criminal, and since that was the case, I guessed that they were looking for Alissandra as well for some reason.

  Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t tell the people that I will tell Alissandra too about how I found her… I also should look for those people on the other side of the kingdom of Talimor. That would decrease the chances of words about her reaching the harpies.

  “Her mother assumed that she would be fine there… but I have no idea how the Kingdom of Talimor deals with the harpies. They should have their own fighting tactics against flying enemies and floating isnds, though.”

  As usual, I couldn’t catch a break… more and more worries kept coming to my mind in order to keep me on my toes. At least I wasn’t heading in a direction filled with floating isnds, so there was that.

  “Awoo! Awoo!”

  I peeked outside the wagon to check what was ahead… judging by her tone, it didn’t look like she found something dangerous ahead. Still, it was snowing a lot, so I couldn’t see that far ahead. The temperature outside was very low, but my cloak had heated enchantments, so Alissandra was fine.

  Before long, Gcien slowed down despite me not giving her the order too. When I checked the surroundings, I found the entrance to the byrinth. This one wasn’t so new, since it had the complete image of a monster around it.

  At the entrance to the byrinth, the image of an armored knight could be seen, his figure etched in the entrance of the byrinth. The knight was cd in gleaming armor, its surface reflecting the light with an almost magical sheen. In his hands, he held a two-headed spear, its dual bdes sharp and menacing, crafted to pierce through the toughest of defenses.

  The spear’s design was curved, with runes carved into the shaft, showing its ancient origin and magical properties. The knight’s stance was strong, focused, and his gaze seemed to pierce through anything it looked as if daring anyone to approach. The eerie silence around the entrance increased the knight’s presence, making it clear that this was no mere decoration, but an alert.

  “This is a first… it makes me think that this pce spawns humans or something. Anyway, we can’t explore a byrinth with a newborn baby with us.”

  Despite what I said, Gcien kept looking at Alissandra. It took a while for me to understand what she was thinking… making her stronger. Still, was that a good idea?

  It looked like Alissandra was in a special birth situation as well, but unlike me, she didn’t have the memories of a previous life to rely on. So, it would be a good idea for her to get stronger than soon as possible, but even before she could learn how to walk?

  “I guess you are losing your edge, Gcien. This couldn’t be a worse idea…”

  For one, there was no way that Alissandra could pick up a css properly… for other children and superpowers to work together as well as fire and oil. This was a disaster bound to happen.

  “Grrr…”

  She didn’t take my words well. Regardless, it wasn’t my problem. I had to consider the bigger picture here. Still, what if Gcien instincts weren’t wrong? I also thought that it would be a good idea to learn how this worked… would the system make the choice for Alissandra?

  “Well, I should at least go ahead first and see what will be the first csses granted here.”

  I could leave Gcien looking after Alissandra a bit behind the end of the first floor, after all. She was strong enough to decimate any type of monster in the first section of any kind of byrinth.

  In any case, we got inside and I frowned when I saw that the interior was very different from the beginning. Everything was made of brick, but the corridor was rge enough to even have some pilrs around to sustain it.

  “Grrrr…”

  Gcien got ready to fight and then gred at the pilr in front of us. It didn’t seem like a monster in disguise since I could see some cracks in it.

  Still, I decided to approach carefully since it was pretty thick… Thanks to that, I was able to react in time when I saw a shadow coming from it. I fired some wind Shurikens and destroyed the beast.

  You received 15 experience points.

  “An iron skeleton, huh?”

  The iron skeleton was tall, with a frame imposing and rigid, with a shield and sword magic created from solid iron, each piece gleaming with a dull metallic sheen. The shield was round, while the sword had a sharp, well-worn edge, its handle gripped firmly by the bone fingers.

  However, after being destroyed, the monster began to transform. The iron skeleton’s entire body began to shrink, its bones pulling inward as if drawn by some invisible force. The sword and shield, once held so proudly, became heavy, their metal starting to warp and compress. The skeleton structure contorted as it colpsed in on itself, shrinking into a compact mass of raw, unrefined metal.

  Within moments, the once formidable figure was reduced to a simple lump of iron ore, the glint of the shield and sword now lost to the crude, unprocessed form of the material. The transformation left behind no trace of the skeleton’s former shape, only the raw, unshaped ore.

  “I guess you somehow sensed that this pce would be good for me as well, huh, girl? Sorry for doubting you.”

  “Chi, chi, chi.”

  Gcien looked proud of herself. It was better if she didn’t receive praise that often, apparently. Regardless, I decided to move on while carrying Alissandra and Gcien worked as the frontline, but soon I hesitated.

  “Ba-ba-ba!”

  Whenever I used magic, Alissandra would giggle like she had seen the most funny thing in the world… or maybe she was happy because I was destroying the skeletons, I couldn’t say for sure and that was kind of scary. At least I didn’t have to make weird faces to make her ugh.

  I didn’t know much about how ughs were good for babies, but it shouldn’t be bad at the very least. In any case, the iron skeletons didn’t cause much trouble, so soon I could see the end of the first floor.

  “Take care of her for a bit.”

  I put Alissandra on the basket and Gcien began to hold it with her mouth and then I went to get my css.

  You completed a trial. Please choose between the csses: Woodcutter, Scribe, and Linguist).

  You obtained the Linguist css.

  You improved the Mana Regeneration parameter.

  You unlocked the Aptitude: Master of Languages.

  You unlocked the skill: Advanced Transtion.

  You unlocked the skill: Multilingual Communication.

  Master of Languages: Gain bonus experience when learning, transting, and interpreting nguages, the longer the duration, the more bonus experience.

  Advanced Transtion - Transte complex and nuanced texts between nguages with high accuracy. This skill allows you to handle difficult or obscure texts, capturing the original meaning and context. It includes techniques for managing idiomatic expressions, cultural references, and specialized terminology to ensure precise transtion. The higher the skill level, the faster you will understand the words. Cost: 05 Mana per minute

  Multilingual Communication - Facilitate effective communication in multiple nguages simultaneously. This skill enables you to interpret and mediate conversations between speakers of different nguages, ensuring clear and accurate exchanges. It includes techniques for simultaneous interpretation, managing nguage switches, and crifying misunderstandings in real-time. Cost: 10 Mana per minute

  I had pnned to learn these css while I was still in the empire, but I lost the chance thanks to the circumstances, but that was never missed since I never met people that spoke other nguages… then again, I only traveled so far in the areas where the empire had influence.

  ‘Still, I wonder if this can allow me to speak with Gcien…’

  I looked at her and she gave me a puzzled look. I would bet that there was a css somewhere that would allow people to talk with animals, or at least a skill should exist. Perhaps it would work on Alissandra… but it wasn’t like she was speaking with any idea of what she had in mind. She was only making baby noises. If anything, as long as it gives me any idea of what they are feeling, I would consider it a win.

  Although the entrance of the byrinth was surprising, the csses wouldn’t be a problem for Alissandra. In fact, either of them would be fine since they would increase her stamina or mana regeneration. She wouldn’t be able to use the skills for a while, so that was a plus as well.

  “All right, let’s do this.”

  This pce probably wasn’t unknown by harpies, given that it wasn’t filled with monsters, so they should come here often, because the csses helped them a fair bit. I had no idea how, though.

  I put Alissandra on my arms again and then moved to the next floor. Before long, I was forced to stop.

  Someone under your protection received the chance to obtain a css, but they can’t choose it. You will have to make the choice for them.

  Alissandra completed a trial. Please choose between the csses: Woodcutter, Scribe, and Linguist).

  WritingMachineGun