Before letting Loki talk about his new abilities and the impact they would have on the young man's adventure, Marlon wanted to go to the inn first. He could thus restore himself and especially organize all his new acquisitions.

The empty streets allowed him to move through the capital without feeling any pressure on his mind, which didn't seem to be a big fan of crowds since his quest in the forest of Cronande.

A few groups of people were hanging out in the darkened alleys, and every now and then a cheer would sound, startling the young man, who still took a long time to get to the residential area. He could have found an inn near the guilds, but they were horribly expensive, and he had only one Amecareth of gold left to spend, all his fortune squandered on his new equipment and Loki's transfer.

"It's amazing...I can see the flow of mana around us, understand the interactions like I understood a programming code on Earth. The vectors, variables, and constants are all..."

The AI had been talking like this ever since they left Kelnos' store, and Marlon preferred to ignore it, even though he understood that his monologue was important.

After all, understanding mana meant understanding this world, which revolved around the use of this resource. But fatigue had caught up with Marlon, and he would need several nights in a real bed to catch up on all the sleep he had missed on his excursion.

According to his calculations, he could last a good two to three weeks with the remaining gold coin in his purse, including lodging and food, if he didn't overdo it. If not, he would have to go back on a quest, and he had no desire to do so at the moment.

Arriving at the residential area, he spotted a sober-looking but clean inn, with scents that whetted his appetite. If he was really honest with himself, it was the major criterion that had made him make his decision, the food, not the cleanliness.

He opened the door and found himself in the common room, filled with many people drinking, eating, or playing cards with each other.

Some of them raised their heads and stared at the newcomer for a few seconds. The eyes lingered strongly on Luna, who was following him closely and keeping her back to the crowd. What Marlon saw in their eyes was not lust or curiosity, but fear. He still had trouble picturing Luna as a dangerous feline, even though she was the size of a tiger, and according to Kelnos, she might soon be the size of an adult Mantis.

The innkeeper walked towards the young man, his face closed, and he stood with his chest bent in front of him, arms crossed.

"Sorry, but your critter, he's not going to be able to stay!"

"Her name is Luna, and she won't be a problem. She obeys my every word, I assure you."

"Whether she obeys you, the gods, or even my goddamn wife, rest her soul, I don't care. She scares my customers, and that's bad for business. If you don't like it, you're free to leave."

The man's tone was dry, dismissive, and clearly condescending, which Marlon could not stand. In addition to the accumulated fatigue, this man now dared to speak to him in a disrespectful manner. Anger flared up in his brain, immediately crystallizing into something else, something much colder and more dangerous.

Instinctively, his hand went to his belt and closed on the hilt of his sword as his eyes turned to ice, a powerful urge to kill overwhelming his consciousness.

"Kill it, my love...no one can talk to you that way, not in front of me!"

The white figure of his mother stood behind the innkeeper, and the sweet smell of cocoa accompanied her as always. A memory he knew dated back to the time when she would bring home small squares of chocolate stolen from customers, melting them in water before sweetening the whole thing and giving it to him, a radiant smile on her face. It was neither exquisite, the taste of the chocolate being diluted in water, nor infamous, but it was something that had deeply marked him as a child...

A contradictory mixture invaded his being immediately. He knew he was having a crisis and a violent one at that. Never before had the specter of his mother appeared so quickly, and not since he had discovered Spirit Care had he experienced such a rapid loss of control.

But there, a major part of his being aspired only to one thing: to kill the fat pig who was facing him, to see him bleeding to death while the life left his eyes and he was enjoying his suffering, this exquisite moment when one passed from life to death.

He could see his chin quivering with pride, the evil look in his eyes, and he imagined tearing out his eyes one by one. A tenuous thread was still holding him back, a voice he could barely hear screaming at him not to do this. It was distant but insistent.

With an incredible effort of will, he spun around and stormed out of the inn, feeling one of his teeth break because of the pressure his jaw was exerting on it.

Once outside, and having slammed the door violently, he fell to his knees, tears of pure hatred flowing from his eyes, before he began to shout a cry that would have frozen the blood of anyone who heard it.

He didn't realize it in his madness, but the entire inn held its breath at that moment, praying to the Gods not to unleash their wrath upon them. Even the innkeeper blanched a few shades upon hearing this, biting his upper lip as he waved blessings toward the door of his establishment.

Marlon hit the ground with his left hand, as hard as he could, feeling two phalanges break under the impact, the pain clearing up his chaotic thoughts a little, and at the same time making this powerful smell of chocolate that had invaded his soul disappear.

He caught his breath, feeling the eyes of the few passersby still strolling the street stop on him. Ignoring them, he straightened up, concentrating on his breathing as he pulled a piece of carved bark from a pocket in his bag and completed it with his brush. The healing spell burned through his fingers and the green aura infused his body as the pain in his hand instantly disappeared.

"Find a store that sells food, get something to eat, then find a quiet place where Luna can stay with you. I don't care if it's not an inn. I really need to explain the changes that have taken place, and get your mind under control again."

Loki was worried. Marlon had been dealing with impromptu bouts of madness in the Cronande forest, and a relapse in the middle of the city could be catastrophic, especially if he ended up slitting the throat of an innkeeper for no good reason.

Thirty minutes later, the dark-eyed adventurer had bought some spicy chicken skewers, enjoying himself and forgetting the unfortunate episode that had just occurred. He had also negotiated for a few copper coins for some raw meat for Luna, which he diligently gave to her, who was delighted to have something to eat.

Not wanting to repeat his expulsion from the hostel, he preferred to sit on a bench near the public baths, not far from the stall where he had bought the food.

"Well, I think we're going to be okay here. Care to explain?"

Marlon kept his sentences short, still concentrating on his breathing so his mind wouldn't go blank again, as he pulled out another piece of Arbol bark, this one still drawn with Care of the Mind. When it was consumed, he felt slightly calmer, and he was able to listen to Loki a little more calmly.

"Okay, so we'll start with the easiest thing to explain...mind you, your vision will change somewhat!"

Suddenly, Marlon's surroundings disappeared, and his vision was reduced to nothing, a black screen. But just as he thought he had gone blind, he realized that this was not quite the case. He could see shapes, animal or human, not in his immediate vicinity because there was no one there, but for example, he could clearly see a bluish mass where the food vendor he had bought from was standing.

Small blue threads seemed to be heading towards this figure as if they were absorbed by it. Raising his hands to the level of his face, he saw them of the same color, radiating with this unreal glow that seemed to pulsate inside his body and cover every square inch of it.

As his heart rate increased slightly, he saw the bluish flow do the same. For a few seconds, he turned his hands in front of him, when suddenly his vision became normal again, his skin color beige and well and truly present.

Raising his eyes and observing more closely, he could make out blurred shapes that seemed very far away, something that should have been impossible given the number of buildings that stood between these shapes and the young mage.

"What was that? It looked like...some kind of visual mask..."

Loki's sneer was filled with self-satisfaction and clearly exuded a distinct sense of condescending superiority that made the young man frown.

"Since I was embedded in this gem, I can spot and sense the different mana flows much better. It's like...they're sending me signals. So I can influence your eyes and make you see all the mana flows around you. And it seems that these flows are part of absolutely every living thing in this dimension, including you and me!

Marlon thought about the various implications of what Loki was saying, and then swore profusely when he realized how far-reaching it could be.

"What you're telling me is that I can have the equivalent of infrared vision, mana version?"

"Haha, that's exactly right! Not too shabby for a fallen AI, right?"

"It's going to make a lot of things easier for me, especially...maybe I'll go on a quest again after all..."

Marlon was thinking about what he could do with this significant addition to his toolbox of consequences when Loki interrupted him.

"That's not all, you know..."

He then held his head in his hands, an ingenuous smile on his face.

"Do you want me to beg you to tell me your secrets, Oh great AI?"

Loki's laughter echoed through the deserted street and the good-natured atmosphere made Marlon forget for a few moments his condition, his anger, and everything that went with it. Even the AI was pleased to feel the lightening of his colt's mood. It would not last, but it was necessary to know how to benefit from small moments like those.

"You can't even enjoy your superiority in peace anymore! pffff okay I'll tell you since you insist."

Stretching on the bench and absentmindedly scratching Luna's head, he waited for Loki to empty his bag.

"It's a little less impressive than Mana vision, but with my recovered abilities, I'll be able to help you analyze your surroundings, read the mana streams, and draw information from them. You look, I interpret, you understand. Try to see. Look at Luna, think or say out loud 'Analysis' and tell me what you see."

Intrigued, the young man lent himself to the game and concentrated on his chimera, saying aloud the word 'Analysis'. A small interface window appeared in front of him, and he was startled.

[Familiar Chimeric - Feline Type - Level 10]

"Holy crap! That's impressive!"

Marlon, excited by the idea of being able to analyze everything, began to turn his gaze on everything around him to test the limits of this ability.

[Residential Building - Rock]

[Commodity store - Rock]

[Bench - Wood]

It is this moment that Loki chooses to intervene.

"If you want, I'll leave you and your new skill. After all, you're asking an advanced AI to analyze a bench, who am I to protest..."

Marlon's laughter echoed down the street and he quickly apologized to his companion for having let himself go slightly.

"And do you have any other surprises like this?"

"No, other than an update to the interface. What we have created is a system for interpreting the overall information of a person in this dimension. But until I manipulated the mana, I wasn't the least bit aware of the shortcomings of this system. With my much more advanced understanding, you should be getting a lot more information now from your status screen. And since my cognitive abilities have evolved massively, I'm able to draw maps of where we're passing, which could be useful."

This would prove to be more than useful, the young man thought, and he couldn't wait to see how the interface evolved, opening his status window to see the changes.

Revenge Drelor: Level 15

Ancient Runist: Level 7 [Beginner Mastery] [? /50]

Strength : 64

Agility : 45

Intelligence: 22

Reflexes : 28

Constitution:41

HP : 850

Mana : 150

Charisma : 12

Influence : 30

Chance: 12

 

Familiar :

 

Feline Chimera (level 10), possible evolution, ????

Loki (level 5), possible evolution, God, Transcendent

 

Sword Mastery: Apprentice [45/100]

Bow Mastery: Apprentice [0/100]

Fishing : Beginner [15/50]

Herbalism: Apprentice [5/100]

Cooking: Beginner [35/50]

Hunting: Apprentice [0/100]

Survival: Beginner [48/50]

Alchemy : Beginner [28/50]

1 gold 0 silver 0 copper

Possessed Runes: Spark, Race, Breath, Protection, Vision, Life, Absorption, Spirit

A hiss escaped the young man's lips as he studied the status screen, which was much more complete and readable than what he had seen so far.

First of all, his profession skills were estimated much more precisely, which would be useful for him to know when to upgrade his level in one of the guilds. Then, his runes and the combinations he had discovered so far were listed! Very useful.

Only his advancement as a runist was invisible. Loki explained to him that this interface had limits, and Marlon was satisfied with this explanation, finding that the improvement was already quite sufficient for what he did with it.

For a few minutes, he continued to observe the changes, when a gust of cold wind made him shiver, pulling him out of his unraveling of the interface.

"We need to find an inn that accepts you, Luna, or we'll both freeze to death tonight."

He stood up, stretching for a long time before heading a little deeper into the residential area. The night was now well underway, and with any luck, the empty common rooms would entice a manager to let him sleep in a room with Luna.

But a long-term solution would have to be found because if she continued to grow like that, even a stable would not be enough to house her.

An hour later, Marlon had been lucky and found an inn that accepted his familiar without complaint. The standard was not as high as the previous one, but at least the innkeeper did not disrespect him or try to throw him out.

He had politely asked him to leave Luna in the room if he did not leave the inn so as not to frighten his customers, which the young man agreed to do.

The gruff, bearded man was very pleasant, and he served him a plate of stew that Marlon emptied in just a few bites, despite the meal he had already eaten.

He then went up to the bedroom, not bothering to undress before dropping into the bed, which was very soft and inviting to loll in.

The next day, he had a hearty breakfast, reserving his room for a week for the sum of fifteen silver Amecareth, including meals and baths, an amount he found reasonable given the services and the location of the inn, ideally situated between the adventurers' guild and the mages' tower.

The tower he was planning to visit today. It was high time he went to see this famous runist mage and asked him for help with his class. He was aware that his knowledge was incomplete and his methods probably wrong, so he would not hesitate to ask for help.

"Let's just hope you can get into the mage tower safely."

Marlon went towards the center of the capital, where the gigantic building that was the tower of the mages stood. It was impossible to miss it, one could see it from anywhere in the city, and also outside the city. It was necessary to recognize the beauty of the building, the sublime demesne of the man who remained despite the different dimensions.

After twenty minutes, navigating the dense traffic that was the procession of carts and pedestrians, Marlon finally arrived at his destination and found himself in front of a cordon of guards who all seemed to be on the alert. They formed an ironclad barrier in front of the tower and Marlon was surprised by the latent aggressiveness of the one who spoke to him as he approached.

"Halt! No trespassing without permission!"

His weapon, a halberd whose iron moved in magnificent circles, was lowered and he seemed ready to use it at any moment, his gaze alternating between Marlon and Luna.

The adventurer took out his guild card and held it up for the soldier to see.

"I am part of the Adventurers Guild, and I absolutely must meet with the mage Runiste before he leaves Delia."

The guard raised his halberd and signaled to the young man that he could proceed.

"And may I ask why I would let you meet him?"

"Because I'm a Runist too and I need his advice?"

This time, everyone laughed mockingly and the one who had spoken first to Marlon continued on.

"A runist? You? Come on, it's been decades since we've seen one! Haha, if you're a runist, I'd like to get naked in front of my garrison, here!"

Marlon quietly took a scroll from his bag and placed it on the floor, making no sudden moves that could be mistaken for aggression, while uncorking a vial of greenish blood and coating it with his brush before beginning to draw a simple rune of Breath.

When she was done, the scroll burned away and a small tornado of wind appeared in the square. Far too small to do any damage or hurt anyone, but enough to blow a powerful wind across the square that left the soldiers speechless.

Straightening up, a mischievous smile on his lips, Marlon then asked:

"You'll have to let me know where your garrison is so I can come and watch the show if you don't mind."

The soldiers behind the colossus could hardly contain themselves from laughing, and the young man saw their shoulders shaking with spasms while his interlocutor had just whitened of several shades in a few seconds.

"You...I...please pass...the runist resides on the twelfth floor."

As he passed the cordon of soldiers standing near the entrance, one of them dared to whisper:

"Military quarter, northwest of the city, Captain Ruemmer..."

One of his colleagues almost choked with laughter, and both of them faked a coughing fit when the famous captain turned around, his face red as a tomato this time.

Marlon opened the door made of a dark metal he didn't recognize and was instantly surprised by the space inside the tower. He took a step on the threshold and the door closed automatically, leaving him dumbfounded by the sight before him.

The inside was definitely bigger than the outside. How was this possible?

"Surely space magic that allows space to expand...impressive."

The first floor looked very much like a guildhall, a counter visible next to wooden stairs spiraling up to the upper floors. A middle-aged woman stood behind, a shapeless green dress her only attire. She didn't look particularly attractive, but Marlon walked up to her anyway.

"Hello, I'm here to see the runist mage, please."

The woman's features lit up as he spoke to her.

"My friends, finally someone capable of politeness! You don't have to be a mage, do you? All of you rascals unable to get your nose out of your own navel..."

She continued to disparage the magicians for a few minutes, and Marlon let her vent without worrying about what she was saying. He just understood that most of the residents of this tower seemed to be pretty proud jerks, but he could handle it. As long as he got the information he came for...

"...and then he didn't take me for a maid anymore! But I'm going astray! You can find Djilany on the twelfth floor of the tower. It's reserved for him, so you can't go wrong! And say hello to him for me, he's one of the few nice mages in this damned tower."

After thanking her, Marlon started to climb the stairs, taking his time not to exhaust himself, because twelve floors, without an elevator, was not something easy.

Arrived at the tenth, slightly out of breath, Loki let him know by joking that there was the magic equivalent of an elevator next to the stairs, very happy of the trick he had just played to Marlon.

This one finished the ascent on foot, and he quickly found himself in front of a massive door seeming to be made out of gold, very showy and enticing landing if it was. He opened the door and announced himself, but nobody answered him.

What a surprise when he saw, only a few meters from the door, a man lying on his back, his clothes burned, the smell of barbecue wafting through the air. He still seemed to be breathing, but weakly.

"How much do you want to bet that this is him, your famous runist mage?"