It was all well and good to plan a raid on the former capital, but without supplies, it’d be nothing more than a one-way trip. We walked aimlessly, each lost in our own thoughts.

“Hey, Kit?” I called, glancing at Katherine. She was swaying to some tune only she could hear, enwrapped in her own world. She didn’t respond, her steps carefree.

“Kit? Hello?” I tapped her shoulder.

She turned slowly, like someone waking from a hangover, tilting her head to the side. The first rays of sunlight fell over the tops of the buildings, reflecting softly on her face. She squinted, shielding her eyes with a hand.

“Ye?” she finally responded.

I’m too deep in this. Why is she so… Wake up me!

“We need supplies,” I said, trying to focus. “And maybe someone to help us. The quest’s deadline is a day, right? We need a DPS. A mage or a bow user.”

I hated the idea of splitting the spoils—the fewer, the better—but safety came first. “I know of two. Lisa’s out, so I’ll ask Lucas. What about you?”

My question made her pause, her eyebrows doing a dance when she was deep in thought. “Lisa and Dmitry,” she said finally, then added, “Ya don’t wanna him tho!”

I froze. What? She knows Dmitry already?

“Nah,” she continued with a grin. “Just us. Tat’s fine!”

I wanted to press her about Dmitry, but something held me back—a memory from the mall when she was streaming about her shopping trip with her boyfriend. Dmitry. She’d mentioned him during her streams… Yeah, it could be him.

“O… okay, Kit,” I said, trying to shake the thought. “Let’s go for supplies. I’ll contact Lucas.”

Why is everyone gone? It wasn’t even that late—just midnight! My earlier confidence fizzled out as Katherine and I reached one of the many shops scattered throughout the town.

Without hesitation, Katherine kicked the door open, barging in like she owned the place. I trailed behind, only to be hit by a pungent wave of spices the moment I stepped inside. The overwhelming aroma nearly made me sneeze.

“Eh?” I let out a surprised noise, blinking at the scene before me.

The shop barely had three feet of space between the door and the counter—or rather, a long wooden board that separated customers from what looked more like a warehouse than a store. Behind it stretched rows of shelves crammed with goods, towering almost to the ceiling.

Perched on a chair behind the counter was a young girl, her green eyes sparkling with mischief as she hopped down and grinned at us. “Welcome to my shop! What do you need? I have everything!”

“Thanks! I’m Charlie, and this is Katherine,” I said quickly, cutting off any chance for Katherine to ruin our first impression. “Do you have an explorer’s pack?”

“I sure do!” she chirped, darting toward a shelf on the left. “I’m Trix!”

With the agility of a monkey, she climbed the shelving unit and tossed a plain gray sack down in front of me. “Everything you’ll ever need for exploring—only ten gold!” She shoved the sack closer, practically beaming, before pocketing the coins I handed over. Her energetic mood drained any desire I had to haggle. That would just be a hassle.

“Anythin’ else? Scrolls? Potions? Armor? Swords?” Trix leaned forward, her small hands pressing onto the counter as she pulled herself up to level the height gap between us. “I’ve got everything!”

She wasn’t wrong—we’d probably need something strong to clear the walls. Without a mage, that task would be near impossible. “Do you have fireball scrolls?” I asked. Fireball—the classic choice. Flashy, destructive, effective.

“Yeah! Ten gold each!”

She didn’t even need to check her shelves, instead reaching under the counter and pulling out a handful of scrolls. A quick glance told me they weren’t from one wizard—each had distinct handwriting and enchantment patterns. My frown must’ve been obvious, because Trix raised her hand in defense.

“Wait, wait! They’re good! Best quality, trust me!”

“I trust you, don’t worry,” I replied with a slight smile, testing the waters for a haggle. “But I’ve heard you can get them in the city for five gold, and they still make a profit.”

Trix’s smile vanished instantly, like I’d insulted the quality of her whiskey. “In the city, maybe. But here? The price’s ten. Not even a copper less!”

Why did that backfire?

Katherine’s snicker cut through the tension, and my face burned with embarrassment. “Fine, fine! There you go!” I emptied my purse—ninety gold—onto the counter and snatched the scrolls. “That’s all. Thanks, Trix. Let’s go.”

Before she could tempt me into buying anything else, I grabbed Katherine’s hand and bolted out the door.

“See ya soon!” Trix’s cheery farewell made me shiver.

Outside, I doubled over, gasping for air with my hands on my knees. The crisp morning breeze tousled my hair, but I could still smell the spices from the shop.

“Whatcha doin’?” Katherine asked, her mocking tone eating away at the last shreds of my pride. “She’s smoll girl.”

“To be honest, I don’t know,” I admitted, still catching my breath. “She pulled money out of me like a leprechaun!” With each breath, I felt calmer. “Let’s just move on. Do you know if there’s a trainer around?”

“Hm, ‘kay,” Katherine replied, smirking. “I’ll buy next time. Ya so noob.” She glanced toward a tall building sticking out from the surrounding small homes. “There. Next to barrack.”

 

The reason I was searching for a trainer was one of those moments that made me want to smack my head against a wall and roll it in the mud like a wolf. How could I be so stupid? I’d completely forgotten about inherent skills and wasn’t working on any. Dammit! My emotions were clouding my judgment, and I missed something so basic.

We made our way to the barracks—an impressive, albeit wooden, two-story building with a sandy drill area beside it. As expected, a palisade, the typical setup, enclosed the space. Strangely, there were no guards at the entrance, so we strolled right in without so much as a glance from anyone.

That oversight made me chuckle. If this had happened under my command, the entire unit would curse me while running drills with extra weight strapped to their backs… Wait, what memory is this? I stopped. Was I really in charge of a unit? Probably yes…

“Lassies, what can I do for you?” a voice snapped me out of my internal monologue.

I stopped abruptly, noticing a short man in a blue robe blocking our path. Perhaps he was a guard—or someone pretending to be one.

“Sir, I—” The words caught in my throat as a foul odor hit me like a punch. I coughed, waving a hand in front of my nose. “What? No—”

The smelly elf burst out laughing, his whole body shaking as he slapped his enormous belly. “Aren’t you delicate, like a lily? This is the true smell of manhood!”

“Stinky!” Katherine added, wrinkling her nose. Her tone was filled with mock disgust. Is she playing on a hundred percent reality too?

“Well, well, what are you searching for here?” he asked, his tone shifting slightly. Though more serious, the amusement still lingered in his voice.

Mocking me. Stupid mage. If I had my sword right now, I’d teach him a lesson. “I want to learn inherent skills,” I said firmly, stepping back three paces to escape the smell. “We don’t have any.”

At the mention of skills, Katherine’s face lit up. “Wat’s ‘tat?”

“You’re in the right place, lassies!” The man adjusted his robe, though it did little to hide his round belly.

Before I could respond, the door to our left swung open with a loud creak. A large-framed woman emerged, ducking her head to fit through the doorway. Once fully outside, she boomed in a commanding voice, “Maidens, anybody can master inherent skills, but they demand your concentration! Without focus, you achieve nothing.”

“They’re free skills outside the basic five,” I whispered in Katherine’s ear.

“I’m Lily,” the woman continued, her tone slowing as if she were explaining to someone already three drinks deep. “I’ll teach you all about body, mind, and magic skills. You can work on all three simultaneously, but you can’t progress further until you’ve mastered their secrets.”

“Sure, Miss Lily. I want to learn block,” I said, channeling magic into my shield with a smirk. Finally, a useful skill. Warrior skills are the best.

What happened next caught me completely off guard.

Without warning, Lily jumped into the air and kicked at me with surprising speed for her size. Instinct took over—my honed reactions kicked in, and I raised my shield, bracing my knees in an imperial block stance.

But the force of her kick was beyond anything I’d expected. The impact sent me flying backward, straight into the wooden palisade with a loud thud.

“What are you doing, you stupid flower?” I growled as I healed myself, scrambling back to my feet. I glared at Lily, but she wasn’t even looking at me. Instead, she turned to Katherine, her warm smile completely ignoring my existence.

Meanwhile, the smelly guy strode toward me. Great. Just what I needed.

“You aren’t doing magic properly,” he said, his tone dripping with condescension. “Your healing spell was lousy, and you wasted a lot of time.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he wasn’t wrong. My gaze stayed fixed on him, though part of me wanted to disappear under the dirt. Maybe there is something to the mud-loving wolves.

“What do you want to learn about inherent magic?” he asked, his smugness oozing from every part of his fatty body.

Backing away with three deliberate imperial steps, I clenched my fists, anger bubbling beneath the surface. If only I could smack that gut of his. “Chain lightning,” I said simply.

Even if I wasn’t a mage, I knew my stuff. I had read enough guides to know that everyone agreed this spell was one of the most useful inherent skills to train.

His smile vanished as he gave a sharp nod. “An excellent decision. Watch closely.”

With that, he began. The first rune he created crackled with energy, the charged atmosphere making my skin prickle. By the time he finished the second rune, the power he’d gathered was palpable.

Then, all at once, the energy surged forward.

The spell streaked through the air, arcing toward a pole behind me. It was incredibly fast, far beyond anything I could dodge, but I could tell it wasn’t as fast as actual lightning. The bolt struck the first pole, jumped to the next, and then…

I realized too late that I was the only viable last target.

The chain of lightning hit me squarely, and for a moment, my entire body felt like it was trapped inside a bass speaker at full volume. Or maybe it was more like a horde of drunken Scotsmen on warhorses trampling over me.

“You filthy mage!”

My anger boiled over, and before I could rein myself in, my whip lashed out toward him.

He didn’t even flinch. A smug smile spread across his face as he summoned a shield, the glowing barrier effortlessly deflecting my attack. The whip slid across its surface without leaving a mark.

“It’s your fault for standing there,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm. “Now, come here and watch again.”

I clenched my fists so hard I thought my nails might break skin. Breathe, Charlie, breathe. Reluctantly, I joined him, doing my best to ignore the foul stench emanating from him. At least the lesson is free… for some reason. Ugh.

He demonstrated the spell again, this time slower. Although he showed me the runes twice more, I still couldn’t replicate them. The system refused to assist with inherent skills, leaving me to rely entirely on my memory. And drawing them from memory? Impossible.

The mage clearly thought I was a complete idiot—and to be fair, he wasn’t entirely wrong. My failure was written all over his face as he slowed his movements even further, each deliberate gesture like a jab at my pride. The worst part? He wasn’t even being malicious—it was just his way.

Each failed attempt only fueled my frustration, and I could feel my pride getting dragged through the mud with every second of his smug “teaching.”

 

I failed to learn the spell over thirty times before it finally clicked. Katherine, of course, had been waiting for me the whole time, her amused half-smile doing absolutely nothing to help my focus. If anything, it’s worse.

As I cast the first rune, the static energy began to build around me. Promising. Encouraging, even. Then I moved on to the second rune.

Nothing happened.

The mage clasped his hands together, his shoulders shaking as he barely suppressed his laughter. “What were you thinking about?” he asked, his voice teetering on the edge of another fit.

“Is it important?” I shot back, my face likely contorted into a ridiculous mix of confusion and annoyance. Whatever expression I made, it was enough to send him into a full-blown laugh. The sound echoed around us, unrestrained and infuriating.

It didn’t stop. Not until I slapped him.

The satisfying snap of my palm against his cheek was cathartic enough to earn a follow-up on the other side, just for good measure.

My pride—both as a man and a warrior—was in tatters. This is a nightmare. One I’ll never wake up from. Ever.

Eventually, he calmed down, though the smirk never fully left his face. “During a spell, you need to focus,” he explained, still catching his breath. “Magic will take the form of your thoughts. If you’re thinking about dinner, the magic won’t create lightning. The runes are here to help, to guide you—they aren’t the spell itself.”

Why am I only hearing this after twenty years of playing this game? My internal screaming was relentless, but I pushed it aside and refocused on the spell.

It took me only five more tries to create the first rune again, but the real challenge was imagining the lightning. How do you picture something that doesn’t exist in this world?

Then it hit me—literally. I imagined the lightning striking him.

The second rune came effortlessly, and with it, the spell unleashed.

Damn. It’ll do only chip damage before I master it. Great.

“Again. Thousands times.”