A minute earlier...
Cornelia finished lighting the last candle, completing the magic circle.
"Ugh... I used all her leftover materials... I hope I summon something good..." She muttered in prayer.
Cornelia was an orphan and the adopted disciple of a senile old witch who passed away a day prior. Kaizierli Duskgrove... Okay, who was she kidding? She was her maidservant who secretly dabbled in her books. Kaizierli wasn't even a good teacher, being more of a slave driver, not giving her a dime for her efforts, barely feeding her. Cornelia was essentially self-taught.
However, perhaps the witch's senile mind had a bit of conscience. She left all her meager property under Cornelia's name (Mostly because she was a childless hag)... Which included a rundown shop in the slums, forty-three silver and twelve copper coins(Ten silver coins were used for the cheapest burial), some arcane books in poor condition about witchcraft(She read them all), and some leftover ingredients, barely enough for a familiar summoning ritual. Everything else was either sold already or used to treat her declining health.
Although she wasn't particularly attached to the old bat, the witch also gave her protection... which she now lost. Her shabby shop was now targeted by slum gangs who were previously scared the witch would curse them... Not that the shop was worth much.
Her only choice was to summon a familiar to gain more power, abandon the shop, and become an adventurer, her lifelong dream... Or either get beaten to death, sell herself into slavery or starve on the streets. She didn't want to resort to prostitution... Not that it was a viable option, considering her bland looks.
She was 5'3 feet tall, with a plain yellowish acne-marked face due to malnutrition complimented by a pointy nose and her equally dull gray eyes. And she had dull grey-white dry hair gathered in a ponytail.
She might have a chance if she becomes lucky enough and someone takes pity on her, making her their maid... Which is unrealistic. Maids were usually bought as slaves and were much prettier than her. Her only good point is her meager talent in magic... Which is also not that attractive. One in ten have the talent, and those that don't can get it through various means. Essentially, all the wealthy people can use a magical class.
And this is why she was here in the dead of night, using the last of her ingredients to summon a familiar. Before dawn broke, she had to flee before the slum gangs came to beat her up and take her meager money, which was only enough to sustain her for two weeks at most if she was extremely frugal with her food and lodging... But it would most likely run out within a week.
She had to start dungeon-diving as a rookie adventurer, which would grant her subsidized guild lodging and food for beginners(She would need to pay it back later on). The guild would also give her some much-needed protection, and the slum gangs wouldn't target her for her meager worth.
If she summoned something good, her life would turn a 180. She might become a famous adventurer and a fabled witch of songs... Or she might summon something as trashy as Kaizierli's familiar, the unimpressive songbird. It was all about the luck of the draw.
"Here goes..." Cornelia took a deep breath, took out a needle, and pricked her fingertip, letting a drop of blood drip on the magic circle.
As the drop landed, the circle started to shine, the candle fire turning blue.
"O spirit from the beyond, my destined spirit companion, my guide in witchcraft! Come to me, make a pact, and serve your new Master! Summon Familiar!" She declared.
And then, the circle shined as a dog-sized figure materialized. She felt a connection to it.
"It worked! It worked!!!" Cornelia excitedly thought as the light subsided.
|
Congratulations! You summoned — and formed a familiar contract. From now on, his life is bound to you, with you being his Master. You gain the unique skill, —'s Master. |
"It worked!!!" Cornelia excitedly thought. "Status!"
|
Status Name: Cornelia Duskgrove Skills: Learning Up lvl 1, Cleaning lvl 1, Cooking lvl 1, House Management lvl 1, Dexterity Up lvl 1, Black Magic lvl 1, Ritualism lvl 1, Familiar Magic lvl 1 Unique Skills: Magical Talent(Small), —'s Master |
Seeing the new addition to her meager status, her eyes couldn't help but light up. "Good! I have a familiar!" She thought and looked at the creature she summoned...
It was the size of a medium-sized dog, about the size of a lvl 1 slime. It had a large main body and eight octopus tentacles attached. On its blueish body were three eyes, two small and one large. And it also had a slit for a mouth and two nasal holes.
"What... What the fuck is that? Is that a tentacle monster? No... Tentacle monsters look far more hideous..." Cornelia narrowed her eyes as she examined the creature. She wished she had an Analysing skill for times like this.
"Hello... Can you understand me?" Cornelia probed.
{Yeah, I can understand you loud and clear.} The creature telepathically replied through their contract link, its eyes reflecting a human-level intelligence.
"Fuck!" Cornelia exclaimed, taking a step back.
{Rude...} The creature said, feeling somewhat offended.
"... Sorry," Cornelia warily replied. "I didn't think you would be so... Intelligent."
{Get used to it. I am as smart as you... And probably more well-learned.} The creature replied and looked around. {Is this your place? It looks like it saw better days.}
"It's not mine, it is my Master's... Though she did pass away, so it is mine now... But not for long." Cornelia pursed her lips.
{Sorry for your loss.} The creature replied with some sympathy.
"Don't. I don't have much love for her." Cornelia said without a change in expression.
{I see... But what do you mean not for long?} The creature curiously asked.
"You see..." Cornelia was about to explain when she heard a distant pounding.
Bam* Bam* Bam*
"Come out, Cornelia! We know that hag is dead! Obediently give us all your belongings, and we will spare you the beating!" A distant voice threatened.
Cornelia's expression contorted as she made a decisive move.
"No time... Familiar Unsummon!" Cornelia chanted.
The next moment, the creature vanished.
|
You have unsummoned your familiar. It is now stored inside your familiar storage space. |
Without any pause, she grabbed her purse, wand, and dagger from the nearby table, moved a rug, revealing a trap door, and opened it. The inside was dark and gloomy.
"Light." Cornelia chanted, a ball of light floating from her wand down below. She then entered it before closing the hatch and securely locking it.
"This should hold them back for a bit..." Cornelia muttered while climbing down.
Living in the slums, Kaizierli built this escape route before even adopting Cornelia. Several years prior, before she went senile, she showed it to her, helping if she ever needed to escape from a tight pinch. In the end, Kaizierli never used it in her life... But it benefited Cornelia now.
{Eh... What is going on?} Her new familiar's voice sounded in her head.
"I am escaping from gangsters," Cornelia said, landing on the ground.
Through her eyes, the creature saw a wide sewer with two pavements.
{Hah? Did you borrow from loan sharks?} He asked.
"Nope. They want to rob me." She said and guided the ball of light to move forward, lighting her path. "Just another day in the slums..."
{Wow... What a bunch of assholes.} The creature said.
"Tell me about it... By the way, how should I call you?" Cornelia asked.
{Hm... Well, I am a Consentacle... So why not call me Tenta for now?} Tenta said.
"Consentacle... Never heard of that race. It must be a Tentacle Monster subspecies. But it would do for now." Cornelia agreed as they traveled through the left pavement. Just as they were reaching a corner...
Tap* Tap*
Cornelia immediately turned to the source of the sound... Finding two giant rats staring at her.
"... Tenta, prepare to fight," Cornelia said in a grave voice, waving her wand. "Familiar Summon!"
Tenta then materialized again in front of her.
{Eh? What is going—}
Before he could finish his sentence, the two rats charged over on the narrow path!
"Dark Bolt!" Cornelia shouted, her wand glowing with black light as an arc of condensed darkness shot toward the right rat.
Fwoosh* Psh*
The dark bolt slammed into the rat's head, its head exploding into a messy gore.
Meanwhile, the other rat pounced on Tenta and bit one of his tentacles!
Bite*
"Roar!!!" Tenta roared in pain. "That hurt, you bitch!"
And then, he let his anger take over as he used his tentacles to grab the rat and bit it with razor-sharp teeth!
Crunch*
As his massive bite tore the rat's stomach open, its blood flowed into his mouth... It tasted surprisingly good.
"Squeak*!!!" The rat screamed in pain, flailing wildly, but its struggles lessened before finally quieting down.
|
Level UP! Juvenile Constentacle lvl 1 -> 2 |
"Oh, nice!" Tenta thought while eating a chunk out of the rat. He didn't feel stronger... But he supposed he would after sleeping.
In the meantime, Cornelia took out her dagger and quickly cut off the rat tails.
{What are you doing?} Tenta curiously asked.
"The tails of giant rats are subjugation proofs in the guild," Cornelia said, unafraid of the gore and blood. "They fetch five copper coins each, with the two fetching a silver coin, about an hour of a laborer's work. Worth a cheap meal."
{Oh... Okay!} Tenta said, having finished half a rat.
|
Level UP Juvenile Consentacle lvl 2 -> 3 |
{Oh, I leveled up again!} Tenta happily said.
"Many monster races gain experience from eating nutritious food. Since you are low-level and with a low evolution, a Giant Rat can be a filling meal." Cornelia explained, stuffing the tails in her belt before getting up and casting... "Unsummon Familiar!"
Tenta, who was enjoying his ratty meal, was interrupted as he found himself inside that Familiar Space.
{Hey, at least let me finish my meal!} Tenta complained.
"You will have plenty to eat later," Cornelia said, kicking the carcasses into the water and hastened her steps. "Giant Rats are not the only hazard in the city sewers. And we are still being hunted."
{Okay, fair.} Tenta begrudgingly agreed, knowing they were in deep shit at the moment.
While inside the space, Tenta finally noticed his injured tentacle.
{Will I be okay? The rat bit me, and I also ate it. Will I get a kind of disease?} Tenta worriedly asked.
"Tentacle Monsters are notorious for their tenacity, and I think you're a subspecies. I refuse to believe your immune system is weaker than rats." Cornelia said. "But you might become a carrier. We might opt for a Cure Disease once we have sufficient money."
{Oh? Alright...} Tenta said and tried checking his race via his status...
|
Juvenile Consentacle Consentacles are a type of male-only benevolent Tentacle Monster subspecies but are different in their intelligence, behavior, mating habits, and appearance, almost being an entirely different race. Juveniles are the infants of this race and are considered the weakest. Race Grade: G Mating Habits: Consentacles are, as the name implies, atypical tentacle monsters with consensual mating habits. They won't fornicate with an unwilling partner and seek the other party's pleasure before theirs and only seek enlightened female humanoids. When mating with another race, there is a 50% chance of producing another male Consentacle and a 50% chance of producing a female from the mother's race. Juveniles are unable to procreate, needing to evolve into an adolescent form. Additional Leveling Up Method: Eating(The more nutritious, the more experience gained). |
{Oh! It's true!} Tenta exclaimed, feeling relieved.
"Mm." Cornelia nodded but didn't ask more, more concerned about survival.
Luckily, the pair didn't meet another sewer hazard as they reached their destination, a sewer hatch. After climbing it up, Cornelia used all her power to force the hatch open, revealing a lonely street without even a hobo. After looking left and right, she quickly got out of the sewer and closed the hatch before leaving in a direction.
{Where are we going now?} Tenta asked.
"City outskirts," Cornelia answered. "The guild is located there... And the only place the city guards don't bother blocking during curfew."
She said, soon exiting the tight slums and entering an open street. After walking for several more minutes, she soon arrived in front of a sizeable building with a sword and staff sign. She could hear the sound of laughter and chatting from inside.
"This is it, Cornelia... From here on out, adventure awaits!" Her eyes shined as she entered the guild...
I need more chapter! Also, I understand you wanted to be a lot weaker, but I feel like you overcompensated it a little. Cornelia has a peak class as a Novice Housemaid, but all her skills are level 1? I expected these skills to be higher: Cleaning, Cooking, House Management, Dexterity because of that class.
In the same vein, she did something to reach level 17 in Novice Witch. That's almost peak, and I expected these skills to be higher. Not all, but at least some: Learning Up, Black Magic, Ritualism. I would say Learning Up and Black Magic should be higher, because she used Learning Up to learn Black Magic.
I'm not trying to make her OP, but to me lvl 1 says "she can barely do that". And she is throwing around magic bolts, and knows enough about rituals to summon Tenta. And from the chapter I got the impression she got to level 17 just by studying.
Skills are not gained by training them... They are gained via classes. You can say they are class bonuses.
So getting lvl 1 in a skill actually impressive? And the only way to level it is to gain levels in the next tier of the class?
@Apoca Or a similar class, yes.
@bignt In that case, if they scale as the class itself (i.e. level 3 as a Witch means all skills are also level3) then there is no need to put levels on the skills - better to list it like this:
Class: Witch - Level 3 - Class Skills: Black Magic, Ritualism, Familiar Magic
@bignt will you be allowing nuanced skill use, such as hammer wielding used in stone carving, small blades use in butchering/woodcarving/juggling/throwing, and flame control used in cooking/alchemy?
@Fost No, as I understand it, it will be like this: Skills are gained from classes, but they stack. You can have Cooking from a ton of classes, Novice Maid is just one of them. Let's say Novice Maid class gives progression into it, Novice Chef gives progression into it. Journeyman classes add more but harder to level. And I imagine Chef class gives more progression into cooking than a Maid class. So you gain skills from classes, but level them independently from any specific class.
@Apoca You got it!
@bignt Can you still do magic and stuff without skills?
@Gamekingfedde Possibly. It is just harder. At the end of the day, skills are merely corrective abilities granted by the system, not what defines you.
@bignt I see thanks for the answer. It would be stupid if the system restricted you that much.