Chapter Thirteen
Am I in heaven?
The thought drifted through my mind like a leaf on still water as my eyelids fluttered open. White filled my vision. It wasn't the blinding kind of white. Neither the kind that burned.
This white was soft. It curved gently above me, uneven and textured, like frozen waves caught mid motion. My eyes struggled to focus as the world slowly began to settle into place.
The inner lining of the cave walls was no longer stone and soil like before.
It was snow.
Layered thick and smooth, packed tightly into the rock as if the cave itself had been wrapped in winter. Frost clung to every surface even blocking the entrance, glowing faintly in the firelight.
Crackle... Crackle... Pop.
An igloo.
That was the closest word my mind could find to describe the cave in its current state.
I blinked slowly.
Ugh... Let's get up. I'm wasting time by resting. I still need to look for mana stones.
I tried to move my body as pain answered my movements, blooming behind my eyes and down my limbs. Every muscle screamed in protest, reminding me that I had, in fact, fought a mana beast with a body that had no business doing that. My chest felt tight. My throat was dry. My mana channels ached like overstretched wires.
Fuck. I need help.
My gaze shifted to the side.
Kaelen sat a short distance away, leaning against the snow lined wall. His head was tilted slightly forward, silvery hair falling over closed eyes. His expression was calm, like someone finally allowed to rest after standing guard for too long.
His sword was planted into the ground in front of him.
Not laid down. Not discarded.
Pierced.
The blade had sunk deep into the frozen floor, straight and unwavering. A faint shimmer of aura clung to the steel, barely visible now but unmistakable as it spread throughout the entire cave.
Is he using mana through the sword to cover the entire cave in snow and make it an igloo?
People here are so confusing... Why is he using mana for something that can be done even without mana?
Haah... If only I could cut open people's brains and take a look inside. But, would I even be satisfied, just by looking at one?
Probably not.
I'd want to cut more to have a larger data sheet to calculate probabilities. Wouldn't that make me...
[Ping!]
[A serial killer.]
Ah! There you are. I was starting to miss your annoying voice.
[Ping!]
[Host, check your notifications. There were some messages after you passed out.]
You should have said it sooner. Open Notifications.
[DING!]
[Host has used excessive mana through Neutral Mana Circuitry and burnt the lipid deposits in the vessels. Circulatory pathways have been purified through forced depletion.]
[Condition Met: Mana Heart Formation is now possible.]
[Status: Mana Heart — UNOPENED]
[Note : Host must form Vessel Mana Circuitry before proceeding.]
[Likability of Kaelen: 30]
[900 Gacha Points Awarded!]
[Hidden Quest "Growth Through Suffering" is Completed]
[Rewards:]
[Kaelen's Loyalty : 10]
[9000 Trade Points Awarded!]
[100 Gacha Points Awarded!]
[1 Free Legendary Gacha Spin Awarded!]
[Log-in Interface Unlocked!]
What is Login Interface, System?
[DING!]
[Log-in Interface: Overview]
[The Log-in Interface is a specialized Daily Growth System designed to bridge the gap between 'Knowledge' and 'Experience.']
[Interface Mechanics:]
[Daily Tasks: Each day, the System will issue a specific task tailored to the Host's current environment.]
[Completion Requirement: The 'Log-in' button remains locked until the Task Completion Bar reaches 100%.]
[Window of Access: Log-in can only be finalized at night, following the successful completion of the day's requirements.]
[Log-in Rewards:]
[Career Archetypes: Each successful Log-in grants the Host the comprehensive knowledge of a "Apex Figure"—the most prominent individual to have ever existed in that specific career or field. Host must practice the knowledge and improve his skills by himself.]
[Legacy Absorption: Along with theoretical data, the Host will receive a Memory Fragment of that individual's life.]
[System Warning:]
[Failure to reach 100% completion before sleep will result in a Failed Log-in. Failed Log-in will result in penalties that will be applied the next day.]
Hmmm... I think I understand. However, why the memory fragment? Sounds pretty useless and a waste of time to me.
[Ping!]
[Everything has a price.]
Wow... You are vague when I actually require input. And, yapping when I don't even need you to talk.
[Ping!]
[Don't you know the saying, 'Takes one to know one.']
I felt a vein throb in my temple. This system was getting bolder by the second. If I ever find out it has a physical form, I am going to dismantle it piece by piece.
Purely for scientific curiosity, of course.
I shifted my weight, and a sharp hiss escaped my teeth. The movement caught Kaelen's attention. His eyes snapped open, sharp and piercing as a hawk's, before softening into that habitual, tired stoicism.
"You're awake, Your Grace," Kaelen yawned, his voice echoing flatly against the packed snow. "I thought I'd be hauling a corpse back to the estate. It would have saved me the trouble of listening to your heavy breathing all night."
"Is that any way to talk to your Duke? Have you learnt nothing even after being fired?" I wheezed, trying to sit up. My muscles felt like they had been replaced with rusted gears.
"I can't be fired without a grace period of a month unless I've done something to betray you, Your Grace. And, even after that you have to also file a letter in the Imperial Employment Bureaucracy with reason why you wish to fire me. The cost of it comes to 3500 silver. Are you sure you want to fire me?"
I groaned. "You really memorized the fee."
"I've learnt from Butler Vizen," Kaelen corrected calmly.
I let my head fall back against the snow. "You're insufferable."
"That I've learnt from Your Grace." I felt my eye twitch. If I had the energy to lift a rock, I'd have thrown it at his perfectly composed face.
Well, it doesn't really matter since I never actually planned to fire him. I'm not strong enough yet for suprise attacks it's necessary to keep Kaelen.
I'll just let it be for now. As long as he doesn't challenge my authority again.
Or maybe, I need to give him shock treatment from time to time.
"Does everyone here know how to make a igloo?"
"What's an igloo?" Kaelen's eyebrows scrunched as he rose from the shadows and moved toward the hearth, the flickering light catching the sharp line of his jaw. He crouched, feeding dry branches into the flames as the wood hissed and popped, sending a spray of amber sparks into the air as the fire roared with renewed hunger.
Looks like I made a mistake again. Maybe, it's their naming sense that's different. Hah... In that case, could it be they call mana something else?
I should do some research after going back to the castle...
"Payment," I blurted out. My mouth had outpaced my mind, fueled by the instinctive need to cover my tracks. I leaned forward, spreading my palms toward the heat.
Kaelen froze, a branch still gripped in his hand. He looked at me as if I was crazy. "I'm sorry, Your Grace?"
"If you pay me, I'll tell you what an igloo is. In fact, everytime you wish to ask me a question, prepare a payment beforehand. Information is the greatest luxury one can own. It makes no sense for me to give it to you just like that. Right?"
[Ping!]
[Kaelen is shocked. He's wondering if he should take up the gigolo offer to make money.]
I nearly choked on my own breath.
Gigolo!? Where did his dignity go? And more importantly, how did he leap to that conclusion from a simple request for payment?
Human brains are truly amusing...
"Shouldn't Your Grace offer their first customer a free sample or something? All the merchants do that." Kaelen's ruby red eyes were fixed on me as he waited for an answer.
A laugh tore from my throat while I continued to warm my palms up.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
[Ping!]
[Please control yourself. You look like a maniac.]
I got it. I got it.
A lone tear rolled down my cheek as my laugh reduced to settle down and a realisation began to settle in.
If I train him a little, I could make him a better bargainer. He definitely has a natural talent for it.
"Your Grace?"
"You're not my first customer, Kaelen."