In-Between 2

Olivia Lane

[Global L: 83 XP: 2,540,798]

[Classes: [None: 0/50] [None: 0/50] [None: 0/50]]

[Titles: [Sword Saint] [None] [None]]

[Race: [Human] [None] [None] | Tier: 3]

[WP: 356] [UC: 200,00.00] [HS: Healthy]

Stamina: 1,014,720 (2,199/s)

Mana: 57,688 (483/s)

STR: 903

VIT: 960

DEX: 1,057

AGI: 1,083

PER: 158

INT: 184

WIS: 232

CHAR: 10

LUCK: 157

P. Res: 25

M. Res: 0

Skills:

Defence:

[Soul Resonance] [Dodge II 100] [Pain Tolerance II 100] [Counter II 100] [Mental Wall II 100] [Acrobatics II 100] [Sacred Dance] [Abnormal Resistance II 120] [Magic Resistance II 120] [Healing Power II 120] [Strong Body II 120]

Offence:

[Heroic Empowerment] [Small Blade Mastery 2] [Penetrating Blade II 100] [Bow Mastery 11] [Chain Attack II 120] [Crush II 120] [True Cut] [Sword Aura II 100] [Swordsman II 120]

Magic:

[Mana Manipulation II 100] [Runic Language 28] [Spellcode 13] [Heart's Desire] [Mind of the Blade] [Mind Arts II 100] *[Resurrect 1] [Spirit Healing II 120] [Mage II 120]

Misc.:

[Cooking II 100] [Seduction 69] [Reading 19] [Dancing II 100] [Seed of Divinity] [Spec of Divinity]

In comparison to my list of 94 skills, Olivia had a considerably smaller set of skills. However, this did not mean that she lacked strength in any way. Her skills primarily focused on the art of stabbing, dodging, and maneuvering, with a few magical abilities thrown into the mix.

The fascinating aspect of the skill evolution system was its unique evolution process, which depended on how each skill was utilized. In a few cases, both Olivia's and my skills evolved in the same direction, likely due to the fact that regeneration or resistance skills could not be specifically directed without the significant time investment. However, some of the skills she shared with me took a different evolutionary path.

For instance, her [Mana Manipulation] started as an exact copy of mine, but after evolving, it did not reduce her mana channel strain as it did for me, but since she occasionally struggled with her mana during battles, her skill evolution provided a percentage boost to her total mana capacity.

[Mana Manipulation LVL:1/100]

- Eases the ability to control mana by 1%/LVL.

[Mana Manipulation II LVL:100/200]

- Eases the ability to control mana by 1%/LVL.

- Increase total mana capacity by 0.1%/LVL.

As a close combat fighter who relied heavily on her weapon to inflict damage, Olivia's [Large Blade Mastery] skill evolved into [Penetrating Blade], which gained the ability to penetrate a certain percentage of resistance and armor, as the name suggests.

[Large Blade Mastery LVL:1/100]

- Increases damage done by large-bladed weapons by 0.75%/LVL

[Penetrating Blade II LVL:100/200]

- Increases damage done by large-bladed weapons by 0.75%/LVL

- Your large-bladed weapons ignore 0.02%/LVL of your target's physical resistance and armor.

(A/N: Again, I'll post an Aux chapter with the full list, I don't want another info dump chapter.)

Although her skills could potentially combine into a formidable ability, she opted for a more strategic approach. She planned to level each individual skill to its maximum potential before merging them.

After wrapping up-skill management work, we decided to take a few days off to relax. During our downtime, I purchased a TV, a DVD player, and a few series for us to enjoy. It did halve our remaining WP, but seeing Olivia's confused expression was worth all the expense. Olivia was thrilled with the new wide-screen HD television, which was a significant upgrade from her old bulky one. It took some time to explain all of the new functions and the concept of DVDs, but thanks to my [Teaching] skill, she absorbed the information effortlessly.

Soon, she fully embraced her inner couch potato, snuggled up in a cozy blanket, and began indulging in the anime series I had purchased for her. I couldn't just leave my bundle of joy all alone, so after transfiguring my clothes into a pajama bottom, I snuggled up to her, and while enjoying each other's warmth we started watching the massive collection I bought.

As we watched the first episode of a new series, Olivia became intrigued by a magical rune that granted the ability to wield any weapon with expert skill. "I want it," she declared, her eyes starry and pleading with me to make her a similar rune.

I chuckled and while wiggling my eyebrows asked, "You want it right now?", to which she snorted and slapped my chest. "You know what I mean!" she exclaimed, making me laugh even more.

"... Let's hold off on the rune for now," I said, after calming down and giving it some serious thought. The world in the anime we were watching had void magic, familiar runes, and even a world-ending dragon, but it should only be a tier 2, or at best, a tier 3 world. While I had nothing against entering lower-tiered worlds, I'd rather we explore those where we could gain something substantial, for example, the few that I was planning on visiting, maybe even today. "Let's watch the rest of the series I bought first, and then as promised, you can choose our next adventure." Olivia eagerly nodded and started the next episode, fully engrossed in the anime world before us.

Over the next few days, we took a break from world-hopping and made use of the library's training facilities, watched the series I had purchased, and even attempted to craft a few items. The plan I had was solid, but without the resources or the underlining knowledge required to bring my idea to life, I had to shelve it for now.

During our little break, I even managed to find time to visit our friendly neighborhood librarian, Rob, to inquire about the state of humans and ask a few long-overdue questions.

(Rob's POV)

Just before I heard the knock on my door, I called out, "Come in." I enjoyed doing this because it always confused people. These humans didn't realize that as librarians, we have omnipresence in the library, meaning we see, feel, and hear everything that occurs here. Nothing can be hidden from us.

In my earlier years, I used this skill to its fullest, but after millennia had passed since I received it, spying on people's everyday lives had become quite tedious. I had to develop a new skill to filter out the irrelevant from the important, such as instances of library rule-breaking and events occurring around my office.

Andrew Thompson, one of the finest from the Earth batch, walked into my office with a confident expression on his face. "Hi Rob, how's it going?" he asked casually, observing my face with concern. I couldn't help but chuckle. I had been overworking myself lately, and the humans had brought in more problems than the Library had anticipated. However, based on its predictions, there were only two great prospects in this batch, and one of them was standing before me.

"Not well," I replied with a weak smile. "I thought I couldn't have any more headaches after reaching tier 6, but you humans proved me wrong."

"Oh... Can I ask what's troubling you?" he inquired, looking intrigued.

"Thank you for asking, but the library won't allow me to disclose other people's details, so I can't answer that," I responded while shaking my head. "But I know you're not here to ask about my troubles. Ask your questions and leave. I need to file a few more reports."

"Reports?" he questioned, confused. I couldn't help but smile as I successfully directed the conversation to allow me to answer his question about the inner workings of the library and simultaneously allow me to offer some help to him.

"Well, yes. As soon as someone leaves a word, the library system compiles the data into a report, and after looking through it, we librarians send it to our manager," I explained. My answer made his eyes widen, and he asked the important question.

"How intrusive is the compiled data?"

"The library tracks everything, even the thoughts, and the number of heartbeats during the user's stay in a doomed world, but we don't get all that information," I stated, seeing him visibly relax. "However, we do get his emotional state, ability usage, and interactions with people." I take a deep breath and look the human in the eyes. "So Andrew, if you ever need counseling or anything, any of the library staff can and will assist you," I said, giving him a small smile as his relaxed stance turned rigid.

After a moment of silence, he shook his head and replied, "I'll think about it." I could only shake my head in disapproval because I wasn't allowed to force him, or the other guy to come and ask for help.

"Okay, but please remember that we're here to assist you if you need anything. Now, onto your unanswered questions."

"I have a few. First of all, I encountered what I believe to be a Tier 7 being in the Harry Potter world. Do you have any idea who she was?" Andrew asked.

"All I can tell you is that SHE is not something you should worry about, as she is far beyond you or me. And no, SHE is not a Tier 7. Only a fraction of her true power entered that world," '...and almost caused it to crumble.' But that I leave unsaid. That's why the presence of high-tiered beings in low-tiered worlds is strictly prohibited. Her appearance in that world triggered an alert throughout the library system, and IT was ready to intervene at a moment's notice to erase that reality and extract our user. His life was deemed to be worth more than that entire reality. It's scary to think that the system evaluates him and the other one so highly. It has been ages since we had a single user worth anything, but now we have two.

"Is the blessing she gave me dangerous?" Andrew inquired.

"No, it's only a weak blessing. The moment you received it, your system severed all ties with her," I responded. I shook my head as he looked at me with a shocked expression. "I understand that it has a revival feature and you think it's powerful, but wait until you learn that your soul needs to be complete for it to work properly."

"That alleviates some of my concerns and at the same time rises new ones," Andrew said with a sigh, and after a slight pause, he asked. "So how are the other humans doing?"

"It's funny you ask, that brings us to the cause of one of my headaches," I chuckled. "How many humans do you think are still in the library?"

"I don't know, maybe 500-600, considering that there were like 700 left the last time we spoke?" he guessed with a shrug.

I could only sigh and with a grim tone say, "357."

His eyes widened in shock and he blurts out. "Really? It has only been six months, and 643 people have already died?"

"No, some of them have quit, unable to do what needs to be done, but that's not even the biggest issue. About 250, out of the 357, remain as tier ones, content with the world they first entered, and they have no plans to leave them anytime soon."

"So what, we still have about 100 people who can defend the planet. To be honest, I could probably do it all by myself. Those tier 1 monsters won't cause me any trouble-" He stops mid-sentence as he notices my wry smile. "I'm missing something, aren't I?"

"You're missing quite a lot, but I can only answer the questions that are asked."

He composes himself and after a moment of thought, he asks... the wrong question. "Why does the library need us to be so strong for fighting weak creatures?"

"It doesn't, and wrong question." I shake my head with a smile and I see the gears turning in his mind.

"What other dangers will be present after the world evolves?" My smile widens as he, for a change, asks the right one.

"Entities are prohibited from entering worlds 5 tiers below them and completely blocked from entering tier 0 worlds. However, this doesn't apply to entities born in that world. While some break those rules and suffer the consequences, others have found a way around them. There are entities that have subsumed multiple worlds over their climb to the top or others that rule a concept that ties into a law of the world, and their removal would cause the erasure of multiple true worlds. Now that Earth will evolve into a tier 1 world, it will be open to anything tier 6 and below."

"Shit..." He starts rubbing his chin and pacing around the room, then suddenly freezes and turns towards me. "How long will Earth stay a tier 1 world?"

"Mana is generated by all living entities, some generate more, some less. But if the world population stays the same, it will take a few weeks for it to advance to tier 2, and after that, a few months to a year to reach tier 3."

"Fuck, so what? I have less than 10 years to be able to fight tier 8 entities?" He says with a chuckle.

"Yes, that's about right," I say with a nod.

He turns serious and looks at me before asking, "What are the prerequisites for reaching higher tiers?"

"Smart," I say while letting out a chuckle. "But the only thing I am allowed to tell you is that it has something to do with different energies, concepts, and laws."

"That's not helpful at all..." He mumbles, but I'm not allowed to discuss those things with them. "Wait, then how do worlds exist that have mana and are so low-tiered?"

"Only prime worlds advance doomed ones don't."

"Are there any skills that I am currently lacking but could easily acquire and would be beneficial to me?" he asks.

"Absolutely. One skill that would greatly benefit you is [Meditation]. It's surprising that you haven't picked it up yet. It can help answer some of your questions about skills and how they function," I suggest with a smile. "In addition, you could consider learning [Coding], [Engineering], [Handiwork], [Physics], [Biology], [Chemistry], [Geology], and even [Linguistics]. These skills can all be helpful in various ways and are relatively easy to learn."

He nods thoughtfully and then asks another question. "In your opinion, which worlds or upgrades would allow me to progress the fastest?"

"I can't say for sure which world would be the best fit for you, but I can recommend that you look for worlds where you can utilize your skills and develop new ones. Depending on your interests, you might consider exploring worlds related to technology, science, or the supernatural, even if they are lower-tiered ones. Alternatively, you could explore worlds related to the arts or humanities, as some of the skills those provide might help you advance." I pause for a moment before adding, "Regarding upgrades, the Upscaling and Limiter upgrades should prove useful for leveling and training. The Subclass system offers a significant overall boost, so it's worth considering as well. Given your focus on magic and skills, I suggest exploring all available upgrades for the Skills Management system and maybe getting the Spell version as well." I observe as he ponders his options and nods in agreement.

"Oh, last time you mentioned some kind of rankings. What place am I in now, and who's the first one?"

"Users can only know about their own ratings, but you're currently in second place."

"Well, fuck... Am I allowed to know anything about the first guy?"

"Not much I can share, only that that person employs more out-of-the-ordinary tactics, and even then, I'm telling you too much."

"Well, double fuck. Not only do I need to be able to fight off potential tier 8s, but I might also end up bumping heads with the first place..." Yes, he was right. If the other guy got out as he is right now, Earth would suffer greatly. Sadly, even if we want, we are not allowed to intervene.

"In your option, what questions should I ask?"

I snort at his attempt to cheat the system and shake my head. "Nice try, but I cannot answer that." He groans then stands up and moves towards the door. "You can always find me here if you want to talk or have any other questions."

As one of the Earth's potential prospects departs from my office with a goodbye and a casual wave, I can't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. There were so many things he could have inquired about - his connection to the girl, the history of the librarians, or the very nature of the library itself. Alas, my ability to impart knowledge is only as good as the questions asked of me. I let out a heavy sigh and return my attention to the pile of paperwork on my desk, and the mess that was no doubt caused by one of the other prospects.

(Andrew's POV)

As I walked back to my apartment, my mind raced with thoughts about what Rob had said. I was completely taken aback by the fact that I had managed to rise to the second rank despite not even trying over the last six months. During those months my primary goal wasn't to achieve something great, but rather to assist Olivia in reaching a point where she could function independently without my constant supervision or help. With Olivia becoming more powerful, I could shift my attention toward my own goals and aspirations, but still, I couldn't help but wonder if my people were really that disinterested in saving the planet.

It was only then that I realized that I didn't even have a clear reason for wanting to save the planet in the first place. I had been so fixated on gaining power that I had never stopped to think about my true goals. Should I try to take over the planet, become its guardian, and root out all corruption, finally leading it toward prosperity, or simply abandon it and let it rot? I didn't know and that worried me.

As I strolled down the seemingly never-ending corridor, my mind wandered aimlessly, lost in thought. Suddenly, my [Archive] stirred, triggering a memory that had long been forgotten. A warm and gentle smile crept up on my face, as the memory of an evening with my parents came to my mind. Even after almost twenty years, the memory was clear as if it happened yesterday, and I couldn't help but feel grateful for this skill. With this newfound inspiration, I now had a bright idea and a possible path forward. As I continued walking down the corridor, I felt a newfound sense of confidence and purpose. "Yes," I said to myself, "that could work."