1.18 The New Skill

The ocean of empty whiteness collapsed in on itself, returning her back to her room. Isha blinked, readjusting to the familiar surroundings of her room.

Now that she had advanced to the next stage of her class, she would no longer need to return to that place to advance or level up. The announcement would come without it.

"Mistress?" Adolf's voice broke through her thoughts, drawing her attention. "How did it go?"

Isha turned to face him, her smile widening. "I advanced to level 8 High Practitioner."

Contrary to her expectations, Adolf frowned. "I had expected you to gain more levels considering how far you have come even with your bottleneck."

"But knowledge is not everything, is it? I need some hands-on experience if I wish to advance in my levels. Why do you think the great schools send the mages in training to hunt down the monsters every trimester? So that we can put to use what we have learned and level up accordingly."

Adolf nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. Why did I not think of that?"

"Because, Adolf," Isha said, patting him on the elbow. "You are not a mage. And you think like a member of your own class, as you should."

"Wise words, mistress."

"Adolf. I'm going to hit you with a spell. Brace yourself, would you? I wish to test my capacity."

"As you please, Mistress."

Isha raised her wand, pointing at Adolf's chest. It glowed at the tip as she resonated her spell.

[Shock]

A small bolt of crackling energy shot forth from her wand, striking Adolf dead in the chest. To his credit, he didn't even flinch as the spell exploded harmlessly, dissipating into shimmering motes of energy that danced around him. His clothes remained untouched. It wasn't surprising, he was a high level [Rogue] and had levels in other classes too.

The [Shock] spell wasn't designed for combat anyway. It was a spell meant to train aspiring mages to eventually learn more potent lightning-based magic.

Once, casting even this simple spell would have drained Isha significantly, but not anymore. She thought she could cast the same spell a hundred times over and not even sweat a little. It was wonderful.

Adolf eyed the place where the spell had struck him and then back at her. "That spell would have left you gasping for breath for hours. Those Coral Stones did wonders for you, didn't it?."

"I could do a hundred of those and it still would not drain half of my reserves. If only she knew one, other than [Shock]."

Adolf nodded. "You could cast that spell a thousand times over and barely exhaust your Mana supply. Now you will have to learn proper spells if you wish to drain your mana."

Draining Mana completely was another way to increase the Mana reserve of mages. "Indeed. You will have to pack the suitable spells for me, don't you? Add more than the ones suitable for High Practitioners."

"I will do so for your High Practitioner class. But I believe you are getting ahead of yourself, Mistress. Not even Archmages have access to spell books suitable for class beyond High Practitioner. Besides, you will learn such spells at the Black Coral Academy. Do not rush into this. Magic is wonderful, but it can be dangerous as well."

Isha grumbled under her breath. "It was worth to try."

"I will go and talk to the servants to pack the spell suitable for you. Please wait here."

Adolf walked to the door, poked his head out of it, and stood in that same position for a few minutes before returning. "It is done, Mistress."

Isha nodded.

"Mistress, we have talked about your Mana reserves, but what about your new skill? I'm sure you received one, if not more."

"I got one," Isha said, pouring herself a cup of tea. "I know not what it is or what it does."

"Tell me the name. I will look it up in the skill repository."

"Like Lightning."

"That sounds like a movement skill. I could be wrong, though. Let me see." 

Adolf produced a metallic orb in his hand. The pupils of his eyes went white as he delved into its contents. His eyes returned to normal after a few seconds. 

"It is indeed a movement skill, mistress. Once you have advanced to a high enough class, it will allow you to move as fast as lightning. But for now, it is like any other movement skill allowing you to move faster than an ordinary human can."

Isha finished her tea in one gulp and sat it on the table. "Then what am I waiting for? Let me try it."

"Mistress, this is not the right place…"

[Like Lightning]

She had activated her skill even before Adolf finished his sentence. Lightning crackled from her feet, arching up to her head, but it did no harm to her. Her body moved almost on its own accord. Her surroundings did not blur, but she knew she was moving faster than she could. Isha could feel her speed.

In the blink of an eye, she was in front of the wall of her room, and she still kept moving. "How do I make it stop?"

Isha closed her eyes, bracing for the impact, but instead of crashing, she felt a gentle sensation of being moved. When she opened them, she found herself back at where she had begun.

She looked around wildly before calming herself. "How did I get here?"

Adolf stood beside her, a wry smile on his face. "I am a rogue, young mistress. I have a movement skill of my own. I saved you before you crashed into that wall."

"Well, thank you. You saved me from the embarrassment of meeting my master with a bloody nose. Or perhaps a few broken ribs," Isha said with a sigh. "It was stupid of me, wasn't it?"

"Indeed, Mistress, that was mighty stupid of you. We should have tried it in an open space, with proper precautions."

Isha nodded, appreciating Adolf. "Well, you're not one to beat around the bush, are you? That's one of the many things I like about you, Adolf. I prefer people who speak their mind instead of simpering fools."

Adolf chuckled softly. "I'm glad to be of service, Mistress. Now, perhaps we should find a suitable place for you to practise your new skill properly."

She opened her mouth to agree with him and to ask him to bring her something to eat…A knock came at the door. Isha paused

"Come in."

A messenger boy opened the door.

"What is it?"

"I was sent to tell you that your master has arrived at the kids, my lady."

Isha glared at the boy. Then why was he here instead of sending the message to the escorts. "Then what are you doing? Find someone to escort her in."

"We did dry, my lady. But she refused to come in—that she did—without the proper Writ of Entry. She has refused to move without it."

Isha let out a disgruntled sigh. Entering an estate of nobility was an act of treason without a proper Writ of Entry. But Isha had believed Great Mages and above were exempted from such laws. Perhaps she was just being careful.

"Then find someone to sign the document and escort her in."

"I tried to find the master butler. That I did, But the clerk says he is out on a "special" errand. You, my lady and master Adolf are the only ones other than the Butler who has the authority to sign the Writ of Entry."

"Adolf, will you see to it?" Isha said, rubbing at her temples. "I'm getting a headache." 

It was a common effect of advancement.

"As you wish, young mistress."

It was finally time to meet her master.