Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 118.2
🕑 Added 2023-04-21 02:53:15 +0000 UTCI was awake, but I didn’t want to be. There was no reason to open my eyes, as we were still underground, and I wouldn't be able to see anything if I did, but that didn’t stop me from checking my surroundings with Sense Mana. Considering we weren't ambushed while asleep, it was safe to say we were temporarily in the clear, but one could never be too sure.
After being ambushed by the soul horrors, I took extra time scanning not only the empty rooms surrounding us but the thick walls and any other gaps I had previously only glossed over as well. Thankfully, though, everything was silent as a crypt.
Next to me, Tabitha’s breathing was steady, which was a good sign. “You awake, I quietly call out into the dark, just in case Tabitha is still resting.
“Not anymore,” Tabitha’s tired voice answers back.
“Any idea how long we were out for?” My stomach felt empty, but with how much I needed to heal, I could’ve been out for only a few hours or a few days.
I hear Tabitha sigh beside me and groan as she slowly shifts around on her back. “I say we’ve been out for about two days.”
“Is that so,” I lazily comment, not at all surprised that Tabitha sounded confident of her assessment or that we were out that long.
“It is a miracle either of us is alive. The goddess of death must not have seen fit to take our souls while she had the chance,” I can hear the mirth in Tabitha’s voice. She was joking, of course, but she didn't realize how right she was.
I don’t move to clasp my hands together or do anything like that, but I do silently say a prayer to Goddess Ebeon and, to a lesser extent, Ilia. Of course, I wouldn't devote my life to the two as a priest would, but I fully recognize what the two did for me and am thankful. Plus, I was a little worried that my already lousy relationship with Goddess Ilia might become dangerous if I didn't show her at least some appreciation.
I gather from my interactions with them that the gods can only interact with people at specific times. To the average person, that kind of opportunity would almost never arise, but seeing how I’ve met the duo twice in less than a year, my luck was either shitty, or I was the luckiest person in the world and didn't know it.
I complain, but honestly, we needed all the luck we could get. We survived the soul horrors by the skin of our teeth, but the final boss was still slithering around above our heads. I still couldn’t sense him, but I was sure the winged serpent was nearby, waiting for us to emerge from our hole.
Speaking of which, “What do we do now?” I ask Tabitha.
"What else? We heal to the best of our abilities," she replies matter-of-factly. "We lick our wounds and devise a plan to escape the winged serpent. Maybe we can sneak away, or possibly- Fuck…...” Tabitha swears out of nowhere and suddenly stops talking altogether.
“What is it?” I sit up and start scanning our surroundings for whatever made Tabitha swear. As long as I've known her, Tabitha seldom swears, so I was already mentally preparing myself for another life-or-death battle for her to react like that. Only, there was nothing there. Meanwhile, with Sense Mana, I noted Tabitha was staring upward with her mouth wide open.
“Is it your danger sense skills?” I nervously ask, still scanning our surroundings, but Tabitha doesn’t answer me. She doesn’t even turn her head in my direction.
“Tabitha, are you alright?” I was starting to freak out at this point. She wasn't responding to anything I said.
Tabitha was mumbling about something I couldn't make out, so I leaned closer. "What was that?" I ask, using my hands to check Tabitha's arms in the dark. I wasn't sure if the potion did its job, so I made sure not to shift anything while examining them. Sense Mana helps me check the state of her arms, and they appear to be healing nicely. The bones were mending at the rate expected of someone of Tabitha's level, and I was about to tell her as such, but she finally said something I could hear.
"My status page," Tabitha’s voice quivers.
“Is it your health?” Did channeling the soul horror experience into Tabitha damage her in some way? “Do you need me to grab the remaining health potion?” I offer.
I don’t know if my question was what brought her back to reality or if she naturally came to her senses, but Tabitha snapped at me. "Don't you dare; we might need it to escape."
Letting out a sigh of relief, I can’t help but smile in the dark. I was worried for a second there, but it looks like she’s okay. Of course, Tabitha still needed time before she could use her arms, but I was just happy she had the energy to snap at me. "Fine, no potion," I quickly agreed before she tried something stupid, like grabbing me with her still-healing arms. "I was worried. You were acting weird."
Tabitha scoffs, “You would too if you opened your states page and saw something that shouldn’t be possible,” she rants in a manner I’ve never seen before.
With the threat of danger gone, my body untenses, and I can’t help but laugh. I laughed because Tabitha sounded crazy and because we won, but mainly because I was alive. And what better reason was there? "How so?” I sputter between giggles.
“You don’t understand,” Tabitha sounds frustrated. “I leveled!”
“And that’s crazy? You deserve to level,” I congratulate Tabitha. Part of me wanted to clap in an over-the-top manner as a joke, but I didn't want to sour the occasion, and honestly, I was just too tired to do so.
“No, you’re still not getting it,” Tabitha sounds like she wants to throttle me, but I don’t understand why. It takes her a minute, but Tabitha finally finds her words and manages to tell me what is bothering her. “I didn’t gain one level; I gained seven!”
I let out a long whistle. “Sweet, congratulations.”
That was not the reaction Tabitha was expecting. “I gain over twenty-seven million experience points, and you congratulate me like it's no big deal!" Her voice rises in frustration, but she doesn’t yell, as that could be risky.
“Whoa, don’t move,” I gently push against Tabitha’s arms, pinning them to the ground, as she tries to reach for me.
“Why are you so calm!?” She growls in my face.
“Well, because I thought you knew this was going to happen,” I sheepishly respond.
“What! Why would you think that?” Tabitha interrogates me in the dark.
“I told you I absorbed the soul horrors,” I remind her. “Remember, you said to share the pain. So, I transferred most of the extra experience to you.”
Tabitha goes silent. “That was experience?”
“Yeah, what did you think it was?” I frown in confusion, but she can't see that.
“I thought it was a form of ghostly poison you could control,” Tabitha replies in a hollow voice, finally realizing what I did.
Oh, that's why she was so confident she could take it. Tabitha thought her Poison Resistance skill would help her with whatever was ailing me when in fact, it couldn't.
“I guess that’s one way you could put it,” I awkwardly rub at the back of my head. Although, now that I think back on it, Tabitha only ever told me ghosts were fragments of souls left behind; she doesn't know that the part of the soul that remains is actually the experience left behind when the central part of the soul passes on.
“You knew they were made out of experience?” I could feel Tabitha staring at me with an accusing glare even though I couldn’t see her in the dark.
“Maybe?” I hesitantly answer.
“And you knew I would level?” She continues to push.
“There was a high probability,” I reluctantly answer, expecting Tabitha to blow up at me for failing to tell her about such an important skill.
But the verbal tongue-lashing never comes. Instead, Tabitha asks me a question in a quiet, hollow voice. “Have you always been able to do that? Is that why Master is going to such lengths to recruit you? He never told me,” Tabitha sounds disappointed, and I think I know why.
Tabitha thinks her Master knew about my skills and kept silent because he didn't trust her, but that simply wasn't true. I could push all the blame onto Pacore, but it would eventually get out that I was lying, and I didn't want to do that to Tabitha. So, I tell the truth.
“Pacore knows nothing about the skills I used,” I admit. “Not even my parents know about them; you’re the only one. And no, up until now, I couldn’t transfer experience to other people. I only accomplished it in the heat of the moment because of our circumstances.”
“You know what telling me all this could lead to?” Tabitha asks darkly. I wish I could see her face to better judge how she was taking everything, but my mana pool was still recovering. “Will you silence me; now is your chance," Tabitha morbidly suggests.
“Yeah, because I worked so hard to save you, only to kill you now,” my words were overflowing with sarcasm so that even though Tabitha couldn't see me rolling my eyes, she knew I would never do that.
“I see,” Tabitha hums in thought. “Then what is your plan going forward?”
That was a good question. But sadly, I didn't have an answer at this time. “I don’t know,” I huff. “Do we have to talk about this now? I don't know about you, but I'd rather have our heart-to-heart after we escape. Then we can sit down and chat. Is that okay with you?”
"If that is what you wish," Tabitha replies in her familiar monotone voice, which I haven't heard in a while.
An awkward silence falls between us, and because we are in a dark space, the silence feels that much heavier. I can only bear it for a few minutes before awkwardly trying to get the conversation going again, albeit avoiding the heavier topics. "So, seven levels, huh? That's cool. Have any idea how you’re going to distribute your points.”
Tabitha sighs next to me, but she does answer. "Typical; you don't realize what you've done for me.”
"You helped me; it’s only right I help you in return,” I quickly shoot back. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
"Friends," Tabitha slowly repeated the word, like it was a foreign concept. "You consider me a friend?"
“Friend, teacher, big sister, role model; I consider you a lot of things,” I smile to myself.
“I’ve grown to tolerate you as well,” Tabitha replies in what sounds like a monotone voice, but I knew her well enough to recognize the slight tone change she makes when telling a joke.
“I appreciate that,” I playfully quip. And like that, the heavy air was gone, or should I say, pushed aside for later. I know it isn't responsible of me to put our discussion off until later, but I couldn’t deal with it right now. No matter how short it may be, we deserve a break, so the heavy stuff can wait until later.
“Did you get anything else,” I keep the conversation going.
“Oh,” Tabitha is surprised by my reminder. “To be honest, I never made it past my level. As soon as I saw it, I was caught off-guard."
“Is that what you’re calling it,” I playfully tease.
"What did you expect? Do you know what it’s like to suddenly jump so many levels, especially at my age!?” Tabitha defends her actions, but it just makes me laugh harder.
“I actually do," I giggle.
“Of course, you would say that,” Tabitha mocks, sounding frazzled. "At least this explains your ridiculous level.”
“Stop stalling,” I try to come off as good-natured, but mostly I’m trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of my skills.
“Alright, give me a second to check.” There’s a short pause while Tabitha pulls up her status page, but a few seconds later, she can’t help but to exclaim again. “I can’t believe I’m level 105 now. What is Master going to think?” I could practically hear the gears turning in Tabitha’s head.
“We’ll figure something out,” I casually remark.
“You mean lie?" Tabitha retorts, and I don't have a comeback. But, thankfully, that's all Tabitha says on the subject before moving on. "I didn't do much against the winged serpent, and I didn't help with the soul horrors, so my skills are all the same.”
“That's a bummer; I thought you'd at least get a new skill,” I comment.
"Give me a second; I'm skimming through all my skills for any changes." I forgot that not everyone has a well-ordered status page like me. So, Tabitha must have a bunch of different skills, and she has to scan through all of them before she reaches the end, where new skills would appear.
"You're right; I unlocked a new skill, though I’ve never heard of it before?” Tabitha hums in confusion.
“Maybe I can help,” I offer. “That is if you’re willing to tell me which skill you got.”
Let it be known I wasn't oblivious to the parallels between us. And while I would be bummed if Tabitha didn’t tell me which skill she unlocked, I wouldn’t hold it against her.
Okay, maybe I would, a little.
“I suppose it’s only fair, and if I don't know what it is, I doubt you would," Tabitha comments.
Hurtful but probably true. "So, what is it?" I urge her to spit it out already.
“It’s called Sense Soul. I’ve never encountered it in my studies, but maybe Master will know. I'll ask him the next time I see him. What do you think it does?”
I sensed Tabitha turning her head in my direction, and it was good she couldn't see me because my jaw was almost to the floor. Of all the skills she could've unlocked, it had to be that one.
“Aaliyah?” Tabitha calls my name, reminding me I haven’t answered her yet.
“Yeah?”
"I asked you if you've heard of it before?" Tabitha asks again, and I realize I have another choice to make. On second thought, no, I don't. Pacore knows I have Sense Soul, so I might as well inform Tabitha of what she unlocked. It seems no matter what I do, I can't avoid the subject of my skills. Well, at least it isn't one of the scarier ones.
"You're not going to believe this, but I know what skill you got," I say cheerfully to hide my apprehension.
“No, you don’t,” Tabitha is suspicious of me, but this wasn’t a joke.
“I do, and it’s a good one; you unlocked a tier 5 skill,” I give Tabitha the good news and wait for her reaction.
“What!” Tabitha begins to raise her voice in alarm, but she catches herself before she gets too loud. “A tier 5 skill!” She exclaims in a hushed voice. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” I assure her, but I don’t think she was listening to me.
Tabitha was back to mumbling to herself. “I finally unlocked a tier 5 skill. I really did it. Me.”
“Yep, you sure did,” I casually interject to remind Tabitha that I was still here.
In the dark, Tabitha’s head snaps in my direction. “I unlocked a tier 5 skill, but you already have it,” Tabitha’s voice doesn’t sound accusing, more like she was trying to process everything.
“Yeah, and before you ask, Pacore knew about this one.” How did I explain this properly? “You know the skill I use to judge levels? It's Sense Soul, though you need to level it before you can sense other people’s souls.”
It was surreal talking about one of my higher tired skills openly and oddly liberating. Due to all my paranoia, I’ve purposely never mentioned my stronger skills to anybody else, and the few people who did know about Sense Soul weren't aware of my other skills or what they could do.
Any information I had on Sense Soul should be considered a major secret, but after how much Tabitha has helped me, it felt only right to tell her the few things I discovered or at least point her in the right direction.
"Be careful not to focus too closely on your soul, at least when you're not someplace safe,” I warn her.
"And why is that?" I could feel Tabitha hanging on my every word; is this what it feels like to teach someone?
“It’s a defensive mechanism. If you try to look at the core of your soul, your conciseness will be dragged in there. It’s a great place to meditate and rest, but you'll leave your body open."
“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t use the skill until we’re back at the village," Tabitha immediately understood what I was hinting at.
"That's probably best. Getting used to it will take a lot of meditation and practice."
Tabitha lets out a long sigh. “Just my luck. I unlock a tier 5 skill that doesn't suit me at all."
“Sorry?” I confusingly reply.
“Ignore me,” Tabitha remarks. “I know I shouldn’t complain, most go their whole lives without unlocking a tier 5 skill. It’s just I’ve dreamed of this day and I just thought the skill I would get would be something more physical, like Master's, or something to do with my sword skills, which I’ve spent my whole life honing. Instead, I got a skill I have no idea how to use. It sounds more of a mage’s skill than anything else,” she remarks disappointingly.
“But you know magic; I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it,” I offer Tabitha some encouraging words, but she just huffs in amusement.
“I am no mage; I only know a bit of magic to work my gear and cast the most basic spells. I despise meditating and anything else that requires me to do nothing for hours on end. It may be an excellent skill for you, but it isn't for me,” Tabitha lets out another tired sigh. “How did I even unlock such a skill?”
I cough into my hand. "That was probably my bad," I sheepishly answered. “The method I used to transfer all the experience into you involved direct contact with your soul. So, it only makes sense you'd start noticing it after suffering through such a thing. And I don’t know what other tier 5 skills are like, but I’m sure you’ll find Sense Soul more useful than it sounds. Trust me.”
Technically, I wasn’t lying. Tabitha wanted a physical tier 5 skill she could use in battle. I had other tier 5 and 6 skills, but other than Soul Devourer, which I couldn't use as a means of attack unless it was against very specific enemies, all my strongest skills were passive in nature. And now that she mentioned it, I was curious what a physical skill of that caliber could do.
Sense Soul, Soul Manipulation, and Soul Devourer were all overpowered skills; what would a tier 5 sword skill look like by comparison?
“If you say so,” I swear I could almost hear Tabitha rolling her eyes, but I was sure with some time and some help from me, she’d come to appreciate the skill she was given. “Now,” Tabitha suddenly changes topics. “Enough about me. Tell me, how many levels did you gain?”
"What?" The sudden shift in conversation takes me aback.
“Come now,” Tabitha pushes. “Don’t tell me you forgot to check your status page,” she chuckles good-naturally. “You helped me escape the lesser dragon, saved my arms, and protected me against the soul horrors. If I gained so much, you must be equally as happy.”
I can't help but blush, partially from Tabitha's praise but mainly because I was embarrassed. The truth is, it totally skipped my mind to check my status page. I was content to sleep more, and with everything focused on Tabitha, it never crossed my mind that there were probably a whole host of changes to my stats.
I pushed most of the soul horror experience into Tabitha, but I still had a lot to process myself when I passed out. If she said, she got twenty-seven million, how much did I keep?
Only one way to find out.
"Alright, give me a second,” I tell Tabitha as I pull up my status page.
Let’s see what my chaotic life has earned me.
**********
3,500 words.
Another cliffhanger, but this chapter was already getting quite long, and I wanted to post it, so this is where I’m stopping.
What do you think about Tabitha’s unexpected windfall? Do you think her reaction fits her character? Sometimes, I portray her as a sturdy brick wall, but I feel Aaliyah has pulled her out of her shell enough that she would react like this if she suddenly jumped up so many levels.
Please tell me what you think, and as always, stay safe.
Comments
Lilimu u.u
Amo este capitulo, gracias
Valderan
I'd be more concerned about nobility getting Ilea to grant their young scions 20 levels as a head start or some nonsense. At a low level that would just be a shaving off the gold brick for her and surely it won't hurt anything right? Right?! It's sort of been covered earlier with the predatory contracts but its just too easy with her skill. Conciseness instead of consciousness was used again, probably drives you nuts.
Thaldor
I'm imagining they might need to form a contract for secrecy of these skills. Not sure Tabitha could keep anything at all from Pacore, and I doubt Pacore could resist the urge to turn our Heroine into a dragon killing machine ASAP..
Penguin Glutton
Yall think Paladins exist?
Luboš Hemala
I liked the previous one more, she seemed more derailed. After all so much levels must be earth-shattering.
Regnar Jordan
" If you try to look at the core of your soul, your conciseness will be dragged in there."
Penguin Glutton
Ohhh kk thanks Derek
Derek Walker
If anyone missed it, Tabitha's reaction has been lightly edited and toned down slightly.
Endymion2314
Aaliyah "You do magic by Chanting at the world to do what you want. I do magic via sudo commands that give me a new skill, we are not the same. "
Penguin Glutton
Think necromancer exist?
Arcane
True! I never really thought about the abilities of monsters as Skills, even after it was confirmed that they have them. I know those Skills work differently than humans’ though. For all we know, it could be a very high leveled Tier-3/4 Skill. We haven’t seen (or really even heard of, with how Aaliyah’s Sense Mana level is talked about as unheard of by Pacore, to the point where he assumed she had a different Skill to Sense his armor’s gem) any humans with super high leveled mana Skills though, so it is anyone’s guess. I’m personally hoping for some buff to her Mana Threads now, some Skill that will let them scale up faster so she can eventually use them to pull at far-away objects and stuff.
PickledTink
---- “You awake, I quietly call out into the dark, just in case Tabitha is still resting. “Not anymore,” Tabitha’s tired voice answers back. ---- I think you mean "You asleep?". Thanks for the chapter.
Scott Fellman
Wait for our favorite mc to get full hammer mastery and a prestige ad well as blacksmithing maxed out
Derek Walker
It was mostly a joke… but I feel her control of soul devourer will get better
Not my Real Name
She needs to grasp your soul while being in a bloody frenzy. This plan has a huge chance of ending in death.
Blake Richardson
Thanks for the chapter
Blake Richardson
NOOOO A CLIFF HANGER
Penguin Glutton
I'm Interested to see their relationship and the diciples
Penguin Glutton
They aslo are very similar
Penguin Glutton
I feel like their relationship ship would be like grandfather to granddaughter type
Derek Walker
Best way to level going forward is to become best friends with pacore. They can go scout for ruins and look for soul horrors, and she can use him as a big tank to pump any extra exp she can’t handle from killing them into pacore. With a soul as massive as his it won’t bother him lol. She does a break through in experience share when she hooks Tabitha up at the same time as pacore
Scott Fellman
I hope her skills leveled like crazy and even break a few of her level up requirements. Would be Hella cool if she suddenly gained several weapon mysteries out of it
Will mILLER
THE CLIFF!
Arcane
Even if that’s true, Aaliyah is very hesitant to use the Skill because of the urges it instills.
Mist the dragoness
Even still as a life long combat veteran in an area with a dangerous beast, well within ear shot, instincts trained through years of fighting would temper the exclamation. Not have her shouting at the top of her lungs with enough force to shake dust from the walls. The exclamation itself is not too wildly out of character that I couldn't see it. The volume used in the setting presented however, no matter how shocked, do not match. Civilian reaction? Sure shout at the top of their lungs. But this is a trained warrior from a nation of warriors trained by one of their best. Training and conditioning would have her temper her voice in a situation and seeing like this subconsciously.
Derek Walker
I find that unlikely (a society with soul arts) for the following reason: the lowest level and most basic soul skill we have seen is sense soul, which is tier 5 skill. Aaliyah only got this skill after leveling sense mana to level 75/76, dumping 270 status points at once and then observing that process. Tabitha the only other known person to have it, got it by being stabbed by a tier 6 soul skill. There could be easier ways to get these skills, but being a tier 5 skill it seems unlikely. So the number of people using soul skills would have to be very small, if just non-existent.
Derek Walker
Well, we've basically seen one I think, mana zone, which is what the lesser dragon was using. I think she gets that one when she passes her level 99 mana manipulation test. She could get it sooner if mana manipulation is like in the 90s when she passes her sense mana test, but I think the former route is more likely.
Arcane
And with the setup we just got when Aaliyah reflected on how all of her strongest skills were ancillary to her profession, this would be a really good time to give her one. I’m super interested in what a mana-related Tier 5 Skill would do at this point.
Derek Walker
She can still learn those skills, just at level 90+ lol. I mean she is definitely OP for her age, in part because she has OP skills like soul devourer. Seems almost worse if she doesn't use them to level. Another framing: to level skills like soul devourer, sense soul, and soul manipulation she needs to be dealing with massive amounts of exp, which in turn will cause ridiculous leveling. The ship of being strong compared to her age has long sailed, and now its just how does she stack up to the strongest people we have seen so far, and even a level 90-100 Aaliyah is still ways away from Pacore, Pitz, or even Tabitha in combat, and still way behind the stone-kin masters for smithing.
Matthew Dennis
It’s possible that there is another section of the world whose culture developed to focus/train in “soul” rather than mana. Thus they would have “soul arts” rather than spells. It’s kosnik’s world to build though.
MikeL
She is already too OP for her age. I thinking adding to much will hurt her character growth. I mean it hasn’t been a year yet she’s still 15. I think she started the year at 58 or 59. Time for actually learning thinks like enchanting or spells first.
Derek Walker
I was fairly certain she didn’t get soul manipulation until after she beat the soul eater, but I may be misremembering.
Derek Walker
Low 80s means about 5-6 million exp total, that seems a little too low. If she took in a total of 15 million from skills and the soul horrors then that puts her roughly at level 85-86
Derek Walker
I think there’s a good chance for a tier 5 skill here. To do what she did to Tabitha she was simultaneously using at least 2 tier 4 skills (inject mana, magic threads) and likely another (mana manipulation) her very highly leveled sense mana skill, and her also highly leveled blacksmithing skill. That sounds like enough base for a tier 5 skill. This also fits with Tabitha said that even the best healer in scholl would struggle to replicate what Aaliyah did, at least under the circumstances, so that points to a likely tier 5 skill
MikeL
Also this skill and her use of it basically gave her 2 new tier 5 skills. To use it effectively she needed to get Mental Resistance, and once she was playing in her soul she got Soul Manipulation. Tabitha would be stupid not to train these just for the exp. Let alone what they provide.
MikeL
I think very low 80s. Maybe 81. I’m hoping more than maybe a skill gets close to 100.
MikeL
I agree it is out of character for her that we have seen. I’m hoping this will be a permanent lightening up of her character going forward. She has been too up tight for too long.
Matthew Dennis
Skills might not work in the step fashion some people think. It’s not clear that running lead directly to flash step. It could be that running makes you think about how to run better, faster, more efficiently. Application of those consents might be what actually leads to the next unlock. You can’t know what you don’t know and when you learn more of the world opens up to you
Penguin Glutton
Think there monks? Or ki skills?
Arcane
On top of the levels, I really want to know what kind of skill Aaliyah got from healing Tabitha. Maybe a breakthrough in magic threads? I think it would be cool to have a Skill that could eventually lead to manipulation-based magical healing. Seeing her mana manipulation gather more applications might be my favorite part of her abilities.
Matthew Dennis
I liked the chapter, I bit miffed at the stopping point. I would like to suggest the application of soul sense leading to some sort of ki adjacent ability’s, or perhaps the ability to sheath a weapon or fist in energy that directly attacks the soul. “A blade to cut the body and the mind” sort of direction
Supperwaffle
Did she give the majority to Tabitha because sure she has a strong soul but does it compare to aaliyah who specifically trains her soul and has the needed skills to bear the pressure Aaliyah said she gave experience until she could bear it
meticoeus
I doubt anyone levels with skill exp alone although Aaliyah pretty much did prior to starting blacksmithing. People generally get "crafting" exp for doing skill things that aren't combat like merchanting, growing crops, felling trees, etc. Combat specialists like Tabitha get combat exp for sparing. Aaliyah's skill grow rate has been stated to be abnormally high so most likely the other sources of exp gain are about the same or greater than skill exp gain once a person's main skills for their job get to a certain point. I agree skills seem to matter way more than raw stats to what a person can do. Aalyah outrunning Four/Reel despite him being a physical combat specialist at least 10 levels higher than her made it pretty clear her running skill makes a huge difference for endurance running on familiar terrain.
Not my Real Name
Hot take: levels don’t really matter much after a certain point. Skills are way more important so Aalyiah will have a lot of 'bloat' compared to someone that leveled with skill exp alone and Aalyiah will be a lot weaker.
Penguin Glutton
I see her more reaching level 90 or close to it now it’s Pacore and Pitz reaction I wanna see
phantom
I do not recall any skills being gained from the contracts. I believe the issue was you would not properly absorb the exp coming in that method where as soul devourer breaks it apart. presumably her exp sharing skill does something too to make it compatible given it no longer made Tabitha scream in pain.
phantom
but Mental Resistance should have leveled if she had it.
phantom
she possibly should have told Tabitha that Aliyah is not a traditional mage either. Aliyah pretty much hardly casts spells at all. Well Aliyah would still be a mage she is using it in a way pretty much unheard of by how society considers using magic now.
Derek Walker
One more consideration for why skipping 20+ levels here seems fine with me. Aaliyah is going to end up with a massive level. However the exp requirements for leveling will soon be equally massive. (Tabitha likely needs about 5 million exp to get to level 106) Even taking literally every single one of her skills to level 100 will only net her about 50 million exp. Which means if she’s at level 90 now, then the most utterly unrealistic skill leveling gets her to level 105. Her crafting exp always sharply declines after each new craft, so crafting may be enough to get her another 15 levels are so. The rest has to come through battling literally thousands of high tier monsters. Seems more satisfying to soak up the the experience here and massively level, since she needs all this exp in the long term anyway. Also given her skill set, it makes sense she would soak up so much. Unless they go around searching for more soul horrors, then leveling past 120+ will take years/decades. Which does fit the narrative thrust of the story.
phantom
As she said she was looking forward her whole life to getting a tier 5 skill. and she had to work years just to get a single level so naturally she is going to reach to 7 levels dropping.
phantom
When high level people die their exp disperses like other people. if those soul horrors had all the strength of a level 150 Aliyah would not have stood a chance. The reason they were so dangerous was not their strength but that most could not even interact with them.
Derek Walker
The 5.7 million exp from the soul enter, was I think mostly due to the fact that 1) it died and it’s experience dispersed and 2) she was just received soul devourer. For condensed exp, neither of these two issues limit the exp. On the level of the soul horrors, I’ll just note Tabitha said a revenant was about level 70 though in practice much worse due to its skill set. She then said a soul horror was many times worse then revenants, so definitely >>80.
fuble878
Those are two of her goals for power that she was working towards... not that one is a requirement for the other
Jiri Krivak
Nooo, what an evil cliff. Thanks for the chapter.
DANTE
I mean, the only thing you would get from a tabita chapter now is a "Tabita react" from Tabita prospective, you get a lot of "this is crazy", "Aaliyah is a genius", "how can she do that" and "this might be the reason she is so high level" but that really doesn't add anything more than seeing from Aaliyah prospective, having it later would give opportunity for more character development or worlbuilding since there can be other things mixed in more easily. for example a tabita chapter before meeting Pacore or when they are arriving in School can offer a lot more character development and word building, while now it would be mostly a repeat from a different prospective, maybe im wrong or I'm missing something and it would be an amazing next chapter but this is how I see it
Vincent Setiawan
@Ermgon @Tjark I am sorry, looks like it's my fault for misunderstanding it. I just thought so from the way how Tabitha says it
figherhigher
I'd be surprised if consuming the ghostly husks of the dead don't have the same skill problem.
Pagemaster
I am personally hoping for Level 90.
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter!
Kitty Chan
It’s a good theory. I personally think she’ll be able to use it to ‘read’ people. What form that takes will be interesting. Will she be able to read intentions, predict battle moves or even read others status sheets.
Kitty Chan
Yes they were, but they have a lot of limitations. The contracts require someone to die, they can only transfer a small amount of experience and random skill levels come with it. The tier 6 ‘Experience Transfer’ skill appears to transfer as much pure (non skill tainted) experience as the user wishes with the only apparent side effects being pain and the risk of overloading the receiving soul.
Panadero
Personally, I can see Tabitha saying "HOLEY SHIT" from a jumpscare, since she's been shown to be rather quirky and excitable when it comes to topics she loves. Then again, the context of the current situation is a lot different. She would be half-focused on talking to Aaliyah and looking at her status screen, with a pretty heavy atmosphere and the knowledge that they could still die down here. I honestly see Tabitha going more like: *silence* hUh??? *visible confusion* *eyes crossed* *hyperventilating* i don- wha- did you- whats going on *rolls up into fetal position* It's a bit exaggerated, but you get the idea. It would still be reserved, but also contrast her usual composed and reliable personality, making it more evident that she's a lot more open to Aaliyah now. That, and Tabitha probably needs a little more goofball energy. Side note, first time commenting, love your work, always excited for the next chapter! Can't get enough, and definitely my most favorite read I've had so far!
figherhigher
Weren't level contracts mentioned forever ago as a way to transfer experience?
SFS
I have the same thoughts as you. Her best skills are all mana based and she barely touches the attributes that affect them. It would be nice if she actually took her goal of getting sense mana to 100 into consideration and actually invested into her magic stats
Timo Immig
At her level a lot of skills are likely at a test.
SFS
So we know that higher tier skills are often tied to the lower tier skills used to unlock them. Example would be Aaliyah's running tied to her flash step. We know that Aaliyah's sense soul is tied to her mana sense skill, but I wonder what skill is tied to Tabitha's. It could possibly be her danger sense skill which had been warning her of the soul devourer skill during the entire combat. If so, then it is very likely she could tie the sense soul skill into sensing when an opponent is about to use certain skills against her in combat. Giving her a bit of future sight so to speak.
SFS
I could be wrong, but I think sense only affects her five senses. I think Clarity is the stat that most affects mana sense, which is why I'm hoping she invests some points into that and Magic so she can start leveling her mana abilities faster.
Flamedboy
Maybe she already has it, she said soul sense was her only 'new' skill
Ermgon
exactly!
Jeff091
hi, thanks for the new chapter typo there is a line break midword I wasn't sure if the potion did its job, so I made sure not to shift anything w hile examining them.
Tjark
75. And yes high 80s seems most likely.
Tjark
Damn, 27 million means I was close in my guess :D though I underestimated the level requirements so the guess with 108 with 20 million experience was a little too optimistic. I'm a bit confused. Why did Tabitha not get Mental Resistance? Obviously, Poison Resistance didn't work but Aaliyah got the skill from her soul getting overwhelmed or something right? Wouldn't Tabitha from all the soul/mind pain she experienced also get the skill? That said I think the reaction of Tabitha is mostly reasonable. Perhaps not the screaming part but definitely the dazed/shellshocked part because it's clearly a VERY big deal to her. Again it's 'conciousness' not 'conciseness'.
Tjark
Wow that comment is bullshit lol. Tier 5 skills have absolutely nothing to do with level 100. As clearly evidenced by the fact Aaliyah has several at level 75 already. And there's no reason Tabitha can't focus the skill in another direction like perhaps offensively scanning someone's soul in combat to make them freeze in terror.
Tjark
Tabitha will definitely invest in vitality as much as possible without risking any long term damage to her build. She needs it to help her heal.
Tjark
Remember the Soul Devourer? That dude gave her about 5.7 million and he was MUCH higher level. Granted her method to get as much experience as possible was likely less effective back then but it's an interesting comparison nontheless. I thinnk it's reasonable for her to be in the 80s. Yes, she's been at her level for a while but that doesn't mean we need her to skip 20 levels at once all of a sudden.
Ermgon
Where did you see that they get that chance? Tabitha talks about the dream, but doesn't specify it's exactly at lv 100 that they gain tier 5 skill. second, I believe she unlocked it before reaching lv 100 - she saw soul claws from Soul Devourer that were gripping her soul. I believe that is what triggered unlocking the skill.
lenkite
Tabitha will likely develop [Sense Soul] more in the direction of combat - sending the next move of the opponent - rather than the passive way than Aaliyah has developed it.
lenkite
We will need to see the Soul Horrors level. IMO, they should be not > Level 80.
Vincent Setiawan
I think it's such a massive waste for Tabitha to awaken sense soul as a tier 5 skill. Normal people can only have one chance to awaken tier 5 at their 100th level, and it doesn't fit her skill set nor her personality. And she would have to become Aaiyah's student-cum-classmate at mastering the soul department. Its stretching her skill set thin, makes her become a playmate junior rather than awakening a suitable tier 5 and become a reliable senior
Justin
This cliff hurts. I enjoyed the chapter! As far as her reaction goes yes/no for fitting her character. Tabitha is a oddball, additionally her understanding of lvls and teir 5 skills is very different than Aaliyah's. So though I think it's a bit over the top and a bit weird she complained about the skill, I also think her quirkiness fits the reaction.
Oskatat
I forgot what level she was at before
fuble878
I think she would have gained around 20 mil at most so around or less than 88
Derek Walker
Also adding that her description of soul devourer here made it seems she was absorbing most the soul horror. Soul devourer is normally inefficient because when a monster died, the experience dispersed out, and she can only grab so much so quickly. Here it’s the opposite. It’s a condensed form so she can/and seemed to basically take it all in
Derek Walker
Right, based on how many she skilled, and absorbing about 50 million total, the amount came out to be soul horrors have <= 1% of the exp of the underlying soul. Or about 2.5 million exp per soul horror. This is also the amount of exp contained in a level 55 person, which is why this seems low.
Jachin Nelson
So. We don't actually know what level the Soul Horrors are. We know they are formed from level 140 people, but not how much Xp remains. We also don't know how efficient Aaliyah is with Soul Devourer. Her efficiency could have also been changed in that they don't have a soul.
Tom Henman
Not necessarily that much exp. You assume all the person had is still with the horror but it might just be a small percent that was retained and became the horror.
fuble878
A basic use that she should teach Tabitha is how to organize your own status and see how close you are to breaking through on skills. Both would be useful to Tabitha.
Penguin Glutton
Ok yall what level yall think she's at?
Alex C
Not if it take it as context on just how crazy it is to have what just happened actually happen. If skills gathering, transferring, and manipulating experience have been lost anything changing that understanding would be pretty earth shattering
Viria
Evil author. Evil
Alex C
How could it not add anything? We have very few perspectives on high level skills, context of leveling at high levels, soul skills, experience skills, perspectives on soul sensations from others... There are so many things that could provide information and nuance on exactly what is being discussed right now. Pacore gave us a little but not with such a clear understanding of the capabilities of the main character. Now, when it's fresh is the best time. A Tabitha pov later would be more focused on their relationship, how and what they will tell others, and future planning, not info on what's going on now. Unless Tabitha is so shaken she's obsessing on it for days it wouldn't be something she is actively thinking on later. And if it is that impactful all the more reason to do it right now
Jon Oliphant
Thanks for the chapter. Kind of neutral on this one. Tabitha leveling was nice, getting a peek at her status page would have been nicer. Her reactions seemed a little off, you'd think she would be more up about the 7 levels dropping on her from the sky, especially since she can really use vitality right now. The tier 5 skill gripe is just a little annoying in an adult. So pluses and minuses.
MikeL
I wonder if Sense will help with mana sense?
Mist the dragoness
I very much feel Tabitha's over exuberant reaction is wildly out of character if only because of experience and setting. The fact they have a massive deadly draconic being an unknown distance away that is at the very least less than a mile and the fact they were recently attacked by soul horrors in this very location combine with her practicality and combat experience would massively temper the reaction towards a strangled measured volume, otherwise the reaction was right about on point from what I'd expect from her.
Penguin Glutton
Senses and mind
DANTE
ye, that's along the line of what I was thinking, she should be able to slash, cut or at list "bite" some xp of any living target, that should be plenty debilitating, and that is the bare minimum
Derek Walker
The dirtiest part is that I am sure that the status page is already written up/planned out. We could've ended with just the status screen lol.
Endymion2314
Tabitha can now see Aaliyah using Soul Devour. Yeah everything is going to have to come out to her. The original encounter, what the skill means for her immortal soul if she uses it to straight kill another with it. Tabitha doesn't seem to realize yet how useful Sense Soul is. For a melee fighter it's basically a free stun. Which Aaliyah has used it as back against the goblins.
PaperMache7
You absolute tease, I thought for sure we'd get the status page this chapter.
DANTE
I think a Tabita chapter now would be dispersive and not add anything to the story, I agre with Derek that this chapter could have been a Tabita pov but i dont think it would add anything if there was one in the next few chapters, maybe after they get out if the forest or while they travel to Scholl
Derek Walker
Someone pointed out recently that her senses and clarity were way to low for her skill set, and I think boosting them could help her level skills sense mana better, sense higher stats there would allow her to process more information and thereby push the skill further
MikeL
They really need to place their points. Som into Vitality it’s supposed to help with healing. Also Aaliyah better put alt into magic this time, she really keeps running out of mana.
Penguin Glutton
What stats yall think Tabitha and Aaliyah will invest?
Kyfe
She needs to explain the terror Sense Soul can induce in someone once they level it enough they can see someone else's soul. Tabitha would GREATLY appreciate the ability to suddenly freeze an opponent in their tracks mid-fight. Maybe staring at the Lesser Dragon's soul long enough to trigger the 2 goddesses' eyes to open and obliterate it is the way to defeat it.
Derek Walker
Sense Soul at least allowed her to undo Camden's skill, and if I remember my timeline right she also broke her sales contract with kervin before meeting the soul eater which is when she picked up soul manipulation
Bunny Waffles
I REALLY think Aaliyah is gonna need to hammer into Tabitha just how super ultra absolutely secret the whole Soul Devourer skill is, and the fact that letting ANYONE know about that shit is not anywhere close to a good idea. Specifically she should really mention the whole "If used on an actual living person that turns it into an ironclad path to becoming a horrifying monster that lacks any true humanity and is 150% one of the worst fates possible" bit, and the fact that if it weren't for the immense control Aaliyah exerts over herself when using Soul Devourer to absorb ambient/extra xp she would very quickly give into the temptation and accidently kill someone or something in a way that she can't ever come back from. Because unless Tabitha CLEARLY understands the ramifications of abusing that shit or trying to take advantage of it in a way that Aaliyah hasn't completely vetted as safe then some very stupidly powerful people are gonna try and use her as a weapon of war/elite building and end up turning her into an actual monster, or she is gonna get assassinated REAL friggin quick.
Derek Walker
I was wondering about this. The soul tentacles she could make, if not from soul devourer, then at least soul manipulation (at least when it gets leveled enough) should be an almost impossible-to-block attack. Even if it just stuns the person like Pacore felt the first time he met a soul mage, thats all you need.
MikeL
I’m guessing she will help Tabitha also get Soul Manipulation. Which one Sense or Manip. Allows her to break contracts and reorganize her skills.
DANTE
"I had other tier 5 and 6 skills, but other than Soul Devourer, which I couldn't use as a means of attack unless it was against very specific enemies" she was using it on Tabita just before passing out, and she barely practiced the skill at all. Imo it can become pretty powerful offensively at close range
Derek Walker
Again impossible to know but it feels like if the free experience from a level 70 bird is already 250k, then a condensed form of exp in the form of a soul horror, which comes from a minimum level of 140, should be many many times more than that.
Penguin Glutton
Love this chap and her reaction cant wait to see how many levels Aaliyah got
Derek Walker
I would agree that this chapter would be the place for a Tabitha POV, now that she learned a lot about Aaliyah's skills an internal perspective would be great. But if you go that route, at least let us see Aaliyah's status page next chapter lol, the suspense is killing me.
Tenske
Parar aqui, é simplesmente MALDADE
Penguin Glutton
Same I hope they don't lie
Alex C
We don't know if it's a large portion of the soul. It makes sense to me it would just be a remnant and just the fact it's still any portion of a real soul is what makes it dangerous as it can damage your soul. Maybe in an attempt to make itself whole.
Alex C
I think a Tabitha pov would be really good right here. Lol even before posting the status page go in to Tabitha's pov and give some thoughts on her reaction and what she's thinking of aalyiah
Derek Walker
Not gonna lie, but 27 million exp sounds a little underwhelming. Aaliyah said she gave the majority to Tabitha, so if she winds up with about 20 million, that's only about level 89. If she got about 30 million, because of skill leveling, and absorbing a lot before sharing with Tabitha, that gets her to level 94. Which does seem a little better. The main reason I think this feels underwhelming is that a level 140 person (the minimum for a soul horror), means the underlying person has about 250 million exp (for level 140) A level 160 person would have maybe 350 million or more. She skilled about 20 of these (more than a dozen, count the big one for 3), which means there was about 5 billion exp. We don't know how much exp a soul horror itself has, but given she basically absorbed all of it, it seems a little lacking at about 1%, on the conservative side.
Derun
I can't wait to see Pacore's reaction to Tabitha's levels and new skills 😁
Tabletsalt
Clifffffff
Captdeth
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