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As Frank and Matsuo were finally given some time to breathe, Frank glanced at the various System Messages he had been ignoring. ​​

Ding!

[The Levels of the [Thought Acceleration: Level 3], [Prediction: Level 3], [Arithmetic Processing: Level 3], [Parallel Thinking: Level 2], [Concentration: Level 2], [Body Aura: Level 3], [Bronze Skin: Level 3], [Detection: Level 3], [Inspect: Level 2], [Gust: Level 3], [Sonar Wave: Level 2], [Botany: Level 1], [Druid: Level 1], [Stealth: Level 1], [Camouflage: Level 1], [Silence: Level 1], and [Spider Thread: Level 1] Skills have increased!]

"These Skills leveled up due to gaining proficiency in the fight against the Oni, most likely… The amount of thinking that I was doing while analyzing the scenario and planning things out took a lot of brainpower, giving me enough proficiency for these Skills to level up again… I guess I used the others too in the fight, adding them into my threads through its connection with my body… Ah, I also used Gust to move the threads around in the air, although I still need to get better at it," thought Frank, finding the reason behind his Skills leveling up.

Ding!

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[Survive Against the Mysterious Oni!] (Quest) Completed!

Congratulations! You actually survived against an overwhelmingly strong enemy alongside your friend!

The odds were completely against your favor, yet you somehow managed to win by using everything you had alongside your companion abilities!

How do you feel about it?

Was a life-threatening experience good enough for your growth as a person?

Or were you traumatized by it?

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[You acquired the Quest Rewards: A Generous Amount of EXP, 200 APP Points, [Rainbow Commemorative Reward Package (C)]

"This quest popped up in the middle of the fight against the Oni, so of course I couldn't see it completely, I was rather busy… The rewards are very nice, 200 APP Points is… Good? I don't exactly know what a 'large amount' is. Especially because I cannot even access the Shop yet…" thought Frank.

Frank and Matsuo were currently at the Clan's Task Hall, which also served as a bar of sorts, where people could come to relax after an arduous task, Frank, and Matsuo was having some delicious Japanese Food after having completed the task by notifying Hinata personally.

Frank had already received the 15.000 Contribution Points of the task and also the Exorcism Spell Book, which he immediately learned, acquiring the [Exorcism] Skill. A Skill that worked similar to enchantment to an attacking spell by itself.

By using this Skill, Frank was able to make any of his attacks have the effect of dealing an extra amount of damage towards any certain types of creatures. This included beings such as Undead as Ghosts, Zombies, Skeletons, alongside Evil Spirits such as Youkai.

[Exorcism: Level 1/10]

The Ability that any Monk possesses, which gives them an advantage when fighting against Undead-type and Evil Spirit-type Beings.

This Skill can be used to permeate the user's spells, weapons, or body, giving any attack used with them an extra amount of damage against these types of foes.

At higher levels, a certain amount of Defense and Resistance can be ignored when attacking these types of foes.

"This is a nice Skill…" said Frank as he rested his head on his arm while slowly eating sushi.

"Exorcism is a very important Spell for all Monks, especially us who often fight against Youkai and Oni… and well, against other beings such as Vampires in the past," said Matsuo.

"But I remember that you never used this Spell against the Oni… why was it?" asked Frank while sipping green tea.

"Ah, that's because I have a stronger version of that Spell, which is named Demon Purge," said Matsuo with a smug.

"Demon Purge… I remember that you used it at the final moment, were you saving it for that moment?" asked Frank.

"Indeed, Frank. Demon Purge is around the fourth stage of Exorcism. Whenever you master the Spell… or well, the Skill, new Spells can be acquired, such as Demon Bane, Undead Bane, and Evil Spirit Bane, and you can develop them and learn their advanced forms, until reaching something like my Demon Purge. Thing is, as you begin to master these Spells, they become more and more specialized, not leaving you with the chance to cover everything without having to learn the specific spell. After all, Exorcism covers all of them because it is a rather weak Spell, but as you advance in the path of this Spell, the new spells will specialize only in one side of what Exorcism can cover as a whole… Hm, is my explanation okay?" asked Matsuo.

"Yeah, I understood everything. So it means that if I reach Exorcism Level 10, I will be able to learn specialized spells such as Demon Bane and the like?" asked Frank.

"Yep, that is how it is most of the time. Novice Spells can cover a lot but are weak. If you want to grow strong as a mage, you have to walk through the path of specialization… Ah well, this might not apply to you because of your outstanding Ability. I believe that you will one day become a Jack of All Trades and a Master of All…" said Matsuo.

"Really? Man, you have too much hope for me. I am a mere wimp… Compared to the monstrosities around here… It will take me ages to catch up," said Frank.

"Not as much as you might believe… Your growth is outstanding. You have achieved what took me three years already," said Matsuo.

"Eh? Really?" asked Frank.

"Yup… I am a bit envious, to say the least…" said Matsuo with a bitter smile.

"Don't be, you're very strong on your own, Matsuo. You're even respected and trusted by people such as the Elders, everyone in the Clan knows you too, and your father is most likely even stronger than you…" said Frank.

"Ah, is that so? Then I guess I am pretty awesome! Hehe!" laughed Matsuo as he was praised by Frank over and over again.

"Don't let it get into your head…" said Frank.

"Ah! Sure, sure… Now, let's finish this and let's go to the Library! Man, I can't wait! I will pick up that Spell I've always wanted ahead of time!" said Matsuo.

"Ahead of time? Which one?" asked Frank.

"Fufu… A very amazing one! You will see! After I get it, I won't be as weak in close combat!" said Matsuo with an excited smile.

"Hm, I still can't decide what to get myself…" said Frank.

"You're capable of learning pretty much everything incredibly fast. It would be nice if you could get some kind of Spell or Technique that could help you train all those Skills," said Matsuo.

"Train them…?" asked Frank.

"Yeah, your Ability is all about training, right? About leveling up and all, something that could help you in multitasking and doing repetitive work… Well, it's all up to you, I don't want to influence you into such a decision, pick whatever you want, just make sure to not regret it later," said Matsuo.

"I see what you mean… And sure, I will not simply obey you. I will just inspect every single Spell and Technique before I make my decision," said Frank.

"Well, it is not like we are actually getting to pick from every single Spell or Technique Book or Scroll though Frank," said Matsuo.

"We aren't? But the Elder said that for the Library that only the A-Rank Clan Members can enter, right?" asked Frank.

"Yeah, but there are many other Libraries than that one! Not every Book will be there, there are many others in the Libraries for lower Ranks. And also, for higher Ranks. Oh, and the Elder meant the Library for A-Rank Number 1, there are a total of three, so we are not getting the full package," said Matsuo.

"O-Oh…" said Frank.

"What? Did you really think that the Elder would let you pick from within the most overpowered Spells and Techniques that our Clan has been saving for generations? With your abilities, I believe you could even learn them, but because you would not be able to control their power properly, whenever you activate one, you would most likely end killing yourself in the process…" said Matsuo.

"Really? I suppose I should have thought things through… It really would not have been a good idea to give us such power without caring. They are the Elders of the Clan after all…" said Frank.

"Yup. Also, because we are getting 100.000 Contribution Points, you can pick up a ton of Skills from The Trinket Shop, so you can still get a ton of things from there. I recommend you pick up some variety and not lock yourself in the spells you can use now. You have to put your ability to its limits. It would be useful if you could grab some magic from other elements," said Matsuo.

"Oh yeah, I was thinking about that, I wonder if there is some kind of magic that can grow with me, so I don't have to buy spells all the time…" said Frank.

"Hm, there are some Spells that can let you communicate with Spirits of the Attributes and the sort. If you develop pacts with Elemental Spirits, you can grow with them… Similar to your two tamed pets. Talking about them, I wonder if they can learn Skills like you? If they can, make sure to pick some Skills for them as well," said Matsuo.

"Sure thing, I guess I should try teaching them Skills if I can," said Frank, finishing off his plate of sushi and then sipping the last drop of green tea.

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