“What kind of skill are you after?” the Liberian asks, pressing his hand against a door. He holds his hand there until an audible click sounds out. Once he hears the click, he pushes the door open and gestures for me to follow him in.

“Spear skills," I reply, taking a look around the room. The door led us into a rather plain room with a few couches and three more doors.

“What do you mean?” the man squints at me, trying to decipher my meaning

“You know? Like, I need to get better with the spear if I’m going to survive the Dungeon and level up?” I say, stifling the irritable feeling welling up inside of me from having to explain myself. Admitting weakness might have something to do with it.

“Oh… I think there has been a misunderstanding,” he frowns. “Let me explain. There are three types of skill books. The first gives you the knowledge of a skill. Like… Like a parry and counterstrike with a sword.”

The Librarian waves his hands around when he says this as if mimicking the motion.

“This implants the basics of the skill in your mind, but doesn’t give you the ability to do it,” he pants, his large belly straining against the buttons of his shirt after that short burst of exercise. “The second kind gives you the skill, but you have to pump Source into it to make it work. Like, every time you use the skill you have to activate it with Source. A lot of people go for that one, but I personally think it’s better to learn and understand the skill yourself, you know?”

“What about the third kind?” I prompt.

“Those are the Arts! The Arts are amazing. They are like the first two combined. For an initial payment of Source, the Art is branded into your mind and body. You become an immediate expert in the Art on the road to becoming a Master!” His eyes shine bright with passion.

“I’m looking for an Art then,” I can feel my eyes shine as well, but with greed instead of passion. With all my Source sources… heh. Source sources. I’m gonna tell Quinn that one.

Anyway, with all my Source income from my Blood, Core, and passive recovery, paying upfront to become an expert is no issue. Hell, paying per skill usage might not be too bad either. I’m a bit iffy about the whole using Source for a skill every time I want to use it though. Honey had a point when she asked what I’m going to do if I ever run out of Source.

“About that,” the Libriarian inturrupts my train of thought. “Those are restricted for VIP Guild members. I’m sorry, but you aren’t on the list.”

“….”

Got my hopes up for nothing. Dammit.

“Show me the knowledge skills,” my eyes downcast I give into my fate. I'll learn the basics first. I don't love the idea, but it makes sense.

“Right through this door,” he ushers me through the door on the left, into a cozy room full of books. A waist high pedestal dominates the center of the floor. “When you find the books you want, place them on the pedestal with the required amount of gold. One hand on the books and the other on the gold. All you have to do then is cycle your Source through. Good luck!”

The door slams behind me, leaving me alone in the room.

Above the book cases are large signs indicating what kind of books lurk beneath. The four main signs I see are Attack, Defense, Movement, and Auxiliary. I make a bee-line straight for Attack. All the categories seem like they would have something to add to my cause, but I wanna see what kind of attacks there are! Maybe some sort of Ultimate Attack! That would cool.

The Attack category is broken into sections, mainly by weapon type. The majority of the shelves are covered in skill books involving swords, the other weapons taking up smaller amounts of shelf space. In a tiny section on the bottom shelf, I manage to find polearms. Compared to the dozens of books on sword skills, my selection is quite small, especially once I narrow my search down to one-handed polearm skills. There are really just five and those five are as plain as they come. Thrust, swipe, pierce, smash, and feint. So much for an Ultimate Attack.

Groaning under my breath I snag the books labelled Smash and Feint. The back of the books are blank except for a single sentence. I take a look and that sentence is the same for each book, except for one word.

The back of the book labelled Smash reads, ‘This book contains knowledge on the polearm skill Smash.’ The other book is the same except is says 'Feint.'

The pages inside the book are packed with sharp angled runes arranged in strange patterns. I try to decipher the patterns but a piercing headache attacks my brain after a few short moments. I tear my eyes away from the pages and gingerly nurse my pounding head. The headache is right behind my eyes. It hurts. Like a persistent pain that just wont go away. Ugh.

You win this round strange, wordless book. You win this round.

I can create fire so you’d better watch your fucking back.

In the Defense section there is large section of shield skills to choose from, unlike the limited polearm skills. My eyes are draw to three in particular. The Unyielding Wall, Drop in the Ocean, and Blunt Trauma. I can sort of guess what the names mean, but the description on the back is the same generic shit as the polearm skills.

The Unyielding Wall seems pretty straightforward. Using shields to block any and all incoming attacks. Blunt Trauma is probably something along the lines of using shield attacks to defend. I kind of like the idea of that. It would be like when I made an ice-shield with a sharp edge. Dual wielding feels free and powerful. I can see why Honey does it.

This ‘Drop in the Ocean’ is very vague and apoetic. A drop of water in the Ocean amounts to nothing, so it’s a shield skill that makes attacks amount to nothing? What makes this skill stand out more is that it’s not only under shields. Almost all the other sections in the Defense category have a copy of this book, with a slightly different sentence on the back. I checked.

My working theory is that it is a multi-disciplinary defense tactic that can be widely applied. If thats true, then it would be a very versatile skill to have.

Hmmm....

I want to get a Movement skill and Auxiliary skill as well so I’m not going to spend too much on Defense. I already have two new attack skills so I don’t need Blunt Trauma. That leaves me with Unyielding Wall and Drop in the Ocean.

Unyielding Wall sounds cool, but it also sounds a lot like standing there and blocking attacks. What happens if I have to fight someone who is really big and strong? A strong enough blow could shatter my arm through the shield’s defense. So, by that logic, Unyielding Wall is a no go.

Defense skill Drop in the Ocean it is.

Movement skills next!

Oh god. Here I was, blissfully ignorant in thinking the names of the Defense skills were as cryptic as it gets. What is this bullshit? ‘Light Step of the Northern Tiger’? ‘Laughing Monkey’s Tail’? ‘Dancing Turtle’?

That’s just stupid. I’m so mad right now.

Someday, after I kill the Guildmaster, when I’m rich and powerful, I’m going to hire someone to write detailed descriptions for each of these skills. Its fucking ridiculous. How the hell am I supposed to know what will work for me?

Fuck it. I’ll pick one at random. Close my eyes and…. This one! I open my eyes and bask in the inane title of the book I chose.

‘Secrets of the Lightfooted Heretic.’

Fine. This is what we’re doing today. We’re doing stupid shit and pretending to be fine with it.

Auxiliary skills… Same weird names… Random shit like ‘Stone Heart’ and ‘Butterfly Fingers.’ You know what? I don’t need an Auxiliary skill. I think this is good for me today. I can always come back if I change my mind. I don’t want to deal with this shit right now.

Okay, I’ve got Smash, Feint, Drop in the Ocean, and Secrets of the Lightfooted Heretic. So, four gold plus the ten I am down from earlier, puts me at 25 minus 14. That’s… 11 gold left. Stuff around here is expensive. At this rate I’m never going to get out of debt.

Hell, I can’t even pay the Guild its' half of my earnings.

I take a deep breathe and consider my options.

I guess I could put one back?

"No," I tell myself outloud, earning some weird looks from my familiars. "Once I kill the Guildmaster none of the debt will mean anything. Heh. It would be pretty ironic if I racked up a bunch of debt growing strong enough to kill him."

I feel a broad grin grow on my face after my joke. It WOULD be ironic.

‘Your sense of humor is lacking even the smallest quota of humor,’ Mr. Narrator’s voice breaks through my mental defense. I can’t say I appreciate the condescending tone very much.

“Wow. And to think I was planning on doing something nice for you,” I say, comfortable speaking out loud because I’m alone. Well, other than Kandra and Nevasca who’re just standing around. It doesn’t matter if they think I’m crazy though. Whats a few more weird looks?

‘What could you possibly do for me?’ Mr. Narrator’s grand voice doesn’t do much to hide his irritation. I can understand to an extent. I mean, the only person he has to talk to has been ignoring him for weeks on end.

“If I tell you, do you promise to not talk until after I do the thing for you?” I ask, trying to sweeten the deal for myself. It is insanely annoying how much he talks, even with my successful tuning out technique.

‘Fine. Have it your way. All this time I could’ve been helping you, but you ignore me instead. I don’t know why I’m even trying anymore,’ the way he says it makes me think of a man I saw talking to a wall. The man shouted and screamed, desperate to be heard and understood, but no matter what he says it provoked no reaction. My personal version of the Unyielding Wall technique.

“I was going to have Kandra make you a body,” I point to the bird-shaped Slime Queen. “You know, so you can talk out loud instead of in my head.”

Kandra is giving me some more strange looks, which is confusing. I gather she is a native of this world and not an Awakened. However, she should’ve had enough interaction with Awakened to now they all come equipped with a Narrator, right?

I wait for Mr. Narrator’s response for several minutes. When it seems like none is forthcoming I chalk it up to three possibilities. He is so mad at me he decided to ignore me; he is busy considering the offer; and/or the deal is so good he shut up immediately in case I go back on the offer.

It doesn’t matter, really. I’m going to remove him from my head regardless of what he thinks. Besides, a little peace and quiet is a welcome change.

Turning back to the task at hand, I place the small pile of coins on the pedestal along with my chosen books. I take a moment to breathe in and out, mentally preparing myself. I don’t know what's about to happen, but the phrase ‘implant directly into your mind’ makes me think it might hurt a little.

Not letting myself dwell on it much longer, I place my hands on the books and coins. I cycle my Source down my left arm into the books, through the altar, and up through the coins into my right arm. I keep cycling, waiting for something to happen. Before I know it, something does.

I’m on a battlefield, dressed in cloth robes, holding a staff in both of my hands. Three enemies rush me. I can feel the killing intent emanating off of them like heat waves from a stove on a cold day. Without thinking I parry the fastest one’s attack. He goes stumbling off to the side, prime for being finished off. Unfortunately, I have more pressing concerns.

The second enemy is right behind him, but a twirl of my staff sends his weapon flying. He chases after his weapon, momentarily removing him as a threat. With one hand I bring the staff in an overhead arc on to the head of final charging enemy. Starting from my calves I can feel Source flowing through me like a wave. It travels through my legs and into my core, gaining momentum. At the peak of my swing it flows from my hand into the staff. As the staff connects with the man’s head, the Source burst forth, turning his head into a cloud of red mist. The great force of the blow drives him halfway into the ground, like a nail.

The scenery shifts.

I’m in a desert, dressed in flowing silks. A polearm with a strange hook at the end feels smooth and familiar in my hands. Two figures clad in black emerge from the shadows to face me. In their hands they hold matching daggers. The four blades come at me in a flurry of motion. I duck and sway, avoiding even the slightest scratch. My instincts tell me that the blades are poisoned. Otherwise they wouldn’t dare to challenge me.

I retreat several steps and take a stance. My left hand is held out in front of me, two fingers in the air. My right hand grips my polearm, which is sandwiched between my ribs and forearm. My right leg is positioned forward, my body turned to provide a smaller target. The assassins approach me slowly, spreading out to attack from different angles.

Again, Source flows inside of me. However, this flow is not a wave in the ocean, but a series of crashing waves against the shore. The waves come faster and faster, building in my right arm. With a burst of energy, my arm surges forth.

After images of my strikes appear in mid-air. Each strike has a purpose. They are meant to draw the eyes and distract the senses. The flurry continues. One particular thrust causes an assassin to bring his daggers up to block. My polearm’s path of assault flickers slightly, but continues forward. With a violent motion I disembowel the black clad figure, punishing them for their fatal mistake.

The scenery shifts.

Clad in metal plate armor, I stand in an arena. I heft my shield in my hand as a knight wielding a lance on horseback bears down on me. My weapon is gone. Either lost or broken. All I have left is my trusty shield.

Each of the knight’s blows is filled with unnatural power. Source bursts from every attack as he charges again and again. I rise to meet each blow with my shield.

With the use of angles, I deflect the blows with minimal effort. Again and again I face the charges. Again and again the blows glance off my shield.

With a roar of anger, the knight throws the lance to the ground and pulls a massive warhammer from where it was attached to the horse’s saddle. The knight winds up for a charge, aiming to crush me and my shield with the force behind the attack.

I square up against the charge. My armor weighs me down too much to dodge the swing. I’m able to sidestep the horse, but the hammer is too much, unlike the straight attack of the lance. If I tried to roll out of the way the horse would trample me before I could get up again. My only hope is to continue blocking.

The hammer descends, the weight of the horse and hammer add to the force behind the blow. I catch the hammer squarely with my shield. Source bursts from the hammer head, adding a tremendous might to the blow.

My mind is calm. My muscles relax. The force behind the blow converts to energy in my mind. I allow the energy to pass through me and back out into the world. The air around me shimmers at the sudden release of energy. The warhammer drops to the ground, wrenched from the knight's hand by my lack of movement. I bend over to pick it up. Adjusting my undamaged shield in my hand, I get ready to fight evenly against my foe.

The scenery shifts.

An angry mob of hundreds descend. I hold my great belly and laugh at the ants who wish to harm me. I am unarmed and unarmored for I need no worldly items to protect me. The horde attacks me, but it is futile.

A great energy has been pressuring me every day and night. Since before my birth it has been weighing me down. I do not like to be weighed down. I tap into the energy. I release its hold on me and use it to fuel my movements. With light steps I dance through the mob. I stand on the blades of outstretched swords and ride the path of arrows. A fireball bursts near me, but the concussive force does me no harm. It merely propels me forward.

My rolls of fat shake as cackle madly. I gather the energy to me, intent on using it to flatten my enemies.

The scenery shifts.

Nevasca is licking my face, whining at my lack of response. Kandra peers over her shoulder to see what's happening. I feel… I feel empty. Empty but full in a way?

Basic knowledge of the following skills has been uploaded to your mind:

One-handed Polearm Skill Feint

One-handed Polearm Skill Smash

Shield Skill Drop in the Ocean

Movement Skill Secrets of the Lightfooted Heretic

Warning: Knowledge does not equate ability. Please proceed with caution.