I awoke to the feeling of someone patting my left cheek. I opened my eyes and saw that it was Sister Waverly.

"Can we talk outside?" she whispered.

I nodded. I stretched my arms up and then used the wall against my back to pull myself up.

The nun walked over to the exit and opened the door quietly. Brilliant rays of sunshine began to flood the floor. She hurried out, and I quickly followed.

Once Waverly quietly closed the door behind her, she led me across a meadow until we were some distance away from the mage tower. The human avatar of Lady Musa turned around and dropped her mortal disguise. "My child, I wish to talk about your preparations for your upcoming visit to your predecessor. I can't stress to you enough how important it is for you to gain the Staff of Merlin. Ever since Merlin founded his kingdom, his staff has become a symbol of authority in the eyes of the clergy. After his disappearance, several powerful individuals sought the support of The Twelve to become the next king. However, the candidates could not produce the staff, and it gave the Church leadership a convenient excuse to decline."

"But Saint John the Kind has said I already have the support of half the voters," I pointed out.

The Goddess smiled. "While this may be true, how do you expect to gain the support of the Regent and the votes that he controls?" she asked me.

"By making nice with his son and brother?" I asked hopefully.

Musa shook her head. "Regent Paget is a proud and stubborn man. Your attempts at currying the favor of his noble family has yielded some fruit. But to convince him to support your candidacy for the crown, you MUST show him the Staff of Merlin. That is the ONLY way to gain his support," she emphasized.

I nodded. "So what kind of a man is Merlin Hubert Jackson?" I asked.

The Goddess smiled at me. "You've met him already." She tilted her head. "Well, online at least," Musa corrected herself.

My brows rose in suspicion. "Online as in the online forums? Back on Earth 1? What is his forum name?" I inquired.

"HiDeHo77,” she revealed.

My jaw dropped at the revelation. I felt my heart beating faster, and anger took hold of me. I took a deep breath and tried my best to relax. Of all the rotten luck! HiDeHo77 was my nemesis and archrival. Like me, he was a power gamer who sought to finish newly released PC games ASAP, used the online forums to post screenshots of the feats, and then brag about it. He was my most hated rival and indeed an arrogant man. The rivalry between us resulted in the online forums dividing into two groups: "Team Mully" and "Team Hideho."

I was utterly aghast at the notion that I had to convince HiDeHo77 to give me his staff to complete my question. I half-expected him to decline purely out of spite for me. I looked at Musa and said, "If you know our personal history, then how can you expect him to give me his staff?" I was genuinely incredulous at this notion.

"Merlin isn't the same man you once knew," the Goddess observed cryptically. Before I could ask her, she shook her head. "I can't say anything more. You will have to ask him yourself," she said mysteriously.

"Alright," I said reluctantly. I realized that the Gamemaster was probably watching us very closely. The Overlord was prepared to punish her severely if she broke his rules, whatever they were. Thus, I did not wish to put my Patron Deity in a tight spot.

Lady Musa smiled as if she had read my last thought. "Before you activate the Ring of Power, I suggest that you spend time with your magic instructor to add more spells to your spellbook. Once you meet your predecessor, I suspect that you may not have time to do so afterward," she counseled.

I bowed deeply.

The Goddess returned to her alternate form, and Sister Waverly reappeared before me. She waved her hand, and the faint bubble surrounding us disappeared with a small "pop" sound. "I'm going back to the convent now. If you need me, please call out my name." The nun kissed me gently on my forehead and then she teleported.

I closed my eyes and activated my Spirit Sense. I discovered that Bjoukia and Bjoukin were a few hundred feet away from me. Even though the two elven siblings could not hear my conversation with Lady Musa, I was sure that they saw her transform back to Sister Waverly.

On the other hand, the Goddess knew of their presence. If she were genuinely concerned about the two, she wouldn't have transformed within their eyesight.

I opened my eyes and waved at the two elves to approach me.

Bjoukia and Bjoukin had sheepish grins on their faces when the two elves stood before me.

"We didn't mean to spy on you," Bjoukia said.

"Sister Waverly's secret is safe with us," Bjoukin added solemnly.

"She trusts you," I said with a nod.

The elven fighter shook her head. "I would never suspect the sister would be the mortal disguise for Lady Musa," she admitted openly.

"That's why Lord Mulligan has six divine marks on his forearms," the ranger reminded his sister. Bjoukin cleared his throat.

I looked at the two siblings. They had been traveling with me for the past several weeks after Kalistra and I met them while we journeyed to Bristol for the Melee Tournament. It was regrettable that our adventures together will be ending now.

Bjoukia saw the uneasiness on my face. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"While I was dead, the Gods gave me a mission. It is something I will undertake alone," I revealed.

"I see," she replied. "So when are you departing from the mage tower?" Bjoukia asked.

"That's hard to say. Lady Musa just advised me to learn more spells from Rijana," I explained.

Bjoukin nodded in agreement. "If your mission isn't time sensitive, then I think you should take as much time as you need to prepare."

"Also, it sounds to me like the Goddess is implying that you may not succeed if you leave now for your mission," the fighter noted with concern.

"Yes," the ranger nodded.

I took a deep breath and recalled the brief conversation I had with Lady Musa. I concluded that the two siblings were probably right in this regard. The Gamemaster's rules prevented the Goddess from ordering me to do certain things. Otherwise, she would be more assertive in telling me to train more. "I will spend time training with Rijana, then," I decided.

Bjoukia suddenly grabbed my left hand. "Let's go back inside! Or else your bodyguards will panic when they see you missing!" She pulled me along as we returned to the mage tower.

To my chagrin, Bjoukia was right because Van was waiting near the door.

"Brother Mulligan, you shouldn't go out by yourself," my bodyguard reminded me. He was visibly upset with me.

Uh-oh! I quickly waved my hand and defended myself. "But I wasn't alone. Bjoukia and Bjoukin were nearby. Besides, it was Sister Waverly who asked to speak with me privately. Because we completed our mission to unlock the Ph'laen Ruins, she teleported back to the convent in London," I replied.

"I see." Van was sad to learn that the beautiful nun had returned home. He felt close to her for some reason.

When we entered the mage tower, we saw that Rijana was busy making breakfast. A big pot was boiling over a magical flame.

Once our host finished cooking, Rijana ladled a bowl of vegetable soup to each guest.

Bila stared at it sadly for a moment and sighed. She took a spoon and started eating.

As we ate, Rijana asked me a question. "What are your plans now, Lord Mulligan?"

I glanced at the two elves and replied. "The Gods have given me a personal mission. But before that, I need to learn more spells from you."

My magic instructor nodded.

"Are we getting dismissed?" Bila asked. Her tail flickered back and forth behind her.

I turned my attention to the cat girl. "You are my follower. I would like you to train at the dojo until I come back for you," I answered. "After completing my solo mission, I still need to go on more adventures to reach Level 17. Then I will present myself to The Twelve and petition for the crown," I announced.

My companions nodded. They all knew that kingship was my ultimate goal. Each person inside the mage tower supported my candidacy and believed that I was qualified to become the next King of Merlin.

Van looked at me. "I will go to Tregome and see if Bishop Canterbury has any tasks for a paladin. Please come for me when you finish your mission," he requested solemnly.

"I will," I promised. I turned toward Rijana. "After breakfast, can you come with us? I don't have any way to magically teleport back to your mage tower," I explained.

My magic instructor nodded in understanding.

"I will cast Recall to bring us to Tregome. Then I will withdraw money from the bank to pay Bila's training fee with the training. I will accompany her to the Village of Kalistro. Finally, we will return to your tower where I will spend some time copying from your spellbook," I continued.

I held out my hands, and my companions immediately formed a circle around me. I chanted the words of the Recall spell: "By the power of the Gods, let us return to your holy sanctuary in Tregome!" A white aura appeared in front of me and began to envelop every member of my circle. *POOF*

We immediately teleported to the Room of Summoning beneath the Church in Tregome.

A chime sounded, and a cleric entered the chamber. According to the caption above his head, the man's name was "Henrake."

I bowed and said, "Greetings, Brother Henrake. This man needs to report to Bishop Canterbury." I pointed at Van. "The rest of us will exit through the Watch HQ."

"Greetings, Brother Henrake. I am Van, a paladin in the service of Lady Musa," he nodded.

Henrake bowed deeply to Van. "I will escort our esteemed brother paladin. Can you find your way out?" he asked me.

"Of course!" I replied.

The cleric walked out of the small chamber. He made a left turn and led Van up the stairs.

The rest of us turned right and walked along the long corridor to reach the staircase. When I arrived at the guard post on the next floor, I showed the two Watchmen my truth stone, and they immediately withdrew their halberds. I nodded to them as I passed through the small room and exited into a long corridor which eventually took my party out of the building.

I turned around and said, "I need to visit the bank first." I activated my Navigation Sense and followed the map to the local branch of the Bank of Britannia. After a short wait on line, I reached the teller window and made a withdrawal of 100 gold coins.

Once we left the bank, I activated my Spirit Sense to check for any evil auras nearby. Thankfully, there were none.

We headed westward until we reached the river. We turned south and walked a few blocks to reach the stone bridge. After a 20-minute walk along the road, we arrived at the Village of Kalistro.

I turned and said, "I need Bila to follow me into the dojo. The rest of you wait here."

My companions nodded.

As I crossed the courtyard, my fellow pupils bowed to me. I nodded back. Before we entered the dojo, I removed my boots. I walked into the training hall and looked around for the Headmaster. I found Kalistra standing on the left side of the room. I carefully navigated my way past the students who were practicing and presented myself to her. "Headmaster," I said politely and bowed deeply to her.

The cat girl looked at me with surprise. "I didn't expect to see you return so soon," she remarked. Her tail swayed from side to side.

"I would like to enroll Bila in the dojo. I will be away on a solo mission. I want her to train at this school in the meantime," I explained.

Kalistra nodded. "Are you prepared to pay me the enrollment fee?" she inquired.

I untied my small money sack and handed it to her. "There are 50 gold coins."

The headmaster accepted my payment and tied the sack to her belt. She turned toward Bila. "You are now enrolled in the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship," Kalistra announced.

"Thank you for accepting me," Bila replied and bowed deeply.

I waved goodbye to the two cat girls and quickly left the dojo. I put on my boots and walked across the courtyard to reach Rijana, Bjoukia, and Bjoukin. I held Rijana's hand.

Rijana activated her magic ring and teleported us back to her mage tower.

Upon our return, I said, "I need to clear up my notifications."

My magic instructor nodded. "I'll be in my workshop whenever you're ready." She walked up the stairs.

The two elves left the mage tower, leaving me alone.

I sat down on a couch and began to go through my in-game messages. For unlocking the last Ph'laen Ruins, I received 1,000 XP. Furthermore, I gained 5,000 XP, 5,000 Reputation, plus another 10,000 XP for completion of the major faction quest. Jasla wasn't kidding when she said the set of Ph'laen Ruin quests would provide me with a tremendous amount of experience points. Finally, I received another 300 XP for using various abilities.

I called up my Player Status screen. A picture of my player avatar was in the left column and right above that read: “Title: Pursuer of the Crown, Title: Spirit Magi, Title: Matter User, Title: Anti-Matter User, Title: Dragonslayer, Title: Finalist in the Melee Tournament, Title: Undead Hunter, Title: Were-Hunter, Title: Avenger of the Town Judge Wachtel; Title: Liege of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Title: Protector of Southampton, Status: Member of the Mage Guild, Status: Journeyman of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Status: Adept of the Church of Britannia, Status: Town Judge of Tregome, Status: Honorary member of the Tregome Bordermen, Status: True Friend of Burnhamm Village.”

The middle column read: "Name: Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, Race: Human, Alignment: Lawful Good, Permanent Conditions: Marked by Bane, Marked by Musa, Marked by Luck, Marked by Gaea, Marked by Jasla, Marked by Leonus; Profession: Mage/Swordsman, Level: 15, Experience: 131,663/120,000, Reputation: 78,402, Attack: 62, Damage: 10-12 (Unarmed), 12-16 (Dagger), 12-22 (Long Sword), Critical Attack: 12%, Critical Damage: 300%."

On the right side of the screen, my player attributes were listed: "Health: 140, Stamina: 88, Magic: 102, Strength: 25, Intelligence: 43, Wisdom: 18 (+1), Dexterity: 20, Constitution: 30, Charisma: 18. Abilities: Navigation-Sense (Level 7), Magic Sense (Level 10/MAX), Immunity to Electricity (Level 2), Immunity to Fear (Level X), Negotiation (Level 5), Spirit Sense (Level 10/MAX), Reroll (Level X)."

At the bottom were six tabs. The first tab was marked, "Skills." When I mentally clicked on the tab, I saw: "Professional Skills: Mage—Read Magic (Level 9); Swordsman—Dual-Weld (Level X), Charge (Level 6), Disarm (Level 4), First Strike (Level 3), Slide Step (Level 4), Duel Winner (Level 2), Sprint (Level 1), One Hundred Butterflies (Level 1)."

The second tab was "Magic Spells: General (Level 8)—Detect Trap, Light, Dispel Magic, Enchant Magic Item, Permanency, Summon Elemental, Anti-Magic Shell; Fire (Level 8)—Fire Bolt, Fireball, Protection from Fire; Water (Level 4)—Acid Arrow, Iceball; Earth (Level 4)—Armor, Web, Earth Spike; Air (Level 6)—Magic Missile, Invisibility, Lightning Bolt, Recall; Light (Level 3)—Protection from Undead; Dark (Level 4)—Dark Vision, Darkness."

The third tab was: "Divine Spells: Order—Unveil (Level X), Call of the Wild (Level X), Chaos—Veil (Level X), Charm Opposite Sex (Level X); Life—Minor Heal (Level X)."

The fourth tab was "Artifacts," and it revealed: "Truth-Stone of Order and Chaos—Truth-Telling (Level X); Copper Ring of Wisdom +1."

The fifth tab was "Followers," and it listed: "Bila, Journeyman Swordswoman."

The final tab was "Leylines," and it listed: "Divine Forest of Gaea (Earth); Hleandro's Lair (Fire); Southampton Water (Water); Southampton Harbor (Wind); Primrose Hill (Wind)."

I was pleasantly surprised that I had 131,000 XP already! I had enough experience to advance to Level 16. More importantly, I was within reach of the 136,000 XP needed to advance to Level 17 and unlock access to Ninth-Tier magic!

Also, I noticed that in the Divine Spells tab, I received something named, "Call of the Wild." This ability was granted by Leonus, who was the Patron Deity of the beastkin. I had no idea what it does, though.

I decided to delay advancing my character level until I fail to copy a spell into my spellbook. I took my spellbook out of my special leather pouch and began to skim through it. I had a total of 22 magic spells. I also had 8 swords skills and 5 divine abilities. I had used a combined total of 35 slots, out of 43 available; my Intelligence score was 43, and I received one slot per point of Intelligence. I had 8 slots remaining, and I needed to save at least one to learn Gate. I needed to learn Fly from Rijana. I was also interested in learning Flaming Sphere, but it was a very low-level spell, and I was hesitant to spend a precious slot on it.

However, I will gain another 5 attribute points when I advance to Level 16, and I could spend them on Intelligence to increase my slots. Unable to make a decision, I climbed up the stairs to find Rijana in her workshop.

After walking up two flights of stairs, I took a moment to catch my breath. Evidentally, I was breathing too loud because the enchanter stuck her head out of her workshop.

"Ah, you're here!" Rijana exclaimed. She waved a hand at me. "Please come into my workshop," she invited.

I entered, and she pointed at a chair for me to sit near the door. There was a small reading desk to my right.

Rijana pulled out her spellbook and handed it to me. "What do you plan to copy?" she asked.

"I'm committed to Fly. I'm tentative on Flaming Sphere. I want to save a few slots. What do you suggest?" I asked.

My magic instructor nodded in sympathy. The more a mage advanced in her profession, the more difficult the decision on what spells to learn. She looked at me for a moment. "Since you have learned to enchant, I would recommend the Fourth-Tier General spell, 'Enhance Minor Attribute.' It raises a chosen attribute by 1 to 3 points. As a minor enchantment, it is used by Enchanters to practice their craft," she explained.

"Okay, I will copy that spell," I agree. I flipped Rijana's spellbook over until I found Enhance Minor Attribute. I took out my writing utensils and my spellbook, and I started copying. Two hours later, I heard dice rolling inside my mind. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. +100 XP. General spell LEARNED: Enhance Minor Attribute. +100 XP."

I took a deep breath and then turned the pages of my teacher's spellbook until I found Fly. I started copying the spell. After an hour and a half passed by, I made another check. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. +75 XP. Spell of Air LEARNED: Fly. +75 XP."

I closed both spellbooks and then closed my eyes to take a break. I meditated for a few minutes and then resumed my studies. I turned the pages until I found Flaming Sphere in my teacher's spellbook. I opened my spellbook to a fresh new page and started copying. An hour later, I made a check on my progress. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. +50 XP. Spell of Fire LEARNED: Flaming Sphere. +50 XP."

I wanted to learn one more spell. I looked across the room and saw that Rijana was working. I waited in silence until she finished a half hour later. I asked her, "What's your most powerful offensive magic?"

Rijana tilted her head. "Acid Storm," she replied. "It is the water variation of your Firestorm. I seem to visit a lot of forests with my two companions. Fire spells are a huge no-no. Acid Storm is a nice area-of-effect spell that you can customize. And very few monsters have immunity against acid," she explained.

I nodded and quickly searched her spellbook for the spell. Once I found it, I started copying Acid Storm. Two hours later, I heard dice rolling inside my head. "Read magic SUCCESSFUL. +100 XP. Spell of Water LEARNED: Acid Storm. +100 XP."

I closed both spellbooks again. I was mentally exhausted. I lowered my head on the reading desk and immediately fell asleep.