Now that Serah knew that Nickie had the talent for healing, it was necessary for them to make the trip to Redriver city. As Serah had come to learn, the people of this world didn't rely solely on skill points to gain their abilities. They were mostly treated as a bonus, on top of what they put their efforts into, and the skill lists were treated as an indication of talent, as it provided a general guideline of what would be easier for them to learn.

Serah was especially shocked that people didn't simply put points into Mana Container to increase their mana capacity. No, most people’s ability to contain mana had been gained with long and bitter training. To achieve what Serah had gained with skill points, others had to carefully learn Mana Control, going through the mistakes that came with learning the skill, before gaining enough mastery to start the process for expanding their Mana Container, and for Serah’s level, it requires an almost surgical level of control.

But Serah had to admit, that in comparison to other mages of her level, her Mana Control couldn’t compare with what they earned through their efforts. She could put more points into Mana Control, but she no longer had the will to. As she saw it, it would be a waste of points and she was never one to shy away from hard work.

So throughout the year, Serah had also began the process of gaining further mastery in her mana control. In the end, she could only let out a sigh at her efforts; after the year, Serah felt like she only gained the mastery equivalent to one skill point. But she would not be deterred. Nothing was ever gained by being idle; no, to reach for one’s dreams, one must at least walk forward.

And in that way, Serah, herself felt she needed to enroll in the College of Mages. There was much to learn there, and Serah’s ambition continued to burn strong.

…

…

Serah walks forward, lost in thought, as she follows a carriage, while Nickie trails slightly behind, watching the scenery.

Hmm, what should I do, what should I do… Serah thinks as she ponders her options. She had leveled up to level 12 during the past year, just by casually taking jobs from the Adventurers Guild, and that added up to 16 skill points for her. She had never bothered to use them as, at the time, she felt that she had the necessary skill to handle the jobs she was choosing, and she never aimed for anything tougher because she wasn’t in the mood for a big struggle. No, at the time, she was focused on her business.

But now that she was back on the road, she felt it might be necessary to pick something out. The bandits on their road tended to be much tougher than the targets she picked out with the adventurer jobs.

Eventually, Serah lets out a sigh. I’ll just let it go for now. In the future, if there’s ever a skill I’m in dire need of, at least I’ll have the points for it. She thinks, content to let the matter go. Besides, skill points weren’t the only thing gained from leveling up. Serah didn’t notice it when she first started, but she had slowly grew to realize it after she became settled in this world; although there were no stat points that you could put into Endurance or Strength, a person’s body would become refreshed with each level up, and without realizing it, people become stronger and faster.

For some people, the increases are rather small, and for others, the increases were noticeably different. There were many theories for why it happened one way or another, but no one could ever be sure of it, unless they asked whoever set up this system in the first place.

Serah was of the opinion that the strength of the body matched the stress of the mind. She thought this way for one reason; after her first struggle against the two hunters in the forest, she became much stronger, physically, after her level-ups. She didn’t notice at the time because her mind was preoccupied with other things, but her physical ability had greatly increased. Before being transported to this world, there was no way she would think that she could walk through a whole forest in a couple days, let alone while fighting animals as she carried a sword and shield. But she did it, and it wasn’t even that hard.

As for the level-ups after that occasion, her physical ability improved, but not to the extent as her first series of level ups.

So, like any good kitty, curious about the world, she intended to explore the idea. Unfortunately for Nickie and Serah’s faithful cat, this meant that Serah was eager to do something dangerous, and, likely painful as well.