Adamantium is significantly stronger than mithril, and is far superior when it comes to resisting magical attacks. Unfortunately, this also makes it much more difficult to enchant. An alloy consisting of the two metals is generally viewed as a waste, as it eliminates each metal's specialty. The result would possess great durability but sacrifices the convenience and lightness of mithril armor. The only way to enchant adamantium without any drawbacks is with condensed mana crystals. These deposits are rare, and can only be found in the Silver Mountains. Adventurers die in their efforts to obtain these crystals, as the Silver Giant and hostile tribes roam the area.

~ ‘Dwarven Metals 101’ by Buffy Potluck

“This is bullshit!” Chester raged. His eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The Illusionist class is widely considered as a dead-end. Previous users have displayed poor offensive and defensive capabilities. Unlike other mage-type classes, their spells lack the power that other elements do. The Illusionist is limited to deceiving sights and smells, and adventurers with a keen mana sense can often differentiate between illusions and reality with ease. None have been recorded to have reached the second level milestone to provide any further info on what the Illusionist class could branch off into. In terms of versatility and utility, the class is above-average, but many of the class-exclusive skills have weaker variations that serve the same purpose; possible to learn without having to become an Illusionist.

Damien peered over his shoulder, reading the text. “Well, in all honesty, it’s true. Without your class, you’re ridiculously strong. You didn’t even use it when you beat me, remember?”

“This can’t be right!” He insisted. “My class is Unique! That means it's good!”

“No, that’s not how it works.” Damien shook his head. “Unique classes aren’t inherently stronger or better; they actually reduce the experience you get from killing enemies, in exchange for allowing you to gain them through other actions, like using illusions. Even Blacksmiths are a unique class. But that doesn’t mean they’re strong. They just get experience from killing monsters and making equipment. Rare and Normal classes are the two types that gain experience exclusively through killing.”

Chester clutched his head in his hands; he hadn’t known this information when he reached level 20. He had passed up on many cool-sounding classes like Forest Guardian, Sage, Druid, and even Necromancer; all because he had believed that the ‘rare’ classes were inferior to the Illusionist.

The vampire continued his lecture, recalling his father’s teachings. “Rare classes are responsible for producing the strongest and most-optimized classes for combat. Seriously, did you grow up under a rock or something?”

The man was in a foul mood, and grabbed the boy by his chainmail shirt. “Shut it! I basically did! Ugh, fuck…Is there any way to back out?”

“Not as far as I recall. Let go of me.”

Chester put the book away, cruising through the third floor of the Tower, which functioned as a library of sorts; except almost every book inside was related to the arcane arts. Dozens of people milled about, mostly wizards, and talked amongst each other about mundane topics Chester couldn’t care about. The center of the floor had a massive, spiral stairway that led to above and below.

The Tower of Magic was open to the general public from up to the tenth floor only; higher floors were restricted to members of the tower.

Damien took a look at the book he had put away, deciding that it would be prudent to start learning more about classes. He opened his status menu.

DAMIEN ROSE

PERKS:

Creature of the Night - Increased movement speed, HP/MP regeneration by 15% during nighttime. These are subsequently reduced by 10% during the daytime. Light magic deals 15% increased damage.

Genius II - Master 10 skills before the first level milestone. Skill proficiency will level up at a moderately increased rate.

Darkness Infused - Master 5 dark-element spells. 20% increased proficiency towards all dark-element spells.

True Vampiric Origins - HP/MP regen is doubled. Ingesting blood allows for HP regen. Going for extended periods of time without blood will result in reduced sanity and increased bloodthirst.

Level: 15

Race: Vampire (True Origin)

Class: N/A

HP: 374/374 (3.5 HP regen/min)

MP: 737/737 (7 MP regen/min)

PRIMARY

STR- 31

AGI- 56 (61)

END- 34

INT- 62 (67)

SPECIAL

CHA- 31

LUC- 13

Skills:

ACTIVE

Darkfyre Level 5 MAX

Shadowshield Level 5 MAX

Shadow Bolt Level 5 MAX

Darkness Infusion Level 5 MAX

Mana Infusion Level 5 MAX

PASSIVE

Sword Mastery Level 5 MAX

Spear Mastery Level 5 MAX

Halberd Mastery Level 5 MAX

Dagger Mastery Level 5 MAX

Mana Mastery Level 5 MAX

Darkness Mastery Level 5 MAX

‘Soon, I’ll have to choose my next class. Perhaps mage? If I recall, Father’s the only one who chose it. Everyone in our family had been a warrior or some sort of melee type.’’

While the vampire wondered about the path he would take, Chester searched the shelves categorized in alphabetical order for anything he could use. He wasn’t interested in snobby scholars looking down on his class. He wanted practical knowledge! It was too late to change his choice, and he decided to get the most out of it.

“Aha!” With triumph in his voice, he spotted a book dedicated to illusions. He grabbed the purple leather bound novel, titled School of Illusion by Hugo Vanes.

The first section dedicated itself to simple spells, such as manually creating and shaping mana into basic mirages, which would grant the reader Illusion Mastery. As he skimmed through the book, he remembered the tips they had when it came to producing realistic illusions and how to bring them to life.

“Minor Illusion,” He whispered to himself. Chester’s imaginations turned to reality, as a simple, white cube appeared in front of him. It floated in the air, still as death. Upon a mental command, it turned into a spike and moved towards his foot at great speeds.

When it collided the construct dispersed and faded. He never experimented with Minor Illusion, finding it took some time to even think about what he wanted to conjure. The process was slow, but similar to shaping mana. It was less intensive in terms of consumption because it was incorporeal, and a hollow design.

‘I need to figure out some good illusions to conjure with this. If I level it up, I could see its uses.’

Many of the spells listed in the book were similar to his own, except they possessed some sort of drawback or greater mana consumption. His class-exclusive skills were undeniably superior compared to the ones listed. One spell in particular, Hypnotic Pattern, interested him greatly.

It required a target to perform on, so Chester decided to get to work; he followed the steps directed in the book, and inflicted the spell on himself.

In an instant, his vision was obscured with twisting patterns and colors. Everything in his vision, including the book, looked as though its original colors were replaced with some sort of moving, hypnotic illusion. His perception of everything made him queasy, and stumble forward.

“Hey!”

A sharp tap on his shoulder forced him to dispel the illusion, and saw an old mage wearing glasses glaring at him.

The man’s aged finger pointed at a sign by the stairway, which forbade any instances of magic being used in the library.

“Ah, sorry ‘bout that.” He bowed his head, and the man left. Chester’s expression quickly soured, and he muttered curses under his breath.

He was happy to see that he had learned a new spell.

Hypnotic Pattern (Level 1)

- Unleash a visual illusion that disorients your foes. There is a small chance of immobilizing the target for one second.

-50 MP to cast.

It was weak, but Chester didn’t mind. Any spell was worth learning if it made him a better illusionist. He desired an offensive attack, and wondered if he should learn other elements to provide some more practical spells for his arsenal. It seemed that learning a new element wasn't particularly difficult.

‘Mana Blast is all right, but it's not particularly strong.’

A female voice alerted him from above.

“Illusions? No one really bothers with them anymore, and I understand why. Their use in combat isn’t great, and their usefulness outside of it is lackluster as well. Most of the spells are limited.”

He craned his neck to see a smaller woman dangling on the top shelf. Her ears were pointed, but tinier than the average elf’s. She wore a white, hooded robe similar to the mages in the Tower but hers had a symbol emblazoned on the front; a large circle with a diamond within.

“Are you here to berate me? I’ve already heard it; I don’t need another person telling me that my class is shit.” The man groused.

Her multi-colored eyes, slightly larger than human proportions, gleamed with curiosity. Chester noted that her hair shifted colors under the light, going from turquoise blue to a pinkish purple whenever she moved. It reminded him of Attainium.

“I was wondering why you’re researching a dead-end school of magic. Perhaps I can shed some knowledge. I am...somewhat educated on the topic.”

He perked up at that information. “Really? I thought you said it wasn’t that good?”

“I never said that. Every magic has its use, a time when it shines. The branch of falsehoods and deceits is often used by assassins and rogues, but rarely is it specialized into the way an Illusionist would.”

“Well, I’m an Illusionist. I picked up the class not too long ago, and I’m looking to see if there’s anything I can do to make it more useful.”

She came down the shelf, slowly, as though she was experiencing a lower gravitational pull. The mysterious magician floated half a meter in the air, at eye-level with the taller man. He wondered what type of magic allowed her to float in the air like that.

“Curious. I haven’t seen an Illusionist in years, the last time I did was to seek out further understanding in the class. But he was old and had long plateaued.”

“You got anything interesting to tell?”

She asked him what his class came with, and listed out the skills and the bonuses. He realized halfway through that such information should be kept private whenever possible, but figured that revealing it this one time wouldn’t matter. He didn't sense any ill intentions from her. In fact, he couldn't sense anything at all. Chester had grown accustomed to sensing at least a speck of mana, even from the weak villagers. Although he rarely used it, the lack of information was slightly unsettling.

“There is one illusion magic that I find particularly useful called Dream.” She said, crossing her arms. “Here, it is better to show you.”

Before he realized it, his world had gone black. Chester panicked briefly, before light entered the room. He was inside an endless, white space, and the mage from before popped into existence beside him.

“It puts you in a dream-like state for up to twelve hours in real time.” Her iridescent hair continued to change colors as she explained the spell. “At higher levels, you can slow down how much time passes in here.”

The white space turned into an endless dessert, before shifting into a frozen tundra. He noticed that despite the environmental changes, he couldn’t feel the heat from the dessert, nor the biting chill from the current biome.

“It doesn’t affect the user? Just visuals and sound?”

“You can simulate pain and other senses, but it's not necessary.” The surroundings changed into a massive room, similar to the Tower of Magic’s library. Except this one seemed to stretch on endlessly, full of books. “I use this as an opportunity to study and deepen my understanding of magic, even as I rest. As I said, you can change your perception of time in this space; in eight hours of sleep, I also receive two day’s worth of studying. I find it easier to understand certain magical concepts by breaking them down and studying them here.”

He quickly understood where she was going. “Does this mean I can practice skills here? Level them up?”

She shook her head. “You’re not really using your abilities here. You can imagine yourself doing it, but in the end, you’re not really doing anything in the physical world. Your abilities aren’t being activated. Information, even those that you can't recall in a conscious state, will be stored perfectly in the Dream spell. It is also good when recollecting fragmented memories.”

Chester’s eyes snapped open, and he felt himself return back to full consciousness. The man quickly patted down his body. He sighed in relief as the tiny mage looked at him, amused.

“It's possible, certainly. When you further your understanding of magic, it will show in your application; breakthroughs can be accelerated by using Dream. Although I recommend practicing spells in real life.”

“Can you teach me? I’ll pay you!”

She shook her head with a smile on her face. “Think nothing of it. My purpose is to impart knowledge on those who seek it. That is our Tower’s primary goal. It is a pleasure to strengthen one who wields a class we have poor understanding of.”

The mage began to explain the concepts of the spell, citing it as a mix between mental and illusion magic. She asked him what his Illusion Mastery skill was, and her face turned in a frown upon hearing he was only level two.

“In order to even cast this spell, you’ll need to reach Advanced Illusion Mastery. It’s the next stage of the skill.”

“How do I gain it?”

“Your Illusion Mastery caps out at the fifth level, and it will become the next stage afterwards. Till then, I’d recommend reading more and practicing your spells. We have rooms available for your convenience, but it does cost money to rent.”

She summoned a pen and parchment out of thin air, writing down the information he needed to learn the spell for future use. Upon receiving the parchment, he bowed in thanks.

“I really appreciate this. Would you want to grab some food with me? I want to hear more about you as well.”

The tiny mage threw her head back and laughed. “Ha! I don’t think someone’s courted me in a very long time.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have expected that; generous and beautiful women like you tend to be highly sought after.”

“No, unfortunately, I fear we have too large of an age gap. Thank you, I am flattered.”

She didn’t look a day over twenty-five. The only reason Chester thought she was over the age of consent was because she talked to him so formally, and she seemed to be very knowledgeable. He sighed, chastising himself for going after younger women.

‘I’m over thirty, right…I forget that sometimes.’

Their conversation continued pleasantly, and she recommended him to learn earth magic on top of his class skills. She explained that transforming the landscape and mixing reality with illusion would make for a more powerful tool in combat scenarios. He took this suggestion seriously, putting it on a mental checklist.

He enjoyed picking her brains, learning more about the inner workings of the Tower and what a member usually did. They reminded him of a Buddhist temple, taking in anybody who was willing to learn.

A shadow covered him and the mage, revealing an incredibly tall man that dwarfed Chester by almost half a meter standing right behind him.

His long, flowing robe billowed in the air, sparkling as though it was studded in crystals. The man’s eyes were completely white, with incredibly long, white hair and beard to match.

‘He looks like some serious trouble.’

Chester's mana sense was poor, but he would have to be mentally deficient to not notice the waves of power flowing from the man. His stature and equipment made him out as some sort of higher authority in the Tower, and he tried to sneak a glance at the powerful-looking rings on his hands.

Similar to the female mage, he was floating in the air.

????

???? ????

Something prevented him from seeing anything, and Chester looked nervously as the man seemed to stare right through him.

“Ma’am, your presence is needed. It is urgent.”

She joined the man at his side, hovering as she did so. The mage turned and bid him farewell.

“Come to think of it, I never got your name, adventurer.”

“Chester Everheart.”

“Quaint. I’m Cerebella. Nice to meet you. If you reach your class milestone, let me know what class you have!”

She gave him a wink before the two disappeared. No light show, no noise. They had gone away like a bad dream. It was abrupt, and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. His body felt like it was under some sort of pressure until the man had disappeared.

He returned to where Damien was sitting, and he asked the boy how much time had passed.

“Um, about an hour or so. Why?”

“Do you want to spar in the rooms upstairs? I need to test some things out.”

It was ten silver for an hour. In exchange, they received a room about ten meters in width, length, and height. Plain, but suited for their needs. Damien stood from afar, armed with his new equipment and a mithril sword.

Chester took out the weapon he had stolen from the shop where they bought Damien’s sword.

ADAMANTITE DAGGER

- Made from adamantium, it boasts absurd hardiness and durability, along with a natural resistance to magic.

- Deals great cutting and piercing damage

- Weight: 1.5kg

The dagger gleamed slightly, revealing a slightly purple sheen. The Attainium which he had used sparingly since he had gotten it, fashioned itself into a set of knuckle dusters on his left hand.

“Well, let’s get this started!”

For the second time, the vampire and the thief clashed in a fierce battle.