Standing in front of the Awakening stone, it really does look like sunset was captured in a giant sphere of glass. I told Yui that I wanted to learn these skills before we left and was told to come here.

The new pillows feel slightly bouncy as I sit down. Meditation is not something I have done successfully, but I understand the basics. Lilly, the mage of my support team, convinced me to try once when resting between floors. I think that was the moment she truly realised my magical affinity was a hopeless cause.

Laying the small pack across my lap, I try to open the bag but can’t seem to get my fingers between the leather. Sara said that it was a dimensional pack, so maybe it works the same way as activating my mana marble. Thinking clearly that I wanted everything inside to be outside, I push some mana towards the pack and the flap flipped open. A number of items spill out in front of me.

There is now a bundle of black cloth, two books, one blue gemstone, and two glass vials, one red and one blue on the floor in front of me. The gemstone is familiar, and I pick it up in my hand. Focusing on it, the gemstone crumbles into dust and a notification appeared.

Skill gained:

Appraise item

Rank: 0

Cost: 10 SP

Description:

Focus on an item and estimate its quality, rank, and value.

Higher rank increases information.

An identification skill. Useful. I can use it to learn more about my summoned weapons. Now for the best part, the spell books!

Picking the closest one to me I place it in my lap. Listed on the front cover is the word “Identify”. I open the cover and look at the first page.

Nothing happens. I flip to the next page with the same result. The pages are filled with symbols I can’t make any sense of. This is different to the class book.

I close my eyes and focus on my mana. Once I feel it, I push it down into my fingers, and towards the book. Once the mana connected, I felt a rush of energy travel into me.

Spell Gained

Rest or Mediation required.

There is now just a pile of dust on my lap, where the book was.

I pick up the second book, this one being the fireball spell, and activate it the same way.

Spell Gained

Rest or Mediation required.

I stand up, brush off the impressive amount of dust, and sit back down.

Getting into a comfortable position, I think back to what Lilly said on meditating. “Just close your eyes and focus your attention inside yourself. I know you think it’s useless…. But if there is something there, it just takes time to find. Don’t give up, just focus harder. Hey, no peeking! Damn you! You’re not focusing enough!”

I feel my lips curve into a smile. If only she was here now. I’m sure she would be just as excited to discover what this class can do.

Clearing my head with a shake I place my hands on my lap, close my eyes, and focus inwards.

It only takes a moment to find my mana. I can feel it traveling all over my body in a spiral pattern. It’s quite comforting to watch.

Keeping my attention focused inwards I can feel a foreign energy, presumedly from the spell books. The new energy is slowly integrating with my own, moving with my own mana and being absorbed. It’s almost hypnotic, feeling it swirl around.

After feeling the mana inside me is now completely mine, I open my eyes.

Right in front of me, is the face of a young woman, in her early 20s. Her eyes are closed, and she is sniffing my face. I can see her nostrils flaring and feel her breath against my face as she exhales. On the woman’s head is a pair of cat like ears peeking through her red hair. “What are you doing?”.

She jumps about two meters up into the air and lands directly on the pile of spell book remains. A cloud of dust billows out and she scampers off on hands and feet to the other side of the room. I notice that she is not the only new person in the room. Yui and Richard are sitting down on meditation mats. A shallow wooden box positioned between them.

“Miko! I said not to disturb him!” Yui is waving her hands trying to keep the cloud away. “Great now there is dust all over the cakes!” Her continued waving only making the cloud worse.

Richard stood up, holding the hem of his robed arm to his nose and mouth. “Hello Reigner, enjoy your meditation?” He takes a step forward and his foot kicks the box over sending cake splattering across the floor. “Oops! Sorry… I’ll just wait outside.”

Sighing, I look in front of me and see broken glass and a puddle of red and blue. I pick up the bundle of cloth before what was left of the potions can reach it.

Standing up, I walk out of the still expanding cloud of dust, and out of the room. Just in time to see Sara come around the corner, walking towards me. This is not my fault.

Sara is probably the most beautiful woman I have met in Aruni but watching her walk toward now fills me with dread.

Stopping, she examines the once again messy room, and then turns to me. I can feel her sapphire blue eyes boring into the back of my skull. “Reigner, I can tell exactly where you have been today. Want to know how? You have left either mess or destruction in every room you have spent more than five minutes in today, so far.”

Raising my hands defensively, I take a step back. “Hey, I’ll take complete responsibility for what happened in here last night, but this.” I point into the room. “Was not my fault. I had nothing to do with that mess... expect maybe, for the dust. But I did not jump into it like some clown.”

“Just who, are you calling a clown?” I hear from inside the still clouded room.

The room looked quite pretty, the floating dust with red beams of light moving through it.

Sara’s right eye twitches while her face remains expressionless. She brings up her hands and starts counting on fingers. “A wooden katana was found buried into the ceiling of the training hall.” Moving her finger. “A report came in, stating your room’s door is broken, that there is a mess of weapons cluttered all over the bed and floor, and that it’s too dangerous to enter.” Continuing to her next finger. “And now we are back again here, the now infamous, meditation room.” Sara opens her hand and angles it toward the room. A vortex appears and pulls in the cloud of dust.

Yui and the other lady, Miko I presume, are standing waving their arms, stopping after noticing the dust was gone.

Miko takes a step towards us and steps on splattered cake, causing her leg to slide out beneath her. Trying to catch herself, she stumbles forwards and reaches out. I feel my pants rip off me as she slams her head into the floor. Oh look, she has a long red furry tail.

I shake out the bundle of cloth and hold a black robe Infront of my bare legs. This is starting to annoy me. I really need to invest in some underwear.

Sara sighs and brings a hand to her forehead.

“Reigner, I’m starting to think that I should accompany you while you stay here. I believe the guild would be much cleaner if I do.”

“You know... I would not be against that.”

She raises a single eyebrow, and her eyes study my face intently.

Hysterical laughter comes from Yui. She walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. Her body bent over, and tears appear at the corners of her eyes. “I’m so… so glad that you are part of my group, Reigner.”

I turn to Sara “I changed my mind. I don’t want to be in this guild”

Sara’s face cracks into a small smile “it’s unfortunate that you have already used the spell books. Seems that you will be with us for a while longer.

“Spell books, plural?” Asks Richard from behind me. “What spell did you learn? That is, If you don’t mind sharing.”

I turn to face him “It was identify and fireball”

“Identify has a hundred present success rate, but other spells can typically change depending on the person and their class. I’m curious what spell you acquired. W-what class are you again?”

“He’s a conjuror!” Yui said from my side.

“No. I’m a summoner, not a conjuror.”

Richard’s sucks in air and his eyes widen. “Summoner? “He pulls out a pen and notebook “I need to record this!” Writing in his book he continues “This could be a new addition to the role book.” Looking up to me he slowly lowers his hands and puts away the notebook and pen. “Apologies. I will not share anything that you want kept secret.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it… Why are you here, anyway?”

“Has Yui not told you? We are your new team! I have the Lightbringer class and I’m the groups healer. Yui is an Arcane Samurai, the main close quarters damage dealer, And Miko… Well, she is a sentinel, and the groups damage absorber.” He looks down towards my feet “Do you plan on laying down there forever, Miko?”

“Leave me alone!” Glancing down I see her pulling the remains of my pants over her head, hiding her face further.

I take a step back from her prone form and turn towards Sara. “Is there a private room nearby I can use to change?”

“Follow me.” She started walking down the hallway “You know from what I heard, I thought you enjoyed being naked in front of people.”

I follow behind her. “Not particularly. However, the answer might be different if it’s you in front of me.”

Sara stops and turns on a dime to face me. I almost walk right into her and catch a whiff of her perfume. A refreshing combination of the forest and berries. Stopping just in front of her, our faces almost touch. A small smile forms on her lips and she raises her arm. All I can see are her blue eyes staring deeply into my own.

The sound of a door opening breaks my focus.

“You can use this room. I hope you enjoy your first day in the Tower.” She starts walking towards the meditation room. “Try not to ruin any more clothes, I chose that robe for you personally.”