Chapter 104 – Statistically Ridiculous

It takes a bit longer to get ready than I’d like, but I wasn’t going to head to our next delve without my best items equipped.

Thankfully it’s only a few things.

Ashari’s Grace, the item responsible for keeping me clean and hands down one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. I also toss on the Amulet of Lesser Accuracy.

No point in not utilizing it.

Then the recently acquired Bracers of the First Hunt, which I have to admit to being more than a little excited to test out.

With the Rending Strikes enchantment, it all but guarantees that my claws will become my best weapons. And the Predatory Strikes enchantment just making me hit harder, or cut deeper, simply because I’m fast?

Yes, please.

Then the Manasilk Thread.

The memory of Bella tying it around the base of my tail for me when I first got it brings a flush of warmth to my face, but I can immediately tell that it’s... controlled.

That the new medicine is doing its job without fanfare.

I shake off the thoughts and try to tie it around my tail myself, but I struggle to find the right spot.

Then Cari is there, and she helps without prompting.

I wrap my tail around her waist as she works and give her a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks.”

She just hums a little affirmation, then steps away moments later, ribbon perfectly bow-tied in her wake. She spots the notebook I’d written all of her changes down in then and snatches it up before tossing it into a small backpack near the wardrobe.

When she slings it over her shoulder, we’re finally ready.

We step into the living space and freeze at the sight before us.

Bella sits on the couch, posture perfect as always, a teacup held delicately in one hand. She wears her delving leathers, nearly every inch of her body covered in dark browns accented with reds and blacks.

What really caught me off guard was the man sitting across from her. He lounges on the couch, far more relaxed than I think any Headmaster should be.

Bella spots us first and lifts a hand, waving us over like this is just another casual meeting instead of... whatever this is.

Yep. No pressure. Just a friendly escort by the Headmaster himself. Why would that ever be a bad thing?

Sarcastic thoughts aside, we quickly make our way over and settle in next to Bella. The entire time, I do my best to look calm.

The Headmaster’s gaze shifts to us, settling first on Cari. His lips curl into something faintly amused.

“I see you’ve advanced,” he says. “Congratulations.”

Cari lights up instantly.

“Thank you!” she blurts, practically vibrating with joy.

Then she freezes.

We all see the exact moment she remembers who she’s talking to. Her back straightens, her expression smooths, and she reins herself in with visible effort.

“...Sir.”

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

His eyes sparkle with amusement.

“Well done,” he says. “You have every right to be excited. It is a big step.”

Then his attention slides to me.

Just like that, the air gets heavier.

“As for you,” he continues mildly, “I do hope that you’ll make an effort not to give me quite so many headaches moving forward.”

I wince.

Just as I’m about to respond, Bella exhales sharply through her nose. I glance over, finding a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

“To be fair,” she cuts in, setting her cup aside, “Emilia wasn’t even aware the Secret Consortium existed until just a few days ago.”

I shoot her a grateful look.

The Headmaster waves a hand dismissively.

“Yes, yes, I’m know,” he says. “If I were truly interested in reprimanding her, this would be a very different conversation.”

I give him an awkward smile, but he just leans back slightly, studying me with that same faint, unreadable expression.

“I am, however, quite fond of my work,” he adds. “Research. Crafting. Peace and quiet. Lovely things, my hobbies.”

His gaze narrows slightly.

“Such things become significantly more difficult when certain students have a knack for destabilizing large portions of my Academy.”

Bella occupies herself by quietly picking up her teacup and taking a long, slow sip.

Cari very pointedly looks at the floor.

I sink a little further into myself.

“...In my defense,” I mutter, “I didn’t mean to destabilize anything.”

He sighs. “That is precisely the problem.”

There’s no heat in his words, though. If anything, he sounds exhausted.

“I would greatly appreciate it if your future... discoveries... were accompanied by a bit more restraint.”

I don’t have a good response for such a request.

“I'll... try?” I settle on.

It’s the best I’ve got. Gods only know what will happen next. I only know that I’ll never stop trying to grow stronger.

And if something weird were to happen because of that?

...Well, I’ll cross that road when I get to it.

He studies me for another moment, then nods once.

“For now,” he says, “that will do.”

He lets the silence settle for a moment to take a sip of his own tea, eyes flicking to and from each of us in turn, as if weighing something only he can see.

“Well,” he says eventually, “I have quite a bit to attend to.”

He sets the teacup down and rises smoothly.

“I may see about speaking with the Archivist on your behalf,” he adds, almost offhandedly. “Convince him to delay the auction. I can buy us a few months, I believe.”

My breath catches, and Bella stills beside me.

Cari practically bristles with annoyance.

“Why is he even going to sell Emilia out? Isn’t that going to just start a huge fight? Does he not care about putting people in danger?” she fumes.

When his gaze settles on her, she quiets.

“It simply is who he is. He is the Archivist, and his trade is knowledge. He is neither evil nor good, he simply... is,” he says.

His gaze shifts back to me. “You’d do well to remember that going forward.”

It’s a struggle to keep the frown from my own face, but I manage and nod in acquiescence.

“Only a few months, though?” I ask. “Can’t we just ask him to not sell the information?”

He chuckles. “Certainly. But would you be willing to pay the price of that?”

This time, I do frown.

“How much would it cost?”

“More than you could offer, for certain. Likely more than even I could.”

I choke down the growl that wants to tear its way out.

“Regardless, I will speak to him and strike a deal. If we can get you a few months to prepare for what’s next, I will,” he says, nodding along to his own plan. “But you’ll owe me a favor, Emilia.”

I stare at him for a moment, then instinctually reach inward—toward the Oathstone. Just enough to feel the shape of the deal we struck, the quiet certainty it carries.

And with it comes an answer to a question I wasn’t even aware I’d been asking myself.

Would I actually owe him?

No.

He can’t enforce anything on me. Not with the deal we made. Not like this, at least.

Still, it doesn’t feel right to just take his aid and give nothing. Maybe it’s a bit soft-hearted, but I still feel like it’d be good to give something in return.

I shift slightly, straightening where I sit.

“Fine,” I say, carefully. “I don’t mind repaying the help a little.”

The words feel measured as they leave my mouth. Almost like the time we struck our deal, but not quite as severe or instinctual. Just... deliberate.

His gaze flicks back to me, sharper this time.

For a moment, I wonder if he’s annoyed.

Then, slowly, a faint smile tugs at his lips.

“Good,” he says. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’d be immeasurably annoyed if you simply turned into another Bluebell.”

I give him an awkward smile.

He turns away then, already moving on as if the matter is settled.

“Now then,” he continues, “are you ready to depart?”

Cari shifts beside me, and I feel the sudden spike of excitement through the air before she reins it in again.

“Ah—actually,” she says, pulling the notebook from earlier out of her pack, “I should probably go over what I can do now. After the evolution.”

The Headmaster pauses, considering her for all of half a second before giving a small nod.

“Very good,” he says. “That would, indeed, be prudent. Many examinees fail to do such a basic thing.”

I catch the slight rosy tint that finds its way to Bella’s cheeks at the comment and can’t help but grin.

Even if I’m also a hundred percent guilty of the same crime.

He gestures vaguely, and a faint ripple of mana brushes against my senses—subtle, controlled.

“While we’re at it, I may as well update the Academy’s records,” he adds. “Your student identification will need to reflect the changes.”

Cari straightens again, more composed this time, though the excitement is still very much there beneath the surface.

“Right,” she says. “Okay. Um...”

She glances at me, then at Bella, then back to him.

“...Where should I start?”

I bump shoulders with her.

“Capability, combat style, experience,” I whisper.

She perks up at that.

“Oh, yes!” she says, clapping her hands with delight. “You remember how I always wanted to merge my magic with martial arts?”

I nod.

Hells, she’s the only reason I know how to fight in the first place. Excluding the System, I suppose—but I wouldn’t be where I am without her teachings.

“Well, it happened!” she squeals. “I can fight up close now.”

She quickly explains how her old fighting style, which was almost entirely reliant on the ethereal tentacles she conjured from thin air, has shifted from a pure Mage into a sort of magical brawler.

Almost like me, but different.

Instead of just weathering whatever damage comes her way, she uses her summons to deflect and defend, all while empowering herself to engage up close.

Plus, she can still use the same kinds of magic as before her evolution. The tentacles are also stronger, even—despite the shift in focus.

“I also have two stat boosting active skills, and they only take 50% of my mana reserves combined to stay active. With them both my Dex—actually, just look!”

I see it the instant she activates her Skills.

Honestly, it’d be impossible not to.

Hundreds of tiny, inky black tendrils phase into existence, each laced with bright purple streaks of... something.

Then they stab straight into Cari’s skin, merging themselves with her flesh.

Then it happens again, only this time they are mostly bright purple, with streaks of black, and they dive into her face, her eyes, her ears, through her skull...

It all happens in the blink of an eye, but with as much Intelligence and Dexterity as I have, I can see it all with horrifying clarity.

Then it’s done, and there isn’t a single wound on her person, despite the appearance that she’d just been impaled hundreds or even thousands of times by ghostly tentacles.

Instead, she seems utterly delighted.

I realize, then, that I’d stopped breathing from sheer panic.

“Look!” she says, apparently too excited to care about nearly scaring the soul from my body.

Then I receive a notification.

Shared Status:

Name: Cari Ward

Race: Fae Hybrid (Human)

Age: 20

Level: 51

Health: 8,742/8,742

Health Regen: 2,512.6 per minute

Mana: 10,027 (5,013)

(50% reserved)

Mana Regen: 3,261.5 (1,630) per minute

(50% reserved)

Stats:

Strength: 280 (561)

Constitution: 437 (872)

Dexterity: 2,502 (8,759)

Intelligence: 1,075 (2,689)

Wisdom: 501

Charisma: 313

Bella nods slowly, her expression thoughtful.

And somehow completely unphased by the horror we’d just been subjected to.

I shudder at the mere memory.

I don't know how she's so calm, but if that's an act then gods above, she's good.

“Impressive,” Bella says at last.

Cari perks up a little at that, even as she tries to keep herself composed.

Bella sets her teacup aside, folding her hands neatly in her lap. “Raw amplification of that scale is rare enough,” she continues, “but the efficiency you described... those are quite powerful boosting Skills.”

Cari beams.

I, on the other hand, am still stuck on the tentacles burrowing into my sister before my eyes.

They’re not there right now, but I can practically feel them wriggling beneath my skin.

Not through the air, not through mana—through the bond. Like a strange, twisting sense of something that doesn’t quite belong, coiled just beneath the surface.

The way they had slid over her arms, merged with her body, became her limbs...

Nope, nope, nope!

Gods, am I going to have new nightmares?

It was hard enough mostly dealing with the ones I've already got, so I don't find myself particularly eager to find out tonight.

If they combine when I next sleep, I swear to all that is unholy Cari will rue the day—

“...You’re staring,” Cari says.

I realize the room had gone silent then, and everyone is looking to hear my thoughts.

I immediately deflect.

“Am not.”

She gives me a flat look.

“...Okay, maybe a little,” I admit. “It’s just... more creepy tentacles? Really?”

“They are not creepy,” she huffs, immediately defensive. “They’re cool.”

“Cari, my sweetest, dearest, bestest, most adorable sister in the whole world...” I implore, taking her hands in my own, “...they’re tentacles.”

She harrumphes, snatching her hands back to fold her arms across her chest.

“Yeah, well, there’s no accounting for poor taste.”

I groan. “If anyone has poor taste, it’s you.”

“Well at least my extra limbs actually listen to me,” she snipes back, giving my twitching tail an pointed look.

I snatch it up into a tight hug.

“It listens!” I protest.

She quirks a knowing brow.

I break eye contact first.

“Mostly,” I amend sheepishly.

Bella coughs, interrupting our back and forth.

“For what it’s worth,” she says, barely concealing her amusement, “your Stat distribution is quite well-structured. That you pushed into the twenty-five hundred point milestone in Dexterity before Intelligence shows wisdom. Not everything is about dealing as much damage as possible.”

She tilts her head slightly as Cari blushes from the praise.

“My own Intelligence-boosting Skill places me just over fifteen-thousand,” she adds, almost casually. “But it does not extend such impressive gains to any of my other attributes.”

She makes a small hand gesture before taking a sip of tea, and a new Notice becomes available.

I immediately know it’s Bella’s Status, thanks to the entire first section being held back.

Right... Cari still doesn’t know what Bella is...

Shared Status:

Name: Arabella von Bysm

Strength: 188

Constitution: 505

Dexterity: 512

Intelligence: 3,472 (15,463)

Wisdom: 0 (938)(3,753)

Charisma: 918

Both Cari and I stare at the notice before us, eyes wide.

Gods, she has damn near as much Intelligence as I do even with All For One and Fae Ferocity active.

“Wait—fifteen thousand—?” Cari mutters.

Bella waves a hand dismissively. “I'm a Mage. You... are, but not entirely. Not anymore. The point is that your enhancements are broader in application. That versatility will serve you well. I can only imagine how impressive you’ll be when your Intelligence also reaches its next Milestone.”

Cari practically glows.

I just sit there, trying not to think too hard about the fact that my stats would put all but their primary focuses to shame.

Maybe when Bella said I was absurd, she had a point...

“Emilia,” she says.

I jerk with surprise, momentarily terrified that I’d said that all out loud.

Instead, she smiles prettily at me.

Very prettily.

Normally, I'd be happy to see it. Only this time it’s far, far too innocent.

“I believe it would be prudent for you to share your own capabilities. For completeness.”

Oh, shit.

Cari nods immediately, excited. “Yeah, I mean—I know most of it, but—”

I groan.

“Do I have to?”

Bella raises a brow.

I sigh.

She got me.

“Yeah, yeah. Fine.”

Then, I remember I’m no longer dealing with restrained mana, and excitement begins to burble up at the idea of seeing what, exactly, I’m capable of now that I’d gained a few more levels.

I activate All For One, supercharging it with my Wisdom milestone to draw on 75% of my mana regen, then share the results.

Shared Status

Name: Emilia Ken

Race: Faefox

Age: 20

Level: 74

Health: 82,309

Health Regen: 38,719 per minute

Mana: 863,466

Stored: 1.72m

Mana Regen: 23.13m (5.43m) per minute

(76.5% reserved)

Strength: 1,358 (4,922)

Constitution: 1,829 (6,630)

Dexterity: 2,794 (10,129)

Intelligence: 2,173 (7,880)

Wisdom: 10,793 (39,125)

Charisma: 1,424 (5,163)

For a moment, there is silence.

Then Cari’s voice fills the momentary void.

“That is so unfair.”

***

The Headmaster eventually takes Cari aside to get her new student ID sorted out, and takes a moment to warn her to keep her new Race hidden going forward.

Thankfully, everyone has Tag Options they can pick through to be shown when someone checks their System Tag. Classes with mixed capabilities like Cari's or mine offer the tags associated with each of those capabilities.

For Cari, that's Mage and Fighter. For me, that's Mage, Fighter, and Healer.

The Racial selection is the same, but different. While it also takes into account hybrid Races, which both Cari and Bella are, it cares more about your previous evolutions.

Tier Zero Cari was Human, so that is a tag option.

Tier One Cari is Fae, so now that, too, is a tag option.

I'm only a bit special in both regards, as I can have my tag show absolutely nothing to everyone. Regardless of how many Tiers above me they may be.

My System Waker Title is just absurd like that.

Regardless, Cari ends up going with the simplest options available to her.

Human Mage

Level 51

When she’s finally done, the room has settled into something quieter.

More... peaceful.

Which, in hindsight, probably should have tipped me off.

The Headmaster lifts a hand.

His fingers snap, shattering the quiet, and the world shifts.

There’s no transition. No sense of distance being crossed, or air pressure changed.

One moment we’re in the sitting room, and the next we’re in front of the Fatebound Dais within the Academy’s Tunnels.

Cari and I flop to the ground unceremoniously, while Bella near instantly conjures herself a chair of ice without so much as a blink.

My stomach does a slow, unpleasant flip as reality catches up with itself.

“...I’m never getting used to that,” I groan.

Cari moans in agreement from her place on the ground.

The Headmaster doesn’t so much as glance at me, though I swear I catch the tiniest hint of a smirk at the edge of his lips as he turns to leave.

He waves over his shoulder.

“Your next Delve awaits,” he says. “I’ll be here when you return.”

And then he’s gone.

Cari and I share a look, both of us excited for different reasons, but just as happy for each other.

Bella, of course, just takes a sip of her tea.

Of course the cup came with her.

Her eyes narrow with amusement when she notices me looking at her.

“Show off,” I mutter.