Chapter 463 - Bookie doesn’t get it

Sofia’s demon transformation ended while she was on her way back to the fortress, the demon body returned to bone, and the sudden shift made Sofia trip and fall face-first into the dirt. Pareth appeared right then and helped her up.

Sofia was too embarrassed to say anything, she let Pareth carry her to the altar.

The mana heart was floating above the altar, its appearance had changed somewhat, becoming a bit smoother and rounder, and the red of the Destroyer’s carapace from absorbing the Keystone imprint had shifted to a slightly golden glow.

Oh, the all stats bonus went up by thirty percent instead of the usual twenty five. Not bad already. No more imprints, though?

[Saintomancer’s heart]: /EX tier/

UNABLE TO CALCULATE SETTING TIME

Imprint progress : 10000/ 10000

Transcendent ritual : 1/3

Effects (Stats will be doubled) :

• All stats + 200% (EX rank base)

• All stats + 50%

• Health + 67 381

• Stamina + 17 900

• Mana + 834 719

• Slashing resistance + 25%

• Explosion resistance + 25%

• [Relocate Core]

• Destroyer Signature Skill Modifier

• Speed shard (5)

• Strength shard (2)

Please Select Ascendency Path 1/3

(You can pick a different path or level it up after next rank)

Three illusory cards appeared in front of Sofia, in a similar way as when she was picking her summons’ blessings, except that there were no drawings representing what they were. Instead, there were just a few words: ‘Unable to fetch picture’.

What I get for being disconnected from the system. At least the descriptions still work.

[Path of the Internal World] Lv.1/3: 

Your mana heart becomes a spatial storage space.

Lv.1: The volume inside is equal to your max mana/1000 cubic meters.

Lv.2: Living beings may enter and live in the internal world. Plants can grow inside.

The volume inside is equal to your max mana in cubic meters.

Lv.3: You may enter the internal world. (During which your mana heart will be in the Margin)

You may adjust the weather conditions inside the internal world.

The volume inside is equal to your max mana*1000 cubic meters.

Oh, woah. 

This is not joking around. Level one alone is not bad but level two and three are just dumb! A cubic meter is a cube of one meter on each side, so… Max mana times a thousand… As long as I can keep getting more and more mana…

Calling it an internal world wouldn’t be an exaggeration for long. Alith would love this, a huge safe space to grow rare magical plants. I could also raise monsters for their skeletons in there, like Richard does. 

What’s more, at level three I can just hide in there whenever. I already have Zangdar to hide in the Margin but this is even better. Besides, even Zangdar isn’t that safe yet considering there are still two rings leading there just out in the world.

And it’s basically a spatial storage with almost unlimited space. When I have enough mana I could store entire oceans in there to dump on my enemies. Truly insane.

What about the other ones?

[Path of the Infinity Engine] Lv.1/3: 

Your mana heart alters the way your mana works.

Lv.1: External Aura can no longer affect your mana.

Lv.2: Gain complete immunity to mana regeneration impairments.

Lv.3: You no longer need ambient mana to fuel your mana regeneration.

This is just as crazy. The thing about aura seems random right now but if that means that at higher levels opponents like Dragons won’t be able to screw with my magic, that’s not bad at all.

Level two means I can always have my unlife runes up and keep my mana. It also makes it easier to restart my mana regeneration in demon form, although that’s already not much of an issue anymore. Mana regeneration impairment magic is not exactly common but I know for sure from my [THE GLORIOUS] title that it exists. It might be more common at higher levels.

Level three does make my mana pearl classless skill a bit redundant. Not sure if I like that, but in general having the full regeneration even without ambient mana is nice, especially considering how often that has been an issue until now.

Is the third path also good?

[Path of the Reignited Ancestry] Lv.1/3:

Your mana heart uses your current magic to awaken the fae ancestry common to all humanoid bloodlines.

Lv.1: Objects around you slowly develop an internal skeleton.

Lv.2: You can use a mana pulse to turn all non-magical objects nearby to holy bones. (Range depending on mana used)

Lv.3: You may turn anything you touch to bones.

Oh fuck.

How am I even supposed to choose?!

The possibilities of this one with [Bone Dominus] are just ridiculous, even more if I can eventually get a passive specialization point for it. 

I have to say, the first level’s effect sounds a bit ridiculous, but as far as I am concerned, it means everything around me becomes a weapon. Would have been stronger with the strength type soft evolution of [Bone Dominus], though.

Level three allows me to kill things with bone manipulation even if they don’t have bones. Anything I need to break I can turn to bone. My enemies’ weapons, armor, and conjuration spells, I can all turn to bone. 

Like if I were to redo the fight against Orvod with this, I could turn his stone construct to bone and steal their control.

Also… The fae are the ancestors of all humanoid races? I’ve never read anything about that.

Wasn’t there no magic in Alith’s world? But they’re humans too, so how does that even work?

After reading each card several times, Sofia asked for help.

“Pareth, Bookie, any suggestion? I’m a bit lost here…”

Pareth hesitated for a bit, and pointed at the Internal World card, but Sofia could tell he was still not totally convinced.

“One vote for Internal World, Bookie?”

“Hmm…” Bookie shifted from one foot to the other as he analyzed the possibilities. “I think… I can probably eat the objects if they have skeletons. But I’m not sure… Sorry I’m not more useful…”

“What are you going on about, Bookie? You’re always very useful, it’s good to know your opinion too. If you can eat objects given a skeleton by this then who knows what possibilities that could open up? Just imagine: a skeleton boat, a skeleton castle? And we could just summon them whenever. But that’s only if you can really eat them. Do you think they would have skills?”

“Uhhhhhh… They could probably do the same things they were able to do before?” Bookie answered enthusiastically but not sounding very confident.

“Alright… Well. That puts me in a bit of a weird spot. I think the one I’m most inclined to take is Infinity Engine, just because fixing the unlife rune’s major downside is hard to pass up. But they’re all so good… How confident are you about being able to eat those skeletons, Bookie?”

“I- I…” Bookie’s voice suddenly changed, taking a more sinister tone, “Of course it would work, Saintess. Who do you take me for?”

From the intonation, Sofia instantly understood who that was. “Orator?! Now you show up?!”

He answered with her own mouth, “Hah, your endless transgressions have been amusing, hence I have come to graciously offer my help, for once.”

“I see… Thank you for the help, then… Was that all?”

Again, Sofia’s own voice answered her, in a slightly mocking tone, “Oh, but that was not it, I have yet to offer said help. A certain Inquisitor has been unavailable for some time now, so here comes. A prophecy, if you will: when the time comes, seek my name. That is all. See you soon, Saintess.”

And he’s gone… That was faster than usual.

“You alright, Bookie? Did that scare you?”

“I’m alright! Uncle Orator is not scary!” Bookie answered, sounding even happier than usual.

“Ahah, sure. I don’t like it too much when he speaks with my voice but it’s good if that doesn’t bother you. His prophecy thing is a bit worrying. The ‘See you soon’ even more, actually, but let’s focus on the trial for now… Now we know you can eat the object skeletons…”

Bookie puffed up his chest, “Yes I can!”

“That certainly tips the scales a lot. Then maybe we take the third path… Hmmm.”

Pareth stepped in, shaking his heads.

“Brother Pareth?! You think the bone path is bad?” Bookie asked, half shocked and half saddened.

Again, Pareth shook his heads. 

Sofia narrowed her eyes, “I think I know what Pareth thinks… Yeah… That could work.”

Bookie looked at Sofia then at Pareth, confused, “I- I don’t get it.”