Ascension of the Nephilim

577 Day to Scale Two Levels

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In the room where Mage Perment sat, he was amazed that Emeros returned so soon. It hadn't even been half a day, and Emeros had returned!

"You killed... all this?" Perment was surprised to see Emeros return so soon with a cart full of corpses.

"...What level are you?" Perment asked.

"Level one. But I was trained as a force used by my master." Emeros answered.

The friends of Emeros were also shocked to hear it.

"What?! Are you still level one?! You could slice an imp with one slash!" Wesret exclaimed.

"It's a knight's cutting skill. My former master used to experiment on me with his energy formation circle. It hurt, but he said my strength should be level 3."

Perment glanced at Emeros with a mysterious look.

"Your master must be someone awesome."

"He truly was. At level one, he was fighting foes far greater than what a team of level 10 people had. I think he had a Cardinal's potential. He had some special heritage which I didn't understand..." Emeros sighed.

"A Cardinal's potential at level 1?!" Perment was amazed.

"He must be some relative to the gods or fallen!" Perment was amazed.

"I... don't know."

"He must be someone related to a being outside of our solar system. The far descendants of gods and fallen would have higher potential. People born with forty stats higher than the rest of us mortals..."

"My master did say something about a Yggdrasil."

"A Yggdrasil? I heard of that. But I'm too poor to learn about it. But from what I understand, people living in these Yggdrasil often have a much better heritage than we have. So that's probably why you naturally saw the weakness in my energy formation circle. Do you know any more tricks?" Perment asked Emeros.

"Yes. But, Mage Emeros. I do hope that you will help us level up. Think of it as an investment. I want to grow stronger! I think if we both work together, we can all benefit from this. The stronger monster we kill will soon reach the point that it could help you level up. Besides, the deeper we go into the mine, the more resources we find." Emeros then brought out a strange stone.

"What?!" Perment was shocked as he saw a magic stone.

Magic stones were very rare. Normally, people who mine one instantly give it to the guards and encash it as it would help them get a week's worth. Emeros offered several common ores and a few magic stones that would have paid his team for a few days. But the truth was, he had more.

"How?!" Perment exclaimed.

"My eyes can see mana flow. I might have downplayed it earlier, but I could see it within the mines. And I know that more powerful gems are inside."

"Amazing!"

"And... Mage Perment. My master has once talked about... a Low-Grade Elemental core. He had a formula."

Perment trembled as he heard it.

"Low-Grade Elemental Core?!" He shouted.

"Mage Perment! Not too loud!" Emeros covered his mouth.

"You- you know how to create one?!"

"No. But he showed me. That's why I need those memory-recalling potions. If I can get my hands on one, we can start!"

"...There is one outside! An aristocrat is here with scholars to study the environment of this mine... We could steal one from them!"

"Is it that expensive?" Emeros asked.

"Didn't your master use them?"

"..." Emeros looked back and recalled the INT stat of Kyros and Noxus.

"He was so smart it was infuriating. He didn't need it." Emeros answered.

"He must have really been someone with a divine or fallen lineage! But anyway, these medicines are not exactly expensive. Most aristocrats brew their own. They get the material needed from a rare slime called Ethriope Slime. It's very rare, but once you can capture one, you can make as many. So aristocrats and scholars invest in capturing one. If I have one and I sell it, none of my peers will buy it unless I lower the price by a lot! So the only people willing to use it are desperate people. Like the ones going through a test. But it's hard to get a hold of a cheap one!"

"I understand. So rich families have a lot of it and monopolize it, but poor people like us will have a hard time buying them due to availability, and if one appears on the market, it's expensive. What an interesting setup. The rich don't want the poor to surpass them, and they made it hard for us to access these things." Emeros understood.

"...Wow. You don't talk like a slave. You understood the gist of that?" Perment was amazed.

Emeros could only smile. The truth was, he was less than a slave. But the recent memories he received have greatly changed his manner of thinking.

"My relationship with my master isn't the conventional relationship," Emeros spoke.

But then he noticed the odd look of Perment.

"It's not sexual. I meant he was treating me more of an apprentice and guinea pig." Emeros glared.

"Errr... That-that's not what I thought! What exactly are you accusing me of? A-anyway, let me see all the ores you have...

Emeros brought out all the magic stones.

"...You didn't use the fire bombs I gave you?" Emeros was amazed.

"I was saving it for stronger monsters. But I overestimated myself and got this wound."

"Hm? Take a small sip of this potion to increase your healing." Perment offered.

"Thank you." Emeros sipped.

"Let's talk more about business then. Can you help me create it? Low-Grade Elemental Cores?"

"Yes. But for now, we can aim for Inferior ones. Elemental Cores need to be constantly recharged before they can be used. From then, we can dive deeper into this mine and gather more materials to slowly build the foundations to make a Low-Grade elemental core. But I need to level up! And my friends will need to grow!"

"Fine. I won't ask you to pay any fees for that, and I can help you reach high levels. But... I can't make it too obvious. People are watching. I'm here in this desolate mine because I have people I angered. So we must find ways to work this and make it more believable. If people find that I favor you too much..."

"It's alright. We can talk and whisper at the hearing of others and make it look like we're doing some deals that are making me shell out a lot. You can say things like 'if you want to see your dear sister' or lie."

"...That could work! In this place, having a relationship not founded on bribery or threats is more suspicious than trades of equals. We can do that!" Perment smiled.

"For now, help me with my level up. We can use these monsters and even these ores. We've collected a lot. We can give all the monsters to my team, but let's use this ore for me."

"...Eh? You can use magic ores to level up?!" Perment exclaimed.

"...My master could. You mean to say... it's not possible?" Emeros had recalled how Kyros used the knowledge he acquired from the Library of Nephilim on the spells to do that.

"...No! I have not ever heard of it! Magic stones like this have no life in them! It cannot empower us!"

"I know. That's why we use a Dark Dependent formula."

"A Dark Dependent formula?! You mean... use black magic!?"

It was then that Emeros realized just how poor and uneducated his world was.

"And Kyros thought the Lowlands had it bad..." Emeros thought to himself. If this place called Dark Dependent 'black magic,' it meant that there was a huge stigma against this magic.

"...He had an energy conversion circle that could turn that dark energy to fuel the death magic."

"Is it safe?" Perment asked.

"He said it wasn't an issue. He said something about how this world is not ready for it due to the stigma. But in reality, even Paladins could level up for twenty levels, and there would be no consequences."

"What about the Dark Maddening?"

"...Dark Maddening only happens when absorbing the life of great dark beasts. Although, I guess Master knew how primitive this planet was, and your means would be too... stupid."

"...Do you know that spell?!"

It was a very basic formation, and Emeros could recall one of the more important parts of it.

"I think so."

Emeros drew on paper what the energy conversion circle looked like based on the many memories of Kyros. Kyros had kept drawing and improving this during his time in the Unrecorded Pages to draw out the power from the Brimstone beast. Emeros decided that he needed magic stones to increase his mana. Since his body naturally had no mana, he needed magical sources for his level-ups. He could not provide this. And so, Emeros mined several powerful stones that he saw with his eyes as they went back.

And so, with Kyros drawing repeatedly, this memory was more engraved on his mind.

"Wait a minute... You mean... Energy conversion circles need to have a flow of mana to make it move differently?"

"Yes. Depending on the purpose and use. This one was something he always had me draw, so I know a bit about it. But it's not exactly perfect. It's been a while since I had to draw it. We can use it on me if you're not confident."

"...You're insane, kid. You trust me?"

"Well, I can tell to some extent if it's wrong or write. Draw it first."

Perment quickly got to work.

Soon, the energy conversion circle was created and slotted on a large gap in his room.

Emeros observed it and could see how the energy flowed.

"...I guess it's safe?" Emeros hesitated for a bit but sat down on the slab.

"Are you sure this is good?"

"Er... What's the worse that could happen?" Emeros asked.

"...I don't know. I've never worked with Black Magic formulas!"

"What if we try with one stone?"

"It doesn't work that way. It has to start with a large amount of energy to activate it."

Emeros took in a deep breath.