You received 15 experience points.

  You received 15 experience points.

  While I was surprised, I wasn’t surprised enough to let the monsters attack me first. Despite their appearances, I still put some arrows in their heads without hesitation. They were the monsters of the first section of a byrinth too. They weren’t that dangerous.

  ‘It isn’t like this is the first time I have seen creatures that resemble animals from Earth, but it is the first time I have seen something that looks prehistoric, Mesozoic… Cretaceous? I don’t remember which period dinosaurs lived on Earth.’

  In any case, it looked like there were a lot of parts from the frost lizards that I could use… some scales looked better than the others, and the cws too. The cws looked like simir ones to one of the monsters that had the ingredients to make mana potions… at least according to the alchemy book that Renna gave me.

  “Which parts do you think have magical properties, girl?”

  I put the cws and the scales in front of Gcien and she sniffed both of them. In the next moment, she pushed both of them toward me. It looked like both of them fit the criteria, so perhaps the cws could be useful for alchemy… then again, drinking anything made with that would be unsettling. The good thing was the fact that in the process, the cws had to be turned into dust and then it would be mixed with some other ingredients, but the solid parts would be separated from the liquid. It still felt disgusting to drink that…

  ‘The stamina potions feel much better in comparison… the downside is the fact that it didn’t improve any of my alchemy skills.’

  Maybe it was a bit too te to start on the alchemy path, but given that I had to find strength in every single path avaible to me, I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to use that book as a reference and create my own recipes for potions.

  I decided to move on, but after taking just a few steps, more frost lizards emerged from the ice walls… This pce was truly about to start a break.

  It felt like the people of this nd didn’t understand the severity of the situation. Their attitude seemed dangerously compcent. If all the monsters within it were to escape, it wouldn’t just be a minor issue; it would be a catastrophe.

  The sheer volume and variety of creatures housed within those depths would wreak havoc on the surrounding nds. They would cripple defenses and leave the people struggling to survive. And yet, there was no visible urgency in their actions, no acknowledgment of the threat that was in front of them.

  It was as if they believed that the byrinth would take care of itself, that the monsters would remain contained indefinitely without effort. But I knew better and the cost of underestimating this one could be catastrophic.

  ‘Well, it isn’t my problem… I am just paying a small debt here.’

  While that was true, it was also a good chance for an experiment. Aside from using my arrows, I also used wind Shurikens to make the skill level up.

  When the monsters were killed, I checked the surroundings to notice any differences, but I didn’t see anything… The ice didn’t melt or get thinner after the monsters emerged or were killed.

  It made sense since that was just a fraction of the first section… Still, considering that almost one hundred of them got in my way, I was expecting something.

  ‘Well, I can always check this by coming here every hour… or let Gcien fight with her body.’

  You completed a trial. Please choose between the csses: Venom Mage, Dark Acolyte, and Bard.

  You obtained the Bard css.

  You improved the Stamina Conservation parameter.

  You unlocked the Aptitude: Musical Mastery.

  You unlocked the skill: Song of Courage.

  You unlocked the skill: Dissonant Chord.

  Musical Mastery: Gain 1 point of experience per minute and per ally or enemy affected by your songs.

  Song of Courage: Py a rousing tune that increases the strength of nearby allies by an amount equal to your dexterity for the duration of this skill. The range increases with the level of the skill. Cost: 05 mana per second.

  Dissonant Chord: Perform a sharp, discordant note that disrupts and damages enemies in a small area, dealing damage equal to your magic power per second. Cost: 05 mana per second.

  The first skill was more than a little bit useful, but it was never my intention to obtain the Bard css. For one, I never pyed anything, and for another, I didn’t have an instrument. Perhaps I could make one that even a moron like me could py. In any case, it was really the only option left and the Stamina Conservation getting better wasn’t half bad.

  ‘I guess Alissandra can get the Cleric css here… The bard css is also an option since it would decrease her stamina cost. Making that effect get stronger would take a while, though.’

  Someone under your protection received the chance to obtain a css, but they can’t choose it. You will have to make the choice for them.

  Alissandra completed a trial. Please choose between the csses: Mage, Cleric, and Bard).

  “So, what do you choose, Alissandra. Raise a finger for the Cleric css, and two fingers for the Bard css.”

  “Da-bu.”

  “No fingers? You want the mage css then? Can’t let you py with magic now, kiddo.”

  I wondered if I was losing my mind speaking with babies and animals like that. In any case, I picked the Cleric css for her after checking my notes one more time.

  Cleric - Divine Grace: Gain 1 point of experience per successful healing spell cast.

  Parameter - Mana Regeneration: Increases your mana regeneration by 0.1 points per level

  Active Skills - Heal: Restore a significant amount of health to a single target, the amount healed scales with your magic. Cost: 15 Mana

  Holy Light: Emit a burst of divine light that deals damage to undead or dark creatures and stuns them for two seconds. The damage is equal to your magic. Cost: 20 Mana

  The potential was there… With Heal and increased mana regeneration, Alissandra would be able to heal herself many times in a row and pretty constantly, too. That should help her in terms of survivability and that was good, since I had no idea what her background was. I just had to find someone to look after her before she starts to use the Holy Light on me.

  “Do you want to hunt now, Gcien? I will return to the entrance with Alissandra. Just bring the scales, cws and the mana cores that you find, okay?”

  “Awoo!”

  I gave her the magic bag that she usually uses to carry stuff and then she dashed to the second floor. Even without magic, against enemies of this level, she would be fine. In any case, I returned outside with Alissandra. I could tell by her rosy cheeks that the cold wasn’t affecting her. She was essentially wearing my cloak as a bnket and that decreased the effects of cold by a rge margin, after all.

  Still, going further in the byrinth would be a bad idea, since without my cloak, I could feel a bit of the cold.

  “It looks like you will have to stick with me for a while longer… might as well make a proper cradle for you.”

  “Da-da.”

  “No, da-da. Speak proper English… or whatever the nguage in this world is called.”

  There were some trees around and I copped one of them with Wind Shurikens. Cleaning the whole thing had been easy, but I still had to dry the wood and take the best parts for the cradle. I wanted to add the magic ink on it to make it more durable with the right enchantment, but making a dark cradle felt weird and ominous. Not even I, a half-vampire, had one of those, so Alissandra didn’t deserve one.

  It didn’t take long to finish it. My dexterity was that high, after all. I probably could add an amulet below to emit a calming aura to keep her sleeping soundly in most scenarios, but I didn’t have the right skills for it yet.

  ‘Well now, shall I make a flute to test my bard skills? I bet that Alissandra would sleep more soundly if I used Song of Courage when putting her to sleep… wait, wouldn’t that fill her with energy instead?’

  I decided to make it anyway, but soon realized the fw in my logic… I probably could emit some magic songs with a flute, but I probably needed to use my voice more, perhaps I didn’t need an instrument, I just assumed that I needed. Because it would feel weird to sing by myself without the sound of an instrument nearby. I decided to try. I cleared my throat and then took a deep breath.

  “Laaa-a-... uh... --LA! Hm?”

  “Wahhh! Wahhh!”

  I was pretty certain that the skill was activated since my mana was drained, but it looked like it didn’t come out well… Alissandra was pouting for a while even a after I calmed her down.

  “Let’s try again.”

  “La… LAAAAAHHH!”

  “Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh! Wahhh!”

  “... What a tough crowd. I can’t possibly be that bad at singing.”

  Despite my words, it took a long while to calm down Alissandra this time… even Gcien returned. She looked angry and ready for battle, like someone had done something bad to her.

  “Don’t look at me like that. My talent just hasn’t awakened yet.”

  I couldn’t accept that I was tone-deaf. It was just an unfortunate accident that happened twice in a row since I don’t remember even humming after coming to this world. After training my vocal chords for a while, it would be fine. I had no idea why I was so certain of that, though. Or why I was so determined to prove that I wasn’t bad at singing.

  If anything, I can use that with Dissonant Chord to annoy the enemies while they suffer a lot of damage. I just have to be sure that my allies will cover their ears before, or that could decrease their morale as well.

  WritingMachineGun