《The Arcane Seeker》


 Chapter 1: A New Beginning

    Rainer stood in a cave, staring at a dead goblin. The cave was lit by a torch the goblin dropped, and the torch flickered, casting shadows about rough rock walls. He was confused, and afraid, and exhilarated. Less than one minute before, Rainer had been in his apartment, excited to test the spell he had spent months creating, the first spell that was his own. He meant it to let him walk through walls. For his first attempt, he''d tried to pass his hand through a sheet of cardboard. Now he stood in a cave, presumably in another world, staring at a dead goblin he had killed when it attacked him, seconds after he arrived... wherever he was. The ugly green thing was about five feet tall, thick with muscle, and had been faster than seemed plausible until it died and was still. Not until it died - rather, until he killed it.


    None of this made sense. Rainer did not know where he was or how he got here. He did not know why the three arcane bolts he had cast on instinct had killed the charging goblin. Arcane Bolt was one of two spells his grandfather, the only other Arcanist that Rainer knew of, had taught him. It had been barely more powerful than a laser pointer. Now, three bolts killed a creature Rainer was fairly confident was physically tougher than an average human. He did not know why when he killed the goblin, the message [5% experience gained] appeared on the bottom right of his vision before slowly fading. There were too many things he didn''t know, and it seemed likely his ignorance could kill him in a variety of ways. There were a few things Rainer was sure of. He did not want to die. He had to calm down and think this through. All of it.


    Were any more goblins coming to kill him? It was very quiet. The brief, fatal duel he had won was not loud, but neither had it been silent. If any nearby goblins were coming to investigate, he should have heard them by now.


    So, Rainer had at least a moment to think. Weirdest thing first: What was with that HUD message?  Rainer was an Arcanist, and as such, quickly accepted his new reality. He was in a world where he gained experience as if he were a fantasy RPG, and had just killed a goblin. He disposed of the thought that this was impossible. Denying strange truths would cost time he could not afford to lose. He started to chant, softly.


    ¡°Show Level.¡±


    ¡°Show Skills.¡±


    ¡°Show Character.¡±


    ¡°Show Stats.¡±


    ¡°Show Status.¡±


    His words were answered only by a faint echo and his own embarrassment and frustration.


    I demand you show my status! At once! ¡­ please ...


    This time, his plea was within his mind, directed at no one and nothing in particular. It occurred to him that he may be hallucinating, either the HUD message or the entire situation. This course of thought was interrupted by a peculiar message screen.


    [Name: Rainer Nvos]


    [Age: 19]


    [Titles: None]


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 1]


    [Sub-Classes: None]


    [Exp: 5%]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10]


    [Skill Points: 0]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]


    [Stamina: 11/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 7/13]


    [Mana Regen: .001 per second]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 13]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 14]


    [Willpower: 10]


    [Attribute points: 0]


    His first thought: This is a status screen, and that is bizarre. Second thought: It takes two minutes to go from completely exhausted to 100% Stamina, which seems fast. Third thought:  It takes 1,000 seconds to regenerate a point of mana, or 13,000 seconds to go from 0% to 100%. That''s... about 216 minutes. A little more than 3.5 hours. Each of my arcane bolts cost 2 mana, and it took all 3 of them to kill the goblin, so I can kill a goblin every 1.5 hours, or 2 goblins at once every 3 hours - assuming I never miss and they never dodge. That''s¡­ not good. This place could be full of goblins. Fifth thought:  I just thought an in-game command and got a Status Screen! That''s awesome!


    It was all too much to take in at once, but it was also unspeakably fascinating. Rainer tried another mental command, and to his delight, anything in his Status screen that he thought about resulted in a sort of tool-tip pop up within his vision.


    [Excellent Arcane Affinity: 200% general improvement and growth to Arcane Spells and Arcane related skills. 50% Improvement and growth to all magic spells and magic-related skills.]


    [Human Growth: Lacking any innate abilities or attribute bonuses, humans instead garner an increased growth rate of 10% in all subjects and general leveling.]


    [Arcanist Lvl 1/25: As a seeker of the Arcane, the true origin of magic, all secrets of the universe await thee. 100% general improvement and growth to Arcane spells and Arcane related skills. 25% Improvement and growth to all magic spells and magic-related skills. Allows the initial learning of any skill far easier than normal. +2 Intelligence, +2 Affinity, +.5 Willpower, +.10 All Attributes per Level past Level 1]


    Well, those bonuses to Arcane Spells go a long way toward explaining why his arcane bolt now hit much harder than a laser pointer. But those bolts were still far more than 4 times as powerful as before, so a combined 300% bonus wasn''t the only thing that had changed. Allows initial learning of any skill far easier than normal? That seemed awesome, right?


    Rainer suddenly thought to thank whoever created this system for not letting him die to dumb goblin. A fast, strong, coordinated, dagger wielding goblin. He actually had no clue how intelligent it had been. He amended his mental thanks to not letting him die to a goblin yet.


    [Human: Denotes one as a member of the human race giving them the Talent: Human Growth and the base attributes of a human of their age and ability.]


    Human seems to be the baseline race. Perhaps we are the most common sentient life form?


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [Arcanist Sub-Class Bonus: 25% general improvement and growth to Arcane spells and skills]


    What exactly is a Sub-Class? How do you get them? Can you switch them back to Primary? How can I find answers to any of this?


    Next, Rainer looked at his attributes.


    Is 10 average? If so, my attributes seem unusually good. My bench press is 225 pounds, and I''m pretty sure I''m more than 10% stronger than an average human overall. I don''t have enough context for what these attributes mean.


    He looked at the description for each attribute.


    [Constitution: Improves the durability and defense of one¡¯s body.]


    [Affinity: Improves one¡¯s casting and learning ability while increasing total mana.]


    [Vitality: Improves the healing ability and disease resistances of one¡¯s body.]


    [Endurance: Increases stamina and reduces its consumption.]


    [Strength: Improves the power of one¡¯s body.]


    [Dexterity: Improves the control and speed of one¡¯s body.]


    [Intelligence: Improves the power of magic and the processing speed of the brain.]


    [Willpower: Improves the resistance against magical/mental ailments and the regeneration of mana.]


    [Attributes may contain other hidden effects.]


    That mostly makes sense. Intelligence apparently doesn''t have to do with how smart you are, rather with how fast you can think. On the other hand, affinity improves learning ability? Huh. My Willpower is 10, and my mana regeneration is .001 per second. Maybe it''s linear? One point of Willpower increases mana regeneration by .0001 per second? I''ve gotten decent at fencing¡­ maybe that''s reflected partially in my intelligence score and partially in dexterity? It does come down to both thinking and moving quickly and accurately. I wish my Vitality were higher - something tells me I''ll be getting hurt way more often here than I did back home. Will I ever get back to home?


    Last, Rainer looked at his one spell.


    [Spellbook: Arcane]


    [Tier One: Arcane Bolt Lvl 2/10]


    [Arcane Bolt Lvl 2/10: Fires a bolt of concentrated Arcane energy.]


    That was not particularly helpful. It didn''t explain how his bolts had gotten so much stronger. And that was something he really needed to know, because if they went back to laser pointer strength, the next goblin he ran into would kill him - and the dead goblin probably had friends that would look for him sooner or later.


    Leaving aside [Sleep Learning], which had been the other spell his grandfather had taught him, and was now apparently a skill instead, Rainer finally took a good look at his surroundings.


    He was in a rather large room in a cave, and the room looked naturally formed. It was shaped like an egg with a rather flat bottom, and had a door sized entrance to what appeared to be a mine shaft, judging by the wooden support beams. The goblin had seen him while walking past the entrance to the room.


    Did goblins make this mine? Are they intelligent? Is the mine still active? What is being mined?


    Rainer looked down at the dead goblin. There was very little visible damage to its body, only a slight darkening on the skin where the bolts had hit it. Arcane bolts must deal some type of internal or magical damage. His inspection was interrupted by another HUD pop-up.


    [Skill Gained: Appraisal Lvl 1/10]


    Huh¡­ must be I learned that because of my class bonus?


    He tried to Appraise the dead goblin, and was immediately rewarded with a not particularly useful message.


    [Goblin, Male, Deceased]


    Err¡­ thanks for that.


    A few more trials, each resulting in the same message, showed that he just had to will the Appraisal skill to use it, and that it was nearly instant.


    Next, he picked up the goblin''s dagger. It was surprisingly well crafted. He appraised it. [Iron Dagger: A dagger with an iron blade.] I wonder how often Appraisal will tell me something I don''t already know. Though I suppose I was only mostly sure the dagger was iron. The blade was sharp and well maintained, as running a finger across it revealed that it had been recently been oiled. The balance was good. This was a weapon, not just a tool. Rainer knew that knife fights rarely had a true winner. But given his sadly small mana pool, it was best to be prepared to defend himself with the dagger as a last resort. With a rueful smile, he decided that he was quite glad his grandfather, who had initially insisted he take dance lessons, agreed to let him switch to fencing. A dagger was not a saber, but it was still a bladed weapon with a cutting edge and a sharp point. He began going through a series of thrusts and combination attacks, one he had practiced countless times in the white void of his grandfather''s sleep learning spell. The motions were familiar, and he basked in the feeling of control and personal competence that contrasted so painfully with everything else in this new world. His thoughts thus occupied, he was surprised by a short series of HUD messages.


    [Skill Gained: Dagger Mastery, 2/10]


    [Skill Gained: General Blade Mastery, 5/10]


    Rainer blinked. It must be that I need to use a skill here before the system will credit me with having it. That 5/10 seems high. I''ve only had four years of fencing lessons. On the other hand, I''ve probably spent half my sleep learning time on fencing for the last three years. What does that add up to? I''ll round it down a bit, and call it 3,000 hours of practice sleep learning, 1,000 hours of practice while awake, and about 400 hours of lessons? Maybe 5/10 is right. Sleep learning - good for more than just cramming for tests! Interesting that my skill there is at 9/10.


    With a sudden flash of insight, Rainer knew how best to use the next few hours, or until someone or something else dangerous found him, whichever came first. First, he dragged the goblin out of the line of sight of the cave''s entrance into the mine tunnel. Then, he put out the torch, broke it into pieces, and used the pieces to assemble a crude sound trap. Last, Rainer Nvos, college sophomore and newly powerful Arcanist, laid down to take a nap. He was more excited than he had ever been before, even though the mental and emotional whiplash of the last several minutes had tired him more than he''d have believed possible. His last thought before sleep took him was that his wall walking spell had, in the end, done what he''d wanted it to do - he was now a true [Arcanist], with power beyond what he''d ever dreamed within reach.

 Chapter 2: Sleep Learning

    Rainer stood in an endless white expanse. This was the mysterious space where sleep learning took place. On Earth, it had been very useful. It gave him roughly 8 more productive hours each day, and allowed him to permanently commit to memory things he read. He could also reset his body to its original condition if he tired or was injured. If he died in sleep learning (in hindsight, that had been a reckless thing to test), he would be instantly restored to health. When he had finally learned the sleep learning spell three years prior, it had seemed incredible. Objectively, that was true. But he quickly discovered it had quite a few limits as well. He could practice his fencing - the necessary equipment would appear, as if in a lucid dream - but with no opponent, that was only so productive. However, the largest limitation was that he could not improve his magic while sleep learning. He believed that here, that restriction may not apply.


    Holding his breath, Rainer formed an arcane bolt and fired it. It flew into the distance before landing with a satisfying explosion of energy. It had worked! He was using magic while sleep learning. The first bolt was quickly followed by five more, and then he re-set himself. A smile spread across his face. Just like that, his mana had been restored to maximum. Rather than waiting three hours, it had been instant. Then, he got to work.


    Two hours later, Rainer woke to a HUD message that staggered him.


    [Arcane Bolt has reached Lvl 10.]


    [Reached the maximum proficiency of a Tier 1 spell for the first time: Rewarding 5 skill points.]


    Even with all that had happened since he woke that morning, this was unbelievable. In only 2 hours, arcane bolt had gone from Lvl 2 to Lvl 10. Though, thinking through what sleep learning had allowed him to do, the math made sense. One bolt per second for a bit less than 2 hours - about 6,000 arcane bolts. How long would that have taken in the waking world? It takes me a little over 16 minutes to regain 1 point of mana, or rounding down, half an hour per bolt at 2 points per bolt. So 2 bolts an hour. That nap was equal to 3,000 hours of waking practice! Grandfather, thank you. If I survive in this world, your sleep learning will be the reason why.


    With only slightly dampened euphoria, Rainer turned his attention to analysis of his current situation. He was in a cave on an unknown world, with no food, no shoes, no water, and very little understanding of the rule set that apparently controlled things here. He had encountered at a hostile goblin immediately on arriving, and instinct told him there had to be more in this mine. The only language he could speak was English, so even if he found other humans, he''d likely have to count on his class ability to learn the first level of their language and use skill points to increase his proficiency to a functional level. That thought brought a frown to his face. Skill points had to be incredibly valuable, especially in the long term. But right now, what he needed desperately, needed most of all, was information. If he could trade skill points for answers? It was no choice at all.


    Speaking of answers, it was pitch black and he couldn''t see a thing. Stumbling through a goblin infested mine in the dark did not seem like a good plan. He needed a light source. Rainer formed and fired an arcane bolt. As it exploded against the cave wall, he realised that it seemed superior to a Lvl 2 arcane bolt in every way. Rather than 2 mana, it had only cost 1. It flew faster, carried far more energy, was easier to aim, and had felt quicker and more natural to cast. It was also much brighter, glowing with a hot white-violet light. Experimentally, he formed a bolt in his hand but held it rather than releasing it. At lvl 2 in arcane bolt, he had lacked this degree of control. There was a small, ongoing mana cost to holding the bolt, but it was even less than his meager mana regeneration rate. For a few minutes he just stared at energy in his hand, trying to understand the possibilities it represented. Then, he had an idea.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Rainer willed the bolt out of his hand and carefully moved it to his left, until it was floating next to him. While he somehow believed the arcane energy would not harm him, he was still careful to make sure it did not touch his body. With a mental command, he tried to fix it in place left of his shoulder, so that it would move with him, and was met with a HUD message.


    [New Arcane spell gained: Arcane Bolt Armament]


    With his new spell, Rainer got a sudden influx of information.


    The spell formula! ...this..is...incredible!


    His wall walking spell had taken months of intensive research and labor, and the end result worked nothing like he had planned. That was correct - magic was supposed to be hard. His grandfather in decades of research had only successfully developed arcane bolt and sleep learning. But this? This had been intuitive, easy. Rainer could not contain his excitement, and felt very little reason to try. He eagerly inspected his new spell.


    [Arcane Bolt Armament Lvl 1/10: Forms an armed Arcane bolt at the desired place near the user. The Arcane Bolt may be set to release automatically at hostile presences and/or at the users will. Bolt damage and mana cost are improved by the level of the spell [Arcane Bolt]. Current Max: 4]


    Quickly, he cast four armed arcane bolts, set to form a square as they each hovered a couple feet away diagonally from his body. It took about 3 times longer to cast an armed arcane bolt compared with a regular one, and each armed bolt decreased his maximum mana by .5 while active, but there was no other downside. The spell was incredible. He couldn''t wait to practice it in sleep learning. Of course, he then realized, he didn''t have much choice. Between his recent nap and these amazing discoveries, he was wide awake. But he needed to improve this spell, faster than he could while waking!


    Looking around the cave, which was nicely illuminated by his 4 armed arcane bolts, Rainer had another thought. Perhaps he could kill a couple birds with one stone. He was at the cave wall furthest from the entrance to the mine tunnel. Turning, Rainer sprinted to the entrance. Then he sprinted back. The next time, he sprinted half the distance then lept as far as he could. Several minutes later, dripping with sweat after a hard workout, he was rewarded with 2 system messages:


    [Skill Gained: Long Jumping Lvl 1/10]


    [Skill Gained: Sprinting Lvl 1/10]


    His Arcanist class ability had come through for him - just that quickly, Rainer gained two new skills. Breathing heavily, he decided to test later how much of a difference Lvl 1 sprinting or long jumping made compared with no skill at all. That was just a bonus though, as he''d already achieved his primary goal. As his heart gradually slowed, he checked the description of his newly amazing skill.


    [Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10: The ability to practice and improve skills or spells while sleeping. Cannot acquire new knowledge.]


    Skills or spells! Sleep learning is completely broken in this world!


    Successfully worn out, protected by four glowing orbs of arcane energy floating above him, Rainer laid down and went back to sleep with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 3: A Reluctant Predator

    Rainer woke to two system messages and a small explosion, followed quickly by a thump and a third system message.


    [Arcane bolt Armament has reached Lvl 10.]


    [Reached the maximum proficiency of a Tier 1 spell: Rewarding 1skill point. ]


    Then came the brilliant flash of light as all 4 of his armed arcane bolts struck the unfortunate goblin that had stumbled onto Rainer''s hiding place.


    [5% experience gained]


    I just literally killed a goblin in my sleep. Was it friends with the first goblin? Family? I suppose it must have been hostile, or the bolts shouldn''t have triggered.


    Intellectually, it was clearly self defense. His fingers traced the blade of the well crafted dagger the first goblin had dropped, and Rainer couldn''t help feeling he''d killed people, rather than monsters. If I''m ever going to see sunlight again, I''ll probably have to kill again.


    Sobered, he re-cast his armed arcane bolts. Now that he''d reached Lvl 10 of Arcane Bolt Armament, he noticed that the maximum had increased from 4 bolts to 8. Rainer had no food, no water, and no knowledge of his surroundings, but he did feel a bit safer against direct physical attack with 8 armed arcane bolts surrounding him. He took a moment to check his status.


    [Name: Rainer Nvos]


    [Age: 19]


    [Titles: None]


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 1]


    [Sub-Classes: None]


    [Exp: 10%]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10]


    [Skill Points: 6]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]


    [Stamina: 12/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 5/13]


    [Mana Regen: .001 per second]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 13]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 14]


    [Willpower: 10]


    [Attribute points: 0]


    Rainer felt reasonably confident in his ability to defend himself for the time being. What he needed now was a plan that achieved three goals. First, he had to find a way out of this mine. Second, find food and more importantly water. Third, learn. Rainer may be 19 years old, but on this world, he was so ignorant he may as well have been a young child. He needed to learn everything he could as quickly as possible. How long are days? What languages do I need to learn? How dangerous is the environment? The wildlife? How can I find humans? How technologically advanced is this world? Is there money? How is society structured? Is there a goverment, a legal system? What questions, more important than these, am I not thinking of?


    In the end, his plan was simple. Walk into the mine shaft, take the right. At any intersection, barring other factors, take the right. Be careful, be quiet. If he runs into a goblin, try to communicate. If he meets a group of goblins, evade them if possible, and kill them as quickly as he could if stealth was not an option. He wished he had shoes. It would be easy to injure his feet, and that could kill him. There was no way to clean a wound, and sepsis was a very real danger. He searched the second dead goblin. It was very similar to the first, physically and in its equipment, though it looked a bit more gray than the first. It too had a leather belt and sheath with an iron dagger. He put on the second belt and tied it, joining the first. There was no concrete reason to take it, but with as few resources as he had, it seemed unpardonably wasteful to leave any behind.


    As he walked out his cave, a strange thought hit him - it was a bit like he was leaving a womb, born into a new world. For the first several minutes as he walked along the mine tunnel, his focus was wholly on the physical space around him, alert for any danger or any anything that he could use or learn from. However, the truth was that walking through a long, empty mine tunnel was pretty boring. Very little changed from one minute to the next, though the path did seem to gradually slope upward. The most notable event in those minutes was when he passed a couple of rocks that seemed a good size and shape to throw, and put them in his pocket. It was eerily silent. There was no sound, not even his footsteps on the dirt. Gradually, his thoughts drifted. He thought of his grandfather, sister, mother. The classes he was taking and would miss tomorrow. What could possibly have happened with his wall walking spell to send him here, what he''d be doing right now if he hadn''t decided to tried it today. Would whatever fluke dropped him here have done so if he had first tried the spell a month later? A day? A millisecond? One thing he was certain of was that there was no way his magic had brought him here on its own. He wished he had a watch. Just to check, he tried a mental command, was was pleasantly surprised when it worked. [Time: 17:24]. Interesting. I wonder if days are 24 hours long here? It seems implausible that they would be, but it''s also implausible that I can breathe the atmosphere here. Or that I''m here in the first place.


    Rainer forced his thoughts back on to useful topics - time to think was precious, and he''d wasted too much, given the dangers facing him. The most immediate was a goblin killing him. Perhaps even more serious, he needed to find water within the next two days. If he didn''t, his options became grim. Though hunting goblins for their blood was possible, he''d go through quite a bit to avoid it. But if there was no other way? Rainer believed in survival of the fittest, and he did not want to die. His life meant more to him than any number of goblins, even if those he''d killed already tugged at his conscience at the periphery of his thoughts. But that was more than 30 hours away, and there was a very good chance he''d die before then if he didn''t think clearly and decisively now. How many goblins could he defend himself against? With 8 armed arcane bolts and full mana, less the 4 mana reserved to sustain the armed bolts, he could theoretically kill 17 goblins. More realistically, he could probably handle 10-12 if he had the advantages of range and surprise, less if he lacked either.


    He seemed to be traveling a side tunnel, and assumed the mine was controlled by goblins, and that it was safest to bet there were a lot of them. If the tunnels could be compared to a side street in a road network, then the route to the mine exit would likely take him first to a central junction. That junction would probably have far more goblins than he could kill with arcane bolts. And this was a very serious problem. If he knew what tunnel leading away from the junction led out of the mine, then he might be able to bluff his way out after demonstrating the power of his arcane bolts. After all, the goblins wouldn''t know that his mana was so limited. But he had no way to effectively communicate with them. There was only one possibility that seemed realistic to him. He had to find another lone goblin, capture it, and count on his class bonus to learn the first level of its language, then use skill points to raise his skill level in that language until he could interrogate the captive. The goblin who attacked him when he arrived here clearly viewed him as prey. But to survive, Rainer needed to become a hunter.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He wished that he had a sword. His arcane bolts were powerful, at least against goblins, but his mana was a distressingly scarce resource. But he''d spent every point of mana he had before he''d risk fighting with a dagger. A saber would give him the reach to at least make hand to hand combat plausibly survivable. Looking at the armed arcane bolts surrounding him, he had an idea. Was it possible to summon a sword made of arcane energy? He wasn''t overly optimistic. The leap from the arcane bolt spell to an arcane blade would be far longer than the jump from arcane bolt to armed arcane bolt. An arcane bolt could be compared to a deadly water balloon filled with arcane energy. Like a water balloon, it was much more effective at range. To form an arcane blade, he would need to somehow make a blade shaped water balloon, then remove the balloon containing the water while holding the water in place. Only using primal, dangerous arcane energy rather than water. While he didn''t understand yet just how spell making worked in this world, his best guess was that making an arcane blade would take too much time to help him escape this mine. Still, it might be a good idea to try. There were costs, of course, in both mana and focus. But even if he failed, it was a way to learn. And given that most of his advantages seemed to be in the direction of arcane magic, learning could mean everything.


    As he walked, Rainer formed an arcane bolt in his hand, just as he had when creating the Armed Arcane Bolt spell. While still devoting most of his attention to his surroundings, he slowly shaped the bolt in his hand. He stretched it out until it was about a bit under a meter long, then thinned it, before returning it to its original shape. While there was an ongoing mana cost to holding the bolt, it was so small that it was less than even his pitiful mana regeneration rate. So he took his time, almost idly toying with the bolt, seeing how he could move and shape it. Removing the sheath containing the arcane energy could well be dangerous, and he would not risk it until he could give it every bit of his focus. It was a risk not worth taking as he traveled. But he could at least try to form the shape of the blade. Rainer walked for over an hour, toying with his oddly shaped arcane bolt, when he was surprised by a system message.


    [Skill Gained: Arcane Energy Manipulation, Lvl 1/10]


    Rainer knew instantly that this skill could be incredibly useful. Given how easily he''d made one spell, the ability to manipulate Arcane Energy had to open the door to countless others. Arcane Bolt was a simple spell - again, like a water balloon. But in it''s simplicity, it had tremendous potential. It was a contained packet of arcane energy. And the Arcane was the true origin of all magic. So all of magic could theoretically be derived from the contents of the saber shaped arcane bolt extending from his right hand. He just needed time, time to study and experiment and learn. If he could find teachers or books it would help speed things up, of course, but he was certain that he could accomplish whatever he wanted, if he just had the time. He could even get back home. Slowly, Rainer weakened the membrane that contained the roiling, untamed arcane energy within. It was easier to sense and to control than it had been before. Even at Lvl 1/10, Arcane Energy Manipulation was powerful. After a moment''s thought, he decided against trying to remove the membrane and complete the spell quite yet. The last time he''d attempted to use a spell before being fully ready, he''d ended up in a bizarre world freakishly similar to a fantasy RPG. He would wait until he was ready, and right now his mana was at 6/13, with 4 of the missing points reserved for his 8 armed arcane bolts.


    For now, he''d wait for his mana to regenerate as he walked. It took self control not to jog. Walking was painfully slow, and the sooner he got to wherever this tunnel lead, the sooner he would have more information to work with. But it was foolish to deplete his stamina without cause. Rainer remembered that during the last Summer Olympics, he''d watched a few minutes of the race walking event. It had looked ridiculous, but the announcer had mentioned the walkers could average around 7 miles per hour, twice the normal human walking speed. He was in quite good shape, and walking at even a fast clip shouldn''t tire him. Feeling unduly self-conscious, and then recursively feeling self conscious for feeling self conscious over such a silly thing, Rainer began to speed walk. Twenty-three minutes later (he''d checked the system time right after he began speed walking), Rainer gained a new skill.


    [Skill gained: Speed Walking, 1/10]


    Immediately thereafter, he again had cause to feel self conscious about feeling self conscious, this time over the thought that he wasn''t sure he wanted that skill popping up when someone appraised him, if higher levels of Appraisal could show skills. It was clearly a skill worth having, regardless of if he looked silly. His steps already seemed lighter and quicker. With a new spring in his gait, he continued down (or was it up?) the tunnel.


    Roughly 40 minutes later, Rainer saw a light around around a bend in the tunnel. Immediately he slowed, straining his senses for any hint of what lay ahead. Then, he mentally ordered the armed bolts surrounding him to move directly behind his back. Testing, he found that he could keep them about 5 meters behind him, before they would refuse to move any further away. The tunnel, sadly, was still too well lit for him to believe he could sneak up on any goblins who might be around the corner unless he dispelled his armed bolts. But he was loathe to do so, given how vital they would be if the next minutes ended violently. He steeled himself and drew the bolts back around him, then jogged toward the bend in the tunnel before sprinting the last few meters. As he turned the corner, he saw a group of goblins looking at him in surprise. They were already standing, and had been walking from a camp fire toward the curious light approaching in the tunnel. There were seven of them, and Rainer had no time to think, only to react. As the largest goblin reached for a club at his waist and snarled what seemed like a command, Rainer willed his armed arcane bolts to attack, one aimed at each goblin. Swift as arrows, they struck home.


    [16% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    [5% experience gained]


    It was a massacre. In seconds, Rainer had killed 7 sentient beings. He had no valid reason to believe that this worlds goblins were any less intelligent or emotionally complex than humans were, and he''d slaughtered them without giving them a chance to speak or flee. They hadn''t even had opportunity to attack, and it was possible that they would not have. And it had all gone according to plan: There was a group of goblins, and he''d killed them as quickly as possible. Turning to the side as his vision clouded and his eyes watered, Rainer puked.

 Chapter 4: The Arcane Blade

    Rainer stood leaning with his hands on his knees and the aftertaste of vomit in his mouth, one more reminder that he didn''t have water and would need to find a source or die. Slowly, he stood straight, re-cast 7 armed arcane bolts, and looked around the room. If he had not already emptied the contents of his stomach, he would have when he saw what the goblins had been roasting on their camp fire. He was a biology major, and he knew human remains when he saw them. Rainer believed in survival of the fittest, and didn''t pass moral judgment on the goblins. After all, bacon comes from an intelligent, self aware creature. But it did clarify that to goblins, he was food, and so Rainer''s guilt over the recent slaughter of so many of them eased. He glanced around his surroundings, and listened closely, but heard and saw nothing dangerous. Rainer took a moment to check his stat screen.


    [Name: Rainer Nvos]


    [Age: 19]


    [Titles: None]


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 1]


    [Sub-Classes: None]


    [Exp: 56%]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10], [Arcane Energy Manipulation 1/10], [Speed Walking 1/10]


    [Skill Points: 6]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]


    [Stamina: 11/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 6/13]


    [Mana Regen: .001 per second]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 13]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 14]


    [Willpower: 10]


    [Attribute points: 0]


    He searched the bodies and campsite of the goblins and found little of use. In the fantasy media Rainer was familiar with, goblins were weak but numerous. If those he had seen so far were typical, average goblins here were stronger and faster than average humans, unless the average human in this world was physically superior to those on earth. If there were a large tribe in these tunnels, he was in very serious danger, but if there were only dozens rather than hundreds or thousands, self defense may be possible. On the other hand, his limited mana, even at its maximum, would allow for only 17 bolts. If he ran in to a group of 20 or more enemies, he would almost certainly die. It was also optimistic to assume that every goblin in the mine could be killed with a single bolt. Looking up, Rainer realized that there was no rock above him. The night sky was visible, and it was beautiful. Two moons shined down, surrounded by a brilliant array of stars. Climbing out was impossible, as he stood at the bottom of a hole in the mountain that was at least 15 meters deep. The sight of the sky filled him with hope even as it solidified the fact that he was far away from home.


    Rainer saw no reason to change the plan he''d decided on, and so he walked to the right. Soon he came upon a junction. The large tunnel he''d been walking split into 6 branches. Five showed signs of recent travel, but an old cobweb stretched across the mouth of the sixth. That path may lead nowhere, and it was the least likely to take him to water or to an exit. But on the other hand, it was his best bet at finding a safe place to work on his Arcane Blade idea, as well as to rest. Rainer carefully ducked under the cobweb, and began walking down the path. As minutes passed, it became clear that the path gently curved upwards, and it curved, as if it were a spiral staircase around the core of the mountain. The sheer scale of the tunnels staggered him. It would have taken more time than seemed possible to carve them out of the stone with hand tools. Either they had been created over millenia, or something had sped up the work, possibly magic or some great rock boring beast. There was still nothing to indicate what was being mined. It occurred to him that he''d only assumed this was a mountain - it could well be underground, in which case the path sloping meant he was getting closer to the surface.


    Forty minutes of walking later, a faint light came from around a corner in the tunnel. His first instinct was to rush toward it, but caution over-ruled instinct, and he began moving deliberately and as quietly as he could over the dirt floor of the tunnel. If it was an entrance, it''d still be an entrance a few minutes later, but if the light indicated some form of danger, being careful could safe his life. The light was steady, and did not flicker like a fire, which hopefully meant it was sunlight. Wait - it''s night. That can''t be sunlight. His mana had almost fully regenerated, and he had his full complement of armed arcane bolts. He was not defenseless. Still, he was a level one player in a game he did not understand, within a world he did not know. Any number of things could kill him. Actually, whatever the most dangerous threats were in this world, it was quite likely he couldn''t even imagine them, let alone predict them. The thought was sobering. His initial excitement chastened, he crept around the corner.


    The light was coming through cracks in a boarded-up doorway. Sneaking close, he looked through a seam between the wood and saw a mage''s work room. The light came from an orange sphere that hung from the ceiling, and in that light he saw things that made him forget his fears, the danger he was in, and the overwhelming weirdness of his day so far. The room was carefully constructed. The floors, walls and even ceiling all had runic language inscribed in purposeful patterns, even if he did not understand them at a glance. There was a bed to his left against one wall, and the far wall had a desk to the right of a heavy wooden door, which was closed and looked to be locked. In passing, he noted that the existence of the lock was interesting. That was a higher level of technological sophistication than he''d seen yet in this world. But that was only a side note - the room was full of magic! The deck was strewn with notes, and the wall the deck rested against had a great many scrolls tucked neatly into cubby holes hewn into the rock wall. A wooden staff leaned against the desk. It was all, strangely, familiar. It reminded him of his bedroom in the months he''d spent developing his wall walking spell. Then he remembered that he had the Appraisal skill, and excitedly set to using it.


    [Enchanted Oak Staff: When magic is channeled through this staff effectiveness increases by 5 intelligence]


    [Scroll of Fireball: Upon injection of mana releases a fireball at desired target.]


    [Enchanted FlameLit Orb: Radiates a light similar to a natural fire]


    [Skill Gained: Faaran Runic Language: Lvl 3/10]


    The last message confirmed his hypothesis that skills in this game system were unlocked when used for the first time, then set to the level of his pre-existing knowledge, just as with General Blade Mastery. The room was a feast spread in front of a starving man - he had to get in! It was time to get to work on his Arcane Blade idea.


    With practiced ease, Rainer formed an arcane bolt in the shape of a blade. He reached out and felt the arcane membrane containing the roiling energy within, and exerted his will to remove the membrane while continuing to control the energy. Aided by his recently developed Arcane Energy Manipulation skill, it worked.


    [New Arcane Spell Gained: Arcane Blade lvl 1/15]


    [Created original tier 2 spell: Rewarding experience, 5 skill points, and the title: Arcane Scholar]


    [Experience gained 212%]


    [Managing excess experience]


    [Arcanist has been leveled up to Lvl 2/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    The violet blade of energy in his hand stabilized, and the mana cost to sustain it dropped. Leaving aside the rush of messages, he set to cutting through the boards blocking his way, and was delighted to find that the blade sliced through them with no more difficulty than as if it sliced through air. He was careful not to allow any wood to fall, stacking each piece on the ground. Soon a Rainer sized hole cleared, and he eagerly strode into the room and walked to the desk. He folded the Scroll of Fireball and put it into his shirt pocket, and picked up the Enchanted Oak Staff. It was obvious that this room belonged to a mage who knew far more of this world''s magic system than Rainer did. If that mage were to return and surprise him, at least they wouldn''t have their staff. How did the staff work, anyway? Experimenting, Rainer took the staff in his left hand and carefully moved a small amount of mana through his skin and into the wood. Then he formed an arcane bolt in his right hand and tried to feel for any difference from the intelligence bonus. He had no clue how to use a magic staff.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Thus occupied, Rainer was surprised by two voices rapidly approaching the locked door. One was deep and harsh, the other soft, pained, and terrified. They were speaking the same guttural, unfamiliar language. Time to flee, or time to fight? Quickly deciding, he faced the door and re-formed his Arcane Blade. He had only a moment to prepare himself before a key turned in a lock and he was out of time. The door swung open and he was face to face with a fierce, startled goblin mage, clothed in animal fur trimmed with feathers and holding what looked like a bird cage in his right hand. Rainer could not afford to hesitate. Fortunately, he did not. Four of his armed arcane bolts instantly slammed into the goblin''s chest as an arcane blade thrust into the creature''s left shoulder and raked diagonally down through its body. Just that quickly, the fight ended. Rainer hadn''t even had a fraction of a second to use Appraisal on his foe.


    [10 Primary Level Difference, Experience Bonus added]


    [68% Experience Gained]


    [Managing Excess Experience]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to Lvl 3/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    Rainer''s heart pounded within his chest as the goblin''s corpse dropped and the cage it had held clattered to the floor. From within the cage, a sweet voice cried in pain and terror. Instantly, Rainer knealt and saw within the bars a beautiful young woman. She was 6 inches tall, with the shape of a ballerina, long brown hair, mesmeric green eyes and 4 wings sprouting from her back. She was also terribly injured. The poor thing was covered in burns. One of her wings bent at a gruesome, unnatural angle, and hung limp at her side. The others were also broken. Even so badly damaged, the delicate wings glowed with a soft blue light. When he bent down to take a closer look, she whimpered and painfully pulled herself toward a corner of her cage, trying to hide as she sobbed. His heart instantly went out to her. Rainer had always cared for small creatures unable to protect themselves, or those who were injured and vulnerable. He immediately knew he had to do what he could for her.


    "You''re hurt! How can I help you?"


    Without thinking, he''d spoken in English, and was surprised when he understood her reply.


    "You will help Luna? Truly? The bad stupid fire mage has the key to this cage. You will let Luna out?"


    He took a moment to appraise the tiny woman before turning to search the corpse of the goblin mage.


    [Fairy, Female, Fae Enchantress Lvl 2]


    Immediately, the little fairy''s face lit up and she spoke in a quick torrent.


    ¡°You appraised Luna! Luna is so happy. Hero has come to saved Luna!¡±


    He felt a strange prickling, as if some extra-dimensional set of eyes was looking through him, as she continued.


    ¡°A-raa-caa-naa-ist? Elera mai yu tai Luna.¡±


    Her smile was replaced with a confused look as she muttered to herself in the same strange tongue for several seconds, until some of the words began to make sense.


    [Skill Gained: Fae Language Lvl 1/10]


    "¡°Elera not Hero, Elera come for Luna¡¯s fairy dust too. But if Elera not hero how..¡±


    "I''m not here for your fairy dust, I don''t even know what that is. I just want to help, and then ask a few questions."


    "Luna is confused by the hero who is not a hero, but hopes you speak truth."


    Rainer quickly ransacked the dead goblins belongings, and found the key within a pocket. He unlocked the cage and gently removed the fairy, moving his hands slowly and carefully so as not to worsen her injuries by accident.


    "Luna, can you heal yourself? Or is there anything I can do for you?"


    ¡°If...you...could...give...Luna mana...Luna better.¡±


    With those words, the fairy collapsed in his hands and was still, unconscious. As he looked at her, she shimmered for a moment before her hair turned from brown into a vibrant emerald green. This little fairy can understand me, and can speak. I need information more than I need anything else right now, more than food or water, more than anything. Casting about for some way to heal her, Rainer pulled up his status screen.


    [Name: Rainer Nvos]


    [Age: 19]


    [Titles: None]


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 3/25]


    [Sub-Classes: None]


    [Exp: 14%]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10], [Arcane Energy Manipulation 1/10], [Speed Walking 1/10]


    [Skill Points: 13]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]


    [Stamina: 9/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 5/17]


    [Mana Regen: .0011 per second]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 17]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 18]


    [Willpower: 11]


    [Attribute points: 2]


    Mana, I need to give her mana... how can I do that? Is it even safe to try right now? I''d better get this dead goblin out of the doorway and close the door, first of all.


    Rainer set the tiny fairy on the fur-covered bed, then dragged the dead goblin into the room, closing the door behind him. There was surprisingly little blood. The arcane bolts had opened no wounds, and the arcane blade had cauterized the goblin''s flesh as it cut. He walked over to the fairy and gently touched her with one finger and tried to infuse her with his mana, using a slightly modified version of a training exercise his grandfather had taught him. That exercise had not involved another living being, however, so he was dubious as to whether it''d work. He just didn''t have any better ideas. Several seconds later, his efforts gained two new system messages.


    [Skill Gained: Mana Manipulation Lvl 2/10]


    [Skill Gained: Fairy Anatomy Lvl 1/10]


    His first thought was to level up Mana Manipulation, but found that the third level of the skill would cost 20 skill points. It made some sense that it was expensive to increase - it had been a beast of a skill to learn back home and had taken several months before he could get mana to leave his body at all - but he was still taken aback by just how costly it was. That was 20 levels worth of skill points! Next he checked the skill point cost of raising Fairy Anatomy, and found that it was far cheaper. If this fairy dies, I may well die soon after. She''s my only potential ally and source of information right now. Reluctantly, he leveled Fairy Anatomy to 4/10. The second level cost 1 skill point, the third cost 2, and the fourth cost 3, for a total of 6 skill points. The return on his skill point investment was immediate - he instantly understood the tiny body in his hands far better, and with the aid of Mana Manipulation found it easy to direct the flow of mana from his fingers through her to the exact locations it was needed. Slowly her body began to repair itself. Torn wings knit back together. Burned skin healed and smoothed, and broken limbs straightened. The aggregate effect was miraculous, and soon she looked fairly healthy. Just as he began to feel relieved, the little fairy seized and a system message appeared.


    [Arcane Energy Manipulation has leveled up to Lvl 2/10]


    [18% Experience gained]


    The fairy in his hands transformed. Her emerald hair slowly turned to a shining silver. Her wings shifted to a deep violet veined with a void-like black, and her eyes began to glow violet behind her closed lids. Though he had been concerned when she began to seize, his newly purchased knowledge of Fairy Anatomy gave him enough insight not to panic. He could tell that she was basically alright. Her seizure ended within moments, even though the changes took a few more minutes to complete. He was quite curious what those changes would mean. She seemed to be resting comfortably, and before he knew it, she began to stir, as if waking after a long night''s sleep.

 Chapter 5: Familiar

    Luna slowly woke. She was laying on a large bed in a dead goblin fire mage''s work room, nestled in luxurious furs. It occurred to Rainer that those furs would have cost thousands of dollars back home. They may well be just as valuable here. He''d taken a terrible risk cutting his way into this room and fighting its owner, and it had paid off. Much was gained. There was a wall full of scrolls yet to read so that he could commit them to long term memory within sleep learning. Killing the fire mage had given a big chunk of experience that pushed him to level 3. He had created Arcane Blade, his first tier 2 spell, and that had netted him skill points and the title of Arcane Scholar, which apparently granted a static 5% experience bonus and would have given him Arcane Energy Manipulation had he not already gained the skill thanks his Arcanist class bonus. Arcane Blade was everything he''d hoped it would be, even if the mana cost was quite high. It had sliced through wood and bone as easily as it moved through air. It was quite curious that its current level was [1/15] rather than [1/10], however. There was no particular reason a tier 2 spell couldn''t use the same 10 point system that other spells and skills did, so Arcane Blade was somehow unique. He had yet to loot the goblin''s body, as he only took the time to search for the key to Luna''s cage.


    Most importantly, he''d gained a potential ally and source of information. The small fairy could somehow knew English, and he had sacrificed 6 precious skill points to restore her to health. He really, really hoped his kindness would be appreciated and that she would be able to answer the many potentially vital questions he had for her. Looking at the lovely, tiny person in front of them, he glanced back at the dead goblin who had tortured her so brutally. Whatever compunctions he''d had over killing goblins fled. He felt only triumph and the exhilaration of finally being a true mage, wielding powerful forces that had defeated a foe at least 10 levels higher than he was. Finally, just seconds ago he''d gained system message that intrigued him deeply. It had appeared as the mysterious physical changes to the small fairy had finished.


    [Familiar contract initiated, Make Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna your Familiar? Y/N]


    Rainer had very little idea what to make of it. Had he somehow gotten the option to bind Luna to his service when he infused so much of his mana into her? Would he enslave her if he accepted the contract? Insult her if he refused? Would making a Fae Princess his familiar anger a Fae Royal Court somewhere? What did she want him to do? These questions rose rapidly to the top of his "things to ask Luna first" list. And then she was awake.


    "Luna feels so much better! Thank you, Rainer the A-raa-caa-naa-ist! Thank you! But Luna''s beautiful green hair is now silver, why is this? Luna''s silver hair is still beautiful of course, but how? Why? And Luna''s wings are a new color! Did the Araa-caa-naa-ist change Mother''s mana? Is such a thing possible for such a weak human mage? He is not a true dragon in disguise, is he? And why does the human look confused at me now when he is the one who has done all these helpful and confusing things?"


    Luna read well the dumbfounded expression on Rainer''s face. The little fairy had gone from asleep to eagerly interrogating him before he could blink. He''d been pretty sure he was the one with questions for her!


    "I''m sorry Luna, but I don''t know the answers to most of your questions. You fell unconscious soon after you told me that you needed mana from me in order to heal yourself, and I was afraid your life was in danger. I spent skill points to raise the [Fae Anatomy] skill to 4/10 after I couldn''t figure out how to give you mana. That worked, and you healed, but your body changed colors somehow. I have many questions for you too, Luna, but first I have a secret to tell you. Can you promise to keep my secret?"


    "A secret! Luna loves secrets! Thank you for giving Luna mana and a secret! Luna will keep the secret, Luna will!"


    An almost comically solemn expression replaced the exuberant joy that had lit up her face at the mention of a secret.


    "Princess Luna Emralira-Igna does swear to keep faithfully the secret Rainer tells her, and to tell it to no one, not even the stars and moons. Now tell Luna the secret, tell, tell!"


    Solemnity was clearly not the fairy''s default state, as one sentence after her formal vow, she bubbled over with happy excitement. It was all Rainer could do to keep from laughing, even if he had just decided to take a serious risk.


    "OK, Luna, here is my secret. I am not from this world, and I do not even know the name of this world. I am from a different world called Earth. I spent the last several months working on a spell that I tried for the first time yesterday, but it did not work as I planned, and somehow sent me from my home to this world. On Earth, things are very, very different. There are no classes or levels or system messages or status screens. A young child here knows more about how this world works than I do, and I need help to learn. Will you help me, Luna?"


    "Luna will help! This secret confuses and makes sense. Rainer is a hero who is not a hero, and comes from a different world like heroes do, and Rainer is dumb like a baby human child, but knows powerful magics that move him from his silly world to the real world, but because he is dumb like a dumb human child does not understand his own magics and came to the real world by mistake, and Luna will have to teach him many simple things, but Luna is wise and patient and will teach the confused Araa-caa-naa-ist!"


    Somehow that was all one sentence. Somehow, Rainer couldn''t quite argue with the parts of it that made sense to him. And so, with a sheepish grin, he decided to just start with his questions.


    "Luna, just before you woke up I got a message asking if I wanted to make you my familiar. Do you want to be my familiar?"


    "Rainer is very rude for not taking Luna as his familiar yet! Luna is a fairy and a princess and is wise and beautiful and perfect, and Rainer should not need to think about taking her as his familiar! Luna accepted right away even though Rainer is just a dumb Human hero who is not a hero! Hmph! But, Luna hopes Rainer will not ask her to make fairy dust like the bad goblin Rainer killed? And that Rainer will not make her go home?"


    If fairy dust was the reason the goblin mage had imprisoned and tortured the poor fairy and producing it hurt her, there was no way he was going to ask that of her. And if she didn''t want to go home, he wasn''t about to force her to. Still, he wanted to be sure this was what she actually wanted, and not just some sort of honor debt because he''d saved her or something.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "I apologize, Princess Luna. I only waited to accept because I wanted to make sure you wanted to be my familiar.


    And I won''t force you to go home or make fairy dust for me. Are you really sure you want to be my familiar?"


    Luna glanced pensively at the dead goblin mage, then turned back to Rainer and looked him in the eyes.


    "Luna was very scared, goblins do mean things poking Luna with heated up sticks and hurting wings. And the strong goblin...Producing dust is very hard for fairies. Yet hero saved Luna and not ask for dust that all humans want and even healed Luna. It is like Luna is in story of The First Hero.¡±


    "Luna, I''m not sure if I''m really a hero or not, or even what a hero means here."


    "Silly Rainer. Hero means to have a hero class. Hero Mage, Hero Warrior, Hero Mouse, Hero Baker. Hero is blessed of World Tree and World Tree gives hero information like World Tree gives to Fae. Heroes can use Appraisal. But Luna does not mind if Rainer is a silly hero who is not a hero."


    "If some day you do not want to be my familiar any more, can I let you go from the contract?"


    "Rainer can break contract, but Luna will be a very good fairy princess familiar, so Rainer will keep his fairy always and please not send Luna away?"


    "Sorry, I was just checking. It would be my privilege to accept you as my familiar, Luna."


    Rainer mentally clicked yes and accepted the contract.


    [Familiar Gained: Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna]


    [Title Gained: Fae Contractor]


    [Change visible title from [Arcane Scholar] to [Fae Contractor]? All effects still persist Y/N]


    [Familiar: Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna]


    [Fae Enchantress Lvl 6]


    [Current Shared Skill: None]


    [Familiar Skills: Summon]


    Wait, level 6? Did my mana do that somehow? What are Familiar Skills and what is Summon? And a new title? Thank you, world tree? What does this one do?


    He took a look at his new title in his system screen.


    [Title: Fae Contractor: One who has entered into a rare and powerful contract with a member of the Fae. 5% experience bonus. Gives Familiar Skill: Summon]


    Huh - well, 5% experience bonus is nice at least.


    "So, Lun-"


    Before he had a chance to even finish her name, the fairy had flown up and kissed him on the cheek, and her kiss brought with it a series of system messages. Luna mistook his surprise for embarrassment and was deeply pleased with herself.


    [Talent Gained: Gift of the Fae, Luna Emralira-Igna]


    [Gift of the Fae, Luna Emralira-Igna: The Gift of the Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna. Grants 100% total increased mana regeneration.]


    It was incredible! 100% total increased mana regeneration! Just as he''d earlier suspected, most percentage bonuses, such as the bonus to Arcane skills and spells from his class and his talent, were additive. But this was multiplicative. It truly doubled his mana regeneration! His slow mana recovery was in many ways his greatest current limitation as a mage, and this was exactly what he''d needed. Each point of the Willpower attribute had previously increased his mana regeneration rate by .0001 per second, but that attribute worked twice as well now. He quickly put the 2 attribute points he had earned into Willpower. It was possible that some other attribute would be more helpful in the long term, but right now he had to survive this mine, and his slow mana regeneration rate was one of his greatest current weaknesses.


    "Thank you for your gift, Luna! It''s one of the best gifts I''ve ever been given."


    The 7 inch Fae - did she grow an inch so quickly? - beamed with pride.


    "Luna, do you know where the mine entrance is, or where I can find water?"


    "Luna does not know how to get out of the mine, but Luna can make water for Rainer, unless Rainer wants to find it instead for silly human reasons?"


    She can magically create water on top of doubling my mana regeneration? My new familiar is a life saver! Quite possibly a literal life saver!


    "No, no, that''s OK - if you can make water, that would be wonderful. Please?"


    A small orb of water formed a foot in front of Rainer as the fairy briefly concentrated. He wasn''t sure how it held together in the air, almost as if it were in zero gravity, but to his relief it was very easy to drink from it. It wasn''t until he had water in front of him that he realized just how thirsty he was, and he gulped it down before asking Luna to make more. Then he gulped that down too. Now his only immediate problems were escaping the mine and finding food. Feeling much better about his situation, Rainer thanked Luna for the water and set about exploring the room. He felt oddly at home. A mage''s workshop seemed comfortable, familiar, even as weird and dangerous as his current reality was.


    He started with the dead goblin fire mage. Carefully he removed the furs from its body and searched them, and found an enchanted ring in a pocket. He appraised it.


    [Ring of Fae Transference: Allows a fae wielder of the ring to return to the Fae-City of Laeria. Conforms to user¡¯s size.]


    I guess I should have thought twice before I agreed not to make her return home. Though if it comes down to a life or death situation, I could always just ask her anyways. Asking isn''t forcing, after all.


    The goblin''s fingers were covered in rings, most of which were broken. Apparently the arcane energy of Rainer''s spells had disrupted the fragile enchantments they had held. Two of them were still working, however. Around the goblin''s neck, Rainer found a couple of enchanted amulets that were also undamaged.


    [Ring of Mana Shield: Allows the user to surround them self with a protective Mana Shield. Can be used once per day and lasts for 30 seconds.]


    [Ring of Greater Fire Ball: Allows the user to cast a large ball of magical fire at a target. Can be used five times per day.]


    [Amulet of Mana Shield: Allows the user to surround them self with a protective Mana Shield. Can be used once per day and lasts for 30 seconds.]


    [Wolf Tooth Charm of Will: Increases the users Willpower by 2.]


    Nice! I''ll have to experiment with these, but they apparently don''t even require me to spend mana to activate. They must somehow be able to regenerate their own independent mana reserve. I''d been lacking any type of defensive magic, so those Mana Shield items are an incredible find. The fur that goblin was wearing looks quite valuable too. Death from cold kills slower than death from violence, but I''d end up just as dead. I''m less likely to be slowly overwhelmed by goblins now that my mana regeneration rate is triple what it was an hour ago, but that doesn''t mean I''m safe - there are a ton of potentially fatal dangers in this world, and worst of all, I don''t even know what most of them are.


    Rainer carefully searched the room. Under the bed he found a well-made leather backpack. Evidently, backpacks were a useful and simple enough item that even goblins on another world had developed them. In the desk was a potion that could temporarily increase his mana regeneration by 400%. The real treasure trove though was all of the notes and scrolls. He didn''t even try to understand the spells inscribed in runes on aged parchment. Instead he just let his eyes travel over them and commit the visual image of the runes to his short term memory. It was a trick he had learned for sleep learning. As long as he spent his next sleep-learning session cementing them into his mind, he would remember them perfectly. It was almost as good as a true photographic memory. Even glancing over the runes, he was deeply grateful that whatever mage inscribed them was not the current owner of the room he sat in. They were all fire spells, and the complexity and sophistication they revealed to even a cursory glance humbled him. Many required incantations to be chanted aloud, which was not his preferred method of spell casting, but the power of the spells tantalized and worried the young Arcanist. He hoped not to meet the mage who created them for a very, very long time.


    Rainer wrapped the scrolls and notes in one of the furs on the bed, and carefully secured them in his back-pack along with the Enchanted FlameLit Orb. Thanks to his armed arcane bolts he had little need of a light source, but he hoped that even a mundane enchanted item held monetary value. At worst, he could study it when he had time and safety.


    No sooner had he finished his search of the room than he was overcome with a bone deep exhaustion. He had had a very, very long day. He woke up that morning in his familiar bed, and was now in some kind of fantasy RPG world, trying to escape a goblin infested mine along with his new fairy princess familiar, and he''d killed a double digit number of intelligent beings. Even with the two naps he''d taken, Rainer needed to sleep, and it wasn''t likely he''d find a safer, more defensible position than the one he was in. He deployed 4 more armed arcane bolts, bringing him back up to his maximum of 8 and exhausting the remainder of his mana. He shoved the heavy wooden desk across the room to barricade the entrance that had been boarded up before he cut a hole in it, locked the door, and moved the bed in front of it. Finally, he asked Luna to keep watch before laying down in a pile of the furs he''d taken from the dead goblin and the bed. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.

 Chapter 6: Fire

    Rainer had options. He was in the white void of Sleep Learning, and there were a few ways he could use this time. The first was to lock his newly acquired notes and scrolls safely within his long-term memory. The second was to work on improving Arcane Blade, just as he had used his naps earlier to bring first Arcane Bolt and then Arcane Bolt Armament from [1/10] to [10/10]. The third was to experiment with how to improve Arcane Energy Manipulation, possibly using a modified version of a Mana Manipulation exercise his grandfather had taught him. He had gained a welcome chunk of experience when Arcane Energy Manipulation increased to [2/10] whenhe created the Arcane Blade spell. The available evidence indicated that it was not possible to gain experience while Sleep Learning. While magic spells and skills could be improved far faster than while awake, it required the sacrifice of all the experience that could have been earned if he advanced them naturally. So there was a good argument to secure the notes and scrolls he''d risked his life to obtain. In the long run, it made all kinds of sense. The dilemma was that it only made sense in the long run if he survived the next day - which was far from guaranteed. That good argument was overwhelmed by the immediate need to gain as much raw power as he possibly could before he woke. Any other course was a dumb risk. His decision then was ultimately pretty easy: He would try to improve Arcane Energy Manipulation by advancing Arcane Blade.


    [Arcane Blade has reached Lvl 7/15]


    [Arcane Energy Manipulation has reached Lvl 4/10]


    The system notifications that greeted Raineras he woke left him quite pleased with his Sleep Learning choices. Arcane Bolt and Armed Arcane Bolt did a fine job of killing low level goblins, but Arcane Blade was on another level of destructive power. If he faced any powerful opponents, his plan was simple. Kill them - fast. Distract with one or more Arcane Bolts, then close the distance and finish them with Arcane Blade. A long fight would be hopeless, as was outrunning higher level goblins. Looking back, this was the strategy he had used all along. His fencing lessons had taught him more than how to use a saber. They had changed his instincts. Without them, rather than reacting decisively and effectively in unexpected combat situations, he could have fled without thinking, or worse, froze. There was little doubt that either would have cost his life against that fire mage. But he did not freeze or flee. He attacked, and he won.


    As he smiled and rose from his mat of furs, a tiny and irritated fairy fell from his head.


    "Luna is awake! Luna is watching!"


    Rainer only grinned. It came as no surprise that his new familiar was not well suited to the job of guard dog. He stood and indulged in a long, luxurious stretch. Somehow, that had been the best night of sleep he''d had in months. Apparently, being dumped into a bizarre fantasy RPG world filled with mortal danger agreed with him.


    Time to figure out my next move. The plan remains the same - find a lone goblin, kidnap it, learn enough of it''s language to communicate enough to bully it into leading me to the entrance of the mine. Wait, Luna knows English somehow...


    Rainer carefully removed one of the goblin mage''s notes from his backpack and set it on the floor.


    "Luna, can you read this?"


    "Luna is special. Of course she can! But Rainer is Luna''s master now, so he can too!"


    "That''s great! Uh, how?"


    [Current Shared Skill: All Language Translation]


    [All Language Translation: All non-runic Languages shall be translated to the one you are most knowledgeable in.]


    "Luna is happy to share her skill with her master!"


    All language translation!? That''s amazing! That could end up being just as valuable as doubled mana regeneration.


    "Thank you very much! You really are special, Luna."


    "Luna knows she is, but is glad that you know this too."


    The little fairy smiled contentedly and snuggled into one of the furs on the floor. Rainer sat cross legged and arranged his hard won notes on the floor. The desk would have been more convenient, but it was busy being a barrier at the moment, and he did not want to be sitting there in case of unexpected attack. When he took a cursory look at the notes before going to sleep, it was as if he were reading a math textbook in a foreign language. He could understand the runic symbols, but not the explanatory text. Now that he was able to read it, it was obvious that they had been written by a master. In fact, a textbook was a very good comparison. They were not the working notes a mage would write as they worked on new magic. Rather, these notes were very clearly written to teach. Rainer could only hope that the mage he had killed was an inheritor to them rather than an apprentice. Whoever wrote these could kill him as easily as swat a mosquito. But these notes and scrolls were an incredible find. Their value was incalculable. All of the stress, danger and general weirdness of his current situation melted smoothly from his mind as he eagerly dug in to new magic.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Rainer sorted through the notes looking for the simplest spells. Arcane Bolt and Armed Arcane Bolt were excellent single target ranged spells, but he did not have too much in the way of area effect attacks. If he had not found the Ring of Greater Fireball, he would have none at all. So his plan for the notes was to find the easiest fire spell and learn it, then experiment with that to try to learn a fire manipulation skill. Finally, learn a fireball or similar area effect spell. For now, he was undisturbed, and his thoughts turned briefly back towards defense. There was no way to know if the other goblins hadn''t found him, were avoiding this room out of respect for the fire mage, or were afraid of whatever could kill the fire mage and the group of 7 goblins back at the junction. It was risky, perhaps, to stay in one spot like this. He could end up surrounded and overwhelmed by a coordinated attack from both entrances. But this space was known and fairly defensible. Rushing into unfamiliar tunnels full of goblins who had to be on high alert was not necessarily safer.


    Those were in truth excuses and rationalizations. Rainer wanted to learn magic more than he wanted anything in the world - this world or his home. He needed to learn. And so he did. The simplest spell turned out to be Candle Flame, which was basically a magical cigarette lighter. The spell structure was unfamiliar to him. It lacked the mana inputs and outputs that he had thought were part of every spell. Instead it built around a chant that shaped the flow of mana, and included several methods to internalize the chant. With enough practice and experience, one would learn to naturally flow the mana in the same way the chant directed it, but without needing to actually speak the words. There was one rune in the spell that he didn''t know, but he was confident that he could derive a work-around from the context and structure of the rest of the spell. Rainer formed the runes he did know within his mind and began to chant. A chant combined sound and meaning with the intent and will of the caster. The system somehow automatically translated so that everything worked in English. How it did so was beyond his comprehension and extremely impressive.


    ¡°I walk alone in the darkness.I walk alone without fear. I walk alone without loneliness for I always carry with me but the tiniest of flames.¡±


    The spell fizzled and his mana dropped by a negligible amount. If nothing else, the absurdly low mana cost made it the perfect choice for his first spell to learn in this new world. Arcane Blade and Armed Arcane Bolt he had created through intuition, helped along by his class and talent bonuses to Arcane Magic. Candle Flame he would have to learn legitimately. Several more attempts ended similarly, but each fizzle taught him a little bit more. Finally, on his 52nd try, he succeeded. Rainer had never been religious, but he almost wanted to offer a prayer of thanks to the World Tree. That took longer than he expected.


    [Spell Gained: Candle Flame lvl 1/10]


    [New Spellbook Created: Fire]


    [Spellbook: Fire]


    [Tier One: Candle Flame lvl 1/10]


    A tiny flame danced on his finger. The spell was cheap to cast and cheaper to maintain. To Rainer''s eyes, it was glorious. He had a foothold in an a vast new field of magic. He released the fire before casting Candle Flame again, repeating this process a few times until casting the spell correctly became automatic. Then he moved on to the second part of his short term plan. He slowly poured more mana into the flickering flame that licked his finger and tried to shape the flow. Even with a spell this weak, this was a gamble. Attempting to over-charge spells usually ended in failure, or even disaster. So it was no surprise when the flame burst outwards before dying out, slightly burning his hand. He was not discouraged, but decided that it was time for a break anyway. It would be tragic to leave this knowledge behind if he had to leave in a hurry. He organized the notes and scrolls, wrapped them in furs and secured them in his backpack, which he then slipped on to his back. His mana had dropped 3 points over the course of his experiments with Candle Flame, and it was safest to be at or near maximum mana at all times.


    As Rainer waited the 16 minutes it would take his mana to fully regenerate, his thoughts turned to Fire Manipulation. Mana Manipulation and Arcane Energy Manipulation felt very similar. That similarity, along with his talent and class bonuses, was doubtless the reason Arcane Energy Manipulation had been so simple to learn. According to his class description, the Arcane was the source of all other forms of magic. So fire magic could be derived from arcane magic, in the same way that white light could be split into every primary color by a prism. In a sense, fire magic had to be a subset of arcane magic. When he manipulated his Arcane Bolt to create both Armed Arcane Bolt and Arcane Blade, the arcane energy felt like an extension of him. Even at this moment, the 8 Armed Arcane Bolts surrounding him seemed somewhat like additional limbs. There was not the same connection to the Candle Flame as it had flickered weakly on his finger. But there was a very small ongoing mana cost to keep the tiny fire alive, so a connection still had to exist. The fire converted his mana into a different type of mana, but it was still his. So it had to be possible to manipulate and control it.


    Rainer thought about fire. Fires almost acted like they had a will of their own. They were by nature hungry, hot, mercurial. They resisted control. But they could be used and contained. Fire needed oxygen and fuel. Fire breaks, fire pits, ovens, stoves, torches, candles, and flamethrowers all used fire by controlling one of those needs. Fire could be fed, but it could also be drowned, starved, or buried. How then could he manipulate fire that was his, born of his will and sustained by his mana? It may come down to a question of mindset. Fire does not want to be pushed, but it can be fed and lead. His mana gradually reached its current maximum of [13/17], and a Candle Flame sparked to life on his finger. Rather than try to directly fuel the tiny fire, he moved a very small amount of mana out of his body and just to the right of the flame. The hungry little fire curved toward the mana and grew brighter and hotter. Rainer smiled and willed a gentle flow of arcane infused mana into his fire, and the flame grew larger and hotter. It began to burn his hand, but he persisted and increased the flow of mana. He lost control. The flame flared and burned his hand badly before flickering away to nothing. Rainer clamped his jaw tight and fought to regain control of his mind as he endured the intense pain. Suddenly, it got quite a bit easier to endure.


    [Skill Gained: Pain resistance lvl 1/10]


    [Skill Gained: Fire Resistance lvl 1/10]


    [Skill Gained: Burn Resistance lvl 1/10]


    The new skills came as a surprise and a relief, but he had just foolishly injured his right hand. He was too busy mentally kicking himself to notice Luna fly over to his hand. He did however very much notice when a strange, violet fire leapt from her hands to his burned skin. Wherever it touched, it healed. Luna focused intently, and just minutes later she finished restoring his hand. Then she turned, and Rainer was faced with a furious 7 inch tall woman.


    "What were you thinking!?! Rainer is only a level 3 mage, and more than this, dumb like a young child is dumb. He can not just add more mana to a spell! That does not work except for very powerful mages, but you are not a powerful mage. You are a child playing with fire and are very lucky you saved Luna so that she can heal you and teach you not to do dumb things!"


    "Thank you for healing me - you really are wonderful, Luna. I know that I took a risk, but I need to get stronger quickly so that I can fight our way out of this cave."


    "You are right that Luna really is wonderful, but this is an obvious thing, and burning yourself does not make you stronger quickly! It makes you burned! Rainer is Luna''s master now, and must be more careful. It is not proper for a princess to have a dumb master!"


    "Thank you again, Princess Luna. I do appreciate your teaching me all of these things."


    Rainer had no plans to stop his experiments. In fact, having a familiar who could heal just lowered the risk and made him more eager. But it was time to regenerate his mana back up to its maximum again, and he was getting a bit nervous about staying in one place quite this long. As soon as his mana was full, he''d decided to unlock the door and see where the tunnel led.


    A quarter of an hour later, with one point of mana still left to regenerate, a low, angry growl rumbled from behind the desk blocking the back entrance to the room.


    What on earth was that? Uh, what in this world was that, rather?


    Something told him he only had seconds until he found out.

 Chapter 7: Fireball

    Something that sounded large and unfriendly had just growled from behind the room''s back entrance, which was barricaded with a heavy wooden desk. Rainer did a number of things close to simultaneously. One of those was to regret his plan to stay in one place and wait for the goblins to respond to his presence. Another was to sprint over and unlock the other door. The third was to mentally run through the pre-combat checklist he''d come up with. Ring of Greater Fireball first, appraise second, Arcane Blade third, distract with armed bolts fourth, close and attack. Remember your footwork, try to channel the fireball through the enchanted staff. Don''t freeze. And with that, the desk was shoved over and into the room with a noisy crash, and Rainer was out of time. Luna squeaked and flew up under his shirt to hide. The now unlocked door was still blocked by the dead goblin mage''s bed.


    Rainer activated the Ring of Greater Fireball instantly and aimed it at the huge, brown tusked face that now glowered at him. Even as the fireball sped toward its target, he dropped the staff and appraised his foe.


    [Orc, Male, Martial Artist Lvl 14]


    The projectile hit with an explosive crash as the orc slammed its fist through the boards that blocked his way. Rainer was 200 lbs and just under 6'' tall, but his brutish opponent was easily double his size. That did leave the silver lining that the hole Rainer had cut through the boarded up entrance was too small for it to fit through. Several pained cries from badly burned goblins came from behind the giant orc, who had apparently brought backup. But even though the massive fireball had taken it directly in the face, the creature barely slowed. Rainer launched 2 of his armed arcane bolts at its face as he finished casting Arcane Blade.


    The bolts connected just as the orc jumped through the broken boards, and that gave Rainer the fraction of a second he needed to side step to his left as its massive clawed hand swept through the space his head had been. The orc''s explosive speed and power seemed supernatural. But it was unarmed, and a fraction of a second later it was one armed as Rainer''s counterattack sliced through its right shoulder. The arcane blade was not even slowed as it cut off the orc''s arm. The level 14 Martial Artist was disciplined. It flinched for only a moment as its limb dropped to the ground. In that moment, Rainer''s Arcane Blade reversed its path and separated the orc''s hideous head from its body. Three angry burned goblins slipped into the room when their champion fell and they faltered. Rainer''s arcane blade flicked forward and bisected the goblin closest to him, and he willed armed arcane bolts to launch into the others. The bolts struck them dead. Then all was still but for Rainer''s pounding heart and the crackling fire. He waited a few anxious seconds, but no additional attackers came, so he released the Arcane Blade from his hand. His Ring of Greater Fireball had ignited the boards that formerly blocked the back entrance to the room, and the flames leapt merrily. The entire fight had taken less time than he''d needed to carve an entrance through those boards. He breathed deeply and sat for a moment on the bed, finally taking the time to check the flood of system messages he had gotten.


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    Apparently the fireball had killed 4 goblins he never even saw.


    [Skill Gained: Dodge Lvl 6/10]


    [Skill Gained: Footwork Lvl 6/10]


    [10 Primary Level Difference, Experience Bonus Added]


    [13.5% Experience Gained]


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    [.5% Experience Gained]


    [Skill Gained: Weightless Blade Mastery 1/10]


    [Arcane Blade has reached level 8/15]


    [412% Experience Gained]


    [Managing Excess Experience]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to Lvl 4/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to Lvl 5/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    A slow smile spread across the young Arcanist''s face as he watched the fire dance. Yesterday he''d killed a group of 7 goblins, and the act had left him violently ill. Today''s battle left only a feeling of power and triumph. Without even consciously choosing to do so, he willed the flames to flare hotter and brighter. It was his fire.


    [Skill Gained: Fire Manipulation Lvl 1/10]


    Emotion. Fire can be manipulated by emotion. Show stats!


    [Name: Rainer Nvos]


    [Age: 19]


    [Titles: None]


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 5/25]


    [Sub-Classes: None]


    [Exp: 7%]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10], [Arcane Energy Manipulation 4/10], [Speed Walking 1/10], [Faaran Runic Language 3/10], [Fairy Anatomy 4/10], [Mana Manipulation 2/10], [Pain Resistance 1/10], [Fire Resistance 1/10], Burn Resistance 1/10], [Dodge 6/10], [Footwork 6/10], [Weightless Blade Mastery 1/10], [Fire Manipulation 1/10]


    [Skill Points: 9]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth, Gift of the Fae(Luna)]


    [Stamina: 10/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 13/21]


    [Mana Regen: .0032 per second]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 21]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 22]


    [Willpower: 16]


    [Attribute points: 2]


    He had gained 2 levels, unlocked Dodge and Footwork (though he was bit surprised to see [Footwork] listed as a separate skill), learned Fire Manipulation and Weightless Blade Mastery, and advanced Arcane Blade another level. His smile widened and he put his 2 new attribute points into Willpower. The experience gain when he reached level 8/15 in Arcane Blade had been enormous. The infinite mana available within Sleep Learning allowed him to very rapidly increase the level of his spells, but he''d underestimated just how much experience he gave up by doing so. Combat seemed to be both a slower and more dangerous way to level up when compared with magic. And while he was becoming more comfortable fighting, he''d still rather avoid it if he could, and he loved magic. The biggest limiting factor on how quickly he could advance his spells while awake was his mana regeneration rate. Luna''s gift doubled the value of Willpower for mana regeneration. All in all, it was an easy decision what to do with those attribute points.


    A small and excited fairy fluttered out from under his shirt.


    "Rainer killed the big Orc even though it had aura and many levels and Rainer has only few, and many goblins besides, and last minute he was level 3 and now you are level 5 and somehow cheat, but Luna is glad you cheat, because she can cheat with her brave master and be safe."


    "Uh, thanks. By the way, can you help in a fight, Luna?"


    "Nope! But even if Luna could fight, Rainer kills the bad ones too fast anyway, so it not a thing that matters that fighting is not one of the many, many things Luna is great at."


    I guess you''re right, Luna. That fight went as well as I could have hoped for. Not bad for less than a minute''s work.

 Chapter 8: Intimidation

    Rainer sat on a bed in a cozy mage''s workshop and watched the fire he''d lit. Of course, there were also 5 corpses in the room, 4 goblins and a decapitated orc, and the room itself was on fire where his Greater Fireball ignited the boards that had recently blocked up the back entrance to the room. This all quite detracted from the rustic lodge aesthetic, as did the fact he was still in quite a lot of danger. He needed a plan, fast. But for now, he took just a few more seconds to watch his fire dance. Then he stood, pushed the bed out from in front of the door, opened said door and left the goblin fire mage''s work room behind him, an enchanted oak staff in his left hand and a backpack full of fire magic on his back. As he did, he felt a strange kind of premature nostalgia, as if that room, the time he had spend there, the things he''d learned and done and gained, were a fulcrum on which his life tipped. That if he had taken a different tunnel, had not found this room, his life would have veered off in quite a different direction somehow. One major, if tiny, reason for that feeling flitted over and sat on his shoulder as he walked away from the room .


    "That was exciting! What do we do next, Rainer?"


    "Good question, Luna. I don''t have a good plan. I do have a bad plan, and that is to find a goblin, threaten it in a way that scares it enough not to run, make it take us to the mine entrance, and intimidate any other goblins or orcs who get in our way. I''ll need to wait a bit until my mana is fully regenerated to go too much further though."


    "Rainer''s clothes look silly and he has no shoes. Luna does not think orcs will be scared of one who dress in such a way."


    "I suppose you''re right, Luna, but unless someone magically makes me a suit of more appropriate clothes, I''ll have to make due with what I''ve got."


    The little fairly flew off his shoulder and hovered a couple of feet in front of him with an impish grin on her face and sparkling, violet eyes.


    "Then Rainer is very lucky to have an amazing fairy princess familiar that can make him good clothes with her magic!"


    "Wait, you can do that?" Rainer appraised the fairy''s clothing as he asked the question, and was surprised to learn that they were magical constructs.


    "Luna can! Now that the Arr-caa-nist''s strange mana has changed Luna and made her level 6, Luna can make clothing for others, not just herself! She can not make armor though, so please do not be upset with Luna."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t be upset. Frankly, that''s an amazing magical ability. How does it work? Is there anything I need to do?"


    "Yes, Rainer needs to take off his clothes. Luna is a proper maiden, but for Rainer''s plan to work he must not look like a very poor beggar who does not know how to dress himself, and if his plan does not work Luna''s master could be in danger."


    Rainer was not unduly modest, even if it did feel a bit odd undressing in front of, and at the request of, a beautiful 7 inch tall young lady with violet wings. In a moment he stood in the tunnel in just his underpants, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings. He also re-cast 4 armed arcane bolts, bringing his total back up to his maximum of 8. Luna flew down to his feet and a strange, violet flame extend from her hands. As it touched his skin, socks began to form around his feet, followed by heavy, black, leather boots. Then a dark gray wool-like material snaked up his legs and formed a well fitted pair of pants. He was amazed to find that everything fit perfectly. Luna worked her way up and next created a black tunic, followed by a black overcoat, black leather-like gloves and a dark brown belt. It was, without any doubt, the most comfortable clothing he had ever worn.


    "This is incredible, Luna. I¡¯ve never worn something that felt so fantastic in my life.¡±


    "Yes, good, Luna is incredible. And now the incredible Luna is tired and it is time for a nap." With this pronouncement, she flew into an interior pocket she had made for herself in his overcoat and went promptly to sleep. As the fairy napped, Rainer thought and waited for his mana to regenerate. It was currently at 10/21, and with Luna''s blessing and his increased willpower, it should only take 35 minutes to get back to 17/21, with 4 reserved for his 8 armed arcane bolts.


    What resources did he have? Enchanted items: He had his [Ring of Mana Shield], [Ring of Greater Fireball], and [Amulet of Mana Shield]. He had 4/5 uses of the fireball ring left, along with all 5 of the mana shield ring and then once daily use for the mana shield amulet, which would last a full 30 seconds. He had the enchanted oak staff, which would increase his intelligence by 5 for the purposes of spell power when he ran his mana through the staff as he cast the spell, though he suspected it was incompatible with Arcane Magic, given that arcane bolt had apparently fried most of the goblin fire mage''s many enchanted trinkets. Magic abilities: He had 8 armed arcane bolts, each of which could apparently kill a goblin, though he didn''t know if that would hold true of higher leveled goblins, or how many bolts would be needed to kill an average orc. He would have 17 available mana. That would be enough for 17 arcane bolts, or to allow him to use Arcane Blade for a time, or some combination of both. He had Candle Flame, but that didn''t seem to useful. Physical abilities: He had level 5 general blade mastery, level 2 dagger mastery, level 6 dodge, level 6 footwork, level 1 sprint, and level 1 long jump. As far as physical weapons he had 2 decent iron daggers and a fairly heavy enchanted oak staff. If it came down to a knife fight, he hoped he would be more skilled than an average goblin, but was far from confident of that. Even if he was, knife fights were messy. Generally, both fighters lost. Rainer also had a fairy familiar with unknown but versatile magical abilities, but no direct combat utility, though she could heal.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Plan A was to bluff his way out of the mine. Though, on second thought, it wasn''t wholly a bluff. Instead, the situation reminded him of something he''d heard once about a standoff with a guy with a gun that had one bullet set against 6 unarmed guys who wanted to kill him. If all 6 attack, gun guy dies. But whichever of the 6 moves first dies to the lone bullet. So unless one of the 6 was willing to sacrifice themselves, it was a stalemate. Rainer had a sudden, fervent wish to know how self sacrificing goblins were. Of course, he had more than one bullet. His 8 armed arcane bolts were tactically similar to a semi-automatic handgun that was easier to aim. The [Ring of Greater Fireball] was clearly powerful, and had killed 4 goblins while badly injuring 3 others. That ring was his best - or, more accurately, his only - area of effect attack. But against a swarm of goblins there was no chance he would win. His only options were to hope not to encounter such a group, try to convincingly present himself as more trouble to kill than was worth it to the goblins (and orcs, he reminded himself), or try to come up with someway to improve his power in a very short period of time. He had a strong suspicion that skulking around and stealing hours for sleep learning naps was no longer a viable option. At this point, he had caused too much damage and killed too many goblins to hope to be ignored.


    What options did he have to try to increase his power quickly? He could resume his experiments with combining fire and the arcane. Using fire magic in combat was dumb, as it didn''t benefit from his 300% bonus to Arcane spells. But if he could figure out a way to make Arcane Fire spells, that could be the perfect tool for fighting a large number of weak opponents. Alternatively, he could start from the other direction, and try to add fire to his arcane bolts. That might be promising. After all, the arcane was the ultimate source of all magic. So by definition, an arcane bolt had to contain fire. Could that be drawn out, strengthened? If so, how? The truth was, it would take time to figure all of that out, and he did not have time. He wasn''t even certain that Arcane Fire was a thing that existed. He''d have to make do with what he had.


    Rainer walked slowly down the tunnel. His mana was close enough to maximum that he felt comfortable moving forward, but as it was not yet there he also did not want to rush. While there was no way to know for sure, instinct told him that this tunnel would lead somewhere that mattered. The goblin fire mage had clearly been a being of wealth and status. It didn''t make sense that such a person would choose a room where they had to walk miles to get a meal, and there hadn''t been any food in the magical work shop. Just as his mana finished regenerating, his hunch proved correct, and the tunnel opened into the heart of the mine.


    The path continued from the tunnel onto a network of scaffolding that stretched above a large cavern that buzzed with the sound of hundreds of workers. There were both human and goblin miners, though the humans looked to be slaves and all of the overseers were goblins. He didn''t see any orcs at first glance. To his surprise, no one seemed to notice him. That didn''t strike him as a bad thing, but it was also weird. The mining operation spoke to an impressive level of organization. So why wasn''t everyone, or at least someone, on alert? Why wasn''t there a sentry in the tunnel from the goblin mage? Perhaps knowledge of his exploits was not yet widespread, so as to prevent a panic? Whatever. He didn''t have enough information to figure out any of these answers, so it wasn''t worth wasting time trying.


    A staircase similar to those found in tall buildings angled back and forth down to the floor. The style made sense, as it looked to be about 6 stories down from where he stood. He moved briskly down the stairs, and as he did his eyes searched the cavern for... he wasn''t sure. Anything that looked dangerous, anything he could use. He didn''t see anything that jumped out as being in either of those categories. He half remembered a few things he''d heard about crowd psychology. Maybe everyone saw him, but was just hoping someone else would handle whatever situation he represented. As he got closer to the ground, it seemed that the crowd was moving a bit away from him. It was a subtle thing, as if they were drifting away from a bad odor. Then, finally, there was a definite reaction. Five orcs ran toward him. They were smaller than the massive martial artist Rainer had killed, but not by much. He appraised them as he continued down the stairs.


    [Orc, Male, Barbarian lvl 7]


    [Orc, Female, Brawler lvl 5]


    [Orc, Male, Brawler lvl 3]


    [Orc, Female, Scout lvl 4]


    [Orc, Male, Brute lvl 2]


    As the group closed to within about 20 meters, the Barbarian roared out a challenge. "You should not have come, weak human mage. I will eat your heart before it stops bea-"


    Rainer was fairly sure the rest of that word was going to be "beating", but couldn''t verify as the threat was changed to a cry of pain by a Greater Fireball, courtesy of his enchanted ring. He followed it with a second Greater Fireball seconds later. He knew that would leave him with only 2 uses of the ring for the rest of the day, but there were far too many enemies here to fight through. There was no choice but to bluff his way to safety. A series of system messages informed him that 4 orcs died in his flames. He finished the barbarian off with an Armed Arcane Bolt and cast another to replace it. Work in the mine stopped with the first fireball, and hundreds of eyes looked at him as he walked down the few remaining stairs, surrounded by brightly glowing Armed Arcane Bolts. He stood straight and did not hurry. When he reached the ground, he spoke.


    "Who is in charge? I would speak with them."


    For a moment, there was no response. Then an old but powerfully built goblin stood forward, turned his head and spit, and looked him in the eye. The silver haired goblin stood about 8 meters away as Rainer appraised him.


    [Goblin, Male, lvl 9 Miner]


    "Judging by that staff you''re holding, I suppose I''m in charge now. Did you kill Gognar too?"


    "Was Gognar the lvl 14 Orc Martial Artist, or the lvl 12 Goblin Fire Mage? Either way, yes, yes I did."


    The miner sighed deeply. "Figures. Gognar was the Orc. What do you want, human mage? How can we make you leave?"


    Rainer blinked in surprise. This conversation wasn''t going quite how he had mapped it out in his head. The old goblin didn''t seem afraid of him, just tired and irritated by the distraction. Not that Rainer was going to complain - all he had wanted to begin with was to get out of this mine.


    "I want you to guide me to the exit to this mine and tell me where the closest human settlement is. Then I''ll leave."


    The old goblin blinked in surprise. Mages were powerful idiots, he thought. All of them. Destructive children playing with fire. When did they ever build anything? They just created chaos and tore down. The worst part was, the only good way to defend against them was to have your own, and this human had killed theirs. He was too sick of this situation to care why this human mage didn''t know where he was or where he was going. At least it didn''t seem interested in sticking around.


    "Follow me, human. I''ll take you out of here. Everyone else, break time is over. Get back to work. Ghark, get a clean up crew up to the Head Shaman''s quarters. I doubt much is left knowing him, but salvage what you can."


    The grumpy, unflappable goblin turned and walked away. Rainer, confused but pleased, followed.

 Chapter 9: The Arcane Elementalist

    The goblin foreman strode briskly through the main cavern and into a tunnel, and Rainer followed. The young arcanist still didn''t quite trust that this was going so well, and kept on alert for any sign of danger. Nothing went this well. Except his first fight since he got here, against the goblin. And his second fight, when one of his armed arcane bolts killed a goblin while he was asleep. Or his third fight, when he killed 7 goblins in seconds in a surprise attack. Then finding a mage''s work room full of notes and scrolls on fire magic, as well as furs and enchanted items, that had been good too. The ambush that killed said fire mage went well, as did the fight against the orc martial artist and his retainers. Finding Luna and 4 useful enchanted items after killing the fire mage was incredibly fortunate. Taking out the group of 5 orcs that had charged him just moments ago so easily also went better than could be expected. Sleep learning allowing him to rapidly increase his proficiency with arcane spells had been a life saver. Looking back on the last few days, everything had gone insanely well. Why? He wasn''t sure.


    A ridiculous thought passed through his mind. It was almost as if he were in the tutorial level of an RPG, where the threats were all low level and the entire thing was designed to teach and equip the player to face the real game. Though given the game-like mechanics of this world, maybe that wasn''t such a crazy idea? Thinking again, it may not be such a fluke that his bluff worked. He had killed the goblin tribe''s Chief Shaman, the Orc Martial Artist who apparently was in charge of the mine along with his 7 goblin retainers, and the 5 orc SWAT team that had just charged him. While hundreds of goblins remained, it was plausible that he''d killed their 14 most capable combatants. From the goblins'' point of view, a negotiated solution to his presence had to look pretty good, especially when he asked for so little. Rainer mentally kicked himself for not asking for a few of the human slaves as servants. The thought that he could save all of them had never even crossed his mind. He felt pity for them, but there was no way he could solve all this world''s problems. There was also a chance they''d be better off in the mine than following him around, given that he had no clue where to find food. Maybe when he was stronger and could ensure the safety of a large group of refugees he would return.


    Soon the tunnel ahead was lit by day light. There were no forks in the tunnel between the main cavern of the mine and the exit. Unless there were secondary exits somewhere, it would not have been possible to sneak past hundreds of goblins to escape. It looked like Rainer''s plan to bluff his way out had been not just the best plan, but the only one that realistically could have worked. As they came to the exit, the goblin turned to him.


    "The nearest human city is Grimlar''s Pass. That''s also your nearest way back to the human lands south of the mountain range. Grimlar''s Pass is 70 miles east of here. If that''s all, I''m going back to work." The old miner was strangely nonchalant about the entire situation. He had pointed to what was apparently the east as he spoke, which was helpful as the sun was high in the sky. It would have been tough to tell east from west.


    "Uh, thanks."


    Rainer was fairly sure there was something he should say, or something he should ask, but whatever that was didn''t come to mind. For the last 2 days he''d been almost obsessively focused on how to get out of this mine. Now that all he had to do was walk forward a few meters, his brain apparently refused to consider any thought other than getting outside as soon as he could. As he walked out of the tunnel and into softly falling snow and sunshine, he mostly felt relief. His breath frosted as the snow fell, but the clothing Luna had magically fabricated was surprisingly warm, and he felt only a slight chill. Almost on autopilot, Rainer walked east for several minutes. The mine exit was at the base of a mountain. The mountain range dominated the sky to both the east and the west, and stretched as far as he could see in either direction. A dense evergreen forest rose to the immediate north. The forest started abruptly about 20 meters from the mine exit, almost as if the trees had been intentionally planted.


    Rainer was in pretty good shape, but had never hiked 70 miles before. As the relief of his escape from the mine gradually dissipated, his hunger grew. It gnawed at his gut with each step he took. His family was well off. He''d never wanted for any necessity of life, or known true danger. It had been less than 2 days since his last meal, but he was still more hungry than he had ever been. As a biology major, Rainer knew that he was not at medical risk due to calorie deprivation in the short term. Ghandi had survived a 3 week fast in his mid-seventies. A well hydrated 19 year old in good physical condition should not experience any long term problems from going even as long as a week without food. It complicated things that he had to hike a significant distance through snow, however. His best estimate was that the temperature was only slightly below freezing, but his body would still need to burn fuel to maintain core temperature. And, in what was in truth the more pressing issue for him, being this hungry sucked. Going much longer without food would be utter misery.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Luna had somehow slept the entire time since she made him clothes out of magic and flew into the pocket she made for herself inside of his overcoat. Rainer thought that just might be the most impressive thing she''d done yet. Even with his purchased knowledge of fairy anatomy, he wasn''t sure if it would be safe to wake her. She may well need rest to heal fully from such severe injuries, even if she seemed to be OK after he''d fed her his mana. He had a lot of questions for her, with those related to food rising rapidly in his rankings, but for now he decided to let her sleep.


    His situation, all things considered, was not that bad. Even if dying within the next week remained soberingly realistic, he felt fairly sure he would survive at least that long. If somehow forced to bet one way or the other yesterday, he''d have had to bet against him living a full week. Now? He had warm clothes, a familiar who could heal and magically produce water, the means to defend himself against any normal predator or kill any prey he happened upon, and he could make fire. The only real threats to his survival were lack of food and the cold. It wasn''t hard to keep warm while moving, but it could become an issue when he went to sleep. But he was next to a massive forest, and Arcane Blade should make cutting down trees a piece of cake. He could use the wood as fuel for fire and the smaller limbs full of needles to make a crude shelter. Magic fire should be able to ignite even green wood. At least, he hoped that was true.


    Food was the biggest problem. He vaguely remembered that the inner bark of some pine trees was edible, but the bark of others was poisonous. He had no clue if the trees in this forest were safe. Ideally he would happen across an animal of some kind that he could kill and eat. His mana had fully regenerated. Back in the mine, he had made use of every opportunity he had to increase his magical abilities, and that had saved his life. It only made sense to push himself just as hard now. Not that he needed much prodding - what he wanted most in life was to learn more magic. One soft, runic chant later, a candle flame blossomed from his right index finger. His right glove was safely tucked between his arm and torso. Even if the glove was just a magical construct, there was no need to be careless. It was a great glove. Rainer watched the flame play as he walked, and infused just enough of his mana to keep the little fire alive. He didn''t try to manipulate or grow the candle fire yet - just to get to know it.


    What did his little fire want? What would make it happy? You want to grow, don''t you, little flame?


    Rainer focused not just his mind but his emotions on the flickering flame. He tied all 3 of his manipulation skills together as he willed arcane infused mana into the fire. As he did, he spoke. "Grow, my little fire. Grow!" Rainer put all of his will and emotion into the whispered words. The tiny flame flared brilliantly, and he was rewarded with a string of system messages.


    [Spell Gained: Arcane Candle Fire Lvl 1/10]


    [Skill Gained: Arcane Sound Infusion lvl 1/10]


    [Title Gained: Arcane Elementalist]


    [Experience Gained: 773%]


    [Calculating Excess Experience]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to lvl 6/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed.1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to lvl 7/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed.1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    [Arcanist has leveled up to lvl 8/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed.1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]


    Rainer almost fell over out of shock. One small change to a level one spell gained him a title worth 3 levels of experience! Show Status!


    [Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 8/25]


    [Titles: Arcane Scholar, Fae Contractor, Arcane Elementalist]


    [Exp: 13%]


    [Sub-classes: None]


    [Race: Human]


    [Skills: Sleep Learning lvl 9/10, Appraisal lvl 2/10, Fae Anatomy lvl 4/10, Long Jumping lvl 1/10, Sprinting lvl 1/10, Speed Walking lvl 1/10, Dagger Master lvl 2/10, General Blade Mastery lvl 5/10, Weightless Blade Mastery lvl 2/10, Footwork lvl 6/10, Dodge lvl 6/10, Faaran Runic Language lvl 3/10, Fae Language lvl 1/10, Mana Manipulation lvl 2/10, Arcane Energy Manipulation lvl 4/10, Fire Manipulation lvl 1/10]


    [Toggled On Skills: Pain Resistance lvl 1/10, Burn Resistance lvl 1/10, Fire Resistance lvl 1/10]


    [Toggled Off Skills: None]


    [Skill Points: 12]


    [Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth, Gift of the Fae(Luna)]


    [Stamina: 10/12]


    [Stamina Regen: .1% per second]


    [Mana: 21/27]


    [Mana Regen: .004 per second]


    [Spellbook: Arcane]


    [Tier One: Arcane Bolt lvl 10/10, Arcane Bolt Armament lvl 10/10, Arcane Candle Flame lvl 1/10]


    [Tier Two: Arcane Blade lvl 8/15]


    [Spellbook: Fire]


    [Tier One: Candle Flame lvl 1/10]


    [Constitution: 11]


    [Affinity: 27]


    [Vitality: 10]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Strength: 11]


    [Dexterity: 13]


    [Intelligence: 28]


    [Willpower: 18(+2)]


    [Attribute points: 3].


    He took a moment to inspect his new title.


    [Arcane Elementalist: To mix the unleashed power of the Arcane with the elemental magics is to advance leagues above ordinary elemental magic. 5% Experience bonus. 5% Decreased Mana Cost of Arcane-Elemental Spells and Skills.]


    Awesome! This is just awesome! I love this world!


    A wave of euphoria moved Rainer''s feet and carried him to the nearest pine tree. He formed an arcane blade and cut it down, careful to stand away from the direction the tree slanted. It fell with a mighty crash. Said crash woke up an irritated fairy, who quickly flew out of his pocket to begin her interrogation.