Evolution
After a few seconds bathed in a spectacle of lights and vibrant colors dancing through the air, the new forms of Sig and Bert materialized before them.
Where once there had been two formless bodies, now stood two clearly defined figures.
First, a tiny blue-skinned gnome "a miniature version of Bert" appeared, though oddly muscular for his small, childlike frame. His body was small but noticeably sturdy, with hands slightly larger than a typical child's, almost as if he had adult hands on a child's body. A pointed hat rested on his head, and his round glasses gave him an air of superior intellect, like a tiny scholar in the prime of his youth.
Beside him, an adorable furry creature of bright pink immediately caught the eye with its overwhelming cuteness. A small horn protruded from its forehead, and its pointed ears twitched curiously. Behind it, tiny translucent wings fluttered gracefully. Its face was sweet and friendly, radiating pure innocence.
"So cute!" Loli exclaimed, unable to resist approaching and gently petting the little creature.
But suddenly, the tiny monster grinned mischievously, and in an instant, it transformed into a grotesque, ugly little demon.
"Graaaargh!" it screeched in a high-pitched voice, trying to scare her.
Loli took a startled step back, letting out a nervous laugh.
"Hahahaha!" Sig laughed, clearly enjoying the moment, and changed form again. This time, she took on a miniature version of herself, with similar features but red bat-like wings that spread out elegantly, sharp ears, and small fangs that peeked from her mischievous smile. She stood at about half a meter tall, the same as her companions, while Loli, noticeably taller, was closer to a full meter.
"What kind of creature are you?" Loli asked with fascination, intrigued by the transformation.
"They're called Imps," Sig replied cheerfully. "According to the description, they're masters of deception and illusion. I can switch between three different forms, but it looks like they're just illusions; my actual strength doesn't change." She looked at her hands, then down to the ground, touching trees and leaves with visible enthusiasm. "Now that I have a body, I can move around and explore freely."
"And you, Bert?" Loli asked, though the answer already seemed obvious.
"I'm a gnome," Bert replied proudly. "They're known for their intelligence and affinity with professions like potion making, rune mastery, and magical invention. I figured it would be useful for the team. The professions mentioned specifically were Runemaster and Talisman Creator." Gilbert nodded, clearly satisfied.
"Hey! We all have specialties, so you should have one too," Sig said, looking at Loli with expectation.
"Well… I think mine would be… Luck?" Loli answered, thoughtful, recalling all the titles and abilities she had accumulated.
"Of course!" Bert said, as he glanced behind Loli, where the remains of the apes-turned-drops still lay scattered.
There they were: hides, fresh meat, and at least twenty small Mana Stones, notably skipping the usual fragments Lua had previously mentioned as common.
Gilbert stepped forward to gather everything, but his small size made it difficult to carry it all. Quickly, Loli and Sig jumped in to help, and together they made their way back to where Lua was waiting.
Meanwhile, Bert examined the Mana Stones with fascination.
.
[Info]
Mana Stone
XP: 100
Uses:
• Cooking
• Potions
• Fishing
• Runes
• Smithing
• Repairs
...and more.
.
He could see the names of other professions, confirming that Mana Stones were an essential and versatile resource in this world.
Soon, they arrived at the village where Lua remained seated calmly, watching them approach.
Between the three of them, they carried: ten hides, twenty kilos of ape meat, twenty small Mana Stones, and a deep red sword that gleamed faintly.
Lua's gaze locked onto the sword with clear interest.
.
[Info]
Bloodthirsty Sword
• Damage: +10
• Speed: +5
• Ability: Life steal on hit +5
• Requirement: Sword skill level 2 + character level 15
• Durability: 1000/1000
Dropped from bloodthirsty apes. Not that powerful, don't get cocky.
.
Lua observed the sword intently. After all, she had spent two centuries fighting with her bare hands and magic in the Beast Forest, never once wielding a weapon or wearing armor. Seeing a sword "even a modest one" stirred in her a mix of curiosity and respect.
"Miss Lua, what can we do with all this stuff?" Loli asked, approaching with a hint of shyness, trying to seem as normal as possible. She didn't want Sig or Gilbert to notice how nervous she felt in Lua's presence.
But that alone caught their attention, as Loli rarely approached anyone on her own initiative. Yet around Lua, her behavior was strangely more timid and focused, as if trying to hide something. Still, she didn't want them to see it.
Lua calmly examined the beast meat, the hides, and the Mana Stones laid out before her. Her eyes returned once again to the sword.
"The meat is toxic if handled by an inexperienced cook. The hides can be used to craft clothes or rune pouches, and the Mana Stones are necessary for many different things," Lua said matter-of-factly.
"Rune pouches?" Sig asked with interest.
Lua then pulled out the pouch hanging at her waist, made of hides and quite small. She reached her hand inside, then her arm, and finally withdrew it again.
The three stared in disbelief "at most, only a hand should have fit inside.
"What? How? How do you make those?" Sig asked with even more excitement.
"Hmm. How about you give me that sword, and I'll make each of you a pouch?" Lua proposed casually.
At that moment, a new mission screen appeared in front of the three.
.
[Mission]
The beautiful Oni Lua wants the sword because she thinks it'll make her look cool.
In exchange, she'll personally craft 3 Minor Rune Pouches (2x2 internal space).
Task: Deliver one Bloodthirsty Sword.
Reward: Minor Rune Pouch ×3, XP ×20
.
Meanwhile, Lua heard SIA's voice in her mind.
"Host, I finally figured out how to issue missions! For now, we've got a daily cap of 10,000 XP, but once we get more energy, we can increase it," SIA said excitedly. "That's why I've been so quiet lately."
The three monsters exchanged glances, thoughtful, then nodded with confidence, accepting the mission and handing over the sword to Lua.
"Here you go, Miss Lua," said Loli with a timid smile, trying to hide how fast her heart was racing.
Lua, who usually wore a stoic and cold expression, allowed a slight smile to appear. That nearly made Loli's heart explode, while the gnome and the little devil girl watched her covertly with interest.
"Give me some of the hides too," Lua requested, reaching into her bag and pulling out a carved stone that looked like a bowl with a leather lid, held together by vines.
She opened the bowl, revealing a red liquid"clearly blood.
The trio handed over the hides and watched with curiosity to see what she would do.
Lua took out a sewing needle made from a sharp branch and a thread that looked like strips of leather. With swift, professional movements, she stitched together three small pouches, then used a sharp rock to shape and perfect them.
She then picked up a brush that looked like it had been made with the fur of some wild animal and delicately dipped it into a small container filled with blood. She slowly pulled it out, carefully watching as the red liquid soaked into the bristles. For a few moments, she stood silently, entirely focused. Then, the blood began to glow with a faint blue shimmer, as if responding to her will.
Without delay, Lua brought the brush to one of the newly made pouches and began tracing symbols. They were runes"similar to the ones she had used earlier to cast a spell, though clearly different. Perhaps they varied in meaning, or maybe in structure and purpose.
She painted them one by one, with millimeter precision, until she had completed a total of ten runes. Then, with a smooth gesture, she withdrew the brush.
Immediately, the runes began to softly vibrate and, as if following an invisible command, they linked together. One after another, they fused into a single set that formed a perfectly defined magic circle, with glowing lines of magical energy connecting the symbols like a living web.
Then, a golden light burst from the circle and descended upon the pouch, inscribing itself into it. After a few seconds, the inscription faded, as if absorbed by the item.
"Here's one," said Lua casually, tossing it to one of the three. Then she repeated the same process for the other two bags, much more quickly this time, as if doing it from sheer muscle memory. "Done," she added, tossing the remaining two to Bert and Sig without much effort.
"There's a lot I'd like to ask," Bert said seriously, examining the enchanted item in his hands.
"Runemaster," Lua answered immediately, anticipating his curiosity. "It's a profession that allows you to inscribe runes onto objects, granting them magical properties and special abilities. Unlike common magic, this technique relies solely on runes. And it's dangerous"if you make a mistake while inscribing a rune, the object will be destroyed beyond repair."
She paused to make sure they were paying attention.
"The more runes an item contains, the more powerful it becomes. But the risk also increases. In addition, you need beast blood as a catalyst. And not just any blood"the more complex or powerful the runes, the higher the quality the blood must be. The same goes for the base item: it can be low quality if the inscriber is good, but the blood must never be."
Lua slightly raised the brush, still stained with the glowing blood, and added:
"In this case, I used blood from a level 20 beast. It's enough to work on leather like this," she said, still getting used to the level-based mechanics that now governed her actions.
"I see… sounds like an interesting profession," Bert acknowledged, deep in thought. "Where can we learn those runes?" he asked right away, eager to gain more knowledge.
Lua opened her mouth to say she would teach them herself, but an invisible voice cut in.
"Wait, host. You can't just give them everything. They need to earn it on their own, or they'll never grow properly," said SIA firmly.
"Then what do I tell them?" Lua asked mentally, a bit frustrated.
"Tell them the recipes can drop from beasts. Though, of course, they're harder to get than other items," SIA replied promptly, without hesitation.
"I still think your method for gathering energy isn't exactly gentle…" Lua muttered.
"And I still remind you that we need energy to improve the system and offer them more benefits," SIA responded with her usual inflexible logic.
Lua sighed, resigned, before turning her attention back to the players.
"Recipes for any crafting method, regardless of the profession, can be found as drops from defeated beasts. The same applies to spell runes. If you happen to find one, come to me and I'll teach you how to use it," she explained seriously.
The three of them nodded right away, understanding the value of that information.
But before they could say or do anything else, a sharp sound echoed around them, and their bodies began to flicker with a faint light, as if they were fading.
"Our time's up," said Sig, with a mix of resignation and annoyance.
"Yeah. Looks like the low-quality mana vials ran out," added Gilbert, checking the notification that had popped up in front of his eyes.
And with one final flash, the three of them vanished.