A week had passed since Victor had begun staying at Norm’s house, and Ver had learned a lot from him.
Like how there were actually three types of Skills and Classes the system gave out: Black, Red, and Yellow.
Each type of Class could only give Skills of the same color. A Red Class could only give Red Skills, and the same applied to the other colors.
A Black Skill was just a Skill, just like a Black Class was just a Class. Using them wouldn’t harm the user. It was neutral, and could be used to do good or evil.
Meanwhile, a Red Skill would harm the user one way or another. But just like a regular Class, you could refuse to gain or level up a Red Class. That didn’t mean people always refused them, though. [Drunkard], [Gambler], and [Smoker] were the most common Red Classes. Even though the Class would be harmful to the user, it could also make the associated activities more enjoyable and sometimes even useful, like [Enhanced Strength (Drunk)].
It wasn't unusual for a Red Class to be the reason for someone's death. But for some reason, fifty percent of people over twenty-four had at least one Red Class. It felt bizarre to Ver.
The last type was much more disturbing than someone slowly killing themselves. A Yellow Class could only be gained and leveled up by causing suffering, whether inflicted on animals, plants, or people. You couldn’t refuse a level up from a Yellow Class or gaining it in the first place, but you could still remove it by making amends.
Even so, according to Victor, Yellow Classes were more common than Red Classes, because the system wouldn’t tell you whether a Class was Yellow or not. When someone finally realized what they had done was wrong, the system would then change the Class and Skill color.
Killing animals wouldn’t give someone a Yellow Class, but torturing them would.
Punching someone because you were angry wouldn’t give you a Yellow Class, but if it became a habit, it would.
It was much more complicated than that, and half of Ver’s time that week had been spent talking to Victor about Yellow Class.
That was because, apparently, if you reached level 30 on a Yellow Class, you became a demon.
When someone became a demon, they wouldn’t age, and some even became younger. However, being a demon was a death sentence, because even if someone was a [King] or a [Queen], they would be hunted down by everyone. And not just because of the crimes they had to commit to reach such a high level, but also because of the existence of the Demon King and the seven Demon Lords.
A demon couldn’t disobey the orders of the Demon King or the Demon Lords, whose goal was to eradicate all sapient beings in the world.
What made the Demon King and Demon Lords so threatening was that as long as one of them was still alive, monsters would spawn endlessly and miasma-filled regions would continue to expand.
Even if you killed the Demon King and all seven Demon Lords, a new one would emerge fifty years after they were all dead.
The only thing preventing the world from being destroyed was that no new monsters would appear while the Demon King and the seven Demon Lords were dead. Monsters also couldn’t survive for long outside miasma-filled places. The stronger a monster was, the faster it would die.
However, five years before the rise of a new Demon King, that restriction would slowly begin to weaken. By the time the Demon King appeared, monsters would be free to roam the world.
During the fifty years of ‘peace’, people would try to kill as many monsters as they could. This not only reduced the number of monsters they'd have to fight when a new Demon King emerged, but each kill also removed a bit of miasma. Once the last monster in an area was killed, all the miasma there would vanish.
Victor also told me that contracting with a spirit made someone gradually become more attractive and also increase their lifespan. Because most [Spirit Contractor] were elves, elves had the reputation of being pure, having otherworldly beauty, and never aging. It was absolutely because of the system message recommending elves in the reincarnation room.
Ver looked at Norm. He was currently doing a little dance while Victor tried to hold back his laughter.
Their latest lesson was about magic. Specifically, how to create spells.
Unlike their previous lesson, where it was obvious that Norm wasn’t paying attention, he was now really eager to learn.
“Heed my call and come forth to my hand! Cow’s Milk Ball!”
It would have been easy for Ver to make Norm’s spell a reality, but he didn’t.
Norm was still trying to figure out the chant and gestures for his spell.
Apparently, anyone could create a spell by simply believing it would work, having enough mana, and possessing the appropriate knowledge.
If only one person believed in it, the mana cost and the willpower required to cast it would be huge. But the more people believed in it, the easier and less costly it would become.
There was a limit to it, but no one had figured out the exact numbers yet.
So, if enough people believed that you could create a laser beam by doing hand signs, then with enough willpower, mana, and knowledge of how a laser beam worked, it would be possible.
“Norm, belief alone wouldn’t be enough. Even for the easiest spell like Kindle, you have to understand all the components of the spell. If you don’t understand how fire works, you wouldn’t be able to cast it. Sure, with strong enough belief and willpower, you could fill in the gaps in your understanding, but you still have to have at least a bit of knowledge.”
“I know everything about milk though.”
Victor rolled his eyes, then ruffled Norm’s head.
“Oh, really? Then can you tell me all the vitamins in cow's milk? Do you know what percentage of it is water? What about the benefits of drinking it?”
“Ehh...”
Norm was glancing at Ver, but Ver ignored him.
He knew what Norm wanted, but he didn’t want to help Norm cheat. Cheating was bad.
“You could tell him, Ver.”
(Cow’s milk is about 87% water. It also contains Vitamin A, which is important for vision, skin, the immune system, and mucous membranes. It plays a role in bone development, too. Cow’s milk also has Vitamin B2, or Riboflavin, which helps the body convert food into energy… You didn’t get any of that, did you?)
“Cow’s milk is 87% water?”
Ver didn’t dignify that with a response.
Milk was his favorite drink, so Ver knew a bit about milk.
For someone whose job is to literally provide milk, Norm surprisingly knew very little about milk.
“To become a good [Mage] you need to read a lot of books, Norm. So, you either need to start studying, or you could just give up.”
Norm sighed, got out of the room, and returned carrying a glass.
“I think I’m just gonna give up.”
(I’ll teach you everything I know about milk. If you know more about milk, then we could create more types of milk.)
Norm turned to look at Ver, and it seemed like he was about to complain, but ultimately held back.
“Fine. You already do so much for me. I’ll be a huge jerk if I refuse.”
After creating another healthy milk, Ver tried again to tell Norm that he had reincarnated from another world. But just like last time, he couldn’t.
There was something that prevented him from telling Norm about anything related to his old life or the reincarnation room.
Even if Ver were at his full power, he wasn’t sure he could get past this restriction, and he didn’t think he even wanted to.
Ver only tried because he knew he would fail, not because he really wanted to tell Norm about his old world.
My main theory right now is that I made some kind of promise but forgot about it.
When he first arrived at the reincarnation room, one of the earlier system messages was [Memory Erasure: False].
Even though it says false, that didn’t prove that I had all my memories. It just proved the system could erase my memory whenever it wanted.
Ver didn’t like it, and one of the first things he did when the possibility crossed his mind was to scream that he wanted his memories back.
He failed. But it proved that his theory was correct.
Ver didn’t know what memories he lost, and that made it so much worse. His memories were precious to him.
Victor watched as Norm entered his dad’s room. Norm’s dad was noticeably getting better every day, and Victor suspected that he would be back to normal in two or three weeks.
His body was not as thin as before, and he could even move his arms around without any trouble.
When Victor first saw him, he was surprised that Norm’s dad was still alive.
Probably the work of a Skill.
Except for the first day, Victor never went in there again. He didn’t want to.
It made him happy that Norm’s dad was getting healthier, but it was only because he didn’t want to see his best friend sad.
Norm’s dad was a stranger to Victor, unlike his mom. Victor had seen him a couple of times, and he had even talked to him a few times, but they were still, ultimately, strangers.
Norm’s mom was always the one who came looking for Norm whenever he stayed out late.
Every time, Victor was the reason why Norm hadn’t come home yet, so he naturally got to know Norm’s mom better.
If he was in there, he would probably just stand around, saying nothing while pretending he cared about Norm’s dad's well-being.
Victor cared, but it was for the wrong reason. Besides, he didn’t belong there.
Hearing laughter coming from the room, Victor decided to start cooking breakfast.
He didn’t have any Skill dedicated to cooking, but he had a lot of Skills dedicated to making him learn and improve faster. Like [Gradual Perfection], his favorite Skill.
So, he was actually better than Norm’s mom at cooking meat.
Well, it’s mostly because meat was expensive, so she probably didn’t cook it very often.
Every morning since staying at Norm's house, Victor went out into the forest and hunted.
It was dangerous because the forest was close to a miasma-filled region.
Sometimes, monsters could be spotted there, but they were all weaker than him, so they weren’t really a concern.
The real problem was the animals there were much stronger than normal and reproduced far more quickly. This phenomenon always happened near miasma-filled regions, and nobody knew why. There were some theories, but most of them had holes in their explanations.
However, it still wasn’t a problem for him, and he could freely hunt there. He didn’t even have to worry about overhunting.
Most people who were powerful enough to hunt the animals there wouldn’t bother. Monster parts were much more lucrative, and that was why they had come here in the first place anyway.
It’s pretty rare for people to come here, though. The monsters here are way too powerful and too numerous.
Cooking meat didn’t take too much of his attention, making his thoughts drift everywhere.
However, he was still aware of how Norm was trying to sneak up on him.
Victor let Norm shout into his ears and he even faked a scream three seconds later.
“At least put some enthusiasm into your scream, and your reaction is a bit late, you jerk.”
“Sorry, I’m just too surprised that my brain needed a few seconds to find the appropriate reaction.”
Norm rolled his eyes, clearly not buying it.
“Whatever, is the meat done yet?”
“I need to simmer it in milk for another twenty to thirty minutes.”
Norm groaned, but didn’t leave the room.
“Do you think [Bless Milk] would make it faster?”
“Like I said, no testing anything with that Skill until your dad’s healthy.”
Victor had a few theories about the restriction on the Skill, and he was sure it was a restriction, not a promise or punishment.
However, testing the Skill right now would be too risky. Even though Norm didn’t need the Skill to heal his dad, it certainly made it faster.
While they waited for the meat, they talked about useless stuff, like how his mom still had to clean up after his dad poo.
It was not the best conversation to have before eating, and they stopped when Norm’s mom coughed loudly.
Breakfast was simple, but it certainly beat the ‘high-quality’ food that he used to have.
“Victor! I think we have a problem!
The ground beneath Victor was upturned, and he instantly appeared beside Norm.
“Ahh!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
Victor arrived to find Norm covered in dirt and glaring at him.
“You don’t have to go so fast, you jerk.”
Norm spat out the dirt that got into his mouth, and looked down at his clothes in dismay.
“Sorry.”
Norm sighed and pointed his finger to a patch of dirt.
“Look, that is the place where we dump the [Bless Milk], and the place turned into this.”
In the shape of a perfect circle with a diameter of maybe around one meter, the dirt and grass were entirely white.
The bad smell was gone after the first day the [Bless Milk] spilled into the dirt, and they saw no change over the following days, so they thought the problem was solved and didn't ask Ver about it.
Well, Norm was the only one who thought the problem was solved.
Victor wasn’t worried in the first place, and he kinda expected something like this to happen.
“Is it dangerous? What if—”
Before Norm could finish his sentence, Victor was already munching on the white grass.
“Tastes like milk.”
“VICTOR! ARE YOU FRICKING CRAZY?! SPIT IT OUT!”
Victor did, but not out of worry; he just wanted Norm to stop screaming.
“Relax, bro. It’s safe, trust me.”
“Don’t bro me, Victor. Who in their right mind would immediately eat something that suspicious? Are you out of your mind?!”
“Want some?”
Victor offered Norm the white grass, and Norm grabbed it and threw it to the ground.
“Ouch.”
Norm was closing his eyes and massaging his temple, clearly stressed.
“What if it was poisoned, Victor? I—”
The look on Norm’s face made Victor immediately hug his best friend.
Shit, I messed up. His dad literally almost died because of poison, you dumb fuck.
After a few seconds of patting Norm’s back, Victor released him.
“It’s okay, Norm. Skill is created based on experience, desire, and need. I don’t think you and Ver have any intention of harming anyone when you create milk, so it’s impossible for the Skill’s effect to be harmful.”
“But it smells pretty bad, though. We both threw up and it even managed to knock me out.”
“But did we feel sick afterward? No, we didn’t. I think it’s just one of the restrictions preventing us from drinking the milk. A restriction is not a punishment; it wouldn't really harm the user.”
“So, it’s safe?”
“Yeah.”
Norm approached the patch of white grass, plucked one out, and put it into his mouth.
After a few seconds of chewing, Norm spat it out.
“Yuck.”
Victor let out a chuckle, and patted Norm’s head.
“I think it’s for the cows to eat. Grass-flavored milk is still grass, after all.”
When Norm called the cows over, they immediately ran to eat the white grass when they were close enough to it.
Norm was a bit surprised, and so was Victor. They had never seen a cow be this energetic. The cows even pushed each other away to try and eat more of the white grass.
The shock finally wore off when the pushing became more aggressive, and Norm immediately ordered them to behave.
“They sure like it, huh?”
“Yeah, even Dol, who was usually so quiet, behaved like that. Do you think it’s good for them?”
“Ehhhh, I would put that as a maybe. For all we know it could be like cake to a child. They would like it but that doesn’t mean it would be healthy.”
After thinking for a moment, Norm made a decision.
“I think it would be fine, what’s the worst that could happen anyway?”
After warming up, Victor set out on his daily hunt.
“Bye Norm, love you. Say it back.”
Norm rolled his eyes, but ultimately relented.
“Yeah, yeah, love you too. Now go, you weirdo.”
Victor let out a smile and started jogging to the forest.
It would take him thirty minutes to get there if he jogged, and if he ran, he could be there in ten minutes.
The forest wasn’t that far, maybe a hundred kilometers from the village. Yet animals from there never seemed to leave the forest, so the village was never attacked by wild animals.
That’s also why all the [Guard] except for the [Guard Captain] are so low-level.
Victor wouldn’t trust them to keep Norm safe, but he couldn’t get stronger without challenging himself and gaining levels.
He was worried for Norm’s safety, but he didn’t have any other choice in the matter.
Ver didn’t seem like someone who likes to fight, and I know Norm really hated fighting.
If they didn’t have the desire to fight, then the system wouldn’t give them any combat Skills. That meant Norm was practically defenseless.
So, he concluded that Norm needed someone or something who was always by his side.
That was the main reason Victor went into the forest in the first place. He wanted Norm to have an animal companion who always stayed by his side.
The hunting was just something Victor did on the side.
I also didn’t want to seem like a freeloader.
Entering the forest, Victor slowed his pace, moving carefully to avoid being ambushed.
While all the creatures in this forest were weaker than him, he didn’t want to ruin his shirt.
He was wearing a shirt made by a [Tailor] in the village, paid for with money from the extra meat from his hunt. So even though he didn’t really care about the shirt, he didn’t want to freak Norm out if he came back with it torn to shreds.
As he stalked around the forest, an idea struck him.
Wait, I could just bring extra clothing. I’m such a fucking idiot, man.
After a few hours, he hadn't found any animal that met his standards.
The animals were either too weak, too slow, too dumb, or too aggressive.
Just as he was about to give up, he saw a bull in the distance. It was twice as big as a regular bull, had a fiery red horn that made his senses tingle, and was clearly magical.
A smile appeared on Victor’s face. He finally found the perfect companion for Norm.
Norm deals with cows every day, and bulls and cows are the same species. I’m sure Norm could tame him.
Victor took off all of his clothes until he was butt naked, and put them somewhere safe.
Regular clothes wouldn't survive a fight with a magical beast.
If his clothes were destroyed, not only would it make Norm worry, but he also wouldn’t want his dick hanging out when he returned to the village.
Victor stepped out into the open, naked as the day he was born, a feral grin plastered across his face.
He didn’t want to surprise-attack the bull. If he wanted to subdue the bull, he would have to prove he was stronger.
“COME HERE, YOU BIG FAT LOG!”
The bull turned, lightning coursing through his body, and charged.
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