The opening dance with Elira was… yeah, awkward.
Should’ve seen that coming.
Good thing Selera gave me a few lessons before, or I’d have stepped all over her fancy red dress. Still, dancing with the enchanting Zephyriad and dancing with a pompous noble girl are two different worlds — one feels like flying, the other like trying not to trip in front of an audience.
Anyway, the Ball wasn’t half bad. Mostly boring talk and too many fake smiles, but… she was there. That made it worth it.
We danced too. Her hand was warm, her hair kept brushing against my arm, and those eyes—damn. It actually felt… good.
My chest hurt more than a bit watching them leave this morning. Even though I’m sure we’ll meet again… right?
I stood on the manor walls and watched her carriage disappear into the horizon, long after it was just dust and distance.
I can’t stop thinking about her. About the dance. The way her fingers fit between mine. The kiss.
Sleeping was hard. My heart just wouldn’t calm down. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face again — that smile, that look she gave me. It’s stupid, but my chest felt tight, like something was buzzing under my skin. Not bad… just… weird.
It’s not like fear, not like fighting, not even close. It’s softer. But it’s got this kind of pull, like I’m falling somewhere and don’t even care to stop. I tried to shake it off, but it keeps coming back — her voice, her laugh, the way the light hit her hair.
And every time I think about it, I end up smiling like an idiot. What’s wrong with me?
Is that what Selera meant by ‘love’?
…
I’m not sure. Selera said love makes people do crazy things — start wars, change what they believe in, even throw their lives away for someone else.
Could I? Could I ever do that for Elayne?
I… I don’t think so.
It’s more like… I just like being with her. I like her warmth, and it feels nice holding her hand, looking at her face. So yeah… I wanna do that. It makes me feel good. And I’ll be good to her too, because I want to.
But I know that, whatever this is, it’s not meant to last — no matter how much I want it to.
This world, this title, all this noble crap — it’s fake.
I’m not the Young Lord Hope Barion. I’m just Hope — a Crawler, under Captain Syra Vayne, on a mission I’ve gotta finish no matter what. Because if I’m no use to her… what would become of me?
So yeah… one day, this illusion will fade. Hope Barion will disappear, and I’ll be sailing the void again under the purple-eye banner, probably never coming back.
…
Still, even if it’s short… I wanna stay with her a bit longer. But the mission — and my growth — come first.
Day 44
Didn’t do much yesterday.
My head wouldn’t stop running in circles, and my dear sister Elira just had to make it worse — knocking on my door every hour, asking about Elayne like she’s running her own gossip market. Half of what she said sounded made-up anyway. I ended up ‘politely’ closing the door in her face.
At least I got myself a bow. Practised a bit in the training grounds, but apparently hitting a solid target doesn’t count for Ranged Combat levels. Sharpwatch didn’t tick either, so I guess I’ll have to bother my good ol’ tutor Fiedore for another flight on his winged antler tomorrow.
Went through the Tier Skill Encyclopedia again. Turns out it’s just those two — Ranged Combat and Sharpwatch — plus Cooking that I still need to push to level 10.
Cooking… right. Guess I’ll have to come up with some excuses to sneak into the kitchen without getting scolded by the maids again.
Maybe I should learn a few dishes that’d impress a certain young noble lady.
Heard the Marshes where the Kael live aren’t far — less than a day’s flight on a winged antler. So maybe, once this whole Ascension Gate mess is sorted out, I can head there. Pay her a visit.
Yeah… that’d be nice.
Alright. Enough thinking. Time to actually do something about it.
Day 45
Archery’s fun!
Got a couple of level 90-plus Elites in the nearby forest with one shot each. Clean hits, no mess. Ranged Combat’s going up fast too, and for once I don’t end up covered in blood and sweat after every fight. Just a bit of distance, a steady breath, wait for Sharpwatch to tick, then boom — supersonic Wind Piercer. Tell the attendants to pack it up for supper and call it a day.
The hunting groups got the week off since I handled most of their work, and they seemed pretty damn happy about it. Guess they didn’t expect the “Young Lord” to actually do something useful. They even joked I should take over their shifts permanently — said the forest’s been quieter since I started.
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Thing is, when they couldn’t preserve all that meat, they sent some to the town. The nobles called it a waste, but seeing how the folk smiled when they got fresh cuts? Yeah… that felt good. Made me go out again, push a bit longer — maybe a dozen more — until I got scolded for overdoing it. But honestly? Worth it.
Some people in town are eating well tonight, and that’s worth a hundred lectures that’ll just go in one ear and out the other.
Sharpwatch (Level 5?7+1)
Ranged Combat (Level 2?6+1)
Cooking (Level 8?9+1)
Day 49
Three weeks have already gone by since I got to the Barion estate, and three more to go before those so-called Games of Houses kick off.
Did a bit of digging into them but didn’t find much — something about trade tariffs, reputation, wars, and some political crap I couldn’t care less about. Nowhere did it mention anything about the winner becoming Titus Weiss’s heir, which is supposed to be my main mission. Guess I’ll have to ask around more carefully later. Maybe Elayne would know — she seemed pretty sharp about that kind of stuff. Could make for a nice topic when I see her again… just gotta remember to focus on what she says, not her eyes.
The last few days have been solid. Finally got Cooking to level ten, and the other two skills are almost there. Funny thing — looks like Sharpwatch might end up being the last one to hit 10, even though it was my very first skill. Would make a pretty good joke if I had anyone I could tell that I maxed all my Tier 1s just because… well, why not?
Been keeping the spars going with Fiedore too. I’m getting close — I can feel it. Might finally crack the old man’s defence, or at least force him to use a skill for once. The extra Physis from the new levels is kicking in, and my technique’s getting smoother, especially when mixing combat with Air Magika. I can juggle four skills now that run purely on physical and Air, which only makes it worse that I haven’t touched my beloved Spacetime in three whole weeks.
And every time I look at the lines of space — so close, humming just out of reach — I get that itch to trace them again, to feel that pulse, that soft thread of golden light curling around my fingers, and those blue eyes like…
…ah, damn it. Yeah. Maybe I need a nap.
Sharpwatch (Level 7?9+1)
Ranged Combar (Level 6?9+1)
Cooking (Level 9?10+2)
Cooking Initiate (G): +1 Cooking.
Hope narrowed his eyes.
The creature ahead stood broad and still against the treeline — an antler, not winged like Fiedore’s mount, but furred thick with a dark sheen that caught the light.
Its horns were massive, black as polished stone, curving forward in a brutal crown. Even from hundreds of metres away, his perception locked in — each hair of its fur coat distinct, the faint ripple of breath under its ribs, the twitch of an ear brushing off a fly.
Ironcrest Stag [Elite]
Level 93
He drew the bowstring back, feeling the tension through his fingers. The target’s outline steadied, framed in that quiet space between breaths — and then, suddenly, something flickered at the edge of his vision.
Sharpwatch (Level 9?10+2)
Feat Achieved:
- Sharpwatch Initiate
Sharpwatch Initiate (G): +1 Sharpwatch.
*** Tier 1 - Ascension Gate — Completed ***
Class Selection Lock — Lifted
Reward: Grade Enhancement: C4?C1
Feat Upgraded:
- (???) [I?II]
?? (???) [II]
Congrats, Hope.
? +2 to Bonus Enhancement Limit of all Tier 1 Skills.
? +2 to all Tier 1 Skills.
Hope released the string, too stunned to even watch the shot.
The arrow flew, grazing the creature’s flank before it turned, stared back for a heartbeat, and bolted into the trees.
But Hope barely registered it. The world around him dulled, sound slipping into the background.
It wasn’t the prompts flashing before his eyes that left him frozen — it was the surge of power that hit him right after. Like something awakening inside his chest. His muscles felt charged, breath deeper, heart heavier and steadier, senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. Even the flow of Magika around him was vivid now, every thread humming in perfect clarity.
This power… what the—
Before anything else, he flicked his gaze to the stats — and when he saw them, his jaw dropped.
Grade: C1
Level 100
Physis: 17864 (+4537)[+300]
Magia: 3745 (+1066)[+455]
…
The hell!?
More than 22,000 Physis? And 5,000 Magia?
Could he even be called a Tier 1 anymore?
He shifted his focus to the Grade. It had changed again — just like before — but now… 3 minor stages?
Could he actually reach Grade B if he kept going? That couldn’t be right.
Hope knew that differences within the same Grade weren’t that big of a deal, but the barrier between one major Grade and the next? That was massive. It decided what kind of gear you could wear, what potions you could use, even what you could craft. Some people even said it affected fate or luck — which he’d always thought was total crap… though at this point, who knew anymore.
He stood there for a while, the realisation hitting him. He was absurdly strong now. And while that felt amazing, it also made his stomach twist.
Wasn’t this… too much?
Rumours had already been spreading through the manor walls. Attendants whispering that he might be the strongest heir the Vale had ever seen. Some said he wasn’t even a Barion, but a Grade A genius from beyond the void — or worse, the bastard child of the mysterious Titus Weiss himself. So what would they say now if they saw him in action?
Hope exhaled slowly. He had to be careful.
Even if he didn’t know much about the wider world, he did know that no Tier 1 should have power like this. And that kind of anomaly could ruin the whole mission — maybe even put his life on the line.
He looked up at the sky.
Yeah… maybe it was time to come up with an excuse to cancel sparring with Fiedore. What a shame.
He sighed.
Even he had no clue what the hell was going on. He’d scoured the library for anything mentioning a “Progress Gate” or “Ascension Gate” for Tier 1s, but there was nothing. Even Eve — who he was sure was far beyond this world’s nobility, judging by how even Syra and the game’s organisers tiptoed around her — had said there was no such thing as a Grade increasing since birth.
Meaning… this wasn’t just rare. It was probably unique.
And that… was dangerous.
Bloody hell you get me into, my ‘dear’ System.
Still… he couldn’t help but grin. Appreciate the power-up, though.
Now then — maybe it was time to take a sneak peek at the classes available.
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