Chương 9: Paths

Alex showed Gryg the items he had discovered earlier: one hundred spirit coins, several mana potions, the crystal ball, the black staff, the skill book, and the profession scroll. The sight left her speechless.

"Woah, were these items always in that treasure chest?!" she asked.

"I assume you weren't allowed to take them?" Alex asked.

"No, it was prohibited. There was an invisible wall. Every time I tried to grab anything, I got electrocuted," she sighed.

"I gave up after a while and figured they must be the rewards you humans were supposed to find."

"Fascinating," Alex said, rubbing his skeletal chin.

"Those are Spirit Coins, a common currency across the rest of the universe," Gryg explained.

"Keep them safe for now. You can spend them with merchants later—if you survive the tutorial."

"I see. Here, take these potions. I can't drink them," Alex said, handing them over.

"They're tiny as hell, but thanks," Gryg replied, carefully holding the small bottles between her large fingers. The Five Elements Crystal Ball and the Sinister Cursed Staff were also far too small for her to wield, and neither item had any size adjustment.

"You keep them, I guess," she shrugged.

"What do they do?"

"I didn't have time to inspect them properly earlier, so I'm doing that now…" Alex said, focusing on the items.

"Huh."

[Five Elements Crystal Ball (D Grade)] A small crystal ball infused with the Five Primary Elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Wood. Holding it greatly enhances Elemental Power and grants a minor Elemental Affinity with all five elements. Any Magician-type Class can benefit from it. Effect: +50% Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Wood Elemental Affinity. +20% Mana Recovery Speed.

"This crystal ball is excellent," Alex stated.

"It might help me learn other elemental spells. Fantastic—so there are ways to obtain additional elemental affinities. Once I learn a Skill, I suppose the affinity becomes permanent?"

"Something like that," Gryg said.

"But it depends heavily on your talent. Don't get too cocky, skelly. Shamans like me are and always will be superior."

"I acknowledge your talent, Gryg," Alex nodded.

"That is exactly why I want to become as skilled as you are."

"Ah?" Gryg looked surprised.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. You should admire me."

"I do," Alex said nonchalantly.

"Now, this staff…"

[Sinister Cursed Staff (D Grade)] A cursed staff carved from dark, demonic tree wood. It contains a potent specter sealed within, fueling its evil power. Whoever wields it gains tremendous strength in exchange for their soul essence being slowly drained. Dark Magician-type Classes only. Effect: +100% Magic Power. +100% Mana Recovery Speed. +100% Dark and Curse Elemental Affinity. Curse: Drains the user's Soul Essence when used. Once the soul is fully drained, it may cause instant death.

"For a D-Grade item, it sure has a nasty side effect," Gryg said.

"Can you wield it, Alex?"

"…I can," Alex replied. He gripped the staff and immediately felt its power surge through him. With a single wave, he conjured a giant orb of darkness—a new spell he had just unlocked thanks to the staff.

"Hmm. It doesn't seem to affect me." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"?! What?" Gryg was stunned.

"Instead of draining my soul, it only consumes some Nether. My recovery rate is fast enough that it doesn't harm me," Alex explained.

"I suppose I might be immune to most curses as an undead being."

"I never thought of that!" Gryg gasped.

"That's incredible. Well, now we know who to give cursed items to if we find any."

"I suppose so," Alex nodded.

"With both this crystal ball and the staff, I finally feel like a proper magician. Next up is this Race Exclusive Skill Book and the Profession Scroll."

"Yeah," Gryg shrugged.

"That scroll looks useful. It might let you learn the profession you want right away and make teaching you a lot faster."

"Hm, can you explain professions to me in more detail? The System seems rather poor at explaining them," Alex said.

"Well, okay," Gryg nodded, taking a bite from her recently cooked roasted wyvern on a stick (the whole tree).

"First of all, what are Classes? According to the Elders of my clan, Classes are Paths. At the beginning of the System Integration, you were given a chance to choose a Class, right? You were choosing a path. Classes represent an individual's way through life and their method of progressing through the System's Grades. Every being under the System has a Path, and every Path can potentially lead to the Pinnacle, without exception. Depending on the race, a Path can be assigned at birth or freely chosen.

Taking actions in accordance with one's Path grants Levels, makes evolving easier, and provides better evolution options. When followed to the extreme, diligently walking the Path throughout one's entire life can even allow ascension to Godhood."

"I see. I finally understand," Alex nodded.

"And Professions?"

"Well, Classes usually focus on the pursuit of strength—typically through combat, though there are exceptions. Professions, on the other hand, focus mostly on non-combat aspects such as crafting, leadership, or other specialized roles," Gryg explained.

"Fascinating…" Alex looked down for a moment, lost in thought.

"Can you stop saying 'fascinating' all the time?" Gryg grumbled.

"Anyway, that's pretty much it. There's nothing deeper than that, I think!"

"And where does the System come from?" Alex asked.

"What exactly is the System?"

"…Well, some say it is a deity," Gryg replied.

"Others claim it is a natural force of the universe. A few even dare to say it is the natural law that governs all creation. But people like you lived entire lives without it, right?"

"Correct."

"That means it's not truly natural—it has to 'arrive' somewhere to spread!" Gryg said.

"So I believe the System cannot be a natural law of the universe, but rather some kind of living being or god…"

"Hm, those theories are plausible," Alex nodded.

"From my own experience, I've noticed that the System melds almost seamlessly with the body and soul, to the point it feels completely natural. But through my perception, I've seen small particles. It could be said that the System controls its own types of hyper-adaptive particles and manipulates other molecules."

"Y-You can see the mole… mole-what?" Gryg asked, confused.

"I guess science isn't as advanced in your world?" Alex wondered.

"You can think of molecules as the tiny components that make up all matter. From the wyvern you're eating to the floor beneath us, the air we breathe, the sun, the moon, the sky, and the plants—everything is composed of molecules."

"…" Gryg's eyes shone with bright curiosity.

"I had no idea such a thing existed. How did you pitiful little humans discover such secrets of the universe?"

"Well, when you are weak and pitiful, you tend to work extremely hard just to survive," Alex explained.

"We developed technology without any reliance on supernatural energy. Through countless studies, we eventually realized that everything is made of even smaller things. And even molecules are composed of smaller particles called atoms."

"!!!" Gryg gasped.

"Interesting… this is really interesting. Tell me more!"

"… Fine," Alex nodded. In the end, they spent the next hour discussing everything Gryg had never known, while she shared her insights into magic and her culture's beliefs. From the conversation, Alex learned many intriguing details about this alien world. Trolls were deeply superstitious about nearly everything. They believed Mana was the blood of the Spirit Mother, a deity the shamans regarded as the goddess of all elements.

Her lifeblood flowed throughout the world as Mana, and only her chosen daughters—the female members of the Mountain Troll Tribes—could channel her power properly. Even though male trolls existed, they rarely reached the same level of expertise and mastery as females due to their inherent limitations. Still, exceptionally intelligent males were occasionally born, and those rare geniuses could become Troll Kings—rarer even than Troll Queens.

He also learned that among Troll Queens in large clans like hers, the strongest and oldest was named Matriarch. That title had belonged to Gryg's mother.

"My mother was the Matriarch of our clan," she explained.

"My big sister was next in line to inherit the title if Mother passed away. I was third. However, my mother always favored me. When the System offered our clan the chance to gain prestige and resources by participating as an Invading Faction in the apocalypse of a tiny world called Earth, my sister insisted on sending me. She wanted me to gain strength and experience as a Troll Queen…"

"I see. It must have been a trap. She clearly saw you as a threat to her future position," Alex deduced.

"Yep," Gryg groaned, clenching her teeth.

"I mean, you humans are among the weakest races in the multiverse. I thought it would be easy, so I didn't pay much attention. Who would've guessed I'd end up in a Tutorial Zone with a weirdo like you?"

"Well, everything turned out well in the end, right?" Alex said, looking at the two items in his hands.

"Ugh, I guess so!" she groaned.

"Though I would've preferred if you hadn't slaughtered all my men!"

"Sorry," Alex said.

"Were they your sons?"

"No, I haven't even mated with anybody yet," Gryg sighed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"What? Is there something wrong with that?! I just haven't found the right man yet!"

"Okay," Alex responded flatly, which only irritated Gryg further.