Chapter 6: Chapter 5 - The Curse and The Gift
On the next day after the event, I was quite flustered by my rash action and the turnout of things. I couldn't calm down at all and concentrate if there were any classes today. I was too embarrassed to meet with anyone especially Alicia.
To cool off my head, I spent the whole day inside my lab and extracting materials for crafting potions. I was stopping from time to time when I lost my control over mana for being flustered. But, during my attempt to resume my work, I felt my chest was burning, especially on the heart.
I could faintly hear and sense my heartbeat. My vision became blurry. And at that moment an announcement panel suddenly popped out.
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<<Initializing system....>>
<<Achievement Reach Level 50 Confirmed....>>
<<Reward Bonus: Core of Sin, Acedia>>
<<Skill Tree of Acedia had been unlocked>>
<<Blessing of Baelpheghor had been acquired>>
<<Initiating synchronization...>>
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Everything turned white. It was either I got transported elsewhere or I had fainted. I found myself standing still and even if tried to find the exit, everything was white and I couldn't even determine the direction I must take.
"Nice to meet you, Ren-kun."
A man in a black and white suit appeared on my right. He was a man in his early twenties. He had short black hair and fair skin. His eyes were golden colored and his ears were pointy. There were no signs of malice from his appearance but the glint of his glasses made me think something was going to turn to the worse when dealing with him.
"My name is Ohm. I am the one is acting as your aide in this world."
He said. He bowed politely as he introduced himself. I tried to speak something but he cut in before I could speak.
"I'm sure you have a lot to ask but today I'm here just to explain about Acedia's Seed."
He added. And as he said that, I could feel something was off and I found that I was unable to speak. He clapped his hand twice and an announcement panel popped out of nowhere. It showed a display I hadn't seen before 'in this world'. However, from its shape outline, I understood it well. It was something like a Skill Tree from the job system in the games I used to play in my previous life.
"As you can see, there's a new menu unlocked on your window. That's Evilia's Skill Tree."
I looked at my window. His explanation fits well with my deduction of it being a skill tree but it was quite disturbing when he said Evilia.
"There, you can gain the skill available according to your Sin Point. Sin Points are points acquired when you level up your demon seed. Your growth will be much slower but you will gain experience points by doing the activity that was close to the Sin itself. In another word, when you gain Acedia seed, you'll gain experience when you did nothing and just lazying around."
He explained. I didn't know what kind of skill I could unlock with it but when I heard that I must raise my Acedia Seed's level, it made me think for a second time. I mean logically there were no proper things that will come out of a system that rewards those who committed a sin. But, when I heard the explanation about Acedia's way of gaining experience, I found that it was a pretty convenient feature indeed.
"You can use your SP anytime but the more skill you unlocked, the further you get from your humanity. For example, I unlocked 10 skills, I will start to emit miasma which only demon race had emitted. First is miasma then eyes, skin, claw, horn, tail, and finally wings."
He finished explaining. This made me more reluctant to increase its level even more. After all, raising the levels means that I was going to stop being a human. Furthermore, it was turning me into a demon race. If I may be honest, this seed wasn't a gift but a curse instead. When I was in deep thought, Ohm smirked and spread his arms.
"Then, shall we try it right away? Ah, by the way, you must choose one to get out of here. And if you didn't choose yourself, the system will choose it for you randomly."
He said. I gritted my teeth and glared at him. I opened my skill tree. At the bottom, there were many skills available. I skimmed through the list and searched for passive skills. Among those, I chose the passive skill that was not visible to the eye in the short term, Slow Aging. This ability allowed me to stay young for a longer time.
"It seems like you already get accustomed to it somehow. Well, then I still have things to do so, adieu!"
He said before disappearing. The white space distorted and I found myself back into the lab.
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I spent some time to process the information and the turn out of the event I just got in hand. First, It seems like I had received a bonus for surviving till reaching level 50 in this world. And that gift granted me a system to access a damned skill tree that can turn me into a demon at any time. In another word, it was a curse rather than a gift.
The worse thing that happened was that I was forced to choose one ability from the system that had who knows what side effect on my body. There might be more of this troublesome 'Gifts' from that guy named Ohm in the future so I need to think of a countermeasure against it.
Now then, first thing first. I needed to confirm the change in my body to be sure. I braced myself and used appraisal on my own body.
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Ren Concerto Level 50 Alchemist Level 46
Titles: Genius Alchemist, Saint's Son, First Prince's childhood friend, Scientist, Prodigy, Miraculous Eyes possessor, Auction Hall's VVIP, 3rd Princess' fiancé, Baron of Maximilian
Race: Human, Demonification Level 0
Seed: Acedia Level 1
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I felt conflicted. I was relieved in the first half of the screen. My level and my job class level had no change or whatsoever. This also applied to my Titles. There were no sudden additional job class or an additional title of being a demon lord candidate or the likes. Not that I wanted it to happen though.
However, the Demonification that appeared on the Race detail disturbed me. Even though it was still level 0, the condition of leveling it up was unknown. After all, it wouldn't be funny if I were suddenly become a demon just because of my daily activity.
The Seed Level was also quite disturbing. It was said that just lazying around would level it up but without proper rest, my body won't last. I just hope it won't cause any bad things in the future. I left the lab and retreated back to my room.
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Today Leo and I got a day off from study since he was heading to a neighboring kingdom to have some business with the princess he was dancing with last week. It took a week for the preparation. My mother accompanied him as his instructor as well as his guard. I was told to stay behind since this was a family matter.
I stayed cooped inside my lab and crafted many vials of potions to be sent to the auction, Royal Guard, and The church.
"With this, I can gain my second job soon."
I muttered. I had reached level 50 for both myself and my alchemy if I made a potion or two more. The leveling was faster than before thanks to the experience I got in my sleep. I left the house and rented a carriage as I went to the delivery sites with Anastasia as an escort. When I handed the potions to the Royal Guards, they congratulate my engagement with Alicia. I thanked them and quickly departed to the second site.
I visited the church. I met with the pope and handed a bigger batch than usual. It was thanks to my cooling down period. I extracted more material than needed. After they were extracted, they needed to be processed into potions or they would spoil first.
"To think you will donate so many potions day after day, we who acted coldly toward you on the first day became so guilty."
He said. He looked saddened for his mistreatment but who knows what he was really thinking now. Also, from his attitude and action, It seems like the seed was still in an undetectable stage right now.
"No, I just want to repair the bond which had been broken. My mother indeed had stopped being a pure girl that everyone adored as Saint and gave birth to me but, I'd like to see no more hatred between us."
I said honestly. The Pope smiled at my words.
"These donations are proof that I am seeking peace than malice."
I added. The Pope nodded to my statement.
"As expected from the Saint's son. He's so kind and pure. Maybe you can become the future Saint in her place."
The pope praised.
"It's an honor to be offered such a grand position. By the way, I want to inquire about whether it is possible to gain a second profession."
I asked.
"There are 3 ways to gain one. First, you can get it by training. Second, you can gain it by bestowal by a master who had reached level 200. Lastly, you can get it by the advanced ceremony. But, you must level the first profession to level 50 or above."
He said.
"Then, can I apply for the advanced ceremony?"
I asked.
"Aren't you going to inherit your mother's paladin profession?"
He asked me. I sighed and looked at him weakly. I looked upward distantly.
"I'm not good with physical labor. I doubt I can follow up with training."
I said.
"Then, shall we start the ceremony?"
The pope asked.
"Ah, I just remembered something. There was something else I wished to inquire."
I stopped him.
"If my level and my profession level reached 50, can I learn 2 new professions at once?"
I asked.
"I haven't heard such a case before but I don't recommend trying it."
The Pope said.
"Then, I'll just ask my mother for the advice first. Thank you for sparing your time, Your Highness."
I said.
"Alright, be careful on your way home."
The Pope said.
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Upon reaching home, I told Anastasia about my level.
"Hee, you've reached level 50? Then, what kind of profession you wish when your Alchemist level reached level 50 too?"
Anastasia asked. I talked about my second class with her once we arrived home.
"Engraver, Arcanist, or Rune Master? I don't know. I also can take a combat profession too but if I take one, maybe it would be Mother's Paladin."
I said.
"Hee... Then, why don't be my disciple, boy? My Arcane magic isn't ordinary and I can give you a pointer or two without bothering your mother's time too. Also, I kind of feeling guilty for hiding a secret or two from you. About me and your mother."
She offered. She looked away while being embarrassed for some reason. I pondered for a moment. getting another magic-based profession would increase my mana and will increase my efficiency in Alchemy. But, Arcane Spells had less flexibility in attack trajectory and variation compared to other magic. I took a deep breath I looked at Anastasia.
"Alright, please teach me about the Arcane Magic."
I bowed my head to her.
"I'll teach you once your level reached 50."
She said.
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The night after I decided to learn Arcane Magic, I felt my chest was throbbing again. The room became white again and the annoying guy in white suits finally made an appearance once again.
"It has been a while, Ohm."
"..."
He was speechless with my sudden appearance. He probably didn't expect my leveling speed was this fast.
"That was fast. Did you level up your profession in Spartan mode?"
He asked while rubbing his temples.
"Trade secret?"
I titled my head.
"Well, whatever."
He shrugged his shoulders. He reached for his pocket and fetched a gem.
"Then, let me introduce the special feature for you, Gachapon!!"
He said excitedly as he raised the gem. It shattered the fragments turned into small lights before entering my body. A new panel appeared. This time it displayed the screen of gacha services I had never missed in my previous life.
"You have seen that there's a new option on your display. They are inventory and Gacha. The way to use it is easy. You just have to press the button to roll the gachapon and you'll get a card. You can throw, summon, or store the content of the card inside the inventory. The same cards aren't stacked so your limit is 100 cards for now. The size of your inventory will increase every time you level up so work hard to level up. You can do it daily and the number of the card you can roll is depending on your Gacha level."
He said. I looked at the Gacha option. I choose it and the display like the apps inside the cellphone games. I pressed the roll button.
Roll Roll Roll Kachin!!
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<<Conglaturation!!!>>
<<Mount obtained: White Stallion (Uncommon) X1>>
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It seems like I got a horse for myself. It was stated that this mount had Uncommon rarity. So, my first draw wasn't that disappointing either. I gasped when I saw Ohm's face was beside mine to peek the drawing result.
"Oho? A mount is it? Congratulation!"
He said excitedly. I took some distance from him.
"Then, my job is done here. Adeu!!"
He said.
"Wait-"
I tried to call him back but I was already sent back to my room before I could stop him.
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Anastasia couldn't teach me during the day since she was a vampire. I just locked myself inside my lab for sorting the materials and extraction. I was so bored. I laid down on my bed and tried to recall what happened previously. I checked my inventory and saw the stallion card was still there.
"Maybe, I'll take it out another time."
I muttered. I saw a notification sign on the Gachapon option. I clicked it and found that I already could roll again. I pressed Roll. My jaw dropped when I saw the content.
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<<Conglaturation!!!>>
<<Item Obtained: Shaved Ice(Normal) X1>>
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It was a joke item I mean consumables. Today was still spring so eating a shaved ice is out of the question. I sighed and decided to resume my job before starting my training with Anastasia.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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