After acquiring the skills from the magic scrolls, Adam checked his attribute panel:
[Ability Panel]
[Talent: [Player]]
[Total Level: 5Lv]
[Experience: 830/400]
[Job Class:]
[- Basic Job: Genius 1Lv (Warrior, Priestess/Priest, Pharmacist, Alchemist, Mage, Thief)
[- Mid-Tier Job: Sword Saint 4Lv]
[Skill Points: 3]
[Passive Skills: Item Box, Slash Enhancement (4%)]
[Active Skills:
[- Warrior: Instant Reflex, Fourfold Slash of Light, Rapid Strike, Stealth]
[- Magic: Papermaking (0th Tier), Warm (0th Tier), Minor Healing (1st Tier), Magic Arrow (1st Tier), Odorless (1st Tier)]
[Class Skills: Pharmacist, Alchemist]
…
Killing the two Eight Fingers members had yielded significant experience.
With a thought, Adam spent the experience to level up, allocating the new level to Sword Saint.
Genius 1Lv + Sword Saint 5Lv , Total Level 6Lv
Among his skills, Adam had acquired Stealth from the thief, unlocking the Thief basic class in the process.
[Skill: Stealth]
[Cost: None (1-minute cooldown)]
[Description: In darkness or shadows, reduces presence and boosts agility by 10% for 30 seconds.]
…
[Skill: Papermaking (0th Tier) ↑]
[Cost: 1 MP]
[Description: Creates 1,000 sheets of low-quality paper. Each additional MP creates 500 more sheets, no upper limit.]
…
[Skill: Warm (0th Tier) ↑]
[Cost: 1 MP]
[Description: Heats a touched object to 100°C for 1 minute.]
…
Reviewing the new skills and spells, Adam noted the minimal 1 MP cost of zero-tier magic, unsurprised.
Zero-tier lifestyle magic offered no combat utility.
No wonder few magic casters in the New World bothered learning multiple zero-tier spells!
In YGGDRASIL, skill points were capped.
For New World natives, learning magic required effort, and each stage of a magic caster's development seemed to limit the number of spells they could master.
Given this, few wasted time on zero-tier magic.
Suddenly... Adam's eyes caught the "↑" markers next to the two zero-tier spells.
"This is...!"
His eyes widened, body tensing. "My earlier hypothesis was right."
At the Mage Guild, while browsing the scroll catalog, Adam had noticed Papermaking listed as both a zero-tier and first-tier spell.
This anomaly intrigued him.
In YGGDRASIL, the tiered magic system had rigid level distinctions.
Yet the New World's natives had developed lifestyle magic that could ascend to higher tiers!
This made Adam wonder if the magic created by New World casters differed fundamentally from the game's tiered system.
It was why he'd bought two zero-tier spells, to test this theory.
"Upgrade!"
Adam focused intently on the two zero-tier spells.
Each consumed 1 skill point, and as expected, they transformed.
[Skill: Papermaking (1st Tier)]
[Cost: 5 MP]
[Description: Creates 800 sheets of high-quality paper. Each additional MP creates 400 more sheets, no upper limit.]
…
[Skill: Warm (1st Tier)]
[Cost: 5 MP]
[Description: Heats a touched object to 150°C for 1 minute.]
…
Adam studied the updated details, thrilled yet slightly furrowed.
Well, how to put it?
His hypothesis, that New World lifestyle magic could ascend tiers, was correct, but the changes were underwhelming.
The "↑" markers had vanished.
"Based on tiered magic learning levels, levels 1–7 can master first-tier spells, and 8–14 can master second-tier spells."
Adam mused silently. "It's probably my level. I can't upgrade them further yet."
He speculated whether these spells could reach tenth-tier status if upgraded further.
But even if they did, could lifestyle magic, designed for utility, match the power of true tenth-tier spells?
Their utility was one thing.
The real question was whether spending limited skill points on them was worthwhile, given their auxiliary nature.
Adam took a deep breath, his eyes still gleaming with excitement and surprise.
Regardless, this was an unforeseen path to tenth-tier magic, a rarity in the New World, where almost no natives could cast such spells.
With no one using them, Adam couldn't learn tenth-tier magic through skill points.
More crucially, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had no knowledge of these spells!
Sorting his thoughts, Adam rubbed his temples to ease his weary mind and collapsed onto the bed.
Most ideas could be tested later.
Leveling up was the priority, don't lose sight of the goal.
"Sleep!" Adam quelled his excitement.
The next day, at dawn, Adam rose, left the inn, and began purchasing food and critical supplies.
With his Item Box's spacious storage, he didn't worry about food spoilage.
For two gold coins, he bought nearly a month's worth of provisions. To avoid attention, he split his purchases across multiple shops, spending the morning on food alone.
After a quick lunch, Adam turned to weapons. His short sword, cracked and notched, was unusable.
At one silver coin each, he bought ten ordinary iron swords and a lightweight soft armor for protection, costing one gold coin total.
Next, he revisited the Mage Guild. Since they wouldn't sell second-tier scrolls, Adam revealed his identity as a faith-based magic caster.
This allowed him to purchase a second-tier Appraisal Magic scroll for three gold coins.
Though second-tier, Appraisal Magic wasn't auxiliary or offensive, so its price was comparable to first-tier attack scrolls.
With basic supplies secured, Adam visited the Adventurers' Guild, buying intelligence on the Great Forest of Tob.
That cost another two gold coins.
A full day of preparation drained eight gold coins, leaving him with 6 gold, 7 silver, and 4 copper.
Two days passed in a blink.
Low-Wind Moon, June 1st.
Clad in his black robe, an iron sword at his left hip and a water skin at his right, Adam left E-Rantel, where he'd rested for two days, and headed north.
The Great Forest of Tob, a vast primeval jungle encircling the Azerlisia Mountains, lay north of E-Rantel.
Teeming with dangerous magical beasts and demi-human tribes, it was a forbidden zone for humans. Even top-tier adventurers dared only skirt its outskirts.
***
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