NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93: Choices, so many choices…42 to be precise
Jobs, such wonderful things. They helped one rise above what their mortal coil was limited, even a simple [Civilian] had the potential to be stronger in this new world, a civilian post [Advent] was at average at least ten times stronger than one pre-[Advent]. The same could be said about most of the things in this brave new world. With how much mana was saturating the atmosphere, most materials took sturdier and more resilient properties.
It was such an interesting change that even those who worked with metals needed to take specialized [Jobs], such as [Metal worker] or [Metallurgy Worker]. Even the classic [Blacksmith] was needed in some cases. Even though most of the time they didn’t all work with anvils, or not the one used in medieval times. Granted, high-order material may need the use of an anvil, since modern technology wasn’t that advanced yet to process mana-dense materials.
But she was digressing, again. Most of the students in her grade had evolved their jobs already, from [Student] to [Magical Girl - Trainee] or [Hero Trainee]. Hell, even Akira had gone past the [Trainee] and gone to the [Hero] job.
Rena straight up skipped the [Trainee] part and went for [Swordswoman], and Elizabeth? Well, she had skipped the [Trainee] and [Student] part and started as [Magical Hero]. So what could her evolution options be?
That was answered by this blue screen in front of her.
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Jobs Available: |
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Well, that…was more than she expected, and somehow it was less than she thought it would be. Compared to the number of skills she had gotten before, this list was more….Small.
Even if some options were outright out, why would she even think about taking [Cult Leader], she didn’t have a cult! She had told the [Shadow Dragons] that making a cult was a no-go, had they done it anyway? Was there a cult to her somewhere in the multiverse? Surely not right?
Who would even join a [Dragon Cult]?!? Most Dragons ate humans! Why would you join one of those!?!?
Then of course the option for [Necromancy], and some similar options and variants, from the moment Elizabeth found out about the origin of the [Souls] of her minions she knew this would be an option, but…should she even take it? Did she want to increase her control over them?
Did she even want to dabble in that? What could that even mean to her minions? She knew, of course, that high-grade undead were almost the same as living beings, a highly advanced Revenant was probably the same as a living being. They too had a beating heart and had intelligence equal to what they had in life. But…did her minions even want that?
Besides Aura, no one else had shown attempts to take a humanoid form. Elizabeth didn’t count Beatrice because she had been formed using part of her and Rossie… And Sebastian…well, even if he had humanoid form he was closer to a Dragonoid than a [Human].
So, as far as she was aware her [Minions] didn’t care for form, hell, Stabby never once had tried to take another form that wasn’t her spear form, and that had also been one of her minions…
Actually taking [Necromancer] may help her bring him back. Perhaps one of the variants could help her more, like [Shadow Empress] or [Mistress of the Undead], hell. Maybe one of the [Jobs] that had the names of some of those deities…
And that was another thing!
Why was she even getting jobs with the names of goddesses! Why the heck did she even have the option to have the [Ishtar] job!?!? That made no sense! What was she supposed to even do with that?!?
Elizabeth could almost see it, ‘Hello I’m Magical Girl - Stardust Weaver, let me deal with this using my totally normal Magical Girl powers that are focused on Love, War, and fertility!’
….You know what, maybe having that one may be useful while dealing with Rossie and Rena, she could have the [Love] domain from [Ishtar] to make sure they could heal with her [Love], use the [War] domain to deal with the problems…
And the last [Domain] could be saved for when she wanted to settle down in a cozy home with her girlfriends….
Yes, she could see it…
NO ELIZABETH, FOCUS, WE NEED TO THINK THIS THROUGH!
While tempting, she did need something more in line with what she knew was able to do, she needed something that would help her in her areas of work, and that seemed to be more focused on following the steps of another deity. Besides, Mother may throw a fit if she took a job that was focused on another deity. That seemed like a good way to end up being under the thumb of another [God].
So if she couldn’t take that one….It was time to digest what options she had available. First to take those that she would almost definitely not take. Necromancer and the sub variants were the first to go. She didn’t want to take those in, not only would they would make a big change to her way of life, but they may also affect how she dealt with her [Minions].
Necromancers were often those that enslaved the souls of the dead to their will, she didn’t want to have that be brought upon her minions, or worse. She didn’t want Rossie or Rena to be affected like that because of the link they shared. For the better or the worse, Elizabeth had their [Souls] under her thumb. She didn’t want them enslaved, even if both girls had declared that they wouldn’t mind it.
[Soul Herder] and the other jobs with names like that, namely: Tamer, Librarian, Idol, summoner, and all the Witch variants. Were out for the same reason, while the [Soul Herder] may not affect her negatively, they would change how she moved and fought. She wasn’t quite sure why [Tamer] had become an option either, she hadn’t tamed anything.
Her [Minions] came already loyal to her, and she hadn’t interacted with any type of animal or summon. The only entity that had changed her attitude towards her was Rena, but that had been mostly because she saved and…made a contract-like link with her.
….Was the system offering her the [Tamer] job because it interpreted it as if Elizabeth had tamed Rena?
…………Surely not….right?
The next options were the profession-type jobs, namely [Warrior], [Scientist], [Enchantress], [Arcanist]....etc.
She was more inclined to maybe accept one of those, mostly because they looked normal enough, and while she didn’t see herself as a [Scientist] or [Arcanist], she could see herself working as a [Enchanter] or [Artificier]. She was sure that the robes of those jobs would look well on her.
Actually, she may even look quite charming with a white lab coat and glasses…Note to self, get one of those and see what Rossie thinks about the new look. But alas, the same problem, the jobs didn’t quite mesh with her lifestyle. These types of jobs required of a laboratory to work or required her to dedicate long amounts of time to those studies. So to the pile of no, they went.
Except [Idol], she was willing to take that to the second round, if anything it sounded like the type of job that would require the least amount of work, just look pretty, speak to fans, and perhaps sing a song or two while dancing on a stage. Surely that wasn’t too much work, and with society as it was today, she could even do it from the comfort of her room!
She could become the new [Internet Idol]! And maybe get a theme song, maybe [Internet Idol] could be the song name too? An investigation was in order.
Next!
Dragon jobs, [Inheritor] jobs, and the jobs that implied that she wasn’t [Human].
She was tempted, very tempted by them. The [Dragon] jobs promised that they would boost her current skills that tempered her body, her advantage in mana density and amount helped her shore up the difference when fighting Akira, even though she still was on the losing end. She had managed to survive a fight that she had no way of surviving.
And in the end, it was that, the thing that allowed her to summon Nyx. And if those jobs increased that advantage…Maybe she could fight people who were more than ten levels ahead of her.
Then on the other side was the job that implied she wasn’t human, or dragon. [Eldritch Entity] and [Chimera].
If she was betting on it, either those increased the dichotomy between her [Body], [Soul], and [Mind] more to the extremes, turning her into a bigger mess than she was already, she…was aware that her body was moving towards the dragon side with each passing day. Her [Soul] was closer to that than anything. Her [Mind]...was also slowly eroding and accepting more and more of those [Instincts]. It was part of the reason that she was becoming more possessive of what she thought as [Hers].
Her body, however, was still [Human], mostly [Human] at least, even if it was taking some aspects of the dragon inheritance she had, her [Skill] guaranteed that it would remain [Human] for as long as she wished to stay like that.
And even if her [Mind] and [Soul] took a more draconic tone, she would remain [Human], so taking a [Job] that promised to increase the dichotomy…was probably not the best idea. And one that delimited these vague boundaries was also out for the same reason.
She didn’t want to increase nor set them in stone, so [Chimera] and [Eldritch Entity] were out!
Now [Inheritor] however, was an interesting option. She didn’t know what it would bring, nor how it could affect her, she…wasn’t quite sure what it implied being an [Inheritor], granted, she knew that was her identity, she had inherited plenty of things from those that came before her.
She had [Inherited] the responsibilities and wishes from [Alexanders], so that she could fulfill what the scion hadn’t achieved. And as payment, he granted his [Skills] and part of his knowledge.
She had inherited the morals from her Papa, his way of seeing the world and his values. The love for magic from her Mother, and part of her mindset…even if she didn’t like the idea of being a bimbo, she knew from where that had come.
She had inherited the will from [The Shadow Weaver], her alter ego from another life, from another parents. And her mission, even if not in the way that the girl wanted. The same could be said for Alice, even if the girl hadn’t said much, she wanted to Inherit the dreams of the girl if, for some reason, she wasn’t able to save her.
Then, of course, was Chloe. She inherited her body, her dreams to have a loving family…And she would fulfill her part of the deal and pass on the message to her Mother. To Echidna.
Even if the woman didn’t remember her. Then after doing so, she would punch the B#tch in the face for making suffer Alice so much while the poor girl grew alone, with only subordinates of the [Mother of Shadows] as friends.
Moving on!
[Inheritor] would be put aside as a possible option, now on to the next…
The [Leader] like job options, namely [Empress], [Ruler of Sin] and [Ruler of Shadows - Legacy], [Shadow Empress] and [Mistress of the Undead].
The first one was out, why? Because being a [Empress] was too much work! She would need to start thinking about how to rule her citizens, prepare taxes, look into getting them schools, hospitals, police, firefighters, EMTs, raising an army…The works.
Then getting politicians, senators, lawmakers, deal with foreign politics…Nope, no, nyet, never! She would never ever go that route, the world would burn first before Elizabeth willingly took a job that would make her do so much heavy work. What? Delegating the work? Are you kidding?
Do you know how the [Emperors] died? Because they delegated the work, the populace turned into sedition, raised rebel armies, and then, those that caused said problems rose to power by killing the [Emperor]. Yeah no, delegating was the devil speaking on your shoulder. It didn’t work, and if anything it made it easier for you to die.
[Ruler of Sin], on the other hand, was more tempting, if only because it may make it easier for her to deal with the [Vestiges], if she was able to channel what made them problematic using this job, then perhaps she would be able to deal with them easier?
Also, the [Job] should have good synergy with her [Crown of Sin], so if anything it would be easier to work the thing without having it affect her too much. To the next stage of selection, it went!
[Ruler of Shadows] and [Shadow Empress] could be taken into consideration, both seemed to work with her [Shadows] after all, even if one was a [Legacy] job while the other wasn’t. If anything it made her wonder, how had she earned that [Legacy]? Neither Mother nor Papa ever dealt with [Shadows].
Mother should be able to use [Shadow Magic], if nothing else she was [The Mother of Modern Magic], so she should know the skills, since she was the one who introduced the magic system to this world.
But she never used it.
And Papa was more of a physical fighter, she didn’t doubt that he was able to wield [Mana], but he…never quite needed to use it, if a punch was able to deal with his problems, why would he need to use beams?
Oh right, that brought her attention to the next option, the ones she didn’t mind giving a free pass to the next stage of the selection. [Magical Girl] and [Heroine], both normal and [Legacy] versions of them…And same for [Villainess], three for that one. One for [Hero] style, one for [Magical Girl] style. And one without style.
In total seven options, she of course knew from where she had gotten the [Legacy] options. Her Parents gave her those legacies, her Mother’s legacy would probably move her towards [Space], granting her more knowledge about how it worked.
Actually, “[Identify]” she may as well.
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Magical Girl - Legacy: |
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You are following in the footsteps of those who came before you, you wield the powers of those that came before, you follow their example, and know that what you are doing works. Most of the jobs are like this, of course, you follow the example of those before you. Benefit from the mistakes of others and be prepared. What makes this one different?
Simple, the steps you follow aren’t of the common rabble. No. You follow in the steps of a shining star, you follow in the steps of one that made this [Job] into what it is today. You follow behind the steps of what some may call a [Legend] of course, others may call it a [Monster].
What does this mean for you?
Your path to power will solidify into what those who came before you did, you are guaranteed a steady growth to greatness, and you will not fear stagnation, because you already know what awaits at the end, follow the steps and do as those who came before you did.
Embrace the [Legacy] left behind for you Elizabeth Starbright, and you will shine bright as a star in the night sky.
[Increased proficiency toward Space Attribute Mana.] [Increased proficiency towards Dimensional Attribute Mana.] [Increased proficiency towards Soul Attribute Mana.] [Mana Conversion in effect, all proficiency towards Healing Magic is diverted into other attributes.] [Passive Skill granted, Parallel Mind Skill: X.] [Passive Skill granted, Sturdy Soul: X.] [Passive Skill granted, Butchered Soul: X.] [Passive Skill granted, Beacon to Home: X.] [Passive Skill granted, Undying Will: X.] |
….What the hell Mother?
What the actual hell?
“Mother, we will need to speak about this, you never said that your travels had been hard,” Elizabeth said aloud from her [Soulscape].
She wasn’t quite sure what had happened, she was aware that part of her Mother's travels hadn’t been as easy-going as she implied, even if she never told her straight what occurred during those, but her hate towards [Heroes] and [Pink haired girls] was obvious to anyone seeing. But to the extent that the legacy that her Mother granted with the job included skills to survive with a butchered soul…. What would give her Papa’s legacy grant then?
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Heroine - Legacy |
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You already know what a [Legacy] is, you lived under his care, nurtured by his love, protected under his wing. You knew all your life that nothing could harm you, that if something was to go wrong you only needed to wait for him to come to you, for him to hold you in his arms and whisper to your ear “Everything will be all right, for [I am here].”
Monsters? Villains? It matters not, for you were under the wings of what could only be described as a [Hero]. Is it a robbery? Is it a fire? A tsunami? All pales in the presence of a true [Hero], no. A true [SuperHero]. For that is what he was, the image that inspired thousands of little kids to look into themselves and ask…Can I be like him?
Most dreamed of meeting him, while you basked in his presence. And now that he is gone, the world populace can’t help but ask. Who will protect us? Who will save us?
True, he inspired thousands upon thousands of others to take arms and protect those that are weaker than them, but no one can live up to him, not even those that are close to [Gods] dare claim to be his successor.
But you can, for you are the one that has his [Legacy].
Accept the mantle, embrace his teachings, and live up to his name. For only you are worthy of taking this job.
You too, can become a [Legend]. Accept this job and turn into the next generation beacon of [Hope].
[Increased proficiency toward all skills.] [Increased proficiency toward skill evolution.] [Increased proficiency toward skill adaptation.] [Increased proficiency toward job adaptation.] [Increased proficiency toward job auto evolution.] [Increased proficiency toward Mana normalization.] [Increased proficiency toward Mana adaptation.] [Increased proficiency toward World Assimilation.] [Increased proficiency toward World Stabilization.] [Warning: Accepting this job will nullify the ability to take in a new job, all new jobs will be automatically absorbed into this one and grant new bonuses as they come.] |
Well, that one sounded about right, it sounded about right for what her Papa did. She was tempted….okay not really, while both granted great things, things that many would kill to get. She wasn’t that tempted, perhaps it was because she had lived with the owners of those [Legacy], but while what her Mother did was probably amazing, and to her it was normal. And to be honest, Mother wasn’t that good as a mage.
Papa, on the other hand, he was a monster, truly a monster. He never once let it leak at home, but she had seen footage of what it was after he left the area, and he only fought in wastelands. Not because he managed to move the fights there, but because once all was said and done, the place was a wasteland. There was a reason as for why the United Nations listened to him and not the other way around.
And that was also why the Singh could rise to power like this, and also warn her about the powers to be that she may find herself at odds with. And taking this would guarantee her ascension to power…
But it wasn’t her power, it didn’t call to her, was it broken? Probably, chances were that all her skills that hadn’t evolved would evolve as soon as she took it. Hell, she would probably end with [Ultimate Skills].
But it wouldn’t be who she was.
No…
The normal variants called more to her if she was honest. The normal [Magical Girl] and [Heroine] seemed closer to who she was, but was she truly that? No. She liked to act as a [Magical Girl] and a [Hero], but she wasn’t really one. She fought for justice? Yes, she did.
But not because it was [Right], not because the world had wronged her and she wanted to make it right, she didn’t do it because she wanted to spare others from the suffering she had. Most of the first generation of [Magical Girls] did it because they didn’t want other girls to suffer like them.
But while Elizabeth did suffer, it didn’t mean that she would risk herself for others. She didn’t mind risking her well-being to protect Rossie or Rena, but only about that. If someone suffered in front of her, she may even help them!
But it would be to feel good about herself, and not because she wanted to spare them from the suffering. In that aspect, she was closer to a [Villain]. Speaking of which….
She had another one of the [Legacy]...
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Ruler of Shadows - Legacy: |
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Those that lurk in the shadows are more often than not monsters, only those who are free of what makes them [Human] can survive the levels of isolation and sense deprivation that exist within Shadows.
And you…you are the descendant of one who holds the reins of all the monsters that plagued the nightmares of generations. Do you fear the monster under your bed? Chances are the one who wanted for you to follow in her footsteps holds the reigns of that monster.
From the mighty guardian of hell, Cerberus, to the guardian of the labyrinth, the Minotaur, of course, there were others too, such as the Cyclops and Medusa…The mighty Hydra, the prankster Shadow Fae, the hideous goblins. All the monsters that have existed are hidden within the nightmarish shadows left by humanity.
And they all are under the mighty hand of your predecessor, you who are the descendant of [The Mother of Monsters]. Take it in, accept this [Legacy] and rise to the position, take in the reigns of the monsters of this world, and make sure that the world is safe.
Fame? Glory? Your Mother didn’t have a need for it, and should you follow in her footsteps you will have none either, those that need to know of your deeds will, and not a single more.
[Increased proficiency toward Shadow Mana.] [Create an alternate dimension within your Shadows only accessible to those you permit (Not applicable, higher grade dimension already in place).] [Passive Skill, Fear Bringer: Level 1. Allows you to materialize the nightmares of a target into a shadow monster.] [Passive skill, Fear Accumulator: Level 1. Allows you to pill up the nightmares you absorb to increase the might of a shadow monster.] [Passive Skill, Night parade of a hundred demons: Level X. Allows you to create an alternate dimension where you may store your nightmare monsters, they will grow stronger the more people think of them.] [Allows you to modify and alter the Soulscape of those that accept a Shadow Pact with you (Not applicable, user is already able to modify Soulscapes and fuse them into her Domain.)] [Allows you to tap into the ley lines to increase the range of your Shadows (Not applicable, user isn’t limited by natural leylines).] |
…..Ah, this came from the vestige of Chloe.
Yeah, that made sense.
So then Echidna was able to do these kinds of things? And she had been alive since Papa’s time. So if she stockpiled [Fear] into her [Summons], then saved them into that weird skill and let them grow with time….
Yeah, Echidna was a monster who ruled over monsters, most people thought of her monsters and not of the originals, so…Elizabeth may have some trouble dealing with her later on. Unless she took this Job.
But that would make it harder to fight, since she would end up with a copy of her skills, granted. It would make it easier, but in the end, she would have the discount version of Echidna. And even if she tried to nurture Nightmare Monsters, chances were that people would not think of her, but of Echidna.
Unless she managed to remove the [Legacy] out of this job.
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Notice: |
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It is possible to remove the [Legacy] part, the job may end up weaker and your path to power will not be guaranteed. But it is possible in instances where the owner of the [Legacy] isn’t aware of you inheriting their legacy.
Jobs applicable: -Ruler of Shadows |
….So that meant she would be able to do it.
That meant she didn’t need to take the [Shadow Empress] job, no wait. If she took that, would she get Alice back?
Alice was, after all, the [Shadow Empress]...
No wait a second, why was only that one there? Shouldn’t the other two be there?
Why wasn’t [Elemental Weaver] or [Stardust Weaver] there?
“Perhaps….” Perhaps Elizabeth had more options?
She needed to check closer on it, if anything, maybe there was a third option available that she hadn’t seen….
