"I'm not sure what I expected, but this is really boring." Mathew, the 14 year old boy said as the party ran through the forest towards the Scilian swamp. They had to go a bit slow due to both Mathew and Thomas, his father, being drastically underleveled. This combined with Jake's 29 Agility resulted in a cruising speed that was admittedly superhuman, but for them it still felt kind of slow. "It was kinda cool at first getting carried really fast, but that kinda wore off after an hour."

"Yeah, there's a lot of travel time in going anywhere now." Preston told him, as he was the one carrying Mathew. Teresa was carrying Thomas, who was holding on desperately for dear life as she gave him a piggyback ride.

"We're almost there though, just gotta add them to the Portal Network, head down to meet with the gorillas, then we're on our way to find your brother." Teresa called out, yelling over the wind rushing by. Not everybody had super hearing, though she had a feeling that would change one day.

Admittedly, this would all have been made significantly easier if Thomas and Mathew had agreed to get some levels, but unfortunately convincing Thomas was a work in progress. Teresa wasn't even all too sure how that would work, as Mathew did not actually have a class. Thomas was a level 4 mage with the skill <Familial Duty> at level 3, which was the entire reason they were helping him out in the first place, but Mathew was one of the few people who did not go through the Tutorial. Many elderly or physically disabled individuals had become "caretakers," responsible for helping those too young to enter the Tutorial. They had the caretaker class, which barely awarded any points per level.

Mathew, who had been too young to enter the Tutorial, simply did not have a class and was still at level 0. His status screen was similar to Teresa's when the System had first began integrating Earth, his class read N/A. Could he even level up? If he did, what benefit would it provide? Normally somebody gained various stat points based on what class they had, so if somebody with no class leveled up it wouldn't be unreasonable to think they wouldn't get any benefits from it. If they even could convince Thomas to let his son get some experience from combat, would it really be worth anything?

It would be something they would have to figure out eventually, Mathew wasn't the only 14 year old in existence after all. Teresa was keeping <Facilitated Restoration> active on everyone in the party, but it was particularly important for their low Fortitude companions. Having the wind blast you in the face for a prolonged period of time could really dry out your skin, which could eventually burn like hell. Thankfully, Teresa had figured out a while ago that she could use her Restoration Magic as a makeshift skincare routine, and it kept everyone's faces from drying out on the move. Even Preston and Sarah needed this advantage during long distance travel due to their builds.

"When do we get to see monsters?" Mathew asked.

"Hopefully we won't run into any of them too soon, we're trying to get you guys there in one piece." Teresa said. "Thomas, how's your Mana training coming along?"

During a council meeting, it had been brought up that Teresa knew a lot about magic that could benefit others in The Mall drastically. As a result, she had wound up detailing a few training exercises for people to help with their <Mana Control>. Firstly was finding your Soul by manipulating the flow of Mana within your body and finding where it all originated from. Next was dual casting, and eventually she even outlined the basics of how shotgun <Embers> worked. That last one was incredibly hazardous however, and she had very heavily stressed it should only be practiced with a healer on standby.

At the moment, Thomas was still trying to find his Soul. Turns out, it was pretty difficult to do despite Teresa managing to figure it out on her own rather quickly. It probably didn't help that Thomas was being carried through a forest at high speeds while trying to focus on a metaphysical concept, but it was necessary training if he eventually wanted to help them out with <Familial Duty>.

"I don't know, it's weird. I'm trying to figure out where my Mana is coming from and I'm sending waves of it through my body, but I can't tell if it comes from my head or my body." Thomas explained. "There's definitely something that directly interacts with my Mana, but I can't tell what's real and what I'm just imagining."

"Well, you're on the right track, that's all I can tell you." Teresa replied. She could just tell him that yes, his Soul was in fact in both his head and his torso, but that would mitigate the use of the exercise. Thomas needed to learn to think critically with Mana, he couldn't just have the answers handed to him. Teresa could definitely explain a lot about the basics of Mana to him now, but then when he eventually started training with Karmic Mana she would be at a loss too. At least for now.

She got a notification from the System telling her that her class had leveled up, which honestly felt overdue. Teresa had drafted a template for an entire governmental structure for people more qualified to complete, that combined with teaching Thomas had to be worth some experience.

"I got a class level, want to take a break and go over it?" Teresa asked the party. "It's between <Monster Hunt> or one of the new skills."

Teresa had multiple skills available to her that would all be incredibly useful. At the moment, <Monster Hunt> was the most likely contender as it had the same type as <Familial Duty>, and if she could understand Karmic Mana a bit more then that would be beneficial for everybody in the party. Additionally she could take a skill like <Taunt> or <Ignite>, which were both still available from previous levels, but at the moment it wasn't what the party needed. Setting stuff on fire and keeping it that way would definitely be useful for things like cooking, but there were priorities.

"Sure, let's see them." Preston said, coming to a stop. Teresa shared her skill selection screen for everyone to see.

<Skate: lv 0>

Type: Physical Alteration Magic

Infuse the soles of your feet with Mana, reducing friction and allowing you to glide over the ground as though it were a slippery surface.

<Moment Of Focus: lv 0>

Type: Buffing Magic

Temporarily increase the speed at which you perceive reality, momentarily improving your Perception. After this buff wears off, your Perception and reaction speed will temporarily be debuffed. Only one buff may be active at a time on a given individual.

<Retaliate: lv 0>

Type: Retribution Magic

Drain your HP in exchange for dealing more damage with your attacks. The lower your HP, the greater the effect.

"Huh, I haven't seen Retribution Magic before." Teresa said, eyeing her options. <Retaliate> sounded the most interesting out of the three choices, but it also seemed pretty risky. They also just didn't seem like what she was looking for at the moment. "I think the move is to just go with <Monster Hunt>."

"Yeah, I agree." Sarah said. "Though knowing you, <Retaliate> might be a good choice for later."

"What do you mean?" Teresa asked.

"You know damn well what I mean, we've all heard your Tutorial horror stories."

"I haven't." Mathew said.

"Long story short, she gets hurt a lot." Jake told him.

"Would it be painful to use? I mean, I'm still not 100% sure how HP works to be honest, but I can't imagine it would be a pleasant experience." Teresa said.

"<Monster Hunt> is probably the best bet for now. Besides, knowing if monsters are nearby would be extremely useful all things considered." Jake said.

"Plus it's Karmic Magic. That's gotta count for something." Preston added.

"Alright, I'm taking <Monster Hunt> then." Teresa said, and she selected the skill from the list.

<Monster Hunt: lv 0>

Type: Karmic Magic

Your strong desire to hunt those who would threaten your allies has caused your Soul to strengthen the karmic bonds between you and nearby monsters. You may pull on these karmic bonds to gain a sense for these monsters. A sufficiently capable monster may notice the shift in karma.

The basic knowledge on how to use the skill entered Teresa's mind, and she immediately activated the skill out of curiosity. Branching out from herself were several strings leading in various directions, some strings thicker than others. They weren't solid, but rather metaphysical like her Soul. She didn't know why, but she imagined them as various shades of yellow, some glowing bright and some incredibly dim. The false luminosity of the invisible strings had nothing to do with their thickness. Some were pulled tight, and others seemed to have a lot of slack to them.

"So how's it working?" Thomas asked, seeing her focused.

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"Honestly I don't really know what I'm looking at yet, and I don't really want to pull on any of these karmic threads in case I alert a monster to our position." Teresa replied. There was definitely going to be a learning curve to using this skill, it was going to require a lot of trial and error to figure out exactly what was going on. The luminosity, thickness, and slack of each thread had to mean something, but the only way to find out was through experimentation. She would definitely get around to that relatively soon, but doing so right now would potentially put Thomas and Mathew in extreme danger.

"I hope you figure it out, miss." Mathew said. "I want to kill some monsters."

"Mathew, you're 14. I'm not sure I want you fighting for your life kiddo, levels or not. I get that being stronger might help with keeping yourself safe, but that's what they're all here for." Thomas said, gesturing to the rest of the party.

"Sure, but I still want to get stronger too!" Mathew replied. "Besides, I've been told I'm mature for my age-"

"Ew, oh God that's not great." Teresa interrupted, wincing at her initial reaction. "Listen kid, if an adult says that to you, that's a massive red flag. Doesn't matter how true you think it is. A lot of perverts will say that to younger kids to build trust, it's called grooming. Sure, some adults might just be giving a compliment that aged really poorly without realizing it, but that's kind of become inappropriate for an adult to say to a kid nowadays."

"I'm not a kid, I'm 14, plus I can handle myself." Mathew replied.

"Not how that works man, really. Not everyone who says that to you is automatically a pedophile or something, but if someone's saying stuff along those lines a lot you should be wary dude." Teresa told him. "Only people who are chronically online think that always means someone has ulterior motives, but it is kind of icky."

"I dunno, that feels pretty normal for someone to say." Thomas countered.

"It is normal most of the time, but I don't like it personally at all. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"I don't get why you feel so strongly about it-"

"Let's just drop it." Teresa interrupted, causing an awkward moment of silence.

"Alright, I understand." Mathew said. "Still, give me a weapon and I can totally take on something close to my level."

"I don't think it's as easy as you believe it is Mathew. Most people think they can fight a lot better than they actually can, I'm willing to bet that's how a lot of people lost their lives in the Tutorial. It's way harder than it looks, and that's saying something. You have to think about where you're striking while your opponent is attacking you while also taking into consideration their habits, strengths, and defense. Throwing a single punch requires more conscious thought than you think, especially if you're inexperienced. That doesn't take into account spacing, combos, dodging, or footwork. Plus, fighting monsters has a fear factor to it. If you mess up, you can die." Teresa said. She wasn't trying to scare the teenager, if anything she actually wanted the son and father to get some experience. Still, they needed a reality check before overconfidence and false expectations got them hurt.

"Is it really that hard?" Mathew asked.

"Let me put it this way." Teresa replied. She summoned her guitar from her <Inventory>, then handed it to the teenager. "Can you play the guitar? Give it a try."

"I don't know how." Mathew answered.

"Just try it anyway." Teresa told him. Mathew shrugged and tried to pluck at the strings. He immediately plucked it wrong, making the string create a wobbly sound. He also tried pressing his fingers against the string on the neck, picking a random fret to try and play a different note. However, he didn't press hard enough and the string was really muted.

"Okay, I can't play the guitar but I don't get what this has to do with fighting." Mathew said.

"You've never played the guitar before, and this is how bad you are at it. If you've never been in a fight before, you would probably be equally bad." Teresa said as she took the guitar back. "I'm not trying to be harsh, but if you do want to fight monsters, you should train a little first."

"I wouldn't be opposed to that, so long as there are no actual monsters involved." Thomas said. "So long as he's safe."

"Well, I don't think melee combat would be a good pick for him, but I have an extra crossbow sitting in my <Inventory>." Teresa offered. "Sarah's got some experience with archery, I know crossbows aren't the same as bows but I'd ask her."

"I'd love to teach you about it." Sarah told Mathew. The teenager smiled in response.

"Awesome! Thank you so much! I promise I won't get cocky!" Mathew replied, grinning.

"I'll show you some stuff once we settle in for the night, it'll probably be after we visit the Scilians and the Albino Gorillas." Sarah said.

"Great! Let's go!" Mathew answered, running over to Preston completely ready to continue their journey.

The party got on the move again, heading towards the swamp that was just minutes away at this point.

"He will be safe practicing with Sarah, right?" Thomas asked Teresa as they ran.

"Yeah, I promise." Teresa replied. "Now keep focusing on your Mana, it's important."

It didn't take long to reach the alien settlement, and many of the Scilians immediately recognized Teresa. Thankfully, they didn't bow this time, but they still seemed a little too reverent for Teresa's comfort. They approached the settlement and were greeted by a small party of Scilians.

Greetings, War. One Scilian said. Teresa's <Translate> was functioning far better with the creatures now that it had leveled up a few times, and additionally it appeared they had finally stopped calling her a war goddess. Someone from The Mall must have told them she really didn't like that word, so they were just referring to her as War now. Honestly? She could live with that. I am the ruler of the Scilians, it is a pleasure to meet you formally.

"Likewise, I am glad we can actually communicate now." Teresa told the Scilian. Mentally she wondered if it was a he, she, or neither. It was an alien after all. "My name is Teresa by the way, what should I call you?"

I am Arbor. The Scilian replied. What brings you here today, Teresa of War?

"I'm here to connect our monoliths together via the Portal Network, surely you have heard about it through the System screens." Teresa answered. Arbor made an expression that Teresa interpreted as a frown.

Yes, however we are unfamiliar with what that means. Arbor replied. It says it costs 'money,' but we do not know where to get this item.

"Yeah, we're not positive about how to make money with the System yet either. It's not like we can just print more or whatever." Teresa replied.

Print? Arbor asked.

"My country used mostly paper currency. I'm pretty sure some used coins or something, but a lot of people just used credit or debit cards honestly. It's way easier to keep track of your money digitally, especially with automatic payments for bills. At least I think so." Teresa answered.

I do not understand what you are describing, Teresa of War. Perhaps our <Translate> skills are not working properly, but I do not know what you mean by 'currency' or 'debit card.' Are these resources you grow on your world? Arbor asked. Did the aliens not have currency? If so, that either meant they were super communists or just never developed the concept of mercantilism or trade.

"No, it's an arbitrary item we make that we exchange for goods and services." Teresa replied. "Money, or currency, is just something we use to represent value. It seems the System also uses this concept."

I will not pretend to understand the whims of a being such as yourself, as they are above me. Arbor replied. Teresa didn't like the implications of that one bit, but Arbor continued. You are permitted to do as you wish here, you and your allies are always welcome after defeating the monster that guarded our borders.

"Alright, great, I'm glad to hear it. I'm pretty sure I just have to do some stuff with your monolith and then we can be on our way." Teresa replied. Arbor gestured for her to follow, and they began to make their way to the center of the alien settlement.

"What levels are they?" Mathew asked out of curiosity.

"I'm not sure, let me check." Teresa replied, activating <Identify>. What she saw shocked her. She had just been talking to Mathew about red flags in adults, but the levels of these aliens were also a glaring red flag. None of them were above level 10, not even Arbor. As a matter of fact no matter who she scanned, Arbor seemed to be the only level 10 around. What were they doing? The Mana dome was gone, a monster could come in and wipe out the entire settlement in one fell swoop. Teresa and her party could probably single handedly conquer the entire place, so long as there were no surprises. Of course, she wasn't going to do that, but this was deeply concerning.

One of the main reasons she felt comfortable leaving The Mall was the number of humans who had been reaching high levels on their own, but this was a catastrophe waiting to happen. The vast majority of them were incredibly weak, and she spotted a concerning amount of level 0 Scilians that were definitely not children.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry if this is rude but where are all of your powerful Scilians? Nobody seems to be above level 10." Teresa asked.

Are there any sapient beings above level 10, aside from possibly yourself? Arbor asked.

"Yeah, there are a lot of people above level 10. Honestly, you guys should really focus on leveling up." Teresa told the Scilian.

That requires us to kill, and we are not accustomed to such practice. We are aware that your species will consume others, so it is most likely a very common practice amongst your people. This concept is completely alien to us. The plants eat from the soil and release food into the water, and we consume that food through our hairs. The idea of eating another living being is quite frankly terrifying to us. Arbor replied. It sounded like they came from a planet of exclusively herbivores, if even that. Should that be the case, it would not be too surprising that they were completely unprepared for combat. Still, didn't they have wars? They clearly understood the concept of war considering what they called Teresa, but the Scilians showed no signs of combat readiness.

"Do none of you have <Identify>?" Teresa asked.

I am unfamiliar with what you refer to. Arbor responded. It was that bad? At this rate, they were going to go extinct from natural causes. The party arrived at the monolith, and Teresa immediately placed her hand on the structure. A screen appeared before her, which seemed to be what she was looking for.

Connect To Portal Network?

Negotiations

Espionage

Cancel

It wasn't exactly a yes or no question, but she was honestly kind of curious. She kind of wanted to select "Espionage" just so she could figure out what exactly that entailed, but just in case it was irreversible she chose "Negotiations." Another screen appeared before her, but this time it seemed Arbor also got a notification about it. There were multiple conditions listed on the screen, such as tax rates, tariffs, and documentation requirements for traveling between settlements.

"I think this might take a while, how about you guys go train while I work with Arbor here?" Teresa said to her party. They all seemed to understand, and all began to give her and Arbor some space. She was in a bit of a rush, but she had already spent a lot of time hurrying through diplomatic engagements in the past. It wasn't her strong suit, but things like this might become incredibly important down the line. Perhaps there would come a day where she needed to negotiate teleportation rights to a settlement with her or a party member's family in it. "So, I think we should cross off open borders right off the bat."

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