Scribble, Scribble, Scribble…
The historian paused his writing, glanced up from his desk as he astutely sensed someone approaching his hut. He stood up and casually walked toward the hut entrance…the smell of blood clearly perceptible hundreds of yards away.
"Oh, it's you,' the historian said as if expecting an Amazon delivery.
'You are back…and you brought a souvenir I see," the historian casually commented to Thalia as if saluting an assistant just back from a simple coffee errand.
"Yeah, I thought it best to bring you proof of mission completion…here is Alpha Liger, as promised." Thalia grimed at the historian…pride beaming from her face.
The sight of a beautiful young woman, pink hear contrasting with her white skin, covered in beast blood while dragging a Liger 3x her size was a spectacle to behold.
"I'm honestly shocked you managed to clear the cave in less than a day," chucked the historian, clearly amazed by the feat. Although not a terran himself, the historian could tell that Thalia was somehow stronger than before. What exactly happened in there? How was she stronger than before?
"Siv left just a while ago, had some more trading to do…but why don't you come inside and tell me all about your adventure," the historian said as he extended an invitation with his hand.
"Thank you, but my camp is near…if I hurry, I can make it before dark. If you give me the map to the gate, I will be on my way." Thalia replied cooly.
"Sure thing, it will only take a minute…come in for a minute while I get your map." As the historian searched through his stack of books and records, he reasoned to himself that Thalia must have found something inside the cave…something that awakened her power…but she was clearly not wanting to talk about it…and pressing her on the matter could ended badly.
While the historian was searching through his books, Thalia thought to herself that it was no coincidence that the historian decided to set his hut near the cave entrance…after all there were hundreds if not thousands of caves within this barren land. This meant that he had intentionally selected this cave…meaning that he somehow knew it was valuable. All signs pointed to one conclusion…the historian knew much more than he was letting on.
The two were like a pair of poker players, keeping their cards close…not wanting to reveal their hand. This stalemate went on for a few minutes.
"So…who is Kandiaru?" Thalia broke the silence with her question.
The historian immediately stopped, spun around and said, "where did you hear that name?" His voice quivered with emotion.
"Inside the cave there is a secret chamber with notes and writings…I saw that name written there." Thalia answered casually as if speaking about the weather.
She figured the historian would immediately continue his exploration of the cave first thing the next morning. It was only a matter of time until he would discover the hidden chamber. Even though the stone statue was no longer present, there were still valuable items inside including a treasure trove of books, manuscripts and other writings inside.
However, Thalia decided to remain silent about the leveling system that she had unlocked.
The historian paused for a moment, considered her words and replied, "Kandiaru is a an ancient and very powerful sorcerer from the Dark Universe…I never met him personally, but I have discovered a few of his abandoned labs…I'm not sure why he abandoned them. Perhaps he lost interest and moved on…or completed his work in that area…I don't know. It seems he was loosely working with the Itarim."
He continued, "from what I have uncovered, it appears Kandiaru was working on research on how to grow more powerful….and it seems that he succeeded in creating a system that allows a person to increase their mana and power!"
'A system to grow stronger…could that be THIS SYSTEM,' Thalia thought to herself… 'Why was the system incomplete? Why was there an "error" right next to the "Job" section?'
Thalia asked, "do you know if his work was completed? Did he finish his system?"
Hearing those questions convinced the historian that the girl had indeed discovered the system developed by Kandiaru. She was keeping that information secret for a reason…so he decided to not push further.
He simply replied, "Hmmm…it's hard to say. I have spent years chasing leads and uncovering buried secrets. One thing that I am certain about is that Kandiaru is a true craftsman of magic…and a craftsman never stops improving their craft…its possible he was researching ways to further improve or refine his work."
'Then…that could mean that the System I acquired is an updated version of the original…but who was this System designed for? What is the end goal of this System?' Thalia questioned in her mind.
Holding a map in his hand, the historian placed it in Thalia's hand. He said with a concerned voice, "My advice to you…get as far away from here as you can."