Talent Spirits

Suye placed the Money Pouch and Short Sword on the Altar, held his breath, widened his eyes, and watched carefully.

Nothing happened.

"Broken?" Suye reached out and patted the Altar, then gave it a kick, performing repairs in the traditional method shared by worlds everywhere.

It had no effect.

Suye picked up the Bronze Short Sword.

Still no effect.

He put down the Bronze Short Sword and picked up the Money Pouch, but there was still no effect.

Suye stared at the Altar for quite a while, but After All, he chose not to step onto it.

A possible treasure was right before him, yet he could not use it. Suye was unwilling to accept that.

After thinking for a moment, Suye silently recited, "Return."

Suye returned to his bedroom.

The bag of gold coins and the Bronze Short Sword were no longer in his hands.

"Hmm... if the Altar is broken, at least it can serve as storage space. Even Headmaster Plato, aside from his legendary Mage Tower, probably doesn't have such a large storage space."

Though Suye thought so, he did not stop there. Instead, he reached out and touched the bed in his bedroom.

"I want to take the bed into the Ruined Space..." Suye began imagining the headless statue.

He entered successfully.

Next, Suye entered moving-house mode.

Suye sent everything movable except the things in the Living Room into the Ruined Space.

Afterward, Suye took turns placing the items onto the Altar.

It was utterly useless.

Next, Suye began continuously placing all the items on the Altar, stacking them higher and higher.

Still utterly useless.

"Ha..."

With a sigh, Suye finally admitted that either the Altar had already been damaged, or these things were unworthy of sacrifice.

So Suye silently put every item back where it belonged, sweating all over from exhaustion.

"How exactly am I supposed to use this Ruined Space and mysterious Altar?" Suye pondered quietly.

The Backyard of Dolphin River Restaurant.

"...That was what happened." Hark stood before Kelton and recounted everything exactly as it had happened, from following Suye there until arriving at Suye's home.

Kelton sighed softly. "This is the crushing power of intelligence. Suye has already planted a seed of fear in Lawrence's heart. Even if he can kill Suye someday, he'll still act with great caution. Before Suye, reason tells me that he's setting a trap and luring me in. But my intelligence tells me that I must step into that trap and place my bet on him."

Hark remained silent.

"Do you have complaints?" Kelton asked with a faint smile.

Hark shook his head.

When he had gone to find the City Guard for Suye, Hark had vaguely realized one possibility. It was not until Lawrence asked outside Blunt Knife Tavern who had decided to come that he understood completely.

Because Suye had displayed greater value and greater potential, Kelton had agreed to Suye's request and had Hark protect him. But protecting Suye did not come without a price. Not only might Hark be killed, but if Lawrence's backer pursued the matter, Kelton could only abandon him.

Hark knew that he had been abandoned in the transaction between Suye and Kelton.

That was why, before leaving, Suye had said those comforting words to him, hoping he would not resent Kelton.

Kelton did not explain. Instead, he looked at the star-filled sky and said, "Those 100 Golden Eagles were originally meant as a loan, but now I've changed my mind. That money already belongs to him. It is my second investment in him."

Hark's lips twitched as he asked, "If you hadn't given it to him, would he have paid it back in ten years?"

"What you really want to ask is whether he'll return your Magic Short Sword, isn't it?" Kelton asked with a smile.

Hark remained silent.

Inside Suye's home, in the Ruined Space.

Suye took a deep breath, looked at the Bronze Short Sword and Money Pouch in his hands, and thought, One last try! If it doesn't work, I'll give up!

Returning to the Altar, Suye placed the Bronze Short Sword on it. The Altar showed no reaction.

Suye let out a long sigh and tossed the Money Pouch onto it, prepared to leave the instant it left his hand.

The Altar lit up!

The entire Altar suddenly emitted a faint white glow. Then, a small amount of white mist rose from the Money Pouch and seeped into the Altar.

The innermost metal ring of the Altar suddenly burst with intense light, so dazzling that Suye could not open his eyes.

After the bright light faded, the first ring slowly began to turn, producing the sound of metal wheels crushing the ground. The mysterious Black Gold Runes upon it flickered and swam around the ring like tadpoles.

Then, white light rose from the center of the Altar, and four tiny humanoid spirits, each the size of a little finger, appeared within the light.

Every little spirit had its eyes closed, curled up with its arms wrapped around its knees. Their bodies were transparent, specks of starlight circled them, and each had a pair of transparent Wings behind her.

"These are... Talent Spirits? That means..." Wild delight appeared on Suye's face.

Talent Spirits were not living beings, but an exceedingly rare kind of power. Some people were born with them, some acquired them through later training, they could also be refined through magic, or bestowed by gods.

Every kind of Talent Spirit possessed a talent. Obtaining a Talent Spirit was equivalent to obtaining that talent.

Suye stepped closer and examined them carefully. Yes, the Wings of three Talent Spirits were covered in triangular magic Lines. They were Basic Talent Spirits. The other Talent Spirit's Wings were covered in square magic Lines. It was a Battle Body Talent Spirit.

Suye hurriedly took several deep breaths, calming his emotions as he carefully examined the four Talent Spirits.

Whichever Talent Spirit Suye looked at, he automatically learned what talent it possessed.

After examining all four Talent Spirits, Suye was somewhat stunned.

Suye had undergone a bloodline test when he was very young. The final result was that the Divine Bloodline within him was so thin that it was nearly nonexistent. His chances of awakening divine power were infinitesimal. If he wanted power, he could only follow the path of a Mage.

Therefore, Suye had wanted to become a Mage since childhood.

The problem now was that none of the four Talent Spirits' talents had much to do with being a Mage.

One was Music Awakening, which allowed a person to become proficient in music.

One was Pleasant Voice, making one's singing or speeches irresistibly appealing.

One was Sculptor's Hand, an ability possessed only by renowned sculptors.

The last was Demon Bull Body, which could greatly strengthen one's physique and allow an ordinary person's body to grow as strong as a Black Iron Warrior who did not use divine power.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

Suye stared at the four Talent Spirits for a long time, filled with mixed emotions.

If he took the artistic path, every talent before him could become a solid foundation and be immensely useful for his growth. If he took the warrior path, Demon Bull Body would be practically tailor-made for him.

Suye did not want to become an artist, nor did he want to become a warrior. He only wanted to become a Mage.

Suye shook his head helplessly. For now, it seemed he had no other choice but to choose Demon Bull Body. A powerful body was also quite important for a Mage.

"I... won't become one of those legendary tank Mages, will I?"

The mere thought sent chills down Suye's spine. He hurriedly cast the thought out of his mind, then tentatively stared at the last Talent Spirit and silently chose it.