Soul Wear

Although Flora hid her face behind a book, her ears stood tall.

When she heard that Lance was genuinely absorbed in studying potions, with no intention of coaxing her at all,

she could not help secretly lowering the book a little, revealing half a pair of resentful eyes.

As it happened, she saw Lance with his back to her, seemingly seriously researching a bottle of low-grade antidote.

The girl felt even more wronged. She slammed the book heavily onto the table with a muffled thud.

Hearing the noise, Lance knew the timing was about right.

If he teased her any further, this honest girl might really bristle.

He chuckled, turned, and walked to the counter, gently placing the paper bag he had been hiding behind his back on top of Flora's book.

"All right, don't be angry."

There was a hint of ingratiation in Lance's voice.

"I got held up by something urgent yesterday, so I deliberately got up early today to queue up and buy this."

Flora had originally wanted to maintain her cool demeanor, but her nose twitched disobediently twice.

A rich milky fragrance mixed with the sweetness of honey slipped out through the gaps in the paper bag.

Of the three girls in Grayrock Town, Lance knew every one of their preferences inside out.

Though Nia liked desserts, she preferred shiny little accessories, while Amber was a hard-drinking tomboy.

Flora alone was utterly defenseless against sweets.

"Really?"

Flora first gave a couple of doubtful little humphs, but her gaze kept drifting toward the paper bag.

She reached out, pulled the bag over, and leaned in to take a look inside.

The next second, the girl's eyes behind her lenses lit up at once, as though she had seen some priceless treasure.

It was Grayrock Town's seasonal new offering: a Forest Berry Tart.

What made it so precious was that the plump red berries decorating the top had to be rushed over from a neighboring town every morning.

The tart was piled high with red berries, all of which were said to be urgently shipped in from other towns with warmer climates.

The shop only offered a few dozen portions each day. If you arrived late, you would not even see crumbs.

She had only casually complained once while playing cards that she wanted one but had not managed to get one. She had not expected Lance to actually remember.

Flora's two little dimples instantly appeared.

Watching the girl happily cradle the dessert, Lance secretly sighed in relief.

She was so easy to placate.

He pulled out a barstool and sat down, looking past the counter toward the semicircular archway in the back.

It led to the core area of the potion shop—the alchemy workshop.

Whenever he came before, he could hear the distant bubbling of brews in cauldrons or the crisp clinking of glassware.

But now, it was completely quiet inside, without the slightest sound.

"Is Aunt Morwenna out?"

Lance asked casually.

By then, Flora had eagerly taken a huge bite of the berry tart, leaving bright red jam on her lips.

She explained unclearly:

"She went to the guild."

"Aunt Morwenna took samples early this morning to compete for the procurement contract for that joint sweep."

"Aunt Morwenna tested your potion all night yesterday. The results were excellent, and she has already added it to our bid list."

"Are you going to wait here for her? She should not take long."

Hearing that, Lance nodded expectantly.

"All right, I'll wait."

This concerned whether his future wallet would be full, so waiting a while was only right.

With nothing else to do, Lance watched Flora eat with relish and idly tapped his fingers against the table.

A crucial question concerning his own development suddenly arose in his mind.

It was about the function of [Potion Research] on his panel.

If he was determined to advance to a combat Class like [Pale Sentinel] in the future, would this potion-related ability geared toward production become completely useless?

After all, a person's energy was limited.

It would be one thing if this were a game, but this was reality.

"Flora."

Lance considered his wording before asking.

"You know I have a personal Talent that enhances potion effects, but my future career plans do not include advancing to Alchemist."

"If I do not change to a related Class, will this Talent of mine be completely wasted?"

"Is there any way to have the best of both worlds?"

By then, Flora had already devoured the berry tart like a whirlwind.

Still wanting more, she took a second dessert from the bag: a Chocolate Lava Ball dusted with powdered sugar.

Hearing Lance's question, she bit into the chocolate ball, her mouth full of brown crumbs, and said as if it were only natural:

"Of course not. You can take on another Class part-time."

"Part-time?"

Lance froze for a moment.

His Basic Guide to Class Advancement, which he had bought at great expense, had not mentioned that at all.

That book was entirely about how to specialize and refine one's attributes. It never touched on something as abstract as multiple class advancements.

Apparently, it was an abridged introductory textbook for newcomers.

This was probably a path one only encountered after officially becoming a Class user.

Lance thought to himself.

Flora took another bite of dessert and explained like a little teacher.

"You may not have read Treatise on the Origins of Classes. It gives a very detailed analysis of the essence of Classes."

"Class advancement is essentially the process of making your soul adapt to and solidify a certain rule of this world."

"But the strength of a person's soul is limited."

"After advancing to a primary Class, you can then advance to a secondary Class."

"However, there are strict limits. The level of the secondary Class can never exceed that of the primary Class."

At that point, the girl's expression became slightly more serious.

"And you must be very careful when choosing a secondary Class."

"You have to choose Classes that differ greatly, or they will cause severe Soul Wear."

"For example, if your primary Class is combat-oriented, your secondary Class should preferably be a lifestyle crafting Class or some sort of identity-based Class."

"If you get greedy and want to advance to two combat Classes at once..."

Flora shook her head.

"Those two similar rules will fight within your soul, causing massive wear."

"The most direct consequence is that the speed at which you improve your strength will be drastically reduced by a percentage."

Lance understood instantly.

It was like an experience penalty in a game.

Originally, killing one monster might grant 100 experience points, but after taking on a secondary Class, it might only grant 70 or even less.

"You've read books about this?"

Lance looked in surprise at the chocolate-mouthed girl before him.

Flora wore an expression that said, Is that strange?

"Of course. I'm preparing to advance to Alchemist, so naturally I had to do my homework."

Lance suddenly realized something and asked in a slightly trembling voice:

"Then have you... read Basic Guide to Class Advancement?"