Chapter 134
After being entranced with examining his new magical skill for a while, Draco soon turned his attention back to considering his development ability options.
Although his heart yearned to immediately select the 'Mystery' development ability, his rational mind dictated that he carefully weigh his choices.
'First of all, the 'Mystery' ability is not something that yields instant results. It requires knowledge, effort, and luck to truly harness its potential,' Draco mused, pondering his own capabilities.
'Do I possess all these necessary qualities?' he questioned.
He wanted to explore the potential upsides of choosing the 'Mystery' skill at this level-up opportunity.
The ability was not limited to just creating grimoires, but also enabled the crafting of magical tools.
However, Draco recognized that focusing on both paths would be a daunting challenge.
Magic tool creation was a broad and complex subject, and Draco doubted his willingness to invest the extensive time and effort required to make anything truly meaningful in that domain.
While he had some fragmented knowledge from his past life, it was incomplete and would necessitate painstaking research, recollection of lost information, and a process of trial and error to bring it to fruition.
‘Although not impossible, this is not something that I feel particularly drawn to,' Draco acknowledged.
'The prospect of slogging through such arduous work does not appeal to me. To make things more complicated, I might even need some other craft type development abilities' he thought.
Yet, all was not lost. The 'Mystery' skill also encompassed the creation of grimoires, an area Draco felt had great potential for him, a spark of optimism beginning to flicker within him.
‘This, I believe, is an area where I can truly excel,’ he thought, staring at the small ball of fire magic he had conjured on his palm.
His high affinity for elemental magic meant he could simply draw upon his own experiences and intuitions, expressing them through the written word.
With the 'Mystery' ability as the catalyst, he envisioned crafting a new type of grimoire that would be uniquely his own, drawing from his innate understanding of the elements.
'This is starting to feel like a much more achievable and rewarding path for me,' Draco thought.
'I need not rely on recalling fragmented knowledge from my previous life, but can instead pour my current experiences, insights and the very essence of the elements into the pages, and let the 'Mystery' ability work its magic.’ he mused.
Compared to the daunting task of attempting to replicate technological marvels from his former world, this path seemed far more attainable and aligned with his natural strengths.
‘Besides,’ he mused, 'I can leave the magic tool inventions to the native inhabitants of this world. That way, It won't feel as though I'm robbing them of the chance to discover new tools themselves.'
Draco couldn't help but chuckle at the subtle irony of his own thoughts.
‘How quickly that I have forgotten that, I am an integral part of this world too, rather than an outsider,’ he mused, shaking his head.
This was a common pitfall that reincarnated souls often fell into – a subconscious sense of being an outsider, even as they fully immerse themselves in the new world they now call home.
Taking a deep breath, Draco turned his attention to the other development abilities, but found that none of them quite captured his interest.
Even finding that the conditions for replicating the other skills beside ‘Mystery’ ability were within his reach.
'It seems like my mind has become fixated on this ability, to the exclusion of all others,' Draco mused, wracking his brain for any overlooked factors.
"Feels like the universe is guiding me towards this choice," he murmured, a wry smile playing on his lips.
Grimoires, he knew, would not only serve as a means of honing his magical prowess but also as a source of income – a valuable resource in a world where wealth granted access to countless opportunities.
‘Money may not be the primary motivator, but it shall certainly open doors that would otherwise remain closed,’ he acknowledged.
Draco stared pensively at the ground, his mind racing with thoughts.
‘Additionally, if I can make grimoires, doesn't that mean I have a means to actively strengthen my allies in Orario? With all the things happening around me, what guarantees do I have that the future isn't already severely messed up?’ he reasoned, recalling once again about how his very existence was an anomaly.
Draco sighed, running a hand through his hair.
‘I already have a lot of offensive, defensive and utility skills, a bit too much for a level 3 even. So why am I struggling with this decision? I still have many more chances to gain more abilities as I level up further.’ he thought.
Weighing his options carefully, Draco soon came to a conclusion about the option he needed to take.
"Do you need any help?" Bahamut asked, noticing the turbulent expressions crossing Draco's face.
Sometimes he smiled, chuckled or seemed distracted and confused.
He even suddenly conjured a ball of fire on his palm while muttering incomprehensible things, which looked quite comical to Bahamut.
"No, I have already made my decision," Draco replied calmly.
"I see, so what is your choice?" Bahamut inquired, curious to hear Draco's decision.
"The Mystery ability," Draco stated with conviction.
"Oh," Bahamut exclaimed, surprised.
She had expected him to choose either the Mage or Melee fighter development abilities, but he opted for the more obscure Mystery skill.
‘The skill is kind of odd, but I trust he knows what he is doing,’ she thought.
With that settled, Bahamut updated Draco's status board, officially making him the first level 3 adventurer in the Bahamut familia.
After the level-up process was completed, Bahamut dismounted from Draco's back, and he rose from the makeshift bed of pillows he had spread on the floor earlier.
Now on his feet, Draco began carefully examining his body for any changes, but he didn't feel any pain or sense any difference from before, which struck him as odd.
"I guess your intuition might have been wrong this time, nothing seems to be happening," Draco said, puzzled.
"That can't be. My intuition is rarely ever wrong," the goddess replied, furrowing her brow.
"Well, I don't..." Draco paused, suddenly noticing that his head felt abnormally light.
THUMP!!
Before he had finished his sentence, a loud thump resonated through the room.
Alarmed, he stared down at the floor as something thick and black fell, immediately drawing both their attention.
It was an object all too familiar to Draco.
"Isn't that my horn?" Draco questioned, his pupils dilating in recognition and voice tinged with apprehension.
"Draco, your..." Bahamut's words were cut short as she covered her mouth, gasping in shock.
“What’s wrong” Draco asked in confusion, seeing Bahamut’s expression.
Just then Draco suddenly felt a warm, liquid substance running down his face.
Using his hand to scoop a sample, he quickly realized with growing horror that it was his own blood.
"Oh," he muttered in realization, just before his body was assaulted by the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced.
The agony was overwhelming, causing Draco to double over and let out a agonizing scream that echoed through the room.
Bahamut watched in horror, unsure of how to help him.
She had never witnessed anything like this before, and the sight of Draco's suffering filled her with a profound sense of helplessness.