Wealth

Dinner ended up only being Riven and the Count after Ember and Etna had sent word that they were going to retire early for the evening and have dinner in their room. Cole was also not there and the Count explained that he had sent him to the Academy to fill out all the paperwork for Riven to get admitted.

After dinner they made their way towards the office and Riven couldn't help but feel excited about what was about to happen.

They sat on one of the comfortable sofas to the side of the office and the count signalled for the butler to bring something over.

"In here is your account details for the Solis Bank." The count explained as he took an elegant looking envelope off the tray the butler brought over. He handed it to Riven and then signalled for the butler to leave.

Riven looked at the envelope in his hands and tried to resist the urge to kiss it.

"There's around 100,000 Gold in there - the total allowance that was stolen from you and a little extra from me just to make sure you can get everything you need for the academy." The count explained and Riven froze.

Did he just say… 100,000 Gold?!

"T-Thank you." Riven voice was shaky as he tucked the envelope in his jacket. The possibilities of what he could do with that amount of money was making his imagination run wild.

"Now, for the next part." The count said and stood up. He went behind his desk and reached under it, a resounding 'click' noise could be heard and all of a sudden one of the bookcases swung open.

"This is the Drakar treasury." The count explained as he motioned for Riven to follow him. They walked past where the bookcase was and hidden behind it was a thick iron door covered in runes. The count held up his hand and a magical circle began to appear. The runes on the door began to glow one by one until finally the door opened.

Riven's jaw dropped as he surveyed the treasury. Endless shelves were stocked with potion bottles and medicines, while rows of swords, staffs, and other weapons lined the back wall. At the center of the room stood a glass display case, showcasing an array of glittering gems and uncut crystal fragments that shimmered and glistened in the glow of the chandelier above.

"You may choose two things in here and I will have the countess pay for them." The count said. "There are countless treasures in here but I won't help you choose - let your intuition guide you."

Ha! Intuition? I'm not gonna waste this valuable opportunity on sheer luck and just choose anything!

"System, are you able to help me find the most precious items in here?" I sent out the message mentally, hoping and praying to whatever god that was out there that this was a function.

Are you searching for valuable items or items that will be most beneficial to your magical growth?

(Value/Growth)

Riven pondered the question for a moment. Whilst having more wealth right now wouldn't be a bad thing, he really did need to boost his magical power. And god only knows when he will get another chance to raid his family's treasury again.

Finally decided, he clicked 'Growth'.

Scanning for compatible items…

His vision began to darken again just like before in the library. Suddenly two items began to glow a brilliant blue light.

He approached the closest glowing item first. A small bookshelf was placed under the shelves of potions and medicines. 

Countless dusty tomes and smaller leather bound books filled it shelves and Riven wondered what type of information their pages held. He carefully slid out the book the was glowing and raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite the pick," the count cleared his throat and came closer. "That's a spell book, written by the first head of House Drakar."

"A spell book?" Rivens eyes widened as he looked at the dusty book in his hands.

"Although I would suggest you pick another one." The count sighed. "The first head of Drakar was the most powerful mage this family has ever had. His set of skills were unbelievably powerful and unique - the King almost gave a royal edict to prohibit our ancestor from passing down his skills."

"So why did the king change his mind?" Riven asked, trembling at the thought of how powerful this man must have been to have the king from stopping him passing on his skills.

"Because his skills were impossible to learn," The count sighed and looked longingly at the book in Rivens hands. "The runes inside the magic circles depicted in the book were impossible to comprehend and replicate. No one in the family has been able to use any of the skills he has passed down."

Riven looked at the book in wonder. He knew right now in his heart that he wanted - no, he needed to learn these skills. Plus, the system wouldn't have told him to choose this book if he would be unable to use it.

"I feel like I should still try," Riven smiled up at the count. "I feel like I owe it to our ancestor to give it my all and to stop his precious book from collecting dust."

The count looked at Riven for a moment, a mixture of emotions on his face as he contemplated wether to let him have the book or not. 

"Very well." The count gave a small smile and nodded. "Now go choose your last item."

Riven let out a sigh of relief as he tucked the book under his arm and went to the back wall where all the weapons were. The system was leading him towards a heavy wooden trunk tucked away in the corner. 

He looked up at all the shiny weapons and then down at the dust laden trunk.

I'm putting a lot of faith in you, system! Don't let me down!

Riven let out a small sigh before unlatching the trunk and lifting up the lid. A cloud of dust billowed out and Riven fanned the front of his face whilst coughing. As the dust cleared Riven saw the trunk was filled with various old ledgers and letters. He frowned as he began to sift through the papers until he finally grabbed the item that the system had lead him to.

He pulled out what looked like a charred piece of wood. It was blackened and splintered and felt as if it would turn to ash at any moment.

System… what the hell are you telling me to choose?! Riven wanted to cry.

Would you like me to appraise this item?

(Yes/No)

Riven didn't hesitate as he selected the 'yes' button.

Scanning…

Item: Staff of Ignis (Rank: Legendary)

(Broken) (Repair 0 of 3)

Item description: Forged by the fiery breath of the Dragon King, the Staff of Ignis is one of the first artefacts to have been gifted by the Dragons. 

(Can be Evolved)

Skill bonus: (Broken)

+ 25% mana absorption whilst item is held.

+ 50% Fire Damage

+ 50% Fire Resistance

Unlock skill: Ignis's Wrath (Broken)

(When activated, the user enters berserk mode and gains unlimited stamina for 1 minute.)

Unlock skill: Dragon Eyes (Passive Skill) (Broken)

User can now detect heat signatures even if they are in stealth mode.

Riven trembled as his legs almost gave out from underneath him.

A-A legendary weapon! System I want to kiss you!

"I'm taking these two!" Riven exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement as he stood before the count.

The count looked down at the charred stick in Rivens hand and frowned.

"My son… that piece of wood was only kept here because it was found with the first head of Dakar's belongings. To be honest, it's pretty much garbage." The count explained, eyeing the crumbling item in his son's hand.

"It might not look like much but my intuition has led me to it." Riven tried to feign innocence as he repeated the counts previous words.

The count sighed before saying, "If your only choosing this item to lessen the burden on your stepmother-"

"Not at all!" Riven said and then realised he could use this to his advantage so he looked to the floor trying to gain some more sympathy. "I just don't want to make her hate me anymore than she already does."

Silence filled the room before Riven felt the Count pat him on the shoulder. He then walked over to the shelves with the potions and grabbed a tiny blue bottle.

"Seeing as you chose such humble gifts, you can have this too." The count smiled softly as he handed the blue bottle to Riven. "This should definitely help you catch up with the others at the academy."

Item recieved!

Item: Potion of Mana

Description: contains a large amount of mana that can be absorbed after ingesting.

"Thank you, my Lord." Riven smiled brightly, internally cheering that he managed to squeeze another item out of the Count.

"It's fine," the count gave a chuckle when he saw Rivens happy face and lead them out of the treasury. "Now take your things back to your room and get some rest. Your brother should return in the next few days and have more details about when you start the academy."

"Okay, thank you my Lord." Riven bowed slightly and exited the office, speed walking down the hallways until he finally got to his bedroom.

Once inside he carefully lay his items on the bed and then broke into a dance.

"Yes!" He cheered as he looked down at the items on the bed. He didn't even know which one to start off with first.

Picking up the staff again he called up the items description once more.

"System, it says the staff is broken. How can I fix that?" I asked as I examined the staff closer.

This staff can be gradually repaired whilst absorbing a high quantity of fire mana. Please find an area that is dense with fire mana to repair the staff faster.

"Well, I knew it wasn't going to be easy." Riven sighed as he put the staff back down. "Is there any areas of fire mana around here?"

All items or areas of high mana for different elements are strictly controlled by the academy.

"Ah, I thought so." Riven sighed. "I'll guess I'll just have to wait till I get to the academy to repair it then."

Not letting it dampen his mood, he picked up the book and opened it to the first page.

You have obtained a skill book! 

Skill Book: The Seven Trials of Ignis, first trial.

Unlock Skill: Heat Seeking Fireball - Fireballs can now lock onto chosen heat sources. (Can be evolved)

Would you like to learn this skill?

(Yes/No)

Warning! This Advanced Skill will take 24 hours to download.

Riven quickly pressed yes without bothering to read the rest of the text after the (Yes/No) and all of a sudden his body began to hover above the ground whilst a strange orange glow started to radiate from his skin.

The book began to tremble and flicker and then rose to hover in front of him, threads of orange light forming between the two.

Downloading the Skill Book: The Seven Trials of Ignis, first trial.

1%… Time remaining: 23 hours 59 seconds

What?! It was going to take 24 hours? Damn it, he got too excited and accepted it without reading it first. If he'd known it would take this long he would have let his servants know not to disturb him - and he would have eaten more too!!

A hum of mana filled the air and a blinding searing pain began to fill Rivens head. He let out a sharp groan as knowledge of runes relating to the skill book began to flood his mind.

"Young master? Are you all right?" A knock at his door sounded. "I thought I heard you shout."

Silence filled the room until another wave of pain wracked the inside of Rivens mind and he let out another groan. He tried to open his mouth and tell the servant he was fine but it seemed he had no control of his body.

"I'm coming in, please excuse me!" The servant called, sounding worried. She opened the door and gasped when she saw the floating, glowing state of Riven. "Oh my - oh my god!" She cried as she scrambled out from the room.

What the-? Did he look that scary?

Pain continued to ravage his mind and his body began to groan and sob on its own as if it was reacting to the pain.

"Riven!" He heard the count yell from outside and then watched as his father and sister burst into the room. "You…" The counts eyes widened and he froze as he took in his son floating in the middle of the room.

The progress bar got to 3% and needle pricks began to burn throughout his body as the skills movement was being woven into his muscles. A wave of mana exploded from Riven as the skill continued to download and the servants in the room let out a cry of fear.

"He's actually learning it! Ha ha!" The count laughed triumphantly as he watched his son. "Quick, help me form a barrier!" He called out to Ember and she dragged her eyes off of Riven to help.

The count sat on one side of Riven whilst Ember sat on the other. The held up their hands and small magic circles began to glow in the air, slowly forming a glowing orange bubble around Riven.

"How is he doing this?!" Ember asked as she continued to hold up the barrier around Riven. "I studied that book for two whole years and couldn't decipher the runes! He hasn't even gone to the academy yet!"

"I'm not sure," the count said, still giddy as he watched his son. "He must of only looked at the book for a few moments before he began to resonate with it! A genius - my son is a genius! Ha ha!"

Ember bit her lips as she watched her brother, her gaze full of envy and… sadness?

Riven cried out as it felt like his muscles were being ripped apart and sewn back together again.

"Father, what are we going to do? Who knows how long it will take for Riven to fully grasp the skill book. It could take days - or weeks!" Ember asked warily.

"Isn't it obvious my daughter?" The count grinned as his glowing orange eye never left Rivens face. "We wait."