Trinity

Karion awoke in Ruby's arms. His view was of her cleavage - her disheveled lingerie only emphasizing her natural eroticism. Her golden hair seemed to glisten at the touch of the morning sunlight. As Karion sat up, his movements woke Ruby.

"Morning, Ruby."

"Ah… Good morning, my master." Without being told, Ruby sat up, wrapping her arms around Karion for a kiss.

-

Entering the dungeon, they started on the first floor of the brown level. Looking over his status, Karion was curious about what his new skill Trinity could do.

"Have you heard of 'Trinity'? It seems to be a skill of the Magician."

"Y-You can use magic, master..?!" Ruby, knowing of his use of Taurus, thought it was unlikely for Karion to know of other magic, "I'm not sure of just how many applications it has, but from what I've seen, flame magic is used to create distance, frost magic is used defensively, while shock magic is used offensively."

"I suppose I'll just have to try it… Ruby, use Taunt to attract any nearby monsters. I want to test magic without interruption."

"Yes sir!"

After easily defeating a horde of goblins, Karion instructed Ruby to stand behind him. With an outstretched hand, he chanted in his mind, [Trinity!]

A panel before him showed only three circles in the shape of a triangle, with symbols labeling each circle. The upper circle held a symbol of a yellow thunderbolt. The left circle held an orange flame. The right circle held a symbol of a blue snowflake.

[This must be Shock, Flame, and Frost…]

Selecting flame, a beam of fire reaching a few meters ahead shot out of his hands, "..!!"

With a grip of his hand, the flames dispersed. Testing magic with the other affinities, using frost created a large chunk of ice that could be shot forward. Testing shock allowed him to shoot a bolt of lightning, albeit at short range. Karion couldn't hold his excitement. Using magic was an exhilarating experience for a man who came from a magic-less world. Ruby on the other hand had an expression of surprise, but soon turned to admiration.

"You're simply amazing master!! To grasp the world of magic so easily, you must be exceptional among even sages!"

Karion caressed her cheek, "Thank you."

[I want to test magic, but I also want to raise Swordsman and Magician. Ruby can only use Taunt twice before needing rest or potions. Since Taurus is the only class she can use that has mana, I should prioritize her.]

Ruby only wielded a shield and used her fist to attack. Although Karion knew of her dexterity, he didn't want to overwhelm her. Deciding to only face easy enemies, Karion instructed Ruby to use Taunt, before asking her to defeat the horde of goblins alone. They continued venturing through the dungeon. Karion left most of the fighting to Ruby, using Shock Magic if there were too many at once, while periodically looking over her status. By the time they arrived at the boss's room, Ruby's level had increased.

{

Ruby - Age: 19 [Health: 145/145] [Mana: 3/15]

Active Class: [Villager - Lv. 7] [Taurus - Lv. 3] (Farmer - Lv. 2)

Skills: [Taunt], [Shield Bash]

Equipment: [Aspis Shield]

}

[She has a new skill!] Though excited at her growth, he didn't think it wise for her to try her new skill with insufficient mana.

"You were inspiring, Ruby. Let me handle the boss." Ruby affirmed his order. Entering the boss room, instead of his usual tactics against hobgoblins, he decided to test his magic.

Each time the hobgoblin swung its club over its head while charging at Karion, he would push the monster back using Trinity in no particular order. He was made aware during Ruby's fight against the hobgoblin, but the monster's resilience was tougher than he initially thought. Karion assumed hobgoblins were no easier to defeat than goblins, but Ataria's sharp edge was the true strength behind his achievements.

Using Frost to slam the hobgoblin into the wall, it dissipated to smoke, leaving behind a brown crystal and an ear.

"I need to get stronger…" he muttered to himself.

{

Karion - Age: 19 [Health: 20/20] [Mana: 210/450]

Active Class: [Swordsman Lv. 3], [Magician Lv. 2] (Farmer Lv. 1, Villager Lv. 4, Taurus Lv. 2, EX - Jack+ Lv. 2)

Skills: [EX - Appraisal], [Pierce], [Trinity]

Equipment: [EX - Ivory Ataria]

}

[At least that's worth celebrating.] Swordsman remained the same level, but Magician's level increase came with almost double his previous mana.

"Ruby, let's go through this floor again before we head back."

"Already, sir?"

"I want to speak to the realtor we were told about."

After going through the dungeon again, Karion, using his magic, wasn't able to increase his levels any further.

-

With the reference envelope in hand, Karion and Ruby walked through the commercial district. The afternoon had less traffic, allowing them to find the office with ease.

Entering the establishment, an older woman seemingly in her 40s, sat behind a counter while sorting through wooden plaques.

"Excuse me?" Karion placed the envelope on the counter, "I was referred here. I just came to see the prices of the properties."

"Welcome," she said, reading through the letter. She observed Karion and Ruby, taking note of their equipment, "As much as I'd like to help you, I don't think I can right now. The lots we have available just aren't the best for adventures."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all of our lots closest to the guild are already rented or bought. The only properties we have are quite far."

Karion glanced at Ruby, hoping for an explanation. "It's because there are so many adventurers in Qirsley, it might take half the day before we could enter the dungeon. Because we currently lodge at the nearby inn, we would still be able to enter easily even if we sleep in."

[That's concerning… If we waste half the day in a queue, we'd lose a lot more money. We're scraping-by now, we can't afford to lose any bryas…]

"It's just as she said, sorry." The woman said, "The lots on the outskirts of town are pretty big, and quite cheap because of it."

"How cheap?"

"Three thousand bryas a year. The only reason being is that it's only the empty lot. You're free to do whatever you want in it. One of our services is also construction, but the price can range from 10,000 to 30,000 per attachment."

[So the minimum I would need is 13,000… But I can't afford to live so far away…]

"Thanks for your time, miss."

The woman waved as they left. Karion wanted to live as close as possible to the fortress, but the property being only 3,000 a year is an obvious steal.

"If only we had more money…" Karion whispered to the wind.