Markets and Multiverses (A Serial Transmigration LitRPG)
Chapter 249: Ability Discussion

<I think that the water-clone ability has much more promise than {Blood of the Ocean},> said Sallia. <It has much more growth potential and value in a variety of situations. Don’t get me wrong, the other ability isn’t bad either - but it’s a lot harder to use. Accessibility is huge on a battlefield. One of the biggest innovations in my first world's technology was medical kits than people can open with one arm. It made it easier for soldiers to get their wounds sterilized if medics weren't available. That's how important accessibility is on a battlefield. And your {Eldritch Soul} ability gives you a lot of new things that are easy to use, unlike the other ability. You don’t have enough keyword slots to take both skills, and I don’t think {Blood of the Ocean} has the same potential.> Sallia paused, before she continued. <It has some uses, but you could get similar effects by increasing your Alteration stat. It doesn’t offer anything unique. {Eldritch Soul} offers you capabilities you’ll never get any other way, while {Blood of the Ocean} is something you'd get with more stat points.>

I absently flipped through the workbook that mister Delmont had given to the class, as I thought about Sallia's words. Eventually, I nodded, before I realized Sallia couldn't see me nodding.

<I think so too,> I said. <I’m just trying to figure out how to make the numbers work. I would need room for 30 more glut penalty if I want to buy {Eldritch Soul}, and right now that’s… challenging. I don’t want to abandon either of my magic systems. They’re both very useful, and fit me well. The only other ability I have that I could abandon would be the swordsmanship ability. And that’s only 2 glut. I would still need to make up the other 28. Not to mention, we haven’t found a Skill Center yet. I imagine those are in the more dangerous parts of the Market… which means gaining access to them is hard. Finding a way to get 30 glut capacity is very hard.>

<I suppose,> said Sallia. <But missing out on {Eldritch Soul} would be a huge waste. If you had it, we could possibly even scout out whatever is guarding the lives in the Market. And we would have a much easier time surviving and thriving in future worlds. After all, we're a team. If you're stronger, everyone is stronger.>

I froze.

I… hadn’t thought of that.

One of the biggest issues we had right now was that we lacked information. It was obvious that Lives in the Market were guarded by something terrifying, but we had no idea what that terrifying thing was. If we knew what we were going to fight, we could spend future lives building up the perfect skills to counter it. That could make a massive difference.

<Guys,> I said, expanding the conversation between Sallia and I to include Felix and Anise. <Sallia made a pretty good point about the keyword abilities I unlocked yesterday. With the clone ability, I could scout out whatever is guarding more lives. Then, if we’re lucky, we could spend a world or two building up a perfect toolkit to counter it. What do you think? Is it possible?>

Anise and Felix froze. Their pens stopped in midair as they stared at their worksheets blankly, and I could see them struggle to keep their self-control for a moment.

<If it works…That would make a huge difference,> said Felix. <How much glut penalty is it again?>

<30,> I said.

<Oof.> Felix winced, causing Iselde, who was sitting next to him, to give him an odd look. <That’s… rough. Especially for a basic-grade ability. If I recall correctly, your Intermediate Grade ability is at 40 Glut, right?> 

I also winced, and nodded. When Felix put it that way, my new basic grade ability was pretty expensive.

<We’ll see what we can do,> said Felix, after a few moments. <The ability to scout without dying could make all the difference for our survival. If need be, I can lend you some Achievement again. But I still want to wait until I see what I can buy at the end of this world.>

<Only lend to me if it doesn’t cost you a keyword ability from this world,> I said. <Sallia and I already have our primary magic systems nailed down. You and Anise getting keyword abilities would make a massive difference on future worlds. With a few keyword abilities, it's much easier to earn more Achievement.>

<I can give you some Achievement too, if you need it!> said Anise. <I still haven’t gotten a keyword ability that I want, but right now I have a good amount of glut capacity. I won't need to buy stats after this life. I can give you some Achievement if you need it!>

<Lend,> I said. <I don’t want to just take the Achievement you’ve earned without giving anything back.>

I saw Anise hesitate, causing Vance to give Anise a dubious look. Iselde and Vance were staring at the three of us now, as if wondering why we kept making weird expressions. I took a few moments to compose myself. Old Mo had been cracking down on us making weird expressions recently. He said it was an obvious sign that something weird was happening. I had been so excited that I slipped up. I spent a few seconds getting my face back under control.

<Fine, if I give you some and you want to pay it back you can do that, I guess,> said Anise. <But I don’t mind just giving you some. The three of you did a lot for me during our first… erm… our previous life. If you need something, just ask. I want to help too.>

<I’ll think about it when the time comes,> I said, even though I knew that I would never take my friend’s Achievement for free. They were working just as hard as I was to earn more and improve. It wouldn’t be fair if I got all of the rewards.

As I got lost in my thoughts, I felt a shadow loom over me. I looked up, and saw Mr. Delmont standing over my desk.

“Are you having problems with the worksheet, Miria?” He asked, sounding a bit concerned.

“No, Mr. Delmont,” I said, wincing.

“Are you sure?” he leaned in a little closer, so that none of the other nearby students would hear him. “I know that you struggle a lot with essence manipulation, but you can still get somewhere with your education. Alchemy prep school doesn’t just train future alchemists, even if that’s the primary goal. We teach a lot of other things, too. Reading, writing, history, math… you’ll use these skills in the future, no matter what career you have. There isn't a single job that won't benefit from a little more knowledge of the world and basic literacy. Don’t give up on yourself or your learning. Even if you aren’t that great at binding and alchemy, you can still become a great healer.” Then, Mr. Delmont gently smiled at me. “In fact, I hear you already are.”

I felt the urge to bury my head under the table. Was that what all of my behavior looked like? Giving up on myself?

...Admittedly, I had started talking to my friends more often in class. Especially Sallia. She didn’t have a chance to go to school, and I didn’t want her to feel left out. So I often livestreamed our classes whenever Sallia was awake. I also frequently chatted with her whenever she was awake, because I didn't want her to sit in the void and feel bored all day. I really hadn’t expected Mr. Delmont to give me a pep talk because of my frequent distracted behavior. I tried not to blush as I nodded.

“You’re doing a decent job, Miria. Keep up the good work and don’t get distracted. You can do it,” said Mr. Delmont, before he moved off to help another kid with the math worksheet.

<So, Miria… what did Mr. Delmont want?> asked Anise.

I found myself blushing harder. <He… uh… gave me a pep talk. I think he saw that I was getting distracted and wanted to encourage me.>

Anise gave me a speechless look, and I resisted the urge to wince.

<Let’s not talk about it, all right?> I said, feeling an even stronger urge to bury my head under my desk.

The three of us continued working on our worksheets in silence until the end of class came. I made a mental note to work harder on Old Mo's suggestions. As much as I was getting better at acting like a normal kid, I was clearly still messing up.