Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Return to Daily Life (2)
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⚔ STATUS UPDATE ⚔ ⚔ Attack Power: 13 → 23 🛡️ Defense: 19 → 34 🧠 Intelligence: 14 → 25 💖 Charm: 44 → 79 🍀 Luck: 1 → 2 ❤️ HP: 52/52 → 94/94 ✨ MP: 941/941 → 1694/1694 The moment I pulled up Lilith's status window, the staggering increases jumped right out at me.
These were the growth stats I'd gained from jumping from level 6 to 9.
Roughly speaking, each one had risen by about 1.8 times.
It was probably around the same ratio in the original game too. Assuming my memory was accurate, that is.
Though in the game, you almost never leveled up three times in one go, so it might not be exact.
But who cares about that anyway? The important thing was that I'd leveled up, period.
And once again, the most eye-catching figure was the maximum mana pool.
Watching it shoot up like it was about to punch through the ceiling always brought a tear to my eye.
...Or maybe it was just the bitter memory of choking down garlic to hold back the nausea in the early days of possession.
At level 6, my max mana had already broken 900, and now at level 9, it was pushing 1700.
In the original story, even leveling up normally, Lilith would've needed to hit around level 35 to reach that.
Even Agnes, whose innate mana pool was on another level entirely, only had about 1000 at level 10.
Here I was at level 9 with 1700, meaning I was growing more than twice as fast as the next Red Mage Tower Lord.
'Of course, Agnes has higher intelligence and luck, so she'd wipe the floor with me one-on-one.'
...But who gives a damn? The point was, I'd grown stronger.
Sure, with my max mana skyrocketing like this, it didn't mean much since I could only cast four spells total, support magic included.
Unless I was pulling stupid stunts like "Clean x100," it wasn't all that useful right now.
At least not until I left the Blackwood estate. As long as I didn't run into another situation where I had to use Mana Blast like last time.
Besides, this time around, I hadn't just gained stat boosts.
I'd also racked up a whopping 9 skill points—3 per level.
That was enough for three rank-2 attack spells at 3 points each, or to invest in some rank-1 skills at 2 points apiece.
Either way, it meant I could pick up at least 3 or 4 more skills, making these points a valuable asset in their own right.
'The question is where to spend them for maximum efficiency...'
The top candidates were probably "Dagger" or "Support Magic."
I already had "Attack Power +15 when Dagger Equipped" and "Clean" unlocked, so upgrading either one had solid groundwork.
Two points each for two rank-1 skills, plus 5 more to unlock the rank-1 enhancement... It was almost too perfect—9 points exactly to unlock an enhancement skill.
Taking that into account, dumping them into "Dagger" or "Support Magic" next would be the most efficient move.
For reference, I planned to hold off on "Attack Magic" a bit longer. The accuracy was garbage right now anyway, so no real payoff.
Normally, in Luminor Academy, you'd dump all 9 into Support Magic here.
That would unlock the first enhancement: "Stalwart Endurance."
It was Lilith's unique skill, absorbing an ally's damage for a set time—essential for playing her as a tank or support.
If a situation came up where I needed Stalwart Endurance in this world, the uses would be something like this:
Pairing up with Ethan to hunt monsters, taking hits meant for the frontline Ethan to let him hit harder.
Or buffing Ethan up with Stalwart Endurance and other boosts during the hunt, then finishing with my Mana Blast.
Or like last time, activating it when Ethan was about to die, tanking a hit or two to pull through together.
Beyond that, other uses might include...
'...Wait a second.'
Why was I only thinking of partying up with Ethan?
The monster wave at the palace two days ago must've burned itself into my brain.
Can't blame me, though. Facing down the King Serpent solo was worthy of massive praise in itself.
And he'd done it at around level 7 or 8.
Come to think of it, he'd gotten the King Serpent EXP too, just like me. He was probably past level 10 by now—maybe even 11, judging by all the monsters he'd slain before I arrived at the west gate.
With that growth potential, it'd be weird not to use him as a frontline fighter...
'No, none of that has anything to do with me.'
I'd admit, if Ethan kept growing like this, he'd be a major character in Luminor Academy.
Not some mid-boss villain from part 2, but a legit companion who could pull more than their weight.
But so what? What did that have to do with me?
I had no plans to enter the academy even if I could—and as Lilith, I couldn't anyway.
The only department I might squeak into was Magic, and even then, rumors about me being a noble bastard would spread like wildfire.
My Dagger skill's attack boost wouldn't help with enrollment either. The Swordsmanship Department only dealt with longswords or two-handers.
The only way to use daggers would be joining the Engineering Department and going for "Scout Lilith" builds...
'As if I'd join the academy for that crap.'
Not that I had anything against scout classes—they had their moments in gameplay.
But for Lilith specifically, it was inefficient as hell.
I'd only picked "Attack Power +15 when Dagger Equipped" as a temporary fix to hit level 6.
It wasn't part of any serious build.
Wasting time learning monster tracking, trap disarming, treasure chest opening, skinning, and butchering? Nah, solo hunting barehanded would level me faster.
'It's not like the only way into the academy is as a student, though...'
But the only other way was as Ethan's exclusive maid, like in the game. So without that, I had zero paths in.
Even if I did enroll as his exclusive maid now, I wouldn't hit the abuse tutor route like game-Lilith.
But there was one issue: my debt maid contract with the Blackwood Family would end right around when Ethan finished his second year and started third.
I didn't hate life as Ethan's exclusive maid, but the maid status limited my freedom too much in this world.
No way was I spending my life in Luminor Academy's world just as his full-time maid.
So instead of dragging it out another 1-2 years, better to go independent ASAP.
Lingering as a maid too long could trap me in marriage-or-nothing territory, or worse, end up like Head Maid Melissa, slaving away forever.
I wanted neither marriage nor lifelong maid duty—both were nightmare endings for me.
Plan was: drop Ethan's exclusive role in about a year, maid it up for two more in the Blackwood Family, save cash, then go adventurer.
'For now, I'll save the skill points for the future.'
Who knows what'll happen then? Might dump into Attack Magic, or open a new tree.
Recapping my plans once more in my head, I swapped my long-skirted maid uniform for a shorter, more mobile one.
With easier movement, I headed quickly to the Blackwood estate's courtyard.
This time of day, Ethan was deep in sword lessons with his father, Duke Harold, so no sudden summons.
That made the afternoon mine until dinner—too precious to waste knitting every day.
Time to pick up skills for my post-estate adventurer life, one or two at a time.
My debt maid contract ends in three years.
Which meant the end of "Maid Lilith" and the start of "Adventurer Lilith" was coming.
Best to grab lessons now while opportunities aligned.
'Truth be told, as a maid here, the only "lesson" I'd normally get is etiquette from the head maid.'
But I'd pulled some strings to force a class my way.
Framing it as essential for Ethan's exclusive maid duties, to learn while I could.
A skill vital for adventuring—and handy for estate maids too.
It was time for horsemanship lessons from the Blackwood estate's head butler, Ditmeyer Colin Evercroft.