Syl

Chapter 53: Multitasking Multicasting

While following the group, I decided to ask Dewi a question. If he was going to claim I was his apprentice, then I wanted some magic advice.

"So Dewi, do you have any skill or trait suggestions for me?"

"Hmm... Traits I'm assuming you already have [Mana Circulation], [Mana Well], [Mana Sight]. Perhaps [Mana Reinforcement]?"

"... I have that one too..."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you there." Dewi replied with a shrug, "For skills, I'd rather not interfere with what your class will suggest to you, but there is one exception because it's a prerequisite that most fail to get."

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Performing simultaneous activities is easier and less mentally taxing.>

I frowned at the skill. Didn't I already do this? Why had I not gotten it? Or does delegating tasks to [Sub-Cores] not count?

"Judging by your expression, you're either wondering why you don't have it already or are very underwhelmed. The skill description is a little misleading, and it also lets you maintain multiple threads of thought as well. It's far beyond just doing two things at once." Dewi said with a laugh, "But more importantly, you need this to get [Multicasting], which lets you cast more than one spell at once."

Sadly, Dewi would not show me the [Multicasting] skill and said I would be better off earning it for free, or if I completely sucked at it, my class would eventually show it to me. I nodded and secretly purchased [Multitasking], spending my last remaining skill point.

I wasn't sure what effect I was supposed to notice or feel, and I wanted to try magic, but I figured it might cause a commotion, so I tried browsing through some profiles and going over my status menu while continuing to walk and follow. It seemed relatively doable, and I had the vague feeling it lowered the upkeep of my mimicry by a small amount. The real test would be with magic, and I wanted desperately to see if my cores could cast magic. After an agonizingly long walk, we finally reached the inn, a large multistory building with eye-catching colorful shingles.

"Whitney, Dewi, Kurt! Glad to see you made it back in one piece." A large and friendly man greeted us. He gave all of them a hearty slap on the back that caused them to lurch forward.

"Trevor! I hope today's lunch will be spectacular to impress your newest guest." Dewi replied, trying to give his own slap but lacking the impact.

Trevor finally noticed me and gave a big smile, "Nice to meet you, miss. The first time we'll be servicing an elf. The wife will be bragging for days."

"Nice to meet you, Trevor. I'm Syl."

"Kurt will be footing the bill, so make sure to give her your best room." Whitney chuckled.

Kurt sighed but nodded his reluctant confirmation.

Trevor chuckled and reached behind his desk for a key, "Gladly! This way, Syl."

I got taken to the second floor and led to a room, and Whitney followed. It was a pleasant room with a large bed and a lockable cabinet to put clothes in. As comfortable as the bed looked, I think I would've preferred a large tub to float in. I got handed the two keys and told dinner and a basic breakfast were included. I thanked him, and he said he needed to get lunch ready. My curiosity got the better of me, and I gave a sneaky peek with [Identify].

I couldn't believe it; this man had more levels in Chef than my entire existence. Whitney showed me to the female washroom, where we both proceeded to clean ourselves. I had a mild panic attack before I submerged myself in the water, as I had not tested if my mimicked forms were waterproof, but it thankfully held. I guess being a blue slime explained my affinity for water, which meant I didn't get washed away like that green slime, and likely why I was offered the Aquatic evolution.

'If I had picked it, would I have been given water magic straight away?' I wondered.

The bath was needlessly pointless, as I could keep myself constantly clean if I wanted to, but I had to admit that the warm water did feel pleasant. Whitney left me in my room and said she'd get me some proper emergency clothes, and then we could go shopping. She left me in my room with only a towel, as she refused to let me wear the dirty and small robe again. I waved her off, and finally, I was alone.

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'I could probably instantly clean clothes with my slime... I wonder if I could disguise it as custom water magic.'

I formed a [Water Orb] and held it, then tried forming a second [Water Orb], but as I did, I could see my first one beginning to unravel. When the second orb was about halfway formed, both violently shuddered and dropped to the floor. It seemed [Multicasting] was out of my grasp for now. I cast [Water Orb] again, then told Alpha to cast it, and another perfect ball formed. I had Beta cast the spell and then had Gamma try it as well. I did notice that Gamma formed the spell at a much slower rate compared to the first two. I now had four perfectly formed spells, despite not officially [Multicasting].

'Huh... So I can cheat Multicast already. Although, if I get the actual skill, does that mean both me and my [Sub-Cores] would all be able to Multicast? Eight spells at once sounds pretty impressive...'

'Don't worry, Gamma, with Alpha and Beta funneling experience to you, you'll catch up in no time.'

I wanted to use tendrils to create targets to fire at, but it'd be too risky, so I decided to see if I could loop between casting the spell and depositing away the water. I'd need to empty my storage at some point, as it was just wasting space if I could use mana to create water. I could deposit the [Water Orb], so I began my experiment. I was intrigued to see if I could finally lower my mana level before Whitney returned, as I'd never seen it budge from Overflowing for a long time.

It was a wonderful mental workout, and unlike my slime, it was a completely renewable resource. If Sylthaeryn and Gramps gave me what felt like infinite mana, I would gladly exploit it. If I wasn't concerned about making a mess, I'd dedicate all my cores to trying to each do their own Multicast, but I filed that under an outside activity. I lost track of time, simply cycling through spell after spell until I got a notification.

Excitedly, I stopped my orb production and tried out the new spell, closely watching the changed pattern form until a glowing blue whip manifested in my palm. It honestly reminded me of an inferior version of my own [Pseudopod], and I was already thinking of how I could likely exploit this fact.

"Holy shit..." A voice uttered.

I turned to the door in surprise and saw Whitney standing there. I was so absorbed in my own little world trying out magic that I didn't even notice her. I felt a rush of relief that I didn't risk using a slime creation for target practice.

"Sorry... I didn't notice you there. How long have you been there?"

"I lost count at around fifty balls... And that was a while ago. I hope you haven't drained all your mana."

I quickly opened my status menu and saw I had dropped to Flooding, so I shook my head in answer, "My mana level is still great."

"You better not show that to Dewi." Whitney pointed to the [Water Whip], "At least for a day or two. Otherwise, you might shatter the already fragile master-apprentice illusion he's built up."

Whitney handed me a much longer robe; it was a much more pleasant fit than the one borrowed from Evan. She also handed me a pair of sandals that were a bit too large for me.

"Just temporary until we can get you a good solid pair of boots. Can't have you traveling in dungeons, caves, or swamps with poor footgear."

Due to my extended practice session, we were late for lunch, but Trevor had set aside a plate for both Whitney and myself, and we ate alone where she told me her plans to get me measured today, and tomorrow, I'd be geared up. She also said that Roderick would be bringing the wolves tonight for harvest.

When I took my first bite of food, I was speechless. Whitney laughed and explained that Trevor was a retired adventurer who hung up his sword to become a Chef and that his [Cooking] skill was so high that you'd be granted minor status buffs just from eating it. Apparently, Roderick was so inspired by Trevor's story that he immediately purchased the skill himself and took charge of their group's camp meals ever since.

While I wasn't inspired enough to grab the skill myself, not that I had the points anymore, I did want to purchase a trait.

Artificially adds both a sense of taste and smell.

This trait can be voluntarily disabled and has no trait levels.

Unlocks traits and skills that require these senses.>

Now, I could further enjoy the meal as it slowly dissolved. For once, I didn't mind that this meal was inefficient in the mysterious slime mass exchange rate.

The rest of the day, Whitney took me to various shops to get measured and sized up for proper clothing. I tried to protest, but she was having far too much fun playing dress-up.

After a long afternoon of being dragged around, we finally settled down for drinks and dinner. I excused myself after the dinner to fulfill Roderick's harvest request, as I gained no benefit from the ale and had to turn off my taste to swallow my first mug.

I did try tasting the wolves, curious to see if I'd need to turn off my taste frequently, but maybe due to my slime nature, I found it quite edible. Although, I still ended up turning it off, as I didn't want it to ruin the lingering taste of that amazing meal.

When I returned, the group was extremely inebriated. Much to my horror, I was offered a "cocktail" by Tabitha, Kurt and Dewi that was on fire. A special celebration drink they called it. I politely refused, I did not want to drink fire and relive the experience of my core melting. At least I found out that alcohol was apparently flammable, perhaps I could throw a burst of ethanol transformed slime at a fire mage and make them self-combust?

After a rowdy night with the group, I finally lay on my bed, instructed my [Sub-Cores] to keep watch while maintaining my form, and slept.