Chapter 22: Difference in Ranks POV: Rem

Chapter 22: Difference in Ranks
POV: Rem

Rem and Sherial returned to the inn tired, but content.
They had dinner downstairs, enjoying the simple yet hearty food, then went up to their room.
For a while, the girls sat silently on the couch—surrounded by the quiet of the evening, broken only by the distant street noises through the window.
Sherial was about to get ready for bed when Rem suddenly stood up.

— I'm going to check what Alisar is doing, — she said quietly.

— Okay, — Sherial replied without opening her eyes.

Rem walked over to Alisar's room and knocked gently.
No response.
She waited a few seconds and knocked again, louder this time.
Only then did the door slowly open.

Alisar stood in the doorway, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
He looked a bit confused… and sleepy.
Even though the evening had only just begun.

— Oh, hey, — he mumbled. — You're back already?

— We are, — Rem nodded, squinting slightly. — Don’t tell me you were just lazing around all this time.

Alisar straightened up quickly and started defending himself like a student caught napping by a strict teacher.

— No, no! I mean… yeah, I rested a little, but mostly I was using my skill. You know… gaining some extra experience.

He spoke quickly, stumbling over his words, clearly trying to convince her he hadn’t been slacking.

Rem gave a calm nod.

— I see. You just look like you’ve been asleep for hours. And it’s still early.

— Huh? — Alisar froze, only now realizing how drowsy he looked.

— Well… how should I put it… — he scratched his head and looked away. — I really was asleep. But… I know it might seem like I’m always sleeping. It’s just because of my skill.

He started explaining rapidly:

— I spend almost all my time in the training room. Here, I only come out to eat and sleep. And to catch my breath, sometimes. So I’m not being lazy, I swear. It just looks that way. Not because I’m...

— Stop, — Rem interrupted with a soft chuckle. — You don’t have to explain. I know how your skill works. You've already told me. I get it, I get it.

Alisar froze mid-sentence, his mouth slightly open, then relaxed.

— So… are you going to invite me in? — Rem raised an eyebrow, hinting that letting someone stand in the hallway was a bit rude.

— Ah! Of course, yes! — Alisar stepped aside quickly, motioning for her to come in.

As Rem entered Alisar’s room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the far side, where something lined the wall.
The entire surface of the table was covered with potion bottles—identical in shape, filled with a familiar blue liquid.
Health potions.
Judging by the size and design… second rank.

There were clearly more than two hundred of them.

The table stood near the bed, and every free space was filled with neatly arranged flasks.
Rem stepped closer silently, not even bothering to activate “Appraisal.”
There was no need.

— Looks like you’ve used alchemy… quite a lot, — she said calmly.

— Yeah, — Alisar nodded. — I spent almost all the mana I’d recovered making potions.

Rem nodded back.

— That’s… efficient, in a way. — She briefly glanced over the rows of flasks. — But why are you stockpiling them? Why not sell them to the Guild? It's right next door.

— I figured I’d save up a bit. And then, once I have enough—sell them all at once, — Alisar explained.

— That’s your choice, — Rem said evenly. — But don’t accumulate too many.

Alisar hesitated slightly.

— Is this… too many? — he asked, glancing at the table. — Sorry. Maybe I overdid it.

Rem shook her head gently.

— No, no, it’s not a problem at all. You can sell these potions freely in the Guild here.
No one will suspect anything strange, — she said in a neutral tone.
— They won’t question your skills here. At least, not unless you stand out too much.

She paused, then added more quietly:

— But in the future, when you reach higher levels… your capabilities will grow dramatically.
If you keep producing at this rate—think about it. You’ll be able to create tens of thousands… maybe even hundreds of thousands of potions.

Alisar stood still.

— Tens of thousands… hundreds of thousands… — he repeated, as if trying to visualize it. — No way. Not anytime soon.

— That's what you think, — Rem replied calmly.

She leaned back slightly, falling silent for a moment.
Her gaze shifted to the side.
She remembered the moment he opened the door.
It had been instinctive—she had activated Appraisal immediately.

Level 84.

<<How long were we away…? Eight? No, nine days,>> she thought. <<And he’s already gained twenty levels…>>

Rem exhaled slowly.
The growth rate was staggering.
Far too staggering.

At first, she thought about his alchemy.
Yes, that skill alone could make someone rich. Very rich.
The ability to create potions directly from mana… It was like turning air into gold.
No battles, no risk. Just create, sell, profit.

But another image appeared in her mind alongside it.

<<If someone finds out… someone greedy enough and with power…>>
Rem frowned.
<<He could lose his freedom. A skill like that—it’s not just a gift. It could become a curse.>>

...And as for his second skill, it seemed even more absurd.

<<He gains experience just from training. Training in some kind of personal room created by his skill…>>
Rem scowled.
<<That’s not even cheating. That’s insane.>>

Jealousy stirred inside again.

<<If I had that kind of skill…>>
A dangerous thought crept in.
<<No. Don’t go there. Don’t envy.>>

— Envy leads nowhere, — she reminded herself softly.

They talked a little more.
Nothing serious—just a few polite lines, small talk to fill the silence.
Rem was already feeling tired.

Eventually, she stood up and said gently:

— Alright. Get some rest. See you tomorrow.

Alisar nodded, and she left.

Rem quietly entered the large room she shared with Sherial.

As expected—her friend was missing.
The bed was empty.

From behind the bathroom door, the sound of running water could be heard.

<<Taking a bath again… and probably for a long time,>> Rem thought with a tired smile.

Sherial always did that.
And every time, it took her forever.

Well, whatever.
After everything they’d been through, she deserved some peace.

Rem approached her side of the room and sat on the bed.
The soft mattress gave a pleasant spring beneath her weight.

She sighed and focused.

A status window immediately appeared before her.

---

Status Window: Rem

Level: 119 (0 / 160,000,000)
Rank: 5
HP: 68,840 + 1,920
MP: 68,700 + 1,920
Strength: 2,284 + 64
Defense: 2,281 + 64
Speed: 2,319 + 64
Intellect: 2,295 + 64
Magic Power: 2,286 + 64
Magic Defense: 2,289 + 64
Free Attribute Points: 1,710 + 1,440

Skills:
— Swordsman (Rank 4)
— Martial Artist (Rank 5)
— Storage (Rank 2)
— Appraisal (Rank 2)

Special Skills:
— Golem Summon (Rank 5)

Unused Experience Points: 131,782,133

---

— Alright… — Rem murmured, tiredly looking at the status window.
— Less than a month until the expedition into that harder dungeon… We’ll definitely need extra supplies and food.

Her eyes fell on the line “Storage (Rank 2).”
She hesitated.

As soon as she formed the thought to raise the skill’s rank, a notification appeared before her:

Upgrade “Storage” to Rank 3?
Cost: 10,000,000 Experience Points.

— Yes, — she nodded.

A flash of light, a quick system confirmation—and the status line changed.

Storage: Rank 3.

— Good, — Rem whispered. — That’s taken care of.

Now it was time for the free attribute points.
There were far too many to just ignore.

— Better to spread them across everything, — she decided. — Five hundred to each stat… That’ll leave a few, but…

She changed her mind again.

— No. Better to do it all at once. I might not have time later.

The system accepted her choice, and a new prompt flashed:

Distribute 3,150 Attribute Points: +525 to all stats?

— Yes… — Rem confirmed mentally.
The updated status window appeared again.

---

Name: Rem
Level: 119 (0 / 160,000,000)
Rank: 5
HP: 70,760 + 15,750
MP: 70,620 + 15,750
Strength: 2,348 + 525
Defense: 2,345 + 525
Speed: 2,383 + 525
Intellect: 2,359 + 525
Magic Power: 2,350 + 525
Magic Defense: 2,353 + 525
Free Attribute Points: 0

Skills:
— Swordsman (Rank 4)
— Martial Artist (Rank 5)
— Storage (Rank 3)
— Appraisal (Rank 2)

Special Skills:
— Golem Summon (Rank 5)

Unused Experience Points: 121,782,133

---

720 free attribute points per level.
Yeah, not long ago, back at Rank 4, I was getting only 120 per level.
Now—720.
I got the same amount in four levels as I used to get in twenty-four.

Just like they said—there’s a noticeable difference between Ranks 3 and 4.
But the gap between 4 and 5… it’s even wider.
And it only keeps growing.
Between 5 and 6—bigger still.
Between 6 and 7… not even comparable.

Now that she’d reached Rank 5, Rem understood it clearly:
The higher the rank, the more powerful the growth.
And the greater the gap with those below.

She was about to lie down and finally fall asleep… when she suddenly remembered Sherial.

— I should check on Sher, — she murmured tiredly.

If she left her alone now, like last time, she’d probably fall asleep right in the bath again.
And no one would be there.
It might sound funny—a seasoned Rank C adventurer, victor of countless monsters, drowning in a bathtub.
Funny… for others.
For Rem, it would be a tragedy.

With a quiet sigh, she forced herself to get up and walked to the bathroom door.
She knocked.

— Sher? You in there?

No answer.

Rem tried the handle.
Of course—it was unlocked.
She carefully stepped inside.
Everything was as usual: steam, the soft scent of bath oil, and…

— Sher? — she called again, a bit louder.

Still no response.

Rem stepped closer.
In the tub, filled with hot water and fluffy bubbles, lay Sherial—fast asleep, gently swaying in the water.
Her breathing was even, her face completely relaxed.

— Just as I thought, — Rem whispered with a soft smile.

— Hey, Sherial, wake up, — Rem said more firmly.

— Mmm, leave me alone… I wanna rest… I earned this rest… — Sher mumbled without opening her eyes.

— Sherial, — Rem sighed. — You can’t sleep in the bath. The water’s cooling. And sleeping in a tub is not a good idea. Get up. I won’t stop until you go to bed.

Sherial opened one eye, gave her a tired glance, but she knew—Rem really wouldn’t stop.
Swaying, she sat up and then, with obvious effort, stood.

Rem immediately turned away.

— What? Turning away? We’re both girls. No need to be shy, — Sherial mumbled sleepily.

— No. Cover yourself, — Rem said firmly, but calmly.

She held out a towel, avoiding looking at her exposed body.
Sherial took it with a faint smile, wrapped herself in it without drying off, and—yawning—walked out of the bathroom.

Rem followed her, closing the door quietly behind them.

By the time Rem returned to the room, Sherial had already reached the bed.
She collapsed onto it, barely staying upright, and seemingly passed out instantly.

— Sherial… are you really going to sleep wrapped in a towel? — Rem mumbled. — At least put something on…

No answer.
The girl was lying still, barely breathing.
Her whole posture said only one thing—she was too exhausted to hear or care.

— Alright then… — Rem sighed. — She’s completely worn out.

She approached her own bed and, without undressing, simply collapsed onto it.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyelids fell shut on their own.

And almost instantly, Rem slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.