Frigga did not press me for an immediate answer. Just simply remaining where she was only seemed to make the situation worse somehow. I saw one of her hands resting elegantly against the edge of the table while the other was gently tapping the parchment that had an otherworldly-looking symbol on it.
I did not actually expect Wordsmith to translate it automatically for me. The pleasant smile Frigga had on her face never vanished. And yet, there was something distinctly dangerous about the curiosity radiating in her eyes. Not in a sense she would cause physical harm. But that of a scholar who had just found something new to study.
And me becoming that subject of curiosity wasn't something I was particularly aiming for. But it is what it is.
What would likely take hundreds and hundreds of years to master was automatically translated, all thanks to Wordsmith. I am severely underestimating how broken Wordsmith is.
Angel's Feather takes inspiration from Metatron, one of the highest beings you can encounter in the Shin Megami Tensei world. An angel who is known as the voice of many. I could make quite good use of it.
Humans alone have many different languages, and if you add all the alien races out there in the vast MCU, I now have the ability to converse with them all. I bet I could even read the ancient texts of Kamar-Taj and learn the Mystic Arts! And well, Wordsmith did the rest, and presented the parchment before me as though it was an item drop from a Monster.
"Well, 'read' might be giving me a little too much credit here.", I admitted.
Frigga was a smart woman. I couldn't tell a lie to her even if I wanted to. She knows that I can use Fast Travel, and seeing that I have the ability to read Asgardian Runes, what is there to hide?
After saying that, Frigga glanced toward the parchment, and then back toward me.
"Is that right? Then do you know what this Rune means?", Frigga decided to ask, pressing the question at hand.
"I think it means something close to Empowerment. It is designed to power up something, or someone, to a certain degree. It doesn't create strength from nothing. It takes what is already known, and strengthens it up a tier. I haven't a clue how it works though.", I answered, remaining honest.
To give an example, Empowering an object or a technique makes it stronger. Plain and simple. In terms of the Gamer System, it can increase a Skill's Rank, an Equipment's Grade, or even better, it can level up a Skill entirely. And no, I don't mean how a Skill goes from Level 1 to Level 2 to Level 3. No, it does something much better. Empowering a Skill could raise its Tier! In other words, a Skill Upgrade.
It could turn my Basic Sword Mastery I into Basic Sword Mastery II!
Presently, Basic Sword Mastery I LV10 gives me +10% Attack Damage while wielding a sword. If it upgraded into Basic Sword Mastery II LV10, it could drastically increase my Attack Damage, depending on how much tier II provides. It's different from Enchanting, which attaches additional effects onto said Skills, Equipment, or Items. In my eyes, Empowerment is much better in the long run!
The only downside is that Empowerment is often capped out after being used once or twice. I don't think I've ever seen it in stories where you could endlessly empower something. Man, that would be broken to all hell. I can't skip out on Enchantment either.
Like I said, Enchantment attaches various effects to whatever you want. In the eyes of my Spellblade Class, I can attach the elements I know how to cast to my attacks. This would be more effective on the physical side, just like a magic swordsman. On top of that, if it goes the classic way games often do, you can potentially enchant Equipment too! In a way similar to it having Tiers. +1, +2, +3, and so on. I haven't dived down that way yet to see if that is actually the case with this Gamer System of mine, it will require further testing.
For the time being, my eyes simply remained on Frigga. Her smile vanished, and that alone was scary. But it wasn't replaced with anger or suspicion. No, something worse. Clarity, with a hint of surprise.
"You aren't far off the mark. This Rune does as you have stated. It can empower an object by a certain degree.", Frigga explained. She began to explain what the Rune was, beginning her lesson. It indeed was associated with Empowerment, though the symbol by itself only represented the concept alone. A Rune that represented intent, given form.
From there, it would take a caster's magic, and direct said Rune to do what it was assigned to do. Just knowing what the Rune did wasn't sufficient. It is like knowing the word "sword", without having the ability to use one. There's a step for everything!
But this explanation alone was enough to catch my attention. I leaned forward without realizing it. Magic really is such a fascinating concept, isn't it? A lot of stories like to meme on it a lot, but you can practically do anything and everything with Magic. While the Gamer System might unify Magic and other energy systems under one banner, to which is MP, there are several different kinds of Magic available in the MCU. And seeing that Frigga was willing to explain Asgardian Runes from the ground up, I was focused, listening to every word.
Seeing such a change in my demeanor, Frigga appeared pleased. She moved the parchment closer, and explained the Rune she chose was ever so simple by Asgardian standards. What made it difficult was defining what could be Empowered. The simplest method just does it one to one. For example, making a blade sharper. I bet one would need to use quite a bit of Magic in order to perform, let's say, a Skill Upgrade. Or in this case, a certain amount of Asgardian Runes, maybe?
I'm not quite sure of the details yet, considering this is my first lesson with Frigga covering Asgardian Runes. I know how important this knowledge will be later on, so I made sure to absorb every single detail.
"So you can basically code an object to do something it shouldn't do normally. By using Magic.", I said, trying to keep the explanation simple.
"Now that's an interesting way of explaining it. I see it as a blank canvas. No matter what you see or perceive around you, it can change by various degrees to your heart's desire. The only limit to that is your talent in wielding Magic.", Frigga said, explaining it from her end. I mean, she isn't wrong.
I know there's that "magic is everything" meme where you attempt to explain something, you just say it's Magic. And well, that's the case here, is it not?
"A blank canvas...", I murmured, taking Frigga's words to heart. I guess mine is more up-to-date. I know Asgardians believe their Magic to be a mixture of technological advancements and magic theory, but it does beg the question, do they even have computers? Haha!
Keeping that joke to myself, Frigga didn't do anything right away. Instead, I saw Frigga take the Empowering Rune away, and hid it back into her desk. Moving some drawers around, she pulled out what appeared to be another pierce of parchment and placed it onto the table before it. Unlike the completed rune, this one was entirely blank. I say that, but the parchment itself was shimmering in a faint light. A magical sight indeed.
I took a deep breath and stared at Frigga.
"You...want me to copy the Rune I just saw, Master?"
"Not do. That would ask too much of you.", Frigga said, and shook her head. "I want you to attempt to copy it. From there, I will determine our next course of action."
For some reason, Frigga put emphasis on the word attempt, but I feel that was more than meets the eye. Is she expecting something to happen right away? It isn't that she had zero expectations of me. After all, don't I need to have already understood the concept of Magic first? I feel we're skipping a few steps here.
"Understood. Then I will give it a try.", I responded, feeling confident. Frigga's request sounded reasonable enough. All Frigga did was pass me the instrument used, likely to draw said Asgardian Rune.
The parchment was present in front of me. Taking in another breath, I took hold of the instrument, and moved toward the parchment. I took a moment, recalling the strange Asgardian Rune before Frigga put it away, and my hand began to move on its own.
ZAPPP!
I felt something within my body tug toward the parchment. A feeling I wasn't used to feeling. Was that Mana? At the same time, I saw a sliver of MP drain away, only to feel a strong jolt of lightning streak against my hand. It was powerful enough to cause the instrument to fall out of it, making my hand numb. It also made the parchment shine a faint light, albeit for a brief second at most. It didn't even let me draw it out!
I also saw Gamer Notifications come through.
[Ding! You have begun to interact with an unknown object.]
[Ding! Due to your lack of knowledge, you have failed to enchant the Rune!]
[Ding! Your hand has been paralyzed. Time remaining: 5 seconds.]
Five...four...three...Two...One...
Five seconds passed by swiftly, and sure enough, I could feel my hand again. Gripping it slowly, I made sure no further harm was done to it. It wasn't enough to cause any damage, but I saw my MP was floating around 95%, before giving the signal I was in an idle position. MP Recovery triggered, and steady blue numbers began to appear above my head once again.
Frigga seemed to detect this subtle change in my body, but couldn't figure out what it was presently doing. She couldn't see the Gamer System. Not until I invited her to a Party. Who knows, one day I might do such a thing!
"So you were unable to do it, Myles. This just proves the point you lack Magic. But not all hope is lost.", Frigga said, and smiled at me, acting as if she was expecting this outcome. "I am going to skip a couple steps and we will strengthen your foundations at a later point. For now, come to the couch and lower the upper portion of your robe. I am going to inscribe a "Perceive" Rune onto your back."
"I-I beg your pardon?"