"Warlock growth method on academic base does not get you fabulous bribes, do you want to see what fabulous bribes all these people want to give you to be their warlock?"

"Ok, yeah, that sounds like something I should check out first."

Voilà.

Beelzebub is offering a Hell-themed magic motorcycle and an evil trident that is useful for torturing people. Annapurna's got a magic rock that'll make transmutations more convenient and upgrade magical witch currency, a gem of renewal which contains a small double of its witch which will take damage on its witch's behalf and can be healed accordingly, and magic glasses that can switch between aura sight and X-ray and heat vision. Chicōmecōātl is offering her servant dolls, a dollmaker's kit that can turn other people into Doll-race witches, and a sun shard (magic weapon). Acte is offering a vessel that produces magical nymph water, a magic mirror, some cold hard witchy cash, and hand-me-down witch clothes that will boost her potionmaking abilities. Sekhmet is offering a magic rifle and a magic bullet crafting situation to go with it, and also magic tattoo inks. Tajimamori is offering a deck of cards that can summon duplicates of other witches to fight for you like they're Pokémon or something, and a magic key that can make a way through any obstructive surface, and a magic cauldron so you can brew several potions in parallel.

"Wow, that's... A lot to consider. Wait, you mentioned some stuff about potionmaking, I thought that was an Academic thing?"

"Oh, anyone can learn it unless you take the thing that means you cannot learn something, it is only cheaper in magical power points for them. The Daeva affinity can also cheapen it - Life, in addition to Water and Nature."

"Oh, that's convenient. Do the discounts from race and class stack?"

"Yes! If what you want most in all the world is being an alchemist I would recommend any of daeva, naiad, taura, or luxal, as all those have alchemy affinity, and academic."

"What things are huma- uh, neutrals better at?"

"Not better, just cheaper. You can blow many points on a thing at full price if this sparks your joy. But for the soul and body affinity, runes, hexes, familiars, necromancy, consortation, divination."

"Consorwhatnow?"

"That's the demon summoning one."

"Yeah, those all sound pretty useful, I think I'll stick with Neutral. As for the warlock bribes, I don't know how to ride a motorcycle, so Beelzebub is out. Probably the same for the sniper rifle, though I'm curious what the tattoo inks do. Curious about the magic mirror too. And what even is a sun shard? Do you shoot beams of light with it, or just stab people with it, or what?"

"Many of those things are to be had on the open market, if expensively. Tattoo inks are for tattooing runes on your you. Or your somebody else or your cat or whatever. Magic mirror is for scrying, and you can send a copy of your mirror to where its scrying sensor is for video calls if you like, with anyone who can see the sensor in the first place - so, witches. Sun shards can copy possible shapes from other weapons if you bap them with it and it's glowy and weighs nothing for you but lots for whoever you hit, and it glows. You can meld it to your magic wand-staff-broomstick situation for convenience."

"Not totally sure which of the bribe packages I want but definitely one of them. Is there any equivalent special unique Academic perk I would be missing out on?"

"Learn two schools of magic as far as you can go - to rank five in your case - without spending points, just time. Can't have them today, because I'm doing points, but later. Delayed gratification, higher ultimate power ceiling."

"...God damnit that's tempting. How much time? Can't I also gain more powers by doing quests for my warlock patron, which also costs time but is probably more fun?"

"Two different things - power in pocket to spend, and power to have room for in your you. You can make both those things go up by taking complications - like the ugliness one but there are more to choose from. Academic boosts the second thing by making some magics not take power points and only take the time you would have needed for earning them. Put in a full time job amount of study for a week and get ten 'focus'. Spend ten focus for one power point... the first time. Twenty the next time, thirty, forty... per time you trade it in, so if you study full time job amounts for years and trade it all at once, best exchange rate. Spend on stuff right away and slow very down."

"God damnit, now I'm torn. I want to be as powerful as possible, but that sounds really frustrating and the warlock bribes sound so cool."

"Quite. Well, the bribe things you liked most are not unbuyable with money that you can get with power."

"Hmmm... But if I took the Neutral perk, I could get the higher power ceiling but still level up by doing fun quests and not just studying?"

"Still have to study for your no-power-point magic, but yes."

"I think I'll do that then. A lot of the items in the bribe packages don't sound very cool anyway. Actually, wait, hold on, how pretty are the magic potionmaking clothes?"

"Looks like -" Lots of pleats, dark green, big pockets and apron and elbow length sleeves, embroidered with newts and leaves and triangles. "Without these you can have your own altered any which witchy way, there is magic for it."

"Ehhh, yeah, still better to take the perk that can't just be bought with money."

"This one can't actually, to be clear, without it you will need to master potions elsewise."