《The Introverted Adventurer》


 The Intro-vert

    In this world of fantasy called Eidel, magic and arte exist as the world¡¯s construct. Humans from modern earth are reincarnated inheriting only their personality and special talent reflecting their personality. However, natural born of Eidel may also develop special talents through destiny or lineage so there is no way for the people of Eidel to tell the difference between a reincarnated person and a natural born since both talents need to be triggered and nurtured consistently to bloom, otherwise, it may not appear at all. As such, many of the talented people are known to have strong personalities or were born from distinguished lineage. Nevertheless, the existence of reincarnated people and its purpose remains a secret known only to the gods of Eidel.


    This is a story of an introverted adventurer whose personality plays a big role in his destiny. In the small town of Obenvale, far west of Mithraya country, there lives a boy named Batara Arcital. He is a wimpy boy with a skinny build and below average height. But the most noticeable part of him was his introverted personality. He keeps his head down, man of a thousand unspoken words, gesturing instead of talking, and overthink everything he did and will do. He has always been this way but his background also contributes greatly to him being so.


    Batara was born into a poor family, and his birth only worsened their economic situation. His mother was a local librarian and his father was a has-been adventurer that works at the local adventurer¡¯s guild. By the time Batara reached 7 years old, his mother suffered a mysterious illness that made her fully paralyzed, unable to move or talk. His father then told Batara to not leave the house to take care of his sick mother. Three years later, his mother died and was brought to grave. Batara¡¯s father looked at him with no expression and said ¡°I¡¯m going back to be an adventurer.¡± That was his father¡¯s last words before he left Batara alone and never came back. He felt betrayed after everything he did to obey his father but at the same time he also lost his sense of purpose.


    Batara, who only had himself to carry that burden, then tried to sleep in hope that it would press down his emotions. On the contrary, as he laid down, his emotions were getting worse. He thought about everything that happened and ended up wanting to off himself. However, among those thoughts he had also sought redemption for the miserable things happening in his life caused by his father¡¯s incapabilities. Since its either suicide or redemption, Batara decided to choose the latter. Thus, he swore to himself that he will become an adventurer that surpassed his father without having to betray others, the one his father could never be.


    In Mithraya, adventurer is considered to be one of the most prestigious professions. By harnessing their powers and knowledge to explore the world, adventurers could gain immense wealth and fame. However, due to the massive risk and victims, one must receive adventurer¡¯s training at the age of 17 before being evaluated to become an adventurer at the age of 18.


    Several years later, Batara, who has turned 18, has completed his adventurer training and is about to travel to a bigger city called Quarzith to be evaluated as an adventurer, since Obenvale only has a small branch Adventurer Guild that is unable to do so. Along with Batara, there are 10 other adventurer candidates who have also finished training, but Batara didnt get along with any of them except for a guy named Klaus Fenderer. Klaus is a very good-looking guy with an easy going personality that made all other adventurer candidates always flock to him. However, despite all that attention, Klaus always tried to talk to Batara even though Batara always pushed him away and felt annoyed whenever Klaus approached him for being overly-familiar. After a while Batara gave up and let him do whatever he wanted.


    On the last day of the adventurer training, Batara saw other adventurer candidates including Klaus, all gathered up to discuss traveling together to Quarzith without including him. Batara knew that they were doing that on purpose so he left the place as soon as he saw them. He thought that he better went alone anyway rather than burdening them with his lack of combat proficiency, like they always talked about behind Batara¡¯s back. However, Klaus saw Batara left.


    Upon approaching the adventurer evaluation¡¯s schedule, Batara headed to Quarzith city before the other adventurer candidates so that he didnt have to cross paths with them. But, after he reached the exit gate of Obenvale, Klaus had been waiting for him at the gate. Klaus somehow noticed Batara was coming and said to him ¡°let¡¯s go, it¡¯s quite a long way to Quarzith¡±. Batara, who is all confused, asked Klaus ¡°why are you here? Arent you going with the others?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Nope. We were about to begin our journey to become adventurers and I want to stick with someone I can trust. Not just some suck ups.¡± Batara thought that it was weird coming from him since he is always socially involved with the other candidates. But given Klaus¡¯ strong background, Batara understood that it might be the other way around. Klaus was the strongest in adventurer¡¯s training and his family, the Fenderer, are descendants of renowned adventurers.


    Klaus then put his arms around Batara before saying ¡°Besides, we¡¯re friends right!?¡± Throughout the one year Batara knew Klaus, Batara never felt any ill intention coming from him even though he is the type of person that always gets what he wants. So Batara brushed Klaus¡¯ arms away and said ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Klaus nodded and said ¡°Great! Its settled then.¡± Batara didn¡¯t understand what Klaus saw in him so he always felt skeptical towards Klaus. The two then left Obenvale and headed for Quarzith.


    After walking for a while Klaus noticed something and said ¡°Hey Bats!¡± Bats is the nickname Klaus used to call Batara. Batara felt annoyed at first, but since Klaus always abused it Batara finally let it go. Batara, who was walking in front of Klaus, turned and replied ¡°Huh?¡± Klaus replied ¡°I think we¡¯re going in the wrong direction.¡± Batara looked around and noticed he didnt recognize the area. Batara always had a bad sense of direction since he often lost in thoughts when walking by himself. Batara replied ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Seeing Batara¡¯s confused face, Klaus said ¡°Dont worry we¡¯re not far off. Based on our training instructor, we should head to the portal that way through Obenvale¡¯s forest, on top of the hill, that will teleport us to the nearest gate from Quarzith. And it should take 3 days in total to reach Quarzith.¡± Batara confirmed the information and replied ¡°I understand.¡± Klaus replied nervously ¡°And Bats. I think I should lead the way, is that okay?¡± Klaus seemed to have noticed Batara¡¯s bad sense of direction. So as Batara was unsure of himself and felt guilty for leading in the wrong direction he just nodded in agreement.


    The two then walked until they finally reached Obenvale Forest. It is a fairly abundant forest with a vast array of plants. On the contrary, the monster population there is rather small so there are not many adventurers going around. Using the knowledge from Adventurer¡¯s Academy, the two venture deeper into the forest and avoid any encounter with monsters easily. They walked through the woods until nightfall.


    Obenvale Forest is very quiet at night. However, the forest was not quite dark since there are a fair amount of illuminating flowers across the forest, making it easier to see. Klaus, who has been walking at the front, stopped and said to Batara ¡°We¡¯ve been walking for a while, I think we should rest and set up camp.¡± Klaus then turned to see Batara to find that Batara¡¯s face had already turned pale due to exhaustion and he could barely catch his breath. Klaus then said ¡°Hey whats wrong with you?¡± as he checked on Batara. Batara replied while catching his breath ¡°I.. cant¡­ keep up¡­ with your pace.¡± Klaus replied while rubbing his head ¡°Ahh-ahahah, sorry Bats! I tend to forget others¡¯ physical capacity. But you shouldve said something though!¡± Batara replied ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± Batara didnt want to further burden Klaus when he already took the lead, so he didnt say anything earlier. Klaus then said ¡°Alright lets set up camp now. Hmm, where should we set up¡­¡± Batara then pointed to a space surrounded by illuminating flowers. Klaus said ¡°Right there?¡± Batara nodded and replied ¡°Those plants grow where monsters didnt pass by.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Great! You seem to know your stuff around the forest.¡± The two then walked to the space and Klaus said ¡°Go rest first. I will gather some firewood and be back in a bit.¡± Batara nodded.


    By the time Klaus returned, the camp had already set up. Klaus said to Batara ¡°Hey what happened to rest?¡± Batara replied ¡°I told you I¡¯m fine.¡± Batara¡¯s words came out a bit harsh even though he didnt mean to. But Klaus already used to it and sighed before replying ¡°Heuf, you couldve ask me to help.¡± Batara just waved his hand, gesturing to not mind it. Klaus said ¡°Alright I¡¯ll set up the fire.¡± Klaus¡¯ extraordinary strength made him able to gather a lot of firewood stacks in one go that almost looked like a tower when he put them. Klaus then casted a basic fire magic to the firewood ¡°Burn!¡± the fire started to rose from the firewood. Despite being a basic fire magic, it was applied precisely so that it lasted longer and consumed the firewood slower. Klaus said ¡°This should last through the night.¡± Batara then casted a utility magic to the fire ¡°Calming Essence!¡± that apply a gentle muscle relaxing magic to the fire that slowly cures fatigue through its warmth.


    The two then sat down around the fire and rest. Klaus said to Batara ¡°Man, the warmth felt very relaxing. Your magic really does wonders, Bats!¡±. Batara responded ¡°Its a basic utility magic, anyone can use it if they want¡±. Klaus immediately responded ¡°yet no other adventurer candidates back in Obenvale seemed to be able to use it.¡± Batara replied ¡°Thats because it is useless for adventure.¡± Klaus sighed and replied ¡°Adventuring is not only about combat you know. I know I would need someone like you on my adventure. And not just because you¡¯re my friend¡±. Batara realized that Klaus was trying to lift his spirit up. But he always has his wall up high and replied ¡° ¡°Friend¡± is a little exaggerating.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Heeey!¡± Before Klaus can say anything else, Batara said ¡°I will prepare dinner.¡± Klaus'' face turned happy and he replied ¡°Thats what I¡¯m talking about!¡± He looked forward to Batara¡¯s cooking.


    During adventurer¡¯s training everyone is taught to cook using the available resources in the forest. Klaus was following the instructions in the book and use all the correct ingredients and measurements. However, his dish tasted bland. Klaus then got curious and tasted the dish made by other adventurers, everything tasted the same and even worse than his own dish. But when he tasted Batara¡¯s dish, he felt suprised as it tasted really good even though they are making the same thing.


    Batara started cooking a dish called the adventurer¡¯s specialty soup by cutting up different kinds of ingredients including herbs, mushrooms, and different kinds of vegetables he found in the forest. He then added the ingredients into the pot along with water and his special seasoning. He also added a creamy edible tree sap he got from harvesting a Dewdrop Tree. After a while his dish was complete and they ate together near the bonfire.


    Batara has always cooked for himself ever since he was little. Due to his introvertedness he never once stepped into a restaurant or tavern to eat. Because both require interacting with other people to place orders. That¡¯s why he always cooked and experimented a lot with food so that he would not be tired of his own cooking. He even invented a special seasoning made from dried seafood and cured mushroom poison which enhances flavor.


    Batara glad that he made a lot because Klaus ate almost the entire pot. While laying on his back with a satisfied face Klaus said ¡°Aahh that soup is crazy good. It Feels like my stomach is about to burst.¡± Batara responded with a sarcastic tone ¡°You didnt need to lick off the pot though, arent you supposed to be a noble?¡± Back in Obenvale, Klaus¡¯ Father bearing the Fenderer family name, was known as a great adventurer that comes from noble lineage. But Batara didnt know what a noble family was doing living in a small village like Obenvale. Klaus seemed a little ticked off by Batara¡¯s comment and clicked his tongue ¡°Tsk!¡± but he immediately brushed it off and replied ¡°Nahh, I dont care about that kind of stuff. We are in the wild anyway, only monsters can see us.¡± Batara felt like he just said something he shouldnt have so he just went silent.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Klaus then broke the silence and said ¡°Thanks for the meal, it was delicious.¡± Batara only nodded in response, but he¡¯s actually glad someone else beside himself acknowledged his cooking. Klaus then asked ¡°By the way, where did you get all those ingredients?¡± Batara replied ¡°I picked them up during our walk earlier¡± Klaus replied ¡°I dont remember stopping though, you must know your stuff around the forest then.¡± Batara replied ¡°I came here from time to time.¡± When actually, Batara knows the forest like the back of his hand. Since his father left, Batara did everything he could to survive, including venturing into the forest to gather food. He even starved for days when he couldnt find anything to eat. However, Batara hates to be pitied so he never told anyone.


    Klaus then said ¡°I will set up danger precautions around our camp so we dont have to keep watch.¡± Klaus then set up a device he brought from his home around their camp. Batara got curious and asked ¡°How does that work?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Oh this? When something got close to its range, it will send a small vibration wave to our mana core and wake us up.¡± Batara was surprised by how convenient that is and thought to himself ¡°as expected of a noble descendant¡± since the device looked very fancy.


    The two then sit around the campfire. Klaus said to Batara ¡°I¡¯m sorry I lost my cool earlier when you mentioned nobility.¡± Batara didnt know what to say and stuttered ¡°N-no, I¡¯m-the-the-one who¡¯s-¡° Klaus raised his hand gesturing that he didnt mind and said ¡°I know, you¡¯re sorry.¡± Klaus continued ¡°But you must be wondering, what is a noble doing in Obenvale right?¡± Klaus was spot on guessing exactly what Batara thought because the common knowledge is noble families usually live in the capital city of Mithraya. Batara didnt reply to avoid being rude but his curiosity showed in his face. Klaus then said ¡°My father indeed comes from a noble lineage of renowned adventurers. And he also used to live in the capital city along with the other Fenderer family. However, in pursuit of the patriarch position, he got backstabbed by his siblings and forced to be casted away by the current patriarch. But father was too kind for his own good and didnt fight back. That¡¯s why we ended up in Obenvale.¡±


    Klaus'' story seemed to only touch the surface but Batara was surprised that he told him at all and replied ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Klaus replied ¡°I already said I trust you right? And besides, we¡¯re on a journey full of danger, these things would come out naturally.¡± Batara disagreed with that wild statement but he didnt say anything. Klaus then continued ¡°What about you Bats? Why do you want to be an adventurer?¡± The question seemed to be different than what Klaus was telling him. So Batara gave him a generic yet honest answer ¡°Because of my father.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Your father must be a great adventurer.¡± Batara scoffed eerily at Klaus¡¯ reply. His face turned sinister for a moment, causing Klaus to hesitate to ask further. Klaus then said ¡°We should get some sleep.¡± Batara nodded.


    Later at dawn, the detection device suddenly went off. Batara woke up by surprise and quickly grabbed his equipment and saw Klaus already stands in a defensive form. Then, a dark owl appeared out of thin air and approached Batara quickly. Klaus was ready to swing his sword until suddenly Batara shouted ¡°Nyx!¡±. Klaus then stopped his movement as Batara spread his hand to the owl as it stand on it. Batara then said to the owl while petting him ¡°what are you doing here Nyx? I thought you¡¯re still back at Obenvale!¡±. Klaus sighed in relief and said ¡°I swear I was gonna slash the bird. What¡¯s that?¡± Batara responded ¡°This is Nyx, an owl I found in Obion forest. He kept following me so I kept him.¡± Batara then turned and said to Nyx ¡°I¡¯m sure I left you at the guild before I left¡±. Klaus then responded ¡°But how did it suddenly appear out of thin air like a ghost?¡±. Batara replied ¡°He¡¯s got this weird habit of going invisible. Sometimes I even think that he actually doesnt exist.¡± Klaus felt worried about Batara''s mental state and replied ¡°Dont worry I can see it just fine. But an invisible little owl? Thats new. What are you gonna do about it?¡±. Batara responded ¡°I dont know, maybe I¡¯ll make him my familiar later.¡±


    A monster can be turned into a familiar through ritual that utilizes a person¡¯s mana. This ritual can be done by a magician specialized in pact magic. However, this can only be done through the monster¡¯s approval. Upon success, the familiar will be bound by the person for life.


    Shortly, a pack of three horned wolves appeared as if they had been following Nyx. Klaus quickly raised his weapon and said ¡°Bats, get ready!¡±. Batara looked at the wolves in front of Klaus and raised his weapon.


    Batara¡¯s weapon is a bladed scepter. Its a jack of all trade weapon that is moderately compatible with magic and physical combat. Klaus'' weapon is a golden scimitar and shield which represent his origin noble family.


    Klaus waited for the wolves to strike first and Batara casted a utility spell ¡°Resonance!¡± that emits a low frequency sound wave around them causing monsters with sensitive hearing, like wolves, to be disoriented if they came near it. One of the wolves suddenly pounced on Klaus ¡°Akh!¡± but Klaus defended with his shield. The wolf then got disoriented from Batara¡¯s magic, which gave Klaus the time to counter with his sword and slash it. Klaus then quickly turned around to throw his shield to the wolf behind it, killing it instantly. But another wolf managed to get past Klaus and pounced towards Batara from the side. Klaus shouted ¡°Lookout!¡±. Due to Batara¡¯s sound magic, there is a slight pause to the wolf¡¯s movement. Batara took advantage of it and evaded before thrusting his scepter into the wolf¡¯s body. Batara then casted another utility magic from his scepter ¡°Pulverize!¡± which creates a rotating pressure inside the wolf¡¯s body exploding it from inside. This magic is usually used by cooks to control fire temperature, but Batara modified it for combat.


    More three horned wolves appeared as if they¡¯re led to Batara and Klaus. Klaus then rushed to the pack of wolves. Batara followed him from the back and casted a combination of wind and utility magic ¡°Gust Blow!¡± to enchant his scepter with wind and pressure to knock back foes upon contact. Due to Batara¡¯s weak affinity in elemental magic, he always needed to combine it with utility magic for it to be effective. Klaus casted an Arte ¡°Physical Enhancement!¡± giving him a boost in agility and strength before slashing the wolf. The wolf evaded Klaus¡¯s strike, but he quickly followed up with a quick shield throw. Before Klaus threw his shield, Batara quickly thrust his scepter to the wolf approaching beside Klaus sending the wolf flying straight to Klaus¡¯ shield throw trajectory. Causing the shield to kill 2 wolves in 1 throw. The two continued to fight in that order until all the three horned wolves were killed.


    In Eidel, there are two sources of power, Magic and Arte. Magic is created by materializing mana which comes from the brain. It can materialize force in the form of elements. Arte is a power that comes from the lung. It is generated to produce physical force from the body and enhance the physical capability of the body.


    Klaus then shouted to Batara in excitement ¡°Nice teamwork Bats!¡± Batara while catching his breath replied ¡°I cant even kill a single wolf.¡± Klaus replied ¡°But your support timing is perfect! Its like you can read my mind.¡± Batara¡¯s lack of communication has made him very keen to observe his surroundings, enabling him to remember Klaus¡¯ movement during their adventurer training back in Obenvale. Klaus then asked Batara ¡°Where did you learn to use magic like that? All I know is that you always used utility magic, but never knew it was for combat.¡± Batara was not sure how to answer that so he replied ¡°Hmm, I watched general workers working using utility skills.¡± Klaus thought Batara¡¯s answer was very mediocre. But he suddenly remembered the chief of Obenvale once told him about the boy who often went around town to observe general workers. The boy would just stand for hours observing, making people uncomfortable. Klaus giggled a little leaving Batara confused seeing his reaction.


    Klaus then put on a serious face and said ¡°I wonder why those three horned wolves are so bent on attacking us. I¡¯ve never seen them that aggressive before.¡± Batara added ¡°And their pack was larger than usual¡±. Klaus added ¡° Something is off. We need to be more careful moving forward.¡±


    The two then continued their journey to the portal gate. They have been very cautious throughout their walk after that incident, but strangely, nothing else occurred until they reached the forest exit. Not far ahead of them, the hill and the portal gate on top were visible. However, they decided to set up camp right below the hill as its already getting late. There are few other adventurers who also set up their camp since there are no more monsters around. Klaus looked around and said to Batara ¡°Finally, other adventurers. They¡¯re probably also heading to Quarzith¡± Klaus added ¡°I will ask around and gather information about the condition beyond the portal gate. Do you want to come?¡± Batara shook his head aggressively and replied ¡°No. I will make dinner.¡± Klaus responded ¡°Nice! I am definitely hungry after all that walk.¡± before walking towards other adventurers. Klaus got comfortable and assumed Batara would cook for him too, but since Klaus is doing something he cant, Batara just nodded in agreement.


    Batara took out one of his experiment creations, condensed rice. Its the same as rice, but its smaller in size making it lighter to carry. He then took out a pot from his small magic pouch given to him after completing his adventurer training. Despite being small, the magic pouch can contain up to 3 medium sized items. He put the condensed rice inside the pot and cooked it with water. He then casted a utility magic ¡°Pressure Flow!¡± to apply a gentle rotating pressure into the pot so that the condensed rice may expand and become fluffy as normal rice. He then fried the rice with the many ingredients he gathered along with his special seasoning and created fried rice. The aroma somehow turned out very appetizing and spread widely around the place. In the middle of talking with another adventurer, Klaus smelled an appetizing aroma and quickly approached the source. When Klaus reached the source, he found out that its from Batara¡¯s cooking. However, he also found that Batara looked like he¡¯s about to die from being surrounded by other adventurers asking for his food.


    Klaus quickly took control of the situation, shared the plate with everyone and also converse with them to gather information. After that he took a plate for himself and brought a plate for Batara, who was sitting beside the tent looking half dead. Klaus laughed loudly and said ¡°HAHAHA what¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Batara held his puke and replied ¡°Umff, I¡¯ve never felt so overwhelmed in my entire life.¡± Klaus laughed more and said ¡°Aw c¡¯mon they¡¯re nice people. They even said the fried rice was very delicious and gave us some beer in return.¡± Batara and Klaus then ate and drank together beside their tent. After they finished eating, Klaus got drunk after only having had 2 glasses of beer. Then Klaus said to Batara ¡°*hic* Thank GOD! You made a lot, your fried rice must be blessed by the gods of Eidel *hic* hahah!¡± Batara felt annoyed with Klaus'' loud voice and replied ¡°How are you drunk already?¡±. Klaus responded ¡°What are you talking about? *hic* I¡¯m not drunk *hic*¡±. Klaus'' face was bright red and he kept smiling. Klaus continued ¡°hey Bats, there are girl adventurers over there. Lets hit them up.¡± Klaus pulled Batara¡¯s hand.


    Batara resisted and said ¡°No, hey stop¡± Klaus said ¡°C¡¯mon man! you need to loosen up a little. The world¡¯s got a lot to offer if you try to open up a lil-¡° suddenly Klaus collapsed and fell on Batara¡¯s body as he snored loudly. Batara didnt have any energy left to move due to all the human interaction he did earlier, so he just laid down. Before he decided to sleep away, a thought crossed Batara¡¯s mind. He thought that he should hear what Klaus said and stop being a failure of society. However, right now, only thinking about it made him want to puke his guts out and after a while he fell asleep.


    In the late morning, Klaus woke up and realized he had been sleeping on top of Batara. He then startled and let out a small shout ¡°Wa-!¡± Batara got woken up by Klaus'' loud voice and said ¡°what is it Klaus why are you being loud.¡± Klaus responded totally confused ¡°Why am I sleeping ON you???¡± Batara rubbed his eyes, groaned, and replied ¡°hmmh, I dont know Klaus, you suddenly collapsed and I couldnt move because you¡¯re so heavy.¡± Klaus'' face turned red and he suddenly did a dogeza pose ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Bats! I sometimes get uncontrollable after drinking a lot!¡±. Batara got irritated and thought to himself ¡°a lot my ass¡± and replied to Klaus ¡°ugh go away let me sleep some more.¡± Klaus then whispered ¡°okay sorry Bats.¡± and let him sleep some more. Even though Klaus was drunk he still managed to wake up early.


    After getting ready, the two continue to walk through the hill where the portal gate is located. Klaus said to Batara ¡°So I heard from other adventurers that behind the portal gate, is a vast grass plain that leads towards Quarzith. But it should take 1 full day walking before we reach Quarzith¡± Batara replied ¡°Hmm, That might be troublesome since we are low on supplies for another camp.¡± Klaus replied ¡°But, I heard that just after we entered the portal gate, there is a small trading town where merchants and adventurers regularly went back and forth to Quarzith.¡± Batara replied ¡°I see. Then there should be carriages around.¡± Klaus responded ¡°Exactly. Since I didnt bring any money with me, I think we should take on an escort quest from the merchant to Quarzith. That way we can arrive faster by riding along the merchant¡¯s carriage while protecting it.¡±


    Klaus didnt bring any money because he wanted to solely rely on his power to become an adventurer and it served as a training for him. On the contrary, Batara didnt have any money to begin with.


    Batara replied ¡°But how do we take on a quest? We are not adventurers yet.¡± Klaus responded ¡°Yes I also asked that to other adventurers. They said, occasionally, small-time merchants hire adventurers candidates for escort quests. But the pay is low and sometimes they only give you some food. So I think it should suit us as we prioritize in riding the carriage to Quarzith. What do you think Bats?¡± Batara responded ¡°Lets go with your plan. And Klaus.. thanks for gathering information.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Dont sweat it Bats! This is also a part of my apology for last night haha¡± Klaus continued ¡°But for real Bats, you really need to bulk up, my neck hurts from sleeping on your bones.¡± Batara, who has regained his strength, was ready to send Klaus flying with his scepter before Klaus stopped him and said ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was just kidding!¡±


    The two walked on the hill until they reached the portal gate and passed through it. They immediately got teleported through the other end of the portal gate not far from Quarzith city. Just like Klaus¡¯ information, there is a small trading town surrounding the portal gate with many merchants and adventurers. Klaus then said to Batara ¡°Lets get going while the sun is still up.¡± Batara nodded.

 Nobles and Their Almighty Pride

    The two looked around the town for merchants needing escort. Batara saw merchant carriages lined up beside the exit gate of the town and said to Klaus while pointing ¡°Klaus, right there.¡± Klaus nodded and they approached the merchant carriages. The merchants are indeed searching for adventurers escort to go back to Quarzith, but they only wanted to hire full fledged adventurers even when Klaus offered his escort service for free. When the sun was almost down, they still couldnt find an escort request, until a young boy approached them.


    The young boy said ¡°Hello, I heard you are looking for an escort job!¡±. Klaus and Batara startled and felt unsure because a kid approached them. Klaus then replied ¡°Yes we are. Are your parents merchants looking for an escort?¡±. The young man got irritated and replied ¡°How rude! I AM a merchant and I AM the one who¡¯s looking for an escort. That is my carriage.¡± Both Klaus and Batara felt surprised and looked at the not so big carriage the boy was pointing. Then Klaus replied breaking the silence ¡°I¡¯m sorry kid. I never saw another merchant your age.¡± Klaus continued ¡°But we are not yet full fledged adventurers. We are on our way to Quarzith to -¡° the young man cut Klaus words and replied ¡°To get your adventurers license right? Dont worry you guys are exactly what I¡¯m searching for. I¡¯¡¯m a merchant who just started recently. Thats why I can only pay you by meal for your escort. Are you interested?¡± Klaus thought to himself ¡°this must be the merchant the other adventurer talked about back at the camp¡±. Klaus then replied ¡°Perfect timing. We are searching for the same thing. Right Bats?¡± Batara nodded strongly. Klaus then added ¡°its settled then, lets go kid!¡±.


    The boy replied loudly ¡°I¡¯m not a kid! Despite my height I¡¯m actually 15! Humph!¡± Klaus and Batara looked at each other shocked. Ikki added ¡°Call me Ikki! Lets go, this way to the carriage.¡± Upon reaching the carriage, there is a girl already sitting inside. Ikki said ¡°She is also an adventurer candidate escort I hired. You guys will work together with her to escort me to Quarzith.¡± Ikki added ¡°I have sold all my goods here so there will be plenty of room in the carriage.¡± Klaus said ¡°Thanks for letting us know.¡± while they both get into the carriage. Ikki jumped over to the driver¡¯s seat and shouted ¡°We¡¯re going!¡± As he whipped the horse attached to the carriage.


    Inside the carriage, the girl seemed to stare intensely at Klaus and Batara. Klaus who noticed it tried to open a conversation by asking the girl ¡°Hey wha-¡° the girl suddenly cut Klaus¡¯ words and introduced herself in a very proud manner ¡°MY name is Theresia Ignatius of Ibaran city. I am the one who will become the Grand Wizard of Mithraya. And right now I''m heading to Quarzith to become an adventurer while escorting this kid. Who might you be?¡±. Klaus replied ¡°We are also the merchant¡¯s escort, my name is Klaus Fenderer and he is Batara Arcital. We are from Obenvale and also wish to become adventurers.¡± Theresia then shouted to Ikki ¡°Hey kid! I told you that I can escort you alone right?¡±. Ikki shouted ¡°Shut up and dont call me a kid!¡±. Ikki seemed to not trust a single adventurer candidate could escort him so he sought for others.


    Theresia then sighed and said to Klaus ¡°Hmm, so you¡¯re a noble from the famous Fenderer family. I heard that your family produced many Great Adventurers and even a hero at one time.¡± then he added ¡°But Arcital? I¡¯ve never heard of your family.¡± Batara didnt seem bothered, having grown used to that type of reaction. Klaus replied ¡°Yeah but I¡¯m not a noble and I¡¯m definitely not the same with them.¡± Seeing Klaus¡¯ face turned distressed, Theresia didnt pry any further. Klaus then changed the topic and asked Theresia ¡°What about you? I¡¯ve heard that the Ignatius family is a famous magician family.¡± Theresia proudly answered ¡°You are right. Our family is the most famous fire element magicians in Mithraya. We are blessed by the Mythical Fire Elemental, Phoenix, who is the root of fire magic itself. That¡¯s why people called us the Phoenix¡¯ Incarnate.¡±


    Seeing both Klaus and Theresia talk about their families, Batara faded to the background. The memories of his pathetic family haunted him. Theresia noticed Batara hasnt spoken for a while so she turned to him and ask ¡°What about you? You havent talked since getting in.¡± Batara was startled and felt very nervous. From his point of view, seeing Klaus and Theresia talk is like watching two nobles socializing at a party in a castle. Batara then replied while trembling a little ¡°I-i-i¡¯m Bat-bat, from Ob-ob¡­¡± Theresia was confused as to why Batara introduced himself again and held her laugh, then replied ¡°So your name¡¯s Batbat?.¡± Theresia then turned to Klaus and whispered ¡°Is your friend broken or something?¡± Klaus sighed and explained ¡°Heeh, he¡¯s always like this around new people.¡± Klaus was already used to Batara¡¯s unique behavior. Theresia replied ¡°What a weird guy.¡± Klaus, toning down what Theresia said, replied ¡°Yeah he¡¯s unique. He¡¯s a good guy though.¡± Theresia is skeptical of Klaus¡¯ judgment of character. Ikki¡¯s laugh was heard from the outside.


    Klaus then said to Batara and Theresia ¡°Since there are 3 of us, lets form a party.¡± Batara wasnt sure since he didnt know anything about Theresia or why Klaus even proposed it when they just met. Theresia replied ¡°Not too fast. I¡¯ll decide whether or not you two are worthy of forming a party with me.¡± Klaus replied in a low voice ¡°how arrogant.¡± Theresia heard it and replied ¡°I dont care what you think. I¡¯ll decide my own comrades.¡± Theresia didnt seem to be bothered by Klaus at all, she is just very dignified. Klaus replied ¡°Alright suit yourself.¡± There is a small tension between Klaus and Theresia. Batara didnt give any response since the two seemed to have settled things even though not amicably.


    Not long after, when the sun was almost down, Klaus, who had casted his Arte ¡°Sharp Senses!¡± since he got into the carriage, sensed something approaching. Klaus shouted to Ikki ¡°Stop the carriage! Something¡¯s coming.¡± Ikki stopped the carriage and quickly jumped to the roof of the carriage while shaking in fear. The three got out of the carriage and ready their equipment to fight. Theresia took out her Staff and started chanting magic words. While chanting, some spirit-like red creatures surrounded her and then she casted magic to herself ¡°Phoenix Blessing!¡± a fiery aura radiated from her body. Klaus suddenly shouted ¡°Kobolds incoming!¡± as a pack of Kobolds rushed towards them.


    Kobolds are small human-like creatures with fur and the head of a wolf. They always come in packs to steal things from merchants and adventurers. They are generally cowards, but this time they showed up as they have been waiting for the weakest adventurers amongst other carriages to mess with.


    Klaus then casted his Arte ¡°Physical Enhancement!¡± before slashing the approaching Kobold and blocked the Kobold pouncing from behind it with his shield. Batara quickly casted ¡°Gust Blow!¡± to his scepter. But before Batara can assist Klaus, Theresia shouted as she casted her magic ¡°Witness my burning power! ¡°INCINERATE!¡±. Suddenly all the kobolds went up in flames and burned to ashes in seconds. What actually happened was, Theresia fired multiple thin lines of mana that passed through enemies causing a burst of fire within their body before it went up in flames. The lines are very thin and quick that it is imperceptible.


    Batara was speechless after witnessing Theresia¡¯s magic. Klaus shouted with excitement ¡°Nice going! That¡¯s some powerful magic!¡± Theresia replied ¡°Ofcourse mere Kobolds would never stand a chance before my magic.¡± Suddenly Ikki shouted to them ¡°WATCH OUT GUYS!¡±. As soon as the three heard Ikki, a giant Kobold with a sword pounced at Klaus. Klaus reflexively held both his shield and scimitar to defend himself. But due to its large power, Klaus was still knocked back and had his face grazed. Batara then followed up from the side and thrust his enchanted scepter to the Giant Kobold. The Giant Kobold managed to defend but his arm was pushed back a little. On the other hand, Batara got thrown back instead due to the difference of power. Klaus shouted ¡°Bats!¡± Batara fell on the ground but still managed to get up.


    Theresia quickly casted her magic to the giant Kobold ¡°INCINERATE!¡±. It only managed to scratch the giant Kobold and the fire extinguished quickly. Theresia shouted ¡°ITS A KING KOBOLD!¡±. The King Kobold served by the Kobolds Theresia killed earlier has been hiding for a while. Its irritated because all of its servants are killed.


    The King Kobold suddenly rushed to Theresia after getting hit by her magic. Klaus saw that and immediately chased the King Kobold. Theresia kept casting her fire magic but it only left small damages and didnt stop the King Kobold. When the King Kobold is about to strike Theresia, Klaus jumped in and casted his Arte ¡°Parrying Stance!¡± to parry its strike. This time, Klaus was able to stand still while exchanging strikes with the Giant Kobold, buying some time for Theresia to fall back.


    Theresia then shouted ¡°Klaus, Bat! Hold up for a while, I will cast a stronger magic and blow it in one strike!¡±. Theresia then began to chant magic words in ancient language. Batara saw that Klaus was exhausted and may not hold for long. He then thinks quickly before shouting to Klaus ¡°Klaus! Run back to me and prepare your strongest strike!¡± Klaus was confused but he agreed anyway as he was almost at his limit and ran toward Batara. The King Kobold chased after Klaus. Batara then used a lot of his mana to cast ¡°Gust Blow!¡± into his scepter. When Klaus almost reached Batara, Batara used his remaining mana to apply wind magic along with rotating pressure force below his feet and casted ¡°Rotating Wind Leap!¡± causing him to leap towards the King Kobold above Klaus¡¯ head. Klaus was extremely surprised but he decided to trust Batara and prepare for his strongest Arte. Batara¡¯s body was spinning quickly as he leaped and struck the King Kobold. The King Kobold managed to defend and Batara got thrown back again as he fell hard on the ground. However, due to the strong pressure from Batara¡¯s attack, the King Kobold¡¯s arms were pushed back leaving it defenseless. Klaus took that opportunity to use his strongest Arte ¡°Crescent Aurelius!¡± Golden aura radiated from his body and flowed through his scimitar. He then slashed the King Kobold¡¯s body with a golden crescent slash creating a deep wound. The King Kobold shouted angrily ¡°Aakk!!!¡± Klaus then quickly jumped to the side as Theresia delivered a follow up attack. Theresia casted ¡°Phoenix Spit!¡±. A loud screeching sound was generated followed by a super fast but small condensed fire bolt. The fire bolt hit the King Kobold¡¯s head causing a massive explosion on impact. The King Kobold took a big damage and whimpered. Klaus was ready to rush to the King Kobold, but the King Kobold fled while its head was still on fire.


    Theresia then tried to cast another magic, but Klaus stopped her and said ¡°Stop! That thing may have taken some damage but I saw it regenerate as he fled. We¡¯re lucky just to be alive.¡± Theresia looked very disappointed and said ¡°But I still-¡° *Thump* a falling sound was heard which turned out to be Batara who fell on the ground. Klaus then shouted ¡°oi Bats!¡± Klaus then carried Batara to the carriage and said ¡°Lets go kid! Before that thing came back.¡± Ikki replied while shivering ¡°O-ok!¡± as he continued the ride to Quarzith.


    After a while Batara regained his consciousness and heard Theresia and Klaus talking. Theresia said ¡°As I was saying, my Phoenix Blessing magic is an ancient magic that makes my fire magic more efficient. Although its still at an early stage.¡± Theresia continued ¡°What about your shining Arte? Is it a Fenderer technique?.¡± Klaus explained ¡°Yes. It is an Arte that has been passed down for generations by the Fenderers-¡°. Batara started to be able to open his eyes and wiped his drool. Klaus said ¡°Finally. I thought you¡¯re going to drown my clothes in drool.¡± Batara slowly raised his head from Klaus¡¯ lap and reflexively wiped the drool from his hands to Klaus¡¯ shirt nonchalantly. Klaus shouted with a disgusted face ¡°Hey stop that!¡±. Klaus then sighed and replied ¡°Heuh, nevermind. Are you okay Bats?¡±. Batara replied ¡°I¡¯m fine now, just a little head-ache.¡± Theresia replied ¡°It¡¯s the effect of Mana Depletion. You probably used too much mana.¡± Theresia then handed over a sandwich to Batara ¡°Here, from Ikki. This should help.¡± Ikki shouted ¡°My mother specially made that sandwich. It is the best sandwich in Eidel!¡±. Batara grabbed the sandwich and said ¡°Thank you¡±.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The Sandwich was made using fluffy white bread. It contained slices of peppery smoked ham, cheese, fried egg, slightly seared onions, fresh lettuces, tomatoes, and sauce made from dewdrop tree cream and toasted sesame. Batara took a first bite and tried to get all the condiments. The taste is very strong even though he just took one bite. It tasted very strong but delicious at the same time which made Batara think ¡°What a powerful sandwich.¡±


    The three then ate the sandwich together. Batara then said ¡°Where did the King Kobold go?¡± Klaus replied ¡°It fled after taking Theresia¡¯s magic. We didnt chase it because its too dangerous.¡± Batara sighed in relief. Klaus then said ¡°You were very cool back there Bats! But very reckless as well.¡± Batara replied ¡°Sorry I didnt think it through.¡± Klaus quickly replied ¡°Dont apologize! I dont think we even stood a chance if you hadnt done that.¡± Instead of feeling better, Batara felt disappointed by himself and replied ¡°I cant even land a single strike.¡± Before Klaus was able to smack Batara out of his broken mentality, Theresia interrupted and said ¡°Yes you are indeed weak.¡± Klaus got irritated and immediately replied ¡°Hey what-¡° Before Klaus could finish his words Theresia stopped him and continued talking ¡°yet you still stand your ground and prove to be useful. I guess you¡¯re not too shabby.¡± The word useful is not the most appropriate way to praise someone, but Batara somehow took that as a compliment. Klaus reacted to Theresia¡¯s words by raising his brow and mockingly impressed ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Theresia was slightly annoyed and replied to Klaus ¡°What? I¡¯m just giving my opinion.¡± Klaus replied while raising both his hands ¡°I didnt say anything.¡± Theresia sighed and said ¡°You too Klaus. Even though I did the most damage to the King Kobold.¡± Klaus rolled his eyes in disbelief. Theresia continued ¡°You did well holding up against that monster.¡± Klaus smiled proudly and replied ¡°Dont forget I also protected you against that giant monster.¡± Theresia replied ¡°Haha! I can protect myself just fine with my magic.¡± A small tension appeared again between Klaus and Theresia.


    Theresia then got curious and asked Batara ¡°Hey Batbat. I never saw other magicians fight like you. What magic did you use?¡± Batara replied ¡°Utility Magic.¡± Theresia replied ¡°Interesting, I¡¯ve never seen utility magic used for combat before. Where did you learn it?¡± Batara was still not very confident talking directly to Theresia so he tried his best to explain and forgot how to breathe or talk ¡°From ¡­ *inhale* general¡­ workers¡± Theresia got all confused and replied ¡°What¡­?¡± Klaus sighed then translated ¡°He learned it by observing general workers.¡± Batara nodded. Theresia got more confused and said to Klaus ¡°How did you got all that?¡± Klaus raised his shoulder and said ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Theresia then said to Batara ¡°You learn magic by just observing? You must be pretty sharp then.¡±


    At nightfall, they finally arrived at the gate of Quarzith. The fight with King Kobold made them arrive later than scheduled. Ikki stopped the carriage just before the entrance gate. Ikki said to the three ¡°We have arrived. Thank you so much for escorting me. I owe my life to you!¡± as he turned his head down and cried a little. Klaus replied ¡°Hey dont cry kid!¡± as he put his hand on Ikki¡¯s head. Theresia said ¡°We are just doing our job.¡± Batara tried to comfort Ikki but didnt know what to say, so he just gestured awkwardly. Ikki then brushed Klaus'' hand away and wiped his tears ¡°I¡¯m not crying and stop calling me a kid¡­¡± Ikki continued ¡°For merchants, money is equal to our life. So even though I didnt promise you anything, I would like to give you guys something for saving my life.¡± Ikki took out 3 coins with merchant mark in the middle and showed them to the three ¡°These are merchant coins. You can buy any 1 thing you want from the merchants in Quarzith. Nothing too expensive though. This coin is held in high regards among merchants so dont worry about being swindled.¡± Theresia seemed to be doubtful and said ¡°This is pretty valuable then, why are you giving this to us?.¡± Ikki replied ¡°Good question. As a merchant I wouldnt give you anything if I wont get something in return. After looking at you guys, my instinct tells me that you all will be great adventurers. So it¡¯ll be great for a small merchant like me to be owed a favor by adventurers.¡± Ikki continued while handing the coins ¡°Please take these coins.¡± The three took the coins and said their thanks to Ikki. Ikki then hopped on to his carriage and shouted ¡°Make sure you guys bring me good fortune!¡± as he entered the gate to Quarzith.


    The three waved their hands and entered the gate after him. The guards checked for their Adventurer Training completion documents and let them in. As soon as they entered the gate Theresia said to Klaus and Batara ¡°Alright lets go our separate ways here.¡± Klaus replied ¡°You sure you dont want to form an adventurer party?¡± Theresia replied ¡°I appreciate the offer, but as I was saying, I¡¯m looking for companions that are at least as strong as me.¡± Theresia¡¯s words doesnt come out from arrogance but from honesty. Theresia continued ¡°I hope our path crossed again. Farewell, Klaus, Batbat¡± as she held her chin up and left.


    Klaus then said to Batara ¡°Geez, what an arrogant woman.¡± Batara got confused and asked Klaus ¡°You seemed to despise her, why would you keep asking her to form a party?¡± Klaus shook his head and put his hand on Batara¡¯s shoulder before saying ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, you really dont get it do you?¡± Batara felt more confused. Klaus continued ¡°Lets save that to your imagination hahaha.¡± Batara didnt really care and let the matter go.


    Klaus then said to Batara ¡°Hey Bats, I also need to meet my father¡¯s friend who will help me train here. Do you want to-¡° Batara interrupted Klaus and replied ¡°Lets part ways here.¡± Klaus nodded, approving Batara¡¯s decision and replied ¡°Do you have anywhere to stay?¡± Batara replied ¡°Dont I¡¯ll find an inn.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Okay Bats. Lets meet on the day of Adventurer¡¯s evaluation after we get our license!¡± Batara nodded in approval. Klaus then said to Batara ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great adventurer Bats!¡± as he left while running. Batara also hoped for the same so that he could fulfill his ambition. However, considering his own capabilities, he always second guessed himself.


    Batara then approached the inn told by the guards. He looked through the mirror and saw a lot of people still drinking even though its pretty late at night. The sight of it made him shiver, so he searched for another inn that¡¯s quieter. After going around for an hour, he finally found an inn that seemed very quiet. The place looked very rundown from the outside but as he looked through the mirror, the inside looked neat enough, humble but clean. So he went inside. There is a woman wearing glasses who looked the same age as him sitting behind the counter. He came up to the woman, but the woman seemed to be entirely focused on reading her book and didnt notice Batara. Batara thought she must be the innkeeper, so he worked up his courage to call her ¡°E-EXcuse me¡± he shouted a little due to nervousness. The innkeeper gasped in surprise as she dropped her book and messed up her glasses.


    The innkeeper tidied herself quickly and said ¡°W-w-welcome to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie inn, I - Isha - how - I - help¡± shakily with a very low volume. The innkeeper looked timid and was also nervous talking to Batara. Her words are unclear but as a fellow timid-man Batara understood her clearly. Batara replied also shakily ¡°R-r-room please.¡± The rest of the conversation is presented based on Batara¡¯s timid language comprehension. The innkeeper replied ¡°Very well, we have a room vacant in the third floor. Our inn doesnt serve any food or drinks. The room cost 2 silver coins per night.¡± Batara understood why the inn was quiet, because they didnt serve drinks or food. However, Batara was a little surprised the inn cost a little above average despite only providing a room. Nevertheless, for the sake of Batara¡¯s peaceful mind, he thought its a fair cost to pay. Batara replied ¡°here are the coins. 3 nights please.¡± Batara used up almost all his money on hand. The innkeeper took the money and said ¡°Thank you. We dont have much to offer but there is a small library there in the hall.¡± Batara likes to read so he looked forward to using it later. The innkeeper continued ¡°This way please¡± as she showed Batara to his room on the third floor. After arriving at the room the innkeeper bowed and said ¡°Rest well.¡± as she left. The room is quite small but clean and tidy. It has a bed, small bedside table, a chair and a cupboard. Batara put away his stuff, took off his clothes, and went straight to bed.


    The next day, Batara woke up a little late, got ready, and headed out immediately without having breakfast. Batara rarely had breakfast because it made him feel queasy. He strolled around the streets of Quarzith. Quarzith is quite a big city closer to the Capital City of Mithraya than Obenvale. It is far more civilized and advanced compared to Obenvale. It is also crossed by a river and has a lot of buildings and bridges. As he strolled around, Batara saw a lot of adventurers walking around in their shiny equipment. Batara was very excited to see full-fledged adventurers but always turned his head down whenever his eyes almost met another. He then passed by a very large building which is the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Near the Adventurer¡¯s Guild building, Batara saw an Adventurer Party whose equipment and aura are on a whole different level with the other adventurers. The Party consisted of two humans who seemed to be a knight and a magician, a female elven priest, and a male beastman. Batara overheard from another bypasser, that their party¡¯s name is Azure Knights and is currently the strongest party in Quarzith. All of a sudden, Batara turned his head down as he walked past the Azure Knights. He didnt want anything to do with them, so he avoided being noticed and concealed his presence by looking down as best as he could.


    As Batara walked past them, the Beastman of Azure Knights picked up a strange aura. Beastmen have very sharp senses that they can even detect aura to some extent. The aura he picked up was actually very faint to the point that its almost non-existent yet its noticeable by his senses. However, the moment he looked back, the owner of that aura was already gone.


    Batara then remembered that he had a merchant coin from Ikki. So he started to look around the shops in the merchant district. He brought a map earlier to navigate through the large city as he really dont want to ask other people for direction even though he¡¯s very bad at direction. As he walked, he found himself in an old equipment store in a shady back alley. He was suspicious of the shop but when he checked his map, he confirmed that he was at the right location. He entered the shop and noticed that the inside is as rundown as the outside. There are quite many various items in the shop but somehow there is no shopkeeper. Batara didnt feel disturbed, as he could browse freely without anyone to bother him. After browsing for a while, he finally saw something that piqued his interest, a black hooded vest with a runic pattern all over it. He thought that maybe it can make him more unnoticeable to other people. Batara then took the hooded vest to see more clearly.


    Out of nowhere, a voice appeared right behind Batara¡¯s ear, ¡°Hmm, interesting choice.¡± Batara was shocked and let out a strong gasp while raising his shoulder. Batara turned quickly to see the owner of that voice. Behind him there¡¯s a red goblin-like creature with a hood covering its head. The goblin took off his hood and said to Batara with a mischievous tone ¡°Oh my, didnt mean to startle you. Where are my manners.¡± Batara noticed that the red goblin had small horns on his head and small wings on its back. Batara thought to himself, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an imp.¡± The imp then bowed and introduced himself ¡°My name is Ajak. I¡¯m a mere imp employed by my master to run this humble store.¡± Seeing that Batara didnt respond, the Imp said ¡°A quiet one aren¡¯t you?¡± The imp then took over the conversation while pointing the hooded vest in Batara¡¯s hand ¡°That is a magnificent garment you¡¯re holding. It is made from Griffin¡¯s feather and magic yarn. Rumor has it that this garment was passed down by the God of Deceit, that¡¯s why its called the Hood of Facade¡±. Batara thought the imp was exaggerating and only tried to sell the item for a high price. But somehow Batara¡¯s eyes were really fixated on the hooded vest as if he was allured by it. Batara got interested and asked the imp ¡°Does it have any special affinity?¡± The imp replied passionately ¡°Why of course. This is actually a magician¡¯s garment so it has magical resistance and wearing it gives the user a slight boost in his mana pool.¡± The imp continued ¡°Please try putting it on.¡± Batara nodded and tried wearing the hooded vest. He felt there was a surge of magical power entering him. However, he also felt a slight dizziness going through his head for a moment.


    After feeling the effect of wearing the hooded vest directly Batara got more invested and asked the imp ¡°How much is it?¡± while grabbing the merchant coin he got from Ikki from his pouch. The imp saw the merchant coin Batara took out and said ¡°Is that a merchant coin?¡±. Batara nodded. The imp then continued ¡°Then I can give you the hooded vest for the price of 1 merchant coin.¡± Batara felt suspicious of the imp and took his time to think. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, the Imp said ¡°Dont worry young man. As you may have already known, us merchants hold our dignity high to the merchant¡¯s coin.¡± Batara decided to trust the imp¡¯s word as he really wanted the hooded vest somehow. So he gave the merchant coin to the imp. The imp took the money with one hand and the other hand covering the palm of his hand as the coin vanished instantly. The imp then replied ¡°Thank you for buying from our shop. I guarantee the item you purchased to be very special.¡± The imp winked. Batara didnt respond as he thought its just a marketing trick. The imp then added ¡°I will give you a little extra since you are a very interesting person.¡± Batara was not sure why the imp was interested in him, but he decided to accept anyway. The imp handed Batara a scroll and said ¡°This scroll will lead you to an artifact that completes the hooded vest.¡± The imp continued ¡°Feel free to use it or toss it away. The hooded vest is already good on its own anyway.¡± Batara is intrigued but he¡¯s not the most ambitious person so he kept it for now.


    Batara then said to the Imp ¡°Thank you. I dont have anything else I want to buy so I will leave.¡± The Imp bowed his head and said ¡°I look forward to your next visit.¡± Batara then left the store. The moment he opened the door and stepped outside the Imp whispered through his ear ¡°The dizziness you felt was the cost of activating Hood of Facade¡­¡± Batara felt a shiver run down his spine but when he turned back to check, the shop was already gone. Not only the shop was gone, but his surroundings were all different.

 Unworthy

    Batara realized that he was back in front of Lorelai¡¯s Reverie and the sun was already down even though he went to the shop in mid-day. He was very confused and checked his body to see if he was dreaming. He was still wearing the black hooded vest, he has the scroll the imp¡¯s gave him, and his merchant coin is gone so everything checked out. He wondered why he suddenly ended up in front of his inn and whats the meaning of the imp¡¯s whisper, but mostly he was starving. So he went inside the inn and everything was normal. Isha the innkeeper was behind the counter reading a book. Batara walked up to her and said ¡°Good evening.¡± Isha was shocked and dropped her book again. She then said ¡°S-s-sorry! I did not notice you came in!¡± All Batara can think of is how hungry he is so he immediately asked ¡°Can I borrow your kitchen to cook?¡± Isha replied ¡°Sure. Its right beside the library. Feel free to use the utensils but dont forget to wash it after.¡± Batara replied with a simple ¡°thanks¡± and immediately went to his room to pick up left-over ingredients and head to the kitchen. He still has leftover condensed rice, wolf meat, and some plants he stored in his magic pouch, and some cream and roasted sesame sauce he got from Ikki when he asked about the sandwich. Batara then cooked a rice porridge with all of his leftover ingredients and put Ikki¡¯s sauce on top of it. He then put the porridge into a bowl and walked out of the kitchen to eat. However, when Batara was about to leave the kitchen, Isha was already standing in front of the kitchen door with a drool on her face. Batara startled and gasped a little. Seeing Isha wiping her drool Batara then asked ¡°Uhm, do you want some?¡± Isha nodded. Batara replied ¡°Help yourself, there is still some.¡± Batara was so hungry so he just gave a swift response. Isha smiled widely and rushed to the kitchen to grab a bowl of the porridge.


    Batara sat on the edge of the long chair in front of the library and Isha sat at the other edge of the long chair. The two ate in total silence. Batara is used to eating silently as he always eats alone. On the other hand, Isha felt bad if she just ate Batara¡¯s dish without saying anything. In nervousness, Isha grabbed a spoonful of the porridge and tried to contain all the ingredients in one scoop. Isha then said in excitement ¡°It¡¯s so Flavorful! What did you put in this?¡± Isha all of a sudden spoke very cheerfully. Batara was startled by Isha¡¯s unusual speech manner, but tried to reply anyway ¡°Huh? Its wolf meat and cream.¡± Isha then replied ¡°Ahhh so that¡¯s why it tasted so fulfilling and warm.¡± Isha then realized she just spoke so casually to Batara. She felt embarrassed and said ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I just loved food so much and your porridge is so good and I didnt mean to speak so casually but-¡° Batara cut her words and replied ¡°Its okay¡±. Batara never really minds how others speak to him even if its rude.


    After eating in silence for a while, Isha looked at Batara''s equipment and asked ¡°Are you an adventurer?¡± Isha¡¯s manner of speech somehow got more casual and clear. Batara replied ¡°No. But I will be, tomorrow.¡± Isha replied ¡°Oh you will attend the evaluation then?¡± Batara nodded. Isha suddenly looked doubtful. Looking at Isha¡¯s reaction Batara said ¡°You think I looked too weak to be an adventurer.¡± Isha replied ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Its just that I had a brother who is an adventurer. His name is Desmond. He had the same stature as you and is considered weak compared to other adventurers.¡± Before Batara could reply, Isha continued to talk so Batara just listened. Isha continued ¡°But he always had the strongest spirit to be the adventurers he idolized, which is the Azure Knights. After he got his Adventurer¡¯s License, he went on his first mission. It was a total success so it kinda got over his head. On his second mission, he and his party went for a harder mission to investigate the swamp located east from Quarzith. However, they never came back from that mission.¡± Batara replied ¡°Sorry to hear that.¡± Isha shook her head and said ¡°Its okay, I still believe that my brother¡¯s still alive somewhere. But my point is, you should carefully consider being an adventurer as it comes with a great risk.¡± Batara went silent for a while and said ¡°Even so. I¡¯ll still become an adventurer.¡± Seeing Batara¡¯s serious face Isha didnt pry further and said ¡°Good luck then Batara.¡± Isha then finished her meal and walked to the kitchen to put the dishes. Isha was swaying a little when she walked to the kitchen. After finishing his porridge, Batara felt a little light and thought to himself ¡°Ahh, so that¡¯s why Isha seemed different. Ikki¡¯s sauce must¡¯ve contained alcohol.¡± Batara found it a little funny that someone could get drunk by just eating alcohol infused food. Since Isha still looked fine, Batara didnt say anything about it. Batara then washed his dishes and went to sleep.


    The next day, Batara woke up and went downstairs to go to the adventurer¡¯s guild for his evaluation. Before he left the inn, he opened a map to search for directions, but Isha noticed that Batara held the map upside down and told him so. Isha then ended up telling Batara how to get around the city. After that, Batara left the inn and arrived later at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild just in time for the mandatory ceremony of adventurers evaluation. The ceremony is the declaration of adventurers¡¯ vow by all adventurer candidates. The adventurer¡¯s vow is ¡°To value your life over your adventure¡±. After that, the adventurer candidates are called one by one to touch a magic crystal to be evaluated.


    Batara learned about the whole ceremony and evaluation from his adventurer training back in Obenvale. The magic crystal is a device that resonates with the magic of Eidel made from mysterious elements blessed by the God of Adventure. Its authenticity is proven by the light it emits everytime an adventurer candidate is evaluated. It can tell the adventurer candidate¡¯s affinity in magic, arte, and even occasionally a special ability that one might have. But most importantly after constant modification by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild it can tell the overall rank of a candidate as an adventurer. The adventurer rankings are divided into the letters E, D, C, B, A, and S, with E being the lowest rank and S the highest. Each letter is further divided into the numbers 1, 2, and 3, with 1 being the lowest tier and 3 the highest tier before reaching the next letter rank.


    However, due to the high rate of adventurers¡¯ deaths, it is regulated that new adventurer candidates can only be ranked for the highest of D.3 (Rank D Tier 3). Most adventurer candidates usually start at rank E.1 or E.2 if they have strong attributes. They can only reach higher rank by achievements and further evaluation. S rank adventurers only consist of 1% of all population of Eidel, but once in several decades there is also adventurer who goes beyond S rank which is regarded as ¡°Hero¡±. This title can also be granted by evaluation or achievement.


    Batara waited in line to be evaluated by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He saw Klaus and Theresia ahead of him in the line for the evaluation. Shortly after, Batara saw that it was Klaus turn to be evaluated. Klaus placed his hand on the magic crystal and a golden light radiated from the crystal ball. Then, the evaluator stated Klaus¡¯ result ¡°Klaus Fenderer, adventurer¡¯s rank E.3, strong affinity in Arte, moderate affinity in Magic, and Potential Special Ability.¡± Other candidates and scouting party are surprised by Klaus'' result as there are only a few adventurers who start beyond rank E.2. After his evaluation, Klaus walked back to the seat to watch other adventurers¡¯ evaluation. For a brief moment, Batara saw Klaus put on a disappointed face and muttered ¡°not good enough.¡± Batara¡¯s observation habit made him able to read people¡¯s lips to some extent. Batara was a little surprised because he never saw Klaus wearing such an expression. Following Klaus, it is Theresia¡¯s turn for evaluation. She placed her hand on the magic crystal and it radiated a glowing bright red color upwards. Then the evaluator stated Theresia¡¯s result ¡°Theresia Ignatius, adventurer¡¯s rank D.1, strong affinity in fire magic, moderate affinity in other elements of magic and arte, and a Special Ability: Phoenix Blessing.¡± The crowd was amazed with her result as there hasnt been anyone that started in D rank for years. Most nobles or geniuses usually only started at rank E.2 or E.3. The adventurers and scouts suddenly gathered around her.


    After a while, it was finally Batara¡¯s turn to be evaluated. Batara placed his hand on the magic crystal but the crystal didnt glow. Then the evaluator stated Batara¡¯s result ¡°Moderate affinity in utiltiy magic, below average affinity in other elements of magic and arte, adventurer¡¯s rank¡­¡± the evaluator paused for a while before saying ¡°Unfit.¡± Batara¡¯s face turned pale and his gaze turned blank. The people around him were starting to whisper behind his back ¡°Pfft, utility magic? Isnt that what general workers use? How would he fight with household skills?¡± others whispered ¡°Hey, what happens when someone is deemed unfit?¡± the friend replied ¡°He can take the evaluation again. But for an expensive price and I heard its a waste of time since the magic crystal result is said to be absolute.¡± Hearing the whispers gave Batara a severe stomach ache. Batara actually expected this to happen, but it turns out when it did actually happen, he felt deeply hurt as being an adventurer is the only reason he can still keep going with his life. When Batara¡¯s about to lift his hand from the magic crystal the evaluator suddenly stopped him and said ¡°Wait.¡± The magic crystal slowly radiated a faint cloudy light and the evaluator declared ¡°Potential Special Ability detected. Batara Arcital, adventurer¡¯s rank has changed to E.1.¡±


    Batara was surprised and confused at the same time. The evaluator handed him his adventurer¡¯s license and said with a laid back tone ¡°Well there is a first for everything. The God of Adventure must¡¯ve wanted to see you become an adventurer haha.¡± The evaluator continued, ¡°Place your palm facing down here.¡± Batara placed his palm and the evaluator put his adventurer license in the shape of thin card on top of Batara¡¯s hand. The evaluator then explained ¡°Thus adventurer¡¯s license is made from mana and magic fiber containing information of adventurer.¡± The moment the license touched Batara¡¯s the top of his hand, it got absorbed into his hand and formed a small tattoo with the shape of adventurer¡¯s guild emblem. The evaluator explained to Batara ¡°The adventurer¡¯s license is absorbed by your body and the information about your attributes, affinity, magic, arte, and special ability will be accessible through your head. You can show your license to others by will, by channeling your energy to the tattoo and it will appear in the form of a card. But, other people can only see your name and adventurer¡¯s rank, other information is exclusive to you only and dont worry, after a while the card form will disappear.¡± Batara nodded and said a simple ¡°thank you.¡± Before Batara left, the evaluator called to him and said ¡°Hey kid! May the God of Adventure bless your journey ahead.¡± Batara bowed and left. He was doubtful that he would receive any blessing since his reason for becoming an adventurer is not the most noble one.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Batara was about to leave the adventurer¡¯s guild when suddenly he saw a bright light radiating from the magic crystal. The light was the color of a rainbow and shot up toward the ceiling. The evaluator who was evaluating the bearer of such light declared the result ¡°Pascal Ostroma, Adventurer¡¯s Rank A! Strong affinity in all elements of magic, Special Ability: Lord Beyond.¡± All adventurers and scouts shocked, gasped, and shouted ¡°Thats Impossible!¡±, ¡°Whats with the name of her special ability!?¡±, ¡°We need to get her into our party!¡±, while the crowd is still shouting in disbelief, the evaluator declared ¡°Due to adventurer¡¯s guild policy, Pascal Ostroma will be downgraded into rank D.3. Pascal Ostroma, please meet with the Guild Master on the second floor, right this way.¡± Pascal followed the evaluator upstairs. After seeing Pascal¡¯s result, which is far beyond his own, Batara put on his hoodie in shame and left the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Outside the adventurer¡¯s guild, Batara remembered that Klaus asked to meet up. He looked around and found Klaus surrounded by other adventurers including the ones from Obenvale. Batara didnt want to ruin Klaus¡¯ chance to join a well-off party with his presence or be involved in the crowd, so he decided to leave. Batara was about to leave, when suddenly Klaus shouted his name ¡°Oi Bats!¡± Klaus removed himself from the crowd and ran towards Batara. Klaus said while catching his breath ¡°Huf, hey why are you leaving me!¡± Batara replied, ¡°Sorry, you seemed occupied.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Nah dont worry about it, they just surrounded me out of nowhere.¡± Batara thought that it might be the same case with the adventurer candidates back at Obenvale.


    Klaus continued ¡°Anyway, congratulations to us, we are now officially fellow adventurers!¡± Batara frowned and replied ¡°I almost didnt make it.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yes I saw. But dont let it get to you Bats! The most important thing is that we are full fledged adventurers. Our journey has just begun.¡± Batara was still doubtful but he replied ¡°You¡¯re right I guess.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Of course I¡¯m right, I always do haha!¡± Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Klaus continued ¡°That crystal thing is old anyway. A great adventurer is defined by its determination, not just some old crystal.¡± Klaus'' words always seemed optimistic even though he himself looked very frustrated by his result earlier. Batara appreciated Klaus¡¯ words as his expression softened. Klaus took that chance and said ¡°We should drink at the tavern tonight! I¡¯m familiar with the own-¡° before Klaus finished his words Batara raised his hand in front of Klaus¡¯ face ¡°No!¡± Klaus insisted ¡°Tsk, C¡¯mon just this once!¡± Batara shook his head in disagreement. Klaus got disappointed and said ¡°Heuf, you¡¯re no fun.¡±


    Klaus then changed the subject as he noticed the hooded vest Batara was wearing. Klaus asked ¡°Is that a new vest?¡± Batara nodded. Klaus replied ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Batara replied ¡°In the equipment shop east of Quarzith.¡± Klaus replied ¡°East? I didnt know there was an equipment shop there. The shops were supposed to be in the west.¡± Batara remembered that Isha told him he went in the wrong direction when he was searching for shops. Batara got curious of Klaus¡¯ sudden interest and asked ¡°Is there something wrong with it?¡± Klaus realized he¡¯s being nosy and replied ¡°Ah sorry, its just the pattern and design seemed out of time. Ancient even. But it looks cool though.¡± Batara doesnt have any awareness of fashion so he just took whatever looked convenient. Batara replied ¡°Yeah I thought so too.¡± even though he didnt know what Klaus was talking about.


    Klaus then said ¡°Oh I just remembered what I wanted to talk about. Lets meet up again here and form a party to do a quest together in a week.¡± Batara asked, ¡°In a week?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yeah, I still need to finish my training with my father¡¯s acquaintance before I can go adventuring.¡± Klaus continued ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Klaus was so confident that Batara would still be available for partying up in a week that it made Batara feel a little offended. Batara once again take a look at the group of adventurers talking to Klaus earlier and said to Klaus ¡°Are you sure?¡± Klaus immediately replied in high spirit ¡°Alright! Its settled then. And dont worry, I¡¯ll bring other adventurers with me so we can do a quest immediately.¡± Before Batara could say anything Klaus continued ¡°See you in a week, Bats!¡± and leave. Batara was speechless and didnt know what just happened. However, Batara went along as he was sure that he wont be able to find a party either after what happened on his evaluation earlier.


    After his meeting with Klaus, Batara went to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Board to check on the available quests as he was low on money. While looking at the board, Batara noticed that almost all of the available quests require a party of at least 2 E rank adventurers. So he decided to ask the guild staff about which quest can be done alone. He entered the Adventurer¡¯s Guild lobby and approached one of the staff standing behind the counter.


    Along the way, Batara heard other adventurers talking behind his back about how he is almost deemed as unfit and should just give up on being an adventurer if he values his life. Batara felt sick in his gut listening to them, but he also knew all too well that they were only stating the facts, so he decided to put on his hood to avoid attention and walked past them. The guild counter was not far from the door, but somehow Batara felt like he''d been walking for ages. The guild staff greeted Batara ¡°Welcome to Quarzith Adventurer¡¯s Guild, my name is Cylia, how can I help?¡± Batara showed the adventurer tattoo on his hand and asked ¡°I-is there a q-uest for so-solo adventurer?¡± as he stuttered nervously. Cylia noticed Batara¡¯s being weird and replied in concern ¡°A-are you cold? Why are you trembling?¡± Batara replied ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± Cylia decided to let the matter go since she had her fair share of talking with weird adventurers. Cylia continued ¡°Oh right youre asking about quest to do solo. Please show me your adventurer¡¯s license.¡± Batara materialized his adventurer license from his hand and hand it over to her. Cylia checked the card and then said ¡°For E rank there is only one quest you can do solo which is the General Collection Quest. You just need to collect some items and give them to us. The pay will be based on how much items you collected. Do you want to take this?¡± Batara quickly replied ¡°Yes.¡± Cylia replied ¡°Alright I¡¯ll register it to your license. The deadline is by the end of tomorrow.¡± Cylia handed over Batara¡¯s license and list of items to him. Batara replied ¡°Thanks.¡± left immediately. The list of items Batara received has the location information for each item to be collected, so he followed it using his map.


    After walking for one hour, Batara finally reached the location for his quest which is a grove with a small village beside it at the west of Quarzith. Thankfully he didnt get lost because he remembered how to navigate the map like Isha taught her. He went into the grove and started gathering the items for his quest which are luna leaves, elder root, and moonlit petals which seemed to be used for alchemy. There are also request for some inferior monster cores such as slimes, furloom (a jumping small furry monster), and shroomite (a small mushroom monster with legs) which can be found in Groves. After gathering a bunch of items, Batara decided to hunt some monster cores since it gave more money based on the list.


    Inferior monsters vanished and turned into cores when killed. This monster core can be turned back into monster parts by simply putting it into an alchemy circle. This process made transporting easier and the parts stayed fresh longer.


    Since Batara didnt have that much stamina to chase around inferior monsters, he drew mana lines on the ground to prepare a utility magic ¡°Pitfall!¡± that creates a hole inside the lines when casted. He then put some monster bait he made inside the lines before he went into hiding. After a while, inferior monsters started to gather around the bait. Before the bait ran out, Batara casted his utility skill ¡°Pitfall!¡± and the ground where the monsters stood fell down creating a hole. Batara then approached the hole and casted ¡°Flame Flicker!¡± to make fire sparks followed by a rotating pressure creating a burst of fire that burned the monsters inside. The inferior monsters slowly reduced to ashes leaving only the monster cores behind. Setting up traps proved to be effective for collecting inferior monster cores but it consumed too much of Batara¡¯s mana. After doing the same strategy one more time, Batara was already low on mana. Since the sun was already set, Batara decided to call it a day and stay at the village near the grove.


    Batara entered the village with a sign that read ¡°Cedar Village¡±. Batara searched for an inn to stay the night. The village is quiet and there is only a small number of people and adventurers around. Batara liked it because compared to Quarzith, which is very crowded, this village gave him a peace of mind and the natural scenery of the grove is not bad at all. After looking around, Batara found a small inn in the village. As he entered the inn there is a small bell chiming and the innkeeper who was serving drinks for the customers greeted Batara ¡°Welcome to Cedar Inn. Please wait at the reception desk there.¡± Batara nodded and put on his hood. Batara didnt notice when he was outside but the inn turns out to be also a tavern and villagers are drinking and eating there. However, it didnt bothered Batara so much because they are not loud and mind their own businesses.


    The innkeeper then came to the reception table and attended to Batara ¡°It looks like you are an adventurer. Its rare to see adventurers around here. You must be new then.¡± The innkeeper seemed to be the type that tries to get close to people quickly. Batara replied nervously ¡°Y-yes I am.¡± The innkeeper replied ¡°Great! What can I do for you?¡± Batara replied ¡°A room and a meal.¡± Batara paused a little before saying ¡°Please.¡± The innkeeper handed Batara his room key and replied ¡°Here is the key to your room and I will give you the meal on the house since there is only left over. The total will be 1 silver.¡± Batara was surprised by how cheap it is compared to Quarzith. He was glad that he got enough money to cover the inn. The innkeeper continued, ¡°The only food left is skewers. Is that okay?¡± Batara nodded and sit at the vacant table in the corner.


    Shortly after, the innkeeper brought Batara his meal and said ¡°Here you go.¡± Skewers and a side of small bread were served on the plate. The skewer is made from cockatrice meat, pepper, onion, and mushroom. Batara took a first bite and the oily ingredients suddenly rushed through his mouth carrying a strong flavour. He then took a bite of the bread to complement the strong flavour. It tasted very good but felt unhealthy as well. Batara finished his plate and gave some to Nyx before he went to his room. Before he slept, he thought about how he cannot keep depending on Klaus for an adventurer party. He also cannot keep doing solo general collection quests as it doesnt increase his adventurer¡¯s rank. As such, he decided that tomorrow he will try to search for a party in Quarzith.

 Circus of the Narcissist

    The next day, Batara woke up a little late and prepared to head out to collect items a little more before walking back to Quarzith. When he was about to reach the inn¡¯s door, the innkeeper reached out to him in panic ¡°Hey young man! You¡¯re an adventurer right?¡± Batara was surprised at being called out all of a sudden and just nodded in response. The innkeeper continued ¡°Please help search for my son. He said he was going to hunt in the Grove but he hasnt returned since dawn. Dont worry, I will pay you when you get back.¡± Batara hesitated because he is not very confident in going deep into the Grove alone. Seeing Batara¡¯s hesitated, the innkeeper said ¡°Dont worry Pamme will go with you. He is also an adventurer staying here.¡± The innkeeper continued ¡°Adventurers must work in a party right?¡± The innkeeper was correct but this is not an official quest. However, Batara was really tight on money so he decided to take up the request and said ¡° I will try. But dont get your hopes up.¡± The innkeeper replied with a delighted face ¡°Thank you adventurer. My son¡¯s usual hunting spot is 20 minutes walk northwest from the grove entrance.¡± The innkeeper continued ¡°Pamme is right outside the inn door. Please bring back my son.¡± Batara nodded and left.


    Right after Batara opened the inn door, there is a Beastman about his age with a bow on his back leaning against the wall. Batara asked ¡°Are you Pamme?¡± Pamme noticed Batara and replied in high spirit ¡°Yes I am! Oh you must be the other adventurer the innkeeper talked about. What¡¯s your name?¡± Batara felt nervous by Pamme¡¯s overly friendly way of talking and replied ¡°Batara.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Batara? Thats too long, I will call you Tara instead.¡± Batara didnt mind and nodded in reply. Pamme continued ¡°You dont look strong, are you really an adventurer?¡± Thankfully Batara was used to this kind of comment already. Pamme is the type of person who is nosy and straightforward. He also lack the capability to read the room. Batara showed his adventurer tattoo to Pamme. Pamme showed his hand too and replied ¡°Oh we have the same mark. We Beastmen have sharp senses and your aura seemed a bit underwhelming for an adventurer hehe.¡± Batara didnt understand what Pamme was talking about but he let it go since he talked too much. Batara then replied ¡°Lets go, we dont have much time.¡± and walked away. Pamme replied ¡°Hmm not much of a talker do you? Okay, but are you sure you want to lead the way? Ive been staying here for a while¡± Batara stopped and thought about his bad sense of direction. He then said ¡°Okay, You lead.¡± Pamme walked to the front while giggling mischievously.


    The two headed to the Grove and walked northwest as instructed by the innkeeper. After walking deeper into the Grove, cockatrices and deers started to appear. Batara thought this must be the place where the innkeeper¡¯s son hunted. Pamme said to Batara ¡°hey I think we¡¯re close, I found the innkeeper¡¯s son¡¯s tracks leading there.¡± Batara looked in the direction of Pamme''s pointing but saw nothing. Seeing Batara¡¯s confused face Pamme said ¡°Dont worry, Beastman like me have sharp senses that made me an expert in tracking. I can spot anomalies in any environment.¡± Pamme continued ¡°How long have you been an adventurer any way?¡± Batara replied ¡°Just yesterday.¡± Pamme giggled and replied ¡°Kikiki, figures! I have been an adventurer for 4 months already, that makes me your senior!¡± Batara wondered why he was still in the beginner''s place, but he didnt ask further, thinking its a hassle. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction Pamme nagged him and said ¡°Hey dont ignore me.¡±


    The two continued walking. After a while, Pamme stopped as he noticed the track changed and said ¡°Here, from here on it looks like a person was being dragged.¡± The two started to walk slowly in caution following the dragged track but it disappeared just before a big bush. Pamme then said ¡°wait, I sense some creatures walking around.¡± Pamme then swiftly jumped onto a tree and looked from above. There is a goblin settlement with around 10 goblins walking around and a small cave behind it. Pamme then came down from the tree and told Batara what he saw. Batara was amazed by how swiftly pamme can move around the trees. Pamme then said to Batara ¡°Hey, I have a plan. I will attract their attention while you rush into the cave to get the innkeeper¡¯s son.¡± Batara¡¯s surprised by how reckless Pamme¡¯s plan was. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction Pamme quickly continued ¡°Dont worry! I was in a circus, I know best how to attract attention.¡±


    Batara went silent and thought for a while. However, Pamme suddenly said ¡°Okay no time to waste! Lets go!¡± Pamme then jumped back onto the tree and shot one of his arrows to the goblin¡¯s head. Batara was startled by Pamme¡¯s sudden action and since he didnt have time to think, he just proceeded with Pamme¡¯s reckless plan. Pamme then casted his arte ¡°Elusive Taunting!¡± and started to perform acrobatics with a very distracting colorful aura. The goblins'' attention started to be directed at Pamme and they started to rush towards him. While the goblins were chasing Pamme, Batara ran towards the cave and enchant his weapon with ¡°Gust Blow!¡±. Batara arrived inside the cave, where there were several goblins waiting. The goblins suddenly noticed Batara and ran towards him. Since the goblins'' movements are predictable, Batara successfully sent them flying with Gust Blow and ran forward to find the innkeeper¡¯s son. Shortly after, Batara found the goblin¡¯s lair and the innkeeper¡¯s son was tied in a cell made from bamboo.


    However, there is a red hobgoblin holding a club while guarding the cell. The red hobgoblin is bigger than normal goblins but still has short feet. Batara tried to hide, but the red hobgoblin had already noticed his presence. The red hobgoblin then quickly swung his club towards Batara. Batara immediately defended with his scepter causing both him and the red hobgoblin to be knocked back due to Gust Blow. The red hobgoblin immediately regained his footing and did a follow up attack. Batara quickly casted ¡°Wind Leap!¡± to evade its attack. The red hobgoblin was faster than the other goblins Batara fought earlier. Since the red hobgoblin has short feet Batara devised a plan to entrap it. Batara kept evading using Wind Leap while drawing mana lines around the red hobgoblin to cast his Pitfall magic.


    After evading for some time Batara was able to drew the mana lines and casted ¡°Pitfall!¡± The ground below the red hobgoblin quickly got pushed down creating a hole. The red hobgoblin fell hard into the hole and shouted in pain. Seeing the red hobgoblin was furious and ready to jump back up, Batara took a step back. After using several magic, Batara¡¯s mana was already depleted by half so he cannot do the same strategy again. However, when the red hobgoblin jumped from the pit, an arrow struck one of his eyes. Pamme then shouted from behind ¡°Pamme the great come to the rescue!¡± as he was hanging upside down on the cave ceiling. The red hobgoblin got more furious and started to chase Pamme. Batara then attacked the red hobgoblin from behind and Pamme kept shooting his arrows while jumping around. The two kept attacking but the damages were not enough to kill the red hobgoblin. Pamme shouted to Batara ¡°Tara! I¡¯m almost out of arrows!¡± Pamme continued, ¡°My arrows are not strong enough to pierce its body!¡± Hearing what Pamme said, Batara got an idea and told Pamme ¡°Switch with me and save your shot until I tell you to!¡± Batara ran to the edge of the pitfall he made earlier and enchanted ¡°Gust Blow!¡± on his weapon.


    Pamme lured the red hobgoblin to Batara and jumped high right in front of him. The red hobgoblin swung his club furiously but Batara used all of his power to counter with his enchanted scepter and push the red hobgoblin into the pitfall. Batara then casted his magic ¡°Gust Vortex!¡± creating a horizontal vortex made of wind and rotating pressure in front of Pamme. Pamme noticed what Batara was doing and prepared to shoot his arrow. Batara shouted ¡°Now Pamme!¡±. Pamme casted his Arte ¡°Piercing Shot!¡± as he shot his arrow through the vortex. The moment Pamme¡¯s arrow touched the vortex, a loud screeching sound was made followed by the arrow launched with the speed of sound. The arrow rotated and pierced right through the red hobgoblin¡¯s head before destroying the ground where it landed. The red hobgoblin instantly died and vanished leaving its monster core on the ground.


    Pamme laid on the ground and said ¡°The show finally ended!¡± as if he was closing a circus. He then said while out of breath ¡°Fuhh, I¡¯m exhausted! Can you check on our guest star?¡± Pamme pointed to the innkeeper¡¯s son in the cell. Batara nodded and walked to the cell. After all that, Batara still had some mana left making him able to avoid mana depletion, probably because of the Hood of Facade he¡¯s wearing. The innkeeper¡¯s son was stripped of all of his equipment and his hands were tied behind his back. He was still breathing even though he¡¯s unconscious with bruises all over his body. Batara tried waking him up and his eyes opened slowly. The innkeeper¡¯s son said ¡°I¡¯m still alive¡­ Thank you for saving me.¡± with tears running down his eyes and trembling body. Batara took whats left of his equipment and brought it to him to wear. Batara then helped him get up while saying ¡°Your mother¡¯s worried about you.¡± The innkeeper¡¯s son nodded and replied ¡°hu-um, she must be.¡± Batara asked, ¡°can you walk?¡± The innkeeper¡¯s son nodded. Seeing him limping while he walked, Batara supported him with his shoulder and the two walked to Pamme. Pamme then got up and said ¡°You guys ready to go back?¡± The two nodded. Pamme continued ¡°Okay dont forget to pick up the monster core.¡± Batara showed him the red hobgoblin core which has a glowing red color and is three times the size of the normal goblin¡¯s core. Pamme replied ¡°Good. I have picked up all the other goblins'' cores so lets go!¡±


    The three walked outside the cave and headed back to Cedar Village. While walking back Pamme asked the innkeeper¡¯s son ¡°Whats your name boy?¡± The innkeeper¡¯s son replied ¡°I¡¯m Marco Sore.¡± Pamme continued ¡°How did you end up in that situation?¡± Marco replied ¡°I was out hunting by myself when a red hobgoblin suddenly appeared and ganged up on me with the other goblins¡± Pamme replied ¡°Whoa you¡¯re hunting alone? Isnt that dangerous?¡± Marco replied ¡°Yes. I¡¯m usually accompanied by my father since I am still training. But my father is on an expedition with other hunters and wont be back until next week. So I got ahead of myself and tried hunting alone since I have been training for a while. The last thing I know I was saved by¡­ you two.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Whoops forgot to introduce myself. My name¡¯s Pamme the Great Acrobat. An ex circus member and now a wandering adventurer.¡± Pamme then pointed to Batara and said ¡°This mute¡¯s name is Tara. He is a mysterious being from an underworld that got his voice stolen by a giant octopus.¡± Batara got irritated and said, ¡°Shut up, I''m not mute.¡± Pamme giggled and said ¡°kikiki, So you¡¯re not denying you came from the underworld then?¡± Batara gave up and sighed in response. After hearing the two, Marco giggled and felt more relaxed. Marco then said to Batara ¡°I¡¯m okay now I can walk on my own. Thanks uhmm Tara.¡± Batara nodded and replied ¡°My name¡¯s Batara.¡± Marco nodded.


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    After walking for a while, the three finally arrived at Cedar Village¡¯s inn. Seeing her son all roughed up, the innkeeper rushed to hug him while crying and said ¡°Oh Marco my Marco! What happened to you??¡± Marco replied ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother. I was out hunting and It was so sudden.¡± The innkeeper replied ¡°I told you to be careful. Thank god you came back in one piece. Lets take you to a priest to get healed.¡± The innkeeper was very furious earlier but the moment she saw her son, her expression softened as if she knew what he¡¯s been through. Batara noticed how different it was from how his family treated him, but he didnt envy it, he just noticed that its different. The innkeeper then turned to Batara and Pamme ¡°Thank you adventurers. I will forever be grateful for you saving my son!¡± The innkeeper continued ¡°Here are your rewards!¡± The innkeeper handed 1 gold coin each to Batara and Pamme. Pamme said ¡°Wow gold coin? thanks a lot ma¡¯am!¡± The innkeeper replied ¡°Its still worth far less than my son¡¯s life. Unfortunately thats all I can give you at the moment. So the next time you visit Cedar Village be sure to drop by my inn, I will give you both free stay!¡± The innkeeper continued ¡°My name¡¯s Margaret. Be sure to visit my inn next time!¡± Margaret left the inn.


    Pamme and Batara then left the inn after Margaret. Just outside the inn, Batara remembered about the red hobgoblin¡¯s core he took and pick it up from his pocket. Batara showed the core to Pamme and asked ¡°How should we split this red hobgoblin¡¯s core?¡± Pamme¡¯s confused and replied ¡°Split it? You¡¯re the one who took it no?¡± Batara replied ¡°Yes but you¡¯re the one who killed it.¡± Pamme was surprised by how naive Batara¡¯s statement was and replied ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me. My arrow won''t even leave a dent without your weird magic.¡± Batara kept trying to point out his incapability and replied ¡°But-¡° Pamme interrupted him and said ¡°Nope. Finder¡¯s Keeper. You keep that red hobgoblin¡¯s core and I will keep the rest of the goblins core. Fair enough?¡± Batara didnt know the comparison between the two cores but since Pamme insisted he nodded in agreement. Pamme then said ¡°Now that its settled lets go back to Quarzith.¡± Batara was confused by Pamme suddenly being familiar, asking him to go together and replied ¡°No. I¡¯ll go back alone.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Aww, dont be like that. We are a party right?¡± while massaging Batara. Batara replied ¡°Temporary!¡± Pamme then put on a serious face and said ¡°Look, I know why you¡¯re here. You cant find a party to do quests right?¡± Pamme continued ¡°Besides, we did a great job as a team fighting that goblins earlier.¡± As much as Batara hated being around Pamme, he thought that Pamme¡¯s words were spot on. Pamme was outstanding in combat which made Batara wonder why he was still here when he received his adventurer license ahead of Batara.


    Batara couldnt contain his curiosity and finally asked ¡°Why are you still here then?¡± Pamme squinted his eyes and replied mockingly ¡°Oho, someone¡¯s interested in me.¡± Batara quickly replied ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Oi no I was joking! Sheesh.¡± Batara stopped as Pamme continued ¡°But it is kind of a long story so lets talk while we walked back to Quarzith. Shall we?¡± Batara sighed and nodded.


    The two finally left Cedar village for Quarzith. Pamme then told his story to Batara ¡°So about your question. You must come from a city far from Quarzith if you dont know about this yet. It is still hard for a Beastman like me to find an adventurer party since not very long ago Beastmen were still considered slaves. Only after a Beastman named ¡°Kai¡± became an S rank adventurer that we are starting to be acknowledged as equal with humans. However, until this day there are still humans treating our kind as slaves. Thats why I went to Cedar Village for general collection quest since I cant find anyone who want to form a party.¡± Batara felt sorry for his situation and said ¡°Sorry I didnt know.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Dont be, it is what it is. I was too once a slave in a circus with my sister named Rannae. However, even though we are slaves, our owner was kind to us so we didnt complain. Until one day, a member of the circus sold our location off to another slave trader. We were ambushed by the slave trader and his lackeys at night. Our owner was killed and we ran as fast as we could. But my sister got caught by one of the lackeys. I tried to get my sister back but the slave trader shot his fire magic on me. So I ran in fear. I always regretted letting my sister taken because I was so weak. So now, I decided to be an adventurer to become stronger and gather enough money to buy back my sister.¡± Batara was surprised by how tragic Pamme¡¯s backstory was despite his cheerful demeanor. But Batara was not sure how to react since he just met him and if anything, Pamme could just made that story up to win Batara¡¯s favor. Out of curiosity Batara asked ¡°Do you know where your sister is now?¡± Pamme replied ¡°Yes. I heard that she¡¯s being sold by an underground slave trader in Quarzith. I have researched how much a slave costs and I should be able to buy her back in the near future.¡± Batara didnt entirely believe Pamme¡¯s story because who would just go around and tell such a tragic story to a stranger. However, Batara replied out of courtesy ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    Pamme was a little irritated of Batara¡¯s dry response after he told him his long story. However he brushed it off and asked Batara instead ¡°How about you Tar? Why do you want to become an adventurer?¡± Batara went silent for a while and said ¡°Maybe later Pamme.¡± Pamme replied with an annoyed tone ¡°WHAAAT! Thats not fair. I told you my full story.¡± Batara replied ¡°That¡¯s on you.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Cih, its like talking against a wall. I bet you got no friends.¡± Batara felt attacked. After walking for two hours the two arrived at Quarzith and headed straight to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The two submitted the items they collected for the general collection quest to the guild staff who happened to be Cylia. Batara got a total of 1 gold from the adventurer¡¯s guild because he gathered quite a lot of monster cores and plants. Pamme got a total of 1 gold and 5 silver since he gathered a lot more than Batara. Pamme looked at Batara with a bragging face but Batara didnt care and just turned his face.


    Pamme then reported about their encounter with a red hobgoblin in the Grove to Cylia. Cylia replied in surprise ¡°A red hobgoblin in Cedar Grove? It seemed out of place if you are telling the truth. Red Hobgoblin usually roams further away where D rankers hunt.¡± Batara then showed her the red hobgoblin¡¯s core. Cylia immediately checked it before saying ¡°It is indeed a red hobgoblin¡¯s core. Did the two of you manage to defeat one?¡± Batara and Pamme nodded in approval. Cylia replied ¡°Well that¡¯s impressive given you both are newbies. But I guess its possible if its just one.¡± Cylia¡¯s tone suddenly turned serious as she said ¡°However, next time, dont get ahead of yourself and assess the situation carefully before you rush into things. We dont need any more dead bodies than there already are. Understand?¡± Both Batara and Pamme were terrified of Cylia¡¯s warning and nodded in approval. Turns out the Adventurer¡¯s Guild took the adventurer¡¯s vow more seriously than Batara¡¯s thought.


    Cylia¡¯s tone turned back to normal as she continued ¡°But we cant buy this core from you since there is no E ranked quest for it. We will investigate the matter on our own and if what you said was true we will compensate you two with investigation fee and achievement, since you two discovered and eliminated potential danger.¡± Batara nodded and Pamme said ¡°I understand.¡± before the two left the reception desk.


    After getting their rewards, Pamme said to Batara ¡°Hey Tara, how about my offer earlier for the party?¡± Batara went silent to think. Seeing Batara had a pensive look on his face, Pamme put on a sad face and said to Batara ¡°You wont abandon me like other humans right?¡± Batara immediately regretted his decision to listen to Pamme¡¯s background story earlier. Since Batara had an agenda himself to form a party, he sighed and finally said ¡°Fine lets form a party.¡± Pamme tapped Batara¡¯s shoulder and said ¡°Kikiki there you go! You¡¯re so easy to persuade.¡± Batara only shook his head in response. As the sun was almost set, the two decided to head back and return tomorrow morning at the guild. Batara needed to stock up on supplies and Pamme said he had a side entertaining job at night with a shady look on his face. Batara did not dare to ask further. He just thought to himself ¡°how dare he use his race issue to make me feel bad but go around using it to his advantage.¡±


    Batara then headed to the market district to buy some supplies. He remembered that Ikki had a store in the merchant district so he headed there. The moment Batara arrived at Ikki¡¯s store and opened the door, a bell rang and Ikki quickly greeted ¡°Welcome to- oh its you Batara.¡± Batara just nodded in response. Ikki said to Batara ¡°Its good to see you! What can I do for you?¡± Batara awkwardly browsed around the store leaving Ikki talking to himself. Ikki then said in a low voice with an annoyed face ¡°He ignored me huh?¡± then said to Batara in a normal voice ¡°Feel free to look around. I¡¯ll be here at the cashier.¡± Batara nodded while his eyes were still looking at the goods. After browsing for a while Batara finally approached Ikki and handed him several items he wanted to buy. Ikki checked the goods and said ¡°lesser potions, lesser mana potions, mana polishing stone, and magic cleaning scroll.¡± Since Ikki aware that Batara is not from Quarzith he asked him to make sure ¡°Do you know what mana polishing stone and magic cleaning scroll are?¡± Batara shook his head and said ¡°I only read the names.¡± Ikki sighed and said ¡°I figured as much. You¡¯re lucky I am your merchant or else you will get swindled easily.¡± Ikki explained to Batara ¡°These items are commonly sold in Quarzith. The mana polishing stone is a stone that can restore both magical and physical weapon durability to a certain degree by only rubbing it against the weapon once. The stone will be destroyed upon use. This one, is a magic scroll. It can store one spell that can be casted once by infusing mana. Since it cannot contain strong spells, people only use it for casting small scale convenient utility skills that adventurers wont bother learning. This one for example, the magic cleaning spell that will clean your equipment in a small range.¡± Batara thought that these items are very convenient, especially the magic cleaning scroll since he didnt know there was magic for that. Batara replied to Ikki ¡°Thank you for explaining.¡± Ikki replied ¡°All good, just make sure to ask first next time.¡± Batara nodded.


    Ikki started counting the prices and said to Batara ¡°your total is 4 silver and 5 copper. Dont worry I¡¯m giving you the best prices compared to other merchant since you are a friend.¡± Batara replied with a simple ¡°Thanks¡± and hand over the money to Ikki. Ikki then asked ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±. Batara suddenly remembered about the red hobgoblin¡¯s core in his pocket. He picked it up and showed it to Ikki ¡°I want to sell this.¡± Ikki replied ¡°Let me see.¡± Ikki picked up an identifying item and got surprised ¡°This is a red hobgoblin¡¯s core. Where did you get this?¡± Batara replied ¡°A companion and I defeated it in Cedar Grove.¡± Ikki got more surprised and shouted ¡°Cedar Grove!? Isnt that supposed to be a place for beginners?!¡± Batara only raised his arms gesturing he didnt know as well. Ikki sighed in disbelief but since its Batara who¡¯s talking, he must be telling the truth. Since Batara¡¯s seemed very reluctant to explain further Ikki didnt pry further and said ¡°You seem to keep running into unexpected things. Red hobgoblins are usually hunted by D rank adventurer¡¯s Party. Their cores fetch a decent price even among upper adventurers.¡± Ikki continued ¡°Its usually sold for 2 golds, but I can only give you 1 gold and 5 silver at the moment, so I will give you an item to compensate for it. Is that okay?¡± Batara nodded as he didnt expect it to be worth that much in the first place.


    Ikki said ¡°Okay wait here.¡± as he looked around the back of his shop for a while. Ikki then returned to Batara while handing over a belt with a unique design and a small magic bag attached to Batara. Ikki said ¡°Here you go. A magic toolbelt. It is a prototype made by my late grandfather who was a magic item artificer. Its been put up for sale for a while but nobody seemed to be interested so I took it down. Probably because of its imperfect enchantment.¡± Batara actually liked the belt¡¯s design but out of curiosity he asked Ikki ¡°What¡¯s the enchantment?¡± Ikki explained ¡°The belt is enchanted with Leprechaun¡¯s essence that can make your body lighter when infused with mana. But nobody seemed to be able to adjust it correctly and ended up floating, unable to move. Other than that, I think the design is pretty cool right? It was made from a Phylus Antler¡¯s hide.¡± Without hesitation, Batara accepted it and said ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Thanks.¡± Ilki replied ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Please come again!¡± As Batara left the store Ikki talked to himself while smiling ¡°I might really hit the jackpot when I met those three.¡±

 The Band of Constant Mayhem

    Since Batara hasnt eaten, he decided to splurge a little and bought a good quality meat and other ingredients on his way back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie. Upon arriving at Lorelai¡¯s Reverie, Batara walked up to the reception desk to found that Isha was invested in reading her book as usual. Batara then talked to Isha ¡°Hi I would like to-¡° before Batara finished his sentence Isha jumped a little in shock, dropped her book, but managed to catch her glasses. Batara was impressed that she managed to catch one thing this time. Isha said ¡°I-I-m verry sorry I didnt notice you coming in!¡± Batara waved his hand gesturing that he didnt mind and said ¡°I want to prolong my stay here for a week.¡± Isha replied ¡°Sure. Since you are staying for 1 week the price will be discounted for 1 silver per night.¡± Batara thought that its a very good deal since its the same price with the inn back at Obenvale. Batara then handed her the coins. Isha replied ¡°Thank you.¡± Batara was about to go to his room when Isha called him and said ¡°Hey, the book in the library just got restocked. Just letting you know if you¡¯re interested.¡± Isha remembered Batara looked interested when she first mentioned the library to him so she thought that maybe Batara is a kindred soul who loves to read books. Batara replied ¡°Thanks I will check later.¡± Batara hasnt got a chance to use the library even though he always liked to read books.


    The reason Batara was into books is because the only memory he has of his mother before she fell ill was when she taught him how to read a book. He didnt remember much else about his childhood, but its the only memory he recalled that isnt all that bad.


    Batara then headed back to his room to put his stuff before heading to the kitchen to cook. He cooked his meat on a pan and with some herbs and butter. He then drizzled it with some wine sauce he bought. After he finished cooking, he served the cooked meat on a plate and put a piece of bread beside it. He then put his plate on the table in front of the library and browsed the library¡¯s bookshelves before eating. Almost all the books in the library looked old as if they were used for a long time. He then found a book that piqued his interest titled ¡°Anomalies of Mana¡±. The book looked really old and worn out and the title was almost unreadable. Batara then picked up the book and returned to his table. The moment Batara¡¯s turned to his table, Isha was already standing looking at Batara¡¯s food with a drool on her face. Batara then asked Isha ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Isha gasped a little and replied ¡°I-I-m Sorry! Not at a all I have eaten earlier. It just looked so appetizing I couldnt help but stare.¡± Batara then replied ¡°Okay.¡± he was actually glad because he didnt have any leftover this time. Seeing Batara was holding a book, Isha commented ¡°I¡¯m sorry the books here are all in bad shape. Its the book that were supposed to be disposed from Quarzith main library to clear up space. But it got put here instead since I requested a friend of mine who works there.¡± Batara replied ¡°I see.¡± Isha then noticed Batara was still standing listening to her talk and said ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry to bother you while you eat. I only came here to return my book.¡± Batara replied ¡°Its okay.¡± then sat on the edge of the table.


    Batara proceed to eat while slowly reading his book. He has read a lot of books on magic back in Obenvale, but this is the first time he saw the book on Anomalies of Magic. After reading through the whole book Batara learned some new unconventional things. First, he learned that meditation while thinking something peaceful can make his mana output more efficient. But, meditation while thinking things that trigger emotion can make him able to withstand Mana Depletion better and even create a new mana pool after his current mana is empty. This new mana pool is called ¡°Sakthi¡±. The correct use of this technique may reduce and delay the backlash of Mana Depletion. However, the book mentioned that if Sakthi is used just a little too much, it could cause his body to shut down. This phenomenon is called Sankthi and is marked by the sudden change of hair and eye color. Batara understood why it is called an anomaly and nobody ever mentioned it in modern times.


    The second thing he learned is about Mana Marking. The concept is apply mana residue and cast magic from where the mana residue landed. However it is very complex as it requires a person to be able to actually ¡°see¡± the mana. Batara thought that it was too vague and complicated to learn. The book mentioned practicing by casting a magic coated by another magic which is named ¡°Magic Coating¡± then use your imagination to form it as desired and target it to an object to create ¡°Mana Marking.¡±. The instructions are vague and hard to follow but Batara was still interested because it can be applied with any type of magic including utility.


    By the time Batara finished reading and eating, it was already midnight. Batara was about to ask Isha more about the book he just read but Isha has left the reception table. So he went to his room and sleep. The next morning he woke up a little later than usual and headed straight to the Adventurer Guild to meet Pamme. By the time he arrived, Pamme had already been waiting beside the quest board. Pamme noticed Batara and immediately smacked his shoulder and said ¡°Oi Ive been waiting for hours where have you been!?¡± Pamme actually arrived just 10 minutes before Batara, he was late too but got lucky since Batara overslept. Batara didnt react to Pamme¡¯s smack and only replied ¡°Sorry, I overslept.¡± Pamme was annoyed by Batara¡¯s unbothered reaction and sighed. Pamme then said ¡°Here I have picked some quests for us.¡± Pamme pointed to a quest on the board. Batara was surprised and replied ¡°Wyverns? That monster is too strong¡­ it even requires a B rank party.¡± Pamme then replied ¡°Cih how about this one?¡± Batara replied ¡°Its a one month expedition A rank adventurers. We obviously cant.¡± Pamme then replied ¡°Okay this one then. This one¡¯s gotta be good.¡± Batara starting to regret his decision of forming a party with Pamme. Batara sighed and replied ¡°Its a job vacancy for guild reception. You need to work for a month to get that.¡± Pamme was frustrated and said ¡°Agh, what are we supposed to do then. Those are the highest paying quests.¡± As expected, Pamme only saw the reward of the quest. Batara took over and browsed the quest board himself. He then pointed to a quest and said ¡°Here. A Faerie subjugation in the village south from Quarzith. It is not that far away and requires a minimum of 2 E rank adventurers.¡± Pamme replied ¡°But the reward is soo small¡­¡± Batara replied ¡°But we wont die from it¡± Pamme sighed and replied ¡°I guess its better than nothing then.¡±


    The two then register the quest to the adventurer guild staff. The guild staff said to them ¡°Looks like this is your first time taking a posted quest.¡± Batara nodded while Pamme suddenly quiet. The guild staff continued ¡°Okay, let me explain how it works. I will give you a magic scroll containing the quest information. After you have completed the quest, go ask the requester to infuse their mana on the magic scroll and return it to us for proof of completion. That¡¯s all, do you understand?¡± Batara nodded. Pamme took the magic scroll while holding the guild staff hands gently and replied seductively ¡°Nevermind that lady, do I know you from somewhere? You seem familiar.¡± The guild staff replied matching Pamme¡¯s energy ¡°Ofcourse you¡¯d remember me. We had fun that night no? But I¡¯m working right now.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Oh silly me ofcourse I will never forget that night. Ms¡­?¡± The guild staff replied ¡°You dont even bother to remember my name. Your friend has left you know.¡± Pamme replied ¡°I know. I need to get going then.¡± Pamme kissed the guild staff¡¯s hand and said ¡°See you when I see you.¡± The guild staff replied ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Batara left because he cannot handle hearing the flirtatious talk anymore. Pamme said ¡°Sorry to make you uncomfortable pal, she was one of my night job Clients.¡± Batara replied ¡°I didnt mind. I¡¯m just getting some air.¡± The fact that Batara lied made Pamme glad because Batara was considerate enough of what he do. However, Pamme took that chance to annoy Batara instead. Throughout the quest Pamme deliberately told Batara and joked around about that guild staff and what they did. Batara regretted his decision to ever act considerate towards Pamme. The two then finished the quest and returned to Quarzith Adventurer¡¯s guild before sundown. Pamme then said to Batara that he needed to prepare for his night job and wont be able to go on a quest tomorrow. So as Batara really needed a break from Pamme and his entire being, he decided to meet again with Pamme at the same time he was supposed to meet Klaus. Pamme got over exaggeratedly surprised to hear that Batara had a friend and looked forward to meeting Klaus. The two then went separately.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    For the rest of the week, Batara decided to practice Mana Marking while doing general collection quests to get by. Thankfully the innkeeper at the Cedar Village always let him stay for free during his general collection quest and even gave him free meals occasionally so his money condition was quite good. Batara for a moment thought that he could actually live decently if he kept doing this routine. However, he wouldnt be able to fulfill his ambition which kept him going.


    By the end of the week, Batara was able to cast Magic Coating with his utility magic but still couldnt quite do the forming or targetting part to create Mana Marking. He decided that he will search for more information about it at the main library later when he got time. Since adventuring comes first, Batara went to the Adventurer Guild to meet Klaus and Pamme. The moment Batara entered the Adventurer Guild, Klaus approached him while waving ¡°Oi Bats! Good to see you again!¡± Batara replied ¡°You too Klaus.¡± Then, two figures stood up from the chair and stood beside Klaus. Klaus then introduced them to Batara ¡°Oh right, let me introduce these two. This is Raha, a D rank adventurer and a Barbarian whom I met during my training. And this is, Veera. You should already know her, she is an E rank adventurer Magician. We attend the Adventurer Academy together back at Obenvale.¡± Batara replied nervously ¡°I¡¯m Batara.¡± Raha replied with a strong tone and a wide smile ¡°Hi Kid! Lets work together!" Veera asked Klaus "Klaus, I dont remember seeing him back in Obenvale Magic Academy." Klaus smiled awkwardly and said "Eh really.." Batara remembered that Veera was a girl who always followed Klaus back around all the time back at Obenvale and it seemed that she liked Klaus.


    The atmosphere felt awkward as everyone expected Batara to further introduce himself but he just went silent. Klaus broke the silence and said "So Bats! these are our adventurer party members like I told you before." Batara just nodded in approval. Batara was actually so nervous that he just responded in auto-pilot mode. Suddenly, Pamme appeared behind Batara and said "Hmm so these are your pals Tara." Klaus and his party looked at Pamme in confusion. Pamme then introduced himself to them while bowing "Nice to meet you lady and gents. My name is Pamme the Great Acrobat. An ex-circus member and now a wandering adventurer." Pamme then continued while facing Klaus "You must be Klaus. Tara told me about you. I am Tara''s party member and while I am a mere Beastman, I would like to join the adventurer party too." Klaus replied "Wow what an introduction! Is this really your party Bats?" Batara let out a long sigh before replying "Yes." Pamme said to Batara "Hey whats with that reaction!" Klaus replied to Pamme''s introduction "Ofcourse! Your race doesnt matter, we''ll be happy to have you!" Klaus was surprised that Batara''s acquaintance was very unique, but since Batara confirmed it Klaus chose to trust him. Veera immediately pulled Klaus and asked ¡°Are you sure Klaus?


    Klaus then said "Its settled then, lets register our party and take on a quest." Klaus and the rest of the member then walked up to the adventurer''s guild reception desk and registered their party. The guild''s staff asked "Since your party has more than 2 members, I will need a name to address your party. What would be the name of your party?" Klaus then asked the others "You guys have any idea?" Pamme replied "I know! How about "The Amazing Spectacular Showmen!" Veera replied "Its too over the top and long. I think we should go with a more simple name like "Klaus Party" right Klaus?" Klaus replied awkwardly "Ehh.. I''m not sure using my name-" then Raha suddenly said with a loud voice "WE SHOULD GO WITH "MOUNTAIN BOYS." Veera immediately opposed "Excuse me!? I never lived on a mountain and I''m not even A BOY!" Batara didnt care at all about the name and chose to be silent. However, the other members suddenly stared at him as if they needed someone to choose. Batara then felt uncomfortable and said whatever came to his mind "The Spectacular Klaus". The guild''s staff heard it and said "Okay then so your party''s name would be the Spectacular Klaus?" Klaus immediately rejected and shouted "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! Lets just go with Mountain Dwellers." The guild''s staff replied "Okay it has been recorded. Your party''s name is "Mountain Dwellers." Raha seemed satisfied with the name. Pamme let out a loud laugh and said "HAHAHA what the fuck is that. Its so ridiculous I cant stop laughing. We sounded like literal trolls." Veera said "Hey dont be too rude, Klaus picked that name!" Klaus felt very embarassed and looked at Batara as if it was his fault. Batara just turned his face away.


    After the registration was completed, Klaus asked the guild''s staff "We were about to search for a quest. Do you have any recommendations? The guild''s staff said "Sure. An investigation quest is being posted by our guild, and our guild official party (the officials) who is in charge of it needs more people to help them. The pay would be 1 gold and 5 silver each person. Would you like to take it?" Klaus replied "But will it be okay though? We are still quite new." The guild''s staff replied "Dont worry our guild''s party consisted of higher rank adventurers, they usually just need help to do small tasks while showing the ropes to new adventurers. It will be a good experience for you seeing them in action." Klaus then discussed with the other party member "I¡¯m curious to see high rank adventurers in action. What do you think guys?" Since the pay was good enough, all members agreed. Klaus then said to the guild''s staff "Alright we''ll take on the quest." The guild''s staff replied "Okay I will record your party for the quest. Let me call the officials first, you guys wait here" The guild''s staff walked to the back and came back with three other people. The guild''s staff then said to the Mountain Dwellers party "Thank you for waiting. Here are the officials." The officials, which consisted of 2 men and a woman, took over and introduced themselves. The first one is a male around mid 30s wearing a large sword on his back "Hello my name is Theodore, I''m a B rank adventurer and a knight. I''m the leader of this party. Lets work together!" The second one is a male around late 20s with daggers on his back "Hiya, my name is Russo, I''m a C rank adventurer and a rogue." The last one is a female around late 20s with a staff on her back "Hello everyone I''m Kija, I''m also a C rank adventurer and a magician. I hope you can learn good things from us." The Mountain Dwellers party then introduced themselves too.


    After introducing themselves, Theodore said to the Mountain Dwellers "We will be investigating the Murloc Swamp east from Quarzith since there is a report that a newbie adventurer party was missing there weeks ago. Are you guys ready to head out?" The Mountain Dwellers said that they are ready and Theodore replied "Okay. Since you guys are tasked to accompany us, I will be in charge of command. Is that okay?" The Mountain Dwellers all agreed. Theodore then replied "Great! now lets get going." Theodore has a very strong leadership aura that made everyone trusted him easily. The guild''s party and the Mountain Dwellers head out to the swamp. Batara suddenly remembered that what Theodore said about the quest was similar to Isha''s story about his brother. But since Batara wasnt very sure he decided not to ask until he knows for sure.


    As the party walked to the swamp, Pamme asked Klaus ¡°Hey good lookin¡¯ guy. What do you think about Ms. Kija over there?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Huh? She looks kind.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Not that dummy. I meant her looks. For me, I would rate her 8 out of 10. Her curves are damn bad.¡± Pamme somehow just knew that Klaus had the same playboy aura like him. Klaus caught on what Pamme was trying to do and decided to entertain Pamme ¡°Whaat? Thats too low. She¡¯s like a 9 at least with her mature aura.¡± Pamme felt glad that Klaus understood the assignment and put on a proud face before replying ¡°Now we¡¯re talkin¡¯! How about Veera? She seemed to be into you.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yea she¡¯s pretty. But¡­¡± Pamme was curious and replied ¡°But what?¡± Klaus replied ¡°I dont know man. She¡¯s kind of aggressive for no reason. I just dont feel it.¡± Pamme then laughed and said to Klaus ¡°Hahaha this guy gets it! We should hang around sometimes.¡± Klaus replied ¡°I¡¯m up! Lets go to Malvin¡¯s Tavern later. I¡¯m friends with the owner.¡± Pamme felt excited and replied ¡°Its that famous tavern in southern Quarzith right? Sweet! We could get free drinks and party all night then!¡± Pamme then turned to Batara who had been walking in silence behind them. He quickly wrapped her arms around Batara and said ¡°We three should go together right Tar?!¡± Batara immediately replied ¡°No way.¡± Klaus sighed then said to Pamme while tapping his shoulder ¡°Believe me I tried to invite him a lot of times but he always answered the same.¡± Pamme then wrapped his arms around Klaus'' shoulder too and said ¡°Dont worry I will drag him with my beast strength and make sure we go together! Kikiki.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Haha Good idea!¡± Batara sighed loudly and replied ¡°Please dont. I¡¯d rather die.¡± Veera heard the three talking and immediately ran up to Klaus before saying ¡°Hey dont leave me behind! Lets go together Klaus.¡± Raha also joined in and said ¡°Lets all go together and watch me drink up a whole gallon in one go!¡±


    Batara actually tried his best to avoid getting caught up in the conversation by walking inconspicuously. However, he cant beat Pamme¡¯s sharp senses and got noticed regardless. Despite all that annoying treatment, Batara couldn¡¯t help but feel an odd sense of comfort. It felt really weird for him so he brushed it off and focused on something else.


    The guild¡¯s party who led the way, heard the Mountain Dwellers laughing and sighing loudly in the back. Russo commented ¡°What a cheerful bunch.¡± Kija replied ¡°Haha they remind me of our youthful adventuring days.¡± Russo replied while putting his hand on Theodore¡¯s shoulder ¡°Yeah, before this strict old man showed up.¡± Theodore felt embarrassed and replied ¡°Hey, I can be fun too you know. And I¡¯m not that old!¡± Russo replied ¡°Whatever you said old man.¡± Kija replied ¡°Haha dont be like that Russo. We wouldnt have gone this far in rank without him.¡± Russo replied shortly ¡°Facts.¡± Theodore felt more embarrassed and said ¡°Stop it guys. Flattery will get you nowhere.¡±

 Unrequited by Faith

    After walking for a while, they finally reached the entrance of Murloc Swamp which was covered by a very thick fog. Theodore said ¡°Be careful guys, the fog may disrupt our senses.¡± Russo replied ¡°Relax, its a swamp, of course it is covered with fog.¡± Kija added ¡°I will cast a light magic to make it easier to see through the fog ¡°Illumination!¡± Kija¡¯s light magic radiated through the fog to quite a distance. Kija said ¡°There, nothing to worry about right Theo? Hehe¡± Theodore replied ¡°Thanks Kija. I¡¯m just saying we can never be too careful.¡± Kija and Russo just nodded and went along with Theodore''s worry. Seeing Kija¡¯s light magic, Veera commented ¡°W-wow, high ranking adventurer magic is really on a different level.¡± Kija replied ¡°Dont worry, once you start adventuring, it¡¯ll be no time until you catch up.¡± Veera got her hopes up and replied ¡°Really? Lets quickly finish this and get stronger then!¡± She continued in a low voice ¡°¡­ so that I can support Klaus forever¡­¡± Kija suddenly felt a second hand embarrassment after hearing that. However, she understood how Veera felt.


    Klaus who walked just behind the guild¡¯s party got curious and asked Russo ¡°Hey Russo, Theodore said that the investigation quest was posted weeks ago. How is it only taken care of today?¡± Russo sighed and replied ¡°Let me be blunt with you. There are a lot of investigation quests coming from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild in other cities with higher risk levels. But, we officials dont have that many members to accommodate the quests. So, we got sent out a lot even though we were originally stationed in Quarzith. We have just returned to Quarzith after assisting a neighboring city, hence the quest being handled just now.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Ah, I apologize if I was being rude. That must be hard for you all.¡± Russo just gave a waving hand gesturing that he didnt mind. Kija then added ¡°He¡¯s right. Since this swamp is a place for lower rank adventurers, the quest didnt get prioritized by the guild. And, since the report only said an E rank adventurer party was missing.¡± Kija paused shortly before delivering the truth ¡°You should understand what I¡¯m trying to say right now.¡± Klaus nodded and said ¡°I understand.¡± Theodore added ¡°Even with the guild¡¯s presence, adventurer is still the most risky profession there is.¡±


    Despite all the explanation, Batara¡¯s curiosity still lingered because if not the officials then other adventurers could have handled it as it was a posted quest. But he didnt ask that fearing that it would be more rude to the guild¡¯s party. Until Pamme suddenly asked ¡°Why dont just let other adventurers handle it?¡± Theodore now explained to Pamme ¡°Because of money. Investigation quest usually require experienced adventurers but the money it gives does not compare to what they get doing normal quest in their rank. Us officials get stable income from the guid so we didn¡¯t mind taking any investigation quest.¡± Pamme replied ¡°Well if I were in higher rank I would do too to be honest.¡± Theodore just laughed awkwardly.


    After walking through the swamp for a while, Theodore noticed something and said ¡°Why are there no monsters around when we are this far into the swamp?¡± Russo replied ¡°They probably went hiding. Swamp monsters always do that¡±. Pamme then said ¡°Ugh its suddenly smelled awful.¡± Kija then noticed something and pointed out ¡°Your senses is right Pamme. Look right there.¡± There are corpses ahead of them. The group approached it and started looking around. Veera said ¡°Ugh I¡¯m sorry I really stand the stench. I will wait over there.¡± Veera walked away to a tree. There are a total of 5 corpses with their adventurer equipment still attached. Theodore checked the bodies and said ¡°Yes these corpses match the description of the missing adventurers. Mountain Dwellers, help me extract their adventurer license from their body. I will show you how.¡± The Mountain Dwellers except Veera moved near the corpses. Batara chose the body that matched Isha¡¯s description of Desmond out of curiosity. Theodore explained ¡°Simply channel your mana into their adventurers tattoo and their license will come out.¡± Batara did as instructed and an adventurer license came out of the corpse tattoo as the tattoo vanished. He read the license and it said ¡°Desmond Han. Adventurer Rank E.1¡± Batara thought for sure that the corpse must be Isha''s brother and felt a sudden guilt in his gut. Then everyone collected the licenses and gave them to Theodore. Theodore continued to explain ¡°Good thank you everyone. These licenses will be processed by the Adventurer Guild as it contains the last 3 minutes of the late person¡¯s memory. The guild has specialists for the memory extraction and investigation on the cause of death.¡± Everyone nodded as they understood.


    Pamme suddenly said ¡°Hey, dont the bodies looked weird to you?¡± Theodore replied ¡°Yes there are claw and bite marks. They probably got killed by the Swamp Alligators. Swamp Alligators are not that strong but they hid themselves well and pounced at the right moment.¡± Kija said ¡°Oh you¡¯re right. I will cast a detection skill for safety. ¡°Mana Detection!¡± Mana Detection is one of the utility skills that is commonly learned by mages. It disperses mana to a certain range that detect others¡¯ mana. Kija said ¡°Weird I detect nothing in the area. I thought some monsters were just hiding.¡± Pamme then continued ¡°I meant not the wound marks. But the limbs seemed weird, like its not natural.¡± Russo said ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Russo examined the body from different perspectives and realized something ¡°You¡¯re right. Your sharp senses must have noticed it. It seemed like their limbs had been re-attached somehow.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Thats very creepy. Who wouldve done something like that?¡± Batara got curious and looked at Desmond¡¯s body once again. Batara has handled a dead body once which is her mother¡¯s so he was not that bothered to examine a body. After examining, Batara found something that is similar to a very thin and clear thread and started to pull it from Desmond¡¯s limb. Klaus noticed what Batara was doing and commented ¡°What is that Bats?¡± Theodore and the others started to look at Desmond¡¯s body. Batara kept pulling and the limb started to fell off. Pamme shouted like a girl and said ¡°Ah! What the fuck was that!?¡± Klaus giggled in response.


    Suddenly Kija¡¯s detection magic caught something and she shouted ¡°Everyone! Something¡¯s coming!¡± Everyone readied their weapon and changed into fighting stance. Suddenly a group of Swamp Alligators showed up from the swamp and pounced at them. Theodore shouted ¡°Everyone go behind me!¡± and casted an Arte ¡°Iron Taunt!¡± which lured all the alligators to him and increased his defense significantly. The Swamp Alligators started to pounce at Theodore as he used his large sword to parry them all. Russo quickly follow up with his two knives and casted an Arte ¡°Rogue Steps!¡± that made him move swiftly and more flexibly followed up with an Arte ¡°Hundred Cuts!¡± to perform a turning and slashing movement around Theodore. In a short amount of time, Russo killed many of the Swamp Alligators that pounced at Theodore. Kija then casted her magic ¡°Earth Shatter!¡± that caused the ground beneath to rip open and create a strong explosion that killed the remaining Swamp Alligators. The Mountain Dwellers party dont even have a chance to do anything and were amazed by the guild¡¯s party teamwork. Pamme shouted ¡°You guys are so cool!¡± Klaus commented ¡°So this is how high rank party fights.¡± Klaus'' words are mixed between excitement and insecurity. Russo ¡°Haha this is nothing. Be sure to take note kids.¡±


    Amidst all that excitement, Theodore said cautiously ¡°We should move out fast guys. My gut is telling me something¡¯s not right.¡± Russo ¡°Whaat? We still can investigate further though.¡± Kija replied ¡°No Russo. Theodore¡¯s right. Its very unusual that my magic only detects the monsters when theyre that close to us. Its like theyre dead before and brought back to life suddenly.¡± Theodore said ¡°Lets go we should go back now.¡± When theyre about to head back Batara realized that Veera has been missing from the group for a while, so he asked to Klaus ¡°Hey where¡¯s Veera?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Oh right I forgot. She was sitting by that tree right?¡± Klaus then focused his eyes but it seemed that the tree is covered with a thick fog. Klaus then immediately said to everyone ¡°Guys, Veera is missing!¡± Pamme replied ¡°You¡¯re right I cant smell her scent anymore.¡± Klaus looked at Pamme with a judging look. Pamme replied ¡°Hey I¡¯m not being creepy its just what I do!¡± Theodore said ¡°Okay lets pick her up quickly before we head back. Maybe she fainted from the stench.¡± The group then walked to the nearly visible tree that Veera was sitting.


    However, when they reached the location a very unsightly view appeared. Raha immediately retched and Pamme screamed in terror ¡°What the actual fuck!?¡± Everyone was terrified by the view of Veera¡¯s body torn apart limb by limb with a clean cut and no blood floating on the sky. Batara who was rather calm throughout the trip finally felt very sick and about to vomit. But he still managed to see that Veera¡¯s body was not floating and said to everyone ¡°Her limbs are held up by the same clear thread we saw earlier.¡± Russo suddenly said ¡°Okay I¡¯m outta here. I¡¯m not paid enough to deal with this shit.¡± Russo was starting to show his true color. Russo then casted his Arte ¡°Rogue Steps!¡± and started to walk away on his own. Theodore then shouted ¡°Wait Russ we should stick toget-¡° Theodore words got cut by the sight of Russo¡¯s head being severed by threads. Theodore immediately shouted ¡°EVERYONE DONT MOVE!¡± Everyone stopped moving and the fog that was there started to appear as threads. Kija said ¡°Careful! This swamp turned out to be covered by deadly mana threads instead of fog.¡± Raha grunted as his skin was torn apart by threads ¡°Akh! Help!¡±. Kija remembered that earlier her utility magic can clear up the fog so she casted her magic ¡°Illumination!¡± with a lot of mana at once. The magic reached a very far distance and cleared up the mana threads in vicinity. However, the group were stunned by the sight of a giant Tarantula which suddenly appeared behind the tree Veera was sitting. The giant Tarantula then let out a loud screeching noise. Theodore immediately shouted ¡°RUN!¡± Everyone started to run, but Raha stayed still struggling. Klaus was the closest to him and noticed that he wasnt running. It turned out that Raha¡¯s legs were trapped by the Tarantula¡¯s threads. Klaus then ran towards Raha trying to help and shouted ¡°Raha grab my-¡± Raha looked at Klaus, but before Klaus can do anything, the Tarantula¡¯s leg pierced through his torso. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Klaus was terrified and unable to move due to shock. Batara saw Klaus and shouted while running to him ¡°Klaus! Move!¡± Klaus suddenly snapped out of his fear but the Tarantula had already shot its threads towards Klaus. However, before the threads reached Klaus, Theodore pounced to push him away. The threads missed Klaus but hit Theodore¡¯s legs instead. Kija shouted ¡°Theo!¡± and casted ¡°Earth Spike!¡± a wave of spikes rushed towards the Tarantula and hit one of its legs. The Tarantula got knocked back a little giving them time to recuperate. Theodore shouted ¡°Everyone Run! I will hold it back.¡± Kija replied ¡°You run too Theo! The giant monster is at least an A rank, we can¡¯t possibly handle it!¡± Theodore replied ¡°Look at my legs!¡± Theodore¡¯s whole legs were turned blue due to the threads¡¯ toxin. Theodore continued, ¡°I can no longer move.¡± Theodore drew some kind of rune on his adventurer¡¯s tattoo with his magic and his tattoo started to disappear and his adventurer¡¯s license popped out of his hand. He then throw his license to Klaus and said ¡°You guys now go! and give this to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild they¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Batara felt very conflicted as it felt like he¡¯s betraying Theodore if he leaves him for his own safety, but he also thought that he can do nothing to help. Pamme then immediately said ¡°No. We will help you beat this thing old man.¡± Theodore''s face suddenly changed to rage and said ¡°HELP ME YOU SAY!? ALL YOU GUYS DO WERE JUST HOLDING ME BACK, LOOK AT MY LEGS!¡± Everyone¡¯s shocked by Theodore¡¯s sudden rage because throughout the trip he seemed to be very composed. Theodore then continued ¡°Now go away before I kill you all!¡±. Batara, Klaus, and Pamme decided to leave after hearing Theodore. Batara knew that Theodore only said that to make sure he and the others can leave safely but deep down he thought that what Theodore¡¯s said about holding him back was also true.


    Kija didnt leave and stayed by Theodore¡¯s side. Theodore said to Kija ¡°What are you doing? You should retreat too!¡± Kija replied ¡°No. I will stand by your side. Always is and always will be. Because I love you Theo.¡± Theodore was shook by the sudden confession and immediately burst into tears. Theodore replied ¡°If only time can be reversed. I¡¯d spend it all with you Kija.¡± While running back, Batara heard Theodore and Kija shouting and fighting loudly, but after a matter of seconds they went silent. It was the loudest silence Batara¡¯s ever heard. Batara tried to look back but Klaus stopped him and said ¡°Dont look back. Just focus on running.¡± while forcing to hold his tears. After running for a while it felt abnormally quiet and Klaus said ¡°Is it still chasing us?¡± Batara shook his head and replied ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Pamme¡¯s ear suddenly twitched and he immediately shouted ¡°Watch out its coming!¡±. Suddenly the Tarantula¡¯s leg pierced the ground where they stood. Pamme and Klaus were able to successfully evade it, but Batara was barely able to evade, causing him to fall down hard on the ground and hurting his left arm. Klaus shouted ¡°Batara!¡± and quickly help him up. Pamme shouted ¡°You guys go hide by that small cave. I will distract the monster and get back to you!¡± Klaus shouted ¡°No Pamme wait!¡± but Pamme was already gone along with the monster. Klaus and Batara ran to the small cave. Klaus then took his potion and gave it to Batara ¡°Here drink this.¡± But Batara was shivering in fear and cant even hold the potion bottle properly. His breath was very fast and hard from having a panic attack. Klaus then slapped Batara¡¯s shoulder with both his hands and said ¡°Get it together Bats! We will get out of here alive. You have to believe me!¡± Batara felt Klaus'' hands were also trembling so he tried his best to catch his breath and tone down his panic attack. Batara then drank the potion and his left arm started to look a little better. Batara replied ¡°I¡¯m fine now Klaus. Lets look for Pamme-¡° Klaus'' face showed that he was hesitant to the idea. Batara thought it is understandable for Klaus to react that way because they can barely survive the situation if they left Pamme. But Batara still felt wrong if he were to leave Pamme.


    Suddenly a soft whimper was heard behind them ¡°H-hey guys¡­¡±. It turned out to be Pamme¡¯s voice. Batara and Klaus were shocked by the sight of Pamme that had lost his right arm. Pamme¡¯s face was very pale and the part where his arm was torn had turned blue due to the toxin. Batara approached him but Pamme immediately fell down. Batara caught him and put Pamme¡¯s head on his lap while he sat. Klaus said ¡°What happened?¡± Pamme replied ¡°Ugh, I tried to evade but one of it leg still got me.¡± Pamme coughed up blood and said to Batara ¡°Tara, I dont have much time left I can feel it. Please take this and save my sister.¡± Pamme handed over a locket with a key attached to it. Batara only nodded and didnt ask any questions since Pamme seemed not to be able to talk more. Pamme then smiled and said ¡°Thank you Tara. I¡¯m glad I didnt die alone.¡±


    Unexpectedly, one of the Tarantula¡¯s legs approaching the three quickly. Klaus shouted ¡°Watch out!¡± Batara and Klaus almost got pierced by its leg but managed to evade. However, the leg instead pierced Pamme¡¯s body. Batara was stunned by the sight and unable to react. Klaus immediately pulled him and said ¡°WE HAVE TO RUN! NOW!¡± Batara regained his focus after hearing Klaus. The two then ran as fast as they could. Batara casted his magic ¡°Wind Walk!¡± while Klaus casted his arte ¡°Haste!¡± that enhances his leg muscles to run faster. The Tarantula was still occupied with Pamme¡¯s body so the two got time to flee. Seeing the Tarantula tear Pamme¡¯s body made Batara feel extremely sick so he averted his gaze and focused to look forward. After running for several minutes, Klaus asked Batara ¡°Bats! How much further to the exit?¡± Batara looked around and remembered some of the landmarks. Batara replied ¡°Not far ahead!¡± Klaus nodded.


    Suddenly, a string of threads was shot between the two. Klaus shouted ¡°Damn it! Its here already.¡± and quickly casted his arte ¡°Physical Enhancement!¡±. As if he knew something he cant evade was coming, Klaus intuitively turned around and assumed a defensive stance right away. Batara was still running and slightly late to realize what Klaus did. Batara stopped a little further behind Klaus but didnt have time to react and cast his magic. Then, one of the Tarantula¡¯s leg was approaching very fast and about to pierce Klaus. Klaus put up his scimitar and shield together and casted his arte ¡°Golden Mandala!¡± which creates a strong protective gold barrier in front of him. A loud impact sound was heard. However, Klaus efforts were not strong enough to block the Tarantula¡¯s strike. Klaus got thrown far back strongly from the impact and hit a large tree. He immediately lose consciousness, his body got all roughed up, his clothes were torn, and his weapons were damaged. Seeing Klaus¡¯ condition, Batara felt a surge of despair along with a strong fear. In that moment, a magic of unknown origin suddenly popped into his head. Batara didnt know why, but he was really tempted to cast it. So he casted that magic towards the Tarantula ¡°Fool¡¯s Charade!¡±. Batara felt unusual because he didnt feel any of his mana was used during the casting. However, Batara saw that the magic made the Tarantula¡¯s eyes change color and its movement suddenly went disoriented. The Tarantula¡¯s starting to screech and attack aimlessly.


    During the Tarantula¡¯s disorientation, Batara used the chance to escape. However, he is now conflicted as ever because he couldnt possibly lift Klaus unconscious body while running back as Klaus was at least twice as big as him. In his mind, he thought about hiding Klaus'' body and seek help as the exit is very close, but he knows that the chance is very thin for Klaus to survive being left alone. Batara also didnt know how long the abnormal state of the Tarantula will last. In that moment of pure desperation, Batara went over everything he had in possession in his head and suddenly remembered what Ikki told him about his belt¡¯s imperfect enchantment. Batara quickly took of his belt and wrapped it around Klaus¡¯ waist before infusing his mana into it. He was desperately hoping that it would work as he didnt have any other option other than that or leaving Klaus behind. After infusing just a very tiny bit of mana into the belt, Klaus¡¯ body suddenly lift off very quickly that it hit Batara¡¯s chin. Batara grunted in pain ¡°Ugh!¡±. Due to the impact, Batara immediately stopped infusing mana and Klaus¡¯ body was floating just above his chest. Without further thinking, Batara quickly wrapped his arms around Klaus and held his floating body on his side before casting ¡°Wind Leap!¡± to leap towards the exit. He used his Wind Leap over and over again and didnt look back at all even though he heard the Tarantula¡¯s chasing him. Shortly after, Batara managed to leap through the exit but fell on the ground in process due to mana exhaustion. He immediately turned back in panic only to find out that the Tarantula was no longer there and the swamp was back to its full of fog state.


    Batara then laid down for a while before taking the belt of Klaus¡¯ still floating body. Klaus¡¯ body dropped on the ground as soon as Batara took off the belt. He then used his remaining strength to take a lesser mana potion and drank it. He managed to avoid fainting due to exhausting his mana but decided to lie down for a bit longer. However, he suddenly felt a massive headache and after a while, he fainted.

 Overwhelming Sensation

    Batara then woke up looking at a ceiling he didn¡¯t recognize. He sat on the bed and looked around. His head still hurt a little so he groaned while pressing his head ¡°Ugh¡­¡± when a woman in the adventurer guild uniform approached Batara and said ¡°Are you alright?¡± Batara looked at the woman and nodded in response. He then asked the woman ¡°Where am I?¡± the woman replied ¡°You¡¯re in Quarzith Adventurer¡¯s Guild inn. A passing merchant cart brought you and your friend here.¡± Batara looked at the woman¡¯s face and felt like he met her before. The woman noticed it and said ¡°Ah apologies. My name is Elona. I¡¯m the guild¡¯s staff who sent you to investigate the swamp with the officials.¡± Batara remembered her after being told and just nodded in response. Elona continued ¡°I know that you just woke up. But what happened? Where¡¯s the other?¡± Batara paused for a while as he was not sure how to tell her what happened. So he just picked Theodore¡¯s adventurer license and handed it to Elona.


    Elona checked it and her face suddenly turned extremely pale. Elona asked ¡°This is¡­ Theodore¡¯s¡­ Is he?¡± Batara gently nodded, confirming that Theodore was dead. Even though no words were said, Elona asked another question ¡°How about the rest of the group?¡± Batara looked down, shook his head and said ¡°They also didnt make it.¡± Elona was very shocked that she needed to pause for a brief moment to catch her breath. Elona then gathered up her strength and said ¡°I understand. I will give this to the guild master to be examined.¡± Elona continued ¡°How¡¯s your condition? Both of you have been healed by a priest and you have been sleeping for 1 day. Your friend might take a bit longer since his wounds were quite severe.¡± Batara looked at Klaus beside him covered in bandages and bruises. He felt very guilty and responsible for causing all of this to happen. Batara replied to Elona ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Elona replied ¡°Good. Sorry to ask you this when you just woke up but can you accompany me to report what happened to the guild master?¡± Batara got up for his bed and nodded in response. Elona said ¡°Okay please follow me.¡± Batara followed Elona down to the guild master¡¯s room. The guild master is a woman in her 40s with blonde long hair, blue eyes, and a very disciplined look. She wears a uniform that is very distinguishable from other guild¡¯s staff.


    Elona then bowed and said ¡°Guild staff Elona coming in to report.¡± Seeing Elona, Batara awkwardly bowed out of nervousness. The guild master replied ¡°At ease. Give your report.¡± Elona handed over Theodore¡¯s adventurer license to the guild master and told her about the party that went to investigate the swamp was wiped out. After hearing Elona¡¯s report, the guild master cast a neutral type magic while holding Theodore¡¯s adventurer license ¡°Extraction!¡± a magic circle appeared in front of her eyes and at the same time on the adventurer license she held. After a short while, the magic circle vanished and the guild master said to Elona with a straight face ¡°That is very shocking news and the most unfortunate one.¡± She really was surprised but she is the type that never shows any expression due to her nature. The guild master then turned towards Batara and asked ¡°What¡¯s your name young man? I saw a glimpse of you in Theodore¡¯s last minutes of memory.¡± Batara thought that the magic the guild master casted earlier was the memory extraction magic Theodore has explained previously. Batara felt nervous of the guild master''s strong aura so he replied while avoiding her eyes ¡°My name is Batara Arcital.¡± The guild master ¡°I am Lisandra Crestfall. The guild master of Quarzith Adventurer Guild. Can you tell me what happened on the quest?¡± The way Lisandra talk is very respectful but straight to the point even though Batara was only a low ranked adventurer.


    Eventhough Batara was very nervous, he knew that this is very important to help with the investigation since he felt guilty for being useless at the swamp. So he tried his best to explain to Lisandra with all his stuttering and stopping to catch his breath. Batara managed to tell about the thick fog, corpses, undead reptiles, killed party members, the giant Tarantula, and how he and Klaus escaped. Elona looked extremely confused and didnt get any of Batara¡¯s explanation. However, Lisandra understood Batara¡¯s explanation since she was a seasoned adventurer herself. Lisandra said to Batara ¡°Hmm, how strange. I know that you are completely honest with me but for some reason you keep avoiding looking me in the eyes.¡± Based on Lisandra¡¯s experience, people who avoid looking someone in the eyes when talking are usually lying, but she decided to give Batara the benefit of the doubt and let it go as an unusual behavior. Batara averted his gaze downward in response. Lisandra continued ¡°However there is one thing that is incorrect in your story. The Giant Tarantula is a rare monster named Queen Arachnid that is definitely beyond A rank monster. Its rank is still undefined due to its mysterious appearance.¡± Lisandra continued ¡°But anyway, my deepest condolences to the fallen adventurers and your companions. The guild shall take responsibility for failing to correctly assess the danger level of Murloc Swamp. Thus, we will compensate for your efforts as well as your loss.¡± Batara replied ¡°No, I dont need it.¡± However Lisandra insisted ¡°On behalf of the guild, I insist. Your participation in the quest has prove to be-¡°


    Before Lisandra can finish her sentence Batara snapped and shouted angrily ¡°PARTICIPATION!? DID YOU FUCKING HEAR WHAT I JUST TOLD YOU? I RAN AWAY WITH ALMOST NO WOUND WHILE THE OTHERS FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES! AND TO TOP THAT, I EVEN LET OTHERS DIE TO BUY TIME FOR ME TO ESCAPE! WHAT COULD BE POSSIBLY COMPENSATED FOR THAT!!?¡± Batara¡¯s built up rage, guilt, frustration, and other negative emotions were taking over him. Lisandra finally showed an expression of surprise but managed to control her composure. She shouted back to him sternly while tapping him both on his shoulder ¡°CALM DOWN!¡± Batara immediately got back to his senses. Something about Lisandra made her able to snap Batara back to his senses. Elona just stood in silence before Lisandra gestured her to leave the room. Lisandra then said to Batara ¡°Listen. What you did is befitting of a good adventurer. Not only you held on to your adventurer¡¯s vow to value your life, you also managed to prevent more casualties by reporting to us.¡± Batara fell silent but still shaking due to his emotion. Lisandra dropped her hands from Batara¡¯s shoulder and continued ¡°What can you even possibly do if you decided to fight? A group of high rank adventurers dont even have the chance to attack, let alone you who barely passed the adventurer evaluation!¡± Batara was shocked hearing Lisandra knew about that fact and spit it raight to his face. Lisandra continued ¡°Yes I knew about your evaluation. In fact, I know about everything that''s happening in the guild.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Batara thought what Lisandra said was right but he still didnt think what he did was worth to be compensated. Lisandra continued ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, there is no point in throwing your life away for something that will obviously kill you. You have been gifted with time, use it and get stronger so that you can protect what you love in the future.¡± Lisandra¡¯s words were spoken from experience. Batara thought that Lisandra must have sacrificed a lot of things to be able to say that.


    After a moment of silence, Batara calmed down and stopped shaking. Lisandra then said to Batara ¡°I see that you have calmed down.¡± Batara nodded in response. Lisandra then asked him ¡°Speaking of which I am curious, how have you managed to escape with only small wounds? And when you lashed out earlier, why did I sense a strange aura coming out of you for a brief moment?¡± Batara wasnt sure if he could tell her about his mysterious magic that suddenly popped up in his head when escaping the Giant Tarantula. As for the strange aura she sensed, he didnt know it either but after letting out his emotions earlier, he felt like his headache suddenly cleared. As such, Batara decided to keep the information and said to her ¡°I-I dont know either.¡± Lisandra replied ¡°Hmm I see. Cant help it then if you dont know.¡± Lisandra then stared Batara deeply and continued ¡°or perhaps if you are hiding something.¡± Batara felt nervous and didnt respond. Lisandra said ¡°Dont worry, I will let it go for now. I believe we will meet again soon. I apologize for keeping you this long, please get back to rest, you must still be tired.¡± Before Batara walked out Lisandra said ¡°Oh and one more thing. About the compensation, I will just give you and your friend all of the investigation fee since you two are the ones left.¡± Batara replied ¡°I dont need-¡° Lisandra interrupted him and said ¡°If you still refuse it. You will not be allowed to take any more quests from the guild. Understand?¡± Lisandra used her authority against Batara. Batara gave up, nodded, and walked out.


    Batara went back to the adventurer guild¡¯s inn room to pick up his stuff. Klaus was still lying there unconscious. Batara cant even look at Klaus out of guilt. So he decided to take his stuff quickly and left. But just when Batara turned away Klaus called to him weakly ¡°Bats¡­¡± Batara stopped and turned back to Klaus. Batara said ¡°You woke up.¡± The room felt awkward as Batara was about to leave Klaus for good out of his guilt. But Batara also felt concerned so he asked Klaus ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Klaus sat up and replied ¡°Hurt all over but I can manage.¡± After a moment of silence, Batara who was ready to leave Klaus then said ¡°I have to go-¡° Klaus cut his words and said hesitantly ¡°I actually have woken up for a while and uhmm¡­ I heard your quarrel with the guild master.¡± Batara realized that the room is just above the guild master¡¯s room, but he didnt realize that his voice was that loud to be heard across the rooms. Batara felt guilty of what happened to Klaus and his uselessness at the swamp so he said shakily ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Klaus.¡± Klaus got a bit irritated and replied ¡°What are you talking about? We share the same losses and guilt as a party! Dont burden it all by yourself.¡± Batara was very hesitant but he replied to Klaus ¡°You dont get it Klaus! Before we took the swamp investigation quest, I had known and even been warned that the swamp was dangerous. But I didnt say anything just because I wasnt sure. Everything''s my fault.¡± Klaus replied ¡°That doesnt change anything! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s leading our party and gave the final decision to take on the quest. I am even more guilty than you.¡± Klaus continued ¡°But everyone knows the dangers of being an adventurer. And nobody can predict the future.¡± Batara looked down and replied ¡°But I was useless! And even almost got you killed.¡± Klaus replied ¡°You¡¯re wrong! I was almost killed because of my OWN incompetence. If anything, it was you who saved my life and I am forever grateful for that.¡±


    Batara fell silent as he didnt know what else to say and still thought that he was at fault. Klaus then said ¡°Please dont take all the burden by yourself. Also¡­¡± Klaus has seen what Batara was trying to do and said ¡°Please keep adventuring with me as a party.¡± Batara felt glad that Klaus still believed in him even after all that happened. However, Batara¡¯s guilt was far greater than Klaus¡¯ trust. Batara then replied with uncertainty ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡± and left. Klaus shouted ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you!¡± Batara heard it but left anyway. Thus, the Mountain Dwellers party was disbanded.


    It was still afternoon when Batara left the adventurer guild, so he decided to head back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie inn. Along the way, he kept thinking about how to tell Isha about what happened at Murloc Swamp. Batara remembered that Isha was still very hopeful that her brother was still alive. Batara also thought that he actually didnt have to tell Isha since eventually the guild would tell her about it. However, only thinking about it made Batara feel sick to his gut so he decided to walk faster.


    Batara finally arrived at the inn and as usual Isha was invested in reading her book. He worked up his courage to approach Isha. This time Isha noticed Batara and only gasped a little. She put her book down and said ¡°Oh hi Batara. I noticed you werent here yesterday.¡± Batara replied nervously ¡°I-I was on a quest.¡± Isha replied ¡°Oh right sorry I didnt mean to be nosy. What can I do for you?¡± Batara went silent as he went through his belongings. Isha was confused and just waited for Batara to respond. While still searching Batara said to Isha ¡°I went to investigate Murloc Swamp.¡± Isha¡¯s face suddenly turned pale and her expression turned stone-cold. Isha was very scared as she replied shakily ¡°H-how is it? Did you find my brother-¡° she couldnt even finish her sentence. Batara found what he was looking for, which was a necklace with a silver pendant. He put it on the reception table in front of Isha without saying anything. Isha looked at it and said ¡°This is my brother¡¯s¡­ Where is he?¡± as if she was denying the truth. Batara went silent as he mustered up the courage to reply. Isha asked again but this time her voice was lower and cracking ¡°w-where is he?¡± Batara finally replied ¡°Desmond Han died along with the rest of his party.¡± Isha¡¯s eyes suddenly turned blank as she collapsed onto her chair. Her body stopped shaking, but tears ran down from her cheeks as she fell silent. Batara didnt know what to say or do in this kind of situation, so after watching Isha¡¯s reaction he left her and went up to his room.

 The Rough-Edged Quack

    Batara put down his equipment and sat against the wall. He tried to process all that happened while meditating using the method he learned from the Anomalies of Mana book. He thought about his desperation seeing his party massacred right in front of him. How he was terrified and cant do anything to prevent the disaster beside running away. How he wasnt able to stop Pamme and even used him to save himself. Of all his reflections, the most frustrating part was that Batara cant even feel a slight sadness towards Pamme¡¯s dead. Batara indeed didnt like Pamme¡¯s personality to begin with, but this isnt how he imagined to part with Pamme, not like this. In the end, all he felt was pure guilt. He wished he had also been killed by the Giant Spider.


    As Batara was very deep into his meditation, he heard an eerie whisper in an unknown language ¡°Meus eveta¡­¡± Batara gasped as he snapped out of his meditation. He had never heard that language before and thought about who the heck whispered to his ear. He looked around and noticed it was already dark outside and he had been meditating for a couple hours. After his meditation, Batara felt that his head was completely clear and lighter than ever. Moreover, he felt a surge of power flowing into his mind, akin to a mana pool but not quite the same. Batara thought to himself ¡°This must be the ¡°Sakthi¡± mentioned in the book.¡± However, even though he felt lighter after his meditation, he still felt immense guilt for everything. So he decided that he would carry it for the rest of his life instead of moving on.


    Batara felt extremely hungry after meditating so he decided to head out to find something to eat. He went downstairs and noticed that Isha was no longer at the inn. Batara then went to the merchant district and bought some steamed buns at the stall. He ate them while sitting at an empty spot around. The buns were very fulfilling as they are filled with various meats which were seasoned heavily. He never had something like this before back at Obenvale. Batara was deep in thought as he ate, thinking about what Lysandra said about getting stronger. During his recent adventures, he came to the unsettling realization that he lacked the strength to stand his own ground. Despite always trying his hardest, he always ended up relying on others. Batara thought to himself ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    As Batara contemplated on becoming stronger, he remembered about the scroll the imp gave him when bought his hooded vest. He picked it up from his magic bag and opened the scroll. The scroll contained a map of a location near Cedar Grove. The location was not very clear but it points to a strange shaped cave. Batara didnt entirely believe what the imp said about the artifact, but since it is close to Cedar Grove where he can do his general collection quest, he decided to visit it out of curiosity. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he could gain some power that he desperately needed.


    By the time Batara finished eating, it was already quite late at night. However, he was not tired at all due to just waking up at noon and all his meditation. So he decided to stroll around Quarzith city at night. Unlike Obenvale, which was quiet with limited lights at night, Quarzith felt like a completely different world. The streets and buildings were illuminated with magic lanterns and people were still wandering around. The view was very unfamiliar to Batara, so he decided to put on his hood and walked quickly to avoid attention.


    As he strolled, he ended up at the east side of the city. He was curious about the scroll he read earlier and looked around for the store where he bought his hooded vest. To his surprise, he couldnt find the store or even remember what the store or its surroundings looked like. Suddenly, Nyx appeared and sat on his left shoulder. Batara noticed it and said ¡°Oh hi Nyx, are you hungry?¡± while rubbing its wings. Nyx replied ¡°Ku ku.¡± Naturally, Batara didnt understand it, but he reached for his magic pouch and handed it some monster bait anyway. Nyx ate it willingly. Batara then remembered he wanted to turn Nyx into his familiar. So he looked around for a magic shop nearby and found it immediately. The magic shop still has the open sign up despite it being night so Batara entered through the door. The magic shop was very cramped with magic stuff. Books, scrolls, and stones were scattered everywhere. Batara tiptoed carefully to avoid breaking stuff while he looked around for the shopkeeper. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    In the corner of the shop, there is a young girl wearing a big hat with a lantern floating around her. She appeared to be studying and writing something. Batara then walked up to her and said ¡°A-Are you the shopkeeper?¡± The young girl was startled and let out a cute little scream ¡°Eeek!¡± as she looked up towards Batara. The girl fixed her voice, got mad, and shouted ¡°Eh hem. What the fuck is wrong with you?! I cant sense your presence at all!¡± Batara thought for a young girl she had a very foul mouth. However, he only sensed trouble from her so he only replied ¡°sorry¡± to avoid further conflict. The girl got annoyed by his weak reaction and replied ¡°Why are you here!?¡± Batara replied nervously ¡°I-I want to¡­¡± The girl shouted ¡°SPEAK CLEARLY!¡± Batara immediately replied ¡°I-I want to form a familiar pact.¡± The girl got confused and replied ¡°At this hour!? Who would¡­¡± the girl suddenly stopped and pinched her forehead before saying ¡°Ughh that damn old hag mustve forgotten to switch the closed sign again!¡± She then said to Batara ¡°Listen. We. Are. Closed! So get your ass out of here!¡± Batara failed to see how that was his fault. However, since he didnt want to waste anymore time he decided to just turn away and leave.


    As Batara walked away, Nyx appeared again out of thin air and landed on Batara¡¯s shoulder. The girl noticed it and shouted ¡°WAIT!¡± Batara didnt stop and kept walking towards the door. The girl then ran as fast as she could and blocked the door before Batara. She then catches her breath while saying ¡°Huf¡­ I said¡­ wait¡­¡± Batara finally stopped. The girl continued, ¡°Is that a Misty Owl?¡± Batara didnt know what she was talking about and replied ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± The girl replied ¡°What is it doing on your shoulder?¡± Batara replied ¡°This is Nyx, my pet owl.¡± The girl was shocked and asked a bunch of questions in excitement ¡°Your pet?? Where did you find it? What can it do? What did it eat?¡± Nyx suddenly disappeared again when the girl suddenly got close to it. The girl said ¡°Whoa, where did it go?¡± Batara then said to the girl in a cold tone ¡°I thought you¡¯re not interested.¡± The girl snapped out of her excitement and said ¡°Eh hem. It seemed I was too quick to judge you earlier. Come here, I can help you form a familiar pact.¡± as she walked back towards her desk. Batara wasnt very sure if he still wanted to deal with her after all her nonsense. However the girl clicked her lips and said ¡°Tsk. I¡¯m sorry alright. I got a bit of a temper.¡± The girl seemed to have calmed down a little so Batara decided to follow her to her desk.


    The girl then said ¡°My name is Illana Sol. You can call me Lana. I¡¯m a magic scholar researching magic beasts and monsters under this shop owner¡¯s apprentice. And dont you dare call me a freaking kid! I am a gnome and about the same age as you!¡± The thought indeed crossed Batara¡¯s mind, but he¡¯s glad he never said anything about her being a kid. Batara then replied ¡°I¡¯m Batara.¡± Lana seemed a little annoyed by Batara¡¯s short introduction but she let it go since she¡¯s only interested in Nyx anyway. Lana then continued ¡°Your pet is not just an owl. It is a rare magic beast called Misty Owl from ancient times. There is not much information about it since its always mysteriously disappear when approached. Thats why I¡¯m surprised when I actually see one in this era, not to mention engaging with a human.¡± Batara replied ¡°So thats why he went invisible all the time.¡± Lana replied ¡°Not just invisible. It reduces its body into the form of mist making its presence disappear completely.¡± Batara was amazed and intrigued by Nyx¡¯s origin and nature but also wondered why an ancient creature decided to follow him. Lana then said ¡°So do you want to form a familiar pact with the Misty Owl?¡± Batara nodded in approval. Lana replied ¡°Alright, it will be a little hard since ancient magic beasts are known to have unpredictable ways of thinking. But, I have researched magic beasts my whole life so you dont need to worry.¡±


    Hearing Lana¡¯s words somehow made Batara more worried. Lana then grabbed a vial of rainbow liquid and used it to draw a magic circle. After drawing the circle for a while Lana said ¡°That oughta do it!¡± She then said to Batara ¡°Now call the Misty Owl so I can research- I mean form you a familiar pact with it.¡± Batara tried calling Nyx ¡°Nyx, are you here?¡± Nyx suddenly appeared and stood on Batara¡¯s shoulder. Batara asked Nyx ¡°Do you want to be my familiar?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Kuu¡± and fly towards the magic circle willingly as if it understood whats happening. Lana reacted ¡°It seemed to be eager to be your familiar.¡± Lana continued ¡°Now draw your blood and drop it into the magic circle. Here use this.¡± as she handed Batara a knife. Batara drew his blood from his finger following Lana¡¯s instruction. As Batara dropped his blood, the magic circle glowed. Lana then said just before she casted the familiar pact magic ¡°The shopkeeper was usually the one who did these pact magic. But I observed her long enough so just trust me.¡± Batara didnt believe what he just heard and shouted in panic ¡°Wait STOP-¡° just before Batara could stop her Lana casted her magic ¡°Pact of The Unbound!¡±


    The magic circle surrounded both Batara and Nyx radiating rainbow colored light. Lana seemed struggling to keep the magic intact. Batara tried to get out of the magic circle but his consciousness was slowly fading. Lana shouted ¡°Oi dont go dying on me, oi!¡± but Batara fell unconscious.

 The One That Belongs In The Void

    Batara suddenly woke up in a place that looked like the night sky. There is nothing beside some stars and mists, he even walked on the sky. Suddenly, Nyx appeared before him. Batara said ¡°Nyx?¡±. Nyx replied with a super deep voice ¡°Greetings human Batara.¡± Batara was surprised and asked ¡°Y-you can talk?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Yes in this realm, I can.¡± Batara felt weird by how Nyx''s voice was like a mature gentleman but his body is still a cute little owl. Batara then felt curious and asked ¡°Where are we?¡± Nyx replied ¡°We are in my realm of consciousness.¡± Batara looked around and thought to himself ¡°So this is what its like inside Nyx¡¯s mind.¡± Nyx replied ¡°Indeed.¡± Batara was surprised and replied ¡°You can read my mind?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Yes in this realm, I can.¡±


    Batara then asked ¡°Why am I here?¡± Nyx replied ¡°You are here because you tried to form a pact with me.¡± Batara wondered if that was the case, shouldn¡¯t Nyx be the one that entered his consciousness, since he should be the familiar. Nyx replied to Batara¡¯s thought ¡°That would definitely be the case if I were a magic beast like that gnome Illana said.¡± Batara forgot that Nyx can read his mind, but he didnt mind since it saved the trouble of actually having to talk. Batara began to talk only in his mind and asked ¡°So what are you then?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Throughout history I have been referred to as many things by humans. Deity, Celestial, Phantom, Spirit, Elemental, and now, Nyx. However, to make it understandable for you, I am on the same level as Elementals. I am also a higher being than you, thats why you¡¯re in my consciousness.¡± Batara thought ¡°Elementals? Just like Theresia¡¯s Phoenix then.¡± Nyx replied ¡°Almost but not quite. We may be on the same level but we are entirely different beings. Unlike other beings, we dont communicate, get attached, or even acknowledge other existence. The Phoenix live as the embodiment of fire magic. Whilst I, of nihility.¡± Batara was confused by Nyx¡¯s explanation and only able to comprehend pieces of it. Nyx replied to Batara¡¯s thought ¡°Your confusion is understandable as we live by different concepts. However, do take your time, this realm is not bound to any concept of time so it will not affect anything in Eidel.¡± Batara was amazed by how surreal this experience was.


    Of all his curiosities, one was at the top of Batara¡¯s mind which is why Nyx, the Embodiment of Nihility, was following him. Nyx replied ¡°As the existence that I am, I only live based on instincts that revolve around nihility. In regard to your question, I followed you because my instincts were drawn to your aura, more so, your soul.¡± Batara thought ¡°My soul?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Indeed. Your soul almost has no attachment to this world at all. Should you vanish from this world, none shall change, none shall mourn, and none shall wonder why including yourself, for your existence is only a mere echo in the void.¡± Once again, Batara could not fully grasp what Nyx was saying but he felt the emotional resonance Nyx¡¯s words carried and it felt terrifying. Batara didnt feel like staying longer in this realm and wondered what would happen to him and the familiar pact he tried to form. Nyx replied ¡°The familiar pact the gnome casted wont do anything for reasons I have mentioned. However, I will always stay by your side as long as your soul remains unchanged.¡± Batara didnt sure how to felt to that after hearing what Nyx¡¯s said before.


    Nyx continued ¡°Also I will let you out of this realm if you wish to do so. However, before I do, I will bestow upon you my blessing.¡± Nyx suddenly vanished and reappeared touching Batara¡¯s forehead with its own. Nyx recited ancient unknown language as a black mist suddenly appeared surrounding Batara¡¯s body. Batara was startled and overwhelmed by whats happening before him but he was somehow unable to move at all. The black mist then got sucked into Batara¡¯s heart and Nyx stopped reciting as he flew away from Batara. Batara, who felt very confused, finally talked out loud and said ¡°What just happened?¡± Nyx replied ¡°Apologies if the ritual startled you. I just bestow my blessing upon you ¡°Nihility¡±. It lets you turn into a black mist and disappear from the world. You could use it to protect yourself, but if you use it for too long, you will become a Nihility, just like me.¡± As terrifying as it was, Batara still wondered why Nyx grant him that blessing instead of just making him disappear if his purpose was for Nihility. Nyx replied to Batara¡¯s thoughts ¡°Ironic isnt it? I live to represent Nihility. By granting you my blessing, I will be protecting the existence of non-existence which is your soul. However, should you disappear from the world with my blessing, you will become nihil. So either way shall fulfill my purpose.¡± Once again Batara didnt understand what Nyx was saying. Nyx then said ¡°Looks like I have confused you enough with my concept. I shall return you back to your world now.¡± Batara¡¯s consciousness slowly fading but before he was fully unconscious he heard Nyx say ¡°I hope we shall communicate again, human Batara.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Batara woke up to the sight of Lana talking in confusion with an old lady back at the magic shop. From the look of it, it seemed Batara hasnt been gone for a while since he was still on Lana¡¯s magic circle. Lana then noticed Batara had woken up and immediately said to the old lady ¡°Look he¡¯s not dead!¡± The old lady checked on Batara and felt very relieved. The old lady then said ¡°Ugh you fool of an apprentice! What would you do if he never returned to his consciousness!¡± Lana rebelled ¡°Oh stop exaggerating old hag! No way someone will die just because of a familiar pact. Besides, he¡¯s just out for 5 minutes!¡± The old lady raised her voice and replied ¡°Silence! Go make herbal tea for the customer.¡± Lana walked away while grumpily saying ¡°Ugh why should I make tea for this damn human when he¡¯s the one asking for help!¡± The Old Lady sighed and shook her head. Even though the Old Lady raised her voice, she still sounded very subtle and her anger was barely noticeable. The Old Lady then helped Batara up while asking ¡°Are you alright young man? What do you feel right now?¡± Batara took her hand and slowly stood up then said ¡°I¡¯m fine. My head¡¯s a little dizzy.¡± The Old Lady replied ¡°The magic circle mustve taken up too much of your mana. Come let me help you walk.¡± The two then walked to the nearest chair.


    While helping Batara walk, the Old Lady said ¡°I only went back to the shop to check on the close sign when a bright rainbow light was coming out of the window. Then I opened the door only to find my fool of an apprentice was experimenting with someone else''s life.¡± Batara was stunned as he heard that Lana was only experimenting with him. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, the Old Lady tried to calm him down and said ¡°Oops, forgive my rudeness, my name is Madna Ultreas, a Wizard of Quarzith. I am this magic shop owner and Illana¡¯s teacher.¡± Madna continued, ¡°What¡¯s your name, young man?¡± Batara replied ¡°Batara, adventurer.¡± Madna replied ¡°Alright Batara, please sit here and wait for the herbal tea, it will quickly cure your state of mana depletion.¡± Lana then came over with the tea and put it down harshly on the table in front of Batara while saying ¡°Ck, here!¡± Madna said ¡°Stop being rude Lana. Tell me what happened.¡± Batara drank the herbal tea and his dizziness slowly disappeared. Lana then said to Madna ¡°I didnt do anything dangerous. This boy just showed up here asking for a familiar pact with the Misty Owl he came with and I helped him form it.¡± Madna replied in disbelief ¡°You what!? Misty Owl is an ancient creature and you never even performed a pact before!¡±


    Lana rebelled to Madna and turned towards Batara ¡°Ugh who cares! I have enough knowledge from my research. So how is it Pale Boy, did the familiar pact work?¡± The audacity of Lana asking the result of her malpractice really irritated Batara. However, after everything that went through with Nyx, Batara didnt want to go through any more trouble and simply replied ¡°No it didnt.¡± Lana shouted in reply ¡°What!? After all that trouble. Something mustve happened right? Where is that owl?¡± Something definitely happened but Batara refused to go through the trouble telling her when she was merely toying with him. Batara replied ¡°Nothing, you just dried up my mana.¡± Lana knew that was in fact happened, but she wasnt convinced with Batara¡¯s response and replied ¡°But the rainbow light-¡° Before Lana could finish her sentence, Madna interrupted her and said ¡°Enough! Youve done too much damage already. Go back to your desk.¡± Lana clicked her tongue and walked away.


    Madna turned towards Batara and said ¡°Im so sorry about her. What can I do to make it up to you?¡± After drinking the herbal tea, Batara felt better and since he didnt want to be involved in any more mess he replied ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll walk out.¡± as he stood up and walked away. Madna then took some ingredients and caught up to Batara. Madna said ¡°Wait!¡± Just before the exit door Batara turned his face towards Madna. Madna handed over a bag of ingredients to Batara and said ¡°Here. This wont be enough but at least let me give you these.¡± Madna continued ¡°These are the ingredients to make the herbal tea you drank. It should last for a while and drinking this daily will relieve the symptoms of mana depletion.¡± Since Batara experienced mana depletion a lot lately he decided to take the ingredients and nodded his head in approval. Batara then left the magic shop. Nyx then suddenly appeared and sat on top of Batara¡¯s left shoulder. Lana saw the two through the magic shop¡¯s window and began to ponder.

 Embraced by The Dark

    Batara then went back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie to sleep. The next day Batara woke up and went downstairs to find that Isha was not at the reception desk as per usual. So Batara just left and headed to the adventurer¡¯s guild to take on a general collection quest like he was planning to. He then went straight to the guild reception desk and quickly handed over his license as usual before nervously saying ¡°gen-general collection quest.¡± The guild staff was confused and said ¡°What? Whats happening? Uh right let me check your license.¡± The guild staff checked Batara¡¯s license before he took a bag of money under his desk and said to Batara ¡°You have an outstanding reward for the investigation fee in Cedar Grove and investigation quest in Murloc Swamp, for a total of 10 golds. The guild master personally asked that you are required to receive this before taking any quest.¡± Batara sighed and said ¡°Alright¡± before taking the money. The guild staff then confirmed and granted Batara the general collection quest.


    Batara then headed towards Cedar Grove. Along the way Batara thought about what Lisandra said to him about how weak he is and the map from Ajak the imp that leads to an artifact. Batara thought that maybe, the reason he was able to cast the strange magic that saved him from Queen Arachnid was his Hood of Facade since he felt the same sensation when he casted the magic and when he put on the hooded vest for the first time. Thus, Ajak¡¯s words and artifacts might not be complete bullshit. After giving it a lot of thought, Batara decided to fulfill his curiosity and check if the map Ajak gave him was legit.


    So Batara went straight to Cedar Inn instead to gather information about the location on Ajak¡¯s map. However upon arriving at the inn, Batara only sat there for quite a long time. He overestimated his ability to gather information, or even, talk to other human beings. Margaret was not around at the inn making it worse for him that he didnt recognize anyone. After a while, Margaret¡¯s son, Marco, entered through the inn¡¯s door with other hunters. Marco then noticed Batara and immediately greeted him ¡°Hi Batara! Great to see you again!¡± Compared to when Batara first met him, Marco seemed very energetic and cheerful. All of a sudden Batara felt nervous and only nodded his head in response. Marco replied awkwardly ¡°Eh as timid as ever.¡± The other hunter asked Marco cautiously ¡°Who is he, Marco? I never saw him around here.¡± Marco replied ¡°He is the one I told you about dad! Batara, he saved me from Red Hobgoblin.¡± Marco¡¯s dad looked at Batara and was not sure how a weak looking kid like him could defeat a red hobgoblin. However, he knew that his son would never lie to him.


    Marco¡¯s dad tapped Batara on his right shoulder and said ¡°My name is Enza Sore. I am a senior hunter in Cedar. Thank you for saving my son, I owe you one.¡± Enza sounded very genuine in showing his gratitude. Batara replied ¡°D-d-dont worry. I just got lucky.¡± Enza thought that might be the case, but Batara still saved his son so he insisted ¡°No please, ask anything you want I will do my best to grant it.¡± As much as Batara wanted to refuse, he also didnt want to prolong this uncomfortable pressure any further. Since Batara was looking for a direction to Ajak¡¯s map, he took the map from his bag and asked Enza about it instead. Batara pointed to the map and said to Enza ¡°T-then tell me where I can find this.¡± Enza checked the map and said to Batara ¡°I¡¯ve seen this before. Its an abandoned ruin with strange stone markings southwest of Cedar Grove. There is nothing in that ruin but a strong unpleasant stench that comes out from it, so no one ever comes there.¡± Batara fell silent, lost in thought. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Enza asked him ¡°Why are you asking about this ruin?¡± Batara didnt answer and suddenly stood up ready to leave. Enza grabbed his shoulder and said ¡°H-hey where are you going? At least let us accompany you, that ruin doesnt look safe.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The last thing Batara needed was to see more deaths caused by him. So Batara turned towards Enza, brushed off his hand, and said ¡°Leave me alone.¡± From Enza¡¯s perspective, Batara¡¯s gaze looked like he had seen enough deaths or even ready to face death himself. Enza knew better not to mess with someone like that from experience, so he refrained from stopping Batara and let him leave. Batara left Cedar Inn and headed straight to the ruin directed by Enza. Batara walked southwest from Cedar Grove¡¯s entrance as instructed by Enza. However, Batara forgot to ask the specific location of the ruin or any landmark that led towards the ruin. Thus, he ended up walking around for hours trying to find the ruin. As the sun was almost set, Batara decided to head back and continue the search tomorrow. However, as he turned his back, Batara smelled something unusual. Batara then tried following the smell as it got worse the closer he followed. As the smell got more and more unbearable, Batara looked ahead and finally found the source of the smell. It turned out to be the abandoned ruin Enza was talking about. Batara walked closer and checked to see if it was the same ruin as the one in Ajak¡¯s map. As pointed out by Enza, the ruin had strange stone markings around it. Batara checked Ajak¡¯s map and turned out the markings on the ruin matched the one in the map.


    Despite the strong unpleasant stench, Batara, who had only planned to check the place out, got curious and decided to go in. As he walked through the entrance, the stench got so unbearable that Batara had to cover his mouth. Inside the ruin, there was indeed nothing aside from rubbles. Batara thought that maybe Ajak was telling bullshit after all and decided to return as the sun was almost set. Just as Batara turned his back towards the entrance, the patterns on his Hood of Facade started to glow. Batara was surprised and confused on whats happening, so he ran towards the entrance in panic. The patterns on his vest glowed brighter as the unpleasant stench in the ruin slowly vanished. As soon as Batara reached the entrance, the gate suddenly closed shut causing Batara to be trapped inside the ruin. The ruin suddenly got so dark leaving only Batara¡¯s vest as the source of light. Batara tried to blow up the gate using his magic ¡°Gust Blow!¡± but it did nothing. He tried lighting a fire with his magic, but strangely no light came out from it. Batara breathed heavily, panicked, terrified, and didnt know what to do until the runic patterns on his vest started to come out. The glowing patterns then formed pathway lights before Batara but he couldnt see where the lights led into. He was aware that the lights might lead to trouble, but since he couldnt see or do anything else either, he decided to follow the lights. At this point, Batara started to believe Ajak¡¯s words after seeing his Hood of Facade reacted strongly in this ruin.


    As he followed the lights, the overwhelming darkness was starting to engulf Batara in fear and anxiety. Causing Batara to feel hesitant to walk where the lights lead to. Thus, he casted his utility magic ¡°Pulse Sense!¡± that sent mana waves through the ground to detect vibration around him to overcame his fear with being cautious. However, his magic didnt pick up anything. Due to Batara¡¯s low mana pool he could only cast it one at a time as he walked which made Batara even more anxious. After walking for a while, the pattern lights stopped. Batara couldnt see anything around him and felt confused until all the pattern lights behind him suddenly gathered forming a circle before him. The pattern lights then dispersed and spread around the area revealing an entirely different place from the ruin Batara ventured into. The ruin has turned into a large court hall. Batara then saw a sign on the wall written in ancient language he couldnt understand. Suddenly, one of the pattern lights moved to the sign and turned the writings into Batara¡¯s language. Batara read the sign ¡°The Lord¡¯s Court Hall.¡±


    The moment Batara was able to read the sign, a surge of memories were etched into Batara¡¯s mind. Batara bent on his knees and groaned painfully ¡°Arkkh¡­¡± as the memories entered his mind. After a while, Batara fell unconscious and woke up in another person¡¯s body without being able to do anything.

 The Selfless

    A person with a carriage then approached him and said ¡°Are you ready to leave? Lord Berg Iver.¡± The owner of the body Batara was in is Lord Berg Iver, the head of a noble family in a small remote country . Berg was summoned to the capital after his feat of helping commoners in his country to learn magic and develop the country became known. Berg was tasked with teaching magic to the commoners in the capital, but only general utility magic, not combat magic. After a year of teaching magic to commoners, Berg rose up in rank within the nobility. Not only that, the life quality of commoners started to increase as they have found their place and role within the capital. However, despite Berg¡¯s selfless efforts to raise the commoners, some of them felt it wasnt enough. So on the day that Berg was scheduled to return to his country, a group of commoners asked him to visit his house while bringing various foods to bid him farewell. Berg felt delighted as he loved food very much and invited them to his house since they were nice enough to bring food.


    Berg and the commoners then went to Berg¡¯s house and set up the table to eat together. Everything went well and full of joy until Berg took a sip of the wine from the commoners. Berg suddenly felt dizzy and fell unconscious. Berg then woke up in a basement he didnt recognize with his hands tied. A group of commoners that were just eating with joy along Berg stood before him with a grim look on their face. A commoner said to Berg ¡°We have confiscated all your magic scripts, books, materials and read all of them.¡± Berg coughed roughly and replied ¡°Uhk¡­ uhk, why did you do this?¡± the commoner replied ¡°We need to learn combat magic to beat the nobles and we know that you are not allowed to teach us.¡± Berg replied in confusion ¡°But why? Arent you living better since I taught you magic?¡± the commoner punched him and replied ¡°A NOBLE LIKE YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!¡± he continued ¡°Our life may have improved but we are still trampled by the nobles like rats. We need to stand our ground and fight for our rights as equal human beings. That¡¯s why we need power now more than ever since our standing has increased and more people started to support us commoners.¡± Berg replied ¡°I understand your concern. But changes need time and process, you cannot force it to happen through violence!¡± The commoner got more furious and once again punched Berg while saying ¡°WE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH! Now either you teach us how to use combat magic or we will kill you and learn it anyway from your materials.¡± Berg didnt have any choice since he still wanted to return to his family, so he decided to teach them combat magic.


    Several days have passed and unexpectedly the commoners are finally able to use combat magic. The commoners then went to overthrow the capital¡¯s order and Berg was left behind locked in the basement. A commoner stayed behind to guard the house and provide Berg with basic meals so he didnt die. It might be the commoners¡¯ way to repay Berg¡¯s kindness. However, the meals they provided suppressed Berg¡¯s mana making him powerless to break out on his own. So either he ate without being able to use magic or died of starvation. The commoners seemed to have planned this for a long time.


    A month has passed and Berg was still locked in the basement until a ruckus was heard upstairs. Berg didnt know what happened but he hid himself under his bed as he knew there were several things that could result badly if he got caught by either commoners or nobles. A moment later the ruckus stopped and one of the people upstairs came down to the basement. Berg couldnt stop shaking, feeling scared. However, the other person immediately found Berg under the bed. Berg was startled and looked up slowly. Turned out, it was one of the guards that accompanied Berg from his country to the capital. The guard kneeled and said ¡°Stay down there for a while and dont go back to the capital.¡± Berg just nodded and went back into hiding. The guard then shouted ¡°All clear!¡± and returned with the other guards. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Berg sighed with relief at the fact that there was a person who was on his side. After things had settled down, Berg left the basement and headed back to his country. Berg anticipated it, but his worst fear has occurred that he was being accused of treason for teaching commoners to fight nobles. Thus, Berg planned to return and lay low. Several days have passed since Berg walked back to his country from the basement, and he finally arrived. The place that used to be lively was now looking like a ghost town. Berg looked around the place but there was no one, including his family. Suddenly, a group of people with horses approached him. One of the people shouted ¡°THATS THE TRAITOR!¡±. Berg panicked and ran away as fast as he could. But the horses caught up to him and he got captured by the guards from the capital. Berg was then taken back to the capital.


    Berg then got his blindfold taken off and hands untied as he realized he was in the middle of the Lord¡¯s Court Hall. The Lord then said ¡°Hereby, I declare Berg Iver is convicted for Treason against the capital and for that he will be executed as punishment.¡± Berg spoke back ¡°But I did not engage in a treasonous act! I only taught commoners magic like you ordered me to!¡± The Lord replied ¡°Then that made things clearer then, who else could¡¯ve taught them how to fight even when I specifically told you not to?¡± Berg replied ¡°But I was held hostage, what else can I do!?¡± The Lord replied with a cold blooded look ¡°Then perhaps, you shouldve just given up your life for the greater good.¡± Berg¡¯s gaze suddenly turned blank in disbelief. The Lord then said ¡°Take him to the prison. We will have him executed tomorrow!¡± The guards took him from the chair and one of them was the guard that met him in the basement.


    Berg then got thrown off into the prison. At nightfall, the guard from the basement came to Berg¡¯s prison cell. The guard asked Berg ¡°I¡¯m sorry things turned out this way.¡± Berg was silent and didnt reply. The guard continued ¡°I know you did nothing wrong, but everything was set in stone by the nobles I couldnt do anything. So at least, tell me your final request and I will do my best to fulfill it.¡± In desperation, Berg finally spoke ¡°What happened to my country?¡± The guard looked down in guilt and replied ¡°It got wiped out under the Lord¡¯s command.¡± Berg replied ¡°and my family?¡± The guard only shook his head in response. At that moment, Berg was at the peak of his desperation and stopped responding as his mind ceased to function. The guard then left him alone. Berg was far too deep in desperation that he couldnt even shed a tear for his family. But then, a dark spirit appeared in Berg¡¯s cell and possessed him. Berg didnt even struggle as he already lost his mind. Thus, the dark spirit took its chance and managed to possess Berg completely, changing all his desperation into wrath.


    When the morning came, Berg Iver was nowhere to be found in his cell. Overtaken by the dark spirit¡¯s wrath, Berg planned his vengeance against both the nobles and commoners. Being possessed by the dark spirit, Berg gained a strong dark magic that made him able to shapeshift into any person he sees. With that specific skill, Berg was able to infiltrate the capital and made his way to the Lord¡¯s chamber. He then proceeded to kill the Lord and turn himself to live as the Lord. As the new Lord, the first thing Berg did was put on the Lord¡¯s crown, browse the royal clothing, and modify it to fit the dark spirit¡¯s taste. Then he proceeded with his vengeance by killing the commoners he taught and executing the nobles that are involved in him being accused of treason through the Lord¡¯s Court Hall. At the end of Berg¡¯s vengeance, in the Lord¡¯s Court Hall, Berg killed the guard that spared his life before taking his own life. The dark spirit then said in Batara¡¯s head in anger ¡°THAT FOOLISH HUMAN DARE TO REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS JUST TO KILL HIMSELF AFTER EVERYTHING I¡¯VE DONE FOR HIM! NOW I¡¯M TRAPPED INSIDE THIS RUIN WITHOUT A PHYSICAL BODY!¡±

 The Faceless

    Hearing the loud shouting in his head, Batara regained his consciousness and was back in the Lord¡¯s Court Hall inside his own body. Then the dark spirit appeared before Batara in the form of a faceless draconic humanoid. The dark spirit said to Batara ¡°Greetings human. So you are the one who possesses my Hood of Facade.¡± The dark spirit released a menacing aura that sent shivers down Batara¡¯s spine. The dark spirit continued ¡°My name is Jaram, a manifestation of wrath. What is your name human?¡± Batara couldnt talk as he was overwhelmed with fear. Jaram continued ¡°Not a word? Very well human, the dead shall remain silent. I will feast on your soul and return to the physical world once again!.¡± Jaram started to rush towards Batara with his claws from the opposing edge of the Lord¡¯s Court Hall. For a brief moment, Batara saw there was a crown behind where Jaram was standing on top of the Lord¡¯s table. In panic, Batara quickly casted his magic ¡°Wind Leap!¡± and jumped to the side dodging Jaram¡¯s claw thrust. Jaram said ¡°It seems I got rusty. Thats what years have done to me.¡± Batara wondered why Jaram talked a lot in the middle of a fight. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Jaram said ¡°Why look confused? I am merely playing with my prey haha.¡± Jaram then disappeared from Batara¡¯s sight. Batara then quickly enchanted his weapon with ¡°Gust Blow!¡± when suddenly Jaram re-appeared before Batara slashing its claw.


    Batara managed to parry Jaram¡¯s claw with his scepter causing it to get pushed back slightly. Jaram laughed and said ¡°HAHAHA what is that weak magic!? Did you just use commoners'' magic against me!?¡± Jaram then got angry and said ¡°How dare you underestimate me you little shit!¡± as he overwhelmed Batara with a rain of slashes. Batara couldnt keep up with Jaram¡¯s speed and ended up getting slashed on his chest. Batara then got blown away from his own Gust Blow after failing to parry Jaram¡¯s strike. He groaned in pain ¡°Akh¡­ ssshh¡­¡± as he fell helplessly on the ground. Jaram said ¡°This is not fun. I just grazed you and you almost died. I¡¯ll end this fast then.¡± Jaram casted its magic in ancient language ¡°Zhar Thann!¡± and black spheres started to form around Jaram. Jaram then pointed his index finger towards Batara and the black spheres started to move quickly following its direction. Batara quickly got up on his knees and casted his magic ¡°Force Diversion!¡± that created a force barrier to redirect projectiles using rotating pressure. Batara¡¯s magic was too weak to form a working defensive barrier so he modified it to something he could handle.


    Batara¡¯s magic worked. Jaram¡¯s black spheres got redirected away from Batara upon hitting his barrier. However, his barrier wasnt strong enough to hold off all of Jaram¡¯s spheres, and he ended up with holes all over his body. Batara writhed in extreme pain ¡°Akk-ahhhk..¡± as he pushed himself to the limit just to uphold the barrier. Batara tried casting his new magic Fool¡¯s Charade, but it had no effect since Jaram doesnt have eyes or even a face. Eventually, Jaram stopped casting his magic and Batara immediately collapsed lifeless on the ground. Jaram said ¡°I thought you were just playing tricks¡­ turns out¡­¡± Jaram moved quickly towards Batara and continued ¡°YOU¡¯RE JUST EXTREMELY WEAK HAHAH!!¡± Batara exhausted all his mana and vitality that he was unable to move let alone respond, but he was still conscious. Jaram said ¡°I will end this now. A weakling like you dont have much to live with anyway. At least now, your physical body will have a use, FOR ME TO TAKE OVER HAHAHA.¡± Jaram then casted its magic in ancient language ¡°Azrath Kaal!¡± that summoned a massive dark spear with a devastating aura above Batara. Jaram said ¡°TASTE MY WRATH!¡± as the spear started to fall. Just when the spear came close to hitting Batara, he lost his consciousness.


    Batara then opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of the Lord¡¯s Court Hall. Batara saw his body lying on the ground and Jaram next to it. However, everything around him froze, as if time had stopped. Suddenly, a man in his 30s approached him and said ¡°Hey! Thank god I managed just in time!¡± Batara looked confused in response and said ¡°Huh?¡± The man replied ¡°Your soul almost left your body due to the dark spirit¡¯s attack. But I managed to pull your soul to the Inbetween Realm where my soul lingers.¡± Batara didnt quite understand whats happening and instead asked the man ¡°Who are you?¡± The man replied ¡°I am Berg Iver.¡±


    Berg said to Batara ¡°Listen, I dont know how much time we got, but I will tell you how to defeat Jaram.¡± Batara looked down and replied ¡°How could I even get out of this situation? Didnt you see the state of my body there?¡± Berg looked at Batara¡¯s body on the ground and said ¡°Sssh¡­ looks like you¡¯re on the verge of death¡­¡± Batara replied ¡°Besides, what Jaram said was true, there is no point for me to keep living.¡± Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Berg understood Batara¡¯s despair as he had experienced a similar feeling when Jaram possessed him. Berg then replied ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from. But, countless years of being trapped had given me the time to think and realize that life is always worth living. No matter what life throws at you, you have to see it yourself until the end. Because I refuse to let life pass without ever experiencing what good things might still be ahead.¡± Batara thought ¡°what a simple and naive way of thinking.¡± and yet when he really thought about it, he had not encountered any good things so far in his life. Berg continued ¡°Its better than dying without knowing right?¡± Batara needed to put it into more thought, but as it seemed like there is no time for that, Batara went straight to ask ¡°What were you trying to tell me?¡± Berg replied ¡°Thats the spirit!¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Berg continued ¡°Jaram¡¯s spirit is indeed trapped inside this ruin. But what it didnt tell you is that its soul was trapped inside an artifact.¡± Berg pointed to the crown behind Jaram and said ¡°That crown is the artifact where Jaram¡¯s soul is stored. Just like mine stored in the hooded vest you¡¯re wearing.¡± Everything made sense now to Batara, as to why the Hood of Facade was showing him the way inside the ruin and why Jaram tried to hide the crown from Batara¡¯s sight. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Berg said ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry that I used you for my own desire. But I wanted my soul to be free, reunited with my family and Jaram was too dangerous to be left in Eidel.¡± Batara shouldve felt angry that his life was put at risk for someone¡¯s selfish reason, but instead he was at the acceptance phase that at least his life has a use in the end. Batara sighed and replied ¡°It doesnt matter. Its not like I have any options anyway. What do you want me do?¡± Berg¡¯s eyes lit up in joy as he replied ¡°Thank you thank you o kind adventurer! I promise I will repay your debt as best as I can. Alright back to the point, what you¡¯ll need to do is grab that crown and bring it out of this ruin. That way Jaram¡¯s soul will be separated with his entrapped spirit and both our souls will be finally freed from this world.¡± There are some holes in Berg¡¯s instructions but Batara didnt bother to ask given the short time they had. Batara just nodded in approval.


    Berg said ¡°Good luck Batara. I have seen how you lived since you put on the hooded vest and I know that you still have much to live for if you open up to it.¡± Berg continued ¡°We will be back in the physical world in a moment. I hope you could live with many happiness to come, in place of me.¡± as he bowed to Batara. Batara got lost in thought thinking how can he get out of his current situation where death is just above his forehead. He then remembered about the blessing he received from Nyx just before his soul returned to his body. The time suddenly moved again as Batara regained his consciousness. As Jaram¡¯s spear was about to fall on Batara, Batara casted his blessing ¡°Nihility!¡± which immediately turned his body into mist and disappeared. Jaram¡¯s spear hit the ground where Batara¡¯s body was and created a devastating magical explosion. Jaram laughed and said ¡°HAHAHA MY POWER IS SO TERRIFYING!¡± He then looked around and noticed that Batara¡¯s body had disappeared. Jaram said ¡°Whoops. Did I put too much power and ended up destroying the human¡¯s body? But its impossible as I perfectly targeted my magic to destroy only his soul.¡±


    Jaram didnt notice that Batara had turned into a mist to avoid its magic. In the mist state, Batara quickly moved towards the crown behind Jaram. However, throughout being in the mist state, Batara had this overwhelming desire to not return to the physical world. He was aware that it must be the effect Nyx was talking about and if he followed the desire, he will entirely become Nihil. Upon reaching the crown, Batara decided that he refused to die yet, at least not until he experienced one good thing in his life. So he shook off the desire of Nihility and able to return to his original human form to grab the crown. As Batara grabbed the crown, Jaram noticed him and shouted ¡°HOW DARE YOU TRICKED ME HUMAN! THIS MUST BE BERG¡¯s DOING. SHOW YOURSELF YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!¡±. Suddenly, the Lord¡¯s Court Hall was changed back into the ruin and the pattern lights around the area moved before Batara and formed a line guiding towards a direction. Batara understood that it must be Berg¡¯s guide to get out of the ruin. Jaram then said ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY CROWN!¡± as he ran towards Batara. Just when Jaram almost reached Batara with his claws, Batara once again casted ¡°Nihility!¡± turning into mist and evaded Jaram¡¯s claws.


    Jaram got extremely irritated and shouted ¡°Haargh! Show yourself you COWARD!¡± Jaram seemed unable to detect Batara at all while in his mist form. Batara quickly moved following the guiding lights as Jaram was still in confusion. As Batara moved, he saw a light coming out from the end of his way which looked like the entrance of the ruin. However, halfway through the entrance Batara suddenly got turned back into his human form. Jaram noticed it and shouted ¡°THERE YOU ARE!¡± as he immediately pursued Batara. Batara ran as fast as he could, but Jaram will caught up to him in no time since Batara was limping due to his wounds. Batara then came up with an idea to escape. Just as Jaram was about to reach him, Batara transferred his mana to his belt and used the remaining mana to cast his magic ¡°Wind Leap!¡±. As his weight became lighter due to his belt¡¯s enchantment, he leaped fast and far towards the exit. Jaram said ¡°I will not let you get away!¡± as it casted its magic ¡°Zhartunn Jar!¡± that shot a quick dark bolt towards Batara. Batara tried to dodge in mid-air but it still managed to graze Batara¡¯s shoulder.


    Batara then finally managed to fly off the ruin through the entrance. He immediately fell to the ground as his mana was depleted. Jaram¡¯s scream was heard outside the ruin ¡°HUMAAN! DONT THINK THIS IS OVER. I WILL HAUNT YOU AND I WILL KILL YOU. For where there is wrath I SHALL RISE¡­¡± Jaram¡¯s voice slowly faded as its spirit body turned into dust.

 Emergency Escape

    Batara just laid there unable to move. Suddenly, Berg¡¯s soul appeared before Batara and shouted in excitement ¡°You really did it! I cant believe it!¡± Batara only planted his head to the ground as he mumbled in pain ¡°Mmergh.¡± Berg tone turned serious as he kneeled before Batara and said ¡°From the deepest of my heart and soul, thank you adventurer Batara. Because of you I can be reunited with my family once again and Jaram wont be able to spread chaos upon this world.¡± Batara heard what Berg said but he couldnt respond. Berg continued ¡°Dont worry I¡¯ve left signs so that others could find you here. I hope I could do more to repay you but I¡¯m afraid this is all I can do.¡± Berg remembered something and said ¡°Oh and one more thing, while helping you get through the ruin earlier I managed to engrave my memories in ancient language through your hooded vest. So as long as you used it, you should be able to read ancient language.¡± Berg¡¯s soul then slowly reduced to ashes as he said ¡°Goodbye Batara. I hope you have a wonderful life¡­¡± and Berg disappeared.


    Batara scoffed sarcastically and thought ¡°Great, I knocked on death¡¯s door just to learn how to read.¡± He also thought about how even a benevolent lord with a blessed life like Berg could meet such a tragic demise. Such thought was what gave Batara a little hope on life. While Batara was still lost in thought, the crown he was holding slowly dissipated into the air as Batara felt something got sucked into his forehead. However before Batara coould react, due to the blood loss, mana depletion, and depression probably caused by Nihility, Batara finally lost his consciousness.


    Batara then woke up in a room he didnt recognize and felt a sudden Dejavu. He got up and looked around the room that looked like a healer¡¯s hut from the medical supplies lying around. Batara looked at the mirror and saw his body was covered in bandages. As he looked closer, he noticed there was a small black symbol on his forehead. He tried to rub it off but it wont go away. Batara then checked his belongings and his suspicion was correct, Jaram¡¯s Cursed Crown has vanished and went into Batara¡¯s forehead before he passed out. Then, a woman in a white robe came into the room and noticed Batara had woken up. The woman said ¡°Ah you already woke up. You shouldnt walk around yet, your wounds were quite severe.¡± Batara then asked his signature questions ¡°Who are you? Where am I?¡± The woman smiled awkwardly and said ¡°Eh, straight to the point eh¡­ My name is Katherine the priest stationed here in Cedar Village. We are in my hut right now at northern Cedar Village.¡± Batara replied ¡°How did I get here?¡± Katherine replied ¡°Eh another direct question?¡­¡± Batara got slightly annoyed by Katherine¡¯s quirk of thinking out loud. Katherine continued ¡°The hunters brought you in severely wounded. They said you¡¯ve been missing for 3 days and found your body lying in front of an abandoned ruin.¡± Batara thought ¡°Impossible, I¡¯ve only spent several hours in the ruin.¡± and asked Katherine again ¡°How long was I out?¡± Katherine nervously replied ¡°This man really shows no courtesy¡­ you have been unconscious for 2 days¡­ after I took care of him and fed him for 2 days so he didnt die.¡± Katherine¡¯s quirk was getting more apparent as she talked.


    Batara was out for 5 days in total, and if what Katherine said was true, the realm where he fought Jaram mustve had a different time flow with the physical world. As Batara couldnt handle talking with Katherine anymore, he kept it short and asked ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± Katherine replied ¡°Please dont worry about it, you just suffered a tragedy so just focus on getting better¡­ healing him constantly until my head hurts and feeding him should be at least 4 golds!¡± Batara then put 5 golds on the table before taking all his belongings preparing to leave. Katherine said ¡°Hey wait where are you going? The hunters and the innkeeper are worried sick about you. And besides they said they will cover your treatment¡­ and I probably will end up feeling too bad asking for it¡­¡± Batara didnt respond and left the room in hurry. Katherine said ¡°At least let them know you¡¯re leaving!¡± But Batara already left. Katherine then got irritated by herself and said ¡°Ow this stupid quirk! Always got me in trouble!¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Batara left Cedar Village as fast and sneaky as he could and headed back to Quarzith. He didnt want to bump into anyone in Cedar Village as he really didnt want to explain his situation when he didnt fully understand it himself. To Batara¡¯s knowledge, Ajak didnt lie about there being an artifact and about the God of Deceit which may be the reference for Jaram who has shapeshifting ability. But what Batara didnt understand was how Ajak possessed the Hood of Facade when it shouldve been entrapped in the ruin along with Jaram¡¯s Cursed Crown. However, Batara had lost his chance to ask Berg as he already left Eidel for good, so either he let it go or directly asked Ajak about it.


    After walking for a while, Batara almost reached Quarzith as the sun was almost set. He thought about finding a new place to stay since he couldnt go back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie due to the things with Isha. Thus, as soon as Batara arrived at Quarzith, he asked the guards about the date and confirmed that he''d been out for 5 days. Batara found it unbelievable but everything that happened so far also felt like a dream except for his wounds. So, Batara braced himself and went to the crowded inn recommended by the guards. Batara then arrived in front of the inn named Wanderers¡¯ Nest. He saw through the window and the inn/tavern was as lively and crowded as ever. He walked in a circle trying to overcome his fear of walking into the place before finally putting on his hood, clenching his fist, and entered the inn. Batara walked past the crowd as fast as he could hoping no one would notice him. As soon as he arrived at the reception desk, the innkeeper greeted him ¡°Hell- whoa you got a lot of bandages, you mustve gone through a lot! What can I do for you?¡± As expected, the innkeeper was as loud as the crowd.


    Batara kept it short and asked ¡°I¡¯d like a room.¡± The innkeeper replied ¡°Sure, as this place is an inn and a  tavern, the room came with a meal and it cost 2 silvers and 5 copper per night-¡° before the innkeeper finished explaining, Batara quickly handed over the money and said ¡°A room for one night¡­ please.¡± The innkeeper smiled awkwardly and replied ¡°A-alright here is your key, your room is in the second-¡° Before the innkeeper could finish his sentence, Batara took the key and basically ran upstairs. The innkeeper got all confused and talked to himself ¡°What just happened¡­¡±


    Batara went inside his room and felt glad to find that the room was bigger than in Lorelai¡¯s Reverie. He then put down all his equipment and sit on the corner of his room. He thought about getting something to eat but he¡¯d rather sleep in hunger than having to join the crowd downstairs. So he started meditating instead to relieve the remaining headache. He started thinking about how powerless and terrified he was when he faced Jaram. He also thought about his depression when he wanted to give up his life for Jaram. As Batara went deep into his emotion triggering meditation, another strange magic appeared in his head. Batara tried casting the magic so that he can understand it, ¡°False Promise!¡± the magic was not activated. However, Batara gained epiphany that the magic could enhance one¡¯s ability only if the target believes in him. Batara immediately stopped his meditation and thought ¡°what an absolute joke, who would I even use this magic for¡­¡± suddenly a person came to mind. Batara then decided to not give this matter another thought and went to sleep.


    The next morning, Batara went downstairs in hope there would be no one in the dining hall. As he suspected, there is almost no one else there. He then walked up to the reception and asked about the meal to the innkeeper. The innkeeper said ¡°The meals are usually available at night, but there should still be some leftover in the kitchen.¡± Batara was so hungry that he only replied ¡°Alright I¡¯ll help myself¡± and went straight to the kitchen. In the kitchen, there are still some meat stew and bread left so he put them on a bowl and head to the dining table. Batara inhaled the food as it felt like he hasnt eaten anything for the past 5 days. Even though the food has gone cold, Batara felt satisfied, until a man suddenly sit in front of him.

 The Shrouded Opportunist

    The man said to Batara ¡°Hey Bats, good to finally see you.¡± Turns out the man sitting in front of Batara was Klaus. Batara was too focused on eating that he didnt notice Klaus was around. Batara was startled and replied nervously ¡°H-hi Klaus.¡± Klaus replied in concern ¡°Where have you been Bats? I was looking for you. And why are you all roughed up?¡± For Klaus it may have been several days since they last met, but for Batara, its been only yesterday, so the situation is quite complicated as Batara hasnt had the time to think about their last conversation. Batara replied ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Klaus insisted ¡°Well I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Batara scratched his head and sighed ¡°Ughh¡­ its hard to explain but I was looking for an artifact when a spirit attacked me.¡± Klaus was really skeptical but still tried to make sense of Batara¡¯s story and asked ¡°Where is this artifact then?¡± Batara pointed to the small black symbol on his forehead. Klaus looked at the symbol and got more confused and skeptical. However, he knew that Batara was not the kind of person who told unnecessary lies. So instead of asking for more details, Klaus asked Batara ¡°But why did you risk your life for it?¡± Batara paused for a while before he replied hesitantly ¡°To gain power.¡±


    Klaus immediately understood where Batara¡¯s answer was coming from since he thought about the same thing ever since the Murloc Swamp incident. Klaus then said to Batara with an assertive tone ¡°I will ask you this again Bats. Lets form a party!¡± Batara knew that he eventually had to face this question, but he was still not ready. So Batara replied ¡°Sorry I cant Klaus.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Why Bats? Why cant I convince you that you dont hold responsibility over what happened at Murloc Swamp?¡± Batara was triggered and raised his voice ¡°BECAUSE I AM! We¡¯ve been over this before. Why would you even want to form a party with a helpless like me?¡± Klaus also raised his tone while slamming the table ¡°BECAUSE I FEEL GUILTY!¡± The innkeeper across the room was startled and slammed his foot against the table. Klaus gestured his sorry to the innkeeper.


    Batara was confused and didnt understand what Klaus meant. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction, Klaus scratched his head aggresively and said ¡°Arghh¡­ alright, since we¡¯ve faced death together I will come clean with you.¡± Klaus continued ¡°At first, I didnt go on the adventure with you just because I trusted you. The chief of Obenvale has told me about you and your circumstances before we even started adventurer¡¯s training. So I know about you having basically no family which was convenient for me.¡± Batara got more and more confused that he asked ¡°Whats that got to do with anything?¡± Klaus replied ¡°I¡¯m not done yet. The truth is, the Fenderer¡¯s family has been waiting for me to get out of Obenvale to kill me since I am still in line to inherit the family¡¯s throne.¡± Klaus continued ¡°This is where you get relevant. I chose you to be my partner because I know I will face death threats from the Fenderers¡¯ along the way. And since you dont have anyone to return to, my conscience wont be burdened as much if¡­ you know¡­¡± Batara continued Klaus¡¯ words and said ¡°I was killed by your personal struggle.¡± Batara thought that Klaus reasonings are all starting to made sense.


    Klaus looked very guilty after hearing Batara¡¯s response and yet he didnt deny it. Klaus then continued ¡°But I was completely wrong. Do you remember when we were attacked by three horned wolves back at Obenvale¡¯s Forest and the King Kobold on our way to Quarzith?¡± Batara didnt know where Klaus was going with that but he nodded approving that he remembered. Klaus continued ¡°Those were all Fenderers¡¯ doing. My father¡¯s acquaintance told me when we were training that a Fenderer Beast Master controlled them.¡± Batara was surprised to the fact that the Fenderers were able to do that much without him even noticing. Klaus continued ¡°I felt very guilty that you always tried your hardest to overcame the situations when they were actually my personal issues. And to top it all, you even managed to always pull through despite lacking in talent. I on the other hand couldnt even bring myself to tell you about this earlier.¡±


    Klaus then said ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I hid all this from you. But the fact that you even managed to save me despite all that, made me sure that you are more than capable. So I will ask you again, lets form a party!¡± Batara didnt feel mad after hearing that Klaus had used him for his cause, but instead Batara felt relieved because he finally knew Klaus¡¯ actual intention was not just some blind trust. Batara then took his time to think about Klaus¡¯ offer as Klaus waited nervously shaking his knees. Since the scale of guilt seemed to have even out between him and Klaus, Batara finally replied ¡°Alright lets do this.¡± He accepted Klaus¡¯ offer as he also had a hidden agenda in teaming up with Klaus.


    Klaus was overjoyed and said ¡°Thats what I¡¯m talking about! You are a real one, Bats.¡± as he extended his hands asking for a toss. Batara wasnt familiar with a toss so he didnt know how to react. Klaus then said ¡°C¡¯mon dont leave my hand hanging.¡± as he gestured to clap his hand. Batara understood and went in for the toss. Batara then got curious and asked ¡°How did you find me?¡± Klaus replied ¡°What do you mean? I stayed in this inn.¡± Batara thought ¡°Ofcourse he is, why didnt I account for this.¡± Klaus continued ¡°Also you didnt make yourself conspicuous by wearing your indifferent hood and came running into the inn.¡± Batara just pinched his forehead in shame. Klaus then said ¡°Alright shall we head to the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± Batara thought for a moment before saying ¡°Not today, I have something I needed to do.¡± Seeing Batara full of wounds Klaus thought that he might still need time to recover, so Klaus replied ¡°I see. How about tomorrow we meet at the adventurer¡¯s guild in the morning?¡± Klaus seemed very eager to went adventuring again even though he just recovered, however Batara was also pretty low on money so he replied ¡°Sounds good.¡± Klaus then left before saying ¡°I¡¯ll see you then!¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Batara had planned to go to the library to find information about the strange magics he learned. So he went to Quarzith main library at northern Quarzith. After walking for a while and got lost around the city, he finally arrived at the main library. The library was very large and filled with thousands of books stacked neatly inside glowing shelves. Right in front of the entrance, there was a magic circle with a sign written ¡°Directory¡±. Under the Directory sign there is a simple instruction that says: ¡°Step into the magic circle, state the book you are searching, and look for the glowing shelf.¡± Batara followed the instructions and stepped into the magic circle. As he stated the book he¡¯s searching ¡°Anomalies of Mana¡± he felt some of his mana sucked into the magic circle. Suddenly, all the bookshelves stopped glowing, leaving Batara confused on where he was supposed to look. After a moment, a woman wearing a light grey uniform approached Batara. The woman said ¡°Good morning sir. I saw you have been standing there for a while, may I help you search for the book you¡¯re looking for?¡± Batara felt nervous that someone suddenly talked to him. Seeing Batara¡¯s reaction the woman said with a polite tone ¡°Oh apologies. My name is Mathilda Roa, I am a librarian here.¡±


    Batara understood and replied ¡°Anomalies of Mana.¡± Mathilda¡¯s face turned panicked and she quickly pulled Batara out of the magic circle. While Batara was still very confused, Mathilda said while whispering ¡°Where have you learned about that book!?¡± as she lost her polite demeanor. Batara just remembered that the book shouldve been disposed of but Isha got it instead through her friend. As Batara didnt want to snitch on Isha, he decided to lie his way and replied ¡°I-I saw it lying around in some inn.¡± Batara¡¯s brain works terribly under pressure. Mathilda replied ¡°Inn?¡± before she pinched her forehead in regret and said ¡°Could it possibly be Lorelai¡¯s Reverie?¡± Batara nervously replied as he was about to get caught ¡°N-no it was¡­¡± before his mind went blank. Mathilda sighed and replied ¡°Heuf¡­ as I figured, this must be Isha¡¯s doing.¡± Mathilda then looked at Batara and said ¡°You must be Batara right? Isha¡¯s told me about you being the only one who reads in her inn.¡± As Batara was caught red handed, he just nodded in approval.


    Mathilda then said ¡°Thank god I¡¯m the attending librarian today, else I would be in trouble if they found out Ive been giving away disposed books.¡± Batara felt relieved and said ¡°Sorry.¡± Mathilda sighed and said ¡°Its okay, I¡¯m at fault too for not expecting someone would actually read in that old inn.¡± Mathilda continued ¡°So about the book you¡¯re looking for, last time I checked it was just some old scribbles that are barely readable. Why are you interested in that?¡± Since his mother fell ill, Batara, being stuck in his house, always spent his time trying to read anything. That habit persisted as he grew older and made him able to decipher most writings, thats why he spent until late at night to finish reading the Anomalies of Mana. Batara replied ¡°I¡¯m just curious, there are many missing parts in the book.¡± Mathilda replied ¡°Thats how all the ancient books are. Now I understand why you are Isha¡¯s acquaintance.¡± Batara didnt know how to respond to that so he stayed quiet. Mathilda continued ¡°Even the timid nature is similar¡­ Alright back to the book, the one you¡¯re searching is way too old, and other related books are only available in ancient language. Even if I take you to the ancient section there¡¯s no way you could read anything.¡±


    Batara didnt expect having engraved knowledge of ancient language could actually come in handy. Batara replied ¡°I could read ancient language.¡± Mathilda was surprised and said ¡°You must be joking right!? I never knew anybody in this era who could read ancient aside from the Head Librarian who is 100 years old!.¡± Batara didnt realize that it was a rare knowledge. So he came up with a partial lie and said ¡°I¡¯ve also come from a family of old Librarians.¡± As Batara was not under pressure this time he could tell a more convincing lie. Mathilda replied ¡°Why dont you become one then?¡± when she remembered that what she does is not the most fun job in Eidel, so she stopped prying and said ¡°Actually, nevermind I shouldnt pry into other people¡¯s business. Let me take you to the ancient section.¡±  Batara was relieved that as gullible as she was, Mathilda let the matter go. Mathilda then took him to a very secluded area located at the highest and farthest corner of the library. The two then started taking the stairs as Mathilda told Batara about how Isha was a good friend to her and she has helped her many times. Batara didnt respond most of the time, thinking about how chatty Mathilda was.

 Tsvaras Wisdom

    After they climbed what felt like thousands of stairs, the two finally arrived. Mathilda said while being out of breath ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­. I forgot how far the ancient section was. We¡¯ve finally arrived.¡± Compared to the other sections in the library, the ancient section seemed very old and dusty like a storeroom, showing that people rarely go there. Mathilda then said ¡°Since I can''t read ancient, you can search for the book yourself. And I hope you remember how to get here on your own since there is no way I¡¯m going here again.¡± Batara obviously didnt remember how to get there again given his bad sense of direction, but he just nodded approving all what Mathilda said. Mathilda then said ¡°Alright I¡¯ll leave you to yourself. Just a reminder, you cant take the books out of the library, since they¡¯re not the physical copy. The books you see here are just projections made using magic. They will vanish once they leave the library¡¯s door.¡± Batara was amazed by how advanced the magic in Quarzith was from the library¡¯s directory to the projection magic. He got curious and asked ¡°Where are the real books stored?¡± Mathilda looked very happy hearing Batara was interested in the library and she answered proudly ¡°They are stored safely underground.¡±


    Batara wondered since Quarzith has a very advanced magic development how much more advanced the capital''s magic would be. As Batara was busy thinking in his own head, Mathilda asked ¡°Anything else?¡± Batara shook his head in response, gesturing no. Mathilda replied ¡°Okay I¡¯ll go back to my work then. And Batara¡­¡± Batara looked curious as Mathilda¡¯s tone turned rather serious. Mathilda continued ¡°You should meet with Isha, she¡¯s been looking for you.¡± Mathilda seemed to have known about what happened with Isha¡¯s brother. Batara suddenly felt unpleasant in his gut so he just went silent. Mathilda then left him on his own.


    Batara then tried to distract himself by searching for the Anomalies of Mana book. As he looked around the dusty old bookshelves, Batara realized that he was able to understand ancient language like it came naturally in his memory. The ancient language was called ¡°Sansera¡±. After looking for a while, Batara found the book titled ¡°Anomalies of Mana¡±. Ancient books have very sumple covers consisting only of its title, but when Batara turned the page, there was the name of the author ¡°Cael Tsvara¡±. Batara wasnt sure how to pronounce the last name, but it felt somewhat familiar. He then started to read the book.


    As Batara spent hours reading just one book, he realized that even though he could read ancient, the language structure was very hard to comprehend, causing him to spend a lot of time deciphering it. However, he managed to learn more about Sakthi and Sankthi. There are certain types of magic that only use Sakthi to cast and there are others that use both Sakthi and Mana to cast. The difference is, when a person casts a magic that only uses Sakthi, they will not feel anything sucked out of their body, instead they will feel a headache only a while after they casted the magic. Like a delayed mana depletion reaction or as it is called Sankthi. The book warned the user to use Sakthi carefully due to its nature of delayed reaction which often caused the user to forget how much they had used.


    Batara definitely felt the same thing when he casted his strange magic Fool¡¯s Charade and the first time he tried casting False Promise even though it failed. He realized that must be the reason he¡¯s been fainting so often lately.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As for the magic that uses both Mana and Sakthi, upon casting such magic, the user will feel their mana sucked out as well as immediate headache due to Sankthi. The interesting part for Batara was the use of both Mana and Sakthi is linked with casting Mana Marking which he always tried but couldnt get it right. It turns out, as Mana Marking used two forms of magic to be coated on each other, it is more effective to use both Mana and Sakthi simultaneously. Doing so will make it easier to distinguish the two forms of magic before forming it into Magic Coating. The book also mentioned that such a method will make the Mana and Sakthi more visible. Batara thought that these must be the missing part about being able to ¡°see¡± mana which was not explained in the previous Anomalies of Mana he read.


    There are still a lot of things in the book that Batara has not yet been able to decipher. However, he just realized from looking through the window that the sun was almost set. So he returned the book to the shelf and walked downstairs as fast as possible. Batara¡¯s wounds didnt do him justice running down the stairs, but he was still amazed that Katherine¡¯s healing was so effective that in just a matter of days his wounds had almost fully recovered. After running for a while, he finally reached the Library¡¯s entrance, completely out of breath. As Batara left the library, the sun had yet to set, so he decided to go to the market to restock his supplies.


    Batara headed to the market district as he thought about what Mathilda said earlier about Isha. He really didnt want to stay at the Wanderer¡¯s nest but he didnt want to return to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie either as he felt uncomfortable facing Isha. Cedar Inn was also out of the question with all the ruckus he caused. All in all, Batara thought that he better go off alone and camp in the wilds if its not for his incapability as an adventurer. Batara was so deeply lost in thought until he heard someone call out to his name ¡°Batara!¡± He snapped out of his daze and turned around to see Isha. Isha said to Batara nervously ¡°S-sorry to startle you. I-I¡¯ve been calling you several times but you¡­¡± Isha seemed hesitant to finish her sentence, but she then continued ¡°What a-are you doing he-here?¡± Batara thought Isha¡¯s question was strange. However, as he looked around, he realized he was not in the market district but standing in front of a building that resembled a chapel.


    As hesitant as he was to meet Isha, Batara replied anxiously ¡°I-I got lost, sorry I have to go.¡± before he tried to flee the situation. However, Isha replied ¡°Wait! Please.¡± Hearing Isha desperately calling him, Batara stopped and decided not to run away. As Batara turned to Isha, Isha bowed her head a little and said ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my reaction back at the inn!¡± Batara was taken aback and quickly replied ¡°Please d-dont apologize!¡± Isha replied ¡°No, I am truly grateful to you back then because nobody else gave me any information about my brother for weeks before you did. And even though it was unfortunate, I¡¯m really glad you told me. However, at that time I couldnt accept the truth which made me react that way.¡± Even though Batara felt relieved that Isha didnt hold any grudge against him, he however didnt know what to say back to Isha and just nodded awkwardly approving what Isha had said.


    Isha then said ¡°Since you¡¯re here, do you want to join me to visit my brother in the Chapel of the Gods?¡± Batara remembered he once read in a book that the souls of the deceased will return to the gods. Thats why when visiting the deceased, people didnt go to their grave but instead to the chapel. Batara was reluctant as he didnt really believe in all that, but after what happened with Isha, he thought it would be rude to refuse so he agreed to go inside the chapel. The two then walked into the chapel. The Chapel of the Gods in Quarzith is bigger than the one in Obenvale, but its not very large either. There are several statues of the Gods arranged at the back with benches spread around the Chapel. This was Batara¡¯s first time visiting the chapel as it was shown on his face. Seeing that reaction, Isha asked Batara ¡°Have you ever been to the chapel?¡± Batara shook his head, gesturing a no. Isha replied ¡°Alright I¡¯ll tell you how to pay your respect to the deceased. You simply need to close your eyes and think about the person or what you want to say to the person until your heart feels relieved.¡± Isha then sat on a bench and started to close her eyes. Batara sat on a bench behind her and tried closing his eyes to pay his respect.

 No Eavesdropping Allowed

    Batara thought about the members of his former party who are dead because of his fault. He focused on remembering how each one of them died right in front of him. However, as Batara ventured deeper into his mind, a strange aura started sipping out of his body. Batara then opened his eyes to find that he was no longer in the chapel. He found himself standing on glass tiles in a realm with many glowing moons. Underneath him was the view of the same realm but it was upside down. As much as Batara was startled, he has experienced this one time too many that he was no longer alarmed.


    Until, one of the glowing moons turned into a ghastly and large being and approached Batara while saying ¡°Salve, meus eveta.¡± Batara cant help but tremble before the large being. Its words sent shivers to his spine as he remembered hearing the exact same words once when he was deep in meditation. The large being then turned into a very tall human male with eyes as sharp as the blade looking down on Batara. The being changed its language and said to Batara ¡°Welcome, my avatar.¡± as if translating what he said earlier. Though it took a human form, it was not any less intimidating than its previous form. Batara felt as if¨C


    ¡°Whoops, we dont need an outsider peeking into our business.¡± said the being while snapping its fingers.


    Batara said ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The being said ¡°As fragile as you are, I commend your courage to finally speak.¡±


    The being continued ¡°I am the God of Deceit. The one who lurks within the shadows but stands above all. But you mortals refer to me as Ulysses.¡±


    Batara fell silent and didnt respond.


    Ulysses said ¡°Hmm, your cowardice is starting to bore me.¡±


    Ulysses then snapped his finger and said ¡°There, I made you speak your mind heh-heh.¡±


    Batara forcefully said ¡°What does this twisted being want with me?¡± as he covered his mouth.


    Ulysses replied ¡°Hahah, you flatter me. I¡¯m really just curious about my avatar. In fact, you are the one who is practically begging to meet me. Taking out your frustration and desperation in the Chapel of Gods.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Ulysses continued ¡°I truly savored the negative aura you exude.¡±


    Batara said ¡°Ugh what is he going on about? where am I anyway?¡± as he looked around.


    Ulysses replied ¡°Wherever I like.¡±


    Batara said ¡°I cant stand him. Why did he bring me here? Why does he keeps calling me ¡°avatar¡±?


    Ulysses replied ¡°You really talked a lot in your head, its starting to get on my nerves. Since I am bored I¡¯ll entertain you a bit.¡±


    Ulysses continued ¡°As I was saying I brought you here simply because I¡¯m bored. I want to see for myself what my avatar has become. Turns out you are as cowardly as you were before. Props to you for still being alive though heh-heh.¡±


    Batara said ¡°Before?¡±


    Ulysses replied ¡°Indeed, before I reincarnated you into this world and became my avatar. Whoops, that just slipped out hahah.¡±


    Batara said ¡°Reincarnated!? But why? Why do I have to be here and live in agony?¡±


    Ulysses laughed out loud and said ¡°hmmHAHAHA, to entertain me of course!  What else would it be? Everything I did was for my own amusement and I believe its the same with all the other gods.¡±


    Batara¡¯s face turned pale and his eyes opened wide as he suddenly went silent.


    Ulysses continued to laugh and said ¡°Hahah, what an amusing reaction! This meeting turned out to be quite entertaining after all.¡±


    As Batara was still silent, Ulysses said ¡°Do not worry mortal, I am rooting for weaklings like you though. Perhaps you¡¯ll do unexpected things and keep me entertained, that is if you dont die first heh-heh.¡±


    Batara came back to his senses and said ¡°So he gave me these artifacts and strange magic just to entertain him?¡±


    The moons suddenly turned red as dark auras started to surround Ulysses. Ulysses'' face turned furious as he shouted ¡°NO!! THAT DAMNED IMP HAS SULLIED MY NAME. I SWEAR I WILL FUCKING KILL IT!¡±


    Batara was stunned by Ulysses¡¯ reaction.


    In just a brief moment, Ulysses turned back into his composed but mischievous demeanor as the moons returned to normal. Ulysses then said ¡°There is absolutely no way a God would meddle or even give a damn about you insignificant mortals heh-heh.¡±


    Ulysses continued ¡°The artifacts youre wearing belonged to my past avatar. I believe you¡¯ve met the spirit.¡±


    Batara said ¡°Jaram.¡±


    Ulysses replied ¡°It was one hell of a spectacle watching it bring chaos with its schemes heh-heh.¡±


    Batara replied ¡°So the God of Deceit¡¯s goal is to bring chaos to Eidel.¡±


    Ulysses laughed and replied ¡°HmmHahah¡­ Eidel could thrive or ruin for all I care about. I only feel entertained when my avatar does the unexpected.¡±


    Ulysses'' tone grew more mischievous as he continued ¡°And you¡­ as twisted as it is, your magic is what you are born with. All you need is a drive, so that you could entertain me as well heh-heh.¡±


    Ulysses continued ¡°Perhaps you might find it, you know, if you are not consumed by yourself first heh-heh.¡±


    Batara said in uncertainty ¡°Twisted, Consumed, what does he mean?¡±


    Ulysses replied ¡°Where¡¯s the fun if I tell you everything? As much as its interesting how you talked about chaos without feeling anything, this is starting to bore me.¡±


    Ulysses snapped his finger and said ¡°Lets see if you can make me entertained¡± as everything in the realm melted into a void.


    ¡°Batara¡­ Hey.¡± Batara woke up to Isha¡¯s voice as he was still sitting in the chapel. Isha looked concerned and said ¡°Hey, are you okay? You¡¯ve been unresponsive for several minutes.¡±

 A Drop of Blood to Fill The Void

    Batara fell silent for a while thinking how he vaguely remembered talking to a god which felt like a dream. He then hid what happened in his dream and replied ¡°Huh? Sorry I¡¯m just tired.¡± Isha nervously replied ¡°H-how about going back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie?¡± Batara looked hesitant as he still felt uncomfortable. However, looking at Batara¡¯s reaction, Isha insisted ¡°P-please after everything you did, Its only right if I repay your kindness! I will even let you stay for free!¡± Batara felt overwhelmed and said ¡°N-no, I didnt do anything worthy.¡± Isha¡¯s tone turned calmer as she replied ¡°You did plenty. The necklace you brought to me was my gift to my brother when he¡¯s about to become an adventurer. I was really against him becoming one so we fought a lot about it. But in the end, I could not convince him, so I made him a necklace as a good luck charm, but he said ¡­¡±


    Isha was holding back her tears as she continued ¡°Dont worry I dont need luck. I promise you I will be just fine and become a great adventurer in no time! But¡­¡± Isha inhaled deeply before she continued ¡°I will wear it whenever I miss home.¡± Isha couldnt contain her tears anymore and started crying. Batara looked confused and didnt know what to do. He was aware that Isha¡¯s reaction was how it was supposed to be when facing someone¡¯s death but Batara didnt share the same feelings, never was, even after facing many deaths himself. After a while, Isha stopped crying and returned to his former nervous demeanor ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry to sprung this out on you all of a sudden. I just want to tell you how precious the necklace that you brought me.¡± Batara raised his hand gesturing ¡°Dont worry about it¡± as he thought that it was all only a coincidence and he didnt deserve any praise.  Isha then said ¡°For that reason, I will help you in any way I can to make your adventure easier. So please return to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie.¡± Batara didnt see any way he can turn down the offer so he finally agreed but he didnt want to stay for free. So the two then settled with giving Batara the biggest room in Lorelai¡¯s Reverie with the usual price without a short stay penalty.


    Batara then bid his goodbye to Isha as he was planning to head to the market. Isha then told him all she knew about the shops that provide good quality goods with reasonable prices. Batara then thanked Isha and headed straight to the market. Isha¡¯s advice was really spot on as the shops Batara came to really had the good stuff. But as he was low on money he refrained himself from impulsive buying.


    As Batara was shopping for supplies, he thought about the stuff he heard in his ¡°dream¡±. He only vaguely remembered the part about reincarnation and the gods so he set it aside. However, he remembered about the artifacts not being the source of his strange magic and the magic itself is something he was born with. He thought that if that was the case, why would the magic only appear after he put on the Hood of Facade and Jaram Cursed Crown. As much as he wanted to gather information about the artifacts, Batara opposed the idea of having to explain how he obtained them. Thus, he decided to go to the library later and see if he could find any information.


    After Batara was done shopping, he went back to Lorelai¡¯s Reverie as he promised Isha. Isha immediately greeted him in anticipation and showed him to the new room. The room was twice bigger than Batara¡¯s previous room and even though it was very neat and tidy the room had the same old vibe as his previous one. Isha then asked ¡°D-do you like the room?¡± Batara nodded in approval. Isha''s eyes lit up as she replied ¡°Alright then, hope you have a good rest¡± before leaving Batara. Batara then put down his stuff and headed downstairs to cook as he was very hungry.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Batara headed straight to the kitchen and started cooking. He boiled some potatoes along with some vegetables. When the ingredients were boiled, he took out his scepter and casted his magic with a small amount of mana into the pot ¡°Pulverize!¡± that crushed all the vegetables inside the pot. He then added Dewdrop cream and seasonings into the pot and stirred everything together until the soup thickens. Batara finished cooking his dish called Pottage and served it with a side of bread. He wished he had cheese to complement his pottage but unfortunately he didnt have the budget to buy it.


    Batara then ate his dish on the dining table. He was so hungry that he only noticed Isha was staring at him eating his pottage after he finished it. After seeing Isha¡¯s familiar reaction a couple times before, Batara walked towards Isha and said ¡°There¡¯s still some left in the kitchen¡± before he walked upstairs. Isha blushed in embarrassment as she realized what she did and replied ¡°S-sorry for always imposing on you!¡± Batara raised his hand gesturing to not worry about it.


    Even though the night had just arrived, Batara went straight to his room and sat himself on the corner. He was eager to try what he learned in the library about Mana Marking. However, he was not sure how to cast magic using both his Mana and Shakti. So he tried to meditate first hoping he would get some epiphany like he did last time.


    The Anomalies of Mana mentioned practicing by remembering how it felt when he casted magic with only Shakti. So Batara did so and started to recall the feelings he had when he first casted his strange magic. Desperation, hopelessness, and terror are starting to return. However, instead of pushing them away, he tried to let it enter his body willingly, giving him a better grasp on what he felt. As he delved deeper into his emotions, he felt something gradually opened up in his mind. Just as he was on the verge of gaining an insight, Batara¡¯s head felt very heavy as he groaned in pain ¡°Argghh¡­¡± Unable to endure the escalating pain, Batara collapsed on the floor.


    Batara then woke up while still lying on the floor of his room. He tried to get up but all of a sudden his head was spinning intensely. He pressed his hand against his head hoping that the pain would go away. To his relief, in just a brief moment, all the pain in his head cleared up and he felt revitalized. Batara wondered if he was able to cast magic with both Mana and Shakti after all that series of headaches. Thus, he tried casting magic and felt something had opened up in his head. Batara thought that it must be the Shakti, so he casted his magic ¡°Mana Coating!¡± while accessing Shakti. In that moment, he felt that his Mana got drawn out along with a dizziness sensation in his head just as the Anomalies of Mana book described. Then two forms of magic orb are starting to intertwine before merging into one. Batara then changed the shape of the orb into a bolt and shot it towards the wall. The bolt traveled rapidly before leaving visible veins of transparent light. Batara had finally succeeded in creating a Mana Marking.


    However, as much as Batara wanted to bask in his glory, he saw through the window and realized that the sun was already up when he was supposed to meet Klaus in the morning. So he took his equipment and rushed to the adventurer guild.

 The Backwater Rube

    By the time Batara arrived at the guild, Klaus had already been waiting inside. Klaus noticed Batara coming through the guild¡¯s door so he immediately approached him. Klaus said to Batara ¡°Bats! I¡¯ve been waiting- eh you must¡¯ve overslept.¡± Batara knew that he was late but wondered how could Klaus immediately tell he overslept. Seeing Batara¡¯s confused face, Klaus pointed to Batara¡¯s hair. Turns out Batara¡¯s hair was a complete mess due to sleeping on the floor. Batara quickly fixed it and replied ¡°S-sorry Klaus.¡± Klaus sighed and replied ¡°Hehh¡­ nevermind, I¡¯m just glad you didnt bail.¡± Reasonable reaction from Klaus since Batara had left him once. Klaus continued, ¡°Lets go to the reception then.¡± Batara nodded in approval.


    The two then walked to the Guild¡¯s reception and approached one of the available staff. A female guild¡¯s staff then turned to them and said ¡°Hello adventurers what can I-¡° she paused in surprise after seeing Batara¡¯s face. Batara felt uncomfortable in his gut as he immediately remembered that she was the staff that Pamme had flirted with. The guild¡¯s staff said ¡°You are Pamme¡¯s party right? I¡¯ve heard what happened in Murloc Swamp and I am truly sorry to hear that.¡± Batara fell completely silent as he thought he didnt deserve a shred of sympathy for what happened. As the atmosphere got very intense, Klaus took over and said to the guild¡¯s staff ¡°Hi we¡¯d like to form an adventurer party, can you help us?¡± The guild¡¯s staff realized that she was making Batara uncomfortable, so she stopped talking about Pamme and replied to Klaus instead ¡°Oh s-sorry sure! My name is Isabel, I will prepare the application right away.¡±


    Isabel took out a piece of paper and asked Klaus ¡°What would be your Party¡¯s name?¡± Klaus replied without hesitation ¡°Obsidian¡± before confirming with Batara ¡°Is that okay?¡± Batara just nodded in approval. Isabel replied ¡°Alright I will register the name, and are you two the only current members?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yes, for now.¡± Isabel registered the party and replied ¡°Okay your party, Obsidian, has been registered. Do you want me to recommend you a quest?¡± Aftar what happened last time when the guild recommended a quest, Batara felt skeptical to accept another one. However, Klaus immediately replied ¡°Its okay we were about to check the guild board ourselves, right Bats?¡± Batara nodded in approval. Klaus seemed to have a similar feeling with Batara about taking a recommended quest. Isabel replied ¡°Okay then, you can return here once you¡¯ve decided on a quest.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Got it thanks. Good day to you.¡± Isabel replied ¡°You too.¡±


    As Batara and Klaus walked to the Guild Board, Batara was curious and asked ¡°Why Obsidian?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Ah the party¡¯s name? I just thought it was cool and suited our situation hehe.¡± Batara replied ¡°How so?¡± Klaus replied ¡°You see, Obsidian is a stone formed by intense pressure and destruction by fire. One would say its a symbol of Rebirth. Just like us, we have faced hardships and even almost got killed, but our souls didnt shatter and we returned as adventurers. Kinda similar dont you think?¡± Batara didnt expect Klaus has interest in the symbolic meaning of minerals since it was rather out of character. Batara understood what Klaus meant but he was still curious and replied ¡°You seem to have it prepared.¡± Klaus smiled and replied ¡°Well you should know by now what kind of person I am. I know you would come around hahah.¡± As much as Klaus¡¯ statement was accurate, Batara was still annoyed at him for being obnoxious. Klaus noticed Batara¡¯s reaction and replied ¡°Hey I¡¯m just joking! You¡¯re way too serious, Bats¡± before changing the topic while pointing to the guild board and said ¡°Let¡¯s find a quest that fits us.¡±


    The two then browsed the Guild Board. Klaus found a quest and said ¡°How about this one? Its on Durden Mountain where I trained before, so I know my way around.¡± The quest was to mine silver ores which Batara had the utility magic to carry out. However Batara overthink and asked ¡°Aren¡¯t there many trolls there?¡±


    Trolls are hunched-back humanoid monsters that usually live on mountains. They have mosses all over their back and wield clubs made out of trees as weapons.


    Klaus replied ¡°True, but dont worry their movements are rather slow. So it¡¯s easy for a small group like us to walk around them.¡± Klaus got a point, otherwise the quest would not be posted for E rank adventurer¡¯s party since they only needed to mine silver ores not to fight the trolls. Since the quest came with a generous pay, Batara decided to agree with Klaus and said ¡°Let¡¯s take this one.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Great! Lets head back in then¡± while taking off the quest sheet from the guild board. Klaus seemed to be very eager to take on that particular quest on the mountain, Batara wondered about the reason but he couldnt think of one. So he didnt ask as it might¡¯ve only been his imagination. The two then returned to the guild¡¯s reception and approached Isabel.


    Isabel asked ¡°Have you decided on a quest?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yes we¡¯d like to take this one¡± while handing over the quest sheet to Isabel. Isabel replied ¡°Alright I will register the quest under your party¡¯s name¡± before handing over a magic scroll containing the quest information. Isabel explained ¡°Remember, your task is only to mine silver ores and give them to the requester stated in the scroll. When you¡¯re done with the task, return this magic scroll with the requester¡¯s sign on it. Any questions?¡± Klaus replied ¡°How much time do we have to complete the quest?¡± Isabel replied ¡°Oh right I forgot. You have 5 days to complete the quest.¡± Batara nodded while Klaus replied ¡°Got it! We will head out now then.¡± Isabel said ¡°Wait.¡± Batara stopped curiously as Klaus replied ¡°Yes?¡± Isabel replied ¡°The guild will organize a raid on the Kobold¡¯s Warren to the south in one week. D rank adventurers and below are eligible to join. The Guild Officials will be there to guide and observe adventurers. From time to time, they gave immediate promotions to adventurers who stood out and showed exceptional skills during the raid. I think this is a good opportunity for you.¡± Klaus was very interested in participating, but he still confirmed with Batara ¡°What do you say Bats? I¡¯m in if you are.¡± Batara thought after everything that happened, he  could really use a win. So he replied ¡°Let¡¯s participate.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Klaus replied ¡°Great!¡± and turned to Isabel and said ¡°Our party will join the raid.¡± Isabel replied ¡°Alright I will register your party to join the raid. But you need to add one more person to your party as the guild requires at least 3 E rank adventurers to join the raid.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Ah is that so?¡± Seeing Klaus seemed uncertain, Isabel replied ¡°But dont worry, as I already registered your party¡¯s name, you can add the additional member anytime before the raid and let us know in advance.¡± Klaus replied ¡°That¡¯s convenient. Alright is there anything we should know about?¡± Isabel replied ¡°Not at the moment. The Guild Officials will guide you when the raid takes place.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Got it, thank you Isabel. We will take our leave.¡± Isabel bowed as Klaus and Batara left. Batara had a doubt because usually the guild was very strict for their quest requirements. However, since it was in his favor anyway, he didnt ask anything.


    Just as Klaus and Batara were about to leave through the guild¡¯s door, a young man with blond hair approached them. The blond man said ¡°H-hey!¡± Klaus turned and said ¡°Huh?¡± and stopped Batara who intentionally ignored the call. The blond man looked at Klaus and said ¡°I¡¯m looking for a party.¡± Batara immediately suspected something as someone approached them right after Isabel told them they needed to find another member. Klaus handled the situation and said ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside, we¡¯re blocking people¡¯s way.¡± The three then stepped outside the guild.


    Klaus then asked the blond man ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡± The blond man replied in a nervous but straightforward tone ¡°I¡¯m Herschel Iver, an E.2 rank adventurer. You can call me Harry, that¡¯s what everyone in my village calls me!¡± He might not have noticed, but the nickname may not have been a shortened version of his name, but rather a reference to his thick, dense hair. Aside from that, Batara was surprised after hearing Harry¡¯s last name and wondered if he had any relation with Lord Berg Iver. Because as far as Batara knew, all of the people in Lord Berg¡¯s country along with his family were wiped out for alleged treason.


    Klaus replied to Harry ¡°Alright Harry you seemed full of energy. My name is Klaus and this is Batara.¡± Batara kept silent, thinking about what Herschel was scheming. Harry replied ¡°Oh dang, did I come off too strong? I¡¯m sorry!¡± Klaus replied ¡°Not at all. Judging from your equipment, are you a swordsman?¡± Harry wore iron-padded leather armor and carried a wide claymore on his back. He got excited and replied ¡°Yes, I am a swordsman and a good vanguard too! I can protect my team from the frontline.¡± Harry was as big as Klaus, seeing that he was carrying a big sword made it convincing that he was a vanguard.


    Despite that, Klaus replied ¡°I see. But as you can see, me and Bats are also frontline fighters. So we are actually looking for someone who can support us from the back, right Bats?¡± Batara had only learned about what Klaus said just then, but since it was a very logical statement, Batara nodded approvingly of what he said. Harry¡¯s excitement quickly faded as he turned to Batara and replied ¡°But aren¡¯t you a magician though?¡± Batara got nervous as Herschel suddenly talked to him and replied ¡°N-no, just as Klaus said¡­¡± Harry was very confused as his face turned sour. Klaus then said ¡°I think-¡° but before he could finish his sentence, Harry interrupted and said ¡°I could also use healing!¡± Both Klaus and Batara found it unbelievable that a swordsman can use heal until Harry casted his healing ability towards Batara ¡°Regenerate!¡± Batara suddenly felt a warmth sensation on his right arm. He quickly pulled his sleeve to find that his remaining wounds suddenly closed up leaving only barely visible scars.


    Batara thought that Herschel¡¯s healing was even better than using potions. He wondered why a decent healer like him seemed to be having a hard time searching for a party. Klaus was surprised and said ¡°What was that?¡± Harry replied ¡°That was my healing Arte. I can do support too if you need it. But I won''t compromise on fighting at the frontlines!¡± Herschel¡¯s condition put him in an awkward position, Batara thought that must be the reason Herschel was struggling to find a party. Klaus replied ¡°Healing Arte?! That changes everything! Oh wait¡­¡± Klaus looked at Batara before saying to Harry ¡°Let me speak with my comrade first.¡± Klaus then dragged Batara slightly away from Harry and whispered ¡°What do you think Bats?¡± Batara was skeptical as he replied ¡°I don¡¯t know Klaus. I think he didn''t just approach us out of nowhere.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Right. I also sensed him staring at us since we arrived at the guild.¡± The two then thought for a while until Klaus said ¡°Alright we should just ask him directly.¡± Batara didnt actually agree with Klaus because why would someone just expose his own schemes, but Klaus had already walked back to Herschel so he just followed along.


    Klaus then straightforwardly asked Harry ¡°Did somebody set you up to join our party?¡± Harry was startled and gave out a careless reply ¡°H-how did you know? Whop¡± and proceed to cover his mouth knowing he just messed up. Both Klaus and Batara stared at the gullible Harry. Harry finally sighed and replied ¡°Heuf¡­ I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re right. Isabel was actually my friend. She was doing me a favor since I got kicked out of my last party and have been struggling to find a new one.¡± Out of curiosity, Batara finally spoke and asked ¡°Why did you get kicked?¡± Harry replied ¡°The same reason as you. They needed rear support and said I was getting in the frontliners¡¯ way.¡± Batara thought that must be the case because Herschel¡¯s stance was unusual.


    However, Klaus thought differently that the team¡¯s composition might just work with Harry. Moreover, the healing skill Harry possessed is exactly what the party needed since both Batara and Klaus always ended up with wounds after fighting. Thus, Klaus thought for a while and said to Batara ¡°I want him in the party. I¡¯ve thought about how to utilize him in battle, especially with his healing ability. Besides, he already told us what he was scheming and I don¡¯t think it was a big deal. What do you think, Bats?¡± As expected of the son of a famous adventurer, Klaus was already thinking ahead for the party¡¯s strategy. Batara didnt sense any malice from Herschel, but it was just in his nature to be wary of other people. However, Batara knew that they needed an additional member for the raid and that there is always a risk in working with any person, not just Herschel. Thus, Batara said to Klaus ¡°Alright let him join. I dont see him as a serial killer, for now.¡± Klaus let out an awkward smile, not sure whether Batara was joking or not.


    Klaus then turned to Harry and said ¡°We have decided that you could join our party. Welcome to the team Harry.¡± Herschel replied with an excited and promising expression ¡°Awesome! I promise I will not let you guys down!¡± Klaus replied ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Isabel and get you registered as our party¡¯s member then.¡± Harry nodded willingly and the three went back inside the adventurer¡¯s guild. As easy going as he seemed, Klaus was being cautious that he probably asked Herschel to go back to Isabel with him to confirm if Herschel¡¯s story checks out. Aside from that, the fact that Herschel didnt hesitate to comply also lowered Batara¡¯s suspicion of him.

 Over The Mountain Under The Sea (I)

    The three then walked up to Isabel who was still standing at the same place. Klaus said to Isabel ¡°Hi we have found a new member for our party.¡± Isabel replied ¡°No problem. Can you tell me the name of your new member?¡± Klaus put his hand on Harry¡¯s shoulder and replied ¡°You should already know him, right?¡± Harry was surprised by how Klaus bluntly asked Isabel. Isabel then looked at Harry with an annoyed expression as she said ¡°You ended up spilling everything don¡¯t you?¡± Harry was embarrassed and replied ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Isabel let out a long sigh and replied ¡°Hehh¡­ I knew that it would end up like this.¡± Isabel then answered Klaus ¡°Yes I¡¯ve known Harry for a while. We came from the same hometown. I¡¯m sorry that I put him out for this. But he is a good guy and has exceptional skills, you have my word!¡± Having Isabel¡¯s word as an Adventurer¡¯s Guild staff assured Klaus of his decision to let Harry join the party. Klaus replied ¡°Dont worry I have decided to add him to our party. I just needed to see your reaction hehe.¡± Isabel once again put on an annoyed expression as she said ¡°I have registered Harry as your party member. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me I have work to do. And Harry¡­¡± As she looked at Harry, she continued ¡°Good luck out there¡± before leaving the three. Harry replied ¡°Thanks Isabel.¡±


    The three then proceed to leave the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Klaus said to Harry ¡°Oh right. Before you joined our party earlier we had taken up on a quest to mine silver ores on Durden Mountain. Would you join us?¡± Harry replied ¡°Sure! But is it okay though? Having to share the reward with me?¡± Despite being gullible, Harry was direct and straightforward when talking about money. Batara then took out the quest scroll and read it aloud ¡°The quest scroll mentioned that the requester also accepts any excess materials from the mountain and will personally reward them.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Perfect! The more the merrier then. Even so, I think we should split the reward evenly among the three of us so that everyone works equally. What do you guys think?¡± Harry replied ¡°I¡¯m in! I will surely do my best!¡± Batara doubt that it will hardly be fair since he himself knew the difference of power between him and Klaus while he also didnt know anything about Herschel. However, since he didnt have any solutions to offer either he decided to agree with Klaus¡¯ decision and nodded in response.


    Klaus said to the party ¡°It''s settled then! Let''s head to Durden Mountain¡± before the three walked north from Quarzith City to Durden Mountain as an adventurer party. As the party walked, Harry asked ¡°Hey I didn¡¯t catch the name of our party earlier. What is it?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Obsidian.¡± Harry replied ¡°Cool! Like the stone.¡± Harry then asked again ¡°Have you been to the mountain?¡± Klaus replied ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve trained here for some time.¡± Even though Harry asked a lot, Klaus didnt seem to mind, since when he was only with Batara, they spent most of their time in silence. On the contrary, Batara was annoyed by Harry¡¯s constant questions, but he didnt act upon it since it was not him who had to deal with those questions. However, Klaus was curious as Harry kept looking around while constantly asking about the surroundings on top of him having quite a distinctive accent. So he asked ¡°Earlier at the guild, Isabel said that both of you come from the same hometown. Where are you from?¡± Harry¡¯s face lit up in excitement as soon as he talked about his hometown ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked! I¡¯m from a coastal town on the easternmost part of Mithraya called Nusa Sol.¡±


    Klaus replied ¡°Whoa, you¡¯ve really come a long way! No wonder you looked so unfamiliar with everything.¡± Even though Klaus was being quite upfront, he was still able to appear friendly due to his easy going personality. Harry gently laughed in response and said ¡°Hehe is it that obvious? Everything just felt different. From the people, buildings, and even the environment.¡± Batara felt a similar feeling with his hometown even though he didnt come from as far as Herschel did. However, the only emotion he experienced was a sense of unfamiliarity, not attachment, as there was nothing pleasant for him to remember. Klaus then replied ¡°But its exciting right? Discovering what the world has to offer while gaining countless experiences.¡± Harry replied following Klaus¡¯ words ¡°and finally return to make your hometown a better place! That¡¯s a fantastic way to see it, Klaus.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Or brought changes to where you landed. It can be whatever you want to achieve. Right Bats?¡± Batara thought both Klaus and Herschel were being too overly optimistic without thinking about the process. However, having such thoughts for a goal was undoubtedly better than Batara who only has vague life¡¯s purpose, so Batara replied ¡°No argument there.¡± Klaus laughed proudly hearing Batara¡¯s approval. Batara on the other hand, grew curious about what Klaus actually wanted to achieve because he seemed to have it figured out already.


    After hours of walking, they finally arrived at the foot of Durden Mountain. At its base, a lake stretched out, surrounded by a peaceful stillness, with no villages or settlements in sight. Klaus said ¡°We have arrived at Durden Mountain. I think we should rest here, the sun is almost set.¡± Harry looked up and replied ¡°Whoa you¡¯re right! I got too caught up talking and forgot about the time.¡± Klaus then said ¡°Alright, should we set up camp near the lake Bats?¡± However, nobody replied to Klaus. Klaus then turned around to find that Batara wasnt behind him. He then asked Harry ¡°Hey Harry, where¡¯s Batara?¡± Harry turned around and replied ¡°He¡¯s right behind¡­ Oh no he¡¯s not here! Did something happen!?¡± as his face turned into panic. Klaus felt a dejavu and replied ¡°Shit! We must¡¯ve left him behind. Let¡¯s go back and find him.¡± Harry immediately replied ¡°Okay! He shouldn¡¯t be that far off.¡± Judging by how Batara is, Klaus thought it was possible that he got left quite far away. On the other hand, Harry seemed to be able to match Klaus¡¯ pace just fine which means that he must also be as physically trained as Klaus.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The two then ran back on their trail to find Batara. After not very far off, Harry spotted Batara and said ¡°There he is Klaus!¡± Klaus shouted ¡°Oi Bats!¡± However, Batara didnt respond and was lying face down on the side of the road. Klaus then checked on Batara and said ¡°Looks like he fainted.¡± Harry then took initiative and said ¡°I¡¯ll carry him, we¡¯re not that far from the foot of the mountain¡± before lifting Batara and carrying him on his back. Harry seemed to not mind doing it even though they just met. Klaus then asked ¡°That¡¯s so nice of you. Is it not too bothersome?¡± Harry replied ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry, I carry the kids back in my hometown all the time so this is easy for me.¡± Hearing Harry¡¯s response, Klaus giggled while holding his laughter ¡°Pfft..¡± Harry felt like he said something he shouldnt have and replied nervously ¡°N-not that I see him as a kid- please forget I said that.¡± Klaus then burst out laughing and said ¡°HAHAHA you sure are a funny guy!¡± The two then walked back to the previous spot at the foot of Durden Mountain.


    When they almost reached the previous spot, Batara woke up and realized he had been carried on Herschel¡¯s back. He then said ¡°What happened?¡± Both Klaus and Harry were surprised but glad that Batara finally woke up. Klaus then said ¡°Looks like you fainted due to exhaustion. I¡¯m so sorry Bats! I forgot to manage my pacing and you must¡¯ve tried hard to keep up.¡± Harry also said ¡°I¡¯m sorry too Batara¡­ I got caught up in talking and didn''t pay attention to my surroundings.¡± Batara then remembered what actually happened. He was indeed exhausted, but he fainted not because of that. As he was exhausted, he tried to tweak around with his Magic Toolbelt so that he could lessen his own weight and make his steps lighter. However, as he put his mana into the belt, his body suddenly flew upward quickly. He then immediately shut his mana down completely in panic making him fall hard on the ground and become unconscious.


    However, Batara was too embarrassed to admit it, so he went along with Klaus and Harry¡¯s statements and replied ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine now. I can walk on my own¡± before he patted Harry¡¯s shoulder and got down from his back. Batara then said ¡°Thanks Herschel.¡± Herschel replied ¡°N-no it¡¯s okay really. And you can call me Harry.¡± Batara didnt respond. The three then finally arrived once again at the foot of Durden Mountain and stopped near the lake. Klaus then said ¡°We were planning to camp here since the sun was almost set, is it a good spot Bats?¡± Batara looked around and gave a thumbs up, gesturing approval. Klaus replied ¡°Alright let¡¯s set up camp here.¡± Harry¡¯s face then turned pale as he said ¡°Guys¡­ I forgot I haven¡¯t bought any supplies for camping. I just sort of followed you two and didn¡¯t expect to come this far. Sorry!¡± Klaus replied ¡°Ah my bad I should¡¯ve told you, we¡¯re going on a 5 day quest. By the way¡­¡± Klaus paused for a while before scratching his head and said ¡°I forgot to buy supplies too. Only potions hehe.¡± Both Klaus and Harry then looked at Batara like he had a solution on his face. Batara was indeed prepared with supplies in his magic bag, but it was only enough for himself since he was low on money. Thus, he pinched his forehead in annoyance and sighed before saying ¡°Hehh¡­ we should gather some on the mountain before it gets dark.¡± Klaus and Harry nodded approvingly yet guiltily.


    The three then went to hike Durden Mountain. The road on the mountain is paved with rocks, surrounded by an abundance of greenery. Thanks to Batara¡¯s survival knowledge, the party was able to gather enough supplies when they were still not far from the mountain''s base. As the sun was setting, Klaus said to the party ¡°Have we gathered enough Bats?¡± Batara replied ¡°Yes this should last for a while.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Alright we should head back to the lake, it''s getting dark.¡± He then called Harry who was collecting firewood ¡°Oi Harry let¡¯s head back we have enough supplies!¡± Harry replied ¡°Got it!¡± as he stacked up a lot of firewood on his shoulder. Klaus then ran to Harry and said ¡°Let me help!¡± and grabbed half of the firewood from Harry¡¯s shoulder. Harry replied ¡°Oh thanks!¡± Batara shook his head and wondered if those two meatheads were trying to build a house with that much firewood when a few shouldve been enough to make a fire that lasted through the night.


    Unlike Obenvale¡¯s forest, Durden Mountain was quite dark without illuminating flowers around. So Batara casted a basic light spell ¡°Illumination!¡± that generates a light on the tip of his scepter. However, the light was quite weak and only gave a limited vision. Suddenly, the light around him grew wider even though the light from Batara¡¯s scepter didnt change. Klaus then said ¡°Bats look, your vest glowed!¡± Batara looked down and realized that the pattern on his vest glowed just like when he was in Jaram¡¯s ruin, only know the patterns didnt came out of his vest. Klaus continued ¡°How cool is that? A glowing vest. That makes you a Glowing Bats!¡± Batara felt embarrassed and annoyed at Klaus for making fun of him. However, since both Klaus and Harry seemed occupied with firewoods, Batara kept the light on and replied to Klaus ¡°Shut it Klaus.¡± Klaus giggled in response and Harry smiled awkwardly. The party then headed down following Batara¡¯s light.

 Over The Mountain Under The Sea (II)

    As the party arrived back at the lake, Klaus said ¡°Man I wish we could eat some meat! Too bad we couldn¡¯t find any game.¡± Harry put down the firewood he carried and replied ¡°I could catch some fish if you want.¡± Klaus'' eyes lit up in excitement as he replied ¡°Really?¡± Harry replied ¡°Yep! I¡¯m really good at it since I came from a coastal town and my dad is a fisherman.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Awesome! Do you need any help?¡± Harry replied ¡°No need! I¡¯ll get right down to it¡± as he walked near the lake.


    Harry touched the water and casted a utility magic ¡°Current Shift!¡± that caused the water current to flow in a straight line. The fishes were starting to get caught in the current Harry created. Then, Harry drew his claymore, attached a rope inside the hilt, and placed the blade flat on top of his forearm facing towards the water current. Harry then shot a harpoon out from the center part of his claymore thrusting the fishes caught up in the current. He held the hilt strongly before pulling the harpoon back with a lot of fish stuck on it.


    Klaus shouted ¡°That¡¯s freaking awesome! Your sword just transformed into a harpoon.¡± Harry looked really proud as if he was actually trying to show off and replied ¡°Hehe, this weapon is specially made in Nusa Sol. It can be used for both combat and fishing.¡± Batara also got curious and suddenly asked Herschel in eagerness ¡°What was the magic that you used?¡± Harry got a bit startled and replied ¡°O-oh, that¡¯s Current Shift. A utility magic to control the flow of water. But unlike the people in my hometown who can use it in the deep sea, I can only use it in shallow water.¡± Batara then went silent thinking about the things he can do and improvise from that utility magic. Harry on the other hand was confused of Batara¡¯s sudden silence.


    Harry then said ¡°Alright I will prepare the fish, I brought some seasonings from my hometown.¡± Klaus got excited and replied ¡°I¡¯d love a traditional cuisine haha!¡± Harry then replied ¡°If only we had some bread as a side, I¡¯m kinda hungry hehe.¡± Batara finally spoke and replied ¡°I brought some rice.¡± Harry got really excited as he replied ¡°Really?! I never had rice since it didnt grow in my hometown. Can I try it?¡± Batara just nodded in response and said ¡°I will cook the rice.¡± Harry replied ¡°Sweet! Thanks umm Batara.¡± Batara¡¯s name seemed to long for Harry to pronounce casually. Klaus then said to the two ¡°I will help with the fire and the tent then.¡± The three then set up the camp and food together.


    Batara cooked the rice over the fire with the pot he brought in his magic bag. Harry stood up two pieces of wood around the fire and laid his harpoon on top of them, grilling the fishes that got caught on it. While waiting for the fish and rice to cook, Batara prepared a vegetable soup from the ingredients they found earlier on the mountain. By the time Klaus finished setting up the tents, Batara and Harry had finished cooking. Unable to resist any longer, Klaus approached Batara and Harry to find that they had made Grilled Fish, Rice and Soup. With a drool on his face, Klaus said ¡°Guys, the food both smells and looks delicious!¡± Before Batara and Harry even tried the food, Klaus helped himself to get some. Batara sighed, having grown used to Klaus'' not-so-noble manners, while Harry smiled awkwardly and said ¡°Eh-he, help yourself. I have seasoned the fish well.¡± Harry and Batara then followed Klaus and grabbed a portion before sitting beside the campfire.


    As the three ate, Harry said ¡°Whoa so this is rice. The texture is so fluffy and eating it with the fish made me want to eat more of it.¡± Batara then tasted the fish and was surprised by how complex and flavorful it tasted, unlike anything he had ever tasted. He then got curious and asked ¡°What did you use for the seasoning?¡± Harry replied ¡°Oh it''s Nusa Sol¡¯s special seasoning. It¡¯s made from seasalt, dried seaweed, and coral fruit. All taken from the sea.¡± Batara thought it was interesting since he only ever read such ingredients in a book. Moreover, he never even saw the sea before since he never left Obenvale. Harry then continued ¡°Your soup also tasted delicious. Unique but in a good way, what did you use for the seasoning?¡± Batara replied ¡°Fish bones and cured mushroom poison.¡± Harry¡¯s face suddenly turned pale wondering whether or not Batara was joking.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Klaus who had finished his food then said ¡°Ah, the food is so delicious I can¡¯t stop eating. Bats, can I get more rice?¡± Batara replied ¡°No. There won''t be any left if you keep going for seconds.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Aw you¡¯re so stingy.¡± Batara rolled his eyes in response. Klaus then asked Harry ¡°Hey Harry, how can you use healing on others? As far as I know, arte is only used to enhance our own physical ability.¡± Harry replied ¡°Oh my arte? It''s because since I was young, I¡¯ve always had fast regeneration. Then I trained it regularly until I¡¯m able to cast it on others.¡± Klaus was shocked as he thought about what kind of training that can enhance body regeneration. But he only dared to ask and replied instead ¡°Ever thought about joining the priest¡¯s guild? They must be thrilled to have someone with new healing methods.¡± Harry¡¯s face suddenly turned sour and replied with a simple and cold ¡°No.¡± Klaus sensed the sudden tension and quickly changed the topic and said ¡°We should go to bed. We have to hike the mountain early in the morning so that we can reach the mining cave in the afternoon.¡± Harry replied ¡°Got it. I will keep watch first.¡± Klaus replied ¡°No need! I have a detection device here that will wake us up if something¡¯s coming¡± as he took out the fancy-looking device and set it around the camp. Harry replied ¡°Wow, the magic advancement here never ceases to amaze me!¡±


    Even though Klaus let the matter about Harry¡¯s healing arte rest, Batara who has been listening to the conversation was still curious as it raised some negative suspicion in his head. So he decided to stay silent and observe more to find if the information that Herschel kept to himself could cause trouble in the future.


    The party then slept through the night without any disturbance. Before the sun had risen, the party had woken up. They took down their camp and cleared the firewoods before going up to Durden Mountain. After walking up for several hours, the party finally met the first troll. Klaus noticed the troll and said ¡°Hold up, there¡¯s a troll ahead¡± as he was crouching behind a bush. Batara and Harry followed Klaus and crouched. Klaus whispered ¡°The troll¡¯s movement is rather slow and they can¡¯t really hear us being that tall while we¡¯re down here.¡± Batara replied ¡°We should walk right behind its foot then.¡± Klaus replied ¡°You¡¯re right if you are walking by yourself. But it will be hard since there are 3 of us since we have to avoid being trampled. So, we should sneak around them and avoid their vision.¡± Batara stood corrected and said ¡°You¡¯re right, let''s walk around.¡± While Harry who didnt have any experience on troll or even moving across the mountain followed Klaus and Batara along.


    As the party walked around the troll, Harry said ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a monster this tall and mossy before.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Mountains are home to large monsters as they are comfortable on the treacherous terrain unlike us humans. It¡¯s a good thing though since they won¡¯t come down to human settlements.¡± Harry replied ¡°The more you know. Thanks for sharing that! You really know your stuff around the mountain.¡± Klaus replied ¡°Well as I said, I¡¯ve trained here before so it¡¯s no big deal haha.¡± Batara just came to a realization after hearing what Klaus said that this mountain was where he trained as well as when he met Raha. Batara suspected something when Klaus was so quick on taking this quest, but he won¡¯t ask about it since based on what happened with Isha, he understood that people and even himself have different ways to process grief.


    The party then continued sneaking around the trolls one by one until a pack of trolls appeared ahead of them. Klaus raised his hand gesturing to the party to stop moving. However, out of nowhere, Harry lost his balance and fell on the ground making a rustling sound. Both Klaus and Batara froze in panic as they looked at the pack of trolls. Thankfully, the trolls had not noticed them. Harry then whispered while he was still laying on the ground ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Klaus replied ¡°Are you okay?¡± Harry got up quickly and replied ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Klaus then said ¡°Come on before they turned around¡± before he carefully ran ahead. Harry and Batara followed Klaus. However, Harry¡¯s harpoon rope got tangled on a tree when he fell earlier. So as he ran, a part of the tree got pulled out by his rope creating quite a loud sound. The pack of trolls immediately noticed the sound and screamed before they rushed towards the party. Klaus shouted ¡°EVERYONE RUN!¡±