Banners of white and gold walked through the streets of Peryer, as a group of knights escorted two notable figures. The first was a golden-mustached man wearing loose clothes similar to a scholar, yet they were decorated with the finest lines of golds, silvers, and pearls weaved into wave-like patterns converging into a crescent moon on his navel. Very much unlike the simple-looking civilians or the tight-clothed nobles from Peryer, who came here as tourist and business.

  And for the other figure, she was a slender young woman cloaked in white, half her face hidden by the silver crescent-shaped mask she wore. On her back was this silver staff, though it would be better to call it a needle, for it was just this long sharp piece of metal devoid of any decor nor any distinguishing features just like her robe. Plain and simple, but it was because of that that everyone became unnerved by her, including Katherine herself.

  Thus, she sent me out on a quest with Mayer as my guardian as well as Ferrin as my adventuring companion. Mayer-san taught me a lot of things about adventuring in the wilds. How to navigate through the forest, how to identify poisonous herbs and creatures, how to slay monsters in both the safest and efficient manner. Once a prey was sighted, in this case being this small group of horned rabbits hopping in a clearing, I established a good line-of-sight, while carefully approaching them, doing my best to create no sound.

  I then found myself a decent spot on a bush near my prey and whispered, “[Flame Arrows].” Seven blazing arrows, their sizes compressed into seven thin orange-colored needles darting toward the horned rabbits, striking their bodies, cutting their lives before they could even scream.

  I did … I did it! I thought, while catching up my breath. Condensing mana required a lot of focus and effort, enough to render the most elite mages exhausted. I was initially skeptical on why Katherine taught me this technique, since as far as everyone was concerned, this technique did not develop into any skill shown on my system panel. Katherine called it, “A refinement of an ability unrecognized by the world’s order”.

  “Good,” Mayer came out from the other side, likely having watched from afar. “You’re indeed blessed to be able to learn from the great Tower Master herself. Although you still need some practice in precision.” The moment Mayer stepped into clearing, two of the once-thought lifeless horned rabbits jumped at me, and with one swift arc of her greatsword, she cut them both in half. “Monsters may not have intelligence, but they are nevertheless smart. Always make sure your prey is dead. Otherwise you might be caught off guard.”

  And right after, a notification popped out beside me about the deaths of the horned rabbits. It didn’t seem to matter who dealt the finishing blow or who dealt the most damage. As long as you participate in the fight, you gain Stat Points, however it seemed that I could no longer gain SP from this species.

  =====================================

  You’ve already killed 15 total Horned Rabbits.

  Proficiency at maximum limit.

  ====================================

  It was the same for goblins and jackalopes, the former capping at twenty and the latter at ten. I no longer gain any SP from hunting them, suggesting that I must slay more powerful monsters, which terrified me somewhat. Also, I wondered if Mayer and Ferrin would agree to do so. The former now oddly staring at me then proceeded to glance over at the tattered game. I knew exactly what Mayer wanted me to do, as I dropped on my knees, pulled out a knife and began butchering.

  Unlike goblins, which had rancid meat unfit for cooking, jackalopes and horned rabbits were considered a delicacy. Granted you could go to a butcher, but you would need to pay for their services, of which was deducted from the payment you get from the guild. Really shrewd, if you asked me. Shouldn’t the bill fall on the restaurants and inns using the meat for their delicious cooking? We’re the suppliers, so we should’ve gotten something a bit extra, no? But alas, that was how it was for adventurers and butchering became the norm, since you could also sell the pelt, skin, and any specific body part for other buyers like merchants and alchemists. You really only needed the ears for the quests’ completionThe deletion of a species was just a simple bonus.

  The bodies of two horned rabbits, I removed their skin and then cut them into four equal parts, which stained the evergreen grass red. The bloodied corpse now resided within my pouch, as I quickly conjured [Rain] over my hands to act as a sink. Magic was really practical.

  “I still can’t get used to this,” I said, whilst still washing my hands.

  “You ought to. This is the kind of job adventurers do. Look at Ferrin,” —they both turned toward Ferrin, who was nonchalantly pulling out his arrows off from the goblins’ bodies, cutting then stuffing their ears into his bag, and coming out looking like a refreshed butcher who just finished the deed— “He’s doing better than I expected. It seems the trauma and the sense of betrayal have steeled his heart.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s the best thing.”

  “Then shall I task you to hunt a human-sized serpent in the deepest part of the forest?”

  “Please, spare me!”

  “Haha! I wasn't kidding. I’d be a monster to send an inexperienced fellow out to survive alone in the deepest part of the forest,” she said.

  It’d been a while since we started adventuring. Although we’ve only encountered the same old green goblins and it appeared, having hunted so many, I could no longer gain SP points from slaying them. The same went for horned rabbits and tiny mushroom-capped gnomes, who spread their sleep-inducing spores to their prey before feasting on their motionless bodies. Fortunately, before we started our adventure, Katherine gave us each a pendant with purifying properties, rendering any ailments useless, though I myself have already gotten a handful of tips from Glen as to how to differentiate real mushrooms and gnomes disguised as mushrooms. Hunting them was easy once you noticed that the white polka dots on their caps formed a smiley face or rather faces as they would often hunt in groups.

  However, Ferrin had Mayer keep the pendant rather than wear it himself. He was very intent to learn both [Poison Resistance] and [Mental Resistance] skills. Of course, he fell asleep every time he deliberately came close to gnomes, with one instance almost resulting in him becoming gnome food. Mayer and I were preoccupied with butchering a kobold at that moment. You might think that after the seventeenth try, he would stop, but no. Ferrin continued to indulge himself in gnomes, poisonous herbs, and the likes.

  “Uh, should we not stop him?” I asked Mayer, anxiously witnessing Ferrin braving himself to get bitten by a white-collared snake.

  “Let him do this,” Mayer replied, nonchalantly. “This is the most effective way to gain resistance-type skills. I’ve also prepared the antidotes,” she tapped her pouch, which contained an assortment of multi-colored vials.

  “Then it’s fine I guess, but I wonder if we have enough. Depending on the venom’s strength, he might need a high dosage.”

  “White-collared snake’s antivenom only needs a single drop to work.”

  “Phew! So, it’s not that deadly.”

  “On the contrary, it has the deadliest known venom, which will kill you in less than a minute.”

  Just as she said that, Ferrin dropped to the ground, eyes rolled back, vomit puked out. His body seized like a broken automaton, as the hand which was bitten rapidly swelled deep purple. Mayer quickly administered the antidote, one dropped down his throat, and in an instant, his symptoms regressed and he woke up looking back good as new. The tension in my heart and lungs subsided, as my legs gave out to utter relief.

  That was until Mayer frankly asked, “So, did you get the skill? Usually you’d know automatically.”

  “I’m not sure, but there’s one way to find out,” he grabbed the snake’s tail as it was about to flee and got bitten once again, reverting to deathly convulsion.

  “FERRIN!” I shouted, just as Mayer gave another drop of antivenom and Ferrin bounced back good as new. And then he tried it again twenty more times, in which after the seventh I basically lost any sense of worry or common sense. At least Ferrin did end up getting the [Poison Resistance] skill, so all's well that ends well.

  But more on the good side of things, the system notification popped out about a class upgrade alongside several options for me to choose from.

  =====================================

  [Fire Mage]

  A practitioner of magic specialized in the fire element, evolved to conjure wide-scale destructive spells and viewing the world in a whole different way.

  Class Skill = [Ember Vision D]

  =====================================

  [Wind Mage]

  A practitioner of magic specialized in the wind element, evolved to ascend into the skies and cut down enemies with compressed high-speed spells from above.

  Class Skill = [Flight D]

  =====================================

  [Water Mage]

  A practitioner of magic specialized in the wind element, evolved to add healing and cleansing properties into water-based spells, provided they are marked and do not drown.

  Class Skill = [Mark of Hydro D]

  =====================================

  [Earth Mage]

  A practitioner of magic specialized in the wind element, evolved to transform any kind of ores and minerals in any way, shape, or form.

  Class Skill = [Transmutation D]

  =====================================

  Firstly, I could fly?! Secondly, why was the [Earth Mage] option crossed out? I couldn’t even select it. Might be because I had yet to learn the [Earth Manipulation] skill, though the class skill did sound interesting to acquire. I could literally turn stones into gold with it and become a rich lady living in a giant mansion surrounded by butlers and maids, living a relaxing fulfilling slow life, while I bury myself in magical knowledge kept inside an underground library.

  “If only I could get all of them,” I muttered under my breath, feeling somewhat restricted over having to choose either one. Moreover, the class upgrades were permanent, so there was no chance for me to acquire all four of the class-specific skills. Seeking advice, I proceeded to tell Mayer about it, yet rather than giving a straight answer, she looked a bit confused. “What is it? Is something the matter?”

  “No, not at all. It’s just … I never heard of anyone being able to choose which class upgrade they want. Once your class changes from basic into intermediate level, it is an automatic process likely determined by your achievements,” she explained. “For example, I was once a [Swordsman], though I evolved one day to become a [Swordsmaster] due to me having tirelessly honed my greatsword in battle and only that. Had I gone and trained with another type of sword or another weapon, I would’ve become a [Armsmaster], which gives the jack of all trades master of none when it comes to wielding weapons. Are you sure you haven’t eaten a funny-looking mushroom? Or perhaps … nevermind. THat shouldn’t work with the pendant still on and who am I to doubt the words of the Tower Master.”

  “No, I haven’t! Really I’m not hallucinating or joking for that matter!” I pleaded, while realizing at the same time that this must be another feature of the [Hero] or perhaps the [World Traveler] title. Can I fake it as something else, like a unique skill? I heard there are people with those.

  A long minute passed and, oddly, Mayer let go of the issue. “No matter. When it comes to adventuring, there are always going to be unexplainable things. The world is vast and boundless, filled with possibilities both many and few could only attain in their lifetime. Who knows? Maybe the world has chosen you as one of these special few. I’ve encountered other adventurers similar on that spectrum.”

  “But even so, aren’t you a bit curious as to why that is?”

  “There are people who are more gifted and people who are less. That’s just how it is. Even the most loyal, stalwart, obedient knight will fall down the drain if their skills couldn’t match what others expected,” her brows furrowed before turning away. “Let’s go. There’s still a few more items we need to collect. And do choose your intermediate class as quickly as possible. The difference between levels is like day and night.”

  But in the end, I decided to hold off on the selection. I’d probably decide after doing research on each of them. There were several variables to consider, including how each of the class skills worked, since Mayer said that you could only acquire one class skill per rank-up and only according to the next class you acquired. On the plus side, not selecting any didn’t seem to have any demerits like a temporary stop on gaining Skill Points, so all was well.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  We continued completing our sets of quests from slaying monsters to gathering herbs found only in the forest depths. When it came to difficult quests like slaying four full-grown orcs in an open field, I and Ferrin got to work immediately, launching our spells and arrows from afar. The orcs immediately sprinted after us at first hit, as we wittled them down until they fell and only one remained.

  Only thirty meters separated us and Mayer had her hand gripped on the hilt of her greatsword. However, I won’t let her intervene. I conjured an abundant amount of water, depleting my mana rapidly, collecting itself until it grew to the size of my entire body, and threw it at the ground, making it wet.

  “What are you doing?” Ferrin shot me a puzzled look. Any sane person would obviously shoot that mass of water at the orc coming at them, but I wanted to try out something.

  [Water Manipulation] was a skill permitting the usage of water-based spells and manipulating the element of water to my will or use it as extra supply to the base magic for increased firepower. The second proved to be more difficult, as you would need to count every individual particle in order to fully take control of the mass of liquid. Then what about spells? Were they not basically the same thing in essence, conjuring and collecting a mass amount of a specific element and using it for various purposes? Could the hundred-percent effectiveness of spells be the aid from the system or the leylines where all mana originated from?

  For now it was just a theory, but it was a theory I wanted to indulge upon. And now to the next question. Could one element influence or copy the effects of what another element was thought to only be able to do? Thus, I committed to this experiment.

  “[Water Disc]!” I yelled, but instead of conjuring new water, I used the old water mass which seeped into the ground. They spun horizontally on an axis like a spinning record, and as theorized, the water particles moved the soil with them, splashing the whole area underground. When the orc stepped on it, it immediately got a third of its leg drowned in a pool of mud.

  “[Split Arrow],” Ferrin shot a high-speed wind-imbued arrow at the orc which then split into a rain of needles. Almost all of it pierced the orc’s thick green hide, though surprisingly, it wasn't enough to kill it, as it tried to remove its leg out from the dense mud, while bleeding from the neck where most of the needles went.

  “[Wind Shear]!” Heavy compressed air sped from my palm toward the target’s neck, slicing through its wounded hide, decapitating the orc, as its headless body then fell into the muddy pool. I then drank a mana potion, reinvigorating my body as an effect of mana replenishment. However, the notification didn’t pop up thus, like Mayer said, in case the orc could revive or regenerate its head … “[Wind Shear]! [Wind Shear]! [Wind Shear]! [Wind Shear]! [Wind Shear]!”

  Ferrin watched from the side, looking ghastly bewildered, as I continued to chop up the orc’s bodies limb to limb, tendon to tendon, nerve to nerve. “Uh, Akari, I think that’s enough.”

  And after the fifteenth [Wind Shear], the notification of its death and SP distribution finally appeared. Or did it appear after the seventh or eighth or third? Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the once ten–feet tall orc was now nothing more than diced green-purplish tenderloins. “Man, if only the meat wasn’t poisonous and covered in mud. We could’ve had good shogoyaki for dinner.”

  “You’re the crazy one!” cried Ferrin, hand pressed on his temple. “That was way too excessive. I actually feel bad about the orc.”

  “Says the guy who purposely poisoned himself over a dozen times.”

  And just like that, our short jabs stopped developing, as we both turned our heads away in embarrassment. I then looked to Mayer, who also shared the same opinion.

  “Three spells maximum,” she said, before proceeding to tell the various ways an adventurer could make sure the monsters were dead. Although, most of them were standard like checking pulse, heartbeat, inspecting how much blood they’ve lost. In my case, the notification was most telling, though I shouldn’t reveal much about the system as per Glen’s words.

  Now that I think about it, he seemed to be awfully very familiar with my current situation. I never really questioned it before since Glen had given me lots of help. He was like a second father to me in this otherworldly life. Always worried, always hoping for the best, and always keeping secrets.

  “And as for the last one,” Mayer continued. “At times, when it comes to larger monsters, its heart would grow to become crystallized, becoming imbued with mana and thus, becoming a mana stone.” She held one up from within the orc’s body. It was an onyx crystalline orb, possessing a rough surface, with some sort of white light emanating from within which flickered—pulsated in circadian rhythm. Mayer then proceeded to pull out another mana stone from another orc and, interestingly, their light’s pulsation synchronized the closer they were together.

  I asked this question and Mayer replied, “You know, I never noticed that before. But I doubt anyone cares really.”

  Then I’ll do my own research, I pouted.

  “When it comes to adventuring, there are two important things. Fame and money. Through slaying monsters, you rose up the ranks, becoming well-known and highly-regarded by the public, and then perhaps the ruling kingdoms. And through fame you’d earn more money in order to live a fulfilling life, though at the cost of risking it every time. That’s what I’ve learnt after many years working in this business.”

  “What’s the most fame you’ve ever achieved, Mayer-san?” I asked, curious about her adventuring tales.

  “I wouldn’t really call it a famed achievement. That would be this one time when I was hired to be a long-term escort of this man alongside his daughter, who were travelling throughout Peryer. They were of high nobility. Paid me and my party quite a hefty sum despite already having a force of their own. We were a team of seven and I served as the vanguard, and like most adventurers, we don’t really question the particular details about our employers and their requests. We’ve been hired and we’ll do the job as intended. If not, then feel free to report to the guild.

  “But the thing about escort missions, you’d find yourself making connections with those you’re escorting. Although most of the personal guards were silent, our employer’s daughter was quite the conversationalist. Managed to have everyone more or less get along, telling stories and toasting good ol’ alcohol during breaks. One of the guards, the youngest among them, even went up to me and asked for my hand in marriage.”

  “That quick?!”

  “Yeah and he wasn’t drunk at all. Love at first sight, so he claimed. I was flattered, but alas, I wasn’t really looking for a relationship at that time, so I had to reject him. I heard him crying while out patrolling. Everyone was laughing at him, but then the girl came up to the man and comforted him. The next day, he vowed to become her family knight, and the girl’s father anointed him the very same day.”

  “That girl sounds like she has ways with words. I don’t think I’ll be able to do what she’s capable of doing.”

  Ferrin added, “Well, you ain't exactly the cunning type. More like a cloud full of air.”

  “I’ll have you know that clouds aren’t full of air, but full of evaporated water.”

  “… Okay?” he then stared at the cloudy sky, looking perplexed. “What the heck is ‘evaporated’?”

  “Anyway,” I turned back to Mayer with star-shot eyes. “how did it go? The escort mission that is. Did you encounter any dangerous ten-foot monsters blocking your path? Found cursed items offered by an old lady in the middle of a forest? Hopped into a dungeon in order to find a cure for a long-term illness?”

  “You’re way over your head,” she scratched the back of her neck. “It was a normal escort mission like any other. Travelling all over Peryer was an added bonus. Once we finished the set duration, the man could’ve extended our contract, though chose to end it upon reaching their destination. Then we got paid by the guild. Simple as that.”

  “This quest doesn’t sound like something a person would be famous for,” I commented. “Are there really no large-scale charity events or hunting competitions where your party becomes the victor?”

  “Again, you’re way over your head. All I could say is that the noble family was highly influential in noble society, which I hope you won’t try to get yourself into. Believe me when I say that we commoners—mages also, better not entangle ourselves with the nobility as much than what’s necessary. A single wrong act and you’d surely find yourself in a chopping block.”

  “But it sounds like the nobleman and his daughter were nice people.”

  “They were one-in-a-hundred and I wished I could’ve done more,” Mayer stared out to the open clearing, silent, seemingly lost in her own world.

  “Uh … Mayer?” Ferrin called. He was standing over one of the orc’s corpses, hand stained red, as he now held a magic stone, except … “Are magic stones supposed to look this dark? Ugh, it even smells.” Ferrin was now holding a black mana stone emanating some sort of stinky miasma oozing out from within its crystallized surface. He then gave it to Mayer, hoping for her to give an answer.

  “It looks like a spatial storage stone, which allows you to store various items inside. However, its contents don’t usually spill out. Probably just a defective mana stone,” Mayer chucked the stone out and we continued on our adventures. Strangely though, we started to find more and more defective mana stones. Although the secretion of vicious ooze notably varied. Some poured out like dense rain, while others just dripped like a leaky faucet.

  Three days went by and the Aeryn delegates still remained within the city. Their numbers seemed to have gotten larger somehow and they began patrolling around the city. I’ve thus basically been barred from entering Kyanos Tower oddly enough, under Katherine’s orders, so I had to stay inside an inn. The creaky bed and loud noise outside really bothered my sleep, denying me of any sweet dreams. The only good thing was that my time out in the wilderness with Mayer and Ferrin increased.

  Over time, we encountered other adventurers along the way. There was a novice party of two [Swordsman] and one [Archer], a fairly experienced party of a [Fighter], a [Protector], and a[Water Mage], and a group of aspiring adventurers as young as ten-year-olds guided by a powerful and wise-looking [Holy Knight]. The latter, from the way they dressed, seemed to be affiliated with one of the churches present in Peryer. Never really paid attention much, being not religious myself, though their showcase of divine blessings looked very interesting. I felt mana, while one of the young [Priest] healed the wound on my leg due to an unfortunate goblin trap, coursing through my veins as she reshaped and weaved the skin and blood vessels back together, and yet it was different. I couldn’t really put it into words, like it definitely was mana, but not at the same time.

  I want to research the power of divinity … I lamented over the fact that I couldn’t enter the library.

  As our adventure went on, we encountered gnolls. These bipedal hyenas were tall as I was. They were rather tough opponents due to their quick reflexes. I missed a couple of sharpened [Flame Arrows], or should I say [Flame Needles] at this point, though luckily Ferrin caught the strays and Mayer, as our vanguard, protected us from any dire threats. However, Mayer seemed a bit troubled, as she continued to inspect the dissected gnolls in silence.

  A party of adventurers came across us. They were composed of a [Wind Mage], a [Thief], a [Swordsman], and a [Spearmaster]. The latter of whom appeared to be the leader, as he proceeded to greet us politely, tipping his hat, then immediately headed to Mayer.

  “Who would’ve thought I’d meet you yet again,” he said, sporting a smile that barely touched his lips. His jade green eyes constantly observing. “Paid all of your debts, I see. How’s life fairing for you, Mayer?”

  “It would be better if you help me dissect the rest of the gnolls,” she handed him a knife, looking utterly unamused.

  “You’re the same as ever,” he casted a glance over at his party, who got to work in dissection without questions. Despite his party lending aid in dissecting the gnolls, the man spared himself from the act, covering his mouth with a white cloth. Could he not handle the sight of blood? “Anyway, gnolls far out here? The omens are getting out of hand.”

  “Why is that?” I asked out of the blue.

  The man looked at both me and Ferrin funnily, letting out a small chuckle. “Playing motherhood now?” he joked, though once more Mayer ignored him. “Tsk … Well, girl and boy. You two seem to be newbies in the adventuring business, but let me tell you something about stinky cave-dwelling gnolls. Yes, they live in caves, but very deep, like caverns deep. Rarely do they go up to the surface unless there’s some great predator lurking in the lower floors of the dungeon right at the center of this forest.”

  “There’s a dungeon here?” My eyes shot stars out. Ever since I read about these underground labyrinths filled with monsters and princess treasures appearing in various areas due to some unknown phenomenon, I yearned to visit one. Of course, once I’ve gotten more powerful, since heading deep into one was treacherous and I have no intention of dying just yet.

  “Oi, Mayer!” the man cried. “Has age gotten the best of you or has prison deprived you of your principles when it comes to newbies?”

  Mayer was jailed? I guess she was technically jailed behind bars, but was the man speaking about that jail or real jail? I quickly put up my guard, only to discover the [Wind Mage] standing right behind me just as the [Thief] was behind Ferrin. Their hands on our shoulders.

  “No need to be alarmed,” the mage said, though I didn’t buy it the least. Not in this situation.

  “He’s right,” told Mayer, standing up to face the man. “They’re good—somewhat decent people. They won’t harm you. The same goes for this little prick, Julius, right over here.”

  “Finally took notice of me,” said the spearmaster. “Still have a grudge over not defending you back then? I never took you as the petty type.”

  “Even if you did, there was nothing you could’ve done nor should. You left our party on your own accord, remember? Our affairs no longer have anything to do with you.”

  His brows sterned. “That may be true on paper, but don’t think for a second that what happened back then has nothing to do with me. Ah, but since you’re taking care of children now, I guess you’re atoning for your crimes, and I would’ve wished you luck on that. That is if they knew exactly why, do you?” The green-eyed spearman shot a look at Ferrin and I, though with just that one look, he could already confirm his suspicions.

  “And are you?” Mayer gripped the hilt of her sword. “You know very well that my secrets are for my own to tell, just your own secrets are yours to tell. Or do you wish to reveal every secret of our time, our past adventurers, my crime and yours in this whole debacle you seem to still be obsessed with?”

  “My obsession is valid.”

  “Only when towards me.”

  “Always for the moral high ground, eh? Seems like I was wrong about you losing your principles,” Julius leaned close to Mayer, whispering into her ears words which I could not hear. At first I thought he was threatening or blackmailing her. Criminals and the slyest individuals would do that. However, Mayer did not look at all bothered by what he said. As expected of my adventuring teacher, I thought, yet deep down I wondered if anything Julius said about her was true. Who was the liar and who was the truth teller?

  “Julius,” called the swordsman, who was still dissecting the gnolls. “We found another one!” he pulled out a defective mana stone oozing with black liquid from its corpse, and the wind mage proceeded to quarantine it inside a gold-laced red velvet pouch, which looked to be half full.

  “This is getting troubling,” the mage uttered to himself. “Julius, we better hurry back. The guild would want to know about this as fast as possible.”

  “Alright, alright,” the spearmaster removed himself from Mayer. “It’d be best if you don’t ignore what I just said. For the children’s sake.” He then tipped his hat and went away with his party, leaving our party and likely the forest as a whole, even though the sun had yet to set.

  Their presence left me with many questions, though it didn’t seem Mayer intended to answer all of them. She was a good person, that I knew. However, I couldn't help but feel weary of the secrets she was keeping. Then again, everybody held secrets, carried their own set of baggage they did not want anyone else to know. Even I wasn’t susceptible to this rule, especially after coming into Orbiterra.

  Perhaps I’d get to learn more about Mayer, about Ferrin, and about every single person I’ve come across to. Maybe, through them, and through understanding this world, I could finally understand why I came here and what I was set to do.