It seemed that while I failed in getting exactly what I wanted, I didn’t fail completely. It was probably thanks to my experience, but the combined effects helped me achieve what we needed. I sighed in relief… this was a bit costly, but it confirmed my guesses and this was a good experience.
‘In the end, we can mimic skills with enchantments, huh? I need to study this more…’
Still, that much was fine since most people would only use Identity on us once or twice at best. We just had to use that enchantment in the right moments and avoid people as much as possible. Identification also costs mana, after all. Overusing it causes headaches too.
‘I guess starting from scratch is a necessity, after all. Still, increasing our ranks will be easy.’
I got up and then noticed that Nimir was already there with his new clothes. His hair was a bit long, but it wasn’t messy, it was pretty straight. He was no longer covered in grime and smelling. Now that I could see him, his stripes were red, but his hair was white and a bit black. I couldn’t understand why he had stripes of two colors, but it must be because he was half-human.
“Did your mother have red hair?”
“... Yes…”
“In any case, put these on and keep this bow strapped on your back. With the glasses and the bow, no one will find who you are. You can… tell what the bow can do, right? Anyway, you won’t have to fire any arrows for now. Just use the effects when new people look at you, you can tell with your senses.”
Nimir still didn’t look convinced, but he wasn’t trying to run away from this chance either… he knew that dungeons were dens of monsters, but they were also an opportunity as well. In any case, it was already noon, so we didn’t have much time to waste. For today, it was better to at least get our classes.
“Do something about your posture and behavior, you will be standing out in a new way if you keep fidgeting like that.”
Although all the parts of his body that could be revealing who he was were hidden, Nimir was still acting pretty suspicious while looking in the direction of the people. He couldn’t see them, but he could sense them, and looking at them helped him sense their presence with more ease.
In any case, he wasn’t being chased out, and that was a new feeling for him. The only problem now was his Jinx Hex. We had to be cautious since that could reveal who he was too… I had to keep a close eye on anything around us that could spell disaster. Still, I had a feeling that Hex would only work every once in a while. Otherwise, it would be too broken.
The adventurers guild didn’t have many people at noon, so that was a good chance for us. He flinched when we got inside and the receptionists looked at us. I wanted to facepalm so badly… in any case, at least he followed me to the guild after he used the enchantment of the bow.
“We would like to register as adventurers. Here is the payment.”
This one receptionist furrowed her eyebrows a bit, she seemed the no-nonsense type who doesn’t ask much, and so did I. She probably didn’t have much experience dealing with people of the same type.
“Very well, please wait for a bit.”
We went to the board of missions to gain time and when the lady returned, we already had a job in hands. It was to pick up some of the best pieces of the wood golems, and so we left the guild just in fine. Our new names as adventurers are Clive and Liz. It was better not to use any names and risk letting them get mixed up.
“Did you sense anything?”
“No… they are still acting normally… they are talking about us, but they aren’t saying anything bad…”
“You can hear from here?”
We were fifty meters away from the guild already, so that was a bit surprising… even without parameters, the beastkin could be pretty handy, apparently. They also had their own classes that only they could get, mainly the ones focused on nature and similar things. Humans didn’t have any advantages in that regard… I was in a worse position since I looked like a vampire but only had their weaknesses.
“Keep your posture straight and just keep your head high and no one will find you odd. You are scrawny too. No one will fear you with your height and weight.”
Nimir nodded and then tried to copy me. Most adventurers were a cocky bunch. Those who remained adventuring as adults had enough reason to act like that since they didn’t have combat classes. As for kids, they acted the same way since they wanted to show that they were different too.
“It isn’t certain, but there is a chance that we might do something against your curses with some classes. With that in mind, you will have to follow my lead and choose the right classes, all right? Once you can get rid of them, you can probably travel to your homeland.”
Nimir didn’t look particularly eager to do that… since he didn’t remember a single thing from that place. He was also pretty sure he would be treated the same way there. Still, even with those kinds of setbacks, he would be able to live a proper life instead of relying on begging. That would be a massive upgrade.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
We arrived at the dungeon and the five guards there tried to block us, but soon we showed our cards and they moved away. Nimir kept his head down the whole time, but the guards probably assumed that he was just a fearful younger brother who was following his older brother.
“All right, things will get serious now, but it will be fine as long as you stay behind me.”
The first section of the dungeon was a bit cold, but there were no signs of ice around… it was cold because of the wind coming from outside. The vegetation around was pretty thick, though… while the corridor was large, it was covered in vines, and plants coming from the walls and ceiling.
The first wood golem appeared when the path split in two… the creature didn’t move at all, so I didn’t hear a thing. Still, Nimir grabbed the border of my cloak and pointed to the side of the path. He was smart enough not to open his mouth since the monster was obviously trying to ambush us.
‘Even though my dexterity is this high… his senses still are better. This almost unfair…’
Perhaps his senses were extra sharp because he couldn’t see, so I couldn’t complain about it too much. In any case, I suddenly stepped and found the wood golem, the creature tried to grab me with its vines, but I used my hidden shooter. Two small iron balls flew toward the creature while making a high-pitched sound… the first pierced the body of the creature and made it explode. The second hit the wall behind and made the area tremble a bit.
You received 06 experience points.
‘I guess their health isn’t that high or their endurance is low.’
Although it exploded before, the body of the wood golem resembled that of a humanoid which was three meters tall, it was pretty robust-looking, with limbs and a torso made from intertwined branches and logs. The wood was polished, displaying natural grains and knots, giving it a rustic yet elegant appearance.
Its eyes are hollowed-out sections, it was pretty eery. The golem's hands were large and claw-like, formed from twisted roots and sturdy twigs, capable of powerful strikes.
Vines and moss adorned its body, intertwining with the wooden structure, adding a touch of life and earthy magic. The golem's head was angular, with features that are minimalistic yet expressive, such as a pronounced brow and a gaping mouth that can shift into a fearsome snarl.
The wood began to decrease in size until it became like branches… they resembled the wood I used to craft bows. It made sense since the materials came from here. In any case, I stored them in my magic bag.
“Did you receive experience?”
“Yes.”
Since he finally had someone to talk to, Nimir was finally starting to talk properly… his accent was still strong, though. So, it was better if he didn’t open his mouth that much. I felt bad, but it couldn’t be helped…
In any case, he got one-fourth of the experience just by warning me, perhaps the ambush would have been that bad. Thanks to his warnings, the fights got pretty easy… the iron projectiles that I used were enchanted with earth magic, and that made them extra durable and heavier. Thanks to that, their speed was slow when I tested them for the first time, but I enchanted all the tubes with wind magic to propel them faster.
I had to make the interior more aerodynamic like the interior of guns and that added some spin, speed, and extra power to the projectiles. The downside was that all that had to be exchanged… not a single part would last more than a month. I was basically using money to make my fights easier. Still, I would rather waste money than time.
“There is something over there…”
In one of the withered branches, there was a mana core hidden inside… Nimir sensed that too. I thought that it would only be possible to sense things with smell or that move, but his senses were weirdly useful. I wondered if it was an effect of those Hex… they were magic spells and he had to deal with them for years, so maybe he got attuned to magic or something.
“All right… keep informing me when you sense those too.”
Perhaps this good deed wouldn’t be just beneficial to him, it would make me save me time too. At the same time, since the branches had those mana cores, they were of good quality too… with them, I probably could make rare bows more often, perhaps even the legendary one would come.
In any case, clearing the dungeon floor was easy and we reached the end of it with enough materials to complete the quest.
You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Linguist, Tracker, and Tattoo Artist (Mystic Tattooist).
You obtained the Mystic Tattoist class.
You improved the Mana Regeneration parameter.
You unlocked the Aptitude: Arcane Artist
You unlocked the skill: Spellbinding Ink
You unlocked the skill: Mystic Link
Arcane Artist: Gain experience when creating tattoos and a bonus experience when creating tattoos that harness and channel magical energy. Your tattoos can become conduits for spells, allowing for unique magical effects.
Spellbinding Ink: Create tattoos that store spells, allowing the wearer to unleash magical effects on command. The power of the stored spell is based on your magic and the tattoo’s complexity. Cost: 15 Mana per stored spell
Mystic Link: Establish a temporary link between yourself and the tattoo wearer, allowing you to share magical energy. This skill enhances the effectiveness of both your tattoos and your own spells while the link is active. Cost: 25 Mana
My original plan was to obtain the Linguist class and study books from other languages and learn more, but that could wait… upgrading the Tattoo Artist class wouldn’t be so bad. There were things that I could test with it.
“Pick the Tracker class. While you are already naturally good with your senses, it has a skill that might improve it.”
Nimir nodded, while he was good at sensing things, he tripped quite a lot of stones and rocks… since he couldn’t sense them. Even if that doesn’t help him more than a little bit, I upgraded the Tattoo Artist class for a reason…