Consuming nothing but mana, Grant had gone on for a week practicing his old swordsmanship and other martial arts style, sometimes in tandem in order to get it up.

No one had checked up on him. Did they think he was dead? Missing? Gone to the duchess' place again? Whatever.

He also cast a few basic spells to get the mana flowing, and took notes of blockages which he would have to circulate later on. The minute ones were dealt with. And now?

[Status]

Name: Jonathan Leocartas (Grant)

Class: Alchemist/ Magician/ Martial artist

Mana circles: Four

Skills: Imperial swordsmanship (intermediate) alcohol tolerance endurance flame(intermediate), water (intermediate) earth (intermediate) air(intermediate) cleaning (high) Drunken boxing (low) 15 step advance (low) 15 steps of the drunken immortal (low) body enhancement (low)

Qi Cultivation: 0

[Inventory]

[Gacha]

[Shop]

Grant looked at the virtual screen with satisfaction. Although they were low in mastery, that was to be expected. WIthout qi, these martial arts wouldn’t reach their full potential, and even with his full understanding of them, his body would have to catch up. A look in the mirror revealed his body, which was no longer lean, but had instead started building some muscle. So it was time to leave.

Grant had no attachments to this place and had no reason to stay. Getting tangled up with the duchess would be troubling and staying here where everyone knew the old Jonathan would do nothing for him. Moving someplace new would do him better and allow him a fresh start. As Flamel had said, this is supposed to be his retirement, it’s time to enjoy it. He went up to the door and pushed it open to take his steps in this brand-new world.

…

Zackary had gotten used to Jonathan’s shenanigans. Drunken idiocy, womanizer, and an absolute tool to the duchess, Zackary had put up with it, knowing that the count of Leocartas had sent his son here to keep him out of trouble as best as possible. But Zackary had never expected this.

“I’m quitting.”

As if those words were not surprising enough, the man who had spoken those words felt different. His waist, once slim enough to be envied by woman, was now packed with muscle. His body, still slim, was starting to show firmness. He was also giving off an aura he had never given off before. Gone was the manchild who constantly moaned and complained and now a stern warrior was facing him.

He was almost like a completely different person.

“Are you sure Leocartas ? They won’t take you back in you know?”

“I’m aware” responded Jonathan, “I’ve decided I’ll travel a little, and settle down somewhere. I've grown tired of the charade."

It reminded Zackary of an old man. Tired, and no longer interested. A complete contrast to the youth from a week agon.

Right there and then, he knew he couldn’t stop Jonathan. The stubbornness like that of the elderly couldn't be denied.

“Fine. Dismissed” was Zackary’s bored reply.

As Jonathan turned around to leave, Zackary called out “Hey kid!” “Hm?” Inquired Jonathan. “Hope you find what you’re looking for'' He tossed Jonathan a few gold coins, which Jonathan gave a swift nod to before leaving quickly.

No one said anything as no one cared about the drunkard who had just left.

After leaving the guardsman dorm Jonathan looked around this new world. Just as his memories depicted, this place felt weird, with the buildings feeling vaguely Roman to European but then cement would show up alongside plaster, and he knew they had modern commodities thanks to magic.

Stoves, lights, and air conditioners, all courtesy of magic. Sadly, the closest thing to a phone was long distance magic messages, which were not available to the public, and hard to create. Although the scenery was nice, it wasn’t the point.

Grant walked for a while before he tucked into an alley. Once there, he quickly cast transfiguration, changing the shape of his clothes, and making them more standard. No longer did he look like a guardsman stationed at a stop and instead he looked like a common adventurer, leather gear and everything. What came next was a black cloak, simple in its appearance, and was only made of wool, but adorned with lining and for a final touch, a mask. A mask carved out of fine wood.

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Grant had picked up many hobbies over his long life, and carving masks had been one such hobby. The mask had been made pure white with it being a round mask, and the mask met into a sharp line in the middle, which reached from the top of the mask all the way to the very bottom. Two eye holes were made, and the shape undoubtedly felt like that of a pair of glaring eyes. Within these eyes were 2 chunks of glass that were one way, meaning people may only see themselves , a way for Grant to hide his eyes.

The mask was adorned with two horns that protruded out the top of the mask, which maintained that white color. Trailing under the holes were two giant tear marks which ran down to the bottom of the mask. Although terrifying, it was common for adventurers to wear masks, sometimes to look cool, sometimes to hide their identities with many being nobles doing it for their own reasons.

Grant had enchanted it with many abilities, such as eagle eyesight, voice change, universal language, the ability to eat with it on, and a calming effect for those who looked upon it, and a fear inducing effect for his enemies. With the mask and cape on, Grant now looked a bit… weird, but that couldn’t stop him because Grant loves cosplay. When he got a chance, he was planning to make the whole costume grimmer, even though it was mostly dark colors. Maybe he would make something really bright and exciting, like that he used to use in front of other players.

Grant then proceeded to walk past a few blocks before arriving before a large building, perhaps one of the largest in the nearby area. The adventurer’s hall.

The world Jonathan lived on and the one Grant now lives on was one where magic was not a secret but well known. So magic became a commonplace thing which is even taught when kids were as old as 5, and as a result technology is regressed in comparison to Grant’s earth. Instead of players who work in the shadows, adventurers arose, people who would gather to defeat monsters, which was a great boon… and a great thorn considering the number of times they poked a beehive.

Plenty of times they have pissed off dragons, goblin villages, and other types of monster colonies because they confused them for their feral counterparts. Or they didn’t and are human supremacists. Either way, a lot of bad shit happens. So the adventurer’s hall was made to direct the adventurers to friendlier quests, and keep an eye on the more rowdy type.

In theory of course. For Grant, this was a good time to make a new identity, since registering often allowed someone to forge a new identity, and to have a fresh start.

When Grant walked in, the first feeling he got was chaotic. Disorganized. There were adventurers chatting it up at the food aisle, which was to the left, and to the right was a bundle of stalls, with all of them offering things they had found.

Grant could see many adventurers bargaining and arguing, clearly trying to get the better end of the deal. And in the middle of the hall was the registration area ALthough it was filled to the brim as well with people lined up, nice and tidy. Seeing this hall made Grant think of the players market, where players did the very same thing.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” chuckled Grant.

He walked into the long line and waited. It took him an hour to get to the front. Although he did get a few weird looks, the calming effect stifled any weird thoughts about him and allowed him peace and quiet. When he arrived at the front he was met with a petite lady who was dressed in a rather homely nature. It reminded him of the videogame character from monster hunter. Perhaps one of the greatest differences was the thread the suit was made of, and her short red hair.

“Nice costume mister!” Yelped the girl. She had a very high-toned voice, and her posture was similar to a dog, maybe a chihuahua

. “What are you looking for?”

He responded in a tone that was deep, deep enough one would think it came from someone far larger. “ I’m looking to sign up as an adventurer and looking to see if there are any people requesting an escort to York.”

Although slightly surprised by that deep voice, she was a good guild worker and knew what to do. “Sure, just fill this out to become an adventurer!” She pulled out a paper, which he quickly filled out.

“And as for that ride to York, you’re just in luck! There’s a group heading that way in a day. You sure you want to go through?” She was a bit worried, as plenty of adventurers went to places like York, only to never come back. It was a place for new people sure, sure but it was a new outpost, and places like those were dangerous in how unexplored they were.

He nodded “It may be my first-time adventuring, but not my first-time hunting.” “Okay,” she responded, a bit unsure. It’s true some first-time adventurers were in reality seasoned hunters. She handed him his card. “Go to the board, write your name on the list of names, and show up tomorrow at the appropriate time” Grant nodded and took a look at his new identity card. Grant Not only was this true name, but it’d be better to travel with a different identity. Who knows if the enemies of the Leocartas family may come after him, or even his own family may come to drag him back.

He analyzed the card before putting it away, in case he ever wanted to make another one, a fake identity. He frowned, seeing it was tied to a greater database, and if he wanted to infiltrate that, he might have to use authority. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem later. For now, it was irrelevant.

Grant went over to the food aisle. He hadn’t eaten in over a week, and food was looking great now. The masked man sat at the bar and asked,

“What’s on the menu?”

A big man walked up to him and plopped down in front of him. He had the bushiest eyebrows a man could have and Grant couldn’t even see his eyes. His mustache wasn’t much better. He seems quite the jolly man however. “Ah, you look like man who haven’t eaten in while! We have all these things!” He tossed him a menu. “Pick Something!” Grant acknowledged what the very stereotypical(perhaps too stereotypical?) Russian man had said and viewed the menu. “

I’ll take the iron bull steak” he said after giving the menu a good once-over. As he sat and waited, Grant mused if this bull was related to the Khalkotauroi, something to wonder as they were the creations of Hephaestus, which in of itself raises many questions. They could also be bulls with iron skin, their infamous descendants.

Within a few minutes the iron bull steaks came. They were rather large, and Grant finished it quickly. As he ate, others watched with wonder and confusion. The mask had been made so he can eat even with the mask on. His mask essentially became intangible. To everyone else though, it was as if the food was phasing through the mouth and disappearing. Some got bored quickly while others watched. He had been aware and thankfully they couldn’t see his face, as he was quite embarrassed. ‘ I’ll have to get used to that’ he sheepishly thought. He’d never been stared at so much due to his… reputation and the people he knew had been long used to his antics.

Grant paid, and then quickly headed over to the section where they offered lodgings and paid for a low level room. Once inside he showered and went to sleep. It still surprised him that they used a maneuverable spell to change the temperature of the water. Grant decided this would be fun to use.

…

Had Grant been at his peak he would’ve been easily able to sense the two different people trailing him. Each had a different purpose and thus, different reactions.

An old man stood on the top of a building with his fine stubbled chin. The professional had a professionally shaved hair, which despite its whitening, still looked quite refined. He wore a butler's outfit, and yet few butlers could be as intimidating. “Finally, that leech is leaving. You’d think after the way we treated him he would’ve done something stupid or just leave. I’ll have to go report this to the duchess.” The man leaped away into the night.

The other merely recorded Jonathan’s reactions, then got up to send a report to the leocartas family.