I wake up, laying on the grass. The sun high in the sky, beaming down on my face. I wince and cover my eyes with my arm.
After a few seconds of adjusting to the sudden light, I sit up and take in my surroundings. I’m in a small clearing, much like the one I frequented outside the walls of Justice city.
Both Uncle Moren and Gael are sitting together on some nearby logs, chatting relaxedly. Garut is nowhere to be seen.
“Morning guys, where’s Garut?” I ask curiously.
“Aha! Just the man I wanted to see! How was your little nap? You better be well rested because we’re about to get moving!”
“Uh yeah, I guess I’m well rested enough. So where’s Garut?”
“Just gathering supplies over at a small stream. Anyway, why didn’t you tell me you managed to form your core! That’s awesome bud! When did you do it? Was it before you turned level 1? During that last fight? What kind of core is it?”
“Woah woah slow down! I formed it during my fight with that prodigy maid chick. And yes it’s a sword core. Now any other questions?”
Uncle Moren beams a big smile at me, “Nope!”
I sigh exaggeratedly before hearing Uncle Moren say,
“Anyway, quickly get your status in check, I’m sure you’ve got at least a couple notifications to look at after that little fight you had. We’ll be going over plans from now on as soon as Garut gets back.”
‘Oh shit, that’s right! I completely forgot!’ I think excitedly before mentally looking at my notifications.
‘Wow ok. That’s a lot.’
First order of business before even discussing the rest of my gains, is to take care of my AP.
Instead of saving one of these points, I decide to reward myself a little for a job well done and dump all of these points into physical stats. This may hurt me down the line if I were to ever get more willpower-based skills or traits, but I need this points, if that last fight was ever an indication.
So with my mind made up I dump two points into agility and dexterity each. I immediately feel a little bit lighter on my feet alongside a greater sense of touch in my fingers.
‘I’ve never put more than 1 point in a stat before at a time, I could get used to this.’ I think happily.
Anyway, on to the rest of the notifications. Another level in my Swords Mastery surprises me, though I guess it shouldn’t considering my increasing level and stats.
Another level in Temperance isn’t surprising considering the mental workout my brain has gone through these past couple of days.
Misdirection is interesting and definitely worth increasing some more if I can. A high level of Misdirection could absolutely make or break my chances in any fight that I’m in.
The last notification reels in my excitement slightly as I remember the two young men I killed to get it.
I take a look at my full status to distract myself from that thought.
Name
Rowan Attain
Level
3
Class
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Race
Human/Janin
Attributes
Strength – 10 (+2)
Agility – 15 (+2)
Dexterity – 19 (+2)
Endurance – 8 (+2)
Perception – 12 (+2)
Intelligence – 10 (+2)
Willpower – 20 (+2)
(3 AP Remaining)
Masteries
Swords – 16
Temperance – 13
Stealth – 7
Sprinting – 6
Exercise – 5
Thievery – 3
Deception – 3
Killing – 4
Blending In – 1
Misdirection – 1
Skills
(3 SP Remaining)
Feats
Early Killer - The deadliest killers started young, and once you've killed once, what's another? Kill a sentient being before level 1. Very slight increased progression towards your Killing Mastery.
Swords Prodigy - You've trained and begun your path of sword mastery strong. Get Swords Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Swords Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Temperance Prodigy - You've tempered your mind to be as solid as stone. Get Temperance Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Temperance Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Early Enlightenment - Form your core before level 1. One trait can be chosen related to your core.
Core
Sword – Your sword resonates with omnipresence.
Traits
Indomitable Swordsman - Your will remains steadfast and unbroken while holding a sword. Receive a slight boost to perception when in a tough situation. Scales based on willpower.
Meager Swordsman - A true swordsman needs nothing but himself and the sword. Increased progression towards your Swords Mastery while living humbly.
Sword of Silence - Your sword is silent until it strikes true. Harder for enemies to detect your sword coming. Very slight increased progression towards Stealth.
Dedication to the Sword – When without a sword, even the smallest of foes may slay you, but with a sword, giants bow to your might. +2 to all stats when holding a sword, -2 to all stats when not. Increased progression towards Swords Mastery, decreased progression towards all other weapon and combat masteries.
‘Still a long ways to go…’
I look up from my thoughts to notice Garut talking, or should I say nodding, to Uncle Moren.
Uncle Moren notices my gaze and beckons me over.
“Alright now that everyone is here, let’s go over what the plan is from here on out.” Uncle Moren says as he pulls a large map from his backpack.
“Right now we are here,” he says point to what seems to be a large patch of forest, “and we need to get further north to Candline City. It’s the closest city with a jump pad available to the public. Now because of this, it’s most likely the largest city in this region. A good thing for us, considering we need to stand out as little as possible, and the more people, the easier it is to blend in.”
He stops briefly to gather his thoughts.
“We’ll be making about five or six stops on the way there. Most of those consist of small towns or villages, though we will be passing by the major city of Greenwood. If we went full pace towards our destination, I expect we could reach there in about 5 or so days.”
He continues,
“Though monsters and bandits may slow us down slightly, as I want to use the relatively low level of this planet to get Rowan here some experience.”
Everyone nods.
“Ok lets get moving then. Gael and Garut, I want you two to scout the area ahead of us. Rowan and I will start moving in a few minutes to let you guys get a sizable enough lead on us.”
The two bodyguards nod and head into the trees.
After a few second of silence I look at Uncle Moren and ask,
“So what tier are all of you guys? I don’t know how I never asked you before, I guess the thought that you were a relative high tier never came to mind.”
“No worries Rowan my boy! I was wondering when you’d ask. I’m a tier 5, as is Garut. As for Gael, he’s a tier 7.”
“Really?! That high?! How are you affording these guys then?”
“Aha… well… you see… about that…” Uncle Moren looks away, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
“What? What is it?” I ask suspiciously.
“I, um, told them about your ‘talents’, so to speak.”
“My talents? Why would they care about that?”
“By them I mean the Kingdom of Fillith…” Uncle Moren says sheepishly.
“You mean the one the Empire is at war with?”
“Yeah…”
“Why the hell would they care about me?”
Uncle Moren looks at me as if I’m the stupidest person on the planet.
“You… Do you know about the talent ranking system most of the multiverse uses?”
“No, but what does this have to do with anything?” I ask curiously.
“Well there’s ten ranks that people use to classify a person’s power in the multiverse. A rank 10 talent is someone like homeless person, or a drunkard. A rank 1 talent, on the other hand, is a nation treasure that can single handedly change the course of a battle, or even a war.”
He continues,
“So a rank 1 talent who is sent into a battlefield of their respective tier can wipe out armies of soldiers that are at the same tier as them.”
“I still don’t get what this has to do with me.”
“Well when I told Fillith about a possible rank 3 talent, who is going to defect from the Empire, they immediately redirected their closest agents to us to help us reach the Kingdom of Fillith as fast as possible.”
“Gael and Garut.” I blurt out.
“Right on the money kiddo, and with you obtaining your core before level 1, this now means you are probably, at the very least, a high rank 3, maybe even low rank 2 talent.”
“But I still don’t get what they hope to gain from this.” I ask, still slightly confused.
“Well, Rowan my boy, what I assume they hope is that you hold some sort of resentment for the Empire, and will be amiable to some sort of lucrative contract with them.”
“So we’re leading them on?” I worriedly ask.
“Nonsense! This contract will most likely include full dungeons access across the Kingdom, alongside a multitude of other training activities such as an academy. You’ve got to understand Rowan, when I say lucrative, I mean LUCRATIVE. They will put the entire Kingdom behind you in an attempt to make you stronger. Rank 2 talents don’t grow on trees after all.” Uncle Moren says confidently.
I ruminate on this for a few seconds before asking,
“And what, per se, were to happen if I was to decline this offer?” I ask cautiously.
“And see, that’s the best part! Nothing! You’ve got to understand that a rank 2 talent is such a big deal that even keeping you out and away from the Empire is considered a massive win in their eyes.”
“I see…”
“Anyway enough talking, we don’t want to get to far behind those two.”