A moment of silence was observed after Jon's statement. Jon who was bowing attempted to lift his head up to try and find the source of the silence.
"I'm sorry did you just say the Demon King's Blade?" Ray broke the silence asking the question both his companions were thinking.
"That's right..." Jon finally stood up straight.
"with me I have the Kuro Oni one of the 10 treasures belonging to the deceased Demon King Yami"
Ray couldn't believe his ears,someone possessing one of the greatest weapons in existence was unimaginable and someone as plain looking as Jon had it? he thought that it had to be a lie.
"That's insane! why would you give such a task to a bunch of newbie magicians who don't even have that much experience? I
mean look at me I've only completed 1 quest" Ray asked in disbelief.
"To tell you the truth... I'm broke..."
Another moment of silence followed.
"That's it I'm out.." Rina dropped Ray from her back threatening to leave.
"Wait just a moment..." Jon pleaded.
"You guys killed a grade 3 mana beast. That had killed many ranked magicians in the past. You also know how expensive it is to hire licensed magicians. You guys are strong,if you took the magician exams I'm sure you'd be licensed"
Ray had forgotten about the exams entirely,he got up rubbing his butt.
"Oh right the exams..."
Shelly looked to the side and said nothing.
"Well I don't know about these 2 I know for a fact I'm strong enough. I'm willing to take your deal if you pay 3x more than the previous quest." Rina said looking all confident in her abilities.
"Why do u always have to be so quick accepting these quests" Ray sighed,as he knew he was talking to a wall.
"I'll do it,if I'm gonna be a great magician it's high time I saw what the world has to offer." Jay said with a smile on his face,his index finger rubbing in-between his nose and mouth.
"If these guys are going I guess I'm going as well" Shelly said with her soft and innocent voice.
"Great! let's make things official.."
[NOTIFICATION]
[QUEST HAS BEEN ACCEPTED]
[TYPE:ESCORT]
[DIFFICULTY:UNKNOWN]
[REWARD:150 000 GOLD PIECES]
[DESTINATION:LIVAL CITY]
The screen was visible to all the parties involved.
"I'll take my leave,you guys get some much needed rest and recover your mana. We'll leave first think tomorrow morning" jon said, before exited the establishment.
Rina followed as well leaving the building and Shelly went to one of the rental rooms in the building.
Rey went to speak with Allice.
"You think the old man's telling the truth about the sword?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Who knows.... the original Demon King died centuries ago. It wouldn't surprise me if he had one of his items. Although taking young magicians is a little unusual to say the least." Allice finished wiping one of her glasses.
"If it Is true, the existence of such an item would turn the world on its head. Ever since the original Demon King died all those years ago I've only seen one of his items. They're SS ranked tools so that should tell you how rare they are." Allice placed the glass on the shelf behind her.
Ray was still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. He knew weapons were ranked but he never thought he'd hear about one of the highest ranked blades in existence. A weapon above S rank was unimaginable to him.
"Well it doesn't matter I just have to escort him it's not like anyone knows about the existence of the blade I doubt he made that knowledge public." Ray decided to stop thinking about the whole thing instead he focused his attention on something else.
"Can I expect a birthday present from my favorite teacher in the world" he looked at Allice attempting the cute eyes technique he used as a kid.
"Of course, your gift is with a friend in Lival. I'd never forget about my #1 pupil" Allice smiled.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
"Nice,now I'm even more pumped for this!!" Ray shouted.
"It's with a famous swordsmith by the name of Jack you can't miss him" Allice clarified.
"Got it!" Ray said, walking towards the exit.
Before he opened the door leading outside he spoke.
"Hey Allice If I ever gave up on everything would you hate me?" Ray asked, not even facing Allice.
"It's not about me hating you or not. You're literally unable to give up. That's not an option for you. For all of them you must keep moving.' Allice answered.
"I thought as much.." Ray said, before leaving the establishment.
Morning came in an instant and Rey,Runa and Shelly were up early waiting for Jon. They didn't wait long. Jon appeared riding a carriage, it was being pulled by 2 mana beasts who were the prominent Lizardman species. By Ray's estimation they were Grade 1.
The carriage stopped infront of them and they got on before it rocketed forward.
Ray sat infront with Jon,while Rina and Shelly sat in the back with all the goods.
"Why do u have so many stuff?" Rina said looking at all the different treasure boxes she was sitting next to "I thought we were transporting one blade"
"Well I'm a merchant you see,my father is a famous swordsmith who makes all kinds of swords its my duty to sell then and earn money" Jon paused for moment..
"They're also make it hard for anyone to suspect what we're really trying to hide." He pointed at the box behind all the others.
"That's Kuro Oni..."
The blade was located inside a box which had all kinds of black symbol written over it. It was clearly different from the rest.
"We have to get it to the priestess of Lival. Then she'll be able to store the blade properly and seal it away" he added.
'Seal it away?" Ray asked, obviously intrigued.
"Yes, priestess of Lival is a great healing type magician who has unparalleled sealing magic. Even among the great families her sealing abilities are in a league all on their own. " you would think Jon was talking about himself with how wildly he smiled.
"The great families..." Ray's face suddenly turned serious.
"That's right,the 3 great families that Rule our world. Their influences can be felt on every inch in our world. Led by the 3 great family leaders they are the greatest families in the world." Jon concluded.
"Its been a while since I've heard about them." Ray admitted.
"Well that's probably a good a thing,getting involved with them is suicide."
Shelly remained quiet,she seemed to be lost in thought.
"They took my dad.." Ray's face had turned ugly.
"I'll definitely... get even with them!" he shouted, losing his composure only for a moment.
Jon didn't want to upset Ray any further so he said nothing. Rina was now asleep, so it wouldn't be a surprise if she missed 80% of the conversation even though she started it.
"Why are we sealing the blade away" Ray asked now a little more calm.
"Well the blade has seals on it which are containing its power,but the seals are weak. Father placed them himself. If the. Blade were to be sealed by the priestess of Lival's sealing technique. It would ensure no one got their hands on the blade again.."
The carriage proceeded smoothly exiting the town and entering the cave,the one Rey and his party had left a day ago.
"The blade Is far too dangerous,father calls discovering it one of his greatest regrets. He had sat with it for years but he fears it is not safe with him. So he tasked me with delivering it to the priestess."
Ray seemed to understand the situation as he asked no further questions. The carriage progressed through the cave.
"We can now pass the cave only because you guys killed the mana beast, you may not have realized it but your efforts may be far more significant than you realize"
Rey listened to Jon's words and wondered if that was really true.
"I don't think that's true" Shelly finally spoke .
"Bronk and Jay died to clear the cave of that beast and nothing could be worth their sacrifice. It were up to me I'd rather they live than see us transporting a peace of metal"
Shelly sounded upset still and Jon decided not to press the issue. As the carriage exited the cave a few little baby mana beasts could be seen near the exit. The carriage moved past them incredibly quickly but Ray couldn't help but feel pity.
"Family huh.." he thought to himself.
The carriage entered the Black forest and continued it's journey.
"This is the black forest the forest just before Lival. We're almost there" Jon said.
"I heard from Allice how dangerous this place is, apparently even grade 4 mana beasts inhabit this forest" Ray said.
"That was before the priestess was born,ever since her birth mana beast in the forest have gone scarce. The seal around Lival must be the reason."
"What seal?" Ray asked.
"You'll see once we get there" John promised.
The carriage continued to move unhindered.
That all changed though when Rey heard something moving trough the air.
"Shelly look alive!!!" he shouted .
An explosion followed seconds later devouring the carriage and its passengers.
[A Barrier skill has been activated]
[The unique skill hexagon barrier lvl2] has been activated]
[Your experience with the hexagon Barrier [lvl2[
A large barrier with a hexagon shape served as a protective barrier that shielded the carriage from certain destruction. Thanks to Shelly's quick movement.
"We're not alone " Ray said,stating the obvious.
The ruckus was enough to wake even Rina up.
"There's 2 of them" Rina said after picking up 2 distinct human traces of mana.
"Here's the plan, me and Rina will handle the attackers, Shelly should help Jon get away from here." Ray ordered.
Rina wanted to say something but he knew they didn't have time. Rina and Ray got off the carriage and as the smoke fully cleared.
The two them glanced at each other for a second. Shelly created small holes within the barrier enough for them to move.
"We're counting on you Shelly" Ray said, as the two vanished into the trees. The barrier closed and the carriage moved.
[The skill partial transformation[lvl2]has been activated]
[Partial Transformation- Feet]
[The unique skill Cat Charge [lvl1] has been activated[
[Due to your experience the skill Cat Charge [lvl1] has been increased by [+1 level]
[The skill mana reinforcement [lvl2] has activated]
[Mana reinforcement- feet]
[The unique skill mana dash [lvl2] has activated]
[Your experience with mana dash [lvl 2] has increased]
[Your experience with the skill mana dash [lvl2] has increased]
The leaves rustled in admiration of Rina and Ray's movements. Moving at impeccable speed the 2 of them reached their respective targets. One was standing on the left side of the forest. The other occupied the right side.
Rina appeared infront of her opponent,an old man who wore a silver cloak made of fur. Which complemented his silver hair and beard. The old man's pants were black and he didn't wear a shirt.
[PARTIAL TRANSFORMATION-Claw]
[The Unique Skill Cat claws [lvl 1] has been activated]
[Your experience with Cat claw [lvl1] has increased]
Rina's left hand moved, it's vicious claws only narrowly missed the old man who performed an insane backflip . The old man landed in an open space within the forest. He landed softly even after jumping from such a high altitude. Rina had a glaring look before she jumped down landing a few meters Infront of him.
"And who might you be?"She asked her voice totally calm and composed.
The man simply smiled before uttering "call me master"
Rina's eyes suddenly flashed with anger. A large amount of mana started seeping out of her body .
"Do u wanna die?" She asked, her voice hiding a hint of anger.
[On the other side of the forest]
Ray appeard Infront of his opponent. He sent a fist targeting the man's face.
[The Unique Skill Strong Right [lvl2] has been activated]
[Your experience with the unique skill strong right[lvl2] has increased]
Standing infront of Ray was a man wearing a red suit and he had red eyes to complement it.
[A stealth skill has been activated]
[The unique skill shade [lvl2] has been activated]
[Your experience with the skill Shade [lvl2] has increased[
The man's body vanished completely and he landed on the ground from a very high tree. His movement was almost instantaneous.
Rey jumped and landed infront of him.
"Who are you old man?" Ray asked.
"I guess you'll have to find out." The old man responded with a sadistic smile on his face.
[At the center of the forest]
Shelly and Jon raced on the carriage moving at insane speeds. While the carriage was still moving,the barrier around it would crack. A creature with humanoid shape and but like wings landed from above cracking it on impact.
[PERMANENT PARTIAL TRANSFORMATION [LVL3]
[PERMANENT PARTIAL TRANSFORMATION-CLAWS]
[The unique skill Puncture Claws [lvl2] has been activated]
[Your experience with the skill Puncture Claws [lvl1] has increased]
The creature's claws dug deep into the barrier shattering it before it landed infront of the courage forcing it to halt.
"I thought Rina said there were 2 of them" Shelly said visibly shaken.
"I think she was using human scents and I don't think this thing qualifies as human" Jon stated.
The creature stood there moving its long tongue wildly.
"Give me the blade" it stated its eyes locked directly on Jon.
It was at this moment they realized that transporting the blade was going to be harder than they initially thought.