In this world of fantasy called Eidel, magic and arte exist as the world’s construct. Humans from modern earth are reincarnated inheriting only their personality and special talent reflecting their personality. However, natural born of Eidel may also develop special talents through destiny or lineage so there is no way for the people of Eidel to tell the difference between a reincarnated person and a natural born since both talents need to be triggered and nurtured consistently to bloom, otherwise, it may not appear at all. As such, many of the talented people are known to have strong personalities or were born from distinguished lineage. Nevertheless, the existence of reincarnated people and its purpose remains a secret known only to the gods of Eidel.
This is a story of an introverted adventurer whose personality plays a big role in his destiny. In the small town of Obenvale, far west of Mithraya country, there lives a boy named Batara Arcital. He is a wimpy boy with a skinny build and below average height. But the most noticeable part of him was his introverted personality. He keeps his head down, man of a thousand unspoken words, gesturing instead of talking, and overthink everything he did and will do. He has always been this way but his background also contributes greatly to him being so.
Batara was born into a poor family, and his birth only worsened their economic situation. His mother was a local librarian and his father was a has-been adventurer that works at the local adventurer’s guild. By the time Batara reached 7 years old, his mother suffered a mysterious illness that made her fully paralyzed, unable to move or talk. His father then told Batara to not leave the house to take care of his sick mother. Three years later, his mother died and was brought to grave. Batara’s father looked at him with no expression and said “I’m going back to be an adventurer.” That was his father’s last words before he left Batara alone and never came back. He felt betrayed after everything he did to obey his father but at the same time he also lost his sense of purpose.
Batara, who only had himself to carry that burden, then tried to sleep in hope that it would press down his emotions. On the contrary, as he laid down, his emotions were getting worse. He thought about everything that happened and ended up wanting to off himself. However, among those thoughts he had also sought redemption for the miserable things happening in his life caused by his father’s incapabilities. Since its either suicide or redemption, Batara decided to choose the latter. Thus, he swore to himself that he will become an adventurer that surpassed his father without having to betray others, the one his father could never be.
In Mithraya, adventurer is considered to be one of the most prestigious professions. By harnessing their powers and knowledge to explore the world, adventurers could gain immense wealth and fame. However, due to the massive risk and victims, one must receive adventurer’s training at the age of 17 before being evaluated to become an adventurer at the age of 18.
Several years later, Batara, who has turned 18, has completed his adventurer training and is about to travel to a bigger city called Quarzith to be evaluated as an adventurer, since Obenvale only has a small branch Adventurer Guild that is unable to do so. Along with Batara, there are 10 other adventurer candidates who have also finished training, but Batara didnt get along with any of them except for a guy named Klaus Fenderer. Klaus is a very good-looking guy with an easy going personality that made all other adventurer candidates always flock to him. However, despite all that attention, Klaus always tried to talk to Batara even though Batara always pushed him away and felt annoyed whenever Klaus approached him for being overly-familiar. After a while Batara gave up and let him do whatever he wanted.
On the last day of the adventurer training, Batara saw other adventurer candidates including Klaus, all gathered up to discuss traveling together to Quarzith without including him. Batara knew that they were doing that on purpose so he left the place as soon as he saw them. He thought that he better went alone anyway rather than burdening them with his lack of combat proficiency, like they always talked about behind Batara’s back. However, Klaus saw Batara left.
Upon approaching the adventurer evaluation’s schedule, Batara headed to Quarzith city before the other adventurer candidates so that he didnt have to cross paths with them. But, after he reached the exit gate of Obenvale, Klaus had been waiting for him at the gate. Klaus somehow noticed Batara was coming and said to him “let’s go, it’s quite a long way to Quarzith”. Batara, who is all confused, asked Klaus “why are you here? Arent you going with the others?” Klaus replied “Nope. We were about to begin our journey to become adventurers and I want to stick with someone I can trust. Not just some suck ups.” Batara thought that it was weird coming from him since he is always socially involved with the other candidates. But given Klaus’ strong background, Batara understood that it might be the other way around. Klaus was the strongest in adventurer’s training and his family, the Fenderer, are descendants of renowned adventurers.
Klaus then put his arms around Batara before saying “Besides, we’re friends right!?” Throughout the one year Batara knew Klaus, Batara never felt any ill intention coming from him even though he is the type of person that always gets what he wants. So Batara brushed Klaus’ arms away and said “Do whatever you want.” Klaus nodded and said “Great! Its settled then.” Batara didn’t understand what Klaus saw in him so he always felt skeptical towards Klaus. The two then left Obenvale and headed for Quarzith.
After walking for a while Klaus noticed something and said “Hey Bats!” Bats is the nickname Klaus used to call Batara. Batara felt annoyed at first, but since Klaus always abused it Batara finally let it go. Batara, who was walking in front of Klaus, turned and replied “Huh?” Klaus replied “I think we’re going in the wrong direction.” Batara looked around and noticed he didnt recognize the area. Batara always had a bad sense of direction since he often lost in thoughts when walking by himself. Batara replied “You’re right.” Seeing Batara’s confused face, Klaus said “Dont worry we’re not far off. Based on our training instructor, we should head to the portal that way through Obenvale’s forest, on top of the hill, that will teleport us to the nearest gate from Quarzith. And it should take 3 days in total to reach Quarzith.” Batara confirmed the information and replied “I understand.” Klaus replied nervously “And Bats. I think I should lead the way, is that okay?” Klaus seemed to have noticed Batara’s bad sense of direction. So as Batara was unsure of himself and felt guilty for leading in the wrong direction he just nodded in agreement.
The two then walked until they finally reached Obenvale Forest. It is a fairly abundant forest with a vast array of plants. On the contrary, the monster population there is rather small so there are not many adventurers going around. Using the knowledge from Adventurer’s Academy, the two venture deeper into the forest and avoid any encounter with monsters easily. They walked through the woods until nightfall.
Obenvale Forest is very quiet at night. However, the forest was not quite dark since there are a fair amount of illuminating flowers across the forest, making it easier to see. Klaus, who has been walking at the front, stopped and said to Batara “We’ve been walking for a while, I think we should rest and set up camp.” Klaus then turned to see Batara to find that Batara’s face had already turned pale due to exhaustion and he could barely catch his breath. Klaus then said “Hey whats wrong with you?” as he checked on Batara. Batara replied while catching his breath “I.. cant… keep up… with your pace.” Klaus replied while rubbing his head “Ahh-ahahah, sorry Bats! I tend to forget others’ physical capacity. But you shouldve said something though!” Batara replied “I’m… fine.” Batara didnt want to further burden Klaus when he already took the lead, so he didnt say anything earlier. Klaus then said “Alright lets set up camp now. Hmm, where should we set up…” Batara then pointed to a space surrounded by illuminating flowers. Klaus said “Right there?” Batara nodded and replied “Those plants grow where monsters didnt pass by.” Klaus replied “Great! You seem to know your stuff around the forest.” The two then walked to the space and Klaus said “Go rest first. I will gather some firewood and be back in a bit.” Batara nodded.
By the time Klaus returned, the camp had already set up. Klaus said to Batara “Hey what happened to rest?” Batara replied “I told you I’m fine.” Batara’s words came out a bit harsh even though he didnt mean to. But Klaus already used to it and sighed before replying “Heuf, you couldve ask me to help.” Batara just waved his hand, gesturing to not mind it. Klaus said “Alright I’ll set up the fire.” Klaus’ extraordinary strength made him able to gather a lot of firewood stacks in one go that almost looked like a tower when he put them. Klaus then casted a basic fire magic to the firewood “Burn!” the fire started to rose from the firewood. Despite being a basic fire magic, it was applied precisely so that it lasted longer and consumed the firewood slower. Klaus said “This should last through the night.” Batara then casted a utility magic to the fire “Calming Essence!” that apply a gentle muscle relaxing magic to the fire that slowly cures fatigue through its warmth.
The two then sat down around the fire and rest. Klaus said to Batara “Man, the warmth felt very relaxing. Your magic really does wonders, Bats!”. Batara responded “Its a basic utility magic, anyone can use it if they want”. Klaus immediately responded “yet no other adventurer candidates back in Obenvale seemed to be able to use it.” Batara replied “Thats because it is useless for adventure.” Klaus sighed and replied “Adventuring is not only about combat you know. I know I would need someone like you on my adventure. And not just because you’re my friend”. Batara realized that Klaus was trying to lift his spirit up. But he always has his wall up high and replied “ “Friend” is a little exaggerating.” Klaus replied “Heeey!” Before Klaus can say anything else, Batara said “I will prepare dinner.” Klaus' face turned happy and he replied “Thats what I’m talking about!” He looked forward to Batara’s cooking.
During adventurer’s training everyone is taught to cook using the available resources in the forest. Klaus was following the instructions in the book and use all the correct ingredients and measurements. However, his dish tasted bland. Klaus then got curious and tasted the dish made by other adventurers, everything tasted the same and even worse than his own dish. But when he tasted Batara’s dish, he felt suprised as it tasted really good even though they are making the same thing.
Batara started cooking a dish called the adventurer’s specialty soup by cutting up different kinds of ingredients including herbs, mushrooms, and different kinds of vegetables he found in the forest. He then added the ingredients into the pot along with water and his special seasoning. He also added a creamy edible tree sap he got from harvesting a Dewdrop Tree. After a while his dish was complete and they ate together near the bonfire.
Batara has always cooked for himself ever since he was little. Due to his introvertedness he never once stepped into a restaurant or tavern to eat. Because both require interacting with other people to place orders. That’s why he always cooked and experimented a lot with food so that he would not be tired of his own cooking. He even invented a special seasoning made from dried seafood and cured mushroom poison which enhances flavor.
Batara glad that he made a lot because Klaus ate almost the entire pot. While laying on his back with a satisfied face Klaus said “Aahh that soup is crazy good. It Feels like my stomach is about to burst.” Batara responded with a sarcastic tone “You didnt need to lick off the pot though, arent you supposed to be a noble?” Back in Obenvale, Klaus’ Father bearing the Fenderer family name, was known as a great adventurer that comes from noble lineage. But Batara didnt know what a noble family was doing living in a small village like Obenvale. Klaus seemed a little ticked off by Batara’s comment and clicked his tongue “Tsk!” but he immediately brushed it off and replied “Nahh, I dont care about that kind of stuff. We are in the wild anyway, only monsters can see us.” Batara felt like he just said something he shouldnt have so he just went silent.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Klaus then broke the silence and said “Thanks for the meal, it was delicious.” Batara only nodded in response, but he’s actually glad someone else beside himself acknowledged his cooking. Klaus then asked “By the way, where did you get all those ingredients?” Batara replied “I picked them up during our walk earlier” Klaus replied “I dont remember stopping though, you must know your stuff around the forest then.” Batara replied “I came here from time to time.” When actually, Batara knows the forest like the back of his hand. Since his father left, Batara did everything he could to survive, including venturing into the forest to gather food. He even starved for days when he couldnt find anything to eat. However, Batara hates to be pitied so he never told anyone.
Klaus then said “I will set up danger precautions around our camp so we dont have to keep watch.” Klaus then set up a device he brought from his home around their camp. Batara got curious and asked “How does that work?” Klaus replied “Oh this? When something got close to its range, it will send a small vibration wave to our mana core and wake us up.” Batara was surprised by how convenient that is and thought to himself “as expected of a noble descendant” since the device looked very fancy.
The two then sit around the campfire. Klaus said to Batara “I’m sorry I lost my cool earlier when you mentioned nobility.” Batara didnt know what to say and stuttered “N-no, I’m-the-the-one who’s-“ Klaus raised his hand gesturing that he didnt mind and said “I know, you’re sorry.” Klaus continued “But you must be wondering, what is a noble doing in Obenvale right?” Klaus was spot on guessing exactly what Batara thought because the common knowledge is noble families usually live in the capital city of Mithraya. Batara didnt reply to avoid being rude but his curiosity showed in his face. Klaus then said “My father indeed comes from a noble lineage of renowned adventurers. And he also used to live in the capital city along with the other Fenderer family. However, in pursuit of the patriarch position, he got backstabbed by his siblings and forced to be casted away by the current patriarch. But father was too kind for his own good and didnt fight back. That’s why we ended up in Obenvale.”
Klaus' story seemed to only touch the surface but Batara was surprised that he told him at all and replied “Why are you telling me this?” Klaus replied “I already said I trust you right? And besides, we’re on a journey full of danger, these things would come out naturally.” Batara disagreed with that wild statement but he didnt say anything. Klaus then continued “What about you Bats? Why do you want to be an adventurer?” The question seemed to be different than what Klaus was telling him. So Batara gave him a generic yet honest answer “Because of my father.” Klaus replied “Your father must be a great adventurer.” Batara scoffed eerily at Klaus’ reply. His face turned sinister for a moment, causing Klaus to hesitate to ask further. Klaus then said “We should get some sleep.” Batara nodded.
Later at dawn, the detection device suddenly went off. Batara woke up by surprise and quickly grabbed his equipment and saw Klaus already stands in a defensive form. Then, a dark owl appeared out of thin air and approached Batara quickly. Klaus was ready to swing his sword until suddenly Batara shouted “Nyx!”. Klaus then stopped his movement as Batara spread his hand to the owl as it stand on it. Batara then said to the owl while petting him “what are you doing here Nyx? I thought you’re still back at Obenvale!”. Klaus sighed in relief and said “I swear I was gonna slash the bird. What’s that?” Batara responded “This is Nyx, an owl I found in Obion forest. He kept following me so I kept him.” Batara then turned and said to Nyx “I’m sure I left you at the guild before I left”. Klaus then responded “But how did it suddenly appear out of thin air like a ghost?”. Batara replied “He’s got this weird habit of going invisible. Sometimes I even think that he actually doesnt exist.” Klaus felt worried about Batara's mental state and replied “Dont worry I can see it just fine. But an invisible little owl? Thats new. What are you gonna do about it?”. Batara responded “I dont know, maybe I’ll make him my familiar later.”
A monster can be turned into a familiar through ritual that utilizes a person’s mana. This ritual can be done by a magician specialized in pact magic. However, this can only be done through the monster’s approval. Upon success, the familiar will be bound by the person for life.
Shortly, a pack of three horned wolves appeared as if they had been following Nyx. Klaus quickly raised his weapon and said “Bats, get ready!”. Batara looked at the wolves in front of Klaus and raised his weapon.
Batara’s weapon is a bladed scepter. Its a jack of all trade weapon that is moderately compatible with magic and physical combat. Klaus' weapon is a golden scimitar and shield which represent his origin noble family.
Klaus waited for the wolves to strike first and Batara casted a utility spell “Resonance!” that emits a low frequency sound wave around them causing monsters with sensitive hearing, like wolves, to be disoriented if they came near it. One of the wolves suddenly pounced on Klaus “Akh!” but Klaus defended with his shield. The wolf then got disoriented from Batara’s magic, which gave Klaus the time to counter with his sword and slash it. Klaus then quickly turned around to throw his shield to the wolf behind it, killing it instantly. But another wolf managed to get past Klaus and pounced towards Batara from the side. Klaus shouted “Lookout!”. Due to Batara’s sound magic, there is a slight pause to the wolf’s movement. Batara took advantage of it and evaded before thrusting his scepter into the wolf’s body. Batara then casted another utility magic from his scepter “Pulverize!” which creates a rotating pressure inside the wolf’s body exploding it from inside. This magic is usually used by cooks to control fire temperature, but Batara modified it for combat.
More three horned wolves appeared as if they’re led to Batara and Klaus. Klaus then rushed to the pack of wolves. Batara followed him from the back and casted a combination of wind and utility magic “Gust Blow!” to enchant his scepter with wind and pressure to knock back foes upon contact. Due to Batara’s weak affinity in elemental magic, he always needed to combine it with utility magic for it to be effective. Klaus casted an Arte “Physical Enhancement!” giving him a boost in agility and strength before slashing the wolf. The wolf evaded Klaus’s strike, but he quickly followed up with a quick shield throw. Before Klaus threw his shield, Batara quickly thrust his scepter to the wolf approaching beside Klaus sending the wolf flying straight to Klaus’ shield throw trajectory. Causing the shield to kill 2 wolves in 1 throw. The two continued to fight in that order until all the three horned wolves were killed.
In Eidel, there are two sources of power, Magic and Arte. Magic is created by materializing mana which comes from the brain. It can materialize force in the form of elements. Arte is a power that comes from the lung. It is generated to produce physical force from the body and enhance the physical capability of the body.
Klaus then shouted to Batara in excitement “Nice teamwork Bats!” Batara while catching his breath replied “I cant even kill a single wolf.” Klaus replied “But your support timing is perfect! Its like you can read my mind.” Batara’s lack of communication has made him very keen to observe his surroundings, enabling him to remember Klaus’ movement during their adventurer training back in Obenvale. Klaus then asked Batara “Where did you learn to use magic like that? All I know is that you always used utility magic, but never knew it was for combat.” Batara was not sure how to answer that so he replied “Hmm, I watched general workers working using utility skills.” Klaus thought Batara’s answer was very mediocre. But he suddenly remembered the chief of Obenvale once told him about the boy who often went around town to observe general workers. The boy would just stand for hours observing, making people uncomfortable. Klaus giggled a little leaving Batara confused seeing his reaction.
Klaus then put on a serious face and said “I wonder why those three horned wolves are so bent on attacking us. I’ve never seen them that aggressive before.” Batara added “And their pack was larger than usual”. Klaus added “ Something is off. We need to be more careful moving forward.”
The two then continued their journey to the portal gate. They have been very cautious throughout their walk after that incident, but strangely, nothing else occurred until they reached the forest exit. Not far ahead of them, the hill and the portal gate on top were visible. However, they decided to set up camp right below the hill as its already getting late. There are few other adventurers who also set up their camp since there are no more monsters around. Klaus looked around and said to Batara “Finally, other adventurers. They’re probably also heading to Quarzith” Klaus added “I will ask around and gather information about the condition beyond the portal gate. Do you want to come?” Batara shook his head aggressively and replied “No. I will make dinner.” Klaus responded “Nice! I am definitely hungry after all that walk.” before walking towards other adventurers. Klaus got comfortable and assumed Batara would cook for him too, but since Klaus is doing something he cant, Batara just nodded in agreement.
Batara took out one of his experiment creations, condensed rice. Its the same as rice, but its smaller in size making it lighter to carry. He then took out a pot from his small magic pouch given to him after completing his adventurer training. Despite being small, the magic pouch can contain up to 3 medium sized items. He put the condensed rice inside the pot and cooked it with water. He then casted a utility magic “Pressure Flow!” to apply a gentle rotating pressure into the pot so that the condensed rice may expand and become fluffy as normal rice. He then fried the rice with the many ingredients he gathered along with his special seasoning and created fried rice. The aroma somehow turned out very appetizing and spread widely around the place. In the middle of talking with another adventurer, Klaus smelled an appetizing aroma and quickly approached the source. When Klaus reached the source, he found out that its from Batara’s cooking. However, he also found that Batara looked like he’s about to die from being surrounded by other adventurers asking for his food.
Klaus quickly took control of the situation, shared the plate with everyone and also converse with them to gather information. After that he took a plate for himself and brought a plate for Batara, who was sitting beside the tent looking half dead. Klaus laughed loudly and said “HAHAHA what’s the matter with you?” Batara held his puke and replied “Umff, I’ve never felt so overwhelmed in my entire life.” Klaus laughed more and said “Aw c’mon they’re nice people. They even said the fried rice was very delicious and gave us some beer in return.” Batara and Klaus then ate and drank together beside their tent. After they finished eating, Klaus got drunk after only having had 2 glasses of beer. Then Klaus said to Batara “*hic* Thank GOD! You made a lot, your fried rice must be blessed by the gods of Eidel *hic* hahah!” Batara felt annoyed with Klaus' loud voice and replied “How are you drunk already?”. Klaus responded “What are you talking about? *hic* I’m not drunk *hic*”. Klaus' face was bright red and he kept smiling. Klaus continued “hey Bats, there are girl adventurers over there. Lets hit them up.” Klaus pulled Batara’s hand.
Batara resisted and said “No, hey stop” Klaus said “C’mon man! you need to loosen up a little. The world’s got a lot to offer if you try to open up a lil-“ suddenly Klaus collapsed and fell on Batara’s body as he snored loudly. Batara didnt have any energy left to move due to all the human interaction he did earlier, so he just laid down. Before he decided to sleep away, a thought crossed Batara’s mind. He thought that he should hear what Klaus said and stop being a failure of society. However, right now, only thinking about it made him want to puke his guts out and after a while he fell asleep.
In the late morning, Klaus woke up and realized he had been sleeping on top of Batara. He then startled and let out a small shout “Wa-!” Batara got woken up by Klaus' loud voice and said “what is it Klaus why are you being loud.” Klaus responded totally confused “Why am I sleeping ON you???” Batara rubbed his eyes, groaned, and replied “hmmh, I dont know Klaus, you suddenly collapsed and I couldnt move because you’re so heavy.” Klaus' face turned red and he suddenly did a dogeza pose “I’m really sorry Bats! I sometimes get uncontrollable after drinking a lot!”. Batara got irritated and thought to himself “a lot my ass” and replied to Klaus “ugh go away let me sleep some more.” Klaus then whispered “okay sorry Bats.” and let him sleep some more. Even though Klaus was drunk he still managed to wake up early.
After getting ready, the two continue to walk through the hill where the portal gate is located. Klaus said to Batara “So I heard from other adventurers that behind the portal gate, is a vast grass plain that leads towards Quarzith. But it should take 1 full day walking before we reach Quarzith” Batara replied “Hmm, That might be troublesome since we are low on supplies for another camp.” Klaus replied “But, I heard that just after we entered the portal gate, there is a small trading town where merchants and adventurers regularly went back and forth to Quarzith.” Batara replied “I see. Then there should be carriages around.” Klaus responded “Exactly. Since I didnt bring any money with me, I think we should take on an escort quest from the merchant to Quarzith. That way we can arrive faster by riding along the merchant’s carriage while protecting it.”
Klaus didnt bring any money because he wanted to solely rely on his power to become an adventurer and it served as a training for him. On the contrary, Batara didnt have any money to begin with.
Batara replied “But how do we take on a quest? We are not adventurers yet.” Klaus responded “Yes I also asked that to other adventurers. They said, occasionally, small-time merchants hire adventurers candidates for escort quests. But the pay is low and sometimes they only give you some food. So I think it should suit us as we prioritize in riding the carriage to Quarzith. What do you think Bats?” Batara responded “Lets go with your plan. And Klaus.. thanks for gathering information.” Klaus replied “Dont sweat it Bats! This is also a part of my apology for last night haha” Klaus continued “But for real Bats, you really need to bulk up, my neck hurts from sleeping on your bones.” Batara, who has regained his strength, was ready to send Klaus flying with his scepter before Klaus stopped him and said “I’m sorry I was just kidding!”
The two walked on the hill until they reached the portal gate and passed through it. They immediately got teleported through the other end of the portal gate not far from Quarzith city. Just like Klaus’ information, there is a small trading town surrounding the portal gate with many merchants and adventurers. Klaus then said to Batara “Lets get going while the sun is still up.” Batara nodded.