Noah, after consulting Liam, decided to put 6 free points into Intelligence, reaching the requirement for the [Mask of a thousand faces], while the rest was invested into his dexterity that was lagging behind in comparison.
Name Noah Smith
Level 10 (CAP!)
Race Human
Origin 50/50
Titles Trailblazer, Unflinching, Azamorath’s Inheritor, Realm Shaker
Primordial Spirit:
1. Fragmented Primordial Spirit of the Titan.
Combat Art Myriad Illusions
Class -
Sub- Class -
Intelligence 30
Strength 43
Wisdom 22
Constitution 30
Dexterity 43
Luck 6
Free Points 0
It would be no exaggeration to say that Noah felt like a faster, stronger and a more analytical version when compared to his previous self, if he were said to be approaching the maximum capabilities of a human earlier, Noah could now confidently say that he'd surpassed them. He hadn't got a chance to test out his new abilities, but the raw strength he felt coursing in his veins; it felt as if he could smash a tree to splinters with a punch alone. Moreover, he was confident that his body would be able to take, or at least mitigate the damage from his outputting that much force. His reflexes were sharper than ever, and Noah felt like he could easily dodge an arrow shot at him from close distance; he also felt an otherworldly spring to his step, Noah had a feeling that basketball wouldn't be much of a popular sport for Tower Ascenders.
Intelligence seemed to heavily boost the memory recollection department of his brain, with him able to recall exact replicas of memories as they occurred and the faces of people that he had only barely met. The knowledge would only come to him if summoned, the new intelligence stat didn’t change his personality or how he thought at its core.
Wisdom was more interesting, one would assume that intelligence would be the stat that boosts actual mental acumen, but this wasn’t actually the case. Wisdom seemed to hone a particular sixth sense, taking in small clues or even observations that Noah would usually pay no mind to and subconsciously taking note of them in some corner of his mind. When enough data was accumulated, the pieces would fall together, or at least a part of the puzzle would be made clear and he would get a sort of instinctive awareness to danger that lied ahead. It was definitely an interesting stat, and Noah hadn’t explored its other applications or limits.
Putting on his [Goblin Lord’s Armor], Noah felt a distinct sensation that he could call upon two abilities at will, and similar was the case for the gladius in his hand- he just had to will it, and his ice doppelganger would appear. Finally, he put on the [Mask of a thusand faces] and transformed into a man of Asian descent, with a magnificent, long beard running down to his chest that appeared it had combed with the utmost care and attention to detail. His outfit materialized, resembling that of a monk, painted in a vivid red like the pedestrians Noah had seen walking down the shopping district.
“Come on Liam, give me a clue or something at least. What’s the point of having a cheat if you’re not going to let me use it? Plus, my family doesn’t even know if I’m dead or alive and it’s been three days. I really don’t want to drag this on longer than its necessary,” Noah, against his better instincts, appealed to Liam hoping he would agree.
“Eh lad, if you finish it too fast that would mess up the timeline. Well, if your killing the goblin lord hasn’t already begun messing it up. I’ll give you a clue, but you need to wait a few days before ‘discovering’ the mystery,” Noah found himself nodding to Liam’s explanation, if he finished the trial within the first two hours that would be a bit unrealistic. He supposed this was the best deal he was going to get, so he nodded.
“Okay, so go back into the main alley and follow my directions from there.”
“Fine,” Noah nodded, and his disguise seamlessly blended into a throng of people conversing in a very odd accent of English; even without Liam’s explanation he could tell that the native’s words were being translated for him.
“Shopkeeper, how much for this blade,” A man asked, pointing towards an S-shaped blade with serrated edges on both sides, a seemingly impractical but terrifying weapon at the same time.
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“For you sir, I can do 150 silver coins,” The Shopkeeper replied with a pleasant smile, his tone calm and welcoming.
“150 silver coins!? You might as well rob me, my good man. 95 silver coins and not a single copper more,” The man replied with a huff, as if he were genuinely offended by such a price.
“I am sorry sir, but this blade was unearthed from the ruins of a fallen ancient city in the east. If I were to sell it for anything below 130 silver coins, I might as well shut down my stall and go back to my hometown,” The shopkeeper replied, as if he simply had no other option.
“Leave it, then,” The man started walking away with a harrumph.
Just as the man was about to disappear into the populous crowd, a voice echoed out, “Sir, Sir! 120 silver coins!”
The man continued walking, not even bothering to glance backward.
“FINE! 110 Silver coins, and it will barely allow me to feed my kids this month. Take it or leave it!”
The man stopped and turned around with a smile on his face. Noah expected the shopkeeper to be chagrined, but he too smiled and extended a hand to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper accepted with both his hands and replied, “You drive a hard bargain as always, Huarai.”
“What fun is there in purchasing anything without a little haggling, Kansasi. My master sends his regards.”
Noah had stopped at the nearby stall, curiously watching the exchange going on. What an odd city this was. But the time for dallying was over, so he left Huarai and Kansasi to whatever business the had going on and turned left into a dingy alley.
Liam kept calling out the directions, sometimes it was left or right, while other times he had to go back to the main streets and go higher up the hill. It had been an hour of walking through the labyrinth that this city was, and his surroundings had only gone from bad to worse- completely deserted alleys that had traces of sewage spewed over the floor, occasional dogs or cats walking the alley that looked like they were six years overdue for a bath, and the odd destitute man in tattered clothing that he occasionally stumbled across, passing by him.
“Stop,” Liam called out, and Noah could only mutter finally ‘under’ his breath.
The alley was empty, save a beggar dressed in two layers of filthy rags- an alms bowl held in his right hand, his hair long, unkempt and ragged, obscuring the majority of his aged face. The beggar had his arms and legs wrapped around the cloth, and Noah couldn’t determine whether the man was concealing a weapon or not.
It was odd, why would there be a beggar in a deserted alley- who exactly was he trying to beg alms from?
“Walk up to him,” Liam said, and Noah gave him a questioning glance, but otherwise obeyed his instructions.
“Give him an offering. You don’t have any local currency, so give him something to wear.”
Noah thought about it, and after a while he decided to hand over his [Gloves of Deftness]. They were only common gloves, and he no longer had any use for them, gently depositing them in the alms bow.
“I have no money, but I hope this helps,” Noah replied in a compassionate tone.
“Alright, good stuff lad. Wait a second,” Liam said, and pulled out what Noah could only assume were the infamous British Fish ‘n’ Chips. “Alright, now listen to me very carefully lad, and follow the instructions exactly as I tell you to.”
Noah nodded, his expression tensing up as he ventured guesses to the identity of this old man.
“Slap the old codger,” Liam replied, dipping his fries, yes fries not fucking chips, into what looked like mayo.
“Oka-…. I’m… I’m sorry what!?” Noah mouthed the words without actually speaking them, a trick he used after learning Liam could lip read.
“I told you lad, do what I told you. It’s just a simulation anyway," Liam said with a shrug.
Noah vehemently glared at Liam, poison steaming out of his eyes. He wouldn’t do anything he was uncomfortable with, not even in a simulation- he didn’t have any proof that this was a simulation anyway. Noah moved to gently slap the man, a light pat on the cheek was all he was going to do if Liam was fucking with him- but before he could even get near the old man’s face, Noah heard a loud, slamming sound.
It took him a moment to come to terms with the fact that he was the one that had been slammed into the ground, and the harmless old man held a dagger that seemed to suck the nearby light around it- as if it were the void itself, against his throat. How was that possible- Noah had his dexterity and constitution at very high levels compared to other challengers, yet he couldn’t even sense the attack directed towards him, let alone counter. His illusion had vanished, and his true appearance was open for all to see.
“One reason I shouldn’t kill you right now,” The old man’s raspy voice echoed out, and something told Noah that he would make good on his threats.
“Alright lad, now repeat after me,”
Noah cursed himself in his heart, but spoke the words as Liam dictated to him.
“Revered Master, I was sent by your nephew, Bulai. The Saemanis Sect has taken much from me, Revered Master, I am the last of my bloodline. I gave up everything I had left, every last fortune I had inherited from my family to prove to the Wailun Clan that I was loyal to their cause. I have nothing left in my heart but a desire for vengeance that poisons my soul, all I require of you is to is the ability to direct that poison into the Saemanis Sect Leader’s heart,” Noah gave a passionate performance by his standards, hoping that it was enough to convince the ‘revered master’.
“Why disguise yourself as a member of the Faluni Clan? What are your intentions?” The old man asked, pressing the dagger even closer to Noah’s throat. Noah felt a cold sweat flow down his forehead, wondering if he was going to die here.
“Revered master, as you are aware, the dogs of the Faluni Clan have completely sworn their allegiances towards the Saemanis Clan. My infiltration into their ranks has been very fruitful, I have ascertained that the Patriarch of the Saemanis Clan is only a puppet, the true strings are pulled by someone who has concealed themselves very deeply,” The master’s eyes seemed to soften at that response, but he still maintained a firm grip on the dagger.
“What is the motto of the Wailun Clan?”
“The passcode is ‘Appear subservient and weak on the exterior, appear ambitious yet fearful on the interior. The true dagger shall strike from the unseen hand.’ “
The Revered Master removed the dagger from Noah’s neck and gave him a nod. “The tool you used to change your appearance, did Bulai give it to you?” he asked, tone thoughtful and deliberating.
Noah just nodded, unsure of what else to do.
“Haha, that child has truly outdone himself. Good, very good. I am already aware that the Patriarch of the Saemanis Clan is a puppet, the alliance of four clans has also gotten some glimpses behind their true identity, but we still need some time to discover the identity of the patriarch. As for you, child, you must have come for the dagger, is it not?” The old man explained, his voice barely above a whisper.
Noah once again, nodded, having no idea what the hell he had just gotten himself into.
Hidden Quest Accepted: Assassinate the patriarch of the Saemanis Clan.
Difficulty- A+
Rewards- ???