CHAPTER 28 – DIRECTIONS

I finally found the chance to seek answers for the questions that had clouded my mind since this morning. The Ruins of Akashia were mentioned in my dreams, and if that's where I need to go to find answers, that's where I'm going.

⌈Oi, Nero! Can I bother you for a second? I have something I need to know.⌋

⌈Yes... I am very aware. Would you care to take a look at my staff?⌋

The old man presented his arcane wand...

【Grand Staff of Akashia – Class: Staff – Rank: Extraordinary – Rarity: S】

⌈Akashia!? That's it!⌋

⌈Indeed. Though I know precisely where you wish to direct your journey towards, your motives are still unclear.⌋

⌈It's... personal.⌋

I wouldn't know how to explain it to him anyway.

⌈Then I cannot let you set course northward. You see, young man, even though you managed to cut down the blazing beast, you would not survive a trip up north. Whatever lies within the Ruins of Akashia far exceeds the leagues in which that behemoth would belong...⌋

⌈I don't think you get it, old man. No matter how big the beasts I need to slay are, I need to get there.⌋

I could feel myself becoming increasingly anxious at the opposition I didn't expect myself to face. I would even go through the hell of trying to combat the flaming stump once more if that meant I'd finally get answers behind my existence.

⌈You might be able to beat The Great Burning Woodland Spirit once more, sure, but how would you go about trying to destroy ten monsters of equivalent strength within minutes!? You've made yourself into an irreplaceable asset for the races as a whole. And now you would risk the well being of the people for a mere chance at your personal gain? You're more likely to die before you even get there than you are to succeed... Please, I beseech you, on behalf of all the people, reconsider your stance on the matter.⌋

This is precisely what I meant when I told you to crown someone actually responsible as a hero... Honestly? I just wanted to spit on the ground, turn around, and leave, but it was me who was in the wrong here.

I have no idea what could possibly await me in the wilds, and considering that Peculiar is still rather low in the ranking spectrum... It wouldn't be unlikely for me to meet a monster that would be the end of me. And if the people truly need me, then perhaps I have a calling other than carelessly seeking my own satisfaction...

I had no choice but to give up.

⌈I guess you're right...⌋

I lowered my head in shame. At the very least I recognized my arrogance before it got me into a world of hurt once again.

Funnily enough, I found myself kind of proud in my moment of reflection... Though I suppose it should've been the first thing in my mind, not an afterthought.

⌈I'm glad you came to your senses. However...⌋

He continued...

⌈Ruins of Akashia is a vital location for our progress, that I cannot deny, and as such, it should be of utmost priority in the quest for reconquering our lands. The knowledge within its Akashic Archives can only be described as unfathomably important. Though I won't let you set out on a journey towards the north as you are...⌋

⌈And here's the catch...⌋

⌈Should you and your friends reach the rank of Peculiar, you'll receive my permission.⌋

⌈That's it?⌋

⌈Your ignorance is speaking volumes once more... You should probably know, that on average, it takes months for people to even rank up once... For example, it took Violet half a year to rank up once, and nearly five years to rank up once more.⌋

⌈Five whole years? Are you serious!?⌋

⌈That speed was considered the absolute elite before you and your group showed up, I'll have you know! Venturing out into the wilds every day for many years is quite taxing on both accounts, physical and mental.⌋

⌈Having to go through that every day? Yeah, I guess...⌋

⌈Ranking up within a day, however, is extraordinary, even when known standards are thrown out of the window... My suspicion is that it has something to do with the frequency at which you cleared the Trails. Twenty four, was it? How did you even find so many within a day?⌋

Before I could answer the old man's questions, Lumi interjected our conversation.

⌈Light seems to be in possession of Magic Sense-Skill now.. A skill which he did not possess before dashing off into the wilds by himself..⌋

Yeah... No need to dig it in...

⌈In a way, Magic Sense is similar to my Presence Detection, but it is far more suitable for magical dowsing, whereas the perceptive capabilities of Presence Detection are more oriented towards sensing fluctuations in energy..⌋

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She explained.

Lumi really knows her stuff, huh? So much so that she could ease up on her explanations from time to time...

⌈Oh yeah! Something like that! Lime taught me how to sense magical currents in the air!⌋

I didn't think it'd be an actual skill, though. It feels too instinctive for that, but then again, using the Eye of Origin is the same... Speaking of which, I took a good look at myself once more. It's been a while, after all.

【Light – Celestial Male – Age: 18 – Class: Unbound Blade – Rank: Regular】

【Equipment: Light Jacket of Spring, Shorts of Spring, Boots of Spring, Sash of Spring, Ashen Scarf of Tireless Wind, Darksteel Blade】

【Effects: Spring Breeze +4, Grey Veil, Tireless Wind】

【Special Skills: Magic Sense, Celestial Blood, Eye of Origin, Savant, Defiant】

【Magic: Origin Flare, □□□】

Oh!? Effect and Magic rows have opened up! There's something right after Origin Flare, but I can't quite figure out what it says...

⌈Lime? Your slime taught you Magic Sense!? To think I'd see the day when a slime teaches magic to a Celestial. What is it with you breaking the laws of nature, young man?⌋

⌈I wish I knew. But anyway, regardless of races and species, I wouldn't have managed to find so many Trails had it not been for Lime's help, that's for sure.⌋

I pat the little blob on her head. Her expressive responses never fail to bring a smile to my face.

⌈Hmm... If that's how it is, then who am I to say no? Very well, do you all accept the conditions I have given?⌋

Nero turned to Seth and the others...

And before I even had the chance to voice my opinion, they declared their stance on the matter loud and clear.

⌈I, for one, accept the requirements..⌋

⌈Eh, eh!? If my little Lumi is going, then I'm going too!⌋

⌈Oh, hell yeah, kiddo! I'm in too! I can't let you outdo me twice!⌋

⌈Wa-wa-waaait! Don't forget about me!⌋

Even Violet seemed to be quite interested, though she had her own way of doing things... I felt her slender arms wrapping around me, pulling me into their embrace.

⌈Oh my, oh my... I guess I can't laze around either if you're so enthusiastic about it. I promise to assist you with my utmost abilities.⌋

She softly stated, all the while bunting her cheeks against mine.

And once more, before I even got the chance to speak my mind, Nero concluded the conversation.

⌈Very well, It is decided then! I wish you the best of luck, adventurers. May the Gods guide you on your journey.⌋

⌈Oi... Are you all just going to ignore me?⌋

⌈Weren't your sights set on this from the start?⌋

Seth snickered.

⌈I guess? But I didn't want to drag you guys into–⌋

⌈Huh!? Sorry, what was that? You wanted to go by yourself? I don't think I heard that right...⌋

⌈Alright, alright, I get it. Goddammit.⌋

⌈Ahahhaha! You know damn right I'm gonna use that on you for years to come, kiddo!⌋

⌈Years to come, eh? You know what? That doesn't sound half bad...⌋

And so our reunion finally concluded, and we had our sights set on a new goal. The rank of Peculiar.

Speaking of ranks, I still have no idea why the ranks have such bizarre names. F to S would've been way more convenient! I'm pretty forgetful at times, so named ranks isn't exactly my cup of tea...

As we made our way down the streets of the capital, Seth and I began to converse about our experiences out in the wilds, which eventually lead us to the question of gear...

⌈So, kiddo. That damn expensive sword of yours... Did it do you any good? It must've, if your clumsy ass managed to clear so many Trails, after all!⌋

⌈Oh, you bet! Do you know about the rarity of gear, their ranks and the special effects they have?⌋

⌈Well, kinda? Those terms were thrown around when you gave us these rings.⌋

Seth continued, ogling at the blazing red gem on his ring.

⌈You see, pretty much everything has a rank and a rarity..⌋

⌈And you can see that with your eye, I presume... What's my Bronze Glaive?⌋

【Weapon: Bronze Glaive – Class: Polearm – Rank: Usual – Rarity: C – Effect: Malleable】

【Malleable: Easily repairable. Will grow more rigid and effective with age.】

Huh? I don't remember the Glaive having any effects... Could it be that what my Eye of Origin sees evolves as I do too? Nah, probably not... I'm guessing I just forgot.

⌈It's a C-Rarity Usual-Rank Polearm with an effect that basically makes it better the longer you use it for.⌋

I explained.

⌈Cool! I knew it was a solid investment! But then, what about your sword?⌋

I drew the blade out of the sheath on my back and pointed it towards the skies. I'm already playing the hero part quite well, no?

⌈Oh yeah, this bad boy is a B-Rarity weapon in the Regular-Ranks. It's more effective against monsters of a lower rank and it retains its edge like nobody's business!⌋

Before I had the chance to brag about my extraordinary scarf, in the most literal sense of the word. You know... Because its Rank is Extraordinary... Brigid butted in into our conversation.

⌈You know, guys... We should go to our smithy and get some new gear! If my dad got his class back, I'm sure he's gonna bang the anvil and get us some brand-spanking new weapons, I can guarantee you!⌋

⌈I'm just going to ignore half of what you said...⌋

I muttered to myself.

⌈For real? But I just bought my glaive a couple of days ago, too... The effect's gonna go to waste!⌋

In the next following seconds, her innocent and unaware persona got completely displaced as the ancient dwarven blood running through her veins began to boil. 

⌈Ya think some flimsy bronze stick is gonna do ye any good if ye wanna become a right proper adventurer, laddie!? Nay, didnae think so! Oh... I uh...⌋

⌈H-Hold on! What got into you?⌋

Seth was caught off guard by the sudden outburst of dwarven pep.

⌈Oops... It's a bad habit of mine, a family thing. Sorry.⌋

Yeah, I'm really not too keen on meeting her father now. Despite that, I didn't voice my opinion out loud as we steered our course towards the smithy...

The bell rang as Brigid barged in through the hefty wooden door. She took a deep breath and roared out with the force of a thousand suns.

⌈Daaa! I'm home! The guy I sold the Darksteel Blade is with me too!⌋

And soon after, a short and stumpy figure emerged from behind the counter. A mirror image of what a dwarf should look like. Furrowed brow, and a beard that went on and on... Though I had never seen him before, he felt so ever familiar.

⌈What in the world are ye shouting at, lass? I'm right here, ye daft wench!⌋

He began to yell, lifting the multi-layered magnifying monocle to his forehead.

⌈Ya calling yer daughter a wench? Go die in a ditch, ya reekin' ol' coot!⌋

Brigid, however, stood her ground all the same.

Their fight would've probably begun the first fantasy world war had Violet not stepped in.

⌈Oh my, oh my... You never change, huh, Dagda?⌋

Dagda? Nope... Still doesn't ring a bell.

⌈The fox!? Shite... I need to be more careful, eh? Terribly sorry about that fiasco. It's a family thing.⌋

⌈Hah, like two peas in a pod, you two.⌋

I laughed out loud.

⌈Wait a wee minute... Nay. Can it really be...?⌋

The dwarf took a long look at me, leaning against the counter as far as his stubby arms would hold. He even went as far as to re-equip his magnifying goggle-gadget over his right eye once more...

⌈Laddie?⌋

⌈Me?⌋

He slammed his fists down on the counter, cracking the wood beneath into bits.

⌈YER ALIVE!?!⌋