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The towering stone walls of March City loomed in the distance, standing at an imposing twenty feet tall. As I approached, I took in the sheer scale of the fortifications, appreciating the craftsmanship of the defensive structures… only to be disappointed when I remembered people could use [Touki] to just jump over during a battle. The large iron gate at the entrance was flanked by guards clad in chainmail and carrying halberds, with the expected bored expression you would expect from a fantasy setting.
Making my way to one of the guards stationed near the gate, I casually walked up to a broad-shouldered man with a thick brown beard streaked with grey and standing around the same height as me.
"Something I can do for you, traveller?" The guard asked, adjusting his grip on his halberd even though I had yet to do anything that would suggest I was a threat. Seeing that I had only lived in a small village before my father's death, only to be trained for over ten years essentially in the jungle, I was basically a country bumpkin with little knowledge of the world's common sense. So, there was always a chance I had done something that I just wasn't aware of.
"Yeah," I said with a polite nod. "I'm new to the city, and I'm looking to get registered at the Adventurers Guild. Can you point me in the right direction?"
The guard stroked his beard as he gave me a once-over. I could see his eyes linger on my distinct lack of luggage, weapons, or even a horse like some of the others that had gone through before me. I suppose it wasn't often that people showed up to the gates looking ready to register without any visible gear.
"The guild's easy to find," the guard said, pointing toward the main road leading into the city. "Follow this street straight ahead, and you'll see it on your right, past the central market. It's a big four-story building—you can't miss it."
I nodded. "Appreciate it."
The guard hesitated for a moment before adding, "Since you don't seem to be carrying much, I figure you'll need a place to stay. There's an inn called The Silver Hearth, just down the road past the market. Decent beds, fair price. Wouldn't want you sleepin' in the gutters your first night here."
"Good looking out," I smirked, thinking I could have been reading into it too much when I approached, possibly due to the more combat-based experience I'd received from assimilating Starkiller. "Thanks again."
With that, I stepped through the gate and into the bustling streets of the city, leaving the man to his work.
As I walked through the city, I took in the sights with a decent amount of interest. March City was lively, its streets lined with a variety of shops, stalls, and vendors peddling their wares. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread wafted through the air, mixing with the sharper smells of tanned leather and burning incense. I was even surprised at the lack of poor dental care, seeing all the pearly whites in the mouths of those walking about and forcing me to throw my assumption of poor teeth in medieval times.
Then again, it could have been just pirates that I was thinking of, or it may have something to do with the magic beneficially affecting people's bodies in different ways.
Along the way, I noted several places I planned to return to as soon as I was done in the guild: a magic store with an exterior adorned with glowing magic circles, and a regular book store just a few doors down. They were both close to the Adventurers Guild, and it was easy to see they were there as convenient stops for adventurers with extra cash and interested in magic or knowledge.
The Adventurers Guild was an impressive sight, and the guard was right — it was hard to miss. I mean, the huge-ass letters spelling out 'Adventurers Guild' on the massive four-story structure with a sturdy stone frame reinforced with thick stone pillars stood out rather well among the surrounding buildings. The large double doors swung open as people moved in and out — seasoned adventurers clad in armour, some bearing scars that spoke of years of experience… or stupidity, while others wore robes and carried staffs.
I made my way inside. There were no guards at the doors, but with the occupants supposedly being well-trained, why pay for something you would never need? The interior was just as busy as the streets outside. A large open hall with wooden floors was filled with adventurers chatting, drinking, and scanning the massive job board mounted on the wall. Several reception counters were manned by staff, assisting newcomers and long-time adventurers alike.
Spotting an available receptionist, I made my way over. The woman behind the counter was attractive — most likely purposefully so, with shoulder-length auburn hair and sharp green eyes. She wore a well-tailored uniform that marked her as guild staff, similar to the other girls on the stalls. As I approached, she offered a professional but pleasant smile.
"Welcome to the March City Adventurers Guild. How can I help you today?" she asked.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer," I said, getting straight to the point as I met her gaze. "But first, I need to know — can I sell goblin corpses here? I took out a group a few miles from here but didn't take — or even know of — a job for it."
The receptionist's brows lifted slightly in surprise. She looked me over — much like the guard, noting my lack of weapons, bags, or any visible gear. I must have looked the most shabby out of all those in the hall, and most adventurers who exterminated goblins would have carried proof of their kills, but I had come empty-handed thanks to the [Inventory].
"Typically, the guild offers compensation for information on goblin nests, their numbers, and equipment," she explained. "We also buy goblin ears as proof of extermination, but you should be aware that different guild branches offer different prices depending on local necessity, and if the ear seems too old, you may not be rewarded, as it is assumed it was taken from other people's kills after they had left. You may also choose to sell the bodies to the guild, something not many choose to do due to having to carry them all the way back here. They are given to the Magic Guild for study."
That… didn't make much sense. If the goblin was killed far away from the guild and it took a long time to get there, it would naturally age, possibly making it worth less. And it wouldn't be fair, because the [Inventory] kept things fresh, so it only really benefited me in the long run if that was the case. Wait, why would I complain?
"Good to know," I nodded in appreciation. "I can provide all of that, but I haven't cut the ears off yet."
The receptionist smiled knowingly. "In that case, just have your team bring them in when they're ready."
"Right… my team," I almost chuckled as I shook my head slightly, giving the receptionist a small smirk. "I think you misunderstood me. I have the goblin corpses with me — I just haven't cut the ears off yet."
The receptionist blinked, giving me a puzzled look. "You have them with you? I don't see any bags — do you have a cart?"
"That's because I store them in my Inventory." I shrugged casually. Seeing her furrowed brows, I elaborated while leaning slightly on the counter. "It's space magic. I can store things in a personal dimensional space and retrieve them when needed – like a bag no one aside from myself can see."
The receptionist's eyes widened slightly as I demonstrated, summoning a small wooden bowl from the [Inventory] and onto my awaiting palm for her to see. It got a few glances from those nearby, seeing a bowl appear out of nowhere, but people seemed too busy to make a big deal of it.
The receptionist regained her professional composure rather quickly. "That… is convenient," she admitted, glancing between me and the bowl.
"Saves time carrying around equipment all the time," I shrugged with a small smirk.
She studied me for another moment before nodding. "Alright. I can lead you to a room where you can speak with a representative of the Guild regarding providing details on the goblin nest and dealing with the corpses."
I nodded, returning the bowl to the [Inventory]. "Lead the way."
The receptionist guided me down a side hallway, away from the main hall, to a smaller, private room furnished with a couple of couches and a polished wooden table in the centre.
"Please wait here," she said, motioning to the couch. "I'll fetch a guild representative."
I shrugged and made myself comfortable, stretching slightly as I sank into the plush seat. The room was cosy, the kind that probably hosted meetings or minor negotiations. It didn't take long before the door swung open, and the receptionist returned, following behind a distinguished-looking man in his forties. The older man had short, greying hair and wore a well-fitted medieval-style suit. A polished walking stick rested in his grip, helping him with a small limp. But based on his walk alone — even with the limp, I could tell he was a swordsman.
"Good afternoon," the older man greeted with a polite nod as the receptionist carried a set of files, carefully placing them on the table as the man took a seat on the opposite couch. "I am Elias Morant, one of the senior officials of this guild. I hear you have goblins stored in space magic and that you would like to provide information on a nest you cleared out?"
I nodded as I leaned forward slightly. "That's right."
Elias gestured to the receptionist, who opened a file and prepared to take notes as he picked up a quill. "Then let's begin. Tell me everything you can about the goblins you encountered. Their numbers, location, equipment, and anything else of interest."
Theo wasted no time providing the details. "A few kilometres to the southwest, in a small clearing in the forest, the nest had roughly forty members. They had crude mud huts, most of which were destroyed during the extermination, and no significant fortifications. Their weapons were mostly wooden spears with sharpened tips, along with some stone weapons. The warriors had leather armour at most, but most of them were lightly clothed."
Elias listened intently as his quill scratched against the parchment, taking careful notes. After a few minutes, he nodded in satisfaction and closed the file. "Good. This information will be useful. We always appreciate adventurers dealing with goblins before they become a threat. Your compensation will be provided when the information is confirmed."
I leaned back slightly. "I can provide the corpses now, but I'd rather not stain the nice furniture and rugs in here."
"A wise choice," Elias let out a soft chuckle. "How many bodies are we talking about?"
"Around forty."
Elias nodded, standing as he gestured to the receptionist to collect the files. "Then let's move to the warehouse behind the guild. There, we can process them properly."
I stood as well, following the two out of the room and back through the back of the guild hall that led to a spacious backyard with a spring circle, where a large stone warehouse stood. Inside, a burly man in a stained apron stood with his sleeves rolled up. He stood beside a workstation equipped with various butcher's tools and knives, his hands resting on his hips as we approached.
Elias gestured toward the man. "This is Hendrik, one of our guild's processors. He'll remove what's needed… unless you would like to do so yourself."
Hendrik nodded. "Let's see what you've got, then."
Ignoring the scent of blood that lingered in the air, I smirked and raised my hand — mostly for show, summoning the goblin corpse from the [Inventory]. The bodies materialised without even a shimmer, slumping onto the stone floor in a heap.
Unlike Elias, who didn't bat an eye at the pile of corpses that materialised out of thin air, Hendrik let out a low whistle, cracking his knuckles. "This'll keep me busy for a bit."
Elias walked toward the pile, casually moving limbs with his walking stick and inspecting them for a few seconds before sending me an approving nod. "Efficient work…magic and a sword. Would you mind if others learned of this space magic? For potential jobs that would save them transport and storage costs and increase your coffers."
"Sure," I shrugged, not really bothered either way. I planned to use it to my advantage after all. "It's not like I have to take the job anyway."
"Good enough for me," the man nodded without missing a beat before glancing at the butcher and the receptionist. "Let's begin the processing of the corpses and have our new adventurer proceed with registration."
With that, he walked out, taking the files from the receptionist on his way out. It didn't take long for ears to be retrieved and counted, and I was led back into the guild hall. After providing some basic information, I was given my guild card.
It was slightly larger than a business card and contained magic which could change the words into different languages by pressing the centre of the back and verbalising the language the user was speaking. However, it lasts for 1 year and automatically replenishes once guild jobs are completed. It only really showed a person's name, gender, race, age, job, rank and party. So, there was no worry about getting my information, like the type of magic I could use or anything.
After explaining the basic rules of the guild, like the amount of jobs needed to advance in rank and such, I was given a decent amount of money for the ears and bodies sent on my way. Something about clean cuts apparently upped the commission, but the burnt goblins were unsurprisingly not worth as much.
From the guild hall, I stepped out onto the busy streets, heading straight toward the magic store I had noted earlier.
The building stood between a jeweller's shop and a clothing store with a wooden sign above the entrance that read 'March Cities Magic Store'. Through the large front window, I could see shelves stocked with magical tomes toward the back, and trinkets, staffs, wands and various other arcane goods in separate areas of the large room. So without further ado, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Although I knew he was there before I even opened the door, I ignored the large armoured guard, standing around seven feet tall, looming silently near the entrance. I caught a glimpse of the heavy plate armour that covered his entire body in the corner of my eye, but couldn't make out his face due to his helmet obscuring his face. Despite his stillness, I could tell the guard was alert and likely meant to deter any would-be thieves. But I knew who and where the true danger was.
Behind the reception desk, an elderly woman with greying hair and piercing, intelligent eyes sat with a worn book in her hands. As I approached, she set it aside, studying me with mild curiosity before offering a polite nod. She was wearing typical mage robes similar to the ones I had seen some people within the guild hall, along with a pointy hat to match.
"Welcome to March Cities Magic Store, young man," she greeted in a calm, measured tone. "What can I do for you?"
I returned the nod. "I'm looking for books on magic — one covering the basics of all main elements and another more advanced if you have it. Feel free to go as advanced as you can get — the more books the better, but I prefer more practical ones — theory will come later."
The elderly woman's gaze lingered on me for a moment before she turned slightly to a young girl who had been sitting behind her to the side, nose-deep in a book. At the silent signal, the girl sighed, placing her book aside and heading toward one of the back shelves. I assumed it was some sort of apprenticeship, or just a family member training another to either take over their trade or study for the magic university, but I could be looking too much into it.
As she moved to fetch the requested books, the elderly woman turned back to me. "The basic book will cost 1 silver and 7 large copper coins. The advanced one is 2 silver coins."
Dayum girl, I might not know a lot about this world, but that sounded a lot like daylight robbery.
I blinked in surprise. "That much?" My brows raised slightly. "Is that a lot?" The elderly woman gave me a strange look, scrutinising me a little more closely. I sighed, deciding to elaborate. "I've been in secluded training in the mountains, outside of civilisation for the most part. So I genuinely don't know if that's a lot for a book like this."
To emphasise my point, I casually lifted my right hand, letting a small but visible arc of Force Lightning dance between my fingers, releasing small electrical whizzing sounds. I could feel the guard near the door immediately reach for the handle of the large sword at his side, but he did nothing other than stay alert.
The woman's eyes widened slightly at the crackling display. She seemed about to ask something, but stopped herself at the last second. Instead, she merely exhaled through her nose and adjusted her glasses. "For books of this kind, the price will be similar in different cities. However, they are far more expensive than ordinary books because they allow people to learn and improve upon their magic — an ability that can help them earn a living better than magicless folk for the most part."
I nodded, appreciating the explanation. Having only received a total of 2 silver, 4 large copper, and 9 small copper coins for the ears and corpses, my coffers were looking rough. The coins were simply structured though, unlike a particular fandom of witches and wizards attending a magical castle to study magic when they reach eleven. 10 copper equals 1 large copper, 10 large copper equals 1 silver, and 10 silver equals 1 gold. According to the receptionist, there were also large gold or platinum coins, but she had never seen them in person.
[Asuran Gold Coins]x5
[Purchased For: 50 SP]
[Current SP: 1,125]
The system was more liberal with money than I thought, but by the looks of it, it was the opposite for abilities, characters and such. Without further hesitation, I materialised a gold coin onto my awaiting palm, handing it over to the confused sorceress. "Fair enough. Here you go."
The elderly woman didn't question my method of storage, momentarily narrowing her eyes as she took the money, nodding in satisfaction. She then reached into her pocket, handing me my change just as the young assistant returned, holding two books — one with a deep blue cover, the other dark red with intricate silver inscriptions.
"Here are the books you asked for," the assistant said, placing them on the counter. Now that I got a closer look, even though she looked like she was in her early teens, I could see the resemblance between the two.
I gave her a small nod of thanks before picking up the books and placing them into the [Inventory] without so much as a flick of my wrist, gaining a confused look from the girl. "Thank you," I said, addressing both the shopkeeper and her assistant.
"Enjoy your reading," the elderly woman replied smoothly. I was about to turn and leave when she asked, "Are you him then?" She said, giving me a once-over again. "Storm Shadow?"
"Storm Shadow?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion as I tilted my head, wondering what the hell G.I. Joe had to go with anything.
"You know," She paused, correcting herself, "well, I guess you wouldn't, would you?"
"Know what exactly?" I pressed, already getting annoyed with the talking in circles.
She let out a tired sigh, "Varus would come by the guild regularly." She shook her head lightly before she continued. "Pay a hefty amount of coin for adventurers to hunt and fight his student from time to time, full teams of people." She paused, looking me dead in the eyes. "You match the description well enough, lightning magic and all. Now that Varus is dead, it must mean you're finally allowed to leave that dreadful place."
I did fight a bunch of people in the forest as part of my training, so that matches up. I didn't know they were paid for though, probably a good thing I didn't kill them. A waste of money if anyone asks me — Varus was enough to deal with combat training on his own. I suppose it was for variety, but I couldn't exactly ask him now, nor would I want to.
"I didn't realise I was given a moniker," I shrugged, understanding it was a mixture of my stealth and lightning abilities, even if my opponents were conscious enough to realise my full capabilities. Setting the memories of those fights aside, I asked, "Anything I should probably know about the last few years?"
She shrugged, "Aside from the teleportation incident that happened 3 years ago, not much really. Not exactly the people to ask about world news though, heads stuck in books on magic and all — best try the guild for that lad."
Huh, at least I have a relative idea of where I am in the timeline. I was currently in the northern part of the Asura kingdom, so there was a chance I could cross paths with Rudeus on his travels. Without another word, I turned and exited the shop, stepping back into the street.
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"They are memories of a dead man. A side effect of the cloning process and the memory flashes used to train you."
- Darth Vader.
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Hello there!
Magic books - get!
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