"Well this is stupidly awkward. " Asta said while looking at the line of lightning mana coming out of a tree.
But the real awkward thing was the building behind the tree.
[Mission: Find the town hall complete]
[Reward ready for redeeming]
The tree stood on the footpath outside the town hall, it's trunk charred from getting hit by one of lightning strikes that Asta heard and followed to get insight into Lightning magic.
However the ultimate goal he wanted to rush the process for, was completed before he could even start using lightning attribute magic.
Nevertheless it was still a chance to learn nonetheless, so he sighed and walked up to the tree, "All that enthusiasm and motivation...only to not even feel the thrill of adventure. "
It didn't take long for Asta to absorb a bit of Lightning mana from the air. And the crowd around would become suspicious if a hooded guy stood beside a burned tree for reason.
Even now, Asta could hear the whispers and murmurs going on between them, which made him realise the value of language.
But he didn't care and after a quick glance at the system panel and small analysis. Asta nonchalantly left the scene with a poker face.
For now he must first go back to his small room and learn the language that will added to system's Tomb of knowledge. And maybe with the increase in link strength he could start moving with the real body as well.
Lost in thought, filled with curiosity and bunch of vague disappointments. Asta moved on away from streets with unsatisfied poker expression plastered across his face.
He wanted to experience something new. Something that he could never experience in the clover kingdoms with their endless internal battles and constant wars.
It was like his inner child calling out to him to hurry up so he could explore only to be answered "no" by fate itself.
"I guess I am no longer a child... *saddened smile* What a headache... "
Eventually Asta cleared his mind into blankness, just staring at the ground below as he walked himself back to the small room he couldn't even call a proper home.
Just a few days ago, he was laughing and smiling among his friends, teasing and being teased by them.
And now he was a kill-joy of a place where everything suddenly seemed lifeless and strange because he couldn't Understand it.
-12 hours later-
Asta spent about four hours to study the lightning mana and managed to cast a small grade 8 lightning spell. As well as how to change his mana attribute during absorption.
However immediately after he fell asleep for another 8 hours from the mental exhaustion.
Even after waking up, the effects of studying while he had never even properly read a book were showing on face.
However he couldn't stop just at regaining a bit of magic.
"System redeem the mission rewards for me. "
[Understood... Rewards collected! ]
[Link strength upgraded]
The process of strengthening wasn't painful, atmost it felt like a holding your breath for half a minute.
And before long Asta could feel his body movements become smoother while also hearing something in his ear.
"Hearing... Atleast i wont be completely clueless when I return."
Unluckily there wasn't anybody talking to his real body at the moment and it was just laying stiffly on the bed.
"I guess I will just study a little more."
-another 8 hours later-
The evening has came as Asta lay faceplanted across a desk with his face covered in exhaustion and sweat.
In his hand sat a small notebook, a diary to be precise. Something he found in the desk'a drawer.
Up until now, he had been using the tomb of knowledge in his head to translate the diary bit by bit but, each passing moment was more of a shock than the last.
"Racial wars? Fallen nobility? A cultist and a dark mage?...What sort of messed up backstory is this!? "
The diary told about the past, the past of Asta'a current body.
His name was Levian Tisk, a noble who was kicked out of his house at the age of 15 after swearing at his father for just watching his siblings kill each other for rights to succession.
Eventually he was found by a group of devil worshippers who taught him most of his cultism knowledge only to be killed by a bunch of people called the paladins.
"They just had to name themselves the same didn't they... Or maybe it Lucius who copied it...who know?"
Nevertheless the unlucky guy survived because he was thought to be a sacrifice instead of a cultist thanks to his background.
And now he has been surviving as a cleric while researching cultism by him for 2 years.
And ultimately he was prepared to do anything and summoned Asta and offered his soul and body if the diary was correct.
Yet a single sentence at the last page of diary made Asta feel a sense of guilt and duty.
"Save your brother huh? I guess I will."
Asta looked out the window and walked out to the balcony with a new motive to explore.
He was gonna complete the last wish of this guy and properly sent off his remaining regrets to the afterlife.
[Mission: Devil's offering started(A)]
[Description: complete Levian's last wish]
[Reward: Southerner Mage techniques, Link strength+10]
[Failure: None.]
[Advice: Do as you will.]
Asta's mouth curled into a smile. The final nudge has been made by system itself.
So taking a moment to himself, he looked at the diary and let out a small chuckle before going back into the room to a do few little exercises.
"This body will need a bit of muscle to endure Enhancement magic."
-a week later-
Slowly but surely, a week had passed since that day and throughout the whole week, Asta had fixed a schedule for himself out of habit.
First thing in the morning, he wakes up, walks down to the street with the money Levian have been saving up for years and buys himself some bread and sometimes a fried fish.
Next he does exercise, pushups, pull ups, squats, almost all the exercises that didn't need equipment, causing him to grow a little less scrawny compared to before.
The afternoon mostly consists of learning from the tomb of knowledge and wandering the streets to increase his language proficiency.
And lastly after a bit more of exercise and another piece of bread alongside vegetable soup before going to sleep.
Lastly, today is the day he will leave this run down place to explore and he surely hopes he won't have to live in a place like this again.
"Let's see, two hundreds pieces of bronze talocs, check. thirty pieces of silver talocs, check. Two gold talocs, check. The diary, check. "
(Taloc is the currency Asta was currently in)
The checks kept going for another five minutes. Ending on the last thing Asta needed which was the map in his luggage.
Compared to the world map he had, the map only told about a country he was in.
But just reading the map unlocked details in the world map in tomb of knowledge while also expanding the visible zone.
And currently, it won't be wrong to say that Asta was on the completely opposite side of the world compared to clover kingdom.
"Sigh... It's time."
With a sack of his belongings on his back, Asta left his house and walked down the stairs.
On his way he saw the innkeeper and greeted him.
"How have you been, Mr. Volan! "
" Better than ever... You going anywhere, punk?"
"*nods* I decided to go back home. "
"I see. You want your remaining rent back?"
However Asta simply shakes his head in refusal.
"You can keep that. You need it more than me."
"Heh... Cheeky noble brat. Fine then! If that's what you want, then i will! "
So with a smile, Asta walked out of inn in a set of hiking shorts, a cotton half sleeved shirt and a strawhat over his cyan hair to protect from the heat.
He strolled through the streets with a uncaring expression, immersed in himself and his imagination.
He kept looking around on his way out of the city, even noticing the kid he gave a gold Taloc a week ago and waved at him as he passed by.
"He found himself some work... Atleast he won't have to starve in the streets anymore."
Asta was happy for doing a good deed, completely unaware of the scroll in the kid's hand which carried a sketch of him.
Over the next few minutes, Asta kept walking towards the edge of the city, taking in the sights as he finally reached a stone bricked tower.
"Caravan tower. "
This was the last stop before the journey begans. The place where Asta will join a caravan.
Ring
Asta opens the door and heads inside, finding himseld in a long chamber with a line of carpet leading to a desk.
On the sides he noticed lines upon lines of wooden benches, with different sorts of people on every single one.
"Beastkins, Dwarfs, Knights, mages and even Elves. This is the most variety I have seen until now."
To Asta, The appearance of these people were something he read about in Levian's diary occasionally. But nothing could compare to seeing the real deal in person.
Silently he let his ki sense flow out, a weak one barely enough to observe the overall vibe at best.
He felt no sense of honor or justice from the mages, and the knights felt more like fame leeches with their overly shiny clothing.
The beastkins were overly cautious of everybody beside them while the elves couldn't give a damn about anyone else.
In simpler terms, this was just a competition of racism and show-off which he couldn't compare to magic knights of clover kingdom or elves like Licht.
So, Asta walked past them with disappointment, heading to the desk where he put a identity token and a few silver talocs to the cleric.
"Any caravans to Tisk territory? "
"Lemme check..."
The cleric immediately got to work.
"You are lucky, sir! One is leaving just half an hour later."
"Add me into it then. I don't care what type it is, as long as I get my destination."
"As you wish then. *stamps * Here! "
The Cleric handed Asta a small card with a wax stamp with his name and appearance written on it.
at the same time, the cleric also pocketed the five silver Talocs while giving Asta the identification token back.
Then with a quick turn, Asta left the tower without even glancing back at bystanders. He went straight to the find the caravan instead.