XXVIII

  The Quest Board was filled with various pieces of parchment paper. They were sections to the board, with each section stating the Crest requirement for the Quest. Laelara guided him to the Wood section and pointed out a few of the Quests. There were various Quests on the board, such as delivery Quests, slaying a monster near the town, exploring this territory, and many others. Kaz was overwhelmed.

  He decided to speak up, “I would prefer a few Quests that would require me to travel quite a distance. I would like to encounter various monsters in order to elevate my Resonance, and also to earn as many Tokens as I can.”

  Laelara nodded and quickly examined the board for him. She grabbed two Quests, and handed them to him, explaining, “These two are near each other, but would suit you going a farther distance, and also receiving a decent compensation for completing them. One is to investigate an area which people recently have rumored to have seen an unidentifiable species of monsters, and it is a few days journey away. The other is to collect Manashrooms, which are always high in demand, but few people want to journey that far to collect them. They are relatively near the area that you need to go to for the other Quest.”

  He nodded, but then asked a question, “Why only two Quests, couldn’t I take at least two more since this is a long journey?”

  The Elf merely shook her head, “Unfortunately, due to being an Adventurer with the Wooden Crest, we are only allowed to assign two Quests at a time.”

  Disappointed by that revelation, he accepted the two Quests given to him, and he followed her back to the counter. She instructed him, “Okay Kaz, now pull out your Badge for me, please.”

  Kaz brought out his Crest of Wood Badge, and she took it from him. She put the badge on the counter and then put the parchment on top of it. The parchment got absorbed in golden light, and he felt a pulse and ding go off in his head. He ignored it for now, as she grabbed the other parchment, and repeated the process. Another ding and pulse.

  “Now Kaz, please open your [ Archive ] and go to your [ Quests ] page. You should see your two Quests there, along with any details needed in order to complete each specific Quest.”

  With a mental command, he opened his [ Archive ] and went straight to his [ Quests ] page. He had the two Quests written there:

  Investigate the rumors of a new, unidentifiable monster species roaming in the area.

  As he read that, he felt a pulse in his mind, pointing out a direction to go in. That was where the location was, according to the map that was on the parchment. He wondered if Laelara would give him a map with the locations he would need to go to. Then, he read further onto the second Quest:

  Gather 10 Manashrooms from the forest without damaging the Manashrooms.

  He felt another pulse in his head, pointing him in the same general direction that the investigation Quest was in. He closed his [ Archive ] and nodded to Laelara.

  Bringing out a fresh map and an extra bag for which he assumed to store the Manashrooms, she circled the general locations of the Quests, explaining, “Here are the two locations for your Quests. There are two paths you can take, one going towards the new monster sighting, and the other one going towards the Manashroom forest. I highly recommend investigating the new monsters first, as engaging in potential combat could damage the Manashrooms.”

  Kaz nodded, confirming that he would heed her advice, as someone like her definitely knew better than him. She then revealed also to him, “I would exercise caution in the journey, as the area you will be traveling in is usually for people in the tiers of Resonance between 20 to 35.”

  He slightly paled at that, his heart slightly sinking into his stomach. He nodded meekly, recognizing and accepting the words of caution. If he wanted to get stronger, he would have to fight stronger monsters, it was a simple fact. He hoped he would be able to whittle down his enemies before they engaged him, and hopefully no enemy he would run into would have any ranged attacks yet.

  “What kind of other monsters are around those areas?” Kaz decided to ask, wondering if he knew anything about the monsters she was going to inform him of.

  Laelara simply shook her head, “Unfortunately, I am not able to provide that kind of information, unless you pay the fee of 5 Silver,” and then in a hushed tone, “I wouldn’t recommend wasting your Tokens on this information, the monsters around that Resonance shouldn’t have any surprises for you.”

  He was puzzled by why she lowered her voice, as they were in an isolated magical bubble which no sound entered or left, but he just tilted his head to side and shrugged his shoulders. “Thank you for information and helping me out today, Laelara. I will head out in the morning. See you then!”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  After another amazing night in the best bed he has ever slept in, he set off out the Guild, waving goodbye to Laelara, who returned it with a genuine smile. He knew he had to stock up on rations for a journey that would last him up to 2 weeks just in case. Kaz stopped by a few vendor stalls, and also a few shops, filling his bag with dried meats, cheese, bread, and some fruits, which he could finally afford. All the food cost him around 1 Silver and 11 Copper Tokens, bringing his grand total in his coin bag to a slightly depressing 13 Silver and 11 Copper.

  As he passed by a Blacksmith and his shop, he noticed various weapons displayed from the window. He wondered about his own Battlemage’s Glaive, to which he walked around with, holding it in his hand and using it sort of like a walking stick that some old people used. He stepped inside and asked the stocky Dwarf, “Excuse me, sir. I was wondering, for something like my glaive here, is there anything that could allow me to put it on my back or something instead of just holding it?”

  The Blacksmith pondered his question, examining the glaive in his hands, eyes slightly narrowing. “That’s an unusual weapon ya get there, kid. I should recommend a strap that would allow ya to sling it over your shoulder, but I personally recommend just carrying it the way ya are now. The strap could potentially get in the way during combat.”

  Kaz pondered his response, slightly nodding, not completely understanding, but again, took his word for it.

  The Dwarf grinned, and gave him a little bit of information, “I’m not supposed to say anything, but once you reach a certain Resonance, ya won’t need to worry about holding it anymore.” And with a deep laugh, he turned around and got back to hammering a sword he was working on, shooing Kaz out of the shop.

  Won’t need to worry about holding it anymore… What did that even mean? He mentally shrugged, must be something that comes along with more Resonance, as everything seems to.

  As he was idly walking, he suddenly found himself back at the park surrounding the Mage Academy. He couldn’t place his feelings on it, but his mana core dragged him here, and he felt very content around the Academy.

  Various noises and flares of mana pulses happened around him, as students were again practicing on the grass in the park, with discovering their Skill Abilities and their mana affinity, while being instructed by their Professors. He passed the time, sitting on a bench and watching the training going on, hoping he might pick up on something that would help his pursuit of gaining another Skill Ability.

  In a different area, he noticed students who were using weapons similar to his glaive. But their weapons seemed to be more of a staff, with no blade on the end, and instead of swinging their staff, he noticed that they were casting, and their Skill Abilities were firing off from their staff, and not their hands. Intrigued, he would try that out on his journey, trying to see if he could summon his [ Mana Burst ] from his glaive.

  “Your unusual glaive wouldn’t allow you to cast your Skill Abilities. That is only possible with Staffs, unless you are granted a special weapon through your [ Archive ],” a slightly hoarse voice said from his right side.

  Kaz quickly jumped to his feet, pointing his glaive at the intruder. He immediately lowered his glaive, calming down his breathing and adrenaline. He analyzed the person before him. It was an elderly looking Elf, who had gray hair and a short gray beard. He was clad in a brilliant white and gold robe, and pure power radiated off of him. Kaz quickly bowed, apologizing to him, “I am so sorry for my haste reaction, Elder.”

  The older Elf looked him over with a critical eye, and then lightly laughed, waving his hand, dismissing his apology, “No worries, child. I caught you off guard. Come sit here with me.”

  Red flushing through his cheeks and ears, he took a seat next to the Elf.

  “You know, observing other Mages train and develop could spark an inspirational idea here and there, but sometimes it is better to seek answers from those who are more experienced than you. You could try your hardest, putting yourself in dangerous combat in hopes of something sparking, but that would require unnecessary risks.”

  Kaz bobbed his head up and down slowly, not understanding where this was going.

  “I know from looking at you, you are a newly Awakened Mage, yet you have already reached 15 Resonance. It is quite admirable you managed to reach this far, and I am assuming without entering into an Academy. It is quite unconventional for a Mage to carry around a glaive anymore, but when one is beginning with their Calling, they simply accept anything given to them. Now tell me, child, what is your story,” the Elf asked him softly.

  A warm breeze blew through him, and he closed his silver eyes, deciding to go along with the older Elf, hoping he would gain something from this.

  “I am a one-star Mage that did get Awakened around a month ago, I would say. I was outcast by my town, and journeyed here to Sarus, looking for a new beginning. I was alone for most of the journey, running into several types of monsters and Bandits, and slowly Ranking my Skills, and pretty much accepting any Skill that popped off. I am happy with each of my Skills, and after a few close calls from death, I managed to make my way here to Sarus. I was actually supposed to begin a new journey with new Quests, but something pulled me back here to the Academy.”

  The older Elf regarded him, nodding slowly, processing the small amount of information he provided. “My name is Elder Aelon, and I am currently one of the Professors who teach at this Academy. I noticed you were here yesterday as well, and I felt an odd mana radiating from you, and I couldn’t help myself from approaching you today.”

  Kaz’s head shot up, meeting Elder Aelon’s gaze, and blurted out, “What do you mean odd mana? I had something similar described to me during my Awakening.”

  The Elder’s golden eyes sparked up, also curious at this outburst from the young Gnome. He regarded Kaz, and then sighed, shaking his head. He revealed, “Regrettably, I do not have the answer you seek, I only have theories. My most trusted theory I have is that you may contain a rare affinity for your mana, something that is not common in our Realm.”

  His shoulders slumped forward, slightly disappointed in the answer he received. Sure, maybe he could have a rare affinity, but it wasn’t a guarantee.

  “It doesn’t make sense though, as I can’t possibly have a rare affinity. I wouldn’t be a one-star mage if that was the case.”

  The older Elf burst out laughing, his sides heaving and wiping the stray tear rolling down from his eye.

  “Child, being a one-star Mage means nothing. It is simply the potential of someone from what they possess during the Awakening. Some of the most powerful people in all of the Cosmos started out as one-star Callings.”

  Kaz simply scoffed at that, not believing it, and rolling his eyes. “I appreciate you trying to raise my hopes, Elder Aelon, but I have to disagree.”

  With a playful twinkle in the Elder’s eyes, he dropped a confession that shocked him, “I began as a one-star Mage, and now I am one of the strongest Mages in our Realm.”