After that little incident with the fake relic, Serie—clearly not in high spirits—gave her disciples one last glance, announced their dismissal, and turned to vanish into the night.
With their teacher gone, Gut and his fellow disciples said their farewells sincerely. Though many words were left unsaid, the late hour allowed them only a simple "goodbye" to convey their feelings at parting.
...
Back in his inn room, Gut hung up his coat, then threw himself face-first onto the bed, rolling across it once before propping himself up by the pillow. He summoned his system interface to check the notification he'd received earlier that evening.
Ding!
Main Quest: Oversee the Assessment (Part 1) - Completed
Quest Objective: Assist your teacher Serie in conducting the first-ever Mage Examination organized by the Continental Mage Association. (Note: This is a two-part quest. The Äußerst Division's exam comprises the first half.)
Quest Rewards: 1 Random Item from Another World, 2 Talent Draw Chances
Rewards have been deposited in the System Inventory.
"So it was that main quest, huh? No wonder the prompt went off right when Serie announced the exam was over."
Excited, Gut opened the System Inventory, eager to claim his rewards before embarking on his journey.
Ding!
Random Item acquired! Congratulations, Host has received the weapon: [Abe-Che].
Ding!
Talent Draw x2 complete. Congratulations, Host has acquired the talent traits: [Detached Mind (White)] and [Innate Tomb Raider's Constitution (Green)].
"Looks like... nothing great again. And this weapon called Abe-Che... don't tell me it's what I think it is..."
With a sinking feeling, Gut opened the item description.
And sure enough, his hunch was spot-on.
Item: Abe-Che
Description: A homemade firearm created by Mr. Mountain on an island nation, used in the assassination of a notable figure.
Constructed with a handle, battery, metal tubing, steel ball rounds, and black powder, wrapped in black tape, electronically fired.
Highly discreet in appearance. Within medium range, it can deliver lethal damage to unarmored humans.
Gut stared at the camera-looking object in his inventory, half laughing and half at a loss.
Sure, in his past world this gun had historical significance. But here? In this fantasy realm?
It lacked any collector's value, and in terms of weaponry, it couldn't even pierce a demon's hide—let alone a mage's Defensive Magic. It was essentially destined to gather dust.
Shrugging it off, Gut turned to the two new talent traits.
[Detached Mind (White) / (Pending Activation)]
Description: Your emotional impulses are greatly diminished, akin to a long-lived being who has witnessed the turning of eras.
Effect: Increases meditation efficiency and spellcasting speed. Severely dulls emotional capacity.
Activate? [Yes / No]
Gut hit No without hesitation.
Sure, he longed for strength—but not at the cost of his humanity. What use was power if it robbed him of his feelings? Besides, it was just a white-tier trait; even if it offered improvements, they wouldn't be worth such a sacrifice.
Instead, he turned his attention to the other one.
[Innate Tomb Raider's Constitution (Green) / (Pending Activation)]
Description: You possess an instinctual sense for the presence and location of ancient tombs and ruins.
Effect: Your gut feeling will usually lead you to the correct direction of ancient crypts or relic sites.
Activate? [Yes / No]
"This one…"
Though Gut wasn't wealthy, he still had some morals—raiding tombs wasn't something he'd willingly do. But then again, in this world, ancient ruins and labyrinths were part of legitimate adventuring.
Besides, it was green-tier, and didn't carry any downsides. Might as well give it a go.
He chose Yes.
A flash of insight brushed his mind, and then—nothing. No immediate change. But Gut knew: once he stepped near a ruin or ancient structure, he'd feel the difference.
Still, the subpar raffle rewards left him a little bitter. He even started doubting the effectiveness of his Good Fortune trait.
Ding!
Since Main Quest: Oversee the Assessment (Part 1) has been completed, and Host meets the requirements, the follow-up quest is now unlocked.
Main Quest: Oversee the Assessment (Part 2)
Objective: As Serie's First Disciple, assist her in overseeing the second half of the Mage Examination at the Association's main branch in [Sanctum - Schlacht].
Rewards: 1 Random Item from Another World, 1 Talent Upgrade Opportunity, 2 Talent Draw Chances
"New quest, huh... Hopefully the next round of rewards gives me something useful."
With a sigh, Gut glanced out the window at the quiet city streets, then promptly extinguished the light and got into bed. He needed a full recharge before tomorrow's departure.
And how did he ensure high-quality sleep?
Simple.
He tucked himself in, activated the Body Tempering Art, and let the steady flow of magic ripple through his body.
Just a few deep breaths was enough to clear his mind completely and enter a deep, restful slumber.
As for any lingering fatigue from such rigorous magic?
The system would wipe it clean at midnight, leaving him fresh and full of energy the next morning.
...
The Next Day
City Gates of Äußerst
A city guard reviewed Gut's identity document again and again before finally returning it.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," the guard said, handing over the papers. "Can't believe someone as young as you is one of Lady Serie's disciples."
"Well, maybe that's just the type she likes," Gut replied cheekily, accepting the official certification issued by the Continental Mage Association, then scanning the horizon.
Sure enough, a short distance from the gate stood a horse-drawn carriage.
From within, he could feel the familiar aura of magic—Serie was already inside.
But what Gut didn't know...
Was that Serie's magical presence hadn't gone unnoticed by just him.
Far above, thousands of meters in the sky, one of the Demon Tribe's Seven Shattering Sages, the Miraculous Grausam, stared down in stunned silence.
"To be detected and warned from this distance..."
Clutching the wound across his waist—a mark left by an unknown spell—Grausam felt an unfamiliar emotion rise within.
Hesitation.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates