Orb of Guidance - I

Lila watched as a young man emerged from his carriage, dressed in a sleek black suit made from the kingdom's finest materials. His midnight-colored clothes complimented his obsidian eyes and black hair.

The only other color in his outfit could be seen on his finger, where a gleaming red ruby ring emanated a subtle force.

"Heaven's Grasp?" His voice was neither high nor low. However, the way he spoke was filled with a noble's dignity. It was practiced and clear.

Seeing his polite tone, Lila was relieved. Nodding, she replied, "That is indeed our party's name. What business does the young master have with us?"

"Hm," Lila watched as the young man seemed to ponder, scanning each individual behind her. Flitting between each one, he regarded them for a moment, deep in thought.

Something about his eyes seemed to render one vulnerable as if no secrets could hide from his gaze.

It was to this gaze that Feura flinched, glaring back with ferocity. Yet Lila observed no change in the young man's expression. He continued to look straight into their souls.

After an excruciating silent moment, he finally spoke.

"You may address me by the name of Aventine. May I know of your names?"

***

Long story short, the party of Heaven's Grasp joined the caravan without any issues. However, each member of the party felt a looming sense of discomfort.

Although each word that Aventine had given them was nothing but normal, they couldn't suppress their instincts from screaming. He spoke with sophistication, lacing his words with grace and prose — a clear indication of his noble academic nature.

Yet, something about the young man felt... off.

It wasn't malicious, which bothered them even more.

At least, if it was malice, they could respond with an equal amount of lethality. With this ambiguous setting, however, they were left on tenterhooks. They didn't know who they were pitted against, nor were they given any hints.

Even Feura, who normally had a hostile disposition, couldn't help but re-evaluate her perspective. Her cold, analytical side had surfaced due to the sheer incongruity of Aventine's mundane actions.

"...What do you think he wants from us, Leader?"

Lila replied, "I'm not sure. It's impossible to deduce his thoughts from his actions alone. Furthermore... I've never heard of his name nor his family, yet he holds this much wealth and power."

Glancing at the rest of the party, Lila saw that even Laurence, who was well-connected, was shaking his head. Opheus, who came from a noble family, also shrugged.

"All we can do is be careful."

Lila's eyes flashed. Unbeknownst to her friends, she had caught sight of a familiar family crest.

'What is he doing with the Shierain crest? Is he of father's blood? My younger brother?'

But his features were anything but that of a Shierain.

Lila's thoughts were in turmoil.

***

[Name: Aventine Tidea]

[Level: 1]

[Health: 20/20]

[Mana: 160/160 » 190/190]

[Gift: Absolute Awareness (???-Rank)]

[Physique: 2]

[Mind: 3]

[Spirit: 16 » 19]

[Traits: Power of the Sky (A-Rank), Power of the Sea (A-Rank), Power of Death (A-Rank)]

"A bottleneck..."

I had been expecting to hit a bottleneck at 9 Spirit, however, when I checked, people of this world usually experienced it around the value of 19 Spirit. Then, they would experience the next after another 20 points and then the next 20, until they hit 99 Spirit, where a great barrier was said to be found.

Closing my eyes, I delved deep into foreign memories. The wisdom and knowledge of <Archmagus > Daimyuon flowed freely throughout my mind. I traveled through his know-how until I found what I was looking for.

"There you are,"

A First-Circle spell I found interesting, as well as my first step into becoming a fully-fledged mage. This formation was the key to overcoming that bottleneck.

***

I was an immensely ravenous user of mana. It was rare for me to have full mana reserves for a long time. I always spent a large amount looking into things with [Absolute Awareness] and expanding my senses.

Therefore, my path as a mage was quite simple.

"I'm going to build myself into a massive mana reservoir." I laughed, feeling the moving carriage beneath me.

The First-Circle spell I wanted was simple and self-explanatory.

<Mana Core>

It was a common First-Circle spell, used by those whose mana reserves were innately small. As an Earthling, this was something I desperately needed.

"Huuuu,"

Closing my eyes, I closed my senses off from the outside world, focusing inwardly and feeling the mana within my body. The process was simple.

I had to draw a magic circle inside my body using mana, creating a mana core near my heart.

Normally, aspiring mages would have to diligently study the spell formula and memorize it, before carving it into their bodies. However, using Daimyuon's memories, all I had to deal with was the final step.

"Easy,"

Breathing out after several minutes of deep focus, I opened my eyes. 

[Name: Aventine Tidea]

[Level: 1]

[Health: 20/20]

[Mana: 190/190 » 200/200 (+Core Mana: 100/100)]

[Gift: Absolute Awareness (???-Rank)]

[Physique: 2]

[Mind: 3]

[Spirit: 19 » 20]

[Traits: Power of the Sky (A-Rank), Power of the Sea (A-Rank), Power of Death (A-Rank)]

Looking at my stats, I smiled. That +100 to my Mana Reserves was because of the mana core within me. Feeling the concentrated mana inside my body, I smiled.

It was a huge amount in exchange for very little effort on my part.

"I am now technically a first circle mage."

I still didn't know any other spells, after all.

At least, not yet.

***

The caravan traversed through forests, vast plains, and past mountains, heading East unceasingly. They came across an abnormal amount of storms, forced to reroute multiple times. Beasts attacked them on a regular basis, supplying them with a large amount of food for the journey ahead.

Watching this for a few weeks already, Aventine marveled at how the caravan was less akin to a group of travelers, and more of a moving town.

There were merchants, adventurers, knights, commoners, and people from various walks of life. They each functioned as if they were still living in the big city. They busied themselves, trading resources for gold, supplying services like meals and escorts, praying to the gods they believed in, holding auctions each night, training, learning, and many more.

With about a hundred carriages, Aventine could have deduced such a possibility. However, letting himself be surprised by such a thing was an experience he wouldn't trade for the world.

His child-like curiosities still lived lively in his heart.

"How fun~"

A flash of malice streaked through Aventine's gaze. His expanded senses made him keenly aware of their stalkers. Always keeping themselves a mountain away, there was a sharp change in their behavior as they approached.

"Captain Owen,"

Aventine called out to his guards from within the comforts of his luxurious carriage.

"Yes, Young Master Aventine?" Owen hurried over, bowing his head nervously at Aventine's door. Even though he hadn't seen this mysterious noble appear in quite a while, many of those in the caravan had come to respect him.

His warnings were always on point. Throughout the journey, Aventine warned them of storms, beasts, and monsters hours before they arrived. At first, no one truly believed his words, acting only out of respect for his authority.

Eventually, however, they were all forced to believe whatever he said. Even the haughty Heaven's Grasp could not oppose his words. How could the regular guides and guard captains do the same?

His foresight felt like the power of prophecy, further bolstering the veil of mystery that hid him in his carriage.

"Sharpen your weapons and prepare for battle."