Scar Town
After a few hours of traveling on the dirt road, Morgana had decided to put up a screen roof around the cart that was folded on the side, covering the party from being exposed to the sunlight for a long time.
Just as she finished setting it up, she sat back down and noticed Conrad looking a bit uneasy. "Are you okay?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice.
The blue-haired boy tried making eye contact with Morgana but couldn't bring himself to do it for over two seconds. "It's just… I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to pry into your personal life or anything. I-" Conrad hesitated, not being able to finish his apology.
Sensing his struggle, Angie interjected: "He is just very curious about everything. One of the main reasons he wanted to go to Veridian was to learn more about the tricksters…."
Morgana could sense Conrad's genuine curiosity and thirst for knowledge, and she admired his sincerity. Understanding that his questions had come from a place of genuine interest rather than ill intentions, she felt empathetic toward him.
With a gentle and understanding smile, Morgana tenderly placed her hand on Conrad's head, reassuring him. She gave him a soft pat before retracting her hand. "It's alright. I understand your curiosity. That story is just a bit difficult to share, but I promise that someday I'll tell you. In the meantime, feel free to ask me anything else."
Conrad blushed and returned a relieved smile to Morgana before leaning back. "Then, can I ask what was that skill you used back there against the treants!?" he asked enthusiastically. "I noticed smoke coming out of your hand, and then you just destroyed them with your fists! What kind of skill is that!?"
The rest of the party nodded along with Conrad, seemingly interested in the answer too.
"Back there? I didn't use any skills…."
"Huh? But I saw you casting something before fighting them…" said Conrad.
"Oh, right." Morgana giggled carefreely. "I did try to use a skill, but it looks like I don't have all my levels."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Morgana explained to the group of teenagers that when she faced the treants, she tried using a skill that would bring out her "main weapon." "I wanted to finish them all in one sweep, but my weapon requires me to be at least level 120 to use it…" she elaborated.
Having no time to look for another weapon in her "Item Box," Morgana resorted to using her bare hands. Upon inspecting her stats with the Appraisal skill, she discovered that her current level was "only 100."
The teenagers stayed quiet for a moment as they analyzed her words. "So, that was just your normal strength? No enhancement skill or anything?" asked Ray, the party leader.
"Nah, it wasn't necessary. Those treants were only level 30…." Morgana replied casually.
The cart fell into silence once again as the teenagers absorbed her words. It served as another reminder of Morgana's true power, despite her claim of not even reaching her full potential.
"W-what about that skill you used to conjure that delicious food!?" asked Conrad.
"Umm, well…" Morgana sighed softly, realizing she had to explain another limitation. She told the group that her "Admin" skill was unique and couldn't be learned by others, no matter how skilled or powerful they became.
It was a rare ability possessed by only a select few in the world. Through her "Admin" interface, she could access her item box, check the world map, change armor sets instantly, and perform various other useful functions.
However, her explanation of how great her skill was only deterred the group's mood since now they knew that they wouldn't be able to learn it.
"But… why?" asked Conrad.
Morgana didn't have a clear answer for them. "Hmmm, I don't know why exactly, but only adventurers that were here in the 'Old Era' are able to use it…"
"In the Old Era? As in before the 'Red Calamity'?" interjected Kaede, who had been quiet until that moment.
Morgana nodded, confirming Kaede's question. "Yes, that's right. It seems that only those who were already in this world before the 'Red Calamity' can use it. Those born in this world don't seem to possess that ability."
'Born in this world?' Conrad thought before trying to speak up, but Morgana's sudden burst of enthusiasm interrupted him as she stood up, pointing ahead. Scar Town had come into view, bringing an end to their conversation.
Morgana opened her Item Box and retrieved a small leather bag. She passed it to Angie, who was sitting beside her. "Here, they should give you guys a decent payment for those," she said, referring to the shiny green seeds dropped by the treants.
Angie hesitated, opening the bag slightly to peek inside at the valuable seeds. "No, seriously… we can't…" she tried declining, but Morgana's unwavering confidence didn't allow her.
After a few more minutes of travel, the party finally arrived at the city gates. The guards gathered around the magnificent Steed Prime, admiring its mechanical beauty as they checked the group's credentials. Adventurers typically enjoyed free city entry with their identification cards, while others had to pay a fee.
The teenagers each presented their bronze identification cards, which the guards checked before granting them entry through the city gates. As they entered, they turned their attention to Morgana, who seemed to be frantically scrolling through her item box.
"Ah, found it!" Morgana exclaimed triumphantly, pressing a button on the screen, materializing an ornate, small metallic red card in her hand.
"That card..." Kaede muttered, her voice filled with awe and disbelief. Morgana happily handed the card to the guard, who reacted with a mixture of surprise and fear evident in his widened eyes.
"A myth-… mythical adventurer!?" exclaimed the guard as his eyes kept jumping from the card to Morgana's face, causing a ripple of shock to spread among those around them.
After being granted access to the town, the party made their way to the adventurers' guild to sell the loot obtained from the treants.
Behind the counter, a friendly woman with blonde hair and reddish eyes waved at the teenagers.
"Hi, Miss Tina!" greeted Angie as they approached the counter.
"I'm glad you guys are safe! I was worried when you didn't show up yesterday…" expressed Tina with a sense of relief.
Angie scratched the back of her head, not knowing how to explain the recent events they had witnessed. "A lot has happened…" she replied, glancing towards Morgana.
"Oh, are you an adventurer too? I'm sorry if they gave you any trouble…" said Tina while she humbly bowed to the silver-haired woman.
Morgana met Tina's gaze and offered a reassuring smile. "Umm, yeah, it was no problem," she replied softly.
Angie quickly stepped in, sensing the need to redirect the conversation. "We brought these..." she interjected, placing the leather bag filled with the green beans from the treants on the counter.
"Are these… treant seeds? How did you get them? I told you guys not to venture into Greeshade Woods…" reprimanded Tina.
"It was thanks to big-sis Morgana…." Angie admitted, feeling a tinge of embarrassment.
Tina's eyes widened in surprise. *Did she say Morgana?* she thought, her gaze fixed on her. "Ah, I see. Luckily there was an experienced adventurer around..." she nervously responded.
"Oh, while we are here, could you register me with their party?" asked Morgana.
The clerk wasn't sure why a high-level adventurer would want to join a party with complete rookies, but Morgana's presence made it hard to refute her demands.
After asking to see her adventurer card, Morgana pulled out the same metallic, red card that had the guards making a fuss at the gate, leaving the clerk shocked for a moment before she quickly went to fetch the guild master.
'Tina, huh?' thought Morgana as she reminisced about another guild's clerk who looked exactly like the present one, albeit with a different hairstyle.