4 Chapter 4 - Greed
Over the next week, I did two things, I worked at the bureau and I read a lot. Each day I spent the time I was not working or sleeping reading. I got through a book a day, as I was mostly reading thicker books, as they seemed to have higher ranks. As the days past, I felt stronger and lighter, and I knew that the essence I was absorbing was doing its work.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened until the eighth time I walked out of the bookstore, as I was passing by a large ally, a burly man covered in scars walked up and blocked my path.
"Hey kid, if you don't want your guts spilled on the pavement your gonna come with me"
I said nothing but nodded my head.
"Good, obedient kids don't get hurt"
Than man led me down the ally he came from before stoping. When he did, two more thieves appeared on each side of me, blocking the exits. The scared man then started talking again.
"Seeing as you walk past here with a new book every day, you're bound to be loaded. Now hand over the gold and nobody gets hurt. Don't even think about running, you've got nowhere to go"
I had been expecting this, books were a valuable commodity and I'd bought several of them in a few days. I was bound to catch the attention of thieves. But I wasn't worried in the slightest, I placed my new book on the ground and calmly replied,
"I'm afraid I can't do that"
"So that how it's gonna be huh, kid. Well I gave you a chance"
And with that, he sent his right fist barreling towards my face. But to my eyes, it was slow, like a snail trying its best to catch up to a hare. This was for two reasons. The first being that two days ago my essence reached 100, which made the rank 1 on my status screen change to rank 2. This caused me to feel a qualitative change, as if I could control my body better and had much better senses. The second was because of a skill I had picked up.
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[Keen Senses]
Rank B
Your senses are honed to a deadly point. Nothing escapes your sight and you can hear a fly from 100 ft(30 meters) away.
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With these two things, it was very easy for me to dodge the punch, but I didn't, I grabbed it with my left hand. The thief didn't even have enough time to be surprised as I yanked him forward and slugged him in the gut, with the strength from my essence this knocked him out cold. Seeing this the rest of them shouted angrily and charged at me.
There was only enough space for one of them to fight effectively on each side. The first one to reach me pulled out a dagger and thrust it towards my chest. I dodged it to the outside of his body before kicking him as hard as I could in the knee with the bottom of my foot. There was a loud crack as the man's leg bent at a strange angle and he fell to the ground screaming.
As the third thief approached from behind, he also pulled out a dagger using both hands to plunge it towards my head. He was an abnormal 7ft tall, being almost a foot taller than me. But this extra range didn't help him. I sidestepped his attack and once again stamped my foot on his knee.
'This seems to be a pretty effective way of dealing with mobs'
The two thieves that still stood approached me more carefully than their brother. They were startled but not deterred. The glanced at each other before dashing at me simultaneously with their daggers drawn. One aimed to slash my throat and the other tried to gut me, both daggers were in their right hands. I ducked and move towards the man going for my throat, dodging both attacks. Being so close, I slammed my elbow into his chest. I heard multiple cracks as the man was thrown to the ground and added to the chorus of screams in the alley.
'One left'
The last man was shaken but seemingly determined to end me.
"I'm a make your life a living hell kid, mark my words"
Ignoring the man, I finally took the initiative and dashed to his side. I easily dodged his slow strike and punched him in the stomach, I had assumed he expected me to kick his knee. Which I did as he stumbled back from my punch.
Around me lay five men, four of which were screaming in pain.
'Well, that was easier than I expected. I really should get out of here, I want nothing to do with these thieves nor the guards that are bound to show up soon'
I picked up my book and hurried back to the Golden Pig.
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As I sat down on my bed I open my status screen.
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[Magnus Witherthorn]
Rank 2 - Mortal
Essence - 118
Essence type - Myriad Elemental
[Strength] - 54
[Agility] - 60(+20)
[Dexterity] - 44
[Intelligence] - 48
[Spirit] - 108
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Active skills:
[A] - [Identify], [Wind Dash]
[B] - [Essence Boost]
[D] - [Fire Starter]
Passive skills:
[SS] - [The Blessing of Myriad elements ]
[A] - [Greater Arithmetic Mastery], [Greater calligraphy Mastery]
[B] - [Keen Senses], [Swift Steps]
[C] - [Balance]
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I'd read another popular history book, which had given me the calligraphy skill, and then four journals written by explorers which gave me all the other skills besides [Essence Boost] and [Wind Dash].
'I've learned quite a bit about this world at this point, and boy is it vicious. But the most important thing to note is that the rank of a book does not determine the rank of the skill'
I'd gotten [Fire Starter] from a rank B book. The last two skills came respectively from [A Treatise on Climate in the Warren Kingdom], which has been incredibly interesting, and [What is Essence, an Introduction], which gave me some much-needed information.
'So according to the book, this essence stuff is an ever-present energy that permeates the world, very similar to what I expected. And this energy can be absorbed through a multitude of different methods by any race on the planet, even beasts. This energy allows people to grow unnaturally strong physically and create magical phenomena. If one absorbs enough essence, it is said that one can transcend mortality.
I must say, this is pretty textbook fantasy. So the "mortal" next to my rank indicates the large realm of power that I'm at. The one thing I still don't get is this Spirit stat, it hasn't changed at all this entire week. And [Spirit] is pretty vague, does it refer to my soul? Or something more abstract? I suppose I'll find out eventually, back to reading'
After I finished gathering my thoughts, I picked up the book I had bought earlier, [The Fall of the Ingres Empire].
A few hours later when I shut it, I was greeted by the familiar sight of notifications from the system.
[You have finished reading The Fall of the Ingres Empire]
[You have comprehended the truth behind the text, allowing you to draw power from it]
[You have obtained Camouflage]
[Because you have comprehended the truth behind 1,000 texts you have unlocked a new system module, Skill Eater]
'My work did get even faster after I got [Greater calligraphy Mastery], but I didn't think it got this fast. But whatever, this module looks pretty interesting'
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The skill eater module can turn any unneeded, obsolete, or duplicate skills into essence that fits your type. Note that higher rank skills will provide more essence.
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'So there can be duplicates huh. These modules just keep getting crazier and crazier, though I still like the [Knowledge Emporium] more. Man people would kill for this one'
After observing my new skill I went to sleep, not knowing that I had just tripped a flag.
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[Camouflage]
Rank B
Use essence to bend light and shadow to conceal yourself and your presence.
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I woke up the next morning, washed up, and headed to the lobby to continue my daily routine. But when the waitress handed me my meal she also handed me a sealed letter.
"I was informed to give you this"
"Thank you"
As she walked away I glance at the letter suspiciously. I had very few acquaintances in this city, much less a friend. I cautiously opened the letter and read it's contents.
'Dear Mr. Witherthorn, I would be humbled if you made an appearance at my mansion at 6 tonight. I would love to talk to you.'
Written below the short message was an address.
'Now this is about as suspicious as it can get, but looking at this address I've got very little choice'
The address led to the very center of town where only the richest and most influential people lived. If I tried to escape they would most likely alert the guards, and I very much doubt that a B rank skill could fool the guards of such a huge city.
I sighed as I walked to work.
'The incident with the thieves most likely tipped them off, I hope that this will just be a talk but I doubt that'
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As the sun began to sink under the horizon I made my way into the deepest part of the city. As I walked the streets got quieter and the buildings got grander.
After a good 20 minutes of walking, I arrived in front of the aforementioned mansion. But mansion was an understatement, it was more of a palace. Huge white walls surrounded more than a dozen buildings all made of the same white material as the walls. The building in the center looked like a scaled-down version of the castle that sat nearby.
I walked up to the gate and showed the guard my letter.
"I was asked to be here at 6"
"Are you Magnus Witherthorn?"
"That's me"
"The Lord is expecting you, right this way"
I followed the guard until he stopped in front of the miniature castle.
"A maid will show you your way from here"
I nodded at the guard as I opened the front door. Inside I found a massive room filled with decorations as tacky as I expected them to be. A maid led me up one of the huge staircases and through a series of corridors that were each tackier than the last. After a few minutes we arrived in front of a grand door carved from beautiful dark wood, unfortunately, it was covered in even more tacky gold decorations.
"The lord awaits you inside"
Nodding to the maid I walked forward and opened the door. The room I walked into was covered in so much gold that I was almost blinded by the shine. On an entirely golden desk sat a tall and handsome man in a, you guessed it, gold suit. He grinned with arrogance as I walked in.
'Man how much more cliché can this get, this guy is a textbook villain If I've ever seen one. Hopefully, he sticks to the stereotype and is an idiot as well'
Thinking this I used my upgraded identify on the man.
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[Samson Galahorn]
Rank 3 - Mortal
Essence - 1034
Essence type - Lower Fire Essence
[Strength] - 239
[Agility] - 189
[Dexterity] - 213
[Intelligence] - 120
[Spirit] - 34
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Active skills:
[C] - [Flameroot School style essence refinement], [Flame Knuckle], [Flame Boost]
Passive skills:
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'Stats wise he's much stronger than me but boy do his skills suck'
As I insulted him in my mind the man spoke.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Magnus Witherthorn, I'm glad you could make it!"
"The pleasure is all mine Sir Galahorn, may I know why you have summoned me?"
"Oh yes, you wouldn't know. Well, to start it is very rare for a young ascender like yourself to be working a normal job, much less as a secretary. And as you seem to be gaining strength rapidly I called you here to offer you a job as my servant, a much more prestigious position"
As he said this he held out a golden bracelet, which I quickly identified.
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[Bracelet of Subservience]
Rank B
The wearer becomes unable to deny any command of the bracelet's owner, turning them into a slave
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'Aaand there it is, I'm lucky I didn't run into a smarter person. Once I get out of here I need to find a passive skill that hides my essence, it seems I was noticed the moment I walked into the city'
"I would love to Sir Galahorn"
"Excellent, now take this bracelet, it will mark you as someone from my house"
As I walked up to the man, I observed the man's triumphant face, he was completely relaxed. When I reached to grab the bracelet, I simultaneously activated [Wind Dash], [Essence Boost], and [Camouflage]. My essence came alive and strengthened my body as wind essence gathered around my legs. Before Samson could make a move I jumped as hard as I could towards one of the windows behind him.
I moved much faster than I expected and smashed through the window. With my boosted body the glass shards couldn't hurt me. I landed about a hundred feet(30 meters) away from the small castle and sprinted towards the walls. As I did I heard Samson scream behind me.
"Catch that imbecile this instant"
All the guards in the estate mobilized to find me but unexpectedly, they ran right by me. Seeing this I identified a few. Many were rank 2 and the captain was rank 3. But none of held even a rank B skill.
'I've underestimated the strength of my skills it seems, with this it shouldn't be hard to get out of the city. I should have just tried my luck leaving the city the instant I got that letter'
I reached the wall in under a minute and jumped once more, launching myself over the wall. I landed with a thud on the street and sprinted away.
A few minutes later when I arrived at the Golden Pig I was starting to get tired. I checked my status as I informed the innkeeper I was ending my stay and went up the stairs to grab my stuff.
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[Magnus Witherthorn]
Rank 2 - Mortal
Essence - 50/120
Essence type - Myriad Elemental
[Strength] - 54
[Agility] - 60(+20)
[Dexterity] - 44
[Intelligence] - 48
[Spirit] - 108
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Active skills:
[A] - [Identify], [Wind Dash]
[B] - [Essence Boost],[Camouflage]
[D] - [Fire Starter]
Passive skills:
[SS] - [The Blessing of Myriad elements ]
[A] - [Greater Arithmetic Mastery], [Greater calligraphy Mastery]
[B] - [Keen Senses], [Swift Steps]
[C] - [Balance]
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'So once you absorb the essence it increases your cap and you can easily get back to it after using it, simple enough'
After leaving the inn I ran to the closest bookstore.
'I need a passive skill to hide my essence, I've only got a few minutes before they catch me and I can't stay invisible my entire life'
I asked a clerk if they had any memoirs from former spies or tales of great assassins. Being pointed in the right direction I bought as many as my pack could fit, five, and left the store. Once outside I started to run towards the gate. When I started hearing shouts behind me I went into an alley and activated my skills before sprinting at max speed towards the gate. When I reached it I jumped over the busy traffic and headed towards the forest, as I did I heard shouts to close the gate.
A few minutes later I collapsed with exhaustion inside the forest's edge. I dragged my body to its feet and trudged onwards. As I left my first residence in this new world behind I only had two thoughts.
'I was looking forward to reading some more books from the Heavenly Page, they had a great selection... And I have to admit, I'm gonna miss the innkeeper's food'
