6 Chapter 6 - On the road

As I left the tavern, I thought about my next move.

'Staying here any longer is a bad idea. Even if the Lord doesn't care, other nobles are bound to want to know who killed Samson. And I want to be long gone before they find out'

I quickened my steps to a nearby tailor and bought a large travel pack, then headed to a general store and stocked up on dry rations. My last stop before leaving was the Heavenly page. The gold I had taken from Samson was worth a small fortune, and I planned to spend most of it on books. Once inside, instead of just grabbing a book that interested me, I searched for books that I thought would give me useful skills.

'For now, I should focus on speed and stealth. If I can't take out an enemy in a few minutes, I'll just run away'

I spent over fifty gold on 20 books that I stacked in my new bag and made my way to the gate. Once there, I activated [Camouflage] and made my way past the guards. When the road entered the forest I deactivated my skill and leaned against a nearby tree.

'This road leads right to the Royal Avenue, which I can take to the capital of the Warren Kingdom, Dragon's Perch. The royal library there is said to be the largest collection of books on this side of the continent. With my pace, I should get there in just under two weeks'

With my destination decided, I turned away from Sapianas Cognities and walked off.

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For the next few days, the weather stayed fair and I covered a good distance. I read while walking and before I slept, picking up some good skills and discarding others. I ran into my first bit of trouble six days into my journey. I had just left a small village and was a few miles down the road when a group of bandits jumped out of the tree line and surrounded me. I used identify and found that none of them had any essence. A huge woman with a large curved saber stepped out of the group and threatened me.

"Alright kid, we both know what's gonna happen. You hand over the gold and we don't skin you"

I sighed because of the textbook speech.

"I recommend that you walk away, I don't want to have to kill you"

"Wrong choice kid"

'Petty villains never have much sense, do they?'

The woman took a wide diagonal swing at me with her saber. I caught her wrist with my right hand and severed the arteries in her neck with the dagger I conjured in my left. With this, one of the surrounding bandits seemed to realize what they had gotten themselves into.

"Shit, he's an ascender. We need to get the hell out of here"

"Oh come on, he's just one kid, even if he has a bit of power do you really think he can take all of us? Come on boys, let's gut him!"

A few of the bandits seemed to have a bit of common sense and dashed off into the forest. The rest sealed their fate as the charged at me with their weapons drawn. I dodged many of the attacks and blocked others by pushing away the sword arms of the wielders. Every timed I blocked an attack I moved in close and slit the assailant's throat. Within a few minutes, a dozen bandits laid dead at my feet, each defeated in a single strike. My movements held far more finesse that they did when I fought the thieves in the city because of a new skill I had picked up.

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[Higher Close Quarters Combat Mastery]

Rank B

You know your way around combat and can easily dispatch untrained opponents. Your movements are fluid and your eyes can follow attacks.

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I was surprised when I first got the skill, it felt like I had trained for years in combat. With this skill combined with my essence and [Keen Senses] I could almost predict where the bandits would move.

After the initial rush, the remaining bandits stepped back and observed me with caution. A few ran off into the forest, and then a few more. Within a minute the only bandit left standing was the one who had ordered the attack. He hesitated a moment before speaking and raising his weapon once more.

"I'm no cowa-"

Before he could finish, he fell to the ground choking on his own blood. I took some gold off the bandits' corpses before continuing my march towards the capital.

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As I got closer to the capital I started to notice something strange. Villagers seemed to be reserved and suspicious of any outsiders. Many times small inns turned me away after realizing I was a traveler. When I arrived at a larger town I decided to get some answers.

As I approached the gate, three guards leveled their pikes to my chest and one approached me.

"Identification"

I pulled out the papers I had acquired in Sapianas Cognities and let the guard inspect them. After confirming their authenticity he asked me another question.

"What is your business here?"

"I'm traveling to the capital and am stopping here to resupply and have a warm meal"

The guard considered my statement and observed my possessions before signaling to the other guards to let me through. They eyed me suspiciously until I was out of their sight.

'Something is definitely going on, those guards were needlessly hostile. I need information, which means I need a tavern'

As I searched for a tavern I observed the town and its citizens. Unlike Sapianas Cognities, the roads were almost empty. Only a few scattered stalls were selling their wares, but none of them called out loudly to people as they passed. After a few minutes, I found a respectable-looking tavern, The Drunkard's Nest.

Opening the front door revealed a quaint interior composed of wooden tables and a large bar. A few people sat scattered around, but there were none of the usual commotions one would expect of such an establishment. Behind the Bar sat an old man thumbing through an even older book.

I approached the bar and sat right across from the old man, placing a gold coin on the worn wooden surface.

"I'll take your heartiest meal"

The man glanced at the coin for a moment before grabbing it and calling out behind him.

"Patrica, a large rabbit stew and a mug of ale, be generous"

Sounds of cooking could soon be heard as the man turned back to me and continued to talk.

"Alright kid, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to know why everyone in this region is so... glum"

The man was silent for a moment before letting out a bright laugh.

"Hahaha, glum, glum you say? Yes, I suppose you could call it that. A war is brewing in the north, taxes have been hired and every able body soul has been recruited. People have been dragged away from their families, many to never return"

I could see pain in his eyes as he said those last words, his children had probably been taken too. But it soon vanished as he turned back to his book. 10 minutes later my food arrived.

'A war huh? Can't say I expected that. But even so, the capital is three weeks' travel from the northern border. If the Warren kingdom lost I'd be long gone before an army made it all the way there. And the Warren kingdom's military is quite famous. I'll stick to my plans for now'

I practically inhaled the stew. It seemed that the more essence I absorbed the bigger my appetite grew. After eating I grabbed a room in a nearby inn and pulled out one of the books I hadn't read yet, [Sky Sovereign]. It was the story of a boy that had always wanted to fly. One day he climbed a mountain to get closer to the sky, but at the peak, he met a dragon. The dragon was lonely and the boy happily agreed to be its friend. Over the next few years the boy learned how to control the wind from the dragon, but one day he was kidnapped. The boy went on a long journey to get his friend back and along the way became known as the sky sovereign. It was a good read with interesting characters. Content, I closed the book and looked at my new skill.

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[Sky Steps]

Rank S

Condense air essence into solid platforms that can be used to run through the sky.

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'Rank S skills don't disappoint. With this, I can easily get away from most enemies, and it will work well for dodging and attacking from strange angles. Satisfied with my new skill, I lay down on my bed and fell asleep.

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The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. I ran into a few more bandit groups, but they all scattered when I walked into the air. I was on my 15th book when Dragon's Perch came into view. Calling the city massive was an understatement. The red walls stretched hundreds of feet into the air and a mile to each side. Thousands of buildings surrounded the walls and were bustling with activity. A constant stream of people and carriages moved through the huge gates.

'I suppose this is to expected of a capital city, the population is supposed to be in the millions'

I picked up my pace and headed for the gate. The guards seemed unconcerned about the people moving in and out of the city, not even stopping me to check my identification.

'Either they don't want to slow down traffic or they have some other means of inspection. I'd bet on the latter'

The city behind the walls was even busier than the one outside. The wide streets were packed full of pedestrians and stalls. With the walls, no one seemed concerned about the coming war. Many of the merchants I passed even seemed excited about the profits they could make.

I walked straight down the main road, I wanted to check out the library before I found lodging. The crowd thinned out as I proceeded until there were only a few luxury carriages on the road. I spotted the royal library easily, as it was the grandest building I had ever seen. Ten stories tall and entirely silver and red, it looked like some sort of heavenly palace. As I approached the door I was stopped by two guards in glowing silver plate mail.

"Please present your seal"

"Seal?"

"If you don't have a seal, step back"

I looked into the guards' sharp eyes before stepping back and walking away.

'Man this sucks, none of the guides mentioned that you need special authorization to enter the library. There's definitely books in there I can't get elsewhere'

Disappointed, I started to head back to the outer edge of the city to find a place to spend the night. But I was stopped by a young woman covered in black leather. The instant I saw here, one of my new skills, [Danger Sense], warned me. This woman was in trouble. I quickly activated [Essence Boost], [Reinforcement], and [Higher Speed Enhancement] before identifying her.

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[Sophia Rose]

Rank 4 - Mortal

-skill is being blocked by an outside force, more information can not be retrieved

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Noticing me tensing in preparation for a fight she smiled.

"No need to be on edge, I have no reason to attack you, yet"

"And who might you be?"

"Me? There's no need for you to know that. But you, on the other hand, I do need to know who you are. Answer me, were you sent by Palence?"

"Palence? Not at all, I came here from Sapianas Cognities. What, do you think I'm a spy?"

"Precisely, you look just the type. Alone, gloomy face, steps that are too light, and movements that are far too fluid. But looking at your reaction it seems I was incorrect"

With this, her aura of danger faded away and she continued to speak in a lighter tone.

"With that out of the way, what do you say about joining the military? You'd fit right in with the special forces."

"No thank yo-"

"It can get you access to the Royal Library"

At that I paused.

'I have no interest in getting involved with a war, but I highly doubt I'd get another chance at the library. I've been getting stronger incredibly quickly, and I don't plan on slowing down any time soon. If I plan on being unbeatable, I need real experience. And there's no better place to get that then a battlefield. If worst comes to worst I can always run'

With my mind made up I looked Sophia in the eyes and spoke.

"What are the terms?"

"A minimum of half a year of service. Lodging will be provided in the barracks. 70 gold a month with bonuses and special rewards for completed missions. When your rank in the force goes up, so does your pay and privileges"

'I made more money as a secretary, but this seems plenty reasonably. Especially considering she hasn't even tested my ability yet'

"Deal"

"Well then, follow me!"

And after being in this new world for less than a month, I prepared to join a war.