Chapter 9: Magic sense!

Lucian had gotten a well needed nights rest. After walking a full day and battling a group of bandits, his mental energy had been drained.

He woke early as the sun was still low. Lucian lowly sat up to notice that the fire from last night had gone out. There were no threats that he was aware of, and everything seemed peaceful.

Lucian then turned to look at little red, and, to his alarm, he could see that the baby goblin had grown again.

"If the little guy gets any bigger, he's gonna have to start walking." Lucian thought as he stood to his feet

It was still another two-day walk to Dragonfront, so Lucian quickly finished packing his gear before grabbing little red, who was still fast asleep.

"Guess the little guy is still tired," Lucian said as he pulled his rucksack over his shoulders and picked little red up.

Lucian had also piled the bodies of the bandits up away from the road out of sight. He was sure that some monster or animal would eat them, but the thought no longer bothered him.

This world was cold and cruel to those who weren't strong, and Lucian didn't want to feel helpless ever again.

He followed the road towards Dragonfront and made sure to stick to it. Knowing full well the dangers that could be lurking in the surrounding woods.

Little red had woken up now and made all sorts of noises as it took in every sight with awe. Eventually, Lucian stopped in what he thought was a good spot so they could have some lunch.

Today he had some cheese and crackers with some bread and more milk. It wasn't much, but little red certainly enjoyed it. The weather today was glorious, and the sun made everything seem better.

Lucian didn't rest for long and decided to plod on, packing his belongings up and marching forwards.

He didn't feel any fatigue from wearing his gear, and he was sure it was thanks to the demon lords abilities. Without it, he would never have been able to do any of the things he had done.

As Lucian and little red got further down the road, they came to a sign. It wasn't big and had two wooden arrows pointing in different directions.

One saying Dragonfront and the other saying Grenvil village. Lucian didn't know anything about the village and followed the sign that lead to Dragonfront.

The sun was high in the sky as it was after midday, and the heat was making Lucian sweat.

He pulled out his water pack and took a large sip, giving some to little red too. The little goblin was struggling with the heat, not liking it one bit.

"We might have to find some shade, eh little guy?" Lucian said, patting little red on his head.

He looked up to take in his surroundings, trying to find a good spot. He could see the large mountains in the distance. The road was little more than a dirt track with a thick forest not far on either side.

Lucian could always take cover in the shade of the trees for a little while until the weather cooled down. He really didn't have any other options, though, to be honest.

Lucian's ears suddenly pricked as he could hear the sound of a horse neighing. He turned around and could see two horses pulling a carriage about three hundred meters away, his advanced hearing picking it up as if they were right behind him.

Lucian decided to wait for the carriage and stepped to the side to make way for it.

"Wow." The man who was driving the thing said as he pulled on the reins to stop the horses.

He looked at Lucian taking in his appearance and gear.

"Well, hello there, traveller." He said with a friendly smile.

Lucian nodded as he greeted him back.

"Hello."

"You heading to Dragonfront?" The man asked.

"Yes," Lucian said, not giving anything else away.

"Well, why don't you hop on in? I've got plenty of room in the back!" The man said.

Lucian couldn't sense any ill will. However, he could hear three others in the back of the wagon.

A young man, no older than 18, hopped out of the back of the wagon. Lucian could tell by his gear that he was an adventure and a new one at that.

"Hey, is everything alright, Gilly?" The man asked, looking at Lucian and taking in his appearance.

"Everything is fine, lad, just offering this adventurer here a lift to Dragonfront."

He suddenly dropped his guard and gave a large smile.

"So you're an adventurer too! My name is Ron. I'm a copper rank. Nice to meet you." He said.

Lucian could tell by his youthful looks and new leather gear that he must not have been an adventurer for long.

The other two in the wagon also got out to see what was happening and came and stood next to Ron.

Both of them were females, one looked like she knew how to use magic by looking at her clothing, and the other was clearly a soldier.

"What's the hold-up, old man!" The soldier shouted as she crossed her arms over her steel chest plate.

"It would seem we have encountered a traveller." The other one said as she adjusted her glasses.

"Hey girls, this is... What is your name, sorry?" Ron said, remembering he hadn't asked.

"My name is Lucian."

They all looked him up and down and also noticed the little goblin he was carrying.

"You an adventurer?" The female warrior asked bluntly. Not as polite as her companion.

"Always so rude, Scarlett." The other girl with the glasses said.

"What was that four-eyes!" The one called Scarlett shouted.

"Now, now, let's just calm down," Ron said, trying to help.

Lucian couldn't believe how relaxed they all were around a stranger, and it made him wonder how easy their lives had been up until now.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lucian!" Gilly said, shutting the others up.

"Don't mind this lot. They are my bodyguards from the adventures guild escorting me to Dragonfront. As I already said, if you need a ride feel free to join us. But I understand if you don't want to." The man said as he hopped down from the driver's seat.

The other three looked at Lucian and nodded as they introduced themselves.

"My name is Scarlett. Remember it, coz one day I will be a diamond rank!"

"My name is Kal. Pleased to meet you." The other said, clearly more humble than her teammate.

"So, how about it?" Ron said, offering his hand to shake.

Lucian nodded after a moments pause and shook Ron's hand.

"Nice to meet you." He said, giving a smile.

"Alright, hop on in, Lucian!" Gilly said as he climbed back into the driver's seat.

The others also climbed back into the wagon's back, and Ron extended his hand, allowing Lucian to go before him.

He did just that as he gave Ron a nod in thanks before taking a seat. The inside of the wagon was much more comfortable than outside and was a well-needed break from the suns gaze.

Now that Lucian was close enough, he could see the small numbers displayed above each of their heads.

He decided to check them out and took a look at Ron first.

Name - Ron

Class - Human adventurer.

Skills - basic training with a sword.

Rank - 3/20 - Copper rank.

States - Strength - 5/10 - Speed - 7/10 - Intelligence - 6/10 - Magic - 1/8 - Wind.

Name - Scarlett

Class - Human adventurer.

Skills - Two-handed sword training.

Rank - 3/20 - Copper rank.

States - Strength 10/10 - Speed - 6/10 - Intelligence - 5/10 - Magic - 1/8 - Dark.

Name - Kal

Class - Human witch.

Skills - Fireball - Light healing - Holy protection. - Water bullet. - Staff training. - Magic sense.

Rank - 4/20 - Bronze rank.

States - Strength 1/10 - Speed - 3/10 - intelligence - 6/10 - Magic - 3/8 - Fire - Light - Water.

Lucian could see that Kal was stronger than the other two as she was at a higher ranking and could use three types of magic. Ron looked to be a basic swordsman, and it did not go unnoticed that he had no shield.

Scarlett was the brute of the group with her large two-handed sword. However, he was still a little confused as to how the states made sense. After all, if Kal was a bronze rank and had a strength skill at 1/10. That would still mean she had levelled her strength at bronze rank up to 10/10, making her stronger than Scarlett. Just thinking about it was starting to hurt his head when Gilly suddenly pulled a part of cloth down so he could see back into the wagon.

"So Lucian, you're an adventurer. I mean, with all that gear, you must be at least a Bronze rank." Gilly said.

The others also seemed keen to know and waited for his response.

"Actually, I'm going to Dragonfront to register with the adventures guild," Lucian said.

"So hold on, you're telling me you're not an adventurer. Even with all that gear?" Scarlett said.

The others seemed just as surprised.

"Not everything is as it seems. Lucian is indeed stronger than any of us here. Just because he isn't an adventurer yet does not mean he isn't strong." Kal said.

Lucian was surprised by her response.

"How can you tell?" He asked.

Karl smiled. "I trained all my life at the school for mages. One of the first things you get taught is how to read an opponent to see what their strengths are. It's called magic sense." She explained.

"Magic sense?" Lucian asked.

"That's right. Magic sense is an ability that allows you to look into a persons soul and see their power. Just at a glance, I can already tell you are strong. Already Iron or steel rank at least."

Lucian didn't know what any of that meant as he didn't know the order of how an adventurer was ranked.

"Yeah, that's amazing, Lucian!" Ron said.

"In case you didn't know, the ranks go as followed. Copper. Bronze. Iron. Steel. Silver. Ruby. Emerald. Gold. Titanium and finally Dimond." Kal said.

"I had no idea," Lucian admitted, feeling a little silly that he didn't know.

"Would you like me to have a look for you?" Kal asked.

Lucian nodded, deciding it wouldn't do any harm to know his own states.

Kal nodded, and she focused on him. Her eyes suddenly let up as she started using her magic, reading into his soul to see his power.

"Of my..." She said in surprise at what we saw.

Suddenly the carriage jumped into the air, and everyone inside it was propelled from their seats.

"What the hell!" Scarlett shouted.

Everyone was taken off guard, and the carriage suddenly dropped on one side as Gilly tried his best to control the horses.

"The back wheel has broken! is everyone alright?" He asked as he looked into the cab seeing everyone sprawled out all over.

Everyone got up and exited the carriage so they could take a look at the damage. Luckily nobody had been hurt.

Kal was the last to get out and gave Lucian a startled glance that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Is everything alright, Kal?" Ron asked.

Kal quickly changed her expression.

"It's nothing. We should really get this wheel fixed and be on our way." She said, changing the subject.

Ron nodded in agreement.

"I have a spare underneath," Gilly said as he bent over to look at it.

The carriage wheel had snapped clean in half after hitting a hidden dip in the road. Now the carriage was hanging down on one side, making it impossible to get to the spare without lifting the carriage up.

"I don't know how we are going to manage this one. Think you can lift it?" Gilly said to Ron and the others.

Little red had also woken up from the carriage's shock and was making noises, as usual, drawing attention.

"So that is a baby goblin. And a red one at that." Gilly said, suddenly walking over to get a better look.

Lucian was surprised he knew as he had tried to keep little red wrapped up out of sight.

"I used to sell monsters as exotic pets and slaves. I can tell this little one is worth a pretty penny. Is it yours?" Gilly asked.

Lucian nodded. "I saved it." He said.

Gilly came closer, asking if he could examine the baby to get a better look. Lucian handed little red over, much to its dismay.

"Well, well, will you look at you," Gilly said as he tickled little reds tummy, getting it to giggle.

"You have got yourself one special little goblin there. She has serious magical potential for one of her kind, that's for sure."

Lucian had to pause for a second as he heard Gilly say her.

"It's a girl?" Lucian asked.

"That's right, didn't you know!" Gilly said, laughing.

"I'd say she would fetch at least 100 gold coins if not two to the right buyer."

Ron and the others were amazed.

"Really? Why so much for a goblin?" Ron asked.

"Well, you see, lad, this here isn't just any goblin. When you have been in the monster selling game as long as I have, then you get to know a few things. You see, an ordinary goblin will have green skin. Not much special about them."

Ron nodded in understanding as he went on.

"Next, you have yellow skin. They make better fighters than the green ones seeming to improve in combat a little faster. But then you have the red-skinned goblins. Now a red skin is a goblin who has the ability to use magic among it's kind. You don't find many of them at all."

"But why such a high price?" Scarlett asked.

"Goblins make good slaves. When they evolve, they can make excellent warriors or bodyguards. Most people play them in the pits to try and win money. It's the same with most monsters you see."

"That's barbaric," Kal said, not agreeing with it at all.

"You see, when you place a magical slave seal on a creature, it can never disobey its master. If it does, it will die."

Ron nodded, and he took in all the information.

"So a red goblin can use magic?" He said.

"That's right. The fact they can use magic gives them a whole new line of evolution. making them worth a lot more money." Gilly finished.

"Say, if you help fix my wagon, I could place a seal on this one for you. Free of charge." Gilly offered.

Lucian looked at little red for a moment and then back to Gilly.

"It's not just about them not disobeying you, but once you place a seal on them, you own them, no one can steal them, and it is also against the law to have an unlicensed monster with you, so you kind of need one anyway," Gilly added.

Lucian didn't realise that there were laws about this kind of thing and decided it wouldn't hurt to so it.

"Alright, you have a deal." He said as he handed little red to Gilly to hold.

Lucian walked over to the carriage, and Ron and the others went with him.

"If we all lift together, we should be able to budge this thing," Ron said with confidence.

"No. I'll lift it. You get the wheel," Lucian said.

Scarlett spat as he said it.

"Look, pal, I don't care how strong you think you are, but there is no way you can lift that thing by yourself." She said.

Lucian squat down and grabbed the bottom of the carriage with his hands. In one smooth motion, he stood up, lifting the carriage with him, to the shock of the others.

"Well, are you going to get the wheel or not?" Lucian said after a moment.

Ron nodded as he snapped out of his trace and quickly grabbed the large wheel from underneath.

Lucian kept hold of the carriage as Scarlett and Ron put the new wheel on the slot before Lucian placed it back down slowly.

"What the hell are you?" Scarlett asked, not believing he was able to lift it by himself.

"That carriage must weigh at least

500 kilograms." Ron said, still shocked Lucian could lift it by himself.

"Hey, what did his power look like on your magic sense?" Scarlett said, noticing that Kal had been quiet all this time.

Kal snapped out of it and turned around to face Scarlett.

"It said." She said before a huge claw plucked her from the ground in an instant.

Nobody had even seen what had just happened until Ron screamed the words.

"Griffin!!!"