Finally! The North!
Sorry for the wait! Here is the chapter!
This chapter is bigger than most, however, it contains quite a bit of detail, so even though it's big, not exactly a lot happens.
You guys can tell me if this is acceptable and if you guys prefer fewer details and more story development.
And if you have your own opinions, I am here.
See ya!
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/It had been several hours since Philip entered the underground passage…/
/Fwush…/
'As Philip ran the sound being his footsteps echoed in the dark tunnel…'
'The sound of the wind being cut resounded as he ran at high speeds.'
"...My endurance is truly high, before I came to this world I would find myself tired after running half an hour in a running machine."
"But now, even with a large sword on my back and these heavy clothes, I can run for several hours at over 80Km/h and yet I feel as if I had just started."
And this is by myself if I use my techniques to run...
"In fact… I think it's safe for me to remove these right? Not like I need to run with them all of the time…" He said as he looked at his clothes
"However… It's not like removing them is going to make me run faster…"
I can barely feel their weight after all…
'After going through Dae's procedure, Philips's body has gone through a fundamental change, one that he still needs to get used to.'
"?"
'Suddenly, Philip stopped.'
"This… Is a problem…" Said Philip as he looked at the bifurcation in front of him
'He picked the map from his pocket and started to read it with the light coming from his lantern.'
"This isn't recorded… Well, fuck."
But…
'Philip turned his attention towards the ground. It was very faint, but he could see tracks on the ground.'
"I find it difficult that a caravan composed of several dozen people wouldn't leave any tracks behind… So this must be it."
However, this can't be all of it... They must've cleaned most of it.
So why leave this behind? Was it because they couldn't clean it, or is it...
"Nevertheless, this passage has been in use for years already, many Orcs were transported through this place… Damn Dwarven architecture and their sturdy roads!"
If it wasn't for that, surely… Surely there would be some traces left behind after some years of use…
After all, all of those hundreds of Orcs and slaves would've certainly left some deeper and uncleanable traces.
'Philip looked at the rock walls and activated his Scholar Skill.'
[Granitea
An artificial material, similar to concrete, that used by the ancient Dwarves for the construction of their roads.
This material was used due to its resilience and long lifetime.
However, this material can't be made anymore due to the exhaustion of the main material towards its confection, dating back to 930 years ago.
Nevertheless, this fact did not stump the Dwarves as they soon researched a substitute that was better in every single way, from its lower cost of production to its resistance.
However, it had a much lower lifetime of only a few decades, hence, greatly changing the Dwarven architecture to suit it.
...]
('...' means there is more information, but I cut since this isn't school)
"... Normally, this bifurcation wouldn't be a problem, even if I got the wrong turn my memory is so strong that I can still remember the face of every slave back in the camp."
"However… I am pressed for time, I only have five months to do several big tasks and go back to the Human territory…"
And considering how big this place is, if I miss the right passage, I would need to come back and choose the next path.
"This would make me lose several hours if not a day of travel… If I am unlucky, there might be more such bifurcations… Or even a dead end."
'Philip took another look at the map and at his environment.'
Is there any secret sign?... Considering who these guys were, I doubt they would leave anything obvious behind...
They might have memorized the right path and the map is just for reference…
"Perhaps I should've brought one of them with me... What an oversight."
I was so focused on leaving that I forgot to make some critical questions such as the path...
'Philip carefully inspected the ground until he remembered…'
"Right, if I can't decide on a path, then I can use that…" He said as he took something from his inventory
'It looked like a wooden carving of a bird…'
[Wooden Coffin
A strange, handmade coffin that contains a mummified bird inside.
In the extreme west lay a great desert, and deep in that desert, a great civilization thrived in the Great Oasis.
One day, the Oasis started to show signs of drying out.
As it dried, the nomads that lived near the Northern part of the Oasis found a cave leading to an extensive and complex cave system.
And inside, they found a small little bird, a strange creature that always led lost travelers out.
When it died, the nomads honored the creature in the best way they could, by mummifying it so it could one day reincarnate.
Despite the fact that the bird never reincarnated, the coffin still seems to guide those in its position… However, the question is to where.
]
'When Philip took the wooden carving out, he immediately let out a smile.'
"Despite this being a very morbid item, since there is a dead bird inside of it, this little trinket helped me many times when I was exploring the extensive underground…"
I ask you once again for your cooperation…
'As Philip poured a bit of his energy inside of it, the carvings' eyes started to shine…'
'The left path remained dark while the right path was illuminated.'
"The right path… It seems those faint traces were not a trap to mislead me." He said as he stored the bird back in his inventory
'Philip had many such strange and interesting items, most were useless, but some were useful in very specific situations.'
"I only hope nothing more complex arises…"
The little bird can help me choose a path, but only that.
'After stretching a bit, Philip once again went on his way, this time faster than before.'
…
/Half a day later…/
'The sun had just risen and the birds were singing, it was a day with a clear sky in the mountains…'
"COUGH COUGH! PFFT! This place has so much dust… How does it accumulate dust so fast... I mean, those guys must've passed through here a few weeks ago..."
'Philip, after running for almost an entire day straight, had finally arrived at the other side of the tunnel.'
'There were some minor complications, but nothing too great.'
'It seemed that the slave traders didn't try that hard in concealing their tracks.'
'Since in the end, the underground passages are so extensive that as long as they can make their enemy lose their way, it's enough for them.'
"And they almost made me lose my way when they made false tracks..."
'However, his journey was far from ending as he was still in the mountains…'
"From here, I just need to follow this mountain path until I arrive at the North, what a fucking adventure." He said as he smiled
Technically, I am already in the North...
"Dwarfs are a fucking crazy race, to make tunnels that extend hundreds of Kilometers underground… And to make them last for hundreds of years despite there being a lot of geological activity in this area…"
You could say this particular tunnel was being maintained somewhat, but it does not diminish their impeccable work.
"It's just a shame that I couldn't appreciate the scenery for a bit longer, it's not every day that you walk in a thousand-year-old passageway."
What was once a normal road is now an archeological treasure…
I wonder how many such places there are in this world?
'Without hesitation, Philip continued on his journey as the sun shined on his back…'
…
'Despite it being deep in the cold and snowy mountains, the environment was nothing like Earth's.'
'Everywhere Philip looked, he could see some sort of strange plant or animal.'
'Be it the pink trees that covered the snow mountains, or the strange oversized crab climbing the coky hills... It was clear that life was very resilient and diverse in this world.'
'On his way, Philip's attention was drawn towards a very familiar creature…'
"A tiger?... How cute, it's fully white… Like a polar bear." He said as he looked at the 'ferocious' tiger in front of him
'The Tiger was a terrific 1 and a half meter tall and over 3 meters long, it would be an Apex predator back on modern Earth…'
'However, despite its fangs being bigger than Philips hands…'
[Lv 23]
/GRLRLL!/
'The tiger let out a low roar as a warning towards Philip, however, the man in question completely ignored it as it looked at a white patch of snow behind the tiger.'
"That's… Ha! No wonder you are so aggressive… "
Animals tend to get super aggressive when they are in the presence of their young… Their instincts are really crazy.
Normally, I would slowly leave but…
'Philip didn't have time for that, so he just continued to walk forward!'
"ROAR!" Roared the Tiger as a last warning
'But he continued to walk…'
/SWIPE!/
'The tiger jumped forward as it swiped its claws!'
/Poof…/
'But it missed… It missed?'
'When its claws were about to hit him, Philip turned into an afterimage as he dashed past it into the patch of snow.'
'The tiger turned around to see Philip holding onto a fluffy white tiger pup.'
/Gaw… Gaw…/
'The pup was clearly in distress as it made some small cute sounds, but Philip just careessed it…'
'Before the Tiger mom could attack again, Philip dropped the tiger on the ground and continued on his way down the mountain…'
'The mother tiger was livid as it continued to gaze at Philip, she wanted to go after him, but when he ran several dozen meters away, she stopped and went back to her pup.'
…
"Finally! Green!" Said Philip out loud as he looked at the green hill in front of him
'After a day running ever since he entered the mountain path, Philip had arrived at the other side of the mountain.'
'He arrived at the North!'
"Alright, step 1 finished successfully without any trouble…" He said as he scratched his chin
"Now, time for step 2…"
I can't get employed in the academy without an identity…
A believable one at the very least, even if it is false.
So all I have to do is get an identity.
"And for that… I need to make my way towards the Academy."
Not the academy per se, but the city built next to it.
The Parad academy is the most prestiged academy for young and aspiring wizards in the world.
Not only Wizards, but other professions as well.
However, the academy is completely separated from the outside world by a series of barriers and walls.
It's only method of communication to the outside world is the city built around it, the city serves as a relay point between the academy and the outside.
The city supplies the academy with a lot of things such as materials and money while the academy supplies the city with things such as potions, magic items and tools and many more.
It's a very healthy relationship.
However… There is a lot of tension in this city.
Because there are a lot of important people that visit the academy, it's clear that the security is just as high.
However, in recent years, racial disputes have increased considerably and the pressure continues to rise…
"However, the academy never did anything to try and mediate that, or perhaps they tried, but to meager results."
Or perhaps they couldn't since this problem must be happening inside the academy as well. So their hands must be quite full dealing with that.
In the end, it all went to smithers after the war started.
"Humans are in control of the South, while their lands in the North only go up to this very academy."
They control the passage from North to South, and this academy is also, mostly in Humans's hands due to the current dean of the academy…
The 9Th tier Human Wizard, is also the only 9Th tier publicly recognized in this era.
"Despite most races looking down on Humans, the past 3 generations of Deans have all been Humans."
There is a pitiful discussion that alleges that since the previous Dean has been a Human, then he would certainly show more favor and attention towards a Human talent instead of another.
Thus leading to Human talents having more opportunities to rise further and hence, maintain this cycle.
Although this is technically true, these races have no right to say this since they did the same in previous eras.
And it's not like a 9Th tier Wizard would be born due to the fact he was being taught by one... A 9Th tier needs way more than just that to be born.
Not like they would accept that though…
"Sigh… It's all meaningless politics in the end." Said Philip as he shook his head
"Let me go over my objective real quick…"
First, I need to enter the city and then get an identity.
Then I need to apply for the Warden job and enter Parad academy.
"From there…" He said as he pondered
I will get the three Origin Orbs and go towards the Free city.
"I have two months to get the Orbs."
Dae calculated things like this:
One month would be spent traveling around the place,
Two months in the academy.
Two months in the free city.
However, I can definitely cut this one month of travel to about a few days…
That might leave me with 2 and half months for each objective...
'Satisfied, Philip picked a map and confirmed his location one more time by looking at the mountains.'
'And like that, he turned into thin mist as he dashed in the green plains…'
…
/A few more hours of running later…/
'The sun was about to set, the sky glowed in an orange hue.'
"... It's getting late." Said Philip as he looked at the sky
I've been running for close to two days straight, not to mention the fact I've fought for almost an entire day as well.
One day fighting, and almost two days running… I am hungry.
I'm impressed with my vitality and physical condition, I hadn't expected that procedure to change my body this much.
Previously, I would've definitely needed to catch my breath at least once or thrice…
'Philip saw a big tree on the horizon and decided to make a small stop there.'
…
'The tree was very big, it looked like an oversized Oaktree.'
"I can camp here." He said as he sat in front of the tree
"Hm… Not bad." He said as he relaxed
I was never a fan of camping back on Earth.
After all, there were so many things to do on the internet, why pass my time in nature.
It's not like I disliked it, no.
It's more that I couldn;t bother myself to do it.
"But in this place… I have no access to it…"
I remember some of the heroes having some psychological problems due to not being able to access the internet.
It was definitely hard to adapt, but I guess I was forced to live with no internet on the memory trial…
When you are fighting for your life every day, it gets really easy to forget about the internet…
'With that, Philip opened his main inventory and took out a bag of cookies.'
(N1)
/Chomp chomp…/
"I will eat a proper meal once I enter the city…" He said as he munched
'Philip ate for a few more minutes before he rested as he gazed at the massive moon in the sky.'
'This moon was several times bigger than the one on Earth.'
'Although he didn't know if the moon was just closer, or if it was simply massive in size…'
…
/One hour later/
"Aww… This is enough rest for now." Said Philip as he yawned
An hour is enough, I can rest when I am inside the academy.
'With a small grunt, Philip got up from the ground and started to run in the fields…'
'Like a free spirit in the wind?...'
…
'The moon rose fully into the sky and eventually disappeared giving space to the sun.'
'But Philip continued to run.'
'Despite his curiosity towards the many villages and sights he saw on his way, Philip continued to run towards the West.'
'And with two full days ever since he left the mountain path, Philip had finally arrived!'
'He was currently on top of a small hill overlooking the city below him.'
"Fucking finally..." He said as he stretched
"That's very impressive alright…" He said as he looked at the city
'Massive walls at least 50 Meters high that went far into the horizon.'
'The walls were decorated with all sorts of strange symbols that would glow during the night...'
'On top of the wall, small spires similar to lighting rods could be seen, with the every so often sights of patrol groups passing through.'
'Even the sky wasn't spared as several floating objects could be seen above the city, some big than others, and some that seemed like houses.'
'It was a massive city located in an open plain, with tall buildings and towers, the architecture was very reminiscent of Ancient Europe… But on drugs.'
'In the far distance, Philip managed to see the end of the wall and the start of another wall…'
'He couldn't see what was inside of the wall, but he could see some faint outlines of massive towers that pierced into the skies.'
"That must be the academy walls and its Dungeons…" Said Philip
As Dae said previously, Dungeon is the name given to the shell of a rather exotic living organism, the Dungeon core.
Going over it all really quickly...
After millions of years, a strange phenomenon in the Underground zone gives birth to the so-called Dungeon Core.
This new life starts to create a shell around it to protect itself, and at the same time it absorbs the energy in the surroundings to fuel this process.
As time goes on, this shell grows into an extensive system of caves and tunnels as it assimilates the area around it.
Monsters are attracted to it and they make that area their nest due to the high energy concentration.
Eventually, the cavern breaks into the surface, marking the birth of a Dungeon.
From there, the Dungeon will start to make a tower, and after thousands of years, the tower will reach the Sky zone and the Dungeon core will migrate towards it.
After it reaches the sky, another event will happen and the Dungeon Core transforms into something unknown since it was never recorded...
After it dies, it leaves behind its shell, a massive cave system with high energy concentration that continuously attracts creatures and generates new resources...
Of course, the Dungeon can still be harvested even if the core is still inside it. However, it is advised to always stay clear of the Gatekeeper. The strongest monster in the Dungeon.
"For an academy that is always in dire need of resources, a Dungeon is the perfect solution."
One of the reasons why this academy managed to thrive was exactly because of the high concentration of Dungeons in this area.
And it was also why it was built in this place.
"To get into the city, I need an identity, and to get an identity, I need to go to the black market…"
The problem is that the black market is also inside the city…
Thankfully, that bastard already thought of this…
'Philip looked towards a small village at the foot of this small hill.'
"How convenient."
That's where my ticket is.
'With that, Philip made his way downhill…'
…
'The village looked pretty simple.'
'Proper and clean stone roads, a mix of stone and wooden houses…'
'Honestly speaking, it didn't seem like a medieval village but more of a countryside village on earth.'
'It smelled fresh and there wasn't too much 'dirt' on the ground.'
'Even if it had, Philip wouldn't care as he had already arrived at his target…'
/Rest here! One night plus dinner and a bath for only…/
'Philip read the sign of the Inn and looked at the front door.'
'It seemed like any other building in the area, its only special trait was its size, being 4 floors high.'
'But Philip knew that there was a secret entrance to the city hidden inside this very Inn…'
/Creak…/
'Philip opened the door and entered the nameless Inn.'
"Hum… It's more empty than I would've imagined." He said as he entered
"It's due to how close it is to the city, most people would prefer to just walk for another half an hour and enter the city than to stay in this place." Said an old and wore out voice behind Philip
'He turned around and gazed at the old man in front of him.'
'His clothes were actually rather similar to what Philip was using right now, and this made him feel… Old.'
'Well, he was using some casual clothes he got in the Hunter's dream, and that place was indeed in a slightly older timeline compared to what he was used to.'
(Image)
'Although in this world, It is considered stylish… So this old man is quite up with the current fashion.'
"Nice to meet you, young traveler, it is not everytime that I see someone stopping by this old Inn of mine, may I inquire what you need?" Asked the kind old man as he caressed his long beard
'Philip smiled and replied:'
"Nice to meet you too, I won't be staying for long, as I have some gifts to buy, may I have something for the trip?" He asked
'The old man seemed to open his eyes a bit more and said:'
"Then please, sit anywhere you want. I will go prepare some tea." He said as he turned around
'Philip decided to sit near the stairs to the second floor.'
'He waited patiently without making any sounds.'
'Within 5 minutes, the old man came with two cups of tea and a few more boxes.'
"I forgot to ask, but do you prefer bitter tea or sweet tea?" He asked as he placed the plate on the table and pointed at the two cups of tea
"Sweet of course." Said Philip
The other one is fucking poisoned...
"Oh? You look like someone who would prefer bitter tea, no offense of course." Said the old man
"It's just an old habit of mine." Said Philip as he picked the tea up
"When I was small, there used to be a type of tea I loved." He said as he took a sip of the tea
'It was indeed very sweet and fragrant.'
"Is it common? If it is I might have it here on my old shelves." Said the old man
'Philip once again smiled…'
"Hum… I think the name was… 'Hebrery Yuo'... Would you have this particular tea?" Said Philip as he looked at the old man
"..."
'The old man was stunned for a small moment before he smiled widely.'
'This time, his gaze wasn't that of a senile old man, but it contained immense 'vitality'.'
"Yes… I do recognize this name, however, I don't remember where it was exactly, would you help me search for it?" He asked as he pointed toward a door
'Philip got up from his chair and said:'
"It would be a pleasure." He said as he put the empty tea cup back on the table
'The old man nodded with a smile and led Philip towards a back door.'
/Creeak…/
'The old man opened the door towards a small warehouse.'
"Right over here… Where did I store this?..." He mumbled to himself as he looked around the shelves
'Philip was about to take a step inside when the old man turned around and stared at him…'
'And everything went dark.'
…
"Urg…" Said Philip as he shook his head
'Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Philip woke up in a completely dark room.'
'Even with his enhanced senses, everything was completely dark, but he did not panic.'
"Instead of watching me, how about you just light something up? It is too dark…" He said towards the dark
"... Pardon my insolence as I was just curious..." Said a soothing feminine voice in the dark
/Clap…/
'With a single clapping sound, a faint light shone in the ceiling, revealing a small circular table with two chairs.'
'Behind one of the chairs was a beautiful woman, while the other chair was empty, most likely, it was for Philip.'
"No offense taken, after all, this is your job." Said Philip as he looked at the woman's face
'When he looked at her face, Philip felt even dizzier.'
'It felt as if there was some sort of force preventing him from identifying her face, trying to keep his brain away from putting her face together, however, Philip could perfectly recognize her facial features.'
'From her red flowing hair to her red lips, her face screamed beauty.'
'She had a strange mark below her right eye, that was similar to a full moon.'
'When he looked at it, he felt even dizzier.'
'If things continued like this he might actually throw up…'
"It isn't every day that we see a non-agent utilize our secret passage." Said the woman as she chuckled
"Please, do not take it as a threat, I am perfectly aware that there are ways for someone to learn of this passage. And if you approached us so openly, it means you are a client." She said as she slowly moved her hands on the table
"My name is Iu, a Great Moon rank information dealer. I shall be your host on this beautiful day." She said as she bowed toward Philip
"Great Moon? What an honor." Said Philip
"You seem well informed with our ranks, that makes things easier." She said
'Philip nodded and said:'
"Nice to meet you, my name is Philip." He said as he made his way towards the chair
"What an unusual name, well then Mr.Philip, please, take a seat." She said as she waved towards the chair
"..."
For me, your name is the unusual one…
'After sitting, Philip waited for her to start the conversation.'
"Well then Mr.Philip, what brings such a distinguished guest such as you to our humble abode?" She said
'Philip scoffed at what she said.'
"Humble? You call the main Branch of the Rings a humble place? Then what is a Noble's house? A shed?" Said Philip sarcastically
"As expected, you already know this place, nevertheless, my question does not change." She said with a thin smile
"..."
'Philip looked at the woman and thought carefully.'
The Rings, I need to proceed carefully now that I am in their home ground.
If I make a mistake, I am sure I won't be able to leave this place alive…
My senses tell me that there is something really dangerous lurking in the dark...
"May I inquire what sort of Sector you are looking for?" Asked the woman
"... The Mouth Sector." Replied Philip
The Rings are one of the few Multi-Continental organizations.
They are similar to an information dealer in those Martial arts novels.
Their hierarchy is rather complex but if I were to make it simple…
They are divided into 3 Sectors:
Mouth Sector, for tasks that involve diplomacy and documents. Things such as fake identities and information verification.
Brain Sector, for information gathering.
Hand Sector, for tasks that involve a more 'personal' take, such as escort missions, gathering missions… Assassinations… You got the gist of it.
And on top of it all, there are The Chains.
The Chains is the name given to the high echelon of the organization.
From the lowest rank to the highest rank, Great Moon is the third highest.
Being right below 'Eclipsed Moon', the rank given to the top Executives that would normally oversee operations in an entire nation and 'Moonless Sky', a title given to the topmost dog.
Normally, the higher the rank, the more capable the person is, and that usually equates to… Strength.
That's why, this woman in front of me might very well be…
A crazy monster...
"I will cut down the chase and say what I want, pardon me m'lady for being rude." Said Philip as he did a small bow
'The woman had a thin smile on her face as she said:'
"No need to be humble Mr.Philip, and also, call me Iu."
(Its pronounced, i-u)
"Well then, I came here as the last inheritor of the Polter Family will to collect our debt. I am sure you were already informed of that." Said Philip
'But she, on the other hand, looked incredibly stunned.'
"... I… Pardon me for a moment, would you give me some time?" She asked
"Go on, take your time." Said Philip as he relaxed in the chair
'The girl bowed and turned around, quickly disappearing into the shadows.'
"..."
Everything is going according to the plan.
'Philip tried to take a look around the room, but as expected, he couldn't feel anything beyond the shadows no matter how much he tried.'
'Well, he didn't try to use his mental power, but he was afraid of angering whatever was observing him in the shadows.'
'He wasn't being a coward, he was just trying to not get himself killed by being arrogant like those Martial arts protagonists.'
As I said, I should be currently within the main branch inside the City.
Phew...
Great… So I have successfully entered the city through the secret transmission array.
That old man at the Inn must've been the guard of the secret passage.
Our strange conversation was nothing short of an exchange of codes.
He wanted to know who I was, so I replied to him using the codes I got from Dae.
I have no idea what they mean, but Dae told me the agents of the Rings should recognize me as a descendant of a long-dead Family, one that in the past, did a massive favor towards The Rings.
They might be dead, but their debt still remains to be collected. And thankfully, I already know the code.
'Hebrery Yuo'... Once again, I have no idea what it means, in fact, it might not mean anything at all.
However, with this in my hands, I can collect the debt in their stead.
I will ask them to give me a fake identity… Not exactly fake since I never had one in this world to begin with.
As for the rest, I will just ask for money since I will need a lot of it in the future towards my next objective.
It might be a bit of a waste to ask for money as a reward when I could ask for much more, but currently, money is much more useful than something like an incredible weapon or knowledge.
/Step step…/
'Philip suddenly heard sounds of steps coming from the dark, it was the red-haired lady once again.'
"I hope there weren't any problems, Miss Iu." Said Philip as he gazed at the red-haired girl
"..."
'Iu was stunned when she heard Philip.'
Can he see me right now? That's impossible...
But his expression... He is looking directly at my eyes!
What about the…
Wait!? So he can see my face?
'For a split second Iu's expression twitched, and Philip noticed it immediately.'
"Did something happen, Miss Iu? You don't seem so good." Asked Philip
"... Its-Its nothing, Mister Philip, let us proceed with our previous discussion." She said as she recovered her bearings
He can definitely see me…
As expected of a descendent of the Polter Family, it seems I was a bit too rude by hiding my identity…
That fucking old man! Why didn't he warn me about this beforehand?!
'As she thought that, she lifted her hand and wiped out the symbol on her face below her right eye.'
"Pardon me for my previous rudeness." She said as she recovered her serious expression
"I will not take any more of your time Mr.Philip, your identity has been confirmed, so please, tell me what can we do for the Polter Family?" She asked
'Philip blinked his eyes as he realized that the dizziness he previously felt was slowly vanishing, in a much better mood he said:'
"I will be brief with you then, I am in need of an identity and a large amount of gold. That's all." Said Philip
"?"
Is that… All?
Gold and a… New identity??
Is there something…
"!"
'The girl's thoughts were suddenly cut as she heard a command inside her head.'
"I understand Mr Philip, we will provide you with all of the papers needed, and I can guarantee that they will be all official documents."
"However, there are many sorts of documents that can be acquired in the North, may I ask what sort of documents you need?" She asked
"Yes of course. I need all the documents that are required in order to enroll in the Parad academy, be it as a teacher or as a student."
"I would also be thankful if you could provide me with other types of documentation such as an adventurer badge." Said Philip as he tapped on the table
'The woman immediately nodded and said:'
"That's pretty simple to get, we will get everything ready by today." She said
"Also, if it's possible, may you provide us with some basic information?" She asked
"Like what?"
"Would you like a new name? Or to be a Noble perhaps? To be from a specific area?..." She said as she started to say a long list of questions
'Philip was surprised, but he couldn't help but be in awe at their capability.'
"Alright then, I will keep my name, there is no need to change it." Said Philip
You might think, isn't this reckless?
After all, can't the enemies… You know, track me with my name?
Yes, they can. But at the same time, I won't be returning to the North anytime soon.
And if there comes a moment where I want to be hidden, then I can just change my name.
Even if they learn my name, what are they going to do? Threaten me with my Family? Good fucking luck as they are now on another planet!
Or perhaps, are they going to question the Human kingdom?
In the first place, why would they do that? There is nothing apart from the Princess right now that knows of my relation to the Crown, and second of all…
I doubt the Crown would release any sort of information relating to their Heroes and internal affairs.
It would make them seem weak.
'With that out of the way, Philip started to sort out his identity with the lady, and half an hour later, he was guided out of the room by Iu.'
'As Philip stretched and inhaled the air of the city, the door behind him closed.'
…
/Back in the dark room…/
"What do you think of him?" Asked Iu
"He seems like a cheerful youth." Said an old voice
'From the shadows, the same old man from the Inn appeared, he chuckled as he made his way towards the girl.'
"I am not asking that!" She said with a slight pout
"Now now, no need to have this sort of reaction when talking with your own grandparent right?" Said the old man as he smiled
"How was dealing with your first VIP client?" Asked the old man with a sly smile
'But the girl wasn't taking it today.'
"Stop it, grandpa! I have already dealt with many VIP'S before! And also, why didn't you!..." Said the girl as she used a handkerchief to properly clean her face from the magic dust
Today I was caught off guard! He actually saw my face…
'The old man looked at his young granddaughter and smiled. He knew exactly what was going on inside her head.'
"Those buffoons were nothing close to a true VIP… Listen to me, do you truly think that those guys were VIP's? They only had money and a bit of power." Said the old man
"If you want to take my place one day, then you need to be prepared to deal with these seemingly nameless clients, the people who hide themselves."
"To have the ability to discern…" Said the old man as he scratched his chin
That's why I didn't say anything hehehe... How could I lose the opportunity to see my grandaughter make such mistakes...
"After all, because of your lack of vision, he saw your face didn't he?" Said the old man as he smiled and caressed his beard
"You could've warned me of that!" She said
"Hohoho… But then, you wouldn't learn." Said the old man as he ignored her granddaughter pinching his sides
"But… How did he see through the camouflage?" She asked
"... There are many ways of doing that but… My bet is that his raw mind strength is so high that these illusions are completely useless against him."
"You noticed yourself how he partially resisted this room's effects." Said the old man
"... But is that even possible?" She asked
"Of course it is… It would only require a massive amount of mind power…"
Or a very solid mind.
'The old man went into deep thought, but in the end, he smiled in amusement.'
"Young people these days are just as scary as back in my day." He said as he turned around and went back to the shadows
Or I might be getting old, how could such a young man detect me otherwise?
Hum... It's definitely the first option, how could I be getting old?
"Where are you going?! Come back here!" Said the young lady
'But then a man clad in shadows appeared and whispered something to her.'
'The woman immediately recovered her serious face and took out a mirror from her pocket.'
'Within a second, the mirror flashed and another mark appeared below her right eye.'
'It was time to welcome another client…'
…
.
.
.
Notes
N1
For those that forgot, he has 2 inventories, the one from his Class and another one he got since he is a 'Hero'.
His hero inventory is much smaller than his other one since the one from his class is seemingly infinite with its only limitation being the maximum amount of items per stack he can store.
For example, he can store 999 of the same type of bullet but that's the limit.
So unless he made another type of bullet, he wouldn't be able to store more.