XIV

  Kaz woke up, sunlight shining into his face from the window. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, feeling more refreshed than ever. Sure, he was sore from the past few days, but he felt physically rested. He got up from his bed, put on his slightly worn-out boots, and put on his robe, which had seen better days but was still holding up, thankfully with the hood having no damage. He gathered his bag, and made sure to look around, even though he didn’t take anything out. He sighed as he looked at the room, knowing he wouldn’t have the confidence to ask for another night here, and also, he knew he had to get to the next town so he could steer his life on the right path.

  As he walked down the creaky stairs, he wondered how he should thank the Innkeeper. He made a promise to himself to return here one day and repay the kind man for his generosity and lending him a hand when he needed it most. He strolled into the main room, and it was empty, except for Bartly, who was behind the counter polishing another tankard, and a plate of food, which had bread, cheese and some dried meat, was set in front of him.

  Bartly, hearing him coming down, looked at him, and smiled kindly to him, beckoning him over, “Good morn’ kiddo, have a seat and eat some breakfast before ya head out. It’s on the house, so don’t worry about takin’ out any more crystals of yours.”

  Kaz reluctantly sat at the counter, not wanting to take advantage of the man’s generosity, and just mumbled at him, “I’m not sure I should, sir. You’ve already gave me a meal yesterday, and I couldn’t possibly accept another meal without paying you.”

  The Innkeeper just waved his hand, the one holding the tankard, and shushed him, pointing to it and commanding him, “Eat it up, don’t say anything.” Kaz started digging in, the simple meal tasting amazing and filling him up greatly.

  “So, what’s yer story kiddo? I understand if ya don’t want to say, but it’s not normal for a young one like ya to walk alone around these parts, especially one who barely received their Calling and their Resonance being below the average of most parties who hunt in the area,” Bartly questioned him lightly.

  Freezing mid bite, Kaz was unsure how to answer him. He wanted to start spilling everything, from his Awakening, to him losing his friends, the whole town thinking he was some Demonspawn, to his journey and all his misfortunes along it. He finished chewing and took a deep breath, and began giving him a small recollection of his journey. He told him his name which was Kaz, and then about him receiving his Calling, not mentioning the beam and silver color, to how his friends left him because he was too weak, the town turning their backs on him, his encounter with the wolf, and how the Bandits robbed his crystals and few Tokens a few days ago along the road.

  The Innkeeper just leaned against the counter, trying to get eye level with Kaz as he was explaining his story. He simply nodded and didn’t interrupt him, as Kaz was just spilling his words out, obviously leaving some parts out, but he wouldn’t press him for more info. Once Kaz finished speaking, Bartly straightened up and walked around the counter and took a seat next to him, gripping his shoulder affirmatively.

  “Listen here, Kaz. You’ve been given a rough beginning to your journey, don’t let this discourage you from achieving what you want to, whether it is strength or stability. I agree with you that leaving that town was the best thing to do, but you should’ve taken a ride with some Merchant or even Farmer. Gaining a few tiers of Resonance and experience could always come later when the situation is more controlled and safer.”

  Kaz looked down shamefully and started fidgeting with his fingers, knowing that the Innkeeper had a point, just as Merin advised him at the gate. Kaz also felt a different tone coming from Bartley, as his playful tone and speaking has become more serious, which he knew to listen carefully, as he was probably someone with lots of experience, especially since he recalled from last night he had magical items for such simple things like a bath, which he knew costed more than what he could make from this inn in years.

  “But what is done has been done, you have proved to be strong willed and able to make it out there on your own. Don’t let some Bandits derail your emotions, as most of the time, they will just take your valuables, and not your life. And from what you’ve acquired from that point on, I doubt you will be needing to worry over a few special crystals. Your journey is only beginning, just keep on going strong.”

  Kaz nodded, and then Bartly asked him again, “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you hoping from walking the road? Are you looking for experience from fighting monsters, hoping to unlock your Skill Abilities and Passive Abilities?”

  Kaz nodded again, replying softly, “Yeah, I am trying to unlock more Abilities and also gain as much strength as possible, so I wouldn’t get pushed around by others anymore. If I just appeared in Sarus as a 1 Resonance Mage, nobody would take me seriously and it would be difficult to get started on my own.”

  Bartly nodded thoughtfully and advised him, “Listen here, I usually wouldn’t recommend this to anybody, but you seem capable. Along the road, when you reach a slightly rockier terrain mixed with the forest, stray into the forest. There you will start to run into Ironbark Boars, who are difficult to fight, but it will be good for a Mage like yourself, as you will have to adapt a lot. You will see a large growth spike in your Resonance and possibly unveil at least one other Ability.” Kaz nodded, absorbing this information as he brought his map, where Bartly gladly took it from him and showed him roughly the area which he should be going into.

  “And finally, before you reach Sarus, there should a be a pocket where Rock Goblins are located,” he pointed to a section a few miles away from the town, “but please be cautious, as they could be very dangerous to solo Adventures, especially one’s with low Resonance like yourself.” Kaz tried to not get offended, but he knew Bartly wasn’t being intentionally rude, just pointing out the simple fact. “You should be able to learn how to fight groups of enemies who possess at least a slight bit of intelligence, not much, but it is still there. You will also be able to loot actual Tokens from them and other valuables, which could help you get your funds somewhat prepared for simple things in Sarus.”

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  Kaz couldn’t contain his excitement at the mention of loot that could actually benefit him. Sure, the crystals were good loot, but he couldn’t use it anywhere as a currency, only after he managed to trade it in to the Guild and receive payment from it. Bartly chuckled at his enthusiasm, but quickly regained his serious demeanor, “I know you are excited, but please heed my caution, as those goblins can easily overpower you with their sheer numbers, so make sure to take on small groups that seem isolated. Since you will be closer to Sarus, you should expect other groups to be in those zones with you, but don’t rely on them to get you out of a tough situation.”

  Kaz heeded his words and promised to be cautious and not take any unnecessary risks. He put his map away and stood up, with Bartly joining him. Kaz first spoke to him, earnestly saying, “Thank you for everything, Sir Bartly. You have shown me not only great hospitality, but great advice for my Calling. I will forever remember you and will repay you one day tenfold.”

  Bartly laughed again, his laugh booming against the walls, and slapped his shoulder, causing Kaz to wince, and told him, “Yer very welcome, Kaz. Don’t worry about repaying me, as I have everythin’ I could possibly need. Just promise to visit when ya become one of the strongest Mages in our realm.”

  He slapped his back reassuringly, and handed him a bag of food rations, which appeared out of nowhere. Kaz was about to deny the supplies, but the dangerous glint in Bartly’s golden brown eyes made him rethink that. He practically ran out of the inn, excited to continue his journey, his previous misfortunes a mere thing of the past, as he was better off now, not with crystals, but with an idea to increase his Resonance. The way forward, revealed.

  He walked along the road, a pep in his step that he hasn’t had since his first day beginning his journey. He ran into a few monsters here and there, mostly Grass Slimes. He mostly ignored them, as he knew he wouldn’t receive anything from them. When he ran across the Woodspike Hedgehogs, he would engage in a fight with them, but he tried to improve his [ Mana Burst ] Ability. He was able to change the shape of his mana projectile previously, so he decided to keep on improving on that end.

  He took inspiration from the Woodspike Hedgehogs, whose simple quills managed to pierce even his thick robe and lodge themselves into his skin. He tried to shape his mana in a sharp point, and elongating it, to make it fly through the air faster. It took him many tries to get it, but each time he casted, his mana projectile became sharper and longer, which didn’t necessarily increase his damage output. It still took him between three to four attacks, if they were direct hits, to take down the Hedgehogs.

  On his thirteenth hedgehog, once he took it down with a mana projectile straight into the hedgehog’s eye, impaling into the monster’s head, he felt the familiar pulse in his head, which meant he has Ranked his Ability. He quickly opened his [ Archive ], opening all the columns to see what changes were there.

  The first thing he noticed, was that his Resonance increased to 7. Which in turn, increased his Mana Points to 68, and his Health Points to 87. He felt happy that he was back to progressing, and all it took was to try to improve his Skills, and not by fighting difficult monsters. He quickly moved, as he didn’t want to begin theorizing again on whether he should ignore weak monsters or if he should just work on improving his Skills on every monster.

  In his [ Skill Abilities ], his [ Mana Burst ] went up to Rank 11. He decided to focus on the Ability, hoping to see a change in his Ability, like a massive increase in damage as he did just make his mana projectile more efficient. Unfortunately, his damage went up only one damage point, but there was a change to the Ability. It read:

  Manifest a pure form of mana and attack an enemy, up to 30 yards. Uses 5 Mana Points per use, dealing 20 damage to Health Points. (Rank 11)

  His range increased from 25 yards to 30 yards. While he was disappointed that he didn’t get an upgrade to his damage output, he was relieved that his Abilities could improve in more ways than just damage. This also would come in handy, as the monsters that Bartly mentioned, the Ironbark Boars and Rock Goblins would require him to adapt his fighting style. The extra range would allow him time to possibly get off more attacks before they reached him, and simply just give him more time to read the encounter.

  He scanned over his [ Passive Abilities ] and checked on [ Mana Regeneration ], and thankfully that also Ranked up to Rank 9. Nothing was added besides the extra one perfect efficiency to his mana point regeneration.

  Kaz quickly closed his [ Archive ] and turned towards a tree that was roughly 30 yards away from him and cast [ Mana Burst ], and his mana projectile, now as thin and sharp as a long quill, raced towards the tree and hit it with a small thunk. He noticed his attack seemed to be faster and more accurate, but it didn’t impale deeply into the tree, only seeming to merely pierce the bark of the tree. He would have to somehow increase the impact of his mana projectile, maybe by trying to add more Mana Points to his attack? Would that even be possible?

  Mentally shrugging, he continued along the road. Kaz reached the area that Bartly noted for the Ironbark Boars, and he took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for the new monster encounter. He focused on the area around him, as he headed into the forest, in search of his first Ironbark Boar. He walked quietly, trying to be as stealthy as he could, avoiding all the dried sticks of wood and leaves. He would occasionally make a noise here and there, but there was nothing around him that he could see. He saw a flash of gray in the distance, and he began stalking the shape, trying to catch up without making too much noise to give away his presence. He finally caught up to the boar, and he was eyeing it from a healthy distance, trying to keep his breath steady as he analyzed the monster.

  It was quite big, way bulkier and taller than the wolf he encountered. Its gray and brown skin was similar to the Woodspike Hedgehog, but this boar was more grey than brown, opposite to the more brown than grey hedgehogs. The skin looked tough, as the thin hair seemed stuck in place even when the boar trotted along the forest. The part that took his attention was the two sharp tusks, which were almost as long as his arms. He then decided he didn’t want to become skewered like those meat skewers he would sometimes get from the food carts back home. Back home… He quickly shook those forming thoughts, as that wasn’t his home anymore, his new home would be Sarus.

  In his little moment, he lost track of the boar, and managed to see it in the distance, and started to chase after it. Once he got to roughly 30 yards, the boar stopped and turned toward him, its snout moving as it caught Kaz’s smell. Kaz steeled his nerves, and cast [ Mana Burst ] as the Ironbark Boar began its charge at him.