"You seem quite happy with those missions, may I ask why?" the receptionist asked, her hands placed on her knee, leaning forward with keen eagerness in her eyes.
The air was heavy with the glow of the morning sun, the orange light flooding the entire room. This constant illumination brought the receptionist's golden-orange hair to life, while the same rays scattered into brilliant pinpricks when they hit her emerald eyes.
This was when Alvar noticed it.
This surpasses the beauty standards I had by miles; she looks unreal.
[JUST NOW YOU NOTICED HOW SHE LOOKED? ARE YOU ILL?] the system popped up.
Somehow, yeah. She is probably the third person I've seen with emerald eyes in person. She is the most beautiful, I can't lie.
[REGARDLESS, ANSWER HER QUESTION; SHE IS WAITING.]
"Uhh, I thought it would be a nice spot to train after I complete the daily quota, of course!"
"Oh, that makes sense," she said, then tilted her head slightly, her eyes running over him for a moment. Her gaze lingered on his cheekbones for a second too long—a quick, dismissive appraisal of his pale, slim features.
"Impressive!!!" she muttered under her breath, a reaction that clashed sharply with the neutral, almost bored expression she still wore.
He heard what had escaped her lips. Regardless of what she truly felt inside—a mystery he didn't care to solve—his chest immediately swelled with pride, and he fought hard to restrain the smile threatening to escape his lips.
Compliments were his weakness.
He accepted the map from her hands and stepped out, whistling lightly to himself. The city streets stretched ahead. Based on the roads and turns he had memorized, he was having a great time traversing the town.
For a moment he called out, "System!" then the whole status rolled up like before.
Night Vision: (Level 3) — Can see much clearly in the dark, but not in detail as when the lights are on.
Shock: (Level 2)
Fire Blast: (Level 5-9)
Scale Armor: (Level 5-7)
Fire Breath: (Level 4)
Fire Bomb: (Level 2)
The first number on the list was the level of the skill he had now—it was downgraded since his body wasn't strong enough.Even to use the skill Fire Blast at level 5 he would need to train in magic; otherwise he would be using his vitality like before.
He needed about a month or so of magic training before he returned to his prime, the second number.
As for the skills like Fire Breath and Fire Bomb, as long as he didn't use them to their full potential, he would be fine.They were specifically skills acquired from the giant lizard he had slain.
"What is Fire Bomb? System?"
[YOU CAN TOUCH AN OBJECT AND MAKE IT DETONATABLE, OR USE YOUR PALMS AS A HEAT SOURCE TO LIQUEFY ANYTHING OR TOUCH ANYTHING RELATED TO FIRE. AS LONG AS YOUR LEVEL IS NOT BENEATH THE SPELL. THE FIRE BREATH SKILL NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION.]
"That is sweet. Can I use it now?"
[NO!]
A specific skill, in his case, necessitated a monster essence and a fuel source—specifically mana—to manifest. The monster essence determined the nature of the skill. For instance, an electric plant A yielded an electric skill A.
This implied that if the electric plant were replaced with an electric animal, the resulting skill would be different. However, due to the inherent nature of magic, these skills could still indirectly influence one another.
To put this unique training to the test, the contracts he had accepted were a perfect choice.
The missions he chose from the guild were active hunting quests for wild boar and fish.A simple mission that didn't need much effort, but for someone with his skills, it was a rich opportunity for training.
***
Barely a kilometer away from town lay a forest habitat bisected by a cliff. The mission lay just at the entrance of the forest, accessible after crossing a narrow rope bridge. The air felt humid and calm; the voices of nature seemed different, as if their tone changed every so often. It had the feeling of an alien ecosystem, which, in a way, it was.
And just a stone's throw away to the west was a lake and a village of fishers that lived beside it.
A small crowd had gathered at the dock, their usual morning banter replaced by a hushed, incredulous murmur.
It was Alvar, submerged completely in the shimmering lake, his head occasionally breaking the surface with a splash. Each time he plunged under, a violent ripple pulsed outward, followed by a faint crackle that carried across the water.
Then, with a grunt of effort, he'd resurface, a writhing, sparking electric eel clutched firmly in one hand.
The water covered his whole body, delineating his bone structure, forming a sharp outline of his ribs.
He had shorts on and nothing on the top except a small cloth wrapped around his right arm all the way to his palm, looking out of place.
He pulled himself onto the dock, his shorts dripping water, his pale skin and prominent cheekbones a sight that could leave an undead dazed. He threaded his way through the cluster of well-built fishermen.
He shook off the water, approached the cart, and put the eel inside with its brethren before returning to the water. After the fifth catch, he went to the barrels and electrocuted the eels, killing them.
"Whoa, so he really is a lightning mage…" one fisherman exclaimed. "And an F-rank? No way."
He caught six more rounds, bringing his total to thirty eels neatly packed in three barrels stacked on a loaned cart.
When he finally climbed out again, a boy no older than ten stepped forward, eyes wide with excitement.
"Wow… how… how did you do that?" the boy stammered.
Alvar scratched his damp hair, a sheepish grin forming. "Uh… I'm lightning type. I don't get shocked by anything weaker than me, so—kinda makes fishing easier."
"Wow, that is so cool! What other magic spells can you do?"
Alvar was split on whether to show the kid he could use fire magic too when—
[IT WOULD BE WISE NOT TO SHOW OFF MUCH HERE.]
"Well, since I'm an F-rank, I can't do much. But what's your name, kid?"
"My name is Tibo; that is my grandpa. I am helping him hunt."
"Alvar Walter." He offered a handshake out of habit.
"Are E-ranks much cooler than you are?" the boy asked.
"Yes, but I can say I am the coolest F-rank there is."
"Whoa."
"I wanna see you do that again! You're coming back tomorrow, right?"
"Sure," Alvar replied, tucking the barrels onto the cart. "I'll be here a few days each week."
Tibo's eyes sparkled as he followed him to the edge of the dock, yelling excitedly, "Bye!!!"
After a few minutes of pulling the cart, Alvar rolled down the cloth from his right hand and started scratching the itch.
"Ahhh, I thought the downgrade was not that bad for this skill at the very least, but I feel the sting quite a bit."
[WELL, THE SCALE ARMOR SKILL STILL PROTECTED YOU FROM GETTING ELECTROCUTED TO DEATH AND EVEN SAVED US A BIT OF TIME.]
[NOT TO MENTION: PING!!! SKILL 'SHOCK DANCE' ACQUIRED, LEVEL 2.]
"Can you even come up with a creative name for the skills, please? Okay, tell me what it does."
[''SHOCK DANCE' IS A SMALL-RANGE AOE ATTACK THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE CONTACT TO WORK. AS LONG AS THERE IS OXYGEN, IT WILL SPREAD.]
"Seems quite cool."
[NOW THAT WE HAVE ACQUIRED THIS, LET'S GET INTO MAGIC TRAINING USING THE BOOKS WE PURCHASED. MIND YOU, YOU ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS A 10-YEAR-OLD NOBLE RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF MAGIC KNOWLEDGE, OR LESS.]
"…"
"And you are the same, are you not?"
[...]
*** IN A TOWN NEARBY!!!***
"So you are saying we don't know where all these goblin corpses came from, and now there's more?"
"Yes, sir. This one was a hobgoblin. They are all dungeon monsters—or we think they are right now!"