Chapter 19: adventurer
Anyway, by now, whether it was the Forest Sprites or the members of the Voldemort Mercenary Group’s Fourth Squad, everyone had already come to regard Mo Tan as the hero who saved them all that day, even though this ‘hero’ himself had less detailed knowledge of the event than any of the actual participants…
However, only these NPCs would think this way. Gale Se恩, who was also a witness that day, might not. After all, he was a genuine player, and the idea of being able to instantly kill hundreds of monsters on the first day of an F2P game was simply unrealistic. Unfortunately, Mo Tan had no way to ask him for verification now. It wasn't that the other party had parted ways with the caravan early; he was probably just offline…
Mag said he hadn't seen the 'elusive' kid since last night.
“Alright, I think I have a rough idea.” Mo Tan casually brushed off the matter of his suspected power-up, stretched lazily, and then asked Mag, “Where are we right now?”
“Anka Market.” The Dwarf looked at Mo Tan strangely. “The Forest Sprite caravan will rest here for a few days, then continue west to Tian Zhu Mountain. Is there a problem?”
Of course there was a problem; Mo Tan’s mind was practically overflowing with questions right now, but he couldn’t ask them freely. He could only follow Mag’s lead and continue, “When do we set off?”
“We?” Mag was stunned for a long time before he pointed at Mo Tan’s head with some concern. “Wasn’t your original destination Anka Market? And that kid named Se kindness too…”
Alright, Mo Tan understood now. It turned out the system had arranged for him to come to this place from the beginning, as a traveler catching a ride.
So, that question just now naturally made Mag feel strange. By now, he was probably suspecting that Mo Tan had suffered some kind of ‘brain damage’ backlash…
“I seem to have forgotten a lot of things since I woke up.” Mo Tan gave an embarrassed smile. “Although my body is fine, many things in my memory are very blurry.”
Mag grinned and quipped, “That sounds a lot like those stage plays that are very popular among human nobles. I watched one once, and it was really interesting~”
“Stage plays?” Mo Tan was taken aback and subconsciously asked, “What are they about? Are they interesting?”
“Super interesting!” The Dwarf gesticulated wildly. “I heard the most popular ones now are romance plays—things like noble girls and poor boys, rich merchant young masters and beggar girls. Anyway, they fall in love, and then something always goes wrong. Like getting accidentally hit by a Mad Rush and losing their memory, or being diagnosed with an incurable disease that even the Pope can’t solve, or the rich family suddenly losing everything to a Thief and going bankrupt, or finding out they’re not biological children. They’re all really funny!”
Mo Tan was already sweating by the time he heard this…
“And that’s not all!” Mag said excitedly. “Although the one I watched with Ironhammer only had amnesia, incurable diseases, and illegitimate children, I heard that a few years ago, plays were popular where a noble young man fell in love with a bunch of girls, only to find out they were all his half-sisters from his father’s side or his mother’s side…”
Mo Tan no longer intended to let this widely interested Dwarf brother continue speaking. He quickly nodded vigorously to interrupt him. “I understand, I understand! I’m just from a small place and wanted to travel around and broaden my horizons. That’s why I came to Anka this time. Brother Mag, how about you give me a rundown of the local customs and traditions…?”
【It’s fine if you don’t, but at least don’t let me play a game and still be drowned in that melodramatic culture!】
This was his inner wail…
“Small place…” Mag suddenly looked at the tail behind Mo Tan and asked, “You shouldn’t be a reptilian Half-Orc, should you?”
Mo Tan shook his head honestly and replied, “I should be considered a Half-Dragon.”
Mag was silent for a moment after hearing this, then sighed, patted Mo Tan’s shoulder, and muttered, “No wonder…”
But he didn't continue, seemingly not wanting to stir up some painful memories for Mo Tan. He simply pulled out a somewhat tattered notebook from his Pregnant and handed it over.
“This is…” Mo Tan reached out and took the Black-Skin notebook, which smelled heavily of alcohol. He looked down at it and was immediately overjoyed, asking Mag hopefully, “Can I borrow it to read?!”
【Mag’s adventurer’s Log】
Quality: Unique Common
Usage: Read
【Note: The Dwarf Warrior Mag Rotiron’s notebook, containing a large amount of adventurer knowledge and a simple map of the Northwest continent, as well as a small number of herbal recipes, edible parts of common monsters, and basic wilderness survival knowledge. Finally, for the player’s physical and mental health, we strongly! Strongly! Strongly! Strongly advise against the owner of this notebook opening pages 77-82, otherwise all consequences will be borne by the player themselves.】
Although some strange things seemed to have crept in, Mo Tan still realized the value of this adventurer’s Log to a novice player like himself. It was irreplaceable—common sense!
With the game’s official sources providing no reliable information, players were virtually struggling in the early stages of the game. No one knew which sentence would offend someone’s taboos, or which action would be considered heresy. Especially in Innocent World, where NPCs were very intelligent, many careless players had already paid the price for various inappropriate behaviors.
Even in the real world, humans of the same race can fight each other fiercely over various taboos, beliefs, and customs. People with the same skin color and language can even burn or kill others as ‘heretics’ without batting an eye, let alone in this vast, strange, and diverse fantasy world of a hundred races.
Although many fundamental basics might not be recorded in Mag’s log, it was still precious enough for Mo Tan.
“It’s for you.” The Dwarf smiled at Mo Tan, who had been startled and then seemed to hesitate to speak. “Don’t be quick to refuse. I’ve almost memorized everything in it; I could write a new one in minutes. Since you said you want to travel and gain some experience, this log should be of some help. Consider it a repayment for what you did before.”
After hearing this, Mo Tan no longer stood on ceremony. He carefully put away the 【Mag’s adventurer’s Log】 and solemnly said to Mag, “I will definitely keep it safe, friend.”
“Oh, right!” Mag’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he said to Mo Tan, “Are you interested in becoming a mercenary?”
…
Ten minutes later, Mo Tan stood before the main gate of the Adventurers' Guild headquarters in Anka Market, clad in fine quality white iron chainmail, with a black steel longsword enchanted with basic magic at his waist, smiling radiantly.
He couldn't forget the old priest by Daming Lake who had forced him to buy a ‘cost price’ scripture for 20 copper coins.
He couldn't forget the sight of endless white with green whenever he played games involving opening boxes or packs.
He couldn't forget the first card in his right hand in card games, which always went against him.
He couldn't forget the countless times he lost looting rights after suddenly going offline due to personality shifts.
Anyway, whenever he played a game involving luck, even if he went online to play Fight the Landlord because he didn't believe in evil, Mo Tan was always the deepest ‘pit within a pit’ and the unluckiest ‘Chief’!
And now…
“Finally!” Mo Tan clenched his fists lightly, his eyes brimming with tears as he exclaimed, “My luck has finally turned around!!”
The lawful good Mo, with less than three hours of total online time, possessed luck as if he had plunged his entire head into the skirt of the goddess of fortune. Not only did he acquire the adventurer’s Log, which was extremely valuable for a novice, but Mag, upon learning of his intention to become a mercenary, also forcibly gave him a complete set of excellent quality equipment. If it weren’t for his current low professional level and various abilities, he might have received even more…
And that wasn't all!
Mag also taught him two of his favorite combat techniques, commonly known as skills among players.
【Mad Rush】
Weapon-based active skill
Mastery Requirements: Any Weapon Mastery Level 1, Strength 7
Cost/Restriction: 50 Stamina, must hold a melee weapon
Effect: Charge headfirst towards a designated location within 8-20 meters of yourself. Upon reaching the target location, unleash a guaranteed critical heavy attack on the nearest enemy unit. All damage taken during the Charge is increased by 20%, but you will not be affected by any slowing, rooting, or stunning effects. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
【Note: While a Charge with sparks and lightning is cool, on the battlefield, the true romance for a man is to run like hell, forgetting even his own mother. Whether attacking or fleeing, always move with the mindset that ‘a Goblin High-Explosive Rocket is chasing me’!】
With this skill, plus the ‘Charge Slam’ he learned after choosing the Warrior class, his instant mobility could even surpass that of Rangers and Thieves of the same level…
Provided there were such bored Level 1 Rangers or Thieves interested in racing him.
In short, Mo Tan could now proudly boast, “I’m fast~!”
Then the second one…
【Voldemort】
Passive Skill
Mastery Requirements: None
Cost/Restriction: None
Effect: While stationary (this condition is not required when in high-density cover), if you maintain your absolute height below 1.5 meters for 10 seconds, you will become harder to detect until you exceed that height, and your next attack will deal 20% increased damage. Cooldown: 1 minute.
【Note: Hey! Is it cool standing so high? You deaf and blind one in front, eat my great Avada Kedavra!】
This was a technique Mag himself was very fond of. Although it wasn't as easy for Mo Tan, it was still a very practical passive skill. In Mag's words, if bending over all the time was too tiring, lying down or kneeling was fine, just try to avoid doing so in crowded places, as it still hurt quite a bit when stepped on…
In any case, since the person in Charge on the Forest Sprite side was temporarily absent, and Mo Tan's physical condition looked good, Mag readily let him go out for a stroll.
Mo Tan's first order of business was to register as an adventurer.
…
Anka Market is located in the Northwest of the continent. Although it is called a market, its area is large enough to contain two Dieyan Cities. Due to its unique geographical advantages, Anka Market, situated on a vital transportation route, sees a constant flow of merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, and various other individuals every day. In an era where bartering is still prevalent, this area, which belongs to a lawless zone, gradually developed into the Northwest’s commercial hub. Over time, it formed into this influential, large-scale ‘market’.
The two major merchant guilds of the Innocent Continent, numerous religious factions, and ubiquitous Mage Guilds, Adventurers' Guilds, and Mercenary Associations all have large branch offices here. The latter two are the largest in scale, and the Adventurers' Guild and Mercenary Association’s Anka branches, which have always complemented each other, can almost be considered one of the landmark buildings here.
This also allowed Mo Tan to find his first stop with almost no effort…
Adventurers' Guild — Anka Branch
This building, covering an area of nearly one square kilometer and constructed entirely from blue-gray rock, is located in the northern district of Anka Market. This hexagonal structure, resembling an ancient Roman Arena, lacks the luxury of a palace, the grandeur of a castle, or the solemnity of a church, yet it possesses a wild and uninhibled aura. Although using the word ‘aura’ for a building might seem strange, it feels perfectly natural…
Beside the eternally open Pioneer’s Gate of the Guild, two colossal statues stand. One is a hunched, long-bearded Dwarf Mage, and the other is a humanoid figure with a spear, broadsword, hunting bow, and heavy shield on its back, holding a torch in one hand and a map in the other.
Mo Tan slowly walked to the Pioneer’s Gate and looked up…
The Dwarf Mage held a giant book in his hands, with a lifelike quill pen standing upright on it, seemingly writing something automatically. His other hand leaned on a silver staff, whose magnified carvings shimmered with a rainbow glow, illuminating his master’s wrinkled face, which had been touched by the winds of time.
At the base, a small inscription read: 【To the great Pioneer, President Gary. Anquan, who sleeps eternally on the journey of exploring the endless unknown, your light of hope shall be passed down through generations by us. The writing of the Book of Returners shall never cease until all thorns in this world are cleared by our hands.】
“I salute you…” Mo Tan looked at the giant statue, whose downcast eyes seemed to be contemplating something, and bowed slightly in respect. Then he walked to the other statue in front of the gate.
This statue, which looked like a Weapons Master, had no discernible face. Its figure appeared exhausted, with many features that could indicate gender or even racial characteristics cleverly hidden beneath its equipment. Many parts were adorned with dark red ‘bloodstains,’ yet it seemed to stubbornly want to take another step…
【Salute yourselves.】
Below it were only these seven short words, yet they spoke volumes.
This was not a statue, but a mirror…
A mirror in which every adventurer could see themselves.
Chapter 18: End