Chapter 25
When the meeting is over, I leave the building and walk four streets away from the location. Hiding in a shadowed alley, I press my thumb onto the token. A door opens, and I’m immediately pulled into the proto-realm.
The proto-realm is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Smoke surrounds the entire space, a dark grey with specks of white and black. Floating in the air is a pouch full of coins—the initial fee—and a small blue tablet.
Upon touching the tablet, the entire space changes. The smoke recedes, and right in front of me, images are projected from the tablet.
The item I need to retrieve is a book. The image shows the cover: a burgundy red background with two circles, one in front of the other and an ancient script at the bottom.
Alongside it is a map that shows the whereabouts of the book. I don’t recognize the location of the book at first, but it seems to be a couple of hours away from my current location. Not bad. The rest of the information doesn’t mention anything about the contents of the book.
There is one warning, though.
Do not open the book.
Easy. I don’t need to know what’s inside.
The information concludes with a bonus. If I finish the mission within twelve hours, I get another one hundred slova.
My eyes sparkle at the prospect of a bonus, and I pat myself on the back for bringing a vial of Zantrax with me since it saves me the time of going home and back. Luckily tomorrow is my day off work, but considering the Zantrax could wear off anytime, the faster I complete the task, the better.
Then I’ll also be able to treat Moe to something special.
The thought of her smile when she sees I got her a gift makes me flush.
We’ll also be able to afford better cuts of meat, maybe even something as rare as the vidri bird or the slepka, a type of fatty wild cat that is considered a delicacy in many parts of Tartareia.
Popping off the lid of the vial, I drink the entire liquid.
This time, as the powerful essence spreads through my body, the pain is not as bad as before. I take a few breaths, close my eyes and assess the situation.
Level three, Adept. Yes! Perfect! This mission will be easy money.
The main ability of the user is ice. Strength, speed and perception are all increased according to a typical level three, so I am familiar with that from last time.
But the ice ability is interesting and I wonder how that will be of use to me during the mission.
Somehow I miss the previous one: controlling gravity was quite handy.
As I take in all the information contained in the essence, I can’t help but wonder what my main ability will be once my seal dissolves.
The elements are the most common ones from what I’ve read: Fire, water, earth and air.
As soon as I can afford it, I should buy a book that goes more in depth into the main classes of abilities.
After all, knowledge is power, and the more I know about potential opponents, the better I’ll fare.
The books in my library do not go into detail, mostly talking about the Primordials alongside some general terms for the elementals.
And from what I’ve gleaned from the Zantrax vials I’ve consumed so far, each domain has an official name and each level has a certain name which suggests the degree of power one would have—which is why this is not public information.
I suppose my father was careful to give me some knowledge but not too much in case it might endanger me; that it might make me yearn for… more.
The only issue is that I’ve never needed a certain trigger.
I’ve always yearned for more. And the more experiences I have, the more I exist in this world, the more I see what could be, the stronger my yearning grows.
But it’s not just for myself anymore. Now there’s also Moe.
I want nothing more than to be someone better for her, more worthy, just…
more. She deserves to have someone who can protect and provide for her, and at this moment, I don’t fit that criterion. That’s why I must work harder.
With my resolve growing stronger, I follow the map toward the designated location.
Although my speed is increased, because I’m heading to an unknown location, I need to be careful not to get lost.
It’s only when I reach an area that is not only uninhibited but also lacking any structures that I have to ask myself whether I’m going in the right direction.
I glance again at the map. The spot is a few thousand steps away—somewhere in this vicinity. I keep walking.
The desolate area gives way to a small patch of forest. Though the weather is still relatively cold, all the trees are full of life, their leaves colorful and vivid.
They loom over me with a frightening height, obscuring everything beyond this point.
Their branches and leaves are laid out strategically.
Not a speck of light makes it through them.
In fact, their arrangement seems more like a puzzle, with every piece having a designated spot.
I consult the map again. Nibbling on my lower lip, I trace the landmarks with my finger, thinking I might have missed something—again.
There is no forest on the map. At least, it hasn’t been illustrated.
There’s only an empty stretch of land between my location and that of the book.
And to reach from my point to that location, I must cross through this forest.
Although the situation is not ideal, I try not to give in to all the frightening ideas in my mind. Perhaps the map is simply old, dating before the appearance of these trees. Or, maybe it’s not supposed to portray everything as found in nature. I’m sure there are explanations for it.
Moving forward, I simply walk through a small path between the trees, counting the steps so I know whether I’m getting closer to the location.
It’s within a couple of minutes that I feel something shift.
I pause, right in the middle of the forest and look back. The small path I entered through is now gone. I blink. What?
As I turn my attention forward again, I notice that the trees in front of me have disappeared. Instead, the entire area is once more desolate and barren. Somewhere in the distance, some thousand of steps away, there is a square stone construction resembling a building.
After a few more moments of deliberation, I come to the conclusion that the building is my target location where the book should be.
Easy. I activate my speed and start toward it.
One blink later, however, and the dense forest appears again in front of me. The trees are much closer than before and they seem to be crowding toward me, almost as if they had a mind of their own.
What…
I’ve never heard of anything like this.
I nimbly escape some of the branches angling my way and sneak through what small openings I can find. At first, it seems my plan is working. But just as I devise a way to bypass these trees, so do they find a way to combat me.
The forest is sentient, I’m forced to conclude. And it’s reacting to every movement I make.
If I go fast, it matches my speed. If I slow down, it does so too, going as far as to lay low, showing me mirages of barren land and empty fields—almost as if to lull me into a sense of safety so I will advance carelessly.
Is there even a building at the end of the forest?
Despite the illusions appearing before me, I suspect there is something there. And that something is quite important for it to be protected in such a way.
According to the map, I should be around one thousand five hundred steps away from the building.
That knowledge will be useful as I count my steps in the back of my mind while trying to avoid the incoming branches.
Soon, even that is quite useless as my movements are an amalgamation of a few steps forward and even more backward.
I continue to dodge until I find myself back at the edge of the forest—right where I began my journey.
Whatever it might be, it’s clear the forest wants to keep me out. But it doesn’t want to harm me.
Interesting.
Perhaps it’s time to try these ice-based powers.
Right at the entrance of the forest, I drop to my knees and press my palm against the ground, focusing on the particles of energy flowing through me and calling them to the surface.
A surge of power travels through me. My palm serves as a fuse as the ice-energy funnels into the ground. Specks of ice appear on the ground, spreading quickly and enveloping the roots of the trees before engulfing them entirely into ice.
“Cool,” I mutter to myself. In a matter of seconds, the lush forest turns into a glacier landscape.
And this is just the power of a level three.
Unfortunately, exerting so much strength also comes with its costs.
I’m not sure how this would affect a real-life level three, but for my zero-level, Zantrax-powered, borrowed strength, fatigue sets immediately.
I huff out and wipe sweat off my brow.
Now that the forest is immobile, all I have to do is cross it and reach the other side.
I move through the small openings left behind by the trees. Even frozen as they are, their positions are almost immaculate. It’s not easy to find open nooks to sneak through.
Unlike a true level three, however, I cannot replenish my strength, which means that with every passing moment, the toll of using so much power weighs heavily on me. My body becomes slower, and even as I force myself to use speed, the velocity is much decreased.
Damn it!
I can’t wait for the moment in which I will not have to use Zantrax anymore and I will have my own power—depend only on myself.
My thoughts are interrupted by a cracking sound. I swivel and look around, frowning.
“What—”
Another sound, followed by a louder bam. Before I realize what’s happening, the ice encasing the forest shatters. Shards of ice fly everywhere in sight, with some of them going directly toward me.