'I know I just wrote on this journal this morning, but I can't help to write another entry since I am very excited.
Anyway, hello again, everyone. It's still me, Gyanav Regio, the Caeco in disguise. However, now I'm not a mere Caeco anymore, but a Curse Mage Caeco.
After getting my Vocation at the temple and writing my name on the register, I rushed home as quickly as I could, after making a stop at the weapon shop, of course. But I'll write about that a little bit later.
Alfie seemed sad that we couldn't spend more time outside, but after this, he can have as much fun as he wants, so bear with it, Alfie.
"Woof!"
He just barked again. He sure always knows it whenever I write or talk about him.
Anyway, let me explain my Vocation first. A Curse Mage is a pretty rare Vocation, so I'm quite proud of it, although it's not the strongest. After all, rare doesn't always mean powerful, does it?
So a Curse Mage is an enigmatic Vocation in that they can utilize curses to weaken their enemies. Since I just became one, the curses I can use are still limited to three. The first one is the weakening curse which will make the enemy's attack power weaker, just as its name suggests. It should increase my rate of survival by a lot. My second curse is called the slowing curse, which will slow down the enemy's movement, and the third one is the defense breaking curse, which will reduce the enemy's defense, making them more susceptible to attacks.
My curses are still weak, so each of them will last for at most one minute, and the effect is not that powerful yet. With training and experience, my curses will grow stronger and based on what I do with my abilities, I will get new curses that will help me survive in this world.
Now, becoming a Curse Mage is not without its downside. Ironically, I am also a cursed being in that I will not be able to wield normal armament as other people can. Swords, shields, canes, staves, they will all hurt my hands if I wield them. That's the reason why I stopped at the weapon shop.
Using all my savings, I've bought myself a book. Yes, a book. It's not just an ordinary book, however, as its cover is made of hard leather plated with steel. It's hard enough for me to use it to bludgeon my enemy, granted that I break their defense first. It also doesn't count as a conventional weapon, so I can wield it, although it cost me a staggering amount of fifty silva. I really need to earn money or else Alfie and I will starve tomorrow.
Now I'm planning to go out hunting for the first time in my life. Alfie will of course come with me since he is my loyal companion. Besides that, he unexpectedly has received his own Vocation, so he can definitely be useful. It's not the first time that I've heard of an animal companion receiving a Vocation, although it's extremely rare.
I don't know what Alfie's Vocation is, though. The problem is that I can't talk to him, and he might not know yet how to use his abilities to show me, so we need an actual field practice. Once I see his abilities, I might be able to deduce what Vocation he has received.
The monsters right outside the city wall are relatively weak, but their body parts can be sold for a few cupa. As long as I gather enough today, I will be able to afford food tonight and tomorrow, and perhaps some potions for tomorrow, in case I need to try to fight more difficult monsters. But for now, I'll just stay at the periphery and fight those Octorels first.
What is an Octorel you ask? It's a bizarre monster that looks like a hybrid of two animals. Its top part is that of a cute rodent with big teeth but its bottom is full of toxic, blood-sucking tentacles that can kill their victim slowly and painfully if they cannot break free from their shackles.
That's all I want to write for now. I'll finish this entry here because I really need to get going now. I still have a lot of daylight left, so I had better make use of that. At night, the monsters become much fiercer, especially during blood moons.
I promise I'll explain that some other time. See you!'
The young man closed his journal and placed the brown pen neatly beside it. He then looked at his dog with an excited smile.
"Alfie, let's go!"
"Woof!" the dog wagged its tail joyfully.
Gyanav picked up a heavy-looking book that was also thick, as thick as an encyclopedia. The edges of its cover were all covered in metal, glistening in the morning light. Its content was still empty, and the young Curse Mage still didn't know what he should fill it with. For the time being, it was good enough just to be used as a weapon.
Since he was too poor to afford better gears, he only put on the thickest coat that he had, to at least offer some protection against enemy attacks. His dark purple coat covered his whole body all the way to his shin, increasing his body temperature in the process.
Once he was ready, he grabbed his backpack and left his small apartment, impatiently making his way downstairs again across the creaking floorboards.
To get to the edge of the city, he had to take a tram. Luckily he still had some balance from his subscription, otherwise, he would be too cashless to afford it.
Both the young man and the dog got on the tram and sat at the back, as usual, to avoid other people. By doing so, he also had to chance to play with Alfie without bothering the other passengers.
The tram sped past the city, going all the way west, where the Octorels lived. The monsters in the south and north were too dangerous for him, while the east end of the city was the ocean. Although there were aquatic monsters, he still couldn't fight them with his current strength.
Steams and pipes were the dominant features of this city, giving it a somewhat futuristic sense. In fact, most of the cities in the Union were similar in architectural style.
Besides himself, there were only three other people clad in heavy clothing. Two of them were wearing thick coats just like him while the last one, a woman, was wearing something that looked like a leather chestguard. The rest of the passengers were wearing simple, thin clothes suitable for the warm weather.
Twenty minutes later, after several stops, the tram finally reached the west end of the city, stopping for a while before making its way back inward to the city center. Gyanav and Alfie got off, as well as the three heavily clothed people. They seemed to be going to the same destination and were traveling together.
Gyanav stayed away from the group and waited until they disappeared through the city gate before going himself.
At the gate, he was stopped by the guard wearing a thick leather chest guard with gemstones embedded into it. There was a steam gun on his waist, safely secured inside its holster. The guard, who was a little shorter than Gyanav, opened his mouth and spoke.
"Halt. Please show me your identity!" said the guard sternly.
Gyanav, who was book smart, already knew the procedure of getting out of the city walls. Since monsters were rampant outside, the safety of the citizens must be guaranteed and normal people were not allowed out without protection.
"Here you go," Gyanav replied, showing his identity card that was a little smaller than his palm.
The guard took the young man's name and looked at his register. Administration works were done fast in the Union, so Gyanav's name should already be there. After seeing that the young man in front of him had a Vocation, the guard's attitude became less stern. However, Gyanav's rare Vocation didn't seem to garner his attention in the slightest, probably because he had seen a lot of other people with even stranger Vocations.
"You may go, Mr. Regio," said the guard kindly.
The giant metal gate was opened using a steam-powered mechanism that the guard activated with just a press of a button. Steam was released and the gate slowly moved apart, revealing a path that was big enough for the young man to pass.
"Thank you,"
Both the man and his dog walked past the gate and were welcomed by the wild outdoor. A smile surfaced on his face as he took as deep a breath as he could.
"Woof! Woof!"
Alfie was barking excitedly. His leash had been released by his master, but he knew he had to follow his master's orders.
In front of him, an endless forest was seen just a few hundred meters ahead, hiding the dangerous creatures away from his prying eyes. The vast grassland between him and the forest was filled with rocks and sparse trees that bore red fruits.
"Alfie, this is our first time outside, so we need to be careful,"
"Woof!"
He started walking towards one of the trees, on which an Octorel usually lived. Those strange creatures could survive solely on the fruits of the trees, although they would never pass the chance to have a taste of blood either. Their sense of hearing was very sharp, and their agility was unmatched by normal people.
Not knowing the smell of an Octorel, Alfie couldn't use his sharp sense of smell to locate them. However, they didn't need to search for long. The moment they approached a tree, an Octorel was seen visibly eating one of the red fruits that were only a quarter of their size.
"It has seen us! Alfie, make sure it doesn't run away!"
"Woof! Grrr...!!!"
Alfie's whole body tensed up and began approaching circling the tree, cutting off the creature's escape path.
Being surrounded like that, the Octorel had no other choice but to fight.
Its eight tentacles were slithering quickly, bringing its furry body down from the tree at a frightening speed. In mere seconds, it was already down and was charging at Gyanav.
"Slow!"
A dark green aura suddenly appeared around the monster, slowing down its movement slightly. However, it was still a little faster than Gyanav.
"Howl!!
Alfie suddenly howled loudly, and with his howling, Gyanav's body was filled with speed. There was a bright green aura around him that made him feel that he could now react faster.
"Thanks, Alfie!" he shouted and then quickly turned his attention back to the creature that was rapidly approaching him, "Defense Break!"
This time, a dark blue aura appeared around the Octorel, and its defense had been magically reduced. Gyanav readied his book.
Bash!!
As the Octorel's tentacles were about to wrap around him, he hit them with the metal edge of his giant book. The tentacles felt bouncy at the moment of impact, but his defense break curse made it possible for him to cut squish them with his 'weapon'.
"Squeak!!"
The Octorel howled in pain. It couldn't back away because its tentacles were still being squashed under the young man's book.
"Alfie!"
"Howl!!"
Alfie howled again, and now a bright red aura appeared around him and Gyanav. He felt that his attack had gotten stronger, as seen from the heavier pressure he was putting on the Octorel's tentacles.
Slash!
The dog used his sharp claw to attack the creature, pinning it woundedly to the ground. With a bite to the neck, Alfie ended its life. The creature lied motionlessly with blood gushing out of its neck even after Gyanav let go of its tentacles.
"Good job, Alfie!" he praised his dog happily and pet him.
"Woof!" Alfie smiled joyfully with his blood-covered teeth. His body was no longer tense and his tail was wagging left and right.
Looking at his first-ever kill, Gyanav felt rather nauseated. However, he held back the urge to vomit as best as he could and controlled his breathing. He had to get used to the sensation as quickly as he could.
"So, Alfie, I guess your Vocation is like the opposite of mine. We make the perfect match!" he offered his hand, waiting for the golden retriever to give his pay.
"Woof!"
"Now, how should I take care of this thing... I can't wield a knife, so how am I supposed to skin it?"
Gyanav sat on the grass and fell into deep thought. Sitting down made it much easier for him to control his churning stomach, and the smell of blood didn't bother him in the slightest. It was the creature's open wound that was the most repulsive.
"Well, let's just drain its blood first and take the whole carcass with us. We can hire someone to do the skinning. We should still turn a profit as long as we kill a lot of these," he decided.