Athelei was reeling in his curious urges to analyse the Unknown Mystical Badge.
It was difficult, to say the least. He was a tad bit more fidgety than his usual calm. It lasted from dinner, through his studies of reading and writing, and until bedtime.
When Athelei finally stretched his wings—literally—in a clearing a kilometre or two away from Varis Village, he felt absolutely liberated.
Athelei glanced at the badge in his foggy hands. He had grabbed it from his body's pockets before leaving and had to sneak out the old fashioned way with a corporeal form. Evidently, becoming a thin layer of fog made it difficult to carry things.
Just to be even more careful, Athelei draped a coat over himself and added another meter to his height.
Now, he was actually acting like a Night'walker' and not a Night'fog.'
It was only when Athelei made sure he was alone through dispersing himself and searching his surroundings that he spread his small wings.
"Now," Athelei muttered, "Let's see what you are."
Athelei rubbed his hands as he placed the Unknown Mysterious Badge on the grassy ground and sat down, cross-legged and brimming with a sense of suspenseful focus.
The badge was only a slight bit larger than the palm of his hand. It was white and circular, with short, blunt spikes poking out like the rays of a sun on the edge of the white circle. The white circle bore carvings of different Mystic Patterns that Athelei could not identify. Even with the Information Network at his side, he had no idea what those patterns and runes were.
Athelei used all three of his Analysis Skills and employed the special techniques he had become familiar with over the past week. He executed his Skills on different portions of the badge in the hopes of at least figuring out what material it was made out of.
But it was coming out to nothing.
Not even the repeated applications of his Level 5 Examine paired with his invasive fog-body did much.
The most he got was the screen below;
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Dangerous Icon
- An item made by some mysterious organisation.
- Further investigation may lead to death, or worse.
[ +455 Exp to Analysis Skill: Examine (MAX) ]
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'Hmmm,' Athelei was quite literally looking at the badge from as many angles as he could. Above, below, from the inside, on top of it, under it, as one of its spikes, and even within the grooves of its carvings. There were so many ways he could analyse the item with his fog-body but still, nothing worked.
'I guess, it's time for plan Z. Fill the remaining experience bar of Appraisal and pray to Libra that Inspect yields something nicer.' Athelei decided and swiftly did as he planned.
He once again spread himself thin and used Appraisal as much as he could. He also used the Information Network to look up relevant articles on what he was using Appraisal on so as to maximize his every use of the Skill.
Several hours passed by and it was once more the Devil's Hour. At around 3 am, Athelei heard the notification he had been waiting for.
"Finally," He murmured in hushed excitement.
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Analysis Skill: Appraisal has levelled up!
- Appraisal is now Level 5 (MAX).
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Athelei then waited in expectation, and he wasn't disappointed. After a good three seconds, another notification primed itself before him,
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- Requirements for Analysis Skill: Inspect have been met...
- Analysis Skill: Inspect has been unlocked.
=o=o=o=o=
Analysis Skill: Inspect
- [Active Effect] Supplies desired information. Can only be used once per day on the same target. Cooldown time reduces and the scope of information supplied increases whenever certain level requirements are met.
- [Passive Effect] Inspect can be channelled. Delivered information updates in real-time while channelling. Only one target per execution. Number of targets increase whenever certain level requirements are met.
- [Bonus Effect: Trinity] The Analysis Skills, Judgement, Examine, and Appraisal are bound to Inspect. Any usage of the three skills supplies experience points to Inspect. Whenever Inspect levels up, so does Judgement, Examine, and Appraisal.
=o=o=o=o=
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"Oh?" Athelei was quite surprised when he noticed the phrase, 'desired information' in Inspect's [Active Effect].
It was a lot more interesting to him than the presence of the [Bonus Effect].
'The applications brought by such a simple change in wording is immense. I can feel it,' thought Athelei as he glanced at the [Passive Effect] as well, 'This is a great skill for surveillance, but what about the chills that people get? Would they feel it only during the initial execution of the skill, or would they have to deal with it for as long as it is active?'
Athelei pondered over such questions and what kind of fun he could have with every possibility he could think of. Inspect could be used as a way to spy on someone if they only felt a single chill while it could be used to mess with someone in combat if it constantly causes them discomfort.
Unfortunately, he had to figure it out with an actual test subject—which he did not have right now.
What he was going to do now, however, was see if he could glean anything from the Unknown Mystical Badge.
Athelei held the badge in his hands and tossed it from palm to palm. He was debating what information he 'desired.' With the way the [Active Effect] had been phrased, Athelei felt that he would only learn about the information he wanted and only that. Nothing more, nothing less. Thus, he was thinking about which kind of intent would most sate his curiosity.
After a good minute, Athelei decided on something simple:
"Where did you come from?"
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- Uncharted Space
[ +1 Exp to Analysis Skill: Inspect 1/5 ]
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Athelei squinted when he saw this and tossed the badge a few more times in his hand.
"Curious..."
.
.
.
Athelei spent the rest of the night drawing Mystic Patterns. He was finally able to consistently get the rune for Hunter right and use its combat-stimulating effects. Guide and Sway still needed more work or perhaps more dextrous fingers.
The only reason he could perform Hunter was that instead of his body, he was in his fog-body which was governed by his consciousness. Dexterity was less of an issue, and instead, it was more of a question of his mental finesse.
It was like handwriting, after all. Children weren't really that good at either drawing or writing no matter how talented they were. It took time and practice to be an artist or calligraphist, so it also took time and practice to be a Mystic Practitioner.
As for his Analysis Skills, they were already maxed out while his Inspect had only granted him experience when he used it on the Unknown Mystical Badge. Simpler objects brought about no increase in his experience.
'Perhaps it also has to do with my desires,' Athelei thought about his predicament, 'There could be treasure hiding right beside me... Treasure that isn't too complex in and of itself but has its own amazing histories. If Inspect could supply me with the information that I want seemingly without a care for how, then I could definitely get glimpses of the past... and perhaps the future as well depending on how I use it.'
Athelei glanced at Inspect's details as he weighed those thoughts in his mind, 'These simple yet shockingly complex descriptions will destroy me.'
He was getting so addicted to the quirks of the Cosmic Interface that even he was feeling wary somehow.
Athelei tried drawing another Hunter pattern and tested his fog-body's abilities while it was heightened. He ran faster and generated stronger gusts of wind using his wings which was quite a good feeling to have. Every time he drew a Hunter pattern, the light of its life lasted for a good five minutes.
When Athelei eventually looked towards the east after enough practice, he noticed that the sky was about to lighten. It was time to return.
He took the badge in his grasp and reformed his body into the 1.8-meter tall figure he previously used. He then donned the same long cloak and snuck back into Varis Village.
When Athelei made it back to his inn, he was slightly surprised by the presence of a little girl who was sneakily trying to get a glimpse into his room. Seeing Lisa rendered a head tilt from him, but he decided to first 'wake up' so he could find out why she might be looking for him.
On a side note, he found it relatively amusing to see a fellow child suffering the pains of being short—Lisa could not see into his window at all. She was either trying to jump around to see if she could catch a glimpse of him or trying to climb the Blackstone wall of the inn to no avail.
So, Athelei 'woke up' and immediately went to his window and feigned surprise,
"Lisa?" He asked, "Why are you here?"
"Shhhhh!" Lisa hastily put a finger on her lips and gave Athelei a puppy-eyed look, "I... I heard you guys are leaving early in the morning. I was wondering if I could come with you."
"Come with me?" Athelei switched to a whisper, "You mean with the caravan?"
"Yeah." Lisa replied, "I'm already nine years old but my Mom won't let me go anywhere too far from the village. I want to go adventuring like the adventurers in the books. I even practiced a little bit with the knife you traded with me."
"...Does your mom know about this?" Athelei couldn't help but ask a dumb question. He had to clarify things because clearly this was quite the unwise decision. There was a reason she wasn't allowed to stray too far from the village.
'It seems like Lisa doesn't understand why she is restricted... She perhaps isn't too aware what it would mean to go to a far away place.' Athelei thought to himself, but at the same time he found the idea of having Lisa come along with him intriguing.
'I get a friend while she gets an adventure. Looking at things like this, it looks quite fine as well.'
These rapid thoughts of his occurred in the time between the pauses of their conversation. Athelei's mental faculties were developing like mad with all that he was learning and his training.
"Of course not, you dummy," Lisa meekly blushed, "She would kill me if she found out."
Athelei smiled as he inwardly chuckled, 'What a foolhardy lass,'
Through the time when Athelei was crafting his plans and refining it through Thallium Yan's advice, he knew just how brash such a course of actions were. 'But, depending on the circumstances, her being foolhardy could change to become a respectable decisiveness. I wonder what her reasons truly are and if it's simply because she want's to go on an adventure?'
Thinking this, Athelei finally decided, why not? He was not Lisa nor was he responsible for her. By human standards, it was Lisa who was supposed to be taking care of him simply because she was older.
'I'm sure it'll be fine. I want to try being a person who helps his friends like in the stories too.' he thought to himself as he grabbed the cloak he had used to sneak in and out of the village.
"Alright, let's go on an adventure together then." Athelei's obsidian pupils flashed with a hint of mischief, "Wear this, hide, and wait for me."
Lisa's eyes lit up with excitement... and what looked like... immense relief.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"Avina."