-Ayanokoji's POV-
"Everyone must be asleep by now..." Ayanokoji murmured under his breath.
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silver glow over the slumbering campsite. The crackling embers of the fire danced in the darkness, painting shifting shadows across the forest floor. Ayanokoji watched as his companions slept, their breathing steady and deep, lost in their dreams.
With silent steps, he moved among them, his movements fluid and graceful, betraying neither sound nor shadow. His eyes flickered with a predatory gleam as he surveyed his sleeping comrades, his mind calculating and precise.
'Nouflex-sama's words were clear, 'steal'. We are in dire need of money right now so I have no time for emotions right now or consider their situation. After all, everything was a deceiving act to fulfill my task. But...' Ayanokoji though to himself.
"Isn't this too easy? They are supposed to have mana senses are they this incapable?" He was more or less disappointed in those individuals, maybe seeing them fight against slimes and use flashy moves held his expectations high?
'Well its doesnt matter anyways, just makes things easier for me.'
Nathalie, the young mage, lay curled up beside the dying fire, her staff clutched tightly in her arms. Ayanokoji's lips curled into a faint smirk as he contemplated his next move. He knew that separating Nathalie from her staff would be no easy task, but he was determined to succeed.
Carefully, he approached her, his movements slow and deliberate. He could feel the warmth of the fire against his skin, the soft rustle of leaves beneath his feet, but no sound was emenated.
As he reached Nathalie's side, he paused, his gaze lingering on her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, so innocent, and yet Ayanokojifelt none of that.
With a deft motion, he reached out, his fingers brushing against Nathalie's cheek. She stirred slightly in her sleep, a soft murmur escaping her lips, but she did not wake.
Emboldened by her slumber, Ayanokoji gently pried the staff from her grasp, his heart racing with anticipation. He could feel the smooth wood beneath his fingers, the faint hum of magical energy pulsing through its core.
With a triumphant grin, he slipped the staff from Nathalie's arms and tucked it under his armpit, careful not to disturb her. She shifted in her sleep, a frown creasing her brow, but she did not wake.
Ayanokoji's eyes flickered toward Lucas's discarded leather armor, lying nearby as if it was waiting to be claimed. With a silent approach, he knelt beside it, his fingers skimming over the supple leather.
Carefully, he gathered the armor, feeling the weight of it in his hands. With practiced precision, he slipped it on, each piece settling into place as if it belonged to him all along. The leather molded to his form, offering a sense of protection and security. As he fastened the straps, Ayanokoji couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration. This armor, once worn by Lucas, now belonged to him, a symbol of his cunning, followed right away by his sword.
With a quick glance at his sleeping companion, Ayanokoji took a moment to appreciate the moment. Then, without hesitation, he moved on to Kora.
Kora's twin daggers lay within easy reach, their blades catching the moonlight. Ayanokoji's fingers closed around them, feeling the familiar weight and balance of the weapons.
With a swift motion, he tucked the daggers into his belt, the smooth hilts fitting snugly against his side. The weapons felt like an extension of himself, ready to be wielded with deadly precision.
With the stolen items in hand, Ayanokoji slipped away into the night, leaving his sleeping companions none the wiser. And as he disappeared into the darkness, he knew that he began executing his master's orders, but at the same time he was aware that it was not enough at all. And this is the reason he took all his time intentionally to form this trust and spend time with them.
His goal was to stroll the city at night to meet the strong adventurer during this time And what do you expect them to be doing at such time? Exactly they must be drinking their lives out. Making them very easy targets for someone like Ayanokoji. No matter how strong you are, under the effect of alcohol your senses dull and become vulnerable.
With his newfound gear and the stolen staff securely in his possession, Ayanokoji moved through the forest with silent, predatory grace. He emerged from the trees and into the outskirts of the kingdom, the flickering torchlight of the city walls guiding his way.
The streets were alive with the sounds of revelry as drunk adventurers stumbled out of taverns and inns, their laughter echoing through the night. Ayanokoji's keen eyes scanned the crowd, noting the slurred speech and unsteady gait of those who had imbibed too much. They were easy targets, ripe for the picking.
Moving like a shadow through the throngs of people, Ayanokoji's fingers deftly dipped into pockets and pouches, his touch light as a feather. Each time he retrieved a coin purse, he felt a surge of satisfaction. The weight of the stolen gold in his own pockets grew heavier with each successful theft.
"Truly disappointing, I expected more from mana users..." He simply walked away, each step he took made coins collision sound. Now he was heading to the place he and Nouflex agreed to meet at this hour.
Reaching the front of an average Inn, Ayanokoji saw his master standing in the front door, and as he was about to ask him if he waited for too long, Nouflex smiled and said. "Exactly at time, Koji. Great! You got the money right?" He asked.
"Yeah, more than enough." Aaynokoji replied, showing his master the result of his work by opening his jacket and showcasing the number of pouches and gold.
Nouflex's smile grew wider satisfied by the result. "Good job Ayanokoji, im really happy to have you! Let's go get some rest."
At Nouflex encouraging words, Ayanokoji felt a sense of satisfaction, it was so overwhelming as if his whole purpose was to obey his master's orders. He might even say that he would rather satisfy his master rather than find a challenge or someone to beat him. After all, Ayanokoji's goal in his previous was to find someone able to pose a challenge to him or defeat him.
So naturally a small smile could not help but be drawn on his face.
Rigth after that they entered the bustling inn, the noise of the common room washing over them as they approached the innkeeper. After a brief exchange, they were handed a key to one of the inn's larger rooms. Ayanokoji's expression remained neutral, but inside, he felt a sense of satisfaction. The night had been fruitful.
Once inside the spacious room, they bolted the door behind them. The room was modestly furnished with two beds, a small table, and a few chairs. Ayanokoji dropped his cloak onto a chair and began to recount his day.
"Master Nouflex." He began, his voice low but clear. "Today I gathered valuable information about this world."
Nouflex, with a calm demeanor, nodded and took a seat at the table. "Go on." His eyes reflecting keen interest.
Ayanokoji sat opposite him and started to explain everything he learned this day, without forgetting a single detail. And upon finishing his explanation, Nouflex received a new message.
[Mission Completed: Learn more about mana.
Reward: B rank ability.]
With a sense of high expectations, Nouflex opened his reward. "Draw the A rank ability!" He ordered the system, and as the ability description showed up, all Nouflex could do was to open his mouth in shock. "No way..."
[Congratulations, you received a B rank ability!
Reward: Instant Transmission.
User: Son Goku
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball]
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-Unknown POV-
The next day inn the bustling, mystical city Mayorca, the capital city of Astoria where the adventurer's guild head branch reigns supreme, the headmaster's private chamber is a sanctuary of opulence and refinement, reflecting her esteemed position and accumulated wealth.
She had worked very hard to get where she is now, so she is a very proud individual who values her words and her reputation. And she feels like she deserves her 10th rank in the world ranking even though she is not as strong as people believe her to be.
Entering her domain, one is immediately struck by the air of authority and sophistication that permeates every corner. The room is spacious, adorned with rich tapestries bought with her fortune depicting legendary battles and enchanted landscapes, evoking the spirit of adventure that defines the guild's existence.
At one end of the chamber, a roaring fireplace casts a warm, flickering glow, illuminating the room with an inviting ambiance. Plush armchairs and a sumptuous chaise lounge are arranged around it, offering comfort and respite to weary visitors and esteemed guests alike.
Facing the fireplace from the other side, a grand mahogany desk, polished to a mirror-like sheen, commands attention at the room's center, where the headmaster conducts her most important affairs. Behind it, shelves line the walls, housing tomes of arcane knowledge, ancient artifacts, and mementos from countless expeditions, each imbued with its own tale of valor and discovery.
On the extravagantly wide desk, sits the actual head master of the whole of Adventurers guild, all of the branches implemented across many of the countries and kingdoms in this vast world which generate hundreds of thousands of gold coins each year rivaling even the kings of some low level countries such as Daloria, the country where Nouflex is situated.
Yet although all of this fortune, power, and privileges. Lana still had a problem she tried to solve for a long time by now. Yet she could not even come close to achieving it. A phenomenon only those at the top of the world hierarchy suffer, the ones who accomplished everything all end up in the same fate.
Lana Rose was bored...
"Why cant we just go back to that time when wars erupted from every corner of the world, it was way more fun than... This." She expressed with a long sigh looking at the pile of papers stacked in front of her.
Although she was by no means strong as the other adventurers of her same rank or even less, but her guild would benefice a lot from wars due to the huge demand for her services, that also brought a certain excitement and fun to her existence. Be it protection, rescues, defense and even mediation. The influence the adventurers guild have is that vast after all.
"If only Zivago had some balls and was bolder in his approach, maybe he would be able to make some interesting turns in events, but he had to turn out to be a boring guy too, that's so frustrating!" She complained to herself.
She has been saying the same thing for over 3 years ever since she met this Zivago, hoping that someday it would change magically but only her disappointment kept growing.
Zivago was the only one she knew and could actually make these recent events more exciting for her, yet he decided to lock himself in his mansion and never come out of it. What a shame.
"Tch, if he tried he could probably be ranked higher than me, but his dumb ass is satisfied with being ranked 16th. what a waste of talent." If the head of the adventurers guild herself said such a thing then it must be true!
Receiving praises such as these from this hard woman that could be compared to a 60 years old military general was a rare thing. If anything, it only shows the potential this Zivago has. Yet this does not solve her problem, after all she is still bored...
"Maybe I should take things in my own hands and create something that would lead to interesting events? They would not interfere as long as I don't bother them after all." The 'them' she is talking about are the top 9 of the world.
Although her large influence and political power in all those countries, she is not the strongest. And 'those' individuals are not to be messed with, they are pillars of power and balance of the world. She would rather stay in good terms or at least neutral with them instead of making enemies out of them.
She knew that 'those' people are able to create the fun she is looking for, but she is weak to handle and monitor them, after all, she likes things to go her way. She also has no sort of connection with them so she can't make them do that for her. Even her money is useless when it comes to those individuals, they have it all.
"Hmm? How about pulling some string to assassinate a king and blame it on another country? it would be fun. Or maybe dropping a mana bomb on a city filled with people out of nowhere to make a mess. I have so many possibilities and choices." She hummed to herself, cutely thinking to herself of what to do in order to take away this boredom she is suffering.
While thinking of something fun to do, someone knocked on the big wooden double doors, but Lana seemed to stay composed, as if she was expecting this somebody to come. "Come in Dory!" She cried.
Opening the door, a young female came into the room, not before closing the door behind her, pushing it with her leg since her hands were full of papers and documents.
"I think I might start hating you for all the paperwork you bring me. Is this the only reason you come here?" Lana asked the young woman with a sort of annoyed and tired look.
"This is your responsibility as the head master Lana-sama." Calmly answered Dory bringing the stacked papers to her master's desk.
"I might hire someone for this, or else I will just burnt of these papers..." Lana complained to herself, folding her arms under her medium-sized chest.
"You should be the one to do this my lady. Or else you might not find the one to relieve your boredom." Dory corrected, after all, the papers Dory brings daily to Lana are information about interesting prospects who recently joined the guild.
"Also I think we stumbled upon something interesting my lady." Enthusiastically continued Dory, almost proud of herself for potentially finding what her master was looking for, even though she was not the one to make the effort of the job. She at least brought the information to the head master herself.
"If it is again those idiots with slightly above average mana capacity or some double elemental affinity then I'm not interested, they all disappoint me after a few months. All of them are boring." Lana turned her head to the other side, showcasing her frustration through her voice.
"Lana-sama, this one is quite special. He was reported to not even know how mana work. And our intel discovered that he was responsible for a strange incident in the elemental forest, on the west side of Daloria." Dory explained.
"Not know about mana? Huh and you think that this is interesting? This just goes to show how talentless he is!" Lana waived her hand in disappointment.
"Okay, then how about this?" Dory handed Lana a piece of paper, upon closer inspection one could notice that it was actually a picture. "He is the one responsible for this Mylady, we are 100% sure about that."
What Lana was looking at now was the big scar Nouflex created next to the river in the forest he was transmigrated into, and its result both on the fores tand on the rotting corpse of the white wolf.
"He did this without knowing about mana? How is that possible, something doesn't add up..." Lana muttered the last part while staring at the picture with her left hand rubbing on her chin as if to think more efficiently.
After a moment of a pondering, Lana's eyes suddenly shot open with a newfound brilliance to them. 'Wait! Could it be that he is...' This seemed the only reasonable justification for what she is currently witnessing.
"Heha!" Letting out an overexcited chuckle, she continued. "What is this guy's name?" She asked while standing from her seat and slamming both her hands on the desk.
"He is called Nouflex..." Her trusted secretary Dory answered.
"We will go to Daloria tomorrow. I want to meet him as soon as possible! Prepare everything for me. And send some of our men to approach him meanwhile we get there." Hurriedly Lana flew out of the room.
"Yes my lady!" Doey barely kept up with her master's pace.
TO BE CONTINUED --->