NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Azures
Chapter 7: Azures
"We don't even have the Quest evaluated yet, nor have we decided on a reward for completion." the receptionist responded bluntly.
"That's fine Jenny. You can decide on the reward after I kill the Magical Beast!" Briar declared loudly.
"Are you sure? You're only Qi Refinement 8, and this Beast could be at the level of Foundation Establishment; it's too dangerous." she was visibly worried despite Briar's rude behavior. As a member of the Guild, any casualties would have to be reported to the Guild Master and would reflect poorly on her.
"I have my guards over there, and both of them are at the Foundation Establishment Realm," he pointed to two burly middle-aged men sitting at a table in the back with their arms crossed, "I'm more worried about this Commoner wetting his pants in fear."
There it is. William thought. He knew there would at least be one idiot dumb enough to not notice William was the one Commoner that couldn't be offended. His lips curled up in a slight smirk as he thought of the future but concealed it quickly lest Briar notice anything unusual.
"I won't push it any further. Go ahead and clear out the Magical Beast. We will decide on the reward in a moment." Jenny sighed and handed Briar a sheet with the Guild stamp on it, noting the creation of an Urgent Quest.
Briar snatched up the sheet and sauntered out of the Guild Hall followed by his two bodyguards. He turned his head and gave William a sidelong look, "See you later, loser." Briar motioned to his guards and disappeared from view.
What the hell? That kid is insane...I don't know how strong he is, but I have a feeling that even the guards won't beat something like the Beast I encountered earlier. William wasn't convinced of the bodyguards' strength and had even less faith in Briar.
Forget it, if they want to die, let them die. It's his fault for being rude as hell for no reason. William commented internally. He turned toward Jenny once again and asked, "Are there any books here?"
"Books? Yes, we have a few. What kind of book are you looking for?" Jenny was intrigued by the sudden request.
"I want to know more about the world. Do you have anything like that?"
"Yes we do, but it's not cheap. Each visit to our library costs a silver coin per hour. That's only for the first level, and you're not allowed to take any books away from the library," Jenny started, "I can take you there, but just know that if you damage anything, it will cost more than just a gold coin, unlike your Guild License." she finished with a stern look, causing William to nod his head furiously.
He paid Jenny a silver from what was just earned and followed her around the counter to a stairwell that was previously hidden from view. They descended the spiraling staircase for a dozen meters or so until William spotted a locked door.
Jenny raised her hand into the air, where a Spatial Rift appeared. She reached into the Rift and pulled out a slightly rusted key ring that looked like it belonged to an old jailer. The smallest key was slotted into a keyhole located below the doorknob, creating a click after turning clockwise twice.
Jenny pushed the door open, then snapped her fingers, causing multiple lamps to light up around a circular room with a high ceiling. Despite the size of the room, there were only four bookshelves at the back that contained any books. Will assumed that books were somewhat rare, at least within this portion of the world.
"You have one hour, remember that. Also, just because I'm not in the room doesn't mean no one is watching you." Jenny gave William a quick look before stepping outside the room and returning to her position upstairs.
Knowing that he was on a time limit, William rushed over to the bookshelves. He looked at the book bindings for interesting covers, hoping that one would be able to answer some of his seemingly endless questions.
"The Trials of Azure Crypt"
"Magical Beasts Vol. 1"
"Magical Beasts Vol. 2"
...
Will muttered the titles out loud one by one, a bit annoyed at first because they were out of order. "Here it is!" he found a large leather-bound book titled "Azures: Tales of the Oldest Continent" on the middle section of the second bookshelf. He pulled the book out and blew off the dust before opening the first page.
Organization really sucks here. Will complained after realizing the book didn't have a table of contents. He started by looking at the map, which required some mana, before displaying a marker that showed his current location.
Based on the marker, William appeared to be in the "Far West Forest" region of the Azures Continent. Roughly two thousand kilometers directly East was the "Providence Zone" of extreme riches, where famous figures and historical legends presided. Even more interesting was a note that only two people have ever successfully reached the very center of the Providence Zone. These two figures had no true name listed but were titled "Supreme Left" and "Unbreakable Right".
The North was known as the "Hillvire Empire," and the South was called the "Southern Plains." Finally, on the East coast were the "Far East Mistlands." William didn't bother reading more about these since he only had about half an hour remaining. He skipped through the uninteresting parts and placed the book back on the shelf before looking for another title.
"Cultivation and Magic: A Beginner's Guide." This sounds perfect for my needs. William opened the book enthusiastically, reading the contents within.
"Cultivation is divided into 8 Major Realms, each split into different ranks.
Qi Refinement has nine Realms and represents the improvement of the quality of a Cultivator's Qi toward perfection. One can choose to undergo the Tribulation starting at Rank 6, but it is not recommended, as the quality of their Qi will be much lower than a Cultivator at Rank 9, but the chances of surviving the lightning strikes will be much higher. Tribulation lightning varies in intensity depending on the Cultivator's current rank and their expected potential.
Foundation Establishment consists of 9 Realms, representing the formation of one's foundation. The strength of a Cultivator's foundation greatly depends on their talent, but also their imagination. Just like in Qi Refinement, a Cultivator may choose to undergo the Tribulation at rank 6.
Core Formation comprises 3 Realms: Empty Core, Void Core, and True Core. Depending on the Cultivator's foundation, they can improve their True Core to the Heavenly Core level before undergoing the next tribulation.
The remaining Realms are as follows:
Golden Core: 3 Realms
Nascent Soul: 4 Realms
Soul Formation: 6 Realms
Tribulation Transcendence: 9 Tribulations
Ascension: ???"
William was blown away by the amount of information in the books. He proceeded to read the Magic portion before time was up.
"There are countless types of Magic; however, the 7 Basic Elements are Lightning, Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Earth, and Plant. The 3 Rare Elements are Light, Darkness, and Life. The 3 Dimensional Elements are Space, Time, and Chaos. Outside the listed elements are the Unorthodox Elements and the Forbidden Elements. Although the name "Forbidden" sounds ominous, these Elements are not actually forbidden from use, but little is known about them.
Those with an Affinity for a specific Element can measure their Rank by filling an Affinity Orb with Mana until their mana pool is completely empty. If the individual does not empty their mana pool, there will be a lower score on their Affinity Rating. The Affinities are ranked as such in order from F to S. Only one individual has ever achieved S Rank, "Unbreakable Right," who is believed to have S Rank Earth Affinity.
Magic is natural to all Cultivators; however, some are born with a natural affinity to one or more elements. These are called Manamatus. Manamatus have the ability to not only use magic while being a non-Cultivator, but the Affinity that a Manamatus is born with raises the natural Affinity past the initial limit of C rank. This means that a Manamatus with a rank of E can potentially reach an affinity of A."