Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

Enjoy! 10K words

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/START OF VOLUME 2 - THE GRAND QUESTS/

/Several hours after Philip vanished within the mountain's passage…/

/Fwoosh…/

As he ran through the dark halls, the echoes of his footsteps reverberated throughout the silent walls, muffled only by the sharp cries of the wind as they flowed through the mountain like blood inside one's veins.

Thin layers of ice and dust covered both the ground and stone. It was evident how little care for maintenance whoever dug this passage had in mind.

A Dwarf would never commit such a mistake.

Controlling his breath as he ran in the darkness, Philip would often talk out loud to relieve his boredom and escape from his own, unruly thoughts…

"...My endurance has changed quite significantly. Back on Earth, I would've been on my knees from running this much non-stop."

"Even with these heavy clothes, I feel like I can run forever… I may as well say I'm resting while doing this."

'How fast am I even running? No… How fast can I move?'

'I can't move faster than sound, but I can react to a bullet shot in my direction… A bullet from a blunderbuss, but still.'

'I can't evade some bullets though… Should I say I'm subsonic in specific scenarios?'

"In fact… I think it's safe for me to remove these by now, I suppose. Not like I need to run with this cloak on my back. Then again, it's not like removing them will make me run any faster…"

'I can barely feel their weight. If I feel like I'm jogging with this much, taking it off won't make me magically run faster.'

'Honestly, it's quite surprising how much I changed in a single day. From what I did last night to the procedure on my body, I've yet to come to terms with these changes.'

'I've broken many of the habits I've built in the memories, but some habits couldn't be broken. Such as how to breathe when running to maintain my stamina. However, I now often find myself losing track of these basic things.'

'Better put, my bodily needs and requirements have changed. This isn't a form of evolution or transformation… It's just a strengthening so great that it makes me feel like this isn't my body.'

'Nonetheless, from the description of my Title, my body should've adapted to this as well… Or maybe it has already…'

'Is this too much for it to adapt, something beyond its scope, or is this something beyond physical, being more within the realm of the mind?'

"... ?"

Suddenly, Philip stopped running, sliding down the path as he stopped before a bifurcation.

"This… Is a problem… I'm certain this wasn't supposed to be here, but…"

He opened up the map folded in his pockets to confirm the situation. And with a grim expression, he put his lantern down.

"This isn t recorded… Well, fuck."

"They wouldn't forget to mark this, which means they were prepared to face pursuers… Or maybe even for the idea of their operation being exposed."

'Given these are ancient Dwarven tunnels, one must lead deeper into the complex while the other must be the right one I'm supposed to follow.'

'I'm not in the mood to explore ancient ruins that could potentially end my life, and nor do I have the time… But it seems I won't be forced to leave it to luck.'

Philip turned his attention towards the ground. It was very faint, but he could see tracks on the ground.

Footprints, carvings, cracks in the ice, nicks in the walls… The dirt that did not belong in these caverns, the smells too vibrant and potent to linger in this cold ice… 

"This makes me quite confused… Why leave this unmapped if they didn't even cover their tracks up properly?"

He touched his chin as he turned to the other passage, and as expected, there was no breeze coming from that side.

/Echo…/

He heard extremely faint noises from deep down in the tunnel, but he ignored those sounds… Noises deep in these kinds of ruins were never a good sign.

Whatever contraption still functions a thousand years after their downfall was certainly not something he was willing to inspect… Okay, that was a lie, but Philip knew where to draw the line.

He had work to do. And above all, he had been warned not to dwell too much on such ventures, not because of his lack of time, but because of the dangers it posed to his life.

And something told him that if these ruins had remained unexplored despite their proximity to the crown, it either told him it held some secret or that it wasn't worth investing time into to begin with.

For all he knew, the nearest ruin could be dozens of kilometers down these narrow and enigmatic shafts, not something he was willing to get lost in, and that he spoke from his heart.

'Maybe they were only interested in delaying their pursuers if they were to actually be discovered, but that doesn't quite fit either…'

"... Maybe I'm just overthinking this. For an operation of such secretive origins, whoever was sent here was likely never meant to last long, to begin with…"

"Maybe all of these measures were only meant to prevent information from falling into the enemies' hands and to bid them time clear it all out before their involvement was brought into light…"

/Touch…/

Philip touched the icy cold walls, scrubbing some of the ancient dust and snow covering them.

Underneath the uneven ice and dust was a tough, smooth stone layer. When put together, it gave Philip the impression of being inside a fridge.

'Dwarven engineering… Or rather, stonework.'

'Even if there was a race out there comparable to them in technological prowess, they were definitely unparalleled in Stone and Metalcraft.'

'If it wasn't for that, surely… Surely, there would be some traces left behind after years of use… But I see nothing, all of the wear and tear come from the upper layers of dirt covering the place.'

/Clack…/

"Is this even stone? It sounds like metal when I knock on it…"

Upon giving it some thought, he knew exactly what he needed.

His eyes sharpened as he focused on the rock walls, activating Scholar Vision:

[Granitea

An artificial material, similar to concrete, used by the ancient Dwarves for the construction of their roads during the height of the Dwarven Empire, used in mass due to its resilience and extremely long lifetime.

Dwarves placed great importance on their roads, almost to a religious degree, sparring no effort in their confection. Doing so was considered a capital offense for much of the late stages of the Empire.

It is believed that over 95% of all space ever dug up by ancient Dwarves were all tunnels connecting their deep cities.

There is no agreed date for its implementation. However, its formula has remained the same throughout multiple dynasties, being considered a perfect material. Praised by the craftsman of its time and referenced for its ingenuity in tens of thousands of documents.

Unfortunately, its method of confection has been lost, mainly partly due to the exhaustion of the primary material for its confection, dating back to 930 years ago by the post-calamity tribes.

Records point out the idea that this material hasn't been exhausted but merely lost in the endless caverns underground, some even believe that there is no source and that the main component of the stone is connected to common materials found throughout the mountain, thinking that, otherwise, expansion too far from a central point could lead to infrastructure problems.

Nevertheless, this fact did not stump the Dwarves as they soon researched a substitute that was better in many ways, from its lower cost of production to its resistance, also known as Dur-Amatitite, the black marble.

However, Dur-Amatitite has a much lower lifetime of only a few decades, hence, greatly changing the Dwarven architecture to suit it.

While Granitea paved roads to last a millennia, Dur-Amatitite was a much more affordable alternative then an otherwise legendary material.

…

]

Following that was a long wall of complex paragraphs citing multiple sources as it explained the many intricacies of Granitea, but without giving it a glance, Philip closed the window as he looked away, refocusing on his problem:

"I'm pretty much good to go, but a double check won't cost me much."

'A wrong turn here could cost me a few hours at the end of the day…'

Philip took another look at the map and his environment… 

'Is there any secret sign?... I doubt it… For all I know this map could be fake.'

'They might have memorized the right path and the map is just for reference…'

"Perhaps I should've brought one of them with me... What an oversight."

'I was so focused on leaving that I forgot to ask some critical questions such as the path…'

In his deep ponder, he was reminded of his time trapped in the dungeons underneath Yharnam, and with it, a light flashed at the back of his mind. 

"Right, if I can't decide on a path, then I can use that…" 

A fist-sized wooden box with the carving of a bird spread out on its lid.

Sealed by golden-brown wax, it seemed to contain something within. 

[Wooden Coffin of the nameless eagle

A handmade coffin that contains a mummified bird inside.

In the extreme west stood a great desert, and deep in its sands, a great civilization thrived in the Great Oasis.

One day, the Oasis began showing signs of the upcoming catastrophe as its waters dried.

As the water retreated to the depts, the nomads that lived near the northern part of the Oasis found a cave leading to an extensive and complex cave system.

Inside, they found a tiny little bird that helped lost travelers find their way back to where they came.

When it died, the nomads honored the creature by mummifying it so that another could guide it to the afterlife just as it did to them in life. And maybe, if it was deemed fit, return to its previous shell so it could perform its duty once more.

While their beliefs never bore fruit, the coffin still seems to carry the will of the one inside… However, the question is to where?

]

As he took the small coffin from his inventory, he smiled faintly.

'I ask you once again for your cooperation…'

/Sheen…/

As the Hunter Tool was activated, the eyes of the carving shone faintly, and a trail of light flashed in the air as the faint figure of a bird dashed into the right passageway.

"The right path… Not surprising."

Philip had many such strange and interesting items, most were quite powerful, but others were only useful in very specific situations. 

"I only hope nothing more complex arises."

'The little bird can help me choose a path, but only that. And I can't say if it's going to be effective all the time.'

'It never failed me before, but this world has some strange things lurking in its depths.'

After stretching a bit, Philip dashed ahead, this time faster than before. 

…

/Half a day later…/

/Chirp chirp…/

The sun had just risen, marking the end of his first day outside of the Palace, just shy of a full day since he last talked with Dae and Petter.

As the birds sang throughout the mountains and valleys under the clear sky, faint sunlight breached through the dark caverns, shining like a beacon, the end of this journey.

"COUGH COUGH! PFFT! This place has so much dust."

'How's this even possible? It's been at most a few weeks since this place was last used by those people…'

"Cough… Haa…"

'I did it. I can now cross this off the list…'

'At the same time, I haven't encountered anyone on my way here. That's another possibility that didn't occur.'

"From here, I just need to follow this mountain path until I arrive at the North, what a fucking adventure." He said out loud as he looked at the crooked stone path carved on the mountain's side

"Ancient Dwarves… To make tunnels that extend hundreds of Kilometers underground… And to make them last for hundreds of years despite the harsh environment…"

'You could say this particular tunnel was being maintained somewhat, but it does not diminish their impeccable work.'

"It's just a shame that I couldn't appreciate the scenery for a bit longer. It's not every day that you walk in a thousand-year-old passageway."

'What was once a normal road is now an archeological treasure… I wonder how many such places there are in this world?'

He looked around, basking in the sunlight as he warmed his body.

Once he rested, eating a light snack to recover. Without hesitation, Philip marched onto another journey as the sun shined on his back… 

…

Despite it being deep in the cold and snowy mountains, the environment was nothing like Earth's. 

Everywhere Philip looked, he could see some sort of strange plant or animal. 

Be it the pink trees that covered the snow valleys, or the strange oversized crab climbing the croocky hills... It was clear that life was very resilient and diverse in this world. 

[Lv???]

"As expected, most of the creatures in the mountains are quite dangerous."

'The energy is the air is quite thick. Maybe that's why there's so much activity all around.'

Despite the coldness, Philip felt a faint "warmth" irradiating from his surroundings, but he was no mage so he couldn't adequately explain what he felt. Likely a side effect of his modified body.

"Well, I'm not that far from the border, one last dash before I can rest properly… Hm?"

As he walked down the mountain-side, Philip's attention was drawn towards a very familiar creature… 

/Growl…/

"What do we have here?... A Tiger?... How cute." 

He crouched on the side, looking straight at a small "cat" hidden in a small snowy crevice in the side.

"It's fully white… Like a polar bear… I suppose this is your mother, then."

Opposite to the crevice was a massive Tiger over one and a half meters tall and over three meters long, its fangs larger than his hands.

It would be an Apex predator back on modern Earth… 

[Lv 23]

/GROWL!!/

The growled in a low tone as it smacked its paws on the road as a warning towards Philip, however, the man in question completely ignored it as it looked at a white patch of snow behind the tiger. 

'Animals tend to get super aggressive when they are in the presence of their young… Their instincts are quite strong… And I'm right between them.'

'I arrived on time to see the mother… There's another pup next to her hidden in the snow.'

Philip smiled faintly as he kept walking forward. 

"ROAR!" 

Alas, he did not stop.

/SWIPE!/

Once he passed its tolerance line, the tiger jumped forward!

/Poof…/

But it missed… It missed? 

When its claws were about to hit him, Philip turned into an afterimage as he dashed past it, crouching near the patch of snow behind her.

"!"

The tiger turned around to see Philip holding its plump white pup…

It was like a ball, having so much fur it was hard to even see its face.

/Gaw… Gaw…/

However, while cute, the pup was clearly distressed as it made some small cute sounds in retaliation, but Philip just caressed it…

"Sigh… I was never an animal person…"

/Poof…/

Before the mother could attack again, Philip gently placed the tiger on the ground before resuming his journey down the mountain… 

The mother tiger was livid as it continued to gaze at him, trying to pursue him even. But when he ran several dozen meters away, she stopped, turning around.

Nature moved on.

…

/A few extra hours later…/

"Finally! Green!" Philip exclaimed as he squinted his eyes

Just shy of a day of running ever since he entered the mountain's path, Philip had arrived at the other side of the mountain… The North!

"Alright, step 1 finished successfully without any trouble…" He said out loud as he took out Dae's notebook, flipping the pages to another chapter

"Now, time for step 2… The Academy."

'I can't get employed without an identity… A believable one is the minimum, even if false.'

'So… Time to get one.' 

"Hm…"

'I could use the token of the Royal Family, but that won't cut it. They may leave me be for now, but if I overstep, they'll just send someone to drag me back.'

'I'm not stupid to think they won't figure out where I am in due time.'

"I can solve all of that once I'm in the Academy." 

'Not the academy per se, but the city built next to it.'

'Parad Academy is the most prestigious academy for young and aspiring wizards in this continent if not worldwide.'

'Not only for Wizards, but other professions as well.'

'However, the academy is completely separated from the outside world by barriers and walls.'

'Its only method of communication to the outside world is the city built around it; serving as a relay between it and the outside world.'

'The city supplies the academy with raw resources and wealth while the academy supplies the city with refined products. It's a very healthy relationship that's been maintained for generations.'

'However… For all the good, there is a lot of tension in this city, there are a lot of important people attending the academy, it's clear that the security is just as high.'

"Social tensions have always been the utmost issue of the Academy, especially given its origins… And recently, racial tensions couldn't be worse."

'The academy never did anything to try and mediate those issues either, or perhaps they tried, but to meager results.'

'Or perhaps they couldn't… In the end, it all went to smithers after the war started.'

'Not that their situation was any good when it began anyway…'

"Humans are in control of the South, while their lands in the North only go up to this very academy. This very fact is already quite upsetting to many."

'They control the passage from North to South and the center of magic development of this world… Even if its mostly due to the Academy's Dean, others won't let go of this fact so easily.'

'Parad Academy's Dean. one of the extremely few 9Th Circle Wizard publicly recognized in this era.'

/Flip…/

Philip flipped onto another page, quickly reading through it all before processing it.

"... How odd, everyone looks down on Humans, but the past three generations of Deans have all been Humans…"

'People seem to justify that there is favoritism at play, which leads to more opportunities for our species, leading to our continuous control over the city… '

"Sigh… It s all meaningless politics in the end." 

/Ploft!/

He closed the notebook, stuffing it back inside his jacket.

'First, I must enter the city and get an identity. Then I must apply for the Warden job and enter the academy.'

"From there…"

'I will get the three Origin Orbs and go towards the Free City where I must secure the scientist's support and return.'

'This leaves me with… Two months to secure the Orbs.'

'Dae calculated things like this:'

'One month would be spent traveling around the place,'

'Two months in the academy.'

'Two months in the free city.'

'However, I can definitely cut this one month of travel to about a few days… That might just leave me with two and half months for each objective.'

'This isn't accounting for everything I must do in the meantime.'

'Improving my abilities and strengthening myself is a must.'

Satisfied, Philip picked a map and confirmed his location one more time by looking at the mountains. 

"There are also some side objectives I could take a look at on the way, but those will have to wait for another time."

'The Phantom Library wasn't the only artifact left behind by the Ancient Heroes. Dae's notebook has a plethora of opportunities for me to explore.'

'Many of them are marked as extremely dangerous though… Well, that only means they'll remain there for a little while longer.'

'Then… I have a plan.'

And like that, he turned into thin mist as he dashed in the green plains… 

…

/Later that day…/

The sun was about to set, the sky glowing in an orange hue… 

"... It's getting late."

'I've been running for nearly two days straight, not to mention how I've fought for almost an entire day as well.'

'One day fighting, and one and a half running… I'm quite hungry.'

Philip saw a big tree on the horizon and decided to make a small stop there. 

/Fwoosh!/

He jumped down from the mountain.

…

"This place will do."

The tree was very big, looking like an oversized oak. 

He sat down under its shade, relaxing for the first time in a while.

"Hm… Not bad."

'I was never a fan of camping back on Earth. There were so many things to do on the internet, why pass my time in nature?

'It's not like I disliked it either… It's more that I couldn't bother myself enough to do it.'

"But here… Nature is all I have…"

'I remember some of the heroes having some psychological problems due to not being able to access the internet. Or rather, anything from Earth.'

'It was hard to adapt, but I was kind of forced to live with no internet for a whole year if I wanted to or not… When you fight for your life every day, it gets easy to forget about the luxuries of the modern world.'

With that said, Philip opened his main inventory and took out a bag of cookies. 

/Chomp chomp…/

"Dry… Rubbery… And a little tasteless… To think I considered these delicacies back then."

'I swear they used to taste incredible… My pallet's been ruined by the Palace's food.'

'Either way, I'll get a proper meal once I enter the city.'

/Crunch!/

…

Philip ate for a few more minutes before he took some time to rest, gazing at the moon up above.

This moon was several times bigger than the one on Earth. 

Although he didn't know if the moon was just closer, or if it was simply massive in size… 

'Usually, there are three in the sky. Where are the other two?...'

After looking for them for a few minutes, he gave up on it, closing his eyes to rest soon after…

…

/Shaaa…/

"Mnnm… Hm?... Huh?"

/Chattering…/

"What's going on, dear? Second thoughts…?"

"... It's been a while since I had a dream like this..."

Philip opened his eyes inside a luxurious room with an incredible view of a gorgeous city stretching out to the horizon under the night's sky.

He was lying down in a large bed under a velvet-red blanket next to a gorgeous blond woman, her hair slowly flowing onto her shoulders…

"Now that I think about it, this is my first time having a lucid dream in quite a while… This is also my first night ever since I created that new Skill."

/Snap!/

Philip snapped his fingers, causing the whole world to freeze.

He looked at the woman and sighed, the magic was all gone now.

"I wonder if I desire such a thing deep down… Either way, I don't have the time for that."

"... But really… This place sure is lively, its hard for me to tell it appart from reality…"

'The mind dictates one's reality… That couldn't be more true now.'

"That said, this is a good opportunity."

/Clap!/

Philip clapped his hands, and the world around him began to twist and dissipate into fog…

Eventually, he was left alone in a world of fog and mist.

/Shuaa…/

From the thick fog, a tall, hooded creature appeared before him.

"Let's see if this works…"

Philip extended his hand to the creature, and it held onto it, knowing fully what he intended to do.

/Shaa…/

A door manifested within the fog, bearing a world of darkness beyond.

As the door opened, Philip felt his head grow light, feeling his mental reserves be drained as if a hole had been punctured into his skull.

/Step…/

Before he could complain, the creature pulled Philip through the door as it stepped into it, both of them vanishing in the void it contained.

…

/BOOOOOOOOOM!/

/CRACK!/

/BURN!!/

"... R-RUN!!"

"... What the…"

/BOOOOOOOOOOOM!/

The world burned with cries and pleas for salvation.

The air was in flames, the ground molten red, the skies crimson with dark smoke covering the stars.

Philip stood atop a tower overlooking a large city as it burned aflame for a reason he could not tell for the fire was too strong and tall, overtaking his vision.

The heat slapped against his face, almost driving him awake, away from this hellish nightmare.

He turned around to see a massive crowd running into the distance, but he couldn't tell the reason why either. It could've been the fire, that much was obvious, but something within him told otherwise.

Why not fight against the flames?

Emotions flooded in, he didn't know what was going on, for they were too messy but he knew for certain that they were directed elsewhere and not the fire. 

"This place… I… Is this the Capital?"

Philip tried to make sense of this place, noticing a few details here and there amidst the mayhem, believing this to be the Capital of the Kingdom.

But why was it aflame? 

"Are we even in the right place…!"

"It's rude to spy."

/TREMBLE!/

Suddently, the whole world shook as Philip felt his whole body freeze.

/Step…/

Someone slowly stepped from behind him, taking a good look at him.

"You shouldn't be here." Dae said out loud as he extended his hand to Philip

At that moment, Philip felt as if something really bad was about to happen. 

He knew Dae had methods beyond his knowledge, so it wasn't that far-fetched to believe he could mess him up really badly, especially within somewhere as esoteric as the mind.

"Wait! It's me!"

"Hm...:? Philip? Why do you look like that? No… How are you even here?"

"Wh… Like what?"

"... Sigh."

"!"

Philip felt his body relax as he recovered movement over it.

"That was… Uncomfortable."

"Of course it was. Had it not been for how unusual this was, I would've blown off your consciousness… Or tried to at least." He said as he sat down on a low wall behind him

"Huff… You sure were aggressive."

"Can you blame me? There's far too much at stake here for me to let someone peep into my head. I was trained so I could fend off anyone who tried. I might've retaliated unconsciously even."

"You're here solely because of my curiosity for this possibility wasn't in the plans…"

"... So you had to confirm it..."

"Right… But that doesn't matter anymore. How are you even here? How did you get inside my dreams?"

"... Can you even call this a dream?" Philip asked as he looked around, his face sunken as he held his breath as a smoke cloud passed by them

"..."

"Look, I told you before, my new Skill."

"... I figured as much. You've used your Skill to traverse here and connect our dreams together… Not something I expected, to be honest."

"If you're here, then…"

"I did it. The Princess is saved, and so is her knight. No casualties, and the parasite has been extracted alive and handed over to them."

"Great, I expected no less but things have derailed enough for me to rely on absolutes."

"This is the topmost situation, then. Good work…"

"Don't thank me yet, there are still some things left to discuss."

"I suppose there are…"

Dae closed his eyes as he pushed his hair back, pensive.

"You seem distracted. Did something happen?"

"No… Just this darned nightmare."

Dae turned to the burning castle, his eyes heavy.

Philip could feel his emotions. They were stronger then ever, consuming his thoughts…

"You must've figured out where we are, right?"

"... This is the Capital. Derivia, right?"

"In all its glory."

"... What happened?"

Dae pointed towards the sky.

"That."

/Clap!/

He clapped his hands, and time returned…

/(!@)#$(@!)#$@!#!!!/

A strange screech echoed in the skies as the smoke clouds were parted open…

"URG?!?!"

The moment his eyes fell upon the being, his mind protested with intense pain, as if a nail had been driven across his skull!

/Clap!/

Time stopped once more, or rather, it regressed… 

"Huff… Huff… What was that?"

"... One of the many things we're trying to avoid…"

"I'll remind you of what I told you when we first met. This isn't a fight for Humanity. We aren't doing this to save ourselves… This is everything."

"We fail… And it's all gone. No more, no less."

Dae turned to the people running in the far distance, mere fireflies from this height.

"Those people are like fish in an aquarium, but the water is slowly being drained… While the world around it goes off orbit right into the sun..."

"... That's quite the comparison…"

"It's the most proper one… A minor consequence of a problem far beyond their power to change. And even if they once had the power to alter things, it's far too late for anything to be done."

Dae turned back to the palace.

"To me… Us… It was the start of our struggles."

"I wouldn't say I was green then, but compared to what we faced after, I was no different from fresh-cut grass in summer."

"... How far in the future did this happen?"

"How far?... Not long, not too soon either… This was around the end of the Continental War, or rather, when it truly began."

"You can't call it Continental when it was just us being beaten down by everyone like a dog on the side of the road."

"The real conflict began after we were gone. Not that it lasted long, anyway… But this all won't matter soon enough. We're changing everything."

Dae turned back to Philip, his face stern:

"I'm not asking you to commit the unthinkable… But remember what's ahead if you are to fail."

"... We…"

"I'm not a monster, I know where to draw the line." Dae said with a scoff as he got up from the wall

"Sacrificing others won't make the future I want. Some will fall, others will rise, that is inevitable… But I'll build a future for all, even our enemies."

"So don't come to me asking if I would take you out if you got in the way. It'll never come to that."

"... Haa…"

Philip exhaled out loud as he smirked lightly…

"But would you?"

"Fuck off. That would be the worst possible scenario. And I'm not Batman; I can't live my life building contingency plans for every possible little thing. My head's already full as it is…"

"I can only do what I can. And if one-day things get to the point where we do face each other… Well… What can I say? It's probably far too late to remedy things anyway."

"Fair enough."

/Clap!/

Dae clapped his hands, and the world of chaos vanished, replaced by an open grass field.

No mountains in sight, just a pure field of green grass…

"... Where are we? Or is this fabricated? How can you even manipulate your dreams this well?"

"As I said, I was trained to defend myself if an intruder came into my mind space. And while mine isn't as developed as yours, my Soul still carries some reflection of what it once was."

"At the same time, your presence here awakened me, otherwise by now… I suppose I would be panicking like I did in the past."

"... What was I doing at this time? If you don't mind the question?"

"You?"

Dae smiled lightly as he looked into the far distance.

"... Around this time, you went on a journey around the world to finish the qualifications for your next Class."

"Hm? What's there to laugh about this?"

"I wonder." He said with a light smile as he looked back at him

"..."

'I don't like this. He's hiding something again…'

"As for this place, this is somewhere on an island to the far North. It was found long ago by a Taurus Hero, and also the place he eventually built his tomb, having his flesh and blood, together with those he trusted, guard his remains."

"Over the centuries, a community rose from their descendants. And after the Continent was cast in flames, we fled here after a series of coincidences…"

"You could even say "Fate" led us here."

"... You like this place."

"What makes you think that?"

"Your emotions were all over the place before, but here… They're quite calm."

"... That ability of yours won't make you popular with the ladies…"

"Where did that come from?!"

"Heh… Hum… I suppose… I do like this place." Dae said in a low tone as he looked into the distance

But not for long, as he quickly snapped back to Philip, saying:

"Let's cut the chase. Tomorrow will be a busy day and I don't want to sleep badly due to your interference."

"You're stingy. Do you even know how hard it was for me to make this possible?"

"I can imagine. And a word of advice, don't try it again anytime soon."

"Why? It's quite the consistent method of communication."

"Traveling across the realm of dreams isn't safe at all. It's far beyond what it seems, and the truth to that lies within how you define this place."

"I'm uncertain how your ability works, but I propose you learn and inform yourself more on the subject before you attempt this again."

"Until then, and maybe even then, you aren't ready to face what's out there. And while it is a little safe given our proximity, it won't be the same once you're out there."

"We'll soon be moved back to the palace, and once we're there, I can only imagine the amount of wards they'll place around us."

"... How would you explain yourself if you were found out by an Imperial Wizard? You aren't the only one with proficiency in Mental Control."

"There are also some Heroes sensitive to such… We're better off pushing this for later… Give it two months at the very least."

"Why that long?"

"Because that's how much I believe we'll be incarcerated due to this event. You can't believe just how many soldiers flooded the gardens after you left."

"Thousands… Including Nobles and Princes, there's a whole army investigating this case and I can imagine how things are outside."

"I hope you've run quite far by now to be able to afford this moment…"

"I've already crossed the mountains. I'm on my way to the city."

"You're fast… One less thing to worry about. Then I suppose it's time for us to talk."

"What happened out there?"

"Well…"

Philip narrated what he experienced, starting a small discussion between the two that lasted several hours.

Once each said everything they had to share, Dae gave Philip a light tap on the back before they parted ways, each to their own adventure.

…

/Later…/

"Yawn… This is enough rest for now…"

'It's still quite dark… How long has it been?'

Philip checked the time, only to realize a mere hour had passed.

'No wonder I was getting a headache… Fine!... An hour is enough.'

Dusting his pants, he stretched his back as he looked at the distance.

"Next stop…"

'The city of Magic.'

…

The moon rose high into sky before eventually descesding, giving space to the blazing sun…

But Philip continued to run, eventually meeting civilization once more.

And despite his curiosity towards the many villages and sights he saw on his way, Philip continued to run towards the NothWest. 

And with two full days ever since he left the mountain path, or around three days since he left the Palace, Philip had finally arrived! 

"Hupp… Alright, finally… I'm here." He said out loud as he stretched his arms

He sat atop a small hill overlooking a large city stretching into the distance.

Massive walls at least fifty Meters high that went far into the horizon. 

The walls were decorated with all sorts of strange symbols that would glow during the night... 

On top of the wall, small spires similar to lighting rods could be seen, with the every so often sights of patrol groups passing through. 

Even the sky wasn't spared as several floating objects flew above the city, some bigger than others, and some that seemed like houses. 

It was a massive city located in an open plain, with tall buildings and towers, the architecture was very reminiscent of Ancient Europe… But exaggerated in hyperfantasy. 

In the far distance, Philip managed to see the end of the wall and the start of another, even taller wall… 

He couldn't see what was inside of the wall, but he could see some faint outlines of massive towers that pierced into the skies. 

He soon knew what those were, the fabled Dungeons, the oldest organisms of this alien planet.

Squinting his eyes as he looked into the distance, he whistled:

"That's quite impressive alright…" 

"For an academy that is always in dire need of resources, a Dungeon is the perfect solution."

'According to one of the books I read, one of the reasons why this academy managed to thrive was exactly because of the high concentration of Dungeons in this area. And it was also why it was built in this place.'

"Now then… To find the black market…"

'I need an identity to get inside the city… The problem is that the black market is also inside…'

'There's no way I can pass through the sentries scattered around the place. Maybe the spells scattered around would misfire or fail due to my abilities, but there's no need to gamble.'

'That bastard already thought of this…'

Philip looked towards a small village at the foot of the hill. 

There were many like it all around, farmers and villagers living their life as normal, their golden and colorfull fields spreading all throughout the horizon.

With a quick glance around, he quickly confirmed it:

"How convenient."

'That's where my ticket is.'

Philip turned around, looking at the distant mountains…

'It's faint, but I can see it from here. Those ridiculously tall mountains…'

'A shame I can't see the big one though, even from the garden, the heavy blizzard and mist surrounding those deep portions of the mountains just hid it away from sight.'

'A shame there's no satellite view in this world to sate my curiosity…'

With that, Philip walked downhill, taking a deep breath as he recovered his stamina… 

…

The village itself looked pretty simple. 

Proper and clean stone roads, a mix of stone and wooden houses… 

Honestly speaking, it didn't seem like a medieval village but more of a countryside village on earth, smelling fresh with little to no dirt on the ground despite the horses and farm animals around. 

'I've read that some Villages employ mages to help with construction and maintenance… Well, it's not like learning beginner magic theories is complicated. Even a peasant would be able to do it if he was given proper tutelage.'

'And I imagine it'd be within the interest of the City to keep its Villages well-fed and organized, not only as a way to maintain a proper stream of farm goods but also for the asthetics of the land.'

'It wasn't always like this though, some historic records point to other more… "rudimentary" times… Hundreds of years ago.'

Philip scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

'Honestly speaking, I should stop trying to look at this world as medieval. Their culture and values as a whole may seem old-fashioned, but their technology isn't that far from ours.'

'Everything we can do they can replicate through magic, and I imagine that if you have a Dwarf engineer go through an Engineering course back on Earth, he'd likely learn most of it and even complete it.'

Sorting his thoughts, Philip stopped a passerby for directions, moving on soon after.

While he was a stranger, everyone seemed rather welcoming… But he could feel it, the eyes on his back.

He pressed onwards, stopping before a large house with a wooden board with some words written on it with white chalk:

[Rest here! One night plus dinner and a bath for only…]

Philip read the sign of the Inn before turning to the front door. 

It seemed like any other building in the area, its only special trait was its size, being four floors high. 

But he knew that there was a secret entrance to the city hidden inside this very Inn… Or at the very least, there should be one inside.

If he followed every direction properly, this was the place.

/Creak…/

Philip pushed the door open as he entered the nameless Inn. 

"Hum…It's a bit empty…"

/Tap…/

"It's due to how close it is to the city, most choose to just walk for another half an hour and enter the city than to stay in this place."

"In the end, the waiting lines are so strict most end up returning by nightfall as they wait for their turn. If you stay for a little longer you'll see this place flare up." 

Philip turned to the source of the voice to see an old man behind a wooden counter.

He wore a set of simple but comfortable leathery vestments over a set of fiber clothes, making him look like a cowboy.

He was blind on his left eye, but with no visible scar. Likely from old age.

His clothes were rather similar to Philip's, and this made him feel… Old. 

'Do I look like that?... No… I'm handsome. Besides, this is the fashion.'

(Image)

"Nice to meet you, young traveler, it is not everytime that I see someone stopping by this old Inn of mine at this hour, may I inquire what your needs?" 

He caressed his beard, not hiding as he observed him from head to toe.

"It's still quite early in the day so you may still enter the city if you get in the line. Still, I can offer you a room if you want. We offer a light meal in the morning as part of the fee, but a bath is on the side."

Philip smiled and replied: 

"Nice to meet you too, I won't be staying for long as I have some gifts to buy, may I have something for the trip?" 

"Hm…"

The old man seemed to open his eyes a bit more, scanning his expression.

Philip felt strange as his blind eye surveyed him. But that wasn't what caught him by surprise…

It was his complete lack of emotion. He couldn't feel anything at all.

If he closed his eyes, he would've believed the man before him was a zombie…

"Then please, sit anywhere you want. I will go prepare some tea." He replied as he turned around, vanishing behind a back door

Philip looked around, taking a seat on the second floor of the establishment underneath a faint red lantern that slowly swayed in the wind…

He waited patiently without making any sounds, focused on the world around him.

For the first time in a while, it was complete silence… 

 /Tap… Tap…/

Within five minutes, the old man returned with two cups of tea and a few more boxes, placing the cups on the table after cleaning it.

Strangely though, he filled both cups, pushing them towards him.

"I forgot to ask, but do you prefer bitter or sweet tea?" 

"Sweet of course." 

'The other one is poisoned…'

"Oh? You look like someone who would prefer bitter tea, no offense of course." The old man said with a chuckle as he pulled the teacup, placing it on the small plate on his hand

"It's just an old habit of mine…" 

"... When I was small, there used to be a type of tea I loved." Philip added after he took a sip of the tea

'It was indeed very sweet and fragrant. '

"Is it common? If it is I might have it here on my old shelves. I often buy them in-bulk whenever a caravan stops by." 

"Hum… I think the name was… He… Hebrery Yuo?... Would you have this particular tea?" He asked lightly with a smile

'This tea is really good though…'

"..."

The old man was stunned for a small moment before he smiled faintly… 

His gaze slowly brightened as vitality seemingly returned to his throat:

"Yes… I do recognize this name, It brings me memories… However, I don't remember where it was exactly, would you help me search for it?"

"If we find it, I'll pack a bag for you, on the house."

As he said that, he walked downstairs, not waiting for Philip's answer.

Either way, he went after him.

"It would be a pleasure." 

'This tea was quite good. I'll have to ask what its made from later…'

/Creeak…/

Downstairs, the old man pushed open the backdoor, gesturing for him to step inside as he held the door for him:

"Right this way young man… Now, where did I store this?..." He mumbled to himself as he looked around the shelves

Philip followed after him, but the moment he stepped inside the room, the old man turned back to him, his expression heavy.

The last thing Philip saw before his entire vision went dark was his hazy, gray eye…

…

"Urg…" 

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Philip woke up in a completely dark room. 

No lights, sounds, anything. As if he had been thrown in a sensory depravation chamber.

Even with his enhanced senses, everything was completely silent. But he kept his calm, raising his head to face the darkness.

/Baddum…/

It was extremely faint, but he could feel it, a heart pumping in the dark…

"Instead of watching me, how about you just light something up? I can't even see my hands." 

"... Pardon my insolence as I was just curious..." 

A gentle voice echoed in the room…

/Clap…/

With a single clapping sound, a faint light shone in the ceiling, revealing a small circular table with two chairs facing one another. 

Behind one of the chairs was a beautiful woman, while the other chair was empty, most likely, it was for Philip. 

The room beyond the table, however, remained clad in shadows.

"No offense taken." He replied calmly as he reached out for the chair, but he did not sit down, his attention taken by something else

When he looked at her face, Philip felt even dizzier. 

It felt as if there was some sort of force preventing him from identifying her face, trying to keep his brain away from putting her features together, however, despite that strange sensation, he could still perfectly see every corner of her face.

From her flowing red hair to her red lips, her face screamed beauty. She was perfect and symmetrical, like an Asian model.

She had a strange mark below her right eye that was similar to a full moon. 

When he looked at it, he felt even dizzier, but he persevered nonetheless. 

(Image?)

'At this rate I'll throw up… When I look at her I feel like my world is thrown upside down. Just what's going on?...'

Philip tried to keep his face devoid of any expression as he went through Dae's diary in his mind, and soon enough, within the blink an eye, he found a possible answer for what he was experiencing.

Calming down, he focused back on the woman before him, listening to what she had to say:

/Chuckle…/

"It isn't every day that we see a non-agent utilize our secret passage." 

"Please, do not take it as a threat, it's just my personal curiosity, that's all."

"If you're here, it means you're a customer, and to that, I extend to you my greetings." 

She bowed gently, with one hand over her chest and the other on the table, saying:

"My name is Iu, a Great Moon rank information dealer. I shall be your host on this beautiful day." 1

"Great Moon? What an honor."

"You seem well informed with our ranks, that makes things easier." 

Philip nodded in reply, Dae's notes explained everything he needed to know.

"Nice to meet you, my name is… Philip." 

"A rather unusual name… Well then, greetings aside, take a seat Mr. Philip." 

"..."

'For me, your name is the unusual one…'

After sitting down and getting himself relaxed, Philip waited for her to start the conversation. 

"... Mr.Philip, what brings such a distinguished guest such as you to our humble abode?" 

But he scoffed lightly, saying:

"Humble? You call a Main Branch that? Then a suppose a Noble's manor is a shed these days."

She smiled faintly, albeit Philip felt a tint of nervousness on her words as she replied:

"I expected this much given you're well informed, nevertheless, my question does not change." 

"..."

Philip looked at the woman and thought carefully about his next move. 

'I've joked once but it doesn't look like she'll let it pass again. At this point she'll begin questioning my identity.'

'Some may call them a criminal organization, others an information network, Dae called them "representatives" of a greater power.'

'The Rings, a hidden organization operating solely in the background, If I make a mistake here, I won't leave this place alive.'

'Not to mention how I got here, my senses tell me that there's something really dangerous lurking in the dark…'

Iu tapped on the table with her slender fingers, asking:

"May I inquire which Sector you are in need of?" 

"... The Mouth Sector." 

'Dae wrote quite a bit about them in his diary, its clear he envisions this meeting quite highly. And there's a reason for that.'

'The Rings are one of the few Multi-Continental organizations. They are similar to an information dealer in those Martial arts novels, but that isn't the only scope of their operations nor their purpose.'

'Their hierarchy is rather complex but if I were to make it simple… They are divided into 3 Sectors:'

'The Mouth Sector, for tasks that involve diplomacy and documentation. Things such as fake identities and information verification.'

'The Brain Sector, for information gathering, processing, and storing.'

'And the Hand Sector, for tasks that involve a more personal take, such as escort missions, gathering missions… Assassinations… You got the gist of it.'

'These sectors act individually most of the time and are fully able to manage themselves without the need of support from others. Rarely acting together unless something exceptional occurs.'

'Highly skilled in their tasks, they're a force to be reckoned with.'

'Leading them are the Chains, the high echelon of the organization. From the lowest rank to the highest one, Great Moon is the third highest, being right below Eclipsed Moon, the rank given to the top Executives that would normally oversee operations in an entire nation and Moonless Sky, a title given to the topmost dog of them all.'

'Normally, the higher the rank, the more capable the person is, and that usually equates to… Strength… That's why, this woman in front of me might very well be…'

'A crazy fucking monster…'

"I will cut to the chase and say what I want, pardon me for being rude." He said with a faint bow as his toned down his voice

The woman had a thin smile on her face as she said: 

"No need to be humble Mr.Philip, and also, call me Iu."

"Well then, I'll be frank… I came here as the last inheritor of the Polter Family's will to collect our debt. I am sure you were already informed of that." 

But she, on the other hand, looked incredibly stunned. 

"... I… Pardon me for a moment, would you give me some time?" 

"Go on, take your time." 

The girl bowed and turned around, quickly disappearing into the shadows. 

"..."

'Everything is going according to plan.'

Philip tried to take a look around the room, but as expected, he couldn't feel anything beyond the shadows no matter how much he tried. 

Well, he didn't probe that hard, but he was afraid of angering whatever was observing him in the dark.

There was something there, he was sure of it. Their heartbeat was strong and heavy. Calm… But quite powerful.

Some may call him a coward, but he was just trying to not get himself killed by being arrogant like those Martial arts protagonists. 

'Well… At least I got inside the city.'

'Dae's notes were quite detailed regarding this organization, it makes me think if they played a role in the future, or rather… If one of their members was close to him before sending him off.'

'Now that's an interesting thing to ask him next time we meet.'

'The diary said that there was a Main Branch of the Rings with a hidden Transmission array hidden underneath the city, or in other words, space magic or something…'

'The old man at the Inn must've been the guard of the secret passage. He either knocked me out or the door itself teleported me here. Either way, I was caught without even reacting to whatever they threw at me.'

'Our strange conversation back then was nothing short of an exchange of codes. If that wasn't obvious enough… He wanted to know who I was, so I replied accordingly with what was written in the journal.'

'I have no idea what any of those words mean though… He didn't specify about that.'

'He only told me the Rings should recognize me as a descendant of a long-dead Family if I play my cards right, one that in the past, did a massive favor for them.'

'They might be dead by now, but their debt still remain to be collected. That's why I'm here.'

'Their long-lost code… Hebrery Yuo ... Once again, I have no idea what it means, in fact, it might not mean anything at all… However, with this in my hands, I can collect the debt in their stead and solve all of my immediate issues.'

'I'll build a connection with this shady group, get my fake identity… Not exactly fake since I never had one in this world to begin with… And they'll brush aside this debt.'

'A single identity isn't enough to cover for it all, and Dae wrote that I could ask for whatever I wanted as long as I secured some funds, and that's exactly what I'll do since I need nothing else.'

'I could ask for other things, but its the same thing as when I dealt with Roy. Even if he can figure things out on his own, I'd rather not give him a direction to look at. I want no one snooping around my activities.'

'As for how Dae got his hands on this code… Let's just hope he got it from a ruin and not an actual descendant… If I do find any though, I know who to push the blame too.'

Smiling internally, Philip's attention was drawn to the other side of the room as the red-haired lady returned with a serene expression on her lips.

/Step step…/

"I hope there weren't any problems, Miss Iu."

"..."

Iu was momentarily stunned as she reached for her seat

'Can he see me right now? That's impossible… But his expression... He is looking directly at my eyes.'

'Wait… So he can see my face?'

For a split second Iu's expression twitched, and Philip noticed it immediately. 

"Did something happen, Miss Iu? You don't seem so good." 

'Her emotions are in disarray. She's quite young too… Could she be a newcomer?'

'I've pushed her enough anyway, it's fun to see her expression change though.'

"... Its-Its nothing, Mister Philip, let us proceed with our previous discussion." 

'How is this possible?… Should I say its expected? Hiding my identity like this… I hope he isn't offended by my actions.'

'That old man! Why didn't he warn me about this beforehand?'

She lifted her hand and wiped out the symbol on her face below her right eye, causing Philip's discomfort to reduce greatly as her facial features grew stronger. 

"Pardon me for my previous rudeness." 

"I will not take any more of your time Mr.Philip, your identity has been confirmed, so please, tell me what can we do for the Polter Family?" 

Philip blinked his eyes as he realized that the dizziness he previously felt was slowly vanishing, in a much better mood he replied: 

"I'm in need of an identity and a large amount of resources." 

"?"

'Is that… All?'

'Gold and a… New identity??'

'Is there something…'

/Whispers…/

"!"

The girl's thoughts were suddenly cut as she stopped momentarily.

Philip couldn't tell why, but for a faint moment, he felt diverse emotions in the air, coming from around her… But there was no one there.

'She's not that good at hiding her emotions…' Philip thought as he waited for her reply

"I understand Mr Philip, we will provide you with all of the papers needed, and I can guarantee that they will be all official documents."

"However, there are many sorts of documents that can be acquired in the North, may I ask which you need?" 

"Yes of course. I need all the documents that are required in order to enroll in the Parad Academy, be it as a teacher or as a student."

"I would also be thankful if you could provide me with other types of documentation such as a Guild Badge."

'As long as I have an identity, I can get everything else no problem. But why not cut a little bit of my future self's work while I still can?'

'If I do end up needing another identity, I can just buy it from them.'

"That's pretty simple to get, we will get everything ready by today." 

"Also, if it's possible, may you provide us with some basic information?" 

"Like what?"

"Would you like a new name? Or to be a Noble, perhaps? To be from a specific area?..." She said as she took a long list of possibilities from underneath the table

Philip was surprised, but he couldn't help but be in awe at their capability. 

"I will keep my name, there is no need to change it, as for the rest…" 

Philip wasn't afraid of his name being tracked, because in the first place, there weren't many with his name out there and if someone decided to follow him, a fake name wouldn't change anything.

It may make it easier for the Crown to track him, but a simple name change won't deter them for long.

Philip had little to fear aside from that. What would they even do to him? Threaten him with a non-existent family?

Keeping his name as it was worked best because Philip felt much better being himself then trying to be someone else.

With that out of the way, Philip sorted out his identity with the lady, and half an hour later, he was guided out of the room by Iu. 

After a series of corridors, he was left out in a small alley cast in strong sunlight.

How funny that the door leading to their hidden establishment would be under such strong light?

But as he looked around, he saw that there were no windows or vantage points leading to this secluded place.

/Clack!/

And as he stretched, inhaling the air of the city, the door behind him closed. 

There was only one path left, forward.

…

/Back in the dark room…/

"... What do you think of him?" Iu asked as she looked at her left palm

She held a small mirror in her fingers, looking at the reflection on her face as she brought a handkerchief to clean her makeup 

"He seems like a cheerful youth." 

From the shadows, the same old man from the Inn stepped out. Chuckling as he crossed the darkness, stepping beside her.

"I am not asking that!" 

"Now now, no need to have this sort of reaction when talking with your own grandparent, right?" 

"How was dealing with your first VIP client?" He asked with a gentle smile as he tapped her shoulder

But the girl wasn't taking his carefree words today…

"Stop it! I have already dealt with many VIP'S before! And also, why didn't you!..." 

'Today I was caught off guard! He actually saw my face… This is a disaster.'

"..."

The old man looked at his young granddaughter and smiled. He knew exactly what was going on inside her head. 

"Those buffoons were nothing close to a true VIP… They only had money and a bit of power."

"That's not what being "special" actually means…"

"If you want to take my place one day, then you need to be prepared to deal with these seemingly nameless clients, you need to train your eye to catch the unexpected."

"To have the ability to discern…" He said out loud as he scratched his chin

'That's why I didn t say anything hehehe... How could I lose the opportunity to see my grandaughter make such mistakes?…'

"And on that regard… You failed miserably."

"#!!"

'This old man…'

"Because of your lack of vision, he saw your face didn't he? That's not good at all…" 

/THROW!/

"You could ve warned me of that!!" She exclaimed as she threw the mirror at him, only for him to gently fetch it, placing it back on the table 

Shen then punched his waist, but he ignored her completely.

"Hohoho… But then, you wouldn't learn." 

"Urg!... But… How did he see through the camouflage?" 

"... There are many ways of doing that but… My bet is that his raw mental power is so high that these illusions did little but tickle his senses."

"You noticed yourself how he partially resisted this room's effects. He knew I was here, but he kept himself calm and collected… Not something I can say about his talking partner."

/Smack!/ 

"... But is that even possible?" She asked as she elbowed his waist

"Of course it is… It would only require a rather powerful mind… Strong enough to condense it, that is."

'Or a solid will.'

The old man went into deep thought, but in the end, he smiled in amusement. 

He turned around, stepping into the darkness.

"Young people these days are just as scary as back in my youth." 

'Am I getting old? Maybe they're right and I'm losing my touch, how would a young men notice me, otherwise?'

'Maybe its time to consider retiring…'

"Where are you going?! Come back here!" 

/Fwoosh…/

/Whispers…/

But before she could pursue him, a man clad in shadows appeared, whispering something to her quietly. 

"..."

The woman immediately recovered her serious face and grasped the mirror from the table.

/Flash…/

The mirror flashed and another mark appeared below her right eye. 

It was time to welcome another client… 

"Iu, your makeup's messed up…" The old man said as his voice echoed in the dark

"SHUT UP!"

…

.

.

.

Notes

I was planning on releasing this chapter much later, but after putting in some thought, I decided to just post it now.

I released it on a Google doc around two days ago as I focused on other works but seeing how there wasn't much traction there, I opted to just release it.

I have some major changes planned out for this Arc, maybe I'll even end up putting entire new Arcs in-between.

Either way, this is from me for now, thank you for reading.

Peace!