Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Adventurer

Anyway, whether it was the Forest Spirits or the members of the Manticore Mercenary Company's fourth squad, everyone now regarded Mo Tan as the hero who had saved them all that day—even though this "hero" himself knew less about the incident than any random witness present...

But only these NPCs thought that way. Gale Sean, who had also witnessed the event that day, might not feel the same. After all, he was a bona fide player, and the idea of soloing hundreds of monsters on the first day of a non-pay-to-win game was hardly realistic. Unfortunately, Mo Tan couldn't seek confirmation from him now—not because the guy had parted ways with the caravan early, but simply because he probably wasn't online...

Meg said she hadn't seen that "always popping up out of nowhere" kid since last night.

"Alright, I think I have a rough idea." Mo Tan casually brushed off the matter of his supposed solo rampage, stretched lazily, and asked Meg, "Where are we right now?"

"Anka Market." The dwarf gave Mo Tan a slightly puzzled look. "The Forest Spirit merchant caravan will rest here for a few days before continuing west to Celestial Pillar Mountain. Any problem?"

Of course there was a problem. Mo Tan's mind was practically overflowing with questions, but he couldn't just blurt them all out. So he followed Meg's lead and asked, "When do we set off?"

"We?" Meg was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Mo Tan's head with some concern. "Wasn't your original destination Anka Market? And that kid named Sean too..."

Well, Mo Tan finally understood. The system had originally arranged for him to come here as a traveler hitching a ride.

So naturally, that question would strike Meg as odd. She was probably already suspecting that he was suffering from some kind of "brain damage" backlash by now...

"I seem to have forgotten quite a few things after waking up." Mo smiled sheepishly. "Although my body is fine now, a lot of my memories are fuzzy."

Meg grinned and teased, "Sounds just like those stage plays that are so popular among human nobles. I've seen one—it was hilarious~"

"Stage plays?" Mo Tan blinked and asked instinctively, "What are they about? Are they really that interesting?"

"Super interesting!" The dwarf gestured animatedly. "I hear the most popular ones now are love stories—noble girls and poor boys, rich merchants' sons and beggar girls. They always fall in love, then something has to go wrong. Like getting hit by a Wild Land Dragon and losing their memory, or being diagnosed with an incurable disease even the Pope can't fix, or the rich family suddenly getting robbed by a master thief and going bankrupt, or finding out they're not the real child. It's all hilarious!"

By the time Mo Tan heard this, he was already sweating...

"And there's more!" Meg said excitedly. "Sure, the show I watched with Ironhammer only had amnesia, incurable diseases, and illegitimate children, but I heard that a few years ago, there was a trend where a young noble fell in love with a bunch of girls, only to find out they were all his half-sisters from his father's and mother's side..."

Mo Tan had no intention of letting this dwarf with such broad interests continue. He quickly nodded to interrupt, saying, "I understand, I understand! I'm just from some small place, wanting to travel around and broaden my horizons. That's why I came to Anka this time. Brother Meg, how about you give me a rundown on the local customs and culture..."

[If you don't, that's fine too, but at least don't make me drown in this melodramatic culture while playing a game!]

That was his inner wail...

"A small place..." Meg suddenly looked at the tail behind Mo Tan and asked, "You're not a Reptilian Half-Orc, are you?"

Mo Tan honestly shook his head and replied, "I think I'm a Half-Dragon."

Meg was silent for a moment after hearing this, then sighed, patted Mo Tan on the shoulder, and muttered, "No wonder..."

But he didn't continue, as if he didn't want to stir up any painful memories for Mo Tan. Instead, he pulled out a somewhat tattered notebook from his bosom and handed it over.

"This is..." Mo Tan took the wine-stained black leather notebook, glanced at it, and was overjoyed. He looked at Meg hopefully and asked, "Can I borrow it to read?"

[Meg's Adventure Notebook]

Quality: Unique Common

Use: Read

[Note: The notebook of the dwarf warrior Meg Rollsteel, containing a wealth of adventurer knowledge and a simple map of the northwestern continent. It also records a small number of herbal recipes, edible parts of common monsters, and basic wilderness survival tips. Finally, for the player's physical and mental health, we strongly! Strongly! Strongly! Strongly advise against the owner of this notebook opening pages 77-82. Any consequences are the player's own responsibility.]

Although there seemed to be some strange content mixed in, Mo Tan could still recognize the value of this adventure notebook to a newbie player like himself. It was irreplaceable—common sense!

With the game officials providing no reliable information, players were almost at a loss in the early stages of the game. No one knew which words might offend someone's taboos or which actions would be seen as heretical. Especially in a game like Innocent Realm, where NPCs were very intelligent, many careless players had already paid the price for various inappropriate behaviors.

Even in the real world, humans of the same race could fight each other over taboos, beliefs, and customs. People with the same skin color and speaking the same language could burn or kill others as 'heretics' without blinking an eye, let alone in this vast, diverse, and multi-racial game world.

Although many of the most basic fundamentals might not necessarily be recorded in Meg's notebook, this was already precious enough for Mo Tan.

"It's yours." The dwarf smiled at Mo Tan, who had been startled at first and then seemed hesitant to speak. "Don't bother refusing. I can pretty much recite everything in it from memory, and I could write another copy in no time. Since you said you want to travel and broaden your horizons, this notebook should be able to help you out a bit. Consider it repayment for what you did earlier."

After hearing this, Mo Tan stopped being overly modest. He carefully stored away the [Meg's Adventure Notebook] and said solemnly to Meg, "I will definitely treasure it, friend."

"Oh, right!" Meg's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said to Mo Tan, "Are you interested in becoming a mercenary?"

...

Ten minutes later, Mo Tan was standing at the entrance of the Anka Market Adventurer's Guild Headquarters, clad in excellent quality white iron chainmail, with a black steel longsword that had undergone a basic enchantment hanging at his waist, smiling so brightly it was like a spring day.

He couldn't forget the old priest at Daming Lake who had forced him to buy a 'cost price' Teaching Book for 20 copper coins.

He couldn't forget the endless sea of white mixed with green whenever he played games involving opening chests or unpacking items.

He couldn't forget the first card on the right side of his hand in card games that always seemed to go against him.

He couldn't forget the countless times he had missed out on looting rights due to suddenly switching personalities and disconnecting.

In short, whenever it came to luck-based games, even if he went online to play Landlords just to defy his fate, Mo Tan was always the deepest pit in the 'one pit deeper than the next,' the unluckiest chief!

And now...

"Finally!" Mo Tan clenched his fists lightly, tears welling up in his eyes as he emotionally exclaimed, "My luck has finally turned around!!"

[Lawful Good] Mo, with a total online time of less than three hours, had luck as if he had buried his entire head under the skirt of the Goddess of Fortune. Not only had he obtained an adventure notebook that was very precious for a beginner, but he had also been forcibly stuffed with a full set of excellent quality equipment by Meg after she learned of his intention to become a mercenary. If his current class level and various abilities weren't a bit low, there might have been even more...

And that wasn't all!

Meg had also copied down two of her favorite combat techniques, which in players' eyes were commonly known as skills.

[Mad Charge]

Weapon School Active Skill

Mastery Requirements: Any Weapon Specialization Level 1, Strength 7

Cost/Restrictions: 50 Stamina, requires melee weapon

Effect: Charges headlong toward a designated position 8 to 20 meters away. Upon reaching the target location, delivers a guaranteed critical hit to the nearest enemy unit. Takes 20% increased damage during the charge but is unaffected by any slow, immobilization, or stun effects. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

[Note: A charge with sparks and lightning is certainly flashy, but on the battlefield, only a mad dash where you forget even who your own mother is embodies a man's romance. Whether attacking or fleeing, always move with the mindset that 'a goblin high-explosive rocket is chasing you'!]

With this skill, combined with the 'Charge Smash' that Mo Tan learned after choosing the warrior class, his instantaneous mobility could even surpass that of rangers and thieves of the same level...

That is, if any level 1 ranger or thief were bored enough to race him.

In any case, Mo Tan could now proudly boast: "I'm fast~!"

Next up is the second one...

【Ground Crawler】

Passive Skill

Mastery Requirements: None

Cost/Restrictions: None

Effect: When stationary (this condition is not required when in dense cover), after maintaining an absolute height below 5 meters for 10 seconds, you become harder to detect until you exceed that height, and your next attack deals 20% more damage. Cooldown: 1 minute.

【Note: Hey! Is it cool standing up that high? Hey you, deaf and blind up ahead, take my Avada Kedavra!】

This was a technique that Meg was particularly fond of. Although it wasn't so easy for Mo Tan, it was still a highly practical passive skill. In Meg's words, if bending over all the time was too tiring, he could lie down, kneel, or even sprawl on the ground—just be careful not to do it in crowded places, because getting stepped on hurts quite a bit...

Anyway, since the forest spirit's person in charge was temporarily away and Mo Tan's physical condition seemed decent, Meg generously let him go out for a stroll.

Mo Tan's first order of business was to register as an adventurer.

...

Anka Market was located in the northwest of the continent. Although it was called a market, its area was large enough to hold two Layered Rock Cities. Thanks to its prime location, being at a transportation hub, Anka Market saw a constant flow of merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, and all kinds of people every day. In this era where bartering was still prevalent, this lawless zone gradually developed into the commercial hub of the northwest. Over time, it formed such an influential large-scale 'market.'

The two major merchant guilds of the Innocent Continent, numerous religious sects, and ubiquitous organizations like the Mage Guild, Adventurer's Guild, and Mercenary Association all had large branches here. The latter two were the largest in scale, and the mutually complementary Adventurer's Guild and Mercenary Association's Anka branches were practically one of the landmark buildings here.

This made it almost effortless for Mo Tan to find his first stop...

Adventurer's Guild — Anka Branch

This building, covering nearly one square kilometer and constructed entirely of blue-gray stone, was located in the northern district of Anka Market. Shaped like an ancient Roman Colosseum, this hexagonal structure lacked the luxury of a palace, the majesty of a castle, or the solemnity of a church, but it exuded a wild and unrestrained temperament. Although using the word 'temperament' for a building seemed a bit odd, it didn't feel out of place at all...

Beside the guild's eternally open Pioneer's Gate stood two massive statues. One was a hunched, long-bearded gnome mage, and the other was a humanoid creature with a long spear, broadsword, hunting bow, and heavy shield slung across its back, holding a torch in one hand and a map in the other.

Mo Tan slowly walked up to the Pioneer's Gate and looked up...

The gnome mage held a huge book in its hands, upon which stood a lifelike quill pen, seemingly writing something on its own. In its other hand, it leaned on a silver staff, its magnified carvings shimmering with a multicolored glow, illuminating the master's face, weathered by the winds of time and covered in wrinkles.

On the base was inscribed a line of small text: [To the great pioneer, the Guild Leader Gary Anquan, who rests in eternal slumber on the endless journey of exploration. The light of hope you ignited shall be passed down through our generations. Until all the thorns in this world are cleared by our efforts, the writing of the Book of Returners shall never cease.]

"My respects to you..." Mo Tan said softly, looking at the colossal statue with its lowered eyes, as if lost in thought. He bowed slightly, then walked over to the other statue before the gate.

This statue, which seemed to resemble a weapon master, had no discernible face. Its figure appeared weary, with many features that could highlight gender or race cleverly hidden beneath its equipment. Numerous parts were adorned with dark red 'bloodstains,' yet it still seemed stubbornly determined to take one more step...

[To yourselves.]

Below were only these brief words, yet they spoke volumes.

This was not a statue, but a mirror...

A mirror in which every adventurer could see themselves.

Chapter 18: The End