10 Third Card

6 a.m., January 2, Year 8454 of the Third Magical Era

Dean walked out of 50 B Street and went to the adventure guild next to the kingdom's castle.

He was planning on taking a mission this morning to test his assassin techniques he recalled yesterday, and also to check on the gift he opened a while ago while in the shower.

Thinking of that insanely powerful gift, Dean couldn't help but call out the BOIM and further inquire about it.

The infinite symbol on his left wrist lit up for split of a second before a black book appeared in front of him. Luckily for Dean this time, the one responsible for today's meeting wasn't the snake, but the old man instead.

Dean didn't know what the reasons for this split of personality or two people managing the book or whatever this was, but he made sure that he would try to summon the BOIM every day to see on which days the snake was active.

' Just to be on the safe side, I have to avoid asking crucial questions to that snake; she is too dangerous and evil; she might even give me vague answers on purpose just to mess with me. The old man on the other hand is the one who was responsible for my reicanration; he is nice and easy to talk to; I should always look to summon him.'

Dean gazed at the old man, who was a finger size coming out of the book, and he faintly smiled, politely greeting him.

The old man nodded in response and waited for Dean to ask his two daily questions related to either the system or his own gift cards.

Dean didn't waste time and asked, all the way still making his way towards the adventure guild, but given the fact his street was almost closing in on the slums of Mountain Rock city and near the edge of it, the building of the adventure guild was quite a distance away from him.

Even though the castle was five minutes away from the fire church and the distance from his house to the castle was ten minutes away. Things were different this time because the adventure guild building did indeed exist next to the king's castle, though it was located on its south, which forced Dean to make a whole detour around the castle to reach it.

Dean deduced he would take ten more minutes to reach the building, but he didn't think much about it since he needed some time to finish his conversation with the old man anyway.

A funny thing to notice about Deans's outfit was his legs.

He still didn't bother to wear any shoes, and everyone who looked at him cast a side glance full of disdain, looking down upon his beggar appearance.

His black clothes didn't help, given their plain-looking sight, indicating their cheap cost.

But Dean didn't mind all those looks at him. In fact, he didn't even notice them as he was busing himself with the old man.

" Possession: gives you the ability to transform into a Supreme master of the Shadow Path for one minute. He can aid you in your fights and crises or even save you from the most dangerous situations; it can also assist you in comprehending Shadow Path and following his footsteps to a certain degree."

Dean recited the third card as he gazed at the old man and then inquired.

" What is a shadow path? I thought only 15 paths existed in the world; what is this then? And what does it mean by comprehending his path to a certain degree?"

The old man stroked his long white beard as usual; his face full of wrinkles was in deep thought.

" Oh dear, aren't you a lucky one."

"Or maybe an unlucky one?"

Dean suddenly felt that something was wrong,' Was that bastard of a snake lying to me when she said I struck gold on my last draw? Damnable snake, I'll one day make sure to roast you alive before eating you.'

The old man spoke as he was cursing the snake inwardly for blatantly lying to him hiding behind the truth.

" To be honest with you, not even I know who this Supreme master of the Shadow Path is."

Dean frowned hearing this, his heart clenching tightly as he was now certain of the snake's evil schemes, making him feel glad about drawing a curse, not a gift.

Dean knew that neither the old man nor the snake could lie to him, but in a sense, the snake didn't lie when she said that you hit gold and your luck had turned around. This is cause not even the snake knew of the card's abilities in the first place, which gave her the perfect opportunity to mess with him.

Dean was about to fall into despair, thinking that his journey would solely depend on his own actions and capabilities, which is something a person from Earth who is suddenly placed in such a dangerous situation will never ever hope to go through without external help.

He wasn't ignorant; he knew that counting on his knowledge alone would most likely lead to his death since he was between his family and the people who wanted to destroy it. His standing was just that dangerous at this moment.

Plus, what made it even worse was the two passive skills he received.

They were useless, and the second was already exhausted. Therefore, his hope depended on the third gift card.

' Will my journey end before it begins?' Dean thought.

Suddenly, the white-haired old man added.

" But, I have once heard something similar to the information provided in the card when I last spoke with the Book of Life."

Dean was delighted hearing his words and was about to ask him to elaborate. Alas, he was abruptly cut off before he could do so.

" Don't rush it kid. Such information is worthless to a mortal. I'll tell you what I know after you reach the ninth realm."

Dean thought about it for a moment and found his words to be logical; consequently, he didn't dwell much on the matter and chose to ask the second question later.

Not because he wasn't interested in the second question, but only cause he had already found himself in front of the Adventurer guild's gigantic building that towered even above the king's castle behind it.

' Seems like my walking was greatly enhanced to a terrifying degree after I regained my assassin training memories and the techniques this body mastered.' Dean thought as he gazed at the majestic building before him.