Chapter 6 - A quest arrives

The Tower is easy to spot from any direction of the city because of how high above the clouds it stretches, in fact in all the years that it's been here nobody has seen the top of it.

I approached the central square which is the immediate circle around the base of the tower. Once I saw the wooden shell surrounding the first couple meters of it I knew I was close.

That wooden structure is pretty impressive on Istoria's end, they thought of that a few years after the Tower's arrival. The wooden shell acts as a watchtower built with stairs and multiple layers where city guards alternate by the hour.

It has a wide spiral staircase and balcony for the guards to stand. If you stand at just the right angle you would be able to see them watching over the city with their bored expressions and constant yawns.

Running up to the entrance, I heard the heavy footsteps of metal grieves and armour rattling as adventurers cross inside the Tower Walk.

I should probably stick to my usual place today, new weapons don't mean I should get cocky after all.

I crossed over the lush fields towards my usual hunting spot and pulled out the rings from my belt behind me.

These attachments allow me to carry the rings on my lower back, that shady salesman offered them free of charge. I wonder if he felt bad for trying to take all my money.

Not very heavy, and they don't look all that strong either… What do I even call these?

Suddenly a screen of light appeared in front of my eyes between me and the rings.

{User has entered the Tower, the system is now operational}

The blades had a noticeable aura around them that grabbed my attention.

{Chakram's identified}

"Wh-what the hell?!"

I dropped the rings and stumbled back in surprise.

The floating screen of light immediately vanished as the rings left my sight.

"What was that, it looked like floating words?"

I saw something about Chak- Chakruh? Chakrums?

I definitely saw those right…I'm not losing my mind, am I?

I reached down and hesitantly picked up the rings again focusing on the blades as I did before, then in response to my thoughts the screen of light appeared once more.

{Twin Chakram Blades}

"Chak…rams? Is that what these are called…incredible! What is this, some kind of magic or just a hallucination?"

I waved my arms trying to hit the panel of light but my hand passed through it like air, only distorting the image of where my hand touched.

"What is this?"

Suddenly the honey and light-hearted voice of a child echoed through my mind.

{User has attempted to use appraisal on system}

{The System is a personal tool used to translate the world's knowledge and assist in growth}

"Huh a child, who is that speaking?"

Translate the world, what does that mean? And assist in growth, I assume that this thing isn't saying it wants me to be taller either right?

"Growth must mean something else then…maybe my strength?"

{Correct}

There it is again! Wait a minute he answers whenever I speak to him, then he should be able to answer my questions pretty easily.

"What strength did you mention before?"

{Rei Alos Level 0}

My name and level 0…This must be some sort of ranking system then right, I've never heard of magic doing something like this before. It also referred to itself as a system used to help with growth?! It's completely unheard of; this must be a completely rare occurrence… could it possibly be a unique skill?

Suddenly my eyes went large and my head felt as though a jolt of lightning travelled through it.

Unique skills are something so rare that most people never get the chance to see one up close. Unlike regular skills which can be quite common among people or dependent on doing a specific task, a unique skill is specific to one person alone.

A handful of the top adventurers in Istoria have unique skills that make them sought-after assets. There are even rumours that wars have been fought over people with unique skills before.

I can't see myself right now but I bet I have a pretty greedy smile on my face~

Some people gain simple abilities like being able to summon ice at the wave of their hand, without needing to chant a word or cast spells. While others gain monstrous abilities like being able to turn into animal hybrids.

What sort of ability does this 'system' give me then?

{User has not yet set a name for System}

A name, is that a requirement? I suppose since he has a voice it would be pretty weird to refer to him as a system…but what do you call a talking voice in your head that you can't see?

Thinking back to the stories my father read to me only one name came to mind. It was the name of a mighty adventurer that watched over his teammates and provided knowledge to them as well as strength.

"Alright then kid, since you'll be looking over my shoulder I guess there's only one name to give you. Please take care of me, Uriel."

{Registration complete}

Now that the greetings are taken care of I should learn as much about this skill as I can.

"Uriel, what did you mean by translating the world for me exactly?"

{System acts as a tool to translate information and abilities that User wouldn't be able to acknowledge without a Grace}

He even knows that I don't have a Grace, I guess there are no secrets between us then.

"So then how am I able to have you then, without a Grace I shouldn't be able to have a skill in the first place right?"

{Incorrect}

{A Grace has been detected within the user's body}

That can't be, one moment I'm told something, and then the next I'm told another…

"Since when did I get a Grace, Ellios told me I didn't have one?"

{Grace was bestowed upon User by Subject, Ellios before losing consciousness}

I grasped my chest and clenched my teeth with a bitter smile.

I tried to think of something appropriate to say but no words came to mind, the only thought that I could latch on to was that of his last words to me.

So that warmth I felt when I got knocked out, it really was him. How could I deserve something this important?

"I'll become strong so that I never feel that pathetic again…I need to now."

If Uriel is going to assist me in getting stronger then it means I'll need to start hunting some monsters, I need somewhere to fight.

{First Quest received}

{Trial of beginnings}

It was as if Uriel responded to my intentions and displayed a perfect opportunity in front of me. It almost feels like cheating.

"You're already shaping up to be pretty useful Uriel. I didn't know you could issue quests…though there is a lot I still need to learn from you."

Never mind that for now, what is this quest supposed to be anyway?

{Head to the marked area on the map to commence the Quest}

Suddenly a map of the area appeared in the corner of my peripheral, displaying every tree and route in the area. Whenever I focused on the map it would enlarge and display the information in perfect detail.

The knowledge is pretty extensive but it doesn't seem to go past anything that I know already, it must only record places that I've been then.

Still, this is pretty sweet! A full-on map that doesn't take up space in my bag, would be useful to anyone.

A red marker flashed over a forest area not too far away from me. If I head over now I should get there in less than ten minutes.

"Let's see what you got for me then Uriel, I'm ready."

The marker disappeared as I approached a mess of tangled trees that meshed together. As soon as I got close the trees began shifting into a focal point that formed a swirling door. The branches and trees within the swirl lit up and faded away into a glowing blue portal.

The trees became a door…this must be a dungeon. My first quest is to go into a dungeon alone?!

Not even top adventurers go into dungeons alone, especially when they have never fought anything besides a useless Funk!

{Will the User forfeit the Quest?}

{Yes or No}

It gives me the option to not go through with it. That would definitely be the safer option but…

My eyes were locked between the words hovering in front of me, even though I wanted to step away and say yes something inside of me wouldn't walk away.

Gulp

"No…I'm going."

I understand now, the Quest has already begun. And that was the first challenge.

To overcome adversity, one must be willing to sacrifice everything.

"Let's begin."