Chapter 8

(The next day)

It was the end of another productive day for Magnus, and it was a special one. 'Jarvis, show me my stats.'

[User Statistics

Strength: 29

Stamina: 27

Agility: 25

Intellect: 24

Wisdom: 21

Dexterity: 20

Charisma: 23]

'Finally.' Magnus had finally been able to get enough stats to level up his system. And now at the system homepage, among all of Jarvis' functions, there was now a new function.

[Skills]

Lying: Lv 34

Unarmed combat: Lv 41

Running: Lv 18]

Magnus couldn't help but be disappointed, '...That's it? Jarvis, what about reading or writing, or English and the like? I know I have more skills than that.'

[Skills that are deemed unimportant or are obvious are not shown. If a list of all of users' skills were truly compiled the amount would come out to 180,976.]

(A/N: The truth is I'm lazy and don't want to keep track of an absurd amount of skills)

'180,000!? Do I really have that many skills?'

[Something as simple as opening your wallet can be seen as a skill, very few of these skills are actually notable.]

'Ah, that makes sense. I assume in order to gain a skill I would have to repeat a specific task enough to gain proficiency.'

[Correct]

'It's time to pay the lord a visit.'

---

Magnus was on the way to talk to Rodrick, with a smile on his face. Why? Because he just gained a new skill.

[Swordsmanship: Lv 4]

The night before, Magnus went to the barracks and acquired a wooden sword. It seems simply slashing at a dummy was enough to gain four levels in proficiency. The feeling was surreal to Magnus, with every notification popping up, he could feel himself noticing what he was doing wrong and correcting it. Although he was sure that compared to the people who train their whole life, he was simply trash, this much progress in such a short time was great nonetheless.

"Halt, state your business with the Lord." Magnus was stopped at the entrance by two guards, he had recognized both, they were the exact same who he met when he first arrived in Rillseat.

"I wish to simply ask a question, If the Lord is busy I shall return later." The guards looked at each other, and before they could speak, a voice from behind Magnus said,

"Let him in, I wish to speak to my Lord Father as well." It was Barbary. Magnus was baffled, this woman seemed to follow him everywhere he went.

"But my lady, Lord Rodrick stated that-"

"Let them in." A voice came from inside the room, it was Rodrick's voice. It seems he was able to hear the commotion.

The guards were startled but retained their cool before complying and opening the door. In the center of the room, seated, there was Rodrick. As Magnus looked at the man, he could tell that he was stressed. He had his head in his hands and was looking at a map on his desk.

"Does something trouble you Father?" Barbary asked the question which was on Magnus' mind, and in response, the lord looked up at them both, before sighing and shaking his head.

"No need to worry daughter, it is nothing, simply bandit problems. What need did you have of me, Magnus?"

"Although I am thankful for the opportunity you have given me my lord, I wish for action. A simple desk job is not enough for me. I came to wonder if you would let me train with your soldiers. I miss combat my lord." Rodrick smiled and laughed,

"You have more of The North in you than you think Magnus. Permission is granted, however, most of our soldiers are out to take care of a bandit problem. Pests the lot of them." He spat out, Magnus decided to take a bold step forwards,

"If I may, I can help with your bandit problem my lord." He stated confidently, was he being overconfident? Perhaps, but no good things came from waiting in line. With Jarvis and his newfound strength, he was sure he could hold his own.

"Bold of you to assume you can do what so many of my soldiers failed to do Magnus," Rodrick stated calmly, however, Magnus could see the curiosity behind his eyes. He smirked and replied,

"Fortune favors the bold, my lord." Magnus' words brought a silence upon the room, however, the silence was interrupted by Rodrick's uproarious laughter.

"Haha! A true statement Magnus! Very well! I will allot you a horse, armor, and a sword. If you are able to get rid of the bandit problem. I shall give you 250 golden dragons. What do you say, lad?" Rodrick brought his arm out, and Magnus smiled and grabbed said arm. Rodrick once again laughed, before calling for a servant nearby to gather everything.

As Magnus looked towards the servant, his eyes caught Barbary. 'I almost forgot she was here,' Magnus thought, 'Strange, why does she look so... captivated?'

---

"Do you need anyone to go with you, Magnus?" Magnus was now getting ready to leave, he had his armor on and a sword in a sheath on his belt. He had explained to Rodrick that he needed not a horse, as they were too loud on approach.

'In reality, I just have no idea how to ride one.' Magnus thought to himself before responding, "No my lord, I need only the armor on my back and the sword by my side. Consider your bandit problem solved."

Rodrick in response once again laughed before putting his hand on Magnus' shoulder and saying, "Good luck lad. Bring me back some bandit's heads." Magnus' smile turned feral, and he nodded before he started walking away.

---

He had mapped the location to the area where the Bandits operated, it was a 11-kilometer walk. He left a few hours before the sun would set, so a few kilometers from the location he decided to settle in for the night.

He had brought with him a small amount of food for appearance's sake, however, he had much more food in his inventory. 'This thing is so useful,' Magnus thought, eating fresh fruits and a steak.

Magnus didn't plan on sleeping much tonight, after his food was digested he planned on increasing his swordsmanship as much as possible, it wouldn't hurt in the fight after all.

[Swordsmanship level up]

It was approaching midnight, and Magnus decided to stop for the night. 'Jarvis, what level is my swordsmanship skill?'

[Swordsmanship: Lv 9]

'It's not great, but it's better than nothing, my stats have to carry me through this.' Magnus was lying on a bed of straw that came from his inventory, and he couldn't help but have second thoughts. 'I've never killed anyone, can I truly kill almost a dozen bandits by myself?' He started to doubt his decision. 'Perhaps I was too bold?'

It was a moment of weakness for Magnus, he felt invincible due to his system but now, now he found himself doubting himself. 'No, I can't think this way. I will not die here, not today, not tomorrow. I won't die until I have lived a life worth remembering,' he told himself. 'I will prevail, they deserve death, and they will try their best to kill me. Weakness will do nothing but kill me.'

Magnus began to regain his confidence. As he lied there, and watched the moon, he told Jarvis, 'Wake me up if I am being approached by anything which could pose a threat.'

[Understood.]

Magnus sighed as he watched the stars, 'It is beautiful...' he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.

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