Chapter 4 - Trip to the Night Market

I spent the following week working at Capemart and experimenting with my Skills. I tried my best to use them as often as possible, until they became second nature to me. Each day was a new opportunity to hone my Skills and learn as much as I could about them.

It turned out that Capemart was an excellent place to test my abilities, both for me and my manager. Thanks to [Item Stacking], I could unload and transport whole truckloads of merchandise more effectively than anyone else.

Not only was I significantly quicker than the usual team, but I could also handle the whole thing on my own without breaking a sweat.

The first time I demonstrated this to Mr. Starvale, he offered to promote me to Assistant Manager on the spot. However, my end goal was to become a proper Dungeon-clearing Advancer, so I had to refuse.

Of course, he still doubled my wages, once again stating that "effort deserved reward". I had no idea where he was getting the budget to pay me so much, but I wasn't complaining.

Before I knew it, the whole week had gone by.

On more than a few occasions, I was tempted to use [Inventory] to speed things up even more, but I ultimately decided against it. If anyone saw me using a Spatial Attribute Skill, it would only be a matter of time before the Organization found out and forced me to register as a Spatial Attribute User. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the consequences that would follow.

𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 [𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺] 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺? 𝘈 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴? 𝘕𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

I walked through the night market as I pondered over this dilemma.

Based on my observations, I received all my Unique Skills from the [Ultimate Merchant Interface], and that [Interface] came from my [Merchant] Class. In the past week, I kept searching through the [Interface] to see if I could find any new descriptions or menus to help me make sense of it, but to no avail.

The fact that I even got a non-combat Class like Merchant was already unheard of. There were no records about the Shard creating such an odd Class before. Maybe I was just incredibly lucky, or perhaps even chosen by the Shard.

𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺.

Right now, my only concern was figuring out what my Class could do, and the best method I had right now was to familiarize myself with the [Interface] until I could get a more experienced Advancer to help me.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰. 𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮-𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 [𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺], 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐'𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Scrutiny from other Advancers and the Organization as a whole was bad enough, but my real concern was the strange kidnappings that had been occurring for the past few years. I had already been very careful using my Skills in public ever since I got [Eye of Appraisal], but [Inventory] was on a completely different level.

With this new, logic-defying ability, my paranoia had gotten to the point where I had reread every single book and article I could get my hands on pertaining to these incidents. I kept having nightmares about a mysterious figure kidnapping me, which made my walk home a little more anxiety inducing than I liked.

In spite of all my precautions, I couldn't stop having irrational worries.

To stay on the safe side, I only ever opened my [Inventory] at home, where I was certain nobody could see me. Even then, I still had to account for Ceelia's checkups.

She was supposed to stop by every few days, but her schedule was constantly changing, so I really only saw her once or twice a week.

𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺, 𝘩𝘶𝘩. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.

I had been hearing on the news that more and more Dungeon Portals had been opening up in the countryside. If the rumors were true, the Organization was probably swamped trying to keep up. In addition, the local Guild Hall was definitely buzzing with activity trying to get enough Advancers to fill out permits.

𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳.

I checked my upgrade window as I took in the night air.

___

[Current Upgrade Progress:]

- 1100/5000 Coins

- ???]

___

My worries lessened as a huge grin formed on my face.

I had already earned back more money than I had spent to upgrade the [Interface], and in a third of the time. That kind of growth was nothing to scoff at, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at my accomplishment. As a little reward for my hard work, I was planning to treat myself to a nice meal tonight.

Although I was making 120 coins a day, 3 times as much as the average person, I had been purposefully living off of noodles and prayers for the past week in order to save as much money as possible.

It was incredibly difficult to avoid spending just a little of my extra money on better food, but I knew I'd need every coin for the next upgrade. I kept reminding myself that it was going to be worth it in the end, as my strength was directly tied to the [Interface]'s level.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘐'𝘮 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Scanning around the market, I heard a familiar voice in the crowd. Making my way towards it, I saw a woman talking with two men in purple and black uniforms.

In contrast to the two Organization Advancers, the woman was wearing a peach colored jacket and casual black dress pants. Long black hair was hanging freely down her back, cascading over her shoulders.

𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘘? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢? 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

The only reason I was able to recognize her was due to the large metal shield she was carrying in her right hand. A family crest of a rising sun was emblazoned on the shield, a dead giveaway who the owner was.

Compared to how business-like and formal she was in her uniform, I was a little taken aback at how young Ceelia actually looked. She was probably only two or three years older than me, if I had to guess.

I approached the trio and called out to Ceelia. Turning to look at me, a smile formed on her face, and she waved in my direction.

"Rookie! What brings you to the night market?

"I'm looking for a good place to eat. Figured once I get cleared to apply for Dungeon Permits, I won't have the time to enjoy things like this."

"Ahh, right. Always so ready to stay busy. I was planning to visit you after my business here, but I think I can speed things up."

Ceelia gestured for the two men to leave us, and they both nodded their heads slightly. Then, they vanished completely, blending into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

In shock, I assumed they had used a Skill of some kind, but a quick glance at Ceelia's nonchalant face made me realize what actually happened. A mix of humility and admiration rushed through me.

My eyes were just too slow to keep up.

𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘈𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘴?

"Now, let's commence with your final checkup, Rookie."

Ceelia reached into her jacket and pulled out a small wand with a swirling orb at its tip.

I recognized the magic item as a Mana Reader. It was a mass produced magic item built to help non-Mage Type Advancers view the flow of mana, mainly used to assess the strength of items and equipment. In my case, Ceelia had been using it to check the state of my mana veins.

Pointing the magic item at me, her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated. The gem began glowing bright blue, and I could feel the energy in my body start to react.

[Iron Knight Ceelia has used the item 'Mana Reader'.]

[Your mana is being assessed.]

I stayed as still as I could to ensure the readings were accurate, and after a few seconds, the wand stopped glowing. Ceelia examined the wand's gem for a moment, before looking up at me with a smile on her face.

"Looks like your mana veins are in pretty good shape. They won't be 100% recovered for another month or so, but they should hold up for now. Just don't go standing in any more mana storms until then, got it?"

I rolled my eyes at Ceelia's comment as she chuckled, sliding the Mana Reader back into a pocket inside her jacket. Even when she was off duty, she still carried her equipment with her.

"Also, if you're looking for a nice place to eat, try Blue Sword's Cafe. It's my go-to spot whenever work gets too stressful."

Ceelia gestured to a nearby building. The words "Blue Sword's Cafe" were spelled out with streaks of mana across a large plank of wood hanging over the entrance.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it. By the way, Ceelia, I know you've already done a lot for me this past month, but I have a favor to ask."

"Nonsense, the Organization made me responsible for your wellbeing, it's all part of the job."

"I've read up on the entry process for new Advancers, but I'm not very familiar with Skill teachers and general training. Would you mind showing me around tomorrow? Just so I can get a feel for the whole process."

Ceelia nodded her head before responding.

"No, not at all. The Organization was actually having a discussion about your integration back into the system, so this helps us too. Tomorrow. 9:00 AM. We'll meet near the training grounds, okay?"

"Sounds good, I appreciate it, Ceelia. See you then!"

I walked inside Blue Sword's Cafe, admiring the interior design. It was a simple, down-to-earth style using wooden furniture and floating, blue mana orbs as light. An array of gorgeous swords lined the walls, gleaming softly. The lighting and decor made a for a very relaxing atmosphere, perfect for a well-deserved break.

There very few customers in the cafe, just the way I liked it. I took a seat at a table and started looking over the menu, ready to enjoy my evening.

...

After she and Kalion parted ways, Ceelia wandered through the night market aimlessly. She was enjoying the peaceful night air and the sounds of the crowd. Compared to the usual screams of monsters and the scent of iron, this was basically paradise.

Her peaceful stroll was suddenly interrupted by a cold shiver down her spine, accompanied by the unmistakable feeling of being watched. Ceelia quickly turned her head to a nearby alleyway, barely catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure disappearing into the darkness.

Without a second thought, Ceelia immediately ran after them.

She sprinted into the alley, once again seeing them turn the corner back into the main street. Ceelia gave chase, bursting out of the alley at full speed as the unknown figure wove in and out of the crowd effortlessly, almost like a living shadow.

In contrast, Ceelia kept shouting at people to get out of the way pushing past bystanders and barely avoiding vendor stalls in a struggle to keep the figure in her line of sight.

Gathering mana in her voice, Ceelia shouted after the flowing silhouette.

"HEY! STOP RUNNING!"

[Challenging Shout Lv. 6 has been activated.]

[Target has resisted the effects of the Skill.]

"Dammit, how strong is this guy?"

Ceelia was caught off guard for just a moment at the notification, but it was long enough for the fleeing figure to pull a small, black object out from their coat, and toss it behind them. Barely reacting in time, Ceelia raised her shield to cover her face. The object smashed into her family crest and exploded into a cloud of murky powder.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Ceelia tried to swipe away the mysterious cloud, but it snaked around her shield and pounced on her face, almost as if it was alive. Unable to avoid inhaling the powder, Ceelia started coughing violently.

She felt an unusual pain building in her lungs, as if something solid was forming inside her, but after a few moments, it subsided.

[You have successfully resisted the debuff.]

Despite resisting the effects of the strange powder, Ceelia couldn't stop coughing, causing her to stumble forward. She tried to regain her balance, but ultimately crashed into a stray vendor cart and hit the ground, cracking the stone pavement.

Recovering quickly, she frantically looked up and scanned the streets, unable to see her target. Thanks to her excellent Constitution Stat, the fall didn't hurt her in the slightest, but it was still enough of a distraction for the figure to disappear.

Ceelia cursed under her breath and slammed her fist into the ground, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in the otherwise neatly paved street. A number of bystanders looked her way, but quickly turned their heads when she glared at them with fire in her eyes.

A myriad of questions rushed through Ceelia's head as she stood up, frustration evident on her face. She shook the black powder out of her hair and clothes and turned back the way she came, not noticing the pair of gleaming eyes watching her as she left.

In the shadows, a smile formed.