After Nick killed the two groups of students, he immediately continued his journey towards Shelter Town. When it became nightfall, he climbed into a tree to hide himself from the nocturnal magic beasts and continued his journey in the morning.
Nick had decided to take a different route than the one he had taken four years ago when he first came to Serene Lake so that he could see more of the Never Ending Battlefield but his journey was uneventful until on the third day when he was completely out of both food and water and exited the woods. He arrived into a grassy plain where he encountered a pile of white, smooth stones that extended about thirty meters above ground. Nick observed the 'stone mountain' for a while and remarked:
"This is a strange set up, there's no way that this was naturally formed."
Nick stood at the base of the pile and picked up one of the stones to examine it.
"These stones are almost identical and completely smooth and there are so many of them, the base of this pile has to be about fifteen meters wide. What do you think Slade?"
Slade replied disinterestedly:
[It's a pile of clean looking rocks, I swear, you get obsessed about the most mundane things. I agree with you that this structure was not naturally formed but that fact has very little to do with us, doesn't it?]
"I guess you're right but I'm going to keep this stone right here, I like how it feels."
Slade replied:
[Whatever floats your boat, kid.]
Nick looked closely at the smooth, white stone in his palm that was about the size of a tennis ball and smiled in interest before he stored it within his space band. Nick continued traveling and by the time sun down arrived, Shelter Town was in sight.
"Finally..."
Nick hurried to the town gates feeling tired from his journey. The entrance and the surroundings looked the same as it did four years ago with the exception that the crater created by the brave bird's carcass had already been filled in. Nicked walked through the entrance and officially arrived within the town half a minute later.
Nick nodded at the two soldiers stationed at the entrance and asked the soldier on his left side:
"Hello, sir. Do you mind telling me where I can go to get a hair cut? I've been in the wilderness for a long time and don't really know where to find a barber."
The soldier nodded his head in understanding after seeing Nick's disheveled appearance and gave him directions to a barber that was situated close to the Main Tower. Nick arrived at the barbershop twenty minutes later just as its owner was closing up and as the slim old man with a head full of gray hair was locking the door, he heard a shout from a rough but youthful voice:
"Hey mister, could I please have a hair cut?"
The old man turned around to see a slightly scary looking young man bending down to hold his knees and drawing in deep breaths. He saw that the young man had a head full of unkept and messy white hair and strange looking eyes with reddish rings in them and asked:
"Are you one of those students that the ministry is hosting? You know that the business day for non-magic related services is over, right?"
Nick stood up straight, controlled his breathing and replied:
"I guess you're right but I just returned to town from the wilderness and I am in dire need of a hair cut and shave. If I don't get one right now, I might implode."
The old man looked at Nick with raised eyebrows and then burst out in laughter, saying:
"Well, we can't have that, come on in."
The old man actually opened the door and led Nick inside to have a hair cut and shave. During the whole process, the old man introduced himself as Nicholas Flint and said that he was a retired soldier that had lost his ability to use magic but had been kept on by the Ministry of Magic to do hair cuts for the soldiers stationed in the Never Ending Battlefield. Nick asked:
"Is barbering as exciting as practising magic?"
The old man laughed and replied:
"Sometimes it is, I get to here many interesting stories when the soldiers and students come in here for a hair cut."
The old man talked a little about his days as a young officer after he graduated magic academy and stopped speaking when he was done with Nick's hair cut. Nick thanked the old man and asked what he owed him. The old man shook his head and replied:
"All non-magic related services are paid for by the ministry so don't worry about it, I just have to make a record of the hair cut to get paid by them."
Nick nodded his head in understanding and then replied:
"Well then, I'll see you another time, Mr. Flint."
Nick left the barbershop and immediately went to the Main Tower. Nick entered through the glass doors and asked the nearest clerk:
"Do you sell an assortment of soul path materials in this place?"
The female clerk blinked her bright, black eyes at Nick and replied:
"We sure do, sir, and we also sell materials related to other kinds of magic as well. Are you interested in buying some."
Nick nodded his head and summoned a piece of blank paper and a pen from his space band, quickly writing down a list of items that he needed. The woman looked at the list of materials and nodded her head in acceptance until she reached the end of the list and read the last material.
"You want projection stones. These are formation path materials and are relatively rare and expensive. We have them but they will cost you a mix of money and Never Ending Battlefield points."
Nick replied:
"Just tell me the total price of the items."
The clerk manipulated her nearby computer and wrote down a price on a piece of paper and passed it to Nick. According to the clerk, the price of the materials that he requested would cost £16,300,000 and 29,000 Never Ending Battlefield points. Nick pondered for a moment over the price while the woman in front of him was internally sneering at him.
(This kid has to be about twenty years old and he wants me to believe that he can afford to pay for all of the materials? Not likely, just look at his clothes and how faded and dirty they are.)
Most of the civilian staff stationed in Shelter Town were in fact not Magicians and were normal people but they had been taught many things about Magician society by the ministry and so they were qualified to interact with Magicians meaningfully. To someone like Tanya, Nick was only a struggling student and did not have the qualifications to do this much business at the Main Tower.
(He even wants formation path materials. Do you know how rare formation path Magicians are, what could he possibly use these materials for?)
Nick soon made up his mind and said:
"Alright, I'll pay for them, do you need my student ID?"
The polite expression on Tanya's face froze into one of half disbelief as she asked:
"You'll pay for all of them?"
Nick replied, guessing what was going through Tanya's mind but he did not care because he was used to people judging him:
"Yes, I will pay for all of them."
Nick handed over his student ID and Tanya stared at it for a moment, thinking:
(£16,300,000. With my salary, it would take me over twenty years to save up that kind of money. Magician's kids are on a whole different level. Nick Capitol, huh?)
After scanning Nick's ID at her computer and seeing the transaction go through, Tanya became more polite with Nick and even spoke to him with a hint of sweetness in her voice. Nick laughed internally at Tanya's change in attitude but did not mind it. She returned Nick's ID to him, saying:
"Mr. Capitol, your items will be delivered to your room at Inn Number 1 by tomorrow morning as they have to be retrieved from our warehouse which will take some time considering the preciousness of some of the items."
Nick replied to the smiling Tanya:
"That's no problem."
Nick was about to leave but then a thought popped into his head and he looked at Tanya again and nervously asked:
"Miss, are you busy tonight?"
Tanya's expression became a little confused as Nick's question was completely out of the blue and strange but remembering that Nick was probably a millionaire and a skilled Magician, she answered politely:
"Yes, I have to attend to the customers for the rest of the night and can only leave if a customer were to pay to have me guide them around Shelter Town."
Nick scratched the back of his head nervously and responded:
"I think that I might need some guidance..."
********************************
Later that night, within Nick's room at Inn Number 1...
"Aaaaaaaawwwwwwww!"
Moans could be heard in the room as Nick held Tanya's legs apart and thrust, his stomach frequently coming in contact with hers as his penis penetrated her vagina. Nick, who was completely naked pushed all other thoughts to the side and only focused on the woman in front of him.
Tanya moaned continuously as Nick kept pulling his penis out of her then pushing it deep inside again, teasing her. Her thoughts were in a mess.
(How the hell did this happen? When he asked for guidance, I thought that he wanted directions, seeing how young he was but when we got to the inn, he invited me to his room and I found it hard to refuse because of the purchases that he made earlier. He actually acted so quickly when we got inside this room, hugging me, kissing me and taking off my clothes. This kid is about my son's age and here I am having sex with him. Sigh, I'm definitely not going to leave this kid alone until he pays me what I'm worth!)
A few minutes later, Tanya felt Nick cum inside her and she felt ashamed at this being done by a complete stranger but convinced herself that getting involved with a young and promising Magician was a worthy exchange. As she was about to raise herself from her lying position, Nick grabbed her with both hands and indifferently said:
"I'm not finished."
Nick turned the exasperated Tanya around onto her stomach and then raised her into a bent over position. Nick caressed Tanya's buttocks as he tried to make himself hard again. Tanya thought:
(What is this kid doing? This is taking way too long...)
Before Tanya could finish her thought, her eyes opened wide and her breathing became rough as Nick inserted his penis into her back exit and proceeded to thrust his hips. Tanya gritted her teeth, feeling a mixture of pain and pleasure and Nick held onto her tightly as he put much of his strength into each thrust. This went on for five minutes until Tanya felt Nick cum inside her again. Nick slowly got up from his position and left the bed for the bathroom while Tanya slumped down into the bed, feeling a little sore.
Nick soon came out again and said:
"Tanya, right? I had a good time but you should leave, I don't want to keep you from your job for too long. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me and I'm sure that you could find a way to send me a message if you wanted to."
Tanya nodded her head and left the bed, getting dressed and leaving the room without even taking a shower. Nick looked at the door closing as Tanya left and muttered:
"No shower, she must be nervous. Well, that was satisfying. I had been out in the wilderness for four years and was feeling a little 'bothered'. I didn't plan on this happening but sometimes I find an opportunity."
Nick became silent as he said the word, opportunity, thinking back to the last vision that he had with him escaping the Confusing Labyrinth.
(I guess, this wasn't the opportunity that I needed. I'm still fairly lost.)
Nick chuckled bitterly at himself and began making plans for what he would be doing going forward and he did that until he fell asleep. When sunrise arrived, there was a knock at Nick's door that woke him from his sleep, Nick jumped out of the bed and met the person at the door that declared themselves to be delivery personnel from the Main Tower.
Nick motioned and the male delivery person entered his room and tapped on his space band, summoning a large number of parcels onto the floor at which point Nick signed the delivery documents and the delivery person left. Nick shouted ecstatically:
"We're finally in business!"
Nick unpacked the materials and looked them over, saying:
"Most of these are soul path materials, meaning that they are either plants are magic beast parts that have soul path laws embedded in them. These items are usually necessary to create various magic items such as potions, magic tools and even magic formations."
Nick also unpacked a large set of thick but clear glass bottles and a set of five projection stones that were crystalline rocks that had irregular shapes, were roughly the size of a grapefruit and glowed a beautiful bluish color. Nick smiled at seeing all of these materials in his possession and remarked:
"They cost me so much money, becoming a strong Magician really does require a lot from financial standpoint. It is no wonder that the most powerful Magicians on Grand Earth are from legacy Magician families. The number in my bank account drops heavily every time I make a good move."
Nick chuckled at himself and did not feel too much heartache at spending a large sum of money on materials.
"Wealth is just a tool used to achieve greater goals."
Before Nick could begin working on his plans, however, he heard a loud ring from his right pants pocket.
"Huh?"
Nick reached into it and took out an cell phone that looked like one of the old models that had a number pad. This was the phone that Tracy Belmont had left with him four years ago which he kept close to him until now.
"I never got rid of it because I thought that having a connection to a MOM soldier might be useful; four years and this phone has never rung until now. It looks like she noticed my arrival yesterday."
Nick squinted his eyes as he pressed one of the cellphone's buttons to accept the call.
"Hello, is this pizza hut? Where's my pizza?"
An indifferent but feminine voice sounded from the phone, saying:
"Looks like you've got jokes, young man. It's been four years since you've been to town and I was starting to think that I would never get to collect on what you owe me."
Nick sighed aloud, saying:
"Seriously, I only took a peek at you to test out one of my spells. You're still holding that grudge from four years ago? What, are you going to force me to marry you because I saw the hairy holy land."
Nick heard a violent cough come from the phone in response to his statement and an angry retort followed:
"Shut the hell up, you should speak to me with more respect! We may both be rank 2 but I'm still your senior not to mention that I am definitely stronger than you."
Nick picked at his left ear with his left hand while sporting a disinterested expression and asked in reply:
"Okay, ma'am. What is it that I can do for you?"
Tracy responded:
"Hmph, that's more like it. I'll be at your room at Inn Number 1 in one hour to discuss some things with you, be ready."
Tracy hung up the phone after saying that and Nick shook his head in exasperation.
"I better get ready to receive the princess."
Nick stored the magic materials within his own space band and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. Nick soon came out of the bathroom and got dressed, waiting for Tracy to arrive.
"I probably can't dodge her because the Ministry of Magic's soldiers are the ones that are in charge of the security of this place, not to mention that she probably is stronger than me and could probably create a fair amount of trouble for me."
There was also another thing that had been gnawing at him for the past four years.
"The way that she introduce herself as 'Tracy Belmont' four years ago was actually pretty weird when I think about it now. It's like she expected her name to mean something to me."
A few minutes later, there was a knock at Nick's door while he was contemplating. Nick quickly opened the door and was met with Tracy's stern but beautiful face. She had gained a more formidable air about her since Nick last saw her; she was dressed in her green military uniform that now sported a crimson star on her left breast area. Nick moved aside and Tracy walked into the room; Nick locked the door and spoke plainly:
"Tracy..."
Tracy interrupted him, saying:
"It's Captain Tracy."
Nick nodded and replied:
"Okay, Captain Tracy. What do you want?"
Tracy sat on one of the chairs in the middle of the room and replied:
"I looked you up Mr. Capitol and my, how was I impressed. You seem to be very talented with magic considering that you're one of the top second years at Richter Order Academy despite basically having no background to speak of."
Nick shrugged his shoulders and responded:
"I guess that I've had some good luck."
Tracy's stern expression softened into a smile after hearing that; she liked modest people.
"Alright, I still had the surveillance team notify me of your arrival even after these four years because I am always interested in finding new talents for my family. I noticed when you used your magic to peek on me that you are a very promising Magician; if I did not have my magic sensing contact lenses on at the time, I may not have noticed your prank. You have heard of the Belmont family, correct?"
Nick internally rolled his eyes at Tracy because in his mind, it was always the same with these Magician families.
(She just wants to drag me into her family's bullshit.)
"No I haven't, there are so many legacy families that it's hard to keep track of them all."
Tracy nodded in understanding and replied:
"Well, we are a family with a high standing within the Ministry of Magic and we are always looking to recruit talented Magicians to join our faction. Are you interested in working for the ministry."
Nick thought about it and silently shook his head. He had never wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic since he was more interested in entrepreneurial pursuits rather than bureaucracy.
Tracy tried to convince him:
"I advise you to reconsider. The ministry was the training ground for many of England's strongest Magicians and you receive disbursements of magical resources that you apply for to aid your personal development as long as your performance is sufficient."
Nick replied to Tracy's words:
"I'll think about it."
Tracy nodded her head, saying:
"Very well. I also came here to discuss those magic scrolls that you gave my unit four years ago. The ministry finds them helpful and innovative and would like to discuss business with your company after this exam ends. Can you commit to a meeting after the end of the exam?"
Nick half smiled and replied:
"Sure, I've never said no to money before."
Tracy's expression eased further at seeing Nick be cooperative as there were many Magicians that did not trust the Ministry of Magic or its personnel. Tracy got up from her seat and handed Nick a letter addressed to him before she left the room, saying:
"If you ever want to contact me, just call the ministry and ask for me by name. I might contact you in the future via that cell phone I gave you."
Once Tracy left the room, Nick waited five minutes before spitting on the floor.
"That woman came in here putting on airs and implied that she wanted to keep in contact but did not even give me her personal phone number. She just wants to use me."
Slade remarked:
[Why else would she even talk to you?]
Nick smiled bitterly at hearing that and opened the letter envelope that Tracy handed him. Nick took his time reading it and was a little surprised at finding out that it was an official declaration from the Ministry of Magic that was intended to notify him that he had been given the honorary title of Corporal within the Ministry of Magic based on his expertise in soul magic and for helping one of their own who was in fatal distress. The letter also stated that upon his graduation of the academy, he could apply for employment with the ministry and start off at the same military rank.
"Well, I did do something that a rank 3 Magician was unable to do himself so they must have assumed that my soul path attainment was very high."
Nick stored the letter within his space band and mumbled while taking out his magic materials again:
"Corporal Nick...Corporal Nick..."
Nick took out an assortment of soul path materials as well as equipment such as blenders, mixers, an electric stove and knives from his space band. Based on Nick's inheritances, he planned to create a few interesting tools with the materials that he possessed. Nick started preparing many of the soul path materials by crushing them, blending them, mixing them and/or baking them. All of this took a few hours and at the end of the process, Nick had obtained a viscous solution made of the various materials.
"Alright, phase one completed."
Nick then took out the clear glass bottles from his space band and started using a special carving knife to draw Valteesian symbols on the bottles in identical patterns.
"Formation path is very...difficult."
The symbols that Nick was drawing on the bottles were actually the base of a formation that he had developed during his four years in the wilderness. Nick spent over two years studying his formation path inheritance and another two years practising it and was able to gain some proficiency in drawing and creating magic formations.
"A formation usually has two parts to it, its base and its fuel. The base was basically a spell whose laws were placed into a pattern that was designed to bring about a certain effect and the fuel was basically magic power or magic materials that would supply the energy and/or magical laws to complete the formation like a circuit."
When Nick used formations four years ago, he basically used his own magic reserves as the fuel which was not only inefficient but exposed him to a fair amount of risk if the formation was broken while he was using it. Nick looked at the glass bottles and the drawing that he had engraved into each of them that looked like a magic circle from anime that he used to watch. Nick carefully picked up a glass bottle and dipped it into his mixture of magic materials and spoke words in Valteese; the mixture decreased in volume as some of it was absorbed by the glass bottle and the formation base drawn on the bottle started to glow with a silver light.
After he finished speaking, Nick took the bottle out of the mixture and held it up. When he did that, however, the bottle cracked in several places and then shattered completely. Nick sighed:
"This one is a failure."
Nick tried as much as possible to draw to the formations on the bottles correctly but their might be mistakes in them or in how he prepared the magic materials that lead to failure for the formations to remain stable. Nick tried again and this time when he stopped speaking, the glass bottle remained intact. Nick smiled and did the same thing for over two dozen more glass bottles and at the end, only fifteen bottles remained intact as a small magic formation glowed on their sides. Nick declared:
"I will call these soul capturing bottles."
Nick had used his attainment in soul path as well as information from his soul path and formation path inheritances to create a formation that could be imbued into an object that would in theory allow that object to capture and contain souls. These little bottles were going to be an important part of Nick's plans for the future.
Nick had only used about half of his soul path materials to create these items and after cleaning up, Nick left Inn Number 1 to buy supplies like food, toiletries and others that he would need to survive out in the wilderness for a long period of time and also carry out his plans. Nick basically spent most of the day shopping for these items and then when the time neared sun down, he went to the Main Tower again where he saw Tanya at her counter. Tanya nervously greeted Nick in clear contrast to her calmness yesterday:
"What can I do for you, Nick?"
Nick replied:
"You're calling me Nick and not Mr. Capitol?"
Tanya looked like she had a bug stuck in her throat as she realized that she had messed up. Nick laughed, however, and said:
"I'm just messing with you, after what you let me do last night, you can call me whatever you want."
Tanya's face became flushed from embarrassment and Nick laughed some more before becoming serious again. He said:
"I need information on an area out in the wilderness that has a high concentration of magic beasts, I don't care about their types."
Tanya thought for a moment and then took out a map of the Never Ending Battlefield and pointed at an area that seemed to be nothing but an open hole.
"This is the entrance to the 'undergrounds'. It is a large network of subterranean floors that are filled with darkness path and earth path magic beasts. The soldiers that have been there have only gone down seven floors before stopping because they cannot find a way to go down deeper but geological surveys reveal that the undergrounds should be at least one hundred floors deep. Is this what you're looking for?"
Nick nodded his head, replying:
"It is."
Nick took note of the location and asked for something else:
"I also need to buy a brand new magic sword, can you help me with that?"
Tanya put on a thoughtful expression and then replied:
"Buying magical weaponry requires a screening process by the Ministry of Magic for unlicensed Magicians which will take months even in the Never Ending Battlefield. If you want my advice, you should just pay one of the soldiers to buy one for you. Persons with military ranks do not have to go through the screening process."
Nick smiled at hearing that.
(Just how absurd is my luck. I just so happen to have a real military rank.)
Nick proudly said:
"Then the screening process won't be a problem for me, I have a military rank."
Tanya used all of her strength to prevent herself from scoffing. As a British citizen, she revered their military personnel and this reverence extended to the ministry. In her mind, it was impossible for someone who had not even yet graduated from his academy to have an active military rank.
Nick saw the doubtful expression on Tanya's face and said:
"Just do your checks."
Tanya requested Nick's student ID and looked up whether he was exempt from the screening process and to her surprise, Nick's information detailed that he was an honorary Corporal, a rank bestowed by the ministry on the recommendation of a rank 3 Colonel.
(Unbelievable.)
Nick saw Tanya's surprised expression and knew that he was exempt. He said to her a bit smugly:
"So I guess you'll be a little more lively when you come to my room, right?"
Tanya's face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance and quickly demanded to know:
"What kind of sword do you want?"
Nick replied:
"I want an advanced apprentice grade double edged sword that is no longer than 0.8 meters and is made of the best magic materials that money can buy."
Tanya looked up their stock of those swords and handed Nick a tablet computer to make his decision. When Nick saw their prices, however, his heart almost jumped out of his mouth.
(£7,600,000,000 for a sword! Are these people crazy? That also seems to be the cheapest price for an advanced grade sword. Sigh, looks like I'm just too poor to afford any of these.)
Nick smiled bitterly, returning the tablet computer to Tanya and then shamelessly declared:
"None of these swords match my shoes, I want an intermediate apprentice grade double edged sword that is no longer than 0.8 meters and is made of the best magic materials that money can buy."
Tanya chuckled at Nick for a moment before becoming serious again and looking up a new selection. She handed Nick the tablet computer again and Nick looked through the selection.
(Hmmm...these prices are more pleasing to the eyes. Many of these swords are described to be made from the parts of magic beasts that I don't even know. God dammit, how am I supposed to make a choice?)
Nick scrolled through the list and eventually came up on an entry that described a sword named, Pressure Piece, that was supposedly made out of the bones of a baby tyrant dragon and its price was £623,000,000.
(Tyrant dragon, huh? Dragons are always cool so I guess I'll just by this one for now although its price will put a huge whole in my finances.)
Nick showed Tanya his choice and she quickly executed the transaction which made her even more impressed with Nick.
(Too bad this kid is a deviant, my butt still hurts from last night.)
Tanya told Nick to wait for someone to get the sword and that it would take about twenty minutes to go through the necessary processes as the purchase had to be declared in the ministry's military records.
Nick didn't mind waiting so he found a seat in the lobby and thought about his situation.
(One sword cost me so much money, I'd buy two but that would probably hurt. I still need money to buy who knows how many more magic materials and I haven't been making money from selling magic scrolls since the exam started. The money that I have has to last another six years, I can't spend it carelessly)
The sword was soon placed at Tanya's counter for collection and Nick eagerly went to examine it. Nick held the sword in his hands and then unsheathed it. He was immediately impressed.
(The craftsmanship is impeccable! There are Valteesian symbols etched into the blade that are definitely for a passive blade path spell that maintains its sharpness and the sword's handle is partly made out of dragon skin which will prevent it from being easily taken away from me during battle.)
Nick felt satisfied with his new sword and was about to leave when he asked Tanya:
"Do you have a large empty room that I could borrow?"
Tanya thought that Nick's question was weird but she answered professionally:
"Yes we do but all of our rooms are monitored 24/7."
Nick shook his head, saying:
"That won't do."
Nick wanted to do something that required privacy so he chose not to use the Main Tower's rooms. Before he left, Nick summoned a pen and a paper from his space band and wrote down his personal phone number, giving it to Tanya.
"Listen, since you've helped me a great deal, I don't mind being someone you can rely on provided that we continue our 'relationship'. That's my personal number so just call me when you need something. Oh, I'll be leaving Shelter Town again tomorrow so you'll have to wait until I get back."
Normal cellphones worked within Shelter Town but had no signal out in the wilderness. The phone that Tracy gave Nick was an exception though but Nick did not intend to give Tanya that number.
Tanya looked at Nick with uncertain eyes before she said:
"I actually have a dream of someday being able to use magic myself."
Nick replied:
"Really, then let's talk about it when I return to Shelter Town."
Tanya nodded her head in response and Nick left the Main Tower and went back to Inn Number 1. Nick summoned one of his maps of the Never Ending Battlefield from his space band and started planning his route to the undergrounds. The entrance to the undergrounds was about a six week journey from Shelter Town by foot.
"Should I invest in a flying spell?"
Nick shook his head, rejecting the idea.
"Flying is a skill that has to be learnt and this is not the appropriate place for me to learn it, not with magic beasts like brave birds wandering in the skies like common house flies. I'll keep to the ground for now."
Nick made his plans and went to sleep so that he could be well rested for tomorrow.
*********************************
At sunrise of the next day, Nick walked quickly to the entrance of the town wearing black combat boots, a pair of blue jeans, a zipped up long sleeved jeans jacket and a pair of black leather gloves. Nick nodded his head at the two soldiers stationed at the entrance and walked out of the passage, screaming:
"Who wants some?"
As if to answer his question, an adult brave bird spotted Nick as it was flying toward the top of Shelter Town's wall and headed towards him instead. Nick's heart jumped as he felt the magic power radiating from the approaching brave bird and he internally cursed:
(Fuck, my luck really is absurd!)
Nick quickly summoned his sword, Pressure Piece, and swung it in the brave bird's direction.
(Cleave.)
Magic power erupted from the sword and swiftly headed for the brave bird but upon sensing the attack, the brave bird skillfully dodged it by changing the placement of its wings. Nick sneered as he pointed at the incoming brave bird with his left index finger.
(Still Space.)
This was a spell that created a special vacuum of empty space around a target for ten seconds. Without any air to provide resistance to it wings, the brave bird who was already about twenty meters above the ground, almost directly above Nick fell like a stone, heading straight towards him. The brave bird's body then shone with a blinding green light as air currents were generated by its own body. It quickly stopped itself from falling but in that moment Nick had already viciously swung his sword.
(Cleave.)
The sharp power that emanated from Nick's sword quickly flew up and bit into the brave bird's left wing and cut it off from the rest of its body. The magic beast started falling again but this time it did so while making an attack of its own. Using its only wing and the greenish wind currents flowing around its body, the brave bird rotated its body swiftly and within a few moments, it became the tail end of a miniature green tornado.
Nick looked at the incoming attack with wide opened eyes and thought:
(Do I dodge it? No, that brave bird is a wind path magic beast and there's no telling how far the damage from the wind currents will extend to.)
Nick firmed his resolve and decided to meet the attack head on.
(Reinforce With Soul.)
(Twice The Blade.)
(Cleave.)
An almost translucent miasma covered Pressure Piece and the sword's blade seemed to react by glowing with a dull silver light at which point it emitted a faint pressure around it. Nick thought while swinging his sword with both hands:
(This must be Pressure Piece's magical quality. It reacts to magic being poured into it by emitting a feint pressure that increases it cutting power. Awesome!)
Weapons usually possessed obvious magical qualities starting at the intermediate apprentice grade so Pressure Piece's ability was no surprise to Nick since he had received a written description of its power when he bought it.
Pressure Piece collided with the tail of the miniature tornado as wind currents flew around within a six meter radius of the impact in a violent frenzy and Nick's knees bent as he felt the force of the brave bird's attack push down on his sword. Blood splattered in Nick's face and on his clothes as the power of Cleave acted on the brave bird and a moment later, Pressure Piece shone with a dull white light as a sharp magic power was exuded from it once again, finally disrupting the tornado's momentum and cutting through the wind currents. Blood spattered everywhere as the large bird's carcass fell onto the ground in two pieces.
Nick, who still had his knees bent from the impact straightened up and waved his sore arms around before commenting:
"Twice The Blade is a spell that copies another blade path spell's power and produces its effects in succession after the other blade path spell is cast without me having to form the laws for that spell again or waiting for a cool down time."
Nick's body was covered in blood and seeing this, he sighed. He quickly took out one of his soul capturing bottles and stretched out his left hand at which point the magic formation that was carved into the bottle's glass exterior shone with a bright silver light and a large mass of translucent miasma flowed from the brave bird's carcass into the glass bottle, unable to escape even though the bottle had no cap placed on it.
(I've captured my first soul in the Never Ending Battlefield.)
After storing the brave bird's carcass, Nick ran in the direction of his chosen route to the undergrounds. Unbeknownst to Nick, a group of four students who were at the entrance of the town saw the battle between Nick and the brave bird from beginning to end and had caught it on video with their smart phones. One of the young men who recorded the video said:
"That was so wicked! He cut up that brave bird like it was nobody's business."
Another person remarked:
"We've got to share this video, bro. Many of us have been dueling each other within the town lately to hone our skills before going out into the wilderness but nothing I've seen before even compares to that short battle."
The young man replied:
"Already uploading it to Richter Order Academy's public feed."
Both academies had a public forum and video feed where students could share information and their experiences and as soon as the video of Nick killing the brave bird appeared, it went viral with some people recognizing Nick as a student from Richter Order Academy.
"Nick Capitol? I haven't seen that guy in a long time. Where did he suddenly come from?"
"Never mind that, did you see him cut that brave bird in two? That was insane, I thought that his specialty was space magic."
"What? Someone told me that it was soul magic."
"But weren't there rumors going around a few years ago that he was a spineless coward and had been in hiding."
"Fuck those rumors. Nick Capitol is now my personal hero. You think he'd give me some lessons."
"Hmph! Maybe if you sucked his dick right."
"Shut up you guys! Does anyone know where boss Capitol is heading to out in the wilderness?"
....
Many discussion were had about Nick to the displeasure of a few students who had already offended him but none of this would have any effect on Nick even if he knew about it.
Nick ran over the plains to the south of Shelter Town, oblivious that he was becoming famous. His head full of white hair seemed visibly bloodied under the light of the morning sun but unbowed. Nick muttered:
"Out here is where I'll find my opportunities."