A strange dream

Getting back home proved to not be a challenge at all. Passing by the guards in the city gates, all Travis had to do was bring out a small, silvery card from his pocket - MID - and show it to one of them. With that, he was let in.

The somewhat quiet atmosphere of the evening's streets was something he had long since gotten used to. The walls of multiple buildings he passed by already had long shadows cast on them, and the air was starting to become chilly. This year's winter was short, but the nights of March were still nothing pleasant to stay up to.

Not many people passed by him as he was headed for his destination. Some civilians could be seen skittering about, but aside from them and an occasional guard there was naught a soul in sight.

It didn't take even half an hour to reach his home. Placed in the outer areas of the city, the tiny place was simply two co-joined rooms with no more than 15 square meters of space. However, that proved to be more than enough for him.

He quickly ate something that still appeared edible and took the silvery MID from his pocket. He placed it on the table and tapped it lightly; it was hard like steel despite being paper-thin.

In an instant, the card started glowing with blue light, and it formed many lines of language in the air. Looking at it, a sigh escaped his mouth.

[Travis Salliv

Class: Rogue

Level: 21

Possessed skills: Blink (lvl. 2), Sprint (lvl. 5), Blind Strike (lvl. 5), Blink Strike (lvl. 2), Shadow steps (lvl. 3), Obfuscation (lvl. 1)]

'...maybe Teacher is right.' he thought as he turned the card off and sat on his bed. 'My growth has become stagnant. This is the worst. But this is the only class that suited me to this extent. Am I supposed to become Classless again?' a grimace entered his face; returning to just a level 1 Classless was far from ideal.

'I need to think my plan through. The timer starts tomorrow. Looking at my pockets, I can't take a carriage for the entire journey. I don't have enough for even 2 days' worth of travel. Am I really going to just run all the distance? I'll die from exhaustion.' he huffed a bit of air before sitting on his bed. 'But it's not like I'm going to suddenly get a hundred gold pieces out of the blue. Going to a guildhall for a quest is definitely an idea, but those will either take too long or won't pay much. Ideally, an escort quest to Icla or Guill would be amazing. That'd both pay for my trouble and move me closer to Autir. Hmm... I'll think about it more in the morning. Now, I need to go wash myself and sleep. The public baths will be closing soon.'

-A couple hours later-

In the deep of the night, Travis was shifting his body on the bed. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel a sense of... foreboding, almost. With his eyes still open, he traced his room illuminated by the moon's shine coming through a window. Nothing was out of order; a table, a chair, a small chest where he kept his belongings. All appeared to be in order, and yet... not?

'Gah, the stress is getting to my head.' he raised a hand to his forehead as he sat up. Going through his brown hair, his fingers swept alongside his head's length. Then, he stepped out of bed and dressed up. 'Maybe I'll just go outside for a few minutes... what?' he halted his movements as he noticed... the space bending?

He wasn't sure how to even describe what was happening, but the light, the floor, and even the door appeared to swirl in his vision, becoming darker by the second. The sense of inexplicable danger arose, tying a knot in his throat. With his heartbeat accelerating, the man reached out to grab his dagger lying under the pillow, his gaze not escaping from the darkness. After ensuring that his weapon was steady in his hand, the man stepped closer to the unknown darkness. However, as he did so, he could not help but feel... a calling from within.

'What the hell is this?' he wondered for a moment, taking a tentative step. The blade of his dagger touched the darkness after a moment and suddenly disappeared. In an instant, he noticed that everything around him vanished, giving way to a red, flat plane that extended into infinity. Before the man had the time to react, he heard a manly chuckle from behind him.

Turning around, he was surprised to see a man sitting in a chair, sipping some tea, seemingly unbothered by the emptiness around them both. He was somewhat short, about 150 cm tall, with copper hair surrounding his head like a lion's mane. He wore dark gray attire reminiscent of a simple suit, outfitted with silver buttons that made the man appear like a high-ranking noble. The stare of his blue eyes appeared to pierce right through Travis's essence, but there was no malice in them. In fact, he appeared... content?

Travis felt his heart thump with **** before halting for half a second. The ginger-haired man, despite his completely neutral pose, appeared to bear strength that could annihilate him in an instant if he so much as sighed.

"It's nice to finally see you in person, Travis," the man said, his lips curving in a gentle smile. "It's been a little boring just watching you. Truly, the 'Rogue' class does not fit you, does it?"

"...w-who are you?" he asked, uncertainty washing over him. The beating of his heart felt faint in his ears, but he was sure it pumped away with the strength rivaling a blacksmith's hammer.

"Ah, my bad. I forget that most don't know what I look like," the sitting man chuckled heartfully, slowly ascending from his position. "My name is Redion. I am the God of Tricks and Manipulation," he bowed a little, his hair swaying with the motion.

"W--" Travis found himself unable to respond. All of this felt... supernatural, and yet... strangely real. "Where am I?" he asked, looking around. The red surface extended into infinity.

"This place is known as God's Realm. It is a space seen differently by everyone who enters."

"...what? Who did you say you were?"

"I'm the overseer of classes that influence people's minds and ideas. But also the people altering the fate of the world as they see fit. And I summoned you here, Travis. There is a very important matter that I wish to discuss with you."

"...?"

"I've seen you try countless times, Travis. Classes chosen by you never quite fit, did they? Lumberjack, Soldier... even Rogue, which must feel like it's close to your heart. At the end of the day, none of them fit, did they?"

Travis didn't respond initially, looking to his side for a moment. This situation, while mighty confusing, felt... too real for a dream. The ground under his feet resisted his weight just as a wooden floor would. The air he was taking in and out of his lungs gave him a sensation of freshness that could be only felt away from cities.

"I'll be brief," Redion continued his thought. "There is a special event that will play out between the gods. We call it 'Apostle Competition'. 13 out of 15 gods are to choose an Apostle for themselves who will compete with each other to see who is the strongest."

"...Apostle?"

"Think of it as a 'messenger of a god'. And I choose you to become my Apostle, Travis. Do you want to?"

"Do... 'I' want to?" Travis frowned, a bit of reserve seeping from his words.

"I can't **** you to become my Apostle. It's a deal that we both have to agree to. You have to accept it on your own."

"Why... why would I?" Travis made a questioning expression for a short moment.

"Look at it this way. Do you think you can keep up being a Rogue? Your teacher said it herself: your growth is stagnant. How much longer can you keep the facade up? I know you realize it. That class doesn't fit you. In fact, I doubt there is a normal class that would. But the one I want to give you will fit perfectly."

"...how can I trust your words? God of Tricks and Manipulation. How can I trust someone who manipulates people?" Travis asked, his posture slightly guarded.

"I merely grant my power to those who wish to take it. I don't interfere with how they use it. It's all of you that gave me a bad name," Redion frowned ever so slightly, visibly dissatisfied with the man's accusation.

Travis didn't answer, sensing that sincerity sept from Redion's words.

"I would love to explain everything right now, but we are in a little bit of a hurry. I will clarify everything later. I am really depending on your decision, Travis," Redion said with tranquility, but his voice appeared to bear just a trace of... urgency.

...

Travis sighed to himself, looking over Redion's posture. His looks were unsuspecting but the pressure oozing from him like water from a leaky bucket was undeniable. Yet, a question persisted. Could he be trusted? The brown-haired man did not know. This entire event... was it a dream or reality? That, also, remained unanswered. Strangely, it felt... like both.

"If I accept, will you really explain it all?" he eventually asked.

"I will," Redion nodded gently. "Or rather, I already did. If you accept, you will receive a special item that will show all my answers."

Travis looked to his side for a moment. This situation was moving... a little fast for him. Yet, there was some kind of a sense at the base of his heart, telling him that Redion was, in fact, not lying at all.

'...it's not like I can pretend, either. It's either this or stagnancy. And if it's a god...'

"Alright. I accept," he nodded slowly.

"Hah..." Redion let out a long breath of relief. "I was worried you'd reject. Very well," suddenly, a large, bronze scepter appeared in his left hand. It was roughly the same height as the god, and at its end, a large gemstone was fixed, about the size of Travis's fist. He lifted it into the air. "Let Yberion be the witness of this moment. Wielding my authority as one of the gods, I now hereby nominate you as my Apostle. Travis Salliv, with this moment, you have become the Apostle of Tricks and Manipulation," The scepter hit the ground and emitted a bright red wave of energy in all directions. The wave passed through everything, Travis and Redion included, and soon dispersed in the distance. "And with that, our contract is sealed."

Unexpectedly, Travis suddenly noticed a small, half-transparent panel of blue light appear in front of him. White letters lit up on its surface.

[The contract between you and God of Tricks & Manipulation was sealed under the eye of God of Truth.]

[Your class has changed to "Apostle of Tricks & Manipulation"]

"...?" unable to comprehend, Travis stood there in shock.

Seeing his expression, Redion chuckled wholeheartedly.

"Don't worry, it'll all make sense in a minute. Now, it is time for you to wake up," and with that, Redion swung his scepter at inhumane speed and hit Travis in his head.

Strangely enough, even though the movement was far faster than his eyes could register, Travis could sense the blow approaching. Additionally, once he was hit, he didn't feel pain, but rather some weird presence pulling him away. The last thing he saw was Redion's gleaming smile, and then everything was consumed by the darkness.

He was suspended in complete twilight for a long while. He couldn't exactly tell how long had passed, as there was nothing to use to measure the flow of time. He should feel alienated and afraid of his situation, but strangely enough, Travis felt weird comfort all around him. He tried opening his mouth and moving his limbs, but couldn't feel his body. And even then, he wasn't afraid in the slightest.

Suddenly, something around him warped, and he took a deep breath. The darkness was suddenly replaced with a view of his room. However, something about it seemed strange. Taking a moment to focus and regain his senses, Travis moved a little and found himself on the floor.

'Huh?' he turned around and around, searching for the strange panel. After a couple seconds, he felt his heartbeat abate to a stable rate. Quickly getting up, Travis ran a hand through his hair before exhaling heavily. 'A dream...?' he glanced around himself. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the entire room. The door, the floor... the dagger that was sticking from under his pillow. It appeared as though it was really just a dream.

"Haaah..." he breathed a sigh of relief.

'Am I that nervous about my quest?' he pondered for but a moment. He could not see Redion or the blue panel in his field of view anymore. Could it really have been... a dream?

...

'I shouldn't linger around. I need to begin my quest.' without any further ado, he walked over to the table and took hold of his card. He tucked it into his pocket quickly and ate something. Not wanting to waste any more time, he packed some necessities into a small backpack and set off into the city, locking his home away.

His main priority was to get some things for the beginning of the journey. Strength was not his main focus but he was confident in his skills to kill some animals and gather their meat. Still, the problem he would need to overcome would be eating it. He wasn't a Mage or any other class that would deal with fire skills, so he couldn't fry whatever he hunted. This was the reason he took his steps into a traveler's shop. All the travel necessities, beginning with backpacks and matches, ending in full leather armor and other things one could use to increase their chances of survival in the wild.

The shop had a great number of items on display all around, but that didn't stop it from being quite roomy. A few people were going about their business in this place, most of them looking at some things that they seemed to need, but a few were busy behind the counters. Seeing as there were no more than 10 people in total, he decided to take a minute to search the shelves. There were just a few things he needed.

'Magic matches are my priority. Without them, fire will be impossible.' he thought as he put a tiny box in his hand. 'Next, an Essence of Purity could be useful. You never know when you'll come across something poisonous.' he continued, striding by the alchemical section and grabbing a small bottle with a white substance inside. 'Those would be the most needed things... anything else I want?'

Not wanting to turn back just because of his forgetfulness, he decided to take a few more minutes to ensure he got everything. Just in case of trouble, he grabbed a health and mana potion. Going by the weapon section, he found nothing he'd need. He was tempted to get himself a small buckler but eventually decided against it. He was more confident in his swiftness than his ability to block an attack.

Soon enough, the time came to pay for the things he took. He could feel his pockets crying as he was drying off the money he possessed, but his quest came in before his comfort.

He paid the prices and stashed the things into his backpack. And then, he took his steps toward the exit. Or rather, he tried to.

Some commotion started happening left of him. Looking at the source, he saw a large woman, nearly 2 meters tall, strike the counter angrily. She was arguing with the cashier in some foreign language. He didn't know any languages besides Palli spoken in Forna, but he was nearly certain that he had heard this language before.

'Wynn, I think it was called...? Then, she's from the Akni Kingdom? Why is she in here?' he pondered momentarily, his eyes escaping to the counter. A large pile of gold shook every time the imposing woman slammed her hand on the desk.

The man behind the counter fixed his glasses momentarily before replying with something. His words appeared to only upset the woman further as she hit the wooden surface with even more strength.

'Could it be that something was too expensive for her?' he thought as he took note of her full armor. It wasn't just any third-grade equipment. Reminding himself of his experiences as a Blacksmith, Travis could easily tell the mithril apart from any other metal. The silver surface had a tiny bit of greenish tint. Its shining, however, was a clear indication of how well it was made and kept. 'No... She must have a lot of money to come around in such armor...' Travis continued standing in one spot, about 5 meters between him and the arguing woman.

...

Glancing around, Travis quickly realized that he was the only customer who had yet to evacuate from the shop. Moreover, seeing how the man behind the counter was expectantly looking toward the entry door every now and again, he knew his time was dwindling. If the guards came in here, he'd be questioned no doubt. It was pretty weird how controlling they could become when there were incidents, in all honesty, but Travis opted to not question the authorities. Instead, he decided to make his getaway before they would arrive.

'<Shadow Steps>, <Obfuscation>.' he commanded his spirit to cast the spells on himself. He intended to swiftly skitter behind one of the shelves and make his way toward the door.

However...

As he made a few steps, he noticed the wooden surface holding him in the room. However, two things became apparent as he raised his hand a little. One, his hand was visible. Two, there was no flow of mana.

'What...?' he flinched in his step. Looking at his hand, he saw its surface as clearly as ever. But... there was no way. 'I definitely have enough mana for both skills... why didn't they activate?'

Quickly fiddling with his backpack, he brought out his MID. A faint sense of a knot being tied in his throat was stifling his breath as he tapped on its surface. There was no way he could just lose his skills... was there?

.

[Travis Salliv

Class: Ả̶̷̶̵̶̴̴̡̧̖̞͈͓̱̳̼̮̼̣̈̾̑̀͌̄̾̔̚͝p̶̷̴̷̸̸̷̡͔̝̞̣̥̹̪̣̪̜̳̮̻͎̊̈́͌͌̾͑̔̓̄̚͠o̶̵̴̴̵̷̶̸̸̸̷̢̫̳̱̜̺̘̖͓̥͉͈̟͙̹̟̳̪̳̦̯̪̎̈̈́̔̈̀͋͑̇͂́̈́͋͑͑̀̽̌̎̀̒̓͜͠͠š̴̵̵̵̴̶̸̡̛̝̣̙̠͎̳͉͚͛̀́̍̔͒̿̑͛̀̍͆̊͜͠t̴̸̷̷̶̴̡̨̘̱̝͚̯̞̠̳̃̈́̓̇́̎͆͂̊̀̅͘l̷̴̶̴̵̴̶̶̴̡̡̧̺̘̤͎̦̖̫̻͕͖͙͂̂̈́͗̓͛͊͗͒̎̈̐̋͑̕͜͜͝͠ȩ̸̴̵̶̴̸̸̵̶̨̨̡̨̗͎̮̩͔̻͉̺͉̤͇̞̦̞̳́͐̎̈͌̓̒̔̈͆̈́̎͐̄̌̅͋̈́̚̚̕͜͝͝͝ͅ ̷̵̷̸̵̵̶̶̶̷̧̢̡̨̝̜̲͓͎̬̯̪̬͔̣̩̳̯̠̿̓͆́͒͒̔̒͑͂͑̊̓̂̾̋̃͜͝͝ͅͅǫ̴̴̴̶̷̸̵̷̨̯̭̰̘̝̞̞̤̟̭̤̰͙̾̂͌̌͑̌́͐̾̓̈́͘͜͝͝͠f̵̵̴̶̶̵̸̢̛̳̱̺̟̮̪̱͖͍̖̺̲͎̤͛͆̑̏̓̍̈́̽̽̈́͐̚͠͝ ̵̵̸̷̴̴̵͉͍̭̪͉͉̼̳̞͉͕̙́͐̊͒̇̔̊̄̏̃̎̀̍͘Ṯ̵̸̶̷̷̷̵̵̴̶̭̣͖̳̱̦̭̩̜̩̳̱̲͚͓͖̹̓͒͌̿̅́͌͂̉͐̓̿̀͒̌̄̋̉̏̊̊͘͘͜͝͠ͅr̴̸̸̸̸̴̷̷̡̡̻̼͈͔̗̙̬̳̲̖̥̗̣̙̥̗͑̒͊͋͋̓̈́͗͑̃͒̕͝͝ǐ̴̴̴̶̶̸̴̷̵̡̢͍̖̙̼̲͉͕̻̯̻̣̬͓̐̓̓͗̐͛̋̓̈̂̂̽̏͂͋̄̽̇̌̽͘̕̕͝ͅc̸̴̷̵̷̴̨̯̖͈̗̖̬̞̮̯̮͔̙͓̄͒̾̽̒̀̈́̀̚͝k̶̵̷̵̵̸̸̢̙͇̣̻̙̲̝̜̝̰̻͇̓̇̆͗̎̈́̒͂̎͐͠͠s̸̵̷̴̵̛͔̗̲̗̻̘̫̩̄͐̓͑̃̽̽͗͘̕ ̸̶̵̸̵̵̵̶̸̢̡̗̙̣̞͔̝̖̮͎̜̼̻͚̭̞͖͓͓̓͑̈́͂̉̂̊̋̉̓̋̿͑̓̿͑͆̎͑́͠ͅ&̸̧̧̛͖͉̤͈̱̼̘̼̱̘͉͓̫͓͍̝͖̝̞̦̔̿͂̂̿̇͐̓̌͗͑̕͝ ̶̶̵̴̴̶̷̴̶̨̧͉̼̳̳͉̼͖͍̩̞̹̭͉̯̐̍͂͌͐̎͂̊̀͆̈́͛͌̒͘̕͘͘͜͠͝͝͝ͅM̷̵̵̷̴̨̝̯̮̮̯̯͚̍͗̓̅͂̀̒̕ä̸̴̴̴̴̷̸̴̴̡̨̨̛̙̗͇͈̞͓̲̺̞̙͚͎͉̳̠̼̯̣́̊̐̏̐̑̏͌̃̆͆̐͗͑̉̐͘̚̕͜͝ͅͅn̶̴̸̴̴̴̴̴̡̢͉͇̖̺̬͎͔̜̝̈́̌̈̈́̓͒͊̓̒̋̏͂̏͒̿̔͗̚͜͝͝i̴̷̷̶̸̵̴̴͙̦̰͙̣̟̱̣͉̙͍̱̦̫̇̒̌̏̿̇̓̎͌́́̂̂͘͘͘͜͠p̸̴̶̷̸̴̨̛̹̝̞̻̪̟̮̮̳̳̣̔́̒͊͆̊̇̀̅̕̚͘ù̶̶̵̸̴͖̰͓̭͙͓̲̣̪̬̥͈̓͛́̆͗͐̓ḷ̶̷̷̵̵̴̷̶̴̷̡̡̬̺̲̗̗̲̭̟͓̱̼̣͍͎̜̥͕͚̟͓͖̊̈͑̔̔̎̿̈́̋̏̎̏̈̏̔̉̑̀̓̓́͛̚̚͝ă̶̵̷̶̷̴̴̸̵̢̢̤͉͈͉̠̗̻͔͈̺͈̜͕̞͛͛͐͐͒̅̌̒́̆͛̇́̍̐̃̕̚ͅͅt̷̷̷̶̵̷̵̴̶̶̡̪̣͕͔̹̼̯͉͔͈̟̝͈̜̞̰̦̖͎̹̍͊̄̂́̄̒̀̌͛̍̽̔͂̔̑̄̈́̚̕͠ͅi̵̷̶̷̷̸̞̖̖̹̳̘̤̤̱͂͐̽͆̂͛̋͊̽̑̂̉ǫ̸̵̷̵̸̸̵̶͖̦͕̤̤̘̯͔̮̲̱̮̭͔̪͑͋͌̈́̓̈́̈̑̋́̽̆̚͜͝͝͝n̸̸̶̶̶̴̸̷̸̸̨̛͍͔̖̜͇̺̣̹̘̳̟͉̰̹͇̭̩͂̽̔̀͋̇̀́̍̿͆̂̉͛̋̊̽̉͘ͅͅ

Level: 1

Possessed skills: [̸̵̵̷̷̷̷̲̌͑̐Ṡ̵̶̶̶̵̷̸̴̶̵̶̶̴̸̶̴̸̶̸̴̸̸̴̴̵̴̶̨̢̳̺̜̗̩̠̦̲̠̘͉͂̍̓́̔͗̌͌͠ͅư̸̷̶̵̴̵̷̵̷̴͓̇́͌̚͝ǵ̴̷̶̵̷̴̵̵̸̶̵̴̷̶̷̴̷̤̔͂̑̈́̽̋̏̀͆̔̂̕g̶̵̵̵̵̷̷̸̶̷̸̸̶̵̸̶̨̨̥̪͚̥̯̰̻̺̞̔̓è̸̴̸̷̸̶̷̷̷̴̸̶̸̶̵̴̵̸̩̮͔͇̰͇͍̩̱̝̭̦͈͛s̴̴̶̷̸̸̷̷̵̵̷̵̵̷̷̸̡̰̺͎̪̻̻͖̝͌̌̕͠ṭ̸̶̴̷̶̶̶̵̵̷̵̶̸̴̴̶̶̸̶̷̨̡̡̧̥̭̪͙̟̭͖̰̜̀̓͜i̶̸̵̶̶̶̷̶̴̶̸̸̶̸̵̴̸̸̶̷̵̸̶̶͓̭͉̙̞̝̫͎͚͎͚̫̣̜̮̐̒̃̏͛̕ǫ̴̷̶̷̵̷̶̵̸̴̷̵̷̵̷̷̗̖̟̩͍̻̯̫̞̅̏ͅṉ̵̵̴̷̸̴̷̵̴̵̸̷̷̶̴̵̸̸̴̇͛̊̈́͌̉͌̋̉̅̋̍͌̃͝ ̷̸̸̷̴̶̶̴̴̸̵̵̷̷̸̶̴̸̵̞͆̄̈́͌̍̉̌̒͂̒́̈́̈̋͠l̸̸̵̴̸̸̴̶̵̴̷̴̸̵̶̴̸̸̻͖͈̜̤̯̦̩̰̦̥̮̒̆͜v̴̵̷̴̸̵̷̸̸̵̵̶̶̨̫̱̯̩̐́̂̑̕ľ̶̷̴̸̷̸̷̷̵̸̵̴̷̶̷̴̶̡̘̀̓͑̆̑̀̉̀̀͛͠.̷̴̸̷̷̵̷̴̷̴̵̴̶̴̵̶̶̶̸̴̷̸̴̵̨̻̩͓̪̰̖͖̓̈́̄̈́̍̆́͂̋͘͜ͅ ̵̶̵̸̸̸̶̷̵̶̴̵̵̸̴̵̶̸̵̵̶̷̸̧̝̤͉͔̽̏̑̍̋̂̈́̂̒͂͊͒̂́̈́1̶̴̵̷̶̸̷̵̸̷̵̴̶̵̸̨̢̦̳̟̩̩̥̭̣̞͛)̷̶̶̶̶̴̷̷̸̶̸̷̷̵̶̵̵̡̟̟̟̿̾̈́̑͌̉͊̉̈́͝

.

'WHAT THE HELL?!!!' He shouted in his mind as he felt his hand shake lightly. The contents of his card were unreadable aside from his name and level. Furthermore, his level was 1, instead of the 21 he had when he went to sleep. Momentarily, he felt as perplexed as he felt scared. Just... what? How? When? Did his class... actually change in his dream?

Magical Cards of Identification, or 'MID' for short, were simple tools used to read their owner's information. Depending on the tier they showed more details and were proportionally more expensive. Travis was the owner of a tier 2 MID. Aside from his name, class, and level, it also showed his skills with their levels, which was a significant improvement over tier 1. However, what just happened to his card was unprecedented. These tools were too simple to glitch as his one did. Just what had happened? When did it happen?

...

Suddenly, a few small, blue panels appeared in front of him. White letters lit up their surfaces.

[Activating RALS, version 1.0.2...]

[Activation successful.]

[User data confirmed.]

[Stat system has been opened.]
[100 stat points have been awarded.]
[Reassigning stats with a bias toward the user's latest class... done.]

[Skill system has been opened.]
[Skill 'Suggestion' has been created.]

[The System has been initialized.]

...WHAT? What did it mean? RALS? System? What were those things?

"Hold it there!" he heard somebody shout. Turning his head toward the exit door, he noticed four guards enter the shop. They were dressed in full body armor, covering them from head to toe. In their hands were small metal poles, with arcs of electricity going here and there. The cashier behind the counter quickly waved toward them happily.

"Over here, gentlemen!" he called out, visibly uplifted at their presence.

Three men took toward the large woman and cashier, while one of them looked at Travis. Suppressing his urge to run away, he simply stood in one spot, turning his MID off. The guard eyed him with suspicion in his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked with a threatening tone.

"I'm just a customer of the shop," replied the brown-haired man, trying to sound as calm as possible. 'Isn't he going to say anything about those things?!' a thought erected in his mind as he traced the blue panels still lingering in his field of view, just between him and the guard.

"Your MID," he heard the instruction.

"W-What?" 'Why, oh why... just play dumb.'

"Your. MID," the armored man repeated, and electricity sparks went further away from his metal pole warningly.

"I... don't have it on me."

"Bullshit. You were just checking it. Give it before you piss me off."

'...damn it.'

With a defeated posture, Travis took his hand into his pocket. Grasping his card, he handed it over slowly with a shaking hand. As the guard snatched it and turned it on, his eyes widened enough to be visible through the small holes in his visor.

"A fake," he threw the card on the ground and stomped on it. With a crackling noise of mana fleeing into the air, the card lost its glow, never to be used again.

"I-I-I can explain," Travis raised his hands lightly as he was surrendering himself.

"Oh, you sure can," the guard nodded before he pointed his pole at his stomach.

A powerful current was released from the pole in Savill's direction, the discharge lasting roughly a second or so. The painful sensation spread across his body in an instant, and before he even hit the ground limply, he had lost consciousness.