Visiting relatives

Travis was walking through the forest with quick steps, Leaf following behind without much of an issue. The road was even, and the space just next to it was kept in a decent state, just barely a tiny tree root making its way between the stones on the edge here and there.

They kept silent as they strode forth, naught a soul in sight. The forest wasn’t very dense. The scarcity of trees in certain places allowed one to look deep into the sides, and there, Travis noticed how some monsters were going about their business, not caring much for anything going on by the road.

He decided to take this opportunity to train. If his MP reserves were full by now, it made sense to use them. While walking, he slowly aimed his hand at one of the small, green slimes that stuck to one of the trees nearby.

“<Mana Bolt>,” the blue wisp of mana formed quickly, shooting forth faster than Leaf could respond to what he was doing. However, despite the relatively short distance the attack missed, only striking at the bark next to the monster.

“Travis? What are you doing?”

“I’m training,” he replied shortly, firing two more attacks and finally hitting the monster.

As the slime got hit by the attack, its body suddenly expanded slightly in all directions, the excess mana trying to rip it apart. However, the monster remained relatively unharmed, forcing its body to constrict as its attention was brought to Travis. Within seconds, it started moving, some gurgling-like noises escaping from within its form.

But it didn’t get to reach him. Another <Mana Bolt> hit, causing its body to rip apart, its membrane no longer able to hold its contents within. The monster died, its cytoplasm spilling all around.

‘It’s tricky to hit them when I’m moving. It’ll be useful to train this as much as I can when I have mana to spare.’ he thought, seeing how his mana dropped to 60. Only 20 was required to kill that slime, and he wasted just as much. On top of that, he wasn’t even entirely sure if it was his aim that worked. It felt as though the initial strike was a bit lucky. ‘I need to learn how to aim properly.’

Wasting resources was the worst thing to happen to him. Managing oneself was just as important as their fighting capabilities.

But that was why he began firing <Mana Bolts> at monsters. One, two, five, ten. As his mana recharged, he resumed his onslaught. Over time, he started figuring out how to compensate for his movement speed. Slowly but surely, he began experimenting, hastening his speed and even breaking into a run once or twice. His accuracy didn’t hit 100%, but just this slight increase from 50 to 60% was large enough. He formed a smirk.

‘If I can train like this for a week or so, maybe I’ll get my accuracy up to 80-ish percent. On top of that…’ he thought, finally bringing one of the notifications into his field of view.

[Skill ‘Mana Bolt’ leveled up!]

‘…I can level up my skills.’

Quickly glancing through it, he noticed a lack of decrease in its costs. Just like before, it consumed 10 MP to fire a single shot. However, there was an increase in damage. ‘I think it dealt 5-10 damage before… now it’s 6-11, and its extra damage increased to 16 percent. Not bad.’ he nodded to himself. 'I wonder, will the next level-up decrease its cost?' he shook his head. There was no need to ponder such matters now. He'd know once he reached that stage.

-Around 19-

The two of them slowed down from their jog. Travis quickly confirmed that today's DQ was finished and spent most stat points he was granted into Wisdom, bringing it to 35, and the remaining 2 to Intelligence. Immediately, he felt some weird feeling build up within his veins before slowly subsiding. It was like he could feel his veins bulge outward with energy, even if only a little.

Checking his status, he confirmed that he suddenly received 19 max MP instead of 4 that should’ve been granted. As he pondered for a moment, he reminded himself of what he’d read some time ago. ‘Right... RALS did say that some stats will become more powerful at certain intervals... namely, Intelligence and Endurance. But why didn’t I feel it with Endurance? Is it because my MP is nearly empty now, whereas my HP was full back then? Perhaps. Though... why isn't this the case with Wisdom...?' he pondered. 'I do not understand stats at all.'

A frown entered his face. Eventually, he dismissed the thought, focusing on another aspect festering in his head. ‘Who is Rulebreaker?’ the thought rang in his mind the moment he saw the notification. Initially, he was so taken aback that he started frantically looking around, seeking the source of danger. However, as he calmed down after a few seconds, he took a moment to read the notification again, word after word.

‘First of all, there was no warning, so that person doesn’t seem to be hostile. Second, they are smiling at my actions, so they must’ve seen how I helped Norbert out, and approve of that.’ he pondered. ‘But… there were only 4 of us in there. Closest buildings were half a kilometer away… is someone spying on me?’ that was his initial conclusion, but he eventually shook it off. ‘Even if, I doubt RALS would give me a prompt about that. But… if it was Redion, why didn’t it say so?’

He tried even asking the System itself about that person's identity, but he didn’t receive much information.

[<The administrator has blocked access to this information.>]

This message, while disappointing, was still an anchor point for him. ‘Administrator... it seems to be something to do with RALS itself.’ he conceded, putting a hand on his chin. 'It seems to indicate that there is a hierarchy within the System. Then... does this mean Rulebreaker is affiliated with Redion...? I guess it's safe to assume that.' he looked to the sky, his golden eyes glimmering with ponder. 'But... who are they? Why am I not allowed to see that?'

From what he knew, 2 of the 15 gods didn’t take part in the Competition, instead acting as judges. The first one was Yberion, the God of Truth, who oversaw all the Apostles receiving their classes, and the other was Regan, the God of Space, who created the rules. ‘Could ‘Rulebreaker’ mean Regan? He made the rules, and he’s breaking them for some reason?’

That didn’t feel right, but Travis couldn’t think of any other god who could fit. Yberion was a stoic who barely reacted to anything. Regan might’ve been a shut-in (as per System's description), but it didn’t mean he was heartless. Redion didn't want any other god to see his Apostle... right?

‘Maybe I shouldn’t ponder on that too much. They're not my enemy, this much is obvious.' he eventually decided.

Travis looked forward and finally noticed a glimpse of light shimmer between the trees. As both he and Leaf deviated north from the road that led east of Poiri, the forest started becoming denser. Now, it seemed that they were reaching a clearing, and quite a large one, at it. As they made their way closer, the Holia came into view in all its glory.

The clearing itself was roughly 400 meters across and was of mostly circular shape. A few fields were visible on the eastern side, while the western one had a large number of trees growing in a grid pattern, undeniably an orchard. The village itself wasn’t anything… impressive, by any means. There were some houses, but no more than 60 or so. The few people going about their business didn’t seem to really mind their presence up until they stepped into the village premises.

The two travelers made their way along the road. The middle of the village appeared devoid of people at the moment, but that didn't stop Leaf from glancing left and right every now and again. Suddenly, they heard someone speak loudly, “Halt!” the voice was definitely somewhat childish, but it also had… a metal ring to it?

"Hmm?" Travis turned around.

The boy didn’t seem to be older than 10 years, standing at around 1.3 meters in height. He had some worn and torn clothing on him, which appeared to have been through an older sibling of his. He had short, disheveled hair of dark blonde color, pairing well with his deep green eyes. He held a metal cone by his mouth, giving his voice not just a slight amplification in volume, but also a metal ring to it. In his right hand, the boy held a large stick aimed at the two who were standing about 5 meters away.

“In the name of Holia’s royal guardians, I demand to know your intention of arrival!” the boy spoke loudly through the cone, his voice vibrating with a metallic echo.

Travis lifted an eyebrow. As his eyes shot toward Leaf, the woman noticed the look within. He was not at all nervous. In fact, he appeared... cheerful, even. "Well, who do my eyes see," he smiled at the boy. "Aren't you too young to be a guard, Max?"

"My name is MaxIM!" the boy riposted, lowering the cone. "With an 'IM' in the end! But what else can I expect of you? You forget all the things!" he poised his hand, aiming his makeshift weapon.

Leaf, visibly surprised, glanced at her companion. Travis's stare was aimed at the boy he spoke with, and a glimmer of laughter stirred within his golden orbs.

"I mean, what to do?" the Apostle shrugged, a sly grin appearing on his face. "You strike a very forgettable nerve, Max."

"It's Maxim!" the boy yelled, striking the ground with his stick. "Can't you remember--!"

"Maxim!" a womanly shout entered everyone's ears. "Must you yell so much?!" the door to one of the nearby houses swung open, and a young woman stepped forward.

Travis smiled at her gently, taking in her details. She seemed to be between him and Leaf in height. Long, dirty blonde hair descended down her back, a wavy pattern unbound by anything as it descended down to her shapely buttocks, covered by a beige dress. The woman's chest was naturally pronounced, which was only amplified by the article of clothing that appeared to struggle to contain her completely. She was shy of Leaf's size, but it wasn't a monumental difference.

The village woman glanced toward the three of them with her green eyes, the same color as Maxim's. Even without seeing the two of them right next to each other, one could conclude that they were related. The bright skin on her face was clean of blemishes, suggesting that she took good care of her health.

Her eyes first shot toward the boy, a little annoyed expression painted on her face before she scanned the other two. Suddenly, noticing the man, she raised an eyebrow, her complexion relaxing.

“Travis?” her lips curved upward in a gentle smile. “Is it June already?”

“Barely April in a few days, Crystal,” he smiled in response, nodding his head. “How have you been?”

She smiled gently, stretching her plump lips lightly. “Ah, you know, same old. Who’s your companion?” she formed a questioning expression.

“Oh, that’s--” Travis looked at Leaf momentarily.

“I’m Silva,” Necromancer finished his sentence, nodding lightly toward Crystal with a tiny, welcoming smile.

“I see. Here to visit Kanya, I take it?” the village woman turned back to Travis.

“Yeah. I have some business in Autir, so I decided to stop by.”

“Mhm,” Crystal hummed pleasantly for a moment. “Would you like to stay for dinner? To keep up the tradition?”

Travis glanced toward Leaf, to which she responded with a little uneasy look. Noticing that, Crystal quickly corrected herself, “I’m sorry, I said it wrong. Miss Silva, Travis, would the two of you like to stay for dinner?”

"Him? For dinner?" Maxim scoffed slightly, putting the stick on his shoulder. "He can't even remember my name, he's not--"

"Maxim," Crystal looked at him, her stare fierce. The depth of her green eyes appeared to increase ever so slightly, her hair fluttering with the motion of her turning head. "I don't want to hear it. Inside, now," she motioned toward the open door.

Maxim stared back at her for a moment. He appeared to want to talk back, but Crystal repeated her words, "Now," her tone was firm as she aimed a fierce gaze at the boy. She wasn't going to take a 'No' for an answer.

His mouth parted, a quiet 'Sorry' leaving his vocal cords before the boy skittered into the house. Crystal turned to Travis and Leaf, the three-colored pairs of eyes meeting. Her demeanor had once again changed, her soft cheeks puffed up ever so slightly as she smiled at them gently.

The man broke the silence, "The older, the more the troublemaker?" a bit of laughter tinted his tone.

"Unfortunately," the blonde woman sighed slightly. "Ever since he realized I don't have the same authority as Mom, he does everything he can to oppose me unless I imitate her. So much for the sweet younger brother I always wanted," she chuckled lightly. "Anyway, what about that dinner?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with expectance.

Travis and Leaf looked at each other for a moment. Quickly excusing themselves, they stepped a few steps back and began whispering.

“You know I don’t approve, right?” she asked.

“I know them well, Leaf," he protested quietly. "They’re friends of mine.”

“Travis, that’s EXACTLY why we can’t stay. Don't you get that?”

“They won’t hurt us. Can’t you trust me on this? Besides, it’s already dark. How much more can we go on?”

"*Sigh* you won’t let go, will you?”

“I see them once a year, so please, just the dinner,” Travis pleaded, but his expression was slightly stern. “We won’t be traveling much more today anyway, right?”

“…are you sure it’s safe?” Leaf asked, her eyes darting around. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary in the surrounding area, but she knew looks could be deceiving.

“Leaf, it’s a small town. Holia never even had guards. It’s all farmers, and I know all of them. There’s absolutely nothing that can harm us.”

“…fine,” she replied, albeit her tone seemed a little grumpy. As a sigh escaped her mouth, she turned to Crystal. “I’m fine with that if it’s not too much of a problem.”

“But of course, don’t be a stranger. Dinner will be in about an hour. You go and pay Kanya a visit,” Crystal smiled at Travis.

“That being said, do you happen to have her favorites?”

The blonde shook her head lightly. “Lilacs will start blooming in about a month, I’m afraid,” she formed a little apologetic expression, holding her hands together.

“I see. We’ll be back soon, then,” Travis smiled reassuringly. “Come on, Silva,” he turned to Leaf before walking away.

Within half a minute or so, they were already far away enough that Crystal could let out a sigh of relief. Feeling her heartbeat strongly reverberate in her head, she took a step back, leaning on the wall of her house. She felt a flush wash over her face as she rushed into the building. ‘He’s here!’ she thought, a feeling of warmth spreading through her body. ‘And what am I wearing to welcome him?! This old rag Mother no longer uses! Gah, I barely even fit in it, it's a good thing nothing happened!'

-About 15 minutes later-

Travis led Leaf through Holia, and the two of them soon reached the last building that was placed by the road. However, surprisingly for the elf woman, the man didn’t stop there, instead going further. As they distanced themselves a bit from the village, she noticed some lights appear in their sight. Within short minutes, they approached a structure hidden within the forest past Holia. A small fence made of metal was surrounding multiple gravestones standing in regular intervals.

‘A graveyard?’ Leaf thought, slightly perplexed to see Travis open the gate and venture in. ‘Does his sister take care of it?’ she pondered for a moment, noticing a small house-like structure in the corner of the place.

Every grave had a bit of spacing between to allow for movement, and all of them were placed on the completely grassless ground. Most of them also had some candles lit up in glass jars, shedding light in the atmosphere that was becoming darker by the minute.

However, Travis quickly came to a halt and knelt by one of the graves. Looking at the tombstone, Leaf noticed some letters lit by fire from nearby candles.

Kanya Salliv
14.06.1008 - 14.06.1036
May your soul find eternal peace

Leaf remained silent, feeling how the atmosphere got heavier as her companion knelt for a few more seconds.

Travis's lips parted, “This is Kanya. My sister, mother, and teacher,” he said with a slightly heavy tone. “The only family I ever had.”

“…I’m sorry for your loss.”

“You wondered why I helped Norbert earlier today. Kanya taught me that ‘the strong should protect the weak’. That was her motto for every day," he said, looking at the gravestone. "After she died, I decided that the most I could do to cherish her memory was to try to live with her words in mind. So long I don’t forget her, she’ll never really die.”

“…What was she like?”

“Warm, welcoming, and cheerful all the time. It was like bad days never existed for her. And I have to say, her behavior was really infectious. Bad mood had no right to exist near her,” Travis almost chuckled, a weak smile gracing his face.

“She feels similar to you."

“What do you mean?” he raised an eyebrow, glancing at Leaf's focused eyes.

“I feel her energy. It's faint, but still present. She was strong, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah… she was a Fire Mage. A pretty strong one, too. I think she was about level 150.”

“Yes, I feel it. Powerful mana, without question she’s had at least 1st class advancement,” ‘Though… it feels more like 2nd…’

“Why do you say she feels similar to me though?” Travis raised an eyebrow.

“In short, relatives of one family feel similar from ‘my’ perspective."

“I see.”

“But… she was not even thirty? Even for a human, that's very young. How could it have happened?” Leaf raised an eyebrow, visibly puzzled. 'In the first place, her level was quite high for her age...' "Was she an adventurer?"

"No," Travis shook his head lightly. “On the day she was celebrating her 28th birthday, a traveling merchant came rushing into Holia. He was escaping from some sort of a monster. Back then, Kanya was the strongest person in Holia, its defender, so she took that thing on. Yet, she couldn't beat it, and waiting for any support was meaningless... so she lured it into our home… and burned it together with herself.”

“…that’s a horrible way to die.”

“It is. Had it not been for her sacrifice, the entire Holia would’ve been wiped.”

“What kind of monster was that? I thought surrounding places were safe?” Leaf raised an eyebrow, her eyes shooting to the side.

“We don’t really know. There was hardly anything left of it after the fire burned out. It had some underlings, but Kanya turned them to ash before many saw them. Some say they were mutant goblins, others that they resembled orcs. Church's Mages came around for a while, but they couldn't assess anything, either. Honestly, it happened long ago. It hardly matters now.”

Leaf did not answer. Her face appeared calm, but she could not shake off a strange feeling. Tracing the gravestone with her sapphire eyes, she clenched her fist momentarily. Her gaze escaped to the man who walked to the morgue building. '...16 years... but the mana still feels rather strong...' her eyes returned to the cold stone. She could feel a silent urge within her mind rise. 'If the mana is still this strong, the Lifeforce would be... probably still usable... No. Snap out of it, Leavalja.' she berated herself momentarily. 'You barely made peace with this man, and now you're thinking about trying to take his sister's shadow...' the thought stung her in the back of her mind. It felt almost like a silent cackle that taunted her. '...?' she turned to her side for but a blink. Confirming that there was nothing, she gazed back at the grave. '...I should speak with Delius soon.'

Travis, in the meantime, entered the building and retrieved a rake from within. Then, he walked over to his sister’s grave and made quick work of ground around it, forming nice and evenly spaced rows in the soil.

A few seconds passed before the two travelers looked at each other. Neither had to really say what they wanted to. After placing the tool back, they left the graveyard, taking their steps back toward Holia.

“It must’ve been difficult,” Leaf suddenly sounded. “To suddenly live without your sister.”

“It was,” Travis nodded. “I was barely 9 at the time, and she was the only family I ever had. My entire world fell apart on that day,” he said with a little sigh. "Crystal's family took me in right after that. Until I left Holia, they took care for me, and I did what I could to repay that."

"...I see."

“Now, let’s not think about that. Dinner will be soon,” he gave Leaf a small smile. Before either of them knew it, they were standing near the door to Crystal’s home.

[[Name: Travis Salliv
Class: Apostle of Tricks & Manipulation
Level: 26
HP: 780/780
MP: 156/156
WP: 344/558]

[Strength: 55
Agility: 80
Endurance: 60
Intelligence: 52
Wisdom: 35
Sense: 35
AP: 0]

[Possessed abilities: Suggestion lvl.3, Hypnosis lvl.1, Mana Bolt lvl.2]

[Current status: No anomalies]]