Surviving as a Broken Hero

Chapter 6 – Before the Storm (3)

[[System

Name: Aizen

Class: Fighter

Level: 1

XP: 675/1000

Mana: 100/100

STR: 12

END: 12

AGI: 10

PER: 10

MAG: 10

MANA: 10

Innate Skills:

《Fighter》

Gives the user additional STR and END as they gain levels.

Current Bonus: +2 STR, +2 END

Active Skills:

«Strike»

Allows the user to perform a strike with double the speed and power.

Cost: 25 Mana]]

{{System

Archetype: Body

Level: 1

XP: 300/1000

Elements: Earth

Innate Skills:

《Body》

Encompasses mastery of the Body and all things related to it.

When this archetype is selected, the user gains their choice of focus as well as continued rewards.

When this archetype is selected, the user is locked out of utilizing mana for external purposes and spells. The user gains an extraordinary physique, superior bodily control, and can instinctually move their body how they wish.

Active Skills:

«Earth Element»}}

He glanced between both windows for a moment, pondering the information with his hand held up to his chin.

“Huh…”

I hadn’t seen Alikr at such a loss for words before.

“I can’t say I’ve seen this before. Is this second one the one that healed you?”

“Yeah… I think.”

I scratched the back of my head as he waved the windows away.

“It says you have an Earth Element of some sort. Could you show me?”

“I can try…”

I held up my hand so he could see it while tugging on that feeling inside of myself again.

Krrrrr!

A slow fatigue spread through me as if I were holding myself up in the middle of a push-up, except it was throughout my entire body.

It was my first time observing it closely.

Bits of stone and dirt materialized in the air and wrapped around my hand, creaking together and forming a tight gauntlet of stone and earth.

“How tough is it, do you think?”

Alikr reached out and ran his hand over the gauntlet.

“I’m not sure… I was able to block a goblin’s blade with it.”

I moved the earth along the gauntlet and extruded it as far outwards as I could from the end of it, the strain wearing on me even more.

The earth extended out in a rough spike for almost half a meter before halting.

“I can also move it around my body and extend it outwards like this…”

Alikr raised an eyebrow at my display.

“How do you want me to list your class?”

I thought about it for a moment. While it would be easier to find members while being registered under a special class, I was hesitant to have another party depending upon a manaless ability.

“Register me as a fighter.”

I decided to register as a Fighter until I could figure out more about that other ability.

Alikr fiddled with a cube-like device behind the Association’s counter for a moment before it flashed and he pushed it forward toward me.

“If you could send your mana into the cube for me.”

I put my hand on the cube, willing my mana into it.

“…”

“…”

[[Mana: 100/100]]

That’s right… I couldn’t use mana externally.

Thinking about the implications of that made my head spin.

Not only did that mean that I couldn’t use something as simple as a normal adventurer card, but it also meant that it would be impossible for me to utilize standard adventurer gear such as the floating wagon I had taken to the city with Bernard.

There was other gear that required mana input as well, such as special equipment and even magical equipment like an enchanted bag.

“I can’t.”

He retracted the cube.

“Interesting…”

Pushing the cube to the side, he knelt for a few moments and I heard the sound of shuffling and scratching before he stood back up and handed over a plastic-like card.

“It won’t be able to update automatically, so you’ll have to return to an Association building to get it reprinted whenever you need to update it.”

Usually, Awakeners received a card they could just send their mana into to keep it updated. That wouldn’t be possible for me.

I took the card he handed to me. It displayed my name, level, and class.

“You should go get that fixed.”

He gestured to my nose again before he continued speaking.

“We can go over some tasks when you get back. I’ll see if I can find any good ones for you.”

“Thanks again, Alikr.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I waved to him before heading back out into the street with a new destination in mind.

The Temple.

Though it was called that, it was more a hospital or healing institution than it was a religious center.

Nearing the Temple’s tall, open archway, a group of guardsmen came brushing past me, carrying a body between them.

“We’ve got another one!”

One of the guardsmen yelled.

“Bring a healer over!”

One of the white-robed Temple healers came rushing over to check on the figure as the guards laid it down.

“…”

I recognized his face.

It was the drunk I had saved in the alley the previous day.

The guards stepped back as the healer rested their hand on the drunk’s forehead and shut their eyes…

Fwoosh!

A golden glow emanated from the healer’s hand.

I approached one of the guards, wondering what had happened to the drunk. Had the Snakes come back and killed him for some reason?

“What’s going on?”

The guardsman tore his eyes away from the drunk’s pale face as the healer tried to do whatever they could.

“We found another victim of the killings that have been going on recently.”

‘The killings?’

It was my first time hearing of it, and I hadn’t even been gone an entire day.

“Is he dead?”

The guard shrugged.

“They’re all like this. The healers say they’re technically alive, but…”

The healer withdrew their hand from the drunk’s forehead and stepped back, shaking their head.

Upon closer look, I could see that the man was breathing.

The healer gestured some helpers over and they took the drunk’s body somewhere out of sight, likely to be tended to, as he was still technically alive.

The guard sighed.

“It would be a huge help if the Lord had us actively investigating this, but as of now, we’re more on a reactionary status…”

Saying so, the guard regrouped with his other guardsmen before they left the Temple.

{{New Quest

Solve the mystery of the killer before it’s too late.

Quest Reward: 1000 XP}}

‘Solve the mystery of the killer before it’s too late?’

Not only was the quest specific to the gold system, but it also gave a vague half-warning for the quest.

I kept it noted for later. While the regular system had been giving me experience for completing its quests and killing people, I had thus far only noticed an experience gain in the gold system by completing the quests it gave.

I approached the healer, who was wiping their hands with a cloth.

“What ails you today?”

Their voice was tired and drawn out.

“I just need to get this fixed properly.”

I pointed towards my nose and the healer took a closer look.

“Easy enough, that’ll be one gold.”

Their prices were ridiculous, which was why I usually avoided visiting the Temple if I could. Now that I was an Awakener, though, appearances would be all the more important.

I paid out the one gold with some despair in my heart.

The healer hovered their hand over my nose, almost but not quite touching it.

A golden aura gathered around their hand and settled around my face with a tingling, warm sensation.

I started as a sharp pain shot through my face, and I felt rather than heard the cartilage in my nose reset themselves.

It took but a moment before the healer withdrew their hand again, nodding at me.

“It’s done. Is there anything else you need tended to?”

I stepped back.

“No, I appreciate it.”

I left the Temple in somewhat higher spirits after the dull, persistent pain was gone.

* * *

Reaper Scans

[Author – Farlight]

[Proofreader – Harley]

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* * *

Just outside of the Association headquarters, not long after…

I was approaching the Association building again when I noticed a group approaching after speaking briefly with a street urchin, who pointed to me before taking a coin from them and running off.

The street urchins of Karfana took every opportunity to observe the comings and goings of the parties of the city, as they often received inquiries from guilds and others about whether their group had returned safely or not.

I felt my heart drop at the sight of them.

The signature roaring lion decal embroidered into their clothing and painted on their armor marked them as members of the Lion Guild, who frequently recruited and nurtured Adventurers from the outskirt cities. They were named after Gregor “The Lion”, one of the most infamous adventurers of the time.

“Hey! Stop!”

The group of three approached me, wearing well-worn armor and equipment.

Looking at them, I saw two in the somewhat staple leather Awakener armor favored for its mix of protection and mobility, with the third being adorned in mage robes.

They intercepted my path in front of the Association building.

“Do you know anything about three Lion Guild members who went missing recently?”

It figured that I would have the Lion Guild and the Snake gang both seek some form of revenge on me in succession.

“Nope, never seen ‘em.”

I moved to brush past them and the leader held out his arm to bar my path.

The man’s eyes narrowed at my response and he glanced over me, still wearing my old clothes.

He turned to his other two party members and motioned them away with his head.

“If you see a younger man with a walking disability and a cane, be sure to let someone from the Lion Guild know. You’ll be rewarded.”

I nodded my head in affirmative, trying to get the conversation over with as soon as possible.

“Got it, I’ll keep an eye out.”

They left and I entered the Association building again, heading for the counter that Alikr was stationed behind.

“Why is the Lion Guild looking for you?”

I sighed at his question.

“It’s complicated, but… I may have tried paying a few of their members to help me level as they were passing by before they tried to kill me.”

Tap, tap.

Alikr tapped the counter a few times in thought.

“Well… something like that isn’t entirely unheard of. As you know, we keep our client’s personal business confidential, so I haven’t told them anything of note. Have you thought of joining a guild?”

I understood what Alikr was trying to say.

As a member of the Association, he couldn’t show favoritism to me no matter how good of a relationship we may have had. If I joined a guild, the Lion Guild would then be dealing with another guild instead of an unassociated individual.

While I wasn’t keen on joining any of the major guilds stationed in Karfana, there was one group that came to mind.

I remembered that Bernard and the mage girl, Velle, had said that they would be in town for a few days.

“Thanks, Alikr. I think I have an idea. More importantly, do you know anything about the killings that have been going on recently?”

Alikr frowned at my question.

“They’ve mostly been taking place on the West Side. The killer targets drunks or the defenseless and does something to them that puts them in a coma-like state.”

Having the killer be local to my area was somewhat convenient for what I intended to do.

“…You aren’t planning on catching them, are you?”

I grinned at his words. I had a plan in mind already.

“I’ll do more than catch them.”

***

I headed back home for some basic preparations.

The sky had darkened even further, and the fresh scent in the air accompanied by the light chill made the coming rain all the more evident.

In the alleyways not far from the little rectangle of a room I called home, I had another encounter with the Snakes.

It was fairly frequent for them to prowl the alleyways looking for victims, and I had been expecting to run into them again ever since I had accidentally killed one of their members the previous day.

I locked eyes with one of their members briefly as they approached from a side alley and noticed me.

“…”

Strangely enough, they didn’t harass me or go for revenge as I was expecting. Instead, the small group whispered something amongst themselves before diverting away from me down a different alleyway.

It certainly wasn’t the reaction I was expecting from the gang. Were they planning something else, perhaps?

I decided to accept the tentative peace for the time being and continued home, debating on whether or not I should drag Rhil into my plot.

I would normally share something so important with her, but I knew that she had somewhat of a past as an Awakener.

It was a touchy subject, and she didn’t leave the city anymore, but I knew from what she had shared and from gossip around the city over the years that she had been somewhat renowned.

Whatever her reasons were, I thought to myself that it would probably be better to avoid dragging her into the very life she had tried to leave.

My plan didn’t really require much preparation save for a ragged cloak from among the disused clothes in my room and a heavy dose of luck.

____