Chapter 3 Me And I [2]
For other people, the main character may be someone that they want to get close to and is proud to be his friend due to MC being brilliant.
The people saved by MC may be grateful to MC for saving them but from the reader's point of view, there is nothing good about being with MC.
The main character is always a trouble magnet, he will be targeted by the various villain and other people near him will get dragged into his mess.
( Grateful for saving, my ass )
The reason you all are in danger is due to the presence of MC. All in all, Hiro Ernest is someone I should avoid at all costs.
However, it's not that I am blaming him for attracting the villain's attention. It just means he is just that much of a threat to villains. That's why they openly attack him and other people around him.
Who knows without MC, villains may have caused a bigger problem for other people in the future and we may have to deal with a bigger problem. Although I would like to not be around MC and his group however I appreciate them for standing up to injustice and helping others.
Anyways, I am not really sure whether the world is the same as what is written in the novel or it is just some similarities. I would eventually know the answer if I observe the MC for a long time.
I could compare what is happening to Hiro Ernest to the events of the novel but the problem is I don't have that much time. If the world is really the same as the novel then the problem will start brewing as soon as school starts and I don't really know whether I will survive if I don't become stronger.
So my first problem is to confirm whether the world really is the same as the novel or not and the second problem is to get stronger, at least I need to reach rank E- by the end of this month before starting school.
I thought of an idea that could solve both problems. The idea is to go to the location of some Art or Skill mentioned in the novel and get it.
If there is an Art or Skill there then it will confirm that the world is the same as the novel and at the same time the Skill and Art can make me powerful.
I decided that looking for Art and Skill will solve both the problem and I started to plan for getting the Skill or an Art.
Firstly, I had to choose which Skill and Art to look for. I could just look for the most powerful Skill rank SSS but the location of the Skill is in a very dangerous zone and even if I could get it, I don't have the capability to use the skill. Therefore, I decided to look for Art that can be learned as long as you get it and stronger Art can make you rank up faster.
The location should also be taken into consideration as I live in the Star City of Humalia Domain. I can't go to other domains which are far too dangerous and time-consuming.
It is not hard to find the Art as the novel has extensively described the location of some of the Art. It's just that I don't have the capability to enter all those places.
I thought of some Art and eventually decided on magic Art: Cryomancy. The reason for this is because the location of the Art is nearby, just 120 km from Star City and that place is relatively safe.
Another reason is that the magic Art will be discovered by the villain, not the MC. I don't really want to take the Art of MC and make him less powerful.
Hiro Ernest will be soon regarded as the savior of humans and I as a human don't wish to destroy that future. Though I don't really mind taking the opportunity of villain to become stronger.
The location of Art is in Sunset forest, a rank F place that is accessible to anyone with rank F power. Since I am Rank-F +, I am allowed to explore the place.
I decided that tomorrow I will visit the place and decide what to do after confirming whether the Art is there or not. I spend the rest of my day preparing for tomorrow's journey.
Taking enough ration and having some potion is mandatory when exploring these places. Even in a low danger zone, we may meet higher-rank monsters and may meet some mishap. I also bought an Art Identification scroll for identifying the Art if I do find it.
During dinner, I told my parents about my plan for tomorrow. I naturally didn't tell them that I was looking for Art but gave the reason that I want to explore and train myself.
My parents gave me their consent. Though dangerous, this world is not a peaceful one and it is normal for people to risk their lives to become stronger.
The next day I booked my train ticket for a place near the Sunset forest. It took the train 45 minutes before arriving at the destination and I still needed to walk 10 km before reaching the entrance of the forest.
I took out the map and looked at it. According to memory Cryomancy Art will be in the middle of the forest after 7 km from the entrance. The Art is hidden near the tree that has snowy color, maybe due to the Art mana the tree was affected and turned snowy.
Well since the trees appearance is unique, It will be easier for me to identify the tree. In 30 minutes I reached the entrance and showed my ID to the guards.
After that, I increase my alertness and continued walking in the forest for 10 minutes before encountering swamp money who is a Rank-F monster.
I steadily walked near the monster before unsheathing the sword.
-SHUA!
Using my Shadow Style I quickly struck the monster and beheaded him. The monster was lifeless with its head separated from its body.
It was not my first time encountering this type of monster, unlike Earth which is peaceful, here Kids in middle school are taught to kill the monster and third years of middle school are required to explore the rank F dungeon for gaining experience.
I have additional experience as I have gone to a higher-ranked dungeon with my Dad and other guild members. So, this type of low-rank monster is easy for me to handle.
I looked whether there is a monster core or not. Monster cores are a round object that is sometimes found in monster. It is usually located around the chest and can be exchanged for a pretty big amount of money. The monster core can be used to enhance the weapon or to generate energy from it.
Anyway, this monster didn't have it and I was not disappointed because only a higher rank monster who could use mana will have the core.
I continued my journey and I didn't encounter another monster which was lucky for me. I searched for the tree after calculating the distance that I walked, I knew it was around 7 km from the entrance.
I looked around before noticing a tree with a unique appearance. It has the same appearance as described in the novel.
-Thump! -Thump!
My heartbeat loudly as I was both excited and nervous. As of now, the place described and location of the tree is as mentioned in the novel.
If the world is the same as a novel then I will get a pretty strong Art. I approached the tree and took a look at it. Snowy tree; same as what was in the novel.
The Art is buried in the ground in front of the tree and the reason for the villain finding this skill in the novel was that he want to hide the rank A pill that he stole and stumbled upon the Art. So, I took out the shovel and started to dig in front of the tree.
After I dug about 1 meter, I feel like the shovel hit on a steel box. So I continue to dig until I could see a steel box. I took the box out and placed it on the ground. I swiftly opened the box and inside was the Art which was giving a dense and cold mana aura.
I took a deep breath and held the book in my hand. I stared at the Art that is on my hand, this proves that the world is indeed the same as what is in the novel. With the knowledge of the novel, I could predict some of the events that will happen to me.
( I got to be prepared for it and this Art is the first preparation. )
I infuse the mana in the Art book and slowly the knowledge got integrated with me. It taught me the practice of Cryomancy. I slowly digested the information I got from the Art.
[ "Art Identification" ]
I used the scroll to know the details of the Art.
===Status===
Name: Zero Elea
Rank: F +
Strength: F
Speed: F+
Stamina: E
Mana: F
Luck: B
Charm: C
- - > Skill:
[ Rank SS: Parallel Memory ]
A skill that enables the user to get the memories from their alternative self from another world.
Side Effect: The user may sometimes be overwhelmed by the emotion and personality of the alternative self.
- - > Art:
[ LVL 3: Shadow Style proficiency: Practitioner ]
Art that enables the user to use the sword as if the sword is a shadow. The sword slash will be faster and stronger than a normal swing. After mastering the Shadow Style, the user will be able to move and attack using the shadow.
[ LVL 9: Cryomancy: Beginner ]
Magic Art is said to be made by the strongest Ice mage in history after fighting the Ice dragon. The user will be able to use ice magic to freeze the enemy to death. The Ice related skill will be twice effective and the user will gain tolerance to Cold. After mastering the Cryomancy, the user may be able to freeze the world.
= = = = = = = =
( Wow. LVL 9 ..... I really got an LVL 9 Art)
[ "Hahaha...." ]
It was something that I didn't dare to dream about; even LVL 5 Art was considered precious by the diamond-graded guild. Not even the current Top 3 strongest fighter has LVL 9 Art.
Only some of the strongest in history were able to get it and it is a magic Art as well.
Magic Art is more rare and precious than normal Art. While normal Art focuses on strengthening the body or weapon, Magic Art can be used to attack the enemy using mana. For example, I use Shadow Style to make my sword slash faster but with a fire Magic Art, I could shoot out a fireball.
I was really excited to practice and learn Cryomancy. I would have to reach at least Practitioner proficiency in Cryomancy before it becomes useful in combat.
With Beginner proficiency, I can only shoot some Ice Shards, freeze the water and gain immunity to cold. But from practitioner proficiency, I will be able to make Ice walls for defense and freeze enemies on a large scale.
I return to the Sunset forest entrance immediately by following the route I took. I took the train back to Star City. As I sat on the train seat, I felt like training my Cryomancy Art but managed to hold it in.
It could cause a really big problem if my mana went haywire while training and I don't really want to expose my Art to other people. I will wait; wait until I am strong enough before revealing anything about my Art.
( Hehe... Low key Low key )