CHAPTER 53: LET’S GO

"Haa..."

Alaric exhaled deeply and flopped onto the bed, his limbs sprawled like a puppet with its strings cut.

He let his eyes drift shut.

But...

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, host!]

[You have successfully formed your first offensive spell: Fireball.]

[+50 EXP]

[+1 to INT]

[+50 DP]

Alaric blinked.

A faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

[New Spell Unlocked — Fireball (Basic):]

[Shoots a small orb of raw flames, combusting the target, sometimes even do a little explosion.]

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Brandon (Past Life: Alaric Noir)

Race: Human

Age: 19

Title: Slave, Model Servant, (The Fallen King)

Essence Path: The Path of #$#&##@##

Sub-Path: Flame Essence

Rank: E-

For next rank- EXP: 300 / 1800 — 350 / 1800

Stats:

STR: 29

AGI: 28

END: 28

WIL: 35

CHA: 39

INT: 27 (??) — 28 (??)

Free stats points: 24

Domination Points: 30 — 80

Main Quest: Subjugate Selene Gilmore (49% Progressed)

System Level: 2 (Requires 3000 Domination Points to Upgrade)

Skill Tree: Basic Fire spell

Shop: Basic Tier Items

Obedience Meter: Target Not Found!

Loyalty Meter: Target not found!

Harem Tracker: 0

DP Exchange: Available

??? (Locked – Requires System Level 3)

Alaric’s eyes narrowed.

As he saw a strange set of glitching, unreadable symbols pulsed faintly.

Right below it, there was another line, which also left him, more confused.

He sat up straighter, frowning.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?" he muttered.

"System, what are those... patterns? Why can’t I read anything there?"

[You have awakened a restricted and unidentified Primary Path: ^#^@$@%$ Path.]

[Due to its nature, your soul structure has been modified to allow two Sub-Paths instead of the standard one.]

Alaric’s brows twitched. "Wait, two Sub-Paths? That’s possible?"

[Only under rare and special conditions.]

[However, the system’s current level is insufficient to decrypt the full information of the awakened Path to host.]

[Upgrade the System to unlock more data regarding your path.]

"Of course," Alaric muttered, rubbing his temples. "Figures."

He stared at the glitched lines again.

The idea of having two sub-paths stirred something inside him. But for now, it was like staring through a frosted window at a locked treasure vault.

Still...

"Alright then. I’ll play along for now. Just don’t keep me waiting too long."

Then he squinted again at the status screen.

His gaze landed a bit lower now.

E-?

His eyebrow twitched.

"What’s with the negative rank? That even a thing?"

[Yes. As host already knows, Awakeners are ranked from F to SSS.]

[But each rank is subdivided further into sub-ranks to measure finer progression.]

[Upon awakening, an awakened person began at the absolute starting point — F-.]

[Then they raise their rank through training, killing beasts, consuming essence cores and other herbs:]

[F- → F → F+ → E- → E → E+ → ...and so on.]

[Host must accumulate EXP to rise through the sub-ranks.]

Alaric nodded and then plopped back on the bed and closed his eyes.

His body relaxed against the worn mattress, the ache in his limbs finally catching up.

And he fell asleep.

********

The next morning came.

Click!

The door creaked open.

Sari stepped in, draped in a dark cloak, her boots tapped softly against the wooden floor.

She walked up and nudged him.

"Hey. Wake up. It’s time."

Alaric’s eyes fluttered open.

His brows furrowed slightly at the light filtering in.

When his gaze landed on her, he slowly sat up, rubbing his neck.

Before he could speak, she tossed a folded black cloak onto the bed.

f.(r)eew ebnov\ll.com

"Get ready. You’ve got five minutes," she said, then turned and walked out, the door clicking shut behind her.

Alaric yawned, stretching as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He ran a hand through his tangled hair, then moved toward the corner, where a bucket was placed, filled with water.

With a tired sigh, he splashed cold water on his face, the chill chasing away the last of sleep.

He dried his face with a cloth, then picked up the cloak.

The fabric was heavier than he expected, sturdy, and slightly worn.

He slipped into it, pulling the hood back for now.

Once dressed, he stepped out of the room.

The small living hall was quiet except for the sound of Sari chewing.

She sat at the modest wooden table, eating her meal. Across from her, another plate was set.

Without a word, Alaric walked over and sat down. The food was plain, bread, eggs, and thin stew, but he wasn’t complaining.

He picked up the spoon and began to eat.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The only sound was the occasional clink of cutlery as Alaric quietly chewed.

Then, Sari spoke in a calm but firm voice.

"We’ll be heading to the market district today. For spectation."

Alaric didn’t look up from his plate. He simply nodded and kept eating.

But she continued, unfazed by his silence.

"Your job will be simple. Just act like a regular traveler. Walk and talk. Ask them about their goods. The Price, quality, where they’re crafted or brought from... you know. Just enough questions to keep the merchants talking. Be curious. But not stupid."

She continued, her tone dropping just slightly.

"Our goal today is to gather anyone who’s bought goods from Gavin... or has even the faintest tie to him. Though it’s unlikely he’d sell openly here, but some of his men might be lurking. Just don’t act suspicious, we don’t want to spook him, not yet."

Her gaze lingered on him. "Can you do that?"

Alaric gave a simple nod, not looking up from his plate.

After finishing the last few bites, he leaned back slightly and glanced at her.

"What’s the town... not far, but not exactly near either?"

Sari paused, eyeing him for a heartbeat as if trying to read his intent.

Then she spoke, "Riverden. A trading spot between baronies. It’s quite and small... but things pass through."

Alaric simply gave another nod and stood, rolling his shoulders.

"Let’s go."

Sari looked at him for a second, then smirked, amused by his confidence and stood up too, pulling up her cloak as she moved toward the door.

"Yeah... let’s go."