Eternal Dream

Alisa was casually strolling through the streets of Ashenburgh and curiously observing her surroundings. Although the town wasn't too big, it was still bustling with activity. People were happily visiting various shops and restaurants. A Dwarf and an Elf were walking hand in hand, acting all lovey-dovey. She wondered if interracial couples were common in this world, or could only be seen around here.

A bard was standing by a restaurant's entrance, playing his flute and singing tales of old heroes and distant kings and queens. There was already quite a happy audience assembled around him, tipping him with a coin here and there. The bard had a queer charm that pulled people towards him, and even Alisa wasn't spared by his magic. She started to see sheets of music and notes dancing around her, and a feeling of vigor and happiness welled up inside. She had an urge to sing and dance along but managed to restrain herself.

She shook her head and was surprised to see most of the audience sing and dance cheerfully in circles. Only a couple of individuals stood still and enjoyed the show. Just to be sure no negative effects influenced her, she checked her status.

[Well Rested: Your body feels refreshed and light after a good rest. You are ready to face the day head-on. EXP gain raised by 10% for 2 hours.]

[Song of Valor: A bard blessed you with a song of valor. HP increased by 20% for 1 hour.]

She sighed in relief and was happy about her new buff. But that experience also reminded her of the urgency to raise her power. After a while, the bard stopped his performance and looked over to Alisa. "First time watching a bard perform, my lady?" he asked with a smirk.

"Ah, yes, it was a new experience for me. What kind of magic did you use just now?" she asked back.

"Just some support magic spiced with a little bit of illusion," he said. "Pretty, wasn't it? Are you interested in magic?"

"Yes, are you willing to teach me?"

"Haha, I am no teacher. Just a wandering bard, enjoying the beauty of this world and entertaining the common folks with songs and tales."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to anyway," she said. "But why are you playing your music here? I'd rather expect to find bards perform inside a tavern."

"The wine's quite good here. Won't find one another one like it anywhere nearby," he said. "Now, if you excuse me, my lady, I have a drink with my name on it waiting for me." He made his way leisurely inside the restaurant.

"Wait! You haven't told me your name yet!" called Alisa.

The bard turned around, took off his gray fedora and performed a courtesy bow. "Gwyn, to your service," he said and walked away.

Alisa didn't want to waste any more time either and went to find the old wizard. According to the information the man gray-robed man provided her, he shouldn't be far from here. On the way, she didn't forget to use her [Analysis] skill as often as she could to level it up.

Various fruits were sitting on a stand. She picked up an apple and tried using [Analysis] on it.

[Name: Apple]

[Origin: Unknown]

[Weight: 200g]

[Description: A type of sweet, edible fruit produced by an apple tree. It is round and red.]

Alisa just smiled awkwardly upon seeing the description. It wasn't much to go by. She tried it a couple more times and got the same outcome. All the results she received seem to be based on the knowledge she already possessed about the item beforehand. To confirm her theory, she used the skill on a couple of things she has never seen before.

[Name: Unknown]

[Origin: Unknown]

[Weight: Unknown]

[Description: The object is round and milky white. It is covered by a translucent thick liquid.]

As expected, it didn't even give her the name of the item, nor any useful information about it, besides its obvious appearance. She guessed that the weight wasn't stated because she didn't pick it up this time. The skill seemed useless for now, but she thought it might change if it would reach a higher level.

"Excuse me, what are these?" she pointed at the unknown item.

"Oh, that? These are the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e.s of a white-horn mammoth," he said.

"Ehm...what now?" Alisa was slightly startled.

"T.e.s.t.i.c.l.e.s of a white-horn mammoth. Never heard of 'em? They are quite delicious! Tender, juicy, no matter how you cook 'em—I guarantee it! Want to buy some?"

Alisa was already slowly backing away. "N-no, thank you, ha-ha." She turned around and escaped quickly. She sighed out in relief when the stand was out of sight. Just thinking about eating these slimy, milky white balls made her shudder. Now she only needed to find out what would happen, if she were to use [Analysis] on a living being.

There were plenty of targets to chose from. She finally decided on a male gnome with a kind-looking face.

[Name: Unknown]

[Level:10]

[S.e.x: Male]

[Age: Unknown]

[Height: 105 cm]

[Weight: Unknown]

[Attributes: Unknown]

[Strengths: Unknown]

[Weaknesses: Unknown]

[Description: A male a.d.u.l.t gnome, dressed in brown leather shoes, black pants, and a gray linen-shirt.]

The skill finally decided to be useful and displayed the man's level. But the moment she used [Analysis] on the gnome, he instantly noticed her. "Oi! Hasn't your mother taught you that it's rude to use [Analysis] on other people?!" he shouted at her.

"Oh, sorry about that! It was just an accident! I was actually trying to analyze something else, haha," lied Alisa.

"Hmph, damn kids these days!" he grumbled and strode away. Alisa could swear to have seen him put on his kind face again when he walked past her. She decided to never trust the facial expressions of anyone ever again.

Alisa had enough of [Analysis] for one day and decided to only use it for items in the future. At least she got EXP every time she used it, and after a couple of hours, it already leveled up twice. Although it didn't make it any better.

Alisa finally arrived at the location the old wizard was supposed to be. She saw a shop on her left, selling herbs and ingredients for alchemy. Across of it was another shop, smaller in size, selling trinkets and materials necessary for magic and magecraft. There was a sign above it, reading "Old Wizard's shop". Alisa turned speechless, what kind of name was that? And to think the gray-robed man even talked like it was hard to find. It was a total scam!

She shook her head and went inside. The shop wasn't very big and slightly stuffy. There were rows of shelves packed with all kinds of weird-looking items and trinkets. Different sorts of powders in various colors, a couple of staffs made of different kinds of wood, some magical scrolls containing low-tier spells, diverse stones, crystal, etc.

Alisa looked for the old wizard, but couldn't see a soul. "Hello? Anyone in here?" she asked.

A startled rustle came from a room in the back, followed by the sound of footsteps. "Ah, yes yes, just a moment, please. I'll be right with you," said an aged voice. After a moment, an old man with a white beard and gray-white hair appeared before Alisa. He was dressed in a plain blue robe, carrying a staff in his right hand, and a book in his left hand. "Well, what can I do for a little bird like you?" he asked kindly.

"A little bird?" she thought. "I heard there is wizard around here, who teaches other people magic for payment," she said.

"Oh, so you want to learn magic, eh? I guess it won't be a problem for you, you are an elf, after all. Excuse me, half-elf," he said and placed his book on the counter.

"Is it difficult to learn magic?"

"It proves more of a challenge for some people than others. Elves and gnomes are more talented in magic than dwarves or orcs, for example. But that applies to everything. Everyone has a different talent, they just need to find it. Therefore there is no reason to be discouraged, even if you don't possess the gift for magic," he said and took out a thin booklet. "Now, let's see what kind of spell you would like to learn. Come here and take a look."

Alisa took the booklet and read the introductions of various spells with ill.u.s.trations showcasing their effects.

[Tier 1 Spell: Fireball]

[Description: Conjure a ball of fire that deals (180% of spell-power) fire damage.]

[Potency: 180%]

[Tier 1 Spell: Ignite]

[Description: Set a target on fire. Deals fire damage over time.]

[Potency: 30%]

[Duration: 10 seconds.]

[Tier 1 Spell: Ice Arrow]

[Description: Conjure an arrow of ice that penetrates armor and deals frost damage)

[Potency: 80%]

[Tier 1 Spell: Slow]

[Description: Slows the movement speed of a target by 20%]

[Duration: 12 seconds.]

[Tier 1 Spell: Sleep]

[Description: Puts the target to sleep.]

[Duration: 12 seconds]

[Tier 1 Spell: Mana Shield]

[Description: Form a round shield in front of you made of pure mana.]

[Potency: Can absorb 100 damage before breaking.]

"How much does the [Fireball] spell cost?" asked Alisa, after browsing through some spells.

"Fifty silver coins for each spell," said the old wizard.

"Woah, so expensive!"

"Expensive? Lass, you should be glad you can learn any magic at all. Usually, you would need to join an organization or a school to get your hands on any spells. Or maybe, someone takes a liking to you and accepts you as a disciple. You must know that every spell was created through the blood and sweat of many generations. You must not underestimate magic or its worth!"

"I see…I am going to buy these five spells, then!" decided Alisa.

"Are you sure? You might not be able to learn them all. Why not choose just one for now? You can come back once you've learned it," he advised her.

"It's fine. I am going to take all five of them now."

"Hoh, quite the ambitious lass. Let me quickly make a copy of their incantation then," he said and walked back into the room behind the counter. After a short while, he came back with five scrolls. "There you go."

Alisa paid the wizard and received the five scrolls. Suddenly, five massages popped up before her.

[Do you want to learn the spell Fireball?]

[Do you want to learn the spell Ignite?]

[Do you want to learn the spell Ice Arrow?]

[Do you want to learn the spell Sleep?]

[Do you want to learn the spell Mana Shield?]

She said yes to all of them, and the scrolls disappeared into little balls of light.

[You have learned the spell Fireball.]

[You have learned the spell Ignite.]

[You have learned the spell Ice Arrow.]

[You have learned the spell Sleep.]

[You have learned the spell Mana Shield.]

[Quest "Find the old wizard" has been completed. Unlocked the Wizard Class. Gained 300 EXP.]

Alisa was very happy to have finally unlocked a class, and being able to somewhat protect herself. She opened her character profile to look for any changes. Indeed, her experience-bar rose by 33.33%, her intelligence points were raised by 5, and the wisdom attribute has increased by 3 points.

"By Merlin's beard! You learned all five spells in an instant. What a genius! You must have been born to learn magic!" exclaimed the old wizard in astonishment.

"Haha, it's not that big of a deal. Wait, did you say Merlin's beard?"

"Yes, you don't know Merlin the Great? He was one of the greatest wizards of his time."

"I see..." she was rather thinking about the story of King Arthur. "Right, have you perhaps heard of the Arcane Arts University?

"Well, of course, I have! Every spellcaster knows of it. It is one of the most prestigious institutes created by mankind, after all," he said. "It's also incredibly difficult to get accepted there as a student. But should you ever obtain that luck, your path on magic will be set."

"It's that great? Then do you know where the University is located?"

"You can find it in Starfall City. Quite a distance away from here. Why, do you wish to study there?"

"Oh, I was just curious," said Alisa. "Okay, I have to go now, it's gotten already quite late. Thank you for everything."

"Of course, of course. If you have any more questions in the future, you know where to find me."

Alisa said her goodbyes and left the little shop. The sky has already turned dark, and a full moon was glowing brightly on the horizon.