"So...we're going to spar?"
"You don't need to defeat me, only to show me what you've got."
"I see."
Back in Yggdrasil, dracotaurs were among the strongest races that weren't outsiders because of how close they were to dragons blood-wise. At least according to the game lore they were related to dragons, that is.
They were the most popular race for magic warrior builds by far since the basic [Dracotaur] racial class acted like a [Fighter] class but with lots of spell resistance and high MAG stats progression on top, and since [Mage] was its favored job class, players could both unlock the further racial advancements of [Dracotaur] - which acted as both warrior and arcane caster classes simultaneously - and qualify for prestige classes like [Eldritch Knight], [Warmage], [Armored Mage], and the like without having to dip a single level in a melee job class.
And even if you didn't take magic warrior prestige classes, simply focusing on building arcane job classes to max out the dracotaur racial progression to 45 or 40 racial levels - depending if you invested 10 or 15 levels in the starting racial class - would pretty much guarantee that at level 100 you still had high physical stats on top of excellent magic stats and proficiency with all martial weapons, so at max level even if you would still have only 90 or 85 effective caster levels the trade-off was more than worth it.
- Even if this recruiter is a milder variant of an Yggdrasil dracotaur, I need to be careful.
Mock duel or not, a humanoid simply can't compete with an heteromorph of a similar level. Unless, of course, the humanoid was a capable spellcaster and the heteromorph was a pure warrior, then the humanoid would have more chances of winning.
- It would be foolish of me to assume that the dracotaurs of this world don't have an innate aptitude for the arcane.
It would be incredibly foolish indeed.
Even in some countries beyond the borders of the Argland Council State where magic isn't as developed, the likrans are all still capable innate sorcerers that either specialize in arcane magic, or combine said art with some other profession that interests them; warriors become eldritch knights, monks become spellfists, adepts become mesmerists, paladins become arcane scions, rogues become arcane tricksters, clerics always have access to the [Arcane Domain], and even druids become domain druids who likewise have access to that aforementioned domain.
Even the likrans that engage in the most mundane professions can suffuse their craft with arcane magic, like farmers developing unique arcane spells that help work the land, or craftsmen becoming magewrights.
- Judging by the fact he's using medium armor and carrying a sword, either he's an eldritch knight or perhaps a warpriest, though dracotaurs who use divine magic are supposed to be rare.
Divine dracotaurs were indeed very rare back in Yggdrasil, both among the pre-generated NPCs and the players, but that's definitely not the case in the new world. Galor'arn just happens to be an eldritch knight who took some levels in [Armored Mage], the most common example of an Yggdrasil dracotaur as cosmic coincidence would have it.
"Can I prepare myself? My combat style relies mostly on using buffing spells beforehand."
"So you're that type of combat caster, I see. Yes, go ahead. I will do the same if that's okay with you."
"Please do! I'm likewise curious about what you can do as well."
Rhemurus went first. He walked back seven steps and began to buff himself.
"[Mirror Image], [Soul of Order], [Protection from Arrows], [Longstrider], [Omen of Peril], [Beastland Ferocity], [Barkskin], [Animalistic Power], [Delay Poison], [Embrace the Wild]."
He then took out his masterwork iron knife from his pocket, something that he was allowed to keep on his person because knives are considered everyday tools first and foremost in the human city.
"Would it be alright if I use some enhancing spells on my knife? It's the only weapon I have on my person for the time being."
Knives were considered a subset of daggers in Yggdrasil, the absolute most basic of the simple weapons that literally every single starter class had proficiency with from the get-go. But since it was the only weapon he had as of now he went ahead and used [Sonic Weapon] with [Flame Weapon] on top to enhance it.
However, the recruiter didn't respond. He was simply staring at Rhemurus with clear shock in his reptilian eyes.
"Some of those spells you just cast on yourself...they were arcane spells."
- Yeah, they are. What about it? Didn't I just tell you I have proficiency with arcane magic?
Rhemurus was quite close to saying that aloud, but it could come out as rude, so he kept his mouth shut.
"You can cast arcane spells without removing your armor beforehand. Did you also take training as an armored mage, as well?"
- Ah, that's what confused you.
"Do forgive me, but I'm not an armored mage. I am what we call an "arcane hierophant" back in my homeland, a druid-mage who can use arcane spells while wearing armor and shields that aren't made of metal."
The only arcane hierophant in the entirety of Argland's history is the Blue Sky Dragon Lord, someone who - as a dragon - never used any type of manufactured armor or shields, so pretty much nobody in the council state, not even Suveria himself, was aware of this particular trait of the arcane hierophants.
Not to mention that Suveria doesn't even consider himself an arcane hierophant, he considers himself a druid and addresses himself as such in a similar way to how Omnaadsence considers himself an adept rather than an eldritch theurge; neither dragon lord considers the arcane magic they obtained through their racial age progression as dragons to be a magic they mastered as individual spellcasters. Thus, no point in taking pride in it.
"Mmm...do forgive me as well, Rhemurus. Seeing how you're someone who comes from a faraway land, I should have expected you to have such an exotic ability."
Galor'arn regained his composure, walked a decent distance away from the flag pole, unsheathed his sword, and began to cast his buffing spells.
"[Rite of Centered Mind], [Anticipate Peril], [Heightened Awareness], [Blurred Movement], [Dazzling Blade], [Protection from Arrows], [Anticipate Thoughts], [Blur], [False Life], [Lesser Outsider Aspect], [Animal Aspect], [Certain Grip], [Cloak of Winds], [Scales of Deflection], [Greater Stunning Barrier], [Aura Sight]..."
He stopped buffing for a moment in which he stared intently at the human, then kept buffing again.
"...[Find Fault], [Heroism], [Displacement], [Haste]."
And with that, it appeared that Galor'arn's buffing was complete.
"Come at me when you're ready."
- Heh, there's no doubt, that dracotaur is an optimized battle mage!
Indeed. While he couldn't recognize some of those spells, Rhemurus definitely could tell that the recruiter's selection of spells was reared specifically towards combat, a contrast to his selection of spells which heavily featured utilitarian magic that worked best outside of combat scenarios. Still, the fact that some of those spells didn't exist back in Yggdrasil did make the player a bit weary. [Dazzling Blade] for instance made the sword a bit shiny, but besides that, Rhemurus simply had absolutely no idea what that specific spell did.
What's more, there are even more arcane spells that Galor'arn would use in a serious battle but actively chose not to cast to not limit the potential abilities the human could show him, like the 2nd-tier spell [Anti-Summoning Shield] for instance which prevents any creature from being summoned in the nearby area around the caster. And also other spells that the likran didn't cast simply because there was no need to in the current situation, like [Protection from Alignment] which is a spell that protects the caster from the attacks of either evil opponents or good opponents, but [Aura Sight] showed Galor'arn that the human refugee had neither a positive nor a negative karma value.
Since Rhemurus didn't get the chance to do pretty much anything particularly good or evil during the final hour of Yggdrasil, his karma score was a flat 0 - True Neutral.
- Even so, none of the spells I do recognize are above the 3rd-tier, so is that his limit? The spells that he used which didn't exist back in Yggdrasil could very well be from the 4th-tier or above, for all I know.
A reasonable precaution.
- Whatever. He told me this isn't a death match, so I just need to give a good show.
And a good show he will give.
- Flashy spells could be a good start, so I will begin with some summoning.
"[Summon Monster - 3rd], [Summon Nature's Ally - 3rd]."
With the [Summon Monster] spell he was originally planning to bring forth a quasit; a small-sized demon that shared a few similarities with imps, but Rhemurus felt that presenting himself as a diabolist of sorts wouldn't be a good first impression, so instead he summoned the opposite which was a small-sized angel known as lantern archon.
Lantern archons were among the weakest of the angelic beings, but were still relatively powerful when compared with other creatures of their level. Their physical appearance was that of a floating gaseous globe of light as luminous as a torch, which meant that they were quite lacking in the physical department but more than compensated for it with their innate magic and racial skills.
And with the [Summon Nature's Ally] spell he called forth a small earth elemental; a misshapen body of boulders and mineral ore, its arms were too large for its body, and had stout but short legs.
And then the cherry on top.
"[Haste]!"
With that, it was go time.
Rhemurus commanded the earth elemental to advance with its [Earth Glide] ability to burrow below the ground while he rushed towards the dracotaur recruiter.
Galor'arn responded by raising his sword and showing the flat side of it to Rhemurus as if showing that he would use his blade as a shield of sorts.
The iron knife the human had was quite short even by the standard of regular daggers used for combat, but it was still buffed by two different element-cladding spells, so as of this moment it was quite a decently powerful magic weapon by new world standards. It just happened that Galor'arn's sword was both made from a material that was objectively better than iron - tempered steel - and was also enchanted with a notoriously powerful hardening enchantment that made it even more durable.
And on top of that, the [Dazzling Blade] spell not only made the sword shine as polished silver but also gave the wielder a bonus on feint maneuvers, so instead of subjecting his sword to receive a scratch from the human's enhanced iron knife, Galor'arn instead avoided the stabbing attack directed at the flat side of his sword with a speed that the player couldn't react to, a speed that allowed the likran to deliver a kick to the human from his blind spot which had enough strength behind it to send him flying several feet away.
Rhemurus used the opportunity to mentally command both the earth elemental to attack the dracotaur from below the ground and the lantern archon to use its [Light Ray] ability to fire at the recruiter from a distance.
But as expected, Galor'arn was not only fast enough to avoid the surprise upward slam attack from the earth elemental and send it flying away with another powerful kick in a single move, but could also react against the [Light Ray] attack with [Shield]; a 1st-tier arcane spell that conjures a transparent wall of pure [Force] element to block energy attacks.
- Direct attacks won't work, eh? Let's try something else.
"[Darkvision], [Pall of Twilight], [Invisibility]."
Rhemurus knew that dracotaurs have innate darkvision, so the mundane darkness created by [Pall of Twilight] isn't guaranteed to obscure the vision of Galor'arn. Rather, he simply wanted the stealth bonus that the spell provides for [Invisibility].
Using [Longstrider] in an attempt to close the distance, the player was planning to place his hand on the armor Galor'arn was wearing to cast [Armor Lock]; an arcane spell that made the plates and joints of enemy armor swell and stiff, making it as rigid as stone to encumber the enemy's movements.
However, even though Rhemurus succeeded touching the armor to cast [Armor Lock] and opened the distance to try and snipe the recruiter with spells from afar, spells enhanced with [Penetrate Magic] to bypass the defenses of [Shield], Galor'arn immediately cast both [See Invisibility] and the 2nd-tier spell [Dispelling Touch] to dissipate the [Armor Lock] spell, freeing himself just like that.
And while he was at it, the dracotaur also cast the 3rd-tier spell [Dispel Magic] on the dark atmosphere of [Pall of Twilight] to dissipate that spell as well.
- Damn...what a waste of MP.
Galor'arn had an overall level of 24 and 19 of those levels were arcane job class levels, three levels above the effective level of Rhemurus' arcane and divine spells as he currently was. That's why the recruiter could dispel both his [Pall of Twilight] and [Armor Lock] spells without any issue since those spells belonged to the illusion and transmutation schools respectively, neither of which received any sort of caster level bonus from the human's [Evoker] job class.
"Nice tactic. A bit basic, but not a bad choice against martial opponents who don't know magic." Said Galor'arn to Rhemurus, somewhat complimenting him. "However, what can you do against opponents who also use spells, like myself?"
"Against a spellcaster opponent, mmm."
The simple truth was that Rhemurus - Tanaka Ito - knew perfectly well how to deal with enemy spellcasters back in Yggdrasil. However, the tactics he relied on were no longer valid in this world, both because of his current lower level and because of the combination of his arcane magic with the divine magic he's not as well-versed in using. Not to mention the fact that his combat style was also entirely dependent on the legendary-class equipment he no longer had. So even if he does finally reach level 100 in this world, he will still be unable to effectively use the battle tactics he used back in Yggdrasil.
He will have to develop a new combat style unique to him, whether he likes it or not.
- Let's see, enemy spellcasters always have some degree of resistance against enemy spells, and I do have a way to deal with spell resistance. Good thing I picked that particular metamagic feat.
"[Penetrate Magic - Call Lighting]!"
At the exact moment that Galor'arn heard the verbal incantation of that spell, he immediately moved his conjured [Shield] upwards above his head in an attempt to block the magical lightning called forth by the 3rd-tier druid spell. But because of [Penetrate Magic] allowing it to bypass resistances on top of the [Evoker] job class enhancing that electric spell even further beyond, [Call Lighting] was able to completely shatter the dracotaur's [Shield] spell and strike true against Galor'arn, inflicting a notorious amount of electrical damage.
The recruiter's reptilian face was contorted with clear discomfort, but he didn't scream out in pain. It appeared his pain resistance - something that can't be quantified with stats - was quite high, befitting a trained soldier.
"[Body Capacitance]!"
"Huh!?"
While being zapped, the likran cast the [Body Capacitance] spell that didn't exist back in Yggdrasil; a 1st-tier arcane spell that allows the caster to store part of the energy of any electric attacks his body receives by concentrating it on one of his hands, an energy that can be discharged again as a touch attack.
"Not bad...not bad at all." Said Galor'arn as the residual electrical energy from [Call Lighting] was now concentrating on his left reptilian hand, a sight that perplexed the human player.
- Just how many spells that didn't exist back in Yggdrasil does he know!? Now I'm getting a little nervous.
"Can I ask you a question? Will you let me know when our mock duel is over?"
"Why do you ask? Are you already tired? Out of mana? Or are you perhaps worried for my well-being? I am a trained soldier, YOU are not. My pain is none of your concern."
"I see, alright. I will keep going."
"Yes, throw everything you got at me."
Rhemurus cast the 1st-tier spell [Fire Bolt] without any hesitation, a shard of hot mineral sheathed in arcane energy sprang forth towards the recruiter who then countered with the 2nd-tier spell [Acid Arrow] which completely evaporated the mineral shard and would have splashed onto Rhemurus if not for the earth elemental who sprang forth from below the ground to block the acid spell.
He decided to not overuse his metamagic skills to save MP and will instead mentally command his summons to see how far he could push the dracotaur recruiter with them.
- Attack! Earth elemental! Lantern archon!
The earth elemental ran forward as fast as it could while the archon flew upwards above the recruiter to fire its rays from above. But it appears that Galor'arn was already bored of the summoned creatures and decided to make quick work of them; the earth elemental didn't even get to close the distance when the recruiter used a maximized [Sound Burst] - a 2nd-tier spell that created a cacophony of sonic damage - to completely shatter the earth elemental which was instantly reduced to a small pile of dirt. Likewise, the lantern archon didn't even get the chance to fire another ray when Galor'arn used a maximized [Scorching Ray] - another 2nd-tier spell - to reduce the low-ranking celestial to a poof of smoke.
"Alright, I do suppose this was a good warm-up, but now I would request that you seriously go all out against me if that's okay with you."
It appears that the dracotaur was getting serious. Even if this was a mock fight, in an actual battlefield nobody can afford to hesitate nor hold back, at least that's the message Rhemurus believes that Galor'arn is sending him with those words.
"Very well, I don't mind going all out against you seeing how your combat ability is much higher than mine."
Rhemurus took a peek at his masterwork knife which was still sheathed with flaming and sonic energies. He now decided to stop trying to come up with any fancy shows and would instead fight against the recruiter with the intent of defeating him as per the request.
"Here goes then. [Impeding Stones]! [Grease]!"
The ground right below Galor'arn legs began to both constantly crack and shift and also became covered in a layer of a slippery liquid on top of that. The human didn't even waited for the recruiter to lose his balance when he rushed forward as fast as his enhanced legs could run and cast [Shocking Grasp] enhanced with [Penetrate Magic] on his off hand.
Galor'arn for his part was genuinely surprised because he had no counter to what Rhemurus just did. Yes, he did have the option to use [Dispel Magic] but that could only nullify one spell at a time, so regardless of which of the two spells below him he decided to forcefully dispel, the other would still be active and he would still lose his footing and be unable to concentrate enough to cast anything, thus preventing him from casting [Dispel Magic] a second time.
It was the 6th-tier spell [Greater Dispel Magic] that could nullify multiple spells simultaneously in just a single casting, a spell he obviously had no access to.
- Not bad at all! Dual-casters are something else. Thought Galor'arn to himself in sincere praise for the human player.
In less than an instant, both the human's enchanted knife and the touch spell struck true at the dracotaur's mithril brigandine with quite a loud noise, Rhemurus even cast [True Strike], [True Casting], and [Snake's Swiftness] right before the moment of impact to multiply the damage. It was so fast and strong in fact that Galor'arn was unable to use the stored residual energy of [Call Lighting] he had on his off-hand as an attack, energy that instantly dissipated because of his sudden lack of concentration.
The combined energies enveloping the knife and the electric touch spell enhanced by metamagic were too much for Galor'arn's magical defenses and his heavy body was sent flying back several meters.
Rhemurus then immediately cast [Fly] on himself to avoid stepping on the hazardous ground he created.
To capitalize on this he considered the use of an [Ice Dart] spell enhanced with both [Twin Magic] and [Penetrate Magic], but at that moment he remembered that he had previously cast [Delay Poison] on himself as part of his buffs while the dracotaur didn't, most likely because [Delay Poison] is a divine spell, so he instead decided to cast [Stinking Cloud].
A bank of nauseating poisonous fog manifested in the surrounding area, but as soon as it appeared the recruiter hurriedly cast [Dispel Magic] as he quickly rose back to his feet as fast as he could, dissipating the fog as quickly as the player created it.
Galor'arn was wary, and understandably so; not only is [Delay Poison] which grants immunity to toxic fogs a divine spell, but the 3rd-tier spell [Neutralize Poison] that can detoxify anyone caught in a toxic fog also a divine spell, too. Neither is a spell that an arcane warrior like Galor'arn would ever be able to learn, Rhemurus knew that and exploited an advantage that only a dual-caster like him had.
- This human, he could be really dangerous to the council state's enemies!
Rhemurus wasn't done yet. It appears like the player was also expecting the dracotaur to dispel his [Stinking Cloud] because immediately after casting it he had used [Gust of Wind] to push his flying body forward at very high speeds, another [Shocking Grasp] spell was channeling on his hand while on the other hand, he was channeling negative energy with the [Chill Touch] spell. It appears he had swiftly stored his knife somewhere.
The human got so close that Galor'arn got a glimpse of Rhemurus' eyes, a pair of eyes like those of a predator, of a creature eyeing the one it was determined to destroy.
Fast, but the likran was faster.
In a fraction of a second before the human's touch spells could reach him, Galor'arn pointed a finger forward to cast a 3rd-tier arcane spell that didn't exist in Yggdrasil.
"[Maximize Magic - Battering Blast]!"
This was a spell that created a boulder-sized sphere of [Force] energy resembling a spiked ball to ram the opponent with tremendous energy.
Despite the protective spells he had previously cast on himself, Rhemurus was blasted away with such incredible force that his wooden-stone armor was shattered once again, for good this time. His body fell over 20 meters away, and the shockwave of the [Battering Blast] spell was felt even further than that.
"Darn it." Rhemurus softly said to himself in quite a frustrated tone while laying prone on the ground. "That REALLY hurts...a lot."
He actively tried to levitate back up since his [Fly] spell was still active, but the pain reverberating throughout his body was preventing him from properly concentrating. Trying to physically stand up again was even worse.
- Why isn't [Beastland Ferocity] working!? That spell is supposed to help me fight even when severely hurt! What gives!?
Regardless, Rhemurus was now completely incapacitated while Galor'arn was slowly walking towards the fallen human, so for all intents and purposes, the duel was over.
- Fuck this human body of mine! Why didn't I pick a half-golem or something like that!? Had I known beforehand that I was going to be taken to this world, I would've picked a race that was unable to feel any pain.
But no such luck. The player was stuck with that feeble human body of his, whether he liked it or not.
"Magnificent! Rhemurus-" Exclaimed the dracotaur to the human with some excitement ringing in his voice. "-you have a decent variety of spells that not only cause direct damage but also control the environment, and you also showed the competence to use them to their full potential on new strategies you can make up on the spot! You are still very rough around the edges, but a rough diamond that needs polishing is exactly what an army needs as a recruit! You passed!"
- Oh, I did pass? Well, at least getting trashed this bad was worth it. I think.
Galor'arn was now standing beside Rhemurus who was still lying powerless on the ground to have a good look at the defeated human.
"Do forgive me, I went all out at the last moment and cast a maximized [Battering Blast], but it appears that your armor, or whatever it was that you were wearing, took a good chunk of the damage. Your protective spells also helped you a lot, but you took it like a real soldier."
- So that's what that arcane spell is called, [Battering Blast]. This world is something else.
"No need to apologize sir Galor'arn-" Rhemurus struggled to speak through his body's pain. "-I have curative spells I can cast on myself after it no longer hurts to breathe. Haha- ouch!"
Even chuckling a bit hurt like hell.
"Huh? You will use divine power to heal when you are not currently in danger? Why not let your body heal on its own? Isn't that something the combatants of your homeland did to condition their bodies and increase pain tolerance?"
Rhemurus didn't have a response to that, he just stared a little bit dumbfounded at such an obvious thing that hadn't crossed his mind before.
"Your...your homeland had a standing army, right? Armies need soldiers, and soldiers need to have bodies as though as adamantite. Surely the soldiers of your homeland had their training methods, right?"
"Yes! ouch, yes, of course, you're completely right. It's just that it never crossed my mind before, how difficult it actually is to be a soldier."
Healing magic wasn't a thing back on Earth, so waiting for your body to heal on its own was pretty much the only method anyone had to recover from wounds. Medical appliances did help speed up the healing process, but Earth never had something akin to divine healing spells. But now that he had given it a second thought, Rhemurus realized that Galor'arn made a very good point. If he always used spells to make his pain disappear, then he would never learn how to fight through the pain in situations where he's unable to cast healing spells.
- Wait, that's what [Beastland Ferocity] does! That spell doesn't make pain disappear, it simply ensures that my physical stats don't decrease because of large amounts of damage to my body...
This means that his human body should be perfectly capable of standing up despite all the damage the [Battering Blast] spell caused him, all he had to do was fight through the pulsating pain.
"Alright...here goes! ouch!"
Slowly, ever so slowly, Rhemurus did his best to stand up while telling himself that the pain was only in his mind. And despite his best efforts to prevent it, tears began to flow out of his pained eyes. It was like looking at a broken machine struggle to work, Rhemurus was a trembling mess that would fall back down again with the slightest push or even a strong wind. But he did it, he managed to stand back up again despite feeling as if little nails were flowing through his veins.
"So, would it be safe for me to assume that this is the first time you have ever received this much damage in a battle?" Asked Galor'arn who was now examining the player with his arms crossed.
"I think...I have received damage in battles before, sir Galor'arn."
Back in the hunting games he did get hurt pretty badly more than once. And the recent hunts with the berserkers weren't a walk in the park either. It just happens that this is the first time he had ever been blasted by such a powerful [Force] element spell in this world.
"Yes, the way you fought does prove that you have practical battle experience. But what I am looking at right now is someone who isn't used to feeling pain for prolonged periods."
That's right, Yggdrasil was just an MMO after all. The battles in RPG video games are just that, games. Safe and harmless fun. The most pain anyone would ever feel in Yggdrasil would be the infuriating frustration of losing your hard-earned equipment that took you years to build to some noob who got lucky and PK'ed you.
Nothing could prepare a player for the trials and tribulations that the new world would throw at them.
"I guess I got too used to relying on healing magic. Back in my homeland, I was never in a position or environment where I needed a high pain tolerance."
At least, he never needed physical pain tolerance.
"I see. If so, I would say that you were lucky to have been able to live in such a peaceful land."
- Earth, a "peaceful land"? Ha!
Rhemurus would laugh out loud if it weren't so painful to do so right now.
"Having said all that, if you really feel like the pain is too much to bear then you should definitely heal yourself. Your proper body conditioning training will officially begin after you join the army ranks. You should be in top physical condition."
"Thank you, but I can't afford to lag behind the other soldiers. If I can get through this right now, then I'm certain I will be able to go through much harder stuff in the future."
Improvement begins with the desire to become better.
"Good, that is a great mindset."
The likran gave a genuine compliment as he reached out to his bag to take out some strange parchment rolled up into a scroll.
"Here." Galor'arn offered the scroll to Rhemurus. "This map of the council state shows the location of all the army garrisons in the country. It's also enchanted in a way that it always shows your location at all times in the shape of a crimson rune."
- Wow, so it's like, a satellite maps phone app?
At first glance, it may sound absurd, but the player should stop doubting the things that can be accomplished in this magical world.
"Before anything, however, can you promise me that you will never discard, lose, or give this scroll away to anyone?"
Galor'arn had to make sure that this human wouldn't think little of such an important document, so while the [Zone of Truth] area-of-effect was still active, the human answered with a confident "Yes, I promise to never lose this scroll."
"That's excellent. Once you reach the gates of the closest garrison, make sure to show this certification scroll as proof that you passed the recruitment test."
With a trembling hand, the human reached out and took the scroll.
"Its tracking function which always tells you where the closest garrison is relative to you can be a life-saver. Got it?"
"Yes, got it! ouch"
"I advise you to fully recover before attempting to travel to the closest garrison."
"Of course. I'm determined to condition my body but I'm not self-harming just for its own sake, I will be in my best condition once I reach a garrison."
With nothing left for the recruiter to do, it was time for the likran to continue with his journey.
"Ah yes, before I forget."
Galor'arn once again reached out to his bag and this time he took out several electrum pieces.
"I broke your armor, this should cover the price of a new one."
"Wait, so, the army equipment isn't granted to the soldiers by the state? We have to purchase our own stuff?"
"You will indeed be given the standardized equipment that all new soldiers start with, it will simply be reduced from your salary. Salary that, as a fresh recruit, will be quite meager."
"Ah...alright. But still, I don't know if I should accept it."
Rhemurus still owes several people who have been kind to him, he shouldn't rely on the kindness of others forever.
"Just take it. Is not charity, you have great potential, think of it as my personal investment into our forces. We need capable soldiers now more than ever."
The player hesitated for a while, but eventually gave in and ultimately accepted the money as well.
"Thank you very much sir Galor'arn, I hope to be able to repay you one day."
"You want to repay me? Become stronger, become smarter, protect this country, even though you're a foreigner I hope you eventually see the magnificence of the Argland Council State. To see that this country is worth fighting for."
- Damn, this guy is a real patriot. Are all soldiers like that?
Many soldiers were patriots, yes. But as in any army in any world, there were no small amount of opportunists - who joined the army for personal, sometimes selfish, reasons rather than for loyalty to their country - and conscripts - who were "invited" into the army by means they couldn't refuse even if they wanted to - who also filled the ranks. So Rhemurus could be considered to be an opportunist of sorts since he won't become a soldier out of some sense of loyalty to the country that took him in, rather it's simply the profession that involves the most combat which is the only way a player like him can level-up in the new world. And gain money by doing so, too.
"Well, thanks again sir Galor'arn. I will definitely try my best to protect this country."
- The harder I try, the more levels and money I may get!
Because of the effect of [Zone of Truth], the likran knew that the human meant those words.
"That's great to hear. I wish you luck, Rhemurus. Farewell. "
With nothing left to say, Galor'arn took out the flag pole he had previously inserted into the ground and resumed his journey. There were still other cities he had to visit on his route.
Now the human player was standing on the road by himself. His body still hurt a lot, but he was slowly getting used to it. Step by step he turned around and walked back to the gates of the human city, and the guards at said gate were quite curious about what all those noises and tremors were about, and also why Rhemurus' body was so damaged.
He went ahead and told Akorian and Ureste everything without revealing his ability to use arcane magic, inciting both surprise and confusion from the guards who understandably had plenty of questions. But regardless of how they felt about a strange outsider like the player, both guards still had some human empathy and even offered to use their healing magic to remove Rhemurus' wounds, an offer the player refused at first, but after hearing from both guards about how his wrecked appearance would incite bad reactions from the people who inhabit this district, the player understood that it was for the best if he avoided drawing too much negative attention to himself.
"Don't worry, you may need your mana, I will heal myself. [Cure Moderate Wounds]."
It took a couple more castings of that 3rd-tier druid spell to fully heal his wounds, that is how much the [Battering Blast] spell had damaged him. The sensation of being released from constant physical pain felt quite liberating.
"Also, another word of advice if you don't mind. What you just told us, it would be for the best if you don't go around parroting it to everyone."
"Yeah, Ureste is right. You never know what type of people may want to take advantage of the fact that you will be the very first human to join the council state's army."
"Oh right, you mean this Drulia and her supposed underbelly?" Said Rhemurus to know if they were all on the same page.
"So you have heard..."
"Yeah, I'm wary about stuff like that. People like her weren't rare at all back in my homeland."
"This homeland of yours, what a weird place it was."
"You have no idea." The player said with a snarky smile on his face.
The people of this world had no idea indeed.
After a little more chatting, Rhemurus thanked both guards and calmly walked back to the inn he was staying in. He had a lot of things to think through now; should he go to the closest garrison immediately after waking up tomorrow, or take his sweet time? Should he tell the truth to the berserkers or make up an excuse? Surely they wouldn't care if he's gone considering how they never actually needed him. Also, how will he get to the garrison? He needs supplies for a long walking journey since he has no vehicle nor mount, and if he can do something without relying on someone else then that's the way he will do it, which means he would never ask someone else to take him there.
- The berserkers were kind enough to give me a portion of their earnings, so I should be able to get myself some long-lasting food and water.
There were divine spells that could create food, but those were cleric spells rather than druid spells. The closest thing a druid had would be the 1st-tier spell [Goodberry] which transmutes freshly picked berries into new berries that can provide nourishment on par with a full course meal, but that spell only works on berries that were freshly picked and it's totally useless with berries that have been stored for any period or any other produce, which made it ridiculously situational and just a waste of a spell slot according to Rhemurus, hence why he didn't learn it.
- Galor'arn said that the money he gave me is for new armor, but I guess he won't mind if I use some of it to get me some other supplies instead.
Before he knew it he was back in the inn he had been staying in ever since he came to the human city, and he now wondered if this would be the last night he would spend here.
- I still have some days left in this inn, perhaps I could spend them in this city just sightseeing? I'm not sure if I will ever be able to come back to this city in the future.
Even so, he has some business left, like paying the debt he owes to Lord Erodel and...
- Oh right, if I do end up joining the army then I guess I won't need the job Calistria was offering me. I will have to politely turn her down.
And if it's true that she's somehow related to an underground criminal organization, then all the better to not work with her.
- If she's in cahoots with bad people then I should leave immediately after turning her down.
Eventually, Rhemurus reached his room. To his surprise, lying on the mattress he could see his Yggdrasil scimitar which was just left there by someone for him to find it, most likely by Erodel himself since he was the only one who was holding to it.
- Let me guess, Erodel was looking at me from afar and is aware that I got accepted into the army? In any case, at least this will ensure that I will have a weapon I can use without relying on the [Master's Touch] spell.
[Master's Touch] was a 1st-tier arcane spell of the divination school that gives temporal proficiency with any weapon the caster touches, but having to rely on it was something he wanted to avoid. Granted, taking a single level in the [Fighter] class was always a way to get proficiency in all martial weapons and heavy armor as well, but Rhemurus was adamant that he would never need martial classes.
So after closing the room's door behind him, he placed the map scroll, the electrum pieces, and his scimitar all inside his item box. Thanks to his inventory system the amount of supplies he will be able to carry with him at all times will never be an issue, so as long as he has the money to purchase everything he needs he will never have to worry about where he will sleep or what he will eat in this world.
- Besides food and water I'm also going to need a bedroll, or something.
Perhaps he will find one somewhere in this city, he never really actively looked for traveling supplies until now.
And while he was thinking through all of this, he was still none the wiser about the eyes trailing him at all times; Zahur the shadowdancer, Drulia's goon, was still keeping tabs on him and was aware of everything, and watching both Zahur and Rhemurus at the same time through a divination item from quite afar was Shura, an individual whom Ainz Ooal Gown trusted like almost no other, an individual who was now starting to get more and more interested in how the theater of the new world was dramatically changing faster than ever before.
Shura was comfortably sitting alone on his throne, which was in the throne room of his own personal castle located near the border that separated the Sorcerer Empire from the Sarrukh Theocracy. More specifically, the part of the border that was the closest to the center of the supercontinent. Quite the distance away from Nazarick and the empire's capital of E-Rantel.
Looking at both humans through his mirror of remote viewing, the amused Shura began to mumble to himself.
"I wonder, will the old man let me interfere directly? I mean, if Nabu can interact with the player who recently arrived on his side and be all buddy with him..."
Nabu is the firstborn son of the ba'al, thus the divine prince of the Sarrukh Theocracy and someone whom Shura has a heated rivalry with. In fact, "Nabu" isn't even his rival's name but a nickname, in a similar way to how "Shura" isn't his own full name.
"Nah, I shouldn't. The new player in the theocracy is level 100, just like the old man and Nabu's dad, so of course the highest royalty would be interacting with him directly. Meanwhile, this Rhemurus got his ass handed to him by a mere wandering recruiter and he can't even detect a measly stalker using invincibility. Ha!"
Ainz specifically told him that he didn't want the floor guardians to learn about the human player yet, and someone like Shura can't even go out to take a leisure walk without a billion bodyguards trailing his every move. Only when he interacts with the emperor, interacts with his mother, or when he's in his castle like right now is when he can truly be left alone.
"Mmm, perhaps I could send Belor?"
Belor was the most powerful antipaladin in the empire, at least among the natives. However, would it make sense to have the most loyal unholy knight be sent away to a neighboring country simply as a support force? Because that was the plan Shura made right on the spot just now after seeing that Rhemurus got accepted into Argland's army; send someone to both keep an even closer eye on the human player and make sure he doesn't die in his level-up journey.
- The old man told me it was okay to help the new guy from afar and in the most discreet way possible.
It also turns out that the Argland Council State is currently willing to accept even the aid of other countries in the form of capable soldiers sent as support against the northern invasions.
So far the skeleton idea was to make sure that whoever Shura decides to send as a support to the council state is also sent to serve in the same unit as Rhemurus will be in. Now, the meat on said skeleton will be the important details, like how will he even accomplish that. He did know the lesser-grade invocation [Charm] which works similarly to the tier spells of the same name, but the process of sending a soldier to another country has lots of filters and not even Shura knows every single individual involved in it.
- Charming the whole world won't work, I need another idea.
Shura was indeed a very important individual to the sorcerer emperor, but he's still a fundamentally different individual who was born and raised in this world and thus, he feels no sort of connection of any sort with Rhemurus nor other players for that matter. So, why is Shura so interested in helping Rhemurus? If asked, he would say that he's simply curious to see how a low-level player from Yggdrasil develops and grows in the new world, but the actual truth is that he's someone who genuinely cared about the sorcerer emperor in a similar way to how the emperor cared about Shura, and he would put in lots of effort and even risk his well-being if need be to aid the emperor in any way he can.
- If the old man is interested in making sure that this Rhemurus guy gets to live and grow more powerful, if that's what it takes for him to finally find a comrade whom he can see as an equal, then I have to do my best.
It's the least Shura can do, not because he feels like he owes something to the sorcerer emperor, but because he genuinely wants to see the emperor happier if possible.
Nothing is more powerful than the bonds of blood.