Venti: "Level 8…"
"I suppose I'm officially on the path to becoming a true adventurer."
He thought, regaining his mischievous little smile.
Then he turned on his heel, ready to resume his quest.
Currently, they had just defeated a Ruin Guard, but it still lacked the power to rip trees in two or create hurricanes with its breath.
.....
(For now)
With calm restored, Venti left the smoking carcass of the Ruin Guard behind and set off towards the city.
The plain seemed different now, almost silent, as if nature itself were catching its breath after the violence of the battle.
Confronting a Ruin Guard, even willingly, is considered dangerous; fortunately, he didn't intend to tell anyone.
Venti: "Next time I hear explosions, I'm running instead of approaching. Luckily, his slimes were there, otherwise I would have been caught."
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffff
The wind blew more gently, caressing the grass flattened by the explosion, and the sky had regained a deceptive serenity.
Venti walked for a few moments, his steps light but his mind still agitated. His heart was still beating a little too fast, and the adrenaline hadn't completely dissipated.
He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh.
Venti: "Well… back to the guild, turn in the quest, and maybe a nice hot drink."
He took a few more steps… then stopped abruptly.
Venti: "I feel like I've forgotten something."
A frown creased his face.
Something was wrong.
He glanced down at his left side.
Nothing.
Then at his right.
Still nothing.
His expression slowly shifted from confusion to brutal realization.
Venti: "…Huh?"
Venti patted his hip lightly, then his back, as if the satchel might miraculously reappear.
But he had to face the facts.
It was gone.
Neither the leather satchel nor the familiar weight of the sweet flowers he had carefully gathered could hold his attention.
His eyes widened.
Venti: "Oh no… no no no."
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember.
The images of the fight came back to him in a jumble:
- The frantic chase
- The slimes
- The Ruin Guardian
- The explosion
And then, just before all that…
Venti: "I put it down…"
He distinctly saw himself placing his satchel on the ground, near the bushes, so as not to be hindered during the fight.
A few minutes ago, it had seemed like a perfectly logical decision. Now, it mostly seemed like a huge mistake.
Venti: "Great, Venti… really great…"
He muttered, sighing deeply.
Without that satchel, there was no way to prove he'd completed the mission.
The sweet flowers were inside, along with a few basic tools.
Returning to the guild empty-handed after surviving a Ruin Guardian would be… complicated to explain.
Very complicated.
He slowly turned back toward the direction he'd come from, looking at the devastated plain in the distance.
Venti now had two problems to deal with:
- The first was to hurry and find his satchel, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to complete the quest, and if he didn't complete the quest, he wouldn't receive his reward, or even worse, if the receptionist thought he was lying, he might even be kicked out of the guild.
- The second problem was related to the first, because if he was expelled from the guild, he'd get a bad reputation, and that could cause even more problems in the near future.
Venti: "Okay. Turn around."
A slightly nervous smile crept across his face.
Venti: "Let's just hope no one, or nothing, decided to settle down next to my satchel while I was gone."
FFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffff
The wind blew lightly, as if gently mocking him.
Venti shook his head, then headed back the other way, ready to cross the battlefield again.
After all, becoming an adventurer also meant learning to deal with minor disasters… even those caused by his own carelessness.
Without wasting another second, Venti started running toward the clearing.
His heart immediately raced, not from fatigue, but from growing anxiety.
The satchel contained not only the sweet flowers, but also the bare essentials for a novice adventurer.
Losing it on the very first mission would be… catastrophic.
The wind stirred slightly around him, as if responding to his eagerness.
His steps were quick, almost too light, propelled by his still-active mass reduction.
FFFFFFFFFFfffffff
He leaped over the flattened grass, dodged the rocks, and sprinted straight toward the spot he had in mind.
Venti: "It was near a bush… yes, just before the clearing."
He repeated this to himself to reassure himself.
As he approached, the traces of the battle became visible again:
- The blackened ground
- The grass scorched by the explosion
- A few still-warm pieces of metal scattered here and there.
- The smell of ozone and dust still hung in the air
Then he spotted the bush.
Before his fight against the Ruin Guard, Venti knew he was going to have to fight something, so he decided to place his satchel inside this bush.
Unfortunately, because of all the acrobatics he'd performed during the fight and all the adrenaline he'd experienced, he'd completely forgotten that his original mission was simply to gather flowers.
His gaze immediately caught on them, and he accelerated even more, breathless. The branches were intact, gently rustling in the breeze… but from a distance, he still couldn't make out the satchel.
Venti: "Please... stay here."
He thought through gritted teeth.
He slowed abruptly just a few meters away, scanning the area with intense focus, ready to draw his bow at the slightest suspicious movement.
Every second seemed to drag on forever.
Finally, Venti parted the branches of the bush with a swift movement.
And his gaze plunged inside, his breath held, hoping with all his heart to find what he had left there.
Venti let out a sigh of relief when he finally spotted his satchel, carefully hidden beneath the foliage.
There it was, exactly where he'd left it, lightly covered in leaves and dust, but untouched.
All the tension that had built up in his shoulders dissipated almost instantly.
He crouched down and carefully retrieved it, immediately opening it to check its contents.
The twenty sweet flowers were still neatly arranged, their sweet fragrance escaping gently from the fabric.
No broken bottles, nothing lost.
Venti: "Thank goodness."
He murmured with a small, weary smile.
He closed the satchel and slung it over his shoulder, this time making sure to tighten the strap.
His gaze lingered one last time on the devastated clearing behind him.
The remains of the Ruin Keeper lay in an almost unreal silence, witnesses to a battle he himself had barely had time to comprehend.
Venti took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffff
The wind seemed calmer now, as if the plain were gradually regaining its natural tranquility.
A light breeze stirred the grass around him, gently brushing his face.
Venti: "First mission... and already this kind of adventure."
He thought, a wry smile playing on his lips.
He straightened up, adjusted his satchel one last time, then turned on his heel and headed back towards the city.
In the distance, the walls of Rillmont were visible on the horizon, bathed in the light of the setting sun.
With a calmer step, but still alert, Venti resumed his journey, determined to return to the Adventurers' Guild and deliver his mission.
A few minutes later:
Venti walked calmly along the path leading to the city, his steps punctuated by the rustle of grass and the crunch of gravel under his boots.
The tension of the battle had finally dissipated, giving way to a calmer reflection.
His mind, still sharp, replayed recent events, not with fear, but with an almost studious curiosity.
It was then that a realization dawned on him.
He remembered very clearly the gem, the invisible interface that only he could see, and especially that detail that had struck him after the explosion of the Guardian of the Ruins:
- His skills had evolved because he had used them.
Not through formal training, nor a master, but through raw experience, through action.
Venti: "So… the more I use them, the stronger they become."
He thought.
His gaze fell upon the path before him, long and clear, perfect for safe experimentation. A slight excitement rose within him, mingled with the natural caution that had already saved him several times.
Venti: "Teleportation."
He still remembered the frustration he'd felt earlier, this ability that, on paper, seemed incredible, but in practice, only allowed him to travel a few meters.
Yet now, he understood.
It wasn't a fixed limit, but a current one.
Venti: "If I use it again and again… that distance will eventually increase."
"Since the ability has reached level 2, perhaps I should try it."
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and focused his Anemo energy.
The air around him vibrated slightly.
In the blink of an eye, his body vanished in a gentle gust… only to reappear four meters away.
Venti turned, observed the starting point, then smiled.
Venti: "Not very impressive… but enough to start with."
Without waiting, he tried again.
Teleportation.
And again.
With each use, he felt the same thing: a brief pressure in his chest, followed by a sensation of absolute weightlessness, as if the wind were lifting him from the world only to set him down a little further away.
The fatigue was there, certainly, but it remained manageable.
After several attempts, he noticed a subtle change.
The distance.
The first time Venti had used his teleportation skill, and when he had heard the sound of the Ruin Guard, he had only been able to keep his distance of two meters.
But now that this skill had leveled up, he could teleport four meters.
Venti: "So this is how I get stronger..."
He thought, both fascinated and thoughtful.
A clear, almost brilliant idea flashed through Venti's mind. It was no longer just a hunch, but a "real strategy" taking shape.
If he could improve his skills simply by using them, then nothing prevented him from transforming his daily commute into constant training.
Venti: "If I teleport again and again... the distance will inevitably increase."
He thought to himself.
He slowed his pace slightly, lost in thought.
The more he reflected, the more obvious the reasoning became.
Teleportation wasn't just a defensive skill or a means of escaping combat.
It was an incredibly powerful tool for mobility, especially for an adventurer.
Being able to traverse long distances in an instant would change everything.
He could already imagine the possibilities:
- Gathering missions completed in minutes.
- Rapid trips between the guild and dangerous areas.
- The ability to reach an objective before other adventurers
- Or to escape without giving an overpowered enemy the slightest chance.
Venti: "I could certainly move even faster."
This thought made him smile.
Until now, he had mostly reacted to events, surviving thanks to instinct and hazy memories.
But now, he was beginning to think like an adventurer, even like something older… something more strategic.
He also understood that this method had another advantage:
- It was discreet.
No one forced him to reveal the true extent of his abilities.
To others, he would simply walk, sometimes disappearing briefly only to reappear a little further on.
Nothing spectacular enough to attract excessive attention.
Furthermore, Venti decided not to reveal his abilities to the recession, meaning that currently, no one knew he could teleport, or even do all the other things he could do.
Venti: "Perfect."
He thought.
Venti: "I'll progress without anyone noticing."
Of course, he had to remain cautious.
Overusing teleportation at once could exhaust him, or even leave him vulnerable. So he promised himself to establish a rhythm:
- Walk
- Teleport
- Recover
- Repeat
Slow but steady progress
As he drew closer to the city, this resolution took root.
Every mission, even the simplest, would now become a training opportunity.
Every move, a step closer to greater mastery.
Venti immediately put his idea into practice.
Venti: "If increasing my teleportation level requires repeating it, I might as well have some fun doing it."
On the path leading to the city, he adopted a steady, almost methodical rhythm.
He walked for a few moments to let his breathing stabilize, then, when he felt the Anemo energy flowing through him again, he focused.
The wind rustled around his feet.
In an instant, his body dissolved in a light breeze, and he reappeared several meters away.
Barely had he regained his footing before he started walking again, as if this unusual movement had become his natural way of moving.
He finally managed to find a rhythm:
- Teleportation.
- Walking.
- Breathing.
- Teleportation.
- Walking.
- Breathing.
- Teleportation.
- Walking.
- Breathing.
- Teleportation.
- Walking.
- Breathing.
Contrary to what one might have thought, the teleportation ability didn't allow him to open a portal and move between two spaces.
It had a different system altogether; it allowed him to envelop the person in energy and move them from point A to point B.
With each use, he carefully observed his sensations.
The familiar slight pressure was still there, but it seemed a little less restrictive than at first.
It was like trying out a new sleeping position:
At first, it feels strange, then after a while, you get used to it.
And his body adapted, as did his mind.
The world around him no longer seemed to tear apart when he disappeared and reappeared several meters away.
Venti: "It's becoming more fluid."
He observed inwardly.
The landscape unfolded:
- Open fields
- Dirt paths
- A few isolated rocks.
By alternating between normal movement and teleportation, Venti covered a distance that would have taken him much longer to travel on foot.
Despite his training, he was careful never to push himself to the point of losing control.
He stopped as soon as he felt his energy levels drop too low, resuming walking for as long as necessary.
Gradually, the city walls appeared on the horizon.
The familiar silhouettes of the towers and the great gate became clearly defined. Venti then deliberately slowed down.
Having reached a hundred meters from the entrance, he ceased all use of his ability.
FFFFFFFFFFfffffffff
The wind around him calmed immediately, as if responding to his decision. He resumed a perfectly normal, even mundane, gait.
Venti: "No need to attract attention."
He thought.
The guards at the entrance, spears in hand, were scrutinizing the comings and goings, perfectly alert.
Venti knew that suddenly appearing before them in a gust of wind would be the best way to provoke an unnecessary alarm… or, at the very least, a long series of embarrassing questions.
So he covered the last few meters on foot, his heart calm, satisfied. Not only had he returned safe and sound, but he had turned the journey into "productive training."
As he entered the city, a slight smile appeared on his face.
Venti: "Each step brings me a little closer to my goal."
He told himself.
And under the indifferent gaze of the guards, Venti passed through the city gate, already ready to continue his ascent, mission after mission, breath after breath.
Guard #1: "....."
Guard #2: "Tell me, you recognized the boy who just passed by."
Guard #1: "I think it's the one from this morning who was wished good luck."
Guard #2: "Yeah, it was him."
"And you didn't understand the problem."
Guard #1: "No, what are you talking about?"
Guard #2: "The day before, he was asked to go get some identification documents."
Guard #1: "Yeah, that's pretty normal."
"So, what's the problem?"
Guard #2: "Can you explain why you don't check his documents when he leaves and returns from town?"
Guard #1: "Because I'm tired."
Guard #2: "Yeah, me too."
The reason Venti hadn't had to deal with the guard since the previous day was simple:
They couldn't be bothered to check him.
Chapter 15: By teleporting to the city
The End