Chapter Eighteen: The Adventurer

Regardless of whether it was the Dryads or the members of the Fourth Squad of the Voldi Dragon Mercenary Group, they had all come to regard Mo Tan as the hero who saved everyone that day—even though this "hero" understood less about the event than any other person who had been present.

However, only these NPCs thought this way. The witness Zefon the Gale was another matter. After all, he was a genuine player, and the notion of someone being able to "go god-mode" and instantly kill hundreds of monsters on the very first day of a non-pay-to-win game was, to say the least, quite unrealistic. Unfortunately, Mo Tan had no way to verify this with him. It wasn't that the other party had parted ways with the caravan early; it was simply that he was currently offline.

Mag mentioned that he hadn't seen the "elusive" kid since last night.

"Alright, I think I have an idea." Mo Tan brushed off the incident where he supposedly went "god-mode," gave a long stretch, and asked Mag, "Where are we right now?"

"Anka Bazaar." The dwarf looked at Mo Tan with a strange expression. "The Dryad caravan will be resting here for a few days before continuing west to the Heavenly Pillar Mountain. Is there a problem?"

Of course there was a problem. Mo Tan’s mind was flooded with questions, but he couldn't just ask them openly. He had to follow Mag's lead. "When do we set off?"

"We?" Mag stared blankly for a long time before pointing a worried finger at Mo Tan’s head. "Wasn't your destination the Anka Bazaar in the first place? And that kid named Zefon was too..."

Well, Mo Tan finally understood. The system had arranged for him to come here from the start, as a traveler catching a ride.

It was no wonder his previous question had struck Mag as odd; the dwarf was likely wondering if Mo Tan was suffering from the backlash of some sort of "brain damage."

"I seem to have forgotten quite a few things after waking up," Mo Tan said with an embarrassed smile. "Although my body feels fine, many things in my memory are very blurry."

Mag grinned and teased, "Sounds just like those stage plays that are so popular among the human nobility. I’ve seen one; they’re quite interesting!"

"Stage plays?" Mo Tan paused, asking instinctively, "What are they about? Are they fun?"

"Incredibly fun!" The dwarf gestured wildly. "They say the most popular ones right now are romance dramas. You know, noble girls and poor boys, wealthy merchants' sons and beggar girls—basically, they fall in love, then something always goes wrong. Like accidentally getting hit by a Barbarian Dragon and losing their memory, or being diagnosed with an incurable disease that even the Pope can't fix, or the rich kid suddenly going bankrupt because a master thief stole everything, or discovering they aren't actually related by blood. It’s all hilarious!"

Mo Tan was already breaking into a cold sweat...

"That's not all!" Mag said with excitement. "Though the play I watched with Ironhammer only had memory loss, incurable diseases, and illegitimate children, I heard that a few years ago, it was popular to have dramas where a young nobleman falls in love with a bunch of girls, only to find out they are all his half-sisters!"

Mo Tan had no intention of letting this broad-minded dwarf continue. He quickly nodded vigorously to cut him off. "I get it, I get it! I'm just from a small place, and I wanted to travel around to broaden my horizons. That's why I came to Anka. Mag, why don't you tell me about the local customs instead?"

*If you don't want to explain the customs, that's fine, but at least don't let me get drowned in such cheesy tropes while playing a game!*

That was his internal wail.

"A small place..." Mag suddenly looked at the tail behind Mo Tan and asked, "You aren't one of those reptilian-type demi-humans, are you?"

Mo Tan shook his head honestly. "I think I'm a Half-Dragon."

Mag was silent for a moment after hearing this. He sighed, patted Mo Tan on the shoulder, and muttered, "No wonder..."

He didn't continue, seemingly not wanting to stir up any painful memories for Mo Tan. Instead, he took a tattered notebook out from his chest and handed it over.

"This is..." Mo Tan reached out to take the alcohol-scented black leather notebook. After a quick glance, he was overjoyed and asked hopefully, "Can I borrow this?"

[Mag's Adventure Journal]
Quality: Unique/Common
Use: Read
[Note: The journal of the dwarf warrior Mag 'Iron-Roller.' It contains a wealth of adventurer knowledge and a simple map of the northwest of the continent. It also records a few herbal recipes, edible parts of common monsters, and basic wilderness survival common sense. Finally, for the sake of the player's physical and mental health, we highly, highly, highly, highly recommend that the owner of this journal does not flip to pages 77-82. Otherwise, all consequences shall be borne by the player.]

Although something strange seemed to have been mixed in, Mo Tan realized the value of this adventure journal to a novice player like himself. It was irreplaceable—common sense!

Without any reliable information provided by the game officials, players were almost struggling to take a single step in the early stages. No one knew which words might offend some taboo, or what behavior would be treated as heresy—especially in *World of Innocence*, where NPCs were incredibly intelligent. Many careless players had already paid the price for various improper behaviors.

Even in the real world, humans of the same race could beat each other to a pulp over taboos, beliefs, and customs. People with the same skin color speaking the same language could burn or kill others as "heretics" without batting an eye, let alone in this vast, strange, and diverse game world where a hundred races vied for dominance.

Although many basic facts weren't necessarily recorded in Mag's journal, it was already precious enough for Mo Tan.

"It's yours," the dwarf smiled at Mo Tan, who had been momentarily stunned and was about to refuse. "Don't rush to decline. I’ve pretty much memorized everything inside; I could rewrite another one in minutes. Since you said you want to travel and broaden your horizons, this journal should help a bit. Think of it as repayment for what you did earlier."

Mo Tan didn't act coy anymore. He tucked [Mag's Adventure Journal] away carefully and said solemnly to Mag, "I will definitely keep it safe, my friend."

"Right!" Mag’s eyes suddenly brightened. "Are you interested in becoming a mercenary?"

...

Ten minutes later, Mo Tan stood before the headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild in Anka Bazaar. Clad in high-quality white iron chainmail, with a lightly enchanted black steel longsword at his waist, he beamed with radiant joy.

He could never forget the "cost price" scripture that the old priest at Daming Lake had forced upon him for 20 copper coins.

He could never forget the sight of white-with-green-tinted loot every time he played a game involving opening boxes or chests.

He could never forget the card in the first position that always seemed to go against him in card games.

He could never forget the looting rights he had lost countless times after his personality suddenly shifted and he went offline.

As long as it was a game involving luck, Mo Tan was always the deepest pit in the "pit within a pit"—the unluckiest chief of them all!

And now...

"Finally!" Mo Tan clenched his fists slightly, his eyes brimming with tears of emotion. "My luck has finally turned around!!"

The [Lawful Good] Mo, with less than three hours of total playtime, possessed luck as if he had buried his entire head beneath the Goddess of Fortune's skirt. Not only did he obtain an adventure journal that was incredibly precious for a novice, but after learning of his interest in becoming a mercenary, Mag had also forced an entire set of high-quality equipment on him. If it weren't for the fact that his current job level and overall abilities were indeed a bit low, it might have been even more...

And that wasn't all!

Mag had also taught him two of his favorite combat techniques, commonly known as "skills" among players.

[Frenzied Charge]
Weapon-class active skill
Requirement: Any weapon mastery level 1, Strength 7
Cost/Restriction: 50 Stamina, must hold a melee weapon
Effect: Dash headlong to a designated location 8–20 meters away. Upon arrival, perform a guaranteed-critical heavy strike on the nearest enemy unit. All damage taken during the dash is increased by 20%, but the user is immune to any slowing, rooting, or stunning effects. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
[Note: A charge with sparks and lightning is cool, but on the battlefield, only a mad dash where you forget who your own mother is constitutes a man's romance. Whether attacking or fleeing, please move with the mindset that a goblin high-explosive rocket is chasing you!]

With this skill, combined with the "Charge Slam" he learned after choosing the warrior class, his instantaneous mobility could even surpass that of a Ranger or Thief of the same level...

Provided that any 1st-level Ranger or Thief were bored enough to race him.

In short, Mo Tan could now proudly brag: "I'm fast~!"

And then, the second one...

[Lurker]
Passive skill
Requirement: None
Cost/Restriction: None
Effect: In a stationary state (no need to meet this if in high-density cover), after keeping your absolute height below 1.5 meters for 10 seconds, you will become difficult to detect until you exceed that height. Your next attack will deal 20% increased damage. Cooldown: 1 minute.
[Note: Hey! Is it cool standing up so high? Hey you, the little blind one in front, eat my Avada Kedavra!]

This was a technique Mag was very fond of. Although it wasn't easy for Mo Tan, it was still a highly practical passive skill. In Mag's words, if bending over was too tiring, crawling, kneeling, or lying down would work too—just try to avoid doing it in crowded places, because getting stepped on really hurts...

In short, since the person in charge of the Dryads was temporarily away and Mo Tan's physical condition looked good, Mag readily let him go out to wander.

Mo Tan's first task was to register as an adventurer.

...

Anka Bazaar was located in the northwest of the continent. Although called a "bazaar," its area was large enough to fit two cities the size of Dieyan. Because of its unique geographical location on a major transportation hub, Anka Bazaar saw a constant flow of merchants, mercenaries, adventurers, and all sorts of people every day. In an era where bartering was still prevalent, this "three-no-man's-land" region had gradually developed into a commercial hub for the northwest. Over time, it formed this large-scale, influential "bazaar."

The two major chambers of commerce of the Continent of Innocence, numerous religious sects, and ubiquitous Mage Guilds, Adventurers' Guilds, and Mercenary Associations all had large branches here. The latter two were the largest in scale; the Anka branches of the Adventurers' Guild and the Mercenary Association, which had always complemented each other, could almost be called one of the landmark structures of the place.

This made it effortless for Mo Tan to find his first stop...

Adventurers' Guild — Anka Branch

This building, covering nearly a square kilometer and built entirely of grey-blue rock, was located in the northern district of Anka Bazaar. The hexagonal structure, which looked like an ancient Roman colosseum, lacked the luxury of a palace, the majesty of a castle, or the solemnity of a church, but it possessed a wild and uninhibited temperament. Although it felt a bit strange to use the word "temperament" for a building, it didn't feel out of place at all...

Beside the Guild's eternally open "Gate of Pioneers" stood two massive statues: one was a hunched, long-bearded gnome mage, and the other was a humanoid creature with a long spear, broadsword, hunting bow, and heavy shield on its back, holding a torch in one hand and a map in the other.

Mo Tan walked slowly to the Gate of Pioneers and looked up...

The gnome mage held a massive book in his hands, with a lifelike quill standing on it, seemingly writing something automatically. His other hand leaned on a silver cane, the magnified carvings on it shimmering with a seven-colored light, illuminating the wrinkled cheeks of its master, who had been brushed by the winds of time.

A line of small characters was carved on the base: [A tribute to the great pioneer, Gary Anquan, who sleeps on the journey of exploring the endless unknown. The light of hope you ignited will be passed on by our generation. Until all the thorns in this world are cleared by us, the writing of the Book of Returners will never cease.]

"I salute you..." Mo Tan looked at the giant statue, whose lowered eyes seemed to be contemplating something, bowed slightly in respect, and then walked to the other statue by the door.

This statue, which looked like a master of weapons, had no face. Its figure looked exhausted, and many parts that could have highlighted gender or racial characteristics were cleverly hidden under equipment. Many areas were decorated with dark red "bloodstains," yet it seemed to stubbornly want to take one more step...

[A tribute to yourselves.]

There were only these seven short words below, but they were worth more than a thousand.

This was not a statue, but a mirror...

A mirror in which every adventurer could see themselves.

Chapter 18: End