Veronica sank into the cushioned seat with a long sigh.

  At last—privacy.

  After the very… friendly bath Marceline had insisted on giving her, she felt fresher, calmer, and infinitely more comfortable with the sweat washed away.

  Across from her sat a silver plate, thick slices of charred boar meat laid out neatly. They stared back at her like some cruel joke from a jester.

  “Not a chance,” she muttered.

  She unlatched the carriage door, tipped the plate, and let the blackened cutlets slide to the dirt. A quick nudge with her foot sent the scraps rolling out of sight beneath the carriage. She was at the end of the convoy; Leopold’s carriage was ahead and the guard rotation further up.

  When she looked up, one of the rear guards on horseback was staring straight at her, having witnessed the whole affair.

  Veronica locked eyes with him, raised a single finger to her lips, and slowly—deliberately—shut the door.

  Back inside, she shook her head. “I’ll eat next time we stop,” she sighed. Her body would complain, but her mind had long grown used to scraps and empty stomachs.

  She leaned back against the seat. “Alright, Sage. Status.”

  At once, a translucent panel shimmered into view:

  Name: Veronica Everwells

  Current Tier: Tier-3 Mage

  -

  Primary Path: Path of Ruin

  Secondary Path: Path of Tempests

  -

  Mana: 900/900 MU

  Mana Regeneration: 300 MU/hour

  -

  You have completed a quest: Achieve Tier-3

  Reward: Sensory Boost, Augmented Visualization Analyzer

  -

  New quest assigned: Achieve Tier-4

  New quest assigned: Form third set of Mana Rings

  New quest assigned: Run 3 kilometers at top speed

  New quest assigned: Sit near extreme heat while circulating your mana

  New quest assigned: Recite an entire story while casting randomly instructed spells

  Veronica narrowed her eyes, lips pressed thin. The stats themselves looked right: Tier-3 mage, more mana, stronger mana regeneration. But the quests, and especially the reward, gave her pause. She briefly saw them when she advanced, but it hadn’t sounded like anything impressive. At least not compared to the monstrous boar that had attacked them.

  Now, she had a chance to look.

  “Sensory… Visualization…?” she murmured. “Sage, what exactly are these rewards?”

  [There are two benefits. First, all of your senses have been increased. By focusing on any sense, you can amplify it without asking me, and the effects are much greater. This also increases spatial perception during combat, allowing you to sense surprise attacks.]

  -

  [Second, I now have higher processing capabilities. I can now show trajectories and predictive paths, overlaying them in your vision in real time.]

  “Trajectories…” Veronica murmured. The first reward was self-explanatory. She’d already experienced the amplification that Sage had provided before, but this was supposed to be better than that?

  She pushed the carriage’s curtain aside.

  The forest spilled past the carriage, a rolling sea of green. She narrowed her eyes and focused on what she saw. Her eyes blinked; her attention shifted internally, then snapped back outward.

  Veronica flinched, squirming at the sudden rush of clarity. It was as if she’d been yanked forward through space. A single butterfly danced above the treeline, its wings catching the light. She could see every flicker, every twitch of its delicate wings, clear as if it was perched on her finger.

  She tracked it instinctively. The moment it passed behind a trunk, her vision didn’t falter. A faint glowing line shimmered across her sight, a projected arc—the butterfly’s phantom trail.

  And two seconds later, the butterfly burst out the other side of the tree, following the exact path Sage had drawn.

  Veronica’s mouth fell open. “Wow,” she whispered. “That’s… amazing.”

  She sat back, heart quickening, a grin tugging at her lips. “And the trajectory thing? Show me what that looks like.”

  [Summon a spell and imagine yourself launching it.]

  Veronica opened her palm. Heat curled to life, coalescing into a bead of fire no larger than her thumb. It crackled faintly as it stabilized.

  As her eyes drifted across the forest, faint lines appeared as she focused. They stretched from the fireball outward, thin projections of where the spell would travel if she threw it now—arcs that bent over trees, or ended with small glowing markers where the ball would impact.

  Her smile deepened. “Oh… this will be useful.”

  One thing she wasn’t good at, was aiming. As a mage of Ruin and Tempests, she focused on hitting as many things as possible—indiscriminate destruction. Even if she missed a spell, the aftermath would be large enough that it wouldn’t matter. That wasn’t to say she didn’t have spells that required aiming. She had quite a few, actually. And now with this new boon, she’d be able to use them much more often.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Looks like my arsenal just increased,” she said softly. She looked back at the rest of her status screen. “Alright. What are these other quests you have listed? Running three kilometers? Sitting near fire? Reading?”

  [These new quests will be focused on your body. I need you to stress-test yourself so I can get a detailed approximation for your current limits. This data will be used for me to implement additional subsystems at an appropriate level that your body can handle.]

  “Subsystems?”

  [The rewards will definitely be worth it.]

  Veronica crossed her arm, rolling her eyes away. “And you won’t tell me what the rewards are, will you?”

  [No. I need you to try your best without any context of why the quest exists beforehand. If I tell you, your results may be altered if you understand the principle of the reward.]

  She sighed, muttering under her breath. “Of course it will.”

  Her hand drifted to the compartment under the seat, drawing out the folded map she’d stowed before the bath. She spread it across her lap, tracing the inked roads with a fingertip.

  “Ronswick,” she murmured. “According to Leopold, his city has a mage tower, and an adventurer’s guild. I’ll be able to re-register as an association mage and fund my travels with some quests as an adventurer.”

  Connected to the mage tower, she’d have much more access to resources. Training halls, studies, reagents and libraries, even if the selection was smaller than Annesheim. From there, she’d be connected to the network again. She couldn’t drift from town to town forever, relying on the nobles’ help and courtesies.

  She needed to make a name for herself.

  Her finger rested on the neat sigil of the city. Her thoughts honed in on one specific man. Someone who would prove incredibly vital to the war against the demons.

  “Sage… you said that man started here? And that he had a pretty rough start?”

  [Yes. According to my records, he began in Ronswick but never had solid footing until several years later when he moved to Annesheim. Only then did his presence impact the war.]

  She chuckled under her breath, almost amused. “I’m surprised. All the better, then. Good place to introduce myself.”

  She folded the map with care and slid it back into the compartment. Outside, the wheels rattled on. They set off moving once more, carrying her north. She yawned, stretched, and let her eyes fall closed.

  “Wake me when we stop for a meal,” she said softly.

  The next several days blurred together—steady wheels, quiet meals, and the occasional monster to keep them alert. In a way, the journey was almost poetic. In her previous life, the demons had never relented. Now, the quiet felt almost therapeutic.

  But peace never lasted. Veronica knew that too well.

  The city of Ronswick came into view, and with it, a shout of noises.

  By the time the convoy reached the gates, chaos had already taken root.

  “Just let us in!” a man shouted.

  A line of wagons and travelers stretched down the road, voices raised in frustration. At the front, two guards argued with a pair of merchants—a man in his thirties and a younger woman clinging to his side.

  The guards blocked the way, spears crossed. “Without papers or identification cards, we’ve no proof of who you say you are. Entry is denied. No exceptions.”

  The man’s voice cracked with anger. “We told you—we were attacked! Goblins raided us west of here, killed our hired mercenaries, and stole everything! We had to run all the way here just to get help! You think we’d lie about that?”

  The woman clutched her cloak tighter, her tone softer, almost pleading. “Please. We’re merchants. My husband and I came to trade, not cause trouble. Our belongings were stolen—we only wish to post a commission at the guild.”

  The crowd behind them grew restless, mutters spreading through the line. Hoofbeats and the rumble of wheels soon silenced the noise as a convoy of carriages rolled forward, bypassing the waiting travelers entirely.

  Some onlookers noticed the viscounty crest painted on the lacquered wood. Others did not. But the guards certainly did.

  “Who do they think they are, barging in?” someone muttered.

  “Probably some fat noble’s brat the city lord favors,” another grumbled.

  The gate captain barked a sharp order, and the guards waved the convoy through without hesitation.

  “What?!” a man at the back cried. “We’ve been waiting all morning!”

  “How come they get in without papers?!”

  The merchant man at the front seized on the moment. “I thought this was first-come-first-served! Now you’re letting nobles in without even checking their names?!”

  “Yeah! That’s twice now you’ve wronged us!” the woman added, clutching her husband’s arm.

  Their indignation faltered as the lead carriage rolled to a stop. The door opened, and out stepped Leopold himself, Claire at his side. A ripple of recognition swept the crowd.

  “The City Lord?” someone whispered.

  The merchants stiffened, color draining from their faces. They exchanged a quick, nervous glance before bowing low.

  “Forgive us, my lord,” the man stammered. “We did not realize these carriages belonged to you.”

  Leopold waved off their hasty apologies, his voice calm but edged. “What is your business here? Why the shouting at my gates?”

  The man seized the chance, repeating his tale: goblins had ambushed them west of the city, killing their hired mercenaries and stealing the wagon’s contents. He spread his empty hands wide, helpless. “We were meant to trade in Ronswick, my lord. But now… we have nothing.”

  Leopold’s gaze lingered on them, weighing their words. “Without papers, you’ll be held until your story is verified. Still—if you intend to post a commission to retrieve your belongings, I’ll see it done. What’s the reward for securing your wagon?”

  The man hesitated, sharing a glance with the woman at his side before clearing his throat. “We carry nothing on us now, since everything was taken. But should the wagon be recovered, the adventurer may claim two kilograms of crushed Hartivel Vines, along with one thousand vix, provided all the goblins are slain and the goods returned intact.”

  A ripple of murmurs ran down the line. That was no small reward.

  Before Leopold could answer, another voice cut in.

  “I’ll take it.”

  Heads turned as Veronica stepped down from one of the rear carriages, walking toward them. “If goblins are all that stand in the way, I can handle it. The Hartivel Vine Powder also seems like a good reward.”

  It was, in fact, a great reward. She could use that to craft potions at the alchemy division of the Mage tower.

  The man stiffened at once. No one knew her, but the fact she had emerged from the city lord’s convoy was enough to tell them that this was no ordinary traveler—a noble, perhaps.

  “Surely this isn’t worth the trouble of—” he began, only to falter as the woman pressed discreetly against his arm. He swallowed. “Ah—what I mean is, if one of the lord’s guests has such confidence, then we will be most grateful.”

  Leopold’s eyes flicked between them before settling on Veronica. “Are you certain? We’ve traveled for days. Goblins may be weak alone, but they swarm. Wouldn’t you rather rest first?”

  Veronica crossed her arms lightly. “It’s fine. I can handle some goblins. I’ll take care of it a little later today, so I’ll be rested.”

  The woman dipped her head quickly. “That’s… more than fine. We can wait.”

  “Good.” Leopold gestured to a nearby guard. “Escort them to city holding. Provide them a day’s worth of temporary lodging. If their commission is fulfilled, we’ll talk about payment after.”

  The man’s smile was tight, his nod stiffer still. “Of course. We’ll pay gladly.”

  Veronica watched as the guards led them away. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the small grin on the man’s face. The woman beside him, especially, emanated a sense of unease.

  Well, aren’t they suspicious? Veronica thought quietly.

  Path of Ruin and Path of Imbuement