Silas lay waiting in the bushes, his breath shallow as he began conjuring something in mind. The leaves rustled faintly in the breeze, carrying the scent of damp earth.
What could be the best way to halt the progression of a carriage?
"Fire? No," Silas murmured, his fingers brushing against the rough bark of a nearby tree. Even accounting for the destructive capabilities of fire, it wasn't optimal for the situation as it could damage the goods.
There was no other option, he had to halt the advance all by himself. If he missed this opportunity, he would have to go around naked.
Silas began inspecting the escorts at a safe distance, where he couldn't be easily detected. The guards, clad in simple leather armor, moved with the confidence of seasoned warriors. Their weapons—a mix of swords and crossbows—glinted under the moonlight.
"This could be troublesome," Silas whispered, his voice barely audible.
Silas clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Tsk.
Silas made up his mind in an instant, just as the carriage was near the path where Silas had laid an ambush. He descended on the road in front of the men.
Before the men could react, Silas had drawn out all of the mana from his pseudo-developed core. A faint hum filled the air, the mana swirling faintly around his form.
Silas muttered in his mind.
"12 Dark Infernal Techniques."
"Nameless Demonic Flames."
Silas didn't want to use flames at first, the reason being the destruction of goods. Yet there was no other option because fire was the best element in killing.
Silas's eyes shone brightly, reflecting the dark purple flames that flickered to life on his hands. The heat radiated off them, searing the nearby grass.
Silas smirked.
With a flick of his finger the fire grew considerably before enveloping the guards whole.
"AAAAAAHHHH-!!"
"KUAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Despite being no less than a 1st Class Warrior, the guards couldn't resist the flames. Even Peak Realm escorts were caught in fire. Their screams echoed through the night, mingling with the crackle of burning wood and fabric.
Silas was left with barely any mana, the technique was hard to use. Its destructive power wasn't comparable to any other Peak Realm technique. If it came to dealing with low-level masses, Dark Flame's Martial Arts would be the best.
The flames, once flicked from the fingers, wouldn't use the caster's mana. They sustained from the mana in the atmosphere.
Naturally, this was only effective on lower realm warriors. Higher level martial artists could easily dispel the flames, and the ones even higher could interfere with the mana's flow.
The merchant in the carriage was shocked beyond belief.
"A- a mage!?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
Only a mage could do something like this. This was the common people's belief, and it was natural too because only Mages wielded elemental powers easily like this.
The merchant couldn't understand why a naked mage would attack his carriage and why would a mage be naked? Of course, he had no way of knowing that Silas was no mage.
The merchant could only watch in disbelief as his escorts and goods caught fire and burnt. He tried to run away from the scene but Silas immediately caught him.
"P-please sp-spare my life! I beg of you!" the merchant pleaded, his eyes wide with terror.
Silas couldn't spare a merchant who could give information about him. His features being distinct would easily get him caught if anyone knew.
Silas formed a blade with his hand and cut the merchant's head in an instant. Blood sprayed across the road, staining the dirt crimson.
Looking behind, everything was burnt, leaving nothing but ashes or charred corpses.
Silas wore the merchant's clothes. They didn't suit him well—the fabric strained at the seams—but they were still wearable. The merchant was fat even if he wasn't tall like Silas.
Silas shot a glance at the merchant's small pouch, which held a gold coin, 52 silver coins, and some Tales of the Empire.
Empire's currency, Tales, is widespread so exchanging them for coins won't pose any problem.
(Author's note - 1 Tale would be equal to 1 Silver Coin.)
"What a poor guy," Silas muttered, though the remark was tinged with irony.
Silas here actually meant the poor guy because a gold coin was insignificant to someone of a duke's bloodline like him—or was. As now, he was neither from the duke's estate nor of noble bloodline. This body was completely different from his previous one.
After some minutes of rest, Silas got up and started walking back to the city. Silas had no intention of staying in a minor kingdom like this. His pace was steady, his mind calculating the distance ahead.
Silas could take on some missions which mercenaries took for money. However, the process of rising from the lowest E-rank was daunting and would be a waste of time for him.
Silas reached the city after hours of traveling.
The first thing Silas did was to buy some new clothes for his fit. Silas had some dust on his face, but he didn't wash it off. His handsome face attracted attention, which could lead to trouble.
As soon as Silas entered the shop and was about to ask for clothes, the merchant sneered. In his mind, he knew Silas was a beggar.
"What do you want?" the merchant demanded, his tone sharp.
"I need some clothes for my fit," Silas said, his voice even.
The merchant took measurements, his gaze dismissive. "There are barely any clothes for you," he said.
Silas's body was tall—he was like a monster among men. Standing two meters tall, he was exceptionally tall.
Silas checked the clothes and bought a few.
"50 silvers is the price," the merchant said in an indifferent tone, his gaze looking down on Silas.
Silas paid the price from his pouch and took the clothes with him.
"Expensive," he muttered under his breath, his face stiff. Merely buying some clothes cost him 1/3rd of his entire savings.
Silas needed money, not urgently so, but someday he would need more.
Wandering around, Silas watched the buildings and people.
This world is much more advanced than the Murim. This is all because of the so-called Magi-tech.
"This world's sorcerers are remarkable," Silas murmured, his eyes tracing the glowing lanterns and stone-paved streets. The buildings, made from ceilings and strange materials, towered overhead. Some strange vehicle called a Car ran through magic, its engine humming softly.
All of this was new to him. After some thought, Silas concluded this world wasn't bad at all.
A peaceful life free from blood, huh? Perhaps here it could be possible to live a leisurely life.
Just the money is problematic. Silas had no intention of staying in villages.
There are many jobs to consider.
Become a knight—wealth and respect, though tied to one place.
Become an instructor—only money.
And he? He had no qualifications for either. Of course, it wouldn't always be like this.
Silas strode around and asked someone, "is there a library around here?"
The man told him it was near an academy not far away.
If there was any need for ancient records, Silas would've had to take a carriage to the capital. But he had no use for legends.
Silas strode toward the library leisurely. It was quite a grand place, its stone facade imposing. To limit visitors, there was an entry fee.
Silas paid the fees of 5 silver coins with the gold coin and put the rest of 95 silver coins in the pouch.
The inside of the library was clean and well-maintained, the white floor tiles reflecting his face clearly.
There were many books in the library. But Silas's focus was on the important things—common knowledge he lacked.
His eyes scanned the shelves until they stopped at a book titled General Knowledge Of Liora Continent. As if mocking him, the book seemed made for someone ignorant like him.
Silas took the book and sat in a corner.
After hours of reading, the sun was about to set. Silas had skimmed through the whole book and gained a basic understanding of the world.
He put the book back on its original place and searched for an inn.
After asking a few people walking around the road, Silas went to a decent inn and laid down on the bed—ahem, meditated.
Silas began organizing all the knowledge he'd gained today, his mind sharp despite the day's events.