From Player To Npc

Chapter 110: The researcher's 'sister'

Shingi made some further testing with the same move he pulled on Price to make an actual Spell out of it and not do everything manually.

He still had to study the books he had taken for the Arcane Words, but since he would soon be traveling again and wouldn't be as safe to use his TRANCE while on the road, he decided to use it now.

His Spell has improved much since he got his Class as some resistance was lifted, and he could feel it even help him in a few instances.

People were saying this was made by the Gods to restrict people from using powers they shouldn't and help people who deserved help.

He was still an apprentice at his Class, but it was a fully mage-based Tue Class, so the restrictions were pretty minimal.

He tested all his Spells to check their improvements, even if he had used most of them in action already.

Finally, he worked on his LIGHT FORM and control of his movements while in it.

The night passed peacefully, and after waking up, he went down to get some breakfast.

He said his goodbyes at the innkeeper and gave him the rest of the payment for the room and food.

He was planning to stay more, but since more people would be waiting for him back at Carda, even if it would take them at least a week to get there, he decided not to let them wait for him long.

He wanted to make thee more stops at least, and all of them was to meet someone. A few hideouts left that didn't have many materials but had some of his notes, but he decided it wasn't worth it as a lot of this either would have changed or would exist at the forum by him someone else, meaning Mizuneko could find it.

He also wanted to hurry to deal with the strange growth-type axe, but he wasn't going to do it himself.

He moved out of the town with an average pace until he was out of the field, the alarm runes, and the sight of the 'hidden' guards.

He started heading north with all the speed he could spare as he didn't know how long he would have to spend at each of his stops.

His next destination was only two days away. 

But that was only to reach the place where the person he was looking for was supposed to be, but its exact location wasn't a known fact.

During the nights he was camping, he studied the book about the Arcane Words and started making a few for his Spell, bringing them closer to their true power.

On the morning of the third day, he started looking around as he had reached yesterday night the general place where the one he was looking for was supposed to be.

He looked around for any clues or tracks, but other than some beasts, nothing else seemed to be around.

Everything seemed to be quiet, too quiet.

Since he wasn't able to detect where his target was, he started a different approach.

He knew that the beasts would stay away, so he started looking at places that the beasts seemed to avoid.

He soon came across a tree, which looked like a typical one, but Shingi noticed a slight engravement of a circle on it, which was barely visible, and most would have missed it.

Looking more on the tree, he noticed some more engraving to form a box and having the little circle inside it.

The box looked like the frame of a door and the little circle to be its little knob.

Shingi examined it, and with his MANA SENSE, he could barely see some mana residing in the space of the carvings and making some runes.

It seemed to be an Enchantment of some short, but it was more advanced than what Shingi's skill or knowledge could handle.

This meant that either it was near or at the peak of Master Grade or being Grandmaster Grade. As for Divine one, he doubted it as even Gods themselves wouldn't use them as they wanted, not because they couldn't but the sources needed were very big for even them. 

Or at least that is what Shingi had heard.

He couldn't decrypt it, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it.

The trigger of it seemed clear to be the little circle.

He put some mana to it, and soon enough, there was a response.

From the knob, an illusion got created of a Moon and, more specifically, a Blue Moon.

It had the same color as the one during the Blue Moon Festival, and other than its size, the two looked identical.

Shingi thought about his next move, but some green mist got released from the 'frame' carvings before he could do anything else.

He jumped back even if the mist wasn't too much as he saw the 'door' in front of him to get open.

There was no person at the other side, and he could see some steps leading down and deeper underground.

He waited a bit before starting to head down the steps.

As he got in, the door closed behind him, blocking the sun, which was the only light source he had.

He summoned his staff, the one with the separate Mana Gems, and hold it at Light side and cast LIGHT at the tip of it.

He knew that the person staying here knew of him getting in the moment he touched the circle, so he wasn't trying to be sneaky.

He examined the steps, wall, and the rest of his surroundings. He could safely say that all of it was too precise not to be made by magic.

He used his detection Skills and cast his ECHOLOCATION spell, but there seemed to be something blocking all of them from working.

He kept his Skills active just if he found a spot to use them in full power.

After a few minutes of going down the stairs in pure darkness, he saw the end of the stairs as there was some light near it.

After the chairs, there was a corridor with lit torches on its walls on both sides.

There was a slightly open door at the end of the corridor not too far from the stairs.

Shingi went to the door and opened it.

It led to a familiar office.

It was the office of Benjamin or one pretty similar to it.

There were fewer things on the wall, as also all the furniture was regular and not secretly mimics.

A desk and a female figure were sitting at the desk's chair/throne.

She looked like a female version of Benjamin, and if her clothes weren't bringing forth her small chest, one would think that she was Benjamin.

She seemed to be too focused on a book she was reading as she didn't turn toward Shingi.

Shingi moved towards her as he coughed on the way there to draw her attention, but she seemed to ignore him.

He sat on a chair in front of the desk and waited for her to notice him.

A couple of minutes as she raised her head a bit and noticed Shingi.

"Where did you come from? Who are you, why are you here, and how did you enter? This is a private area."[???]

"I was given permission. It is nice seeing you again, Belly."[Shingi]

She was confused for a second, and then her face changed to one of revelation.

"He wasn't messing with me then? You really are one of those. Oh, we need to do some tests."[Belly]

Shingi was afraid of this happening.

Belly was the twin sister of Benjamin, or that was what most people knew.

In reality, Benjamin created a clone of himself. Still, since he wanted the clone to see things differently to find solutions from different approaches, he decided to make a female clone.

She had similar habits as the original and especially when she was making her tests. Some said that she was even more ruthless.

"Maybe some other time. I am still recovering from the last encounter with Ben. But I am here to ask some help."[Shingi]

Shingi covered everything that happened since he became an NPC until today.

He let out unimportant events, like his training or working at the store, etc. "So, as you understand, we are going to need as much help as possible.

I know that Ben restricted you to help others like that, so not going to ask you to do anything more than you are allowed to do."[Shingi]

Shingi brought on the desk the growth-type axe without touching it for long.

"As you understand, this thing needs to be dealt with."[Shingi]

Belly used her MANA HAND to pick it up and examine it as she was warned that physical contact was troublesome with it.

"Hm, this seemed that it would be a challenge. I love it. But I need to make some tests first."[Belly]

Shingi felt pity for the axe's consciousness as he knew what it was to be tested by one like her.

He wasn't worried about the axe controlling her as she may not be as old as Benjamin, but she wasn't any less wise or powerful.

"It will take me some time and most likely have to do some in other places. You mentioned that you want the consciousness only to be dealt with and the rest of the weapon to stay intact. Right?"[Belly]

After Shingi nodded in agreement, she started making some calculations in her head.

"I will say it should take close to a month. I can bring it to that place, Carda since you can't stay here for a month."[Belly]

Shingi was happy that he could take let someone take care of it, and he was confident that she could succeed.

"Thank you for your time. Also, I have a question for you. Are you aware who was the one being True Sorcerer before me?"[Shingi]

Belly closed her eyes and focused.

Shingi knew that she and Benjamin could store everything they had studied in a special dimension that only mentally you can go and only they had access to it. It was like their personal library. 

Time there passed at a different rate, as she could spend weeks in there, and a few minutes had passed in the real world.

But while there, they weren't aware of what was happening in their body, so they had to be somewhere safe.

It's been close to an hour before Belly opened her eyes again.

Shingi was surprised that it took her that long.

"I triple-checked every research and recording about the people with True Classes. There is only one person that was said to have this Class possibly but was never confirmed. But if he really had it, then it is disturbing news."[Belly]

Shingi was amazed that there was only one person recorded to have his Class in the past. Even in Anna's case, he had heard stories of three more people being True Assassins before her, and that was a very long time ago.

"Why is the news disturbing? Who was that person?"[Shingi]

Belly looked him in the eyes, and for the first time, Shingi could see a sign of worry in her eyes.

"Dormon, the Father of Dragons."[Belly]