Arcane Innovator

The next morning, I decided to skip breakfast and leave the small town just as the drowsy-looking guards began opening the gates.

I knew I was being a bit too paranoid here, especially since I had already left the Kingdom, but after everything I had gone through in the last few months, I figured there was never too much precaution when it came to personal safety.

So, to further confuse any would-be pursuers, I chose to leave through the north gates—the exact opposite direction I planned to go.

Then, giving the town a wide berth, I carefully snuck through the surrounding woods before rejoining the road a few kilometers down south while dutifully scanning the area with my magic sense at the same time.

Fortunately, I couldn't detect anything amiss except a pair of lumberjacks from a nearby hamlet working nearby, the sound of their axes echoing through the morning mist.

'Perfect. With this done, I guess it's time to pick up the pace. I have a long way ahead after all,' I thought pleasantly as I broke my previously swift walk into a run, watching the trees blur past me.

Since I could supplement my stamina with essence, I maintained this breakneck tempo, which would normally tire a mundane person in minutes for almost half a day.

Thus, I covered several days' worth of walking distance in mere hours before finally deciding to take a short rest at a travel inn I stumbled upon.

It was quite a lively place, mainly because it was located at a busy crossroads of several important merchant routes running through the central part of the Borderlands.

As there would be no towns after this, I opted to spend the night there, ordering a hearty dinner while listening to the idle gossip of the mostly merchant patrons.

The following day, I skipped past all those nicely maintained paved roads and instead opted for a partially overgrown road that led southeast, as my new map suggested would be the shortest way.

Still, calling it a road was perhaps too generous. It was more like a path, really, broadly winding through the lush countryside, almost disappearing at places. Nevertheless, it slowly carried me toward my destination.

The further south I traveled, the more deserted the countryside became - pun intended until finally, I looked down only to see an endless plain of greyish dirt. 'It seems I have finally arrived...' I thought, looking eagerly toward the eastern horizon.

In the end, it took me almost a whole week to reach the edge of this wasteland despite keeping an eager pace and covering enormous distances each day—a feat only possible thanks to continuously supplementing my stamina with essence, which left me tired and drained in the evenings.

Yet I didn't complain much as such massive time savings were more than worth a little bit of discomfort, especially during the summer here when the sun was relentless, seemingly determined to suck the life out of you.

As I stood at the edge of the desolate plain, a chilling gust of wind sweeping across the barren land, carrying with it whispers of long-forgotten tales and ancient sorrows, I couldn't help but grimace.

The change was sudden and abrupt. It was almost like some ancient cataclysm wrecked the entire region, turning it desolate and barren - which was probably not far from the truth.

'Crossing a literal desert in the middle of summer is probably one of the dumbest things I could have done, but oh well...' I chuckled.

Not that I have much choice in the matter. The Acceptance ceremony would take place at the end of winter, with the lessons starting in early spring, and I still had plenty of things to do beforehand, so I couldn't afford to just sit and wait until the weather improved.

Drawing my cloak tighter around me, I took a deep breath and headed into the sand dunes, determined to see this through.

The greyish dirt stretched endlessly before me, devoid of any signs of life or movement. The air was heavy and still, shimmering in the heat with barely a wisp of breeze.

It was said that crossing this desolate plain was the first trial of the Tower, as many dangerous monsters, bandits, and all sorts of unsightly characters prowled these dead lands.

Of course, the nobles and the rich spared no expense in securing their gifted children who sought to study at the Great Tower with powerful escorts to safely guide them across.

I could also afford to hire a team of experienced beast hunters or, at worst, a seat on one of the few caravans crossing the Plains - if I wanted to. Not that I was going to... The thing is, this could be a two-way street.

Sure, the extra danger was not having anyone to watch your back. But not having any people or cities around also meant a hidden blessing for someone like me.

I didn't have to worry about any unwanted witnesses or collateral damage, which meant I could freely wield my powers however I wanted.

"I say let them come... I'll show them not to mess with me," I muttered under my breath, smiling, as I made my way deeper into the desert.

***

It didn't take long for my words to come true. It was late afternoon, barely a few hours after I set foot between the towering sand dunes, and I could already see a small cloud of dust rise on the horizon, slowly making its way toward me.

'Ah! Right on cue, time to earn myself a dinner...' I smiled, looking into the distance.

As the cloud of dust drew closer, I could make out the distinct shapes of riders and their mounts approaching. It was a group of about fifty people, each riding a peculiar creature that most resembled a giant lizard, every one of them at least three meters long.

For a moment, I hoped they were just a band of mercenaries passing by so I wouldn't have to bother with such nonsense, but as they got closer, their nefarious intentions became quite obvious.

These were likely the infamous Plain Raiders, who were said to prowl the desert en masse, as I read about in one of Sir Roderick's books.

Not only were they heading straight toward me, but I could see several of the riders splitting from the main group, most likely to cut off possible escape routes.

'Well, not that I would run in the first place.' A smirk played on my lips as I prepared myself for the incoming encounter.

The group of Plain Raiders approached cautiously, their eyes scanning the desolate landscape for any signs of danger. I stood in plain sight, my hands casually tucked into my cloak as I waited for them to come closer.

As they drew near, I could see the surprise and confusion dawning on their faces at the sight of a lone figure standing unperturbed amidst the barren wasteland.

The wind carried their raucous laughter and crude shouts towards me, but I remained calm and focused.

As they neared, I could see the glint of weapons at their sides and the sneers on their faces. The leader, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, called out to me in a gruff voice.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Lost in the desert, are we?" he jeered, his companions joining in with mocking laughter.

I raised an eyebrow, my expression unreadable as I assessed the group before me. I didn't reply to the bandit leader's provocation, as there was no point exchanging empty banter with a dead man after all.

"Are you deaf, boy?" The burly man shouted again, now visibly annoyed.

"Chief! It'll be better to just cut his throat and be done with it. Look at him—such a scrawny little runt. We wouldn't get much for him anyway..." Another, much younger raider with a vicious smirk interjected.

But then the surroundings shifted. It was almost imperceivable at first. The sand became restless, and the dunes quivered.

Suddenly, the ground parted, giving way to countless tentacles made of sand. They were hard but malleable, quickly moving across the dunes almost seamlessly.

The bandits tensed, looking around with confused looks, not quite understanding what was happening.

With a flick of my wrist, a gust of wind whipped around me, kicking up sand and dust in a swirling vortex that encircled the whole group.

Their previous laughter instantly turned to shouts of surprise as they struggled to maintain their balance, their lizard creatures chirping in alarm. I stood my ground, a smirk playing on my lips as I surveyed the chaos I had wrought.

The leader's scarred face twisted into a scowl as he barked orders at his men, attempting to regain control of the situation, but it was already too late for them.