Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

[Tome of Sahrovar Volume 1 Acquired]

When the ritual to create the book was complete, the System even sent a notification. This meant the artifact was truly special and that the ritual had been a success. William was thrilled.

Not only that, but he noticed the copy was indeed identical to the original tome the gang leader possessed. Even the energy emanating from the book was the same. The only difference was that the original looked ancient, while William's copy was brand new.

"Looks like the ritual was a success," the leader said. "This is a difficult ritual to perform, but it's used frequently. Most libraries do this to ensure that valuable books never go out of circulation and that people have access to knowledge."

"You seem pretty intelligent for someone who runs a gang of bandits," William commented.

The leader laughed. "I didn't have a choice about getting involved in crime. My parents were in this life, and they dragged me into it. But after I acquired this book, I learned a lot, and now I can leave this life behind. And before you ask, our gang never killed civilians. We only stole and killed rival gang members when absolutely necessary."

William wasn't sure if he felt better hearing that or if it didn't change his opinion. But there was no escaping the fact that the two of them would now be working together, and perhaps trying to understand each other was the best course of action.

"My name is Kier," the leader said.

"William. I hope we can work together without any betrayal," William replied.

"Don't worry. I'll prepare the contract and show it to you before we leave, so you can read everything and feel confident you're not being cheated. But I'll need about three days to get everything ready. You can head back to the city if you want—I'll need to go there anyway. Stay at the Honeycomb Tavern."

Kier had to go to the city to gather supplies and mounts for the journey to their destination, which was VERY far away.

"Alright. I'll wait for you there."

William left the bandits' hideout. Lyfenea was with him. In the end, her brother, Kier, had given her a few artifacts to sell for some money and let her go without any retaliation.

Despite their complicated relationship, the two loved each other, and deep down, Lyfenea had always wanted to pull her brother out of the world of crime. She was happy that he had finally left it behind!@@novelbin@@

But she was still incredibly curious about what her brother and William were planning. During the journey back to the city, she kept asking repeatedly about what the two had discussed.

William, of course, wasn't stupid. He didn't say a word about it and did everything he could to avoid the subject.

"You know we can't talk about it. If we could, we would've told you already, right?" William said.

"But can't you give me a hint? Just one?"

"No."

Lyfenea was clearly frustrated, but she didn't say or do anything extreme. Her only weapon against William was her relentless questioning, but even that didn't last the entire trip. She eventually stopped asking.

"How do you feel about your friends who died?" William asked her.

It took her a few seconds to formulate a concrete answer, and it wasn't what William expected. "We weren't really friends—more like business partners. What happened to them was sad, but it doesn't affect me deeply."

"I see."

The journey back to the city took a while. Perhaps Lyfenea's constant talking made the trip feel longer and more tedious. William was relieved when they finally returned to the city.

The two parted ways, and William headed to the tavern Kier had mentioned. It was one of the best taverns in the city, and while it was a bit more expensive to stay there, it wasn't a problem for William.

'I'll only be here for a few days, so I have enough money...' he thought.

And so, three days passed. William spent his time resting, eating, and, of course, reading his new book, which contained several spells and abilities that were perfect for him!

All the spells in the book were related to the fire and dark fire elements, which, according to Asura, were the ideal elements for William due to his demonic lineage.

And, well, Asura was right. After William tried to learn the first spell—a simple black fireball—he received a notification from the System.

[Black Flame Mastery (Rank S): Your demonic blood grants you +25% learning rate for dark fire element spells, +25% power for dark fire element spells, and -10% mana cost for dark fire element spells.]

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He had gained an incredible passive ability! One that would undoubtedly help him a lot. Not to mention, in just three days, he had managed to learn his first spell!

[Black Fireball (Rank A): Allows the user to launch a Black fireball. Damage, size, and speed depend on the user's mastery.]

[Mana Cost: 30]

By the end of it, William's current stats were impressive!

Name: William Velmont

Level: 27

Class: None

Attributes:

Strength: 88

Agility: 102

Stamina: 74

Intelligence: 470

Mana: 280

Demonic Energy: 120

His Intelligence attribute was the highest because he was a mage, meaning he gained more of this attribute with each level. Additionally, his Magic Mind passive, an extremely powerful and difficult-to-learn ability, gave him a significant boost.

His demonic energy wasn't as high. William still wasn't sure how to increase it significantly, but it was gradually growing, which he took as a good sign.

William felt like he was finally growing stronger. The only thing he was missing was a class, which he could have obtained upon reaching level 25. However, he was far from any magic academy and had no one to help him with the process.

'No need to rush...'

Level 25 was the minimum requirement to obtain a class, but it was common for people to acquire theirs later. William was eager to get his class but wasn't worried about the delay.

Finally, on the third day, Kier showed up. William met him at the Honeycomb Tavern where he was staying, and to his surprise, Kier came more than prepared.

"I've got two flying mounts waiting outside," Kier said.

"I thought we'd be traveling through the desert on the ground," William replied.

Kier laughed. "Of course not. Flying mounts are expensive but incredibly useful, especially in our case. You know our destination is far, and traveling by land would take forever."

"Yeah, I know."

"Let's grab some supplies before we leave," Kier said. "I've got this artifact that can store a lot of things."

William was impressed by the artifact! It was similar to the one that held Jinra's treasure. He knew such artifacts were extremely rare and expensive, so how did Kier have one?

"Before you ask, I didn't steal this. I acquired it during one of my recent explorations," Kier explained.

"I didn't say anything."

The two bought food and water. The tents they'd need for occasional camping were things Kier already had, so there was no need to purchase more.

After gathering everything, they left the city and headed to the mounts waiting for them outside.

They were two beautiful birds with red feathers. Their size was impressive.

"These are firebirds," Kier said. "Some legends say they're descendants of the phoenix, but I don't know if that's true. I've never seen a phoenix to ask."

Kier explained that the birds could withstand extreme heat, making them ideal for traveling over the desert. They could also produce heat, which would be immensely helpful when they reached their destination, as it was a very cold place.

'Seems like he already had everything prepared for the trip,' William thought.

It was too much of a coincidence for Kier to have the perfect mounts ready so quickly. It was obvious he had been planning this journey for a while, just waiting for the right travel companion—especially one with demonic lineage.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Here," Kier said, handing the blood contract to William.

It wasn't very long—just a single page—but William read it carefully to avoid any pitfalls.

According to the contract, neither of them could betray the other during the journey, and they would share all the knowledge they acquired. In other words, if they found any books, they would make copies, just as they had done with the previous one.

Overall, it seemed like a fair contract. The best part was that the contract would only dissolve after they left the area, and a significant distance was required. William felt confident that Kier wouldn't try anything immediately after they left, as it would be impossible while the contract was still in effect.

Stuart, William's magical rat, also reviewed the contract and confirmed everything was in order before the two signed it and set off on their journey. They mounted the firebirds and flew toward the forbidden area of the continent—the place demons had once called home long ago.