"Magic Control"

There was still some food in the pack. Anse took out two loaves of bread and a small piece of cheese and handed them to Brat. "Eat something, then get some rest."

"Mm." Brat took them and wolfed them down.

The two of them had stumbled through the dark for over an hour, terrified and exhausted. Neither felt like talking.

As he ate, Anse focused on the D20 in his mind, trying to figure out how much farther he had to go before leveling up.

But the moment the twenty-sided die appeared, he nearly bit his tongue.

One of the symbols on its faces had somehow lit up completely, and another was glowing faintly.

What did I even do today? How did it light up? he wondered.

He lightly tapped the die, and memories flickered before his eyes like slides: becoming a Sorcerer, fighting, escaping danger, rescuing people, fleeing...

Does it have something to do with my experiences? Anse had a vague idea.

After a while, the memories faded, and the glowing symbol transformed into a mass of Prismatic Flame.

Ding—

[You have gained an Adventure Trait: Magic Control.]

"Magic Control": You have an extraordinary degree of control over magic. You cast spells faster and more reliably, and failed spellcasting will not cause magical backlash.

Magic Points +5, Attack Roll +1, Spell Save DC +1.

Current level: 1st circle.

Anse's heart leaped, excitement and surprise surging through him.

What kind of divine ability is this? It's practically tailor-made for my current situation.

That meant he could cast spells almost normally despite the disruption of the Weave, without worrying about dying like his mentor, Fabian.

His improved control over spells indirectly boosted his hit rate and damage. An extra 5 Magic Points might not seem like much later on, but it was a huge advantage at the start.

He felt more confident about tomorrow's plan.

The die has twenty faces, so that means twenty traits. With this, could I become a legend—or even go further? Anse couldn't help letting his imagination run wild.

This world had Professionals, legends, and even Gods. It was colorful and full of endless possibilities.

If the locals could make it, why shouldn't a transmigrator with a cheat of his own dare to dream?

One step at a time. I can't reach for the stars. At the very least, I need to survive first. He silently warned himself. Faerun was full of dangers.

Coming back to himself, he brought up his Character Sheet. His Magic Points had reached 9, a comfortable amount.

He glanced at his experience: 275/300. He was almost ready to level up.

Why is it only Combat Experience? He was puzzled.

According to the game's rules, noncombat challenges like negotiation and trade, as well as adventure milestones, could grant experience. In a party, experience was shared.

Going by the rules, every class can level up through combat. Mages can study magic or Alchemy; Sorcerers should be able to level up by training their innate magic...

He had been casting Cantrips all day, but hadn't dared use a single 1st-circle spell, so he couldn't confirm his guess.

Also, a Godberry Staff had appeared in the equipment section of his Character Sheet. It was probably Fabian's Spare Staff.

He lightly touched it, and a detailed description of the staff immediately appeared—more useful than Appraisal.

[Magic Item: Godberry Staff]

"Category": Staff

"Rarity": Fine (requires attunement)

A naturally formed magical staff, possibly from an ancient oak. It can be used as a melee weapon and has 6 charges.

"Godberry": While holding this staff, you can cast the 1st-circle Godberry Spell, expending 1 charge each time.

"Recharge": The staff naturally regains 3 charges each day.

"Not bad." Anse smiled faintly.

Godberry Spell was a 1st-circle Conjuration spell for Druids and Rangers. It conjured 10 Magic Berries. Eating one restored 1 hit point, and a single berry provided a creature with enough nourishment for an entire day.

It might not be much use normally, but while fleeing for their lives, it was a miracle.

However, to use its magical abilities, he first had to attune to it—in other words, establish a mental connection with the staff.

This took at least an hour. During that time, he had to focus his mind on the magic item, keeping in contact with it and meditating without interruption.

A Professional couldn't be attuned to more than three magic items at once.

A creature's attunement to an item ended immediately if it no longer met the item's attunement requirements, if the item remained at least 100 feet away from its owner for 24 hours, if the owner died, or if another creature attuned to the item.

In other words, attunement wasn't soul-binding. It didn't impose much of a restriction.

"This is much better than my plain old Crystal Focus."

Anse decided to attune to it before going to sleep. He'd need it tomorrow.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Brat had finished his bread and was sipping water, looking content. Someone who didn't know better might have thought he was drinking wine.

"I survived another day. Isn't that worth celebrating?" Anse smiled slightly. He was partly joking, but also thinking of his own experience of being reborn in another world.

"Haha, that's an interesting way of putting it." Brat didn't ask further. His smile was carefree.

Anse looked at Brat and was about to speak when a line of text slowly appeared above his head:

[Brat, Human, Level 2 Warrior]

Huh, a new function of the die?

He turned away and closed his eyes. The text had been projected into his mind by the die. It appeared automatically whenever he focused on a target, and it wasn't limited to living creatures—magic items and miscellaneous objects showed up too.

It was probably an upgraded version of the combat log, though the information was rather sparse.

"What's wrong?" Brat asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, I spaced out. Brat, do you have family?"

"I do, but not here."

"That's good."

"The Mage Tower is gone. What are you planning to do? Go to Candlekeep?" Brat asked.

"With my talent, I doubt I'd get into Candlekeep." Anse shook his head slightly.

Candlekeep was considered Faerun's greatest academy of knowledge and library. It was a neutral power, and the price of entry was to donate a written work that Candlekeep didn't already have.

Scholars could visit, but could stay for no more than ten days. Officially joining Candlekeep was extremely difficult. They didn't just take anyone.

"If you still want to study magic, you could go to Silverymoon. Waterdeep and Neverwinter are good options too," Brat suggested.

Anse laughed. "Isn't being a Sorcerer good enough? Why make things hard for myself?"

"You have a good attitude," Brat praised. "I've met plenty of people who were stubbornly fixated on one path. Even when other options were available, they refused to adapt."

"..."

The two chatted for a while, mostly to get to know each other, but neither shared much personal information.

Neither brought up their plans after they escaped. At least until they got out of Baldur's Gate, they had the same goal.

During their conversation, though, Anse noticed that a few more details had appeared above Brat's head.

[Brat, Human, Level 2 Warrior, HP: 18]

Looks like the more time I spend near someone, the more information I get. He knew too little about the die and could only figure it out gradually through practice.

Night fell, and the hollow grew quiet.

Brat made a crude lantern using a candle, then took the initiative to sort through the pack's contents and prepare for the next day.

Anse pulled over his backpack and went through his spoils.

The three coin purses had probably belonged to the apprentices. All together, they held only 6 Gold Coins, 7 Silver Coins, and 31 Copper Coins, in a mix of denominations.

There were two Spellbooks. They weren't magic items, and contained a few copied Cantrips and study notes. They weren't worth much.

The most valuable items were a few gems he'd found in the Alchemy Room, mostly Blue Quartz and Turquoise. They should fetch something.

Next came various odds and ends: a pocket watch, a telescope, paper and pens, a dagger, small loaves of bread, honey, dried meat, sausages, black pepper...

"Too bad there aren't any diamonds."

Anse shook his head regretfully, spread out a blanket, and leaned against the corner. He placed the Godberry Staff on his knees and closed his eyes to meditate.

Brat deliberately moved a little farther away, apparently planning to rest near the perimeter. Anse couldn't tell whether it was so he could keep watch or because he didn't trust Anse.