All five that Enrico had summoned for this mission were sitting at a tavern table while Enrico gathered some information from the owner, then came back and sat beside Elian.
"We'll be able to get in through inspection if we prove we're Astrong students."
"Good thing, but why did there have to be an inspection today of all days?"
"From what I heard, three dungeons appeared near the city, so anyone below circle two can't enter that zone."
In truth, there were four dungeons, but one was well hidden—and that was the one they were going to enter. In the original story, the characters had gone to that place because they were hunting for special fruits for some of Valença's research, but since they hadn't even gotten into that conversation and were busy, he had to come instead.
'Will it really work even without the protagonist?'
[At least this one, yes. The important arcs require the protagonist to function, and if that doesn't happen, then you'll lose a chance at a new pact.]
Enrico had come to this arc not just for the protagonist's item—he also came because he needed to secure new pacts, especially after those two that left him without one for four arcs of the story.
'Well, at least with this one it'll be two.'
[And don't forget—even after completing it, you still need two more to unlock the new pact.]
'Yeah, I get it. No need to repeat yourself.'
[For now, I'm analyzing something. I'll be back in a few seconds.]
Nodding, he looked at his companions, who were discussing what kind of adventure this would be, so he decided to tell them it was about a dungeon.
"I got interested in a dungeon my family mentioned that showed up recently."
"Does that mean it's one of the three? If it is, we're screwed—mages have already gone in to handle that problem."
Caelan spoke in a discouraged tone, and everyone around seemed to lose hope, thinking they had come for nothing.
"It's not one of the three. Looks like we got lucky—they still haven't found this dungeon yet."
Excitement returned to their faces, and Caelan raised his hand to order an orange juice. The others began making their own orders as well.
[Enrico, a Constellation wants to give you a unique ability. Do you accept?]
'I accept, give it to me already.'
[And the restrictions?]
'Should I even care? I don't really have a choice, so just give it to me.'
Enrico's eyes gleamed with ambition as he rested his head on his hand. The system, in a way, was disappointed because it had wanted to see him make a face of frustration.
[It's not an ability that will make you stronger.]
'Alright, understood. Now give it to me.'
[It won't improve your skills either.]
'Are you going to keep stalling or give it to me already?'
The system blinked out for a moment, and Enrico even felt as though something inside the interface was breaking. A mischievous smile appeared on his face, and when the system returned, only the ability's details were shown.
[Unique Ability: Perfect Disguise – You can change your appearance into that of different humans.]
Restrictions: Your magical affinity cannot be changed.
It lasts a maximum of thirty minutes, after which you must recharge for five minutes before using again.
The disguise is limited to your own height and weight—meaning you cannot become a giant or a child.
[This ability has a chance of improving as your circle level rises.]
'That's cooler than I thought—at least better than when the elemental clone showed up at first. Not that I'm complaining, I love that ability now.'
To Enrico, the restrictions seemed fair—maybe too fair, which made him suspicious for a moment, so he began analyzing it deeply for a while.
"Are you done eating, Elian? How do you eat so much?"
"Me? Enrico, you're already on your tenth bowl while I'm only on my third."
It was true—Enrico, throughout all this, had been eating a lot. It was something he had started doing after training so much and leaving his stomach empty. For some reason, his stomach seemed bottomless, always capable of devouring whatever food was put in front of him.
'Now that I think about it, this only started happening recently… almost like my body isn't satisfied anymore.'
Finishing his eleventh bowl, he grabbed another and decided to leave that thought for another day. After all, he had asked the system to monitor his body, and so far, nothing unusual had shown up. So he returned to thinking about his new ability.
'There's no hidden price to this ability?'
[Well, none of the Constellations can grant a new ability again for a very long time.]
'Ah, now it makes sense why it's just this. Fine, give it to me already.'
[Alright, it's being transferred to you now.]
Enrico felt something different, and when he looked at his stats, he saw his new ability listed alongside his elemental clone.
'With this, I've got more cards up my sleeve to combine with my new level. I think I can use this ability in certain arcs of the story.'
His percentage values had grown considerably thanks to the Solcren Ferreira family and Virelle, with his fire affinity standing out—especially since he couldn't use much water magic in front of them.
Fire Magic, Circle 2: 20%
Water Magic, Circle 2: 18%
'That means I'm at fifty in fire and forty-eight in water. Plus, there's the fire ring and water necklace percentages.'
But he knew it still wasn't enough, because rank one would reach the third circle in a month, breaking the previous record of fastest circle advancement.
[If we're being honest, the one who broke that record was you.]
'Yeah, but I had help, so it doesn't really count. Anyway, that's not important now, because I already have a new training plan to raise my percentages.'
[Something insane, for sure.]
Everyone finished their meals, paid the bill, and left the tavern, planning to rest a little before heading into the dungeon.