The morning breeze blew across the vast plain, kissing the billowing smoke coming from the village afar, and it trailed toward a stream at the end of a roaring waterfall. The golden sunlight shone on the earth, but more particularly on a young man’s naked body.

The young boy was clutching his stomach as he retched into the stream. His face was pale, and there was nothing but bile left for him to puke. At the same time, he glared at the bald man on the grasslands who was resting his eyes and using his hands as pillows. The bald man was also in his birthday suit, but his sturdy build kept him safe from the cold wind’s assault.

“You’re still not done yet? Man, even dwarves can’t beat you in drinking, I see.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, thanks to you.” And he puked again.

“I saved you, though.”

The underground stream was deep and long. Roy had almost suffocated down there, but luckily, Letho had caught up to him and had taken him to safety. 

“So we’re even now,” Letho said.

They set up a bonfire to dry themselves up. At the same time, Roy managed to find a piece of wood to keep Letho’s hurt leg in place. Then he fashioned the remaining wood into a crude crutch. When he was done with all that, he sat beside the bonfire and concentrated on his character sheet.

‘Roy

Age: Thirteen years and eleven months old

Status: Civilian, witcher disciple

HP: 55

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 5.1 → 6.1

Constitution: 5.5

Perception: 7

Will: 6 → 6.5

Charisma: 5 → 6

Spirit: 6.5

Skills:

Massacre Level 4

Observe Level 2

Meditation Level 2

Crossbow Mastery Level 1

Elegance of the Wind (Passive)

Job:

Level 4 Witcher (600/2000)

Rank: Disciple (Conditions for next rank: Pass the Trial of the Grasses and kill ten types of magical creatures (7/10). Next rank: Rookie witcher.)

School: Viper (Unconfirmed. User hasn’t taken the Decoction of the Grasses yet.)

Job perks:

Main stat: Will. Every time you level up, your Will will be increased by 0.5 without any cost (Disciple).

Evolving Arms: You have bound Gabriel (crossbow) (leveled up), Gwyhyr (steel sword) (leveled up). Silver sword: none.

Full Recovery: You will make a full recovery every time you level up. Most injuries can be healed, including internal injuries and broken limbs. Debuffs such as hunger, fatigue, poison, plague, and curses will be removed.

Loot Package: 2 cubic meters.

You have (1) attribute point(s) and (1) skill point(s) left.

***

Roy powered up a lot from the spelunking in Smiack. First, he gained the Aen Elle bloodline, turning him into a part-elf, granting him +1 in Dexterity and Charisma. Aside from that, he could feel more magic when he was meditating. Next, he gained a level in his job, so his Will was increased by 0.5 automatically. He hadn’t planned on making Will his main stat, but when he leveled up on the verge of death, Roy subconsciously made that choice.

Letho’s Charisma was his worst stat, followed by Will. Ten points might’ve seemed a lot, but it was nothing compared to his other stats. In other words, it was incredibly hard to see Will increase. Will was also related to Fear’s effect. As long as he kept killing monsters and leveling up Massacre, Will would become more useful. He knew Fear wasn’t the only skill Will could affect. The stat description itself said Will could interfere with reality when it reached a certain point. I’m looking forward to it.

Besides, Will was crucial for his survival in the Trial of the Grasses. He’d been surprised when he’d noticed Will as his main stat, but he didn’t regret it. After lots of consideration, Roy had decided to allocate everything to Constitution and Will before undertaking the trial. Letho did promise him he’d use the leshen’s mutagen for the potion if Roy’s physique passed the bar he set for him. Roy wanted that mutagen, so he’d do whatever he could to get it.

Roy allocated the attribute point to Constitution and the skill point to Meditation. Since Meditation’s level up would add 0.5 to Constitution and Will, Roy would see a 1.5 point increase in Constitution, and a 0.5 point increase in Will. That would cause him to see a 2.5 point change in his stats, so he wanted to get used to them before adding it to his stats and skills.

Roy was about to concentrate on his bound weapons to see their change after leveling up, but his ears pricked, and he doused the flames before hiding in an alfalfa bush with Letho. A moment later, two farmers came over with their arms around each other’s shoulder, and their hoes hung across their backs.

One of them looked delighted. “Did ya see that show last night? That dancer’s slimmer than a snake, I tell ya, and her face is as white as snow. She’s just like a goddess. I can’t believe the filthy elves would have such beauty among them. What’s the troupe called? Sea Lion or sumthin’?”

“It’s Sea Scorpion, ya oaf!” the other farmer spat, looking oddly arrogant. “And she wasn’t dancin’, ya dolt. That’s called tightrope walkin’! And that elf’s Eveline Gallo! That’s a work of art, dumbass! Usually only the rich get to watch that!”

“Ye, I ain’t got nuthin’ ya told me. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I’ll watch it again if she’s gonna perform tonight.” The farmer rubbed his hands lewdly.

“Ya dolt! What if yer wife finds out about this? Ya gonna starve!”

“I’m gonna wreck her pussy if she does that, just ya see.” The farmer came to the alfalfa bush and took his pants off, revealing his soft member. “Look at this. It’s bigger than ol’ Dervish’s donkey’s. Only that elf could get it hard again.” He aimed at the bush, humming with his eyes closed, then everything turned black.

When he woke up, he and his friend were lying side by side. The night breeze was caressing their naked legs and chest hair. The farmers were in nothing but their underwear, though they were holding two crowns each.

“Did someone rob us?” The money’s enough to get us new clothes though. They looked at each other, flabbergasted, but then they smiled.

***

Roy was wearing a set of clothes that was one size too big, and he smiled wryly. “Why did I even hide from them anyway?”

“Reflex. You stayed in the tunnels for too long,” Letho answered.

“I attacked civilians though. Does that count as a violation of the code?”

“Are you dumb, boy?” Letho was hobbling behind him, wearing a set of clothes that was one size too small, his chest almost bursting out. Letho pouted. “That was self-defense, got it? They’d be pissing on you if you hadn’t done that. And I’m sure you don’t want to go around naked.”

“I-I see.” I hope the crowns are enough to pay for the damages.

The weather warmed up after they’d left the Mahakams. The duo went toward the village to see if they could catch a carriage. The ground sloped downward, pointing toward a field that had a lot of cereal planted on it. Alders surrounded the field, forming a path that led to and fro the area.

As they followed the path, the duo was led to the lakeside. Hidden behind the alder trees was a pond filled with ducks that quacked incessantly. A crude pier and lonely canoe sat quietly among the reeds, while nets and traps were set in the water.

Roy stared at the ducks and licked his lips. “I’ve had it with dry food. Since we’re staying for the night, let’s get some meat.” He never expected the resources on the other side of the Mahakams to be that abundant. “So, are we in Temeria now?”

Letho answered, “To be precise, we’re in Ellander, though it’s Temeria’s duchy.” He paused for a moment. “You’re getting used to the toxicity after the doses, I see. We’ll rest here before going to the Temple of Melitele to proceed with the trial.”

Roy’s heart skipped a beat. He’d been looking forward to that, but he was also worried. Roy stammered, “Um, Letho. I’ve always wanted to ask, but is your bald head a side effect of the mutation?” They’d been traveling together for months, but aside from some stubble, Letho hadn’t grown an inch of hair. On the other hand, Roy could tie his hair into a ponytail at that point.

“Why?” Letho arched his eyebrow fiercely. “Got cold feet because of some hair loss?”

Roy denied it. “No! I’m just curious.”

“Mutations happen randomly. You might not go bald, but you might lose some chest hair or some color in your skin. But that’s nothing, really.”

Maybe Geralt lost his melanin during his mutation. That’s probably why he has white hair and looks like someone with albinism. “Is there any way to prevent that, then?”

Letho patted his shoulder. “If you can get a sorcerer to help you out during the trial, they can alter the mutation and prevent most of the side effects from taking place.”

“Are there any sorcerers in the Temple of Melitele then?”

Letho didn’t answer. Eventually, they arrived at a human settlement, though it was just a small village. Rows of rickety houses lined the paths, and the barks of dogs and the crows of roosters were heard. The villagers threw curious glances at them, while the snotty brats chasing the chickens around sucked on their thumbs as they looked at the duo as if they were exotic animals.

Roy, however, only had eyes for the circle of carriages in the center of the village. More than a dozen people dressed differently from the villagers leaned against the carriages, chatting happily.

“Is that the Sea Scorpion Troupe?” Roy massaged his forehead before going up to them with Letho.