A few minutes passed as they quietly walked through the village, Alex watching the villagers as they went through their live.

“So…what’s being an adventurer like?”

“It…varies. Adventurer is more of a title more than anything; usually it’s for people whom roam around killing monsters and exploring dungeons.” Sky said. “Ultimately, what the life is like is up to you.”

“So…is there some kind of adventurer guild or something?”

“What? Nothing of the sort, no. Being an adventurer is kind of informal.” Sky said.

That was mildly surprising to him, especially with how common that kind of thing was around the genre. “So…how do you find jobs? How did you get so much money to begin with?”

“Monsters have quite a few useful materials, most beginners learn how to harvest monsters, and find buyers. If you are lucky, you find a dungeon. If you are even luckier, you survive said dungeon. That’s where my money comes from.” Sky said. “And as for jobs…most high level adventurers have a fairly easy time finding employment under nobles. For other types of jobs…usually contacts and reputation. People know who you are and search for you.”

Alex paused for a second, trying to find the right words. “That’s a clusterfuck.”

“Fairly accurate. Adventuring is not easy for beginners.”

No wonder an adventurer’s guild was so common, it simplified so many of these steps.

“It sounds…incredibly difficult to become one. And incredibly deadly.”

“Also fairly accurate. Most beginners die horribly thanks to not having much under their names.”

Alex felt fear gripping his chest at these words, was that kind of life style really something that he wanted?

“Keep in mind that under proper guidance, that happens far less often…from what I head. Never had an apprentice before.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“I’m merely telling the truth. You have no obligation to become one.”

Alex nodded, deep in thought. He didn’t have many skills to begin with, what could he do? Maybe he could become a scribe? Ultimately, he could choose between mediocrity for the rest of his life, or trying to become something else.

“I…want to become one.”

Maybe it was pride, but he wanted to do something great in this world, plus, Sky was giving him exactly that opportunity.

“But why are you offering to…well, teach me anyway?”

“This area is fairly high ranked, so it would be difficult for you to do anything without help, so I was going to help you find something to do either way.” Sky said, then shrugged. “But ultimately, I felt like it was the right thing to do.”

“Thank you…I can see why you are called the living saint.”

“No problem. And yes, I earned this title.”

“How humble.”

“Merely honest.”

Alex snorted. “So…can you tell much about adventuring? What are those dungeons, for example?”

“Dungeons are…complicated. I’m not too knowledgeable of the subject, but basically, they are places full of monsters and treasures.” Sky said.

“That…doesn’t tell me much.”

“Ask Alice later, she can explain it in depth. And…just about everything else, probably.”

“All right. So, for how long have you been adventuring to begin with?”

Sky Shrugged. “I kind of lost track of time at some point, probably well over a decade, I think.”

Alex wasn’t entirely surprised. Everything about Sky seemed to show a lot of experience, even if they looked like someone in their early twenties.

“It seems like someone wants to talk to me.”

Alex looked around confused, but soon saw an old man in the distance waving at them, Sky calmly walking towards him. Alex hurried along.

Soon, they were in front of the old man, whom Alex felt was judging both of them with their eyes, Alex wondered just how old he really was, he had white hair, wrinkles in his face, yet he seemed to be comfortable in the middle of a cold winter with light clothes.

“So, you are the living saint I keep hearing about?” The old man asked

“Yes, sir. Do you need help with anything?”

“Yes. I was checking my cellar earlier today, to get a good wine in the morning, you see? When I saw something in there, a monster.” The old man said, pausing to catch a breath. “Good thing I still know how to run. Anyway, usually, I would ask the hunters for help with this kind of thing, but most of them seem to be busy having a hangover.”

“I would be glad to help, but where is your home in the first place?”

“It’s the winery. Part store, part my home. Helped build it with my own hands when I was younger.”

“Quick question, why were you in the middle of the streets to begin with?” Alex asked.

Alex was suddenly reminded of an rpg, where the npcs didn’t seem to mind staying outside all year.

“I was searching for hunters who weren’t in the taverns. Figured that if they were out at this hour, they had to be sober.”

“We will go there later, all right? But first, I need to get my friend here am weapon. As soon as that is over, we will take care of it.”

The old man shrugged. “Thank you, either way. I’m willing to pay for this, of course, but don’t be surprised if a hunter takes care of it if you two take too long.” He said, and then started to walk, before stopping suddenly. “Almost forgot, my kid is back home, he will open the door for you two.” Then, he went back to walking.

Sky also continued his trek, Alex following behind him shortly afterwards.

“Is…that kind of thing common?”

“Somewhat. It’s kind of in my reputation that I help with this kind of stuff.”

“Doesn’t it get annoying, though?”

“Sometimes, but I think it’s a productive way to pass the time.”

Soon, both of them entered a store with an anvil sign outside. Inside, dozens of weapons were displayed. Swords, spears and daggers were the most common, with the occasional mace or axe. It was the first time he saw a medieval weapon in person, and he could not help but feel impressed. From further inside the store, he heard a constant clang.

“You have clients!” Sky said.

The clang continued for a few more seconds, then stopped, he heard the shuffling of feet, then, a door opened, a…dwarf appearing. He was small, tough looking but oddly did not have a beard.

“Was not expecting clients this early. Especially from someone famous.” The dwarf said, shooting us a grin. “Anything catch you as fancy?”

Sky stared at me, raising an eyebrow.

“I am…not well versed with weapons, but I think I want to use a sword…and shield. Any recommendations?”

“A rookie, eh? Getting yourself an apprentice? Looks really fresh. Anyway, you will find high quality stuff in here, nothing enchanted, though. Not worth the bother. “The dwarf said, and then looked at Alex, scanning him from top to bottom “It depends on what you want to do to begin with. So, do you plan to stab somebody?”

“Err…maybe. I want to kill a monster.”

“Then use a spear. Shield could be useful, but aren’t made to be used against a monster.” The dwarf said. “Plus, you got decent enough armor.

Alex nodded, and then shot Sky a pleading look. They seemed amused by his indecision.

“Don’t worry too much about your first weapon. I recommend trying something that catches your interest, test it out, and then try something else.”

Alex nodded and looked around for a second, just because he bought a weapon, it didn’t mean that he would be stuck with it for the rest of his life. For now, he should prioritize.

“A spear then.”

The dwarf nodded, then went then grabbed one nearby spear, which had two wings nearby the shaft, then, he handed it to Alex, he grabbed it with one hand, while holding his clothes with the other, thankfully, Sky noticed his plight and grabbed the clothes, freeing his hand.

“Here. It is a boar spear, quite handy against some of the tougher monsters. The dwarf said, and then put a hand on his chin. “The length is boreal wood, while the shaft of cold steel. So, unless you go fight a slumberer or something, your arm is more likely to break than it.”

“That sounds good. I think. But do you have boars?”

“Sound’s good? It’s good boy. And what in the heaven’s name are you talking about?”

Alex nodded. “All right, never mind what I said.” He wondered what it would translate to if he hadn’t known what a boar spear was beforehand…but these were thoughts for another time. “I will be buying this.”

Sky gave the dwarf a gold coin, Alex figured that he decided not look a gift horse in the mouth, since he didn’t question it. Both of them left the store, Sky, however, stopped at the door.

“Quick question, where is the winery?”

“Man of fine taste, eh? Nearby the center, next to the town hall, can’t miss it.”

Sky nodded, then left then they continued their walk through town, Alex feeling very confused about something.

“What kind of dwarf drinks wine?”

Sky stared at him, their lips quirked upwards. It seemed like they were trying not to laugh.

“That was a gnome.”

“That explains the lack of beard.”

“I can’t help but wonder how are you even aware of other races, considering the fact that you are from another dimension.”

“There was…literature about this kind of stuff. Elves, dwarves, magic and stuff. I guess it’s just a funny coincidence.” Alex said. “Not to sound racist, but what’s the difference between the races?”

“If either a gnome or a dwarf heard that, they would kick your ass.” Sky said, a grin splitting their face. “To be fair…they are quite similar. Biggest difference is that dwarven stuff tends to be cruder, where gnome’s tend to do fancy stuff, but in terms of quality? It’s mostly on the same rank.”

“Interesting. And dwarves have beards, right?”

“Yes, even their woman.”

Alex decided that was not really a sight he was interested in. He briefly wondered if thinking that was racist, before deciding to focus on matters that were more important.

“So…what do you think of my choice of weapon” Alex asked.

He stared at the spear in his hands, it was surprisingly light, he waved it a bit, getting used to the weapon.

“Good. Especially for a first weapon. Spears are easier to use than most weapons. It fits a beginner.” Sky said, then paused for a second. “Although…I couldn’t help but notice that you were hesitant to choose it.”

“Well…it’s just that I don’t want to be stuck with using something before knowing how good the thing is.”

“That’s a valid concern, actually. Wielding a weapon risks gaining an perk related to it, but don’t worry about it too much.” Sky said. “In most cases, the perk won’t be specific to the weapon, merely something that enchases you that happens to make the weapon better.”

Alex nodded, that was a bit of weight off his shoulders. “So, I shouldn’t worry too much about it. Got it.”

“Since we are in the subject, did you hear when I was talking with Eric, about how I started being an adventurer?”

“Yes, sounded interesting.”

“What I didn’t tell him was that the weapon that I received was a dagger. A very good dagger, but a dagger nonetheless. I spent years wielding it, but then, well…I decided that I much preferred wielding a sword.”

“I don’t know much about weapons, but fighting monsters with a dagger sounds…difficult.”

“It was. But it did teach me one very important thing, sometimes, the toughest opponents can be beaten with a good weapon in the right place. “

Alex nodded. He wondered what part of Sky’s survival was due to their skill…and how much was due to luck, all things considered. “I will try to keep that in mind. Soo…I will be handling the monster in the attic, right?”

“Maybe. I will see if it is truly dangerous first, but odds are it will be something you can handle. Something that was a real threat wouldn’t be stuck in the attic to begin with.”

“Didn’t earlier that this was a high level area?” Alex paused.

“Fairly high level to you. But yes, i did. But that does not every monster in the area is high level, and the higher a monster’s level, the more attention it will draw.” Sky said, and then paused. “Unless it’s something stealthy, like a grue or a prowler, but they wouldn’t be stuck on an attic either.”

Alex briefly wondered why it was translating that word to a grue, but then he noticed something.

“Wait. You are saying level now.” Alex said, now that he thought about it, Sky had been for a while, he just hadn’t noticed.

“What?”

“Translation weirdness. Can you tell me about this area’s rank?”

“This is…somewhat confusing. But as I said, it’s a fairly high level”

Alex nodded it seemed that rank and level were interchangeable now, which…he was fairly sure wasn’t the case yesterday. Interesting.

As he continued to walk, his thoughts went to what was about to happen. His first fight. He was scared. He was sure that Sky would protect him, but the thought of facing a monster was intimidating. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel excited. This was the kind of stuff that he read for a good chunk of his life.

Soon, they were in front of a building with an wine sign outside, the entire place felt…old, parts of the building seemingly rotten or in disrepair, then, he heard a loud bang coming from it.