“My, my, a Trailblazer to help my grandson? How kind of you.”

“N-No problem.”

Mickey, following the map, had entered the residential area of Torea. There, the quest’s marker led him to a kindly old lady, wrinkled and frail, waiting outside her doorstep with a box near her.

“Trailblazer, if I could trouble you so, could you make sure my grandson is eating well? He has to stay out at the midway-camp for so long you see…”

“Yeah. No problem, I’ll do that.”

Mickey went on his way with the old woman waving as he departed. His map had been updated with a new goal, and he had the parcel in his backpack.

I guess I’ll go turn in the two quests I did before I leave.

Mickey swung by Selia once more—she was all smiles, like when he first saw her. The process was simple; he told Selia about his completion, his Slate chimed, and Selia confirmed the completion on her side. As she informed Mickey, the currencies could be seen through his Slate and the rewards were transferred into his backpack.

Mickey thanked Selia, tickled by the convenience, and was on his way out of town, tapping through his Slate to see the rewards.

***

Rewards Report Summary

[+1%]Skill Bit

[25%] Shop Discount Coupon

20 Gold

10EXP

25EX-EXP

1EXC

***

Sweet. There’s 1EXC. 99EXC to go before I’m clear of debt… And I’ve got the two types of experience now.

Mickey looked through the menus, reminding himself of everything he read. EXP would go towards his level and had already been applied. At Level 1, to get to Level 2, he needed to collect 90 more experience points. The EX-EXP he could, right now, use to level his Skills. If he wanted to level the first node of Ball&Chain he would have to devote 100 points of EX-EXP to the skill. Unlike EXP, because EX-EXP could go toward many projects, it appeared as a spendable currency that Mickey could use up through his Slate. He didn’t have access to them right now, but according to the guide, he could use it on NPC party members and their skills and he could also use it to strengthen certain items and weapons.

Mickey noticed one more thing when looking at his current values. His count of Excia had changed. His amount of -100EXC was still visible, but now, there was a new entry next to it showing 1EXC. Quick taps revealed he needed to commit the Excia he received toward the debt.

Seeing how it worked, Mickey nodded inwardly. Now he understood how someone could become further indebted if they weren’t good with managing their funds. Mickey, however, lived on a budget for a long time, being very careful with his family’s money. He became even more cautious after his grandmother fell ill.

To have enough money to be able to afford caring for his grandmother while trying to move up in the world—that was the goal. One that seemingly became easier if the game really converted Excia to cash at a generous rate.

Mickey was reaching the town’s boundary; ahead of him was the wood-spike wall and the gate. Further beyond, Mickey could see the changing landscape. Where the beam of light and hole in the clouds ended, the environment starkly shifted. Instead of green, healthy grass, there were dry, gray and black blades. The trees, for those that were not bare, also took on unhealthy colors. The road leading out of the town also became more depressing, losing its color and the lampposts spread some eight feet apart on both sides of the road added to an extremely eerie atmosphere. Actually seeing both types of environment up close terrified and excited Mickey—it really was a fantasy world.

“Halt, Trailblazer! Are you fully prepared to step outside Torea?”

Mickey came to an abrupt stop, looking at the guardsman with spear in hand and with a face so scrunched he looked to be in pain, sticking his free hand out at him. “U-Uhh. Yes? Sorry, you surprised me. Yes, I’m ready.”

“Very well,” the man responded, dressed in the typical armor, metal hat and all, that one would expect from a town guard. “Remember to stay near the lampposts, and keep the light.”

“Right… Actually, could I check something with you?” The guard nodded at Mickey’s request. “The monsters out there—they’re undead, right?”

“That they are. Slashing attacks do not typically work on them. Be prepared to use magic or bludgeoning attacks.”

“I see… By the way, what’s your name?”

The guard lit up in a flash—suddenly he didn’t look so stern but looked more to be someone Mickey’s age. “My name is Albert, Trailblazer! I am a proud guard of Torea!”

His enthusiasm was infectious. “Nice to meet you, Albert. Thanks for making sure I was ready.”

Albert lit up further and he tapped the spear against the floor as he saluted Mickey. “It is my pleasure, Trailblazer.”

Mickey left Albert to his post, walking some eight feet from the gate before finally crossing the boundary. Immediately after he stepped out of the light, the warmth was gone. A haunting chill descended. Sounds disconcerting and frightening in nature reached his ears. The world became darker as the lamplight became brighter, better marking their boundaries. Mickey looked around—among the dead and dying trees, Mickey could see eerie, pale-blue glows coming from what looked to be like abandoned homes. The homes were riddled with holes with walls and roofs caved in. The difference was jarring—it even seemed like the full extent of the horror was being hidden by the light of Torea—as inexplicable as it was.

Looking into the distance and scanning the sky, Mickey could see other points of light—points where the light pierced through the cloud cover. In his estimation, those were probably areas that were similar to Torea. Mickey spotted one point of light bigger than the others—perhaps it was another settlement. A quick look at the map bolstered that guess.

Mickey took one more breath and took a step into the great unknown. The next goal, travel some kilometers up the road and deliver the parcel.