It's been a full day since I left home, and I've decided to open my bag.

I would have waited longer to open it, but I'm starving, and I need to find out what food I have!

I sit with my legs crossed on a rock and crack open my satchel. Inside is a burlap sack with a note attached to it, among other things. Before opening the sack, I read the letter attached.

Happy birthday Adachi! I have three presents for you today. So go ahead and see what's in the sack, and then continue reading this note.

I place the note on my thigh and open the sack. The first item I pull out is a pouch full of Dodona seeds! I'm a bit confused, so I pick up the note to read the rest.

In that little pouch is 10 Dodona seeds, only a tiny fraction of our first harvest! You made this possible, so I gave you these seeds in case of emergency. Use them if you must, but I would prefer it if you planted new Dodona trees along your adventure. Remember, that your life will always be more important than some seeds. Now continue opening the gift!

I pull another pouch out of the sack, but this one is full of... midstless crystals? Are these from the midstless we defeated at the grove? Picking the note up again, I begin to read.

Unfortunately, as a man who lives outside of society, I have nothing in the way of money. You've never had a use for money before, but you will undoubtedly need it where you're going. So sell these crystals to a shop somewhere in my hometown! This way, maybe you won't be tempted to sell those Dodona seeds, eh? Just kidding! Now for the last item.

I reach into the sack and grasp something heavy. Out of the bag, I pull a hefty pair of boots. I'm a bit confused. Still, I read the last part of the note.

I noticed you like to fight with your legs! That's fine for now, and in the future, you'll likely expand your repertoire of fighting styles, but for now these can be a great weapon! These boots have soles of Novite, meaning you can imbue them with various techniques just like I do with my staff. They might be heavy, but that doesn't mean much to you! I hope my craftsmanship holds up. Anyways, kiddo, happy birthday!

I toss the pouches into my bag, leaving the boots on the ground. I remove my shoes and try them on... a perfect fit! The Novite isn't only in the soles, but in the toes too! These will certainly be a great asset. Thanks, Kiichi! I think I'll wear them all the time from now on. I need to get used to their weight, after all.

A few days later, I pause for a break and remove the boots.

Adachi: "Ahhhh. Much better..."

He said this weight would be nothing to me, but the imbalance of weight at the end of my legs is driving my legs to new levels of pain! This journey is perfect for this purpose. By hiking in these insanely heavy boots all day, I'll get used to them in no time! Even from far away, Kiichi still found a way to train me. Crafty old man.

Fastening the boots onto my feet once more, I continue on. Cresting a hill, I squint my eyes and cup my hands over my brow to block the sun. I can see something in the distance.

It's the town Kiichi was talking about! However, if I can see it from this far away, it's not really a town. Instead, it's more of a small kingdom!

It's still four days journey away, but at least I won't get lost. I have eyes on my destination!

Starting down the hill, I hear water rushing nearby. What perfect timing! My water skin is about to run dry.

I walk up to the source of the noise and step into a clearing.

Eyes widening, I rush behind a tree and clap my hand over my mouth.

In the clearing lies a midstless larger than the one that almost killed me. It's a beast on all fours, resembling a large boar. Is it drinking the water? No, certainly not. Midstless don't need water to survive.

I peek around the tree, and see the midstless standing over the corpse of what I can assume is an adventurer. I see...

All living creatures need water, which would make it a popular hunting ground for the midstless. Had I been more careless, that could have been me!

Still... I need water. I can't go for four days without visiting a water source. Perhaps I'll just wait for this midstless to go away.

I sit behind the tree until the sun begins to set. Then, glancing back around the tree, I see the behemoth still standing guard next to the river. It looks like he's going to stay here forever! I could go further downstream then.

I stand up to change locations.

*Snap*

I look down and see a broken branch under my foot. Maybe he didn't hear-

*THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*

Nope. He most certainly heard that. Blast this stupid weight of mine. I step into the clearing to see the monster galloping towards me. No way I'm outrunning that four-legged beast.

Bracing myself for impact, I prepare to put everything I've learned into play. This will be good training!