“You don’t look like your twenty-six, maybe sixteen but even that’s stretching it.” I chuckled.

“That's the first thing you point out?!” the girl shrieked. Jeez, could you be any louder?

“Who was that guy?” I asked. “Some sort of noble or royalty maybe?”

“The son of the lord of Sycarthia City.” She answered. “I am the third daughter of the house of Ratham. You may call me Sarissa. Now, who are you? I wasn't aware of any other Embodiment stage warriors in the area.” She crossed her arms and glared at me. This brought up the question of how much I wanted to tell. I wasn't going to tell everyone I was from another world, maybe I just say grew up in the forest? No, I had a hunch that would make them even more suspicious. I decided my best bet was to simply say I wasn't from around here and not a word more.

“I’m just a nobody who’s not from around here.” I lied. The girl seemed to believe me, though the suspicion from my vague answer was still there. “My name’s Argent, of house Wolfram.” I may as well have some fun with this, I doubted there was any harm in stating my family name. Being mistaken as noble might be beneficial and if it backfires then I can simply teleport back to the plateau and start in another direction. The girl looked at me curiously.

“I haven't heard of house Wolfram,” she admitted. “Enough about that though, it seems I owe you. Though his father will surely try to avenge him, I fear even you won’t survive his wrath. He is at the Soul Formation Stage and is quite ruthless towards the people. The Ratham House used to rule the city but my father was challenged by the current leader and lost.”

So the strongest one rules, interesting to be sure. I knew I should refrain from taking any more rash actions, letting our attacker’s men go was too risky to do again. Testing my strength was a priority. However, being discreet about my abilities was a good idea. This world was completely unfamiliar, and so were my powers. Laying low was safe and safe is good I thought. I knew I was forgetting something, oh yeah. Blind Spot. The one ability I hadn’t tested against people other than regular humans. Though I had tested it against beasts in the forest and though they became more alert the closer I got they never actually found me. They always looked through me at the surrounding terrain for a threat. Though I would have to save testing out Blind Spot for another opportunity. I had a plan and I was ready to execute it.

“Hey, Sarissa I’m going on ahead. I’ll meet you in the city.” I yelled towards her as I broke out into a run. Letting them go no matter how bad-ass it had felt at the time was a stupid move. Luckily for me, I could still fix my blunder. Once I had gone far enough down the road to be out of sight on the camp I took off at full speed in the direction my now prey had run. There were very obvious tracks I was following at super speed. They were in a hurry. I did have to commend them on their loyalty to such a rotten waste of a master.

The trail veered off into the treeline, but still incredibly obvious due to trampled vegetation. I switched to jumping between the large branches of trees clearing thirty-foot gaps like cracks in a sidewalk. I felt my inner ten-year-old weeb coming out as I put my arms back and ran through the treetops like a certain young ninja from an anime I used to watch. Believe it! I chuckled as I came upon the group stampeding through the underbrush. Or would be if I had been moving slower but I was moving so fast they were almost stationary. Now would be the perfect time to test whether I could teleport multiple objects, and without touching them. I perched myself on a large limb of a tree and pictured a place deep in the forest I had seen about two months before I arrived near civilization. It would take them a very long time to get back. Provided they weren't eaten. The group disappeared leaving only their trail to this point. I should have let them lead me within sight of the city first. I facepalmed. Oh well, I can just extend my perception field. Closing my eyes and opening my other senses I could see a city a few miles from my location. I wasn't sure of cardinal directions for this world or if there was even such a thing here. I activated Blind Spot just in case and took to the skies for the first time in a while. Flying is every kid's dream and it truly is as amazing as I thought it would be when I was a little kid. Whoever thought I would be able to fly? Not me but I won't complain. The city came into sight as I landed on the ground and ran full speed through the forest to the treeline of the clearing around the city. I slowed down to a walk once out of the trees, heading for the city gates. I walked up the road passing people waiting to go into the city. Sycarthia seemed pretty large. I would guess around twenty thousand inhabitants and seemed to be divided by a class system. Once inside the circular outer walls, there seemed to be four other rings each elevated by status. The outer ring looked like mostly slums and peasants, while the next ring up was a shopping and craftsman district. The next level up seemed like it was only for nobility, with splendid manors and maintained gardens. After that came the smallest ring in the very center. A massive palace with multiple towers grew from the center, high walls surrounding it. That's probably where the city lord lives I thought.

Firstly, I needed to find Sarissa. Oh shit… I realized that I had made a rookie mistake. She hadn't said she was going to the city. She mentioned a place called Jericho. How could I have been so stupid? Well, I had stood by the gates long enough to confirm that Blind Spot worked on the guards at least, not to mention normal people. The guards were at the Core Formation stage, wisps of white aura showing as they tried to intimidate the people at the gate. Not a single person had even looked my way, so I moved carefully through the gate making sure not to touch anyone. Maybe I could find some information about this Jericho place inside. I looked around at the busy streets as people seemed to unconsciously flow around me. It was a little bit disconcerting, to be honest. I could see a couple of taverns as well as a few run-down shops. Past that was all shantytown. Makeshift structures everywhere and just as many beggars. I looked down and realized I still wasn't wearing a shirt. Better fix that. I took one out of my bag and put it on, nobody noticed me since I still had Blind Spot active but still. Now with my shirt on I started walking down the crowded street between shops and taverns, as well as a few rundown but proper houses. Passing by a shop I noticed a board with different advertisements and messages posted on it. I walked up to it and noticed a flier.

Poor Families: A new school has opened for your children to get a basic education and cultivation guidance free of charge, Everyone is welcome at Jericho Academy. Sponsored by House Ratham.

That was too easy. I was a little bit disappointed, having to hunt through the city for the information I needed was almost like a quest in an RPG game. Oh well, I’m sure there will be plenty more chances for me to get my quest time in. The flier had said the school was located near the blacksmith guild. Quest time? Nope. I think the giant building in the next ring up that was belching smoke was the blacksmith guild.

Ten minutes of walking through the city later and I was proven right. Next to the blacksmiths guild was a semi-large compound with a few buildings inside where I could see students practicing martial arts. Hmm, should I try and enroll? Could be fun I thought. At least until Sarissa arrives and clears everything up. I wasn't sure whether I actually would learn anything here but why not give it a go. What do they say? For shits and giggles right? I slowly tapered Blind Spot off as not to startle anyone by suddenly appearing near them. As funny as that is sometimes. There were several guys dressed in what must’ve been the school's uniform standing at the gate of the school. They didn’t seem much older than me. I approached the gate, the guy on the right assessed me and didn't seem impressed, a disdainful look on his face for barely a second but far too long for me to miss it. The people of this world sure acted arrogantly toward those they saw as weak. The other guy looked at me but his reaction was different, his eyes seemed happy.

“I haven't seen you here before, come to enroll in the best academy in the city?” asked the second guy.

“Maybe. I would like to observe for a little while.” They nodded and continued guarding the gate, leaving me to watch my next source of entertainment.