I slowly woke up from my deep slumber. My body, while still weary, was in a much better state than yesterday. That healing magic had worked wonders, it’d be nice to be able to heal myself… Deciding that I should probably get up I force myself into a sitting position.

I glance around the camp only to discover the party from yesterday seem to be gathered and were planning something. After a bit of deliberation, I decide to go and see what they’re discussing, after rolling up the bedroll of course. I walk over to the group and give them a small greeting as I sit down on the ground. The shifty man nods to me before going back to their discussion.

It seems like they’re making a plan to attack the goblin camp again. They seem to be in a consensus that they need to at least check if their other party member is still alive. I decide to give them the info about the goblin’s watch just in case they didn’t already know it.

“About the goblin’s watch, they have spotters that switch every four hours and I’m assuming hourly patrols. The patrols come along the same time that the spotters switch. Also just so you know I don’t plan to participate in this.“ I interject.

“Thank you for the information, we knew about the patrols, but not about the spotters, where are they located?” the noble looking women replies.

“In certain houses on the second floors, I’m not sure which houses exactly but I thought it best that you at least knew that much. Aside from that, do you know the closest way to a safe town or something?”

She nods slightly before responding

“Head northward until you arrive at the forest, than search around the outskirts of the forest for a large boulder with a star carved into it. After you locate it, go directly into the forest, you should find a creek that you can follow to the town. If they ask about you just say that Rayna sent you.”

I nod before deciding to introduce myself because I already learned her name.

“I’m Lykos by the way, kind of odd name, but that’s just because my mom was an archaeologist.”

She nods before handing me a small pouch.

“It has enough food and water to get you to town safely, good luck.”

“You too.”

She nods and turns around, preparing to pick up camp. I take that as my queue to leave, and I start heading northward towards the forest. I take the claymore with me. It seems they had carried it along with me when I was injured. I was currently walking through the plains, the grass is actually taller than me in some places so I have to advance slowly and also make sure I’m heading the right direction quite regularly. I sip on the water I was given while I walk to quench my thirst from yesterday. It’s a rather soothing feeling after not drinking water for a day.

After about two hours of peaceful walking I decide to sit down and have a quick lunch in a small clearing. I devour the food quickly due to my hunger, though it tastes rather plain. While I eat, I notice some movement in the grass that seems to be coming towards me. Growing wary I quickly pack the food and pick up my claymore in both hands. It’s quite heavy and a tad unwieldy for me, I'm surprised how easily the goblin used it. So I decide that if I level up again, that I should probably put some more stat points into strength.

Emerging from the bushes and standing at a rather short height, even shorter than myself is what appears to be a young girl. She has a rather adorable appearance and large mouse ears sit on top of her head. She has short brown hair and large black eyes. I lower my weapon and greet her.

“I’m Lykos Nyx, nice to meet you.”

“U-um… I’m Chisai…. Chisai Shira…”

“Chisai it is then. So did you need something?”

I look over her noticing she seems rather battered. She seems quite young, perhaps pre-teens. She doesn’t seem to have anyone with her either… Am I supposed to look after her? I mean There’s no one else here...

“U-uuummmm…” She shyly looks away.

“Did you want some food and water or something?”

She nods aggressively as I hand her some food and the waterskin. She quickly eats what she was given, and drinks the rest of the water.

“T-thank you… I’ll do my best to repay you!”

I nod and decide to take her words with a grain of salt. After we finish I get up and offer her a suggestion because of her apparent nervousness.

“Wanna come with me to town? I just figured out how to get there myself.”

She nods vigorously once more. Taking that as a sign of agreement, I start walking towards the forest, glancing behind myself to make sure she's following. We continue towards the forest calmly.

How are children treated in the town? Is anyone gonna take care of her? Are orphanages run well? Is she young enough for an orphanage to take her in? Would I be able to take care of her?

These questions and many more plague my mind as I stress over my small traveling companion. We arrive at the boulder inscribed with a star that was described by Rayna. After that we search for the stream, quickly locating and delving into the forest.

We followed the path through the large, tranquil forest. The massive trees loomed over us, though the branches still let patches of light hit the soft forest floor. It was an enjoyable walk, we drank from the creek if we grew thirsty and snacked on the food I was given if we got hungry. We arrive at the town around nightfall.

As we approach the walled town we were called out to by a guard standing on the walls.

“Halt! State your name and purpose!”

“I’m Lykos, this is Chisa. We’re here for a place to stay and we were sent by Rayna.”

The guard instantly brightens up at the name, and hurries to let us in. The walls themselves seem to be constructed from wood and use the massive trees as parts of the walls. There are a couple of houses sitting up in said trees but the majority seems to be on the ground. The whole town is a rather beautiful sight to see.

The guard lets us enter safely before closing the gates behind us.

“So, are you both new to this world? Or are you just new to this area?”

“I’m new to this world”

I glance over to Chisai who gives me a quick nod before continuing.

“She is as well.”

The guard sighs slightly in exasperation, before explaining

“I suggest you both meet with the town elder if you wish to learn about the world. He can also explain to you our town and its rules. It’s right over there.”

He points to a rather nondescript building made of wood. I nod towards the man, thanking him as we head towards the building.

We quickly arrive at the building and I knock twice on the wooden door. Shortly after I hear some shuffling, and the door opens, revealing the old man inside.

He seemed human, had a long beard and was dressed in a rather plain outfit. He greeted us with a kind smile

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Earnest, the town elder” He bows towards us politely.

I return his bow before replying

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Lykos and this is Chisai. We’d like a rundown on how the basics of this world, and also to learn the rules of your town.”

“Of course, I’ll start with this world. It’s a strange place and purpose is unknown. The goal of it however, seems to be to strengthen us or test us in some way. To test us they put us in these large areas surrounded by massive walls and give us a goal. The goal is usually a boss fight or something similar. For example if we wished to fell the current walls around us we would have to fight and defeat the boss that resides in the old tower. We have a time limit in the form of the monsters themselves. More and more arrive or are created from magic daily. A large majority of the monsters originate from which we call a dungeon. If you destroy the dungeon core it buys us some time before it restarts itself. After the walls of an area are destroyed the current area your in forces a mass teleport on all of the people inside. We wake up in a new area that starts of easy but eventually gets up to a difficulty higher than the previous. If our numbers dwindle to much they drop in some new people and lower the difficulty for a while.”

I absorb as much of the information as I can before the elder continues

“For our town, our rules are rather simple. Work for the town and you recieve from the town. It’s pretty easy. The only universal currency in this world are dungeon symbols, which you receive for defeating difficult enemies or clearing dungeons. Those are all the basics I believe that are necessary.”

“Thank you, honestly it really helped. But what about Chisai? Are there any places for a child to stay?”

The elder looks grim as he responds

“I’m afraid not, and everyone who would take care of her are already either dead or busy with the village. The rest are all fighting to get to the next area. I trust that you can take care of her. Please do your best.”

I grimace slightly before nodding.

I wouldn’t abandon her, though I do plan on being an adventurer so would I take her with me? Hm, I’ll have to think about it.

I give a small smile to Chisai before turning back to the elder.

“Is there any place we can stay for the night?’

“Yes, I’ll go set it up for you two. Fol-”

Suddenly a loud horn blows from outside. The elder’s face darkens considerably before turning towards me.

“Can I ask for your assistance if it’s necessary? Rayna wouldn’t give you her name if you weren’t somewhat capable.”

I nod in response. The elder goes outside, heading towards the walls and I follow, claymore in hand.

We quickly arrive. When we do there seems to be a large group outside the walls arguing with the guards on post. The tensions seem to be rising quickly and both sides are armed. Deciding it would probably lead to conflict I mentally prepare myself in case it’s required of me to kill someone. It would likely be quite different from killing a monster after all.

I close my eyes to calm myself. After a couple of seconds I open them glaring towards the gate with a determined expression set on my face.

Let's do this!