The request for a duel cannot be completed. The person you are trying to duel is not a part of the system. Grant them the adventurer title first and then send another request for a duel.

After a second passed, Zane quickly responded with a yes to the system message. Sadly, he was given another system message telling him the duel wasn’t possible. All the excitement Zane felt from the first system message was turned into annoyance when he saw the second. The system probably knew Ayesha wouldn’t be able to accept his duel, but it sent the first message anyway.

Zane felt like the system was playing with him, but there was nothing he could do to get back at it. The best thing he could do was take a breath and calm down. Once he did that, Zane realized he let his emotions get the best of him.

Under the influence of the battle intent in the Arena, Zane rushed to request a duel without thinking. Ayesha was a talented fighter, but her stats wouldn’t be able to match up to Zane’s. Of course, he could ask the system to limit his stats during the duel, but Zane thought it would be better to wait for Ayesha to gain a few levels under the system. The system would increase her stats and allow her to learn more skills suitable to her fighting style.

In the end, Zane came to the same conclusion he had before he received the system message. He needed to find an opportunity to meet and have a discussion with Ayesha. The moment Zane had this thought, he remembered Jeff thought he had romantic interest in Ayesha. He was planning to ask Jeff for help, but he didn’t know what he should say to correct the miscommunication they had.

Before Zane could organize his thoughts, Jeff tapped him on the shoulder and told him it was time to go. Jeff told Zane the town’s lord wanted to speak with him and asked Zane to return. Zane didn’t want to leave but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to refuse the leader of an entire town.

Reluctantly, Zane began walking down the steps he climbed up. As he did so, it occurred to him that he didn’t even use the seat that he was supposed to be occupying. It was another example of how much he was affected by the battle intent in the arena. It also made him hopeful he would find opponents that could challenge him. After all, there was no way such a powerful desire for battle was created by a few fighters in the first tier.

“Greetings young hero from another world. Once again, I would like to thank you for helping protect our town.”

Once Zane returned to the town lord’s home, he was usured into a small dining room. The dining room was filled with simple furniture and there were six people sitting around an ordinary table. When Zane entered the town lord stood to greet him.

The town lord was a middle-aged man with blond hair, fair skin and a goatee. He was dressed in silk clothing that radiated mana and wore several magical rings. His name was Steven and Zane used Identify to confirm that he was in the second tier. He stood at the head of the dining table with his wife and daughter seated to his left and right.

Sarah, the town lord’s wife, had light brown hair and a tan complexion. She was also dressed in silk clothing that radiated mana, but unlike her husband, she was only in the first tier. The town lord introduced his wife to Zane, along with the other unfamiliar faces in the room.

Across from the town lord was an ageing dark-skinned man with black and gray hair. The town lord told Zane the man was called Earth Shaman, but Zane could call him Shaman. On Shaman’s left, was his grandson Abel. Abel’s skin wasn’t as dark as the Shamans, and his hair lacked the grey color the shaman’s had. Otherwise, Abel looked like a younger fitter version of the Shaman.

The final person in the room was Blake. He was sitting to the right of Star and to the left of Abel. Zane greeted everyone as he walked to his seat under their curious gaze. What followed was several questions about Zane and the history of his world. Zane answered very few questions about himself, but he had no problem answering questions related to the system or his world.

“Thank you for explaining all of this to us,” Steven said. “The information we received about your world and the people coming from your world wasn’t very detailed. We were given a lot of warnings, but no clear plan or definitive strategy. We didn’t know why any of you were coming to this world and if you meant us any harm. Most of the other leaders I spoke with thought it would be best to treat you like the demons that invaded us before you came.”

“I can’t speak for others, but I came here because it sounded like an interesting opportunity, and I thought it would be beneficial to my chosen path.” Zane said.

“I believe you.” Steven sighed before he continued speaking. “I could have been saved from a lot of sleepless nights if the gods had explained things clearly.”

“I already told you, you were worrying too much,” Shaman spoke up. “Our god directly told us we should be cautious, but we had nothing to fear. Our god didn’t give us any specific information, but what he has told us has proven to be true. For example, we didn’t receive any false warning about corruption.”

Steven gave Shaman an embarrassed smile. “I only warned you about the corruption because I was concerned about you and your people. However, I’m not afraid to admit that I was wrong. So, Zane, what do you think of our town?”

“I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far. Jeff, the attendant you assigned to me has been an excellent guide. He explained some of the history of your town and took me to the Arena.”

“Oh, it looks like you have the heart of a true warrior. You immediately went and found the best place to battle in my town.”

“Yes, there are similar places in my world, and I have fought in many of them. I went their hoping to find more information about the weapons of your world and thought that would be a good place to look.”

“Oh,” Steven’s tone changed, but the friendly smile he wore on his face remained. “Why do you want to learn about our world’s weapons?”

“I specialize in different types of weapons, and I wanted to see if I could find knew weapons that I have not seen or read about in my world.”

Steven looked to his daughter and Star backed up Zane’s words. “I’ve seen Zane use a lot of different weapons on our way back. He used a knife, spear, sword, axe and a mace.”

“I was planning to ask if you had any records about different types of weapons in your world. Both magical and non-magical.”

Steven gave Shaman a quick glance before he responded to Zane. “That shouldn’t be a problem, but we hope you can help us deal with the demonic beasts first.”

“I managed to figure out the general location that the demonic beasts are coming from.” Shaman added. “We wanted to ask you to investigate and if possible, destroy the threat.”

“We know it’s a lot to ask, but we don’t have any other choice. We will make sure you are properly compensated in addition to the information we promised. A lot of people will continue to suffer without your help.”

Steven tried to pacify Zane by offering greater benefits after he saw Zane's shocked expression. However, Zane wasn’t shocked because Steven asked him for help. He was shocked because he received a quest to help him.

Quest: Investigate the Demonic Origin

Description: After exploring Kaleem you found that it is being overrun by demonic beasts. No matter how many demonic beasts are killed more appear to take their place. The system tasks you with finding the origin of the demonic beasts.

Quest Objectives: Find the origin of demonic beasts

Quest Reward: 50,000 experience points

Quest Failure: Unable to locate the source within a year

Quest Failure Penalty: none

Naturally, Zane decided to accept the quest. After Zane read the quest, he realized the quest wasn’t given to him by Steven. Zane guessed that the quest was one of the quests linked to his return home, and Steven’s and the Shaman's request triggered its activation.

“Why can’t one of you go investigate? Zane asked.

“Currently, were struggling to fend off the waves of demonic beast attacks. If it wasn’t for the help of the wanderers, our town would have already been destroyed. If the Shaman or I leave, the town will definitely be destroyed.” After answering Zane, Steven addressed the Shaman. “I know you said it isn’t necessary, but I would like to thank you again for helping us.”

Shaman started shaking his head after Steven said the word necessary and spoke when Steven was done speaking. “Your daughter is a good friend of my granddaughter, so it’s only natural that I help you in your time of need. Also, we owe your daughter a debt and wanderers always pay their debts.”

“I’ll help you. I can leave right now if you give me a map and point me in the right direction.”

“I would like to go with Zane,” Star said.

“No!” Steven, Sarah and Blake spoke at the same time.

“You’re a mage,” Sarah said. “It’s not suitable for you to participate in something like this. If you want to help, you can do so by killing demonic beast from the top of the wall.”

“I’m not just a mage. I’m also a warrior mage as well.” Star nodded at Zane before she continued speaking. “Zane suggested I chose something related to fight and magic for my second tier one class. I’m not an expert fighter but I know enough to defend myself in close combat.”

Blake sighed and Star's parents frowned. Both of them turn to look at Zane with hostile expressions. Zane was confused by their reaction. He understood they were upset because of the advice he gave Star, but he gave her advice based on what he thought was best for her given the current state of the world.

Demonic beasts roamed Kaleem, and it would be difficult for Star to avoid fighting them. In fact, Star planned to actively seek out battles with them. Therefore, in Zane’s mind, the warrior mage class was the best choice for her. Zane could see that Star's parents were getting ready to berate him. Thankfully, someone burst into the room to take the attention off of him.