I am walking through Orario, thankful for my shoes. I've been walking for a few hours by now, and I still can't decide what to do. The streets stretch endlessly — stalls closing, voices fading — and my thoughts keep circling the same point. Trying to make it as an adventurer without a cheat would require years, if not decades, of work and life-threatening risks. That isn't a problem per se, but staying in Orario during the upheavals that are coming would increase my likelihood of death even more.
I walk some more, the sound of my footsteps echoing faintly between stone walls.
In the end, I decide to risk it. After all, even if I leave Orario now, it's not like I have somewhere to go to. The smart play is to mooch off the Hestia Familia for a while, then silently leave when I make enough money. Wait a few years for Bell to become the God-Emperor of the world and then come back and start working on improving my personal strength.
Now I only need to figure out how to find that abandoned church...
"Well well well, what do we have here?"
"Ah, fuck me sideways..." I sigh as I realize that I have been too distracted. I unknowingly wandered into a less populated street. There are some people around, but they are all eying me hungrily. There is also a beefy guy with a goatee gripping my shoulder hard enough to hurt.
"Haha, sorry boyo, I'm not into men. That said, why don't you take off those expensive-looking clothes and make a donation to the less fortunate, hmm?"
Of course the fucking clothes are to blame. I should have— Doesn't matter. Focus on the present.
"Of course, sir. Right aw—"
I am interrupted mid-word by a punch impacting my face faster than I can see. My mind goes blank with pain, and I fall to the ground while broken teeth shards fall from my mouth.
"Did I say you could fucking talk back to me, you bitch?"
Ah, so I'm not getting out of this easily. All right, try to curl up. As long as I survive, there might be a way...
Through lidded eyes, I see the bastard prepare to deliver a kick to my stomach, and I mentally prepare for it as much as I can, clenching my core. A ruptured spleen means death in ten minutes.
"Alex!"
Unexpectedly, the impact is much softer than I expected, as if a finger is poking me instead of the full-power kick I was expecting.
"Alex, wake up or I'm dousing you in cold water."
"Huh?"
I open my eyes to see the plain ceiling of the storage room in which I slept and Naaza's unimpressed gaze. I push against the old sleeping bag I used as a mattress, and in two seconds I am upright, looking down to meet the slightly bewildered gaze of my captain. I didn't pay attention to this yesterday, but she was quite small compared to me.
"Huh, didn't expect you to shake off the drowsiness that quick. I tried to take the blanket off you, but it seemed as if you would rather die than let go of it."
She smiles teasingly. It's slightly fake, since we're still barely acquaintances, but it's an olive branch.
I accept it, smiling in return.
"Would you believe me if I said that I was just mugged in my dream?"
"Pfft, really?"
"Yeah, they did it for my pants apparently."
"Hah, no way... But now that you mention it, your pants do seem a bit unusual."
"Yup, they belonged to a Mythic Hero of Old. His name was Best Jeanist."
"Bullshit."
"Indeed. May I get a bucket of water to wash off a bit?"
She looked at me appraisingly, tail flicking once behind her.
"Yeah, you could use some washing."
"Hah! Where was this sense of humor yesterday?"
She scrunches up her nose at me.
"What humor? Anyway, do you know where the nearest well is?"
I throw a quick look at my Minimap.
"The one near the big oak tree?"
"Yup. Make sure to take three buckets."
"Sure."
"Thank you. I'll prepare breakfast till you're back. Also, here—"
She says while handing me a coarse shirt quite similar to what I've seen the people around here use. One of Miach's, probably.
I thank her and take the three buckets she hands me while exiting the Pharmacy through a small backdoor.
As I slowly walk toward the well, I see other people moving in the same direction. Old men and women, even some children with them, probably to help carry the buckets. The streets are quiet this early, dust still hanging in the morning air.
Some greet me, and I greet back, but they don't attempt to strike up a conversation. My senses are slightly enhanced now due to gaining a Falna last night, so I can hear them whispering about my face.
I ignore them. I know how I look when I am thinking deeply — my expression might as well belong to a mannequin. I simply cannot spare the bandwidth to coordinate my facial muscles.
I must be creeping them out, but I don't really care right now.
Because I know one thing for sure.
That wasn't a fucking dream.
'System,' I call mentally, and the blue screen appears in front of me as easily as yesterday, only now it also shows my stats.
---
[Name] Alex Silver
[Level] 1
[Strength] I1
[Endurance] I1
[Dexterity] I1
[Agility] I1
[Magic] I1
[Development Ability] None
[Magic] None
[Skill] Minimap
Simulation Cooldown [6 days 4 hours]
---
"Umm, excuse me, young man, it's your turn to use the well," an old granny says from behind me — and she's right.
I decide this is the last time I let myself lose track of my surroundings. Given certain... experiences I just had, it seems only natural.
"Of course, Granny, right away."
"Who the hell you calling Granny, you son of a bitch!?"