Two days later. Early Morning. City gates.

The gates were busy since it was Monday, with the earlier day being the market day when merchants restocked their goods.

At this time, a wagon train stopped at the city gates, wanting to exit the city.

"Halt! Show me your identification." A city guard approached the leading wagon and requested.

"Here, sir. We also have a special permit." The leading merchant said, pulling out his identification card and a signed parchment.

"Oh?" The guard was surprised and looked over the document. He then double-checked another list of his for the name and found it. "Okay, I will do a quick inspection and let you go on your way."

"Thank you, sir." The merchant lowered his head.

The city guard then observed the ten-odd covered wagons. Five were slave wagons. The rest contained oil, weapons, wine, and supplies.

"All clear. Take care." The guard said, returning the documents to the merchant and waving farewell.

The wagon train then departed, guarded by around twenty guards.

For five days, the wagon continued, occasionally stopping in towns to buy and sell goods. On the fifth day, the wagon stopped in Auchendale, a trading town near the Nehan Kingdom, which had a neutral relationship with the Youvamor Kingdom and conducted trade.

As in any typical routine, the leading merchant sold and bought supplies in the town, including some of his slaves, before continuing to the Nehan Kingdom.

A small wagon train with three wagons and six guards also left the town, heading to Elkington Forest.

After three days, the wagon arrived at a remote hunting village near the forest and bought and sold goods, including meat, fur, leather, wooden products, monster parts, herbs, potions, salt, oil, grains, fruit, wine, spices, arrowheads, loaded crates, and two robed slaves. One of the slaves was a young and sizeable man, and the other was a female Mousekin.

Once the trade was complete and the wagon left, the village chief, an aged elder, took the man and Mousekin to his house before unshackling them.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience, young man and lady." The village chief apologized. "It was the safest way to smuggle you without raising awareness."

"It is fine. Thank you for the help." Gerhart replied, rubbing his wrist while remembering his talk with Abiah and Skyler.

.

.

.

Skyler's office.

"A special request?" Gerhart repeated.

"Yes. It is to stay in the remote hunting village of Elkington until next spring." Abiah replied.

"That is eight months..." Gerhart pursed his lips.

"Eight months of monster hunting and training." Abiah clarified.

"Hah... Okay, fine. How do I head there?" Gerhart asked.

"Do you trust us?" Abiah asked back.

"Yes." Gerhart nodded.

"Then that makes things easier. We want you to pretend to be a slave." Abiah said.

"A slave? To smuggle me out?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes." Abiah nodded.

"Is it necessary to go to such lengths just to hide?" Gerhart couldn't help but ask.

"It is the best way. By doing that, people would hardly pay attention to you." Skyler said.

"Can't I travel alone or join as a caravan guard?" Gerhart asked.

"You can, but that would leave obvious tracks. You are rather conspicuous. Even if we provide you with a fake identity, a trained spy can track you through various means." Skyler explained.

"This... seems a bit excessive. Is this necessary?" Gerhart asked with squinted eyes.

"Yes." Abiah and Skyler said at the same time.

"Hah... Fine. But are the merchants you are going to hire trustworthy? I don't want to end up as a bonafide slave." Gerhart said.

"Don't worry. These merchants are the kingdom's agents. You are not the only one who went through this process. It is a protection method that our kingdom uses for exceptionally talented individuals like you. Skyler and I went through a similar process, though Skyler was a bit less fortunate than I and lost an arm during an assassination attempt." Abiah explained. "If you are still doubtful, which I can understand, I will swear on the gods that I speak the truth."

"No, it is fine. I believe you." Gerhart replied.

"Good. I knew you would agree." Abiah smiled. "By the way, this training will cost you a lot. Usually, it is on a loan from the kingdom, but since you have the funds, we will deduct it from your account."

"... How much?" Gerhart narrowed his eyes.

"Everything in your account, plus your house," Abiah replied with a bit of deduction.

"What... Why so much?!" Gerhart exclaimed, astounded.

"Don't worry, we are not wronging you," Abiah reassured. "I assume you can absorb over ten magic stones daily, right?"

"Yes." Gerhart nodded.

Most could only absorb one or two stones daily due to damage, but late bloomers or those with extraordinary talent could absorb more. Ten stones a day is possible, but it changes depending on strength.

"Then that's that. From what you will pay, 37,200 Silver Coins will go to Magic Stones, and the rest will go to the village we send you to for training fees, food, and lodging. Trust me, it's a bargain." Abiah said.

"This..." Gerhart was understandably reluctant.

"Gerhart, relax. When you finish the training, you can earn that amount in a month or two of dungeon diving." Skyler said. "I can assure you that you won't lack money."

"... Okay, I will take your word for it." Gerhart sighed. "What should I do?"

"Head to the Slave Auction this evening with a bag or two. We already prepared everything." Abiah said.

"Can I take my slave with me?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes, we were counting it. Your slave could be a good subordinate to have there." Skyler nodded.

"Thank you. Oh, and can I visit my orphanage before leaving?" Gerhart asked.

"Sure." Abiah readily agreed.

.

.

.

Or so it went.

"I am Asher Elkington, the Village Chief of Elkington Village." The chief introduced himself with a smile, stretching his hand for a handshake.

"I am Gerhart from Vlita City." Gerhart smiled back and shook the man's hand.

"He is strong! Stronger than me, probably." Gerhart thought in surprise, feeling the strength in the elder's hands.

"Heh, surprised?" Asher grinned. "Although I am retired, I used to be a B-rank warrior until I busted my knees. I thought the city life was too much of a hassle, so the king assigned me to this village, where I settled down and had kids."

"Eh... Is everyone else in this village also like that?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"Nah... Most of us are ordinary folk. However, due to specific customs, the kids born here have higher talent than average, and we regularly hunt monsters and eat monster meat, so your average adult here is a D-rank, and there are a few other retired old hicks like me." Asher replied.

"Wow... That is high." Gerhart said, impressed.

"Yep. I was surprised, too. But it makes sense if you think about how a village can survive near a monster-infested forest." Asher shrugged. "Now, then. We should get your belongings and show you and your companion your home. You must also be dying to get out of those rags and eat a proper meal, right?" Asher said, pointing at Gerhart's slave clothes.

"That would be great," Gerhart smiled.

Asher led Gerhart and Hope to a nice-looking wooden cottage with a double-pitched roof, about the size of his previous house. It even had a proper kitchen, fireplace, and cellar. There were also hunting trophies on the walls and some rustic furniture.

"This would be your new house from now on," Asher said. "You and your companion will stay here until next spring. During this time, we will give you assignments for your training. Your belongings and training equipment are already inside your rooms. You will have the master bedroom, and she will have the guest room. Now rest. I will send my daughter to call you when dinner is ready."

"Okay. Thank you, Mister Asher." Gerhart smiled and nodded.

After Asher left, Hope spoke. "This place is nice."

"It is. Let's get rid of these rags, wear some proper clothes, and get some rest on a proper bed." Gerhart said while stretching his arms, almost reaching the ceiling.

"Yeah, finally. I don't want to continue pretending to be a slave anymore. And the trip was exhausting." Hope sighed.

With that, Gerhart and Hope went to their respective rooms.

Inside Gerhart's room, Gerhart found two crates. One crate had a bag and his equipment. The other crate had twenty metal containers. Although Gerhart eyed the boxes greedily, he repressed his urges and first changed clothes.

After changing into new clothes, he walked to the boxes and opened one, revealing a hundred 43rd-floor magic stones.

"Hehehe... So much energy..." Gerhart grinned, rubbing his hands.

With the 37,200 Silver Coins he gave, he got 100 Magic Stones from every floor. From the 31st floor to the 50th floor. A total of 2,000 Magic Stones. He paid the base price, not the inflated 150%. It was the guild showing its support.

For anyone else, absorbing it all would barely enable them to reach lvl 50. Abiah and Skyler expected Gerhart to break ten daily and to achieve about lvl 40 to 45 because A-rank talents had a much higher energy threshold.

However, Gerhart could perfectly absorb everything. He only needed around ten-odd stones from each lvl. If calculated, it would take seven months to absorb them all.

Although he would like nothing more than to start an absorption frenzy, he didn't do that. Instead, he took a deep breath, closed the lid, and lay on his bed.

"It would be suspicious to absorb it all in one go. What if someone noticed it? I should obediently absorb ten a day." Gerhart thought.

Instead, he recalled his status from his last meeting with Mother Roysa before departing.

 

Name: Gerhart
Race: Human
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Level: 30(Incomplete)

Skills: None.

Strength: C
Vitality: C
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Dexterity: C
Perception: C
Instincts: D
Intelligence: D
Aura: D
Magic: D

Talents: Pack Mule, Treasure Hunter, Strong Arms, Strong Immune System, Healthy Body, Tenacity, Fast Recovery, High Poison Resistance, High Toxicity Resistance, High Pain Tolerance, Night Vision, Sneaking Talent, Powerful Olfaction, Tough Teeth, Tough Skin, Strong Bones, Strong Jaw, Strong Legs, Killing Instincts, Swordsmanship Talent, Tough Body, Precision, Bludgeoning Talent, Axe Talent, Swift Feet, Archery Talent, Hawk Eyes, Shield Talent, Aura Control Talent, Aura Recovery, Magic Control Talent, Magic Recovery, ???.

 

 

All his stats were at least D, including Aura and Magic, and his physical stats were C. It was something Gerhart would never have believed before. What did D mean? It means his base stats were at least 2.5 times higher than average, and C was over four times. It also meant he needed more energy to level up, but it was a good trade. However, he noticed his level was incomplete, likely because he needed to level up his other stats.

But the most amazing part was the bundle of talents he had. Just looking at it made Gerhart speechless. It made him considerably better than his stats and level suggested. As for not having Hope's stats and talent, he still didn't use energy to gain them. He would get it eventually, however.

He also noticed the talent that made him a cold-hearted killer.

"Killing Instincts. Did I get it from that spider?" Gerhart wondered.

As a cold-hearted killer, it sounded like a talent suitable for an anti-social murderous spider.

"I have mixed feelings about it... But I am glad to have it. At least I don't feel guilty about killing the bad guys. But it would be problematic if it doubles for the people close to me." Gerhart warily thought. "But I suppose I shouldn't worry about it. For now, sleep."

Casting away his worries, Gerhart started dozing off on the soft bed in his room.

Several hours later, Gerhart heard a knock on his front door.