It was a quiet morning in the Bark Kingdom. This was a very usual setting for such a kingdom which was both peaceful and within a very remote area compared to the rest of the world.

Bark Kingdom had gotten its name from the fact that there were numerous normal trees that covered the entirety of the kingdom. It was unfortunate, because although there was an endless supply of wood to burn during the night, other trees around the world existed where cultivators were able to absorb some of its natural force.

Within Oak township, was a small boy no older than nine years old sitting on a small box outside of his father's blacksmith business eating a nice juicy apple. This little child was named Timothy. With the sun above hitting his light brown hair and his modest wardrobe, one would almost call him a cute little boy.

"Ah there you are Timothy." his father yawning said to him as he left their home right beside the blacksmith building. "Today I need you to run off and pass along this sword I made for the young master of the Flamed Roots clan."

"Dad, are you trying to make me run your errands so that I would catch someone's eye to take me in?" Timothy now finished with his apple asked as he tossed the apple core into the bin next to him.

Although he was the only blacksmith within the township, Timothy and his family were rather poor. On occasion, his father would send him off to deliver items to both families and clans who were nearby and better off, just on the off chance that they would see some type of potential in his son. Like every father, Timothy just wanted what was best for him.

"You are getting a little cheeky there, aren't you?" Timothy's father replied before lightly hitting him on the head. "As a fourth generation blacksmith, you have some value to everyone within this township and maybe even some strong forces within the nearby city. You have been working hard these past two years and I am confident that you could reach the Apprentice level in one more year if you keep with it."

"As an Apprentice level blacksmith, you might be able to even join the Kingdom's special forces or even receive a scholarship to a nice school. With that said, you had better learn to network with those around you so that you could maneuver your way to bringing honor to our family's name!" Timothy's father told him as he handed him an interspatial ring. The quality of the ring was very common which was not surprising even though it seemed to belong to the most powerful clan within the township.

"Yes, father." Timothy did not want to listen to his father scold him any longer so he reluctantly began heading towards the Flamed Roots clan's residence which was the most northern part of the township. After passing many small businesses and houses of commoners like himself, Timothy finally reached the gates to the Flamed Roots clan's mansion which held all forty of their members.

Standing in front of the gate was just a single guard who was wearing some very basic armor above his normal wardrobe. Small and weak clans such as the Flamed Roots clan would normally move themselves to a township if they were in the process of rebuilding themselves. No one knew the origins of the clan, but since they were the strongest force now within the township and treated even the commoners fairly, not a single person pressed the issue.

"I am here on behalf of my father. Please allow me to enter so that I could deliver the product." Timothy told the guard as he stood up straight to try to give the guard an impression that he was also a very influential young master.

"Oh, Arthur's kid, huh? I was told by the Patriarch that his nephew was getting his sword repaired. Unfortunately, I am unable to let you inside, but the Patriarch asked me to receive it even if I had to get it directly from your father after my shift." the guard told Timothy with a polite smile.

"Fine, here you go." Timothy said as he handed the ring over to the guard. The Flame Roots clan, although very welcoming to everyone within the township, severely punished their hired guards who acted against them in any way. Therefore, Timothy did not have to worry about this guard trying to use the opportunity to steal the ring and the items inside.

Timothy was just happy that he didn't have to try to shamelessly act overly sincere to any of the Flame Roots clan's members as his father would want him to do and instead enjoy the remainder of the morning looking around the outskirts of the township for items or just to find a nice place to build himself a small hideout.

As he was exiting the township, Timothy actually came across another friendly commoner named Norah. Norah was a little girl who was just one year younger than Timothy. During any type of big township wide events or gatherings, Norah was one of the very few friends that Timothy got along with and would spend some time getting to know.

"Hey, wait up!" Norah called out to Timothy as he passed her little home. "If you are about to go on an adventure, I want to join you!"

"You could follow me if you would like to, but this time you will have to protect yourself if anything bad happens. Last time when we saw an infant demon beast, you tried to pet it and if it wasn't for me pushing you out of the way, your entire face would have been burnt off!" Timothy shouted back as he snickered to himself.

Out of just the three friends he had gotten along with within the township, Norah was the only female of the group. So as much as he tried to treat her the same way as he would treat the rest of his friends, his parents explained to him that he needed to be a little nicer when it came to Norah.