The cold of early winter was suppressed by the midday sun. But that didn't change the fact that there was nothing to block the bone-chilling cold of this night. Winter had come, but the snow had not yet met the earth.

 

To the west of Petra was the blue lake. West of the lake was the forest with sparse trees. Mission impossible team was moving slowly to complete their first mission in the forest west of this lake.

 

Matt had mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was afraid of the unknown, on the other hand, he was embarking on the first adventure of his new life. It had been about a month since he came to this world. The past month has transformed Matt into a completely different person than he used to be.

 

While walking among the trees with his teammates, his mind thought about what he had been through and his old self.

 

His father was a university professor and his mother a lawyer, so he grew up without worrying about money. He went to private schools but did not have much to do with classes. He had discovered sports while looking for something to dedicate himself to. The high school he attended had facilities for all kinds of sports. Swimming, football,  basketball had tried them all. But everything seemed to be missing something. It was as if he couldn't make it to the top no matter what he did. But that had changed the day he learned he could not become a mage. He was devastated when he learned that he couldn't be a mage on the mana-ability test. But then he met the sword. And for the first time, he felt that he could be at the top of something.

 

“How far do we go in this direction, Zeke,” Alistair Asked.

 

“ A couple more hours” 

 

It had been 3-4 hours since they had left Arden's inn, and they were slowly getting tired.

 

“How about a break?” said Ava.

 

“Yeah, let's eat something and move on,” said Matt. They hadn't eaten since breakfast in the morning and he was starting to feel hungry.

 

The team found a suitable place to rest and sat down.

 

Matt took out some bread and cheese from his magic pouch. The pouch was something they snatched from the bandits who imprisoned them when they came to this world. When Arden opened an inn, he didn't need it much, so he was using it himself now.

 

“Do you think we will meet a monsters?” asked Matt. He wanted to know the opinion of his friends.

 

“Most likely, my father said it was the safest route, but it's almost impossible not to run into anything. But I don't think they will be very strong. Dangerous monsters don't come around here much"

 

“What's your father's story, Zeke? How does a retired adventurer Elf become a city councilor?” said Alistair.

 

“Actually, my father and his team founded Petra”

 

Hearing this, Matt, Ava, and Alistair were speechless. Seeing the condition of his friends, he continued to speak.

 

“20 years ago, they came to Askarta with their team. They used to live in a region between the Elven lands and the 100 Kingdoms. They were overwhelmed by the constant wars and came to Askarta.”

 

After taking a bite of bread, he continued.

 

“It was a very fashionable thing back then. After the gold rank teams saved money, they would come here and establish a city, then they would retire. Of course, since every place near the shore was taken, they had to go a lot and when they got here they said 'huh, ok' and you know the next "

 

“Dude, your dad had real balls, I thought he was just a regular member of the city council.”

 

After everyone had their fill, the team started walking again. A little rest was good for everyone. It was quite difficult to walk on the land. There was no man-made path to their destination. Therefore, they began to walk among the fallen trees. The grass was yellow. Of course, there were pine trees that preserved their greenery.

 

As their journey continued, Zeke was checking the map in his hand from time to time to make sure they were going in the right direction. When they were tired, they rested and set off again. As they progressed, the trees in the forest where they were walking were getting thicker.

 

When it started to get dark, they chose a campsite and started to set up the tents.

 

When the tents were set up, they gathered firewood from the surrounding area and arranged them on the campsite. Ava muttered something, and the stacks of wood caught fire.

 

The team sat around the fire and began to eat their dinner.

 

“ cold ,” said Matt, approaching the fire.

 

“I hope the snow doesn't start while we're on the job,” said Zeke.

 

“Our first mission, huh,” said Alistair.

 

“Actually, I finished a mission before,” Ava said.

 

The team turned to Ava. It was the first time they had heard of it.

 

“When I was in Durmir, I was saving up for training. I learned the training in Petra and came to Petra after I collected money with lowly missions there.”

 

“I thought everybody was on their first mission, ,” Matt said bewildered.

 

“Nothing too magnificent, City delivery missions only”

 

“Matt, what's the deal with you and Arden?”

 

"How so."

 

“You look like you're not from around here. How did you come to Petra?”

 

Matt had to continue the lie, albeit regretfully. He trusted his friends, but he couldn't share this secret with anyone without Arden's permission. "Maybe one day I'll reveal the truth," he said to himself.

 

“Look, it's a good story. Arden and I actually lived in a hidden mountain town. We left there and went on a journey to see the world.”

 

“Then we were captured by bandits. The guardians of a caravan owner named Mr.Kurt saved us. And they left it in petra on their way.”

 

“Did you say Mr.Kurt?”

 

“Yes, do you know him?”

 

Zeke seemed a little hesitant to say it, but then he started off as if to say 'fuck it'.

 

"My father and the council members were preparing a team to investigate, regarding a report in Avalez that Mr Kurt and his team had found the 'shrines of the gods' north of Petra."

 

Alistair and Ava's eyes widened at the mention of the temples of the gods. They could not speak out of amazement.

 

Zeke spoke quickly when he saw Matt's normal state.

 

"Did you know?."

 

“Actually, he told Arden before we left Petra, and the reason we bought the Land was on his recommendation.”

 

This time the team all turned to Matt. Zeke's mouth fell open. If the news were true, the land the City Council sold would be costly. Petra was sure to be flooded with adventurers and traders.

 

“You were very lucky. If the news is true, the lands will be valued at least 100 times. Do you mind if I tell my father?"" said Zeke.

 

Matt shook his head no. They already had the land. They had nothing to lose, but they could lose thousands of gold coins if the city sold it again.

 

Zeke took a scroll from his magic pouch and began to write something.

 

"What is this ?" said Matt.

 

“Bound paper. What you write appears on the other paper.” he explained.

 

“My father gave it to me to use if we were in trouble. But I think now is the right time.”

 

"One thing I don't understand? Why are these Gods' Shrines so important!" Matt knew the legacies of their Gods were here, but he didn't understand how Humans were overreacting.

 

“How could you not know that?”

 

“Like I said, I grew up in a mountain town? And we didn't have much contact with the outside world, I'm learning many things for the first time."

 

“The temples of the gods The road to immortality According to the legend, the gods left the secrets of being gods in these temples before they left this world. For thousands of years, adventurers have scoured all over the world to find it. In fact, when Askarta was first discovered, large teams sought it out. But no one could find it. If this news is true, Petra will be a place where all high-level people will flock.” said Ava.

 

“Anyway, that's none of our business, let's focus on the task ahead for now. Who will keep the first watch?" Zeke asked while he put back his parchment in.