invayne

16 + advanced chapters on https://www.patreon.com/invayne

I said goodbye to the pink-haired thing and made my way back to town. Her level was now higher than those around her, so she should be quite well from this point on. Whether or not I will see her again in the future is another question, but I do hope she survives. I mean, I guess you can say she was the first true acquaintance that I have met thus far.

Now, I had people I talked to in my dreams as well. But I am still not even sure if those people are real. While everything else was matching up, I did not know if the people were real yet since I had yet to meet anyone I knew. And I probably won’t until I start doing dungeons. But then I would need everyone else to catch up to me. Maybe I should just level to like thirty or something and solo the level twenty dungeon? I could even craft my own armor as well to keep my gear up to date…. But crafting takes a lot of time….

Either way, I would need to pick up a few crafting skills anyway since they could be brought over to the real world as well. Many blacksmith shops and alchemy shops would open in the future. Sadly, since it is too expensive, I won’t be opening any shops later on, but that does not mean I can’t make my own equipment. As long as I have the materials and tools, I can make anything anywhere. While it might be good money at the start, it will not be too good after about a month or so. It will be easier for me to craft my own gear anyway since having someone else make it costs more than needed.

I arrived at Mary’s house not too long after entering town. The sun was high enough to begin warming the day, so I knew it was around mid-morning. I knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by the young girl I saved before. “You’re here!”

I smiled at the girl’s happy smile and said: “I do like to keep my promises.”

“Hehe. My mother is just inside.” Mary said as she grabbed my hand and led me into her house. “Mom, my hero is here!”

The houses were kept very clean but had little furniture. This showed that they were not very rich, but from the looks of things, they were doing okay and were not too poor. Not that I am one to judge. I lived even under the poverty level as it was.

“Oh? Your hero is here?” A woman looking like an older version of Mary but still young walked out. She did not seem to be older than twenty-five. “Hello, my name is Helen, and I am Mary’s mother. I should thank you for saving my daughter.”

“I was just doing what should be done. Leaving a young girl on the lerch is not something people should be doing.” I felt slightly awkward being thanked when I was doing it selfishly.

“You truly are very kind, just like how Mary described you.” Helen smiled as she turned towards the kitchen. “I will get you both some tea. Enjoy your chat.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Mary beamed a smile before pulling me to sit. “So I found out that you were not the only one who was there yesterday.”

“Oh?” I guess I did not need to prob for any information. Mary would just tell me.

“Yeah! There was another man. He used to work for the royal guard and is now training the town watch. He came by and asked me about you. He said if I see you, to ask you to go and see him. He wanted to speak with you.” Mary explained excitedly.

“Then I will need to go see him. He is at the town barracks?” I asked probingly.

“Yeah. He will be there. He trains in the morning. He said for you to stop by at any time.” Mary replied.

[Hidden Quest: ‘The Swordmaster's Challenge’ Updated]
[Mary has told you know that a swordsman wants to speak with you. Meet him at the town watch training grounds. (No time limit)]

After exchanging more pleasantries with Mary, I promised to come to visit her again before leaving and heading out. All my unique skill quests were now gathered and on infinite time limits, meaning I could finish them at any time. “I guess I should stop here for now… I need to get some things prepared in real life as well.”

I took a deep breath as I found a secluded spot to log out. I needed to check my credit score and talk to the bank. I am hoping they can give me some kind of loan. I need to see what my options are. With my current credit, I should be able to apply for a business loan, maybe? I just need enough to get by on for the next two years.

I am not sure how that all works, but I do hope I have what I need. However, I am not sure if they will want proof of income or not either. I will need to look it up. This means the internet cafe. Am I really ready to deal with people? I couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of talking to so many people in a single day…. Maybe I can write on the ground with a stick?