"So, Simon, I'm guessing you're a 1*? That's impressive for someone your age. Oh, and my name's Annie."
He heard the young hunter's footsteps heading toward him earlier due to his sensitive ears, but assumed it was to watch over him. He was surprised to hear a female voice, and also her broaching conversation.
(Huh, she looked androgynous, so I couldn't really tell. In fact, all 3 hunters are not unattractive by the standards of earth for both men and women, even the unhealthy looking man.)
"Um sorry but... what's a star?"
Initially smiling after hearing his bell like voice, she quickly switched to a look of confusion at the question.
"Huh? You don't know what star rankings are? Didn't your parents tell you?"
Simon tenses as a response.
(Damn, is it really that strange that I don't know? Well then...)
"I don't have them."
"Huh?"
"I don't have any parents."
She seems horrified at her own 'lack of tact'.
"I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it."
(Wow, that worked perfectly. It's not like I'm lying either. Don't know any parents here, and my parent's on Earth were long dead... Wait, what?)
A throbbing resonates in his head, as he can't help but wince as a response. He felt like that was only remembered due to the situation.
"!? Are you okay?" Anne asks worriedly.
"Perfectly fine, I'm fine. So, can you tell me more about star rankings?"
He looks up at her with upturned, shining, pleading eyes as they move through the forest.
"Well, of course I can!"
She seems to swell with pride as she begins what Simon would interpret as an 'info dump.'
(Hmm. One through 10 stars. Each a qualitative boost in both physical and mental strength, but depending on how you train, one or the other can be boosted more, or even both at the same time. Magic exists as well it seems. I don't have any understanding of how I could use my 'mana' as it's called. This is a lot like some sort of game, isn't it?)
Looking down at himself again, he wonders how he ranks in terms of strength.
(I wish I could have some sort of target to test myself out on... I'm willing to bet that my physical body is not easily matched.)
Musing on that point, he hears something close by.
"... Hey Annie?"
Annie stops talking (even though what she was complaining about was already going in one ear and out the other), and turns her head to face Simon with a quizzical look on her face.
"What is it?"
"Did I just hear a growl?"
"Huh? From like a direwolf or something? We are close to the village so I very much dou-!?"
She quickly turns in surprise, pulling out her bow and letting lose an arrow at even higher speed, strength, power, and accuracy then an Olympic archery specialist could hope to match, as it punctures directly between the eyes of a direwolf that pounced forth from the side.