Adam found himself in a forest that reminded him very much of the forest he entered when he emerged from the infinite hallway. As Adam looked around, the wormhole disappeared as if it had never been there. The warm rays of the sun fell through the treetops and lit up the forest so that it was almost too easy for Adam to get to the edge of the forest.
When he was almost at the edge, he stopped in surprise, because he saw something he hadn't seen since the fall of his homeworld. A few meters in front of him, between bushes and roots, he saw spherical objects of different sizes. The blue, green, and clear balls ranged in size from soccer balls to the size of exercise balls.
"Those are those slimes, aren't they? I have no time for that now. In my old world, they were quite a nuisance!" Adam whispered to himself.
Adam kept glancing back at the slimes as he walked around them, he wondered if they were just like the slimes he had known. When he finally reached the edge, he faced a wide grassy plain, in the middle of which stood a walled city. Adam went around the city because there was no entrance on his side. When he was halfway around the city, he saw a street that ran towards a gate. Full of anticipation, he ran towards the huge gate in front of which he could see two guards checking a carriage. Adam had already thought about exactly what he would say if the guards asked him questions and stood directly behind the carriage.
With heavy strides, the guard trudged towards him. The man must have been about 40 or older, but he was huge, even blocking out the sunlight. When Adam saw the crest, he knew immediately, Amael had taught him pretty much about this world. A golden Phoenix with red flames on a yellow shield could only mean he was in the kingdom of Rouvria.
"Where are you from and what do you want in Tarria?" the man asked in a rough voice.
"I come from the nomadic tribes of the Northeast and am looking for work." Adam replied.
Adam had learned from master Amael that the nomads lived far in the north and mostly stayed away from the other countries, so a perfect excuse if he didn't know something. Besides, he hadn't checked how much pocket money he'd received, but he had eaten his mother's sandwiches straight away.
"Another one! You're a day late, but try your luck. Follow the main street, then you will come to a big building, just go in there, and you will meet a little old man. Ask him for work; he will be able to help you! Entry into the city costs 2 copper coins if you don't have an ID." The man said and held out his hand to Adam.
, ID? Amael had never mentioned such a thing?!' Adam mused.
Adam turned around so no one could see him taking 2 copper coins out of his bracelet. He handed them to the man and finally entered the city.
Adam looked around in amazement; the city was busier than he thought; there were humans, elves, dwarfs, and even animal people everywhere. Not that this was anything new to Adam, because after the mana stream hit the earth and everyone got this hated system, you could choose a class and even change your race. Of course, nerds and otakus didn't have to be told this twice. Adam was also fascinated by the idea of having a fluffy tail or pointy ears, but in the end, he decided to stay human.
Since the guard had said he was a day late, Adam immediately went in the direction, he was told. However, after about 20 to 30 meters, a smell rose in his nose that reminded him of his past life. He followed the scent to a small stand selling steamed buns with various fillings that looked a little like snowballs.
Adam was pleasantly surprised when he bit into the fluffy bun; it was filled with chicken. He devoured the still warm bun in large bites and bought 3 more to eat on the way. Chewing contentedly, he meandered through the crowds on his way to his destination.
Adam was so fascinated by the shops and food stalls on this street, that he accidentally bumped into some people, but they seemed used to it.
"Are you blind, farmer? Don't you know who I am? I'm James von Ramberg eldest son of the Baron of Ramberg!" Said a blond-haired young man whose fine clothes seemed to be crying out for attention.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir! Please accept this bun as an apology!" Adam rolled his eyes as he held out a bun to the nobleman, who was even smaller than him.
"You dare offer me such crap as an apology? Oh, forgive my choice of words your mother probably couldn't teach you since she spent her time making money while lying on her back. ARGHHHH...!" Adam couldn't believe what this cliché nobleman was saying about his mother. Without hesitation, Adam slammed his fist in James face. When the people around the two saw this, they made way, hoping to see a fight.
"I'm going to tell my father about that!" The blond boy cried out, clutching his cheek.
"Then you better tell him that you cried in public. Or maybe, i should tell everyone!" Adam wanted to forget the whole thing as quickly as possible and left.
He still heard the young nobleman, but ignored him. After a few meters, there were no more stalls and there were fewer people on the street. After there were finally fewer people, Adam made much faster progress and soon saw a large building with walls around it.
"That must be what the guard was talking about." Adam said to himself as he walked through a large gate.
"Whoa! Those are big buildings, they even have 4 no 5 floors and there are even three of them." Adam was amazed when he saw the buildings.
Buildings that big in a country, that resembled medieval Europe took Adam a little by surprise because they looked more like an academy or office buildings. As Adam walked toward the building in the middle, he had this strange feeling of being watched. He had this feeling ever since he came to town, but didn't mind, because there were so many people there. He looked around several times without being conspicuous, but could see nothing suspicious.
'I should keep my eyes open. Sooner or later, my observer will make a mistake!' Thought Adam and walked towards the building.
Adam walked into the building and stood right in front of a door marked *Registration* and knocked.
"Come in!" He heard a voice that must have belonged to an older man.
Adam entered and found an older halfling seated behind a table piled with books and papers.
"Hello, how can i help you, young man?" The halfling asked as he wrote something in a book with a quill.
"The guard said I was a day late, but I could still come to you and try. I am looking for work!" Adam told the man as he looked around the room.
Behind the man were two shelves filled with books and on the wall next to the door Adam entered through was a map of the continent.
"If it's just one day, it's not a problem. Write your name here and tick where you want to go." The halfling nimbly pulled a sheet of paper from a stack of papers beside him and pushed an inkwell and quill to the side of the table Adam was standing on.
Adam took the note and quickly read it through.
'Hmmm... Infantry, Cavalry, Beast Riders, Magical Support, Attack Mages, Ranged Combat, Logistics, and Provisioning. Did he send me to the military? Anyway, the Adventurers guild is overrated.' Adam thought for a moment, and then made a mark at the beast riders.
Adam pushed the note over to the halfling, who picked up the note and raised an eyebrow.
"Beast Riders? Are you absolutely sure? The training is completely different and then there is the handling of the beast. In addition, they are mostly in small groups or even alone and serve as scouts as many of the beasts are very robust and faster than horses. And your future Weapon is a bit special."
"Yes, I want to be a beast rider!" Adam said.
"MIKA!" The halfling suddenly called out.
After a moment, the door opened and a young, black-haired Catwoman in a simple black dress entered, bowing slightly. The halfling leafed through a book as if he were looking for something.
"Ah, here! That would be all, she takes you to the room. Mika, take him to Room 16 in building three."
"Tell me, that tattoo, what does it mean?" Adam asked as he followed Mika out of the building, pointing to the two connected chain links on her neck.
"This is a slave seal, the army often buys slaves to keep their barracks clean."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be uncomfortable."
"No, not at all! I get three meals a day, breaks and even some money once a week, but the training is tough!"
"Training?"
"Yes, we take part in sword training once a week, and we also have to be able to defend ourselves when we accompany you to a war zone!" she said happily, almost proudly.
"Wow, I wasn't expecting that!"
"We're almost there. Room number 16 is down this hall! Is there something wrong?"
"Ah, no, everything is fine!" Adam said as he followed Mika up the last few steps to the fourth floor. Adam looked around, he was sure he had seen something out of the corner of his eye.
"Could you show me the bathroom first?" Actually, Adam really needed to pee, but the main reason was, that his pursuer would probably follow him there as well.
"Of course, remember that tomorrow you will be woken up very early, so don't go to bed too late. It's the room at the very end of the hallway! I'll wait a moment."
Adam walked through the door with the male symbol and was surprised once again. There were five cubicles, like the ones he only knew from school. In each cubicle was a wooden chest with a hole in the lid and something slimy moving inside, which really surprised Adam.
"Liriiiii!" When Adam finished peeing, he called out a name.