Slowly stepping out of the cave I was met by a beautiful view of the outside world. The only word for it was 'Untouched', The air was fresh and there were little to no signs of human cohabitation except for the odd dirt road. It almost looked like the forest had taken over the world from my view.
Vast trees of all different types and sizes could be seen from my vantage point along with fields full of flowers. Looking down I was met by a steep drop to the floor. It seems that I was at the top of a large mountain. To my sides were small paths just barely a foot in length it was obvious that it would be troublesome to traverse, however I had no choice in the matter. In the distance was what looked like a city and a few villages so I would head in that direction so I could gather information on the date and where I actually am.
I looked for anything in her dimensional space that could help me traverse the steep cliffs but to no avail. I was hoping for a grappling hook or a hang glider of some sort. It would be so easy if I could just jump off without issue but I had no doubt I would become a pancake if I were to try and I had no second lives.
Any magic that I had for traversal E.G: Air steps and flight needed a higher magic proficiency and stat values for me to be able to maintain them.
With no other choice I coated my hands and feet with a thin layer of misshapen mana and began to scale down the mountain losing my grip at some times before finding a foothold.
This took hours, hours that I didn't have causing me to become more and more impatient. Except from the occasional break to regenerate my mana I continued to plunge down the mountain. When I finally reached the bottom I was met by a worn dirt path that led in two directions. I chose to turn to the right as the city I saw was more in that direction.
As I walked I adjusted to my body, letting the mana flow freely and tensing my muscles one by one to achieve a balance between my movement and my reaction times. Since I was used to battling at a high rank my body didn't move as fast as I wanted it to as my limited strength would not allow me. This could easily get me killed if I went to hit someone or perform a feint and my body couldn't react in time.
Turning around I pulled out her scythe before tracing the edges with my finger and prepared for battle. It had been watching me ever since I finished climbing down the mountain. I could feel it's deep bloodlust even though it tried to hide it.
Channelling what little aura I had into the scythe I swung in a wide arch creating a blood red aura blade that slashed into the greenery cutting it down and chopping down some small trees. A whimper filled the silence however I kept myself on guard waiting to see if there would be another ambush.
Walking closer I was met with a corpse. Cut diagonally in half blood and guts flowed from the putrid wounds on the animal. Torn tendons barely linked the halves to each other. It seemed that I had gone overkill on something that was quite weak, however it was necessary due to the unknown rank of the creatures in the area.
As I got closer the scythe began to let out a subtle glow as black mist emerged from the grip covering the monster. The blood on the ground and in the beast began to change the colour of the mist to a deep red hue before it started to flow into the blade and I could feel the blood partially seeped into my pores filling me with energy and strength.
It seemed that the scythe reacted to my wish for blood and power and diverted most of the monster blood to me while leaving some blood to strengthen itself. I could feel my strength rise although only by a tiny bit yet every morsel of strength mattered. I would have to kill hundreds of not thousands of low rank monsters to rank up and that would take too long.
I was not sure of the rank but it must not have been anything above low F rank for such a pitiable amount of strength. I should be able to go against one low E rank foe or multiple F ranks similar to my strength.
Stepping away from the corpse I continued to travel down the dirt path killing low rank monsters that tried to ambush me. It seemed that not many people used this path if monster ambushes were frequent otherwise they would have learnt to stay away.
Pushing my way down the path a gate appeared in my vision from beyond the brush and trees. A pair of guards stood on point ready to defeat any foes and defend the gate. High wood walls covered my view stopping me from seeing what was inside, however from all of the hustle and bustle beyond the wall I could tell it was densely populated.
Walking up to the gate the guards seemed on edge the closer I approached. Pulling out what looked like a spear they pointed them at me with slight hostility. Walking closer I put my hands up to show that I was not hostile.
"State your name and intentions"(Guard)
"I am Noir a humble traveler. I was lost in the mountains and I have come for food and rest!"
Acting all old timey seemed to change their demeanour. Maybe they thought I was a high strung noble who wandered off without a map.
"You are allowed access sir, but you must pay an toll for entrance. If you have a guild badge you can enter for free or an ID."
"I'll pay. How much is it for entrance?"
"5 Silvers for entrance"
Shit I only have gold coins.
"I only have gold coins. Can I get past if I pay you?"
Their eyes widened at that fact and I could tell that their misunderstanding had increased.
"Do not worry about it young master you can enter."
Knocking in a sequence the gate opened before the guards parted allowing me entry.
"P-please enjoy your stay!"
Walking inside I could finally see the bustling town. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beast creatures of different kinds and lizard-like creatures roamed the paths however the majority were human as far as I could tell.
Walking further in I asked and elf for directions to the closest inn and a guild of some kind. Information was imperative for my survival.
Stepping into the inn I was met by people with swords sitting and eating food while being all merry while others polished their weapons or used magic for party tricks. Walking past then I found a counter with a member of staff sitting behind looking disinterested.
"Hello could I rent a room please? Can I order some food too?"(N)
Noticing my sudden appearance they took a more professional manner before responding.
"Sure! It's 10 silvers per night for a premium room and 10 coppers for a standard meal." (receptionist)
Pulling out a gold coin I put it on the desk.
"Can I have as many nights as possible and a meal please."(N)
"O-ok Umh 9 nights stay and a meal."(receptionist)
Waving over a waiter they escorted me to an open table where they said that my food would be out shortly.
It's definitely not normal to have gold coins in this area but at least I know they are still usable. I need to be careful so that I don't bring unnecessary attention to myself until I am stronger. I should find some way to exchange the gold for silver and copper coins. Things aren't going to be easy.
~~
A steaming plate of meat was placed before me with a side of greens and what seemed to be rice porridge. Taking a bite of the meat was tasty with a nice mix between chewy and melt in your mouth.
The other food was bland, like eating plain wheat portage, neither bad nor good. It dawned upon the reason why. I need blood to survive so the blood left in the meat must have added the flavour.
I would need monster blood and a way to store it. I bet she had some way to store blood in her storage. It would be best to look when I'm alone, who knows what people may think if I pull a mystery liquid out of a dimensional space. Is dimensional magic normal?
With too many questions I headed to the room provided to me and unlocked it with the key given to me at the counter. Flopping on the bed I fell into a light slumber. This day was exhausting.