As I walked away from the inn, I realized that I had absolutely no clue about the location of the capital city. However, the thought of returning to the inn and potentially ruining my already ruined epic exit was unappealing. Equally unattractive was the idea of going to the Firebrand Smithy, where I might run into Ember, and I was keen on avoiding her for now after what happened yesterday.
My mind raced, considering my limited options. My map skill, which had served me well so far, could only record places I had previously visited. But the catch was that I didn't have enough P.O.W.E.R. points to upgrade it at the moment. Lost in thought, I scanned my surroundings, hoping for some inspiration. And then, to my surprise, I spotted a familiar face among the crowd - one of the guards I had encountered when I first arrived in Random Town.
Unlike the first time I had seen him, he was now dressed in regular clothes. Perhaps he had a night shift or some sort of nighttime duty? I couldn't be sure, but I decided to ask him about it. I approached him and greeted him politely.
"Hello, sir. How have you been?" I inquired.
He stared at me with a puzzled expression and replied, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"
"Well, it's been a few days, but we met when I was trying to enter the town," I reminded him of our previous encounter.
"Oh, now I remember you. You're the guy who was invited by Mr. Firebrand. How have you been? Did you meet Mr. Firebrand?" he asked politely, a change from his previous behavior as a city guard.
"Yes, sir, I did, and I actually received some new shiny pieces of equipment from him. By the way, I have a favor to ask you," I mentioned my meeting with old man Owen and proceeded to explain the favor I needed.
"Favor? Well, as long as it's not too much, I suppose I can help you. By the way, I couldn't introduce myself properly because of my work. My name is Eric. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you too, Eric. My name is Dokuta Doyama. Actually, I'm a traveler, and I wanted to go to the capital, but I have no idea how or where to go. Can you help me?" I asked curiosity in my voice.
"Capital? Are you from a very remote region or something? You don't even know where the capital city, Neopolis, is? Well, whatever, I guess that's fine. Random City has a total of four entrances. The one you entered the city from is called the west entrance. If you want to go to Verdant Grove, you have to go to the east entrance. The south entrance leads to the port city, and finally, the north entrance leads to the capital," Eric explained.
"I see. How long does it take to reach the capital?" I asked, curious.
"Hmm... that depends. If you go by wagon, it'll take you three to four days. Walking will take around five to six days. If you use the teleportation tower, you can get there in an instant, but it's quite expensive, and the tower is currently under repair. It'll be a few more days before it's functional again," Eric provided a detailed explanation and continued, "You don't have to worry about getting lost on your way to the capital. There are plenty of directional signs along the route, so you won't easily get lost."
"I see. Thank you for your help," I expressed my gratitude and began heading towards the north entrance. As I walked, I found myself in a part of town I hadn't explored before. It was surprisingly beautiful, and I couldn't help but admire the scenery. However, my pleasant stroll was abruptly interrupted when I slipped and tumbled to the ground.
My face met the floor, and my mouth tasted the dirt. I quickly got up, spat out the dirt, and muttered, "Goddammit! Why is my day so terrible today? First, I stubbed my pinky toe, then I had scalding soup poured all over me, and now this?" I cursed my unfortunate luck.
I glanced at the new clothes I had received from the inn owner. They had gotten a bit dirty, not to the point of leaving a permanent stain, but it was frustrating nonetheless. "Goddammit!" I cursed my fate once again and resumed walking.
My eyes remained fixed on the dirty clothes as I tried to wipe away the dirt, and in doing so, I accidentally bumped into someone.
I accidentally collided with the person, and we both stumbled a bit. Fortunately, neither of us was hurt, but I quickly began apologizing, "I'm so sorry about this. I've had a really bad day, and my new clothes got dirty. I was trying to clean them, and I accidentally bumped into you."
However, the person I had bumped into grabbed my shoulder and started shouting, "You foolish imbecile! Do you know who I am? How dare you do something like that to me and then try to leave without even offering a proper apology?"
I was taken aback by his reaction. I had already apologized sincerely, and he was speaking to me as if I had committed some grave offense. I was already having a bad day, and his attitude didn't help. Deciding to match his tone, I turned around and sighed before responding.
*Sigh*
I let out another sigh and said, "I don't know who you are, and honestly, I don't care. You're just a random person to me. I already admitted my fault and apologized. If that's not enough for you, well, I couldn't care less," I replied with a weary tone.
"How dare you call me 'just a random guy'? I am not just a random guy; I am Guy Random," he declared with a sense of pride and satisfaction.
I couldn't help but be perplexed by his declaration. What was the difference, and why was he so proud of it?
*Sigh*
I let out yet another sigh and responded, "I don't care if you're a random guy or a random mob. Just leave me alone. Unlike you, I have things to do."
My response seemed to enrage him even more, and he began shouting even louder, "How dare you! Not only did you insult me, but you've also insulted my father, Mob Random. It's a very serious crime punishable by death!"
I couldn't help but wonder what was going on with this guy. First, he claimed to be a "random guy," and now he was saying that his father was a "random mob." It left me utterly confused. Then, it suddenly clicked – "Random" was the name of this town, wasn't it?
I was about to ask, "Wait, by Random, do you mean..." but he interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.
"So, you finally understand who I am. I am Guy Random, son of the Viscount Mob Random," he said with a great deal of pride. Then, he continued his aggressive rant.
"You insolent fool, for insulting both me and my father, I will have your head," he declared, drawing his sword from his hip.
What He's the son of a Viscount? That means he's a noble, right? I couldn't help but notice how fancy his clothes were, even fancier than what I wore on my date with Ember yesterday. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
I cursed under my breath, trying to figure out what to do next. Then it hit me; I had an idea. With newfound confidence, I decided to speak up.
"Do you know who I am?" I asked him with confidence, projecting an aura of authority.
Surprised, he removed his hand from his sword and inquired, "Who are you? I don't even know your name, nor have I heard of anyone like you before."
Perfect, he had no idea who I was. There was only one thing to do. I swiftly made a throwing motion with my hand and said.
"Pocket Sand."
As I spoke those words, sand flew from my hand and struck the random guy right in the eye. He began to scream, clutching his eyes in pain.
*Ahaaaa*
This is the perfect time, I activated another skill.
"Skill Share - Acceleration"
"Acceleration"
"Acceleration"
"Acceleration"
"Acceleration"
"Acceleration"
After successfully using Acceleration six times, I sprinted as far away from him as I could and quickly reached the North gate.
*Huff Huff*
I felt a bit tired from the intense run. The reason I had asked him if he knew about me was solely to distract him. If he didn't know who I was, there was no way for him to locate me or gather information about me.
I was planning to leave this town anyway, so there was no need for me to try and convince him to leave me alone. I could just use some sand to blind him and make my escape. It seemed like the easier option.
As for him being just a random encounter, there was no way I would run into him again, right? Right?