Icarius awoke abruptly, feeling utterly exhausted. He hadn't slept well in days, and making all those potions had drained some of his energy. His body felt heavy, and he shuffled out of bed like an old man, barely able to stand. "I need to get moving," he thought, but his legs felt like they were made of lead.
He stumbled over to where Astrid was sleeping. The unicorn was snoring softly, completely oblivious to the world. Icarius, too tired to be gentle, gave Astrid a firm nudge on the head.
"Wake up," Icarius grumbled, his voice rough with fatigue.
Astrid shot up in terror, eyes wide, as if he'd just escaped a nightmare. "What—what's happening?!" he gasped, looking around in panic.
Icarius couldn't help but chuckle, despite how tired he was. "Relax; it's just me. What were you dreaming about? You looked like you saw a ghost."
Astrid's ears flicked back, and he hesitated before answering. "I was trapped on an island... of wasabi."
Icarius blinked, then burst out laughing. "Seriously? That sounds like a dream come true, not a nightmare."
"Not for me!" Astrid snapped, still nervous. "I hate wasabi. The smell, the taste—it's awful! And I'm allergic to it!"
Icarius's laughter softened into a smile. "Alright, alright, no wasabi on this trip. I promise." He patted Astrid's neck, calming him down.
After that, Icarius started getting ready to leave. He moved all his bags into the spacetime room he had just unlocked, his mind still racing with how much easier this could have been if he'd known about it sooner. "Well, better late than never," he thought, loading the potions onto the carriage with gravitational magic.
"Astrid, time to change into a horse," Icarius said, turning to his companion. Astrid grumbled something under his breath but transformed, his unicorn form shrinking into that of a regular horse.
Icarius hooked him up to the cart with a modern blue lead he had bought back in his world. The color looked out of place in this village, but it was sturdy, and that's what mattered. He climbed into the carriage, giving one last look at his house before locking the door behind him.
At the village exit, a guard stepped in front of the cart. "Guild card," the guard demanded, holding out his hand.
Icarius froze, his mind blank. "Guild card? What's that?"
The guard raised an eyebrow, looking Icarius up and down. "It's your identity card. You need it to leave the village. You don't have one?"
Icarius felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. The queue behind him was growing longer, and the guard's suspicion was turning into annoyance. "This is bad," he thought. "I'm holding everyone up, and this guy thinks I'm some kind of spy."
Just as things were looking grim, Icarius heard a familiar voice shouting in the distance. "Icarius! Wait, I forgot something important!"
It was the village chief, Asula, hurrying over with a small card in his hand. "What's going on here?" the guard asked as Asula approached.
"Icarius doesn't have a guild card," the guard said, still eyeing Icarius warily. "He could be a spy—or worse."
Asula shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault. I forgot to give him his guild card earlier." He handed the card to Icarius, who quickly glanced at it. His name was printed on it—just "Icarius." No last name.
"Why doesn't it have my full name?" Icarius asked, confused.
Asula sighed. "Only nobles have last names. You'll have to make do without one; I am surprised you do not know this."
Icarius frowned but nodded, not wanting to argue. The power level section of the card was blank, as were the scores for magical ability, IQ, bare fighting, swordsmanship, and optional weapon exams. The menu system in his head popped up to explain the details, but Icarius was too tired to pay much attention.
"Thanks for the card, Chief," Icarius said as Asula handed him a small parting gift: a chain necklace with a turquoise crystal. "What's this for?"
"It's from an old friend," Asula said, his voice softening. "And remember, some cities will require a trading guild card as well. You'll need to take both the power level and trading exams when you get there."
Icarius nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Alright, I'll handle it. Thanks again."
As he left the village, Icarius waved goodbye to Asula and the few villagers who had come to see him off. The road ahead was long, and the cart creaked as it rolled over the uneven ground. The menu popped up again, but this time Icarius was ready.
"What now?" he muttered under his breath.
The menu explained how the ranking system worked—0 to 10 was an F, 10 to 20 was an E, and so on, all the way up to 100, which was an A. S, SS, and X ranks were special and required a separate exam in the capital city of Eriolia, Turpinia.
"Great, more tests," Icarius thought sarcastically. "At least I'm starting to understand how this place works."
After two hours on the road, Astrid suddenly perked up, his ears twitching. "There's a fight happening nearby," he said, his voice tense.
Icarius looked around but saw nothing. "How do you know?"
"My horn," Astrid replied, "I can sense battles from a distance. The fight is about two kilometers away."
Icarius nodded, his mind quickly shifting into strategy mode. "Alright, let's check it out. But be careful. We don't know who's involved or what's at stake."
Astrid slowed the cart, and they cautiously approached the area. As they got closer, Icarius could make out faint sounds of clashing swords and spells being cast. "This could be trouble," he thought, his grip tightening on the reins. "But we need to see what's going on."