Next, the old man showed me a fairly accurate map of our continent.
Kipen was located in the east of the empire. The border was a hundred kilometers away, and at that point, it was the Sea Forest. It was called Sea because it started right from the Deadly Sea, which partially bordered Shrinant from the south. It was called Deadly because everyone died in it. Storms and monsters seemed to deliberately pursue ships. In fact, locals believed that the Sea Forest was teeming with various creatures that came out of the sea.
The border with the hobbits began where the forest ended and went to the northern mountains. Accordingly, you could only get to the elves through the lands of the halflings.
Dwarves lived in the mountains to the north.
And the vast territory in the west and southwest was called the Orcish Steppes. And if you manage to cross them alive, you'll end up in Zirania.
"We'll talk about the internal geography later," Viziliy folded the map. "I suggest we discuss more practical things."
"With pleasure," I nodded and looked at the sweetly sleeping and snoring Lynch. "I don't understand everything about leveling up."
"Well, look..." Viziliy raised his eyes to the dark sky, gathering his thoughts. "When you level up, parameters improve depending on the chosen direction. A strongman becomes stronger, a rogue becomes more agile, and so on. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
"There are also skills. Active and passive. This is one of the most important aspects of leveling up. Skill points are very, very difficult to get. One for each level, one for each rank in a guild, for example, strongmen. And for very rare quests."
"And guilds..."
"Everything in order. We'll talk about that later," Viziliy waved it off. "Do you understand that skills are important and complex? And in general, do you understand the principle of how they work?"
"In general, I understand."
"Good. I'll tell you more about what exactly to improve a little later." Viziliy took out another wineskin and, after taking a few sips, handed it to me. "Next, talents. Ready to listen? This is also very important."
The wineskin contained wine, and to avoid getting drunk, I took just two small sips:
"Ready."
"The complexity of talents is that they're not in the menu. But they exist and also improve. For example, they include horseback riding, archery..."
"Wait..." This was indeed an important point, so I interrupted my interlocutor. "If they're not displayed anywhere, how do you know they're improving systematically and not just growing naturally?"
"From the system bible," Viziliy smiled and took another sip of wine. "They're in every guild in all major cities... You've read the system help, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, the help is an excerpt from the bible. Everything is written in more detail there..."
"Why complicate it so much..."
"Don't forget where you ended up!" the slightly tipsy old man laughed. "Maybe there are many literate people in that world, but here people are simple. Why load all this into their heads? If they want, they'll find the bible and read it themselves. If not, the minimum necessary is in the help. Shall I continue?"
"Yes."
"So, everything in this world, except for skills and some basic spells, improves in a combined way. That is, your effort plus the system's help. For example... You take a bow in your hands for the first time — nothing works out. You practice, practice, and at some point the talent grows to the first level, and you understand that it's getting better. But it doesn't get better smoothly, as it would if you were improving without the system's help and as it happens for everyone until they're eighteen, but in leaps. You can actually feel how it suddenly improves. If you learn, you can even hear an audio signal about the talent growth. Moreover, until the age of eighteen, the system deliberately slows down the development of talents. That is, even if you take a bow in your hands at six, you won't become a good archer until you're connected to the system."
Oh wow! And I think I even understood what he's talking about. Several times, on the edge of perception, some kind of bell sounded, including today when I was chopping off the heads of the undead. And slowing down development until eighteen is just wonderful: peers (eighteen-year-olds) won't overtake me, and due to my peculiarities, I'll quickly pull ahead!
"Of course, the higher the talent, the more you have to work on your own to improve it," Viziliy continued, fingering his gray beard. "But for you, thanks to the hundred percent bonus, everything will go quickly. And do you understand what follows from all this?"
Now the old man more resembled one of my teachers who came and taught me the university program at home. He wasn't just pouring out information, but forcing me to actively participate in the discussion. And, undoubtedly, the process went much better this way.
"It means I need to improve them urgently. At least at a basic level."
"Exactly!"
Judging by Viziliy's joy that I understood such a primitive thing, he still considers me a fool. Well, let it be so, as long as he's healthy.
"You're growing in levels very quickly. You'll have a lot of strength, but you don't know how to do anything and are absolutely unprepared for life here. And I'm not even talking about wielding a sword. We've known each other for a day. All this time I've been watching and listening to you, and it seems to me that your world is not at all like ours. And if you were released from the village now, even without encountering monsters and robbers, you would simply die of hunger after some time..."
"Well, it's not that bad..." I frowned.
"Let me list the talents, and you tell me what you've done in life..."
"Let's do it later..."
"Horseback riding, archery, wielding a sword, axe, spear, club, shield, knives..."
"This is all about weapons..."
"Sprint, quiet step, stealth, setting traps, lock picking, knot tying, arrow making, hunting, fishing..."
"Okay, I get it."
"I've only just begun."
"I'm smart. It's enough for me to understand..." I sighed heavily, reached out myself and took the wineskin with wine. "And in general, in my world, I mainly worked with my head."
"Okay, don't be offended." Viziliy waited until I took two sips and took back the wineskin. "This is what I suggest you do after we finish here."
"I agree, but I still have..."
"Quiet!"
Viziliy tensed up and slowly got to his feet. The blade of Rubil reflected the light of the moons. I also drew my sword, but the old man showed me a sign to "not move".
Damn it! Judging by the direction of his gaze, that unknown thing that alerted him was somewhere behind my back. And the worst thing is that if there's really someone there, due to Lynch's loud snoring, it's unlikely to pass by.
The old man made a barely noticeable sign to "slowly get up". How did he show this with one gesture in the dark? I don't know, but I'm sure that's what he meant.
I pulled up my legs and, shifting my center of gravity, stood up. I don't even know what made more noise: the creaking jacket, my joints, or the twig that cracked under the sole of my boot...
"Behind me," Viziliy whispered barely audibly.
Following the command, I froze and, turning around, began to peer into the darkness. To no avail. Tree trunks, dark foliage against the background of an even darker sky...
"Climb the tree," the old man gave another barely audible order.
Oh, come on... There was only one tree nearby. Until now, my mentor had been sitting under it, and now we were both standing by it. But the first branch extending from its trunk was at least three meters high. I wonder if there's a tree climbing skill or rock climbing, or just climbing? Or maybe it's all combined into some kind of athletics?
All these extremely useful thoughts were racing through my head while I was staring at the dark trunk in confusion.
"Well!"
"I can't," I said.
I didn't hear what the old man replied. Hardly very censored. But he suddenly bent down and, grabbing me by the ankles with bony but extremely strong fingers, lifted me up.
I grabbed the branch, and the support immediately disappeared.
Neat! Does he think he's solved the problem? Of course, after the level-ups, I would have enough strength to pull myself up, especially helping with my legs, but I had no idea where to start.
Chance helped. Or rather, a healthy growling thing about three meters at the withers, which suddenly jumped out of the bushes ten meters away and rushed at us.