When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the stalactite-filled ceiling of a cave. The pointed rocks seemed to be descending, as if ready to pierce me. With my newly awakened vision, I could faintly see a silhouette of a person beside me, in front of a bonfire. It was an old man, with long white hair, and a white beard that adorned his face. Not only that, his skin was white, very white, and the tips of his ears pointed upwards.
Could he be what they call an elf?
He then turned his head towards me and realized that I had regained consciousness. Then he said,
"You're awake, kid! How's your body? Do you feel anything strange in any particular part?"
I shook my head in response, then I asked him,
"Who are you?"
He smiled at me and said,
"I'm a wanderer. While I was looking for a place to take shelter in the Initium Forest, I found you lying unconscious with wounds all over your body."
"Initium?"
"Yes... this forest is called Initium. Don't you know, kid?"
I shook my head in response.
"How could that be? Then why are you here, kid?"
Should I answer that I came from another world that was suddenly thrown into the middle of the forest? Of course I couldn't answer him that way.
After thinking for a moment, I started to answer,
"I don't know... When I opened my eyes I was suddenly here in the middle of this forest."
Then I told him what I experienced. Starting from when I first opened my eyes in this forest. Then when I was chased by the goblins. Until then I hunted them and defeated them.
I told everything to the old man with pointed ears in front of me.
And he listened to my story while nodding his head.
After hearing my whole story, he took a deep breath. And asked me again,
"And where are you from, kid?"
"I can't remember it." I answered his question casually.
"It seems like you're hiding a lot of secrets, kid!"
I felt guilty towards my savior, but I couldn't tell him the truth.
"Maybe you have your own reasons for keeping your origins a secret. I can't guess your origin from the clothes you're wearing either. I've never seen clothes with stitching like yours..."
I understand now that the black hoodie jacket I'm wearing is something rarely found here.
"But hearing your story, you really went through something extraordinary. Can't you use magic, kid?"
Magic? How could I do something like that!
I just shook my head in response.
Then he approached me and said,
"Kid, can you lend me one of your hands?"
"Yes..."
Then I extended my right hand, and the old man began to touch my pulse with his fingers. A moment later, I felt a warm sensation all over my right arm.
"Yes... this is really strange. I can't feel the flow of magic in your hand. This is very unusual."
He then released my hand, and looked at me for a moment. Then returned to his previous sitting position.
Curious... I asked him,
"What's so strange about that?"
He answered me, "Of course, kid! If you don't have a flow of magic, it means you can't use magic at all. In all my life's journey, I've never encountered a case like yours."
Does that mean my body is defective?
"But what's even stranger is that you who don't have the power of magic are able to fight a horde of goblins using only physical strength."
He laughed out loud.
"Maybe you have a very high Point in Intelligence and Adaptive."
Then he looked back at me and said,
"Alright, kid! Let's end our conversation, now rest. And we can continue our conversation tomorrow."
And I lay back down calmly and closed my eyes.
Two days had passed since I first spoke to the old man with pointed ears who had saved me. And that man's name was Efran Raaf. He was an Elf adventurer with an S Rank. He was an adventurer with the Job Class Magic Swordman, and the element of his magic was wind.
Currently, I was exploring the Initium Forest with Efran's traveling companion, a girl named Rena. Rena never mentioned her last name, and she was of the human race. I felt that we might be the same age, because she looked like a 16-year-old girl.
Rena had shoulder-length black hair. With a face similar to that of a Japanese person, and her eyes were brown. If I had to judge honestly, she was the prettiest girl I had ever met.
"Can you hear me, Master Nagi?"
Rena's words broke my reverie. And I replied,
"Sorry... I was thinking about something."
She sighed deeply with an annoyed expression.
"Master Nagi... I've been willing to give you my time to teach you about herbology. At least listen carefully when I speak!"
"Yes... I'm sorry."
She looked at me for a moment, and we continued to explore the Initium Forest.
Along the way, she kept explaining to me about plants. Which plants could be used for medicine, which could poison us. And there were also plants that were a type of monster, they lured their prey using their aroma. And the aroma could arouse the libido of living creatures. Rena said that the plant was usually hunted by adventurers to be sold to Alchemists. And the alchemists valued the plant very much, commensurate with the risk taken by the hero.
It was evening, we had returned to the cave where we took shelter. And there we saw Master Efran cooking a meal that we would enjoy later that night. He stirred the clay pot that contained our dinner meal.
He saw our arrival and said,
"Ah... You're here!"
And Rena replied, "Yes... we're home, Grandpa!"
So we sat together.
Based on Efran's story, Rena was a girl he found on his journey while in the Kingdom of Logfard. Which is located north of the Kingdom of Gard, where I am now.
At that time, five-year-old Rena was crying beside a couple who seemed to have died from looting. Master Efran then took her and cared for her.
Now...
Seven days had passed since I was with Master Efran and Rena...
That afternoon, Master Efran asked me to follow him. He walked in front of me calmly. I followed him without asking anything.
We had been walking for quite a long time, about two hours. Then we arrived at a vast expanse of grass, without any disturbing trees. Upon arriving here, Master Efran threw a tree branch that he had picked up on the way to me.
He said to me with a serious face, "Nagi, I will teach you my swordsmanship technique. If you keep fighting the way you fought the goblins before, you will die."
I listened to him and said, "Yes, Master Efran. I'm willing."
He smiled and continued,
"The swordsmanship I will teach you after this is the basic swordsmanship of the Elf Race. Because basically the Elf Race is a race that is blessed with abundant mana so most of us fight using magic. And basically the technique I will teach you is a basic technique from the advanced level of the Magic Swordman technique. But... I believe you will develop this basic technique well. Exceeding me."
Then the days of my sword training with Master Efran began. We trained every day from morning to evening. While Rena went to look for food. Then cook, for us, while waiting for my return and Master Efran. Every night Master Efran carved wood using his knife to make a bow and arrow.
And a month has passed...
Currently, I am in the meadow with a fairly strong branch in my right hand. In front of me now stands Master Efran. This is the last day for us to train together.
We looked at each other for quite a long time...
And then I ran and charged at Master Efran, I swung my branch at his face. He dodged by jumping backwards. A moment later, he jumped forward again and swung his branch from the side. I jumped closer to my body to throw away our distance and grabbed his right arm that was holding the branch.
We looked at each other without distance. I could even feel Master Efran's breath with the skin on my face. We continued our fight.
Time passed quickly, and dusk arrived. The sun was almost setting at that time. And I looked at the sky that was almost dark. Currently, I am lying down after being thrown by the swing of Master Efran's branch.
Hahahahahaha
He laughed loudly, and then said,
"This is amazing... You even made me use my wind magic, Nagi!"
I got up and said to him, "Master Efran, I really hope I can swing my branch and hit your body on my last chance."
"Don't dream, Kid!" He laughed proudly.
And I could only smile at him. It was true... it was foolish if I thought I could touch his body with my branch. He is a former Rank S adventurer, a Magic Swordman from the Elf Race who is blessed by mana. I who have just learned to swordfight, how could I possibly touch his body.
That night we dined together while joking, me, Rena, and Master Efran. We talked about a lot of things, everything. Without mentioning our separation tomorrow. And beside Master Efran leaning, on the cave wall, a beautiful white bow and arrow. It was the bow and arrow that Master Efran had created for a month. We spent the night with laughter and jokes.
Morning had come, Master Efran and Rena had packed. They were ready to continue their journey. And I stood to see them off.
Master Efran approached me and hugged me saying,
"Goodbye, Nagi. May the Gods always protect your journey."
"Yes... Master Efran. And thank you for everything."
Hahahahahaha
He laughed while patting my shoulder. Then he turned his face to Rena, and said,
"Don't you want to hug Nagi as a farewell too, Rena?"
Rena's face turned red instantly. She replied to her grandfather quickly,
"What are you saying, Grandpa!"
Efran laughed at Rena's embarrassed face.
Then I said to Rena, "Goodbye, Miss Rena."
And Rena replied to me while bowing her head,
"Goodbye, Master Nagi."
Afterwards, they both started to walk away, they slowly moved away and began to disappear from my sight. And I stood here watching them leave, seeing them off, and grateful for my meeting with them.