Chapter 9 — Toward a New Life

Chapter 9 — Toward a New Life

The night passed peacefully. The campfire crackled, and above stretched an endless sky full of stars. Somewhere nearby, like a statue, the golem stood — motionless, silent, massive.

Alisar couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. His thoughts kept circling back to everything he had learned that evening.

The girls had come from the nearest city — two full days on foot, even without rest. And considering how long days lasted here, it was truly far. They were veterans, rank C — a rather high rank for adventurers. The guild had sent them because someone in a nearby village had spotted a dungeon monster — one of those that disappear after death, leaving behind a magic core.

And if such monsters appeared, that meant a dungeon was likely nearby.

So the guild had dispatched them — to confirm whether it was true. So far, they hadn’t found the dungeon itself. Only monsters. But that alone was enough.

If they hadn’t come here… I’d be dead, Alisar thought.

He had also learned a bit about dungeons. Sometimes they simply appeared out of nowhere. First, people notice unusual monsters in the area. Then someone goes to investigate — and finds a dungeon.

At first, such dungeons are weak. And so are the monsters inside. Dungeons are ranked based on the strongest monster found within them. If all monsters are level 10 or below, it’s a rank zero dungeon. If they range from level 10 to 20 — that’s rank one. But if even a single rank three monster is discovered, the whole dungeon is classified as rank three.

If a dungeon isn’t cleared, if adventurers don’t regularly go inside, the monsters begin to multiply. And when there are too many of them, the dungeon will simply release them into the outside world.

That’s why discovering each dungeon as early as possible is so important to the guild.

He had also learned about magic cores — the heart of every dungeon monster. Even the weakest core from a rank zero monster can be sold to the guild. Maybe just for a single coin — but still. The higher the monster’s rank, the more valuable the core.

Sometimes, instead of a core, other items dropped: weapons, rare tools, or potions.

Most commonly, a health potion. Mana potions were less frequent — and worth much less.

But there was one item far more valuable — the experience potion, a golden-colored vial.

Even a rank one experience potion could be sold for a fortune. It was worth dozens of times more than a regular health potion. And if you were lucky enough to find a rank four or rank five experience potion… you could safely quit adventuring. It would be enough to buy a small castle and live comfortably for the rest of your life — if you spent wisely, of course.

If only I could get my hands on just one of those… he thought wistfully.

Tomorrow, at dawn, the girls would show him the way to the nearest village. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far. He would leave in the morning. And the girls would continue their search for the dungeon.

I wish I could stay, he thought. That would be better than going to some unknown village. Who knows what kind of dangers await there? And besides… spending more time with these beautiful girls wouldn’t be so bad.

But it was clear they weren’t planning to let him come along. And, deep down, he understood — he’d only be a burden.

Well then… tomorrow is a new day, he thought.

His thoughts slowly faded. He closed his eyes. The night was quiet. The golem stood nearby. And, surprisingly… it felt peaceful.

---

From the girls’ point of view...

Alisar was breathing evenly. He lay on his side, his back to the fire, and it seemed he had already fallen asleep.

“He’s asleep,” Sherial said quietly, glancing at Rem.

“Looks like it,” Rem nodded.

She paused for a moment in thought, then activated her skill. A faint shimmer appeared in the air — and a large stone figure materialized a few meters away from Alisar. A golem.

It appeared almost silently. The summoning took a little longer than usual, but it made no sound. The golem stood still, like a sentry.

“Let him keep watch over him,” Rem said quietly. “If that guy tries anything weird during the night... the golem will crush him.”

“You think he’s dangerous?” Sherial asked cautiously.

“I think he’s suspicious. We met him without a weapon, without armor, and he doesn’t even know how he got here. Maybe he really isn’t dangerous... but it’s too early to let our guard down.” Rem turned her gaze to the fire. “Being careful never hurts.”

Sherial nodded silently. Then Rem activated her skill again.

One by one, three more golems appeared — two standing slightly behind them, and one to the side. They formed a loose semicircle around the place where the girls had laid down.

“These will guard us,” Rem said, settling down on her sleeping mat.

“Thanks,” Sherial replied simply. “Now I can actually sleep.”

“Still, keep one eye open,” Rem muttered as she pulled the blanket over herself. “This is wilderness, after all.”

“You sound like an old lady.”

“Better an old lady than a corpse.”

They both chuckled quietly, then fell silent.

The campfire crackled softly. The golems stood unmoving, like part of the landscape, but their presence radiated a sense of safety.

And soon, both girls drifted into sleep.

---

Consciousness returned slowly. He didn’t rush to open his eyes.

First — memories. He had come home tired, lay down on his bed… and fell asleep. Then… it was as if he had fallen into another world. A system. Strange messages. Skills. Rabbits had chased him? It all could’ve been called a nightmare — if not for the ending. The dream became pleasant — he was saved by two girls. Very beautiful. They fed him, explained this world to him, even gave him a blanket.

Yes, it was a pleasant dream. So realistic.

When I open my eyes — it’ll all disappear, he thought. The illusion will vanish. I’ll have to go to work again. If I’m late — a fine. Even if it’s only one minute.

Still, he opened his eyes.

And it wasn’t the ceiling of his room. It was the sky.

He sat up abruptly. Grass. Open space. A forest not far away. Where am I?..

Then he saw them — the two girls. They were already up and had packed away their sleeping spots. It looked like they had been awake for a while. The very same girls from the “dream.” Or… not a dream?

“Is this all real?..” he whispered to himself.

He pinched his arm. Then his cheek. It hurt. Real pain. He even raised his hand to slap himself, like the day before, but...

— “Hey, idiot, what are you doing?” — came Rem’s sharp voice.

He lowered his hand, muttering in confusion:

— “Nothing...”

— “Stop lying around,” she said without turning. “Time to eat. We’re leaving soon.”

He stood up. A bit uncertainly.

Breakfast was simple — dry bread and dried fruit. The bread was a little tough but tasty. The fruit — sweet and fragrant, unexpectedly pleasant.

During the meal, Rem explained:

— “There’s a village nearby. It takes about two hours on foot. There’s a path through the forest. Just follow it — you’ll end up right there. There’s even an adventurers’ guild branch. You should register.”

He nodded and thanked her.

---

The trail led through the trees, but soon the forest began to thin out. And finally — it ended.

Before him stretched a wide plain. On both sides — fields. In the distance he saw crops, swaying gently in the wind, resembling wheat.

Far ahead, he saw people — several figures working in the field, bending and rising, harvesting or cutting something.

And in the distance, he saw houses — simple one-story buildings. It looked like he really had arrived where the girls had told him to go. This was the village. Everything matched.

He stopped at the edge of the field.

Should I even go there?..

He wanted to stay. Stay with them. Ask if he could join their party. He didn’t know if they were staying in this area for long… but even if they weren’t leaving immediately, they likely wouldn’t take him with them.

He was weak. Unarmed. Clueless about how this world worked. He wasn’t interesting. He couldn’t protect, couldn’t help. He’d just be a burden.
They had already done too much for him.

They had saved his life. Fed him. Given him shelter. Explained the basics of this world. To ask to join them — that would be shameless. Foolish and selfish on his part.

He lowered his gaze.

Fine. I’ll do what they said.
Register at the guild. Sell potions — slowly, little by little, so as not to draw attention. Yesterday he had already realized that potions were a highly valued commodity here. The guild always bought them. Adventurers used them all the time.

He had alchemy. Health potions cost a thousand mana — and he could create them. Not in bulk. But enough to survive. To sell one at a time. To live on that. To study. To train.

And when he became stronger…
Yes, he would become stronger. With his Training Room skill, he could grow — without fighting, without risking his life, without confronting monsters.

He could do it. He absolutely could.

“When I’m strong enough…” he whispered to himself. “And when I’ve earned enough… I’ll repay my debt to those girls. I swear it.”

He took a deep breath and straightened his back.

“Forward. To a new life.”

He stepped forward. Then another. And another. His pace quickened. More confident. He walked toward the village.

Toward a new path.