Chapter 10

"I can't go on anymore... Uff... Uff," Lina complained after we had been walking for many hours.

"It can't be helped, we've been walking for too long. It's surprising that you all can keep up with my pace," I said as I stopped and examined the area.

"Why do we have to walk all the way to the Lertil Plains?" Alexa asked, looking somewhat tired but not as much as Lina.

"Dylan already explained that there's no carriage that crosses the Lertil Plains, and no one takes a route near this direction," Frex said before taking a sip of water from a canteen.

"Besides, to buy a mount, you need a lot of silver coins. So, for the four of us, we would have to buy at least two horses," I said as I laid out a blanket in the place where we were.

"We should start looking for a place to set up a shelter before it gets dark, and we also need to hunt or gather some food." I surveyed the surroundings and saw a slightly elevated hill.

"By the way, isn't it strange that we haven't encountered any beasts or monsters? In our village, there are usually wild beasts and monsters when we venture 1 Jult (1.8 km) away, but we've covered a considerable distance, and we haven't come across any animals attacking us." Frex questioned, analyzing the situation.

"It's because of my occupation, I'm an 'Explorer.' When I stopped being an 'Apprentice Explorer,' I gained the ability to detect hostile entities and sense the presence of living beings, as long as they're not smaller than a rabbit. I also gained the ability to analyze the surrounding environment, such as fauna, flora, and the terrain around me." They looked at me for a moment, and Frex exclaimed.

"That's incredible! Since I chose to be a swordsman apprentice, I've only improved my skill with my sword, and it's not really remarkable."

"Yes, it's quite useful. Unlike me, who, since choosing the hunter occupation, has only slightly improved my marksmanship. Still, I didn't notice much of a difference because I've always been good with the bow." She seemed proud of her archery skills.

"Well, it can't be helped. It often happens when the occupation is in the apprentice range. But if you continue to do things related to your occupation, it's likely that when you turn 17 and examine your status, the occupation will no longer have 'apprentice' in its name," I explained while waiting for Lina to rest a bit.

"But are there many changes when the occupation no longer has 'apprentice' in its name? Our parents never told us much about occupations. They just said it improves our understanding of things related to the occupation," Frex asked, and I found it somewhat annoying that his parents, despite being high-ranking adventurers, hadn't explained anything to their children. Although I don't know them from the game, it's likely that they wanted their children to experience things and acquire knowledge on their own.

I saw that Lina had already caught her breath, so we continued walking, looking for a place to set up a small camp, while I explained to them along the way.

"The benefits gained from occupations often vary from person to person and the talent that the person has with the occupation. An example would be Alexa. you said you were very good with the bow even before getting your occupation, so it's likely that by improving your occupation to 'Hunter,' you'll gain the ability to mark enemies, allowing you to sense their position no matter how far they are from you for a certain amount of time. Or it could make you see the vital points of your prey or enemies. If your talent with the hunter is very good, you could get all the mentioned advantages along with others."

It's something I analyzed after playing for a long time, and also, many people who posted their game discoveries shared them on the forum, which helped me a lot. But still, I couldn't help the hero I selected from dying many times and having to start over from scratch without a save point.

After a while, we found a slightly elevated hill that was perfect for setting up a camp.

"We need to hunt or find another source of food to save the bread and possible jerky. Also, find a nearby water source," I commented as I took off my backpack at the top of the hill and laid out the preparations.

"We should divide responsibilities to not waste too much time. Frex, you're the group leader, so you need to assign roles to each member. It's good for you to get used to making these kinds of decisions and leading others." I hope at least his parents taught him to make decisions and deal with these kinds of situations. After all, he's a magnet for attracting trouble, opportunities, and girls, so I must earn his trust and hope to reap benefits like a spider weaving its web.

He pondered for several seconds before saying, "Alexa and Dylan, you'll go together to hunt some prey and find a water source, using Dylan's exploration ability and Alexa's archery. I'll take care of setting up and protecting the camp, as well as collecting materials for the campfire. Lina will help me prepare the camp and light the fire using her magic. In case you don't find a water source, she will create water using magic." When he finished explaining, we all agreed with his instructions and split up.

"Alexa, how was it living in an isolated village? But if you don't want to share your life story, we can just talk about other things," I tried to initiate a conversation after we had moved far enough away, not wanting to create a tense atmosphere.

"There's no problem in telling you about my past. Since we were kids, we always liked spending time together, the five of us," she began sharing her childhood without any reservations.

"Five?" I asked despite already knowing who she was referring to.

"Yes, there were five of us. Besides Lina, we also have two other friends named Sara and Luisa. We used to spend time together, except when we were trained by our parents. But they couldn't join us because they hadn't turned 16 yet, so we promised to form a group when they became adventurers." I envy Frex, being surrounded by beautiful girls and having them develop feelings for him without any competition from birth.

"Weren't there boys in the village where you lived?"

"No, only my brother, the adult men, and other children born a few years ago. So, the five of us were the only ones our age living in the village. You're the only guy my age I've talked to besides my brother." Talking won't be the only thing we'll do, I thought to myself. But I had to dismiss that thought, I can't move too fast in our relationship. I must earn her trust for now, and I have to sleep with Lina first, or she'll suspect the change in our relationship.

"I think I'm lucky to be the first time for someone as lovely as you." I felt a shiver from what I said and tried to ignore it.

"You shouldn't give that kind of praise to girls, or they might misinterpret it." Despite saying that with a displeased face, I noticed she was a bit blush. But I shouldn't overstep the boundaries.

"I don't say this to just anyone." It's just something Dylan used to say when he was going to bed with girls who were virgins despite having boyfriends. I don't know how to relate to girls who only spent one night with Dylan.

Before I knew it, I started to sense a group of hostile entities quite close to our current location.

"Go back and tell Frex that we'll have to deal with other people."

"Couldn't we talk to those people or just move away?" She asked with a serious expression, seeing how I became alert.

"My explorer sense categorizes them as hostile entities. Hostile entities apply to any beings that would attack us as soon as they know about us or anything that poses a significant threat. We're in danger because our camp is quite close. Also, it's most likely a bandit camp since there are eight people, and I also sense two people not classified as hostile, which means they were kidnapped."

We're in luck, the protagonist's group can encounter this kind of situation, even though this place is usually not frequented by almost anyone. This just means free loot, and the bandits likely have some reward. Besides, we might be rewarded for those who were caught, and it will also improve their impression of me, making it easier to advance with the girls. No matter how you look at it, there are only benefits to exterminating the bandits.

"So, it's best to eliminate them and rescue the people being captured. That's why you need to find Frex and Lina."

"But what will you do? Isn't it dangerous if you stay alone in this place?" She asked me with a worried expression.

"No, I have a skill that makes them not notice me, even if I get quite close. So, I'll try to gather information and meet up with you in a place near where we are currently." I tried to reassure her and activated my skill [Presence Decrease]. She gripped the bow tightly in her hand and began heading towards our camp.