Chapter 5

"Can you be quiet?"

"Howl, Howl!"

The little wolf hasn't stopped bothering me since it woke up. Most likely, it's hungry and must be scared because I have it in my arms, trapped and wrapped in a blanket, and it doesn't see anyone from its pack.

Do I look like a villain kidnapping a child from its family? That's what I questioned myself at the beginning, but I think it will forget about them when I start feeding it and giving it a home.

That's what usually happens with almost any animal, especially dogs.

"Howl, Howl!"

Tired of this, I stopped and took out a herb from the bag. This time, I took out a herb called Sovirk. It's a herb that has a relaxing effect when bitten, and it's an ingredient used by herbalists to make anesthesia when mixed with other herbs, or by alchemists to make sleeping potions or calming potions. There are other uses, but I don't want to dwell on that.

"Open your mouth." I tried to put the herb in its mouth to relax it a bit, but it kept refusing, closing its mouth.

After forcing it, I finally got it to bite the herb, and it didn't bother as much as before. I want to put it on the ground, but if I do, it will probably run away, and I'll have to chase it, so I refuse that idea.

I continued walking for hours and hours. I had already left the forest and had to traverse the grasslands. When I finally saw the walls of the village, the sun was already rising.

As I approached the entrance, one of the guards shouted, "Stay still and don't move!" While the other guards pointed their weapons at me.

Are they mistaking me for someone else? I don't remember doing anything illegal for them to arrest me.

"I think there's been a mistake, I'm just an adventurer," I said, trying to reassure them.

One of them approached me and said, "But it's you, Dylan." He looked at the other guards and said, "Relax, he's not a criminal." I was confused when he said that. What part of me looks like a criminal?

I saw the other guards return to their positions, and the one who stopped them approached me and took off the helmet covering his face. He was a man with brown hair, a small beard, dressed in full armor like the other guards, and had a large scar on his face.

"It's you, Jack." I greeted him when I recognized him.

"Yeah, I'm on guard duty. Sorry for my comrades who detained you, they just got alarmed when they saw you. You look quite haggard, and you seem like a completely suspicious person carrying such a suspicious bag with one hand, and..." He pointed to my arm with one of his fingers and said, "That beast on your arm doesn't give a good impression when you come in the early morning."

"Well, you have some point. But can we talk later? I'm very exhausted right now."

He nodded and said, "Sure, I also need to get back to my post. See you later," he said with a smile and put his helmet back on before staying at the door with the other guards.

When I entered, there were more grasslands until, after walking for quite some time, I finally reached the village and could see many commercial and residential buildings.

As I walked towards the inn, many people started looking at me as I passed by, and that made me feel a bit uncomfortable until I finally reached the inn.

I should have gone to the guild first to complete the request, but if I don't rest and relax now, I feel like I'll end up fainting in the middle of the street.

I opened the door and was greeted by Brack, who was surprised to see me for a moment. But...

"Hahahaha, you look terrible. Did you escape from some monster or a pack of beasts on your mission? After all, you're a genius when it comes to escaping." I felt a bit annoyed, but I could only sigh.

"I just had a bit of bad luck. I would appreciate it if you could give some meat to this little one." I approached the counter and saw how the customers in the place were looking at me. Luckily, this place was almost empty, except for the few other people staying.

"Why are you bringing that creature to this place? They are very difficult to train, and it won't have much space when it grows." That's what he said when he saw the little wolf up close.

"It's an investment, I won't have to pay a large amount of money to buy a mount." I replied with a bit of irritation.

"Hahaha, you'll probably end up spending more coins buying its food before it finishes growing than buying a mount and feeding it for a few years."

"You have some point in that. But what's better than riding a wolf that can rip off a limb if it wants to?"

"Fine, let's not continue. You seem very tired. I'll take care of that animal. You must rest and recover." I could only nod before reaching my room where I found Sayla cleaning.

"Dylan." When she saw me open the door, she was very happy, but when she saw my appearance, she got alarmed.

"Are you okay? Do you have any injuries? Should we go to Pricis?"

"It's enough, I'm fine... just a bit tired." I threw the bag of herbs beside the door and then took off my backpack and put it on the bed. I lay down on the bed face down and said to Sayla.

"Thanks for taking care of my room when I'm not here... I'll reward you later..." I felt my eyes getting heavier.

When I woke up, the first thing I did was rub my eyes and notice that I was covered. When I lifted the blanket, I saw that all the clothes I had on were changed for much more comfortable ones.

I still have some sleep, but at least I feel much better than before. I searched for the backpack, and it was on the table. I checked its contents the books, the gold coins, and the expired potions were still in the backpack, and my knives were also there, which I always keep in a sheath attached to my belt.

Next to the backpack was a plate with some cooked potatoes and a lot of meat. I touched it, and it was somewhat warm, so I started eating. When I finished, I went down to the first floor just to see my lovely daughter petting the little wolf I brought.

When she saw me, she ran towards me. "Dylan!" I lifted her as usual.

"My lovely Angela, did you make a new friend?"

"Yes, daddy said you brought it. Can I keep it?" She looked at me tenderly, and I always give in to her whims, but this time I couldn't do it, and I also saw how Brack was looking at me with murderous intent.

"I'm sorry, but you can't keep it. It's too much responsibility." I saw how she made a sad face, and not to see her like that.

"I can't give it to you, but you can play with it whenever you want. As long as it's not at night, and if someday it has offspring, I swear I'll give you a newborn." I saw how she

 started smiling and said, "Okay" with a big smile, so I put her down and let her continue bothering the little wolf.

I approached the counter and asked, "Did Sayla go out?"

"Yes, she went to buy vegetables and meat." He replied while cleaning a beer glass. I hoped to meet her and talk to her using my skill.

"Brack, thanks for the food." I handed him 7 silver coins.

"Are you going to pay the advance for staying for another two months with this?" He asked when he saw that I gave him 7 instead of the 2 coins that is the amount for staying a month in this inn, or at least that's what I've always been charged.

I shook my head and replied, "No, I'll only use it to pay for this month. The rest is to thank you for letting the wolf stay." If it were someone else running the inn, I'm sure they would never allow such a dangerous animal to be nearby. Well, maybe it's his trust as a former adventurer.

"You don't have to worry about that, but I'll gladly accept it." He said modestly, but I saw that he was a bit happy.

I was going back to my room. "Please don't mention to Sayla that I gave you these coins. It's been a while since I went out to drink with my friends, and I want to treat them to some drinks."

"Alright, I won't say anything."

After telling him that, I approached Angela and patted her head, trying to avoid her remembering the sweets I promised her.

I went back to my room and took out the books "Guide to Manifestation of a Mana Core and Magic for Beginners" and "Guide to Manifestation of an Aura Heart and Sword Techniques for Beginners" on the table.

Now I'm in a dilemma. If I manifest the aura core, I'll never be able to use magic again, and if I manifest the mana core, my body will always be as strong as it is now, or maybe a little stronger at most.

Every person is born with some magic and aura, but when either one manifests as a core, the core's energy will suppress all other energies of the person, preventing them from using any other type of energy.

Magic is much more versatile, but aura can greatly strengthen the body to the point of recovering from fatigue and injuries in a very short time. I don't want to give up either of them, but if I try to manifest both at the same time, I'll probably end up dead. The only good thing is that the potion I took in the ruins reduces the probability of failure. I don't think it guarantees my survival because it requires my talent with the aura to be equal or similar for it to remain in balance.

In the game, people with two cores are around a hundred to two hundred, but among all those characters, only four were playable, and one of those characters is the second hero.

I could only sigh and started reading the two books.

But before I could continue, someone knocked on the door, and when I opened it, I saw Sayla.

Before I could get happy or ask her why she came, she approached and put her mouth close to my ear before whispering, "Tomorrow Leidy and I are going shopping. We'll meet in front of the 'Versatile Clothes' tailor shop. We hope you keep your word." Playfully before closing the door and leaving.