Training, Years Passing, Departure

Ad woke up feeling slightly weird. He first remembered his conversation with God after his death, and soon recalled where he was supposed to be. Apparently, God had forgiven him from the torture of being a baby, and he was reborn as a twelve year old version of himself.

He was sleeping in the same cabin that Bell Cranel grew up in, if his memory served right, and it was only confirmed further when he found a note on a bedside table. It was written by Zeus, and it explained how he had to leave, and hoped he would grow as a good man, and someday be the Hero he was destined to.

Not that he cared about what Zeus said. He didn't really have a favorable opinion of the God.

Adalwulf: Now... what should I do...

After thinking for a few minutes, Ad decided that checking his belongings was the best option. He had a sword left behind by Zeus, and he also had food that would last around two weeks.

Adalwful: With this I can begin training and hunting monster around this village.

And like that, Ad's routine began.

*

A year had passed by in a flash. Ad was now thirteen years old, and you could already see the results of his physical training. He only hunted monsters when he needed things to sell, as he didn't want to risk his not yet ready body.

He had also realized a major blunder he had made. He forgot to ask God for a way to check his stats. That meant he had to wait until he met Hestia or joined other Familia to check what his Innate Skills were and to see where he stood as a Level 1.

Though he thought of other Familia, he still wanted to join Hestia, and allow her to have a strong and loyal bunch of "children" by her side.

Adalwulf: I just want to be seventeen already...

*

Outside a cabin in a forgotten village, you could see a teenager practicing with a sword. He had a chiselled body and his face had become more refined and slightly angular. His nose looked perfect and his eyes were just the right size, with a sharp glint in them. His eyes, which were teal in colour, glowed slightly with the sun reflecting off of them. This was Adalwulf, who now was fourteen years old.

His training had paid off in the physical department, and his hormones had been doing a great job with his appearance. His mentality had also matured a lot.

Compared to his past life, where he had people who took care of him -even if not as family-, Ad had to take care of himself. This meant dealing with others, and he soon understood why adults hated other adults.

People would try and cheat him out of his things, and as simple as that sounded, he had to go for a few days without a fulfilling meal because of that. Some bandits had also tried to rob him of his money and possessions, but he had dealt with them, handing them over to people in the village to collect their bounty.

He no longer was the happy go lucky kid. He was now a positive person with a realistic view of others. But he had made up his mind in regards to one thing. He had made a promise to himself, after he finished his daily training.

Adalwulf: I won't kill without a good reason to, and will always try to be understanding of others. It is not in my nature to get angry at people who don't really have bad intentions towards me.

*

By the age of fifteen, Ad had grown a lot. He was currently 1.75 meters tall (5'9") and one could see the amount of muscle he had. He wasn't overly big, nor buff. But his tight clothes allowed one to have a clear image of his tightly packed muscle.

His relationship with the villagers had grown to be one of friendship, after he had participated in a monster subjugation when they were raided. Nasty creatures the goblins were, according to him.

His standing in the hearts of the villagers after they saw him fighting fiercely took a turn for the better, and those who had tried to cheat him apologized deeply, stating that their greed had gotten the best of themselves. Ad, who somehow could feel their honesty, forgave them readily. Not without a warning, though.

He had also taken on the job to teach the kids in the village how to use a sword. He even bought weapons from a traveling merchant so that the adults would be able to defend themselves.

*

His fourth year in the village was a slow paced one, for most of its length. Ad kept his training up and became a sort of big brother to all the kids in the village. A few of the girls around his age had confessed to him, but he felt that they only had admiration for him, not actual liking or love. Thus, he maintained casual relationships with them.

The adults always invited him over to eat with them, and some of the more rowdy ones to have a drink. He had begun drinking small amounts of alcohol to make himself used to it, so he accepted most of the times.

Close to the end of the year, a group of adventurers passed by the village to ask for directions and, if possible, a map of the area. The villagers directed them towards Adalwulf.

After talking with them for a while, Ad had learned they were from the Astrea family, and were chasing after criminals who had escaped Orario a few weeks before.

Adalwulf gave them a copy of the map he had from the area surrounding the village, and marked on it every good place for hiding. Still, he offered himself as a guide, as just a map wouldn't be good enough to traverse the dense forest that surrounded them, which they readily accepted.

This allowed him to see how a Third Class adventurer worked. And boy was he excited to go to Orario afterwards. The two adventurers were chasing after a group of Low Class bandits from the Laverna Familia. And they found them with a bit of help from Ad.

He thought they would have to work a bit to capture them, but the members of the Astrea Familia, made quick work out of them, tied them up, and dragged them back to the village.

They insisted on giving him a small compensation, which he tried denying. But after they said it was bad mannered to reject their gratefulness, he ended up having to take a few coins from them. He, in turn, used them to help a few villagers who had a hard time with their earnings that year.

*

Today, Ad would turn seventeen. The whole village had gathered to have a huge party, which lasted until morning. Ad had gotten drunk for the first time, but found it easy to control himself. Still, he had quite a pleasant night, which he spent with a girl in his cabin. Ad wasn't any saint, and both of them understood it was just a one night thing, so they didn't have any issues when parting.

The next day, he had his backpack ready and left the village. The children were sobbing, the adults were smiling widely and the elderly had a melancholic expression. Ad vowed to one day return as a full fledged adventurer and help the village.