I sat there in silence, listening to the old man blabbering to himself. Once again, I found myself lost in some random unknown, which might mean the end of me. It’s not like everyone was staring at me like I was some sort of alien, which I probably was considering my circumstances. I spaced out, my brain filled to the brim with what might happen to me.

"Oh, young one, perhaps you’ll be more tame than the other one without a notebook."

"Yes, I hope, um..." The question struggled to come out, yet I forced it out in the end. "What exactly is a notebook?"

He sighed, a heavy breath leaving his body while another seemed to have fallen on his shoulders.

"How could you not know? Well, no matter, I’ve seen enough by this point. A notebook is, as the name suggests, a notebook. What makes it so special? Everyone is- was supposed to recieve one when they were born. It was an event that took place no matter what, with the parents finding their child holding one after leaving him alone for a few minutes."

I listened to his words, absorbing them like a sponge would water. No wonder he reacted like that.

"And where exactly do they come from?"

"It’s said that the God of Knowledge, one of the ancient 13 Gods, is the one blessing the people with a way to keep track of everything they do, even their very abilities, turning them into numbers."

My brain clicked into place. An RPG, with stats and all. Curiosity got the best of me once again.

"Where can I find one?"

The elder laughed.

"I find your enthusiasm to be quite... childish. Son, you can’t find one, or so it is known. The one before you, Kenjin, is still looking for it from what I know."

A frown painted itself on my face without my knowledge or permission, yet it indeed showed how I felt.

"Come on now, don’t be dissapointed. You can still learn new things and do great things, but it’ll take some more time. I know of something you could do, a gimmic, yet a dangerous one."

"Danger?" My interest was piqued, yet my fear did the same. "What sort of gimmick."

He turned toward one of the windows, staring at the forest.

"You see, there are monsters lurking in the forest. Sometimes people go hunting for them, since they appear to have certain valuables inside them. Kill one of those rascals, cut it open, and find your prize. Certain warriors go hunting for them, but not in this part of the kingdom. If you do decide on going, remember something: those things are quite troublesome to deal with, and dangerous types might appear. If you know how to swing that sword of yours, I suggest giving it a try."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Fear and extasy were fighting within me for control as my gaze was drawn to the dark-green forest.I barely knew how to swing that sword, and cutting something open wasn’t what I enjoyed, yet to survive, I had to.

"Perhaps I’ll take you up on the offer."

I checked my bag, having remembered about the horns I took with me.

"Oh, yeah, I had these saved in here. Some eyeless creature attacked me in the middle of nowhere. Came straight from beneath the grass, jumping at me after circling around." I kept explaining my adventure to the old man, who took the horns, inspecting them closely.

"Are they worth anything?"

"Worth enough to pay for anything you would eat and drink while staying here for a few weeks, that’s for sure."

My eyes bulged, both of them surprised just like me upon hearing his words.

"That much!?"

My voice boomed loud enough to force him to cover his ears.

"Well, they’re quite a rare type. Depending on who you sell them to, they can fetch a hefty price."

I stood up, gladly gathering my things, ready to aim for the forest. Perhaps hunting for things would make for a good and simple life, one good enough so that I could have no lack of anything. Once again, oh boy, who would have known what was coming my way.

"Well then, I’ll let you keep them, as payment for my stay. Sell them or whatever, I know for sure that I’ll live here for a while."

His brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the pair of horns.

"Weren’t you planning on going to the capital?"

"I did, but I changed my plans. I’m taking your advice, going to the forest and all that for a few hours. Perhaps I can come back with another pair."

His face lit up "HA! I’d love to see you do it, considering that what you killed doesn’t even live in the forest. Go now, but remember, danger lurks in there. Be ready for anything, ANYTHING!"

I sort of gulped down my own bravery, which earlier was enough to get me drunk. Well, whatever, How bad can it be? I thought to myself.

Making my way out of his house, I turned around to get a better glimpse, just so I would not end up in someone else’s home. Walked straigth to the hunting place, pretending I didn’t notice everyone staring at me. I would be staring too, since my clothes were quite odd when compared to theirs. Rough materials, turned into trousers and shirts, good for daily work. I, on the other hand, felt like a clown that found some armor.

I got there faster than I had expected, yet the village was diminishing from view. Sword out, I forced myself to step in. One step, then another, and one more. I grew accustomed to the cold atmosphere that chilled me to the bone.It was cold, nothing else excepted, with little light coming in from above. Moss and other things grew all around, with stones spread around. I’ve never seen something like that, and it was all quite a spectacular view, almost making me go for a nap.

No time for sleeping now; stay alert. I had no one but myself to warn me. I continued to listen around when I suddenly heard it. Small steps, approaching me. I took my sword out and turned, facing a creature no bigger than my shin. Took me a while to notice that it was, in fact, some sort of six legged anomaly, with two eyes fixed upon me, a big mouth opened wide.

"Hell, at least this one has eyes."

The thought of killing it made me reluctant to do so, yet hearing it screech and jump at me washed away any doubt I had. Truly, that world wanted me dead. I slashed it, not a perfect cut, yet enough to split it open. The thing fell with a splash, crawling in its own blood. Good for me, I didn’t feel like vomiting.

"Now for the next part."

Cutting its bowels open revealed a small silvery ring. Without thinking, I grabbed it, ready to clean it. The moment my finger touched it, I knew what it would do, as if information on what it could do had flown inside my brain. I placed it on my finger after wiping it, feeling my speed increase.

"Heh, this world sure has its advantages. On to the next one; let the hunt begin."