One day, while bathing in the pond, I noticed someone watching me from the edge of the water. Startled and embarrassed, I quickly submerged myself until only my head was above the waterline. The observer was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties, with short, disheveled brown hair and a nervous smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry!" he called out, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

I eyed him warily, not sure whether to trust his words. Despite my newfound magical abilities, I still felt vulnerable in this situation.

"Well, you have" I replied coldly. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then answered, "My name is Elric, and I promise I didn't mean any harm. I live in Naloria, and I was out hunting when I stumbled upon this pond. I saw you in the water, and, well, curiosity got the better of me."

"Naloria?" I echoed, unfamiliar with the name. "What's that?"

"It's one of the villages east of this forest," Elric explained. "It's a small community, mostly farmers and hunters. We're pretty isolated out here, but it's a peaceful life."

Though I still wasn't entirely convinced, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. At least until I could gather some more information on how to leave the forest as well as what lies beyond.

"Alright," I said cautiously. "can you let me get out first?"

"Of course!" Elric nodded, looking genuinely apologetic before turning around and walking behind some trees and shouting

"I'm sorry again. I'll give you some privacy. " With that, he turned and walked a short distance away, disappearing behind a cluster of trees.

Once he was out of sight, I quickly finished my bath and got out of the water. I was able to quickly evaporate the water clinging to me by circulating my magic and imbuing a bit with the water. Though I still couldn't perform any cool magic like spewing out fire or creating water, I was able to create cool effects by imbuing stuff with mana. I took a moment to gather my clothing before heading in the direction Elric had gone. I didn't know for sure if I could trust him, but my urge to learn more about this world won out.

As I approached the spot where Elric had disappeared, I found him sitting by a small fire, roasting what appeared to be a rabbit. The delicious smell of cooking meat wafted through the air, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything since appearing in this world. My stomach grumbled in response, betraying my hunger despite the fact that I didn't actually need to eat. Elric looked up as I approached, and his expression was one of relief. "Oh, good, you didn't run off," he said. "I was starting to worry that I had scared you away."

"You didn't exactly make the best first impression" I replied, trying to maintain a cool demeanor.

Elric chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess not. To make up for it, would you like to share this meal with me?"

"If you insist." I responded, pretending my stomach rumble never happened.

After sitting down I began to hesitate. Not sure if I should've accepted his offer so quickly, especially since I wasn't there to make sure he didn't put anything funny as he made the food. Noticing my hesitation, Elric tore off a piece of meat and took a bite.

"See? Perfectly safe," he said with a smile, his mouth still full.

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Both convinced by the action and embarrassed at having been seen through, I accepted the portion of rabbit he offered me. The meat was tender and flavorful, a first and enjoyable experience for my taste buds. Elric introduced himself again, explaining that he was a hunter from Naloria village. He was in the forest gathering ingredients for potions and elixirs. The village had a population of around 200 people, all humans, except for a wandering elf magician who was temporarily staying there.

'I guess elves exist' I thought.

When Elric asked why I was alone in the forest, I came up with a cover story to hide the fact that I didn't even know.

"I've been living with my... grandparents. They taught me how to survive in the forest, but they... they passed away recently. I've been on my own since then."

...

As we ate, Elric started telling me stories about his village Naloria and its inhabitants. His tales were filled with warmth and humor, painting a vivid picture of a close-knit community. Somewhere in his narration, he mentioned that the village couldn't compare to the nearby cities. Curious, I asked him more about these cities.

"What are they like? How big are they? Where are they? Are they far from here?" Bombarded by my barrage of questions, Elric answered

"They're massive, with buildings that reach high into the sky and streets filled with people from all walks of life. There are markets where you can find anything you can imagine, and the noise and energy are unlike anything you can find."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for the distance, the closest city is probably a week's walk, more or less. It's not too far, but it's a trip that not many of us make very often."

Listening to his descriptions, I found myself drawn to the idea of exploring these cities. How would they compare to the cities back on Earth, littered with cars and skyscrapers? It seemed like a whole new world to discover, and I was eager to learn more. As we finished eating, I asked Elric if I could accompany him back to his village. He seemed surprised by my request but agreed after a moment of consideration.

"Give me a moment, I'll be right back."

With that, I dashed back to my cave, grabbing my trusty stick, the red gem, and the glowing mushroom. I'm not too sure how useful the gem and the mushroom will be, but I didn't want to leave them behind in case I find they're valuable outside. When I returned to Elric, he lent me one of his empty leather pouches to carry my things.

"Here, you can use this."

"Thanks."

With everything settled, we began our journey to leave the forest. As we walked, we continued to talk and get to know one another. I asked him various questions about the world beyond the forest, and he was more than happy to share his knowledge. When I asked about magic, he briefly told me that people could use wands or staves to transform mana into magical effects, with the stronger ones being called magicians. He also said that although he couldn't use magic himself, it was not too rare to find someone who could. It seems the village even had three promising young kids who had shown an aptitude for magic and were being given lessons by the magician.

Elric also mentioned that he used to be a Gold-ranked adventurer based in the nearby city of Olvia. Now, at 37 years old, he seems to have retired from that type of life to live a quieter life in Naloria.

It seems adventurers were members of an organization called the Adventurers' Guild, which usually has a branch in every city. You could register to be an adventurer and complete listed requests for payment. The guild offered jobs ranging from monster extermination to escorting caravans and even finding lost items. Nothing seemed off-limits, as long as the requests were legal.

Elric's stories confirmed that magic existed in this world. This meant that I really wasn’t on Earth.

I basically already knew this, but the lack of a definitive confirmation had me hoping that perhaps, I was just in some really large or weird forest I've never known about. However, this sudden confirmation shattered that dream. Though I was excited and intrigued by the prospect of exploring a new world filled with magic, I could feel the fear and sadness deep down within me. The confirmation that I was a complete stranger, an alien to this world produced fear and loneliness within me.

...

By evening, we finally made our way out of the forest, and the first signs of civilization began appearing on the horizon. The village of Naloria came into sight, nestled between the hills and surrounded by fields. The thatched roofs and stone walls of the village buildings signaled the start of a new chapter in my life in this mysterious world.