Roy slapped his knee, "Old man, you are the best! It was worth it to spend all my MP and SP on those boars."

"It's not every day you see someone choose magic in addition to a weapon skill. I'm surprised, what made you do that?" Old Man Jensen continued to roast large chunks of wild boar over an outdoor spit behind his home. For extra flavor he made sure to rub the spices he had on hand before placing the meat over the flame. He would have preferred to wait a while but Roy wasn't patient enough to wait hours.

"I guess you could say I wanted to have a taste of both worlds. Magic is cool you know?" Roy held a fork stabbed into a large chunk of meat and bit some of it off. As he chewed the meat he tasted spices Old Man Jensen used and he was impressed. He only wished that the taste had a smoky component to it.

"I can't disagree with that. I actually have some myself, but not much of it."

"Wow! I never would've guessed."

"Yes. Growing up I was always meant to inherit the farm as the only son of my parents. So when I had the ability the ability to choose what class to receive when I came of age, I chose to be a water mage. 'Water Bubble' is a weak skill in comparison to most other magic I've heard about, but on the farm, it prevents me from having to draw water from a well."

"Say, is there a 'Farmer' class?"

"Why yes, there is! But as my parents already had that class, there wasn't a need for me to also become a farmer."

"Fascinating." Roy truly did feel content with Old Man Jensen's answer. If someone could deliberately choose to become something as random and weak-seeming as a farmer for their class, then he could surely become a hybrid class of both swordsman and mage. He just didn't know how to make that happen or what it would look like. He only wished it was something he could select from the outset instead of the selections that were offered to him.

"Wait a minute," Roy said. "I never had 'Farmer' as one of the classes I could select. Why is that?"

"Some say that's because of your innate potential. In your case, I think it's something a little more."

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"You do?"

"You aren't from around here are you?"

"Well, no, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"And you weren't born here either. In this world I mean."

"Yes? Old man, are you actually a psychic? Don't go pulling my chain here."

Old Man Jensen laughed, "No, my knowledge is just a bit more full than most around here, except for the major cities. Over the years of my life I've met quite a few others who were just like you. Confused, naive, and without a clue as to where they were. They all had something in common: They came from beyond Ostrand. I've never had the answer as to how or why, however. Indeed, they could barely remember their name, let alone where they came from. They also wore strange clothes. And without exception, the exception being you, they all disappeared after a time. Usually in the middle of the very same conversation we're having now."

"Woah." Roy felt like Old Man Jensen dropped a huge bomb of revelation on him. "Are you serious?"

"Very serious. This is the longest any one of you has stuck around. Now that I think about it, I don't even know your name." Old Man Jensen's eyebrows wrinkled in realization.

"Oh! Sorry about that." Roy took his hand and wiped it on his thigh before offering it to Old Man Jensen. "The name's Roy. Roy Silver."

"Nice to meet you Roy. As I was saying," Old Man Jensen cleared his throat, "That is why I believe you're different from the people who dwell in these lands. No shame in not knowing anything."

"Hey, I'm not stupid, just...unlearned...in the ways of the world. It's called Ostrand, right?"

"That is correct. Did you by chance have a 'window' appear before you."

"Yes! Do you get them too?"

"No. But there's a skill called 'Inventory' which you also appear to share with your predecessors. We who live in Ostrand can also find skill books with the same skill, but they are exceedingly rare and worth a king's ransom. I haven't anyone with that skill except for you and your peers."

"Interesting. Did the others say anything worth remembering? Did they remember anything about where they came from?"

"Not a single thing. I would remember, not too many memorable people come through this farm besides the residents of Inicia."

"That's alright, I just wondered. So, about that jerky..."

"Yes I will prepare the meat and tomorrow morning I can set it out to smoke. You'll be able to have some by tomorrow night."

"Great! Now I just have to find a place to stay."

"If you'd like, you can stay here on the farm in exchange for some work in the morning."

"Really? That's a relief. Even with money, I'm not sure what's cheap or expensive around here."

"How about you stay for a little longer then, perhaps a few days? You can get used to the town and see for yourself what Ostrand is like. After that I'm sure you'll have a much easier time getting around and doing whatever you like."

"That's very generous of you Jensen. You have my deepest thanks."

"Don't mention it. As long as you work the morning I'll consider it an equal agreement."