Elisia looked at the man in the black robe. There was a glimmer of hope for her not to became a slave for their satisfaction. She tried to saw the man's name, but she didn't know because maybe this girl didn't know the man.
“We don't want to get into trouble with you, strange man! Go before something painful lands on your face!” Fraaman snapped.
Instead of being scared and trembling, the man stepped forward until they were close together. Fraaman smirked in annoyance. The man simply replied with a straight look on Fraaman's face. Elisia could only hope that the man beat these thugs.
The man placed the basket on the dirt floor and also placed his black robe on top of the basket. Then, he took out some money.
“I think we can do some trading here. I want to buy that girl.”
The man's words actually surprised Elisia. However, a thought crossed Elisia's brain. Maybe it was one of the man's ploys to got her away safely. She glanced at the two men holding her. All she knew was Fred, and the other one just said
Fraaman smacked the man's hand full of money hard. "Who do you think you are, just hand money to anyone?!" It seemed Fraaman was getting angry. “This is the last warning! I asked you to get out of here!”
“If not, why?”
Fraaman floated a stick he was holding. The man parried the attack and directly punched Fraaman in the stomach. The man lied on the ground. Fred, who saw it, immediately walked quickly to attack the man. However, the man grabbed Fred's fist and pulled it away. Then he elbowed Fred. The Big Man came forward, and the man kicked his leg down. Now there was the Little Man who was still holding Elisia. With a trembling body, he fled without a care for his companions.
After his business with the hoodlums was over, the man took his basket and robes. Before leaving, he glanced at Elisia, who was also looking at him. He left saying nothing. Elisia immediately followed her.
“Hey, stop!”
The man stopped and turned around. His expression was so cold that Elisia couldn't say anything. Her tongue became moaned by it.
“Th-thank you for helping me,” Elisia said nervously.
The man turned around again. “It's very unsafe here. Go away!”
Elisia suddenly grabbed the man's hand. She knew that this man could help her live here. The man turned and saw Elisia's sad expression. The dark gray-haired man remained silent with a sharp gaze until he sighed.
“Okay, follow me!” He said as walked.
Elisia was happy because someone understood the situation. Perhaps the man could explain this place or some other information. Elisia followed the man's footsteps towards the village's main road. In the vicinity, there are many people who are doing activities, such as trading, building houses, making carts, to relaxing on this scorching afternoon.
“What is your name?” The man asked suddenly.
Elisia was surprised because she was watching the villagers. “My name is… Elisia Naumann.”
“You can call me Risk,” The man continued.
“Risk?” Elisia confused because it didn't sound like a name.
“You must be a newcomer here. Names like mine are very easy to find in this village. You don't have to think about it.” Risk explained.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Risk.”
“Don't call me mister! I'm still young!” Risk quickened his pace suddenly, forcing Elisia to chase after him.
Risk stopped in front of a vegetable shop. He picked up the [Mustard], [Cabbage], and [Turnips] that were on the front table. Elisia approached Risk, who was choosing good vegetables. Her breath hitched slightly, and she checked the stats.
Elisia Naumann
Level 0—No class
Max HP: 505/510
Stamina : 398/420
.
Pursuing Risk alone drained so much stamina. Looked like she need to learn how to conserve stamina. In addition, she just realized that her HP decreased a little. This must had been because of being thrown against the wall by those hoodlums. Risk shook his head as he glanced at Elisia, who was holding his left arm.
After resting for a while, Elisia's gaze fell on the vegetables. Her mind was full of various foods suddenly. Risk thrust the mustard into Elisia's face. The girl was shocked and annoyed.
“Hey, want a food?” Risk asked, who understood Elisia's point of view.
Elisia nodded quickly, followed by the sound of Elisia's stomach rumbling loudly. Risk smiled faintly at that and went back to choosing vegetables. Then, Risk paid for the vegetables he took earlier. They left the vegetable shop.
“Where are we going now?” Elisia asked curiously.
“Just follow.” Risk hastened the pace again. Elisia had to chase after him again.
After a tiring journey, they arrived at a simple house with wooden walls and a thatched roof. Elisia was silent, looking at the house, which was far from the settlement. Risk opened the door that was slightly stuck, then stepped inside.
“Sit down!” Risk ordered, who walked into the house.
Elisia sat on an ordinary sofa made of wood with cloth stitches as a cushion. Her eyes glanced at every corner of the house. There was nothing special there. Several rooms that were blocked by doors. The temperature in the room was comfortable enough for Elisia to lied down.
“Alright, I'll welcome her!” A man with white hair and a tall and thin stature came out of a door.
Elisia was surprised and stood up to greet him. “Oh, good afternoon! Are you Risk's friend?"
“So this is the girl that Risk was referring to? You're quite beautiful,” The man complimented.
Elisia’s face reddened. She noticed the man's face remained flat despite saying a compliment. Was he not human?
“Introducing, my name is Elisia Naumann.”
“Greetings. These guys call me Upgrade. I'm the medical volunteer.” The man replied. “I see you're injured. I'll treat you.”
“Oh, no need! It's just a slight wound,” Elisia refused, even though she really wanted to.
“Doesn’t matter. I'll take my medicine.” Upgrade into a closed room.
A few moments later, Upgrade back as carried a red sign symbol box. The man sat near Elisia and withdrew her hand. Elisia could feel this person's hands that were cold, like corpses. His body didn't emit any odor, and his skin looked pale. Elisia thought Upgrade was not human.
In mixed thoughts about Upgrade, they had completed the treatment. Upgrade leave and return to the room. Elisia looked at her hands. Her wound had treated well. She also checked the stats.
Elisia Nauman
Level 0–No class
Max HP: 510/510
Stamina : 400/420
.
Upgrade out of the room and approach Elisia again. “How was the treatment?”
“Pretty good. Thank you for treating me,” Elisia said.
“You don't need to thank me because it's my job.” Upgrade sat opposite Elisia. “How did you meet Risk?”
“He…, saved me from the thugs,” Elisia answered briefly.
“Those bastards in the market? Fraaman and Fred?”
“Y-yes.”
“They are hoodlums, which was disturbing in this village. Risk and I dealt with them when we first got here. Until now, no one has given a crushing blow to end their careers,“ Upgrade explained.
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“But, Risk hit them really hard earlier. Isn't that enough?”
“Risk hitting them? I'll take care of that later.” Upgrade was silent for a moment. “Oh, where are you from? Looks like you're a newcomer.”
“My origin? I don’t know. When I woke up, I was already in the forest near here. I don't remember how I got here either.”
“I see. If you like, you can stay here until you remember where you came from. We'll take you back there,” Upgrade said.
“Really? But I don't want to bother you two,” Elisia replied.
“You don't have to worry. The four of us always welcome all newcomers who need something,” Upgrade said happily, with a straight face.
“Four?”
Suddenly, someone came out from the door of the house. His body was quite large and sturdy. He looked sweaty, it could see it from his shiny body. He approached Upgrade while carrying something.
“Dr. Upgrade, I've fixed your little suitcase well! You can use it for the next ten years.”
Upgrade moved from the chair. He turned to Elisia.
“I want you to meet the new residents of this house.”
“New resident? She's really pretty.” The person approached Elisia. “People here call me Rhino. I am the blacksmith.”
Elisia could smell the sweat from Rhino's body. She also had to cover her nose as long as Rhino was standing near her. Feeling his guest uncomfortable, Rhino looked at his body.
“Oh, it looks like my smell is bothering you. I'll go take a shower first.” Rhino walked to the inner door.
“Rhino, better you fix that pulley again. Risk accidentally damaged it this morning,” Upgrade said just before Rhino went any further.
Elisia and Upgrade sat back down. Elisia still had many questions, especially about this world and her being here. That girl wanted to ask Upgrade, but Elisia didn't want to bother her new friend with weird questions. However, the girl would be even more curious if she remained silent.
“Upgrade, I mean Dr. Upgrade, where is this?”
“This region? We are in Khmer. Small area near Nusantara,” Upgrade replied.
“If I wanted to go to Gwelissa, how far would it be?”
“Gwelissa? It is very far to go there. It’s mean that you have to pass through the dead city of Kraftwerk and the isolated country of Ursa Empire,” Upgrade explained. “Now you remember where you came from?”
“Not really. I heard that name from my dream. I'm not sure if it's really where I'm from,” Elisia answered, while holding her head.
“Dreams are projections of memories, so they could be true. However, we have to prepare a lot of equipment if we want to go there. I'm also not really sure if Risk and Rhino will travel that far.” Upgrade got up from the couch to pick up something. “Perhaps you should spend more time here as you think back. I want to check Risk.”
Upgrade was right. Elisia had to spend her time in this village a lot. This time, she wasn't scared as before, because she had a new friend who could help her. She was happy to meet them and hoped this friendship would never end.
A message appeared before Elisia.
“Achievement unlocked: New Friends”
“Reward: 50% chance to increase your level point”
.
Elisia didn't understand the meaning of this achievement reward, but it seemed to refer to her current level. Maybe it could help her get a class she still knew nothing about. She also opened the full statistics to look for more information.
Elisia Naumann
Level 0 (0/0 exp)—No class
Max HP: 510/510
Stamina : 418/420
.
Skills
1. [Unknown]
2. [Unknown]
3. [Unknown]
4. [Unknown]
5. [Unknown]
6. [Unknown]
.
Equipment
1. Wool Jacket
.
Achievement (See all)
.
Description:
You are not remember anything. Until the end, you are still not remember everything.
.
Elisia still couldn't find any explanation here. Maybe she had to go further to find something even more interesting. Elisia had to be patient. In addition, she also thought of Gwelissa. Upgrade said earlier it was a place, but she doubted whether she ever went there. If her dream was true, it meant she had a past related to Gwelissa.
While waiting, Elisia continued to pay attention to every corner of Risk's quite large house. She saw some strange items that didn't see to come from this village. She also saw two sword blades lying on the table near the sofa. She thought it looked like one resident of this house was a knight or warrior. If so, she wanted to practice combat with him.
Upgrade out the back door and approach Elisia. “Food is almost ready. Maybe you can wait inside,” he said as closed the front door.
“Eh, may I?”
“Risk had told me about you. Come in, don't make Risk angry!” Upgrade walked first to the back door.
Elisia followed him. Apparently, their dining room was quite spacious. It attached the room to the kitchen. Even Elisia could see Risk cooking something in a large frying pan. Upgrade pulled a chair for Elisia. The girl sat down in disbelief.
Risk looked back after turning off the stove. “Oh, you're already seated. Wait a minute, the food is almost ready!”
Elisia noticed a simple dining room with a few decorations on the walls. That was also minimalist with neatly arranged equipment. She wondered who designed this house. She still bothered because she had only just met them. They could have thought of Elisia as a bad person who took advantage of the good.
Upgrade set the plate for four people. He also served some food on the table. Then, Risk came with the main meal. The aroma was so fragrant that made Elisia's stomach rumble. She was eager to eat the food right away, but it would be better if she waited for the host to take their food first.
“If you're hungry, you can take it first. I still have work to do in the kitchen,” Risk said.
“Wouldn't it be better if we ate together?”
Risk wiped his hands and returned to the kitchen. “Up to you.”
Upgrade sat beside Elisia and poured water on a glass. Then he shifted in front of Elisia.
“Drink if you are thirsty! I know you don't drink very often.”
The inspection carried out by Upgrade was apparently correct. Since in the forest, she's only had two gulps and hasn't had another drink after that, especially after running from the Mushroom Bear. Elisia drank the water. It could feel a fresh taste in her dry throat. The taste of the water was also like water in a river.
After drinking, Elisia put down the glass with the remaining water and looked at the contents.
[River Water]
“Upgrade, is this water coming from the river?” Elisia asked, to be sure.
“Your tongue is quite observant.” Upgrade smiled. “You're right. The water comes from the river. Anyway, I made a device to filter the river water so that the water was cleaner and fresher. The engine itself also comes from a mill with the addition of a small battery and electrical components that I bought from outside the village.”
“You're good at making machines too? You are so great!” It amazed Elisia to hear Upgrade's explanation.
“Besides being a medical volunteer, I'm also a mechanic. Making such a machine? It's very easy,” Upgrade replied.
"But he decided to be medical volunteer because dispensing drugs was easier than assembling electrical components," Risk said, who had just come out of the kitchen. "Call Rhino here!"
Upgrade turned to the door to Elisia's left. “Rhino, time to eat!”
“Yeah, I heard Risk earlier. I will coming!” A voice came from behind.
Then, Rhino opened the door and sat down immediately. “What are you cooking this time, Risk?”
“Like yesterday, stir-fried mustard greens and potatoes in butter. I know you really like processed potatoes,” Risk said.
“Of course, I'll take it first!” Rhino stopped after seeing Elisia. “Perhaps Elisia should take the food first, as an initial ritual to become a member of this house.”
“It’s okay. You must be starving. Just take it, I will catch it up.” Elisia let Rhino take the food.
The clear-skinned man immediately took the food, followed by Risk and Upgrade. Elisia looked at all the food to confirm the name of the food.
[Mustard Fry]
[Butter Potato]
Elisia suddenly remembered something. “Upgrade said you were four, where's the other one?”
Rhino stopped eating. “Where is Dao?”
“He said that wanted to help farmer Frank harvest the wheat this morning. He should have finished this afternoon,” Upgrade replied.
Suddenly, someone kicked the back door, slamming it hard. Everyone stood up reflexively. She saw the person carrying a enormous basket and placing it on the kitchen table. Everyone sighed and sat back down.
“Dao, can you stop kicking the back door like that? I'm tired of having to fix it all the time!” Rhino said, annoyed.
“Dao apologizes. Dao couldn't use his hands because Dao was carrying a basket full of grain. So, Dao uses feet to open it,” The person explained with a strange accent.
“Okay, but help me fix it later!”
“Fine, Dao will help Rhino!” Dao replied, “Did you guys just start eating?”
“You can see for yourself, and also to welcome the new occupant of this house, Elisia Naumann.” Risk glanced at Elisia.
Dao turned his head towards Elisia. “Greetings! My name is Dao, a Swordman and a helper. Nice to meet you!” He shook Elisia's hand.
“Nice to meet you too, Dao!” Elisia replied, somewhat embarrassed.
“Please continue with the food! Dao will cleanse these grains.” Dao lifted the enormous basket again and walked out.
“Just let him do what he wants to do. He rarely eats and drink,” Risk said while scooping food.
“Why?” Elisia asked.
“I don't know, he never said it.”
Elisia was silent and continued to eat. She thought that Risk and his friends were not ordinary people. They must be talented people who had traveling and staying in this village for quite some time. Elisia had also heard that Dao was a swordsman. This made her sure she was in the right group.
After finishing her meal, Elisia walked to the back porch of the house to breathe in the fresh country air. She didn't think that the scenery here was so beautiful. The expanse of corn and wheat fields adorned the village land. The air was also cool, like in the forest. A suitable place to lied in the meadow.
While admiring the view, Elisia heard a sound like two irons clashing. She looked for the source of the sound and found something she had never seen before.
Risk and Dao clashed swords in the side yard of the house. She could see the strength of the two from the sparks created from their swords. They moved farther apart, then suddenly approached. Their combat was very slick, even well trained. This gave Elisia an idea.
Their fight ended in a draw. Their stamina was also very good. No shortness of breath. Even the two of them could still swung their swords.
“I think we'll continue training this afternoon. Your ability is still at its best,” Risk commented.
“Thank you for practicing with Dao. Dao feels abilities are getting stronger because of Risk,” Dao said happily.
“You don't have to say that. You've been great since we met.” Risk turned around and saw Elisia, who was strutting.
Elisia approached Risk and Dao. “You guys are practicing?”
“You must have seen it earlier. I'm just testing Dao's ability to use skills,” Risk replied.
“And Dao feels stronger than ever!” Dao said.
Elisia clasped her hands together and stood facing Risk with a pleading face. “With great respect, I want you to teach me how to fight!”
Risk glanced at Dao. That man shrugged his shoulders. Risk watched Elisia's face, desperately begging to be taught how to use the sharp weapon. Elisia tried to convinced Risk that she really wanted to practice a combat abilities. Risk continued to stare at Elisia's face with a cold expression.