It had been a while for him to wake up naturally in natural circumstances. Thanks to someone, it only took him two days just to get to this point of somewhat normality. Without her, he could have spent weeks just to be able to sleep comfortably on his own.

He could smell something roasted over the fire as soon as he opened his eyes to the widely smiling and eyes-twinkling Liara. She probably had woken up much earlier and went to prepare breakfast before returning to wake him up.

She was probably too happy to not have to explain to her girlfriend why she had led a man into her place and slept with him. Duty or not, it was still a very sensitive taboo to cross as, just like fear, jealousy was one of the most powerful emotions.

“Morning,” Ake said as soon as she saw him.

“A very good morning to you too,” she replied. “Let’s have some roasted Jaran root, it is the breakfast for commoners like us.”

He shrugged, “sounds good to me.”

“Great!” the girl chimed as she practically bounced on her feet.

After a simple roast, the root was cut into smaller sizes and eaten by using a carved stick with two-pronged sharp ends. It tasted bland and it was much better with the sweet gooey liquid poured from an earthenware.

Liara happily demonstrated how to poke the cut root without breaking them into even smaller pieces, well, after he had destroyed one of them. It was not that bad, probably thanks to the slightly salty taste, but it was really filling. Each single root was at least the size of his arm and he already began to feel stuffed after only one of them.

The girl wasn’t kidding as this Jaran root should be a commoner food probably because of the familiar bland taste and perhaps it was also among the easiest to procure. This should be true when the food reminded him of something similar back home on Earth.

Surprisingly, the roasted long root tastes almost like the roasted potato. Ake couldn’t help it but smile widely when he recalled all the tasty things that could be made from the ingredients. Food of comfort should be something safe to be introduced.

“I’m glad you like it,” Liara said after noticing his smile. “It means you really are one of us.”

Ake chuckled, “Why would you say such things?”

“Well, rumors have it, evil souls won’t like the peasant food here,” she said innocently.

“I see,” Ake said.

It was another of her tests, of course. Ake shook his head.

After breakfast, Liara changed into a sleek full leather armour after taking a quick bath.

Darkened metal plates were slid and secured into a pocket on her bracer and similarly all other places on the dark leather armour. It was obvious what they were for as he couldn’t see any shield lying around in the place

Thanks to her small figure, the pair of shortswords looked like full-sized swords while strapped on her back. They also had very little scratches as if she rarely had used them.

He decided those things were a question for a later time. It felt like she was preparing herself for a really hard quest and he didn’t want to ruin it or something.

Its high difficulty might be the reason and it led to a solemn quiet walk towards the gate. Liara was thinking hard about something for sure until she noticed the other girl.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” she said coolly. “Make yourself at home until I return.”

“Thank you, be careful out there,” Ake replied and Liara smiled.

Sila was waiting for her by the gate and he stayed further away to let the couple have their private time. Something told him the two might have an open relationship but he had more important things to think about than this.

Despite the other girl’s glares, he stayed to watch his Senpai as she waved her small hand and walked away. Watching her back disappear into the foliage reminded Ake of how difficult it was to earn a living in this world.

A commoner without any backing would have to risk it in order to earn a living.

No one would hire someone with zero talent.

What he had to do soon was nothing like dragging his legs to work every day. It would be like going to war but only worse because it was on an almost daily basis.

Liara’s girlfriend's reaction was more relatable at the moment. She probably prayed for her return every moment she could. Such things would only get a lot harder when adventuring alone when there was a very real risk of things going south.

No one in the world could tell what could go wrong, and it would be a lot worse without any way to tell or communicate. It might be stupid and naive, but it would be a lot easier just to stay inside the walls.

Many might not agree, but reality was not like fiction. Not everyone had the mental fortitude as heroes imagined in stories. Also, no one would truly know they would be able to act as they believed until they were, feet on the ground, facing that critical moment.

This ex-office guy was already very lucky he didn’t freeze every time he fought for his life against the bloodthirsty killer rabbits. Every splash of blood seemed to drive them even crazier. Ake would’ve loved to experience the Wilds, but he knew that it would simply be suicidal if he had followed after her.

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At the moment he was still not levelled and not nearly capable or confident enough. The crystallised abilities should help a lot but he still lacked many things.

Even the dagger he had with him today was loaned. He also didn’t really know what was out there and he wasn’t sure whether his abilities were able to match up to them.

What he could do now was pray that his beautiful guardian angel and benefactor would return safely. When she returned safely, maybe he had a chance to once more rub his face on her benevolent chest. Liara would probably let him if he asked.

Ake shook his head. The popular media in his old world had lied too much.

There was no such thing as being too busy to admire an exposed bouncing boobs right before the eyes. It made poor naive girls think wearing sexy clothes was normal and it would never have any effect on regular men.

Regardless, being strictly objective was the way forward.

His primary goal was to get more [Life] essence until he reached the first level. Making money on the side would be a huge plus. Maybe after that, he could find or think of something that would give him more confidence in his actions.

Ake reviewed his [Soul Ledger] to check his progress.

[Astral Linked]-[Soul Ledger]

[Ake] [Age: 17]-[Race: Human]

[Title: Tribe Chieftain]

[Level [0] Villager]

[Life Essence [8%] to next level]

[-]

[Shards]

[Absorbed: Ether, Strand]

[Corrupted: Flesh IV]

[Evolved: Thread]

[-]

[Stats]

[HP: 510/510]

[Mana: 110/110]

[-]

[Traits]

[Life Lease][Hexed Libido]

[-]

[Abilities]

[Extract],[Ethereal Arms],

[Arcane Flesh].

Ake shook his head. It was confirmed that he had been cursed.

There was no doubt that [Life Lease] had come with [Hexed Libido] in tow. Thanks to the curse, he probably couldn’t even jack off if he had wanted to.

Other than that, he also had more reasons to feel pathetic. All of yesterday's sweat and bloody killings had earned him only [8] percent of the total [Life] essence was one of them.

Liara might have praised him but it was pitiful to see such a result. It would probably be his imagination, but something was telling him that he was doing something wrong. It could only be his gamer soul ranting but perhaps figuring it out would be a great help.

However, unlike in games, the information listed in the [Soul Ledger] were only those he had discovered or already knew about. It was a reminder, a note of his progression instead of a character sheet filled with additional information or whatever.

Liara also had made it clear to him that getting a level would be gruelling hard work both would be worth it in many ways. Everyone was expected to gain the first level after at least a month of focused hard work. It told him that she, and probably everyone else around, had no clue if there was a more efficient way to level up.

He would rather work smart than work hard but there wasn’t any real source of information to suggest there was a way. It was better not to get his hope too high.

Obviously, there was no in-game mechanic specifically designed to make more players enjoy the grind. Real life would never have faster leveling or free awesome skills dropped by monsters as it was not a self-indulging fantasy.

What he could expect from the grind was lucky [Ether] shards as low-level monsters wouldn’t have developed specialized shards yet. It also made sense when he was told that something like [Lightning] or [Teleport] shards were well beyond his reach.

It would be like trying to grasp the clouds, quoted Liara. Commoners like them couldn’t even dream of reaching such heights, let alone get their hands on them.

She had giggled at the suggestion, but if he ever got that lucky, it still would be best for him to sell it to the Guild quickly. It was obvious why he shouldn’t absorb it or keep it as his life might be forfeited if anyone of importance discovered it.

Envy and grudges ran deep whenever fame and money were involved.

Luckily, no one could rob him of his evolved shard.

And its ethereal nature also helped a lot.

Liara was mildly surprised when he asked her but it was not unheard of. The clothes shop’s owner [Strand], for example, had evolved to specialize in making clothes. She admitted that she hadn’t experienced it herself but it was an open secret that shards could grow, change, and evolve, or in his case, reconfigure.

Regardless, his first objective of the day was simple. He was out here by the river to catch some fish. Any town worth the cost of building it would have been built near a water source and the nameless town had one huge river as its natural moat.

Ake hadn’t viewed it from above but the town should have a horseshoe-shaped wall with its back facing the wide rushing river. The only odd thing was no one in town could be seen trying to at least spear out its bounty.

It was obvious why when he considered the sheer size of the fish swimming around in the water. Not even a metal spear could have caught one.

It was a huge waste when Ake could literally see them swim freely. The sheer size difference promised a lot more [Life] essence than the horned rabbit if he was able to catch it.

Of course, Ake didn’t come all the way out here without a proper plan. He could have used the [Ethereal Arm], the huge jackpot he discovered last night after combining the [Ether] and the new [Thread]. He doubted anyone else could see the ghostly tentacles when even Liara hadn’t been able to notice it, but there was still a substantial risk involved.

Regardless of what she said, his neck was still not out of danger. It was left without saying that someone else would be watching him in the absence of the petite woman by his side. This sudden departure of hers was probably also a prelude to a test of some sort as the only sure thing when it was announced by someone whose place was higher if not the highest in town.

Any smart learned person should know that a judgment from a single biased jury would never be enough. A second opinion was crucial to ensure the alien soul from doing anything potentially harmful or suspicious.

Liara hadn’t said or hinted anything because she knew that he didn’t need to be told about it or she was simply ordered not to tell him.

And since the said replacement hadn’t introduced him or herself, then it was prudent to assume that he would be watched in secret. With that in mind, grabbing the fish using the powerful [Ethereal Arms] out of the water would be stupid at best and suicidal at worst.

Ake chuckled.

The last thing he needed was to be the center of attention.