I think I’m getting used to this. Leon thought, for the first time in weeks, that he didn’t feel tired when walking back home from working at the farm. He would always get sore in the morning, but likely he wouldn’t be sore from today.

Should I apologise for my teasing earlier? He had second-guessed himself, as his teasing might’ve hit a sore spot. Rose couldn’t tell Leon that she had transmigrated from the future. To be fair, I’ve also transmigrated, and know details of the future, albeit differently compared to her.

Leon entered the outskirts of the slums and was nearly home. Hm? Suddenly, he noticed an odd scene. It was a man walking around the slums. The man was well-dressed and well fed, which meant he didn’t fit in the slums.

A mobster? No, he doesn’t seem like the type. Leon guessed the man was in the local gangs, but he quickly dismissed that. He couldn’t help but compare the man to Moe and noticed that Moe had some air of tension around him.

So it’s someone who’s just lost? Or are they looking for someone? Leon had no intention of finding out, as he just wanted to go home. Unfortunately for Leon, the man had other plans. “Excuse me! Little boy!” The man called out to Leon.

I just wanted to go home. Leon gave a mental sigh and steeled himself for the inevitable conversation. Running away or ignoring the man wasn’t Leon’s preferred way of dealing with these kinds of situations.

Leon looked over to see the man walking towards him. The man got near him and crouched down to get to eye level. Leon immediately looked away, getting uncomfortable at the sudden eye contact.

The man noticed Leon’s discomfort and created some space for him. “Do you live around here?” He asked in a soft tone.

“Y-Yes.” Leon stammered out.

The man was a little relieved as he heard that. “I need to find someone. Could you help me?”

Leon’s second guess was right. “I don’t know everyone here.” Leon replied more normally as he quickly found his confidence.

“No problem.” The man smiled kindly. “I need to find a woman who should live here.” Leon thought back and noticed he barely saw women walking around here.

“There aren’t that many women here.”

The man was a little disappointed but continued, “Maybe you’ve seen her. She’s got beautiful long orange flame-like hair.” Leon felt a shock going through him as he realised the man was looking for Rose.

Who is he? Is he our father, and he didn’t recognise me? No, he doesn’t look that old. Many thoughts flashed through his mind.

The man noticed Leon’s expression and got hopeful. “Have you seen her around here?” He asked with some expectation.

“U-Um.” Leon didn’t know what to say. Was he supposed to invite a random stranger to their house?

Leon’s uncomfortable look quickly drew the attention of the locals. “Hey Kid! Is this guy bothering you?”

The locals knew Leon was a regular around here and wanted to protect him. “Another rich guy? Come to flaunt your money?” Locals began surrounding them, growing rowdy. The man tried to keep them calm as he assured them he was not there to create problems.

Leon wasn’t doing well. The sizeable crowd made his anxiety go haywire. Adding the ever-growing loud voices and you have a recipe for a meltdown, he sat down, closed his eyes and put his hands on his head as he tried to keep it together from the massive headache that was rapidly forming.

“What’s going on over here?” A familiar female voice sounded out as she came closer.

“S-Sis!” Leon cried out as tears stained his eyes from the pain. Rose heard Leon’s call and her motherly instincts kicked in and forced her way in to see the situation.

She immediately focused her attention on Leon, who was in the fetal position trying to keep himself together. She dived in and gave him a warm embrace as she looked up at whoever did this to her brother.

Suddenly she reeled back as she called out, “Daniel!?” Daniel also noticed Rose and felt equally surprised.

“Rose!?” The crowd was still around them, making noise and being an annoyance.

Rose got serious with a look of ferocity as she emitted a dangerous feeling. “Everybody. Get. Lost.” She warned the crowd who fell still, hearing and feeling her intentions.

The crowd dispersed quickly, leaving Leon, Rose, and Daniel alone. Rose’s display of such ferocity shocked Daniel, while Leon, too occupied with his meltdown, noticed nothing.

Rose gave out a sigh as she looked at Daniel, “So, care to explain why I found my little brother like this?” Still furious at the situation.

“Well…it kinda went like this,” Daniel explained the events that led up to this.

In the time it took for Daniel to tell the story, Leon had calmed down enough to back Daniel up as his mental state slowly recovered, So…this is Daniel? He looked at Daniel closely and could see why Rose had a crush on him.

Daniel wore a clean shirt and jeans, showcasing his muscular forearms. His short, burgundy hair and clean-shaven face caught Leon’s attention. He works out a lot. Leon noticed.

“Well, you found me. Let’s go home and discuss this there further.” Rose helped Leon up as he also wanted to go home. The walk back was thankfully uneventful. However, as they left, some people chatted.

“What do we do, boss?” A rough-looking man asked the man next to him.

The ‘boss’ merely smiled, dressed in a nice suit with a hat, and said, “We do nothing, but that woman sure was interesting.”

The rough-looking man nodded. “Shall I grab her?” he simply asked, waiting for his boss to release him.

“No, just keep a close eye on them.” The boss replied. He had plans for her, but he would not force her.

“People are more motivated if they come willingly. We’re mobsters, not slave drivers, remember?” He asked the rough-looking man, who nodded in agreement.

Rose, Leon and Daniel soon reached the house. Daniel felt shocked when he saw the living conditions. Could I live like this? He asked himself before he found the answer. No, he couldn’t.

“Um, sis, I’m going to bed for a bit.” Leon felt exhausted after the day’s events.

Rose nodded with a soft smile and then it was just the two of them sitting in awkward silence. “So, that’s your little brother?” Daniel tried to break the awkward tension.

“Yes.” Rose was not in the mood for idle chitchat, but Daniel didn’t seem to mind it.

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“He’s a bit um…” He tried to describe Leon nicely but couldn’t come up with the words.

“Different? He’s autistic, although not diagnosed, but we’re fairly certain,” Rose replied curtly. In her past life, they tested Leon and determined that he was autistic.

“I see…” Daniel replied awkwardly. Rose couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Daniel, what are you here for? You should know the slums don’t treat outsiders nicely.” She wanted him to get to the point.

Daniel hesitated for a few seconds and grit his teeth, “I like you Rose.” He muttered almost unhearable.

Rose’s mind short-circuited for a second as she said, “Excuse me?” She must’ve misheard that, right?

“I like you, Rose!” Daniel said with more passion this time. “I have always liked you.” Daniel admitted his feelings for Rose.

“Okay…” Rose replied, unsure as she toyed with her hair. She’d rather be fighting demons and dragons than be in this situation.

The silence seemed to last forever when Rose said, “Daniel, this is rather sudden. Are you sure this is okay?” She seemed to hint at her situation and the difference between them.

“I don’t mind it, and my family and I aren’t in contact.”

“Well…I guess it’s fine then, right?” Rose replied with some uncertainty.

Daniel got his hopes up, “Does this mean!?”

Rose nodded to confirm. “I’m down for a date, but can you give me like three days?” She said as she continued to play with her hair.

“Of course! I can come back in three days! I don’t think I’ll create a big disturbance like today.” Daniel eagerly nodded and joked. The tension seemed to be relieved in the air as Daniel soon excused himself.

Rose let out a massive sigh of relief and exhaustion. She had never had Daniel confess to her, even in her past life. Wait. Where even was Daniel in my past life? She suddenly realised that she had never heard from him in her past life. What was he doing?

She looked over at Leon’s door. I’m glad he’s asleep if he found out about this… As her thoughts trailed out, she noticed the door was slightly ajar with an eye and Leon’s huge smile visible.

“Leon!? How much did you hear!?” she yelled out and Leon’s only answer was to slam the door behind him as he laughed. They bantered for a bit until Leon truly was exhausted and he fell asleep.

“Now remember, don’t tell anyone my in-game name.” Rose told Leon again.

“Yes, sis, I won’t tell a soul,” Leon repeated what he had said earlier. It was now nearly night time and Leon had woken up after a small hour-long nap.

During dinnertime, Rose revealed her identity as ‘Titania’ to the ‘complete shock’ of Leon. “Speaking of in-game names, I still don’t know yours,” Rose pointed out. She knew Leon’s in-game name, but it was because of her past life that she knew.

“Tempest,”

Rose reeled from the surprise as Leon told his name. “Is something wrong?” He asked her curiously.

“N-No, it’s nothing. It’s a cool name.” Rose tried to keep calm as processed the name.

It changed? Why did it change? Was Leon the first to come up with that name and now it was available? She tried to find a reason and found it likely because he entered so early. How will this change the future?

The name Tempest held more meaning than Leon could know. It was the name ‘reserved’ by a very famous and talented player from the Upper Colony, and it was his calling card.

Well, he still has to wait until those cabins are complete. Rose thought back to the Upper Colony. The reason they weren’t playing the game yet was because of the cabins that were still being made. Using those cabins, one could go for 100% sensitivity.

The Upper Colonies also had years of experience in playing these types of games, whereas Souls Online was the Lower Colonies’ first time. As a result, they were fully confident in surpassing everyone.

Everyone but me. Rose thought, they might have years in VR games, but she had years of experience in Souls Online. Leon was completely unaware of what Rose was thinking.

Soon it was time for the servers to open again. Leon got ready to dive back into the game as he put the helmet on and fell asleep.

Leon woke back up in the game where he left off, the Wizards Tower. Alright, time to pick a skill. Getting the Class soul awarded him with a skill choice, one that he waited on until he knew his path.

He opened his skill tree and got a choice of three Summoning skills.

[Contract] (Active Spell)

Form a bond with a sentient being at Bronze level or below, making them your familiar. (Note familiar’s stats change when converted.)

Cost: 15 Mana

Cooldown: 1 hour

[Raise Skeleton] (Active Spell)

Raise a basic skeleton similar to your level from the ground and command them

Cost: 5 Mana per 10 seconds

Cooldown: 10 minutes

[Pray] (Active Spell)

Pray to the divine to ask them for help. Your reputation and faith can persuade some effects.

Cost: 30 Mana

Cooldown: 1 minute

It was a balanced set that pointed to the popular paths. Those wanting to go for a niche path would need to buy a skill book.

Leon knew what he wanted to pick and selected [Contract], knowledge of the skill entered his brain giving him a small migraine. I see, so this spell has two ways of working. Contract worked a little differently than Leon had expected.

The two ways were simple: either a forceful contract or a contract on equal grounds. The forceful contract goes into the route of Demon Binder and alike, whereas the other one goes to the routes I want. Leon noted.

Now for some preparation. Leon couldn’t go to the Bronze boss yet. He still had the carcasses in his inventory that needed to be prepared and skinned. Before Leon could even get up from the comfortable chairs in the Wizard’s Tower, he got a message from the system.

[Player Titania has sent a friend invite, accept or decline?] Ah, there she is. Leon quickly accepted the invite as Rose already called him.

“You know, I waited for you to send that invite, but you never did.” She immediately complained to him.

“Sorry sis, was a bit busy choosing a skill.” Leon told Rose about the skill he had chosen.

“I understand. Hey Leon, there’s something you should know. There’s a very strong Bronze boss monster in the tutorial. Maybe you and Luna can take him.” Rose revealed the information about the Bronze boss.

Leon smiled, “No worries sis, I already knew that thanks to the map I got. I also got a plan to deal with the Bronze boss.” Leon’s words aroused Rose’s curiosity.

“Oh? Pray tell your big sister how you plan on dealing with it.”

Rose would shocked if Leon could deal with that thing all on his own. She only beat it because of her years of experience and even then the stat difference was too much. “It’s simple. This is my plan.” Leon told Rose his plans and Rose fell silent as she heard that.

“It sounds plausible. I wish you the best of luck!” Rose said as she hung up. On the other end of the phone call was Rose, as she had a thoughtful look on her face. If he can pull that off, then he’ll likely end up a bigger winner than I did.

Leon got up from the chair and walked outside to the bustling streets of the tutorial village. I miss the night already. Nighttime was when it was most calm and the moon was a very calming sight for Leon.

Still, Leon had to endure it for now. He walked as he tried to mask the discomfort and made his way to a simple general store. “Do you have any skinning knives for sale?” Leon asked, while masking any uncomfortable feelings he had.

“Of course, sir! Which one would you like?” The female store clerk perked up and pulled out a variety of sharp knives. Leon quickly settled on one particular knife that suited his needs.

[Sharp Skinning Knife] (Green)

A very sharp tool that can cut through any tough hide from monsters ranked Special Elite and below.

Cost: 1 Silver

Leon paid for the knife and walked towards another shop in the village. Along the way, he heard some other players talking with each other.

“I’m level 9. What about you?”

“How does one get a Class soul?”

“Looking to trade my white graded boots for white graded gloves!”

“Willing to sell ‘special’ services! Just PM me!”

Leon quickly shut that last one out as a female player was yelling at the top of her lungs. Seems like the general player base is around levels 9 to 10 and is looking for mentors to get Class Souls. Leon deduced as he listened to the player base.

To leave the tutorial, players had to get to level 10 and have a class soul. However, the information about a hidden Bronze boss in the tutorial wasn’t public.

Leon looked up to see he had reached his destination. It was a local butcher’s shop. He took a deep breath and walked in. “Hello, I’d like to borrow one of your rooms to skin some prey.”

Despite being surprised at the request from such a young kid, the shop owner didn’t ask, “Sure, 10 copper coins.”

After Leon paid 10 copper, the shopkeeper escorted him out back to a place that resembled Jack’s workshop. Guess he really was a butcher and not just a nickname.

He skinned the Elite and Super Elite carcasses with the knife he had just bought, according to Jack’s teachings. [Alpha Grey Wolf skinned. Gained +4 mastery.] Leon was happy that his plan had worked.

[Alpha Wolf Meat] (Green)

Meat from a powerful alpha wolf. Can be cooked by a skilled chef.

[Alpha Wolf Skin] (Green)

Skin from a powerful alpha wolf. Can be used to craft armour.

[Alpha Wolf Blood] (Green)

Blood from a powerful alpha wolf. Can be used in alchemy.

Leon also got the same set from the Elite boar he had skinned. “Say, kid, that’s some nice meat. How about it 80 copper and I’ll take it off your hands.” The butcher noticed the quality of the meat and suggested a trade with Leon.

“Sorry sir, the meat’s not for sale.” Leon had to disappoint the man. He had other plans for the meat. The skins, however, were completely for sale. Leon left the butcher and sold the skins to the same person as yesterday for 1 silver.

All those preparations are finally done. Now let’s hope this works. Leon thought as he headed out to the village gate and beyond where the Bronze boss awaited him.