My body was already at its limit, but I kept sprinting until I finally reached the front door of the tavern.

*"At last! I am here!"*

Opening the large wooden door, the smell of roasted meat and vegetables was already spreading all over the place, accompanied by the loud chattering of the crowd inside the tavern, the same faces remained as time passed.

The warmth of the tavern's interior washed over me as I stepped inside, the comforting feeling went through my body instantly. I glanced around the room, in hopes of finding Karn and his group.

*"Where is that guy.... He should be more horizontally visible than the rest of these people...."*

And there they were, sitting in the same spot as before, with a few drinks already finished in front of them, and Lythael leaning back in her chair while the rest were chatting with serious expressions.

"Hey, I am back!" I yelled at them, hoping to get their attention before Lythael made any remarks about me.

"Oh hey it's you again! Did you bring us any grass to eat?" She said as her chair was about to fall and crash down the floor with her, but in the blink of an eye, she disappeared.

"Haha! Very funny—!"

*"Wait... Where did she go!?"*

There was a slight breeze behind me, and when I turned to look, I felt a soft yet firm warmth push against behind my back. A hand slipped onto my shoulder, and a soft voice whispered in my ear.

"Miss me already?" Lythael whispered, her chin now resting on my shoulder. Her breath, warm and close, sent a shiver down my spine.

I froze for a second, her sudden appearance behind me made my hands tremble, if it was a real enemy, I would have died in mere seconds.

"You know.... for a simple gardener you sure have the instincts of a fighter...." she continued, her voice whispering into my ear as she gripped my shoulder firmly.

I laughed awkwardly, trying to shake off the discomfort. "You really like to play with me do you!"

"Well someone had to keep you ready, if it was Karn, he would have broken your back by this time..." She chuckled a bit, finally stepping away from me.

*"She's really getting on my nerves..."*

"Now if you'll excuse me!" I said firmly, locking eyes with her before taking a seat near Karn, putting as much distance between us as possible. My heart still raced from her little game, but I refused to show any emotions. The others, deep in conversation, barely noticed the exchange.

"Lad! You're here!" Karn's loud voice shook me from my embarrassment. His smile was the usual, but there was a weight behind it, something more serious. "Just in time for the plan!"

"Plan? What plan?"

The group suddenly went silent, even the playful Lythael sat down without her mocking grin. "We're taking a commission… for Fiera." Nereus leaned forward, his voice had a serious tone.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The light atmosphere from the group disappeared in an instant the moment Nereus spoke, "Fiera’s group," Nereus continued, his tone was different from the normal, "they took on a job north of Windfall, mining ores and minerals from a cave. But... something went wrong. Something ambushed them."

The ambiance was silent, only the chatter of the nearby customers remained, "What... What happened next..." I asked Nereus, only for them to look at Feria as she trembled in fear, clutching her grimoire like she had a great burden.

"She was the only one who made it out alive," Nereus said, his voice dropping lower. His words created more tension in the air.

I stared at Fiera, her frail body trembled more as she heard what Nereus said, I could see the despair in her eyes.

"What... What did this?" I asked, I was hesitant at first, but seeing Fiera in her form made me strengthen my resolve.

"Me lad... That's why we are here...." Karn suddenly spoke, his loud voice replaced with a normal tone, "That’s what we’re going to find out".

Karn leaned forward, his usual grin replaced with a serious face. "Take the sleep for now lad, You look like you're about to fall off in 1 hit.."

"Alright, but where—" I questioned him, only for Lythael to cut me off as she stood up.

"Just go upstairs, there's a room ready for you in the lodge... Go dream about eating grass and wake up in the morning.." She said, her tone sounded real enough for me to take it seriously.

As they all stood up and prepared their equipment, I was very puzzled at what was happening all of a sudden.

*"I didn't even get to say yes or no!"* I was flustered, but the very thought of showing my improvement to them tickled my mind, this was my time to showcase what I had become in a short moment.

I glanced around the table, Nereus was still deep in thought, sharpening his blades while he was chanting something. It took a moment before I realized Lythael was already gone, disappearing in a second after she spoke to me.

*"Wow.. She really is fast!"*

"Good lad..." Karn was suddenly behind me, "I'm glad you accepted our request...." his voice had a calm tone like he was grateful for the small things around him. "Don't worry, I won't let anything harm you tomorrow... Just protect Fiera as much as you can...". He slapped my back before he made his way upstairs.

*"Argh! He hits like a tank!"*

I nodded in response to his request, though many thoughts flooded my mind, I steeled my mind to prevent myself from self-sabotaging, but I was very curious as to what creature could have ambushed her group, leaving only Fiera as the sole survivor.

As I climbed the broken wooden stairs to the lodge, I saw Fiera just behind the door to my room. She looked up for a second, her gaze catching mine, but it wasn't the frail, terrified expression I was expecting. There was something stronger behind the fear.

"Oh hey.... What are you doing here?" I approached the door, her hand was already at the knob before I got close to her. "Well ughm..... There were not enough rooms available... So Lythael said I should share a room with you..."

*"Of course it had to be her scheming every possible bad thing in my life!"*

"Oh! I don't mind! Let's go now!"

She nodded while I opened the door for her, the room they’d set aside for us was small but comfortable enough. Two beds with a rough blanket and a small window looking out over the quiet village. I immediately went for the bed, the exhaustion and fatigue hitting me like a hammer. My limbs felt like lead, and my eyes grew heavy almost immediately.

Fiera was hesitant at first, but after she laid down, she had already gone to a deep sleep within seconds of going down. After a couple of minutes, my arms were already beginning to weaken, and my body was already heavy.

*"This is it! My first night in this crazy world"*

*"It's crazy how I was just coding 2 days ago and then bam, I am here in this unknown world with a class I don't even know how to use..... Sounds like a situation Backtracking can't fix..."

Countless thoughts circled in my mind, and before I could notice, I was already asleep. I dozed off, falling deeper into the heavy, dreamless sleep that only tiredness could cause. The world around me faded into darkness as my mind finally calmed down from the storm of thoughts.

Then, out of the black void, I heard it, my name.

"Justin..."

It was weak at first, like a whisper floating on the tip of my consciousness. I moved slightly, unable to wake up, but then I heard it again.

"Justin..." It was clearer this time. Familiar.

My heart skipped a beat. This voice, It was my best friend's, It had to be Carl's voice.