I was woken up by noises of voices on the beach nearby, I quickly pick up my bag and looking at the still curled up fox asleep I knew this place would be found soon. I pick them up and place them on top of the bag on my bag, I used a few loose straps to secure the fox in place while they slept.

Peaking out the door I spot a large group of armed men searching for either the fox or me probably both. I slip out before they can get a view of my shack and sneak away in the jungle not looking back towards the beach. I kept walking through the night and eventually found a road well it was probably a road if the marks left in the mud of horses and carriages were anything to go by. The fox was awake at this point still on the bag as I walked down the road but I could feel its head move as it looked around.

We passed by some travelers that gave me weird looks, I noticed that most of the people I saw were armed with weapons. Some with swords some with bows staffs and any other assortment of weapons. As I walked I started seeing more people seems we were approaching a town of some sort. The town, though it was probably classified as a city by the time period, was open and many people kept entering and exiting. It was too late for me to turn back and approach from the wilderness without being suspicious so I approached it normally. I cursed under my breath I had forgotten to take off my mask, hopefully I was just a wierdo with a mask. The guards at the gate still singled me out though they stopped me from entering for questioning. They asked me many questions I tried to sound confident as I answered "I am from a small village, hoping to become a famous swordsman."

Luckily when they heard I was just a young man looking for adventure they only had one more question "What's with the mask?" Yeah it was weird I knew it, might as well double down on the small village story. "Ahh, Well I am not allowed to show my face until I return from my adventures its tradition" True enough I guess and they seemed to buy that story. They directed me to a guild they called the Hunters guild said I would be able to start showing off my skills there. I would need a job at some point so I head there maybe if it is like anything like my gamer brain thinks it would be a good source of money if I could handle it.

I remember seeing carts full of dead beasts in line outside the gate getting inspected before they entered. I follow the guards instruction and enter into the guild building I see what looks like a pub but what looks like multiple windows with people on the other side of them talking to people that lined up. I approach an empty window and there is a cute girl on the other side of the window, I can't help but look at her she is just that cute. I must have been too intimidating as she gets replaced by a burly man who when he speaks sounds like a rock slide "What you need, stranger"

I clear my throat and speak my voice sounding small and meek compared to his "Uhh, Sorry. I wish to register with the guild" He eyes me a bit then says "Well the way you walk shows you know how to stalk your prey" He reaches under the counter and pulls up a large bulky metal box. He pulls out a small rectangular tag made of wood, "Here this is yours pass it back when you are done looking at it"

Grabbing the small tag I feel a prick from what must have been a splinter, but thinking about it probably wasn't it was magic as the wooden tag changes to dull dark steel color. I see my name gets imprinted on it and some other information that is just too small to really make sense off maybe when I get the time I'll look at it more closely. I pass the now metal tag back to the man who when he saw the tag change to metal looks impressed a bit. "Well Dark Iron rank I didn't think you were so strong for a newcomer" at your confused face he laughs a bit "Hah Well you really must be from the middle of nowhere with a name like that I'd believe it." He shakes his head as he does something below the counter again with the tag "Well Shot Your rank is determined by your attributes see here" there was a loud click and he places the tag in front of you now with a hole stamped into it he points to a part of the small lettering "This here is your physical attributes how strong your body is how much you can carry how long you can run for things like that." I can't see what he is talking about I only see what looks to be strange swirling writing at that part. "It's pretty decent at an 6 I wouldn't want to take a punch from you that for sure"

When he says 6 that's when you recognize it, You can read it now its just written in a style of writing you've never seen before. There was only two other attributes other than Physical, Mind, and Arcana. at 5 and 3 respectively. "So why is 6 decent?"

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"Hah, Average farmers barely get up to a 3 and each increase is harder than the previous. The highest recorded number was a 9 but they died of old age 300 years ago." Hmm if 6 allowed me to carry 80kg and still run with them I can only imagine what a 9 would allow for. "Just remember that the stronger you get the harder it will be to get stronger so never stop working on it if you ever want to get to a 9" I nod indicating I understand. "Oh that reminds me, use your designated window next time" he points upwards and I see a small golden star looking at the other windows they don't have stars but you do see one with a large dark iron colored tag over it and further down at the most populated window was a window with no tag over it, ahh you went to the wrong window though everything worked out.

"So how do I get some work done?" I ask the man he points across the bar like room towards a large board with papers attached to it "Those are all the available jobs at the moment just bring back proof of the kill to your window, also you can sell the materials to us if you don't already have someone to sell to in the city." With that said I walk to the board avoiding the pointed stares of the people still in the line waiting to get registered, guess the mask does come in handy in this way no one wants to confront you for effectively cutting the line.

Looking at the jobs I notice it is all mostly in order from lowest rank to highest, I decide to get one for a rank lower than the Dark Iron. Theoretically if the stats on the card were correct I should be able to take care of those quite easily. Looking at the jobs I spot one that paid a decent amount for a killer boar the proof of kill was a tusk with the job decided I memorized the location apparently it is out the other side of the city you arrived from. I have no money to even start to look for a place to stay a boar shouldn't be too hard to kill right? This entire time the fox stayed on my bag as we left the guild making for the exit of the city.

Once outside of the city I let the fox down onto the floor and started walking to the location this boar was supposed to be at. I heard the boar before I saw it, there was little guessing at what caused it, recalling how people hunted boars I changed my Morphing Stick into a long spear hoping that I could bait out a charge and brace the spear hoping I don't die to it.

Once I saw that boar though I didn't feel confident in killing the boar the traditional way. It was much larger than a normal boar it had serrated tusks definitely a killer boar. I shortened the spear to less of a boar spear and back into the sword it was before, just a bit longer this time. I give it a shout to get its attention and it charges at me.

Jumping out of the way I land with a roll just in time to avoid its charge, luckily I did its charge and sharp tusks caused the tree that was behind me to fall over no way would I have been able to stop that by bracing the spear. I pull out the sword as the Boar is no longer trying to recklessly charge me and instead it approaches me at a slow pace swinging its sharp tusks like swords at me.

I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid them this time I had to block them if I wanted to be able live through this. I experimentally try to block the tusk to get a feel for it but it pushes the sword out of the way I can feel I might be able to hold it and fight back if I can catch it. The next swing of the tusks at me I catch the tusk with my sword and push it back with all my might. It didn't get pushed back but I didn't get chopped into bits either we were locked together in this contest of strength now. Before the boar can recover from the shock of being blocked I remember a little bit of the sword knowledge I have it's easier to deflect then it is to just block, so I step forward and let the boar continue its wild swinging motions behind me and stab my sword through its ribs. I can feel that this blow was fatal and pulling back I let the beast bleed out as it tries to attack me.

When it was finally dead I do utilize some of my hunting knowledge to hang up the boar letting the blood drain from the beast. It is late so I set up camp It doesn't look like it will rain so just laying out my bag and a fire to cook food will do. I take a bit of the boar meat to cook for myself and the fox who still follows me. Looking at the fox I think about how it would be cute with a mask, I utilize my Morphing Stick to carve a piece of wood into the shape of small mask. "Well, Fox if you are going to stick around you might as well join the cult" I carve the word 'Fox' into the Forehead of the mask. being as this is the first year first month and the first recruit of this world I also carve the number 1101 into the cheek of the mask. I use some of the rope from the med kit to fashion a strap to keep it on the foxes head, but I am thwarted when I realize I didn't really account for the fact that Fox was actually a fox instead of wearing it like a face mask I place it on their head like a hat instead.

We slept easily and undisturbed then packed up and started returning to the town carrying the dead boar over my shoulders as I made the way back to the city, I really should figure out its name at some point.