The following days went out in a flash.

Michael decided to take it easy and shore up his foundations since the system was still updating and had no specific direction to follow.

It's already been a month since he arrived in this world, and he made the most of it.

From morning to early evening, he would roam the forests with Orla and Bonny in search of prey. They would also scout the situation of the surrounding lands daily, allowing for a considerable chunk of the nearby fog on his Map to vanish.

Also, he learned a lot from the duo regarding tracking, hunting, hiding his tracks, and survival in the wilderness overall.

After returning to camp later in the day, old man Al would teach him various things about the common sense needed in this world.

For example, he was now aware that a family of four could live in a settlement with access to a merchant with about 3 to 5 silver coins per month.

Salary-wise, depending on the job and its grade of difficulty, the pay would be between 2 to 3 silver coins per month, though this world didn't offer much to offer in the paid or sick leave department.

Also, a significant increase would be provided if the job has a high degree of danger. Especially now, with demons roaming about, certain jobs seem more profitable. That, if you were willing to risk your life for coin.

"So, you're saying equipment and the like are the most profitable ventures?"

[But of course! Getting a new Armor set would cost you hundreds of thousands.](Al)

"Gold coins!?"

[What else? You're not hoping to get armor that increases your Attributes or improves your skills with a handful of copper coins, are you?](Al)

"I guess... I am starting to get worried about having enough coin if that's the case."

[Plus, accessories, the need to maintain the armor you buy at a blacksmith - which will also cost you - being a Wanderer is not cheap. However, you shouldn't worry too much about it. From what my son gathered from the Church of Light priests at a local Inn, all Wanderers are blessed by the High Heavens. So, when you kill enemies that invaded these lands from other realms, you gain different things from their corpses.](Al)

"Huh? Like loot? Can one gain armor and the like from the downed enemies?"

[I don't know the exact details, but the drunk priest was raving about a Wanderer receiving a Legendary item after slaying a Naga in the swamps of Hawezar. Oh right! Hawezar is a region under our Fractured Peaks, though you need months of travel between here and there, even on horseback.](Al)

Throughout these weeks, Michael's interface's Map function improved significantly. It now appeared to be much more zoomed out, offering a much better view of the continent they were on.

He didn't know if this was the entire Sanctuary world, but it might as well be. After all, according to the old man, the world was created after Inarius stole some remains of the shattered World Stone and, with Lilith's help, created it.

'It sounds plausible for a piece of a World Stone only to create a continent. In which game was that, though? I need information to set up a timeline...'

As for how strong these angels and demons are? No clue! However, to be able to create a world seemed pretty god-like in his tiny mortal brain.

Irrelevant if this continent was all there was to the world or not, it was currently split between five regions.

1. Fractured Peaks was the name of the region they were in and probably the smallest among the five.

There seemed to be seven towns/cities advanced enough to have Waypoints, which were goddam teleportation portals, by the way.

It was unfortunate, though, that one needs to travel to the locations personally and register his Life's signature to each Waypoint before being able to use them for quick travel between cities or regions.

As for Fractured Peaks' location on the continent, if one would describe the entire continent as looking like a lung, then its position would be in the middle right of the MAP.

2. Dry Steppes was the second region located in the left middle part of the MAP, a direct neighbor to Fractured Peaks.

It was roughly about the same size as its neighbor, though more compressed and with a higher population density, as it had eight major cities one could activate Waypoints.

3. Scosglen was arguably the largest region, though it had roughly the same population as the Dry Steppes. If anything, it also had eight major cities, but they were more spread out.

Just as before, the eight cities meant eight Waypoints to travel between.

It occupied the entire northern portion of the MAP, above Dry Steppes and Fractured Peaks.

4. Kehjistan was considered the smallest region and the least populated, even if it was larger than Fractured Peaks. The main reason was that about 40% of it - or more - was pure desert. It was located at the bottom left of the Map.

It only had six major cities with the obvious six Waypoints to activate.

If there was one thing to be noted, it was that this region was undoubtedly the bloodiest among the lot. For some reason, there were always conflicts between the locals, continuously eroding the population.

5. Hawezar was the last and most mysterious region among the lot. It only had six settlements (as they couldn't necessarily be called cities) and six Waypoints.

Michael didn't expect any less from a world with angels and demons, classes and leveling up, but this place felt like the Bermuda Triangle of the Sanctuary.

First, the swamps themselves were a religion of sorts, and the natives believed them to be alive or have a consciousness. Nothing strange there, but if you add how people get zombified in these swamps, the situation takes a turn for the weirder.

Secondly, there's a huge-ass tree that's both alive and has sapience called the Tree of Whispers somewhere in Hawezar, though nobody knows exactly where. It's said to hold unimaginable power, and its roots spread across the entire continent, making it almost omniscient.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Not only that but it's also said to grant wishes, though a price must be paid in return: a bloody one, no doubt.

Third, the coast, or the waters near the shore, seemed to be a portal of sorts towards a different dimension. A dimension of death. It's said that there are tons of shipwrecks on the shores, and the 'drowned' guard them even after their passing.

To make matters even scarier, empty coffins were lying around the ships that one could use to travel into the 'death dimension.' And get this: you need to drown to be able to enter it.

'If I hadn't spent this past month living among these people, I would've thought that Old Man Al is a Hidden BOSS-type NPC... He knows WAY too much, even if the Sanctuary brought me here for a tutorial. The 'my son told me' excuse can work on the small stuff, but knowing all the details from the world's creation to the mysteries of different regions he didn't visit his entire life is odd. I'll make a mental note to keep my distance and leave here as soon as possible...'

Tiredly rubbing his temples, Michael believed that he certainly didn't have sufficient years left in his new lifespan to visit every location.

Leaving tourism aside, news of demonic incursions was heard more often, the news brought over through traveling merchants and Wanderers.

It surprised Michael quite a bit when he first interacted with another actual Wanderer. The guy was a Barbarian and was acting as a bodyguard to a traveling merchant.

The Barbarian was built like a tank, and even the man in his vision of the sacrificial chamber was relatively small in comparison. This guy had a goddam two-handed Warhammer, a two-handed Waraxe, two smaller one-handed axes, and, no doubt, an Equipment inventory filled with even more weapons.

If two words would describe this class, it was 'walking armory.'

With the old man facilitating the meeting between himself and this Barbarian, a pleasant conversation drowned in alcohol provided by the merchant ensued.

Through the man, he found out that most regions had already lost two to three Strongholds to enemy incursions, with the entire population around those spots being slaughtered and sacrificed for Heaven knows what sort of purpose.

The Barbarian was Level 48, and he was incredibly strong. Michael did not doubt that a slap from this guy would send him to the afterlife.

Fortunately, the guy was quite easygoing and straightforward. The old man's gossip about loot dropping from the demons and other enemies was confirmed with his help.

[After you level up a bit, I'd suggest hitting the Dungeons. The quality of the loot and the gold coins that drop there are ridiculous.](Barbarian)

"Dungeons? What are those?"

[Huh? Oh, wait! No wonder you don't know about it. About a month ago, new portals descended into specific spots around the continent. Reality seems to warp around them while our realm and the realm of the enemies get overlapped or something. They are called 'Dungeons,' though most of them are open fields, ruined cities, underground tunnels and caves, and other strange crap like that. But it's an excellent place to gain experience and loot.](Barbarian)

"A month ago... Did Dugeons exist before? And do you enter alone, or do the local authorities enter with armies to clean those places?"

[From what I heard back in my tribe, about five years ago, all existing Dungeons slowly died out. It was enough for Wanderers to keep growing stronger, but we thought the demons gave up. As for entering Dungeons... It's a Wanderer-only type of area. A strange barrier blocks the entrance for mortals, no matter how strong.

But you can join other Wanderers, though there's a limit of five people per group. Those Sorcerer maniacs did tests, and even if ten groups of five people each entered the same Dungeon at the same time, they would all appear in the same beginning spot but wouldn't meet with each other. There's still no logical explanation for that one.](Barbarian)

Thinking about the restrictions on the party numbers and remembering the notion of 'instances' made Michael wake up from his month-long slumber.

He was so into learning, hunting, and surviving the Sanctuary that he forgot that he was inside the world of a game. Certain things won't make sense, and the natives would explain them as the 'Will of the Heavens' or the unknown.

Worried about the lack of experience gained after hunting in the woods this past month, Michael boldly asked the Barbarian about it.

Though a bit stumped by the stupid question, the guy answered.

[Mortals can have Classes, but only Wanderers can level up. It's all about that recognition crap. Every mortal with a Class can get a Quest once or multiple times in his lifetime. If they complete it, they gain recognition and can level up from there on.

However, it takes time between the quest's completion and the actual world recognition.](Barbarian)

"World recognition? Wasn't it the High Heavens?"

[Bah! As if those flying bastards would give a crap about us. They're all about maintaining balance. It's the Sanctuary itself that grants you recognition. When that happens, you usually start at World Tier 1.

Ugh... judging from your blank look, you don't know what that is. Seriously, have you been living under a rock until now?](Barbarian)

"More or less..." - Michael replied while looking at the Batcave in the distance.

[Hahaha! Gaining the Sanctuary's recognition can also grant you its power. To receive the said recognition means that you are a person with potential high enough to become a guardian of the world. Or at least that's what the Horadrim claim.

So, when the Sanctuary gives you the seal of approval, it also provides you two options. World Tier 1 and World Tier 2.

The first is similar to a parent holding your hand and guiding you through life, while even the enemies you face become easier to defeat. Something about the world suppressing them to their lowest levels of power.

Tier 2 means that the enemies are much stronger. Not only are they less suppressed by the world and can show off more combat awareness, but if you slay them, you gain more experience and loot.](Barbarian)

"I see. Higher risk, higher rewards."

[Mhm! I like that. I'll remember it.](Barbarian)

"What about you, Gonk? What difficult... Tier did you pick."

[*Cough**Cough*... Brat, I'm telling you this now, so make sure you remember it. Don't ask other Wanderers their World Tier unless you're ready to face them in combat!](Gonk)

"Huh!? What? Why?"

[What do you mean by 'why'? Use your head! Asking a grown-ass man if he picked the easy way or the hard way, how do you think they'll react if they did pick the easy way?](Gonk)

"They'll be offended most likely..."

[Yup. Honor needs to be defended, and even the lowest of cowards among us are still Wanderers who fought tooth and nail to protect this world and, if not the world, their homes or loved ones. So, asking someone you are unfamiliar with directly is somewhat taboo.](Gonk)

"Thank you, Gonk! As you can see, I don't have much common sense, so I'm trying to ensure that if I die, I die fighting the right enemies."

[Mhm! That's a good mindset. As for other Barbarians and me, except for certain rare geniuses that start at Tier 3, most begin at Tier 2. Our class must have the courage to fight proper enemies, not ridiculously weakened ones.

Rumors say that the Barbarian King started directly on World Tier 4, though nobody knows if that's true or not.

However, you're a Necromancer, so I don't think you need to put yourself in harm's way to prove a point, especially since you're just starting your journey. If you visit any Church of Light in the major cities, you can usually change the Tier there if needed.](Gonk)

Thinking of the difficulty setting being preset at Tier 1 but being able to change it at will in the big cities, Michael wondered what difference in strength between the enemies he would face now and those at Tier 2 would possess.

If at Tier 1, it could be considered that he's playing the game on 'easy,' then Tier 2 is probably the 'normal' difficulty. Hearing Gonk talking about Tier 3 probably means something like 'hard' or 'nightmare'; maybe there's also Tier 4, which should be a hell-like difficulty.

He did remember that Diablo 2 and 3 had four difficulties. Or something like that...

The following morning, Gonk and the traveling merchant left. One was sporting a big grin from all the pelts they bought (the settlement had an excess after a month of properly hunting), while the other had a grimace from the probable hangover.

[Sorry, brat, but I can't bring you along. Our route is full of bandits, and even some strange tribes popped up out of nowhere. It's too risky to bring you with us since you're still Level 1.](Gonk)

"Don't worry about it. I still need to wait for the Sanctuary to grant me its recognition, which might take longer."

[In that case, find me at the Inn in Kyovashad if you make your way there. I'll show you the good parts of the city!](Gonk)

"I'll count on you for that! Take care of yourself, Gonk!"

[You too, brat! Hope to smash some Dungeons with you soon.](Gonk)

"Same here, if you don't mind carrying me around in them."

[Hahaha!](Gonk)

Watching the back of the first Wanderer he met in this world, Michael felt excitement bubbling up once more.

Adventure awaits.