Zayd, Milonia, and others went down to the shore in the direction the Adventurers had come from and found a decently large ship anchored there. They rummaged throughout it, looking for any valuable supplies. What they found of note primarily consisted of food rations, maps, and clothing. In the captain’s room, Zayd even managed to locate two items of particular interest. One was a long green needle that he figured could be used to pick locks and the other was a Manual with the basic skills of
Manuals were special books that contained skills within them. In Chronicle Odyssey, one method of gaining skills was reading about one inside of a Manual and then successfully performing the skill with your avatar.
‘This is a nice score. I really want to learn Climb Vault, but I don’t think I’ll be able to pull it off right now.’
‘As if I’m going to let that stop me, once I can learn this skill. I’ll be able to meet up with Cecilia and ask more questions from her. I just need to start training.’
With that resolve in mind, Zayd asked Milonia to help him train. She was eager to have another sparring partner.
This was a decision that would have grave consequences for his body.
Over the next few days, the traveler from another realm would go through intense physical exertion as he confronted the might of a warrior that was over ten levels higher than him.
He incorporated several tricks from his time playing Chronicle Odyssey into his training to help him along. One was known as Boosted Camping which took advantage of an increased rate of stat gain while being in Danger Areas, locations where monsters would frequently spawn.
By taking turns with Milonia, the two kept watch while training in the jungles of the island which Zayd figured were Danger Areas. However, Zay never encountered a monster himself due to how sparse they were on the small land mass. Another tactic he used was specific exercise poses in the game that moderately increased stat boosts gained.
In Chronicle Odyssey, one had to complete certain quests to unlock these poses. The lore was that they were clandestine methods developed by a militant nation prominent in martial arts. In the actual land of Isle, Zayd had his real body at his disposal. This meant he could do the poses without the quests even if they were highly impractical such as push-ups with arms crossed, abdominal crunches where one had to hang from a high point with only their toes, and squats that required holding two buckets under a waterfall.
After just three days, the fruits of his efforts were starting to show.
“That’s it, my liege! Keep it up.” Milonia encouraged as she and Zayd were engaged in a sparring match out in the wilderness. Milonia wore an outfit similar to what she had when they first met except with higher quality fabric from the Adventurer’s ship, a tanktop made out of wool that exposed her midriff, and a matching skirt that reached almost to her knees. Meanwhile, Zayd wore a collection of salvaged clothing that consisted of a plain dark green tunic with long sleeves and brown pants.
“Thanks, but I’m going to go even further this time!” Zayd grinned with sweat peppering his brow. He had repeatedly tried to break through Milonia’s defenses multiple times to no avail. He was currently using a stone dagger made by the village’s smith since the Adamantite Mace was much too strong to use for training. Despite this, he doubted even that would make much of a difference.
‘Her skill and strength are way above mine. Not to mention, her actual Skills.’
As if on cue, Milonia shouted out loud. “Grand Slash!”
Upon activating her Knight Class Skill, her giant wooden sword glowed with amber light as she swung in a wide arc with tremendous force. Zayd had to leap back a couple of meters in order to avoid getting hit by it.
Skills, abilities that boosted a person’s capabilities or allowed them to achieve incredible feats, were fundamental tools for Adventurers.
Despite that simple fact, Zayd had yet to obtain a single one, Not only that, since he had not encountered any enemy Monsters yet, he was still stuck at level 0.
“That was a good one, but an attack’s power only matters if it hits.” Zayd declared. “Now, I’m going to show you how it’s done.”
Milonia smiled wildly, enjoying the battle greatly. “Alright, I’m ready. Don’t you dare hold anything back, my liege!”
‘I like this more bossy side of her that comes out during battle, if only she would drop that embarrassing title too.’ Zayd sighed before focusing back on the moment.
“Excellent, because here I go!”
Zayd reversed his grip and spread his stance outward before lunging at Milonia at full speed. Right as he reached her, the Knight quickly positioned her sword to block the strike but her eyes widened as his form blurred from swiftness. In an instant, Zayd's dagger seemed to warp before just barely scraping her sword as he charged past her.
“Huh?” Milonia uttered in bewilderment. “Did I block the attack?”
Zayd smiled wryly and pointed at Milonia’s shoulder. “See for yourself.”
Milonia looked down at the spot he pointed out and saw a small scratch on her short cloth sleeve.
“Oh!” Milonia’s cheeks turned red at the sight and she placed a hand over the scratch.”I think I may have realized that clothing damage was a bad way to keep track of hits.”
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Zayd’s face grew hot from embarrassment and irritation. “You were the one who made that up. Do you know how many good clothes I lost?! It would’ve been great for you to realize that sooner-”
His rant was cut off by an audible ding only he could hear. He recognized it as coming from the system, and he opened his status up to see a notification on it.
New Skill Acquired!
“What that’s about it?” Milonia leaned over his shoulder to peek at the notification. Zayd did not have a chance to respond before she reached a conclusion.
“Wow, congratulations on your first skill! What does it do?”
“Thanks, and if I remember correctly, at the F-rank, this skill raises my attack accuracy moderately while giving a marginal boost to my AGI and STR.” Zayd said as he popped open his Status window to confirm his words.
Precise Strike (F-Rank) A Skill for those who have the ability to attack with great swiftness and accuracy. This skill heightens attack accuracy moderately(20%) and grants a marginal(10%) boost to AGI and STR.
“I see. There’s something I’m not getting though. How do you know so much about Skills despite being a level 0 Adventurer? Actually, why is someone as adept at combat as you only level 0?”
“Umm…” Zayd struggled to find the right words to say. He had spent a decent amount of time around the Orcs but had not revealed much about his life before arriving on the island. They did not pry, but Zayd still felt guilty for somewhat concealing the information from them.
Noticing his apprehension, Milonia looked out to the surroundings that teemed with flora and fauna. “It’s fine.”
“What?”
“If you don’t want to tell me about your past. Everyone has things that they would rather keep to themself, and it’s up to them to decide when they want to share those secrets with others, if ever.” The Knight stated solemnly.
“Milonia…I’ve decided something. If I’m going to count on you to protect me, the least I can do is tell you where I come from.” Zayd said as he walked over to a tree and sat against it. In-kind, Milonia sat beside him against the same tree.
‘I guess I might as well jump into the nitty-gritty. I’m not actually from Isle, instead, I’m from a realm where Isle is nothing but the setting of a game I played.”
If Milonia was surprised, her expression did not show it. Zayd wondered if she was just trying not to disturb him from his explanation or if there was something more behind that.
“Anyway, the place where I’m from is one without magic where advanced technology flourished instead. It was also much more peaceful, at least in the particular location where I lived until that changed.”
“What happened?” Milonia inquired out of deep curiosity.
“An event known as the Null Catastrophe. It happened with no warning at all. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires swept all over. However, that wasn’t the worst part, inorganic monsters known as Nulls started attacking humans indiscriminately and most of the people I know ended up falling victim to them.” Zayd’s voice was strained as he relayed the flow of events.
Milonia’s mouth hung agape, but she stopped herself before interrupting him.
“Surviving in that nightmarish landscape is how I learned to fight for real. For five years, I and my comrades fought to defend our home, the planet Earth.”
When it seemed like Zayd was done retelling his story, Milonia asked something that surprised him.
“So, does that mean your true goal is to leave this realm and return to Earth?”
“Hmm…that’s part of it, but I’m actually not in any rush to get back.”
“Huh?! What about your comrades and protecting your homeland? I didn’t expect you were the kind of man who would just shirk his duties like that-”
“We won.”
Milonia’s words caught in her mouth.
“Come again?”
“After all the struggle and sacrifice, we ended up eradicating the Nulls and attaining peace. The world was then on a good track to recovery. It’s still not fully restored, but there’s no urgent need for a warrior like me. Maybe that’s why I was sent here because this is where I’m most needed.”
Milonia eyed him with scrutiny, causing him to angle away from her.
“Are you sure you’re not just saying that to placate me? I may live on the outskirts of civilization, but I am no fool.” Milonia’s voice was stern but kind. “You said it yourself, you’re not from Isle, so it would be understandable if returning to your home was your main priority. That won’t stop me from serving under you as a Knight as long as you're committed to helping those in need wherever you are.”
‘Does that mean she would follow me to Earth? Nah, best not too much into it.’
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not lying. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed being in this realm so far.” Zayd observed his surroundings and took them in whole. Early morning light trickled through the branches and illuminated everything. Glowing insects with leaf-life wings fluttered about and creatures resembling squirrels with shells scurried on the jungle floor. All around was a dense mist that was heavy with salt and circled low around the area.
In the distance, Zayd could see the mountains that expanded in width upward instead of downward. His eyes narrowed in on the tallest of them, where a certain Elf was waiting on him.
“Yeah, I’ve decided this world is worth sticking around for. It’s like experiencing a dream in reality.”
‘Plus, I may be able to learn more about the reasons behind the Null Catastrophe and the Admin’s intentions as well.’
Zayd held his stone dagger over his heart. “I make this promise now, I’ll save this world and its people from whatever crisis is befalling it even if that means I have to defeat the Overlord themself.”
Milonia smiled warmly. “That’s boisterous talk for a level 0 Adventurer.”
“Hmph, from what I’m aware of, I have a couple of years to spare to get stronger.”
Milonia’s brow furrowed at that reply, but before she could say anything, a giant, crimson lightning bolt sprang across the sky and crashed down in the direction of the Orc Village.
The two immediately ran to the village.
***
What they saw when they got there was a giant of a man who stood even taller than any of the Orcs wearing a purple and vermilion attire fit for royalty. Several twisting horns jutted out from their body and their slit-like crimson eyes seemed to radiate danger.
This being spoke as if to introduce themself but Zayd and everyone else already knew who he was from the moment they laid eyes on him.
“My name is Erasmus Delamere, your rightful Overlord, and I’m here to eradicate the Hero of this world.”