Morning broke and Hailey rolled out of bed well rested and ready to go for the day. Thank the system, mornings are so much easier now, Hailey thought. A few minutes later and she was on her way down the main street. It turned out the system liked to make things presentable, and that included the people it effected. Hair was easier to style and keep styled. Skin was smoothened, and persistent acne was a thing of the past. Dandruff too, apparently. It made it much easier to get out of the house in the morning without teasing over the bathroom mirror for what felt like hours.

  She upon passing through the wafting smell of freshly baked bread she splurged and bought herself a freshly baked sweet roll of bread. She savoured it as she made her way to the inn for breakfast. There she would be meeting up with Tennison as they went over what other preparations she needed to make before departing.

  The inn was as occupied as it normally was during a weekday morning. Lots of people sitting one to a table munching on their pre-work meal, while they mentally prepared themselves for the day. A few were already talking business, but for the most part the inn was quiet. Much quieter than on a weekend morning, when the miners and foresters returned to town.

  Mrs. Filch was in good spirits today. She was gracefully working the inn’s bar, which meant taking meal orders and plying everyone she could with the low alcohol content mead that she was famous for. Her smile grew when Hailey mentioned that her mother would be stopping in later.

  When taking her seat Hailey had to maneuver herself awkwardly after bumping into the chair. The rapier tied into her belt was another concern she wasn’t used to navigating around. It just cleared the ground when she sat down, which was a relief.

  Should I even bother getting a scabbard for the rapier? I don’t know how long I will have this weapon. Or how long I should have it for. I know weapons are expensive, but it is just a beginner weapon. And I don’t have the time to wait around to have one sheath made for it. Maybe I should get a cloth wrapping for it. Just something to keep the rain off of it in while I’m out and about.

  Hailey’s thoughts were interrupted when Tennison sat down across from her. He saw the sword and his eye’s lit up.

  “Oh, now there is a fine sword. Where’d you get that beauty?” Tennison asked.

  “Birthday present from my family,” Hailey said.

  “From your mom? But she doesn’t have much more than a copper coin to her name.”

  I guess there is no use in hiding it. Mom’s about to reappear healthy and hale anyways, rumours will spread about what happen, and this isn’t really a secret, I guess. No one knows who my father is anyways.

  “My father made a brief appearance last night. He seemed to be quite at quite a high level, and quite busy. It seems he’s been out there for quite some time.”

  “Huh. You don’t say. There were always rumours of who your dad might have been, but they never made any sense to me. From what my parents told me your mom showed up to the village and had you six months later, meaning she was already pregnant with you before arriving, so its no one in the area, at least. I’m glad you got some closure on that.”

  “Yeah, me too. It seems that I take after him in more ways than one,” Hailey said with a wink.

  “That’s the second mystery solved today. We’re on quite a roll. What’s next, you’re going to solve united magi-tech theory and usher in humanity into a golden age?” Tennison asked.

  Hailey laughed, putting down her fork. “That would be awesome, but I’m afraid that’s a little out of my league. I was thinking more along the lines of preparing for this trip, and what would be best for me to buy with my small fortune.”

  “Boots,” Tennison replied instantly. “You need a good pair of boots. Whether or not they are graded, doesn’t matter. You need something good between your feet and the ground.”

  Hailey looked at the nearly dilapidated shoes that adorned her feet. They had carried her though the last couple of years, and they showed that. They weren’t the best boots to start with, but they were the ones she had. She sighed.

  “Yeah, I think I’m overdue for a new pair,” Hailey said as she wiggled her toes and the gaps in the material where the stitching had failed became apparent. “What else do you think I need?”

  “A big backpack. You’ll have to carry everything with you. Ideally, we’d get you a storage item, but that’s everyone’s dream. Last time I checked the village only had one, and it’s used to shuttle refined ore and metals down out of the mountain. And we will have to fill that backpack with the essentials too. A bedroll, a tarp, some fire starter, canteens for water, and some hardtack food. Oh, and a pan. We can’t forget the pan.”

  “Sounds easy enough. Everything sounds like something that would be useful in our village,” Hailey said.

  “The boots are probably the hardest part. Hopefully the cobbler has something ready in your size, otherwise you’ll probably be doing the second half of the decent barefooted,” Tennison said.

  Even though Hailey had already eaten prior to breakfast at the inn she was still rearing for more, and tore through her breakfast, not leaving a single crumb behind. I wonder if I’m hungrier because of the system. That energy must come from somewhere. Or maybe it was just the long day of hunting yesterday that has me needing more energy. I should watch what I’m eating though. I would hate to get fat, Hailey thought.

  The rest of the inn’s occupants had already finished and went on with their day by the time the two of them had finished up. They decided to split up the morning’s labor. Hailey would go see the cobbler and get a pair of boots, while Tennison made his way through the market gathering the rest of the needed supplies.

  I might as well leave that part up to the watcher. He at least has experience out in the wilds. I hope its not too much of an adjustment for me. I’m counting on those survival lessons we received in school to carry me though this.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Hailey made her way to the cobbler and was in luck. He had a pair of hiking boots ready to go in her size and everything. It cost her a fair portion of her coins, but it was well worth it in her opinion. The cobbler said that the boots were ungraded, but that didn’t bother Hailey at all. She, up until last night, never had the pleasure of using a graded item before, which to be fair she had yet to use the rapier.

  She laced up her new boots and instantly she felt the difference. It was like her feet were being caressed by the firm but yielding insides of the boots. Walking in them was also a treat, each footfall was cushioned and easily sprang back up pushing her onwards. It made her realize just how bad her previous boots had been.

  With her goal accomplished she made her way to the market square to wait for Tennison. The world around her was a bustling hive of sporadic activity. The village was too small to always have a bustling square. On the weekend, when the miners and foresters returned for their days off, the market was significantly busier. She found a seat on a bench and waited.

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long,” Tennison said from behind her. He held out a backpack that looked quite full. “Now for the fun part.” He tipped over the backpack and let everything spill out onto the bench. “You have to pack it yourself. That’s a cardinal rule of adventuring. At least I’m pretty sure it is. The Watcher’s have their own version of it anyways.”

  Hailey signed and got to work. The task seemed simple, but Tennison had managed to buy enough things that it would only go back together a certain way. She struggled with the task and begrudgingly asked Tennison for some help, which he was all to happy to give. Half an hour later, and Hailey had everything packed back up properly. As much as she hated the task, it had been worth it. She now knew exactly what she had, how many of it she had, and how it could be best accessed.

  “I was even able to get you a little bottle of the healing ointment. Hopefully you won’t need it, but as soon as you do, do not hesitate to use it,” Tennison said.

  The two of them walked to the gate. So far, the day had been nice and sunny with a gentle breeze moving through the trees. It was a day that could not have been more perfect for traveling. Johnathon waved at them as they approached.

  “This is as far as I can go,” Tennison said. “I’m on administrative duties today. The only reason I was able to help you out was because it overlaps with my responsibilities from yesterday. I have to make sure you set out towards the nearest adventuring guild. And part of that means making sure that you can actually make the journey.”

  Tennison took a step back and admired Hailey’s form. With the rapier on her hip, the daggers at the small of her back, and the fully loaded backpack on her shoulders she looked ready to trek down the mountain.

  “Thanks for all your help,” Hailey said. “I’ll hurry back once I get registered. I don’t want all of those bounties to get claimed before I get back.”

  “They’ll still be here. Always have. We will always need more material,” Johnathon butted in. “It’s true, there are so many bounties that are older than my time with the Watchers, and that’s, well, been longer than I care to admit. So don’t rush back, take your time and be safe.”

  “Thanks, Johnathon. I keep that in mind. Now, I think its best if I get underway. I’m burning daylight after all,” Hailey said.

  She took the first step outside of the village and was hit with clean open air feeling of the natural domain. Her feet urged her onwards, but she had to sneak a peek behind her to see if the lads were still waving her off. And they were. A smile crept onto Hailey’s face, and she began her journey in earnest.

  ***

  Late morning slipped into afternoon and was mostly uneventful for Hailey. The trail she followed out of the village was not the most well-worn path, but it was clearly a path all the same. The trail weaved its way close to the forests edge but respectfully kept its distance. There were a couple of times Hailey swore that she heard something rustling in the bushes, but she could never find the source of the noise.

  At first, she jumped at every little noise she heard, her hands reactively reaching for her daggers, but nothing ever did jump out at her. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious; she thought to herself each time it happened.

  Of course, the one time she didn’t react was the time a charging boar barreled out of the forest towards her. Luckily, she was far enough away on the path that she had enough time to grab her daggers and felt time slow down as she readied herself for a fight.

  The beast charged at her, and just as its tusks were about to stab into her legs, she used [Shadowstep] and ended up slightly behind the boar. She swung her dagger and just managed to cut into the beast’s hind leg as it continued to move away from her.

  The boar skidded to a stop and turned around, not moving any worse for wear. Hailey’s attack hadn’t hit anything critical. The boar charged again, reaching an impressive speed within the short distance between the combatants. Hailey side stepped this one and missed her opportunity to strike at the beast.

  I need more reach. The boar’s too fast for me to land a good hit on like this. I could spend another usage of [Shadowstep] but I don’t want to deal with my mana being that empty right now. I should try the rapier out.

  Hailey sheathed the daggers with practised precision and pulled the leather tie holding her rapier to her belt. The sword came free, and she instinctively grasped it in her hand. She hardly had a second to spare as the beast charged past her once more. This time while side stepping the boar she thrusted the thin point of her sword into the beast. It punctured straight through the beast’s thick hide, and continued through for as much length as Hailey could give it. She pulled it back before the boar’s continuing momentum could yank it from her hand.

  The boar laboured now. It turned, slowly this time. It looked like Hailey had punctured though its lungs given how it was trying to breath. Then its eyes turned red, and it found a new level of determination. The boar looked like it was suppressing its injuries with this sudden burst of power, and it charged at Hailey with all of its rage.

  The beast was nearly twice as fast as before, and Hailey did not have a choice. She had to [Shadowstep] out of the way or risk being gored by the lumbering beast. Even then she just managed to miss the boar’s tusks by the skin of her teeth. With the boar running toward her, and away from the sun, its shadow was projected in front of it, which meant that Hailey had to unwillingly steer herself to appear in the outside-most edge of the shadow to dodge the attack.

  The beast found it hard to slow down and instead ran in a wide U-shaped pattern and continued its charge.

  Fuck that was my chance. I was hoping it would come to a stop again. I could have gotten the jump on it as it tried to turn around. I could also… A plan flashed into Hailey’s mind in an instant. The boar passed close and this time Hailey [Shadowstepped] onto the beasts back. She plunged her rapier into the beast’s spine at the base of its neck hoping that this would be enough to kill the beast before she lost her balance.

  The beast flopped onto the ground, coming to a skidding stop in the grass as Hailey managed to find her footing at the last moment and avoided getting tangled in the beast’s wipeout.

  As she approached the corpse, she realized it was still very much alive as its head continued to spasm with its remaining nervous system intact. The red eyes were beginning to fade, and the boar’s movements grew sluggish. Hailey took mercy on the poor monster and ended its life with a quick stab from her dagger.

  She felt her weapons vibrate briefly but wrote it off as her post battle nerves getting the best of her. The beast was dead. She had slain her first solo monster. Brimming with pride and confidence she set about the task of prying the boar’s tusks out of its skull. But that turned out to be a bit of a struggle.

  Ugh, this is what I get for having a lousy strength stat.