Opening my eyes, I found myself in a small room at some inn. My right shoulder was tightly bandaged, and my body ached with every slight movement. Looking around, I noticed Amy sitting on a chair by the bed, asleep, her head slightly tilted to the side.

  — Ais Mor, do you know where I am? — I asked mentally.

  — I don’t know the name, but this town was close to where you were attacked, — the old man replied. — And also, are you a complete idiot? Do you even realize you could’ve died?

  The old man kept grumbling in my head, but I was already used to his lectures.

  — Got it, got it, — I finally interrupted him, and he fell silent.

  After a while, Amy woke up.

  — You’re awake! — she exclaimed joyfully, but upon noticing my condition, her tone quickly changed. — I mean... why, as our escort, were you so badly injured?

  — If you and Mr. River are safe, then my job was done, — I replied, noticing that she had slipped back into her tsundere mode.

  — Hmph, you got beaten up by some bandit, and you’re still happy about it? — she averted her gaze, trying to hide her concern.

  “A bandit? He was definitely no ordinary thug. Unlike his lackeys, he was incredibly strong,” I thought.

  — Amy, did you take the necklace the leader was wearing? — I asked, recalling the final moments of the fight.

  — Uncle said that before you passed out, you were pointing at some kind of jewelry, — she replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. — Uncle’s out buying supplies for the road to Naylit.

  I tried to sit up, but the sudden movement caused a sharp pain in my shoulder.

  — Don’t move too much. The wound was deep, so you need to drink a potion, — Amy said, walking over to the other side of the bed. She rummaged through my jacket and pulled out a small vial of red liquid.

  She handed it to me, but as soon as I reached for it, she quickly pulled her hand back.

  — First, you have to say, “Please, Miss Amy,” — she said with a smirk.

  — What? Are you kidding me? — I wasn’t too fond of her proposal.

  — Fine, whatever, — she handed me the potion, this time without conditions.

  I didn’t particularly want to drink it. These potions weren’t like the ones in games, where they just heal you. They used the body’s energy to speed up the natural healing process. In other words, the wounds would close, but you’d feel extremely tired afterward.

  Realizing that fighting with a wounded shoulder would be difficult, I drank the potion. The effect was immediate: the wounds on my body began to close, but at the same time, I felt a growing fatigue.

  — Alright, that’s better, — I said, feeling the pain gradually subside. — Now get out of the room.

  — Why? — Amy asked, confused.

  I ran my hand over the bandages, exposing half of my bare torso.

  She stood there for a couple of seconds, then bolted out of the room like a bullet, her face red.

  “I can’t tell if she’s too naive or just innocent,” I thought, getting out of bed. I dressed in my clothes, and as I put on my jacket, I felt something hard in one of the inner pockets.

  — It’s the leader’s necklace, — I whispered, pulling it out. Along with it, there was a note in the pocket.

  [Before you passed out, you mentioned it, so I left it for you. P.S. Mr. River.] — After reading the note, I looked at the necklace again.

  It was massive, made from the fangs of various animals, and despite its crude appearance, it seemed to hide some kind of secret. I clenched it in my hand, feeling the cold metal against my skin.

  “This is the ‘Necklace of the Wild Hunt,’” I whispered, recognizing it. It was a special item that could be obtained after defeating the rebel army general, Mad Fang, in one of the prince’s storylines.

  “Who would’ve thought that the rebel general was just a bandit. It’s almost funny that people followed him,” I thought. This explained why he was much stronger than he initially seemed.

  The necklace itself had useful properties. Aside from a decent boost to strength and agility, it granted the passive skill “Hunter’s Reflex,” which allowed me to notice and react to sudden attacks within a small radius. However, it had a drawback: it could only react to three attacks every ten minutes. This was the only reason I managed to defeat him.

  Putting the necklace on and hiding it under my clothes, I felt the cold metal touch my skin. Still, wearing it made me look like some kind of pagan or satanist, and I didn’t want to have trouble with religious fanatics.

  Leaving the room, we exited the inn and headed to Mr. River. Along the way, Amy kept asking me about the fight with the bandit leader. When we reached the wagon, I thanked Mr. River for his help after the battle. He just laughed loudly and patted me on the back.

  We continued on our journey. The entire time, I kept replaying the recent fight in my head. Even though I had won, I had to kill someone. I understood that if I hadn’t, not only would I have died, but Mr. River and Amy would have too. A slight tremor in my hands stayed with me until evening.

  When we made camp, I insisted that Mr. River be the first to sleep. Tired of arguing with me, the man finally gave in. Waiting until everyone was asleep, I decided to talk to the old man.

  — Ais Mor, I don’t want to die again. My previous life may not have been exciting, but it suited me just fine. I... I just don’t know if I can really live the life I want.

  — When I wasn’t yet king, I was also constantly afraid of the future, — Ais Mor said thoughtfully. — Afraid of angering the people, disappointing my family, becoming the worst. All of this tormented me until the day of my coronation. But you know what I want to tell you? Everything you’ve been through will give you experience, confidence in yourself, and in tomorrow. It’s too early to give up. Only you know how you want to live your life, so stop moping around here.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  After the old man’s words, I felt better. Though it was strange that half of his speech didn’t quite match the ending, I remembered his words.

  Deep into the night. Everyone was asleep, even the one who was supposed to be on watch. One girl unexpectedly woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. Deciding to wander a bit, she saw Ark, who had fallen asleep sitting by the campfire.

  “What an idiot. Uncle told him to go to sleep first,” the girl smirked, watching the sleeping guy.

  “He almost died yesterday, and now he’s sleeping so peacefully. He’s going to freeze like that,” she thought. Slowly walking to the wagon and grabbing a small blanket, she approached the sleeping guy and covered him.

  — Thank you for saving us and becoming my first friend, — Amy whispered, then quickly returned and fell asleep.

  I woke up abruptly, startled to realize I had fallen asleep during my watch. But I calmed down when I saw that the sun was just beginning to rise, and the others were still asleep.

  “Did I cover myself with something?” I thought, noticing the small blanket.

  I looked at the sleeping Amy, and for a moment, a slight smile appeared on my face. Maybe this world wasn’t so bad after all. Soon, we packed up and set off. This was the last day of our journey, and today we were supposed to arrive in Naylit. Overall, the trip had been quite good, aside from the fact that I had almost died. A few hours later, we reached the city gates.

  That was it—the end of this little adventure. I got out of the wagon and approached Mr. River.

  — That’s it, kid. Our paths diverge here, — the gray-haired man said, his voice sounding a bit sad but also with a note of satisfaction.

  — I understand. I enjoyed this trip, sir, — I replied with a slight smile.

  The man extended his hand and handed me a copper coin.

  — Take this. When you’re at the guild, show it—it’ll confirm the completion of the request. And there’s one more thing, — he handed me an envelope.

  — That’s it, Ark. Maybe we’ll meet again, — he said, extending his hand.

  — The world’s small. We’ll definitely meet again, — I shook his hand in return.

  Suddenly, Amy ran out of the wagon.

  — Aren’t you going to say goodbye to me? — she said, puffing out her cheeks slightly.

  — Amy, take care of yourself. We’ll meet again, — I replied, trying to sound warm.

  — Of course, I’m not that stupid. Goodbye, dummy, — she replied in her usual tsundere manner. It only amused me.

  After saying our goodbyes, we went our separate ways.

  Walking through the city, I decided to see what was in the envelope.

  “100, 200, 300, 400, 500!” — The envelope contained 500,000 galls. It was half the reward for the earth bear. I was incredibly happy with the gift and quickly tucked the envelope into my jacket.

  “Now I have one little problem: how do I get to the capital?” — The realization hit me like a bolt from the blue. I had two options: either take a wagon for seven days or take the train. The first option was too long, and the second didn’t thrill me at all. My fear of trains was deeply ingrained in my mind. In the battle between speed and fear, the train option won.

  I sighed, realizing there was no other way.

  “Well, I’ll have to push through,” I thought, heading to the train station.

  The city of Naylit was bustling, and the streets were filled with activity. People hurried about their business, merchants called out to customers, and children ran through the streets, laughing and playing. I walked, trying not to think about the upcoming train ride, but anxiety still churned in my chest.

  “It’s just a train,” I tried to convince myself. “You can handle it.”

  As I walked to the station, my attention was drawn to a strange weapon shop. A small, worn-out sign barely hung above the door, and the building itself looked like it had been built in the last century. Knowing that with my curse, I had no business in such a place, I still decided to take a look—I had a small idea.

  Entering the shop, I saw a middle-aged man with a thick beard sitting behind the counter, cleaning some blade.

  — Kid, are you sure you’re in the right place? — he said, giving me a quick glance.

  — This is a weapon shop, right? — I replied, looking around. — Do you work with mana-absorbing fabrics?

  — This isn’t a tailor shop for rich aristocratic kids. Where would I get something like that? — the man replied with a smirk.

  — Really? I thought this place reeked of hatred for mages, — I said, placing 100,000 galls on the table.

  — What are you talking about, kid? — the man replied irritably, but his gaze became slightly more interested at the sight of the money.

  — You know, it’s strange that a well-known blacksmith in criminal circles, nicknamed “Mage Killer,” is quietly working in a dump like this.

  — How do you know... — his voice became sharp, and his hand subtly reached for a blade under the counter.

  — Quiet, everyone has their secrets, — I interrupted him, placing another 100,000 galls on the table. — So, Alan “Mage Killer,” don’t you have a pair of mana-absorbing gloves?

  — Tch, fine, — he frowned but agreed after a pause. — I’ll give you what you need, but after that, get out of here.

  Alan went into his back room and returned a few minutes later with a small box.

  — Gloves with an absorption effect—just what you wanted.

  I put on the black gloves and picked up one of the swords hanging on the wall. The gloves worked—the sword in my hands didn’t turn into ice or fall apart. However, after 10 minutes, the curse reactivated. I was glad: now I could at least partially deal with this curse.

  After buying the gloves, I left the shop.

  Alan, now alone, took out a small green crystal and crushed it. In place of the destroyed crystal, an image of a man in a mask appeared: one half of the mask was smiling, the other half was sad.

  — Vert, it’s Alan. I need your guys to take care of a certain guy.

  — The Mage Killer himself is hiring mercenaries? — a voice came from the image. — For old times’ sake, I’ll help you, but in return, you’ll make me a special sword.

  — Fine, you jerk, — Alan grumbled, cutting the connection.

  Heading to the station, I couldn’t believe I had so quickly encountered one of the important game characters in the archmage’s son’s route. Alan, known as the “Mage Killer,” wasn’t actually a killer but a talented blacksmith. His hatred for mages, stemming from personal reasons, led him to create many weapons aimed at killing mages. Hence his nickname.

  Overcoming my fear of trains, I managed to reach the capital.

  — I’m home again! — I shouted joyfully as I stepped off the train. Noticing people looking at me like I was an idiot, I quickly left the station and headed to the guild.

  The city greeted me with its usual hustle and bustle. The streets were filled with people, and the air was filled with the smell of fresh baked goods and smoke from chimneys. I walked, feeling a slight fatigue but also satisfaction at having overcome my fears. But I had to step into a dark alley.

  — Come out, your bloodlust is visible from a mile away, — I said, stopping in the middle of the narrow street. Soon, eight men in masks with smiling faces surrounded me. I focused mana flow into my legs and created an ice sword.

  The two in front charged at me, while those behind started throwing knives. Dodging the flying blades, I made two horizontal slashes, cutting down the attackers.

  Feeling a sudden attack from the side, I blocked it with an ice dagger and slashed the attacker with my sword.

  “Five left,” I thought, making a sudden dash forward. I impaled one with a spear and threw his body at another masked man.

  Creating a bow, I fired two shots, hitting each in the head.

  I approached the last one, who had pushed off his dead ally, and pierced his heart with a spear.

  “Damn rat Alan, he sent the dogs from ‘Shadow Play’ after me,” I thought, picking up the mask from the last dead man.

  — Now I’ll have to hide my identity, — I said, examining the mask of the defeated enemy.

  Leaving the dark alley, I reached the guild.

  Without saying a word, I walked up to the counter where Sophia was working and placed the copper coin Mr. River had given me.

  — Ark, welcome back! How was the mission? — the girl asked with her usual strained smile.

  — I’m exhausted, — I replied, almost face-planting on the table. — In this past week, I almost died at the hands of bandits, met a famous criminal, and became a target for a mercenary organization.

  — Looks like you’ve been through a lot, — Sophia said, taking the copper coin. — Here, take this.

  She handed me an iron token and two million galls—the reward for killing the earth bear and escorting the merchant from Fenor to Naylit.

  All my fatigue vanished the moment I received the reward. I left the guild in a flash and returned home. I gave half the money to my parents and set aside the other half for academy tuition.

  Looking at the iron token, I couldn’t help but feel joy.

  — Soon, I’ll be in the academy...