On a bright morning, I began packing my belongings and headed to the nearest city to buy a map.

  "Hey bro, where are you headed?" asked the monkey.

  "I'm going to the nearest city. Why do you ask?"

  "The city? The city is in the opposite direction, bro. Are you trying to head for the cliff?" the monkey said, pointing north.

  "Wait, are you serious? This forest is too dense; it’s hard to see ahead," Mahendra replied, turning northward.

  "Hey bro, where are you actually going?"

  "I’m planning to travel the world and see how beautiful it is," Mahendra said with sparkling eyes.

  "Whoa, bro, that’s a great idea," the monkey said, following Mahendra.

  Not long after, they arrived in the adventurer's city, a city without a ruling authority but under the domain of Duke Gram.

  Adventurers are a group of people who make their living primarily by conquering dungeons and selling valuable artifacts at high prices to the nobility.

  "Wow, the gates are so tall," Mahendra marveled at the 5-meter-high walls.

  "Hmmm, a tamer, huh? You must be impressive to tame such a large monkey," said a gatekeeper.

  "Huh? A tamer? No, I’m a swordsman," Mahendra replied, showing his identification.

  "Hmm, from Hanjewu Village. Mahendra... wait, a swordsman?" The guard looked surprised and disappointed since tamers were rare.

  "Oo oo ah ah!" the monkey suddenly acted like a typical monkey, hugging Mahendra as if it were his pet.

  "It seems you have a talent for taming," the gatekeeper said, letting them pass even though the monkey didn’t have any identification.

  "Hey, why are you still following me?" Mahendra asked, his tone rising slightly.

  "Well, bro, there’s the equipment store," the monkey said, pointing to a shop named Sumber Jaya to change the subject.

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  "You little rascal," Mahendra muttered.

  The monkey opened the door to reveal a muscular old man cleaning his wares.

  "Alright, fine."

  "Hey, what are you looking for?" the old man asked with a friendly smile.

  "Do you have a map and some potions here?"

  "What kind of potions?"

  "Three each of healing and mana potions."

  Mahendra looked around and noticed a book titled Beginner’s Guide to Magic.

  "And this, how much for everything?" he asked while taking out his coin pouch.

  "Hmmm, just 6 gold," the old man said, eyeing the coins in Mahendra’s pouch.

  "Wait, bro, that price is definitely off," the monkey whispered.

  "Hey, old man, isn’t that price too high? 3 gold," Mahendra said, feigning confidence.

  "Huh? What are you saying, kid? This is already the best price," the old man replied, sweating slightly.

  "3 gold, or I’m leaving."

  "3.5 gold."

  "3 gold."

  "Fine, I’ll leave then," Mahendra said, walking slowly toward the door.

  "Wait!" the old man finally conceded.

  The items were purchased for 3 gold, and the monkey laughed uncontrollably outside the shop.

  "Hahaha! That old man was obviously trying to scam you."

  "Hey, wasn’t that wrong?" Mahendra asked, feeling guilty about what had happened.

  "You’re so naive, bro," the monkey said as if it understood the world.

  "HELP!!!" a woman’s scream came from a narrow alley.

  Mahendra quickly rushed to the source of the scream.

  Four men surrounded a woman and an old man. The old man was injured, his stomach pierced by a knife.

  "Run, Princess, while I can still hold them off," the old man said, panting, blood gushing from his wound.

  "Earth Mandau, unleash sharp thorns!" Spikes erupted from the ground, lightly wounding two of the attackers.

  "Oh ho, someone dares to challenge us, FODOG."

  "Water Mandau, suffocate them!" Four bubbles filled with water covered the attackers' heads.

  "Gurgle... gurgle..." The FODOG members gasped for air before passing out.

  "Light Mandau, heal the wound!" A bright light enveloped and slowly healed the old man’s injuries.

  "We are in your debt," said the beautiful woman with long white hair and a graceful red gown. She appeared to be around 22–25 years old.

  "I’m Gram Van Dylias," the elegant woman introduced herself.

  Here, names signify one's caste: four names for imperial families, three for kings and dukes, two for marquesses, counts, viscounts, and barons, and one for commoners or lower-ranking knights.

  "There’s no need to owe me anything, Princess. I simply did what I had to do," Mahendra said, bowing his head.

  "Ugh," the old man groaned as he opened his eyes.

  He assumed a defensive stance, as if still expecting danger.

  "Wait, sir, it’s over now," Mahendra said, raising his hands.

  The old man looked around and apologized formally, "Forgive me, savior."

  "First of all, I am Fraun," he introduced himself with a bow.

  "By the way, why is the Princess here?" Mahendra asked, slightly stiff in his formal tone.

  "No need to be so formal, savior."

  "Oh, that’s a relief," Mahendra said, looking visibly relaxed.

  The Princess smiled slightly at his demeanor.

  "We’re here to purchase an A-rank artifact, the Mirror of the World," she said, showing a small round mirror framed in gold.

  Artifacts are items that can only be found in dungeons. They come in eight tiers: C, B, A, S, SR, SS, L, and the rare God tier, said to be capable of leveling an entire kingdom in one night.

  They boarded a horse-drawn carriage parked at the alley's entrance, seemingly traveling alone.

  Inside the carriage, the Princess muttered, "Ah, I forgot to ask the savior’s name."

  —

  Meanwhile, Mahendra wondered where the monkey had gone.

  "Hey bro, done already?" The monkey was on a rooftop, watching the whole incident.

  "You’re unbelievable."

  They headed to the nearest inn.

  "How much for one room with a bed?" Mahendra asked.

  "1 gold."

  "Come on, be honest," Mahendra said, learning from earlier mistakes.

  "5 silver," Mahendra said, handing over the coins.

  "Tch, fine," the innkeeper grumbled, handing him a key.

  The room was messy, with a single bed.

  "Ugh, I wouldn’t even pay 3 silver for this," the monkey teased, grinning at Mahendra.

  Mahendra groaned and opened the Beginner’s Guide to Magic.

  After reading a bit, he sighed, "I don’t und

  erstand any of this."

  He closed the book and went to sleep.

  The monkey, curious about magic, took the book and slipped out the window.

  To Be Continued...