"I canât believe that youâre a tamer..." A man with short spiky hair said to Souta with a laugh. He was Gyun, the leader of this mercenary group.
Gyun was a tall and huge man. He was an experienced fighter but his power level was low. His overall strength didnât even reach C-rank.
Souta could understand why the power level of this world was too low. A normal second evolution monster was already a monster beyond human capabilities in this world. It means that mercenaries like them could only fight a non-evolved monster.
Ordinary wolves, goblins, slimes, orcs, etc. These non-evolved monsters were already quite fearsome in this world. Back in Imperium, any fighter could easily handle twenty to thirty non-evolved monsters.
But itâs not that thereâs no strong creature in this world. Itâs just that powerful creatures were very rare just like a dragon. A dragonâs level canât be lower than a third evolution. The moment they were born, they already have a monster orb in their bodies.
People who can fight a first evolution monster were already strong in this world.
"Well, it just happens..." Souta shrugged his shoulder.
"Still, itâs my first time seeing this type of bear." A man with shoulder-length blonde hair said while looking at Yuko. Heâs Johnie, the second in command of the team.
"Of course, Yuko is a unique species from Great Tunbra forest. If youâve gone deep from that famous forest, then you would see some bear like Yuko." Souta said nonchalantly. He already prepared this excuse in case these people ask him something about Yuko.
"I see... Iâm amazed that you could live in that forest full of dangerous monsters." Gyun said.
"At first, you would be afraid and scared but after living there for a few years you would treat that forest as your home," Souta replied to him.
"Then... Alice is living with you in that forest?" A woman with yellow-colored hair that was tied in a ponytail asked while glancing at him and Alice back and forth. Her name was Mae.
Alice didnât join their conversation as she just rode her horse beside Souta. She was a beautiful woman and her demeanor was noble and cold. She looks like she wasnât a person living in the countryside.
"Yes, Alice is living with me in that forest," Souta answered her question. He looked ahead of him and asked, "Can you tell more about Granmr?"
"Granmr...? Granmr is a huge city and it is the capital of the Gyunar Republic. Its population is over five hundred thousand people of different races." Gyun told him.
The whole city of Granmr was heavily guarded by armored knights. The walls were armed with weapons of destruction that could easily kill powerful monsters. There was a time in the past that some countries tried to invade Granmr but ultimately failed in the end. They didnât even manage to get inside the city as all of them were crushed outside the city. At that time, the Gyunar Republic was still not at the top countries of the continent.
They also boasted their skilled warrior and magicians.
Aside from the security, thereâs a lot of things that people could be found in this city. Magic scrolls, weapons, armors, and all sorts of potions could be found in the market of Granmr.
...
The group decided to camp in the middle of the forest. One person will become a lookout of the group and they will shift with someone every one hour.
Souta was sitting at the corner while letting the heat coming from the fire warm his body. Yuko was resting her head on his l.a.p while he was c.a.r.e.s.sing her.
Alice was sleeping close to him. With their power level, this cold wouldnât bother them but itâs still good to have some heat to warm their bodies.
The group that they were following was mercenaries. They have six members and their party composition was great.
Gyun, the leader of the group, was a warrior who uses a double-handed sword. He was the center of the group and itâs because of him that the group was functioning well in combat. He had the potential to become a commander or general in the future.
Mae, another warrior like Gyun who uses a double-handed sword. She was important in the party as she was the one whoâs responsible for covering the magician and archer of their party.
Their magician was called Limber. Limber was a man with normal height and physique. He wasnât large nor small. He was proficient in casting tier 1 spells.
Souta asked him about the spells and it seems that people of this world didnât know about the inner spell. When he asked further, he also found that they didnât even know the inner consciousness. They didnât know how to enter their own consciousness.
Also, most of the tier 1 spells that Limber knew were low levels. It was the weakest among the tier 1 spells.
The archer of their group was called Rini. She was an attractive and slim woman with long black hair that was tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. Rimi was small and have the same height as Souta. She was very agile and could control her body very well.
Aside from being an archer, sheâs also the scout of the party.
The last member of the party was called Ginji. He was a mid-range fighter who uses halberd as his main weapon.
They were a great party. They trust each other without hesitation.
The group will arrive in a huge city called Buckshawn State. It has a population of over three hundred fifty thousand people and it was larger than the Ladros City. This city was already part of the Gyunar Republic.
Souta was looking forward to what he will see in this world.
This world was a new one.
He didnât even know this world even when it was a game.
Thereâs no player that owned this world.
This world also wasnât part of the sub-worlds that he owned when he was still Blood.
It only means that it was an unexplored sub-world.
âSouta, I think that this world is far away from Imperium.â Saya said to him.
âWe will know it after we gather intel about this world.â Souta replied to her as he looked up at the sky.
âWell, itâs true.â Saya said.
Souta felt a faint wave of energy coming from the transmission talisman. It means that someone was trying to connect to his talisman.
He didnât need to guess who is it.
Lumilia Von Asvares.
For the past few days, she was always calling him at this time. Before he rest was the time that she will call him.
âItâs time.â Saya said. Since she was with Souta all the time, she also knew that Lumilia was calling him every night.
Souta took out the transmission talisman and poured his mana in it.
As soon as he connected his talisman, he heard Lumiliaâs voice.
"...Hello! Are you busy, Souta?" Lumilia asked him.
"Nope, Iâm not doing anything. I was just waiting for your call..." He said in a low voice while looking at Alice who was sleeping beside him. He was afraid that she will wake up because of his loud voice.
"Eeeeehh!!"
A loud scream sounded from the other side as Souta put away the talisman from his ear.
"What happened there? Did something occur?" He asked her as he was curious about whatâs happening to her on the other side.
"N-Nothing... I just accidentally stepped on soap and stumbled down." Lumilia replied to him in a fl.u.s.tered tone.
On the other side, Lumilia quickly took the soap and placed it on the corner.
She took a deep breath to calm down as she pressed her hand on her c.h.e.s.t.
"So your bathing right now..." Soutaâs voice sounded.
Her face flushed as she various things come into her mind. She wanted to deny it but sheâs indeed bathing at this moment.
"Y-Yes..." She spoke in a tiny voice that only she could hear.
"What? I didnât hear it." Souta said.
"Yes! Yes! Iâm bathing right now!" She said loudly as her face grew redder.
"Then, you can finish your bath before we talk."
"No, no. Donât hung up!" Lumilia said loudly.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Why?"
"I have something to do later so we can only talk at this time." She answered him as she dipped her body in the water. "Huh~" She couldnât help but let out a satisfied voice.
"You sound like an old man."
"W-What are you saying?! Iâm not an old man!" Lumilia said.
"Hahaha!"
Soutaâs laugh sounded in the whole room.
"Hmph! Youâre making fun of me!" Lumilia pouted.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Souta asked her as he leaned his back on a tree.
"You see... I go out and met with Nayo..."
Their conversation wasnât meaningful as they just talk about various things.
Lumilia talked a lot of things and Souta just listened to her. Sometimes he will reply to her.
Usually, their topic was about the legion or something bad but this time was different. It was refreshing to talk about everyday life.