Arcane Innovator

Hearing that ear-shattering roar made the blood freeze in my veins. 'Is that a... Dragon?' I narrowed my eyes, carefully observing the peak of the mountain.

'Right there...' At the very top, there seemed to be an opening to what could only be a spacious cave, and before it stood a massive silhouette, its large scaly wings spread menacingly.

However, as soon as I spotted it, I couldn't help but exhale in relief.

Although it was undoubtedly a massive and dangerous creature, it didn't emanate that deadly, oppressive presence I would expect a dragon would, as I read about in the various legends from Sir Roderick's book collection back in Ereneth.

'I guess it must be... how was it called again? Wyvern! Yeah, that's it!'

Still, whatever the case, I had no desire to pick a fight with such a harrowing-looking creature.

'What to do now?' I faced quite the dilemma of whether to turn around and try my luck with the fortress' garrison or continue and risk angering that creature nesting up there.

'Well, luck favors the bold, eh?' I snickered before I carefully began sneaking along the jagged ridges, making sure not to use any magic at all so that my essence wouldn't leak.

Luckily, I didn't actually need to go all the way to the peak. I could simply make a detour around the base of the mountain - it would be a much longer and more treacherous journey, but it was better to be safe.

Thus, I carefully scaled the mountainside, not daring to use magic to propel me across while at the same time following a narrow path carved into the stone itself, which seemed to have not been used in a long, long time.

It took me way longer than I was expecting, and by the end of the day, I was totally exhausted, but I had made it!

After finally arriving on the other side of the mountain, I allowed myself a brief moment to catch my breath and admire the view spreading out below.

The air was crisp and cool, carrying the earthy scent of pine and wildflowers. As I gazed down, I saw a sprawling countryside full of lush forests and tiny valleys in the distance, with everything painted fiery red by the setting sun.

With a final glance back at the mountain I had just traversed, I turned away and started descending into the valley below.

Although it was getting late, and I would soon need to find shelter for the night, I decided to push myself to continue for a little bit longer, carefully descending into a thick pine forest until I couldn't see the mountain's peak anymore.

But in the end, I was glad I could gaze on such a magnificent creature, as it reminded me that I was still far too weak to face the many challenges the Wilderness posed.

***

'I made it! I'm officially out of the Kingdom and the furthest I've ever been from home,' I thought, joyfully striding along the blooming meadow the next morning.

Now, I finally didn't have to worry about getting caught and could use my magic openly—not that I would, though.

After all my previous not-so-great experiences, I decided it would be much better to keep a low profile and keep pretending to be a beast hunter, at least until I arrived at the Grand Tower.

With that, I set forth, keeping the same southerly direction as I had until now.

'The first order of business should be to figure out where to go from here,' I reasoned, as any map I had seen so far showed nothing beyond the Kingdom's border.

But then I paused, widening my eyes as a certain harrowing thought came to mind. 'Wait, do the people here even speak the same language?'

Well, there was only one way to find out. Following the path I was on, I soon arrived in a small village about a three-hour walk from the border.

I hid in the nearby shrubs while cautiously observing the villagers busying around. From the look of it, the village appeared to be like any other frontier village I had seen so far.

Perking my ears, I managed to catch snippets of conversations, and to my great relief, it seemed they indeed spoke the same language, albeit with a slightly different accent.

This made me extremely happy, as I was already quite apprehensive about talking to strangers, not to mention if I couldn't understand what they were saying.

Still, I decided not to make my presence known and carefully sneaked along the village fringes before hitting the road again.

For all I knew, the villagers might pick up on the fact that I came over the border illegally and subsequently report my presence to the local lord.

So I decided to remain on the side of caution and move a bit more inland before I try to talk to anybody.

I passed a few other villages before coming across a sizable forest where I decided to make a camp for the night.

And like that, my first day of adventuring in foreign lands come to an uneventful end.

***

The following day, I eagerly continued my adventure through these unfamiliar lands. The sky was a clear blue, with a few fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across it.

I could see rolling hills and vast stretches of lush green forests ahead of me, which filled me with excitement about what interesting things I would find there. Further on, the landscape was dotted with small villages and cottages, smoke gently rising from their chimneys.

However, I was still somewhat bothered by the total lack of information about the local area. Not knowing where I was going, or more importantly, where I should be going and what would await me when I got there, was a real bother.

That's why, by the evening of the third day after leaving the Kingdom, I stood in front of a sizeable town, waiting to enter.

I felt I was sufficiently far away from the border so I could pretend I was just another traveler, like many others who stood in the line beside me by the look of their gear.

In addition to the fact that I dearly missed sleeping in a proper bed, I was hoping there would be a branch of the Beast Hunting Guild where I could learn everything I needed to not only survive but also thrive in this new land.

I wasn't sure, but since the monsters didn't care about the borders or such, the need for beast hunters was supposed to be high even out here.

At first, I thought it was just another village since it didn't have a wall, only a simple palisade. But when I got closer, I realized that by its size, it must have been a town, maybe even a city.

Still, it was evident that the town was put together without much thought. It consisted of only wooden buildings, each of different sizes and styles, scattered haphazardly in every vacant plot of land, forming a complicated mozaic.

Even the guards didn't look like your typical guards. Each was dressed differently, and the only thing they had in common was a small plaque hanging around their necks.

'Is that...?' I wondered, straining my neck to get a better view.

At first, I thought they were beast hunters, but I quickly found out that the design of their "cards," or whatever they were, was totally different from what hunters usually wore.

Well, that was not surprising. I knew that things would be different since I was no longer within the Kingdom's borders. So, it was given that even the institutions themselves wouldn't be the same.

As I cautiously approached the city gates, I couldn't help but notice the guards' peculiar gazes. They seemed to scrutinize me in a way that made me uneasy as if they could see right through my disguise.

However, that must have been only my imagination, as the moment after I showed them my beast hunter badge, I was able to pass inside without much difficulty at all.

After familiarizing myself with the town's layout, I headed straight for the main square. Since there was still some time until the sun set, I decided to try to gather some information before I would need to go seek an inn for the night.

'So, this is their version of the Beast Hunter Guild?' I thought, standing in front of a sizeable building.

Seeing many people going in and out, I quickly decided to blend with the crowd and entered after a larger group of warriors, pretending to be one of them.

"Welcome to the Adventurers guild, traveler! What can I do for you?"

I froze in my steps, staring at the beautiful young lady standing behind the counter, who was smiling widely.

I blinked a few times, struggling to come to terms with what I was seeing.

'Are you telling me that the Adventurers Guild, the most common trope in any fantasy setting, actually exists? Have I been living in the wrong place the whole time?'

"Is everything alright?" The clerk asked with a worry in her voice.

"Ehm, nothing!" I cleared my throat, realizing I had spaced out for a moment there as I hurriedly approached the counter.