Chapter 6: The Path to CivilizationPart 1: A Road to SomewhereArata walked through the forest, the sword hanging at his side. His body was still sore, but each step felt lighter than before.

  He had leveled up. He had a weapon. Now, he needed to find people.

  After walking for about an hour, the dense forest started thinning out. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, and up ahead, he spotted something promising—a dirt road.

  "A road means people," Arata muttered. "Or at least a direction to follow."

  He gnced both ways. The road stretched into the distance on either side. One direction led deeper into the wilderness, while the other seemed to open into rolling fields.

  “Fields usually mean farmnd… and farmnd means vilges.”

  With that, he started walking down the road, hoping to find civilization.

  Part 2: First EncounterAfter another thirty minutes of walking, Arata finally spotted something in the distance. A wooden cart was stopped on the side of the road.

  Beside it, a man and a woman stood arguing. The man looked to be in his te forties, dressed in simple traveler's clothes. The woman, possibly in her thirties, wore a long brown cloak and seemed frustrated.

  Arata approached cautiously.

  The moment the man noticed him, he tensed. His eyes flicked toward the sword at Arata’s waist.

  “Oi, kid. You a bandit?”

  Arata blinked. “What? No! I’m just a traveler.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “Then why do you have a weapon?”

  Arata hesitated. He didn’t want to sound suspicious, but saying I killed a goblin and took it might not be the best way to make a first impression.

  “I… ran into monsters,” he said truthfully. “I had to defend myself.”

  The man studied him for a moment before sighing. “Tch. Fine. If you’re not trouble, then keep moving.”

  The woman, however, seemed to reconsider. “Wait. If you fought monsters, you must be somewhat capable. You wouldn’t happen to be an adventurer, would you?”

  “An adventurer?” Arata echoed.

  She nodded. “Someone who takes on requests, fights monsters, and helps townsfolk.”

  Arata thought for a moment. He wasn’t an adventurer, but… that kind of job might be exactly what he needed. If people expected adventurers to fight, then having a weapon wouldn’t seem suspicious.

  “I’m… considering becoming one,” he said.

  The woman smiled slightly. “Then maybe we can help each other.”

  Arata raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

  She gestured to their cart. “Our wheel broke, and we can’t fix it ourselves. If you help us get to the next vilge, we can put in a good word for you at the adventurer’s guild.”

  Arata’s eyes lit up.

  A vilge. A guild. This was exactly what he needed.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll help.”

  With that, his journey to civilization truly began.