Nfirea showed no hesitation. He seemed particularly interested in Sakeer — a peer who was only slightly older than him.
"I need to discuss this with my grandmother first. You can come with me."
With that, Nfirea turned and briskly ran toward the Adventurer's Guild gates.
"Let's tag along and meet the client," Captain Dosari said to his team. He then looked at Sakeer with a hearty smile. "Shall we?"
Sakeer nodded slightly.
Captain Dosari walked alongside Sakeer, while the other three team members followed close behind, positioning themselves in a way that faintly suggested they were guarding him.
Since Sakeer had revealed his healing magic earlier, several other adventurer teams had already taken notice — some even seemed eager to approach.
Now, seeing the "Rock" team's protective stance, many of those onlookers quietly cursed their bad timing.
Guild Reception Desk
Daya, the brown-haired receptionist, watched as Sakeer left with the "Rock" team. Her brown eyes reflected a mix of envy and disappointment.
"He's really something... Who would've thought he's a faith magic caster? If only he were my younger brother..."
She murmured to herself, but her professional smile returned as she turned to greet another group of adventurers.
Outside the Adventurer's Guild
A horse-drawn cart stood parked nearby, loaded with supplies. The old wooden wagon was stacked with wooden crates of various sizes, all covered with a layer of dry, straw-like plants.
The pungent scent of herbs filled the air — sharp and earthy.
Seated at the front of the wagon was an elderly woman wearing a light green headscarf, whip in hand. She was none other than Nfirea's grandmother — Lizzie Bareare.
Sakeer and the "Rock" team stopped near the back of the wagon, watching as Nfirea spoke with his grandmother. Judging by their gestures, Nfirea was explaining what had just happened inside the Adventurer's Guild.
They didn't have to wait long.
Soon, Nfirea returned with a cheerful expression.
"Grandmother agreed!" Nfirea announced with a smile. "You can come along, Sakeer."
But then his tone turned a little more serious.
"However... Grandmother wants you to demonstrate your healing magic again."
"No problem," Sakeer said calmly.
Compared to traveling with a random caravan or adventurer group, following Nfirea — someone familiar and trustworthy — felt far safer.
What's more...
Lizzie was a third-tier magic caster. Traveling alongside her was an added layer of protection.
Sakeer followed Nfirea to his grandmother.
Wrinkled skin and pale hair gave Lizzie an air of frailty, and her sharp, expressionless gaze — along with the slightly protruding bones of her jaw — made her seem stern and difficult to approach.
But Sakeer knew better.
Anyone who could raise someone as kind as Nfirea couldn't be bad at heart.
"Where are you from?" Lizzie asked without preamble. "Black hair and dark brown eyes are rare in this kingdom."
The question caught Sakeer off guard.
How am I supposed to answer that?
Sensing his hesitation, Lizzie waved a dismissive hand.
"Forget it. It's not important. Just show me your healing magic."
She gestured toward the black horse hitched to the wagon.
The horse looked aged, with noticeable depressions along its back and neck from years of pulling heavy loads. Patches of missing hair revealed red, irritated marks on its hindquarters.
"Understood."
Sakeer stepped forward, raising his palm toward the horse.
"Heal."
Warm light gathered at his fingertips, enveloping the horse in a soft, comforting glow.
Sakeer felt the magic drain from his body — a sudden and significant loss of mana.
Before his eyes, the red sores on the horse's back faded, the irritated skin smoothing over until no trace of injury remained.
"Neigh!"
The black horse snorted, shaking its head as if relieved.
Sakeer exhaled slowly.
Though he wasn't physically tired, he could feel his mana reserves nearly depleted.
Whew... That took more than I expected.
The first-tier spell "Minor Injury Heal" required 5 MP to cast. Considering he had already used it once in the Adventurer's Guild and again just now, Sakeer's mana reserves had been heavily depleted.
His total mana was only 13 points — barely enough for two casts — leaving him unable to perform the spell again.
Glancing at his attribute panel, Sakeer noticed that despite some time passing since his first cast, his MP still hadn't recovered by even a single point.
The speed of my mana regeneration is much slower than I expected...
Perhaps this was because he didn't have an official magic-related class.
Although his "Genius" class allowed him to switch to any basic class, it clearly lacked the stat bonuses and passive effects that other specialized classes would provide.
"Hmm."
Lizzie nodded approvingly, a faint smile forming in the creases of her wrinkled face.
"Looks like we can pick up the pace to E-Rantel. Let's get moving."
With that, she turned away from Sakeer, her focus shifting back to Nfirea.
"Come along," she called out.
Nfirea climbed into the wagon, settling in beside his grandmother.
Snap!
The crack of Lizzie's whip echoed as the black horse started forward. The wooden wheels groaned against the stone pavement, creaking with each turn.
Sakeer and the "Rock" team had no choice but to walk behind the wagon — clearly not invited to ride along.
Not that it mattered.
The cart, weighed down with goods, couldn't move particularly fast anyway.
May 17, Year 4 of the Gregorian Calendar
On the second day of his journey, Sakeer finally left the royal capital behind.
The Kingdom of Re-Estize was largely composed of flat plains. Its northern and western borders were coastal, home to two major port cities.
The kingdom was predominantly human, with few demi-humans in its population. This was largely due to deep-seated prejudice — a sentiment that had persisted for generations.
In recent years, the Slane Theocracy to the south had been warring with the Elven Kingdom farther south. As a result, captured forest elves were occasionally sold to the kingdoms of Re-Estize and Baharuth.
The prices were staggeringly high — even an ordinary forest elf fetched 300 gold coins or more.
Elves with specialized skills were sold for well over 1,000 gold coins, often referred to as "living magic items" due to their magical utility.
Three days into their journey, Sakeer had picked up these details through conversations with the "Rock" team.
The adventurers seemed eager to build rapport with him, readily answering his questions.
Through these exchanges, Sakeer gradually acquired some basic knowledge about the world around him.
The journey itself had been uneventful — likely because they were still traveling within the kingdom's central regions, far from wilder territories.
Over time, Sakeer finally discovered why a third-tier magic caster like Lizzie had bothered to hire adventurers in the first place.
She needed laborers.
The wagon carried large quantities of medicinal herbs, which had to be unloaded and spread out to dry each day.
Naturally, the task of moving crates and unpacking the goods was handed to the "Rock" team.
For this reason, Captain Dosari had privately vented his frustration to Sakeer on more than one occasion.
As for Sakeer, he wasn't exactly idle either.
While the herbs dried or during their evening rest stops, Lizzie often asked him to cast healing magic on the horses.
It wasn't just for treating whip-induced welts or minor wounds — there was another reason.
According to Lizzie, healing magic not only restored injuries but also replenished some of the target's stamina.
This revelation surprised Sakeer.
So spells behave a little differently than they did in the game...
Meanwhile, Sakeer kept monitoring his mana recovery.
Through repeated spellcasting, he realized that his MP restored itself at a painfully slow rate — roughly one point per hour.
At this pace, maintaining a reliable supply of healing magic was going to be a serious challenge.
(End of Chapter)