Many hours later, in the depths of dawn, Percival walked alone through the vibrant streets of Metrodorian.
People were busy with their various trades, the levels of their Classes floating above their shoulders.
In a large, powerful province like Metrodorian, most of the Traders, Blacksmiths, and other unawakened professions were at least Lvl. 40 and above, offering higher quality services than most provinces.
Some of them turned their heads at Percival's presence, recognizing him, or at least, recognizing the description of him.
"That's the Hero," one said.
"Is it really?"
"How dare he walk among us so casually?"
"He comes to our world and leaves us to die in the hands of the Demon Lord."
Percival heard their murmurs, a curse of having a high Perception stat, but he ignored them.
His face was an impassive mask.
His destination was a temple. Not the God Temple where he had awakened, but one of the smaller ones.
Once he arrived, he approached the coin exchange window. A young temple stewardess in white robes paled slightly once she saw him.
She could see the Necromancer crest above his shoulder, so she knew who he was.
"Welcome!" she forced a smile.
"I wish to make an exchange," said Percival flatly.
"F–for how much?"
"Fifteen thousand mana coins."
The stewardess's eyes widened. Fifteen thousand?
That was a fortune for a newly Awakened. As far as she was aware, the Hero was summoned and awakened yesterday just like everyone else. How did he have so many mana coins already?
She looked at his level. 'Lvl. 15? I've never heard of an Awakener level up so fast.'
Little wonder he had so many mana coins. If he was willing to exchange that amount, he certainly had far more in his currencies.
She gestured to the golden ball in front of them. "Please go ahead and send the magical coins into the Heaven Bank, and I shall allocate the amount of return in gold."
Percival placed his hand on the ball and summoned his currencies.
[Mana Coins: 18,793]
He transferred 15,000 mana coins and then took his hand off the humming device.
The stewardess checked the ball and beamed him a smile, then she counted fifteen gold from her vault and handed them to Percival with trembling hands.
"Thank you for your contribution in maintaining the Great Shield," she said.
Percival tucked the small fortune away without a word and moved on.
This was the way it was.
Mana coins had various uses, but their most important one was to maintain the giant magical dome that protected the rest of Evernia from Akuma Island, where the Demon Lord resided.
In exchange for these mana coins, which were merely particles of magical energy, the crown repaid Awakeners who gave up theirs with real gold.
The exchange metric was one gold for a thousand mana coins.
For all Percival disliked about the crown, he agreed that they were fair when it came to this matter.
He found a stall soon after, one where equipment was sold. The merchant was a wiry old man with a gravelly voice and a permanent squint.
"A complete map of Valoris," Percival told him. "I want one with detail. Not just the major trade routes and cities. Even minor towns and hamlets should be labelled."
The old man sniffed. This Awakener clearly knew his stuff.
"Aye, I've got what you need. Though I'd much rather sell you one to help you find your way out of our world."
Percival's face went blank.
"That's right. I know who you are."
Percival couldn't recall when he had attempted to hide it.
"Are you selling me the map or not?" he asked the man.
With a grunt, the Lvl. 43 Trader retrieved a map from a shelf and handed it to Percival.
After an inspection, Percival paid a fee of 5 silver, took his change, and exited the stall. His eyes traced the inked lines that tracked the road from Metrodorian to Wolsend.
The road was long.
"Stupid beast! Bloody useless! Do it now, boy! Take it out of its misery!"
Percival's head lifted in time to see a boy strike the neck of a black steed with a sword. The horse whinnied in pain before falling to the ground in a sickening thud.
Perhaps there was a way to hasten his journey.
He neatly folded the map, tucked it into his tunic, and approached the stable.
There, a husky man in a dirt-filled shirt stood over the bleeding horse. Beside him was the young boy who had struck the steed, pale and shaking, blood dripping down his sword.
"Why did you kill the horse?" Percival asked.
The stableman looked up in shock, his face red. "Who are you?"
Percival's gaze remained locked on the fallen animal. "I wanted to buy that horse."
The man scoffed. "It wasn't worth anything. A beautiful horse, but it was too ill to do anything. All it did was infect my other horses. It was basically worthless."
He stared at Percival, noticing the intensity in the way he gazed at the dead horse. An opportunistic grin spread across his face. "But hey, since it looks like you want it so much, I can sell you the corpse."
Percival didn't even look at him. "You can keep the corpse."
He walked to the dead horse and stood over it for a solemn moment.
"Hey!" the stableman called. "What are you doing?"
Percival slowly outstretched his hand, then he commanded, "Awake."
Suddenly, with a concussive burst of blue flames, the skeleton form of the stallion erupted from death.
Magnificent. A terrifying specter. A steed of bones.
From its skull and where its tail should be, blue flames flowed, crackling, a mane and tail of soulfire that glowed even in the brightness of the day.
The Skeleton Steed let out a neigh that echoed, drumming in the hearts of everyone, especially the boy who had killed it.
The stableman and the boy stumbled back, eyes wide with horror, dropping the bloody blade from nerveless fingers.
⸢Skeleton Beast: Undead Horse⸥
⸢Rank: B⸥
⸢Type: Mount⸥
"By Azrael," the stableman gasped. "What did you just do!"