The fire had already burned down to a soft glow when they finished breakfast. A thin line of morning light slipped between the trees, warming the clearing just enough to chase away the cold.

  James closed his inventory with a soft flick, the faint system shimmer disappearing from the air. He stretched his shoulders once and breathed in.

  Time to move.

  Behind him, Mira was tapping her staff lightly against her boots, looking both awake and nervous. Her hair was fighting for its life as usual.

  “James,” she asked, “where are you going now?”

  “Min City,” he said. “I promised I’d go there, so… I should probably keep my word before someone starts looking for me.”

  Mira hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I also need to go back to the city. I was wondering if… maybe… we could travel together?”

  Before James could say yes, a sharp snort came from his right.

  Vhara stood with her arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes fixed on absolutely anything that was not James and Mira. Her body language screamed that she was not jealous. At all. Not even a little. Truly.

  “If two humans travel alone,” Vhara said, voice flat, “the road becomes dangerous.”

  Mira frowned. “Why dangerous?”

  “Because the male human is strong,” Vhara said, “but the female human is weak. Weakness is a scent predators follow.”

  Mira’s entire face lit red. “I am not weak!”

  Vhara sniffed the air, unimpressed. “Your fear has a scent. I can smell it from here.”

  Mira gasped. “I am an adventurer. And a mage. I am not useless.”

  Vhara tilted her head as if examining a cloud. “Against me, your chance of winning is very low. Also, you cannot hunt. Do you expect the male human to provide everything?”

  James raised his hand like a student begging the teacher for permission to speak.

  “Hi. Yes. Hello. My name is James.”

  Vhara glanced at him for exactly one second before returning to Mira.

  “You do not expect James to drag you through the entire trip, do you? That would be dishonorable, human woman.”

  “My name is Mira.”

  “I cannot hear you, human woman.”

  Mira nearly exploded. “Fine. Then come with us. Why do you care so much about me traveling with James?”

  Vhara’s eyes flicked to James for a fraction of a second. It was small, but James caught it. Then she looked back at Mira.

  “I do not care if you go. I simply think you will slow him down.”

  James slowly turned his head left and right, tracking their voices like he was watching a very angry tennis match he never agreed to attend.

  Eventually he sighed.

  “Why are you two even arguing?”

  Both women opened their mouths.

  Both closed them.

  Neither produced a single word.

  James blinked at the trees. “Amazing. Very helpful.”

  He clapped his hands lightly. “All right. Since you are both going to Min, why not travel together?”

  Mira nodded quickly, hopeful.

  Vhara spoke first. “That depends. Will the human city allow me to enter?”

  Mira frowned. “What do you mean? Anyone can enter Min. Orc, elf, beastfolk, dwarf. Unless someone has a bounty, the gates are open.”

  Vhara’s eyes sharpened. “Are you calling me a criminal?”

  Mira panicked.

  “What? No! That is not what I meant at all.”

  James stepped between them. “It does not matter anyway. More important question. Which of you knows the way?”

  Mira raised her hand carefully. “I do.”

  Vhara crossed her arms. “So do I.”

  Mira shot her a look. “Then why did you ask if you could enter or not?”

  Vhara shrugged. “Because you talk too much. And maybe they have changed the rules. Humans always do.”

  Mira huffed. “I do not talk too much. And we do not always change the rules… well, maybe sometimes.”

  James lifted both hands. “Fantastic. Amazing. Great teamwork. Let us start walking before the sun gets annoyed with us.”

  He took a step toward the forest, then stopped and looked at Mira.

  “Which direction exactly?”

  Mira pointed down a narrow trail. “If we go that way, we will eventually reach Wood’s End Village. It is a longer route, but there may be wagons or supplies we can use.”

  James shook his head immediately. “Absolutely not. I was there once, and I am not returning anytime soon.”

  He did not elaborate. Neither woman dared to ask.

  Mira pointed in the opposite direction. “Then straight through the forest. The shortest path.”

  James nodded. “Good enough.”

  They walked for a moment before James asked the question he instantly regretted.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “So who is leading the way?”

  Mira and Vhara turned to each other.

  A spark of competition lit between them.

  James whispered, “Great. I created a problem.”

  The forest thickened around them, tall trunks rising in silent rows. Sunlight broke through in thin strips. Leaves whispered under their steps.

  James walked in the middle. Not beside Mira. Not beside Vhara. The middle was safe. The middle was neutral.

  After a long stretch of silence, he asked, “So how long does it take to reach Min on foot?”

  Mira answered first. “About fourteen days if we keep a steady pace.

  Vhara nodded. “Fourteen if you are fast. Fifteen or sixteen if someone slows us down.”

  Mira shot her a glare. “And who exactly would slow us down?”

  “I wonder,” Vhara said, flicking her ear dismissively.

  James lifted both hands. “All right. New rule. No fighting until at least after lunch.”

  The silence lasted exactly twelve seconds.

  By midday they reached a clearing. James called for a short break. Vhara immediately walked into the trees without a word. Branches cracked in rapid succession. Something roared in the distance. Silence followed.

  Mira watched nervously. “Is she going to be all right?”

  “Probably,” James said. “Or she will kill whatever that was. Either way, she will be back.”

  “Do you think she still dislikes me?”

  “Look, she doesn’t dislike you,” James said. “I think she just automatically threatens everyone until proven otherwise.” He made a face. “I guess she respects strength or something. And since she thinks you look fragile, she probably assumes danger. I might be wrong, though. I barely know her.”

  “I am not that fragile.”

  A heavy crash echoed from the forest.

  James blinked. “Please tell me that was a squirrel.”

  Mira swallowed. “Maybe a large squirrel.”

  Vhara returned moments later with a deer thrown over her shoulder like it weighed nothing.

  “Lunch,” she said simply.

  James and Mira stared.

  Even the deer looked confused.

  God bless fantasy creatures.

  They set up camp near a narrow stream, and Vhara dropped the deer beside James with a heavy thud.

  James knelt beside it and rolled up his sleeves. “All right. Let us see what we can work with.”

  Vhara watched with arms crossed. Mira watched with horrified fascination.

  James raised his hand and opened his inventory with a subtle flick. The familiar shimmer unfolded in the air, revealing rows of neatly arranged tools. He tapped the Mishlin Sage kitchenware set, and a series of knives materialized into his hands one by one, boning knife, carving blade, skinning knife, each settling into his grip with satisfying weight.

  He crouched beside the deer.

  Time to work.

  He began cutting with smooth, practiced motions. Clean slices. Perfect angles. Zero hesitation.

  Mira’s jaw dropped. “How… how are you doing that?”

  “Practice,” James said. “And trauma. Mostly trauma.”

  The system chimed.

  [Butchery has increased to Lv. 4]

  Knife flashed.

  [Knife Precision has increased to Lv. 4]

  James smiled. “Nice.”

  Mira blinked. “Why nice? What happened?”

  James tilted his head. “Some of my skills leveled up. From butchering.”

  Mira’s eyes widened. “You… leveled up your skills? By cutting meat?”

  “Yes.”

  “That is… terrifyingly fast,” she whispered. “Skill growth shouldn’t work like that.”

  Vhara nodded approvingly. “Clean technique. Good efficiency. Makes sense. Your class rewards proper technique.”

  James wiped his hands and opened his Status Window.

  A faint panel shimmered in the air.

  [James Gordon]

  [Level 5]

  [Class: Mishlin Sage ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)]

  Mana: 160 / 160

  Stamina: 218 / 300

  Strength: 16

  Dexterity: 21

  Endurance: 17

  Intelligence: 12

  Wisdom: 12

  Charisma: 27

  Willpower: 10

  Perception: 10

  Luck: 15

  Abilities:

  Food Sense Lv. 2

  Butchery Lv. 4

  Knife Precision Lv. 4

  Recipe Creation Lv. 2

  Seed Maker Lv. 1

  Appraisal Lv. 1

  Passives:

  Mana Shield

  Health Regeneration

  Mira whispered, “You are… very strange, James.”

  “I get that a lot.”

  They ate well that night.

  When the fire dimmed, they slept.

  The next morning sunlight broke through the leaves in narrow beams. Vhara stood in the clearing, sword in hand.

  “You,” she said to James. “Spar with me.”

  James blinked. “What? Why?”

  “To see if you can fight. Yesterday you cut meat. Today we cut each other.”

  “That is not comforting.”

  Vhara stepped forward. “Do not worry. I will not kill you.”

  “That is also not comforting.”

  Mira sat on a fallen log, wide-eyed.

  They faced each other and raised their weapons.

  A soft pulse echoed in his mind.

  [Combat Sense Activated]

  The world slowed. Footsteps sharpened. Weight shifts became readable. Vhara’s stance mapped itself in his vision.

  She lunged.

  He moved.

  Steel clashed, and to Mira’s shock, James matched Vhara step for step.

  Not overpowering.

  Not dominating.

  But reading her every intention.

  Vhara pushed harder.

  James adapted.

  Vhara feinted.

  James stepped aside as if he had known hours in advance.

  The fight ended with both blades at each other’s throats.

  Mira’s jaw hit the dirt.

  Vhara lowered her sword first. “You are strong,” she said.

  James swallowed. “I am… lucky.”

  “No,” Vhara said. “Strong.”

  Mira nodded quickly. “Really strong.”

  James stared at his sword. If only they knew.

  It was not his own skill. His body moved because Nyinwyn’s Combat Sense guided him.

  The blade whispered warnings directly into his muscles.

  But he accepted the compliment.

  Five days passed with forests, hills, rain, a muddy slope disaster, and Mira almost summoning a lightning bolt on her own foot.

  That night the three sat around a warm fire. The deer was long gone, but James had turned local vegetables and dried herbs into something surprisingly comforting.

  Mira poked the fire. “James. You said you are not part of any guild.”

  “Correct.”

  “Then how do you make money?”

  James blinked slowly.

  He absolutely had not thought about that.

  “Well… I cook.”

  “That does not answer anything.”

  “It answers enough.”

  Mira rolled her eyes. “You fought Vhara almost evenly. You are strong. You could join the Adventurer Guild.”

  James thought about it.

  Vhara.

  Owlbears.

  Random forest creatures.

  He shook his head. “No thanks. Cooking keeps me alive longer.”

  “True. Brave warriors die early.”

  Vhara pointed her sword toward him. “You strong, James. But you cook more than you fight. Good. That means you do not die stupid.”

  Mira looked at James again. “If you are a good cook, why not settle somewhere? Open a restaurant?”

  James considered it. “Maybe someday.”

  “Or Min City,” Mira suggested.

  James shook his head. “I just want to travel. Learn new flavors.”

  “So Min City is only a stop for you,” Mira said softly.

  James nodded.

  Vhara tilted her head. “If you want to cook on road, build something you can carry. A small stall. A moving kitchen.”

  Mira blinked. “Is that a thing?”

  “It can be,” Vhara said.

  James froze mid-thought.

  “A stall that moves… a kitchen that travels… like a wagon…” He snapped his fingers. “Hold on. That’s actually brilliant. A food truck.”

  Both women stared.

  “A what?” they said together.

  “A cooking wagon. I can move from place to place. Feed people everywhere.”

  Mira’s eyes sparkled. “That is actually brilliant.”

  Vhara crossed her arms. “Obviously. I came up with it.”

  James smiled at the fire.

  For a moment, all three sat in silence, thinking about the same strange future.

  Later that week the trees thinned, revealing a high ridge that overlooked the plains. Mira gasped when the city appeared on the horizon.

  Min City stretched across the land like a bright crown. Tall stone walls glimmered. Flags snapped in the wind. Cart after cart rolled through the roads leading toward the gates.

  After days of mud, rain, and arguments, civilization looked almost surreal.

  James exhaled. “Yeah, that is definitely bigger than the version I had in my head.”

  Vhara studied it carefully. “Human cities smell strange. But that one looks clean.”

  Mira softened. “Home.”

  James looked at her. “Nervous?”

  “A little.”

  “Scared?”

  “Not when you two are here,” Once she said it, she immediately regretted how honest it sounded.

  Vhara turned her face away quickly. “Do not grow weak from overprotection. Humans fall apart when sheltered too much.”

  “I am not falling apart.”

  “You already are.”

  “I am not.”

  “You are.”

  And the argument began again.

  James kept walking, muttering, “Why is this my life…”

  But even with the bickering, their steps matched.

  Their pace aligned.

  Their path was the same.

  Three people who were strangers only days ago now walked toward Min City like a strange, mismatched, ridiculous group.

  Chaotic.

  Loud.

  But together.

  Author’s Note