Chapter 4: Chapter 4 - Faithful Meeting

It was almost night when Loki's group reached Vestia.

"At last, we're here!" Loki excitedly screamed while jumping off the wagon.

He looked up, amazed by the high stone wall that surrounded the city.

"Calm down, kid. Don't forget your payment," the fat man impatiently reminded.

The merchant was in a bad mood the whole travel. He was still hanged up from the swordsman's death and didn't manage to get the important information; that was why he resorted to the next best thing. Bringing the corpse of the swordsman, hoping the church would reward him for his effort.

Loki took one of the silvers from his bag and handed it to the merchant. Calculating, he would need to pay the fat man 35 copper for the clothes and the ride. So, the fat man still had to give him 65 copper for change.

The fat man smelled and licked the silver coin, then smiled satisfyingly. He deposited it into his coin pouch, took a handful of copper, and started counting. After a while, he passed Loki the copper coins.

When Loki received them, he made sure to count the coins. Father Laryatt taught him all he knew, including how to count. The priest always reminded him that when it came to coins, he should always double-check. He frowned after counting the coins; it was exactly 65 copper. He thought the merchant would do something underhanded, but he guessed wrong.

When he turned his attention away from the coins and looked in front of him, wanting to thank the fat man and Lorenz, they were already gone. He scanned the area, looking for the wagon. However, when he saw it, the wagon was already passing the guards who were guarding the entrance.

He wanted to chase them, but when he saw a man and woman—who were wearing tattered clothes like he had earlier—he stopped. The man gave the guards coins, and they let the man and the woman get through.

Looking at the newly bought clothes he wore, he began cursing in his mind. Dammit! I knew that fat man was scheming something. I can't believe I was grateful.

When he was done venting his anger by himself, he sauntered to the entrance. Sure enough, one guard wearing chain mail and an iron helm stopped him.

"Stop, do you have an identification card?"

Loki looked at the guard with confused eyes and said, "I don't think so."

"Then you need to pay 10 copper to enter," the guard stated.

Recalling the man earlier, he finally understood. Without doubting the guard, Loki took 10 copper from his bag and handed them to him.

After confirming the payment, the guard allowed Loki to enter.

"You may proceed."

Hearing this, Loki walked in excitement. He had been imagining what a city looked like since the beginning of his journey. Now that he was finally entering Vestia, his bubbling excitement came out of his mouth in the form of giggling. He had never made the sound before.

Inside, the ground was made of stone, the houses were two times bigger than the houses in his hometown, some were even made out of bricks, and the most noticeable difference was the noise. Even though the day was coming to an end, there were still a lot of people busying around doing their own set of activities. As he walked, his eyes darted from side to side, scrutinizing all the things that he had never seen before. For example, a pole that emitted light on the side of the road. The pole had no fire; how could it glow?

However, before he lost himself in curiosity, he must do what Father Laryatt asked of him. He had to find a man named Gerald. The only clue he had was Gerald being an instructor. The information wasn't enough; thus, he walked closer to the nearest person to inquire.

"Hello there, can I ask you a question?"

A middle-aged woman, who was currently closing her store, turned to him. "Oh, what is it? Are you lost?"

The woman seemed nice with her gentle smile. Loki became instantly comfortable and smiled back. "I wanted to ask. Do you perhaps know a man named Gerald?"

The lady lingered for a while, but soon her face lit up, and she exclaimed. "Oh, you mean Instructor Gerald? Of course, I knew him. Who doesn't know that handsome man?"

Loki watched the lady enter her own world for a while, and he awkwardly interrupted her. "Uhm… Excuse me?"

"Hahaha!" the woman chuckled. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry about that, but yes, I know Instructor Gerald. If you're looking for him, you should go to the Dungeon Crawler Guild—DCG—Building. You will find it in the center of the city."

Learning about the DCG put a spark in Loki's eyes. "I understand, thank you very much!" Without wasting time, Loki ran off.

"Wait, that's the wrong direction!" The lady screamed.

However, Loki was so absorbed in going to DCG that he didn't hear the woman. No, to be exact, his ears ignored the woman's words.

Soon, after running for a few minutes, Loki realized that he had no idea where he was going. "I forgot to ask about the direction. Well, I'm sure I can find it in no time."

Loki continued his way toward DCG—at least, that was what he tried to do. However, after running for an hour, he realized something about himself. He was bad at finding direction. He stopped in front of an old-looking house, made of wood. He had seen the house several times, as no matter where he went, his feet always led him there.

While panting, a voice called out to him.

"Hey, I couldn't help but say, I admire your determination. Even at this time of day, you're still training."

Loki turned to the owner of the voice, and when he did, he saw a young man, about his age, watching him from the window of the old house.

He had black hair, brown skin, and brown eyes. Even though Loki was a man, he must admit that the kid was a good-looking child.

"No, I'm not doing any training, but thanks… I guess," Loki responded. He didn't want to say he was lost, as it was embarrassing.

The good-looking kid widened his eyes and gasped. "Don't tell me…"

Loki lowered his head; it seemed the kid got the gist of his situation.

"You smelled that delicious scent and were looking for it?"

Loki stared at the child, baffled. "I… Yes, you're right, I've been searching for the source of the smell, but I just can't seem to find it." He lied; he didn't have time to explain things to someone he had met for the first time.

"Well, you're in luck!" The kid exclaimed, ran out, and stopped before him.

The kid was taller than Loki expected him to be. And his body, it didn't look like the body of a child, as muscles could already be seen from his tattered clothes.

"That delicious food is in the house! Come on, let's go inside!" The handsome kid pulled Loki's hand into the old house.

Loki wanted to decline, but the kid's grip and strength were too strong for him to resist. Before he could utter a word, his nose picked up an appetizing aroma that caused his stomach to growl. Although he had bread on his journey, it was incomparable.

Inside the dilapidated house. Everything looked old and on the brink of being broken. Yet, the cleanliness of the house was noticeable, it was obvious the owner really took care of the house. The view wasn't that different from Loki's old home. So, he didn't mind how old-looking the structure was.

While he scanned the place, the voice of an old woman traveled across the room.

"Leo, the food is ready!"

"Oh, perfect timing!" Leo pulled Loki towards the sound. "Grandma, I brought a guest!"

When they entered the kitchen, they were welcomed by a hunched-back old woman. She wore a white apron on top of her brown dress. Almost entirely of her hair was already white, while her face was filled with wrinkles, signifying her old age.

However, what attracted Loki's attention was the food on the round table. It was some sort of vegetable soup. It seemed it was just cooked, as steam came out of it. Loki swallowed his saliva. It had been so long since he had tasted a vegetable. His hometown relied on husbandry to provide for itself, and although some fruits and vegetables could still be grown, they were limited, making them a high commodity.

"I didn't know we'd have a guest tonight!" The grandma said in surprise. "Please sit; luckily, I have cooked more today."

Loki didn't decline the offer and sat on one of the chairs that surrounded the table. Are people in this city this kind? How can they just invite a stranger into their home and give them such luxurious food?

Leo sat beside Loki, smiled, and asked.

"Tell me, you're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I'm not. How did you know?" Loki responded, but his focus was still on the food right in front of him.

"Well, because I know every kid in this area, and I have never seen you before."

"Yeah, I just got here from a small town in the south."

"Oh! Do you have a place to stay?" Leo became excited after hearing Loki's words.

"No, I do not have one yet. That's why I'm planning to look for an inn," Loki replied absentmindedly.

"Wow! Maybe it was fate that brought you here!"

When Loki heard Leo, his interest was finally piqued. "What do you mean?"

"You can stay here; this is an inn after all. Not only that, but this inn is the cheapest out of all the inns in this city! You can sleep and rest here for a month for only 80 copper. But that isn't all. Your meal is also included, which means you won't need to worry about food for a month! Isn't that amazing?"

Loki scanned the kitchen, just like what was in the living room. Everything was old. He had no idea about the prices in the city, and considering his experience with the merchant, he couldn't help but become cautious.

"Stop it, Leo. Where are your manners?" The grandma said, bringing with her a set of wooden plates and cutlery. "Let our guest eat first."

Seeing this, Leo swiftly stood up, took everything from his grandma's hands, and placed them on the table.

"I'm sorry, Lola. I'm just really excited to have a guest. It's been forever since we had one. If this continues, we might be forced to sell this inn, and we will lose the last thing my parents left us."

Hearing their conversation, Loki understood the reason behind the house's lack of maintenance.

The story also made him feel some connection with Leo. He, too, had no parents. Although they didn't leave any material things for him, the memories and inspirations he experienced with them were all that he needed.

Wait, if they don't have money? Why prepare such extravagant food?

Realizing this, Loki looked at Leo's happy face with suspicion. However, no matter how much he stared, he couldn't discern any hint of deception.

Leo touched his face upon noticing Loki's gaze. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

This caught Loki off guard. "N-no! I just think you're good-looking!"

What am I saying?

"I know, right? It's a bit of a curse. It's hard to go out without girls constantly asking for my name; it's tiring," Leo casually remarked.

For some reason, an urge to smack Leo's head rose from Loki's heart. With great effort, he held himself and showed a forceful smile.

Let it go; it isn't right to hit someone in your first meeting.

Wanting to change the topic, Loki turned his attention to the steaming food and inquired. "By the way, is there an occasion?"

"Whoa! How did you know?" Leo exclaimed, staring at Loki with bewilderment.

"It's my grandson's birthday. We didn't have much, but what is important is that we are together," Grandma said while looking gently at her grandson.

"That's right! It's my birthday! And that's not all; I also received my Class today! Isn't that amazing?" Leo stood in excitement, leaning toward Loki.

Loki blinks in disbelief. Today was also his birthday. What were the chances of meeting someone who had the same exact day of birth and the same age? Loki was starting to believe that maybe their meeting was indeed destiny.

Wait, if he gains his Class today, perhaps Leo knows who Gerald is!

"I went here because I also obtained my Class today. Because of that, I'm here to meet a man named Gerald and learn all sorts of things about Dungeon Crawler. Do you know him?"

"Wait! Today is also your birthday? And you're the same age as me! How cool is that?" Leo became more excited and hugged Loki.

"Leo, we are eating right now. Sit down and finish your food first," Grandma reprimanded.

Leo sat down after hearing his grandma's words. "Sorry about that, Lola it's just so cool that…"

Grandma raised her right hand, interrupting Leo. "I understand. Finish your food and then talk."

Leo didn't utter another word and began digging into the food in front of him.

Loki wanted to insist on his question, but he thought it was rude to ask Leo when Grandma had already made it clear.

With no other choice, he copied Leo and ate as fast as he could.

A few minutes later, Leo and Loki were leaning on the back of the chair, caressing their stomachs in satisfaction. While grandma left to wash the dishes.

"Ahh, Grandma's food is the best," Leo said with a satisfied grin.

Loki, who had eaten a lot due to his cravings, could only nod as he was too relaxed to move even his mouth.

"Oh, by the way, are you looking for instructor Gerald to take the Crawler test?" Leo relaxedly asked.

"Test? Why do I need to take that?" Loki replied.

"Well, you must pass the test before becoming a Crawler. Of course, you already know that. Then, why do you want to meet Instructor Gerald?"

Loki took a few seconds before he could absorb Leo's words. "What do you mean test? I never heard that I need to take a test to become a Crawler!"

Leo gazed at Loki with stupefied eyes. "I guess not everyone knows about that, huh? Don't worry, tomorrow I will guide you there. But for now, let's rest.

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