Chapitre 18: 18 - Aeloria's Echo: Veil of Adventures

Aeloria's Echo: Veil of Adventures

The experiences lived by Jon and Gwen in the dungeon left a profound mark on their lives in Aeloria. With his body still recovering from the ordeal, Jon found his hunting outings limited for almost a month, despite his rapid improvement with Melisa's potion. Melisa herself and her caravan departed from Riverwood on a silent dawn, leaving no trace behind.

However, Jon didn't let himself be disheartened. The eagerness for action led him to escape the village along with Gwen, to train their archery and warrior skills. Meanwhile, his father, Eric, felt responsible for Jon's determination and, to encourage him, gifted him the bow he had been longing for.

Thus, a month had passed since that fateful encounter in the dungeon. Jon was about to celebrate his birthday, and his parents had a special idea: inviting Gwen's family for a camping trip in the outskirts of the Riverwood forest.

"Be careful, kids!" Helena exclaimed, her voice echoing as Jon and Gwen ran ahead of the group, hitting everything that moved as they advanced towards the woods. "Dear, let them have fun, nothing will happen," Eric intervened. As an experienced hunter, he had faced life and death countless times, and what had happened to his son had momentarily scared him. However, he believed that this experience would only strengthen Jon, preparing him for whatever the future might bring.

In the early morning, the six of them reached the forest. Just six. Jon noticed that it was rare to find families with more than one child, something he found peculiar. Aeloria's society resembled the Middle Ages, and without modern distractions like TVs, he imagined couples would constantly be expanding their families for entertainment. Perhaps the birth rate was lower than he thought. In the village of Riverwood, with its 10,000 inhabitants, he hadn't come across more than 500 children since he had arrived in this world.

"If that's the case, I won't have to worry about scattered children all over the place in the future," Jon thought, a peculiar smile forming on his lips as he delved into his thoughts. He gazed at the natural perfection of the forest, its serenity contrasting with Gwen's liveliness as she swam in the lake.

Lunchtime arrived, and everyone gathered around the campfire where skewers of meat and vegetables were gently roasting over the low flames. Helena's excitement cut through the air. "Gift time!" she announced, drawing everyone's attention to her.

'This concept exists here too,' Jon pondered. He wasn't expecting to receive anything, after all, he didn't even know it was his birthday until the previous day when his parents mentioned the camping plan.

Gwen was the first to step forward. She held a somewhat battered book, leaving Jon curious about the kind of gift it could be. "Well, I know it's not much, but it's from the heart," Gwen said timidly as she handed over the book with its worn leather cover. A quick hug to Jon and she soon stepped back, blushing under the adults' gazes.

Before Jon could open the book and discover what was inside, his mother affectionately embraced him, presenting him with a leather armor. It was a set that increased his agility and constitution by 5 points each when equipped. Surprise overtook him. The armor was so lightweight and discreet that it could easily be worn under clothing, although it didn't seem capable of offering much protection.

As everyone conversed and enjoyed each other's company during the meal, Jon realized that no one else was getting up to present gifts. With a faint smile, he broke the silence. "Hey, Dad?" Eric understood the hint and quickly stood up to embrace his son. "Happy birthday, my son," he warmly murmured before sitting back down and resuming the conversation with his old friend.

Jon thought for a moment about asking for his present, but then he remembered his father's words when he handed him the new bow, saying it was an early gift. At the time, Jon hadn't thought much of it since he didn't know his birthday was so close.

Jon shook his head, pushing away his greedy thoughts. With a book in one hand and a skewer in the other, he climbed up to a high branch of the tree, eager for an undistracted read. After all, he was an avid reader of novels and detested any interruption during his reading.

As he opened the book, though, a surprise awaited him. 'That's right, how could I forget.' His eyes lit up as he glanced at the book's content. Since supposedly reincarnating in this world that used to be his favorite game, he had been focused on plans related to the MODS he installed, neglecting things that weren't part of that. The book he held was a guide to basic fencing skills for the warrior class. In the game Aeloria, players had to turn page by page to learn the skills, able to read the book once a day to gain a considerable amount of EXP.

The pages contained detailed explanations and stances for practicing basic fencing. Clearly used by various people over time, the book was filled with annotations and additional suggestions.

Jon immersed himself in the reading, hardly noticing the new status window that appeared before him.

**[NOVICE SWORDSMAN]** Level 0

Excitement welled up within him at the prospect of evolving his skills just through reading books. Jon was already plotting plans and calculations in his mind. However, a moment of discouragement hit him when he realized that, even after his attentive reading, he hadn't gained any EXP or level in the skill. It seemed that, even accounting for the game elements, the real world still demanded training and constant improvement. Faced with this reality, he found himself lost in thought.

'What the hell is this world? Did I die and get reincarnated? Am I trapped in a hospital bed in a coma? Is this real...' his mind wandered down a twisted path, but he decided to push those thoughts aside. Every time he began to ponder and seek answers, Jon felt more and more disheartened, confronted by the realization that perhaps this reality was just a dream...

"Don't like the skill?" Gwen's voice interrupted his reverie as she shook her head disappointedly. "I apologize if you don't like it, but it's this or nothing," she teased with a mocking smile at Jon. "Let's go to the lake, it's way too hot!"

Looking at the redhead, who almost seemed doll-like in her perfection, and taking in the beautiful forest scenery, Jon leaped down from the tree and followed Gwen, determined to let himself be swept away by this world, even if it was just a dream.

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