The sun beat down from its peak in the sky, turning the dirt road ahead into a baking heatwave of dust. My boots—scratch that, the dead guard's boots—pinched with every step. I kept quiet about it though. Complaining seemed like a quick way to lose the tiny bit of respect Solana might have developed after my goblin-slaying heroics.
"So," I said, breaking the silence that had stretched between us for at least twenty minutes, "this Karakura Town. Big place?"
Solana's eyes flicked toward me, then back to the road. "Mid-sized. Last proper settlement before the Contested Zone begins."
"And these Contested Zones are...?"
This time she stopped walking completely. "You don't know what a Contested Zone is?"
I raised my hands defensively. "Look, I'm from pretty far away."
"How far away could you possibly be to not know about the basic territorial classifications?"
"Super far," I offered lamely. "Like, you wouldn't even believe."
Kael, who'd been quietly trudging along beside his mother, suddenly snort-laughed. "Red Man doesn't know anything!"
"Red Man?"
"Your hair," Kael pointed at my head. "It's like fire."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess it is." I'd almost forgotten about that particular change to my appearance.
"Are you stupid?" Kael asked, his tone genuinely curious rather than insulting.
"Kael," Solana warned, but her lips twitched just slightly.
"It's okay," I said. "And no, I'm not stupid. Just... unfamiliar with the area."
"But you're grown," Kael insisted. "Grown-ups know stuff."
That earned an actual half-smile from Solana.
"Fine," I surrendered with a theatrical sigh. "I'm clearly exposing myself as some kind of backwoods ignoramus. So give me a crash course then. What should every non-stupid grown-up know about this place?"
Solana studied me for a moment, like she was trying to decide if I was playing some kind of game or genuinely this clueless.
"Have you awakened yet?" she finally asked.
"Awakened?"
"Your status. Your class."
"Oh. Yeah, I know about that stuff. The status screen and everything."
"What's your status then?" She looked genuinely curious now.
I summoned my fake status screen, the one Veil of the Unnamed created for public consumption. A translucent blue panel appeared in the air between us, displaying my cover identity:
"Scout, Level 1," I read aloud. "VIT 11, STR 10, AGI 10, DEX 10, MAG 10, LCK 10. Skills: Basic Tracking I, Wilderness Survival I."
Solana actually chuckled. The sound startled me so much I almost tripped.
"A Scout?" She shook her head. "Of course. That's how you found us, I suppose."
"Yeah, exactly. My tracking skills led me right to you guys."
"Thank the gods for that," she said, her voice suddenly serious again.
"Gods? There's more than one?"
This time both Solana and Kael stared at me like I'd grown a second head.
"Okay, even the most remote villages worship the Pantheon," Solana said slowly. "Where exactly are you from?"
"I told you. Super far away. Different... cultural practices and all that."
"Different cultural practices," she repeated flatly.
"Yep. So, uh, you mentioned Labyrinths earlier. What are those about?"
Solana sighed, clearly deciding to indulge my apparent ignorance rather than push for answers I wasn't going to give.
"Labyrinths are controlled dungeons," she explained as we resumed walking. "Built spaces with consistent floor patterns, predictable monster spawns, scaling difficulty. They're typically safer than natural dungeons because the monsters follow set patterns and respawn on timers rather than breeding naturally."
"And these are good for... what exactly?"
"Training mostly. Labyrinths pay out much less XP and loot than natural dungeons, but they're predictable. New adventurers use them to level safely before trying the real thing."
"And Karakura has one of these?"
Solana nodded. "It's a Labyrinth Town."
"That's good, right?"
"Very. Labyrinth Towns tend to have better resources, more adventurers passing through, and their customs are more..." she glanced at Kael, "relaxed. They're used to outsiders."
"Perfect for a clueless foreigner like me."
"Yes. Unfortunately, that same relaxed attitude means other trades flourish there too." Her jaw tightened. "Including slave trading."
Right. The fact that she and Kael were headed there as merchandise, not tourists. Hard to forget that detail with those slave crests visible on their necks.
"So these Labyrinths," I said, changing the subject slightly, "how deep do they go?"
"Theoretically 100 floors, though nobody's ever confirmed reaching the bottom of one. Most adventurers tap out around Floor 30 or 40. The scaling gets brutal after that."
"And you? What floor did you reach as a B-Rank?"
A flash of something—pride? regret?—crossed her face. "Floor 31 in three different Contested Zone dungeons. Natural ones, not Labyrinths. That's where the real challenges are."
"Impressive," I said, and meant it. Based on her Mana Saturation glow, I could tell she wasn't exaggerating. The woman radiated experience like a furnace.
"Red Man," Kael tugged at my sleeve, "do you know how to fight monsters?"
I looked down at him. The kid had warmed up considerably now that we'd been walking for a few hours without being attacked. His eyes were just like Solana's—that vivid green that seemed too bright to be natural.
"I'm learning," I said honestly. "Those goblins were my first."
"Wow," Kael's eyes widened. "And you didn't die!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Mom says most people die their first time fighting monsters."
Solana made a small sound in her throat. "I said most unprepared people die their first time. You weren't completely useless."
"High praise," I grinned.
"You survived. That puts you ahead of many."
The road curved ahead, winding through a small cluster of trees before opening up to rolling farmland. In the far distance, I could just make out what appeared to be buildings—still tiny from this distance, but definitely artificial structures.
"Is that Karakura?" I asked, pointing.
Solana nodded. "We'll reach it by evening if we maintain this pace."
"So what's the plan when we get there?" I asked casually, as if I had any idea how I was going to come up with four gold coins to free them.
"You don't need a plan," she said firmly. "You've helped enough. Once we reach the town, you should go your own way."
"And leave you and Kael to be sold at auction? No way."
"This isn't your problem."
"I'm making it my problem."
She stopped again, turning to face me fully. "Why?"
"Let's just say I have personal issues with slavery."
"Personal issues."
"Yes."
"And that's enough reason to risk your life and spend money you don't have?"
I shrugged. "I'm a simple guy with simple principles."