Nfirea did not hesitate. He seemed quite interested in Minori, who looked only slightly older than himself."I need to discuss this matter with my grandmother. You can come with me first."
At that, Nfirea turned and ran briskly toward the gate of the Adventurer's Guild.
"Let's go too—it's a good chance to meet the client," Captain Dosari said to his companions. Then, glancing at Minori with a hearty grin, he added, "Coming along?"
Minori nodded silently.
Dosari walked beside him as they left the guild hall. The rest of the "Rock" team followed close behind, positioning themselves subtly around Minori.It felt less like camaraderie and more like silent protection.
—They'd seen the reaction his healing magic caused.And they weren't the only ones.
Several adventurer teams in the guild had been preparing to approach Minori, but seeing him join up with Dosari's group first, they could only gnash their teeth in frustration.
Behind the counter, the receptionist girl Daya watched them leave. Her soft brown eyes held a mix of envy and wistfulness.
"You're really something... Faith magic at your age? If only my brother..."She trailed off and quickly forced a professional smile as the next adventurer approached the desk.
—
Outside the Adventurer's Guild, a worn wooden carriage waited, loaded with herbal goods.The scent was unmistakable—strong, earthy, and bitter.
Sitting at the front was an elderly woman in a pale green headscarf. Her withered hands rested on the reins of the black horse pulling the cart.This was Lizzie Bareare—Nfirea's grandmother and a veteran magic caster.
Minori and the others stopped short of the carriage as Nfirea spoke to her, recounting the events in the guild.
A short while later, Nfirea came back, visibly cheerful.
"Grandma agreed. You can come with us," he said with a grin. "But... she wants to see your healing magic again. Just to be sure."
"No problem." Minori nodded.
Compared to joining a caravan of strangers, traveling with Nfirea and his grandmother felt far safer.
—Especially since Lizzie Bareare was a caster capable of third-tier magic.
Minori stepped forward and was soon face-to-face with the wrinkled, stern-looking woman. Her sharp eyes studied him with cold detachment.
"Where are you from?" she asked bluntly. "Black hair and brown eyes are rare in this kingdom."
Minori stiffened. That question was never easy to answer.
Before he could speak, Lizzie waved a hand.
"Forget it. I don't care. Use your healing magic—on the horse."
She pointed to the black horse pulling the carriage. It was old, its coat dull and worn, and red welts marked its hindquarters where the whip had struck.
"Alright," Minori replied calmly, raising a hand.
"Heal Minor Injuries."
A soft white light bloomed from his palm and drifted over the horse's wounds. The welts faded, the old beast snorted in surprise, shaking its head in relief.
Minori exhaled.
His MP bar had nearly emptied.[MP: 3/13]
—The spell Heal Minor Injuries consumed 5 MP per cast.He had already used it once inside the guild. That left him with almost nothing.
And more troublingly, not a single point of MP had regenerated since.
Passive mana recovery rate: ~1 MP/hour.—Painfully slow. Possibly due to his lack of a true magic class.
The Genius job offered flexibility, not strength.It allowed access to professions, but provided no passive bonuses.
Lizzie gave a curt nod. "Good enough. We can quicken the pace now. Let's move."
She turned without another word, calling to Nfirea. He climbed into the cart beside her.
Crack!
The whip snapped through the air, and the cart lurched forward with a creak.Minori and the Rock team had no choice but to follow on foot.
—They weren't invited to ride.
Still, the cart was slow and heavy with herbs. Keeping up was easy.
May 17th.Year: Four Years Before the Calendar Change.
On just his second day in this world, Minori had already left the royal capital behind.
The Re-Estize Kingdom sprawled across rolling plains, with great port cities in the north and west.Humans made up most of the population, and distrust of other races ran deep.
In contrast, southern nations like the Slane Theocracy and the Elf Country were locked in war. Captured forest elves—mere non-combatants—were being trafficked northward.
According to what he'd learned on the road, prices for a live forest elf could exceed 300 gold coins.Those with magic abilities? Over 1,000—sold as "living magic tools."
Three days had passed since leaving the capital.No danger had yet appeared. Perhaps this was because they still traveled through the central, stable region of the kingdom.
During this time, Minori had slowly earned the trust of the Rock team.
Their leader, Dosari, was blunt but honest. The others—Basque the archer, and Lele and Rand, the twin shieldbearers—had grown more comfortable, answering Minori's questions readily.
That meant free information—and to Minori, information was power.
He'd also come to understand Lizzie's real reason for hiring adventurers.
—Manual labor.
Every day, the herbs had to be unloaded and laid out for sun-drying, then packed again.That task fell entirely to the Rock team.
Captain Dosari grumbled about it to Minori more than once.
As for Minori himself, he wasn't free either. Lizzie insisted he use healing magic on the horses daily.
Not just for visible wounds—but to replenish their energy.
Apparently, healing magic in this world restored both physical injury and stamina, depending on the quality of the cast.
—That detail didn't exist in the YGGDRASIL game.
This, too, was part of what Minori was beginning to learn: Skills in the real world didn't always behave like they did in-game.
And by casting healing spells every day, Minori gained something far more valuable than praise.
He was learning the limits of his new system.
[MP Recovery Rate: 1/hour][MP Pool: 13][Casting: Heal Minor Injuries - Cost: 5 MP]
Slow recovery. Minimal reserves. But stable. Manageable.
—He could work with this.
For now.