Female Swordswoman

A month later, they stopped in a small town. It would take at least another month to reach their destination, and possibly up to three months if they went slowly.

Mel Carlo was a little puzzled. After all, they had been traveling normally for the past month, and now they had suddenly stopped in a town like this.

"Mr. Freli, when do we leave?"

"The road ahead is a bit difficult, and we might encounter monsters along the way, so I plan to hire an adventurer. It would be even better if an adventurer could travel with us, and we wouldn't have to spend extra funds." Freli tied the carriage outside the Adventurer's Guild.

Claire followed behind Mel Carlo. Although they could still talk a bit, Mel Carlo wasn't a real child, and they didn't have that many common topics.

"Children, can you watch the carriage? I'm going inside to see if anyone else is heading to Oak City."

After Freli entered the Adventurer's Guild, Mel Carlo stood in place, twisting his neck. He really wanted to go in and see what the Adventurer's Guild was like. After all, in various fantasy world themed works, adventure was always the main theme.

However, these goods also needed someone to watch them. Claire couldn't leave, and Claire was just a little girl, so it was better for him to stay here.

"Mel, why do you always ignore me?" Claire slowly approached Mel.

"I just don't know what to talk to you about. If I really disliked someone, I wouldn't even look them in the eye," Mel stretched lazily, explaining to Claire.

Over the past month, they had gotten to know each other. This month had been boring and peaceful. After all, the merchant could occasionally sell some things on the road.

The proficiency of [Back Hop] increased by 1500, reaching 3101. [Theft] had only been practiced 150 times in total, and its proficiency was now 470. Because they needed to conserve stamina at all times, they were unsure if they would encounter bandits or similar people during their journey.

Current Effort: 33457.

If he wanted to use it all for the lottery, even a 10-pull would only cost 100 Effort. However, the current prizes were of no use to him. He didn't dare to sell them, nor did he dare to eat them openly.

Normally, in isekai stories with a system, the protagonist's system would prompt an update or something at this point. But he only had this menu bar, and there was no reaction at all.

He could only save it for now, in case of emergencies. Of the supplies he had drawn before, only the instant noodles had been consumed a little.

"Mel, will you join the Demon King's Army in the future?"

"I'm not sure. For me, it doesn't matter who I join. I don't know what the future will be like. I understand too little about this world."

"Yes, me too. There are too many things in this world that I don't know." Claire nodded. She wasn't sure what her future held, so she could only live with hope.

Those who often complain about not seeing the future are precisely those who have seen their own future.

Not long after, Freli came out, with a female swordswoman beside him. Judging by her attire, she was very skilled. Her short jacket, short sleeves, the muscles on her arms, and the sword at her waist all indicated that this female swordswoman was an adventurer with a certain level of strength.

Level: ?

It seemed that this female swordswoman's level was at least 10 levels higher than his.

After such a long period of training, Mel Carlo found that his level had not increased. He had not hunted any monsters yet.

Hard training was his only golden finger. At least his efforts were bound to yield results, reflected in the most direct way.

"This adventurer will travel with us to Oak City."

"Hello, my name is Kate. I will be traveling with you from now on." The female swordswoman greeted them enthusiastically.

Mel Carlo nodded slightly at the female swordswoman in front of him. She also had black hair like him, which meant his black hair and black eyes were quite common in this world.

"Hello, Miss Kate. I'll have to trouble you to take care of us on the way." Claire also responded enthusiastically.

"No, I should be thanking you. I want to go to Oak City, but I've been waiting for a long time for a caravan or travel. I heard that monsters have increased recently, causing fewer travelers on this route." Kate quickly waved her hands.

Traveling during this time had also confirmed one thing for Mel Carlo: most ordinary people were only Level 1, regardless of their status or position.

Furthermore, apart from adventurers, ordinary people didn't seem to discuss levels much, because levels didn't decide everything. Nobles were nobles by birth; bloodline determined it.

"Is this your son?" After getting into the carriage, Kate looked at Mel Carlo with some confusion.

"No, this is my boss. He hired me to take him to Oak City."

Hearing this, and considering Mel Carlo's age, she had a bold idea. Could this be some noble family's young master who had run away to adventure?

After all, she herself had run away to adventure.

"Miss Kate, do you have any questions?"

"No, no." Kate quickly shifted her gaze, appearing a little embarrassed because she had been staring at him.

After only a moment, Kate's gaze shifted to Mel's face again, and she whispered, "Little brother, did you run away from home?"

"Huh?" Mel Carlo was stunned. What kind of question was that?

But he quickly realized that she might have thought he was a young master from some family who had run away.

"No, I'm an orphan. Miss Kate, you ran away from home, didn't you?"

"Of course not!" Kate immediately denied it.

But the faster she denied it, the more it proved that she had run away herself.

However, this world didn't have the saying "protesting too much."

"It is indeed good to go to Oak City. I heard that the monsters there are much weaker. For adventurers who want to grow slowly, that place is very good." Mel Carlo looked at the flustered Kate and proactively changed the subject.

He was still a bit confused. Kate's muscles didn't seem like the physical quality a noble in this world could possess. However, exceptions weren't impossible. After all, some noble young ladies were proficient in horseback riding and archery.

"Don't underestimate me? I'm very strong." Kate looked at Mel somewhat indignantly. She felt that this child was looking down on her.

"Of course, I know you're very strong. Are you Level 10 right now?"

"No, I won't tell you. Adventurers shouldn't easily reveal their limits when they're out and about, little brother. I know this much," Kate said, crossing her arms with great confidence.

Before leaving home, she had made thorough preparations. She wasn't the kind of sheltered young lady who remained ignorant of the outside world!

"I just want to see what you know so I can learn from you."

He hadn't fully confirmed whether skills that surpassed one's level could be learned through others' teachings.

At least, he couldn't grasp the skills Anke had taught him across levels. Master Anke would probably have a headache for a while after he killed someone and ran off.