12 - The Abandoned Town Hall I

The next few days for me were very confusing. Every time I saw Lilly, I would wave or try to smile at her, but she ignored me every single time.

It was as if we'd never been friends… or whatever it was we were. Hunting partners? Ugh, I didn't know. It didn't matter, though. As much as I wanted to talk to her again, there was nothing I could do about it.

I'd started living fairly well so Lilly wasn't the only thing keeping me in this world. The funny thing was the quests listed on the Quest Board got reset every week with new things on them so I was finally able to get out of the carpenter's quest. My situation wasn't as hopeless as I thought. I also discovered I would always be unable to cancel quests and stuck with picking the easy ones.

Soon, I was able to build up coins and XP points to get some more stuff — guaranteed meals every day and a better "weapon" than a pocket knife. I managed to get to level 10 in the few days that passed, and I probably would have gotten there faster if this half-baked game had more things for players to do. But it didn't, and so I spent the week getting to know the townspeople.

Once I reached level 10, I was prompted to select a Class. In Aetheria, adventurers were either a mage, fighter, healer, ranger, or rogue. I took a moment to think before selecting anything. I'd learned my lesson about rushing into things in this world so yeah I thought deep and hard about my choice.

The game helpfully provided a brief explanation of each class:

[Mage:]

[Masters of elemental magic, mages wield powerful spells to devastate their enemies and protect their allies. Their ability to control fire, ice, and lightning makes them formidable in combat, though they are physically fragile.]

[Fighter:] 

[With unmatched strength and resilience, fighters excel in close combat. They can wield various weapons and wear heavy armor, making them the front line of any battle, capable of absorbing damage and dealing powerful blows.]

[Healer:] 

[Essential for any team, healers use restorative magic to mend wounds and cure ailments. They ensure the survival of their allies with their healing spells and protective enchantments.]

[Ranger:] 

[Skilled in long-range combat, rangers are experts with bows and crossbows. They can strike from a distance with deadly accuracy and are also adept at surviving in the wilderness, using traps and tracking skills to their advantage.]

[Rogue:] 

[Masters of stealth and agility, rogues can sneak past enemies and deliver critical hits with precision. They are versatile and can disable traps, pick locks, and perform acrobatic feats to outmaneuver their foes.]

Healer and Rogue sounded like support classes which I didn't want to be considering I planned to operate a solo party (once I inevitably became an adventurer). And from literal experience, I wasn't going to be good as a Fighter.

Well. Mage it was. To be honest, it sounded simple enough.

Step 1: Learn magic words

Step 2: Abracadabra

Step 3: Enemies go boom

Yeah, I didn't need to think twice. As soon as I confirmed my choice, the system approved it and my class appeared beneath my name. Now, I just needed to figure out how to use spells. If I recalled correctly, Helia was a Mage as well, albeit a potionsmaster. But if I could learn to make useful potions, that was something.

[Hero: Hi, Helia! Do you think you could teach me the basics of potion-making?]

I expected to wait a while before getting a response but she answered immediately.

[Helia: Hero!! Wow, I'm surprised, you're interested in potions. Did you pick the Mage class?]

[Hero: Yes.]

[Helia: Hohoho, that's exciting. We can meet up tomorrow morning and I'll teach you not just the basics, but an entire masterclass!]

[Hero: …]

[Hero: I won't be paying anything for this… masterclass, will I?]

[Helia: Of course not. Remember when we met and I told you you could come to me for anything.]

[Hero: Oh. Right.]

And so I got up from my seat at the inn's dining room where I just finished dinner and retired to my room, tired from a long day of doing nothing. Seriously, this little town was so boring I needed to get out of it soon. I'm sure that was what I was supposed to do as a player anyway but I guess something was still keeping me around.

Once settled in bed, I initiated sleep and turned over.

***

The sun was high in the sky as usual when I woke. Time, 7 AM as always. An inbox notification popped into my view so after I stretched, I opened it. As expected, it was from Helia.

[Helia: Good morning, dear Hero! I will be waiting for you at the quest board in the town square so be there once you're awake.]

I didn't expect we'd be starting so early but nevertheless, I put together some food and water in my bag, and with my recently purchased iron sword slung on my hip, I left my room.

"Hero!" I heard a voice call as I approached the quest board. Helia knew good and damn well I'd seen her already. "Is there any need to yell so loud when I'm already here?" I asked when I was near enough.

She grinned widely at me. "I suppose not." Taking a look at her, she hadn't changed much since I last saw her. She still wore the same white dress with the unsettling red cross across her chest. Her eyes, purple, glittered mischievously in the sun. She turned to the quest bored and looked through it with a hand on her hip. I'd been wondering why she said we should meet here. She wasn't thinking what I thought she was thinking, was she?

"We're going on a quest."

I looked at the quests pinned to the board. Just two were available this week.

[#1 Investigate the mystery of the abandoned townhall — System Quest

#2 Defeat the hollowed goblin that has been terrorizing Coal Village — Official Quest from the Chief of Coal Village]

With a flat expression on my face, I replied, "No."

Helia furrowed her eyebrows. "No? Why not?"

How was I supposed to explain to an NPC what a bug is? I had a feeling the sentence 'There's something wrong with your world.' was just going to make me sound looney, so I just shrugged a shoulder and chose a different response. "I just don't feel like it."

"I thought adventurers loved going on quests."

I let out a soft laugh. "That's good for them, Helia, but I'm not an adventurer."

"Yet." Helia sighed and shook her head. "So how do you suggest I teach you how to use potions?"

"Uhhh… May I suggest you teach me how to make potions first?"

"No! That's not fun," I could have sworn she was pouting. "Haven't you heard that experience is the best teacher? Just pick a quest, Hero."

I frowned as I considered it. Okay, pros, cons, pros, cons.

Pros: It wasn't going to be too bad. Literally yesterday before sleeping, I was just thinking of how bored I'd been. Also, obviously, I wasn't going to be able to avoid quests of higher difficulty forever if I wanted to level up faster. They gave better rewards.

Cons: I wouldn't be able to cancel and do other quests if I couldn't complete it.

One more pro: I had Helia with me. If I couldn't fight whatever we were going to encounter, she sure as hell could. They would be far weaker than the demon Lilly and I encountered.

Helia stared at me unblinking as I went through all this in my head. Finally, I conceded. "Let's do the second one."

The first offered a whopping 120,000 gold coins and XP that would take me several levels higher as well as other items. The town hall quest on the other hand just gave 50,000 gold, some XP, and a few gems. Less enticing, yes, but I was cutting my coat according to my cloth.

[New quest: The Abandoned Town Hall]

[Status: Incomplete]

[Tap here to cancel]

"Good." Helia said from beside me. "I'll lead the way, hehe."