The last week had been a crazy one for the two friends. During the events of the squirrels, they had reached level 6. What they then realized was that the squirrels kept coming back. Meaning they could grind the system and keep gaining xp and leveling up.
This left them at level 9, and they were about halfway to level 10. The only problem was that the squirrels were not really giving them much xp. They also aren't respawning fast enough anymore. If they were to keep up the grind they needed new creatures to fight.
Yet, they also had day to day jobs they needed to worry about. The plus side? Using their stat levels, they managed to make their jobs easier than ever. Lee using most of his stuff in strength, con, and charisma meant that his body was strong, rock hard, and he hadn't seen any perk to charisma yet. He was still loud and obnoxious.
During one of his days at work, Garrick had given him a real sword. It was a broadsword, he kept it sheathed on his back. Plus, they were able to keep going on their delivery routes. This meant they had more money than they needed, allowing for some sweet bargaining at some of the villages they went to.
What was a basic red scarf, and warm arm bracelets too, the interface saw as stat boosts and damage resistance. Lee now had a nice red cape/cloak that laid around his shoulder, it granted him +5 to defense. He wore a nice black button up work shirt under it, and some regular jeans. While the button up had a warm effect, his jeans had a plus to his charisma.
Sara on the other hand, had a black cape on. It gave a +2 stealth bonus, along with a nice black vest, a white ascot, and some leather straps to hold it all together. They were dressed more finely, but given that Sara worked in a tavern they didn't worry about ruining their clothes. The vest gave a charisma bonus, and the ascot gave them luck.
They had learned how they could store stuff from their physical space to the interface. The interface acted like their own little portal system. They used it to store foods, vegetables, anything they didn't want to spoil or they didn't have a reason to use yet.
On Top of that they had passive bonuses. They were used to working in the cold, so their resistance to frost was higher, they were used to working in the summer so fire resistance was higher, they ate spoiled food leaving them with poison resistance. Finally, and one that Lee was furious about, they were used to stupid bantering so they were immune to brainwashing.
They also had a tracking system, and a quest log meaning they could keep track of what quests they have done. Which didn't have much usefulness to them, as of now at least.
Their work abilities increased beyond imagination. Sara was able to move faster, deliver drinks with less spilling, and they were making twice the gold with the lucky ascot they wore. It was easy to get in and out without people even noticing either.
Lee on the other hand, he was stronger making his forging better. He hammered easier, he moved faster, he handled the heat better with his higher con. Garrick couldn't help but be impressed, it also earned him a raise in gold since he was so far ahead of schedule.
They both had learned some new skills in the past week as well, Lee learned double tap, allowing him to swing twice rapidly. Plus a twister attack, it was a fast dash and whirl wind combined. He pushed forward spinning in a circle like a twister.
Sara on the other hand learned Double tap allowing for two rocks to be thrown at one target simultaneously. Knife tossing, another new weapon that Sara had picked up, and their precision had maxed, allowing for critical chances.
They weren't the strongest yet, but they started to notice a shift in the wind more frequently. It felt like they were running out of time in their current location, that feeling when you know you're almost finished with a town in a video game. It was how they had begun feeling, what more could their tutorial village offer to them?
With them being able to survive the cold, they kept the delivery route going as much as possible. To the village, and the surrounding villages, they were becoming known as heroes of the town. Most people had the hardest time surviving the cold, but thanks to them trade could keep going meaning plenty of supplies for everyone.
Pulling the card through the snow-drifted forest trail, Lee hadn't broken much of a sweat. With his new body it was hard too, plus he always felt a fuzzy warmth with his clothes on. Sara on the other hand was relaxed reading a book, with their intelligence score higher, they retained information better. This meant they began reading about the world itself.
"Did you hear that Nobles are hunting for Anomalies?" Lee said, his head turned slightly just enough to see Sara.
"Only anomalies out here are rabid squirrels, and Lee Dawsons ego."
"Oh very funny dick."
Sara sat up and turned around looking at Lee, "Really though, why and what kind of anomalies could nobles possibly fine?"
"Not sure, blue and gold accent outfits though."
"You mean like the figure from that day?"
"Also, the figure from that tomb." Lee stopped the cart, setting it down. "I think they are after us," Lee told Sara.
"After us? We haven't had anything to do with this shit."
"We didn't, until we stole the system."
Sara went quiet, Lee looked away. As much as they hated to admit it. They both knew that they were involved in something bigger than themselves. Tapping his foot he turned and picked up the cart before walking again.
They were still quiet, letting the winter breeze blow past them. They slowly passed the building, the same one that they fell through. The building was buried in the frost, the snow-drift up against the doorway.
The moss had died from the cold, or at least temporarily died. Both of them knew by spring it would be over taking the stone once more. Slowly they came to a halt looking in its direction. There was a soft gentle ticking noise in their ears. It was like a soft reminder of the fact that there was something down there.
"Do you think it's always been waiting for us?" Sara asked, eyes glued on the entrance. They both had debated on going back in, but they didn't know what was down there. They weren't the chosen one after all, how would they survive it?
"I think everything changed the day we fell in, regardless if it had been waiting for us or not," Lee said. Slowly their trip continued onward to the familiar little village they were used to.
As they approached the village, they were met with overly eager warm villagers. Most of them had become friendly with the duo, having nice warm stew, hot drinks, and small gifts ready for them. Taking it as they were handed it, Sara would pretend to store them somewhere safe before placing them in the inventory system.
The children would begin to run around them, leaping with joy. "Lee and Saren, Lee and Saren!" The two kids shouted while running around the cart. Lee smiled, Sara gave a half hearted hand wave. The kids giggled, 'they were like heroes.' That was what the kids began calling them, heroes.
While Lee and Sara felt far from heroes, they still kept a neutral smile and let them say what they wished. They didn't feel like heroes, they felt like they were two idiots trying to keep the villages in the outer region alive. Something most nobles didn't even bother doing.
Sara and Lee had visited plenty of towns by this point, with their stats increased they were able to move faster and further. They met plenty of new people in the outer ring of Creswen Province, and they were all the same. Buildings were rotting, farmers were barely making ends meat, the taverns were full of desperate people.
Lee and Sara had grown weary of dealing with it, they couldn't fix things though. They weren't in a position to be able to bring wealth or fame to any of these towns. The most they could do was get deliveries and open up trade routes to better everyone. However, it felt gruesome everytime they showed up.
Who would still be alive, or who would have starved to death?
It was after the greetings, the hand shakes, the laughing and talking that the duo lifted up the cart and made the swift return back too their village. The positive thing about this said trip, there was no return load. That meant the cart only had Sara in it, and they were easy for Lee to carry.
Moving through the forest Lee glanced back, "Can't handle seeing the villages so desperate??"
"Not really."
"What can we do differently to save them?" It was the million dollar question Lee had asked, one with no answer to it.
"Thats the problem Lee," Sara said weakly. "There isn't anything we can do, we are just common people. Losers who are just traveling around the same handful of villages."
"Really?" Lee said, glancing back at them, "I disagree, you see how those kids react. Those families and villagers were so thankful for what we did. Is it not nice to be wanted?"
"It was"
"We are still needed," Lee said, crunching through the snow. Sara uses their knife to carve a branch. "Look," Lee continued. "We were reincarnated, you are literally a WOMAN who ended up as a man. Shit, this world is vast and confusing. We have a system of a video game in a world that doesn't even have lightbulbs yet" Lee argued. Sara sighed and shrugged, smiling some. "We can be a difference, we just gotta find out how."
It wasn't until they slowly came up to the old stone building that they stopped again. It was like a small call to their names. The whispers of mystery and adventure, but most of all, they wanted to learn more about what was down there. What had they stolen from the chosen one?
Lee sat down the cart, his head slightly glancing back towards Sara who slowly climbed off the cart. It was almost an unspoken agreement, slowly they stood at the edge of the road facing the Temple.
"We earned some answers, right?" Lee asked, glancing back towards Sara. Sara glanced over at Lee and gave him a nod. Lee slowly unsheathed his blade, he spun it around some. On his hip was the butter knife blade. Sara cracked her fingers, glancing at the inventory page making sure everything was equipped.
"Time to see what's down there," Lee said.
"Time to get some answers," Sara added.