Using the Moonlight Cloak, bought from the Enma Shop, Ruel was able to conceal himself and sneak out of the town with ease.
He walked west of the town, using one of the few roads leading to Grayland to guide himself.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention, he kept to the trees as he walked.
Soon, he got to a location not too far from the road and not too deep into the forest.
Ruel shifted his anchor from his bedroom to this location, then swiftly created a Gate leading to Enma.
The Gate opened, and along with Muriel—his bond—they crossed it and landed in the bedroom of his home in Enma.
Ruel inhaled heavily before going to sit on the bed.
'I'm guessing guilds work like the Adventurer Association back home. That means there's a chance they can test my prowess if I want to work with them.'
'I believe I have enough strength with my enhanced body and my sword skills were not bad before.'
"My core is poor right now though."
Recalling how his core's advancement to four rings would help him breakthrough, he decided to work on that.
He asked Muriel what resources she thought would help him improve his cultivation rate, but she told him he didn't need all that.
He already had enough resources right now — his Leech skill and Enma's atmosphere which was saturated with mana.
Only then did Ruel realize that his Leech skill had been passively cultivating his core all along.
Knowing this, Ruel immediately began cultivating while Muriel also cultivated her own core—but her core was unique as it only grew in quantity and not quality.
As silence enveloped the room, Ruel's body was drenched with sweat as he sat in a lotus position with his eyes closed.
[Leech's XP has increased.]
After nearly two days, Ruel advanced to four rings.
In total, this took him 7 months which was impressive compared to the 2-3 years it takes for the average person without resources.
Well, Ruel did have external help like his skill, Enma's mana concentrated atmosphere, and the one he recently confirmed, Muriel's cultivation also increased his.
"We really worked hard, right Muriel?" he asked.
"Yes," Muriel said. "Your core size should be equivalent to 274. It's impressive."
"What? 274?" Ruel blurted out.
Muriel nodded, then explained:
"Mhm. In my creato– father's time, they normally used numeric values to measure core sizes.
"It was done using devices, but some could also do it manually. I seem able to, especially because I'm bonded to you."
"That sounds very helpful," he muttered, thinking it would be a good skill to pick up.
Feeling his improved mana control and perception, Ruel smiled with satisfaction.
Until he frowned.
"There are people observing this house," he stated.
Muriel was fully corporeal, seating expressionlessly on the bed.
She then turned to her incorporeal ball of light form, using her mana to extend how far she can go from Ruel.
After moving through all the rooms in the house within 30 seconds, she returned and said:
"There are four."
"The guild possibly?" Ruel wondered.
"Most likely."
"I guess I shouldn't keep them waiting."
Ruel smiled and took a bath in his lavish bathroom, the luxury making him momentarily forget his worries.
He donned a black fitted shirt and black pants, leaving his armor within his inventory.
Apparently, there was a feature of the inventory where armors can automatically be put on.
And for armors considered a 'set', they not only take up a single inventory slot, but also allow instant wearing, compared to separated armor parts that appear one by one.
He instantly willed his armor to be worn and with a glitch of light, it appeared.
There was beige colored armor with green designs covering his shoulder, forearms, chest and thighs.
This left Ruel with only his new cloak in his inventory as he strapped his longsword to his belt.
Meanwhile, Muriel remained in her ball-of-light form, floating near him.
With everything ready, he left his house, walked across the front lawn, and opened the small gate.
To his confusion there was a carriage he found familiar positioned in front of his home, a big rooster-like monster acting as the pulley.
"You seem to have gotten a change of beast," Ruel said to the carriage driver.
Lifting his straw hat, the driver identified Ruel and smiled.
"Boss! It was thanks to your mercy that I could afford such a thing!"
"My mercy?"
The driver, who looked to be in his late twenties, with dark green hair and brown eyes, laughed.
"Boss, it seems you don't know the value of the coins you gave."
Ruel's eyes widened. 'I made a mistake comparing this to the silver coins back home…'
Muriel said telepathically, "I am sorry. I assume the times have changed and those coins are worth more now."
While Ruel remained silent, the driver smiled and said:
"Boss, you don't have a mount, right?"
"A mount is a form of contracted beast," Muriel immediately explained briefly.
"I don't," Ruel replied.
The eyes of the driver seemed to glow as he said:
"Allow me to be your private driver until you no longer need one. I also know quite a bit about this world and can explain it to you—travelers like me tend to be well-informed."
"If we rely on the guild for information too much, we will be too dependent on them, I say we follow him."
Hearing Muriel's advice, Ruel agreed with the driver.
"May this partnership benefit us both. Call me Nick, by the way," the driver said, getting down from his seat and opening the carriage door.
Ruel got in and spent the short journey talking with Nick, picking up various bits of knowledge.
What Ruel was most interested in was how Nick knew of him and his home, leaving the man to explain how the world of a Traveller spread fast–especially in a Haven like this.
The ride to the guild was swift and smooth, much to Ruel's satisfaction.
He soon got to the guild where he saw the red-haired bulky man, Zamir, standing with two females dressed in work suits.
As Ruel scrutinized the man and the surroundings, Nick stepped down and opened the door for him
As he got down, he shot Nick a satisfied nod and walked forward to Zamir.
"I have been expecting you… sir," Zamir said.
Now with an aura more solid and tall, Ruel smiled – he now knew the true strength of this man.
'The person I know closest to him in strength should be August of the Nerakais.'
Locking gazes with Zamir, Ruel said, "Then I shall not waste any more time, sir."
Ruel and Zamir shook hands, and for a brief moment, the air seemed to vibrate.
Zamir remained silent for a moment, before he smiled slightly.
"Let's go in. I have prepared for your arrival."
Ruel was led into the Guild building where a bunch of adventurers were.
He met their gazes calmly, aware that first impressions mattered.
They were all staring at him with curiosity... and the stronger ones, with what looked like joy?
"He looks strong too!"
"That's natural for Travellers."
"Will the guild allow hunting more regions now?"
'Because of this Haven being positioned around a volcanic region, it's one of the hardest to explore and it's the most isolated Haven… Is this related to why they are glad?'
Shifting his pondering aside, Ruel paid attention to Zamir, who led him forward.
He made sure he exuded an aura of someone strong and calm–someone Zamir would see as an equal at least–so that his negotiations would proceed more smoothly.
He was using his father's teachings—using words to solve problems.
'I will surely heal, Father... and live a life worthy of your legacy.'