Eiran was surprised when he received more than one reward from the System. He never thought the System could act so kindly toward him, especially since it had only brought him suffering until now.
"Since when are you being so generous to me, System?" Eiran grinned happily.
[The system only gives rewards equal to the Host's effort in completing a Quest.]
"I have to go to Frosthollow to eliminate monsters. Will I get Exp and level up after killing those monsters?" Eiran still didn't understand how this System worked.
Previously, Eiran didn't see any level section in his status, which made him doubt whether this System worked like the games he used to play in his life on Earth.
[The System does not use levels to measure the Host's strength. As the System mentioned before, the Host must collect Protection Points to grow stronger. At a certain point, the System will perform an upgrade when the required Protection Points are reached.]
"So I have to save others to level up. Wow, you really want me to throw myself into danger all the time," Eiran muttered while letting out a soft sigh.
Eiran didn't expect much from this System, but he didn't expect it to be such a masochist either, dragging him into the same suffering.
[The system hopes the Host will save many people on his journey!]
Eiran's ears buzzed when he heard the System's enthusiastic voice, clearly eager to see him suffer. Eiran decided to rest and figured he'd use the skill coupon only when necessary.
Eiran then got off the edge of the bed where Runi was resting and chose to sit on the floor, leaning against the bed, deciding to sleep in that position.
. . .
Eiran's head throbbed slightly when he was woken up. He was sure he hadn't slept long enough, which was why his head felt heavy. Eiran saw the mesmerizing figure of Virella standing before him with an unfriendly expression.
"My group has arrived. It's time for you to go with them," Virella said in a cold voice that sounded sharp.
"Alright." Eiran got up from his position while dusting off his clothes.
Eiran walked toward Virella and stopped beside her. "I hope you'll take good care of my brother. If I come back and find even a scratch on him, I'll make sure you never live peacefully for the rest of your life."
After saying that, Eiran continued walking out of the room. Virella could only sneer at Eiran's words, not believing that a naive boy like him could do anything to her.
"We'll see if you can come back alive," Virella smirked, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Runi sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Meanwhile, Eiran was picked up by a boy around his own age, maybe about fifteen. Eiran assumed this boy was sent by the group to fetch him, and it seemed like he was the youngest member in Virella's group.
Outside Virella's luxurious house, Eiran saw a cart drawn by a horse. There, he saw nine other people, meaning the group consisted of eleven members, including himself and the boy with him.
"So you're the new kid Miss Virella mentioned. How old are you?" asked a muscular man with a large sword strapped to his back.
"I'm seventeen," Eiran answered shortly, not too eager to interact with this group.
"Huh, that wench gave us another kid with no combat skills? Is she trying to get us killed?"
"Calm down, Chief. At least we can use them as bait for the monsters."
"You're right." The man, addressed as the chief, grinned as he stared at Eiran. "You'll team up with that kid. Ask him everything, and don't bother me." The man gestured toward the boy who had fetched Eiran, then climbed up onto the large cart.
Eiran could only sigh. These people didn't even try to hide their intent to use him as cannon fodder. He turned to look at the boy he would be working with.
"I-I'm Finric. Even though I'm younger than you, I joined this group first, so I'm your senior!" The boy named Finric tried to assert authority over Eiran.
But Eiran could clearly see the boy's body trembling as he spoke. He was sure the boy was only acting tough to protect himself.
"Yeah, no problem, I don't really care. You can call me Eiran," Eiran replied with a shrug.
"What are you two doing over there? Hurry up and load everything onto the wagon!"
"Y-yes, Senior!" Finric stammered, then quickly dragged Eiran to help him load their supplies onto the cart.
Not wanting to cause trouble for Finric, Eiran helped him. After all, the sooner they left for Frosthollow, the better.
It took the two boys about fifteen minutes to load all their group's belongings. They had to sit at the edge of the cart during the journey. As someone being excluded, Eiran understood his situation and didn't say anything about it.
"I haven't seen your belongings. Where do you keep your stuff?" Finric asked, curious.
"I didn't bring anything," Eiran replied plainly.
In response, Finric stared at him in horror, covering his mouth so he wouldn't scream. Finric couldn't believe Eiran would be that reckless.
"You're insane! You could die going to Frosthollow without bringing any weapons!" Finric suddenly felt sorry for his comrade.
"I'll deal with that when I get there. No matter what, I have to return," Eiran said seriously. He had no intention of dying in Frosthollow.
Although Eiran had heard of Frosthollow, he didn't know where it was located. So he decided to ask Finric.
"By the way, how long does it take to get to Frosthollow?" The roads in Lysvarin were quite smooth, but after leaving the city limits, Eiran could feel the path becoming a bit rough.
"Hmm… Since we're leaving from Lysvarin in the west, it'll take about seven days to reach Frosthollow in the north. Let's hope the weather is kind. Since we're nearing winter, if it snows, our journey will take even longer." Finric explained as he looked up at the sky above them.
Eiran fell silent after hearing Finric's explanation. He didn't expect the trip to Frosthollow to take that long. Now, Eiran cursed Virella even more. He was sure that bitch had deliberately sent him to Frosthollow just to keep him far away from Runi.