10 Leaving the desert Finally

The next day, the trio and I packed up and started leaving for the Border Town.

I'm told that the other direction leads to the unknown. Some call it the Void, others call it Endox, which supposedly means 'end of all things' in the local dialect. Yet others call it Hell. The only thing I can say is, 'Thank god I chose the right direction!'

They still haven't taken off their helmets. Walking in the desert is too hot for me in my full-body armor, so I take it off, replacing it with my common clothes. Somehow, I swear I could see a blush on Arin's helmet.

It turns out that this party have already set up a lot of other bases along the way. It's a good thing I met them before the left, otherwise the first people I would have met might have been soldiers.

After a day's 'march', we all separate and do our own things. I take out my bench press and squat rack and continue with my workout regime. After that, I always practice with my Fire Magic, and summon an extra Skeleton Warrior during the night. After a couple of days, both my magics levelled up, and some new features were added.

My Fire Magic is now more flexible. Rather than set shapes like a ball or an arrow, I can shape it like a shield or a dome. I am also able to touch my own Fire now without having it burn me.

As for Necromancy, I can impart a skill with a tenth of my current level. As such, my Skeleton Warriors all possess level 1 Swordsmanship. They can also level up now, albeit at a very slow rate.

Actually, I figured out a neat loophole in the magic system. If I summon a higher-level Skeleton and have my Skeleton Warriors kill it, my Warriors still gain EXP. The only problem is that high-level skeletons exhaust my mana. At maximum, I can only summon a level 30 skeleton while almost passing out.

Nevertheless, I try to summon at least one high-level skeleton every night to get my Warriors to level up. I have a feeling that I'll be needing them soon.

Finally, we are in the last day of our journey. We will reach Border Town at noon tomorrow. I, who was excited at the prospect of having a hot bath and a soft bed to sleep on, quickened my pace, managing to leave the other three in the dust.

But… I don't know the way! In the end, I still need to wait for them to catch up. If that's the case, I may as well not walk faster! Damn!

Also, I need to go to the Adventurer's Guild or the library to absorb knowledge. Ed requires a lot of knowledge of this world, including its history and its geographical aspects. Only with these things can he operate at maximum capacity and provide me with the help I need.

Arin has been surprisingly docile these past few days, but she might actually just be thinking I'm playing hard to get. She hasn't even shown me her face yet, and she expects me to like her? Well, it's not like I don't…

Anyway, since tomorrow is the final day of the journey, I shouldn't get too close to anyone. I'll be saying goodbye to them after all. Who knows if we'll see each other again.

My supply of Tiger meat has also run out. It was a shame to let the trio of adventurers eat it, but I would look selfish if I hogged it all to myself. I only managed to eat about 200 kg of it! That's only 10 VIT points! Sigh…

I asked Arkan about his little 'Magic Bag', and he said that Space Magicians are even rarer than normal magicians. However, magic bags are very easy to come across because one of the legendary Space Magicians of old created a machine which churns them out like butter. One only needed mana to power it. This machine was in the possession of the Adventurer's Guild, so anyone who wanted to buy a bag had to get it through them.

Lucky me, I don't need a 'Magic Bag'. The only thing I need, is Ed! Speaking of which, he's been getting less cynical as time passes. Maybe he's worried about something?

'Ed, is something wrong? You're usual bullet mouth has been weirdly silent in the past few days…' (Daniel)

'Hmm? Nothing's wrong!' (Ed)

For some reason, he seemed like a neglected teenager who's in their rebellious streak. Oh, I get it! He must be jealous that I'm interacting with other humans and not him!

Though, why would he get enjoyment out of talking with me? I sure as hell don't!

'Ed, you tsundere system! I thought you were meant to be smart! Are you sure Bloody Dumb Idiot hasn't merged with you?' (Daniel)

'Shut up!' (Ed)

'This really isn't like you. Where's your usual comment about your superiority? Could it be that you aren't as mighty as you say you are? Hehehe.' (Daniel)

'Hmph! I'll show you how mighty I am! But… later! For now, I'm ignoring you.' (Ed)

'Fine by me! Maybe I should start calling you Di again…' (Daniel)

'Please! Anything but that!' (Ed)

'Then listen up! You are my system. Nothing will ever change that. I am bound to you, as much as you are bound to me. And unless a god intervenes – no, even if a god intervenes, nothing will break that bond!' (Daniel)

'R-Really? Thanks, Daniel!' (Ed)

'Oi, oi! Are you actually a kid or something? Sigh… this conversation has been so cringy that I want to dig a hole and let a Purple Death Scorpion kill me!' (Daniel)

'You're right! I'm only two years old! Although I have the knowledge of vast amounts of worlds, my personality is still very much a child's. As such, I'll be needing much guidance. I'll be in your care, Daniel.' (Ed)

'Hmph! Why are you trying to act precocious? I'll be in your care as well, Ed.' (Daniel)

Fufufu, now that Ed's been taken down a notch, I have free reign again! I can do whatever I want and not get criticized!

My initial intention was actually to cheer Ed up. But it seems that he was just maturing at his own pace. Which is good for me, because he'll grow to be a bit more dependent on me, rather than seeing this as a simple job for some random god.

Oops! I sound like a groomer now. I wouldn't want any agencies knocking on my door.

Let's… archive this as a part of my dark history.

Anyway, soon we'll reach Border Town! And I'll get to have my first bath in this life!