Hero Of Harmony

For roughly an hour, the four of us walked while Talis pitched a ride on my shoulder, using me as her personal chauffeur as we trekked through the forest. We encountered a lot of beasts along the way, though with my presence, none were aggressive, and with a few rubs, they allowed us to easily pass by uninterrupted; the ones who were trying to hunt us quickly scurried off with their tails between theirs with one look from Marlin.

"Aren't Elves supposed to be more closely in tune with nature than most species? Why does it feel like that's not the case?" Questioned Alexander curiously as he watched a Runebear run away while whimpering in fear from Marlin's glare.

"Haa, I'm not an Elf; I'm a Dark Elf; we're different." Replied Marlin with a sigh of annoyance as he glanced at Alexander while Lily snickered in amusement.

"Heh, ignore him, Alexander. He's really just a buzzkill, but after spending enough time with him, you'll get used to it. I know I have." Remarked Lily with a smirk as she slowed down and walked right beside Alexander, who nodded while Marlin grunted.

"Eh, I guess, but are Dark Elves and Elves really that different?" Asked Alexander quietly while looking at Lily, who shrugged her arms in response.

"Don't really know. I've met many Elves and Dark Elves, and while Elves do seem to be in tune with nature, as one would believe, Dark Elves seem to prefer the darkness of night; however, that could just be my misconception." Replied Lily lightly while shaking her head as she recalled her interactions with Elves.

Nodding my head, I returned to being silent while we continued to walk through the forest, and before I knew it, I noticed parts of the forest stopped looking familiar; I mean, I know a forest looks practically the same wherever you are. However, I've lived in this forest for nearly seventeen years, and I know it like the back of my hand; it's impossible for me to get lost, though that's when I account for the parts of the forest I've ventured through.

Despite living in this forest, I haven't ever walked toward the edge of the forest; there was no need to, and why would I ever want to? Master has said there have been no signs of civilization for roughly two hundred kilometers; all I would end up seeing is a grassy plain for as far as the eye could see.

'It's only a matter of time now.' Thought Alexander while looking around the forest, which was new to him.

Not even twenty minutes since we entered the unexplored part of the forest when I started to notice that the vegetation was slowly becoming more sparse; trees were smaller and more spaced apart, and no longer did I see predators, such as Direwolves, Runebears, Windeagle, and etc. Now, it was only small critters and the occasional deer.

Passing by a tree, I finally saw it, the edge of the forest, though it was just as I believed, nothing but a hilly plain; still, I couldn't help but slightly smile at such a sight; after all, it would be my first step into this world.

After a few more minutes, the four of us finally emerged from the forest and appeared standing in the open; it physically didn't feel any different standing in the forest, but I felt better mentally. Every tree I passed, I saw a faint image of Master, which was rather painful to deal with; if I'm being honest, I don't want to enter another forest for several years.

"How does it feel to finally leave the forest and step into the real world?" Asked Lily with a slight smile as she, Simba, and Marlin stopped and looked at Alexander, who was facing the sky with his eyes closed.

"Hmm, liberating a little." Replied Alexander with a smile as he bathed in the sun's golden rays before looking at the three, who smiled slightly.

"I know how that feels." Remarked Simba with a nod before frowning as he remembered his younger days prior to encountering Lavender.

"So, where are we going? I'm assuming a City or a town at the very least." Asked Alexander curiously as he and the four continued walking atop the hilly plain, letting the gentle breeze blow their hair into the wind.

"We?" Remarked Marlin as he turned and glanced at Alexander, who tilted his head in confusion, causing Lily to grab her head and sigh.

"I don't mean to be rude, Alexander, but as much we enjoy your presence, even if we don't look like it, you can't follow us, or more like you shouldn't. We've already completed our adventure, and you're just starting yours." Said Lily softly as she looked at Alexander, who nodded his head though he sighed.

"Haa, I know, I figured, but you guys can at least drop me off at the closest city, right? I have no idea where to go." Asked Alexander with a slight sigh as he looked at the three, who nodded in response.

"Yes, we can at least do that, but after that, we'll go our separate ways; after all, we still have our own life to live. Marlin travels around the continent like a madman, visiting dangerous places way out of your current league. I'm the owner of a prominent brothel in a distant kingdom, so unless you wish to become an escort, which I'll gladly accept, I'm not really the person you wish to be with. And Simba. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about Simba; one second, he's in one place, and the next second, he's on a ship sailing to who knows where." Remarked Lily with a shake of her head as he pointed at Marlin, herself, and then Simba, who displayed a significant smile.

"Eh, I don't know why, but that sounds about right; I'm not even surprised." Said Alexander with a nod while Simba laughed.

"So, what place will we be going, and how long do you think it'll take?" Asked Alexander, though before anyone could answer, Marlin reached into his pouch and handed Alexander a folded piece of paper, which he took.

"It's a map of the Continent, something crucial for you." Replied Marlin, prompting Alexander to express his gratitude before unfolding the map.

Looking at the paper map, I noticed plenty of land along with numerous different ecosystems, ranging from swampy meadows all the way to a volcanic range; just from this alone, the continent looked super dangerous, though It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected; then again, I'm merely looking at a map.

'So, we're right there, bottom south; yeah, we are indeed quite a distance away from the closest village.' Mused Alexander while looking at a small forest down south, which had the word "Lavender" written above it.

The closet village was about a little over two hundred kilometers away, and if we decided to run it, we'd reach it in a few days; sprinting at full speed isn't enough to exhaust me, especially since it seems like my healing capabilities have improved after [Rebirth] leveled up.

'Simba, Marlin, and Lily should also be fine; they're considerably stronger than me. My full sprint is probably a slow jog to them at best, and Talis, I don't need to worry about her either.' Thought Alexander as he looked at his four companions before looking back at the map

Glossing over the rest of the nearby area, I was about to fold it, but I suddenly felt my heart powerfully pulsating, which was rare given how strong it was. Slowing down a little, I gazed at the map once more, and when my eyes landed on the small image of the city with the word "Hyphen" right above it, I knew that was where I needed to go; my heart had never misled me, and I wasn't about to start doubting it now.

"Hmm, Hyphen, that's kinda far away, though." Muttered Alexander with a slight frown, though his voice was overheard by Lily, who was walking beside him.

"Hyphen, what about it, Alexander?" Asked Lily curiously as she stood on her toes so she could view the map with him.

"Don't know; all I know is I need to go there. My heart is directing me to Hyphen; I think there is something there for me." Replied Alexander solemnly as he stared at Hyphen on the map before folding it and storing it in his pouch.

"Heart? Well, I don't know about all that, but Hyphen is a pretty good place to become an Adventurer. It's a decently prominent city, is in control of a rare-level dungeon, has both a Mage and Adventurer guild, and no one there is too strong; you'll at most see a B-rank adventurer, and if that's the case, either they're just passing through or something serious has happened at Hyphen." Stated Lily with a thoughtful expression as she remembered what little she knew of Hyphen.

"Ah, that's actually something I've been meaning to ask; I know I'm not exactly strong compared to you guys. But how would you rank me as an adventurer, strength-wise?" Questioned Alexander curiously while looking down at Lily, who gave him a once over with a scrutinizing glance.

"In the Adventuer guild, the lowest rank is an F, and the highest ranking is an SSS. Strength-wise, you're a powerful E-rank adventurer, and when you finally become a Tier 1, you'll be a D-rank adventurer; while it may not seem that impressive, don't forget you're only level 49. Most people at Level 49 are still F-rank adventurers." Declared Lily lightly as she poked Alexander's muscles hidden underneath his armor.