Village Windmere.
It was a small village—with so few residents, one could count them by name. Life here was mostly peaceful.
There hadn't been an animal outbreak in decades.
If a creature ever did emerge from the forest that the village warriors couldn't handle, they could call for help from the nearby town—it wasn't far.
If you asked the villagers who had the easiest job, everyone would point to one person: Joel.
Joel's duty was to keep watch over the southern forest area. If anything dangerous appeared, all he had to do was ring the bell.
It was a large bell, and that was the extent of his job.
Once or twice a week, a few animals might wander out of the forest—but they were usually weak or lost, not a real threat.
The village had its own warrior team, responsible for defense.
Hiring and training for these warriors was handled by the town office.
Joel was a Level 5 warrior.
[Name – Joel]
[Race – Human]
[Age – 17]
[Exp – 0/600]
[Attribute Points – 0]
[Skills – Slash]
[Level – 5]
Strength – 8
Constitution – 8
Dexterity – 7
Speed – 7
Intelligence – 6
He had one of the most common status screens you'd find in the village—maybe even slightly below average.
As far as Joel knew, every human received the system at the age of fifteen. It was an automatic process.
It had always existed, for as long as the world had.
This phase was called Initiation. At fifteen, everyone was initiated and received 5 points in each attribute.
Sometimes, those who trained early could get an extra point or two. So most people started physical training as soon as possible.
The highest anyone had gotten during initiation was 7 points in Strength—and the town officials hired him immediately.
Joel had dreamt of being recognized, too. He had trained hard.
But his body had always been weak, even since birth.
He ended up with the standard 5 points in each attribute—and a 6 in Intelligence.
But Intelligence didn't help much. To use it, one needed a spell book, and those were rare and expensive. Most people only dreamed of ever holding one.
That's why his father, the village chief, got him this job—one with almost no combat involved.
Of course, Joel could fight. He'd done enough to reach Level 5. But he was still weak.
Today was a sunny day.
A small wooden watchtower stood at the forest edge, a bell fixed on top.
Joel lay on the platform, trying to find the most comfortable position possible.
His father had paid the town officials well to secure this job for him.
He stared out at the forest with lazy, half-lidded eyes.
The woods had been quiet ever since he took this post months ago.
But recently… he had started getting a strange feeling.
Something's going on in there.
His status screen hovered in front of him, unchanged for weeks. There had been no chances to fight. No activity. Nothing new.
Just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, something caught his attention.
A dark figure emerged from the forest.
Joel shot upright.
It was rare for strangers to come to the village—rarer still to appear from the forest.
He squinted to get a better look.
The figure's clothes were in tatters. Makeshift wraps covered most of his upper body. His hair was wild, unkempt.
But it was the way he moved that caught Joel's breath.
Calm. Effortless. Powerful.
This man had been fighting—Joel could tell just by watching.
But where had he come from?
He hadn't passed through here… and the only thing on the other side of the forest was the ocean.
Should I ring the bell?
He looks dangerous… but he's clearly hurt.
Joel hesitated.
In the end, he decided against it.