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Leo walked out of the bathroom to see Budmuk with an incredulous look on his face.

“What in the highest hells are you doing in my bathroom?” demanded Budmuk.

“Oh, uh, hey. I was just taking a bath,” Leo responded.

“Why are you in my house, and why are you wearing Koram’s clothes?” asked Budmuk, as his confusion turned into anger.

Leo quickly pieced together that Budmuk hadn’t been told he would be here, and realized he looked like the world’s oddest thief. Without a clue of where Koram was, he needed to spit out a good explanation to calm down Budmuk.

“Koram took me here. He offered me his old clothes and a bath since my outfit was a mess. I don’t know where he is, but he can confirm that I’m telling the truth,” Leo responded, as he showed his masterful ability to not speak like a complete idiot.

He felt another prompt from the system, as he looked at it he saw his abilities had increased.

[Leo Eule - Human][Health: 99,999/99,999]

[Class: None][EXP:0 ]

[Strength: 2,147,483,647] {Currently 429,496,729}

[Dexterity: 3]

[Intelligence: 4] {+1, Reasoning increased}

[Charisma: 4] {+1, Confidence increased}

[Abilities]

[Curse of the Withered King: Your Strength was permanently set to -2 of current Strength.]

[Conserve Power: You can limit yourself to only 20% of your full Strength.]

He was happy that his stats had increased, but Leo felt a bit annoyed that he had become smarter and more charismatic by just going outside. He hoped it was just how this world worked, and not that the annoying advice he’d been given was right.

Budmuk scoffed, “Hm, well alright then. You do look better now than in the rags you had on.”

Budmuk turned and walked into the living room where he took a seat. He looked at Leo, and gestured for him to take a seat at the same table. Leo walked up and took a seat, the chair was uncomfortable solid wood without any cushioning.

“Koram and I did need to go to the mountains soon, so I’m willing to go there. What I don’t know is you, so why exactly should we bring you with us, and don’t go on about that dragon crap,” questioned Budmuk.

Leo felt his skin crawl, he’d hoped that he got past the most difficult conversations, but it seemed as if he wouldn’t be so fortunate. He knew it wasn’t the best idea to go on an adventure for a dragon he knew was fake, but he needed to learn more about this world, and he didn’t know how to do it without them.

“I can admit I’m not much of an adventurer, but I’m strong and can help you with the journey,” responded Leo, as his anxiety continued to spike.

“Hm, so you’re a frontliner? You may be of some good use, you and me can cover the front and back of the group. What’s your class?” Budmuk asked, as his cold tone warmed to the idea.

Leo hadn’t expected that question, as he had no idea what classes were in this world. He racked his mind until he remembered what he saw on his status. There was a class section, which was empty. He knew that with Budmuk so suspicious he couldn’t risk some nonsensical answer. Leo decided to answer as truthfully as he could.

“I don’t have one yet,” responded Leo.

“Excuse me?” sputtered Budmuk.

“How in the Hells could ya possibly not have a class? By the God’s, you’re a grown adult trying to go up the mountains, and you still don’t have a class?” shouted Budmuk.

Leo stammered, “I just haven’t gotten around to it, but I’ll get one soon,” he felt as if he’d been transported back home.

Budmuk exploded, “OH, how wonderful! The baby who wants to come along for his ‘new dragon’ is just going to get around to getting a class.”

“Give me a damn chance to prove myself! I don’t need a class to stay safe, I’m more than capable to handle whatever the hell we find!” Leo shouted back.

“Fine! When you get yourself killed, just know I won’t risk my life or Koram’s life to save your pathetic ass,” spat out Budmuk.

“That is perfectly fine by me!” retorted Leo.

Budmuk stormed out of his chair, as he stomped down the hall. He threw open the door to his bedroom and slammed it behind him. Leo had experienced more than his fair share of lectures from teachers and parents, but this was the first time he had ever fought back.

Despite his current frustration, Leo couldn’t help but smile to himself. He knew he was physically stronger, but now he also felt emotionally stronger. The topic of classes did sound interesting to Leo, and it seemed likely that he would need to eventually get one. He wondered if there could be one that would help him reduce his strength.

Leo snapped out of his daydreaming about classes when he heard the creak of the front door. Koram walked in holding a couple of large bags. The two stared at each other for a few moments before Koram mustered his confidence and spoke up.

“I went to purchase some more food so I could make us a nice dinner before the trip. Is there anything you’d like, or any allergies to note?” asked Koram.

“I can eat anything, don’t worry about me. Thank you for the offer, though. Oh, also, thanks again for the clothes,” Leo responded.

“Oh, uh, no worries,” spluttered Koram.

The scent of spices and herbs quickly filled the room, as the sizzle of the pan acted as a relaxing ambient noise. Leo felt relaxed at the peace of the situation, as he rested to the sound of the kitchen. His attention was brought back when a plate of food was set in front of him, as it appeared to be a collection of grilled plants. He wasn’t positive that it was only plants, but he couldn’t discern what exactly lay on his plate.

“I hope you enjoy it! Having a good meal before a journey makes it all the better,” Koram said with a beaming smile.

Before Leo could respond, Koram had made his way to Budmuk’s room with a plate in hand. Leo hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until he had his first bite, as his mouth was overwhelmed with the captivating flavors. His fork handle was reduced to nothing but memories as he shoveled in mouthfuls of food.

Koram had returned by the time Leo finished his food. He noticed blankets and pillows held by the Elf.

“You can sleep in the living room tonight, and tomorrow we go out at first light. Does this sound good to you?” asked Koram.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Leo responded, excited to finally get some quality sleep not on the forest floor.

“Have a good rest,” Koram said with a smile.

Leo laid the blankets and pillows on the ground, as he went to rest on them. Compared to the rough forest floor, this was near heavenly. Despite his ability to handle most pain thrown his way, he couldn’t deny just how uncomfortable it was to be roughing it. Thankfully, he was now softing it, or whatever words you’d use to describe someone who was resting on fluffy blankets.

The day had moved by faster than Leo expected, and even though he hadn’t done much or even been awake for all too long, he found himself quickly falling asleep for the night.