The next day, William focused on getting his strength back and figuring out exactly what he'd gained. He checked his status.
Name: William Velmont
Level: 11
Class: None
Attributes:
Strength: 19
Agility: 21
Stamina: 17
Intelligence: 18
Mana: 13
Skills:
Chrono Shift (SSS-Rank): Allows the user to open a portal to a specific point in the past. (Details Unlocked)
Hero's Limit (S-Rank): Temporarily enhances all attributes by 50% for 1 minute. Significant physical strain will follow.
Level 11, and a new skill on top of it, one that had shown up out of nowhere in the middle of that fight. He remembered the surge of it, the way his limits had just... broken open. It had cost him everything he had afterward, but it had also kept him alive, and kept Elara and Maya alive too.
For the next few days he just recovered. He ate everything Elara put in front of him, rested when his body told him to, and let the wounds close up slowly.
When he finally went outside, leaning on a branch he'd turned into a cane, Willow Creek felt different. Quieter. The usual noise of daily life was gone, replaced by something tense and careful. People's faces had that grim, guarded look now.
The attack had done that. This wasn't a stray goblin or an unlucky wolf. Something worse was out there, and everyone in the village seemed to feel it, even if no one said it outright.
He found Gorn by the well, looking older than usual. "You're looking better, lad," Gorn said.
"Elara's doing," William said with a small smile.
Gorn leaned against the well and stared off at nothing for a second. "I'm heading to the city. Two weeks from now."
Something in William's chest jumped. The city. He'd wanted to see more of this world since the moment he arrived. "Why?" he asked.
"Need help," Gorn said. "We can't handle this on our own anymore."
"I want to come with you," William said, surprising himself with how certain it sounded.
Gorn raised an eyebrow. "You're still healing—"
"I'll be strong enough by then," William said. "And I can help. I need to help."
Gorn looked at him a long moment, like he was checking for something. Whatever he found, it seemed to satisfy him.
"Alright, lad," he said, a small smile breaking through. "You can come."
Relief hit William harder than he expected. "Thank you," he said. "I won't slow you down."
The city. Just thinking about it brought up images of markets, tall buildings, healers who might actually know what to do with a body as banged up as his. He had no idea where it was or what waited there, but the idea of leaving Willow Creek, of actually seeing more of Aethel, felt like something to hold onto.
And there was the money. A fat purse of it, compliments of Maester Elric, sitting forgotten in his things. He hadn't thought about it in days. Now it felt like it might be useful, weapons, gear, maybe even answers about that strange SSS-Rank skill of his.
Two weeks felt like both nothing and forever. He needed every day of it to get back to where he'd been, or close to it. Full recovery probably wasn't realistic, but eighty percent would do. He wasn't going to be dead weight on this trip.
The days blurred together after that. He read through the handful of books Gorn owned, mostly hunting stories and local folklore, nothing like the sprawling fantasy epics he used to read back home, but they gave him some sense of this world's history at least.
He spent hours with his sword, getting his form back, feeling his strength return with each swing. He even went into the forest a little, staying close enough to see the village, just to test how much of his speed and stamina had come back.
Then the day came. William woke up already tense with anticipation. He packed what little he had, the strange stone still tucked in his pocket, and joined Gorn and Elara for breakfast, bread and bacon filling the small cottage with warmth.
After they ate, it was time to go.
"Take care of yourself, Elara," Gorn said, pulling her into a hug, one hand smoothing over her hair.
She held onto him, eyes wet. "Be careful. Both of you. Look out for each other."
"We will," William said. He gave Maya a quick hug too, and she went a little red.
"See you soon, Maya."
Gorn got on his horse and looked back at his wife and daughter one more time. "We'll be back before you know it," he said.
They rode out of Willow Creek. William felt the nerves of it, leaving the only place in this world he'd found any kind of footing, but underneath that was something closer to excitement.
He'd gotten stronger fast. He wanted to see what that was worth out here.
'Stupid Elric. Stupid classmates,' he thought. 'You'll see.'