Our journey spanned about five hours, due to driving, which saved us the stress of undergoing what would have been apletely exhausting, nerve-racking journey.


    The average speed of my car would be around 60 kilometers per hour.


    We spent five hours on road, meaning the distance between our vige and the Adventurer''s City was at least 300 kilometers.


    I read somewhere that a person could cover 100 kilometers in a day, if they possessed the stamina and perseverance to undertake such an arduous journey.


    There was no way I could even dream of doing that, but I now understood why Byron had said it would take three days on foot.


    ''Thank you, past me, for not listening to this madman!'' I smiled to myself, relieved I saved myself that pain.


    It would have been hell to spend so much time walking, when there was an easier method to get to our destination without much hassle.


    ''My back and legs were sore, though. I haven''t driven for that long before…'' I stretched, getting out of the car.


    The other two who were with me—Sarah and Byron—also exited the vehicle.


    Since we were already pretty close to the Adventurer''s City border, I decided to return the car to my inventory.


    Nothing good woulde out of drawing too much attention to myself, after all.


    And so, after parking in an inconspicuous corner, I ced the vehicle back into my Inventory. Once that was done, we walked the remaining distance on foot.


    From afar, I could see the Adventurer''s City. It didn''t look that bad, so a smile radiated from my face.


    I was currently in a in white tee shirt and ck joggers—considering the slightly humid weather that seemed to be prevalent in the region I was in.


    Sarah and Byron wore their standard outfit—the former, her Priestess garb, and thetter, his warrior clothing.


    Since we were pretty much set, I decided to forget about the past experiences I had suffered and look to the future with positivity.


    A City filled with the unknown and adventure… it was certainly one of the hallmarks of a fantasy world.


    This could be the major game changer.


    Maybe, I could finally start enjoying this world.


    **********************************


    Once again, disappointment sunk its ws deep into my heart.


    I should have known not to ce my expectations too high, but I was simply being my annoyingly optimistic self—especially since I was stuck with these two who constantly made me put on my false front.


    When was a guy to catch a break?


    Now, as for the reason behind my utter dismay… it was obviously none other than the ce standing before me.


    "The Adventurer''s City."


    Usually, anyone saying that would exude vigor and enthusiasm, but those two concepts seemed alien to me at the moment. What I was currently looking at was definitely the antithesis of an "Adventurer''s City"


    Anyone would understand my sentiments if they saw through my eyes and witnessed the slums I was looking at.


    Erected a small distance from our small group of three was a crooked gate, and beyond that gate was a settlement—muchrger than the vige I came from, but almost just as bad.


    For one, the environment was dirty.


    The surroundings were akin to a dry wilderness that had the whole scorching sun trope, and a post-apocalyptic survivalist setting.


    Metal and more metal could be seen around. Even the outfits of the inhabitants seemed to be metal-based. However their terrible fashion sense was the least problematic thing about them.


    The people moving about were also another problem entirely.


    Not only did they have scary expressions, but they all walked around with unsheathed weapons and weirdly primitive outfits.


    I was appalled by theck of ss that surrounded me. It was as though, I had time travelled to the medieval age.


    The buildings looked old and grey,cking any hint of attraction or luster in the slightest.


    The gates were without guards, but that was simply because such measures weren''t ''t needed.


    The scary expression of the people around told me that if a disaster or invasion was to happen they would instantly tear it apart from limb to limb.


    While that was somewhat beneficial at least in terms of safety, I considered their approach to be barbaric… at the very least distasteful.


    In simple terms, the Adventurer''s City looked like a dump filled with nothing but barbarians who had buff bodies and animalistic manners.


    ''I mean, look at that guy just carrying monster gore and everything while walking down the street! Isn''t it too disgusting?'' Iined internally.


    But, considering the fact that no one seemed to care, this seemed to be the norm of the city.


    As I was still contemting whether to step into the city or not, a group of Adventurers walked past me and my people.


    They looked rough, as one would expect from their kind, and they numbered up to seven.


    Of all of them, I spotted only one woman.


    ''She''s pretty…'' I would have thought if not for the bulging muscr build she had, as well as the weird haircut that seemed bald on one end, and needlessly long on the other.


    She too, like everyone else, was armed to the teeth with metal.


    ''You guys, it''s fucking hot! How can you be sofortable wearing metal!''


    I didn''t understand, but was I supposed to? It was a Fantasy world where there was weird stuff known as Magic.


    Using that as a base for logic, it would be expected that these metal gear that everyone donned were enchanted with certain Spells, making them essential in a city where power was everything.


    I noticed the Adventurers looked at us for a brief moment—especially at Byron—before returning their gaze to the city.


    They had a few things carried in a massive sack, and one of them seemed injured, so they must have juste from a Quest.


    "Hmmm…" I rubbed my chin, trying to appear thoughtful while considering the best way not to get overly involved with such an obviously wacky ce.


    "H-Hero, are you wondering why those men from earlier looked at me? The truth is…" Suddenly Byron started spouting stuff that I never asked him.


    Due to his needless chatter, though, I found out that he was actually once a resident of this City.


    He was an Adventurer—and a good one at that.


    That was how he was able to attain such a high Level of 21 as a Warrior.


    ''So, he''s familiar with this ce more than just as a visitor, uh? Why didn''t you tell me this earlier, Byron?'' I stared at him with a charming Hero smile.


    Of course, it went without saying that it was fake.


    "I understand. Now, then, Byron… it is your turn to prove your worth." I rose from where I sat and began walking in the direction of the City.


    "Y-yes, Hero! I''ll make sure to handle things well!"


    From picking out the Quests, investigating, interacting with the denizens of this scary ce, and even handling the rewards, I was going to be relying on my dear Vige Chief for so many things.


    Sarah, of course, would be my personal shield and loveablepany.


    Hopefully, everything would truly go as nned.