Just as I planned, I sneaked out of the Taverinn very early into the morning and took the Western Gate to follow the direction of the map Clyde gave me.

It was a little distorted, and didn't make sense with my rather incomplete world map when put side by side. It didn't have any detailed topography, but it did note that the mark led straight to the bottom-left outskirts of Asparthens. How far I was to the actual objective would be a surprise.

New places are always scary… but I'm an adventurer! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Not like I couldn't have made it easier on me after demanding I'd solo this.

Only then I recalled how I lashed out at him, and left his hangover-stricken self without waiting…

Er… Maybe I should’ve asked more about the details.
I guess I can’t do that either way… I’ll just have to be quick on my feet, somehow.

_ _ _

For at least two hours, I followed the dirt path until there was nothing there. Not actually because nothing was there, but sand smudged the path away.

So… there’s a desert here?

These outskirts beyond what I only knew to be Asparthens borders was a desert, apparently. It seemed to be free from mobs (at the moment at least), but the heat wave… that was the real enemy. While, duh, it was a desert, it was also my first time being in one. One silver lining I held onto was the fact that my armor consisted of mostly cloth and leather.

I can only imagine anyone with metallic plate armor casually walking around without drenching their armor in sweat or even roasting themselves a well done…

In any case, I gotta keep moving.

It took me a few more hours of non-stop trekking the sand slopes just to cross it. It wasn't a particularly large desert landscape, but it certainly wasn't flat, and I couldn't see the horizon properly because of that.

Only a few cacti of various shapes dotted the place, and… nothing else in the way of desert fauna. Lots of sandstone columns and spires were scattered about. Some of which were formed in huge, curved arches that provided a bit of shade, so I took refuge under one. Desert heat was not to be underestimated

"Uwa!!"

Just as I was pondering on it, a chunk of sandstone fell from the roof inches away from my face and forced a squeal out of me.

Th-That's as much lounging as I can afford, I guess… I still need to keep moving.

Then came the awkward gusts of hot air, making me remember to stay hydrated.

At least I came prepared and could replenish myself with food and drinks. Though, this was primarily for distracting my attention from the heat… along with the uneasiness that was catching up to me up to this point.

That’s right!
Where are my potions?? This might be a hard fight, especially me solo-ing it.

Another game mechanic to feed into my coping mechanism of being alone in my (mis)adventures. Potions being my healers when I need it most. Except, that would be the case, but–

I could’ve sworn I had some left…

…I found none of the sort after rummaging through my bag.

I could’ve prepared harder for this…
But then again… money.

I groaned, shaking my head.
Okay, okay.
Well… when the budget is low, I can always just rely on myself harder to make up for that.
Not getting hit in the first place = no need for potions.

Easy.

The amount of cope in that thought, I just realized.

…So much for being the gamer…

_ _ _

Several more hours had already passed, so it must have already been late in the afternoon. Having finally reached the rim of the desert, I found myself approaching…

A plains meadow, with a single tree in view beside a very small pond… just outside a desert?
Weirdly generated landscaping…
Great game, 10/10.

So that must be why there are those awkward gaps of land in between each Kingdom border. Seeing how empty the area was, I decided to rush towards it. Upon closer inspection, the tree's trunk was dressed in three rope-lines affixed with talismans written in Japanese, that read:

"Cleanse off the impure."
"Stave off our bloodstained evil."
"Crimson sin, no more."

Is that why there's a tree that's out of place here? To ward off– something? The existence of this language, I'd say, is also out-of-place in this world.

But maybe, I'm just reading too much into things…

I shook my head and knelt down beside the clear pond water to give my face and hair a quick wash. As I was finishing up, I heard a small stampede heading in my general direction. Without surveying what the source of that was, I scrambled back onto my feet, had my staff drawn, and stood in wait.

A herd of Sand Deer was the source of most of the commotion. As they got nearer, I then scoped over a Brute Dune Scorpion chasing down the cactus-feeding herd. For some reason, it was already banged up and in rough shape despite still being quick on its legs.

The partition between this meadow and the desert was where the trouble was occurring, and it wasn't too far from the pond I stayed at. So I focused my attention on the hostile target and aimed my staff.

"Triple Light Beam!"

Thankfully, it wasn't so tough. Two casts was all it took for the event to end…

!

But then a white light sparked off my staff. One of the chipped parts of its wood, pulsed light mana all throughout its body at once.

"Just a little more. Please hold it in." I whispered, laying a palm over the warm gem on its head.

As for the scorpion, it exploded into pieces of gross, steaming, green-dyed bug flesh. It was the only source of color on the desert sand, so it really stood out.

The herd eventually noticed they were no longer being chased, so they slowed down and eventually stopped at a spot near me, so I approached them carefully and calmed a few of them down by rubbing their coarse lower jaws. I then directed them to the nearby pond, west of the lone tree, and kept an ample distance as before deciding to drink from it.

I took that in for a short while, admiring this version of a simple scene of life in this cruel fantasy world. It felt rather nice to see… until I looked down at the dirt my hand had accumulated.

Sand is coarse, rough, and it gets everywhere sure, but… why am I recollecting from it just now…?