Ben found a lot of glowing blue crystals in the cave that mesmerized him.
"What are these crystals?" He asked.
[Lacrima crystals, a type of mineral that's used mainly for many things on Earthland. Formed in a place with high magical density.]
"So this place is dense with Ethernano, huh? Does that mean this place is a good place to train?" Ben questioned.
[Yes, you can recover your lost magic power faster in this area.]
"Ooh, that's tempting, but I won't do that. I still need to find civilization. Maybe I'll return here in the future when I want to focus on training." Ben said.
He couldn't stay here because it would hasten his training. He needed to find civilization first to know more about this world. Life wasn't just about training to get stronger. He also wanted to rest after years of life in the military, and the case of his family.
He took a piece of a Lacrima crystal as a souvenir. He then left the cave and returned to his tent. He asked A.I Chip to mark this cave, so he can easily return to it in the future.
"I'll definitely return here." Ben said.
The storm continued throughout the night and the next morning Ben resumed his journey. He walked slowly because of the dangerous ground. The ground is wet due to yesterday's storm and it's very slippery at the moment.
After walking for a few hours, Ben came across a small village by a lake near the mountain. He headed towards the forest and arrived there after a half hour.
He kept his guard up as he got closer to the village. With a new environment, he needed to be wary even if the village was peaceful. He noticed some people in the village wearing Native American style clothing. Ben frowned, but continued walking towards the village until suddenly someone called out to him from behind.
"Who are you boy?" A old man asked.
Ben was surprised and immediately jumped forward then turned back holding his knife, ready to strike at any time.
'When did he appear behind me? I didn't sense him at all.' He thought.
"Ooh, those are nice reflexes. Sorry to startle you like that, but I just saw you walking around suspiciously, so I decided to greet you." The old man explained.
"Ah sorry about that. I'm just being cautious. My name is Ben. May I ask where this place is, uh grandpa?" Ben remained in his stance.
"This is the Cait Shelter guild and I am it's guild master, Roubaul." The old man introduced himself.
"A guild? I thought it was a village." Ben replied.
"It's a village and it's also a guild. Can I ask why you are here, little boy?" Roubaul questioned Ben.
"I just walked out of the forest. 4 days ago, I found myself in the forest. I traversed the foot of the mountain and eventually came across this village." Ben explained his situation.
"Hmm, is this a coincidence." Roubaul stroked his beard.
"What is?" Ben was confused now.
"Boy, what's your magic?" Roubaul asked.
"Huh? I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that. We just met and I don't fully trust you." Ben responded.
"Hmm, you're right. But if you want to hide it, that means your magic is unique. Maybe some kind of lost magic. Let me guess, your magic must be Dragon Slayer magic." Roubaul theorized.
Ben's expression didn't change, but he was more serious now. The old man figured out his magic with a single try.
"As I thought, you have Dragon Slayer magic." Roubaul stated.
"How can you be so sure? I didn't tell you anything." Ben retorted.
"I can feel it. Your magic fluctuated just now, indicating you're panicking slightly. I also hear your heart beating faster, confirming my suspicion." Roubaul said.
Ben's eyes widen and he took a step back. He was even more wary now.
"Don't be too worked up, boy! I mean you no harm." Roubaul told him.
"Like I'd believe someone that pries into other people's secrets." Ben shot back.
"Well I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean it that way. Even so, pointing a weapon at someone is dangerous. When you do it, you need to be ready to die!"
Ben suddenly felt a strong invisible pressure that fell on him. He didn't have a good magic sense currently, but he can feel it. This is Roubaul's magic power. The old man's magic power is so big and vast like a ocean.
To say he was scared was an understatement. He is terrified. He had the urge to kneel and sh*t himself right now, but he held it in. Ben grit his teeth and forced himself not to fall even though his body was trembling really hard.
"Did I go overboard?" Roubaul asked.
Suddenly the pressure disappeared and Ben's clothes were drenched in cold sweat. His body was shaking and he panted hard, but he was still standing and holding his knife. He looked at Roubaul with a scared expression on his face, but he was determined to fight until the end.
"What a strong-willed boy, but you need to relax a little! Getting too serious isn't good for your health." Roubaul advised.
Ben suddenly felt him starting to fall asleep. He tried to resist it, but it was difficult as the urge to sleep was really strong. Ben almost stabbed his hand to resist the feeling, but Roubaul caught his hand to stop it. He can no longer resist it and fell asleep.
"Good grief, this boy is really stubborn. He's still holding his knife really tightly." Roubaul said.
Roubaul then called for some men to carry Ben inside a house. Then some women changed his clothes and placed him on a bed. They put the covers over him and leave him to sleep on the bed.
The next morning...
Ben woke up. He raised the knife that was still in his hand and looked around warily. He still remembered what happened yesterday and wasn't able to calm down. He looked around having no idea where he is.
Ben then walked out of the room while keeping his guard up. He looked around and was surprised to see a lot of people. However, they just minded their own business.
"So you've woken up." Roubaul appeared behind Ben again.
He was surprised, but then turned around and swung his knife at Roubaul. His knife just passed through Roubaul's body.
"You can't do that, little boy! If I was a normal person, I would be dead by now." Roubaul stated.
"But you aren't a normal person." Ben jumped back.
"That's true, and you will never beat me with your strength." Roubaul told him.
"You? Why did you let me live?" Ben asked.
"Do you seriously think I would kill you?" Roubaul repeated.
"Aren't you? I lost that fight and you caught me, so I'm your captive now. You won't get anything from me, so you're better off killing me." Ben insisted.
"Boy, you sound like a soldier that's ready to die any time in a war." Roubaul said.
"I was trained that way." Ben explained.
He forgot that he was currently a 10 year old boy, so his words really surprised Roubaul. A 10 year old being trained like a soldier is unusual. Now the stuff he said yesterday made sense. He was really impressed with Ben, because he could resist the pressure of his magical power with sheer will.
"Boy, how about we talk for a moment?" Roubaul asked.
"I told you already I won't tell you anything." Ben remarked.
"It's fine. You just need to listen to me." Roubaul stated.
He took Ben to the main building that was shaped like a cat's head. There were some people inside waiting for them.
"Sit boy!" Roubaul ordered.
"No." Ben refused.
"Whatever then." Roubaul shrugged his shoulders.
Roubaul sat down in the chief's chair and someone handed him a gourd filled with wine.
"Then, let me tell you again. I am Roubaul, the guild master of Cait Shelter. We are a small guild in Fiore, but we are a proper guild. Some guilds have acknowledged our guild, and we're not a dark guild so you don't need to worry." Roubaul explained.
"Do you have any documents to verify your statement? I'd prefer documents from a kingdom or country with high credibility." Ben muttered.
Roubaul then presented some papers with the Kingdom of Fiore's stamp on them. Ben took them and quickly read through the papers.
"I need to be careful." Ben said.
"Fine, if documents aren't enough to prove it...how about action?" Roubaul sighed.
"What do you mean?" Ben asked.
"I'll show you why I was able to correctly guess what your magic was yesterday. Bring Wendy here." A man left the building and then a few minutes later returned with a young girl that had blue hair. Ben didn't understand initially, but then he felt something familiar about the girl, especially her smell. The girl, Wendy felt the same and looked at Ben.
"The smell of a dragon!" Ben and Wendy exclaimed.