A week after the ceremony, Fibela's main plaza was busy with the comings and goings of villagers who carried supplies to a small covered wagon. The sun's heat had yet to reach its peak intensity, but the work still caused the people present to sweat profusely. Ney passed a bag to one of his classmates before using his hand as a fan in an attempt to cool off a bit.

"It's not even noon yet and it's already this hot, we really picked our day to leave."

Velia, a fellow soon-to-be adventurer, grabbed a waterskin, snapped her fingers next to it, and passed it to Ney.

"Don't go causing a panic by having a heatstroke now. Here."

"Not fair, my magic's too low for that spell to have any serious effect when I use it."

"Sucks to be you."

Without giving him time to respond, she left to grab another crate. Ney took a few sips of the magically-cooled water, envious of those who naturally had a high enough magic stat to get strong effects with their daily-life spells.

He knew how to use magic to light a fire, make water cooler or warmer, chase bugs away or prevent sunburns, like everyone else, but his low magic stat often meant that his spells would be far weaker in their effect than desired.

Without spending any Attributes Points, stats could be raised through use and training, eventually maxing out at around 30. However, everyone's rate of growth was different, leading to major disparities even between people with similar training and lifestyle. Ney just happened to draw the short end of the stick when it came to his magic.

"Well... since I can just reset my Attribute Points whenever I want, I could gain a few levels, then switch to a mage class, and finally properly train my magic that way."

He smiled as he mumbled his thoughts aloud. He hadn't even begun using his skill yet, and he already had a good use for it. He'd have to make sure to join a party that would be fine with him switching classes regularly, but that was a requirement anyway if he wanted to reach his full potential.

Feeling a bit refreshed, he followed Velia to grab a crate.

The wagon was now loaded and ready. While a few students had decided to depart a few days earlier and travel in a smaller group, the rest of the class had given themselves a week to get everything in order before leaving all together. Thanks to the larger size of their group, they had been able to secure a horse, a wagon, and their teacher's help. As she completed the last inspection, she told the students:

"Lucria is a three-days walk from Fibela, so we're going to be sleeping outside and collecting extra resources where we can find them in nature. This isn't going to be dangerous, we'll be following a river for most of the trip, and the roads are heavily patrolled, but take it as an opportunity to learn more about long-distance trips. In the future, you might be traveling for more than a month to reach a dungeon, in far more hostile conditions."

Ney had vaguely heard about these extremely distant dungeons, usually found deep within desolate landscapes where building outposts was hard, and towns impossible. Very high-level parties would occasionally make the trips to them, but they were considered inaccessible to most adventurers.

As the teacher jumped down from the wagon, she concluded:

"We'll be leaving in an hour. Go collect whatever personal items you haven't loaded onto the wagon, say goodbye to your families, or take care of anything else you need to. I'll be in my house if anything requires my attention."

With a wave, she walked away. With everything now done, the villagers who had come to help with the preparations and the students went back home.

When Ney entered his house, he was surprised to find both his parents were there.

"Dad, you're not at the forge?"

With his son now there, he got up and gently embraced him.

"What, am I not allowed to take some time to see my kid off?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Don't worry, I'm ahead of schedule. This isn't a problem at all."

Ney gave up the last bit of resistance he still had, finally accepting his dad's embrace. He didn't expect this, but now that it was happening, he was actually really happy that both his parents would be with him during the little time he had left in Fibela.

"Thanks, dad..."

When they finally let go of each other, his mom got up and put a small crystal in Ney's hand.

"You're still not very good with everyday spells, and you won't be able to rely on me out there, so... Here, I've been saving up to get you this gift."

He looked at the small gem in his hands, causing a bit of information to enter his mind:

Practice Spellcasting Focus

Ensures that spells with a Spell Power of 0 cast through this focus receive their full possible effect.

"That's..."

His mom confirmed:

"A crystal that lets you cast simple spells without having to worry about your magic stat. That way, you won't have to rely on others for your clean water or your campfire."

It was a simple gift, but one that nonetheless fully represented his mother's worries. While he hoped he wouldn't need it for much longer, he also realized just how useful this would be for the next few months of his life. He hugged his mom to thank her.

"I'll make good use of it!"

"You better."

Afterwards, the whole family prepared a few snacks to eat while the parents gave their final pieces of advice to their son. They also made him promise to at least come back for the Winter Festival, and to write frequent letters. Ney felt a bit overwhelmed, but also grateful for all the love his parents were showing him once again.

The time finally came for Ney to leave. He grabbed a few more items from his room, then walked with his parents to the plaza. His dad took a little detour, promising to be back in time for the departure.

The four other students who would be accompanying him where already there, securing their last few belongings inside the wagon. Their families had also come, creating a lively atmosphere despite the imminent departure.

When Ney climbed up in the wagon, Velia was the only one still inside. She had changed out of her work clothes and into comfortable travel wear and had tied her long, dark purple hair into a high ponytail. He stayed immobile for a moment, stunned by her beauty and the confidence she exuded, but she quickly threw a cold shower at him:

"You better not faint on the way to Lucria, I don't want to delay the start of my career because of you."

Ney laughed nervously in response, quickly looking away and moving to get his items ready. She had been cold to him for a long time, and always seemed to have the perfect thing to say to make him feel like a bother. Despite this, his crush on her refused to waver, much to his chagrin.

With a bit of luck, I'll meet some cute adventurer in Lucria who'll make me forget Velia.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he tied his travel bag along with the rest of the supplies and got out of the wagon, just in time to see both his dad and teacher enter the plaza. The former was carrying something wrapped in a white cloth, while the latter was looking around, satisfied to see everyone ready and accounted for.

Ney jogged towards his dad, curious as to what he carried, but also worried about making the rest of the students wait. As soon as they met, the dad said:

"Sorry, I thought I had a bit more time before everyone got here. You got a gift from your mom, so here's one from me. I've been saving bits and pieces of rare materials over the past few years, ever since you started learning to be an adventurer really, to make this for you."

As he finished speaking, he unwrapped the item he held in one dexterous movement, revealing a longsword shining under the sun's light along with a scabbard ready to house it. Ney grabbed the hilt and slowly lifted it up, absorbing the weapon's information in the process:

Steel Longsword (+4)

Weapon level 1 - Rare

Attack: 24

A skilled blacksmith improved this weapon several times, increasing its power and rarity.

He looked at his dad, speechless. This gift was extremely precious, and could have been sold for a pretty penny to a noble house looking to outfit their child with the best low-level equipment around. By giving this to him, his parents were passing on that money, basically giving it to him instead.

Seeing his son's expression, Ney's dad continued:

"I made you a sword because that's what you've been training with for the most part. With your special skill, you might not always need it, but... I hope it'll at least help get you started."

Finally managing to close his mouth, Ney could only accept the heartfelt gift:

"What... I... I'm sure it will. You really shouldn't have."

"Hey, I'm a blacksmith, it's the least I can do. And don't worry about the money we could have gotten from selling this. I have a bunch of requests lined up that will make sure your mom and I live comfortably for a while. I feel much better knowing you're using it yourself."

"Right. I... I'll make good use of it, I promise!"

The father was proud, seeing his son's reaction. All his work had been worth it.

After attaching the weapon to his belt, Ney hugged both his parents one last time before going back to the wagon. The other students also said their goodbyes, and the whole group looked back at the village they were now leaving. With their homes behind them, they took their first few steps towards a new life full of danger, adventure, and opportunity.