Following the river path, he moved further and further away from the forest until he saw a village in the distance.

  "You have left Alambar Forest."

  "You have earned the title: Alambar Survivor."

  Walking a bit further, he arrived at the village.

  "Ponpola Village - Neutral Zone."

  The village was made up of dirt roads with wooden fences marking various crops, animal pens, and wooden houses. In the background, the roads narrowed into several streets surrounded by houses and shops, with multiple players moving around. Some players chose to settle in villages, whether to seek refuge, establish their own business, gather information, earn money, or stay permanently before founding their own territory. Of course, you couldn't establish your territory in a Neutral Zone; you had to find a Wild Zone, and the bigger and richer in resources, the better.

  Camir wanted to get information on how to reach the city, so he approached a farming field where several NPCs were plowing and spoke to a man wearing a straw hat, ragged clothes, and holding a hoe.

  Smurky: "Hello, do you know how to get to the nearest city?"

  Farmhand: "Yes, you just need to go straight north when leaving the village."

  Smurky: "How do I know which way is north?"

  Lifting his hoe, the farmhand pointed in the direction.

  Smurky: "Thank you! Please, take this boar meat as a token of appreciation."

  "Your relationship with the Farmhand has changed from Neutral to Friendly."

  Farmhand: "Tomorrow, I need to go to the city to sell vegetables and buy some supplies and tools. Why don’t you stay for a meal and join me on my cart tomorrow?"

  Smurky: "Sure, thanks!"

  In Bellaris, NPCs acted like normal people. Moreover, if you gave them something, you improved your relationship with them, potentially receiving rewards in return. But apart from that, they were still just NPCs.

  The next morning, Camir sold his current gear and most of the items in his inventory at a village shop, except for his blowgun and poison darts. With the money, he bought various tools, a bow, a quiver, arrows, and a better knife, though nothing extraordinary.

  The journey to the nearest city would take two days, meaning they would have to stop and camp at night, feed the horses, and continue during the day.

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  "Gabola City - Neutral Zone"

  The city was fortified with 7 meter tall walls. The entrance featured a large drawbridge gate and a guard post, where several armed knights stood watch. Their levels ranged from 110 to 130.

  Inside, the city was filled with many houses and buildings made of different materials. To one side, a church was visible, and in the distance, a small palace.

  After stepping down from the cart, Camir bid farewell to the farmhand. The streets were much more populated than in the village, with a noticeable increase in movement. Several groups of players were gathered, chatting happily. Taverns and other establishments were crowded, but what surprised him most was that most people were only between levels 20 and 25.

  His main goal in the city was to register at the Adventurers' Guild, as it was only possible to do so in a city. Upon registration, players could take on quests from the mission board and claim rewards upon completion. They were also assigned a rank based on their level, skills, and mission performance. A higher rank granted access to harder challenges, events, and tournaments, with greater rewards.

  At first, a player needed to complete ten missions of varying difficulty. The final rank was determined by the number of completed missions and their performance. As the player's level and skills improved, their rank would automatically update. Higher ranks granted privileges, including the option to work directly for the guild without taking missions.

  After registering, Camir looked for an inn where he could stay for a while. Obtaining his rank was his top priority; if he progressed without it, he would miss out on too many benefits.

  The difference between sleeping outdoors and sleeping in an inn was significant. If you had an inn, you could log out inside the city and wouldn’t have to leave town to do so. Additionally, if you died, you would respawn in your room.

  According to expert guides he had read, players could store their items in a chest or wardrobe in their inn room. This was crucial, as dying meant losing all equipped items and inventory. If a player stored extra gear and supplies beforehand, they wouldn't have to start from scratch. However, money storage was limited, if a player died, they would lose all the money they were carrying. The safest option was to deposit money in the bank. Many players suffered major losses due to this system.

  If a player died without being accommodated anywhere, they wouldn't just lose everything, they would respawn in a random location.

  Most players avoided this by linking to a temple, ensuring they would always respawn at the temple instead of a random location. However, the downside was that they still had to go outside to log out and had no access to storage chests.

  "Wine Mermaid Inn - Accommodated Zone"

  Bartender: "It’ll be 134 Finas per night."

  Smurky: "Alright, here you go."

  Bartender: "Room number 9, up the stairs, first hallway at the end on the right."

  Leaving the inn, Camir headed to the city outskirts, stopping by the guard post, where they showed him a map of the area.

  The first missions were simple, gathering common herbs, which he had already seen along the way to the city. Completing these was no problem.

  Other tasks included repair work, errands,escorting and protecting citizens. From the fifth mission onward, quests required defeating creatures and monsters that threatened the city.

  The sixth, seventh, and eighth missions followed the same pattern but became progressively harder.

  After completing these and leveling up 7 more times, he had only the ninth and tenth missions left. However, he needed to rest and recover for the next day.