The sun had just set, painting the sky in deep hues of purple and e as Sora he vilge. The day had been long, filled with emotion after his reset, grinding against low-level creatures, and now, his thoughts turo food, rest, and figuring out exactly where he was.

  His stomach grumbled, urging him to qui his pace as the vilge's outline became clearer.

  As he approached the vilge's entrance, Sora noticed a distinct shift imosphere. The outer part of the vilge retained a strong resembo the old world, like a preserved piece of pre-Update Earth.

  The Andalusian architecture stood proudly, with whitewashed buildings ailed roofs lining the narrow streets. The buildings here were modern, some even still bearing flickering neon signs from old shops aaurants. The pce felt frozen in time, untouched by the chaos that had engulfed the world years ago.

  At the vilge's gate, two guards stood watch. As Sora approached, they exged a few words in Spanish, their voices low but audible. Without thinking, Sora activated his transting fun. The familiar buzz in his ear followed by the crisp French transtion never failed to amaze him. He had set the transtor to French because it was his native nguage.

  Despite having used this feature tless times, he still wasn't fully used to the feeling—hearing words spoken in one nguage while uanding them perfectly in another. It was strange and a stant reminder of how drastically the world had ged.

  Sora blinked, momentarily distracted by the seamless transtion. "This firms it," he muttered to himself, his suspis firmed. "I must be in Spain."

  One of the guards raised a hand, stopping him. "Entry fee," the guard said, his tone gruff but polite. Sora uood enough Spanish to know what he wanted even without the transtion, but he let the fun run anyway, enjoying the crity it brought.

  The uard remained silent, eyeing him with curiosity.

  Sora fished out a few s from his iory and hahem over. The guard ied them briefly before nodding. "Wele," he said.

  As Sora crossed through the gates, he stepped into a world split between past and present. The vilge was still small, yet the influence of the New World Kingdom's transformation was clear. The outer part felt like a relic of old Spain, with modern storefronts and local shops advertising everything from groceries to eleics.

  Familiar brand names flickered in dim lights, though some of these stores appeared abandoned or repurposed for the vilge's new role in this game-like world.

  But Sora wasn't ied in these modern touches tonight. He had a goal, and that was the core area.

  As he moved deeper into the vilge, he passed an invisible threshold where the architecture ged pletely. The transition was seamless, but the vibe was unmistakable. In the core area, things shifted to a more medieval-fantasy aesthetic.

  Here, every building seemed to serve a purpose reted to pyers: taverns, inns, guild halls, bcksmiths, and trainiers. Uhe rest of the vilge, the signage in the core area was always in English, no matter where you were in the world, a deliberate design choice by the system.

  "This feels more familiar," Sora muttered under his breath. The core area was where the game-like meics took over. NPCs ran most of the shops and inns here, though not exclusively, everything from food to potions to pyer-specific quests. And the best part? He could trust the food and beds here, knowing they were desigo restore pyers' health and stamina effectively.

  Walking along the streets, Sora passed by several pyers milling about, some chatting animatedly near a guild hall, while others haggled with NPC shopkeepers. It was a lively se, despite the te hour.

  He finally spotted what he was looking for: a tavern called The Restful Bde. With a warm glow spilling out from its windows, it seemed as good a pce as any to grab a meal and gather information. Sora pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  The tavern was modestly filled, a handful of pyers scattered across the tables while an NPC bartender wiped down the ter. The warm st of roasted meat filled the air, making Sora's stomach grumble in anticipation. He approached the bar and tossed a few s onto the ter, a simple meal. The NPC bartender nodded and quickly prepared the food.

  As Sora sat and began to eat, his attention wao the versation at the able. Two pyers, both clearly seasoned, were discussing the area.

  "You said you met the legendary pyer Subrozace ?" one of them asked, his at thick.

  "Yeah, just outside Córdoba," the other replied. "Small pce, but sometimes big pyers seem to be meeting there"

  Hearing this, Sora's ears perked up. "Córdoba?" he muttered under his breath. That meant he was in southern Spain as he had guessed when looking at the architecture ier city. His heart sank slightly—this was far from where he had expected to be.

  Finishing his meal, Sora turo the pyers. "Sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned Córdoba. I'm new here. you tell me how far that is from southern France?". Retive positions of cities didn't ge much, but distances between pces increased after the update.

  One of the pyers, a pyer that looked like a tank with a thick beard, looked him up and down before answering. "You're in the south of Spain, mate. Córdoba's close by, but if you're thinking of heading to France… well, you're looking at a few days' travel. But where in Fraly"

  "Ales," Sora added. "In the south of Franot too far north from here before the world upgrade."

  The tank chuckled. "Not far? You're looking at a two-day drive, if the roads are clear. But those highways? Expensive as hell."

  "How expensive highways be ? France is neighb Spain !" Sora asked, fused.

  "How expehe other pyer, a rogue, chimed iremely expensive. Most of the old highways were destroyed when the beasts showed up and wrecked everything outside city barriers. Now, the Federation rebuilt some of them, but you've got to pay to use 'em. They've got pyers guarding every stretch of road. Bandits, beasts… it's all out there. You're basically paying for prote. The world has ged, mate. Unless you're a higher level pyer, it's the only way to travel fast."

  Sora frowhe thought of traveling by highway suddenly less appealing. "How much are we talking?"

  "I don't kly where your Ales city is but fifty thousand gold, easy," the tank replied with a shrug. "More if you want to rent a car. And that's not ting any act or extra fees. Those highways are dangerous, man. It costs to keep them secure."

  Fifty thousand gold. Sora didn't even have a fra of that amount. Returning to Ales was out of the question for now. He'd o grind much harder to afford such a trip.

  Soon after, Sora stepped out into the cool night air. He had his answer—he was in Spain, far from home, and traveling back wasn't feasible. But that didn't matter right now. What he needed was a bigger city, a pce where he could train, and gather the money and resources he o grow.

  As he walked deeper into the core area, searg for an inn, Sora's thoughts swirled. "I'll find a way bae eventually, but not now. I o get stronger."

  Spotting the Silver Rest Inered, booked a room with the innkeeper, and headed upstairs. The inn was simple but cozy, with a fortable bed waiting for him. Sora y down, staring up at the wooden ceiling.

  ----

  Sora woke up with a sharp crity, the m light filtering through the wooden shutters of his room at the Silver Rest Inn. The events of the previous day—the grinding, the jouro the vilge, the versation at the tavern—pyed in his mind as he slowly rose from the bed. He stretched, feeling the slight stiffness in his muscles from the stant battles with low-level creatures. Today was a new day, and he o move fast to not waste time.

  Still lying in bed, Sora's mind wandered further, strategizing about his steps. He recalled something from before the reset—a way to travel across long distances for low level pyers that wouldn't cost him the ridiculous amounts it would take to rent a car. Caravans, public transport systems that had bee up to provide cheap travel between cities. They weren't the most ve, usually operating on a weekly or monthly basis, but they were affordable and well-protected, making them a far better option than risking dangerous roads or costly highway fees.

  Córdoba would be his first stop. There, he would find information on the caravan routes, level up, and maybe eve a glimpse of potential quests or dungeons that could aid in his growth. But first, there was something more pressing on his mind—the bank.

  His heart tightened as he thought about his items—particurly his valuable ones—and the gold he had left in the bank before the reset. His Prestige skill had wiped everything else , but he hoped, maybe even prayed, that his bank at had bee untouched.

  Sora quickly dressed, strapping on his basic gear, ahe inn after settling his tab. The vilge was waking up, merts beginning to open their stalls and pyers wandering the streets, getting ready for the day ahead. As he walked, he kept his eyes on the signs, looking for the bank.

  As he turned a er, Sora finally spotted the bank, a squat but solid-looking buildihe ter of the core area. It was a global institution, and every pyer had an at tied to it.

  Sora stepped into the bank, the cool, polished air of the marble-terior a sharp trast to the bustling city outside. The teller, an NPC with a friendly yet professional demeanreeted him.

  "Good m. How may I assist you today?"

  "I'd like to access my at arieve some items," Sora replied.

  "Certainly. Please pce your hand on the verification panel."

  Sora pced his palm on the glowing pahe s blio life, revealing his at summary.

  At Summary:

  [Gold Bance: 30,000 gold]

  [Total Item Stacks: 453]

  [Total Weight of Items: 18.2 tons]

  Most Valuable Items:

  Aetherbde Sword [Unon] (Level 45)

  Estimated Value: 8,000 gold

  Weight: 40 kg

  Description: A sword infused with Aether magic, capable of weakening enemy defenses with each strike.

  Lunar Tear Pendant [Unon] (Level 40)Titanium Armor Set [Unon] (Level 45)Phoenix Feather Cloak [Unon] (Level 40)Frostbite Bow [Unon] (Level 50)Sora's eyes lingered on the [Frostbite Bow]. The icy blue gleam of the on held a bittersweet memory. It had been a gift, prepared for Lara, his archer teammate, who never lived long enough to use it. She was supposed to wield it once she hit level 50, but the ambush that cimed her life occurred before that moment could happen. His heart ched at the thought of parting with it, but he knew he had no choice.

  Shaking off the emotions, Sora reviewed the rest of the items in his at. The 448 remaining stacks sisted mostly of materials, mid-tier equipment, and items he had gathered from various dungeons and quests over the years. Though not as valuable as his top five items, they still carried some worth.

  The remaining items had a value around 22000 gold.

  It was a mix of crafting materials, lower-level ons and armor (levels 20-35), and loot from dungeons. Items were mostly unon or lower, with no particur value beyond their crafting or utility uses.

  Sora o himself and began the process of retrieving everything from his at. As the items materialized, he quickly felt the oppressive weight on his body.

  Iory Weight Exceeded. Movement Speed Reduced by 99%. Current Speed: 1% of maximum.He grimaced at the notification. The teller, notig his disfort, smiled knowingly.

  "If you're carrying more than your iory allows, we offer space bags for rent or purchase. These bags hold up to 100 tons and 1,000 item stacks."

  "How much?" Sora asked.

  Rental: 100 gold per hour

  Purchase: 10,000 gold

  Sora hesitated. With his gold ba 30,000, purchasing a space bag would take a signifit k of his funds. For now, renting seemed like the more practical option.

  "I'll rent one," he decided, handing over 100 gold.

  The teller handed him a small, ornate bag. Sora transferred all 18.2 tons and 453 stacks into the bag, his movemeurning to normal immediately. With a nod, he thahe teller ahe bank.

  , Sora headed to the [Au House], where he po offload his most valuable items. The building was filled with the familiar hustle of erce—pyers bargaining fear, NPC aueers showg high-level ons and armor, and merts rare materials.

  Sora approached one of the aueers, a sharp-eyed NPC who seemed to size him up as he id out his wares.

  "I'd like to au these items," Sora said, revealing his best equipment.

  The aueer carefully ied each item, nodding with approval as he examiheir rarity and level requirements.

  Items for Au:Aetherbde Sword [Unon] (Level 45)

  Estimated Value: 8,000 gold

  Lunar Tear Pendant [Unon] (Level 40)

  Estimated Value: 6,500 gold

  Titanium Armor Set [Unon] (Level 45)

  Estimated Value: 12,000 gold

  Phoenix Feather Cloak [Unon] (Level 40)

  Estimated Value: 5,500 gold

  Frostbite Bow [Unon] (Level 50)

  Estimated Value: 25,000 gold

  The aueer raised an eyebrow at the Frostbite Bow but made no ent. "Excellent items," he said. "You will receive 50% of the estimated value upfront. If the items do not sell within a week, you either take them back or we will purchase them at 80% of their estimated value. Be aware that 2% of the final selling price will be taken as a fee upon sale."

  Sora khis was standard practice. High-level pyers were often willing to spend more thaimated value for life-saving equipment. These items were in high demand, and supply rarely met it.

  The aueer processed the items, and a notification popped up:

  Advance Payment Received: 28500 gold

  Sora's gold bancreased to 58 424 gold. He turned and made his way to the clerk responsible for direct purchases. He had no i in auing off the lower-level items and materials because no one would buy them at a better price than NPC.

  "I'd like to sell the rest of these items directly," Sora said, dumping the tents of his iory onto the ter.

  The clerk, an NPC who clearly had seen his share of bulk sales, quickly assessed the colle.

  "For these, I offer you 80% of their estimated value, whies to 17 620 gold."

  Sora accepted the offer without hesitation. His gold banow stood at 76 044 gold.

  Stepping out of the au house, Sora felt lighter—both physically aally. With a little more than 76k gold, he had a solid foundation tear himself and start fresh.

  He returhe space bag at the bank auro the au house.

  But he knew now that he o focus on his future. And that future required him to gather the best equipment he could find for his current level. He also had other pns for the money left.