— Well, I think we should get moving. We don’t have much time before sunset. — Dante said, looking up.

  Axel stopped, stretched out his hands in front of him, and began murmuring to himself.

  — What are you doing?—

  — Just calculating. They say that if you extend your hand to the horizon, each of your fingers marks about 15 minutes on the clock. So, we have... roughly three more hours.— The boy explained, his hands still raised.

  — Oh, that’s a useful fact.— The hooded young man replied, though he expected nothing less from Axel.

  They walked together to the highest point of their surroundings and looked into the distance. The two boys scanned the landscape, but all they could see were plains, hills, mountains, and forests.

  — Which direction should we go? Honestly, they all look the same to me.— Dante said casually.

  — Well, heading toward the mountains doesn’t seem like a great idea, it could get really cold up there. Since we don’t know exactly where we are in the world, the same logic applies to going north or south. That leaves us with east.— Axel analyzed the situation.

  — Works for me, let’s go east then.— Dante said, barely finishing his sentence before heading off toward his next adventure.

  Axel smiled at that and followed right behind him.

  As they walked down a small slope toward the vast forest ahead, both hesitated a few steps before stepping in.

  — You know, Dante, I’m not really a fan of the idea of dying…— Axel said, a serious expression on his face, which made his friend chuckle.

  — Hahaha, man… There’s not much we can do. There are no fruit trees out here, so we’d starve to death if we just sat around. And besides… didn’t you say you wanted to chase after adventure?— Dante grinned at his friend, then turned back to the path and used his sword to clear the way through the dense forest.

  Axel simply nodded and followed. This wasn’t the time to hesitate; they had no other choice anyway.

  As Dante forged ahead, Axel stayed a few steps behind, scanning their surroundings for anything edible.

  The forest was so dense that the three hours of daylight they supposedly had left made no difference. If they strayed more than a few feet apart, they could barely see each other.

  — Isn’t it weird that we haven’t seen a single animal?— Axel asked.

  — I think it’s a good thing, to be honest. I really don’t want to run into a bear or something like that, haha.—

  — Yeah, I guess you have a point, haha. But still, the forest is so thi— Axel suddenly stopped speaking.

  His friend, puzzled by the sudden silence, turned to look at him.

  — You okay?—

  Axel didn’t answer. He was staring to the left, his face filled with fear. Dante followed his gaze.

  A massive footprint on the ground. Not just the size of a bear—an animal that would already be twice their height—but something truly enormous, at least 80 centimeters in diameter.

  They exchanged horrified looks, at a complete loss for words. Instinct took over. Their bodies flooded with adrenaline, and they started running with everything they had.

  They didn’t stop to think about staying together or clearing a path. They just barreled through the branches, vines, and foliage, almost like two Olympic sprinters competing for gold.

  They ran so much that night had fallen before they knew it. If it had been dark before, now it was pitch black. The thick leaves above barely allowed any moonlight to reach the forest floor.

  They were completely exhausted. Dante wasn’t out of shape or anything, even if he spent a lot of time playing video games and reading stories, but his whole body felt like it was shutting down.

  Their throats burned from thirst. Their legs trembled. Their empty stomachs twisted in pain, begging for anything. And yet, they didn’t stop running—or at least trying to.

  Eventually, without even realizing it, they both collapsed from exhaustion almost at the same time, unable to even tell where they were anymore.

  Light…? Why is there light…?

  I opened my eyes quickly. I was lying on the ground, my whole body aching from the strain of the previous day. But the fear in my chest was gone. What was strange, though, was that when I looked up, I no longer saw towering trees blocking the sky. Just a beautiful blue expanse above.

  I sat up and looked around, realizing I was at least 20 meters away from the forest. I definitely hadn’t walked or crawled here by myself, so this had to be Axel’s doing.

  — Ah, finally awake, bro.— Axel’s voice rang out.

  I turned toward him. He was approaching, carrying something wrapped in his shirt.

  — You carried us out of there?—

  — Of course! You can always count on your big bro here to have your back.— Axel said proudly.

  Dante rolled his eyes and chuckled at his friend’s words before getting up to see what he had brought.

  — Food?— Dante asked.

  — Sort of!— Axel said, placing his findings on the ground.

  There was a pile of fruits I had never seen before, along with a few snails.

  — ...Dude, none of this looks edible.—

  — Nah, don’t worry! I ate a few of these fruits while picking them, and they barely gave me a stomachache!— Axel said enthusiastically.

  — B-Barely? Man, you probably poisoned yourself.—

  Dante couldn’t tell if he should laugh or be concerned.

  — Trust me, okay? Now here, take this!— Axel held out a snail toward Dante.

  — You said you only ate the fruit. Are you trying to use me as a test subject?— Dante asked seriously.

  — Hey, I got the food, the least you can do is try it for me!— Axel replied with the same serious tone.

  The tension between them lasted a few seconds before they both burst into laughter.

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  — Alright, alright, I’m just messing with you. But the fruits really are safe to eat. I got the snails to use as bait for bigger animals. I only saw some squirrel-looking creatures, but who knows what kind of diseases they might have, and— Axel rambled on about how much he hated rodents and how the mere thought of eating one would put him in a coma.

  Dante laughed at his friend’s exaggerated complaints—until something in the distance caught his attention.

  — Dude, is that a city?— Dante asked, pointing toward a distant point on the horizon.

  Axel stopped talking and followed his gaze. At first, he didn’t see anything, but with a little help from Dante, he finally noticed it.

  — Ahhh, now I see it! Yeah, I think it is! Man, we got lucky, huh?—

  — Let’s hurry up. I don’t want to end up running for our lives again when night falls.—

  — Shouldn’t be a problem. The city’s less than three miles away, so we should reach it in about an hour.—

  Once again, Axel provided an eerily precise estimate, making Dante smile as he wondered where he even got this information.

  And just as Axel predicted, it didn’t take more than an hour for them to arrive. A massive stone wall encircled the city, with a large gate granting access. As they approached the open entrance, armored guards merely glanced at them before nodding, silently allowing them through—probably assuming two ragged-looking boys weren’t much of a threat.

  As they stepped further into the city, it was like stepping into a medieval metropolis. Nothing in games, anime, or books could compare to this place.

  — Dude! — They turned at the same time to look at each other, fascinated like tourists, then quickly started walking around, checking out the stalls and shops. Markets selling armor and, most importantly, food stands caught their attention, but since they were completely broke at that point, they couldn’t get anything.

  The people around them looked at the two strangely. Neither of them had noticed, but their clothes were extremely tattered, making them look like they had just come out of a battle or something similar.

  The boys were amazed by everything, staring with fascination when beings of other races passed by them. Men with bat-like wings, women with goat-like beards, children with elephant trunks, and many other species painted the fantastical city alongside normal humans.

  They eagerly wandered through everything until they decided to enter a very inviting bar called "The Den," written in Greek-Roman alphabet, different from the book Axel had found earlier. Compared to the rest of the environment, the bar had a rather common name.

  As soon as they stepped inside, they were met with knights in armor and mages. It was awesome—no, more than awesome, it was absolutely spectacular for the two boys, who had always played RPG games together.

  They spent some time just observing the place. The scent of something delicious filled their lungs, and the clinking of glasses in toasts and the laughter of patrons seemed to invite them in. They stood still for so long that a young girl in a dark blue dress with long white sleeves approached them to serve them.

  — Hello, knights. Welcome to The Den. How can I help you? — she asked in a cheerful tone, ready to serve them. The boys chuckled awkwardly. They really didn’t know why they had entered the place without any money to pay.

  — You guys are rookie adventurers, huh? Don’t hold back, you can order whatever you want, but I’ll charge you interest later. Hahaha! — A tall man with dark hair approached the trio, laughing loudly.

  — Wait, we’re not…— Before Dante could finish speaking, Axel nudged him and pulled him aside for a private conversation.

  — Hey, airhead, what are you doing? We haven’t eaten anything in hours. Do you want to go hunt in the woods instead? — said the curly-haired boy, trying to take advantage of the situation. Even though Dante understood his point, he felt bad about taking advantage of other people’s generosity. He was never the type to owe anyone anything.

  — Seriously? You really want to go through with this? And how are we supposed to pay later, huh, genius? — asked the hooded boy seriously, crossing his arms.

  — Just go along with it. We’ll do exactly what he said and become adventurers. Haha! — Dante’s eyes widened. Was his friend serious? They didn’t even have any equipment, and more importantly, they weren’t strong enough to do anything like that.

  Before his friend could even agree, Axel was already explaining their situation, concealing the fact that they weren’t even citizens of this world. To the man and the girl, the boys were simply refugees from a destroyed village.

  “Well, we are kind of refugees since we don’t have a home to return to.” Dante thought to himself. He quickly accepted the situation—when Axel set his mind on something, there was no turning back. Both of them had that in common.

  As they sat at one of the empty tables in the place, the bar girl, who introduced herself as Sofia, and her father, Max, the owner of the bar, served them roasted potatoes and a fine beer. In the real world, neither of them had ever drunk before—not because of their age, since both were old enough, but because they spent their days locked in their rooms, playing games, training, or studying.

  The golden, foamy drink tasted surreal. The sweet flavor filling their mouths was nothing like the bitter taste they had always heard beer had.

  — Haha! What do you think of our specialty? Feels like it's from another world, huh?! HAHAHA! — said the owner with his same boisterous laughter. He puffed up his chest with pure pride while his wife scolded him from the kitchen, and his daughter looked embarrassed, hiding her face.

  Dante and Axel could only laugh. This whole place felt like a game cutscene—it was surreal.

  — You guys should make fries with these potatoes. — Dante said, so excited that he didn’t even realize that such a thing probably didn’t exist in this world. Axel agreed, likely having the same thought.

  — Huh? Fries? What’s that? — The owner approached, seemingly eager to create the dish. Dante spoke quickly, still chewing.

  Max’s wife, Bartra, was the cook of the establishment, and upon hearing what the boy said, she immediately set out to complete the recipe.

  Her cooking skills were incredible. Dante felt nostalgic, reminded of his mother.

  With the order ready, the boy asked for something else they didn’t understand—ketchup. The place fell into an awkward silence. The people of The Den found the name strange; a pronunciation like that reminded them of forbidden spells. The tense mood was only lifted when Axel burst into laughter.

  — Dude, you’re totally out of it today. Hahaha! — Dante ended up laughing along, embarrassed.

  — Ketchup? What’s that? Is it tasty? — The girl asked, extremely curious. The boys smiled at that. They had never realized how interesting cooking could be.

  After hearing Axel’s detailed explanation—who, for some reason, knew the perfect way to prepare the condiment—Bartra immediately began crushing tomatoes and adding the necessary spices.

  Once prepared, they placed a fine bottle of ketchup on the table for the boys to enjoy with their meal. They ate until they were stuffed. Secretly, the girl took one of their fries and some ketchup to try while her parents were distracted. It’s no exaggeration to say she completely fell in love with the combination.

  — Let me ask you something, boys. You don’t have a place to stay, do you? —

  — Uh… no, sir. — Both replied, and the man quickly asked his daughter to prepare a room. Dante found all this kindness suspicious, while Axel was completely swept away by the fantasy.

  — Why are you helping us so much? — The hooded boy asked with a serious expression.

  — Nothing special, but you two seem like you're going to do great things. — Max said with a smile. He said it so convincingly that even the boys got emotional. Could they really live up to those expectations?

  A few moments later, the girl came down from the second floor of the establishment, which also served as an inn. She called them, leading them to a room at the end of the hallway.

  The girl opened the door with a smile, revealing a simple, rustic room. Two beds, one in each corner, two desks with chairs, and a lamp—that was all the decoration in the room.

  Dante found the place cozy. His room in the other world wasn’t very crowded with things anyway—he always preferred minimalism, though he still felt uneasy about this hospitality. Axel, on the other hand, was excited about the desk at the foot of his bed—it was perfect for studying.

  They bid the girl goodnight and immediately entered the room, closing the door.

  The first thing Axel did was open the window in the middle of the room, enjoying the city’s breeze. The scent of meals from downstairs mixed with the view of small houses and medieval-style buildings, refreshing his energy.

  Then, he threw himself onto the bed, bouncing on it a little.

  His extreme excitement contrasted with Dante, who had been standing at the door the whole time, looking deeply uncomfortable. He felt like he shouldn’t even move another muscle inside that place.

  — What’s with that face?? This is basic isekai stuff. The protagonists always find a place to stay and resources. Don’t tell me you lost your memory when you woke up? — Axel said, looking at Dante. The boy finally moved, dropping his things beside his bed.

  — Dude, even though this is a fantasy world, don’t you think we should be a little suspicious? — Dante asked seriously.

  — Oh, come on, look at this world! Don’t you want to dive in headfirst? — Axel said excitedly.

  Dante finally walked through the room, heading straight for the window Axel had opened. The view of the starry sky was simply breathtaking—nowhere on the old Earth would it be possible to see a sky like this.

  Dante clenched his fists seriously; he perfectly understood his brother's words and didn't want to disappoint such trust.

  — But what are we going to do here? Honestly, I don't want to have to work to pay off this debt. — The hooded boy spoke seriously to his friend.

  — You already know what we must do. That sword of yours is your path. —

  Dante didn't understand, feeling confused by that, so Axel continued.

  — I will become the greatest mage of all! That's what I'll do. — He said with determination, standing up to stand beside Dante while looking out the window.

  The boy pondered for a moment before responding:

  — If you're going to be the greatest mage, then I'll be the greatest swordsman of all! —

  Finally, they shook hands firmly, sealing that promise not only with each other but with themselves.