The road away from the Valdris estate was surprisingly well-maintained, with smooth cobblestones and regular mile markers. Ryo had been walking for about two hours, and his new body was holding up way better than his old one ever would have. No burning lungs, no aching joints, just a pleasant stretch of his legs and the satisfying crunch of his boots on stone.
He'd stopped at a roadside vendor about an hour back to buy some bread and dried meat, paying with coins that had the previous Ryouta's face stamped on them. Apparently, noble families minted their own currency in this world. The vendor had looked nervous when he recognized the coins, but took them readily enough.
Now Ryo was munching on surprisingly good bread while consulting a map he'd bought from the same vendor. According to the faded parchment, there was a village called Millhaven about a day's walk north of here. Small farming community, sitting near a river with good fishing. Sounded perfect for his new slow life.
A blue window suddenly popped up in front of his face, nearly making him choke on his bread.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Welcome, Ryouta Valdris
Analyzing user preferences...
Analysis complete. Slow Life Protocol engaged.
Passive Skill Growth enabled.
Note: Experience gained through consistent, unhurried practice will be multiplied.
"What the hell?" Ryo said, waving his hand through the translucent window. It flickered but remained visible. "A game system? Are you kidding me?"
More text appeared:
[WALKING] - Level 1
Experience gained: +1 per minute of consistent walking
Current multiplier: x2 (Slow Life bonus)
Time to Level 2: 47 minutes
Ryo stared at the display for a moment, then shrugged and kept walking. If this world wanted to gamify his leisurely stroll, that was fine by him. At least it wasn't demanding he fight monsters or save princesses.
The afternoon sun was getting warm when he heard the sound of horses approaching from behind. Ryo glanced back to see three riders cantering up the road, their leather armor dusty from travel. They looked like the kind of guys who'd learned their people skills from the wrong end of a sword.
The lead rider, a scarred man with greasy black hair, pulled up beside Ryo and smiled in a way that suggested the conversation was about to go badly.
"Well, well," the man said, looking Ryo up and down. "What's a soft-looking noble boy doing walking the roads all alone? Don't you know it's dangerous out here?"
Ryo took another bite of his bread and kept walking. "I'm good, thanks."
The three bandits exchanged glances. The leader spurred his horse to block Ryo's path, forcing him to stop.
"I don't think you understand, boy," the bandit said, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "This is a toll road. You want to pass, you pay the toll. That's a nice purse you've got there, and those clothes look expensive. I'd say the toll for someone like you is... everything you're carrying."
Ryo sighed and looked around. The road was empty except for them, with thick forest on both sides. No witnesses, no help coming. In his old life, this would have been the kind of situation that ended with him bleeding out in a ditch.
But his old life had been full of stress and deadlines and eighteen-hour workdays. This life was supposed to be relaxed.
"Look," Ryo said, taking another leisurely bite of bread. "I just want to walk to the next village, find a nice spot to open a tavern, and live quietly. I'm not looking for trouble, and honestly, robbing people seems like a lot of work. Why don't you guys just let me pass, and we can all avoid the hassle?"
The bandit leader laughed. "Hassle? Boy, you're about to learn what real hassle looks like."
He drew his sword and spurred his horse forward. Ryo, still chewing his bread, stepped casually to the side.
The horse thundered past, the rider's blade whistling through empty air. The bandit pulled up hard, wheeling his mount around with a curse. "Hold still, you little shit!"
"I'm just trying to eat my lunch," Ryo said reasonably. The other two bandits were dismounting now, drawing their own weapons. "Can't we talk this out like reasonable people?"
[WALKING] has increased to Level 2!
New skill acquired: [EVASION] - Level 1
Passive ability gained: Unconscious movement optimization
The second bandit, a thin man with a crooked nose, came at Ryo from the left with a rusty sword. Ryo stepped back to avoid him, took another bite of bread, and somehow ended up behind the man without really trying. The bandit stumbled forward, confused.
"What the—"
The third bandit, built like a bull and wielding a massive club, charged from the right. Ryo ducked under the swing while reaching into his pack for his water bottle, and the club smashed into Crooked Nose instead. Both men went down in a tangle of limbs and swearing.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" the leader snarled, dismounting and drawing a second blade. "Stand still and fight like a man!"
"I'm not fighting," Ryo pointed out, uncorking his water bottle and taking a drink. "I'm just standing here eating lunch. You guys are the ones swinging weapons around."
The leader came at him with both blades in a flurry of steel. Ryo leaned back to avoid the first strike, side-stepped the second, and somehow tripped over absolutely nothing, falling backward in a way that made the third strike sail harmlessly over his head. He rolled to the side as he fell, came up on one knee, and took another bite of bread.
The bandit leader stood there panting, staring at Ryo in disbelief. "How the hell are you doing that?"
"Doing what?" Ryo asked, genuinely confused. He stood up and brushed dirt off his traveling clothes. "Look, this is getting silly. I've got places to be, you've got... whatever it is bandits do when they're not robbing people. Can we just call it even and go our separate ways?"
[EVASION] has increased to Level 2!
New skill acquired: [AWARENESS] - Level 1
Passive ability gained: Enhanced peripheral vision
The leader's face went red with rage. "I'm going to carve you up, you slippery little bastard!"
He charged again, putting everything he had into a massive overhead swing aimed at splitting Ryo's skull. Ryo stepped forward to get out of the way, still holding his water bottle, and somehow his elbow connected with the bandit's solar plexus. The man folded over like a cheap tent, his sword clattering to the ground as he gasped for air.
"Shit," Ryo said, looking down at the wheezing bandit. "Sorry about that. I was just trying to get out of the way."
The other two bandits had gotten back to their feet, but they were staring at their leader rolling around on the ground and clutching his chest. Crooked Nose looked at Ryo, looked at his unconscious leader, and made a decision.
"Fuck this," he said, grabbing his sword and backing toward the horses. "We're not getting paid enough to deal with whatever the hell you are."
The bull-like bandit nodded frantically. "Yeah, we're done here. Keep your money, man. Just... just stay away from us."
They mounted up and rode off at a gallop, leaving their leader behind. The man was still gasping on the ground, staring up at Ryo with a mixture of pain and confusion.
"Look," Ryo said, finishing his bread and wiping his hands on his pants. "I know this looks bad, but I really wasn't trying to fight you. I just wanted to eat my lunch in peace."
The bandit leader managed to wheeze out a response. "What... what the hell... are you?"
"Just a guy who wants to run a tavern," Ryo said, shouldering his pack. "You should probably find a new line of work. This one doesn't seem to be working out for you."
He stepped over the groaning bandit and continued down the road, leaving the man to contemplate his life choices. After a few minutes, he heard the sound of a horse riding away in the opposite direction.
[WALKING] has increased to Level 3!
[EVASION] has increased to Level 3!
[AWARENESS] has increased to Level 2!
Achievement unlocked: First Combat (Non-Violent)
Bonus experience gained for creative problem solving
Ryo looked at the blue windows floating in his vision and shook his head. "A system that rewards me for not fighting? This world gets weirder by the minute."
But as he walked toward Millhaven and his new slow life, he had to admit the weirdness was growing on him. For the first time in either of his lives, he felt genuinely free.