Sword God in a World of Magic

The outside world didn't look much different from the basin. It basically only had fewer trees.

There was still a lot of snow everywhere, and the majority of trees were conifers.

One difference of note was the general changes of elevation. The basin had only had mountains around it, and the inside of the basin had been rather even.

In contrast, the outside had far more mountainous terrain. Hills stretched across the landscape, and Alex could see some mountains.

Alex hadn't been to Alaska on Earth, but he assumed that Alaska would look a bit like that.

In the distance, Alex saw a small village.

The village was built on the side of a hill, and he could see around 100 houses made of stone.

Obviously, it was a rather small village.

"That's Coldew Village. You can ask for directions to Warrior's Paradise there," the guard said.

"How did you know that I want to go to Warrior's Paradise?" Alex asked.

"The Duke wrote in his letter that you wanted to join his academy. By the way," the guard said as he remembered something. "You might want to stay at Coldew Village for a while and earn some money."

"Money? Why?" Alex asked.

"The yearly exams for the academy have only recently finished. You either need to wait about eleven months or get some money for a special exam."

Alex didn't like what he had just heard.

This really was bad timing.

"Money, huh?" Alex said.

The guard laughed. "Yep, money is always a problem. It doesn't matter how powerful you become or what job you have. You always need money," the guard said.

I need?"

gold coins," the guard

surprised. "That doesn't sound like a lot," Alex

coins are a gold coin. One average apple costs one copper coin. Do the

the math, and he took a deep

coins were

cost around 20 cents on earth. So, five apples were the equivalent of a

that Alex would have to pay around 10,000

was a lot

it so expensive?"

answered. "First, the academy also needs money. Second, if you want the academy to hold a test for only one person, you better not be a weakling. Strong warriors can earn a lot of money rather easily. For them, getting the funds shouldn't take more than

have, the less it's worth in your eyes. A weak warrior that can't earn any money will think that this is far too much money, but a strong warrior

Alex nodded.

was actually quite

the fact that he had to get so much

should I go about earning money?"

have much money," the guard said. "However, Coldew Village is famous for its Ice Wood. Ice Wood comes from a tree called the Dripping Cold Tree. The Dripping Cold Tree absorbs a lot of Mana and converts it to Ice Mana, which is then stored in its wood. Ice Mages need that wood for a plethora of

should get some of that Ice Wood and sell it at a nearby

said. "Get a sled and a ton of Ice Wood. Transport it to Warrior's Paradise and sell it to a woodworker. That should be enough to cover

supposed to get my hand on a ton

are plenty of beasts that make issues. Ask the mayor for any troublesome beasts and kill them. Say you want

nodded. "That

problem," the guard answered, but then, he extended his right index finger to

of bandits around. It's okay to kill a bandit.

early death because you feel pity for someone that just tried to take your life," the guard

took a deep

Earth

already killed a human before, and he had certainly not

when he thought about killing a human, but he knew that it was a

on strength alone, and such

Alex kill someone for more