The Homeseeker: An Elemental Adventurer LitRPG

Chapter 17 - It's Not Just A Boulder...

Fran led the way outside the gate, waving off the warnings received by the guards on the walls. She walked with a skip in her step, so much energy that Zalan wondered if she had one of those Indefatigable Iron Artifacts on her person, but quickly dismissed the idea as being very foolish for an adventurer, especially one outside the safety of their city.

Gorb walked at the same pace as Zalan, keeping himself close once they exited the city, ensuring that any sneak attacks would not hit Zalan alone. Zalan looked up to the tall man, wondering what kind of thoughts he had behind his placid face.

"Hey, Gorbonifus, how come Rep can call you Gorb?" Zalan asked, curious.

"Because he has proven himself to be strong," Gorb replied simply, as though it were obvious.

"He's not even that high of a Level," Zalan pointed out.

"One's Level is a small part of what makes them strong," Gorb said sagely.

"Okay, then what makes Rep powerful?" Zalan asked.

Gorb looked down at him, considering whether he felt like answering the question. Zalan stared back, determined not to look away until Gorb chuckled dryly and decided to respond.

"Rep has the strength of selflessness. A seemingly endless amount. I have never seen someone more willing to help another than Rep. I do not believe he pursues his own passions, except that he believes it will be useful in assisting someone later. I have never seen him ask for something in return. He told me that his reward is between him and God," Gorb said.

Zalan blinked, stunned at the idea. He had heard his Mom say that sentiment once before. Rep had been so willing to help him from the beginning. He couldn't remember a single time that Rep denied him something that he wanted to pursue here. Was the mention of "being inspired" all a lie to make Zalan feel better about Rep helping him? Or was there actually something he saw? There had to be something more to Rep than just helping people.

"What does Rep like? What does he do?" Zalan asked, continuing down his thread of curiosity.

"He likes to help others," Gorb replied.

"But I mean, what does he do outside of helping others? If I weren't here right now, what kind of things would he be up to?" Zalan asked.

"Very likely asking someone else if they needed assistance," Gorb said.

Zalan scoffed to himself, the idea was absurd. Gorb read Zalan's expression and continued,

"If Rep spent some of his time training, he would certainly be at my Level, perhaps even Fran's Level. Or higher. But he does not seem interested in pursuing strength despite being in a guild. He spends his time at the service of others. Without complaint. That makes him one of the strongest people I know," Gorb said.

Zalan was amazed and suddenly felt slightly off about Rep. He thought they were becoming friends, led together by this idea of "inspiration" that came to Rep. But Rep clearly never wanted to talk about it. He was dodging the idea to not make it awkward that he just wanted to help. So, perhaps they weren't really becoming friends. Rep was just working on his next project. Zalan sighed to himself at the idea, reminding himself this world wasn't consequential to his reality. He looked back up to Gorb.

"So, if I become a better person, then you'll let me call you Gorb?" Zalan asked.

"No, Rep is at least competent at fighting. I saw you try to shock my sister. It was pathetic," Gorb said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, okay, sure," Zalan said, feeling warm under his collar.

"We have arrived!" Fran said in a sing-song voice, presenting a massive pile of stones each about the size of a beach ball ahead of them. Each of the stones were resting on or around a giant boulder.