Planning

The tall, long-legged archer, his body packed with muscle, and the arrows gleaming sharply in the darkness constantly emphasized just how dangerous they were.

"Um... hello. I actually mean no harm."

After saying a few words, Yinsen awkwardly realized that no one on the other side was responding to him at all.

They didn't speak the same language!

This was the most frustrating part of crossing planes, so he could only raise both hands to show that he had no weapons and posed no threat.

A woman even broader and taller than the already large, powerful archers stepped out from the crowd and asked something with a stern expression.

Unfortunately, Yinsen still could not understand her.

"This feeling is so depressing."

At that moment, he undoubtedly missed The Ancient One. At least the Sorcerer Supreme could use Mental Link for initial communication, and she could even transmit some linguistic information to him, allowing him to learn a new language in the shortest possible time—mastery was impossible, but he could at least manage everyday conversation.

In fact, the introductory books The Ancient One had given him included spells for mentally communicating with civilizations whose languages he did not understand. Yinsen had long had his eye on that spell, but his Mental Power was nowhere near the required level. Even though the spell did not need Magic Energy to activate, he still could not cast it.

Just as Yinsen was considering what to do, the archers tightly surrounding him opened up a gap, and a woman walked toward him.

She was a very full-figured woman, somewhat plump, though her broad frame kept her from looking bloated.

She wore a brown floor-length dress, with a purple garment on her upper body and a light-purple hooded shawl... or perhaps a cloak? Its ends reached her upper arms, while the back draped all the way down to her calves.

The woman also wore an unremarkable-looking necklace that emitted strange waves, instantly drawing Yinsen's attention.

"You are..."

Just as he was about to ask, he remembered that he could not communicate with these people at all. He could only awkwardly wave to show his goodwill.

To his surprise, that familiar sensation appeared again. This woman was also a mage capable of using Mental Link to communicate.

"Hello, young man. I am Akara, a priestess of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye. Though I do not know where you came from, and though you used a Teleportation Portal that has not been used in a very long time, welcome to our camp."

"Uh... hello, Priestess Akara. My name is Yinsen. I'm just passing through. As for the Teleportation Portal you mentioned... this may be a misunderstanding."

The name Akara was far too familiar. Coupled with the beautiful female archers around him and the woman built more solidly than most men, he immediately realized what world he had come to—Diablo!

Or, more precisely, the world of Diablo 2. He should currently be standing in the "safe zone" from the game's first act, a camp built by the remaining priests of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye and a group of Rogues. Its in-game name was the Rogue Encampment.

That game had been insanely popular back in the day. Even Yinsen, who had not been particularly interested in it at the time, had played it countless times after being dragged into it by his friends.

Perhaps after so many years, he had forgotten most of the details completely, but he still remembered some of the opening content and characters.

Akara, a priestess who could restore the players' condition in the game—was she overwhelmingly powerful in this more realistic Diablo World, or was she merely an ordinary priestess?

From what he could see, the former seemed more likely.

After a brief, cautious exchange, Akara spoke with the burly woman beside her, Kashya. The archers surrounding him gradually dispersed, until only Akara and Kashya remained.

"I am truly sorry about what happened earlier. The forces of darkness are growing stronger by the day, and we have lost all of our Teleportation Portal outposts. When we saw the Teleportation Portal activate, we thought it was a demonic invasion."

"No, it's all right."

Though he had not played Diablo enough to become an expert, he still understood the general background. In an environment where one could be killed anywhere at any time by increasing numbers of Dark Creatures, no amount of caution was excessive.

"Then, young man, where do you come from? Where are you planning to go? Why did you use a Teleportation Portal to come to our camp?"

With Akara's help, Kashya had confirmed that the young man before her carried no demonic aura. Still, maintaining her usual caution, she asked her questions through Akara's translation.

"I come from a very distant place. There was simply a small accident while I was using magic to teleport. As for ending up at your camp, that was probably just a coincidence."

"Teleport?" Kashya turned to look at Akara. "So you are a mage?"

As Akara relayed the question, she frowned. She had not sensed any fluctuations of Magic Energy from Yinsen, yet this young man could skillfully use Mental Power to speak with her, proving that he had at least undergone training in Mental Power manipulation.

"Uh... I haven't even gotten started yet. I've only learned some basic knowledge."

Akara nodded. This matched her judgment, and she explained her conclusion to Kashya.

When Kashya heard that the frail young man before her did not even qualify as a Sorcerer's Apprentice and was merely a novice who had just come into contact with mysterious power, another question became particularly noticeable.

"If you have only just begun, then how did you cast such advanced magic as teleportation?"

"A scroll!" During this time, Yinsen had also been refining his "lie" in his mind, and he happened to know of an item that suited this world's setting. "I originally intended to use a Town Portal Scroll, but something seemed to go wrong when I used it."

Besides translating, Akara, who had been examining something all along, nodded to Kashya. "All connected Teleportation Portals remain closed and unusable. This young man must have coincidentally connected to our camp while using a Town Portal Scroll, briefly activating the Teleportation Portal and allowing him to arrive here."

Akara rubbed her brow. "There are still many unknown aspects to mysterious Magic Energy, and problems occur easily. This is indeed possible."

Having received the answer she wanted, Kashya lowered her guard around Yinsen and even arranged a separate tent for him to rest in.

There was no surveillance. They even provided food and hot water. This was largely because the enemies this world faced were demonic creatures and creatures mutated by the invasion of Dark Energy. Yinsen had no Dark Energy fluctuations on him whatsoever and was a pure human, naturally placing him on the same side. As long as a few doubts were resolved, he would not be treated as an enemy.

After speaking with Akara for a while longer, Yinsen gradually learned that although this world was based on a game, it differed enormously from one.

There was no Storage Space—the backpack was truly just a backpack. You could not casually stuff things into some convenient pocket dimension. If you wanted to carry more, then make your body stronger.

Potions did exist, but they were not as miraculous as in the game, where someone on the verge of death could become lively again. Red Potions could accelerate recovery from injuries and were generally used both internally and externally. As for blue potions, he had not seen any yet.

There was no class selection either—the various classes in the game actually came from different sects or factions here. If Yinsen wanted to become a paladin or a mage, he would have to join the corresponding faction, pass rigorous tests, and then undergo harsh training before he could possibly become a qualified paladin or mage.

That was obviously impossible! Although Yinsen was staying in the Diablo World longer than last time, he only had one month.

In one month, he would have to pass the tests and gain permission to join, earn enough regard to receive sufficient teachings and inheritance... Yinsen decided he might as well go to sleep. Even if he truly were a Son of the Plane, he could not manage it. Traveling from the Rogue Encampment to those places alone would take more than a month.

"Time is limited. What can I gain from this world?"

Simply replenishing food and water? He might be able to get a small amount, but looking at the Rogue Encampment, where most people had to take turns using a single tent, it was unrealistic to pack up large quantities of food and drinking water to take away unless he had something to trade or this world's currency.

More importantly, the Diablo World's power level was not low. If he returned with only some food after learning nothing, it would be far too wasteful of the Space-Time Energy that had given him a full month.

"I need to plan carefully. In one month, I must at least gain some ability to protect myself... I don't need to be able to Instant Kill Andariel, but I must be able to defend myself against ordinary people."

He had not forgotten that the world he would return to was also full of danger.

"So learning combat techniques comes first... My physical condition cannot improve much in a short time, but I can learn the fundamentals first and keep training after I return."

"What can increase my strength in the short term, besides techniques, is external aid..."

Although the Diablo World had a general setting resembling medieval Europe, that did not mean its weapons were weak... on the contrary, this was a world filled with mysterious power. Even a broken stick casually tossed aside might conceal immense power.

"Maybe I can find a blacksmith to make some weapons tailored to me?"

Yinsen's first thought was to make a gun, but that was not very feasible. Leaving aside whether the blacksmith's craftsmanship would be sufficient, not knowing how firearms were constructed was already a major obstacle. Even if he managed to make the simplest workable musket, how would he solve the problem of propellant?

"So cold weapons imbued with magical power are the best choice... then the question is, how do I obtain them?"