Human Village

"Yo, Norn! Look what I found!"

In an inconspicuous corner of Gremir Forest, a small tribe of humans lived in simple clothing.

Thanks to the barrier left behind here, they were able to thrive in this patch of pure land.

A blond youth returned from hunting, waving loudly at the black-haired man not far away.

"Erik, don't be so jumpy."

The black-haired man, Norn, walked toward him, but before he could finish speaking, he spotted the figure behind him.

"What's this?"

Looking at the clearly human-shaped creature behind the other man, Norn was a bit surprised. This was the first time he'd seen humans outside their own tribe.

So Mr. Kraft was right after all.

There were other humans elsewhere in this world.

"Where did you find him?"

"In the river over there. I was about to clean my catch when this guy floated down from upstream. I saw he was still alive and brought him back."

Norn carefully studied the unconscious man's face.

His delicate features bore a few scrapes, and his simple clothes were stitched with far better craftsmanship than what they wore.

Clearly, it was the product of one of those big tribes.

"Take him to the hut first. We'll talk when he wakes up."

Norn called Erik over to carry the man to a low-roofed hut, laid him on a bed padded with animal hide, and left after asking his sister to watch over him.

Rhode opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, his whole body throbbing with pain.

I'm alive?

Rhode hadn't expected to survive by sheer luck—falling from such a high cliff without dying on impact.

He assessed his condition. Pain radiated everywhere, but nothing seemed too severe, so he tentatively sat up.

"Don't move. Your body has internal injuries. You need to rest for a while."

A pleasant female voice sounded in his ear. It was a cute black-haired little girl.

But what caught Rhode's attention more was her distinctly human appearance.

Had he stumbled right into the human tribe of Gremir Forest?

To be safe, he had to confirm: "Hello, where is this?"

"Gremir Forest. Brother Erik fished you out of the river. Are you an adventurer from outside?"

The little girl's eyes widened. Their tribe was small, only about a hundred people, so everyone in the village knew each other.

Rhode, sitting before her, was an unfamiliar outsider.

Rhode let out a long breath as the pain eased slightly. Earlier, the agony had twisted his face into a grimace.

He put on a gentle smile, trying not to look too intimidating: "Yes, I'm Rhode. I really am from outside."

The little girl blinked, clearly intrigued by his answer.

"What's it like out there? Mr. Kraft says there are lots of dangerous monsters outside. How did you survive?"

Kraft, huh?

So this really was the human village he'd mentioned. That made things much easier.

All he had to do now was wait quietly for them to arrive. They'd agreed to meet here before being scattered by the Demon Race.

He hadn't expected to turn misfortune into fortune and arrive here first, though.

But the cost had been a bit too high.

Rhode smiled bitterly. "Yeah, it really is dangerous out there."

He recalled the Demon chasing him, and the attack he'd launched at the end.

Too bad he hadn't managed to kill it completely. Its counterattack had knocked him into the river, but falling in had saved him—otherwise, he'd be its meal by now.

Just as he was figuring out how to explain his story, the door creaked open, and the black-haired man, Norn, walked in.

"You're awake?" Norn held a bowl of steaming herbal soup and handed it to Rhode. "Drink this. It'll help with your injuries."

Rhode took the bowl, thanked him, and sipped the bitter liquid.

This was the first time he'd drunk herbal soup since crossing over.

It was a miracle he hadn't gotten sick in the past six months, considering he knew nothing about Chinese herbal medicine and couldn't use Healing Magic. If he fell ill, he'd have to rely on his immune system to work its wonders.

The bitterness made him frown, but soon a warm current spread from his stomach through his body, and the pain noticeably lessened.

"I'm Rhode. Thank you for saving me," Rhode said sincerely.

Norn waved a hand. "No need for thanks. I'm Norn, and this is my sister, Noyun. But can you tell me how you got here?"

Rhode was silent for a moment, then decided not to deceive them and told the truth: "I was chased by a Demon. It knocked me into the river, and I ended up here."

"Demon Race!?" Noyun cried out, her small face full of terror.

In her tribe, the adults described the Demon Race as the most terrifying and dreadful monsters.

They said it had five heads and ten eyes, and if you misbehaved or ran off outside, it would grab you and eat you as food.

Just hearing the word made Noyun's legs start to tremble.

Norn's expression also grew serious: "Are you sure it's the Demon Race? Why would they appear near Gremir Forest?"

Gremir Forest didn't even have a single Monster; it was one of the few peaceful regions in this world.

He and Erik occasionally ventured beyond the forest to find some Monsters to hone their martial skills, but they usually stayed nearby and never dared to stray too far from the forest.

As for the legendary Demon Race, he had never even seen one.

He had only heard from Kraft that they had a physique similar to humans, though there were exceptions.

Rhode nodded: "Absolutely certain, and on top of that, that Demon was strong."

He only knew that his attack hadn't fully killed that Demon, merely heavily wounding it; as for what happened afterward, he had no idea.

Then Rhode added: "Actually, I have companions, including Mr. Kraft. He once told me about your settlement."

"Is Mr. Kraft here too?"

Norn and Noyun spoke at the same time. Kraft was practically a benefactor to their tribe.

The martial skills that he and Erik now possessed were all taught by him. Hearing news of him again now, it was hard not to get emotional.

"That's right. You might get to see him in a few days. He's also the one who told me about your tribe."

The tribe where Norn lived was first mentioned to him by that winged race woman, but Rhode learned more from Kraft.

So saying this wasn't really a problem.