Map

Standing quietly to one side, gazing at the distant scenery, Arthur's expression was calm, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

During this time, he had kept up the pretense of not understanding the language. But after so long, he could actually understand some of what people said in this world.

The Chip in his mind was constantly analyzing their language at high speed. After several days, it still couldn't fully decipher every sentence, but it had little trouble with everyday conversation. Arthur had simply never let on.

Footsteps sounded nearby. A middle-aged knight slowly approached.

He walked at an unhurried pace, a gentle smile on his face, and gave Arthur a conventional knight's salute.

Because of the "language barrier," the middle-aged knight said little. Instead, he gestured for a scholarly-looking young man beside him to step forward.

The young scholar wore a respectful expression. He slowly unfolded a sheet of paper in his hands and laid it before Arthur.

It was a meticulously detailed map. The surrounding terrain had been drawn with great care, and everything was clear.

Two circles had also been drawn on the map, with several routes carefully marked between them. At a glance, it was easy to understand.

Arthur's expression shifted slightly as he studied the map, his gaze turning grave.

With his experience, he naturally understood how valuable it was. It not only showed the general terrain of the region but also marked several dangerous areas nearby, highlighted in red as a warning.

Seeing Arthur's reaction, the young man stepped forward and gestured at length until Arthur understood what he meant.

After a moment of thought, Arthur reached out and took the map. He returned the middle-aged knight's salute, then moved aside.

"Lord Alaral, is this really all right?" the young man asked, watching Arthur. "What if something happens to this knight?"

"It won't." Alaral stood where he was, his loose hair hanging down. "The bizarre things don't suddenly erupt all at once. Unless he happens to run into one of the top-tier ones, with the strength he's shown so far, he'll have no trouble leaving before they grow stronger."

"And even if something does happen, we won't lose anything."

Alaral shook his head. "We have plenty of copies of the map. At worst, we'll spend some time making more. The most important thing now is to get out of here as soon as possible."

"The bizarre things are about to erupt. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it gets. We have to leave as soon as possible."

He glanced at Arthur in the distance, then led his people away without hesitation. He seemed deeply wary of this place.

Watching them leave from afar, Erui and the other two hesitated, but ultimately chose not to go with them.

Faced with the possibility of danger, they preferred the safety of the settled life they could see before them.

Just then, they saw Arthur walking farther ahead. They quickly put their thoughts aside and followed him.

Behind them, a group of weary travelers trailed along. They, too, seemed to be following in Arthur's party's footsteps.

These were people they had met on the road. After witnessing Arthur's strength, they had chosen to follow along of their own accord.

This did make them easier to notice, but in practice, it actually made them safer.

With Arthur leading the way, all the terrifying beasts they encountered were hunted down, greatly reducing the danger they faced.

Even their food was readily available: they could get it from the corpses of the beasts Arthur had killed.

After several days of this, more than a dozen people were following them.

Arthur paid them no mind and even seemed to tolerate their presence.

A large group would attract the mutated creatures, which made it easier for Arthur to hunt them along the way. He didn't need to search for the creatures himself.

Of course, the result was that he earned a great deal of admiration from these people.

"My lord, this is the village where we live."

As they reached the village, Erui respectfully addressed Arthur from outside it.

"Erui, there's no point. This lord can't understand you," the young man beside him said, shaking his head.

When they had first met Arthur, they had tried to communicate with him. The results had been deeply disappointing.

At first, Arthur not only didn't speak their language, but also didn't seem to understand what they were saying. It was as if he had only just arrived in this land.

In private, they had guessed that Arthur was a powerful nobleman's descendant from a distant kingdom, and that he had only just arrived in this country when the disaster broke out three years ago. That would explain his situation.

Their theory still had some gaps, but it was enough to account for Arthur's circumstances. So, over time, Erui and the others had given up trying to talk to him and decided to communicate with him gradually.

Arthur suddenly stopped and looked toward the village.

Several warriors emerged from within, led by a thin man on horseback. They came to a halt before the group.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, frowning at the scattered people before him.

His question drew a flurry of voices from the group, and the area quickly grew noisy.

Seeing this, Erui wiped his brow and walked forward with the two people beside him.

The three of them were from this village and naturally knew the man. They quickly explained what had happened.

"So you're telling me that this kid, who looks like a girl, escorted you all the way back here?"

The thin man's eyes widened as he pointed at Arthur in the distance. "The kingdom's been in ruins for years. This isn't some April Fools' joke!"

"I'm sorry, Lord Laman. It's hard to believe, but that's what happened."

Erui wiped his brow and sighed as he answered him.

"Let them in first." Laman shrugged and stepped aside, clearing the way for the people to enter. Then he led his men over to Arthur.

Arthur watched calmly, showing no sign of surprise. He simply observed in silence.

Unnamed individual. Strength: 1.3. Agility: 1.1. Constitution: 1.3.

When the man came within five meters of Arthur, the Chip's mechanical voice sounded in his mind once again.

"I hear you're a formidable knight."

Laman rode up to Arthur, looking down at him from horseback. He stopped a meter away. "As it happens, I'm a powerful knight myself. Care for a little spar—"

Boom!

A sharp sound suddenly rang out beside him.

Looking at the man before him, Arthur drew his sword with his right hand and swung it to the right without changing expression.

A fierce sword ring rang out. His blade swept across several meters, carving a three-to-four-meter-long gash into the stone slabs on the ground.

Raman's expression changed from contempt to shock.