The Ring of Will

Shadows darted through the forest, splitting up from time to time before gathering again.

"Any sign of them?"

"There are traces remaining to the east. They're very likely our target. Judging by how fresh they are, the trail can't be more than a day old."

"They're fast. Keep moving, and stay alert. Our target is the one who took down the Wind Serpent Lord, so don't underestimate them."

"Understood!"

After their conversation, the three shadows turned into streaks of black and vanished into the depths of the forest. They moved without a sound, not even disturbing the birds perched in the trees.

Only after the shadows had left did the blue-green bird, which had been sitting silently on a branch, spread its wings and take flight.

"Someone's following us?"

At the Soul Bird's report, Rhode's expression darkened slightly. The translucent, blue-green Soul Bird perched quietly on his shoulder, occasionally shaking its head or stretching its wings. It looked no different from an ordinary bird. Only its semitransparent body and the elemental glow surrounding it showed that this bird wasn't an ordinary creature.

Rhode had come up with the idea of using the Soul Bird to keep watch while they traveled. Players heading into the mountains in a party usually brought along a scout, such as a rogue or ranger, to make sure the road ahead was safe. But Rhode clearly didn't have that luxury, so he had to settle for using one of his summons to scout the way. Fortunately, the Soul Bird had excellent vision, and its innate ability as a spirit-element creature to sense souls also gave Rhode some peace of mind. He had originally sent it to patrol behind them as a precaution, to see if killing that level-ten direwolf had gotten them into trouble. Instead, it had stumbled upon an even bigger problem.

Although sensing souls couldn't reveal a target's exact appearance and only allowed him to judge their strength by the glow of their souls, Rhode could tell from their speed that something was wrong. The only people who could move so swiftly through the forest were rangers or spies—professions that, one way or another, operated in the shadows. And their movements were well coordinated. It was hard to imagine they were ordinary adventurers.

Had they just happened to pass by, or were they targeting his group?

Rhode didn't dare take a chance. It would have been one thing if they had approached openly, but people who hid in the shadows were the hardest to deal with. And with Lize's earlier warning on top of that, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. If these people were hostile, there was no telling how things might turn out.

But when Rhode glanced at Lize beside him, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He had an idea.

"Mr. Rhode, where should we go next?"

Lize handed a canteen to the chubby merchant, who sat nearby with a flushed face and sweat pouring down him, then asked her question. Rhode hadn't said much, but Lize had taken care of the merchant throughout the journey. As the young woman put it, her mercenary group had accepted a commission to protect this gentleman. Even if she was the only one left, she still had to see the job through as long as it remained unfinished.

Mace was naturally grateful beyond words. But judging by how he was gasping for breath, he probably wouldn't last much longer if they kept walking.

"Mr. Rhode... I'm exhausted... I... I need a break!"

The chubby merchant had already slumped to the ground as soon as Rhode stopped. Clutching his briefcase as if it were a treasure, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face. His plump cheeks gleamed with oil, shining like a lightbulb in the sun.

"Holy Soul, save me... I haven't walked this... this far in... cough, cough... years!" The merchant couldn't catch his breath and broke into a violent coughing fit, his chubby cheeks wobbling with each cough. It took him a while to recover. "I... I can't walk this far. I think... I think I'm going to die!"

"Five minutes."

Rhode glanced at the sky, then worked out the distance and time remaining before giving the order. At his words, the merchant, who had been sitting on the ground, let out a wail and flopped onto his back. Lize sighed softly and sat down on a nearby rock.

They hadn't encountered any particular danger since then. With the Soul Bird scouting ahead, Rhode had led them around several dangerous areas without difficulty. They had missed out on a few chances to find valuable equipment as a result, but Rhode didn't mind. Unlike the game, this world wasn't crawling with players, and ordinary adventurers didn't go wandering through mountains and forests at every opportunity. They could always come back after he got the two of them out of the mountains and had a chance to rest. But...

Rhode glanced at the mountains not far away and stood up.

"Lize."

"Yes, Mr. Rhode? What do you need?"

"I'm going to scout ahead. After you've rested for five minutes, take Mr. Mace up the mountain. See that white rock? Head there, then go into the shade. You'll find an abandoned mountain path. Wait for me there. I'll be along shortly."

Lize looked up and followed the direction Rhode was pointing. It didn't take her long to spot the white rock on the nearby mountainside. She turned back to him, puzzled. She didn't know how he knew about it. The young woman opened her mouth, but didn't ask. After traveling with him for the past few days, she'd realized that she could rely on him. She didn't know what he was planning, but she nodded and watched him turn and leave.

Rhode, of course, had a reason of his own. That rock marked the entrance to the Zenar Mountain Path, once a thriving trade route. The ancestors of the northerners had devoted their entire lives to carving out a road through these mountains, one that crossed the range and linked the plains to the lands beyond. The route had once brought them great prosperity. But as air travel came into use, the open sky proved far safer than a forest full of dangers. The trade route gradually fell into disuse, and the people who had depended on it left long ago in search of a better life, abandoning their homes until the area became a wasteland once more.

The march of civilization always made yesterday's miracles meaningless. It was the same in every world.

But Rhode hadn't come here to sightsee or ponder the meaning of life.

He stopped. Before him lay a desolate expanse.

And corpses.

White bones lay half buried in the dirt, with scraps of leather armor and corroded weapons scattered across the ground. These remains belonged to a mercenary group called Tiger Fang. They had been ambushed by bandits on an expedition, and the two sides had killed each other. In the game, Rhode would first have had to accept a quest from the Mercenary Guild, then investigate the group's last commission based on the clues, follow the map to find the site, and finally return with the token and treasure. But that was the game, where following each step was mandatory. Even so, plenty of veterans wouldn't bother with such a complicated process. They'd simply grab the token while they were there and turn it in at the Mercenary Guild later. It saved time, was more convenient, and spared them all those tedious steps. Why not?

But Rhode hadn't come here just to skip a few steps.

As he walked deeper into the battlefield, Rhode spotted a skeleton lying beside the cliff wall. It wore a suit of corroded steel armor, and a black, rusted iron sword lay beside its hand. That was his target: the leader of the mercenary group.

Rhode crouched in front of the bones and gave them a glance before reaching out. He soon pulled a mercenary badge from the skeleton. It was the token of the Tiger Fang Mercenary Group, and the item required to complete the commission. He carefully put it in his pocket, then looked down and quickly found what he was after.

It was a filthy ring on one of the skeleton's fingers.

Rhode carefully removed it. On the surface, the ring seemed completely useless, no different from a piece of scrap metal in a junk heap. But the system notification that appeared before him told him otherwise.

[Black Iron Ring, unidentified, magical energy detected]

"Resonate."

Rhode closed his eyes, gripped the ring in his right hand, and spoke in a low voice, then poured his soul power into it.

The ring in his hand trembled slightly. Its faint magical energy grew clearer, and when Rhode opened his eyes again, the scrap metal was gone. In its place lay a black ring engraved with an ancient pattern.

[Ring of Will, identified. Can activate a Will Shield for five minutes. Immune to mental attacks. Recharge time: three days]

Done.

Rhode slipped the ring onto his right hand and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around for a moment, and when he was sure there was nothing else of value, he turned and headed back to the mountainside.

From there, Rhode could clearly see Lize and Mace struggling toward the white rock. The chubby merchant clearly had no experience climbing mountains. He followed timidly behind Lize, and from the looks of him, if not for the fact that she was a woman and he was too embarrassed to ask, he would probably have begged her to carry him up.

What a useless fool.

Rhode shook his head helplessly and was about to go down and meet them when a warning from the Soul Bird suddenly sounded deep in his mind.

"—!"

Rhode's heart lurched. He hurriedly looked toward the forest, and soon saw three shadows darting out of it.

This was bad!