The forest was quiet… too quiet.
Akg's instincts prickled. He shifted his weight, eyes scanning the dense undergrowth. Leaves rustled — not from the wind, but from something moving.
"System, scan the surroundings," he murmured.
> Ding!
Threat detected: Wild forest tiger, approximately 3 meters in length, closing in from the left flank.
Akg barely had time to turn before the massive beast burst from the bushes, muscles rippling, amber eyes locked on him. Its roar shattered the forest stillness as it leapt.
Without thinking, his body reacted — Weapon Mastery flooding his mind with options. His gaze darted to the fallen branch at his feet, long and sturdy. He snatched it up, gripping it like a quarterstaff.
The tiger pounced.
Akg sidestepped with surprising speed, the Physique Upgrade making his movements light and precise. He swung the branch in a powerful arc, striking the tiger's side with a bone-jarring crack.
The beast snarled, stumbling but not retreating. Its tail lashed as it circled him.
"Persistent, huh?" Akg muttered. "Alright… let's end this."
When the tiger lunged again, Akg didn't dodge. He stepped in, twisting his body to drive the branch upward into its jaw. The force sent the animal reeling, and before it could recover, he slammed the makeshift staff down across its skull.
The tiger collapsed with a heavy thud, unconscious.
> Ding!
Combat complete. Minor reward: 50 Points.
Akg exhaled, tossing the broken branch aside.
"Not bad for my first fight here…" he smirked. "If this is just the forest wildlife, I can't wait to see what the people are like."
Somewhere beyond the trees, the faint sound of galloping hooves reached his ears.
"Looks like I'm about to find out."
The sound of hooves grew louder, accompanied by the jingle of armor and faint shouts.
Akg crouched low behind a thick bush, peering through the leaves.
A small patrol of mounted soldiers was riding through the forest clearing ahead.
At the front, on a chestnut horse, was a slim, sharp-eyed young "man" in ornate but practical armor — too refined to be an ordinary soldier. Akg's eyes narrowed.
"That's her… Rudhra Devi. Disguised as a man, just like the system said."
Before he could study her further, movement in the treeline caught his eye.
Shadows slipped between the trunks — bandits, at least a dozen, spreading out in a half-circle around the patrol.
One of them, a scar-faced brute, crept up behind Rudhra Devi, a curved blade raised high for a killing strike.
Akg didn't think. He moved.
His gaze fell on a sword lying beside an old skeleton half-buried in the soil. The steel was weathered but intact. He snatched it up and surged from the bushes.
"Hey! Over here!" he shouted, his voice ringing like a challenge.
The bandit froze, startled, just as Akg closed the distance. Weapon Mastery flowed through his limbs — his stance solid, his swing precise. With a single upward slash, he knocked the bandit's weapon aside, sparks flying.
The other bandits roared and charged at him, abandoning their ambush. Akg danced between them, the blade flashing in smooth, fluid arcs. He turned their clumsy attacks against them, disarming two, slicing another's belt so his trousers fell and tripped him into the dirt.
The soldiers rallied instantly, surging forward to capture the distracted bandits. Within moments, the tide turned — the forest floor littered with groaning, defeated men.
When it was over, Akg stood calmly, sword resting on his shoulder, barely winded.
Rudhra Devi — still in her male disguise — dismounted, eyes fixed on him. There was a spark of intrigue there, a silent acknowledgment of skill.
"You fight well… stranger," she said, voice measured but edged with curiosity.
Akg smirked faintly, meeting her gaze.
"Just lending a hand. Seemed a shame to let amateurs like that stain the road with your blood."
Her lips quirked slightly — the faintest ghost of a smile — before she turned to her soldiers.
"Take them back to the capital for questioning."
As the prisoners were bound, Rudhra Devi looked back at Akg, clearly evaluating him.
For the first time since arriving, he felt the main quest pulse faintly in his mind… as if the game had truly begun.