Souta sat quietly in the carriage as it slowly rolled along the dirt road, the sound of the wheels turning and the horses hooves clip clopping filled the air, tall trees surrounded both sides of the road, their branches forming different things, Sunlight peeked through the leaves, casting dancing shadows on the ground.
There were five other people in the carriage now, not just him and the driver, an old woman sat beside him, holding a small wooden box on her lap, across from them was a lady with two children who looked tattered and sleepy, a young man with messy hair and a sword at his hip sat outside close to the driver, nobody talked much, the ride was bumpy, and everyone just seemed focused on reaching the capital.
Souta leaned his head on the carriage wall, listening to the sounds outside, but then… he heard something else, Something that didn't belong.
Snap.
It was the sound of a branch breaking, Then some birds flew away from the trees.
Souta sat up straight his eyes narrowed his senses were sharp due to all the experience he had from clearing dungeons, Something wasn't right.
Then
Stop the carriage! the other guy outside shouted.
The driver pulled the reins, and the horses neighed in panic, In an instant, ten men jumped out from the trees, surrounding the carriage, They wore torn clothes, typical of a forest bandit and wicked grins on their faces, some had swords, others had spears or daggers, One of them, clearly the leader, stepped forward.
He was tall with a scar running down his face, He pointed his sword, broken sword towards the carriage.
Hand over your belongings, food, and supplies! Do it now, and maybe we will let you live!
The passengers gasped, the woman hugged her kids tightly, and the old womans hands shook as she tried to hide her box. The young man reached for his sword but didn't draw it.
Souta stood up and stepped out of the carriage.
He didn't look scared, he didn't even look angry, he looked calm, his shirt moved slightly in the wind, In his right hand was a stick just a plain wooden stick he had picked up close to the carriage on the road, It was about the length of his arm, smooth, and a little cracked at the top.
The bandits laughed when they saw him.
What's this kid gonna do with a stick?
Maybe he wants to tickle us to death!
They didn't know who they were messing with.
Hey kid, step back let me handle it the other guy said while drawing his sword.
Souta turned to him and gave a wicked smirk, more like saying sit your ass down young man and watch.
Souta took a step forward, then disappeared.
Void Step.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind one of the bandits and slammed the stick into his knee.
Crack!
The man screamed and fell to the ground.
Before anyone else could react, Souta vanished again.
Whoosh!
He showed up in front of another bandit and swung the stick upward, smacking the man's chin hard, the bandit flew back and rolled on the ground.
The bandits started panicking. H-He's using a skill!, an hunter!
Three of them charged at Souta with their swords raised high.
He didn't move right away, he waited until they got close to him like a second away
Void Step.
He appeared behind them and spun around, hitting all three in the back with clean, fast strikes, they collapsed one after another like trees being cut down.
One bandit threw a dagger at him, It flew fast and aimed straight for his head.
Souta tilted his head slightly.
Swoosh, the dagger missed
He dashed toward the man and jabbed the stick into his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
The leader watched, now sweating this was no ordinary traveler.
"Y-You! Who are you?!" the scar-faced leader asked.
Souta didn't answer.
He moved again, faster than the eye could see, the leader swung his sword, but Souta ducked under it and struck the man's legs, sweeping him off the ground, he fell flat groaning.
In less than five minutes, all ten bandits were either unconscious or too hurt to stand, None of them had died Souta had held back just enough.
The forest became quiet again.
Souta stood with his broken stick. It had cracks running through it, and part of it had snapped off during the fight Still, he held it like a sword.
—
The passengers inside the carriage looked at him like he was a hero from a storybook.
The young man finally spoke. "Th-That was amazing..."
SSS-RANK, he muttered silently
The old man nodded quickly. "You saved us, boy. Thank you."
He stepped forward and dropped some coins on the leaders body, atleast after a good beating they needed something to eat
Souta said nothing, he tossed the stick aside and climbed back into the carriage, sitting down like nothing happened.
The horses moved again, and the journey continued.
————
After eight long hours on the road, the trees finally began to thin, the dirt road turned into cobblestone and then… the capital came into view.
Ashder.
The capital of Valder was bigger than anything Souta had ever seen the city walls were tall and strong, with big iron gates and banners flying high. Guards stood at the entrance, checking people as they entered.
Inside the city, Souta was amazed.
The streets were wide and filled with people, there were buildings made of stone and polished wood, Some had glass windows, others had signs with glowing words, Carriages moved up and down the roads, and lanterns hung from tall posts, Some people wore robes, others wore shiny armor, and some wore trousers and other outfits just like his former world.
It looked modern, like something from a big kingdom with lots of money.
But at the same time, it felt ancient, like it had been there for hundreds of years, Stone statues stood in corners, and old towers reached for the sky, It was a city where the past and future lived together.
Souta walked through the city slowly, looking at everything. He passed shops selling weapons, potions, food, books, and even magical items. He could see a tall glowing tower in the distance. That had to be the Divine Academy.
But right now, he was too tired to care.
He found a small inn called "The Resting Chamber." It looked simple but clean. Inside, there was a kind woman at the front desk who gave him a key after he paid.
His room was on the third floor, It had a soft bed, a wooden chair, a table, and a window that looked out over the street.
Souta sat on the bed and let out a long sigh.
He made it to the capital city of Valder
And now?
Now, it was time to rest.
Tomorrow, he would begin something new.
Something bigger and face different challenges.