[Kill the Dark Entities to become stronger!]
Looking at the only line of texts flashing on the screen, Max recalled the last memory of original Max. It was on the day he went to the forest for firewood.
That day, he was chopping down a tree when he suddenly felt the forest become eerily silent. Initially he hadn't noticed it because he was engrossed in swinging his axe, but then he heard the leaves rustle behind him which made him stop and turn around.
However… there was nothing there. Despite that, the leaves continued to rustle and his pupils constricted when he noticed them being pressed down. It was as if someone was stepping on them, walking toward him.
He was badly frightened and wanted to run away but his body had frozen. A few excruciating moments later, he felt two cold hands grab his head.
At that moment, the previously invisible figure, a grotesque, humanoid entity, became visible to him.
Under his horrified gaze, it opened its mouth and inhaled. Immediately, a debilitating sensation of weakness washed over him and he blanked out.
…
'That… ghost? It should count as a dark entity, no?' He mused.
Not long after he digested all the memories, this screen had suddenly appeared in front of him. Seeing how his only encounter with a supernatural force was with that ghost, he was pretty sure it was a dark entity.
Now, he only needed to figure out a way to kill it and see if this screen was really something similar to the systems in those fantasy novels he used to read when he was young and could indeed help him get stronger.
Since this world had supernatural elements, he needed to be strong to ensure his and his new family's safety.
'I should join the city lord's martial art classes while trying to find a way to kill the ghost.' Deciding this, he stood up and stretched his stiff body.
He had already expressed his desire to learn martial arts to the old man who, after telling him to be careful, gave him 10 Bronze Coins—the monthly fee for the City Lord's Martial Classes.
Convincing him was this easy because the old man himself had been telling him to begin learning martial arts for over a year now because a martial artist could better protect himself, possessed stronger vitality than ordinary people and last but not least, he could get a better and well paying job at the City Lord Mansion.
"An, I'm going out for a while. Come, close the door." He called out to Anna, who came rushing over with concern clear on her adorable little face.
"Big Brother, you still haven't recovered completely. Why don't you rest for a few more days?" She said, looking at him pleadingly with her big doe eyes.
Max sighed in his heart. He knew his near death incident had scared her too much. Now, she no longer wanted him to leave the house so he would stay safe.
Her concern touched him but he had to leave the security of the house and get to work otherwise they might not even have a house to live in in near future.
Why?
Because the city was under City Lord Mansion's protection, which saved the citizens from wild beasts and bandits, every household needed to pay the mansion monthly taxes.
If someone failed to pay, their valuables would be taken away and if they failed to pay for several consecutive months, all their properties would be confiscated and they would be driven out of the city.
After their parents died a few years ago, the Ironwood household no longer had any source of income.
But since the tax had to be paid, the old man and Max started working at the City Lord's Mansion as wood choppers.
As long as they could chop 3000 logs a month, they need not pay the taxes. Instead, the City Lord mansion would give some rice and vegetables in compensation.
Though for the old man and then 13-years-old man this task was difficult, they managed to complete it on time.
Then after Max grew older, he made the old man, who could no longer handle such a physically exhausting task, stay at home and began doing it on his own.
In the last one and a half year, wanting to make his household's financial situation better, Max not only chopped 3000 required logs, he also began venturing into the forest and began supplying fire wood to a few homes, earning a little extra income.
Because he was doing this at a small scale and the families he was supplying to could barely afford to buy it from the City Lord Mansion that controlled all the trade in the city, the City Lord Mansion didn't cause him any trouble.
Because despite the old man's advice to not use the little extra money he was earning and save it instead, he went ahead and used it to occasionally buy some nutritious food such as fruit and meat.
While this improved their health somewhat, they didn't have any savings. So, when he fell 'ill', they had no money for a doctor to treat him.
"I have rested enough, little An." He smiled and patted Anna's head, "Now I need to resume working and complete this month's quota otherwise we wouldn't have anything to pay to the City Lord Mansion."
Anna wanted to retort but remembering how their grandpa had been coming home, utterly exhausted after working in Max's place, she kept silent and nodded, "Mm, but take care of yourself, Big Brother and don't go into the forest again. We don't need that extra income."
"Alright." Max agreed. After Anna closed the door, he began walking out of their neighborhood. On the way, many elderly neighbors saw him and asked for his well-being.
He conversed with them for a short while.
Even though they hadn't helped the old man, he didn't feel any resentment for them because he knew their financial situation was no better than theirs. Moreover, even though they couldn't help them financially, ever since he 'woke up', they have been sending nutritious food items for him to recover well.
In fact, the soup Anna gave him just now was made from the vegetables and meat one of their family gave them yesterday.
After making some small talk with them and assuring that he was healthy now, he left and headed toward the southern part of the city, the only place other than the City Lord mansion he had any hope of finding a way to kill that ghost.