After leaving "Antara" at dawn, Saelran followed the information and basic map he had gathered from the Adventurers' Guild and headed toward the northwestern border of the Avendele Kingdom, near the Arkenwald Forest.
There stood a place known as Naret Village.
This small frontier village had nearly a century of history, but even its long past had not changed its poverty.
The village was completely unnoticed within the kingdom and ignored by most people, yet in the game, it served as a central element in several plot developments.
Of course, the village was not directly tied to major plot points, but instead functioned as a key transit location in the story.
"Wah wah!"
From the tall grass on a remote hillside by the roadside, a goblin suddenly jumped out.
Saelran glanced at it, instantly drew the iron sword at his waist, sidestepped the ambush with ease, and slashed in the same motion.
Thud!
Steel flashed.
The goblin screamed as its body was cut cleanly in half.
『Gained 30 Experience Points』
Without expression, Saelran flicked the green blood from his sword and swept his gaze around. Four more goblins emerged from the bushes.
"Annoying creatures," Saelran muttered, then shouted,
"Magic Arrow!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After spending 5 mana points, Saelran used 1 more to create four Magic Arrows that shot toward the goblins.
Four bursts of green blood bloomed in the air.
With four thuds, his attribute panel displayed new information:
『Gained 28 Experience Points』
『Gained 26 Experience Points』
『Gained 29 Experience Points』
"More or less the same as the experience from wild beasts. I should be able to level up once I reach Naret Village."
Leveling up really is fast in the early stages.
Saelran stepped forward and severed the little fingers of the dead goblins. After all, goblin fingers could be exchanged for money at the Adventurers' Guild.
The income was quite decent.
The journey continued…
Saelran encountered several more waves of attacks. This time, however, they were not only goblins but also smaller magical beasts.
After dealing with those encounters, he eventually arrived at a small village surrounded by wooden fences, with puffs of smoke rising from chimneys in the distance as evening approached.
At a glance, the wooden palisade offered almost no protection against the monsters roaming the forest.
The fact that Naret Village, so close to the Arkenwald Forest, remained unharmed was notable on its own.
After traveling the roads and facing frequent attacks, Saelran noticed the pattern clearly.
Ever since he left "Antara," the number of monsters and goblins had gradually increased. Yet the closer he got to Naret Village, the fewer monsters he encountered.
This was because the Arkenwald Forest was the domain of the three Monster Bosses known as the Sovereigns of the Forest.
The Southern Sovereign, Forest Guardian, Karaman.
The Eastern Sovereign, Ogloo the Gruunfang.
The Western Sovereign of Lake Abel, Aris the Slythar.
These three beings jointly ruled the entire Arkenwald Forest, and Naret Village lay within the territory of the Forest Guardian.
That was the reason no monsters attacked Naret Village.
All three Sovereigns were around level 30, with the Forest Guardian being slightly stronger. In human terms, they had all stepped into the Heroic Realm.
However, a human in the Heroic Realm was nearly incomparable to any of the three Sovereigns in a one-on-one battle.
This was the natural advantage of demi-humans and beastkin!
Saelran shifted his gaze from the entrance of Naret Village to the ancient forest stretching far beyond.
His view was blocked by dense, towering foliage. He could not see anything clearly, yet his eyes revealed a sense of seriousness and concern.
Within Arkenwald Forest, the truly terrifying being was not the three Sovereigns.
It was the creature that dwelled deep within.
Deep inside the Arkenwald Forest, there existed a plant-type Boss Monster that had reached Level 90, a level possessed by only a few native NPCs in this world.
Fortunately, the Boss Monster had been sealed, preventing it from wreaking havoc on the land.
However, the seal would gradually weaken over the decades and had to be reinforced periodically.
In four years, that seal would weaken again.
The Umbral Doctrine, the strongest military order of the Sacred Kingdom, was secretly preparing a large-scale ritual to stabilize the seal.
But their plan was sabotaged. The Nine Gate of Helldusk arrived to disrupt the ritual.
They were led by Vesveria.
Their goal was simple. As one of the few beings in this world who possessed Level 90, they intended to recruit the Devil Tree into their ranks.
However, Vesveria underestimated the threat posed by the Umbral Doctrine. She attacked without knowing her opponent's strength or information.
What she faced was the Umbral Doctrine, the special forces of the Sacred Kingdom whose members had all stepped into the Heroic Realm, each possessing a level above 30.
Of course, for a Level 100 being like Vesveria, they were nothing more than small toys. Yet what she did not know was that one of those small toys carried the Ultimate Artifact known as the Crown of Quiet Hand.
The Sacred Kingdom had ordered them to bring the Ultimate Artifact, the Crown of Quiet Hand—an artifact said to be capable of subduing and controlling any creature.
The battle erupted. The Ultimate Artifact, originally intended to be used on the Devil Tree, was forced to be used on Vesveria instead.
Although the Umbral Doctrine suffered heavy losses and the ritual failed, the artifact had already embedded its influence. Vesveria's consciousness was subdued and taken over by the artifact's wielder.
This was why Vesveria, although restrained, turned into a wild monster. Everything happened because the one controlling the Crown of Quiet Hand had died.
Saelran then learned from the Guard Team that the Devil Tree had appeared two hundred years ago, at the same time the Four Apex emerged, so it seemed that the Devil Tree was not a native monster of this world.
"Who are you!"
Suddenly, two middle-aged villagers holding steel pitchforks appeared at the entrance of Naret Village, staring at Saelran warily.
"I am a passing adventurer," Saelran said gently. "I would like to request lodging for the night."
Hearing this, the two villagers exchanged glances. Their vigilance did not disappear, and they first looked behind Saelran.
Seeing that he was alone, their expressions softened slightly.
"Wait here,"
one of the villagers said. Clearly unable to make a decision on his own, he hurried back into the village.
It did not take long.
The villager returned with a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties or fifties, dark-skinned, rugged, and with brownish-gray hair. Judging from his appearance, he was most likely the village chief of Naret.
Upon arriving, the village chief observed Saelran closely, his gaze lingering on Saelran's black hair.
"You are here to request lodging?" the village chief asked in a rough voice.
"Yes," Saelran nodded.
"In that case, please come in," the chief replied without hesitation.
The response surprised Saelran.
Naret Village rarely received outsiders except for tax collectors and herb traders who visited at the end of autumn.
"Chief?"
The two villagers were startled, clearly not expecting the chief to accept so quickly.
It was already late in the day, and someone arriving at such a time naturally made them uneasy.
"For the past month or two, the forest's spirits and wild beasts have been the most restless," the village chief sighed as he opened the gate.
Upon hearing this…
The two villagers suddenly understood.
Although their village was peaceful, the road to reach it was far from safe.
The fact that this young man had made it here alone spoke volumes about his strength.
The village's wooden fences would offer no protection against someone like him.
The fact that he had not caused trouble meant he did not harbor ill intentions.
Realizing this, the two villagers relaxed their guard.
Led by the village chief, Saelran followed him into Naret Village.