Ackster had successfully gotten his hands on Karandiel, one of the characters in the original story who defeated The Hero. Well, she did it before The Hero fully matured, but she did it nonetheless. And, in doing so, she proved her potential. Karandiel's altercation with The Hero happened in the latter half of the original story, and while The Hero wasn't as strong as he could be, he had still been trounced by the Fallen Angel.
That fight had also told the readers of the original story about part of how Karandiel's power worked. Unlike Ackster, The Hero, and practically everyone else on Millmeria, Karandiel's power was based on her innate skill, which had something to do with her convictions. The stronger she believed in something, the stronger she was.
That was also why her strength wasn't guaranteed in all situations. Since she had disagreed with The Hero, she had managed to beat him. But if she were to fight for a cause she didn't believe in, she would lose her power.
And that was where Ackster's next problem came in.
He had to convince her to help him. And he didn't know the details of how her power worked, why she had been cast out of the divine realm, what her convictions were, or anything about her, really.
Ackster hadn't the faintest of how he was supposed to get Karandiel to help him stop The Hero from destroying the world after he defeated The Calamity. Well, Karandiel wasn't necessarily opposed to the world's continued existence, so that aspect shouldn't necessarily be a hindrance.
However, it was still almost ten years left before that happened. Was Ackster just going to tell her that he has reincarnated into this fictional world and that the world will end in ten years if he does nothing?
As far as he knew, Karandiel didn't have a skill to discern between lies and truth. And as long as Ackster thought he was speaking the truth, which he was, skills like that were useless.
He decided to play it cool. Instead of rushing into getting Karandiel to become a subordinate or coworker or something, he should make sure to leave a good impression and figure out what kind of person Karandiel was. Then, when he knew what she thought of Millmeria and the people on it, he could hopefully find a way to convince her to grow stronger with him and, in the end, stop The Hero from bringing on the end.
To that end, he ran without stopping, even after leaving the wooden passageway and the grove. There could still be other adventurers waiting outside the grove or on their way to the grove that would take note of Ackster carrying Karandiel.
But hopefully, those who had seen his face were still inside the grove or had left entirely, and those who had yet to arrive at the heavenly treasure's crash site wouldn't connect him to the rumors of a black-haired ruffian dominating and forcing everyone to give up the treasure. He was, after all, carrying a woman, not treasure in the traditional sense of the word.
The blood from the wounds he acquired during his fight with Hansel could also serve as a way to make people believe the unconscious woman in his arms was injured and in need of medical assistance. That way, even if they were powerful enough to stop Ackster, they wouldn't.
Ackster realized thinking about hypothetical situations was only adding to his worries and stress and tried not to do it. He focused solely on his tired body. Although he hadn't done any heavy lifting, he had run while carrying the training equipment for several hours at as great a speed as he could maintain. He had then fought with Hansel, who surpassed him in stats and skills, especially when he wore the training equipment.
And after removing the training equipment, Ackster had broken down his body and accumulated some internal injuries with Limit Breaker. Since he had gotten Karandiel, it was more than worth it. But he didn't have much gas left in him, at least not without a proper feast.
So, he had to find or make a place where he and Karandiel could rest since she also looked weary after her Fall. Then, with a secluded location secured, he could get started on food and disguises.
It was just that they were in the middle of a seemingly endless sea of grass. The occasional grove, mini-forest, and pile of rocks were the only islands, and they were more than likely already occupied by adventurers looking for a break from the grass or something specific.
He couldn't run forever, especially not on an empty stomach. But he couldn't just stop and drop Karandiel while he hunted for some food.
At that thought, Ackster also realized he would have to change his eating habits slightly.
He didn't know what Karandiel's diet in the divine realm was or if she ate up there at all, but as far as he knew, even Fallen Angels had to eat when in the mortal realm. But, regardless of how hungry she was, Ackster didn't think she would appreciate raw meat with the fur of the being it came from still attached.
He didn't have to stop eating it, but he would at least have to offer Karandiel some proper food if he wanted to leave a good impression.
And to prepare food properly in the middle of nowhere, he would either need some more resources than the ones he had on hand, a specialized skill, or magic that could let him cook the meat he hunted.
'What a fucking hassle.'
Ackster kept his vision, which felt even sharper than usual, trained on the horizon around him in case something suitable popped up. If he had to clear out a grove from any occupants just to get some peace, he would do it without hesitation.
However, it seemed like he wouldn't get that far.
Karandiel stirred.