Ackster continued through the forests and grasslands that occasionally appeared. Badhurst's main export was lumber, so it wasn't strange for the country to be covered by trees. But Ackster also made sure that, even while heading straight east, he stayed within forests as much as possible.
He would leave traces of his passing regardless of where he went, but at least he wouldn't be spotted from the horizon if he were inside a forest. The forests were also more bountiful when it came to beasts and monsters, so Ackster had an easier time hunting and training.
Ackster was still dissatisfied with the lacking training due to the weakness of the monsters and beasts he hunted. But he could feel that his foes were gradually getting stronger. He had also seen traces of larger monsters and beasts, which would be stronger than the ones he had fought so far.
And when he finally stumbled upon a large golden field of wheat, Ackster finally confirmed that the increasing strength in the monsters wasn't a coincidence.
He had left the center of the Tenger continent. Ackster had entered the great Queendom of Lill, and he could finally start looking for traces of Karandiel.
Well, he had constantly been on the lookout for signs of a Fallen Angel. But now Ackster felt that he was at least looking in the right direction.
Unfortunately, there was another problem with his angel hunt, which wasn't the fact that he didn't know where she appeared or that he wouldn't be the only one to notice her appearance if he did see her Fall.
Ackster didn't know when she Fell, either. He only knew that it was around this time. It was around the time The Hero caused a ruckus in the Merchant's Association of Badhurst while at the merchant town Nereo.
But Ackster hadn't had the most success in keeping track of the time he had spent in the wild. Even if he knew exactly how many days, and not just the fact that it was a couple of weeks, it wouldn't have mattered since the readers weren't told the specifics, only that it was around this time in the original story.
While thinking about what to do, Ackster looked down at his body and the rags that were trying to cover it.
After all of his fights with monsters, beasts, and branches, Ackster's clothes had taken quite the beating. And, unlike their owner, they didn't have any regenerative capabilities. He had considered taking and using the skins and furs of a few of the beasts he had killed since they would also offer protection against the weather and other beings in addition to covering his privates.
Ackster might have gone half-mad after the stress he experienced straight after his transmigration and all he had forced himself to endure, but he hadn't lost his dignity.
However, without proper treatment, those skins and furs were bound to start to stink and go bad, which Ackster didn't want to bother walking around with.
Besides, they would also impede his training progress if they protected him from his enemies and the elements. So, Ackster skipped that and clung to his rags. If he needed new clothes, he could just stop by a town or something and either kill a beast and sell the materials he could get from it or steal something to wear.
"That's… actually not such a bad idea."
As he honestly considered it, Ackster realized that it was something that only benefited him.
He would only be at risk of getting discovered if he fucked up royally and someone recognized him or if he divulged his identity on his own, which could happen because of magic.
But if he found a decent-sized town and entered it without raising too many waves by pretending to be an unlucky adventurer, Ackster could take a break from the forest and gather some information.
He could look for strong monsters and beasts in the area as well as information about Karandiel.
"It's decided, then!"
Ackster decided that if he didn't find Karandiel on the night of her Fall, he could at least make sure he didn't lose her by looking for rumors in nearby towns or cities about her appearance.
If there weren't any rumors, she either hadn't appeared or someone had suppressed them. If that were the case, Ackster probably wouldn't have gotten his hands on Karandiel since only someone influential or powerful would be capable of suppressing rumors like the ones that would inevitably pop up after Karandiel appeared in the skies.
And then, while moving between different towns and places on the outskirts of Lill, looking and searching for Karandiel or rumors about her, Ackster could also defeat stronger monsters and beasts to train and strengthen himself.
Now, Ackster only had to find a town or something and begin looking for Karandiel and worthy opponents.
But there was something he had to do before he reentered society. He had to disguise himself.
Blue hair and eyes weren't necessarily rare, but Ackster had a conventionally attractive face when it wasn't covered in dirt and dried blood. Even walking through town was bound to draw attention.
And if he, by some unlucky happenstance, caused a ruckus and someone got a good image of his face, Ackster's identity could possibly be revealed. Maybe not at once, but in a while. And if it happened before the ten years were up, Ackster would have failed since The Hero could find out and decide to track him down and kill him.
However, Ackster wasn't sure about how to disguise himself.
Since his Nominus Card looked like it did. It didn't have his name, and his profession was between brackets. It would pan like Melia predicted. He would be stopped by the guards as soon as he tried to enter any place with humans.
And unlike Gerrick and Melia, who didn't look too closely at Ackster's appearance or try to see through any eventual disguises, the guards of a town would probably do their job, especially since he didn't have anything to bribe them with.
They would see through Ackster's attempt at disguising his most apparent feature, his blue hair, with dirt as soon as they looked at him.
"Hey, you're supposed to be a Doppelganger Slime, right? Got any good tips for disguising?"
While thinking about what to do, Ackster decided to ask his one and only travel companion for advice. It was at least better than deciding to shave it all off at once.