"No,"
Her eyes narrowed, a flash of surprise crossing her face. "What?"
"I said, no."
She stared at him, stunned, as if she hadn't expected anyone to refuse her offer.
"Suit yourself, Keeper. But don't expect me to save you again." She said as sheathed her sword.
And soon, she left.
As he watched her go, he turned and began to walk away. Just like in the previous timeline, he managed to steal some clothes, allowing him to blend more seamlessly into the bustling crowd of the city.
But this time, he had no intention of staying. The city held nothing but danger and deception. He decided to leave, aiming for a small village first, where he could start anew.
Maybe in a place like that, he could quietly build his influence, gather followers, and lay low until he was strong enough to face whatever threats awaited him.
As he approached the city gates,
he noticed a large cart hitched to two tired-looking horses, loaded with a few passengers and crates of goods.
The cart was clearly a kind of public transport, carrying villagers back to the countryside. A line of people stood by, paying a coin or two to the driver before climbing in.
Figuring this was his best chance to leave the city quietly, he joined the line, waiting his turn. When he reached the front, he dropped a couple of coins into the driver's hand.
As for how he got them, it was simple: he found them in the pockets of the clothes he stole.
"Where to?."
"The village at the end of the route," he replied. It didn't matter where exactly—anywhere away from here was enough for now.
The driver nodded and motioned him to climb aboard. He found a spot near the back, wedged between a middle-aged woman with a bundle of herbs and a quiet young man who kept his head down, lost in thought.
As they rumbled out of the city, he let himself relax, listening to the murmur of conversation around him.
The villagers talked about simple things—crops, family news, and village gossip. Nothing significant, but it was strangely calming after all the tension he'd felt since arriving in this world.
The cart rolled on, the city growing smaller in the distance.
The cart jolted over a bump, snapping him out of his thoughts. As they entered the dense woods bordering the village, he noticed a few other passengers glancing around nervously, their hands clenching onto whatever they were holding.
One man leaned forward and whispered to the driver, "Are you sure it's safe through here? I heard there've been… sightings."
"Just rumors," the driver grunted, but his grip on the reins tightened.
He glanced around, his eyes narrowing. Nothing about the cart or its passengers seemed dangerous at first glance; they appeared to be ordinary people, weary from a day's work and eager to reach their village.
Yet that feeling—that sense that something was off—refused to fade.
It was all too similar to the last time he had felt this way, just before Elara pierced a blade through his chest.
Last time, he had ignored it. But this time… should he ignore it again?
No.
He needed to get out of here.
He quickly moved to the back of the cart and jumped down, landing softly on the ground as it continued on without him.
The sounds of conversation faded, leaving him alone in the quiet forest.
Though they noticed him jump down, they did not stop, and soon the cart was out of sight.
They did not even stop for him.
He looked around, finding nothing but trees in every direction. With no clear path, he decided to head back toward where the cart had come from.
But as he walked deeper into the woods, he quickly realized he was lost. The thick underbrush and tall trees made it hard to tell where he was going.
After wandering for a while, he heard a rustling sound nearby.
a pack of wolves slowly came out of the bushes, their eyes shining with hunger as they circled him, low growls rumbling from their throats.
"I guess dealing with wolves won't be too hard for me," he muttered, raising his right hand in the air.
"Mist of Depravity!"
A crimson mist swirled around him, thickening in the air as it enveloped the wolves. Their growls turned to whines as the mist surrounded them. One by one, they fell to the ground, lifeless, as if they were drained of life.
[Hidden Effect Discovered:
Life Drain: The Mist of Depravity drains the life of any normal, non-magical being within the mist.
]
"That was quite easy... and I feel very fresh now. Is this the effect of Life Drain?"
He shook his head and continued walking. Night had fallen, and he put his hands in his pockets, moving aimlessly through the dark forest.
Suddenly, he stopped. "Huh... What is that?"
A blue light flickered in the distance.
[Traces of magic]
"Traces of magic?".
[Yes, it seems to be leading somewhere.]
He followed the light. The glow grew brighter as he approached, revealing the outline of a hidden cave entrance partially concealed by thick vines and moss.
"What is this place?" he wondered, stepping inside.
As he walked deeper into the cave, the walls shimmered with the faint blue light. The air was cool and damp, and he could hear the distant drip of water echoing in the silence. He followed the path until it ended in a small chamber.
There, leaning against the wall, was a skeleton, its bony fingers still clutching a dusty old book. The remains were draped in tattered robes, and a faint aura seemed to emanate from the book.
He approached cautiously, kneeling beside the skeleton.
The book looked ancient, its cover worn and cracked, but the symbols etched into it glowed softly, similar to the light he had followed. He reached out and gently picked the book from the skeleton's grip, brushing away layers of dust.
[Item Acquired: Death Blood Sorcery Guide Book]
[Description: This tome contains advanced techniques for manipulating blood as a source of power. It includes rituals, spells, and Ancient Blood Spells.]
"Death Blood Sorcery?" he muttered, eyeing the ancient tome. "The name sounds powerful..."
He slipped the book carefully into his clothes, making sure it was secure. As he turned to leave the cave.
He will check on the content of this book later
"I should get going," he murmured, stepping out into the night.
Once outside, he took a deep breath of the forest air, as he slowly walked again in a certain direction
...
After some time, he noticed a shape in the distance—a large, shadowy form partially concealed by the trees. As he got closer, he realized what it was.
"Huh... isn't that the same cart?" he muttered, recognizing the worn wooden structure and the familiar tired horses now lying eerily still on the ground.
He approached slowly, scanning the scene. The cart was tipped slightly to the side, one of the wheels broken.
The horses lay motionless in front, their once-tired eyes now frozen wide open in death. Their bodies were twisted awkwardly, suggesting they had tried to escape something but hadn't succeeded.
The smell of blood and sweat in the air.
As he moved closer to the cart itself, he noticed the bodies of the passengers scattered around it.
The middle-aged woman with the bundle of herbs he'd sat next to lay slumped against one of the cart's wheels, her hands still clutching the now-crushed herbs.
Her eyes stared blankly upward, lips parted as if in shock, a faint trace of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth.
The young man who had sat quietly lost in thought was sprawled face-down a few feet away, his cloak torn and stained with dark patches. His hand was stretched toward the cart.
There were others, too—a man with a knife still clenched tightly in his fist, his face twisted in terror, and a child lying still near his mother.
There was no sign of who and what had caused this.
"So that feeling of uneasiness was right… It's good I escaped in time; otherwise, I would have died again," he muttered, a chill running down his spine.
"Do you have any idea, System?" he asked.
[.]
[...You did not notice?]
"What?"
[There is a person missing—the one who wore a silk mask over his face.]
"That guy? He seemed harmless to me."
[But he was not. You did not notice the signature of magic and incantations surrounding him.]
"Hm, okay, but what do you mean by incantations?"
[Incantations are... kind of complicated. You can think of them as a miracle; you don't have to think too much about it—you'll find out about it.]
"Hm, alright."
"So what you're saying is that the guy wearing the silk mask might be the one who caused all this?"
[Yes.]
"good.. That I escaped."
[This time, you avoided trouble because you trusted your instincts.]
"So, I did a good thing this time?" he asked.
[Yes.]
Just as he was thinking about this and where to go, he said, "Let's see if I can find some secluded village to stay," and walked away.
As he wandered for like an hour, he noticed a girl nearby.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, her skin as white as snow and her eyes slightly slender, glimmering with a cold indifference that lent her an air of dignity.
A straight nose framed her strikingly beautiful face, accentuated by her golden hair and captivating purple eyes.
He quickly found a place to hide and watched her from a distance. She appeared to be scanning the area as if looking for something.