The portal shimmered with an enticing glow, and William stepped through, eager to explore the primitive world of Aethel. He hoped this time he'd find the mentor he desperately sought.
He materialized on a familiar hilltop, the same spot as his previous visit, though who knew how much time had passed in this world? 'So, the destination isn't random,' he mused, 'it's linked to the portal's location. At least that's something!'
Checking his timer, William saw he had 16 hours – longer than his last trip. His mastery over the portal skill was clearly growing. He descended into the dense forest, his senses alert for any sign of life. It wasn't long before the local fauna took an interest in him.
A seemingly harmless frog hopped onto the path, but William knew better than to be fooled by appearances. In a flash, the creature bristled with poisonous spikes and launched them like darts.
William reacted instantly, diving behind a thick tree trunk just in time. As the frog paused, its spike reserves depleted, William seized his chance. He dashed forward, his sword a blur of motion, and cleaved the creature in two.
[+30 EXP]
'Is that a lot?' he wondered. His system didn't reveal how much experience he needed to level up, but every bit counted.
Pressing onward, William hacked through the dense undergrowth. He noticed something curious – the path he'd cleared on his last visit was still visible, the severed branches and vines unchanged. Time in Aethel clearly flowed differently; his past actions remained in the past.
This realization was both exhilarating and unsettling. It confirmed that his journeys were real, not mere dreams, but it also meant he had to be mindful of the consequences of his actions.
For now, though, his thirst for power outweighed his caution. He continued his trek, battling any beast that crossed his path, determined to find civilization in this untamed wilderness.
William's objective was to find any vestige of civilization in that place. At first glance, all he could see was dense vegetation.
'Maybe I should climb a tree and take a look around,' William thought.
Most of the trees were difficult to climb, but he found one that was perfect. It had branches that made climbing easier, and the top of the tree had a less dense canopy, allowing for a clear view of the surroundings.
William climbed the tree, holding onto the branches and jumping with phenomenal agility. He was getting stronger, quite different from when he first appeared in that world.
His attributes were higher, and his growth was certainly greater than that of 'normal people' since he was one of the heroes summoned to that world.
Anyway, as soon as he climbed up, William looked around and saw a vast green field. The sky was beautiful, clear, blue, and the view of the entire valley filled with forest was simply breathtaking.
For a moment, William forgot why he had climbed that tree. He stayed there, enjoying the view, looking at the surroundings, listening to the birds singing and the sound of a river flowing.
It was a very beautiful place. Not that it wasn't beautiful back in the village – in the present time of Aethel – but it was indeed more beautiful in that more primitive, more natural way.
After returning to reality, William decided to specifically look for traces of civilization. He didn't expect to find a city there, but maybe a village would suffice.
He looked in every direction, and that's when he noticed a small plume of smoke in the sky. William wasn't foolish.
'That looks like a chimney or a bonfire,' he thought.
The smoke was coming from a less dense part of the forest and seemed to be near the river as well, but it wasn't that close. William would have to walk for a long time to get there, especially considering how difficult it was to walk through the forest.
But he had a question. Would the language spoken in this era be the same? He hadn't read many books about Aethel's past. From what he understood, all the kingdoms spoke the same language since they were once a single kingdom but had been divided.
However, the time William was in seemed very primitive. Perhaps no kingdom even existed at that point.
Even with those doubts in mind, William decided to venture out and go to the place where the smoke was. He needed to explore and use his skill in the best possible way. It didn't make sense to use his SSS-rank skill just to stand still.
Therefore, William descended from the tree and headed towards his destination. He decided to stay close to the river and use it to walk through the forest, thus having a point of reference.
Not only that, but the vegetation was less dense near the river, allowing him to walk without having to cut through the forest all the time.
However, William soon found the downside of his strategy. The river was a place where various kinds of magical beasts went to drink water, and he was attacked.
The first creature that attacked him looked like a rabbit the size of a dog, its eyes were red, and its mouth had sharp teeth, like a shark's.
Its fur was brown, making it camouflage very well in the muddy parts of the forest. This magical mutant rabbit jumped towards William with its mouth open, wanting to bite his neck!
The animal was fast, very fast. But of all William's qualities, speed was his best. So much so that it was his highest attribute: 21 points in agility.
He was able to dodge the creature's attack in time, moving to the side with an agile and precise roll.
As soon as he finished the roll, William drew his sword and decided to charge towards the rabbit, not giving it a chance to escape or attempt another attack.
Again, his high agility helped him reach the rabbit swiftly, and with a slash of his sword, William struck the creature's legs!
After that, he jumped back, dodging the claw attack that the rabbit tried to land on him.
"I already expected you to do that," William said out loud.
The rabbit's legs were injured from the sword strike. A lot of blood was flowing from the wounds, and William noticed that the creature's movements were impaired.
That was precisely the reason for the attack. William wasn't stupid. He knew that for someone like him, who had speed as his best factor, this kind of hit-and-run combat was ideal until his opponent died.
Some might call him a coward, but William wasn't worried about that. In the end, he just wanted the EXP. He just wanted to get stronger.