The supply point was established to prevent injuries, poisoning, or encountering dangers with a damaged signal box for small group members during patrol.
It serves as a precautionary measure.
Although the items inside aren't valuable, they are very practical and can indeed be lifesaving in some extreme cases.
It has to be said, having someone like Old Wells around is very reassuring.
"A house with an elder is like a treasure chest.. No lies there."
After completing his routine check, Ronan turned around and saw Jacob, exhausted and lying on an old tree root like a tired dog.
This guy's physical endurance is too poor, almost the same as when I first came through to this world, and he's already about to give up before we finish this patrol.
"Forget it."
Considering that Jacob had shared gossip along the way, Ronan expressed with sympathy: "I'll finish the next part of the job by myself. You should hurry back and rest.."
"Is that.. appropriate.. Ro.. Ronan sir?"
Jacob, gasping for breath, asked somewhat embarrassedly, yet his face clearly showed he was tempted.
Ronan didn't want to say more, simply waved his hand at him and continued walking forward.
"The next point is..."
Ronan glanced at the map, expression shifting slightly.
The map showed that his current position was close to the dwelling of the Half-Elf siblings.
Ronan walked ahead with some expectation.
The Half-Elf siblings lived in a rather remote place, surrounded by dense shrubs and weeds, and along the way, Ronan discovered several man-made traps; fortunately, his physical condition and reflexes were excellent, which prevented him from falling for them.
It must undoubtedly be the work of the Half-Elf siblings.
He finally managed to see the shadow of their tree house from afar, but before he could approach...
"Swoosh——"
A sharp whoosh suddenly sounded, causing a slight numbness on Ronan's scalp as he instinctively dodged to the side.
"Thud——"
A deep black arrow sharply embedded itself into the tree trunk next to him, the arrowhead deeply buried, and its white feathers still trembling rapidly.
"Damn."
Ronan's face turned sour as he twisted his head toward the direction from which the arrow came; very soon, a tall figure by the tree shadows slowly lowering the Big Bow.
Before he could speak, a cold and rough voice drifted over.
"No need to patrol here, we'll handle it ourselves..."
Under his Magic Robe, Ronan's hand clenched and then relaxed on the handle of his One-handed Sword, darkening his face he slowly let go and retreated from the woods.
Remembering the scene when they first met...
Ronan took a deep breath and cursed fiercely.
"Nuts!"
Only then did he feel slightly more relieved.
After a short walk around Jacob's nearby area, Ronan headed to Linus's last residence.
Upon arrival, Ronan saw Linus sitting on the grass under the tree drinking tea, with a plump woman leaning against him, the two of them talking closely, and from afar, the laughter of the woman continuously filled the air like a hen's "cackle cackle cackle."
Linus noticed Ronan from a distance but only cast an indifferent glance and paid no more attention.
Naturally, Ronan wouldn't show warmth where it wasn't welcomed, and after a brief circle, he walked directly away.
Except for the patrol in the morning, where Jacob accompanied halfway, the other two were completed by Ronan alone.
After a day, it wasn't physically draining but Ronan felt it was cumbersome and time-consuming.
But having decided to join, there was nothing to complain about.
...
Two months later.
"Buzz——"
Ronan's lips quivered slightly, and he whispered an unknown syllable that vibrated through the air.
The next second, the beam of light in front of him twisted, a deep blue, almost black light ball the size of a watermelon materialized out of thin air and shot out with a howl.
The light ball skimmed over the surface of the lake, breaking the mirror-like blue surface.
The deep blue light ball dragged a long white wave across the lake, and just before reaching the center, it exploded with a "boom," sending waves and water columns ten meters high into the air.
Ronan's eyes were fixed tightly on his character panel.
After a moment, a look of helpless disappointment appeared on his face.
"It's still not working..."
In two months, Ronan had already honed the Expert Level Energy Missile to its peak.
Yet, he couldn't manage to break through the last little bit of proficiency needed to surpass the Expert Level, no matter how hard he trained.
"Still not enough... How many times have I cast this spell, and yet the insights aren't sufficient?"
Ronan furrowed his brows; he could feel that the Energy Missile was just a thin layer of paper away from breaking through to the next level, but each time, he always missed it by just a little bit.
"I can only continue to grind slowly... At least the Energy Missile at nearly full Expert Level is much more powerful than before."
Ronan comforted himself, turned around, and walked towards the direction of the forest.
It was already autumn in Hoddam.
Walking on the slightly yellow grass, looking afar, under the orange sunset, the vast forests undulated, transitioning between dark green and golden hues.
The scene was as beautiful as an oil painting.
It's just a pity that beneath this beauty, the situation had evolved into increasingly intense turmoil and chaos.
Stepping on the thick fallen leaves and entering the forest, Ronan suddenly stopped.
He slowly walked towards a mound of fallen leaves, and when he got closer, he casually picked up a dry branch to gently move it.
Before long, a pale, twisted female corpse was revealed from under the leaves.
The woman must have died no more than two days ago, as the body had not yet swollen.
The woman was naked, stripped of all possessions; looking at the purple bruises on her neck and clavicle, it seemed she had suffered humiliation before death.
The woman's face was twisted in pain and despair, her pale eyes staring dead at Ronan, as if silently accusing him of something.
Ronan remained silent, picked up some fallen leaves from the ground to cover the woman's face again, and then slightly lifted his hand...
A red ring on his right ring finger flickered slightly, and the next second, a red fireball emerged and flew out quickly.
The pile of leaves, along with the woman's corpse inside, turned into blazing flames.
"..May truth guide you, and your soul reside in the Village of Peace..."
Ronan muttered softly, his mouth pronouncing the spell syllables, and before the fire could spread around, he raised his hand to summon an Ice Frost Ball exuding a chilling cold, and tossed it.
"Crack—"
The Ice Ball exploded, rolling cold air congealing the remaining flames and ashes into frost.
After completing all this, Ronan then turned and left.
This was already the third corpse Ronan had encountered in the forest.
Since last month, the chaotic situation in Hoddam had become increasingly uncontrollable.
Exaggerated prices, potent unrest, an anxious and tense atmosphere, increasingly frequent reports of Black Robed Wizards appearing...
Many wizards, having drained their savings and in desperation, had red eyes and started to engage in murder and looting.
The town's residential area had Academic Wizards in place, and the order was barely maintained.
But in the non-Safe Zones of the wilderness, the situation seemed a bit worse.
Fights occurred every day, and even Ronan had encountered one.
Half a month ago, he was returning from selling runes in town and encountered a robbery.
Luckily, there was no danger, as the robbers were busy with other matters and paid him no heed...
This was when the advantages of being in a group became evident.
Nearby people knew that a few renowned wizards had formed a group, and Linus had strongly killed two Level 3 Wizard Apprentices who had conflicts with him during a solo patrol, displaying the powerful strength of an Intermediate Apprentice, which made his reputation so well known that wizards lurking in the forest area were aware that among their group, there were Level 5 Apprentices standing guard.
However, lately the forest had become increasingly chaotic, the Tree House District had almost no one passing through, and Old Wells and the others had already discussed plans to collectively move to town soon.