"Mhm, that is a very common wish. In fact, most people adventure for precisely those reasons. I used to think the same way—work hard to earn money and improve my family's living conditions."
Ruohua nodded, showing absolutely no disdain toward Li Ke's dream for being a bit mundane.
The world was simply built that way. As long as someone wasn't hurting others, who cared what they chose to do to make themselves happy?
Letting out a soft sigh, Ruohua turned her head slightly.
"Anyway, let's drop the subject. Once we finish eating, we should get ready for watch duty. We need to divide the shifts, as we will be keeping watch separately and conducting patrols."
Li Ke really wanted to ask why they needed to run active patrols when they had barely traveled any distance outside the city. However, since this was the standard protocol of a seasoned veteran, he kept his mouth shut. There was no point in arguing; it was better to just listen and follow along.
Just like Li Ke, Ruohua found herself momentarily shell-shocked by Roche's utterly bottomless appetite. After that came the mind-numbing boredom of night watch.
A few hours slipped by in the blink of an eye. Because Li Ke had kept his training gear set to weight-bearing mode, he was thoroughly exhausted. He didn't have the energy to exchange many words before crashing hard for the night.
The remainder of the journey followed the exact same pattern. They marched by day, and during the brief intervals, Li Ke would practice his flame-release techniques. Along the entire route, they didn't spot a single high-threat monster, let alone any highway bandits or the rumored Dark Elves.
As a direct result, the caravan made incredible time, arriving at their destination a full two days ahead of schedule. This left Li Ke entirely at a loss for words. He had honestly been looking forward to running into massive swarms of monsters to farm, but they hadn't crossed paths with a single creature capable of mounting a proper ambush.
Granted, they did encounter a fair share of Goblins and similar small pests along the path. However, these were either swiftly dealt with ahead of time by bored adventurers looking to kill time, or discovered and eliminated before Li Ke had even crawled out of bed in the morning.
Still, saying he walked away completely empty-handed wouldn't be accurate. At the very least, he had gained a solid understanding of common wild greens and fruits, along with the general survival protocols and baseline requirements of an adventurer's lifestyle.
After collecting his payout from the caravan master—a meager sum of money he completely looked down upon—Li Ke took a sniff of himself. Sensing the distinct, pungent odor wafting off his body, he glanced over at Roche, who smelled just as bad, and then at Miss Ruohua, whose layer of sweat had grown noticeably thick and heavy.
Li Ke couldn't help but ask a question.
"Is the life of an adventurer always this uneventful?"
"We simply lucked out with a smooth run this time. Because our numbers were so vast, even monsters know how to read the room and assess the situation."
Ruohua shook her head, though her expression was quite relaxed.
"Normally, a caravan would face at least one or two ambushes from local Goblin tribes. This time, the sheer scale of our traveling party likely intimidated the monsters into staying hidden. Don't worry, I've already taught you all the essential safety protocols. We'll take two days to rest and recuperate while I coach you through your physical conditioning methods. After that, we'll make our way back to Hendon Myre through the Forest of Lorien. The monster count along that route definitely won't be lacking."
She was genuinely in high spirits. Earning a full payout without having to lift a finger in active combat was an absolute win by any metric.
"Fair enough. But I strongly feel that our absolute first order of business is to go find a place to bathe..."
Li Ke let out a helpless sigh. Looking left and right, he began scanning the area, fully intending to track down Seria's Gate or her local inn.
The entire reason he had agreed to come along so calmly was because he knew Seria was stationed here. With her around, he could smoothly arrange things so Ruohua could effectively work two jobs at once.
To his surprise, however, Elvengard wasn't a one-horse town with only Seria's establishment. In reality, inns and taverns were quite common across the settlement.
Furthermore, the shops and overall scale of the frontier outpost were vastly larger than anything depicted in the game. The pixel art had left out an incredible amount of environmental detail. At the moment, the majority of the local merchant stalls were heavily engaged in trade with their newly arrived caravan, replenishing supplies and offloading regional goods.
As they walked, Li Ke's eyes caught sight of a white-haired individual whose arm was twisted, deformed, and stained a deep, ominous crimson. The figure was currently walking straight toward the rear of their caravan, clearly intending to sign up as a guard for the next leg of the journey.
The moment Li Ke's eyes locked onto the Ghost Hand, a sudden, unbearable wave of palpitations erupted within his chest. The twisted, sinewy muscles covering that hideous arm warped before his eyes, creating a fleeting, sickening illusion that they were writhing to form distinct, agonized human faces. He instinctively took a sharp step back. In that split second, a terrifying vision flashed across his mind—the sight of a boundless, apocalyptic tide of zombies!
Yet, the moment he forced himself to calm down and blink, the vision vanished. All that remained was a standard arm that had simply turned a dark, bruised crimson and suffered some physical deformities. Even so, the eerie palpitations refused to fade. Staring at it for too long still left him with the skin-crawling sensation that countless unseen entities were staring right back at him. It was profoundly unnerving.
This was yet another phenomenon that a pixel game could never truly replicate. The terror of the Ghost Hand wasn't confined to its physical might alone. Li Ke considered his mental fortitude to have been thoroughly tempered by his experiences, yet merely facing this thing still managed to manipulate and stir up the primal fear buried deep within his heart.
Without a doubt, naming this affliction the "Ghost Hand" was incredibly fitting.
Beside him, Miss Ruohua seamlessly slipped back into her role as their resident guide and spoke up.
"That is a Ghost Hand. Because the power dormant within those arms is immense—granting them physical strength nearly dozens of times that of an ordinary person when unleashed, or even allowing them to channel the power of Ghosts and Demons—they utilize a highly specialized style of swordsmanship. It is known as Ghost Swordsmanship, and it easily allows them to bypass the years of hard work most ordinary swordsmen must endure."
Her commentary caused the Slayer to glance in their direction. However, he didn't say a word, simply moving past them and walking away.
Li Ke found himself completely agreeing with Ruohua's assessment. He had already come to understand this reality when he previously acquired the secret techniques of Blood Frenzy. The Ghost Hand truly was an incredible asset; it provided massive strength, possessed high load-bearing capacity, and even exhibited a degree of self-awareness. In a way, it was a flawless biological tool for accelerating one's cultivation.
There was just one downside: it was hideously ugly, and for an ordinary person, the condition was brutally unforgiving.
"It looks like he wants to sign up with the caravan?"
Li Ke watched as the swordsman walked toward the caravan's recruitment station. It made sense; since their group was leaving, the caravan manager naturally needed to replenish their numbers.
"Yes. This caravan's next destination is the Empire. The road ahead is vastly more dangerous than the leg we just completed, so the manager will very likely recruit him. Let's get moving. I am familiar with a decent inn around here. I will take you two to wash up first, and then I will begin teaching you the correct methods for your physical training."
Ruohua nodded, leading Li Ke down a path that wound toward the outskirts of the frontier outpost.
Li Ke raised no objections. He wasn't the chosen savior of this world; a casual glance at Seria was more than enough for him. After all, this was reality, not the game. How could he possibly harbor any genuine ill-will toward a real-life Seria just because he had spent way too much money on microtransactions back in his gaming days?
That was entirely impossible.
However, as the three of them made their way toward the destination Ruohua had mentioned, the footsteps of the surrounding crowd suddenly grew erratic, and people began moving past them in a frantic rush.
Before they could even wonder what was happening, a middle-aged man holding a heavy iron blacksmith hammer stepped out from a nearby building. Catching sight of their equipment and attire, he spoke up without a shred of hesitation.
"You three are adventurers, right? Are you interested in a rescue mission? A silver-haired young girl named Seria from our town has gone missing. I need you to search the wilderness for her. If you find her, I can reward you with some gear or ten gold coins. Even if you come back empty-handed, you can still swing by my shop to collect two gold coins for your trouble!"
Li Ke stood frozen in utter shock.
What kind of ridiculous coincidence is this?!
You've got to be kidding me, right?
While his mind was spinning from the sheer absurdity of the timing, Ruohua spoke up from beside him.
"Understood. We accept."
"Great! Please hurry!"
With that, the man—who was almost certainly Linus—hurried past them and dashed straight toward the central gathering area of the caravan. It was glaringly obvious that he was trying to rally as many adventurers as humanly possible.
Having accepted the quest, Ruohua turned her gaze directly onto Li Ke.
"This works out perfectly since you're looking for a real combat experience anyway. I recall there being quite a few Goblins in this area. Even if we don't manage to find that girl named Seria, I can use this opportunity to observe your fighting style and capabilities. That way, I can give you more tailored guidance."
Li Ke let out a quiet sigh. He truly hadn't expected to stumble right into the main storyline like this. Waving his hand casually, he signaled that he had no objections.
"No arguments here."
"Good. Then let's move out. Pick up the pace and keep up with me."
The moment Ruohua finished speaking, she burst into a run. Li Ke quickly pressed the switch on his training band, disabling the weight modifier. Instantly, a profound sense of weightlessness enveloped his entire body. He sprinted after Ruohua, doing his absolute best to match her pace. Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't help but stare as her exceptionally firm, toned hips swayed rhythmically right in front of his eyes—a silent testament to just how remarkably alluring her physique actually was.
Roche, on the other hand, completely dropped all pretenses of acting normal. Magical energy coalesced beneath her feet, allowing her to float effortlessly through the air as she hummed a strange little tune.
Li Ke watched her with a wave of pure envy. This method of movement required not only a massive pool of raw mana but also an incredibly advanced level of energy control. As he was now, it was a feat he simply couldn't replicate.
The three of them tore deep into the woods, though Li Ke's mind continued to churn with unspoken doubts.
According to the game's original lore, the person most likely to rescue Seria was actually the Slayer, not anyone else.
After all, only the Slayer's opening comic explicitly showed him being provoked and ambushed by Goblins.
The starting locations for the other classes were entirely up in the air.
The Priest was likely cultivating his holy power deep within the western reaches of the Forest of Lorien or the slums. The Mage's precise teleportation landing zone was unknown. The Female Fighter had only just traveled over from Shonan, and the Gunner had plummeted straight out of the sky from Heaven, with no telling where he had actually crashed.
Judging strictly by the opening cinematics, the Slayer was the definitive candidate to save Seria. After all, the game's running joke back on Earth was that it should be renamed Dungeon & Slayers. Even looking at the official artbooks, the Slayer undeniably held the primary protagonist slot...
In a classic setting of swords and sorcery, the swordsman is almost always the main character. Throw in a tragic backstory, a powerful entity sealed away inside a cursed left arm, and the constant risk of losing control and going berserk, and you have the absolute textbook checklist for a main protagonist.
So, where the hell is the Slayer who's supposed to save Seria?
The moment that realization struck him, an image flashed through Li Ke's mind—the white-haired Slayer he had seen walking toward the merchant wagons just moments ago.
The leather jacket, the Ghost Hand, the massive zanbato...
Wait, wasn't that literally the main character?!
Holy crap, why did the actual protagonist ditch the main quest just to go farm traveling expenses?!
"No, wait, wait... There should still be a Male Priest protagonist, a Female Mage protagonist, a Female Fighter protagonist, and a Male Gunner protagonist out there somewhere. It should be fine. We probably won't run into Seria at all."
Right as Li Ke was trying to reassure himself with this logic, Ruohua suddenly let out a sharp roar.
"Look out!"
Huh?
Li Ke snapped out of his thoughts instantly. The next second, through the dense foliage of the thicket, he spotted a pack of over a dozen creatures. They stood roughly as high as his waist, their skin a mottled, sickening shade of green. Clutching crude clubs crafted from wood and bone, they radiated a foul, suffocating stench.
The next second, Li Ke saw Ruohua take the lead. She lunged forward, executing a flawless, textbook Front Kick right into a Goblin's neck. The impact sent the creature flying. In a single fluid motion, she spun her body, snapped her foot back down to the turf, and whipped her other leg out in a low sweep. Directing the full torque of her waist into the strike, she cleared the area, sending every single Goblin attempting to flank her crashing backward through the air.
Two or three of them stopped moving entirely the moment they hit the ground, clearly dead. However, this sudden display of violence was like poking a hornet's nest. An even greater wave of Goblins erupted from the surrounding thicket. A few agile stragglers managed to dodge the initial sweep, swinging their crude clubs directly at Ruohua's knees.
Ruohua's reflexes were lightning fast. She shifted her footing to evade the strike almost instantly, delivering a heavy counter-punch that launched the offending Goblin backward, its teeth spraying into the air.
Li Ke hesitated no longer. Refraining from pulling out his heavy machine gun, he drew his one-handed sword and charged into the fray.
His raw speed and physical strength far outmatched the Goblins. Yet, the moment he thrust his blade forward, his target unexpectedly snapped its bone club upward, successfully parrying Li Ke's pierce.
Li Ke blinked in brief surprise. The next instant, a sharp jolt of danger flared at the back of his head. He jerked his head aside instinctively, feeling a projectile brush right past his ear before smashing violently into the tree ahead, gouging out a massive chunk of bark.
"!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Li Ke whipped out his handgun. He fired a point-blank shot, blowing away the Goblin that had blocked his blade. Pivoting instantly, he relied on his Danger Sense to duck beneath a second flying rock. He locked onto his target, aimed, and pulled the trigger. A Throwing Goblin, sporting a wicker basket packed with heavy stones on its back, collapsed instantly into the dirt.
However, scanning the treeline, Li Ke spotted an entire squad of these rock-hurling Goblins!
"..."
In a flash, the small handgun was swapped out. A savage torrent of bullets, accompanied by blinding muzzle flashes, tore ruthlessly toward the Throwing Goblins. Before they could even let out a proper shriek, they were riddled with heavy-caliber fire and dropped like flies.
The deafening roar of automatic gunfire caught Miss Ruohua completely off guard. The sudden lapse in focus left her open for a split second, allowing a regular Goblin to land a brutal hit on her thigh with its bone club.
Blood instantly welled from Miss Ruohua's leg. Her thigh didn't just bruise; the impact tore two deep, jagged punctures right into her flesh.
Yet, Ruohua didn't utter a single cry of pain. She snapped the Goblin's neck with a single, vicious punch. Roche arrived on the scene right behind her, unleashing a dozen star-shaped Magic Missiles from her fingertips, obliterating any creature attempting to close in on Ruohua into a fine mist of shredded meat.
"My apologies. I let my guard down," Ruohua muttered, gritting her teeth as she looked over at Roche. She pulled a roll of gauze from her pocket, wrapping it tightly around her bleeding thigh before forcing herself back up to her feet to continue the fight.
Unfortunately for the remaining monsters, Li Ke had no intention of dragging this out. He smoothly slapped a fresh magazine into his firearm, pivoting the muzzle toward the surviving Goblins.
Following another dense, roaring volley of gunfire, the remaining creatures were transformed into a carpet of lifeless corpses.
However, just as he was about to step over and provide medical aid to Ruohua, a desperate cry for help suddenly echoed from deep within the forest.
"Is anyone out there?! Anyone?! Please, help me!"
It was the distinct voice of a young girl.