Calm Plains.
The deserted area seemed to go on forever as there were no building or structure in sight. There was only rocky wasteland with few trees as far the eye could see. This seemingly empty place is exactly where most people panic and try to escape in order to make it to somewhere with more people such as a city or a town.
That would have been the case with anyone.
Except Ray.
Places like these are the ones he likes because even if he suffers in this heat, there are barely any monsters in sight meaning Lina can stay safe for a while.
Until some hunters surround them that is.
And that's exactly what happened this time.
Ray stood with rations on his back, Lina sleeping in one arm and a swords in the other. He had already put on a full-noise-canceling headphones and a blindfold on her so she wouldn't get disturbed.
The boss of the gang got out of the truck to confront Ray. "It seems you're with a little kid." he said while adjusting the huge axe on is back. "She's your daughter, I take it?"
"So what?" Ray said as he pointed his sword towards him.
"My name is Akras Ravalo." He introduced himself as he held his axe with both hands. "Ray Raynold. I am aware that you are a strong individual. But I doubt you will be able to run away while also protecting that child."
Even if it stings, that is the truth. Ray would rather die than make Lina uncomfortable. If he moves too rough while holding her, she might feel nauseous. If he puts her down somewhere, there's the risk of her being taken hostage. He had to run away somehow.
Ray moved swiftly, launching a swing attack on Akras. But the blow was blocked by him rather easily. Akras swung his sword at Ray. But while targeting Lina as well.
Ray managed to block it using his sword but it still hurt his wrist badly.
He jumped out of the way but there were other minions to deal with.
One of them tried to stab Ray in the back but Ray dodged it. He tried attacking him back but suddenly, another one cut his arm, leaving a deep cut. Ray was cornered. If he attacked one, another showed up. If he blocked a few strikes, many other were ready.
"Sick bastards!" Ray growled at them while badly injured but still holding onto Lina in his left arm.
"'Sick bastards', you say?" Akras grinned while preparing a strike infused with mana. "We're just some guys trying to survive in this cruel world. How does that make us sick?!"
He struck Ray with a heavy downwards attack. If Ray were alone, he could've blocked it, deflected it, or even cut straight through it. But because he had Lina with him right now, he couldn't attack because it would wake her up.
Ray dodged it made his sword bigger and longer, striking 360 degrees. A few pf the minions got caught but Akras was still standing. He had managed to block it. But that time was enough for Ray to start running at high speed.
But Akras didn't give up. He activated his skill, Explosion Enchant, and applied it on his axe. He threw it towards Ray with all his strength.
The axe flew through the are at an incredible speed. It landed a few meters behind Ray and exploded. But the range was enough for it to tear through the ration bag on Ray's back and spill everything on the ground.
Ray had no time to collect all that so he ran away with the two small bags he had left.
After running for almost half an hour, he came to a stop. He looked around and froze.
It was the Calm Plains. A place where barely any monster or any type of animal are found. Places like these are hard to come by and they stretch from a small city area to literal hundreds of miles. The best way to identify one is the landscape. They are always green plains with no trees anywhere. Cold, pleasant air. Giant rocks scattered everywhere. The best way to identify it is to sense the mana in the air.
The mana in the air of Calm Plains is so light that it might as well not exist. It is so hard to sense that if someone has mana below a certain point, they will feel a quarter of their overall weight disappear.
Places like these might be good. But now this time.
After all the crisis in the world, Calm Plains were highly sought after by people who want to settle down in one place. But those who are travelling, this place is no less than hell.
Monster hunting is very hard as the number of monsters is too low. And even if you do find monsters, there is only one in a thousand chance that the monster will be a big one so it it very hard to hunt big monsters to feed many people. Monsters running in packs are also incredibly hard to come by.
In any other forest, it might've been possible to eat fruits from some trees. But Calm Plains had no trees. It was just a vast area with Grass and rocks and no trees in sight. It is possible to find an oasis, though, where trees grow. They're like a desert but with grass. Luckily, there are rivers or ponds with fishes in them but those aren't any easier to find.
Ray stood there, silent, holding Lina in his hands. He couldn't turn around or he will be attacked relentlessly by hunters. If he wanted to survive while keeping Lina safer, he had to go through these Calm Plains. There was no other choice.
"Fuck." he exclaimed. "Trouble after trouble. When is it gonna end?"
Can Ray survive this hellish desert-like place?
Will he be able to cross it safely?
What will he do if he can't find enough food for both of them?
Next: Through The Calm Plains.