Chapter 3: From Departure To Encounter - Part 1

The central kingdom of Eileen, as its name suggests, is located at the heart of the continent. It is the most advanced and powerful kingdom, with a territory that stretches from the east coast to the west coast. Despite its vast reach, more than half of Eileen's land remains uncolonized and teems with monsters. The kingdom owes its expansion to the support of three allied nations: the Elf Nation in the northwestern forests, the Dwarf Nation in the eastern mountains, and the Beastkin Nation in the southern plains. Arezu learned all of this while chatting with the guards who had invited him to join them for breakfast as he waited for his party to arrive for their goblin-slaying quest. At the first bell, which rang at six in the morning, Lynn arrived at the west gate and, uninvited, joined Arezu and the guards for breakfast. An hour later, right on schedule, Alex, Liz, and Hannah arrived in a horse-drawn wagon. During their discussion the previous day, they had initially planned to hitch a ride on a wagon headed to Mead Village. However, when Liz mentioned she could borrow a wagon for free thanks to her connections, Lynn immediately scrapped the original plan. The wagon was simple—its roof covered with ragged cloth, lacking tire suspension or cushioned seats—but it would suffice. Most importantly, it allowed them to save on travel expenses. After thanking the guards for the extra breakfast and bidding them farewell, Arezu climbed onto the wagon. Lynn took the reins from Hannah and sat in front as the driver. Inside, Alex squeezed himself between Liz and Hannah, leaving Arezu to sit alone beside their equipment and bags. Am I being ostracized? Arezu wondered, glancing at the seating arrangement. With everyone settled, Lynn raised a cheer to signal the start of their journey. "Are you ready, everyone? As the adventurers' saying goes: Survive and return alive! Let's make sure none of us die on this quest! ...Yeay!" Please don't jinx us right from the start! Arezu thought as he and the others echoed her cheer uneasily. "Yeay~" The journey from the capital to Mead Village had been uneventful so far. Arezu and his party stopped for a break at a village along the way and had lunch. After resting for half an hour, they continued onward—until they encountered a group of orcs on a forest road. Orcs are classified as mid-level monsters. They typically grow up to two meters tall or even larger, depending on their evolution. They are notorious for their violent tendencies, especially toward female humanoids, and will devour anything they can chew. Their intelligence usually allows them to wield weapons and wear rudimentary armor, though evolved orcs may even learn magic. A single orc can easily wipe out a party of inexperienced copper-rank adventurers, while two would pose a serious threat to an iron-rank party. With two orcs blocking the road ahead and another behind them, Arezu's party found themselves at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, Alex, Liz, and Hannah confidently dismounted to confront the two in front. "Maybe we shouldn't have taken this shortcut after all." The day before, the group had agreed to take the forest road—a shortcut to Mead Village—instead of the safer open plains route. They gambled on encountering only low-level monsters like forest wolves or goblins, hoping to reach Mead Village by sunset and avoid camping outdoors. But with the appearance of orcs, it was clear they had lost that bet. Still, from Lynn's perspective, their party was starting to catch a break. After all, they'd stumbled onto the extra income they'd been hoping for. "Should I cast a spell to turn back time, Mr. Arezu? Maybe to the moment you agreed to take this route?" Her sarcastic remark should have annoyed him, but Arezu found himself responding with a wistful smile. This surprised Lynn—it wasn't the reaction she expected. "If only such convenient magic existed..." Arezu climbed down from the wagon beside Lynn. As planned, they moved to defend against the orc blocking their escape route. "You're going to help me fight that orc, right?" They were supposed to fight together, but Arezu, remembering Lynn's earlier joke about needing entertainment while struggling for their survival, sought a bit of reassurance. Lynn—standing, or rather hiding, behind him—stared at him with a look of confusion. Then her eyes lit up as if she had just solved a puzzle. Clasping her hands in front of her face, she responded: "Don't worry, Mr. Arezu! My healing blessing is strong enough to patch you up—as long as you don't die." "Hey, don't joke like that right now. Can't you see my hands are trembling?" "Mhm! From excitement." "From fear!" Arezu had faced monsters before, yet the fear he'd felt during his first battle had never faded. Every time he faced a new foe, his hands still trembled. He had always been a timid person. Each time he fought, he had to find a reason—any reason—to summon the courage to steady his hands and step forward. This time, that reason was the role his party expected him to fulfill. Arezu took a deep breath and gripped his halberd-axe. With feet planted firmly, he was ready. Noticing the shift in his demeanor, Lynn readied her twin-arrow crossbow to support him as the orc charged, brandishing its wooden club. "You can choose the target this time, Mr. Arezu," she said. "Then aim for one of its eyes," Arezu replied. Infusing her arrow with mana, Lynn activated her combat skill as she pulled the trigger. 'Pierce' The arrow shot forth with double the speed and power of a regular crossbow. Though it didn't strike the eye—the orc raised its club just in time—it still served its purpose. With its vision obscured, the orc didn't see Arezu charging forward. Before it could lower its club, Arezu had already closed the distance. He came to a sudden stop and swung his halberd-axe in a wide arc, using both his strength and momentum. The blade cleaved through the orc's unguarded abdomen, from right to left. A screech erupted from the monster as blood gushed from the gaping wound. Arezu jumped back to avoid the spray and readied himself for the next move, waiting for Lynn's follow-up. 'Pierce' Lynn's second arrow found its mark, piercing the orc's right eye. The orc howled, both in pain and rage. With its remaining eye, it searched for its prey—but saw only the girl holding an empty crossbow. Arezu leapt into the air, soaring above the two-meter-tall orc as it lost sight of him, distracted by the pain. As he descended, he channeled mana into his weapon, activating his combat skill. 'Cleave' Before the orc realized where its other prey had gone, its skull split in half. Death came instantly. Arezu kicked the orc's collapsing body to push it away and avoid the blood spray. But the blade of his halberd-axe got stuck in its skull, forcing him to drag the corpse as he pulled it free. He should've been able to dodge the blood after landing—but someone blocked his retreat. "What are you doing, Ms. Lynn?" he asked, startled. "It's all your fault, so let me use you as a meat shield." "Ple—"