The commander of the royal palace patrol guard, Knight Hassein, had originally thought this would be a simple mission.
However… until dusk, he still hadn't found a single trace of Levi.
It was as if Levi had vanished into thin air.
Hassein's face was as dark as thunder. With a heavy heart, he came before the Queen to plead guilty.
The Magic Mirror Queen was so furious she laughed instead. She hurled a gilded wine flask straight at Knight Hassein's face. "You truly disappoint me."
Hassein did not dare to dodge.
Crimson wine, as red as blood, flowed down his face, yet he didn't dare wipe it away. He simply lowered his head and silently endured the Queen's wrath.
The Queen's chest rose and fell—she was genuinely enraged.
Over a mere filthy rat…
It took her quite a while to calm down.
Only then did she coldly say to Hassein, "I'll give you three more days."
"Even if Levi dies in a sewer and is gnawed beyond recognition by rats, you will still find him for me."
Only then did Hassein finally breathe a sigh of relief. The pressure the Queen exerted on him was even greater than that of the late old king.
He swore solemnly to the Magic Mirror Queen, "Your Highness, rest assured. I swear upon my family's name—if that pest Levi is still within the royal city, I will drag him out within a single day."
The Magic Mirror Queen didn't even want to hear more. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed him.
After he left, the anger in her heart still hadn't subsided.
Levi's matter stuck in her throat like a bone.
More importantly, there was something strange about it.
How could an ordinary person like him possibly defeat Gorn?
And yet, the result was that Gorn was dead, while Levi had disappeared without a trace?
Could there be a force she was unaware of intervening?
Or remnants left behind by the old king?
The more she thought about it, the deeper her frown grew.
She hesitated, considering whether to use the Magic Mirror.
In the end, she decided against it.
She believed that a mere commoner like Levi could not possibly leave this city.
All she needed to do now was patiently wait for Hassein to bring her good news.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Hassein knelt before the Magic Mirror Queen in shame.
The Queen couldn't even be bothered to look at him anymore. She cast a glance at her steward, Freya. Freya summoned the guards, and Hassein was taken away for punishment.
As for the Queen, after pondering for a moment, she still entered the inner chamber and came before the Magic Mirror.
First, she asked, "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"
"O Queen, O Queen, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."
Hearing this answer, a faint smile finally appeared on the Queen's face.
Though she hated to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Snow White's charm was indeed unmatched.
She was already this captivating at such a young age—if she grew older, who knew how extraordinary she would become?
Her beauty would become the most supreme form of enchantment magic.
Everyone would have to obey her commands!
The Magic Mirror Queen could never have imagined that Snow White wasn't dead at all—only that Levi had used some underhanded trick to ruin her appearance.
If the Queen had simply asked whether Snow White was dead, the truth would have already been exposed.
But then again…
What the Magic Mirror Queen cared about was who was more beautiful than her!
Such was the obsession of a witch!
Witches were just that twisted!
Like in fairy tales, where the Queen disguised herself as an old woman and repeatedly tried to harm Snow White—that kind of thing would no longer happen.
Because it was no longer necessary!
After using the Magic Mirror once, the Queen's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. It seemed that using the mirror came with a cost.
After all, the Magic Mirror's target was the entire world, so the price was naturally high.
But she took a deep breath—her chest nearly bursting open the buttons—and asked again, "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell me where Levi is right now."
"O Queen, O Queen, Levi has crossed Indale Mountain, passed through the Shadow Gorge, and is about to reach the border city of Zelantu."
As the Magic Mirror spoke, Levi's dust-covered figure appeared upon its surface.
The Magic Mirror Queen froze upon seeing this.
Then came an unprecedented surge of fury.
She let out a cold laugh, pointed at Levi's image on the mirror, and said, "Little rat, how did you manage this?"
"In just three or four days, you traveled such a distance?"
Over these past few days, Levi had covered nearly a hundred kilometers—he was already far from the royal city.
But the wilderness at night was extremely dangerous.
In some places, there were even magical beasts roaming.
Even fully-fledged knights could encounter danger in the wild—so how had Levi managed to travel such a long distance completely unharmed?
A ripple of light flickered through the Magic Mirror Queen's eyes, and her interest in Levi reached an unprecedented level.
She stepped out of the inner chamber, summoned her chief steward Freya, and said to her, "Levi is about to arrive at the city of Zelantu. Inform Hassein—no matter what method he uses, he is to capture Levi alive."
"Understood, Your Highness," Freya nodded in response.
...
At this moment, Levi still had no idea that the Queen had already discovered his whereabouts.
Under the guidance of Detection, he was awkwardly dodging the attack of a venomous snake.
The triangular-headed snake missed its strike and stared at him for a long while.
Levi didn't dare move an inch.
Only then did the snake abandon the attack and slowly slither away.
After confirming through Detection that the snake had left, Levi finally let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
In just these past three or four days, he had already lost count of how many dangers he had encountered.
He had practically used Detection to the point of smoking—only then had he managed to survive each danger by a narrow margin, making it this far without injury… and without starving to death.
Of course—
only without starving to death.
He drank river water, ate wild fruits and tree roots, and occasionally managed to hunt small animals… living like this, he was already reaching his limit.
Levi urgently wanted to find a city where he could properly rest.
After living in the wilderness for so long, he now felt that even porridge and black bread sounded pretty good.
'If only I had an RV from my previous life…'
This thought had surfaced in Levi's mind many times.
But he knew it was impossible.
It could only remain a distant wish.
'At most, in this era, I could have a carriage,' Levi thought.
'But even a carriage would be good. At least I'd have something to shield me from the wind and rain.' These past few days, he had suffered greatly when it came to sleep.
And with a carriage, he would have already reached his destination.
Levi's target was the city of Zelantu.
But he was still half a day's journey away.
If he had a carriage, it wouldn't take nearly this long.
Feeling as though his legs were filled with lead, Levi sighed and could only comfort himself, 'Once I reach Zelantu, I'm going to take a proper hot bath—no matter how much it costs.'
'Then I'll find a decent restaurant, order a whole table of good food, and eat to my heart's content.'
What filled Levi's mind at this moment were the delicacies from his previous life. Thinking about those flavors, he nearly started drooling—and only felt even hungrier.
'No, I need to use Detection again and find something to eat, or I might not last much longer.'
With that thought, Levi forced himself to activate Detection and began searching the surroundings for food.
[This plant is poisonous and cannot be eaten.]
[The root of this plant, buried three meters underground, contains starch and is edible.]
Levi clicked his tongue in frustration. Three meters underground? How was he supposed to dig that with his current strength? That hint was no different from useless.
He looked elsewhere.
Suddenly, a new prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Proceed straight ahead, then turn left. Five minutes away, there is a clearing. Two wild wolves have set their sights on a man leading a golden donkey.]
[You have used Detection once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 26/200.]
Seeing this prompt, Levi's expression sharpened.
A golden donkey?
Was it made of gold, or just golden-colored?
Curious, Levi thought for a moment, then drew the short knife he carried for protection and headed in the indicated direction.
Five minutes later, he parted the hanging branches and leaves before him and, sure enough, saw an open clearing.
Two wild wolves stood on the left and right, staring intently at a man ahead—
He wore a coarse linen cloak, had light brown hair, and a face dotted with faint freckles. He was dressed in expensive leather armor, holding a finely crafted short dagger inlaid with a sapphire.
Beside him stood a donkey that looked entirely ordinary—yet in the face of the wolves' threat, it remained completely calm.
The two wolves did not attack rashly.
The one on the left was massive, its shoulder blades jutting out like rock, muscles rolling beneath its gray-brown fur like waves beneath the surface. It slowly lowered its head, its moist nose brushing lightly against the ground.
The wolf on the right was more agile, its back arched into a taut curve, its amber eyes locked unblinkingly onto the man's throat—exposed beneath the loosened collar of his cloak, rising and falling with his rapid breathing.
The crunch of dry branches beneath Levi's boots alerted both wolves at once.
The two wild wolves turned their heads toward him, then glanced at each other.
Suddenly—
The wolf on the left moved. Like a streak of gray lightning, it shot forward, its claws tearing through dry leaves and humus as it lunged straight for Levi's throat.
It was too fast—far beyond Levi's reaction speed.
By pure instinct, he activated Detection.
[In 2 seconds, the wolf will bite your throat. If you crouch halfway now and raise your short blade to eye level on your left side, holding it firmly, the blade will use the wolf's momentum to pierce into its throat.]
The moment Levi saw this prompt, he instinctively followed its instructions.
A tremendous force slammed into him.
Fortunately, thanks to the warning from Detection, he had prepared himself and managed to withstand the impact.
Then he felt the short blade stab into something.
Looking down, Levi saw that the blade had indeed pierced straight into the wolf's throat—a fatal strike.
He pulled the blade out, and blood sprayed across his face.
The wolf collapsed to the ground like a dead dog.
Blood quickly stained the earth red.
"Awooo—!"
Seeing this, the other wolf let out a shrill howl, baring its fangs at Levi.
The freckled man, however, charged forward recklessly with his dagger, stabbing at the wolf—only to have the attack dodged.
Seeing this, Levi hurried forward as well, joining the fight.
His physical condition was average. Although he had obtained the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique, he had had no opportunity to practice it along the way.
But he had Detection. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a "guidance system"—in any case, it provided him with tremendous help.
With the aid of Detection, he and the man successfully killed the other wolf.
At the moment the wolf fell, Levi was also nearly out of strength.
Not because of the fight—but due to hunger and the excessive use of Detection.
His vision darkened, and just as he was about to take a moment to recover, the freckled man rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you! Without you, I would have been in real danger today!"
"I, Rudolf Joseph, hereby declare that from now on, aside from my family and my teacher, you are my most important friend!"
The freckled man was extremely excited.
But Levi was already on the verge of rolling his eyes.
Fortunately, Rudolf quickly noticed something was wrong and let go.
Levi collapsed onto the ground, looking like he was about to die.
"My friend, what's wrong with you?" Rudolf asked anxiously.
"So tired… so hungry…" Levi muttered with half-closed eyes.
He felt rather speechless inside. He hadn't died at the hands of the Magic Mirror Queen, nor at the claws of the wolves—surely he wouldn't end up dying because of this guy named Rudolf, right?
Upon hearing this, Rudolf's mind raced. He hurried over to his donkey, rummaged through the pack on its back, and pulled out a bottle of wine as red as blood.
Rudolf took the expensive wine and gave it to Levi to drink.
Levi gulped it down in large mouthfuls, drawing strength from the liquid. Color gradually returned to his face, and he began to feel a little better.
Then Rudolf brought over soft white bread, paired with blueberry jam, and handed it to him.
Levi glanced at him, didn't stand on ceremony, and began devouring it.
He wolfed down the bread in no time. Rudolf stood nearby, smiling. "Slow down, slow down."
"My friend, I have plenty here."
"Thank you," Levi said after finishing the wine and bread, feeling some of his strength return.
"No, I should be the one thanking you. You saved my life! Oh, right—your name?" Rudolf asked.
"Levi," he answered directly. The man's actions had already earned his trust.
"Levi…" Rudolf repeated the name, then said, "Where are you headed, my friend?"
"Perhaps we can travel together!"
"I'm planning to go to Zelantu City. I'm a bit exhausted and want to find a place to rest before continuing my journey," Levi replied honestly.
"Haha, me too. I've been away from home for a long time. I've learned a bit of skill, and my teacher even gave me something valuable. I think my father won't be angry with me anymore, so I'm heading back home. And Zelantu City just happens to be along my way. Levi, let's travel together," Rudolf said warmly.