[Name: Bar]
[Identity: Owner of Old Bar's Inn]
[Strength: 3.95]
[Constitution: 3.16]
[Agility: 3.52]
[Spirit: 1.9]
[Charm: 1.3]
[Ability: Unknown]
[Remark: If not for his hidden injuries, his strength would be far greater than this.]
...
Seeing these stats, a trace of surprise flashed deep within Levi's eyes.
A seemingly ordinary innkeeper actually possessed such strength.
Not simple.
There had to be something behind it.
Levi didn't dare show it, because this innkeeper had the power to kill both him and Rudolf in an instant.
So he acted as if nothing had happened and decided to observe how things developed.
...
Old Bar found Rudolf's strange behavior extremely curious.
He slipped through the backyard and quietly circled around to the livestock shed, following behind Rudolf.
But after entering the shed, Rudolf even barred the door.
Left with no choice, Old Bar peeked inside through a small hole in the wall.
He saw Rudolf spread out a tablecloth on the ground, let his golden donkey stand on it, and shout, "Bricklebrit!"
The golden donkey immediately began spewing from front and back, and coins fell like rain.
At that sight, Old Bar's eyes went wide.
"My heavens! Gold coins just minted in an instant—what a marvelous purse!"
After returning, he couldn't stop thinking about that golden donkey.
Although he had no magic and likely couldn't use it—just like the magic table before—he still wanted to get his hands on such a treasure.
A thought stirred in his mind, and a wicked idea quickly formed.
Soon, he called over a helper and told him to buy a donkey that looked as similar as possible.
...
At that moment, Rudolf returned to the inn hall carrying a bag full of wrapped gold coins.
Old Bar stood behind the counter again with a smile and said, "Well then, my little rich man, it seems you now have enough money to pay today's expenses."
"Don't worry, not a single copper will be missing," Rudolf said confidently.
"I believe you," Old Bar replied meaningfully.
Rudolf had no idea his secret had already been seen. He just chuckled foolishly.
Only Levi watched calmly, burying everything in his heart.
He watched Rudolf take out the coins, settle the bill, then pay for two rooms.
One for Levi, one for himself.
...
In the evening.
After resting, Rudolf deliberately came to Levi's room.
"My dear Levi, tomorrow I'll be leaving here and returning to my hometown! What about you?"
"I mean, if you don't have anywhere else to go, you can come back with me. At the very least, you won't have to worry about money."
"After all, you saved me."
Levi didn't dare go with Rudolf.
The Magic Mirror Queen was watching him—she would not let this go.
If he stayed close to Rudolf, he would only bring harm to him.
So after a moment of thought, Levi said, "Thank you for your kindness, Rudolf."
"But I need to stay here and wait for someone."
"I see…" Rudolf nodded regretfully. After thinking for a moment, he gave Levi his home address. "If you ever miss me, you can come find me there!"
"I'll always welcome you."
"I will," Levi said, genuinely moved.
Rudolf smiled and returned to his room. "Get some rest early."
But Levi clearly didn't take those words to heart.
After Rudolf left, Levi instead took out the unknown berries.
He measured out about 100 grams, hesitated for a moment, then consumed them and activated Conversion.
Old Bar's presence gave Levi a renewed sense of danger.
Although he had some special abilities, most of them were auxiliary. They did help in combat—but not enough.
Levi urgently needed to grow stronger.
So even though Detection indicated some risk, he still chose to eat them.
A mysterious substance within the berries was converted and absorbed, nourishing Levi's body.
The changes weren't obvious, but they were real.
The next second, his stomach churned violently like a stormy sea.
He immediately rushed out of his room and dashed toward the toilet—a crude pit.
He kept going until the next day.
While in the middle of that "eruption," Levi used Detection's daily intelligence scan to distract himself.
These were… some rather fragrant pieces of intelligence.
[Intelligence 1: The Magic Mirror Queen has already learned of your current location through the Magic Mirror and has dispatched a true knight-level individual to hunt you down.]
[Intelligence 2: Snow White is living a carefree life with the seven dwarfs. They are very fond of her and are currently trying to find a way to completely remove the scar on her face.]
[Intelligence 3: The owner of Old Bar's Inn, Old Bar, has already swapped Rudolf's golden donkey with a similar-looking one.]
The first two pieces of intelligence hadn't changed.
But the third made Levi's gaze sharpen—
So Old Bar was the very innkeeper from the fairy tale who stole the magic table and the gold-spitting donkey.
In fact, Levi had already had a faint suspicion before.
Now, it was confirmed.
Pffft…
He was already passing nothing but water.
At this point, Levi didn't want to think about anything at all.
...
The next day.
When Rudolf woke up refreshed and saw Levi's pale face—so drained he looked on the verge of collapse—he was startled and asked, "Levi, what happened to you?"
Levi shook his head and said, "Probably just ate something bad."
"I'll take you to see a priest," Rudolf hesitated for a moment, then said.
Levi shook his head. "I'm fine…"
The moment he finished speaking, he ran back toward the toilet again.
It wasn't until close to noon that Levi finally let Rudolf leave.
Worried about him, Rudolf even helped renew a month's worth of room and board with Old Bar, and quietly handed that bag of gold coins to Levi.
Levi didn't refuse. He accepted the pile of coins—at least fifty of them.
Rudolf said to him, "If you meet the person you're waiting for, Levi, my friend, come find me."
"You'll always be welcome."
"I will," Levi said, forcing a smile.
These unknown berries were truly too powerful.
Sure enough—if you want something, you have to pay a price.
Everything comes at a cost.
...
In the end, Rudolf still left, leading the golden donkey that had already been swapped by Old Bar.
Meanwhile, Levi, his backside burning from all the diarrhea, stayed in his room studying the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique left behind by Snow White's mother.
When Detection Lv.2 was cast on the parchment, some information surfaced—
[A knight breathing technique passed down through Snow White's mother's family. When trained to its peak, one becomes as agile as a moon wolf. Strength increases under moonlight, and it can be trained up to the level of a Great Knight.]
[There is a flaw in this breathing technique. If one trains it forcefully, the moment the Moon Wolf life-force seed forms, the body will explode. This was deliberately left as a safeguard by Snow White's mother's family. If corrected during the training process… the risk can be avoided.]
Levi was slightly stunned.
These nobles really had a hundred schemes hidden within them.
Good thing he had Detection—otherwise, if he had trained it blindly, wouldn't he have killed himself?
Although his body was still weak, Levi forced himself to concentrate as much as possible. He studied the small illustrated figures on the parchment and, with the help of Detection, began his first round of training.
Three days later, Levi successfully completed a full cycle of the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique without error.
He felt his blood boiling, his body's circulation accelerating, and energy within him being rapidly consumed.
His thoughts stirred.
He swallowed the remaining 100 grams of unknown berries. After converting and absorbing them through Conversion, a sudden surge of heat appeared and coursed through every part of his body.
When the heat faded, Levi's physical attributes had indeed been permanently enhanced.
He used Detection on himself:
[Name: Levi]
[Identity: Transmigrator, Fugitive]
[Strength: 1.22]
[Constitution: 1.22]
[Agility: 1.03]
[Spirit: 1.92]
[Charm: 1.7]
[Abilities: Origin Energy (non-upgradable), Detection Lv.2 (45/200), Conversion Lv.1 (10/100), Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique Lv.1 (1/100)]
[Remark: Having gained new abilities, certain items that would not normally affect you can now react with you in special ways. This may permanently enhance your physical condition—or it may harm your body.]
Seeing his improved attributes, Levi finally felt a bit more at ease.
These past few days of "eruption"… at least now they felt meaningful.
But this level of strength was still far from enough.
Levi threw himself back into training.
That night.
New intelligence arrived belatedly.
[Intelligence 1: Rudolf has already discovered that his golden donkey has been swapped and is now filled with suspicion.]
[Intelligence 2: Snow White is living a carefree life with the seven dwarfs. They are very fond of her and are currently trying to find a way to completely remove the scar on her face.]
[Intelligence 3: The knight Hassein, sent by the Magic Mirror Queen, is about to arrive in your city. His mission is to kill you at all costs.]
Seeing this information, Levi's expression changed slightly.
Rudolf's matter would have to wait until he dealt with Old Bar.
For now, Levi couldn't afford to have any further contact with him.
Otherwise, he would only drag him into danger.
After all, the Queen had the Magic Mirror.
And besides—the Queen's assassin had already arrived.
Levi could only focus on survival first.
He had to leave this city.
He quickly packed his belongings. Early the next morning, he went to the inn hall and asked Old Bar to prepare food for the journey.
"You're setting out on a long trip?" Old Bar looked at Levi's luggage and asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes," Levi nodded. He deliberately said, "I have business in the City of Far Sail."
"That's quite a long journey," Old Bar said knowingly, a glint in his eyes.
The City of Far Sail was a free commercial port, governed by a merchant alliance. It belonged to no nation and lay five to six days away from the Kingdom of Francis.
"Yes, I have relatives there. I plan to settle down," Levi said deliberately.
"Then I must congratulate you," Old Bar said with a cheerful smile.
Levi smiled as well. "So, I'd like to ask you to prepare some food—something convenient for travel."
As he spoke, he took out several gold coins.
Old Bar's smile grew even wider. "Leave it to me."
"As soon as possible. I'll be leaving shortly," Levi said.
"You won't have to wait long, sir," Old Bar replied warmly.
Levi nodded.
True enough, Old Bar didn't keep him waiting long. Half an hour later, he had prepared a large bundle of dry rations and wine and handed it to Levi.
Aside from being quite a bit overpriced, there were no problems.
Old Bar was clearly treating him like a fat sheep to be slaughtered.
Even after getting his hands on a donkey that could produce gold coins, he was still this greedy.
Levi shook his head inwardly and pretended not to know.
He checked the food with Detection, confirmed that nothing had been tampered with, then nodded to Old Bar and walked out of the inn.
A few loafers lurking around street corners quietly followed him.
Levi seemed unaware, walking on as if nothing was wrong—out through the city gates and into the forest.
The loafers trailed him carefully, but at some point, with a moment's carelessness—
Levi vanished.
They froze for a moment, then searched frantically, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find a trace of him.
By evening, the dejected group returned to the city.
Out of habit, they went to Old Bar's inn.
When they pushed open the door, they immediately sensed something was wrong.
The hall was eerily silent.
A tall man in leather armor, carrying himself with the presence of a lion, stood there. Behind him were several stern-faced men, all staring coldly at them.
At a glance, these were not people to be trifled with—there was a bloody, murderous aura about them.
The loafers felt the danger instantly and turned to leave.
Two men stepped forward expressionlessly, blocking their way.
With no choice, the loafers turned back toward the lion-like man.
This man was none other than the knight Hassein, who had come in pursuit of Levi.
Old Bar stood beside him, posture humble, and said to the loafers, "This is a knight from the Kingdom."
"Why aren't you telling him everything about Levi?"
"Levi?" The loafers froze.
"The one you followed," Old Bar pressed anxiously. "Where is he now?"
"We don't know!"
"We lost him!"
"He probably went to the City of Far Sail!"
"Didn't he say he was going there?"
They spoke in panic, terrified out of their wits.
A clear look of disdain appeared in Knight Hassein's eyes.
He gave a glance to his attendants, who immediately dragged the loafers to the back.
Not long after, the sounds of whipping and agonized screams echoed from behind.
After a while, the attendants returned, dragging the men back.
Their bodies were covered in blood, flesh torn open—half-dead already.
One attendant reported, "My lord, they were not lying."
"Then it seems he really did head for the City of Far Sail."
"What a lucky little rat."
"There's only one road to the City of Far Sail."
"Move! We accelerate and intercept him."
"And you—" Hassein turned to Old Bar, "prepare food for ten men for half a month."
"Yes, my lord." Old Bar lowered his head, his expression unreadable, and replied respectfully.
...
Night fell.
Inside the forest, Levi had found a dry, concealed, and safe cave to stay in.
From a distance, he looked toward the city of Zelantu.
Information surfaced in his vision—
[Knight Hassein and his attendants have already left Zelantu City and are heading toward the City of Far Sail. Your immediate danger has been temporarily lifted.]
[You have used Detection once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 48/200.]
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Levi's lips.
He had no intention of leaving this city.
Old Bar still had another treasure he wanted.
But with his current strength, he had no way to take the magic dining table without alerting him.
So his plan was to first grow stronger in the forest, and only then make further moves.
Levi took out the parchment recording the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique once more and began training.
...
[Intelligence 1: Rudolf went to Old Bar's inn to recover his lost golden donkey but was beaten and thrown out by Old Bar's men. Left with no choice, he returned to his hometown, relying on his father's connections to secure a job, no longer living the extravagant life he once had.]
[Intelligence 2: Knight Hassein failed to find any trace of you in the City of Far Sail. He believes Old Bar deceived him, and his anger is steadily growing.]
[Intelligence 3: Snow White is living a carefree life with the seven dwarfs. They are very fond of her and are currently trying to find a way to completely remove the scar on her face.]
Seeing this information, Levi couldn't help but shake his head.
Poor Rudolf.
He hadn't expected him to go back to the inn looking for Old Bar.
And to be beaten and thrown out on top of that.
He sighed and said, "Don't worry, Rudolf. Give me a little more time—I'll get everything back for you, with interest."
...
Levi had already been in the forest for over ten days.
After living there this long, his entire body had turned green.
This was the result of eating a certain kind of poisonous mushroom.
But when that poisonous mushroom was consumed together with several other plants and a mineral, then processed through Conversion, it could be transformed into a kind of energy that enhanced his physical condition.
[Strength +0.6]
[Constitution +0.5]
[Agility +0.8]
This was the information Levi detected.
Just a bit of life-threatening risk—that was all.
However, by ingesting another substance before reaching the brink of death, the danger could be neutralized.
Levi was willing to gamble for wealth in danger—and so he did.
The green coloration was only a minor aftereffect.
By tomorrow, it would completely fade, and he would return to normal.
But the increase in his physical attributes was permanent.
Because of this improvement, his training efficiency in the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique also increased significantly.
In practical terms, each training session now granted more experience.
[You practiced the Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique once. Experience +30. Current EXP: 200/200.]