'What was the monster that carried that blood...? Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine... Oh, I almost forgot to warn the kid to watch his eyes... well, he'll figure that out sooner or later,' the she-wolf thought as she watched Noah, who was already on his way.
"Where is this city? The map says it's right here, but I don't see anything," Noah asked while examining the system map.
[I suspect the map is operating under what, in your old world, they called "zoom."]
"Seriously...?"
[...There are still a thousand kilometers left before we reach the city.]
"What the...!" Noah exclaimed in irritation as he zoomed in on the map and realized that the route stretched far beyond the canyon.
"Damn!"
With not much left to do except shout at the empty air, Noah looked at the map again and slowly headed toward the city.
Along the way, he passed through an area littered with the corpses of many creatures. Apparently, this is the only route the beasts take to reach the city—aside from the mountains, of course.
Getting past the wall guard was a trivial matter—after all, this is an archaic world, at least when it comes to population control.
Thus, hours passed as Noah ambled steadily toward the city. During his trek, after days of going without food, his stomach finally began to growl, and he said:
— Is there any pill to fix this?
[Yes, there is.]
[And there was one of them stashed away in the inventory.]
"Then...!"
[But I fear that taking it might hinder your recovery—after all, it contains a certain amount of Qi.]
"Heh...! How marvelous..."
Even though Noah had left behind the forest of demonic beasts, he now found himself in a place surrounded by trees—trees that were much smaller than those in the demonic forest, roughly half the size of even the smallest ones from there.
As the fading late-afternoon light peeked through the trees, Noah spotted a tree heavy with fruit.
"Those are... apples!?" Noah exclaimed, delighted to have found something to eat.
Without a second thought upon seeing the apples, Noah dashed to the tree and climbed one of its branches.
"...This is amazing!" he exclaimed as he bit into one of the apples.
Noah spent twenty minutes munching on several apples in the branch, oblivious to everything around him.
While he savored the delicious apples, a huge snake began slowly slithering toward him. And since Noah wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, the creature silently climbed the tree and crept up behind him.
[Warning!]
[Dodge!]
Noah slowly turned around while exclaiming,
"Oh, this is funny, because I should... what the hell!"
And on instinct, he threw a punch at the head of the enormous snake that was about to attack him from behind.
The moment his punch connected, the snake's head vanished into thin air as its body collapsed to the ground.
"Wow...am I really that strong?" Noah asked, before taking another bite of the apple he was holding.
[That was just a snake with a bit of Qi.]
[It wasn't even worth calling a beast.]
"...You really never let me have a moment to dream, do you?!" Noah exclaimed, tossing the apple aside and leaping from the branch.
On the ground, he approached the snake to examine it. After a few minutes of inspection, Noah concluded that it was merely much larger one than the others—and that the amount of Qi in its body was negligible.
With a sigh, Noah asked the system,
— How long will it take to reach the city at this pace? as he continued on his way.
[At this rate, you'll only get there by tomorrow evening.]
[That is, if you don't stop walking.]
"...And what if I run?" Noah asked.
[Your body's condition would worsen.]
"You're really such a killjoy... incredible."
After walking non-stop for an entire day, Noah reached a small hill blanketed with green grass, offering a stunning view of a tiny lake with shimmering, crystal-clear waters. Not long after, hidden behind a narrow, tree-lined path, the city came into view—its brilliant lights sparkling from every corner.
"Phew! ...Finally!" Noah exclaimed as he collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.
"Wow! This is so beautiful...! I think I'm beginning to rethink my plans," Noah said, marveling at the breathtaking sight of the city just before dusk. "Maybe I'll explore a few more places before joining a cult."
[But weren't you supposed to get the moon pill for the Stellar Demon Wolf?]
"And what does that have to do with anything? Can't I just buy it in this city?" Noah asked, turning his gaze back to the glistening lake.
[That pill isn't something you can easily craft or purchase in this realm.]
[It's a Grade 5 pill, so very few alchemists in this world can produce it—and I highly doubt any of them are in this small city.]
"...Alright, no need to worry. I've already made my stance on promises clear, haven't I?" Noah said as he got to his feet, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
Once standing, Noah slowly walked toward the city's entrance. However, while he was out in the open field with the wind lashing his face and the grass being swept to the south, he paused for a moment—something was reaching his ears, a kind of desperate groan.
"Hmm, help...?" he murmured, trying to decipher the sound.
"Where is that voice coming from?"
[From an alley near the city's market district.]
"Huh? Oh, so someone will eventually help it..." Feeling a strange twinge in his stomach, he headed for the city gates. "I need to eat something—real food, not just a handful of fruit."
It was odd; Noah wasn't exactly hungry—it was something slightly different, more of a longing. Even though his body didn't require food in the same way a normal person's does, he still possessed a common mind—and that mind had been pondering these things for some time, though he had endured it given his circumstances.
[I'm afraid not.]
[Apparently, what's happening there is a premeditated kidnapping.]
'So it was all planned, huh... Is the person being kidnapped someone important in this city?'
[She's the daughter of the city's general.]
"Hmm..."
After passing through the gate without any trouble, Noah immediately noticed the chaos—a flurry of armored guards sprinting through the streets from one corner to another.
'So that's why there's so much commotion...?'
Noah walked along the tiled streets toward the city's main commercial district. The guards were indeed spread out everywhere.
'...Even with all these people, they still haven't managed to find her, really?'
[Why don't you help?]
[Connections can be useful, even if they're from a small city like this.]
"I know..." he said, sighing. The meat on the skewer he had bought just moments ago was nearly gone, down to its very last bite.
Noah surveyed his surroundings—stalls lined both sides of the street—and continued walking. Although he expected to see odd merchandise like creature bones or herbs on sale, he instead found food, handmade items, and... even an old man...? He couldn't believe his eyes at first, so he looked again to be sure—nothing about the place truly interested him.
'...But it's going to be dangerous, isn't it...? Getting involved in fights, political or not, doesn't seem like a good idea... especially for someone like me, who's just arrived here.'
[Freedom is also the ability to make decisions without caring about others' opinions.]
He paused, glancing at the system, and thought,
'Funny you are, aren't you? And what about my freedom not to help? Doesn't that exist?'
[But you do want to help...]
[You're just afraid.]
'Seriously... what's the point of all this? Why are you so insistent about this whole story?' Noah wondered, stopping in front of an inn.
From the very beginning, the fact that he could even understand what the beasts were saying struck him as odd. But that feeling deepened the moment he stepped into the city and discovered that, contrary to his assumption that everyone in this world spoke Mandarin, even the writing was different—and yet he could understand it.
"Cloud Inn..." he said, reading the sign above the door.
[...It's beautiful.]
He froze at the entrance in response to the system's comment. Then, embarrassed by his reaction, Noah smiled and said,
'Is... is that the reason...?'
[...]
[Very beautiful.]
"That's not the point!"
Confused glances turned toward him—many assumed he was just being quirky—and, feeling ashamed, he quickly left the place.
"Damn...!" he muttered irritably, "You made me look like a moron in front of everyone!"
'...Really, what's the real reason?'
[...You're a virgin.]
Noah felt something sharp jab into his chest—a blow like a stab.
"...It's not a problem..." he said through tears, "Lots of other people are too."
[It only becomes a problem when you start cultivating.]
'What...?'
[Minds overwhelmed by trivial desires never advance far in cultivation—inner demons are forged.]
[Dealing with that issue before it grows is the best course of action.]
'Yeah, but that decision isn't really yours.'
[Indeed.]
[I'm only advising you.]
[As I said—it's my duty to always be with you, helping you grow stronger.]
Smiling with a hint of sarcasm, Noah said,
'And that's why you had me wandering back and forth in that underground maze, when you had a damn map I could have followed? And now, since my virginity is a problem, you want me to lose it with just any girl roaming the streets...'
[Not just any girl.]
[As I said—she's VERY beautiful.]
[...To the point of making your ex-girlfriend look like a slob.]
"Hey, let's not exaggerate here, alright..."
[Not an exaggeration..?]
'Really...?' Noah questioned, a spark of interest emerging—his mind now altered by the system.
In reply, the system marked a moving point on the map—the location of the girl. Noah made his way there, seemingly by chance, as if fate had led him to her.
The kidnappers were discreetly carrying her away through the alleys, even though no guards were posted along the route—which was odd, considering Noah had seen several guards on his journey to that spot.
Then, with his mouth agape and half-dazed on the ground, he saw her—before him stood a woman so beautiful it seemed like a dream: her long, white hair spilled over the floor, a body so mesmerizing that even a side glance could leave anyone speechless, and a face so perfect it recalled that of a doll.
"...This is ridiculous—!"
He quickly took cover as the watchful men turned their gaze in his direction.
[Beautiful, isn't she?]
'It's not just about her being beautiful—she's not even human?!'
He continued to observe the scene carefully from atop the nearby houses.
[She possesses a unique constitution—a body that exudes celestial beauty—and although her aptitude for solo cultivation is limited, that changes when it comes to paired cultivation.]
'So in the end, it really is all about power... though I find it pretty clichéd.'
[Affirmative!]
[I am a system that operates with complete integrity in my functions.]
'Integrity... So that means I can always count on you, right?'
[Affirmative!]
Noah smiled.
[...Pretty much always.]
"You bastard—!"
The men now heard him loud and clear; one of them went to inspect the source of the noise.
'What do I do...? They're cultivators, aren't they? How on earth am I supposed to save her from these guys...?'
[Affirmative!]
[The strongest among them is at the fourth tier of Qi Refinement.]
'What?! This...this is the second great cultivation realm!' he thought, absorbing the information transmitted to his mind by the system. 'How am I supposed to beat someone like that?!'
[That's easy...?]
"Easy?! Easy for who—?!"
Noah saw his life flash before his eyes as a knife tore through the wooden roof and sliced the air beside him—he was suddenly drenched in cold sweat, trembling.
'If they were ordinary people, I might let it slide. But they've got superpowers!'
[....]
[And you don't...?]
"Oh..."
The realization finally dawned on him.
'...And what cultivation realm am I in right now...?'
[Half a step from the Golden Core.]
"What?!" Noah exclaimed, a wide, incredulous smile spreading across his face.
"Someone really has been tailing us! That bastard is right there!" one of the men shouted.
But Noah no longer hid—instead, with newfound confidence, he leaped from the rooftop.
[Well, in theory, that's how it should be.]
'In theory...?!'
Four of the men charged toward him, weapons in hand—a stark reminder that even among humans, this world was dangerous, something he was at least somewhat accustomed to.
[Yes.]
[Your physical condition will worsen greatly if you use too much Qi at once—just as I warned you when you asked if you could run to the city.]
'And why didn't you warn me about this crap—!' he shouted just as a knife sliced through the air by his side, accompanied by a sharp cry of, "Before!"
With a casual punch meant merely to drive the enemy away, Noah sent two of the men flying—they of doing that was so... "Incredible...!" he grinned.
"What are you doing?! Get him now!" bellowed the man who seemed to be the leader. He hoisted the girl onto his shoulder and ran off, leaving his cohorts behind.