Deep within the Great Forest of Tob, the two coachmen who doubled as cargo handlers were helping Nfirea gather medicinal herbs.
The two men had similar builds, broad frames, thick limbs, and the unmistakable physiques of people who had spent years doing hard physical labor.
One had a wild, unkempt beard and a rough personality.
The other clearly cared more about his appearance, keeping only a layer of dark stubble along his jaw.
He also worked more carefully and rarely spoke.
Nfirea held a small herbing trowel in one hand and carefully dug up a brightly colored mushroom without damaging its roots.
He brushed away the soil and placed it separately into the cloth pouch hanging from his waist.
“Nfirea, that’s not exactly a medicinal herb, is it?” The bearded coachman noticed what he was doing and pointed at the mushroom with a teasing grin.
“Is that one used for potions too, or are you planning to take it back and impress Miss Enri?” Nfirea’s face immediately turned bright red.
“N-No!
That’s not it!
She let us stay in the village without charging us anything.
This is just a small gift in return.
There’s nothing else to it!” “Hah!
Your face is that red and you’re still denying it?” The bearded coachman clearly had no intention of letting him escape.
“She’s a pretty girl, and you’ve got good taste.
If you like her, go after her.
What’s there to be embarrassed about?” “It’s really not like that…” Nfirea stammered, completely unsure how to respond.
He lowered his head even further, spotted another herb, and hurried over to dig it up by the roots, trying to bury his embarrassment in work.
The other coachman glanced at them without joining the conversation.
Still, even he could clearly tell that the boy had fallen for the girl named Enri.
Nfirea was one of the most famous apothecaries in E-Rantel.
He earned a considerable amount of money each year and had extensive connections, from the Adventurer’s Guild to the city administration.
As far as his circumstances went, there was nothing lacking.
The only problem was that the boy became hopelessly tongue-tied whenever Enri’s name came up.
That was not going to get him anywhere.
Lucien was crouched on a thick branch of a tall tree about a dozen meters away.
Watching the innocent young man get teased into complete helplessness, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted.
Then the smile faded.
His passive skill, Greater Threat Detection, which he had kept operating at maximum range, gave him a clear warning.
A large monster had entered the perimeter.
It seemed to be searching for something and was steadily approaching their position.
Lucien’s expression sharpened instantly.
He entered combat readiness.
The creature was moving quickly, following an irregular path through the forest.
Before long, it had already come within a hundred meters.
Lucien jumped down from the branch, bent his knees to absorb the impact, and landed lightly beside Nfirea.
“Mr.
Vale?” Nfirea looked up in confusion, completely unaware of what had happened.
Before Lucien could answer, a deep voice carrying tremendous pressure suddenly echoed from every direction through the forest.
“Who dares trespass upon my domain!” “I am the Wise King of the Forest!
Leave immediately, or do not blame me for showing no mercy!” Magic infused the voice.
The creature had not yet revealed itself, but its oppressive presence was already bearing down on them.
Nfirea and the two coachmen immediately became tense.
The three instinctively crowded together and looked around in panic.
Their legs were trembling badly enough that, for a moment, they did not even know which direction they should run.
“I-It’s the Wise King of the Forest!
It found us!” Nfirea’s voice shook.
He grabbed Lucien’s sleeve.
“Mr.
Vale, we should leave!
If we retreat from the forest, it should let us go!” The two coachmen nodded frantically.
Now that Nfirea had reminded them where safety was, they grabbed their gathering baskets and prepared to flee.
“Wait.” Lucien stopped them.
His detection skills had already pinpointed the creature’s location.
The Wise King of the Forest had stopped approaching.
More importantly, judging from the way it spoke, it clearly possessed a considerable level of intelligence.
The rumors seemed accurate.
This did not appear to be a mindless, vicious monster.
Lucien thought for a moment.
Then he turned his wrist and retrieved a translucent crystal from his inventory.
Soft white light radiated from within it.
“This…” Nfirea’s eyes widened instantly.
He brushed some of his long bangs aside, trying to get a better look at what Lucien had taken out.
For a moment, he even forgot they were in danger.
“Mr.
Vale, what is that…?” “A magic item.” Lucien answered casually.
The crystal contained an Eighth Tier defensive spell.
Sanctuary Guard.
Once activated, it generated a temporary barrier of absolute protection imbued with holy energy.
Until the barrier’s durability was exhausted, anyone inside remained completely invulnerable and could not be targeted.
Lucien had acquired the item back when he used to carry paying clients through raids.
When you escorted enough paying customers, you inevitably encountered people who tried to take advantage of you.
Some deliberately shorted the agreed fee by tens of thousands of gold.
Others reached the payment stage halfway through a raid only to discover that they did not have enough money on their account.
Whenever that happened, Lucien demanded other tradable valuables as compensation.
Materials, consumables, anything he could later sell was acceptable.
Over time, his storage had filled with miscellaneous items like this.
He usually cleared them out once a month.
But toward the end of YGGDRASIL’s lifespan, the game’s population had declined, the market had dried up, and many of those items became difficult to sell.
So they simply accumulated in his inventory.
Now they finally had a use.
Lucien crushed the crystal.
A hemispherical barrier of white light instantly expanded outward, completely enclosing Nfirea and the two coachmen.
“You’ll be absolutely safe inside this barrier.” Lucien looked at the three of them.
“No matter what happens outside, as long as you stay inside, nothing will be able to harm you.” “Stay here.
I’m going to negotiate with the Wise King of the Forest.
Wait until I return.” “Negotiate?
But…” Nfirea tried to say something more.
Lucien had already activated Greater Stealth.
His body vanished instantly before their eyes.
Even Nfirea, who could use Second Tier magic, failed to detect anything at all.
The escort he had accidentally hired seemed to be approaching the absolute limits of what he could even imagine as possible.
Nfirea cautiously touched the glowing surface of the barrier.
He had no idea how to describe what he felt.
The instant his fingers made contact, all the fatigue he had accumulated while gathering herbs vanished.
The dirt on his hands fell away.
His body became lighter.
Even his eyesight seemed sharper.
He had never felt this physically refreshed in his life.
What Tier of magic was contained in this crystal…?
Nfirea swallowed nervously.
He suddenly realized that if Lucien later demanded compensation according to the item’s market value, several years of his future income might not be enough to cover it.
Meanwhile, Lucien moved silently through the treetops, following the direction indicated by his detection skills.
It did not take long for him to locate the enormous creature.
He landed soundlessly near the crown of a tall tree and looked down.
Then he froze.
The so-called Wise King of the Forest was…
A gigantic hamster?
Its entire body was covered in soft gray-and-white fur.
It appeared to be more than five meters long.
Two round black eyes cautiously scanned the surrounding forest.
Lucien could not sense the oppressive or vicious aura he would have expected from some great territorial monster.
If anything, the creature looked almost cute.
Aside from its tail, which was unusually thick and long and covered in dark green scales, it looked exactly like an ordinary pet hamster enlarged to monstrous proportions.
The enormous hamster still had no idea that Lucien was crouched directly above it, staring down through the canopy.
Lucien suddenly shook his head and forced those thoughts away.
Judging something by appearance was a serious mistake.
That applied to monsters as much as people.
He rubbed his chin and began considering his options.
Launching an attack immediately would be risky.
If he failed to kill the creature in a single sequence and the fight turned into prolonged close combat, things would become troublesome.
Lucien publicly described himself as a light fighter.
In reality, however, that was merely a minor secondary class within his overall build.
His direct melee combat ability was actually quite poor.
If he encountered a specialized warrior of equal level, or some enormous boss with extreme durability and an enormous health pool, he would not last many exchanges in a prolonged head-on fight.
But his client was waiting nearby.
Eliminating potential threats from the surrounding area was part of his responsibility as an escort.
Besides, Lucien genuinely wanted to know how strong this creature actually was.
After considering the matter from several angles, he decided to begin peacefully.
A few seconds later, Lucien activated Voice Disguise and paired it with a sound-amplification ability similar to the creature’s own.
His voice echoed through the forest from every direction.
“Wise King of the Forest, we only came here to gather medicinal herbs.
We mean no harm.” “I hope you can permit us to remain in the forest for a short while.” The giant hamster jolted in surprise.
Its fur stood on end.
It immediately raised both forepaws and stood upright, frantically searching the surrounding area.
Only then did it realize the intruders had not actually left.
The Wise King immediately amplified its voice again and responded harshly, showing no interest in negotiation.
“You trespassers are remarkably insolent!” “I was already displeased after being awakened by that thunder, and now you dare bargain with me!” “Leave at once, or I shall show no mercy!” So the thunder had woken it up.
Lucien considered that.
Then he asked experimentally, “If I can make the thunder stop, will you allow us to gather herbs here?” The giant hamster’s whiskers twitched.
It clearly thought the unseen speaker was making an absurd claim.
“Do not boast so foolishly.
The heavens themselves are hardly something you can simply…” Before it could finish, Lucien deactivated the spell maintaining Stormfront.
The heavy clouds covering the sky began dispersing visibly.
The deep rumbling of dry thunder stopped at once.
Bright afternoon sunlight broke through the canopy again and fell across the giant hamster’s fur.
“I apologize for the thunder.” Lucien’s voice sounded genuinely sincere.
“I created the storm to drive away weaker monsters.
I didn’t mean to disturb your rest.” The Wise King froze.
It had lived for many years.
Never once had it seen someone manipulate the weather so casually, then stop the thunder with a single decision.
That ability unsettled it.
The unseen intruder was using powers completely beyond anything it understood.
But as the absolute ruler of this territory, it could not simply surrender its domain without resistance.
The giant hamster forced down its unease.
It slammed one forepaw heavily against the ground and roared with as much authority as it could muster.
“Your abilities are indeed impressive!” “But I am the Wise King of the Forest!” “How could I permit others to come and go through my territory as they please?” “If you truly possess such strength, then reveal yourself and face me in battle!” “Otherwise, I shall never forgive this intrusion!” (To be continued.)