The massive capital city of Valdoria slowly disappeared behind Ren and Lyra as they continued walking beneath the dark night sky.
Cold wind flowed across the open lands outside the capital walls.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Ren finally felt slightly relaxed.
No noble eyes watching him.
No guards.
No crowded streets.
Only darkness and the long road ahead.
Lyra quietly walked beside him beneath her dark cloak.
"…We actually escaped."
Ren glanced toward her briefly.
"For now."
The road directly outside Valdoria remained wide and well maintained.
Large stone-paved paths stretched across the landscape.
Clearly built for trade caravans and military movement.
But after several kilometers—
The road split into two directions.
One road remained large and clean.
The other became smaller.
Muddy.
Uneven.
Leading toward distant forests and mountain ranges.
Without hesitation—
Ren chose the second route.
The moment they stepped onto the muddy road—
Wet dirt immediately stuck beneath their boots.
The rain from earlier had turned the narrow path into a mess.
Lyra looked down at her feet curiously.
"…My feet should already be soaked by now."
But surprisingly—
The mud never entered the military boots Ren had purchased from the system earlier.
Lyra looked genuinely impressed.
"These boots are amazing."
Ren smirked slightly.
"Military equipment."
"Designed for worse environments than this."
Lyra lifted one foot slightly while walking.
"…A genius invention."
"If beast nation soldiers had these during winter campaigns…"
"…many would survive frostbite."
Ren quietly listened.
Even simple modern equipment could completely change warfare in this world.
As the two continued walking—
Suddenly—
Blue light appeared before Ren's eyes.
[PARTY MISSION ACTIVATED]
Objective: • Hunt 300 Monsters in the Dark Forest within 5 Days
Rewards: • Party EXP ×2
• Polaris Sportsman MV850 Military ATV
• Military Instructor Knowledge
Failure: • No Reward
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
A military ATV?
And military instructor knowledge?
That reward alone sounded absurdly valuable.
Especially in a medieval world.
Lyra noticed his expression immediately.
"…System notification?"
Ren nodded.
"We got another party mission."
"What kind?"
"Hunt three hundred monsters inside the dark forest within five days."
Lyra's ears twitched slightly.
"…Three hundred?"
Then Ren continued.
"The rewards are ridiculous."
"What rewards?"
"A military-grade ATV."
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"…What is an ATV?"
Ren thought for several moments before answering.
"A fast military transport vehicle."
"Smaller than a carriage."
"But much faster."
"It can move through forests, mud, mountains, almost anywhere."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly.
"…Without horses?"
"Yeah."
"…That sounds impossible."
Ren smirked faintly.
"In my world, impossible things became normal a long time ago."
Lyra stared at him quietly.
Sometimes she truly wondered how terrifying Ren's original world actually was.
Then Ren continued.
"And the second reward is military instructor knowledge."
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
"…Instructor?"
Ren nodded.
"Knowledge about training soldiers."
"How to turn ordinary people into proper fighters."
"Discipline."
"Battle drills."
"Coordination."
"Combat training methods."
Lyra's expression slowly changed.
"…That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
Ren answered calmly.
"In wars, trained soldiers can completely overwhelm larger untrained armies."
Lyra quietly looked toward him.
Then softly asked—
"…How many soldiers could someone like you train?"
Ren stayed silent for several moments before answering honestly.
"If enough weapons and supplies existed…"
"…probably an entire army."
That answer made even Lyra speechless for several seconds.
Because she suddenly realized—
Ren himself might become far more terrifying than any dungeon monster in the future.
But then Ren calmly added—
"Though I probably won't train that many people."
Lyra looked toward him curiously.
"Why?"
"Trust."
Ren's answer came instantly.
"In war, weapons are dangerous."
"But trained soldiers are even more dangerous."
"If the wrong people gain that knowledge…"
"…entire kingdoms could burn."
The cold seriousness in his voice made Lyra understand immediately.
Ren continued quietly while walking beside her.
"I'd only teach people I trust completely."
"People willing to protect each other."
"Not greedy nobles."
"Not corrupt rulers."
"For me… loyalty matters more than talent."
For several moments—
Lyra remained silent.
Then softly asked—
"…And if you build such a group someday?"
Ren looked toward the endless road ahead.
"…Then they'll become strong enough that nobody can ever chain them again."
That answer made Lyra's chest tighten slightly.
Because for the first time since losing her tribe—
She genuinely started believing the future could change.
The night slowly faded away as they continued through the mountain road.
Eventually—
Golden sunlight appeared at the horizon.
The two had unknowingly climbed halfway across a mountain path during the night.
And from the rocky height—
They saw the sunrise.
The morning sky turned orange and gold.
Clouds drifted slowly beneath distant mountains.
Forests stretched endlessly across the land.
Even Lyra became speechless.
"…Beautiful…"
Ren quietly sat down against a large rock nearby.
"…Yeah."
For several minutes—
Neither of them spoke.
They simply watched the sunrise together silently.
Then Ren opened the system storage.
Soft bread appeared in his hand.
Alongside a small jar of fruit jam.
Lyra looked curious immediately.
"What's that?"
"Breakfast."
Ren handed her the bread first.
The moment Lyra took a bite—
Her silver eyes widened instantly.
"…Soft…"
Then after trying the jam—
Her wolf ears immediately stood upright.
"…Sweet."
"…Fruity too."
Ren laughed slightly watching her reaction.
"You've never eaten jam before?"
Lyra slowly shook her head.
"Most preserved fruit in this world is expensive."
"Especially for beast tribes."
She looked at the soft bread again with disbelief.
"…Even many nobles probably don't eat bread this soft."
Ren blinked slightly.
"Seriously?"
Lyra nodded.
"Most bread becomes hard quickly."
"This one feels completely fresh."
Ren silently realized once again—
Modern food preservation and production standards alone could probably shock this world.
As they quietly continued eating—
Ren's gaze unconsciously drifted toward the glowing system interface visible only to him.
The more he used it—
The stranger it felt.
Modern weapons.
Military vehicles.
Combat training.
Manufacturing systems.
None of this belonged in a fantasy world.
So why him?
Why not an engineer?
Why not a scientist?
Why give such a system to a soldier?
And more importantly—
Who created it?
Every reward seemed perfectly designed for survival and warfare.
Almost too perfectly.
Which honestly made Ren uncomfortable.
Nothing in war ever came free.
Lyra noticed his silence quickly.
"…You're thinking about the system again."
Ren looked toward her slightly surprised.
"You can tell?"
Lyra nodded softly.
"You always become quieter afterward."
Ren gave a small dry laugh.
"Guess military habits don't hide everything."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"…Not from me."
For some reason—
That answer made the cold morning feel warmer.
By afternoon—
The mountain terrain slowly disappeared.
Now both sides of the muddy road were surrounded by forests.
Bird sounds echoed continuously.
Insects chirped loudly from hidden trees.
The cold air carried the smell of wet soil and leaves.
Lyra quietly stretched her arms while walking.
"…This already feels better than the capital."
Ren glanced toward her slightly.
"You hate cities?"
Lyra shook her head.
"Not cities."
"Human noble cities."
She looked toward the distant forests quietly.
"In Fenrisgrad…"
"…even noble districts feel more alive than Valdoria."
"How?"
"Less pretending."
"The nobles there fight wars personally."
"Strong rulers gain respect."
"Weak rulers die."
Ren smirked slightly.
"…Sounds more honest."
Lyra laughed softly.
"You would probably fit in well there."
"Maybe."
Then after several moments—
Lyra suddenly looked toward him curiously.
"In your world…"
"…were there beastpeople too?"
Ren shook his head.
"No."
"Only humans."
Lyra looked genuinely surprised.
"…Only humans?"
"Yeah."
"That sounds lonely."
That answer unexpectedly made Ren laugh quietly.
"…Never thought about it like that."
For some reason—
The road suddenly felt less tiring afterward.
Meanwhile—
Back inside Valdoria's capital—
The royal academy had already become tense.
Princess Seraphina stood near a large window while listening to her spy kneeling before her.
"They disappeared during the night, my lady."
Seraphina narrowed her eyes slightly.
"The inn room remained untouched."
"The key was left outside the door."
The spy continued calmly.
"At first we believed they entered a dungeon early."
"But after investigation…"
"…there are only two possibilities."
"They either entered a dungeon before dawn…"
"…or fled the capital during the night."
Seraphina slowly folded her arms.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The spy continued.
"We have already placed agents near every dungeon entrance and guild branch inside the capital."
"And the remaining spies are heading toward the main trade route and different noble's town and city as well."
"The Astravia direction?"
"Yes, my lady."
The spy lowered his head further.
"No human slave owner would willingly travel toward the homeland of their beast slave."
"They would risk betrayal or revenge."
Seraphina slowly smiled faintly.
Logical.
Which meant—
If Ren truly headed somewhere unexpected…
Then he was smarter than most nobles already assumed.
"Continue searching."
"Yes, my lady."
At the same time—
Inside the royal palace—
Prince Cedric sat angrily inside his luxurious bedroom chamber.
Expensive wine bottles scattered around the room.
Half-dressed beastwomen servants remained kneeling nearby silently.
And standing before the prince—
Was the slave trader himself.
Sweat covered the man's forehead heavily.
"You SOLD her?"
Cedric's face twisted with rage.
The slave trader immediately bowed lower.
"Yes, Your Highness…"
"A foreign adventurer purchased her on the very day he entered the capital."
"…For two hundred gold coins."
For a brief second—
Cedric froze.
Because secretly—
He had only managed to prepare around one hundred gold coins from the royal treasury so far.
Meaning—
Someone had outbid a prince of the kingdom before he could even act.
The realization filled him with humiliation instantly.
CRASH—
Cedric smashed a glass bottle against the wall violently.
"You useless pig!"
The slave trader trembled in fear.
Cedric's eyes burned with anger.
"A silver wolf noble bloodline…"
"…and you sold her before informing me?"
The prince immediately stood up furiously.
"Find him."
"I don't care where."
"Either that adventurer kneels before me and hands her over freely while begging for forgiveness…"
"…or kill him."
The knights kneeling nearby immediately lowered their heads.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Soon afterward—
The prince's personal men also began searching across the capital for Ren and Lyra.
Completely unaware—
Their targets had already vanished far beyond the city walls.
By evening—
Ren and Lyra finally spotted the small town from a distance.
Stone walls surrounded the settlement.
Smaller than Valdoria.
But still properly defended.
Smoke rose from chimneys peacefully.
Travelers slowly entered through the city gate before sunset.
Lyra looked slightly relieved.
"…Looks safer than I expected."
Ren quietly observed the guards carefully.
Disciplined.
Awake.
Much better than the capital guards.
The gate would likely close soon after sunset.
Without hesitation—
The two headed toward the entrance line.
Before approaching—
Ren quietly stored his Beretta M9 with attached suppressor back into system storage.
Then both removed their guild registration cards as well.
Lyra looked toward him quietly.
"…Ready?"
Ren nodded.
"From this point onward…"
"We use different names."
Lyra slowly nodded back.
Then after hesitating briefly—
Her fingers quietly held Ren's hand beneath the cloak.
A small nervous reaction.
But she didn't let go.
Ren glanced toward her slightly.
Lyra avoided eye contact immediately.
"…Silver wolves stay close to their partners during dangerous situations."
Ren quietly smirked.
"Convenient custom."
Her ears twitched instantly.
"…Don't tease me."
But despite her embarrassment—
Her hand still remained tightly holding his.
And together—
The two quietly approached the gates of the unknown town ahead.