THE FIRST MILE
The black stone road stretched endlessly beneath the morning sun.
Its polished surface reflected the sky like calm water, yet not a single scratch or crack could be found upon it.
There were no lane markings, no roadside barriers, and no sign that human hands had ever built it.
It simply existed, ancient and eternal, disappearing into the horizon as though it connected every corner of existence.
Kael Arden tightened his grip on the leather reins.
The gray Ashen Draft Horse slowly pulled the repaired wooden wagon forward, its hooves producing dull echoes against the smooth black stone.
Clop…
Clop…
Clop…
The sound became the only reminder that time was still moving.
Kael glanced over his shoulder.
The place where he had awakened was now barely visible.
The abandoned wagon belonging to the unfortunate traveler had already become nothing more than a tiny dot in the distance.
He wondered if anyone would ever find the man’s belongings.
Or whether the Endless Road simply erased those who failed.
A cold breeze drifted across the plains.
Kael instinctively reached into the wagon and pulled out one of the blankets, draping it over the horse’s back.
The exhausted animal released a quiet snort.
“You’ll need your strength.”
The horse flicked one ear as though acknowledging him.
Although the creature had appeared only an hour earlier, Kael had already realized something important.
It wasn’t merely transportation.
If the horse died…
The wagon would stop.
If the wagon stopped…
Night would catch him.
The warning in the sky still echoed inside his mind.
ROAD MONSTERS WILL BECOME MORE AGGRESSIVE AFTER DARK.
That was enough motivation to keep moving.
He opened the translucent status window.
Traveler: Kael Arden
Rank: Beginner Traveler
Health: Minor Injuries
Stamina: 72%
Road Core: Dormant
Hidden Talent: Road Forge
Copper Coins: 120
Wood: 10
Stone: 10
Food: 15
Water: 20
Bloodfang Hide: 2
Low-Grade Beast Core: 2
Basic Healing Salve: 0
The required Iron Components for the first wagon evolution were still missing.
That meant he would need to scavenge, trade…
Or fight.
Neither option sounded appealing.
Kael dismissed the screen and focused on the road ahead.
Nearly thirty minutes passed.
The scenery remained unchanged.
Rolling grasslands stretched endlessly to both sides.
Occasionally strange blue flowers swayed in the breeze.
Large butterflies with transparent wings drifted above them.
Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Kael knew roads.
Roads this quiet usually hid danger.
His instincts proved correct.
The horse suddenly stopped.
Its ears stood upright.
Its breathing became uneven.
Kael immediately climbed down from the wagon.
“What is it?”
The horse refused to move.
Its eyes remained fixed on something ahead.
Kael followed its gaze.
At first he saw nothing.
Then he noticed a broken wagon resting diagonally across the road nearly two hundred meters away.
One wheel had snapped completely off.
The canvas roof had collapsed.
Several crates were scattered across the road.
No movement.
No survivors.
Kael remained where he was.
His first instinct was to approach.
His second instinct told him to wait.
He trusted the second one.
He crouched beside the wagon and searched for anything useful.
The rope.
The lantern.
The hammer.
Finally…
His eyes settled upon one of the wolf hides stored inside the inventory.
An idea appeared.
He removed a piece of dried meat from storage.
Using the rope, he tied the meat tightly to one of the Bloodfang hides.
Then he dragged the bundle several meters ahead before tossing it toward the abandoned wagon.
The bait landed with a dull thud.
Nothing happened.
Kael waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Still nothing.
He began wondering if he had been overly cautious.
Then the road exploded.
A blur of silver burst from beneath the broken wagon.
The creature was nearly the size of a horse.
Its body resembled an enormous praying mantis covered in white armor.
Four blade-like forelegs sliced through the air.
The dried meat disappeared instantly.
The creature tore apart the wolf hide before freezing.
Its triangular head slowly turned toward Kael.
Golden eyes locked onto him.
A status window appeared automatically.
Iron Scythe Mantis
Level 5
Rank: E
Threat Assessment:
Avoid Direct Combat.
Kael’s heartbeat accelerated.
Level Five.
Much stronger than the wolves.
If he had walked directly toward the broken wagon…
He would already be dead.
The mantis remained motionless.
Its forelegs clicked together.
Kael carefully stepped backward.
The creature watched.
Another step.
Still watching.
One more.
The mantis suddenly leaped.
Kael threw himself sideways.
The monster landed exactly where he had been standing.
Its blade-like limbs struck sparks against the black road.
Without hesitation Kael sprinted toward his wagon.
The horse panicked.
“Move!”
The draft horse reacted instantly.
The wagon lurched forward.
The mantis chased after them.
Its speed was terrifying.
Within seconds it had nearly reached the rear wheels.
Kael grabbed the hammer.
Not to fight.
To survive.
He smashed the rear lantern hanging beneath the wagon.
Oil splashed across the road.
He immediately struck the flint.
A shower of sparks ignited the oil.
Flames erupted behind the wagon.
The mantis ran directly into the burning trail.
It screeched.
For the first time…
It hesitated.
The horse gained precious distance.
Kael looked back.
The monster wasn’t dead.
Far from it.
The flames barely blackened its white armor.
But they had bought enough time.
The mantis eventually stopped pursuing them.
It returned to its territory.
Kael exhaled slowly.
“Good.”
Sometimes surviving meant refusing to fight.
His old driving instructor often repeated the same lesson.
“The best accident is the one you never have.”
Apparently…
The same applied to monsters.
The horse continued walking.
Kael gently patted its neck.
“You did well.”
The animal seemed calmer now.
Another hour passed.
The scenery gradually began changing.
The endless grasslands gave way to scattered trees.
Unlike ordinary forests, these trees possessed silver bark.
Their leaves shimmered with faint green light.
The road entered the woodland.
Sunlight filtered through countless glowing branches.
Birdsong echoed overhead.
It looked almost beautiful.
Which made Kael even more suspicious.
Halfway through the forest he noticed strange wooden signs beside the road.
Each one pointed in different directions despite there being only one road.
The letters engraved upon them constantly shifted.
One sign briefly formed readable words.
REST.
The next moment…
It changed into…
TURN BACK.
Then…
TOO LATE.
Kael frowned.
“I definitely don’t like this forest.”
The horse slowed again.
This time because of sound.
Someone was crying.
A young woman’s voice.
It came from somewhere deeper among the silver trees.
“Please…”
“Help…”
Kael immediately stopped the wagon.
His eyes searched the forest.
The voice came again.
“We’re over here…”
Kael’s expression remained calm.
He remembered the warning.
Leaving the road invited death.
The voice sounded frightened.
Desperate.
Human.
But something about it felt…
Wrong.
It never changed distance.
No matter how long he listened…
It remained exactly the same volume.
As though the speaker wasn’t actually moving.
A branch cracked.
Something white disappeared between the trees.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“Come onto the road.”
Silence.
“If you’re human…”
“Walk onto the road.”
Nothing answered.
Several seconds later the crying resumed.
This time another voice joined it.
An elderly man.
“Please…”
“My leg…”
“I can’t move…”
Kael slowly shook his head.
“You almost fooled me.”
The crying stopped instantly.
The forest became completely silent.
Then…
Hundreds of tiny whispers spread among the trees.
They weren’t speaking words.
They were laughing.
Soft.
Cold.
Patient.
The horse nervously stomped the ground.
Kael climbed back into the wagon.
“Let’s keep going.”
As the wagon rolled forward, countless pale figures briefly appeared behind the silver trees.
None of them stepped onto the road.
None of them possessed faces.
Each simply watched the caravan pass before fading back into the forest.
Kael refused to look back again.
Whatever lived inside those woods…
It respected the road.
That was enough.
After another twenty minutes the forest ended.
The road emerged into a broad valley.
Kael immediately noticed movement.
Not monsters.
People.
More than thirty wagons had gathered beside a circular stone platform built directly into the center of the road.
Smoke rose into the sky.
Several fires had already been lit.
Travelers cautiously observed one another while clutching whatever weapons they possessed.
Some carried axes.
Others held kitchen knives.
One elderly man wielded nothing but a wooden broom.
Children hid behind wagons.
A few injured people lay beneath blankets.
Above the circular platform floated glowing golden letters.
FIRST TEMPORARY REST POINT
SAFE ZONE
REMAINING SAFE TIME:
03:41:12
Kael slowed the wagon.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world…
He wasn’t alone.
Yet as he looked at the wary expressions surrounding the camp…
He realized something.
The monsters weren’t the only danger traveling the Endless Road.
Humans had survived as well.
And desperate humans could be even more dangerous.
Kael guided his wagon toward the edge of the gathering, careful not to park too close to anyone.
Every pair of eyes followed him.
No one smiled.
No one offered a greeting.
No one lowered their weapon.
The silence between the survivors felt heavier than the silence of the road itself.
A broad-shouldered man carrying a bloodstained spear stepped away from the crowd.
His gaze swept over Kael’s repaired wagon before settling on the Bloodfang hide hanging from its side.
Recognition flashed across his eyes.
“You killed Bloodfang Wolves?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he studied the stranger’s spear.
The weapon wasn’t made from ordinary wood.
Its tip had been fashioned from the sharpened leg of some monstrous insect.
Fresh green blood still dripped from its edge.
The man smiled.
It wasn’t a friendly smile.
“My name is Garrick.”
He planted the spear against the ground.
“And I think we should have a little conversation.”
—End of Installation 2 (Part A)—