Chapter 71: The New Mystery to Solve

The rhythmic clatter of carriage wheels echoed along the road. Alden, a boy with pitch-black hair, sat in the back, traveling from a distant place to a destination he knew almost nothing about.

So, what was he doing heading toward an unfamiliar village? The answer was simple, yet totally understandable. Wild rumors were circulating around the city about strange occurrences happening there. People were reportedly vanishing out of nowhere the moment evening wore off and the dark night climbed into the sky.

These rumors claimed the village had been facing this terrifying problem for the past month. The scared villagers were starting to pack up and migrate to different places. The Village Lord had even filed formal complaints to the cities and various associations. But since there was no solid proof about the disappearances, and no clear evidence of a monster or heretic attack, the Association refused to take action. They were already way too busy securing the borders to bother solving a small village’s problems.

However, Alden heard another exciting piece of the rumor: the Village Lord announced a massive reward. Anyone who could solve this mystery and find the missing people would receive a whopping 1,000 gold coins!

Alden immediately hopped on a carriage after hearing that. Since he had nothing better to do and seriously needed the cash, he decided to check it out. He hitched a ride with a passing driver transporting materials to a distant town. The cheerful driver happily nodded, glad to have some company to talk with instead of traveling alone.

But as Alden sat there, he had to endure the driver talking about his family non-stop for four hours straight. Alden felt mentally drained. He hadn’t even felt this tired when pushing his training to the limit. It seems that sometimes, sitting in one place doing nothing but listening can be incredibly tiring.

Feeling bored as the carriage finally neared the village borders, Alden decided to check his status window before facing any unknown crisis in this new place.

[DING!]

---

[STATUS WINDOW]

[Name: Alden]

[Titles: None]

[Age: 18]

[Race: Human]

[Talent: Unclassified]

[Class: Magic Swordsman]

[Rank: C]

[Bloodline: Awakened!]

[Affiliation: Rising Star]

[Elements: Wind, Water, Fire, Ice, Darkness, Space.]

[STATS]

[STR: 172/200] [AGI: 174/200]

[DEF: 168/200] [INT: 182/200]

[HP: 1000/1000] [MP: 1300/1300]

[LUCK: SSS+]

[Techniques:

•Basic Swordsmanship (B-)

•Astral-Step (C+)

•Infinity Halo Art]

[Abilities:

•Growth-Acceleration (SSS++)

•Absolute Resistance (B-)

•Stellar Manifestation (B-)

•???]

[Skills:

•Hunter’s Mark (Rare Grade)

•Infinite Nexus (Divine-Grade)]

---

Checking the interface, everything looked mostly the same, except a few of his skills had leveled up after his minor breakthrough to C-rank. He was now inching close to the peak of the C-rank tier!

The most exciting change, though, was his ’Class’. At first, it only read ’Swordsman’, but now it had evolved into a ’Magic Swordsman’! This meant his growth was no longer limited to just swinging a blade. He could learn both classes simultaneously, casting spells like a true mage while mastering martial arts and swordsmanship.

"Hey boy, it seems your destination has arrived! Are you dropping off here, or do you want to tag along with me?"

Alden quickly snapped out of his interface. He stood up and stepped out of the carriage, looking at a small wooden gate stationed outside the village. There were no guards protecting the entrance.

Alden walked up to the driver and bowed slightly in courtesy. "Thanks for dropping me off here." He didn’t have any money to pay the man, so the least he could do was offer a polite thank you.

The man smiled widely.

"Haha... Don’t be so polite, it is fine. Just take care of yourself out there. I hope we meet again."

The driver pulled the reins of his horses and started driving away down the path.

Alden watched the carriage leave, then turned toward the village gate.

’Sigh, I hope I don’t see that man again. How much did he talk? He didn’t keep his mouth shut for a single second.’

Shaking his head, he decided to focus on the immediate task. He walked toward the old gate, which rattled in the strong breeze. Overall, the atmosphere felt eerily quiet, as if the village was nearly abandoned. Dust blew across the path, forming tiny tornadoes in the wind. Alden stepped through the gate, looking at the rows of old houses. He walked continuously, searching for any sign of people living there.

But even after walking for ten solid minutes, he saw no sign of life. No bickering, no movement, nothing.

Just as he started to think the village was truly abandoned, a loud sound grabbed his attention. It was the terrified scream of a small girl. Alden instantly turned toward the direction of the noise. Without wasting a second, he stepped forward, and his figure vanished into thin air.

...

In a small clearing nearby, several children who were playing just a second ago now cowered in fear. They backed away together as a terrifying monster emerged from the forest canopies. Saliva dripped from its mouth as the hungry beast glared at the kids, stepping forward to make them its next meal.

The children backed away in panic, but a girl with brown hair lost her footing and tumbled down. Her friends looked back, wanting to save her, but fear forced them to keep retreating. The fallen girl stared in horror as the monster crept closer to her.

She quickly tried to stand up, but her leg was twisted, and she couldn’t move. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a piercing scream escaped her lips as the monster launched its sharp claws straight toward her.

Suddenly, a powerful breeze swept through the clearing. In the blink of an eye, the monster’s body exploded into a mess of blood and bone.

A boy wearing a dark cloak appeared right in front of her. His messy black hair swept back in the wind. He leaned down and gently wiped a stray drop of monster blood off his cheek as he sheathed his Sword.

The children in the back stared in pure awe at his sudden appearance and the destroyed monster. The little girl, no more than seven or eight years old, looked up at him with moist, tearful eyes.

Alden’s face remained blank, as he asked her gently, "Hello there. Do you know where I could find the Village Lord’s home?"

The little girl blinked at his sudden question. She quickly wiped her tears, gave an adorable nod, and said,

"My father is the Village Lord!"

Alden narrowed his eyes, though his expression remained unsurprised.

’Of course. What else could I expect from my crazy luck? It always gives me a direct chain leading right to the end goal. Let’s just hope this meeting will be worthwhile. I really don’t want this to be a joke or a false rumor, especially since I don’t have any money for a return trip.’

Alden bowed slightly, getting down to her eye level. "Can you guide me there, if it is okay?"

The girl nodded eagerly, but then paused. She couldn’t move her twisted leg.

"Hmm... But how do I walk?"

Alden looked at her injured leg. He could easily pick her up and carry her there, but he didn’t want the little girl to feel embarrassed. So, he decided to go with a much more easy method.

’Okay, let’s summon a wheelchair.’

Alden closed his eyes, forcing his mind to picture a modern wheelchair and willing it into this world.

In a flash, a shiny wheelchair appeared out of thin air right beside them.

The little girl gasped in delight. The other children peeking from a distance looked stunned to see an object materialize from nothing.

"Hey, are you a Mage? My dad said mages can do anything they want. Are you one of them?" the girl asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the wheelchair.

Alden ignored her enthusiastic questions. He gently scooped the girl up and placed her comfortably in the seat. He then looked at the group of kids peeking at them.

"Hey, little ones, can one of you help your friend reach home?"

The children looked startled to be suddenly called out. Most of them looked nervous, their eyes darting to the monster’s body parts remains scattered behind him. But a thin boy among them bravely stepped out from the group and walked toward them.

"Yeah, I will help push the wheelchair!"

Alden nodded, letting the brave kid handle the handles.

"Okay, let’s go. Guide me."

Alden started walking, guided by the little girl who sat in the wheelchair, thrilled to be riding around instead of walking. The fearful look on her face had vanished.

Alden kept walking while looking around the quite village, which felt peaceful at first glance, unless he had saw the monster appeared here just earlier.

As they walked, a brand-new, exciting thought popped into Alden’s head.

’Sigh... I should have just summon a car or a bike to travel around...’