Rena swung her sword vigorously.
Above it, a name followed.
[The Lost Glory of Ascliff]
Every time, the same thought came to mind—what a strange name for a sword. It seemed like it might have some mysterious origin.
“Have you ever heard of Ascliff?”
“Ascliff is the most ancient duchy family within the empire. Why do you ask? No, Rena, how do you know that name?”
“Uh, I just vaguely remember hearing it somewhere.”
It turned out to be true.
Rena hastily erased the information she had just learned from her memory.
I don’t know, I didn’t hear anything.
This sword is mine. I found it in the cave—it’s just a butchering knife.
If it had been lost in the Dragon’s Lair, it couldn’t have happened just a year or two ago.
Who would know if I act as if it’s nothing?
Then again, swordsmanship.
I’m learning it from a knight, so once I learn this, I’ll be a knight too!
It was an absurd thought.
After all, one didn’t simply call oneself a knight; a noble had to appoint you.
Nevertheless, Rena practiced swordsmanship with Selene until dawn.
「You have acquired Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1)!」
「The effects of A Knight’s Fate and Dexterity (Lv.max) are now manifesting!」
「Your level in Basic Swordsmanship is rapidly increasing!」
「Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1) has evolved into Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.max)!」
「Skill lock has been removed!」
「You can now use Dracoris Family Swordsmanship (Lv.1)!」
The journey went smoothly.
Rena, who hadn’t felt this excited in a long time, was thrilled.
Though Rena was capable of entertaining herself, there was a unique charm in sharing this experience with others.
With no monsters in sight and stunning scenery all around, it felt like the leisurely stroll of immortals.
Still, why weren’t the monsters attacking?
It was unusual, but monsters certainly don’t follow common sense.
If they instinctively sense something stronger, they usually attack without discrimination, driven by hunger.
So why this peace?
The reason lay in the commanding aura of a high-level monster emanating from Rena’s body.
Even the most sensitive person is dull compared to an animal, and monsters are even more perceptive than animals.
A high-level monster could conceal its strength, leaving humans unable to distinguish between an ordinary monster and a high-level one.
But the monsters knew.
Their survival instincts, their natural instincts, were warning them.
Thus, the monsters remained at a distance, keeping watch, but not daring to approach.
As a result, the exploration of the area where the compass worked went smoothly.
With the location of the Python’s death as their base, they advanced, retreated when necessary, and tried another direction—a grueling but effective method.
They had waited years for the rescue team to arrive.
Finally, they were about to leave this tiresome forest; even the repetitive drudgery barely mattered anymore.
No matter how hard it was, there would eventually be a way out.
The vague hope of escape was now within reach, and Rena’s strength only grew.
If only they had realized earlier that Baduki could follow a scent, they could have saved a lot of time.
Baduki is not a dog, but like a dog, it had an excellent sense of smell.
Since they had gotten lost in this area, why not just track Selene’s scent?
In the end, commanding Baduki with this naive association worked.
Rena scolded Baduki for not coming up with the idea earlier.
Baduki whined in protest.
Why would an animal think of such ideas? It merely followed orders.
What took so long?
Considering how much time had passed since Selene entered the Great Forest, Baduki’s ability to detect such faint traces was extraordinary.
[Escape]
You have decided to resume your journey. To do this, you must first escape this tiresome forest.
However, escaping the Great Forest is no easy task. To avoid getting lost, careful planning is necessary…
Reward: Growth Points…
After moving for some time, a system message suddenly blocked her view.
Rena instinctively realized.
“Sister, check the compass.”
“Alright.”
Sure enough, the compass worked properly.
Rena smirked.
This status window really helps sometimes.
Now that they could confirm their direction, there would be no further obstacles.
They were escaping!
To the village! To see people! To explore the medieval world! Freedom!
Rena emerged from the thick foliage.
Before her stretched an entirely different landscape.
Instead of the charming village with chimneys billowing smoke, the well-guarded castle walls, or the bustling city filled with merchants and travelers…
It was an empty wasteland.
*
Mana is the fundamental element of creation.
Where mana concentration is high, the soil is fertile, and bumper harvests and the birth of extraordinary talented children become more common.
There’s also the drawback of rampant beasts and monsters.
However, these, too, were part of nature, a natural phenomenon.
And where there is an increase in one place, there must be a decrease in another.
This was the principle of balance found in Eastern philosophy.
Therefore, while some areas had high mana density, others naturally became depleted.
The Great Forest has one of the highest mana concentrations in the continent.
It’s so dense that even the formless mana element causes strange phenomena.
With an almost black hole-like force, it sucks mana from the surrounding areas, leaving the land around the Great Forest nearly devoid of mana.
In short, it’s barren land where even a blade of grass struggles to grow.
And such barren land is unsuitable for human habitation.
Farmers only settle if there are arable lands for sustenance, but not even dumping fertilizers in heaps would help crops thrive in the soil around the Great Forest.
Furthermore, no valuable minerals had been discovered. People are crazier for shining things than crows.
Even after the empire conducted extensive surveys with the help of mages from the magic tower, all they found were rocks and dirt.
Thus, the land around the Great Forest held no economic value and was left entirely untouched due to the perpetual danger of monster infestations.
This was Selene’s explanation as to why the area outside the Great Forest was a barren wasteland.
“Ah, I see.”
Rena’s voice lacked any enthusiasm.
To Rena, all the talk of yin and yang and five elements was like cloud-chasing nonsense.
Instead of trying to understand it, she accepted that this was just how the world functioned.
She tolerated Selene’s detailed explanations out of respect for her efforts.
If it hadn’t been for Selene, she would have completely ignored such information.
“Where should we go then?”
“I’m not sure.”
Selene’s expression became troubled.
Furrowing her eyebrows and slightly lowering the gaze of her large eyes, she still looked picturesque.
Looking at her like a bug to scold and crush… but, Rena realized, she couldn’t do such a thing.
Someone with a temperament like hers likely never scolded or complained about others.
Even if pushed, it would be out of sheer stubbornness rather than real malice. And since Rena wasn’t about to force her, she stayed silent.
“We should camp here and wait.”
“Why? We can just move on. Unless someone was kidnapped, they must have walked here on their own feet. We could just retrace our steps to find the village.”
“It’s not that simple.”
The wasteland extended endlessly.
Only a handful of members of the Red Rose Knights Order dared to pass through here.
So, naturally, there was no road.
Experienced knights might use the stars or distinctive landmarks to navigate, but Selene was new.
She had merely followed her senior knight during her initial journey, and finding the correct way on this barren land would be like searching for a needle in a desert.
“What about the map? Compass and map go together, right? Let’s use that.”
“What’s this about a map?”
Maps were strategic assets.
It wasn’t like in modern times when tourist maps were picked up and carelessly thrown away.
They were highly valued, stored safely by important figures and only brought out during wars or for estate management.
There was no chance they’d be distributed to a mere new recruit.
“So, we’re still stranded here, either before or after escaping the Great Forest.”
Extremely disappointing.
Rena sighed.
「’Escape’ Completed!」
「Reward granted!」
「Linked quest ‘Restarting the Journey’ created!」
—
[Restarting the Journey]
A world of romance and dreams!
After a long wandering, you have once again set out on your journey!
Set your destination…
—
The status window’s message felt oddly wordy for a celebration of escape.
Perhaps it was trying to remind her the journey was not yet over.
“Don’t be too disappointed. A rescue team will come eventually.”
“Rescue team?”
“They periodically patrol the area from the knight order. Sooner or later, they’ll find us.”
“What’s the patrol schedule?”
“About a month, if my memory serves.”
“So if the patrol just finished yesterday, we’d have to wait another month, right?”
“It can’t be that unfortunate.”
“That’s a hope, not a plan.”
Rena didn’t truly believe their luck was that bad, but either waiting a full month or half was equally frustrating.
What was there to see in this wasteland?
Sitting around to eat, relieve themselves, and sleep endlessly was a breeding ground for mental illness.
Above all, this restless feeling in her heart was increasingly unbearable.
“It won’t work.”
Rena suddenly stood up.
Selene suggested they should head together to the knight order.
Firstly, a report of their return needed to be filed. Secondly, as the Great Forest fell under the knight order’s jurisdiction, they might receive assistance upon sharing the situation.
But did they have to go directly to the knights?
Rena preferred heading to a nearby settlement, where she could interact with people.
They were outside the Great Forest now, weren’t they?
If they just walked in any direction, wouldn’t they eventually find signs of human civilization?
“Just follow me.”
“Wait! How do you even know how long it will take? It’s better to just stay put…”
“Over here, there are people.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“My instincts say this way.”
「Survival Instinct (Lv.max) is activated!」
There had never been any harm in following this intuition during tough situations.
Ignoring Selene’s protests, Rena moved forward.
Ten days passed.
