The Stormhorn charged at him at full speed, its heavy strides shaking the ground.
Daniel’s eyes flicked around in search of an escape. A tree stood just beside him. Without hesitation, he dove toward it and activated his ability.
"Stepback!"
*Whoosh*
The antlers were just an inch away when Daniel vanished into thin air. The Stormhorn, unable to stop in ti, ramd its sharp antlers into the tree, which shuddered under the force.
"Breeeaaah!" the Stormhorn scread in panic as its antlers beca wedged in the tree.
Before it could free itself, Daniel drove the sharp tip of his sword into its back, piercing its internal organs in a single, deadly strike.
*STAB!*
The Stormhorn’s body shivered from the impact, its legs thrashing violently like a wild horse. One swing ca dangerously close to Daniel’s face, but he rolled away just in ti, putting distance between them.
Monts later, it ca to a stop, its body lying limp on the ground, its antlers still lodged in the tree, and red blood oozing from its back. Daniel rose to his feet, pulled his sword free, and began beheading the creature.
...
"Hmmph... finally," he muttered under his breath.
Daniel struggled to cut through its neck with his rusty sword. Stab after stab, slash after slash, he fought with all his strength — and finally managed to behead the Stormhorn.
The sky was fading into darkness as the sun began to set. Yellow, dust-like particles that had covered the sky were slowly clearing, revealing the stars and the moon rising in the west.
He returned to the rchant, carrying the severed head of the Stormhorn.
...
*Thud*
Daniel placed the Stormhorn’s head on the ground before him. Kabin stirred awake from his nap at the sound.
"Hwaah, I thought you’re also dead," Kabin muttered, rubbing his eyes lazily. "Let’s see what you bought."
Kabin’s eyes widened the mont he saw the Stormhorn’s head. "W-wait... you’re telling that you...?" he stamred in disbelief.
Daniel tilted his head slightly. "What are you talking about? Just tell how much this thing is worth."
’Did this newbie just kill a Stormhorn with a dull sword? Don’t tell he’ll be the one to free from this misery,’ Kabin thought, his eyes scanning Daniel’s figure.
"That’s worth around a hundred xewels," Kabin said, swiftly handing him a pouch.
Daniel opened the pouch and glanced at the coins. Inside, each coin looked like a mix of copper and tal, with the letter X engraved in the center.
The rchant lifted the severed head and shoved it into his satchel. It slipped inside effortlessly, as if the bag were a black hole.
With a snap of his fingers, Kabin summoned his weaponry. Daniel calmly walked to the front of the table and lifted the axe, its tal glinting in the moonlight.
"How much was this axe?" Daniel asked with a neutral expression.
Kabin turned his gaze toward him. "That will be twenty xewels."
Daniel bought the battle-axe and set it aside before looking through the other categories. Next, he moved to the armor section. With a snap, the weapons vanished and were replaced by rows of armor.
On the table lay three sets of armor—plate, leather, and cloth.
The plate armor offered the greatest defense, but its heavy weight could slow the wearer down. Cloth armor, on the other hand, was light and allowed the user to deal additional damage, though it offered little protection. Leather stood between the two, balanced with moderate defense and mobility.
’Hmm... leather would be good for . It looks better than the rest,’ Daniel thought as he lifted the leather armor.
In total, he spent fifty xewels on a full set of leather armor and a battle-axe.
"What are you thinking outsider?" Kabin asked as Daniel stared at his axe.
"Uh, nothing," Daniel said with a shrug, brushing it off before changing the subject. "By the way, do you have any recomndations?"
With a smile, the rchant began showing him other categories — consumables, maps, and wearables.
Kabin started with the wearables and recomnded a necklace called Mristine. It was a necklace that allowed the wearer to see the mana flowing within their body.
He placed it gently in Daniel’s palm.
Daniel narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the item. ’This one looks a little different from the one I had.’
The one he had before was diamond-shaped, while the one he held now was oval.
"Hm? It’s not working for so reason," Daniel said, a puzzled look crossing his face.
"What? Show ," Kabin said.
...
After a few minutes of checking, Kabin found no defects in the item. Daniel took it back and tried again, but it didn’t glow.
"Far," he whispered under his breath.
’Wait what? Oh—’
"Sir, show the consumables," Daniel said, his tone slightly hurried.
With a snap, the wearables vanished from the table and were replaced by potions. Daniel bought a mana potion for two xewels and drank it in one shot.
Instantly, the pendant glowed a deep blue.
"Knew it," he murmured.
...
In the end, Daniel bought the Mristine, two healing potions, two mana potions, and a utility belt that could hold six potions at his waist, leaving him with ten xewels in his hand.
’Hmm... is there anything I’m missing? Consumables, weapons, wearables, armour... maps. Oh, maps,’ he suddenly realized.
"How much is the map?" Daniel asked.
"One hundred and fifty Xewels," Kabin replied with a neutral expression.
Daniel’s eyes widened for a brief mont before returning to normal.
"And a compass for fifty Xewels," said Kabin.
With no discount and no room for negotiation, Daniel considered going out to hunt during the night. But Kabin advised him against it, warning that hunting at night would be suicide.
Fighting against his own urges, Daniel decided to rest instead of rushing things.
Kabin also told him that he was safe under his roof, as there was a certain range around the place that kept wild animals away — much like mosquito repellent keeps mosquitoes at bay.
Daniel didn’t sleep completely. Instead, he took short naps one after another, keeping his guard up — even though the rchant had said it was a safe zone.
...
The next morning.
’Hmm... where did they go?’ Daniel thought, crouching behind a bush.
He had returned to the place where he had seen the Stormhorns yesterday, but now there was no sign of any wild animals.
The sky was once again clouded with yellow, dust-like particles, blocking the warmth of the sun and allowing only its faint light to pass through.
Daniel walked deeper in the forest, moving from one tree to another calmly. Though a day had passed he felt no hunger no weakness no thirst — which felt strangely unnatural.
Ignoring the thought, he moved forward. Soon, he stumbled upon another Stormhorn. Ahead of him lay a small clearing covered in yellow grass, where they grazed.
Two storm horns — one axe. Two targets — one hunter.
Daniel began scanning the area behind him, searching for any life. He found none. Staring at his palm, sparks flew out of his palm as he felt the mana rushing in his palm.
He picked up two palm-sized rocks scattered nearby and hurled them toward the Stormhorns. One struck an antler with a sharp clack, and both creatures lifted their heads, turning their gaze toward him.
"Breeaah!"
"BREaaah!"
Two Stormhorns charged straight at him without hesitation.
Daniel lured them away from the bush, running a short distance before turning around. His eyes locked onto the bush, his palm crackling with sparks of lightning.
The mont one of them burst through the bush.
*BOOM!*
...
*THUD-THUD*
Daniel dropped the two Stormhorn heads beside the rchant’s tent. Kabin’s eyes widened, though he tried not to overreact.
To the rchant, he saw sharp eyes, lean body, and an axe dripping with blood — every inch of him looked forged to hunt.
*Catch*
Kabin tossed him two more pouches, each holding a hundred xewels.
"Take it back and give the map and the compass," Daniel said bluntly.
With two hundred xewels spent, he had acquired the main items for his journey to escape this world. As he scanned the map and asured the direction with the compass, Kabin stepped forward.
"I guess your main objective is to kill a boss, right?"
Daniel gave a small nod.
"If that’s the case, then you should explore the east side first," Kabin said, pointing to a spot on the map.
The map was simple and clear, depicting an island surrounded by red-tinted waters. To the far west lay the boss’s domain, the area Daniel would have to conquer to escape. The land itself was painted yellow, as if blanketed by endless forests.
Kabin explained that, in order to defeat a boss, Daniel would need a special weapon — one imbued with unique effects, such as poison damage or other enhancents.
"What about you? Aren’t you coming with ?" Daniel asked in a steady voice.
Kabin sighed. "I’m not allowed to, Mr. Outsider."
Reviews
All reviews (0)