Chapter 73

I was stunned by what I saw.

It had been almost two years since I last saw my parents. But the first familiar face I encountered was none other than Bernard’s. And where? Right in the heart of the desert, a place devoid of any living creatures. For the past ten days, there had been nothing but ghosts pouring from the sky straight into a red spear and the most terrifying monsters. No life existed there—and yet, in the middle of it all, lay Bernard’s enormous petrified body, impaled through the chest by that same red spear.

Mom… Dad… How are you?

I’ve missed you so much…

There’s so much I want to tell you…

I just want to see you…

From my planned preparations, I’d done most of what I wanted. I returned to the cliffs and dug up my cart. The entire journey back, I wore the poison-soaked bandages again. I had to switch to a stronger ointment—my health had improved significantly since I last used it.

I had a whole bag of extremely valuable rings and a full spare set of mage gear. Too bad I didn’t have a scythe blueprint—really unfortunate. Not that I planned to use it, but as part of my aesthetic, it would’ve been perfect. A black death robe, skeletal hands, and a shroud of darkness. Looks like someone’s gonna need a diaper change.

Almost forgot about the Lord’s sandals. Those are the most unique item of all. And the way it works is so clever—material sacrifices boost stats, while immaterial ones grant effects. Still couldn’t make proper boots for a mage, though.

The return trip to Sural took five days of sprinting while shooting down anything that moved. I didn’t need sacrifices—just loot. On the fifth day, a single-person cart rolled into Sural, piled high with sacks of goods. Even with enhancements, hauling that much was exhausting.

I entered through the western gates and immediately headed to the Monster Slayers’ Guild. After parking my cart in the backyard, I went to see Nell. Nobody would touch my stuff here, so I could finally do what I came for.

It was a gloomy day. The girl was still sitting at the reception desk in her green uniform.

"Hello, Miss Nell. I’m back."

She jumped in surprise and looked over the counter. My head barely reached the top—I’d snuck up on purpose to scare her. My hood was down, and I’d taken off my gloves—I didn’t want to frighten her. All items had hidden stats.

"Saji—ugh!" She stomped her foot. "Why do you always scare me?! There’ve only been five people all day, I was reading, and then—you!"

"See? Now you’re not bored anymore." I grinned, and she softened, smiling back.

"Where have you been all this time? Traveling the world, huh?! And now you got homesick and came back?"

"I made it to the center of the Hashan Desert." Her eyes widened. "But there weren’t any souvenirs worthy of you. Still, I have a gift—if you help me with a couple of things."

"The center?! The monsters there are level two hundred!"

"And in the very center, some are over a thousand—all so angry. There’s even a river of souls, but no gates to Hell. Not even demons—just a massive petrified corpse, pierced by a red spear."

"Wait. You actually got there? The aura alone should’ve killed you at the desert’s edge!" She clutched her head. "What aura? There are monsters, no food, and yet here you are, casually saying you reached the heart of the desert and saw things others can only dream of!"

"What do you know about that dead giant with the spear?"

She fell silent, staring blankly for a few seconds before speaking.

"It’s from the Forgotten Era. There were countless books about it, but they were later deemed heresy and banned. At the academy, they told us that era had Wanderers and a war of gods. The Wanderers killed one of them. The battle took place in the capital of the Hanai Empire—now, most of that empire is desert. The current Caliphate is just a pathetic remnant of its former glory."

"Are you saying the center of the desert holds a slain god, and the desert itself formed from that battle?"

"That’s what they told us."

How was I supposed to take this? Bernard—a god? Unlikely. And why would he participate in the ritual? How did he even end up here if he was killed?

"Could a slain god resurrect as a mortal mage?"

"I don’t know about you, but we were promised a good afterlife for righteous lives—and Hell for sinful ones."

"Thanks."

I needed Bernard himself to see the full picture. Until things became clear, it was better not to disturb him. Noticing my pensiveness, Nell asked:

"So… you really reached Hashan’s center?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I’m an unusual child with unusual abilities. But right now, I need your help with something related to the desert’s monsters." She seemed to remember my contract and smiled. "I have a lot of them. Guess I’ll have to personally collect my reward from the Caliph’s palace?"

"What? That many?"

"A little over four thousand regular ones and three raid bosses."

"How did you even bring them all?"

"My cart’s in the backyard."

Nell started laughing harder and harder, eventually clutching her stomach with one hand and the desk with the other. Finally, she gasped out:

"So a kid goes to the heart of Hashan alone, kills thousands of monsters, and drags a cart behind him the whole way?!"

"Which brings me to my second request—and a gift in return. I have a lot of unidentified loot… A LOT." She stopped laughing and glanced at the back door. "I assume you need to level your Identification skill? Once we’re done, you can keep one item… any item!"

"Deal! We’ll count the heads too."

"But we’ll do it tomorrow. For now, I need someone to guard the cart overnight."

I had to sprint all the way back from the desert to Sural. After resting, eating, and preparing for a double shift, I logged back in. We spent nearly 24 hours counting and identifying everything. Nell was overjoyed when her Identification skill hit 750. I’d never seen anyone so happy. I was starting to understand the locals and players better. People like Nell—open, kind, and beautiful—were far more appealing than anyone else.

After finishing the identification and giving her a pair of stylish epic boots, I headed to the auction. No dramatic "Death Rides to the Auction" scene—just a humble village kid hauling a cart piled with sacks. People laughed and offered me a horse, but I refused. I was stronger than a horse. If those idiots knew I was carrying millions in gold worth of loot, they’d shut up fast.

For the rest of the day, I just listed new auctions, setting minimum bids and conditions. Then I went to sleep again. Time was running out.

The next morning, I stood in the Caliph’s palace. My reputation in the Caliphate had reached "Respected," and once I had full game access, I could buy property or open a shop here. The state would be thrilled if I settled permanently.

And my reward? Glorious. I’d underestimated the monster count—it was nearly five and a half thousand, with raid boss bounties at a thousand gold each. I walked away with an extra 58,000 gold. A drop in the ocean of my needs. The real profit would come from the loot.

I had about 30 hours left before auctions ended. The Hunter Trials began in 25 days, and I still had to get home. I wouldn’t—couldn’t—use portals; they only worked on one continent, and they logged player movements. The Bounty Hunter Guild and other major organizations tracked those. With at least one god as an enemy, I wasn’t giving them any leads.

Right now, I needed Nell. She’d know about the city I was looking for.

"Hello, Miss Nell."

"Hey, Saji. What’s new? More identification work?"

"Sorry, no new boots yet." I dramatically removed my red cap and looked down guiltily. She laughed. "I need info on a city. Even with my rep, no one in Sural will talk about it—or just won’t."

"Which city?"

"Zirda."

Nell looked at me like I was some troublemaking brat.

"Ugh. If I didn’t know you, I’d think you were a criminal. Zirda’s on Ovidia, far beyond human and dwarven lands."

The southern continent—where Imyr and my village were. So I’d have to cross nearly the entire continent… on foot.

"Why ‘criminal’?"

"It’s where ex-convicts and fugitives flee. Your murderers run there too. It’s lawless territory. Now you get why people side-eyed you for asking about Zirda?"

"Got it. Thanks. Can you mark it on my map?" I laid it out.

"Somewhere around here. Don’t know exactly. I swear, you keep surprising me! Where’d you even get this map?"

I put it away smugly. "Traded it for a black pearl the size of my fist. Gotta go—see you around." Nell gaped as I left. Time to run home.

With six of the Red Lord’s rings, I could sprint at 25 mph (40 km/h) indefinitely. But I needed more speed. A pet could’ve helped, but it wasn’t worth it now.

My path took me through forests, fields, mountains, even the sea. Nothing would stop me—I was going home. I saw castles, cities, people and non-people. I dashed through elven woods, ignoring entry bans. They tried to catch me, even set ambushes, but my Perception was sharp. I’d spent my whole life running—so I escaped using their trails, exiting the other side. Just a tiny part of the Golden Forest, marked on maps as uncharted gray.

I raced through orc and troll lands—vast steppes, sparse woodlands, then rocky wastes and mountain ridges.

In a small town at the continent’s heart, I stopped at an auction to collect my earnings. Total sales: 22.5 million gold. A quarter came from two full raid-boss plate armor sets. Dual swords from the third boss sold for 2 million. First, I converted it all into credits and sent Malcolm funds to build an orphanage.

For the past four months, Vaalsi kept summoning me, demanding to know why I hadn’t taken basic education tests. I "answered" by refusing to cooperate. He was acting on Eliza’s orders but didn’t grasp the subtext. In two weeks, transfer papers would arrive, and this farce would end.

At the southern tip of Congul lay the port city of Nicat. Landside, it was protected by towering walls; seaside, by a fortress with heavy artillery.

When I arrived, the gates were locked for the night, and the city was under quarantine. I wasn’t detouring—diseases didn’t scare me.

Compared to Hell’s Pit, these walls were nothing. I scaled them easily, sprinted through the city, and made for the docks. The guards spotted me as I jumped down and gave chase. Some were fast enough to keep up. They nearly caught me at the port, but I leaped off the pier and ran across the water.

It was past midnight when I decided to reach Ovidia by sea. Once I hit the nearest shore, I found a tree to sleep in. Fifty hours without rest—my body needed it.

Two-thirds of the journey was done. Now, on an island between Congul and Ovidia, I’d seen whales, sea monsters, warships, and fishing boats far from shore. Each encounter filled me with childlike wonder. By the second evening, I reached Ovidia and rested again. Climbing a tree, I startled a monkey, who stared at me in shock before sharing food and fleeing. The locals, around level 50, posed no threat—they were neutral. Then I logged out.

When I returned, I was on a tiny island in the open ocean. A tornado raged nearby, waves churning violently. Must’ve been swept here during a storm. Good to know—relogging could relocate your anchor point.

I ran across the water through the storm. The chaos around me lifted my spirits—I hadn’t had this much fun in ages. By evening, I reached the first human towns. Nobody recognized me, meaning no warrants for trespassing in Nicat or fleeing guards. Not that anyone there knew me anyway.

The land still bore scars of war—forests scorched, villages in ruins—but I was home. The smells of trees and water, the familiarity of it all, filled me with warmth.