QTMWSFC Chapter 35

Lant had always been a man of action. Once he made a decision, he immediately set about preparing his travel gear.

The Holy Sword for Otherworld Demons had been sealed in the Divine Tower for generations, and the Divine Tower was hidden deep within the Dark Night Forest.

The Dark Night Forest never saw sunlight all year round and was shrouded in dense fog. There was no distinction between day and night here, which was why people commonly called it the Misty Forest. Once you set foot inside, unless you were blessed by heaven with extraordinary luck, you would wander forever until your resources ran out and you became bones.

In the original plot, a monster riot would break out in the Dark Night Forest two years later. The King of Serorida first sent troops to suppress it but failed, so he had no choice but to send Lant, the captain of the Inner City Knights, to deal with the situation. During his fight with the monsters, Lant stumbled into the Divine Tower.

Of course, rather than saying he stumbled in, it was more accurate to say that the Divine Tower itself summoned him. It was the reason why he could cross the forest unharmed and retrieve the Holy Sword.

After retrieving the Holy Sword, Lant gained even greater favor from the king and was directly promoted to personal guard knight, bypassing the usual ranks. But this also made the king more wary of him, so the king kept him by his side at all times.

This time, Lant planned to retrieve the Holy Sword early as a preparation.

The road to the Dark Night Forest was not easy. The ever-changing and unpredictable weather was the most deadly problem. Especially after the Otherworld Demons awakened, the climate became even harsher, and groups of Otherworld Demons would occasionally attack travelers, making the area even more desolate.

Lant originally had only three days of rotating leave.

But three days would not even cover the travel time to the Dark Night Forest, so Lant specially requested a long leave.

This was his first time asking for an extended leave, but it was easier than expected and met with little resistance.

After all, Lant’s achievements and his spotless record of never having taken leave before were clear to everyone. No one objected to his request. In fact, many people wished him a happy vacation.

This trip to the Dark Night Forest was a secret operation. Lant did not want anyone to know about it. Therefore, some degree of disguise was necessary.

First of all, he could not use the standard-issue sword of the Knights. Lant swapped it for a pitch-black steel-fanged blade, a family heirloom left to him by his father. The sword blended perfectly with the darkness, making it easier to move unnoticed.

Also, his silver hair was a too obvious feature, so he had to wear a cloak with a hood. Although it seemed odd, in such a very anime-like setting, simply putting on a hood usually made people fail to recognize him.

Still, Lant felt the hood was unreliable, so he called out 0250. After consulting with the system, he spent 50 points in the system store for a color-change card. It was the most affordable option. It would allow him to change his hair color for a limited period of twenty days.

In addition, he prepared a bow and arrows for long-range attacks, a large supply of arrows, various kinds of concealed weapons, and of course poison, because all is fair in war. The area around the Dark Night Forest was fraught with danger and anything could appear there. One never knew what might prove unexpectedly useful.

Apart from weapons, the most important thing was food supply.

It was really strange. Even though technology was not advanced in this small world, the food was incredibly filling and staved off hunger for a long time. Lant was no longer surprised by this. After all, this was a world where even magic existed. He himself was not a simple knight but a magic knight!

“Host! Actually, the store also offers a ‘Portable Space’! It’s an essential item for travel and home! Would you like to take a look?” 0250 prompted at the right moment.

A space?

A space would indeed be a great thing!

Lant asked, “Are there any usage restrictions? It won’t be usable in this world but not in the next world, right?”

0250 quickly explained, “Not at all! There are no such restrictions on the Portable Space. It is the host’s personal property! Moreover, it can grow and upgrade!”

A space that could grow?

Lant was a bit excited. The fact that it could grow made it far more valuable than an ordinary space! So he reopened the store to take a look.

Good guy!

It was truly expensive!

10,000 points for only 8 cubic meters? Wouldn’t 8 cubic meters fill up as soon as you put a few things in?

The next upgrade would cost 20,000 points, but the space would grow exponentially to 64 cubic meters.

The next level after that would cost 60,000 points, expanding the space to 512 cubic meters.

And so on…

Although the calculation method was a bit strange, in a sense, it was actually quite cost-effective.

Lant gritted his teeth. He would go for it!

You can’t catch a wolf without risking a lamb, after all!

Good things always come at a price!

After exchanging for the space, packing his belongings, and preparing extra hot food and heating equipment, Lant set out on the road to the Dark Night Forest. To the outside world, however, he simply said that he had not gone out for a long time to relax and had been spending all his days in the military camp, so he wanted to take a trip outside.

The people living here were mostly family members of the Knights. Neighbors knew each other well. Lant was also a famous talented swordsman who often returned home with abundant gains, which also benefited the surrounding households. Added to that, he was young, had lost his parents early, and lived alone—his “buff stack” was essentially maxed out. Therefore, everyone treated him with great kindness and no one doubted his trip.

Lant named his warhorse “Light.” He had spotted Light at a horse market and felt an instant connection, even though Light was just an malnourished foal at the time. For some reason, they just clicked. Lant raised and tamed Light himself. Now, they had become each other’s best comrades. For a place like the Dark Night Forest, only an excellent warhorse like Light could manage the journey.

Most of the route to the Dark Night Forest consisted of highland snow ridges. Experiencing all four seasons in a single day was not an exaggeration. Even without the Otherworld Demons, the road was already difficult enough, let alone four years later when the Otherworld Demons would awaken and this entire area would become their stronghold.

It took Lant four days to reach the foot of the mountain where the Dark Night Forest lay.

A small village still stood here. Although the environment was a bit harsh, the villagers’ lives remained orderly.

Lant found the only inn in the area to stay at.

There were more travelers at the inn than he expected. Most were either adventurers or explorers, having come either to complete quests or in search of the legendary countless treasures hidden in the Divine Tower.

Lant ordered a cup of hot tea and a simple single-person meal, then sat down at a corner table while also gathering information.

The innkeeper was a middle-aged man with a sturdy build.

When he saw Lant, he couldn’t help but add an extra word of caution: “Little brother, pay attention to safety.”

Lant’s figure looked like that of a teenager, quite slender. Coming here alone was indeed a bit risky.

“Thank you.” Lant nodded and said no more.

They were merely strangers passing by, and that one sentence was already a great kindness.

The innkeeper set down the food tray and busied himself serving tea and water to others.

“Hey, I’m telling you all, the other day I met a fortune-teller by the roadside. I don’t know if what he said was real or fake, but he kept shouting that the world was ending and disaster was coming.” A man, probably drunk, stood up and slammed his hand on the table, raising his wine cup and shouting loudly.

“Hahahaha! You believe the words of a roadside charlatan? So what if the world ends? It’s not going to be our turn anyway!” A young man at the next table clearly did not believe the drunkard. He took a sip of his wine and shook his head repeatedly.

“You… you guys better believe me! That man said it will happen in four years! In four years, everyone will be done for!” The man felt indignant that others did not believe him.

“Hahahaha! This godforsaken life is already unbearable! I’ll just wait for the heavens to take me in four years!” A man dressed like an adventurer smashed his wine cup in anger, laughed uproariously, and still remembered to leave a few copper coins to pay for the broken cups.

“Boss, I’ve been here for many days, and it snows every day. When will the weather clear up around here?” Some adventurers did not care about the prophecy of four years later. They only cared about the task at hand. If they failed to complete the task and didn’t get paid, forget about four years from now. They wouldn’t even be able to afford food now!

“Wait a little longer, it should be soon! That’s just how the weather is here. There’s nothing to do but wait.” A woman with a plump figure came out from the back kitchen to help her husband with the work.

Mealtime was approaching, and the inn was getting more and more crowded. One person could no longer handle it alone.

After finishing his meal, Lant stayed in the inn for a while. He couldn’t find any particularly useful information. He settled his bill and went upstairs to his room to rest.

Although the Dark Night Forest was dangerous, the deepest part was the most perilous. The surrounding areas were relatively safe and also the main zone for human activity. Most adventurers came here to hunt rare beasts or monsters or to collect plants.

The climate here was complicated and the environment harsh. Plants that could survive in such conditions had high medicinal value. Similarly, the furs of the beasts here were extremely precious, selling for substantial prices and being favorites among the nobility. As such, many people were willing to take the desperate risks.

Looking out the inn’s window, everything was a vast expanse of white with visibility of less than ten meters. But that was only for ordinary eyes.

When one focused magical power into their eyes and looked out again, everything was visible without obstruction.

In this harsh weather, almost no one was moving around outside. Most people stayed inside waiting for the skies to clear.