Gallop—a brown-maned horse galloped down the forest, carrying a man dressed in a black poncho with a backpack on his back.
Ambrose watched as the Nether Forest flew by him at fleeting speed. He felt rather relaxed.
He didn’t choose to fly instead to the Honorable Temple, as he wanted to enjoy the scenic route and take in the beauty of nature along the way.
If he had flown, he would’ve arrived already, and it felt like a rather disappointing way of traveling.
Swoosh—in that moment, an arrow suddenly whizzed past him, narrowly missing his ear.
“Huh?” Ambrose pulled the horse’s reins, and came to an instant stop.
He turned to see where the arrow came from, and at that moment, five figures with ragged clothes jumped out of their hiding spots. They were armed with rusty swords and hungry looks on their faces.
“Bandits?” Ambrose thought out loud.action
“Well, well, look what we have in here!” A bandit with a long tongue licked his lips and sneered, “Fresh meat.”
“Jump off the horse, now!” A long-haired bandit screamed.
Ambrose put his arms up and slowly dismounted.
“I am only a traveler. There is no need for this hostility.” Ambrose pleaded for a peaceful solution and looked around at the bandits.
“Drop your backpack!” A busty-breasted woman shouted with a bow and arrow in her hand. It looked like she was the one who shot the arrow.
Ambrose nodded, and slid the backpack off his shoulder. It landed on the ground beside him.
The long-haired bandit used his rusty sword to pick up the backpack and opened it carefully, revealing a stash of food and brown scrolls inside.
“So much food, and these scrolls look valuable!” The long-haired bandit laughed sinisterly as he realized his fortune had just increased significantly.
“Good!” The busty-breasted bandit laughed and pointed the bow at Ambrose with a sinister look.
“Thank you for the valuables. We don’t want anyone coming to look for us, so we’ll make sure you won’t be able to tell anyone.”
She pulled the bowstring and fired an arrow.
Ambrose drew his wooden sword and slashed around him like a whirlwind. The arrow stopped in mid-air, and so did the bandits.
“Neighh!” The brown-maned horse kicked up its legs into the air and let out a deep neigh.
Ambrose slowly sheathed his sword, and once it reached the end of the scabbard, the arrow split in half, and the bandits fell down to the ground.
“I don’t have to feel bad knowing that I killed trash.” Ambrose said, and looked at the dead-looking bandits, who were blankly staring ahead.
“If you had let me go, I would’ve spared your lives and left you with some food. You guys chose the wrong option; regret in hell.”
Ambrose picked up the backpack from the ground and mounted the horse. He then caressed its mane and whispered.
“Go.”
The horse kicked its legs high into the air and then stormed forward with loud galloping noises. It ran faster than ever before, as if the whisper had some kind of power that influenced it.
After rushing through a tree-filled forest, the horse burst through the branches and arrived at the rocky terrain. There was a long uphill that seemed to lead up the mountain.
Ambrose controlled the horse with the reins and made it gallop up the hill.
In a few moments, Ambrose and the horse came to a stop in front of the arc-shaped entrance. It was strangely in the middle of the uphill, and it didn’t have a fence to stop going around it.
He slowly mounted the horse and patted it on the head.
“You can return; thank you.”
“Neigh!” The horse neighed and started running in the same direction as where they came from.
Ambrose then grabbed the backpack’s strap, and stepped through the entrance. It felt like he had entered a whole new world.
Swoosh—in that moment, a sword stabbed the ground in front of him, and stopped him from taking another step.
“Who may you be?” A bald-headed man with a long, flowing robe appeared on top of the archway. He had his hands hidden inside the sleeves, and it made him look wise.
“Hello, brother.” Ambrose brought out a badge from his inventory and showed it to the bald-headed monk.
The bald-headed man’s eyes shrank and he said. “You are an outsider. Only one outsider has ever received the badge…”
At that moment, his eyes widened in surprise, and he landed down on the ground, and pulled out his sword from the ground.
“My apologizes, Honorable Ambrose.” He placed the side of his sword against his chest, and bowed respectfully. “I didn’t recognize you.”
“That was to be expected.” Ambrose smiled and asked. “Is the grandmaster in the temple?”
“Yes, the evening ceremony should be over. Want to go meet him?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Ambrose pocketed his badge and followed after the bald-headed man as they started to walk back to the temple.
A short walk later, they stepped through the entrance of the hidden town and saw a bustling marketplace filled with locals going about their business. The aroma of various spices and foods wafted through the air, enticing their senses.
It was the same mesmerizing atmosphere that Ambrose remembered. He saw the stone paths running up the mountainsides towards cottages built on top of the hills.
Then, he saw the mighty-looking statue sending a large shadow across the town, and the temple that was built right in the middle of it.
A distant chanting of monks reverberated from distance away, and it made many townsfolk to close their eyes and chant in the same rhythm.
As Ambrose and the bald-headed man walked through the town, he soon noticed the strange door stuck in the mountain wall. It was the hidden entrance to the city of evil, Warhaven!
‘It’s been some time since I visited that place. Maybe I should since I am already here.’ Ambrose thought.
“Ambrose?” At that moment, a voice sounded behind him.
Ambrose came to an instant halt, and turned around with a pleasant surprise. He didn’t expect someone to recognize him, and when he saw who it was, he smiled.
“Honorable Zhen.” He clasped his hands and bowed respectfully.
“Honorable Ambrose.” Zhen, with his head bald as always, bowed with the same respect. “We didn’t expect you to return so soon.”
“I have some questions for my master.” Ambrose said, and then remembered something.
“Right, Zhen, you know how to heal the soul injuries, correct?”
lightsΝοvεl ƈοm “Yes, I do, brother.” Zhen walked next to him, and joined them in the walk towards the temple. “I only know how to heal soul injuries with potions.”
“I see…” Ambrose nodded, and as they approached the stairs that went up to the temple, he said, “I need to learn soul healing. I got my soul injured again recently.”
“Oh, I see.” Zhen nodded and rubbed his chin. “I am sure the Wisdom King can help you with that. Anyway, welcome back, and I am sure he will be pleasantly surprised.”
“I might’ve made some mess lately, he is not angry that his disciple is a wanted man?” Ambrose asked curiously.
Zhen chuckled and smiled. “No. I think he is happy. You have grown strong; already red-ranked outlaw!
“It means your strength has grown, and that has made the Wisdom King very happy. You would already be a big shot in Warhaven.”
“Mm.” Ambrose nodded with a smile.
“I have also noticed that you aren’t carrying your weapons with you.” Zhen glanced at the wooden sword that was dangling from his hip. “Instead, you are carrying this toy with you.”
“This is my only weapon, as of right now.” Ambrose sighed. “My weapons unfortunately broke.”
“I see.” Zhen nodded. “Well, our blacksmiths can forge a weapon for you. We have some materials with us, and if you have some with you, we can use those.”
“Ah, I don’t think I have…”
In that moment, Ambrose’s eyes widened in shock.
“No wait, I actually have some!”
‘How could I’ve forgotten about those? I have 10 pieces of Crimson Metal!’