Early in the morning, after Lyle left the E-Rantel, he began following the directions gathered from the Adventurer's Guild, using a simple map as a guide.
Heading northwest, he was on his way toward the region near Forest of Tob, in the territory of the Re-Estize Kingdom.
There was a place known as Carne Village.
This village, despite being a border settlement with a history of nearly a century, remained in a state of poverty. Though it had long-standing roots, it had never risen to prominence, remaining unnoticed by most people in the kingdom. In fact, it was often overlooked entirely, yet in certain stories, it served as a key setting for various events.
Of course, in reality, the village wasn't particularly crucial to major events. It was more like a transitional point in the storyline.
"Woaw!"
Suddenly, a goblin lurking in the bushes by the roadside jumped out, launching an ambush.
Lyle glanced at the iron sword hanging at his waist, quickly drew it, and sidestepped the attack with ease. Without hesitation, he swung his sword, cutting down the goblin in one swift motion.
Slash!
A flash of steel gleamed, and the goblin let out a shriek as it was cut in two.
[Gained 30 experience points.]
Expressionless, Lyle flicked the green blood off his blade. Glancing around, he noticed that four more goblins were emerging from the nearby underbrush.
"What a nuisance," Lyle thought to himself.
"Magic Arrow!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Consuming 5 mana points, he summoned four magic arrows in quick succession, using 1 additional mana point per arrow. The glowing projectiles shot toward the approaching goblins.
Splatter!
Green blood splashed as all four goblins fell to the ground, lifeless.
A notification appeared on his status panel.
[Gained 27 experience points.]
[Gained 25 experience points.]
[Gained 30 experience points.]
"The experience from goblins is about the same as that from beasts. I should level up by the time I reach Carne Village. Leveling up during the early stages is pretty fast."
Lyle walked over to the fallen goblins and carefully cut off their ears—valuable items that could be exchanged for money at the Adventurer's Guild. This would provide him with a decent income.
The rest of his journey wasn't without incident. He encountered several more waves of enemies, including not just goblins but various other minor monsters.
Despite these interruptions, Lyle eventually reached a small village surrounded by wooden barricades. It was late afternoon, and thin trails of smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses.
He surveyed his surroundings.
The wooden barricades offered minimal defense against the monsters of the nearby forest. It seemed strange that a village so close to Forest of Tob had survived without being overrun by monsters. This in itself was intriguing.
Lyle's journey so far had given him a very real sense of the dangers lurking in the region. After leaving E-Rantel, the number of goblins and magical creatures had increased steadily, yet the closer he got to Carne Village, the fewer monsters he encountered.
This was because Forest of Tob was home to three beings known as the "Three Monsters."
The Beast of the South: Hamsuke, a great magical beast. The Giant of the East: Guu, the Ogre King. The Demon Snake of the West: Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun, a serpentine monster.
These three collectively controlled Forest of Tob, and Carne Village lay within the territory of the Hamsuke. This explained why monsters rarely attacked the village.
Each of the forest rulers was around level 30, with Hamsuke being even higher. In human terms, they were beings who had entered the Hero Realm. However, even among human heroes, few could hope to defeat any one of the forest rulers in single combat. This was the natural advantage of non-human races.
Lyle shifted his gaze from the entrance of Carne Village to the seemingly endless expanse of forest beyond. The dense canopy of leaves blocked his view, yet his eyes reflected a mixture of solemnity and apprehension.
For Lyle, the true danger of Forest of Tob wasn't these three rulers.
Deep within the forest, there existed something far more terrifying.
Two hundred years ago, among the legendary Thirteen Heroes who appeared in this world, one was a monster known as the Demonic Tree, a level 85 entity. Although it was never completely destroyed, it had been sealed in the depths of Tob Forest.
When the events of the anime began, the disturbance caused by the Demonic Tree's weakening seal led to an important chain of events. This was why Shalltear unexpectedly encountered the forces of the Slane Theocracy's Black Scripture, who were armed with a World-Class Item known as the [Downfall of Castle and Country].
Although briefly mentioned in the anime, the novels provided more detailed descriptions. The Black Scripture had suffered significant losses in the encounter, with the wielder of the World-Class Item slain before they could complete their mission. This resulted in Shalltear being turned into a berserk monster, as the item's wielder was killed before its power could be properly used.
"Who are you?"
Suddenly, two middle-aged villagers armed with pitchforks appeared at the entrance of Karn Village, their expressions wary as they eyed Lyle.
"I'm a traveler passing through. I'd like to stay in your village for the night," Lyle said calmly, his voice steady.
Hearing this, the two villagers exchanged uncertain glances. Their wariness didn't lessen, and one of them quickly ran back into the village after a brief nod.
It didn't take long.
The returning villager brought back an older man who appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties. His skin was dark and weathered, and his hair was streaked with gray.
Judging by his appearance, he was likely the village chief.
The chief carefully examined Lyle, his gaze lingering on Lyle's black hair for a moment before speaking in a rough voice.
"Are you planning to stay here for the night?"
"Yes."
Lyle nodded.
"In that case, come on in," the chief said, surprisingly welcoming.
This unexpected response caught Lyle off guard.
Given that Carne Village rarely received visitors, the chief's willingness to allow a stranger to stay was unusual, especially in the current climate of heightened monster activity.
"Chief?"
The two villagers were visibly surprised by the chief's decision. It was clear they hadn't expected such an immediate approval.
"The beasts in the forest have been unusually restless these past couple of months," the chief sighed as he opened the gate.
Hearing this, the villagers realized something. Although their village was peaceful, the road leading to it was perilous. For this black-haired youth to reach them alone, he must have possessed significant strength. Their flimsy wooden defenses wouldn't have stopped him if he meant harm.
Understanding this, the villagers lowered their guard.
Led by the chief, Lyle followed him into Carne Village.