"Ha!.. Ha!"
In the forest near a large camp, a man could be seen swinging an axe with full force. His movements were crude but improving as he trained his mastery over the weapon.
"Huff.. Huff.." Sweat glistened on his body as the man stopped, letting his lungs calm before collapsing onto the ground.
"Even with all the enhancements and even magic... learning a weapon is really damn tiring," he muttered as he set his axe down.
Axe Mastery: 20%
Tired and frustrated by slow progress, Damon sighed as he looked at the percentage of his progress.
Like he had with learning to read and write, he had created a skill specifically to learn the axe as fast as possible.
[Ability to learn instantly about a weapon with heightened talent and permanent muscle memory. Shows progress in percentage.]
With the basics already ingrained in his memory thanks to the axe being the main weapon of the previous user, his mastery had initially risen quickly, but once it reached a certain point it stagnated.
"Well this progress itself is fast.. and monstrous I know.. but living and easy life, it is kind of frustrating"
Seven days had passed since he learned to read. He had trained with the axe, collected his clothes, and finally left the city for Parnam.
Practicing as hard and as long as he could, he swing his axe as he improved himself with every passing swing.
"What should I do to increase my progress? Battle? Duel?"
Damon pondered thinking of ways to improve himself before shaking his head as he set his eyes forward.
Four days of travel—through forests and mountains—brought them to the royal capital, where signs of civilization reappeared.
From the mountain, Damon looked at the city in distance, surrounded by lush green, the large castle walls, and, at the center, the grand palace standing majestically.
"Parnam... finally I'm here."
***
Royal Castle, City of Parnam.
"A curse?"
Inside the governmental affairs office, Prime Minister Marx briefed the acting king of Elfrieden.
"Yes, Your Majesty. In the city of Rendalia—our kingdom's second-largest economy—the forest surrounding it has all died," Marx said in a grave tone as he handed over a letter the city lord had reported. "The forest, from its depths to the outskirts, has dried and died. A platoon entered the woods and found nothing. Nobody knows what happened, but the entire forest is dead and ominous rumors are spreading."
"Dead forest... could it be a disease?" Souma asked as he read the details. "It isn't confirmed yet, but the death of an entire forest? This is very ominous."
Souma nodded and placed the paper on the table. His face rested in his hands while others tapped their fingers on the table, thinking seriously.
"For now... send the requested aid and deploy a group of mages to find the cause of this incident." Marx listened and bowed. "Also contact all known experts in the field and have them sent to the forest for details."
"At once, Your Majesty." Marx turned to leave the office, but Souma raised a question.
"What about the town that was robbed? Oakshade, was it? What happened there? If I remember right, it was connected to Rendalia, wasn't it?"
Marx bowed again. "I apologize, Your Majesty, but there has been no remarkable progress in the case."
"The lord responsible for the town and all guards are mobilized to investigate, but the investigation has yet to bear fruit."
"All the lord said is that it is believed to be the work of some new group."
"Sigh... first an entire town was robbed, and now this curse... damn. Food crisis, the empire, and everything else wasn't enough—now this too?" Souma sighed and clutched his head. Since his summoning to this world, it had been nothing but endless work and new problems.
"I really miss my world."
***
The city of Parnam bustled with merchants and guests—nobles, scholars, mercenaries, adventurers—everyone with dreams and ambitions had come to Parnam today.
The cause? King Souma's invitation to a tournament. The nationwide announcement created history and filled Parnam's streets with people of all races and talents.
It was nothing short of a festival. Food competitions, literature contests—every kind of contest was held in the capital. The most famous of all were three:
- Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament
- Elfrieden Pretty Girl Grand Prix
- Kingdom of Talent
Those three shone the brightest as citizens flocked to watch. The strongest warriors of the kingdom, the most beautiful girls, and the sweetest voices charmed the crowd with amazing performances.
Stepping out of the giant cart, Damon stretched his waist. After hours of travel, he had finally reached the royal capital of Parnam.
Parting ways with the tailor and his daughter, Damon strolled into the city. One hand carried a giant axe that suited his physique; the other held a bag filled with his belongings. He made his way deeper into the bustling streets.
The streets were a sea of people—stalls of all kinds, mostly toys and accessories, with fewer food stalls on the sides. There was almost no place for a man of his size to move freely.
"Damn... is this many people for real? Don't they fear stampedes?" Damon thought, sweat beading on his forehead at the sight of the crowd.
"First thing: find an inn." He began asking for directions, only to receive disappointing answers.
"Inns? They're full. There are no rooms left in this city. My family and I are living in tents outside."
There were no rooms for Damon. The only relief came when someone mentioned that participants of the tournaments had been allotted places to stay in tents.
Hearing this, Damon's spirits lifted as he headed for registration.
"I don't have any plans of working for Souma... or this kingdom. For now, to find a roof I must first register myself."
He thought this as he left for the registry, only to stop in his tracks—jaw dropping at the sight of the queue that stretched for miles.
'God... should I just destroy the capital... NOW?'
***
A/N: 10 chapters.. more than 10k words in 2 days.. nah less than 36 hours guys I deserve praise don't I?
Anyways we have finally reached the capital. The real story begins and from next chapter we would have direct interaction with main characters and influencing the plot obviously in favour of our mc.