The shield-bearing man stared at me for a moment, his weary eyes scanning my appearance from the tip of my beanie down to my muddy boots. He seemed to still be processing what had just happened. A child, alone in the Black Forest, killing three Direwolves with... what was that? Chantless magic?
"My name is Garren Smith," he finally answered, his voice heavy and raspy. He pointed to the woman still sitting on the ground.
"That's Dina Oktavia, our Mage. And the injured one..." He gestured toward the young man groaning in pain while clutching his lacerated leg.
"...is Tom Martines."
I nodded briefly. "You need medical attention."
I walked over to Tom. His injury was severe. The wolf bite was deep, tearing flesh until the tibia was visible white amidst the profuse bleeding. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat drenching his forehead.
If not treated, he'll die from blood loss or infection.
I had to do something.
"System," I whispered softly, making sure no one heard.
The holographic screen appeared. I quickly searched for First Aid Kit.
[Military Field First Aid Kit]
Contents: Compression bandages, antiseptic, suture needles, medical scissors, painkillers (low-dose morphine), antibiotics.
Price: 25 Points.
"Buy."
A dark green plastic box appeared in my hand out of thin air.
Garren and Dina gasped in shock.
"I-Item Box?!" Dina exclaimed, eyes widening in disbelief.
"You have spatial magic?!"
I didn't answer, letting them speculate. Spatial magic seemed to be rare and valuable here. Good. That would make them more wary of me.
I opened the kit. The sharp smell of medical alcohol wafted out. I took a bottle of antiseptic and gauze.
"Hold him," I ordered Garren.
Garren obeyed without question. He held Tom's shoulders down.
I poured the antiseptic onto the gaping wound. Tom screamed, his body convulsing, but Garren held him firm.
"Sorry, this is going to hurt," I muttered.
I cleaned the wound quickly but thoroughly, removing debris and wolf fur. Fresh blood kept seeping out, but at least the wound was clean.
Thank goodness I attended that emergency wound care training event held by the Medical Faculty back in college. Turns out it's useful now.
Without that basic knowledge, I might have just bandaged this dirty wound haphazardly and let it rot from infection. But now, my hands moved with faint but certain memory—apply pressure here to stop bleeding, clean from the center outward.
I took the compression bandage, wrapping the leg tightly and neatly to stop the hemorrhage. Finally, I took out a small white pill—a painkiller.
"Swallow this," I said, offering the pill to Tom's mouth.
"It'll reduce the pain."
Tom swallowed hard, then opened his mouth. He downed the pill without water. A few minutes later, his breathing began to regulate, his groans subsiding.
I stood up, wiping my bloodstained hands on my cargo pants. I put the First Aid Kit into my mountain pack.
"Thank you," Dina said, her voice trembling. She had gotten up and was now standing beside Garren.
"You saved his life. All of our lives."
"You owe me," I replied flatly. In this world, free kindness was suspicious. Business transactions made more sense.
Garren nodded seriously. "Of course. We are D-Rank Adventurers from Veninburg City. We will repay this debt."
Adventurers. Rank. City.
Valuable information started flowing.
"Veninburg," I repeated. "Far from here?"
"Two days' walk to the east, following the trail outside this forest," Garren answered. He looked at me with undisguised curiosity.
"You... said you were lost? How did a kid like you end up in this Black Forest? And your clothes..."
"It's a long story," I cut in. I had no intention of sharing my origins.
"I got separated from my group. And as for the clothes... these are imported goods."
Garren didn't press further. He knew adventurer etiquette: don't ask too many questions about someone's past, especially someone who just saved you.
"We were on a mission hunting *Direwolves* for their pelts," Garren explained, pointing at the wolf carcasses.
"But we didn't expect to encounter a pack this large. The Guild's intel was wrong."
I stared at the wolf corpses I had killed earlier.
"Are the pelts valuable?" I asked.
"Very," Dina replied. "One intact pelt can fetch 5 silver coins. Enough to live on for a month."
My eyes lit up. 5 silver coins. I didn't know the exchange rate to System Points, but it had to be decent.
"In that case, let's split the loot," I proposed.
"I killed three. You can take the rest that ran away if you want to chase them, but these three are mine."
Garren chuckled, wincing as he held his ribs, which were probably cracked. "Fair enough. Without you, we would have been their meal. We'll help you skin them. It's the least we can do right now."
We spent the next hour skinning the wolves. Garren turned out to be an expert. With his small knife, he separated skin from meat with surgical precision. I learned a lot just by watching him.
I got three thick, silver-furred Direwolf pelts. They smelled a bit musky, but felt warm and luxurious.
"System, check price."
I touched the pile of pelts discreetly.
[Fresh Direwolf Pelt (Medium Quality)]
Description: Crafting material for light armor. Cold resistant.
Sell Price: 50 Points per pelt.
"One hundred fifty points!" I exclaimed inwardly. Much better than that junk goblin sword. My capital for bullets and medicine was back, with profit to boot.
I didn't sell them right now. Making items this big disappear in front of them would be too conspicuous. I folded the pelts and tied them on top of my mountain pack. Heavy, but tolerable.
The sun was starting to dip. The forest darkened again.
"We can't go back to the city tonight," Garren said, supporting Tom.
"Tom's leg won't handle a long journey. We have to camp here."
I hesitated for a moment. Camping with strangers in the middle of nowhere? Risky. But they were injured, tired, and owed me their lives. And I needed guides to Veninburg.
"Alright," I agreed. "But we have to move from here. This smell of blood will invite other guests."
We moved away from the battle site, finding a small cave behind a limestone cliff near the river. The cave was dry and reasonably sheltered.
That night, we built a small campfire at the mouth of the cave.
Dina brought out their rations—hard bread and tough dried jerky. I, showing off a little (and because I was genuinely hungry), took out my goblin pot, filled it with water, and cooked my last pack of instant noodles.
The savory and pungent aroma of instant noodle seasoning filled the small cave, making Dina and Garren swallow their saliva.
"What is that?" asked Dina, eyes glued to my pot.
"The smell... is incredible."
"Food from my hometown," I answered briefly. I shared a bit of the noodles into their wooden bowls. Just a little, a taste.
They ate it voraciously, eyes widening in shock.
"This... is delicious!" Garren exclaimed.
"Salty, savory... what spices are these?"
"I don't know, I bought it from a passing merchant," I lied.
Under the flickering campfire light, I started asking about this world.
"So, tell me about Veninburg," I requested while slurping the warm noodle broth.
"And about this place. I... haven't been out of the forest in a long time."
Garren set down his bowl, leaning against the damp cave wall. "Veninburg is a border city of the Kingdom of Rusi. A gathering place for adventurers, merchants, and... well, all sorts of people seeking fortune in the Black Forest."
"Kingdom of Rusi..." I repeated the name in my mind, trying to memorize every detail.
"And right now we are on an island, named the Isle of Avalon," Dina added, her eyes reflecting the firelight.
Isle of Avalon? A strangely familiar name, reminding me of the legend of King Arthur from my world.
"Correct. One of the largest islands on the Continent of Athanasia," she continued.
Isle of Avalon and Continent of Athanasia. New names, new world.
"Could you tell me... specifically what countries are on this island?" I asked carefully.
Garren looked at me with raised eyebrows, his expression a mix of surprise and suspicion.
"Don't make that shocked face, Garren," I interrupted quickly before he could ask.
"Didn't I say I... have been isolated in this forest for a long time?"
"Alright, I'll tell you," he replied with a sigh. He picked up a small twig and started drawing a crude map on the cave floor.
"This Isle of Avalon is dominated by five major nations," he explained, scratching a long curved line.
"First, the Kingdom of Rusi. Its territory stretches from the western tip of Avalon all the way here, to the border of the Black Forest."
He tapped his twig on the empty area next to the Kingdom of Rusi line.
"And by the way, this Black Forest... belongs to no one. That's what you need to know."
"Why is that?" I asked. "The forest belongs to no one? Is it a neutral zone or uninhabited?"
"The Black Forest is an area full of monsters," Garren answered, his voice dropping low.
"This forest separates the western part of Avalon from the east."
"If it's a forest full of monsters, why doesn't the state clear it out?" I asked logically.
"I mean, isn't that territory a resource?"
Garren chuckled, a dry and humorless laugh. "Liam, you really don't know anything about this region, do you?"
"That's because there is a Black Dragon inhabiting this Black Forest," Dina chimed in, her voice trembling slightly at the mention of the creature.
"Hundreds of years ago, the Kingdom of Rusi and the Kingdom of Ferman in the east tried to slay that dragon. A massive expedition. Hundreds of mages, high-class adventurers from various nations... everyone participated."
She stared into the campfire, as if replaying that past event. "The result? The army was totally annihilated just three days after entering the forest. Slaughtered."
I gulped.
Black Dragon? Forest of monsters?
I glanced toward the dark cave entrance. Thank god I didn't encounter any dangerous monsters on my way here. I had walked from where I woke up yesterday—less than a five-hour journey. That meant I was still on the outskirts of the forest, far from the heart of the Black Dragon's territory.
But the question returned: Why did the boy whose body I inhabit enter this dangerous forest alone?
And a Black Dragon... Turns out dragons really exist in this world. There are mages, there are adventurers. Seeing their appearance—white skin, Western European-style armor, swords, and bows—this was definitely a Western fantasy world.
"Is the Dragon that strong, Dina?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness.
Dina slapped her forehead. "Oh my God, you really know nothing, huh, Liam? I'm confused how you survived in this Black Forest."
"Haha, sorry," I replied awkwardly, scratching my beanie-covered head.
"Never mind. Listen, Liam," Dina sat up straighter, her 'teacher mode' activating.
"Dragons are the strongest race. They occupy the top of the food chain hierarchy in this world. Their lifespans are incredibly long, said to be immortal even. They are also very, very talented at using magic. It's as if magic is an inseparable part of their breath."
She raised her hand, making small circular motions. "Humanity's magic spells today? Most are just simplifications of ancient Dragon magic spells. Even the magic of other races like Elves, Demi-humans... all inspired by dragon power."
"However," she continued, her tone becoming slightly lighter.
"Dragons aren't without weaknesses. They have a very slow reproduction rate compared to other races. And... they are greedy for treasure. And lustful toward men or women of other races."
She snorted softly. "That's why there are so many dragon descendants in this world now. Half-dragons, Dragonborn... all sorts."
I frowned. "Wait. You said earlier dragons have low reproduction, but then you said they have many descendants with other races. Isn't that a contradiction?"
"That case only applies to the True Dragon Lord race," Garren explained, taking over.
"If a True Dragon Lord mates with another True Dragon Lord, they struggle immensely to produce offspring. History books even say a pair of True Dragon Lords needs four hundred years just to lay an egg! Not to mention the time to hatch it."
Garren looked up, staring at the cave ceiling. "Because True Dragon Lords are just that powerful. God is fair. He created creatures as strong as True Dragon Lords, but also gave them a weakness in breeding. I can't imagine if they reproduced as fast as humans or goblins. This world would have belonged to them long ago."
He brought his hands together, forming a brief prayer pose.
God?
I noted that information in my mind. Seems religion's influence in this world is also quite strong.
"So, the Black Dragon in this Black Forest... is it a True Dragon Lord or a mixed breed?" I asked to confirm.
"True Dragon Lord," Dina answered firmly.
"Furthermore, it is said he is one of the oldest in the world. According to the history of the Kingdom of Rusi, that dragon was on this island long before the Kingdom of Rusi was founded."
I see. I nodded in understanding. No wonder no one dared to claim this forest. Who would dare evict a landlord who could wipe out an army in three days?
"If this forest is that dangerous," I asked, puzzled,
"Why did you guys come in here?"
"That's because we needed..."
"Liam..."
A weak voice cut off our conversation. I turned. Tom, who had been lying quietly, was now struggling to sit up with difficulty. His face was still pale, but his eyes looked more focused.
"Tom! You should just rest!" I hurriedly got up, about to help him lie back down.
"Thanks, Liam. I'm better now. That medicine you gave me... it's magical," Tom smiled weakly.
"Besides, you need information on this region, right? I happen to be a former royal library guard. I can tell you the basic information about this world."
I fell silent for a moment, then glanced at Dina and Garren. They didn't stop him; instead, they seemed to give him space.
"Alright," I finally said, sitting back in my spot.
"I'm listening."