The sun hung low and fat on the horizon, bleeding orange across the fields like spilled palm oil. It looked peaceful. Almost mocking.
I stood outside the palisade gate with Elara, two borrowed horses, and a small crowd that had grown to nearly the entire village. Garrick was there, Seline holding Tiro's shoulders so he wouldn't bolt forward and hug my leg again. A few young men—volunteers who'd insisted on coming despite my "no army" rule—stood awkwardly with packs and spears, looking equal parts excited and terrified.
I adjusted the waterskin slung over my shoulder. Someone had stuffed my pack with enough flatbread, dried meat, and fruit to feed a small platoon. Apparently gratitude came with calories.
Elara checked the saddle straps on her mount—a sturdy bay mare with a white blaze. She moved with quiet efficiency, the way people do when they've done this before and know the road ahead might not forgive mistakes.
"You sure about this?" I asked her.
She didn't look up. "I was sure the moment those knights chained my sister."
Fair enough.
I turned to the crowd.
"Right. Listen up. We're not going to war. We're going to sneak in, find a thing that needs deleting, delete it, and sneak out. If anyone starts chanting my name or waving banners, I'm deleting the concept of 'enthusiasm' for the rest of the trip. Clear?"
Nods. A few nervous chuckles.
Garrick stepped forward, holding a rolled parchment—hand-drawn map, edges frayed.
"The fastest route follows the old trade road for two days, then cuts through the Whispering Copse to avoid the main patrols. From there, Blackspire's walls are visible by dawn on the third day. The undercroft entrance is rumored to be beneath the eastern tower—guarded, warded, but rarely watched."
I took the map, glanced at it, then mentally folded it into whatever weird filing system my brain had developed since transmigration.
"Thanks. We'll try not to burn it down."
He hesitated. "Kai… if you do not return—"
"I'll return," I cut in. "Or I'll delete the entire keep out of spite. Either way, problem solved."
More nervous laughter.
Tiro broke free of his mother's grip and ran up to me.
He held out a small, roughly carved wooden figure—something between a person and a stick with a hood scratched into it.
"For luck," he said solemnly.
I took it. It was warm from his hand.
"Thanks, kid. I'll bring it back in one piece."
He beamed.
Elara swung up into the saddle. "We should go. The light is fading."
I climbed onto my horse—a gray gelding that looked like it had seen better decades. It snorted once, unimpressed.
"Feeling's mutual," I muttered.
We started down the road at a steady walk. Behind us, the villagers raised hands in farewell. No cheers. Just quiet, hopeful silence.
Once the village shrank to a smudge on the horizon, the world felt bigger. Emptier. The trade road stretched ahead—rutted dirt flanked by tall grasses and occasional clusters of silver-barked trees. Crickets started their evening chorus. Somewhere far off, a night bird called.
Elara rode beside me. "You're quiet."
"Thinking."
"About what?"
"About how I went from scrolling Webnovel at 3 a.m. to leading a stealth mission against a fantasy warlord because I can't stop pressing a stupid button."
She glanced sideways. "You regret it?"
"Regret's a strong word. I regret not having better snacks for the road. Everything else… jury's still out."
A small smile. "You hide fear with humor."
"Or maybe I'm just funny."
"Perhaps both."
We rode in silence for another hour. The sky darkened to deep indigo. Stars came out—more than I'd ever seen in Lagos. No light pollution. Just raw, cold pinpricks.
The blue box flickered into view, unprompted.
```
[Travel Log – Day 2 Post-Transmigration]
Distance covered: 18 km
Current administrative ETA: 7 hours 12 minutes
Local threat assessment: Low (patrol probability 8%)
Nexus strain: 7.1% (stable for now)
Passive observation: Companions exhibit increased trust. Morale high.
New passive buff unlocked: [Reluctant Leader]
Effect: Allies within 50 m gain +10% stamina recovery | You gain +5% persuasion when issuing non-lethal orders
Side effect: Increased chance of people following you into danger
```
I groaned softly.
"Great. Now I'm debuffing my party with my personality."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "The voices again?"
"Yeah. They're roasting me in real time."
She didn't ask for details. Smart.
We made camp just after full dark—off the road, in a shallow dip screened by brush. No fire. Cold rations. Elara took first watch. I tried to sleep.
Tried.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the red button pulsing. Saw knights vanishing. Saw the anchor spirit's tired voice asking to be erased.
I sat up eventually.
Elara glanced over from where she sat cross-legged, sword across her knees.
"Can't sleep?"
"Brain won't shut up."
She nodded like she understood. "Tell me about your world."
I leaned back against my pack. "Hot. Loud. Crowded. People hustle all day just to eat. Traffic that makes you question existence. Jollof rice that slaps harder than any fantasy stew. And phones. Everyone glued to phones."
"Phones?"
"Like… magic mirrors. But instead of showing the future, they show cat videos and people arguing about politics."
She tilted her head. "Sounds chaotic."
"It is. But it's home."
A pause.
"Do you miss it?"
"Parts of it. The food mostly. And not having to worry about accidentally erasing physics."
Another small smile. "You worry more than you admit."
"Maybe."
She looked up at the stars. "When this is over… if it ends well… what will you do?"
I hadn't thought that far.
"Dunno. Find a quiet spot. Nap for a month. Delete Mondays. The usual."
She laughed—quiet, surprised.
"You are impossible, Kai Voss."
"Yeah. That's my brand."
We fell silent again.
Eventually I lay back down. This time sleep came—shallow, restless, full of half-formed nightmares where the admin arrived wearing my landlord's face and demanded back rent on reality.
I woke to Elara shaking my shoulder.
"Sunrise," she whispered. "We move."
I sat up, rubbing my face.
The gray gelding was already saddled. The volunteers were stirring. The road waited.
Seven hours left on the clock.
Blackspire waited somewhere ahead.
And the button—patient, red, eternal—waited for me to decide what came next.
I stood.
"Let's go delete a problem."
Elara nodded once.
We mounted up.
The sun rose behind us, painting long shadows forward.
Like it knew we were running out of light.