Lucius stuffed the rations, waterskins, and fire kit into a leather satchel he found. He strapped the throwing axe to his belt and slung the crossbow over his shoulder.
He was about to take off when he noticed something glinting near the bald bandit's corpse.
It was a small, circular charm on a leather cord. It pulsed faintly with golden light that was hard not to notice.
[Basic info: Unknown divine artefact]
[Item Name: ???]
[Quality: ???]
[Approximate Value: ???]
[System recommendation: Touch item for detailed analysis]
Lucius read the recommendation and picked it up carefully for a detailed examination of the material he had just found.
[Enhanced Appraisal - Divine Item Detected]
[Divine Charm of Guidance]
• Type: Minor Divine Artefact
• Effect: Detects nearby divine energy signatures (range: 10km)
• Origin: Blessed by a lesser Solar Being
• Note: Extremely rare.]
Lucius's eyes widened slowly, staring at the item. 'This….how did a group of bandits acquire this artefact?!!' he exclaimed.
'It doesn't matter anyway. They're all dead now, and this is exactly what I need.' he grinned.
He slipped the charm around his neck, and it hummed faintly against his chest. It felt warm and comfortable, like a subtle pressure that kept his mind calm.
'With this, I can track the sun God.'
He glanced back at the five corpses once again, then at the eastern district stretching ahead, and a soft sigh escaped his lips.
'No time to waste. I have food, water, and a way to find my target. There's no reason why I should be around these parts any longer than this.'
He pulled up his status window one last time before leaving the premises.
[STATUS UPDATE]
HP: 100/100
STR: 48 (+5 from absorptions)
AGI: 31 (+3)
VIT: 52 (+2)
INT: 37
New Skills:
• Steady Aim (Passive) Lv1
• Survival Instinct (Passive) Lv1]
Lucius closed the window and stepped into the stretched out darkness, leaving the withered corpses behind.
'Five down. Countless more to go and then... the gods themselves.'
□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
〔THREE DAYS LATER〕
The sun hung low on the horizon as Lucius adjusted the leather satchel on his shoulder. Three days had passed since the bandit camp, three days of walking northwest through a forest and dried-up riverbeds.
His boots crunched softly against the mushy earth as he moved slowly, half-tired from the long travel. One thing he noticed was that the drought's mark was still visible here even though he was 3days away from Fallen Crest village.
'How bad was it?'
He took a swig from one of the waterskins. The water was stale, dry, and tasted like dry bread but it kept him moving so he bothered less about how it tasted to him.
[HP: 100/100]
[Stamina: 76/100]
The system's notification rang through his ears, yanking him out of his foreign thoughts.
'Almost there!' He thought, checking the mental map his skill
'Hancock should be just over that ridge..' he nodded to himself, taking another toll, pushing his body to move further than he felt like.
The divine charm around his neck still pulsed faintly, a slow steady rhythm that reminded him it was still there. So far it hadn't shown any reaction to divine energies within the area which meant he was nowhere near one yet, and it was a good thing, for him at least.
'I don't want to encounter any gods just yet, not until I gather enough information about them..'
His fingers brushed against the throwing axe at his belt, the weight comforting him of his safety.
He'd spent the last few nights practising throws against tree trunks each time he took a camp, testing his 'Steady Aim' skill.
[Skill Progress: Steady Aim Lv1 → 34% to Lv2]
The system tracked everything he did including his skill use, his number of kills, down to the number of steps he took in a day.
'Five bandits….Five humans…five kills.' He sighed, recalling the moment as if it were a memory from a second ago.
He still saw their faces whenever he closed his eyes. The way he watched their skin wither, the terror he saw in their expressions as he took their life force.
It was agonising but his conscience was fading, replaced by something else, something he was sure not ready to face just yet.
'Survival isn't pretty… The sooner I accept that, the better it will be for me.'
~~
Soon Lucius stood on a hill and stopped.
Hancock Village spread out below him: a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by a crumbling stone wall.
Smoke rose from a few chimneys and people moved through the streets, but the town had a bad quality and he could see it through the fake curtain walls they pulled up around themselves.
[Local Geography (Passive) - Triggered]
[Location Confirmed: Hancock Village]
• Population: ~400 residents (down from 750 pre-drought)
• Status: Struggling but functional
• Notable locations: Market square, town hall, Rusty Nail Tavern, shrine (abandoned)
• Recent history: Moderate drought damage, increased bandit activity, rumored corruption in local guards]
'Really, how bad was this drought..? This town is almost half of what it used to be.'
He stared down the path toward the main gate. Two guards stood watch as expected, both of them looked bored,and under equipped.
One leaned on a spear like it was a walking stick and the other picked dirt from under his nails, not paying their surroundings any attention.
As Lucius approached, the guard with the spear straightened his posture slightly, looking at Lucius move down their direction.
"Halt!" He commanded, placing his right hand before him. "State your business here."
Lucius kept his expression neutral and responded casually, so as to not raise any
suspicion or sudden reactions from them.
"Just passing through. Looking for work and supplies" he explained to the guard, hoping he would buy it.
The guards eyes flickered in to the crossbow in Lucius's back, and the throwing axe at his belt.
"You're a Mercenary?"
"Hunter actually.." Lucius lied smoothly, hoping the guard would still buy it. "Heard from a friend, that there might be bounties on recent sightings of beasts in the area."
The guard stared at him for a while before responding.
"Hunter?" The guard snorted.
"Well… we've got beasts, bandits, desperate farmers, you can take your pick." He gestured with his arms raised up.
"The town's got problems to spare." He waved him through. "Gate fee's only two copper and don't forget to keep your weapons sheathed unless you want trouble with the captain."
Lucius fished out two copper coins from the bandit loot and handed them over.
The guard pocketed them without counting. "Rusty Nail's the best place for information and ale, if you can stomach it." He chuckled softly.
"Appreciated." Lucius responded before he stepped through the gate.