The sky was dark, stretching over an endless land. Rocks floated in the air, and countless lifeless bodies of gods lay on the ground. Golden blood poured across the battlefield.
In the middle of the battlefield, a man walked forward, confident. In his hand was a sword, its blade stained with golden blood.
The man stopped and shifted his gaze upward. Countless divine beings hovered above. Behind them, the Gate of Heaven loomed, as if guarding him.
A smirk spread across the man's face. Suddenly, side by side, replicas of him appeared. Hundreds… thousands… no, millions. Each replica had own will, they held a different weapon, a different stance, a different style, but they shared only one goal.
To kill everything in his path.
The scenes shifted to the Man.
At the foot of massive mountain, in the middle of quiet forest, a Man staring at the sky, the sun stand high in the sky, and cold wind brushes his face.
"Ahh... So this is what it feels like. I can't remember the last time I felt this again... "
A man closed eyes and savoring the silence and Wind blow in her body.
His name is Ren. He has Medium-Tall height with an athlete build, black hair, and eyes like the night sky. His clothes are simple, he looks ordinary, but he's appearance are likely Mid-20s.
While walking through the dense forest, he suddenly hears growling and rustling, when he looks, a territory of goblin appeared before him, there small ones and large.
A small ones, pale eyes and sharp teeth with green skin, holding spear. And a large called troll unlike the goblin, troll are tall and massive body.
"Looks like my first day here is unlucky" Ren mutters as he observers the goblin.
"Well, this is fine too, maybe they have Wealth." he whispered.
Ren approaches the goblin's camp, he marely wave his left hand, suddenly–
"BOOM!!!"
The heads of the Goblin and troll are explode, like a watermelon. Blood flowing onto the ground as their bodies one by one collapse.
One goblin remains, sitting on the ground, trembling of fear, didn't dare to move in front of Ren.
Ren picked up a gold coin from the ground and show it to the lone goblin.
"Where?" Ren asked, while showing a soft smile.
Due to the goblins' lack of intelligence, the goblin can't speak, that he only pointed her gaze toward the cave.
Ren looked in the direction where goblin pointed his gaze.
"So that's where you hide your treasures."
As Ren walk toward a cave, behind him, a goblin grabbed a scrap blade, preparing to sneak attack. When it got close–suddenly.
"BOOM!"
It's head explodes, and it's lifeless body fell on blood-covered ground, it's blood pouring on the ground.
Ren glanced at her headless body with cold eyes, the atmosphere became silent, to silent, only Ren's footsteps and the wind could be heard.
"Tsk, idiot. A goblin is a goblin, they can't change their nature."
He entered the cave and was greeted by big boxes of Gold and jewelry in the middle, smiles on his face while holding a gold coins.
"So there's more than I expected."
Ren stopped when he noticed a blue glow behind the box. He approached it and saw that it was a Sea Stone.
A valuable gem used in staffs or swords to allow the use of water elements or enhance the affinity with water elements. Magicians and warriors fought over it.
He also noticed human bones piled together in one corner. Skulls, arms, and legs stacked on top of each other. Some were broken. Some still had dried blood. Ren stared at them in silence.
Ren started collecting gold and jewelry, but he remembered something. "I don't have a bag?"
While looking around, he saw a pouch nearby, he grabbed him, then he put the gold and jewelry inside it.
After the pouch was full, he stood.
"I think this is good enough, even if it's a little."
He burned the remaining gold and jewelry, even the human bones. He stared as the gold and bones were burning.
He exited the cave and saw that the sun was setting. He stood on the ground, covered in blood, and around him lay lifeless goblins. The smell of blood filled the air. Then he walked away into the goblin territory.
It is night. The forest is quiet except for insects and owls. Ren decides to rest under a large tree. He uses dry grass and branches for a temporary bed. He also catches a wild boar along the way.
In front of him lay a wild boar, roasted over the fire.
"Where should I start?" He whispered.
While looking at the stars, he heard animals moving and sounds all around.
But he throw idea away, Instead, he focused on his goal.
"Whatever... Whatever my feet take me. Maybe... I still need to find what I want and what im missing."
The Morning Arrived.
As he walk out to the forest and reached a road, the cold air brushed against his face and giving him a sense of direction, he continued walking along the path. His footsteps echoing softly.
A hours past, a carriage suddenly passed in front of him, and came to a stop.
As Ren approached, he saw a old man giving Ren a gesture for him to ride.
"Thank you." Ren said.
Ren sat in the back of the carriage. The carriage moved slowly, making soft noises on the road. Trees passed by, and the morning air was cold.
"Where are you headed, young man?" the old man asked.
Ren looked at him. "Hmm… where is this carriage going?"
"Ageh Town," the old man said.
"…Alright."
"Don't look so serious. It's just a ride," the old man said with a small laugh.
Ren lay back and looked at the roof of the carriage. "I don't usually take rides," he said.
"Huh… so you like walking?" the old man asked.
"Depends on the road," Ren said.
"Fair enough. Ageh Town is not far. You will see some interesting things," the old man said.
Ren was quiet for a moment. "…Maybe," he said.
The carriage kept moving. The wind smelled like trees. Ren watched the shadows of the forest pass slowly.
The old man hummed quietly. Ren did not answer, but he felt calm. Sometimes, silence was enough.
After noon, Ren sat up again and shifted his gaze forward. Far away, he could see Ageh Town. The sun was fading, painting the sky in orange and red. The lights of the town twinkled softly as night slowly came. He felt a little curiosity mixed with calm as the carriage moved closer.
As he entered the town, the carriage passed a group of armed men and women. Mercenaries, obvious from their armor and weapons. Their leader was a woman with cold, sharp eyes.
They briefly looked at each other while Ren sat at the back of the carriage. The mercenaries were heading out of the town.
But the leader ignored him and continued walking.
When they were at the gate, the guards stopped them.
"Who are you, and where are you from?" a guard asked.
The old man reached into his pocket. He took something out and showed it to the guard. It was a badge, proving he was a citizen of Ageh Town.
The carriage began to move inside.
But one guard noticed Ren at the back of the carriage, lying down.
"Stop!"
The carriage suddenly stopped, and one guard asked the old man if he knew the man at the back of his carriage.
"Yes," the old man answered.
Then one guard looked at Ren. "Who are you, and where are you from?"
"I'm a traveler," Ren answered. "And I'm from the forest. I need to rest."
The guard stared at him and observe his appearance.
But suddenly, Ren took something from his pouch. He gave him a gold coin.
The guard realized and looked at the coin for a moment. Then he stepped back, and grabbed the gold coins.
"Fine, just don't cause trouble."
Ren nodded and entered the carriage. He was greeted by an ordinary scene—wooden and stone houses, lively merchants, and people going about their daily routines. A simple place. Enough to rest.
Then the carriage stopped. They had reached his destination.
Ren stepped down from the carriage and approached the old man.
"Thanks for the ride, old man. Here."
He threw a gold coin.
The old man caught it. When he opened his hand, he saw the gold coin and widened his eyes.
"There's no need, young man."
But Ren had already started walking deeper into the town and didn't hear the old man.
He quickly found an inn in the center of town. It was clean and well managed.
When he opened the door. The air was warm, and he could smell food. Wooden tables and chairs were around the room. A few people were eating and talking. The light was soft, and the place felt calm. An Innmaid greater him with a smile and confident.
"Sir, what do you need?"
"I want a room. And… do you have food?" Ren replied.
"Yes, sir. We'll bring the food to your room."
Ren nodded and followed the innmaid upstairs. They walked quietly through the narrow but clean hallway until they stopped at a door.
"Sir, here." She opened it politely.
It was simple. There was a bed, a table, and a window. Moonlight shined inside. Ren looked around and sat on the bed. This place was enough for him to rest.
"This is fine. Just bring the food here," he said.
"Yes, sir," the woman answered respectfully before leaving.
Ren sat on the edge of the bed, watching the night sky through the window, it feel comfortable and peaceful.
"Looks like I'll need information… and important items for what I want," he whispered to himself.