Heading west

Somewhere in the Alzar Kingdom, a merchant was happily traveling through a forest road when the horses abruptly stopped. The merchant frowned and tugged at the reins more, but no matter what she did, they refused to move! She sighed and got off her carriage to figure out the problem. At the same time, she began loathing her horses. They were getting old, so their stamina was becoming an issue. Compared to younger horses, they might go at a fraction of the distance that they should normally. She would replace them if she could, but she lacked the funds to. That was part of the struggle of being a merchant. There were many high points, where you lived like a lord, and many low points, where you begged on the streets. Some enjoyed the thrill of profit-chasing, while others only wanted to earn enough. This woman was the former. She loved earning a huge profit and gambled a bit more than she should this time. Unless she could recoup her losses here, then her journey might end.

The horses suddenly gave a high-pitched whinny, which put the merchant on guard. It was a natural warning for danger! Now that she thought about it, the sounds in the forest also stopped. Normally, there would be birds chirping or animals scurrying about, but now there was none, except an eerie silence. It was so quiet that she got the creeps. She started panicking when she heard something approach. Every hair on her body went on edge, and she grew terrified. This was bad news! She wanted to flee, but her body went stiff with fear. As she struggled, a massive shadow loomed from within the forest. Massive did not do it justice because it was about as big as multiple carriages! Her instincts went crazy when she saw it. It was the face of death! The poor woman fell back and wet herself, unable to control her shaking body. As the shadow stepped into the light, she could see it was a humongous bear! It was far bigger than any bear she had ever seen before. She never knew bears could get this large! One brush of its paw might turn her into meat!

Boom! It slammed into the ground with meteoric force and shook the forest on impact. Her jaw went slack. She could tell how heavy it was, simply by the shockwave released. However… it was no longer moving. It was already dead! Just as she began to question her luck, a middle-aged man stepped out from behind the bear. It was a sight she would never forget. This man seemed like any other man with his ordinary, albeit slightly disheveled, appearance, but he radiated a heroic aura. To her, he was her valiant savior, her shining knight in armor! But to others, they would sense his tremendous aura and think otherwise. The most dangerous thing here was not the dead bear, but this monster in human skin! He was a demon incarnate! The man lowered his hood, brushed away the snow, and glanced at the woman in interest. He then elegantly hopped down and landed in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes… Who are you?"

"I'm just someone passing by. Pay me no mind," the man casually said. "Where are we?"

"You're lost?" the woman was dumbfounded. Getting lost in the woods, where bears that big roamed, and in the winter season no less… Was he suicidal or an idiot? Her eyes suddenly widened. "You're not from the Tundra, are you?"

"Tundra? I see… We're in the north by the Yondra Province. Sorry to disappoint you, but do I look like one of those barbarians?" He glared at her which silenced the woman. He continued, "It's quite uncommon for a merchant to travel through the north in the winter, especially by herself. Where are you headed?"

"West towards Pelangi Fortress… Wait, why am I telling you?"

The man pinched his chin in thought. For some strange reason, he felt compelled to go too, but he had no idea why. Pelangi Fortress and by extension the Maelstrom Gulf were the focal points in the Second Great Kingdom War. Was he meant to do something there? He continued, "…I'm looking to head west too. Could I join you?"

"Why should I help a stranger like you?"

"Then how about a deal? I'll give you this bear corpse in exchange."

Instantly, the woman's eyes lit up as her merchant senses tingled with excitement. She could sense a huge business opportunity. "You don't mind if I inspect it first, do you?"

"Go ahead."

"This… This bear's pelt is undamaged! And there's not a single scratch on the body! How did you do it?" The more she looked at the bear, the more she realized it must have been a truly frightening monster. Even a fully armored and skilled squadron of soldiers would have been helpless! And yet this bear was now dead without the slightest hint of an injury, and all from one person too…

"So do you agree or not?" He closed his eyes in disinterest. Truthfully, whether she agreed or not, he did not really care. He was going to get what he wanted, no matter what. It merely saved him time.

"Of course, I agree! Help me break it down and I'll even rub your feet!"

However, when she saw his apparent disinterest, she gnashed her teeth in frustration and began hacking away at it by herself. Several gruelling hours later, the woman successfully dismantled the most valuable parts and discarded the rest. It could not be helped though because the body was simply too big! She bemoaned her loss and glanced at her new companion. He was fast asleep on the carriage with a hand resting on his sword. She looked at him more closely and found it hard to believe that he could have killed that bear by himself, especially with that dingy old sword. Suddenly, she had the brilliant idea of getting a little payback for his annoying behavior. Her hand crept towards his sword, but a cold voice stopped her.

"Try that again, and I won't hold back."

His voice was so cold that she stumbled back in fear. Although it lasted for a split-second, she could clearly sense his killing intent. He was serious! Then, she realized that her hair was trimmed much shorter than before. Her eyes widened again, and her body grew stiff. This man… managed to draw his sword, cut her hair, and sheath it in the blink of an eye, faster than she could notice! But that was impossible! She knew that nobody could achieve that kind of speed! It exceeded all common sense! Unless… She gulped. Unless this man was one of those legendary Perception Realms! She heard that they were true monsters in human skin, capable of unbelievable strength. They could do anything! Against someone like that, her confidence evaporated.

"Please have mercy! I didn't mean it!" She fell to her hands and knees and pleaded.

"As long as you're aware of your place," he snorted arrogantly. "Let's go."

"Yes! Right at once!"

She rushed to organize her goods before jumping on the carriage and riding out, not wanting to make any excuse for him to be displeased. However, he made no further move, which made her sigh in relief, yet at the same time, she cursed her own misfortune for encountering him. A Perception Realm in the wild… What were the chances?

"Tell me everything that happened recently."

This time, it was not a request, but an order. It was clear that his attitude towards her changed. She paused to collect her thoughts before describing all the notable events as of late, specifically the Battle of Liguang. In fact, that was the entire reason that she was headed to Pelangi Fortress. She planned to sell her goods to the military, since the Battle of Liguang undoubtedly increased the demand. It would be easy to make a huge profit! As they say, where there was risk, there was bound to be reward!

"The heir apparent died… Interesting," the man mused since the force compelling him to go intensified. He looked up at the empty blue sky. "Perhaps, I should find those two…"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. You can continue."

She gnashed her teeth and continued rambling on about random things that happened, but he gradually lost interest. Instead, he focused west towards Pelangi Fortress as the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He could feel his good fortune rested there! Little did the woman know that this man was not simply a Perception Realm, or even a legendary Perception Realm Master. He was far, far above them! He was Sword King Sin Quelldown, a mythical Instinct Realm and one of humanity's only Rank 3 Kings!