The Journey
Their journey to Salvador began the next day, as they all rode on the horses hired by Vorden. It would be a hundred-kilometer journey from Fogmount Village to the kingdom of Salvador, so traveling by foot was not the best idea...
Apart from the likely jagged mountains and the dangerous expanse of the Terror Zone, there were expected to be no more issues on the way...
"We will take the White Wasteland route after leaving the mountains, and then go through Elbamon Road at the back of Carsley Stronghold. That way, we'll only pass through a smaller portion of the Terror Zone, and then straight to the Midland Hills," Vorden spoke as they settled at the exit of the village.
"We must surely encounter some Beasts on the way, won't we?" Matilda asked.
"No. Not really... We are likely to only come across some Beasts if we take the Karis Way to the Terror Zone," Vorden explained.
Matilda nodded after that explanation, understanding it at once. As mercenaries who had embarked on many missions across the Empire of Althera, they knew many routes to get to certain places.
"Are we going to get there before nightfall?" Elon hesitated before asking.
"No, Elon. The horses will need to walk slowly to avoid getting sick. We will spend at least two days on this journey. That's why your mother packed some bread and water in the backpack," Vorden said.
That information made Elon's jaw drop at that instant, as he was worried about what was happening in the battlefield. The crucial thing at this point was that he didn't even know how many days had passed in the month of the war period.
He needed to make as many inquiries as possible so he could be aware of the current situation.
"I would like to know... The war has been ongoing for up to a month, I know... How many days have been added to the month?" Elon asked.
"I don't understand you, son..."
"No, I do," Vorden interrupted and turned to Elon. "After nightfall, it will be recorded that the war has been ongoing for a month and eight days," he added.
Elon's eyes widened at that instant.
"A month and eight days?! Damn!" Elon shouted.
"What's wrong?" Vorden furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean by 'damn'?" Matilda questioned, giving him a curious glance.
It was now that Elon remembered that the things of Earth and those of this world weren't the same. The fact that Matilda couldn't understand the term "damn" made it clear. The author of Fallen Mages, Sixtee, crafted a vast world that was really low in modern development...
A true medieval world.
"Uh... UHM, that's just a slip of the tongue. I have no idea what it even means," Elon scratched the back of his head with a fake, awkward smile.
Matilda and Vorden had no reason to question him, so they only nodded as they continued their journey.
Getting past the fog-shrouded mountain was the first problem they encountered, but they managed to pass quickly by following the shorter cliffs, avoiding exhausting the horses.
The wasteland journey was indeed the longest, but it was the freest. Elon's mind pictured every place they passed by, and even though they didn't appear in the novel, he gathered a little information about them.
At least, they managed to reach Elbamon Road before nightfall and settled at the travelers' camp... However, they had to find somewhere to feed the horses with water and veggies so they would be fit for the continuation of the journey the next day.
Elon pictured the Carsley Stronghold and quickly remembered what happened in the novel. Indeed, the Carsley Stronghold was mentioned in the book, and in fact, it was one of the places the protagonist visited in search of a master to teach him an Arcane Art.
Unfortunately, he found no one there, but it wasn't as if there weren't any masters. The Baron of this stronghold ordered that he be taken away after noticing that the protagonist was from Salvador...
At that time, only the Kingdom of Thera had come to join forces with the Salvadoran armies to fight the Negators, while the other kingdoms in the empire turned their backs on them.
Although their acts were vile, their help wouldn't have changed anything.
"Baron Ogard the Fourth... He was really a very bad motherf**ker in the novel," Elon muttered as he observed the gigantic buildings from outside the tall walls.
Once they had fed the horses and rented a safe room, they settled in for the night until dawn. Elon was the only one who didn't sleep in the safe zone at Elbamon Road—he couldn't stop thinking about the kingdom of Salvador and what was happening there.
He even tried to speak to some travelers coming from that direction, but no one testified that they were directly coming from Salvador.
"No, boy. I'm coming from the Kingdom of Uper, which is east of the Midland Hills. Who the hell would go to Salvador at this time?" said an old man dressed in black garments.
"No one should be going to Salvador at the moment... I'm coming from Red Lake Village, and that's very far from both Salvador and Thera," said a young man dressed like a mercenary.
He must have been a mercenary from that village, and Elon saw many other men dressed similarly.
After several attempts, he saw no one coming from or going to Salvador, which saddened his heart.
...
The next day, they continued their journey and soon approached the Terror Zone before they even realized it.
They quickly sensed the usual aura of danger around them the moment they crossed the boundary lines of Elbamon, a town said to have the landmass of an entire kingdom. This town was independent and didn't belong to any kingdom, much like Fogmount Village, but they were very good friends with Carsley Stronghold and a kingdom located just ten kilometers east of them.
Elon didn't know why all this information flashed into his mind, but he believed he would need it someday... If not, there would be no need for the system to give him useless information.
Just as Vorden had predicted, they were likely to pass through the Terror Zone freely if they followed Elbamon, and his belief was already coming to pass.
It would only take another hour before they passed through the dangerous expanse...
However...
Everything slowed down when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps from the woods approaching the pathways.
The best option would have been to sprint with the horses, but it was already too late before they could react.
Three hefty men dressed in black leather armor dashed out from the woods and blocked their path with swords. Only one of them wielded a spear, and he was the one who approached Elon.
"Step down from your horses!"
Elon's heart raced in both fear and shock. He recalled how he had lost his life so miserably in his past life and flinched. It would be just a matter of time before he lost this second chance to live again, and that thought made his gut wrench.
'No... No way... I can't just die like this... I can't just screw up my second chance to live. I MUST LIVE.'
With that thought in mind, Elon summoned all the courage he needed, slowly pulled out the Kolibri Handgun he had summoned, and swiftly aimed it at the man holding the spear.
He pulled the trigger.
TAR!
The sudden loud sound of the gun, which was completely alien to this world, echoed.
The other two men watched in disbelief as their comrade fell to the ground, a hole in his head from an invisible bullet, dead.
Swiftly, the two remaining men ignored Vorden and Matilda, charging at Elon with rage.
TAR!
TAR!
Elon gave them two seconds to sprint before doing the same thing he had done to their ally—killing them on the spot.
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[Warning: You are out of bullets!]
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With the men down, Elon heaved a sigh of relief and spared a glance at Matilda and Vorden, both of whom had their eyes wide open, mouths agape.
"Wh... What... Just... Happened?" Matilda panicked.
"I... I... Don't know..." Vorden stammered repeatedly.
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**[Vorden Acot is amazed that you have become useful for once.]**
**[You have gained 10 Approval Points.]**
[Matilda Haas is stunned by how you suddenly killed three bandits without stress. She never expected such a thing from you.]
**[You have gained 50 Approval Points.]**
**[Approval Points: 60]**
**[Do you want to convert them to Keys?]**
________________
Elon ignored the system's inquiry and returned his attention to the two in front of him, his cheek flushing as he smirked proudly.
"Well, let's keep moving. There's no time," he said.
Without saying a word, still in shock, Matilda and Vorden nodded and moved forward.
Indeed, that was the most frightening and fastest killing they had ever witnessed in their entire lives.