This World Is Anything But Peaceful

Half a day had passed, yet Darius Noctis still hadn't started the truck because he was busy rereading the mission details. Bán một trăm bowls of noodle soup was considered a Purple-ranked mission? No way! There had to be some kind of scheme behind this.

He had been screwed over by Annoying As Shit far too many times. He was beginning to suspect that someone was controlling it—how else could an AI be this much of a bastard? The first mission he received was Blue-ranked. It required him to find and recruit a skilled blacksmith.

At first, Darius Noctis had no intention of recruiting Fat Luu. A blacksmith who acted pitiful just because of a shattered screen protector, why the hell would he take in such a useless guy?

When Darius Noctis looked over, he saw him carefully picking up every tiny piece of broken glass. Darius Noctis told him to clean up and throw them away, but he was sure this fat guy would wrap them up and keep them.

As mentioned, Fat Luu wasn't even on his blacksmith recruitment list. Darius Noctis had planned to head to a major city, where real skilled blacksmiths could be found.

He would lure them in with food, then complete the mission in a spectacular fashion. That was a solid plan, wasn't it? More importantly, he didn't believe Fat Luu was a skilled blacksmith. Bởi hắn knew nothing about Fat Luu, aside from the fact that he was obsessed with learning.

But who knows? Maybe that obsession would make him great one day. For now, though? No chance.

He had already been tricked by Fat Luu's little sister, and now even Annoying As Shit was trying to deceive him? It evaluated Fat Luu as a skilled blacksmith, but by what standards? If recruiting Fat Luu was a Blue-ranked mission, then maybe a Purple-ranked mission wouldn't be too difficult. It was only one rank higher, after all.

Thinking this, Darius Noctis decided to start the journey. He needed to reach Yenviet Village as soon as possible—he couldn't afford to sit around doubting life any longer. Chả là hắn cứ có cảm giác sai sai ở chỗ nào đó, chỉ là cảm giác thôi chắc không sao đâu.

Just as Darius Noctis started the engine, Fat Luu finished cleaning up the glass shards. This time, he took out a thin silk cloth, carefully wrapped them up in multiple layers, and stored them away. His hands were fidgety—clearly, he was itching to take them out and continue studying them.

Watching Fat Luu's somewhat foolish actions, Darius Noctis simply smiled. This guy was a bit slow, but at least he didn't seem to have any hidden motives.

Over the past few days, dealing with Zentharis Lam had been mentally exhausting. That prince always kept a polite and refined mask on when speaking to Darius Noctis, making it hard for him to speak casually.

Very quickly, Darius Noctis pushed those thoughts aside and focused on his first real journey. He was a driver, but a noodle soup truck driver.

Darius Noctis didn't get to travel much in his past life, and even when he did, it was boring as hell. Everywhere he went was the same—modern infrastructure, flashing digital billboards, and obnoxiously bright advertisements. It drove him crazy.

This world was different. The scenery on both sides of the road had a strange sense of peacefulness. Trees and wild grass grew abundantly, and occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage would rush past in the opposite direction, seemingly in a hurry. Darius Noctis didn't care much. He was just enjoying the view and the fresh air, completely forgetting that staying out at night could mean running into monsters.

He rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and asked Fat Luu to grab the black iced coffee he had brewed earlier. One hand on the wheel, the other sipping coffee and smoking, he enjoyed the drive. If life could stay this peaceful, what could be better?

"Baaaanggggg!!!!!!!"

A terrifying roar suddenly echoed through the air, making both Darius Noctis and Fat Luu jump in shock. Up ahead, a small shadow appeared—it looked strange. Was something flying in the sky? Darius Noctis leaned out of the truck and looked up.

What he saw was unbelievable—a gigantic wild boar was being carried into the sky by an equally massive eagle. The eagle was flapping its wings, struggling to climb higher, and yet, despite still being alive, the boar didn't resist at all.

This wasn't like the squealing sounds Woof made. The boar's cry wasn't a scream—it was a monstrous roar. Though its body didn't thrash, its mouth never stopped roaring, shaking the air with a bloodcurdling, ear-piercing sound. Darius Noctis's hairs stood on end. It was possible that the eagle's talons had pierced the boar's spine, paralyzing its limbs.

Without realizing it, Darius Noctis had slowed the truck to a stop. Beside him, Fat Luu also stuck his head out. His face turned pale, sweat forming on his hands and forehead. Meanwhile, despite his fear, Darius Noctis couldn't look away.

The eagle was who-knows-how-far away, yet its shadow alone was massive, stretching out across the road ahead. Just how big was this thing?! To prove his thoughts, the eagle suddenly released its talons and dropped the wild boar from hundreds of meters high.

The sight of that massive boar falling to the ground burned itself into Darius Noctis's memory—one of his first true experiences in this strange world. It was also the first sign that his peaceful days were coming to an end.

"BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A deafening crash echoed.

The wild boar hit the ground, landing exactly twenty meters away from Darius Noctis's truck.

The impact shook the earth, toppling trees in the forest. A powerful gust of wind swept through, making Darius Noctis's truck shake violently, nearly flipping it over. If it had landed on the side, there was no doubt that the shockwave would have thrown his truck off the road.

"Grrrrr..."

Amidst the fallen trees, Darius Noctis finally realized just how massive the wild boar was. It looked no different from a small hill, stretching about seven to eight meters in length. Its entire body was covered in blood, barely breathing inside the crater it had created.

At that moment, the eagle swooped down from the sky, completely ignoring the truck. It gripped the wild boar once more, and with each powerful flap of its wings, strong winds surged, making the truck shake violently with every beat.

Afraid the truck might tip over, Darius Noctis yanked Fat Luu toward the driver's seat.

"Flap! Flap! Flap!"

The eagle soared into the sky, drawing a smooth arc before heading off in another direction. Darius Noctis saw it release the wild boar again. The distant sound of impact resembled an explosion. His expression turned pale—he knew he had to leave immediately.

Without hesitation, he started the engine and slammed on the gas, speeding forward. He now understood that Annoying As Shit had been right. If something like this happened in broad daylight, there was no way he could survive a night out here without reaching Yenviet Village.

"Yenviet Village, here I come!!!"

Shouting to calm himself down, Darius Noctis tore down the road.

Beside him, Fat Luu was as pale as a ghost.

"Hey, calm down. You're so fat—be careful or you'll have a heart attack right here. That eagle already flew away, so what are you still scared of?"

Darius Noctis patted Fat Luu's back, trying to comfort him. Thinking about it, it made sense. This was Fat Luu's first time leaving town. He was only eighteen years old, had zero life experience, and spent his days buried in a blacksmith shop. Witnessing something like this—it was a miracle he hadn't passed out.

Feeling reassured by Darius Noctis's words, Fat Luu kept nodding. He curled up in his seat, leaning against the truck door to regain his composure. Seeing that Fat Luu had calmed down, Darius Noctis also let out a sigh of relief.

Thinking back, the whole scene was still terrifying.

If that eagle had gone after his truck instead of the boar, he would have been screwed beyond belief. If even the giant boar had died, what chance did his truck have?

"Annoying As Shit, how much farther to Yenviet Village?"

[Distance to Yenviet Village: 294 km]

[Annoying As Shit recommends the device owner maintain a safe speed. The roads in this world are not as smooth as in the previous world. There are numerous potholes, uneven terrain, and even small animals crossing the road. Hitting them at high speeds could cause the truck to overturn. Recommended speed: 60 km/h.]

[Current time: 10:00 AM. Humidity: 75%. Temperature: 27°C. Air quality: 1 – Fresh.]

"Shut up, I didn't ask for that." Darius Noctis's forehead twitched in annoyance.

[Wishing the device owner a safe journey.]

[Ding!]

[Annoying As Shit recommends enabling radar mode. Although there are fewer predators during the day, there is still a risk of encountering one. The radar will help detect unidentified moving objects within a 10 km radius, allowing the device owner to anticipate threats and prepare emergency responses.]

Darius Noctis was about to curse out Annoying As Shit for talking too much.

He had only asked how many kilometers were left. Instead, the AI seemed to have been bottling up words all morning, only to dump them all at once now.

"You're annoying as hell. Isn't radar always on? If it wasn't, how did you scan the population of Phucloc Town? You just didn't want to warn me, did you? Don't play dumb with me."

Seeing that Fat Luu had fallen asleep, Darius Noctis lowered his voice and spoke through gritted teeth at the digital screen.

[Annoying As Shit means the device owner needs to enable the alert and prediction functions. Since the device owner disabled Annoying As Shit's automatic speech, many features were turned off as well. To use them, the device owner must manually activate each one.]

"Fine, turn it on."

Darius Noctis's face darkened. He couldn't be bothered to argue with the AI.

Talking to Annoying As Shit was just an excuse to vent his fear.

After being pissed off by the AI a few times, though… he really did feel less scared.