He wore fine iron armor and carried a well-crafted short sword.

  His defense and attack power were much higher now, comparable to the best work of human blacksmiths.

  Defeating ordinary monsters was effortless.

  Before long, he left the Corrupted Forest behind and spotted a small village in the distance, smoke curling from its chimneys.

  People still worked in the fields nearby.

  Since the system indicated that Rodel and his group were in Lighthollow Town, Tian approached a farmer to ask for directions.

  As he got closer, the farmer finally noticed him.

  "Hey, don't be afraid. I'm an adventurer. Could you tell me how to get to Lighthollow Town?"

  Tian asked.

  “I-I don’t know! Get away from me! Or I won’t be nice about it!”

  The farmer was startled by Tian's unusual appearance—especially since he had come from the direction of the Corrupted Forest—and became highly alert.

  He raised his scythe, ready to attack.

  A cold glint flashed in Tian's eyes. "I'm just asking for directions. Calm down."

  The farmer still looked terrified. “I said, get away!”

  Swish!

  The next second, a sharp blade pierced through the farmer’s mouth.

  Blood sprayed everywhere!

  Tian's expression darkened. "I only asked for directions. Was that really worth panicking over? I suppose you brought this on yourself."

  If this attracted the attention of the whole village, things could get troublesome.

  Unfortunately, it was too late.

  A few villagers heading home saw what happened and shouted.

  Immediately, a dozen burly men showed up with farming tools, ready to kill.

  These villagers lived near the Corrupted Forest—they were no strangers to fighting.

  [Ekel: Lv11

  Race: Human

  Class: Farmer

  Title: None

  HP: 101

  Strength: 23

  Defense: 14

  Skills: None

  Equipment: Hoe

  Overall: 100]

  Humans were naturally much stronger than goblins—there was no comparison.

  But compared to Tian now, the difference was overwhelming.

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  He dispatched them all with ease.

  He slaughtered the entire village, extracting the location of Lighthollow Town only through threats.

  He should have just threatened them from the beginning. Trying to be polite had been pointless.

  To him, humans were no longer people. Killing them felt no different than slaughtering a boar or breaking a wolf's neck—just another body hitting the ground.

  After a day of walking, he finally saw lights blazing under the night sky in the distance.

  Lighthollow Town.

  It was a sizable town—probably two or three hundred households, spread across a wide area.

  It even had proper defensive walls.

  Almost like a real city.

  Entering at night would be too risky. It was better to wait until morning and blend in with the crowd.

  Sure enough, even with guards conducting spot checks, no one noticed Tian.

  His stealth abilities were most effective in crowds.

  Inside, the town was bustling with life. People strolled around, smiling and cheerful.

  The sheer number of street vendors was overwhelming.

  "I never expected people in this world to live so comfortably," he thought.

  Tian could hardly believe it.

  He had barely survived in the Corrupted Forest, always on edge.

  Yet these people had enough money for snacks and even for visits to the brothel.

  When he reached a small plaza, he finally understood why.

  Lighthollow Town Adventurer Party Rankings:

  1st: Platinum Rank - Blade Heroes

  2nd: Silver Rank - Stormwind Heroes

  3rd: Silver Rank - Savior Heroes

  4th: Bronze Rank - Posicaya Heroes]

  So this was the human world's ranking system. He hadn't expected that Rodel and his team would be Platinum rank.

  They must have grown much stronger recently.

  "Hmph. So what? I have a solid plan. Even if the Sword Saint herself appears, you won't escape me!"

  Tian muttered coldly as he continued wandering through the town.

  He wasn't just passing time; he was scouting the terrain, estimating the population, number of soldiers, and defensive structures.

  He even took note of the underground drainage system.

  He needed to know everything about this town.

  By evening, he had mapped out everything he needed to know.

  As he passed a tavern, a familiar, hateful voice caught his ear.

  “Hahaha! Drink up! Drink hard these next few days!”

  It was Rodel—Rodel himself.

  He immediately slipped into the tavern to see what was happening.

  The place was packed, with people everywhere upstairs and down. It was the perfect environment for him.

  Tian found a corner and scanned the room, searching for Rodel and his group.

  They sat at a table in the center of the tavern.

  It was the same group as before: party leader Rodel, the white-robed nun, the red-haired knight, and the silver shield-bearer.

  Rodel took a long drink and said proudly, "You have no idea—when we fought that Four-Armed Demon Ape, one punch nearly finished me! Fortunately, Eveleya used her holy skill, 'Foresee Death,' and saved my life. That's why having a healer is so important."

  The Four-Armed Demon Ape was a Tier 4 monster, level 40—an extremely powerful opponent.

  At this, the crowd erupted into cheers.

  "Holy crap, Eveleya actually pulled off Foresee Death? That's some high-level church magic! Rodel, you lucky bastard!"

  "Man, I'd fight a dragon bare-handed for a healer that good. Rodel, how did you ever win her over?"

  "Keep dreaming! You'd be lucky just to catch a glimpse of Eveleya!"

  “Watch yourselves! You can’t just talk about a goddess like that!”

  Basking in the praise, Eveleya lifted her chin with false modesty. "The party leader is the amazing one. I couldn't have defeated the Four-Armed Demon Ape alone."

  The red-haired knight and silver shield-bearer grumbled from the side, "What, you're only praising your man? Did we not do anything?"

  “No, no! You two were great too, okay?”

  Eveleya replied dismissively, giving Rodel a flirtatious glance.

  Their relationship was obvious to everyone.

  But then a local chimed in mockingly, "You two are fine, but Rodel is royalty from the Lionheart Empire—and the Sword Saint's disciple!"

  That was the reason the Sword Saint had taken him as a disciple.

  Royal orders weren't something anyone could ignore, no matter how strong they were.

  Tian's eyes narrowed. Royalty? The Sword Saint's personal disciple? It didn't matter. Rodel would still die screaming.

  Even if he were the Emperor of the Lionheart Empire, he still had to die.

  The red-haired knight and the others bristled. "Our leader's background is none of your business. Keep your mouth shut!"

  An argument broke out immediately.

  "Enough bickering. The evil dragons from Dragon Island are in mating season. They've been snatching herders' cattle, sheep, and horses. People are too scared to herd livestock now. If you adventurers are so tough, why don't you go slay some dragons?"

  The tavern owner said gravely.

  He wiped glasses behind the bar, his tone heavy.

  Slaying dragons?

  That was every adventurer's dream, but dragons were anything but easy to kill.

  Adult dragons were all level 50 or higher, and they could fly. They had enormous health and dealt devastating damage.

  Only Diamond-rank adventurers could stand a chance against them. Anyone else would just be dragon food.