Chapter 3 New Town

Chapter 3: New Town

As their bodies drifted downward, cutting through the dense, perpetual blanket of white clouds, the world around them shifted dramatically. The air of the sky arena had always been stagnant and still, but here, the stratosphere felt alive.

Whoosh.

Piercing through the bottom layer of the clouds, the first thing that hit Rael wasn't a warning alarm, but a breath of incredibly crisp, cool air. His eyes widened slightly.

Below them lay an endless, vibrant canopy of emerald-green forests. A massive, crystal-clear river snaked gracefully through the valley, reflecting the bright morning sunlight like a shattered diamond. The wind carrying them down was sweet, carrying the scent of pine wood, damp earth, and wild flora. For someone who had spent his previous life trapped in a concrete jungle on Earth, and then years staring at a flat computer screen, the sheer majesty of this untamed, beautiful nature was intoxicating.

“Woah,” Rael muttered, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he hovered mid-air, letting the cool breeze wash over his face. Even Vhal'Zar, flying quietly beside him, closed his human eyes for a moment, silently taking in the refreshing warmth of a sun he hadn't felt in thirty millennia.

But as their descent brought them closer to the tree line, Rael’s nostalgic awe suddenly froze.

He narrowed his golden, human-disguised eyes, looking directly beneath him, where The Cataclysmic Badlands should have been. In his memories, this valley was supposed to be a jagged, hellish wasteland of black obsidian rock, rivers of boiling magma, and the skeletal remains of dragons—a place where Level 500 to 1500 calamity monsters roamed, tearing apart any player foolish enough to step foot here.

Yet, there was no magma. There were no monsters.

Nestled perfectly in the basin of the valley, right at the edge of the great forest, was a sprawling, peaceful settlement.

From this height, Rael could clearly see hundreds of rustic wooden and white-stone houses with dark tiled roofs. Giant wooden windmills turned lazily in the breeze, and thin trails of grey smoke drifted peacefully from chimneys into the blue sky. He could even spot tiny, dot-like figures of people—human civilians—walking along dirt roads, pulling wooden carts, and tending to vast green farmlands.

It wasn't a dangerous endgame zone. It was a massive, bustling village—or rather, a well-established peripheral town.

Rael completely halted his flight, hovering a few hundred feet above the forest canopy, his brain struggling to process the massive difference.

"Master..." Vhal'Zar spoke, his deep baritone breaking the silence, his eyes fixed on the village below. "The malicious energy of the badlands... it's completely gone. I cannot feel a single trace of the old world's calamities down there."

Rael let out a soft, dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. It completely rewrote the map. The ultimate hellzone is now a peaceful town."

He took one last look at the beautiful, serene landscape, his expression turning sharp and calculating once more. "Well, at least we won't have to fight our way through a horde of monsters just to get a cup of water. Let's land inside the forest line, hide our flight mana, and walk into that town like normal travelers."

After landing in the forest, Rael noticed that their clothes would still attract too much attention. He opened his inventory and found a set of ordinary, less eye-catching clothes for himself. For Vhal'Zar, he chose a set of standard armor and ordered him, "Vhal, use this armor. If you keep wearing that black obsidian armor, we'll be swarmed by people."

Vhal'Zar looked at him and asked, "But Master, what are we going to do if that village is dangerous?"

Rael looked back at him. "You said the energy of the Badlands is completely gone, right? So it's safe. Besides, we don’t want to attract unwanted attention, so..."

Vhal'Zar obeyed his master without question. Suddenly, his black armor vanished instantly into thin air.

Rael watched in confusion. "Wait a minute. I forgot your armor is a part of you, right? But it just disappeared instantly. How did you do that?"

"I just absorbed it," Vhal'Zar explained. "The armor is bound to my body, and I can summon it back out as I please." To demonstrate, the armor popped back into existence. "See?"

Rael realized he was learning a lot about the differences between game mechanics and actual reality. It was fascinating.

Rael then began changing into his ordinary clothes. As he stripped down, he was shocked by his own reflection. His body possessed a flawless six-pack and incredibly smooth skin—an extraordinary physique that was neither too muscular nor too skinny. It was just perfect. And his little guy... no, his big guy... was perfect too.

On the other hand, Vhal'Zar’s human disguise looked just as flawless, though he was a little taller than Rael. Rael couldn't help but wonder if an undead using that disguise ring would experience the return of human desires. It was a thought he didn't actually want to explore, but he was curious nonetheless.

Once ready, they made their way toward the town. At the main gate, a long line of people was already waiting to enter.

Curiously, Rael tapped the shoulder of a middle-aged man standing right in front of them. "Excuse me, mister. Is there a specific reason why everyone is gathered in such a long line today?"

The man turned around, looking a bit annoyed at first. But the moment his eyes landed on Rael, his expression instantly froze. "Ah, yes, well... there is a Saint scheduled to visit the town today, so the security is tight—"

The man paused, nervously scanning Rael's face, then shifting his gaze to the tall, imposing figure of Vhal'Zar standing right behind him with a steel sword strapped to his waist.

Instantly, the man's face drained of color. He practically threw himself into a deep bow. "A-Ah! My deepest, most sincere apologies, my lord! This poor, uneducated peasant meant no rudeness earlier!"

Rael's eyes widened in utter confusion at the sudden, extreme shift to formal speech. "Mister, it's totally fine. You can just talk to me normally—"

"No! No! I couldn't possibly!" the man cut him off, his voice laced with pure panic. "A lowly commoner like myself has no right to speak casually in front of a high nobleman such as yourself, my lord!"

The commotion immediately drew the attention of dozens of people waiting in line. Whispers broke out as a sea of eyes locked onto them. Rael began to panic internally, while Vhal'Zar simply stood tall, nodding proudly, immensely satisfied that these mortals recognized his master's supreme nobility.

"No, no, no! Wait! We are not nobles! We are just ordinary travelers!" Rael pleaded, waving his hands frantically.

The man, still using highly formal words, countered, "But if you are a mere traveler, you wouldn't possess such an otherworldly appearance, nor would you have a bodyguard with the bearing of a knight!"

What is wrong with my face?!Rael thought frantically. And what do you mean Vhal looks like a knight?

Rael glanced at Vhal'Zar and reality hit him. Ah, right... his build, his face... nothing about him looks like an ordinary person. And his composure is way too regal for a commoner. Making him stand here was my mistake, haaaah...

They hadn't realized that even though they had changed their clothes, their faces and bodies completely defied the standards of ordinary citizens. Their goal of not attracting attention had been utterly futile from the start.

Desperate to salvage the situation, Rael tried to throw out a logical excuse. "Just think about it logically, mister! If I were really a powerful nobleman, why would I be standing patiently in line like everyone else? And secondly, he isn't my bodyguard, he's just a close friend—"

Right on cue, Vhal'Zar's reflexes kicked in. Hearing his master equate himself to a mere servant, Vhal'Zar instantly dropped to one knee right there on the dirt road, slamming his fist against his chest armor.

"Master! This lowly one is unworthy of being equated as your equal—"

Panicking that Vhal'Zar's booming voice would expose them further, Rael immediately raised his own voice to drown him out. "Ooh! Oooh! Hooh! What are you doing, Vhal?! You can’t be making jokes like that!"

But Vhal'Zar stubbornly continued, "But, Maste—"

Rael instantly clamped his hand over Vhal'Zar's mouth and offered an awkward, strained laugh to the middle-aged man. "Sorry, my friend loves to play pranks like that, hahahaha! Come here, you!"

With that, he dragged Vhal'Zar away under the watchful, bewildered stares of the crowd. They had caused a massive scene. Their plan was ruined.

Once they were a safe distance away, Rael scolded Vhal'Zar, his hand raised in exasperation. "Are you even reflecting on your actions right now?!"

Vhal'Zar answered, still entirely stubborn, "No! Being compared to me is an insult to you, Master!"

Rael sighed, thoroughly exhausted by his summon's thick-headedness. He tried to reason with him. "Vhal'Zar, then how about you just act as my bodyguard? That relationship—"

Vhal'Zar still couldn't accept it. "No! A mere bodyguard is a title far too lowly to stand by your side. You are my Sovereign, the absolute pinnacle of power! I am merely a fragment of the strength you command!"

Rael got a massive headache. Then why the hell won't you just listen to me and obey, haaaah...

Massaging his forehead, Rael decided to force a final compromise. "Okay, look. From now on, in front of other people, our relationship is officially Master and Servant. You can call me Master. BUT! Do not overreact like you just did. No kneeling, no shouting, no dramatic speeches. Under... stood?!"

The moment the word 'Servant' left Rael's mouth, Vhal'Zar’s eyes lit up with absolute satisfaction. In a split-second reflex, he dropped back down onto one knee.

Rael stared at him, feeling completely hopeless. "What did I literally just say?"

Realizing his mistake, Vhal'Zar didn't stand up, but instead smoothly transitioned his posture. He placed his right hand firmly over his heart, tilting his head down in a perfect, rigid knightly salute. "My apologies, Master. I understand perfectly."

Rael couldn't help but crack a faint smile at his servant's absurd yet endearing loyalty. "Good. Just... don't do that in front of a crowd again. Let's wait here until the line thins out."

They waited in the shadows for a while until the crowd at the gate lessened.

Once the commotion at the front gate finally died down, they quietly blended back into the rear of the line, keeping their heads low. But just as they were about to reach the guards, a resonant, melodic blast of silver trumpets echoed from the horizon, vibrating through the very air.

TRUUUUM-BZZZZZ—!

The ground didn't shake; instead, a soothing, warm energy washed over the dirt road. The town guards immediately abandoned their posts, rushing toward the sides of the path to frantically push the crowd back.

"Make way! Clear the main path immediately!" the guards bellowed, their faces filled with awe. "The Saint’s Holy Convoy is passing through!"

Rather than being annoyed, the crowd of civilians erupted into joyful cheers. People pressed against the barricades, waving and smiling. Intrigued, Rael and Vhal'Zar quietly stood at the back of the crowd, observing the spectacle.

What came down the road was a sight of pure, breathtaking fantasy.

Leading the procession were a dozen grand knights clad in pristine, glowing white plate armor. The metal of their armor seemed to emit a soft, daylight-like luminescence, completely immune to the dust of the road. One of the lead knights held a massive silk banner, beautifully embroidered with a crest depicting a shimmering White Rose pierced by Three Silver Swords.

Behind them drew the main attraction: a carriage that completely defied the laws of physics.

It wasn't pulled by ordinary horses, but by four majestic, pegasus-bred steeds with coats as white as fresh snow and manes made of flowing, ethereal silver light. With every step the horses took, glowing golden ripples materialized beneath their hooves, meaning they weren't even touching the dirty ground.

The carriage itself was a masterpiece carved from a single piece of enchanted white tree lumber. It hovered gracefully six inches above the dirt road, held aloft by glowing blue levitation runes etched along its chassis. Ethereal, translucent white rose petals materialized out of thin air around the carriage, dissolving into glittering mana particles before they could touch the cheering peasants.

For the first time in his two lives, Rael was looking at genuine, high-tier fantasy magic belonging to this world happening right in front of his eyes.

To be fair, he had already experienced a profound wave of awe earlier. Spitting out that terrifying, pitch-black Zephyr dragon breath and testing his basic combat movements against Vhal'Zar's minions had already blown his mind. Experiencing his max-level avatar's physical mechanics in the flesh was a thrilling shock. Yet, watching this convoy still managed to strike a completely different chord of fascination inside him.

His own test earlier had been basic, just scratching the surface of his vast arsenal. Now, seeing the intricate levitation runes on the carriage and the silver-light manes of the floating horses triggered something deep inside his Archmage brain. His mental library, filled with countless locked boxes of high-tier magic, began to flood with vivid possibilities.

He hadn't had time to test his expansive magic earlier because he had been abruptly distracted by the notifications about his summons—many of whom had already deceased or become independent—as well as the history Vhal'Zar had shared. Because of that, he had shifted his entire focus toward descending to this world to find them.

But looking at the physics of this real world, he couldn't help but wonder.

‘If a mid-tier holy convoy looks this spectacular and beautiful in reality,’Rael mused, a dangerous, excited gleam flashing across his golden, human-disguised eyes, ‘what the hell would happen if I unleashed a Tier-10 Spatial Fracture or a continent-wide Zephyr Tempest? How insane would the visual effects look in real life?’

The sheer anticipation of his own untapped power sent a shiver of excitement down his spine.

Beside him, Vhal'Zar merely glanced at the hovering carriage, completely unimpressed by the holy mana, before shifting his eyes back to guard his master. For Vhal'Zar, nothing compared to his Master's greatness. But for Rael, his gamer heart was pounding. This world wasn't just a dead game sandbox anymore. It was alive, beautiful, and packed with endless laws of magic waiting for him to test.

As the tail end of the Saint's convoy finally passed through the grand gates, the town guards began waving the regular crowd forward again.

Rael took a deep breath and shook his head, fixing his clothes. ‘Of course I'm not going to try nuclear-level magic just because I'm curious. What the hell am I, a madman? ...But still, it’s fun to watch.’

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