After splitting the rocky mountain range with a single swing of his sword, John tossed the stick aside and walked toward the gap he had cleanly carved through the mountains.
From above, the divide formed a perfect line slicing through the mountain range, as if cut by a blade through butter—sharp, clean, unnatural.
The gap stretched hundreds of meters wide and hundreds of miles long. This mountain range, infamous across the land, was known as the Man-Eating Mountain Range. Too many people had vanished here, later found in the bellies of monsters. That's how it earned its name.
It was home to powerful magical beasts, each capable of leveling villages and towns. Rumors even spoke of a terrifying magical beast so strong that even dragons dared not provoke it.
With a relaxed demeanor, John walked the path he made. He kept moving forward, waiting—expecting something to happen. He created this passage to help the kingdom access the forest more easily, but that wasn't the only reason. The moment he stepped into the range, he felt a gaze lock onto him.
Cold. Dangerous. Brimming with killing intent. It warned him: Leave this place. This is not your land.
But John's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to test it. If the magical beast believed it was stronger than the intruder, it would attack. If not, it would hide and wait for the monster to pass.
He watched it through his Magic Sense.
John continued his journey, pausing only for meals. He hadn't stopped tracking the beast's movements, waiting for it to strike. But to his disappointment, it never did. It just stayed in its nest, hiding.
Days passed. He finally reached the end of the path he carved, where the rocky mountains gave way to a vast grassland. In the distance, a massive city stood surrounded by towering walls.
Though it appeared close, it was actually far. It would take several more days to reach it.
John cast one last glance back toward a certain direction in the mountain range.
Hundreds of miles away, deep in a cave, a magical beast shuddered. Its body trembled as it cowered in fear, hiding in the corner, not daring to move, afraid to draw the attention of that monster.
John shook his head in disappointment and made his way to the city.
Zephyr City, a fortress city standing on the border between the Rocky Mountain Range and the vast grasslands. Ruled by Dragonof, it was one of the hundreds of cities within the kingdom. It was the closest city to the Mythical Forest—one of the most dangerous places in the Old World. One of the Eight Endless Biomespheres.
They called it the Myrethorne Forest, a vast expanse in the far south of the Alakitasian Continent, stretching over 20 million square kilometers, covering most of the continent's southern reaches.
Zephyr City served as a supply depot for Dragonof's expedition efforts into Myrethorne Forest.
It also protected the kingdom from the monster hordes that occasionally emerged. Many elite mages and knights were stationed here, led by a Knight Captain.
Knight Captains stood at the apex of Dragonof's military. Each commanded a division of millions of magic knights. There were twenty divisions, each with a captain.
A Knight Captain could rival a Dragon King. Their power could shatter nations. They were feared across the Old World as Nation Destroyers.
Zephyr City was shielded by a massive wall over thirty meters tall. The city itself was divided into four segments by a main road leading from the city gate to the central castle, itself walled off. From the sky, the city looked like a pizza sliced into four perfect triangles.
The entire city was wrapped in a powerful magic barrier capable of withstanding three full-force strikes from a dragon.
Scattered across the city were magical cannon turrets, each one strong enough to wipe out a small town with a single blast.
Zephyr had four gates, aligned with the cardinal directions. They opened at dawn and closed by evening, each one guarded by four squads led by a squad captain.
Zephyr City, West Gate.
The west gate stood wide open. No lines. No crowd. It was rarely used, mostly by those returning from expeditions into the Rocky Mountain Range or Myrethorne Forest. Most who passed through it were powerful mages.
Yawn!
"Hey, Corticus, ever thought about joining the expedition?" a knight asked, bored.
"Why would I? I came here to escape the war in the north, and you're asking me to join something worse than war? Mogar, are you trying to get me killed?" Corticus gave him a look that screamed are you serious?
"My bad, stupid question," Mogar said, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. "I forgot you joined the 20th Division just for that reason."
"Aren't you even curious about what's out there? They say the trees in Myrethorne are the size of small mountains. Under the canopy, there are beasts and monsters of unimaginable power, national-level treasures, herbs that can heal anything, and a never ending endless dungeons no one's ever explored and hope conquered or see its end. How can you not want to see that? I'd never be bored!"
Corticus sighed. Here we go again.
Mogar was about to launch into one of his speeches about the wonders of the forest, but Corticus raised a hand to shut him up.
Mogar immediately went silent. His face turned serious. Both of them looked into the distance as a figure approached. When they saw who it was, they relaxed.
"Just a human," Mogar muttered.
"Identification, please," Corticus said.
John reached into his pocket and handed over an ID.
Corticus's brows rose in surprise. He wanted to ask something, but stopped himself. Instead, he returned the ID.
"You may go," he said.
John nodded and walked past.
Corticus watched him disappear into the city.
"What was that? You looked surprised for a second," Mogar said.
"It's nothing," Corticus replied. "Just… that I saw the God of Wine himself."
"What are you talking about?" Mogar asked, confused.
"Never mind. I was just surprised he was from the Merchant Guild."
In the Old World's long history, only two factions stood the top—aside from that overwhelming force known to all.
The Merchant Guild and the Mercenary Guild. These two controlled the Old World's economy and military.
Despite their might, they rarely involved themselves in world affairs. They just held the wealth… and the sword.
"Yeah, that's surprising. This is my first time meeting someone from the Merchant Guild," Corticus added.
The two continued chatting, talking about the mysterious Merchant and Mercenary Guilds and their long, powerful legacy.