Chapter 207: Popular —— S-Rank Fugitive
A sigh interrupted his thoughts. Rod knew now was not the time to overthink things. The most crucial thing was to recover his health. Only by restoring his physical strength could he survive; otherwise, in his current state, it would likely take no time before he was killed on the spot. Perhaps right now, people everywhere were searching for him.
Indeed, Rod’s guess was correct. Three days had passed since the melee in the forest.
In those three days, the entire continent had gone mad. News of the appearance of demons spread like wildfire, and now almost everyone on the continent knew about it. It had spread throughout streets and alleys, causing everyone to feel threatened, as if the end of the world was approaching.
Initially, the Lance Empire decided to keep the matter confidential after discussion. High-ranking officials from various countries who had not yet left the empire came to discuss the situation. Yet, somehow, the news leaked, resulting in everyone being aware of it.
Now, Rod might have become the most famous person in the entire continent. From a rising star to a feared demon, this change shocked everyone.
Soon after, various manhunts and arrest warrants were issued. Within days, the entire continent began pursuing Knight Rod. His portrait was everywhere, known to all. The Magic Association and the Warrior Guild also got involved, declaring their pursuit of Rod. The Church of Light, which always claimed to be holy and pure, naturally wouldn’t stay behind either, sending powerful teams to search for him.
On the Mercenary Association’s blacklist, Rod was now listed as an S-rank threat. With his identity as a demon and his royal-level strength, along with the high bounty pushed by the continent’s elite—reaching a terrifying 500,000 gold coins—this astronomical amount was astonishing! The emergence of an S-rank mission also caused a huge stir among dark mercenaries!
At the same time, Dark, the continent’s top assassin organization, also stepped into the spotlight, delivering a strong shock to everyone. Dark announced that it had taken on the task of hunting Knight Rod. Thus, this legendary assassination group once again came into the public eye in such a high-profile manner.
On the other hand, the vampires and werewolves also went all out, launching wave after wave of insane attacks. Just two days ago, on the day news of Rod being a demon spread, the vampires joined forces with the werewolves to launch a fierce assault—attacking the Kingdom of Dilman, located next to the Lance Empire! This kingdom, bordering the Lance Empire and situated at the edge of the Collins Forest, became the first target for the vampires and werewolves as they declared their return. The small town of Huan Sai suffered a devastating blow: 60,000 soldiers died, nearly 5,000 were injured, and the losses were enormous. Caught off guard by the surprise attack, they were utterly helpless—failing to achieve any notable success and not even leaving a single enemy corpse behind. With zero casualties on their side, they completed a blitzkrieg in less than a night. From that day on, chaos ensued across the continent, as the resurgence of the dark races left the entire land teetering like a boat in a storm.
…
A few days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, thanks to rest, Rod’s health had recovered to a large extent. He also took the opportunity to learn the latest sword technique—Dragon Swaying Sword. This single move, while lacking the dominance and sharpness of Shadowless and Autumn Wind in terms of power and momentum, possessed a greater sense of mystery and variability. It embodied a perfect balance of hardness and softness, with orderly speed and endless changes. Though it appeared weak at first glance, its power when unleashed was no less than that of Shadowless and Autumn Wind, sometimes even exceeding it. After several days of practice, Rod hadn’t fully mastered these two techniques, only managing to execute them with roughly sixth-level power. Yet even so, he gained tremendous insights. Understanding the nuances of this new technique also deepened his comprehension of Shadowless and Autumn Wind.
Meanwhile, over those days, Rod devoted most of his energy to controlling his combat energy and mental strength. He could feel himself improving every day. Encouraged by his progress, he even forgot about loneliness, solitude, sadness, and his past unhappiness, as well as his current situation in this dark, damp place. It wasn’t until all the food in his magic bag was used up that Rod finally snapped out of his frenzied training.
Feeling a slight hunger in his stomach, he sighed inwardly, knowing he would have to go out sooner or later. Over these past few days, he had immersed himself in cultivation, deliberately avoiding the reality he should have faced. With a somber expression, he packed up his things, changed out of his bloodstained, tattered clothes, and washed himself in a cold pool nearby, allowing the biting cold to penetrate his consciousness until he felt refreshed. Only then did he put on new clothes and wear the human skin mask he had obtained by chance from his magic bag to ensure safety. After giving one last look at the place where he had stayed these days, he slowly headed out of the cave.
He knew he couldn’t show himself to the world in his true form—at least not yet, otherwise it would bring endless trouble. Outside the cave, he instinctively squinted as the harsh sunlight made him uncomfortable. Looking at the empty forest, he felt a sense of emptiness; the thought of being lost in such a vast world left him confused. Touching the cold small box in his arms, he remembered the secrets it contained—secrets the old man wanted to tell him. To this day, he still couldn’t break the seal on it. With a sigh, he realized he couldn’t go to the capital, where too many people knew him. Although his appearance was hidden by the human skin mask, his speech pattern and movements hadn’t changed, so anyone who knew him could easily identify his true identity.
He headed in the opposite direction of the capital, planning to visit Blackstone City first. His provisions were exhausted, so he needed to stock up. Additionally, he wanted to find out about recent developments and understand the current situation and the environment he was in. After passing through the forest, he reached the main road, which was about ten kilometers away from the capital. Pedestrians and caravans came and went, showing signs of prosperity. It was still about sixty kilometers to Blackstone City. At his pace, since it was noon, it would likely take him until evening to arrive.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked in the direction of Blackstone City. Along the way, he encountered many warriors and caravans, as well as several groups of mercenaries. By chance, he overheard their conversations. Undoubtedly, topics about him seemed to be the hottest of all—talks of him as a ruthless murderer, a descendant of demons lurking on the continent, and so on. This made Rod smile wryly. It seemed things were exactly as he had predicted; now he was truly “famous”!
At the same time, he felt relieved inwardly. Those people showed no special reaction when they saw him, clearly indicating that his disguise was successful enough to deceive them and prevent them from recognizing him, even though some of them had pictures of him with them.
With the help of the leather mask, his face appeared rough, covered in a thick beard. If he hadn’t observed himself before, he probably wouldn’t have recognized himself even in front of a mirror.
Regarding this finely crafted leather mask, Rod could only marvel inwardly. It seemed the Fire Dragon had indeed left him a valuable treasure. He had noticed the mask when he first got that magic bag, but at that time he had dismissed it as trash and almost thrown it away. He never imagined it would come in so handy today. Sighing to himself, he realized how unpredictable life could be.
He continued slowly along the main road. After traveling 30 kilometers away from the capital, he reached an intersection and chose the road leading to Blackstone City. As he went further, there were fewer and fewer caravans, and sometimes he wouldn’t see a single person for an hour or two.
“Hey, buddy, heading to Blackstone City?” A shout came from behind, making Rod stop in his tracks. He had noticed the approaching caravan early on but hadn’t paid much attention. He didn’t expect them to greet him.
“Yeah, are you guys also going to Blackstone City?” Out of courtesy, Rod replied.
“Yeah, let’s go together. Hehe, it must be boring for you to be by yourself. It’s good to have company. These parts haven’t been very safe lately—it’s not safe to travel alone!” With a smile, the leader of the group invited him kindly.
Observing carefully, Rod realized that this caravan was different from ordinary caravans. It was small, with only a dozen people, all warriors—no merchants in sight. They were escorting a shipment of medicines, and it seemed to be a protection task assigned to them by a mercenary group. After some thought, Rod decided it wouldn’t hurt to have companions; it would give him the chance to learn more about things he wanted to know. After a brief silence, he agreed readily.
As he joined the group, the journey became more lively. Gradually, Rod got to know the members better. As he had expected, they were indeed a mercenary group tasked with delivering goods to Blackstone City. The leader, a friendly warrior named Morsanchi, was from Blackstone City and a Silver Warrior—a decent rank for such a small mercenary group. Their tasks were usually simple escort missions, operating between Blackstone City and the cities around the capital, which was relatively safe. However, they had recently encountered some trouble—bandits from somewhere had started causing problems, posing significant challenges. On the other hand, this also brought them new missions.
“Be careful in the canyon ahead!” As they chatted, they soon reached a canyon. At that moment, Morsanchi’s expression turned serious as he warned the group. The atmosphere became somewhat gloomy.