Chapter 5: The Swordsman Prodigy

The commotion in front of the inn ended with the fat, pig-like boss falling unconscious. The onlookers, seeing the show was over, drifted apart in twos and threes, chatting as they left.

"Boss, it looks like we can't stay at this inn. How about we go to the one in the south of town?" Having already inquired earlier, Sol and the other two knew there was an inn at each end of Five-Mile Town, so he made the new suggestion.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go then. Rek, could you go get the horses again?" Mels said to Rek. A moment later, Rek appeared before Mels with three horses, and the three of them headed toward the other side of the village.

Just as they were about to set off, they noticed the silent boy following them closely.

"Huh? Are you going to the other inn too?" Mels turned and asked curiously.

Upon hearing Mels' words, the boy looked confused for a moment, then shook his head before nodding.

"Shaking his head means no; nodding means yes. I can't tell if he wants to go or not!" Sol said, watching the boy shake and nod his head.

"Knock it off! Are you doing a tongue twister? No one will think you're mute if you keep quiet!" Mels turned and snapped at Sol. Then he turned back to the boy and asked, "Can't you speak?"

This time, the boy answered quickly: "Yes!"

"Can you tell me where you want to go?" Mels clearly had a good impression of the boy and asked patiently.

"I... don't know," the boy said, lowering his head.

"Since you have nowhere to go and you're alone, why not come with us? You can leave when you find a place to go, okay?" Mels invited.

As Mels finished speaking, the boy looked up at him for a long moment before saying, "You... good guy!"

"Ha... I'm not exactly a good guy. Let's go, everyone's hungry. We should go eat first!" Mels laughed heartily and led the way. Amidst his laughter, the four of them slowly made their way toward the southern inn.

After a hearty dinner, Mels and the other two learned a bit about the boy. The thin, frail boy was named Akafir. According to his adoptive father, he had been found while chopping wood over a decade ago. At the time, Akafir was less than a month old. His adoptive father, feeling sorry for him and being alone himself, took him home and raised Akafir frugally.

Having lived deep in the mountains with his adoptive father since childhood, Akafir never had any companions. The only person he could talk to was his woodcutter father, so the boy knew as much about the world as a blank sheet of paper. When Akafir was ten, his adoptive father finally succumbed to illness from years of overwork. Grieving, Akafir continued to live alone in the mountains. Another five years passed like this.

Once, while hunting in the mountains, Akafir slipped and fell off a cliff. Fate hadn't abandoned him—not only did he survive the fall, but he also found the sword he now carried on his back. Since then, this sword had become his best helper when hunting in the mountains.

Time flew by. Three years later, by chance, Akafir heard about the outside world from a traveler passing through the mountains. So, carrying his sword, he left the mountains for the first time. Today, as he passed through Five-Mile Town, he saw the inn's attendant warmly greeting guests at the door. Feeling hungry and unaware that one had to pay for meals, the young boy stepped inside. What happened next was what Mels and the others witnessed.

After hearing Akafir's simple account of his life, Mels and the other two couldn't help but feel deep sympathy for him. Yet the boy himself seemed completely unaware of it all, simply burying his head in his meal.

"Since you know martial arts, why didn't you fight back when those bastards were hitting you earlier?" Mels asked Akafir.

"Martial arts? Don't understand," Akafir looked up at Mels with a puzzled expression.

"It means fighting, injuring your opponent, ways to attack others," Sol explained to the boy.

"Fighting? Injuring? Why injure? Don't you only hunt prey?" Akafir's words left Mels and the other two speechless. Indeed, how could they explain to this boy why humans kill each other?

"No, what we mean is that when you're threatened by others, you can use martial arts to protect yourself! Like earlier, those bastards wanted to steal your sword, so you should have used your martial arts to defend yourself!" Rek suddenly spoke up.

Although Rek appeared rough on the outside, he was sharper than Mels and Sol on certain matters.

After hearing Rek's words, Akafir pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "I understand. If someone hurts you, I protect. Kill them!"

Though his words were simple, they deeply moved Mels and the others. "Ha... you really know how to talk!" Mels laughed heartily. Before his laughter faded, about ten burly men suddenly burst through the door. Three of them, armed with weapons, clearly stood out from the rest—obviously skilled warriors.

"These are the bastards who injured the boss!" One of the thugs who had been knocked down by Sol earlier pointed at Mels and the other two after scanning the room.

"Hmph, took you long enough! Did you crawl here? But that's fine—at least you pests didn't ruin our meal!" Sol sneered, glaring coldly at the thugs.

"Kid, you're about to die and still dare to talk big? I'll make sure you don't even know how you died!" One of the armed warriors raised his curved blade and charged straight at Sol. Just as the blade was about to strike Sol, and Mels and Rek prepared to intervene, the usually gentle Akafir suddenly leaped into the air. Drawing the sword from his back in a reverse grip, he struck horizontally at the warrior's throat. A flash of silver, and blood gushed forth! The slender silver sword pierced the warrior's throat with snake-like precision!

The ruthlessness of Akafir's strike and the precision of his swordsmanship left Mels and the other two dumbfounded! At that moment, Akafir, standing protectively before Mels and the others with his sword drawn, felt exactly as Mels had sensed earlier—like a divine sword, fully sharpened, its power immeasurable!

Watching their comrade fall to the ground in an instant, blood still pouring from the hole in his throat, the remaining thugs stared dumbfounded at Akafir, seemingly forgetting even to flee. But Akafir had no intention of stopping. He had already marked those thugs as his prey—creatures awaiting death.

His beast-like eyes gleamed with an intimidating light. After coldly scanning the thugs, Akafir had already decided the order in which to hunt each "prey." Lowering his sword, leaping forward, striking, sidestepping, striking again—he repeated this sequence over a dozen times. To the onlookers, it seemed like silver snakes dancing wildly, followed by the sensation of sharp pain in some part of their bodies!

Mels stared blankly at the scene before him. Only when Akafir retracted his fierce, invisible sword aura, sheathed his sword, left the pile of corpses behind, and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened did Mels finally cry out, "Stop!" But that cry came too late. Everything was already over.

Akafir looked at Mels in confusion. He truly didn't understand why Mels seemed dissatisfied when he had done exactly as instructed—"take down everyone." So, he stood there dumbly, awaiting Mels' command, his sword only half-sheathed and frozen in mid-air.

Seeing Akafir loyally carrying out his orders, what more could Mels say? Akafir was like a blank sheet of paper—he believed whatever anyone told him. If anyone was to blame for today's tragedy, it was himself!

"Boss, we'd better get out of here quickly!" Sol suddenly said to Mels.

Hearing Sol's words, Mels realized that the once-noisy inn was now empty except for the four of them and the pile of corpses. Even the inn's attendants had vanished. Outside, a few brave souls had been peeking in, but as soon as they noticed Mels looking their way, they scurried off. It seemed the entire village would soon label the four of them as demons.

"Alright, Rek, go get the horses. Sol, you ride with Akafir. We're leaving this place immediately," Mels said to his two companions.

After a brief preparation, Mels and the others fled the bustling little town as if escaping a disaster.

After galloping for a while, Mels confirmed they were beyond the town's limits and unlikely to be pursued by any local militia or mercenaries. He gradually slowed his horse and moved closer to Akafir.

"Akafir, why did you kill them?" Mels suddenly asked.

Akafir looked at Mels strangely, then tilted his head and said, "Because they wanted to kill Sol. I had to protect Sol. They had killing intent, so I had to strike first! That's what Grandpa taught me for dealing with wild beasts. Did I do something wrong?"

Hearing Akafir's words, Mels realized the boy wasn't truly cruel. Instead, he harbored an inexplicable fear of the world. Once he understood he could fight back when threatened, he would treat his enemies as prey, as wild beasts, and eliminate them at the first opportunity, before they could retaliate.

"Akafir, remember this: we are humans, and we should have the capacity to forgive others. If our enemies are human, and if they don't bear deep hatred toward us, we should try not to take their lives when fighting back. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Mels patiently explained to Akafir. With his black hair, black eyes, and a confused expression, Akafir's response this time was quick and straightforward: "No."

Faced with Akafir's innocence coupled with his immense power, Mels was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Then remember this: if you're with us, you can only kill an opponent when I say you can. Understand?" Mels said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, I'll listen to you!" This time, Akafir answered promptly. Seeing Akafir agree, Mels smiled again. In truth, he didn't want to blame the pure-hearted boy; he just didn't want Akafir to become a cold-blooded killer. Realizing he couldn't explain everything to the boy all at once, Mels decided to let him stay with them for now and gradually teach him the ways of the world.

Just as the four of them moved past the heavy topic and resumed their lighthearted conversation, a series of human screams erupted from the dense forest beside the road! Among them were not only men's voices but also the cries of women and children.

"Boss!" Sol shouted to Mels.

By then, Mels had already leaped from his horse. As he charged toward the forest, he shouted to the three behind him, "Even bandits shouldn't kill unarmed women and children! Let's see which scum on the road is breaking the bandit code!"

The three brothers were always of one mind. Seeing Mels already rushing ahead, they naturally didn't hesitate. Though Sol, with his weaker physique, lagged behind, the other two immediately followed Mels into the dense forest.

Rek, following closely behind Mels, was astonished to discover that although Akafir's speed matched theirs, his movements were peculiar. Unlike Mels and Rek, who were accustomed to using Qi energy to leap and move, Akafir seemed unaware of how to harness it. Instead, he ran like a cheetah on flat ground, crouching low and sprinting swiftly. When encountering trees, he climbed like an ape, using all four limbs to scale the trunks. Though Akafir's posture was unusual, he showed no signs of fatigue. Rek finally understood that this boy's martial prowess was innate, entirely derived from nature.

Though night hadn't fully fallen, visibility in the dense, lush forest was at its lowest. Mels and Rek, their vision obstructed, gradually slowed to avoid collisions. Yet Akafir seemed capable of seeing in the dark—not only did he not slow down, but he also grew faster. Moreover, whenever Mels lost his bearings, Akafir could discern the correct direction from the faint scent of blood in the air.

With Akafir's help, the path that would have required feeling their way forward became smooth and clear. Under his guidance, they covered two or three kilometers in no time. As they burst into a sizable clearing in the heart of the forest, a strong, overpowering smell of blood assaulted them.

Looking around, they saw about thirty or forty people gathered in the clearing, while three times that number lay dead around the edges. Among the survivors, only a few injured warriors remained; the rest were elderly, women, and children. Nearly twenty golden-maned lion-tiger beasts, standing about one and a half meters tall with eyes glowing blood-red, surrounded the group. Their bared, pale fangs and deep-red, gaping maws made it clear they intended to slaughter every last human.

"Bastards! More demon beasts! Akafir, show no mercy! Cut them all to pieces!" Mels roared angrily, drawing the long blade at his waist and charging headlong into the lion-tiger beast pack!

Close behind him, Akafir heard Mels' command to show no mercy. Though he didn't fully understand the meaning, he grasped the general idea from Mels' tone. Without another word, he followed Mels' lead, rushing toward the beast pack while drawing the sword from his back.

Rek and the panting Sol, who had just caught up, naturally understood Mels' intent. Almost simultaneously, they began summoning their respective Summoned Beasts, preparing to attack the beast pack.

The newborn calf fears no tiger! An ordinary person would have retreated at the sight of such a large pack of demon beasts, but Mels and the other four not only stood their ground—they aimed to annihilate the entire lion-tiger beast pack. Truly, courage and recklessness go hand in hand! Seeing four humans suddenly charge out of the forest, brandishing blades and swords, the lion-tiger beasts, under their leader's command, immediately sent five of their larger members in a fan-shaped formation to intercept Mels and the others.

Seeing the lion-tiger hybrids already reacting, Mels, though filled with rage, dared not be too careless. He suddenly began varying his speed, moving opposite to the point where the beasts were pouncing. However, those five lion-tiger hybrids were like five trained elite warriors; they did not change their attack targets because of Mels's dodging left and right. The four in front each pounced on a separate enemy, while the last one slowed down, following the four ahead, looking for an opening to coordinate an attack with the others.

Seeing that his plan to lure them into pouncing at him had failed, Mels swore under his breath. But the distance was already close, and any extra moves would just put him at a disadvantage. So he gave up on fancy footwork, swung the soft sword from his belt with his left hand, and once again used his favored technique of wielding a sword in his left hand and a blade in his right, charging toward the lion-tiger hybrid closest to him.

As the distance closed, a faint silver-white glow emanated from the soft sword and long blade in Mels's hands. It seemed Mels had channeled his qi to its fullest, ready at any moment to bring the beast down with his blades. Ten meters, five meters, three meters! Before Mels could fully raise his long blade, the lion-tiger hybrid leaped into the air, its pounce as fast as a mid-tier warrior's charge.

The beast's claws, sharp as blades, gleamed as they slashed straight toward Mels's chest; its pale fangs seemed ready to bite through Mels's neck clean through! Mels had misjudged the attack timing and underestimated the beast's leaping distance, and now found himself in grave danger.

At this critical moment, Mels wrenched his body backward, abdomen up, head down, into the 'Iron Bridge' stance, dodging the lion-tiger hybrid's pounce. As the beast leaped over him, he swiftly swung his soft sword, slashing hard at its abdomen.

Screech! The soft sword dragged across the lion-tiger hybrid's abdomen, scoring a line of sparks as if striking metal. The seemingly soft beast fur was actually as hard as iron! Though the lion-tiger hybrid wasn't injured by Mels's attack, its fury was now fully aroused. It turned around, faced Mels again, raised its head to the sky, let out a beastly roar, and then charged at Mels with even greater speed.

At this moment, Mels was in a bind. His previous attack had already gathered his maximum qi; he had originally intended to gut the lion-tiger hybrid, but he never expected it wouldn't even leave a scratch! With such a disparity in combat ability, what was he supposed to do now?

Just as Mels was fighting the lion-tiger hybrid, Rek was having similar troubles. Rek, who wanted to summon the Steel Ape, found a beast already on top of him halfway through the summoning incantation. Left with no choice, Rek had to abandon the summoning and instead fight the lion-tiger hybrid with his long blade. Like Mels, Rek, who had never fought a lion-tiger hybrid before, didn't know its body was as hard as iron. He took a bad hit at the first encounter, with his left arm torn open by the beast's sharp claws. Fortunately, Rek was agile and dodged in time to avoid more serious injuries.

On the other side, Sol was in even greater danger. A mage mostly relies on a summoned beast to buy enough time to cast spells, but the lion-tiger hybrid's attack was too fast, far beyond his expectations. Before the summoned beast could appear, the poor mage could do nothing but duck and weave frantically between the trees.

A roar of pain! Just as Mels and the other two were struggling to figure out how to attack the lion-tiger hybrids, a cry of agony suddenly came from Akafir's side! Akafir's long sword had pierced through the lion-tiger hybrid's mouth and out the back of its head. He withdrew before the beast could make a dying counterattack and then charged toward the beast chasing Sol! Seeing this scene, Mels and Rek couldn't help but have their eyes light up, like drowning men spotting a lifeline.

Now that they understood the lion-tiger hybrid's weakness, Mels and Rek didn't hesitate. Mels, who had been constantly dodging, seized the moment after his opponent pounced and missed, poured strength into his legs, and swiftly chased after the lion-tiger hybrid from behind. Using the beast's large body and slow turning speed, he thrust his sword and blade hard into its mouth! With a brutal wrench upward and downward, the massive beast's head split in two. As the lion-tiger hybrid's huge body fell, only a pool of blue blood remained on the ground.

Rek's method wasn't as clever as Mels's, but his strength made up for the lack of finesse. Shortly after Mels defeated the lion-tiger hybrid, Rek's steel blade lopped off half of his opponent's head, washing away the shame of his earlier injury. Almost at the same time Rek defeated the lion-tiger hybrid, Akafir's long sword pierced the mouth of the beast chasing Sol. Almost the same spot; almost the same method. Without getting a single drop of lion-tiger hybrid blood on him, Akafir had already killed two.

"Sol, Rek, summon! Akafir, protect Sol!" Mels knew the number of lion-tiger hybrids was still large. If the entire group rushed them, they would be in grave danger, so they desperately needed Sol's wide-range magical attacks! This time, Akafir understood Mels's meaning perfectly. He stood in front of Sol, sword in hand, the sheer menace radiating from him forcing the remaining lion-tiger hybrid to not dare take another step forward.

On the other side, the beast king realized these four humans were not simple. In the grief and anger of seeing his companions slaughtered, the beast king let out a furious roar and led the remaining beasts charging toward Mels and the others. However, this time, the beast king underestimated Mels and his companions' combat abilities!

As soon as the Steel Ape and Soul Mage appeared, the situation on the battlefield immediately reversed. The Steel Ape, impervious to blades, continuously swung its two steel arms capable of splitting metal and breaking jade, charging into the beast group. Wherever it went, though not leaving corpses strewn about, it still clobbered the lion-tiger hybrids until they saw stars. The dark magic released by the Soul Mage was even more powerful. Perhaps because dark magic shared the same attribute as the lion-tiger hybrids, spells like "Dark Arrow" and "Destruction Wave" could pierce through the beasts' iron-like bodies. A few hits to the same spot on a lion-tiger hybrid would cause its skin to split and flesh to tear, blood flowing freely.

Finally, as Sol completed the complicated wide-range fire incantation, the lion-tiger hybrids' doom arrived. With a shout of "Explosive Flame Divine Split Array," a sea of fire burst from the ground. In the midst of the roaring flames, the lion-tiger hybrids broke ranks and scattered in all directions. No matter which land they were on, fire was undoubtedly the bane of all beasts! Whether magical beasts or ordinary beasts, they all revealed their most primal fear in the face of flames.

The beast group, having lost their fighting spirit, were quickly whittled down to just a handful under the slaughter of Mels, Rek, and Akafir. Seeing the situation was hopeless, the beast king finally let out an unwilling retreat call. Of the original group of over twenty lion-tiger hybrids, only a mere three or five could follow the beast king and escape the grassland. With Akafir's help, Mels and the others won a decisive victory in this small-scale human-beast battle!

"Wow, that was terrifying! When that big guy was chasing me, I thought I was done for!" Sol plopped down on the ground, still shaken.

"Yeah, when I saw you being chased, I wanted to help but was tied up. I was really afraid something would happen to you! You should thank Akafir. If it weren't for him, you might have been bitten in half!" Rek wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Sol.

"Yeah, Akafir, I owe you big time. If you ever need anything, just ask me. I'll definitely help you!" Though timid, Sol was still someone who dared to take responsibility. After Rek's reminder, he immediately stood up and loudly thanked Akafir. But Akafir didn't understand what Sol and Rek were talking about; he just gave them a silly grin.

"Akafir, how did you know the lion-tiger hybrid's weakness was in its mouth?" Mels approached Akafir, who was grinning foolishly at everyone.

"I... mountains have many. And bigger ones!" Akafir said carefully after listening to Mels's words.

"Mountains have many? Magical beasts are rare on the continent!" Sol and Rek exclaimed almost simultaneously.

"Really, many! These are small. Big ones this big!" Akafir waved his hands, indicating something half the size of a small hill. Though shocked by everything the innocent Akafir said, the others didn't doubt its truthfulness. They were sure a guy like Akafir wouldn't lie.

Just as they were discussing the size of magical beasts, several warriors from the surviving group of humans strode over to the four. A man around forty years old bowed deeply to Mels and said, "Thank you so much for your help! If it weren't for you, we would all have died here today!"

Only then did Mels and the others remember the group of humans behind them. Mels stood up and returned the courtesy, saying, "Heh, it's nothing. We just happened to be passing by and heard women screaming in the forest. We thought there were unruly bandits, but we never expected to encounter so many magical wolves! We were scared to death ourselves!" Mels's smile had a peculiar infectious quality, and the shaken warriors finally managed a slight smile.

As Mels was talking with the warriors, an elder from the group approached Mels and said, "No matter what, we are very grateful to you! But we don't have anything decent to give you as a reward. If you don't mind, please join us for some food."

"Heh, we're not mercenaries either; we just like meddling in things. We don't need any reward! But if there's food, of course that's good. We didn't bring much dry rations when we left, so it's perfect to fill our stomachs." Mels smiled at the elder.

Actually, Mels and the others had just eaten dinner not long ago, but seeing the elder's grateful expression, they thought that if they didn't let them give something, they would feel even more embarrassed. So they agreed, following the elder's suggestion.

Seeing Mels had agreed, the elder happily led Mels and the other four toward his group. A moment later, except for a few warriors left to clean up the corpses of their companions killed by the magical beasts, the rest of the group surrounded Mels and the four and left the grassland, heading to another suitable resting spot not far away.

The stars and moon had now appeared in the night sky. Mels and the others sat on the ground around the newly lit bonfire. Along the way, Mels noticed this group was very poor; a team of dozens of people had only a few bundles of clothing. What puzzled him even more was that this dense forest was only a few dozen kilometers from Five-Mile Town. Logically, no merchant travelers would choose to camp here, but not only did they not go to Five-Mile Town, they hid in the dense forest. This made Mels suspicious of their identity!

Were they fugitives? Impossible! How could there be fugitives with so many elderly, weak, women, and children? Why were they camping here? Before Mels could finish his thoughts, he saw the elder carefully carrying two bundles of dry rations back to the four. He said, "We don't have anything good. Please don't mind." With trembling, withered hands like dead branches, the elder took out from the worn-out bag a few pieces of butter flatbread that had turned black, looking dry and hard, and a very small piece of dried meat that had been stored for who knows how long.

Looking at the things in their hands, Mels and the others fell silent for a moment. Though they came from a bandit organization, they had never eaten anything like this. Only Akafir didn't hesitate; he picked up a flatbread and took a bite.

Just as they were hesitating whether to eat this stuff, Mels suddenly noticed that besides the elder's concerned gaze, several children around ten years old were staring at the things in their hands. From their eyes, Mels could clearly sense envy!

Eat it! Mels secretly made up his mind, then picked up the flatbread and put it in his mouth. A moldy taste immediately filled his mouth. If not for the envious looks, Mels would have definitely spat it out.

Seeing Mels had started eating, the hesitant Sol and Rek could only reluctantly begin as well. Of course, their feelings were exactly the same as Mels's. Perhaps the flatbread's taste was too hard to swallow. After forcing down the food in his mouth, Mels hurriedly put it down and said to the elder, "Elder, why don't you go to the nearest town but stay here instead? Also, when fighting so many magical beasts earlier, why didn't your warriors use summoned beasts? Even if they're weak, they could have held out a bit longer."

After listening to Mels's words, the elder lowered his head slightly. After a while, he slowly sat down beside Mels, sighed softly, and said, "Ah, benefactor, I think you must be from a wealthy family. We are what you call 'the worthless'! No matter which town, no matter which inn, as long as it's a place where normal people can live, we cannot enter. We have neither land nor a home; we can only wander endlessly across the continent, waiting to die. This is the fate of us worthless people!"

"Worthless? People without Summoning Gems or those who lost their Summoning Gems in past battles!" Mels had heard the term "worthless" before, but since Skete hadn't explained it in detail, Mels and the others didn't fully understand the specifics.

"That's right, we are the ones without Summoning Gems!" the elder said, removing the worn glove from his left hand. On the back of his hand was a dried scar, with no shining Summoning Gem!

Looking at the elder's left hand, then glancing back at the children, women, and warriors around, Mels's mood sank to the extreme. At this moment, Sol and Rek were already speechless, only staring blankly at the flatbread in their hands. Only now did they understand why the elder treasured these things that should have been thrown away, and why the children around them looked envious of them getting something that couldn't even be called food!

"Could it be... just because you don't have Summoning Gems, you're left to fend for yourselves forever?" Mels said, lowering his head, trying to suppress his emotions.

"Wherever we go to establish our own village, within a few months, local guard troops or bandits come to burn, kill, and plunder. How can we, without Summoning Gems, be a match for them? Rather than waiting to die in one place, it's better to survive by wandering around." The elder said gloomily, then raised his head and forced a smile. "Heh, actually, we're already used to this kind of life. We really have no reason to live, but we still have hope, and that is our children. They have Summoning Gems!

When we raise them to adulthood, they can gain a new life, and that's why we keep living! It's just that we can give them so very little..." At this point, the elder raised his withered hand and slowly wiped away the tears flowing from the corners of his wrinkled eyes.

Listening quietly to the elder's account, the veins on the backs of Mels's hands bulged, as if he wanted to crush the moldy flatbread in two! Mels stuffed the flatbread into his mouth in two or three bites, chewed it fiercely a few times, and swallowed it forcefully. Then he stood up and said to Rek and Sol, "Sol, Rek, go check if our horses are still outside. If they are, bring all the dry rations, goat milk, candies... in short, everything edible!" "Oh... okay!" Rek and Sol were stunned for a moment, then understood what Mels wanted to do. Like Mels, no matter how bad the flatbread or dried meat tasted, they ate it as quickly as possible, then rushed out of the dense forest like a gust of wind.

A moment later, Sol and Rek not only brought all the things but also brought back the three fine horses. From afar, Sol shouted, "Boss, everything's here! We even brought the horses!"

"Heh, good!" Mels immediately understood Sol's meaning. Indeed, even the horses, if killed, could become food! Taking the bundles of dry rations and the leather bag containing goat milk from Sol and Rek, Mels strode toward the elder. Handing the things to the elder, he said, "Take these. Though not much, they can still let you have a full meal!"

Looking at the things in Mels's hands, the elder stepped back repeatedly, waving his hands and saying, "No, no! You helping us worthless people fight magical beasts is already against the law. If you give us things on top of that, you'll be punished! We absolutely cannot accept!"

"What damn royal law! Such an unreasonable royal law can go to hell! I'm telling you to take it, so take it! If anyone dares to meddle, I'll make them die here!" Mels forcefully shoved a bundle of dry rations into the elder's hands, then turned and distributed candies and other sweets from another bundle to the children.

The elder looked at Mels blankly. At this moment, his eyes were once again blurred by tears. Meanwhile, Mels noticed that the children who received the candies were staring at the candy wrappers, unsure what to do.

"Why aren't you eating? This is sweet and delicious." Mels crouched down and said to the children.

"What is this? How do you eat it?" A slightly bolder boy asked after putting the candy, wrapper and all, into his mouth, chewing for a bit, and then spitting it out.

"How to eat it?" A boy over ten years old had never seen candy before? He actually asked how to eat candy? Mels felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Heh, that's not how you eat it. You need to remove the outer wrapper first, then put the inside in your mouth." Mels patiently explained to the little boy and personally taught him how to eat candy. Watching the children taste the delicious candy, seeing the satisfied expressions on their sallow, thin, childish faces, Mels really wanted to cry, really wanted to burst into tears!

"Boss... they are really... really..." Sol approached Mels, choking up as he spoke. But Mels suddenly turned and interrupted, "They are really strong! I've never seen people stronger than them!"