Stopping by a local provisioner near the bustling market square, Kai spent a few of his looted coins to buy a leather travel cloak, a sturdy water skin, and enough salted dried meat to last him a full week.
Packing everything carefully into a canvas rucksack, he slung the strap over his shoulder and left the noisy bazaar entirely behind him.
The guards standing near the northern gates were too busy chatting among themselves, barely giving him a second glance as he walked past the iron portcullis.
Stepping out of the relative safety of Kravengard felt like crossing an invisible boundary.
The packed dirt road stretched out ahead of him, winding its way through the rolling green hills before disappearing into the jagged, snow-capped mountains far in the distance.
The Whispering Pass awaited.
'Let us see what a vampire general actually looks like,' Kai thought, patting the cool steel of the Sword resting comfortably at his hip.
The tutorial phase was officially over, meaning he was finally stepping out to challenge the main board of this twisted reality.
But there is a problem with travelling across the human continent in this game world.
Every major city and safe hub could only be reached by navigating through deep, untamed forests.
Yes, there were established trade roads connecting the settlements, but using them was rarely advisable since a traveller could be robbed, or worse, by desperate bandits at any given moment.
Moving carefully through the dense tree line offered far more cover from unwanted attention.
A normal merchant caravan would take at least seven full days to reach the capital by sticking to the main paths.
For someone travelling alone on foot, the journey could easily stretch much longer.
Kai, however, possessed a distinct advantage.
He knew a secret shortcut from his hours of playing the original game.
To reach the Whispering Pass ahead of the vampire vanguard, he needed to cross the vast lake situated just to the left of Kravengard.
Taking the water route would cut his travel time down to five days max, putting him way ahead of the invading army.
'I am sure there will be vampire guards patrolling the lake shores,' Kai thought, adjusting his grip on his sword hilt while studying the tree line.
'Fighting them head-on is completely stupid.'
His current plan relied heavily on speed, stealth, and a healthy dose of common sense.
If he reached the human capital first and alerted the local military about the incoming attack, the authorities would likely deploy their own elite forces to intercept Lilith.
Stopping the ambush before it caused widespread destruction was the primary goal.
Once the immediate threat was neutralised and the capital was safe, he could focus his attention on finding the real protagonist of this world and preparing for the other endgame disasters.
The original timeline was strict, and finding the main character was the only guaranteed way to secure a powerful ally.
[Ding!]
[Event Created: Reach the capital and stop the ambush before destruction.]
[Rewards: Unknown]
'Great timing, as always,' Kai thought.
The sun began to set below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows across the forest floor.
Evening approached rapidly, darkening the woods until the trees turned into imposing silhouettes against the twilight sky.
He needed to keep moving at a steady pace until he found a secure place to sleep.
He would not reach the edge of the lake until tomorrow night at the earliest, making this first stretch of wilderness the most vulnerable part of the trek.
While stepping quietly over a bed of fallen pine needles, a distinct sound reached his ears.
Leaves were thrashing somewhere behind him.
The noise was clumsy and loud, completely lacking the natural grace of a wild animal.
Kai stopped walking and lowered his centre of gravity to blend in with the brush.
He kept hearing the crunching sound again and again, growing steadily closer to his position. Someone was definitely following him.
"Are you sure he went this way?" a voice asked, echoing through the quiet woods.
"Yeah, brother," a second voice replied, panting heavily.
"He had a really big bag with him, and I saw him walk right past the gates. He is loaded with fresh supplies."
These guys were clearly low-level thugs from Kravengard looking to score some easy gear off a lone traveller.
They stumbled through the dark forest, completely unable to see anything past the thick bushes. Knowing how to manipulate the environment was crucial for survival out here.
Kai quickly scraped his boots hard against the dirt, creating a fake trail of footsteps leading toward a dense thicket of thorns.
Then, moving as silently as a ghost, he doubled back and hid himself behind a large, moss-covered stone.
Peeking over the rock, Kai watched two men in leather armour wander into the small clearing.
They held rusty iron swords and squinted into the gloom, looking completely lost.
"Where did he go?" the first thug complained, lowering his weapon to scratch his chin.
Before the man could finish his sentence, the canopy above them rustled with terrifying speed.
A gigantic, scaled shape dropped from the high branches without making a single sound.
It was an anaconda covered in dark red spots, possessing yellow eyes that locked onto its prey.
The giant snake unhinged its jaw and swallowed the complaining thug whole in one fluid motion.
The man did not even have time to scream before disappearing down the creature's thick throat.
[Target: Red Python]
[Level: 50]
'Holy shit,' Kai thought, pressing his back flat against the stone.
He slowed his breathing to a crawl, staying hidden from the apex predator.
The second thug dropped his rusty sword and sprinted away in pure panic, running blindly into the dark woods without looking back.
His desperate escape lasted for exactly three seconds.
A bear, standing easily seven feet tall on its hind legs, stepped out from behind an oak tree.
The beast swiped its heavy paw forward, smashing the running man directly in the chest.
The sound of breaking bones filled the clearing before the bear dragged the ruined body into the bushes and started eating loudly.
Listening to the sounds echoing through the trees, the reality of the situation settled on his shoulders.
The sound of snapping ribs was enough to turn anyone's stomach.
The brutality of the food chain was on full display. The Red Python lazily coiled its thick body around a tree branch, completely ignoring the bear as it digested its meal.
The starting zones inside the city were somewhat manageable, but the open world was a completely different nightmare.
These forests were populated by creatures that could wipe him out with a single strike.
'Fuck, this is going to be really hard,' Kai thought, gripping the hilt of his sword while waiting for the monsters to finish their meals.