Lucian followed the direction given by the knight without saying much.
After leaving the city area, the neat stone road gradually turned into a dirt path that grew quieter. Buildings disappeared one by one, replaced by tall trees that began to block out the sky.
The noise of the city completely faded away.
All that remained were the sounds of footsteps, wind brushing through the leaves, and the occasional distant chirping of birds.
Finally, after walking for quite a while, he found it.
A river.
The water flowed calmly between large rocks, so clear that the riverbed was still visible. Sunlight reflected off its surface, creating small glimmers that moved slowly along with the current.
Lucian stopped at the riverbank.
He stared at the surface of the water for a few seconds, then without much hesitation began to clean himself along with his clothes. The dirt from the slums gradually washed away with the current, leaving behind a cold sensation that pierced his skin.
After finishing, he let out a quiet breath.
Now, he lay down on the grass near the river, letting the sunlight dry his still-damp body. The warmth seeped into his skin, slowly driving away the lingering chill.
Above him, tree branches stretched out, forming a natural canopy.
Their leaves were a golden orange, not green like usual, marking the end of autumn. Whenever the wind blew, they brushed against each other, producing a soft sound like whispers.
Lucian's clothes hung on a branch not far from him. Neatly arranged, still dripping slightly, swaying gently with the light breeze passing through the river.
Lucian stared at the sky through the gaps in the orange leaves.
"…so this is my new world."
His voice was soft, almost swallowed by the wind.
He simply lay there, letting the sun dry his body, while his thoughts slowly began to move again calmer than before, but far from truly at ease.
I really didn't expect Natasya to betray me. I was sure her feelings for me were genuine. Then… was it something about the way I treated her that made her decide to betray me
Lucian exhaled softly.
There's no point thinking about that anymore. Whatever the reason was, the fact won't change. Going over it again and again is just a waste of time
He looked up at the sky between the golden leaves, letting his mind settle again.
Autumn…
If this is autumn… then winter will be coming soon
Lucian fell silent for a moment.
Winter in a world like this isn't just a change in weather. It means food will be harder to find, traveling will become more dangerous, and surviving will be far more difficult than it is now
most likely the system's mission is related to winter
For now, he only had three goals.
Find food.
Find a safe place to stay.
And gather information about this world about the system, about the city, about anything that could determine whether he lived or died in the coming months.
Lucian glanced at his hand for a moment. It was clearly the hand of a ten-year-old child a weak body with no real strength to rely on.
With a condition like this… I'm not even sure I can survive until winter. On top of that, my knowledge from the game is useless since I spawned in the Celestra Kingdom instead of Verdentia. Seriously… just when I thought things were already bad, somehow it still managed to get worse
Lucian stayed silent for a long time after his thoughts settled.
"Forget it. I only played the early patch, and there's no guarantee anything from it will actually be useful right now. At least… I still have a rough idea of what this world is like, and how its power system works."
The wind from the river blew gently, carrying a chill that slowly seeped into his body. The warmth of the sun that once felt comforting now faded into nothing more than a lingering trace.
His eyelids grew heavy.
And slowly, his vision began to blur.
***
When Lucian opened his eyes again, the sunlight that had once felt warm was no longer shining directly on him. It was now blocked by the dense trees, leaving him lying in the shade, a sign that time had shifted into midday.
He quickly stood up, then shifted his gaze toward a branch not far from him.
His clothes were still hanging there, neatly arranged as before. A light breeze made the edges sway slightly, but there were no signs of dampness left.
Lucian got up and walked over.
He touched the fabric briefly, making sure. Feeling that it was dry enough, he took them one by one and began putting them back on.
The shirt he wore had a simple design typical of village folk, fitting his body but slightly rough against his skin due to its low-quality fabric. The pants were no different functional, but not comfortable. Lastly, he put on a cloak and tied it around his neck, letting it fall loosely over part of his body, offering a bit of protection from the outside air.
Lucian let out a quiet breath.
The clothes still carried a faint smell of dampness and soil that hadn't completely faded, but it was far better than before.
[MAIN OBJECTIVE SURVIVE][Remaining Time2 Months 27 Days 12 Hours 37 Minutes]
He frowned slightly. The overly quiet forest had made him careless enough to fall asleep without realizing it.
"It seems I've been asleep for about four hours. Thankfully, nothing happened during that time." He took a short breath, then started walking back toward the city.
When Lucian arrived at the city gate, the atmosphere was completely different from the morning.
The area was now crowded. Several merchants were lining up at the entrance, their carriages filled with crates and sacks of goods. The sound of wooden wheels creaking mixed with the voices of guards inspecting each load one by one.
On the other side, a group of adventurers had just arrived with a caravan. Their bodies were dusty, their clothes marked with scratches, but their eyes remained sharp. On top of the carriage, several monster carcasses were tied down neatly, along with piles of fresh wild herbs.
One guard was writing something down, while another inspected their cargo.
After the administrative process was finished and a number of coins changed hands, the gate was opened slightly wider.
They were allowed in.
Lucian only glanced at them briefly before walking past the side of the gate.
A guard briefly glanced at him, then looked away without interest.
No one stopped him.
No one asked anything.
As if his existence wasn't important enough to notice.
Orphan privilege… I guess
As he stepped into the city, he was immediately greeted by a livelier crowd than before.
A group of adult men stood by the roadside, talking to each other with serious expressions. People moved around with their own purposes some carrying baskets, some walking in a hurry, others simply chatting casually.
A stray dog ran across the street, dodging the wheels of passing caravans without slowing down.
At several points, knights bearing different emblems could be seen patrolling. They didn't all belong to the same faction most carried symbols he didn't recognize, indicating that more than one faction or affiliation existed within the city.
Lucian observed everything in silence.
His eyes moved quickly, taking in every detail.
Then, without hesitation, he began following the direction most merchant caravans were heading.
Gradually, the crowd around him grew denser. Until finally, after walking far enough, his view opened up to a wide area.
A vast space filled with tents.
Merchants lined up on all sides, their goods displayed openly from food, fabrics, to various other items. Shouts echoed everywhere, offering prices, calling out to customers, or simply trying to grab attention.
Clearly.
It was a market.
Suddenly—
"Hey! Stop! That thief!"
The shout cut through the noise of the market.
Lucian turned.
A boy, about the same age as him, was running quickly through the crowd while clutching a small pouch to his chest. His movements were nimble, his body skillfully weaving through the people around him.
Behind him, an adult man chased after him, his face red with anger.
"Stop! Give that back! Guards! Catch that kid!"
The crowd began to split apart, some stepping back, making way without wanting to get involved.
The boy glanced back.
The distance between them was closing fast. But just as the man's hand was about to grab him he threw the pouch to the side.
The sudden move broke the man's focus. He reflexively stopped, his eyes following the pouch as it flew.
And at the same moment another child, who had been standing among the crowd, swiftly caught the pouch and immediately ran in the opposite direction.
It all happened in seconds.
The man only realized what had happened when the first boy had already disappeared into the crowd, and the second was long gone with the stolen goods.
"What—?!"
He turned in panic, trying to look in both directions at once, but it was already too late.
Not long after, a guard came running toward him.
"What happened here—"
"Where were you?! Useless!" the man snapped. "The kid got away! Two of them! You weren't even there when you were needed!"
The guard could only hold his expression as the man continued ranting in frustration.
Lucian watched it all from a distance.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Interesting kid."
He shifted his gaze, then began walking slowly through the market, observing the people around him one by one.
"Lately, there are more and more abandoned kids."
"Yeah. Is the situation at the front really that bad?"
"Who knows… but if this keeps up, I'm worried this city might get affected too."
The conversation slipped into Lucian's ears just like that.
Hoo... is the situation really that serious that it could affect the capital of the Celestra Kingdom
He didn't stop.
His eyes kept moving, assessing everything around him.
Until finally his steps slowed.
His gaze stopped on a tent.