Part 1:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"NOOOO!!!!... Wai....." Suddenly, Persis covered my mouth with his hand, with Gorg beside me putting his finger to his mouth, giving a keep-quiet gesture. "Please, no more! Damn it!" Persis grunted. "Should we gag his mouth!?" Gorg added.

"I am starting to consider cutting his tongue!" Persis answered. "I am going to remove my hand, and you do not speak, ok?" Persis warned, and I nodded. The wheels of the cart we are on are very bumpy.

I feel something moving inside my costume. I immediately check, and my mind is put at ease as I confirm that Pen-pen is with me again. I thought he really left me last night. I hoped he would come to the rescue when that bastard was beating me to death.

I already looked for something to write on since the old fart threatened me for speaking. I immediately found a piece of charcoal and a piece of plywood somewhere in the cart.

I immediately wrote this:

[There is something I left in my room!]

But once Persis saw what I wrote, he immediately punched the plywood, breaking it in half. Then he took the broken pieces and threw them away. Gorg immediately noticed what Persis did and, out of confusion, asked, "What's the matter, Fore?"

"None of your business!" Persis answered. "Look for Grumbart. Tell him I need him right now!" he commanded.

Right after he left, Persis stooped down and slapped my face. "You stupid idiot!" he said, grabbing my collar.

"Really!? Really!?"

I held my jaw in pain.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"That's for stupidity. Actually, you owe me one more slap because of what you did last night. Thanks to my crafting, your gear is sturdy enough; otherwise, you'd be burning by light now!" I saw the rage in him and lost my energy to argue.

"I am sorry!"

"Sorry!? How about using your head! Did you already forget that your writing is something to be dug into? Only humans write like that! Actually, why not use Alibata in the first place? Those writings are from your ancestors!" Persis exclaimed.

"Actually! How come you used that ancient writing? It's been 3 centuries since our time. How come?"

"That's a long story!" he responded.

"Anyway!" My attention went back to a more urgent matter. "I left something that's very important!"

"Don't worry, I brought it!" he smiled, showing me the carbon print of the Methuselah tree.

"I...I mean..." I sighed as I took the printed cross-section of the tree. I was just going to mention the mithril ore, but I suppose I need to deal with this first. I have to count the rings of the cross-section to determine how long it's been since I woke up.

"Wait, how long was I out?" I asked.

"Well, long enough to get us here!" Persis pointed somewhere behind me. As I turned my head, I saw a vast body of water where the greenery met the shimmering waters under the sky. Suddenly,

"WWooooosssshhhhh!" An angel flew above us toward the lake, seemingly enjoying the scenery. I tried to look harder because that angel felt familiar to me.

"Fore! Grumbart is here!" Gorg shouted from the side of the cart. "Coming right up!" Persis responded as he hopped down from the cart, leaving me alone. The bumping of the wheels against the pebbles on the road reminded me to focus on the printed section of the tree. As I inspected the printed copy, I noticed it was full of smudges, and finding parts without smudges was challenging. I remembered how I had disregarded the fine prints of blueprints when I was a safety officer, and I realized just how challenging it is to copy something without computers and printers. I finally found a section where the lines were much smoother and there were fewer smudges. I tore that part off and folded it carefully when suddenly,

"GRROOOOGGGGGGG!!! WAKE UP, GROOOGGG!" Persis shouted, followed by the sound of Grumbart slapping Grog, who, for some reason, had suddenly collapsed, his skin looking paler than his usual greenish complexion.

My wolf immediately jumped out from the comfort of my costume, sniffing and squealing as if there was really something wrong. I was stunned at first before I remembered that the strong smell of flowers usually helps an unconscious person wake up. I quickly looked for Kakawati; its strong fragrance would help bring Gorg back to consciousness. I hopped down from the cart, and thanks to the vegetation, I quickly found leaves of Kakawati. I crushed them in my hands and ran to Grog. The whole band stopped and gathered around Gorg out of curiosity, making it hard for me to slip in and reach him. Once I finally reached them, I immediately put the crushed leaves under his large nose. Slowly, his complexion returned, and he lazily opened his eyes.

"SSSHHHHOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!" A wheezing of air came from above, prompting us to look up as the crowd parted to allow an angel diving down toward us. He suddenly stopped right above us and slowly descended.

"St. Formael! Your brother..." Persis was trying to communicate with the arrogant angel. He looked for a long time, as if unsure how to react to his brother's sudden appearance. Then, a gracious elf approached us. She looked very similar to the witch of the mountain, but without veils. Her blonde hair flowed in the breeze, and her modest dress, composed of bluish and white fabrics, exuded an air of modesty and grace.

She immediately attended to Grog, examining my friend's body without reservation. She put her ear to his chest near his heart and checked his pulse. The way she assessed Gorg was very reminiscent of the witch of the mountain. She noticed the leaves stuck to Grog's large nose, took them, and checked their texture and smell. She suddenly gave me a quick glance before standing up.

"His physical condition is good. As of now, I cannot immediately determine if he has any illnesses or if it's just exhaustion. I suggest we camp here for the meantime. We've been marching since we departed from the Silver City. May I ask where we are now?"

"We are somewhere in Sucat Parañque!" a very authoritative female shouted, signaling the crowd to give way. With her almost see-through dress and curvy figure, Niela floated toward us.

"Are we safe here?" Persis asked.

"Yes," Niela responded.

"No!!!!" Suddenly, Katibo quickly descended from above.

"Shut up, kid! Adults are talking," Niela tried to dismiss Katibo. Every time I saw these two, they were always arguing.

"We are at Laguna Lake! For damn's sake, please let us march further away from here!" Katibo sneered.

"What's the problem with Laguna?" I asked.

"Berberoka!" Katibo answered.

"Oh! Please! We are not in North Luzon!" Niela dismissed Katibo's concern.

"I swear! As fairies, we are very sensitive to the malignant Rihan in the surrounding!" he exclaimed.

"Who do you think you are?" Niela suddenly shifted her body to face Katibo, unable to ignore his overstepping of authority.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Are you locals of the Philippines?" Niela challenged Katibo.

"No..." he muttered.

"Have you been put in charge of this journey for some reason?"

"No..." Katibo muttered again, his head bowed.

"But..."

"Seriously? Are you really going to start arguing now? There's somebody here who needs our help!" the elf shouted.

Niela sighed. "Since you are above me, St. Therese of Hed-Seier, I trust that you have a decision in this matter."

"Let's camp here! It might be dangerous, but that's what St. Formael is here for! I can't risk the health of this poor child," St. Therese said.

"Then it's been decided. We are going to camp here for the one-handed orc! Sorry, but I must say, that's not a wise move," Niela exclaimed.

Part 2:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The band decided to settle in the middle of our journey. Our camp was set up by the lake, and just several strides away was a dense rainforest. I took a peek under the cover of the cart.

"We will have to camp here. I will give you a signal when it's okay to come out, okay? Don't go out, and don't even peek until your bracelet glows, alright?" I said to someone hiding inside my covered cart.

"Okay! Mau'Ti," she responded in a whispering voice.

I am Mauti, also known as the Win-Streak Fighter. Whenever I'm out of the arena, I usually do mercenary and escort jobs. I'm doing my best to save silver and spend it in the underground auction.

I'm not just a normal elf who loves to beat and kick ass; it's simply easy to earn money in this field of work. My real goal lies in the collection of ancient artifacts, especially those that contain knowledge about the origins of mythical creatures and the extinction of the human race. Well, not really totally extinct, as I look back at my cart.

This morning, as we marched toward our destination, a piece of plywood flew from Persis's cart. One piece nearly hit my companion inside the cart. Thanks to my sharp senses, I caught it in mid-air. When I inspected the plywood,

"What the fuck!" I muttered as I recognized the writing on it.

I halted the horses and immediately looked around for the other piece, which was not very hard for me because I have excellent eyesight; I'm used to observing people on the streets from the sky.

I tried to piece the wood together.

"This! A piece of wood with ancient writings! Somebody wrote this! Somebody in the band!" With that, I immediately went to my cart to get the attention of my companion hiding under the cover. I handed her the plywood, and a few moments later, I felt the silent shock from my companion.

"Elly? What do you think?" I asked her in a low voice.

"This could be a female human. If it is, we need to rescue her. We need to bring her back to the shelter now!" she said with urgency in her voice.

"Sure! I will make sure she is safe until I return from this journey."

"I mean now!" she demanded.

"You mean now? As in now?" I hardened my voice to emphasize the urgency of clarification. "Yes!" she squealed in response.

"Are you serious?" I asked her, hoping she realized how ridiculous that statement was.

"Oh my God, Mau, please just focus on what I am saying!"

"Jesus Christ, Elly, I am already paid for this journey! Going back will raise suspicion." I tensed at her demand.

"You are the Win-Streak Fighter! Heck! You are still an ang—"

Out of frustration, I leaned halfway into the cart to face the human female, who seemed to have forgotten how complicated the situation was.

"Elly, for God's sake, be reasonable! Are you really going to risk everything we've built in the shelter? The ancient knowledge we've gathered and deciphered? All of that will be burned to the ground! As in all of it, along with the woman we rescued!" I exclaimed in a lower voice.

She gave me a puppy look and sighed. "I'm just afraid that if that's a woman, she will be caught..." She paused, then added, "I don't want what happened to me with the prince to happen to any woman! Please understand me," she begged.

"And please trust me!" I gave her a stern look.

"Okay!" she finally relented, and I kissed her before going out from the covered cart.

As we set up our camp, I immediately took a spot and built a tent beside Persis and his companions' tent.

The Persis party is composed of Shiela, Grog, Persis, and his pet. There is no evidence that Gorg is faking his race; I personally know Shiela—I was there when she was born. As for Persis, it's very hard to fake their race, and he is too old for any human to survive.

I looked intently from a distance at the person under suspicion. The woolly body and head covered with fur looked very convincing, but the face had a coconut husk texture. I had never seen organic flesh beneath those fur and husk. I wasn't really paying attention to Persis, but I have a good memory. His pet's appearance only varies in height and size, but the fur and husk make it seem as if they lack a physical identity. He claims these musang are emerging creatures, just like us, and he has self-proclaimed himself to be tasked with guiding them in this new reality. I had never seen the musang together; they come one at a time.

"That's really weird," I muttered.

That creature was under my suspicion, prompting me to stalk that musang. Of all the musangs, this one had a pet—a wolf. It was very odd for a pet to have a pet.

"Heeeyyyy!!! Get back! Thieffffff!!!!" someone shouted. In the distance, a small humanoid being, no taller than 2 feet, wearing a red cap, darted past. The creature had big sacks, and people tried to catch this wretched being, but they were no match for its agility. Even the elves and dark elves couldn't touch this elusive creature.

"NIIIISSSSEEEEE!!!" Katibo shouted, followed by Niela: "Everyone secure your rations!" In an instant, several short creatures emerged where the rations were, and the camp descended into chaos as everyone chased and tried to retrieve the food they had stolen. But for some reason, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't catch them. The orcs were too slow, the elves were too big to chase them into the burrows that we hadn't even noticed, and even the flying fairies and angels were no match for them.

Even I, with my strength and speed, couldn't catch them. Some of the elves and dark elves used their knives and bows and arrows just to try to pin the bags where our rations were, but it failed miserably. These runts seemed born to steal.

The chaos calmed, and we found ourselves with no food. We even tried to dig into the burrows, but they quickly covered them up. With that said, we attempted to forage for food and hunt for meat, but night fell quickly, leaving me drained and my eyesight poorer than usual. We were still far from Lucena, and we already had to worry about food. The orcs were panicking; of all the races, orcs have the least tolerance for hunger, making them go mad and potentially resort to cannibalism if necessary.

Everyone came to an agreement to fast for the night and instead focus on making a raft to try fishing the next day. We couldn't afford to catch anything for tonight, as St. Formael couldn't fly and was much weaker than any of us. Who knew what lurked beneath the water?

Everyone was busy building rafts and traps. I stalked the musang again, and when I felt that no one was paying attention to him, I grabbed him and isolated him further from the crowd.

I dropped him somewhere near the lake, in a place where we couldn't be found.

"So, it seems I finally understand why you are interested in the ancient scripture that I won back then in the underground arena." I said in a very low tone voice, I am trying to assert my dominance at this point.

"Mua'Ti!?" he exclaimed, surprised as he recovered from the ground.

I showed him the largest piece of plywood with the ancient writings.

"What... What's that?" he tried to deny.

"You know what this is!" I pressed the broken plywood closer to him. "Drop your act, kid. I've met many people; I'm not new to lying. I've lived with thieves, murderers, and pirates. With that said, guess how I discovered my affinity for violence?"

I stooped down to his eye level to emphasize the sarcastic smile on my face.

"It's impossible..."

"WAPANGGGG!!" I gave him a sharp slap to make him realize who was in control here.

"Cough!... Cough!... Cough!... Cough!" I couldn't see the pain on his face, but it seemed I went too hard because I smelled blood. But wait—I smelled blood, yet I didn't see any wounds or blood coming from his face.

"I hate to hurt people. Being violent doesn't come naturally to me, but whenever I find someone lying to me, I do everything to uncover the truth. I've discovered that interrogation with sprinkles of pain is an effective tool as well."

"WAPANGGGG!!"

"Cough!... Cough!... Cough!... Cough!"

"Spill it, kid, or I will proceed to much more painful methods. Believe me, I've learned a lot about torture for the sake of truth."

"Fuck you!" he responded defiantly.

"You know what? I'm not convinced that your face is your real face; you seem to be wearing a mask! Let me help you breathe!" I said as I grabbed his head, trying to tear off the mask with the coconut texture. But suddenly—

"NOW! PEN-PEN!" he shouted as his pet wolf attacked me from behind.

Since the sun had already set, I couldn't ignore the pain from the wolf's bite, so I had to release the stubborn creature and grab the wolf by the head, forcibly opening its mouth and throwing it away from me.

Suddenly, a flash of light tried to blind me as the wretched creature swung his torch across my face. I easily disarmed him and delivered a kick to his stomach, sending him flying.

The wolf didn't waste any time and lunged at me, which I immediately dodged. I tried to counterattack with a kick, but for some reason, the musang appeared behind me and pulled my head, causing me to lose my balance and miss my kick. The musang quickly jumped away from me into a fighting stance, while the wolf circled around us, searching for an opportunity to sink its fangs into me again.

"You seem to have learned some new tricks since the last time I saw you in the underground arena!" I smirked, finding it amusing to consider how this bastard had grown in such a short time.

I was about to attack when the waters beside us receded so far that it was hard to ignore. Even the two paused to check what was going on. The lake seemed to shrink, and in the little light from the moon, it shone fresh and still alive.