"Hmm... This area looks like a place where an accident can happen easily. Hiding here and robbing someone doesn't seem very difficult. I should be careful from here on out. Who knows, someone might headshot me with an arrow as well."

Ash, after walking nearly three hours continuously westward along a muddy man-made road, finally emerged from the open area with its clear view into a deep, eerie, gigantic forest where even sunlight couldn't reach the ground. Perhaps he still stood just on the boundary, for the forest remained relatively bright, at least for now, offering a somewhat magical scene.

The number and quality of trees within this zone were significantly lower compared to the towering, cloud-touching giants further in, the true owners of this domain. Even the spacing between the trees seemed suspicious, as if deliberately planted as resting places like in a park, or for some other ulterior motive.

"Oh? What kind of mushrooms are those? Fist-size red mushrooms with white dots and weird markings all over them? Weird, such ripe mushrooms should have been eaten by animals long ago. They aren't poisonous, right? Then again, if pumpkins could be found in the wild, then mushrooms which were the most basic thing in the forest doesn't seem worth mentioning."

"Let's take them back and identify them with someone," Ash mutters cheerfully. "If edible, this knowledge could prove useful in the future. James mentioned once that Grandma Linda likes mushroom soup very much. She would be happy if I brought back a bunch of them for her," He donned his leather gloves for safety and quickly picked all three red mushrooms, placing them in his inventory.

"Sadly, my almost useless system doesn't have an appraisal function. Otherwise, it would be great. It could save me a lot of trouble from hitting my head on heavy books," Ash complained helplessly. He looked around and continued on his path carelessly, almost as if strolling through a park while looking around to see if there were any other mushrooms. But finding nothing, which was quite normal, considering his poor luck. Otherwise, how could someone die every time they put their foot in the forest?

"Strange, am I really that unlucky? How can there be only three mushrooms in such a big area? Don't tell me other people took all the good and edible mushrooms, and what I picked up are poisonous ones... However, if I think from a logical perspective, this does make sense," Ash muttered, furrowing his brow while surveying the area casually. Just then, out of nowhere, a round shield came flying at him with terrifying speed.

Let's not talk about reacting. Ash only heard the sound of air being cut, when the shield slammed into his face, shattering several teeth and breaking his nose

Thud!

"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

With a loud cry, Ash crumpled to the ground, clutching his bloody face in pain. He rolled around the ground like a child, his nose gushing blood non-stop. A grotesque wound, five to seven inches long, marred his previously handsome face. Many of his front teeth left him very early, giving him an old man vibe, but alas, compared to his temporary loss of teeth, Ash cared more about the unbearable pain that robbed him of breath.

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"Ho ho ho! Seems I made a slight miscalculation," The attacker boomed, a hint of amusement lacing his voice. "Turns out, I was just making a mountain out of a molehill. When I saw you I was wondering, 'Which brave warrior without a weapon or powerful magician venturing into the woods without fear of anything? So I threw my shield with all my might at you to test the water. But you turn out to be just a brainless idiot who got tired of living, or did your mother forget to tell you about the outside world and only tell you fairy tales?"

"Regardless, I must commend your… Courage. You have balls of steel, kiddo or the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' is just made for you. Wandering outside the town without any protection or weapon—forget those; just being cautious would be enough... what should I call it? Recklessness? Overconfidence? A frog at the well's bottom? A madman? A brat who still drinks his mother's milk and wets his pants? Or all of the above?"

While Ash was crying and writhing in pain, suddenly two surprisingly short legs, like a child's, came beside him. The figure, taunting him relentlessly, snatched the fallen round shield from the ground.

"Now, now, lad," A voice chirped, surprisingly high-pitched for the burly figure, "If you're done weeping, let's chat, shall we?"

After hearing the voice of the culprit behind his agony, Ash's Tranquil Presence skill kicked in, and his mind quickly became clear. Although the pain was still there, at least now he could think properly. While he occasionally dies in various unique ways, but this doesn't make him someone who can take all kinds of breathtaking pain with a smile on his face. Compared to such mentally ill thinking, he still felt his skill was more reliable and realistic.

"Sigh, today's children are really too weak. They couldn't even endure such a little bit of pain... At your age, it was normal for me to get injured this much on a daily basis, especially during the Goblin War. That was a bloody time; we saw more blood than water back then. Such wonderful days they were; robbing mountains of gold, raping different types and styles of beautiful women, and killing without fear of getting hunted by knights. Sometimes I miss those days."

While the attacker was telling Ash his old glorious memories with an emotional and longing voice, Ash also seized him. To say he wasn't surprised would be a blatant lie. After all, meeting a copycat version of miniature Captain America in another world was certainly unique.

The man who K.O. Ash with his shield was a one-meter tall, well-built dwarf with a long red beard and messy hair, wore childishly old iron armor adorned with countless scratches and leather scraps. A round shield adorned his arm, many messy unknown objects hung from his waist, and he smelled like shit, mixed with rotten meat and a lot, and a lot of alcohol. Only God knows when he last took a bath.

This walking garbage heap stood right in front of Ash's face, which, to tell the truth, was not a good experience considering his height, as a certain sensitive part was uncomfortably close to Ash's face. After realizing this, Ash's stomach churned, the urge to vomit rising.

"Bastard, who the hell are you, and why did you attack me? Damn it, it hurts like hell! Ahhh..." Ash, with great difficulty, opened his bloody mouth and yelled out, making his injuries worse. Even though he already knew the answer to the question, some formalities were necessary; otherwise, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth and always give the feeling of something missing.

"Huh? So naive? It is really rare to encounter a pure and ignorant brat like you. This level of ignorance is not something we see nowadays. I wonder if your parents even let you go out of the home, and today you actually ran out by yourself behind their asses." The dwarf bandit stared at Ash while making a face as if he were seeing a unique creature, full of amusement. Then he roared with laughter, then, taking pity on Ash, introduced himself.