Sigh. So, it was pure coincidence that they found me, huh? Here I thought this body's owner was being hunted by them," A wave of relief washed over Ash as the goblin chatter faded, their clumsy forms disappearing into the emerald depths of the forest. He muttered, stepping out behind the tree and taking a breath of relief.
"Now, the most important thing I have to do is quickly find a human settlement. Only then can I really be able to hold my soul inside my body. Otherwise, it won't be long before some new trouble comes greeting me with arms wide open. This damn forest is quite dangerous, but in which direction is that Woodworth Town mentioned by the system?" Ash murmured, subconsciously touching the tender spot on his head where an axe had been stuck a few minutes ago.
[ *Ding! New Quest:- Find A Safe Place.
Description: You awaken in a dense, alien forest filled with unknown danger. After losing your life once, you quickly realize that with your pitiful strength, wandering outside the safe zone is akin to courting oblivion.
Requirement: Follow the clues left behind by the system and find the town nearest to you.
Reward: A safe place to stay and learn about the new world.
Faliar Concicunsense: Have to repeat the same thing again and again until you succeed or give up on your life. ]
A sardonic chuckle escaped Ash's lips. "Wow, why didn't it just write 'None' instead of all this nonsense, stinky system? At least give me a few experience points, damn it. It seems like this idiotic system of mine can generate quests according to my situation, but there is no such thing as free rewards. Sigh, now even my own system is making things difficult for me," He worriedly spoke as he read his new quest details while rubbing his forehead.
Ash consulted his memories, recalling the System's mention of a town called Woodworth, which shouldn't be far from me. "Hmm... I am currently southeast of Woodworth Town. Those goblins came from the west and headed toward the east, which means those two directions are forbidden zones for me, at least for now. I should go to the northwest. I hope my calculation is right, and I am not walking into the mouth of another trouble. Sigh, I am so hungry. God knows what such a poor guy is doing in the middle of the forest. Couldn't he just stay at home and help his parents rather than running away and making trouble?" He complained about his previous body owner as he started his journey to find the nearest town.
...
At least in this life, I've got decent looks. Finding a girlfriend shouldn't be a problem, but I still have to work on my body," Ash chuckled, a touch of self-deprecating humor lacing his voice, "It seems like whatever force gave me another chance took pity on me dying a virgin... huh?! Damn, even my little brother gets special treatment. It is 3 inches bigger than my previous one, no wonder I felt a little discomfort under there, but why this guy (The original body owner of Ash's current body ) didn't wear underwear?"
Ash, like an idiot, stares at his little brother by a small river, barely a meter deep and five meters wide, with crystal clear water without any impurities.
Ash's new body has short, dense, black, pointy hair that spiked in all directions and beautiful blue starry eyes. His features were well-balanced, not Adonis-tier but definitely above average, with thin lips, a well-maintained slim body without any abs, and a height of 1.8 meters.
After shamelessly admiring his little brother and his new face for a few more seconds, Ash dipped his cupped hands into the river, quenching his thirst before continuing his journey. Although he wants to collect water, but he has nothing to store extra water for his journey; he can't directly put water into his Inventory as well thanks to special restrictions only for liquid objects. They need to be inside a container of any kind or size before he can put them inside the Inventory.
Thankfully, the river wasn't deep and there weren't any weird creatures lurking nearby, Ash, after confirming that the way was clear, easily got to the other side with ease.
After another ten minutes of relentless walking and getting harassed by small insects wanting to collect his blood as a tax for spending time in their forest, Ash finally saw something like a man-made wooden cabin, nestled amidst the trees, beckoned with a promise of respite.
"Huh? Weird. Have I already come within the boundary of Woodworth town, or is it just a randomly abandoned cabin in the woods like those in ghost movies? Otherwise, where is the town wall or something? Shouldn't every town in the magic world have a giant towering stone wall surrounding it to protect it from monsters' threats? Also, the way those two goblins are casually walking fearlessly in broad daylight, it's very clear they aren't worried about humans suddenly attacking them. Or am I just thinking too much, and the real world is different from those novels? Why does it suddenly feel like my logic doesn't match with this world's working system?" Ash thought confusedly while walking toward the cabin. He soon found out that it wasn't a randomly abandoned haunted cabin but rather a well-maintained wooden house. Because of its slightly lesser height and the main part being the backside, make looks like a cabin from afar when seen from the forest.
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Just then, a splash of orange caught Ash's eye. "Hmm? A wild pumpkin!? Where did this come from, and why hasn't any animal eaten it yet? Quite suspicious," He wonders aloud furrowing his brow.
While Ash was 100 meters away from the wooden house on a small cliff, suddenly he saw a wild orange pumpkin, around the size of a car tire, basking in the warm sunlight under the shade of a nearby tree. In the modern world, seeing a normal fruit in the wild is as rare as hitting the jackpot, especially in urban areas. Ash, who was still adjusting to his new environment and identity, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Maybe someone from that house had grown it here for fun." Ash mused, the novelty still swirling in his head. But practicality soon took over. "Rather than letting it stay here, attracting some monster and causing trouble for someone, I might as well get rid of the source of the problem," He righteously spoke, and with a swift, practiced motion, he severed the vine anchoring the pumpkin, which weighed around 4 kg. After checking a bit and confirming no signs of invasion by insects, he quickly put it into his inventory.
"Better than nothing. Since Mother Nature gave a gift to her poor child, not accepting it would be disrespectful. If I can't manage to find any work, then it can also become my lunch today, and maybe night dinner as well."
Dealing with the pumpkin, Ash quickly jogged to the wooden house. His steps quickened as he emerged from the forest, however, suddenly the sight of a second building confirmed his suspicions. Woodworth Town didn't have any walls protecting it even though the town was in the middle of the forest, surrounded by all kinds of unknown dangers.
The second building Ash saw was a medieval watchtower, fifteen meters tall and regal, pierced the sky.
"Cool, there's a human guard on top of the watchtower. This means I've finally reached my destination, Woodworth Town. But I still need to confirm with someone since the system didn't send a quest completion notification. Still, at least now I'm in a safe zone," Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he walked toward the watchtower.
Although the guard on top of the watchtower, who was observing the surroundings broadly, while yawning nonstop saw Ash coming out from the forest, but after looking closely and confirming that he is just another ignorant brat wanting to donate his body to goblin rations, he disdainfully snorted and looked away, as if watching him for too long would dirty his eyes.
Ash's heart dipped. "Why is that guy giving me such a look, as if he had seen shit on the side of the road?" muttered, a prickle of unease crawling up his spine. "Damn it, don't tell me this body owner is a trashy snot-nosed brat of a powerful person who lives here, and his reputation is so bad that he's on the block list of most people. F*ck, not a third-rate cultivation novel script, please. The last thing I want is some kind of family drama of unknown people and I don't even have the original owner's memories. God knows what kind of deeds this guy had done before inviting me to take over his body," He cursed while nervously praying to the god of this world for good luck.
"F*ck noooo!!!!!"
A hush fell over Ash as he neared the watchtower. Before him lay rows of wooden and stone houses, smoke curling from their chimneys, and windows glowing with warm light. Clothes, simple and worn, hung on lines strung across neat gardens.
After witnessing such a wonderful sight, no matter how limited Ash's historical knowledge was, one thing even a big otaku like him could state: he was trapped in a world without technological advancement. Everything here resembled a medieval time period, bidding farewell to phones, computers, air conditioners, electricity, cool games, comfortable traveling vehicles, good cheap comfy clothes or food, body care products, and most importantly, toilets. Now he had to attend nature's call in the embrace of nature.
"Hoo, calm down, Ash. Be positive. You've only seen the outer layer. Don't judge a book by its cover. Who knows, the interior may be modern, filled with technological wonders just like in a certain ninja world, Where a technological tree is completely messed up and works illogically. On one side, they have a TV, fridge, computer, and air conditioner, and on the other side, they don't even have proper traveling vehicles. Most people go everywhere on their two feet or a normal communication device, still using their summoning beasts to deliver important news."
"Yes, since those guys can build such a big watchtower and well-designed houses in a systematic way, then their technology might not be as backward as in my previous world during the medieval age. Also, I shouldn't forget that this world has magic and monsters, so they might use magic for their comfort, like in a certain world where everyone likes to play with small wands. Yes, now this makes sense. I was worrying for nothing."
After hypnotizing himself and Armed with this newfound optimism, Ash crossed a few houses and came to the main road. Finally, he saw a patrolling guard wearing gleaming metal armor, leather boots reaching his knees, and gauntlets on his hands. An open helm shaded his head, revealing a stern expression as he scanned the street with a 1.5-meter-long spear grasped in his hand and strolled on the street aimlessly, probably doing his regular patrolling task.