My friends left a few minutes after the receptionist. They didn’t agree with my confidence, but after my show of power they were more inclined to believe in my skills. My year of training had proved useful. Whilst my strength hadn’t increased, my abilities had improved and my skill made up for the gap.

I didn’t explain how the knight was defeated. The tactic would only work on the dumbest of opponents, so there was no false hope in my mind it would be a valid strategy against a human opponent. At best, it would be a temporary distraction. I had used my ability to catch Bryan off guard previously, but that had only worked in conjunction with several other lucky blows to make up the combo.

Before they left, Bryan passed me a small bag. It was slightly charred, but when I checked the contents it almost made me collapse in shock. It was the same one Karen had given me over a year ago, and all of the items inside were intact. The small money pouch, the processing tools, a few odds and ends which might come in handy along with a hand-drawn map of the area and a small number of provisions.

Before I left the guild, I paid the receptionist a visit. She gave me two skill books for level ten and one for level twenty-five. There was only so many because people didn’t care as much about Supporter skills, which hinted the books were rarer than I had imagined. Their rarity, added to the fact that they were out of reach to a normal guild member, showed that my luck was finally turning around.

I only left after she promised once more to keep my record private unless I asked for it to be revealed later.

At first, she wanted me to use the books then and there, as that was the rule for any skill books purchased from the guild, but she let me off after I promised to keep them to myself. She warned me that if it was discovered I had resold them, I would face a punishment worse than death from her personally.

Her eyes turned cold as she threatened me. Her tone indicated that she wasn’t lying in the slightest.

I packed the books away and moved towards the town exit. A quick trip to a random vendor allowed me to stock up on several weeks of food. After my inventory was packed with bread, meat and vegetables, my journey could begin in earnest. The map showed the general location of the bandit camp, though it mostly hinted at it in a ‘here be dragons’ sort of way.

Either way, it showed the main ways one could reach it. The camp was on the other side of the forest, so you could either use the cave system, skirt around the huge forest for weeks at a time or travel directly through the centre of the woods. From past experiences, the creatures who inhabited the forest were well known to me, as were those in the caves.

The forest would be safer, and faster. I should be able to deal with a Goblin now, but two would still be tricky.

Goblins, wolves, slimes and bandits. Hopefully, the troll was a one-off. John had joked it had likely eaten a few bandits before it ran off back to its homeland on the far side of the country. Most of the monsters in this area were on the weaker side due to the lower density of mana, so there wasn’t a reason for such a horrendous beast to stay here for long.

The guards let me through the gate without an issue. The same woman stood on guard once more, but this time she merely nodded at me as I passed by. Bryan had warned the receptionist and the guard, who I now knew was named Susie, to stay quiet about my resurrection. The fact my name had been shouted in the guildhall was a concern, but most of the people who had heard it hadn’t been present during my brief stay in the world a year earlier.

After I had left the town behind, the contents of my bag were shifted into my inventory. It was convenient, but a few items would have to remain on my person to keep up the illusion. If people saw me wander around the wilderness with no possessions, it would raise questions and suspicion on all sides.

My goal was clear. The so-called ‘Bandit King’ was my target. He was the first Saint I would aim for in this world, but the end result of our meeting was unknown. If he had been behind the attack on the city, he would have to pay for his crimes, even if it negatively affected our fight with Bael in the future.

The fields didn’t pose any issues as I strode towards the forest. Several slimes tried to ambush me, but their attacks were swept away with a single strike. Their movements were dull and slow, even without the Accelerate buff present. It would take a large pack to phase me, so I didn’t have any worries they would overwhelm me with their current numbers.

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The automated voice collected their drops, which included a few low-rank weapons and armour. I didn’t need them yet, and no accessories dropped, so they were easily ignored.

The forest was a different matter entirely.

A wolf or two would be tricky, but manageable. A large pack would spell trouble for me. Even the experienced party had struggled with those enemies, so by myself it would be difficult, or even impossible, to win against such a huge disadvantage.

Wolves were also faster than goblins. My Accelerate buff would give me an edge over the usual fare, but those beasts were built to chase their prey. The saint book had given me a general area which the Bandit King would be in, and a time frame before his movements became unknown. It didn’t say much else, but by the end of the year he would vanish into obscurity for a long time.

And that wasn’t too far off.

I had under two months to find the camp, meet the leader and persuade him to join me. This goal wasn’t helped by the fact the bandits were currently at war with the main leaders of the country. The high council had decreed all bandits to be enemies of the land who should be purged wherever possible.

And that was if you ignored the fact they had wanted to kill me specifically in the past.

As my brain jumped from thought to thought, I wandered my way further into the forest. A bush rustled to my side as three wolves stepped out. We all stood stock still for a second before the group let out a low growl. They had just finished a hunt and were prepared to take their rewards back to the rest of their pack when they spotted me.

My staff leapt into my hand as the wolves spread out. The three beasts were confused by my sudden appearance, but their hesitation wouldn’t last much longer.

So I decided to move first.

“Accelerate. Strengthen.”

I dashed towards the trio. One was closer than the others, so I set it as my first target. All three charged to meet me as I sprinted towards them, but their speed meant that the leader stayed ahead of the others. They had the advantage numerically.

But my advantage was one that all humans had. I was cunning.

I focused on the ground at their feet as we closed in on each other. My Transmutation softened the dirt a step ahead of the pair at the back. As their paws touched down and sunk into the dirt, it hardened instantly and caught at their legs. It only lasted a split second before the weak trap failed, but it was enough to slow their charge.

The distraction gave me time to deal with the leader.

It didn’t notice the issues its pack mates faced as it closed in. The wolf's jaw opened wide as it leapt directly at my face, which was exactly the move I had expected. Even if it failed, it would knock me back and open me up to its comrades follow up attacks.

“Buffed strike.”

I answered in kind with a thrust to the face. My staff caught it in the centre of its forehead, which stopped its leap. The force was transmitted through my staff and across my body, which sent me several feet across the forest floor. The slippery leaves and mushy dirt didn’t help, so I hardened it a little to slow myself down.

The wolf dropped at my feet. It was still alive as it struggled to get up, so I dashed forward and struck it again. It whined as I did so, which rewarded it with another hit. Only after the final strike did it go still.

But now its comrades ran towards me again, and they were furious.

My staff was pressed down on the wolf I had just defeated, so my instinctive response was to flick it up at the first wolf. It caught it under the jaw and snapped its head back. The other wolf didn’t wait for me to regain my footing before it pounced.

I managed to move my staff in the way to awkwardly block its strike. The wolfs jaws closed around the wooden shaft as it tried to gnaw its way through. Only after a few bites did the beast notice its mistake, but that was enough time for me to respond.

Whilst its comrade was dazed on the floor, I lifted my foot and stamped down on my staff. The wolf was now trapped on the floor beneath my weapon, which gave me the time to pummel it from above until it collapsed under my blows.

That left the final wolf. It pushed itself up as its comrade fell to my blows. It gave me one last vicious look before it turned tail and ran off into the forest.

I had won.

Though I breathed a sigh of relief, the fact the last wolf had fled off left a sickly taste in my throat. These things were pack animals and, from past experience, I knew they held grudges and defended their own to the end. If it had run off, it was sure to return soon with reinforcements. It was still faster than me, so it would be suicidal to chase it through the forest.

**Collected Wolf fur x2, Wolf meat x2, Wolf fangs x2, Wolf bones x2.**

**Collected leather chestplate, mail gauntlets, worn dagger.**

**Congratulations. You have levelled up.**

Well, at least I gained something.

I shook my head and ran off into the forest. The two wolves had disappeared entirely as the voice looted their remains. Only the messy groves and dents in the ground proved that a battle had ever occurred. The area would be dyed red if I didn’t move on quickly.

The wolves wouldn’t be so clean when they picked me to pieces, after all.