Chapter 12 - A Grim Discovery

Andric spent the whole day walking at a steady pace. By midday, his hunger kicked in, so he headed into the forest to find a quiet spot. First, he cast a spell to check if anyone was watching him. It used up a lot of mana, so he couldn’t keep it active continuously. Fortunately, the spell showed no one was keeping an eye on him, and it faded without any bright flashes.

Next, he cast a spell on himself that burst with mana. This spell transformed the waste inside him into nutrients, which circulated through his body, easing his hunger within seconds.

After that, Andric repeated the eyesight detection spell, confirming that he was still alone. He then picked up a stick and used a spell to blow it into tiny fragments. These fragments gathered into a sphere, and he transmuted them into water droplets that floated in front of him. Even though transmuting mass was mana-intensive, Andric had plenty to spare. He cast another spell to let him drink the water slowly.

Replacing food and drink with magic wasn’t too difficult, but reversing the process was tricky. Andric hadn’t fully switched to relying solely on mana for sustenance because he wanted to maintain his growth and keep up appearances. If he relied only on mana, eating would actually cause him to gain weight permanently, necessitating extreme measures to maintain a healthy weight.

Magicians could embed a continuous spell into their arcane core to handle all their bodily needs. While some chose detection spells, the most prudent magicians opted for spells that managed their entire physical system, making them nearly self-sufficient. Andric knew a spell like this would recycle his bodily functions, allowing him to live for centuries without needing food, sleep, or even breathing. However, it would make consuming food problematic, leading to unnecessary weight gain.

After a few minutes of rest on a fallen tree trunk, Andric finished drinking. He had been advised to take in extra mass during his growth phase, which is why he continued drinking water even after leaving Einburg. He figured he could stop this practice in a few years.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the road, feeling surprisingly fatigued from walking. He cursed the inefficiency of traveling on foot and took occasional breaks to rest his legs.

The road through the forest was wide enough for three wagons to travel side by side. Over the years, it had expanded from a single-wagon width to its current state. Though it was just trampled dirt, it was a major thoroughfare in Hochland.

As with any major road, bandits were always on patrol. An hour after Andric’s break, he saw a man walking toward him. The man wore simple clothes and a straw hat like Andric, but he also carried a sword. Andric glanced around the forest but saw no sign of hidden bandits. He kept walking until they passed each other.

Suddenly, Andric felt something sharp press against his back. The man’s voice coldly commanded, “Don’t move.”

Ignoring the threat, Andric dashed forward, quickly out of the man’s reach. He turned around with his hands raised. The man, seeing no weapon on Andric, switched his knife to his left hand and drew his sword.

The man raised his sword, ready to strike. Andric quickly formed a spell in his hand and hurled it toward the man. The spell sped toward him and hit its target before the man could react. The man’s eyes widened in panic as the spell impacted.

In an instant, the man’s hands severed at the wrists, and blood sprayed from his arms.

“Ah!” he screamed and fell back, shocked and in agony. He had expected an easy mark but was now facing a young man with deadly skills. His limited knowledge meant he didn’t realize Andric was a magician, not a martialist.

Andric cast another eyesight detection spell to see if anyone else was watching. The spell revealed a single red light on the man who had lost his hands. Andric sent a pulse of mana to extinguish the glow.

“Are you working alone?” Andric asked. The man, still in pain and losing blood rapidly, replied weakly.

“Yes!”

“That’s unfortunate,” Andric said with a frown. He had hoped for bandit reinforcements to loot, but now he was stuck with just this one.

Once the man passed out, Andric walked over to the fallen hands, prying the sword from one of them. The sword was cheap steel, but it was functional. Andric swung it a few times, but it felt awkward since he had never used a sword before.

He returned to the man’s body, stabbed him in the neck to ensure he was dead, and checked his clothes. He found a pocket in the man’s jacket with a few silver and copper coins.

The man had no luggage, suggesting he wasn’t a regular traveler. He could have been a bandit or a scout. With the man dead, Andric had no way of confirming his exact role. He could have been a lone traveler who attempted to rob someone.

Andric took the sword and coins, leaving the body for animals to deal with. He briefly worried about the possibility of authorities tracing the body back to him but dismissed the concern. He hadn’t seen any authorities during his travels with the merchant caravan.

For the first time since his rebirth, Andric had killed someone. He had expected to feel satisfaction, but instead, he felt a pang of unease. The man deserved his fate, but after fifteen years of peace, Andric’s perspective had changed. The bloodshed from his past life seemed distant, and the unconditional love he had experienced made it harder to reconcile with violence.

Andric idly practiced with the sword as he walked. Though he had picked up a few techniques from Instructor Hubert, he wasn’t skilled with swords. In the martial world, swords were the most popular weapon, overshadowing others like spears, axes, and crossbows.

Spears were once the go-to weapon for military formations, and crossbows for ranged attacks. But as martial techniques advanced, swords became the preferred choice. Despite this, many martialists still practiced unarmed techniques, which were challenging but powerful.

Andric played with the sword, not expecting to use it in real combat. He was still at the third stage of the Human realm and felt inadequate compared to Novice realm martialists. He would need to rely on magic for defense, which was incompatible with sword use.

As he walked, he spotted something glimmering in the forest. Assuming it was metal, he quickly hid behind a tree and waited. When nothing happened, he cast his eyesight detection spell again. The spell showed no one was watching, so he cautiously approached the source of the light.

Upon arrival, Andric was struck by a chilling sight: a pile of mangled bodies under a thin layer of leaves. Their blood had long since dried, and the flesh was rotting. Among them were two armored bodies, which had reflected the light he saw. It appeared to be a family of four and their two guards, brutally killed and left to rot in the forest.