Replenishment

Matthew stopped overthinking and suppressed his stray thoughts.

As he walked back, he calmed his mind and began to slowly circulate his Spirit, channeling it thread by thread into the 【Oath Ring】 on his finger.

He could feel a faint suction coming from inside the ring, as if there were a tiny void waiting to be filled.

The infusion of Spirit was smooth and steady, meeting no resistance or rejection.

Matthew had initially worried that he might encounter obstacles while channeling his Spirit, but he hadn't expected the process to go so smoothly.

He thought to himself, Could it be because the internal structure of the ring is in perfect condition that it's so smooth?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

After all, in this remote area where energy was sparse, very few people mastered meditation methods. Naturally, almost no one could channel Spirit into the ring, making its daily wear and tear negligible.

As for its original owner, the goat demon Rivera, although its status was special, the life-and-death battles it had encountered were limited, and it hadn't had many opportunities to actually use this ring.

Therefore, the ring's condition and quality remained exceptionally well-preserved.

However, although the process of channeling his Spirit into the 【Oath Ring】 was smooth and unimpeded, the rate of infusion was quite slow.

Based on his inner vision, he estimated it would take about two days to fully charge the ring to the point where it could generate three shields.

Although the progress was not as fast as he had hoped, Matthew was still satisfied.

After all, this ring was in excellent condition with its internal structure intact, and it could be used multiple times. For someone in a resource-scarce region like him, it was already a rare harvest.

Walking beside him, Aidan didn't know the exact reason, but he could vaguely sense the ease and joy radiating from his big brother Matthew.

Seeing Matthew look so relieved, Aidan also let out a silent sigh of relief, and most of the tension and worry from that earlier sword strike dissipated.

...

By evening, the setting sun, like molten iron, burned the clouds on the horizon into a tapestry of dark red and orange.

The slanted rays of light cast a golden twilight glow over the low wooden cabins of Stone Mill Village.

Two figures stopped in front of Instructor Calm's house.

Matthew took off the two heavy cloth bags from his back, handed them to Aidan, and instructed, “Leave these in front of my door and watch them for a bit. I'll be right back.”

Aidan nodded vigorously, but then he saw Matthew's expression suddenly turn more serious than ever before. Matthew stared straight at him with sharp eyes, lowering his voice even further as he emphasized each word: “Remember what happened in the forest. Especially that goat-horned magical beast—do not breathe a single word about it to anyone else. That includes its existence, our actions, and every single detail.”

Awed by this solemn tone, Aidan immediately tensed up and responded solemnly, “I understand, Big Brother Matthew.”

“Good. Go on.”

Matthew watched Aidan disappear down the dirt road with the bags on his back. He turned, took off the 【Oath Ring】 from his finger, tucked it into his shirt, and then pushed open the gate to step into Instructor Calm's courtyard.

As Matthew walked in, Instructor Calm was sitting at a wooden table in the courtyard, wiping a standard shortsword, seemingly preparing it for the village training.

Hearing the noise, he looked up. His gaze lingered on Matthew for a moment, but he didn't speak immediately.

“Instructor.”

Matthew walked over to the table and gave a brief bow.

“You're back?”

Instructor Calm put down the soft cloth. “By the looks of you, it wasn't just a routine patrol. Did something happen?”

Matthew felt a slight chill in his heart, realizing that despite his attempts to conceal it, he couldn't escape the observation of this veteran.

Following his plan, he used the pre-prepared excuse. “While Aidan and I were on the outskirts of the forest today, we spotted an unfamiliar magical beast from a distance.”

Calm's hand wiping the shortsword paused slightly. He looked up at him. “Unfamiliar? What did it look like?”

“Its body was close to human in shape, but it had curved goat horns and dark red skin.”

Matthew described the characteristics of the goat demon Rivera, deliberately omitting the details of the battle and its intelligence. “We didn't dare get close and only observed it from afar for a moment. It didn't seem to notice us. To avoid any accidents, we retreated from the forest immediately.”

Instructor Calm fell silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilt of his sword. “Goat horns, dark red skin... Could it speak human tongue?”

“We were too far away to tell,” Matthew replied, his heart jolting slightly, though his face remained expressionless. “Instructor, do you know of this kind of magical beast?”

“I'm not sure.”

Calm shook his head, his gaze turning distant as if lost in memory. “It's just that many years ago, in some rumors from further north, I heard a similar description... They are usually called 'Shepherds.'

“They possess high intelligence and can drive other magical beasts. As for their combat strength... I don't know.”

Hearing this, Matthew grew even more certain. "High intelligence and can drive other magical beasts" perfectly matched what he had witnessed in the kobold nest, where the goat demon Rivera enslaved and controlled the kobolds.

Snapping back to reality, Calm saw Matthew's grim expression and offered some reassurance: “But you don't need to worry too much. This race is extremely rare to begin with. The one you encountered was likely just lost and happened to end up here. They are usually active deep in the forests further north, closer to the Kingdom of Recland, far from our region.”

Matthew nodded.

Instructor Calm's analysis was reasonable. If goat demons were usually active near the kingdom further north, then its intrusion here might indeed have been just an accident.

In that case, as long as he didn't actively venture deep into the Shadow Forest, there was no need to worry too much for the time being.

As far as Matthew knew, the vast Shadow Forest was like a scar across the land, lying between the Kingdom of Cher and the Kingdom of Recland.

It was vast, deep, and densely forested.

With its primal dangers, this forest naturally formed an insurmountable natural barrier that kept the two kingdoms far apart.

Ordinary merchants rarely traversed the forest. Travel between the two countries mostly relied on long, winding coastal shipping routes or the colder but relatively "safe" permafrost corridor.

Because of this, it was exceptionally unusual for the goat demon Rivera to travel thousands of miles alone to the outskirts of the forest on the Kingdom of Cher's side.

“Understood, Instructor.”

Matthew's tone returned to calm, shifting the topic away from the potentially worrisome goat demon. “I will inform the others in the patrol squad of this discovery so everyone stays vigilant when active on the forest edges.”

He paused, looked at Calm, and raised another more realistic and pressing question:

“However, Instructor, since dangerous magical beasts like this could appear from deep within the forest, do we need to adjust our daily hunting and patrol areas? Or perhaps strengthen the village's warning systems?”