Time always slips away unnoticed, and in the blink of an eye, nine years had passed.
This year, Xia De was fourteen. Perhaps due to the existence of extraordinary power in this world, he had already grown to six feet tall.
With black hair and black eyes, his slender build, even clad in coarse linen clothes, did not diminish his handsome face or hide his cool, ethereal temperament. It was as if he were a natural-born noble; just by standing there, he naturally became the center of attention.
On this day, a crowd stood at the edge of the village, as if holding some sort of ceremony.
“Xia De, you've got to make a name for yourself out there! Don't let anyone look down on our village!”
Greto patted Xia De's shoulder, as if entrusting him with a heavy responsibility. But then, an iron fist of justice came crashing down heavily onto his head.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Xia De is only fourteen! Don't go placing weird burdens on him!”
“Ow, ow, ow! Linna, gentler, gentler!”
The one who beat Greto—who was always fooling around and tried to act like a serious elder right before Xia De's departure—back to reality was Linna, Huey's older sister and Greto's wife.
They had married five years ago. Xia De remembered clearly that on that day, it was as if Huey's world had ended.
He had cried like a three- or four-year-old child, snot flying everywhere, his eyes swollen from crying.
After scolding her husband, Linna looked at the handsome youth beside him and said in a gentle tone:
“Xia De, don't listen to Greto. Don't feel pressured. If you ever feel unhappy in the outside world, you can come back anytime! This place will always be your home!”
As soon as she said this, it resonated with several elders in the crowd, who chimed in one after another:
“Little Xia De, make sure to come back and visit!”
“This place will always be your home!”
“We will always be your family!”
These caring words were like a warm stove in the winter, bringing warmth to Xia De's heart.
Originally, he had planned to leave quietly, saying simple goodbyes to just a few people.
Who would have thought that after he mentioned it to Greto, that big mouth immediately went and told the entire village, even organizing some sort of send-off ceremony.
Xia De waved to the crowd in front of him. “I will definitely come back, so don't worry!”
Then he looked at Huey, who had turned his head away to avoid looking at him, holding back his tears, and said:
“Alright, Huey, stop crying. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm never coming back!”
Most people couldn't refuse having a friend who could always bring laughter around them. Xia De was just an ordinary person with memories of his past life.
Although he always claimed he didn't want to get too close to Huey, in his heart, he had already come to view Huey as his close friend—or more accurately, his younger brother.
Huey didn't turn around. Instead, he spoke stubbornly in a very stiff tone:
“I'm not crying! I'll let you take the lead this time, Xia De. Once I break through to Tier One, I'm going out on an adventure too!!!”
“Alright, alright. I'll be waiting for you to come find me.”
Xia De smiled, putting it down to childish stubbornness. Then, he looked at Lili, whose eyes were filled with tears. The little girl from back then had already grown into a slim and graceful young lady.
“Lili, don't cry either. I don't recall Sister Vanessa ever teaching us to be such crybabies!”
It would have been better if he hadn't spoken to her; the moment he did, Lili burst into tears, large teardrops falling continuously like beans.
Her current feelings were like those of a younger sister whose older brother, who had always been by her side, was leaving for school and could no longer accompany her.
Patting her head, Xia De gently comforted her:
“Alright, I'm not going anywhere far. I'm just going to the town to become an adventurer. If you want to see me, just write a letter, and I'll come back. Stop crying, and remember to say a proper goodbye to Sister Vanessa for me!”
With that, paying no more attention to how the crowd reacted, he slung his luggage over his shoulder and walked straight toward the town.
“Whew, finally left. This is exactly why I said I didn't want a grand send-off!”
Once he was completely alone, he stored his luggage into his magic storage bag.
Letting out a soft sigh, Xia De wiped away the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead. Right now, he felt as if he had just survived an incredibly nerve-wracking ordeal.
Farewells were far too unfamiliar to someone like him, who had always been alone in his past life. He simply didn't know how to receive such kindness from others.
Shaking his head to clear his mind of other thoughts, he looked toward the town with a determined gaze.
Becoming an adventurer—this idea had existed ever since he first heard the legend of the Hero.
To grow stronger, one needed various resources. The resources available in this local area could no longer keep up with his pace, so becoming an adventurer and traveling around was an excellent channel for acquiring them.
Furthermore, since he had been reincarnated into an otherworldly realm, he really wanted to witness the wonders of this world.
Elves, dragons, dwarves, and magical beasts—things that had only existed in novels in his past life—could actually be seen with his own eyes in this life. This truly made him feel a bit excited.
After all, in his past life, except for the period after he was diagnosed with cancer, he had always pushed himself too hard, never taking a proper break.
Thinking of this, his mood dipped slightly as he remembered the old man who had adopted him.
On his deathbed, the old man had still looked at him with loving eyes.
“Xia De, I know you have always worked hard. In your heart, you carry concerns larger than this entire kingdom. But remember, don't push yourself too hard. We are small, but the world is vast. Go and see more of it. I know you only stayed behind to take care of my old bones. I'm truly sorry, little Xia De. After I die, don't suppress yourself anymore. Go, go and take a good look at this world. Your future is bright and colorful!!!”
Status, on!
A deep blue panel appeared in his vision.
【Name: Xia De
Combat Power: 8995
Skills: All-element magic, Stealth magic, Perception magic, Storage magic...】
He had once met the strongest expert of this region at a town festival, a Tier Four extraordinary.
He heard that even nobles had to show respect to that man, and he had immediately checked the man's stats.
To his surprise, the man's combat power was only 2,500. Yet back then, Xia De's own combat power had already reached 3,773.
This discovery had caught him somewhat off guard. He wasn't like those clueless protagonists who were completely blind to their own strength, ignoring such an obvious power gap.
After that, he disguised himself and went to have a “friendly exchange” with that strongest expert.
As it turned out, he really was ridiculously strong. According to that strongest expert, his strength at the time was already in the upper-middle tier even in the Royal Capital.
This made him realize that this world didn't seem as dangerous as he had imagined. His strength was already enough for him to be a hegemon in smaller regions!
This couldn't help but ignite a spark of excitement in his heart.
“See the world, huh? I wonder what kind of adventures are waiting for me!”
Storing his luggage into his storage bracelet, Xia De bent his knees slightly. With a sudden burst of power from his calves, he leaped forward, launching himself like a cannonball.
The rushing wind whistling past his ears filled him with excitement. Wherever he passed, it was like a typhoon sweeping through; tree branches and leaves flew everywhere, and the creatures along the path were frightened out of their wits, scattering in all directions.
Unbridled!
Exhilarating!
All kinds of emotions flooded his heart, acting like a key that seemed to unlock the shackles binding him.
If the people from his village saw him like this, their jaws would probably drop. It was impossible to imagine that the usually well-behaved Xia De could have such a wild side!
At this moment, he finally felt a true sense of reality about being reincarnated into another world!
His adventure was about to begin!
Rate on N.U.
