Jack Williams had undergone a complete transformation. Using the juice of a fruit called "Borogo," he dyed his face a deep bronze, almost like an African native. A tuft of fur from some unknown magical beast was glued beneath his nose, and his usually neat hair was left in a wild mess. With his single-handed sword slung across his back, he now looked every bit the rugged, battle-worn warrior in his thirties.
Stealthily, he led two small moles, Toby and Cons, as they treaded cautiously toward the edge of the Beast Forest. Towering trees loomed around them, their lush foliage forming an impenetrable canopy, while the air reeked of decaying leaves and damp earth.
Initially, Jack had assumed Toby and Cons would remain in the Aretha Gorge, content with their secluded life. However, to his surprise, the two little creatures had decided to accompany him into the human world. They claimed they had never seen another human besides Jack himself, but he knew the real reason—they simply couldn't bear to let him roam the vast lands of Oksas alone.
With Toby and Cons guiding the way, Jack didn't have to worry about losing his path in the vast wilderness. He was more than happy to let them take the lead while he followed leisurely behind.
Suddenly, piercing screams and furious shouting erupted from ahead, followed by sobbing and curses. The language sounded eerily similar to what Toby and Cons spoke—the common tongue of the Oksas Continent.
"Huh, quite a commotion up ahead," Jack muttered, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. After twenty long days without seeing another soul, the prospect of finally encountering humans again was exhilarating—almost as thrilling as a bride about to enter her wedding chamber. There was anticipation, but also a trace of nervousness.
"Boss, don't get too excited just yet. Sounds like two groups of people, and I have a bad feeling about this," Toby warned from Jack's shoulder, considerably less enthusiastic.
"Two groups?" Jack frowned, straining his ears. Indeed, upon closer listening, he realized there were distinct voices—one belonged to humans, while the other seemed to be dwarves.
"Yeah, judging from the way they're talking, it seems like the dwarves are in trouble again," Cons explained. Although they had never met other races of the Oksas Continent, they knew enough to understand the power dynamics.
Jack had learned a bit about the continent's racial divisions from Bruno. Humans dominated the land, wielding both intelligence and overwhelming numbers. Other races—elves, dwarves, goblins, and beastmen—were comparatively weaker and significantly outnumbered. Against the sheer might of billions of humans, they had limited options: either collaborate with humans or become their slaves. Few races had the strength to form independent nations or maintain true autonomy.
Following the voices, Jack crept forward with Toby and Cons. After about five or six minutes, a rugged path emerged before them—likely a trail trampled into existence by mercenaries venturing into the forest to capture magical beasts.
A gust of cold wind blew past, sending a chill down Jack's spine. He instinctively pulled his tattered cloak tighter and proceeded with heightened vigilance.
The sight before him made him freeze in shock.
Over a hundred armed humans were herding more than two hundred dwarves toward the forest's outskirts. The humans, clad in neat armor and equipped with weapons, exuded an air of elite mercenaries or a small military detachment. In stark contrast, the dwarves looked ragged, like beggars in shackles, their feet bound by iron fetters. They were a pitiful mix of the old and young, their expressions filled with despair, unable to offer even the slightest resistance.
"Boss, let's charge in and kill these scumbags! Damn it, I can't stand bullies!" Toby fumed, nearly tugging on Jack's ear in his agitation.
"Ow! Ow! Stop yanking my ear, or it'll come off!"
Their noisy exchange caught the attention of both the humans and dwarves.
The armed men turned their gazes toward Jack and the two moles on his shoulder, their expressions filled with surprise. What was a lone man doing in the dangerous depths of the Beast Forest, where even the most seasoned mercenaries feared to tread?
"Uh… Hello there! Lovely weather today, isn't it? Never thought I'd run into so many people here." Jack greeted them awkwardly, blurting out the most nonsensical thing imaginable.
"Ugh, embarrassing… I don't know him, I don't know him…" Toby groaned, covering his eyes with his tiny paws as if disowning Jack.
A blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man among the armed humans narrowed his eyes. His gaze flickered toward Toby and Cons, and a glint of greed flashed across his face. He whispered a few words to another man, who also showed an expression of realization before shifting his hungry gaze toward the two small creatures.
"Boss, they… they aren't interested in us, are they? I'm still a pure, innocent mole…" Toby asked weakly.
Jack's eyes sharpened. As a fellow human, he immediately recognized the avarice in the men's gazes. A smirk curled his lips. "They're not interested in you personally—they're interested in what you are. Talking moles… Every human would want to capture you."
"W-what? Capture us? But we're free!" Toby and Cons were taken aback, finally understanding why magical beasts viewed humans as the embodiment of greed and cruelty.
At that moment, the middle-aged man sneered, stepping forward. "No wonder Viscount Charles was furious these past few days. So, you're the thief who stole his terrain beasts and fled into the Beast Forest. Hand them over at once!" He gestured, and over twenty soldiers began closing in on Jack.
Jack rolled his eyes. "If you want to rob me, just say so. Why come up with such a pathetic excuse? Besides, do you really think I'd know who this Viscount Charles is? You might as well accuse Toby here of assaulting your mother—at least that would be a more creative accusation."
"What?! Boss, what nonsense are you spouting?! My innocence! I would never touch an old hag! Maybe his sister, but definitely not his mother!" Toby cackled mischievously, playing along.
The middle-aged man's face twitched. A mole assaulting his mother? Wasn't that implying he was a bastard?! His expression darkened with rage as he pointed at Jack and shouted, "Kill this man! Capture the terrain beasts!"
Over fifty soldiers surged forward, surrounding Jack menacingly.
Jack's expression turned cold. "You're really going to gang up on me, huh?"
"That's right! What can you do about it?" The middle-aged man sneered, signaling for more men to join in.
Jack's smirk deepened. "If it's a numbers game you want, then let's see who has more… Alex, flank from the left. Ben, take the right. Carl, circle around the back. Let's give them a little surprise."
As he spoke, the ring on his left-hand trembled violently.
The soldiers hesitated, sensing an ominous force building up. Should they flee or fight? Their hesitation lasted only a moment before a bone-chilling presence engulfed them.
From the shadows, three hundred skeletal warriors emerged, their hollow eyes glowing with eerie light. Clad in tattered armor and emanating an aura of death, they surrounded the mercenaries in a tight formation, their weapons gleaming ominously as they closed in.
"A… A necromancer?!" The middle-aged man's voice trembled in horror.
Necromancers were reviled, but no one dared underestimate them. The ability to summon an army of the dead was enough to raze an entire city.
Jack's grin widened. "Let's see who's outnumbered now, shall we?"