Chapter 4: Three Million One Hundred Ninety-Seven Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-One
Year 831 of the Falling Stars Era, Winter, November 2nd, Northern Plains, heavy snow falling.
"Arrived." In the desolate wind, Joshua took off his hood, gazing into the distance from horseback. He patted the head of the poor beast beneath him, which was nearly foaming at the mouth, and then sighed with emotion toward the Great Aias Mountains hidden in the wind and snow before him: "Seventeen days."
Since hearing of the Winterfell Count's death, he had set out from the Northwestern Plains. After a full seventeen days of solitary, swift travel, Joshua finally crossed the Empire's sparsely populated northern territory and returned to his homeland.
This vast wilderness covered in frost and snow.
Dismounting, Joshua let the nearly exhausted horse rest a bit, crouching down to grab a handful of ice and snow: "Looks like the first snow. The layer isn't thick yet, won't affect movement."
"Soon, I'll be back." Slowly rising, he took a deep breath.
What filled his lungs was the breath of the bitter north wind, coming from the distant Extreme North Icefield, passing through the Sea of Bewilderment covered in broken ice, bringing the taste of winter. The cool sensation gradually calmed his restless heart.
Belo de Radcliffe, the father of this body, a stubborn, rock-like middle-aged man. He didn't occupy much space in Joshua's memories. Compared to the dignified Lord, he spent the most time with the old steward and the family knights at home. As for his mother, she had passed away many years ago, the cause being an irreversible chill.
Although he was a somewhat inadequate father, hearing of his death still stirred immense anger in Joshua's heart, but he quickly calmed down.
Revenge?
No.
That word had no place in a man's dictionary. Moreover, ever since the day he learned of the anomaly at the garrison site, this possibility had lingered in Joshua's mind. This time, it was just the worst outcome coming to pass.
Dying for the sake of fulfilling one's duty is the most glorious end for a warrior. For that stone-like, stubborn man, perhaps such a death was what he dreamed of?
But it still felt unpleasant.
Very unpleasant.
Joshua recalled that overcast day, the fierce battle at Naya Fortress, and the mercury blade thrust from behind. The most venomous curses surged into his body, unraveling his power at its very source.
This was an unforgivable betrayal.
And that uncle, who jumped out immediately after the old Count's death, eager to seize the title while Joshua was away, was undoubtedly also a traitor. Both were equally detestable.
As a transmigrator, Joshua had ten thousand ways to make himself stronger. For a former legendary warrior, territory wasn't something he absolutely had to inherit. Compared to being a lord, traveling alone as an adventurer might suit his personality better.
But this wasn't a matter of need or lack thereof; it was a matter of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. He simply wanted to cut down this cheap uncle.
"Time to go." Patting the horse's head, Joshua stuffed a large handful of wine-soaked feed into its mouth. The warhorse chewed happily. As a steed with ground dragon bloodline, it not only drank alcohol but also ate meat. Joshua had often caught wild game to supplement its diet, and the horse hadn't let him down—it recovered its stamina very quickly. Otherwise, his return would have been even slower.
Mounting up, Joshua was still somewhat dissatisfied: "Level 28, Silver Peak. My strength is still too weak. If I could advance to Gold-rank, I could return in just a few days."
The level system in the Continent of Strife was clear and simple: Mortal 0~5, Black Iron 6~15, Silver 16~30, Gold 31~50, Element 51~75, Legendary 76~105. Gold-rank was a dividing line.
Generally speaking, an adult male had about level 5 strength. If trained as a militia member, they were roughly Black Iron. Elite soldiers and officers were mostly Silver-rank. The maximum power players could achieve in the first version was Silver Peak. As versions updated, the cap gradually unlocked. By the Fourth Era, powerful players could even attain legendary status, truly influencing the game's progression.
Now, he only had level 28 Silver Peak strength, still within the realm of humans, not yet crossing the transcendent boundary. Under this power limit, his normal running speed was only slightly faster than a horse. Accounting for rest time, he was even slower than the so-called slowest mode of transport—the dragon carriage. At least ground dragons could move day and night without rest and didn't need to detour around certain terrains, whereas Joshua had to dismount and walk in some places, leading the horse slowly.
"Time is running out." Recalling this, Joshua shook his head. "It's the end of the first version now, still relatively peaceful. But when the second version begins, the Great Magic Tide descends, several evil-aligned gods are cast down into the world, and the ensuing strife will fill this world. War and slaughter will never cease."
And that was just the second version, let alone the third, or even the fourth version's Chaos Demons. Before transmigrating, Joshua had been fighting them—the most terrifying race he had ever seen.
"Twenty-four years. There are still twenty-four years until the Chaos Demon invasion. This time seems long, but it's actually very short." Joshua pondered his strategy. "In half a year, the magic tide will arrive, and then the entire world will enter an explosive period of power, fully ushering in the great era of strife. In that case, one person alone isn't enough."
Indeed, although Joshua believed he would definitely be stronger this time than in his past life, no matter how strong one person was, facing a tide of demon armies would feel like an endless slaughter. He needed a group of powerful comrades to share the pressure.
Whether to form a war band like before or create a private army, Moldavia, his territory, was undoubtedly his initial capital. Now, Joshua was no longer the leader of the largest war band in the Far South, nor did he have many like-minded friends to help him. Now, he was alone. But even so, whether it was falling gods or invaders from other worlds, Joshua would not allow them to hinder his life or destroy the world he lived in.
Of course, the first step was to kill that cheap uncle.
Not far ahead was a guidepost like a watchtower. Following it, he would soon see a brick road leading straight to the main city of Moldavia Territory.
"Go!" Hearing the urging, the warhorse began to run swiftly, not slowing down even with a layer of ice and snow on the ground.
Snow clouds covered the sky, shadows blanketing the wilderness and mountains together. Palm-sized snowflakes drifted through the air, wildly dancing. In this vision-obscuring heavy snow, several merchant caravans were slowly moving along the road, some heading toward the city, some leaving. These dragon carriage merchants, driving docile ground dragons, were an important channel for trade between the four northern territories and the outside world. Before airships became widespread, this was the only method for large-scale material transport in harsh environments.
"Finally, I see people."
Seeing this scene, Joshua couldn't help but sigh. During these seventeen days of solitary travel, he hadn't been without seeing other travelers, but since entering the northern territory, he truly hadn't seen any other humans.
In fact, aside from adventurers and explorers, the vast majority of humans didn't stray too far from cities. One must understand that the wilderness, forests, and caves were home to countless monsters. A single moment of carelessness could lead to being devoured by beasts, not to mention the one or two 'Black Tides' caused by the 'Black Forest' each year.
The Black Forest and Black Tide had always been the greatest challenge for all races and powers on the Mycroft Continent. For example, the Empire's territory was vast, occupying the entire northern part of the Mycroft Continent. Its northern lands directly bordered the Falling Stars Sea, while its southern frontier extended all the way to the continent's center. If not for the harassment of the Black Tide from the Central Black Forest, the Empire's expansion speed would have long since brought it into contact with the Far South Alliance.
"Hey, you up ahead, the one riding a horse alone."
Suddenly, Joshua heard someone calling out to him.
Turning his head, he saw a merchant caravan preparing to leave had stopped. A middle-aged man who looked somewhat tired stepped out from the carriage and shouted loudly, "Are you heading to Moldavia?"
"Yes." Joshua slowed his horse, approaching the caravan, and replied, "What's the matter?"
"It's dangerous. Don't go!" The middle-aged merchant's voice was a bit hoarse.
"Why?" Joshua asked curiously.
There was a scar on the middle-aged merchant's throat, seemingly from a knife wound. He frowned and said, "The Snowfall Day is almost here, and the Black Tide is about to start. Most of the knights in the main city have gone to the fortress to reinforce the defenses. But about half a month ago, a large group of unfamiliar knights suddenly appeared and declared martial law."
"I'm not bragging—I've been running this route for over a decade as an old merchant. I've even seen the Lord once. Those knights, I've never seen them before... Now, the city is in a panic. I figure something big is about to happen, so I'm getting out."
He looked very serious. "I'm warning you because I see you traveling alone. If you don't have urgent business, don't go. The atmosphere in the main city is strange now. Several famous wandering warriors have been hired by them and are patrolling the streets. The old familiar faces are all gone. I'm afraid there will be major changes in a few days."
This man had good judgment and was a decent person.
Joshua roughly understood what was going on. Half a month ago was the day his father died. The higher-ups mostly knew the news, but it hadn't spread among the common people yet. Plus, it was indeed around the time the Black Tide was about to start, so it was normal for some city guard knights to be withdrawn. This left the main city's defenses weak.
That large group of knights was definitely his uncle seizing the opportunity to bring people in and secure his position, preparing to snatch the title. Now, the city was surely full of his men.
But one thing was strange—although Joshua didn't know this cheap uncle well, he knew the man had almost no strength of his own. Knights, and a large group of them at that—how could he afford to support them? With his status as a merchant? Don't be ridiculous.
"Thank you very much."
Sincerely nodding to the middle-aged merchant, Joshua smiled and said, "Actually, I think you don't need to leave in such a hurry. Looking at the snow tracks, it's not hard to tell that your dragon carriage is heavily loaded. You haven't sold many goods, have you? Going back like this will definitely be a big loss."
The warrior looked very calm. "Wait a few days, and you'll definitely get unexpected news and unexpected gains."
"Go!" With that, not waiting for the middle-aged man to react, Joshua spurred his horse and galloped toward the main city.
"Ah... young people these days." The middle-aged merchant couldn't help but sigh. "I told him it's dangerous there now, why won't he listen... Wait!"
He suddenly frowned, rubbing his chin as he tried to recall something. "That guy looks so familiar... Hiss, could it be?!"
After a moment of stunned silence, the middle-aged man looked into the distance in shock. "It's him?!"
By now, Joshua was far from the caravan.
"Black Forest Black Tide, huh. If I think about it carefully, it's about that time. My old man and uncle sure know how to seize the moment—one dies, the other snatches. What a coincidence."
The so-called Black Forest was a forest blessed by magic and nature. It grew extremely quickly, with tenacious vitality. Even if cut down to just a stump, it would sprout new shoots and grow seedlings within days. The populations of wild beasts and magical beasts living off the Black Forest were also astonishingly large.
The Black Tide occurred when the Black Forest temporarily stopped growing for some reason, causing large numbers of wild beasts and magical beasts to surge outward in search of food. They would assault human cities and fortresses, fearless and unhesitating even if crushed to pieces. If a lone traveler encountered them, without Gold-rank strength, escape would be difficult.
A white-robed wizard from the Sky-Piercing Tower once speculated that the Black Tide was actually a means for the Black Forest to expand. The dead beasts carried plant seeds, and their blood, bones, and organs would become nutrients for the soil. After repelling the Black Tide, if the area wasn't purified with fire, a new Black Forest would appear within a few years, in turn nurturing a new generation of various magical beasts.
If Joshua inherited the title of Winterfell Count, he would be obligated to lead knights and private soldiers to resist the Black Tide, protect the people, and even charge into the beast hordes to slay powerful magical beasts that threatened the fortress walls.
"Now, the knights originally belonging to me in the city should have already gone to the fortress by the Black Forest. Those left behind to guard the city are no match for the group my uncle brought, so they've probably retreated."
Joshua pondered on horseback. "That means I'll have to deal with a group of knights alone."
As he thought, he began to laugh.
He, Joshua, never feared battle.
Of course, another world was completely different from a game. Even though the Continent of Strife was a quasi-real deep-dive game that claimed if you could do something in the game, you could do it in reality if magic and battle qi existed, experience couldn't be fully copied.
But there was one thing he had that these otherworlders couldn't compare to, and that wouldn't change much due to transmigration.
That was combat experience.
A warrior, even if they lived their entire life on the battlefield, wouldn't have more than a hundred chances to fight. If they could decapitate over fifty enemies, they could be called a warrior among warriors. Adventurers were the same. True adventures required months of planning, and accounting for travel time, a round trip could take years. A lifetime would only see seven or eight major adventures before retirement.
But players were different. From the moment they started the game, they had to fight for experience, quests, equipment, and other reasons. Every bit of their experience, every level, was soaked in the blood of battle. Every skill, every piece of equipment was chosen and practiced for better combat.
Especially Joshua. In his past life, he was the owner of a martial arts dojo. Because the utopian world had almost no one practicing martial arts, he played this kind of game. His purpose in entering the Continent of Strife was to experience the slaughter and combat that were impossible in reality. If others occasionally traveled and sightsee in the game, he was purely about fighting, challenging stronger and more difficult monsters.
In the game's record of player achievements, the highest was usually the Platinum-rank trophy, which was already an extremely difficult achievement to reach.
But Joshua had a unique, Diamond-rank trophy in the entire world.
[Diamond Trophy - Recorded Kill Count: 3,197,481]
Three million one hundred ninety-seven thousand four hundred eighty-one.
This was the number of enemies he had killed.
"How many knights does my uncle have?" The former legendary warrior's eyes burned with flames. "How long can they keep me entertained?"
No one answered these questions. Joshua laughed loudly as he rode his horse, galloping forward.