After enjoying the last two days doing things just for fun, the day finally came when Shyam had to say goodbye to Kamalgram and continue his journey toward a new destination — Taralaya!
Though this time, he had a carriage to protect.
For that, he first visited the adventurers' guild to confirm his quest with the guild master.
With slow steps, Shyam entered the guild master's office for the third time.
"Well, if it isn't adventurer Shyam, welcome," said the guild master as he closed his work files.
Shyam didn't question it and instead asked about the delivery.
"So, where am I supposed to go now?"
Before the guild master could answer, an old woman with a stick entered the room. Her expression had no emotion. Her eyes were half-closed.
"Hello, guild master," she said—her voice dim, yet audible. Her voice alone explained just how old she truly was.
"Hello, Lord Lalima," the guild master replied in a teasing tone.
"Oh please, we've been friends for years—why so polite?" she said as she walked closer toward him.
"So, where is the adventurer you mentioned? The one I can fully trust with my delivery?" she asked as she scanned through the room, completely ignoring Shyam as if he didn't even exist.
His eyes tightened, but he kept calm.
This kind of situation had happened once before.
Maybe people in this world weren't as kind as he thought.
Or maybe, as the village lord, she just expected someone with bigger muscles.
What was she doing even? Looking for someone to handle her delivery or looking for a man to marry?
The guild master noticed Shyam's interest fading into the darkest void, so before it could reach rock bottom, he tried to pull it back up.
"Here he is, Lord Lalima. Meet Shyam. He's a very skilled adventurer—believe it or not, he defeated the Red Lizard alone!"
He said as he pulled out the Red Lizard ES and handed it to Lalima.
She looked at it for quite a moment—maybe because she couldn't believe it, or maybe she was just trying to recognize if it was really the Red Lizard ES—but she accepted it.
"Shyam, is it? Well then, I'm trusting you. Make sure the delivery isn't damaged even a bit on the way to Taralaya City Capital."
She said, her tone strict—yet it carried worry.
"Don't worry ma'am, I'll do my absolute best to protect both your delivery man and the delivery itself!"
After that, Shyam, Lalima, and the guild master left the room to go where the delivery was being packed.
It was a large warehouse with loads of items stored inside.
And behind it stood a newly crafted carriage with four horses and a full load of lotus fruits.
It was well-packed and ready to roll at any moment.
"Well, good luck!" the guild master said as Shyam finally set off on his journey ahead.
Who knows what awaits him? But he was excited to be part of this world.
Something that mattered.
The carriage tires rolled above the dirt path as Shyam and the driver sat in the front, watching the beautiful forest pass by.
Though it wasn't quite so beautiful just hours later—when night fell, and the skies turned dark.
Stars sparkled—but not enough to light up the entire Niścaya.
Shyam and the carriage driver now sat atop a stone, trying to cook anything edible for dinner.
Raitha—whom the carriage driver couldn't see—was just casually lying down on the dirt… napping at night?!
"So, you're an E-rank adventurer, huh?" the carriage driver asked as he flipped the meat to cook the other side.
"Yes," Shyam replied, doing the same.
"You know, Lord Lalima usually sends around three E-rankers with her deliveries. Wonder why she sent only one today."
The carriage driver said once again as he took a bite of meat.
"Maybe because she saw me as strong?" Shyam said in a playful tone.
Though honestly, he was confident that even the Red Lizard wouldn't be a problem for him now. Everything should be fine.
"Yeah, as if," the carriage driver replied, giving Shyam a teasing smile.
Shyam said nothing after that, and they both seemed to fall asleep.
Or so the bandits hiding behind the bushes thought…
From the moment the delivery carriage left the village, a party of bandits had started following them—probably after the export goods.
But since they weren't monsters or beasts, Shyam's Greater Sense couldn't determine their number or strength.
It could only alert him of potential danger.
[ Danger detected / Further details unavailable ]
—The tab kept alerting him every few minutes.
After eating, the carriage driver fell asleep.
But Shyam stayed awake—with only his eyes closed—waiting for the bandits to make a move.
They didn't take too long.
A few footsteps became audible through the bushes surrounding them.
Tightly gripping his sword, Shyam slightly opened his left eye—just enough to see what was happening.
Several bandits had surrounded them from all directions.
They wore masks, making it impossible to see their faces in the darkness.
The campfire had already gone out, so the only way for Shyam to see anything clearly now… was to use Fireball.
But he didn't want to use it just yet.
"We're gonna be rich after this," one of the bandits whispered.
"Stop talking and kill them," another said as he walked toward the carriage.
"Alright, alright, what's the rush? An E-rank adventurer can't poss—"
Before he could finish that sentence, a sharp steel sword pierced through his neck.
He tried looking down to see what had happened… but when he moved his head even a little, it rolled right off.
Blood spilled around his body, but no one noticed the change.
"Hey, S2, you done yet?" the same bandit who approached the carriage called out.
No reply.
"Hey, S2!" he repeated—louder this time. Still nothing.
He turned, annoyed—and then froze.
There lay his companion's head on the ground… with blood already reaching his boots.
It was horrifying.
He wanted to scream but somehow barely controlled himself.
The other bandits looked at him, then at what he was seeing.
All three of them now stood silently—staring at their second member's dead body.
One of the bandits couldn't hold it anymore and screamed so loud even the carriage driver woke up.
He slowly opened his eyes and whispered,
"Who's screaming this late at—"
Thud!
Before he could even fully open his eyes, Shyam hit him on the head to knock him unconscious.
That blow, however, gave away his position.
Which meant… it was fighting time.
The bandit who had originally ordered S2 to kill Shyam now dashed forward with a knife, screaming:
"I WON'T LET YOU LIVE!!"
But Shyam stood still.
He didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
He just whispered,
"Do it."
And suddenly—
A black boar with golden stripes appeared out of nowhere.
In its mouth, a steel sword.
It dashed forward and sliced right through the bandit's heart.
He died instantly.
Seeing that, the other two bandits pulled out their knives and ran in zigzag patterns.
"Two for one? Now that's not fair, is it?" Shyam said as he retrieved his sword from his shadow creature.
"FireDash!"
A ball of fire surrounded him.
The bandits stopped mid-run.
"What kind of ma—" one of them tried to shout.
But moments later… all the bandits had turned into ashes.
"This combo skill is great!" Shyam said cheerfully, looking at the ashes scattered around him.
His dream of burning enemies into ashes?
Completed.
And he was enjoying it...
Until Raitha shattered his daydream into ashes—just like Shyam did to those bandits.
"You know you just murdered five men, right?"
"Eh, they were bad guys anyway. Doesn't matter much," he replied, checking the carriage to ensure everything was safe.
"Haven't seen someone so happy about killing people in a few reincarnations!" she said, her tone like a teacher who just discovered her next star student.
After that, Shyam slept peacefully—after wiping off all the ashes from the—
crime scene?
Nah. Cinema scene.
---
Somewhere in { Trivanta }
A booming divine voice echoed through the hollow realm of Trivanta.
A woman dressed in pure white and black froze mid-step, a faint blue light dancing in her palm—where a small data core floated.
"Do you know how dangerous it was to bring a new object into the Set-Reality Realm?! It could've destabilized the Absolute-Fixed-Space! What were you thinking?!"
Anantara turned, her head tilted, wearing that mischievous smile only immortal troublemakers know.
---
Ch-16