That's right, that's what adventure is like!

"As expected, we still can't spread this story."

In the hotel's storage room, Roland curled up in a sleeping bag made of old leather, feeling the cold air on his forehead, and made this decision in his heart.

A whole night had passed since he returned from the trading market. After completing the first story, his cheat system seemed to have become much more intelligent, providing a lot of important information.

Extraction ability is the core of the panel. As long as Roland carries a special item and meets the story requirements marked on it, he can extract an ability from the previous owner and upgrade the item's rank.

In addition, he can also spread his completed stories through the panel and gain honors based on the impact of the stories. He can also receive unknown rewards for accumulating a certain level of honor.

However, after much deliberation, Roland decided to abandon the idea of ​​spreading the story of the "Goblin Trial." Firstly, he did not want to gain too much attention at the moment, and secondly, there was nothing particularly worthwhile to spread about the story itself.

Just like the panel's evaluation says, it's just a third-rate story. Not only will it not earn you much honor points, but it will also increase the risk of exposing your identity.

Given the current situation, it would be better to focus on how to create the next story rather than on spreading the existing one.

Roland shifted his body and pulled out the longsword left behind by his great-uncle from under his pillow. It now had a completely new look.

The overall length remained unchanged, but the blade seemed to have been scorched by invisible flames, turning a bluish-gray color with winding and twisting marks, giving it a cold and hard metallic texture.

The dark color on the hardwood hilt seemed even more solid, and the original cracks had been healed, revealing a dark golden hue that had been quenched. Holding it gave it an even more intimate, almost blood-related feel.

【Sword of Protection (Extract once)】

Type: Weapon/Longsword

Rank: Elite (Blue)

Description: Its previous owner was a low-level adventurer who dreamed of becoming a professional. After experiencing many failures, he returned to his hometown. The last smile he gave to the bandits was the greatest glory of his life.

Effect: Sharpness +10%

Extraction Requirements: Guardian-themed story ×1

Note: This item can only be extracted once more.

"The ancestors of this body were indeed quite something," Roland sighed inwardly after reading the new description. "The original owner's ability to read and the fact that his family had a few acres of meager land were mostly thanks to this great-uncle."

Without a doubt, the scene he witnessed last night when extracting skills was the same as the deathbed appearance of his great-uncle, whom he had never met.

This sword carries on his last wish: to protect his hometown.

Unfortunately, according to the original owner's memories, due to years of war and various other reasons, that village still lost the peace he had dreamed of.

But this is not a big deal, because as the new owner of the longsword, Roland will continue the story and protect other things that are cherished.

Although, he only wanted to have a full meal.

The darkness of night had been completely dispelled by the pale light of dawn on the horizon. The distant streets echoed with the scattered shouts of vendors, interspersed with the heavy tolling of church bells, heralding the start of a new day.

"It's time to go..."

Roland climbed out of the sleeping bag, which was only slightly warm, and did some stretching to loosen his cold fingers. He finally felt his body regain its vitality.

He didn't sleep all night.

Besides the excitement of unlocking new abilities, there's also the pain of not being able to adapt to a sleeping bag and the effects of cold environments.

Winter seemed to have truly arrived, with thin frost covering the glass and even the straw laid on the ground frozen dry and brittle, breaking easily when stepped on.

"We have to move to a different place. The original owner died from a high fever because of this kind of environment. We can't make the same mistake again."

Roland surveyed the storage room of the cheap hotel. Although he understood that the original owner had done so for reasons of money and privacy, he still decided to abandon the place.

With his extraordinary abilities, he could take on missions to earn money without having to live in fear anymore, and he could live a better life.

Hearing footsteps from other guests upstairs, Roland no longer hesitated. He quietly packed all his belongings, mainly the black bread and sleeping bag that the original owner had hoarded, and carried them on his back before slowly pushing open the door and walking out.

There were no greetings, no breakfast, no waiters, nothing but dust covering the floor and walls bearing the marks of battle.

As the cheapest temporary accommodation in the entire town, the services provided are so simple and pure, and there is almost no privacy; anyone can come and go as they please.

When settling the bill, the orc at the front desk was impressed by Roland's return covered in blood the night before. He generously charged him one copper coin less and even punched him twice in the chest, probably as a blessing from their race to the victor.

This was Roland's last impression of the place.

Back on the street, the solid feel of the sandstone pavement is quite reliable even in winter, and the cold wind still blows fiercely at every passerby, making the aroma of food seem especially tempting.

Ignoring the hunger pangs in his stomach, Roland, his face covered by a homemade mask, first headed to the crossroads, following the original owner's habits, where he found what he needed.

Densely packed, yellowed papers were pasted onto the large notice board with yellow slime. Most of the words on them warned residents to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid being captured by monsters and eaten.

Roland's focus was on a small area in the bottom right corner.

It was a small booklet with dozens of portraits nailed together, each with a simple caption. They were all citizens of the kingdom whose bounties were on their heads in nearby towns.

Turning to the first page, the familiar face immediately slowed his movements.

"They came after all."

Beneath his slightly wavy black hair were sharp eyes that couldn't hide his slightly tired expression. His clean-cut face was outlined by a clear jawline, just like he looked before he fled.

Bounty: Roland Guror

Amount: 5 gold coins

Reason: Disobeying military orders, attacking and killing guards, and fleeing.

Final location: Shattered Moon City, near Mula Town

"The location they gave me is still dozens of miles away, so it should be relatively safe for now." Roland silently calculated the potential risks.

"The kingdom is busy with war, and all the reliable guards have been drawn to the front lines. There are only some ordinary militiamen left in the town... We can stay a little longer."

After a slight sigh of relief, he gained a deeper understanding of the situation within the kingdom.

The original owner had been on the run for four or five months after killing the guards, from the time the wheat ripened until the north wind howled. The fact that the wanted poster only arrived here today is enough to explain a lot.

Inefficiency and sluggish operation are no longer sufficient to describe this quagmire-ridden kingdom; a more accurate description would be "decaying."

This is a world with extraordinary abilities, and the fact that it takes so long to catch a mere farmer shows that the officials in charge don't take him seriously at all.

This perfectly illustrates the proverb: "The throne never dies by the sword, but by the anthill beneath it."

In particular, after Roland flipped through a few pages of the bounty poster, he came across a handwritten sentence.

"They're in charge of posting, I'm in charge of tearing it down. It's a fair trade, super fast, first come, first served."

—"Your loyal clerk friend, Fane."