This time, I won't be the devil.

After untying his shackles, Ah Fei left the underground mine.

After returning to the ground, he saw that the entire mine was engulfed in flames, with shouts and cries of killing coming from all around. Members of the Zoroastrianism were fighting with a group of men in black.

The priest who often taught them the doctrine had turned into a corpse, with the scripture still tightly grasped in his hand.

Ah Fei picked up the scripture, and after a moment of hesitation, he realized that this was an opportunity to leave the mine.

Just then, a group of men in black rushed over and Ah Fei immediately fled the scene.

The men in black chased Ah Fei, but this deformed monster used his hands and feet like a flea and ran faster than them.

After seeing his naked body and realizing that he was just a slave, the man in black gave up chasing him and Ah Fei was able to escape successfully.

He ran like this for several hours. The sun rose and there was an endless desert before him. The wind blew sand and gravel on his exposed skin.

Ah Fei didn't know where he was going. If possible, he wanted to go to the maze city mentioned by the adventurers.

But Ah Fei had no map and didn't understand the direction, so he just ran blindly.

Even if the yellow sand covers my eyes, even if my feet are covered with blisters.

Even though the sun set three times, he still didn't stop.

I don’t know how long it took, but just when Ah Fei felt that his life was about to end, he saw a village with a small hotel at the entrance.

At that time, Ah Fei didn't know what the hotel was. He just saw the picture of bread on the sign.

Ah Fei opened the door and noticed a customer coming. The elderly owner said nonchalantly:

"Just take a look."

The boss looked towards the door, but he didn't see anyone. It was not until he lowered his eyes that he saw the figure crawling on the ground.

He was as thin as a mummy, covered in dust, his skin was severely sunburned, and he was dying.

"Is there... anything to eat here?" Ah Fei asked tremblingly.

"Yes, the price is written on the doorplate."

Ah Fei then remembered that he had heard the adventurer say that if you want to buy something outside, you have to spend money or exchange it with valuable items.

After thinking for a while, Ah Fei took out the scripture book with the words "The way to salvation is within" from his loincloth.

"Can this... be exchanged for something to eat?"

After taking a look at the scripture inlaid with gold thread on the cover and then looking at the pair of eyes full of hope, the boss shrugged his shoulders, accepted the book, and also took in the homeless Ah Fei.

Afterwards, Ah Fei worked as a helper in a hotel. The boss gave him food and taught him a lot of common sense.

The name of this village is Ringmark Village. It is said that when the Kingdom of Kahn was just founded 400 years ago, a Ringmark Knight who followed the Lord of Fire was born in the village, and the village got its name from this.

There are only a few hundred residents in Huanyin Village, all of whom are from the Shak tribe.

The Shek people are a people who worship strength and fighting, and are very tolerant of outsiders. This village is one of the few places where travelers can rest in this desolate desert.

After working for a while, A Fei found that there were almost no young men in the village.

After asking his boss, A Fei learned that it was already the 961st year of the Aiden calendar. The Theocracy had launched a great expedition against the Demon Territory a year ago, and the Kingdom of Kahn had also sent troops to join the war.

Most of the young men in the village had been drafted into the army at this time, which was one of the reasons why the boss was willing to take Ah Fei in.

In addition to doing odd jobs, Ah Fei's appearance can also deter some passengers with bad intentions.

The inn owner was the boss of the village, and with his recommendation, the villagers did not exclude Ah Fei because of his appearance.

The boss has a daughter who is also very kind to Ah Fei.

So Ah Fei naturally settled down in the village and lived a peaceful life, but the good times did not last long.

In this world, in addition to various ruins, monsters are born from time to time in the border areas of the continent with harsh climates.

In the desert surrounding the village, some insect monsters occasionally appear. In order to guard against them, the villagers will spontaneously organize guards.

Half a year after Ah Fei arrived at the inn, the village was attacked by a group of giant insects.

Monster attacks of this scale have not been seen in decades, and at this time, due to the large number of young men joining the army, the combat effectiveness of the village guards has been greatly reduced.

The boss and the remaining men guarded the village entrance and relied on defensive fortifications to resist, while Ah Fei retreated to the granary behind the village with the women and children.

The reason for this arrangement is that no one would regard the disabled Ah Fei as a fighting force.

However, to everyone's surprise, while a fierce battle was going on at the village entrance, the leader of this group of giant insects actually led a small team and attacked the granary from behind.

Hearing the monster's footsteps approaching, the unarmed women and children in the granary trembled in fear.

Unlike them, facing the sudden appearance of the monster, Ah Fei was not afraid at all, but even felt very excited.

Ah Fei asked the others to hide in the house, and he took the initiative to come to the monsters.

A restless itching sensation spread along his spine throughout his body, and then Ah Fei lost consciousness.

When the guards at the village entrance finally rushed back to the granary, they saw Ah Fei tearing into the monster's corpse in a sea of ​​blood...

In this battle, Ah Fei lost his left hand, and from that day on, he always felt that his spine became heavier.

The waist, which was originally bent at 45 degrees, has now become 90 degrees, almost parallel to the ground.

But through this battle, Ah Fei also became a hero of the Shek tribe.

"A war maniac, a natural born war maniac!" exclaimed an old man who witnessed Ah Fei's figure.

Being a natural born warrior is an honor of the Shek people, and only the bravest warriors can obtain it.

"Glory belongs to the natural warrior!"

The villagers lifted Ah Fei up, cheered for him, and handed him the badge that symbolized his status as a war maniac.

This badge is called the Fire Emblem. It was awarded to the Ringed Knight by the Lord of Fire 400 years ago in recognition of his achievements. The Ringed Knight was also the original natural war maniac of the Shek tribe.

After the disaster, Ah Fei was respected by the villagers.

The innkeeper was seriously injured in the fight against the monster, and as he was already old, he has been bedridden ever since.

Knowing that his time is running out, the boss decided to entrust his daughter to Ah Fei after seeing his strength.

"A Fei... I'm so glad I took you in... Please... take good care of my daughter..."

Looking at his boss lying on the hospital bed, Ah Fei didn't know how to react.

Just as Ah Fei was hesitating, he remembered the instruction again.

"You have to live like a human being."

Through the common sense he learned during this period, Ah Fei understood that human beings should be grateful and repay kindness.

As a human being, Ah Fei seemed to have no reason to refuse the request of his savior.

So Ah Fei married the boss's daughter. The boss died of illness soon after, and Ah Fei inherited the hotel.

The villagers originally wanted Ah Fei to replace the inn owner and become the new leader of the village, but with Ah Fei's intelligence, he was really unable to take on this important task.

Ah Fei also knew nothing about running a hotel.

After getting married, the hotel was actually managed by his wife, and Ah Fei still did the same odd jobs as before.

Gradually, as the passion of being a natural fighter gradually cooled down, Ah Fei's life also stabilized. If there was any change, it was that after becoming a boss, he learned to cook.

His wife treated Ah Fei very well. She did not mind his ugly appearance, and they soon gave birth to a daughter.

"A Fei, you are so lucky." The old people in the village often said this to him.

Ah Fei understood that from a normal person's perspective, he, who looked like a monster, was undoubtedly happy to be able to live his current life.

But Ah Fei never felt truly happy in his heart.

Whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and looked at his sleeping wife and daughter, an inexplicable sense of alienation always lingered in his heart.

He would occasionally have such doubts:

Why on earth am I here?

Ah Fei only remembered that he had escaped from the mines and, on the verge of starvation, came to this inn, where he was taken in by the owner. He then defeated the monster, earned the title of "natural warrior," married, had children, and lived a life that ordinary people would consider happy...

Everything is so reasonable and natural, there is nothing strange about it.

But Ah Fei always felt that he seemed to be missing something.

The slave shackles that had been discarded seemed to still be on his feet.

Despite this feeling of disharmony in his heart, Ah Fei still fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband and father like a human being. He has been working diligently and never slacking off over the years.

Occasionally, when adventurers from afar passed by the inn, Ah Fei would excitedly strike up a conversation with them.

Only at this time would a smile appear on Ah Fei's face.

In this way, several years passed in a life as peaceful as a stagnant pool of water.

If nothing unexpected had happened, Ah Fei might have spent his whole life in Huanyin Village in confusion.

But the accident still happened.

As the Great Crusade entered its final stages, both the Theocracy and the Kingdom increased taxes in order to raise supplies.

The border where Ah Fei was located was originally managed by the Zoroastrians. Since the Zoroastrians were wiped out a few years ago, the kingdom's tax collection on the border has become increasingly strict.

Half a year ago, a grain-collecting team from the kingdom took away all the food in the village, including seeds for sowing.

As a result of this overfishing, famine broke out across the entire border.

The situation is particularly serious in this desert area. Once crops cannot be harvested on time, people simply cannot find food in the endless yellow sand.

In the past, they could still buy food from passing merchants, but in this year of famine, normal food trade had long since become obsolete.

As the famine intensified, some armed and unscrupulous merchants came to the desert and sold food at exorbitant prices.

Some people spent all their wealth and even became slaves for a bite of food.

A Fei heard that in the neighboring Evikin tribe, a mother sold herself to a caravan in order to buy a ticket for her child to the Free City.

The warlike Shak people would certainly not accept the exploitation of merchants, and the villagers even thought about stealing food.

But at this time they were all swollen with hunger and had no strength in their bodies. Naturally, they were no match for the armed men under the merchant.

After the caravan left, the villagers of Huanyin Village fell one after another, and A Fei's family had been out of food for a long time.

After racking his brains, Ah Fei came up with an idea.

Ah Fei took the weapons left by the innkeeper and ran to the desert to look for monsters. He spent several days and finally found a giant insect.