Chapter 11: The Path of Flight

Kana and his refugee group were heading southwest.

The only kingdom that shared a land border with the Safro Kingdom was the Fane Kingdom.

A long mountain range separated the two countries, but there were relatively narrow paths connecting the two sides of the mountains.

These were also the only two outward routes from the Safro Kingdom.

The path to the southwest had no forests, mountains, or rivers blocking the way, allowing for a very smooth passage.

However, the road to the southeast was quite troublesome; not only were there many rivers blocking the way, but there were also many wild beasts and some low-intelligence races living there.

Therefore, the Safro Kingdom had always used the southwestern route for passage, maintaining a lukewarm relationship with the Fane Kingdom, their only neighbor.

Usually, there was only commercial trade.

After their refugee group had been walking for a day, more people joined them.

There was no other choice; almost all the cities had fallen.

With the ports occupied immediately and no sea vessels available, they didn't have many directions to choose from.

It could be said that a large number of civilians were fleeing toward the Fane Kingdom.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon.

The sky was growing increasingly gloomy.

"Hurry, we need to find a hidden spot," Nikum said with some anxiety.

It hadn't been just a day or two since they escaped the city; it was their good fortune that they had survived this long.

Naturally, they had gained some experience.

For instance, the Bloodkin gained strength at night, becoming even more formidable than they were during the day.

The fact that all Bloodkin possessed night vision was enough to create a massive gap between them and ordinary humans.

"Follow me, I know a good place," Kana said, looking around before walking directly in one direction.

Nikum quickly turned and said, "What are you standing there for? Keep up!"

The people in the refugee group immediately followed.

After walking for about another half hour, they could see a small forest in the distance with a hillside inside.

Kana led them to a spacious cave entrance that was recessed from the side, and with the surrounding trees providing cover, it could be considered very well-hidden.

"This is a good place. We'll rest here tonight," Nikum said, looking around with great satisfaction.

"Brother Kana is truly experienced, hahaha."

"Not at all, I've just been here before."

The refugees following them began to set up a temporary camp around the area.

It was very crude, consisting only of a few fires lit on the ground.

Kana took Aliris and wandered around the small forest.

After searching with a purpose, he found what he was looking for and quickly knelt on one knee to dig it out.

"Garlic grass, haha." Kana was quite happy.

Aliris looked at it and asked, "Your Highness, why are you digging up sharp grass?"

"Garlic grass" was a name given by players when they played the game; it didn't contain garlic, nor did it look like garlic.

It was simply because the juice extracted from this grass acted as a toxin to the Bloodkin.

Coincidentally, the Bloodkin in the game were also quite afraid of silver weapons, so they gave this grass the nickname "garlic grass."

"This grass has a miraculous effect on those monsters; it's like a toxin to them."

"Really?" Aliris didn't doubt him and knelt down to help pull the grass.

However, there wasn't much here, and they finished pulling it all in a short while before returning to the camp.

Nikum looked at the pile of sharp grass they were carrying and asked with some confusion, "Why are you digging this up?"

"We discovered earlier that those monsters seem to hate this grass; it seems to poison them."

Hearing this, Nikum and the surrounding civilian guards all turned their heads.

The regenerative ability of those monsters had always been a headache for them.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Nikum was somewhat surprised.

Kana nodded. "Why would I lie about this? I even tried it before, smearing it on a sword. When I cut those monsters with it, they would even scream in pain."

There was really no reason to lie about such things; after all, they now shared a common enemy.

"So these monsters can actually feel pain."

Nikum believed him immediately. "Good, we'll go dig some up to keep on hand." He looked back at his men: "What are you standing there for? Take a few people and go dig!"

Soon, several guards and some refugees were digging for this sharp grass in the forest, and in no time, they had dug up a large pile.

Afterward, they had the women use whatever tools they had on hand to simply extract some of the juice.

They handed two small bottles of the juice to Kana and Aliris as a token of gratitude.

Night fell, and they organized a night watch.

Kana and Aliris naturally didn't need to stand watch; they sat by the fire, wrapped in blankets given to them by others, and fell asleep just like that.

Before sleeping, Kana told the others about how the tinnitus was a way for the giant bats to detect them, warning them to be careful.

...

The next day, the refugee group packed up early and quickly continued their journey.

As they neared a village, Nikum had two soldiers take two mercenaries to scout ahead.

"Boss, the village is empty, and there's a lot of blood and some gnawed-on bones—human bones, I think," one of the soldiers said upon returning, looking disgusted.

Clearly, the situation in the village was not good.

"Did you see those monsters?"

"No, judging by the traces, it happened a few days ago."

"That's good. Speed up; let's get past this place," Nikum said, feeling relieved.

Kana and Aliris walked past the area outside the village.

Aliris looked at the soil under her feet, frowned, and asked, "Your... Kana, why is the soil next to the village a bit black?"

Kana took a look and said casually, "Blood energy pollution. The Bloodkin did it. They pollute the earth to make the whole area more suitable for dark creatures to live in."

"Even some plants and animals will be affected and undergo mutations."

When the game first launched, the land of the entire country had already turned into that kind of polluted, dark land.

The gathering dark magic would turn the entire territory into a region where sunlight could not penetrate.

The gathered clouds would keep the earth in a state of perpetual gloom, and until the late stages of the game, it had barely recovered at all.

The current situation was merely a precursor.

"Alright, don't think too much about it. Let's pick up the pace."

Not long after, they encountered another refugee group. This group was much more miserable; most of them were wounded, and their faces were full of exhaustion.

Clearly, they had encountered the enemy before, though it was unclear whether they had escaped or managed to kill the enemy.

Regardless, the two refugee groups merged.

Looking at the refugee column, Kana couldn't help but remark, "If we keep walking like this, by the time we reach the Count's territory, this group will probably be five or six hundred people strong."

A few kilometers away.

A group was moving slowly, dragging some bound civilians behind them.

A cargo wagon was filled with various human corpses and remains.

"Sniff, sniff."

A stitched werewolf poked its head out and sniffed the air.

"What do you smell?" asked a Bloodkin squad leader nearby.

"Bloodline. Boiling. Scent."

The stitched werewolf spoke in broken, very low, and hoarse tones.

"Escaped test subjects? Or perhaps... royal family members left outside?"

The Bloodkin squad leader thought for a moment before making a decision.

"You point out the direction, then take these people back first. I'll take a few men to go check it out."

The werewolf extended a claw and pointed in the direction of Kana and the others.

"Good."

The squad leader signaled a few blood slaves, several ghouls, and a giant bat, then ran rapidly in the direction of Kana and the others.