012 The Forest Keeper

After returning home, Kairon quickly cleaned the blood off himself before finally having a moment to check his status panel. He focused on his personal attributes, specifically the energy section. When he had returned to the village earlier that day, his energy was at seven points.

After killing that adulterous pair, each had provided him with five points of energy. Kairon's energy now stood at seventeen, fulfilling the conditions for his own advancement.

He had refrained from leveling up earlier because the time and place were not suitable. Now that he was home, of course, the first thing he did was to raise his level.

[Ding. You have consumed 15 energy points. Your level has increased!]

A chill of energy surged again from Kairon's heart. Within a dozen minutes, his second advancement was complete. Perhaps due to his training in [Heavy Strike], Kairon's control over his strength had greatly improved. As soon as the advancement ended, he could already sense the increase in his power.

"This time, the improvement is much greater than last time. I can feel that my strength has increased by at least thirty percent!"

With that, Kairon opened his status panel, partly to admire his current attributes, partly to see how long it would be before his next upgrade.

...

Kairon (Wu Qi)
Age: 16
Race: Human
Strength: Tier 0 (Elite) (Upgrades beyond Tier 0 require activation of the Graveyard!)
Skill: Heavy Strike lv4 (35/50) (Increases slashing power by 40%)

...

Looking at his attribute panel, Kairon's brow creased.

"What does this mean? So, to increase my strength any further, I have to activate the Graveyard?"

This was not good news for him. His current Graveyard was in trouble, and while he could relocate it, each transfer required a six-month cooldown.

In other words, if he didn't activate his current Graveyard, he would have to wait at least half a year before he could activate his territory and further enhance his power.

"Troublesome," Kairon sighed, rubbing his forehead.

However, his attitude toward activating his territory had subtly changed. Previously, he had truly wanted to avoid trouble, but after today’s events, his mindset had shifted again.

As Kairon hesitated over whether to activate his Graveyard, a steady footstep sounded outside, immediately putting him on alert.

"Who's there?"

"It's me."

Moments later, a one-armed old man appeared before him. Seeing Old Jack, Kairon relaxed at once, lowering the hatchet in his hand. "What brings you here, sir?"

To be honest, in this village, if there was anyone Kairon was wary of, it was this one-armed old man before him. Though he had not known Old Jack long, Kairon was keenly aware that the old man's strength far surpassed anything he could imagine. At his current level, he stood no chance against him.

Old Jack found a place to sit in Kairon's shabby little cabin, his cloudy eyes scanning him up and down. "I saw everything that happened today. You killed two people. That ruthlessness surprised me."

"I had no choice," Kairon sighed, shaking his head. "In situations like this, I have to be ruthless. If I could avoid killing, I would."

"You misunderstand me. I'm not here to blame you. In fact, I approve of how you handled things. I just have some opinions about the outcome."

Kairon raised a brow. "Go on."

"Actually, you had already cowed the villagers. You could have taken the opportunity to become the village head—no one would have dared oppose you. Even if you suggested it now, they wouldn't object. If anyone did, you could deal with them as you saw fit."

Kairon was left momentarily speechless.

"This village has been without a head for a long time. Because of that, it’s become like this. You must be dissatisfied with its current state. If you became village head, you could change it."

Kairon was even more confused. "Why me? Why not you? With your strength, you could easily subdue these villagers and become the head."

Old Jack shook his head. "I can't. I must remain in the shadows."

At these words, Kairon's scalp tingled. In recent days, he'd suspected Old Jack was no ordinary man, but he hadn't expected the old man to suddenly lay his cards on the table.

The abruptness left Kairon a bit at a loss, but Old Jack seemed unconcerned with his feelings.

"You may have noticed that I am not an ordinary person. In truth, I am a Forester of the Bourbon Kingdom.

You probably don't know what a Forester is, so let me explain. The so-called Foresters are actually a reconnaissance organization on the borders of the Bourbon Kingdom. Their main duty is to monitor the powers and the movements of other races in the more chaotic border regions.

Take me, for example. My main responsibility is to watch over the area between Moonworship City and the Goblin Forest. You could say I'm the Forester for this whole region!"

Hearing this, Kairon calmed himself. His greatest asset was his ability to stay cool-headed at crucial moments.

Of course, he said little, and though he'd guessed Old Jack's intentions when the old man revealed his identity, he put on an appropriate expression of surprise.

Old Jack glanced at him. "Your performance today pleased me—not just your growth in strength, but your mindset as well.

Mastering [Heavy Strike] in a day or two is impressive, but the speed at which your strength and mentality have evolved these past few days amazes me even more!"

Kairon's heart skipped a beat at these words, but he showed no sign of it on his face. "Life has forced me to adapt," he replied.

"That's commendable. To be driven to this point—it's impressive. I have my eye on you. How about joining our Foresters?"

Truth be told, Kairon had no desire to accept this olive branch. It all felt too sudden.

But this was clearly out of his hands. He was certain that if he refused, Old Jack might not flip the table immediately, but there was at least a ninety percent chance he would turn hostile.

So, Kairon wisely feigned delight and accepted.

After he agreed, Old Jack's attitude toward him improved significantly.

"Good. From now on, you are an auxiliary member of the Bourbon Kingdom's Foresters—and a soldier of the kingdom as well!

Normally, I would send you to Moonworship City for training, but the situation is special now, and I have an urgent mission that will take me away. I can't formally induct you just yet."

Hearing this, Kairon's eyes narrowed slightly, but he replied, "No problem. Take care of your business; I'm not in a hurry."