Reforged Chapter 4: Trial Day

Neither Duke nor Alleria knew that after they had left, a third group of people had found the wild boar.

"Isn't this the 'Prince'?" a servant exclaimed.

"Prince?" a young man dressed in what appeared to be noble attire scoffed.

The servant bowed hastily, "Uh, my respected master, it's just a nickname. The Blackwell family has an award-winning pig called 'Princess.' This sow is enormous and often sneaks into Stonefield Farm to steal vegetables! Somehow, she mated with an even larger, murderous wild boar, and already three farmers have died because of it. So, in the bounty notice, this boar is called 'Prince.'"

The young nobleman's interest was piqued.

"Hmm? If I bring this 'Prince' back, wouldn't that increase my prestige?"

The servants, all sycophants, immediately understood.

The current king was a wise man who sought to maintain the nobles' ambition. He even established a rule that a noble's offspring must have some achievements before they could inherit their father's title.

Unfortunately, there were always ways around policies. In an era without large-scale warfare, people's lives were relatively peaceful, and there weren't many thieves or bandits. The only enemies to humanity were the countless beasts, monsters, and demihumans that roamed the lands.

To expand human territories, they had to seize land from other creatures and develop new colonies. Thus, slaying the creatures on bounty notices could count as achievements.

"Absolutely! My young master, you can definitely win the Viscount's favor by elegantly slaying this 'Prince' listed as a level one bounty in the town."

Seeing the servants so enthusiastic, the young nobleman laughed with satisfaction.

Duke, completely unaware of the events that transpired behind him, continued to struggle for survival. He finally managed to crawl out of the slightly turbulent river, only to realize that he had been carried quite far away.

Lying on the riverbank, panting heavily, he soaked in the sunlight on his back.

The system suddenly spoke, "My dear host, as your system fairy, I feel obligated to remind you that, with your constitution, the chances of catching a cold like this are 68.3%."

Duke gritted his teeth but eventually agreed.

He painstakingly removed his coarse linen clothes and collapsed on a relatively dry boulder by the river, sprawled out like a dead dog.

This was terrible. Indeed, traveling between worlds was both physically and technically demanding.

In such a primitive natural environment, it was undoubtedly challenging for someone who complained about military training at university.

With a cluttered mind, Duke recalled everything he knew about the world of Azeroth.

He suddenly chuckled bitterly. Before his journey, he complained that being born in his original world was like playing on the hardest difficulty. Comparatively, Azeroth was a whole other level of hell. There was a saying--anyone living in a time of war seldom survived past the age of 40.

Cradling his forehead, Duke muttered to himself, "There's still too little information. The only thing I can be sure of is that if Azeroth exists, it must be at a relatively early point in time. Because in the world of Warcraft, Alleria disappeared completely after joining Turalyon's expedition to Outland and encountering a siege."

Finally catching his breath, Duke stood up, put on his clothes again, and looked around. At last, he found what he was looking for--cooking smoke.

Where there's fire, there are humans... well, at least humanoid creatures.

With a mixture of hope and apprehension, Duke headed towards the distant column of smoke.

After half an hour, Duke, who had been following the stream downhill, found what he was looking for--a human settlement.

People were coming and going, bustling about.

Quaint brick-and-wood houses were adorned with colorful flags, and the air was filled with the sounds of laughter and cheering.

At the entrance to the village, Duke saw two smiling guards. Their white armor had blue trim, and the tabard on their chests and the emblem on their shields both bore a lion--these were unmistakably the iconic guards of Stormwind City.

Suddenly, Duke breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt as if he had found his group, at least it was a human settlement and not an ogre's cannibal barbecue.

In the world of Azeroth, there was once a powerful human empire called Arathor. However, about 1200 years prior in the game's history, the Arathor Empire was divided into seven smaller kingdoms: Lordaeron, Dalaran, Alterac, Kul Tiras, Gilneas, Stromgarde, and Stormwind.

Stormwind was the starting zone for all human players in the game.

Duke didn't know if the history here was the same, but it seemed no different.

"Hey, little brother, are you here for the initiation trial too? You don't look like you could be a Stormwind City guard with that small frame of yours. Hahaha!" Seeing Duke, the guard on the left teased him outright.

"Maybe he's a hunter, could become an archer, huh?" The guard on the right laughed as well.

"No, no, no. Look at his delicate palms; maybe he's a noble mage lord! Hahaha!"

Duke didn't know what profession he could pursue, but he knew that if he did nothing, he would eventually perish in this world filled with war and destruction and become a ghoul.

But… even in my most downtrodden state, it's not your turn to mock me, you two ridiculous soldiers!

Just as Duke was about to punch both of them, a military officer with golden eyebrows, a square face, and a large sword at his waist approached.

"Enough! Shut up, you two fools."

Seeing their superior, the two guards immediately fell silent and stood at attention, a drop of cold sweat rolling down their cheeks.

The officer turned to Duke, his face breaking into a warm smile: "A person's nobility depends on whether you or your ancestors have contributed to human prosperity. Becoming a professional and rising to the elite class is certainly a good thing, but if you fail, don't be disheartened--Stormwind City's prosperity needs talent from all walks of life. Young man, do you think I'm right?"

"Uh, yes."

The officer extended his hand to Duke: "My name is Verri, deputy captain."

"Duke." Duke reached out to shake Verri's hand, only to feel his palm receive 100 points of critical damage...

Damn! This guy has a strong grip!

"Alright, Duke, welcome to the Northshire Abbey trial grounds. I hope you can become a professional. I sincerely wish for more elites among humans."

With that, Duke entered.

Verri watched Duke's retreating figure, stroking his chin: "That young man isn't cut out to be a warrior."