Chapter 299: Wood and His Group’s Change of Route

The Human God not only excels at scheming but is also adept at gauging human nature. After leaving such information behind, he didn't persist in persuading Rudeus as before but simply vanished from the consciousness space. He was well aware that with the current level of trust he held with Rudeus, saying too much might only breed suspicion.

Now that the bait was cast, all Rudeus had to do was make the expected choices.

After Wood joined forces with Rudeus and their squad, their group's combined strength was staggeringly potent.

Wood himself possessed the might of a Sword King combined with that of an "Emperor-level" magician. Ruijerd was on par with a Sword King, Rudeus was a "King-level" magician, and also a no chant magician whose magical power far surpassed others of his rank.

The Magic Wolf King boasted strength comparable to a Sword Saint, with formidable regenerative capabilities and the ability to cast high-level magic.

Even the weakest member, Eris, had swordsmanship that reached the level of an upper swordsman.

With such formidable team power, they could stand toe-to-toe with some of the lesser among the seven great powers without fear of any danger or scheme.

On the other side were Rudeus' parents, possibly in life-threatening peril. The choice Rudeus would make was almost predictable to the Human God.

The next morning, after regrouping, Wood and the others originally planned to continue on to the holy city of Millis according to their initial plan.

However, just as they set out, Rudeus stopped Wood and asked, "Did Paul and Zenith go to the Shirone Kingdom to fetch Lilia?"

Wood was momentarily taken aback by Rudeus' question, as he had only mentioned the previous day that Lilia was in the Shirone Kingdom and did not specify who would retrieve her.

Wood was surprised for a moment but didn't delve into why Rudeus knew this detail. He understood that as a "reincarnator," Rudeus having some inexplicable abilities was entirely within the realm of possibility.

"Wood, although it might sound unbelievable, I think Zenith and Paul might be in danger. So I've decided not to return to the Millis Holy Country but instead head directly to the Shirone Kingdom."

Rudeus was aware that his sudden request might seem unreasonable—especially since they were so close to reuniting with his family. Yet, the words of the Human God had significantly bothered him.

Better safe than sorry, they thought; at worst, they would only be losing a bit more time. But if Zenith and Paul were indeed in danger, they could lose their loved ones.

Now, Rudeus worried about how to get his brother and companions to agree to this unfounded change of plans.

However, just as Rudeus was organizing his thoughts and about to reveal the existence of the Human God, Wood suddenly smiled and spoke up. "If that's the case, then let's head to the Shirone Kingdom. Norn and Aisha are safe with the Latreia family, and with our grandmother and aunts looking after them, they should be fine."

Wood did not hesitate or doubt Rudeus' proposal; he simply chose to believe in him, which deeply moved Rudeus, who was secretly relieved.

Wood's reasoning was simple; just as Rudeus always considered him the protagonist of another world, he also believed that as a "reincarnator," Rudeus was a child of destiny. If the protagonist felt impending danger, there must be a reason behind it.

Wood firmly chose to trust in Rudeus—or, more precisely, in Rudeus' unique advantages.

Eris chimed in, "If Wood says so, then there's no problem. Now that we know our parents are safe, it's only right for us to help rescue Wood's parents."

Ruijerd added, "I've always said I would ensure you all get home safely. Wherever you go, I will follow until we're all safely back."

Seeing his brother and comrades' responses, Rudeus felt the weight of their trust for the first time. Meanwhile, the lurking Human God, hearing their decision, couldn't help but reveal a triumphant smile.

Indeed, Wood and his companions now formed a super-adventure group, as formidable as any legendary hero's party. With such a lineup, they could defeat 99.9% of all foes on the continent, but the being they were about to face was the invincible 0.01%—the Dragon God, Orsted.

In the original future, the Human God had seen where Rudeus would encounter the Dragon God. Although Wood's appearance had altered the future, ensuring Rudeus would no longer meet Orsted, the Dragon God was likely still active in that area during this time.

Now, the Human God's goal was to steer Rudeus and Wood towards the Dragon God's domain, aiming for a deadly confrontation that would end the two brothers.

Worried about arriving too late to rescue Zenith and Paul, Wood and the group were making rapid progress. The Magic Wolf King carried the physically weaker Eris and the frail Rudeus, while Wood and Ruijerd, both with strength comparable to a Sword King, moved with speed matching that of magical beasts.

They raced across the landscape so swiftly that in less than two days, they had circled the entire Millis Holy Country and reached the King Dragon Mountains.

The King Dragon Mountains, located at the border between the Central Continent and the Millis Continent, were characterized by tall, rugged peaks.

Due to their high altitude, they were frequently swept by massive snowstorms, making them largely uninhabited.

Of course, the terrain and climate were just one reason for the scarcity of visitors. Another was the presence of flying dragons, which were technically part of the dragon race, albeit the lowest rank.

Even these lowest-tier dragons possessed natural strength and magic far surpassing ordinary magical beasts and were much more intelligent.

Thus, even a typical flying dragon was a formidable opponent for any upper-class swordsman or magician who dared to face one alone.

After crossing the King Dragon Mountains, passing through the kingdoms of Sunkistia and Grundica would lead them directly to the Shirone Kingdom.

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)