In the mountain fields, all you could see were forests, blooming flowers, emerald grass, and green meadows. In the wilds, there were either lush green wheat fields or verdant grasslands. Even the hillsides were covered with vast stretches of lawn climbing upward, with various trees standing tall as decorative accents. On both sides of the narrow paths between the fields grew jade-green leaves, dotted with tiny white and purple flowers, giving a sense of harmonious natural beauty. Scattered villages were half-hidden in the greenery; though dilapidated, they possessed a kind of primitive beauty, and even the flowing streams seemed especially clear.

William Ford was in no hurry to leave. He sat quietly for a while in front of his shabby little hut, recalling and summarizing the gains and losses of last night's battle, while also exercising his body. One must not stumble twice in the same pit, especially in a world that, though seemingly peaceful and beautiful, harbors a cruelty that allows no second chances. Only when he was sweating all over and slightly out of breath did he use the nightmare mark on his chest to exchange the points he had earned last night for the silver coins used in this world, and then headed toward the village.

By now, it was probably a little after ten in the morning. Feeling a bit hungry, William Ford went straight to the only small inn in town, where sleepy travelers were yawning as they came down the creaky, rickety stairs.

William Ford's stomach was truly empty. The kind of food meant solely to restore health seemed entirely different from the kind that actually filled the belly. He straightforwardly ordered half a garlic-stuffed leg of lamb and some golden-baked wheat bread, then began to wolf down the meat with the bread. Once he had gradually filled his stomach, he ordered half a mildly flavored whole chicken and a bottle of rum, and started tearing and eating slowly, passing the time. The spot he chose was quite clever—he could see out, but was not at all conspicuous.

This kind of life seemed quite suitable for his current identity. Around noon, after the one-legged innkeeper confirmed that Lauren (William Ford)'s purse was quite full, he became very attentive and proactively brought over two sturdy Al sausages. These were meant to be sliced and eaten with bread; when cut, the cross-section revealed fine pink minced meat, interspersed with cubes of fat and whole peppercorns.

William Ford thoroughly enjoyed this hearty lunch. Just as he was about to join the heated debate in the dining hall to glean some useful information, the broken stone road in the center of the town suddenly echoed with urgent hoofbeats. A young man, covered in blood, clung desperately to his horse's neck as he galloped in, shouting in panic, "It's bad! The evil Duke Galipodi's army is outside the town. Not long after we set out for the city today, the caravan was attacked by them, and Marina was taken!"

William Ford's eyes lit up. Wasn't Marina that barmaid with a few freckles on her face? She was the one who could make the burly Marcy, as strong as a millstone, keep his mouth shut! It seemed he had been wise not to choose to complete the first task directly last night.

In fact, people with experiences similar to his would usually, upon entering the world, go straight to scout the camps of the Galipodi army. Every hour, each camp would send a masked servant to fetch water; all one had to do was kill this lone masked servant to pass the stage smoothly.

What usually happened next was that Marina, to verify Lauren (the unified identity played by outsiders), would come early to invite him to go with her to the city to confirm whether the news of the evil Duke Galipodi's army attack was true. Meanwhile, because a masked servant had gone missing the previous night, the Galipodi troops lurking outside the town would begin small-scale searches. The more men they lost at night, the stronger the search parties they sent out.

Normally, if only one masked servant was killed, the caravan organized by Marina could easily wipe out any patrols they encountered, and the first task assigned to the entrant could be completed with little difficulty.

However, William Ford had killed a total of twelve masked servants and even took out the commander of the lurking Galipodi troops! This, no doubt, was closely related to his experience as a serial killer in the real world. But as a result, the evil Duke Galipodi's army had mobilized in full force, to the extent that even the caravan organized by Marina could be completely wiped out!

At this moment, William Ford finally spotted the burly Marcy in the chaos of the town. This man, who looked as stubborn as a hard rock, had eyes burning with fury. He was shouting and cursing loudly, trying to organize people for a rescue, but panic was spreading like a plague, and his efforts were doomed to fail. Only then did William Ford stride forward and say calmly, "I'll go with you to rescue Marina!"

Marcy hesitated and said:

"You can't do it alone."

William Ford looked into his eyes and said, word by word:

"Then we'll go together!"

A complex, painful, and conflicted expression flashed across Marcy's face, but William Ford seemed not to notice, saying with contempt, "Loving someone isn't just about words."