Although he kept thinking this way, Ethan still leaned more toward the idea of temporal energy in his heart—perhaps the ability to travel between different planes gave him a greater sense of anticipation. So in the days that followed, he always adjusted his course according to the temporal compass.

“There are so many different worlds out there. Even if I can't stay for long, there are countless ways for me to live better in this world. Even immortality, or becoming a higher-level being, doesn't seem impossible!”

He had no idea how to find endless lands or anything like that, but immortality was just as tempting, and it seemed even more within his reach.

Even though it was far-fetched to dwell on such things now, it couldn't stop Ethan from letting his mind wander and ponder these ideas in his spare time.

But as soon as he found some scattered temporal energy and used the teleportation array—only to be immediately targeted at every vital spot by a group of women in leather armor wielding bows and arrows—those thoughts were thrown out of his mind.

Chapter 7: Planning

The archers, all tall and long-legged with muscular builds, had their arrows gleaming dangerously in the dim light, constantly emphasizing just how threatening they were.

“Um... hello, I actually mean no harm.”

After Ethan spoke a few words, he awkwardly realized that no one on the other side was paying him any attention.

Language barrier!

This was the most frustrating part of traveling between planes, so he had no choice but to raise his hands to show he had no weapons and posed no threat.

A woman even taller and more robust than these already strong archers stepped out from the crowd, her face stern as she asked something.

Unfortunately, Ethan still couldn't understand.

“This is so frustrating.”

At this moment, he couldn't help but miss Eleanor. At least that Supreme Sorcerer could use a mental link for initial communication, and could even transmit some language information, allowing him to learn a new language in the shortest time possible—not fluently, but at least enough for daily conversation.

In fact, the introductory books Eleanor had given him included some spells for mental communication with civilizations that spoke different languages. Ethan had long been interested in learning such a spell, but unfortunately, his mental strength was nowhere near sufficient. Even though the spell didn't require magic power to cast, he still couldn't use it.

Just as Ethan was wondering what to do, the archers surrounding him parted to create a gap, and a woman walked up to him.

She was a very plump woman, a bit on the heavy side, but her broad frame kept her from looking bloated.

She wore a long brown dress that trailed on the ground, a purple top, and a light purple hooded shawl—or perhaps it was a cloak? The ends reached up to her upper arms, and the back draped all the way down to her calves.

The woman also wore a seemingly unremarkable necklace that emitted strange waves, instantly drawing Ethan's attention.

“You are...”

He was about to ask, but then remembered he couldn't communicate with these people, so he could only wave his hand awkwardly to show his goodwill.

To his surprise, that familiar feeling returned—this woman was also a mage capable of communicating via mental link.

“Hello, young man. I am Agatha, a priestess of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye. Although I don't know where you came from, and you used a teleportation array that hasn't been activated in a long time, you are still welcome in our camp.”

“Uh... hello, Priestess Agatha... My name is Ethan, just a passerby. As for the teleportation array you mentioned... that might be a misunderstanding.”

The name Agatha was just too familiar. Coupled with the group of beautiful female archers around him and that woman who was even more robust than most men, he immediately realized which world he had arrived in—Diablo!

Or more precisely, the world of Diablo II. He was probably standing in the “safe zone” at the start of the game, in the camp built by the remaining priestesses of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye and a group of Rogues, known in the game as the Rogue Encampment.

Back in the day, this game was insanely popular. Even Ethan, who wasn't that interested in it at the time, ended up playing it countless times thanks to his friends' persuasion.

Maybe after so many years, he had forgotten most of the details, but he still remembered the early-game content and some of the characters.

Agatha, a priestess in the game who could restore players' status—he wondered if, in this more realistic Diablo world, she was incredibly powerful or just an ordinary priestess.

For now, it seemed more likely that she was a powerful priestess.

After a cautious and simple exchange, Agatha spoke a few words to the robust woman beside her, Katherine, and the archers who had surrounded him gradually dispersed, leaving only Agatha and Katherine.

“We apologize for what just happened. The forces of darkness are growing stronger, and we have lost all our teleportation array outposts. So when we saw the teleportation array activate, we thought it was a demonic invasion.”