Chapter 14.1

—

Strange rumors began to circulate within the Demonic Realm.

These rumors centered on a golden carriage, one that roamed the monster-infested wilderness yet somehow kept the beasts at bay.

The carriage was driven by a mage named Arad, who sold beer, hamburgers, and fries in the heart of the Demonic Realm.

He also offered equipment repairs and first-aid services. Though his prices were 10–20 times higher than those in villages, for adventurers wandering the perilous terrain, his services were nothing short of salvation.

—

“Have you by chance seen five knights on horseback?”

Arad asked this same question to every adventurer he encountered, always seeking information about the knights from the High Tower who were traversing the Demonic Realm.

But not every encounter was peaceful.

“We don’t care about knights! Hand over everything you’ve got!”

“He’s just one mage! Attack him before he can chant a spell!”

“Kill him!”

The most dangerous threat in the Demonic Realm wasn’t the monsters or ancient dungeons—it was other adventurers.

Some adventurers, driven by desperation or greed, attacked Arad’s golden carriage, seeing it as an easy target.

Not every group was as cautious or wealthy as Trevis’s party.

“Tsk, I’ll have to waste more magic stones.”

Of course, Arad was well-prepared for such situations.

His custom-made magic crossbow and enchanted magic-stone arrows were perfect deterrents.

Click, click.

Activating a sliver of magic from his core, Arad pulled the crossbow’s trigger.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from where the troublemakers had been, obliterating three adventurers in mid-charge.

“This is my first time killing someone.”

Not long ago, he had been an ordinary person on Earth. Even after arriving in this world, he had lived safely in a village, selling food.

Now, for the first time, he faced the bloodshed and violence of this brutal world.

“And yet… I feel nothing.”

His numerous passive skills and maxed-out mental stats left Arad surprisingly calm.

“Eek! Yuda’s entire party is…!”

The explosion left nothing of the attackers but charred remains. The sheer power of the magic made other adventurers hesitate.

“We didn’t even see him chant a spell! He’s terrifying!”

Word quickly spread about the golden carriage’s owner—a mage of immense skill.

“Will your party attack, leave, or use my food carriage?”

“W-We’re fine! We’ll come back later! Haha…”

“We’ll pay with monster materials!”

Even desperate adventurers learned their lesson after seeing Arad’s power firsthand.

After ten such incidents, no one dared attack the golden carriage again.

Instead, Arad’s reputation grew, a blend of terror and salvation spreading rapidly across the Demonic Realm.

—

Business was unexpectedly good.

Though profit wasn’t Arad’s main goal, his carriage was steadily accumulating silver coins and rare monster materials, some of which could fetch gold in the right hands.

“Though honestly, the profits are just enough to break even.”

Running the golden carriage was a monumental effort.

It was the height of inefficiency, akin to Cold War-era space technology. The lack of infrastructure and modern materials made it a financial sinkhole.

Neigh!

Driving the carriage, Arad gazed at the snowy plains of the Demonic Realm.

Rolling hills and sparse, garden-sized forests dotted the landscape, interrupted by vast open fields.

Despite being in the monster-filled Demonic Realm, his surroundings were eerily quiet.

The two ordinary horses pulling his carriage trotted calmly, their enchanted harnesses shielding them from the realm’s deadly aura.

“At least the insane spending paid off.”

The golden carriage was reinforced inside and out with magic-stone paint for durability and defense. It was a fortress on wheels, held together by Arad’s max-level crafting skills.

As the sun set, Arad parked the carriage near a rocky hill.

“This looks like a good spot to camp for the night.”

The interior of the carriage was far more impressive than its exterior.

Thanks to layered magic-stone panels, space-expansion enchantments, and weight-reduction circuits, the inside was at least five times larger than it appeared.

The craftsmanship was unparalleled, even by the standards of a century in the future.

“The effort to build this monstrosity… never again.”

Though the carriage would sell for a fortune, Arad had no desire to make another. It had been a grueling process, and maintaining it required constant, expensive upkeep.

—

Arad stepped outside with four tripod-like totems in hand.

He placed them around the carriage in the cardinal directions.

“Do your job tonight.”

As he activated the totems, faintly glowing magic circles appeared, forming a protective barrier around the camp.

These totems would stand watch until dawn, warding off all but the most persistent monsters.

“…”

Despite the security, Arad couldn’t help but frown.

The fortune he’d spent creating these devices, including the gold he earned from selling the Arad Salt recipe, weighed heavily on him.

“I’ll get it all back—with interest.”

His goal was clear: find those responsible for dragging him into this situation and settle the score.

Returning to the carriage, Arad examined a compass.

It was enchanted with a crude tracking spell linked to the salt pouch he had gifted to the High Tower knights.

“So, they really did head for the depths of the Demonic Realm?”

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