Chapter 7: Child of Destiny?

  Matthew was slightly startled upon hearing this news, and immediately, information about Bay Vilge and the various dangerous creatures in the surrounding area fshed through his mind.

  "Another dragon?"

  "It shouldn't be; otherwise, the whole vilge would likely be gone by now..."

  "Could it be a Shadow Panther or ahquake Bear? No, that doesn't seem right... Their habitats are too far from the vilge, and they're incredibly strong. If they had attacked, dozens or even hundreds would have been dead by now, and the soldiers at the outpost would have rushed back without hesitation..."

  "It's probably a mid-tier magical beast, and it's likely either alone or with its young..."

  As Matthe, a clear and melodious voice suddenly rang in his ears, shog him:

  "Ding, Fate's Choice detected. Would you like to spend 100 Fate s to activate?"

  Gng at the 108 Fate s he had left, Matthew didn't hesitate mud decisively chose to activate it.

  A trump card is meant to be used!

  "Ding, activating Fate's Choice 3. Will you lead the outpost soldiers back to Bay Vilge (Misfortune 3), or refuse to lead the outpost soldiers back to Bay Vilge (Fortune 5)?"

  To Matthew's surprise, he couldn’t believe that the option to refuse had a terrifying "Fortune 5" value.

  With the appearance of the first two Fate's Choices, Matthew had e to uand that misfortune or fortune didn't necessarily represent absolute bad luck ood luck.

  Instead, the higher the value, the deeper the involvement and the greater the danger.

  Last time, with a value of 5, Matthew entered an adult bck dragon and a legendary Time Dragon.

  The sed time, with Fortune 4, Matthew might have provoked the Red Robe Mage Association and some hidden, enormous danger.

  If anything had gone wrong, Matthew would likely have ended up like those who perished iwater Towernally resting in the Misty S.

  Not uanding the dangers of "Fortune 5," Matthew thought it over and chose "Misfortune 3" instead, following his instincts.

  This was Matthew's first time choosing a misfortuion, and although the value was high, he was ready to give it a try.

  Sure enough, after choosing Misfortune 3, his Lu the attribute panel dropped to -3.

  A faint sense of danger began to linger in his mind.

  Matthew calmed his mind, setting aside distras, and carefully started thinking about the practical issues.

  With the Scarlet Moon approag, they were sure to enter aberrant creatures on the way to the territory.

  Although the soldiers at the outpost weren’t well-equipped, their overall strength was still det.

  With their addition, the voy's bat power would be signifitly boosted.

  Moreover, Matthew had begun to form more theories about Fate's Choice.

  The decisions of misfortune and fortune would likely provide him with more detailed information after this choice.

  Still, Matthew dispyed the expected rea of a noble in this world.

  He showed a slight hint of impatien his face, gnced indifferently at Captain Sean, nodded casually, and waved his hand:

  "So, there's trouble in the vilge too? Got it..."

  "Take everyone and all ons, and leave with us soon, but you must follow orders, or else..."

  He didn’t finish the sente instead sneered, closing the door with a wave, putting on a front of annoyao hide the sho his face:

  "Sean, race: Human, age: 31, status: Captain of Outpost 16 in the Misty S, profession: Level 4 Warrior, skills: ???, Luck: -3!"

  "Leon, race: Human, age: 17, status: Soldier of Outpost 16 in the Misty S, profession: Level 1 Warrior, skills: Ssh LV2, Sweep LV2, White Wolf Swordsmanship LV1, Luck: +5!"

  Matthew didn't care much about Captain Sean's attributes; after all, a low-level warrior at 30 years old wouldn't have much potential or heritage.

  But Leon was a pletely different story!

  White Wolf Swordsmanship and Luck +5 instantly marked him as extraordinary!

  The former, in Matthew's memory, was an a and precious top-tier swordsmanship teique.

  Ten years from now, it would be made famous by the demon hunters of the White Wolf lineage, who gained renown for sying numerous high-level demoainly not something a oner could learn.

  Luck +5 shocked Matthew even more; he had gained a temporary Luck +4 buff from his enter with the bck dragon and Time Dragon, and from f a life tract with the little one.

  Leon's Luck +5 was clearly i!

  Matthew was so sure because he reized Leon.

  Iure, Leon would bee a legendary demon hunter, showg formidable bat prowess by single-handedly defeating a Balrog during a ruin exploration!

  This incredible feat was even captured by pyers, earning him tless fans, both male and female.

  Though Leon was not yet as hardened as he would be 20 years ter, Matthew could see a striking resembnce, firming his identity.

  "It seems that Luck is likely tied to the achievements and strength the person will attain iure."

  "Just like in many heroic biographies, where the protagonists tinuously enter fortunate events, rapidly gaining strength, and always esg dahis must be reted to their Luck value."

  "So, if I had chosen to refuse, I might have triggered a plot involving Leon."

  "In some ways, Leon could also be sidered a 'Child of Destiny.'"

  "If I tried to kill him now, I’d probably fail due to some unforesee, and instead, I’d bee one of those unlucky vilies..."

  P this familiar name, Matthew couldn’t help but pare him to the protagonist of a certain game called "Three Light," and a faint smile tugged at his lips:

  "Well the’s see what surprises meeting a Child of Destiny brings me!"

  The crag fire burhe slightly damp wood, produg a "sizzle hiss" sound.

  The sticky pe kept bubbling, its sweet aroma making the exhausted group stantly swallow.

  "The Lord has ordered—add half a pound of dried meat to each pot, finely chop it, and cook it together."

  Old John worked quickly, slig the reddish-brown jerky into small cubes with his sharp knife and evenly sprinkling them into the pot, stirring it skillfully.

  Sitting beside him, Leon twitched his nose slightly, his eyes full of surprise, and asked curiously:

  "Is the Lord always this generous? Do we get meat with every meal? Will we get enough to eat?"

  Thick smoke, tinged with a pu smell, kept rising from the sides of the iron pot. Everyone skillfully avoided this area, pg the prepared bck bread into the pot.

  The bck bread, hard enough to break teeth, was something Old John liked to cook until it was soft, mixing it with the pe so that it remained slightly chewy with a faint malt fvor. Carefully chewing it, one could even taste a hint of sweetness.

  Of course, given the rush today, with meat added to the mix, Old John ate heartily, smiling as he nodded in respoo Leon's question:

  "Our Lord is a good man, not one for many words or much fuss—a top-notoble, really."

  "Though the steward be a bit harsh sometimes, he's incredibly capable. Nearly everyone follows his orders."

  "I see you’ve got some skill; talk to the steward ter, and you might get a neon. You’ll o protect everyoonight."

  The young and somewhat naive Leon grinned and scratched his head, his gaze frequently drifting to the side of the carriage, where he happeo see Matthew feeding the little one some eggs. His eyes widened in disbelief as he asked:

  "Oh my God! Is the Lord raising a dragon?"

  Old John lightly smacked him on the head, scolding him for his rashness, and then gave him a sharp look:

  "The Lord hails from the Serre family!"

  "You know about the Karl Pins, right? Our heril Empire’s granary? The Serre family owns nearly a quarter of the nd, sed only to the Karl family!"

  "The current head of the Serre family, t André, is the Lord's biological father!"

  "Not to mention our Lord is a knowledgeable Arist who will surely develop our territory and might even build his own Mage Tower someday..."

  "Hoeople live in Bay Vilge? What do they usually do for a living?"

  Leon, fasated by Old John's tales, felt as if the old man had opened up a wider, more exg world, far beyond the small area around Bay Vilge that had defined his life until now.

  Without much caution, Leon began to share details about Bay Vilge with Old John.

  Captain Sean, standing nearby, twitched his lips, wanting to say something several times, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

  Finding the se amusing, Matthew watched Old John with great i.

  As expected, Old John would soon know everything about Leon’s family history and the it all to Steward Ralph.

  It wasn’t long before Matthew, in a calm tone, heard these details from the uurbed steward.

  "Heh, there’s a saying: as long as you're not the protagonist’s enemy, you'll generally be fine!"

  "Kid, let me give you a lesson!"

  Steward Ralph saw the smile on his Lord's fad wisely kept silent, pretending nothing had happened, while carefully noting down the information about Leon.

  Whatever s the Lord is the most important thing!