The gear with close combat bonuses almost all comes from the Demon Dungeon he did the other day, and the Carnivorous Armor appears as a knee length Brigandine coat, reminding Cain of his early days in this world.
He spent so long looking like a punk rock musician thanks to that gear that this outfit feels comfortable and nostalgic.
The darkness is slowly giving way to a forest, and Cain can't tell if it is being created or if he is being transported to a new location. As he stops, he finds that the System has left him sitting on a rock, atop a hill overlooking a large lake.
There is a quaint looking village of weathered, unpainted wooden shacks down below him and Cain can see a lot of people going about their daily business.
They are wearing outfits the look more like what Nila preferred, and Cain wonders if he should change. His inventory is still accessible, but the obvious answer to him is to use [Malleable Form] to change how his clothing appears so he can blend in.
He ends up looking much more flashy than the locals, but the fashion is similar, so Cain decides it is close enough. There is a road leading down the hill towards the village, and Cain carefully inspects the wagon headed up his way.
Both occupants are similarly dressed to the villagers, but even flashier than Cain and openly carrying weapons. Nobody is showing a name plate, and Cain suspects they don't have a system. They don't have the immensely weak feeling of those without a system though, so either his functions are restricted or they have another way of strengthening themselves.
Cain continues walking towards the road, equipping his [Pestilent Scimitar] in a scabbard at his waist, to better match with the local customs. If they really don't have a system, then they wouldn't expect an inventory to exist.
"Greetings fellow Daoist. If you are looking for a duel you won't find a decent one in that village. If you come with us to the creation festival in Kan you will find all you could ask for." The better dressed of the two young men in the wagon greets him.
Creation Festival sounds like a good place to find a hint about the Ancients, if they really made many of the species in this world, so Cain takes the chance that the System had been kind to him and given him a form of starting assistance.
"I would appreciate it. I have been traveling for some time without a map, might you tell me a bit more about the Creation Festival in Kan?"
"It might not be as grand as the festivals in the capital cities, but it is one of the qualifiers for the grand tournament. If you can make it to the Grand Tournament finals in the Central Continental Championship you even get to meet the Progenitor King. Imagine that? Just for making it through this one little tournament and two more you could get to meet a descendant of the Creators."
The second occupant is a chatterbox, but the information tells Cain a great deal about his surroundings. Other than the fact nobody seems to be able to use mana, it seems very similar to the real world. Could this be the past?
Before the system the only humans that could use mana were wizards, witches and heroes. It would only make sense that everything would be done without magic in a human territory.
"If you don't mind a rider, I would appreciate the ride. How much further is the journey?"
The leader of the two smiles. "We should be there tomorrow afternoon. Are you going to enter? The top ten will move on to the regional tournament in two weeks."
Cain considers for only a few seconds. "I might as well. I might not know the local customs, but a good challenge is always welcome."
"You are one of the Blessed, right? The average human doesn't stand a chance in a Tournament like this. Now me and Joe might not be as strong as some of those legends who could crush buildings with a kick or run down a flying dragon, but it still isn't something a farmer with a sword could survive."
"No worries gentlemen, I've gained a great number of benefits along my journey." Cain smiles, leaving out the details, because he doesn't know exactly how humans without a system were gaining that level of power. Magical items maybe?
Both men nod in satisfaction though, and the wagon trundles along painfully slowly. Cain could walk faster than this, if he jogged he could almost certainly make it to their destination tonight. But the wagon has a collection of trade goods in it. Without an inventory, they have no other choice but to suffer the pace.
They come up on a tree line where the road dips into a river valley a few hours later and the one called Joe looks at his partner. "Well Gavin, what do you say? 5 bandits, over or under."
It is an incredibly obvious spot for an ambush, and Gavin simply laughs. "Over, way over. Nobody would work as a bandit with only five members along a major road. What do you say new guy? Sorry I didn't catch your name."
"The name is Cain. I would wager on twenty, if I had any money to spare."
Cain tries pulling money from his interface and finds that he can get a few hundred gold coins from his own inventory, but can't access the Guild Bank. Good thing he stocked up on the essentials for the quest.
The wagon doesn't slow, and Cain laid down on top of the goods and out of sight of the likely ambush as they approached, hoping to take them off guard.
He checks the abilities he has available and finds that the Legendary Forest Dragon has an [Intimidation] aura as well as the healing aura, with both capable of activating at the same time. That should be enough to make the common bandit wet themselves.
