Chapter 1.
The morning sunlight streamed through the first-floor windows of the small building, illuminating the kitchen of the Reyno household.
SIZZ LA LA.
Sounds of sizzling oil rose from the iron pot on the earthen stove along with a wisp of clear white smoke.Â
Two gradually forming sunny-side-up eggs lay flat in the iron pot, emanating waves of fragrant aroma.
Pulling the view gradually back, a tall, handsome young man was humming a song while manipulating the eggs in the pot with a wooden ladle in his hand.
This young man was precisely Reyno.
Originally, he was just an ordinary student on Earth. In the year of his eighteenth birthday, the apartment building where his family lived caught fire. He rushed alone into the fire scene to save people and unfortunately died.
Originally, he had already escaped from the fire scene, but because he heard the crying and screaming of a neighbor girl coming from the second floor, he still rushed back into the fire scene.
But the result was that not only did he fail to save anyone, he himself was choked unconscious by the thick smoke and ultimately perished in the sea of flames.
Even though many years had already passed, whenever he thought of that girl’s crying and wailing now, he would still feel waves of heart palpitations.
Perhaps good people receive good rewards – after death, he transmigrated to this magical world called the Haila Continent.
As the fragrance became increasingly intense, the eggs were also cooked to the degree where they could be taken out of the pot.
He cut two slices of toast, then plated this exquisite breakfast and walked out of the kitchen, coming to the door of a room deep in the first-floor corridor.
TAP! TAP!
He reached out and knocked on the door. Seeing no response from inside, he directly shouted toward the interior:
“Molanna, breakfast is ready! The eggs are soft-boiled just how you like them!”
Molanna was the apprentice following by Reyno’s side.
Of course, while called an apprentice, she had long been regarded as an important family member.
Originally, she was just a homeless girl. Reyno saw that she was truly pitiful, so he picked her up and brought her home.
Seeing no response from inside the door for a long time, Reyno gently pushed open the door.
Molanna’s room was the same as usual – curtains drawn, completely dim.
Unlike what Reyno had expected, at this moment Molanna was slumped on the bed, half-dead and half-alive with half-opened eyes, her black long hair disheveled and scattered.
The pajamas she wore were now loosely draped over that petite body, revealing half a fragrant shoulder and two slender, snow-white legs below, and even that newly developed bosom was almost visible yet hidden.
“Sigh… early in the morning, aren’t you annoying…”
Molanna turned her head, just about to scold Reyno a few words, but her gaze focused on the plate in his hands.
She immediately seemed to become a different person – her originally weary and lazy expression instantly perked up, and the corners of her mouth curved into a sweet arc.
“Ah, Master, you brought breakfast!”
A tribute to the legendary face-changing king.
Seeing this situation, Reyno was also not surprised and opened his mouth to tease Molanna:
“Hmm? Are the eggs your master or is the bread your master? Weren’t you just finding me annoying?”
Seeing this, Molanna immediately couldn’t stand it. She immediately climbed down from the bed and, not even wearing shoes, ran barefoot.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!Â
To Reyno’s side, pretentiously linking arms with Reyno.
“Oh my, Master Reyno, I was just sleepy and confused earlier. I didn’t really want to say you were annoying.”
Looking at Molanna clinging to him like a well-behaved little cat, Reyno smiled helplessly, then handed over the plate in his hands.
“Great! Master is the best!”
Seeing the breakfast in hand, Molanna released her grip on Reyno’s arm and like a bandit snatched the plate away, carrying it to the desk in the room and beginning to eat heartily.
Watching Molanna eat with oil all over her mouth and a blissful expression, Reyno smiled bitterly but still spoke a few words:
“Wear your pajamas properly! Look at yourself now – like a female pervert.”
“Oh come on, you’re my master, letting you see a bit doesn’t matter!” Molanna replied to Reyno with unclear speech while chewing the egg in her mouth.
Seeing her like this, Reyno could only shake his head and exit the room.
Returning to the living room, Reyno looked at today’s shopping list and couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.
“Rent, food, magical power materials, equipment…”
“The money is completely insufficient…”
After moving from his hometown to live in Haila Royal City, the amount of money used increased day by day.
During this period, not only were the savings accumulated from previous commissions nearly exhausted, but he had even incurred some debts.
Reyno was a beginner-level adventurer. But his own strength was not particularly outstanding, and the commissions he could receive were pitifully few.
“Things being as they are, let’s go buy things first. I’ll think of a way to solve the money problem when I return.”
Just as he took the room key and prepared to go out shopping, a human voice he had never heard before suddenly rang in his mind:
DING!Â
“You have been selected as this generation’s ‘Hero’! The system has been activated for you!”
“Haila Calendar year, after a hundred years of peace, a ‘Demon King’ has appeared once again!”
“Her corrupting power has burned the forests and contaminated the rivers and seas! All infected creatures have lost their self-consciousness and become the Demon King’s servants!”
“The Demon King led the demon army to kill their way into Haila Royal City, slaying the current Haila King, imprisoning the princess, killing until blood flowed like rivers and the people could not make a living”
“And when the sun and moon lost their light and the entire continent was about to despair, the current generation’s Hero: Reyno Valetta finally appeared!”
“After providing provisions and supplies to the current strongest Holy Knight Molanna, the Hero decided to venture alone into the interior of Haila Royal City to obtain intelligence on the Demon King!”
“Current mission objective: Go to the western side of Haila Royal City and directly face the Demon King.”
“Mission reward: Keen Perception (Beginner Level)”
“The unique title ‘Hero’ has been activated.”
Hearing this series of commotion, Reyno’s expression went from surprise to confusion, then to bewilderment.
“Haila Calendar year 700? But it’s only year 690 now.”
He took two steps to the window and looked outside.
Outside, the sunlight was bright and beautiful, with pedestrians coming and going in an endless stream – very peaceful and harmonious.
“Haila Royal City also seems quite normal. Where is this Demon King coming from?”
On the Haila Continent, there was indeed such a thing as Demon Kings and Heroes.
Approximately every hundred years, a generation of Demon King would appear on the Haila Continent.
Correspondingly, a generation of Hero would also appear.
After the Hero slayed the Demon King, the Haila Continent would enter a period of nearly a hundred years of peaceful times.
Regarding the appearance of the system, Reyno was not surprised.
After all, since transmigration was already a real thing, having the system arrive a dozen years late was also normal.
But what truly made him feel astonished was this system’s completely mismatched description.
He connected the problematic parts together and pondered for a while before thinking of this possibility:
This system had not arrived late; on the contrary, it had arrived early.
“That is to say, I really have been chosen to become the next generation Hero?”
“And… what the hell is ‘strongest Holy Knight Molanna Valetta’?”
Reyno’s mind conjured up his own female disciple who was full of dark aura and would nest in her room for an entire day.
“Strongest? Holy Knight?!”
“Master!”
Just as Reyno finished complaining in his heart, the door to Molanna’s room behind him was suddenly pushed open!
Disheveled in clothing, hair scattered, resembling a female ghost, Molanna ran toward Reyno carrying the plate she had just finished eating.
Then, she stuffed that plate, which only had some oil stains left, into Reyno’s hands and revealed an innocent and sweet smile:
“Master, please wash the plate for me. There’s not much food left at home either. I want to eat beef for lunch!”
Great, this little ancestor doesn’t want to suffer any loss at all.
Just as Reyno was about to scold Molanna a few words, the system in his mind began speaking to itself again:
“Holy Knight Molanna Valetta, when her master Hero Reyno Valetta was about to set out for battle, really couldn’t feel at ease. She hurriedly chased out of the camp to give him her final gift.”
“After Reyno accepted this precious present, Molanna deeply felt the insufficiency of food reserves and hoped that Reyno could bring some back on his way when returning to camp.”
“Side mission: Deliver food to Molanna Valetta.”
“Mission reward: Basic Sword Technique Mastery”
“Keen Perception and Basic Sword Technique Mastery… sounds like it directly gives me abilities.”
Listening to the system’s voice in his mind, his eyes seemed to once again see that day’s fire scene.
Rolling thick smoke, vicious flames, burning pain and the victims’ wails.
If he had possessed the system that day…
Would it have been the same ending?
If his abilities had been sufficient, perhaps he could have carried that girl out of the fire scene and been called a brave little hero by everyone.
His parents also wouldn’t have lost their only son on the day he just came of age.
“Hero, huh…?”
“Quite interesting.”
…
After arriving at the market, Reyno first purchased beef.
“Hmm… next are the magic potion materials…”
Molanna’s hobbies at home basically consisted of reading magic guidebooks and using various strange materials to make potions.
Precisely because of this, Reyno had always felt she would develop in the direction of a witch or alchemist, so when he heard her being crowned with the title “strongest Holy Knight,” he found it so incredible.
After entering the potion shop, a pleasant greeting voice like silver bells rushed into Reyno’s ears:
“Oh, Reyno, you’re here again? Are you buying things for Molanna again?”
Reyno turned his head toward the counter and saw a girl with silver hair wearing a purple-red long dress, supporting her cheek with one hand and half-lying on the counter looking at him.
She had a fair complexion and delicate features, naturally exuding a gentle temperament.
The girl was named Kleya, and she was Reyno’s childhood friend.
After coming to Haila Royal City, Kleya relied on her talent in potion studies to open a potion shop in the market area. The business was neither hot nor cold.
Reyno frequently came to her shop to purchase things and occasionally would ask her out to play together.
“Yes, thank you very much for taking care of me during this period.”
“No need to be so polite! Go pick out things!”
Originally, magical power materials should have been Reyno’s largest expense.
But thanks to having Kleya, this old acquaintance, he could often buy magical power materials from her shop at discounted prices. This also greatly relieved Reyno’s economic pressure.
Reyno had just responded to Kleya’s words and was just about to report the items he wanted to purchase when a voice suddenly exploded in his mind.
“Hero Reyno resolutely stepped into Haila Royal City. In the market ruins on the western side, he sensed an extremely powerful magical force!”
“The Hero understood that the possessor of such terrifying magical power could only be the Demon King!”
“Accompanying the appearance of this ominous magical power was his childhood friend – Kleya!”
“Mission ‘Directly Face the Demon King’ has been completed. Reward ‘Keen Perception’ can be claimed.”
Seeing Reyno suddenly freeze in the middle of speaking, Kleya curiously tilted her head, with clear morning light playfully dancing on that head of silver threads.
“Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”
“No, I saw that the dress you’re wearing today looks quite nice, so I looked a couple more times.”
Reyno shook his head, pretending to be calm, then turned his head back and continued scanning the shelves.
“The dress?”
Suddenly being complimented like this, Kleya’s heart suddenly trembled, and her cheeks slightly flushed with a hint of crimson.
“Why are you suddenly complimenting people… so strange.”
Kleya quietly muttered under her breath, not knowing who she was speaking to.
While secretly complaining, she opened the notebook on the table and began writing something with her pen.
“Hmm… purple-red long dress, so he likes this style…”
