Thirteen stared at the wide expanse of land in front of him.
Just a few seconds ago, he was bidding farewell to Mikhail, who was about to be sent to the world of Solterra.
However, it turned out that he said goodbye to the wrong person because it was not only his brother who was sent to that world.
Thirteen himself was also sent there by his Father, Deus Ex Machina!
"That old man really wants to screw me so badly," Thirteen cursed under his breath.
This incident would have thrown a wrench in his plans if his father, Gerald, hadn't been attacked by an Assassin Organization and the Dimensional Gate incident hadn't happened.
Due to this series of events, he was forced to speed up his plans.
He also felt that he didn't have the luxury to wait until he turned thirteen years old and start his First Wandering.
For this reason, he made his father train hard in order to create Mythical Ranked Equipment.
He had also started Alessia's Alchemy journey, planting the information of not only the Divine-Ranked Martial Technique inside his head but as well as the experiences of his Hosts who had trained in Alchemy.
With the Martial Skill and the path that had been paved by others, Alessia's own crafting style had started to take root.
Given enough time, she would undoubtedly become proficient, given her natural talent in Alchemy.
Shasha would also be undertaking the Leventis Training due to her potential.
Simply put, Thirteen had already set things in motion, so even if he no longer actively made moves, his family would function like a well-oiled machine, constantly improving their crafts, and making them more powerful.
Thirteen scanned his surroundings and frowned due to how barren it was.
Clearly, his annoying old man had sent him to a place that was far from the main Human Kingdoms, preventing him from returning home for a year or two.
At least, that was what Deux Ex Machina wanted to achieve.
But, who was Thirteen?
He was the System that rebelled against a God, so something like this wouldn't faze him.
'Although this place isn't made up of sand, it is technically still a desert due to how barren and dry it is,' Thirteen frowned. 'First things first, I need to know where I am. That way, I can head to the nearest city, and from there, travel to the biggest Human Kingdom.
"I'm not supposed to be Spirited Away, so there is a possibility that I could take a gateway to return home," Thirteen muttered.
But as he was about to start walking, a blue window appeared in front of him, making him stop in his tracks.
——————————————
< Unique Quest! >
Quest Category: Chain Quest
Quest Name: The Thirteen Trials
< The Thirteen Trials >
— Just as the name of the trial suggested, you are required to complete 13 Trials.
— there is no time limit for completing these 13 Trials.
< Rewards for Chain Quest Completion >
— You can go back home if you succeed, you unfilial brat!
< First Trial >
— Escape the Houdini Desert!
— Unless this trial is completed, the next quest will not be announced.
——————————————
Thirteen raised his right hand to the sky and gave his old man the middle finger.
The sound of rumbling thunder spread in the surroundings. But instead of loud booming sounds, what Thirteen heard sounded more like laughter filled with ridicule and contempt.
"What a childish God." Thirteen sneered. "This is why you're still a virgin. Imagine being thousands of years old and still a virgin. You have Skill Issues, Old Man."
The loud laughter suddenly ended and was replaced by choking sounds.
This made Thirteen laugh out loud because he had long wanted to tell that to the old fart, who thought that he could have his way!
'Still, this is troublesome,' Thirteen thought after reading the information on his Mission Screen.
Based on the information he had in his Soul Core, the Houdini Desert was located on the third largest island in the South Western Region of the Valbara Kingdom.
The problem was that the Valbara Kingdom was tens of thousands of miles away from the Human Kingdoms, where the Five Monarchs and Ten Prestigious Families had established their base of operations.
The seven-year-old boy was currently in a place that people referred to as the Wild Lands, where countless "barbaric races," like the Barbarians, Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres, roamed.
This was one of, if not the most, dangerous places for a first-
timer Wanderer to appear to.
There was even a saying that if you were spirited away to the Wild Lands, it was only a matter of time before your star fell from the Heavens, heralding your death.
Fortunately, Thirteen's Host had visited the Wild Lands twice in his life, so he knew a little bit about where to go.
'Still, the information I have is already 300 years old,' Thirteen mused as he glanced at the position of the sun to calculate the location of the four cardinal directions.
As a System, it was very easy for him to do something like this, so even without a compass, he could accurately tell which direction was which.
After double-checking that he hadn't made any mistakes in his calculations, Thirteen started to head East, where the Barbarians lived.
According to information he could access in his Soul Core, the Human Barbarians lived in the East of the Valbara Kingdom.
He was currently in the South Western Regions of the Houdini Desert, which meant that he was between the territories of the Trolls, whose tribes were located in the West, and the Ogres, whose hunting grounds were located in the South.
'The old man is really trying to kill me,' Thirteen's face was solemn as he paid close attention to his surroundings while traveling.
Being in the territories of the Trolls and Ogres was not a joke.
He was still in the body of a seven-year-old, and if he encountered even one of them, he would be forced to use everything in his power to prevent himself from being eaten.
But just as Thirteen was making his way East, a loud scream, which came from a teenage boy, reached his ears.
Thirteen looked behind him and watched in horror as a familiar chubby boy was running in his direction with two Trolls hot on his trail.
It was none other than Cristopher Rotombus.
The chubby boy that he met at his Grandpa's Birthday Celebration, and also one of Terence's subordinates.
"Sh*t…"
That was the only thing that Thirteen could say as the chubby boy, who was desperately running for his life, ran in his direction with tears and snot streaming down his chubby face.