When Nawa and Nathee's group reached the end of the colossal wall, they looked out to see the edge of the Phet Swamp meeting the fringe of a forest. Nestled there was a cluster of structures resembling a village, encircled by a defensive perimeter made of massive trees.
Even without relying on their player equipment, everyone could easily surmise that this was the Taiban village. A short distance away lay rice paddies—the very same kind found back on Earth—a sight that felt both unusual and remarkably beautiful.
Since such rice paddies also exist in the Himmapan Forest, a curious thought struck Nawa: the taste of the rice is identical in both the Himmapan Forest and "The Oneness." This observation only strengthened the hypothesis that the Himmapan Forest and The Oneness might, in fact, be the same world.
Although guards stood watch at the entrance, Nawa's group passed through the village gate with ease, requiring no entry fee.
The buildings inside were constructed from wood and other natural materials, while the surrounding wall—standing over four meters tall—was fashioned from large logs lashed together with thick ropes. Nawa reckoned that even a Roc would find it no simple task to breach such a barrier.
Though the Taiban village was home to only a few hundred local inhabitants, the total population—including the players residing there—reached nearly a thousand people. Players come to this village to rest and restock on supplies and potions before heading out to hunt monsters around Mount Matterhorn.
The area surrounding Mount Matterhorn is home to many "Pro-fess" (Professional/Advanced) level monsters. Most of these creatures—such as those resembling elephants or horses—are herbivores and do not attack humans unprovoked, making them far less dangerous than the monsters found in the Diamond Swamp. Consequently, players often form parties to hunt here.
The only real danger to watch out for is getting too close to Mount Matterhorn itself. The mountain is the habitat of the Roc—a legendary creature from Arab folklore. It resembles a shoebill stork, but on a massive scale; it is large enough to easily snatch up and devour a full-grown elephant.
The Roc that Nawa and his friends encountered was still a juvenile—not yet fully grown—yet it was already classified as an "Elder" level monster. A fully mature Roc would possess strength at least at the mid-Elder level or higher. There are even rumors that a Roc of "Warlord" level strength dwells at the summit of Mount Matterhorn.
Fortunately, these Rocs feed exclusively on certain types of marine monsters. Since the far side of Mount Matterhorn borders the ocean, they are rarely seen on land.
The only exception is when they are injured; at such times, they may venture to the Diamond Swamp in search of specific medicinal herbs.
Take the Rocs that Nawa and his companions encountered earlier—it's not hard to imagine what would happen if such giant birds decided to hunt humans for food.
It wouldn't just be Taiban Village; even the city of Matterhorn would likely be left in total ruins. Yet, no matter how terrifying these Rocs might be, there are still those driven by such intense greed that they are willing to risk their lives climbing Mount Matterhorn, all in the hope of securing one of their eggs.
Eggs from Elder-rank monsters command an incredibly high price, and when it comes to a colossal creature like a Roc, that value skyrockets even further.
While a Roc egg might only provide 30–40% of the stat bonuses one would gain from consuming an entire adult Roc, the egg is dozens of times smaller—meaning it takes a fraction of the time to eat. Even though players can consume far more food than an ordinary person, eating a Roc the size of an airplane would still take months, if not years.
A Roc egg, however, could be consumed by a player in less than a week. Because of this, a single Roc egg can fetch over ten million baht. Lured by such an astronomical sum, many are willing to stake their own lives, scaling Mount Matterhorn in the desperate hope of getting their hands on one.
Upon arriving in Taiban Village, Nawa decided to part ways with the group. Everyone was taken aback—Ploy, in particular, was not only surprised but also clearly saddened by his departure.
"Why are you leaving?"
"Or do you think we're too weak—that we'd just be a burden to you?"
Ploy's tone was laced with sarcasm, yet her eyes clearly betrayed her desire for Nawa to stay.
Nawa gently stroked Ploy's hair and said,
"Ploy... you know that's not it. All of you are strong. In the future, you'll surely build a guild every bit as great as the three major ones. But I have things I need to do, so I can't stay with you."
This wasn't a lie, though Nawa didn't reveal the full truth behind his decision to leave. For one thing, tracking down the apothecary Mandis was a dangerous endeavor—he didn't want to drag Ploy and her friends into such peril.
"Don't lie to me. You're leaving because of... *her*, aren't you? Because of Phorn?" Ploy asked, her expression turning serious as she locked eyes with him.
Nawa remained silent—neither confirming nor denying it. The truth was, Ploy had hit on another reason why he felt uncomfortable staying in the same party.
Having once dated Phorn—Ploy's older sister—and knowing that she now had a new partner, he felt it simply wouldn't be right to remain closely involved with her younger sister.
In truth, Ploy was well aware of Nawa's predicament, yet she still didn't want him to go. To her, Nawa was the person she felt closest to—like an older brother—and being around him made her feel both warm and secure. But, much to her dismay, she knew she couldn't hold him back. All she could do was add Na-wa as a friend in the system so they could stay in touch.
After returning the wolf meat he had hunted to Ploy and her friends, Nawa did not immediately set out to gather information about Mandis; there was something else that required his urgent attention.
The group he had encountered earlier—those searching for Mandis—would soon arrive at Thaiban Village. Once word spread that the village's medicinal supply caravan had been raided and Mandis, the village healer, had gone missing, panic would surely grip the entire village, and the price of potions would undoubtedly skyrocket.
Previously, Nawa had avoided buying potions due to their exorbitant cost. However, his earnings from this hunt had far exceeded his expectations. Even after paying off his debts to the local mafia and covering his younger brother's tuition fees, he was left with several dozen silver coins—money was no longer a major concern for him.
Furthermore, as Nawa intended to explore the Diamond Marsh alone—without a healer to accompany him—he needed a safety net. Regardless of how high his natural recovery rate might be, there would be no time to rest during the heat of battle. Potions would serve as a vital lifeline, capable of rapidly healing his wounds and restoring his physical condition.
As Nawa had anticipated, potions in Thaiban Village were significantly cheaper than those in the city of Matterhorn. Even after purchasing five bottles, he still had plenty of funds remaining, so he decided to buy a sword to use in close-quarters combat.
Although Nawa truly desired a premium-grade weapon, it was beyond his reach; the price exceeded 3 gold coins—more than the total amount of money he currently possessed.
Consequently, Nawa settled for a high-quality sword priced at 8 silver coins. It was an ancient-style Thai sword with a single edge; despite its somewhat weathered appearance, it boasted an attack power rating of 18. While it fell far short of a premium-grade weapon, it was nonetheless the most powerful weapon Nawa currently owned.
After spending some time purchasing a few other necessities, evening arrived as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. Nawa noticed that the group who had fought the Roc earlier had likely returned to Thaiban Village; a crowd had gathered at the village butcher shop, clamoring to purchase large cuts of meat—meat that Nawa recognized as belonging to a Roc.
Scanning the area, Nawa spotted one of the individuals who had been part of the group that fought the Roc. He approached the man to ask for news regarding Mandis. Fortunately, the man remembered Nawa as well and shared the details without reservation.
Upon learning the news, the village chief issued an order to wipe out the Lizardman horde, placing a bounty of 20 silver coins on each one.
Under normal circumstances, the value of a Lizardman's flesh—even when combined with the energy crystals they might drop—would not reach such a sum.
It might not even amount to 20 silver coins. With a bounty of 20 silver coins set for each Lizardman, Nawa could potentially earn 40 silver coins—or even more—from hunting just a single one.
In reality, not everyone can profit from hunting Lizardmen in this way. Most players' dimensional inventories are nowhere near as vast as Nawa's; the carcass of a single Lizardman would likely fill an average player's storage to its limit. Consequently, most players undertaking this mission would likely only take the Lizardmen's heads to claim the bounty.
This means that once the mission begins, the swamp will likely be littered with abandoned Lizardman carcasses—ripe for the taking. If everything goes smoothly, Nawa could potentially rake in over ten million baht from this mission. At this thought, a clear expression of delight spread across his face.
However, Nawa remained concerned about the safety of the apothecary, Mandis. While wiping out the Lizardmen might make it easier to search for Mandis within the swamp, it was a double-edged sword; the mission would likely cause people to focus so intently on hunting Lizardmen that they would neglect the search for the apothecary.
Although Nawa was well aware of this, there was nothing he could do. Given his current standing, no one would listen to him, no matter how sound his reasoning might be. Thus, Nawa decided to accept the mission to hunt the Lizardmen. At the same time, he would also search for the whereabouts of the apothecary, Mandis.
In the center of the village stood a bulletin board—resembling those found at universities, though two to three times larger—plastered with various announcements and requests. Beside it sat an official's desk, where all quests were registered; whether someone wished to post a request or accept a task, they had to register there.
Nawa did not head straight to the registration desk. Thanks to the translation system built into his player device, he could read the language of the human race in "The Oneness" just as easily as he could read Thai back on Earth.
He chose to examine the notices and announcements on the village bulletin board first, hoping to gain a better understanding of the situation in Taiban Village.
Most of the postings were requests from villagers—ranging from pleas to deal with insect monsters destroying their crops, to requests for guards to escort goods, along with a variety of other miscellaneous tasks.
As Nawa read through the requests, his player device automatically processed them and estimated their difficulty level. Most were ranked D or E, with only two or three exceeding rank D. Although the system imposed no limit on the number of quests one could accept, registering for a task in Taiban Village required a registration fee.
This fee, charged by the village, amounted to approximately 5–10% of the quest's total reward—essentially a service or coordination fee—which had to be paid upfront upon registration.
Nawa pondered for a moment before deciding to take on the mission to eliminate the Lizardmen, along with another mission—the one with the highest difficulty rating available in Taiban Village. As soon as Nawa paid the 10 silver coins to the official and signed up, a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
"Ding!"
Following the system notification, a quest window appeared before him.
( C-Rank Quest: Hunt Lizardmen in the Diamond Swamp )
( Details: The village chief of Taiban requests the elimination of Lizardmen who are wreaking havoc along the route between Taiban Village and the city of Matterhorn, causing distress to the villagers and disrupting travel between the two locations. )
( Reward: 20 silver coins per Lizardman head. No time limit; quest remains active until cancelled. )
( Reputation points upon successful completion: 2 )
( B-Rank Quest: Deal with the Anacondonium at the lake )
( Details: The village chief of Taiban requests that the Anacondonium, which has been causing trouble near the lake close to the village, be taken care of. ) ...which has left the villagers unable to go out and fish in the lake.)
(Reward: 1 x Premium-grade weapon)
(Reward: 10 x Gold Crystals)
(Reputation points awarded upon successful completion: 200)
The 10 silver coins Nawa paid as a registration fee—of which 9 silver coins were specifically for this B-rank mission—might seem steep, but he was willing to pay it because the rewards were exceptionally valuable.
These included a premium-grade weapon, 10 gold crystals, and, most notably, 200 reputation points granted by the system upon successful completion.
Even though Nawa's title, "Gifted Individual," provides a 25% bonus to reputation gains, the primary reason the system offers such a high reputation reward is the disparity between Nawa's current rank—D-rank—and the mission's difficulty—B-rank.
Simply put, the higher the risk, the greater the reputation reward. If a high-ranking player were to take on this same mission, they would likely receive no more than 30 reputation points.
Despite the attractive rewards, Nawa decided not to undertake the mission just yet. A B-rank difficulty level implies that the monsters he would have to face are incredibly powerful; it is highly probable that the "Anacondonium" in question is an Elder-class monster, potentially on par with a Roc. That was close—Nawa nearly lost his life out there.
Nawa resolved to gather more information about the "Anacondominium." If the monster he intended to hunt proved too powerful for him to handle, he would only end up becoming its prey.
By evening, Nawa headed to the village inn, looking for both a place to stay and some information. The inn in Thaiban Village functioned as a combination of a restaurant and a lodging house; it was constructed from wood, with an interior that prioritized utility over decoration.
Upon entering, one could see dozens of tables for diners. Looking upward, a row of guest room doors lined the upper level—reminiscent of the inns seen in Chinese martial arts films, though the decor here in Thaiban Village lacked any distinct Chinese style.
Although the inn was significantly smaller than the bars in the city of Matterhorn, it was packed with players. They sat in groups of four or five, chatting and laughing boisterously.
Nawa didn't spot Nathee's group anywhere; it was possible they had already logged out. After taking a seat at an empty table, Nawa soon noticed that everyone in the inn had turned their attention toward a man who had just stepped up onto a stage.