World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 113: Four Regions

They finally left the village.

Nox was extremely glad to be out of there. He still did not understand why Mela had to come along, but whatever. It was a problem for later. They were back on their journey north, heading toward Serian’s sanctuary.

The walking arrangement was, to put it mildly, awkward. Nox was in the lead, setting a fast, aggressive pace. He was pointedly ignoring everyone. Mela was trying to walk beside Serian, playing the part of the dutiful royal escort, but since Nox was setting the path, she was really just following him, a fact that clearly annoyed her.

And Serian was stuck between the two of them, a princess trying to mediate a silent war between her bodyguard and her other, much more volatile, bodyguard.

Just when Nox thought he could finally have some peace and quiet, the universe decided to get involved. The god chat, which had been silent for a while, popped into his vision with all the subtlety of a thrown brick.

[Trickster God Hermes IV] Awww, look at the happy little road trip! The moody hero, the conflicted princess, and the angry third wheel. This is my favorite kind of drama! 😂

[Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty & Passion] Oh, the tension is just divine! The hurt in the princess’s eyes, the boy’s cold rejection... it’s so beautifully tragic! I hope they make up soon! ❤️

[Lord of Carnage] The boy did good. Killed the threat. No hesitation. That’s a warrior’s choice. The crying and talking is a waste of time.

[Athena, Goddess of Wisdom & Strategy] A warrior’s choice, perhaps. But not a leader’s. He has alienated his most valuable asset and created instability within his own party for the sake of a momentary, emotional victory. It was strategically unsound.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Nox, please talk to her! She’s really hurt! I know you didn’t mean to, but your words were very cruel! You’re not a monster, don’t let her think you are! 💖

He was so sick of all of them.

’Shut up,’ he thought, dismissing the chat windows with a wave of pure annoyance. ’All of you.’

They kept walking like this for what felt like an eternity. Nox was just following the path of least resistance, not really caring where they went as long as it was away from the village.

This was, naturally, a mistake.

Mela finally had enough. She quickened her pace, catching up to him. She did not look happy.

(Let’s be honest, she never looked happy around him).

"We cannot go this way."

He didn’t even slow down. ’And why the hell not?’

"This path leads to the Blackwood Reach," she explained, her voice tight with a warning. "It is the territory of another clan. They are not as... welcoming as my mother."

This was new information.

He stopped.

He actually stopped and turned to look at her, his annoyance momentarily replaced by genuine curiosity. Other dark elves? An entire forest full of them?

"What are you talking about? I thought your mom ran this whole place."

She looked at him like he was an idiot. Which, to be fair, in this specific situation, he was.

"This forest is massive, human. My mother presides over the Ashen Glade. It is but one of four regions."

She pointed vaguely to the west. "To the west is the Blackwood Reach, ruled by Elder Theron. To the south, the Sunken Marsh of Elder Maeve. And to the east, the Crystal Spires of Elder Kashian."

She paused, then delivered the final, most important piece of information.

"The Ashen Glade is the smallest region. And my mother... she is the weakest of the four Elders."

Nox just stared. The conversational, sarcastic commentator in my head has nothing to say here. The mockery just dies on the tongue.

This was not a joke. This was a fact that just landed with the force of a punch

He was completely and utterly shocked.

That woman, the one who had toyed with him without trying, who had pinned him to a wall with a flick of her wrist, whose power felt like a literal mountain... was weak?

She was the weakest one?

He could not believe it. His entire understanding of the power scale in this world had just been shattered. He wasn’t even playing the main game yet. He had just cleared the tutorial.

His brain had, for all intents and purposes, shut down. It was a simple statement of fact from Mela, but for him, it was a full-system crash.

Let’s be clear, this was not computing. The internal wiring in his head was sparking and smoking, trying to make sense of a piece of data that simply did not fit. He had based his entire understanding of "overwhelming power" on that woman. And she was the tutorial boss.

Serian saw the completely blank look on his face. This was not his usual bored or annoyed expression. This was the look of a man whose entire reality had just been unplugged.

"Nox? Are you alright?"

Mela, of course, interpreted his silence differently. She saw it as a kind of stunned arrogance.

"What’s wrong, human? Did the concept of a world bigger than your own ego finally break your tiny brain?"

He did not even register her insult. He just looked from her to Serian, his eyes wide with genuine, unadulterated disbelief.

"She’s... the weakest?"

It was a real question. He needed confirmation. He needed someone to tell him this was a joke.

Mela gave a short, proud nod. It seemed talking about the power of her people was something she actually enjoyed.

"My mother’s strength lies in life and healing. It is a defensive power."

"Elder Theron commands the shadow creatures of the Blackwood. Elder Maeve controls the waters and the poisons of the Sunken Marsh. And Elder Kashian’s power over the crystal formations is absolute. They are warriors. Their strength is in destruction."

She looked at him, a look of satisfaction on her face. "Compared to them, my mother is indeed the most... temperate."

The shock inside Nox was finally fading. The blue screen of death in his mind was rebooting. And in its place, something else was growing.

It was not fear. It was not despair.

It was, of all things, excitement.

A slow grin spread across his face. It was not a mean or cruel grin. It was a look of pure, unadulterated joy. The look of a kid who had just been told that the video game he thought he had almost beaten actually had three more, much harder, worlds to unlock.

’So this whole forest... it’s a dungeon.’

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